News
Buhari appoints substantive Rector for Federal Polytechnic, Offa
President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the appointment of Dr Kamoru Kadiri as the 5th substantive Rector of the Federal Polytechnic, Offa in Kwara.
The institution’s Director of Information, Public Relations and Protocol, Mr Olayinka Iroye, confirmed this in a statement on Monday in Offa.
He said the appointment letter was signed and personally handed over to Kadiri by the Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu, in his office on Monday with effect from March.
The appointment is a five-year single term.
Until his appointment, Kadiri was the Director of Affiliate Degree Programmes and Industrial Collaborations and later appointed Ag. Rector of the Polytechnic Iresi, Osun State, on a one-year sabbatical in 2021.
He was born on July 8, 1968, in Osogbo. He attended Ansarudeen Primary School, Isale Osun, Osogbo, and enrolled at the St Charles’ Grammar School, Osogbo, in 1985.
He began his Engineering career at The Polytechnic Ibadan, where he obtained his National Diploma in Electrical Electronics Engineering in 1988.
He proceeded to Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, for his B.Sc in Electrical/Electronics Engineering.
Kadiri also possessed three Master Degrees, (MBA University of Ado Ekiti, MILR University of Ilorin, and M.Sc from Babcock University) and a Doctoral Degree (PhD) with a specialisation in Networking and Telecommunications also from Babcock University.
He was at the University of Groningen, Netherlands, for bench work where he was exposed to state-of-art equipment to complete his Ph.D thesis.
Kadiri joined the services of The Federal Polytechnic Offa in November 1996 and rose through the ranks to become a Chief Lecturer.
He was a former Head of the Department of Electrical/Electronics Engineering and former Chairman of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), FEDPOFFA Chapter.
The new Rector is a Registered Engineer and a FeIlow, Institute of Data Processing Management of Nigeria; Fellow, the Nigerian Society of Engineers; Member, the Nigerian Institute of Management (AMNIM),
Similarly, Kadiri is a member, Nigerian Institute of Engineering Management (NIEM); member, Engineering Regulation Bureau and Legislation Board of Nigerian Society of Engineers, and Fellow, Nigerian Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.
He is an accomplished scholar who has contributed to knowledge and research with over 50 published journals, 17 published refereed conference proceedings, 25 seminar papers, and 20 single-authored textbooks in various fields of Engineering.
Kadiri has two patented inventions and 11 literary works with the Copyright Commission of Nigeria.
He had won research grants twice from Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) and Clintonnel Innovation Centre.
He is happily married and blessed with children.
The Naira appreciated marginally to N1480 against the dollar at the parallel foreign exchange market, also known as the black market, amid the Sallah holidays.
Dayyabu Ashiru, a bureau de change operator at Wuse Zone 4 in Abuja, disclosed this to newsmen on Tuesday.
He noted that demand for foreign exchange had remained flat due to the Eid-el-Kabir holiday.
According to him, the Naira was exchanged at N1,480 against the dollar on Tuesday compared between N1,490 to N1500 it was traded last Friday before the holiday.
“We buy at N1,460 against the dollar and sell at N1,480. This is an appreciation compared to the N1,490 to N1,500 it traded last week Friday. I think demand for FX dropped due to the Sallah celebration,” he said.
The development comes as the Nigeria government declared Monday and Tuesday public holidays to mark the Sallah celebration.
Consequently, official FX trading is expected to resume on Wednesday.
Last week Friday, FMDQ data showed that the Naira closed at N1482.72 against the dollar at the official market.
The continued fluctuations of the Naira in the FX market had been a source of concern to financial experts.
Director of the Centre for the Promotion of Private Enterprise, Muda Yusuf, said the fluctuation of the Naira against the dollar is a contributing factor to Nigeria’s soaring inflation, which rose to 33.95 per cent in May 2024.
Kogi State Governor, Usman Ododo, has approved funds for the rehabilitation of old Lokoja water works, which have been submerged since the 2022 flood disaster.
The Kogi State Commissioner for Water Resources, Yahaya Farouk, disclosed this during an interactive session with journalists on Tuesday in Lokoja, the state capital.
Farouk explained that the plant is intended to supply water to some areas of Lokoja, the Kogi State capital, pending the completion of repairs at the Greater Lokoja Water Works, which was damaged by floods in 2012.
According to the Commissioner, the State government is taking pragmatic steps to replace equipment submerged at the Greater Lokoja Water Works, though this will take at least 12 months to complete.
He emphasized the administration’s commitment to addressing the water scarcity, appealing to residents for patience, while assuring them that efforts were being made to resolve the issue.
“Before Friday, contractors will resume work for the rehabilitation of old Lokoja water works. It has been approved and cashed back by the Governor of Kogi State. Within the shortest possible time, water supply will return to Lokoja metropolis,” he stated.
Farouk debunked reports making the rounds that the reservoir for old Lokoja water works has been sold out.
According to him, “This is not true and should be disregarded by the general public. This is the handwork of mischief makers who keep spreading fake news just to discredit the government efforts at restoring water to Lokoja metropolis”.
The Commissioner seized the opportunity to intimate journalists about the arrest of some suspects who vandalised armoured cables for greater Lokoja Waterworks in Ganaja Village.
His words, “I am convinced that it was an internal problem. We wrote to the State Police Command, and arrests were made concerning some suspects who went to vandalise armoured cables meant for greater Lokoja water works. The private security agencies were engaged and later sent a report that some people had owned up that the armoured cables were sold to someone in Ganaja.
“We have tank A, which is supposed to serve supply to tank B have also been vandalised. We will arrest all of them no matter their hiding place. Any person who vandalises public infrastructure that is expected to serve the people will not go unpunished.
“I want to use this opportunity to emphasise community ownership of our installation across the State. I must commend Ayegunle Gbede a community in Kogi East that has been protecting our infrastructure in their locality. There were parts of our water equipment that were auctioned about five years ago.
“The auctioneers could not come close because the community stood their ground, insisting that they must see the Ministry of Water Resources before anything could be done. This is what we want and should be replicated across the board. We must stand our ground to stop the vandalisation of our critical infrastructure in Kogi State.”
He maintained that the procurement process of greater Lokoja water works is about 80 per cent, stressing that the government has almost concluded plans with the contractors to bring the plant back to shape.
He commended the robust relationship between the government and working journalists in the State, adding that this has brought about rapid development and good governance for the people of Kogi State.
Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has vowed to ensure that peace prevails in the state while protecting his supporters, who he said stand for truth.
Fubara made this pledge while addressing newsmen shortly after a State Security Council meeting with heads of security agencies at the Government House in Port Harcourt on Tuesday.
The governor emphasized that any attempts to arrest his supporters on trumped-up charges would not be tolerated.
In a statement signed by the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Nelson Chukwudi, Fubara reiterated that the law is clear on tenure extension for elected local government chairmen.
Fubara said, “Let me also say this: I’m also aware that there is a grand plan to come and arrest some of our supporters.
“This time around, you have to pass through me to arrest them because I don’t think there is anything that any of those people following us has done. Rather, they are standing on the side of truth.
“If it will cost us our lives to stand on the part of truth, we will do that. And I will be the one that will lead the course.”
He further said, “Let me assure everyone, more especially, the great and peace-loving people of Rivers State: the law is the law. The law has said that there is no extension of tenure.
“The court said so, and whoever that is assuring anybody anywhere of whatever, I advise them to desist from it because peace is what we need in this State.
“I assure everyone of you that whatever it takes to make sure that we maintain peace and order, we are not going back on that.”
Fubara explained that the State Security Council meeting was convened due to rising tensions following the expiration of local government chairmen’s tenures.
“It’s really unfortunate that we started hearing some disturbing news from some LGAs of invasion of council secretariats, and it is really unfortunate. So, we have called the Security Council Meeting so that the needful will be done.
“We are also aware that our enemy is also planning a lot of things. But we will not fall into that plot. We will not also allow him or them to destroy the peace that we are enjoying in the state.”
He thanked the people for their support, and urged everyone to continue to remain law-abiding for the unity and progress of the state.
One killed in Osun cult clash
Heirs Holdings inaugurates HH Group Directors’ annual summit
