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Tag: Nassarawa

  • NiMet predicts sunny, hazy weather for Saturday

    The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) has predicted sunny, hazy and partly cloudy weather conditions with thundery activities over most parts of the country on Saturday.

    NiMet’s Weather Outlook on Friday, in Abuja, predicted partly cloudy conditions over central cities with day and night temperatures of 33 degrees celsius to 38 degrees celsius and 17 to 28 degrees celsius.

    It also predicted prospects of thunderstorms over Nassarawa, Lokoja, Abuja and Makurdi in the afternoon and evening periods.

    The agency predicted that Northern states would experience sunny and hazy morning with sunny conditions in the afternoon and evening and day and night temperatures of 33 degrees celsius to 40 degrees celsius and 17 to 24 degrees celsius.

    Read Also: NiMet predicts hazy weather

    According to NiMet, Southern states will experience partly cloudy and cloudy conditions over the inland cities in the morning hours.

    It further predicted chances of localised thunderstorms in the afternoon and evening periods with day and night temperatures of 33 degrees celsius to 39 and 19 to 27 degrees celsius.

    “Sunny and hazy conditions are anticipated over the Northern region.

    “Partly cloudy and cloudy conditions are probable over the central and Southern cities in the morning with localised thunderstorms over South region later in the day,” NiMet predicted.

    NAN

  • Nassarawa killings: Ex-minister tasks FG on IDPs

    Mr Labaran Maku, the former Minister of Information, has called on the Federal Government to assist the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), who were victims of the recent attacks by suspected herdsmen in Nassarawa State.

    Maku made this call on Monday while addressing newsmen at Wakama village in Nassarawa-Eggon Local Government Area of the state.

    He said the call had become imperative given the plight of the people of the Southern Senatorial Zone following incessant killings in the area.

    According to him, most Tiv people from Awe, Doma, Lafia, Keana and Obi Local Government Areas of the state have deserted their homes and communities as a result of the several attacks by suspected herdsmen.

    He lamented that the killing of more than 78 people, including security personnel within just a week in the state was tragic and called for serious concern and attention.

    “In other climes, the death of such number of people is worthy of national mourning.

    “Despite these killings, things are still moving on as if nothing has happened,” Maku added.

    He called on the Federal Government and the international community, especially charity organisations to step in with relief materials in order to ameliorate the plights of the IDPs.

    “The humanitarian crisis we have on our hands with the IDPs is quite enormous and required the support of all stakeholders, especially with the onset of the rainy season,” he added.

    Meanwhile, the Nassarawa State Government had donated N10 million and some relief materials to the IDPs across the affected Local Government Areas of Awe, Keana, Doma and Obi.

    The items delivered through the Tiv Development Association (TIDA) include: 150 bags of rice, 78 bags each of beans and maize, and 45 bags of garri among others.

    Mr Boniface Ifer, the president of TIDA, said the money and relief items would go a long way to cushioning the hardship being faced by the displaced persons.

    He, however, called on the government to do more in the area of security to enable the people return to their homes.

    NAN

  • VAIDS: FG recruits 2190 tax officers – Adeosun

    VAIDS: FG recruits 2190 tax officers – Adeosun

    The Federal Government has recruited and trained 2,190 Community Tax Liaison Officers (CTLOs) under the Voluntary Assets and Income Declaration Scheme (VAIDS), says the Minister of Finance, Mrs Kemi Adeosun.

    Adeosun, in a statement by her Special Adviser, Media and Communications, Mr Oluyinka Akintunde, said that 1,710 CTLOs had already been deployed to 33 states, out of the number recruited and trained.

    She said that their task was to raise awareness about the scheme and taxation in general.

    She said that the CTLOs were currently operating in Adamawa, Cross River, Delta, Edo, Enugu, Kaduna, Kwara, Lagos, Nassarawa, Niger, Ogun and Oyo states among others.

    Adeosun said there was no hiding place for tax evaders residing in Nigeria or abroad, noting that the Federal Government had put in place a data mining mechanism to fish out evaders.

    “The unique cooperation between the various arms of Federal Government, state governments and foreign governments has provided an unprecedented level of data that allows the Nigerian Government to profile taxpayers accurately.

    “We are now able to identify those whose lifestyle and assets are not consistent with their declared income.

    “A lot of data mining is going on daily, both locally and internationally, on property ownership and other items. Data is an extremely powerful tool that is now being utilized.

    “For instance, we have reviewed all companies that received major payments from the Federal Government in the last 5 years and found that even those who made money from government, under-declared,” she said.

    Adeosun said that the tax compliance team had looked at import records and compared the value of goods imported to the tax declarations of the importers, but the discovery was worrisome as “the variance was disturbingly wide”.

    “On personal income taxes, we reviewed property and company ownership as well as registration of high value assets and foreign exchange allocations, which gives us a sense of the lifestyles of the persons.

    “But again, we found major non-compliance. In some cases, people declared as little as N10 million as income but purchased expensive property overseas and in Nigeria.

    “They also registered high specification vehicles and funded luxurious personal events costing multiples of the declared income,” she said.

    Adeosun said that now, with the centralisation of data under Project Lighthouse within the Federal Ministry of Finance, a major tax loophole has been plugged.

    She reiterated the willingness of the Federal Government to prosecute tax evaders after the tax amnesty period had elapsed.

    Adeosun also said that the Federal Government had compiled a list of 500 prominent Nigerians with property and trusts abroad, to determine their tax compliance status.

    The 500 prominent Nigerians, according to her, will receive their letters beginning from Monday, asking them to take advantage of the tax amnesty to regularise their tax status and avoid prosecution and fines.

    VAIDS, an initiative of the Federal Ministry of Finance in collaboration with the State Tax Authorities, is a revolutionary programme that provides tax defaulters a nine-month opportunity to voluntarily and truthfully declare previously untaxed assets and incomes.

    The tax amnesty period is expected to lapse on March 31, 2018.

    Job creation is one of the spin-offs of the VAIDS initiative, with the scheme expected to create 7,500 opportunities for Nigerians as CTLOs through the N-Power scheme of the Federal Government.

     

  • Enyimba,Nassarawa lead chase for 3SC players

    Enyimba,Nassarawa lead chase for 3SC players

    A host of continental teams are making attempts to swoop for the best players of Shooting Stars Sports Club (3SC) of Ibadan ahead of next season.

    SportingLife’s investigation at the Oluyole Warriors’ camp in Ibadan revealed that the league champions, Enyimba FC and Nasarawa United are top in the race of top clubs that have made enquiry over the availability of 3SC players.

    It is understood that the clubs have shown interest in some of the players that made the Ibadan-based side a formidable team last season.

    SportingLife understands that Enyimba FC, which is to represent Nigeria at the CAF Champions league, have made Kelly Kester, Ajani Ibrahim and Alimi Jamiu as their top targets while CAF Confederation Cup campaigner, Nasarawa United have identified Cletus Itodo, King Osanga and Alaba Osawe as the players that can help them in the continental assignment next season.

    A source at 3SC told SportingLife that the club is not ready to trade any of their utility players, and as such, the players in question are ready to play for Oluyole Warriors next season.

    “We know clubs would chase our players and we are not relenting to get more players too. Interestingly, majority of them are not going and with the technical dept intact, we are a team to beat!,” a top official of the club told SportingLife when contacted.

    “We are not willing to part with any of them. More so, they are expressing the will to stay.”

    It was learnt that Akwa United and Warri Wolves are also interested in their players.

  • 22 anti-impeachment protesters arrested in Nassarawa

    22 anti-impeachment protesters arrested in Nassarawa

    •I’ve not received impeachment notice – Governor

    •Assembly members may face probe over roles in N30b bond

    •CP denies death of three

    The Nasarawa State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Ibrahim Idris, yesterday confirmed the arrest of 22 suspects and a fake policeman in connection with anti-impeachment riot in Lafia, the state capital, on Thursday.

    He said the police and other security agencies had launched a manhunt for four suspects, who were said to be the masterminds of the protest.

    Although he said nobody was killed during the protest, he admitted that two people sustained injuries.

    He said those wounded  were treated at Agu hospital and had been discharged.

    He said while five shops and a residential apartment were vandalised, a vehicle was burnt by the rioters.

    He, however, confirmed the recovery of a locally-made pistol, some ammunition, knives and dangerous weapons from some of the suspects.

    Idris, who made the disclosures at a briefing after a Joint Security Meeting, asked those fleeing the state to return.

    He said: “We have been getting information that people in and around Lafia have started to flee their homes based on media reports

    “I wish to appeal to the media to verify their information before going public. Any misinformation can cause panic and escalate the crisis.”

    As at press time, preliminary investigation revealed that the protest culminated in a bloody clash between Eggon and Gwandara youths at Tundun Gwandara part of Lafiahe Governor of Nasarawa State, Meanwhile, the state governor, Alhaji Umaru Tanko Al-Makura, yesterday said he had not been served an impeachment notice by the State House of Assembly.

    The governor, who had a three-minute interview with our correspondent before leaving Abuja for Lafia, said he was not a corrupt leader as being insinuated by the State House of Assembly.

    He said: “As I am talking to you, I have not been served the impeachment notice by the House of Assembly as required by the 1999 Constitution and the law of the land.

    “So, it is not true at all to assume or claim that I had received the impeachment notice. Some people are just insinuating that I had been served.

    “The House of Assembly can also not lay claim to substituted service on me because to do so, it must seek the leave of a court of competent jurisdiction.

    “There is no record that the Assembly has secured any order from a court of competent jurisdiction for substituted service.”

    On the 16 offences leveled against him by the House of Assembly, Al-Makura said: “I am not corrupt; I have not mismanaged the funds of the state, not to talk of diverting any allocation.

    “I have served the people of Nasarawa to the best of my ability. The fact that they are overwhelmingly against the impeachment proceedings initiated by the Assembly confirmed that the people of the state are pleased with me.”

    Asked of his next step, the governor said: “I have been consulting with different groups, the consultation is still ongoing.”

    Governor Al-Makura’s clarifications came against the backdrop of revelations that some stakeholders are pushing for the probe of some  members of the Assembly over their roles in the N30 billion bond obtained by the state.

    It was gathered that the stakeholders are seeking the intervention of anti-graft agencies, following indications that the disagreement between the governor and some of the lawmakers had to do with the alleged desire for more “perks” from the N30billion bond.

    A reliable source said: “There is more to the impeachment proceedings against Al-Makura than meet the eye. The governor had sharp disagreement with the lawmakers on conditions the Assembly gave him before the state could go for N30billion bond.

    “This is why stakeholders have agreed to call on anti-graft agencies to probe the lawmakers’ roles on how  the bond was approved. There were a lot of dirty undercurrents and demands on the governor.

    “There were allegations that some of the lawmakers asked for five to 10 per cent cut of the N30billion bond before they could approve it.

    “The stakeholders may also ask Al-Makura to open up on what transpired between him and the Assembly when the state was seeking the N30billion bond.”

  • Ombatse cult: FG deploys troops to Nasarawa

    The Federal Government has ordered immediate troops’ deployment to Nasarawa State, as members of the dreaded Ombatse ethnic militia continue to threaten the peace and security in the state.

    Director of Army Public Relations, Brigadier Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, who announced the deployment at a briefing on Wednesday, said the troops would be deployed from a battalion of the Nigerian Army.

    The militia group had earlier in the year, ambushed and killed no fewer than 49 policemen and 10 officers of the State Security Service (SSS) at Lakyo village during a joint reconnaissance exercise.

    Members of the militia also inflicted heavy casualties on the civilian population, particularly people who did not belong to their ethnic group, or those perceived to be against their traditional beliefs.

    Ever since, the security situation in the state has continued to take a frightening dimension, with prospects of the violence spreading to neighbouring states.

    “Due to the heightened security situation in Nasarawa State, the Federal Government has ordered the deployment of Nigerian Army troops in order to prevent further escalation of the violence and its spread to other parts of the state.

    “It is gratifying to note that the deployment of Nigerian Army troops in the violence prone area has helped in curbing the spread of violence by the Ombatse and other ethnic militia groups in Nasarawa State. The Federal Government and the Nasarawa State government are exploring other ways of ensuring quick return to normalcy,” Gen. Attahiru stated.

    The Army spokesman also said nine officers and men are currently being tried in a General Court Martial for offenses ranging from murder, manslaughter, issuing threats and use of abusive or provocative language.

    According to him, some of the soldiers were also being tried for fighting, quarreling, disobedience and other tendencies capable of threatening established order.

     

     

  • What I saw at Nassarawa varsity, Keffi

    What I saw at Nassarawa varsity, Keffi

    SIR: From the handful of universities we had in different parts of Nigeria barely a decade ago, the number has soared significantly over the years. The result is that wherever you go across Nigeria these days, a private or federal or state university is bound to be located somewhere nearby. It is, however, one thing to have a varsity; having a university that stands out in terms of good governance, infrastructure, laboratory, and high academic standard is a different ball game.

    It was against this backdrop that I travelled to the Nasarawa State University, Keffi in Nasarawa State, recently to visit my daughter-in-law. Although I had been to the school once or twice before now for sundry reasons, I hadn’t paid much attention to the place.

    Located along the Keffi –Akwanga highway, Nasarawa State University (NSU) occupies a relatively wide expanse of land on the outskirts of Keffi town.

    In terms of size, NSU is, in my view, not all that impressive. Particularly when compared with a number of other universities that one has been privileged to visit in recent years. But when you realize that the institution is relatively young, even as it grows in leaps and bounds, it becomes obvious that it needs time to develop according to expectations.

    Like any parent or student, however, want concerns me most is the quality of academic work available (or otherwise) here. When I sought her opinion, my girl said, in her usual melodramatic manner, that: “they are killing us o.” To which I inquired:” Killing you? How?” Her response: “The lectures are too much; there is hardly any space to breath or time to rest; it’s lecture, lecture, all the time.” What about strikes, riots, cultists and the like, I prodded. She shrugged. “So far, at least, I haven’t witnessed any such things here; I heard that the Vice Chancellor is a no-nonsense man who doesn’t allow such things happen here.”

    That, to those who know the NSU helmsman, Prof. Shamsudeen Amali, is hardly surprising, given that he had conjured a similar feat at his old duty post – the University of Ilorin. Prof. Amali had, through a dint of visionary leadership, exemplary human relations and deft shuffles, ensured that Unilorin remained largely unaffected by the chaos and madness of these seasons. Maintaining an open-door policy and acting like a father to both students and staff alike, he was said to have effectively tamed the monster of industrial crises in the hitherto restive school.

    Indeed, based on what I witnessed at the university that day, one dares say without fear of contradiction that Prof. Amali, the renowned administrator, scholar, leader and acclaimed professor of Theatre and Drama, has “transferred” his inimitable leadership and administrative acumen to NSU.

     

    • Hajia Jamila Mohammed

    Abuja

     

  • ACROSS THE STATES (2/1/2013)

    ACROSS THE STATES (2/1/2013)

    1 ACTING CHIEF JUDGE OF NASARAWA, JUSTICE SULIEMAN UMARU-DIKKO, TAKING HIS OATH OF OFFICE IN LAFIA.

    2. GOV. GODSWILL AKPABIO OF AKWA IBOM  PRAYING FOR PEACE IN THE STATE AT THE 2013 SOLEMN ASSEMBLY IN UYO.

    3 CLERGYMEN LED BY PRELATE EMERITUS OF METHODIST CHURCH OF NIGERIA, HIS EMINENCE SUNDAY MBANG (M), PRAYING FOR PEACE AND DEVELOPMENT IN AKWA IBOM AT THE 2013 SOLEMN ASSEMBLY IN UYO.

    4 FULL BUSINESS ACTIVITIES RESUMED AT THE ABUBAKAR GUMI CENTRAL MARKET IN KADUNA AFTER THE NEW YEAR HOLIDAY ON WEDNESDAY.

    5 PHYSICALLY CHALLENGED PERSONS AND LESS PRIVILEGED FAMILIES SELECTED UNDER THE POVERTY ALLEVIATION SCHEME COLLECTING CASH ASSISTANCE AT KANKARA, KATSINA STATE, ON WEDNESDAY. RIGHT IS CHAIRMAN OF THE COMMITTEE AND SPECIAL ADVISER TO THE STATE GOVERNOR ON POVERTY REDUCTION, ALHAJI BATURE MASARI.

    6 GOV. JONAH  JANG OF PLATEAU (L), BEING DECORATED WITH ARMED FORCES REMEMBRANCE EMBLEM BY MISS RHODA DADON DURING THE 2013 ARMED FORCES REMEMBRANCE DAY EMBLEM AND APPEAL FUND LAUNCH IN JOS.

    7 COMMISSIONER OF POLICE, PLATEAU, CHRIS OLAKPE (L), IN A HANDSHAKE WITH  GOV. JONAH  JANG  DURING THE 2013 ARMED FORCES REMEMBRANCE DAY EMBLEM AND APPEAL FUND LAUNCH IN JOS.

    8 FROM LEFT: DIVISIONAL POLICE OFFICER (DPO), IPONRI, CSP KUNLE OLUSOKAN; MANAGING DIRECTOR, NEWS AGENCY OF NIGERIA (NAN), DAME OLUREMI OYO, AND MANAGING EDITOR AND HEAD OF NAN LAGOS OFFICE, MR ISAAC IGHURE, DURING THE VISIT OF THE DPO TO NAN OFFICE IN LAGOS.

    9 NASARAWA SOLICITOR-GENERAL AND PERMANENT SECRETARY, MINISTRY OF JUSTICE, MR MOHAMMED IDRIS-APA, TAKES OATH OF OFFICE IN LAFIA .

     

     

     

    PHOTO:  NAN-PHOTO