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NG-Cares begins implementation of N1.2bn projects in Nasarawa communities
Solomon Attah,Lafia
The Nasarawa State office of the COVID-19 Action Recovery Stimulus (NG-Cares), a World Bank assisted programme, has commenced implementation of two micro projects in 83 selected communities across the state to ameliorate the plight of the people.
According to the implementing Agency of the programme, Community and Social Development Agency (CSDA), the projects, which is estimated to gulped about One Billion, Two Hundred and Forty-five Million Naira (N1, 245, 000, 000.00), would have the state NG-Cares office executing two projects in each of the selected communities with direct bearing on the lives of the people.
This is just as the state NG-Cares office, has purchased medical facilities for the Kofar Kaura Primary Healthcare Center as well as renovated a primary school, worth about Fifteen Million Naira in Lafia local government.
Speaking in an interview, shortly after handing over medical equipment to the Kofar Kaura facility in Lafia, the State NG-Cares Coordinator, Umar Ibrahim Dahiru, explained that, the essence was to help the communities reduce the spread of HIV, hepatitis another infectious diseases.
He then thanked Governor Abdullahi Sule for approving funds for the purchase and distribution of medical facilities to over 100 health centers in the state.
Dahiru said, the provision of the items was a commitments of the programme to engage the people on the project of their choice and to embark on same, that will benefit the communities, through the implementing agency, Community and Social Community Development Agency (CSDA).
He expressed happiness that, the agency was able to buy the most needed items for the medical facility as budgeted for, and assured of his commitment to deliver on their mandate, especially in the areas of health, education, water and environmental sanitation.
According to the State NG-Cares Coordinator, “this is just one of the over 100 medical facilities across the state, that His Excellency has approved funding for the provision of basic social amenities.
“We are just here to commission this project for use in this primary health. There are many more that are going on simultaneously,” he added.
He, however commended Governor Sule for providing funding and the platform for people across communities to benefit from his laudable initiative.
Ahmed El-shaa, the General Manager, Community and Social Development Agency (CSDA), as an agency responsible for implementing the World Bank assisted programme, they would do everything to ensure the people get the best of the project executed.
El-shaa said, based on their mapping, about 166 projects are being executed in the 83 selected communities, in the areas of health, education, water, erosion control among others.
“We are implementing the programme in 83 communities and each community, we are executing two micro projects and by the time you multiply it into two, you get 166 projects across the 83 communities.”
“And in every community, we are executing about N15 million micro projects and it all depends on what the people need for intervention”, El-shaa said.
The CSDA boss emphasized that, the hallmark of the project was to provide what the people most needed, to improve the livelihood and health condition.
Some of the purchased items included, beds, matrasses, pillows, solar light and packates of testing kits.
The Supreme Court has overturned the Court of Appeal’s decision that recognised Julius Abure as the National Chairman of the Labour Party (LP). In a decisive ruling, a five-member panel declared that the Court of Appeal lacked the legal authority to determine the party’s leadership matters.
In a unanimous verdict, the highest court in the land stated that the Court of Appeal had no jurisdiction over the matter. The panel observed that since the case revolved around the internal leadership structure of the Labour Party, it fell outside the jurisdiction of the courts.
The ruling reinforced the long-standing principle that leadership disputes within political parties should be resolved internally, rather than through judicial intervention.
The Supreme Court stressed that leadership struggles within political parties are purely internal matters. According to legal principles, courts should not interfere in such issues, as they fall under the party’s constitution and governance framework. By upholding this legal doctrine, the apex court reaffirmed that political parties must settle their leadership crises independently.
The Supreme Court upheld the appeal lodged by Senator Nenadi Usman and a fellow appellant, ruling that their claims were valid. Their appeal challenged the earlier judgment, arguing that it was flawed due to jurisdictional overreach. After thorough legal scrutiny, the Supreme Court found merit in their argument and ruled in their favour.
The legal battle also involved a cross-appeal filed by supporters of Julius Abure, who sought to challenge the decision against their leader. However, the Supreme Court dismissed this cross-appeal, declaring it unsubstantiated and lacking merit. The ruling effectively ended the legal contest over the Labour Party’s chairmanship, cementing the judiciary’s stance on non-interference in party leadership disputes.
Bitcoin experienced sharp fluctuations following President Donald Trump’s April 2 tariff announcement, initially surging to $88,000 before dropping to $82,000.
By April 3, it stabilized around $83,000, with the broader crypto market down over 4%. Major altcoins like Ethereum and Solana also declined over 6%, hitting multi-month lows.
Analysts see the tariff news as reducing market uncertainty, potentially attracting institutional investors.
Despite higher-than-expected rates, experts believe the clarity could help Bitcoin regain momentum toward $90,000. Bitcoin ETFs, led by BlackRock, recorded $218 million in inflows on April 2, reversing prior outflows.
Kraken’s Thomas Perfumo challenged the idea that institutional interest stabilizes crypto, emphasizing that volatility signals demand for a scarce asset.
Some analysts viewed the sell-off as an overreaction to trade policy concerns, highlighting Bitcoin’s resilience as a store of value.
With ETFs showing strong demand, Bitcoin’s price may stabilize and rise, though market participants remain cautious, monitoring trade policies and economic conditions.
Violent clashes between pastoralist groups and settled farming communities have long been a challenge in South Sudan.
However, the recent outbreak of violence in the northern Ruweng Administrative Area has further heightened concerns over the nation’s fragile peace. At least 30 people lost their lives after an armed youth group launched a brutal attack on a northern South Sudanese town, according to local officials.
The incident, linked to an escalating cattle raid, saw the town briefly fall under the control of the attackers before security forces regained control.
The violence began when a group of armed youth stole lambs earlier in the week. Security forces quickly intervened, forcing the raiders to retreat. However, instead of dispersing, the group reorganised and launched a more aggressive attack on Abiemnom the following day.
Local Minister of Information, Simon Chol Mialith, confirmed that despite resistance from local youth and security personnel, the town was overrun by the Mayom armed youth. The attack led to significant casualties and destruction before security forces were able to reclaim the town.
On Wednesday, the South Sudan People’s Defence Force (SSPDF) successfully pushed the attackers out, restoring a semblance of calm. However, the scale of the destruction was already severe, with over 40 individuals injured in addition to the fatalities.
Although reports suggest that some of the deceased were members of the armed groups, official confirmation remains pending.
The attack comes at a time of growing instability in South Sudan, with tensions between forces loyal to President Salva Kiir and First Vice President Riek Machar intensifying. This political rivalry threatens to unravel the delicate 2018 peace agreement that ended the nation’s five-year civil war.
Since gaining independence in 2011, South Sudan has struggled with continuous unrest. Despite its vast oil resources, the country remains impoverished, with conflicts like these exacerbating economic and social difficulties.