The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Katsina

  • Osinbajo seeks Reps’ approval for $1.5b external loan for 10 states

    Osinbajo seeks Reps’ approval for $1.5b external loan for 10 states

    The House of Representatives is set to consider the approval of $1.5b external loan for 10 states.

    The states are Abia, Ebonyi, Enugu, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Plateau, Ogun and Ondo.

    The loan request presented to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara by the Acting President was meant infrastructural development for the affected states.

    In the letters dated 25th May, 2017, he stated that the request was in tune with the 2016-2018 External Borrowing Plan earlier approved by the National Assembly.

    Osinbajo stated that the total loans being presented for special consideration and approval is US$1,492,400,000.00.

    While soliciting for the approval of the House, he added, “It will be highly appreciated if you could kindly give this request an expedited consideration and approval to enable the states meet up with all other effectiveness conditions for implementation of the projects in their respective states”.

    The breakdown showed that Kaduna is seeking $350m from World Bank; Ogun, $350m (World Bank); Ebonyi, $70m (AfDB); Abia, $100m (AfDB); Katsina, $110m (Islamic Development Bank), Jigawa, $32.4m (Islamic Development Bank); Ebonyi, $80m (Islamic Development Bank); and Kano, $200m.

    Enugu, Kano, Plateau and Ondo loan requests totaled $200m from French Development Agency.

  • FG alerts on birdflu outbreak of in 7 states, FCT

    FG alerts on birdflu outbreak of in 7 states, FCT

    The Federal Government on Friday alerted the public to the outbreak of Avian Influenza or Bird Flu in the FCT and seven states of the country.

    raised the alert at a meeting with state Commissioners of Agriculture in Abuja on Friday.

    Mshelbwala listed the states affected by the outbreak to include Bauchi, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Nasarawa, Plateau, FCT and lastly, which reported a case on May 30.

    He said that the disease had spread across 26 states of the federation and the FCT since it started in 2008 affecting 800 farms in no fewer than 123 local government areas.

    Mshelbwala, who said that there were no scientifically proven vaccines for bird flu, noted that the Federal Government was adopting quarantine, movement control, stamping out, decontamination and bio-security measures to curb the spread.

    The director expressed regret over the poor bio-security practices by some poultry farmers, adding that it was the major reason for the continuous spread of the disease.

    According to him, the Federal Government has paid over N674 million in compensations to 269 farmers across the affected states.

    “Our national action plan encourages proper regulation of the poultry industry and enforcement of annual registration of all actors along the poultry value chain including farmers, traders, egg merchants and feed millers.

    “It also encourages the creation of veterinary extension services to facilitate the control and proper inspection of poultry and poultry products,’’ he said.

    Mshelbwala said that the way forward to the containment of the disease was to ban importation of poultry and products, quarantine and bio-security measures, among others.

    He, however, warned poultry farmers against illegal vaccination of birds, saying that it was a deadly alternative to the control of the disease.

  • Katsina bye election records high voters’ turnout

    Voters in Mashi/Dutsi federal constituency in Katsina State came out in their thousands yesterday   in the bye-election in the constituency.

    The seat became vacant following the death of the member representing the constituency in the House of Representatives, Sani Bello.

    Voting began as early as 8:00 am.

    An official of INEC, who pleaded anonymity, told NAN that both sensitive and the non sensitive materials were supplied to polling units in good time.

    He said the electoral officers had been adequately trained on the conduct of the election.

    Malam Sani Mashi, an agent of the Peoples Democratic party PDP attached to the Mashi Arewa polling unit, said he was satisfied with the conduct of the exercise.

    He said agents of all the political parties had agreed not to allow anybody to mar the conduct of the election.

    Hajiya Rabi Yakubu, a female voter, at Dutsi Central polling unit commended the massive turnout of women.

    She asked women to continue to participate in elections not only as voters but also as contestants.

  • Army move to secure nation’s borders

    Army move to secure nation’s borders

    The Nigerian Army, on Friday, inaugurated a Forward Operation Base (FOB) at Daura in Katsina State, as part of the measures to secure the nation’s borders with neighbouring countries.

    The Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai, who inaugurated the FOB, said the sighting of the facility in Daura followed the “Order of Battle” approved by the Army Council in 2016.

    “It is part of the re-organisation in the Nigerian Army. In 2016, the Army Council approved the new order of battle.

    “This is part of the order of battle of the Nigerian Army to have an FOB in this place – Daura.

    “So it is the overall review of the deployment and the strategic consideration of the Nigerian army and the military; in taking care of strategic locations by deploying such facility here,” Buratai.

    Asked if there was any threat at the Daura axis, the army chief said: “Well, that is the analysis”.

    “You know, this Boko Haram terrorist group has been moving all over the place, especially along the borders. So, it is part of the consideration, it is part of the threat analysis”.

    According to Buratai, there is the need to take care of the border areas right from the Lake Chad through Yobe, Jigawa, Kano, Katsina, up to Sokoto.

    He said that the establishment of the FOB was part of the strategic consideration, based on threat analysis, adding that more of such facility would be set up in the North East.

     

  • Film Censors Board to block illegal film-trade routes in Katsina

    Film Censors Board to block illegal film-trade routes in Katsina

    •As ED commends state over creation on film department

    Executive Director of National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB), Mr. Adedayo Thomas has proposed a joint border patrol with relevant authorities to checkmate the inflow and outflow of films in Katsina State.

    He made this known during a courtesy call on the Emir of Katsina, Alh. (Dr.) Abdulmumini Kabir Usman, as part of his familiarization visits to stakeholders in the film industry, noting that Katsina State serves as a route through which films are either imported or exported.

    Thomas who averred that the Nigeria film industry has the potentials to redefine sound education, moral values and an increased GDP, decried the use of the State as a sales medium for uncensored and unclassified movies, saying that most foreign films are directly translated into the local language without authorisation of the Board. Such act, he said, is capable of jeopardising the moral values of the state, while the Board and the State are also denied accruable revenues.

    The NFVCB chief who also met with the Katsina State Commissioner for Information, Culture and Home Affairs, Alhaji Hamza Muhammad Brodo, commended the State for creating a department of film in the Ministry, in recognition of the paramount role the film industry plays in shaping the society and its attendant socio-economic benefits, which according to him, accounts for about 1.5% contribution to the GDP.

    He promised to partner the State on enlightenment campaigns, capacity building, disclosing that the NFVCB has opened an operations center in the State, located at the Federal Secretariat.

    The Emir, who urged the NFVCB to ensure that moral standards of each region are put into consideration when censoring and classifying films, pledged the support of the Emirate towards the Board’s activities.

    On his part, the State Commissioner for Information disclosed that the State has so far collaborated with local and international bodies to project the image and potentials of the Katsina through documentaries, jingles and films, and promised to present a position to the State Executive Council on the need to create the Katsina State Film and Video Censors Board.

    Also present at the meeting were the Permanent Secretary, Alhaji Musa Rabi’u Mahuta, and the Director of Films at the Ministry, Alhaji Habib Bello Usman, who noted that the Katsina State Film and Video Censors Board, if created, will complement the activities of NFVCB, provide job opportunities and improve on the State’s revenue base.

    The NFVCB boss later proceeded to Katsina State Television where he was hosted on a programme tagged “Guest Moment”.  He urged parents to ensure that they censor what their children watch, emphasizing the dangers of uncensored and unclassified movies.

     

  • Osinbajo to launch MSMEs clinic in Katsina Thursday

    Osinbajo to launch MSMEs clinic in Katsina Thursday

    The Acting President Yemi Osinbajo will on Thursday in Katsina launch a Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises(MSMEs) Clinic, as part of efforts to enhance economic activities in the country.

    The Commissioner for Commerce, Industries and Tourism, Alhaji Abubakar Yusuf, announced this while briefing newsmen in Katsina on Wednesday.

    He said during the visit, Osinbajo would interact with entrepreneurs on their challenges and how to overcome such problems.

    Yusuf said that the state government had already constituted a committee to enlighten the entrepreneurs on the importance of the visit.

  • Irrigation farmers loose N30m crops as dam dries up in Katsina

    Irrigation farmers loose N30m crops as dam dries up in Katsina

    Hundreds of irrigation farmers using water from Musawa dam in Katsina State are counting their losses following sudden drying up of the dam.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that crops at various stages of maturity have wilted, forcing some of the farmers to commence early harvest to salvage what they could of the crops.

    Alhaji Idris Abdullahi, the Chairman of Musawa Irrigation Farmers Association, told NAN on Monday that more than 150 farmers were affected.

    Abdullahi put the estimated losses incurred by the farmers to around N30 million, and loss of jobs to about 1,000 farm hands.

    He said about 150 hectares of tomato, potato, wheat, maize, onion and other vegetables were damaged.

    The chairman said that the dam, constructed 60 years ago was only dredged once, and called on the Katsina State Government to intervene.

    He said that the government should dredge the dam before the rains set in, and support farmers affected to cushion their losses.

    The chairman described the dam as a major source of employment to people in the area, and said it should be salvaged to save the people from penury.

    He however said that the Katsina Agricultural and Rural Development Authority had pledged to drill wash bores to assist the irrigation farmers.

  • Katsina to become economic hub, says Masari

    Katsina to become economic hub, says Masari

    Katsina State Governor Aminu Masari has promised to reposition the state into an economic hub of the country.
    The governor gave the assurance at an interactive session with the state indigenes resident in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja
    Masari, who described the session as bipartisan gathering, said it was aimed at reviewing the various policies implemented by his administration since inception with a view to charting a way forward.
    He stressed that the goal of his administration was to create an enabling environment that would encourage both local and international investors to invest in the state.
    Masari said the government was open and not scared of constructive criticism, adding that such criticism would spur the government to be proactive and deliver more dividends of democracy to the electorate.
    He blamed decay in the state’s infrastructure to negligence from successive governments and relevant stakeholders.
    The governor said that stakeholders in the state had ignored the state government over the years, instead of holding them accountable to spur positive economic changes in the state.
    “We do not have reason to be where we are. Stakeholders in the state have decided to ignore and expect just few people to take up responsibility of changing the narratives of Katsina.
    “In terms of poverty, Katsina ranked third position; in Federal Government allocation, Katsina ranked seventh position; the state also has 15 honourable members at the National Assembly, ranking fourth highest represented state,” he said.
    He said the wage bill in the local government was about half, if not more than the allocation accrued to the state government from Federation Account.
    According to Masari, when he took over the mantle of leadership of Katsina, he found the state in a deplorable situation, adding that its health sector was in bad shape.
    The governor explained that the current administration had so far improved the state healthcare service delivery by engaging highly qualified medical personnel in the sector and upgrade facilities.
    He said as part of efforts to reduce cost of governance, state officials rarely travelld on foreign trips except occasionally where they are sponsored by host country for major functions.
    The governor, therefore, called on investors to invest more in the state, describing the state as investors’ haven, with assurance that his administration would continue to prioritize education in the state.
    Masari disclosed that his administration had introduced a number of empowerment and resettlement schemes to reduce redundancy and curb the activities of a notorious group in the state.
    “We have also intensified our collaboration with National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) to help curb the rising rate of drug abuse in the state,” he added.
    The Katsina State Commissioner for Health, Mrs Mariatu Usmam, disclosed that arrangements had been concluded to establish Katsina Teaching Hospital, College of Midwifery and Post Basic Nursing Institute.
    She said that the state government had renovated, upgraded and equipped over 100 health facilities across the state in the last two years.
    Senator Abu Ibrahim, representing Katsina South Senatorial District, hailed Masari for harnessing the great potential of Katsina through investment drive.
    The lawmaker said under Masari much success were being recorded in education, agriculture, health, water resources, work, housing and transportation.

  • Most states would have collapsed without FG’s intervention, says Katsina governor

    Most states would have collapsed without FG’s intervention, says Katsina governor

    Katsina state Governor, Hon. Aminu Bello Masari has said that without the intervention of the Federal government, many of the states in the country would not have been able to pay the salaries of their workers and would have collapsed in the face of dwindling oil revenue.
    Speaking at a town hall meeting with Katsina state indigenes resident in Abuja on Sunday, Governor Masari said the intervention of the federal government has helped many of the states to stay afloat as what they get from the federation is not enough for about 27 of the states to pay salaries of their workers.
    The governor said since the present administration in the state came into office, it has received intervention from the federal government on four different occasions to address issues of salaries, gratuity and pension of workers in the state, but lamented that his government is still faced with a huge challenge in terms of funding the operation of the local government system in the state.
    According to the governor, federal allocation to the 34 local government councils in the state is not enough for them to pay salaries of their workers, pointing out that while the councils receive about N3.6 billion monthly from the federations account, their total wage bill stands at about N3.7 billion.
    He stressed however that while some of the local government areas can afford to stand on their own, some others, especially the big local government areas has to rely on others to survive.
    He listed federal financial intervention to the state to include the bailout fund of about N11.8billion, N10 billion special intervention to each of 36 states for capital projects, a monthly intervention of N1 billion to the states to assist the state in the payment of salaries and pension as well as N14.2 billion Paris Club refund.
    He disclosed that N6.7 billion from the Paris Club refund will be used to settle arrears of gratuity and pension of civil servants in the state up to June 2016 and that of local government upto March 2016.
    While lamenting the current situation of things in the state, Governor Masari said presently, the state is ranked third in the national poverty index and seventh in revenue allocation in the country, adding that the state has reason to be in the position it currently found itself.

  • Buhari assure Nigerians of a better country

    Buhari assure Nigerians of a better country

    President Mohammadu Buhari on Thursday in Kano declared that the change agenda of the All Progressive Congress (APC) will no doubt reflect and create an enduring hope to better the lots of Nigerians contrary to insinuation from some quarter.

    Buhari in his message during the launch of the North West National Committee of Buhari Support Groups, (NCBSG) said that efforts and dedication of Nigerians will change our country for the better.

    The President’s message, read by Senator Ahmed Lawal said, “I’m happy to send this message of thanks and good will to all organizers and participants on the lunching of National Committee of Buhari Support group taking place today in Kano. Your effort and dedication are very well known to me. You are inviting this part of movement on the APC and change agenda. We must change our country for the better.”

    “We must stand by regarding ourselves as examples; change begins with you and I and then all of us in Nigeria. You should carry this message to all corners of our country. It is a bottom up operation in our country. Successes at your level is success for all of and our dear country.”

    “I wish you a very successful launching and I looking forward to getting up to date reports of your activities”

    The Chairman Board of Trustees of NCBSG, Senator Abu Ibrahim who represents Katsina south senatorial district  told the group from the north west zone that President Buhari is been endorsed for a major interest that will reflect the creation of a new hope for Nigerians in  which his committed and determined to achieve.

    According to him, “the group was   formed   with   the   mandate   to   coordinate   and organise the affairs of the various Buhari Support Groups that participated in the enthronement and ascension to office of President Muhammadu Buhari through the 2015 election.”

    “These   pre-existing   support   groups   piloted   the   grassroots initiatives via which our Dear President’s message of hope was delivered to all the nooks and crannies of the country and we intend to keep them as channels of outreach and feedback between the government and the citizenry.

    “It is   our desire   therefore   to   use this   gathering   today as   a platform to appreciate and express our profound gratitude to you all.

    “When we elected President Muhammadu Buhari into office, we did so with the conviction that our dear nation needed to be put on a new pedestal, for the dreams of our founding fathers to be realised.

    “We were convinced of the need to establish a firm foundation   upon   which   a   united,   peaceful   and   prosperous nation can be built by, and for, this and succeeding generations of Nigerians. It is in this regard that I must personally commend all of you for your patience and understanding as our Dear President steers us through the difficult steps necessary to achieve this objective.

    “The poor management of the country, especially under the watch of the now opposition PDP, is the reason we have had to endure a harsh economic climate. The signs of a decline in the economy   were   there   a   clear   two   years   before   the   2015 elections.

    “It is therefore inexcusable that those who had the responsibility of managing our affairs failed to save for the rainy day and freely helped themselves with our common patrimony, including funds earmarked for restoring peace and security in the land.

    “Recent gory news of the recoveries of stolen cash provides proof that some individuals behaved like delinquent juveniles, to paraphrase Mr. President, when they had the opportunity to lead this great nation.

    “We must stand firm and resolute to say NEVER AGAIN shall we allow the destiny of Nigeria in the hands of unscrupulous abusers of public trust, wanton riggers of elections and peddlers of thuggery. They should never be allowed to tie down the destiny of this   land   of   inestimable potential, to their whims and caprices.

    “As you and I know, when they fail to explain away their glaringly failed stewardship, they resort to name-calling. When that doesn’t deter you, they resort to outright blackmail and threats to life and property. It is our collective duty to restore this nation’s pride because we have no choice.

    “This land belongs to all of us and we must be proud to work tirelessly to make it better for our children and our children’s children. Let the naysayers know that we shall never give up this God-given right.”

    However, Senators from Katsina, Yobe, Ondo as well as house of representative members and some top government dignitaries and politicians graced the launching.