rich9 gaming login ...says Ogun to award grants to boost business-oriented youths Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun has said that his administration’s decision to engage the youths in governance is to enable them to showcase their innate abilities as well as prepare them for leadership positions in the future. Prince Abiodun also said that his administration will provide grants ranging from N500,000 to N1 million to enable business-oriented youths in the state to fulfil their dreams under its Ogun YES Empowerment and Entrepreneur Program. Governor Abiodun stated this at the First Annual Youth Summit and Empowerment Programme organized by the Ogun State Chapter of the City Boy Movement, held at the Cultural Centre, Kuto, Abeokuta. The governor noted that the strength of any society lies in its youth and maintained that the state government is building a future where the youths are not only participants but innovators and change leaders. Governor Abiodun, who was represented by his Deputy Chief of Staff, Dr Oluwatoyin Taiwo, said: “As an administration, we are committed to ensuring that the youth are not only participants but leaders in making decisions that affect their lives. We recognize that empowering our youth today ensures a brighter tomorrow. “Through the Ogun Youth Employment and Entrepreneurship Programme, we are providing grants ranging from N500,000 to N1 million to enable business-oriented youth to realize their vision. “Additionally, our upcoming Ogun Youth Agricultural Programme will feature thousands of youths trained in advanced technology and much more.” The Summit, according to the governor, serves as a reminder that hope is not passive but active, adding that hope requires courage to take the first step, challenge the status quo, and believe that they can achieve. The theme of the Summit, “Renewed Hope Agenda: A Concrete Foundation For A Prosperous Nigeria,” the governor emphasized, is not only a slogan but a clarion call for the new generation ready to create, innovate, and reshape the future of the nation. “The youth have the energy, potential, and resolve to transform our communities and the world at large. Youth are the embodiment of ideas, innovation, resilience, and passion, which is the hallmark of any generation determined not only to dream but to act,” he added. While noting that the initiative aligns with his administration’s “Building Our Future Together” mantra, Governor Abiodun commended the Abeokuta chapter of the movement for their unwavering dedication and profound commitment to shaping the future of the youth, calling on stakeholders to support them in realizing their dreams as future leaders. In his opening remarks, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Digital Communication and New Media, Mr O’tega Ogra, said the establishment of the National Student Loan Scheme, where over 300,000 students in higher institutions have benefited so far, is an indication that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has them in his heart. He acknowledged the current economic challenges in the country but assured that the federal government is working to surmount them, just as he assured Small and Medium Scale Entrepreneurs that they would no longer pay taxes when the Tax Reform Law comes into effect. The Personal Assistant to the President on Special Duties, Mr Kamorudeen Yusuf, urged the youth to key in the various reforms occurring in the country and take an active part in building a progressive nation that they would be proud of. The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Citizenship and Leadership, Rinsola Abiola, in her contribution, appreciated Governor Abiodun for the various programmes specifically targeted at the youth, saying they were in tandem with President Bola Tinubu’s goal to lift the youth and give them a future.

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The Natick Select Board says it’s not looking to become the state’s next sanctuary city , but new rules up for a vote next week come very close. A debate has flared around what the board seeks to accomplish with its draft policy. Some residents say it gives an impression that the town wants to enact a sanctuary status while others argue it’s to protect immigrants already in town. Board Chairwoman Kathryn Coughlin’s car has also been targeted as tempers escalate, with a suspect defacing her vehicle in spray paint with the message “Deport illegals.” Police are investigating the incident. “Once a legal jurisdiction declares itself a sanctuary city, town, county, or whatever, ICE reserves the right to not coordinate with local police when operating within their jurisdiction,” Coughlin told residents Wednesday night. “We do not want that,” she added. “We want our police chief to know whoever is operating in town we want a safe environment.” Boston , Somerville , Northampton, Amherst Cambridge, Concord, Lawrence and Newton are the state’s eight sanctuary cities. Under Natick’s draft policy, town employees would be barred from inquiring about or collecting information regarding citizenship or immigration status unless required by federal or state law. Detaining a person based on the belief he or she is not in the U.S. legally or that the individual committed an immigration violation would violate the policy. Per a fact sheet published last week, the draft policy “shields town law enforcement personnel from liabilities resulting from local enforcement of federal immigration laws ... and the town from liability should a town employee violate the policy.” The policy does not “offer to provide shelter, housing, legal assistance, or other services to immigrants, documented or undocumented,” “apply to school employees,” nor “ignore ICE warrants or other judicial warrants for the arrest of individuals for criminal behavior.” Officials have highlighted how they must follow a 2017 ruling from the state Supreme Judicial Court that “extends to local law enforcement, and Natick must refrain from arresting or holding a person based on a federal civil immigration detainer.” Detainers , per the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement , request that local or state law enforcement “maintain custody of the noncitizen for a period not to exceed 48 hours beyond the time the individual would otherwise be released.” “This has nothing to do with declaring Natick a sanctuary city,” Select Board Vice Chairman Bruce T. Evans said. “It is a misrepresentation of what’s actually happening here.” Coughlin reiterated that “the timing of the rollout of this policy post-election is utterly coincidental” and “is not a reaction to recent elections nor is it in response to fear-mongering.” Between October 2022 and this October, a handful of meetings and emails unfolded between a concerned resident group, police and board leaders, and at times, town administration, Coughlin said. Stakeholders wanted to place a draft policy in front of the board as early as September but the process had been delayed due to other “pressing matters,” she said. Resident Carol Gates slammed the board for its transparency, saying she and many “longtime” neighbors” first heard about the issue in the Herald. She also highlighted how the board spoke about the policy on the day Laken Riley’s illegal immigrant murderer, Jose Ibarra, was sentenced. “Honestly, we felt, many of us, that you must think we are tone-deaf to national news and that we lack compassion for our fellow Americans because that was a brutal day to be announcing this policy.” Gates and other opponents are calling for the policy to be voted on at a townwide referendum. The MetroWest Daily News reported on Monday about Coughlin’s car being vandalized. “Intimidation is not an element of civil discourse,” resident Emily Wormington said. “It is a deterrent to it. Making our unpaid public servants feel unsafe serves only to frighten others regardless of their politics from becoming more engaged in our town.” Coughlin responded: “I have told the press that I will not be commenting. What I would like to say though is that many, most of the people that I know who are against this policy are friends. Most of them are really, really good people ... and I am thankful for that.” “For those who are debating on Facebook about whether it’s a false flag operation,” she added, “I think everyone in this room and everyone in this town can agree that it’s a bad actor.”