The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Nasarawa

  • Nasarawa Utd close in on Paul Onobi deal

    Nasarawa Utd close in on Paul Onobi deal

    Nasarawa United are closing in on the signing of Sunshine Star midfielder, Paul Onobi.

    SportingLife understands that the management of Nasarawa United has written letter of intent to the Sunshine Stars management for the release of Onobi.

    United are looking for outstanding midfielder to boost its squad ahead of next season Glo Premier league and CAF Confederation Cup campaigns and Onobi has been watched by Solid Miners scouts.

    The club’s chairman Isaac Danladi in a telephone chat with SportingLife confirmed that his side are interested in Onobi and hopes to complete the deal soon.

    Danladi added that Solid Miners have been trailing the high-flying midfielder since last season.

    “It is true that Nasarawa united is interested in Paul Anobi and it is also true that we have written a letter of our intention to sign him to Sunshine Stars. We are still expecting a favourable reply from Sunshine Stars. We have been trailing him since the beginning of last season,” Danladi confirmed to SportingLife.

    “To follow a due process we sent a letter to Sunshine Stars before Xmas and we hope Sunshine Star will not deny us from having him in our team.”

    Onobi will depart with CHAN Eagles to Pretoria, South Africa today to begin a training camp ahead of the African Nations Championship kicking off January 18 in Kigali, Rwanda.

    The Akure Gunners star is expected to resume at Lafia camp after returning from Rwanda if Sunshine Stars agreed deal with Nasarawa United.

  • Nasarawa CJ pardons 18 inmates

    Nasarawa CJ pardons 18 inmates

    The Chief Judge of Nasarawa State, Justice Suleiman Dikko, has granted pardon to 18 inmates of federal prisons in Lafia, Keffi, and Nasarawa, awaiting trial in the state.

    The chief judge made this known to newsmen on Saturday at the Keffi Prisons, Keffi Local Government Area of the state, at the end of his four-day tour of prison formations across the state.

    Dikko said that five of the inmates were from the Lafia Prison while 12 were from the Keffi Prison.

    The remaining one, he said, was from the Nasarawa Prison.

    He gave the names of the inmates released from the Lafia Prison as Bulus Irimiya, Dauda Emmanuel, Mohammed Isa, Likita Emmanuel, and Beegah Luhu, with Emmanuel Nyitse released from the Nasarawa Prison.

    According to him, those released from the Keffi Prison are: Abibakar Mohammed, Abubakar Ibrahim, Auwal Abdullahi, Abdurahamar Idris, Felix Michael, Danladi Joseph, Peter Ogun, Isha’u Barau, Isreal Stephen, Amos Isaac, Hassan Yakubu, and Aliyu Musa.

    The chief judge stated that the routine prison visit is aimed at decongesting the prisons in the state and ensuring the delivery of justice to wrongly detained inmates.

    He urged the police, prisons authorities, and other stakeholders to rise up to their responsibilities and partake in sanitising the judicial system towards ensuring the speedy administration of justice in the state.

    Dikko also assigned counsels to the inmates awaiting trial and those, who had been remanded in custody for many years but lacked the money to engage the services of counsels.

    He advised the pardoned inmates not to engage in acts that could make them return to prison.

    Earlier, James Lander, Deputy Controller of Prisons in Charge of Keffi Prison, commended the chief judge for the visit.

    James identified inadequate vehicles as one of the challenges confronting the Keffi Prison.

    According to him, the prison, which is charged with the responsibility of conveying inmates to 47 courts in five local government areas and the FCT, had only one functional vehicle, which it uses to take inmates to all the courts daily.

    He appealed to the state government to provide the prison with potable water and to rehabilitate the road leading to the prison adding that the road was in a very bad condition.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that officials of the National Human Right Commission, Legal Aid Council of Nigeria, private lawyers, and judges accompanied the chief judge on the visit.

  • Nasarawa pick CAF Confederation Cup ticket

    Nasarawa pick CAF Confederation Cup ticket

    •Jubilation in Lafia
    •Giwa FC abandons game

    Nasarawa United have qualified for CAF Confederation Cup following a 2-0 win over ten-man Giwa FC in the final match of the Glo Premier League match played at the Lafia Township Stadium on Sunday.

    Nasarawa United thus secured the ticket ahead of Wikki Tourists FC of Bauchi who also defeated Kano Pillars 2-0 on superior goals deference.

    Nasarawa United ended the season with 63 points with (+11) while Wikki Tourists secured 63 points with (+9).

    Nasarawa United qualification was made possible due to Sunshine Stars’ failure to beat Enyimba FC in the final game on Sunday. Sunshine Stars were held to a scoreless draw at the Teslim Balogun Stadium in Lagos on Sunday.

    The Akure Gunners needed to win the match to stand any chance of securing CAF Confederation Cup slot.

    This is the second time the Nasarawa United will play in a continental tournament. The Lafia-based side played in the lucrative CAF Champions League in 2007 and almost got to the group stages of the competition.

    Ugochukwu Leonard shot Nasarawa United into the lead in the 9th minute due to goalkeeper Olorunleke Ojo’s error. Phillip Auta compounded Giwa FC woes when he netted the second goal in what looks like a goal rush knowing full well that they needed more goals to achieve their dream.

    Giwa FC player, Amos Gyang was sent off for slapping a ball boy while goalkeeper Olorunleke Ojo got his marching order for dissent.  Ojo was sent off for protesting Gyang’s card.

    A ball boy was carried away from stadium in an ambulance after he was attacked by Amos Gyang .

    The game was abandoned when Giwa FC staged a walk out after protesting the two red cards.

    In a chat with SportingLife,Nasarawa United’s chairman, Isaac Danladi was full of praise for his players and technical crew as well as supporters of the club.

    He said the club will wait for state government to announce the reward for the team’s qualification for continental football for the second time.

    “This is exactly what happened in our game against Sharks. I hope LMC will give us our points like they did in the case of Sharks FC. It is too early to speculate what government will give the team. We are waiting for government.I congratulate our fans for their loyalty. I also thank our State Governor Umaru Al-Makura and Deputy Governor Silas Agara for their support to the team,” Danladi told SportingLife.

    It was gathered that Nasarawa United supporters in their numbers in Lafia celebrated their team’s qualification for continental football into the wee hours of the day.

  • Nasarawa councils get N4.3b bailout cash

    The local government areas in Nasarawa State have received N4.3 billion bailout fund from the state government to pay their workers.

    The Chairman of Lafia Local Government Area and Chairman of the state’s Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), Alhaji Suleiman Wanbai, spoke yesterday in Lafia, the state capital.

    Wanbai noted that the bailout fund the state got from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) was N8.1 billion, with the state government taking N3.8 billion and the local governments getting N4.1 billion.

    The ALGON chief said the 13 local governments’ share would be spent on the arrears for July, August and September.

    He said: “With the bailout funds, we are happy to tell you that we are going to pay 50 per cent for July, 100 per cent for August and 100 per cent for September.”

  • Nasarawa dissolves joint account committee with LGs

    Nasarawa dissolves joint account committee with LGs

    The Nasarawa State Government has dissolved the state’s Local Government Councils Joint Account Committee (JAC), to ensure that allocation to each council is shared in accordance with the constitution.

    Gov. Umaru Al-Makura told local government chairmen and members of the committee at a meeting in Lafia that “the essence of the JAC meeting is to ensure proper distribution and allocation in accordance with the distribution of FAC.

    “The function of JAC is to ensure every local government gets its own allocation as stipulated by the Federal Allocation Committee (FAC).”

    According to the governor, every local government figure is catered for from Abuja, but the cheque for local government allocation that comes to the state is for the total allocation of the 13 local governments in the state.

    He, however, explained that the joint account operated by local governments had become problematic, hence the decision to abolish the JAC.

    This, the governor stated, was to find a lasting solution to reoccurring delay and shortfall in the salaries of local government workers.

    Al-Makura added that the decision would also clear the air that the state government was using local government funds for other purposes.

    “There has been so much ignorance and speculation to stigmatise the state government. Nasarawa State has never had any joint account where money of local government councils are used to do any other thing,” he said.

    According to him, the independence of each local government with regards to allocation will prove a turning point as each local government will get exactly what is accrued to it directly from the Federation Account.

    “This is in line with the constitution and the councils would account as to how the money was spent. Every local government will have to fend for itself. If a local government over employs, it will be left to carry its burden on its own.

    “The kind of collaboration they were doing as a group will have to terminate from now,” he said.

    On the bailout funds, Al-Makura said it was untrue that the state government received N18 billion, adding that it got only N8.1 billion.

    Giving a breakdown of the funds, the governor said N4.3 billion was allocated to the local governments, while the remaining N3.8 billion was allocated to the state government.

    He noted that the money received by the councils was to enable them offset the backlog of salaries of local government workers for the month of July, August and September respectively.

    “The N4.3 billion is for all the 13 local government councils to offset the salary of two and half months. The bailout is for 50 per cent of July, 100 per cent of August and 100 per cent of September.”

     

  • Akwa ease relegation worries after win over Nasarawa

    Akwa ease relegation worries after win over Nasarawa

    Akwa United’s 2-0 win over Nasarawa United 2-0 at home in a Nigeria premier league clash on Friday night has eased their relegation worries.

    The Uyo outfit are now 14th on the table with 37 points from 31 matches, four points clear of the drop zone

    “I am feeling a little relieved after seeing myself in that position (relegation),” said Akwa coach Zakary Baraje.

    “The players have been paid their salaries and allowances and their reaction has been better. We will get out of relegation trouble.”

    It was a poor and scrappy first half full of cynical fouls with the referee failing to impose himself on the game.

    However, in the second half Nasarawa chased the game, but even with the league hotshot Esosa Igbinoba on their side, they could not really trouble Akwa United goalkeeper Olufemi Kayode.

    Aniekpeno Udoh put the home team ahead after 36 minutes off a well-taken corner from the left.

    It was his seventh league goal of the season and he also scored the goal that qualified Akwa United to the final of the Federation Cup at the expense of Nasarawa United.

    Adio Yusuf then rifled home an unstoppable free kick from distance in the 71st minute to make the game safe for Akwa United.

  • Gambo returns against Nasarawa

    Gambo returns against Nasarawa

    Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) champions, Kano Pillars will unleash prolific striker, Mohammed Gambo on Nasarawa United in today’s match day 25 clash at the Sani Abacha Stadium in Kano.

    This will mark the end of the awaited return to league action for the Nigerian international who sustained gun wounds in the March 03 armed robbery attack on the side on their way to honour a league match at Heartland in Owerri.

    Kano Pillars head coach, Mohammed Baba Ganaru said the return of their lethal marksman, Gambo to competitive league action is the high point of the weekend clash and not specifically on playing former side, Nasarawa United.

    “The breaking news and high point of Sunday’s league clash is the return to league action of our striker, Mohammed Gambo and not the unnecessarily hyped match-up against former side, Nasarawa United.

    “Gambo will be playing his first league game tomorrow (Sunday) against Nasarawa United after the armed robbery attack. He is 100% fit for the rigour and stress expected in a high profile league match and that’s our greatest joy at the moment.

    “That’s what is occupying our attention and not tomorrow’s (Sunday) opponents, Nasarawa United. Of course, there is nothing special in playing my former side, we have all live on so I don’t see the clash against Nasarawa United as anything special.

    “It’s simply about the whole three points at stake, we want the three points and have done our homework perfectly well to earn the three points,” said Ganaru to supersport.com.

    The Pyramid City side are fifth on the 20-team top flight log on 37 points eight points behind league leaders, Enyimba.

  • Governor denies fresh killings in Nasarawa

    Governor denies fresh killings in Nasarawa

    The Governor of Nasarawa State, Tanko Al-Makura  on Friday denied report of fresh killings in the state.

    Speaking with State House Correspondents after meeting President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, he said that the present peace in Nasarawa has been unprecedented.

    He said “People, I mean citizens of Nasarawa State are jubilating and are happy that the peace that has been attained through community-based mechanism that everybody was participating has yielded results.

    “We are enjoying unfettered peaceful co-existence in the state. So it will be surprising for anybody to speculate and raise an alarm where there is none.

    According to him, the rate of crime in the state has drastically reduced to a point of no criminality.

    He said: “We don’t have anything like that, even the rate of crime in the state has really subsided because the security operatives and the residents are working in synergy to ensure that miscreants and bad eggs amongst us find another environment.

    “So I think that is speculative and that is casting aspersions that is negative and it is very unkind for anybody to insinuate that there is anything like that in Nasarawa State,.

    “I’m telling you with every sense of responsibility that the citizens of Nasarawa State are enjoying better than ever before a peaceful environment where they are working in synergy with security operatives.” He stated.

    He also said that his government was doing everything possible to address the flooding in Mararaba and other parts of the state.

    If not for the rains, he said that a major road in Kabayi area of the state would have been completed towards reducing the hardship of residents.

    He said: “Flood issues have been national issue and you know as much as I do what the causes of floods are and a lot of it have to do with lack of proper conduct by residents. Where residents use gutters and water ways as dumping grounds for waste and other things, so when rains come, such problems become more profound than there were before.”

    “However, I want to limit myself to the issue of Mararaba, particularly where floor this year appears to have gone a little more than what happened in the previous year, with particular reference to certain areas, I’m talking about Kabayi, the people in Kabayi are really complaining about flood and water has caused so much disruption in their activities.

    “I took upon myself to ward contract to ensure that people living along that axis benefit from good roads. I therefore awarded contract worth over N800 million to have a road that will contact them with the main arteries so that it will reduce the problem of traffic.

    “But unfortunately while the work was hobby on, the rains arrived and there is nothing we could do, it’s force majeur we can’t stop the rains from coming, because we have projects, so the people have to be a little bit patient until the rains subside.” He added

  • Nasarawa approves N790,500 as 2015 hajj fare

    The Nasarawa State Government says it has approved N790, 500 as hajj fare for the 2015 intending Muslim pilgrims from the state to Saudi Arabia.

    Mallam Abubakar Nalaraba, the Executive Secretary of the state’s Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board, said this at a news conference in Lafia on Friday.

    He said that the new hajj fare for the state contingents was a bit higher than N756, 478 hajj fare fixed by the National Hajj Commission.

    Nalaraba explained that the fare from the National Hajj Commission was without administrative charges and other logistics such as medical screening, suit cases, hijabs, uniforms, badges and food on Arafat day.

    He added that states, had therefore, decided to increase the fares a little to make up the difference, saying that the fare for state was the least in the North-Central zone.

    Nalaraba recalled that the hajj for the state pilgrims in 2014 was N715, 000, attributing the present sharp increment to dollar exchange rate.

    He said that comfortable accommodation and tents had been secured in Saudi Arabia for the state pilgrims and expressed optimism that the hajj operation would be a success.

    Nalaraba also said that the commission had fixed July 27 as deadline for all intending pilgrims to pay their fares.

    He said that 1,691 intending pilgrims would be performing the 2015 hajj in Saudi Arabia as against the 1,785 who made the journey in 2014

  • Ishaku seeks solution to border crises

    Ishaku seeks solution to border crises

    Governor Darius Ishaku of Taraba on Wednesday said he has met with Governors of Benue, Nasarawa and Plateau to find lasting solution to the lingering border crises facing the States.

    Ishaku made this known in Jalingo when he received a delegation of the Tiv people of Taraba who paid him a courtesy visit.

    The governor, who thanked the people for the visit, assured them that everything needed to be done would be done to ensure that peace returned to the state to pave way for development.

    “I know the pains of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), in the state, and I am working round the clock to reduce attacks in the state.

    “I must bring peace before talking of reconstruction and rehabilitation of those affected by the prolonged internal and border crisis in the state.

    “I recently met with my friends the governors of Benue and Nasarawa and Plateau all in a bid to ensure that attacks on the borders of the three states are dealt with,” Ishaku said.

    Ishaku added that he had instructed security men to intensify surveillance at the borders and other flash points in the state.

    The governor said he would soon set up peace committee and convene security meeting to fashion out ways of ending the crises and explore the possibility of IDPs to return to their homes.

    He assured the delegation that his administration would carry every section of the state along in order to foster unity and development.

    Earlier, Mr. Dennis Nev, the leader of the delegation, urged the governor to ensure timely return of the IDPs to their ancestral homes.

    Nev, a retired Permanent Secretary, Government House Administration assured the governor of continued support of the Tiv community to enable him to deliver on his campaign promises in the interest of the state.

    While expressing confidence in the leadership qualities of Ishaku, Nev urged him to consider competent Tiv sons and daughters for employment and appointments into government offices.