The Nation Newspaper

Category: Northern Report

  • Community pleads for help

    Indigenes of Gbagyi under the auspices of Gbagyi Enlightenment Initiative (GEI) have appealed to government for assistance to enable them continue providing entrepreneurial training for Gbagyi youths in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and other parts of the North Central geo-political zone.

    Founder of GEI, Sarah Tukurah said: “Members of Gbagyi community should unite irrespective of their religious and political differences in order to fight for the welfare of the people wherever they may reside.”

    Tukurah, who made the call in Abuja at this year’s National Gbagyi Summit held recently in Abuja, described Gbagyi aborigines as peace-loving people, even as she  called on well-meaning Nigerians to support the initiative to achieve its laudable projects.

    She reiterated that her leadership would continue to partner with anyone or group in order to move the initiative to the next level.

    One of the guest speakers at the occasion, George Koce, a lawyer, stressed the need for government to give special consideration to the Gbagyi people in the FCT, pleading with the government to place the FCT natives in the quarter system in terms of admissions into universities, especially those within the North Central geo-political zone.

    He also appealed to government to provide job opportunities for FCT natives that are in the majority of unemployed people in the territory. She advised Gbagyi youths to live up to the society’s expectations as leaders of tomorrow by engaging themselves in meaningful ventures.

    An entrepreneurial expert, Mr. Sunday Azaki Katiwoyi, said Gbagyi Enlightenment Initiative is a platform where the Gbagyi as well as Gbari people come together to further their collective interests, without discriminating against one another.

    He said the objective of the initiative is to empower the Gbagyi youths to enable them to become self-reliant through entrepreneurial ventures.

    Katiwoyi, however, urged the Gbagyi people to be up and doing wherever they live, stating that he would not relent in his effort to contribute towards training Gbagyi youths in skill acquisition programmes.

  • Scrap FCDA

    Natives of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have called for the scraping of the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) to ensure smooth operations of the incoming administration.

    The indigenous people who spoke through the Magajin Garki, Joel Yazegbe, at a press briefing tagged “Way forward for FCT natives in the incoming administration”, congratulated the President-elect, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, even as they advised him to institute an investigation panel to probe the roles officials of the FCDA played on matters of land allocation.

    They further appealed to the incoming administration to carry the natives along by appointing one of them as a minister and to give them the opportunity to contribute to decisions and policies that affect them directly.

    According to Yazegbe, the natives are also appealing to the incoming administration to investigate the allocation of plots of land for numerous housing estates in the FCT, most of which are not occupied.

    “We want the incoming administration to ignore any document that is not properly presented by natives of the FCT. If there is any issue concerning the natives, we want it to represent the collective agreement of the natives.

    “We know that the era when some individuals in the FCT use names of fake association of original inhabitants to deceive any government in power for their selfish interests is over. This is because it has been to the detriment of the original inhabitants of the FCT. This time, we will not tolerate that from any so-called natives who want to sell their birthrights for peanuts.

    “That was how most of them encouraged the Minister of the FCT, Senator Bala Mohammed to come up with the land-swap policy, which has become punishment of some sorts to innocent natives of the territory. We are calling on the incoming President to beware of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) agents who will always hide under the original inhabitants to deceive any appointed minister of the FCT,” he said.

  • A modern mosque for Lokoja

    A modern mosque for Lokoja

    The mosque has enough to charm anyone. It is stately and imposing, even though it is only a one-storey building. Its facilities seem carefully chosen and meticulously built. Split-unit air-conditioners cool worshippers. A 100KV generator and another smaller one are on standby to keep the lights and air-conditioners on. Two Koranic Centres, one for male, the other for female worshippers, ensure there is order and strict adherence to standards. There is also a two-bedroom quarters for the Imam.

    But there is something else that makes the Isa Kutepa Mosque, Lokoja, capital City of Kogi State, one of a kind: it was the dream of a father, realised by a son.

    The ultra-modern worship centre built by Lagos-based Kogi businessman and politician, Alhaji Abdulrazak Isa-Kutepa was commissioned at the weekend, witnessed by eminent Nigerians, including the state governor, Capt. Idris Wada.

    The philanthropist also donated a 100KV generator to the Catholic Cathedral located directly opposite the mosque.

    When their patriarch, Isa Kutepa was alive, he had a vision to build a mosque on the site of his house in the heart of Lokoja, but could not fulfil the dream before his demise about 20 years ago. The children, not deterred, gave Abdulrazak Isa-Kutepa the nod to actualise their late father’s dream.

    The Isa Kutepa siblings are three: Abdulrazak, Bello and Jumai, the eldest and only female.

    The siblings were born and raised at the very site where the Isa Kutepa now stands magnificently. Though their father later moved to Zaria, Kaduna State, where he picked up employment with the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), their mother remained in Lokoja.

    Speaking at the occasion of the commissioning of the multi-million naira mosque project, Abdulrazak Isa-Kutepa, an acknowledged philanthropist and politician and business mogul, said the idea was in memory of their late father who had a strong faith in Islam.

    The Etsu Nupe and Chairman, Niger State Council of Chiefs, Alhaji Yahaya Abubakar while performing the official commissioning, commended Abdulrazak Kutepa for “initiating and investing hugely in building

    Allah’s worship place”.

    The monarch said by doing so, Abdulrazak Kutepa has joined the league of Muslim Umah in propagating Islam. He called on other well-to-do Muslims to emulate Abdulrazak Kutepa by building similar Islamic worship and learning centres in their areas.

    Governor Idris Wada who was the Guest of Honour at the occasion commended Abdulrazak Kutepa for building the mosque, stressing that it will promote the teaching and learning of Islam.

    He called on other financially buoyant sons and daughters of the state to imbibe the philanthropic gesture of Alhaji Abdulrazak Kutepa, so as to promote the Islamic religion in the state.

    Abdulrazak Kutepa, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2011 contested for the party’s governorship ticket in Kogi, emerging second after Governor Wada. While he has since then remained in the background, he is reputed to be a major party financier at both state and national level.

    The two-storey mosque structure comes equipped with modern facilities and other state-of-the art equipment, including split-unit air-conditioners. It has separate Koranic learning centres for male and female on the second floor, conveniences and a two-bedroom living quarters to accommodate the Imam.

    The mosque also has a standby 100KV generator and another one of a smaller size, to ensure steady power supply. Interestingly, the philanthropist also donated a 100KV generator to the Catholic Cathedral located directly opposite the Isa Kutepa Mosque, Lokoja.

  • ALGON hails peaceful elections

    The Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON) has congratulated residents of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and the entire Nigerians on the peaceful conduct of the just-concluded general elections.

    President of ALGON, Hon. Micah Jiba, who spoke with reporters, said with the outcome of the elections, Nigerians have demonstrated that the unity of Nigeria is more than any politician’s ambition.

    According to Jiba, although there were reports about pockets of violence in some states, the most important thing is that the country still remains one despite fears of national violence that may lead to separation.

    “I am one of the happiest Nigerians today, because, eventually the general elections have come and gone, despite predictions of probable crises and serious post-election violence. Nigerians have proven that the interest of one prosperous nation is in our hearts. God really loves Nigeria, which is why He did not allow the prediction of Nigeria breaking up in 2015 to be a reality.

    “This country has been marked for greatness and I believe that the incoming administration will work towards actualising that desired greatness for Nigeria. I must commend Nigerians who conducted themselves peacefully during the general elections. They have shown that they did not need to sacrifice their blood for anybody to be in power, because power comes from God alone.

    “I also advise aggrieved politicians to work towards peace by channeling their grievances through the appropriate authorities, instead of taking the laws into their own hands. This is because all we need now in Nigeria is a peaceful co-existence that would take this country to the desired greatness that all of us have been praying for,” he said.

    He further promised that ALGON will negotiate with the President-elect, Gen. Mohammadu Buhari to work together with the outgoing President Goodluck Jonathan to ensure that the Federal Government’s commitment to implementing the reports and recommendations of the National Conference, which include issues that affect other local government areas and the FCT is guaranteed.

  • Why the desert keeps encroaching

    Why the desert keeps encroaching

    With over 80 per cent of residents cooking with firewood and the governments doing little to reforest, the Sahara Desert is advancing faster than is healthy for the region. YUSUFU AMINU IDEGU reports

    Well, what can we do?

    That probably sums up  the disposition of the bulk of the northern population who appear to have no choice but to cook with firewood. Many do not quite appreciate the fact that trees are nature’s weapon against ozone depletion and desert encroachment. But state governments are also doing pretty little to educate the people. Nor are the officials mounting a consistent tree-planting campaign to re-grow the forests and restore greenery in the communities.

    As a result, the geography of the region continues to change for the worse. The forests are being wiped out.

    •Wood as cooking fuel
    •Wood as cooking fuel

    Most poor communities in the region survive by selling firewood, but they do not plant trees to replace those cut down. Even the trees they chop down are becoming more and more difficult to find. Thus, every morning, they wake up to search for their source of livelihood.

    There are several firewood depots in Jos, the Plateau State capital. In some cases, there are stores where the commodity is kept before they are sold to retailers or end-users.

    A retailer at Tudun-Wada Ring-Road, Jos, Mary Jato, said, “I’m selling firewood to sustain my family; my husband has no work, so I have to do something to help myself.”

    On how they source the firewood, she said:

    “People bring it from a distance and sell to us, we are just buyers, we don’t know how they get the firewood but they bring it in trailer-loads and we buy from them and sell. The demand for firewood is very high in Jos because so many families cannot buy kerosene; they depend on firewood to cook their food. So that is why we are selling it.”

    A widow popularly called Mama Tabitha who also sells firewood in Tudun Wada, said, “I have no money to do any business; this firewood is the only thing that I can sell and feed myself and my children with it. You can see, I don’t have the power to go to the forest and look for firewood, but there are men who bring the firewood here for us to buy.”

    There are other women whose major business is to buy and sell charcoal in Jos. They have their charcoal depots also at several points in the city. There is an identified charcoal market in the city located along Tafawa Balewa Street. It is called ‘Yan Gowayi’ in Hausa, meaning, Charcoal Market. There are such markets in more than five places in Jos and Bukuru, an adjoining community.

    The charcoal is a by-product of fresh wood. The fresh wood is cut in pieces, dumped into a large pit, covered with dry grass and set ablaze. In a matter of an hour, the wood turns into charcoal. These charcoal factories are very common in the North, always feeding the retail market.

    The charcoal products are transported across the North to designated depots. It is in high demand among the poor who need it to cook their daily meals. One of the sellers in Jos, Mama Abok said, “During the rainy season when kerosene is very scarce, there is a high demand of charcoal. A full bag of charcoal costs between N1,000 and N2,000 depending on the period of the season.”

    The suppliers of the product do bring them from Bauchi, Nasarawa and Kaduna states.

    As forests in the North continue to deplete, there are no obvious government policies to stop the trend or replace the forest. There is a School of Forestry in Jos where students are trained to grow trees and reforest. They have a demonstrating tree farm along Jos-Saminaka Road. But the graduates of the school hardly get government employment to practice their training, most of them ended up taking another job aside what they were trained for.

    A graduate of the school who now teaches there, Bitrus Madugu, said, “The irony about the school is that it is only government that can employ us and use us to build the environment, but they don’t employ us; they left us on our own to look for anything we can do, that is why I found myself a teacher. Some of my colleagues are revenue collectors at the local government. I think government does not take the issue of the environment that seriously.

    Speaking further, he said, “If you go to the school campus you will see the kind of forest created by students there; we can create the same forest even in the desert, but it takes a lot of cost, it can be capital intensive maintaining them. If you plant trees and you don’t maintain them they will die in a short period.”

    This explains why state ministry of environment in the northern states continued to fail in their efforts to fight desertification in the region. They spent huge fund plating trees each year but the tree so planted does not survive the next planting season due largely to lark of maintenance. The ministry for environment in Plateau State had abandoned the annual tree planting campaign long time ago as it has became a huge conduit pipe for corrupt government officials. They can hardly account for the three they planted five years ago. This made the idea of planting more trees baseless.

    There is a continental and a global concern on the speed of desertification in West Africa. Nigeria is under threat of the desert. The most affected part of Nigeria is the Northern region. The consistent speed of desertification in northern Nigeria has robbed half of the region of its original vegetation and changed its geography entirely.

    Areas referred to as the ‘Far-North’ comprising Nortwest and Northeast like Sokoto, Kebbi, Zamfara, Maiduguri, Jigawa, Yobe, Gombe, Bauchi, Kano and parts of Plateau states and parts of Kaduna State including their various communities have already lost their natural vegetation to the rampaging desertification in the north.

    Desertification in Northern Nigeria can be traced to two major factors: Nature and Man-Made. The natural factor is linked to the wave of desertification blowing down northern Nigeria from the Sahel Savanna of West Africa. But the man-made factor has to do with the consumption of the features of the forest by men and women of northern Nigeria. The third factor which has natural and man-made features is that of global warming.

    As it appears, both causes of desertification in the North remains uncontrollable and ungovernable to governments and northerners themselves. Government’s claim to have been encouraging afforestation and reforestation over the last 50 year has become a mere talk show. From all indication, there is no evidence of government afforestation program any where in Northern Nigeria. Some proof of afforestation can only be seen at school campuses like Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, University of Maiduguri, etc. Outside the school premises of few schools in the north, the region is largely a semi-desert, with grasses and shrubs. It’s original forest has been consumed.

    There is federal owned college in Jos called School of Forestry. It was meant to encourage the practice of forestation. The school has a demonstration farm along Jos-Saminaka road. It is difficult to tell if the school of forestry has any positive impact on the recovering the lost vegetation of the northern region.

    The Northerners themselves who consumed their forest appeared careless if their natural vegetation is depleting. They keep exploring it without replacing them. Children of the region are now be told of tales of forest trees majority of which have already gone out of extinction due to handwork of their parents.

    Forest, it’s contents and inhabitants are major source of economic power often obtained as main source of livelihood by majority of people of Northern Nigeria. Trees, Games, animal and birds in the forest has not only been consumed directly as raw foods, but has been traded for cash in various ways.

  • Fuel scarcity: A headache that won’t go away

    Fuel scarcity: A headache that won’t go away

    Residents of the nation’s capital are gradually getting used to what they do not like: fuel scarcity. It is now normal for people to wake up before dawn to queue up for the precious product but they often return empty-handed. GBENGA OMOKHUNU writes

    The scarcity used to be the exception rather than the rule. When petrol was hard to find, it was only for about a week or two. Now, residents are adjusting to life without fuel.

    Abuja residents have been experiencing the scarcity of fuel since December 2014. Since then, it was gathered, nothing meaningful has been done  to improve the situation.

    The fuel scarcity is biting harder as motorists in the city queue for hours at petrol filling stations in search of the product. It was observed that most of the filling stations which had fuel before the Easter break have since run out of stock.

    Many filling stations have resorted to selling in trickles, while major distributors restricted their business to night hours when they are sure to make more money from black market vendors. Black marketers took over Abuja with containers, which according to findings, majorly contain diluted PMS.

    Several commuters were stranded at different bus stops due to lack of commercial vehicles while the few ones that were plying the road jacked up their fares by 50 per cent, some by 100 per cent depending on where and how they got fuel.

    Hawkers of petrol in jerry cans cashed in on the scarcity and sold the product between N200 and N300 per liter, depending on the customer’s bargaining power. Many obscure filling stations, especially in Suleja, Kuje and on Zuba-Gwagwalada Road, sold the product between N110 and N120 per liter which is far above the regulated rate.

    Only petrol filling stations within the city and those owned by major marketers in other areas dispensed petrol at the stipulated N87 per liter. Even when they display the regulated N87 per liter the quantity of the fuel will not be equivalent to the price. According to those who spoke to Abuja Review the situation has gotten worse to the extent that many motorists had to sleep in petrol stations to hunt and wait till when fuel would be dispensed

    At the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) mega station on Olusegun Obasanjo Way, Central Area, long queues of vehicles were on three lanes, blocking the entire road and forcing motorists to drive against the traffic. This has also led to several accidents on that road due to the unfortunate situation.

    The situation was also the same at the Forte Oil, adjacent the NNPC mega station, where the queue stretched to the UAC fence early in the morning but later stopped selling.

    The ConOil and Total filling stations opposite NNPC Headquarters were also selling with long queues. The queue formed a circle round through the Bureau of Statistics Complex to the Unity Bank building back to NNPC Towers, Abuja.

    Also, ConOil station, NNPC franchised station and another private filling station on Olusegun Obasanjo way, were not selling. Most of the filling stations on Obafemi Awolowo Way were dried, except Oando at the junction of Wuse Zone 6, Mobil at Arab Junction and Eterna Oil filling station.

    However, the situation was not different with most filling stations on Airport Road, AYA, Maraba, Kubwa, Suleja and other neighboring towns. Most motorists said they were having difficult time at filling stations before they could get fuel to buy.

    Despite President Goodluck Jonathan’s directive to ensure that there is fuel not only in Abuja but other parts of the country, the directive appears not to be holding grounds with the situation of things presently.

    Many are of the view that shortly before and after the presidential election when Dr. Jonathan lost to General Muhammadu Buhari the fuel scarcity got out of control.

    The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and the Department of Petroleum Resources had attributed the situation to panic-buying.

    NNPC spokesperson, Ohi Alegbe, had in a statement cautioned motorists against panic-buying and stock-piling the products. He said there was enough fuel in the stock that could last for months. The DPR spokesperson, Saidu Mohammed, also said the queue was due to panic buying.

    Motorists on the fuel queue had a raw deal because sometimes, after the attendants had sold to a few people, the station would announce that they had run out of fuel.

    Many motorists without fuel in their car had to leave their vehicles at the station waiting and hoping to buy the next day.

    Residents called on the Federal Government to tackle the scarcity which has caused serious hardship to all.

    Some of them, who were lamenting outside Oando filling station in town where operators of the station refused to sell to motorists, also explained that most petrol stations have refused to sell fuel to motorists because of the fear of prolonged fuel scarcity.

    Mr. John Oku, one of the residents who spoke with Abuja Review, said he has been looking for fuel for the past two days without any headway, adding that he cannot afford to buy from black marketers.

    His words: “The truth is that nobody knows what is causing this scarcity in Abuja; most of the filling stations have stopped selling fuel, without any genuine reason. If you ask the operators, they will tell you that they do not have fuel and even when you see filling station selling fuel, you will queue for hours before you buy the product.

    “The situation is getting out of hands; people are suffering in the FCT because of some greedy petrol operators who are hoarding the fuel for no reason. The Federal Government should do something about it, because, it is spoiling the good report of ‘no fuel scarcity’ during this administration.

    “It seems President Goodluck Jonathan is not doing anything about this situation. Maybe because he did not win the poll.”

    Another resident, Mrs. Agnes Shekwo, said that the scarcity is seriously affecting the lives of the people, because, apart from using the product for vehicles, it is not available for residents to use to power the generator for businesses when there is power failure.

    “We need fuel to power our generators for us to effectively do our businesses. But since the scarcity of petroleum product, I have not been able to get fuel to put on my generator, and we hardly have electricity light in my area.

    “Last week, all the meat I kept in my freezer to prepare food in my restaurant got spoilt, because of power outage and no fuel to use in my generator. The Federal Government should call whoever is involved in the fuel scarcity to order. Because, the whole thing is getting out of hands,” she appealed.

    Abba Attahiru said: “We do not know what is causing the fuel scarcity but we just woke up one morning and started experiencing it since December last year. Nobody is giving us a true story of what is behind the scarcity. All the same as Nigerians we have been trying to cope. Suffering and smiling as usual. For me I think it is connected to the political problems we are having in the country because with the trend of things that is happening now, insecurity, among others and you know a lot of bodies have been showing their grievances. I think we have to put more efforts in making Nigeria a better place. Government should look at the suffering of the masses. Because we made them to be where they are today, they should try to resolve the crisis of fuel scarcity.”

    Mr. Patrick Odeh also lamented saying: “We were thinking that this type of thing will not surface again in Nigeria having experience free flow of fuel for the past two years. We just believe that it is artificial and then it will be dealt with appropriately. Government should do the needful. We have no reason suffering fuel scarcity in this country with all the refineries that are in place. And I am sure when Genera Muhammadu Buhari gets to power things will normalize”

    Authorities of the filling stations visited refused to speak with Abuja Review on the matter.

    Another concerned person, Mrs. Lamid Adeniyi said: “We do not know where we are going in this Nigeria. Our leaders should help us, we are really suffering. Everything is politics.”

    Everybody is begging the appropriate authority to find a lasting solution to the situation before it gets out of hand. Many are also hopeful that when General Muhammadu Buhari takes over the mantle of leadership as President Fuel scarcity will become a thing of the past.

  • ‘I’ll advocate for Abuja state status’, says Abuja South’s would-be Rep

    The newly elected House of Representatives member, Hon. Zakari Angulu-Dobi, representing Abuja South has promised to pursue the prolonged desire of natives of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) for Abuja to be recongnized as a State in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

    Angulu-Dobi who made this known while speaking with journalists in his hometown at Dobi in Gwagwalada area council of the FCT, advised residents of the FCT to have positive change in mind, that there will be job opportunities for any qualified resident and native of the FCT, that it is not going to game as usual, where opportunities were only given to those who have people in government,

    According to Angulu-Dobi, the members representing the FCT are also going to struggle to make sure that the FCT is recongnized as if it was one of the states in Nigeria and that all necessary opportunities given to other states, will also be accorded to the FCT.

    “We will also going to struggle in the National Assembly, that like in every city in the world where they have a Mayor, Nigeria should not be different. Let the truth be told. We are not saying that a Mayor should be given to Abuja just for only the indigenes. We are saying that as far as you are residing in the Abuja, you are qualified to be Mayor of the Abuja.

    “But let there be a structure that will take care of the state, and by doing so, it will give the opportunity to have mayoral council as a state legislative structure. It will also reduce the crisis and political problems we have in the FCT. Again, like coming Saturday, which is April 11, every other state will be exercising their rights to vote for a governor and members of the House of Assembly.

    “But, I want the country to tell me what Abuja people would be doing. Of course, nothing. So, is the country been fair to the people of the FCT? No. So, we want justice, equity and fairness to all and that is what we are seriously going to struggle for. Again, we are going to ensure that the programmes and policies of land allocation in the FCT, is reviewed. Reviewed in the sense that, the original inhabitants of the FCT are taking into serious consideration. They are given due respect, because this is their place,” he said.

    The lawmaker further said that if indigenes are to be relocate or resettled, they should be given adequate compensation, as it is required in the constitution, assuring residents of the FCT that he believed they are going to achieve their desires presently, because of the kind of President Nigeria has gotten, which he described as someone who is not corrupt and has the fear of God and love for the masses.

  • Scrap land-swap policy, natives urge Buhari

    The natives of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) under the auspices of the Original Inhabitants Development Association of Abuja (OIDA)  have appealed to the President-elect, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari to scrap the land-swap programme of the outgoing Minister of the FCT, Senator Bala Mohammed.

    They said the swap deal was a conduit pipe for allocation of massive lands to cronies of the outgoing PDP-led federal government.

    In a statement by the President of the association, Pastor Danladi Jeji, the natives who congratulated the President-elect, General Muhammadu Buhari and Vice President-elect, Professor Yemi Osibanjo on their victory in the March 28 polls, said the victory is a right step towards the fulfillment of the aspiration of Nigerians through the ballot box.

    The natives further appealed to the in-coming Buhari-led government to appoint competent natives of Abuja as Minister of the FCT and political aides, so that the incoming government will not have a crisis of confidence between it and Abuja original inhabitants, urging the federal government to ensure that all Nigerians have a say in the people-elected government.

    “The election of Gen. Buhari is the fulfilment of our aspiration for a people-centered government and we will offer maximum support to the incoming federal government which we are optimistic will have policies that will benefit not only original inhabitants of Abuja but also all Nigerians resident in the capital city. We also seek a total audit of land allocations by the Abuja Geographic and Information System, AGIS,” the natives stated.

    OIDA stated that the natives have fought and endured injustice for long in the administration of the outgoing PDP-led federal government, especially on the protracted issues of land-grab, demolition of native houses, non-development of satellite towns, marginalization in appointments, non-compensation of compulsorily acquired lands and massive sacking of whole villages for the appropriation of their lands by selfish politicians and their cronies in government.

    They urged the APC-led Federal Government to create a development commission to cater for displaced indigenous communities in Abuja. “The proposed Abuja Original Inhabitants Development Commission (AOIDC) should be statutory and derive its funding from 30% of all sales accruing from allocable lands within the FCT.

    “When established, AOIDC should deal with the lingering issues of relocation, resettlement and compensation for all project affected communities and persons. We have the confidence in the ability of your government to end these injustices,” OIDA said.

    The natives also commended President Goodluck Jonathan for accepting defeat and saving the nation from crises that may have occurred if the election had not been conducted according to international best practices. They wished him the best of luck in his future endeavours.

    “Formally welcoming the President-Elect and his vice to the nation’s seat of power, the natives urged General Buhari not to let Nigerians down considering the massive votes given to him by citizens from all parts of Nigeria including the natives of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja,” Jeji said.

  • Natives seek ministerial slot in Buhari govt

    Abuja natives, under the Original Inhabitants Development Association (OIDA) have congratulated General Muhammadu Buhari on his victory in last month’s presidential polls.

    President of the association, Pastor Danladi Jeji, said that Gen. Buhari’s victory is a right step towards the fulfilment of the aspirations of Nigerians.

    He urged the new government to ensure that all Nigerians have a say in the people-elected government.

    Jeji added that Abuja natives are asking the President-Elect to appoint competent natives of Abuja as Minister of the Federal Capital Territory and political aides so that the incoming government will not have a crisis of confidence between it and Abuja original inhabitants.

    He urged President Buhari to immediately scrap the land-swap programme of the outgoing minister of FCT, Bala Mohammed because according to him, it is a conduit pipe for the allocation of massive lands to cronies of the outgoing PDP-led federal government.

    Jeji stated this in a press release by ýOIDA’s media adviser Summer Sambo, who stated.

    ”The election of Gen. Buhari is the fulfilment of our aspiration for a people-centered government and we will offer maximum support to the incoming federal government which we are optimistic will have policies that will benefit not only original inhabitants of Abuja but also all Nigerians resident in the capital city.

    “The natives are asking the President-Elect to appoint competent natives of Abuja as Minister of the Federal Capital Territory and political aides so that the incoming government will not have a crisis of confidence between it and Abuja original inhabitants.

    The Abuja native inhabitants want the immediate scrapping of the land swap programme of the outgoing minister of FCT, Bala Mohammed because it is a conduit pipe for allocation of massive lands to cronies of the outgoing PDP-led federal government. We also seek a total audit of land allocations by the Abuja Geographic and Information System, AGIS.

    “OIDA stated that the natives have “fought and endured injustice for long in the administration of the outgoing PDP-led Federal Government especially on the protracted issues of land-grab, demolition of native houses, non-development of satellite towns, marginalization in appointments, non-compensation of compulsorily acquired lands and massive sacking of whole villages for the appropriation of their lands by selfish politicians and their cronies in government. We have the confidence in the ability of your government to end these injustices.

    “The group urged the APC-led Federal Government to create a development commission to cater for displaced indigenous communities in Abuja. ”The proposed Abuja Original Inhabitants Development Commission (AOIDC) should be statutory and derive its funding from 30% of all sales accruing from allocable lands within the FCT. When established, AOIDC should deal with the lingering issues of relocation, resettlement and compensation for all project affected communities and persons.

    “The pan-FCT group also commended President Goodluck Jonathan for accepting defeat and saving the nation from crises that may have occured if the election had not been conducted according to international best practices. They wished him the best of luck in his future endeavours.

    “Formally welcoming the President-Elect and his vice to the nation’s seat of power, the natives urged General Buhari not to let Nigerians down considering the massive votes given to him by citizens from all parts of Nigeria including the natives of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.”

  • Cool cage

    Cool cage

    No one likes being in a cage. It restricts movement and leaves a choking sensation.

    But many Nigerians will really love to be in the kind of cage President Goodluck Jonathan said he has been in the past 16 years.

    Jonathan, through his good luck, was elected Bayelsa State Deputy Governor and thereafter became the Governor of the state. He was later picked among his peers to be Vice President to late Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and thereafter became President of Nigeria.

    Even though he has not been able to freely move around the way he would have wanted in the past 16 years without security personnel watching over his shoulders, Jonathan was catered for by the various governments during the period.

    That was why he declared by himself during the Easter homage paid to him last week Sunday that he was one of the luckiest Nigerians to have gotten the privilege to serve the nation at the various tiers of government.

    Hear him: “This easter period coincide with when I’m leaving but I always say I’m one of the luckiest Nigerian. From 1999 I have been in the hands of government. I am yet to see somebody luckier than me. I was in the hands of governments for 16 years, not in government as a parliamentarian, because if you are in the National Assembly or State House of Assembly, you take care of yourself and you are in your house, I was in a cage being taken care of by the government.”

    “But I think it is enough and I am happy, help me to thank God for that. I will continue to thank Nigerians for giving me that privilege, I became Deputy Governor because Baylesans voted for me and governor then. I became VP because Nigerians voted for me and Yar’Adua. And Nigerians voted for me and Sambo. We have to thank all Nigerians. Wherever I will be I have to thank all Nigerians. Today is a glorious day for me,” he stated

    The cage Mr. President referred to, no doubt, must be a sweet one going by the fact that he recontested the 2015 Presidential elections in order to continue in office.

    Besides, some politicians will even be ready to spill human blood in order to occupy lesser public offices like ward councillor or chairmanship of a local government area, let alone office of a deputy governor and above.

    Now that Mr. President will soon have his freedom, Nigerians can only hope for the best for him.

    Holy Ghost fire against Jonathan’s betrayers

     

    Were you one of those who betrayed President Goodluck Jonathan especially in the period leading to the March 28 Presidential elections?

    Did you deceptively and wickedly divert, embezzle or misappropriate monies meant for his campaign fund? Or are you a close friend, presidential aide or top government official who has intentionally misled the president in anyway?

    If you fall into any of these categories, then you have cause to worry as your case is now going beyond the physical realm to the spiritual.

    The Aso Villa Chapel is now petitioning God to expose every deceptive and wicked person around Jonathan.

    In the Prayer Guide for Nigeria April 2015 edition printed by the Chapel, one of the prayer points for Saturday April 18th, 2015 reads “Ask God to expose every deceptive and wicked person around our President and the rest of our leaders who mean well for Nigeria. Esther 7:5-10, Proverbs 25:5.”

    To ensure that Jonathan and other leaders are not misled in the remaining time of their tenure, the church will also pray to God through Proverbs 24:3-6 for wisdom and wise counsel for the president.

    The prayer point for Monday April 20th, 2015 reads: “Pray that the President and each of our leaders at various levels would receive and use wise and Godly counsel from honest and God-fearing people. Proverbs 24:3-6.”

    These mean that all those who have been at fault will urgently need to reconcile the differences and ask Jonathan and God for forgiveness to escape the wrath of God.

     

    Campaign dance in church

     

    Those waiting to see more of President Goodluck Jonathan’s campaign dancing steps may not wait for too long if the President heeds the advise of the Aso Villa Chaplain, Ven. Obioma Onwuzurumba

    The pastor, who felt that Jonathan was not dancing like King David in the Holy Bible during Easter Sunday service in the Chapel, charged him to feel free and display his campaign dancing steps in the church.

    President Jonathan, who had admitted during the service that he was going to miss the Chapel choir after May 29th, did not dance to the satisfaction of the pastor when the choir rendered various gospel songs in English and local languages.

    The pastor counselled him that he will not be demeaned in anyway if he brings the campaign dance to the church.

    Looking at the President who was sitting in front of him on the first seat in the first row on the right side of the hall, the pastor said: “I saw your dancing steps during the campaigns. You should take that to the church too. Nobody will demean you for that.”

    In his gentle posture, President Jonathan, who was dressed in cream-coloured traditional attire and cream-coloured shoes to match, simply smiled to the pastor.

    Since the campaigns are already over, more Nigerians will definitely love to see more of the dancing steps.