The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Niger

  • Eid-el-Kabir : Be tolerant with others – Governor Bello

    Niger State governor, Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello has urged Muslims in the country to renew their commitment to the pursuit of peace and progress of the country.

    He also enjoined them to imbibe the virtuous of obedience, tolerance, faith, perseverance and sacrifice as exemplified by Prophet Ibrahim (AS).

    The Governor, in a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Dr. Ibraheem Dooba to commemorate the celebration of Eid-el-Kabir said the Muslim faithful must use the period and pray for an end to the incessant security challenges particularly in the northern region of the country.

    Bello called on the followers of all religions in the country to tolerate one another and assist the less privileged in the society as the surest way of reducing poverty and the attendant insecurity that comes with it.

    The governor then appealed to those accusing him of being slow in governance to be patient stressing that things must be done carefully in order not to derail and lose the opportunity provided to fix the state.

    He assured the people of the state that his administration would work assiduously to ensure the people derive maximum benefit from the positive change they had effected in governance.

  • Alleged robbery: NYSC rescues corps members in Niger

    Alleged robbery: NYSC rescues corps members in Niger

    The National Youth Service Corps Thursday night said it has intervened in the case of three corps members accused of alleged robbery by a shop owner in Suleja.
    The service said it has secured bail for two of the three corps members.
    It assured that the third corps member will soon get reprieve.
    The management, which made the clarification in a statement, asked corps members in Suleja and Niger State in general not to panic.
    It said it was working in liaison with Suleja Emirate, the Nigerian Army, the Nigeria Police Force and other security agencies to guarantee the safety of corps members in the area.
    The statement said: “We wish to inform the general public that immediately after the arrest of the trio, the National Youth Service Corps, acting on the position of the law that an accused person is presumed innocent until the contrary is proved, promptly reached out to key stakeholders including the State Police Command and the State Government in order to ensure that the Corps members did not suffer unduly.
    “Without prejudice to the investigative duties of the appropriate law enforcement agency, we have it on good authority that preliminary findings had shown that the accusation against the trio was based only on circumstantial evidence.
    “Following the joint intervention of the NYSC Scheme and the State Government through the Office of the Secretary to the Government and the Ministry of Youth Development, two of the accused Corps members have since been released while the process of securing the release of the third is on-going.
    Management wishes to assure members of the public, particularly parents and guardians of Corps members that no single Corps member will be allowed to suffer unduly, especially over cases of mistaken identity during the service year.
    “We also wish to inform the public that the provisions of the NYSC Bye-Laws are very clear on the involvement of Corps members in criminal acts, though very unlikely, as their participation in the Scheme does not confer immunity from prosecution. We have, therefore, continued to sensitize members of the service corps on the need to be law-abiding and to shun acts capable of soiling the image of the Scheme and their families.
    “Management further wishes to allay the fears of all Corps members serving in Suleja regarding their safety. We have already intensified liaison with the Army, Police and other security agencies in the area as well as the Suleja Emirate Council who have all renewed their commitment to the protection of all Corps members in the area.
    “All Corps members in Suleja are, therefore, enjoined to go about their normal businesses without fear of molestation.”

  • Nigeria plans to beat Niger

    Nigeria plans to beat Niger

    With one point in the bag for Nigeria in the 2017 African Cup of Nations qualification match against Tanzania, all eyes will shift to the game the Super Eagles will be playing against Niger at the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium…on Tuesday.

     

  • Niger friendly to gulp $300,000

    Nigeria will splash at least $300,000 for Tuesday’s friendly against next-door neigbours Niger, a top official has told AfricanFootball.com.

    This budget will include an appearance fee of $150,000 to the visiting Mena of Niger as well as their local transportation and boarding while in Nigeria for this game.

    The Eagles will each be paid $2,000 as appearance fee with coach Sunday Oliseh pocketing double that amount.

    It is hoped that hosts Rivers State Government will defray part of these expenses.

    Tuesday’s match will be played at the Adokiye Amiesiemake Stadium in Port Harcourt.

    Niger, who failed to qualify for Equatorial Guinea  2015, are fresh from a 2-0 defeat In Burundi in an AFCON qualifier.

  • Niger governor appoints The Nation’s correspondent media adviser

    Niger governor appoints The Nation’s correspondent media adviser

    Niger State governor, Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello has appointed Mr. Jide Orintunsin of The Nation Newspaper as Senior Special Assistant, Media and Publicity.

    Orintunsin’s appointment which takes immediate effect was contained in a letter signed by the Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Shehu Umar Danyaya.

    A product of Ogun State Polytechnic, Abeokuta, Ogun State and Federal University of Technology, Minna, Niger State, Orintunsin is the current Niger State Correspondent of The Nation Newspaper.

    He is expected to bring his wealth of experience in broadcast and print media as well as his professional goodwill which spans over three decades to bear in the discharge of his new appointment.

    The new SSA started his journalism career with Ogun State Broadcasting Corporation (OGBC), joined the defunct Concord Press of Nigeria as a reporter and rose to the rank of Senior Assistant News Editor.
    He also worked with ThisDay Newspaper and had a brief stint with The Guardian Newspaper before joining The Nation Newspaper.

  • 14 women die in boat mishaps in Niger

    14 women die in boat mishaps in Niger

    Boat disasters have claimed the lives of 14 women in two villages in Munya Local Government Area of Niger State.

    A family at Dan Gunu village lost 11 women in a boat mishap on River Sarkin Pawa. Three others from Guni village died in a similar accident on River Guni.

    The disasters reportedly occurred when the villagers were returning from farm on Monday about 6pm.

    Sources said the women had gone to harvest groundnuts in company of two men.

    The Nation learnt that their trip became boisterous, following a windy shower, which over-powered the men who paddled the two boats, leading to the boats capsizing. The men survived the accident.

    Some of the victims were identified as Munau, Wara, Fiddausi, Zainab, Najaatu, Ikilima, Fatima, Ladidi, Balaraba and Hafsat.

    It was learnt that while the villagers at Dan–Gunu village were mourning the death of their beloved ones, a report of a similar accident came from Guni, a neighbouring village, which had it that three people died in a boat mishap.

    The lawmaker representing Niger East, Senator David Umaru, in a condolence message to the affected villages, described the mishaps as shocking and unfortunate.

    He decried lack of good roads and bridges in the senatorial district, saying: “This has shown the need for the immediate take-off of the Hydro-electric Power Producing Area Development Commission (HYPPADEC).”

     

     

     

  • FADAMA III AF enhances farmers in Niger

    The FADAMA III Additional Financing, a collaborative project of the World Bank,  Federal and State Governments has been of immense benefits to farmers in Niger State.

    Speaking with newsmen in Minna,   the Niger State Coordinator for FADAMA III AF, Engineer Aliyu Usman Kutugi, said the project has “greatly enhanced the capacities of farmers, increased their income, boosted the economy and made life more worthy of living”.

    Niger State is presently cultivating 371, 482 hectares of  rice, mostly under the production season of rainfed. Under the FADAMA III AF, 2,635 rice farmers with 7,100 ha land holding has been registered, 100 business plans for ten production clusters were reviewed out of which 49 were approved and currently being implemented. Also, 10 facilitators and 1000  farmers rice farmers have been trained, while awareness have been created for agro dealers, cultivation of 120 ha nursery beds by five production clusters.

    Engineer Kutugi, while informing that 20 tones of improved rice seeds (Faro 44) has been procured and distributed to rice farmers along with 480 litres of herbicides from certified agro dealers, also thanked the Niger State Government and  the National FADAMA Team led by Mr. Tayo Adewunmi for “their continued support and cooperation, without which the FADAMA III AF would not have been implemented.”

    Niger State has implemented six World Bank/FG assisted projects under the agricultural sector namely Bida Agricultural Development Project, Multi-State Agricultural Development Project, National Agricultural Technology Support Project, FADAMA II and III, and presently implementing FADAMA III AF, which have helped to developed farmers-managed irrigation schemes of 400 hectares and formal irrigation schemes of 1,500 hact.

  • Ex-LG chairman’s mother kidnapped

    A 75 year old woman, Hajiya Umma Rijau has been kidnapped by some unknown gun men from her home in Rijau, headquarters of Rijau Local Government area of Niger State.

    The kidnappers have placed a N100 million ransome on the octogenarian, fondly called Hajiya Umma.

    Eye witness said Rijau who is the mother of a one time Rijau local government chairman, Audu Berri Rijau was kidnapped on Saturday night at about 10:45pm by three gun men who stormed her house shooting into the air.

    It was further gathered that the gun men cashed in on the absence of their victim’s son to storm the house and took her away.

    She was later reportedly taken away towards the neighboring Kebbi state indicating that the aged woman may have been taken to Kebbi.

    In an attempt to cover their flanks for Police investigations, it was learnt that the kidnappers after abducting Hajiya Umma abandoned their operational vehicle, set it ablaze and snatched motorbike from nearby villagers before escaping.

    A family member who spoke in confidence confirmed the incident and said that the kidnappers have made contact with the family demanding for a ransome of N100 million.

    According to our source, “the kidnappers were talking though when they contacted with us. They threatened to shoot Hajiya Umma if the N100 million was not paid. This threat has been a thing of concern to us”.

    ‪Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) for Niger state command, Mr. Bala Elkana (ASP) confirmed the incident. He said, “immediately the incident happened, special anti kidnapping team in the area was mobilized and they were on top of the situation”.‬

  • Northern Govs meet on dreaded forest again

    Governors of North Western States and Niger met in again in Kaduna on Saturday to review the security approach towards ending cattle rustling and other security challenges in Kamuku and Kuyanbana Forests.
    It would be recalled that, five Governors of Kaduna, Niger, Katsina, Kebbi and Zamfara states met in June to form a joint security operation against dreaded Kamuku Forest.
    Meanwhile, at the Saturday’s review meeting held alongside security chiefs, Governor Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State and his Sokoto counterpart had joined the five Governors to avoid spillover of security challenges around their states when criminals are smoked out of the forest.
    Briefing newsmen after the close door meeting which lasted for three hours, Sokoto State Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwwal said they will leave no stone unturned to ensure maximum security in their domain.
    He noted that, the collaborative approach adopted by the states surrounding Kamuku and Kuyanbana Forests has paid off, as it has started yielding positive results.
    According to Tambuwwal, “We have resolved to support the security agencies both material, financially and morally to improved security situation and ensure that there is no hideout for criminals in the North-west sub-region.
    “The collaboration between the states and Federal Government has been very helpful. So, we just sat to review the way forward and how to bring about peaceful coexistence in our region.
    “With reports reaching us so far from the security operatives, we are satisfied that the operation is successful and moving smoothly. And we are hopeful that in no distance future, peace will return to the region.
    “Initially, it was only five states of Kaduna, Niger, Zamfara, Katsina and Kebbi but today other states like Sokoto and Kano have decided to join hands with the movement to ensure that no hideout for the criminals or terrorists.
    “So far, we have made lot of arrests and recovery of property belonging to innocent persons and were returned back to their owners. But it is still ongoing and we will brief you adequately at the end of the operations on the successes recorded.
    “We are calling on the people to cooperate and support us by making available necessary information and by reporting suspicious movement around their neighbourhood to security operatives to ensure they are apprehended.” Tambuwwal said.

  • EFCC: Insurgents fund activities in Nigeria, Cameroun, Chad, Niger through illicit funds

    The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), yesterday accused insurgents of funding terrorism in Nigeria, Chad, Niger and others through illicit cash.

    He added that the laundering of illicit funds from Nigeria to other borders dropped from $9.9billion in 2013 to $807,585,061.70 in 2014.

    He said the war against terrorism can only be won with  improved financial intelligence gathering by the anti-graft agency and other law enforcement agencies.

    Lamorde spoke in Abuja at the opening ceremony of a five-day inter-agency training programme on Cross Border Financial Investigation,  organised by the United States Department of Homeland Security, for  officers of the Nigeria Police Force, (NPF) Nigeria Immigration Service(NIS), the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS),  National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and the EFCC.

    He said: “The EFCC, in collaboration with the Nigeria Customs Service and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, have in the last few years taken very bold steps to check illicit movement of cash across our borders. Operatives stationed at major international airports across the country have intercepted millions of dollars in cash, which were not declared to customs by their owners.

    ”This measure accounted for the significant drop in currency outflow outside Nigeria in 2013, as currency declaration dropped from $9,926,739,648.00 to $1,324,045,617.00. There was a further drop in 2014 as currency outflows recorded an all- time low of $807,585,061.70.

    “It is not impossible that other factors contributed in forcing the drop. Perhaps this training will offer us an opportunity to determine these other factors that could have been at play.

    “Nevertheless, our target is to minimize, if not completely eradicate the incidence of illicit cash movement, bearing in mind the implicit danger to our collective health as a nation.

    The EFCC chairman said the only way to tackle terrorism  is to deny insurgents of illicit funds.”

    He added:  “A reputable strategy to fight insurgency is to deprive the insurgents of funds, because there is no dispute that illicit funds movement across borders fuels organized crimes, including terror attacks and insurgency in Nigeria.

    The Deputy Chief of Mission, United States Embassy, Maria Brewer said that the training programme will expose participants to new trends and techniques in combating economic and financial crimes.

    ”Since economic and financial crimes is a global phenomenon, the training will focus among others, on taking away proceed of crime, because when you take away the money, you take away why people do crime,”she said.

    The Commander of Narcotics, Alhaji Hamisa Lawal,  represented the NDLEA boss.

    Highpoint of the ceremony was the donation of a high-tech counting machine to the EFCC. Brewer made the presentation on behalf of the U.S. government to assist the EFCC and the country fight corruption.