Ondo APC youths protest at APC secretariat, demand election rerun

By: Michael Mike

Aggrieved members of the All Progressives Congress under the aegis of Ondo APC youths on Thursday protested the outcome of Saturday’s primary election that produced Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa as the winner at the party secretariat in Abuja.

The young demonstrators, who came in four luxury buses, were however dispersed by security operatives mounted at the entrance of the national headquarters.

Barely an hour later, the defiant young protesters regrouped a few blocks from the secretariat by the popular Barcelona Hotel, shouting ‘Aluta Continua.’

While displaying placards and banners that read ‘Ondo APC rejects Kangaroo primary election’, ‘No primary held in Ondo’ and ‘We want a fresh election,’ they threatened to march into the party secretariat again.

Their demonstration took place almost the same time the National Chairman of the APC, Dr Abdullahi Ganduje, and members of the National Working Committee were placating the aggrieved aspirants to bury the hatchet and support Aiyedatiwa ahead of the governorship election in November.

Addressing newsmen, the leader of the demonstrators who is also a party youth leader in Akure South, Kolawole Johnson, described the primary as a sham and declared that only a rerun election can pacify their people back home in Ondo.

Johnson also appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and other leaders of the party to prevail on the NWC to inaugurate a new election committee chairman to oversee the fresh poll.

He said, “How can you say you want to ratify the outcome of a primary and you declared a candidate? It shows there is foul play. Ondo is APC and APC is Ondo State. We won’t fold our hands and allow opposition parties to snatch Ondo from us.

“That is why we are calling on the party to cancel the primary. There should be a rerun and we want a new person to head the committee that will supervise us. What they did is not a primary election. It is selling the APC ticket. We want a rerun because we are not impressed with the poll.

“We, therefore, invite President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to look into this. We don’t want opposition to take over Ondo State.”

Ondo APC youths protest at APC secretariat, demand election rerun

FUNE LGA: Baba Goni applauded Buni on the promise kept with the people in Yobe

By: Yahaya Wakili

The Chairman of the Caretaker Management Committee of Fune local government area in Yobe state, Alhaji Baba Goni Bade, has commended the Executive Governor of Yobe state, Hon. Mai Mala Buni CON, Chiroman Gujba, for fulfilling all his campaign promises to the people by providing the dividend of democracy.

Baba Goni Bade said Yobe is blessed with a governor characterized by humility, sympathy, accessibility, and a genius go of what rightfully and lawfully belongs to him, for peace to reign, adding that giving kudos to the governor has become imperative because of his numerous achievements in improving the living conditions of the masses in the state.

According to the Fune Chairman, commendation as such is not only coming from members of his party APC in the state but also from the opposition, which has come to terms with the development strides of the Mai Mala Buni CON Administration in the last five years.

“Members of the opposition parties are praising Chiroman Gujba for executing the developmental projects both in rural and urban areas within the five years in office.

“Buni’s developmental projects are physically on the ground. Buni’s administration is full of initiatives. The government has constructed modern markets in major towns across the state, including Damaturu, Potiskum, Gashu’a, Nguru, Geidam, and Buni Yadi. The government also constructed Trailer Park in Potiskum and resuscitated three dormant industries in the state. These are the Woven Sack Company in Damaturu, Yobe Sahel Aluminum and Flour, and Feed Mill Company in Potiskum.” Baba Goni Bade said.

Speaking further, he said the Buni administration completed the state-owned International Cargo Airport, which was commissioned by the former President Muhammadu Buhari. He said all these achievements were to create a conducive environment for trade and commerce for the economic development of the state.

Alhaji Baba Goni Bade maintained that the Mai Mala Buni administration also established six modern and seven mega schools, procured books and laboratory equipment, employed more workers and teachers, and re-trained teachers in order to enhance and improve the quality of education in the state. Adding to that, Governor Buni also sponsored many students studying specialized courses abroad.

“The Buni administration also constructed numerous township and inter-town roads to facilitate the movement of goods and services and also provided women and youth empowerment initiated for self-employment. In addition, it constructed 1,800 housing units across the state, already allocated to public and civil servants, and discounted the units by 50 percent.

Determined to alleviate the suffering of his people. Governor Mai Mala Buni CON recently distributed assorted food items as Ramadan palliatives to vulnerable groups and to 120,000 households across the 17 local government areas of the state. The 50,000 bags of assorted food items, including rice, maize, millet, and sorghum,.

The Buni administration also recently launched the distribution of cash support of $50,000 each to 1,000 orphans in the 17 local government areas of the state.

“Governor Mai Mala Buni has made tremendous achievements in the health sector. Under five years, he has constructed 138 primary healthcare centers in every electoral ward across the state and also upgraded over seven PHCs to standard general hospitals and four general hospitals to specialist hospitals to provide affordable and accessible healthcare services for the people of Yobe State.

“There is no part of Yobe State without the appreciable positive impact of Buni’s administration on the lives of the people. He also constructed the largest maternal and child health care complex at the State University Teaching Hospital, which was commissioned by former President Muhammadu Buhari.’

Speaking of his achievements in the Fune local government area, the chairman said he has been following in the footsteps of Governor Mai Mala Buni CON in improving the standard and quality of education. He revealed that the council has provided copies of exercise books and distributed them to all primary schools across the local government.

Alhaji Baba Goni Bade said the council has been drilling new boreholes and repairing all old borehole generators. He said that despite the heavy cost of diesel, the council has taken on the burden of ensuring the availability of the product to service the people’s needs. According to him, every month the council distributes enough of the product to power generators in all boreholes, as well as the drilling of new boreholes at Jama’are and health facilities across the local government. Adding to that, the council was also able to construct a bridge Damagum to Dumbulwa, and the council also constructed a newly constructed police station at Alagarno and repaired bridges and culverts to ease water flow during the rainy seasons.

Baba Goni Bade further said that his administration also gives priority to agriculture; he has transformed agriculture through the provision of inputs and implements for both rainy season and irrigation farming. The council also purchased drugs worth millions of naira, distributed them to all our primary health centers across the local government, and repaired primary health centers.

FUNE LGA: Baba Goni applauded Buni on the promise kept with the people in Yobe

China Upgrades Facilities At FCT Model Primary School

By: Michael Mike

The Chinese Embassy in its efforts at collaborating with Nigerian government towards improved education has upgraded the facilities at a China -assisted Model Primary School in Nyanya, a suburb of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.

Speaking at the occasion of the formal commissioning of the upgraded school facilities, the Charge D Affairs of the Chinese Embassy, Mr, Zhang Yi said a lot of Chinese companies have invested and work with Nigerian colleagues to build infrastructure project and support education as a part of their Corporate Social Responsibility.

He said that the upgraded facilities provided by the China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) will encourage more companies to invest and contribute to the educational development of the country and promote culture exchange between Nigeria and China.

Managing Director of CRBC Zhou Hao, in his reaction, expressed delight that his company is making such a contribution towards enhancing the educational environment at the China-Assisted Model Primary School Nyanya.

He said “Under the leadership and support of the Chinese Embassy in Nigeria, our team took advantage of the school holiday period to replace blackboards for the children, repair the bathrooms, and carry out other feasible tasks.

“Besides these works, today we also bring children’s stationery such as notebooks, pencils, erasers, rulers, and a small amount of sports equipment, hoping that the children would like them.

“Among all the different peoples of different continents, there is a common ground that transcends ethnicity and nationality—children, who fill the world with hope and brightness. They represent the future expectations and aspirations, and they rightfully deserve a better life.

“That is why we believe that improving children’s educational conditions and environments is a shared goal among people from all sectors in both China and Nigeria. Thus, as a Chinese company operating in Nigeria, we are very eager and honored to contribute our part to the educational efforts in Nigeria.”

Executive Chairman of the FCT Universal Basic Education Board (UBEB) Dr. Alhassan Sule, on his part, said it is only through education can the young Nigerians truly realize their potential, even as he expressed delight at the upgrading of facilities in the school through the provision of learning materials.

He commended the Chinese government for investing in education in the FCT, stressing that in the future school could be turned into a smart education spot.

China Upgrades Facilities At FCT Model Primary School