​IGP approves deployment of 5 newly promoted DIGs

The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mr Mohammed Adamu, has approved the deployment of the five newly promoted Deputy Inspectors General of Police (DIGs) to departments of the force.

The Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO), Mr Frank Mba disclosed this in a statement on Friday in Abuja.

He said the deployment followed the recent promotion of senior police officers by the Police Service Commission (PSC).

“The newly promoted DIGs and their postings include – Usman Baba, Force Criminal Investigations Department; Ibrahim Lamorde, Force Intelligence Bureau (FIB) and David Folawiyo, Information Communication and Technology (ICT) Department.

“Others are Joseph Egbunike, Finance and Administration Department and Dan-Mallam Mohammed, Training and Development Department,” he said.

Mba said Mr Moses Jitoboh, a newly promoted Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) was redeployed from the Border Patrol Section to the Department of Research and Planning.

He said that the I-G had congratulated the officers, who by their promotion had become members of the force management team.

The FPRO said the redeployments were with immediate effect. (NAN)

​APC envious of our governors — PDP

The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has said the All Progressives Congress, APC, and its leaders are bitter over the sterling performance of governors elected on its platform.

This is even as the party insisted that the APC has become defunct owing to the collapse of its structures nationwide.

In a statement issued by its spokesman, Kola Ologbondiyan, the main opposition party said:

“Nigerians can see the frustration in the APC leadership, which has now resorted to vicious smear campaign and media attacks on our governors and leaders, having failed in all their sneaky plots to lure them to look the way of the defunct APC.

“It is therefore not strange to us that the Secretary of APC’s national caretaker committee, Senator James Akpanudoedehe, has been detailed, as new APC spokesperson, to commence a coordinated attack on our governors.

“We are aware that this is part of the desperate bid to distract and drag down our performing governors to the level of their APC counterparts, who have become a collective symbol of failure in our contemporary political history.

“It is laughable that the APC caretaker secretary is challenging the Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, to name APC leaders attempting to lure our governors, whereas he, Akpanudoedehe, is aware of how the APC leadership, to which he belongs, have been going round our governors and leaders genuflecting for audience, only to receive mere photo opportunities.

“We caution the APC caretaker secretary to be more circumspect in challenging anybody to call out names, as such could put him in very indefensible situation as his own roles and itinerary in the APC leadership are not hidden to us.

“In any case, APC leaders should know that there is nothing left in their party and that nobody wants to associate with a failed association masquerading as a political party; plagued with internal wrangling and illegal leadership; and whose legacies are corruption, treasury looting, turning our nation into a failed state, instituting poverty and hardship, and supporting terrorists, bandits and kidnappers ravaging the people.

“It is on record that our governors have shown capacity and deliverables in projects and programmes in all critical sectors including human capital development, manufacturing, industrialization, road infrastructure, agriculture, healthcare, education, housing, aviation, power, telecommunication, water resources, urban and rural development among others, to the shame of the APC.

“It is therefore imperative to state that our governors, by all rating and ramifications, cannot be in the same class with non-performing APC governors.

“In that regard, we counsel the APC Caretaker, as the new undertakers of the APC to steer clear of our party and concentrate on their task of winding down the APC, which it began with the collapse of their structures nationwide.

“After that, the APC caretaker committee should be ready to answer and restitute for all atrocities committed by the APC against our nation.”

​Akwa Ibom denies sharing CACOVID relief materials to PDP members

Akwa Ibom State government has denied allegations that the CACOVID relief materials have been diverted and shared among members of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the state.

A human rights activist, Inibehe Effiong, lawyers and other critics of the government had taken a swipe at the governor, Udom Emmanuel for dishing out the palliatives to members of his party as Christmas gifts.

But, the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Comrade Iniobong Ememobong, debunked the insinuations, stating that the formula for the distribution of the materials was very inclusive and transparent.

He said , “The State Government had earlier in November this year intimated on the arrival of palliative materials from CACOVID( Coalition against COVID) which is a private sector driven corporate social responsibility contribution to the fight against the ravaging COVID-19 pandemic. It was also announced that when the full consignment from the donors berths in our state, distribution will commence.

“The structure for the distribution of these palliatives at the LGA level is very inclusive, having representation from people living with disabilities, women, youths, religious organizations, professional bodies and opposition parties under the platform of the Inter-Party Advisory Committee.

“ This committee supervises the distribution of these palliatives to the people passing through the intermediary ward distribution structure. The distribution, which is largely decentralized to conform with COVID-19 protocols, has started and is ongoing.

“The focus of this batch of palliative distribution apart from the LGAs are media, orphanage homes, medical workers, security personnel, traders, Labour, entertainers and students.

“This distribution of palliative is clearly different from the usual end of year goodwill gift of rice to different categories of people”.

Gov. Zulum felicitates with Christians, urges citizens to remember troops, IDPs, others

Gov. Babagana Zulum of Borno on Friday in Maiduguri enjoined Nigerians to pray for troops, volunteers of the Civilian Joint Task Force, the displaced and refugees of insurgency as they celebrate Christmas.

“While wishing everyone a peaceful, joyful and blessed Christmas, I urge all of us to reflect on how security forces, local hunters and vigilantes are marking Christmas in bushes, hunting Boko Haram and also being hunted by the insurgents

“Let us also reflect on how families of these forces and volunteers are celebrating without their bread winners,’’ the governor said in his Christmas message.

He also enjoined Nigerians to reflect over how thousands of yet-to-be-resettled internally displaced persons and fellow Nigerians taking refuge in foreign countries are also celebrating Christmas, queuing up for food in host communities.

“Reflecting on the conditions of fellow citizens will arouse our consciousness to rededicate ourselves to ceaselessly pray for peace and to support the fight against insurgents through generating relevant information for security agents,’’ he said.

Zulum also called on security agents to remain committed to their duties and uphold their solemn pledge to safeguard lives and property of citizens, promising them sustained encouragement.

“We will continue to accord far reaching support to security forces, especially those who have shown their dedication and gallantry.

“We will commend and reward, and where there is the need to raise voices of concern, we will do so on behalf of our citizens whom we have sworn to protect.

“I believe in the carrot-and-stick approach and this is based on my personal principles and my training in the academia. Critical thinking is the foundation of academics and in this, the philosophy is to look at the opposite side of every case study.

“From the academic point of view, there is never one side to any case under study and this is why I commend, I reward, and I also criticise. I take every issue on its own merit and I do so with the best of intentions and without fear or favour, affection or ill will,’’ Gov. Zulum said.

​Christmas: Zamfara APC donates cows, rice to CAN, Igbo, Yoruba communities

The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Zamfara, has donated 250 bags of rice and 15 cows to the Christians Association of Nigeria (CAN), Igbo and Yoruba APC members, to celebrate Christmas.

Presenting the items to the beneficiaries in Gusau on Friday, APC Chairman, Alhaji Lawal Liman said the items were donated by the former governor and APC leader, Alhaji Abdul’aziz Yari.

Liman represented by the APC Secretary in the state, Alhaji Sani Musa, said the items comprised of 200 bags of rice and 10 cows for the CAN community in the state.

He said that 40 bags of rice and four cows were also donated to Igbo APC wing and Igbo community.

“We are also presenting 10 bags of rice and a cow to Yoruba wing of the party in the state,” Liman said.

He commended Igbo and Yoruba communities for their support to the party.

Liman urged the beneficiaries to use the period to pray for peace and stability in the state and in the country.

“You should also not forget the present administration in the country led by President Muhammadu Buhari and APC national leadership while conducting your prayers,” the APC chairman said.

The CAN Secretary, Amadu Haruna, thanked the former governor for the gesture.

“We thank the former governor for the gesture, we enjoyed such support from him when he was in power, we are happy that up till now he has not forgotten us,” Haruna said.

The Chairman, Igbo APC wing, Mr Collins Ofodile, also thanked the former governor and APC leadership for the gesture.

Ofodile assured the party of support and cooperation from the Igbo community.