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Tag: minister

  • Minister orders Maigari out

    Minister orders Maigari out

    Nigeria’s Sports Minister, Tammy Danagogo, may have further muddied the waters in the ongoing Nigeria football crisis, following his utterances on Tuesday.

    Danagogo, while speaking with sports journalists in Abuja, declared that he has not told out going NFF President, Aminu Maigari to resume work at the NFF Secretariat.

    World football governing body, FIFA, had clearly told Nigeria that they expect the Aminu Maigari led executive committee to hold a congress, and organise a fresh election.

    But the minister disclosed that he was shocked by the news of Maigari’s return to the Glass House, insisting that he had ordered all parties in the lingering crisis to stay away from the NFF’s secretariat in the interest of peace and for amicable resolution of the crisis.

    “We asked all the parties, Maigari, Giwa and everybody involved in this crisis to stay clear of that place (Glass House) so that we can amicably resolve this issue”, Danagogo said.

    “Up till [Tuesday] morning, the report I got from Musa Amadu was that they were out of that place. I don’t want them to go there to fight and it will be in the best interest of everybody involved to maintain the peace we have achieved up till this moment”, he said in a move that can be translated as government interference.

    Maigari, however, insisted that he was not told to stay clear of the Glass House, saying his return to office was on interim basis and not for full time.

    The angle that is still not very clear, is the FIFA response to the case against it that was taken to the Court of Arbitration for Sports by a group of FA Chairmen, led by Obinna Ogba.

  • Pray for Ebola-free country, minister urges pilgrims

    Minister of State for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Oloye Olajumoke-Akinjide has appealed to intending pilgrims to Saudi Aradia to pray for Nigeria to overcome the nagging security threats and for it to clampdown on the deadly Ebola virus disease.

    Akinjide made the appeal while addressing the FCT’s intending pilgrims at the Permanent Hajj Camp, Abuja.

    She said the forthcoming 2015 general elections would be the strength of Nigeria’s democracy, adding that the country would overcome the odds through prayers.

    She said: “Like many other countries, Nigeria is passing through some challenges ranging from insecurity to Ebola epidemic. Similarly, the forthcoming general election is one that would, no doubt, test the strength of our democracy. Nonetheless, I firmly believe that with your prayers and the help of Almighty God, We shall overcome all these odds.

    “The FCT Administration had evolved effective orientation programme, medical screening, pre-and post-hajj logistics.”

    She urged intending pilgrims to reciprocate government’s efforts by being good ambassadors of Nigeria, adding that there was need for them to co-operate with the hajj officials to achieve success.

    “You should reflect Nigeria’s devotion to God by being disciplined, timely and dedicated to spiritual exercise. Let people who come in contact with you be able to see your good conduct and respect for our country, Akinjide said.

    Speaking earlier, the director, FCT Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board, Bashir Muhammed said the board had conducted series of activities in line with Saudi Arabia directives for all intending pilgrims.

    He said: “We had conducted all necessary medical screenings for everyone and FCT’s administration has secured befitting accommodation for its contingents in Makkah.

    “A one-day interactive session was held for officials with stern warnings to zero tolerance of indiscipline as anybody found wanting during the exercise shall have himself or herself to blame.”

  • Minister restructures FCDA

    The Board of the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) has approved the immediate re-structuring of the Authority.

    Minister of the FCT and Chairman of the Board, Senator Bala Mohammed, revealed this after the board’s meeting.

    With the re-structuring, Mohammed said a new Department of Engineering Design and Evaluation has been established, which aimed at boosting the morale of staff to accelerate the Transformation Agenda of President Goodluck Jonathan.

    According to a statement issued by the Assistant Director/Chief Press Secretary to the FCT Minister, Muhammad Sule, the minister said the Department of Engineering Design and Evaluation will have four divisions namely Civil Design ‘North’ Electrical/Mechanical Design, Civil Design ‘South’ and Evaluation Divisions to be headed by Deputy Directors.

    He said: “The re-structuring is desirable in view of the apparent need for the expansion of the infrastructure of the Federal Capital Territory occasioned by the new concept of Public-Private-Partnership (PPP), particularly the Abuja Land Swap Initiative.”

    According to him, the Authority will only use its existing stream of staff to occupy the proposed offices; and also mitigate the incidence of stagnation which has prevailed over the years as a result of lack of vacant positions with its attendant toll of low morale on the staff.

    Meanwhile, the minister has revealed that the board had also approved the immediate promotion of 281 senior members of staff to fill vacant positions in the FCDA.

    He said the board had also approved the advancement/upgrading of 61 members of staff that were qualified.

  • Kudos to FCT minister on land swap policy

    SIR: Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Senator Bala Mohammed has continued in his trend of developing Abuja through private initiatives with the recent signing of land swap agreement between the FCTA and four Land Swap investors – System Properties Development Consortium Limited, Urban Shelters Infrastructure Limited, AMPM Limited and BGD Properties Limited.

    According to the agreement signed on September 22, these investors are to provide some N170 billion worth of infrastructure in some Land Swap districts in the Phase IV of the southern part of the Federal Capital City, Abuja.

    As the Minister noted while signing the agreement, the deal which was achieved through intense negotiations and hard work between the FCTA and the land swap investors, has the multiplier effects of creating about 500,000 new jobs in the Federal Capital Territory. It would also fetch the FCT administration about N170 billion – being the total money paid by the investors – while additional N600 to N700 billion will be recouped when 11 other investors who bid for the contract are brought on board.

    It is noteworthy that when Senator Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed came on board as Minister in April 2010, plots in such popular districts as Durumi, Wuye, Jahi, Katampe Gwarinpa and so on had been delineated and fully allocated without caring a hoot about their infrastructure. The result was that individuals and corporate institutions had land titles but could not develop them, not necessarily because they didn’t have money but due to the absence of infrastructure in these districts. To reverse the unsavory trend of allocation of plots without consideration for infrastructure and up the momentum for standard engineering infrastructure provision in the nation’s capital, the Mohammed administration was compelled to introduce land swap as a policy which entails granting agreed percentage of land in a greenfield district to a developer for real property development under a special contract envisaged by the Land Use Act. In exchange for the grant, the developer is to provide primary infrastructure in the agreed district without any financial, technical or demand risk on the part of the FCTA or the Federal Government.

    Land swap was therefore devised to catalyze the development of districts within Phase IV of the Federal Capital Territory and open more doors and windows for all interested Nigerians and non-Nigerians to live, work, relax and do business in the territory. The idea is to open up more areas of the Federal Capital City (FCC) via accelerated infrastructure provision in new districts because in Abuja, infrastructure development must necessarily precede construction of residential, commercial, institutional and office buildings.

    The minister really deserves kudos for these innovations that have been commended by both the World Bank and the Nigerians in Diaspora as a policy that actually has the key to unlock Abuja’s huge development potentials.

    • Ibrahim Serki-Yaki,

    Gadowa District, Abuja

  • Community faults minister on demolition

    Community faults minister on demolition

    Indigenes of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have faulted the decision of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Senator Bala Mohammed, to the effect that his administration would no longer demolish houses in the territory without proper alternatives.

    The leader of Dagbalo community in Apo District, Rev. Danjuma Dara, who spoke on behalf of natives of Dagbalo, told reporters in Abuja that the decision of the FCT Administration was coming too late after his people had been driven out forcibly from their ancestral homes.

    Recalling that on July 30, last year, the FCDA officials, accompanied by armed soldiers conveyed in two pick-up vans stormed his community and demolished their houses, destroyed their farms and economic trees within five days.

    “The case was reported to Apo Divisional Police Station and we also filed a case at Jabi High Court. We are hoping to see justice prevail because we do not have any other home and our children are growing up fast.

    “Two years ago, a 22-year-old lady was shot and killed by the FCDA Police in Akpajenya Village when a wealthy woman came with allocation paper and accompanied by armed soldiers, claiming ownership of the land in total disregard of the original inhabitants of the community.

    “Since the vast land now known as FCT was taken over by the Federal Government in 1976, those indigenous to the FCT have literally been under constant intimidation and harassment by government officials and private land grabbers who use the military and police personnel to dispossess them of farmlands and homesteads with neither compensation nor resettlement,” he said.

    He said they wrote several letters to the FCDA, as they wanted to have a dialogue with them, but they refused, adding that they are no longer begging to see them. He also said they demand that he must see the people or he will not be comfortable with their next action.

    “We want to advise the government to stay away from our lands and our ancestral homes, because we do not have anywhere to go. We have made enough sacrifice for this country and the minister seems not to be aware of it. He will always pay us back by sending armed soldiers to bring down our houses.  Enough is enough. The government has pushed us to the wall.

    “That we are peace-loving people does not mean that we do not know our rights,” he said.

  • Onolememen stresses use of pedestrian bridge

    Minister of Works, Arch. Mike Onolememen has urged students of the Federal Polytechnic, Auchi, to always use the pedestrian bridge built across the Benin-Abuja express way.

    The construction of a pedestrian bridge in front of the polytechnic has been a major demand of staff and students of the polytechnic to help check road accidents on the highway

    Onolememen warned that students who failed to use the pedestrian would be responsible for any accident that might result on the road occasioned by the dualisation of the Benin-Abuja road.

    He spoke at the inauguration of the pedestrian bridge at Auchi in Estako West Local Government Area.

    The Minister noted that incidents of hit and run driver at the school gate would be completely eliminated.

    Other projects inaugurated by the Minister were the Weppa River Bridge, Bridge over Okio River and Ekperi-Fugar Road off Auchi Polytechnic-Ekperi-Agenebode Road.

  • Minister orders Maigari out

    Minister orders Maigari out

    Nigeria’s Sports Minister, Tammy Danagogo, may have further muddied the waters in the ongoing Nigeria football crisis, following his utterances on Tuesday.

    Danagogo, while speaking with sports journalists in Abuja, declared that he has not told out going NFF President, Aminu Maigari to resume work at the NFF Secretariat.

    World football governing body, FIFA, had clearly told Nigeria that they expect the Aminu Maigari led executive committee to hold a congress, and organise a fresh election.

    But the minister disclosed that he was shocked by the news of Maigari’s return to the Glass House, insisting that he had ordered all parties in the lingering crisis to stay away from the NFF’s secretariat in the interest of peace and for amicable resolution of the crisis.

    “We asked all the parties, Maigari, Giwa and everybody involved in this crisis to stay clear of that place (Glass House) so that we can amicably resolve this issue”, Danagogo said.

    “Up till [Tuesday] morning, the report I got from Musa Amadu was that they were out of that place. I don’t want them to go there to fight and it will be in the best interest of everybody involved to maintain the peace we have achieved up till this moment”, he said in a move that can be translated as government interference.

    Maigari, however, insisted that he was not told to stay clear of the Glass House, saying his return to office was on interim basis and not for full time.

    The angle that is still not very clear, is the FIFA response to the case against it that was taken to the Court of Arbitration for Sports by a group of FA Chairmen, led by Obinna Ogba.

  • You shouldn’t have stayed away from Congress, Minister faults Maigari led NFF faction

    You shouldn’t have stayed away from Congress, Minister faults Maigari led NFF faction

    The Sports Minister,  Tammy Danagogo has  faulted the action of the Aminu Maigari led faction that stayed away from participating in the August 26th Congress that later turned to election that ushered in Christopher Giwa led new Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).

    He argued that the feuding faction could have used their numerical strength to sway decision in their favour instead of choosing to stay away from the Congress in the first place.

    “Our greatest challenge in this whole brouhaha is that most people involved are not sincere, they are not gentlemanly enough, and they are not honourable enough. Most people are just looking at winning at all cost and that has been my greatest challenge as regards this issue.

    “We had agreed that five persons are going to contest the (NFF Presidential) election. So let the five persons contest and whoever wins, win. Agreements were reached but before the election, in fact, most of you who are journalists even know all these things before me.

    “But by the eve of the election resolutions were being passed with money and (some people) have also signed extension of tenure. That was a very, very provocative and wrong step that was being taken. That has metamorphosed into what we are seeing now. So we had to step in to stop that cause of trying to impose somebody or extending tenures. Then after stopping it people now reacted in different ways.

    “During my address I had to recap what we agreed before we came to the Congress. The unfortunate mistake is that this other group that went to meet somewhere should have been at that place (Chida Hotel Congress venue). If you notice when I was coming to the Congress place I was talking on phone, I was talking to the other group then and I was telling them that the only way for evil not to prevail is for good men to stand up to do something.

    “You will not just walk out (of the Congress) you don’t need to go and stay on the road protesting but come into the hall and address the issue the way it happened and so that all you will be able to say let us follow what we agreed on. We were expecting them to come but they didn’t come (to the venue of the Congress) until I left there. I also heard that they didn’t come until Mike (Umeh) declared the event open and I heard that they now moved a motion that the agenda was to go back to the original plan of holding election

    “Then they held the election and Umeh lost and so on and so forth. I want to imagine that after my address if the other 30 people that I heard met somewhere (in Abuja) had joined the other delegates present at the Congress venue maybe the plan to conduct the election could have failed. The way to correct a system is not to quarrel; it is not to go out and castigate, but to sit down and discuss to resolve the issue,” the Minister stated.

  • Minister, Rivers commissioner trade allegations of corruption

    Minister, Rivers commissioner trade allegations of corruption

    Rivers State Commissioner for Health Sampson Parker has accused Minister of State for Education Nyesom Wike of having  ill-gotten wealth.

    Parker made the allegation yesterday in Port Harcourt, the state capital.

    He was reacting to Wike’s allegation that Governor Rotimi Amaechi mismanaged the N7.5 billion allocated for the construction of the Karibi-Whyte Specialist Hospital, N3 billion meant for the fumigation of Port Harcourt and N3 billion voted for the city’s landscaping.

    The commissioner said the governor had provided affordable and quality health care for the people and accused Wike, who is believed to be interested in the governorship seat, of fabricating stories to tarnish Amaechi’s image.

    Parker said the minister, who used to be the governor’s chief of staff, lacked the moral right to accuse anyone of corruption.

    He accused Wike of owning property, adding that his earnings do not match his assets.

    The commissioner said: “Those who aspire to lead should be mindful of their utterances and actions, especially in this season. If by the time this election cycle is over, our people and institutions have been destroyed, who will they govern? I am ready to stake my character, reputation and integrity against Wike’s. Let Rivers people and Nigerians judge. Daily, I remind myself of what the good book says: ‘Power belongs to God’.

    “I know Wike well. We are both products of the Amaechi political family. Wike may be described as a son of perdition, but he was loved by his family. We have entered another political season, but this should not deter us from speaking the truth. The reality is that power belongs to God and He gives it to who He pleases.

    “If in the quest for power, we destroy institutions, malign people and fabricate stories, just to score cheap political points, we fool nobody but ourselves. It is like building a structure on quick sand.”

    Parker described himself as “a man of simple taste, with a manageable family size”.

    He said he had been practising medicine before he ventured into politics, adding that God has blessed him.

    The commissioner said: “I know my history. I have no desire for the primitive acquisition of obscene wealth, as I do not indulge in expensive habits, such as the consumption of drinks that cost hundreds of thousands of naira per bottle. When I travel within and outside Nigeria, I am content to do so in commercial airliners. Yet, I feel no envy or jealousy towards those who, even as serving public officers, travel in private jets at least twice a week. I challenge Wike to make same claims.

    “Wike has been in public service all of his adult life. There is no record that he has worked anywhere, either as a lawyer or a businessman. I shall give 50 per cent of my August salary to Wike or anybody who can prove that the minister has travelled to Port Harcourt on a commercial flight more than two times since being sworn in as the minister of state for Education. At least, two stubs of flight tickets or manifest that prove that Wike was a passenger on any commercial airline. Who pays for the chartered flights Wike comes to Port Harcourt on, at least two times a week?”

    Parker accused Wike of living in an expensive home in Abuja and drinking exotic wines that cost a fortune.

    The commissioner said it was sad that the minister, “who claims to be a lawyer”, could not show one brief written by him.

    He said Wike’s familiarity with court rooms was “as a result of being a plaintiff or defendant” in law suits.

    Parker said he was proud to be part of the Amaechi administration since its inception on October 26, 2007, adding: “Karibi-Whyte Hospital is an on-going project with a target completion date. The first contractor was disengaged based on spurious allegations and campaigns of calumny orchestrated by Wike, then the chief of staff, and his cohorts.

    “The governor set up an independent panel of enquiry. The panel exonerated me of any wrongdoing and said the state had lost no money on the project. Not satisfied and blinded by his desire to implicate me in some crime, he pressured the security services and Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to arrest and indict me.

    “The 1,000-bed mega hospital is not an abandoned project and would be inaugurated before long.

    “On the Malaria Elimination Programme, Rivers was the first state to embark on malaria elimination. The governor, after consultations with experts in Nigeria, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the World Health Organisation (WHO) decided that malaria elimination was achievable. Malaria has killed more Africans, especially children, than all the World Wars and inter-tribal wars combined. This noble vision was supported by ECOWAS and some foreign governments.

    “We commenced the first trial phase of this programme, which involved the spraying of biolarvicide in select local government areas and towns. This was done in conjunction with the Cuban government. The analysis and the effects of the spraying are known to the people, as the findings were made public. Malaria incident reduced by 63 per cent in the areas we sprayed. In fact, it is the effectiveness and efficacy of our trial that led to the National Council on Health adopting malaria elimination as a national health policy for Nigeria.

    “Due to the success of this first phase and the high cost of transporting the biolarvicides, the government, to reduce cost, set up a factory to manufacture this essential substance in our Malaria Elimination Programme. The foundation stone for this factory was laid by ECOWAS President Kadre Desire Quedraogo and President Goodluck Jonathan, who was represented by the Minister for Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, at the proposed site in Rumuosi, Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, which is Wike’s local government. ECOWAS is a partner in this project.”

    On completion, Parker said the factory would supply biolarvicides to the country and beyond, adding: “Can Wike claim ignorance of these facts?”

  • Minister reshuffles exco

    Minister reshuffles exco

    The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Senator Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed has carried out a major reshuffle that affected several directors in the services of the FCT Administration.

    In the exercise, Mohammed approved the immediate appointment of Mr. Salihu Hawat Mohammed as the new Director of Establishment and Training.

    He is a graduate of Public Administration from the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria and holds Master’s degree in Political Economy from the University of Abuja.

    According to a statement issued by Assistant Director/Chief Press Secretary to the minister,Muhammad Sule, Mr. Mohammed was in the employ of the Niger State Government in 1985 before transferring his services to the FCT Administration in 1993.

    Other Directors affected included Mallam Bashir Mohammed, former Director of Security who is currently the Director of the FCT Muslims’ Pilgrims’ Welfare Board. He replaces Hajiya Fatima S. Gumi. Jibrin Ibrahim, Director of Special Duties is now in charge of the Security Department.

    Former Director, Admin and Finance (DAF) in the Primary Healthcare Development Board (PHCDB), Mrs. Habeeba Babata Sulaiman has been moved to Legal Services Secretariat as Director of Administration and Finance; while Mr. Tony Edekobi of the Legal Services Secretariat was redeployed to PHCDB as Director of Administration and Finance.

    Mrs. A.I. Odey-Achu, Director of Administration and Finance, FCT Emergency Management Department has also been redeployed to Health and Human Services Secretariat as Director of Administration and Finance.

    The minister has also approved the appointment of Hajiya Safiya T. Umar as Acting Director, Administration and Finance, Abuja Metropolitan Management Council (AMMC).