The wife of the Abia State Governor, Mrs. Priscilla Otti Tuesday paid an unscheduled visit to the 21 pregnant young girls, who were rescued from the baby factory located at Umunkpei, Nvosi, in Isialangwa South LGA with an assurance that immediate appropriate action is being taken to rehabilitate them. Mrs. Otti, who expressed sadness and disappointment over the incident described it as heartbreaking noting, however, that the government is providing care temporarily for the girls. Speaking earlier, the Provost, Madonna College of Health Technology, Olokoro, where the girls are being rehabilitated, Rev. Father Christian Anokwuru narrated how the government brought the inmates to the maternity section of the College of Health in order to care for them. He assured the first lady that they will be adequately catered for.

Captain Dayo Olumide, the Interim Managing Director of Nigeria Air, has revealed that the national airline unveiled in 2018 by former President Muhammadu Buhari was actually a chartered aircraft from Ethiopia. Confirming that the Nigeria Air had been launched in 2018, his responsibility was to secure an operating certificate for the airline. The Chairman of the Committee, Senator Olujimi, expressed her displeasure at the opaque arrangement surrounding Nigeria Air, calling it shrouded in suspicion and secrecy. She questioned the Interim Managing Director, who explained that the aircraft did not need a licence as it was chartered and not used for commercial flights. Meanwhile, the House of Representatives Committee on Aviation said that the launch of Nigeria Air by the Buhari administration was fraudulent.

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A former Governor of Zamfara State, Abdulaziz Yari, has called for collective efforts to address the ecological challenges confronting the South-south geo-political zone. Mr Yari expressed confidence in President Bola Tinubu-led government’s ability to address the challenges. Speaking about the contest for the National Assembly leadership, Mr Yari urged political leaders to follow the rule of law. Mr Yari, however, warned that nobody should contest the will of God on the National Assembly leadership. Mr Bello described Mr Yari as competent for the position, as a two-term governor and former chairperson of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, amongst other positions he previously held.

Yari, a former Zamfara State Governor, stated this in Abuja on Tuesday while playing host to a South-South community-led delegation. Those that are on the throne should remember that they were given the throne by God and that God never shifts from where he is. “President Bola Tinubu while taking his oath of office said he would rule Nigeria with the rule of law and the constitution. If Yari becomes Senate President, we will do our best for the betterment of the South-South. Also speaking, former Inspector General of Police and Chairman, Board of Trustees of the South- South Community in Abuja, Mike Okiro, pledged the readiness of the group to support Yari’s bid for the Senate Presidency.

Anambra State Government has commenced a campaign against plastic waste pollution across the 21 Local Government Areas of the state. The State Commissioner for Environment, Engr Felix Odimegwu, disclosed this on Tuesday, in Awka, during a press conference to flag off the 2023 World Environment Day celebration with the theme for this year is ‘Solutions To Plastic Pollution’. The Commissioner said the campaign was in line with the State Governor, Chukwuma Soludo’s vision of making Anambra a Clean, Green and Sustainable State in Nigeria. He noted that an estimated 10,000 tons of plastic waste are expected to be recovered from all the communities in the state in a bid to rid the area of plastic waste. According to Odimegwu, “In a bid to actualize the vision of Governor Soludo in maintaining a clean, green and sustainable environment, the Anambra State Ministry of Environment in collaboration with the Anambra State Waste Recycling Association is set to hold the maiden edition of the ‘All Community Plastic Waste Recovery Challenge’.

The UN warned Tuesday that the destruction of the Kakhovka dam in Ukraine could spark an environmental disaster and have dire humanitarian consequences for hundreds of thousands of people. An attack on the major Russian-held dam in southern Ukraine unleashed a torrent of water that flooded a small city, inundated two dozen villages, and sparked the evacuation of 17,000 people. “We are gravely concerned about the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam, … and the severe humanitarian impact on hundreds of thousands of people on both sides of the front line,” the UN humanitarian agency OCHA said. The UN’s International Organization for Migration meanwhile lamented the severe damage to vital infrastructure and warned of “an environmental disaster looming”. “Given the effect on water supplies and the likelihood of flooding, waterborne diseases pose a serious threat,” it warned.

The Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF) emphasized the importance of reducing plastic waste to minimize its environmental damage, especially on the occasion of World Environment Day. Bassey delivered a speech at the School of Ecology on climate change called “Arts, Culture and Wellness” organized by HOMEF in honor of World Environment Day. He emphasized that World Environment Day provides us with an opportunity to review our actions and efforts aimed at protecting the environment. Plastic waste also contaminates the soil, disrupts agricultural productivity, and poses a risk to our food value chains. In summary, the World Environment Day 2021 reminds people that the ongoing plastic pollution has devastating effects on the environment and human beings, and everyone should make an effort to promote wellness by reducing plastic waste.

The House of Representatives has poked holes in the purported launch of Nigeria Air at the twilight of the administration of former President, Muhammadu Buhari, declaring it a fraud. Chairman of the House Committee on Aviation, Nnolim Nnaji, declared the launch of Nigeria Air a fraud after the major stakeholders in the deal between the Federal Government and Ethiopian Airlines denied knowledge of the launch. The Ministry of Aviation claimed Nigeria Air was only unveiled and not launched, which the committee dismissed as an attempt to divert the lawmakers’ attention. Members of the committee were shocked when NAMA disclosed that the aircraft bearing Nigerian colours was on a chartered flight to Nigeria. Other stakeholders who confirmed the disclosure noted that a chartered flight could be painted in any colour and with any inscriptions.

The incidents happened in Rivers, Zamfara, Kaduna, Ogun, Sokoto, and the Federal Capital Territory. The reported noted that gunmen killed four and beheaded two persons in Rivers on May 29. On May 30, bandits killed a vigilante leader and 24 others in Zamfara. On the same day, bandits killed a man and kidnapped his wife, and four kids in Kaduna. On Sunday, bandits killed 37 over refusal to pay levy in Sokoto.

Four persons have been killed in a motor accident which occurred in the Elete community on Lokoja-Ajaokuta road in Kogi State. Nine other persons were critically injured in the lone accident which involved a Toyota Hiace passenger bus on Monday evening. The Kogi State Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Commission, (FRSC), Mr Stephen Dawulung who confirmed the accident Tuesday morning said that it happened around 6:30 pm on Monday. He said the bus, carrying 13 passengers, was going to Kano from Anyigba in Dekina Local Local Government Area of the state. “The fatal accident was caused by excessive speed and lack of adherence to traffic regulations by the driver of the bus,” Dawulung said.

Nigerian football star Victor Osimhen has tagged winning the Italian Serie A as one of the most joyful moments of his life, of which he feels proud of it. The Napoli striker expressed his pride and happiness in a tweet, and acknowledged the essential contribution of their coaches and the amazing Napoli fans in achieving the success. He tweeted “This is one of the happiest moments of my Life, We are the SCUDETTO CHAMPIONS!! This achievement fills me with pride and joy, and we couldn’t have done it without the unwavering support of our coaches, and the incredible Napoli fans. The in-form striker also won the golden boot with 26 goals and emerged as the best striker of the Serie A 2022-2023 season.

The Growth and Transformation Professional Masterclass on Government Relations and Public Policy Strategy has said its masterclass will provide critical insights on the cost-benefits of maintaining a strategic government relations mechanism that is sustainable. A statement by the organisation said the masterclass, was necessary given the growing need for robust government relations and public policy engagement across Africa, adding that the continent had become the new investment destination due to the combined opportunities of its huge population, low cost of labour and a healthy consumption environment influenced by a youthful population. The Masterclass, with the theme, ‘Navigating government and policy challenges for business success and sustainability,’ would hold on June 22, 2023. Also, former leader of the Senate, Senator Victor Ndoma Egba, and the Managing Director/CEO of Nigeria Breweries Plc, Hans Essaadi would speak at the maiden edition of the GTpro Masterclass on Government Relations and Public Policy Strategy. Peterside stressed that “Our Masterclass program represents a unique opportunity for participants as it will provide critical insights on the cost-benefits of maintaining a strategic government relations mechanism that is sustainable; it will also help participants to access various windows that can be engaged in their stakeholder relations and engagement programmes.”

“Others would include institution of levies and taxes on production of plastic bag; development of formal market for plastic waste recovery and establishment of formal linkage of scavengers with plastic waste generators,” he said. To ensure seamless implementation of the policy, Atebije said his institute noted that the involvement of the informal sector partnerships would be critical. He pointed out the need to transit to circular economy appeared seemingly plausible for plastic waste management. “Managing plastic waste properly is essential for building sustainable and livable cities, but it remains a challenge in Nigeria. As a matter of urgency, he called the Federal Government to flag-off” upstream policy dialogues that will eventually lead to an implementable plastic waste management policy which will capture applicable and appropriate management strategies.

Nigeria is 8th most polluted country in the world with 71.80 microgramme (μg) and Nepal most polluted country with 99.73 μg, according to a report published yesterday by Oxford University’s Our World in Data platform and Daily Mail UK. According to the United Nations (UN), this is due to poorer countries tending to have weaker laws around air pollution, lower vehicle emission standards and higher numbers of coal power stations. Except for Qatar, each of the top five countries’ PM2.5 levels had increased since 1990 — indicating that efforts to improve pollution levels has been unsuccessful in some nations. The Our World in Data figures also revealed national death rates due to outdoor air pollution in 2019. Air pollution is one of the largest threats to health across the world and although access to clean air is a fundamental human right, air pollution accounts for about seven million deaths around the world yearly.