The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Nigerian Newspapers

  • ‘Africans in Diaspora remit $40b yearly’

    There are over 32 million Africans in the Diaspora, accounting for $40 billion remittances yearly, and savings of about $53 billion – most of it outside Africa, the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) has said.

    Its Senior Manager, Intra-African Trade Initiative, Gainmore Zanamwe, said the economic size of Africans in the Diaspora was staggering.

    According to him, should the collective African Diaspora be regarded as the 56th African state, it would rank top in terms of “Gross Domestic Product (GDP),” with its GDP estimated at over $500 billion and GDP per capita higher than Africa’s average.

    Zanamwe, who spoke on the sidelines of the 47th Annual General Meeting (AGM) of Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) in Lagos, said the number of Africans in the Diaspora would likely reach 50 million, if second and third generations are included.

    Nigeria accounts for over a third of Diaspora remittance flows to sub-Saharan Africa, with Diaspora remittances to the country projected to reach $25.5 billion this year, up from $23 million last year,  PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Nigeria, also said.

    Its latest report, “Strength from Abroad: The Economic Power of Nigeria’s Diaspora,” PwC also estimated that the size of the country’s Diaspora remittances will grow by $29.9billion and $34.8billion in 2021 and 2023.

    Zanamwe, however, said Afreximbank has a Diaspora strategy, which provides various ways in which their resources (both financial and expertise) can be mobilised for the promotion of intra-African trade and the development of Africa through investments, trade links, skills, and technology transfer.

    He said: “The key pillars of the bank’s Diaspora strategy include trade and investment promotion, remittances and savings mobilisation, knowledge and skills transfer, research and advocacy, and Diaspora outreach.

    “These are to be achieved through financing and facilitating the production and distribution of ethnic goods and products of interest to Africans in the Diaspora into Diaspora markets,” Zanamwe said.

    He listed some of the key growth areas of interest to the Diaspora to include ethnic foods, textiles, creative industry (music, film), tourism, manufactures, among others.

    “It is estimated, for instance, that Nigeria’s trade in ethnic foods with the United States (U.S) is estimated between $500 million and $1 billion,” he said

    On the creative industry space, Zanamwe said the bank was working with partners in Africa and the Diaspora by providing financing products and trade facilitation services to boost export of African movies, music, fashion and other creative works.

    He said the bank was developing a technology platform for high-quality African content – music, video, movies and opportunities, among others.

    Zanamwe said for instance, the Nollywood movies, an industry which employs about 300, 000 people directly and indirectly, more than one million, generating between $500 million and $1 billion yearly in revenues, is patronised across the continent and outside the continent by the Diaspora.

  • Dissent and national interest

    Recent tides in the Nigerian polity indexed some hypersensitivity against criticism and dissent – in the present circumstance, as much by supporters of the power elite as by members of the elite themselves cutting across partisan diversity of the political spectrum.

    Last week, Seun Onigbinde, a co-founder of civil society group, BudgIT, ducked out of his recent enlistment as Technical Adviser to Budget and National Planning Minister of State Clem Agba, in the face of intense lashback by supporters of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) who held him damnable for hitherto being a critic of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.

    Onigbinde’s organisation is reputed for serially exposing duplicities in national budgets – to be sure, not just that of the federal government but also the state governments. But he, in particular, is also accused of taking criticisms of Mr. Buhari quite personal, having previously posted acerbic comments about the president on his social media platforms.

    Ordinarily, we should consider it an indication of broadmindedness on the minister’s part (and by extension, that of the Buhari government) that Onigbinde got invited to serve. Dispassion would show it was a unique challenge for the activist to come walk his talk, so that the country might benefit from the fiscal transparency skills and insights that undergirded  his organisation’s past exposes on governments’ budgetary documents. Among other cautious observers, ace campaigner and technocrat, Oby Ezekwesili, openly pointed out to Onigbinde that it was a test, which located him on a historic perch to prove his mettle.

    But supporters of government thought differently as they rose in fierce rebuff of the activist’s enlistment for national service. Some saw egregious double standard in his past criticisms and his new acceptance to serve in a government that he had been critical of. Others wagered higher, describing Onigbinde as a foreign agent being embedded in government and alleging that the civil society group he co-founded was funded by a local organisation fronting for the United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). Perhaps the crudest blowback was from cheerleading Buhari Media Organisation (BMO), which said Onigbinde’s appointment was a travesty that desecrated the integrity of the Buhari administration.

    In flinging the job amidst that storm, Onigbinde said media reports about the appointment had “created a complex narrative” likely to engender an atmosphere of mistrust in his performance of the role. He explained: “My sincere interest is to see a Nigeria that grows and optimises resources for the benefits of all Nigerians. My loyalty to the good cause of our nation, Nigeria, compelled me to accept the call to provide technical skills, and this experience has more than strengthened it.”

    Onigbinde isn’t the only person forced out of call to national service because of their critical posture in the past towards the government or suspicion of diluted loyalty, if at all, towards the ruling party. In June, reputed columnist Festus Adedayo got the boot soon after he was appointed Special Adviser on Media and Publicity by Senate President Ahmed Lawan. Even though the legislature is an independent arm of government, the Senate helmsman backed down on Adedayo’s appointment within a week of handing him the job following a furore by Buharists who dug up past writings of the journalist that were critical of the present administration and the ruling party. The apparent logic being peddled by the supporters is: you can’t have pissed in a well and turn round to come drink from that same well. And really, there may be some sense to make of that logic at least on the face of it.

    But if you thought aversion to criticism is a syndrome peculiar to supporters of the ruling party, you need look at Cross River State where retributive stakes are even far higher: a journalist has been held in detention since late August for taking issues with Governor Ben Ayade of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Agba Jalingo, publisher of online CrossRiverWatch, was arrested in Lagos by the police on August 22 and dragged down to Calabar where he’s been under lock allegedly at the state governor’s behest.

    Before his arrest, Jalingo had been having brushes with the Ayade administration over his journalism that was critical of the state government. The last straw was a July 17 story in which he alleged diversion of N500million meant for the establishment of Cross River State Micro-Finance Bank. Following his arrest and detention, the journalist filed a suit for enforcement of his fundamental rights. But while that case awaits court hearing, the police have slammed Jalingo with a counter suit. And rather than charge him with the standard felony of libel, they have put up a four-count charge of treasonable felony, terrorism, cultism and disturbance of public peace against the journalist. It is apparently the severity of the charges that explains his being held without bail. Jalingo is also accused of working in cahoots with #RevolutionNow campaigner, Omoyele Sowore, who himself has been kept in detention since August 3 by the Department of State Security (DSS).

    The seeming counter-productivity of open dissent in our clime was theatrically highlighted recently by maverick artiste and convener of ‘OurMumuDonDo’ Movement, Charles Oputa better known as Charly Boy, when he said he was cutting out of street protests as a mode of venting displeasure over nationhood challenges because that option had proven ineffective to impact the power elite at all levels. Speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Charly Boy argued that successive political leaderships in Nigeria have been insensitive to the plights of ordinary citizens and were unfazed by protests to hold them accountable. Lamenting that in almost six decades of Nigeria’s independence, citizens were yet to experience “freedom from bad leadership,” he added: “I have spent over 40 years of my life leading protests for a better society, and I can tell you that street protests will not change our leaders.”

    The 68-year-old self styled ‘president of frustrated Nigerians’ recalled personal discomfiture he had suffered for dissent: “My father (the late Justice Chukwudifu Oputa) always told me back then that whenever I see injustice, I should fight it because it may come to affect me someday, and that is my motivation for fighting injustice over these years. On several occasions, I have been tortured by the Nigerian police and the military for standing up to authorities to ask questions. However, on some occasions I have been regarded as their friend, depending on the sensibility of those in power. I am not a professional protester, so now I have decided to use other means to hold leaders accountable,’’ he said.

    Are dissenters or critics essentially enemies of the prevailing orders they take on? The respective experience of Onigbinde and Jalingo, among the others, suggests they are so regarded by some, if not all in the power elite and their supporters. Besides, there is a pervasive notion across partisan divide that only members of a political party or its cheerleaders qualify to participate in a government formed by that party. Thus ‘governments of national unity,’ as they are often called, have become sheer anachronism.

    But by keeping critics , dissenters or opponents at bay, we lose so much that synergy of our rich diversity could offer. Also, not only is this tendency at odds with provisions of our national code, it is the bane of our development as a nation. Chapter II, Section 14(2)(c) of the Nigerian 1999 Constitution provides that “participation by the people in their government shall be ensured in accordance with the provisions of this Constitution.” And such provisions include Chapter IV, Section 39 (1) stipulating that “every person shall be entitled to freedom of expression, including freedom to hold opinions and to receive and impart ideas without interference.”

    The power elite and their supporters must learn to rise above cronyism and parochialism of vision by allowing the best available hands to participate in the drive for national development.

     

    • Please join me on kayodeidowu.blogspot.be for conversation.

  • Brexit uncertainty triggers first September fall in house prices since 2010

    House prices have fallen in the month for the first time since 2010 as Brexit uncertainty continues to cast a long shadow over the United Kingdom (UK) housing market, according to the estate agent Rightmove.

    The UK’s biggest property website said the traditional “autumn bounce” in the market was simply not happening this year. Instead, the average price of newly listed homes fell by 0.2 per cent, or £730, compared with August.

    September is usually the start of an upturn in housing market activity, with price rises recorded every year for the past eight years. However, this year there is growing evidence that sellers are waiting to see how Brexit plays out before deciding whether to move.

    Rightmove said the number of properties coming to market was down by 7.8 per cent this month compared with the same period a year ago. The number of sales agreed is down 5.5% in all regions.

    “In August, The Guardian, UK reported a pre-Brexit buying spree with the number of sales agreed up by over 6 per cent  compared with the prior year, as buyers and sellers decided to get deals secured well before the next Brexit deadline,” Miles Shipside, Rightmove director and housing market analyst, said.

    “But a month later, as the deadline gets closer and tensions heighten, there has been a big swing the other way with sales agreed numbers now over five per cent below those of a year ago.”

    He said the political uncertainty was particularly affecting London, where the number of new properties coming on to the market was 20 per cent down on last year.

    While Brexit uncertainty is holding the market back now, it has been predicted that prices could crash if the UK departs Europe without a deal. Last Monday, the accountancy firm KPMG warned that UK house prices could fall by as much as 20 per cent if Boris Johnson pursues a no-deal Brexit. The biggest falls would be in London and Northern Ireland, it said.

    A no-deal exit could trigger a nationwide decline of about 6 per cent in 2020, and a drop of between 10 per cent and 20 per cent was “not out of the question” if the market reacted more strongly than expected, KPMG predicted.

  • NAIC advises farmers on new flood alert

    The Management of Nigerian Agricultural Insurance Corporation (NAIC), has drawn the attention of Nigerian farmers to the ‘Red Flood Alert’ issued by the Nigerian Hydrological Services Agency (NHISA) with respect to some states of the Federation.

    In a statement by Mrs. Folashade Joseph, the Managing Director of the Corporation, said she underscored the need for farmers to keep abreast of the impact of the heavy rains which is expected to peak between the months of August and October, 2019.

    She advised all farmers, especially those covered by the NAIC Insurance to strictly adhere to best agricultural practices, as they have already been educated by the Corporation during various farmer’s sensitisation programmes on how to maintain sound house-keeping on their insured projects, thereby closing gaps of risk occurrence.

    Mrs. Joseph reminded the farmers that NAIC was specifically set up to indemnify farmers that insured their farms with the Corporation and that given the nationwide spread of NAIC branches which are located in the 36 states of the Federation including the FCT, it is wise for every investor across the agricultural value chain to take a NAIC cover.  NAIC ploughs farmers back to prosperity.

  • Taming the fangs of terrorism

    Sir: It will be difficult to totally eliminate the act of terrorism once it has been experimented in a society. It may then become a vice just like armed robbery or kidnapping. Terrorism cannot be eliminated by the act of force alone, but also by subtle diplomacy, strategy, mass education and enlightenment. Back in the 70’s, we had religious skirmishes in the north (Kaduna, Kano and Bauchi states) after the 3-7days orgy; the matter was swept under the carpet, no white paper issued, no sponsors apprehended and punished and no compensation paid. We then pretended all was well, but the evil seed had been sown.

    Then in the 80’s, we had the Maitaisine crises. Immediately the head of the organisation was killed, everything was swept under the carpet. The maitaisine has metamorphosed into Boko Haram. Also in the 80’s, we had religious crises in some northern states, but government followed the same pattern.

    The herdsmen are terrorizing citizens; what action has federal government taken? Have the farmers whose crops were destroyed been compensated? Six years ago a female teacher was beheaded in Gombe State. The matter has since been swept under the carpet and culprits freed. Also four years ago, an Igbo lady was killed in Kano. Few years ago, a lady was killed in Abuja for preaching; what has government done? Nothing.

    Early 2003, the CIA allegedly informed the Obasanjo-led federal government that they should watch the activities of some Islamic groups in the north; that they could be dangerous, but government shunned the advice. If the federal government had monitored the sect activities at that time, Boko Haram would never have manifested.

    And what is the foundation of their activities? Religion. Now the same federal government is complaining about Boko Haram. They’ve killed thousands, destroyed businesses and properties worth billions and they’ve even introduced suicide bombing into Nigeria’s terrorism dictionary. What is federal government doing? Using military force. But the root cause of these crises has not been unveiled. Since no sponsor has been apprehended and punished, the cycle will continue.

    There are over 10million almajirici kids; they should be put in schools and catered for by government. There should be free education in the North up to secondary level because the religious tolerance in the north is much lower than that of the south. There should be a befitting rehabilitation college established for ex-Boko Haram members. Exchanging captured Boko Haram members for kidnapped citizens may be a dangerous idea. A cue should be taken from Saudi government about their rehabilitation methods and federal government should consider setting up the anti- terrorism department and religious tolerance department in the presidency. Terrorism insurance scheme should be set up and compensation committee set up to compensate victims of religious crises and terrorism. That way, the Federal government should be getting closer to dealing with the root causes of terrorism.

     

    • David Atta, Abuja.

  • Five die, many injured in Ekiti road crash

    NO fewer than five people have lost their lives in a fatal road accident along Ado-Akure Road Ekiti State on Saturday, while many sustained various degrees of injuries.

    The accident, which involved an 18-seater white Toyota hummer bus with registration number, Ekiti LG 05 MUE, happened around 5pm.

    The bus belonging to Ekiti State Market Women, which was reportedly conveying some guests from a wedding reception, had the accident as a result of brake failure.

    While three of the occupants were said to have died on the spot, two among the injured persons earlier rushed to Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital, Ado Ekiti, for medical attention, died also owing to the severity of the injuries sustained.

    Multiple sources who spoke on condition of anonymity with The Nation said the driver of the bus which was on high speed lost control following which the vehicle somersaulted several times.

    According to the sources, three occupants of the bus died on the spot while others sustained injuries.

    They said: “The injured occupants of the vehicle have been taken to hospital for medical attention while the remains of the three dead persons have also been evacuated to the morgue.

    Read Also: Just in: Ekiti Varsity student kills boyfriend over N2,500

    A source at the EKSUTH alleged that “two of the injured occupants rushed for medical attention had died”.

    The Police Public Relations Officer, Ekiti State Police Command, Caleb Ikechukwu, who confirmed the accident, said “It was a lone fatal accident. Three persons were confirmed dead while others sustained various degrees of injuries”.

    According to Ikechukwu, it was alleged by some eyes witnesses that the driver was driving on a high speed, so he lost control of the vehicle and it somersaulted for a number of times”.

    The police spokesperson confirmed that the injured person had been moved to hospital for treatment and the dead to the morgue.

     

  • ASUU accuses vice chancellors of mismanagement

    THE Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has accused some vice chancellors of universities in the country of mismanaging their universities and asked the federal government of Nigeria to immediately set up visitation panel to each of the institutions.

    President of the union, Prof Biodun Ogunyemi, told The Nation in an interview in Abuja that the government has been paying lip service to the issue of visitation panels to the universities as contained in their terms of agreement.

    The ASUU president said that sending visitation panels to the universities will douse the tension in the universities and prevent further breakdown of industrial relations and promote industrial harmony.

    Ogunyemi disclosed that the union has written to the minister complaining about the activities of the Vice Chancellor of the Federal University, Oye-Ekiti, in Ekiti State, adding that “when you see crisis coming from the school, for us in ASUU, it is not unexpected.

    “The man has not developed capacity to manage that institution very well. The Vice Chancellor of the Federal University Lokoja has also been working to suppress the union’s activities and that doesn’t augur well for good governance. That is why we continue to prevail on government to look into our petition against the vice chancellors and address the issue we raised.

    “We have many of these cases coming up in some of these campuses, and that is why we are calling on government, anytime we have the opportunity, asking them to send visitation panel to these universities and all other federal universities to douse tension and prevent further decline and breakdown of industrial relations on these campuses.”

    On the implementation of the agreement signed between government and the union, Oguyemi said, “as things stand, we have issues; because the negotiation has been stalled. But we are engaging with government, hoping that the minister will intervene in the matter.

    “We have issues with the government team that is negotiating with us and we have written to the minister, placing our complaints on the table, hoping that in no time, he will intervene in the matter and our renegotiation will come back fully and be completed speedily.

    Read Also: ASUU rejects Committee set up to investigate attack

    “As for the aspect that has to do with payment of our allowances, we are still tracking them. They paid part of the entitlement, but we expect them to have mainstreamed the balance into the 2019 budget. But that did not happen. We are only hoping that the chance will not be missed in 2020. That is why we want to engage the government.’’

    The ASUU president also accused some vice chancellors of trying to suppress activities of the union on their campuses, saying the union will not take it lightly with such vice chancellors as they were prepared to confront them.

    Speaking on the renegotiation of the 2009 agreement, Ogunyemi said there was the need for intervention of the Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, as the process has been stalled.

    He said the issues for renegotiation are non-implementation of components of the 2017 memorandum of action, non-release of over N1 trillion arrears or revitalisation fund owed public universities from 2014 to 2018.  “As things stand, we have issues; because the negotiation has been stalled, but we are engaging with government, hoping that the minister intervenes in the matter.”

    He called on government to resolve the issue regarding the unpaid arrears of shortfall in salaries in universities that have been verified under the presidential initiative, on continuous auditing.

  • ‘Why Amnesty programme must be sustained’

    Mrs. Enetimi Evah popularly known as the Royal Mother is the CEO of Ezonebu Training Centre Lagos.

    The consultant to Presidential Amnesty Programme speaks on why the scheme must be sustained and dispelled rumour of her arrest by the Economic Financial and crimes commission (EFCC). Excerpts:

    How did you go suddenly from training 50 delegates of the Presidential Amnesty Programme to 137 trainees?

    First of all, I am from Ekogbene under Burutu Local Government area, in Delta State. I have been a consultant to the federal government, under the Presidential Amnesty program for eight years plus. In the last eight years, I have worked with three of the Special Assistants.  My work with ex-militants began during President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration.

    Best delegate in Fashion 2016/17

    I began with 50 delegates (agitators) and the focus of the training then was on entrepreneurship. The duration of the training was four months. The training helped the delegates develop their entrepreneurial skills and equip them with skills to transform their lives significantly.

    My first training was a huge success and I was so fulfilled to contribute to the lives of ex-militants. The delegates left the training centre with hope and joy and above all skills to better their livelihood.

    Practical work by delegates

    I dropped my report for the previous training and I was awarded another contract with more delegates than the previous training. My delegates became shop owners, employing other youths in the Niger- Delta region. This brought hope to the region as the purpose for the creation of the programme was seen to be achieved in my centre.

    Our training centre in Lagos is well equipped with the best resources in fashion designing, leather works (shoes and bag manufacturing) and ICT equipment and well trained facilitators, with a capacity of 250 delegates.

    Professor Charles Dokubo inspecting the delegates class work during the flag up

    At the time professor Charles Dokubo resumed office, we had already achieved more than 60 percent success rate in our delegates trained, meaning 60 percent of the delegates that attended our Training Institution are already self-made and  employers in their various communities.

    Presentation of cash awards to best delegates during the Graduation Ceremony at Eko hotel Lagos

    I don’t want to brag but we are one of the best training contractors this Programme has.  To this end, our success stories and capacity and passion in changing lives have contributed to the number of delegates we receive each year, so it is normal for the Office of the Presidential Amnesty Programme to increase the number of delegates given to us due to our excellent records and our capacity to train the ex-agitators.

    Representative of the Vice president presenting the Empowerment park’s

    How impactful has the training been?

    First of all, without this amnesty programme, I am sure a lot of tension would have been going on in the Niger Delta now.

    And that is why one must appreciate and thank the President Buhari administration for retaining the programme. This programme has really helped in shaping lives. It has helped to bring out the best in some of these delegates. Some of them have become employers of labour. The dignity of labour is already inculcated in them.

    Presentation of certificate

    They are all scattered in and around in Lagos, Ondo, Rivers, Bayelsa, Delta States doing wonderfully well. But for this programme, the peace the region is enjoying would have become bloody.

    137 of the delegates trained in my centre in June, 2019 graduated. Out of them, over 115 have already been empowered by the Presidential Amnesty Office, which is the instant empowerment after the graduation ceremony.

    Distribution of Empowerment items to delegates in various states

    Among the delegate is a lady, Miebi Foko, who graduated in fashion designing in the last batch. She is in Bayelsa State. She called to say she has employed four apprentices and didn’t know she could make the kind of sales she’s making. There are others, Otuma, in Ekeremo, Prince, Emelapor, Tony, so many, they’re all doing well.

    So, why were you arrested by the EFCC?

    Arrested by EFCC? That is the most ridiculous story I have heard this year.  How can I be arrested when I have not committed any offence? I render services to the government with a duly registered Training Institution company. I have never been arrested, invited or called by any law enforcement agencies before and now.

    You can only be arrested when you have been convicted of a crime. We are into Human Capacity Development, which is not a crime. Those stories were made up by people who don’t like the fact that we impact lives positively through the Presidential Amnesty Programme. It’s just beer parlor story, all tissue of lies.

  • Negotiation with bandits yielding results — Masari

    GOVERNOR Aminu Masari of Katsina State on Saturday replied critics who objected to his recent negotiation with bandits troubling the state, and said it was in the overall best interest of Katsina and other neighbouring states in the Northwest.

    He said the negotiation has now brought relative peace to the State with over 80% of people in captivity released.

    According to him, the next stage of peace restoration is the disarming of bandits and their commanders in the forests which border Katsina, Kaduna, Zamfara, Kebbi and Niger states.

    The governor also shed light on the controversial RUGA scheme.

    He claimed that RUGA is not a Hausa-Fulani or Arabic word but the abbreviation of Rural Grazing Area used by the colonial masters.

    He said there is no alternative to RUGA if there must be an end to farmer-herder clashes.

    Masari spoke exclusively to The Nation.

    “The negotiation is yielding results,” he said of talks between him and the bandits.

    “Now I can say over 80% of people under captivity in Katsina State have been released. So, in terms of group kidnapping I can only remember that right now only 13 people that we are searching for.  We have only 13 people,

    “But in terms of massive attacks since we started, there was no single massive attack on any village or any community. By my account, about 57 people have been released by them, most of them women and young children. Among them even are nationals of Niger Republic.

    “So, for us it has brought relative peace. The next step is the issue of disarming the bandits and commanders in the forest that command 200, 300, 400 fighters, fully armed on motorbikes.

    “That’s how they operate and attack the villages. In most cases they go three to one on a motorcycle. They’ve reinforced their motorcycles and they are using tubeless tyres. They put something inside so that their tyres do not get punctured or breakdown.”

    Masari said the government will soon start reconciling released bandits with their neighbours for sustainable peace.

    Read Also: Dialogue: Masari frees six arrested bandits

    “They are ready to disarm but the first stage is about  the release of some of them that were not even convicted or even charged to court and by the time they release  all those people under their captivity, we will start reconciliation between them and their neighbours.

    “And then those in the forest. We’ll start talking about because if they keep the guns and other ammunition with them, they’ll eventually fight among themselves,” he added.

    Asked what accounted for banditry in the North-West, the governor quipped: “Lack of education. Failure of leadership for a very long time.”

    He said: “The first generation of Nigerian leaders, together with the colonialists created what we now call RUGA. RUGA is not a Fulani word, it is not a Hausa word, it is not an Arabic word, and it’s the English abbreviation for Rural Grazing Area.

    “So they had foresight, they knew that this roaming about by cattle would  not last so they created these rural grazing areas and brought Fulani,  provided windmill farms  and dams for water. All over the places, if you go to our area you’ll see the remnant of all these.

    “For us in Katsina, they created the dairy, and they were planting grass to feed cows even 40-50 years ago because they knew.

    “But subsequently after the discovery of oil, our leaders abandoned all these initiatives.

    “Then heavy encroachment due to population surge. Now,  we have climate change, which is  also adding its own weight”.

    Masari gave insights into why he negotiated with the bandits with peace in Katsina and other states as his ultimate goal.

    He said: “In 2016, we started amnesty programme for the bandits. That programme was officially launched in 2017. As a result of that, over 400 AK 47 and other assorted arms and ammunition were surrendered by then cattle rustlers and over 36,000 were returned to the owners apart from ruminants, donkeys, camels and horses.

    “It was a very successful programme and it lasted for about two years but because there was no similar programme in Zamfara, Kaduna, and Niger states (that share borders with Kastina), our people became vulnerable. The forest area is contiguous to Kaduna, Zamfara, Kebbi and Niger. In fact, Katsina has the least of the forest areas when you compare all these four states.

    “So gradually all our leaders were killed by bandits from Zamfara and nothing of a similar nature was going on in Zamfara. The banditry escalated and affected Katsina. It diluted and destroyed what we had built.

    “Part of the arrangement we had with the herders was the construction of schools and clinics and immediately we moved in, we constructed 10 primary schools and 10 clinics. We have spent over N100 million to demarcate the cattle routes across the state. We established a permanent committee headed by a former director from the Ministry of Agriculture, who was a livestock specialist to demarcate the cattle routes, those for grazing and those for traveling.

    “All these things that we have done were severely affected by the spate of violence and this time it came with kidnapping, banditry, rape and so many forms of criminality that were not there in 2017.

    “We also realized that these are same people, neighbours killing neighbours, stealing from neighbours. Even the herder communities in the forest were not left out they were stealing among themselves, killing among themselves. And then in the towns, we have what we call volunteers who are not even vigilantes. These volunteers went about killing any Fulani man or Fulani woman they saw.

    When the new governor of Zamfara State came, he disbanded the 500 vigilantes in all the local governments, and declared that he’s willing to talk.

    “We said now we have a partner in Zamfara. When they started the amnesty in Zamfara, we also joined and engaged.

    “The bandits in Zamfara are the ones in Katsina, because from Kastina and Zamfara, you cannot even tell the difference.

    “All the camps except one, the bases of the bandits, are in Zamfara forest. So you can see the need. They said okay since they are the same people, instead of killing, let us engage them.

    “The Inspector-General of Police was in Katsina, all the Northwest governors were there, even the governor of Niger state was there, the governor of Taraba State was also there, the governor of Plateau State was there. We talked peace, and the bandits were also there except some few of their leaders who were afraid of what we were going to do.

    “From there, we agreed that every state will go and hold a similar meeting with the bandits, Fulani leadership, the farmers, the Ardos, the village heads and the mallams or imams. And this is what we did in Katsina.

  • Tribunals dismiss election petitions against Ihedioha, Sule, Masari

    THE Imo, Nasarawa and Katsina Election Petitions Tribunals on Saturday dismissed all the petitions filed against the emergence of Governors Emeka Ihedioha (Imo), Abdullahi Sule (Nasarawa) and Aminu Masari (Katsina) as winners of the March polls in their states.

    The tribunals, in separate verdicts, said the petitions lacked merit and the complainants failed to prove their cases.

    All three petitions filed by the governorship candidates of the Action Alliance (Uche Nwosu); All Progressives Congress  (APC) (Hope Uzodinma ) and All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) (Ifeanyi Ararume),  against Ihedioha did not succeed.

    It was a unanimous decision by the tribunal.

    It was also a unanimous decision by the Nasarawa State Election Petitions Tribunal in throwing out the petition filed by Mr. David Ombugadu  of the  Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) challenging the election of Gov. Sule in the March 9 Governorship polls.

    Delivering judgment Justice Abba Mohammed, Chairman of the Tribunal held that the PDP petition lacked merit.

    The tribunal said that the petitioner failed to prove the allegation of over voting, nonvoting and noncompliance with the electoral act.

    The tribunal also held that the petitioner failed to prove how collation of results was disrupted.

    “The burden of prove lay with the petitioner and he has failed to prove the allegations.

    Read Also: Tribunals uphold Delta, Abia, Taraba governors’ elections

    “The petitioner has failed to produce two sets of results (original and fake) to prove that the outcome was falsified in favour of APC candidate.

    “Hence he failed to prove that, we therefore, uphold the result declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC),” the tribunal held.

    Ombugadu, a two term House of Representative member challenged the election over alleged unlawful declaration of Sule as winner of the poll.

    The PDP candidate had also claimed that the polls did not comply with provisions of the Electoral Act 2010.

    He had also alleged intimidation of voters, unlawful cancellation of votes and malpractice during the election.

    Sule polled 327, 229 votes to defeat Ombugadu of PDP who scored 184, 281 votes in the election.

    Tribunal declines request to sack Masari

    The Katsina State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal in a two-to one split decision yesterday declined the request by the petitioners to void the return of Aminu Masari of the All Progressive Party (APC) as the winner of the last governorship election in Katsina State.

    The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate in the election, Senator Yakubu Lado, had, by their petition,  challenged Masari’s victory on the grounds that he falsified his age and academic qualifications in his credentials and affidavit submitted in the nomination form he submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

    They also argued that the governor was not qualified to stand for election and prayed the tribunal to, among others, void the declaration of Masari as the winner.

    The tribunal, in its majority judgment held that the petitioners failed to prove the allegation of substantial noncompliance to the electoral act in the conduct of the election.

    It also said Masari was qualified to contest the election for the office of governor and that the name “Aminu Bello Masari” is the same as “Aminu Masari.”

    It was further held, in the majority decision, that no law exists in the country that stipulates the number of names to be used in the filling of the INEC form for an election.

    But in her dissenting decision, tribunal chairman, Justice Hadiza Alijos, held in favour of the petitioners, allowed the petition and ordered that a fresh election be conducted in the state within 90 days.

    Justice Alijos, who was absent, had her dissenting judgment read by Justice A. B Omotoso, a member of three-man panel of the tribunal.

    She held that Masari was not qualified to contest the election because the name, “Aminu Masari” is different from “Aminu Bello Masari.

    The matter was highly contentious, forcing a change in the sitting venue of the state governorship election petition Tribunal from Katsina State to Abuja.

    On petitioners’ claim that Masari was not qualified, the tribunal held, in the majority decision, that the petitioners did not prove their case, adding that allegation made without proof can be denied.

    It also held that evidence of witnesses called by the petitioners from one to 50 is of no probative value since they confirmed that they gave their statements in Hausa language and the Hausa versions are not before the tribunal.

    The majority decision also held that the petitioners failed to prove the allegations as required by law and consequently dismissed their petition and affirmed the election of Governor Masari.

    The petitioners had claimed that Masari’s documentation with INEC which was tendered as exhibit to the tribunal showed that Masari and his father are 69 years old respectively.

    They also claimed that an affidavit, allegedly deposed to by Governor Masari’s father, Umaru Bello showed that while his son was given birth to on 29th May, 1950 which translates to 69 years in 2019, he (the father) was 51 years as at the time of the declaration on 9th August, 2001 which suggests that he is exactly 69 years in 2019, same age with his son.

    The petitioners also claimed that Masari provided conflicting dates of birth as shown on the primary school leaving certificate of Governor Masari which differs with that of the sworn declaration of age.

    He said, while the declaration of age showed that Masari was born in 1950, the primary certificate showed that he was born in 1951.

    Similarly, Senator Lado claimed that the same primary certificate in question belongs to one Aminu Bello; a Fulani by tribe while the respondent is known and addressed as Aminu Bello Masari, Hausa by tribe.

    In the same vein, Lado questioned a post graduate diploma presented to INEC by Governor Masari, noting that the certificate bears no logo or stamp of the institution, hence questionable.