Ministers zoom into action
Ministers yesterday settled down business at their respective ministries. They charged civil servants to align with the Tinubu administration’s agenda for reforms and speedy implementation of government programs.
The ministers, who unveiled their priorities, also set the tone for reforms, which they directed the workers to embrace for optimum efficiency.
It was their second day in office after their inauguration at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, by President Bola Tinubu, who mandated them to perform and be ready to be held accountable for their actions.
Works Minister Dave Umahi yesterday kick-started visiting ongoing project sites with Abuja-Lokoja Expressway.
He called for concrete road construction for durability.
He, however, stated all the projects cannot be taken at the same time.
Umahi said: “If we have 100km of road, let us face it. For me, no project should run beyond two years so we can make adequate funding of the phase in the first two years of our budgeting.”
New twist in Niger crisis as Russian mercenaries arrive
The arrival of Russian mercenary group Wagner in Mali with soldiers, arms, and ammunition, has introduced a new twist into the crisis over the military coup in Niger Republic.
He claimed that the arrival of its team in Mali is to assist the Mali military government to dislodge terrorists and “any other interest”, according to a report monitor on Al-Jazeera.
Mali and Burkina Faso, also ruled by military junta, have both declared their backing for the Niger coupists.
They have faulted the sanctions slammed on Niger by Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the African Union (AU) following the military take-over.
They pledged to join Niger in resisting any form of force that might be used against the Niger junta.
To give vent to their pledge, they have reportedly moved troops to Niamey as a backup to the Niger military.
ECOWAS has rejected the three-year transition plan hinted by Niger coup leader General Abdourahamane Tchiani, reaffirming the possibility of use of force should dialogue fail.
The junta has also insisted that it would not respect ECOWAS’ position.
The Wagner presence in Mali, which shares a long border with Niger is believed to be part of giving support in Niger.
The coup leaders had requested support from Wagner, and Prigozhin said his men were ready to provide it.
13 years after, NYSC reopens Orientation Camp in Borno
The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has reopened its orientation camp in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital.
It was the first time in 13 years after Boko Haram insurgency forced the Service suspended the exercise in 2011.
Swearing in Batch ‘B’ Stream 2 Corps members at a temporal orientation camp in the state capital, NYSC State Coordinator, Mohammed Adamu, lauded Borno State Governor Babagana Zulum for facilitating the return of the orientation course to the state.
The Corps members are camped at the Arabic Teachers College which is serving as a temporary orientation camp amidst tight security by the military, police, civil defense, and civilian joint task force.
The corps members comprising 629 males and 496 females prepare for swearing-in.
On his part, Zulum expressed delight at the return of the orientation camp in the state, stating that the gesture signified the return of peace and security to the state after years of insurgency.
Police Arrest Cleric for Electrocution of Five in Rivers
The Rivers State Police Command has arrested an assistant pastor to a new generation church in the state for the recent tragedy that claimed five lives in Port Harcourt, the state capital.
Five young men were reportedly electrocuted while others were injured trying to mount a billboard with a metal frame at the Obiri-Ikwerre area of Rumuosi community in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of the state last Monday.
The four men, who sustained injuries in the incident, were immediately rushed to the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH) by passersby who intervened.
It was gathered that a team of nine men was mounting the billboard structure when the metal frame touched live high-tension cable. But five men among the victims lost their lives in the incident and were confirmed dead at the hospital.
THISDAY learned that the victims were private businessmen who were contracted to mount the billboard for a church along the Rumuosi axis, near the Obiri-Ikwerre flyover.
Reacting to the incident, the state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Grace Iringe-Koko, a Superintendent of Police (SP), said investigation was ongoing to unravel the circumstances surrounding the untimely death of the victims.
Iringe-Koko also told THISDAY that an assistant pastor has been arrested in connection to the incident, but the name of the pastor could not be ascertained as at the time of filing the report.
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