Category: Northern Reports

Kolade ADEYEMI, Jos

THE Governor-elect of Plateau State, His Excellency Barrister Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang, has called for unity among Plateau citizens at the commencement of the Holy Month of Ramadan.

In a brief video message issued by the Governor-elect, he thanked God for the gift of another season of fasting.

According to Mutfwang, it is a time of sober reflection and prayers, as well as demonstration of peace, love and sacrifice.

The Governor-elect stressed that the season offers Muslims around the world the opportunity to assess their relationship with God and make amends where necessary, as it depicts their commitment to Islamic tenets.

He appealed to all Muslims to pray for the unity, peace and development of Plateau State.

He promised an all-inclusive government, where all citizens of the state are treated fairly and equitably, irrespective of their tribal, religious and political inclinations.

He urged all to put aside all differences and join hands in building a better and greater state that will be a pride of all.

• •To undertake two climate smart projects in the state

THE Nasarawa State government has signed a partnership with the UK-Nigeria Infrastructure Advisory Facility (UKNIAF) on a Mutual Accountability Framework (MAF).

The partnership, which is facilitated by the Nasarawa State Investment and Development Agency (NASIDA) was yesterday signed by Governor Abdullahi Sule.

The partnership will usher in funded technical assistance for the preparation of Climate Smart Infrastructure Public Private Partnerships (PPP) projects in the state.

Targeted at enhancing the institutional and human capacity of the Nasarawa Investment and Development Agency (NASIDA) and other key Ministries, Departments and Agencies of the state, the technical assistance will enable the state to deliver on the objective of the UKNIAF programme.

Two climate-smart projects from some of the Nasarawa State PPP pipelines have been selected to be undertaken under the partnership. They include a 4000-bed hostel for the Nasarawa State University, Keffi and 450 ha Gudi Industrial Hub, Gudi.

During the signing, Governor Abdullahi Sule expressed optimism that the partnership will help improve productivity and reduce poverty, based on sustainable economic, social and environmental development as enshrined in the Nasarawa State economic development strategy (2019-2023).

He said he was looking forward to UKNIAF’s support of other climate-smart projects in the Nasarawa State PPP pipeline and to also benefit from a full spectrum of the UKNIAF support through the development of Outline Business Case and market engagement to secure private sector participation.

The Head of Economic Development, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), Sally Woolhouse, said with the signing of the agreement, UNICEF and the Nasarawa Investment Development Agency (NASIDA) will be collaborating to develop climate-smart infrastructure projects and unlock critically private financing for the development of the state.

In his remark, the Managing Director of UKNIAF, Prof Chidiebere Onyia, said five key reforms initiated by the Governor Sule administration are the catalyst facilitating the PPP agreement between UKNIAF and Nasarawa State.

Managing Director/CEO of Nasarawa Investment Development Agency, Ibrahim Abdullahi, said the state is committed to the partnership for mutual prosperity.

The election tribunal in Kebbi State on Friday said it had received six (6) petitions on the February 25 National Assembly elections in the state.

The secretary of the tribunal, Abdul-Rahaman Muhammad, in an inquiry in Birnin Kebbi, said six of the petitions were on the House of Representatives elections and two on the Senate.

Abdul-Rahaman said that Bala Ibn Na’Allah, the candidate of All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kebbi South Senatorial District has filed a petition with suit marked number: EPT/ KB/SEN/ 01/ 2023, challenging the election of Garba Musa of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).

He added that the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for Kebbi Central Senatorial District, Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, has also filed a petition with suit marked number: EPT/BK/ SEN/02/ 2023 challenging the outcome of the election of Muhammad Adamu Aliero of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).

 The secretary said petitions were also filed by candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Professor Muktar Umar Bunza with suit marked number: EPT/ KB/HR/04/2023, challenging the election outcome of  Birnin Kebbi/ Kalgo/Bunza federal constituencies; Muhammad Bala Usman of People’s Democratic Party (PDP) with suit marked number EPT) KB/ HR/02/ 2023, challenging election outcome of Yauri/Shanga/Ngaski federal constituencies, and Muhammad Umar Jega with suit marked number EPT/ KB/ HR/ 03/ 2023, challenging election outcome of Gwandu/Jega/Aliero federal constituencies.

He said others included Bello Kabiru with suit marked number EPT/KB/HR/ 01/ 2023, challenging election outcome of Suru/ Bagudo federal constituencies.

The tribunal will fix a date for commencement of hearing after completion of exchanging of court processes from the both parties.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) should immediately declare the APC candidate Alhaji Nasiru Idris, Kauran Gwandu as winner of the Kebbi state gubernatorial election instead of saying it is inconclusive. Deputy Director General of the APC Governorship Campaign in the state Alhaji Abubakar Gari Malam, Shettiman Gwandu urged on Friday. 

INEC’s Returning Officer Professor Yusuf Sa’idu had on Monday declared the results as inconclusive due to what he said was cancellation of polling units in 20 of the state’s 21 local governments.

Speaking in Abuja, Malam, who is a retired Deputy Comptroller of Customs said, “Results from the Elections showed that the APC candidate, Alhaji Nasir Idris, Kauran Gwandu, pulled 388,258, while his closest rival, PDP candidate Major General Aminu Bande (retd) polled 342,980 votes. There is no need to declare the elections inconclusive. Our candidate won fair and square. He is leadig with 45,278. In some states candidates were declared winners when the margin was a fraction of that. There is no need for a supplementary election.”

Malam said “INEC cancelled elections in some polling units because of over voting and violence. Remember the PDP candidate’s wife heads a department in INEC. It was also PDP that triggered violence in some of the polling units because they know they are our strongholds. Despite PDP’s machinations we are still very comfortably ahead. Even if it holds supplementary election, we are confident of increasing our margin of victory because all the areas that where the polls were cancelled are our strongholds. I urge INEC to immediately declare our candidate as winner of the election so that the people of Kebbi state, like those of other states, will have peace of mind and go about their normal lives”.

By Sunday Odeleke

Asiwaju Bola  Ahmed Tinubu’s victory in the 2023 presidential election has evoked the memory of the hope dashed in 1993 when former military President Ibrahim Babangida annulled the mandate of Bashorun MKO Abiola.

Both elections shared many characteristics.  Abiola and Tinubu are from Southwest Nigeria and they both belonged to the same political family. MKO was an accomplished accountant. Tinubu also is. The peaceful religion of Islam is also another thing between them. Both picked their Muslim running mates from Borno State, specifically from the Kanuri lineage. To cap it all, MKO had 8.3 million votes while BAT scored 8.7 million to emerge the winner.

HOPE 93 was MKO’s electoral slogan while Tinubu named the 2023 slogan of his campaign RENEWED HOPE. These are not just nomenclatures; rather they are well-thought-out ideologies. Abiola had street credibility and corporate sensitivity. The same can be said about Tinubu. 

Nigeria missed the golden opportunity that Abiola’s presidency would have delivered because the nation had been deprived of having a leader with corporate and street politics.

Corporate politicking entails circumventing the formal organisational structure, understanding informal networking, building connections, developing people’s skills,bravery and neutralisation of negative politics. Both Abiola and Tinubu would not have risen to the level they got to in the corporate world if they lacked these attributes. Backstabbing, blackmailing, malicious alliances and reliance on grapevine are also great tools in the hands of most that are successful in corporate politics, especially when they deploy these tools to help the organizations they represent thrive. Corporate politics is played in the realm of intellect where leadership intelligence are displayed.

Street politics, on the other hand, can be likened to amala police as made popular by the late Ibadan politician, Lamidi Adedibu. Street politics entails unbridled generosity, ensuring followers are held in perpetual loyalty by meeting their pecuniary needs and ensuring they are carried along in the leader’s journey to stardom. Street politics is sometimes dirty and dangerous; it is raw and relentlessly spiced with uncooked and unethical means and methodology. Politicians molded in this stock never closed their hearts to reconciliation with estranged mentees, friends, loyalists and colleagues. 

To run a country that is as diverse as Nigeria successfully, a leader must be able to combine these two attributes, bits of each can help navigate the terrain. The 2023 election presented three choices to Nigerians: Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP), a ‘technocrat’ can be classified as a player in corporate politics but not crafted in street politics while Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is certainly a street politician but not a player in the corporate politics.

Abiola rode on the crest of his street popularity to command the cult followership that earned him the electoral victory that he was unfortunately deprived of, and for which he sacrificed his fortune and life. His influence in the business world was a resounding testimony of how he successfully played corporate politics. President-elect Bola Tinubu is also molded in the same format. Of all the governors who emerged since 1999 when Nigeria returned to democracy, Tinubu has remained the most visible and relevant even without holding any political office in the past 16 years. He must be a street political genius to stay the course till he got to the point he is. It is not a secret that Tinubu, when he resigned from Mobil, a multinational oil corporation for a senate seat in 1992, was offered to return to the company if the political terrain was not good enough for him. This is the attestation of how well he payed his politics in the corporate world.

Nigeria is at the crucible of history, too much ground to cover. The problems facing the nation ranging from economic and security woes require a leader that can combine both politics. Tinubu, no doubt, is a leader who understands and possesses coordinate experience and expertise in the two politics. His skill in corporate politics will be used to rally the corporate world and technocrats to help Nigeria out of the woods. His skills in street politics will be used in bringing Nigerians together in unity and national cohesion.

The president-elect, in a recent op-ed, alluded to the promises that his renewed hope engenders, by promising an inclusive government of national competence. Nigeria is on the verge of having a leader that understands what governance entails and who masters how to harness the available resources, both human and others. The nation missed Abiola’s hope, the country must not toy with the renewed hope that beckons.

Though I am not a lawyer, the grounds on which Obi and Atiku are challenging his election do not look strong enough for his victory to be annulled or for either of them declared the president. We need a Tinubu now and it does not look like we will not reap the dividends of renewed hope.

Odeleke, a public commentator, writes from Richmond, Texas. He tweets from @odelekeSA. 

The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr Boss Mustapha, yesterday  described the multi-billion naira spent on the  VIP wing of the State House Medical Center at the Presidential Villa, Abuja as “money well spent”.

He led  other top government officials on an inspection of the project.

The SGF, who was accompanied by the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs Zainab Ahmed, thr Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, Clement Agba, the Permanent Secretary of the State House, and State House Director of Maintenance, Joshua Apagu, expressed satisfaction with the speed and quality of work done so far on the project.

After inspecting the 13-bed edifice, Mustapha expressed satisfaction with the pace of work and the quality of equipment fitted in the 5-star medical centre ahead of it’s inauguration..

“For me it’s a great sense of fulfilment that I am seeing within the period of two years this edifice standing today.

“Those of you that were part of the coverage of the COVID 19 pandemic, when it involves the entire nation in 2020. You will notice that we have inspected health facilities in and around Abuja, particularly the State House Clinic, in Asokoro. My impression coming out of that inspection, deepens my desire to see that we have a standard world class facility, which has basically produced this with a lot of satisfaction and great joy I’m seeing this standing today.

“So, this money is well spent, and it will be for the good and betterment of our country”, Mustapha said.

Continuing, Mustapha explained that the facility will address the frequency of the country’s presidents traveling abroad to seek medical treatment.

His words: “it would to a large extent deal with it. This is a clinic, I believe that all procedures can be conducted here, if need be through modern sciences. Telemedicine now is very common, somebody can be sitting in his office in Germany, or in the US directing diagnosis and prescriptions, and also even procedures on a patient in this place.

“The other thing that this facility will do for us is that we receive visiting heads of state, heads of government, peradventure there is an emergency, we need a facility that will provide the kind of care that is internationally acknowledged and recognized and a standard kind of care before even that particular head of state or government is evacuated out of the country. And this facility provides for that.

“We have ageing former presidents, I believe that they will have access to this facility, the sitting President will have access to it, and other top government functionaries as may be prescribed by the administrative structure that will be put in place. I believe that this is money well spent”, he said.

The Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs Ahmed expressed delight over the quality of work on the facility, adding that”we have supported this process in terms of making sure that the funding is provided on time.

“This is a project that has been delivered dead on time and on budget. So there has been no overrun and the facilities here are world class. We’re looking forward to the commissioning very soon and to put the facility to full use”, she said.

Mrs Ahmed expressed her willingness to make herself available to be used as a guinea-pig in the 5-star medical facility whenever the need arises.

“I have donated myself as one of the people that can be tried in this facility. On test runs, I’m willing to come and do a medical here to testify that anything you can see here is what you can see anywhere you go in the world.

The State House Permanent Secretary, Tijjani Umar, said the authorities were working assiduously including calibration and testing of the equipment as well as training of personnel before commissioning the project by the President.

“I think we we are putting everything that needs to be put in place, including the instrument and the equipment that have been calibrated and tested. And then there’s the training of personnel that is going on here. It’s absolutely important that it’s hands on, and that when the facility is commissioned by Mr. President, it is not going to stop working.

“So, I think it’s really important, we’re taking the time to do that. By the time that is done, the training is concluded, and the calibration and testing of equipment is also concluded and that is going to be also on time because what is sure is that Mr. President will commission this project very soon”, she said.

Umar, while speaking on the progress so far made on the project, assured the people  that it would be delivered and inaugurated before the end of the current administration on May 29. He said that President Muhammadu Buhari had approved the upscaling of the facility from just a clinic to a proper medical center.

“Finally, he has just approved that, before now in 2018, he had given approval that the State House Clinic, Medical Center then there in the other part of Asokoro that had challenges about equipment about aging,  resources, funding everything. It was scaled down from Medical Center to a State House Medical Clinic.

“Now he has approved with everything that has been improved in the other place and with this state-of- the -art facility, we can no longer operate this as a clinic. It is now State House Medical Center. He has just granted the approval. So thank you very much evening”, Umar said.

 President  Buhari, in November 2021, approved a site for the construction of the VIP wing of the State House Clinic within the precinct of the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The Presidency had vowed to inaugurate the state-of-the-art clinic which will offer medicare for the country’s President, Vice President, visiting Heads of State and other high ranking officials of government before the end of the Buhari-led government.

he Vice-Chancellor, University of Abuja, Prof Abdul-Rasheed Na’Allah, has commiserated with the family of late musical maestro of the Dadakuada fame, Alhaji Jaigbade Alao, who passed away this week.

The VC also sympathised with the Kwara State Governor Abdulrahman AbdulRazaq and Emir of Ilorin Dr. Ibrahim Sulu Gambari, and fans and lovers of the deceased across the world.

Na Allah, who has researched extensively into Jaigbade’s music as a resource for African Oral Literature and Performance, said he was sad to learn about his death.

In a statement by the Head, University Relations, University of Abuja, Habib Yakoob, the vice – chancellor described the late musical maestro as an exceptionally brilliant and warm-hearted person, who believed in using music to create critical changes in society.

Na’Allah said: “He took his traditional performances around the world, including the USA and Brazil, where I had the opportunity to see first-hand how he made a huge impression of his exceptional creative talents before the global community.

“He was a role model to many and used his music to admonish the philosophy of love, good neighbourliness, excellent creativity, hard work, patriotism, fear of God, commitment to humanity, love of culture and many more. He won great rewards from government and people including a recognition award by the Kwara State Government and an honorary doctor of literature degree by the Kwara State University.

“I am honored to have researched his work and had many hours of close personal encounters with this legend of Ilorin art, history and culture who was turbaned as the King of Singers, Oba Olorin, by the 9th Emir of Ilorin, Muhammad Zulkarnaini Ayelabowo Gambari.”

He called on the government of President Muhammadu Buhari to immortalise him for his great contributions to music in the world.

Na’Allah prayed to Allah to have mercy upon the soul of the deceased, reward him abundantly and give the family the fortitude to bear this loss.

Ansar-ud-deen Society of Nigeria yesterday said it had concluded arrangements to distribute food items to 5,000 people and give free Ramadan breakfast to 5,500 Muslims daily for 30 days.

Chairman of Abuja branch of the society, Alhaji Mohammad Olayiwola, stated this at a briefing at the Ansar-ud-deen mosque, Maitama, Abuja.

Olayiwola described Ramadan as a month of re-awakening of all Muslims to their roles and responsibilities as well as Islam’s perspective on good governance.

According to him, the month also reminds Muslims of the equality of citizens before Allah.

“Since we all know that Allah blesses one more than the other, it behooves us to share our prosperity with the less privileged in the society in order to reduce the social menace in the country.

“Our food bank will deal with the collection of raw food items donated by the well-to-do amongst us and distribute to 5,000 less-privileged to have good food in their respective houses daily.

“Also, we are going to organise Ramadan breakfast for 5,500 Muslims daily in our mosque in Maitama. We solicit public support in this direction to complement our own earmarked resources,” he said.

The chairman further stated that the society would organise its 28th Annual Ramadan lecture to be delivered by a renowned Islamic scholar and Northern States Council Missioner of Ansar-ud-deen, Sheikh Muhideen Ajani-Bello.

According to him, Ajani-Bello will, after the lecture, lead national prayer to seek divine guidance for good governance, peace and tranquility in the democratic transition in the country.

“Similarly, we are going to organise daily Tafsir of Qur’an for the 30 days of the month of Ramadan, starting from March 30 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.,” he said.

A non–governmental organization, Connected Development (CODE) had called on the 10th National Assembly to provide a reform that would unbundle the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

It’s Founde, Hamzat Lawal said, although the 2022 Electoral Act was a good amendment, human interference made it fall short during the just-concluded Presidential and governorship elections.

Lawal also called on President Muhammadu Buhari to make a bold statement concerning the elections by ensuring that consequences are met to preserve the country.

He made this call in Abuja at a final post-elections news  conference on the Governorship and  Houses of Assembly polls.

He said: “The 2022 electoral act was a good amendment but sadly due to human interference the act has fallen short to deliver a unique electoral system for Nigerians. The 10th National Assembly has a critical role to play on the amendment of the electoral act, particularly on how we are able to provide a reform that unbundles INEC as an institution.

“In our democracy and politics, election is the first step and if we get it wrong then our democracy would be in shambles and Nigerians would not enjoy the dividends of democracy.

“In unbundling INEC as an institution, first how does the chairman of INEC emerge, how do the national commissioners emerge, how do resident commissioners emerge and who exactly are they answerable to? Today what we have seen is that the institution as a whole and the people there have been compromised. The state national commissioners are place holders for corrupt politicians and mischief makers.

“In some cases, even the headquarters is unable to reach some of the state electoral commissioners and their returning officers. So for us to get it right, we must unbundle the commission and make it independent.”

“The President has been silent for far too long, he needs to make a statement concerning the general elections because he is the Chief Security Officer and Commander in Chief of the Federation, in making a statement, consequences has to be met because if we have a country without consequences, where everything goes then the rule of law would take a back seat and what we are seeing now is getting close to a country that Is not properly governed.”

Hearing in the case filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission against Ali Bello and another over an alleged N3bn fraud has been adjourned till May 22, 2023 for continuation of hearing.

Prosecution opened their case (FRN Vs. Ali Bello and another) against the defendant by calling two witnesses – a compliance officer from Zenith Bank, Daniel Udoh; and a compliance officer from the United Bank for Africa, Bananda Edward.

Rotimi Iseoluwa Oyedepo, SAN, was lead Counsel for the EFCC in the case filed with suit no FCH/ABJ/CR/550/2022.

The first witness tendered in evidence the bank statements of “Kogi State Government” and a certificate of compliance, which were admitted in evidence.

The defence counsel, A.M. Aliyu, SAN, objected to the admissibility of the two documents, stating that he would address his objection in his final written address.

During cross-examination, Udoh admitted that the bank statement he presented did not belong to the Kogi State Government but to the Government House administration, adding that he does not know the defendants in the matter.

He said he was not a staff in the IT department of his bank and was not involved in the entering of the information that had been printed out as a bank statement.

The second witness, Bananda Edward, a compliance officer with UBA, also tendered the statement of account of Kogi State Government House (Exhibit C) and the Certificate of Compliance (Exhibit D).

He gave an account of inflow and outflow from the said account from September 1, 2021 to April 2022.

The defence counsel objected to the evidence relating to Abdulsalam Hudu, Government House cashier, on the ground that he was not a defendant in the matter. He challenged it on the basis of relevance to the instant action and said his objection would be raised in his final written address.

Justice J.K. Omotosho adjourned the case to May 22 for continuation of hearing.