Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja, on Monday, ordered the officials of the Kuje correctional facility to provide the detained Binance Holdings Limited executive, Tigran Gambaryan, with a wheelchair. The order followed an outburst from Gambaryan, shortly after the court adjourned. Justice Nwite had stepped out of the courtroom for a
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Biafra: We’ve arrested IPOB, ESN founding father, Pius Iguh – DHQ announces
The Defence Headquarters has announced that its troops of Operation Udoka in the South-East have arrested a suspected “founding father” of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra, IPOB, and the Eastern Security Network, ESN. The DHQ made the announcement during the biweekly press briefing on Thursday, disclosing that the arrests were made in Orsu, Imo State,
Biafra: We’ve arrested IPOB, ESN founding father, Pius Iguh – DHQ announces
The Defence Headquarters has announced that its troops of Operation Udoka in the South-East have arrested a suspected “founding father” of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra, IPOB, and the Eastern Security Network, ESN.
The DHQ made the announcement during the biweekly press briefing on Thursday, disclosing that the arrests were made in Orsu, Imo State, Amaruku, and Arochukwu in Abia State.
The Director of Defence Media Operations, Major Gen Edward Buba, who addressed the press, gave the name of the alleged terrorist as Pius Iguh.
“In the South-East, the troops of Operation Udoka, Forward Operational Base (FOB), Orsu, in a sting operation, apprehended a terrorist leader belonging to the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its Eastern Security Network (ESN) terrorist group known as Mr Pius Iguh.
“He is an IPOB founding father responsible for the Orsu general area in Imo State,” he said.
“Also, in a separate development, troops of FOB Amaruku conducted a raid on an Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) commander’s location.
“The raid was successful and led to the arrest of the commander identified as Emmanuel Onwugu in Mbano Local Government Area of Abia State.”
According to him, troops also arrested another suspect, Ifeanyi Rock, who is a “notorious cult leader.”
According to the DHQ, the operation, which was in collaboration with security forces, “led to the arrest of a notorious cult leader named Ifeanyi Rock and ten of his commanders in the Arochukwu Local Government Area of Abia State.”
Biafra: We’ve arrested IPOB, ESN founding father, Pius Iguh – DHQ announces
Abiodun launches sale of subsidised FG rice in Ogun
The Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, launched the sale of subsidised rice in the state on Thursday, as he disclosed that his administration will soon begin implementing the sale of other subsidised foodstuffs across the twenty local government areas of the state. Governor Abiodun noted that the implementation of the scheme across the state
Abiodun launches sale of subsidised FG rice in Ogun
The Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, launched the sale of subsidised rice in the state on Thursday, as he disclosed that his administration will soon begin implementing the sale of other subsidised foodstuffs across the twenty local government areas of the state.
Governor Abiodun noted that the implementation of the scheme across the state would help deepen the reach of the initiative, adding that food items like garri, rice, and beans would be sold at largely subsidised prices.
The Governor made this known during the official flag-off ceremony of the sale of rice at subsidised rates to residents of the state by the Federal Government, held at the Arcade Ground of the Governor’s Office, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta.
“We will soon be implementing our own version of this scheme from each local government, meaning we will implement this across the twenty local government areas of the state to deepen the reach into our grassroots.
“We will be selling food items like garri, rice, and beans at heavily subsidised prices,” he said.
Governor Abiodun, while noting that both the federal and state governments believe that the key to sustainable development lies in being strategic, guided by the principles of inclusiveness, transparency, fairness, and accountability, commended the state’s Head of Service and his team for a job well done.
Prince Abiodun said that the distribution will cover groups like civil servants at both the federal and state levels, organized private sector, artisans, trade unions, non-governmental organizations, student bodies, market women, community development associations, traditional and religious organizations, among others.
He assured the people of the state that the office of the Head of Service and the Ministry of Agriculture, along with the office of the National Security Adviser (NSA), have developed a well-structured template that would ensure a wide and equitable spread of the commodity across the 20 local government areas of the state.
The Governor said that with the flag-off of the sale of the subsidised rice in Abeokuta for Ogun Central Senatorial District, that of Ilaro for Ogun West Senatorial District and Ijebu-Ode for Ogun East Senatorial District would also take off immediately.
Governor Abiodun urged the beneficiaries to maintain law and order at the various sales points and follow the timetable set by the committee to avoid crowding, adding that additional sales points will be established.
“To ensure accountability, there will be no cash payments; payment will be made through Point of Sales (PoS) machines, and beneficiaries will undergo physical verification at the point of sale.
“No double registration will be allowed; NIN will be verified to ensure that we prevent any sharp practices.
“This distribution will be carried out transparently and fairly, ensuring that these palliatives reach those we have targeted,” he said.
The Governor commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the initiative, which he said was a testament to his commitment to tackle the issue of food inflation, adding that the president has shown capacity and love for the people of the country.
He noted that if the sale and distribution of petroleum products were not liberalized by the government, it would have cost the country over N11 trillion in a year.
In his remarks, the Head of Service, Mr. Kehinde Onasanya, said that the initiative is powered by the Federal Government to enhance the livelihood of the citizens.
Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, who was represented by Mrs. Ayo Ajayi, commended the state for having the best template for the sale of the subsidised rice, adding that the Federal Government would be making use of the template in other states of the country.
Senator Kyari noted that the initiative, which is intended to bring relief to the people, would go a long way in reducing the price of foodstuffs, stating that the procedure involves verification of the National Identity Number (NIN) and the payment of the sum of N40,000 for the subsidised 50 kilograms of rice using the Automatic Teller Machine (ATM).
In his remarks, the state chairman of the Nigerian Union of Pensioners, Chief Waheed Oloyede, commended Governor Abiodun for the continuous release of funds for the settlement of the gratuities of pensioners in the state, also acknowledging the Governor for being the first in the country to key into the initiative of the Federal Government with the launch of the program.
Hoarders of grains causing inflation of food items – FCCPC
The food inflation presently plaguing the country has been attributed to the hoarding of grains. The Executive Vice Chairman of the Federal Competition and Consumers Protection Commission, FCCPC, made the submission at a town hall meeting with industry captains, MSMEs, market leaders, farmers, transporters and service providers in Kano. The FCCPC boss, while addressing the
Hoarders of grains causing inflation of food items – FCCPC
The food inflation presently plaguing the country has been attributed to the hoarding of grains.
The Executive Vice Chairman of the Federal Competition and Consumers Protection Commission, FCCPC, made the submission at a town hall meeting with industry captains, MSMEs, market leaders, farmers, transporters and service providers in Kano.
The FCCPC boss, while addressing the crowd at the Afficent Centre, stated that the commission’s investigators discovered that some unscrupulous produce merchants were mopping up newly harvested grains and stashing them in warehouses to create artificial scarcity, thereby worsening the food inflation being experienced in the country.
According to him, without caring for the consequences of their action on fellow countrymen and women, some of the unscrupulous actors go as far as taking some of the food items they had mopped up from the farmers or the markets and smuggling them across the borders to sell at a premium, thereby endangering the national food security.
The event was sequel to the interactive sessions earlier hosted in Abuja and Lagos by FCCPC for stakeholders in the production and distribution chain in its renewed advocacy to curb anti-consumer practices across the country.
Bello sought the cooperation of the Kano stakeholders to curb the unwholesome practice in the national interest, saying that price fixing and the creation of artificial barriers in the form of entrance levies by market associations, among others are unethical.
He stressed, “Don’t get us wrong; we are by no means saying everyone is guilty here. We only have a few bad eggs involved in such unethical practices. It is therefore our collective responsibility to work together to achieve reasonable pricing of goods and services, especially at a time when the country is undergoing bold economic reforms which may bring temporary discomfort today but will definitely usher in a better economy for us tomorrow.”
He noted that though the FCCP Act prescribes stiff penalties ranging from heavy fines to jail terms for offenders, he told the Kano stakeholders that the Commission chose to first explore the option of dialogue in the spirit of democracy.
Bello noted that President Tinubu had already responded to some of the popular yearnings in the form of new policies, pledging he would similarly convey the views of the Kano stakeholders to the appropriate quarters while listing the gains of earlier engagements hosted by FCCPC in Abuja and Lagos.
The Federal Government, he said has also commenced the implementation of zero Value Added Tax, VAT, and excise duties on pharmaceutical products and medical devices, stressing that a number of taxes have also been removed to assist micro, small, and medium enterprises as well as taxes being removed from public transportation.
Bello advised the stakeholders to be patriotic by sharing the gains from the concessions being made by the government with the consumers, pointing out that when the government assists the operators of public transportation with easy credits to convert their vehicles from petrol to relatively far cheaper CNG, they don’t expect them to charge the same fares as those who buy petrol.