Category: Northern Report

The Benue State Assets Recovery Committee headed by Hon. Hinga Biem, has towed away vehicles from Oracle Business Workshop owned by former Governor Samuel Ortom.

 The workshop is located opposite Union Bank, along Makurdi-Otukpo road in Makurdi, the state capital.

There was heavy presence of security personnel as the vehicles were  moved away by towing vans and taken to Government House Makurdi, which served as the sitting venue of the Asset  Recovery Committee.

 Governor Hyacinth Alia , on assumption of office, complained that many vehicles and official cars seen on his predecessor’s convoy, disappeared and could not be found in Government House, Makurdi.

Alia, thereafter, set up an asset recovery committee to recover vehicles, land and government funds.

 Various vehicles were towed away from the Workshop, just many people trooped out to watch the operation which lasted for several hours.

 But Benue PDP Publicity Secretary, Bemgba Ioryom said  the vehicles belong to individuals who brought them to Oracle Business Workshops for repairs.

He said some of the vehicles had been fixed and were only waiting for the owners to come and take them

The Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC ) in Bauchi State, Alhaji Muhammad Nura, has described the general elections in the state as free, fair and credible.

 Nura stated this at the Post-Election Review Meeting yesterday in Bauchi.

 “We conducted elections across 5,423 polling units and results collated at the 212 registration areas in the state. Winners were returned across senatorial districts, state and federal constituencies.

 “The elections were not without shortcomings and this suggests why we are here to review the outcome of the elections and recommend ways to improve on future processes,” Nura Said.

 He urged the participants at the meeting to freely share their views, adding that it would assist the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in planning future elections.

 The REC, however, commended security agencies, the media, Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), and other stakeholders who supported the commission during the elections.

A Federal High Court in Abuja has reversed the redeployment of Alhaji Abubakar Faruk as the Managing Director of Abuja Markets Management Limited (AMML) by the Chairman, Abubakar Maina, and the immediate past Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mohammed Bello.

 Justice Donatus Okorowo, in a judgment, ordered Faruk’s reinstatement to his former position.

 The judgment was on a suit filed by Faruk, marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/499/23 with  AMML,  Maina, the FCT Minister and FCT Administration (FCTA) as defendants.

 Justice Okorowo restrained defendants and their agents from interfering with the plaintiff’s exercise of his powers as an MD, including holding board meetings.

 The judge ruled  that the decision of Maina and Bello to reconstitute the AMML Board of Directors and publish in a statement of February 21 and inaugurated the said board on April 4 was unlawful, null and void.

 He held that the action of the duo contravened the provisions of sections 269(1) to (4), 273(1), 274(1) to (3) of the Companies and Allied Matters Act (CAMA), 2020; Articles 16, and 21 of AMML’s Memorandum and Articles of Association and all other enabling laws and instruments applicable in the circumstances of the case.

 The judge also restrained the AMML and Maina, “jointly and severally, whether in persons or through any other director, officer, or staff, from convening the board meeting unless and until all necessary and valid statutory notice(s) has/have been served on all directors who are eligible and entitled to receive such notice(s) and attend the meetings, including the plaintiff herein.”

 He further restrained the FCT Minister and FCTA from interfering with the affairs of AMML and reconstituting its board of directors illegally.

 Justice Okorowo, who described the action of the defendants as “illegal and ultra vires,” granted the reliefs sought by Faruk.

Kano State Governor Abba Yusuf has appealed for more Tertiary Education Trust Fund’s (TETFund’s) intervention projects at the Yusuf Maitama Sule University and the Kano University of Science and Technology in Wudil.

Yusuf made the appeal in Abuja during a visit to the Executive Secretary of TETFund,  Sonny Echono.

He stressed the need for more collaboration between the government and the Fund to ensure improved education delivery.

“The purpose of my visit is to ensure continued collaboration between the Kano government and TETFund in terms of projects and other educational assistance to these two universities.

”Of course, my predecessor established the third university in the state but as far as we are concerned, these two universities are close to our heart,” he said.

He commended TETFund for its various infrastructure projects in tertiary institutions across the country.

The governor, specifically, called for TETFund’s support in the two universities in the areas of provision of more facilities, training and retraining of staff as well as flood control in Kano University of Science and Technology, Wudil.

“Firstly, we are here to thank the management for those intervention programmes and projects being executed in the two universities.

”Specifically I am more interested in infrastructure development, why because if you do not have classrooms, you don’t have hostels, you don’t have libraries or facilities then the entire system will collapse.

”So the most important thing as far as university or any other tertiary education institution is concerned is to ensure the provision of infrastructures.”

“If you look at most universities in the country, without the support of TETFund they won’t be where they are today in terms of educational facilities.

” Number two, I am more concerned about the training and retraining of the staff of the universities. TETFund has been assisting in areas of training and retraining,” the governor said.

Meanwhile, Echono, who congratulated Yusuf on his victory in the March 2023 gubernatorial election, said the fund is ready to partner the government to improve  tertiary education institutions in the state.

Echono described Kano as not only a centre of commerce but also that of learning with over a dozen universities in the state.

“TETFund intervenes in three institutions within a state; that is the universities, polytechnics and colleges of education.

”The Board of Trustees, to ensure we concentrate resources and achieve meaningful impact, placed limitations on the number of institutions.

“So, we do not encourage states to just establish multiple institutions with only the intention of targeting TETFund intervention.

” It actually enrolls two of similar types of institutions at a time, and even when we enlist two institutions at a time. What I mean is either two universities or two polytechnics or two of colleges of education.

“To meet the provision of our law that talks about equality of states, to ensure we do not favour one particular state over the order, states that have more than one institution, actually, alternate them,” he said.

The Sokoto State Government has commenced payment of three years ‘ arrears of  tuition fee for its students studying at the Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto (UDUS).

The government had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the institution to pay the tuition fees of students from the state.

However, the state government had failed to remit the money for three years, a situation which made UDUS to bar the affected students from sitting for examinations.

 Chairman of the Screening Committee, Alhaji Nasiru Dantsoho, said the verification had been completed and the remittance of the outstanding fees had commenced.

He said the intervention followed reports that UDUS had threatened to send the students home unless the fees were paid in full.

Dantsoho said the money for those screened would be paid to the university to enable the students to sit for the semester examinations and subsequent academic sessions without distraction.

The committee chairman recalled that Governor Ahmad Aliyu, had, on assumption of office, expressed concern over the situation.

He said the former administration of Aminu Tambuwal left huge debts for the new government, especially in the area of scholarship for students.

”The situation in which our students were rejected warrants us to embark on the screening to make sure only Sokoto students benefit from the payment,” he said.

The chairman said the panel had screened students from the 23 local government areas.

He added that a similar exercise would be undertaken in other institutions if the need arose.

Some of the students told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that they felt relieved, and expressed appreciation to the state government for the intervention.

They added that they would now face their studies without distraction.

Bauchi, Gombe, Jigawa governments and other stakeholders have scaled up measures to mitigate perennial flooding across the states.

Sequel to the flood alert by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the state governments, in collaboration with stakeholders, initiated viable projects to mitigate the disaster in their respective areas.

NEMA predicted severe flooding in the year based on the Annual Flood Outlook released by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) and Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NHSA).

According to the report, some states, including Jigawa, Gombe and Bauchi, might experience flooding due to predicted heavy rainfall, thunder and high windstorm in the months ahead.

In response to the flood alert, the states and other relevant authorities adopted proactive measures to mitigate the disaster.

Some residents, who spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Bauchi, Gombe and Jigawa lauded the initiative, describing it as “commendable”.

In Jigawa, the government has embarked on desilt, construction of drains and embankments across flood-prone areas.

 Last year, the flood destroyed many houses, ravaged farmlands, caused loss of lives and displaced thousands in Jigawa.

To address the menace, the Governor, Umar Namadi, who spoke on an Nigeria Television Authority (NTA) programme, monitored by NAN, reiterated his commitment to end the menace.

He said: “As a government, we are constructing culverts and drainage in towns to enable the free flow of water.

“A Technical Committee set up has recommended more embankment at flood-prone areas to ensure that the communities are protected — that is what we have been doing for a long time and we have covered about 85km of embankment.

“The embankment is not less than 2.5 metres high and less than four metres thick as recommended by the Technical Committee.

“We have covered 35 communities within eight local government areas and a distance of about 85 to 90 kilometres.

“To save the situation, the Jigawa government has commenced the clearing of grasses using the state-acquired excavator machines that have covered 36km within four months and there are about 323 left. This is something that must be done.”

“The Hadejia Jama’re River Basin Development Authority bought two more excavators for the state. Every day the four machines dredge 250 meters, this is part of the effort being made.”

“The federal authorities must understand this challenge and do something about it. The clearing being embarked upon by the Jigawa State government is capital-intensive. We are planning to cover 300km.

“This is what we need to understand and act collectively and the authorities need to take the warning given by the NiMet, not telling the states that there is going to be rain or flood but what we can do as a country to help the situation.

“The rivers are not being maintained for long periods and the state has limited resources to maintain the rivers.

“Jigawa State has swung to action in addressing the flooding, but has limitations.”

However, some residents have commended the government and stakeholders over the flood control projects.

Alhaji Hussaini Sani, Ward Head, Tsakuwawa community in Miga Local Government Area, said the embankment controlled flooding in the area.

He applauded the Jama’atul Nasarul Islam (JNI) over its tree-planting programme across the state.

Similarly, Hamza Hadejia, Secretary, Jigawa Task Force Committee Against Flood, said the government had begun creating an earth bank.

He said the projects would address floods, which ravaged communities in the past 16 years, and commended the residents for their support.

In the same vein, Shehu Inuwa-Udi and Bala Usman, Chairmen of Ringim and Dutse Local Government Councils, said the implementation of the Agro-Climatic Resilience for Semi-Arid Landscape (ACReSAL) would mitigate impact of the flood.

While pledging support to the programme, Usman said that his council would ban tree felling to protect the environment.

Similarly,  the Gombe government has adopted proactive measures to control flooding and other environmental challenges in the state.

Mr Ismaila Uba-Misilli, the Director-General, Press Affairs, Government House, Gombe, said the move was in response to the 2023 report by NiMet and NHSA.

NiMET and NHSA listed Nafada, Yamaltu Deba and Balanga as flood higher risk areas.

He said that Gov. Inuwa Yahaya directed the Ministry of Environment and Forest Resources to work with relevant stakeholders towards activation of emergency response and management resources.

This, he said, would ensure safety of lives and property while mitigating the effects of the flood.

He said the Ministry had constituted a task force to engage relevant stakeholders, to come up with ways of mitigating the impact of the disaster.

“The Ministry has also engaged in aggressive advocacy and community sensitisation in flood prone areas, to create awareness on self-precautionary and flood mitigation measures.

“The government, through the Ministry of Environment, has also embarked on desilting to ease flow of water, especially in densely populated areas.”

He said the crisis response unit of the ministry equally mapped out shelter zones to serve as a haven to displaced persons during emergencies across the state.

Additionally; the Bauchi State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) in partnership with relevant agencies had scaled up flood mitigation and emergency response across the state.

The agency was working, in collaboration with the state’s Environmental Protection Agency (BASEPA), Primary Health Care Development Agency (SPHCDA),  development partners, among others.

Mr Adamu Nayola, Director, Research and Statistics of the agency, said the agency had embarked on an early warning sensitisation in flood-prone communities across the State.

“The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET) and Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA) have predicted late heavy rainfall, which would affect some parts of Bauchi State.

“We sensitised riverine communities, advised them to be vigilant and prepare for relocation as this year’s flooding gears up.

“They are to remain alert and comply with government’s directives on how to minimise the effects of the flood as well as prepare themselves on security, economic and health implications of the foreseen flood outbreak,” he said.

The Director said the agency would soon embark on another tour of the flood-prone areas to mobilise people for evacuation to safe areas.

He called on residents to stop the indiscriminate dumping of waste and erection of structures on waterways to guard against flooding.

“For now, the flood is prone to Kirfi, Gamawa, Zaki, Alkaleri and Darazo LGAs, and our attention is there persistently.

“We urge the people to take the warning seriously, and learn to keep their environment clean at all times,” he said.

…Says Mama Remi is a defender of Christ and his house

All Progressive People (APC) lawmaker Hon Philip Agbese has dismissed claims that First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, closed the Aso Rock Chapel.

The Benue lawmaker said it is deleterious and despicable to make such unfounded allegations against a woman he describes as a defender of Jesus Christ and his house.

A Twitter user with the username @VeronicaaNaomi had alleged that the First Lady ordered the closure of the chapel.

She claimed that her directive was because some unnamed persons did not support her husband, President Bola Tinubu, during the presidential election in February 2023.

However, the First Lady has since refuted the claims as “fabrication and false representation of the true situation.”

And Agbese said it was shameful that such a report even surfaced in the first place, knowing full well the sacrifices of Mrs. Tinubu to the Body of Christ. 

Read Also: First Lady pledges support for Nigeria’s efforts at attaining SDG goals

According to the lawmaker, the First Lady is a strong woman of faith who is one of the leading and most vocal Christian voices in the nation. 

He said she went through the preparatory stages of Baptismal and workers in training classes before becoming a Pastor in 2018.

Agbese noted that Tinubu’s boldness, courage, and spiritual insights are similar to Esther’s in the Bible.

As Esther stood before the king to save her people even though it would be risking her life, the Benue rep member said Senator is doing the same through self-sacrifice and advocacy.

Agbese, therefore, urged Nigerians to disregard such a fallacy aimed at distracting the First Lady and her husband.

He added that the motive of the author is to plant a seed of hatred in the hearts of Christians against the current administration, which will not germinate.

Agbese, however, charged Christians to see the First Lady as God’s instrument at this hour to intercede on behalf of a sick nation.

The congressman further said the time for politics of ethnicity, religion, and bias is in the past, urging all Nigerians to support President Tinubu.

The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Environment Ibrahim Yusuf, has called on the Federal Government, stakeholders in the environmental sector to ensure that solid structures are put in place for proper waste management.

Yusuf made the call at the National Environmental Sanitation Day in Abuja, with the theme, “Promoting Sustainable Waste Management for a Healthy Environment: Stop Open Dumping”.

He noted that the National Environmental Sanitation Day Commemoration was established to institutionalise the sound environmental sanitation practice as a lifestyle among the populace through massive awareness creation and reward for innovative best practices in environmental sanitation.

 “Environment in collaboration with key stakeholders has been celebrating the NESD since its declaration since 2005 till date and it has promoted behavioural change in sanitation and hygiene practices among the citizenry.

“The provision of safe functional sanitary facilities and services in every premise for the management of waste materials hazardous and non-hazardous is a necessity for sustainable waste management. This will go a long way in ensuring a high level of behavioural change with respect to SDG 3, 6, and 7 on good health and well-being, access to clean water and sanitation as well as safe management of sanitation.

 “Therefore, this theme entails the need for everyone everywhere, households, business premises, schools etc to have sanitary facilities, services which are functional and cost-effective to ensure the protection of our eco-system, aesthetic value of the environment and natural resources. This will also prevent odour nuisance and further transmission of sanitary related disease,” he said.

The PS added that this would promote public health and improve the quality of lives of the populace, thereby reducing poverty through environmental sustainability.

“Prevent pollution of water bodies, air and land for a sustainable eco-system. Improve resource recovery, reuse and recycling, thereby promoting circular economy in waste management. Prevent blockage of drainages, water pathways and flooding of the communities,” he advised.

The Campaign Secretariat of the Kogi State governorship candidate of Social Democratic Party (SDP), Muritala Yakubu Ajaka, was yesterday morning vandalised by some suspected hoodlums.

The frontage of the secretariat, which was made of glass, was vandalised just as the banners of President Bola Tinubu, which was pasted on the wall of the secretariat, was pulled down and burnt to ashes in front of the office.

The campaign secretariat, located around Paparanda junction in Lokoja, was initially opened in January for Ahmed Bola Tinubu during the presidential race by the governorship candidate, Muritala Yakubu Ajaka when he was in the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the party.

But Ajaka later defected from the APC to SDP when he could not secure the ticket of the ruling party as the governorship candidate at the primary. Speaking with reporters yesterday at the Campaign Secretariat, the running mate to SDP governorship candidate, Chief Sam Abenemi, described the attack as unfortunate.

According to him, some hoodlums had last week approached the security men at the campaign Secretariat, asking them to remove the billboards and banners of Asiwaju Tinubu/Shettima from the Campaign Secretariat.

He then said: “But it is important to state that the President, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has been a mentor to our candidate, Alhaji Muritala Yakubu Ajaka – a man he has looked up to politically.

“Because of his belief in the Asiwaju Tinubu Presidency, Alhaji Muritala Ajaka worked tirelessly to ensure his victory in the state because he believed in his capacity to take Nigeria forward.

“Alhaji Ajaka and the Kogi State SDP is resolutely in support of the success of President Bola Tinubu’s administration and will continue to pray for him to succeed.

”We urged our supporters to remain calm in the face of all forms of provocation. We’re winning the November governorship election, the reason some people are scared and using intimidation”.

The SDP Deputy Governorship Candidate also called on the security agencies to fish out the perpetrators of the attack on the campaign secretariat.”

• Sule dares APC Stakeholders

Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule has said Ibrahim Balarabe remains the Speaker of the state House of Assembly despite opposition by the Concerned Nasarawa APC Stakeholders led by a former Chairman of Karu Local Government, Samuel Akala.

Sule in a statement signed by his Senior Special Assistant (SSA), Public Affairs, Comrade Peter Ahemba said Sule will continue to recognise Balarabe because his election was conducted by the Clerk of the assembly, and that no opposition would make him change his decision.

“Rt. Hon. Ibrahim Balarabe Abdullahi remains the Speaker of the Seventh Nasarawa State House of Assembly. As a matter of fact, the Speaker was duly elected, sworn-in and, thereafter, presented to the governor by the Clerk of the Assembly, in line with the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended).

“Following this development, the Governor, who is known for promoting due process, respect for rule of law and supremacy of the Constitution have no reason whatsoever not to accord the Speaker Ibrahim Balarabe-led House of Assembly it’s due recognition. It is very unfortunate that a group of individuals, who have benefited immensely in one way or the other from the system would be out to destroy same”

“It should be noted that Governor Abdullahi A. Sule could not have declined to  accord recognition to the Speaker Balarabe-led state House of Assembly on the mere fact that some aggrieved Members-Elect refused to present themselves to be sworn-in after a proclamation had been issued by the governor but rather congregated somewhere and were purportedly sworn-in by a casual staff.

  The governor said it was not true that a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja had barred Abdullahi and his Deputy, Hon. Jacob Ajegana from parading themselves. He said there was no such order.  Rather, he added, the Federal High Court in Abuja only made an order asking the Hon. Speaker to “show course” why the reliefs sought in the Motion Exparte, brought before it by Hon. Daniel Ogah Ogazi and others should not be granted. Until such reliefs were granted, Hon Abdullahi remained the Speaker, he added.

   “It is laughable for the so-called Concerned Nasarawa APC Stakeholders Forum, which is not known to the hierarchy of the party in Nasarawa State, to accuse the governor on salaries of lawmakers. This accusation has rather exposed the group for its ignorance of the state of affairs. It is, therefore, pertinent to clarify that the issue of salary of lawmakers is under the management of the House of  Assembly.

“Governor Sule, who is a peacemaker, has always called for caution, urging peace among brothers and long-time friends for the benefit of the state. As a democrat, the governor has continued to demonstrate his commitment in this regard. He has been working assiduously to resolve the crisis in the state House of Assembly to bring the aggrieved Members-Elect back on track in the interest of peace and development”

“The governor will continue to work for the betterment of the state through the people-oriented policies and programmes of his administration. It is therefore obvious that this hired lot do not mean well and that whatever ulterior motives behind their baseless and unfounded allegations calculated to bring the image of the Governor to disrepute has again failed woefully,” he said in a statement