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Plateau Govt. to Begin Metro Bus Service, Relocates Street Traders

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Gov. Caleb Mutfwang of Plateau, has banned street trading around the Jos Terminus area, to pave way for the commencement of Tincity Metro Bus Service.

Mutfwang, who announced the decision on Wednesday in Jos, said that the buses, newly acquired from Germany, were to help reduce the hardships that the citizens were experiencing as a result of subsidy removal and the rise in the value of the dollar.

The governor spoke through the Secretary to the Government of the State, Mr Samuel Jatau, who is also the Chairman of the  Committee on the Actualisation of the Tincity Metro Bus Service.

He said that though the cost of food was very high, one of the critical sectors where people were suffering was the transportation sector.

“So we want to commence that as a palliative, and so we need to start that quickly.

“But we have a few issues that we need to sort out, one of which is why we are here today because you can see how congested the terminus area is.

“So we need to clear out some structures because these buses are huge and our routes, in some cases, are a bit narrow.

“So we need to be able to get them parking spaces and so on.

“That is why we are here; to see how we can partner with the traders to relocate them to a new place so that they can also be comfortable doing their businesses,” he said.

The governor explained that the new location was a temporary measure as the government intended to build markets in neighbourhoods around town in the coming months and years.

Mr Samuel Gwott, the General Manager, Plateau Express Services Limited, who took journalists to see the buses, said that they were commencing the Tincity Metro Bus Service with 14 diesel-powered buses.

Gwott said that the digitised transport system was safe, affordable, and very reliable.

”The general manager of the buses has a good customer care system where commuters give feedback in case they are having any issues with our bus services.

“We have card readers installed, and this week the adverts will come out on the routes that we are taking.

“We already have 20,000 of the cards ready so that people can preorder and get them via home delivery, or you can also pick them up at authorized vendor locations.

“So these are the buses, and we just brought you here to show you that we are ready.

”But there are things that need to be put in place, for instance, we just left the Terminus area where we need to fix some things, and tha is where the main hotspot is.

“The cards are going for N2000, and it is still at a very affordable price. Both the cards and the transport fare are highly subsidised by the Plateau Government.

“We want the traders, the mechanics, everybody to be able to know how to access this.

“So, for easy reach, you can just download the app, which will be out this week, and you can go to the web app and also just request the card and put your details plus your NIN for security reasons.

“Impute the amount you want for a minimum of N1000, and each card comes with a free N200 because each tap at the moment is N200 for every destination you are going to, whether far or near,” he said.

According to Gwott, eight routes have been designated for the bus service, and each drop would cost N200 no matter the distance.  (NAN)

NEWS

Diri Campaigns Against Drug Abuse, Trafficking

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From Mike Tayese, Yenagoa

Bayelsa State Governor, Sen. Douye Diri yesterday, led a campaign against drug abuse and illicit trafficking as part of activities commemorating the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.

Diri advised people of the state, particularly the youths, to shun hard drugs and trafficking of illicit substances, saying they were harmful to their health and to the society.

The Bayelsa governor, who spoke shortly after the weekly Prosperity Walk exercise at the Samson Siasia Sports Complex in Yenagoa, also urged youths to develop themselves by acquiring a skill and work towards actualising their God-given potential.

“We just completed a nine to 10km walk, which is a test of our fitness. As it is said, health is wealth.

“Today is the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking. We are not only observing the global campaign, we are also leading it here in Bayelsa.

“No one in his right senses goes to commit crime and violent acts except that individuals are under the influence of hard drugs. My advice to youths is to be self-confident, have the fear of God and develop your innate potential for you to become a star.”

He implored youths to emulate the shining example of a Bayelsa-born United States-based athlete, Victory Godah, who was discovered through the state’s sports programmes.

He commended her gesture of donating sporting equipment as a way of giving back to the state.

“Victory Godah from Ekeremor local government area was discovered here and because of her skill, she is now at the University of Minnesota, United States. She has given back to the state through sports equipment so that more of us can have that access.”

In his remarks, the Commissioner for Health, Prof. Seiyefa Brisibe, emphasised the importance of the weekly walk, stating that participants above 40 years would have their blood pressure controlled after taking about 5,000 steps.

Also, state chairman of the Drug Abuse, Addiction, Prevention and Rehabilitation Committee, Dr Peter Owonaro, said the committee’s outreach in the state had been a huge success, noting that a recent research indicated that the drug abuse prevalence rate in Bayelsa dropped by five per cent from 21.4 per cent.

Also, the state commander of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Kanu Sunny, lauded the state government for its unprecedented support in the fight against drug abuse and trafficking.

He said the campaign was taken to secondary schools as well as tertiary institutions and encouraged all to join in the war against the menace.

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Foreign News

Ally of Cameroon President, 92, Quits ‘Broken’ Government to Challenge Him

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Issa Tchiroma Bakary – a prominent minister and long-time ally of President Paul Biya – has quit Cameroon’s government, in the hope of ending 92-year-old Biya’s four-decade grip on power in upcoming elections.

Just four months before the central African nation went to the polls, Tchiroma said the Biya administration he belonged to had “broken” public trust and he was switching to a rival party.

“A country cannot exist in the service of one man,” he said on Wednesday.

While he was communications minister, Tchiroma notably came under fire for denying – then backtracking on his denial – that Cameroonian soldiers had killed women and children in a viral video.

His other roles during almost two decades in government include being a spokesman for the Biya government, and, until his resignation on Tuesday, he was employment minister.

Paul Biya – the world’s oldest head of state – has yet to confirm if he will attempt an eighth term as president. Last year, the country banned reports on the president’s health following rumours he had died.

As this election approaches, high unemployment and soaring living costs are of concern to many Cameroonians, as are corruption and security. A separatist insurgency in the English-speaking provinces as well as jihadists operating in the northernmost region have forced many thousands of Cameroonians from their homes in the past decade.

Cracks in Tchiroma’s relationship with President Biya were blown open earlier this month, when he told crowds in his home city of Garoua that Biya’s time in power had not benefited them in any way.

Tchiroma, widely reported to be 75, continued this criticism in a 24-page manifesto released a day after his resignation – promising to dismantle “the old system” so that Cameroon could move beyond “abuse, contempt, and the confiscation of power”.

One of his proposed solutions is federalism – he is offering to hold a referendum on devolving more power to Cameroon’s 10 provinces. This has long been mooted by many as a solution to the country’s so-called Anglophone crisis.

Specifically addressing English-speaking Cameroonians, who have long complained of marginalisation and discrimination in Francophone-dominated public institutions, he said “you do not need people to speak for you – you need to be listened to” and that “centralisation has failed”.

Tchiroma also used his manifesto to say Cameroon “has been ruled for decades by the same vision, the same system. This model, long presented as a safeguard of stability, has gradually stifled progress, paralysed our institutions, and broken the bond of trust between the state and its citizens”.

As the October presidential election approaches, rights groups have condemned the government’s crackdown on dissent.

Shortly after Tchiroma announced his plans to run for the presidency, the government reportedly announced a ban on all political activities by his Cameroon National Salvation Front (CNSF) party in a sub-district of the Far North region – a part of the country where he is said to be an influential power-broker.

Weeks earlier, fellow presidential hopeful Maurice Kamto had his movements curtailed during a two-day police stakeout in Douala, after promising supporters at a rally in Paris that he would protect Biya and his family if he wins in October.

Parliamentary elections that were also supposed to take place earlier this year have been delayed until 2026.

Reaction to Tchiroma’s presidential bid has been mixed – some think he is canny.

“By positioning himself as the elder statesman who ‘saw the fire coming’, Tchiroma is hedging that his break with Biya will be seen as bold – not opportunistic,” Cameroonian analyst and broadcaster Jules Domshe said.

“From economic fallout to youth unemployment, insecurity, and growing unrest in the North-West, South-West, and Far North [regions], Cameroon is ripe for change.”

Opposition voices are divided – some want Tchiroma to support Kamto, who was the runner-up in 2018 with 14% of votes. But others say he is tainted by his long association with Biya.

“He cannot embody change… He was part of the system for too long. The youth do not trust him,” says Abdoulaye Harissou, a legal notary and prominent critic once detained by the government.

Another member of the opposition – Jean Michel Nintcheu of the APC coalition – simply said: “We don’t see Tchiroma as a potential winner.”

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Foreign News

Crash Kills 29 Pupils Taking Exams after Blast in Central Africa

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Torough David, Abuja

Twenty-nine children who were taking their school exams in the Central African Republic have been killed in a crash after a nearby explosion caused panic, a hospital director disclosed.

The blast, on the second day of the high-school finals on Wednesday, occurred at an electricity transformer, said Abel Assaye from the Bangui community hospital.

“The noise of the explosion, combined with smoke” caused alarm among the almost 6,000 students sitting the baccalaureate at a school in the capital, Bangui, local radio station Ndeke Luka reported.

President Faustin-Archange Touadéra has declared a period of national mourning.

He also ordered that the more than 280 who were wounded in the crash get free treatment in hospital.

Students from five different schools in the capital had gone to the Lycée Barthélémy Boganda to sit the baccalaureate exam.

The education ministry said the explosion happened after power was restored at the electricity transformer, located on the ground floor of the main building that had been undergoing repairs.

“I also offer our sincere condolences to the parents of the affected candidates and wish a speedy recovery to the injured candidates,” Education Minister Aurelien-Simplice Kongbelet-Zimgas said in a statement.

He also announced the suspension of further exams.

A female survivor said.

“I don’t even remember what happened. We were in the exam room and when I heard a noise, I immediately fell into a daze,” she said. “Since then, I have had a pain in my pelvis that is causing me a lot of problems.”

Radio France Internationale spoke to another student whose face was covered in blood after he had climbed out of a window.

Magloire explained that the blast happened during the history and geography exam.

“The students wanted to save their lives, and as they fled, they saw death because there were so many people and the door was really small. Not everyone could get out,” he told RFI.

The CAR continues to face political instability and security challenges.

Government forces, backed by Russian mercenaries, are battling armed groups threatening to overthrow Touadéra’s administration.

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