The Nation Newspaper

Category: Northern Report

  • Benue IDP needs special assistance, says Alia

    Benue IDP needs special assistance, says Alia

    Benue State Governor Hyacinth Alia has said that Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) needs the support of men of goodwill, corporate organisations and governments

    He spoke in Makurdi, the state capital, when the United States Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance, visited him over the humanitarian crisis in the state.

    The delegation, led by Senior Humanitarian Advisor to USBHA, Patrick Robinson, was received at the Government House.

    Benue State is facing the cjallenges of banditry and farmer-herder clashes, which have led to killings and displacement of millions of people.

    Alia said over 1.5 million displaced people in the state lacked access to potable water and other necessities of life.

    He said apart from insecurity arising from herdsmen attacks, kidnapping, and banditry, the state has also been affected by natural disasters.

    Alia said: “Benue State has continued to experience intense conflicts and tensions as a result of herder/farmers clashes, kidnapping, and banditry, which have disrupted the agrarian lives of our people.

    Read Also: Alia: I need prayers to survive landmines of anti-people forces

    “Insecurity is yielding a growing concern in our state. However, our administration is committed to finding lasting solutions to these disputes and fostering peaceful coexistence among all residents in the state.

    “Towards this end, we decided to adopt the three Rs: Reconciliation, Rehabilitation, and Rebuilding in the affected areas of the state.

    “My administration is working assiduously to resettle the Internally Displaced Persons back to their ancestral homes.”

    The governor thanked the officials of the United States Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance and the International Organisation for Migrants for assisting the state.

    He urged other development partners to support his administration in its bid to develop a comprehensive template to bring a lasting solution to the humanitarian crisis in the state.

    The leader of the USBHA delegation, Robinson, said the team came to Benue to assess the humanitarian situation to see areas they could assist in resolving the crisis.

    He said the USBHA had been intervening in humanitarian crises in the Northeast since 2016, especially in Borno State.

    Robinson said the agency had also moved its intervention to the Northwest.

    He assured the governor of USBHA’s commitment to assist Benue to address its humanitarian crisis.

  • ‘Phase out higher notes to strengthen naira’

    ‘Phase out higher notes to strengthen naira’

    The Registrar, Chartered Institute of Treasury Management (CITM), Olumide Adedoyin, has urged the Federal Government to phase out N1, 000 and N500 Naira notes in order to strengthen the Naira.

    He said N1, 000 and N500 notes were more susceptible to counterfeiting, and illicit financial activities, hence, they must be phased out in a bid to reform the nation’s currency.

    He said: “To reform the nation’s currency, there is need for the Federal Government to implement a currency reform that involves demonetisation or gradually phasing out higher denomination notes, such as the 1000 and 500 Naira notes.”

    Adedoyin commended President Bola Tinubu for taking proactive steps in addressing flagrant abuse of the Nigerian currency and by extension the Nigerian economy.

    He urged the federal government to embrace cashless policies and promote the use of electronic payment systems, such as mobile money, online banking, and electronic fund transfers.

    According to him, this would help to reduce the demand for physical cash and limit the circulation of higher denomination banknotes.

    He called on the government to enhance financial inclusion initiatives that would bring more people into the formal banking system, adding that it would reduce the reliance on physical cash.

    He added that it would make it easier for the government to manage currency supply.

    Adedoyin state that to further strengthen the naira, there was a need to implement and enforce robust anti-corruption measures to reduce illicit financial flows

    He restated the need to promote economic diversification to reduce reliance on oil exports and enhance foreign exchange from agriculture, manufacturing, mining, and services.

  • Jigawa approves N10,000 for workers

    Jigawa approves N10,000 for workers

    Jigawa state government has approved a token of N10, 000 to each of the civil servant at the state, local government and local education authority in the state.

    Commissoner for Information Sagir Musa announced that it takes effect from January.

    Musa explained that amount is wage award to each of the personal on the payroll of the state, local government and local education authority for the state where each would collect a token of N10,000 from January to March this year.

    Read Also: Women protest arrest, intimidation of husbands, sons by Enugu police

    According to him “this is after a deliberation on the memorandum presented by the State Head of Civil Service (HOS) for payment of salary awards to workers at the state executive council meeting presided over by Governor Malam Umar Namadi.

    “The payment is pending when a new national minimum wage is expected to have been signed into law and other palliative”.

    It could be recalled that the Federal Government and Trade Union Congress (TUC), have agreed with N35,000 wage award to civil servants following the removal of fuel subsidy.

  • NAHCON announces N4.9m for hajj fare

    The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), has announced the sum N4.9 and N4.7 million for this year’s Hajj fare.

    Its Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Malam Jalal Arabi, said the foreign exchange made the commission to increase the amount from the initial N4.5 million that was charged as initial deposit.

     Arabi had actively negotiated substantial discounts with service providers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in late January, striving to alleviate costs for intending pilgrims.

    He stated that the volatile currency situation within the week necessitated the commission to take a drastic decision to consolidate the gains achieved in lowering the cost of services for the Hajj from about N6 million.

    Read Also: Anambra 2025: Former APC National Auditor joins race

    He said: “Consequently, intending pilgrims from the southern are required to pay N4,899,000 as Hajj fare; those from the North will pay N4,699,000, for the Hajj and pilgrims from Yola and Maiduguri center will pay a fee of N4,679,000 for the 2024 Hajj.”

    While expressing his regret, Arabi stated that this is the will of Allah, because the commission, facing a tight deadline of February 25, has limited time to explore further options to remain within the range of N4.5million.

    NAHCON urged intending pilgrims to balance their Hajj fare by on or before February 12 to enable the commission transfer the funds before the imminent deadline.

    NAHCON assured the public of its commitment to ensuring a smooth and successful Hajj pilgrimage for all participants despite the challenges posed by foreign exchange factors.

  • Women call for implementation of gender policy in agric

    Women call for implementation of gender policy in agric

    Women coalition group, under the Development Research and Projects Centre (DRPC), has called for the implementation of the gender policy in agriculture.

    The coalition group pointed out that more investments in agriculture, climate change and gender would accelerate national growth and development.

    The group’s National Coordinator  and President of the Association of Women in Agriculture, Mrs Ruth Agbor said the optimal implementation of the National Gender Policy in Agriculture would enhance Food and Nutrition Security in the country.

    She said this in Abuja at the maiden edition of the National Gender Policy in Agriculture forum.

    She said: “This forum is organised to also  ramp up support as a Community of Practice for the implementation of the National Gender Policy in Agriculture, enhance conversations and collaborative actions among key stakeholders from the Government, Academic and Research Institutions, Civil Society Organizations, Development Partners, Private Sector, Farmers Associations, and the Media towards the successful implementation of the Policy and promotion  of Food Security across the country.

    “This forum will continue to serve as a ssupport ramped up as a Community of Practice for the implementation of the National Gender Policy in Agriculture, conversations and collaborative actions enhanced among key stakeholders from the Government, Academic and Research Institutions, Civil Society Organizations, Development Partners, Private Sector, Farmers Associations, and the Media towards the successful implementation of the Policy and promotion of Food Security across the country.”

    Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari , who was represented by Mrs Oluwatoyin Alade, Director of Human Resources department, assured Nigerians that the federal government will continue to invest in food security and climate change, especially towards improving gender participation.

    Read Also: Women protest arrest, intimidation of husbands, sons by Enugu police

    She added: “The ministry is highly committed to the socio economic empowerment of women and men in the sector, through various programmes and initiatives, there is renewed hope for food security, therefore, acknowledging that acting in line with the Sustainable Development Goals declaration. gender priority is a prerequisite for eradicating poverty and promoting a sustainable human development

    “The Ministry’s intervention plan for food security include availability of fertilisers to farmers and households, massive employment and job creation in the agricultural sector, ensuring that all Nigerians can afford to eat, increase in exports revenue from food and agriculture, enhancing trade facilitation through cooperation with Nigerian customs and a lot more.”

    On his part, the Director Programs development Research and Projects Centre (dRPC), Dr Stanley Upkai said the DRPC is currently providing filled needs of women’s voices by bringing women economic collectives to the table to dialogue with government and tell them what their real needs are.

    He said vver time, they have found that there’s a divide between the government processes and the women at the grassroot level, so they are trying to bridge the gap.

    He added, “Having supported them to integrate gender into their agriculture policy. We are trying to bridge the gap by bringing women to the table to let government know what their problems are, as well as government tell them what they have in store for the women. So this policy dialogue provides that forum for the kind of discussion.”

  • Kogi residents seek action on abandoned Kabba-Egbe-Ilorin Road

    Kogi residents seek action on abandoned Kabba-Egbe-Ilorin Road

    A socio-political organization, Yagba Action Group (YAG), has appealed to the Federal Government for the outright reconstruction of the collapsed Kabba-Egbe-Ilorin road.

    They said the road has become a haven for bandits, who are unleasing terror on those who live and travel along the road.

    YAG noted that the federal road, which was constructed about 50 years ago, has received attention 33 years after, when it was rehabilitated through the initiative of the defunct Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF).

    However, the group commended the Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, for the inclusion of a section of it in the current palliative repairs of federal roads across the country.

    YAG extended its commendation to the senator representing Kogi West, Sunday Karimi and member of House of Representatives for Yagba Federal Constituency, Leke Abejide for their roles culminating in the inclusion of Kabba-Egbe-Ilorin road in the 2024 Appropriation Bill, while urging proactive action towards finding a lasting solutions to the bad road through improved budgetry funding.

    YAG General Coordinator, Toba Adebayo Belushi, urged Mangal Industries Limited, owners of the newly established Mangal cement factory in IluHagba, Kogi State, to, as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) join in the efforts to fix the road.

    Read Also: Anambra 2025: Former APC National Auditor joins race

    He enjoined Senator Karimi and Abejide not to relent in the joint efforts at lobbying the Federal Government and Mangal Industries Limited for immediate action.

    YAG enthused that the repair works in Yagba axis between Mopamuro and Yagba West Local Councils, which commenced in the last quarter of 2023, came as a huge relief to motorists and residents of the area, while also serving as an elixir for the socio-economic woes of Yagba people occasioned by the deplorable condition of the road.

    The group commended the contractors for doing a good job, while also calling for expedited action to ensure the repairs are completed during the dry season.

  • ‘Oil thieves behind oil bunkering, $170m bribe scandal against Naval Chief’

    ‘Oil thieves behind oil bunkering, $170m bribe scandal against Naval Chief’

    The Civil Society for Peace, Security and Development (CSPSD) has accused some “crude oil thieves” of being behind the media “attacks and campaign of calumny recently launched against the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla.”

    The organisation said the intent of the attacks was to end the dedication and commitment of the Naval boss to address oil bunkering in the Niger Delta.

    Convener of the group, Obadiah Ovye said this at a press conference in Abuja.

    Ovye described the allegations against the Chief of Naval Staff as “baseless and unfounded,” said the purpose was to blackmail and tarnish the image of Ogalla.

    He said the endgame of the attackers was to see to the sack of Ogalla so they (oil thieves) could continue their illicit business unhindered.

    He said the allegations that Ogalla collected bribes amounting to the tune of $170 million to facilitate crude oil theft in connivance with foreign nationals was a poorly orchestrated hatchet job sponsored by oil thieves he had put away from business.

    Read Also: Women protest arrest, intimidation of husbands, sons by Enugu police

    While passing a vote of confidence on Ogalla for being a true and unfased patriot who has restored sanity to the nation’s maritime domain, the group drummed their support and promised to continue mobilisation of Nigerians to ensure he succeeds in the mandate given to him by President Bola Tinubu to end oil theft in the country.

    He said: “While it’s almost a waste of resources and man-hours to join issues with merchants of falsehood and deceit, we are constrained by our mandate of fostering peace, security and development in the society to set the records straight.

    “Credible intelligence at our disposal has it that a cartel of notorious crude oil thieves whose illicit business has been grounded by the tight security and tactical effectiveness of the Nigerian Navy in the onslaught against oil bunkering in the Niger Delta has enlisted the services of some unpatriotic elements to launch a smear campaign against Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla.

    “The game plan involves sponsoring vicious media attacks against the Chief of Naval Staff with the hope of pressuring President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to sack him as he has been known to be a courageous and dedicated anti-corruption icon. The sheer callouses of this scheme is appalling but their bag of lies has burst open and Nigerians have already known it is just a matter of corruption fighting back.”

  • Kwara offsets salary arrears of teachers, pensioners with additional N1bn

    Kwara offsets salary arrears of teachers, pensioners with additional N1bn

    Kwara State Government has committed another N1,031,149,451.36 (one billion, thirty one million, one hundred and forty nine thousand, four hundred and fifty one naira, thirty six kobo) to offset the salary arrears the last administration owed local government workers, basic school teachers and pensioners.

    This was fulfilment of the commitment of the administration to settling the arrears it inherited from the past administration as resources permit.

    In January, the government began the payment of 100% CONHESS for health workers at the local government levels — with the monthly palliatives of N10,000 per worker and pensioner.

    Read Also: Kogi group hails Umahi over repairs, urges more actions on abandoned Kabba-Egbe-Ilorin road

    Between January 2020 and January 2024, the government has spent at least N5.5bn to offset the arrears of salary and gratuities for SUBEB teachers, local government workers and local government pensioners alone — apart from meeting its multibillion naira monthly obligations to these categories of workers and many others since it was elected in 2019.

  • Kogi group hails Umahi over repairs, urges more actions on abandoned Kabba-Egbe-Ilorin road

    Kogi group hails Umahi over repairs, urges more actions on abandoned Kabba-Egbe-Ilorin road

    A socio-political organisation, Yagba Action Group (YAG),  has appealed to the Federal Government for the reconstruction of the collapsed Kabba-Egbe-Ilorin federal road, which has become a haven for bandits unleashing terror on those who live and travel along the road.

    YAG, a pressure group based in Kogi State, noted that the federal road, which was constructed about 50 years ago, has received attention 33 years after, when it was rehabilitated through the initiative of the defunct Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF).

    However, the group commended the Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, for the inclusion of a section of it in the current palliative repairs of federal roads across the country.

    YAG extended its commendation to Senator Sunday Karimi (Kogi West) and member of House of Representatives for Yagba Federal Constituency, Leke Abejide for their roles in the inclusion of Kabba-Egbe-Ilorin road in the 2024 Appropriation Bill, while urging proactive action towards finding a lasting solutions to the bad road through improved budgetry funding.

    In a statement by its General Coordinator, Engr Toba Adebayo Belushi, YAG also made a solemn appeal to Mangal Industries Limited, owners of the newly established Mangal cement factory in IluHagba, Kogi State, to, as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) join in the efforts to fix the road. 

    While it admonished Senator Karimi and Hon Abejide not to relent in the joint efforts at lobbying the Federal Government and Mangal Industries Limited for immediate action, YAG enthused that the repair works in Yagba axis between Mopamuro and Yagba West Local Councils, which commenced in the last quarter of 2023, came as a huge relief to motorists and residents of the area, while also serving as an elixir for the socioeconomic woes of Yagba people occasioned by the deplorable condition of the road.

    The group commended the contractors for doing a good job, while also calling for expedited action to ensure the repairs are completed during the dry season.

    The statement partly reads: “According to the Works Ministry, this is just a palliative job, pending when the construction will be done. Lump sum provided for award of quick-wins for rehabilitation works during the dry season. Three different contractors are handling the job(s) in Mopamuro axis. YAG understands that the Kabba-Egbe-Ilorin road is in the 2024 appropriation bill, but due to the shrinking federal purse, alternative models were considered such as this special palliative repair programme initiated by the Hon Minister of Works, His Excellency Dave Umahi to ensure delapidated roads nationwide are motorable until funding is available for outright construction. This is in fulfilment of the announcement by the Hon Minister from earlier that palliative works on failed federal roads would commence on December 1, 2023.

    “Through extensive lobbying by our representatives in the National Assembly, the section from Iluhagba to Ejiba was listed among other failed roads in the country earmarked for special palliative repairs while talks are ongoing for alternative funding for complete reconstruction.

    “It is heartwarming to see the quality and pace of the work from Ejiba township heading to ECWA Seminary, about 5kilometres stretch. Similarly, work is ongoing in Mopa axis. We have information that in November 2023, additional N500m was allocated into the budget by the senate to ensure that the palliative job extends beyond Ejiba to Egbe this year. For travellers and residents who have endured the pains of coping with the hazardous impact of the dilapidated road over the years, the current action is a thing of joy and elixir of hope.

    “We pray that the main construction will be done, going by budgetary allocations. In the likely best solution, we pray it will be concrete construction like Kabba Junction to Obajana. Information at our our disposal shows that the main plan is to concession the Kabba-Egbe-Ilorin road construction project to a private company on tax waivers. Towards this end, in the last quarter of 2023, our representative in the Upper Chamber of the National Assembly, Distinguished Senator Sunday Karimi had led the Managing Director, Mangal Cement Industries, Engr Fahad Mangal to broker a meeting involving the Hon Minister and Chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriation, Senator Ali Ndume in continuation of discussions on the concessioning that would see Mangal handle the construction of the road from IluHagba to Ilorin. 

    “The arrangement, to the best of our knowledge, however, is yet to be firmed up. Once again, we are using this opportunity to appeal to all parties, the federal ministry of works, our representatives in the National Assembly as well as Mangal Industries Limited,  to expedite action that could lead to the conclusion of the arrangement in good time”.

  • Matawalle attends second counter terrorism coalition meeting in Saudi Arabia

    Matawalle attends second counter terrorism coalition meeting in Saudi Arabia

    The Minister of State for Defence, Mohammed Bello Matawalle, is in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, along with defence ministers from other countries to attend the Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition (IMCTC) meeting.

    The ministers are at the meeting to  discuss the urgent need for collaborative action in the fight against terrorism. 

    A statement from the Nigeria minister’s office said the discussions at the meeting has further strengthened the resolve of Nigeria and other members of the coalition to stand side-by-side in combating terrorism threat.

    According to the statement, discussions at the meeting revolved around counter-terrorism strategies, strengthening intelligence sharing mechanisms, and dismantling the intricate web of transnational terrorist networks. 

    It said the meeting provided a vital platform for thought-provoking exchanges and practical solutions to enhance international cooperation and bolster joint efforts against terrorism.

    The statement  said: “Stemming from his experience as the immediate past Governor of Zamfara state, a state that is experiencing the brunt of insecurity due to activities of criminal actors, the Minister recognizes the paramount importance of solidarity and coordination in addressing the complex and ever-changing nature of terrorism. 

    “During the meeting, the minister reiterated Nigeria’s unwavering commitment to international peace and security. He highlighted the imperative of collective action and emphasized the need for a united front against terrorism, stressing that the fight against terrorism transcends national borders and requires the collaboration of every nation.

    Read Also: Matawalle in Saudi Arabia for meeting of Defence Ministers, moves to tackle insecurity

    “He  emphasised the significance of leveraging advancements in technology and innovation to enhance counter-terrorism capabilities, while also acknowledging the importance of addressing the underlying drivers of extremism.”

    The statement said the member nations of the coalition resolved at the meeting to intensify efforts in intelligence cooperation, cybersecurity, and joint training exercises. 

    “The Ministry of Defence will also work closely with coalition partners to advocate for stronger counter-terrorism measures on the global stage and ensure that those responsible for terror acts are held accountable under international law,” the statement said.