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Tag: Niger governor

  • Niger governor begins payment of gratuities to pensioners

    Niger governor begins payment of gratuities to pensioners

    Niger state governor, Mohammed Umaru Bago, has officially flagged off the payment of N25 billion in gratuities to the first batch of 335 retirees in the state.

    The governor during the flag-off which took place at the premises of the Niger State Pension Board in Minna said that the release of the gratuities was due to the government’s commitment to the welfare of the state’s retired civil servants who had served the state diligently.

    The governor, who was represented by his deputy, Comrade Yakubu Garba, explained that the large sum being earmarked for the payment of the gratuities was due to the non-payment of gratuities by the previous government.

    “The state government in its determination to address all issues affecting pensioners at the state and local government levels has approved and released the sum of N25 billion to clear all outstanding entitlements.

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    “It will be recalled that pensions had not been paid in the state for over 9 years leading to a backlog and a substantial financial burden on the government.

    “Hence, the current administration will ensure timely pension payments to prevent such a backlog in the future, and to alleviate the hardships faced by retirees and their families in the past”, he stated.

    The governor also warned against any attempt to tamper with the serial numbers and files of the beneficiaries, stating that anyone caught doing so would be dealt with decisively.

    He noted that the payment process will continue in batches, with the retirees from the local government areas set to receive their cheques starting from July 26th.

    The director-general of the state Pension Board, Alhaji Nasiru Sa’idu Namaska appreciated Governor Bago for introducing the Niger State Pension Administration System (NSPAS), which has paved the way for the commencement of these payments.

    He assured that due process would be followed in the processing of the gratuities adding that everyone who is entitled to their gratuity would receive it.

    On behalf of the retirees, Mr. Idris Zitta expressed heartfelt appreciation to the state government for taking this important step, acknowledging the long-awaited relief it will bring to the lives of the retired civil servants.

  • ‘Why I want to be Niger governor’

    A governorship aspirant on the platform of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mohammed Aminu Baku, has said he is contesting because he wants to rescue the Niger State from poverty and infrastructural decay.

    He said: “I want to reposition the state and make it one of the most developed in the country. What informed my decision to contest is that my heart bleeds anytime I come home. All the roads are bad and the state, which is over 40 years, is the most backward in the country.”

    Beji, who addressed reporters after submitting his letter of intent to the PDP Chairman, Tanko Beji, said zoning would not stop him from contesting.

    “I am aware of the zoning but it is unconstitutional. Everyone in Niger State has the right to contest, but the question is do you have the capacity and are the masses behind you? One thing I know is that PDP will not reject any candidate,” Beji said.

    The aspirant said he would beat Governor Abubakar Sani-Bello in 2019.

  • Niger Governor, Buhari’s aide for Anniversary lecture

    The News Express 5th Anniversary Lecture will hold on Thursday at Sheraton Hotel & Towers, Ikeja, Lagos, the newspaper’s Management said yesterday in Lagos.

    News Express Publisher Isaac Umunna, in a statement said Governor Abubakar Sani Bello of Niger State will deliver lecture on “National Unity and the Demand for Restructuring – A Governor’s Perspective”.

    He also said that the Managing Director of Nigeria Export Processing Zones Authority (NEPZA), Emmanuel Jime, would deliver the Keynote Address.

    The statement named the array of distinguished personalities who have confirmed attendance at the lecture to include Presidential Spokesman Femi Adesina; Director General of Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Dakuku Peterside; General Manager, External Relations, Nigeria LNG Limited, Dr. Kudo Eresia-Eke; General Manager, NTA Lagos Channel 10, Mrs. Helen Onma Odeleye; and United Nations Security Coordination Officer, Francis T. Okoemu.

    Umunna said “one of the highlights of the occasion would be the unveiling of the new logo of News Express.”

     

  • Niger governor decries dirty hospitals

    Niger governor decries dirty hospitals

    Niger State Governor Abubakar Sani Bello has decried the unhygienic state of some hospitals in the state.
    The governor spoke when he visited Shehu Shagari Hospital, Nasko.
    He said: “I am disappointed with the level of hygiene in this hospital. If the consulting room is this bad, I do not want to go round the hospital because I do not want to see more frustrating things.
    “If a doctor’s consulting room can be left unkempt, with cobwebs and a dirty toilet, I wonder how the entire hospital will look like. I am disappointed with what I am seeing now. Only God knows how the wards will look.
    “If this hospital belongs to any of the doctors, will they allow it be in this unkempt state?
    “It is high time public servants know the system of governance has changed. There is no room for indolence. This administration has zero tolerance for indolent workers”.
    The governor directed the Commissioner for Health and Hospital Services, Dr. Mustapha Jibril, to look into the situation and ensure proper maintenance of the facility.
    Bello also dispelled rumours that his administration planned to shut down the School of Nursing in Bida. He was shocked at the rumours alleging that the government intends to close down the school to establish a similar one in Kontagora.
    “Nobody can close the School of Nursing, Bida; only God can. The schools in Bida and Minna are not enough. We should have more schools to produce more nurses and midwives for our hospitals.
    “How can one contemplate closing the school when we are short of nurses? We should be careful with the messages we spread. Those spreading this rumour are not lovers of the state,” Bello added.
    He promised that his administration will rehabilitate the school, noting that the delay was due to some technicalities.

  • No money for white elephant projects, says Niger governor

    Niger State Governor Abubakar Sani Bello said yesterday that the state had no money to complete the “white elephant projects” of his predecessor.

    According to him, “there are more pressing and socially-relevant projects begging for attention.”

    The governor spoke when he was inspecting the Minna Airport City Project initiated by ex-Governor Mu’azu Babangiga Aliyu. He was told that N12 billion would be needed to complete the project.

    Said he: “I don’t have money to pay for this project. I have more serious and pressing problems. I have pupils sitting on the floor, people without potable water, hospital without facilities. These are my priorities or do you have money? If you have money, do it with your money and we will find a way to pay you later.

    “I suggest the project be restructured. If we want to complete it, there is no money. If we do not complete it, it will waste away. Get someone who has money to invest in it, to complete it.”

    Bello, who said he was disturbed by the huge public fund spent on the project, lamented that even if the government approached the capital market for bond to complete it, the project could not generate N2billion annually.

    The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Works, Adamu Jagaba, said about N12billion would be needed to complete the Minna Airport City Project. “This is besides the N800million already spent on the project.”

    He said another N600 million was expended on the Minna City Tower and N200 million had been spent on the shopping mall.

    The two projects are at the state’s capital city centre.

    Jagaba told the governor that government took over the financing of the projects when the investors failed to meet the deadline.

    Bello was unable to inspect the Minna Neo-Natal Hospital, which was inaugurated by the former governor two days to the handover, as the contractors handling the project locked it up, alleging that the government was owing them N167million.

    It was learnt that the contractors, now in Abuja, have vowed not to return the keys until they are paid.

    The governor said he wondered why the project was inaugurated when it was not completed.

  • Niger governor orders islands evacuated after attack

    A regional governor in southern Niger on Thursday ordered the evacuation of the West African nation’s inhabited islands on Lake Chad following a deadly attack there by Boko Haram militants last week.

    At least 74 Nigerien soldiers and civilians were killed when hundreds of the militants aboard motorised canoes attacked the island of Karamga at dawn on April 25, Reuters reports.

    Dozens of soldier are still missing following clashes that ultimately drove out the attackers, leaving 156 of them dead.

    Residents were told to leave the islands by May 4, according to a statement released by the governor of the region of Diffa.

    “Due to security imperatives, the governor of the region of Diffa has the honour of inviting the populations living on the islands in the Nigerien part of Lake Chad to leave the islands and rejoin the mainland,” the statement read.

    Karamga, attacked once before by Boko Haram in February, is prized by both sides as a strategic base among a vast maze of waterways and swampland straddling the borders between Niger, Chad, Nigeria and Cameroon.

    The attack occurred despite significant military victories by the four countries in winning back territory from Boko Haram in northern Nigeria.

     

  • Amendment of 1999 Constitution unnecessary – Niger governor

    Amendment of 1999 Constitution unnecessary – Niger governor

    The Chairman of the Northern States Governors’ Forum, Dr. Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu, has described as unnecessary attempts by the National Assembly to amend 1999 constitution.

    Instead of constitution amendment, the Niger State governor, said what the nation needs is judicial interpretation of vexed sections of the document.

    He challenged the judiciary to wake up to its responsibility of interpreting the laws of the country to bring them in tune with present day reality.

    He Spoke at the 39th conference of Chief Judges, Grand Khadis and Presidents, Customary Courts of Appeal of Northern States and the Federal Capital Territory, in Minna, on Wednesday,

    Aliyu noted that constitutions of advanced democracies in the world especially that of the United States had not been amended more than five times since it came into being.

    According to him, ”Judiciary is synonymous to democracy, we need interpretation of the constitution not amendment. The judiciary should wake up to its responsibility to ensure the entrenchment of democracy.”

    He, however, said that for the judiciary to be more vibrant, states without law reforms commission should establish such institutions to make it possible for obsolete legislations to be reviewed.

    Reacting to complain of non-payment of salaries to workers by some state governments in the region, the NGSF Chairman said such action was against the decision taken by the governors in the region.