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Tag: KOGI

  • ‘Kogi loses over N240 billion to illegal mining yearly’

    Against the backdrop of incessant exploitation of mineral resources in Kogi State, Abel Ozigi, an engineer, has cried out that the state  is losing   over N240 billion yearly through illegal mining activities in the state.

    Ozigi who is the Senior Special Assistant to Kogi State Governor on Project Liaison and Management said this recently in Lokoja during a maiden stakeholders’ meeting organised by Kogi State Mineral Resources and Environmental Management Committee (MIREMCO)

    According to him, ”this wealth of solid minerals is constantly mined daily without its proceeds reflecting in the balance sheet of our national treasury.  it was reported in November 2015 that Nigeria lost 8 trillion naira in two years due to illegal mining and exportation of unprocessed gold. “

    Apart from unquantifiable economic loss, he lamented   that non-compliance to labour law, environmental degradation and avoidable communal conflicts which in most cases lead to death are some of the reasons why relevant authorities ought to expediently rise to seek lasting solution to illegal mining activities.

    He regretted that  ”Pollution from mining and related activities has a detrimental impact on the environment. For example, when illegal miners use liquid mercury to extract gold without the proper equipment. The mercury is released as effluents into rivers and contaminates the aquatic bodies which either dies or are eventually consumed by humans.

    “The effect of this is mercury poisoning which leads to several health challenges such as infertility, urinary tract infection, leukemia and heart related diseases among few”, he lamented.

    In her earlier address to all the stakeholdes, the chairman of Kogi State (MIREMCO), Hajia Hassiat Ozavize Suleiman explained that though mining and mineral resources are on the exclusive list of the Federal Government, the committee was established to act as synergy between Federal Ministry of Mines Steel Development, state, local government areas, mineral title holders and host communities

    She solicited the support of all stakeholders to actualise the committee’s objectives, parts of which are disputes arbitration and signing of Community Development Agreements between companies and host communities.

    The MIREMCO boss who gave kudos to the  State Government for the provision of take- off grant, utility vehicle and secretariat from which the committee carries out its activities since 2017 when it was inaugurated, said all hands are on deck to articulate all the mineral deposits in the state and see how the end desire will be a win, win situation for the community, the state and the federal government at large.

    She explained that the committee has a lot of ground to cover in terms forming a synergy  with the federal government who has the exclusive right to allocate the resources to the intended miner.

    Speaking at the occasion, the Special Adviser to the Governor of Kogi State, Yaya Bello,  Hon. Charles Umoru pointed out that in order to achieve  the desire goal, all the relevant agencies like the three tier of government, host communities, mining companies and investors, professional associations and international agencies  must work together as a team.

    “The importance of these collaborators,” Umoru argued, “cannot be over-emphasized, and as such, to effectively coordinate the road map of The Federal Ministry of Mines and Steel Development, as well as the New Direction Blueprint of Kogi State which aims to make her the number one mining destination in Africa, the cooperation, and active participation of the stakeholders to achieve this is highly essential.”

     

  • 2019 elections: Be combat ready, police boss charges personnel

    As electioneering campaigns in Nigeria kick off, the police high command has tasked officers and men to be alive to their responsibilities.

    The command also charged its personnel to be combat ready in their duty post.

    Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG), Zone 8 Adekunle Oladunjoye said this Tuesday in Ilorin while on a familiarisation tour of the Kwara state command.

    Zone 8 comprises Kogi, Kwara and Ekiti states.

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    Mr. Oladunjoye added that; “once you are on duty as a policeman be combat ready as if you are in war front. Don’t take things for granted.

    “Crime is generally on the increase. We are trying to tame it. Though, the police is overstretched but we are on top of the game.”

    He called for optimal utilization of manpower, material and resources among officers and men in the police command, saying that the short fall of personnel affected all state commands.

    The AIG also charged police personnel to uphold rule of law in their dealings, be tactful, and be helpful to members of the public, saying that no police personnel can achieve anything without cooperation of members of the public.

    Earlier, the state Commissioner of police, Bolaji Fafowora lamented short fall of officers and men in the command, saying that only 46 out of 116 traffic wardens are left to cover the whole command.

    The CP said that the shortage of manpower had made it increasingly difficult to meet human resource needs of the command in terms of deployment, patrol and other critical assignments.

    The police boss, who said that 48 out of the 116 traffic wardens had already gone on retirement between January and June 2018, added that 22 of them had also gone on retirement between September and now.

    He said that the development was not unconnected to movement of officers and men out of the command in form of transfer without any corresponding replacement, especially to special units like the border patrol, police mobile force, CTU, and the SPU.

    “In the same manner, the command is equally facing serious depletion of its personnel in the 15 pmf squadron attached to the command through movement of about five units out of the eight units in the squadron, on special assignments outside the state.

    However, the police boss said that despite the challenge, the state was relatively calm, adding that officers and men were driven to remain on their toes in prevention of crime and criminality.

    Fafowora, who said that the command had succeeded in bringing down activities of cultists, added that the command was hopeful that more feats could still be achieved if required basic policing tools like serviceable patrol vehicles, anti-riot equipment, armored personnel carriers (APC) and more men were provided.

  • Kogi, Kwara, Benue drag MTN, Dangote, others to tax tribunal

    The governments of Kogi, Kwara and Benue states have sued MTN, Dangote Flour Mills Plc and others to the tax appeal tribunal for Northcentral Zone over tax evasion.

    Also sued before the tax court sitting in Jos, the Plateau State capital, include Fidelity Bank Plc and Obajana Agro Sack Limited.

    While Dangote Flour Mills  was sued by Kwara State government, MTN was sued by Benue State government. Fidelity Bank Plc and Obajana Agrosacks Limited were sued respectively by Kogi State government for defaulting in tax payments which runs to hundreds of millions of naira.

    Mrs. Goodness Echekam was also dragged before the tax court by the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS)

    Chairman of the tax appeal tribunal Hon. Richard Bala who disclosed this at the inaugural sitting of the court yesterday in Jos said: “The Tribunal within its jurisdiction shall assess the collection and accounting of revenue accruable to the government of the federation.” He urged parties involved to cooperate for the success of the tribunal.

    He said: “The Tribunal has commenced sitting in Jos, Plateau State and we are to oversee tax cases from five states including Kwara, Kogi, Benue, Nasarawa and Jos, Plateau as host for the zone.

    “The Tax Appeal Tribunal is imbued with powers to adjudicate over disputes arising from “Companies Income Tax Act, CAP. 60 LFN 1990, Personal Income Tax Act No. 104, 1993; Petroleum Profit Tax Act CAP. 354 LFN 1990; Value Added Tax Act No.102,1993 and Capital Gains Tax Act CAP. 42 LFN 1990 as well as any other Laws that may be made from time to time by the National Assembly.”

    Speaking during the inaugural ceremony, Plateau State government represented by the Chairman of the Plateau State Internal Revenue Service Board, Mr. Arlat Dashe said the tribunal is going to relieve the Board of all the pains it has been passing through in getting her income tax from Federal Government agencies such as Customs among others.

    He maintained that the state government is going to take full advantage of the tax tribunal.

    The Tax Controller FIRS Jos, Plateau State, Mr. Joel Emmanuel said the tribunal has been long awaited to address the lingering challenges encountered in the collections of tax which is always with less cost compared to going to the normal court.

  • NGO pays school fees for 600 indigent pupils in Kogi

    A Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), Builders Hub Impact Investment Program (BHIIP) has paid the tuition fees of 600 indigent pupils across public schools in Ihima, Okehi Local Government Area of Kogi.

    The BHIIP founder, Mrs Natasha Akpoti, also the Senatorial Candidate, Kogi Central, Social Democratic Party (SDP), told newsmen in Okehi on Wednesday that it had adopted 600 pupils since 2016.

    Akpoti said her NGO had been paying their tuition fees with other benefits since the pupils’ adoption.

    She said the decision was in commemoration of her late father, Dr Jimoh Akpoti, who died on Nov. 3, 1998.

    According to her, the gesture is to demonstrate her penchant for education; the need for an average Nigerian to have education as demonstrated by her father while he was alive.

    “My NGO has been taking care of the pupils’ welfare for three years; paying their school fees, providing school bags, clothes, sandals and other needs for them.

    “We have also opened a mini-library equipped with a set of 22 desktop computers at the Builders Hub Community Learning Resource Center where the children are being trained,” Apoti said.

    Mr Haruna Bashir, the Team Lead of the Volunteer Group, said he usually got emotional whenever a pupil who had lost both parents stood in front of him for data verification.

    “I weep without knowing it, when I ask pupils about their parents and they respond that they are dead and that they are living with aged grandmothers or guardians.

    “But I always assure them that their school fees are being paid and other things covered by a kind mother, Ms Natasha Akpoti,” Bashir said.

    Mr Momoh Jimoh, the Headmaster, Central Primary School Obeiba, said it was his first time of getting to know an individual, who would single-handedly pay tuition fees for 600 children.

    Jimoh said the NGO had been providing school bags, clothes, sandals and other things for the less-privileged children every year.

    “278 out of the 600 indigent pupils are orphans.

    “Our teachers in their own little way have been supporting this laudable programme by providing the pupils’ data for verification annually.

    “You are not rich until you can count the number of people you have helped to realize their potential and dreams,” the headmaster said.

    He called on other politicians to emulate Akpoti.

    NAN

  • Kogi shuts 150 base transmission stations

    • Abuja, nine states risk telecoms blackout

    • Telcos: National security, banks, others under threat

    Telecoms operators yesterday raised the alarm over the unilateral shutdown of about 150 base transmission stations (BTS) by the Kogi State government. They said the development would inevitably disrupt telecoms and banking services in Abuja, the seat of government and nine other adjoining states, especially those that are contiguous or share borders with the state.

    The carriers also said national security would also be threatened as the various security agencies might not be able to communicate, especially during national emergencies.

    Acting through the aegis of Association of Licensed Telecoms Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), the carriers said efforts to get the matter resolved amicably were rebuffed by the state government which agents took locks and keys to shut the BTS.

    Its Chairman, Gbenga Adebayo, who spoke with reporters yesterday in Lagos, said the action of the state government was in breach of the directive of the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) which said telecoms infrastructure is critical national infrastructure and should not be subjected to willful damage by any individual or group of persons.

    He said: “We wish to express our concern about the shutting down of telecoms facilities in Kogi State as a result of disputes arising from unusual taxes and levies demanded by the Kogi State government through its Ministry of Environment and Physical Planning, Ministry of Environment and Mineral Resources, Kogi State Environmental Protection Board, championed by the Kogi State Internal Revenue Service (KIRS).

    “This issue is likely to lead to a total communications blackout in the entire Kogi State, parts of Abuja the Federal Capital Territory and possible impact on service availability in some parts of Nassarawa, Benue, Enugu, Anambra, Edo, Ondo, Ekiti, Kwara, Niger states. These are states sharing borders with Kogi State.

    “This situation arises as a number of critical telecoms sites belonging to our members have been closed and sealed up by Kogi State government in an attempt to increase its Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) collection.

    “This action followed an ex-parte court order obtained by the KIRS over unsubstantiated allegations that our members are in default of tax payments to the state government (which is not the truth) and access to these critical telecom sites has been denied.”

    According to him, as a result of these actions by the state government, telcos are unable to refuel power generators in these sites, a situation which has led to outage of over 150 sites including hub sites.

    While he said legal action has been taken to get the court order vacated, he said it has become imperative to bring the attention of the Federal Government, especially Vice President Prof Yemi Osinbajo who has been on the vanguard of ease of doing business and who has done so well in his quest to carry the private sector along in the development agenda of the government.

    “We are very concerned that this indiscriminate action has the potential of further leading to a total telecommunications outage in Kogi State with neighboring states and parts of the Federal Capital Territory adversely impacted.

    To the best of our knowledge, our members have settled all statutory levies and taxes due to the Kogi State government and have taken necessary steps to comply with local laws that govern business activities within Kogi State.

    Adebayo said the spurious charges include Annual Right of Way (ROW) renewal; Social Services Contribution; Employee Economic Development Levy; Mast Site Premises Renewal; and Fire Service Yearly Renewal.

    the matter to prevent a total blackout in communications services in Kogi, FCT and the other nine states of the federation which are now under threat due to what is happening to our network in Kogi State,” Adebayo said.

  • Kogi as mirror

    In March, medical doctors in the Kogi State Public Service under the aegis of the state chapter of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), embarked on yet another round of strike. Their demands specifically included the payment of the balance of 40% salary arrears owed doctors from August to December, 2017, payment of 100% of doctors’ salaries and allowances for January and February, 2018 as well as the implementation of the revised Consolidated Medical Salary Scale (CONMESS) by the state government.

    Despite having since called off the strike, apparently relying on the promise that their plight would be alleviated, it is sad that doctors in the state are still in a quandary.

    Addressing a world press conference in Lokoja, the state capital, last week, the Kogi State chairman of NMA, Dr. Kabiru Zubair, lamented that “the situation of doctors is very pathetic in Kogi civil service, starting from underpayment, irregular payment to outright non-payment of salaries for over five months consecutively and counting”. Matters were compounded for the doctors, Dr. Zubair said, by a lack of the necessary healthcare infrastructure for optimum performance and fulfillment.

    Frustrated that several industrial actions in the past to remedy the situation had been unfruitful, the NMA chairman revealed that scores of doctors had opted to disengage from the state public service. According to him “…In the last nine months alone, 27 doctors have resigned from the Kogi State Specialist Hospital (KSSH), Lokoja, including two consultants. Forty-four have resigned from the state Hospitals Management Board (HMB) and eight from the Kogi State University Teaching Hospital, Anyingba. More doctors are just waiting for the next available opportunity to leave”.

    The unsavoury scenario in Kogi State only mirrors an alarming nationwide trend with highly skilled medical specialists leaving the country in droves, to pursue more financially rewarding and psychologically fulfilling careers abroad. Thus, the Lagos State branch chairman of the NMA, Dr. Olumuyiwa Odusote, in a newspaper interview noted disturbingly that hundreds of doctors have resigned from the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, Lagos State public health facilities as well as the Ladoke Akintola University Teaching Hospital, Ogbomosho, in the last two years, to cite only a few. He warns that “seventy percent of Nigerian doctors are making plans to leave for foreign lands and are taking exams to that effect”.

    This is of course only a tip of the iceberg as 35,000 of the 72,000 Nigerian doctors registered with the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) are reported to be practising abroad, particularly in the United Kingdom and United States.  Ironically, a large number of these globally marketable experts were trained in Nigeria, only to be forced to export their skills to more developed countries despite their services being badly needed at home.

    Healthcare indices in Nigeria are worsened by the fact that nurses, pharmacists and laboratory scientists are also part of the substantial exodus of healthcare specialists from the country.

    With adequate investment in the health sector to provide modern facilities and equipment as well as competitive and attractive remuneration for medical specialists, thousands of Nigerian doctors and other health professionals abroad will be encouraged to come back home. Nigeria undoubtedly has all it takes to become a global centre of medical tourism through which she can reap humongous revenues in addition to guaranteeing higher healthcare standards for millions of her citizens, which is an indispensable condition for accelerated national development.

    This will require not just the requisite political will on the part of the respective governments but also carefully thought-out policies implemented with optimum efficiency. No less critical is the need to intensify the war against the massive corruption that drains public resources into private pockets as well as urgently enhance the fiscal capacity of the sub-national units of government to meet their responsibilities to the citizenry.

     

  • Kogi speaker’s brother, three others Kidnapped

    The Speaker of the Kogi State House of Assembly, Prince Matthew Kolawole, has confirmed the kidnap of his brother, the wife and two others along the Kabba-Oshokoshoko road in the state.
    Kolawole, who disclosed this during the house plenary on Tuesday, said the yet-to-be-identified hoodlums appeared in Army and Police uniforms and later demanded ransom.
    The speaker, while drawing the attention of the state government and security agencies to the rampant kidnapping which has resurfaced in the state, noted that the incident happened on Monday.
    He brought this to attention in a motion of urgent public importance, read by Hon. Oluwatoyin Lawal (PDP Yagba West), calling on security agencies to quickly swing into action in rescuing the victims from their abductors.
    He urged the state government to further equip the police and other security agencies with more high technology gadgets that will help towards stemming down crimes and criminality in Kogi State.
    Members in their contributions said the security agencies, especially the police should up their game in ensuring the security of lives and properties in the state.
    They urged the commissioner of police to deploy more policemen to flash points areas in the state.

  • ADC as bright chance in Kogi, says Abejide

    A state financier and flag bearer of African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Yagba Federal Constituency, Kogi  State, Elder Leke Abejide has said that majority of members of the ADC in the state were members of the breakaway faction of the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC), but decided to seek an alternative in the aftermaths of the irreconcilable crisis in APC.

    He made the disclosure in Egbe,  Yagba West Local Government, Kogi State where he was a guest at this year’s edition of Egbe Unity Day.

    Abejide who is said to be responsible for the growth of ADC in the state, having funded the party’s state secretariats in Lokoja and and in many local government chapters, explained that his passion for the newly formed party stemmed from the popular desire by members of APC who were forced out of the ruling party to look for a credible alternative, a gap he enthused that the ADC has more than filled.

    He said: “If you look at the PDP and APC, they are in disarray, especially APC. I was a staunch member as far as APC is concerned in Kogi State but I left with a mass of other members when it became obvious that we could no longer call APC our home. We won an election against an incumbent governor (Idris Wada), that is to let you know how popular and organised APC was, but unfortunately, our candidate, Prince Abubakar Audi died after polling an unassailable lead in the election. Since then, APC in Kogi has not been the same. “Those who worked for the party’s victory were sidelined. Funny enough, the people who are currently in control of APC and government in Kogi State were not part of the struggle for that popular victory. They did not recognize the contributions of the people who made it happen. We decided we needed a credible alternative, a gap ADC has filled. As you can see, ADC is a party of choice and  has come to stay as the vehicle to provide Nigerians with alternative choice, not only in Kogi State”.

    Asked to comment on his emergence as the ADC candidate for the House of Representatives election in Yagba Constituency, Abejide said: “If I could poll all 2,384 votes available and I won in all the 34 electoral wards in Yagba federal constituency, it means my emergence is a popular one and a pointer to something big coming and by the grace of God we will succeed in the general election. God will use us to liberate Yagbaland from bad roads, dilapidated public schools, fallen standards of education, youth restiveness, bad representation and oppression”.

    Abejide announced N1m donation in support of Egbe Unity Day. He promised to pick the bill of WAEC fees for secondary school pupils across the three local governments in Yagba. He also promised to continue the gesture in the next four years, if elected into the lower chamber of the National Assembly in February 2019.

    He said: “As a church elder of 12 years, whatever I preach, I practice it. My Holy Bible tells me in the book of of Ecclesiastic, Chapter 4:5 and 6 that whatever you cannot do, don’t open your mouth to promise.”

    Speaking on the disposition of the ADC towards next year’s presidential election, the cleric turn politician hinted that the ADC as a signatory to the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP), would soon decide on the presidential candidate of one of the parties in the CUPP to support in the bid by the coalition of opposition parties to fuse and unite behind a single candidate.

  • Kogi flags off delivery of free drugs to flood victims

    The Kogi State government said it has commenced with the delivery of free drugs to flood victims in the nine affected local government areas.

    The exercise which flagged off on Friday in Koton-Karfe, Kogi LGA, by Governor Yahaya Bello, will see to the delivery of drugs worth millions of naira to flood victims in the affected areas.

    The Special Adviser to the governor on local government and chieftaincy affairs, Hon. Abubakar Ohere, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Engr. Usman Dan Victor, while flagging off the exercise at the St. Pius Primary School, in Koto, said that the governor was much concerned about the wellbeing of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).

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    He expressed sympathy with the flood victims, noting that the governor will continue to improve on the health delivery system of the state in order to meet the health challenges of the people.

    He applauded the efforts of the 21 LGAs, for joining resources in procuring the drugs for the flood victims, and donor agencies, for coming to their aid.

    The leader of the medical team, Dr Gabriel Enefu said that they will be at the affected nine LGAs to deliver free drugs and conduct medical checkups to the victims.

    He said that they will provide water treatment drugs, insecticide treated mosquito nets and various drugs to the flood victims in the affected areas.

  • PDP, APC lose Reps in Kogi, Kaduna

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) yesterday lost a member each at the House of Representatives.

    The lawmakers are: Hassan Omale (PDP, Kogi), and Muhammad Soba (APC, Kaduna).

    Omale, who represents Ankpa/Omala/Olamaboro Federal Constituency in Kogi State, told his colleagues that he had left the PDP for the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

    “I wish to inform the Speaker and other members of the House that I have resigned from the PDP to the African Democratic Congress (ADC) with effect from October 17,” he said.

    The lawmaker conveyed his defection in a letter read by Speaker Yakubu Dogara at plenary in Abuja.

    Soba, who represents Soba Federal Constituency in Kaduna State, announced his departure from the APC.

    He said his next destination would be announced soon.

    Announcing the defections, Dogara cited relevant sections of the constitution to justify the actions of the defectors.

    The Speaker said Soba attributed his action to an alleged injustice he suffered during his party’s primary.