Warri Voice South Africa

  The gubernatorial candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA in Delta state, Chief Great Ovedje Ogboru, has expressed dismay about electioneering in Nigeria, saying the process is deteriorating on yearly basis. Ogboru, in an exclusive interview with Saturday Vanguard, stated that one of his children had once told him not to contest election until he has N10 billion. Recall that the APGA was the face of the opposition in the state before the 2023 elections. In 2007, 2010 rerun and 2011 elections, when he ran under the Democratic Peoples Party, DPP, he put up a strong fight against the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. In those elections, he produced some members of the State House of Assembly. Speaking on the 2023 governorship election, Ogboru said, “After the conclusion of the election, we had to congratulate the winner of that election, Rt Hon Sheriff Oborevwori. “Having said that, I want to say that the process of electioneering in Nigeria is deteriorating on yearly basis

The Delta State Government has announced that all schools in the state will resume for the third term 2022/ 2023 academic session on April 25. The Commissioner for Secondary Education, Mrs Rose Ezewu, made the announcement in a statement she issued, on Friday in Asaba. She said that teaching and learning activities would commence on Tuesday, and resumption test would be conducted on Thursday in all the various schools across the state. She said that the state was operating a uniformed timetable for all public and private schools. “School heads and teachers should ensure that they complied with the directive, as the Ministry would lead officials to monitor the level of compliance,” She said. She urged Chief Inspectors of Education (CIEs) in the 25 Local Government Areas in the state, to participate actively in monitoring the resumption of schools. “The CIEs should also monitor teachers’ commitment to their official duties in their various Local Government Areas,” she said. (NAN)

  Delta State Government on Thursday 19th April 2023 inaugurated the first batch of 45-man Livestock Management Operatives (DLMO) in line with the provision of its law to regulate open grazing in the state. Dr Godfrey Enita, Chairman, State Livestock Management Committee (DLMC) and Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, performed the inauguration at the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) State Command Headquarters in Asaba Enita in his address recalled that the state government led by Gov. Ifeanyi Okowa had on Tuesday, inaugurated the State Livestock Management Committee (DLMC). According to him, the committee was inaugurated with a change to implement the state livestock, breeding, rearing and marketing regulations Law, 2012 in the best interest of the citizens of the state. “The law is basically enacted to among others stop open grazing of livestock, encourage sustainable humane breeding, production and husbandry and marketing of livestock. “It is to preven

President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has congratulated Nigeria’s President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on his election victory, and invited him to visit the war-torn country. This was disclosed in a statement made available to Vanguard by the Office of the President-elect and signed by Tunde Rahman.Zelenskyy, in a congratulatory letter he personally signed, expressed delight at the peaceful conduct of Nigeria’s general elections and particularly praised the victory of Tinubu as the next President of Nigeria, adding that his country is determined to further strengthen cooperation with Nigeria. Zelenskyy used the opportunity of the goodwill message to extend his invitation to the President-elect to visit Ukraine on a State Visit as soon as he settles down in office after the inauguration on May 29, 2023.  The Ukrainian leader wrote: “Please accept my sincere congratulations on your election as President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria! “Despite extremely difficult testing

  The  United Kingdom  yesterday said 50 Nigerians who were awarded scholarships through its Chevening Scholarship Programme have completed their courses. Chevening Programme and Communication Officer in Nigeria, Boma Amieyeofori, spoke at the welcome ceremony for the Chevening scholars when they were hosted at the residence of the British Deputy High Commission in Ikoyi,  Lagos State. Chevening is a UK Government’s global scholarship programme funded by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and partner organisation. The scholarships support study at UK universities, mostly a one-year taught master’s degrees, for individuals with demonstrable potentials to become future leaders, decision makers and opinion formers. Amieyeofori said the scholars were fully funded in their programmes in the UK where they would get world-class education with the intention of returning to the country to make impacts. “We had over 8,000 Nigerians who applied for the scholarship and 50 scho

  The Delta State Government on Thursday said 6 persons have lost their lives to rainstorm and windstorm recorded in Oko Community in Oshimili South Local Government Area of the state. State Commissioner for Information, Mr Charles Aniagwu, who confirmed the sad development at a news conference in Asaba, said 5 others who sustained various degrees of injuries were being treated at the hospital. According to him, a collapsed structure led to the death of 6 persons, one other person is critically injured and is being attended to at the Asaba Specialist Hospital, 5 others sustained various injuries are already in stable condition. “It is something that is quite disturbing and unfortunate. It is our prayer that God will grant the deceased eternal rest even as we pray to God to comfort the bereaved families and grant them the fortitude to bear their loss,” In a related development, Aniagwu said a 10-year-old boy was swept away at Okotomi area of Okpanam Community in Oshimili North Local Gov

The Federal Government will be increasing the excise tax on tobacco products from 30 per cent ad-valorem to 50 per cent.    This was disclosed by Head of Tobacco Control Unit, Noncommunicable Disease Division, Federal Ministry of Health, Dr Mangai Malau, on Tuesday, April 18, at the National Tobacco Control Budget Advocates Meeting in Abuja.   Malau who presented a paper titled   “Overview of Tobacco Control Funding/Budgeting in Nigeria: Why Tobacco Control Budgeting and Funding?, said the tax increase is part of the federal government's effort to control smoking.    Asides stating that f unding for tobacco control must come majorly from taxation, he added that there is also a need for relevant stakeholders to apply tax measures rightly if they are to address the issues of tobacco control in the country.   Malau said;   “In effectively controlling tobacco and tobacco products in Nigeria, funding is a critical component. The WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control recognises thi

  Fire has razed block A of the female Postgraduate Hostel containing 20 rooms in Ekehuan Campus of the University of Benin(UNIBEN) Benin, Edo State. No life was lost. Eyewitnesses said the inferno started in one of the rooms from an electric spark and spread to the other rooms quickly because of plywood used as demarcation. Students in the postgraduate hostel said the electricity spark has always been a cause for concern, adding that they have called the attention of the hostel porters to several electrical faults. A student, Okoh Cynthia, said three fire servicemen came to put out the fire as it was already escalating to the ground floor of the building. Another student and an occupant in Block A, Stella Osagie said she was depressed as she lost her Iphone XR worth over N200,000 and her laptop worth N250,000. Martha Henry, also an occupant at the PG Block A, said her money, school credentials and project works were burnt to ashes.

  The Niger Delta Rights Assembly, NDRA has described the appointment of Major-General Barry Tariye Ndiomu (rtd) as the Interim Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) as a blessing to the Niger Delta region and the nation in general. The group lauded President Muhammadu Buhari for “overlooking primordial sentiments and self-serving lobbyists in his choice of Ndiomu” whom it said has brought “sanity and order into the Programme.” The NDRA which comprises mainly youths drawn from across the Niger Delta states in a statement issued in Lagos on Tuesday, and signed by its president, Chief Israel Bokromo, also lauded Ndiomu for rising to the occasion of tackling the challenges facing the Amnesty Programme. The group said, “We wish to thank President Muhammadu Buhari for appointing a true Niger Delta son in retired Major-General Barry Tariye Ndiomu as Interim Administrator of Amnesty Programme. “We recognize the pressure mounted on President Buhari to discontinue the Progra

  The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared Adamawa Governor  Ahmadu Fintiri  of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) winner of Saturday’s supplementary election. The Nation reports INEC suspended collation for Saturday’s supplementary governorship election after the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) Hudu Ari announced Aisha ‘Binani’ Dahiru of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner.

  There are indications that flight operations would be disrupted on Tuesday as Aviation Union commenced its two-day warning strike in  Abuja   and other parts of the country on Monday. The members of the union said the aviation sector would witness a complete shutdown on Tuesday as it continues with its strike action. The union also said failure to respond positively to its demands after the two-day warning strike may lead to total withdrawal of service. The General Secretary Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations, Civil Service Technical and Recreational Services Employees, Comrade Sikiru Waheed said this on Monday at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.  He said that day two of the ongoing strike will be more effective than the first day, adding that the first day of the strike was just a warning to the public and the government that they are serious about their demands.   He said: “Day two of the strike would be more effective than what you are seeing here now because

  Gunmen have killed two aides and kidnapped their boss, a Very Important Person (VIP), suspected to be a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN in Port Harcourt in  Rivers State . The kidnappers were said to have also shot three of the policemen attached to the VIP. The three policemen, who sustained various degrees of injuries in the attack, were reportedly receiving treatment in an undisclosed hospital. A source, who spoke in confidence, said the kidnappers were dressed in military camouflage and carried out the act around 3 pm on Monday The source said the abductors monitored the VIP and his escort and later launched the attack at Obiri-Ikwerre interchange in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, Rivers State. He said a personal aide and driver to the VIP were shot and killed in the incident while the policemen escorting them only sustained injuries. He said the gunmen first shot at the tyre of the police van carrying the policemen forcing the driver to lose control of the vehicle He said: “T