Author: The Nation

The immediate past Ogun State Governor and  the lawmaker representing Ogun Central Senatorial District at the National Assembly, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, has commiserated with Senator Buruji Kashamu over the death of his mother, the late Alhaja Wulemotu Kashamu.

Amosun, in a letter dated August 8 and addressed to Kashamu, urged the governorship candidate of the Ogun State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2019 election and his entire family not to mourn but celebrate her

great impact in business, community service and religious activities.

The letter reads, “I write to commiserate with you on the death of your dear mother, Alhaja Wulemotu Kashamu, who died on Wednesday, 7th of August 2019, at a ripe age of 96 years.

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“Her transition is certainly a glorious exit. I enjoin you and your entire family not to mourn, but to celebrate her great impact in business, community service and religious activities, as well as the noble accomplishments she recorded in other facets of her life, in the almost one century of her sojourn on earth.

“It is my prayer that the Almighty Allah (SWT) will forgive her sins, grant her Aljanah Firdaus, and grant you and your entire family the strength and fortitude to  bear the pain of her loss.

“Once again, please accept my condolences and the assurances of my highest regards.”

The late Alhaja Kashamu died on Wednesday, 7th August, 2019, at the ripe age of 96.

She has since been buried according to Islamic rites.

The Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) has decried the ‘monumental’ distortion of the Abuja Masterplan, resulting in seemingly endless chaotic traffic, building mishaps and flooding situations bedevilling the city.

FCDA Executive Secretary Umar Gambo Jibrin blamed the distortion of the Abuja Master plan on attitudinal, and less of professional disposition of citizens to the development of the city.

Jibrin, who spoke during a courtesy visit to the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria ( COREN), noted that Abuja, as creation of the law, as stipulated by decree 6 of 1976, clearly specified things must be done in conformity with the Masterplan uniquely designed for FCT particularly the Federal Capital City (FCC).

He, however, warned that FCDA  is ready to not just demolish but to make such that every activity in the FCC in particular and the Territory at large is done in conformity to the Abuja  Master Plan.

“FCT has Master Plan,  so everything you do in FCT particular the federal capital city has to be in conformity with that master plan and we have that responsibility to make sure that whatever on the ground in city conforms to that master plan.

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“Like I said, you have a master plan that specifies how you do things, but the moment you deviate, that alone is an indication that there will be a failure in whatever you want to do.

“The numerous vices that we have in the city, largely they are not failures on the part of the services that are delivered by the professionals, it has to do more with our own attitudes as citizens. It is not because the infrastructure is not good.

“Abuja is still a construction site, many people lose sight of the fact that a lot of the connectivity issues with our transport system are not in place, and that makes movement a bit challenging.

“But if we are law-abiding and we follow regulations, especially on how we move around within the city, there won’t be any cause for worry,” he stressed.

He added that: “We have had to interact with so many engineering contractors, development partners, consultants in delivering the to the residents of FCT.

“I want to assure you that we would remain resolute as professionals to give service to FCT residents and to humanity.”

Furthermore, the FCDA boss explained that the visit was to solicit for the cooperation of COREN as the regulator of all branches of the engineering professionals considering the position of the FCDA as the builders of Abuja.

The Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), Southeast zone, has said it will extend the shutdown of cattle markets and settlement to other states in the zone to purge itself of violent elements.

Southeast Zonal Vice President Alhaji Gidado Siddiki, who spoke yesterday in Awka, said the action was neither a threat nor protest, but an attempt to address the accusations against Fulani herdsmen.

He said the Enugu shutdown was successful because some persons among them, who had no business with herding or other legitimate activities, had been asked to leave their fold.

He said: “We shutdown livestock and perishable good markets to enable us sensitise our members on the need for peaceful co-existence, that they should be watchful to know when bad people infiltrate their midst and chase them.

Read Also: Security: Miyetti Allah bans herders without family in Southeast from grazing

“We have told them to belong to a group – cattle sellers; goat sellers; labourers – everybody has to be identified by the leader of their group, even in the Fulani settlement, people have to be known with their families.

“If there are people in these places who don’t have business, we are telling them to leave Enugu and the entire Southeast because we want to know those who are among us, so it is an internal audit.”

Siddiki, who is also the leader of Fulani community in Anambra, commiserated with families, which lost loved ones in the recent attack in Enugu, and expressed his group’s commitment to preventing a recurrence.

According to him, most of the troubles were caused by migrant herders.

He called on his members to stop migrating from state to state.

“The exercise is to show the indigenes, our hosts in the Southeast, that we are so worried by the complaints and accusations of violence and crime which is pointing at us. We condole with families, who lost loved ones, and we assure them that we are worried about the development.

“We started with Enugu as the regional head of the Southeast, but we will move into other states to ensure that the message gets to our members everywhere.

‘’We have identified that those causing problems among the Fulani are the migrants; that is why we are saying migration should stop, people should stay where they are and graze their cattle,” Siddiki added.

Former Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha has cautioned the government against further attacks on his personal property.

The senator accused Secretary to the State Government Uche Onyeaguocha of breaking into his private guest house without warrant or any form of authorisation.

According to him, Onyeaguocha chased away security men on duty, broke into the house, ransacked it and made away with documents and keys.

Okorocha said the invasion of his private guest house followed a series of other calculated attacks on his property and that of his relatives since he left office.

Decrying the persistent invasion of his privacy, he said Nigeria was a country governed by rules and regulations, and not emotions.

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He said: “In the last couple of months, the government of Emeka Ihedioha has launched and sustained attacks on my property and that of my family… They had raided my wife and daughter’s business places and I have reported to the authorities. Now, the Secretary to the State Government, Uche Onyeaguocha, went to my private guest house, chased away the security men and broke into the house, ransacked it and made away with documents, locked up the house and took the keys. I have been quiet about these unwarranted attacks but they should not take my silence for granted.

“Nigeria is a country governed by rules and not emotions, if they have anything against me, they should follow it within the ambit of the law.”

But Onyeagucha denied invading Okorocha’s house. According to him, he only recovered the properties following the governor’s directives that all government properties in the possession of former government officials must be recovered for public use.

His media aide, McDonald Enwere, said: “Okorocha had, in the twilight of his administration, built houses for himself and former governors; these houses have not been utilised, and the present governor had directed that all government properties should be recovered. That is one of those properties built on government land, and so it belongs to the government. The SSG only carried out the directives of the governor. No single document was removed from the house.”

Vice Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Peter Obi has advised leaders to pay more attention to health care delivery.

Obi spoke when he visited Bishop Shanahan Hospital in Nsukka, Enugu State, one of the hospitals he had chosen to celebrate Easter.

The former governor, who already visited 17 of the hospitals, said the visit was a way of identifying with the people.

Obi, who described the people’s loss of confidence in the country’s health institution as embarrassing, said leaders must address the situation or else people would travel abroad to treat malaria and cold.

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Explaining his persistent stress that local hospitals should be patonised, Obi said: “The other day, I was a bit indisposed, and I chose to visit Holy Rosary Hospital, Waterside, Onitsha, which is about one kilometre from my house.

‘’I was surprised at the professionalism with which they attend to patients as well as their equipment. I was overjoyed when I recall it was one of the hospitals we strategically partnered with in Anambra State when I was governor.”

The highlight of the visit was the presentation, after visits to the wards, of a N1 million to the hospital.

Hospital manager Rev. Greg Onah thanked Obi for the visit and for his promise to keep an eye in the affairs of the hospital.

He prayed that God would continue to bless Obi for using his wealth to add value to the society.