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Tag: Al-Makura

  • Acting IG: Al-Makura thanks Buhari, says appointment based on merit

    Governor  Tanko Al-Makura of  Nasarawa State, yesterday expressed appreciation to President Muhammadu Buhari for appointing Mr. Mohammed Adamu, a native of the state, as the acting Inspector-General of Police (IG).

    Al-Makura, who spoke with State House correspondents at the Presidential  Villa, Abuja, said that Adamu’s appointment was based on his professional track record.

    “On behalf of myself, government and people of Nasarawa State, I will like to sincerely thank Mr President for considering a citizen of Nasarawa State worthy of occupying this important position of the I-G of the Nigeria Police.

    “I congratulate him and I believe that the appointment is based on his capacity and professional pedigree.

    “Adamu is someone I have known right from childhood in Lafia and all his life in the police force; he has exhibited tremendous amount of professionalism and commitment to his responsibilities.

    “I believe that he will bring excellence that he has gathered over time to ensure that he puts the police in the right state and also give this nation a proper and most professional leadership of the police for everyone to be happy with the police.”

    He said that the new I-G had a substantial burden on his shoulders as  within the next one month, he would embark on a difficult exercise.

    The governor said, however, that his consolation lied in the fact that Adamu was someone whose commitment and loyalty to service was not in question.

    He said he believed Adamu would bring to bear this perigee to ensure that he puts the professional focus of his job to satisfy all and sundry, both the government, opposition, and all ordinary men.

    According to him, the acting I-G should make sure that whatever decision he took would be in the best interest everybody and everybody would be convinced.

    Al-Makura said he had no doubt that the acting I-G would be a pride to Nigeria.

    On the issue of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the state, the governor said that he was passionate about IDPs ” because these were  distressed people.”

    He said that the issue of IDPs in the state was vanishing because the state government had given them the necessary things they needed to ensure their welfare.

    “At the same time, ensure that their places of aboard are being given all the necessary security and conveniences for them to return.

    “Only about three months ago, we escorted virtually all of them with tremendous amount of foodstuff and all kinds of provisions.

    “As I speak with you now, we have no IDPs, they have all gone back to their home state with all the necessary comfort and security they deserved, to remain in peace.

    “Asides that,  we have now embarked on rigorous and vigorous implementation of ranching that is officially fast-tracked  by the government in collaboration with the Office of the Vice President.

    “I assure you, with that in place, the issue of IDPs in Nasarawa State will be a thing of the past.”

    He said that the state had been able to accommodate most of the herdsmen that were dislodged from Benue State and we had been able to accommodate them.

    According to him, there has not been any farmers/herdsmen crisis because of the influx of such herdsmen.

    “What is the magic? It is the community-based conflict resolution mechanism and we have decided to accommodate them as people who are bonafide and also made arrangement where there will be interface between the farmers and the herdsmen to the extent that we now have a very comfortable relationship.

  • Great burden rests on IGP, says Almakura

    The Nasarawa State Governor, Tanko Almakura, on Friday said that the Acting Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mohammed Adamu has a substantial burden on his shoulders, especially with the forthcoming general elections in the country.

    He also commended President Muhammadu Buhari for finding an indigene of Nassawa State worthy to be the IGP.

    Briefing State House correspondents after jumaat prayer at the Presidential Villa, Al-Makura also described the new police boss as a professional that will give the force a direction and will ensure that all the candidates in the forthcoming elections have level playing field.

    He said, “The IG has a substantial burden on his shoulders, he is coming as new, and within the next one month, he is going to embark on a difficult exercise.

    “But my consolation lies in the fact that he is someone whose commitment and loyalty to service is not in question.

    “I believe that he will bring to bear this pedigree to ensure that he puts the professional focus of his job to satisfy all and sundry, both the government, opposition, and all ordinary men and by sticking to his direction so that whatever decision he takes will be in the best interest everybody and everybody will be convinced.

    “I have no doubt in my mind that he will be an IGP that will be a pride to this nation.” he said

    Al-Makura added “On behalf of myself, government and people of Nasarawa State, I will like to sincerely thank Mr. President for considering a citizen of Nasarawa State worthy of occupying this important position of the IG of the Nigeria Police.

    Read Also: Buhari greets Alabo Gabriel Toby at 80

    “I congratulate him and I believe that the appointment is based on his capacity and professionalism pedigree. Adamu is someone I have known right from childhood in Lafia and all his life in the police force, he has exhibited tremendous amount of professionalism and commitment to his responsibilities.

    “I believe if you look at the places where he has worked before, you be assured that he would have no blemish and I believe that he will bring that excellence that he has gathered over time to ensure that he puts the police in the right state and also give this nation a proper and most professional leadership of the police for everyone to be happy with the police,” he said

    He said that the state has embarked on rigorous and vigorous implementation of ranching and that his government has been able to accommodate most of the herdsmen that were driven away from Benue state.

    “We have been able to accommodate them, right now there has not been any farmers/herdsmen crisis because of the influx of such herdsmen.

    “What is the magic, it is the community-based conflict resolution mechanism and we have decided to accommodate them as people who are bona fide and also made arrangement where there will be interface between the farmers and the herdsmen to the extent that we now have a very comfortable relationship.

    “I can assure you Nasarawa state will remain peaceful for as long as this mechanism exists.” he said.

  • Al-Makura donates materials, N5m to Tiv community

    Nasarawa State Governor Umaru Tanko Al-Makura has expressed concern about the suffering of the Tiv in the state, following the attacks on them by suspected herdsmen.

    The governor spoke yesterday at the Government House in Lafia, the state capital, while distributing 10 trailer-loads of materials and N5 million cash to 10 Tiv communities who were affected by farmers/herdsmen clashes.

    Al-Makura said he was aware of the plight of the Tiv in the state, who he said had suffered in different ways, following herdsmen attacks.

    The governor promised to ensure that peace permanently returns to their areas.

    Read also: Tiv community wants killer herdsmen declared as terrorists

    He regretted the herdsmen attacks on their communities, which led to the death of many people and destruction of property.

    Al-Makura thanked them for their patience and understanding with his administration.

    The governor urged them to always resolve any crisis that arises among them rather than resort to violence.

    Also, President of Tiv Development Association (TIDA), Nasarawa state, Mr Boniface Ifer, thanked the governor for identifying with his people in their time of needs.

  • Al-Makura presents N13.9b supplementary budget to Nasarawa Assembly

    Nasarawa State Governor Umaru Tanko Al-Makura yesterday presented N13.9 billion supplementary budget proposal to the House of Assembly for consideration and approval.

    Speaker Ibrahim Balarabe-Abdullahi announced this yesterday.

    Al-Makura said his administration was determined not to leave any project uncompleted at the expiration of its tenure.

    He added: “We have doubled up the pace of execution of all capital projects.”

    A letter the governor sent to the Assembly said during the preparation of this year’s budget, some projects were underfunded.

    It said because of their importance to the public, it became necessary to request for additional funds to complete them.

    Al-Makura said: “We are also determined to leave a manageable debt size for the incoming administration. In line with this philosophy, we have made concerted efforts to defray a reasonable amount of the state’s contractual liabilities.

    “Most of these obligations were not adequately funded in the 2018 Appropriation Act, as earlier stated; hence, the need to submit the Supplementary Appropriation Bill for legislative action.

    “The total supplementary budget requirement for 2018 is N13,985,868,011. This is made up of  N3,175,521,871 for Recurrent Expenditure while N10,810,346,140 is allocated to fund capital projects.”

    The governor urged the Assembly to pass the supplementary budget to enable his administration complete capital projects for the benefit of the residents.

    The Speaker slated November 27 for the second reading of the bill.

  • Al-Makura orders probe of predecessor’s tenure

    The rift between Nasarawa State Governor Tanko Al-Makura and former governor Abdullahi Adamu has taken another twist as Al-Makura has ordered a probe of Adamu’s administration.

    Adamu was governor from 1999 to 2007.

    The governor raised the probe panel yesterday at the swearing in of three permanent secretaries in the Government House in Lafia.

    Senator Adamu, it was gathered, opposed the candidature of Abdullahi Sule, believed to be Al-Makura’s preferred choice for the 2019 governorship.

    The probe committee is headed by the Commissioner for Finance Ayuba Dogara Ayenajeh.

    The governor ordered the review of the concession agreement of all the state-owned hotels and other related facilities, including the New Keffi Hotel, Keffi; NIPDC conference Hotel, Lafia and the Keffi club, Keffi.

    The committee is also mandated to review and investigate the circumstances which led to the failure of the Farin Ruwa Independent Hydro-Power Plant Project, as well as the Zimbabwean farmers projects.

    It was gathered that Senator Adamu owns the New Keffi Hotel, and he started the Farin Ruwa project with huge capital, but there is nothing to show for it.

    Al-Makura said: “As the party leader, I assure all aspirants that the government will ensure that opportunities remain boundless in the on-going process of party nominations. However, that should not be taken to mean that government has no right of its choice. To think so is foolhardy and mischievous. Since governance is a continuum, the government must be interested in who succeeds it for the sustenance of its legacy projects initiatives and landmark policies.

    “Hence, the government is looking very critically at the utterances and conduct of some key actors in the ongoing nomination process with a view to taking appropriate position. I must also caution aspirants to monitor their social media platforms, because recent postings from such platforms are causing some concern. As it appears, such hateful postings are sanctioned by their principals.”

  • Al-Makura reconstitutes councils of tertiary institutions

    Gov. Umaru Al-Makura of Nasarawa State, has approved the appointments of Chairmen and members of the governing councils of the four state-owned tertiary institutions.

    This is contained in a statement signed by Mohammed Abdullahi, Secretary to the Nasarawa State Government (SSG), on Friday in Lafia.

    According to the statement, the reconstitution of the council was in the exercise of  governor’s powers as the visitor to the institutions and in line with the  relevant enabling laws establishing them.

    According to the statement, Prof. Adamu Baike was appointed Chairman of the governing council of Nasarawa State University, Keffi, while Mahmud Zubairu was appointed chairman of  College of Education, Akwanga.

  • Al-Makura vows to create Bassa kingdom

    Nasarawa State Governor Tanko Al-Makura has promised to create Bassa Kingdom before the expiration of his tenure.

    The governor, who spoke while meeting with the Bassa community at Nasarawa Governor’s Lodge in Abuja, decried the age-long clashes between the Bassa and Ebira ethnic groups, saying it gave him sleepless nights.

    The meeting was attended by members of the State Security Council and traditional leaders from the affected community.

    But Al-Makura vowed to end the crisis, ensure fairness among the rivalry groups by adopting community-based conflict resolution mechanism to provide sustainable solution.

    His words: “I want to emphasise without any fear of contradictions or mischief that Al-Makura will create Bassa kingdom before he leaves. This is to disabuse your mind; it is part of my cardinal priority because I believe in equal opportunity.

    “I know all the sabotage in the matter but I am committed and I will do it. The issue about this crisis is giving sleepless nights. It’s making me lose sleep for two reasons – lives and opportunities are being lost and that is delaying the fulfilment of my commitment.

    “This meeting is to reflect on what has happened in the past, what is happening now and the way forward. I am disturbed that the problem in Toto Local Government Area has been debilitating and very difficult to solve. The kind of relationship that has existed between the Bassa and Ebira is still like living on a keg of gun powder. It is waiting for a little thing to trigger and that is unfortunate.

    “I know how industrious the Bassa people are, and I know how versatile you are in terms of vocation and endeavours, and not being settled is not the best for us. It has been part of my commitment to ensure that all the hanging issues that made the gap wider are resolved, particularly that of the Bassa kingdom.”

    Chairman of the Bassa Cultural and Development Union Yusuf Wodi urged Al-Makura to establish the Bassa Kingdom, install a traditional ruler for the kingdom and provide adequate security for the safe return of displaced members of the ethnic group.

  • I’ll not sponsor any candidate in 2019-Al-Makura

    Governor Umaru al-Makura of Nasarawa State has said he will not sponsor any candidate as his successor for next year’s elections.

    He spoke when Permanent Secretaries and Chairmen of the 13 Local Government Areas (LGA) paid him a Sallah homage in Lafia.

    He said that though he was not going to sponsor any candidate, the state needed someone that would maintain the existing legacy.

    “But in supporting anyone, I will be very, very careful and I will do so without any sentiment,” he said.

    “So, all those contesting would be scrutinised to make sure we have the best that would continue to work towards maintaining peace and progress in the state.” The governor challenged the council chairmen to be prudent in managing the resources of their respective areas.

    He explained that Nasarawa State, under his leadership, has conducted the second LG polls in his seventh year in office.

    “We are among the few states in the country to conduct our second LG election.”

    He said that was because he so much believed in democracy.

    He, therefore, promised to use the rest of his time in office to continue to better the live of the people of the state.

    Earlier, Aminu Maifata, Chairman Lafia LGA, who spoke on behalf of others, expressed gratitude to the governor, as the leader of APC in the state, and opportunity to serve.

    He promised to emulate the achievements of the governor in their respective areas.

    He appealed to the governor to answer the call of the people by accepting to contest for Senate seat of Nasarawa South Senatorial zone in 2019.

     

  • Al –Makura and the humbling of Ekiti

    From ancient times, the towering position of Ado-Ekiti in the North-Eastern territory of Yorubaland has been anchored on the belief that Ado people possess the natural trait of being tough and fearless. Legend has it that “It is in the genes of Ado-Ekiti people to be warriors!” This is perhaps because Ado-Ekiti was strewn by the exploits of a warrior, Ewi, (circa 1310AD), the son of Oduduwa who on account of his wanderings settled at Ulesun, conquered the community and displaced its ruler Elesun. Thereafter Ewi changed the name from Ulesun and established a new town which he named: “ADO” meaning “Here we camp!”

    This is the “camp” which became a respected kingdom that was expanded by force of arms and the sheer bravery of Ado-Ekiti people. But just as Ado-Ekiti people are renowned for being warriors, they are also reputed for great attention to cleanliness. There is a popular lyrical description of Ado citizenry which depicts: “IRA ULE ADO M’ETIPISE FIFIN SEREE” i.e. “Ado people with their usually high heels!” And today Ekiti State as a whole is revered in Nigeria as “the fountain of knowledge” because according to popular myth, “there is a professor in every household!” It is to this enlightened warriors and politically savvy people that the humble Governor of Nasarawa State, Umaru Tanko Al-makura was sent to sift a single person to be the APC flagbearer from among 33 political gladiators, each of whom was eminently qualified to be Governor of Ekiti State during the recent APC Gubernatorial primaries which held in Ado-Ekiti.

    Why was Umaru Tanko Al-makura chosen to go where the brave dare not go? Political commentators have posited that the wisdom of the APC in sending Umaru Tanko Al-makura to Ekiti was informed by some singular attributes: Nasarawa State has for years been a hotbed of incessant communal clashes, farmer-herder conflicts and the marauding exploits of ethnic militia which climaxed into the nightmare of 2013 when over 77 security personnel were killed at the height of the onslaught of the Ombatse! Quite dangerously too, Nasarawa State sits on the tipping edge of religious politics where there is always a quick penchant for abrasive politicians to stoke divisive religious sentiment as a weapon for political campaigns.

    Given such a combustible scenario, Umaru Tanko Al-makura has been able to restore enduring peace through his unique model of community based conflict resolution mechanism and within seven years, he has carved a niche for himself as a champion of inclusive governance and leadership that is anchored on transparency, national integration and the fear of God. It is his exemplary mien as a peacemaker and his disposition as a just and equitable distributor of the dividends of good governance to ALL citizens in EVERY far flung community of Nasarawa state that has helped Umaru Tanko Al-makura to earn the implicit trust of the divergent political hues of Nasarawa State. Umaru Tanko Al-makura who on 21st of February 2015 was conferred with the award of “Most Transparent Governor in Nigeria” by Foundation for Transparency & Accountability, is also widely recognized within and outside the fold of APC as a “miniature Buhari” and a stickler for integrity, rule of law, accountability and exactitude in government.

    Finally in making the choice of Tanko Al-makura as umpire of the APC governorship polls in Ekiti, the party headquarters will have also considered the fact that within seven years of his stewardship, Umaru Tanko Al-makura’s efforts to nurture a deep sense of social trust and national integration among people of different ethnic origins in Nasarawa State earned him the prestigious award of the Zik Prize for Leadership and during his investiture as Leadership Politician of The Year 2014, the Leadership Newspapers noted that:  “Umaru Tanko Al-makura’s unprecedented achievements on behalf of the common man has spurred a deep sense and resolve in the minds of ordinary people of Nasarawa State to defend his office as governor and by extension the institution of democratic politics in the face of coercion… That is why the masses revolted and stood by their beloved Governor Tanko Al-makura even the ninth attempt by former legislators in the erstwhile State House of Assembly to impeach him!”

    So APC chose in Umaru Tanko Al-makura an upright statesman and a transparent, people oriented party leader who had a  natural inclination for integrity; and a time tested resilience to politics of turbulence; to journey into the volcanic hills of Ekiti and conduct the sort of transparent primaries that bring out the best among 33  contenders. On his part Tanko Al-makura went up the Ado-Ekiti hills twice. The first attempt was a false start but the second was adjudged by the National Chairman of APC, John Oyegun as: “the most clinically executed party primaries ever conducted in the annals of Nigeria’s political history!” and accordingly Oyegun asserted that: “By this singular example of unassailable transparency, Governor Umaru Tanko Al-makura has wiped the tears of the APC and pointed the party towards victory in the July Governorship election!”

    It must be said that Umaru Tanko Al-makura’s sense of diplomacy, maturity and insistence on fairness to all contenders, anchored on an iron clad voting process which left no tiny space or iota for manipulation; ensured that the results were accepted by all 33 contenders and strengthened the unity of APC in Ekiti. Now as President Muhammadu Buhari has charged the APC  in southwest to rally round and support the party’s flagbearer Kayode Fayemi, the stage has been set for a battle royale to “reclaim the land and restore (our) values”…the values which make Ekiti State, Nigeria’s “fountain of knowledge!”

     

    • Yakubu Lamai is SSA, Public Affairs & Media Strategy to Governor Umaru Tanko Al-makura.

  • Al-Makura swears in council chairmen

    Nasarawa State Governor Tanko Al-Makura yesterday swore in local government chairmen at the Government House in Lafia.

    The governor urged them to improve their Internally Generated Revenue (IGR).

    He said: “I urge you to devise ways of increasing your frontiers of revenue generation. This is important as it will help in reducing your reliance on statutory revenue allocation from the Federation Account.

    “By extension, as communities whose population thrives in agriculture, I urge you to assist your farmers towards maximising production of crops which your localities have comparative advantage. You can always partner the Ministry of Agriculture in coming up with blueprints to galvanise your initiatives.”

    Speaker of the Assembly, Ibrahim Abdullahi, and other lawmakers were barred from the inauguration as they were stopped at the gate.

    A lawmaker, who pleaded for anonymity, noted that this is the fifth time Abdullahi is denied access to the Government House, saying it shows the growing frosty relationship between the executive and the legislature.

    According to him, the lawmakers were denied access in the presence of the Chief Security Officer (CSO) to Governor Tanko Al-Makura.

    The CSO maintained that there is a standing order that nobody should be allowed in.