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Abia Based Indigenous Firm To Roll Out 40,000 Units Of Electric And CNG Powered Vehicles Annually

June 29, 2024

By Suleiman Anyalewechi

Roxettes, an indigenous vehicle manufacturing plant is set to kick-start operations at its 40 000 annual automobile units assembling plant in Obu-Aku, Ukwa East Local Council of Abia State. This heart-warming venture will begin in October 2024.

This is just as the promoter, Dr Kaycee Orji lauded Governor Alex Otti for creating the enabling environment for the dream of adding to the number of indigenous vehicle productions outfits in the country to be realised.

Dr Orji who announced the proposed date of rolling out the first set of automobiles from the stable of Roxetes during a visit to Abia State Governor on Friday, June 28, 2024, also, informed that all necessary equipment needed to start production will be in place before the end of August this year.

The Abia State-born progenitor of the second indigenous Vehicle Assembly plant, after Innoson Motors, expressed happiness that what merely began a year ago as a dream ,has come to fruition ,owing to the unwavering support received from the State Government.

” I told you about my plans to have an assembling plant and you asked me to bring it to Abia. Iam very grateful to Your Excellency for the very peaceful business atmosphere you have created in Abia.

“Everything you promised us, you have fulfilled .Your Excellency promised us land where we would build the plant and in less than a month, you gave us an offer letter and Certificate of Occupancy .

“I have to inform you that construction is seriously ongoing at Obu-Aku City. We call it Eco-Drive Green Tech Metropolis because we have in mind to do a whole lot of things within that space.

“And ,one of the things we are doing already is the construction of the assembling plant.

“The plant will see us roll out about forty thousand (40,000) units of automobiles per annum and seventy percent (70 %) of the production would be mainly innovative products like electric vehicles and CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) driven vehicles.

“The world is migrating to sustainable energy and we don’t want to sit back and watch the world move and Nigeria and Abia state are not doing anything.

“We considered Abia state as the most favourable environment to start because of current leadership .So we are going to start assembling electric vehicles in that space this year .

:Secondly, we are going to have another production line there which is a CNG conversion plant .What it means is that we are going to have the CNG kits installed there and then the CNG cylinders so that people can run on cheaper and cleaner energy.

“We have produced our CNG generators in China, and they will be leaving China next month so that we don’t bother or stress the already national grid since we already have gas lines that pass through the location.

“About 1,000 Abians and Nigerians will be employed directly by the time we come on stream in October this year.”

Responding Governor Otti expressed joy over the development ,and for being briefed on the progress so far made to actualize the vision .

The Governor also expressed the hope that with time, the outfit will migrate from an assembling to a full scale manufacturing plant.

“We love that the vehicles are going to be assembled here. But ,we will be happier ,if we begin to manufacture them here .

“We understand how manufacturing happens .The way vehicles manufacturing happen is that you will still have to buy some parts from somebody else. If you want to sit down and manufacture everything from beginning to the end ,then you can not achieve much.

“But the most important thing is that you put together all the things at a particular location.

You have emblem that indicates that the vehicle is manufactured in Nigeria .

“That is the joy .The other thing is local content . So when you take a complete vehicle and look at components ,where are they from?

“Doing what we call backward integration is very necessary and you don’t need to produce all those parts .Somebody can produce brakes somewhere and another can produce rubber .

“We want to get to a level where you can replicate some of those things in Aba .Our people are very creative ,Just show them what to do .They may not finish it the way ,they are finished in China,but a journey of a thousand miles starts with one step” Governor Otti noted

Otti informed that as a way of further encouraging the project, the State Government will soon embark on the construction of a dual carriage way from the PortHarcourt/Enugu Express Way to the host community of the plant.

“I know we worked out the equity of the state on evaluation of land ,which I believe is less than two percent (2%) . So ,in due course we will want to look at it and see if we can increase our equity to use it to support you”, Gov Otti further stated.

“Killings Of Security Personnel, Calculated Plan To Make Abia Ungovernable” – Group Alleges

Suleiman Anyalewechi

June 29, 2024

By Suleiman Anyalewechi

A Civil Society Group, Coalition of Southeast Youth Leaders, COSEYL, has raised alarm over alleged orchestrated moves by some forces to make Abia State ungovernable.

This is even as it condemned, in strongest terms, Friday’s unprovoked attacks on a police formation in Aba, which resulted in the gruesome killing of two police personnel and the destruction of several properties of innocent people.

The Source reports that some unidentified gunmen late Friday, June 28, 2024, unleashed an attack on a Police Station in the Ogbor-Hill area of the commercial nerve centre of Aba, Abia State.

Eye witness account said the gunmen who operated in a Toyota Sienna vehicle, on arrival, began to shoot indiscriminately at the Police Personnel on duty, leaving them with little or no option to defend themselves.

Some market women and others selling vegetables and other food items close to the Police formation were forced to abandon their wares and scampered to safety.

Although,there were no civilian casualties as at the time of reporting , the wares of the traders littered the roads, along side other individual properties .

Police authorities have not reacted at the time of reporting. The Spokesperson for the Abia Police Command, Chilaka Maureen, ASP, when contacted by this Magazine, said the Police will make available its statement as soon as it is ready.

But the COSEYL, in a statement issued by its President General, Goodluck Ibem, on Saturday,June 29, while describing the attack as unfortunate heartbreaking, barbaric and senseless ,wondered how anybody and/or group of persons will allow themselves to be used in perpetrating such a heinous crime against humanity .

“These spates of attacks and killings of security agents in Abia state are well calculated attempts by some criminal actors to make the State and other Southeast States ungovernable.

“But we are assuring them that their evil plans are dead on arrival. Abia is a peaceful State, with hardworking residents ,and no amount of blackmail, subterfuge and intimidation will distract them.

“We are also commiserating with the Nigeria Police Force over this unfortunate incident.

“We call on security agencies to work assiduously to ensure that the perpetrators of this dastardly act are apprehended and brought to book.

“We stand solidly behind the Abia state Governor Dr Alex Otti, in his determined efforts to reposition the state . Abia will be great again,no matter the evil plans of enemies” the COSEYL stated

The Police killings comes on the heels of the yet-to-be resolved murder of five Nigerian soldiers on a peace keeping mission on May 30 2024.

Some yet-to-be identified gunmen had ambushed the soldiers at a military check point at Obikabia junction close to the Ogbor-Hill area of Aba ,razed their operational vehicles ,and mauled down five soldiers, three of them, indigenes of Abia State.

“Execution of Four National Budgets Concurrently, Recipe For Frivolity” – Obi cries Out

The Source

June 29, 2024

The Labour Party Presidential Candidate in the 2023 elections, Peter Obi has picked a hole with the implementation of four national budgets running concurrently and describes it as a recipe for chaos and frivolity.

Writing on his X handle on Saturday, the LP standards bearer said it’s a flagrant disregard for fiscal responsibility, transparency and accountability.

According to the former Anambra State Governor, “All available evidence has confirmed that the Nigerian government is implementing four national budgets concurrently. This is in blatant disregard for fiscal responsibility, transparency, and accountability.

“It is also a recipe for chaos, confusion, and catastrophe.

“This intentionally action will lead to frivolous items in the approved budgets competing with essential projects for limited resources, further exacerbating the suffering of the Nigerian people.

“It indicates that the Leaders are out of touch with reality and lack the competence to manage our nation’s finances effectively.

“Unfortunately, this deliberate act of fiscal recklessness is being undertaken by elected representatives of the people, thereby betraying one of the cardinal pillars of democracy. Leaders are elected to responsibly manage public resources in an organized

way.

“I respectfully appeal and in fact, demand that this situation be reversed immediately in preference for a more responsible and transparent approach to budgeting.

“We must prioritize the needs of the Nigerian people, not the selfish interests of a few.

“This is a call to action for all Leaders to desist from actions that will further drive the country into economic chaos.

“Neither the National Assembly nor the executive has any excuse to promote or condone such unconscionable behaviour.

“We seek and insist on a nation governed by leaders who are frugal and responsible in their handling of public resources.

“This is the only way we can build a great nation”.

NDLEA Partners ALGON To Tackle Drug Abuse In Local Communities

Akinwale Kasali

June 29, 2024

By Akinwale Kasali

In a bid to curtail the intake of drugs among youths in Local Communities, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, and the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria, ALGON, have agreed to form a partnership to address the issues of substance abuse and illicit drug trafficking in communities nationwide, and, mostly, among youths.

Mohammed Marwa, NDLEA’s Chairman, said the partnership is necessary, as drug abuse and trafficking are more prevalent in local communities.

In a statement by the NDLEA signed by its spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, the Agency’s Chairman urged Local Government Chairmen to ensure that people at the grassroots are well-sensitized about the dangers of abusing illicit drugs and also provide help for those already indulging in the unhealthy habit.

He was quoted as saying, “We are particularly happy that you’re here to identify with our work and partner with us because you are the closest tier of government to the people, especially the grassroots and our communities where the majority of Nigerians reside.

“This is more so because the drug scourge is in virtually all our communities, and no Community across the country is spared, as such, we need your partnership to cascade all our efforts in terms of drug demand reduction and even supply reduction, down to the remote communities.

“This partnership is also important coming at a time when we’re deploying our personnel to the local government areas to establish our physical presence in the rural communities so that we can support you to curb the scourge of drug abuse and illicit drug dealing, which fuel crimes and criminalities in those areas.”

Marwa encouraged the ALGON leaders to mobilise their members nationwide to set up Local Government Drug Control Committees and War Against Drug Abuse Committees.

He added that the Committees should comprise traditional rulers, religious leaders as well as market and women groups, among others at the community level.

He encouraged them to also take advocacy and drug tests as major components of their efforts when they return to their local governments to begin implementation of the various strategies discussed at the meeting.

He added that “to make drug tests easier, the Agency has mass-produced quality test kits easy to use at home, offices and others with the aim of early detection and providing treatment for those who test positive as well as engendering deterrence.”

ALGON National President, Aminu Maitafa, lamented the negative impact of drug abuse on the health, businesses and security of lives and property at the grassroots while expressing the commitment of the body to work with NDLEA to ensure that the ugly development is urgently reversed.

He said, “As the body of local governments in Nigeria, we appreciate the enormous work this Agency is doing under your leadership, and that is why we have come to partner with you so that we can collectively stamp out the drug abuse problem from our communities.”

He also assured that ALGON as a body, will place necessary structures that will facilitate the deployment of NDLEA personnel to their council areas.

Amidst Speculations Of Deposition, Miyetti Allah Warns Against Undermining The Dignity, Respect Of Sultanate Institution

Suleiman Anyalewechi

June 29, 2024

By Suleiman Anyalewechi and Ayodele Oni

The last about the speculated plans by the Sokoto State Government to depose or whittle down the authority of the Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, a retired Brigadier-General, may not have been heard despite denials by the State authorities.

On Saturday June 29,2024 Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, MACBAN, in Abuja, warned that nothing should be done to diminish the status and dignity of the Sultanate in the country.

This is even as the Sokoto State Government on Friday June 28, insisted that the embattled Sokoto District Heads, appointed by the Sultan remain deposed.

National President of MACBAN, Baba Othman Ngelzarma, in a statement, emphasized the need to protect and preserve the sanctity and respect of the Sultan as the leader of the Muslim Ummah in the Country.

He, therefore, called on political actors to desist from toying with the Sultanate institution which he noted has been in place for several hundreds of years.

The Leader of the Miyetti Cattle breeders condemned the alleged subtle moves by the Sokoto State Government to emasculate the Sultan.

“We believe that protecting and preserving the institution of the Sultanate is a cardinal responsibility of every right thinking person in the country.

“We call upon the Sokoto state Government, especially the Legislature ,to thread softly and do all that is necessary to preserve and protect the institution that represents an all- important ideology that created it.

“Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association MACBAN is worried by Media reports alleging that the Sokoto State Government intends to whittle down the powers of the Sultan.”MACBAN noted.

The group, however, expressed its solidarity with the Sultan ,as well as support for his leadership qualities.

“This is evident in his efforts to propagate religious and ethnic tolerance in Nigeria among diverse groups.

“His background as a military man, his resoluteness to speak the truth and his standing for the poor and underprivileged despite being an aristocrat makes him a model for leaders to emulate.”

Nasiru Binji , the Sokoto State Commissioner for Justice, while fielding questions from the Media, noted that the Court order that hitherto restrained the State Government from deposing the District Heads has elapsed.

“The duration of the order is 7 days . The order was given on the 13th of June, 2024, therefore, it elapsed on June 20” Binji insisted .

The Source reports that a Sokoto State High court had, on June 13 ,while ruling on an ex parte motion brought before it by some District Heads appointed by the Sultan, granted an interim injunction restraining the State Government from deposing them .

The State House of Assembly is currently perfecting a bill, that when operational, will strip the Sultan of the powers to appoint District Heads and other related Traditional Rulers without the consent of the State Government.

This piece of legislation was at the root of the alarm raised last week by the Muslim Rights Council alleging plans to dethrone the Sultan.

But despite repeatedly denying such a plan, fears still persist that the Sultanate institution may not be completely free from threat of disruption.

Vice President Kashim Shettima had, a couple of days ago, advised the Sokoto State Government to respect and, hold in reverence the Sultan of Sokoto because he is an institution. The State Government did not take kindly to that advice.

Nasarawa, NOA Move To Check Fake News

Ayodele Oni

June 29, 2024

By Ayodele Oni

The Nasarawa State Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, Mr Ibrahim Angbolo has sought synergy with the National Orientation Agency, (NOA) to curb fake News.

Angbolo stated this while receiving the NOA, Nasarawa State Director, Dr Priscilla Gondoaluor on a courtesy call in Lafia, the Nasarawa state Capital.

He was of the view that partnership between the NOA and the Nasarawa state Government, among other things, will enhance the dissemination of accurate information to the public toward combating fake news in the state.

The commissioner described fake news as a great threat to national security and Nigeria’s unity.

Angbolo assured that the state government would not relent in the fight against fake news, as it repositioned the Nasarawa Broadcasting Service (NBS) and upgraded the state’s printing press to enhance the quarterly magazine and newsletter publication.

The Commissioner urged the NOA and relevant stakeholders to collaborate with the Nasarawa State Government in the fight against misinformation and disinformation being perpetuated by some unscrupulous elements.

Angbolo assured the NOA of the Ministry’s readiness for the partnership to educate the people of the state to keep them abreast of the government programmes and policies so as not to be misinformed.

The commissioner, while appreciating the NOA’s efforts in educating the public about the policies and programmes of the governments, thanked the Agency for promoting the cultural heritage of the people through several reorientation programmes.

While calling on the people of Nasarawa state to sustain support for the administration of Governor Abdullahi Sule, the commissioner assured that the state government was committed to executing more projects that have a direct bearing on their lives.

Dr Priscilla Gondoaluor, Nasarawa State Director, NOA, said they were in the Ministry to seek a partnership to sensitize the public on the new National Anthem, as the agency did for the state anthem.

Dr Gondoaluor commended the Ministry’s effort in publishing quarterly magazines and newsletters, which have helped to inform the public about the government’s policies and programmes.

High Cost Of House Rent: Ekiti Partners FHA, Releases Land To Build Houses

Ayodele Oni

June 29, 2024

By Ayodele Oni

Ekiti State Government has approved for release 34 hectares of land for the Federal Housing Authority (FHA) to build affordable houses, following soaring cost of house rent in the State.

The State Government is also exploring other interventions to improve housing conditions in the state to make it affordable for the residents.

In response to the growing concerns raised by residents of the State about exorbitant house rents and outrageous increase of rents by property owners in the State, Governor Biodun Oyebanji has taken decisive action to address the issue by initiating an engagement with Estate Agents in the State.

A Government delegation led by the Special Adviser on Mortgage and Housing, Dr. Gboyega Oloniyo, engaged with the leadership and members of the Estate, Rent, and Commission Agents Association of Nigeria (ERCAAN), Ekiti State chapter at their monthly meeting in Ado Ekiti to review their operations and activities.

Dr. Oloniyo expressed dissatisfaction with the high cost of living in the state, particularly the relentless hike in house rents.

According to him,“Many have attributed this to Estate Agents who acquire properties from landlords at low costs and lease them out at exorbitant rates. This deprives average citizens of access to decent housing.”

Oloniyo pointed out that agents and landlords have inflicted pains on their tenants unnecessarily noting that shelter is essential and must be available, accessible and affordable .

The Director-General of the Office of Community Communications, Mrs. Mary Oso-Omosotso, emphasized the need for guidelines and regulations to curb alleged extortion by the association, which they attributed to quacks infiltrating their ranks.

“Any business that does not solve problems is not a business,” she stressed, while urging the association to cooperate with the government to achieve the shared prosperity vision of Governor Oyebanji

The association members expressed their gratitude to the Governor for visiting them and giving them opportunity of engagement.

They acknowledged the validity of the public complaints and admitted that bad actors were operating within their ranks and would cooperate with government to flush them out.

They also pointed out that some landlords are part of the problem, as they build houses even in slums and lease them out at high prices similar to houses in more developed areas.

They expressed their readiness to work with the government to sanitize their operations and to apprehend errant members.

2027: “Sack Tinubu, Lose Nigeria” Shehu Sani Warns The North

Ayodele Oni

June 29, 2024

By Ayodele Oni

A former Senator, Shehu Sani, has warned Northern politicians that there will be no Nigeria if Tinubu is voted out of power by the North in the 2027 Presidential Election.

Even though 2027 is three years away, politicians are already meeting and planning ahead. And according to Senator Sani,

Northern politicians are seriously regrouping with a view to wrestling power from President Bola Tinubu in 2027.

He, however has a warning for them: Abandon the plans to evict President Tinubu from office in the 2027 Presidential elections.

Apparently, Shehu Sani’s view, which he had earlier made a few days ago in an X post, may not be unconnected with recent series of meetings some top Northern political leaders have been having woth former President Muhammadu Buhari. The meetings have sparked speculations that their meetings were centred on the 2027 election.

Sani, in an interview with Arise TV, said the move to unseat Tinubu in the next election will negatively affect the unity of Nigeria.

The former Senator advised Northern leaders to plug into the policies and programmes of Tinubu’s administration that will benefit the Northern part of Nigeria, which has been grappling with insecurity and poverty, amongst other problems, instead of trying to gain more political power.

He said: “There is evidence of rallying of forces, regrouping of forces- political forces from the North- trying to use former President Buhari as a rallying point in order to evict the government of Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu.

“They hope to resurrect his political chance in the house of the masses and portray the government as one that has been undermining the North and one that has not been living up to its campaign promises to the region being that it has its highest votes from there. And I must warn that attempts to do that can create a serious problem for our country.

“Buhari has been in power for eight years and there has never been any serious Southerner that challenged his own government in terms of trying to remove him out of office.

“And secondly, we should know that before you think of power, we should think of the whole country. We should be thinking of a united country, a peaceful country. Nigeria is still a fragile nation.

“What will happen if Southern politicians decide to also form the idea of uniting themselves and making a position that this is their stand? There will be no Nigeria.”

Rivers Crisis: “Don’t Hold Unto Power Once Your Tenure Expires” – Mrs Goodluck-Jonathan

The Source

June 29, 2024

By Charles Igbo

“…holding unto power after expiration of your tenure is an invitation to violence and anarchy” – Mrs Jonathan.

For the first time since the Rivers State political crisis began, former Nigeria’s First Lady, Dame Patience Goodluck-Jonathan, has weighed in with a solution.

The State has been engulfed in crisis for about nine months and counting following a serious disagreement between Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, now the Minister for the Federal Capital Territory, FCT.

Wike was instrumental to the occupation, by Fubara, of the Governor’s office. But the two fell out, allegedly, over Wike’s desire to completely control the Governor to the extent that Fubara had no right to appoint anybody into any office in the State.

Things have since got to a head between the two, and a once-caged Fubara, now free, has found his feet, and is stumping them gradually but steadily.

However, a relentless Wike who still has his imprint on every aspect of Governance in the State – House of Assembly, Local Government Council Members – is, allegedly, using his foot soldiers to oil the crisis.

For instance, to keep his influence at the LG level intact, Wike’s loyalists who are in the majority in the House of Assembly, decided, unconstitutionally, to extend the three-year tenure of the Council Chairmen and Councillors by six months.

However, a Court had since declared it unconstitutional and Governor Fubara has appointed Caretaker Committee Members to run the LGAs until an election is held.

But the former Council Members refused to leave office. Flushed out by angry youths, the Police moved in, occupied the Headquarters of the LGAs, thus, denying the Caretaker Committee Members access to their offices. The result is the protests and counter protests in the State, sprinkled with a dose of violence in some areas. A couple of deaths, including two Policemen has been recorded, and this order day, there was a blast from an explosive in front of Hotel Presidential while a pro- Police occupation of LGA Headquarters protest was going on.

Weighing in on the situation which threatens to worsen, unless a decisive action is taken to stem the tide, Mrs Jonathan, a proud daughter of the State, has pleaded with both Governor Fubara and Minister Wike to sheat the swords and allow peace to reign. “It is time for governance”, she advised because “election is over”.

In what can be interpreted as a rebuke of Wike and the LGA Council Members, Mrs Jonathan said that continuing to stay in office after the expiration of one’s tenure is an invitation to “violence and anarchy.”

Said the former First Lady: “We, at this point plead that election has come and gone, and now is the time for governance.

“As a peace advocate, I will like to call on the warring parties in Rivers State to sheath their swords and give peace a chance knowing fully that no development can take place in an atmosphere of chaos.

“As a political office holder, remember that power is transient, and it will end someday.

“Therefore, holding unto power after expiration of your tenure is an invitation to violence and anarchy.”

For the records, as Nigeria’s First Lady, Mrs Jonathan was one of those who propelled Wike to the office of the Governor of Rivers State.

We Will Work Towards Rejigging NDPHC For Sustainable Solutions To Power Challenges – Gov Radda Pledges

Suleiman Anyalewechi

June 29, 2024

Umar Dikko Radda - Governor of Katstina State

By Suleiman Anyalewechi

The Katsina State Governor, Umar Dikko Radda, has expressed the optimism that his appointment to the Board of the Niger Delta Power Holding Company NDPHC alongside five other Governors will assist in repositioning the outfit and improve power supply situation in the country.

This is even as he lauded President Bola Tinubu for his foresight in making the appointments.

The President on Thursday June 27 ,appointed six State Governors to serve on the Board of the power generating giant to help in rejigging its fortunes.

Other Governors appointed to represent their various geo-political zones are Hope Uzodinma, Imo, Prof Babagana Zulum Borno, Biodun Oyebanji, Ekiti, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, Kwara, and Pastor Umo Eno Akwa Ibom State.

The appointments which were approved by the National Economic Council, NEC, at its meeting on Thursday, June 27, 2024, is part of a strategic move to strengthen the power company’s leadership and enhance its operational effectiveness, according to a statement issued by the Katsina State Governor’s spokesperson ,Ibrahim Kaula Mohemmed on Friday June 28.

Governor Radda pledged to bring his wealth of experience and understanding of the unique power needs of the Northwest region to bear on his new role.

While assuring of working towards sustainable solutions for Nigeria’s power sector, Governor Radda noted that the appointments underscore the Federal Government’s commitment to addressing the country’s power challenges,through a collaborative approach leveraging expertise and regional insights of state Governors .

” I am deeply honoured by this appointment and the trust reposed in me by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu .This role presents an opportunity to contribute significantly to Nigeria’s power sector and,by extension ,our national development.

“I am committed to working diligently with my fellow Board Members to advance the objectives of the NDPHC and improve power supply across our nation .

“The inclusion of State Governors on the Board demonstrates the president’s commitment to collaborative governance and his recognition of the crucial roles states play in national development.

“I assure all Nigerians that we will work tirelessly to deliver on the Renewed Hope Mandate for our collective benefits.” the Katsina State Governor stated.

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