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Tag: kwara

  • Kwara Assembly urged to return mission schools

    A social-cultural organisation in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, Ilorin Emirate Descendants Progressive Union (IEDPU), has urged the Kwara State House of Assembly to accelerate the repeal of the state’s Education Law of 2006.

    This, according to the group, will empower government to return faith-based schools to their proprietors.

    Proprietors of some mission schools in the state have been yearning to get back their schools from the state government.

    But the government has responded, saying until the state Education Law 2006 was repealed by the state House of Assembly, the grant-aided schools could not be handed back to them.

    Addressing reporters in Ilorin, National President of IEDPU, Alhaji AbdulHamid Adi, implored proprietors asking for the return of faith-based schools to “exercise more patience while legal process of achieving their dreams progresses.

    “It is more important to note that problems have never been solved through confrontation but rather through dialogue,”Adi noted.

    “We should appreciate state government arresting agitation in this drive, and the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) Kwara State chapter for dissociating itself from those trying to cause religious disharmony in the state.

    “We equally appeal to the state House of Assembly to hasten action on the relevant bill to enable all interest groups know their stand on the issue; delay can be dangerous,” Adi urged.

  • Succour for Kwara rehab centre

    Succour for Kwara rehab centre

    The challenges at the centre are typical of the care-giving sector. The idea is noble: providing care and hope to the needy, but such centres often find themselves in dire need of charity from the larger society. Such is the plight of the Amoyo Rehabilitation Centre on the outskirts of Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, but help has come its way. The Nigerian Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) donated a block of kitchens to the centre.

    Also, items worth thousands of naira were presented to the over three-decade-old facility. That should bring some relief.

    In a remark during the donation, the Managing Director of NDIC, Umaru Ibrahim urged public-spirited Nigerians and philanthropists to come to the aid of the less-privileged and persons living with disability across the country.

    Mr. Ibrahim, represented by the corporation’s Director, Insurance and Surveillance, Mr.  Zaccheus Anate, said that the gesture is part of the organisation’s social responsibility in marking the 25th anniversary of the corporation.

    The MD said the NDIC decided to support its Ilorin zonal office to upgrade the status of the rehabilitation centre by giving it a befitting kitchen as well as food items for the upkeep of the inmates.

    Earlier, Ilorin zonal Controller, Ferdinand M. Jego said that the zone has in the last two years,  donated food items and essential materials to the center on a monthly basis.

    “We decided to make this year’s donation formal as part of activities to mark the corporation’s silver jubilee celebration.

    Jego added that the decision to employ a mender and cook, who is on the payroll of the zonal staff, was informed by the request put forward by the management of the center.

    He also urged faith-based organisations, philanthropists and others to make it a duty to visit such centres to know what they need, adding that government alone cannot do the job of taking care of the less privileged in the society.

    Also speaking, Director, Rehabilitation, Kwara state Ministry of Social Development Mr Olarewaju Ajani thanked the corporation for its gesture, promising to make the maximum use of all items donated to the centre adding that this will in no little way motivate other companies around in coming to the aid of the less privileged in the society.

    Olarewaju recalled the history of the centre, saying that the idea for the building of the centre was conceived by some medical youth corpers in 1981.

    He further stated that but for their initiative, such a center did not occur to government as at that time.

    He said that the gesture is putting the name of the corporation and that of the initiators in the sand of time “because it takes a godly person to extend such to the less privileged in the society.”

    The Principal of the school, Alhaji  A. B. Idris who was visibly happy at the gesture of NDIC showered  prayers on all members of the corporation present, adding that he was sure in his spirit that God is happy with people who put smiles on the faces of other.

  • Fed Govt, Kwara hail new mill

    Government efforts at generating employment for the people appear to be yielding dividends in Kwara State as a multi-billion naira rolling mill has been inaugurated in Ilorin, the state capital. The company which is expected to produce iron rods, nails and roofing sheets, among others,  was unveiled by the Minister of Trade and Investment, Olusegun Aganga who described the owners of the company as heroes.

    The Minister said: “Anyone in the country who is creating thousands of jobs is a hero. This company, Kamwire Industries Ltd today creates directly more than 3,000 jobs…It is a sector that is the backbone of any economic or industrial development in any nation. So this sector is a big sector and we have our own Nigeria leading that sector; our job as a government is to make sure that it succeeds. We are to create the enabling environment for the private sector to drive the economy.

    “That is what we have done so far, and we need to do a little bit more…When you have crude oil and you export it, they pay you for that crude. But let us say they pay you $100 per barrel. You get that money and you are happy that you have gotten money; they take your crude oil, process it, create jobs in their economy; they add value to it and sell it back to you, and you take that $100 and more to buy that. How rich are you as a nation?”

    Aganga who was full of praise for the initiative, said, “when you have a different structure in the country where you still sell it at $100 per barrel to an investor in this country,  you sell it to that company and still make that money, that company processes it in this country, they create jobs in this country, they pay people their salary and factory people, the company pays corporate tax to the government; that is two other sources to revenue; they sell their products and above all, they sell it to the Nigerian people.

    “That is what makes sense and that is what makes economy grow. That is why we came with the industrial revolution. The good thing about this Kamwire is that it is also connected to SMES and creating jobs for other people, making its products to become raw materials for other industries and also creating job in those industries. He was telling me that he will supply raw materials to about 17 industries and more.

    “That is what tells me why it is so important. By the time we get to that level that we are going, we will be saving about $15bn per annum. I think your first phase, looking back is a project that will at least save us $4bn in our foreign reserves annually. And then you look at what it will cost us in the next 10 years, it will be $15bn. We will not be able to afford it as a nation and it will become a balance of payment deficit. That is why we came with the industrial revolution plan”.

    The minister stressed that despite Nigeria having about two million metric tons of iron ore reserves it spends $3.3 billion annually importing steel and iron into the country. He disclosed that the country has the second largest iron ore deposits in Africa and 12th largest in the world, adding that the way things are today, the country might end up spending $15 billion every year to import steel. He said that the President “has already set up a committee about how we can make sure that our industries especially in the real sector have access to affordable finance and the Bank of Industry is going to play a major role.

    We spend $3.3bn every year importing those items. In the next decade because of the way we are growing that $3.3bn will become $15bn. Today we have about minimum of $14bn committed to the petrochemical sector where its spread as I have just described to you; hopefully will be gained by 2017 or 2018, where we will be self sufficient and we would no longer need to import petroleum products in this country. Any country that relies entirely on exporting raw materials without having a strong industrial and related services sector will remain poor.

    We have made a mistake as a nation for decades thinking we are a rich nation exporting crude oil, thinking we have money. But we do not have money. I happened to be your former finance minister, so I know. We may have that competitive advantage but what makes us different is what you do with that competitive advantage. We are working on infrastructure and power already, with a lot of commitments going into the power sector. We are working on it and we would get there. It takes three years or there about from where you start.”

    Kwara State Commissioner for Industry and Solid Minerals Development, Alhaji Aliyu Lade, said the industries had impacted positively on the lives of many Kwarans in the area of job provision. He added that the industries had also contributed enormously on the state’s economic growth and development. The commissioner said “all these have been made possible through the frantic efforts of the present administration’s various positive industrial policies that created an enabling environment for the industries to thrive. Among the essential ingredients for industrial development by the state government is the 33KVA power sub-station at the Ganmo from which the Kam Industries have a dedicated line. We are all aware that electricity is one of the major components that is required by industrialists. The sub-station at Ganmo was put in place to boost electricity supply to industrialists in the state.

    In addition, the state government is in the process of setting up an industrial cluster where small companies that can provide services and inputs to the bigger companies like Kam Industries will be located. We are hereby seeking the Federal Government support in the setting up of the industrial cluster in the state.”

    Deputy Managing Director of the company, Alhaja Mariam B. Yusuf listed insecurity, unstable foreign currency earnings due to a monolithic economy, harsh political environment, force majeure and national comparative disadvantages as some of the challenges militating against smooth industrial operations in the country. She said: “We on our part have been grappling with these challenges particularly those peculiar to industry, astronomical and injurious interest rate, dearth of technical skills, inadequate energy supply and inadequate transportation network etc. We are determined to take the risks and forcefully revolutionise industrialization in our country Nigeria.”

    While saying that the cold steel rolling mill complex is the third in the country in terms of age, she but first of its kind in terms of machinery configurations and quality. She said “Cold steel rolling mill is the centre hook chain, holding together the upstream and downstream of steel industry.

    The complex comprises of HR slitting line, push-pull pickling line, cold rolling mill, trimming and rewinding line. Others are continuous galvanizing lines, colour coating, cut to length and profiling lines and many ancillary support machinery and service centres.

    The existence of the mill in the state has created employment opportunities and satellite investment opportunities for downstream companies to use the cold rolled sheets of the required gauge to produce products like galvanized roofing sheets, pipes, shovels, trowels, head pans etc. With a little addition of equipment, we can produce vehicle panel bodies here in Nigeria and a host of raw materials for many companies.”

     

  • Kwara to upgrade 30 schools to first class status

    The Kwara State government has announced plans to upgrade 30 secondary schools to first class status.

    Ten of the schools to be rehabilitated and upgraded will be picked from each of the senatorial districts of the state, Commissioner for Education and Human Capital Development, Alhaji Saka Onimago has said.

    The commissioner said this in Ilorin, the state capital at a public lecture/book launch to mark the centenary anniversary of Government Secondary School (GSS), Ilorin.

    Onimago added that the state government is considering GSS and Queen School both in Ilorin for a special role.

    Onimago who is also a product of GSS, Ilorin said: “Today’s occasion calls for a little reflection on how far this institution has gone. We want to recall that some few years’ back when Senator Bukola Saraki was the governor of Kwara State four schools were specifically picked for complete renovation and rehabilitation and I believe GSS was one of the schools.

    “I have something in the offing for you not minding what I have heard today. Governor Abdulfatah Ahned has picked 30 schools; ten from each senatorial district of the state for first class rehabilitation. The good thing about it all is that GSS and Queen Elizabeth School Ilorin are being considered for special unique role. I want to assure you that what you have seen in a couple of months or probably before a year there will be a complete change.”

    The National President of the GSS Old Boys Association, Alhaji Nurudeen Alabi, blamed explosion in student population and inadequate infrastructure for the decline academic standard and discipline in the school

    The president said that: “Over the years, the situations and circumstances have changed culminating in the decline of academic standard and discipline in school. With the explosion of student population came its attendant challenges of inadequate infrastructure and the decay of the existing ones.

    “There is also the challenge of exchange students which accounts for about 70 percent of the student population.

    “The once cherished academic standard has fallen as a result of the very low academic standard of the exchange students. Whereas the best students in the state were selected for admission into the school, the school has no control on the quality of intakes from other states, yet these exchange students constitute the bulk of the student population. The consequence of this anomaly is better imagined than described.

    “We have had a running battle securing our land as a sizeable portion of our school’s land had been grabbed. The recent land encroachment has been successfully resisted. Our appreciation goes to the commissioner for education for timely intervention which has now given us a respite.”

  • Kwara governor, Akume slam IG

    Kwara governor, Akume slam IG

    Kwara State Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed and Senate Minority Leader George Akume yesterday faulted the usurpation of the judiciary’s role by Acting Inspector General of Police Suleiman Abba who withdrew House of Representatives Speaker Aminu Tambuwal’s security.

    The governor spoke in Ilorin. The senator issued a statement in Abuja.

    Ahmed described the furore generated by the Speaker’s defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) as uncalled for.

    He said it was the business of the judiciary and not that of any other organ of government to interpret laws and the legal implication of political actions.

    Ahmed questioned the constitutionality of the unilateral reduction in the allocations to states and local governments by the Federal Government, adding that it needed to be subjected to examination by the judiciary.

    The governor spoke during the swearing-in of members of the reconstituted Kwara State Judicial Service Commission.

    He said: “It is the business of the judiciary and not that of any other arm or organ of government to interpret laws of the land and the legal implication of political action, such as cross-carpeting at the National Assembly and indeed the executive.”

    Ahmed said the unilateral reduction in the allocation due to states from the Federation Account, allegedly due to fluctuations in global oil prices and oil theft, were gradually impoverishing states and local governments.

    His word: “If this situation is not addressed unequivocally and quickly, the next few months will prove even more difficult for our state and indeed all others that are burdened by the unsubstantiated cuts in the Federation Account allocation.”

    Akume described the withdrawal of Tambuwal’s security as another “classic act of Executive impunity and lawlessness”.

    This act only adds to several others which have characterised this administration and threatens the growth of democracy which is not measured by existence of democratic structures but by promotion of the rule of law.

    “The hilarious recourse of the police to constitutional interpretation, which is the exclusive jurisdiction of the judiciary, is to say the least most unfortunate.

    “One wonders why the police could only see and read S.68(1)(g) of the 1999 Constitution but was blind to subsection (2) of the same provision, which vests the power to declare a member’s seat vacant on the ground of defection to only the Senate President and the Speaker of the House of Representatives.

    “One also wonders why the police could not advise itself that since there are pending litigations on the subject matter, they should wait for the outcome of judicial interpretation on the contentious constitutional provision. Recently, Governor Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo State defected to the PDP with all the Labour Party members of the House of Representatives and Ondo State House of Assembly, including its Speaker, but the police neither withdrew the Security detail of Governor Mimiko, the state Assembly Speaker, nor effected the removal of those members from the various legislative Houses.

    “No one is in doubt that the police IG is merely being used by President Jonathan to achieve a partisan agenda. This is absurd. This is unlawful and immoral. It is particularly absurd because, President Jonathan only just returned from the Holy Land of Israel. He had travelled to Israel on Holy pilgrimage in company of CAN President Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor and other men of God primarily to seek the favour of God in his re-election bid and also to pray for the overall progress of Nigeria.

    “Nigeria expects on return a sober, penitent and spiritually-rejuvenated President. Not one brazenly desecrating the constitution he swore to uphold. The President is as much qualified for VIP protection as the Speaker is. The Speaker presides over an important Chamber in the legislative arm of government which appropriates the salaries the President and entire executive arm (which includes the Police) are paid from. A temperament such as this one exhibited by Mr. President can hardly pass for a Nigerian who more than any other, living or dead, has benefited from the parliament. By act of parliament, his boss was impeached as governor and he became the governor of Bayelsa State. By application of the doctrine of necessity, the Parliament made him an Acting President.

    “He thus became both Governor and President without contesting election.

    Nigerians expect reciprocal respect between the two arms of government, not politics of subterfuge and arm twisting. The Parliament has its rules to handle its affairs and the President must allow the House deal with its leadership issue.

    “Let all people of Goodwill rise to condemn all acts which threaten the enhancement of democratic culture, values and ethos. This is one such occasions.”

     

  • Kwara group alleges imposition of delegates

    •Another threatens mass defection

    Discordant tunes have trailed the last Saturday ward congress of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kwara state.

    Dissatisfied with the result two groups named Kwara Democratic Assembly and Kwara Think Thank have alleged impunity and imposition of delegates.

    Leader of Kwara Think Thank, Adams Aliyu warned leadership of the PDP in the state against tampering with the results of congress or risks mass defection.

    The group said there were alleged “desperate nocturnal bid to tamper with the official results of the PDP ward congress across the state, particularly in Ilorin East, Ilorin West, Asa, Oke-ero and some other areas in the state.”

    He warned that any attempt to subvert the will of the electorates in the party will be sternly resisted.

    “Some leaders of the party in the state, apparently acting on the instructions of some Abuja-based politicians have been trying unsuccessfully to substitute the results of the congress from across the sixteen local government Areas of the state, particularly in Ilorin East, Ilorin West, Asa, Oke-ero and other parts of the state for obvious narrow interest.”

    “We urge the national leadership of our great party, the PDP, to immediately call these people to order before they all plunge the party into monumental crisis that may affect the fortunes of the party in the state.

    “The reason for our membership of the PDP is hinged on the promise of equity and fairness. There has been nothing, until now, that threatens our resolve on the PDP.”

    “If our concerns are not addressed as quickly as possibly by all concerned, we shall be left with no other option than to seek refuse in other places where our struggle for freedom from imposition and undemocratic tendencies will be protected an guaranteed.”

    Also in statement, President of Kwara Democratic Assembly, Comrade Kazeem Abiola “developments and reports across the state indicate a grand conspiracy to doctor the results of the ward congress held last Saturday in the state.

    “This impunity is in furtherance of widespread flagrant denial of due process and imposition of delegates under some dubious consensus arrangement. We owe it a duty to warn of an emerging grave danger with the fraudulent distortion and elimination by substitution of elected delegates from the 193 wards in Kwara state.

    This manipulation is being perpetrated under the watchful eyes of the executive members of the party at the PDP state secretariat from Saturday night when results were turned in.

    “This fraud, we are afraid, is capable of precipitating a crisis that may kill the chances of PDP in this state unless we resist it.

    “It is pertinent to warn that if we allow any alteration in the list of duly elected delegates, the PDP would be laying a strong foundation for crisis and a destructive implosion in Kwara state. This will be a bad omen for PDP and President Goodluck Jonathan ahead of the coming general elections.

    “Ward chairmen are advised to prevail on the PDP local government chairmen to defend the peoples’ verdict and insist on the genuine list of elected delegates from the various wards.

    “We also call on all lovers of PDP at the state and national level, the PDP National Working Committee and President Jonathan to intervene quickly and save Kwara PDP from the hands of those bent on pursuing mere self interest and pecuniary gains.”

     

    Belgore hails congress

    Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship aspirant in Kwara State, Mohammed Dele Belgore (SAN), has hailed the “peaceful and democratic” conduct of the Saturday ward congress in the state.

    Belgore also praised the Senator Iyiola Omisore committee, which supervised the election, for its maturity and transparency.

    The lawyer was the 2011 governorship candidate of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN).

    He said: “This is to commend the peaceful and democratic conduct of the ward delegates election in Kwara State on Saturday.”

    In a statement by the governorship aspirant media aide, Rafiu Ajakaye said: “As could be seen by unbiased observers of the process, the conduct of the delegate elections satisfied the test of electoral integrity as every party member with requisite accreditation fully participated in the exercise without let or hindrance. I congratulate all members of our great party for this feat!

    “We commend the quality leadership of Senator Iyiola Omisore who led the committee of great party officials who conducted the exercise. The committee’s non-partisanship and maturity served to ensure a generally orderly and representative exercise.

    “Stakeholders and members of Kwara PDP family deserve a pat on the back for their patience and commitment which ensured that the delegates’ election was a huge success. This demonstrates our people’s thirst for positive change and people-driven governance in our state.”

  • Confusion over PDP governorship tickets

    Confusion over PDP governorship tickets

    In the North-Central states of Benue, Plateau, Kwara and Nasarawa, there is confusion over the PDP governorship tickets, reports Remi Adelowo 

    Just a few months to the 2015 general elections, Benue State Governor, Gabriel Suswam, is still keeping his succession plan close to his chest.

    In the last one year, a number of politicians within and outside the government circles have been touted as Suswam’s anointed candidate to succeed him next year, but the governor has tactically refrained from letting the cat out of the bag yet as it concerns his favoured candidate.

    That notwithstanding, about ten aspirants, including the deputy governor, Steve Lawani; former Minister of State for Trade and Investment, Chief Samuel Ortom; former Registrar of Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN), Felix Atume; a retired permanent secretary, Mr. Hinga Biem; former speakers of the Benue State House of Assembly, Prince Terhemen Tarzoor and David Iorhemba; former Commissioner of Justice, Alex Adum and his environment counterpart, Dr. Eugene Aliegba and Permanent Secretary of Government House Administration, Dr. Tivlumun Nyitse and that of local government, Mr. Andy Uwouku, have declared their intention to succeed Suswam.

    Others are a commissioner in the Federal Character Commission, Prince Simon Aondona, an astute politician, Mr. Basil Mbatsiantim; Commissioner for Lands and Survey, Mr. John Tondo and state chairman of Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), Mr. Simon Anchaver, among others.

    Within the past few months, the governor and the paramount ruler of the Tiv in the state, HRH Akawe Torkula have been busy convening meetings to resolve issues that have arisen because of speculated trimming of governorship contenders in the state.

    While many political pundits have expressed doubts about the streamlining of the governorship aspirants from the favoured Masev, Iharev and Nongov entity, otherwise known as MINDA, where zoning is reportedly favoured, the declarations from respected elders and stakeholders in the area to prune the list of aspirants to four has unsettled the camps of many aspirants.

    At the onset, the traditional authorities claimed that the pruning of the aspirants from MINDA was because of their large number and that the decision was taken to enhance commitment and focus of the entity to the project which has not enjoyed the seat since the creation of the state.

    A few weeks ago, another crucial meeting was reportedly held in Gboko between the Tor Tiv and all the governorship contenders from the MINDA extraction, where consultation waiver was granted unanimously to only four aspirants: Felix Atume (Gwer-West); Dr. Samuel Ortom (Guma); Mr. Hinga Biem (Gwer) and Prince Terhemen Tarzoor (Makurdi).

    But sources claim that other governorship aspirants from the Idoma ethnic group are also gearing for the 2015 race on the assumption that aspirants from MINDA may fail to reach a consensus on single candidate and regardless of the positions of decisions reached by some powerful interests in the state on who succeeds Suswam.

    For instance, the deputy governor, Chief Steven Lawani, and a former minister, Mr. Sam Ode, have stepped up their drive since the pruning exercise came to the fore.

    With the seeming endorsement of Atume, a former Director-General of Benue Rural Development Agency (BERDA), former commissioner of works and President of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), Ortom; former Permanent Secretary, Biem and Tarzoor, who is a former Speaker of the state House of Assembly to contest the PDP primaries, the battle line appears drawn between them and the other aspirants.

    Lawani, who obtained the governorship nomination form from the PDP national headquarters, sources disclosed, have vowed not to step down from the race in spite of pressure from certain quarters to “read the body language of his boss and do the needful.”

    Presently, PDP leaders in the state are said to be worried that the outcome of the governorship primaries may throw the party into a serious crisis capable of truncating its hold on the governorship of the state since 1999.

     Plateau

    Plateau State Governor, Jonah Jang, had been evasive on his plan for succession when his term expires in 2015.

    The best the governor has revealed is that he is relying on “God’s direction on who succeeds him.”

    But despite the governor’s position, political forces from the three senatorial zones of the state have been holding meetings, consultations and sending emissaries to lobby Jang to anoint one of their favoured governorship aspirants.

    As it were, the three senatorial districts have produced civilian governors in the state, starting from the Southern zone of the state that produced governors such as late Solomon Daushep Lar in the Second Republic and Ambassador Fidelis Tapgun in the aborted Third Republic, while the Central zone produced Senator Joshua Dariye as a two-term governor of the state from 1999 to 2007 before Jang, from the Northern zone who was elected governor in 2007.

    This political scenario is currently creating a serious debate as to which of the senatorial zones should produce Jang’s successor in 2015.

    While some stakeholders are canvassing for a level playing field for all the governorship aspirants, others are of the opinion that no aspirant from the North senatorial zone where the incumbent governor hails from should be allowed to succeed him next year.

    As the debate rages on, rumours are rife in the North Central state that Jang has allegedly anointed Senator Gyang Pwajok, his kinsman from the Berom ethnic group.

    Jang has, however, denied endorsing the lawmaker and indeed any member of his kitchen cabinet to take over from him, describing those claiming that he had already zoned the 2015 ticket to the Northern Senatorial District as prophets of doom.

    But many PDP chieftains in the state are taking his denial with a pinch of the salt. They insist the governor has allegedly made up his mind to hand over to Pwajok, his former Chief of Staff, while he (Jang) would take over the lawmaker’s seat in the National Assembly.

    Against this backdrop, other aspirants in the PDP appear ready to take on the governor.

    Jang’s deputy, Ignatius Longjan, is poised to take the plunge, as he had collected his nomination form from the national secretariat of the PDP despite the perceived opposition from his boss who wants his deputy to leave the stage in 2015 for younger ones to continue from where the duo will stop in 2015.

    Speaking while receiving the form from a member of the Plateau State House of Assembly from Qua’an-Pan-North constituency, Mr. Joe Dawam, at his lodge in Rayfield, on Monday, Longjan, who comes from the Southern zone, said he had no option but to bow to the pressure mounted on him by his people who have asked him to contest.

    Interestingly, Jang’s kinsman and staunch supporter, Mr. Bulus Dareng, was present at the event.

    Dareng described Longjan as a committed and loyal deputy to Jang, adding that the deputy governor has played a vital role in the Jang-led administration.

    If Jang eventually has his way in foisting Pwajok, sources say PDP members in the Central and South zone have allegedly resolved to work against the party’s candidate premising their position on the need to ensure equity and fair play in the rotation of the governorship in the state.

    Kwara

    The choice of the 2015 governorship candidate by the Kwara State chapter of the PDP is one issue that may define its future in next year’s general elections and even beyond.

    At the last count, about seven aspirants are jostling for the ticket, with each of them banking on forces within and beyond the state to emerge victorious.

    Lining up for the primaries include a former vice chancellor, Prof. Abdulrahman Oba, two former senators, Gbemisola Saraki and Suleiman Ajadi, Mr. Dele Belgore, a businessman, Jani Ibrahim, amongst others.

    But of the lot, only Ibrahim has formally declared his intention during a rally that held in Ilorin, the state capital, with Saraki and Belgore still said to be consulting with their supporters before officially throwing their hats into the ring.

    Even as the campaign by the aspirants is yet to kick off, there are unconfirmed reports that a chieftain of the party, Hajia Bola Shagaya, holds the ace in who wins the governorship ticket of the party.

    Shagaya has in recent months emerged as the power broker who determines who gets what and how in the Kwara PDP using her close links in the Presidency to maximum effect.

    So far, the wealthy businesswoman is yet to back any of the aspirants, even as there are reports that chieftains of the party like Oba, Ajadi and a current senator, Simeon Ajibola are not positively disposed to accepting Shagaya’s leadership status of the party.

    But from all indications, major actors of Kwara PDP, all laying claim to the leadership of the party, look set to take themselves to the cleaners in the battle for the 2015 governorship ticket.

    Nasarawa

    Immediate former Minister of Information, Labaran Maku, is not taken for granted in his ambition to govern his home state, Nasarawa come 2015.

    Following his resignation from the federal cabinet a few weeks ago, Maku has plunged head-on into the governorship race, vowing to unseat the incumbent governor, Tanko Al-Makura of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    However, the former deputy governor has a few other formidable aspirants to contend with for the PDP’s governorship ticket.

    Senator representing Nasarawa North, Solomon Ewuga, a former Presidency aide, Chris Mamman, and a former governor of the state, Akwe Doma, are other PDP chieftains also interested in the ticket.

    While Maku seems to have an edge in the race based on his alleged endorsement for the exalted seat by some power brokers in the seat of power, his fellow aspirants are also not taking any chances.

    The major dilemma that the Nasarawa PDP is however faced with is how to handle the aftermath of the governorship primaries, as none of the aspirants, all formidable in their own right, is willing to step down from the race.

    Several attempts by influential stakeholders in the state to agree on a consensus candidate for the PDP particularly among those from the Eggon ethnic group have been fruitless so far.

    The Eggon, considered as the largest ethnic group in the state, has never produced the governor of the state, but there are fears that lack of understanding among the array of aspirants from the area may be its undoing.

    Will the Nasarawa PDP agree on a consensus governorship candidate for the 2015 election? Will all the major aspirants rally round the eventual winner of the primaries? Only time will tell.

  • 2015: Nasarawa, Kwara PDP in fresh dilemma

    Optimism by the Kwara and Nasarawa State chapters of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that it would dislodge the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) government in 2015 notwithstanding, there are fears that the selection of the party’s governorship candidates in the two states could turn out to be its Achilles heel, reports Assistant Editor, Remi Adelowo

    FOLLOWING the recent resignation of Mr. Labaran Maku as the Minister of Information to contest the 2015 governorship ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party in Nasarawa State, the battle line appears drawn between the party and the incumbent governor, Tanko Al-Makura, who is seeking re-election on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    Maku, however, still has a big hurdle to cross before facing Al-Makura at the polls. Also battling for the PDP governorship ticket in the North Central state is the Senator representing Nasarawa North, Solomon Ewuga; the immediate former governor of the state, Akwe Dome and Chris Mamman, a former aide of ex-vice President Atiku Abubakar.

    Maku, Ewuga and Mamman are from Eggon, the largest ethnic group in the state. And here lies the dilemma of the Nasarawa PDP, as none of these three aspirants are ready to step down for each other.

    A recent reconciliatory meeting hosted by Bala Angbazo, the paramount traditional ruler of the Eggon people to settle for a consensus governorship candidate among the three prominent Eggon sons ended in a deadlock, as angry youth stormed the venue in their hundreds and set ablaze a Toyota Corolla belonging to Mamman, the immediate past National President of Eggon Cultural Association (ECA).

    Maku, who was attending the meeting for the first time, reportedly escaped unhurt, while Ewuga and Mamman were allegedly rescued by military officers who stormed the scene in three Hilux vans to forestall further destruction of property.

    Sources disclosed that attempts by the national leadership of the PDP to adopt a consensus candidate has also not yielded fruitful results, with all the aspirants maintaining their rigid stance of contesting the primary coming up in December.

    Few weeks before his exit from the Federal Executive Council (FEC), there were unconfirmed reports that Maku may have received the endorsement of the Presidency and PDP national leaders as the candidate capable of giving Governor Al-Makura a run for his money at the general elections.

    Indeed, Maku’s carriage clearly portrays him as the anointed candidate of the powers that be. Few months before his resignation, he had become more or less the face of Nasarawa PDP, shuttling between his home state and Abuja and making utterances as the assumed leader of the party in Nasarawa State.

    In the heat of the failed impeachment plot against Al-Makura, Maku made scathing criticisms against the governor vowing at different occasions that the governor’s days in office are numbered.

    Sources alleged that Maku served as the rallying point for members of the Nasarawa State House of Assembly who were holed up in Abuja while the impeachment saga lasted.

    It was however gathered that other aspirants in the party have been uncomfortable with Maku’s posture but refrained from publicly expressing their views for fear of victimisation by the party leadership in the state believed to be loyal to the former minister.

    That Maku seems to be the candidate to beat for the PDP is not in contention. In the last few weeks, the former journalist-turned politician has received the endorsements of influential stakeholders in the state.

    One of such groups includes the Eggon Nationalities under the umbrella of Eggon Political Elders Forum.

    It was gathered that the endorsement came after series of meetings at the three senatorial zones of the state in the last one month. The Eggon Political Elders Forum’s endorsement of Maku took place at Endehu in Nasarawa State at a ceremony attended by a large crowd.

    Speaking at the ceremony, chairman of the forum, Raymond Akolo, stated that the forum endorsed Maku after it carried out a thorough survey and found that the choice of the former minister has been widely accepted by stakeholders in the state.

    Akolo, a former member and Minority Leader in the state House of Assembly remarked that as a one-time Commissioner for Information and Internal Affairs and former Deputy Governor in the state and a former minister, Maku has the pedigree to govern the state in 2015.

    But in spite of Maku’s seeming larger-than-life image in the governorship race, other governorship aspirants, it was gathered, are not ready to throw in the towel.

    Ewuga, who hails from Eggon, is said to be revving up his structures across the state in readiness for the governorship primaries. Ditto for Doma, whose influence within the PDP in the state cannot be dismissed with a wave of the hand.

    Though he is yet to formally declare his interest in the race, the former governor is quietly mobilising party members throughout the state to support his bid to reclaim the seat he lost to the incumbent governor in 2011.

    But will the Nasarawa PDP approach the 2015 general elections with a divided house as the unfolding scenario within the party clearly suggests?

    Like Nasarawa, like Kwara

    A drama recently played out aboard an Overland Airways flight from Abuja to Ilori, the Kwara State capital.

    On board the aircraft are three prominent chieftains of the Kwara State chapter of the PDP; Prof. Abdulrahman Oba, a former Vice Chancellor of the University of Ilorin; Minister of National Planning, Dr. Abubakar Suleiman; Senator representing Kwara South, Simeon Ajibola and the immediate Special Adviser on National Assembly Matters to President Goodluck Jonathan, Senator Suleiman Ajadi.

    An eyewitness account told The Nation that shortly after take-off; Senators Ajibola and Ajadi had allegedly engaged Oba in an argument over the running of the PDP in Kwara State. While the drama lasted, Suleiman reportedly kept a studied silence.

    That scenario aptly captures the prevailing scenario in Kwara PDP. At the root of the party’s crisis is not unconnected to the varying and conflicting interests of its leaders who have failed to subsume their personal ambition in the overall interest of the party, sources have alleged.

    Angling for the control of the party in the state includes Hajia Bola Shagaya, a wealthy businesswoman and a close friend of the First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, Oba and Senator Simeon Ajibola.

    While Shagaya has been exerting her influence on the party by using her contacts in the corridors of power to maximum effect, one of which is facilitating the appointment of Dr. Suleiman as a minister representing Kwara State, other chieftains of the party have vehemently refused to accept her leadership.

    The absence of a rallying figure, sources say, have been the albatross of Kwara PDP, with prominent party chieftains speaking in discordant tunes on the choice of a governorship candidate for the 2015 elections.

    Jostling for the party’s governorship ticket are Suleiman Ajadi, Gbemisola Saraki, both former senators; an oil and gas magnate, Jani Ibrahim, Oba and the former governorship candidate of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Mr. Dele Belgore. Of the lot, only Ibrahim has officially flagged off his governorship campaign.

    Following the official adoption of Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed to run for a second term by the All Progressives Congress (APC), the Kwara PDP is now faced with a dilemma on the zone that would produce its governorship candidate. While Ajadi hails from the South Senatorial Zone where the incumbent governor hails from, Ibrahim, Saraki, Oba and Belgore are all from Kwara Central District.

    This is against the backdrop of speculations that leaders of the party are treating Jani Ibrahim’s ambition with suspicion based on his alleged closeness with the leader of Kwara APC, Senator Bukola Saraki.

    Ibrahim, sources allege, is being labeled a mole planted by Saraki to destabilise the Kwara PDP. His critics readily point to his attendance at the 50th birthday of Saraki’s wife, Toyin, which held in Ilorin a few months ago. Another prominent PDP chieftain at the party was its governorship candidate in the 1999 elections, Alimi Abdulrazak.

    But sources close to Ibrahim, a former Managing Director of the defunct Nigeria Airways, dismiss his presence at Toyin Saraki’s party as nothing out of the ordinary. “It is an insult on the man (Ibrahim) to be described as a mole. His relationship with Bukola Saraki dated way back and long before they joined politics and the fact that they belong to different political parties should not mean the end of their friendship,” says a source.

    As the aspirants get set for the primaries to determine who wins the governorship ticket, it is yet not certain the game plan of Bola Shagaya, who is allegedly planning to spring a surprise by backing a dark horse as she did in her nomination of Suleiman for a ministerial slot.

    It however remains to be seen if the Kwara PDP leaders would put aside their differences and forge a common front in their quest to send the APC-led government packing in 2015.

  • Kwara’s day of glory in Paris

    Kwara’s day of glory in Paris

    For a visitor, the sights of Paris, the French Capital, are a pleasure to behold. Ancient architecture competes with modern structures and spectacular aesthetics to earn Paris its reputation as one of Europe’s most beautiful. However, that was the last thing on the mind of Dr Abdulfatah Ahmed as he stepped into Paris on a cold October 7 Morning. Rather, the executive Governor of Kwara State was focused on the Kwara State Community Health Insurance Scheme (KCHIS) which had been nominated along with nine other development initiatives for the first Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development(OECD) Development Assistance Committee(DAC) Award for taking Development Initiatives to scale.

    In the run up to the event, Erik Solheim, Chair of DAC said although extreme poverty has been halved and progress made on MDG Goals, more innovative solutions needed to be taken to scale if “we are to end poverty, green our economies and to make sure that all the children now going to school now learn something”. It was an issue Ahmed will latch on to and escalate the following day at the globally renowned OECD New World Forum which dwelt on fresh pathways to Africa’s growth.

    Back to the DAC awards, Ahmed’s enthusiasm was understandable. In seven years, KCHIS has provided 85, 000 rural dwellers in Kwara State access to subsidized basic health care in 10 of the 16 Local government areas of rhea state. The scheme, which provides participants access to basic healthcare for a year, started in Edu Local Government Area of the State in 2007.The Ahmed have gained this recognition despite our resource challenges. It is therefore very encouraging to us that we have won this prize. In Kwara State, we have always prioritized healthcare based on the premise that only a healthy populace can be productive. That is why we collaborated with the Dutch government and PharmAccess to initiate this scheme that has grown from 10 participants in 2007 to 85, 000 today.

    “I must thank my predecessor, Senator Bukola Saraki, who is here with us, for his foresight in starting this project. We also appreciate the support of the Dutch government and other donor partners. Our target is Universal Coverage of all 1 million rural dwellers in the state by 2018.This is why we look forward to others partnering with us in this direction”. As is usual with ceremonies of this nature, the awards were followed wellattended dinner in one of the OECD’s impressive halls. As the team from Kwara retired for the night, the delights of Paris were still not strong enough to distract from the following afternoon’s event. The following afternoon, Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed was the only Nigerian on a panel discussion at the OECD’S New World Forum which discussed Africa’s future developmental prospects. Themed Africa: The Future is Now,it explored among others whether Africa is taking off in general or through isolated cases. It also explored the champions and engines of success in Africa while also interrogating obstacles to growth and the place of the middle class in providing administration has now extended it to 10 LGAs, according to Professor Babatunde Opabola, the Senior Special Assistant on Primary Health.

    Clearly,the simplicity, impact, and affordability of the scheme did not go unnoticed. The scheme had already received accolades from the Bill Gates Foundation, the World Economic Forum and UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon, said, However, the 34 member OECD had also taken notice of the innovative scheme.

    To underscore the importance of the occasion, Governor Ahmed’s predecessor in office, Senator Bukola Saraki had also arrived Paris to be part of Kwara State’s moment of glory. Not only was the scheme initiated in his tenure, Saraki was clearly pleased his successor had scaled up the initiative and garnered it global acclaim.

    Perhaps, to underscore the scheme’s importance and guarantee credibility, the DAC Jury was highly credentialed and global. Headed by H.E. Lubna Bit Khalid Al Qasimi, UAE’s Minister for International Development and Cooperation, the panel also included K.Y. Amoako, President, African Center For Economic Transformation, Homi Kharas, Senior Fellow and Deputy Director for the Global Economy and Development, Brookings Institution, Washington, Geoff Lamb, Chief Economic and Policy Advisor to the Co- Chairs and CEO, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Dato Lee Yee Cheong, Chairman, International Science Technology and Innovative Center for South- South Cooperation(STIC) Malaysia. Others are Rt Hon Andrew Mitchell, MP House of Commons, UK, Charlotte Petri-Gornitzka, DG, Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, SIDA and Julius Akinyemi, Resident

    Entrepreneur, Massachusetts Institute Of Technology Media Lab.

    Diplomats and development experts attended the award ceremony, which took place at the OECD’s gleaming headquarters in Paris, from Europe, Asia, and Africa, including Christian Rebergen, Director General, International Cooperation, Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Petri-Gornitzka, DG of Swedish Development Agency, SIDA set the ball rolling by introducing the finalists. Apart from KCHIS, initiatives from India, Kenya, Nepal, South Africa, Bangladesh and Pakistan were also shortlisted for the DAC Award. Although, Katalyst, a scheme that provides high-quality seeds to Bangladeshi farmers as a means of helping to increase their income, won the overall prize, KCHIS managed to share the limelight with the DAC 2014 winner.

    Indeed, jury member and SIDA DG felt compelled to acknowledge this given the attention and accolades KCHIS received in the run up to the main event as well as events that preceded it. For instance, at the breakfast meeting with representatives from the UK, Germany, Netherlands and the World Health Organization, WHO, the Kwara delegation, led by Ahmed and Saraki, received commendations from the European Countries and the global health body for being the only country in Africa to have taken Community health Insurance to scale. The Kwara delegation’s enthusiasm about DAC was therefore understandable.

    Petri-Gornitzka told the audience that she knew there was a lot of enthusiasm for KCHIS given it’s the only subsidized scheme that has been taken to scale in the world but that Katalayst’s intervention had reached 458000 people, the highest impact among the 10 initiatives that made the OECD shortlist. Nevertheless, she assured, Kwara’s finalist prize was also laudable given it was shortlisted among close to 50 entries. Indeed, Pieter WalhofDirector, PharmAccess Foundation, one of Kwara’s KCHIS partners, told an earlier meeting that the scheme was so innovative that the World Economic Forum has selected Kwara State as a model for other states, a call that Kaduna and Ogun States had respond to as they are currently understudying the Kwara Model with a view to implementing it.

    Receiving the finalist prize for taking KCHIS to scale in Kwara State, Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed said “we are very delighted to be here today because we sustainable development.

    Other panel members, were Moncef Cheikh-Rouhou, Professor and Member of the Tunisian Parliament, Prof. Achille Mbembe of Witwatersrand University, South Africa, Magette Wade, founder and CEO of Tiossan, Senegal and Lionel Zinsou, Chairman of PAI Partners, France. Given the forum and its topic of discussion, the world media was well represented with CNN, the FT; Le Point; and La Republica.

    Ahmed was blunt and straight to the point. Functional education is the key to Africa’s future. To succeed, Africa must decouple itself, from an educational system that remains shackled to the needs of colonialism more than five decades after. For Ahmed, a graphic manifestation of this dysfunction in African education is that an African child has a 6 per cent chance of making it to tertiary education while his European counterpart has an above 80 per cent chance. Ahmed said while he has no intention of excusing the violent insurgencies that were threatening to blight the future of Africa, the lack of appropriate education and opportunities for youths, he opined, contributed to Africa’s stagnation and violent strife. This has resulted in the continent having the highest number of internally displaced people, a huge number of unemployable youths and a significant number of out of school children.

    The solution, he said, was to review the content and context of African education. Infrastructure is key in this regard, Ahmed admitted, but more important is educational content skewed towards the continent’sidentified needs in science, technology and entrepreneurship.

    These, he said such can ensure that every child is equipped to innovate andcontribute to the country’s developmental objectives while achieving their own aspirations. Referring to Kwara, he said the state government was already pursuing this by focusing on entrepreneurial education at the state-owned university and by collaborating with City and Guilds of London to establish a groundbreaking International Vocation Center to plug gaps in middle-level manpower.

    Other contributions keyed into the need for an educational system that is designed to meet Africa’s development and the urgent need to promote entrepreneurship to provide jobs, grow Africa’s middle class and contribute to its growth.

    Clearly, Ahmed’s contribution had connected with the OECD’s call for better education for African children as the key to its future. More importantly,  Kwara State’s innovative KCHIS and its leadership’s vision for state and continent earned it acclaim and applause in far away Paris. In the end, missing the delights of Paris proved worthwhile.

     

    •Akorede is Senior Special Assistant to Kwara State Governor

  • Ex-Kwara deputy speaker dies at 62

    Former Kwara State House of Assembly Deputy Speaker Hajia H.B. Badmus is dead. She was 62.

    Hajia Badmus was the deputy speaker from 2003 to 2007. She died in her Offa country home and has been buried according to Islamic rites.

    House of Assembly Speaker Razak Atunwa described her death as “a great loss to Kwarans”.

    Atunwa said the deceased was a honest, committed, caring and excellent parliamentarian, who contributed significantly to the state’s growth.

    He urged the late Hajia Badmus’ family to take solace in the fact that she lived a life worthy of emulation.