The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Kano State Governor

  • Kano to take delivery of N250m fertiliser plant in two weeks

    Kano to take delivery of N250m fertiliser plant in two weeks

    •  State Assembly orders N5b worth of fertiliser distribution

    The Kano State Governor, ‎Abdullahi Ganduje has said the state will take delivery of an integrated fertiliser blending plant in two weeks.

    Ganduje disclosed this on Tuesday during the inspection of the Presidential ‎Fertiliser Initiative (PFI) at the Kano State Agricultural Supply Company (KASCO), Kano.
    The Governor said the initiative has reduced corruption in the system, created about 200 jobs and encouraged farmers to increase their productivity.
    “In this programme, the price is stable and is much better. Farmers already know the price. So the initiative is a good one and as a result, we are expecting a new line in the next two weeks.
    “The issue of subsidy was what killed fertiliser production in Nigeria. You sit down in the house instead of going to the farm,” he said. ‎
    Kano-Gov-Ganduje
    Governor Ganduje

    Earlier, President of Fertiliser Producer and Suppliers Association of Nigeria, Mr Thomas Etuh said KASCO was selected among the fertiliser blending company due to their capacity. 

    He disclosed that KASCO got about N20 billion worth of goods for the production of the input and are expected to make a return of N2 billion in six months.
    He discarded concerns that the fertiliser may be adulterated, adding that there are mechanisms, such as the whistle-blower line that afford farmers opportunity to call a relevant agency in case of any sharp practices.
    Differentiating between the ‎Growth Enhancement Support (GES) scheme and the presidential initiative, Etuh explained that while farmers can buy as much as the possible quantity of fertilisers, the GES scheme limited farmers to only two bags.
    In his remarks, KASCO Managing Director, Bala Inuwa said the facility was set up in 1981 by the World Bank ‎to blend fertiliser for the farmers and agro-dealers.
    He explained that the presidential initiative has created more jobs and raw materials for ‎the fertiliser processing plant. 
    According to him, the firm currently engages about 600 staffs, who are running on three shifts‎, adding that both off-takers and farmers are excited with the initiative.
    Inuwa, who lamented that prior to the programme, the firm was unable to meet up with farmers, demand ‎revealed that the State Assembly had ordered procurement of about 50, 000 Metric Tonnes of the input to be distributed to farmers.
    He said the state lawmakers instructed the ministry to release N5 billion for the implementation.
    ‎”In Kano state, we have about 44 local governments and there are 60 shops ready to sell the commodity. We load about 60 trailers daily and we are serious about improving our capacity,” he added.
    [news_box style=”2″ display=”category” link_target=”_blank” category=”69″ count=”8″ show_more=”on” show_more_type=”link”]
  • Free, fair election in Rivers abnormal, says Ganduje

    Free, fair election in Rivers abnormal, says Ganduje

    …Wike: Rivers elections normal

    Kano State Governor and Chairman of Rivers’ All Progressives Congress (APC) Rerun election Campaign Committee, Abdullahi Ganduje on Friday said that it will be easy for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than to have free and fair elections in Rivers State and the southern part of the country.

    The rerun election in Rivers State is billed for December 10th.

    Ganduje, however said that everything will be done to change the trend and have free and fair elections in the state.

    He spoke with State House correspondents after meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    He said: “We are prepared, we just came out of the Ondo elections, we have fresh ideas even though both environments are different but we have our own strategies. Like in Ondo state we must ensure we have free and fair elections.

    “You know in that part of the country having free and fair elections is not normal and we have to make it normal this time. We must ensure that they is security so that people will come out and vote that’s our main preoccupation at the moment. We are making wider consultations with stakeholders and we believe we will succeed,” he said.

    He said he was at the Villa to brief the President on the security situation in Kano, especially the fallout from the north western part of the country where some Boko Haram members and Kidnappers try to dominate the forest.

    He said: “They came back from Sambisa forest so that they can be operating from another part of the north western part of the country. So the security agencies are working very hard. A lot of arrest have been made and investigation is going on.

    “We won’t allow them to dominate Kano and make it as a launching pad, since the cosmopolitan city of Kano is an attractive place for such elements to come in. The security agencies have apprehended about three or four of them,” he stated.

    According to him, the President is happy with the situation in the state.

    On economic summit between Lagos and Kano, he said: “We appointed a technical committee. It is working on that, we are examining the business relationship between Lagos and Kano, we take advantage each state is having and we will invite Mr President to the summit.

    “The summit will hold in Kano. The governor of Lagos State has agreed it should hold in Kano. There are similarities between Lagos and Kano, both are mega cities. Lagos is the largest commercial city in Nigeria while Kano is the largest commercial city in the north.

    “We are both cosmopolitan and our developmental challenges are the same in terms of providing social amenities, security, urbanization. There is a need to look inward now that money is going down so we need to take comparative advantage of both states.

    “We have farmers and lot of agriculture production and Lagos have consumers and they also process and they have higher industries than Kano. This is the kind of relationship we can develop, and we believe it will work.”

    Reacting to the claim that having free and fair elections in Rivers is abnormal, the state governor, Nyesom Wike said elections in the state have been normal.

    “It is unfortunate if he said so. As far as I am concerned, elections have been normal in my part of the country. All we are asking for is free and fair election.

    “Is Governor Ganduje speaking on behalf of INEC? Is he the one conducting the elections now? He queried

    He added: “I have respect for him as an elderly person but his statement is unfortunate.

    “When his friend won the governorship election in Rivers State, the election was normal. The election was also normal in Edo State where his party won.

    “We are waiting for him to come and perform the magic he did in Kano State,” he stated.

  • We’ll reposition NIS to world standard – Dambazau

    We’ll reposition NIS to world standard – Dambazau

    The Minister of Interior, Abdulrahman Dambazau, says the Federal Government is determined ‎to reposition the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) to enable it compete favourably with its global counterparts.

    Danbazau said this at the opening of 2016 Nigeria Immigration Service Retreat in Kano on Thursday.

    He said that modern migration was a major area of focus in reforming operations of the ministry and NIS‎ in view of associated socio-economic and security challenges.

    He urged the participants at the retreat to come up with a way to resolve the issue of passport, visa and border security in the country.

    The minister also advised them to concentrate on the three main focus of the Federal Government of economy, corruption and security.

    Earlier, Mr Muhammad Babandede, Comptroller-General of Nigeria Immigration Service, had assured that he would reposition the service for greater efficiency in line with international best practices.

    Babandede said that welfare and training of officers and men of the service would be pursued, stressing that the measure would go a long way in enhancing their performance.

    “Seamless service delivery can only be successfully implemented through a well-trained and motivated workforce,” he said.

    While promising to be more proactive in addressing issues that affect the NIS, he told the participants that ‎the retreat was aimed at better performance.

    Babandede assured Nigerians that the service would continue to strive to provide timely world-class services and enabling environment for its customers.

    According to News Agency of Nigeria {NAN}, Kano state governor, Alhaji Abdullahi Ganduje, in his remarks commended the Federal Government for creating a platform to reposition the service.

    He urged the participants to use the forum to reposition the service for effective service delivery and to attract Foreign Direct Investment (FDI).

  • Ganduje launches empowerment programme for orphans

    Ganduje launches empowerment programme for orphans

    Kano state governor, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje has launched a special empowerment programme for 520 orphans from across the 44 local government areas of the state.

    Under the programme, 20 orphans each from the eight metropolitan local governments were given N20, 000 cash, while 10 orphans each were from the remaining 36 local government areas were given the same amount.

    Addressing the beneficiaries yesterday in Kano, the governor said his administration is committed to promoting the welfare of less privileged children.

    Governor Ganduje stated that the state fostering law was amended to facilitate improvement of the lives and security of adopted orphans stressing that taking care of orphans is not only a social obligation but also a religious duty.

    “Like every other child, they have a right to decent living and education so that they can contribute meaningfully to nation building”, the governor stated, adding that children are the greatest assets of nation building.

    He, therefore, appealed to wealthy people in the society to support the education of orphans as well as to encourage them to be creative so that they can eventually become active contributors to the national economy.

    The governor called on foster parents and guardians to treat the orphans under their care properly and to make sure that the children acquired sound moral values that would transform them into responsible citizens.

    Governor Ganduje also used the occasion to flag-off the “Buy made in Kano Products” campaign and the launch of Kano Sate Commerce Week, anchored by the state Ministry of Commerce.

  • Photo: Ambode at the National Economic Council

     

    Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, with Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu; Kano State Governor, Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje; his Ogun and Plateau States counterparts, Sen. Ibikunle Amosun and Barr. Simon Lalong during the National Economic Council (NEC) meeting in Abuja, on Thursday.
    Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, with Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu; Kano State Governor, Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje; his Ogun and Plateau States counterparts, Sen. Ibikunle Amosun and Barr. Simon Lalong during the National Economic Council (NEC) meeting in Abuja, on Thursday.

     

    Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, discussing with Governors of Kebbi, Ogun and Gombe States, Alhaji Atiku Bagudu; Sen. Ibikunle Amosun and Alhaji Ibrahim Dankwambo during the National Economic Council (NEC) meeting in Abuja, on Thursday.
    Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, discussing with Governors of Kebbi, Ogun and Gombe States, Alhaji Atiku Bagudu; Sen. Ibikunle Amosun and Alhaji Ibrahim Dankwambo during the National Economic Council (NEC) meeting in Abuja, on Thursday.