Metro

Protest: FG To Begin Sale Of 50kg Rice For ₦40,000 – Minister

Published

1 year ago

July 30, 2024

The Federal Government has called for calm on the proposed nationwide protest, saying it had created centres across the country where Nigerians can purchase a 50kg bag of rice for ₦40,000.

This was revealed by the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris while briefing correspondents on the outcome of the Federal Executive Council meeting presided over by President Bola Tinubu at the State House, Abuja on Mond

According to Idris, the initiative was part of initiatives by the Tinubu administration to ease living conditions for citizens.

He argued that there was no longer a need for the nationwide protests since the president was already attending to the needs of the protest organisers.

“The position of the FEC is that most of the demands that the protesters are making are actually being addressed by the Federal Government and, therefore, it is the view of the government that there is really no need for the protests again.

“Most of the things that the protesters are putting forward are already being addressed by the government. And like we have said repeatedly, this is a listening government.

“The President has listened to the voices of all planning this protest. And the message is that there is no need for it. Indeed, the President is already protesting on their behalf by doing what they want the government to do,” said Idris.

He enumerated the recent efforts by the FG which distributed 740 trucks of grains to states, announcing that 50kg bags of rice can now be obtained for N40,000 at designated centres nationwide.

Idris said, “For example, at the last Council meeting, we announced that 20 trucks had been given to each state governor for onward distribution to those who actually needed them, to the poorest of the poor in society.

“But the government did not stop. Rice is also being sold at about 50 per cent of its cost; a bag of rice is being sold as we speak. This rice has been taken to various centres across all the states of the federation and is being sold at N40,000. Centres have been created so that those who need this rice can go there and buy this rice at N40,000.

“In the first instance, about 10 trucks have been made available to each of these states; indeed, this is just the beginning. I know that some of the comments you hear is that it is never enough. The government has not pretended that these supplies are indeed enough. But these are necessary first steps that are being made and more of such interventions are being made in the interim.”

He said the FG expects the price of food items to reduce since “the rainy season is here.”

“We expect that the prices of food items will come down as investments are also being made in traditional agricultural production and irrigation activities in many of these states in the federation,” Idris added.

The minister cited the student loan scheme and the expected disbursement of CNG kits as part of efforts to ease the cost of living.

READ ALSO: [tps_start_button label=”Start slideshow” style=”” class=””]

However, he blamed unavoidable logistical impediments for the delay in the rollout of the CNG buses.

“Already, some of these buses have been imported. Some of the conversion kits are already available. The conversion centres are already beginning to get active.

“The delays are largely because you don’t just go to the market and get these things off the shelves.

“First, the procurement processes have to be followed. And then, of course, you have to place an order for them. It is envisaged that as we make the transition from fossil fuels to renewables, there is going to be a reduction of over 60 per cent in the cost that people put into transportation,” he explained.

Metro

Soldier Sentenced To Death For Murder, Armed Robbery In Akwa Ibom

Published

12 hours ago

September 26, 2025

Editor

Akwa Ibom State High Court sitting in Uyo has sentenced a dismissed soldier with the Nigerian Army, 6 Battalion, Ibagwa in Abak, Corporal Stephen Iweh, to death by hanging for the murder of a 42-year-old man, Christopher Enobong Jimmy.

The incident occurred on 23rd May, 2021, along the East-West Road in Ikot Abasi Local Government Area.

The late Jimmy, who was the Manager of a Clearing and Forwarding Company in Port Harcourt, had offered Corporal Iweh a lift in his car from Trailer Park in Onne, Rivers State, to Ikot Abasi in Akwa Ibom.

Along the way, at Oboro Junction in Ikot Abasi, the 39 year-old soldier shot him dead before fleeing with the vehicle and valuables.

Investigations revealed that Corporal Iweh, a father of three children, had illegally kept the AK-47 rifle which he said he “picked at Dambou, Borno State in 2018 and decided to keep it as personal arms”.

On the day of the killing, Corporal Iweh, was supposed to be on duty at the Army Store, 6 Battalion, Ibagwa, Abak, but abandoned his post to commit the crime.

He was later traced to Andy Guest House in Ukanafun, many kilometers from the scene of crime, where he was arrested and the rifle recovered.

In a judgment, the trial judge, Hon. Justice Bassey Nkanang held that the prosecution proved beyond reasonable doubt that Corporal Iweh, a native of Ameke Nkor in Ngor Okpala Local Government Area of Imo State, murdered Christopher Enobong Jimmy, an indigene of Ikot Abasi, robbed him of his Toyota Matrix car, while armed with an AK-47 rifle and unlawfully possessed the firearm without a license.

The late Jimmy, Manager of a Clearing and Forwarding Company in Port Harcourt, was travelling home in his grey Toyota Matrix, when he gave the soldier, who was in full military uniform, a lift, at the Trailer Park in Onne enroute Akwa Ibom State.

The soldier later shot Jimmy at a junction in Oboro, Ikot Abasi, where they had stopped to urinate and eat Pork meat, before fleeing with the vehicle and other belongings.

Justice Nkanang convicted him on a three-count charge. He was sentenced to death by hanging for murder, death by hanging for armed robbery, and 10 years imprisonment for unlawful possession of firearms.

In his plea for mercy, the convict begged the court for what he described as a “soft landing,” but his allocutus was rejected.

The late Christopher Jimmy is survived by his 34-year-old widow, Arit, who tearfully recounted that her husband had left Port Harcourt to visit his sister and family in Ikot Abasi, but did not return home.

Metro

Six Arrested For Alleged Killing Of Police Constable In Bayelsa

Published

12 hours ago

September 26, 2025

Editor

Bayelsa State Police Command says it has arrested six suspected cultists for allegedly killing a police constable, Oboh Goodluck in the state.
‎The Commissioner of Police, CP Francis Idu, made this known at the funeral rites for the deceased on Friday in Yenagoa.

Goodluck was reportedly killed in OMPADEC area of Amarata community on his way to work by a cult group on August 19.
‎
‎Idu said other key suspects identified to have been involved in the murder would soon be apprehended.
‎
‎He warned attackers of police personnel to desist from it to avoid the wrath of the law.

READ ALSO:Bayelsa Education Ministry Denies Alleged Deductions From Contractors’ Payments
‎
‎Idu assured the family of the deceased that his attackers would face justice. He also assured the rank and file that the top echelon of the Nigeria Police Force would always defend them.
‎
‎The CP announced that a formal request would be sent to the Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa to make the site, where Goodluck was killed, a monument site to be remembered.
‎
‎The representative of the Ayadei/Oboh family, Comrade Kwokwo Robert, while appreciating the Police authorities for the assistance in the final burial rites, called for justice for the late policeman.

Metro

Four Miners Feared Dead, Others Trapped As Illegal Mining Site Collapses In Plateau

Published

12 hours ago

September 26, 2025

Editor

Four individuals have been confirmed dead while some others are still trapped after an illegal mining site collapsed in Dura community of Jos South local government area of Plateau State.

According to eyewitnesses, the tragic incident occured on Thursday night after youths in the area defied several warnings by the state government against engaging in illegal mining and sneaked into the site when local vigilantes who helped secure the mining site had closed for the day.

A resident of the community who narrated how the accident happened on conditions of anonymity, said so far, four bodies have been recovered from the collapsed mine while frantic search is currently ongoing to either rescue the trapped miners or more bodies.

“We had a tragic situation in Dura community. A mining site collapsed last night. I don’t know the casualty figure, but I can confirm to you that some people were inside the pit,” the resident said while responding to a question.

An aide to Governor Caleb Mutfwang on Artisanal Mining, Solomon Dung, who also spoke on the collapsed mine, said he got information on Friday after that the mine collapsed on Thursday when some community youths were engaging in illegal mining at the site.

“It happened yesterday (Thursday) at Dura community. From what I was told, some boys were working in a mining pit, and the ground just collapsed on four of them.

“Three d!ed instantly, and one other person was taken to the hospital, and unfortunately, he also d!ed. I am just going to the community as I speak to you,” Dung said.