South-East Abia State Governor, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu has officially performed the ground-breaking ceremony for the construction of the Aba Leather And Garment Industrial Cluster and the Enyimba City Garment Industry all located at Umunneato, Umukalika in Obingwa Local Government Area.

Speaking at the event, Governor Ikpeazu said Enyimba City Garment Industry, which is solely sponsored by his government would be completed this year while the Aba Leather And Garment Industrial Cluster being done in partnership with Total Value Integrated Services Nigeria Limited would equally be completed and commissioned before he leaves office.

He said that Aba is a major contributor towards what Nigeria can showcase in leather and garment production, hence the need to provide the needed ambience for the development of the ‘can do spirit’ of the artisans.

Governor Okezie Ikpeazu said that since 2015, the strategy of his administration has been to deploy the advantages available in the economies of scale to make sure government provides common services and enable Abia artisans to scale up their manufacturing skills.

He directed the contractor to work in line with specifications and ensure proper things are done by creating a sustainable ecosystem to manage storm water in the environment.

He also urged members of the host communities to continue to give their cooperation to enable the project to be realized accordingly.

The Governor who expressed happiness that finally the State has provided a befitting place for the artisans in the leather and garment sub sector assured that his government would provide everything needed to ensure that artisans in the State occupy their rightful place in the scheme of things.

Earlier in his speech, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Industry, Rev. Mba Eme said that the journey that started since 2006 is gradually becoming a reality as the foundation laying ceremony has been performed.

He disclosed that the cluster would contain 15, 000 shops while the Garment Factory will have a capacity of producing 1,500 garments of different kinds daily.

The cluster too will have such facilities as Fire Service Station, Police Station, Banks, Clinics, Toilets, CCTV Cameras, Standby Power Supply, among others.

According to him, Abia artisans would leverage on the industrial clusters to promote Made in Aba products.

The Project developer Chief Chris Simon of Total Value Integrated Services said that the Leather and Garment Cluster would accomodate leather and garment artisans in Ariaria and other parts of the State.

He described the project which is a PPP arrangement between his company and Abia State Government as first of its kind in the State.

Nigeria’s Acting Inspector General Of Police, Usman Baba Alkali NPM, psc (+), fdc has announced the reappointment of DCP Frank Mba and Ag. cP Idowu Owohunwa as Force Public Relations Officer and Principal Staff Officer to the IGP respectively.

A new Force Secretary AIG Hafiz Inuwa was also announced to replace Mustapha Dandaura who has been redeployed to Zone 7, Abuja.

Frank Mba, a Deputy Commissioner of Police and a Lawyer, is an alumnus of the University of Lagos where he studied Law. He also has a Masters Degree in Law from the University of Dundee, Scotland- United Kingdom.

A product of the Nigeria Police Academy, Kano where he had his initial police trainings, Frank is a graduate of the prestigious FBI National Academy, Quantico- USA. He also holds a Certificate in National and International Security from the Harvard University, USA.

The new Inspector General of Police has therefore charged him to bring his wealth of experience to bear in revamping the image of the Force, improving the relationship between the citizens and the police, bridging existing communication gap between the police and its stakeholders, and assisting the IGP in realizing his Mission and Vision for the Force and the nation.

A passionate and versatile police officer who has worked in multiple police units and departments across the country, Frank has attended some of the finest Law Enforcement trainings, both within and outside Nigeria.

These include:Countering Violent Extremism and Police Leadership Course at the International Law Enforcement Academy (ILEA), Roswell, New Mexico, USA (2018); Strategic Leadership and Command Course, Police Staff College, Jos (2017); Crisis and Disaster Management Course, Israel (2013); Managing the Media in Crisis Situations, School of Media and Communications, Pan Atlantic University, Lagos (2013); US-sponsored International Visitor Leadership Program, with special focus on International Crime Issues, Washington DC (2010); General Criminal Investigation Course at the International Law Enforcement Academy (ILEA), Botswana (2009); Middle Management Course on Global Peace Operations in Vicenza, Italy (2008); amongst others.

He was a member of the Nigeria Police Contingent to the United Nations Peace-Keeping Mission in Liberia between 2006 and 2007, where he distinguished himself through a combination of hard work, professionalism, and discipline, thereby earning himself the prestigious UN Medal.

He has since assumed duty as the Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO), Force Headquarters, Abuja.

The defence headquarters (DHQ) says its troops did not kill residents of Konshisha in Benue state.

The military had said 11 of its men were killed following an attack by suspected gunmen in the area.

There have been unconfirmed reports that troops were reinforced to the area for a “revenge operation”.

But in a statement on Friday, Onyema Nwachukwu, DHQ spokesperson, said the reinforcement team went after suspected bandits who were occupying houses deserted by the villagers.

He said such houses were burnt by the troops, adding that using villagers’ houses for hideouts was one of the tactics of the bandits to draw negative comments on the military.

He said the bandits should be blamed for the destruction, since they used the settlements as hideouts.

According to him, it will be wrong to blame soldiers who are in Konshisha on legitimate duties, when some of them were murdered in cold blood.

Nwachukwu said some of the recent photos of razed buildings were of those burnt during earlier communal clashes between Konshisha and Oju, “all of which the sponsors of the mayhem are now blaming on the military”

The Federal Government has accused the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) of playing with the lives of Nigerians who need them at this critical time.

Dr Chris Ngige, who is the Minister of Labour and Employment, made the allegation on Friday at the opening session of a meeting with the aggrieved doctors in Abuja, the nation’s capital.

He warned the members of the union to stop what he described as toying with the lives of citizens in the name of pressing for better welfare.

According to the minister, neither NARD nor the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) is a trade union and many Nigerians have died as a result of the industrial action by the resident doctors.

He stated that while members of the associations were entitled to some rights, they should be mindful that their actions have serious consequences.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Chief Geoffrey Onyeama, on Thursday in Abuja received a stolen Ile-Ife artifact recovered from Mexico.

Receiving the artifact, he called for a more secured border to prevent future occurrence of theft.

Onyeama collected the artifact from Dr Yakubu Dadu, Charge d’Affaires of the Nigerian Mission in Mexico.

The minister hailed the Embassy’s efforts in recovering the artifact.

He said that the interventions of Nigerian Envoys in recovering stolen possessions of the country shows the important works they were doing as against negative reports of Nigerian missions on social media.

Onyeama also appreciated the government of Mexico for its cooperation in ensuring that the artifact was duly returned to Nigeria.

He however stressed the need for sensitising Customs officials at borders, explaining that it is better to secure national heritages from being stolen than to start negotiation for their return after being stolen.

The House of Representatives Committee on Healthcare Services on Friday held a marathon meeting with the Federal Government and leadership of the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors as well as other stakeholders over the ongoing nationwide strike by doctors.

After the closed-door meeting that lasted five hours, the committee and the Federal Ministry of Health pleaded with the doctors to suspend their industrial action in the interest of the poor masses who cannot afford health services in private facilities.

Chairman of the committee, Tanko Sununu, while briefing journalists after the meeting, disclosed that the Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila, is to meet with the NARD on Tuesday in the efforts by the lawmakers to resolve the dispute between the government and the doctors.

The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Health, Abdulaziz Abdullahi, also said, “You have seen that we have had a very robust meeting and discussion for close to five hours today and he (Sununu) has given you the highlights of the discussion. The ministry is 100 per cent in alignment with the decisions reached.”

When asked if the strike would be called off soon, Abdullahi said, “We are pleading with the doctors to look into the issue and see reason. Nigerians are suffering. Just like he (Sununu) said, not everybody can afford to, in the event of anybody falling ill, go to a private hospital.

The Lagos State government has further eased restrictions on social and event centers across the state.

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu gave the approval after due consultation and deliberations with relevant stakeholders, as well as Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs), the government said on Friday.

Following the approval, the Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture in Lagos, Mrs Uzamat Yusuff, and the Director-General of the Lagos State Safety Commission, Mr Lanre Mojola, issued a press release containing the new guidelines for social and event centres.

They warned that any violation of the protocol would attract fines and penalties, in line with the Lagos State Infectious Diseases Control Regulation 2020.

Guidelines include:

All event centers must hold a valid license of The Lagos State Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture prior to operating as an event center in the State.

All event centres must be duly registered and verified on The Lagos State Safety Commission website www.lasgsafetyreg.com prior to holding any event.

An Event Safety Clearance must be obtained from the Lagos State Safety Commission through the website www.lasgsafetyreg.com for any proposed event or exhibition.

Safety Marshals shall be deployed by an accredited event safety consultant from Lagos State Safety Commission for every social event with attendance exceeding over 200 people.

Occupancy limit at any event must not exceed 50% of the maximum design capacity of the hall, wherein Occupancy Limit stickers provided by the Lagos State Safety Commission must be boldly pasted at the entrance of the event hall.

Maximum allowable capacity for Event Centres irrespective of occupancy limit is 500 people.

Deep cleaning must be carried out before and after every event.

Physical distancing shall be maintained between seated guests and a maximum number of seated guests should be 6 (six) people on a table of 10 persons.

Event duration should not exceed a maximum period of 6-hours.

All guests and service providers at the facility must wear a nose mask and make use of hand sanitizers

All guests and service providers must endeavour to wash their hands before entering the venue or in the alternative use hand sanitizers.

Temperature checks must be taken at all entry points into a facility.

Guests and service providers with temperature (above 37.5) are to be politely turned back and referred to paramedics or the emergency response team on ground.

Hand sanitizers must be positioned at the entry points and different spots within the hall.

All event centres must endeavour to display standard COVID-19 safety signs. The signs must be bold and installed at conspicuous locations.

Event center owners/ planners/vendors would be responsible for any breach of protocols by their staff.