Category: Northern Reports

The General Manager of the National Theatre Lagos Prof. Sunday Ododo has appealed to the Federal Government to resolve the varsity teachers’ crisis.

He Ododo made the appeal at the memorial celebration and unveiling of the Joseph Makoju Foundation in Abuja. He stated that the late Joseph Makoju’s desire was to witness a better Nigeria. Makoju died on April 4, this year.

He added that apart from seeing the striking university teachers resume academic activities in universities, the late Makoju was looking forward to a country free of banditry, freedom of movement and the best life for all Nigerians.

Ododo lamented that the collective psyche of the Nigerian youth is seriously wounded by the society they find themselves.

“He has played his part and left the stage a very good man. What he wanted was a disciplined Nigeria.

He said it is amazing how leaders think they can have a peaceful society when they allow the universities to remain closed for many months as most youths roam the streets.

Enisi Oyeyami, first son of Joseph Makoju said the life his father portrayed outside is the exact life he lived in the home, stating that everything about his father was genuine. Values he projected in public were values he applied and inculcated in all his children.

The daughter of the deceased Mrs Eneze Osarome Akaba said her father was not the typical Nigerian.

The Northeast Development Commission (NEDC) yesterday inspected some of its major multi-billion naira intervention projects in Yobe State.

The team, which was led by the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development in the company of the Managing Director, Mohammed Goni Alkali and other Executive Directors of the commission, also inaugurated other projects in the state.

Mr Alkali, with his team, inaugurated and handed over an ICT centre at Yobe State University, Federal College of Education (Technical) Potiskum and the Federal University Gashua.

At Yobe State University, the MD also gave additional approval for the construction of a 250-capacity lecture auditorium which is expected to cost N500 million.

At the inspection of some of the projects at the Mega School in Gashua, Mr Alkali promised that the commission will undertake the construction of 18 mega schools across the Northeast states.

He said the mega schools will be situated across all the 18 senatorial districts of the states in the zone, stressing that “the commission found it necessary to improve physical infrastructure that would aid the youth of the region to have very comfortable environments conducive to learning.

“Therefore, the commission has approved to build of mega schools in each of the 18 senatorial districts of this region. Coincidentally, one of the schools in Yobe happens to be here in Gashua. We will not rest but ensure that all the students in this region from all levels of education get the best of learning environment,” the MD said.

Alkali, who inspected the 600-capacity lecture auditorium, a state-of-the-art clinic and a mega-library complex constructed by the commission at the Gashua Mega School, expressed satisfaction at the quality of work executed by the contractor.

“We are generally happy with this project because a few months back when we came here, the land was virgin but now you can see these structures. The quality of the work is impressive. The quality of work is what we do not compromise because we do not want to leave a bad legacy for the commission,” he said.

Also, the commission presented 22-seater and 18-seater Innoson IVM buses to the Federal University Gashua.

The buses, according to the MD, are the commission’s desire to key into the Federal Government’s policy to encourage and promote locally manufactured goods to boost the local economy of the investors.

The Vice-Chancellor of FUGA Prof. Maimuna Waziri who was represented by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic Services) Mrs Adeloju Abiola, thanked the commission for its commitment to the development of the university.

According to her, the buses would greatly enhance the movement of students and members of staff in their activities and logistics.

Yobe State Governor, Mai Mala Buni, who was represented by the Commissioner for Science and Technology, Prof. Mohammad Mukaila called on the graduating ICT trainees to take advantage of the opportunities offered by the NEDC.

Governor Buni said education is the key to the development of any society, just as he pledged to work closely with the commission for the actualisation of their set goals and objectives.

The former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Prof. Attahiru Jega is leading Kebbi State Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) 75-member governorship campaign council inaugurated for next year’s general election.

The council was inaugurated following a stakeholders’ meeting held at Saffar Conference Centre in Birnin-Kebbi, the state capital.

However, the council is expected to develop and implement a robust campaign strategy for the success of the party’s governorship candidate and other candidates for next year’s polls.

The Jega-led council is also to provide the cost implication for the successful execution of the strategy all through the period as designed by the party leadership.

While congratulating the chairman and members of the 75-member council on their appointment, the party’s governorship candidate, Alhaji Abubakar Udu Idris also appreciated them for accepting to serve in the campaign council despite their other important engagements.

“I would like to knowledge and commend our foremost leader and mentor and highly respected Prof. Attahiru Muhammadu Jega (CFR) for his contributions to the development of the PRP in Kebbi State and the country.

“I wish to confess that without his guidance and support by our amiable Prof. Jega, we wouldn’t have achieved the remarkable successes we have recorded thus far,” he said.

He further said: “The PRP has been resuscitated, reinvigorated and strengthened to a level that will make the party become victorious in next year’s general election.

“I would like to thank the leaders and members of the PRP at the state, local and ward levels for their selflessness and steadfast to the cause of the PRP in their localities, in spite of many challenges and obstacles.”

Idris further told the stakeholders that the responsibility assigned to the state PRP governorship campaign council though taxing is optimistic that they are equal to the task and they would succeed.

According to him, it is evidently clear that the state PRP GCC is the best of its kind in the history of the state as it is made up of a leader of outstanding repute and members that cut across all the socio-economic and political strata of the society.

“All the GCC members are the best brains and highly experienced grass-roots politicians, technocrats, bureaucrats, university teachers, women leaders of substance and youth groups with deep knowledge of the political terrains and the needs and aspirations of the electorate.

“We expect our electioneering campaign strategies to be civil in nature, comprehensive and all-encompassing to be able to capture the governorship seat and those of other party candidates put forward to contest at all levels come 2023 general elections.

“As  a former Vice-Chancellor and the most celebrated chairman of Nigeria’s election umpire INEC since the dawn of the Third Republic, we are proud to be the first and only political party in the country to have the services of a former national chairman of INEC to chair a state governorship campaign council.”

The Kaduna State Government has declared today, tomorrow and Friday as public holidays to enable more citizens to complete their voter registration.

It appealed to residents to register before July 31 2022, in order to vote

A statement by the Special Adviser to Governor Nasir El-Rufai on Media and Communication, Muyiwa Adekeye, however, urged all eligible residents of the state to seize the window to register in order to vote.

The statement said the government urged all employers to actively support their members of staff to register before INEC closes voter registration on July 31.

The Senate President Ahmad Lawan, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila and former Senate President, Ken Nnamani are set to unveil a book on 100 years of legislative debate in Nigeria.

The Chairman of the public presentation and launch committee of the book, Onwubuya Breakforth made this known in a statement in Abuja.

He said the book is expected to be unveiled today is a compendium of legislative debates which started in 1922 when the new British conscripted Constitution introduced the Nigerian Legislative Council.

He said it traversed through 1952 when the House of Representatives was later constituted.

“The work took account of the legislative journey of the Senate from 1960 when it was first constituted through the first, second, third republics and ended in the Fourth Republic,” he said.

Breadforth said the book also captured legislative activities of the House of Representatives within the aforesaid period.

“The Nigerian Legislature has come of age. It has progressed from a parliamentary system modelled along the British system to the American model of the legislature,” he said.

He described the four-volume book entitled Nigerian Legislature (1922 to 2022): A Centennial Compendium of Legislative Debates, as telling Nigeria’s story from the legislative perspective.

“This compendium is quite unlike the history of Nigeria’s tribes and people which are heralded by several traditions – which, most times, are confusing and contradictory.

“This work exposes the realistic and authentic perspective of Nigeria’s journey, a first-hand account of events as they unfold.

“The book is authored by Dr Tanu Ejenavwo, an authority in the documentation of Nigeria’s life for posterity and contemporary studies,” he stated.

He said the book would act as veritable resource material for scholars, adding that as part of the event, the organisers would present Commemorative Awards to selected past and present members of the Nigerian legislature.

Among those expected to receive posthumous awards are the late Senate Leader Olusola Saraki and Senator Nuhu Bamali, among others.

The Northeast Development Commission (NEDC) yesterday donated a 10, 000-litre hybrid capacity borehole to the National Youth Schemes Corps (NYSC) orientation camp at Dazigau in Yobe State.

The commission has also approved the construction of a 250-capacity auditorium for Yobe State University which is expected to cost about N500 million.

At the inauguration ceremony, which was held at the orientation camp, the Managing Director of the Commission, Mohammed Goni Alkali said the donation was part of the commission’s commitment to rebuilding institutions which were hitherto destroyed by the insurgents in the Northeast region.

The NYSC camp, which was originally located at Fika Town over 60km away from Potiskum, was later relocated to Dazigau near Potiskum because of various Boko Haram attacks on the camp in Fika which was later closed down.

The MD stated that the commission will continue to make strategic interventions in areas of need in various institutions and other sectors of life in the region.

The Yobe State Coordinator of the NYSC, Hajiya Hafsat Yerima thanked the commission for solving the water problem in the camp.

“We used to have one borehole in this camp which is not enough. We always lack water; at times complete scarcity in the camp anytime there is a problem with that particular one. The story is, however, different from the new borehole that the NEDC has drilled for us now. We are grateful to it for this gesture,” Hajiya Yerima said.

At the Yobe State University, the Managing Director inaugurated and handed over an ICT Resource Centre expected to graduate 600 students in a year.

At the handover ceremony which was held at the Ibrahim Geidam Hall of the institution, Alkali stressed the importance of ICT to learning, even as he maintained that the centre is poised to make the youth self-reliant as well as create job opportunities.

“We have established and fully equipped three ICT centres for Yobe State, including Damaturu, Potiskum and Gashu’a respectively. I believe this is a major step to ensure that our teeming youths are empowered. Each of these centres will graduate 600 youths annually. We are going to support them with the necessary tools required.

“One of the centres is situated here in Yobe State University, aside from this, we have approved to build a 250-lecture theatre which will cost about N500 million. The education sector is important to us; we will support them. We will continue to rebuild institutions and empower our people across this region,” Alkali said.

He announced that the commission has completed the construction of 18 such centres, two each in all the senatorial districts of the states in the region.

A similar centre was also inaugurated at the Federal College of Education (Technical) Potiskum.

The Speakers of the States of Assemblies in the North, under the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), have unanimously endorsed the candidature of Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his running mate Senator Kashim Shettima ahead of next year’s presidential election.

This was made known in a statement by the Special Assistant Media and Publicity to the Speaker of Kaduna State House of Assembly Ibrahim Dahiru Danfulani.

According to the statement, Zailani, who is the Chairman of the Northern Nigeria Speakers’ Forum described the combination as a winning formula for the ruling APC.

“As chairman of the Northern States Speakers’ Forum, I am informing the public that Speakers under the platform of our great party have resolved to support our presidential candidate and his running mate to emerge victorious at next year’s general election,” the statement said.

The statement described Tinubu and Shettima as brilliant minds that will chart a progressive path for Nigeria.

Zailani, therefore, called on all party faithful as well as patriotic Nigerians across party, religious and ethnic divides to embrace Tinubu and Shettima.