News
Kwara orders removal of billboards on two major roads in Ilorin
The Kwara State Signage and Advertisement Agency, KWASAA, has directed all billboard and signage owners, including private and government entities, to immediately remove all forms of outdoor advertisements erected along Ahmadu Bello Way, from the first flyover to the second flyover, and along Murtala Muhammad Way, Ilorin, in the state capital.
The General Manager of KWASAA, Alhaji Imam Ismail Asukuti, issued the directive on Saturday in a statement by the spokesman of the agency, Abubakar Owolabi.
He urged the affected individuals, ministries, parastatals, agencies, and commissions to comply immediately.
“This directive is part of the government’s commitment to the growth, development, and transformation of the state, particularly in advancing its city reform agenda,” Asukuti affirmed in the statement.
He called on stakeholders in the outdoor advertisement industry and the general public to adhere strictly to the directive, emphasising that it was aimed at enhancing the aesthetic and infrastructural development of the state.
The KWASAA general manager further assured the public of the agency’s dedication to creating an organised and visually appealing environment across the state.
The Universal Basic Education Commission on Tuesday announced plans to introduce a new template for disbursing counterpart funds under the Universal Basic Education programme.
This was disclosed by the Executive Secretary of the commission, Aisha Garba, during an interactive workshop with State Universal Basic Education Boards in Abuja.
Garba explained that the Federal Government, through UBEC, had recently restructured the delivery of basic education nationwide to align with four strategic pillars aimed at improving access and quality across states and the Federal Capital Territory.
She identified the pillars as expanding access to basic education, especially for rural and underserved populations; enhancing the quality of teaching and learning nationwide; strengthening accountability and the effective use of education financing; and optimising monitoring and institutional systems for quality service delivery.
She said, “The Hope Education Project of the present administration is a performance-for-reward initiative designed to support states that judiciously utilise resources in line with these four pillars.”
She added that the new approach had made it necessary to develop fresh templates that will guide SUBEBs in preparing work plans to access UBE intervention funds under the framework of the Hope Education Project.
Also speaking at the event, UBEC’s Deputy Executive Secretary for General Services, Tunde Ajibulu, described the workshop as timely and essential.
He stressed that the realignment of basic education delivery made the introduction of the new templates crucial.
“We expect you, as implementers of basic education in your respective states, to contribute positively and help develop workable templates,” Ajibulu said.
A Kano State High Court on Tuesday dismissed an application filed by former Kano State Governor and current National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje, challenging the court’s jurisdiction to hear a bribery and misappropriation case against him.
The Kano State Government brought 11 counts against Ganduje, his wife Hafsat, son Umar, and five others, alleging bribery totalling $413,000 and misappropriation of N1.38 billion.
The other defendants include Abubakar Bawuro, Umar Abdullahi Umar, Jibrilla Muhammad, Lamash Properties Limited, Safari Textiles Limited, and Lasage General Enterprises Limited.
Delivering her ruling, Justice Amina Adamu-Aliyu dismissed all preliminary objections raised by the defendants, describing them as incompetent and lacking merit.
She ruled that the charges filed on May 13, 2024, were competent and that the matter should proceed to trial.
The judge further issued a summons to the sixth defendant, Lamash Properties Limited, and adjourned the case to July 30 and 31, 2025, for hearing.
Ganduje, his wife Hafsat, and son Umar, had through their lawyer, Mrs. Lydia Oyewo, filed a preliminary objection dated November 18, 2024, challenging the court’s jurisdiction and seeking to have all charges quashed.
In response, counsel for the state government, Adeola Adedipe (SAN), filed a counter-application dated October 22, 2024, urging the court to dismiss the preliminary objections for lacking merit.
Similarly, counsel for the third and seventh defendants, M.N. Duru, (SAN), submitted a motion on notice dated October 18, 2024, supported by a 14-paragraph affidavit and a written address, asking the court to uphold their application.
Counsel for the fifth defendant, Muhammad Shehu, also filed a motion dated October 18, 2024, and urged the court to grant it with substantial costs against the complainant.
Abubakar Ahmad, representing the sixth defendant, filed a preliminary objection dated September 9, 2024, supported by a nine-paragraph affidavit.
Additionally, counsel for the eighth defendant, Faruk Asekome, filed a notice of preliminary objection dated October 18, 2024, supported by a five-paragraph affidavit and written address, also seeking dismissal of the charges.
Justice Adamu-Aliyu, however, ruled that the objections lacked merit and cleared the way for the trial to proceed.
-
News17 hours agoJust in: Another major headache as 3 PDP senators defect to APC
-
News17 hours agoCourt Jails Two Six Months for Naira Abuse in Lagos
-
News18 hours agoUnion seals Lagos company over racial discrimination of workers
-
News17 hours ago$1.43m scam: Ajudua on the run as Supreme Court orders his return to prison
-
News18 hours agoCBN warns public against fraudsters claiming to act on its behalf
-
News15 hours ago10 WAEC students still missing as Rivers women demand Sole Administrator’s intervention
-
News15 hours agoReps reject bill on rotational presidency among six geopolitical zones
-
News15 hours agoIf sight led me, I wouldn’t have married my wife, says Pastor Enenche