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Tag: KOGI

  • Plateau killings: PDP knocks Presidency for kicking against call for mourning

    The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has expressed shock at a statement credited to the Presidency justifying its failure to stem the tide of killings and bloodletting in the country, particularly in the Plateau, Zamfara,  Benue, Yobe, Adamawa, Borno, Kogi, Taraba and other troubled states.

    In a statement on Thursday by presidential spokesman, Femi Adesina, the Presidency had condemned PDP’s call for seven days mourning in honour of the over 200 villagers killed in Plateau State on Sunday.

    In a statement on Thursday by the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Kola Ologbondiyan, the opposition party said it’s reprehensible that the Presidency had displayed its usual arrogance and insensitivity too the mood of the nation.

    The statement said, “It is disturbing that even in death, the Buhari Presidency still wants to deny these victims of callous murder the honour of being mourned.

    Read Also: Oshiomhole to Presidency, National Assembly: I’ll uphold party supremacy

    “We are particularly appalled that instead of joining Nigerians in mourning the dead and seeking ways to stem the escalation of the bloodletting under its watch, the Buhari Presidency is engaged in morbid reference to past killings as if the lives of Nigerians have no value under President Buhari’s watch.

    “The PDP, as a party, will continue to identify with Nigerians at this troubled time irrespective of ethnic, religious and political affiliations and will therefore not allow itself to be dragged into a needless mire with the Buhari Presidency, which has shown by its statement, that it has no iota of regard for the lives of Nigerians.

    “PDP urges the Buhari Presidency to confront the challenge of fulfilling the basic responsibility of governance by providing security to the lives and property of all Nigerians, irrespective of their creed, tribe and political affiliations.

    “Finally, the PDP assures Nigerians that we will not be deterred in speaking out against the killings and the failure of the Buhari administration to take concrete steps to stem this ugly tide”.

  • $322m Abacha loot: Cash transfers to poor homes begin in July

    The Federal Government says it will commence disbursement of the recovered 322 million dollars Abacha loot through Conditional Cash Transfers (CCT) to 302,000 poor households in 19 states in July.

    Mr Tukur Rumar, of the National Cash Transfer Office (NTCO), said this at a roundtable on assets recovery organised by the Swiss Embassy on Thursday, in Abuja.

    The event was organised to intimate citizens and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) on the efforts both nations were making on asset recovery after the Post-Global Forum on Assets Recovery (GFAR) held in Washington D.C. in Dec. 2017.

    At the forum, Nigeria made commendable commitments on beneficial ownership, tax transparency, asset recovery, transparency management of recovered funds and payments to victims of corruption.

    The states are: Niger, Kogi, Ekiti, Osun, Oyo, Kwara, Cross River, Bauchi, Gombe, Jigawa, Benue, Taraba, Adamawa, Kano, Katsina, Kaduna, Plateau, Nasarrawa, Anambra and Internally Displaced Camps (IDPs) in Borno.

    According to Rumar, the benefiting households will receive N5,000 monthly and are derived from the National Social Register (NSR) that the 19 states are already on.

    He said the programme was designed to also train beneficiaries on livelihood skills, social skills and other programmes that would change their lives completely.

    Rumar, however, said that NCTO had been making payments to the 46,000 poor and vulnerable households across the 19 states since Dec. 2016, adding that the number had increased to 290,000.

    Mr Iorwa Apera, the National Coordinator, National Social Safety Net Coordinating Office (NASSCO), said 503,055 households were already on the NSR register from the 19 states, adding that by July, there would be a social register for all the states of the federation.

    He said that of the Abacha loot, about 302,000 poor homes across the 19 states would be mined by the NCTO to begin to receive the Abacha loot.

    Apera told the participants that the Federal Government would begin with those states, because they had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with NASSCO to put in place certain infrastructure to empower the national register.

    “Some of the states delayed, but the other ones were quick enough to set up infrastructure that allowed us to start work there, but all the states are now on board as they have set up their state operating offices and donated office equipment to us.

    “As states come on board, we enroll and so they extend to the beneficiary register, and presently we are generating data in all the states now,’’ he said.

    Read Also: EFCC launches probe as $500m Abacha loot goes missing

    Mrs Linda Ekeator of the office of the Special Adviser to the President on Social Investment said the Abacha loot was invested in the social investment programme, because it was a programme that was already supported by the World Bank.

    She said that before the money was returned to Nigeria, there was an agreement with the Swiss government that it should be used for alleviating poverty and this was to be done with the supervision of the World Bank.

    The Swiss Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr Eric Mayoraz said the 722 million dollars of the Abacha family money that was hidden in Switzerland was fully repatriated in 2005.

    He also said that the 322 million dollars that was repatriated in Dec. 2017, was money that was frozen by the Swiss Attorney-General, but was not domiciled in Switzerland, but in other countries, mainly Luxembourg.

    He, however, said measures had been put in place to ensure that Swiss banks were not used to hide stolen funds from other countries.

    “For possible new cases, the Swiss legislation has fundamentally changed.

    “The law in Switzerland does not allow bank secrecy anymore, and all banks and financial institutions have a due diligence duty to ask everyone coming with money where it is coming from.

    “That does not mean that there are no illegal or stolen assets now in Switzerland, but then there is another instrument I signed myself with the Nigerian Ministry of Justice and Switzerland two years ago on mutual legal assistance and this is for new cases.

    “Now, this agreement with our own Ministry of Justice and Nigeria is that there will be direct communication and exchange on mutual legal request and we are really collaborating with EFCC and other agencies in Nigeria,’’ Mayoraz.

    The Executive Director, ANEEJ, Rev. David Ugolor, said for Nigerian citizens to not keep spreading rumours about the whereabouts of recovered loots, the government must be transparent in all the processes.

    He also said that CSOs should be given access to the social register to enable it monitor properly whether or not the beneficiaries received what was due to them.

  • ‘Government must stop killings’

    Pan-Igbo socio-cultural group, Igboekulie has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to address the orgy of killings in the country.

    The president of Igboekulie Prince Ben Onuora in a statement said last Saturday’s killings in Plateau State, where over 100 citizens were killed was condemnable.

    He said Nigerians were becoming hopeless on security

    He added:  “Our President cannot continue to do the same thing all over again and expect a different outcome. After each round of killings in Benue, Taraba, Zamfara, Nasarawa, Kogi, Enugu, Delta, Ondo and other places, Mr. President, Muhammadu Buhari condemns the killings, promising to improve on the security of the nation.  These promises are hardly kept because nothing seems to change beyond the presidential commiseration.”

    The group said government’s failure to arrest and prosecute the killers and their collaborators was making the situation hopeless.

    “Igboekulie condemns in very strong terms the unabating massacre of innocent Nigerians by invading and rampaging herdsmen who appear to have immunity against arrest or prosecution.

    Read Also: Killings: Buhari to put more pressure on security chiefs

    “We also, condemn the unwholesome nonchalance of the Federal Government of Nigeria to the unprecedented loss of lives in the past three years.  An FGN that has successfully dealt with restive groups across Nigeria cannot suddenly be helpless, unless out of mischief, when it concerns the murderous herdsmen.

    “After three years of unrelenting bloodshed, it is time for the President, as Commander-in-Chief, to critically evaluate the performance of the security agencies and rejig same to reflect the diversity of the country in line with the federal character principle.

    “This nation is being brought to its knees daily with unprovoked violence by people who insist on illegally grazing their cattle on the farmlands of other Nigerians.  If this journey to anarchy is allowed to continue, no one is sure of how it would end.”

    “We call on all other socio-cultural groups to rise and condemn the spate of killings by the protected invaders against the weak in our society and the contrived helplessness of the FGN.  An injury to one is an injury to all.  If this madness is not halted, it could be the turn of your community tomorrow.”

  • Kogi’s next governor…

    The battle for the control of the seat of power in Kogi state began when Nigeria decided to make another trial at democratic rule in 1992, since then politics and race for Lord Lugard House has been characterised with tribal sentiments, ethnic chauvinism, clashes of interests, political scheming, manipulations and intra-tribal betrayals. The clamour for power to shift or rotated among the three senatorial districts of the state became more intense after the eastern part of the state who are predominantly Igala speaking were believed to have held on to power and ruled the state for too long at the expense and relegation of the predominantly Ebira speaking central senatorial district and Okun speaking west senatorial district. The mentality and thinking of the exponents of power rotation is that it will not only give a sense of belonging to the three districts but will also ensure and lead to an even and equitable development of all parts of the state.

    The atmosphere of distrust, mutual suspicion and disunity that prevails amidst the hues and cries of marginalisation and exclusion by successive administrations in the state even further gave steam and rigour to the agitation for power shift, with the proponents of rotation of governorship position holding consultations and round table discussions across the state. After several failed political calculations and fruitless attempts by a synergy of forces from the central and west districts to wrest the number one seat in the state from our eastern brethren, what was almost turning into an impossibility suddenly became a reality in 2015, after the leading gubernatorial aspirant, Prince Abubakar Audu died while votes were still being collated. His second runner up at the APC governorship primaries, Mr Yahaya Bello was later fielded by the party to conclude the process of an election that was initially declared inconclusive by INEC.

    To many people from the central and west districts, the dramatic shift of power away from the east district was a divine design and intervention to enable other parts of the state to also taste power. This was expected to translate into a new lease of life and usher in good things in terms of good governance, delivery of dividends of democracy and an unequalled human and infrastructural development.

    More than two years down the line, the hardship, torture and dehumanisation that kogites are suffering and being subjected to by the current state government shows that it is in order to conclude that the yearnings, aspirations and dreams of the proponents of power rotation have been betrayed and let down. Things are now worse than what they used to be before the present government was inaugurated. Infrastructural decay, dilapidation of state owned institutions and total neglect of public schools and hospitals have become the order of the day. Workers’ welfare has taken the back seat even as payment of salaries and allowances of pension are now done once in a blue moon.

    The Yahaya Bello administration started on a wrong footing by appointing miscreants, hooligans and intellectually deficient personalities into key positions. Being surrounded by individuals who have got absolutely nothing valuable to add to his government was his greatest undoing. From the more than two years workers’ screening exercise which reportedly is still ongoing, the inability to fix critical infrastructure and basic amenities like portable water supply or complete any major project since inception in the past two years, even as there has been virtually nothing to show for the huge allocations from the federation account, the Paris loan refund 1 and 2, and bailouts 1 and 2 received by the Yahaya Bello administration.

    As we gradually move closer to the next governorship election, the advocates of power shift/rotation should have learnt a key lesson. The executive rascality, official recklessness, financial mismanagement and administrative cluelessness of the Yahaya Bello government have shown that good leadership mentality, ample capacity and competence have nothing to do with tribe. Moving forward, our selection process of electing the next governor of the state should not be based on tribe, ethnic group, gender or religion in order to move our beloved state to an enviable height. No matter the senatorial district he/she comes from, we should rate, assess, accept and elect the next occupant of Lord Lugard House based on the aspirant’s level of competence, capacity, antecedence, ability to listen and accommodate diverse opinions, compassion and empathy towards the downtrodden.

    We need a governor who is humble and kind hearted, a personality who listens more than he talks and a mentally sound individual with an enviable past record of achievement. For the sake of progress, good governance and an overall development of our dear state let’s all eschew tribal sentiment or consideration and unite in one accord in electing the man or woman with the right mentality for the job, let commonsense prevail.

     

    • Obaro writes from Lokoja, Kogi state.

  • Herdsmen/Farmers Clashes: Experts urge farmers to embrace ranching

    Some security experts on Friday urged farmers to embrace ranching as a lasting solution to the perennial clashes with cattle herdsmen in various communities in the country.

    The security experts told our reporter in Lagos that cattle ranching would go a long way in curbing herdsmen clashes and cattle rustling in the country.

    Mr Aghanya Ibezimako, a retired Commissioner of Police, said that the killings persisted due to lack of modern crime-fighting equipment by the police.

    Ibezimako, former CP in Benue, Kogi and Ekiti, called on all security agencies to synergies and share intelligence to finally tackle the menace.

    “Initially the country was battling with Boko Haram insurgency and now it has graduated to herdsmen killings.

    Read Also: ‘Herdsmen’s, farmers’ clashes may worsen without ranches’ 

    “Government needed to provide necessary equipment to the police to fight this crime because they are closer to the public than other security agencies,” Ibezimako said.

    The former CP commended Federal Government for deploying 150 special force of the Nigerian Air Force in Benue and other states where the clashes were prevalent, saying that it would yield positive result.

    Mr Micheal Sam-Wobo, a security expert, urged government to deploy the use of information technology in fighting crime, adding that it would also generate employment among the youths.

    According to him, technology can be used in detecting suicide bombers carrying explosives inside their dresses.

    Mr Tony Ozorh, another security expert, called on National Assembly to enact a law establishing ranching as private businesses as was being done in advanced countries.

    Ozorh said that countries like Bulgaria, Algeria and Brazil, among others, made ranching serious business enterprises through which the countries generate income from it.

    According to him, herdsmen of the premordial time who used to move around with sticks now carry AK 47 rifles.

    “Cattle herdsmen should have grazing areas where they can feed their animals.

    “We urged the National Assembly to pass a law that will establish ranching like in other countries of the world,” he said.

    NAN

  • Excitement as Kogi students get bursary payment

    It was a celebration galore in the Ayingba campus of the Kogi State University as the indigenous students of the state on Wednesday received bursary alerts.

    A student who got a bank alert of about N11, 000 confirmed the state government has commenced bursary payment.

    It be recalled that the Kogi state government as part of its “New direction government” promised all indigenous students in the state a fixed sum for their bursary allowances.

    Owing to some hitches, the government delayed the process which led to some students making known their displeasure over the state government inability to stick to the agreed date set for the payment.

    Read Also: Why we are not paying salaries regularly – Kogi Govt

    Our reporter also confirmed the payment from some students on one of the whatsapp group platforms where those who have received theirs shared their excitement.

    The government urged students to exercise patience as the payments will be done batch by batch owing to the large number of students who registered for the scheme.

     

  • Kogi: Abdullahi Bello is factional chairman

    •Ametuo wins at the parallel congress

    THE former SSA to Governor Yahaya Bello, Abdullahi Bello, has emerged as the state APC factional chairman.

    He emerged at the congress which held at the Confluence Stadium, Lokoja.

    Kogi State Governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, led other members of the party to the congress.

    Meanwhile, Alhaji Haddi Ametuo emerged as the factional chairman at the earlier parallel APC state congress which held at the Felele area in the state capital.

    The Ametuo faction, which has in the main, supporters of the Audu/Faleke Campaign Organisation in the state also produced a secretary and 25 other executives.

    Meanwhile, Gov. Bello has commended members and supporters of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for conducting a peaceful and rancor-free state congress that produced 37 state executive council members of the party.

    He gave the commendation at the Confluence Stadium shortly after the conclusion of the congress that produced Hon. Abdullahi Bello as chairman.

  • Parallel congresses in Ondo, Enugu, Kogi, Kwara, Zamfara, others

    Some of yesterday’s State Congresses of All Progressives Congress (APC) were marred by violence and disagreements leading to parallel congresses in some states, including Ondo, Enugu, Imo, Kogi, Kwara, Zamfara, Adamawa, among others.

    In Ondo State for example, no fewer than 50 persons, including some reporters who covered the congress, sustained severe injuries when some political thugs invaded the venue of the congress held by a faction of the party.

    Another state where thugs chased out some delegates during yesterday’s exercise was Enugu.

    Although there was no violence in Imo and Niger states, the outcome of yesterday’s congresses there also left much to be desired. While a faction of the party in Imo held the congress in a secret venue in spite of a court order, in Niger, some contestants publicly shed tears when the leadership opted to adopt affirmation.

    Besides these, many other states, including Adamawa, Kwara, Delta, Lagos and Abia states reportedly held parallel congresses.

    There are also reports of some top APC chieftains, like the National Chairman, Chief John Oyegun of Edo State and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, from Bauchi, who boycotted the exercise.

    These problems notwithstanding, the exercise was successfully conducted in the majority of the states where new executives were either elected or unanimously retained.

     

  • APC: Parallel LG congresses hold in Ondo, Kwara, Kogi, 4 others

    Police arrest three over killing of man in Lagos

    Kwankwaso, supporters boycott exercise in Kano

    Commissioner escapes death in Edo State

    … Zamfara, Bayelsa, Kwara, Abia also

    In at least seven states, factions elected parallel executives during yesterday’s All Progressives Congress (APC) Local Government Congresses. Reports filed by state correspondents show that some of the states where parallel congresses held yesterday include Enugu, Kogi, Ondo, Zamfara, Bayelsa, Kwara and Abia.

    In Enugu State for example, Foreign Affairs Minister, Mr. Geoffrey Onyeama, Special Assistant to the President on Judicial Reviews, Mrs. Juliet Ibekaku and the Director General, Voice of Nigeria (VON), Mr. Osita Okechukwu, emerged as delegates. But they were elected from parallel congresses of the Udi Local Council.

    Onyeama and Ibekaku, as well as other key officials of the Udi APC Local Government, were elected unopposed at a parallel congress held at Comprehensive High School, Abia-Udi.

    Okechukwu was elected at a parallel congress held at the Udi APC Local Government office, 9th Mile Corner, Ngwo, near Enugu.

    Okechukwu was returned unopposed likewise two other national delegates, Mr. Charlie Chime and Maureen Anosike, at the same venue.

    Onyeama, while commenting on the congress, said: “But unfortunately, those who want to be elected and the congress team that came here, the chairman, claimed that the National Working Council said they should only meet with the chairman of the state party.

    “The chairman of the state party himself is interested in competing, so you can imagine a situation where they said that the person who is interested in being elected should be the one that should carry out the election process.

    “So, what has happened is exactly what you would expect to happen; he now keeps all the forms for himself and completely excludes everybody else; in fact, he excludes the majority of the people. And we can’t allow that to happen.

    “So we have gone on with the parallel congress. I spoke to the chairman of the congress; I said to him you just impose a democratic process on the state; but he said no, he had instruction from Abuja that he should relate with the chairman, and that he knows is not fair, and that he knows that will just come up with a list without having gone through any electoral process at all.

    “But we are going to fight it today because you’ve seen so many people here, and by God’s grace, their votes must count.”

    The APC National Vice Chairman for South-East, Emma Eneukwu and the Acting Women Leader, Mrs. Oby Nwofor were among the party chieftains from the local government who attended the congress in which the VON Managing Director was elected.

    Officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) ?were also in attendance at the Udi APC office.

    Reacting to his election as national delegate, Okechukwu assured that he would use the mandate given to him to support the efforts of President Muhammadu Buhari to improve infrastructure in the South-East geo-political zone.

    At the congress which held at the St. Luke Primary School, Adankolo in Kogi State, the Audu/Faleke faction of APC, elected Usman Mamanlafia and Abubakar Nagogo Maiyaki as the chairman and secretary, respectively, in the 27-man executive.

    The faction is alleged to be sympathetic to the embattled APC state chairman, Alhaji Haddi Ametuo.

    The congress was supervised by officials of INEC, amidst the presence of some operatives of the Special Anti- Robbery Squad.

    But Okene, the faction loyal to Governor Yahaya Bello, led by the Special Adviser to the Governor on Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Alhaji Abubakar Ohere, were observed putting final touches for the LG congress, at the popular Lafia Street area, while similar arrangements by Bello’s loyalist, led by the Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Mathew Kolawole, were ongoing in Kabba, as at 2pm.

    In Zamfara State, a group loyal to the chairman, Senate Committee on Petroleum (Downstream), Senator Kabiru Marafa, yesterday organised a parallel congress across the 14 local government areas of the state.

    The congress, according to a statement by the camp, signed by Bello Soja Bakyasuwa Maradun for the group, said the parallel Congress recorded a large turnout across the 14 local government areas of Zamfara state.

    The camp had last week threatened to block the local government Congress over the alleged refusal of Ambassador Dauda Danladi-led committee to organise ward Congress.

    Marafa’s group accused Ambassador Danladi of pitching tent with Governor Abdulaziz Yari to scuttle the will of Congress members of the party in the state.

    ” Our group is the only faction that fulfilled all the party conditions, having paid the prescribed fees through the designated banks for all our candidates during the just concluded ward Congresses that were held nationwide last week,” the statement reads in part.

    Parallel local government congress was also recorded in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital.

    Two  factions loyal to a former Governor of the state, Chief Timipre Sylva, and a former Acting Governor, Chief Nestor Binabo, conducted separate congresses.

    Sylva commended the delegates and party members for the peaceful conduct of the congresses.

    But Binabo claimed that the LG congresses conducted by them were the real ones, describing Sylva’s faction as fake.

    Ondo is another state that recorded parallel congresses. At least, two visible factions held congresses across the 18 local government areas.

    One of the factions was loyal to the state governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, and the Acting Chairman of the party, Ade Adetimehin, while the other group supported the embattled chairman of the party, Isaac Kekemeke.

    It was a supremacy battle between the two factions as they struggled for the group that is authentic.

    However, the congresses were devoid of violence.

    Some of the local governments where the parallel congresses were reportedly held included Akure South, Ifedore, Akoko South-West, Ondo West, among others.

    The Acting Chairman, Adetimehin however denied having parallel congress, saying the real congress which was conducted and attended by the congress committee, set up by the national secretariat, Abuja, was the authentic congress.

    Commenting on the exercise, a leader of the APC in Ifedore Local Government and leader of the Kekemeke’s faction in the local government, Bamidele Baderinwa, a federal lawmaker, said the congress was held at the APC secretariat, Igbara Oke, the headquarters of the local government.

    In Abia State, the congresses were peaceful across the 17 local government areas but reports confirmed that parallel congress was held in some areas.

    Our reporter who was at the party’s secretariat in Umuahia, Abia State capital, reports that materials for the congress in all the 17 local government areas of the state were distributed as early as 7:30am including Arochukwu, Ohafia, Isiukwuato, Ikwuano, Umunneochi, Bende, Ukwa East and West, Ugwunagbo, Obingwa, Aba North and South, Osisioma, Umuahia North and South respectively.

    Meanwhile, NAN reports that a faction of the party loyal to Chief Ikechi Emenike also held a parallel congress at Umuawa Alaocha Primary School in Umuahia North LGA.

    The congress, which also adopted Option A4, elected Chief Nelson Udenze (Chairman), Onyebuchi Igodo (Treasurer), Chigozie Oriaku (Secretary) and Mercy Uchechukwu (Women Leader).

    Speaking with newsmen at the end of the exercise, former Deputy Gov. Chris Akomas, who is a delegate and member, Board of Trustees of the party, expressed joy over the peaceful congress in the area.

    In Kwara also, two parallel congresses of the All Progressives Congress (APC) took place across the 16 local government areas of the state yesterday.

    A faction of the party loyal to President Muhammadu Buhari and another led by Senate President Bukola Saraki conducted different congresses.

    The congresses were conducted in a peaceful atmosphere.

    Just like what happened during last week’s ward congresses, APC stakeholders in most local government areas in the state picked their executives through a consensus arrangement

    The faction loyal to President Buhari said its grievances against the other faction included maginalisation and inaccessibility to nomination forms.

     

  • Kogi: Man attempts suicide over unpaid salaries

    A man who identified himself as Agada Okpanachi on Thursday, attempted suicide by hanging himself on a tree in Idah.

    Okpanchi, a staff of the Ministry of Agriculture, Kogi State was rescued by the patrol team of FRSC who were informed by an okada rider that saw him when he was trying to take his life.

    Acting on this report, the team immediately dashed to the location where they found Okpanachi in an unconscious state.

    The FRSC patrol team through the administering of Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) on the culprit was able to regain his consciousness.

    Our reporter further confirmed that during the CPR, the police were contacted and they met the FRSC team at the scene while administering the CPR.

    Read Also: Kogi: Kidnapping, ritual killing, robbery hampering road projects

    Also, in an exclusive interview with the Nation, Okpanachi made known his thought as regards the attempted suicide case.

    In his words, he said, “The hardship is too much for me and I can’t cope than to hang myself.

    “For the past two years, I have not taken a kobo after wasting all my money going to Lokoja for screening,” he said.