Category: Northern Reports

Ahead of the May 30 All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential primaries, the “Asiwaju Grassroots Foundation,” a support group in Nasarawa State, has assured that the group is working hard to ensure that all the Nasarawa State delegates vote for former Lagos State Governor, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu during the presidential primaries next month.

In a chat with our correspondent yesterday in Lafia, the state capital after an expanded meeting with council and ward coordinators of the group, Usman Yakubu Dodo, the State Coordinator of the group, who is a two-time member of Nasarawa State House of Assembly who represented Keana State Constituency, described Tinubu as one who has the experience and capacity to reposition Nigeria if given the mandate.

Dodo, a 2019 House of Representatives aspirant for Keana, Awe and Doma Federal Constituency, described Tinubu as a religious tolerant who is detribalised and well-positioned to rule Nigeria because of his record of achievements as Governor of Lagos State between 1999 and 2007 and his ability to identify talents who can help reposition the country, especially in areas of insecurity, economy and infrastructure.

He said so far the Asiwaju Grassroots Foundation in Nasarawa State have structures in the 13 council areas and all the wards in the state canvassing support for Tinubu to pick the presidential ticket of the party.

The former Deputy Chief Whip of Nasarawa State House of Assembly said the presidency is not a football or wrestling contest but workable and innovative ideas that can solve the numerous challenges of Nigeria which Tinubu perfectly fits.

He reminded the APC to give their presidential ticket to somebody who can win elections and urged them to remember the role Tinubu played in 2014/2015 to help bring this government to power.

He described 2023 as a payback time for the party to reward Tinubu who has the experience, the capacity and the ability to effectively pilot the affairs of the country.

Acting Governor of Kano State Nasiru Yusuf Gawuna, yesterday re-affirmed the commitment of the state government toward ensuring the security of lives and properties of its citizens.

He spoke yesterday when a delegation of participants of the Executive Intelligence Management Course (EIMC 15) from the National Institute for Security Studies (NISS) visited him in Government House, Kano.

He explained that in its efforts, the state government has expanded its security council to accommodate various security agencies by holding meetings regularly to access security situations in the state.

“Kano is enjoying stability due to the concern and commitment shown by our governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje,” the acting governor said.

Gawuna, in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary (CPS) Hassan Musa Fagge, pointed out that the state government has an interest in NISS and its programmes, because the institute, he said, is meant to enhance security in the country.

He expressed his appreciation for seeing participants from other states, related agencies and the neighbouring countries. He assured them of continued co-operation and collaboration with the institute so as to achieve the set objectives of security matters.

The Commandant of the Institute Ayodele Saheed Adeleke said the participants, who are Deputy Directors by rank and equivalent in other services are in Kano on a study tour to examine diverse ways in which climate change affects the state.

He said during the studies, participants would try to proffer solutions to the climate anomalies for economic benefits, to improve lives and protect the environment.

While thanking the acting governor for the reception accorded them, Adeleke added that the participants would also focus on intelligence, security, and strategic and contemporary issues.

The Borno State Commissioner for Poverty Alleviation Mr Nuhu Clark has resigned from office to contest the Chibok State Constituency election on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Clark told reporters in Maiduguri yesterday that his decision was to ensure quality representation for the people of Chibok.

Clark, who served as the Chairman of Chibok Local Government in 1999, said he was still connected to his people and that his project remained the people’s project.

He praised Governor Babagana Zulum for giving him the opportunity to serve as a commissioner, adding that his experience as former council chairman, state youth leader and adviser would be brought to bear when he emerges as a lawmaker.

Also, the Commissioner for Agriculture Bukar Talba has equally resigned.

Talba is aspiring to contest Nganzai/Monguno/Marte Federal Constituency on the platform of the APC.

There are also unconfirmed reports that more than 10 Special Advisers to the governor have tendered their resignations.

Kaduna State Contributory Health Management Authority (KADCHMA) has called for the enactment of a law that will ensure that couples are enrolled in health insurance as a pre-qualification for marriage.

This was as the body said it is providing free basic healthcare services to 124,858 poor and vulnerable people in the state.

The Director-General of the agency, Abubakar Hassan, who stated these during a two-day media roundtable funded by ‘Save the Children Nigeria’ held in Zaria, said medical checkups are not only advised before marriage, but enrolling in a health insurance scheme will help to guarantee blissful union and avoid unwanted, unneeded health, stress and problems later in marriage.

According to him, it will be a wonderful thing for Kaduna State Government to enact a law that will ensure that couples are enrolled in a health insurance scheme before qualifying for marriage.

The DG disclosed that 79,329 were accessing the basic minimum package of health services as defined by the National Health Insurance Scheme, while 45,529 were enrolled under the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund.

He explained that for those enrolled under the BHCPF, the state government provides 25 per cent counterpart fund, while NHIS provides 75 per cent from the BHCPF based on the defined benefit package.

Hassan added that the authority had so far enrolled a total of 514,265 in the state health insurance scheme.

He noted that 382,593 were enrolled under the formal sector, 3,713 under the informal sector, 986 under the Tertiary Students Health Insurance Programme, and 2,115 under the pensioner’s scheme.

He said the aim of KADCHMA is to build an operational strategy to ensure that none is left behind healthcare in Kaduna State.

The Advocacy and Campaigns Assistant of ‘Save the Children Nigeria Kaduna,’ Olukotun Amabel, said the target is to protect the rights of the children particularly Health and Education.

The representative of Nigeria Union of Journalists (Kaduna State Council), Comrade Nicholas Dekera, said the union would continue to partner KADCHMA to ensure reduction in maternal mortality in the state and the message gets to people in the rural areas.

The Northern Alliance Committee (NAC) has promised to galvanise support for presidential aspirant, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.

The group, which said it intends to sway delegates in favour of Tinubu, said Nigeria needs a leader like him based on his political pedigree.

NAC, in a statement by its Director, Contact & Mobilisation, Alhaji Ibrahim Marmara, said Tinubu has produced several visionary leaders in the country and groomed many who are key activists in the present APC-led federal government.

He added that his lofty achievements, sterling performances, ingenuity in turning Lagos into the fastest growing megacity in Africa with over N45 billion monthly revenue generation to enable the state stand alone, further attracted the group to his ingenuity.

He stated, “The JAGABAN of Borgu Kingdom, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is an outstanding leader and his lifelong ambition to lead Nigeria as president, is widely encouraged by the Northern Alliance Committee (NAC) based on the following facts.

“Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu has leadership qualities that are overwhelming to other contenders.

“He is a selfless leader whose contributions to humanity, Nigeria, South West Region and Lagos State, would continue to be a source of reference in the nation’s development.

“He produced several visionary leaders in the country and groomed many who are key activists in the present APC-led federal government.”

“For his outstanding successes, doggedness, principled politics and patriotism, Northern Alliance Committee, being a civil society apparatus, is fully ready to support Bola Ahmed Tinubu to succeed in his 2023 Presidential aspiration owing to his outstanding qualities & promising potentials.”

To this effect, Marmara said NAC has contacted some well to-do Nigerians for payment of Tinubu’s presidential expression form.

The Northern Democratic Defense League (NDDL) has reacted to reports of an exercise carried out by eminent elders in the region which pruned the number of presidential aspirants of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), describing the process as judicious and the outcome fair and credible.

The group, in a statement signed by its Coordinator, Auwal Liti Darazo, noted with dismay other reports that Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, has denied the consensus reached, saying that such denial further testifies to Tambuwal’s consistent inconsistencies.

Referring to Tambuwal’s optimism just two days before the outcome of the process that consensus arrangement is healthy for the PDP and that it would favour him, the group said it is inconsistent and shameless for him to deny going through the exercise.

Tambuwal was quoted by many national dailies few hours before the consensus outcome was released commending it as a good thing, healthy for the party, and saying ‘I’m thinking, that the consensus will favour me.’

It frowned however that when the process did not favour him, he denied it totally, thereby  ‘confirming his level of intolerance, poor statesmanship and patriotism that are latent signs of a weak mind that is ill-equipped to lead, except for his quest for personal power ascendancy.’

The statement noted that in place of the barefaced lies and denial of the process by Tambuwal, the group of eminent elders and leaders of the region deserves respect, particularly from him, being the sole initiator of the consensus process while commending the aspirants for their courage for standing firm for justice, fairness and inclusiveness.

The group said it takes genuine statesmanship for the eminent elders to have resolved that the North East and North Central should be given the chance this time around because the North West has been having it since the inception of the fourth republic democracy.

“The simple fact that the elders have so patriotically submitted that other zones of the Zone which have not had the opportunity should be considered this time around, speaks volumes for their integrity, selflessness, patriotic love for the North and for country.

“It is therefore contradictory that Tambuwal, who claims the ability to unite the whole country, should also be the one fuming over an exercise in inclusivity that tilts towards zones that have previously been deprived of such opportunities, ” the group lashed out.

Meanwhile, the group congratulated the two consensus candidates, Governor Bala Mohammad from the North East and former Senate President Abubakar Bukola Saraki from the North Central and urged them to bridge any rift that could derail the process.

A community in Gbako Local Government Area of Niger State, Gbangba, now has electricity after 100 years of blackout, following its connection to a solar 90KW hybrid mini-grid by Engie Energy Access.

The Managing Director, Engie Energy Access Nigeria, Bankole Cardoso, during the inauguration of the mini-grid in Gbangba, said the project began in April 2021 and was completed in December 2021, adding that since December, the people of the community have been enjoying free uninterrupted electricity.

He stated that the energy solutions company has begun the commercialisation of electricity given to the residents, which would require them to make payments on their prepaid meters to enable them enjoy 24 hours electricity.

“The mode of payment is the mobile money, where the residents can charge the smart meter which is at the front of each house.”

Cardoso explained that the community was selected because they wanted a community that needed the power and had not been connected to the national grid.

“We looked at many communities before selecting Gbangba. We wanted to see a community that needs the power, that is far and not connected to the national grid and have some productive use that can benefit businesses.

“This mini-grid will foster socio-economic development and prosperity of the Gbangba community, its people and its neighbours. It will serve private households and commercial businesses like provision shops, grocery sellers, bakeries, mobile phone charges and others.

“It will boost the productivity of farmers and food production by powering agricultural loads, such as irrigation pumping and cold storage, productive loads such as grinding mills, wood or metal working shops and semi industries such as telecom towers and processing plants.”

He said the solar panels can last 20 years while the batteries can be changed every 10 years. He added that the company also gave some people cold storage appliances and five horsepower grinding machines which would be paid for by instalment.

The Chief Executive Officer of Engie Energy Access, Gillian-Alexandre Huart said the mini-grid is not only a win for the Gbangba community but a win for Nigeria, as the company intends to build over 100 mini-grids across the country to meet the growing decentralised energy needs.

The Head of Mini-grids, Engie Energy Access Nigeria, Onyinye Anene-Nzelu said since its completion in 2021, Engie Energy Access has connected 300 households and small and medium scale businesses to the mini-grid, adding that about 1,500 lives have been directly impacted by the project.

Niger State governor, Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello, during the inauguration, said the power project is coming as a result of concerted efforts to change the negative narratives and stimulate economic activities and standard of living in the rural areas.