Bauchi Students’ Unions Flag off PVC Awareness on Campuses

Segun Awofadeji in Bauchi

The National Union of Bauchi State Students (NUBASS) and the Kaura Students Support Forum (KSSF) yesterday flagged off an awareness campaign programme in some selected secondary schools and tertiary institutions in Bauchi State on the importance of obtaining the Permanent Voters Card (PVC).
Speaking at the commencement of the sensitisation held at the Aliko Dangote College of Nursing Sciences Bauchi, the NUBASS President, Mahmud Abubakar, encouraged the students to take the advantage of the ongoing voters’ registration to obtain their cards to enable participate actively in electoral processes.
According to him, “Elections are coming, and therefore, we are here as your leaders to sensitise you on the need to obtain your PVC in order to participate in the forthcoming general election. I want to use this medium to appreciate the effort of the state Governor Bala Mohammed, towards the advancement of the education sector in the state.”
He assured them that the NUBASS leadership would continue to remain focus in ensuring the welfare of Bauchi State students through the collaboration with relevant stakeholders particularly the state government.
 On his part, the National Chairman of the Kaura Students Support Forum (KSSF), Sani Adamu, said the awareness campaign would be conducted in all tertiary institutions across the state for massive participation of youths in the next year’s general election.

Sani expressed gratitude to the governor for his commitment towards reviving the education sector in the state in addition to the payment of scholarship to indigenous students and pledged that the students’ forum would work collectively to ensure his victory in 2023 governorship election.

He said: “We are grateful to our students for their cooperation and support to vote Governor Mohammed towards his second term bid in the upcoming 2023 general election. In our part, we will assist you to get your PVCs to participate in 2023 general election.”

The KSSF national chairman used the awareness campaign to highlight some of achievements and various projects executed  by the present administration in the state, and solicited for vote and support of students for the governor in 2023 to enable him consolidate on his gains in critical sectors of the state economy.

Bayelsa Govt Clears Air on State of Its Airport

Olusegun Samuel in Yenagoa

The Bayelsa State government has clarified that the state-owned international airport has not been downgraded as being insinuated by some persons.
It said the absence of scheduled flights to and from the Bayelsa International Airport for a couple of weeks now was not the making or fault of the state government, but has to do with some technical issues with the two airlines operating on the route.
The Deputy Governor, Bayelsa State, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, gave the clarification yesterday, when the Federated Correspondents Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Bayelsa State Council, paid him a courtesy visit in Yenagoa.
Ewhrudjakpo explained that the two airlines, Ibom-Air and United Nigeria Airlines –  were carrying out what he called D-Check on their aircraft, which had also affected their flight operations from their primary routes.
According to the Deputy Governor, the D-Check was a major maintenance check to determine the air-worthiness of an aircraft after it had made commercial flights for a period of 10 years.
He pointed out that the state government was in touch with the management teams of both airlines, giving the assurance that normal flight operations would resume at the
airport before the end of the month.

“I can assure you that the Governor Diri-led administration is very much on course. I know that you are going to ask us what is happening to the Bayelsa International Airport.

“There are a few issues, but they are not really our issues as a government per se. We are aware some persons are pushing the news that the airport has been downgraded. That is not true. The Bayelsa Airport has not been downgraded.

“What happened is that the two airlines working with us have gone for D-Check. The D-Check means a plane going for a major maintenance check after it had been put to flight operations for 10 years to determine its airworthiness.

“If you watch very well, even flights in their regular or primary routes, like the Port Harcourt to Abuja route, have now been reduced to only one daily flight.”

Ewhrudjakpo, who noted that government was doing its best to change the general impression of leadership in the state, said the administration had taken proactive steps to checkmate the impact of the forecast impending large flood.

He called on the Federated Correspondents Chapel to help push out the good things government was doing in Bayelsa, noting that the Prosperity Administration was not resting on its oars in all sectors ranging from agriculture, sports, health to security.