The implementation of Primary Health Care Under One Roof (PHCUOR) has begun in Ogun State.

This was disclosed by the Executive Secretary of the state Primary Health Care Development Board, (OGPHECADEB) Dr. Elijah Ogunsola, during a sensitisation meeting with all cadres of health workers across the 20 Local Government Areas and the Primary Health Care (PHC) staffers.

Dr. Ogunsola, according to the Board's Press Officer, Mrs. Fatimah Alatishe, explained that PHCUOR was a policy document, introduced by the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) and approved by the National Council on Health in 2011, to reduce fragmentation of all services under one authority, revealing that the reform was promoted by the Federal Goverment to integrate PHC structures and programmes at sub-national levels under one state-level body, which is the Primary Health Care Development Agency or Board.

He added that the policy would bring together health workers in all the 20 Local Government Areas of the state and the Primary Health workers, assuring a seamless communication and good working relationship between the workers in the headquarters and the local governments.

The Executive Secretary, who regarded PHC workers as service providers closer to the grassroots, underscored the need for them to be abreast of any reform in PHC service delivery system, promising that the Board would continue to ensure improved health care services across board.

Contributing, the Director, Health Care System in the Board, Dr. Esther Ogunsilu, while highlighting the pillars of the initiative, said the conceptual framework for implementing the PHCUOR include, Governance and Ownership, Legislation, Minimum Service Package, Repositioning, Systems Development, Operational Guidelines, Human Resources, Office Set-up, Funding Sources and Structure, among others.

Also speaking, his counterpart in the Disease Control and Immunisation, Dr. Thomas Solarin, urged the workers to always make themselves available to patients as and when due and be diligent, in order to achieve a better healthcare delivery to the people.

In his remarks, Chairman Ijebu-Ode Local Government, Mr. Babatunde Emilola-Gazal, who doubled as the Chairman, Association of Local Governments of Nigeria, Ogun State Chapter, described the PHCUOR policy as a welcome development which would give more encompassing health care delivery in all PHCs across the council areas, promising that all Local Government Chairmen would give their support to achieve success.

The Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (retd.), has urged men and officers of the agency to shun any enticement that conflicts with the ethos of their profession as anti-narcotic operatives.

Marwa gave the charge on Saturday in Jos, Plateau State, during the graduation of members of the Strike Force elite corps in the agency.

In his remarks, the agency boss appealed to the officers to embrace the discipline that had been instilled in them during their training and ensure they were incorruptible in the discharge of their duties as anti-narcotics officers.

“Here is my appeal to each of you: shun any enticement that conflicts with the ethos of your profession as an anti-narcotic operative. Anything that would compromise your discipline and dedication to duty should be avoided.

“As an anti-narcotic officer, you bear a huge obligation to remain incorruptible in the face of any temptation that might be sprung on you by drug traffickers and barons”, the NDLEA boss who was represented by the Director, Special Duties/Commander, Strike Force, Deputy Commander General of Narcotics, DCGN Ahmed Ningi told the officers.

While addressing the graduating members of the Strike Force Elite Corps, he added, “To the Strike Force operatives, I want you to be mindful that today is a milestone in your professional career in the Agency. This specialized training and the skills acquired therefrom will undoubtedly enhance your competence in the special role you will be playing for the Agency in the war against illicit drugs.

“It is important that I remind you that as the Agency scales its operation against illicit drug trafficking, your service will become increasingly essential to the successful attainment of our organisational goals. The special nature of your training requires that you serve as a force multiplier for the conventional NDLEA staff in the field.

“Moreover, the progress report I received, including the on-the-spot assessment, confirmed that the objective of the course has been achieved. Therefore, as you graduate today, I urge you not to rest on your oars, as your competence will be tested from time to time by challenges that will recur in your career as an anti-narcotic operative.

“It is gratifying to note that you have been exposed to classroom and outdoor exercises in line with the current challenges. You are, therefore, urged to consolidate the knowledge gained and apply it judiciously in your various commands. Generally, I am hopeful that the benefits of the course will reflect positively on your performance in the field.”

Explaining the significance of the elite force within the agency, Marwa said, “We have great expectations of the Strike Force, one of NDLEA’s tactical creations in 2021. The Strike Force adds strength and purpose to our drug supply reduction effort by reinforcing officers and men of NDLEA who have to work in dangerous terrain while carrying out their duties.

“The merit of having the Strike Force was evident in February 2023 when, on two occasions, the Agency was able to successfully carry out raids, seizures, and destruction of a significant amount of psychotropic substances in territories that in the past were hostile and almost out of bounds for anti-narcotic officers.

“In Ondo and Ekiti States, for instance, 255 hectares of cannabis farms were destroyed across five local government areas in a seven-day operation. Similarly, in Lagos State, a notorious drug den in Patey, Lagos Island, was successfully raided in broad daylight, with over 5,000kg of cannabis and other assorted drugs seized, along with the arrest of the drug kingpin and six other suspects. Both operations were dangerous, but the Strike Force provided the needed cover, repelled mob attacks, and ensured our officers and men performed their duties safely.”

He noted that the success of the course could not have been possible without the commitment of the training facilitators and the NDLEA team of instructors.

In his welcome remarks, the Commandant of the NDLEA Academy, Jos, Hamza Umar, commended the leadership of the agency for exposing officers and men of the agency to continuous training at home and abroad.

He added, “With this new graduation, what we are saying and we have sent the signal and it is very clear that the drug barons, the drug traffickers, their days are numbered. Wherever they are, whatever it is, we’ll subdue that threat and make Nigeria suitable”

He asked the graduands not to take the privilege for granted.

A total of 391 personnel of the strike force passed out from the training which lasted for about three weeks.

Aloy Ejimakor, the Special Counsel to Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, on Saturday said the Supreme Court has settled the controversy that the agitator never jumped bail.

Ejimakor said the Supreme Court also clarified that Kanu’s bail should not have been revoked.

Recall that in 2017, Justice Binta Nyako of a Federal High Court in Abuja had granted Kanu bail.

Upon his release, a military invasion of his ancestral home in Umuahia, Abia State, in September 2017, forced into exile, hence he did not attend his trial on the next scheduled date and thereafter.

From then till June 2021 when he was transferred from Kenya to Nigeria, there has been a robust public debate as to whether he jumped bail or not.

But, the Appeal Court had discharged and acquitted Kanu of all terrorism charges.

This judgment was later overturned by the Supreme Court which transferred the case back to the Federal High Court.

In the Certified True Copy of the judgment delivered in December 2023, the apex court declared that Kanu did not jump bail.

Commenting on this, Ejimakor, said: “As Of Counsel, I had joined in this debate and always made it clear that Nnamdi Kanu, in the unique circumstance of the military invasion, did not jump bail. I had also written well-publicized legal treatises, maintaining that this self-evident truth will be proved and confirmed in Court in due course of time.”

He said the first judicial confirmation came in January 2022 when, in a landmark judgment, the High Court of Abia State declared that the said military invasion was a flagrant violation of Kanu’s constitutional rights, consequent upon the Court awarded him N1 billion in damages and public apology.

He said: “Following this judgment, I had issued a public Legal Notice warning all and sundry to thenceforth cease and desist from peddling the falsehood that Nnamdi Kanu had jumped bail. Whereas, vast majorities of the mainstream and social media had complied, some malicious traducers and elements from the federal government persisted with the defamatory bail-jumping narrative.

“In summation, in addition to ruling that Nnamdi Kanu never jumped bail, the Supreme Court also held that the Federal High Court should never have revoked his bail; that the prosecution wrought grand deception on the Court on the bail-jumping issue and that the bench warrant that triggered Nnamdi Kanu’s infamous extraordinary rendition was obtained by deception and should never have been issued.

“For the foregoing reasons, I implore the media, members of the public and pertinent public officials to abide by the judgment of the Supreme Court and henceforth cease and desist from peddling or publishing the false and defamatory narrative that Nnamdi Kanu had jumped bail.”

The winner of the 2023 gubernatorial election in Kogi State, Usman Ododo, has been sworn in as the governor of the state.

This comes barely three months after he was elected to take over from Yahaya Bello, who has completed his second term in office.

Naija News learned that Ododo took the oath of office at around 2:24 pm in Lokoja, the state capital, on Saturday.

His inauguration came just minutes after Salifu Joel Oyibot took his oath of office as the deputy governor of Kogi State.

With his swearing-in, Ododo has become the 5th executive governor of Kogi state.

The event had in attendance the Vice President, Kashim Shettima, Ododo’s predecessor, Yahaya Bello, the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi Ganduje and other top members of the party.

Meanwhile, Yahaya Bello has rated his administration with good marks, stating that he would be departing office and leaving the state in better shape than when he arrived.

Recall that Governor Bello, whose second term in office will elapse in a few weeks, gave this remark while accepting the Fellowships Award at the 4th Combined Convocation of Kogi State Polytechnic, Lokoja, during the weekend.

At the State Polytechnic of Lokoja’s joint convocation for 2013/2014–2022–2023, the governor, who was a distinguished guest, remarked that one of his accomplishments is the State Polytechnic’s repositioning to meet the challenges of the twenty-first century.

The Federal Government has vowed to probe allegations of coordinated oil bunkering scheme and multibillion-naira contract-splitting fraud levelled against the Chief of Naval Staff, Emmanuel Ogalla.

The Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, made this known in a press statement released Friday by his spokesman, Henshaw Ogubike.

Naija News understands that Ogalla is facing allegations of impropriety on many fronts since his clandestine dealings came to light, details of which had reached top levels of the chain of command and on the verge of being brought to the notice of President Bola Tinubu.

According to Peoples Gazette, Ogalla was accused to have repeatedly offered the protection of the Nigerian Navy to oil thieves since he took office.

Additionally, the news platform reveal a concerted effort to stifle inquiries into vessels suspected of trafficking stolen crude oil, further tarnishing the integrity of his nascent leadership as well as a violation of the Procurement Act 2007 by splitting navy arms procurement into 30 contracts awarded to a single firm in November 2023.

Ogalla was also said to have refused to approve transfer of naval officers found culpable of several unprofessional conducts to the dismay of other members of the navy brass and disciplinary unit.

But according to Matawalle, the allegations levelled against Ogalla are serious, adding that the government is committed to upholding the highest standards of integrity and accountability within the Nigerian Armed Forces.

The statement added: “In the light of the allegations, we assure the public that the ministry of defence will collaborate fully with relevant authorities to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the matter.

“It is our collective responsibility to maintain the trust and confidence of the Nigerian people in the institutions that safeguard our nation’s security. We call for patience as the investigative process unfolds and trusts that justice will be served in accordance with the rule of law.’’

The 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, has said President Bola Tinubu should be recognised by the Guinness World Records for “causing Nigerians the most hardship.”

Recall that Tinubu had recently bragged that he deserved to be included in the Guinness World Records over his performances in the country since he assumed office.

Speaking in a recent interview with Vanguard, the former Governor of Anambra State said Nigerians are really suffering because the reforms implemented by the Tinubu administration are not achieving what they are meant to achieve.

He said, “He (Tinubu) may actually be correct when he claims that his name deserves to be in the Guinness World Records. Don’t forget that people’s names don’t always make it into the Guinness World Records for only altruistic reasons.

“So, it depends on which angle he is coming from. If the idea is to put his name in the Guinness Book of Records for causing Nigerians the most hardship – untold hardship, of course he is spot on and I will totally agree with him because his reforms are not achieving what they are meant to achieve.”

Obi added that he had put the 2023 general elections behind him already and he was now focusing on governance and real issues.

He stated that the biggest lesson from the 2023 general elections is the fact that Nigerians are actually committed to good governance and not as complacent as people thought they were.

The former governor noted that Nigerians on the streets could judge the performance of Tinubu so far since he assumed office on May 29, 2023.

He added: “Well, for me, the biggest lesson (from the 2023 general elections) is the fact that Nigerians are actually committed to good governance. They are not as complacent as people thought they were because they, especially the youths, were actually committed to doing the right thing. That is why they came out in their numbers to participate in the elections.

“The second lesson is the realisation that the leaders, most people in the elite class are not actually interested in good governance because you can classify the electoral umpire as part of the elite class, the government, all of us are not prepared to do the right thing because if the elites are prepared to do the right thing, the result or the outcome of the election would have been different.

“But for me the elections have come and gone and I don’t want to talk about the issue of the 2023 elections again. It has come and gone and I am done with it. What I am talking about now are issues of governance because the average Nigerian today is talking about the Nigeria of today, and the Nigeria of tomorrow. That is what is important.”

Speaking on how he rates the government so far, he said, “That is really a question for the generality of Nigerians to answer. Ask the average Nigerian how he is faring today. The truth is that we have many more Nigerians thrown into poverty, millions of Nigerians don’t know where the next meal will come from. Nobody is sure what the price of a cup of rice, garri or a loaf of bread will be tomorrow. So, it is Nigerians that you should ask the question.

“It is not a question for me to answer. It is not something I alone will tell you. Ask Nigerians, the masses out there on the streets of Nigeria and you will get a feel of what they are going through. But I know that the situation is critical.”

City FM is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

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A man, Aminu Ibrahim, who is alleged to be the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ward chairman for Birnin Yero Ward in the Shinkafi local government area of Zamfara State, has been arrested by the Nigerian Military for alleged weapons smuggling.

Naija News understands Ibrahim was arrested alongside two other men by Troops of the Joint Task Force, Operation Hadarin.

Information gathered from PRNigeria has it that the suspected chairman and his accomplices, namely Musa Usman Seun and Isah Mohammed, were arrested on Monday., 22nd January at Shinkafi.

The source quoted by the platform stated that the sum of two million, five hundred and eighty thousand naira, 1 Volkswagen Wagon, 3 mobile phones and other items were recovered from the suspects after their arrest.

The money recovered from the suspects was said to be part of the planned fund for the purchase of weapons at Ilela border in Sokoto State.

The matter is currently under investigation.

According to the source, “The troops of the Joint Task Force North West Operation HADARIN acting on a credible intelligence on activities of a notorious gunrunner with intentions to smuggle arms into Zamfara state, troops immediately set up a roadblock and apprehended 3 suspected persons.

“The 3 suspects namely Musa Usman Seun, Aminu Ibrahim, and Isah Mohammed were arrested recently at Shinkafi on 22 January 2024 and the sum of Two Million Five Hundred and Eighty Thousand Naira, 1 Volkswagen Wagon, 3 mobile phones and other items were recovered from the suspects.

“A preliminary investigation revealed that the huge sum of money recovered from the suspects was for exchange of Assorted weapons at the Illela border in Sokoto state. The suspects are undergoing further interrogation”.

Cameroon Forward, Faris Moumbagna insists the Indomitable Lions are fired up for their Round of 16 clash against Nigeria.

Rigobert Song’s side has endured an underwhelming start to their campaign at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.

The four-time champions managed to qualify from their group, recording one win and two draws.
The Indomitable Lions will need to improve on their performance to stand any chance of beating the Super Eagles.

Moumbagna claimed that the team is in a positive mood going into the game with their perennial rivals.

“We prepared well, the atmosphere was good in the group. We are going to stay in the same state of mind and continue to give the best of us,” the Olympic Marseille star told a press conference in Abidjan.

” We are going to approach this match with 200% effort. We are going to give everything on the pitch like we did against Gambia, we are not going to give up”.

Saturday’s encounter is billed for the Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium, Abidjan. It will start at 9pm Nigeria time.

[DailyPost]

• Overrides governor’s veto on four bills 
• You were caught in crossfire, Fubara tells returning pro-Wike commissioners 
• Rivers elders/leaders forum, others hail gov on S’Court victory

Members of the Rivers State House of Assembly appear to have returned to the trenches in their battle of wits with Governor Siminalayi Fubara.

The House yesterday passed a bill stripping the governor of power to appoint caretaker committees for the local government areas.

The bill – The Rivers Local Government Amendment Law – was one of the four passed by the House to override the governor’s veto of the same earlier passed to him for assent.

The assembly’s action came on a day the governor swore in the nine pro-Wike commissioners, who had resigned their appointments in the heat of the crisis between the governor and Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister Nyesom Wike.

Fubara, in a veiled reference to the circumstances that triggered the resignation of the commissioners, said they were caught in cross fire.

Other bills passed yesterday by the assembly in defiance of the governor’s veto were the Rivers State Traditional Rulers Amendment Law; the Rivers State Advertisement and Use of State Owned Property Prohibition Repeal Law and the Rivers State Funds Management and Financial Autonomy Law.

One other implication of the Local Government Amendment Law is that the state has to conduct local government election at the expiration of the three-year tenure of the current officials in the next two months.

Martins Wachukwu, Special Adviser on Media to Speaker Martin Amaewhule, said the House, at its 99th Legislative Sitting, bypassed the assent of the governor to the four bills following a letter from the governor justifying why he failed to sign the bills.

The governor, in the letter read on the floor of the House, argued that such amendments would create confusion and breach constitutional provisions.

However, the Speaker, citing Section 100(5) of the 1999 amended Constitution, said the House was empowered to override the governor in the event of the governor withholding assent.

The Speaker then put the issue before the House for members to vote.

Twenty-four of them, more than two-thirds majority, unanimously voted that the bills should become laws without Fubara’s assent.

The section says “where the Governor withholds assent and the bill is again passed by a two-thirds majority, the bill shall become a law and the assent of the Governor shall not be required.”

Amaewhule said the reasons adduced by the governor for withholding assent on the Local Government Amendment Bill were anticipatory and tailored towards creating a situation that would make holding election in the state impracticable.

“The key thing here is that this law removes the power of the Governor to appoint caretaker committee chairmen for the local governments. The governor is not happy that we’re removing his powers to appoint caretaker chairmen,” he said.

Amaewhule described the amendment to the Rivers State Traditional Rulers’ Law as innocuous and wondered why the governor declined assent.

He said the law was amended to include a resolution of the House in the recognition, de-recognition or suspension of traditional rulers in the state to curb arbitrariness.

On the repeal of the Rivers State Advertisement and Use of State-owned Property (Prohibition) Law No. 7 of 2022, the Speaker said that the House decided to repeal the law to avoid financially overburdening the people of the state or impeding their  access to the use of state-owned facilities and regretted that the governor withheld assent to such people-oriented bills.

He said that the House would continue to strengthen democratic institutions and ethos in the state and instructed the Clerk of the House to ensure that copies of all the laws were transmitted to relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies.

You were caught in cross fire, Fubara tells returnee commissioners

Regardless of the development in the State Assembly, Fubara swore in the nine loyalists of Wike who had resigned as commissioners in the heat of the crisis.

Their re-instatement was part of the agreement reached at the Abuja peace talks brokered between the Fubara and Wike sides by President Bola Tinubu.

Speaking at the event yesterday, Fubara told them he had nothing against them and asked them to engage in activities that would make them to be positively remembered by posterity.

Observing that they had already read the charge as contained in their oath of office, Fubara in a statement signed by his Special Assistant, Media, Boniface Onyedi, enjoined them to uphold and defend the state’s laws.

He said: “I wish you well in your coming back. Stand for justice and stand for the interests of our dear state. That is the purpose of your appointment, and that is the truth.

“I can see how heavy your hearts are. But I assure you that I don’t have anything against anyone of you. You were caught in between during the crossfire.

“I will advise that you give your best. Like I said the first time, let this state and posterity remember you for what is good.”

With the inauguration of the returnee commissioners, it was observed that the governor had almost fulfilled the resolutions contained in the peace accord apart from an item which required him to re-present the Rivers 2024 Appropriation Bill to the House of Assembly led by Speaker  Amaewhule.

Let’s forego our differences to develop Rivers, says Fubara

Also yesterday, Fubara, in a broadcast following his electoral victory at the Supreme Court, urged all stakeholders in the state to put aside their differences and unite to develop the state.

He told the people to expect accelerated growth and development of the state following an end to the legal battles challenging his election.

The litigation experience, he said, was a tortuous journey that had validated the choice and confirmed the mandate freely given to him by the electorate.

He said: “It is with great joy and total deference to the Almighty God that I address you after a tortuous legal journey following the governorship election in our state.

“It is with great nostalgia I reflect on your trust and the absolute confidence you bestowed on us on that fateful March 18, 2023 when you gave us your mandate.

“Even with that overwhelming support, we had to go through litigation to validate your choice and confirmation of your mandate to us.

“We are deeply elated by the verdict of the Supreme Court of our dear nation, which has finally affirmed our victory. I owe this victory not to my efforts or our ingenuity, but to God and to you the good people of Rivers State.”

Fubara also thanked President Bola Tinubu for playing the role of a father in Rivers, all Rivers leaders and well-meaning people of the state.

The governor said the Supreme Court judgment was an immeasurable energizer to accelerate governance with utmost sense of commitment for the benefit of Rivers people irrespective of political persuasion or ethnic affiliation.

He said: “In this regard, what is important to us is the accelerated growth and development of our dear state.

“Now that the litigations are over, we call on the opposition political parties in the state to join hands with our government to build the Rivers State of our dreams.

“I extend the olive branch to my contenders and all others who went through the hog and or who withdrew their cases for the love of the state.

“I believe we are all Rivers people and by virtue of that brotherhood, let us therefore put aside our differences and bond together to build one indivisible and greater Rivers State that posterity will remember us for.”

Rivers Elders/Leaders Forum, others hail him

The Rivers State Elders/Leaders Forum congratulated the governor on his victory and asked for the support of the people for him.

The forum in an eight-point communique hailed the apex court for “this excellent timeout determination of the electoral matters in Rivers State.”

It said: “The judgment has calmed the outstanding political tension in the state and indeed the Niger Delta.

“In this contest, there is no victor, no vanquished. All we crave for at this forum is the sanctity of the laws of the country and the Rule of Law.

“This judgment lays to rest the era of strong men, but protects and encourages strong and viable institutions.”

The Leader of Oyibo chapter of “Activate Sim”, a socio-political group in the state, Dr. Gift Okere, said the victory of Governor Fubara would engender development in the state.

Okere, while reacting on the judgment, reiterated the commitment of Oyibo people to continue in their support for all the programmes and activities of Governor Fubara, and called on every member of the state to throw their weights behind the Governor in the interest of the state.

“For us in Oyibo, the victory means a victory for Nigeria, democracy and Rivers State, particularly the progressive minded people of the state,” he said.

 On his part, a rights activist and Convener Rivers Peace Initiative, Obinna Ebodigi, said the judgment marked a pivotal moment for the state, and urged parties to adopt the no-victor-no-vanquished option for peace and unity of the state.

He said: “Indeed the unfortunate activities of the last few weeks have left our state tensed and sharply polarized many Rivers people along party and ethic lines as have never been seen in our shared history.

“But as we navigate through the decision of the apex court today, it is important that we unite in a shared commitment to peace, understanding, and collective pursuit of justice for all.”

[TheNation]