Category: Northern Reports

Workers at the state and local government in Niger State have started a seven-day warning strike over the ‘ineptitude and failure’ of the state to guarantee their welfare.

The state’s council of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) took the decision at a State Executive Council (SEC) meeting at Labour House.

The council unions began their strike on March 3 while NLC and TUC at the state began theirs yesterday.

“Affiliate unions of NLC at the LGA level in Niger State are directed to proceed on Seven Days Warning Strike effective midnight of Thursday, March 3, 2022.

“All affiliate unions of NLC and TUC in Niger State are directed to proceed on Seven 7 Days Warning Strike effective midnight on Sunday, March 6, 2022”, the communique signed by Niger NLC Chairman Yakubu Garba said.

NLC stressed that the state must address all issues, lamenting that despite the appreciation in revenue, it had failed to defray outstanding debts of third-party deductions made from salaries of civil servants in favour of National Housing Fund, Endwell, cooperatives and unions.

“In addition, government has remained adamant by refusing appeals by NLC to defray the 30 per cent arrears of June 2020 salaries to workers.

“NLC will not accept ineptitude and failure by the executive which was voted in trust to protect the people and guarantee welfare of workers.

“Government must address all issues on insecurity, gratuity, teachers’ salary enhancement, percentage salary payments, implementation of promotion and payment of salary arrears.”

“NLC also frowned at the lack of concern shown by the government over the plight of primary school pupils who have been at home for over eight weeks.

“NLC is shocked by the lack of concern by the Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello led administration over the plight of primary school pupils’’.

It called on the Ministry of  Local Government to abide by the State Joint Local Government Accounts Laws for payment of salaries.”

Unfortunately, despite several appeals for Mr Governor to intervene to stop the illegal payment of salaries on percentage, the problem still lingers.’’.

Governor Mai Mala Buni of Yobe State yesterday approved the employment of 196 graduates of College of Health Science and Technology, Nguru.

Buni, in a statement by Director General of Press and Media Affairs Alhaji Mamman Mohammed in Damaturu, said the employment would boost manpower in the healthcare sector.

He said the employees included 23 pharmacy technicians, 60 medical laboratory technicians, 62 dental surgery technicians and 51 health information management professionals.

The governor urged them to be dedicated to duty and maintain high ethical standards.

“Government has expended so much in training you and has now employedyou.

“You should justify the huge investment made by the government to serve our people diligently and efficiently, to add value to our drive for improved healthcare delivery.

”This administration is committed to providing accessible and affordable healthcare delivery to the people,” Buni said.

Sokoto State has rated itself as the highest in beef and milk production in the country through modern methods of cattle breeding and milk production.

This is coming as it has been shown that Lagos State consumes about 9,000 cows per day, which officials said get slaughtered in different abattoirs in the state.

Sokoto State noted that the feat was achieved through massive investment in cross-breeding of local cattle with improved stock from South Africa.

The project, being executed in partnership with private sector operators in livestock, has promoted cattle ranching while confining grazing to designated areas.

Explaining the comprehensive livestock management package, Commissioner for Animal Health and Fishery Development Prof Abdulkadir Junaidu said the project was executed in collaboration with partners in South Africa.

Junaidu said the project was initiated considering the limited beef and milk production of the local cattle breed.

Junaidu said: “We observed that the local breed can only give you between 100 to 150 kg of beef and the milk production is between three to four litres of milk on the average.

“On the other hand, Brangus breed from South Africa can give you a minimum of 500kg of beef and between 10 to 20 litres of milk per cow.

“To bridge this gap, we import semen and embryo of the Brangus from South Africa with which we fertilise our local breed through artificial insemination, thereby resulting in high production beef and milk”.

National Union of Electricity Employees has said victims of bandit attacks displaced from more than 30 communities in Niger State are taking refuge in some facilities of the Shiroro Hydro-Electric Power Station in Shiroro Local Government.

The union’s Northern Zonal Organising Secretary, Mr Eyurentosanren Godwin, told News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) yesterday that many Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) were taking shelter in Day Secondary School, Shiroro and Day Secondary School, Zumba.

NAN observed that the facilities, where the IDPs occupy, are located within Shiroro Hydro-Electric Power Station.

Godwin said the IDPs had been using the camps for the past one month, constituting threat to the power station and they had yet to be profiled by the state.

But Director-General of Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA) Alhaji Ahmed Inga said the state had not received report on the IDPs from Shiroro council.

He also said the agency would send its desk officer in the area to visit the camps were the IDPs were residing to enable the agency to profile them and know their population size, for intervention.

Asking for quick government intervention, the union said that the IDPs had constituted a threat to Shiroro dam.

“They are also disrupting teaching and learning activities of students of the secondary schools because they are using the classrooms as camps,” the union said.

Godwin, therefore, called for urgent intervention from the three tiers of government to come to the aid of the IDPs by providing camps as well as addressing the security challenges to enable them to return to their communities.

One of the victims, Malam Aliyu Bala, from Gwalami-Kogo, said that he and others ran from their communities because of bandit attacks.

He said that since their arrival in the school, they had not received support from government.

“Our houses were burnt down by the bandits as well as our food stuffs and our animals were killed in the attack.

“The only supports we have received is from officials of the power station such as food and medical assistance,” he said.

Godwin noted that the Shiroro power station is “very strategic to Nigeria”.

He said that it was important for the station to be given “maximum protection from security threat presently going on in Shiroro Local Government Area”.

He also said that there ought to be an urgent need from the federal and state governments to ensure that “the power station is given a serious attention in terms of provision of adequate security”.

He said that the Government Day Secondary School, Shiroro, was recently renovated by the power station and about two blocks of twenty classes were also constructed at Government Day secondary school, Zumba, as part of the station’s corporate social responsibility.

Professor of Law Adamu Usman has said he saw the present socio-political challenges of the country as a  writer 30 years ago.

Usman, a political thinker, lamented that Nigeria had been subjected to a progressive rot over the years, adding that Nigerians did not notice the decay on time.

The writer said he captured the destruction of the country in one of his books, Hope in Anarchy, published in 2005.

The author, who chairs the Governing Board of Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), spoke in an interview with reporters in Abuja.

Prof Usman said: “When I started writing, I had already seen the problems of Nigeria 30 years ago.

‘’Nigeria was subjected to a progressive rot over the years and people don’t seem to even have seen it coming. Over 40 years of perpetual destruction of this country.

“This country has been under sustained destruction. It is only when it comes to a crisis – like now – that people are waking up to reality.

‘’There was a time we were supposed to have woken up long ago to smell the coffee but we didn’t and it is not given to everyone to sense calamity coming. Only a few can sense it coming.”

Usman noted that he wrote over 40 books because of his passion and understanding, saying while it takes a head to write a book, only a heart should be needed in reading it.

The author said he was not done writing, adding that his latest book would be presented to the public soon.

Leaders of Irigwe chiefdom in Bassa Local Government of Plateau State have raised alarm over the attacks and destruction of farmlands by herders.

They said crops worth N4 million were destroyed few days after a 36-man peace committee, led by Justice Daniel Longji (rtd), was inaugurated by Commander of Operation Safe Haven (OPSH), Major Gen. Ibrahim Ali.

A statement by Secretary General of Irigwe Development Association (IDA) Danjuma Auta said: “This is alarming because it is coming few days after the 36-man committee was inaugurated to set the ground rolling for peaceful co-existence between Irigwe and Fulani community.

“We had welcomed this move because of our belief in the sincerity of OPSH, Gen. A.S Ali, in ensuring that we enjoypeace in our land.

“Our people had consistently witnessed an army of herders grazing and invading our land by their legions of thousands of cattle that lead to massive destruction of irrigation farms belonging to over 90 farmers.

‘’This has caused huge damage to the people. This took place, February 26 to March 2, 2022.

“They have destroyed farm crops worth over four million naira, and have further impoverished our people who are mainly farmers.

“This constant and calculated provocative destruction of our farmlands have shown that they do not want an end to these heinous acts. Enough is enough because we can no longer tolerate it anymore.

“We call on government and security operatives to double efforts in apprehending those behind the evil acts and bring them to book.”

Leaders of various civil society groups have advocated for issues of civic space, national development and election credibility.

To this end, the Nigeria Network of NGOs (NNNGO) and the Conference of Northern States Civil Society Networks (CNSCSN) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to formalise a partnership between the two networks at a strategic and operational level.

Chairman, CNSCSN, Ibrahim Waiya, said the MoU is to focus on advocating for issues around local philanthropy, regulatory frameworks, unity, peace and security, especially at a time when civil society regulations in Nigeria continues to remain knotty.

He said: “We are happy that we are coming together in partnership and sought this opportunity with NNNGO because we understand that as non-profit networks, it is imperative to work together.

“Partnership, especially with the critical stakeholders in the sector, will help the Nigerian civil society gain credibility, legitimacy and transparency as a sector.

“The partnership is an opportunity to learn from the models and practices of NNNGO, a network which has been existing for almost three decades.”

Waiya added that the NGO had also been providing support on how the electoral system could work effectively.

He further stated that the group participated in the process of advocating for the best practices to be reflected in the electoral law which was recently signed into law.

He said with the MoU, the groups would continue with the advocacy to ensure Nigeria has the best electoral law to guide elections management.

“We will also play our own role by sensitising and creating awareness for citizens to participate in the process and ensure that credible leaders are elected.

“We will engage the political parties to ensure that they comply with what is obtained in the new Electoral law and also engage INEC on best practices.”

Executive Director, Nigeria Network of NGOs, Mr Oyebisi Oluseyi, said the organisation would explore ways to ensure support for sub-national networks through capacity building and experience sharing.

He said: “We have a collective goal which is to ensure a thriving operational environment for nonprofits in Nigeria and what we have done today is a step in the right direction.

“The MoU strengthens the existing relationship between the two networks and will leverage each network’s comparative advantage to promote common understanding of the legal obligations of non-profit organisations.

He expressed excitement about the progress made on the Electoral Law and urged leaders to use their platforms to preach peace ahead of the 2023 elections.

Kebbi State Governor, Senator Abubakar Atiku Bagudu and the Minister of Justice  Abubakar Malami  have lauded the management of the Air Unity Aviation Service Nigeria Ltd over the establishment of the Aviation College in Birnin Kebbi.

The groundbreaking ceremony of the college, situated in Sir Ahmadu Bello International Airport, Birnin Kebbi, was performed by Bagudu alongside Malami and other stakeholders.

Speaking on the occasion, Bagudu linked the success story of the Aviation College coming to the state to his successors, former governors of the state, Senator Adamu Aliero and Alhaji Saidu Nasamu Dakingari, who constructed the airports during their tenures.

The governor said “Before now, there was a pre-existence airport, though small, which was constructed by  Senator Adamu Aliero’s  administration,  while the Airport Airborne was constructed by Alhaji Saidu Nasamu Dakingari ‘s administration. As you can see governance is a work in progress. The airport constructed by Dakingari has served as a path in deciding the coming of Air Unity Aviation College to Kebbi State today. And I hope they will not stop there.” Bagudu disclosed that the presence of Air Unity in Kebbi would assist a lot in the state’s quest to start transportation of gold to West Africa countries following the president’s approval for the take-off of Artisanal Miner in Kebbi State.

“I want to assure you that we are not only appreciating you, we are also available to make sure you perform well, so that this Air Unity Aviation College is completed within stipulated time,” he added.

In his remarks, the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami (SAN) also described the establishment of the Aviation College by Air Unity in Kebbi as a result of hard work of the present administration under the leadership of Governor Bagudu.

He said, “In association to the concentration of this Aviation College, His Excellency, Governor Atiku Bagudu, has been working round the clock to ensure that Air cargo and other services come to Kebbi. It may interest you to note that the efforts of His Excellency are not limited to land and sky; he has also extended it to ensuring that railway services that will connect Kebbi state and indeed to neighbouring states (are put in place).”

Malami also commended the Chairman of the Air Unity, Captain Nuhu Haruna for choosing Kebbi State for the project, stressing that the state government has provided the enabling environment, infrastructure facilities among other things for investors to succeed in the state.

Earlier, the Chairman of the Air Unity Captain Nuhu Haruna, represented by a director in the company, Mrs. Magdalene N. Osode, said the choice of Birnin Kebbi as the operational hub is influenced by the state’s immensely investors’ friendly posture.