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Tag: Niger State

FG approves N1.7bn for Gurara dam pipeline project

The Federal Executive Council (FEC) on Wednesday approved the payment of N1.712 billion for the contractor handling the 75-kilometre Gurara Dam water pipeline project in Niger State.

The FEC meeting, which lasted for about four hours, was presided over by Vice-president Yemi Osinbajo.

While briefing State House correspondents after the FEC meeting, the Minister of Water Resources Mr Suleiman Adamu, said, the memo was complimentary to the earlier one he presented at the last FEC meeting on Nov.22.

Adamu said, the pipeline contract from Gurara Dam to lower Usuma dam was for the laying of a three diameter pipeline.

“Last week, we got approval to engage a contractor for one year and to have a training contract with the contractor so that we can prepare to handover the project to the FCT Administration.

“So, this memo that was considered today has to do with the backlog of payment for the contractor because the contractor, as you are aware, has been maintaining the pipeline since the project was completed in 2008.”

The Council also approved the sum of N1.5 billion on voluntary Assets Declaration to cover advertising campaign for nine months.

The Minister of Finance Mrs Kemi Adeosun, who presented the memo, also briefed the FEC on the progress under the tax amnesty.

She informed the council that there were individuals who are ready to declare and pay.

“We have sent out over 500 letters under the first batch, there are thousands of Nigerians being targeted but the first 500 letters have gone out.

“We have started getting responses back and many people are asking for time to pay. Most of the governors have agreed to give more time for people to make arrangements for payments.

“This is indeed, a very good news for Nigeria as it will help reduce over reliance on oil.

“So, whether oil prices are high or low, we will be able to provide basic services for our people. Very high net worth people are now being brought into the tax revenue profile and we hope to exceed the target that has been set.

The Minister said, it was too early to give exact figure of the number of responses since the ministry had just started dispatching the letters on Monday.

“But, we have a telephone line dedicated to the project and a lot of people have called in to express their readiness to cooperate.

“We meet the governors just two days ago and they all agreed because personal income taxes are also going to the state government coffers.

She said they also agreed to accommodate those who agreed they are owing but have not got the cash to pay.

“Some people might have the house but didn’t have the cash, we need to give them chances to bring this money and we asked that they should give them time to bring in this money and they have agreed to do so.”

She said that government was targeting 0ne billion dollars and had already realised 110 million dollars from two companies.

She said government used information from land registries of states governments and the FCT as well as Bank Verification Numbers and Corporate Affairs Commission to get those who are defaulting.

“We also looked at people whose names appeared in the Panama and Paradise papers, we also looked at people who have companies but are not paying the right taxes,” Adeosun said.

On the payment to Whistles blowers, the minister said, the Federal Government had earmark N421.3 million to pay the first batch of beneficiaries.

She said, the only condition necessary for payment was that the money would be paid to the Whistle-blower who signed the agreement with government not to any third party.

“If we get the court judgement, we have to wait first three months to ensure that there are encumbrances as regards to any further legal challenge.

“We get in touch with the state government where the person is domiciled, we pay the tax directly to the state and issue the tax receipt. So we built in these procedures to protect the whistle-blower.”

NAN

November 30, 2017
Girl impregnated by Vice Principal cries out for help

The 16-year-old student who was impregnated by her Vice Principal, Malam Mohammed Mohammed have given birth to a baby boy and is soliciting for assistance from the state government to take care of her son.

The victim and her family have decried the neglect by the Vice Principal who is nowhere to be found saying that the victim did not receive any assistance from the accused during and after her pregnancy.

The student gave birth to a baby boy in Injita village in Munya Local Government areas of Niger state on October 28.

The incident occurred in March 2017, when the accused, a Vice Principal in Government Day Secondary School, Tunga Minna, had sexual intercourse with a junior student and impregnated her.

Mohammed was arraigned in court on April 4, and stood trial on a two-count charge of unlawful sexual intercourse with a child, and impregnanting a female student, he was then remanded in prison custody for three months after he pleaded not guilty to the charge and applied for bail.

The accused was granted N1 million bail and after his bail, it was learnt that he was secretly transferred from Government Day Secondary School, Tunga, Minna to an unknown school.

Narrating her experience to newsmen, the Victim said that neither she nor her family received any assistance from the Vice Principal pleading in the state government to come to her rescue to enable her carter for her child and further her studies.

She said that becoming pregnant at such tender age shattered her dreams of becoming a nurse, ” I am not happy that I am now a mother at this tender age, I will not allow the incident to shatter my dreams of becoming a nurse. I still want to further with my study because I want to be a be a nurse in the future.”

The father of the victim, Malam Haruna Galadima cried out to a the government to ensure that the Vice Principal is found and made to face his responsibility, “What I want now is for my daughter to be taken care of by the man who put her in a family way, he should take full responsibility of the baby’s needs,” he said.

In her reaction, the Director General of the Niger state Child Rights Agency, Barrister Mairam Kolo, assured the parents and the victim that the agency would employ all its resources to find the accused and make him face his responsibility adding that the agency would ensure justice for the victim and see that she returns to school.

She added that the agency had written to the state Ministry of Education to give some part of the accused salary be given to the victim on monthly basis to carter for her needs.

November 7, 2017
Girl impregnated by VP gives birth to baby boy; Cries Out for Help

The 16-year-old student who was impregnated by her Vice Principal, Malam Mohammed Mohammed have given birth to a baby boy and is soliciting for assistance from the state government to take care of her son.

The victim and her family have decried the neglect by the Vice Principal who is nowhere to be found saying that the victim did not receive any assistance from the accused during and after her pregnancy.

The student gave birth to a baby boy in Injita village in Munya Local Government areas of Niger state in the 28th of October.

The incident occurred in March 2017, when the accused, a Vice Principal in Government Day Secondary School, Tunga Minna, had sexual intercourse with a junior student and impregnated her.

Mohammed was arraigned in court on April 4, and stood trial on a two-count charge of unlawful sexual intercourse with a child, and impregnanting a female student, he was then remanded in prison custody for three months after he pleaded not guilty to the charge and applied for bail.

Read Also: Three arrested for raping teenager

The accused was granted N1 million bail and after his bail, it was learnt that he was secretly transferred from Government Day Secondary School, Tunga, Minna to an unknown school.

Narrating her experience to newsmen, the Victim said that neither she nor her family recieved any assistance from the Vice Principal pleading in the state government to come to her rescue to enable her carter for her child and further her studies.

She said that becoming pregnant at such tender age shattered her dreams of becoming a nurse, ” I am not happy that I am now a mother at this tender age, I will not allow the incident to shatter my dreams of becoming a nurse. I still want to further with my study because I want to be a be a nurse in the future.”

The father of the victim, Malam Haruna Galadima cried out to a the government to ensure that the Vice Principal is found and made to face his responsibility, “What I want now is for my daughter to be taken care of by the man who put her in a family way, he should take full responsibility of the baby’s needs,” he said.

In her reaction, the Director General of the Niger state Child Rights Agency, Barrister Mairam Kolo, assured the parents and the victim that the agency would employ all its resources to find the accused and make him face his responsibility adding that the agency would ensure justice for the victim and see that she returns to school.

She added that the agency had written to the state Ministry of Education to give some part of the accused salary be given to the victim on monthly basis to carter for her needs.

November 7, 2017
IBB University gets $30m TETFund grant for research

The Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University ( IBB ), Lapai in Niger on Wednesday said it received 30 million dollars grant from Tertiary Education Trust Fund ( TETFund ) for critical research projects.

The Vice Chancellor, Prof. Muhammad Maiturare, made this known in Lapai when executive members of Correspondent Chapel of Nigeria Union of Journalists ( NUJ ), Niger council, paid him a courtesy visit.

Maiturare said that the grant was the Institutional Based Research component of TETFund, which would be utilised to explore potential benefits for socio-economic development of the state and the country at large.

“The research projects which cut across fields of sciences, technology, education and humanities will go a long way in fast tracking the development drive of Niger State and Nigeria in general,’’ he said.

He commended the chapel leadership for the visit and assured members of the institution’s management’s readiness to sustain collaboration with its members.

The vice chancellor advised the journalists to always be objective in their reportage, describing them as critical stakeholders that would contribute to the development of the institution.

Earlier, Mr Aideloje Ojo, Chairman of the Correspondent Chapel, Minna, lauded the initiative of the university in the development of the education sector, especially on research that would contribute to the development of humanity.

Ojo assured that the correspondent chapel would support the university by promoting its activities.

NAN

November 2, 2017
Abandoned Projects in Niger state

Minna Airport City Project

The vision of the Minna Airport City is to build two runways that cross diagonally; place a control tower in the center and then build the city in the area between the runways. The city-between-runways would include hotels, shops, a conference center, and a hospital and a manufacturing district.

The Minna Airport City project was envisioned to be the first of its kind in Nigeria in terms of its layout, infrastructure, economic benefits and to create a benchmark in urban planning.

The then state government, led by former Governor Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu, partnered with Maevis Limited, a Nigerian company that promotes travel in sub-Saharan Africa, architects Sheppard Robson; Arup, a global consultancy firm; and the International Construction Consultancy, Davis Langdon.

According to developers, Minna Airport City would provide spur development for the state. The project is predicated upon the facts that airports all over the world shape business locations and urban development in this century as much as seaports did in the 18th Century; railways in 19th Century and highways in the 20th Century.

The project was initiated in May 2008 at a strategic retreat for Government functionaries, followed by presentations on the project concept, then its evaluation as infrastructural development initiative and was eventually approved by the State Executive Council.

However, when The Nation visited to the site, we could not identify any single project sign to indicate any work in progress. All that could be seen is rather an emptiness of a versatile land. The land has since turned into a grassing reserve and has been abandoned by the present government.

The project was estimated at $600 million but there is silence to how much have been expended on the project. A visit to the state Ministry of Works, Lands and Housing and the agency handling the project revealed that the amount spent on the project so far is still shrouded in secrecy. No one was forthcoming to give information about it.

However, The Nation gathered that over N12 million would be needed for the project which the state Governor, Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello have vehemently said that there is no such resources to waste in the state as the resources can be channeled into other viable means in the state.

Bello is said to have given a go ahead to the Ministry of Works and Transport to give it out to any investor in a Design, Build, Operate and Transfer basis.

Minna city center tower

The Minna City Center Tower, which is supposed to be about 21 floors, is to be located at the Old Minna Central Market. The project is conceived within the local calabash and ludayi concept. It is meant to have communal housing facilities at the lower levels, observatories and restaurants along the tower section, which is up to 70 meters above ground level.

However, the tower is currently an eyesore to anyone visiting the state and to residents in particular, as it is at the center of the state capital. It has so far gulped N800 million as N600 million have been expended on what is supposed to be the city tower and N200 million on the shopping mall. We learnt that unspecified millions of naira will still be expended before its completion. But the state governor has also directed that it should be given out to any interested investor in a design, build, operate and transfer basis as there was no fund to also finance its completion.

Minna five stars Hotel

The Minna Hotel is another abandoned project in the state. The status of this hotel still remains debatable. While some say it is a five star hotel, others say it is a three star hotel. However, the hotel, which is situated along IBB road in the capital city, has been abandoned for years.

The cost of the construction of the hotel was put at N19.6 billion. The government then issued a bank guarantee of N1.4 billion and gave a land worth N400 million. But it seems all that funds have gone down the drain as the hotel remains as it is since former Governor Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu left office. The current administration has not shown any sign of interest or determination to complete the project.

October 22, 2017
New institute to groom would-be teachers in Niger

Teachers training colleges are back – at least in Niger State where 274 students have been enrolled into a new institute that will prepare them for the teaching profession at no cost to them, reports JUSTINA ASISHANA from Minna.

The falling quality of education in public schools across the country is a source of concern to parents and governments, especially with the poor performance of pupils at primary and secondary school levels.

This has been attributed to poor teaching skills and poor interactions between teachers and their learners.

The quality of teacher training has also been called to question, especially as the profession, for many years, attracted mostly those who could not get into other programmes or get jobs elsewhere.

To address these problems, the Niger State government has set up a Teacher Professional Development Institute to train a new generation of teachers and revitalise education in the state.

The institute is supposed to have centres in each of the senatorial districts of the state, but because of the urgency to start the programme, only the centre in Mararanba Dandaudu in Shiroro Local Government Area has begun the academic session.

The institute will train pupils in the latter part of their secondary education (SS1 to SS3), orientate and groom them to pursue teaching as a profession. They will be taught the normal senior secondary education curriculum in addition to subjects that will make them better teachers.

The facility has well-ventilated classrooms, state-of-the-art computer, chemistry, biology, food and nutrition laboratories, dining hall, library, sick bay, sports arena and hostels for male and female students.

The hostels have each room fitted with double bunk beds to accommodate 12 students. They also have libraries as well as toilet facilities.

To encourage the students, the government is providing everything, from tuition, feeding, uniforms, beddings, cutleries up to toiletries, such as detergent, bathing soap and toothpaste free-of-charge. At the end of each term, they will be transported to their localities at no cost.

To further encourage them to take up teaching, the government has announced full scholarship to any of the students who chooses to study education at the tertiary level.

Chairperson of the institute Hajiya Dije Bala told The Nation that the government was determined to arrest the rot in the education sector, hence, the investment in the institute.

“We all know that the standard of education is nothing to write home about. The performance of students in schools does not gladden the heart of any parent or government, particularly children at the primary and secondary school levels. That is why the state government felt it has to do something about it. The next generation must not be this way.”

She said the institute in Mararanba Dandaudu would kick off with 274 students selected from the 274 wards in the state. She added that when other centres opened in the other zones, the population would reduce.

“The other zones have not started yet and because of some constraints, time and space, all the 274 students are resuming in Mararanba Dandaudu. Next year when all of the centres would have taken off, this large population would reduce.”

Hajia Bala was confident that graduates of the institute would fare better than their contemporaries when they eventually gain admission into tertiary institutions.

“We are grooming these students to take up teaching as a profession. Along with the curriculum, they would be taught additional subjects that will make them better teachers. If after their education here, they decided to take up education in tertiary institutions, they would be better than any other person who did not take up this training.”

The administrator said teachers that would teach the students were among the best and would be appraised according to how well their students perform.

“The institute has selected the best of teachers who have gone through tests and examinations. These teachers will not be judged by the result of the whole school but by the result of the students they are teaching. If the students are not doing well, it shows that the teachers are not capable of handling the students and they will be shown the way out.

“To ensure this is implemented, we are working on a situation whereby the teacher teaches the child, sets his examination and someone else would mark the scripts. So, there will not be any favouritism. We have put this in place to ensure that this institute comes out best in relation to improving the quality of upcoming teachers.”

The take-off of the institute cost the Niger State government over N200 million – excluding the over N20 million for the upkeep of the students each term.

The government has approved N1.5 billion for the entire project of the Niger State Teacher Professional Development Institute.

To aid sustainability, Hajia Bala said a bill would soon be sent to the House of Assembly that would mandate each LGA to contribute a monthly token for the upkeep of the institute. She added that sustainability would be the collective effort of the state and the LGAs.

An educationist in the Niger State College of Education, Dr. Shehu Bala, lauded the project, especially as the institute is collaborating with the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN), adding that it would be great if all students eventually chose to be teachers as the foundational training in teaching would be useful.

Former Vice Chancellor of the Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida University Lapai (IBBUL) Prof Ibrahim Kolo said the institute was designed after the old teachers training colleges that used to exist before the Grade II Teaching Certificate was scrapped. He expressed optimism that the students would take up teaching after their schooling.

“The students would be given free scholarship should they decide to take up education as their course in their various tertiary institutions they may decide to go to. If after all that government is offering to them, a person will not be tempted into the teaching profession, then there is something wrong,” he said.

One of the students, Abdulbasat Sanni from Suleja LGA, expressed joy that he was selected to represent his ward. He said he was selected because he topped in an entrance examination set by the institute.

“I promise my parents, traditional rulers and community that I will not forget the sacrifice they made to ensure I got admission into the institute. I will work hard and get good results,” he said.

Another student, Hajara Garba said she became interested when she heard about the institute and she counted herself lucky when she was chosen as the representative of her ward.

“I am interested in becoming a teacher all the way. I appreciate the state and local government for setting up the institute,” she said.

October 19, 2017
Magu calls for bottom-up anti-corruption initiatives

Mr Ibrahim Magu, acting Chairman of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission ( EFCC ), has called for anti-corruption initiatives at the grassroots level.

Magu made the call on Tuesday while receiving an honorary award of excellence from a delegation of the National Association of Polytechnic Students ( NAPS ) which visited him in Abuja.

He said in a statement by EFCC Spokesman, Mr Wilson Uwujaren, that there was need for education to be in the vanguard of teaching and awareness-creation on anti-corruption as a proactive measure to tackling the monster.

The call came amid suggestions by anti-corruption campaigners that state and local governments are aloof in the ongoing anti-graft war.

Mr Peter Adeyemi, Deputy President of Nigeria Labour Congress ( NLC ), emphasised this point at an anti-corruption dialogue in Abuja in March.

Adeyemi had said there was no evidence to show that the state and local governments were in support of the Federal Government’s war against graft.
“If we are seriously fighting corruption as a nation, we must ensure that all strata of government keys in,” he said.

“The invitation to curb corruption in Nigeria is open to everyone.

“It is my desire for the Nigerian youth and indeed, everyone to partner with EFCC in this fight against corruption.

“The celebration of corruption must stop as corruption is evil. We must join forces to combat this societal ill,” Magu said.

The leader of the delegation, Jamilu Hassan of the Federal Polytechnic Bida, Niger State, said the award was in recognition of Magu’s outstanding contribution to the war against corruption.

NAN

October 18, 2017
DPO Kidnapped in Niger

The Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in charge of Sarkin Pawa Division of Niger state Police Command, Superintendent of Police(SP) Amos Aliyu has been kidnapped by unidentified persons.

Aliyu was kidnapped on Sunday evening at about 6:30 pm around his residence at Turin Fulani area in Bosso local government area of the state.

A Source close to his family said that prior to his abduction, the DPO was seen outside his compound discussing with someone believed to be his friend in a relaxed atmosphere .

Some of his neighbours attested that he was seen outside as some of them claimed that he answered questions posed to him regarding his family.

Amos who had served as Deputy Commandant, Police Training School Minna, Divisional Crime Officer Kuta Division in Shiroro Local Government of the state and in Taraba state Police Command prior to his recent transfer to Serki Pawa Division is believed to have been kidnapped along with his Orderly.

The Source said that his wife, (names withheld) was also said to have left home as early as possible on Monday morning in her Toyota Highlander Sports Utility vehicle in search of her husband and attempts by neighbours to speak with her on phone was abortive as she was said to have switched off her phone .

“In fact, the DPO, stays in Tudun Fulani area of Bosso Local Government of the state. He was seen in the evening on Sunday at about the time the Muslims were going to say their prayers in the Mosque .

“At the time, he parked his Peugeot 406 car outside his compound and he was greeted and he responded to the greetings as well as exchanging pleasantries with some of his neighbours who stopped to greet him while someone believed to be his friend sat besides him on the fateful Sunday eveningn prior to his disappearance”, the source noted .

A team of Policemen believed to have been sent from the Police Command were seen around the DPO’s residence on Monday morning questioning people and making true the report that the DPO was missing.

However, efforts made by The Nation to speak with the State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Austin Iwero Agbonlahor and the Police Public Relation Officer (PPRO) proved abortive as he refused to speak on the incidence as of the time of filing this report.

The Nation learnt that efforts are now being made to locate the wife of the DPO who have been unreachable since Monday morning.

Read Also: Police confirm 6 dead, 5 injured in Plateau village attack

October 16, 2017
Niger Gov Dissolves Cabinet

Niger State Governor, Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello on Wednesday dissolved the State Executive Council and has directed all permanent sectaries to take charge until new appointments are made.

The Governor announced the dissolution after the Weekly Executive Council Meeting in Minna, through a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Malam Jibrin Baba Ndace.

No reason have been given for the dissolution of the cabinet but sources has disclosed that it may be out of the dissatisfaction over the poor performance of some Commissioners.

Governor Sani Bello however retained the three newly appointed Commissioners in the Ministries of Tourism and Culture; Mineral Resources and Livestock and Fishery .

The statement further said that the weekly executive council meetings have been suspended until a new cabinet is put in place.

The Governor then thanked the former members of his cabinet for their contributions, support and commitment to the actualization of his restoration agenda and wish them success in their future endeavor.

October 11, 2017
‘TETFUND provides N900m basic infrastructure in Zungeru Poly’

The Rector of Zungeru Polytechnic in Niger, Dr Umar Ahmed, on Thursday lauded the Tertiary Education Trust Fund ( TETFUND ) for spending over N900 million to provide basic infrastructure in the institution.

Ahmed disclosed this while conducting newsmen round some of the capital projects executed by the fund.

He said that already, all capital projects executed by the fund had been inaugurated.

He explained that the School of Engineering, School of Environmental Studies, ICT Centre, Quantity Survey Department and solar power were constructed and inaugurated.

He said that the provision of the facilities had greatly assisted in improving the learning atmosphere in the institution.

He said that the institution was preparing additional proposal to the fund to construct new Department of Agricultural Technology.

He said that the department would provide required power to rapidly develop the sector for optimal goal.

He explained that the institution was going into commercial farming to generate revenue, to ensure proper management.

“We don’t have to wait for government’s monthly subversion to run our affairs, hence the need for us to utilise what we have to get what we want.

“We will go into all-year farming system to produce assorted food crops for sale to members of the public.”

NAN

October 6, 2017