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Tag: KOGI

  • Kogi ACN faults ex-governor’s ‘interference’

    Kogi ACN faults ex-governor’s ‘interference’

    •Allegation is malicious, says Wada’s aide

    Kogi State Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) Chairman, Alhaji Haddy Ametuo, yesterday said the interference of former Governor Ibrahim Idris in the state was affecting the performance of the Idris Wada administration.

    The opposition party’s chairman, however, said he was not surprised by the turn of events in the state.

    Addressing reporters in Lokoja, the state capital, Ametuo noted that Kogi State would only move forward, if the former governor stopped interfering in the affairs of the state.

    The party chairman alleged that Idris was still calling the shots and churning out directives to the incumbent on the running of the state.

    He described the development as “most unfortunate”.

    According to him, no meaningful achievement can be recorded by the present administration in the state unless the former governor allows Wada to fully take charge of the affairs of the state.

    Ametuo wondered how the present government would perform when, 15 months after it assumed office, the settlement of election expenses and the Judiciary had not been resolved.

    The ACN chairman said the development was a setback to Kogi State.

    He berated the state government for distributing stipends, which it called “handouts”, to victims of last year’s floods in the state. The politician stressed that the victims were being short-changed.

    Ametuo noted that the payment of N3,000 to each flood victim was ridiculous, adding that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) administration in the state needed to assist them to overcome the hardship they experienced through the disaster.

    But Wada, through his Special Adviser on Media and Strategy, Mr. Jacob Edi, said the ACN allegation was malicious.

    He said the opposition should be concerned with how to resolve its leadership crisis rather than run “a progressive” government down.

    Edi said the Wada administration was too focused to be distracted by the “incurable ranting of the opposition”.

    The governor’s aide said the present administration would not allow itself to be drawn backwards by those he called “retrogressive elements”.

    He said the present administration has blazed the trail in the last 15 months, adding that the government did not only have a road map but also a take-off and landing plan.

  • Two dead as Anambra, Kogi boundary crisis worsens

    DESPITE efforts by the governments of Anambra and Kogi states to restore peace to Aguleri-Otu in Anambra State and Echonwa/Ideke in Kogi State, the dispute between the two boundary communities escalated yesterday.

    Sporadic gunshots were heard in the troubled area, even as the casualty figures could not be ascertained.

    The Nation learnt that several people have been killed and property worth millions of naira lost since renewed hostility began in the disputed area two weeks ago.

    Addressing reporters at his palace, the Igwe of Aguleri, Christopher Idigo, said his people’s patience was running out.

    He said two of their kinsmen, Obalum Udealor and Onyeka Nnebe, who were abducted when the people of Ibaji invaded Aguleri Otu two weeks ago, were confirmed dead yesterday.

    “When they came to attack our people yesterday, they were telling us that they have eaten our brothers and this is heightening the tension in the area.”

    The monarch added that in addition to the burnt houses, the invaders, believed to be from Kogi, also razed a primary school built by the Anambra State Government and other schools belonging to the Catholic church and a pentecostal church.

    He said: “As we are talking, the people of Ibaji are shooting heavily at Okpeze, which is in Anambra East.

    “It is not that we cannot retaliate but we are obeying the directive of our governor, Peter Obi, that we should remain calm as the government is handling the situation.

    “We are enduring, but what pains us is that this shooting is taking place on our soil.

    “If the Federal Government does not want to intervene in this matter, it can as well allow us to handle the matter our own way so that government can come in later.

    “There is an atmosphere of insecurity in the area and we also believe that taking up arms will never solve the problem.

    “What we think can solve the problem is a roundtable discussion. That will bring lasting peace to the area.”

  • Kogi crisis: Echocho, ex-governor insist on court process

    •Anenih cancels meeting with Wada

    Efforts to reconcile Governor Idris Wada of Kogi State and his political rival, Mr. Jibrin Isa Echocho, failed yesterday, following the decision of the latter to stay away from a peace meeting convened by the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Tony Anenih.

    Echocho alongside a former acting governor of the state, Chief Clarence Olafemi, wrote Anenih and urged him to allow the Supreme Court to determine the fate of Governor Idris Wada.

    Anenih called off the meeting–in deference to the court process.

    The BoT chairman summoned the meeting as part of the ongoing reconciliation in the PDP.

    It was also gathered that the session was called to prevail on Echocho to withdraw his suit at the Supreme Court challenging the election of Wada.

    The suit is said to be a distraction to the PDP administration in the state.

    But in a joint letter to Anenih, Echocho and Olafemi said it was better for the apex court to determine Wada’s fate.

    The letter, which was obtained by our correspondent, reads: “We wish to commend your sterling leadership quality, which has earned you the position of the Chairman, Board of Trustees, for the second time in the life of our great party. We are confident that you will be able to reposition the party to face future election challenges.

    “Sir, we particularly wish to appreciate your concern on the state of affairs of the party in Kogi State, which informed your decision to arrange for a meeting on 8th April, 2013.

    However, we have discussed extensively with our supporters and various issues were raised, some of which are presented as follows:

    “After the stakeholders’ meeting with the President and leader of the party in early December 2011, we all worked for PDP to win the general election. Immediately thereafter, the government descended on our supporters, with all forms of humiliation, intimidation, deprivation and exclusion.

    “Some of them were retired prematurely and were deprived of their benefits. Others that held various positions in government in the past have been denied their benefits. They have, therefore , resolved not to attend the said meeting. However, we have appealed to them to continue their loyalty to the party. This, they have assured us, and we strongly believe them.

    “Our resolve to continue the court process up to the Supreme Court is a reflection of our belief that the issue before the court is a purely constitutional matter. Ours is not the first of such to be handled by the court.

    “Previous cases handled by the courts have further helped to deepen the democratic system in the country.

    “We believe that the judgment of the Supreme Court on our matter will assist PDP in the conduct of her affairs at all levels, as part of her leadership role to build a virile and sustainable democratic system.

    “We believe that in view of the public attention that has been drawn by our case, any interference in the court process will ridicule us, Kogi State, and PDP.

    “In view of the foregoing, we wish to passionately appeal to you, to exempt us from the meeting scheduled to hold on Monday while reassuring you that our supporters remain absolutely loyal to PDP.”

    As of press time, it was gathered that the meeting had been cancelled.

    A source close to the BOT chairman said: “The meeting has been cancelled because stakeholders have insisted on legal option than political solution. In deference to the court process, Chief Anenih called off the meeting.”

     

  • Kogi to  harvest dry season rice farming next month

    THE Kogi State Agricultural Development Programme, (ADP) has said it was expected to harvest over 4000 metric tones of rice from its coordinated dry season rice farming.

    The Managing Director of ADP, Dr. Ameh Onoja, who disclosed this yesterday while conducting journalists round the farms at Sarkin Noma and Okumi, said the government provided the farmers with all the needed inputs.

    The state government had last year December cleared and shared  1,500 hectares of land to prospective farmer groups at Sarkin Noma, Galilee, Okumi in Lokoja and Koton-Karfi free of charge as part of its agricultural transformation in the state.

    According to Onoja,  Kogi was working to beat the federal government deadline for putting a stop to the importation of rice, and called on the farmers to take advantage of government’s favourable disposition to improve agriculture in the state to improve their well-being.

     

  • JTF takes over Kogi, Anambra boundary

    The Joint Task Force (JTF) has taken over the boundary between Enugu-Otu-Aguleri community in Anambra East Local Government of Anambra State and Echonwa /Odeke community in Abaji Local Government of Kogi State, following the renewed crisis in the communities.

    The crisis, it was gathered, had claimed seven lives. Eyewitnesses said there is tension in the two communities as youths from both sides have threatened a showdown.

    It was gathered that it took the intervention of the former senator representing Anambra North, Emmanuel Anosike, to avert a bloodbath.

    The youths have allegedly threatened to attack oil installations belonging to Orient Petroleum Resources in Aguleri-Otu.

    Work at Orient Petroleum Resources had stopped.

    Workers and staff of servicing firms are being evacuated.

    The Commissioner of Police, Bala Nassarawa, dismissed reports about the killings.

    He said what happened in the area was mere apprehension.

    Nassarawa confirmed that a joint police and army patrol team had taken over the area with special routine patrol at major flash points .

    “There is nothing like killing and burning of houses but what is going on in that area is mere apprehension.

    “As I speak to you now we have a joint police and patrol officers who have taken over major flash points where hoodlums would always want to strike.

    “And I must tell you that the area is calm and our men are living up to their responsibilities.”

    Anosike, who visited the area yesterday, told reporters that it was still the same crisis over oil and gas deposit.

    “The youths I met received me warmly and I told them to lay down their arms.

    “I told them to consider the socio-economic benefits of the oil and gas.

    “They had planned to attack some homes of community leaders and clan heads, both in Kogi and Anambra states and the reprisal attacks would have been bloody.

    “We thank God that they listened to us and I promised that the government would see to it that whatever that is lost is compensated.”

    The former senator said he and other community leaders from Anambra and Kogi states were working with security operatives to protect oil installations in the area and to ensure that work resumes at the site immediately.

    The Senior Special Assistant to Anambra State Governor Peter Obi on Special Duties, Tony Nwabunwanne, described the incident as unfortunate.

    He said the government has appealed to the communities to remain law-abiding, adding that security operatives had been deployed to the area to ensure safety of life and property.

    Nwabunwanne urged officials of Orient Petroleum Resources not to worry about the incident as government was working to ensure the success of the project.

    The Transition Committee Chairman of Anambra East Local Government, Chinedu Obidigwe, could not be reached for comments.

  • Kogi varsity starts medical programme

    The Kogi State University, Anyigba has commenced its Medicine programme with 32 pioneer students.

    Speaking during the 14th matriculation of the university, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof Hassan Isah, said the state government has approved the upgrading of the Reference and Diagnostic Hospital, Anyigba to a teaching hospital.

    He said the action was aimed at ensuring that the medical students do not stagnate after completing the pre-clinical courses in Anatomy, Biochemistry and Physiology.

    Other new programmes in the university include Islamic Law, Fisheries and Acquaculture and Industrial Chemistry. Addressing the new students, Isah counseled them to be focused on their studies and shun vices that could jeopardise their future.

    Isah also warned that the screening and verification of the entry qualification was a continuous process, stressing there would be no hesitation to expel any student found to have been admitted with forged documents. He also revealed that 18, 332 candidates participated in the post-UTME screening out of which 4, 765 students were admitted.

    He disclosed further that the school now has eight faculties and 46 academic programmes – with a student population of 19,984 – a far cry from the 750 students that were admitted at inception in 2000.

     

  • Governance meltdown in Kogi

    Governance meltdown in Kogi

    SIR: The emergence of Governor Ichalla Wada in the highly doctored electoral heist of 2011 has aggravated adversely, the virus infected-politics of my dear state.

    As it stands today, if performance is the yardstick to measure a working state, Kogi State is at best, comatose. Keen watchers of the unfolding scenario have attributed the non-performance of the governor to the litany of court litigations against him, while others have traced the seemingly lacklustreness to the massive debt he inherited from his godfather predecessor, Ibrahim Idris. Why is it that the financial position of the state is still enmeshed in mystery? Or, is ex-governor Idris still in charge as being insinuated in some quarters? Wada should speak out.

    The infrastructures on ground, ranging from Kogi Polytechnic, Obajana Cement Factory, Kogi University and the once beautiful, “Confluence City” etc were conceived, initiated and executed by the ACN candidate in the last governorship poll, Abubakar Audu. Ironically, Capt. Wada, who many believe is a ‘very good man’ has hardly come to terms with what governance entails, or by extension, is burdened by the PDP’s impunity.

    Kogi is a vivid example of where nothing works: no well defined policy formulation and implementation; the 21 LGA’s are a shadow of what they should be because constitutional democracy is flagrantly abused; propagation and dissemination of poverty is at its summit; graduate unemployment is growing at geometric rate etc.

    In Borno State, Governor Shettima, inspite of the recurring Boko Haram insurgency has taken governance to another dimension. He underscored the importance of water supply by constructing 100 boreholes within his first 100 days in office. Adams Oshiomhole came like a whirlwind to sweep Edo clean of PDP’s corruption; he has since littered the entire landscape with enviable projects and restored in situ, the lost glory of the people.

    Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso just inaugurated “Kwankwasiyya pilots” where 100 Kano indigenes were sent abroad to study piloting. Inspite of the meagre monthly allocation of Ekiti, Governor Fayemi’s performance ratio far outweigh some oil producing states. Ekiti roads are a joy to behold.

    Governor Babatunde Fashola is doing the unthinkable; many thought Asiwaju Bola Tinubu had done all, but, alas, they were wrong.

    BRF’s road projects, housing scheme for low income earners; the total eradication of security threat miscreants; changing the entire outlook of Old Eko landscape to a masterpiece and his welfarristic programmes are a 21st century wonder.

    These laudable news from the less-endowed states calls for a sober reflection. The time has come for the administrators in Kogi State to brainstorm, think right, perform the required surgical operations and exploit maximally the varying opportunities for the benefit of Kogites or else posterity shall eternally write their names on the debit side of the balance sheet of political history.

    In case my memory fails me or I’m ill-informed on the state of things in Kogi, I want people who think they know to keep me abreast of the supposedly achievement(s) of Capt. Idris Ichalla Wada, since his assumption of office.

     

    • Anthony Oloniruha

    Kabba, Kogi State.

  • Kogi indigenes warned

    A non-government organisation (NGO) in Bassa Local Government Area of Kogi State, Mosum Democratic Congress, has urged the indigenes to be wary of mischief makers, who alleged that there is confusion in the zoning arrangement of the local government.

    The NGO said there was no confusion in the zoning of political offices in the local government.

    Mosum Democratic Congress, in a statement issued yesterday in Lokoja and signed by its President, Mr. Muhammed Katanga, noted that the allegation that Bassa-Nge, one of the three districts, was maginalised, was not true.

    The NGO said since the creation of the local government in 1976, Bassa-Nge and Bassa Kwomu have produced nine chairmen each, while Egbira Mosum has produced three, which was why the leaders agreed to zone the chairmanship to the district.

  • One year of Wada in Kogi

    One year of Wada in Kogi

    When former Kogi State Governor, Ibrahim Idris, was at the helm of affairs, he promised to leave a worthy legacy, hence his foresight in providing the people of Lokoja one of the basic amenities of life, which is water.

    The town that has the unique opportunity of having two of the biggest rivers in Nigeria, has now gone back to history of water shortage that has been giving the people of the town great concern.

    The greater water work project which gulped billions of naira when it was constructed has started witnessing lack of water supply to Lokoja town and its environs.

    The appointment of the water resources commissioner, whom everybody hope should live up to expectation of her office, has not been seen directing affairs of the ministry for some time now.This calls for her redeployment if she is found wanting in her sole responsibilities of giving water to the teeming populace.

    In another clime, provision of this basic amenity to the people should not be of priority to the government of the day for now, because other important things should be at front burner and not this that should have been provided.

    We call on the Kogi State government to make haste in ensuring the restoration of water to Lokoja town and its environs for the people to enjoy the basic amenities.

    The current heat been experienced generally in the country needs to be complimented with provision of water to help in reducing dehydration amongst the people of the town.

    The water board authority should as matter of urgency ensure that all the pipes are properly maintained to make it convenient for water to flow without any hindrance. also, protection should be given to all its facilities to stem the activities of vandals in our societies.

     

    Bala Nayashi, Lokoja

  • Kogi…still in search of unity

    Kogi…still in search of unity

    The greatest challenge confronting Kogi State Governor Idris Wada is how to forge unity among the various ethnic groups the state, reports. Assistant Editor Dada ALADELOKUN.

    A pall of gloom descended on the entire landscape of Kogi State on December 28, last year. It was the day its Governor, Idris Wada, a retired Captain, got involved in an auto crash. Sadly, his Aide-De-Camp (ADC), Idris Muhammed, did not survive to tell the story of the mishap that took place in Lokoja, the state capital.

    The awry development, to some observers, especially Wada’s critics, has worsened the dent on the already bruised unity of the state which, for years, had quacked over alleged marginalisation of two major ethnic groups in the state – the Ebira and Okun.

    Both groups which recently threw their weights behind moves to get another state created from the current Kogi had been crying themselves hoarse over what they call the prolonged dominance of Igala, another section of the state.

    Already, the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state, through a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh, has directed its members across the country to pray for Wada’s survival, even as he expressed the party’s deep shock over the accident.

    However, sources from the camp of Wada’s opponents hinted The Nation that not all the sections of the state are losing sleep over the governor’s predicament because, according to the sources, “he has not done anything to address the marginalisation issue he inherited.” Nevertheless, everyone wants the governor back in the saddle soon.

    Prime among his people’s grievances is, that Wada is tied to the apron strings of former Governor Ibrahim Idris, his kinsman and political benefactor who reportedly funded his campaign with a whopping sum of money. Besides, the governor is alleged to have marginalised his deputy, Abayomi Awoniyi.

    For the “imbalance” in the state, the Ebira people who came along with the Okun counterparts from the old Kwara State have not been left out of spirited agitation for creation of more states from the present Kogi. Obviously not satisfied with the subsisting arrangement whereby the governorship seat has remained with the Igala since the creation of the state in 1991, they have been hard-pressed for alternative way out, especially state creation.

    One of the founding fathers of the state, Alhaji Isa Ozi Salami, at his residence in Ogaminana in Adavi Local Government area of Kogi State, recently expressed the anger of the Ebira and Okun, who came together from the old Kwara State. To him, the two groups did not deserve the treatment being meted out to them in the state.

    A retired senior civil servant, Pa Joseph Akpa, who once spoke on the issue, confirmed that the agitation for Okura State out of the present Kogi had been raging since 1082.

    At the National Assembly recently, members from Okun were not left out of the clamour for the creation of a new state from Kogi. The senator representing Kogi West Senatorial District, Smart Adeyemi, is on record as having played prominent role in making sure the Okun State got born.

    A Lagos-based rights activist and one-time governorship aspirant on the platform of Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Prince Yakubu Rotimi Obadofin, spoke at the annual National Congress of Okun Development Association (ODA) not long ago. It was in Kabba.

    Obadofin explained that the Okun people were requesting a state or alternatively be allowed to merge with their kinsmen in the South-west of Nigeria, stressing that the “deprived” Okun people are predominantly Yorubas.

    Not long ago, elders in the state had also cried out over the way the state was being run by Wada. In fact, they met and came up with a communiqué duly signed by six among them, including former Acting Governor Clarence Obafemi.

    When asked to speak on Wada’s condition in relation to happenings in the troubled state, Obafemi said: “I would not want to comment now because of the state of the governor. But it is on record that I have been among the concerned elders of the state who have always expressed our dissatisfaction over how things have been happening in the state.

    I know what I did when I was in the saddle as acting governor of the state.

    “So many things are wrong with the administration of the state but for now, all we want is the quick recovery of the governor so that we can move forward at addressing the issues. But I must appreciate the dispassionate way that The Nation has been reporting the state of things in our state. The newspaper has been upholding justice in the discharge of its professional duty as far as reporting our affairs is concerned.”

    But is it true that Wada has not been doing anything practicable to erase the notion of marginalisation since he assumed office? Will the outcry outlast his administration? Duro Meseko, former member of the House of Representatives and Senior Special Assistant to Wada, would not share in the fear.

    He dispelled the marginalisation insinuations, saying it might only exist in the minds of pre-election rivals of the governor, a situation which, he said, “is understandable in Nigerian political context.”

    Speaking further, Meseko told The Nation: “I’m an insider when it comes to Kogi matters and we have to be honest for posterity sake. Immediately this governor, got in, the main thing in his mind was how to disabused people’s mindset of the traditional outcry over marginalisation by some sections of the state. And he has succeeded largely in that regard.

    “Right from his appointments of Commissioners, Special Advisers and Assistants, he took into consideration the interests of all the ethnic groups in the state. Is it his capital projects one would want to talk about? He has not been unfair to any group as he would always consciously spread the projects with the fear of God and in the name of fairness.” He added: “The only thing in the mind of the administration of Governor Wada is how to revamp the state infrastructurally and I can assure Kogians that before the end of the first quarter of 2013, Kogi will be turned into a pacesetter of infrastructural development in the whole nation. All we should wish the governor now is speedy recover from his current condition because he has put his hands on the plough of doing his utmost to re-write the story and the state.”

    According to Meseko, time is past when hoodlums would take over the premises of the state Government House, adding that the era when civil service lost its glamour and integrity is no more. Wada, he contended, had changed the course of virtually everything in the state. But his critics are not yet convinced.