The Poor,Elderly, Vulnerable To Get Free Allocation

Ogun State has purchased 100 truckloads  of rice to be sold at cheap rates to residents of the state to cushion the effect of the rise in the prices of goods in the country.

The state governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun stated this on Wednesday while speaking at a stakeholders’ meeting in Abeokuta, the state capital.

Prince Abiodun disclosed that the rice would be subsidized and made available at the rate it was before the recent astronomical rise in the prices of the commodities.

He, however, said the poor, the elderly, and the vulnerable would enjoy free allocation.

“We have decided to give our people foodstuffs like rice, garri, beans. I have ordered almost 100 trailers of rice, they will start offloading them tomorrow (today).

“We have decided that the poor, the elderly, and the vulnerable will be given the rice free of charge, while others will have to buy the rice at the price we formally bought it before the dollar rose very high so that it won’t be a one-off and we can continue till the issue of the dollar is settled,” he said.

Governor Abiodun assured the people of Ogun State that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is fully in charge and knows what he is doing.

According to him, the President is on top of the situation, adding that Nigerians will soon start seeing the manifestation of the several policies put in place to curtail the rising inflation

He added that the Central Bank Governor, Mr. Yemi Cardoso, at a meeting he had with him, has assured that the dollar would soon fall.

“Everything we are experiencing at the moment is very transient, it will soon pass away. Let me assure you, the meeting we had yesterday (Tuesday) and today (Wednesday) after I left that meeting this evening, I am convinced that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is fully in charge. He knows what he is doing.

“With the plan that he has begun to implement, you will soon begin to see the change. We must remain very hopeful.

“The last meeting I had was with the CBN Governor. He said I should quote him and tell you that, very soon, the dollar will crash,” he said.

Abiodun noted that his administration in realization of the present hardship facing the country took some steps to cushion the effect, even as he recalled that an intervention worth more than N5 billion was announced by his administration last week.

Tertiary students of Ogun State origin across the country will receive N50,000 each, the governor said.

The secondary and primary school category with about 800,000 students, Prince Abiodun noted, will be done in phases, with the first phase, comprising 100,000 students getting N10,000 each.

Those not captured now would get five exercise books while waiting for the next phase.

The governor said women and the elderly would benefit from free medical care with insurance cards worth N18,000.

Abiodun further noted that his administration would set aside about N500 million monthly to offset the payment of deductions for civil servants in the state public service.

Governor Abiodun urged Nigerians, especially the youths not to allow themselves to be used by unscrupulous elements to disrupt the peace of the country.

“It is now so bad that they have planned to use our youths, give them money to disrupt the peace of the country by staging protests.

“What we  are going through isn’t what other countries around the world haven’t also experienced. But they were very patriotic, calm because they know the solution is on the way,” he said.

A Delta State Education Consultant, Prof. Hope Eghagha, on Thursday called for peace and understanding over the relocation of the Faculty of Management Sciences of the Delta State University, Ozoro.

In a statement, Eghagha said as part of the Delta State government’s determination to spread campuses of tertiary institutions to all parts of the state, the Governing Council of Delta State University Ozoro recently announced that the Faculty of Management Sciences will be moved to Orerokpe.

He described this as a welcome development which the people of Orerokpe have received with expectation and happiness.

But according to Eghagha, while some people received the information with joy and appreciation of Governor Sheriff Oborevwori’s broad vision, a few persons from Ozoro took to the streets to protest  against the decision.

He said: “This is a call for understanding. Multiple campuses as a way of achieving balance is not a new phenomenon in Delta State and indeed in Nigeria. It was because of this culture that the Delta State government sited the Faculties of Law and Engineering in Oleh, while Agriculture and Management Sciences were sited in Anwai, Asaba. All other stakeholders showed understanding and the rest as they say has become history. Put explicitly, the good people of Abraka did not go up in arms. On this score, we commend the leadership of the Isoko apex body Isoko Development Union (IDU) led by Professor Chris Akpotu on their recent congratulatory visit to the governor.

“The decision to move one out of six faculties ought not to generate the kind of tension which was seen in the last three odd days. Apart from having a full-fledged university, it should be noted that three other faculties – Faculties of Basic Medical Sciences, Pharmacy, & Health Sciences- which are yet to take off have been approved by the NUC for Ozoro. Delta State government is committed to fully developing the university at Ozoro. The movement of Management Sciences Faculty to Orerokpe should be seen as a way of bringing development to the ancient town of Orerokpe, a town which serves as the ancestral home of the Okpe people. All stakeholders should also remember the ancestral link between the people of Orerokpe and the Isoko nation.

“We therefore call for understanding, peace, and patience on the part of all stakeholders. In no distant time the picture will be clearer and both the people of Ozoro and Orerokpe will appreciate the development strides of the Oborevwori administration.”

The Board of Trustees of BRACED Tourism Promotion and Development Initiative (BTPDI) has approved the constitution of an interim Executive Council to run the affairs of the body for the next one year, following a recent virtual board meeting presided over by the Chairman of the BOT, Dr Kiyaramo Piriye. Piriye  is  the immediate past Senior Special Assistant (SSA) on Tourism to Bayelsa State Governor, Duoy Diri.

BRACED is a forum dedicated to the development and promotion of tourism in the South South region of Nigeria. Its members are tourism operators and experts across board in the private and public sectors who are committed to working in partnership with the state governments and different stakeholders in the region to make the region a foremost tourist destination in the country.

Members of the body cut across the six South South states of Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Edo, and Delta (BRACED). It is a voluntary organsiation that is open to people of the region who are committed to the economic prosperity of the region with a view to harnessing its tourism potential.

In a statement, the Secretary of the Board of Trustees of BRACED Tourism Promotion and Development Initiative (BTPDI), Ambassador Usen Udoh, noted : ‘‘In a virtual Board of Trustees meeting held on Saturday, February 17, 2024, the board made the following appointments from among those who had earlier indicated interest to serve in various executive positions as volunteers.’’

According to him, Mrs. Ifiokobong Anthony Akan of Akwa Ibom State, emerged as the pioneer Director General and Chief Executive Officer while Leo Ruth Fabian Nkoteto of Akwa Ibom State clinched the position of Secretary General.

Other officers include; Walter Aberepikima of Rivers State – Deputy Director General; Bridget Oroupau Sapre-Obi of Bayelsa State – Director of Corporate Services; Barrister Kesther Akanimo Inyang of Akwa Ibom State – Director of Legal Services; Dr. Akong Blessing Mbala of Cross River State – Director of Research and Planning; Sophy Zainab of Rivers State – Director of Intergovernmental Affairs; Lady Fiona Ejomofor of Rivers State – Director of Finance; Eno Itemobong of Akwa Ibom State – Director of Programmes; Dr Tarela Kia of Bayelsa State – Director of Contact and Mobilisation; Andrew Iro Okungbowa of Edo State – Director of Media and Publicity; Hon. Dr. Fidelia Salami of Delta State – Director of International Relations and Mr. Fortune Oyadongha also from Delta State – Auditor.

The inauguration of the Executive Council is slated to take place in Uyo, the capital city of Akwa Ibom State in the coming days.

It is hopeful that the emergence of the organisation and subsequent inauguration of the pioneer Executive Council will live to its vision that will catapult the South Southern Region as the new tourist destination in the Gulf of Guinea.