News

Diri Raises Alarm Over Alleged Threat To Peace In Bayelsa

Published

6 months ago

March 27, 2025

Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa State, Senator Douye Diri, has raised the alarm about a plot to breach the peace of the state.

Diri, who warned that the state government would not condone any act that would disrupt the peace of the state, advised security commanders, youths, elders and traditional rulers to be on the alert.

He spoke on the issue on Thursday at separate meetings with the Bayelsa Elders Council and at the 37th session of the state security council.

The governor warned that a planned mega rally and inauguration of a group loyal to the Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom Wike, was capable of igniting avoidable crisis in the state.

Diri in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Daniel Alabrah, noted that a suspended member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), George Turnah, had been enlisted to create factions in the party in the state.

The governor also stated that holding such event at a time the political crisis in Rivers State had heightened ethnic tensions could degenerate into conflict in the state.

Diri further stated that the alarm was imperative given that the FCT Minister had threatened to cause crisis in PDP-governed states in the country.

He said: “Any attempt to import the Rivers State political crisis into Bayelsa will be resisted.

“I urge security commanders in the state to be on the alert. Parents and traditional rulers should discourage their wards and children from being used by unscrupulous elements to cause trouble in the state.”

Diri, who insisted that the peaceful disposition of the Ijaws should not be misconstrued for cowardice, said the state would not allow a faceless group to foment trouble in Bayelsa, which is the homeland of all Ijaw people.

“As you are aware, we have threats from our sister state. The political crisis there is threatening us and we will not allow what is happening there to come into Bayelsa State.

“We had in our party a renegade, who has decided to form a parallel PDP in Bayelsa State, working with an ex-governor.

“The party in our state suspended him for gross misconduct and for now he is not a member of our party in Bayelsa State.

“He was a part of the kangaroo PDP South South zonal congress that was rejected by the National Working Committee of our party and he is threatening the peace of this state.

“This is not Rivers State. Bayelsa is the cradle of every Ijaw man. I have always said that being peaceful is not cowardice. We are very courageous and we can stand up for the truth at all times.

“Every public facility owned by the Bayelsa State government cannot be used except with the express approval of the state government.”

The governor enjoined the people to continue to maintain the prevailing peace in the state in order to sustain its development.

At the meeting with the elders council, the governor assured the elders of judicious use of the state’s resources.

Responding to the electricity situation in the state, Diri explained that the current blackout resulted from vandalised towers in Rivers and assured that he would work with relevant bodies to restore power.

He added that with the procurement of a gas turbine, the state would soon experience a steady power supply.

He also revealed that the state was set to employ about 1000 Bayelsans in the civil service.

“Again, we are going to employ another 1000 Bayelsans. That process is already on. From the information I got from the Civil Service Commission, they have received about 36,000 applications. It is like what we are doing is a drop of water in the ocean, but it is a good way to start,” he said.

Diri further stated that the teachers recruitment exercise was cancelled because of irregularities and that he had to set up a committee headed by his Deputy Chief of Staff to oversee a new exercise.

News

19 Die From Alcohol Poisoning In Russia

Published

4 minutes ago

September 26, 2025

Editor

At least 19 people have died this month of suspected alcohol poisoning in Russia’s western Leningrad region, local officials said Friday.

Incidents of mass deaths from drinking cheap home-made alcohol substitutes are not uncommon in Russia, which has been blighted by high levels of alcoholism for years.

The regional government’s press service said in a statement that “19 deaths after alcohol consumption were recorded in the Slantsy District in September.”

It added that eight cases had so far been “laboratory-confirmed as methanol poisoning.”

Investigators said they had detained a man and a woman after prosecutors opened a criminal case to probe “the poisoning of several residents of the Slantsy District with counterfeit alcohol.”

Earlier this week, prosecutors sentenced two people to almost a decade in prison for manufacturing and selling a counterfeit cider drink that killed 50 people in 2023.

And in 2016, more than 60 people died in Irkutsk in Siberia after drinking contraband bath oil that contained methanol.

Russia toughened its legislation after that incident, but cheap home-made spirits using alcohol substitutes remain widely available, particularly in rural areas with low standards of living and where the price of vodka is prohibitively high.

AFP

News

Ligue 1: PSG Captain Marquinhos Out With Thigh Injury

Published

54 minutes ago

September 26, 2025

Editor

Club captain Marquinhos has joined the growing list of big-name absentees for Paris Saint-Germain after suffering a thigh issue, the European champions announced on Friday.

The 31-year-old Brazilian defender “will undergo treatment on a left thigh injury over the next few weeks”, PSG announced on their website.

The latest injury blow for Luis Enrique’s side comes in the wake of injuries to stars Joao Neves and Desire Doue, as well as recent Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembele.

News

FG Issues New Policy To Standardise Drug Procurement

Published

1 hour ago

September 26, 2025

Editor

The Federal Government has rolled out a new policy framework aimed at standardising the procurement of medicines and health products across the country.

Also, it declared a renewed commitment to combat rabies, aiming to eliminate the disease by 2030, in accordance with global health targets.

Meanwhile, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) called for urgent support to countries battling cholera, monkey pox (mpox) and Ebola.

Director-General of the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), Mamman Ahmadu, disclosed the new policy, yesterday, at the Celebration of Success ceremony for graduates of the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply (CIPS) Level 4 Qualification Programme in Abuja.

The CIPS Level 4 Diploma in Procurement and Supply equips procurement professionals with globally recognised skills and ethical standards, preparing them to deliver transparent, efficient and impactful procurement services.

The BPP boss said the move was designed to guarantee quality, affordability and value for money in Nigeria’s healthcare system. He said the reform was part of the strategy to professionalise procurement and close long-standing loopholes that enable waste, fake drugs and inflated contracts.

Ahmadu urged the newly certified professionals to register on the National Procurement Officers Management System, a database designed to strengthen oversight, promote transparency and enhance accountability.

Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Maiha, stated, at a Joint Ministerial Press Briefing held on World Rabies Day 2025, themed ‘Act Now: You, Me, Community’, yesterday in Abuja, emphasised the urgency of addressing rabies, which, he said, remains one of the deadliest zoonotic diseases affecting Nigerians.” He assured of government’s determination to eradicate it through a ‘One Health Approach’.

The minister pointed out: “Government alone cannot win this battle. It requires you, me, and our communities working hand-in-hand. Together, we can make Nigeria rabies-free.”

He further highlighted ongoing nationwide vaccination campaigns for dogs and cats and reiterated efforts to strengthen veterinary services in underserved communities.

“Our approach is deliberate: to ensure that no family suffers the needless pain of losing a loved one to rabies,” he added. In his remarks, Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof Muhammed Pate, pledged continued support to efforts at eliminating the disease.

Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Dr Chinyere Akujobi, represented by Stephen Ohaeri, the Director of Planning, Research and Statistics, noted that “rabies is nearly 100 per cent fatal once symptoms appear” but is completely preventable through vaccination and responsible pet ownership.

In another forum, Africa CDC said climate change-driven flooding is worsening outbreaks and limiting humanitarian access. Deputy Incident Manager for the Incident Management Support Team, Africa CDC, Yap Boum, said this during a virtual press briefing yesterday.

During a regional update, Mr Boum said while some countries were reporting declines in cholera cases, others remain of “critical concern,” particularly Chad, where the epidemic that began in a refugee camp in mid-July has now spread to additional health zones. He said present hotspots include Wadai and Sila districts.

Boum highlighted the need to scale up surveillance, cholera treatment centres and rehabilitation efforts, warning that climate change is intensifying health risks across the continent.

United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and Africa CDC teams are deploying additional support in affected areas. Meanwhile, Mr Boum said Ebola remains a concern in the Democratic Republic of Congo, highlighting progress in contact tracing, targeted vaccination and preparedness in neighbouring Angola.

He welcomed fresh commitments made on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, where Gavi pledged to support 10 million doses of vaccine for mpox, and UNICEF promised to back key pillars of the continental response plan.