News

Gov. Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun has congratulated Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, for emerging the first recipient of the prestigious Obafemi Awolowo Prize for Leadership.

The governor said In a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Media,  Mrs Funmi Wakama, in Abeokuta on Thursday that Soyinka deserved the award.

He described Soyinka as an “embodiment of integrity, credibility, courage, selflessness, accountability, tenacity of purpose, among others.

“Soyinka has spent his entire adult life leading the crusade for a just and united society, founded on the sanctity of the rule of law and press freedom.

"He has continued to use the arts as a tool of social re-engineering,” the  governor said.

Amosun also congratulated the Obafemi Awolowo Foundation for instituting the prestigious biennial national award.

He said that his administration would continue to follow the footsteps of  Awolowo, who was the Premier of the defunct Western Region.

“With the single-minded commitment with which we are pursuing our mission to rebuild Ogun, the landmark development witnessed in the old Western Region is now within our reach and attainment in our dear state,” he said.

He wished Soyinka many more years of meritorious service to the nation. (NAN)

The Kogi Government says it will soon domesticate the Child Rights Act to enhance its application for proper upbringing of children.

Mrs Patience Mameh, the Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lokoja that government had put in place measures that would popularise the Act.

She said that the upbringing of children should be premised on their guaranteed fundamental rights to check abuse and traumatising of children.

Mameh said that it was against this backdrop that the ministry recently held its maiden sitting of the "Children's Parliament" to develop skills for good governance and responsible citizenship among the children.

She said that among resolutions reached at the sitting was the need for government to urgently direct the appropriate ministry to commence formation and inauguration of the Local Government Child Rights Law implementation committees.

It was also resolved that the Education and Women Affairs Ministries should collaborate and include sex education in primary and secondary schools' curricula.

The commissioner commended the Transformation Agenda of Gov. Idris Wada, and said that it was gender sensitive.

Mameh also commended the states' Chief Judge, Justice Nasiru Ajanah, for his promise to inaugurate the pilot scheme of "Family Court" in Ankpa, Idah, Anyigba, Kabba, Lokoja and Okene.

She also lauded the creation of the Child Protection Network under the office of the First Lady of the state, Hajiya Halima Wada and said that women and children now had a voice in Kogi. (NAN)

A commercial bus driver, who allegedly stole a Volkswagen bus valued at N750, 000, was in Lagos on Thursday charged before an Apapa Chief Magistrates’ Court. The accused, Godspower Dikeocha, 30, whose address is unknown, is standing trial on...

The Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) has concluded plans to conduct membership data registration early next year as part of the initiatives to ascertain its strength nationwide.

The CPC National Financial Secretary, Mr Folorunso Longe, made this known to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Thursday.

According to him, the bio-metric data will help the party to have an authentic data of its members and to discover any forms of rigging during its primaries.

The financial secretary said the measure would go a long way in assisting the party during the process of merger with other political parties.

In another development, the CPC Deputy National Secretary, Mr Okoi Obono-Obla, said that All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) had officially indicated its interest to merge with the CPC.

``In this regard, ANPP, one of the strong opposition parties, has written to us and given us the names of its members, who will participate in the merger committee that will discuss with us.

``We are going to reciprocate to this gesture, we are very happy that ANPP, one of the major political parties in the country, has reached out to us,” he said.

Obono-Obla urged other opposition parties to key in to what ANPP had done, pointing out that none of the opposition parties could do it alone to defeat the ruling party.

He said that CPC had resolved to organise a political summit of all the opposition parties to come together to form a formidable position on the proposed constitution amendment.

``We need to form a common front on powers of INEC, on the conduct of elections. We are thinking that elections should not be staggered.

``One of the factors that is responsible for chaos during general elections is the staggering of elections.

``We are thinking that we should make a proposal for constitutional amendment so that elections to the positions of president,  governors, and the National Assembly among others should hold on the same day,'' he said. (NAN)

The Plateau Government has approved three months salary for its striking local government workers as part of efforts to placate them to end their eight months industrial action. The state government said in a statement signed by its Director of Pr...

Gov. Babangida Aliyu of Niger has chided those Nigerians  reported to have celebrated  the death of late Gov. Patrick Yakowa of Kaduna State, describing them as ``inhuman''.

Aliyu made the remark while receiving the Speaker of Niger House of Assembly, Alhaji Adamu Usman who led other members of the Assembly to pay a condolence visit on him.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the visit on Aliyu was with regard to his position as chairman of the Northern Governors' Forum.

``No matter the religion one professes, the simple tenet is that we should sympathise with the dead and the bereaved and pray for the repose of the soul of the departed whose death is a colossal loss,’’ the governor said.

He described as unreligious and inhuman the Nigerians reported to have through the social media rejoiced over the death of the former governor..

``Immediately we start praying for our leaders to die, then we are asking that the whole society should die. We must pray for our leaders. We must go back to our faith and practise our religion as demanded by the almighty Allah.

``We must talk to our children. We must be involved in the moral and religious education of our children. This development shows that we are failing in the duty to train our children,’’ Aliyu said.

He described late Yakowa as a bridge-builder who brought Muslims and Christians in Kaduna state together, saying the late governor provided peace and tranquillity.

Earlier, Usman had said the legislators were impressed with the humility the late governor displayed throughout his lifetime which endeared him to a large number of Nigerians.

He said Speakers in the Northern part of the country received the news with great shock but were consoled that the deceased had left an indelible mark in the sand of times. (NAN)