President Muhammadu Buhari has nominated Dr Kingsley Obiora as the Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, according to a State House statement on Thursday.
The nominee’s name had already been forwarded to the President of the Senate, Ahmed Lawan, for confirmation by the Senate.
Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, has approved the implementation of the new minimum wage for workers in the state.
Special Adviser to the governor on labour, Ode Enyi, said the approval was arrived at at the meeting on the new minimum wage and adjustment of salaries held in Makurdi by the negotiation committee.
He said that the labour and the government agreed on N30,009.99 as the new minimum wage in the state.
He added that the committee would meet to adjust the salaries of level-seven workers and above.
“Already, level one to six have been settled,” Enyi said.
Enyi said that the chairman of the committee and the Secretary to the State Government, Tony Ijohor, expressed the readiness of the Ortom administration to tackle the issues affecting workers in the state with all seriousness.
When asked about the date for commencement of the new minimum wage, Enyi said, “(When) the committee meet on the adjustment of the salary for all levels, the implementation period will be known.”
Barely 48 hours after the Supreme Court sacked Chief Emeka Ihedioha as Imo State Governor, former Deputy National Auditor of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Chief Regis Uwakwe, has dumped the party for the All Progressives Congress, APC.
Addressing a press conference Thursday in Owerri, Chief Uwakwe explained that he opted to join the APC, following the current political events in Imo State and Nigeria, after due consultation with his family and political associates.
“I was part of the Ali Modu Sheriff faction of the PDP, with the new Imo Governor, Senator Hope Uzodinma, while that crisis lasted. It is, however, sad to note that the ousted governor, Chief Ihedioha, neither implemented our terms of agreement nor appointed any of us to any office, during his short-lived administration”, Uwakwe said.
Making reference to the Supreme Court judgment, the former PDP chieftain opined that since the position of the Apex Court is final, the citizenry must accept its judgment.
“As I always tell people to support and pray for the Governor of Imo State, I do same for Senator Hope Uzodinma”, Uwakwe said.
According to the new APC loyalist, “having worked closely with Senator Uzodinma, I am positive that he has the capacity, charisma, compassion and focus, to lead the state.”
While blaming politicians, including himself, “for running away from the state, at the peak of Senator Rochas Okorocha’s autocratic rule”, Uwakwe, however, regretted that “relocating to Abuja or elsewhere, was a very costly mistake a lot of us made”.
The Cross River State Governor, Prof. Ben Ayade, has approved the appointment of 90 senior special advisers and special advisers.
The list included a former militant leader, Benjamin Ene, who was named Special Adviser, Marine Security.
Known as G1, Ene was the leader of the members of the defunct Bakassi Strike Force which surrendered their arms to the Nigerian military and were granted amnesty in December 2018.
The appointment was contained in a statement issued on Wednesday by the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the Governor, Mr Christian Ita.
The governor had earlier in his second term in office, appointed 10 special advisers.
The latest appointees are mostly those who had also served in his first term.
Some of the appointees and their portfolios include Chief Peter Ojie, (Senior Special Adviser, Political Matters); John Eyikwaje, (Special Adviser, Asset Management); Anthony Obi, (Special Adviser, Assets Recovery); and Eric Akpo (Senior Special Adviser, Technical and Maritime Operations).
The governor also announced the appointment of 35 board and committee members.
Gov. Aminu Masari of Katsina State has signed an Executive Order prohibiting the use of motorcycles and tricycles between 7 p.m. and 6 a.m. across the state.
The state Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice, Alhaji Ahmed El-Marzuq, who announced this on Wednesday in Katsina, said the dusk-to-dawn curfew takes effect from Jan. 20.
He explained that motorcycles and tricycles will be allowed to operate in the state within 6 a.m. and 7 p.m. due to the rate of kidnapping in the state.
He said, “Section 5, subsection 2 of the 1999 Constitution as amended, conferred on the governor power to sign the order.
“The order is Motorcycle and Tricycle Restriction Movement 2020. Under the order, he has prohibited the movement of motorcycles statewide from the hours of 7 p.m. to 6 a.m., with effect from 20th January 2020.
“This order shall apply to all and sundry in the state.
“However, there are exceptions. The order shall not apply to the members of the armed forces, the police, other paramilitary agencies like the FRSC, civil defence, immigration, customs and other security agents,” he said.
He said that it was pertinent for all and sundry to obey the order, warning that violators would be jailed for up to one year with the option of fine or both as prescribed by the Penal Code.
El-marzuq said that the measure was aimed at protecting the lives and property of people of the state.
“Most of the kidnappings and other criminal activities are perpetrated within these hours using this means of transportation.
“People are not restricted to move, they can use motor vehicles.
“By the time the situation normalises, the order will be reviewed,” he said.
The Spiritual Director, Adoration Ministry Enugu, Rev. Fr. Ejike Mbaka has sent curses upon the people he said curse him for nothing.
This is following the recent declaration of Sen. Hope Uzodinma by Supreme Court as the duly elected governor of Imo state after Rev. Mbaka had earlier prophesied the replacement of the former governor, Emeka Ihedioha with the recently inaugurated Hope Uzodinma.
The clergy in a verified Facebook page of the ministry said he is not a politician contrary to insinuation in some quarters.
He insisted that his prophecy is not from any evil alter but from God Almighty, saying God of Adoration will speak for him.
“I Bless The Name Of The Most High God; Because He Said It And It Come To Pass!; My Prophecy Is Not Borrowed Or From Any Evil Alter But From God Almighty Creator Of Heaven And Earth. Some Accused Me Of Being A Politician But Only God Knows Who I Am;
“Let God Of Adoration Speak For Me, You Who Speaks Evil Against Me Hmm; God Of Adoration Is A Consuming Fire; I Declare Judgement Upon Those Who Curse Me For Nothing; My Hands Are Clean; I Bless Those Who Know The Truth And Stand For It; Let God Of Elijah Fight For Me; Let The Heaven Speak And Let The Children Of God Receive Their All Round Blessings In Jesus Mighty Name: Say Amen. The Lord Is Taking You To A Level Even Your Enemy Can Not Reach; This Will Be Your Year Of Abundance; Everything You Ask In Your Prayer Will Be In Abundance In Jesus Mighty Name”.
The Enugu State Government has cautioned the residents of the state of uncontrolled bush burning, saying the fleeing rodents may cause the spread of Lassa fever disease in homes.
Dr Boniface Okolo, the Director of Public Health, Enugu State Ministry of Health, made this known in Enugu on Thursday, explaining that fleeing rodents from burning bushes were likely to run into homes for safety.
He explained that rodents carrying Lassa fever would defecate on raw and cooked foodstuffs not properly covered in the homes they had fled into for safety.
He said that this could become a threat to the safety and health of people living in such homes.
Okolo said, “Bush burning will definitely cause rodents and rats in those bushes to find their ways into residential areas for safety.
“Whenever we burn bushes around us, rats eventually run into our houses. They contaminate our foodstuffs with their secretions, urine and excretions and this leads to household members contracting Lassa fever.”
The director advised the citizens to maintain proper hygiene in their environments, and always cover all their foodstuffs to prevent rodents from contaminating them.
He also advised the public to fumigate their homes and keep their environments clean.
President Muhammadu Buhari has nominated Dr Kingsley Obiora as the Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, according to a State House statement on Thursday.
The nominee’s name had already been forwarded to the President of the Senate, Ahmed Lawan, for confirmation by the Senate.
Angolan billionaire Isabel dos Santos, who is embroiled in a huge financial scandal, has suggested that she may seek to become the country’s president.
In a BBC interview, Ms Dos Santos pointedly declined four times to rule out running for the presidency.
Her father José Eduardo dos Santos ruled Angola for 38 years. Prosecutors are seeking to recover $1bn (£760m) Ms Dos Santos and her associates are alleged to owe the state.
She has denied any wrongdoing.
Ms Dos Santos, 46, is one of the world’s richest women, with Forbes magazine estimating her fortune to be worth $2.2bn, making her the richest woman in Africa.
Her father controversially appointed her as the head of Angola’s state-owned oil firm Sonangol in 2016.
She was sacked from the post in 2017 by President Joao Lourenço, her father’s handpicked successor.
In an interview in London, she repeatedly stressed that her life was at risk if she returned to Angola in the current circumstances.
Refusing to rule out the possibility of running for president, she said she had a strong sense of patriotism and duty to her country.
“To lead is to serve, so I will do whatever my life takes me,” she said.
Ms Dos Santos later told a Portuguese television channel that “it’s possible” she might run for the presidency in 2022.
The announcement marks a dramatic shift for a woman who has consistently portrayed herself as an entrepreneur with no interest in politics.
A court in the Angolan capital, Luanda, last month ordered the freezing of her bank accounts and of her vast business empire in the oil-rich country, following a string of investigations into alleged corruption by the Dos Santos family which prosecutors say has robbed the state of more than $2bn.
“These are false allegations and this is part of… an orchestrated attack by the current government that is completely politically motivated,” she said.
Her half-brother, José Filomeno dos Santos, is on trial in Angola on charges of corruption.
The prosecution alleges that he and his co-accused helped spirit $500m out of the country during his time as head of Angola’s Sovereign Wealth Fund. They have pleaded not guilty.
Ms Dos Santos repeatedly lashed out at President Lourenço, who succeeded her father two years ago as president.
Despite coming to the same party, the MPLA, he has since stunned many Angolans by appearing to target the Dos Santos family as part of a broader anti-corruption drive.
“President Lourenço is fighting for absolute power. There’s a strong wish to neutralise any influence that [former] President Dos Santos might still have in the MPLA,” Ms Dos Santos said.
“If a different candidate would appear [ahead of the 2021 presidential election] supported by former President Dos Santos or allies linked to him, that would really challenge [Mr Lourenço’s] position because his current track record is very, very poor,” she added, citing rising unemployment, a stagnant economy and a wave of strikes.
But the allegations of corruption aimed at Ms Dos Santos and her half-brother have been given new weight by the criminal investigations launched against her in Angola.
“The reality is that there is more than enough evidence against her. She’s a key figure in the Dos Santos family and a credible threat to Lourenço,” said Darias Jonker, a regional analyst for the Eurasia Group, who said that legitimate allegations of corruption were being wielded by the state as part of a vicious power struggle within the MPLA.
“Lourenço is sending a signal that there’s a new sheriff in town, with new rules,” Mr Jonker added.
“He needs his own patronage network, but his model is much more modest – he won’t allow the multi-billion-dollar patronage deals that were a hallmark of the Dos Santos era. Would Isabel support some sort of palace coup? I think it’s something she’d certainly consider.”
Ms Dos Santos insisted she was being used as a “scapegoat” by President Lourenço, and lashed out at the justice system in Angola, accusing the attorney general of “lying” and of refusing to allow her lawyers to see the evidence against her.
“I regret that Angola has chosen this path. I think that we all stand to lose a lot. A good leader is a prudent leader,” she said, calling for a negotiated political solution to end her current legal battles and any further damage to the Angolan economy.
But could she, or perhaps a proxy or ally, oust the current president and pave the way for a triumphant homecoming?
“I am a businesswoman. A lot of people… do like me and do understand what I do and do believe in what I do.
“There are thousands of people whom we gave their first job,” she said, highlighting her business credentials, and rejecting the widespread perception that she owes much of her fortune to her father’s long presidency as “voices that come from the political opposition”.
But some observers have been quick to play down the idea of a Dos Santos dynasty with Isabel – derided, for years, as “The Princess” in Angola – filling her father’s shoes.
“Isabel doesn’t have a strong constituency in her favour inside the party. For now, the party is behind Lourenço, at least when it comes to the targeting of Isabel,” said Ricardo Soares de Oliveira, an Oxford professor and expert on African politics.
“If he turns what is still a focused vendetta against the Dos Santos family into a systemic clean-up, the MPLA would not accept it and might even rediscover Dos Santos as the guy who enabled all of them to get rich. But there is no sign of this,” the Oxford professor added.
“Dos Santos and Isabel remain deeply unpopular in the country and the party alike. I am not writing her off entirely but she is genuinely weakened by these ongoing revelations and her international standing is deteriorating fast.”
With much of her fortune still thought to be intact outside Angola, Ms Dos Santos remains a formidable force.
If she were to seek the presidency – and in the interview, she stressed that her commercial battles were not necessarily best resolved by political manoeuvres – she would first need the law to change in Angola as she is currently ineligible to stand because her mother is Russian.
But those who have watched her remarkable business career, and her furious public assault on Angola’s current political elites, agree that such an obstacle is unlikely to prove insurmountable.
The Edo State Governor, Mr Godwin Obaseki, has assured members of the Interlocking Engineers Association, that interlocking block technology would be deployed in some road projects undertaken by the Edo State Employment and Expenditure for Results (SEEFOR) programme.
The governor gave the assurance during a courtesy visit by members of the association led by the Chairman, Ernest Omozee, to the Government House, in Benin City.
The governor said the state government will engage the services of the artisans in some road projects undertaken by the Edo SEEFOR programme.
While commending the entrepreneurship drive of members of the association, the governor noted that his administration will provide the needed support for them to succeed.
Obaseki mandated the Commissioner and the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Infrastructure to come up with modalities for engaging the services of the Interlocking Engineers Association.
“It is possible to put interlocking blocks and stones on the edges of most of our roads to serve as a walkway. It is possible for us to help you with some inputs such as cement so you can get them at regulated prices from the manufacturers,” Obaseki said.
He added that the association would also be linked to major road contractors in the state to improve the quality of their products.
Earlier, the Public Relation Officer of the Association, Comrade Jackson Ebhote, praised the governor for his administration’s entrepreneurial programmes for youths in the state through EdoJobs initiative, Edo Production Centre and the revamping of the Government Science and Technical College.
Ebhote said members of the association have decided to make the governor the grand patron going by his leadership style and for prioritising the welfare of Edo people.
He noted that the association is fully in support of the Governor Obaseki-led administration, urging the governor not to be distracted by a few individuals who are opposed to reforms.
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