The Nation Newspaper

Category: Northern Report

  • Relief for farmers, widows in Niger

    Relief for farmers, widows in Niger

    Like the country at large, Niger State is quite a paradox. Its soil is rich enough to grow a wide range of food and cash crops, including melon, cotton, beans, millet, sorghum, soya beans, yam and sugarcane. Yet, its farmers produce very little of these crops and essentially struggle to get by. This is because they get little support. For instance, they cannot buy or rent tractors or bulldozers needed for mechanised farming. This has left the agriculture sector poorly developed and unfruitful.

    Help has come. A member of the House of Representatives, representing Kontagora-Wushishi-Marga-Mashegu constituency, Niger State, Hon. Abdullahi Garba has provided farmers in four local government areas with mini-tractors to aid their farming.

    The mini-tractor is a 13 horse-power machine which can be used for harvesting, make ridges and perform other farming activities.

    According to the lawmaker, empowering farmers in the state with mechanised tools will boost agricultural production and also facilitate exports, which would in turn encourage more participation in agriculture.

    Garba, who is the House Committee Chairman on Population, noted that no amount was too small for empowerment adding that such would be repeated annually.

    “About 365 days ago I did exactly what you are witnessing today. It is all about motive and determination. I need to empower them year-in year-out. So it is what I enjoyed doing.

    “Imagine what these people are facing and what these support will do to alleviate their challenges. If they can make N4000 per day through these empowerment tools, you know what that will be in a year,” he added.

    Speaking with some of the beneficiaries, they commended the gesture, describing it as one which would help improve farming activities especially in the LGAs and further encourage more youths in farming.

    Umar Aliyu, 45 and father of 11 children disclosed how he manually cultivates about 12 Acres of land through the use of cattles for making ridges, this among other factors, he said has continued to hamper on harvests.

    He affirmed that with the new empowerment, his production would be increased by 50 percent.

    “Now I have increased capacity to do more cultivation but on behalf of other farmers, I want the government to help construct better road for accessibility and easy transportation of our produce,” he added.

    Another farmer, Umar Isah, 28, from Wushishi, LGA said  the mini-tractor will increase his farm cultivation to seven acres as against three acres production that produces only 50 bags of maize.

    “I am extremely happy for this. What can I say than to thank God for using this man. He has helped with mini-tractors, it is now the turn of government to provide fertiliser, pesticides, insecticides and above all, seeds,” he said.

    The farmers, however, called for road rehabilitation across the local governments by the appropriate authority to ensure easy transportation of Agriculture produce to cities where they are needed.

    Other empowerment tools distributed by the lawmaker included 90 sets of complete grinding machines for women, 45 motorcycles, 32 Tricycles for commercial purpose, 32 Hair, 45 Deep freezers among others.

    There were other beneficiaries, one of whom  Hajia Kunu Musa, a 50-year old widow. She got a grinding machine from the lawmaker. Hajia Musa said she could not believe her luck, noting that the grinding machine would help ease the burden of having to cater for a family of nine.

    “I am 50 years old with eight children. My husband died about 15 years ago, so it’s been difficult but I run a local restaurant which I used to take care of their welfare. I believe that is my fate.

    “With this grinding machine given to me free, I will be able to make more money for the family by grinding corn, potato, tomatoes and now that is Fasting period, people do lots of grinding, no doubt it will help my family.”

    The job tools were eventually distributed to other beneficiaries including young women, artisans, youths, farmers among others drawn from 45 wards in the four local governments the House of Representative member represents.

     

  • 50 clerics pray for Kwara at 50

    No fewer than 50 clerics have offered special prayers for peace and harmony in Kwara State. The clerics drawn from both Christianity and Islam each prayed for one minute, thanking God for the state’s development over the past 50 years of its existence.

    The prayers, which took place in Ilorin, the state capital, were organised by Mike Omotoso Foundation. Speaking with reporters, founder of the organisation, Dr Mike Omotoso canvassed the establishment of small and medium scale enterprises in the state. He said that is the antidote to multifarious problems associated with under-development in local communities.

    Omotoso said the government can address the challenges facing each segment of the society by empowering the people, especially the business community that would thereafter take time individually to develop their communities.

    He said it is not the responsibility of the government to develop each community but only concerned with the duty of providing the enabling environment for the people.

    The 2015 governorship candidate or the Labour Party in the state added that the duty of community development rests in the hands of people resident in various communities as long as government plays its own role.

    Omotoso maintained that if enabling environment is created, people would be willing to pay taxes, develop their communities and work toward the enhancement of their communities.

    On what should be the focus of the government in years to come, the former Labour Party governorship flag-bearer said, “For me, it is about providing the platform for people to excel. Government truly does not develop the community. You need to empower people to begin to survive by themselves, and then they will in turn, develop their communities.

    “When you look at Lagos for instance, you will find out that there is a lot of internally generated revenue. Where is this money coming from? You cannot extract money from people that are not making money; you cannot give what you do not have.

    “When you empower people to be able to do businesses in such a way that they are successful, they will willingly pay taxes, they will willingly develop their communities, they will willingly work toward the enhancement of their communities where they live in. And that is exactly how cities are developed. It is individuals that develop the communities.

    “For instance, if we are able to proliferate small and medium scale enterprises locally, you will find out that a lot of community development will happen and people will begin to realize, that government is just there to provide the platform, not really to develop the community. That is exactly where our leaders, I think, they have gotten it wrong”.

    Speaking on the rationale behind the prayer session, Omotosho said it was imperative prayer is encouraged whatever set to achieve by any society.

    He stated that Kwara has achieved a lot in the last 50 years, but noted that there is need for improvement in all sphere of governance of the state.

    “It is important to start whatever one intends to do with prayers because, spiritually, that provides strategic guidance to whatever your proposed actions are. So, celebrating Kwara at 50 will require that we stop, pray about whatever mistakes we have made in the past, but more importantly, to commit the next 50 years perhaps or the next stage into the hands of God. We truly believe we have a supreme being, and that is why it was inter-faith prayer, to bring everybody together and then pray for the progress of the state.

    “A lot has been achieved in fairness but the truth is, you will all agree with me there is still room for more. There has been some unfair comparison with states like Lagos and Rivers for instance. Of course, the terrain is totally different.

    “But I believe we can do more than we have done. Giving the opportunity that we already have, there is definitely room for improvement. We must commend the effort of the past leaders, but there is room for improvement,” Omotosho said.

  • ‘Capacity building vital to industrial growth’

    VICE Chancellor, Kebbi State University of Science and Technology, Prof Bello Shehu Malami, has called for adequate capacity building for investors.

    Malami, who was guest speaker at the Landmark Africa magazine conference, spoke on building capacity for potential investors in Africa. He said Nigeria has abundant natural and human resources to move the country forward but that the human resources lack the relevant skills, adding that there was the need to hone these skills to enable Nigerians to succeed.

    He said the gap between Africa’s growth and other continents is lack of use of research. He said though Nigeria has a lot of research institutes, varsities and polytechnics for capacity building, they were being underfunded and not well utilised by the private bodies.

    Malami scored the educational institutions high in performance, saying its products have always performed excellently each time they went abroad for training, noting that if they were not properly trained at home, their inadequacies would have been exposed. “Our educational system is ok. It is not education per se that is tying the legs of Nigeria from growing. There are other factors,’’ he said.

    To move the nation forward, Malami urged the government to scrap the BSc/HND dichotomy, wipe off tribalism, nepotism, and inflation, among others. He also urged the government to stop the import of some goods. He cited Rwanda as one of the fastest growing countries in Africa, saying this was so because its leaders were committed to nation building.

    Malami listed challenges of capacity building to include ineffective policies, weak good governance and heavy debts, urging the government to act fast on their eradication. “It is not too late. We can go back to the drawing board, take the bulls by the horns. Africa is second in land mass and population in the world.  The six major industries are doing well. We are so large to propel growth,’’ he said.

    Chairman of the occasion Dr Mufutai Adebowale canvassed industrial growth. He said though Africa is largest continent in land mass with a population of 600 million, no country in Africa can match Japan or those in Europe. He listed political instability, lack of determination to succeed, and penchant for imported goods as factors thwarting growth.

     

  • ‘States can promote SMEs through exports’

    The Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC) has urged states in the country to promote small and medium scale enterprises through exportation. The council also lamented the cumbersomeness in the clearance of goods

    in Nigerian ports.

    The South-West Coordinator of the council, Rotimi Anifowoshe told reporters in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital at the sideline of one day seminar.

    The seminar was entitled: “Enhanced packaging and quality- a viable approach to improving Kwara state economy.”

    Mr. Anifowoshe added the state government has demonstrated a strong commitment to drive exportation.

    He said “and that is the way forward. I want to urge government to harness and market exportable products from the state. Government should encourage micro and medium enterprises to improve on its exportation.”

    Speaking on the council’s challenges, NSC coordinator added “that the average Nigerian is talking about importation. No country can be a powerful shipping country when it is not driving its exportation.

    “The moment we understand that we need to move towards encouraging exportation for us to be competitive in international shipping, the earlier the better for you. If we don’t do it we are going to be having challenges because we will be at the point of disadvantage.

    “Also the procedures and processes of clearance in Nigeria are too cumbersome and we need to streamline them. It is only in Nigeria that you see people coming to the ports. Nigerian ports are like warehouses.

    “Ports are places where goods just come and move, but because we have cumbersome processes of clearance and documentations. We need to realise that profits in international shipping trade are driven by how strong the country is in its exportation.

    “The Federal Government has been doing a lot in that regard that is why we keep on having port reforms. Nigeria is not lacking when it comes into law but implementation. “But the implementation is on the part of everyone. The average Nigerian is looking for ways to cut corners. There are so many agencies at the ports. The cooperation of everybody is needed for the implementation of government policies.”

     

  • ‘See what has become of my son’

    ‘See what has become of my son’

    A schoolboy complained of pain and weakness and went to the sickbay where some drugs were administered on him. His reaction to the medications has disfigured and nearly killed him. FAITH YAHAYA reports

    Last year the tragic death of 14-year-old Amina Ibrah-im in Kano State jolted everyone. Amina was said to have died of Steven Johnson Syndrome (SJS) after she reacted to Septrin tablet that was administered on her by a chemist. Numerous unreported cases of death resulting from reaction to drugs have continued to occur across Nigeria without proper acknowledgement. Regrettably, many of the fatalities are easily attributed to the wicked hands of diabolical wizards and ageing witches. Indeed, because of lingering belief in superstitions, official indifference, extensive quackery in the sale of medicine along with other causes, many more are still bound.

    In standard practice, before a patient is treated of any ailment, the medical history of such patient is sought so as to serve as guide for medical practitioners in charge of such patients.

    Another death has been averted  but only just.

    The family of the Wahabs never knew they would be visited with such horrific experience. It all began on March 30 when their son, Saheed visited the school sickbay to complain of body temperature at Command Secondary School, Suleja in Niger State.

    After he lodged his complaints, a nurse allegedly administered three tablets of a drug said to be Fansidar, which caused an adverse reaction on the boy. The reaction is described as Steven Johnson Syndrome (SJS), a life-threatening skin condition that disfigures the body before finishing off its victim.

    What Saheed thought to be normal signs of malaria ended up becoming what has left him disfigured to the point that his parents had to be called to come pick him up. Laboratory tests conducted showed that the boy was given Fansidar and he reacted to sulphur, one of the components of the drug.

    The school denied giving the boy Fansidar. On his card at the school sickbay, the nurse wrote Paracetamol, Augmentin, B. Complex and Vitamin C. The school also claimed that he was sick from home.

    The reaction caused him to miss his Junior Secondary School examinations. Our reporter who visited the boy in the hospital and at home saw that he still found it difficult to walk straight. His skin complexion has changed, his nails were gradually pulling off, his lips which were filled with blisters were swollen and covered with sores, his head had wounds, his male organ reduced to the size of that of a newborn, one of his eyes was reddish and he found it difficult to see with the other.

    At intervals while our reporter was there, Saheed was busy scratching himself and appeared uncomfortable, at a point, he unconsciously voiced out, ‘This pain is more than labour pain.’

    His mother kept repeating: “See what they have turned my handsome son to”. The mother also showed The Nation pictures of Abdul before the incident. “My son is now a complete opposite of himself. He used to be very handsome, but I still thank God that he escaped death”, she said with a deep sigh.

    Narrating what happened, the boy who clocked 13 years on the hospital bed and who is still convalescing, spoke in a very low tone. He said: “On Sunday morning, I wanted to go and pray but I could not stand up because my body was paining me, so I was on bed. My friends came to wake me that we should go and bathe but I could not stand up, so I begged them to help me fetch water that I am weak, then it was dining time, they told me to go for food but I said I was tired so they took me to the clinic but they asked me to wait, so my friend took me back to the hostel. In the afternoon, they wanted to give me drugs but I had not eaten, so they asked me to go and look for what to eat, I was lying down then my friends went to tell my guardian and he gave me food. I went back to the sickbay but I was told that the time had passed and that I should come back in the evening. In the evening of Sunday, I went to the dinning but I could not eat because everything they gave had no taste. So I went back to the sickbay and I was given some drugs. Monday morning, I went back there and they gave me drug, in the afternoon again, they gave food and drug and in the night, they gave me food and drugs again. They gave me three tablets, other drugs and eye drop. I slept off and later the matron came to check some of us in the sick bay, she asked them why they kept me and why they had not called my parents. My body was already reacting to the drugs but the nurse did not tell the matron that she gave me Fansidar. The matron called my parents and asked them to come and pick me.

    “Immediately I took the drugs, I started seeing rashes on my body, my eyes were paining me and I could not see, I could not walk and I could not talk.

    On the claim that he was sick from home, he said: “No, I was not sick. You can ask my friends, when I resumed, I was very okay and we were playing before we went to read for our Junior WAEC because we had paper the next morning. I was not sick and I don’t even get sick easily. In the school, if you are sick, they will not allow the student to enter, I don’t know why they are saying that I was sick and it was Mr. Isah that signed my medical report. I was okay, I was not sick. If you are sick, the school will not allow you to enter and they will give you like two weeks to make sure you recover before you resume.

    On what he wants from the school as compensation for the pains he suffered and still suffering, he said: “They should agree that they gave me Fansidar and if they don’t agree, I leave them to God to judge but my skin irritates me.”

    The school has refused to identify the nurse who administered the drug and also refused to mention the drug he was given despite laboratory test conducted which indicated that he reacted to sulphur that is contained in Fansidar.

    When The Nation visited the school to get their reaction, the school’s Regimented Sergeant Major (RSM), after firing questions on why The Nation came to the school, said: “We have over 1,000 students in this school and generally speaking, our body systems are not the same because we have different body systems. It is drug reaction, you and I can take Panadol for headache and it might work for me and not work for you. So, if one happens to react negatively to what is being prescribed, I think it does not warrant bringing journalists or reporting the case. If they (parents of the boy) are not satisfied, they are supposed to come to us. As I am talking to you right now, the school representatives are there. So, I don’t know what they are looking for. One of our school bus has gone to check the boy, they go there every day and they even give them welfare which is not supposed to because we know how much each student pays for medical bill in their school fees. If the school can pick interest in shouldering some responsibilities and showing concern by going there every day, then they have tried.

    He further said: “You were also sitting at the school clinic, if it is a case that those in the clinic don’t know what they are doing there, students won’t continue to go to the school sickbay. Also, some people are trying to hide the truth because the boy reported today and the following day, he fell sick, automatically the sickness is even from home.”

    On whether the school has medical records of students, he said; “You are supposed to see the matron but she was one of those who went to visit him and she went with his medical history. Generally speaking, we don’t also want to expose what some parents do when they are asked to bring medical history of their wards. Some parents falsify medical reports just because they want their kids to be admitted. Some children are even sicklers but the parents hide it from the school.

    The mother who appeared angry with the reaction of the school authorities said: “We are not after their money; all we need is little show of concern and humanity. My son could not walk, see nor talk for one week. He was just on the bed. We could not even touch him with our bare hands, we had to use gloves to avoid infection and he was always discharging blood from his lips. To me, the painful aspect of this is their refusal to let us know the drug they administered on my son and the nurse that administered that drug. They should let us know if the nurse is qualified or a quack in order to protect other children from reoccurrence.

    On what the school authorities have done since the incident and the claim by the school that they visit the boy daily, she said: “They are lying. They have not been coming as they claimed. The first day they came, it was my husband that called them and abused them on the phone and that was the fourth day after we took him from the school. The second time they came, it was one of our members who is a teacher that came to visit my son and she asked what the school authority was doing and we told her nothing but they visited once. The woman was surprised and she said she knows someone in the school. She placed a call to one of the staff to register our displeasure at the way things were handled. Again, last week Sunday, the Matron came with her church members and they said they saw vision and that it was beyond the drug reaction that it was a spiritual attack, so they prayed. On Monday again, they came with two students and others. They said they were sorry for what happened and that God will heal him. They brought one watermelon, one pineapple, banana, and apples. They also brought two envelopes and said one was from the PTA while the other was from the school authority and the Commandant, I opened it and found N20,000 in each of the envelopes.

    She said, “We give him drugs worth N10,000 daily since this reaction started. We have done series of tests, he has collected several drips, gloves, and others. During one of the visits by the school, someone asked them who would foot the bill and they said they will be praying along with us. Is it the N40,000  they brought that will pay for his bills?

    “On our own, we are not ready to take things up but they are complicating matter for themselves. We just want to know the drug he was given because my son said they gave him three tablets and all the nurses and doctors on this case confirmed that he was given Fansidar and all the tests conducted showed that too. The test also proved that it was advance case of Steven Johnson Syndrome.

    In a recorded conversation made available to our reporter, the matron was asked what medication the boy was given, to which replied: “I am a medical person and if a child reacts like this, it is either Fansidar or Septrin, that is all.”

    When the parents confronted her to know why Fansidar was omitted on his clinic card, she said: “When I got there, I had to get his previous cards to attach to it and because of that, I have gone to the school authorities to inform them that anything Fansidar or Septrin should be banned, I don’t want [them] again in the clinic.

    When The Nation contacted the Army spokesman, Brig. General S.K. Usman for his reaction on the case, he referred our reporter to the officer at the Army Headquarters Garrison. When the officer, Major S.I Mustapha was contacted, he said he was not aware of the case but promised to confirm the case and get back to our reporter. The Major was yet to confirm the case as at the time of filing this report.

     

  • ‘We’ll not demolish as others did’

    ‘We’ll not demolish as others did’

    There is an assurance that the authorities in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) want to distance themselves, as far as possible, from their predecessors who frequently pulled down houses and structures, GBENGA OMOKHUNU reports

    Whatever the claims justifying the deployment of the bulldozers, it is now clear that the administration of Muhammad Bello, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), will not follow the path of Nasir el-Rufai, a former minister of the territory and well-known demolisher.

    El-Rufai, in his days in the FCT, was quite controversial in the manner his administration rolled out the bulldozers and tore down homes and sundry structures in the nation’s capital.

    Bello said his administration will rather develop than destroy what has been built.

    He also blamed multiple allocation of lands in the FCT on past administrations.

    The minister said this while addressing journalists as part of the activities marking two years in office of the present administration in Abuja. He said his administration would rather upgrade slums in Abuja than demolish them.

    Bello said, “In the past you saw 2,3,4,5 people contesting a piece of land. I have been under tremendous pressure to allocate land but because of the mistakes of the past, whereby land allocated to A was also allocated to B or more, [we have to be careful]. Then there will be litigation which is not good. I am working towards allocation of land where there are new layouts”.

    On demolition, he assured FCT residents that his administration won’t demolish anyhow, rather he would upgrade the slums, put infrastructure in place.

    “The reality is that Abuja is growing. I will not destroy places anyhow. We have been trying to strengthen the system.

    “Rather than demolish, why don’t we upgrade. Rather than demolish slums, why don’t you upgrade them? Give them modern infrastructure. Bulldozing people’s places in the past hasn’t been effective”.

    The Minister said, in order to develop the human capacity, the administration trained and retrained over 12,000 staff.

    In the same vein, the ability of the Nigeria Police to earn and retain the confidence of the international community in the discharge of their duties is a clear testimony of their resilience and dedication to the service of not only the nation but entire global community.

    The Minister said that despite limited resources, the police particularly in FCT, has been able curtail threats of criminality and other illegalities to ensure the safety of lives and properties.

    Bello assured that the FCT Administration will continue to provide all necessary support to the Nigeria Police to ensure that the relative peace and tranquillity being enjoyed in the FCT is sustained.

    He said, “We have seen the benefits and I will continue to support you as partners in progress to ensure that we keep the Federal Capital Territory safe for the citizens, safe for the government and of course safe for the diplomatic community and all those that come from far and wide to transact business and other activities within the city.”

    “As long as crimes happen and we are able to solve them within the shortest possible time, it brings credibility to the force and to the administration and above all, it gives confidence to the diplomatic community, to our business partners and anybody that uses Abuja as a place for work or leisure. That is why for us, security is very important,” the FCT Minister said.

    Bello also praised the FCT Police command for their ability to resolve a number of kidnap cases that occurred especially in the satellite towns, saying they were able to crack these cases, despite difficult terrains and limited accessibility.

    The minister specifically recalled an incident in Kuje area where the Command, with very close cooperation with other security agencies took care of the problem of kidnapping, adding, “Within a very short period of time, 10 kidnapped persons were rescued, all alive, without payment of any ransom.”

    “Recently, we had challenges in the border communities between FCT and Niger State and Gwagwalada Area Council where something happened and a joint team, including your men and officers took care of the situation and the community even directly came to me to extend their appreciation. So, I want to also extend my appreciation to you and by extension, the Inspector General of Police for this,” he said.

    The Minister while appreciating the police hierarchy and the local command for the tremendous support they have provided to the FCT Administration in its various Task Forces on environmental management, said, “I want as an administration for us to do much more than what we are doing.”

    “I appreciate also that you have had to contend with limited resources. But for the little you have been doing, we feel delighted and we appreciate it. We will continue also to work with you,” he said.

    The Minister however called for further cooperation between the FCT Administration, the Nigeria Police and other stakeholders to ensure that the campaign against insurgency in the FCT and other parts of the country is sustained.

     

  • Youths stake claim in leadership

    Youths stake claim in leadership

    Youths from Benue, Kogi, Kwara, Plateau, Niger, Nasarawa states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have stressed their desire to participate in the nation’s political process including running for office.

    The youths aged between 18 and 40 were speaking in Abuja on the platform of The Reformation, a new political group they formed.

    The founder of the group, Ahmed Buhari, who convened the meeting, said the purpose and message of the group was about making the Nigerian youth the central segment of the nation’s electoral process.

    As a result, the group is set to actively participate in the next general elections with a view of contesting at every level nationwide including the presidential poll.

    In his opening remarks, Buhari said it was time for the Nigerian youth to surmount all impediments and be in control of their future with a strong political influence.

    Buhari said youths have the advantage of number, adding, “The march has started but the point is how to get there.

    “As youths, we can come together and shun all those obstacles such as social status, ethnicity, nepotism, among several hindrances that won’t allow us get to the attainment of aspirations. We are here for a shared belief and if you look at some of us, we come from humble backgrounds but we are here today and it is not by allowing those mundane obstacles to get in our way”.

    Speaking further, Buhari said, “What we want Nigerians to know is that it is convenient for the old guard to justify themselves by showing the worst of the youths while displaying the best of the old guard. It is our duty to prove that the Nigerian youth is the solution to the plethora of challenges facing us as we are equipped and ready with fresher ideas and we have the global network to make this a reality. The power of network is the advantage of the Nigerian youth and that is the first step towards bringing to the table the solutions to the perennial problems of non-existent and decaying infrastructure, disgraceful health care service delivery, unbelievable power situation, among others.

    “Since the old guard has stolen our time, we won’t be discouraged, and that was the reason for this movement. What we are doing is for the next generation and it is mandatory for us to prepare a better future for those coming”.

    Buhari pointed out that “the power to change the political future of the country is in the hands of the Nigerian youth, “How it is used is the key.”

     

  • Row over proposed bills in Kwara

    Row over proposed bills in Kwara

    The Manufacturing Association of Nigeria (MAN) and the Kwara Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture (KWACCIMA) are squaring up with the Kwara State government over some pending bills in the state House of Assembly.

    They contended that those bills, if operational, are dangerous for business in the state. MAN and KWACCIMA are claiming that the bills when passed into law would put more tax burden on them. But the state government via Kwara State Internal Revenue Service (KWIRS) said that bills are not meant to extract more tax from firms doing business in the state. Specifically, MAN and KWACCIMA kicked against the proposed ‘manufacturing processing levy bill 2017’ pending before the state House of Assembly.

    MAN and KWACCIMA said the bill if passed into law is capable of killing industries and manufacturing in the state.

    Spokesperson of the groups Bioku Rahman urged Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed not to assent to the bill if it is passed to him.

    The groups had, at a public hearing called by the state House of Assembly, joined other stakeholders to vehemently register their disavowal to the proposed bill.

    Mr. Rahman hailed the governor’s recent pronouncement of five years tax moratorium to small businesses, calling of the governor to extend the gesture to industries in the state.

    The spokesperson added that the tax holiday is enough “for the bill to be suspended or cancelled.”

    He said, “We believe that the governor is not aware of this bill that promises to potentially sound the death knell of manufacturing and industries in the state and we call on him to call his exuberant officials of the ministry of industry and solid minerals and KWIRS to order before they kill industries in the state.

    “MAN and KWACCIMA in the state employ 400,000 staff directly, about 98 percent of which are indigenes of the state and indirectly, we empower or employ about 800,000. Majority of which are Kwarans and they pay their taxes (PAYE)  and other levies to the state coffers.

    “It is therefore imperative that the ministry and their collaborators prepare enormous budget for caskets for their self-inflicted undertaking job.

    “Those who drafted the bill appear to have undermined the grievous ripple effects of this totalitarian action in the 21st century.”

    Rahman said that the bill “does not carry any rate unlike the companies income tax which 30 percent of total profit; Value Added Tax (VAT) 5 percent and Capital Gains Tax 10 percent of the gain. A situation where the rate of a tax or levy is at the whims and caprices of a consultant is a call for anarchy.

    “The bill if passed into law will duplicate extant laws that govern taxation and regulations of companies as such will amount to proliferation of law and double taxation of our members. The bill will make products manufactured in the state be non-competitive with others manufactured outside the state and may lead to migration of the few companies remaining to nearby states as no state in Nigeria is collecting this level.”

    Stakeholders at a public hearing organised by the state House of Assembly had also faulted the state government’s planned consumption tax bill, calling for it non-passage into law.

    Some government agencies clamoured, though, for its passage.

    The state Ministry of Justice from where the bills emanated and other ministries and agencies which made inputs to the bills had argued that bills were meant to drive revenue generation of the state.

    Also in his submission, a representative of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) at the occasion, Muritala Olayinka emphasised the need for government to generate more fund for the state but cautioned “before any tax bill can be passed to generate fund, there is supposed to be an enabling environment.”

    KWIRS said that the bills are not meant to create new burden but to aide revenue generation of the state.

    KWIRS added that the proposals are not illegal and urged the House to pass them into laws.

  • Things FCT needs, by Reps

    The House of Representatives has bemoaned the fact that the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) does not have any tertiary institution of its own.

    The House also condemned the slow pace of development in the suburbs of the FCT compared to Abuja city.

    Speaking at the ongoing public hearing on bills on the FCT, Chairman, House Committee on FCT, Herman Hembe assured that the House would work assiduously with the Senate to ensure that work on the bill establishing Abuja University of Technology and Abuja College of Agriculture is concluded and sent to the President for assent before the commencement of next academic session.

    According to the Committee, commencement of academic activities on September this year remains sacrosanct.

    “One of the problems that contributed to this long delay is probably that one of the Chambers completed work on the bill and the other could not…This time, the House is going to ensure that the Senate expedites action on it and send it to the President for assent. The school is ready, the infrastructures are in place and ready to take in 200 students.

    “So, we are mindful of the benefits this would impact on our education system and FCT in particular and that is why we are determined this time to make this a reality because it is unthinkable that the FCT does not have its own tertiary institution,” Hembe said.

    While describing  the slow pace of development at the suburbs of the Federal Capital Territory  (FCT) compared to the Abuja city as unacceptable, the Committee regretted  that the four states of Kogi, Nasarawa, Niger and Kaduna bordering the FCT have not benefitted from development emanating from the Federal Capital.

    Hembe said part of the reasons behind the commencement of the process of the establishing the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Wider Areas Planning and Development Commission and FCT Security Trust Fund was to implement measures inclined to develop the four states that border the FCT.

    Sponsor of the Wider Areas bill, Jonathan Gbefwi (PDP, Nasarawa) said, “Over the years, these suburbs as they are classified, have recorded high population densities in terms of accommodating majority of people working in the FCT but cannot afford to live there.

    “The bill is therefore aimed at establishing a commission that will be saddled with the responsibility of bringing development to the wider areas through the provision of basic infrastructure and social amenities that will bring about a certain level of urbanisation.

    “Also, in a bid to address prevailing problems caused by congestion in many of these suburbs, a master plan just like that of the FCT would be implemented in the Wider Areas where strategies would be developed towards a more rational utilisation of land and other natural resources as well as the better arrangement of residential, commercial, industrial, recreational and other needed activity centres within these communities,” he said.

    The high point of the hearing however was the failure of the  Ministry of FCT to contribute to the discourse as the Permanent Secretary, Babatope Ajakaye, said the position of his Ministry on the two Bills  would be communicated to the Committee after due and wider consultations.

    He disclosed that a panel to look at the Security Fund bill  has been set up and given a week to conclude its assignment.

  • Baby needs N4m for heart surgery

    Baby needs N4m for heart surgery

    A five-month-old baby, Sanni Ibrahim hospitalised at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH), needs N4 million for a surgical procedure abroad. Ibrahim, son of a junior staff at the Kwara State Polytechnic, Ilorin, Sanni Mohammed, is said to be with an ‘abnormal heart condition.’

    In a letter of ‘to whom it may concern,’ Consultant Paediatric Cardiologist,’ UITH, Dr Abdulkadir Baba said: “Ibrahim is a known patient of the paediatric cardiology unit of the teaching hospital with an abnormal heart condition which he was born with (type 1 truncus arteriosis and mild truncal regurgitation.

    “He requires surgical correction for this condition as soon as possible so as to live a near normal life. However, this surgery cannot be done in Nigeria and would therefore require travelling to India for the surgery. Cost of surgery is estimated at N4 million which cannot be afforded by the parents. The parents have requested for this letter to support their request for you to assist them with funds for the surgery.”

    In his save-our-soul (SOS) message, Mr. Mohammed said “I write with tears to apply for financial assistance to enable my child survive his ailment. The child is currently on admission at UITH and is to be operated abroad as advised by management of the hospital.”

    Ibrahim’s father’s bank account detail is Sanni Mohammed K; account no: 4291131251, Eco Bank.

    He can be reached via these phone numbers 08164911262, 08093525353.