Samuel peter shangodeyi

Senator representing Kogi West in the National Assembly, Dino Melaye, has reacted to the postponement of Saturdays presidential and National Assembly elections by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.Recall that early Saturday, INEC Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu said the presidential election was shifted to February 23, while the governorship was rescheduled for March 9.He blamed the Reacting, at a press briefing in his native Aiyetoro-Gbede, the Senator described the postponement as part of the grand plan by the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC.He said: The postponement is just a confirmation of already designed rigging of the APC.We shouted that they were planning to rig the elections; we shouted that the Attorney-General of the Federation (Abubakar Malami, SAN) wrote INEC; we shouted that the National Security Adviser (Babagana Monguno) wrote the President.He went further to allege that President Muhammadu Buhari had planned to announce the postponement of the polls himself in a nationwide broadcast on Thursday but was dissuaded from doing so because he lacked the necessary powers.However, Melaye added that the postponement of the polls is the postponement of the evil day. Nigerians have decided they are leaving the land of Egypt for the promised land.'

A transport consultant, Mr Jude Odumije, has urged state governments in the country to establish road traffic management agencies as part of efforts to complement the Nigeria Road Safety Strategy (NRSS) initiative. The consultant, who made the call in Port Harcourt during an interview with The Tide recently, said the traffic management agencies were critical to the attainment of road decongestion policy in the country. He said the responsibilities and workload of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) were becoming overwhelming, going by the fact that FRSC remains the only road traffic management body at the federal level, and urged the states to establish their respective road traffic management agencies to take care of state roads. Because of these inadequacies, the FRSC was saddled with double responsibilities of managing both the federal and state roads, he said. Odumije pointed out that out of the 36 states including the Federal Capital Territory, only 18 states were able to establish road traffic management agencies and that there were tremendous achievement in the risk and safety management of the road traffic in those states. He advised states yet to establish the state road traffic management Agencies to do so in the interest of safety of the road users and the decongestion of the roads, saying that those that already had, should endeavour to commit resources to support, maintain and sustain the body for a better result. He lamented that there were more lawless drivers than the law abiding ones, making it imperative to establish or revamp the already existing traffic agencies to check drivers recklessness, over speeding, over loading, indiscriminate loading and off-loading of passengers.

The Federal Government says it is committed to offering Nigerians with various energy options to make power supply available and affordable. The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Power, Works and Housing Mr Louis Edozien,said this at a one-day stakeholders workshop on Eligible Consumer Regulation (ECR) in Abuja. Eligible consumer regulation is aimed at giving other energy providers a window to supply power to consumers other than the Distribution Companies (DISCOS). Edozien said that the ECR was the effect of a policy direction of the present government which Babatunde Fasholas led ministry unveiled in May, 2017. He explained that energy consumers would now have the option to switch to any other energy licensee if they were not satisfied with the service rendered by DISCOS. This policy and ECR empower you to have other licensee if you are not satisfied with the services by distribution companies. It is disheartening that after two years of unveiling this policy, many energy providers have not keyed into this project. The National Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) must be on the drivers seat to create enabling environment in the value chain of the industry. Regulation is made for man, man is not made for regulation, therefore, any good regulation without beneficiary is a bad regulation, he said. The permanent secretary also frowned at the idea of government paying to Generating Companies (GENCOS), pointing out that it was no longer sustainable. He said that the GENCOS should not expect government to pay for power generated anymore. Edozien also urged DISCOS to do everything possible to satisfy their customers, adding that if consumers were happy, they wont take advantage of the ECR. He noted that the ECR was not meant to dispossess DISCOS, rather to create healthy competition in energy market. According to him, policy of this nature is to ensure power is delivered to consumers, hence customers should also pay for the services to avoid being shut down. The Chairman of NERC said Prof. James Momoh that 44 interest groups were ready to key into the ECR. Momoh explained that ECR market would supply power to consumers directly. He said that it would also provide a lower cost energy supply which would be in modular size, renewable, solar or hydro power supply.

Acting General Officer Commanding (GOC) of 7 Division, Nigerian Army, Brigadier General Abdulmalik Biu, has announced the commencement of Operation Python Dance III in Borno and Yobe states to provide adequate security for next months general elections.He said the exercise was the Armys resolve to conduct coordinated joint operations with other security agencies in both states.We resolved to conduct joint operations in collaboration with other security and paramilitary agencies to aid civil authority, saidBiu, who represented Chief of Army Staff, Lt-Gen. Tukur Buratai, at the Army headquarters in Maiduguri, yesterday, said with the commencement of the exercise, the Army would check thugs and other miscreants who may disturb security and peace in the country.He said the operation was designed to sustain the fight against Boko Haram terrorism and eliminate all criminals hiding under Boko Haram in Borno and Yobe states to commit various crimes.According to him, the pythons are everywhere dancing to swallow suspected criminals in the Northeast, adding, If you remain peaceful, the python will continue to fast without devouring any suspected criminals or miscreants that cause insecurity to lives and property.