Category: Northern Reports

The guest speaker at the just concluded Bura Cultural Day, Prof. Hassan Bdliya, has thrown more light on his speech, which Borno State governor, Mr. Babagana Zulum termed as an insult on him and his administration.

Prof. Hassan, a prominent son of Bura, was guest speaker at the Annual Bura Cultural Day, which was held on the first of January 2023 at Marama Town in Hawul Local Government Area of Borno State, where his paper alluded to a long history of co-existence between the dominant ethnic nationalities and the lesser ones across Nigeria, including the Bura people and other tribes like the Kanuris in Borno State.

However, Governor Zulum, who was in attendance at the event after the paper, said it was an insult on him for anyone to say he was marginalising any ethnic group in Borno State.

The governor was quoted in a publication in Vanguard Newspaper of January 3, 2023, as saying that; “I think it’s an insult on me for somebody to talk about marginalisation, looking at the number of mega projects that we have initiated to this very important local government area and by extension in Marama town.

“For me, I think Borno State is one. Yes, I am Kanuri by tribe and under no circumstances since I assumed office as the Governor of Borno State, have I decided to sideline any tribe in Borno.

“I was not happy with the speech of one of your elders, because this administration has performed better in Southern Borno, than even in Northern Borno.

“This is the first time Borno government has had a Christian Head of Service; I believed we are doing our best, but we are all human beings. If there is anything wrong we did to the Bura community, we will rectify our mistake by God’s grace.

“What we did in terms of capital projects in this part of the state is not obtainable in Borno Central and Northern Borno. We constructed so many roads and primary healthcares, we built various mega schools including Biu High Islamic School, we built churches, we empowered your women and youths with capital and skills acquisition, among other things, all in Bura community.

“We are overhauling Marama General Hospital, built ultra modern market in Kwaya Kusar, I built police station, I offered scholarship to thousands of students in this community, I built a vocational centre in Marama”, Zulum responded.

But Prof. Hassan in his reaction said his comments were not targeted at Mr. Zulum as a person or his administration but rather alluding to a long historical turf of his people.

“I wish to clarify the context in which the aforementioned article, which pitched me as an insulter of Governor Zulum, was couched. The journalist who wrote it apparently did not have enough time or space to present it…

“My aim, in tandem with the purpose of the Bura Cultural Day programme, was to contribute to the continued development of Bura culture as a tool for promoting development. I did this by pointing out antecedents that have predisposed us as a people to operate sub optimally. This is how. According to the 1963 census, the Bura/Pabir or Biu people are the 25th largest ethnic group in Nigeria. But due to the influence of alien civilisations or cultures (slavery, imperialism/ colonialism, Islam, Christianity, hegemony, etc), we today lack the clout that is commensurate with our numbers in the scheme of things. The alien civilisations have disaggregated us into small units that have made us easy objects of divide and rule, as well as domination. I accordingly wish to urge our people to consolidate and reclaim our clout,” Prof. Hassan said.

Prof. Hassan added that his paper was simply “to initiate honest consultations in order to avert reactionary interactions as we are witnessing with IPOB and Odua. Let us mount this horse of change while it is still trotting and steer it. We should not allow it to start galloping at free will to undesirable destinations.”

Prof. Hassan, while extending his solidarity to Governor Zulum, said he is not antagonistic to him or his administrations but sees Zulum as a courageous man, who, given a second term in office, can address the long historical imbalances in the state.

“My intentions are good, and I come in peace,” Prof. Hassan reiterated.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Plateau State has begun the configuration of the Bimodal Voters Accreditation System (BIVAS) in preparation for the 2023 general elections.

The Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Hon. Dr. Oliver Tersoo Agundu, during his inspection of the BVAS configuration exercise, urged the ICT personnel saddled with the responsibility to maintain the highest level of commitments to the job by ensuring that they do not betray the trust and confidence the commission has bestowed on them.

Agundu explained this while monitoring the demonstration of the configuration exercise of the BIVAS machines at the INEC Headquarters in Jos.

“This is a very serious as well as important component of the exercise.

He said, “Those of you that are going to participate in this process of checking, testing and upgrading of the BIVAS will make good use of it.

“I must emphasize about taking responsibility for your action or in-action. This is a job of trust and the commission is very committed in ensuring that every staff of the commission complies to the code of conduct and the rules, because whatever you do is going to rub on the image of the commission generally.”

The Head of Voter Education, Egwurube Otokpa, told reporters that the commission boasts of highly skilled ICT experts in the state, who are going to do justice to the new technology introduced into the nation’s elections.

The configuration session was a demonstration for the Hon REC, Dr. Oliver Tersoo Agundu to see, alongside some members of the management team.

“They are all ICT experts; a job of this technical nature does not require unskilled but a very skillful and highly trained personnel. Be rest assured that INEC boasts of a lot of them on the use of this modern technology on the Plateau,” Otokpa said.

The Configuration Team was led by Dr. Jane Torchukwu Ifedeora from ICT Department, INEC Headquarters, Abuja.

A First-class traditional rulers in Plateau State may soon be entitled to 13 domestic staff each, if the governor approves a recommendation in a bill that recently passed the third reading in the state House of Assembly.

This was part of recommendations submitted to the Plateau State House of Assembly by the Tripartite Committee on Land, Survey and Town Planning, Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Agriculture and Natural Resources in a bill for a law to provide for the remuneration of appointed traditional rulers in Plateau State and for other related matters in 2022.

The report, which has since passed third reading, was read by the chairman, House Committee on Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Ibrahim Baba Hassan. It recommends that the domestic staff shall include five palace guards, two stable boys, two cooks, one personal assistant and three drivers for all the first-class chiefs and emirs.

The committee also recommended nine domestic staff for second class and six for third class chiefs and emirs; while district heads shall be entitled to four and two for village heads.

Appointment of the domestic staff for the traditional rulers, according to the committee, shall be tenured and their remuneration shall be drawn from 5% allocation to the traditional council.

“All secretariat and financial staff shall be posted from the local government to the traditional council.

Each chiefdom is autonomous and therefore, no graded traditional ruler shall interfere with the affairs of another chiefdom.”

The committee also recommended restrictions on the use of siren/flags for the traditional rulers, where it says first-class traditional rulers are to use siren and flag, while second and third-class should use flag only, and all other traditional rulers are to use vehicle plate numbers provided by the local government or the traditional council.

Coalition of Nigerian Youth Groups (CNYG) and the Coalition of Civil Society For Good Governance (CCSGG) have urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to ensure free and fair elections this year.

The coalition said adequate voter education remained key to delivering credible elections.

Briefing newsmen in Abuja on the roles of INEC and the judiciary in ensuring a credible election on Friday, the groups said, “It has become imperative to pause and take stock of where we’re coming from and where we intend to go as a nation.”

Speaking on behalf of the coalitions, the focal person, Comr. Max Tashilani, said the general election is more than a deciding moment for the country and urged all well- meaning Nigerians to come together to uphold the unity, sanctity and integrity of the nation by ensuring free, fair, and credible elections.

He said: “From all indications, President Muhammadu Buhari is not only desirous of bequeathing the legacy of a free and fair election, but is also poised to ensure that all institutions responsible for delivering credible elections are truly independent.

“However, as a body, we will not shy away from our responsibility of drawing the nation’s attention to some acts that are capable of derailing the efforts made by Nigerians to ensure the elections are credible, and hitch free.”

He lamented that an investigation carried out by the coalition showed voter education embarked by INEC was inadequate, as they are even non-existent in some other places.

Tashilani said this has left voters vulnerable and at the mercy of “unscrupulous politicians who tend to take advantage of the situation.”

He added: “The difficulties voters undergo to collect their permanent voter cards (PVCs) is unbearable. Aside from the difficulties of locating one’s PVC, there are also reports of missing PVCs.”

A Benue State Commissioner of Police, Wale Abass, said the police in the state arrested a total of eight suspects for various crimes during the Christmas season.

Among the suspects, the police boss said, were kidnappers, armed robbers and cultists.

Disclosing the achievements made, CP Abass, in a statement signed by the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Catherine Anene, said efforts were being made to arrest others who were at large.

According to the statement, “On 28/12/2022, at about 0130hrs, information was received that armed robbers operating along Adikpo – Jato-Aka road, attacked and robbed road users of their belongings.

“During the investigation, one Aondongu Iorlamen Abigwa Bebatso and five others were arrested in connection with the case. Items recovered from them include one locally made single barrel gun, a head mask, a military camouflage and one motorcycle stolen from the same robbery scene.”

He also disclosed that, “On 31/12/2022, at about 0200hrs, a distress call was received that five suspected kidnappers invaded a compound at Tse-kpum, Vandeikya Local Government Area to kidnap one Mr Terzungwe.

“Upon arrival of the police, the suspects fled into a nearby forest where one of them was eventually arrested while his gang members escaped.”

He said the suspect confessed to having been sent by an enemy of the victim to kidnap him for ransom and investigation was ongoing to arrest the suspects at large.

Also “On 02/01/2023, at about 1100hrs, while officers of Safer Highway Patrol were on stop and search duty at Ogene junction, Otukpo – Ugbokolo road, they intercepted one Aliyu Danazumi with goods suspected to be stolen.

“On-the-spot search of his belongings led to the recovery of ten phones, a cutlass, and a sack containing new clothes and shoes.

“The suspect confessed to having broken into shops with other gang members while traders travelled for Christmas to steal their goods.”

He said investigations are ongoing to identify the shop owners and arrest the suspects at large.

Commissioner Abass commended the officers for their dedication to work during this period and urged them to keep up the good work, as more is expected of them during the election period.

Youths under the Oji-River Development Union have hailed the continuous peace and security that residents of Oji-River Local Government Area in Enugu State have been enjoying.

The youths, who passed a vote of confidence on the Chairman of the LGA, Hon. Chinedu Onyeagba, said his administration has sacrificed both men and equipment to keep Oji-River safe, secure and united.

President of the Union, Mazi Ezenwa Onyirimba made this known in a press statement.

He also stated “The developmental achievements cut across from youth development, women empowerment, rural road construction and many more. The administration has sacrificed both men and equipment to keep Oji-River safe, secure and united.

“Most youths in Oji-River are now gainfully employed across the length and breadth through the empowerment training; agricultural, especially women, have been empowered through the training and empowerment initiated by the administration. A whole lot of successful social safety nets and initiatives have lifted and propelled some of Oji-River indigenes from poverty to prosperity.

“We, therefore, after a critical evaluation and analysis of the administration of Onyeagba’s administration in all ramifications, now pass a Vote of Confidence on the present administration for being alive to the primary responsibility of safeguarding lives and property across the LGA.”