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N/Delta Underdevelopment: Ex-agitator Blames Selfishness of Leaders

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A Niger Delta ex-agitator, Mr Reuben Wilson, on Monday blamed political leaders and public office holders from the zone at all levels for the underdevelopment of the region.

Wilson, who is also National President of the Leadership, Peace and Cultural Development Initiative (LPCDI), regretted that despite the huge sums of money accruing to the region for the past two decades, the zone remained neglected.

 

Reuben expressed his opinion in an interview in Yenagoa.

He accused leaders and representatives from the region of high level conspiracy to deliberately impoverish the zone for selfish reasons.

According to him, it is painful that funds meant to develop the region were siphoned and diverted to private use just to exhibit affluent lifestyle at the detriment of the people who elected them.

He lamented the situation where contracts for the development of the area were awarded and monies paid without any visisible projects on ground, adding that the people of the region are frustrated by the gross underdevelopment.

“The state and federal governments should do something about developing the area. We were agitating so that roads can get to our communities, but nothing has been done. 

“We need roads in the Niger Delta, but rather people are busy diverting and misappropriating funds meant to develop this region.

“That is the money people have been sharing in NDDC. People will get a contract and will not execute such contracts yet full payment will be made to them. 

“My advice would rather go to the government at the centre, our ministers and leaders in the Niger Delta that they should try to bring development to the region and that is what the people need for now.

“Government should come down to our communities to see how the area can be developed. 

“Look at my community, Koluama in Southern Ijaw LGA of Bayelsa  now, there was an oil spill recently and no company has taken responsibility. 

“The people’s livelihood has been affected and the people can no longer fish; also the government has not done anything to impress on the company to clean up the spill.

“There was this Chevron North Apoi Gas Rig explosion in Koluama on 16th January, 2012, when Dr Goodluck Jonathan was President and until now nothing has been done to bring succour to the people and the affected communities. 

“Imagine the environmental effect of that Rig explosion on humans yet the neither the oil company that owned the Rig nor the government did anything to ameliorate the impact of the explosion.

“I can recall that Dr Goodluck directed that Mr Kingsley Kuku, the then Amnesty boss to include the communities impacted by the Koluama gas explosion into the amnesty programme.

“But the present amnesty boss has refused to pay them their stipends and allowances, some of them are in their final year, others are in their third year. 

“It is not a bad idea to bring in more youths into the programme but he should first of all pay those that have already been captured before thinking of implementing another 30 per cent for impacted  communities,” he said.

Wilson, who is a leader of the ex-agitators in the Niger Delta, advised that to curb youth restiveness the oil companies should as a policy employ at least 20 youths from each community.

“It is a very sad situation in terms of employment of our youths by oil multinational companies.

“What we have in the region is oil companies bringing people from outside to take the jobs that are supposed to be for the youths. Our leaders at the front level should also try and provide jobs for the youths.

“The youths in our region need to be empowered and developed in terms of their capacity. 

“Everybody in the Niger Delta needs development. The people are suffering and our leaders are turning blind eye to their plight and are expecting support during elections.” Wilson said. 

He also noted that the Interim Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, retired Col. Milland Dikio, should had used the unspent N26 billion he reportedly returned to address the enourmous challenges before the programme. (NAN)

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Board Sanctions 118 Immigration, Civil Defence Officers

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The Board of NSCDC, Fire Service, Correctional, and Immigration Service, has approved the sanction of 118 personnel for various offences.

The Board Chairman, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, made this known at the end of their meeting on Thursday in Abuja.

Tunji-Ojo, who is also the Minister of Interior, told newsmen through the board Secretary, Alhaji Ahmed Ja’afaru, that the erring officers were punished after facing disciplinary panels  for various offences.

“These offences range from misconduct, negligence of duty and outright absence from duty posts.

“In the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCOs), there were 48 cases of offences, in the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), there were 21 cases.

“Also, in the Federal Fire Service (FFS) there were 12 cases while in the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), there were 37 cases,“the minister said.

Tunji-Ojo added that the board has reviewed and approved new guidelines for appointments, promotions, discipline and general purpose in the services.

He said that the board also considered and approved the timeline for the conduct of the 2024 promotion exercise in the four services.

“The board considered and approved the review timeline for the conduct of the 2023/2024 fire service recruitment.

“As for the ongoing recruitment in the fire service, we hope to publish the names of the successful applicants latest by June 15. That is where we are for now.

“We also want to use this medium to warn the general public to ignore whatever they have been seeing or hearing in the social media space as they did not emanate from the board.

“This is because, we have come to realise that the social media world had been awashed with fake news telling applicants to come for screening exercise or pay certain amount of money.

“Let me put it emphatically that the board is not asking anyone to pay money for recruitment.“

He urged applicants to be patient, saying successful candidates will be notified to come for further screening through their emails and mobile lines. (NAN)

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NSCDC Inaugurates Female Strike Force to Secure FCT Schools

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The FCT Commandant of Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Mr Olusola Odumosu, has inaugurated the corps Female Strike Force to protect schools in the territory.

A statement by the command’s Public Relations Officer, Samuel Idoko, on Thursday in Abuja, said the inauguration followed the completion of a three day training for the personnel.

Odumosu said that the primary responsibility of the strike force was to ensure the safety of all schools in the territory.

He said that the training had equipped them with the needed skills and capabilities to carry out their duties.

According to him, the training is a follow up to the recent meeting of all FSF Unit Commanders with the Commandant General, Ahmed Audi.

Audi had charged them to be up and doing in view of the reported cases of kidnapping in some parts of the country.

“The training is imperative to ensure compliance with the CG’s directive on the mandate of securing schools for the safety of students and staff.

“Cases of abduction in schools must come to an end, that is the primary purpose of this training.

“We need to restore the confidence of the people in our ability to secure schools in the FCT,” the commandant said.

He therefore called on schools in the FCT to register with the National Safe School Response Coordination Centre, so that they could be added to the ecosystem.

Odumosu explained that the registration was free and meant to ensure better coordination and make responses to emergencies more quicker and efficient.

Odumosu assured that the training and retraining of the personnel would be held regularly to ensure prompt response to any security threat.

“We must make schools safe haven once again for children,” he added.

He charged the female strike force to conduct routine patrol and surveillance of schools to prevent threats and attacks.

He also enjoined the strike force to hold periodic security awareness and enlightenment talks for student and teachers.

Odumosu also directed the operatives to abide by the corps’ Standard Operational Procedure in discharging their duties and avoid over zealousness in the use of force or fire arms.(NAN)

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Tinubu Appoints Bello as new Chairman of CCB

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President Bola Tinubu has appointed Dr Abdullahi Usman Bello as the new Chairman of the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB), pending confirmation by the Nigerian Senate.

This is contained in a statement by Chief Ajuri Ngelale, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, on Thursday in Abuja.

Ngelale said that Bello was a consummate professional with more than 25 years of work experience in consulting, banking, law enforcement, financial services and academia.

He said that the President anticipated the new Chairman would lead the Bureau with utmost integrity toward the realization of its mandate of maintaining high standards of public morality in the conduct of government business.

Ngelale said Tinubu expected the new appointee to ensure that the actions and behaviour of public officers conform to the highest standards of morality and accountability.(NAN)

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