Ben Bassey

<h1>Heineken NV, the World’s second-largest beer maker, is considering closing two factories in North-eastern Brazil, the company said on Friday in a statement.</h1>

“This is as an extreme measure after a court ordered the company to sell beer and soft drinks in the region at a money-losing price.

“Heineken is in a court dispute with Grupo LGH referring to the prices to sell its portfolio in the states of Pernambuco and Paraiba,’’ the statement said.

“A court decision mandates Heineken to sell beer and soft drinks below cost to a local distributor.

“Due to these distortions, Heineken is reviewing its strategy in the northeast and considers extreme measures such as the closure of the factories.

“Two factories that might close are in the states of Bahia and Pernambuco,’’ the company said.

It gave no details about the product mix at those factories.

Since Heineken’s 1.2 billion dollar purchase in 2017 of the money-losing Brazil operations of Japan’s Kirin Holdings Co. Ltd., the brewer operates 15 factories in the country.

It cut its full-year margin forecasts in the first half due to currency weakness in some more profitable markets and expansion in Brazil.

A newspaper, Valor Economico, reported that the closure was being considered because the court decision resulted in an accumulated loss of 23.4 million dollars in 2017.

This is as an extreme measure after a court ordered the company to sell beer and soft drinks in the region at a money-losing price.

Brewing company considers closing Brazilian factories

<h1>No fewer than 1,500 refugees and migrants have lost their lives attempting to cross the Mediterranean in the first seven months of 2018, the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) said.</h1>

UNHCR said it was particularly concerned, as the rate of deaths was increasing, in spite of the total number of people arriving on European shores is significantly reduced compared to previous years.

Around 60,000 people have crossed the Mediterranean so far this year, about half as many as in 2017 and a return to pre-2014 levels.

However, one in every 31 people attempting the crossing in June and July died or are missing, compared to one in 49 in 2017, the UN agency said.

Vincent Cochetel, UNHCR Special Envoy for the Mediterranean, said: “UNHCR urges States and authorities along transit routes to take all necessary action to dismantle smuggler networks.

“In order to save lives at sea, we must use appropriate and necessary measures to hold to account, those who seek to gain profit from the exploitation of vulnerable human beings’’.

Exploitative traffickers and smugglers were reportedly organising increasingly dangerous crossings, in ever-more unseaworthy and flimsy vessels.

These boats, which smugglers severely overloaded with passengers, are then left to sail out at sea in the hope that a rescue will come in time, UNHCR regretted.

Without further action, more people are expected to perish at sea in the months ahead, as traffickers look to exploit the opportunities offered by improved weather conditions, the refugee agency warned.

Unlike in previous years, when Italy received the majority of new arrivals, Spain has become the primary destination with more than 23,500 people arriving by sea, compared to around 18,500 in Italy and 16,000 in Greece.

In July, UNHCR urged for search and rescue capacities on the Mediterranean Sea to be strengthened, after various legal and logistical restrictions were placed on NGO boats looking to rescue people in distress at sea.

Earlier in 2018, a number of boats carrying rescued passengers were left stranded at sea for days on end after being refused initial opportunities to disembark.

“Enhanced search and rescue capacities and a clear and predictable mechanism for disembarkation are cornerstones of the Joint Concept Note put forward by UNHCR and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM).

They are calling for a regional and collaborative approach to saving lives on the Mediterranean Sea.

“Without a harmonised and collaborative way forward, that brings coastal states and key stakeholders from the maritime and shipping industry together, we are certain to see the tragedy of the Mediterranean Sea continue.

“With so many lives at stake, it’s vital that we give shipmasters confidence that they will be able to dock rescued passengers and thereby ensure that the long-standing principle of rescuing people in distress at sea is protected,’’ Cochetel said.

Refugees fleeing Syria make up around 13.5 per cent of all new sea arrivals in Europe, the largest nationality group, highlighting the continued desperation faced by those affected by the world’s largest refugee crisis.

UNHCR reiterated its call for the international community to address the root causes of displacement that are driving people from their homes and forcing them to take increasingly dangerous and perilous journeys.

The refugee agency said the bleak milestone was confirmed after more than 850 lives were lost in June and July alone, marking the Mediterranean crossing as the deadliest sea route in the world.

Agency alarms as Mediterranean Sea deaths pass 1,500 mark

<h1>The World Health Organisation (WHO) has raised the alarm that cases from the resurgent Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) are expected to rise in the coming days.</h1>

Salama also said protecting vulnerable people in eastern DRC from the latest Ebola Virus outbreak was going to be “very, very complex”, given the huge logistical challenges and ongoing conflict there.

The WHO emergency preparedness and response chief said: “We know for example that there have been around 20 deaths. We can’t at this stage confirm whether they are all confirmed or probable Ebola cases.

“We expect however that the overall case count will rise in coming days to weeks, based on the trajectory of epidemics at this stage in their development.”

Salama said that WHO was unaware of the public health emergency in North Kivu province when the UN agency a week ago declared the last Ebola episode over.

The outbreak on the western side of the country in June, infected dozens, and led to 33 deaths, but in spite of several cases appearing in a major city on the Congo River, it was fully contained after a massive international and national response.

The top WHO official said that there was “no evidence” to suggest a link between the two outbreaks, although it appeared “very likely” that they shared the same deadly Zaire strain.

“The death toll from the current Kivu episode is likely to rise,” the WHO official said, adding that the alert was raised on July 25 after a woman and many members of her immediate family died after exhibiting symptoms consistent with Ebola.

“That event appears to have been a woman who was admitted to hospital around Beni, and on discharge had recovered from the original complaint.

“After leaving however, she came down with a fever and other symptoms that were clinically consistent with Ebola, and later on, seven of her direct relatives also contracted the disease,” he added.

Salama explained how longstanding conflict in Eastern DRC – involving more than 100 armed groups in the Kivu area and elsewhere – created an additional level of difficulty in trying to contain the deadly disease.

In the first week of February 2018 alone around Beni, attacks displaced more than 2,200, in addition to 1,500 displaced at the end of January.

In the Djugu Territory to the south of North Kivu, inter-ethnic violence led nearly 30,000 to flee their homes to the provincial capital Bunia, at the beginning of 2018.

“It’s going to be a very, very complex operation,” he said, noting that the vast country is home to the UN’s largest peacekeeping operation, the UN Stabilisation Mission in the DRC.

One million of the province’s eight million inhabitants are displaced and getting access to some of those in danger of coming into contact with Ebola, will require an armed escort in some cases, the WHO official explained.

There is also the additional threat that those fleeing violence may also head into nearby Uganda, Tanzania and Burundi, taking the infection with them, Salama said, noting that additional surveillance measures are being implemented at crossing points.

“On the scale of difficulty, trying to extinguish a deadly outbreak pathogen in a war zone is at the top of the scale,” he added.

In the most recent Ebola outbreak, a key part of the emergency response involved tracing anyone who had come into contact with suspected carriers of the disease, he said.

WHO staff could travel hundreds of miles on a motorbike to do this vital work, but this is likely to be much more difficult in view of the high level of insecurity in the Kivus.

One immediate priority is to confirm whether the latest outbreak involves the Zaire strain, since this can be treated with the same vaccine that was employed in Equateur province.

“It’s good news and it’s very bad news. The bad news is that this strain of Ebola carries with it the highest case-fatality-rate of any of the strains of Ebola, anywhere above 50 per cent and higher, according to previous outbreaks.

“So, it’s the most-deadly variant of the Ebola virus strains that we have, that’s the bad news. The good news is that we do have – although it’s still an investigational product – a safe and effective vaccine, that we were able to deploy last time around,” Salama said. (

WHO’s Deputy Director General of Emergency Preparedness and Response, Dr Peter Salama, said in Geneva that there had been around 20 deaths as a result of the Ebola virus.

Virus cases in DR Congo ‘will rise in coming days’ – WHO

<h1>Suspected Rebels kidnapped 15 people after an attack on the North-Eastern City of Beni in Congo, the Mayor said on Saturday.</h1>

They abducted 15 people as they retreated, he said.

The Allied Democratic Forces, a Ugandan rebel group that has operated in the region since 1995, are believed to be behind the attack and kidnapping.

The group is responsible for the deaths of more than 1,500 people and 800 kidnappings since 2014, according to local civil society organisations.

Beni lies west of the Virunga National Park and the Rwenzori Mountains, close to the Uganda border.

The rebels launched the attack on Thursday evening but were pushed back by the army, said Mayor Nyonyi Bwanakawa.

Suspected Rebels attack Eastern City, kidnap 15

<h1>NAIROBI — Kenyan sprinter Boniface Mweresa has failed a doping test and been dropped from the team for the African Championships which start in Asaba, Nigeria on Wednesday, a senior official from the Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya (ADAK) has told Reuters.</h1>

Samples from Mweresa, who won silver in the 400m and gold in the 4x400m at the 2015 African Games in Brazzaville, were taken at the June 6-8 Kenya Defence Forces Championships in Nairobi and contained a banned substance, the official said on Tuesday.

The Kenyan delegation traveled to Asaba on Monday without Mweresa, who was a member of the team at the 2013 and 2017 World Championships in Moscow and London respectively and at the 2014 and 2018 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and the Gold Coast.

Mweresa, 24, could not immediately be reached for comment by Reuters but the athlete told local media he was innocent and had taken supplements which he had declared to ADAK.

The Kenyan delegation traveled to Asaba on Monday without Mweresa, who was a member of the team at the 2013 and 2017 World Championships in Moscow and London.

Athletics: Kenya's Mweresa fails dope test ahead of African showpiece-ADAK

<h1>The final five members of a young football team were rescued from a flooded Thai cave on Tuesday after spending 18 harrowing days trapped deep inside, completing an astonishing against-the-odds rescue mission that captivated the world.</h1>

Elite foreign divers and Thai Navy SEALs extracted the final batch of four boys, plus the 25-year-old coach, on Tuesday afternoon via a treacherous escape route that required them to squeeze through narrow, water-filled tunnels.

"All 12 'Wild Boars' and coach have been extracted from the cave," the SEALs said in a Facebook post, referring to the boys by the name of their football team.

"All are safe," they added, signing off with what has become their trademark "Hooyah" that they used to celebrate the successful extractions of the other eight boys over the previous two days.

The boys, aged from 11 to 16, and their coach, ventured into the Tham Luang cave in mountainous northern Thailand on June 23 after football practice and got trapped when heavy rains caused flooding forcing to take shelter on a muddy ledge.

They spent nine days in darkness until two British divers found them, looking gaunt but otherwise offering smiles to the divers and appearing to be in remarkably good spirits.

But the initial euphoria at finding them dissipated as authorities struggled to devise a safe plan to get them out, with the shelf more than four kilometres (2.5 miles) inside the cave and the labyrinth of tunnels leading to them filled with water.

Authorities mulled ideas such as drilling holes into the mountain or waiting months until monsoon rains ended and they could walk out, with the rescue chief at one point dubbing the efforts to save them "Mission Impossible".

With oxygen levels in their chamber falling to dangerous levels and monsoon rains threatening to flood the cave above the ledge where the boys were sheltering, rescuers decided on the least-worst option of having divers escort them out through the tunnels.

The escape route was a challenge for even experienced divers. The boys had no previous diving experience so the rescuers trained them how to use a mask and breathe underwater via an oxygen tank.

One fear had been that they would panic while trying to swim underwater, even with a diver escorting them.

The death of a former Thai Navy SEAL diver who ran out of oxygen in a flooded area of the cave on Friday underscored the dangers of the escape route.

The ups and downs of the rescue bid entranced Thailand and also fixated a global audience, drawing support from celebrities as varied as US President Donald Trump, football star Lionel Messi and tech guru Elon Musk.

British Prime Minister Theresa May was one of the first world leaders to celebrate the success, and pay tribute to the divers who risked their own lives to save the boys.

"Delighted to see the successful rescue of those trapped in the caves in Thailand. The world was watching and will be saluting the bravery of all those involved," May said in a Twitter post.

Now they are out, concerns are set to focus on the physical and mental toll of the ordeal.

Experts warned that drinking contaminated water or otherwise being exposed to bird or bat droppings in the cave could lead to dangerous infections.

They also said counselling would be needed to deal with the psychological trauma of spending so long not knowing whether they were going to survive.

But there were some promising initial signs.

Medical chiefs reported on Tuesday morning that the eight boys rescued on Sunday and Monday were in relatively good mental and physical conditions.

"All eight are in good health, no fever... everyone is in a good mental state," Jedsada Chokdamrongsuk, permanent secretary of the public health ministry, said before all 13 had been rescued.

Nevertheless, the boys would remain in quarantine in hospital until doctors were sure they had not contracted any infections from inside the cave.

Even before the final rescues, tributes began for the boys and their ability to survive the ordeal.

"I cannot understand how cool these small kids are, you know? Thinking about how they've been kept in a small cave for two weeks, they haven't seen their mums," Ivan Karadzic, who runs a diving business in Thailand and has been involved in the rescue mission, told the BBC.

"Incredibly strong kids. Unbelievable almost."

Elite foreign divers and Thai Navy SEALs extracted the final batch of four boys, plus the 25-year-old coach, on Tuesday afternoon.

All 12 boys and coach rescued from Thai cave

<h1>British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson resigned on Monday in a major blow for Prime Minister Theresa May, hours after her Brexit minister stepped down over her plans for leaving the EU.</h1>

"This afternoon, the Prime Minister accepted the resignation of Boris Johnson as Foreign Secretary," May's Downing Street office said in a statement.

"His replacement will be announced shortly. The prime minister thanks Boris for his work," the statement said.

Since cabinet approval for the plan on Friday, however, he had refrained from public comment.

He was due to co-host a summit on the Western Balkans in London on Monday but did not show up.

Germany's junior foreign minister Michael Roth tweeted: "We're still waiting for our host".

In private, Johnson had reportedly criticised May's plan for retaining strong economic ties to the EU even after Brexit, referring to the plan as "polishing a turd".

British Foreign Secretary resigns: Downing St

<h1>AMC Series is dedicated to offering you and your loved ones outstanding entertainment with unmissable comedy and drama Series from Monday to Friday.</h1>

We have This Is It, This Thing Called Marriage, Tears of Love centred on relationships and marriage, drama in Adams Apples, Circles Of Life and Tales Of Eve: The Present Past and comedy in The People, Two Dry Girls and other exciting shows.

Catch all these and much more on AMC SERIES on Startimes (CH 072), Startsat (CH 134), Azam (CH 252), Kwese (CH 145), Zuku (CH 226), and Black (CH 206) every day from 18:00 GMT/19:00 WAT/20:00 CAT.

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The Present Past and comedy in The People, Two Dry Girls and other exciting shows.

Watch for non-stop entertainment

<h1>2About 5, 200 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) from Adamawa, have relocated to Gombe State after they were rejected by their host communities, an official has said.</h1>

Malam Mohammed Garba, the Rescue and Rehabilitation Officer of the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Gombe.

Garba explained that the IDPs relocated from Guyuk Local Government Area (LGA) of Adamawa to Balanga LGA in Gombe State, adding that their rejection by the host communities compelled them to return to their ancestral home to begin life afresh.

He said on receiving information of their arrival in Balanga LGA, some officials of the agency went and discovered that the Displaced Persons were living in two blocks of four class rooms, while some were being accommodated in the host communities.

“We went there and made an assessment; we are now waiting for approval for intervention from the government,’’ he said,

“We have not captured the 5,200 on our data bank yet, by the time we capture them, the number will be higher,” he said.

Hajiya Amina Ahman, the state’s coordinator, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) also confirmed the relocation of the IDPs, saying the agency had already visited Balanga to assess their living condition.

She promised to visit them as soon as relief materials were received from the headquarters of the agency in Abuja.

Garba said the state current has a total 31, 909 registered IDPs, who have been integrated into various host communities.

5, 200 IDPs relocate to Gombe

<h1>The Senate on Wednesday confirmed the nomination of Ahmad Mahmud from Zamfara as the Resident Electoral Commissioner after two rejections.</h1>

The confirmation followed the report presented by Sen. Suleiman Nazif, the Chairman, Senate Committee on Independent National Electoral Commission, at the plenary.

Nazif had in his reports, recommended the rejection of the nominee, maintaining that he hails from Sokoto State and not Zamfara as he claimed.

Objecting to the rejection, Sen. Kabiru Marafa (APC-Zamfara), alleged that Nazif had compromised to reject the nomination of Mahmud.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Senate first rejected Mahmud’s nomination on Nov. 23 on the ground that he is not an indigene of Zamfara.

The Senate later agreed to re-visit the rejection after Sen. Marafa raised a Point-of-Order and sought the leave of the Upper Chamber to re-consider the rejection.

Mahmud’s nomination was also rejected on Nov. 29 and it was referred to the committee for further legislative action.

Also on Wednesday, the Upper Chamber of the National Assembly confirmed the nominations of Mr Monday Udo Tom from Akwa Ibom and Attahiru Madami from Niger as Resident Electoral Commissioners.

Mr Festus Okoye from Imo was also confirmed as the National Electoral Commissioner representing South-East zone.

The President of the Senate, Dr Bukola Saraki, put Mahmud’s nomination to a voice vote and it was adopted by the senators.

Senate confirms Zamfara REC nominee after 2 rejections

<h1>Kano State Government has distributed N1.3 billion to victims of the fire disasters that affected five major markets in the state.</h1>

This is contained in a statement issued by the Public Relations Officer, Deputy Governor’s Office Alhaji Balarabe Abdullahi in Kano on Tuesday.

Abubakar, who heads the Appeal Fund Committee for the victims set up by the state government, said the committee have so far issued bank cheques to 5, 671 victims.

He explained that a total of N345 million pledges were yet to be redeemed and urged those who made the pledges to redeem them.

Abubakar assured that the committee would promptly disburse the money as soon as those who made the pledges redeemed them.

The acting governor explained that 191 victims benefited from the second round of the disbursement.

The statement said that the state Acting Governor, Prof. Hafiz Abubakar made the disclosure while launching the second round of funds disbursement to the victims.

Govt. distribute N1.3bn to market fire victims

<h1>Six people have been killed and a further 38 injured in three suicide bomb attacks in southern Niger, a hospital official said on Tuesday.</h1>

The bombers, two women and a man, attacked three different locations in the town of Diffa on Monday night, including a Koranic school, Djibo Oumarou, a manager at the regional hospital in Diffa, told dpa.

“When I saw that remains of bone and flesh had splashed onto my mosquito net, I panicked.”

The Diffa region, in which the town is located, borders on north-eastern Nigeria, where Islamist terrorist group Boko Haram poses a steady threat to communities.

The extremists, who enforce a strict interpretation of Islamic law known as sharia, also regularly launch offensives in neighbouring Niger, Chad and Cameroon.

Since 2009, tens of thousands of people have died at the hands of Boko Haram in the region and an estimated 2.5 million people have fled their homes.

“I was listening to the radio when I heard a scream at about 11:00 pm [2300 GMT],” said Elh Yacouba, a resident of Diffa’s Koura neighbourhood, where one of the blasts took place.

Six dead, 38 injured in triple suicide bomb attack

<h1>The International Air Transport Association (IATA) says Nigeria has repatriated the 600 million dollars belonging to international airlines that was trapped in the country due to foreign exchange shortages.</h1>

The Director-General of IATA, Mr Alexandre de Juniac, on Tuesday on its website gave the credence at the 74th IATA Annual General Meeting and World Air Transport Summit in Sydney, Australia.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the funds were airlines’ ticket sales and other allied activities which the country could not repatriate due to fall in crude oil earnings in late 2016 and early 2017.

“I encourage the government of Angola to work with airlines to help to reduce this backlog further,’’ he said.

de Juniac called on governments yet to clear theirs to abide by international agreements and treaty obligations to enable the airlines to repatriate their funds.

According to him, the amount of airline funds blocked in 16 countries totaled 4.9 billion dollars at the end of 2017.

He said that five out of the 16 countries which owed the airlines included Venezuela ($3.78 billion), Angola ($386 million), Sudan ($170 million), Bangladesh ($95 million) and Zimbabwe ($76 million).

“The connectivity provided by aviation is vital to economic growth and development. Aviation supports jobs and trade, and helps people to lead better lives.

“But airlines need to have confidence that they will be able to repatriate their revenues in order to bring these benefits to markets,’’ de Juniac said.

According to de Juniac, we have had some recent success. The 600 million dollars backlog in Nigeria has been cleared. And we have made 120 million dollars of progress from a peak of over 500 million dollars in Angola.

Nigeria clears $600m belonging to international airlines

<h1>The National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA), Southwest Zone, has appealed to residents of Ibadan to reduce the use of plastics to protect the environment.</h1>

The agency made the appeal at a rally to commemorate the 2018 World Environment Day (WED) on Monday.

“Plastic pollution is one of the biggest environmental concerns facing us today and this has constituted a global problem.

“We are visiting parks, markets, roads and public institutions to raise awareness that everyone has a role to play in taking care of the environment.”

According to him, the use of plastic has become a serious challenge because of it is widespread.

“They are easily available, cheap and light and this has constituted a public menace because plastic pollutes the environment from the time they are manufactured till their final disposal.

“Improper disposal also poses a problem because we see our canals and water channels blocked by these polythene bags,” he said.

He also said the production of plastics involved emission of obnoxious gases, which posed serious health problems to the workers and the neighborhood.

“Plastics can also be toxic and harmful to the human health. Many of these plastics also end up in rivers and oceans and thus endangering our aquatic life.

“Plastic debris consumed by fishes is also dangerous to humans because we also end up eating those fishes.

“That plastic is likely to find its way into the tissues of our bodies with potentially harmful consequences.

“It is important that we all understand the enormous responsibility of protecting the environment for future generations,” he said.

NAN reports that WED, an annual event with the theme, “Beat Plastic Pollution,” aims at encouraging global action to protect the planet and take ownership of the environment.

The Zonal Director, Mr Adeleke Ajani, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the rally was to create awareness and call people to action to protect the environment.

NESREA holds rally against plastic pollution in Ibadan

<h1>The Niger Command of the Nigeria Prisons Service has confirmed the death of its officer and a motorcyclist in the Sunday jail break at the Minna  Medium Security Prison.</h1>

The command’s Spokesman, DSP Rabiu Shuaibu, made the confirmation in a statement on Monday.

“The unfortunate incident was perpetrated by armed criminals who attacked the prison and gained access after exchange of gunfire with armed prison men.

“The incident led to the death of a prison officer and a motorcyclist, who conveyed a prison officer on night duty,’’ Shuaibu said.

He said that efforts of security agencies in the state led to re-arrest of seven prisoners.

According to the spokesman, the re-arrested prisoners have been returned to the prison.

He said that normalcy had returned in and around the prison, giving the assurance that security agencies were on top of the situation and working together to ensure re-capture of fleeing inmates.

Shuaibu assured members of the public of their safety, and advised them to go about their lawful businesses without fear.

“We will like to urge all law-abiding citizens to support security agencies in maintaining law and order, as security is a collective responsibility.

“We also advise citizens to report any suspicious persons or group,” he said.

“On Sunday, June 3, 2018, at 8:00p.m., there was a jailbreak at Minna Medium Security Prison located at Tunga area of Minna metropolis.

Prison officer, motorcyclist die in jail break

<h1>The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) has urged politicians to eschew politics of bitterness to guarantee unity in the country.</h1>

The union made the appeal in a statement signed by its President, Prince Williams Akporeha, on Tuesday in Lagos to mark Democracy Day.

He also urged the government to show concern over the rising cost of food items and ensure food security in the country.

”We urge the government to remain resolute in entrenching enduring democratic values and legacies.

”Our government must equally put on its priority list mass employment opportunities for youths in a bid to strengthen the democratic structures.”

According to him, such measures will help reduce poverty and other deviant behaviours among vulnerable people in the society.

The NUPENG president also underscored the need for strong commitment toward securing lives and properties of the people and addressing social infrastructure deficit.

He said that addressing nagging issues in health care, education and power as well as upholding the rule of law and the principles of separation of powers would deepen Nigeria’s democracy.

Akporeha stressed the need for politicians to embrace the spirit of sportsmanship so that the efforts of the labour unions, including NUPENG, who fought for democracy would not be in vain.

NUPENG urges politicians to eschew politics of bitterness

<h1>Governor of Rivers said on Tuesday that he was committed to delivering more developmental projects to the people of the state.</h1>

Noting that he had provided people-oriented governance, Wike said he had introduced a revolving loan scheme for civil servants as well as an interest free monthly loan of N200 million for traders and young entrepreneurs in the state.

“We believe that we have to encourage young entrepreneurs to grow their businesses; they will have access to funds.”

He said that the loan beneficiaries must reside in Rivers State and be registered as voters in the state.

He said that he had inaugurated committees to administer the two loan schemes meant for the empowerment of Rivers people and those residing in the state.