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Tag: Bello

  • ‘Bello encourages inducement, praise-singing’

    ‘Bello encourages inducement, praise-singing’

    Austin Okai is a social critic and the leader of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Youth Frontier. He is one of the vociferous critics of the Governor Yahaya Bello administration in Kogi State. In this encounter with JAMES AZANIA, he speaks on why he is at loggerheads with the administration. 

    Are you not rather hasty in describing Governor Bello’s administration as non-performing, given that it is still less than two years in office?

    The government is about two years in office, which is almost tantamount to mid-term score card presentation of achievement and performance. In the case of Kogi, the peculiarities are distinct in terms of the inflow of grants; special grants like the Paris Club Loan refund of N18billion, bailout fund of N20 billion, the N10 billion infrastructure fund, improved federal revenue allocation and internally generated revenue (IGR),  due to over-taxing and erratic deductions. Yet, the financial obligations of government were being avoided, particularly salaries and pension of retirees. All these were more than what was accrued to the last administration in four years, just less than two years.

    Whose interest do you represent? Specifically, what are your grouse with the Bello administration?

    I represent the entire Kogi State, especially the youths where the governor’s age falls. Let me use this opportunity to correct the erroneous impression of sectional interest. We, Kogites, need somebody who can deliver based on the performance template, not minding where you are from. But we have discovered that Governor Bello’s administration tend to play down on what is good for the people through maladministration, and rather embrace personal aggrandizements with public till. Evidences of this tendency abound everywhere.

    Some sections of the state have commended the governor’s performance in some areas, particularly security and transformation of Lokoja. Are these not evidence of performance?

    Well, praise singers can make their presence felt in any administration, both paid and professional ones. It is never a parameter to measure the success of this present administration in all ramifications. You know this government believes in inducement and praise-singing as performance indices. The issue of security is just mere lip-service and a ploy to settle scores with those opposing this administration. The crime rate is still high in all forms; kidnappers are still having their field day all over the state. Just last week, towards Sallah, many people who were home bound, were kidnapped in Ajaokuta, a neighbour council to the state capital. So, what are we talking about? Roads projects that people describe as transformation of Lokoja were awarded during the last administration. This includes the Ganaja flyover. Aside the politically-motivated flag off of some roads, with contractors moving their equipment away from sites afterwards for lack of mobilisation. What else have you witnessed in terms of road construction and rehabilitation? Most projects executed by the Yahaya Bello administration are conduit pipes to siphon public funds.

    Is it not commendable that a governor, for the first time since the creation of the state, brought in someone of another ethnic extraction as his Chief of Staff? Does this not signpost the paradigm shift Governor Bello promised the people of Kogi?

    I laugh. I don’t know why people have misconstrued the Chief of Staff (COS) of Yahaya Bello, Edward Onoja’s appointment as a major achievement of the administration. Even when the previous occupants were from certain section of the state, the level of financial profligacy and prominence, along with unhealthy infiltration into the workings of government is uncalled for and not tenable, which has gone a long way to denigrate the office and the desire for the appointment. Both the COS and the governor are aware of what they have in common. It’s not to the interest of the public. The appointment of the present COS by the governor has had no positive effect on the development of the state.

    Is it not commendable that the governor incorporated youths into his administration?

    Yes, it is a good thing that youths have been given the opportunity to serve by this administration. But, the pilots of the entire project are bundles of deceit and failure. Therefore, the followers will have nothing to offer for the betterment of their constituency and the entire state. The youthful exuberance of these leaders has had a negative multiplier effect on the people of Kogi in the last 20 months, hence throwing up a lot of doubt on the clamour for youths to be given a chance to assume leadership roles. It is unfortunate. What was supposed to be of commendation has turned the other way round. You can imagine naming ceremonies, marriages, house warming and property acquisition being celebrated as achievements of the government, before the very eyes of Kogites. All are traits of youthful exuberance.

    There is no gain saying that the Kogi workforce was bloated and requiring of a clinical approach to tune it down. So, why is Governor Bello being bashed for taking the bull by the horn?

    That’s fundamental, but the approach from the onset had myriads of premeditated undertone to castigate some sections of the state, at the mercy and favour of others. Imagine some suspended directors, treasurers, permanent secretaries, returning to the service and getting appointments through the back door. This includes the new Head of Service. What signals and impression are we portraying?  When a government with good intentions wants to reorganise its workforce, it must be holistic and with a transparent criterion and spelt-out guidelines not geared towards victimising people like what is obtainable in Kogi State. Screening and verification exercise that went on endlessly without paying workers and pensioners their take home for two years is obnoxious. Even those in the ‘cleared list’ are not receiving their salaries; others are receiving half salary. After releasing the doctored report, those ‘cleared or pardoned list’ are still without salaries.

  • APC moves to reconcile Bello, Melaye

    APC moves to reconcile Bello, Melaye

    The leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) may have begun moves to resolve the lingering crisis in the Kogi State chapter of the party.

    The National Working Committee (NWC) has set up a committee to act on recommendations of the Prince Tony Momoh-led fact-finding committee.

    Governor Yahaya Bello has been at war with party leaders in the state, including Senator Dino Melaye, the only APC senator in the state.

    While submitting its report to the national chairman, the committee blamed the NWC and identified political appointments, among others, as reasons the crisis degenerated.

    It was gathered the NWC, at its Tuesday meeting, deliberated on the report and decided to set up another panel to further explore avenues for reconciliation.

    The six-member committee is chaired by Idris Garba; with  Umar Kareto (Northeast), Rufai Garba (Northwest), Don Etiebet (South south), Paricia Etteh (Southwest) and Joseph Orji (Southeast), as members.

    Momoh told the NWC: “What I am saying is that we recommended a win-win concession, unless the people had decided to do what they want. APC’s national headquarters’ complicity, all these were areas we broke all issues into and we discussed them comprehensively and made recommendations.

    “We met the National Assembly caucus, led by Dino Melaye. We met the state Assembly, all members of the state Assembly and the Speaker. We met a state executive committee of the party; we met the Faleke group; we met the governor and his team. Actually, we met with the governor about three times because the bulk stops on his desk.

    “Everybody accepts that Yes, he is our governor and chief executive of the state, but look at the problems. And we had many people coming to testify to what they’ve said the governor had done, and others who are supporters of the governor coming to testify about the good things he did.

    “So, we concluded that the problem in Kogi State is the absence of communication, missed communication or even inadequate communication.”

  • Bello plunging Kogi into debt, says Faleke

    Bello plunging Kogi into debt, says Faleke

    •Urges lawmakers to monitor executive

    Member of the House of Representatives James Faleke has accused Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello of plunging the state into debt.

    According to Faleke, the governor borrowed over N35 billion from two banks less than two years after assuming office, saying the profligacy of the governor has plundered the state into a debt that would take between 15 to 20 years to repay.

    He lamented that despite the high indebtedness and huge resources that had accrued to the state under Yayaha’s watch, “there is nothing to show for it”.

    A statement signed by him reads: “My heart bleeds for Kogi. I am constrained to step out once more to raise an alarm over the unmitigated profligacy of Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, leading the state currently reeling under the weight of some burdensome local bank loans with a repayment plan of more than 15 years.

    “Rather than find ingenuous ways of liquidating the debt bequeathed to him by his predecessor, the governor is raising the state’s debt portfolio. The previous government of Idris Wada owed two or three months’ salary when he left office, and handed over a debt of about N800 million only.

    “The total debt portfolio was about N45 billion, inclusive of pension arrears. With the intervention of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration, Wada requested for N50 billion to enable him clear the salary arrears and another bail out of N10 billion for infrastructural development.

    “This N50 billion was to be used as follows:

    ”           N5 billion for two months’ salary arrears of state workers.

    ”           N45 billion for local government workers and pensioners arrears”.

    “Before the funds were released, Wada had left office. Eventually, N20 billion of the N50 billion was released to Governor Bello, while the N10 billion for infrastructure was also released fully. So, the total bailout to the state was N30 billion

    “Almost simultaneously, Bello’s government got monthly allocations for the state and local government areas with an average of over N5 billion monthly for 18 months running now.

    “Surprisingly, the governor has taken loans of over N35 billion from two commercial banks since his assumption of office.

    “The state has also collected over N14 billion reimbursements from the Federal Government for infrastructure and environmental works done by the state under the previous administrations.

    “On the heels of these is the Paris-London Club loan refund, the first tranche of which was N12 billion and N6 billion as the second tranche released last week.”

    “I have come to the conclusion that posterity would be harsh on critical stakeholders in the state, including me, if we fail to talk about the current free fall into a humongous indebtedness the state is being led to by its current manager.

    “For record purposes, Yahaya Bello to my mind is a very lucky man. He came to office after we spent our resources to defeat an incumbent. Just imagine the enormous resources as enumerated above and what Kogi should have achieved with a purposeful leadership.

    “But alas! What do we get? Many workers (state and local governments) are still being owed a minimum of three months, and some councils a maximum of 17 months arrears, despite the allocations running in excess of N200 billion since 2016.

    “May we ask the House of Assembly, which granted approval for the loans, what the governor has done with it? And since it is an open secret that no single road project has been completed among other things, why are the lawmakers quiet? Kogites demand answers from them as they are supposed to be their representatives.”

  • Bello: KSU-ASUU hijacked by politicians

    Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello has said the proscribed Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) at the State-owned University (KSU), Anyigba, was behaving as an opposition political party.

    Addressing State House correspondents after a meeting of the Governors’ Forum at the Presidential Villa, yesterday, Bello said the proscription was an inevitable surgical operation to develop education.

    He said: “It is more or less a comatose institution; and in a bid to resuscitate it, we needed to carry out certain surgical operations, and to make the educational sector healthy.

    “ASUU came up with certain demands, and to the best of our knowledge, we have met about 90 per cent of these demands. And in a collective bargain, both parties should shift ground.

    “But the union handled the issue as a political party in opposition. Apparently, there are certain forces from certain quarters pushing; that wouldn’t be my concern.

    “My concern is that certain demands put forward, such as salaries, have been paid. And the institution has been on strike for almost seven months.

    “But there is one important thing the union owes critical stakeholders that can never be paid back – time; the time of our young ones, which has been wasted and can never be gotten back.

    “I appealed to them to resume on or before the end of this month, that we will pay outstanding arrears. Every other institution resumed, except the state university at Ayingba.

    “But most disturbing was that while interacting with them, in the presence of stakeholders like Attah of Igala, the acting chairman said even if the government meets 100 per cent of ASUU’s demands, it has only succeeded in minimising the incidence of strike.

    “He added that if everything is running normal in the institution, and ASUU’s national body decides to go on strike for whatever reason, the state chapter will join the strike.

    “And I think that is most irresponsible. They are not sensitive to the plight of parents, the students and the future of the young ones.”

  • Bello proscribes KSU-ASUU

    Bello proscribes KSU-ASUU

    •Erring lecturers face sack

    Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello has proscribed the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) at the state-owned university (KSU), Anyigba, for failing to call off its seven months’ strike after the government reportedly met 90 per cent of its demands.

    Bello announced the proscription yesterday after an emergency State Executive Council meeting. He directed all academic staff of the institution to resume work or deem themselves to have resigned.

    According to the governor, the lecturers have been paid and there is no justification for them to continue with the strike.

    He ordered the school management to find suitable replacements for all crucial vacancies, including those who left or may wish to leave, and those deemed to have left pursuant to the proscription.

    “In effect, the school’s Governing Council, management and the Ministry of Education are, hereby, directed to start the process of employing all categories of academic staff,” he said.

    He lamented that the strike has disrupted the provision of essential services in education, thereby occasioning psychological trauma and irrevocable loss to the lawful recipients.

    “The Kogi State government notes, with dismay, that the government, with all appeasement, was unable to bring ASUU to a middle ground. That government, by its conservative estimate, and in the interest of stakeholders, has met at least 90 per cent of ASUU’s demands. But it refused to recognise industrial relations as work in progress, and insisted on continuing its strike indefinitely.

    “The strike has had negative impact on the students. The government is forced to believe that ASUU-KSU and its members, for no justifiable cause, have deliberately persisted in the breach of their responsibilities as employees of the state government.

    “The government, hereby, makes proclamation and declares activities of ASUU in KSU proscribed, effective from today July 19,” Bello added.

    Meanwhile, students and parents are happy with the governor’s action. The students, most of whom stayed back off-campus, have started moving into the school, hoping that academic activities will begin soon.

  • Why Bello is fighting me, by Melaye

    Why Bello is fighting me, by Melaye

    Senator Dino Melaye (Kogi West) has said Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello is fighting him because he is requesting him to do the needful in the state.

    Melaye spoke in Ughelli, Ughelli North council of Delta State, during an empowerment exercise organised by the lawmaker representing Ughelli North, South and Udu Federal constituency in the House of Representatives, Solomon Awhinawhi.

    He described Bello’s anger towards him as “baseless”.

    Melaye said: “I am not just a Senator, l also ensure that in anything I do, justice prevail. Because I asked Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello, to pay workers’ salaries, pensioners, open higher institution of learning shut for five months, and see to the demands of doctors, I have done wrong.

    “I also requested him to give the people dividends of democracy, and that is the only reason he is fighting me. Well, he is not fighting me, but God because what I am fighting for is just and true. And in an unjust society, silence is a crime.

    “Empowerment is not just a natural, but a spiritual thing, because the Holy Book says once you have done this to your people, you have done it to God. The empowerment you have done is a celestial thing on earth, and there are always abundant blessings that follow it.”

    The senator, who lauded Awhinawhi for his effort, said there are two sets of politicians – those who practice democracy of dividends, which is defined as government of the people, by the people and for the people – where Awhinawhi belongs to; and the second are those who practice democracy of greed, which could also be described as a government of greed, by the greedy and for the greedy.

  • Bello, northern leaders pray for Buhari’s quick recovery

    THE Kogi state governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, on Friday led eminent people of the country to pray for quick recovery of President Mohammadu Buhari, who is on medical vacation in London. The governor at the prayer said the President would soon return to the country to continue the good work of redirecting the course of the country. The prayer which was held during the jumat prayer observed at the Government House mosque, Lokoja, was attended by a former governor of Kano state, Senator Kabiru Gaya.

    The governor said “President Muhammadu Buhari is the man the world see when they look at Nigeria. He is Africa’s number one anti-corruption crusader whose integrity has helped rebound the nation’s global respectability. “We are gathered here today to pray for the full recovery of Mr. President for him to return to the country and continue his good work of refixing Nigeria. May Allah grant him good health and our nation, greatness”.

    Governor Bello called on Nigeria to intensify prayers for the recuperating President and also the Acting President who has shown the President made a good choice in the first place. According to him, Nigeria has been regaining its rightful place in the comity of nation since the assumption of office of the president, noting that what the president needed was the prayers and support of everyone in the country.

    Bello however lauded the acting president for upholding the ideals of President Buhari and the All Progressives Congress (APC), saying the party remained the only hope of the people. The Chief Imam of Government House mosque, Mallam Musa Bashir, offered prayers for the quick recovery of the president and the peace of the country.

  • Bello to Igbo: we’ll defend your interests

    Bello to Igbo: we’ll defend your interests

    Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello has assured the Igbo in the state that the government will protect their interests.

    He spoke in Lokoja through his Director-General on Media and Publicity, Kingsley Fanwo, following an ultimatum by some Northern group leaders in Kaduna State, that the Igbo should vacate the North.

    His words: “As a nation, our strength has always been embedded in our unity in diversity. Nigeria is home to all and we must continue to see ourselves as brothers and sisters in a united nation. Ethnic segregation is unacceptable to humanity and we must continue to wax stronger and unbroken as a nation. The God that created Nigeria is a God who believes in the strength of unity.

    “The Kogi State government, under the leadership of Yahaya Bello, wishes to assure all Igbo that they are not only safe in the state, but that the administration will continue to consider them as partners in its New Direction Agenda.

    “Igbo should go about their legitimate businesses and continue to contribute to our economy as a state and a people.

    “With the appointment of Igbo into strategic positions in Kogi State, we are making a strong case for social integration in Nigeria.”

  • Bello killing APC in Kogi, says Faleke

    Bello killing APC in Kogi, says Faleke

    House of Representatives member from Ikeja Constituency Hon. James Faleke was Prince Abubakar Audu’s running mate during the Kogi State governorship election. He spoke with BUNMI OGUNMODEDE and EMMANUEL OLADESU in Lagos on Governor Yahaya Bello’s style of governance and the future of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the Confluence State.

    What’s your assessment of the political situation in Kogi State?

    The political situation in Kogi State is very dicey for our party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) because of the various happenings; the claim by civil servants about the non-payment of salaries, the counter-claim of the governor that he has paid all. As at today, tertiary institutions are closed, according to their workers, for non-payment of salaries and arrears. As at today, health institutions are in comatose for lack of salaries to the workers. Unfortunately, Kogi is a civil service state. There are no industries. So, the moment the salaries of those civil servants are not paid, the economy of the state will be in comatose. So, I can clearly tell you that our party has a problem in the state.

    What are the party leaders doing about the Kogi scenario?

    I don’t know. I think that, realising the situation, the national secretariat called a meeting of stakeholders to investigate the true position and make recommendations. So, we have presented a position paper on the way forward. A situation where you work and somebody is taking an advantage of your efforts is a very bad situation for our people. I am not even talking about the governor. He won in the court. There is no problem with that. The governor is the governor, but he has refused to be father of all. If you win in court; I was the one that took him to court, it wasn’t the party members that took him to court. I expected him to take over the party and carry every member along; give them opportunity to serve. They are all well-educated. This governor has appointed as at last count over 200 aides, from commissioners to SSAs and out of the 286, only 43 are original APC members. You can just imagine that the rest are PDP. That’s is the crux of the matter. You engage sole administrators and virtually all your sole administrators, except very few, are original APC members. If our people and party members went to the poll against the PDP members and you now engage those PDP members we opposed at each polling unit, they are now the ones dictating the affairs of the state, you know psychologically, the APC members will not be happy and that’s what exactly is happening. It is not about hatred for the governor. No. I think he needs to do the right thing.

    How do you juxtapose a situation where workers are not paid and Kogi legislators are now on their way for Ghana for training?

    When I saw it, I was surprised. That was because it was least expected. I expected the House of Assembly to be people-sensitive. If your civil servants, the people at home, are not happy, and you are travelling to Ghana, what is there in Ghana that does not exist in Nigeria? One would have expected them to defer such a training in the interest of the people. They had received many resolutions against the non-payment and technical retrenchment of workers. They had passed so many resolutions. The governor has not obeyed one. They are insensitive. I am surprised. I am shocked. Not at this material time that they will go for a jamboree in Ghana. Train about what? We have the legislative training institute in Abuja. They can get trained anywhere within Nigeria. They can even bring in professors, experts to Kogi. When they bring them to Lokoja, those people will lodge in one hotel or the other and the economy will be oiled somehow. But, I think they know better. The people know best.

    Has the governor made any personal overture to you to, at least, effect what can be described as reconciliation?

    Not at all. But, honestly, I am not expecting any personal overture. Since he became governor, he has not called me. I am not expecting any personal overtures from him because I am a democrat. I felt that the decision of the party was wrong. I challenged it. I went to the court to challenge it and so, we move on. That’s part of democracy. It is constitutional. Now, the Supreme Court has said that, if you want to be a running mate, you must participate in the primary, which was not part of our law before. It will be very difficult for our electoral system in this country if you are asking that a governorship candidate must choose someone that competed with him as running mate. That means you are causing chaos from the outset. There will be conflict of interest. I was not expecting any personal overture. What I was expecting from him was that, while I was in court, the governor would have taken over the party from the Audu/Faleke family. I expected him to have given them a lot of privileges so that by the time I finished at the court, I will be the one struggling to be relevant among party members. But, he is the one struggling to be relevant with the party members. Governor Idris Wada owed just three months salaries. We went for elections. We used that three months arrears to campaign against him. Today, civil servants say our governor is owing them over 14 months , some six months. Some have not been paid because of the screening method or other things. If that is the case, our party in a nutshell has a long way to go. It will find it hard to crack in the next elections. No amount of money that can be stolen and used to bribe the people that they will obey. Our people are ordinarily republican. This is the first time they are coming to resist because of the campaign strategy we deployed. Unfortunately, we have not managed our success very well.

    If the governor cannot work with Faleke, Alex Kadiri, Clarence Olafemi and Dino Melaye, who was supporting him before, how would you now describe the style of the governor?

    I think the style of the governor lacks maturity. He lacks maturity in his handling of state affairs. He was not prepared. It was a gift given to him. Unfortunately, because he didn’t work for the gift, he does not know how to go about it. He can’t do it well. We have three senatorial districts. This is the first time I am seeing a sitting governor in Nigeria with less than 10 per cent support from three senatorial districts. We conducted a poll, less than 10 per cent of respondents liked the governor. I want to use this opportunity to ask him to send credible people to go and conduct a poll for him so that he will see whether people like his style or not. He must know that Kogi is a civil service state. At the moment, the civil servants are not happy with him. It is very serious. Unlike Lagos State, which is industrialised, ours is a state where people benefit from the local government system. As at now, the salaries are being owed. You have sole administrators you give N10 million or N5 million per month. The rest is managed by Edward. Edward is the Chief of Staff. Local government administrators and their staff cannot withdraw any money without the approval of the Chief of Staff. That is the situation. All the accounts of each local government have the correspondence domiciled with the Chief of Staff. If a withdrawal is made, the alert goes straight to the Chief of Staff’s phone. And the Chief of Staff will then call you, Mr. Sole Administrator, what’s that money for? That is the type of system that is being run in the state. The governor must wake up to his responsibility. This is the first time you will have a young man as governor. As a young man, I expect him to run the affairs of the state better than this. This is the first time a governor will come in and demolish an entire roundabout. Lokoja is the first capital of Nigeria. We had that roundabout built by the previous government. The present governor got in there and demolished it. He believed that the roundabout had some black power, fetish power in it. And what has he replaced it with? Drums, empty drums. You now use empty drums and put sand and used it for a roundabout in a modern Nigeria. To me, the governor needs to sit down and take responsibility for whatever happens. Nigeria is more enlightened than what he thinks. There were some arguments going on in a certain medium. The number of professor in a particular village in Okunland is more than 30. So, if you have these caliber of men and women scattered all over Nigeria and the world, the governor should have called a summit and say, okay, let’s think about how to develop our state. He should call a summit of intellectuals to discuss the economy, to discuss the way forward. By virtue of the location of our state, we have no reason to be poor. We are the gateway to everywhere. You can’t come to the South without passing through Kogi. You cannot go to the North without passing through Kogi State. This is the unique advantage. Apart from the roads, we have the sea. If you could go out and sign an agreement with NEWAL or the Federal Government and attract World Bank funding, you can develop the seaport. That was part of our programmes. Develop the seaport and Kogi will open up. Every cargo going to the North, going to the East will be diverted to the Lokoja seaport. Onitsha is less than one or two hours to Lokoja. So, you can imagine the opportunities that we have. If we have a very good governor, he should know that Lokoja is so close to Abuja, two hours drive. There is nothing stopping him from seeking an intervention fund from the World Bank or other sources to develop a fast rail system from Lokoja to Abuja and develop a massive housing project whereby people living in Lokoja and working in Abuja will leave by rail and it opens up our economy. Oh my God, what do we have? I want to talk less. I am not happy about it.

    How can insecurity be tackled in Kogi?

    Let me say this. One way or the other, he has put security as one of his key areas. So far, he has provided mobility to the police. But, when the people are hungry, when there is no work, when you are laying off staff technically, you should expect that that fight against insecurity will come back to haunt you. Boko Haram or no Boko Haram, history shows that it started in Kogi. I am not talking about Borno. But, majority of those who had been arrested found their roots to Kogi. So, one will expect him to find a better way of handling it. When you arrest somebody or kidnappers and you go ahead to dismantle their houses and mosques, you are causing more troubles. I think that as good as his intentions, people are hungry. You cannot achieved a totally secured environment when people are hungry. I will advise him to seek more knowledge and work with the people rather than alienating the people. This is the first time we are having a government of a young guy in the state and the best he has achieved is to put gates, barricades all across the GRA and fence off the Government House from the people. Throughout the campaigns, we drove along the GRA. We passed through the fence of the Government House. Today, you dare not do that. Even, those living in the GRA may now have to be taking permission to go in and out because he has fenced everybody off. If you do that, what about those constituents who do no have fences around their houses? You must give this psychology thing to the people, to say that I am with you. This idea of fencing off people is not the best.

    In the light of what you have said, what does the future portends for Kogi and your party?

    The future will be bright. God has a purpose for what has happened. For me, the death of Prince Abubakar Audu is a lesson to me and to everybody. I believe strongly that he will wake up one day and touch the mind of the people. Some people hated him till he died. I am shocked that, up till today, that there is no condolence letter from the Federal Government to the family of the late Prince Abubakar Audu. I am shocked. I think whatever happened in the past in their relationship should not be carried up to the death. That is politics today. nobody knows tomorrow. I want to say to our people at home to believe that God has time for everything.

  • Fishing cage: Bello to kick off pilot scheme

    FCT Minister, Malam Muhammad Musa Bello has expressed determination to ensure the success of the Federal Government initiative on the development of fishing cage aqua culture in the Territory.

    The Minister gave this assurance when the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Economic Management Team, Mr. Dolapo Bright paid him a visit in his office.

    Bello expressed joy that the FCT is one of the five states chosen by the Federal Government for the development of the fishing cage culture project, adding that the programme is in tandem with the efforts of the Federal Government to diversify the economy and create more jobs.

    According to him, “FCT will be interested in the three levels of the project which include locating some of the fish cage aqua culture projects in accessible bodies of water for the purpose of serving astourist attractions; establishing some as economic empowerment projects for rural residents and developing others as entrepreneurship ventures for the youths of the Territory.

    “We are happy that the FCT has been selected to be among the states that would develop the pilot scheme of this project which we consider to be a very important focal point for job creation.”

    The Minister, who lamented the uncontrolled fishing activities going on at Jabi Lake, directed the Department of Fisheries to ensure proper monitoring and regulation of the net size used for fishing, in order not depopulate the water bodies.

    Earlier in his remarks, Mr. Dolapo Bright, stated that the fishing cage aqua culture project was part of the social investment programme of the President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration. He said the project which would be financed by the World Bank is designed as part of the efforts at the diversification of the economy, job creation and producing fish for protein.

    He however decried the situation where the nation is spending over $1

    Billion dollars annually in the importation of fish when it has all it takes to be self-sufficient in the area.