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Lagos Reopens Ladipo Market, Gives Serious Warning To Traders

The Lagos State Government has reopened the popular Ladipo auto spare parts market in the Mushin area of the state.
Society gazette reports that the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) had closed the market last month over improper waste disposal and several unhygienic practices.

But in a statement on Friday by its Head of Public Affairs, Hakeem Akinleye, LAWMA said it decided to reopen the market after substantial compliance with rules and regulations, to sustain a clean and hygienic environment in the market.

He quoted the Managing Director of LAWMA, Ibrahim Odumboni, as saying that the leadership of the market has signed an undertaken not to breach any environmental laws again.

Odumboni stated that the Authority would not condone any form of indiscriminate waste dumping and other environmental infractions, especially at market facilities across the state.

He said further that LAWMA would continue to monitor the situation at Ladipo market and other marketplaces, to ensure full compliance with the environmental laws of the state.

Odumboni warned that the Authority would not hesitate to shut errant shopping centers found to pose dangers to the environment.

The LAWMA boss, therefore, appealed to residents to imbibe the attitude of keeping the environment clean at all times, by bagging their wastes and patronising assigned PSP operators, adding that LAWMA was totally committed to making Lagos cleaner and livable for all.

“Is this what this agbaya should be doing? – Omokri Blasts Buhari For Visiting Tinubu In London

A former media aide to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, Reno Omokri has lambasted President Muhammadu Buhari over his visit to Asiwaju Bola Tinubu in London.

He described the visit as irresponsible, lamenting that Buhari is the only President he knows who will be paying social visits while his country is in trouble.

It could be recalled that Buhari who is currently in London, on Thursday, visited the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Bola Tinubu who is also in London.

The visit however didn’t sit well with Omokri who took to his verified Facebook wall to lash out at the Nigerian leader.

He wrote: “Is this what this agbaya should be doing? Visiting Tinubu in London when hunger is visiting Nigerians.”

“When 250 children are still with bandits and kidnappers, including 89 Baptist Academy students? When resident doctored are on strike? When his party is in disarray over Buni?”

“Buhari is irresponsible! I know of no other President in the world who will be busy paying social visits when his country is experiencing social unrest.”

“What do we need this fellow for? Buhari is as useless to Nigeria as the p in psychology!”

Meanwhile, President Muhammadu Buhari will return to Nigeria from his London trip today, 13th August 2021, sources have disclosed.

Barring any last-minute change, Buhari is expected to land in Nigeria by 5pm on Friday.

The President has been in the UK for over two weeks, first to attend the Global Education Summit on Financing Global Partnership for Education (GPE) 2021-2025 and after that, to see his doctors for a medical check-up.

It has now been gathered that Buhari is set to return to Nigeria today.

According to a police wireless message, the FCT Police Commissioner has directed all Sector Commanders and Divisional Police Officers at the Federal Capital Territory command to mobilize adequately to receive the President.

Youths will occupy 30 percent of my cabinet if reelected – Gov Oyetola promises

The Governor of Osun State, Goyega Oyetola has assured better youths involvement and representation in governance.

He claimed that if reelected, youths will occupy about 30 percent of his cabinet.

Oyetola, while receiving Osun youths at his office after the 20 kilometres march, expressed delight in the youths’ reciprocal gestures, adding that his administration’s prioritisation of the concerns of youths is rooted in his belief in the future of the state.

He also charged youths to embrace peace and pursue developmental objectives in the interest of the state, adding that his political ambition is not worth the blood of any Osun youth.

The governor urged the youths not to allow themselves be used by political jobbers and evildoers, “Let your future be your priority. Your future must be paramount to all of you. Don’t be instruments in the hands of the wicked.”

“Thank you for your support. You really surprised and amazed me. This is not a rally staged by the government, and this is not a rented crowd. You decided to organise these yourselves and the outcome is this massive population of grateful youths.

“This is really surprising and I am highly excited seeing thousands of youths across the State showing their unalloyed support and solidarity for our government.

“Please, don’t relent in your efforts. I want you to remain resolute in your support, don’t be distracted and don’t be deterred. We are committed to your course, and we will do more for you.

“As you all know, we have appointed capable youths among you and they are doing fine. But by the grace of God, if I am re-elected, at least 30 percent of my cabinet will be youths, Oyetola said.

Speaking at the end of the march, the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Student Affairs and Social Mobilisation, Comrade Kehinde Ayantunji, described the walk as a token of appreciation for Oyetola’s inclusiveness of youths in governance.

“The International Youth Day affords us the opportunity of assessing our challenges and successes across the globe. In Osun, we have made a holistic review of facts and figures and it is clear that Governor Oyetola, in the history of Osun, has included the highest number of youths in governance, particularly with the recent local government appointments

“Out of 585 caretaker members across the State, the youths who are below 40years are more than 300. This is highly unprecedented and that is why we felt there is need to commend the Governor for ensuring youth inclusion in governance and for breaking the jinx of youth inclusion in the nation’s politics.

“This is to show that we are strongly behind him against internal and external aggression as we are assuring him that those that have been appointed will surely deliver”, Ayantunji said.

Kidnapped Niger commissioner Regains freedom, family says no ransom paid

The Niger State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Muhammad Idris, kidnapped five days ago, has regained his freedom.

According to a statement by his family, his abductors released him at about 9.30 p.m. Thursday night.

A member of the family, Ado Ada, who issued the statement, expressed his delight over the victim’s safe return.

“His release was wholly the result of the efforts of his family, and no ransom was paid. The family facilitated his release with divine intervention from Allah,” he said.

According to the statement, the commissioner has since been reunited with his family after receiving medical attention, adding that the family expressed their appreciation ”to community members, well-wishers and his associates for all their love, sacrifices and support during the trying period.”

Mr Idris was abducted at 11:00 p.m. on Sunday by bandits at Babban Tunga in the Tafa local government area of Niger.

The heavily-armed bandits had invaded the commissioner’s residence and whisked him away on foot.

The following day (Monday), the kidnappers opened discussions with the family, resulting in Mr Idris’ release, but the family said it paid no ransom.

Nigeria Shut Down UK High Commission Over Covid-19

COVID-19 exposure has forced the shut down of the Nigerian High Commission in the United Kingdom.

Reports has it that the mission would be closed for 10 working days.

This was made known in a statement on Thursday titled, ‘Closure of Nigerian High Commission, London’.

“This afternoon, the Head of Immigration Section and two other officials went for a meeting at the Home Office,” the statement read.

“At the entrance, Covid test was administered on them and one of them tested positive to COVID-19. The affected officer immediately isolated while the other officials, who tested negative will also isolate for the next 10 days.

“In response to this challenge, the Mission embarked on testing all officials of the Mission, after which another official of the Mission tested positive.

“In line with COVID-19 regulation and the need to adhere to the rules and regulation of the host country, the Mission will close down for the next 10 days, in order to observe the mandatory isolation of those who were in contact with the affected officials.

“While the High Commission regrets any inconvenience that this may have caused, we solicit the cooperation of the general public.”

We Have Mobilized Corp Members, Consultants To Replace Striking Doctors – Health Minister

The Minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire has revealed that the government has mobilized corps members and consultants to manage hospitals as resident doctors continue their strike action.
Speaking on Thursday, Ehanire noted that the government is aware of the impact created by the striking doctors on the health facilities but has deployed replacements to mitigate the impact.

The Minister insisted that it is wrong for the medical doctors to embark on strike given the sensitive nature of their duties and the impact it can have on the citizens.

It would be recalled that the resident doctors on August 2, embarked on strike action, accusing the federal government of failing to implement agreements it had with their union on issues including salaries, hazard allowances, and others.

The strike has made the nation’s health care system vulnerable and close to total collapse but Ehanire said corp members and consultants have been drafted to save the situation pending when the issue will be resolved.

The Minister said; “Although the resident doctors have gone on strike, and as I said before, we are appealing to them not to use this very vulnerable period when the country is facing a war.

“For those of you who have been very keenly following international news, you know the havoc that the Delta variant did in India, and what it has done and it is doing in Indonesia, Ireland, and other countries.

“We have only one or two percent of eligible Nigerians vaccinated. So we are really facing something like a war. When you face a war, that is not the time that soldiers say they are not going to fight.

“We don’t want to see here, what happened in India where they also lost 400,000 lives due to COVID-19 Delta strain, we don’t want that.

“But even then, during this strike, we have mobilized all consultants and youth corpers and all those who render services to ensure they are rendering service, to ensure that the hospital services do not collapse and everybody is doing very well.

“I salute the consultants and youths corpers and all those who are not on strike, who are giving service and also the private sector who are supporting us. The private sector is rising up to the challenge to make sure that health services, one way or the order, are going on and there is not serious distress in the hospitals.”

On the issue of the ‘no work, no pay’ directive issued to the striking doctors by the government, Ehanire said it is not a threat but standard labour practice in such a situation.

“Nobody is threatening anybody with anything. That is a standard thing, that is the International Labour Organisation (ILO) recommendation that if you didn’t work why will you get paid.

“Your salary comes from taxpayers money, so if you didn’t work why should you go and be saying you should be paid because if that is so, you can be encouraged to stay home for up to six months and your salary is running from public funds, from taxpayers money and you have not given the community any service,” he declared.

We’ve Rescued 29 Hostages, Arrested 51 Insurgents In Two Weeks – DHQ

The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has disclosed that 29 civilians were rescued, while no fewer than 51 Boko Haram insurgents were arrested in the last two weeks.

Speaking during a press conference on Thursday, Acting Director of Defence Information, Bernard Onyeuko, added that 27 insurgents were killed during various military operations across the country.

He noted that over 1,000 insurgents, including two bomb experts and their family members, have also surrendered to troops of operation Hadin Kai in the North-East.

Onyeuko said the intensity of operations by the military has yielded tremendous results across the North-east and North-west.

He said: “Cumulatively, the operations led to the neutralisation of 27 BHT/ISWAP fighters, arrest of 51 BHT/ISWAP terrorists, three terrorists’ collaborators, as well as recovery of 35 assorted arms. 1,051 round of ammunition, including AK-47 and FN rifles, Dushka anti-aircraft guns, GPMG, PKT guns, 60mm mortar tubes, Makarov pistol and other machine guns, amongst other items were also recovered.

“In addition, 29 abducted civilians were rescued within the period under review. No fewer than 1,000 terrorists and their families, comprising adult females and children surrendered to own troops at different locations in the north-east.

“Notable among them are the notorious BHT bomb expert named Musa Adamu, a.k.a. Mala Musa Abuja, and his deputy, Usman Adamu, a.k.a. Abu Darda. This has in no small measure depleted the Boko Haram fighting force.”

Speaking further, Onyeuko said the troops of operation Hadarin Daji, on July 31, repelled bandits, rescued some kidnapped victims, and recovered arms, ammunition and some livestock in the North-west.

He said that a total of 89 animals, five AK-47 rifles, three rounds of 9mm ball, and 48 rounds of 7.62mm NATO ammunition were recovered, while four kidnap victims were rescued.

He added that two “notorious cattle rustlers named Umar from Niger Republic and Mai Hatsi Ibrahim from Gada in Sokoto state”, and four other suspected bandits and drug peddlers were apprehended.

According to him, the air component destroyed bandits’ structures, including the residence of one of their alleged leaders, identified as Halilu Tubali.

The DHQ spokesman added that the air strikes, in conjunction with operations by ground troops, resulted in the death of “no fewer than 123 armed bandits and destruction of their logistics facilities”.

SHOCKING: Former Nigerian First Lady dies of COVID-19 in Abuja

Mrs Hadiza Shagari, wife of Former Nigerian leader, Shehu Shagari is dead.

Mrs. Shagari died of COVID-19 complications on Thursday, August 12th, 2021. Below is a statement issued on behalf of the family by her Grandson, Bello;

“We regret to announce the demise of our beloved mother, Hajiya Hadiza Shehu Shagari, the wife of H.E late President Shehu Usman Aliyu Shagari, GCFR (Turakin Sokoto).

“We lost her in the early hours of today, 12th August 2021, at about 3:00 am, after battling Covid-19 at the Gwagwalada Isolation Center in Abuja.

“Hajiya Hadiza Shehu Shagari was 80 years old. Her Jana’iza (Funeral Prayer) will take place today, at 4:00pm, immediately after Asr prayer, at the National Mosque, Abuja.”

Mrs. Shagari served as the First Lady of the Federal Republic of Nigeria from the 1st of October 1979 – 31st December, 1983.

Mrs Hadiza Shagari got married to Shehu Shagari who was then a visiting teacher in Sokoto province and a member of the Federal Scholarship Board in the year 1957. Along with his two other wives, she became the First Lady of the Federal Republic of Nigeria when her husband assumed office as President in October 1979.

(VIDEO) Drama As cow invades NYSC orientation camp In Ogun

Drama As cow invades NYSC orientation camp In Ogun

There was a mild drama during the parade competition at the NYSC orientation camp in Ogun State on Wednesday after a marauding cow invaded the parade ground.
It was gathered that the scenario took place on Wednesday afternoon around 2:15 pm.

In the video, immediately the runaway cow invaded the field, the Corpers began to run for their dear lives.

In the video seen by Newsflash Nigeria, hundreds of NYSC Corpers were seen doing their parade and in no time, a big cow invaded and disrupted the parade.

Fortunately, the security officials and strong NYSC male Corpers chased, caught and used a rope to pin the cow down.

Recently, a cow running on Third Mainland Bridge in Victoria Highland in Lagos. The cow which was heading in the same direction as the vehicles on the bridge could be seen maintaining a lane through the duration.

Watch a video showing the incident below;

Parade disrupted as cow invades Ogun NYSC orientation camp
Reacting, a Facebook user, Esther Chidimma Ibe said, “This only happens in a country where cows are valued more than human lives.”

According to Emma Nwanyanwu, “In Buhari’s Nigeria: Cows are sacred, the government spent years discussing open grazing, RUGA, grazing routes, herdsmen and cattle colony.

“Is it an ordinary NYSC camp you are complaining about? At least you are alive to see the cow.

“Those in Benue and other states are killed, their crops destroyed for the sacred cows. By the way, Ogun voted APC in 2015 and 2019, they should be used to cows by now.”

Jessica Orlunma said, “The moment you understand that these cows now know their rights in this country as first-class citizens of the federal republic of Nigeria, the better you realise they can walk on the road, board a public transport, enter first-class flight and go medical checkup confidently.”

Nnenna Okoli said, “Don’t you know that the cows are the number one and first-class citizens in Nigeria? Na them be the bonafide holders of the Nigerian passport. Their lives are more valued than that of the humans.”

Dick Omah said, “This is one the reasons Rivers State just proposed a bill to ban open grazing. Faster it will be passed into law by the State Assembly.”

One Emmy Osy said, “I witnessed it live, though it was already walking with the owner towards the edge of the bridge along the Adekunle end of the bridge going to the island.”

Nigeria Ranks 5th On World Bank’s Borrowers’ Highest Borrower’s List

Nigeria has been listed as the fifth-highest borrower from the World Bank Group and among the 10 highest debt risk exposure globally.

This is contained in a recent report which is the Fiscal Year 2021 (FY21) financial statement of the International Development Association (IDA), a subsidiary of the World Bank.

Naija News reports that the country’s debt portfolio with the international financial institution currently stands at $11.7 billion (about N4.816 trillion).

According to the report, India is leading with $22bn debt, Bangladesh next with $18.1bn, Pakistan, $16.4bn, Vietnam, $14.1bn, and Nigeria occupies the 5th position with an $11.7bn debt.

African countries next to Nigeria are Ethiopia with $11.2bn, Kenya with $10.2bn, Tanzania with $8.3bn, Ghana with $5.6bn, and Uganda, $4.4bn.

“As of June 30, 2021, the 10 countries with the highest exposures accounted for 66% of IDA’s total exposure,” the World Bank noted.

The report also said $19.5bn loans would be disbursed to Nigeria, which includes $1.46bn loan approved but not yet signed, $6.61bn signed loan commitment, and $11.47bn outstanding loan.

Meanwhile, the Federal Government has condemned the reports classifying Nigeria as a high debt risk nation.

This was contained in a statement by the Debt Management Office in Abuja on Wednesday.

According to the DMO, the publications misrepresented the World Bank’s assessment report of the International Development Association audited financial statement for 2021.