The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Northcentral

  • ‘Why Northcentral deserves SGF in Buhari’s second term’

    A group, the ‘Next Level Programme Coalition (NLPC), has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to appoint the next Secretary to the Government  of  the Federation (SGF) from the Northcentral zone.

    The group said President Buhari, being a pan-Nigerian leader, must ensure equal distribution of positions among the six geo-political zones in his second term tenure.

    It added that allotting the sensitive position to the zone would help in clearing the doubt that President Buhari only believed in the Northwest and Northeast, which his critics had been deploying as a campaign weapon to smear the President’s personality and reduced his national status.

    In a statement by its National President, Dr. Ibrahim Sanni Doguwa, and National  Secretary,  Mr. Olufemi Akanbi, the group said with the confusion and cries of marginalisation in some zones, appointments must spread evenly across the zones to remove the vestiges of concentration of powers in certain areas.

    It added: “With the way positions have been shared by APC national leaders, the President and Vice President have gone to the Northwest and Southwest, the Northeast is to produce the Senate President, South south, the senate president and southwest the  Speaker.

    “For the purpose of political balancing, the north central  should produce the next SGF , which is regarded as another pivotal position in the country in the spirit of equity, justice and fair play”.

    The group reiterated its call for the appointment of former Benue State Governor, Senator George Akume into the position, describing him as a stabiliser and detrabilised Nigerian, who can bring the country together.

    “Ex-Governor Akume is a bridge between the old and young generation politicians in the country .

    “Apart from his vast experience in the public service, he is acceptable to all ethnic groups and religious bodies in the country as well as traditional institution.

    “Aside from the foregoing, he also musters respect and followership across all political parties, including those in the fold of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    “Politician if this stuff will add value to governance and bring stability to the country if given a chance to head such a strategic position”, he stated.

     

  • Youths demand for zoning of House Speaker to Northcentral

    Youths from across the 23 local government areas of Benue State yesterday staged a peaceful protest to the state secretariat of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Makurdi, demanding the House of Representatives Speaker to be zoned to Northcentral.

    The youths argued that it would amount to injustice and inequality, if the APC national leadership failed to zone the Speaker position to the zone.

    REad also: 9th NASS: Elders Forum tasks Buhari, APC on zoning speakership

    The youths, who were drawn from different political parties, carried placards with various inscriptions, including: “Benue supports Northcentral for Speakership”, “Northcentral deserves Speakership”, “Northcentral has not produced Speaker or Deputy Speaker since 1999”, “APC must stop this injustice”, among others.

  • 2019: Time for N/Central zone to produce president, says Saraki

    Dr Bukola Saraki, President of the Senate and presidential aspirant on the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) platform, says the North Central deserves a chance come 2019.

    Saraki made the statement while addressing party faithful and supporters in Jos on Sunday.

    He said that the North Central had worked hard for the country and had remained loyal in spite of the seeming division in the country.

    “This is our time in the North Central; this is our chance.

    “We have worked hard for this country; we have laboured so much even with so much division we remain united and loyal.

    “I believe that all of us in the North Central are one family.

    “The people of Plateau are lucky; they have two presidential aspirants, myself and Baba Jang.

    “I call Plateau my home state because I believe that everything that affects one member of a family affects the other,” he said.

    The aspirant said that it was time to change the narrative in the country and have a government that would include everybody.

    Saraki added that if elected as president, he would ensure that criminals who kill people in the villages in Plateau and all over the country were brought to book.

    He said Nigeria needed youths to take over the mantle of leadership as they remained the only hope Nigeria had to be led in the right direction.

    “Plateau people have gone through so much; so many lives have been lost.

    “With your support if I become president, this will not happen again.

    “I will fight day and night to protect everyone and ensure that any criminal that commits a crime is made to face justice.

    “We need someone who can stand for the masses and not be intimidated because he is standing for what is right, that person is Bukola Saraki,” he said.

    Saraki urged the delegates in Plateau to vote for him during the primary elections, promising to give them a Nigeria that they would all be proud of.

    Responding, the state chairman of the party, Mr Damishi Tango, praised Saraki for being bold and courageous in spite of the challenges he was facing as president of the senate.

    Sango also lauded the aspirant for his courage in defecting from the APC, sayng that the party in the state would support him in his desire to become the number one citizen of the country. (NAN)

  • Northcentral governors, leaders urge Buhari to contest in 2019

    Northcentral governors, leaders urge Buhari to contest in 2019

    Governors and some political leaders from the North central geo-political zone yesterday urged President Muhammadu Buhari to seek re-election.

    The governors and some of the leaders of the zone took the resolution at the North Central meeting of the National Committee of Buhari Support Groups held in Abuja.

    They said they will compel him to re-contest because there is no other person who can come up for now to sustain the change and economic growth taking place in the country

    Prominent among those who made the call were Governors Samuel Ortom (Benue), Simon Lalong (Plateau), Tanko Al-Makura (Nasarawa) and Senator George Akume.

    The motion at the meeting was moved by Senator George Akume seconded by Governor Lalong

    The motion was unanimously adopted.

    Akume, listed successes in the fight against terrorism, economic recovery, sustenance of democracy, restoration of the Nigeria’s reputation in the comity of nations and Buhari’s  personal integrity and patriotism as justification for their call.

    He added the constitution recognized that four years were too short for leaders to record lasting achievements and legacies for the people hence the provision for a second term.

    President Buhari’s speech at the meeting was read by Secretary to the

    Government of the Federation (SGF) Boss Mustapha.

    The president said: “When you elected us into office, you did so with the conviction that our dear nation needed to be put on a new pedestal for the dreams conceived by our founding fathers, dreams that we have adopted to be realized. The full weight of this responsibility informed our careful, slow

    and steady start to the governance of Nigeria in the last 30 months. We took a deliberate decision to take a closer look at the situation we found before setting out to implement our plans for the country’s recovery.

    According to him, “We are convinced of the need to establish a tirm foundation upon which a united, peaceful and prosperous nation can be built by, and for, this and succeeding generations of Nigerians. I remain very grateful to all Nigerians tor their patience and understanding as we go through the diflicult steps necessary to achieve this objective.”

  • Northcentral stakeholders on united Nigeria

    Northcentral stakeholders on united Nigeria

    •APC first party to organise  national debate, says Aregbesola

    STAKEHOLDERS from Northcentral converged yesterday on Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, to debate on Nigeria’s future.

    They all agreed on the nation’s indivisibility and indissolubility.

    The forum was organised by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) Committee on True Federalism.

    Kwara State Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed said the driving factor behind the present agitations for true federalism or restructuring was the redistribution of resources in an equitable manner.

    He said: “This nationwide dialogue by our party on true federation connects with our expressed commitment to making governance more meaningful to our people by changing the way we are governed, especially in terms of access to and allocation of resources.

    “While our current economic problems may have weakened our party’s commitment to reforming our federation, the challenges have also strengthened agitation by citizens for what is variously referred to as restructuring, devolution or true federalism.

    “Subsequently, I hold that any structure that meets the economic, and political aspirations of the majority of citizens will be welcomed.

    “Therefore, we should focus on a political economy that provides an opportunity for class elevation and egalitarianism. In other words, what structure provides economic opportunities to expand the middle  class to accommodate the majority of our people? Under what circumstances can we promote the human capital development of our people to stimulate the innovativeness necessary to develop our country, boost entrepreneurship and create more economic spaces for citizens to prosper?

    “How do we generate these spaces for economic empowerment of the majority without creating new layers of bureaucracy and increasing the cost of governance?

    “My point, in a nutshell, is that this dialogue should explore ways of ensuring the greatest good for the greatest number of our people.

    That, to me, is what we must address our minds to within the context of our federation or any other structure that we may come up with.

    “Let me also remind us of the need to balance the desire for local government autonomy or new states against the potentials of these entities to survive economically and create the spaces for citizens’ economic empowerment that I alluded to earlier.

    “It is my expectation that today’s session will enrich the discourse on true federalism and encourage robust and enlightening debate about how to make our democracy more meaningful to our people.”

    Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola said the APC administration was the first to make spirited effort to organise public hearing on Nigeria’s co-existence.

    His words: “Our nation has been existing for well over 100 years. Before Nigeria was amalgamated, there had been sections of Nigeria. We had Northern and Southern protectorates before the 1914 proclamation of Nigeria.

    “This will be the first time that a conscious effort is being made by a political party in Nigeria to aggregate views, opinions and ideas about how they want to see Nigeria by ourselves being governed. I must commend our party, the APC, for coming up with the idea, many of us who are moving around and our people who are out to voice their opinion of what nature of a nation they desire.

    “It will be wrong of us to impose our views on the population of Nigeria. That is why we are here. We want Nigerians to tell us how they want to country governed and the meaning and essence of federation.

    “We want to also aggregate views on how to define our federation and how we relate with one another. It is only meet and proper for us to organise this public hearing.”

    His Niger State counterpart, Governor Abubakar S. Bello represented by the Special Adviser on Political Matters Solomon Nyase said he would never support the breakup of the country.

    “However, in whatever, we do or discuss, we must remember Nigerians who

    are at the receiving end,” he added.

    Spokesperson of the traditional rulers in Kwara, Emir of Shonga, Dr. Haliru Yahaya, said the agitation in some quarters for the dismemberment of Nigeria would not succeed.

    “Let the boys be chatting, Nigeria cannot disintegrate. Every section of the country has got its own agitations, but at the end of the day, the country will be more united,” the medical turned traditional ruler said.

  • Northcentral APC cautions EFCC

    The Northcentral chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the chairmen of APC in the geopolitical zone have cautioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to beware of manipulation by desperate politicians out to settle political scores.

    This followed the invitation of the Senate president’s wife, Mrs. Toyin Saraki, by EFCC.

    In a statement, the party, which expressed its commitment to the anti- corruption war, said the EFCC should guard against being used by politicians with inordinate ambitions.

    The statement was signed by Mr. Haddi Ameto (Kogi), Alhaji Mohammed Jibril Adamu (Niger), Alhaji Usman Abdukmalik (FCT), Alhaji Ishola Balogun-Fulani (Kwara) and Mr. Letep Dabang (Plateau).

    They added: “To say the least, this invitation is curious, the timing is suspicious and it raises more questions than answers.

    “We are worried that an APC chieftain, Senator Joseph Waku, has alleged that a chieftain of our party in the Southwest was the mastermind of a baseless petition over which Mrs. Saraki has been invited by the EFCC.

    “We are also disturbed by the allegation that the same APC chieftain has promised to help secure a second term for the EFCC Chairman, Ibrahim Lamorde, if Mrs. Saraki is persecuted.

    “This is unacceptable and these allegations suggest that some APC chieftains have cut deals with the EFCC to punish perceived political adversaries.”

    “Mrs. Saraki left Kwara State Government House with her husband since 2011, why did the EFCC choose to invite her for questioning on July 28, the same day the National Assembly is scheduled to reconvene from recess? It is difficult to believe that this is a mere coincidence because some senators have vowed to bring the Senate President down by all means.

  • Bumper harvest expected in Northcentral

    The Regional Director of Agriculture, North Central Zone, Mr Sunday Edibor,   has predicted  bumper harvest for farmers in view of farmers easy access to input.

    Edibor spoke in Minna at a briefing.

    “There will be a bumper harvest in the North Central Zone this  farming season because the Federal Government has made it easy for farmers to redeem farm input such as fertiliser and improved seeds.’’

    Edibor said the Federal Government’s collaboration with private investors had made access to input easier and affordable.

    “The introduction of the private partners to enable farmers to get their inputs has been a huge success and we will continue to improve on it.’’

    The director said the inauguration of the largest rice mill in Doma, Nasarawa State by President Goodluck Jonathan would trigger the export of the commodity.

    “The Olam Integrated Rice Mill in Doma, Nasarawa State, will definitely boost the economy of people leaving in that place and encourage local and foreign export of the commodity.

    “More of such laudable industries are required in the economy by dedicated leaders to move the nation’s economy to another height,’’ he said.