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Tag: Kano

  • Sambisa victory: Lagos, Kano legislatures laud Buhari

    Sambisa victory: Lagos, Kano legislatures laud Buhari

    The Lagos State House of Assembly has hailed President Muhammadu Buhari and the military for sacking Boko Haram insurgents from Sambisa forest.

    Chairman, Committee on Information and Strategy, Tunde Braimoh (Kosofe II), who addressed correspondents in his office in Alausa, said the fall of Sambisa forest re-established the essence of government, which is to protect life and property.

    “The President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Muhammadu Buhari, continue to manifest utter pragmatism in face of daunting challenges.

    “The President is systematically, consistently and steadily pursuing his policies and programmes with no room for cosmetism, grandstanding, self-aggrandisement or self-adulation.

    “Security of lives and properties is the most basic function of any good government and a government that fails in this fails in all. With this feat, the Federal Government has re-established the essence of governance in Nigeria,” he said.

    According to Braimoh, the fall of Sambisa is a major step in regaining security of life and property in the country, saying the fall implies that total victory over the insurgents is imminent.

    Braimoh said peace would enhance socio-economic activities in the area and aid foreign investments.

    He urged the President and the military not to rest until the insurgents were completely rooted out.

    In the same vein, the Kano State House of Assembly praised President Muhammadu Buhari and the military for the victory.

    The House made the observation yesterday at plenary. It said every patriotic Nigerian must share in the joy.

    Kabiru Rurum, the Speaker, noted that the success was not only for people of Northeast, but the country.

    He attributed the success to the President’s resolve and doggedness of the military in meeting the promise to Nigerians to secure the country.

    “The success recorded by the military is as a result of the efforts of the President. Therefore, he deserves praises from all angles,” he said.

  • Kano suspends director, nine others over fraud

    The Kano state government has suspended a Director in the ministry of Finance and 9 staff of the Ministry of Local government over alleged diversion of millions of Naira meant for payment of salaries.

    This is contained in a statement signed by the state Head of Service, Alhaji Muhammad Na’iya and made available to newsmen in Kano on Tuesday.

    The statement further revealed that the nine local government employees were scheduled officers under the platform of REMITA.

    According to the report, the government has handed over four employees of the Kano State Pension Funds Trustee, including two top members of Kano Pension Union to police authorities for investigation. .

    The four persons, whose case files had been handed over to the state Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission for investigation, were accused of connivance to siphon public funds.

    Further more, the statement expressed the state Governor ‘s concern over the salary scam, warning that “any violation of due prcess, contravening the government’s quest against corruption would not go unpunished.”

    It added that the state government would deploy the necessary machinery to recover all the diverted funds.(NAN)

  • Takeaways from Kano APC retreat

    The recently held Sokoto retreat of the Kano chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) was unique in so many ways. Unlike previous retreats which was the exclusive preserve of top technocrats and government officials in the state, this particular one was all inclusive as it accommodated grassroots politicians from across board.

    The retreat which was the first of its kind which took place at Giginya Coral Hotel, Sokoto from October 27-29, was attended by over 600 party officials across the 44 local councils of Kano State.

    Among dignitaries in attendance were  Kano State governor, Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, his Sokoto State counterpart, Alhaji Aminu Waziri Tambuwal who hosted the historic event, the national chairman of the party, Chief John Odigie- Oyegun as well as the party executive members from Kano state led by its Chairman Alhaji Abdullahi Abbas,

    The Kano State deputy governor, Professor Hafiz Abubakar, members of the Kano State and National Assembly as well as other party officials from the ward, Local Government and the state levels were also on ground to grace the retreat aimed at institutionalising capacity-building through effective management of party administration.

    Other party dignitaries who graced the event were the vice chairman North-west, the vice chairman South-south, Prince Hillard Eta, Alh. Kawu Sumaila, the Senior Special Adviser to President on National Assembly Matters, the National Organizing Secretary of the party, Mr Osita Izunaso, the National Women leader, Hajia Ramatu Tijjani, and the party Youth Leader, Ibrahim Dasuki Jalo-Waziri among others.

    In all, a total of twelve (12) papers were presented by reputable academics and prominent APC party leaders. Their presentations covered areas such as party leadership, the role of political party in policy making, duties and responsibilities of party officials, internal and external party communication networks, and political party financing, political party leadership in economic recession and the role of political party in balancing between policies and aspirations of the electorate.

    After exposing participants to the art of modern political party management skills, they were resolute on the need to depart from the past way of doing things with the resolve to privately finance the construction of the proposed Kano APC State Secretariat complex building through the party’s Board of Trustees (BOT).

    One of the most telling aspect of the event was the remarks by Odigie-Oyegun who expressed his deep gratitude to the state chapter of the party for the noble initiative even as he called on party officials at all levels to support the policies of the federal government and abide by the constitution of the party.

    A much more striking lesson from the retreat came from its convener, His Excellency Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, who stated in unambiguous terms the need to bring the diverse party officials of the APC and its various organs together to reflect on the activities of the party with a view to developing the skills of participants in the management of the affairs of the party.

    For Ganduje, an exponent of internal democracy, it will be disgraceful and unacceptable for party officials to keep running cap in hand to collect handouts to be able to move around the country to make ends meet.

    At the end of the two days event, decisions were taken that could impact positively on the party, Kano State and Nigeria as a whole.

    Participants were unanimous in their support for President Buhari’s resolve to tackle the problems of insecurity, corruption and the economic downturn besetting the polity just as they overwhelmingly passed a vote of confidence on Ganduje as the leader of the party and reiterated their confidence on the existing party leadership under Alhaji Abdullahi Abbas.

    A huge takeaway from the retreat was the resolve to prevent abuse of executive, legislative and public offices through greater accountability, transparency in the scheme of affairs in the corridors of power.

    In the Kano chapter of the party just like in other states of the federation, there are bound to be disagreements within the ranks of the party and participants were conscious of that fact during the retreat. This was why the members hammered on the need by party officials to always maintain harmonious relationship with the government in the state to continue to be responsive to popular demands.

    Conscious of the need to sustain the 100 percentiles winning streak of the party in Kano, the participants also stressed that political party discipline should be kept at the high and lowest levels of the party’s structure in order to promote unity and preserve loyalty among its members, aside the fact that party officials at all levels should be familiar with the party’s constitution and comply with its provisions in their conduct of party activities.

    The retreat observed the need to increase the capacity of political party officials to meet the challenges of managing political party affairs in a state with high population across the 44 Local Government Areas and 484 wards, maintain a disciplined and cohesive party organization with strict adherence to internal democracy.

    It stressed the need to sensitize members of the APC in the state to adhere to the party’s constitution in their daily affairs, consolidate inclusiveness between the party officials and the chief executive of the state on the one hand, as well as between the party members and their officials on the other hand for the smooth running of the state and party and the need for regular interaction between the government and the people of Kano State.

    In addition, it was resolved that political party officials should foster both horizontal and vertical communication networks among members and party’s organization at various levels to ensure effective internal democracy. It was further resolved that the party should undertake continuous party registration of members, hold regular meetings of the executives with members and keep records of all its activities as well as develop mechanisms of safeguarding its integrity uniqueness, coherence and prudence in its use of resources.

    Participants underscored the role of finance in strengthening the party and resolved to see fund raising as a critical activity in beefing up the resources of the local chapter for effective democracy. Furthermore, it was resolved that the party should pay attention to the development of a strategic plan with clear vision and mission to guide its activities and mobilizational capacities and that the party should maintain its cordial relationship with state and national legislative members .

    The need by the party to understand the role that research, documentation and publication plays as a resource base for party activities was also underscored by participants during the retreat. For better understanding of the work of political party officers, it was agreed that there was the need to translate the  constitution of the APC into Hausa language just as women leaders at all levels of party structure need to be engaged in  the mobilization drive of the party in order to promote women participation and support.

     

    • Yakassai is Director-General, Media and Communications to the Kano State governor.
  • Father of late corps member insists NYSC’s negligence killed daughter  

    Father of late corps member insists NYSC’s negligence killed daughter  

    ….Friends wants Buhari to caution Minister over statement on her death

     

    Olawale Oladepo father of the late corps member, Ifedolapo, who died in Kano Orientation Camp of the National Youth Service Corps, Monday, insisted that his daughter was killed due to negligence of officials of the NYSC.

    A retired sanitation officer, who spoke with reporters in Osogbo, the Osun State capital, expressed gratitude to President Muhammad Buhari for asking for an investigation in to the circumstances that led to the death of his daughter.

    Pledging his cooperation to any panel to investigate his daughter’s death, Oladepo said he had not been informed of proposed autoposy on Ifedolapo.

    He contended that the family would want the panel to listen to the conversations between Dolapo and her sister on a communication network before she died.

    He also commended the Governor of Osun State, Mr. Rauf Aregbesola, members of the National Assembly, members of the Osun State House of Assembly and the media for their interest in the circumstances that led to the death of his daughter.

    Speaking further on the state of health of his daughter before she died, he said:  “Dolapo nursed no ailment before she departed home for Kano at about 6am on Thursday 24th of November and she called at regular intervals along the journey till she got to Kano around 1:00 am the following day. On arrival, she headed straight for the NYSC Orientation Camp with two other friends.

    “I wonder how a person, who participated actively and appeared so radiant in all the pictures she sent home could, according to the medical certificate of the cause of her death issued by Gwazo General Hospital, died of Kidney infection.”

    The father, who gave an account of all the activities of his daughter to the point of death, attributed the death to negligence and lackadaisical attitude of the NYSC, adding that the NYSC should come out with a vivid account of what happened to the late Ifedolapo between 8:00 am on Monday that she reported to the camp clinic and the time she passed on at 4:00 pm the second morning.

    He said: “The death certificate issued by the Gwazo General Hospital, Kano said she had Sepsis that led to kidney infection. I wonder if truly she had kidney infection. Did the camp have proper medical facilities to have kept her, and why taking her to the General Hospital with no facilities to treat such ailments?”

    Meanwhile, late Ifedolapo’s friends have called on President Buhari to caution the Minister of Sports and Youth Development, Comrade Solomon Lalung, against making inflammatory statement that could further aggravate the agony the parents and family members of the deceased.

    They accused the Minister of exonerating the NYSC of culpability in the death of Ifedolapo, alleging that he indicated that the remains of Ifedolapo might be exhumed for autopsy to confirm the cause of the death while in NYSC orientation camp.

    Also, speaking with newsmen in Osogbo shortly after Dolapo’s father’s vivid account of events that led to the death of his daughter, the Coordinator of the group, Mr. Oladele Banji, noted that the statement by the Minister had caused further trauma for the family, especially the mother.

  • Agony: Sister writes late NYSC member who died in Kano

    Agony: Sister writes late NYSC member who died in Kano

    Younger sister of a female National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member, Ifedolapo Oladepo, who recently died in Kano has written an account of the incident leading to her death and the good times they shared.

    Kemi Oladepo in her facebook posting on Friday lamented the alleged negligence that led to the death of the first class Transport Management graduate of the Ladoke Akintola university of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso.

    The full post is reproduced below:

    Death! Why did you come into my household and take my sister away. Ifedolapo mi,when death came knocking at your door,why did you open for him. You left home before I finished my exam.

    I was really in a hurry to finish up and come home to you so we can talk and gist and gossip about everything. You told me you were on your way already and i bid you farewell and i told you to be safe and i told you i love you and you told me back. I was home alone when i heard you had malaria,i called you,i talked to you,i prayed for you, i said I’ll call you back. My other sister Oyeyode Abimbola Inioluwa called me and told me to get dressed that we are going to kano because you were sick and you were transfered to general hospital where they are not attending to youand you needed someone to talk to the officials to release you so you can be taken care of. They said you were lying because you wanted to avoid parade. We left home very late at night all the way to kano state so we could just be with you and make you steady so we can come home together. My sister begged and begged the doctor on duty to refer you to teaching hospital,but they kept saying you’re for the federal government so they’ll have to watch you first before you were refered. They gave you an unknown injection which immediately your body reacted to, they begged for you to be taken to the teaching hospital, the doctors turned off your phone and sent your friends out. You should have held on for us to get there maybe it would have been better. We never had the agreement that you’d leave so early ifedolapo,we grew up together, ate together, fought,played,i would wear your clothes and It won’t fit you still wouldn’t be angry, i would come home from school and on seeing you,i would hug you and carry you up like a child because you were so light and handy. I would come into the room and whack a pillow on your head and you’ll chase me and beat me. Mum will talk or say something funny and you would look at me and we’ll both laugh out at mum. You would makeup for me and I’ll laugh at it and mock you. You would clean my ears for me,you would wash my hair for me,you would clean my nails for me, you would clean our room always and arrange our clothes,i would sleep all day and you will be the one to do the house chores. I would mock you and say your clothes can fit my sister’s five year old daughter and you’ll laugh and abuse me. We would watch film together from the beginning to the end. We would plat cooking fever together, we would go out to shop together, we looked so much alike people mistake us for eachother. When we were told you gave up,i cried and prayed to God it wasn’t you not until we got to the morgue and saw your lifeless body still wearing your white top and short. We shouted and shouted for you to stand up and let’s start going home but you didn’t even move an inch. Who will replace you in my life? Who will take your place in our lives. You are so precious i would do anything for you to wake up. I still didn’t believe it until NYSC brought your dead body down home. We didn’t even get to see your body in the khaki and you were buried in it. Ifedolapo,Amoke mi, NYSC killed you with their negligence and stupid student doctor that knows nothing who gave you the injection, saw how your body reacted to it and turned off your phones. May the wrath of God be upon such people and may they have unending sadness in their lives..forever. Amoke mi,i love you and you’ll forever live on in our hearts. If you want to come back,i would love you to come back as my daughter too. I love you,i love you. The bed feels empty without you. Life feels worthless without you. May God forgive you of all your shortcomings and continue resting in the bossom of the Almighty till we’ll meet to part no more. Adieu ifedolapo Amoke.

  • Kano rejigs land registration, targets N1b

    The Kano State government has kicked off a new process of land registration.

    The initiative, known as the Systemic Land Title Registration (SLTR), is geared towards   seamless collection of certificate of occupancy (C of O).

    Anchored by the Growth and Empowerment in State (GEMS3) office and funded by the Department for International Development (DFID), it involves the demographic data mapping of valuable property.

    The project is expected to generate N1 billion from the issuance of   Cs of O in three councils.

    At a forum for journalists, GEMS3 Media Adviser, Hajia Hadiza Abdullahi, said the SLTR was initiated to simplify the C of O process.

    The new systemic certificate, she  explained, offers alot of economic and investment merits at low-cost charges.

    Abdullahi described the new process as valid, possessing the same authority with the traditional C of O. She said the SLTR has security of tenure, guarantees inheritance right and assured investment opportunity.

    She called on land and property owners to avail themselves of the  opportunities in the scheme to guarantee investment opportunity on their valuables.

    “Before the recent extension of its demographic data mapping to Tarauni Local Government, a pilot scheme of SLTR was launched in Dala and Fagge local government areas with 30,000 certificates  issued to land owners.

    ‘’The SLTR C of O, being issued at the cost of N5, 000, was targeted at creating alternative means to the cumbersome process of the sporadic approach required for the collection of traditional certificate of Occupancy,” she added.

  • Dangote group to open rice mill in Kano

    Dangote group to open rice mill in Kano

    Dangote Group of Companies has finalised plans to establish a large scale rice mill in Kano, Kano State, with a capacity to produce 250,000 tonnes per annum.

    Executive Director Hajiya Halima Dangote, who spoke at the Dangote Day at the 37th Kano Trade Fair, said the mill would process rice harvested from Sokoto, Zamfara and Kano states.

    She noted that the group’s fertilizer project will be inaugurated by end of next year, adding that it will be the largest fertilizer plant in sub-Sahara Africa, with a capacity to produce 2.8 million tonnes per annum.

    “Our group has already begun rice production through an extensive outgrower programme in Jigawa State, which will be replicated in Zamfara, Sokoto and other states. This is why we are establishing the mill in Kano.”

  • Kano seeks pact with Spain on education

    The Kano State Government is seeking collaboration between the state-owned Northwest University and the Regional Government of Cantabria, in Spain, aimed at boosting the status of the university and socio-economic development of the state.

    A seven-member delegation from the state and the university led by its Pro-chancellor, Malam Sule Hamma, paid a working visit to Spain to discuss possible areas of collaboration between various enterprises of Cantabria Region and Kano State.

    Hamma told officials of Cantabria Regional Government that as a young institution, the Northwest University seeks to expand and is, particularly, interested in tapping from the experience of the University of Cantabria in the areas of research, staff/students exchange, and ICT deployment.

    “We hope our visit would open a door that will trigger a partnership with the University of Cantabria in the areas for capacity building for Staff of Northwest University, deployment of ICT, library resource management and short-term Staff/Students exchange programme,” he said.

    The team also initiated discussions with the University’s Faculty of Medicine to aid the take-off of a Public Health and Diagnostic Institute, as well as the establishment of a faculty of Clinical sciences and a teaching hospital at the Northwest University.

    Similarly, both teams discussed potential partnership with the Hydraulic Institute at Santander, on technical assistance aimed at establishing a Faculty of Engineering with specialisation in Water resources engineering at the university.

    The delegation also sought potential ties between Cabarceno Wild Life Park and Kano State Government in wild life management and tourism.

    In her remarks, the Vice President and Minister for Universities, Research, Environment and Social Policy, Eva Diaz Tezanos, said public and private sectors her region were ready to establish possible relationships in the areas of education, commercial, industrial and tourism exchange with Kano State Government and its business community.

    Mrs.Tezanos explained that Northwest University stands to benefit from partnership with the University of Cantabria, which has a track record of 40 years of teaching, research and academic excellence.

    Other members of the Kano team were Dr. Bakari Ado Hussain, Special Adviser to the Governor on Education; Prof Mustapha Isa, Vice Chancellor, Northwest University; Alhaji DanAsabe Yahaya, Director Special Duties, Deputy Governor’s Office; UbaTanko Mijinyawa, Senior Special Assistant to Governor, and Esteban Ortiz Abascal, CEO B&B Leather Ltd.

  • Deputy governors challenge cleric over doomsday prophecy

    Deputy governors challenge cleric over doomsday prophecy

    Deputy  governors of Abia, Ebonyi, Kano, Sokoto and Taraba states have  rejected a prophecy that they will have issues with their principals (governors) before the end of their tenure.

    The prophecy which was credited to Primate Elijah Babatunde Ayodele, the Spiritual head of INRI Evangelistic Spiritual Church, the deputy governors said was meant to create rancor and disaffection in the polity.

    The self-acclaimed prophet had in the prophecy said that the four deputy governors will have issues with their principals (governors) before the end of their tenure.

    An online news platform had at the weekend published the prophecy in which the cleric made certain wild assertions concerning the future of these politicians.

    But in a swift reaction, Deputy Governor of Ebonyi State, Dr Kelechi Igwe has described the publication as outright falsehood designed to create rancour and disaffection in the polity.

    In a statement he issued in Abuja  on behalf of his  other colleagues, Igwe  faulted  the cleric  on his prediction and accused him of concocting prophecies that had no foundation in reality.

    “Ordinarily, we would have ignored this so called prophecy   but doing so could create the impression that we believe him or that that he should be taken seriously.  We make bold to state that this prophecy like the ones before it are fallacies meant to create tension, rancour and unnecessary friction in the polity. We vehemently reject this so called prophesy which in our own estimation is nothing but a figment of the imagination of the man who released it.

    “We all have had and still have very good working relationship with our bosses in our various states and do not see any reason for the predicted crisis.  We urge the government and the good people in our various states to ignore Primate Elijah Ayodele for he knows not what he is saying or doing.

    “Primate Ayodele could not have heard from God because he has been in the business of releasing false prophecies at every turn in the politics of Nigeria and the world.  It was he who predicted that President Goodluck Jonathan will win the 2015 presidential election; it was he who predicted that Governor Ahmed El- Rufai will not win the governorship election in Kaduna State last year and it was the same man who recently predicted victory for Hilary Clinton, the Democratic Party candidate in the just concluded elections in the United States,” he said.

    Igwe  said that  with the series  of failed  prophecies  emanating from  the clergyman,  he should  be hiding his face from God and the general public, adding that he lacked   the credibility to utter  any further “gibberish”   in the name of prophecy.

  • ‘Dangote Group has no plan to buy Arsenal’

    ‘Dangote Group has no plan to buy Arsenal’

    Dangote Group of Companies has dismissed as untrue the widely held notion that the company was on the verge of investing in English Premier League side, Arsenal FC.

    The Executive Director, Stakeholders Management and Corporate Communications, Dangote Group of Companies, Engr. Mansur Ahmed during a media parley held in Kano said, the initiative to invest in Arsenal was not a business decision of the group.

    According to him, the interest to invest in the North London club was a personal decision and not in the interest of Aliko Dangote, who held sway as the Chairman, Dangote Group of Companies.

    Also, Mansur added that Aliko Dangote is a die-hard Arsenal fan, stressing that the intent is to invest in the club must have been influenced by his love for the Emirates lads.

    He said that the Board of Directors of the conglomerate had never expressed any interest in buying Arsenal, stating that, the interest in the club is by no means connected to his business.

    He pointed out that, when the news over Dangote’s interest was unfolded, many queried the personal decision of the business tycoon, “If he chooses to buy Enugu Rangers, people will say, why not Kano Pillars” he concluded.