lo CITY i e BUSINESSDAY: www.businessdayonline.com
Thursday Ot November 2012
Floods: Edo to rehabilitate silos for food stuff storage Benin
F
of Nigerta.
The magistralt', Daisy Wanjolm, while dt' lEvering jodgement on the ma((f"r. said rhe convict W8510 pay a fine ofN5, 000 on Ihe flt~ COOn! orUl~ ~on of miliTAry umform Bnd spend S-momhs behind bars for Imprr
sonation without option 01 fme, wilh hard labour. Uche was arrested on ~Iembcr 22, 2012 al Kaso Timber shade by police optta~ who got wind of his unscropulou.s attivlties.. in the Oyigbo aJl!A of Portllarooun ¥f-earing a military Clmoullage and posillg as a miUtary officer, whereas he had beel apc!lIed from the Nigerian Defence i\cadM1)' sillce 2009 011 grounds ofindisciplinl!..
Uduaghan inaugurates flood fund committee
of to,OOO at;rt'$ allocaled 10 "Trll.Mforll1.lIioll Agriclech c.ompany" by Ihr- Slalr- gl'vem ment wu destroyed by Ihe flood In Ihe 51all" He posited Illal Ihl" naIl' governmenl would emb:uk on a full seale In'-e5IIr,alioo til ascertain the It'vet destruclion on farmlands
acm~s Ihe Ihr~ loca1llovcmmenl areas that wr.re ravaged try thr- noods. The commissioner, howr-ver. as~ured tliat Ihe n{lod deslruction on farmlands acro~~ Ihe ~lllle dt)r'~ nOI afff'C1 governml"nl'S a~ cultural in~lment profile
Uyo prison authorities seek FG's intervention over erosion threat ANIEFIOK UDONQUAK,
UVO uthorilies of the Uyo Pri50115 in Akwa lham State are seeking tile urgenl lIuervention of the Federal GO\~rnment to check a menacing Ihreat posed by gully r;roslon Ihat has r;alen pan of the pr-rlmeter fence of the conecl'ional fadlity Thr- problem is being made worse by Ihe location of the pri~on which is within • trough oflen resulling In landslide and erOStOn as can be seen In the adjourning ~ueets ill the city Officials of Ihe prisons, who have al ready rai~ed 'he .Iarm ovl'r Ihe dllnger, saying it could rt"Sult In 11 jail hrealt, added
A
Man, 22, ja iled 8-mon ths ror impersonation. A senior magistrate court 5ittinfl in POr( 11111 roon. RiYers Slate. on Tuesday, Oc1obn 30, 2012, sentenced onto Frnnd\ lk:ht', II 22 year old man. 10 8-monlhs in priSOn with hard liI bow for impersonating the Nlgman Army Uche Won jailed arrer he pleaded guilty to II rwo-counl cha~ of illegal pos.sessIOIl of mill uuy camouf\agl! and impel'5Ol1l1tlllg as II sec· ond lieutenant of the Nigf'rian Army contrary 10 5eClions 4Z8(d) and 108(2) of _he Cnrmnal Code, up 37, Volume 11 , Laws ofRivffJStarl'
lORIS UMAR MOMOH
allowing the fears of Immlnen' (amine as a re$u1t of n~ thai ravaged stales acro~s Ihe country, FAD Slate government said II has concluded plans to rt'habllltate its $11ns across th!!' sial!!'. Abdul Oroh, th!!' commissioner for Agr!cultur!!' and Natural R~urces. dbdOW'd Ihls ~t an t.J:clusl"e il1l!!'rview with DusinessOay In his office in Rentn City Oruh II~ di!K;losed Ihlll the Siale govern· ment hIlS mandaled the committ~ on reha bilitalion of Ihe Internally displaced per~ns. ~pedllly affecled fanneTS to get alt!!'m.ti"e farmlands In ordt'f to commence farming actiViIiP-, early enough In oUI year firming sel.50ns. -As a result nf the noodlng. the governor has dirKted thai ..·e should look fOf a1terna· tive fannlands for the .rtCi;led farmers In AI!'as closer '0 their communllies (ThaI is areBS .hallre nOI affected by the noodlng) "Our people are already in the lield trying 10 work with thr- 10011 govemlllel1l offidals 10 identify these fannlam.ls as a temporary measure. The gO'\-emment would prOYide them with seecllln!t~ and athel InpulS 10 enabie them return to fann elulyenotlgh for the nr;xl (arming season which br;glM early next year "The other measure5 are Ihat we should rehabihtate all our WArehouses. We h::lVe ADI' warehouse In Be.nin, lrrua and Auch!. They will be rehAbilitated to make il possible for us to Slore food for emergency situation we ha"e lU51 witnes!oed aB well as 10 store ",llat_r we are getting [rom the donors communtties,~ he said, Thecommi~510ner, who nOled that money hil\<~ bern made available 10 the committee, added Ihal the Stair- government would nOI impon .ny food flllffs from any other stales bill would lource Ihem locally from Ihr- $1<11e. "$omr- money h.~ been m..,de available IU the cnmmi!!ee of rt':habl1ltallon In meet up ",;Ih wme of Ihr'SC continllency SO .hat _will be better Ilfepared than nowbeCllusrrlghl oow nobody had anlicipated Ihe mag· nhudr- of Ihe nooding ""to witnr"lSt'd all over Ihe cOl11ml nOI only in FAo Stale So, wr ",'.nl 10 br; prrparrd neXI timr-. NOI jU51 food sluff hut olher relid matrriah: he ~tated. 11rII~o dl~cl05ed IhAt then~ was an inrllClltlon thar aboll' 200 acre~ of rice fArmlands nul
Tit bits
Ihal Ihey have at various times solicited the intervention of bOlh Ihe state and lhe Fedl'fli Go"ernments Speaking when Ellobong Uwah, Akwa Ihom Slate commluloner for Environment and Minerai Resources, vlsltl"d Ihl' erosion site at the medium security prisons. along WellinglOn BassI";)' Way, Millicent Ngozi. controller of prisons In Akwa Iboll1 State eXIJressed optimism that the 51ale govern· ment would come 10 .he aid of the belea guered facility The "kwlIlhom Statf' governmenT had aLready relocated a rncdium security prls on al Ikot Ekpene which was close 10 the Ikot Ekpene ·Aha IUghway, buill a hrand nf'W facility for bolh the Inmlltes and Ihl" officials Earlier, Ihe commlssionr;r had el
pr6sed con(:ern o"er Ihe devastation caused by erosion In thr- stille. saying that II has gonr- beyond the cllp<lclty of The SIMe gOV1!rnmf'nt ""aVing Sl!(:n Ih~ pathetic, ~orrowful and devastating condition of Ihe erosion around the medium security Prisons herr; in Uyo, I hllve to rl'jlollto the governor, So, rm helievlng that when I report hack to him, he·Uauthorisr me to IlIke Immedlllle action 10 allellSt ameliorate the situation,he said The commlsslonel also solicited the In · terven.lon of thr- Federal Govt:rn.nent 10 provide assistance through the ecological funds to enable them tackle the problems III' dC5Cribr;d Ihe situation as critlal. stressing thaI if urgelll slr-pS werl' nOI taken; the silliation would continue to eq:alat~
Emmanuel Uduaghan, lJelta State governor, has charged a 12-man flood committee to prudently manllge the Federal Govern ment NSOO million grams as well as design a roadmap Ihal will makr; for easy reseltlr;mr;nl of the flood victim~ Ud uaghan. who gave the charge while inaugurating the committee in Asaba. 1.11d the grealest challenge fadnlo': the Slate on the nood Issue was how 10 lesettle thr- dis placed penoM and enjoined the committee to be diligt'nlln ils work.. lie explained Ihat the rehabililation of the displaced persons was a bIg iuue and Ihr-rcfore. derldet.l 10 put III pillct' a seasoned commiltl'e to overse(' Ihe IKlSI flooding rehabilhation 50 Ihal the \'1C1hn~ would be properly reseuled. lhe goW"rnor urged the. cnmmill~ 10 as much as possible reduct' Iha. impacl of dlslocalioll and prolllised tn ..olifil fur more funds 10 make Ihe work of the com mittee eaSir;r. ilis words: ~I know that thl' fund from the federal gOVC!tnmenl WIll nOI he f'nough. We wi11 therefore solldt for nlor(' fund~ so thai you can adequalely Oller for the poSI flood programme, we will do e'"'"rything 10 make 511ft' Ihat the inrlividual~ and rom lIIunitir;s lire adcquately a~sl~tl'd· Uduaghan r;nfoined Ihe commltll"f' TO cnordlnllte wilh olher flt'I'WIIS, "rga11l~a lions and donor agencie~.o raise addition al funds to provide urgent relief for ....ictims of Ihe flood disn~ler. lhe governor also enjoinl"d Ih~ ('0111 millet' 10 liaise with 1)('lIa State UniY{!r shy (DELSU) Technical Commllll!(" on the fluoding and use the data galhered to fa cilhllie ils operations.. lie e:xplaincd thai th~ OEt.<;1 r Tt"(;hninll C:oll1mlnce \vas a»emhled 10 gl\" profes ~i(1nal advice on how be~lto hamlle theft' h:lbilitauon of ule flood victilll~