government

Man calls for help as flood sweeps over Umuahia/Ikot Ekpene road (Photos)

| anaben

A man has called on the government to do something about the Umuahia(Ikwuano)/Ikot Ekpene road as he uploads pictures of the road being flooded.

The young man who took to his Facebook account to lay his complaint, was terrified that the road had obviously become a death trap and called on government authorities to do the needful. He wrote:

“The good people of Ikwuano in Abia State have suffered enough concerning this road which every government has failed, refused and neglected to correct.

A very important road that is critical to the survival of the indigenes of Ikwuano in Abia State.

Many communities and travellers who use the Umuahia(Ikwuano)/Ikot Ekpene road always suffer untold hardship due to the deplorable condition of the road.

The road is one of the busiest roads connecting the south-east to south-south Nigeria, mostly used by commuters including traders returning from the south-west and northern parts of the country. The road had over the years depleted, due to heavy vehicular movement on the road and lack of maintenance and at the moment, the state of the road has hugely deteriorated.

The Umuahia-Ikot Ekpene Road is a federal road linking Abia State to its neighboring state of Akwa Ibom and Cross River. A major interstate road that has great economic importance and Nigerians ply the road for various reasons which include education and commercial activities amongst others.

Irrespective of which road belongs to the federal or state government, all that an average Nigerian desires to see is a better improvement in the road infrastructures with a regular maintenance culture.

A mere glance at these appalling photographs will tell any onlooker that this road has degenerated into a death trap.

We appeal to the relevant authorities to cause the release of funds for the continuation of the work of the contract on the said road and ensure a maximum supervision of the quality of work that is being carried out on that road that has socio-economic advantages to the entire nation.

Well meaning Abians of Ikwuano extraction must initiate incessant advocacy at various levels to attract attention to the pitiable sight of this all-important road.

fixouroad

Presidential aides testing positive to COVID-19 shows they’re human – Adesina

Presidential aides testing positive to COVID-19 shows they’re human – Adesina
| anaben

SPECIAL Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Chief Femi Adesina, Sunday said that the fact that presidential aides were testing positive to COVID-19 and are currently on self-isolation, proved that they are humans and not immune to happenings around them.

Chief Adesina stated this when he made an appearance on Sunday Politics on Channels Television.

The names of those affected are the permanent secretary in the State House, Tijani Umar; the President’s Aide-de-camp (ADC), Yusuf Dodo; his chief security officer (CSO), Aliyu Musa, and his senior special assistant media and publicity, Garba Shehu. They were confirmed positive during the week.

The report quoted Shehu as saying: “I have no confirmation of the cases you mentioned, but yes I have been afflicted by the mild variant of the COVID-19. I felt okay from the beginning, maybe because one had received all three jabs, and right now, I feel 100 per cent. I just finished my hour-long running exercise.

“But the strange thing about this ailment is that it is the scientists, not you, that will say you are okay. Right now, I’m taking my prescriptions and isolating, and would go back for a test to ascertain if the virus is still here or it has left me. Thanks for your goodwill.”

Asked to comment on the development Adesina said:
“Well, what I like to say is that presidential aides are just human. They can fall sick. If anything happens to human beings it can also happen to presidential aides. The fact that we are presidential aides does not make us to be immune to certain things.

‘If there is a virus that is ravaging society. Well, it can touch anybody. So Mallam Garba Shehu has confirmed that, yes, he tested positive but he said it’s mild. And I believe that by now, because it’s happened since Wednesday, by now, he should almost have beaten it if he had not beaten it already. There is no cause for alarm.”

When asked how he was holding up since he had contact with Shehu, the Presidential Spokesman said: “Well, I also believe God for the best. If it happens, I’ll recover. So that’s it.”

Asked how many Of the President’s aides in the State House have been infected, Adesina said: “No. That will not be within my purview to discuss maybe if you get the Presidential doctor or anybody in the medical side, they will tell you, I wouldn’t know because, it is a private thing. If it happens to anybody it is between that person and possibly the doctor. It’s not going to be general knowledge. So I may not be able to say.”

Asked if the President was isolating seeing that, he had been exposed to those infected, Adesina said: “Well, I think Mr. President is quite fine, he is doing his normal routine, following his normal schedule. But if anybody close to him test positive, that person is required to stay away till he tests again, and he test negative. So, Mr. President, is following his normal schedule and routine.”

Top presidential aides test positive to COVID-19

Plateau varsity ASUU goes on indefinite strike

Plateau varsity ASUU goes on indefinite strike
| anaben

The Plateau State University chapter of Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, has commenced an indefinite strike, as it demands welfare and working environment.

In a statement jointly issued yesterday in Jos by the Chairperson and Secretary,   Dr. Hassan Zitta  and  Deme Bitrus,   respectively, ASUU said it made the decision to embark on the strike at its Congress held on Monday, December 20.

It complained that Plateau government had not kept to its agreement with the union, hence the decision for the strike

Issues bothering the institution bordered around insecurity and non-payment of earned allowances.

The union complained of paucity of accommodation for both students and staff and said government needed to construct more lectures halls, among others.

“At our congress held on Monday, Dec. 20, members reviewed the level of implementation of Plateau State Government/ASUU-PLASU agreement.

The congress, the statement said, resolved that the state government having signed an agreement with the Union on March 2, 2021 has not kept faith with the document. :

It said government had failed to “address security concerns by deploying the services of armed Civil Defence Corps”.

Also, the Plateau government had not located a functional police outpost in the university host community, just as it had been unable to settle the national minimum wage arrears within the first quarter of 2021.

The union accused the government of failing to immediately release the N70 million that was to be part payment of the first tranche of earned academic allowance arrears.

ASUU said as at the time of its congress, the second tranche of N72 million in October, 2021 was already long overdue.

The government was also accused of failing to complete the payment of mainstreamed earned academic allowances for the 2019/2020, among others.

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