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Tag: kwara

  • Firm to empower 500,000 rural women in Kwara

    No fewer than 500,000 women in rural communities will be empowered by Kaiama Shea Butter Company, a Kwara-based company proposing to plant one million Shea butter trees across the state.

    Its Chairman, Mr. Temitope Amujo, said this in an interview in Ilorin.

    According to him, the government, in collaboration with the National Orientation Agency (NOA),  provided the enabling environment for the take-off of the company.

    “We launched the Save-the-Shea campaign with the sole mandate of planting 100,000 Shea trees, empower 500,000 rural women in communities and achieve zero poverty in the state.

    “This is to ensure safe climate; and to achieve this, we have acquired land in Kaiama Local Government Area to establish the first commercial Shea plantation and develop the first Shea Hub, called Kaiama Shea Hub (KaSH).

    “We recently discovered that Shea tree is one of the endangered species that is seriously affected by deforestation because of its high quality for charcoal production.

    “Our major target now is to discourage cutting of Shea trees for charcoal production, plant new trees and establish another Shea hub.’’

    Amujo said the vision was to create a minimum of 300 local jobs and attract foreign investment in Shea value chain development in the state.

    He said about N30 million has been injected into the company — N12 million in grant, N10 million sourced from private investment and N8 million in liability

  • We’ve seen democracy dividends, Kwara chief tells minister

    The Baale (community leader) of Bode Saa’du, Moro Local Government Area, Kwara State, Barrister Bola Yusuf, has hailed the Federal Government for reconstructing the Ilorin-Jebba Road, saying the road has opened up the area to social and economic activities.

    Yusuf gave the commendation in Bode Saa’du, a town on the newly-constructed single carriage way, yesterday, when the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, inspected the construction of the Ilorin-Jebba-Mokwa-Birnin Gwari-Kaduna Road.

    The community leader said: “We are indeed very grateful to the government. We cannot over-emphasise the importance of this road.

    “There is no gainsaying that it has impacted on the economy and everything. When it was not done, it affected our people.

    “Now that it has been done, every Nigerian who passes this road has kind words to say to the government.

    “We have tasted and are still tasting the dividends of democracy, and it is our trust in God that it will continue by the special grace of God.”

    The Ba’ale recalled that the deplorable state of the road, a key arterial road linking the South-West and the northern parts of the country, had forced a lot of residents to relocate to other places.

    “Our market closed down because people were not secured and they could not cope. There is a big cattle market here and we have our local market here, but people could not just do anything.

    “It affected everything and it could take you weeks to travel across the road. It was a terrible thing and people were moving out of this area,” he said.

    Yusuf said the reconstruction of the road has now reduced travelling time from Ilorin to Jebba from four days to about two hours.

    In his remarks, the minister said until the present administration came into office, the Ilorin-Jebba Road was a total failure, adding: “Work commenced in 2014, and by the time this administration came it was only 15.9 per cent completed. As at today, it is 100 per cent completed. I think this is very significant.”

    The Minister said the present administration has chosen to invest in critical infrastructure to revamp the economy instead of sharing money to a few individuals.

    “Rather than put money in the pockets of certain individuals, government decided to put money in infrastructure, which will impact positively on the lives of everyone.

    “This government is not distracted; it is focused on improving infrastructure in Nigeria and actually, this is the essence of this kind of tour.

    “We are not just talking, we are showcasing,” he said.

    Alhaji Mohammed said the government is convinced that when it provides the critical infrastructure, the country will be on the path to greatness.

    Also speaking, the Federal Controller of Works in Kwara State, Mr. Atitebi Wasiu, said the Ilorin-Jebba Road is part of the Trans-Saharan road from Lagos to Algiers in Algeria, and cuts through West Africa.

    He said the 93.6km Ilorin-Jebba Road, which was abandoned for about 10 years due to its deplorable condition, now records daily traffic of about 7,500 vehicles, including  heavy duty trucks.

    But the Controller assured that the road was well constructed with a lifespan of at least 20 years.

    On the Jebba-Mokwa Section, the Resident Engineer in Niger State, Mr. Samuel Sumango, who represented the Federal Controller of Works in the state, said 38 failed portions of the road, including the construction of double cell culverts through the Ecological Fund, had been rehabilitated.

    “This road was terribly bad to the point that some vehicles spent one or two weeks, some of them tumbled as they were going. It was a terrible road. But we thank God now. This is the handiwork of this very administration,” he said.

    Mr. Sumango said the Tatabu Bridge, which failed and practically cut off the South West and the Northern parts of the country on that axis, was rebuilt within one year and reinforced to a dual carriage.

    Since kick-starting a nationwide tour of federal government infrastructural projects in May 2018, the Minister has inspected about 10 Federal Government projects, including the Lagos-Ibadan Standard Gauge Rail Line, Lagos-Ibadan, Oyo-Ogbomoso and Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressways, and the Second Niger Bridge.

  • KWIRS spends 13.5b on infrastructure in Kwara

    The Kwara State Internal Revenue Service (KWIRS) on Wednesday said that the service has contributed about N13.5 billion to the state’s infrastructure development fund (IF-K) since the fund was inaugurated in September 2016.

    IFK was established the Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed to fund all infrastructural projects across the state.

    Chairman of KWIRS Dr Muritala Awodun briefed reporters in Ilorin, the state capital on the service’s performance for the second quarter of 2018.

    Dr Awodun said the evolution of IF-K had significantly assisted the state in executing capital projects across the state.
    He said the service now remits the sum of N530 million to the fund on monthly basis, as opposed to the initial N500 monthly remittance.

    He said: “In 2015, there were over 60 projects abandoned across the state and there was no money but with the coming on board of the fund all the projects were completed and by 2016 given the available scenario government would not have been able to start any new project.

    However with the IF-K government was able to start several new projects and most of them are still ongoing across the state. ”

    On the service’s performance in the second quarter of this year, Awodun said “the service collected the sum of N1.3 billion in April, N1.2 billion in May and N1.3 billion in June to make a total of N3.8 billion. When added to the N6. 44 billion collected in the first quarter, he said the agency had collected a total of N10. 32 billion into the state’s coffers in the first halt of this year.”

    He conceded that the influence of political environment had impacted negatively on the service’s performance.

    Awodun said his team has put in place strategies to ensure the continued success of the service in coming years.

    He said: “In the second quarter we started a process of engaging to be taken through the process of international certification; the ISO in two major areas; quality management system and business continuity management and we are going to be the first revenue agency in Nigeria to do this and we expect that by the end of this quarter we would have been certified.

    “The essence of this is that whoever comes into the system would have a seamless process that does not depend on an individual to succeed.”

    He also revealed that the service has so far expended N52 million on various community impact projects out of the N100 million budgeted for such projects this year.

  • INEC releases 9, 750 PVCs in Ilorin West

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Ilorin West, Kwara, has released a total of 9,750 Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) for those that registered in 2017.

    Alhaji Abu Uffene, Electoral officer, Ilorin West, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in his office, on Monday.

    He said that out of 9, 750 PVCs that were released by the Commission, 5, 354 had been collected by their owners, while 4, 396 PVCs were yet to be collected.

    He, therefore, advised those that registered for PVC in Ilorin West to come forward to collect their cards.

    “We are going through stress keeping PVCs for people, as we do physical counting of PVCs every day.

    “3, 273 people applied for transfer as a result of change of location of residence, to enable them access polling unit easily, on election day.

    “While some have relocated to another state, so they will have to seek for transfer to that place, in which another PVC will be issued to them, with the new address on it, and the old one will be retrieved,” he said.

    The electoral officer said that INEC started registering people for PVC since April 27, 2018 and there are lots of people that are yet to register for the card.

    “Ilorin West has the highest number of population in Kwara, so when we started, we were given only one machine for registration, but due to the population, it has been increased to four registration machines.

    “We have registered 23, 711 for PVCs and there are still many people that are yet to be registered, so we decide to work on weekends.

    “There are 12 wards in Ilorin West, so we divided them into two wards per day, while three wards register on Thursday and Friday, to enable us register people across the 12 wards, and on weekends, anybody from the 12 wards can register,” he said.

    He said that their major problem was the crowd, saying that they were disorganized and not patient, which has resulted into fight among the people wishing to register on many occasions and thereby disturbing the official work.

    The electoral officer called for more presence of security agencies to maintain order at the registration centres.

  • Lai Mohammed inaugurates rehabilitation of Oro township road

    The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed on Thursday inaugurated the rehabilitation of township roads in Oro, his home town in Kwara.

    The project awarded by the Federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing was initiated by the minister.

    Mohammed said the project is the dividend of democracy to his people and attestation to the commitment of President Muhammadu Buhari to infrastructural development and better life to Nigerians.

    “We came this morning to inaugurate the rehabilitation of Oro township road.

    “When we say the contract had been awarded, some people were in doubt. We thank God that we are witnessing its inauguration today,” he said.

    The minister appealed to the people, particularly the youth in the community to give the contractor the chance the deliver the project on time.

    “We want to appeal to you that no one should exploit the contractor by asking for money before working,” he said.

    He also called on the contractor to ensure that the locals benefit from the project by engaging them as workforce.

    Mohammed said the competent local sub contractors should also be given priority for supply of working materials.

    The Project Manager, Mr Niyi Afolabi, said the project starting from NITEL Junction road would involve drainages, construction of bridges and asphalting.

    “We are commencing work today. We are given six months to complete the project but we want to assure you that we shall deliver in four months,” he said.

    Chief Simon Olayemi, the Asanlu of Oro who spoke on behalf of the community appreciated the federal government for the project and the minister for facilitating it.

  • Health partnership to expand in Kwara

    A partnership between the Wellbeing Foundation Africa (WBFA), Johnson & Johnson, and Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine is set to expand across Kwara State, it was learnt yesterday.

    The partnership, which focuses on Emergency Obstetrics and Newborn Care (EmONC) training in healthcare facilities to improve health outcomes for mothers and their newborns, is already active in seven of the 16 local government areas in Kwara.

    The initiative, which resulted in a 15 per cent reduction in maternal fatality and a 38 per cent reduction in rate of still births, will now cover all 16 councils.

    This follows the successful completion of the first two phases of the partnership, which have been hailed as transforming the capacity of healthcare workers and their ability to save life during labour.

    Founder-President of the Wellbeing Foundation Africa (WBFA) Mrs. Toyin Saraki said the partnership will build on the lessons learned to improve outcomes.

    She said: “Eighty per cent of maternal deaths result from five complications – haemorrhage, sepsis, eclampsia, complications of abortion and obstructed labour – which can be readily treated by qualified health professionals. Our EmONC training is successful because it takes place in-house and equips doctors, nurses and midwives, as a collective team, with the skills needed to overcome these obstetric emergencies.”

    Country Manager for Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson in Nigeria Michelle Akande affirmed that the partnership will help reduce preventable maternal and child death in Kwara State.

    “We can achieve much more because of partners such as Wellbeing Foundation Africa and the Centre for Maternal and Newborn Health at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine. We believe we can end preventable maternal and child death.”

    Senior Clinical Lecturer, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM) Dr Charles Ameh said: “The phase three of the programme will help to improve the availability and quality of emergency obstetric and newborn care across the entire state.

    “The continued partnership with Johnson & Johnson, Wellbeing Foundation Africa and the Ministry of Health will allow LSTM to build the capacity of healthcare workers in councils where we have not worked before, but we will be consolidating the achievements of previous phases to ensure sustainability of the intervention.”

  • APC will sweep polls in Kwara in 2019 – Oyedepo

    Former Chairman, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kwara, Akogun Oyedepo, has said that the All Progressives Congress (APC) would defeat the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2019 general elections in the state.

    Oyedepo, who  recently led majority of PDP members to APC, said on Sunday in Ilorin in a statement after a meeting of his group that over 85 per cent of PDP members followed him to decamp to APC.

    “If you add our 85 per cent with the people in APC before we came in, the party is richer now and ready to chase away PDP in Kwara,” he said.

    He said that members of the splinter group that remained in PDP had no electoral value, adding that APC was the party to beat in any election in Kwara.

    According to him, only four members of the PDP executives out of 31 members remained with the party, adding that the rest followed him to APC.

    Oyedepo also said that 27 of the PDP executive members were now with him in APC.

    According to him, the four executive members that choose to remain are from a splinter group loyal to the Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki.

    The former PDP chairman also said that over 85 per cent of the local government and ward executive followed him to APC.

    Oyedepo, a lawyer, said that not less than 15 other political parties were ready to work with APC to wrestle power form PDP and Saraki.

    “I can boast of 15 political parties that are with us. As far as that is concerned, we have not less than 15 that are working with us. KOWA is with us, we are with Labour Party, PPN and many others.”

  • APC will adopt labour tactics to win Kwara, Sokoto, Benue

    National Chairman of the All Progressive Congress, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, has told the Peoples Democratic Party that he would rather be an attack dog than be a mushroom eater.

    Comrade Oshiomhole said he opted for the tactics he is deploying as National Chairman of the APC because of the party’s commitment to Nigerians.

    Oshiomhole who spoke to reporters at the Bénin Airport on his way to Sapele, Delta State yesterday, said the APC would continue to engage and pro-attack, whether the opposition called him an attack dog or not.

    The former Edo State governor added that APC would deploy labour tactics to humble the PDP in Kwara, Benue and Sokoto states.

    He said: “I asked you to understand that what is at stake is beyond the APC and the PDP. Nigeria is much more than the sum total of all the political parties.

    “We will see who is who in February next year. In Edo, they made this argument that politics is different from labour, but we used labour tactics to humble them and they became converted.

    “Exactly the same way we used it in Edo, we will use it either in Kwara, Benue or Sokoto or anywhere.

    “This is not about me, it is not about them, it is about the Nigerian people.

    “I will not adopt the ruling class tactics to deal with a cankerworm of disease. I offer a different style in order to get a different outcome.”

    Addressing thousands of APC supporters who were at the Bénin Airport to welcome him, Oshiomhole said the APC under his leadership would not borrow what he termed other people’s style.

    Oshiomhole urged APC supporters not to despair as he would work with President Muhammadu Buhari to ensure that the party meets their aspirations.

    He promised to work with Governor Godwin Obaseki to ensure that any concerns the party members have would be addressed satisfactorily.

    He said: “I will represent the feelings, the aspirations and I will meet your expectations as far as the running of the All Progressives Congress is concerned.

    “We will have to fight odds on the basis of our conviction and we will adjust our style. We will not borrow other people’s style.

    “I am very proud of my working class background and we will bring those values into the leadership and management of the APC.

    “I will ensure working together with President Buhari to see that government focuses on the people; that government will not focus on the welfare of the few at the expense of the majority; that government must do everything possible to ensure that those who work have something to show for their labour.

    “We must support the President and the APC to remove all those thieves, all those looters who believe it is their birthright to continue to loot.

    “I want to assure you that the tradition of carrying our people along will be sustained.

    “You represent what I call our infantry division. You are the ones who on election day ensure that our voters come out. You were the ones who ensured that the PDP rigging machine was defeated.

    “We must keep you as a standing point. Together we will match on and will ensure that everyone who works is looked after.

    “I know there are people with all kinds of stories, but let me assure you that after the storm, the weather will settle.

    “Trust me, as you have not abandoned me, I will never abandon you.

    “To our youths, I want to particularly appeal to you: don’t lose faith. There will be work, there will be participation, there will be involvement. We will not throw anybody away.

    “Nobody will be used and dumped. If yesterday has come beautiful, tomorrow will be better.”

  • Aremu unfolds governorship ambition in Kwara

    Former Deputy National President of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) Issa Aremu has declared intention to contest for the governor of Kwara State under the Labour Party (LP).

    Addressing party supporters, he said Kwara was lacking in development, adding that he would ensure the people enjoy dividends of democracy when voted to office.

    Aremu said that he would address the uncertainly in state, noting that the people were weighed down by poverty and mass hunger.

    He said: “With God guidance and your support, I hereby offer myself to lead the electoral process in liberating our hitherto promising Kwara State from underdevelopment, mass hunger and poverty.

    “I am honoured and humbled with your sacrifices to make today a reality. I am indeed delighted and grateful that we all turn out because of the legitimate concern we have for the development of our dear state and Nigeria

    “Today seems uncertain, God willing, tomorrow can and will indeed be better. Despite lack of money and pervasive income poverty, you have taken various means of transport like Okada, Keke and unworthy taxis through the notorious Ilorin roads to this place.’’

    Aremu said the government seems to legitimize wage theft especially of local government employees, contrary to the stipulation of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) work conditions.

    He maintained that the bail outs offered by President Muhammadu Buhari had not been judiciously reflected in the condition of the people.

    Aremu said: “In spite of the legitimate worries you still have time to come. Many appreciatively turn up at the shortest notice. I salute your patriotism and remarkable commitment towards a better Kwara, better Nigeria and better Africa.

    “All our worries about poor governance in Kwara call for action. Let’s get out of slumber and murmurs. Let’s organise and stop agonising.

    “The state was created on 27 May 1967, we are proud to be part of the first generation of states which include Rivers, Kano and Lagos states. Last year, first generation states celebrated 50th anniversary. Lagos and other states celebrated 50 with upbeat signature projects.

    He added: “But Kwara at 50 was ‘marked’ almost unnoticed by leaders who paradoxically celebrate their personal birthdays and weddings of their children like days and months long.  At 50 Governor Ahmed Fatai led administration listed unity, peace and development as the achievements of Kwara at 50.

    “Other listed achievements include the Federal, State and private universities, industries, an emerging aviation hub, advanced health facilities, modern recreational facilities, and comparatively good infrastructure. Why then the “low-key”  celebration?

    “Our state urgently begs for development and salvation from bad governance. The 2019 governorship election offers a unique historic opportunity to reclaim our dear state. I offer to lead my dear Kwara state through selflessness, statesmanship, entrepreneurship, compassion, managing diversity, equality, inclusiveness, sense of justice and fairness.”

  • Kwara PDP members defect to APC

    Members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kwara led by state Chairman Mr Iyiola Oyedepo, on Wednesday announced their defection to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    Chief  Rex Olawoye, the erstwhile Publicity Secretary of the party,  made this known to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ilorin.

    “I hereby officially announce the exit of our members from PDP to APC,” he said.

    Olawoye, who described  Senate President  Bukola Saraki as an “anathema,”  said PDP members in the state could not work with him.

    NAN reports that Saraki formally announced his exit from the APC on Tuesday.

    Olawoye said with the defection,  all political structures of the PDP at the ward, local government and state levels had moved to the APC.

    The spokesman appealed to all party members to maintain peace and orderliness in their conduct and behaviour.

    “Unity is the primary ingredient that can make those of us coming from the PDP and leftover of  APC members to live in harmony,” he added.

    He said Oyedepo had met with the leadership of the PDP in Abuja and explained the resolve of party members not to work with Saraki.

    Olawoye also said the chairman met with the national leadership of APC,  including the National Chairman, Adams Oshiomole, Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, as well as other chieftains of the APC.

    He added that the defecting PDP members were warmly welcomed into the APC  by the party’s leadership.

    “Saraki and his cronies have been in the saddle of  leadership of the state in the past 15 years with nothing to show for it,’’ he said.

    Olawoye called on all registered political parties in the state to team up with the APC to ensure the total liberation of the state