Month: August 2023

The Defence Headquarters says the troops of the Armed Forces of Nigeria had in the last two weeks neutralised 28 terrorists, apprehended 113 and rescued 82 victims in various operations across the country.

The Director, Defence Media Operations, Maj.-Gen. Edward Buba, said this while briefing newsmen on the operations of the military across the country on Thursday in Abuja.

Buba said the apprehended suspects comprised 92 terrorists, six gunrunners, three kidnappers, six collaborators and seven perpetrators of oil theft.

He said the troops also recovered 108 weapons and 564 ammunition comprising 22 AK47 rifles, one PKT gun, six pump action guns, four dane guns, one fabricated rifle, one galil ace rifle, one RGP bomb, one RPG tube and 44 hand grenades.

“Also recovered are 322 rounds of 7.62mm special, 63 rounds of 12.7mm ammo, 12 rounds of 5.6mm ammo, 33 AK47 magazines, one empty case of 7.62mm special and 3 empty magazines.

“Other items include; 14 motorcycles, 16 mobile phones, 3 motorolla radio, one boafeng radio, 2 motorcycle tyres, 5 torch lights, 2 solar panels, 104 livestock and the sum of N2.8 million,” he said.

Buba said the troops in the Niger Delta area discovered and destroyed 36 dugout pits, 62 wooden boats, 73 storage tanks, one vehicle and 75 cooking ovens during the period.

He added that the troops also impounded four pumping machines, five outboard engines and 33 illegal refining sites, as well as recovery of 1,166,900 litres of stolen crude oil, 1,491,250 litres of illegally refined AGO, 54,750 litres of DPK and 800 litres of PMS.

In the North East, Buba said the troops of Operation Hadin Kai eliminated seven terrorists, arrested five and rescued 31 hostages while 28 family members of the Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists comprising of nine adult females and 19 children were also rescued and taken into custody.

He said the troops recovered; 20 AK47 rifles, one FN rifle, one galileo rifle, three dane guns, one AK47 rifle loaded with 17 rounds of 7.62mm special, 154 rounds of 7.62mm special, 63 rounds of 12.7mm ammo, among others.

In the North Central, Buba said the troops of Operation Safe Haven eliminated two gunmen, rescued two hostages and arrested six kidnappers as well as recovered arms and ammunitions during the period.

He said the troops apprehended a notorious kidnapper gang leader and other foot soldiers at Mangu and Bokkos Local Government Areas of Plateau.

In the North West, Buba said that troops of Operation Hadarin Daji had continued to degrade the terrorists in Katsina, Kaduna, Sokoto and Zamfara States.

He said the troops neutralised 13 terrorists, arrested seven, two informants and two collaborators as well as rescued 16 hostages and recovery of seven AK47 rifles, one PKT gun, one AK47 rifle loaded with 18 rounds of 7.62mm special, five AK47 magazines and 20 rounds of 7.62mm special.

“Others include; six motorcycles, three mobile phones, three motorolla radios, one radio charger, two solar panel, one old sewing machine, a par of woodland camouflage and the sum of N2.4 million,” he said.

In the South East, he said the troops of Operation UDO KA eliminated three IPOB/ESN terrorists recovered four pump action guns, one single barrel loaded with 100 live cartridges, one locally fabricated rifle and three live cartridges.

“Troops also arrested 18 terrorists and rescued two kidnapped hostages.

“All recovered items, arrested suspects and rescued hostages were handed over to the relevant authority for further action.

“The operations as enumerated is indicative of the professionalism of men and women of the armed forces, their courage and bravery.

“Troops will continue to use superior military force to eliminate any group or groups that constitutes a threat to the safety of citizens and own forces alike,” Buba said.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

Transformation Opportunities Providers (TOP) Foundation, a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), on Thursday distributed palliatives to the vulnerable at Modupe Cole Memorial Child Care and Treatment Home/School in Lagos State.

The palliatives included food items like bags of rice, cartons of noodles, beverages, oil, sanitaries, among others.

Mr Jide Ologun, the Vice President of the TOP foundation, who gifted the items, said that the gesture was in response to the challenging economic situation in Nigeria.

Ologun explained that the efforts were also in support of government’s efforts aimed at ameliorating the sufferings of the vulnerable in the society, following the recent fuel subsidy removal.

“The Foundation is set up to care for the needy, advocate for good governance and embarks on youth empowerment. We have five Trustees in the diaspora.

“What we have done today is to come and extend our hand of fellowship to Modupe Cole Memorial Child Care and Treatment Home here in Nigeria.

“For us, we sat down to extend palliatives to the vulnerable but then, there are those beneath the line of vulnerable and here is one of those places.

“We have gone round this Home and there are persons here who are over 70 years, bedridden and still wearing diapers.

“There are those who need 24/7 attention. We have seen the great work that is being done here to help the real vulnerable people,” Ologun, a legal practitioner said.

According to him, the Foundation has not only come to present items for the vulnerable but also intended to create awareness for greater support for those who are truly vulnerable in the society.

Ologun also lauded the efforts of the Lagos State Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu and his wife, Dr Ibijoke.

He said that their support “might not be enough except all public-spirited people come together to help the vulnerable.

“You make a living from what you earn, you make a life from what you give,” Ologun quoted Wilson Churchill, a former British Prime Minister, as saying.

Ologun explained that the Foundation had used the opportunity of the visit to the Home to get familiarised with some of the needs of the people there.

“We are calling on the government to reach out to the needs of the people while it strives to revive the economy of the country and put the country back on the channel of prosperity and creating common good,” he said.

He said that Section 14 sub-section 2 of the Nigerian 1999 Constitution stated that security and welfare of the people shall be the primary responsibility of the government.

Ologun said that the Foundation’s Trustees in the diaspora were passionate about supporting the national vision of enhancing citizens’ fortunes.

The legal practitioner, who expressed delight in the humanitarian services being provided by the school, said that TOP would not relent in putting smiles on the faces of the vulnerable.

He listed the TOP Foundation Trustees in Diaspora as: Mrs Margaret Gbenro (Maryland,USA); Mrs Temilade Lawal (London); Mr Kayode Adeyemo (Maryland, USA); Adeboye Ayo (Texas, USA); and himself in Nigeria.

He stressed that they were all committed to giving back to the society.

According to him, the Foundation’s previous projects included renovation of a Community Town Hall, Community Medical Center in Giwa Oke Aro, Ogun State, and the provision of palliatives during the COVID-19 lockdown.

Ologun added that the Foundation was also involved in youth and leadership empowerment, alongside skills acquisition interventions in Banku town, Ogun.

Speaking, Mrs Abosede Oyeniran, Principal, Modupe Cole Memorial Child Care and Treatment/School, who appreciated the Foundation, said that children in the school had different health conditions including Dawn Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy and others.

“Majority of the children in this school are abandoned by their parents. What these children need is love and acceptance in the society.

“We want to say that gone are the days these children will be locked inside; let them come outside and know that they belong to the society.

“They are human beings. If they cannot cope academically, they can cope in other areas and skills so that they won’t depend on others,” the care giver said.

According to her, the school has different departments including shoe making and leather works, tailoring, painting and others.

She lauded the Lagos State Government for support, and said that the school needed medical personnel like nurses and physiotherapists.

“Most of the children are on beds 24 hours. They cannot make use of their hands, we feed them and staff must be with them for 24 hours to do a lot of things for them.

“The children eat a lot because they are on medication and these medications are very expensive.

“We appreciate our father, Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu and mother, Dr Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu.

What we need is support. We cannot do it alone; Lagos State Government cannot do it alone.

“Though we have been receiving support from different NGOS, Churches, Mosques and individuals, we need more like Oliver Twist,” Oyeniran said.

Miss Toma Onu, a cerebral palsy patient, who had been in the home since 1991, applauded the Foundation for remembering them, prayed God to continue to raise TOP Foundation up.

Onu, who uses her legs to paint and do everything, advised special people to look beyond their disability, accept and love themselves.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

The Federal Government has approved the disbursement of N5billion to states, local government councils and the FCT to cushion the effects of the subsidy removal on petrol.

Gov. Babagana Zulum of Borno said this when he spoke at the end of the National Economic Council (NEC) meeting on Thursday in Abuja.

He said that the fund was for the purchase of 100,000 bags of rice, 40,000 bags of maize as well as fertilisers.

He said that the funds was on basis of 52 per cent grants and 48 per cent as loans to be repaid to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) within 20 months by the states and local councils.

He said that the council commenced President Bola Tinubu and the CBN for the various efforts aimed at reducing the impact of the removal of the subsidy on the citizens.

Zulum also said that the federal government had sent food items to states bordering Niger Republic to mitigate the influx of refugees coming into the states.

The states, he said, were also given five trucks of rice each by the federal government last week for distribution to vulnerable Nigerians in their domain.

“Furthermore, Council has noted the package that was announced by the president in order to cushion the effect of subsidy removal, amounting to about N500billion.

“This fund has to be distributed to the following sectors MSMEs, industrial sector, about N125billion will go to cash transfers, agricultural sector as well as gas expansion for buses.

“Because of the increasing cost of fossil fuel, the federal government intends to establish more gas stations in Nigeria, procure more gas powered buses, CNG buses, as well as electric buses in order to cushion the effect of the subsidy removal.”

The states, he said, has also been directed to negotiate with the labour unions leadership on the palliatives, adding that a committee of governors had been set up for this purpose.

H said that council recognised that these interventions were short term solutions, adding that long lasting solutions were being worked out.

Gov. Yahaya Bello of Kogi said that the NEC discussed the issue of impact of the 2022 flood on states and what needed to be done to victims.

He said that the NEC urged the federal government to immediately dispatch relief materials to the flood victims in the states.

He said that the delay in the disbursement of relief was due to some states that had yet to respond to request of providing data on the flood situation in their areas.

Gov. Seyi Makinde also said that the NEC observed a minute silence for the officers and men of the armed forces killed in helicopter crash in Niger State.

He said that the council also advised the government to take immediate actions and policies to stabilise the economy, lower unemployment rate and improve investment flow to the country.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

The Young Moms Support Initiative, a Non Governmental Organisation (NGO), has trained no fewer than 500 women in different skills to enable them become self-reliant and contribute to national development.

The Founder, Executive Director of the NGO, Dr Vivian Sonny-Nsirim said in a statement on Friday in Abuja that the training was for three days.

Sonny-Nsirim, who is also the Ugochinyere I of Igbo land and Madubia of Uke Kingdom, said that the women were trained in baking, beverages, cereals and custard making among others.

She explained that their target was for the women have strong means of livelihood through which they can raise the economic status of their families.

“The actual goal was to bring out the potential in women, to seize their economic opportunities by learning how to boost their productivity and maximise income.

“The organisation came up with the idea of training the women on various skills to enable them become financially stable, as joblessness was a major cause of insecurity in the country.

“Women have good potentials for greatness but they need a little push.

“We want to ensure that women especially widows, single mothers and young girls who dropped from schools, have a viable source of livelihood,” Sonny-Nsirim said.

According to her, the organisation believes it is important to help women acquire skills so that they would not consider anti social behaviours or crime as option for their daily survival.

Sonny-Nsirim lamented that most of the women, including widows, were passing through a lot of challenges, hence the need for such economic impact training.

She appealed to Federal and State governments and individuals to partner with the organisation to train more women in the society

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

Gov. Mai Mala Buni of Yobe has approved the payment of N667 million to 475 pensioners across the 17 local government areas of the state.

The approval is contained in a statement by Buni’s Director-General Press and Media Affairs, Alhaji Mamman Mohammed, in Damaturu on Friday.

He said the approval followed a screening and verification of the pensioners by a committee earlier constituted by the state government.

“The committee has verified a total of 475 beneficiaries and hereby attached lists of beneficiaries and summary according to local government areas for both living and deceased pensioners,” Mohammed said.

He assured that the state government would settle all outstanding pensions owed retired workers in the state.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

National Youth Council (NYC) ||Kharas regional coordinator, Brandy Lufuma has said the youth self-employment horticulture project at Keetmanshoop still has the potential to address unemployment and food security in the town once it expands.

Launched by Minister of Sport, Youth and National Service, Agnes Tjongarero nearly three years ago, the project has been unable to increase its volume to address the issue of unemployment among the youth and food security.

The project is aimed at ensuring food security and increasing productivity, skills enhancement, and generating income for youth in peri-urban and rural areas, by testing cost-effective and scalable market-based solutions to strengthen micro-entrepreneurship opportunities.

In an interview with Nampa recently, Lufuma said currently cabbage, spinach, tomatoes, spring onions, red onion and chillies are planted in the garden and it is managed by four young volunteers.

According to her once expanded, the project could supply the inhabitants of Keetmanshoop and the region, however, the expansion is hindered by factors such as illegal harvesting by community members.

“This project will be successful if community members do not illegally harvest from our garden. When they see it’s green, they come at night and harvest, because they can see through the net,” she said.

Lufuma further noted that earlier this year when the group harvested their yield, they discovered that the soil in the garden was deteriorating. A decision was made to replace the soil, which involved removing the existing sand to expose it to sunlight for vitamin D replenishment.

“We also got new black bags and seeds from head office so we planted new plants and we implemented pest control measures,” said Lufuma.

Lufuma anticipates a harvest within the next month and said any profits generated from sales would directly benefit the volunteers. Even in scenarios where produce remains unsold, the yield would be distributed among the volunteers to promote self-sustainability.

The Ministry of Sport through its subsidiaries, the National Youth Service (NYS) and National Youth Council (NYC) availed N.dollars 1 million to set up greenhouses for horticultural production in all 14 regions.

NYS set up the greenhouse structure while NYC is responsible for the green scheme and overseeing the agricultural production.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency