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Borno Flood: Satomi Gives Wheat to Affected Members of His Constituency
Borno Flood: Satomi Gives Wheat to Affected Members of His Constituency
By: Michael Mike
Member representing Jere Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Hon. Ahmed Satomi has flagged off the distribution of 25 kilogrammes assorted bags of wheat to about 5,600 members of his constituency to ameliorate the devastating effect of recent flooding of Maiduguri and its environs.
About half of his Jere local government constituency was submerged by the recent flood which got over a million people displaced.
The gesture, according to him, is to assist in ameliorating the current hardship faced by beneficiaries who are victims of the recent flood disaster that ravaged Maiduguri and Jere local government area.
The lawmaker, who is the Chairman House Committee on Internal Security and Intelligence had personally donated N200 million to Borno State Government’s Relief and Disbursement Committee before now to ameliorate the suffering of the people of the state affected by the September 10 Flood, in
addition to cash distribution of N100 million to victims of his constituency with various interventions.
Unveiling the distribution of the bags of wheat which are mainly proceed from Satomi Integrated Farms Limited on Tuesday at Old Maiduguri Progressives House, the Lawmaker said, each of ‘Satomi Campaign Structures, consists of Ward Coordinators and Unit Structures who had played a great role in safeguarding/protecting votes during the last 2023 general elections and other supporters of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC and hitherto victims of the flood disaster from all the 12 wards of Jere Federal Constituency would benefit from the gesture.”
He pointed out that, the exercise which kick-started with 1,051 beneficiaries from Maimusari and Mashamari wards, will cover all the remaining wards, as more of such gesture will be a continuous process, in line with Governor Babagana Zulum’s request for well-to-do individuals to complement efforts of the Government in it’s trying moment.
Satomi while admitting the current economic hardship faced by Nigerians is unbecoming, called on all and sundry to be patient with Government’s policies, as there is going to be a light at the end of the tunnel.
He said: “This is a trying moment for us, we are all living witness to what befell our communities in the last flood disaster. In Jere alone, apart from loss of many lives, more than 50,000 hectares of farmlands with crops near harvest were submerged. I personally lost 2,000 hectares of my rice field around the Jere Bowl. But I urge you to take it as an act of God Almighty.
“As your representative at the National Assembly, I will continue to give you my maximum support economically or otherwise.
“Today, each of ‘Satomi Campaign Structures’ which consists of my Ward Coordinators and Unit Structures who had played a significant role in safeguarding/protecting votes in the last 2023 general elections and other supporters of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, hitherto victims of the flood disaster from all the 12 wards of Jere Federal Constituency would benefit from the gesture. This is inline with Governor Babagana Zulum’s request from well-to-do individuals to complement efforts of the Government in its trying moment.
“I admitted the current economic hardship faced by Nigerians, especially people of Jere, but let me call on all and sundry to be patient with Government’s harsh policies, as there is going to be a light at the end of the tunnel.”
In a vote of thanks on behalf of the beneficiaries, Member Representing Jere at the Borno State House of Assembly, Hon. Abba Kyari, noted that there have been about 27 various people-oriented interventions executed by Satomi in the last one year, noting that these interventions cut across distribution of vehicles, irrigation and water pump machines, skills acquisition kits, fertilizers, food and jon-food items, cash to constituents irrespective of political or ethnic consideration.
He thanked the federal lawmaker for always identifying with people of Jere, even as he urged the beneficiaries to continue to give their total support and loyalty to the APC- led government, which he noted, is determined to proffer lasting peace and development in the state.
Borno Flood: Satomi Gives Wheat to Affected Members of His Constituency
NBMA Debunks Allegations of Negligence, Compromise Against It
By: Michael Mike
The Director General and Chief Executive Officer (DG/CEO) of the National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA), Dr. Yemisi Asagbra debunked some allegations level against the agency by some non governmental organisations (NGOs) concerning negligence and compromise.
Speaking during a press briefing in Abuja on Friday, Asagbra said: “The negative statements circulating are misleading and lack credible scientific backing. The agency asks these organisations to present verifiable scientific evidence for their claims and we relies on sound scientific research and internationally recognized protocols to make informed decisions. It is part of the Cartagena Protocol with over 180 parties, our mandate is to protect the health of Nigerians and the environment. It will not compromise on this as it is an agency of integrity.
She added that: “The agency is transparent and accountable in its operations. It invites review of its processes and rigorous evaluations of GMO products. We are confident in our procedures that it’s meet global standards and it is a leader in effective regulation in Africa”.
On the source of the allegations, she said “over the years they have been advocating to have their presence in the board where all these products coming will be thoroughly Investigated, but it hasn’t been given. Most times we rely on the information given by Nigeria Custom Service to furnish them with needed information, which most time is not always easy if they have other things doing.
The Head planning, research and statistics National Biosafety Management Agency Mrs. Bello Scholastica said the agency is concerned with safety to our health and safety to our environment.
She further reiterated that what NBMA stands for is to establish first regulation from identification of the gene of interest, “of what you are interested in, from then till commercialization, and even after commercialization, they still follow suit to make sure that the approvals they gave hasn’t caused any harm, or those that were given approval to that they stay put to what they were asked to do”.
She further explained that the agency has put in effort to promote environmental conservation and biosafety in Nigeria.
NBMA Debunks Allegations of Negligence, Compromise Against It
House of Reps Assures on Passage of Human Rights Defenders Bill
By: Michael Mike
The House of Representatives has revealed that it is interested in the passage of the Human Rights Defenders Bill into law, saying that the bill has already passed the first reading and will soon be subjected to second reading.
The House also promised to take the necessary steps to ensure an improvement in the 2025 budget of the NHRC, pointing out that the N5 billion approved for it in the 2024 budget is inadequate considering the myriad of human rights violations in the country.
The Chairman House Committee on Human Rights, Hon. Abiola Makinde made this disclosure during the oversight visit of Committee to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).
The Chairman, who was represented at the occasion by his Deputy, Hon. Mudashiru Lukeman assured the NHRC that the Committee would continue to advance the course of human rights in Nigeria by ensuring that the House of Representatives passes critical bills on human rights issues as well as makes adequate budgetary provisions to ease the work of the Commission.
Makinde also stated that in a bid to improve some aspects of Civil and Political Rights, the House of Representatives had ensured the establishment of human rights desks in all police formations and Headquarters across the 36 States of the Federation.
Earlier, the Executive Secretary of the NHRC, Dr. Tony Ojukwu who received the lawmakers with his management staff told the Human Rights Committee that the Commission relies heavily on them for the enactment of human rights friendly laws and enhanced budgetary provisions to discharge it broad mandate of promotion, protection and enforcement of human rights in the country.
He used the opportunity to commend the legislators for their role in the amendment of the NHRC Act 2010 as well as the support of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila in the payment of compensation to victims of human rights violations by the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) unit of the Nigeria Police Force.
He equally informed the legislators who were on oversight visit about the recent report released by the Commission following the findings of the Special Independent Investigative Panel on Human Rights Violations in Counter-Insurgency Operations in the North East Nigeria , which he noted has saved the country from possible invitation by the International Criminal Court (ICC).
He noted that the aforementioned wide spread allegations of human rights infractions against some government institutions could result in the ICC extending invitations to some of the leaders to respond to the allegations, but the Commission has done the needful in compliance with the international principles of omplementarity.
He thanked the Committee for promising to improve the budgetary allocation of the Commission in the 2025 fiscal year.
House of Reps Assures on Passage of Human Rights Defenders Bill
FG Confirms Arrest of Simon Ekpa
By: Michael Mike
The arrest of Biafra agitator, Simon Ekpa in Finland has been confirmed by the federal government.
A statement on Friday by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the Nigerian-Finnish citizen and prominent leader of the proscribed Indigenous People
of Biafra (IPOB), was arrested by Finnish authorities on Thursday.
According to the statement, Ekpa was
charged with inciting terrorism and promoting violence.
The Finnish District Court of
Päijät-Häme ruled to detain him on probable cause for publicly inciting crimes with terrorist intent.
The Finnish authorities alleged that Mr. Ekpa used social media platforms to spread
separatist propaganda, incite violence and encourage illegal actions, which had caused
significant disruptions in the South-East of Nigeria. Finnish investigators had also linked
him to incidents of violence in Nigeria, which were believed to had been fueled by his
online activities.
The statement said “the arrest of Mr. Simon Njoku Ekpa follows sustained diplomatic
pressure by the Nigerian government on Finland, to take action against his activities,
which were linked to violence and instability in the South-East of Nigeria. The request
for action featured during high level engagements between countries.”
The Ministry stated that the arrest of Ekpa, is a significant development in addressing the activities of IPOB, and also neutralizing the influence of transnational actors and “their impact on our national security.”
The Ministry promised to continue to monitor the legal proceedings and provide further updates as the case progresses.
FG Confirms Arrest of Simon Ekpa
NBMA Debunks Allegations of Negligence, Compromise Against It
Nigerian lawyers Ask to Collaborate with Chinese Colleagues in Law Relating to Investment and Dispute Resolution
House of Reps Assures on Passage of Human Rights Defenders Bill
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