NEWS
Two Men Drown While Swimming In Ogun River
While attending a program at a Cherubim and Seraphim Church in Onikoko located in Ogun State, two young men from Lagos tragically lost their lives by drowning in a river at Itori.
The tragedy reportedly happened on Monday.
Ogun State Police Command Public Relations Officer in Ogun, Omolola Odutola, disclosed that a member of the church, Adebayo Adeosun, had reported at the station at about 6:30 pm, “that some boys numbering seven who came from Lagos on the 27th of August for his church inauguration, left the church premises to swim, and got drowned in the process.”According to Odutola, the two victims were Femi Akinola, 32, of Odo Eran, Itire, and Tunde Falade, 35, of Kola Alagbado, both in Lagos.Their bodies were recovered from the tides and rushed to the health centre in Itori, Ewekoro Local Government Area of Ogun State, “where they were unfortunately confirmed dead by a medical doctor on duty.”The Divisional Police Officer, CSP Olayemi Jacob, had detailed his team to visit the scene upon receipt of the report and ascertained that there were no signs of violence or foul play suspected.“Their remains have since been evacuated to Ifo General Hospital for autopsy reports and later deposited in the same mortuary,” she explained.NEWS
Tinubu Nominates Chairman, 5 Executive Directors for South East Development Commission
President Bola Tinubu has removed Hon. Emeka Atuma as Chairman of the board of South East Development Commission (SEDC), and replaced him with Dr Emeka Nworgu.The President also replaced all the three executive directors initially nominated and named two additional executive directors, Mr Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President, Information and Strategy, said in a statement.
The President also removed one of the board members, Donatus Nwankpa. However, Hon. Mark Okoye retained his position as the Commission’s Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer on the 16-member board, one more member than the initial board.The new executive director for finance is Stanley Ohajuruka, who replaced Anthony Ugbo in the first list.Toby Okechukwu is the new executive director of projects. He replaced Obinna Obiekweihe, while Chief Sylvester Okonkwo is now the executive director of corporate services, replacing Dr Daniel Ugwuja.The two nominated executive directors without a portfolio are Chidi Echeazu and Dr Clifford Ogbede.The President retained Mr Ugochukwu Agballah, Hon. Okey Ezenwa, Chief Hyacinth Ikpor, Mr Ifeanyi Agwu, Nasiru Usman and Hamma Kumo.The other nominees retained are: Edward Onoja, Orure Inima and Chief Joke Adebayo-Chukwuma.All the nominations are subject to Senate confirmation.President Tinubu expects the new nominees, as pioneers, to use their wealth of experience and expertise to actualise the Commission’s mandate and develop the SouthEast region. (NAN)NEWS
Rivers Government to Demolish Shanties, Gives Seven Days Notice
Mr Evans Bipi, Rivers Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, has issued a seven days notice to commence clearing Port Harcourt city of slums and illegal waste dumpsites.The commissioner gave the notice on Saturday shortly after an enforcement operation at the Trans-Amadi Industrial Area in Port Harcourt.
Bipi expressed concern on operations of scavengers at the Trans-Amadi industrial area who currently occupy large hectares of private lands using them for sorting and assemblage of solid waste. He condemned the act of proliferation of illegal dumpsites as well as shanties in business areas, and advised occupants to vacate affected properties which had already been marked for demolition.”Scavengers here are contributing to environmental hazards, their operation is highly unacceptable, this administration will no longer continue to allow them to deface our residential and industrial areas.”We have given occupants seven days to vacate affected properties as we shall commence waste clearing and demolition of shanties in the area.”Property owners should refrain from leasing their properties to operators of unapproved and hazardous businesses or face the full weight of the law,” the commissioner warned.Mr David Ogbanga, Chairman, Special Committee on Development Control of the ministry also assured of efforts towards sustainable urban development in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.According to Ogbanga, apart from defacing the city outlook, slums impede urbanization, and they constitute a breeding ground for miscreants as well as hideouts for criminals and perpetrators of all forms of social vices.”We will put an end to this in the coming days, our enforcement team will begin demolition to restore serenity to our city as well as protect residents,” he said. (NAN)NEWS
Army Chief Pledges Improved Welfare for Wounded Troops, Orders Evacuation of Critical Cases
The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. Gen. Olufemi Oluyede, has reiterated the Nigerian Army’s commitment to prioritizing the welfare of wounded personnel to ensure their speedy recovery.Oluyede gave the assurance on Saturday during a visit to the 7 Division Medical Services and Hospital in Maiduguri.
The COAS commended the healthcare team in the hospital for their dedication, and directed that personnel with complicated medical cases be evacuated to the 44 Nigerian Army Reference Hospital in Kaduna for specialised treatment. The Army Chief who interacted with some of the wounded soldiers, encouraged them to remain strong as the army would never abandon them.“We will do our best to ensure that you are recuperated so that you can all go back to your duty,” he said. (NAN)