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63rd Independence: Gov Mbah harps on unity, quality education as he salutes Nigerians
The governor of Enugu State, Dr. Peter Mbah, has urged Nigerians to work together for the country’s peace and development, saying national interest must always take precedence over every other interest and consideration.
Mbah, who also stressed the import of quality education to nation building, equally commended Nigerians for their resilience in the face of socio-economic challenges, expressing strong conviction that the country would emerge from the present difficulties stronger and more prosperous.
He stated these in a statement he personally signed and released on Sunday morning by his media office in commemoration of the nation’s 63rd independence anniversary.
The governor saluted the nation’s founding fathers for their doggedness, patriotic zeal, and lofty visions for Nigeria, urging all tiers of government to work together to reorient the country towards the path of recovery in all sectors of national life.
He said for the country to reach its full potential as a prosperous nation and the true giant of Africa envisaged by the founding fathers, it must prioritise education as the cornerstone of nation-building, adding that it was for this reason that his administration was overhauling basic education in the state, including the ongoing construction of smart schools in each of the 260 wards in the state.
“On behalf of the government and good people of Enugu State, I salute all Nigerians on the occasion of our 63rd independence anniversary.
“On this historic occasion, I would especially want to congratulate the President, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR as well as the 36 state governors and indeed all Nigerians.
“The struggle for independence was not an easy one, but our founding fathers prevailed. Likewise, I have no doubt that we will ultimately emerge from the present socio-economic difficulties stronger and more prosperous if we all work together irrespective of political affiliations as well as ethnic and religious backgrounds”, he stated.
Mbah said the administration was committed to urgent policy reforms in education, healthcare delivery, infrastructure, human capital development, and poverty eradication to chart a new path for socio-economic development.
The governor said the state government was sustaining the dreams of the nation’s founding fathers through deliberate socio-political and economic reforms presently being undertaken.
Governor Mbah stressed that Enugu had no business with poverty and assured that the state was on its way to sustainable economic prosperity given the short, mid, and long term reforms and foundations being laid by the administration.
“We are rewriting our history in a way that had never been imagined before in the history of the state. Ours is to play leadership role by thinking out of the box and doing things differently. That we are presently doing, and let me reassure Ndi Enugu that we will not rest on our oars until we grow our economy to the projected $30 billion, transform social services, and kick poverty out of our state,” he said.
Looking at the huge successes achieved in the education sector, the governor declared that basic education in the state must not only be offered with quality assurance, but must also come with no cost implications for parents, saying the pilot project of the basic smart schools was on the verge of completion.
“In line with our Social Charter with the people of Enugu State, we did promise them that we were going to build them a kind of education where our children could compete globally, and that every child must have access to free and quality education.
“On our assumption of office, we spared no time in putting our tools to work. Today, we are almost done with the first of 260 models schools proposed for each ward in the state. They would be compartmentalised into crèche, nursery, primary and junior secondary school. In doing this, we identified the need to include students with special needs, and provisions have been made for them. The smart school is to have the right infrastructure installed in them with a functional clinic, ICT centre, e-library, science laboratories for both primary and junior secondary schools, tech laboratory, centre for robotics, studio and interactive boards.
“We have also identified the need to have one million litre underground storage water in aid of a clean and safe learning environment for our children across the 260 smart schools in the state, which we want to build in the next four years.
“In line with the global concern over the environment, we are resorting to renewable energy as an alternative source of energy for these schools,” the statement added.
The governor further noted that his administration was being aggressive in the healthcare delivery system across the state, adopting the telemedicine initiative and the right equipment to build a virile and healthy workforce.
He assured that every resident in the state, irrespective of location, would have access to well-equipped medical facilities, which the government had started implementing.
On his ongoing welfare programmes on the social service sector, Mbah maintained that a deliberate step was being taken on human capital building that “will train our youths, empower our women and bridge the gender economic gap, lift the vulnerable from the pit of poverty and create a livable and secure society”.
The statement also added that the state government was keen on partnering with willing and interested investors in critical areas that would move the state from a public sector to a private sector driven economy, noting that more investors had started indicating interest in the state.
“We are also engaging in a creative thinking model on how to harness our wasting and dormant assets, turn them into wealth and expand our tax net instead of increasing existing tax rates,” the statement further added.
Mbah wished Nigerians a happy and hitch free independence celebration.
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News
Baltasar Engonga: Wife of Equatorial Guinea ANIF boss sextape with another man leaked
Wife of the sacked Director General of Equatorial Guinea’s National Financial Investigation Agency, ANIF, Baltasar Ebang Engonga, has been caught in extra-marital affairs.
Video footage emerged of Engonga’s wife having an intimacy with another man.
This was disclosed by popular social critic, Martins Ortse aka VeryDarkMan via an Instagram post on Saturday.
Sharing pictures of the Engonga’s wife from the video footage, VeryDarkMan said: “Just when I thought it was all over about this Equatorial Guinea man, the whole thing is getting more interesting. I just saw a video of his wife and another man, if you watch this video; it’s crazy. If you see how another man was na*cking his wife.”
Engonga was recently caught with about 400 sex tapes with several women during an investigation into a fraud case.
The leaked videos have continued to generate controversy via the social media space.
Reacting, First Lady Constancia Mangue Obiang expressed outrage over the scandal during a meeting with Prime Minister Manuel Osa Nsue.
Mrs Obiang called for immediate government intervention to uphold the dignity of Equatoguinean women and protect their privacy in the digital age.
Following the discovery, Engonga was relieved of his duty and subsequently arrested. He was remanded in prison on Friday.
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Three police officers arrested for torturing student to death in Kwara
Three police officers, who allegedly beat a student of the Kwara State University (KWASU), Malete, Suleiman Olayinka to death at Tanke Bridge in Ilorin, the state capital, have been arrested and detained.
The spokesperson of the state police command, DSP Ejire Adeyemi Toun, disclosed this in a statement in Ilorin on Friday.
Reports said that the incident occurred on Tuesday around 2 p.m. when the victim got off a motorcycle and was approached by three officers who then dragged him to the ground.
An eyewitness claimed that the victim had arrived to collect N1,000 he had already transferred to a Point of Sale (POS) operator, intending to give the money to the rider who brought him.
“I was with him, as soon as he got the money, the officers came out of a tricycle and dragged him to the ground. The victim kept asking what offence he had committed, but they didn’t let him speak,” the source said.
The witness further explained that the victim pleaded with the officers, informing them that he was asthmatic, but they ignored his pleas.
In a reaction on Friday, the spokesperson said, “the Kwara State police command is aware of this unfortunate incident which led to the sudden death of Suleiman Olayinka (M) 27yrs.
“A complaint of cheating and criminal breach of trust was reported against the deceased. Police detectives were immediately detailed to investigate the case.
“Meanwhile the officers involved in the incident have been identified, arrested and detained for further investigations as regards the death of the suspect.
“Further updates will be provided promptly as investigations unfold,” the statement added.
News
400 sex tapes: Equatorial Guinea’s Baltasar remanded in prison
The former Director-General of the National Financial Investigation Agency in Equatorial Guinea, Baltasar Engonga, has been remanded in Malabo’s Black Beach Prison, Saturday PUNCH has reported.
The embattled former anti-graft chief was arrested days ago for allegedly recording over 400 sex tapes involving the wives of prominent figures in the country.
This scandal surfaced during a fraud investigation into the 54-year-old economist, resulting in an impromptu search of his home and office by ANIF officials, who reportedly discovered several CDs that revealed his sexual encounters with different married women.
As the footage leaked online, causing a media uproar, Equatorial Guinea’s President, Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, dismissed Engonga.
According to Decree No. 118/2024, dated 4th November, the dismissal was due to “irregularities committed in the exercise of his functions, as well as inappropriate family and social conduct for the performance of public duties.”
A viral video surfaced on social media on Friday, showing Engonga handcuffed on both hands and legs during a court appearance.
Confirming the situation, French online blog Afrikmatin reported that Engonga, who was officially removed from his role on November 6, 2024, was subsequently chained and transferred to Malabo Central Prison.
He faces charges of corruption and embezzlement.
Additionally, online newspaper UGStandard reported that the sex tapes began circulating on social networks while Engonga was already held at Malabo’s notorious Black Beach Prison on charges of embezzling public funds, as reported by state television, TVGE.
In a fact-checking report published Wednesday, Dubawa verified that Engonga had indeed been taken into custody on corruption charges and is currently being held in Black Beach Prison.
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