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Senate Grills Minister Over N32.4bn COVID-19 Palliative Fund

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The Senate Committee on Special Duties, on Thursday, asked the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Hajia Sadiya Umar Farouq, to explain how N32.4billion allocated to her Ministry for palliatives meant to cushion the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic was being spent.

Farouq however explained that only N2.4billion out of the N32.4billion allocated for palliatives has been released to the Ministry.

She said that the Ministry is presently engaged with the Ministry of Finance to get the balance N30billion released.

The exchange between members of the Committee and the Minister took place at an interactive session organised for the purpose by the panel.

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Senator Mohammed Ali Ndume and Senator Biobarakuma Degi-Eremienyo had asked the minister about the impact of the palliatives distribution on the lives of poor Nigerians.

Ndume said even though the Ministry is doing its best, what it has been doing was not enough to properly cater for the poor and vulnerable in the country.

Ndume said: “You are not doing enough as far as poverty eradication in the country is concerned.

“The modus operandi being adopted by your Ministry cannot in anyway help in fixing the country.

“Humanitarian intervention should be looked at more holistically.”

READ ALSO: Nigeria Will Regret If Pantami Is Sacked, Gumi Warns

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Senator Degi Eremienyo, said the palliatives given to some Nigerians by the Ministry, cannot in anyway, take them out of poverty.

“Giving unemployed people N10, 000.00 or even N20, 000.00 for a month or two, cannot take them out of the poverty.

“The handouts should be channelled into creation of employment for the unemployed,” Degi-Eremienyo said.

The Chairman of the Committee, Senator Yusuf Abubakar Yusuf, intervened by telling the members of the Committee that the interactive session was not on poverty eradication but on interventions made by the Ministry from the N32.4billion allocated to it for COVID-19 palliatives.

Farouq said only N2.4billion has so far been released to the Ministry from the N32.4billion allocation.

READ ALSO: 19 Persons Feared Killed By Unknown Gunmen In Anambra

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She said part of the N2.4billion was expended on school feeding during the lockdown and direct cash transfers made to vulnerable Nigerians across the 36 States of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory ( FCT).

On how she fed school children at home during the lockdown, Farouq said: “We drove to some of their homes based on addresses gathered from their Schools and also adopted the template of the United Nations of six persons per family and three children in a home.”

She explained further that besides feeding of school children at home, other interventions such as 33,000 tonnes of rice were distributed to vulnerable Nigerians across the 36 states of the Federation.

(NATION)

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Man, 38 Escapes Assassination Attempt In Benin

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Innocent Omoruyi

By Omokha Andrew

A 38-year-old activist, Innocent Omoruyi, narrowly escaped assassination in the early hours of Wednesday, July 19, 2023 as his residence at Obe Community,Sapele Road in Benin city was attacked by yet to be identified gun men.

The attack which eye witnesses say was viciously executed on Wednesday, July 19, 2023 bore the markings of a dreaded cult group terrorizing Benin City, the state capital.

The Obe, Sapale Road incident, it was learnt, happened soon after Omoruyi left the house to attend to matters of interest some few metres away from his home.

The assailants were said to have shot sporadically in their frustration as residents scampered for safety.

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However, Omoruyi escaped unharmed.

One of the eye witnesses who craved anonymity said: “The felons apparently went for the kill, weilding guns and other dangerous weapons. “We are shocked that they didn’t see Innocent Omoruyi who was just some few metres away from home when they arrived”.

“How that happened, only God knows and it was obvious that it wasn’t his time to die yet and just before that not long ago his business place on Lagos Street, Benin City was burnt down in the middle of the night by unknown arsonists.

“This sequence of events is not ordinary. We know it’s politically motivated due to the role he played in the last general elections. He has been advised to go into hiding at the moment for his personal safety”, he concluded.

When contacted, the police Public Relations Officer Chidi Nwabuzor said he was yet to get any information as regards the latest incident. He promised to feed our correspondent with relevant details as soon as they become handy.

Our information source however revealed that the matter has already been incidented at the Love World Police station on Sapele Road, Benin city.

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Nigeria To Earn Over $4bn Revenue As FEC Okays Concession Of Abuja, Kano Airports

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Nigeria will earn over $4 billion in nominal revenue as the Federal Executive Council, FEC, on Wednesday okayed the concession of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA), Abuja, and Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA), Kano, to the Corporacion American Airport Consortium, a Luxembourg-based company.

James Odaudu, the Special Assistant on Public Affairs to the Minister of Aviation, disclosed this in a statement on Thursday.

According to him, the Council also approved that the Federal Ministry of Aviation would be renamed the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace.

READ ALSO: ATMs To Be Upgraded For Loans Services As CBN Gives Banks Ultimatum…

The statement noted that the company would make combined upfront payments of $8.5 million for the concession of NAIA and MAKIA.

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He added that the development would spur evidential growth within the Nigerian aviation industry.

In alignment with the Aviation Roadmap, approved by Mr President on 18th October 2016, the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace is delighted to inform all stakeholders, both local and international, and the media, that the concession of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA), Abuja, and Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA), Kano has been approved by the Federal Executive Council,” the statement said.

READ ALSO: Peter Obi, LP Must Pay N1.5million To Access Documents – INEC

In December 2022 and January 2023, Corporacion American Airport Consortium was announced as the preferred bidder for the airport’s concession after scaling through a series of evaluations of technical and financial bids.

Nominal revenues mean income not adjusted for inflation and decreasing purchasing power.

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Russia Expelled From Council Of Europe Amid War With Ukraine

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The Council of Europe says it has expelled Russia with immediate effect after 26 years of membership because of the Ukraine war.

The Committee of Ministers took the decision in a special session, the rights body announced in the French city of Strasbourg on Wednesday.

Earlier, Russia had already declared its withdrawal from the Council of Europe after it had taken steps to exclude it.

On Tuesday evening, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe voted unanimously in favour of Russia’s exclusion.

Russia joined the Council of Europe on Feb. 28, 1996.

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Together with the formal notification of the withdrawal, the Secretary-General of the Council of Europe also received information from the Russian Federation on Tuesday about its intention to denounce the European Convention on Human Rights.

In a statement on Tuesday evening, the leaders of the Council of Europe once again condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

READ ALSO: Ukraine: Horror As Russian Forces Shoot People Queuing For Bread

They expressed their solidarity with the Russian people, who continue to belong to the European family and share its values.

The body said it would continue to stand by Ukraine in the fight against the aggressor.

The Council of Europe monitors the observance of human rights in its 46 member states and is not part of the European Union.

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The body reacted to the Russian invasion of Ukraine two weeks ago by suspending Russia’s membership, this decision was considered historic.

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