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Zulum: Boko Haram left Borno with bank branches in two of 27 local governments

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Zulum: Boko Haram left Borno with bank branches in two of 27 local governments

By Michael Mike

There are banks in two of 27 local government areas of Borno State as a result of over a decade Boko Haram crisis in the state.

This was disclosed by the governor of the State, Prof. Babagana Zulum, while ordering for the immediate establishment of branches of Microfinance Bank, as well as ICT centres across the all councils of the state to enable for exchange of old currency notes to new ones.

The governor gave the directive to the State Ministry of Finance and that of Higher Education, Science, Technology and Innovation following the CBN’s policy on changing of old notes to new ones.

He noted that there are absence of banking services across 25 out of 27 Local Government Areas due to over 12 years of killings and destructions by Boko Haram insurgents.

The governor announced the microfinance measures on Wednesday in Maiduguri during an extraordinary stakeholders meeting which was attended by the Shehu of Borno, Abubakar Umar Garbai Elkanemi, represented by the Waziri of Borno, Mustapha Waziri Muktar.

Zulum directed that where possible, branches of the microfinance bank should start being established this week in Monguno and Gwoza Local Government Areas.

Zulum said: “At the moment we only have two LGAs with banking services and these are Maiduguri and Biu. The distance from most of the local governments to either Maiduguri or Biu is too long”

He added that: “Despite a great improvement of the security in Borno, there are still challenges for banks to start operations. Banking is a very delicate industry and I am sure none of them is willing to take the risk of establishing branches in our LGAs for now. Therefore, to support our people, Borno State Government has to take the risk. I have directed the ministry of finance to ensure the recapitalization of Borno Renaissance Microfinance Bank to qualify it to have the capacity to open branches in all the 27 LGAs. This I believe will greatly alleviate the suffering of our people.”

Zulum also directed the Ministry of Finance to immediately come up with a template to organize and ensure people in rural communities deposit their old naira notes before the 31st of January deadline.

Zulum told the stakeholders that: “I have convened this meeting to discuss how our people in the villages can get easy windows of depositing their money to the bank accounts as stipulated in the CBN’s new policy. The Ministry of Finance is hereby directed to moblize the people and ensure nobody lost his money, you should facilitate ways through which people can voluntarily deposit their money into the banks in the remaining days.”

Zulum also directed the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Technology and Innovation to support mobile telecommunication providers towards improving their network coverage for internet connectivity across all 27 local government areas.

The meeting had in attendance, members of the Borno State House of Assembly, Commissioners, Advisers, Local Government Chairmen and other critical stakeholder.

Zulum: Boko Haram left Borno with bank branches in two of 27 local governments

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Africans Rising Calls for Support for Released Kidnap Victims

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Africans Rising Calls for Support for Released Kidnap Victims

By: Michael Mike

Africans Rising hasz called on Nigerian government to offer critical medical and psychosocial support to enable the nearly 300 girls released from captivity of kidnappers to deal with the trauma they must have gone through.

Africans Rising is a global Pan-African solidarity Movement with a membership exceeding 42,000 individuals and over 800 organisational members hailing from more than 150 countries worldwide.

The organisation in a statement on Wednesday, said “it notes the release of nearly 300 girls who were abducted earlier this month. We call on the Nigerian government to offer critical medical and psychosocial support to enable the girls to deal with the trauma they must have gone through.

“The kidnapping that took place on Thursday 7th March is one of the largest school mass abductions since 2021. A day after this raid, an armed gang abducted another 15 boarding school children in northwestern Sokoto in the wee hours on Saturday 9th March. This happened days after over 200 internally displaced persons (IDPs), mostly women and girls, were kidnapped in Ngala in northeastern Borno State. Since 2018, this town has suffered a series of terror attacks and mass abductions.

“We strongly condemn the recent surge in kidnappings and other acts of terror in Nigeria and call on the Federal Government of Nigeria and all the security agencies to hasten the search and safely rescue all the abductees.”

Africans Rising insisted that abductions constitute just one of the security concerns in Nigeria, noting that 16 soldiers were murdered on 14th March in Ughelli South in Delta State, adding that the army on their part went on rampage and razed the whole community. This extrajudicial action of the army must be condemned in no uncertain terms.

It said: “All perpetrators must be pursued, arrested and dealt with according to the law. We further demand justice and accountability for all the victims of kidnappings and ask the President to dismantle these criminal operations across the country and enforce stringent measures to ensure the safety of the students and all Nigerians.”

Africans Rising Calls for Support for Released Kidnap Victims

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Nnaji: FG to Tackle Hunger and Poverty with Science and Technology

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Nnaji: FG to Tackle Hunger and Poverty with Science and Technology

By: Michael Mike

The Federal Government on Tuesday revealed how the growing hunger and poverty in the country would be tackled.

The Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Uche Nnaji, said President Bola Tinubu is set to evolve science and technology to rewrite Nigeria’s story and drive hunger and poverty out of the land.

The Minister disclosed this in his keynote address at the opening ceremony of the consultative General Assembly of the West African Network of National Academies of Sciences (WANNAS) in Abuja.

Nnaji said: “It is imperative to inform you that the Administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR is desirous to fight hunger and poverty through the utilization of Science, Technology and Innovation (STI).

“I like to further inform you that the Ministry is doing the needful in securing the country through our activities and programmes, geared towards job creation and wealth generation.”

He noted that the Federal Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology was determined to diversify the Nigerian economy, stressing that it was one of the major agenda of the Federal Government through the application of Science, technology and Innovation apparatus.

The minister claimed that all through history, no nation had ever become great without paying sufficient attention to Science and Technology (S&T), stressing that some countries that were ravaged by war and conflicts, recovered, rebuilt their infrastructure and later became rich and wealthy because they utilized Innovation, Science and Technology for nation building.

He said: “The Federal Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology, having realized the role of Innovation in the industrial revolution, has developed many policies and programmes that are critical to the advancement of the sector.”

He however said while the interdependence of West African countries innovatively, calls for synergy and collaboration in all spheres of development, charged the sub-region to switch to STI and maximize the opportunities embedded therein, insisting it would strengthen its currencies and combat the exchange rate syndrome.

He said the academia must lay a good foundation for ECOWAS to leverage on, saying the National Academies of Sciences was paramount in propagąting the campaign of a switch to innovation and industrialization the region yearned for.

The Minister said: “Permit me to conclude with a sincere appeal for synergy and collaboration among the West African Sub-region; that would quicken our quest for sustainable economic development through the utilization of the STI sector.”

Also speaking, ECOWAS Commissioner for Human Development and Social Affairs, Prof. Fatou Sarr, explained that WANNAS was a group of experts, a think-thank that could play a major role in finding solutions to numerous issues confronting the society at national, local, regional and global levels.

“The reason for our gathering today is important for the development of our countries. In fact, the living standards of a nation depend on the abundance of scientific development and technology.

“This lies in the capacity of its actors to find viable solutions to the problems of the society and contribute to the sociology-economic development of our countries,” she said.

The meeting will end on Thursday with a communique.

Nnaji: FG to Tackle Hunger and Poverty with Science and Technology

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Easter: Over 5,200 NSCDC Personnel Deployed in Abuja

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Easter: Over 5,200 NSCDC Personnel Deployed in Abuja

By: Michael Mike

Over 5,200 personnel of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) have been deployed in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, to allow for hitch-free Easter celebration.

The Commandant, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Command, Olusola Odumosu, made this known on Tuesday.

He said exactly 5,230 personnel have been deployed across the nooks and crannies of the FCT for the Easter celebrations to maintain peace and orderliness, and equally secure critical national assets.

Odumosu, while addressing principal officers at the FCT Command Headquarters at Wuse, Zone 5, Abuja, said due to the intelligence report received of a possible attack this season in the FCT, the command has deployed covert personnel around the FCT for surveillance and intelligence gathering to foil such planned attack.

He also revealed that the command has deployed all special squads such as the Armed Squad, Female Strike Force, Counter Terrorism Unit, Special Crack Squad (operation Adaka-su) and Agro Rangers to ensure the maintenance of law and order.

Odumosu said: “The corps is committed to ensuring the safety of Critical National Assets as well as the lives and properties of residents of the FCT.

“There is no room for carelessness and over zealousness while carrying out your duties during this season. You must abide strictly by the operational order, harassing innocent residents who are going about their lawful business will not be tolerated.”

He assured the residents of the Federal Capital that they can enjoy the holiday season without threat to their safety as the Command is providing security in all places of worship, recreational centers, markets, Shopping malls, motor parks and other flashpoints during the holiday season.

He however warned miscreants, vandals and other mischief makers to keep off Critical National Assets and Infrastructure stating that personnel of NSCDC will not hesitate to bring the full weight of the law on any one caught or found culpable.

Odumosu also used the opportunity to felicitate with christians across the FCT as they celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. He reminded them of the need to emulate the life of Jesus Christ.

Easter: Over 5,200 NSCDC Personnel Deployed in Abuja

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