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Tag: Aminu Bello Masari

  • Metele Boko Haram Attack: Masari condoles Nigerian Army

    The Katsina state Governor, Aminu Bello Masari on Monday in Katsina condoled the Nigerian Army over the loss of dozens of Nigerian Soldiers in an ambush attack by the Boko Haram insurgents at Metele, a remote village in Lake Chad Basin border with Kukawa local government area of Borno state
     
    The Governor who was speaking at the Government House where he received Course 41 students of the Command and staff College Jaji in Kaduna state, who visited him as part of their routine geo-strategic course programme, said Nigerians appreciate the decision of the men and women of the Nigerian army to wear uniform to protect the sovereignty and integrity of the country
     
    He said “We wish to commiserate with the armed forces of Nigeria for the loss of dozens of Soldiers to Boko Haram attack in Borno state’’
     
    “The service you provide is the highest any person can make to his motherland. we as politicians appreciate you more than you think and we look up to you for a much united country, You must eschew primordial interests and work very hard to safeguard your territory’’
     
    The Nation recalled that dozens of soldiers were killed and many others sustained gun wounds when Boko Haram insurgents invaded their base at Metele Kukawa local government area of Borno state on Sunday, November 18.
     
     Meanwhile Governor Masari has extolled the rich history of Education in Katsina state which he said predates the coming of the colonial master about 1000 years ago

    Read Also: Group canvasses support for Buhari, Masari

     
    Responding to the remark by the visiting military students from the Command and Staff College, Jaji, that they chosed the state as a case study on ‘’Nigeria’s Educational system and National Development’’. He maintained that the rich history of the state’s education sector started with Islamic education before the advent of colonial education
     
    He said “Our history abounds with renowned Imams and Malams and the gallantry of Katsina people. The first post primary institution in the northwest was established in this state. The first generation of Nigerian leaders and even our current President were products of the native authority school’’
     
    Earlier in an address, the Team leader of the delegation, Brigadier General O.R Ayeniba thanked the governor for the warm reception and logistics accorded them

  • Masari chides beneficiaries of govt loans for defaults in repayments

    Governor Aminu Bello Masari of Katsina state on Saturday chided beneficiaries of state government loans who often defaults in re-payments, even as he charged future guarantees of applicants to live up to expectations on the terms of loan agreements

    The governor who was speaking during the launch of 84 newly acquired vehicles which were given out as loans to selected members of the Nigeria Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), said loans by government to the people was aimed at empowering them, and that more than 168 people, including their wives and children, would be empowered through the vehicles

    He said “The state government had given out loans, which ran into several millions of Naira, to hundreds of beneficiaries through the Katsina State Economic and Employment Development (KASEED),but instead of repaying back the monies given them, some of the beneficiaries decided to hold onto the loan and convert same for personal use’’.

    The Governor further warned that government’s money which was being given as loans should not be deemed as free money, and that failure to payback was depriving others from benefiting.

    He said the vehicle loan was interest free, and should be paid back in three and half years, with the repaid monies rolled over so that others can benefit.

    Read Also: Masari warns APC stalwarts against dividing the party

    Masari further charged the beneficiaries to avoid overloading, but to “carry passengers in accordance with the law of the country.”He assured that similar assistance would be extended to commercial motorcycle owners as way to reduce their dependence on others for handouts thereby enhancing the poverty reduction programmes of the state government 

    In his response, the Chairman of NURTW in the state, Sani Musa commended the state government for the gesture, even as he assured that the loans would be promptly paid back. He however warned beneficiaries against defaulting as those found to be wanting would have their vehicles seized and given to another applicant on the waiting list

  • Masari warns APC stalwarts against dividing the party

    Katsina state Governor Aminu Bello Masari have on Saturday in Katsina State, warned members of the All progressive Congress, APC, in the state, especially those who lost out in the recently concluded party primaries to be patient and accept the outcome of the party primaries, adding that they still have other roles they could play should the part win the forth coming elections in the state

    Masari who gave the warning at a stakeholders meeting of All Progressive Congress – APC executive members and contestants to the various positions, held at the banquet hall of presidential lodge at government house, further explained that in every contest, there must be a winner and a loser.

    He also maintained that the party would want members to forge a common front for the victory of its candidates in the forthcoming 2019 general elections

    He said “It has become imperative for the meeting to be convened to ask losers to be patient and accept the outcome of the party primaries’’.

    “Aspirants that contested, won or lost must forge a common front for the party to emerge victorious in the 2019 general elections’’.

    Read Also:   Independence: Masari wants four more years for Buhari

    Governor Masari however warned that there must not be formation of unions within the APC, urging aspirants who contested and lost to desist from forming Union of aspirants that lost in the APC party primaries.

    He reminded party members that the rules and regulations of APC do not permit formation of unions and associations within the party.

    Earlier, while declaring the meeting open, the state chairman of APC, Alhaji Shitu S. Shitu told members that the meeting was convened to sooth nerves of the aspirants that lost during the just concluded party primaries held throughout the state.

    The Nation recalled that in 2015 general elections ,about 37 aspirants who lost the primaries that year later teamed up and made a financial demand from the government as compensation and when their demands were not met ,they turned themselves into the opposition ‘’Akida group’’ within the party and caused several discontents within the state’s party structure up to date

  • APC clear National Secretary, 23 others for 2019 governorship poll

    The National Working Committee of the All Progressives Congress ( APC ) has affirmed the nomination of the party’s National Secretary, Mai Mala Buni and 23 others as governorship candidates of the party for the 2019 governorship election across the country.

    Also cleared to fly the party flag are Lagos state flag bearer, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Kaduna state Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, Kano state Governor, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, Plateau state Governor, Simon Lalong, Bauchi state Governor, Mohammed Abubakar, Kebbi state Governor, Abubakar Bagudu and Katsina state Governor, Aminu Bello MASARI.

    Others are Jigawa stage Governor, Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, Niger state Governor, Abubakar Sani Bello, Sokoto state deputy governor, Ahmed Aliyu, Prof. Babagana Umara-Zulum (Borno), Abubakar Sule (Nasarawa), Emmanuel JIme (Benue), Tonye Cole (Rivers), Uche Ogah (Abia), Nsima Ebere (Akwa Ibom), Adebayo Adelabu (Oyo), Fapo Abiodun (Ogun), Great Ogboru (Delta), Senator John Owan Enoh (Cross River), Inuwa Yahaya (Gombe), Senator Sunny Ogboji (Ebonyi) and Sani Abubakar Danladi (Taraba).

    Read Also: FG committed to promoting Social Security — Ngige

    Acting National Publicity Secretary of the party, Yekini Nabena said in a statement that the clearance followed the adoption of the report of the various electoral committee sent to conduct the primaries in the various states.

    The governorship primaries for Enugu, Kwara and Adamawa states have not been conducted, while the party has cancelled the primary in Zamfara and Imo states due to irregularities.

    The NWC also approved the report of the pane, that conducted the governorship primary in Ogun State which declared Dapo Abiodun as the candidate of the party.

  • Masari, Lado clinches APC, PDP tickets in Katsina

    Governor Aminu Bello Masari and Yakubu Lado were on Monday announced as the winners of the Guber Primaries for their parties, the All progressive Congress, APC, and the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, respectively.
    The Chairman of the Katsina State APC Gubernatorial Primaries Committee, Dr Isa Adamu, while announcing the result of the primary which held at the Muhammad Diko Stadium in Katsina, said Governor Masari scored 5,562 votes to beat his closest challenger Abubakar Ismailia Isa Funtua who scored 8 votes and the third contestant who entered the race late: Garba Dankali scored one vote.
    Dr Adamu further disclosed that the election was free and fair without blood letting and that none of the aspirant brought any formal complaints to his committee.
    He said “The total number of delegates to the election was 5959, while the number accredited to vote was 5627; there were 56 invalid vote casts’’
    In his acceptance speech the Governor commended the process which he said was transparent and called on his opponents to join him in building a new Katsina state and the party.

    Read Also: Masari calls for more NHIS enlightenment

    He said “I promise the people and the party that I will not let them down .I shall work to unify the party and develop the state even to a greater level than it is now’’.
    ‘’I am also grateful to the members of the primaries committee who arrived the state at about 3am on Saturday morning for a job well done’’
    In another development, the Peoples Democratic Party at about 3am Monday morning announced Senator Yakubu Lado as the winner of its Guber primaries held at the premises of its party headquarters in Katsina.
    The Chairman of the PDP primaries committee for Katsina state, Senator Bala Adamu Kadiya while announcing the result of the election which according to him was contested by 6 aspirants, showed that Senator Yakubu Lado polled 33485 votes, to beat his closest challenger Architect Ahmed Yar’Adua who polled 233 votes with the other contestants scoring no votes, with the exception of Musa Natsuni who scored one vote.
    Former governor of the state Barrister Ibrahim Shema, who stayed through out the night to monitor the process, promised to fund the electioneering campaigns of Yakubu Lado.
    Earlier the state Chairman of the Party, Salisu Yusuf Majigiri denied bribery allegations which has been trailing the decision of the party to adopt the consensus arrangement which produced Yakubu Lado, challenging any one with a proven evidence to come forward

  • Independence: Masari wants four more years for Buhari

    Governor Aminu Bello Masari of Katsina State has called on Nigerians to keep faith with the APC administration by electing President Muhammad Buhari for another four years assuring that with him in charge, things will only get better for the country.

    Masari who made the appeal in an independence day message signed by  his Special Assistant on Media, Abdu Labaran Malumfashi, said Nigerians would do well to give President Buhari another four-year mandate to consolidate on the foundation he has laid to place Nigeria on the path of total recovery.

    He said ’’Since the President’s sterling performance had shamed and proven the doubters wrong, Nigerians should close ranks and re-elect him in 2019 for him to consolidate on his achievements, evidenced in so many meaningful interventions across the length and breadth of the country’’.

    Read Also: Buhari back from U.S.

    The Governor further recalled that at 58, Nigeria had come along way to allow unpatriotic elements who have zero electoral value to polarize the nation along ethnic, religious and regional divides in order to achieve interests that are opposed to the nation’s growth and development

    He said those opposed to President Buhari were only doing so because he has exposed and stopped their rent collecting activities, which had hitherto been the bane of the nation’s development.

    The Governor then urged Nigerians to always put Nigeria and its leaders in their prayers so that the nation may continue to prosper in leaps and bounds.

     

  • Katsina PDP crisis deepens as Umar Tata joins APC

    The crisis rocking the Katsina state chapter of the People’s Democratic Party on Saturday took a deeper dimension when the leading guber aspirant in the party, Alhaji Umar Tata announced his defection to the ruling All progressive Congress, APC,

    Tata, who made the announcement while interacting with members of the social media at old government house, Katsina, said the PDP has been taken over by impunity, greed, and corruption thereby making it difficult for true democrats like him to thrive and realise their ambitions

    He said ‘’We are reaching out to our teeming supporters to intimate them of this development, and at the same time we have reached out to his Excellency Governor Aminu Bello Masari and President Muhammadu Buhari to work out a possible date for our formal reception into the new party’’

    ‘’We are teaming up with the ruling party to provide purposeful leadership and to deliver the dividends of democracy to the people’’

    ‘’it is rather unfortunate that the leadership of the PDP at the state and Zonal level have been gripped with greed and corrupt practices hence they sold out to a consensus arrangement. We wish them good luck’’

    Also speaking, the campaign director and personal assistant to Alhaji Umar Tata, Danja, said the social media groups of Alhaji Tata are currently working out an arrangement to team up with the Masari campaign organisation

    The Nation recalled that 5 out of the 6 aspirants who purchased their nomination forms to contest the katsina governorship seat in next year’s general election under the PDP announced their defection from the party, alleging impunity and the imposition of the 6th candidate, Alhaji Yakubu lado as the party’s consensus flag bearer for the election.

    Read Also: Katsina govt. to equip local vigilante groups

    A spokesman for the aspirants, Abdulrahaman Danja, told The Nation,exclusively over the telephone,that the candidates:Alhaji Umar Tata,Garba Faskari, Musa Natsuni, Aminu  Yar’Adua, and Sada Ilu kofar, have decided to leave the party and are currently negotiating with other parties to decide on which one they could pitch tent with.

    Danja further disclosed that the candidates were angered by the party leadership at the state zonal and local level to pick a consensus candidates ahead of the party‘s primaries slated to hold on Sunday September 30.

    He said  “We were preparing for the primaries coming up this Sunday only to read in the news that Yakubu Lado has been adopted instead as consensus candidate’’

    ‘’This high display of impunity by the PDP and we certainly are living and currently negotiating with another party to join, in the next few days we shall tell you our new party.”

  • Katsina govt. to equip local vigilante groups

    The Katsina state government has assured vigilante groups in the state, under the aegis of Katsina State Security Group, of adequate support and empowerment through the provision of needed gadgets and transports, to enable them contribute effectively to the maintenance of stable security in the state especially in the rural areas

    Governor Aminu Bello Masari, who was represented by the Secretary to the state Government, Dr Mustapha Inuwa, gave the assurance at the state secretariat, while receiving the executive members of the state vigilante groups, who visited the state government to show solidarity and solicit official recognition of their activities.

    The Chairman of the group, Abdullahi Lolo told the SSG that the association is self funded and voluntary and would therefore require government support especially in the area a of transports and communication gadgets

    He said “Often we are confronted with a situation in the middle of the night where a pregnant woman in labour and needing urgent transportation could not be assisted because we don’t have transports’’.

    ‘’Even when we arrest criminals, especially the hardened ones, we are unable to convey them to the nearest police stations as we cannot detain them either. Again we cannot communicate with our colleagues scattered all over the place, especially during critical moment due to lack of equipments’’

    ‘’We know you and the governor are the same hence we offer prayers for Buhari and Masari also’’

    Abdullahi further maintained that the group needed such equipment like bows and arrows, raincoats and torch lights, stationeries, and an office building. He said they could not build their office on an empty land donated by the local chiefs due to lack of funds.

    Read Also: Katsina Police nab cultists who beheaded sergeant

    Responding, Dr Inuwa commended the association for their contributions towards ensuring the security of lives and properties in the state. He urged them to also help government in tackling the menace of drug abuse n the state.

    He promised that their requests will be looked into by the state government with a view to addressing them

    He said “Governments everywhere is primarily concerned with protection of lives and property. We alone cannot perform all security functions without your support’’

    “What you people are doing is not a small work but we know God will reward you. We will look into your request and see how government can assist you’’

  • Masari tasks NHIS on advocacy campaign in Katsina

    The Katsina state governor, Alhaji Aminu Bello Masari, on Saturday tasked the management of National Health Insurance Scheme-NHIS to carry out aggressive advocacy campaign to create the needed awareness level of its activities and for the people to understand its programme properly.

    Alhaji Masari who was speaking when he received the Executive secretary of the scheme, Professor Usman Yusuf during a courtesy call at government house, said the scheme, laudable as it is, could be misunderstood by the people as insurance affects the sensibilities of Muslims in general.

    The governor was however happy with the performance of a staff of NHIS who volunteered to educate people from some communities in Danja local government area, on the advantages of the scheme, which he said encouraged acceptance and participation.

    He said’’ the state government in collaboration with the state house of assembly, state chapter of Nigeria labor Congress NLC, Medical and Health Workers Union and others, to closely come up with a bill for an Agency to replicate NHIS in the state’’.

    ‘’ The new agency will no doubt reduce problems of seeking for donations for patients to buy drugs prescribed for them by Doctors in clinics and hospitals’’.

    Earlier in a remark, the Executive secretary of NHIS, Professor Usman Yusuf said the National Health Bill has been assented to by President Muhammadu Buhari. He added that the bill had provided for one percent of realizable federal revenue to be expended on the health sector.

    Read Also:  Masari calls for more NHIS enlightenment

    Of the amount, he said five percent is secondary, forty five percent for primary healthcare while fifty percent is for the NHIS, stressing that although the scheme had been characterized by failures in the past, everything is being done to turn round the fortunes of NHIS.

    Professor Yusuf said he was part of the restoration agenda setting of the Masari led government even before the 2015 general elections and expressed happiness that the governor had started implementing the agenda in the renovated and upgraded hospitals across the state.

    He assured that before leaving Katsina, he will meet with relevant stakeholders to ensure the passage of the bill that would help the state to benefit from NHIS programmes.

    He announced the opening of a new zonal NHIS office in Kano to take care of Kano, Jigawa and Katsina States.

  • Katsina secures N1bn NEXIM Bank’s loan for Agric Exports

    The Katsina state government has secured a N1 billion loan facility from Nigeria Export-Import Bank (NEXIM), for the development of an ‘’export-worthy agricultural product’’.

    The facility, which has a single-digit interest rate is also available for all states of the federation interested in harnessing a chosen agricultural product for export.

    The Managing Director of the bank, Mr. Abubakar Bello made the above disclosure in Katsina when he visited the state Governor, Aminu Bello Masari at the Government House

    Bello said the effort, referred to as One State One Product project, is aimed at diversifying the nation’s economy and reduces dependence on oil.

    He said the facility would be disbursed to farmers of a chosen product to cut across the value chain, so that everyone of them would stand to benefit.

    He however said the bank was aware the facility was inadequate, but that the portfolio could be increased with time to give room for expansion.

    The NEXIM boss also said that Katsina and other states interested in the facility could expand the agricultural product to two, so long as same was customized to the state.

    Read Also: Masari tasks NHIS on Advocacy campaign in Katsina

    He however called on the state government to consider harnessing and exporting seseme seed as it is thriving product in the state, and has high demand in Asian countries.

    He said “We are going to every state to put money behind every agricultural product chosen by the state for export.

    “What we have done to kick start this is to put N1 billion to each of the state, and we’ll work with them to identify the product that the state would like to pursue as their own product for export.

    “So we have a N1 billion facility available for Katsina state. The N1 billion is for a start, and the product is expected to be customized to the state’’.

    “The N1 billion is to pilot the product for each state; as time goes on, we’ll grow the portfolio,”

    Responding, Masari said the facility may not be adequate considering the large number of people within the value chain of an agricultural product.

    He called on NEXIM bank to also look at ways it could invest in processing of export-worthy products from the states and not just producing them alone.

    He however said that the state would consider sesame seed and hibiscus as possible products for export from the state.