The Nation Newspaper

Category: Northern Report

  • Plateau to revive dry port

    Plateau to revive dry port

    To show its disdain for the project, the Jonah Jang administration demolished the Plateau State dry port buildings. Now, there is hope that Governor Simon Lalong will bring it back to life. YUSUFU AMINU IDEGU reports

    There was joy in Plateau State when Jos, its capital, was chosen as the location of the Inland Container Depot or dry port, one of six such facilities approved by the Olusegun Obasanjo administration in 2004 for the geo-political zones, one for each. That of Northcentral was located in Heipang village due to its proximity to the Jos Airport.

    A dry port is a land depot for handling goods and also for temporary storage of import and export items under the control of customs and other agencies authorised to clear goods for home use, warehousing for onward transit and outright export.

    The Heipang dry port with a 20,000 metric tonnes capacity was reckoned to create jobs in the state. That was one of the reasons the locals danced when the project was approved, their joy increasing when building actually started. This was during the Michael Botmang administration, which wasted no time in providing the incentives for the smooth take-off of the project.

    The contract was awarded to a construction firm known as Duncan Maritime Services owned by a Plateau citizen. The company quickly moved to site because Chief Botmang wanted the Jos depot to be the first among the six to be commissioned by Obasanjo.

    The people’s joy was short-lived. Work eventually stopped when Botmang left office with the project unfinished. The Jang administration shunned the dry port; in time government bulldozers went to site and pulled down the structures, a development similar to the windmill project scenario in Animal Farm, where Napoleon urinated on the project prototype developed by a rival.

    The coming of Jang in 2007 marked the beginning of the end of the project and hope of job seekers in the state. In the eight years of the Jang administration, he not only shunned the dry port project but also went further to demolish the existing structures at the project site. That singular action was to mark the frustrating end of the project and its potentials.

    The former administration never hid its hatred for the inland depot project and the government then used any available fault against the contractor handling the project to kill it. For instance, on July 15, 2014, an agency of government, the Jos Metropolitan Development Board (JMDB) asked the 80 workers on site to vacate the site telling them that the construction they were doing was against the town planning of government. The agency threatened the workers with arrest if they failed to vacate the site within 24 hours.

    The acting Project Manager, Nenfort Clifford Gonchen said, “Over 80 labourers working at the site were stopped by the staff of state government because they were threatening to arrest them. The labourers were roaming about the street when the company offered them the opportunity to end their plight, the state government could not offer them jobs but we did, what then is our offence?” he asked.

    A week after, General Manager of JMDB General Musa Gambo Wuyep, ordered the labourers to stop work on the site, the government agency came with its bulldozers to demolish the ongoing construction on the claim that the contractor failed to comply with the conditions set out by the State Master Plan as well non-compliance with the Greater Jos Master Plan.

    The Community leader of Heipang, the host community, Mr. Iliya Dalyop Mwadkon a retired Justice, made effort to mediate and ensure the project remained only hit the rocks as government bulldozers went to work to demolish the structures to formally bring the project to an end. Mr Mwadkwon faulted the government on the demolition saying, “the state government did not consider the immediate benefit of the project to the host community before taking the harsh action. This demolition is a great set back to the community and the state at large.

    The youth leader of Heipang community Monday Davou Gyang said, “The workers who are youths of the community were idle before they were employed by the contractor, now they have all lost their jobs because of government action; is government expecting these jobless youths to go and steal and go into all sorts of crime?”

    The feeling of the host community notwithstanding, the Group General Manager, Duncan Group of Companies, Dr. Godfrey Bawa Shitgurum ran to court to seek justice over government’s demolition of his properties. Dr. Shitgurum is already claiming billions of naira.

    Dr Shitgurum alleged in a press conference that the state government did not notify him of the demolition.

    He said, “There was a threat by the plateau state government to demolish the properties, and we went to court to seek injunction to stop the state government from implementing their threat. But in spite of the Federal High Court injunction restraining the state government under Jonah Jang and the Jos Metropolitan Development Board JMDB, the duo still went ahead to demolished structures at the site of the Inland Container Deport.

    “The injunction was served and received by JMDB and the Plateau State  Ministry of Justice on Monday july 21st, 2014 by one Christiana G Bot of JMDB and Huwa Samuel of the State ministry of justice respectively.

    “It has become imperative for us at Duncan maritime ventures limited to state our position following the destruction of our facilities at the Jos Inland Container Depot Heipang by the Plateau state government through its agency the Jos Metropolitan Development Board (JMDB) with the view to putting the record straight and disabuse certain misconception.”

    “Since the inception of the Jos ICD project, transactions have been between Duncan maritime Ventures limited and the Federal government of Nigeria through the Nigerian Shippers’ Council a parastatal of the federal ministry of transport and at no point had they have  any direct contact with the Plateau state Government adding that they are surprised that without any information from either the ministry of transport or the Nigerian Shipper’s council, the JMDB moved into site to carry out the demolition.

    He said, “Among items destroyed were the gate complex which was 86% completion and the administrative block 45% completion, over 26,000 blocks, timber and several items which could have completed this job were destroyed in the exercise.

    He said, “The federal Government’s idea of setting up ICDs is aimed at bringing the facilities closer the other majority of Nigerians at the hinterland, as well as (reduce the cost of clearing goods, lower the prices of commodities, reduce unemployment rate, facilitate additional development in the benefiting states among others.

    “Because of the importance attached to this project, the Federal Executive Council (FEC) of 15th March 2006 approved its commencement on a Build Owned Operate and Transfer (BOOT) agreement in six location including Heipang; and backed it legally with Federal Republic of Nigeria official gazette no 30 vol 94  of May 21st 2007.

    “To further facilitate the execution of the project,  FG through the Nigerian Shippers Council contacted the respective state governments for land, saying after negotiation, the Plateau State government handed over the Heipang site to the Federal Government vide a letter PSG/1100/vol.II/308 dated 24th September 2007 and signed by Nanle Dashen, Commissioner,

    Land Survey and Town Planning” for the use of the federal government of Nigeria.

    “At this point we commenced work at the site until the recent sad development where our efforts were pulled down without any justifiable reason. There is no gainsaying the fact that, we lost properties worth millions of Naira from the destruction while the implication of this destruction has greater effect on the citizens.

    “The Heipang ICD would have served many states in the Northcentral zone and some other parts of the Northeast. Its economic benefits in Plateau State are many. Apart from generating revenue for the state and creating employment for its teeming indigenous communities, it would have served as a commercial centre of the state as well as given the state a new lease of life.

    “We lack the power to stop the state government, but we are placing our hope on the judiciary to do justice on this matter, we are law abiding company, we don’t take law into our hands because we trust the Nigeria judiciary to act accordingly on this matter,” said Dr. Shitgurum.

    Governor Lalong
    Governor Lalong

    That was the battle at the Jos dry port under former Governor Jang tenure, that administration fought the federal government that initiate the port, it fought the contractor handling the construction as well as the site laborers. However, with the outster of that administration and the coming of APC administration of Governor Lalong, it appears the dry port will be revived for its huge potential to the state.

    A delegation of the federal and state government visited the site to inspect the demolition and the extent of loss incurred by the company. This is with a view to reviving the project and see to its logical conclusion. The delegation comprises of the zonal coordinator of Nigerian Shippers Council North-central Mr Bali Kparbong, the port Project Manager Mr Nenfort Gonchen and Mr. John Dafan, the Chief of Staff to Governor Lalong.

    Mr. Kparbong said, “The dry inland container depot remains the only strong revenue drive Plateau State could boast of, I therefore belief strongly this project must be brought back to light so as to ensure the federal government achieved its aims of initiating the dry ports. All we need now is the support and encouragement from the host government which was lacking. We call on the APC-led government in the state to support us in ensuring the completion of this project. It is not time to trade blame, we should put the past behind us, the federal and the state government need to come together and complete this project for the benefit of mankind.

  • Residents urged to screen for cancer

    Rural dwellers over 40 years in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have been advised to continuously screen themselves for cancer-related symptoms  in order to detect the disease early and be treated before it develops.

    This advice was given by a non- governmental organisation under the auspices of Project Pink Blue,  in collaboration with Sandvik mining and construction company limited at an awareness and free screening programme organised for residents of Utako community in Abuja.

    Marshal John, the Managing Director of Sandvik mining and construction limited, who organised the cancer awareness and screening exercise,  explained that the event is part of their corporate social responsibility  in ensuring that they look after their immediate communities.

    John said that last year, they ventured into supporting a group in the fight against malaria and this year, they have also looked at it that out of every eight women, one is diagnosed of cancer. “So, we thought it is very important to partner with other organisations in the fight and creating awareness against cancer.

    “It is very important that we talk to our immediate community, and our immediate community here is Utako, we have been in Utako for two years now and the people have been nice to us and it is a way of giving back to them.  So, as a result of that we are going to be scanning over 30 women and 20 men for the various diseases related to cancer.

    “We are making sure that we educate them on cancer,  that even if they do not have it,  they will go back to their people and educate them on the disease. We are also thinking that we will discuss with our office to set up a trust fund for Cancer patients in the FCT on yearly basis,  we are hoping that before our next awareness programme which will be next October we will have the fund available,  no matter how little the fund is,  what matter is for us to start from somewhere and continue to work with the people,” he said.

    Executive Director of Project Pink Blue, Runcie Chidebe, Executive Director Project Pink Blue,  explain that they are community based cancer NGO which engages in providing breats,  cervical and prostrate cancer awareness and also providing support for people who are battling with cancer.

    “We are providing free screening,  which is very important because it ensures that cancer is discovered when it can be treated,  but once cancer is discovered at late stages it becomes a problem. We have cancer survivals that we work with in our network,  because they were treated since they were detected early.

    “We saw the need to reach out to our immediate communities,  who are only concerned about sickness like Malaria and they know less about Cancer. When this disease kills people,  they do not see it from the scientific side that it is a dangerous thing,  they see it at probably witchcraft,  because of ignorance. That is why we have decided to create this awareness for them to know about the disease and how to prevent it,” he said.

     

  • Home beckons for IDPs

    Home beckons for IDPs

    For the over 10,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Abuja to benefit from rehabilitation plans, they may need to return to their states of origin, GRACE OBIKE reports.

    Things are no longer as horrible as they once were. The Boko Haram fighters cannot afford to sack communities, kill and abduct residents with any ease these days. They are far from crushed, but their worst attacks seem to be picking out soft targets and detonating explosive devices in crowded places.

    This could be a reason for internally displaced persons or IDPs to start thinking about going back home.

    There are other reasons. Government seems to be taking more care of them now than was the case before the Muhammadu Buhari administration. To benefit from these rahabilitation arrangements, which are taking place in the Northeast, rather than Abuja, the IDPs need to return home.

    The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has estimated that IDPs in the FCT are over 10,000 and are located in 31 different private camps.

    As Boko Haram is gradually being defeated and pushed to the fringes, some of these IDPs have begun indicating interest to return home, says the Director General of FEMA Abbas Idriss, He explained that one of the settlements within the FCT recently protested at the Human Right Commission, which led to a committee being set up to ensure that they are provided for.

    “We have to face the challenges of the IDPs in the FCT who came in search of a safe heaven and we have been able to trace 31 locations and with over 10,000 IDPs we have been able to render assistance to them, we profiled them, we called relevant agencies like the primary health care, health and human services, USAID so that they can immunise the children and find out other health challenges of the IDPs.

    “When we discovered that they were not getting what was due to them because we do not have any camps in the FCT, we had to look for ways of relocating them back to their states where there are established camps. Recently there was a protest by one of the settlements to the Human Rights Commission, we had a meeting with them and a committee was set up to ensure that we give them the best we can. We feel that they are free to stay in the FCT if they want to but we can only carter to them as well as our limited resources can take but we feel that the better option we need to advise them on it and the best option will be to take them back close to their homes.” Idriss said in a press conference.

    He added that unfortunately, now that the government’s focus is on their rehabilitation, those IDPs in Abuja may not benefit from it since they are so far away, adding that they notified the relevant agencies in Maiduguri about the Abuja IDPs and were told that it will be best for them to return for profiling and capturing to benefit.

    He said. “Now that the focus of the government is to rehabilitate them very well, a stakeholders interaction is presently going on in Maiduguri and those staying here are going to miss out if they are not in the area because we called their state emergency management agencies for a meeting, we informed them that their people are here and they said that they are not aware that their people are here, they said that if their people are here, they can go back, there is place for them to stay, so that they can be profiled and captured, we have gone and inspected the camps in Maiduguri and the facilities available and we are highly impressed by it and so the first 500 IDP’S in the FCT that have indicated interest to relocate will be taken back.

    “When we visited the camp in Maiduguri, we went from end to end of each camp and we were impressed by the level of security at the camps, there are joint military patrols, stationed at the camps, the camps are more secure than where they are right now in the FCT.

    “We are working with all the agencies set up by the Human Rights Commission, all preparations have been made and very soon, we will begin the necessary logistics to start moving them, the first people that we are going to be moving are the first 500 that indicated interest to relocate, we try as much as possible to give them a lot of psycho-social succour, we have a team of experts who go to council them, as religious bodies do their part.”

    Idris who denied any knowledge of his staff stealing relief materials added that the FCT is working on setting up disaster management centres around, in readiness for any form of disaster that may befall residents in the future, in order to have safe and clean environment to keep residents, temporarily while the disaster is being managed by the governments.

    He said, “I have heard of several occasions that the IDPs complain of people running away with their relief materials and I have said that as far as I’m concerned I have not gotten any report of our staff stealing relief materials, our people have been trained on emphaty.

    ”FCT planned to establish permanent camps in preparation for emergencies in the FCT, before any form of disaster occurs, it is part of our plan to establish it but this camp is not an IDP camp but for disaster management, we cannot establish IDP camps here because it is against the law, camps need to be established close to where disasters happen which is the reason why we do not have camps for the IDPs that came to the FCT.

    “The responds team on our emergency toll free numbers is working with other relevant agencies to ensure that emergencies are effectively met around the FCT by quickly connecting to closest and relevant agencies when people call in for emergencies.”

     

  • Foursquare unveils Kubwa auditorium

    Foursquare unveils Kubwa auditorium

    Twenty-four years after building its first auditorium, the Foursquare Gospel Church, Kubwa District Headquarters has unveiled a new auditorium.

    The 1200-seater capacity church is located at 222 Bakori Road, Phase 2, Site 2, Kubwa Abuja.

    Chairman, Building Committee, Mr. Bekwele Ikpa said it took about three years and nine months before the structure was completed.

    In his opening remarkS, the Senior Pastor, Rev. Ishola Omigade said the church’s popularity as a result of its strong evangelism made it famous, necessitating a modern, bigger place of worship.

    He commended the church council for supporting the project despite initial resistance from members.

    “The original idea of the council and the rebuilding committee was that we were going to modify the old church building using the existing walls, hence the rebuilding committee. But it eventually dawned on everyone that the old foundation would not hold the magnitude of the new structure that we had in mind, so we jettisoned the idea and put up the new foundation,” Omigade said.

    Ikpa also stressed that the church council, “did not do any launching neither did we solicit for funds from members of the church. It took so long because we actually did it in phases because of children school fees.”

    Present at the event was the church General Overseer, Rev. Felix Meduoye among other men of God.

     

  • Perm Sec visits robbed herdsmen

    Perm Sec visits robbed herdsmen

    The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Permanent Secretary, Mr. John Chukwu has paid a condolence visit to Fulani herdsmen who were attacked by armed robbers in the Ketti-Pyakassa suburb of Abuja.

    Chukwu condemned the attack and urged the victims to be calm as security agencies were working round the clock to fish out the perpetrators.

    Unknown hoodlums attacked the Fulani community, killing seven persons.

    Chukwu also visited the National Hospital Abuja where three injured persons including a baby were  receiving treatment.

    He also called at the scene of the unfortunate incident in the company of some senior officials of the FCT Administration to commiserate with the victims.

    The Permanent Secretary during the visit directed that two other injured persons receiving treatment in a village hospital be immediately transferred to the Asokoro District Hospital for adequate medical care.

    Chukwu assured that the FCT Administration would pay all the medical bills of the injured persons being treated.

    He prayed for the repose of the souls of the deceased persons who lost their lives in the unfortunate incident as well as for the quick recovery of the injured persons.

    While commending the police  for the prompt response, he called on them to hasten their investigations in order to bring to book all those culpable.

    Chukwu reiterated that the government would surely get to the root of the crime; stressing that the perpetrators would definitely be apprehended and prosecuted.

    He said, “The Health and Human Services Secretariat, the Area Council Services Secretariat and the FCT Emergency Management Department are hereby directed to immediately liaise with the National Hospital as well as the relations of the victims to pick all medical bills of the injured and sparing no cost in treating them.”

    He advised the victims to be calm, not to take the laws into their hands as the Security Agencies are already assiduously working to unravel all those behind it.

    Responding on behalf of the victims, the Ardon Fulanin Garki, Alhaji Kogi Salihu appreciated the sympathy visit by the high-powered delegation of the FCT Administration and promised to remain calm and law abiding.

    Salihu said, “We are really glad that the FCT Administration leadership has promptly responded to our plight because this is indeed a time of need,”

    He prayed for the guidance and the well being of President Muhammadu Buhari to continue to steer the affairs of the country as this ‘uncommon’ visit demonstrates the change mantra of the Federal Government.

    In order to further calm down nerves and maintain peace in the FCT Chukwu has had an emergency meeting with some leaders of the victims of the armed robbery attack in Pyakassa to avoid any reprisal.

    The Permanent Secretary, who had the emergency meeting in his office, emphasized the need to maintain law and order, assuring that the perpetrators would definitely be apprehended and therefore nobody should take the laws into their hands.

    Chukwu reiterated that the Police and other security agencies in the Federal Capital Territory are on top of the situation.

    Meanwhile, The Permanent Secretary has directed the Area Council Services Secretariat to organise stakeholders meeting with the herdsmen dwelling in and around the Federal Capital City, Abuja scheduled for next week.

    According to him, the main issue to be discussed at the meeting is on how to permanently put a stop to the knotty cases of grazing of cattle within the City Centre.

    He affirmed that after the stakeholders meeting, the FCT Administration would have reached an understanding on how to permanently solve the problem of grazing cattle in the city centre.

    He remarked that this would be an enlarged meeting between the FCT Administration and the Fulani herdsmen as well as their leaders in the Federal Capital Territory.

    The Permanent Secretary insisted that grazing of cattle in the city centre and along the Airport Expressway must be stopped because there are designated grazing areas in Paikon-Kore, in the Gwagwalada Area Council of the Territory, which according to him, is underutilized.

     

  • Switzerland to help strengthen prisons

    The Swiss government after several consultations with the leadership of the Nigeria Prisons Service (NPS) has developed a human rights training manual and human right trainers guide.

    The manual, according to the Swiss Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Eric Mayoraz is aimed at improving the system and modernize the operations of the NPS in the field of human rights.

    Mayoraz while presenting the manual to the NPS Controller General (CG), Dr. Peter Ekpendu at the formal launch said based on an overall training curriculum development by the United Nations (UN), office on drugs and crime.

    He said the manual will also help enhance the human resources capacity of the NPS so that the treatment of prison inmates would comply with international human rights law and UN standards and norms on the treatment of prisoners.

    His words: “In 2011, the Nigeria and Swiss governments jointly decided to strengthen their collaboration in the field of human rights consultations. Over the years we have been working closely together to building the capacity of NPS staff to comply with international standards in the treatment of prisoners. The Nigerian Prisons Service and Switzerland together with the implementing partner UCHEFEM consultants have successfully integrated and mainstreamed a stronger human right emphasis into the NPS training syllabus.”

  • NGO founder grooms Kogi youths

    NGO founder grooms Kogi youths

    Founder of an entrepreneurship and leadership non-governmental organisation, Inspire the Future, Chiedozie Igweonu has been training Kogi State youths in skills and leadership.

    Spurred by a passion to make an impact on the society, Dozie, as he is better known, started his pet project aged 27, while undergoing the compulsory national youth service in 2013. Today, the Inspire the Future Project is gradually growing into a full-fledged NGO which he believes in a few years’ time will be Africa’s premier social entrepreneurship project.

    Born in Maiduguri, Borno State, Dozie had his primary and secondary school education in Abuja, where his parents who are both from Anambra State lived and his first degree in Human Anatomy at the University of Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

    He described himself as an avid reader who is fairly active on the social media.

    “I love working with young people,” he enthused.

    According to him: “I enjoy working with young people especially if it will have a positive impact on society. In the last ten years I have served in the teams responsible for projects like “The Undergraduate Business Conference”, “The Catalyst Youth Development Platform”, “Vote

    or Shut-up Electoral Education Initiative and Youth Advance and Development”, in some states which has impacted more than 15, 000 youth in the last two years.

    “I have always wanted to be a positive drive to change the African narration and honestly I believe that we as a nation cannot go far with the current structure of our educational sector. Then, I saw the UNICEF report where they alluded that there are more than 10 million out of school kids in Nigeria alone. I was angry at the failure of the system that was responsible for this ill but I needed to channel my anger to a more positive venture hence “Inspire the Future” was born.

    Prior to this I had written down the goals, mission and vision on how to intervene in the quagmire facing the education sector in Nigeria but the analysis of that report was the fire I needed to act immediately”.

    Speaking on what the project is about, he said it started as a tour of primary and secondary schools and was aimed at promoting academic excellence using the models in a popular book titled: “17 secrets of high flying students”, written by Fela Durotoye.

    He continued, “In our first year, we succeeded in visiting 10 schools situated in Kogi State and we impacted an average of 1,000 per pupils. By the second year we expanded by providing a platform for these pupils to connect to exemplary people who served as mentors to them.

    We also provided after school mentorship training for a select few. In our third year we had reached more than 20,000 young people. As our impact increased over the years, we did some major restructuring and reassessed some of our short and long term goals which includes

    getting at least 500 underprivileged kids, especially in educationally less developed states in the North back to school. We are also overhauling our model to a more sustainable social entrepreneurship structure, meaning that in the nearest future we will be less dependent on donations but we would have the capacity to generate the necessary resources required to carry out our programs”.

    He listed the biggest challenge confronting the initiative as knowledge gap.

     

  • Exercising in the rain

    The State House Gymnasium is one of the best in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in terms of equipment it showcases.

    The major aim of the gym is to provide an indoor facility for physical training and exercise to State House staff towards keeping them fit to boost the performance of their duties to the government in power.

    But one of the greatest challenges facing the gym now has to do with its maintenance.

    Top of the prayers in the minds of most staff who use the gym now is prayer for a fine weather in the area for the period they are using the facility.

    They specifically pray against rain during the time they spend on the machines because the ceiling in the gym leaks at many points through the lightening and air conditioner fittings.

    Some staff recounted their experiences last week as there were heavy downpours every evenings of last weekdays.

    With the rate the downpours and leaks were going, some of the State House staff noted last week that an Ijaw man could comfortably paddle a standard-sized canoe in the gym if nothing is urgently done to repair the leakages.

    One of the staff, who spoke on a condition of anonymity said: “My worst experience in the gym was this week (last week). Water was leaking from everywhere in the gym.”

    Another regular user of the gym said: “I was almost drenched while on a machine in the gym on Wednesday evening. This was the first time I experienced such a thing since I started exercising at the gym in the past three years.

    “I didn’t know that the situation will be allowed to degenerate to this level as I was told that the management was already doing something to address the issue few months back.

    “I can also tell you that this water leaking from the ceiling is not good for the equipment in the gym. These equipment could start rusting and in the long run get damaged.

    “Most of the equipment are powered by electricity and you know what water and electricity can do together to human lives.” Another reliable source stated.

    Besides the leaking roof, some of the users also talked about some other areas needing urgent attention in the gym.

    According to them, only one phase presently supplies electricity to the gym, which could not power most of the machines in the gym.

    The implication of this is that some of the equipment are lying wasted as State House staff could not use them due to the poor power supply.

    They also pointed out that some of the shower fittings in the bathrooms provided for the Gym users to freshen up after their exercises have been bad for close to a year without repairs or replacement.

    It is however important to stress here that the State House Gym under the Permanent Secretary, Nebolisa Emordi, had received some attention in the recent past.

    As noted in the ‘From the Villa’ write ups of 16th December, 2014 titled ‘Challenges of keeping fit at the Villa’ and ‘Gym excites Villa staff, families’ of 20th January, 2015, the problem of the Gym when it was completely disconnected from the electricity transformer for many months and solely relying on diesel and generator set was brought to the fore while the management was subsequently commended by the staff when the Gym was reconnected to the transformer.

    Some of the State House staff now felt that the Gym again needs some urgent attention.

    It is hoped that this will be done accordingly to at least provide staff in the State House the needed health and fitness to back President Muhammadu Buhari’s stride to reshape the nation.

     

    Blunder

     

    The yet to be announced Senior Special Assistant to the President on Political Matters, Gideon Samani, who was on errand to represent the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir David Lawal, at a public function a fortnight ago, appeared to have over-stepped his limits.

    Samani is described here to be unannounced for the position because while he was not officially named for the job, he has been present in the office of the SGF with the title of Senior Special Assistant to the President.

    Besides 15 Special Advisers already approved by the Senate for President Muhammadu Buhari to hire, only very few of the appointments have been officially announced to the public.

    At the function a fortnight ago,   Samani spoke outside the prepared speech and ended up drawing the wrath of the Presidency.

    Samani was reported as saying that Buhari is “very shy dealing with the opposite sex” because “he has been interacting mostly with men.”

    But the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, immediately issued a statement to disown Samani and declared that Buhari was not shy around women.

    Adesina said: “The claim  that President Muhammadu Buhari is shy around women, purportedly made by one Gideon Samani yesterday and published by a national newspaper today is totally fallacious.

    “The subsequent attribution of the supposedly “low number” of female ministerial nominees to President Buhari’s alleged shyness around women is therefore baseless and a figment of the imagination of the said Mr. Samani, who was falsely described as the “Senior Special Assistant (Political Matters) to the President.

    “For one thing, there is no Senior Special Assistant, Political Matters, in the office of the President for now and Mr. Samani who was said to have spoken as the representative of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation at a public function yesterday, is not an aide of the President.

    “Mr Samani is certainly not an official spokesman of the President. Therefore, he could not have spoken on behalf of President Buhari, who is the President of all Nigerians, men and women alike.

    “Nigerian women can be assured that the President holds them in the highest esteem and will always give  them due consideration in the discharge of his official responsibilities.” He stated

    But third day after Adesina issued the statement, Samani was named last week Monday as Secretary to the Presidential Committee on Boards of parastatals’ reconstitution in his capacity as Senior Special Assistant to the President on Political Matters.

    Samani, definitely, must be a lucky man to have eventually escaped the wrath of the Presidency.

    There is no gainsaying that Samani must have learnt something new from the function two weeks ago.

     

  • ALGON chief hails Dogara on council autonomy

    President of the Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON), Hon. Micah Jiba has hailed the effort of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Yakubu Dogara in ensuring that local governments achieve financial autonomy.

    The Speaker has been trying to get state Houses of Assembly to support moves to grant autonomy to the councils.

    In a statement issued by the ALGON president stated that granting financial autonomy to local governments will alleviate suffering and underdevelopment at the grassroots as a result of lack of financial freedom for the local governments in the country.

    Jiba stated that he wondered why the idea of financial autonomy was initially rejected by the state Assemblies, adding that the issues has become necessary following the fact that the new government in power has also declared to Nigerian on its inaugural speech that granting a local government autonomy is one of its priority.

    “It very difficult to see a local government embarked on gigantic project because of paucity of fund. But I am not saying that meaningful projects are not carried out by some of us especially in Abuja but we go to extra mile to be able to do that in our localities, for example AMAC was able to embarked upon and completed merger road projects at AMVE, 5 kilometers road at Orozo, Kabusa and a bridge at Gwagwalape only because of the passion to alleviate the suffering of the rural dwellers.

    “So if there is independence in the Nigerian local government we will do more and the burden of less development at the grassroots level will be finally lifted”

    He therefore, called on well meaning Nigerians to support the idea of the local government autonomy in order to ensure that dividend of democracy in this administration is delivered to the people of Nigeria.

    Jiba also expressed gratitude’s to speaker of the House of representatives Rt. Hon. Yakubu Dogara for using his office to solicit support for the local government autonomy and adding that if actualized his name will be written bold in gold when Nigeria history is written again.

    He further prayed the Almighty God to continue to give the speaker of the House the needed wisdom to deliver the mandates to the people of Nigeria and concluded that the 774 local of Nigeria represented by ALGON has concluded plans to pay the speaker of the Nigerian House of Assembly a courtesy visit in no distant time.

  • Landlords’ agony

    Landlords’ agony

    Landowners claim that after buying plots, with documentations to show, they still face daunting hurdles in developing them. GBENGA OMOKHUNU reports

    Which is easier in the nation’s capital: to rent an apartment or buy land and build? Either way, Abuja residents are finding it very tough, but those who choose to build seem to be gnashing their teeth more.

    Landowners in Dei-Dei community in Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) are a case study. Those who bought land there since 1999 said they are finding it difficult developing their land because the past administration of Senator Bala Mohammed frustrated their efforts. They claimed that the plots they bought were revoked and that there were attempts to reallocate them to new developers.

    Chairman of Zaudan Pazeri Property Owners Association, Elder Friday Ugoala said that the land owners were allocated plots in 1998 and 1999 through an ad hoc committee and that they all complied with all the processes and fees demanded by the FCT administration.

    They also said that their plots were again recertified under the Mallam Nasir El-rufai administration and that AGIS acknowledged their documents being in process.

    Ugoala said the authorities denied them Certificate of Occupancy and refused to approve their building plans, a development he said crippled their efforts.

    “What we have been going through is serious emotional trauma which is beyond description,” he said.

    “Imagine allocations that were made since 1998/99 and the government officials sat on them. If there were C of Os and building plans had been approved since then, we would have been living in our respective houses. Can you imagine the cost of rent in Abuja, and since that time till now, you cannot imagine how much we have suffered in the hands of landlords all this while.”

    Ugoala said the victory of President Buhari at the polls is a good omen to oppressed citizens like them because is it known that President Buhari is a man of the masses and his administration is masses-driven.

    “So, seeing that the masses are fighting for a just cause, we have no iota of doubt that this present administration will order a reversal to what was on the ground, concerning Zaudan Pezerri and Phillindabo layouts.

    “We sincerely beg President Buhari to order a reversal to what was on the ground; Zaudan Pazeri and Filindabo layouts have received ministerial approval and they are authentic layouts. All that they required for us to do we complied, we made all the necessary payments, the files, processing fees, and everything, they were computerized and regularized. So, anything on the contrary, means injustice. We are begging the present administration to see to our plight, so that we can develop our plots and have places to call our own. Been tenants here and there are an embarrassment for us,” he said.

    Another affected landowner,  Mrs. Maria Okafor,  a business woman, lamented that she has been going through serious emotional trauma since the issue of the land started with the FCTA,  because she purchased the plot of land with her hard earned money from the business she does.

    “We bought the land with every necessary paper and all the money demanded were paid and they were well documented at AGIS. We are appealing to the incoming Minister to come to our rescue, because we are really suffering. Presently, I can hardly eat or sleep well, because of this land problem with the FCTA. From my age and the way I look presently, you will know that I have been going through serious emotional trauma, as a result of this land matter. President Buhari should come to our rescue,” she said.

    Another affected land owner, Mr. Chioke Ephraim, a lawyer, explained that the affected cut across profession, both rich and poor, also the indigenes of Zaudan, Pazerri, Sabon Gari and Filindabo villages that own farms of cash crops and economic trees.

    “Because when the government considered that they do not have cash to settle them for their cash crops and farm produce that are involved in the layout, they were then compensated with plots according to sizes of their farms and the numbers of cash crops and tress that were involved.

    “I believed that if there an allocation, the position of the law is that before that particular property that is allocated to somebody is taking over from the person. The person that allocated it may have said he wants to withdraw the allocation he made to the occupant, but before he could do that, it must be for public interest.

    “You do not rob Peter to pay Paul. Looking at it, we have found out that allocation that was validly made to our members, more than 1000 people and somebody will just wake up and say he wants to claim the lands; it is not possible. You know that government is a continuous process and it was not Senator Bala Mohammed that made the allocation, but it was done by an FCT Minister then, through the committee set up by him.

    “Even if they want to revoke the allocation, there are procedures to follow, with good reasons why it should be done. But nothing like this has been done and we look at it as injustice and we believed that the court is the last hope to the common man. We believe that this fact, if they are made known to the court as we have made, we will get justice. We also have hoped that President Buhari will come to our rescue and will not allow the masses to by punish unjustly by any administration,” he said.