Home

Other news

Adverts

Downloads

Nigerian News Headlines:

300 Kidnappers Arrested in the S/East…

FG to deploy soldiers to civil duties soon…

Nigeria-Cameroun Highway Project Takes Off…

Uduaghan wants criminal probe of oil spills in Niger Delta ...

Etc.

 ---------------------------------------------

 

300 Kidnappers Arrested in the S/East.

About 300 kidnappers have been arrested in the South East zone of the country since March 2010 and are undergoing various degrees of interrogation in the Nigerian federal government fight against a spike in violent crime, kidnapping and other related crimes, according to the Nigeria Police. The force has now deployed additional 10, 000 policemen to the zone.

The Inspector General of police, Ogbonna Onovo disclosed this in Abuja  yesterday, when a delegation of the Imala Leaders of Thought, Anambra state, visited him, on a thank  you visit on the foiling   of the robbery attack of May 25, 2010, where the police rescued the N6 million robbed from four banks in the town.

The Imala community blocked the escape route of the bank robbers who numbered more than 20 until the Police arrived the scene, a step the IGP commended as bravery. Onovo said the additional 10, 000 policemen would, from henceforth, be on special stop-and-search operation in the region aimed at finding the culprits perpetrating the crimes stressing that it was self-destructive that Igbo boys were the same ones destroying, maiming and killing their fellow Igbo people.

Maintaining that “we must stop them at all cost”, the IGP called on the Ohaneze Ndigbo and Igbo leaders of thought to join hands in securing their region promising action against the hoodlums.

Concluding with an example, he said “just two days ago some of these hoodlums, kidnapped one prominent man in Anambra state, but the indigenes pursued them from Anambra to Imo boundary in conjunction with the police. They abandoned their victim and dropped two Ak 47s”.

 

Nigerian Airport upgrades gulp $46m World Bank Loan.

The World Bank team leader in Nigeria, Noro Rabefanirana, has revealed that the bank has provided Nigeria with $46 million for the upgrading of airport facilities across the country.

She said the money was to bring the airports up to international standards where passengers can board planes without any fear of technical deficiencies.

Expressing happiness that Nigeria has moved the functionality of her airports from 11 per cent to 36 per cent within a short time, Ms Rabefanirana said that the status will improve again very soon stressing that airports are critical to the economy of any nation.

Aviation Minister, Fidelia Njeze, praised the World Bank assistance. She said this was the sixth in the series of the bank’s mission to Nigeria to supervise her aviation component of West and Central African Transport Safety and Security since inception in 2007.

According to Njeze, “the federal government decided to join the West and Central Africa Air Transport Safety and Safety Project (WCAATSSP) after due consideration of activities of the World Bank in providing financial assistance to execute projects that will have positive direct bearing on the people, spread over 23 nations in the West and Central Africa countries.”

Four major international airports and the College of Aviation Technology, Zaria would be covered by the project. She also revealed that the World Bank has also granted a loan of $15 million to the aviation ministry to fill some infrastructure gaps, including the provision of operational fencing projects for Abuja and Port Harcourt international airports.

 

Nigeria-Cameroun Highway Project Takes Off.

The 420 kilometre Bameda-Enugu road corridor project, part of the Pan African highway was flagged off on Thursday by Works Minister, Mohammed Sanusi Daggash and his Cameroonian counterpart, Bernard Avom in boundary communities of Ajasso in Nigeria and Ekok  in Cameroun. The road will traverse Bamenda through Ekok in Cameroon and Ikom, Abakiliki and Enugu in Nigeria.

Facilitated by Nigeria, Cameroun, the African Development Bank, the World Bank and the Japanese International Corporation Agency, the road project which is expected to open links between the two countries and grow more urban centres.

According to Daggash, “The road is necessary to facilitate movement, commerce and to strengthen our economy and politically dilute the differences we have had for over 100 years.”

In Nigeria, the corridor is made up of two lots, with the first lot to be completed within 24 months while the second will be completed in 15 months. On the Cameroon side, the Minister of Public Utilities described the launching of the programme as “tangible proof of the atmosphere of trust that now reigns between our two countries.”

The Regional Director of ADB, West and Central Africa, Mr. Janvier Litse, described the corridor as a step forwards towards implementing the NEPAD short-term action plan that aims at promoting accelerated growth and sustainable development, eradicating generalized and extreme poverty and ending Africa's marginalization in the globalization process.

He said plans have been made to build weighing stations and install weigh bridges so as to encourage both countries to speed up measures aimed at harmonizing the axle load permissible on the highway to enable unhindered flow of cargo throughout the corridor.

 

Uduaghan wants criminal probe of oil spills in Niger Delta

Delta State Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan has canvassed a criminal investigation into the activities of oil majors in the country over damages they have done to the nation’s economy through oil spillages in the Niger Delta over the years.

Dr Uduaghan was speaking in Asaba during a reception organised for President Goodluck Jonathan as part of his one-day official visit to the state. He said the criminal investigation was necessary to determine the extent of damage to the environment and the socio-economic development in the Niger-Delta.

He said the action would make oil companies to be more accountable to the nation and urged them to learn from the recent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

On the achievements of his administration, Uduaghan identified agriculture as one of them and revealed that the state is already partnering with Obasanjo Farms Limited.

“Agriculture, no doubt, remains the dominant enterprise of our people. Our agricultural policy is directed towards the attainment of food sufficiency and serenity including job creation and wealth generation.”

President Goodluck Jonathan in his response restated his administration’s commitment to the socio-economic development of the Niger-Delta region. According to him, “We must develop the region to restore confidence and hope among our people and children. To this end, let me assure you that the Niger-Delta Master Plan for development is on course and we will assist the NDDC and all the state governments.

“Since the beginning of the amnesty programme to this time, the state has been very stable and this is the beginning of development. Myself and all the governors from the region are working together. We hold meetings every month now, to ensure that we are on the same page because we can no longer allow the area to continue to lag behind.  Whatever the government needs to do, we must all collectively do it, so that our children will no longer need to carry weapons to demand for development. The Delta State governor has started very well and we will encourage him to succeed.”  

 Jonathan had earlier gone to Oghara to commission Delta State University Teaching Hospital and the Headquarters of Naval Logistics Command. According to him, “The Nigerian Navy Logistics Command in Oghara, which we have just commissioned today is very critical to the realisation of the Masterplan and the peace in the region.”

The President said the security of the state  and its water ways was of a paramount importance,  not  only to the people of the Niger- Delta, but also to the nation at large.

“This explains why the government will continue to invest in the modernisation of the armed forces and the regular updating of the weaponry to improve on their capacity and ability to deal decisively with any situation that demands attention,” he said.
He restated the resolve of his administration to correct the defects in the electoral process as we are all familiar with as the government is committed to a clean electoral process.

State governors and other prominent indigenes who witnessed the events include Peter Obi of Anambra State; Ikedi Ohakim of Imo State; Timipre Sylva of Bayelsa State; Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State; Liyel Imoke of Cross River State; Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom State; and Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State. Uduaghan’s Deputy, Prof Amos Utuama (SAN) and numerous state commissioners. 

Others include the President, Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, the Delta State Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (C.A.N.), Archbishop God-do-well Avwomakpa, the Ogoni-Oghvworode of Olomu Kingdom, HRM Richard Ogbon, The Pere of Ogbe-Ijoh as well as the Chairman, DELSUTH Board, Prof Joseph A.M Otubu and DELSU Vice-Chancellor, Prof Eric Arubayi, Minister of Defence, Prince Adetokunbo Kayode; Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Paul Dike; Chief of Naval Staff, Vice-Admiral I. I. Ibrahim; The Flag Officer Commanding Logistics Command, Rear Admiral O.F. Oketa, Commanding Officer of NNS Delta, Henry Babalola, as well as retired senior service chiefs including Vice-Admiral Mike Akhigbe and Major-General David Ejoor.

FG to Re-classify federal roads

THE Minister of Works, Mohammed Daggash, has said that the Federal Government plans to re-classify roads in the country, in order to hand over some of the roads currently classified as Federal roads to the states to manage.

Speaking during an inspection of some federal roads and bridges constructed by the Akwa Ibom State Government in the last three years, the minister explained that there are roads to be re-classified and returned to the states. In particular, he observed that the federal government has no need to lay claim to many roads which states are capable of maintaining.

Federal roads have been the most deplorable and neglected of roads nationwide due to alleged inadequate funding, corruption and inefficiency.

 

FG to deploy soldiers to civil duties soon.

The Federal Government plans to tackle security problems in the country by engaging military personnel to undertake civil security matters that do not require wielding of munitions.

Stating this in Oghara, Delta State recently, President Goodluck Jonathan stressed that in view of the threat of violence and insecurity against meaningful growth and development, the federal government was prepared to go the extra mile to ensure that peace and security prevailed in Nigeria.

According to the President, “Government is thinking of various ways to use the armed forces, not only to assist police to maintain internal security; because whenever I visit some other countries I observe the roles played by the armed forces in other civil operations of Government. And, that is the way we must go in this country.

“We have a lot of professionals in the army; well-trained professionals that will not limit their knowledge and professional practice only to management, handling and operations of weapons, but also about civil operations”, Jonathan said during remarks at the headquarters of the Nigerian Navy Logistics Command which he officially commissioned at Oghara.

Detailsof the 2010 Nigerian Dredging Summit holding at Calabar, Cross River State, Nigeria.

PARTICIPATION FORM

Nigeria's
current import prohibition list: Goods you may not bring into Nigeria.

ARCHIVE