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Tag: governor

  • Governor not contributing N6b for our convention, says APC

    The All Progressive Congress (APC) yesterday described reports that governors elected under its platform were to contribute N6billion for the forthcoming convention as uncharitable and malicious.

    A statement by the National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, in Abuja said all members of the party, whether elected or appointed are supposed to contribute a certain percentage of their salary to the funding of the party.

    He said governors, Ministers, legislators and other appointed members of the party at all levels are responsible for the funding of the party, adding while some have met this obligation, others have either not paid at all or have not paid for some months.

    Abdullahi explained: “At the meeting of the National Working Committee (NWC) and the governors of the party held at the party secretariat on Thursday 26th April, it was pointed out that many of the governors have fallen behind in the payment of their party dues.

    “While some of the governors have been up-to-date with the payments, a few others have not paid at all. The governors were therefore requested to pay up, especially in view of upcoming party activities.

    “It is therefore possible that a governor that falls in the category of those that have not paid since inception could owe up to N250million.

    “Therefore, it is grossly misleading, if not downright malicious, for your report to simply apply this sum to everyone and multiply by the number of governors.

    “For avoidance of doubts, party dues are paid by all members of the party holding positions, either by election or appointment.

    “Therefore, members of the National Assembly as well as cabinet ministers also remit a percentage of their earnings to the party.

    “It is therefore false to say governors are expected to pay up with state money.”

     

  • NEMA: Governor fingered in plot against Osinbajo

    •Presidency uncovers plot to use IDPs to stage protest

    A state governor has been identified for involvement in an alleged plot to rubbish Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on the operation of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).

    Osinbajo heads the board of NEMA which has distributed relief materials to more than 16 states in the last one year.

    Also uncovered by the Presidency, is an alleged plot by some people to instigate   Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) to stage a phony protest to the National Assembly against the NEMA board.

    The House of Representatives Committee on Emergency and Disaster Preparedness is currently investigating the activities of NEMA since 2017.

    The committee is probing  the disbursement of the following by the agency : N5.9 billion food intervention in the  North East; N3.1 billion food intervention in the  North East; N1.6 billion for Libya returnees; N1.5 billion for flood intervention in 16 states; alleged N400million demurrage incurred on 6,779 metric tons of rice donated by China ; N800 million demurrage on donated rice by China and unaccounted N10 billion released from Ecological funds.

    The committee is already on the war path with the Osinbajo-led NEMA board over the suspension of six directors of NEMA for alleged fraud.

    The directors were allegedly indicted and recommended for suspension by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

    Suspended are  Director of Finance and Accounts, Akinbola Hakeem Gbolahan; Ag. Director, Special Duties, Mr. Umesi Emenike;  Director, Risk Reduction, Mallam Alhassan Nuhu; Pilot in-charge Air Ambulance and Aviation Unit, Mr. Mamman Ali Ibrahim; the Chief Maintenance Officer, Mr. Ganiyu Yunusa Deji; and the Director of Welfare, Mr. Kanar Mohammed.

    While the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs. Winifred Oyo-Ita claimed that the suspension of the six directors by the NEMA board was in order, the Director-General of NEMA, Mustapha Maihaja said that N1.5 billion suspicious contracts were awarded by the former Director-General, before his own assumption of duty.

    The Nation gathered that N1.1billion contracts were awarded between January 1 and March 31, 2017 whereas Maihaja assumed office on April 21, 2017.

    The DG said that “Presidency made sure that all contracts in respect of other votes were approved by the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP).

    The presidency believes the ongoing probe is aimed at rubbishing the Vice President who was summoned last week.

    A highly placed source said yesterday that a state governor is ‘coordinating’ the plot against Osinbajo.

    “The forces against the Osinbajo-led board are being coordinated by a governor whose interest is to rubbish the VP ahead of 2019 poll,” the source said.

    “The governor was uncomfortable with the composition of NEMA board and he felt one or two members, allegedly opposed to him, should not be on board.

    “Osinbajo has however refused to bow to pressure from the governor to drop the affected NEMA members.

    “The same governor, who was said to have had some issues with the presidency in the past few months, had been allegedly working against President Muhammadu Buhari’s re-election.

    “Their plot is to use NEMA as a spring board for the attack against top presidency officials especially the Vice President.  They want to rubbish the President and his VP to prove that the Buhari administration is not transparent.

    “I think everything boils down to the countdown to 2019 poll and some people are out to fight dirty.”

    The source said that the Presidency was the approving authority for  all releases and expenditures of NEMA before the inauguration of NEMA Board about three weeks ago.

    “So, if the House is investigating NEMA activities, their target is Osinbajo,” the source said.

    “Initially, they claimed that NEMA mismanaged the 6,779 metric tons of rice donated by the Chinese government without knowing that the offer was accepted by the Ministry of Budget and National Planning and when the ministry had no votes to clear the rice, it transferred the cost of the demurrage to NEMA.

    “The responsibility was passed over to NEMA on August 14, 2017 and it only received the original documents in December 4, 2017 and Jan. 2018.

    “The ongoing cleansing of NEMA of bad eggs and sleaze was said to have affected some forces including top officials of the agency, contractors, some lawmakers and others benefitting from the status quo.

    “Unknown to them the presidency is determined to get to the roots of the N2.5billion fraud in NEMA.”

    It was also gathered that security agencies have stumbled on plans by some anti-Buhari forces to deploy IDPs to stage a protest against NEMA and its leadership.

    “They have paid some agents that will coordinate the protest in Abuja. But the Federal Government is probing those behind this protest,” the source said.

    At its sitting on Thursday, Ali Isa said: “”We have no other interest; we have no business with any agency

  • Arise: I am not desperate to be governor

    Senator Ayo Arise, another All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship aspirant, in this interview with TONY AKOWE speaks on his party’s chances in the July 14 election.

    You are one of the numerous aspirants jostling for the APC ticket. What distinquishes you from other contestants?

    I have been in this race to be governor of Ekiti State since 2005. I ran in 2007 alongside Kayode Fayemi, the former governor who is now a Minister and also an aspirant in this race. So, I am not one of those who just woke up overnight and say he wants to be governor. I have the passion for my people. It is my intention to ensure that we develop the manpower in Ekiti, develop our state and cities and the rural farming communities. We will bring innovation to governance and I believe that I am probably one of the most qualified to deliver on such promise. I have been resident in America since 1988. I went to school and had my masters’ degree from there. I schooled in Alabama which is more of an agrarian state. I know what the people are doing through their farms like the production of wheat and many more. It is the industries that are attached to those farming products that actually made the state one of the southern states that is able to actually stand on their own. Of course, you know that most states in America are viable because of the industries and because they are focused. Whatever accrues to the state is spent to develop it. I believe that whatever little resources we have in Ekiti can be well managed for the benefit of the people. I believe that I will do better than most of the aspirants on the field today.

    What exactly you are bringing on the table to turn the tide in Ekiti?

    I will focus immediately on agriculture by encouraging the youth to go into farming. When they go into farming, I intend to put them on a salary until their farms begin to produce enough to support their families. I intend to put them on a minimum wage which of course will not be the current minimum wage. I am looking at an amount of about N30,000 to N35, 000 per month. I will also provide them with land and tools to encourage mechanized farming and ensure that they grow edible crops like cassava, rice and many others. We use to have what we called the egbima rice, which is what they now call ofada rice. There is nothing wrong in capitalizing on that heritage and building some processing plants. I will talk to the Minister of Agriculture. There are a quite a number of projects that the Ministry of Agriculture and the Central Bank are backing which need to be tapped and used for the benefit of the people of our state. It depends on your ability to be involved and gather those that are able to assist you. I will cry to them that my state is poor and need a turn around. Several examples abound right now, even under this APC government. You see what the governor of Kebbi has done with the Lake rice. So, we don’t have to reinvent the will that much because we have seen people doing this thing successfully. We will practice it and ensure that our people benefit from it. From agriculture, we can look at those agro allied industries. Apart from the processing of rice, we can begin to convert cassava to the production of ethanol, we can also use corn for the production of ethanol and the bye products can be used to generate power which will serve the state and beyond. These are thing that you must understand. They are things that I have worked on and I know that they will work especially through public private partnership. We will not say that government should set up these factories. But the government will provide the enabling environment and call the corporate people to do it, especially those who are interested in investing in agriculture. The government will put in some support base, probably in terms of land and provision of some utilities. Even if we say we want to grow our IGR and move away from being described as a very poor state to a middle level state in terms of revenue generation, we must empower the people. We must have what we called the buy power. If you don’t have the buying power, business will not thrive in that state. So, when we develop the agro allied industries, coupled with the people who will be going to the farm. If our youths produced more than what the factories can consume, the government will stay back and be the buyer of the last resort. Government will buy what they produce to ensure that they make profit, and in doing that, we can also move into producing some little farm implements. Some of these things are already there and we will begin to practicalise them. I don’t believe in over promising. But I am looking at that sector and I know that we can do very well there.

    Governor Fayose has endorsed his deputy for the jpb. Do you think Ekiti deserve another Four years of the Fayose legacy?

    The truth is that unless the APC imposes a candidate on Ekiti people, there is no way the Fayose administration can remain in power. That is not possible. I know the young man that he has put up. He is a fine gentleman, but if he gets into that seat, he will continue to be subservient to Fayose. If Fayose asks him to go and bring all the money in the treasury, he would not say no. So, we cannot allow that to happen. I have repeatedly told Fayose that he will not succeed himself in Ekiti. He has been very fortunate to serve two terms in Ekiti. No one else has enjoyed this privilege. Ekiti people are wired differently, and if we have a free and fair election, there would be no problem. But if there is a manipulation of that process, people will go and vote for that guy. That is what we are reading from the minds of the people on the street, including APC supporters. It is a dangerous game and I have been shouting about it. But I am sure that there will be a free and fair election in Ekiti, even if there is none in other places.

  • Cost of Buhari’s London treatment: CBN, governor know fate June 5

    AN Abuja Federal High Court has fixed June 5 for judgment in a suit seeking to compel the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and its Governor, Godwin Emefiele, to provide information on the amount the country spent on President Muhammadu Buhari’s treatment in London last year.

    Justice John Tsoho chose the date yesterday after parties adopted their final written addresses and made their final submissions.

    Chukwuwike Okafor, counsel for the applicant, the Incorporated Trustees of Advocacy for Societal Rights Advancement and Development Initiative (ASRADI), urged the court to discountenance the respondents’ argument and grant his client’s reliefs.

    Babafemi Durojaiye, counsel for CBN and its governor – the first and second respondents – prayed the court to dismiss the suit.

    He argued, among others, that the applicant’s grievance was misdirected.

    ASRADI had filed the suit last year following the alleged failure of the CBN and its governor to respond to a Freedom of Information request on what the bank released for the payment of Buhari’s treatment in London.

    The group stated that the apex bank and Emefiele refused to honour its Freedom of Information request contained in a letter dated October 19, 2017, for information on the amount released for Buhari’s medical treatment in London and the amount paid on behalf of the Federal Government as parking fees for keeping the presidential aircraft and crew in the UK while the President’s treatment lasted.

    The group wants the court to declare that the failure of the respondents to provide it with information it sought through “amounts to a wrongful denial of information and is a flagrant violation of the provisions of the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act 2011”.

    The applicant hinged its prayers on the ground, being a civil society organisation, that advocates for public interest issues and engages in anti-corruption and other related campaigns, was entitled to the information sought under the FOI Act.

     

     

     

     

     

  • A governor and his controversies

    NEW occupants of offices are usually said to hit the ground running. For Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State, however, it has been more of hitting the ground fighting, given the controversies that have dogged his administration since he assumed office in 2016. Not a few people would adduce the development to his ruling style, which more often results in negative perception of his administration by followers of events in the Confluence State.

    From the beginning of his administration, Bello, whose admirers fondly refer to as  the ‘white lion,’  has been embroiled in a dark struggle to assert himself.

    Having inherited votes won by the party’s flag bearer, the late Prince Abubakar Audu, at the November 21, 2016 state governorship poll, Bello faced an uphill task of taking control of the state’s political machinery.

    Measures taken by him to establish his leadership, however, incited the ire of political associates, resulting in an unending war of attrition in the state.

    Notwithstanding the challenges before him, Bello surged frontally, taking the battle for the control of Kogi’s political machinery; through his New Direction policy agenda and other measures, including his political chess battle at the Kogi’s House of Assembly, which saw no less than two speakers replaced, Bello has been in the news for controversial reasons. Other contentious actions taken by him include the prolonged staff verification exercise and his tiff with organised labour in the state.

    His lingering war of words and supremacy with Senator Dino Melaye, however, assumes more sordid manifestations, even as his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), battles internal crisis in the state. Bello’s alleged non-recognition of the Haddi Ametuo-led APC exco and formation of a parallel one reportedly aggravated the acrimonious tussle within the party. It alienated the ruling party into rival factions. It would be recalled that Ametuo claimed that the governor got his mandate through the grace of God after the demise of Abubakar Audu, the candidate of the party, who was already coasting to victory before his sudden death. Ametuo reportedly contended that all the party members who worked and spent their resources during the election were sidelined by the governor. He alleged that most of the appointments made by Bello’s government were done by his Chief of Staff, Edward Onoja.

    “This governor appointed over 200 aides – from commissioners to SSAs and out of the 286, only 43 are original APC members. You can imagine that the rest are PDP. That is the crux of the matter. Over 80 percent of those in Bello’s cabinet are a mixture of the PDP and non-party members. It cannot be sustainable for APC’s continuity in 2019,” said Ametuo. In the wake of the impasse, the parallel APC faction loyal to Bello scornfully referred to the Ametuo group as the Diaspora APC, because they allegedly took a wide berth from the state. Other controversial actions of Bello include his rationalization and layoff of over 150 lecturers at the state-owned university and proscription of unionism in all tertiary institutions in the state. The governor also incited criticism and bitter opposition to his ceding of land for cattle ranching.

    His controversial proposal to sell Kogi properties, volte-face on dissolution of state and LG excos, among others, provoked widespread dissent to his administration. Speaking with The Nation, a retired local government employee said from his base in Idah, that workers there were paid 25 percent of their salary. “I can tell you authoritatively that the workers got 25 percent for their February salary”, he said. Amidst outcry from various interest groups, Bello was the first to embrace the Federal Government’s cattle colony initiative. The governor allegedly said, in response to critics, at a stakeholders’ meeting with the people of Kogi Central: “People cannot offer us reconciliation with one hand and try to stab us in the back when we embrace them. “It does not matter to them that Kogi State belongs to all of us.

    Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred,” he said, adding that the fortunate aspect was that the antagonism “merely gives his government more reasons to work harder in order to prove them wrong.” The governor is certainly not a stranger to theatrics; few hours after he announced the retirement of his political advisers and dissolution of executive councils at the state and local government levels, Bello rescinded his decision thus enacting the fastest policy somersault or cold feet. As at the time of filing this report, the governor is grappling with a sprained ankle following an accident during a recent function in Lokoja, the state capital. Bello subsequently appeared in crutches at the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting in Abuja, in the wake of the mishap.

  • Ojo declares for governor

    AN Ekiti State All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain Mr. Kayode Ojo, has informed party executives of his ambition to contest for .

    The aspirant, who hails from Ikoro-Ekiti, Ekiti Central Senatorial District, said he has not  stepped down for any contender, adding that his agenda focuses on agriculture, health, education, infrastructure and human capital development.

    He said his administration would ensure  capacity development and entrepreneurial skills of the youth.

    Ojo noted that the gap in the political space was staggering.

    The politician also informed the party leaders that he would work hard to shore up the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), to make the state depend less on federal allocation.

    Ojo added: “With support, we will bring our experience and expertise to bear in the development of our fatherland.

    “It is our duty to salvage our state from the current peril imposed on us by the present administration in the state.”

    Responding, the state APC Deputy chairman Kemisola Olaleye, said Ojo’s record will speak for him as the primary election approaches.

    She described Ojo as a loyal party man who has assisted the party financially in the past promising that a credible primary would be organised to elect a candidate.

     

  • Senator, residents hail governor

    Lagos State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode got a pat on the back yesterday for fixing 21 roads in Alimoso Local Government Area.

    Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola (Lagos West District), led other residents to hail the governor for lifting the economic status of their domain with the network of roads.

    Speaking at the inauguration of Aiyetoro Bridge, Senator Adeola noted that the governor had surpassed the expectations of Lagosians, noting that many residents who relocated from the area years ago, have been returning to the axis due to the massive infrastructural renewal by the Akinwunmi-led administration.

    He said: “Your Excellency, we are assuring you of giving you one million votes in the coming election from Alimosho alone because if we should look at it during this your administration, Alimosho uses to be one of the great beneficiary.

    “Alimosho local government uses to be one of the biggest beneficiaries. Today alone, 21 roads, with two bridges are being opened. We have commissioned many in the past. One of the longest bridges after the Third Mainland was also commissioned in this Alimosho Local Government Area last year.

    “You know Alimosho used to be called Tinubu Home Country. But now, it is Ambode’s destination abode. We are taken aback and marvelled with the level of work you have done in our local local government.”

    A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ayobo Ipaja Local Council Development Area, Ladi Oluwaloni Olo, hailed the governor for opening the area to prosperity.

    “This is an unprecedented feat that will be commended by unborn generation,”Olo told reporters after the opening of the roads.

    He said the roads would boost business activities at the boundary communities between Lagos and Ogun states.

    The party chieftain said besides ending traffic jams and damages to cars, the roads would be increase commercial activities in the area, concluding that “this will translate to prosperity”.

    Olo, a chartered accountant, said Ambode had fulfilled the promise he made last year when he inaugurated roads in the Alimoso, by building more roads, thus opening up the area.

    He said: “The governor’s action has shown that he is a leader who fulfils his promises. The only way we can pay him back is to support his administration by paying our taxes.

    “If we do so, we will encourage him to deliver more dividends of democracy to us in Alimoso and by extension Lagos State.”

  • Governor, minister bicker over naming of street after Buhari

    Plateau State Governor Simon Lalong has expressed disappointment about the comments credited to the Minister of Youths and Sports, Solomon Dalung, on the renaming of Jos-Maraba Jamaa road as Muhammadu Buhari road.

    The comments were made during the two-day visit of the President to the state last week.

    A statement yesterday in Jos by the Senior Special Assistant to Governor Lalong on Media and Publicity said the governor considered the statement as uncomplimentary, as the minister opposed the naming of a federal road after President Buhari.

    The statement said: “Dalung falsely claimed that it was the Yakubu Gowon Way, Jos, which stretches from the Plateau State Specialist Hospital roundabout, terminating at TAEN OIL junction on the Jos-Bukuru Expressway that was renamed the new Muhammadu Buhari Way.

    “On the contrary, the new Muhammadu Buhari Way actually starts from TAEN OIL junction and terminates at Mararaban Jema’a roundabout on the way to Yakubu Gowon Airport, Heipang.

    “Dalung took to his Facebook wall on March 12 to disparage Governor Lalong for honouring Buhari, thus stirring the hornets’ nest and precipitating controversy by lying that it was the road named after Gowon, a Plateau State indigene that has been renamed after Buhari!

    “Last Friday when the President was inaugurating 400 tractors for Plateau State Tractor Borrowing Scheme, Dalung was absent. He, instead, ‘smuggled his way’ to a radio station in Jos at the same time, castigating the governor and disparaging the presidential visit.”

    The statement accused the minister of nursing political ambition in 2019 and chose to antagonise the incumbent governor, to gain relevance.

    But the minister said: “I am not opposed to Lalong’s second tenure because it will be determined by the people, but I will not fail in my responsibility as a social critic to speak the truth, which is my trademark because I am involved. I’m a founding member of All Progressives Congress (APC), but I will not condone injustice, which was the basis of change. I opposed Dariye and Jang. If I will be silent now, it means I am a hypocrite.

    “I still insist that the blunder committed by Governor Lalong during the President’s visit was the renaming of Yakubu Gowon way to Muhammadu Buhari way. To say the least, it is embarrassing. Gowon was the President’s boss. How can he be stripped of a 40-year-old privilege and honour in his home state? This is the worst thing that can happen to a man like the elder statesman. I believe General Gowon is feeling betrayed and abandoned by his people.

    “This is a political decision by Lalong desperately taken to secure 2019 ambition, but not the decision of Plateau people. We condemn this act with all sense of love for Yakubu Gowon as a father, while advising Governor Lalong to rescind this unpatriotic decision and publicly apologise to Yakubu Gowon and the President for embarrassing them. If the visit of the president was intended to secure 2019 for Lalong, it has exposed his ambition to risk and multiply his opponents. While re-election is the primary concern of Governor Lalong, fighting, killing and maiming of innocent people continue unabated. No doubt, Plateau is under siege. History is on the verge of repeating itself. We must rise against injustice or else we will all be consumed.”

  • Yobe governor ‘okay with Fed Govt’s response’

    Yobe governor ‘okay with Fed Govt’s response’

    Yobe State Governor Ibrahim Gaidam is pleased with the plans being put in place to bring back the abducted Government Girls Science and Technical School, Dapchi, students.

    He urged the Federal Government to intensify aerial survelliance to rescue the girls and enhance security in the state.

    Gaidam spoke when he received the Presidential Committee on the circumstances surrounding the abduction of the 110 students.

    He praised the Buhari Administration for its committed zeal in fighting insurgency in the Northeast.

    He said the visit by four delegations sent by the Federal Government underscored its commitment to rescuing the schoolgirls.

    The governor also commended the Army for acting with dispatch and realigning the check points in Ngelzarma and Damagum to strengthening security.

    “I am optimistic that with the kind of inspiring concern exhibited by the Federal Government, other patriotic Nigerians and, indeed, the international community, we will intensify our efforts until all the girls are found.”

    He added: “Our hopes are raised and we remain in high spirits that right steps and strategies are continuously being put in place to ensure that the missing school girls are returned to their parents in good health

    ”During our interaction, I requested for the deployment of soldiers to Dapchi due to the fact that it is the headquarters of a frontline local government in which a girls’ boarding school with an enrollment figure of about 1000 girls is located.

    “I am glad to note that the Nigerian Army has acted with dispatch on that request by deploying soldiers to Dapchi. I have also noted that some army checkpoints, like those in Ngelzarma and Damaturu, have also be realigned in order to respond to any security threat to schools at various locations in the state.”

    The chairman of the committee, Vice Admiral Victor Adedipe, told the governor of their mission, stressing that the committee was expected to meet with various stakeholders to unravel the circumstances that led to the abduction of the girls.

    Vice Admiral Adedipe said, among other things, that they are expected to get the exact number of the girls abducted, measures to locate and rescue the girls as well as any other information which can lead to the resolution of the crisis.

    National Security Adviser (NSA) Babagana Monguno raised the 12-man committee. Other members are: representative of the   Army, Navy and Air Force; representatives of National Intelligence Agency, NIA; Defence Intelligence Agency, DIA; Nigeria Police Force, NPF; Department of State Services, DSS; Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC; two representatives of Yobe State Government and a representative of the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA).

    The panel is expected to submit its report on March 15.

  • Buhari, Tinubu, governors, others to grace Ganduje’s daughter’s wedding in Kano today

    Buhari, Tinubu, governors, others to grace Ganduje’s daughter’s wedding in Kano today

    The ancient city of Kano was yesterday agog ahead of today’s wedding between the daughter of the Kano State  Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, Fatima (Baby) and the son of Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State, Idris.

    President Muhammadu Buhari, National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, governors and other top dignitaries are expected to witness the grand ceremony today.

    Others who are expected to grace the occasion include  Senate President, Bukola Ssaraki; Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Dogora, other principal officers and members of the National Assembly.

    Also a number of ministers, diplomatic corps, technocrats, captains of industries and top aides of President Buhari are also expected to witness the marriage ceremony, described by many as the marriage of the year.

    On Friday, wife of the Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Oludolapo,   arrived with over 15 First Ladies of various states in preparation for the D-Day.

    Over 20 governors are also expected to be in Kano for the marriage ceremony.

    The wedding Fatiha will hold in Kano Central Mosque, beside the Palace of the Emir of Kano, His Highness, Malam Muhammad Sanusi 11.

    As at the time of filling in this report, Kano State Government House has already wore celebration mood with different colours depicting Hausa-Fulani and Yoruba tradition.

    Security agencies are already on ground to provide adequate security for the event.

    Speaking on security arrangement, the state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Rabiu Yusuf said all necessary arrangements had been put in place to ensure a hitch-free marriage ceremony.

    “As you can see, we are all busy. Dignitaries have already started arriving at the airport. We have deployed our men to strategic positions. Everywhere is calm and there is no cause for alarm.

    The Nation recalls that over 11 governors stormed Kano on November 10, 2017 and witnessed the marriage introduction of the couple.