News

Edo Guber: INEC Cautions Politicians On Use Of inflammatory Languages

Published

5 years ago

August 20, 2020

Editor

Political parties and their candidates for the forthcoming Edo State governorship election have been charged to eschew the use of intemperate, inflammatory, and base language designed to inflame passions or incite violence as the election draws nearer.

Festus Okoye, Esq, National Chairman, , Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, IVEC, gave the charge Thursday in Benin at a workshop organised for journalists in the state.

The workshop was titled: 2020 Edo Governorship Election: Processes and procedures.

Okoye urged stakeholders to therefore conduct their activities in a manner that does not jeopardize the due and constitutional conduct of the election.

According to him, the Commission has deployed all the non-sensitive materials required for the conduct of the Edo and Ondo governorship elections, stressing that training for all categories of ad-hoc staff towards a successful election is in full gear.

He added that the Commission is conducting the Edo and Ondo governorship elections and fifteen outstanding bye-elections within the context of COVID-19 pandemic that has substantially altered the previous ways of doing things.

” Furthermore, the Commission has deployed all the non-sensitive materials required for the conduct of the Edo and Ondo Governorship Elections.

” The training of all categories of ad-hoc staff is in full gear and all the sensitive materials required for the conduct of the election will be delivered ahead of time.

” As we have pointed out, the Edo and Ondo Governorship elections are end of tenure elections with strict and immovable constitutional and legal timelines,” he said.

Speaking on the training for journalists, Okoye said INEC identifies the media as an important and indispensable component of democracy process hence the training.

He noted that the programme was part of a series of measures put in place by the Commissions to engage all critical stakeholders in the forthcoming governorship election in Edo State, and that the media role cannot be underestimated.

He said, “The media is an important and indispensable component of the democratic process, and we will continue our robust partnership with members of the 4th estate of the realm as we seek to consolidate Nigerian democracy.

” This programme is part of a series of measures put in place by the Commissions to engage all the critical stakeholders in the forthcoming governorship election in Edo State. The Commission is aware that it can only communicate effectively when the media understand and key into its processes and procedures especially at this difficult period.”

While thanking the media for the support in the past, the INEC Commissioner urged the media to be alive to its responsibility of holding public institutions and individuals accountable for their actions.

“We urge the media to be alive to its responsibility of holding public institutions and individuals accountable for their actions. The media must continue to name and shame those that dwarf the prestige and integrity of our country and bring the electoral process to disrepute,” he said.

On his part, INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner, Edo State, Dr. Johnson Alalibo said the workshop becomes necessary due to the new processes and procedures in conducting election that has been occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Stating that journalists are saddled with the responsibility of informing the public what is happening in the society, Alalibo noted that this makes the workshop apt and timely.

“It is therefore important to note that the advent for the COVID-19 as changed the narrative of the processes and procedure of conducting election.

“It is pertinent for journalists to be conversant with the new processes and procedures in conducting election in this pandemic era,” Alalibo noted.

News

Why I Won’t Attend Gaza Summit In Egypt — Netanyahu

Published

1 hour ago

October 13, 2025

Editor

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will not attend Monday’s Gaza summit in the Egyptian resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh because it coincides with a Jewish holiday, his office said.

“Prime Minister Netanyahu was invited by US President Donald Trump to attend a conference in Egypt today,” his office said in a statement.

“The prime minister thanked President Trump for the invitation but said he would be unable to attend due to the timing coinciding with the start of the holiday” of Simhat Torah, which begins Monday evening and continues until sunset Tuesday.

Earlier, Egypt’s presidency said Netanyahu had been invited to attend following a call between US President Donald Trump, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, and the Israeli premier.

AFP

News

Fubara Names New Rivers SSG

Published

2 hours ago

October 13, 2025

Editor

The Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has approved the appointment of Benibo Anabraba as the new Secretary to the State Government.

The appointment was confirmed on Monday in a statement signed by Dr. Honour Sirawoo, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Information and Communications.

According to the release, Anabraba is scheduled to be sworn in today, Monday, October 13, 2025, at 4:00 p.m. at the State Executive Council Chambers, Government House, Port Harcourt.

The statement said, “His Excellency, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, GSSRS, Governor of Rivers State, has approved the appointment of Hon. Benibo Anabraba as Secretary to the Rivers State Government.

“The new SSG will be sworn in today, Monday, October 13, 2025, by 4:00 PM at the State Executive Council Chambers, Government House, Port Harcourt.”

The appointment follows Fubara’s recent reinstatement to office after a period of political and legal turbulence that led to his suspension under emergency rule declared by President Bola Tinubu.

Tinubu had, on March 18, 2025, declared a state of emergency in Rivers State, suspending the governor, his deputy, and members of the House of Assembly. He cited the prolonged political crisis between Fubara and his predecessor and political benefactor, Nyesom Wike, as the reason.

In Fubara’s place, Tinubu appointed retired Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas as Sole Administrator, with a mandate to restore political stability.

Recall that the immediate past administrator, upon assumption of office during the emergency rule imposed suspended all commissioners, special advisers, and assistants appointed by Fubara.

Ibas also dissolved boards and suspended heads of parastatals he met in office.

Since Ibas exited the state on September 18, the fate of Fubara’s appointees had remained uncertain. The Rivers State House of Assembly, at its first sitting after the lifting of the emergency rule, had called on the governor to submit a fresh list of commissioner-nominees for screening, alongside the 2025 budget for passage.

His return to the governorship has coincided with a flurry of administrative changes as the governor consolidates his team.

News

FG To Disburse ₦6.3bn Interest-free Loans To 21,000 Flood Victims

Published

2 hours ago

October 13, 2025

Editor

The Federal Government is set to disburse ₦6.3 billion in interest-free loans to 21,000 Nigerians affected by recent flood disasters across the country.

Minister of State for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Yusuf Sununu, made this known on Monday in Abuja during a roundtable marking the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction.

Sununu said the initiative aims to cushion the impact of flooding and enhance food security nationwide, Channels reports.

“In the next few weeks, 21,000 Nigerians will receive interest-free, collateral-free loans of ₦300,000 each.

“This intervention is designed to support farmers and strengthen communities affected by flooding,” he said.

The minister further revealed that the Federal Government, through the National Social Investment Programme, has reached over 8.1 million households with more than ₦300 billion in Conditional Cash Transfers.

“This support has improved the resilience, health, and education of many vulnerable households. The process will continue under the Hope Agenda of Mr. President,” Sununu added.

He also announced plans to empower internally displaced persons through a scheme that guarantees a market for their produce.

“Under our new collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, IDPs will retain 30% of their produce while the government will off-take 70%, providing direct cash payments to the participants,” he explained.

In her remarks, the Director-General of the National Emergency Management Agency, Zubaida Umar, highlighted the growing threat of climate-related disasters and called for stronger preventive measures.

Umar noted that Nigeria faces increasing risks from climate change, conflicts, pandemics, and technological hazards, stressing that disaster management must shift from reactive to proactive approaches.

She also announced the launch of two key policy frameworks — the NEMA Strategic Plan (2025–2029) and the National Disaster Risk Reduction Strategy (2025–2030) to guide future disaster preparedness and resilience-building efforts.

“These frameworks promote innovation in financing, institutional collaboration, and risk-informed development,” she said, adding that NEMA is developing a National Risk Monitoring and Information Platform to enhance early warning and data-driven decision-making.

She further called for innovative financing options, including catastrophe bonds, climate funds, and blended finance models, to sustain disaster prevention and recovery initiatives.

The event, which focused on building resilience against climate-related disasters, was attended by Vice President Kashim Shettima, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Benjamin Kalu, Zamfara State Governor Dauda Lawal, lawmakers, and international partners.

The PUNCH reports that 238 persons have lost their lives, while 135,764 others have been displaced following floods that swept through parts of the country as of October 10, 2025, according to figures obtained from the National Emergency Management Agency’s 2025 Flood Dashboard on Saturday.

NEMA reports that at least 409,714 people have been affected so far, with 826 sustaining various degrees of injuries and 115 reported missing across the country.

Flood-related deaths were recorded in multiple states, bringing the nationwide death toll to 238.