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Austin Atakpu clinches Benin Chamber of Commerce presidency

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Following the death of the former President, Mrs. Aina Omo-Ojeonu, early 2023, the Benin Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (BENCCIMA) has elected Barrister Austin Atakpu as the new President.

The election of the new president and other executive officers was held during the 58th Annual General Meeting of the Chamber, which in Benin.

Until his recent position, Atakpu was acting president of the Chamber.

In a statement released Tuesday from the office of the president, other members of the new executive include; Engr. Godwin Omoregie Eki as the 1st Deputy President, Barr. Alex Eghosa Aganmwonyi as 2nd Deputy President, Pastor O.A. Balogun as Vice President, Sir (Dr.) B.J Braie as Vice President, Mr. Jonathan Alele Oboite as Vice President, Hon. (Barr.) Igbuan Ilofuan as Vice President, Lady Taiye Agbontaen as Treasurer, Mr. Andrew Odihi Ogiamien as elected Council Member, and Mr. Ekpen Isoken Odemwingie as elected Council Member, respectively.

“The Benin Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (BENCCIMA) held its 58th Annual General Meeting on Thursday, 25th May 2023 at the Chamber’s Secretariat, Aerodrome Close, Off Goodwill Street, Off Ekenwan Road, Benin City, Edo State.

“The meeting attracted government functionaries, businessmen and women from the Chamber of Commerce Movement and the entire business community in Edo State and from across Nigeria. It was a grand event that climax in the election of Hon. (Barr.) Austin Atakpu as the 16th President of the Chamber.”

In his acceptance speech, the new President said his administration would be development friendly and promote business ideas for the economic emancipation of Edo.

“We shall be receptive to ideas and suggestions, brainstorm together to move the Chamber to greater heights,” he said.

The president also assured members of improved working relationships with the various ties of the state government.

“We will ensure that the organization of Edo Domestic Trade Fair kick starts early every year. This will enable us to plan well and make success of the Trade Fair.

“We shall partner with government at all levels to improve the economic and commercial activities in the State,” said the president.

In the handover note presented, Mr John Imalingmhe, Director General of the Chamber, on behalf of the late President, said the outgoing administration organised the 2021 and 2022 editions of the Edo Trade Fair

The administration, he said, also constructed a new chamber secretariat, built 11 new stores, and upgraded and carried out maintenance of the chamber’s website.

The statement also said the new administration has given corporate Vice President portfolio to some individuals which includes; Mr. Victor Ayemere as Vice President, International Business, Chief Edobor Ozakpolor as Vice President, Hospitality & Tourism, Mr. Igbe Osayande as Vice President, Project Monitoring and Industrial Development, among others.

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Food Crisis: Obi raises f alarm over terrorists, bandits effect

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The Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 General election has expressed apprehension over looming hunger and famine acasioned by tye activities of bandits and terrorists. That have continued to deny farmers access to their farms

Obi who was reacting to publications and the international agency’s warning on the matter, said the alarm should be given adequate attention.

Writing on his X handle the LP standard bearer said “I just read on the daily this morning, about the concerns being expressed by stakeholders in our agriculture sector over the worsening food insecurity in Nigeria.
“I have remained consistent in public voicing out my worries over this growing food crisis, which has even continued to claim the lives of our fellow citizens.
“I do believe that the urgency required to address these issues cannot be over-emphasized.

“The report this morning reads, in part, “The number of food-insecure Nigerians increased significantly, from 66.2 million in Q1 2023 to 100 million in Q1 2024 (WFP, 2024), with 18.6 million facing acute hunger and 43.7 million Nigerians showing crisis-level or above crisis-level hunger- coping strategies as of March 2024.

“While the above report gives an understanding of the present and impending food crisis looming large on the nation, the present realities show that we are already in a worse situation than is presented in the report.

“An earlier similar report by Cadre Harmonise stated that about 31.5 million Nigerians are projected to face acute hunger by the June-August of this year.

“What is now very worrisome is that many Nigerians have lost their lives in their quest to find food, reflecting a very acute level of hunger not yet captured in the media. We are gradually descending to the level of the survival of the fittest, where, driven by hunger and a quest for survival, one loses every sense of order to do the unthinkable.

“With the recurrent bandits and terror attacks on farmers, many of them have abandoned their farms. It is reported that in a state like Sokoto, farmers have paid an accumulated sum of N3 billion in ransom to bandits, others pay as high as N100,000 to bandits to gain access to their farmlands. About 165 farmers have reportedly lost their lives to insecurity this year alone.

“It is, therefore, a matter of urgency, for the government to solve the problems of insecurity in the country. This will in turn reduce the problems of food insecurity when farmers safely return to their farms. A New and hunger-free Nigeria is Possible.

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Slain Soldiers: Tinubu at funeral, announces death benefits, scholarship for children

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President Bola Tinubu has led top government officials, including service chiefs and other heads of security agencies to the funeral rites for the soldiers gruesomely murdered in Delta State at the National Military Cemetery in Abuja.
At the commencement of the rites, prayers were rendered for the repose of the souls of the slain soldiers.
It would be recalled that 17 personnel, comprising four officers and 13 soldiers, were murdered in Delta state during a peace mission
Tinubu at Burial of Slain Soldiers
President Tinubu use the ocasion to confer national honours on the 17 slain members of the Nigerian Army who were killed in Delta State on March 14, 2024.

This was as he announced the provision of housing facilities for the surviving family members and scholarships for all their children to the university level.
He also directed the payment of death benefits to the family members within 90 days.
He announced these during the burial ceremony of the slain servicemen at the National Military Cemetery in Abuja.
The President, who arrived the venue exactly 4:10pm, was accompanied by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume; the Minister of Defence, Abubakar Badaru, and the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila.
State governors on his entourage include: Abba Yusuf (Kano), Sheriff Oborevwori (Delta), Usman Ododo (Kogi), Hope Uzodinma (Imo) and their Bayelsa State counterpart, Duoye Diri.
The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Musa; Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt-General Taoreed Lagbaja; Chief of Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Hassan Abubakar, and Chief of Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla were present to pay final respects to the fallen heroes.

The Deputy Senate President, Jibrin Barau; and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas led members of the upper and lower chambers to honour the slain military personnel.
The slain military personnel responded to a distress call after a communal land dispute when they were gruesomely murdered.
The beheaded corpses of the slain soldiers were later recovered from a neighbouring river, while the stomachs and hearts of others were ripped off.

The Defence Headquarters later released the list of 17 military personnel killed in the attack.

The Defence Headquarters said 17 personnel including the Commanding Officer of 181 Amphibious Battalion, two majors, one captain, and 12 personnel of the battalion were killed.
Authorities in Nigeria have continued to condemn their brutal murder
Tinubu had described it as an attack on the nation and gave marching orders to security agencies to fish out the masterminds of the attack. The President also said the slain military personnel will be conferred with national honours.

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Jigawa Widow Breaks down in tears as she receives 10kg Rice palliative

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By Ahmed Rufa’i Dutse

A widow by the name Shafa’atu Abdullahi, a mother of three children could not hold back her tears after receiving a bag of 10kg Rice at Dutse central mosque on Saturda

Shafaatu while narrating her ordeal said she lost her husband in 2016 and since then she has been battling with life struggles while taking care of the three children without help since the pasy seven years.

While expressing her gratitude to Dangote foundation for the palliative, she indicated that saying before the distribution she was not having any food to use to break her fast.

Another beneficiary, Hafsat Maishanu

Another widow, Hafsa Maishanu
who said she has nobody to take care of her prayed for Dangote and his entire family for coming to their aid.

She said, “Food in this era is priceless because this ramadan we hardly eat to our satisfaction due to inflation and hardship”.
Aliko Dangote foundation had donated 30,000 bags of 10 kilograms of Rice to widows and other vulnerables across the 27 local government areas of the state.

Flagging off the distribution in a mini celebration at Dutse central mosque, the chief Imam Dr Abubakar Sani Birninkudu said the rice is part of Aliko Dangote foundation palliative sent to brought to the state.

Dr Birninkudu explained that “the rice is given by Aliko Dangote foundation to the people of Jigawa state to alleviate the present headship in the holy month of Ramadan”.

The chief Imam noted that the foundation had donated bags of Rice across the country, adding that Jigawa state has benefited with 30,000 bags of 10kg rice to be shared among the less privileged in the state as assistant in the holy month to ease present headship over the high cost of food prices”.

He said “The foundation’s choice in channeling the rice through this central mosque working committee is for the confidence that it will be judiciously be distributed to reach the targeted people”.

“We received 30,000 bags we have 30 state assembly constituencies in the state. We shared it equal by 1000 bags far each state assembly constituency, he emphasised.

Dr. Birninkudu added that “Upon receiving the rice we also constituted distribution committee from three eminent and popular Ulmas in each of the local government areas who received and distributed them to the beneficiaries in their respective areas”.

The chief Imam stated further that each local government area committee is responsible for choosing the beneficiaries in accordance with guidelines laid down by the main committee to ensure it get to the targed persons

“We made the selection of the beneficiaries according to the guideline, we registered them each with their mobile telephone number. We are going hand over with the register to Aliko Dangote foundation after distribution as evidence and if they want to confirm, the foundation would call any of the benefitiaries for confirmation”.

Speaking at the ceremony, the Dutse district head, Alhaji Jamilu Basiru Sunusi commended the foundation for the gesture, saying it came on a good time.

The district head assured that the bags of Rice would be distributed judiciously, adding that priority would be given to widows, orphans and Persons Living with Disability.

He called on the foundation to expand its activities to health, education for Jigawa state as it is also doing in Kano and Lagos state.

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