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Abia under excruciating poverty – League of professionals
Abia League of Professionals Initiative (ALPI), has lamented that residents of the state have, since the commencement of the present democratic dispensation, been subjected to excruciating poverty as a result of bad leadership.
Director General of ALPI, Sonny Iroche, who made the claims in his address at an interactive session with governorship candidates in Umuahia, regretted that public office holders in the state had diverted public funds to private pickets.
ALPI is an incorporated non-partisan professional association with the aims and objectives, among others things, of ensuring good governance by holding political and public office holders accountable to their own sworn oath of office.
He regretted that few greedy characters had seized the state but vowed that professionals in the state would no longer watch the oppressors hold the state down.
” Abians have been subjected to excruciating poverty, non or delayed payment of salaries and pensions, insecurity debt overhangs, de-accreditation of two of our tertiary institutions, broken infrastructure, unemployment, lack of development, etc”, he lamented.
ALPI vowed to continue to act as watchdogs for the people and to hold the elected leaders accountable for the masses.
Featuring at the session, the governorship candidate of the Zenith Labour Party, Prince Okey Kanu, said that the state had been hijacked by a political cabal “which only care for their stomach “.
The governorship hopeful who made the claims during a governorship clip the wings of the said cabal if given the opportunity to preside over the affairs of the state.
He promised to keep anyone with unclean records at arm’s length in his administration if voted into power.
Prince Kanu who said he was coming to begin a new Abia agreed with ALPI that the state had been impoverished by a few selfish individuals.
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He regretted that Abia prides itself as God’s Own State “but in unfortunately the leaders are far from God.”
According to him,” In the past, wise Leaders had time with God for direction but these days our leaders move up and down in hotels with girls instead of consulting God. How do you expect anything good from such leaders?”
He promised to ensure regular power supply to Aba to facilitate industrial and economic activities in the commercial city, arguing that “if Aba is running well, Abia will run well”.
Prince Kanu promised to give adequate attention to the education and health sectors, lamenting the de-accreditation of the Medical College of the Abia State University Uturu.
He described as embarrassing, a situation where medical doctors are owed for 25 months in the state, saying it is the height of insensitivity of government.
The Zenith Labour Party candidate said that regular payment of salaries and pensions would be one of the legacies of his administration if elected.
Kanu who is a Management expert, promised to be prudent in resource management and to closely monitor the activities of his aides and appointees.
He also promised to revolutionalise and make agriculture attractive as was witnessed in the days of the late Premier of the Old Eastern Region, Dr Michael Okpara.
“Under my watch, Abia farmers will begin to ride flashy cars because I will make farming an enviable profession”
He expressed optimism that the forthcoming elections would be credible because of the introduction of the Bi-modal Voter Accreditation System, BVAS machines while soliciting the support of Abian voters.
The Commissioner of Police in Osun, Mohammed Abba, has pledged collaboration with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in tackling the menace of drug Abuse in the state.
A statement by the Police Public Relation Officer, CSP Yemisi Opalaola, on Thursday in Osogbo, said that the commissioner made the pledge while playing host to NDLEA State Commandant, Adetula Lawal.
Abba expressed his readiness to further strengthen the healthy partnership between the two agencies.
The police commissioner said that the fight against drug abuse required collective efforts.
According to him, many of those committing crimes are doing so under the influence of dangerous drugs.
Abba promised to provide the necessary support to the NDLEA in the state.
The statement quoted Lawal as commending the police commissioner’s efforts in combating crime and criminality in the state.
He reiterated the agency’s collaboration with the police, as a leading security agency to tackle the menace of drug abuse and trafficking in the state.
Financial experts have raised alarm that the implementation of the 4 per cent Free-On-Board (FOB) Levy on imports would exacerbate inflation in the country.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) report that the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) on Feb. 5 announced its introduction of the FOB levy on imports.
According to Abdullahi Maiwada, the spokesman of the service, the introduction of the levy was in line with the provisions of the Nigeria Customs Service Act (NCSA) 2023.
“In line with the provisions of Section 18 (1) of NCSA 2023, the NCS is implementing a 4 per cent charge on the Free On-Board (FOB) value of imports.
“The FOB charge, which is calculated based on the value of imported goods, including the cost of goods and transportation expenses incurred up to the port of loading, is essential to driving the effective operation of the service.”
However, a former Chairman, Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Ogun Chapter, Dr Wale Adegbite and Evans Osabuohien, a Professor of Economics, said that the levy would worsen the nation’s inflation rate.
In separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Ota, Ogun, Adegbite and Osabuohien of the Department of Economics, Covenant University, said that the policy would negatively impact the economy.
The former MAN chairman said that the 4 per cent levy by the NCS “is a disaster and will worsen an already bad situation with multiple devastating effect on the economy.
” Why would the government inflict more hardship on the population as this new policy will certainly lead to more price increase, thus further increasing the country’s inflation rate.
“In addition, the masses will suffer more because of the impending price increase without any corresponding increase in income.”
Also, Osabuohien said that though the new FOB policy by the NCS was meant to generate more revenue for the federal government, but it would negatively impact on the economy.
He said that the NCS action would increase the cost of living of households.
The economist explained further that the development would increase the cost of operations of Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs), especially those companies that depend on imported raw materials for their production.
“This additional cost to be incurred through the 4 per cent increase in FOB would be transferred to the consumers and it would automatically trigger increase in the nation’s inflation rate,” Osabuohien said.
U.S. President Donald Trump plans to impose tariffs of 25 per cent on steel and aluminium imports into the United States, he said on Sunday.
“Any steel coming to the United States is going to have them, 25 per cent tariff,” Trump said, according to journalists travelling with the president. When questioned about tariffs on aluminium imports, Trump replied, “25 Per cent for both.”
Trump also confirmed his plan to announce further reciprocal tariffs in the coming week.
He spoke of an announcement on Tuesday or Wednesday.
“Very simply, if they charge us, we charge them, Trump told reporters, adding that the tariffs would go into effect almost immediately.”
U.S. tariffs of 10 per cent on Chinese goods took effect from Feb. 4.
The planned tariffs of 25 per cent on Mexico and Canada were suspended for an initial period of 30 days following promises from the two countries to increase border security measures.
Trump won November’s presidential election promising to slap high tariffs on foreign goods to reduce U.S. trade deficits.
He implemented a number of duties during his first term from 2017 to 2021.
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