Category: Northern Report

Mr Mohammed Omadefu (APC- Keana) on Monday emerged as the Majority Leader of the Nasarawa House of Assembly.

The Speaker, Alhaji Ibrahim Abdullahi (APC-Umaisha/Ugya) stated this when he unveiled the eight Principal Officers of the 7th Assembly in Lafia.

Abdullahi said that the selection of the principal officers was done in consultation with stakeholders in the state.

He said that Mr Danladi Jatau (APC- Kokona West) also emerged as the Deputy Majority Leader, while Mr Larry Ven Bawa (APC- Akwanga North) was elected as the Chief Whip.

Abdullahi also named Mr Suleiman Azara (APC- Awe South) as the Deputy Chief Whip, while Mr Iliya Zhekaba (PDP- Obi 11), would serve as the Minority Leader.

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He said that Mr Musa Abubakar (NNPP- Doma South) was elected as the Deputy Minority Leader, while Mr Solomon Akwashiki (SDP- Lafia Central) would serve as the Minority Whip.

Abdullahi named and Mr Musa Gude (SDP-Uke/ Karsh) as the the Deputy Minority Whip and urged the principal officers to live above board while discharging their duties.

The Speaker called on the people of the state to continue to support the administration of Gov. Abdullahi Sule to enable it deliver dividends of democracy to the people.

(NAN)

Kwara Governor AbdulRaman Abdulrazaq has identified with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his strong commitments to sustainable economic reforms and well-being of the Nigerian people.

Abdulrazaq said the discomforts in the country are just like the pains that precede the joyful birth of a child, Chief Press Secretary to the Governor Rafiu Ajakaye has said.

Ajakaye told reporters in Ilorin, the state capital the Governor has approved a slew of multi billion naira palliatives to neutralise the effects of recent removal of fuel subsidy.

He added that the palliative cut across different sectors and demographics of the State. 

According to him: “On top of the palliatives is a cash support of N10,000 for every public sector worker in the state, which will begin this month (July) and last until a new minimum wage is introduced to enable workers cope with the economic shocks created by the subsidy removal.

“In deference to the new advisory of the National Economic Council for states to design their own independent responses to the development, the Governor has directed the leadership of the civil service to continue a staggered work schedule — not exceeding three days a week — to reduce transportation expenses for workers.

“The Governor has similarly approved the payment, from this month, July, of new hazard and skipping allowances, and 100 percent CONMESS for consultants and medical doctors under the government’s payroll.

” He also approved a new regime of allowances for nurses working for the state government. The whole essence is to check attrition rate in the health sector, and attract and retain medics and specialists to provide improved, qualitative healthcare services for the people of the state,” he added. 

“The Governor has also endorsed immediate cash-backing of 2019 and 2020 promotion for Teaching Service Commission workers. The administration had earlier cash-backed arrears of promotion for TESCOM for years 2015-2018. 

“In the same vein, he has approved cash-backing for 2021 promotion exercise of teaching and non-teaching staff of SUBEB and restoration of steps to all of them. This is a policy response to the yearnings of SUBEB workers since 2016 when SUBEB workers no longer had steps. 

“The Governor also approved the extension of free bus rides for students of tertiary institutions in the state, while modalities for occasional distribution of food to poor and most vulnerable households are to be activated in the next few days. 

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“This shall be nonpartisan, and would be coordinated by a government team to be supported by respected stakeholders who would get inputs from traditional rulers, religious bodies, market leaders, trade unionists, and community based organisations to generate the lists of beneficiaries and disburse accordingly. 

“The whole idea of these interventions, which gulp billions of naira of public funds, is to show empathy and deploy as much resources as the state can afford to support the people at this special time. 

“The Governor has also approved for the Kwara State Social Investment Programme (KWASSIP) to activate a N500m worth of conditional support for petty traders and MSMEs in the state.

“The State Government will receive fertilisers and grains from the Federal Government and pay for same. It is not free. Modalities for the handling of these will be made available later. This is to boost farming outputs and food security in the state.

“The government, meanwhile, will be setting up a committee to interface with marketers on the need to curb extortionist tendencies as seen in arbitrary fixing of prices of food stuffs. This practice imposes hardship on everyone. The government will be willing to collaborate with the patriotic market leaders on how to tackle this challenge.”

Chief Executive Officer of PotTV and digital marketing expert, Victor Ehindero is spearheading the establishment of Nigeria’s biggest WhatsApp marketing brand to disrupt traditional advertising and engage thousands of users through the popular messaging app.

 Leveraging his expertise in digital marketing and his passion for helping businesses succeed, he embarked on a mission to build the biggest WhatsApp marketing brand in the country.

 Through strategic planning and meticulous execution, Ehindero has successfully positioned his company as a frontrunner in the industry, offering a range of cutting-edge solutions to businesses across various sectors. From small startups to multinational corporations, clients have turned to Ehindero Communications for their WhatsApp marketing needs.

 His team employs a data-driven approach, analysing user preferences and leveraging the vast capabilities of WhatsApp to deliver highly targeted and engaging marketing campaigns, and as such PotTV has over 170,000 contacts who can view their whatsapp status, averaging between 30,000 to 40,000 views per 24 hours times post on his status.

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Ehindero noted that one of the key factors that sets PotTV which started in 2016, apart,  is its emphasis on building relationships rather than simply selling products or services. He said by establishing meaningful connections with customers through personalised messages, businesses can foster trust and loyalty, resulting in increased sales and brand advocacy.

 “The content we are sharing on our platform, the activities we were doing, were generating so much organic buzz that many other people wanted just to join,” he said.

Ehindero’s team of skilled professionals meticulously crafts compelling marketing strategies tailored to each client’s unique objectives and target audience. They leverage WhatsApp’s features, including multimedia messaging, chatbots, and group interactions, to create immersive brand experiences that drive conversions and boost customer engagement.

The CEO noted that he plans to expand his operations further and continue pioneering advancements in WhatsApp marketing. Thus, his relentless pursuit of innovation, customer-centric approach, and commitment to delivering exceptional results position him as a driving force in Nigeria’s digital marketing landscape.

With his innovative approach and commitment to excellence, PotTV has achieved remarkable milestones. The company has successfully executed high-impact WhatsApp marketing campaigns for leading brands, resulting in substantial revenue growth and heightened brand visibility.

Ehindero also shares his knowledge and expertise through industry seminars and training programmes. With his empowerment of other entrepreneurs and marketers, he is contributing to the overall growth and development of the digital marketing ecosystem in the country.

Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has accused the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate in the March 8 governorship poll, Isah Mohammed Ashiru, of attempting to force the Election Petition Tribunal to the pre-hearing stage, when proceedings should be rounding off.

 The governor, a co-defendant in Ashiru’s judicial challenge to his victory, has, subsequently, through his legal team, filed a counter-affidavit to a motion by the defeated candidate and his party, seeking to subpoena 13 voters who have been available to the petitioners as willing witnesses.

 The motion is expected to be heard today by the three-person tribunal.

 In the request tabled before the Tribunal on July 19, Ashiru and PDP asked for an order “granting the petitioners/applicants leave to file and move this application outside of the Pre-hearing Session in this petition”.

 They also asked for “an order of this Tribunal granting the petitioners/applicants leave to file and use the Witness Statements on Oath of the following subpoenaed witnesses; Minkailu Lantana, Abubakar Aliyu, Habila Bulus, Felix Audu, Haruna Abubakar, Yusuf Harisu, Isihaku Adamu, Abbas Nuhu, Idris Suleiman, Shuaibu Musa, Isah Sani, Hauwa Hussaini and Ilaya Shamsu”.

 They sought four additional orders, including deeming the Witness Statement on Oath of one Gwazah Bonett, their principal witness (PW1) as properly filed and served.

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 Sani would have none of the request and his legal team, led by Chief Duro Adeyele, a Silk, is asking that the application be tossed.

  In the counter-affidavit, it was argued that “there is no exceptional circumstance to warrant the hearing and determination of this (petitioners’) application outside the Pre-hearing Session”.

 Ahmad Mohammed, a Personal Assistant to the governor, who deposed to the affidavit, added that he was properly briefed by the Learned Senior Advocate that, “all the witnesses proposed to be called by the petitioners in their motion are people that are ordinarily available and accessible to them, before they filed their petition”.

 It was further claimed that the petitioners’ application “is an invidious attempt to side-step the clear provisions of the Law, which mandates the petitioners to frontload the Witness Statements on Oath of their witnesses along with their petition’’.

 “All those listed in the petitioners’ motion as their proposed witnesses have been described as voters. The Witness Statements on Oath of these proposed witnesses have been signed by them and attached to the motion to show clearly that these witnesses are not such that they can be subpoenaed as they are ordinarily available to the petitioners and willing to attend the Tribunal to testify.

 “When PW1 was to testify, the 2nd Respondent (the governor) objected to his competence to testify and this Tribunal has already reserved its ruling (which is to be delivered with the judgement) in respect of the competence of PW1.

 “No retroactive leave can be granted in respect of a Witness Statement on Oath that has already been adopted and the deponent discharged.

 “Other witnesses subpoenaed by the respondents were never listed as part of the subpoenaed witness to be called. The procedure sought to be adopted by the petitioners/applicants is very strange to our jurisprudence in Nigeria.

 “The second respondent (Governor Sani) will be seriously prejudiced by the grant of this application. Granting this application will be overreaching on the decision of this Tribunal on the objection taken to the evidence of PW1 on record” the governor’s team submitted.

 The counter-affidavit was dated July 22.

Muslims have been tasked to live up to the recommendation of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) by moving away from acts forbidden by Allah in the new Islamic year of 1445.

 The Chief Imam, Nasrul-Lahi-L-Fathi Society of Nigeria (Nasfat) Kaduna Branch, Sheikh Muhammad Marooph Raji, yesterday in Kaduna, described Hijrah as migration ordained by Allah from one place to another, or from a bad act to a good act. He said Prophet Muhammad (SAW) embarked on Hijrah thrice following persecutions by the people of his home land, Makkah.

 Sheikh Raji, who was the guest lecturer at the 1445 Hijrah Celebration organised by Ansar-ud-Deen Society, Kaduna branch with the topic “Lessons of Hijrah” said, “Hijrah means running away from one place to another. But the best Hijrah according to the Prophet, is running away from what Allah forbids. Now that we are in 1445, Nigerian Muslims should run away from the bad acts we are doing in 1444 and change to good acts in the new Islamic year. That will be the best Hijrah for us.

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 “There are 124,000 prophets, 313 were given tasks by Allah, 25 were mentioned in the Qur’an, five were special because they did Hijrah. Prophet Muhammad (SAW) embarked on Hijrah three times, twice he ran to Abyssinia with his people and the third time he ran to Madina. He was running from persecution by the people of Makkah. Hijrah can be due to threat to life, economic threat, threat to religion or in search of knowledge. If our existence, livelihood or peace is being threatened, we can move to another place to overcome the threat.”

  Chairman of Ansar-ud-Deen Society Kaduna branch, Alhaji Saburideen Ishola Adeyemi said: “The main lesson from Hijrah is that if you are doing something you feel is bad, you should leave it and start doing good. If you know within your community that the situation under which you are staying does not warrant you to do the right thing, move away. Our Prophet did Hijrah from Makkah to Madina because of persecution in Makkah. But he still contributed to the community and to the people.’’

 According to a member of the Ansar-ud-Deen Society Kaduna Branch, Women’s Wing, Hajia Taibat Taiye Isioye, there were so many lessons inherent in the Hijrah lecture. “We learnt so much about the lesson of Hijrah. We learnt the reasons for Hijrah and the need for Muslims to move away from forbidden acts in the new Hijrah year 1445 to permitted acts. The lecturer from Nasfat also freshened the sermon because many people sat and listened attentively to the sermon,’’ she added.

  Earlier,  Ansar-ud-Deen visited Al Ihsan Balsuma Orphanage and Charity Organisation Trikania, Kaduna where the members held breakfast with the orphans before donating food items, clothes, soaps and detergents, biscuits and other household goods to the orphans.

  The Coordinator of the orphanage, Hajiya Firdausi Yusuf, thanked Ansar-ud-Deen for the gesture. She appealed to individuals and organisations to support them.

• Benue APC reaffirms support for gov

Benue State Governor, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia has announced the discovery of ghost workers and schools which raised the monthly bill of teachers to  N1.6 billion instead of N800 million.

He broke the news at a meeting with leaders and stakeholders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the Government House, Makurdi, the state capital.

He decried the padding of the salaries of teachers in the state and warned that those caught would be dealt with.

He called on those affected by the employment by the past administration not to worry as those who are employable would be considered when new employment opportunities open.

The leaders and stakeholders of APC assured Rev. Fr. Alia of the party’s support for his administration.

At the event were the party’s state Chairman, Comrade Austin Agada; Second Republic Senator and elder statesman, Chief Jacob Tilley Gyado;  representative of  Zone A, Chief Terlumun Akputu; former Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Chief Michael Kaase Aondoakaa, SAN; Chief Akange Audu, for Zone B,  and Hon. Emmanuel Aba Yaro, for Zone C; the Senator Representing Benue Northeast Senatorial District, (Zone A), Sen. Emmanuel Memga Udende;  APC State Women Leader, Princess Nancy Awuese Torhee; State Youth Leader, Comrade Cephas Tertindi Adom; and the Majority Leader, State House of Assembly, Hon. Saater Tiseer

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 Agada praised the APC and people for their continued support and trust in the party. He assured stakeholders that the APC will remain united. He however warned that the party will discipline those who seek to divide it.

 Akputu described the event as unique, expressing the hope that it would mark the beginning of greater things to come to the party and the state.

 Chiefs Aondoakaa, and  Audu, and Yaro pledged their support to the Alia-led administration and advised the governor to be mindful of ill-fated counsel that could divide the party and state.

 Senator Udende  pledged the support of the National Assembly members to the governor’s policies and programmes

Princess Torhee said the Social Investment Programme (SIP), introduced to empower rural women, youths and communities, was politicised by the past Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)-led government in the state. She appealed to the governor to restructure the programme.

Adom informed the governor of the youth’s readiness to end the extortion of land buyers in the state in the name of  ‘marching ground’ and that youths should benefit from his administration.

Hon. Tiseer also pledged the support of the Assembly to the Governor.  He called on the governor to clear the air on the non-payment of teachers in the state.

 Chief Gyado urged the governor to hold on to the leader of the party.

  The governor assured stakeholders that his administration would be fair in the distribution of political appointments in the state, adding that those who qualify would be considered.

Alia warned against inflammatory statements and hate speech and stated that it would attract legal sanctions to promoters no matter how highly placed in society both in the print and social media. He appreciated the media for promoting the government but reminded them to be wary of fake bees. Alia promised that in the next four weeks, a pilot youth empowerment programme would commence and urged the state youth leader to profile 1,000 names of youths to be part of the programme.

The governor praised the party leaders and the people and called for more patience with the subsidy removal effects. He promised that palliatives would soon be made available for the masses.

A group, Nigeria in Diaspora Organisation (NIDO) worldwide has trained over 300 youths of the state at the Plateau State University, (PLASU), on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Cyber Security.

 At the close of the one-week course at PLASU, Bokkos,  the Coordinator of NIDO, Dr Ezekiel Macham, explained that the training  covered Digital Marketing, Mobile App Development, Digital Forensic,  among others, and that a plan had been mapped out to sustain the training, if government provide an enabling environment for the charitable group.

 Macham explained that the exercise was organised in partnership with the university, adding that apart from the donation of medical equipment, a container load of books, the charitable group will equip the agricultural laboratory with state-of-art equipment.

 He said: ”In our contemporary society, you will agree with me that ICT is the way to go; ICT now rules the world. Today, through ICT, Indians stay in their country but work and earn money in America; that’s the power of ICT.

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 ”So, we decided to put this training together to improve the knowledge of these young people and acquaint them with necessary skills in key areas of information technology.

 ”We travelled from different parts of the world to contribute our quarter toward the growth and development of our economy back home through ICT.’’

 PLASU Vice Chancellor, Prof. Benard Matur thanked NIDO for the partnership and promised to sustain the initiative. ”As in institution plans are on to gear to commence certificate and Diploma programmes in AI, cyber security, and other aspects of ICT

 ”This will enable us to produce experts in the field of information technology that will make us tackle insecurity, promote food security and other societal problems facing us,” he said.

 The group also presented some medical equipment to the state Specialist Hospital, Jos.

Zamfara State House of Assembly Speaker, Hon. Bilyaminu Ismail Moriki has said the administration of former Governor Bello Matawalle created ‘useless ministries’ through which state resources were wasted.

He said this was why Governor Dauda Lawal reduced ministries from 28 to 16 to curb the waste of the past administration.

 The Speaker, who stated this at a briefing in Kaduna at the weekend, said the state Assembly supported the governor’s action.

 According to him, “the governor has done the right thing, considering the situation in which Zamfara has found itself in terms of security challenges, economic downturn and poor state of agriculture.

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 “The previous administration created useless ministries and they did it with impunity. Some of the ministries were created to have an opportunity of wasting the state resources. That is why Governor Dauda Lawal reduced the ministries from 28 to 16, to properly manage the state resources and make the resources work for the people of Zamfara State.

 “For example, the previous administration voted money to some of these ministries, the money was released, but nothing could be pointed to as what the money was used for,” he said.

Moriki, however, assured that the administration of Lawal would be a departure from the previous government by doing things right.

He said the governor, having realised the importance of education and the role illiteracy has played in the security and economic challenges bedeviling the state, has set out to prioritise education from primary to tertiary level, adding that, the governor has set out in the first instance to refurbish and reequip over 100 primary and junior secondary schools across the state.

The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) is set to distribute maize and fertiliser in Abuja.

 In a statement, the Director of Information & Communication, FCT, Muhammad Sule said the Federal Government provided for 150,000 metric tons of maize and 4,496,533 bags of fertiliser for distribution to states and the FCT to address food insecurity.

  According to him, the FCT Administration has already set a committee to kick-off the scheme to jump start the Federal Government’s efforts in reducing hardship on the populace.

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 The decision was taken in an emergency meeting of the management of the FCT Administration chaired by the FCT Permanent Secretary, Mr. Olusade Adesola, at the Minister’s conference room.

  The PS indicated that in tandem with the Presidential declaration of the State Emergency on Food Security, the FCT Administration has keyed into the laudable programme to bring succour to the ordinary residents of the Federal Capital Territory.

 His words: “The Administration will surely work to make a robust impact on the lives of the ordinary residents of the Federal Capital Territory in line with the vision of President Tinubu.”

• Alia to PDP: You’re heartless

Benue State Governor Hyacinth Alia is in a war-of-words against opposing People’s Democratic Party ( PDP) over the visit of the governor to the Court of Appeal President over the weekend.

Alia had attended  a memorial mass for the late son of the President of the Court of Appeal, Hon Justice Monica Bolna’an Dongban-Mensem.

 The state  Publicity Secretary of PDP Bemgba Iortyom, in a statement which he signed yesterday, questioned why Alia, whom the opposition party is challenging his election before the tribunal, would visit the Court of Appeal , under the guise of memorial mass.

 The statement said  the PDP did not trust Alia for the visit because he emerged as the candidate of APC primaries  through a process that was fraught with irregularities , and his appearance before the eminent jurist who is in charge of appointing  Election Tribunal members read meaning .

 “Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Benue State views this frolicking of Governor Alia around the Court of Appeal President with deep suspicion for the very notorious fact that the governor is having his election challenged by our great party before the Benue State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal (BGEPT) sitting in Makurdi,’’ he alleged.

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 But the Chief Press Secretary (CPS) to the governor,  Sir Kulas advised the opposition PDP and former Governor Samuel Ortom to spare Alia of their confusion.

In a statement, which he signed yesterday, Sir Kulas said: “It is quite sad that the former Governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom, has taken to a pastime of sponsoring vile attacks on the Governor of Benue State.”

Kulas said a vile attack on the judiciary for allowing Alia to attend a memorial mass for the late son of  Hon Justice Monica Bolna’an Dongban-Mensem, is unfortunate.

“That the President of the Court of Appeal could be bought by a mere appearance at her son’s memorial service?

 “But many Benue people will agree here that since the return of democracy in 1999, the APC-led administration has refused to interfere in the affairs of the judiciary, regarding electoral matters.

 “The same Ortom sponsoring negative publicity won his re-election in 2019, and despite his consistent vile attacks on the Buhari-led administration, the law was allowed to take its course.”

 “His victory was affirmed by the courts. This would not have happened if it were in the years the PDP held sway at the centre.

  “But the APC administration did not interfere and has continued to do so. Or did the party also play a-behind-the-scene–roles to ensure Ortom’s victory was affirmed by the courts?’’ he added.

The memorial service in honour of the late Prince Paeke Shepnaan, the son of the President Court of Appeal, was attended by prominent Nigerians, including four governors, former governors as well as Senators.

Alia was at that event to also represent the Progressive Governors’ Forum (NGF) like his Oyo State  counterpart, Seyi Makinde, who represented NGF. “Are Ortom and his team saying the other governors on the occasion have no cases at the tribunal? The irony of it all is that some of the well-meaning Nigerians that attended the service, are friends of Samuel Ortom, the leader of the PDP in Benue State.

 “Should we say Wike and Makinde were also there to frolic with the President of the Appeal Court on behalf of Ortom and the Benue PDP?

 “It is laughable how the PDP has shifted its hopes to the Tribunal, even after they were roundly defeated at the polls.

Dongban-Mensem simply on the ill-considered ground that she is the President, Court of Appeal.