Category: Northern Reports

No fewer than 350 structures were demolished yesterday in the densely populated Bassa-Jiwa Village, situated near the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja.

Most of the demolished structures were residential buildings and shanties that were constructed on the right of way (ROW), under Train Bridge, and pedestrian crossing in and around the village off the Airport Road.

Officials of the FCT Administration’s Task team on City Sanitation, accompanied by a joint team of security personnel, stormed and pulled down the said structures, for allegedly defacing and posing a serious security threat to the country’s capital.

The Director of Development Control Department Murkhtar Galadima said the 350 structures removed were part of the 500 marked for demolition in the area.

On whether adequate notice was given before the exercise, Galadima said: “Before marking the structures, we came for sensitisation first, thereafter, we removed them.

“It is part of our regular exercises to sanitise the city, and in furtherance of the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport expansion project being awarded by the Federal Executive Council.”

The Senior Special Assistant on Monitoring Inspection and Enforcement to the FCT Minister, Ikharo Attah, noted that the area has multiple levels of illegality, as underneath the main Train Bridge connecting the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport is full of shanties and the whole community has turned into the shanty, and become a source of security threat.

“The whole community is imperfectly built, thereby defacing the area, as the community has been expanding extremely. Although good people are in the community, the bad ones have easy access to hide and commit havoc.

“Even the chief and some of the citizens agreed that Bassa-Jiwa needed to be cleaned, and did that while respecting some of the previous markings we had in the community for resettlement and compensation of some indigenous persons there, those were not touched, but several others were not spared,” he said.

Dauda Gimba, Chief of Bassa- Jiwa Village said: “I thank God that the FCTA officials didn’t do too badly to us, as they worked together during the exercise.

“Even though the exercise also affected me, as they demolished my structures, including that of my secretary, I still thank God that they came and notified us, and we worked together with them to ensure compliance.

“What we want the government to do for us is to ensure that nobody is allowed to erect any structures in the areas where houses were demolished.”

Three hundred Bauchi youths will benefit from Federal Government’s N-Skills Phone Repair training under its National Social Investment Programme (NSIP).

At the kick-off of the training at the Asa Abubakar Centre in Bauchi, the state capital, Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management, and Social Development Sadiya Umar Farouq said the move was part of the Federal Government’s efforts at reducing poverty and unemployment in the country.

She said the beneficiaries would be provided with starter packs and deployed to Master Craft Persons for a six-month apprenticeship.

The minister said the N-Power programme in Bauchi State has increased from 12,878 deployed under Batches A and B to 16,820  under Batch C, adding that over N6.2 billion would be spent for the training, tooling, and/or payment of monthly stipends.

She said: “The smartphone repairs is used to pilot the N-Skills programme, which is part of the N-Power non-graduate programmes. It is consistent with the national aspiration of lifting 100 million Nigerians out of poverty in 10 years.

“The programme is designed to train; tool and transit unemployed youths into the labour market for gainful employment. The ministry is working with carefully selected consulting firms to provide the N-Skills training services for 6,475 unemployed youths.

“The six-week training is designed to equip target beneficiaries with life, vocational and entrepreneurship skills preparatory to the work-based learning during the six-month apprenticeship.”

Farouq hoped the programme would create wealth for  youths of Bauchi State.

On the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) project, which is part of the N-Power Junior programme, she said the Federal Government would  set up STEM centres in 12 federal and state schools in Bauchi State.

The minister inspected the STEM projects at Federal Government Girls’ College, Abubakar Tatari Ali Polytechnic, and Special School in Bauchi.

Nigeria accounts for 34 per cent of global deaths from tuberculosis (TB), Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has said.

He said reports showed that while 590,000 people die annually worldwide from TB, Nigeria accounts for over 200,000 deaths.

Speaking at a World TB Day Webinar organised by Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG), in collaboration with Stop TB Partnership in Abuja, Sanwo-Olu called for more domestic funding to end TB, as there exists a 70 per cent funding gap.

He said: “Tuberculosis has a huge negative effect on our economy, and by extension Lagos, which carries the biggest burden. It is estimated that about 1.5 million people globally die of TB. This was according to the recent statistics on TB in 2019 before COVID-19. Nigeria is, unfortunately, No. 6 in that hierarchy and we account for about 8.5 to 8.6 per cent of global deaths as of 2019. The biggest challenge is about containing TB; that is, finding new cases. Yearly, we get additional cases.

“WHO says that in Nigeria, about 300,000 cases are missing. Also, 590,000 deaths occur annually of which over 200,000 are in Nigeria. These are scary numbers that will be worrisome. I am more concerned because 11 per cent of the total national burden of TB is in Lagos. We have the higher burden of not being able to detect, a fast-growing population.

“Unfortunately, we may still be carrying that burden as the epicentre for a while because of our population. Lagos has the largest population density in Africa.

“What statistics have showed to us in Lagos is that since 2015, we have been increasing our ability and capacity to detect a lot more cases yearly. For me, this shows that there is some positive trends. This shows that there are a lot of good things we are doing but we need to do it quicker and faster.”

The Executive Secretary of the Stop TB Partnership, Mr Mayowa Joel, added: “TB is a disease that has been living with us for a very long time. Each day, about 4,100 people still lose their lives to TB. Specifically in Nigeria, about 18 people die of TB every hour, and it is quite unfortunate that we lose many potential because of TB. Apart from very low awareness of TB, it is important to note that one of the challenges faced with ending TB is financing.

“In 2020, out of the fund needed to end TB in Nigeria, only 31 per cent was available. Out of the 31 per cent, seven per cent were from domestic resources and 24 per cent from doughnuts. This gives a gap of 69 per cent.

“We realised that the government cannot do it alone, which is why we are bringing together the private sector to be able to support the efforts of the government to be able to end TB in Nigeria. It has been done before in polio, COVID-19 prevention and treatment, among others.”

Gombe State Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya yesterday said his administration will, in a short time, open up the hitherto unreached parts of the state with his network eleven hundred road projects across the state.

Yahaya, who stated this while inspecting the ongoing 4.5 kilometres Idi, Unguwan Uku, Kagarawul/Malam Inna Road to ascertain the level and quality of work, said this has become imperative in order to achieve the urbanisation of Gombe metropolis and its environs.

The governor also inspected the Unguwan Waja/Bolari Road which is almost 95 per cent completed.

The two roads were awarded in November last year in a bid to actualise the ambitious network eleven hundred which seeks to construct at least 100 kilometres of roads in each of the 11 local government areas of the state.

Addressing a crowd of supporters in some of the stopovers along the Idi, Unguwan Uku Kagarawul/Malam Inna Road, Governor Yahaya assured them that the road will be completed in record time to boost social and economic activities in the area.

He, however, appealed to the people not to encroach on the leftover lands beside the road as the government intends to use the space for tree planting and solar streetlights.

He said all roads constructed in the state capital will go with the paraphernalia of trees to beautify the environment, solar streetlights and water supply.

The Niger State Government has said that the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) across the state are in dire need of food.

The Director-General of the State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA), Alhaji Ibrahim Inga stated this yesterday when he received    N27 million palliatives from one of the governorship aspirants in the state, Alhaji Mohammed Idris Malagi.

According to Inga, the issue of insecurity in the state is becoming alarming and has led to the displacement of several people who now stay in the IDP camps spread across the state.

He noted that the government is trying its best in taking care of the IDPs, adding that during this period, food is top among their basic needs.

“The state alone cannot take care of the IDPs, because it is taxing. We call on individuals and organisations to partner with the government in providing food for the IDPs,” the D-G said.

Inga, who appreciated the donation from the aspirant, gave the assurance that the distribution would be made to those who are affected by insecurity.

The aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Alhaji Mohammed Idris Malagi donated grains and vegetable oil to the Internal Displaced Persons.

Malagi, who was represented by the Coordinating Secretary, Malagi 2023 Gubernatorial Organisation Bala Marka said the food items include150 bags of rice, 150 bags of millet, 150 bags of maize and 50 gallons of vegetable oil.

Marka handed over the items to the Niger State Government who was represented by the Director-General, Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA) Alhaji Ibrahim Inga for onward distribution to the IDPs.

Yobe State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice Mr Sale Samanja, has expressed concern over  the spate of Gender-based Violence (GBV) which is militating against effective protection of women and children in the state.

Samanja said this during the Validation of GBV Service Provider, Assessment and Mapping in Damaturu, the state capital, yesterday.

The validation meeting was organised by the Yobe State Government’s Multi-Sectoral Crisis Recovery Project (MCRP), in collaboration with the Northeast Development Commission (NEDC).

“It is very important to our society.

“As the Chief Prosecutor of the state, I know how rampant it is, as it affects Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states.

“We have been witnessing a lot of cases that attracted the government’s attention. That is why I am here to give my moral support.

“I will continue to pursue rape cases, I’ll not allow any form of compromise,” he said.

Alhaji Musa Jidawa, MCRP’s Coordinator, said the meeting was designed to facilitate validation of the data collected from GBV survivors.

He said the meeting would also create awareness on how the survivors could access justice and other support services.

A governorship aspirant on the platform of the All progressives Congress (APC) in Katsina State, Alhaji Ahmed Musa Dangiwa, yesterday in Katsina, gave out several bags of different foodstuff as well as N91 million cash to the executive members of the APC, at the ward, local governments and state levels.

Addressing the recipients at the event organised at the office of the Special Adviser to Governor Aminu Bello on Political Matters, the Director-General, Ahmed Dangiwa Campaign Organisation, Alhaji Yahaya Abubakar Kusada, described the distribution of the items, especially during the Ramadan fasting period, as a consistent demonstration of the aspirant’s generosity and love for the people.

He said: “Alhaji Ahmed Dangiwa is always concerned about the plight of his people and ready to relieve them of their hardships, the people should expect more of this gesture from him.

“We thank the Masari administration for its welfarist agenda for Katsina people and wish to appeal to all party members to continue to support the political aspirations of Alhaji Ahmed Dangiwa.”

The APC Deputy Chairman in Katsina State, Alhaji Bala Abu Musa, commended the aspirant for his generosity, adding that he is the only aspirant that has remembered party executives in the state.

He said: “Dangiwa is the first aspirant to donate money and gift items to our party leaders and we shall always remember this.’’

The Special Adviser to Governor Masari on Political Matters, Kabir Shuaibu Charanchi, also commended the aspirant on behalf of the state government.

The items donated include 761 bags of maize, among others.

The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Ministerial Task Force Team on City Sanitation has marked major areas suspected to be criminals’ dens on the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Road corridor for demolition.

Senior Special Assistant on Monitoring, Inspection and Enforcement to the FCT Minister Ikharo Attah, who led the exercise yesterday, said the places pose a security threat.

He said the bulldozer would in a few days hit the Bassanjiwa, Fataan community that is near the main gate of the local wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport.

Attah also said all the shanties and illegal structures around the Bassanjiwa Station of the railway close to the Airport corridor will be pulled down.

According to him, the planned demolition was in continuation of the minister’s directives to keep the city free from illegalities that usually serve as a haven for criminals.

The Taskforce also marked illegal structures at Karonmajiji and other shanties that take over Kuje Township Road, causing unabated gridlock.

The Director, Department of Development Control, Muktar Galadima said Kuje is not in the city centre but was one of the satellite towns in the Federal Capital Territory that deserves serious attention from the department.

Also, the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has disbursed the sum of N3, 592,846,301.74 billion to the six area councils in the FCT and other stakeholders as their share of statutory allocation for the month of February 2022.

The figure indicates a slight increase in revenue from N3, 562,934,772.37 billion disbursed in January 2022 to N3, 592,846,301.74 billion in February 2022.

Minister of State for the Federal Capital Territory, Dr Ramatu Aliyu, who presided over the 163rd Joint Account Allocation Committee (JAAC), observed that though the increase in the disbursement was minimal, the Administration would continue to scale up its revenue drive.

The figures released indicate that the sum of N1, 326,783,880.29 billion was made available for distribution to the six area councils, while the sum of N2, 266,062,421.45 billion was made available to other stakeholders, bringing the total sum to N3, 592,846,301.74 billion.

However, distributions to area councils show that the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), received N207, 082,171.27 million, while Gwagwalada got N233, 585, 596.80 million and Kuje received N248, 339,395.40 million.

Other area councils include Bwari Area Council which received N215, 077,684.57 million, Abaji got N217, 669,671.27 million and Kwali received N205, 029,360.98 million. This totalled N1, 326,783,880.29 billion disbursed to the six area councils.

Other stakeholders include primary school teachers that received N1,895,805,563.23 billion, 15 per cent of Pension Funds took N226,478,989.57 million, One per cent Training Fund gulped N35,928,463.02 million, while 10 per cent of Employer Pension Contribution gulped N107,849,405.63 million. All totalled N2, 266,062,421 billion.