Ajimobi pardons 10 prisoners
GOVERNOR Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State has granted amnesty to 10 prisoners from various prisons in the state in commemoration of the 56th Independence anniversary of the country.
A statement signed by Mr Toye Arulogun, the Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, on Saturday, said that Ajimobi pardoned and released five of the prisoners serving various prison terms.
Arulogun said one of the prisoners had his sentence reduced to one year and six months from the initial two years and six months.
Three of the prisoners, who had been on death row, had their sentences commuted to 30 years, while the remaining prisoner had his death sentence commuted to life imprisonment.
“The objective of the exercise is to decongest the prison which had been a concern at the Security Council meeting and to extend amnesty to deserving convicts who have shown good behaviour over the years of their incarceration,’’ he said.
Umahi commutes death sentences on 4 prisoners, pardons 32 others
GOVERNOR David Umahi of Ebonyi State has ordered that death sentences on 14 prisoners in various prisons in the state be commuted to life imprisonment.
The governor gave the order on Saturday in Abakaliki during activities to mark the 56th Independence Day and 20th year of Ebonyi creation.
According to the governor, 32 inmates from the state have also been granted unconditional pardon on offences for which they were jailed.
He said those whose death sentences were annulled included Igantius Ochioso; Paul Ominyi; Nnachi Asula; Sunday Ukpai; Onyebuchi Eze and Ikechukwu Nwafor.
“Those who were pardoned unconditionally include Ogbuzuru Odoh; Ogbonnia Odom; Shadrack Eboko; Ezi Ekum; Nduisi Nwodo; Paul Una, Musa Bako; Chikwu Ndukwe; Mgbeleke Oduma; Ugo Ogbuba, among others.
The governor also announced a five per cent increase in workers’ salaries with effect from October 1 and thanked labour leaders in the state for their understanding and support in reaching the decision.
FCT minister charges Nigerians on nation building
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Malam Muhammad Bello, has called on Nigerians to contribute their quota in making Nigeria great.
Bello made the call at the march past to celebrate the nation’s 56th Independence anniversary, on Saturday, in Abuja.
According to him, there is no nation that grows without challenges.
“Nigeria is facing a lot of challenges in nation building and this calls for our support. We should do all that we can to be among the 10 strong economies in the world,”he said.
The minister said the present administration had been doing its best to provide the best for FCT residents.
He called on the residents to do their best in making Abuja one of the best capital cities in the World.
Let’s salvage our sinking nation, Rivers gov urges Nigerians
Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike, has declared that the nation is sinking irreversibly, stressing that only a united front will salvage and set it on the path of growth.
The governor regretted that either by commission or omission, the Federal Government had dragged the country into its worst economic crisis where Nigerians find it difficult to feed.
In his Independence address at the Sharks Stadium in Port Harcourt, on Saturday, he lamented that ordinary Nigerians were dying daily from ailments that were ordinarily curable.
“Just look at the situation of our country at this time. Never in history has the seed of disunity, distrust, hatred; intolerance, violence, and terrorism proliferated in our country than now, not even in the years of the civil war,.
“It looks as if the country is sinking irreversibly into the abyss, but this is what happens when a country is economically weak and dependent. The need, therefore, is for all of us to work together with the three tiers of government to deliver real and sustainable economic independence to our people.”
No need to agitate for secession —Niger State gov
Governor Abubakar Sani Bello of Niger State has said, after 56 years of independence, there is no need for a section of the country to agitate for secession and appealed to those calling for such separation to have a rethink.
He stated this in his Independence anniversary on Saturday at the Trade Fair Complex, Minna.
He said Nigeria remained the greatest black nation in the world and, therefore, appealed to the citizenry, to as a matter of urgency, use their population to their advantage.
“It is my belief that when we enshrine the spirit of selflessness in our younger ones, we are consciously asking them to rededicate themselves to the principles of equity, fairness and accountability, as well as resuscitate the fading values of honesty, discipline and respect for one another.
“In Niger State, we take pride in being endowed with all the attributes to become a great state, leveraging on the platform of democracy that upholds the principles of participatory governance,” he said.
“We may not be there yet, but I can assure you that by collectively harnessing our human and material resources, we will get there.
Amosun urges Nigerians to support Buhari to tackle challenges
GOVERNOR Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun State, on Saturday, urged Nigerians to join hands with the Buhari administration to tackle the challenges facing the country.
Amosun made the call while delivering a speech to mark the 56th Independence Day anniversary held at the MKO Abiola Stadium, Abeokuta.
He praised the selfless contributions of Nigerian heroes that fought for the nation’s independence and also urged the political class to emulate them.
“We have weathered together a lot of storms as a nation and experiences have taught us to have resilience. We have come out stronger and we will continue to come out stronger.
“Although we are slowly and steadily edging our way through all these difficulties, however, at a time like this, it is good for us to remember that there is still a lot to be done,” he said.
Nasarawa pardons nursing mother, 8 others, to mark Nasarawa at 20
GOVERNOR Tanko Al-Makura of Nasarawa State on Saturday granted amnesty to a 17-year-old nursing mother and eight other prison inmates on grounds of age.
Al-Makura granted the pardon when he visited Lafia Prison as part of the activities to celebrate 20 years of the creation of the state and the country’s 56th Independence anniversary.
The governor was represented by the Attorney-General and Commissioner of Justice, Alhaji Yusuf Usman.
Al-Makura added that the exercise was carried out based on the recommendations of the committee on prerogative of mercy.
and said that he was particularly touched by the case of the nursing mother who gave birth to the baby 10 months ago.
He said that since the offence was committed by the mother, the innocent baby who did not know anything should not be in the prison.
“The 17-year-old nursing mother, Justina Musa, who was convicted for joining a secret society, was reprieved of her one year sentence under the prerogative of mercy, while eight other inmates are at ages ranging from 12 to 20 years,” he said.
Nigerians must support govt to end recession, says Kaduna gov
Governor Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna State said the economic decisions taken by the government at all levels had become imperative for Nigerians to support government to end recession.
el-Rufai said this in his 2016 Independence Day address on Saturday.
He noted that, though Nigerians marked the day in difficult economic circumstances, he was optimistic that Nigeria would overcome.
According to him “I salute you on the occasion of our country’s 56th Independence anniversary. We have been bequeathed a country of diverse peoples, faiths and tongues and we have a collective duty to make it work.
‘We face many challenges, but it is not beyond us to build a system that moves our peoples into the 21st century with functioning governance systems, equality of all persons before the law and the right to security and happiness”
“We mark this day in difficult economic circumstances, but we can overcome these as we did previous moments of hardship.
Robust decisions are pending and we must support government to take, and put into effect, the tough steps that we need to begin the process of economic recovery.
We must promptly navigate a route out of the stormy economic weather,” el-Rufai said.