A Nigerian newspaper and Online version of the Vanguard, a daily publication in Nigeria covering Niger delta, general national news, politics, business, energy, sports, entertainment, fashion,lifestyle human interest stories, etc
The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) has predicted morning thunderstorms over the Central states on Wednesday with isolated thunderstorms over Bauchi, Jos, Kaduna, Mambila Plateau, Bida, Ilorin, Lafia and Abuja later in the day.
NiMet's Weather Outlook by its Central Forecast Office (CFO) on Tuesday in Abuja also predicted day and night temperatures of 26 to 30 and 16 to 24 degrees Celsius respectively.
The agency predicted that Southern states would experience cloudy conditions over the southwestern cities with prospects of isolated rains over the Southeast during the morning hours.
It also predicted prospects of rains over the region in the afternoon and evening hours with day and night temperatures of 27 to 30 and 21 to 24 degrees Celsius respectively.
According to NiMet, Northern states will experience morning cloudy conditions over Sokoto, Yelwa and Gusau with prospects of isolated thunderstorms over Katsina, Kano and the Northeastern region.
"During the afternoon period, Northeast and parts of Northwest Sokoto, Kebbi and Kano will experience isolated thunderstorms in the afternoon with day and night temperatures of 29 to 30 and 21 to 22 degrees Celsius respectively.
"Increased atmospheric instability leading to buildup of weather systems over the Country is expected to enhance rainfall activities within the next 24 hours,'' NiMet predicted.
Suspected Boko Haram suicide bombers killed at least 27 people and wounded 83 in northeast Nigeria on Tuesday, local sources said.
A woman bomber blew herself up and killed 27 others at a market in the village of Konduga near Maiduguri, the epicentre of the conflict between government forces and the Islamist Boko Haram insurgents, according to a village head and an official from a regional militia.
Two suicide bombers also blew themselves up at the gates to a nearby refugee camp, with no others killed but many injured, said an emergency service official.
Zimbabwe's first lady, Grace Mugabe, returned home on Tuesday from South Africa after failing to turn herself in to police in Johannesburg to face charges of assaulting a model in a hotel room.
There was no immediate public comment on the case from Grace, 52, a possible successor to her husband President Robert Mugabe, 93, who has ruled Zimbabwe since 1980.
However, Zimbabwe government sources confirmed she had returned home.
"Yes, she is back in the country.
"We don't know where this issue of assault charges is coming from," said a senior government official, who declined to be named because they were not authorised to speak to the press.
A second official also confirmed that Grace had returned, saying "she is around now" and accused the media of a plot to tarnish the first family's name.
Earlier, South African police had been negotiating with Grace's lawyers to get her to turn her in to face charges of assault, a senior police source said.
Twenty-year-old Gabriella Engels told South African media Grace had attacked her after the model had gone to see the Mugabes' sons Robert and Chatunga at a hotel in Johannesburg's upmarket Sandton district on Sunday.
Confusion surrounded the case on Tuesday. South African police minister Fikile Mbalula had earlier in the day said that Grace had already handed herself in to police and would appear in court shortly.
However, in the afternoon, the magistrates' court where Grace had been expected to be formally charged closed for the day without her appearing.
The police source said Grace had earlier agreed to hand herself over at 10 a.m. local time but failed to do so.
The Founding Chairman of Exam Ethics Marshal International, EEMI, Chief Ike Onyechere, has urged all hands to be on deck for the extermination of unethical practices in the conduct of examinations at all levels in order to ensure credibility in our educational system.
Onyechere made this remark while decorating the Vice Chancellor of Enugu State University of Science and Technology, Professor Luke Anike, as a Chief Master Marshal of the Exam Ethics body and the inauguration of the ESUT chapter.
He regretted that so much compromise associated with conduct of examinations had questioned the credibility of results and certificates issued and paraded by candidates.
Onyechere stated that the ESUT Vice Chancellor was bestowed with the honour of Chief Master Marshal of Exam Ethics Marshals International in recognition of his forthright and determined efforts in fighting examination irregularities since he assumed office.
In his response, Prof. Anike expressed gratitude to the Exam Ethics Marshals International officials for identifying and recognizing ESUT as being exam ethics friendly.
He promised that ESUT under his watch must do everything possible and within the law to always conduct and present examinations results that are credible and reliable.
Earlier in his welcome address, Chairman of ESUT Senate Exams Ethics Committee, Prof. Alex Nduji, who was also decorated as Exam Ethics Marshals International coordinator ESUT branch, thanked the Exam Ethics team for rising to the occasion to address and stem the dangerous lapses in our educational institutions which were traced to examination malpractices.
China on Tuesday called on the U.S. to back up Monday's statement by senior U.S. officials that the U.S. wished to resolve Korean Peninsula issue via diplomatic means.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said peaceful settlement of the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula fully serves the interests of all.
Wang made the remarks in a phone conversation with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov.
Earlier, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying in remarks in response to an opinion piece by U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis stressed the importance of a diplomatic solution to the crisis.
Tillerson and Mattis had written in the Monday edition of The Wall Street Journal that Washington has "no interest" in regime change in Pyongyang nor in accelerated reunification of the Korean Peninsula.
He said "diplomacy is our preferred means" of changing the DPRK's course of action.''
Speaking at a daily news briefing on Tuesday, Chunying said that China hopes to see concrete policies by the U.S. side towards the DPRK that reflect the views of the two senior officials.
"We also call on the DPRK to respond to these remarks," she said.
Tensions escalated on the peninsula after the DPRK twice test-fired what it called an intercontinental ballistic missile last month.
U.S. President Donald Trump had warned Pyongyang that if it continued to threaten the U.S., it would be met with "fire and fury."
In response, the DPRK warned of the launch of intermediate-range ballistic missiles targeting the waters off the U.S. island of Guam in the Pacific.
Chunying said China has always believed that the security issue is the crux of Korean Peninsula denuclearisation, and that "the key is in the hands of the U.S. and the DPRK."
She said that China hopes that all parties concerned will accept China's "suspension for suspension" proposal which requires the DPRK to suspend its missile and nuclear activities in exchange for the suspension of large-scale military drills between the U.S. and the Republic of Korea (ROK).
"China will continue to implement UN Security Council resolutions and play an active role in the peaceful resolution of the Korean Peninsula issue,'' she said.
ROK President Moon Jae-in said in a televised speech Tuesday that U.S. military action on the Korean Peninsula may not be taken without Seoul's consent, and the crisis should "absolutely" be solved peacefully.
Hua said it is in all parties' interests to solve the issue in a peaceful way.
She urged all concerned to show restraint and make a responsible choice to ease the tensions in a highly sensitive and complex situation.
The spokesperson also said that it is in line with the fundamental interests of both the DPRK and the ROK to improve bilateral ties via dialogue and promote reconciliation.
"We hope the two sides can work together and create conditions to restart dialogue," she said.
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has intervened in the Inter-Bank market to the tune of 364 million dollars to sustain liquidity in the Foreign Exchange (Forex) Market.
Mr Isaac Okorafor, the Acting Director of Corporate Communications Department, CBN said this in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja.
Okorafor said the Retail Secondary Market Intervention Sales (SMIS) received the largest allocation of about 264.1million dollars.
He said the CBN also offered 100 million dollars to authorised dealers in the wholesale window.
"The CBN also received requests from authorised Forex dealers on behalf of their customers, for which results will be released.
"The bank remains committed to achieving a convergence of rates at the inter-bank and Bureau-de-Change segments of the market," he said.
The apex bank had recently intervened in the wholesale, Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and invisible windows to the tune of 195 million dollars.
Meanwhile, the CBN said payment for port charges to the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and other agencies by oil marketing companies could now be accommodated by the bank using Form 'A'.
A circular by the Director, Trade and Exchange Department, Wuritka Gotring, directed authorised dealers to accept the request for the payments of port charges from oil marketing companies.
"Such request should be forwarded to the CBN Forex window," the circular stated.
Sen. Oluremi Tinubu on Tuesday called for declaration of a state of emergency in the education sector of the country.
Tinubu, the wife of the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Sen. Bola Tinubu, made the call while speaking with newsmen in Lagos.
The senator, representing Lagos Central senatorial district spoke on the side line of the opening of the 12th Annual Research Conference and Fair organised by the University of Lagos.
The senator was reacting to the indefinite strike embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) nationwide.
Newsmen report that the lecturers were protesting the non-implementation of both the 2013 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and the 2009 agreement it entered into with the Federal Government.
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) had on Monday declared an indefinite strike over Federal Government failure to keep to the 2009 agreement.
According to Tinubu, for a country to excel, its education must be built on a firm foundation.
"We have to declare a state of emergency on education in this country.
"This is what we have been going through, even during the budget process.
"There are lots of shortfalls in our universities.
"Even when I visit universities, when I look at their laboratories and a lot of other teaching materials, they are nothing to be cheerful about,'' she said.
She recalled that during her school days, she was not from a rich family, "but I went through school and was proud to go through school''.
She urged the Federal Government to look into the agitation of the union seriously and proffer a workable solution.
"I also want to plead with ASUU to show understanding with the government, and consider the young people."
Tinubu noted that when a country is filled with more than half of the population, not being properly educated, "it becomes detrimental to the growth of the nation.
Cristiano Ronaldo is banned, but it would take a huge upset for Real Madrid’s trophy-winning streak to be ended by Barcelona on Wednesday (kick off 2100GMT) as they carry a 3-1 lead into the second leg of the Spanish Super Cup.
Ronaldo challenging the referee Ricardo De Burgos after bagging a red
Ronaldo’s five-match ban for pushing the referee after being controversially sent-off for diving in the first leg threatens to overshadow another glorious night for Real as they close in on a seventh trophy in less than two years under the tutelage of Zinedine Zidane.
Madrid fans are planning a protest in the seventh minute against the treatment of the World Player of the Year, whilst Zidane was uncharacteristically angered by the ban.
“When you look at everything that happened, to think Cristiano won’t play five games with us… it is infuriating.”
Ronaldo came off the bench to give Madrid a 2-1 lead at the Camp Nou on Sunday with a sensational strike into the top corner.
However, he was then booked for taking his shirt off in celebration and saw a second yellow card just two minutes later when he went down under pressure from Samuel Umtiti inside the area.
The Portuguese captain then pushed referee Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea before leaving the field – an offence that carries a minimum four-game suspension.
Madrid’s appeal against his second yellow will be heard on Wednesday morning, but even if it is successful the ban will likely only be reduced from five to four games.
– Nothing impossible – Real, though, showed they can cope admirably without their all-time top scorer as even a man down for the final stages at the Camp Nou, they went onto extend their through Marco Asensio’s sumptuous strike.
Shorn of Ronaldo, Zidane is expected to make just one change from the side that started at the weekend with Luka Modric returning from suspension in place of Mateo Kovacic.
And Zidane warned against complacency as Barca have won on three of their last four visits to the Bernabeu.
“In football nothing is over. We have to play really well because at any moment Barcelona can cause you problems,” added the Frenchman.
Defeat in Ernesto Valverde’s first game in charge compounded a miserable start to the season for Barcelona after losing Neymar to Paris Saint-Germain.
“We have an adverse result going into the second leg, of that there is no doubt, but nothing is impossible,” said Valverde.
“We maintain our idea of going there to win the game and bring back the title. Yes it is difficult, but we aren’t going to give up beforehand.”
Barca need to score at least three times to have any chance of turning the tie around, but can take hope from the fact they have scored 12 goals in their last four visits to the Bernabeu.
“Scoring three goals there won’t be easy but we have done it many times,” said midfielder Sergio Busquets.
Still in search for a replacement for Neymar, Barca could be further weakened by the absence of captain Andres Iniesta who is doubtful after sitting out training on Tuesday.
New signing Paulinho won’t be involved as he doesn’t arrive in Barcelona until Thursday.
The Ethiope West Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Hon. Moses Ojo has commended Governor Ifeanyi Okowa for successfully managing all human, material and time resources to engender the expected outcome of the non-elective national convention of the party.
Chairman Convention Planning Committee, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa addressing delegates during the Non-Elective National Convention of the Peoples’ Democratic Party at the Eagle Square, Abuja. Photo by Abayomi Adeshida 12/08/2017
Ojo who addressed newsmen at the PDP secretariat in Oghara shortly after his return from Abuja on Sunday, said he was wholly impressed by Okowa's managerial dexterity which he brought to bear within a span of three days.
According to him, "many committees have failed to achieve their aims after months of preparation and planning, yet Governor Okowa who chaired the planning committee of the non-elective national convention of the PDP was able to effectively put everything in place within the duration of three days".
He added that "considering the manner with which he coordinated all available human, material and time resources, no one will doubt that the Governor is an established democrat who enjoys God's divine approval and support.
"From all the speeches he made before and during the convention, the Governor was able to convince Nigerians, particularly Deltans that he is a political leader who believes in the true tenets of democracy".
The party Chairman added that with the decisions reached at the convention, the PDP is fully prepared to wrestle power from the All Progressives Congress (APC) and “redirect the course of the country towards political and socio-economic prosperity”.
He assured that the Okowa administration will continue to judiciously deploy the scarce resources of Delta State and intensify its efforts at spreading true prosperity to all Deltans, noting that the party has strengthened its stronghold and wide acceptance in the state.
On the numerous developmental strides of the current administration, Ojo explained that only an administrator with God’s divine wisdom can perform “the Okowa’s magic” of achieving much results with little resources, urging all Deltans to massively support the Governor during the 2019 election.
I'm in my early 40's and have been married for over 12 years. In the last four years, I'd made love with a lot of women and had relationships with quite a few.
My wife is a wonderful woman and a good mother to our four children and although I care for her a great deal I'm no longer in love with her. Our love life has been non-existent for a while now and was very irregular before then.
The truth is that I no longer find her romantically appealing. We've discussed our problems but found no acceptable solutions.
I'm racked with guilt as I fear I'm turning into some sort of pervert; I'm deeply unhappy in my marriage.
Gbenga, by e-mail.
Dear Gbenga,
It sounds as if your marriage has been in trouble from day one and you're seeking light relief and an escape from the reality of your life. In the process, you're making yourself and your wife miserable. It's a good thing that you know what you're doing is wrong but as the various talks you've had with each other haven't worked, it's time to make the one decision you've, so far, been avoiding, and that is whether to continue in a marriage that isn't working or to walk away.
It's obvious you don't want to hurt your wife, but the way things are between
both of you, it's now unavoidable. If you leave, she'll be hurt, but if you stay, chances are that your philandering would make her resentful and hateful. If your reasons for getting married no longer hold true, then you must face the fact that it's over and you must find the courage to tell your wife. The children needn't suffer if this is handled with a lot of caution.
A Photojournalist from Sun Newspaper, Mudashiru Atanda; Mr Oludare from Guardian Newsapaper and a cameraman from AIT were attacked by protester at Wuse Market Abuja. Photo by Gbemiga Olamikan
The Chairman of the Edo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress Mr. Anslem Ojezua, on Tuesday said there was no cause to be alarmed over the impeachment and subsequent elections that produced a new speaker and deputy speaker in the state House of Assembly on Monday, August 14, 2017.Chairman, Edo State All Progressives Congress, Barrister Anslem Ojezua, responding to questions from journalists on the impeachment of the former Speaker of the House of Assembly after the Governor’s breakfast meeting with the assembly members on Tuesday, August 15, 2017 at Government House, Benin City.
Mr. Ojezua who gave the assurance on Tuesday at the Government House, Benin City, after a peace meeting called by the state governor, Mr Godwin Obaseki, assured that the party was still in consultation with members of the state House of Assembly to ensure that the new speaker's election conforms to the party's power sharing arrangement.
The party chairman explained that though members of parliament have the right to choose who they believe will lead them well, he however stressed that the process must conform to the political framework of the state.
"We sought to find out if there were fundamental issues that led to the impeachment between yesterday and today; but we have found out that there are none, but personal differences among members of the house. Everybody has accepted that a change of leadership has occurred, but it is not over yet. Talks are ongoing to address the issues," Ojezua said.
He added that leadership change was not new in the legislature as the National Assembly has witnessed similar changes.
Some members (16) of the Edo State House of Assembly on Monday impeached the former speaker, Dr. Justin Okonoboh, and elected Mr. Kabiru Adjoto as the new Speaker, while Mr Victor Edoror emerged as new deputy speaker, replacing Mrs Elizabeth Ativie.
Mr Kabiru Adjoto representing Akoko Edo Constituency 1, is the fourth Speaker to be elected in the Edo Assembly from 2015 till date.
Following the delegation of authority to issue consent for land transactions, the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr Raji Fashola, has signed all the pending 615 applications for land transactions, mortgages, assignments and debentures.
The Minister disclosed this to State House Correspondents on Tuesday adding that the letters were already being issued to the applicants.
"Just to update the members of the public about the delegation of authority to issue consent for land transactions.
"It has accumulated for a while but we received the delegation, I believe, on 27 of July.
"On the first week of August my office approved all of the 615 pending applications for land transactions, mortgages, assignments, debentures and all of those things.
"So, letters are being issued now to all the applicants and those who haven't received theirs should just tally a while.
"In a matter of a few days to fortnight from now we would have cleared that backlog then we go and deal with the pending applications for Certificates of Occupancy.
"Again, we are expecting delegation of authority for that one.''
According to him the implication of the signing was that would further boost to the economy.
He said that those who wanted to borrow or lend money or had sold or planning to sell their land could complete those transactions and money could move round.
"Everything revolves around it so it helps to drive us closer to our journey out of recession and implement the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan,''
By Johnbosco Agbakwuru ABUJA – PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari has sympathized with the Sierra Leone President, Ernest Bai Koroma over the recent mudslide in the country that caused huge loss of lives and massive devastation. President Muhammadu Buhari A statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina said that the Nigerian President called his Sierra Leone counterpart on telephone from London on Tuesday to console him over the disaster.
According to the statement, "In a Tuesday telephone call from London, President Buhari told President Koroma that the hearts of Nigerians are with the people of Sierra Leone at this tragic and painful period in the history of the country.
"President Buhari prays that Almighty God will comfort those who are mourning loved ones and suffered other losses.
"President Koroma thanked President Buhari for his show of concern and wished him good health."
President Muhammadu Buhari has condoled with President Ernest Bai Koroma and the people of Sierra Leone over the loss of lives and devastation caused by mudslide in the West African country.
Mr Femi Adesina, Presidential Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, said Buhari expressed his condolence in a telephone call from London to Koroma on Tuesday.
Buhari stated that the hearts of Nigerians were with the people of Sierra Leone in this tragic period in the history of the country.
He prayed that Almighty God would comfort those mourning their loved ones as well as those that suffered other losses.
Koroma thanked Buhari for his show of concern, brotherly love and wished him good health.
At least 270 people were reportedly killed on Monday after heavy rains over ran the city's drainage system and created one of the most devastating floods Freetown has experienced.
The Minister of Finance, Mrs Kemi Adeosun, says the whistleblower policy of the Federal Government is one of the current administration's successful initiatives.
Kemi Adeosun
She said this on Tuesday in Abuja at a seminar organised by the Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR) on "The Whistleblower Policy and its Implication for Public Servants''.
The Whistleblower Policy was introduced in December 2016 by the Federal Government as part of the initiatives to wage war against corruption.
According to Adeosun, as at July, over 5,000 reports have been made through various reporting channels, 365 actionable tips are received out of the 5000 reports.
She said that over half of the reports came from public servants.
The minister said the tips related to issues of contract inflation, ghost workers, illegal recruitment and misappropriation of funds.
Others according to her, include illegal sale of government assets, diversion of revenues and violation of Treasury Single Account (TSA) regulations.
The minister also said that the information received showed that certain types of tips were recurring.
"Thirty-nine per cent (144) of the actionable tips relate to misappropriation and diversion of funds/revenue, 16 per cent (60) relate to ghost workers, illegal recruitment and embezzlement of funds meant for personnel emolument.
"Fifteen per cent (56) relate to violation of TSA regulation, 13 per cent (49) relate to contract inflation/violation of the Procurement Act.
"Others include failure to carry out projects for which funds have been released and nine per cent (34) relate to non-remittance of pension and National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) deductions.''
According to the minister, others include concealed bail-out funds and embezzlement of funds from donor agencies.''
She also said the whistleblower was entitled to between 2.5 per cent and five per cent of the amount recovered as an incentive.
This, she said, only applied to whistleblowers that provided information that were original and directly led to the recovery of stolen or concealed funds or assets.
"Of course, balance is necessary in every policy.
"You will note that as keen as we are for officers to provide information, there are serious consequences for providing false or malicious information, including the possibility of prosecution.
"We must ensure that people are not victims of personal grudges or private misunderstandings.
She said in the first batch payment, N325 million had been paid as reward for whistleblowers, while payment for the next batch would soon be made.
Adeosun said it was wrong to recruit staff without appropriate authorisation, adding that the Federal Government was working on measures to address the situation.
She, however, said there was still a long way to go in the fight against corruption and mismanagement and that more needed to be done.
She said the risk of corruption was significantly heightened where the reporting of wrongdoing was not supported or where those who report wrongdoing might be subjected to retaliation, such as intimidation or harassment.
To address this, she said the Whistleblower Protection Bill passed by the Senate was a great step in the right direction.
"We have worked hard in ensuring that we have the right systems, processes and protection in place for public servants to raise their concerns about possible violations or misconduct.
"This is something we are keen on achieving and regaining the trust and integrity of the public service is a significant focus for this administration.''
The Director General, BPSR, Dr Joe Abah, said corruption was a major issue in Nigeria and the whistleblower policy was in tandem with the agency's reform campaign.
He said this was because the policy and the BPSR both solicit for sanctions for erring officers and incentives for worthy officers.
He said the monthly seminars, which began some months ago, hoped to inform public servants about reforms in the public service.
According to him, it seeks to provide an opportunity for those driving the reforms to explain them to public servants and take questions and suggestions about how better those reforms could be driven.
A six-month-old baby has died after being beaten by Kenyan police during a raid on her house as protests erupted following a disputed election result in western Kisumu, her father said Tuesday.
The baby, Samantha Pendo, had been in a coma in hospital since Friday night, when her father said police forced their way into their house during a crackdown on protesters in the slum where they live.
Officers fired teargas into their house and battered down the door, before raining blows on the couple with batons. Samantha, who was in her mother’s arms, was left fighting for her life with head injuries.
“I have lost my daughter, a short while ago. Let her rest in peace,” said her father Joseph Abanja.
“Why did they have to beat us and injure my innocent angel. We have followed the order by the government to vote and stay home. Why did they have to come after us in our homes?”
Samantha has become the face of police brutality during a crackdown on the protests that erupted after opposition leader Raila Odinga claimed last Tuesday’s presidential election had been rigged in favour of the incumbent Uhuru Kenyatta.
Local media have carried stories of similar police raids on private homes during the clampdown on unrest.
In a separate incident in the Mathare slum in Nairobi, a nine-year-old girl was shot in the back and killed on Saturday while standing on her family’s balcony, as police fired shots to disperse protesters in the street below.
The death toll from post-election violence has now risen to 17, according to an AFP tally. The Red Cross says it has treated 177 people with injuries.
Senior police officials as well as Interior Minister Fred Matiangi have insisted there has been no excessive use of force, claiming only criminals engaging in looting and robbery have been shot by police.
The Daily Nation accused the government of “blatant lies on riot deaths” in its editorial Tuesday.
“The government has badly handled the post-election unrest and created more confusion and public anger,” it said, urging police to “rein in officers hell bent on visiting mayhem on hapless citizens”.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein said it was the government’s responsibility to “ensure that security forces prioritise dialogue, non-violent means and exercise restraint, using proportionate force only when unavoidable.”
Gov. Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State has said that his administration would continue to promote peace and sustainable programmes that would enhance youth development in the state.
Okowa said this when he received a delegation of youths led by Mr Kenneth Okorie, the Chairman, Delta State Youth Council, on Tuesday in Asaba.
Okorie had led other youths on a peace walk to mark the grand finale of the International Youth Week celebration.
The governor, who was represented by the Chief of Staff, Government House, Mr Tam Brisibe, said that the government's programmes and policies were tilted towards youth development.
Okowa commended the youths for the peaceful manner they have conducted their affairs while marking the week, assuring them that more youths would be considered for employment in the state.
He said that any nation aspiring for greatness must inculcate the right morals into the youths and work for their well-being because they are the leaders of tomorrow.
"This administration believes that the future belongs to the youths, hence it is making huge investment in the development of the group.''
Earlier, Okorie urged the state government to prevail on the multinational oil companies to relocate their operational headquarters to Delta.
He said that such a development would not only create jobs but also strengthen the existing peace in the region.
Furthermore, Okorie urged governments at all levels to address the recurring menace of herdsmen attacks, to ensure sustainable peace, noting that the situation could escalate, if youths became targets.
Okorie, however, commended the state government on its polices and empowerment programme for youths and women and appealed to the state government to create opportunities to productively engage more youths.
The Co- Convener of ‘OurmumuDondo’ and ‘Resume and Resign’ protesters Mr. Charles Oputa, aka Charly Boy, Tuesday, was attacked by mob who allegedly destroyed a BMW vehicle. Report equally has it that the popular area father was saved by some policemen who saw him when the said mob attacked him.
