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UPDATED] National Sports Festival: FG Counters LOC Planned Shutdown, Says Fiesta Continues
Published
3 years agoon
By
EditorThe earlier announcement made by the Local Organising Committee of the National Sports Festival, NSF, that the fiesta hosted by Edo State might be abruptly shutdown today has been countered by the Federal Government, declaring that the fiesta will continue as planned.
A statement by Assistant Director Press Ministry of Youth and Sports Development, Ramon Balogun, on Thursday morning explained Edo Government has not communicated its constraints officially to the Ministry.
It reads: “The Ministry of Youth and Sports Development has clarified that the 20th National Sports Festival, Edo 2020, is going on as planned with competitions going on as scheduled.
READ ALSO: BREAKING: Edo Govt Threatens To Shutdown 20th NSF Today
“The Ministry and the Main Organizing Committee for the festival are unaware of any plans or threat by the Edo State Government to shut down the sports festival as there has been no official meeting or communication that relayed such information.
“The Honorable Minister, Permanent Secretary and Directors are on ground in Benin City where the Festival is holding, and it is expected that the Edo State Government would formally invite the Ministry for a meeting should any urgency exist around the National Sports Festival or communicate officially with the Main Organizing Committee for the festival. The Ministry has no such communication.
“For the records, the Edo State government due to the cost implications of postponements occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic requested financial assistance from the Federal government through the Ministry of Youth and Sports Development.
“The Ministry has since been at work to secure the financial assistance which it believes is being processed. The MYSD and EDSG are determined to deliver a successful National Sports Festival.”
Meanwhile, Coordinator of Media and Publicity, National Sports Festival, Ebomhiana Musa, in a statement on Wednesday night, had threatened the competition would end on Thursday by 12noon over inability of the Federal Government to raise its counterpart funding.
He said the decision was taken at an emergency meeting of the Local Organising Committee headed by Edo Deputy Governor, Philip Shaibu.
According to him: “The Local Organising Committee, Edo2020 regrets to announce that it will end the games abruptly tomorrow, Thursday, April 8, 2021, for lack of funds.
READ ALSO: National Sports Festival: Confusion As Edo Govt Contradicts Self On School Calendar
“Rising from an emergency meeting this evening, the LOC says it has to take this hard decision due to lack of funds having expended its reserves to kick start the games.
“Regrettably, the FG is yet to redeem its pledge to support us as the host state financially for the cost of postponements. So, we are left with no option but to end the games at noon tomorrow.”
The development is coming after postponement of the festival on several occasions.
No fewer than 8,000 athletes from different states of the federation are participating in the festival.
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Man, 38 Escapes Assassination Attempt In Benin
Published
9 months agoon
July 22, 2023By
EditorBy 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.
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.
Business
Nigeria To Earn Over $4bn Revenue As FEC Okays Concession Of Abuja, Kano Airports
Published
11 months agoon
May 18, 2023By
EditorNigeria 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.
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
Published
2 years agoon
March 16, 2022By
EditorThe 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.
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.
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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