The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Nasarawa

  • Nasarawa now nation’s agric powerhouse – Shettima

    Nasarawa now nation’s agric powerhouse – Shettima

    •  As Sule dissolves all commissioners, SSG

    Vice President of Nigeria, Senator Kashim Shettima has expressed satisfaction with the performance of Nasarawa State Governor, Engr Abdullahi Sule, especially in the area of food production, noting that the governor has fulfilled his promises to the people of the state.

    He said that Governor Abdullahi Sule has completely turned Nasarawa State to an agricultural powerhouse of the nation.

    The vice president stated this yesterday in Lafia while on a one-day working visit to the state to flag off the distribution of tractors and Jangwa Paddy rice to all 13 local government areas of the state, as well as  sharing of relief items to victims of 2024 flood disaster at Government House.

    He said that Nasarawa State has taken position to feed the nation; adding that the federal government would continue to support Nasarawa State in its quest to proffer solution to the food crisis in Nigeria.

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    According to him,” Federal Government under leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, will continue to identify with Nasarawa State and render whatever support and assistance necessary to enable the state succeed.

    On the distribution of relief items, Shettima said the Federal Government under Tinubu would continue to support the less-privileged who had been affected by disaster in order to better their living condition in their various localities.

    The Vice President also performed the ground-breaking ceremony of the One-Stop Investment Centre and Multi-door Court-house in Lafia.

    The project is World Bank-funded through the bank’s SABER initiative.

    Meanwhile Governor Sule, has dissolved all commissioners and the secretary to the government of the state and asked them to hand over all government properties to their respective permanent secretaries.

    The Governor equally directed the SSG, Aliyu Ubandona, to hand over to the Permanent Secretary, Political in his office.

    Governor Sule who stated this yesterday in a meeting with members of the Executive Council shortly after the departure of the Vice President, Senator Kassim Shettima, thanked members of the cabinet for their various contributions to the development of the state, adding that the decision became necessary to give other qualified persons the opportunity to serve the government.

    The Governor however assured that some of them might still find their way back to serve the government.

  • Kidnappers’ hideout burst in Nasarawa

    Kidnappers’ hideout burst in Nasarawa

    Nasarawa State Police command at the weekend burst a kidnappers’ hideout in Nasarawa State and rescued Abdulsalam Shuaibu, Sani Shaibu and Blessing Okorie.

    The Police operatives attached to the Gitata Division in Karu Local Government Area of the state said the actions arose from information that a Volkswagen Sharon vehicle with three occupants travelling on the Kaduna-Keffi highway was attacked, and the victims whisked away to an unknown destination

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    The command Public Relations Officer, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Rahman Nansel said in a statement in Lafia: “Upon receipt of the information, the Divisional Police Officer in the area, SP Zaks Wambai, swiftly mobilised his men to the scene and combed the vicinity.

  • Mining firm laments arrest of staff, disruption of operations in Nasarawa

    Mining firm laments arrest of staff, disruption of operations in Nasarawa

    A mining company, Trimmadix Geomin Consult Nigeria, has expressed dismay over disruption of its operations and harassment of its staff members at its mining site at Amba Kure in the Kokona Local Government Area of Nasarawa State by agents of the state government.

    The State Government, through its Commissioner of Environment and Solid Minerals, recently stormed the mining site of the company alongside security agencies to arrest the manager of the establishment on the premise of operating without the consent of the natives.

    Apparently worried by the state government’s action, the  management of the mining company, in a statement signed by its Managing Director, Engineer Tim Eldon, expressed shock at the way and manner that the state government, through its Commissioner of Environment and Natural Resources, led security agencies to arrest a manager of the company  alleging illegal mining.

    Eldon, who said Timadix Geomin Consult Limited is fully licensed to operate in the area, stated that all requisite approvals from the local and other relevant authorities were obtained before it mobilised to the site, adding that the accusation of illegal mining was a misnomer and calculated attempts to smear the image and reputation of the company.

    “We were shocked when we got wind of the arrest of one of our managers, though he was released the same day after some preliminary investigations; but we are surprised that the commissioner alleged that we are operating in the area without the consent of the local and the state government.

     “Furthermore, we have duly reported to the Federal Ministry of Solid Minerals Development in Nasarawa State, where we also secured the required clearance to commence our legitimate mining activities in the state.

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    “It is, however, deeply regrettable and disheartening that the officials of the Nasarawa State Government, particularly the Commissioner of Environment, has taken the law into his own hands by unlawfully issuing mining licenses to Chinese nationals to operate on the same site for which we hold legitimate licenses, permits, and documentation.

    “This is a direct violation of the federal laws, as mining is exclusively within the jurisdiction of the Federal Government,” the MD said.

    However, Nasarawa State Commissioner of Environment, Yakubu Kwanta, said the actions taken was in order, as the firm was operating illegally, insisting that the company breached extant laws.

    Kwanta told our correspondent that a lot of things are considered before granting mining licenses to any company.

  • Traders count losses as fire ravages Masaka Market in Nasarawa

    Traders count losses as fire ravages Masaka Market in Nasarawa

    Traders in Masaka, Karu Local Government Area of Nasarawa State are counting their losses after a fire incident destroyed the market at about 10 pm on Friday.

    In separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday, several traders expressed their devastation and recounted significant losses.

    Mr Ahmed Ayuba, a trader, was overcome with grief as he spoke about his losses

    “I do not know what to do. I am so devastated. All my goods were burnt to ashes, and there is nothing left.

    “I returned from the market yesterday. People had already paid for some of the goods. Not only have I lost money, I am also in debt now.

    “The government should come to our aid,” he said.

    Mr John Uche, an electronics dealer, lamented the chaos and theft that accompanied the fire incident.

    He said: “I lost everything, including the money I kept in my shop. The goods in my shop were bought with money I borrowed from the bank.

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    “People used the opportunity to steal the goods left. It is not a good sight to behold.”

    Mrs Zainab Usman, a tailor and vendor of cold drinks, reported losing goods worth N3 million in the fire incident.

    “The fire affected my shop and I lost goods worth millions of naira. I don’t know if I will recover.

    “We want the government to help all of us because we lost goods worth millions,” she said.

    Mrs Victoria Ellas, a foodstuff seller, also appealed for government assistance after reportedly losing over N5 million worth of goods.

    “Everything I sell got burnt. I lost more than five million naira.

    “My husband died last year, and I am just a struggling widow.

    “Now this has happened,” she said.

  • Military, police officers killed in Nasarawa

    Military, police officers killed in Nasarawa

    A military personnel and a policeman were killed yesterday at Agyaragu, Obi local government area of Nasarawa state when the two officers clashed in an attempt to seperate a fight.

    An eyewitness who simply identified himself as Musa Shuaibu told our correspondent that the deceased soldier was trying to separate two fighting between civilian and a police officer who was on duty and in the process, both the police man and the military officer stabbed each other to death.

    According to the eyewitness, when relatives of the late soldier came and saw the lifeless body of their brother lying on the ground, they ran to the nearby police station and set it ablaze in Agyaragu, Obi local government.

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    Confirming the ugly incident to our correspondent via voice note, the Police Public Relation Officer (PPRO), DSP Ranham Nansel said,  only two persons lost their lives in the incident while two others are currently receiving treatment in the hospital.

    According to him, the command received an information from Agyaragu Divisional Police at about 1pm that a soldier serving in Borno state came home unpassed and a special constabulary had a fight at an Agyaragu market where the soldier stabbed the police special constabulary with a knife and the special constable collected the knife and stabbed him.

  • Soldier, police officer stabbed to death in Nasarawa

    Soldier, police officer stabbed to death in Nasarawa

    A military and police officer stabbed each other to death on Sunday at Agyaragu in Obi local government area of Nasarawa State when attempting to separate a fight.

    An eye witness, Musa Shuaibu, told The NATION the deceased soldier was trying to separate a civilian and police officer on duty when the incident occurred.

    It was learnt the police man and the military officer stabbed each other to death in the process.

    According to the eyewitness, when relatives of the late soldier came and saw his body on the ground, they razed the nearby police station in Agyaragu.

    Nasarawa Police Public Relation Officer (PPRO), DSP Ranham Nansel confirmed the incident to The NATION.

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    According to him, the Command received an information from Agyaragu Divisional Police at around 1pm that a soldier serving in Borno State came home and a special constabulary had a fight at an Agyaragu market.

    The soldier stabbed the police special constabulary with a knife and the special constable stabbed him in return.

    According to him: “They were both rushed to the hospital but the soldier died while receiving treatment.

    “Consequently, the relatives of the soldier mobilised and came to the police station to attack the police station but the police officers on duty repeled the attack.”

    According to him, the Commissioner of Police Umar Shehu-Nadada has visited the scene of the incident adding that normalcy had since been restored.

    He said investigation into the incident has begun while manhunt was ongoing for attackers of the police station.

  • Nasarawa’s killer Custodial Centre

    Nasarawa’s killer Custodial Centre

    Sir: According to a report, 12 inmates of the Nigeria Correctional Services (NCS) Medium Security Custodial Centre in Keffi, Nasarawa State, died of a strange illness allegedly caused by malnutrition.  The deceased were said to have been hurriedly buried without the knowledge or consent of their family members.

    Nigerian prisons are ordinarily places of squalor where overcrowding, desperately poor hygiene and what can be summarily termed the failure of humanity all combine to make incarceration a living hell for any length of time.

    Many of those who have had cause to do time in Nigerian prisons never remain the same afterward, that is if they even return. There have been personal stories of how people who were just average criminals dealing in petty crime went to prison where they became hardened criminals.

    The fact is that the Nigerian correctional service as it is set up is a blinding slap on the face of justice in Nigeria. The absolutely shocking conditions under which Nigeria keeps those it wants to correct, many of them only awaiting trial, is an absolute disgrace. No country which has any development aspiration should keep even those it considers the worst offenders under such conditions. It speaks to a deep lack of dignity in such a society.

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    The reason no serious country kills its worst offenders is that it believes in the fact that they can be rehabilitated and released back into the society to contribute their lot to the growth of such a society. No country is served when such rehabilitation runs into the brick wall of squalid prison conditions.

    Prisons have been attacked in Nigeria because of poor security. Prison walls have also been known to collapse under pressure from nature,  leading to the escape of prisoners.

    The measure of the civilization of any society is how it treats those on the margins. Prisoners very much belong to a group that is on the margins. If any country takes away the freedom of anyone within its borders citing a breach of the laws which solidify its social contract, the least such a country can do is to ensure that they are detained like human beings.

    What rings true is that in Nigeria those who are deemed the worst offenders are treated better while petty criminals are fed to the fires of an unjust and uncoordinated system.

    If Nigeria was a just society, many of those who subject inmates to a slow death would themselves be prisoners.

    Nigeria needs to rethink its penal system. The aim should always be to bruise and correct, never to break.

    •Ike Willie-Nwobu,Ikewilly9@gmail.com

  • Nasarawa now an investment hub, says ex-information Commissioner

    Nasarawa now an investment hub, says ex-information Commissioner

    Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule, has been commended for turning the state into an investment hub.

    Former Commissioner of Information, Culture and Tourism during the first tenure of Governor Sule, Comrade Dogo Shammah gave the commendation yesterday in a press statement made available to our correspondent in Lafia.

    “I want to commend Governor Abdullahi Sule for his tireless effort to make Nasarawa State a business hub in the North Central zone. His interest in hosting investors is a demonstration of his desire to fast track development,” the former commissioner said.

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    He explained that the recent hosting of investors who intend to generate hydro power at the Farin-Ruwa Dam in Wamba LGA is a move that will open up the area.

    Mr. Shammah, a former chairman of the Nigerian Union of Journalists, NUJ, in the state, expressed satisfaction with the way and manner Governor Sule handled the recently concluded chairmanship and councillorship primaries ahead of the council election on November 2nd where all candidates emerge through consensus.

  • We can’t allow incompetent persons to handle huge LG funds in Nasarawa – Sule

    We can’t allow incompetent persons to handle huge LG funds in Nasarawa – Sule

    Nasarawa state governor, Abdullahi Sule said that with the huge resources going directly into the accounts of the local government as a result of the autonomy granted, the state can’t afford to allow incompetent people to man the affairs of the councils.

    Governor Sule stated this yesterday at the government house Lafia while addressing stakeholders of the All Progressive Congress, APC in Nasarawa state ahead of the November 2nd local government elections in the state.

    He said: “Between 2019 and 2023 when I became Governor of the state, the entire local government allocation for Nasarawa State was between 1.9bn to 2.4bn, but today, the councils in the state receive over 5bn as allocation, so we need people of proven integrity, matured minds, and people with the foresight to manage the resources of the local government,” he said.

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    The governor explained that his administration has strengthened the local government system by encouraging financial discipline, “we have been able to save money for local government to pay salaries even before the federal allocation,” he said

    He called on the stakeholders to take into cognizance the multi-ethnic and multi-religious sentiments across the various local governments in selecting candidates for the ruling APC.

    Speaking earlier, former governors of the state, Senators Umaru Tanko Al-Makura and Abdullahi Adamu also harp on the need for the state to have chairmen with capacity and competence to handle the huge resources coming into the local government.

    The stakeholders unanimously adopted consensus in selecting the chairmanship and councillorship candidates for the November 2nd council elections.

  • Foundation empowers 765 less-privileged in Nasarawa community

    Foundation empowers 765 less-privileged in Nasarawa community

    About 765 people with disabilities, widows, the aged, youths, adults and the other less privileged people from Keffi local government area of Nasarawa State have benefited from an empowerment programme courtesy of Olurunmola Empowerment Foundation.

    The event took place in Keffi, Nasarawa State, during the ground opening ceremony of Olurunmola Empowerment Foundation

    Items distributed include 24 sewing machines, 43 grinding machines, 125 farm  spraying machines with 400 bottles of chemicals,  a pounded yam mixing machine, 680 bags of rice, and a cash empowerment of N500,000 each to 18 beneficiaries as well as N250,000 each to 4 persons totalling the sum of N10 million.

    The Olurunmola Empowerment Foundation was initiated to create a ripple effect, empowering individuals to contribute meaningfully to the development of their community by creating lasting impacts and fostering a culture of self-reliance and inclusivity.

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    The beneficiaries who were drawn randomly from different communities in Keffi LG received items and cash worth millions for small scale businesses start-off items.

    Founder and chairman/CEO of the foundation, Mr Olurunmola David Kolade, said his intention is to go beyond Keffi, Nasarawa and Nigeria, adding that the idea behind the foundation comes from his growing up days as a poor young man, whose parents lacked the basic means to give him the necessary training and upbringing.

    The founder explained further that “My adventure into the mining industry informed me better on how people are suffering in rural communities. I have seen so many children and youths suffering unimaginable hardships; some walking bare-footed, wearing tattered rags, no available medical care for most of the sick; the government cannot do it alone. I’m committed to contributing my little quota to support the government’s efforts.”