The Anambra State Government has reaffirmed its commitment to inclusive governance and sustainable development with new policy decisions and project approvals aimed at tackling erosion, strengthening education, improving healthcare delivery and boosting the state’s economy.

The government also approved contracts worth ₦640 million for key infrastructural projects designed to enhance social cohesion, stimulate economic growth and improve public service delivery across the state.

This was contained in a statement on Tuesday by the Commissioner for Information and Value Reorientation, Law Mefor, following the third meeting of the Anambra State Executive Council held at the Government House, Awka, on June 22.

According to the statement, the Council took several decisions, including continued market regeneration, enforcement of environmental laws, sustenance of free education and free antenatal care, as well as the introduction of a school adoption programme.

“The Anambra State Executive Council, at its third meeting, reaffirmed its commitment to inclusive governance and sustainable development through new resolutions and projects to boost the economy, protect the environment, and improve educational standards,” the statement partly read.

It noted that markets remain a key component of the state’s economy, adding that efforts to regenerate and modernise markets would continue to ensure cleaner, safer and more organised commercial environments.

The Council also expressed concern over traders who violate market boundaries by displaying goods along roadsides, warning that such practices cause traffic obstruction and safety risks. It added that some markets would be relocated and enclosed to prevent encroachment on major roads.

Erosion was again identified as the most pressing environmental challenge in the state. The Council attributed its worsening impact to human activities such as improper stormwater drainage, construction on flood channels and indiscriminate tree felling.

To address the challenge, the government resolved to enforce the state’s environmental law mandating households to construct catch pits to reduce surface runoff and protect infrastructure.

The Council also reaffirmed its commitment to sustaining flagship social policies of the administration, including free education and free antenatal and delivery services for pregnant women.

It further approved the introduction of a school adoption programme, under which individuals and corporate organisations will adopt public schools to support their development.

According to the statement, the initiative falls under the Public-Private-Community Partnership framework of the administration, also known as “Soludozie Anambra,” and is expected to improve school infrastructure and learning outcomes.

The Council also approved a proposed law to set minimum standards for administrators of public and private primary and secondary schools in the state.

The law is expected to curb arbitrary fees, regulate school practices, and prohibit the barring of students from reusing textbooks.

The government further approved ₦237 million for the remodelling of Afouzo Market in Isuofia, Aguata Local Government Area, awarded to Crystal Dove Construction Company Ltd.

It also approved ₦402.83 million for the supply of routine antenatal medicines and related services under the state’s free antenatal and delivery services programme, awarded to Jessy Pharmaceutical Company Ltd and Award Global Company Ltd.

The Council said the reforms reflect Governor Chukwuma Soludo’s commitment to building a livable and prosperous Anambra through infrastructure development, environmental protection, and human capital investment.

punch.ng

FOLLOW US ON:

FACEBOOK

TWITTER

PINTEREST

TIKTOK

YOUTUBE

LINKEDIN

The Chairman of the Taraba State Environmental and Sanitation Agency, Illiya Kefas, on Tuesday said the decision to reduce the monthly allowance of members of the Operation Keep Taraba Clean programme, popularly known as street sweepers, from N15,000 to N10,000 was an internal administrative measure and not a directive from Governor Agbu Kefas.

According to the Tribune, the clarification came a day after he told journalists in Jalingo on Monday that the reduction followed a directive from the governor aimed at managing available resources after the recruitment of new workers into the state and local government civil services.

Speaking on Tuesday, the agency chairman said the salary adjustment became necessary because of the agency’s increasing workforce and operational expenses across the state’s 16 local government areas.

“The arrangement was an internal decision to sustain the activities of the agency and not a directive from the governor,” he said.

The development marks the latest reduction in the earnings of the street sweepers since the programme was introduced in 2023.

The workers were initially engaged by the state government in 2023 with a monthly allowance of N20,000.

However, in March 2024, their monthly allowance was reduced to N15,000 after they were reportedly asked to either accept a N5,000 cut or forfeit their positions.

In May 2026, the workers received N10,000, representing another N5,000 reduction and leaving their earnings at half of what they received when the programme began.

Explaining the latest adjustment, Kefas said the agency manages a large workforce, including 16 local government coordinators, supervisors, monitoring teams and more than 100 casual workers engaged in sanitation activities across the state.

“We have 16 Local Government Coordinators, including Ngada and Yantu. We pay some N200,000, while the least among them earns N100,000. We also have a monitoring team,” he said.

He added, “We also have supervisors. The least we pay them is N50,000 per person, and we have 10 of them,” he added.

According to him, the agency spends over N5m monthly on feeding casual workers engaged in sanitation activities across the state’s 16 local government areas.

“There are more than 100 casual staff across the 16 local governments. We spend over N5 million on feeding the boys who work on a daily basis,” he said.

Kefas said team leaders supervising roadside sanitation exercises also receive daily allowances, while the agency commits substantial resources to waste evacuation and other environmental sanitation activities.

He maintained that the agency’s financial commitments made the salary adjustment necessary to sustain its operations.

In a subsequent text message to journalists on Monday, the chairman defended the decision, saying workers who were dissatisfied with the new allowance were free to leave.

“I have the right to ask my people to work at N10,000. Anyone interested will work, and if you are not, you can go your way,” he stated.

He added: “There is nothing wrong to slash their salaries. Do you journalists ask us how we manage the agency?”

The chairman also cited limited allocations from the Federation Account and the state’s expanding wage obligations following the recruitment of new civil servants as factors affecting the agency’s finances.

punch.ng

FOLLOW US ON:

FACEBOOK

TWITTER

PINTEREST

TIKTOK

YOUTUBE

LINKEDIN

Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, is set to file a no-case submission in his alleged wiretapping trial, after the Department of State Services closed its case against him before the Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday.

The DSS is prosecuting El-Rufai on an amended five-count charge bordering on alleged unlawful interception of communications and breach of national security.

According to the charges, the former Kaduna State governor had claimed on Arise Television during a live interview in February that he had intercepted a telephone conversation involving Ribadu, which allegedly revealed plans by security operatives to arrest him, an offence the agency said was contrary to Section 12(1) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc) Amendment Act, 2024.

At the resumed hearing, counsel for the DSS, Oluwole Aladedoye, informed the court that the prosecution would not be calling any further witnesses, prompting the formal closure of its case.

Following the development, El-Rufai’s lawyer, Paul Erokoro (SAN), told the court that the defence would file a no-case submission, contending that the prosecution had failed to establish sufficient evidence to warrant his client entering a defence.

The defence sought two weeks to file the application, while the prosecution requested another two weeks to respond.

Erokoro also applied for a variation of the bail conditions earlier granted to the former governor, describing them as stringent and difficult to fulfil.

He argued that the conditions requiring Level 17 civil servants with properties in Abuja’s Maitama or Asokoro districts to stand as sureties, as well as verification and attestation letters from the Kaduna State Traditional Council, were onerous.

The prosecution, however, opposed the application, insisting that public officers who met the conditions existed and urging the court to reject the request.

Ruling on the application, Justice Joyce Abdulmalik declined to vary the bail conditions, holding that there were civil servants who owned properties in the designated areas and could serve as sureties.

The judge subsequently adjourned the matter until September 22 for the filing of the no-case submission and continuation of proceedings.

punch.ng

FOLLOW US ON:

FACEBOOK

TWITTER

PINTEREST

TIKTOK

YOUTUBE

LINKEDIN