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Tag: GOMBE

  • ‘Why Gombe APC crisis persists’

    ‘Why Gombe APC crisis persists’

    Mohammed Yahaya was the governorship candidate of the Gombe State All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2015 election. In this interview with TONY AKOWE in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), the former Commissioner for Finance speaks on the Gombe APC crisis and efforts by the national leadership to resolve the logjam.

    You contested the governorship election in Gombe State in 2015 and lost. What went wrong?

    A lot of water passed under the bridge. Elections have a lot of intricacies and that of Gombe is no exception. We went into the election knowing fully well that we had the capacity and all it takes to deliver. We went in with the full intent to win the election and we won, if you go by the records. During the presidential and National Assembly elections, we got 85 percent of  the votes for the president, two senatorial seats and four House of Representatives seats out the six available. When we went for the governorship election, I contested against an incumbent governor who had all the resources and machineries of government. He was able to with law enforcement agencies and some INEC officials who are still being investigated and will hopefully be indicted as well as the Commander of the Army battalion based in Gombe and the Police Commissioner who are also being investigated. At the unit, ward and local government levels, we did our own part, but they connived and changed the results in favour of the incumbent, who emerged winner. We challenged the results to the Supreme Court and that was the end of it because elections ends in court. The court had given him victory and we take it in good fate.

    But, how come you lost the election despite winning two senatorial seats and four house representatives seats?

    There was connivance between the electoral officers and some of our own who cooperated, dined with the PDP to scuttle our success.

    Two years down the line, will you say that Gombe is better?

    Not really. Go and ask the people of Gombe whether this government has been able to achieve what it promised the people in all areas of human endevour

    Since the election, the APC in Gombe seems to be disintegrating rather than uniting. What is the problem?

    In every political environment, there must be differences of opinion and there must also be a situation where people accept defeat because when elections are held, there must be losers and winners. The crisis in Gombe started after the primary. Some of those who contested against me refused to take the outcome of the primary in good faith and decided to work against the party and betrayed us so that we will lose the election and they succeeded. They connived with the PDP and since then, the party has not taken appropriate steps to sanction some of them. That is why we are still a divided house.

    The national secretariat has waded into the crisis and for the second time running set up a caretaker committee to over see the party in the state and try to resolve the crisis. Are you saying that effort is not yielding results?

    The efforts by the national secretariat to solve the crisis is not yielding result because you must go into the root of the matter to address it. When appropriate sanction is not meted out to wrong doers, you can never expect that those putting in their best and operating in good fate will just fold their hands and watch. Things has to be done appropriately.

    You said the present government in Gombe State has not met the aspirations of the people. Can you be more specific?

    If you take education, for example, Gombe came second to the last in terms of performance in the 2015/2016 WAEC examination. Even, a state like Borno that is bedeviled with security challenges did better than Gombe which has all it takes to be one of the key players in education, especially in the Northeast. If you go to the centre of Gombe, the Central Primary School, which is just about 100 meters from the Governors House, was demolished in 2012 and it has not been completed till this moment. That ward, is a ward that does not have a primary school at this point in time and that is the only ward in this country without a primary school. Go to the secondary schools. It is not only for you to put structures in place. You have to support the teachers, give them the best training and provide the infrastructure they need such as books and all the allowances they need to give their best. That does not happen in Gombe. The Gombe State university is not well maintained and it has the challenge of maintenance at the moment. It also has the challenge of funding because no money is coming from government. Rather, the little they are able to generate is taken away by government, leaving them without resources. Go to Kumo where you have the School of Administrative Studies, which they were planning to convert to a higher institution. Up to this moment, the contractor has not been paid and the project has been abandoned. The School of Nursing for which close to N3 billion was borrowed has not been completed about six years after work commenced and nothing is happening. The hospital where the nurses will be trained does not have a single qualified personnel not to talk if the number of professionals required to run such a school. There is nothing on ground at the so called college of education in Biliri of show that such a school exist. Go to where they claimed to be setting up a polytechnic in Bajoga. So, there is no sign educationally that Gombe State is moving forward. The regional water project, which was done by the previous government, has been abandoned and three quarters of the Gombe has no potable water. Go to the southern part of Gombe and you will discover that, despite the dam that was built in the eighties, there is no singe, drop of water in the four local government in the area. In all its ramifications, the people are pauperised and have no hope. That is why I said this government has not performed and is not performing.

    Don’t you think that the government can attribute it to lack of resources, in view of the dwindling resources from the Federations Account?

    Your coat according to your size. When it goes to. plundering government resources and engaging political thugs, and advisers, you could see that there is money. But, when it comes to service to the people, you will not see them there. Where do they get money to appoint people into offices when there is no money to pay salaries, pension and gratuity? When the Dankwabo administration came into office, the pension liability was about N1 billion. But now, it is close to N8 billion or more and they are not paying salaries regularly, despite the bailout given to them by the federal government. They take the resources and put it in things that are not really of service to humanity.

    What is your relationship with former Governor Danjuma Goje and former Deputy Speaker Usman Nafada, who seem to be fighting for the soul of the APC in Gombe State.

    They belong to the APC and I am also in the APC. That is our relationship. We are in the same party.

    With people like you, Goje and Nafada in the party, what do you need to for the party to take over the state in 2019?

    The needful has to be done. People has to understand and take position on where they belong. You don’t have to be fighting when you don’t have the weapon to fight. Those who deserve to lead should be allowed to lead. When you have the number, democratically, you should be allowed to lead and that is the position and it will not change.

    Don’t you think that it is an indictment in you leaders of the party in Gombe state for  national body to bring somebody from another state to head to the caretaker committee?

    That did not begin in Gombe. It has been happening in other places. When you have infighting, there has to be somebody neutral who will take the grains out of the chaff. So, if that is what it takes for the national leadership to put the APC back on track in Gombe, I support it

    Do you believe that the committee is doing the right thing to bring back peace to the chapter?

    If they take the correct steps, I believe they should be able to bring back peace to the party.

    Why do you think that outsiders has to be brought to run the party in the state?

    Internally, the affairs of the party has been mismanaged by the party administrators. That is why the national body felt that there has to be change and somebody else was brought in.

    The Gombe slot in the federal executive council is presently vacant and there is the belief that you are interested in filling that vacancy.

    Ministerial appointment is the prerogative of the President and whoever he deems fit, he will appoint and we will support that. So, I don’t have a say in that. But I know that I am a key player in the APC and I believe and cherish the principles and the doctrines of the APC and I believe that the President has the capacity and ability too deliver change which is what we preach and which is what we hope will be given to Nigerians.

    Will you be contesting the governorship of Gombe in 2019?

    Let the time come. When we get to the bridge, we will know how to cross it.

    Are you not worried that about two years into the life of the present administration, Nigerians are suffering and has nothing to show for voting the APC government into office.

    It depends on the angle from where you are looking at it. I come from the north east and I know that the greatest challenge is that part of the country is security challenge and without security, you cannot achieve anything in life and because of the challenge of security which was foisted on us by the immediate past administration,  there was virtually nothing we could do. Now, peace has been restored and at least, Boko Haram has been reduced to about 10 percent. Our people has started going back to their market, their churches and mosques to pray and to socialize. People are also going back to schools and to their farms. This government campaigned on three main issues. These are security, fight against corruption and the economy. He has done a lot in the area of security and I feel peace has been reasonably achieved. In terms of corruption, you are aware that this has been the bane of development in this country for a long time and got to its apex during the last administration. In the past, no Justice of the Suprume Court has ever been arraigned foe corruption or government who participated in government were brought to justice with such massive recovering of money. You can see the N-Power scheme which is ongoing and the fact that social security if bring giving to people despite the economic challenge. As far as I am concerned, this government is performing and all we need do is to pray and support the president so that he could do better.

    Two years into the life of the government, you still have appointees of the PDP heading government agencies and this is causing disaffection within the party. Don’t you think this is a disservice to those who made sacrifice for the party to come to power?

    Unfortunately, there are some key appointments that are tied to specific tenure and there is no way the President will easily remove them and replace them with his own appointees otherwise, he will be accused of wrong doing. However, I agree that there is need for all APC supporters, especially those who believe in the programmes of the Preside to be appointed into key positions so that they could help him deliver on all those areas Nigerians want improvement.

  • Meningitis: Expert calls for effective response strategies

    “The committee should be responsible for reviewing the antibiotic vulnerability of Neisseria meningitis serotypes in the country.

    “Such committee can then use current trend and data on antibiotic resistance to formulate appropriate prophylaxis and treatment by state, zones or the country as a whole,’’ he said.

    NAN reports that there has been an outbreak of Cerebro Spinal Meningitis (CSM) across 16 states of the country since November 2016, of which a new strain of the disease called “stereotype C’’ had emerged.

    As at April 3, there were 2,524 suspected cases with 336 deaths recorded in 90 local government areas in the affected states.

    The states included Zamfara, Katsina, Sokoto, Kebbi, Niger, Nasarawa , Jigawa, FCT, Gombe, Taraba , Yobe, Kano, Osun, Cross Rivers, Lagos and Plateau.

    Meningitis outbreaks peak in the dry season in certain states in the Northern region due to low humidity and dusty conditions and usually end as the rainy season approaches.

    The bacteria that cause it can be spread through exchange of saliva, which can occur during common activities such as kissing, sharing utensils and drinking glasses.

    The risk factors for meningitis also include living in close quarters such as dormitories, sneezing and coughing as well as smoking or being exposed to smoke.

    Also, particular lifestyle such as staying out late or irregular sleeping habits could put people at greater risk for meningitis, by weakening their immune system.

    Some common symptoms include high fever, stiff neck, confusion, sensitivity to light, headaches and vomiting.

    According to the WHO, even when the disease is diagnosed early and adequate treatment begins, five per cent to 10 per cent of patients die, typically within 24 to 48 hours of the onset of symptoms.

    Vaccination against the three types of bacteria that can cause meningitis still remains one of the most effective ways to be protected against certain types of bacterial meningitis, alongside avoiding the risk factors.

     

  • UNICEF to scale up nutrition programme in Gombe

    The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) will scale up its nutrition programme in Gombe State local governments, its Nutrition Programme Consultant, Mrs Olufummilayo Adebambo, said.

    Adebambo told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Gombe on Friday that
    the programme, started in 2009 in Gombe, Dukku and Nafada, would now be
    scaled up to Kaltungo.

    She said “we will scale up to Kaltungo, based on data we got from Maternal Neonatal Child Health week in January 2017; the number of malnourished children is also high in Kaltungo.”

    The consultant added that the programme would begin in April in Kaltungo, following the success recorded in the three areas where the programme first started.

    She explained that UNICEF planned to teach communities how to prepare Infant and York Child Feeding (IYCF) with the available foods in their communities.

    “We will teach breast feeding mothers how to use available foods in their communities to prepare complementary feeding for babies who are seven months, after the six months exclusive breast feeding encouraged by UNICEF.”

    She said with the introduction of IYCF, it would combat malnutrition in Gombe State because it would be cheaper and available.

     

  • Gombe loses first class traditional ruler

    The Emir of Deba in Gombe State, retired Lt. Col. Abubakar Waziri Mahdi, has died at the aged of 79.

    The Chairman of Yamaltu-Deba Local Government Council, Alhaji Haruna Samanja, announced the death in a radio broadcast monitored by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Gombe on Thursday evening.

    Samanja said the late emir died after a protracted illness at the Nizamiye Hospital, Abuja, on Thursday at about 4 p.m.

    According to him, the traditional ruler is survived by two wives and 27 children.

    He added that the remains of the deceased would be buried on March 24 at Deba, headquarters of Yamaltu Deba Local Government Area, according to Islamic rites.

    NAN also recalls that Mahdi ascended the throne in 1984 after the demise of his predecessor, Alhaji Usman Mahdi, who reigned from 1957 to 1984.

     

  • Moves to calm fresh anxiety in Gombe APC

    Moves to calm fresh anxiety in Gombe APC

    In Gombe State, there is anxiety in the All Progressives Congress (APC) as leaders seek fresh ways to resolve disagreements amongst the leaders in the state, reports Assistant Editor, Dare Odufowokan

    The rivalry between former governor of Gombe State, Senator Danjuma Goje, and some prominent chieftains of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), has polarized the party in the northeastern state. Observers of the politics of the state are of the opinion that the festering crisis, which once led to the dissolution of the executive committee of the party in the state and the constitution of a caretaker committee in its place, if not checked in good time, is capable of hampering the growth of the party in the state.

    But a new twist was introduced into the crisis recently when Goje again fell out with the chairman of the caretaker committee, Captain Bala Jibrin. Amidst allegations and counter-allegations between the two, the party in the state is once again divided into two camps with chieftains lining up behind the two gladiators while confusion reigns supreme among members.

    While Goje is widely acclaimed as one of the pillars of the party in the state, several allegations of how his activities are causing problems within the party also abound. But close aides of the ex-governor have debunked allegations against him, saying instead that some chieftains of the party, who are scared of Goje’s political relevance, are working to undermine his interest within the party.

    The Nation learnt that recent efforts to unite the warring groups within the party in the state yielded no fruit as the gladiators continued with their internal wrangling and scheming. And to further complicate the situation, a new group, made up of ex-members of the defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), in the state, emerged within the troubled APC.

    It was gathered that the national leadership of the ruling party is unhappy with the development and may take drastic steps to stem the tide of crisis soon. Sources within the party in the state told The Nation that some of the major gladiators in the crisis, including Goje and Jibrin, have been summoned by the national leadership of the party, in a renewed effort to address the festering crisis.

    The Nation also learnt that members of the party are saddened that the crisis affected the party’s preparation for the February 25 council election in the state. According to Habu Muazu, a former PDP chieftain who is now with the APC, the party’s preparation for the council poll was severely curtailed by the refusal of the various groups to work together.

    “We as party chieftains are unhappy about this crisis. It is not good for the growth of our party. We want to take over the government of Gombe State in 2019. The people of the state are ready for us. Gombe State is tired of PDP. But this crisis is setting us back. The local government is a good example of how the party is affected. The campaign for the council election suffered seriously due to the refusal of our leaders to unite.

    “Those fighting themselves are not doing the party any good. The national leadership of the party must once again intervene in the case of Gombe APC. All we are out for, as leaders of this great party, is the progress of the party. We are out to make sure we unseat PDP in the next election and so, we cannot afford to be divided,” he said.

    Dankwambo factor

    Meanwhile, some party sources have fingered plans by incumbent Governor Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo of the PDP, to decamp to the opposition APC ahead of the 2019 general election, as one of the major causes of the crisis rocking the party. There are unconfirmed reports that Dankwambo may be joining the APC anytime soon.

    A chieftain of the APC, who was a state executive member of the defunct CPC in the state before now, said the camp of Senator Goje is apprehensive over reports that the governor is planning to join the APC through one of the other groups within the party. He alleged that the former governor is determined to stop Dankwambo and his people from joining the party.

    “Politics is a game of numbers and the more, the merrier. But that is not so with some of our leaders here in APC Gomber State. Some of them are bent on keeping the party to themselves only. They don’t want other eminent people to come into the party, forgetting that they also defected from one party to join us in the APC.

    “The governor wants to join APC. Not only the governor, many other eminent politicians in Gombe State, especially those in the PDP, are desirous of crossing over to the APC to be part of the exemplary performance of President Muhammadu Buhari. But they are worried about the activities of one of our leaders in the APC.

    “And sadly too, we have people who are determined to stop Dankwambo and his people from joining the party. But some others want him and as many others who may be interested in joining our party, to come in and further strengthen us. The more people we have in our midst, especially the more heavyweight politicians we have, the easier our desire to take over the government of the state in 2019.

    A tough one

    Speaking on the crisis in the party in Gombe State, the party’s Deputy National Chairman (North), Lawal Shuaibu, said the crisis in the state is not pleasing to the APC. He said the party is determined to solve all the problems. It is for this reason, he explained, that a new caretaker committee was inaugurated recently.

    The newly constituted caretaker committee, The Nation gathered, has as its members, the following party chieftains from outside Gombe State: Idi Barde Gubana as the Chairman, Sani Haruna as the Deputy Chairman, Bello Kasimu Maigari as the Secretary and A.B. Lusa, who will function as the Legal Adviser of the committee.

    “We have had a lot of challenges running the party in Gombe State; challenges, which I narrated when we inaugurated the first caretaker committee. We got to a stage where a consensus was reached as to how we can move the party in Gombe State forward. Arising from that, we constituted a caretaker committee. The caretaker committee did a wonderful job; but along the line, we observed some irreconcilable differences among the members.

    “Observing that there was no way they could reconcile themselves, their personal differences, for that reason, and only that reason we decided to ask them to step aside, and we are today inaugurating a newly reconstituted caretaker committee. The caretaker committee basically is not there to do any other thing, except what the national headquarter has asked them to do on the basis of resolutions reached with the stakeholders of Gombe during its meeting with the National Working Committee (NWC).

    “Any other thing should be left for the NWC to handle. We can handle every challenge; if we have the cooperation of the stakeholders. The newly constituted caretaker committee has a mission, a mandate, and they are only expected to discharge their mandate, not any other thing,” Shuaibu said Hon Khamisu Mailantarki, who represented Gombe/Kwame/Funakaya Federal Constituency of the state before he was removed as a federal lawmaker by the courts. The APC chieftain, like many others in the state, is worried about the turn of events and he would want the party hierarchy to promptly address the problems. According to him, Senator Goje is not helping matters within the party.

    “It really is unfortunate that our major problem is that one of our elders, right from when he joined the APC, has given us one headache after another. We did raise the alarm when he joined the party, but no one gave ear. Since Senator Danjuma Goje joined the APC, we have had issues relating to selfishness, imposition of candidates and impunity, because Goje and his group formed the executive committee when the merger occurred in the state.

    There were a lot of issues and the national secretariat had to send some persons to investigate and settle the rift, but Goje went ahead to impose candidates on the people. The one which I think is the worst of all he has done is sending his thugs to go beat up an acting chairman of the APC in the state, Captain Bala Jibrin and, because of his recklessness; there is a new caretaker committee for the party in the state, chaired by a person who is not a native of Gombe, but was sent by the national secretariat to settle the issues within the party.

    Before now, everyone knows that the chairman was doing a good job and he made sure that everyone got a fair playing ground. Goje did not like that arrangement and some of the changes taking place within the party; so, he started harassing the chairman. It is embarrassing that Goje, a former governor, cannot allow peace to reign in the party in the state,” he lamented.

    But Goje, while delivering a vote of thanks at the inauguration of the new caretaker committee, debunked all the allegations leveled against him. The senator blamed the crisis in the party on what he called “fake reports” that he was planning to impose a governor in the state, come 2019.

    According to him, it is actually the people spreading false stories about him and the party that are the problems of the party in Gombe State. He expressed readiness to work and support the newly inaugurated caretaker committee, saying his primary desire is for the APC to displace the ruling PDP from the Government House in 2019.

    “Danjuma Goje has no governorship candidate he wants to install in Gombe. The ultimate aim is to have an APC governor in Gombe State, come 2019. My primary desire is for the APC to displace the ruling PDP from the Government House in 2019. I am ready to work with the Honourable Idi Barde Gubana-led caretaker committee towards making APC a formidable platform ahead of 2019,“ Goje said.

  • Dangote Tomato signs MoU with farmers in Gombe, Sokoto

    Dangote Tomato signs MoU with farmers in Gombe, Sokoto

    The Dangote Tomato Processing Company, Kadawa, Kano state has concluded arrangement to purchase fresh tomatoes from farmers in Gombe and Sokoto States.

    The company had already signed an agreement with Tomato Growers Association for the procurement of the commodity from the two states.

    The Managing Director of the company, Alhaji Abdulkarim Kaita disclosed this in Kano on Tuesday.

    He said that the company found it necessary to go into the agreement following the non-availability of the commodity in Kano and other neighbouring states that produced it in large commercial quantities.

    He noted that the CBN anchor borrower programme had adversely affected tomato the production this irrigation season, especially in Kano State where many farmers shifted to wheat and rice production.

    “The wheat and rice loans given to farmers this year have affected tomato production in the state.

    “This is the reason why the product is still costly as a big basket which was between N400 and N500 last year, is now N3, 000 in the market. “So we cannot buy it at the present price.

    “When the price was between N400 and N500, we used to buy from farmers at N1, 200 per basket,” Kaita said.

    He said that the company would continue to monitor the situation until it was satisfied that the commodity was available to enable the factory resume production.

    “If we resume production now, the commodity will be scarce and once it is scarce, the price will go up. This is what we don’t want for now,’’ he said.

    On why the company did not give farmers loan to produce the commodity as it did in the past, Kaita said that out of the 100 farmers that benefited from the loan, only 20 of them were able to repay the facility.

    “So we cannot give them another loan now since most of them have yet to repay the earlier loan they enjoyed, “Kaita said.

    He said that as soon as the commodity was available for processing, the factory would resume normal production.

    “We are ready to resume production because all our machines are in good condition and ready for operation,” he added.

     

  • Tax evaders versus magistrates in Gombe

    Tax evaders versus magistrates in Gombe

    Gombe State Governor Ibrahim Dankwambo’s tax sermons are not enough; magistrates will soon be deployed across the state to drive the point home, reports VINCENT OHONBAMU

    Soft words have been used by no less a person than Governor Hassan Dankwambo to win the people over. But that may not be enough. The firm and undiscriminating arm of the law will grab anyone who fails to give to Gombe State what belongs to it. That is how the state government intends to get residents to embrace its new tax regime.

    Selling a new tax plan to people is not the easiest of tasks. In Gombe a fresh tax policy, meant to augment dwindling and irregular federal allocations, was greeted with apprehension and speculations that the government was about making life even tougher for the people.

    This forced the governor to not only dispel the rumours but also explain the necessity of the new tariff.

    Governor Dankwambo said the new tax was part of his reform plan begun some months back. He was speaking at the launch of the Internal Revenue Central System (GICS) and the takeoff of the e-Enumeration of Tax Payers in the informal economic sector (IES) to monitor the collection of revenue.

    Dankwambo said, “Introduction of the reforms is not meant to impose fresh taxes or hardship on the citizenry. Rather, it is intended to ensure that the people of Gombe State are taxed, and the revenue generated does not end up in the hands of rogue revenue collectors.

    “Similarly, it is expected to make revenue collection and management more efficient,” he explained, urging everyone in the state to pay tax promptly.

    He threatened to deal with those evading tax as well as those obstructing the operations of the state Board of Internal Revenue.

    He said that government had articulated a new law for the board, which was before the state House of Assembly to strengthen the Board’s operations as well as regulate and support the new tax regime in the state.

    When enacted, he added, magistrates would be deployed to each of the 11 local government areas of the state to try those guilty of non-compliance with the revenue laws of the state.

    “We cannot aim at tax-driven prosperity and economic advancement while refusing to fulfil the obligations that create those standards. Anyone who evades or avoids tax is breaking the law and will be treated according to the provisions of the relevant laws if found guilty,” he said.

    Chairman of the Gombe State Board of Internal Revenue Service (GSBIRS), Muhammadu Adamu Damji further explained that the new revenue collection and monitoring system would capture the data of everyone online, while repositioning the state to be economically viable to withstand the challenges facing the state economy.

    In the past revenue system used by the Gombe State Board of Internal Revenue for IGR was the collection of cash and the issuance of receipt as a sign of collection and payment.

    But that method according to the GSBIRS boss had been abused by both the payers and collectors, where collectors remitted whatever they liked, the revenue payers paid whatever they felt like. Most revenue collection officers had multiple receipts (depending on the awareness level of individual payers) with which they swindled, manipulated and manoeuvred unsuspecting taxpayers and government with impunity.

    In the same vein, revenue-generating ministries, department and agencies (MDAs) did not remit collections accurately and promptly, even as collecting banks delayed in remitting collections to government coffers. Even the pre-Damji Revenue Board lacked efficient checks and balances.

    This, the government said was unacceptable; hence the commencement of the journey to block these channels of revenue wastages and galvanise productivity of fallow grounds.

    The Gombe state government then embarked on some reforms to reposition the board and make it more effective, innovative and efficient to increase the internally generated revenue of the state by restructuring of the Gombe State Board of Internal Revenue.

    The journey began with engaging the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to conduct a diagnostic review of the board and made recommendations on operations, processes and human resources.

    The appointment of Adamu Damji who has since August 2016 trained about 200 staff, followed by the new tax laws, the eventual introduction of GICS and the commencement of the e-enumeration of tax payers are products of ICPC recommendation, which will enable the government, know who is paying what and when.

    The automation of the new system is said to make revenue collection transparent,with monitors displaying who what and when, among other things.

    Still, some will try to hold back their tax. These are the people that will have the magistrates to contend with.

    it is said, was programmed show

  • Gombe APC unite ahead of council election

    Gombe APC unite ahead of council election

    Leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Gombe State have laid aside their differences to form a common front as the party strategise towards winning Saturday’s local government elections and set the pace for the governorship election in 2019.

    At the opening of campaigns yesterday, youth leader Abubakar Habu Mu’azu urged the youths to be united, saying there was no fight among party leaders.

    “All we are out for, as leaders of this great party, is the progress of the party. We are out to make sure we unseat PDP in the next election and so, we cannot afford to be divided,” he said.

    According to him, those interested in flying the party’s flag in 2019 have reached an agreement to form a common front and rally round the eventual winner.

    APC’s governorship candidate in 2015, Inuwa Yahaya, appealed to APC supporters to come out en mass to vote and protect same.

    “Ensure anyone who tries to rig out our party faces the wrath of the law. You must protect your votes because it is the public’s fund, our money, that is used to conduct this election,” he said.

    Presenting flags to chairmanship candidates of the 11 councils, former Caretaker Chairman of the party, Bala Jibrin called for prayers for President Muhammadu Buhari.

  • 39 insurgents, 40 foreigners arrested in Gombe

    The Army has confirmed the arrest of 40 foreigners, 39 Boko Haram suspects and over 42 Kalare boys in Gombe, Gombe State.

    Commander of 301 Artillery Regiment in Gombe, Brig.-Gen. Zakari Abubakar, spoke at the weekend at the end of the 2016 West African Social Activity (WASA) at the Army Barracks.

    He said: “The Army you used to know has gone hi-tech and revolutionised. This is what helped us defeat Boko Haram to the extent we have.”

    Gen. Abubakar urged the people to come up with information to help the Army defeat insurgency.

    “The only problem we have is the communities; the people have not accepted the Army the way they should. A lot of people do not volunteer information to us and we cannot do it alone.

    “So, we are call on the people around us to volunteer information to enable us perform even better.

    “When they see any undesirable element, they should tell us. But if you collaborate with insurgents and hide them, that will make our jobs difficult,” he added.

    Deputy Governor Charles Iliya noted that people staying till the end of the event showed their interest in the armed forces. This, according to him, called for gratitude to the military.

    “Gratitude for so many reasons. We would not be standing here like this but here we are today because peace has returned to the Northeast and Gombe State in particular.

    “That is why we are gathered here today, relaxed and enjoying ourselves.

    “We thank God, the Army and other security outfits for ensuring that we can sleep with our eyes closed these days.

    “We wish you more successes in the Northeast and other parts of Nigeria,” Iliya said.

  • 370 football clubs to participate in Gombe Governors’ Cup

    A record 370 clubs are billed to participate in Governor Ibrahim Dankwambo Football competition, tagged ‘Talba Cup 2017’.

    Alhaji Bello Suleiman, Executive Chairman, Gombe State Sports Commission disclosed this on Friday while briefing newsmen.
    Suleiman, who was represented by Alhaji Abubakar Ibrahim, Permanent Commissioner, Gombe State Sport Commission, said the competition would commence on Feb. 14, at the Pantami Township stadium, Gombe.

    Ibrahim said that when the competition was first organised in 2014, only clubs from Gombe Local Government Area participated, but added that this year, clubs from all the 11 Local Government Areas of the state were involved.

    He said the commission was impressed with the level of interest generated by the competition, judging by the number of participating clubs.

    He therefore advised the clubs to put in their best whenever the tournament commenced, adding that apart from the trophies at stake, there are other consolation prizes like the best player, highest goal scorer, among others.