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Enugu State, UNDP Sign MoU to deliver accelerated development

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…As UNDP lauds Mbah’s leadership, reform drive, vision clarity

The Enugu State Government and the United Nations Development Programme, UNDP, Nigeria, on Tuesday, signed a Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, to anchor the state into the UNDP Nigeria’s Integrated Smart States Programme, ISSP.

This was even as the UNDP commended Mbah’s “leadership, reform drive, and vision clarity,” describing the MoU as “partnership that speaks to Enugu State’s ambition, and to Nigeria’s evolving development story.”

Speaking at the MoU signing ceremony at Government House, Enugu, the Resident Representatives, UNP Nigeria, Ms. Elsie Attafuah, said ISSP would enable the state to translate political priorities into investment-ready portfolios, use state resources as anchor capital, crowd-in Development Finance Institutions and private investors, and strengthen delivery systems for results.

“Your Excellency, what we are doing today is not ceremonial. It is strategic. And it reflects a deliberate choice by Enugu State to lead development differently, through integrated planning, co-investment, and disciplined delivery.

“What also makes today exceptional is that we are signing three instruments: the Memorandum of Understanding, which sets the strategic framework; the Programme Description of Action, which translates that framework into a clear, integrated delivery pathway; and the Financing Agreement, which moves us from intent to execution, with a significant initial cost-sharing commitment by the Enugu State Government. This is exactly the kind of leadership signal that turns partnerships into results,” she stated.

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According to Ms. Attafuah, although Nigeria was at a turning point where bold reforms were shaping the macroeconomic landscape on energy, fiscal policy, revenue mobilisation, and governance, they would not make any meaning unless they trickle down to the people.

“We all now see one fundamental truth: reforms only matter when they translate into livelihoods, jobs, services, and opportunity for people. And in a federal system like Nigeria’s, states are where reform dividends must be delivered.

“That is why UNDP Nigeria has repositioned how we work with subnational governments, moving from projects to portfolios, from aid to co-investment, and from delivery alone to systems transformation,” she said.

Throwing more light on the MoU entitled ‘UNDP-Enugu Integrated Smart State Programme for Accelerated Development (2025-2027),” Attafuah said the agreement was structured around five mutually reinforcing pillars: health systems strengthening; Smart Green Schools; energy for development; innovation and digital economy; and trade, tourism and investment promotion.

She promised immediate action, saying the Financing Agreement provided a clear runway for activation, with the first tranche due on March 1, 2026, and a second tranche on July 1, 2026, saying the UNDP would ensure the availability of resources ahead of planned activities, and enabling disciplined implementation in line with UNDP’s accountability standards.

“Signing an MoU is not the destination. Activation is. Delivery is. Immediately after today, our joint priority is to finalise the Joint Action Plan with clear sequencing, responsibilities, and costing, because costing is the bridge between commitments and implementation.

“And to ensure speed and seriousness, UNDP will work with the state to operationalise a dedicated programme team and field coordination mechanism, aligned with the Enugu delivery architecture, to: trigger early implementation priorities, strengthen real-time tracking through dashboards and delivery labs, and support investment packaging to mobilize additional concessional and private finance.

“Enugu now joins that group of reform-forward states, positioning itself not only as a South-East leader, but as a subnational model for human capital transformati on innovation, and investment-led growth,” she concluded.

Speaking, Governor Mbah decribed the MoU signing as a milestone, as the partnership would help his administration accomplish its vision and promises to the people, promising transparency and accountability.

“This is an important milestone in our relationship with the UNDP. During our campaign for office, when we laid our blueprint for the people of Enugu State, we made our total commitment to eradicating poverty in the state. We made a commitment to achieve a zero-poverty headcount index in the state.

“We recognise that this would happen through collaboration and through partnership, which is why what is happening here today is of immense importance to us.

“We are also interested in transparency, accountability and this is core in our governance philosophy – fund traceability and others.

“What this MoU we have just executed here today represents is making sure we get value for our money, making sure that our procurement processes are done transparently, making sure we extract the optimal value in every kobo or dollar we spend,” he stated.

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Two Suspected Bandits Killed in Kano Ransom Collection Ambush, ₦10m Recovered

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Two suspected bandits have been killed and ₦10 million recovered after local hunters intercepted a gang allegedly involved in a kidnapping operation in Falgore Forest, Doguwa Local Government Area of Kano State.

The incident occurred in the early hours of Saturday, shortly after three suspected bandits collected the ransom demanded for the release of a 45-year-old man, Kabiru Aliyu.

Aliyu, a resident of Falgore Village, was abducted on September 11, 2026.

According to the Kano State Police Command, the suspects were intercepted by local hunters, popularly known as Yan Bula, while returning to their hideout after collecting the ransom.

Two of the suspects reportedly died during the confrontation, while the third escaped with injuries. The hunters recovered the entire ₦10 million ransom.

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The police spokesperson, Abdullahi Haruna Kiyawa, said preliminary investigations identified one of the deceased suspects as Dogo Isah, a commercial motorcycle operator from Maigwanda Village in Kubau Local Government Area of Kaduna State.

The operation was carried out under Operation Kukan Kura, a security initiative aimed at tackling kidnapping, banditry and other violent crimes in Kano State.

The Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Adamu Bakori, commended the hunters for their intervention and directed security operatives to intensify efforts to apprehend the fleeing suspect and recover any weapons used by the gang.

The rescued victim was subsequently debriefed, medically examined and reunited with his family.

The incident highlights the role of local hunters in intelligence gathering and rural security, particularly in areas where difficult terrain poses challenges to conventional security operations.

However, the escape of one of the suspects leaves security operatives with the task of tracking him down and determining whether the gang was involved in other kidnapping incidents in the region.

The police urged residents to provide credible information that could assist ongoing efforts to apprehend fleeing suspects and prevent further criminal activities.

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2027: Atiku’s Son Pledges 10 Buses for Tinubu’s Re-election Campaign

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Abba Atiku Abubakar speaks during a visit to the APC National Secretariat in Abuja, where he pledged 10 buses for President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 re-election campaign. Photo: Hon Yusi Buba/Facebook
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Abba Atiku Abubakar, son of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, has pledged 10 buses to support mobilisation for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election campaign ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Abba made the pledge during a visit to the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Secretariat in Abuja on Friday, according to a statement issued by Yusi Buba, Senior Special Assistant on Youth Mobilisation to the party’s Deputy National Chairman.

He was received by the APC Deputy National Chairman (North), Bukar Dalori.

Buba said Abba commended the party’s leadership and Tinubu’s administration, expressing support for the President’s continued stay in office.

“In a demonstration of his commitment to the political engagement ahead of the 2027 general elections, Hon. Abba Atiku Abubakar announced the donation of ten buses to support activities aimed at mobilising support for the re-election of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima in 2027,” the statement said.

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The APC aide said Dalori welcomed Abba and acknowledged his pledge, describing it as support for the party’s mobilisation efforts ahead of the elections.

The development followed Abba’s announcement of a nationwide mobilisation campaign for Tinubu’s re-election and the unveiling of the Haske Bola Tinubu Organisation, a political support group established to advance the President’s second-term ambition.

Speaking at a press conference in Abuja on Friday, Abba said the organisation would commence activities in the Federal Capital Territory before expanding to other parts of the country.

He also announced plans for a two-million-man mobilisation march across the six geopolitical zones, with the exercise scheduled to begin in Abuja.

Abba defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the APC in January, declaring his support for Tinubu’s re-election bid.

His father, Atiku Abubakar, is the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) for the 2027 general election.

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NCDC Identifies Two Suspected Ebola Cases In North-East

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Two suspected cases of Ebola disease have been identified in the North-East region of the country.

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) disclosed this in a post via its official X handle on Saturday, adding that both individuals had been isolated.
It also said contact identification and listing are ongoing, and laboratory testing is underway.

According to the agency, confirmation is subject to laboratory results.
Two suspected cases of Ebola disease have been identified in Nigeria’s North-East region. Both individuals have been isolated, contact identification and listing is ongoing, and laboratory testing is being conducted,” the NCDC said.

“Being classified as suspected cases does not mean they are confirmed Ebola cases; confirmation is subject to laboratory results.

“The public is advised to maintain good hand hygiene, practise enhanced sanitation and follow guidance from public health authorities. Further updates will be provided as verified information becomes available.”

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The latest update by the NCDC came days after it said it identified another contact, an e-hailing driver, linked to the confirmed case of the recent Ebola outbreak in Nigeria, increasing the number of primary contacts to 54.

The NCDC Director-General, Dr. Jide Idris, told Channels Television on October 26 that efforts were ongoing to identify the secondary contacts.

“So we are not out of the woods yet until we are sure that we have all the contacts, and they have been followed up. So we are still not out of the woods; because the index case is out doesn’t mean that we don’t have that,” he said.

The Federal Government had announced Nigeria’s first confirmed case of the Bundibugyo strain in Abuja on October 20, 2026, identifying the patient as a woman with a recent travel history to Uganda, who returned to Nigeria with symptoms on October 7, but the Ugandan authorities denied reports of an Ebola outbreak in the East African country.

The index patient was later flown to Switzerland along with her husband.

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