Taraba to spend N8.5m on water supply
Lebanese arrested with cocaine at Lagos airport
Taraba State Governor Darius Ishaku has approved N8.5 million for overhauling and repair of water plants to ensure potable water supply in Jalingo metropolis.
Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Media and Publicity, Sylvanus Giwa, in a statement issued yesterday said the governor had mandated the state Water Supply Agency to immediately commence work on all faulty water supply channels in the state capital.
“The governor’s concern is informed by the acute water scarcity in the town, which has forced residents to find alternatives in unsafe water sources which is hazardous to community health. He has therefore mandated the overhaul of water plants and repairs of boreholes that service the state capital through pipe networks”, he said.
The statement charged all officials responsible for carrying out the project and all other functions to live up to expectation, saying government would not tolerate any form of laxity.
It added that government is committed to providing essential services for people of the state. A 23-year-old Lebanese, Yves Awad, has been arrested with about 260 grammes of cocaine at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos.
The suspect was arrested by officials of the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) on Monday as he was about to board an aircraft to Lebanon. The arrest occurred during the outward screening of passengers on Middle East Airline flight.
Awad who holds dual citizenship of Nigeria and Lebanon, said he was born in Nigeria, but had his university education in Lebanon. He told security operatives that a friend asked him to buy the drug for him.
“I was born in Lagos and I attended Lebanese Community School, Yaba, Lagos. After my secondary education in Nigeria, I got admission to study for my A levels at Notre Dame University in Lebanon. My friend in Lebanon gave me money to buy cocaine for him. At the airport, the drug was detected and I was arrested and taken to NDLEA office. The drug was tested and it was found to be cocaine,” he said.
He was later handed over to operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for further investigation and subsequent prosecution.
According to the NDLEA Commander at the Lagos Airport, Mr Hamza Umar, “the drug was hidden inside Awad’s boxers. When the drug was field-tested, it proved positive for cocaine. The suspect was found to have travelled to Nigeria from Lebanon six times since January 2015.”