*VP commissions projects executed by State government
Following the signing into law of the North-East Development Commission (NEDC) Act, the rebuilding of communities devastated by the Boko Haram insurgency in the North-East will receive priority attention in the Next Level of the Buhari administration, according to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN.
Prof. Osinbajo stated this on Tuesday at the Palace of the Shehu of Borno, His Eminence, Abubakar Ibn Umar Garbai El-Kanemi, during his visit to Borno State where he commissioned some projects executed by the State government.
According to the Vice President, “the concerns over the rebuilding of the North-East remain possibly the most important challenge that we have as a government and we want to assure you that it remains on the front burner of the Federal Government.
“Recently Mr. President signed into law the North-East Development Commission (NEDC) Act. We now have a law which backs the vehicle for the renewed development and rehabilitation of the North-East.
“And with the commitment of those who have been appointed to run the affairs of the NEDC, we are bound to see a great deal of improvement in the pace of rehabilitation and construction of the North-East, especially Borno which is the worst hit by the insurgency.
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“Your eminence can be at rest that we will do our very best and continue to give all of our support and help to rebuild Borno.”
The Vice President also commended the leadership of Governor Kashim Shettima and his commitment to the welfare of the people despite challenges posed by the insurgency.
He said “the commissioning of works completed by the government of Kashim Shettima is a tribute to his dedication to the people of the state and to the most worthy cause of all, which is the cause of humanity.
“He has demonstrated that empathy and the sort of commitment that we want to see in our leaders all over this country.
“President Buhari has frequently commented about the good fortune of the people of Borno State, that they have a governor such as himself (Shettima) at a time of the greatest challenges that the state has been confronted with. And I am sure he has laid a solid foundation for his successor in office to do even better.”
Earlier, Governor Shettima thanked the Vice President for his concern for the people of Borno which, according to him, had been demonstrated by his frequent visits to the state and the construction of a school for children orphaned by the Boko Haram insurgency.
On his part, the Shehu of Borno, His Eminence, Abubakar Ibn Umar Garbai El-Kanemi, thanked the Vice President for the visit and appealed more slots to be allotted to indigenes of the state in recruitment into Federal agencies and parastatals.
Some of the projects commissioned by the Vice President during the visit include the reconstructed Ibrahim Damcida Primary School, the newly constructed GSM Complex, the Asheik Jarma Primary School, the dualised Damboa road, the reconstructed Usman Gaji Galtimari Estate, the Maryam Abacha Women & Children Hospital, and a new complex at Government College, all in Maiduguri metropolis.
Prof. Osinbajo also visited and interacted with children at the Learning Centre – a school built for children orphaned by the Boko Haram insurgency under the North East Children’s Trust.
![Rev. Fr. Anthony Odiong, a US-based Nigerian Louisiana Catholic priest, was arrested in Florida on Tuesday for possessing child pornography, according to law authorities. The suspect is reportedly accused of many other cases of sexual assault. The Waco, Texas, Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday that officers detained Father Anthony Odiong in Ave Maria, Florida, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service. Waco police announced in March that they had received "credible information" about a sexual assault allegedly committed by Odiong in Texas in 2012. “During the subsequent investigation, a case of possession of child pornography was uncovered,” the police said. The priest was apprehended in Florida by the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. The Waco Police Department said that he will be extradited to Texas. Odiong had previously served in the Archdiocese of New Orleans before being removed as priest in December of last year due to controversy over homilies in which he claimed, among other things, that the Catholic Church was being taken over by "the gays." At the time, the priest was also accused of abusive behaviour; a Louisiana lady claimed in U.S. bankruptcy court that Odiong had committed both financial and sexual abuse against her. Prior to joining the New Orleans Archdiocese, Odiong served in at least two Texas parishes. On Tuesday, Waco police stated that during their sexual assault investigation, "the presence of other survivors was revealed." “Multiple women have come forward to tell similar experiences as the sexual assault survivor who reported the initial allegation,” the police department said. “Survivors’ experiences ranged from sexual assault and indecent assault, more commonly recognised as groping, and financial abuse, with some survivors experiencing every element of Anthony Odiong’s manipulation.” The police said they “believe there may be more survivors, and we wish to speak with anyone who [has] had similar encounters” with the priest. The Archdiocese of New Orleans issued a brief news release on Tuesday noting Odiong's arrest in Florida. The archdiocese “encourages anyone with any information to contact law enforcement,” the release said.](https://chronicle.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ezgif-6-4730550ede-450x300.jpg "Odiong: US-based Nigerian Catholic priest convicted over sexual assault")
