The Nation Newspaper

Tag: pay

  • El-Kanemi pay 100% sign-on fees

    El-Kanemi pay 100% sign-on fees

    Players and technical crew of El-Kanemi Warriors of Maiduguri have been paid their full signing-on fees for the ongoing Globacom Premier League season.

    The club chairman Zannah Mohammed Mala (kakaje) said Borno State Governor, Kashim Shettima has released money he promised the club.

    He added that the players have been paid up to date including bonuses and salaries.

    El-Kanemi, who gained promotion to the elite division this season from the Nigeria National League (NNL), occupying third position on the log with 51 points after thirty one matches.

    “We do not owe our players any penny; we have paid up to date. The players and technical crew have all collected their signing-on fees. They received their salaries and match bonuses regularly. I want to use this medium to thank the Governor, his deputy, commissioner for Sport and all the good people of Borno State for their support to the team so far. We are the only club that has paid 100% signing-on fee this season,” Mala said.

    Mala said the club will fight to get continental ticket at the end of the season to justify the confidence the governor has in them.

    “Insha Allah we will end up with a continental ticket. They players and the technical crew are doing their best to achieve this dream. We will keep on fighting to the end of the season.”

  • Bumps before park-and-pay

    It came to accomplish two goals: generate revenue and keep the roads tidy, but instead, the Abuja park-and-pay policy is running into one bump after another.

    The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), in order to control reckless parking of cars in the city centre, and also increase its revenue, introduced the park-and-pay policy. Under it motorists part with a little sum of money for parking in a commercial or business district for a stipulated time. It was simply to generate money for the capital city as well as bring orderliness to the bustling streets.

    The administration is not the first in the world to introduce or adopt the park and pay system; countries like the United Kingdom (UK), United States of America, etc, have been applying the system for years.

    Since the introduction of the system last year, however, people have either been complaining bitterly about it and the officials paid to man it or have grudgingly accepted their fate and moved on.

    There was a little commotion a few months back, a development which residents and motorists have become familiar with in Abuja. At Wuse II area of the city, opposite one of the famous lounges, a Siena mini-bus was being towed while a plump park-and-pay official in charge of the area was busy giving directions on how best to clamp the car.

    A few minutes later, a tall man ran out of a close-by building and started yelling for them to stop, although his car by then was already in the air being fitted to the towing lorry. The official when confronted, insisted that the man insulted her before leaving, which made her refuse to collect his money or give him a ticket but instead to call for his car to be towed just to teach him a lesson.

    Have the officials been turned into demigods or so they simply love making trouble, or is it that they hate their job?

    Motorists like Ameachi, who is a banker, accepts that it will not be bad to park and pay because it is here to develop the city but insisted that it is the government which does not use it effectively, as is the case in countries where the taxation works for the people.

    On the other hand, Elias, a driver with one of the banks, explained that everything in life is based on understanding. Most times, it is the way the officials work that brings about the confusion.

    For example when you park and in some cases do not find the officials in sight to buy your ticket, instead of hanging around and probably missing your appointment, you rush off with the hope of paying when you return only to find that your car has been clamped.

    They will insist that you pay N5000 and if unfortunately you do not have that much money on you, your car will be towed to their office where you will then be required to pay as much as N15,000 and the money will be increased by N1000 everyday it spends in their office premises.

    In their defence Peter, one of the ticketers of the park and pay who has been on the job for about six months, explained that some of them are actually graduates who take the job even with the low salary they are paid. In addition, to the insults from commuters and late payment of the merger salaries just to avoid sitting back at home.

    He explained that they do not deliberately make themselves scarce as most motorists allege but insisted that they might be attending to a customer and another comes and is not patient enough to wait their turn.

    He agreed that situations where they cannot find change, they allow motorists to bring along the money when they come out but some motorists tell lies about not having change when they do, end up driving off without paying or his supervisors might come around and they will clamp any car they see without tickets, without bothering to ask the ticketer in charge.

    A diplomat, Ambassador Mohammed Ibrahim, explained that the policy is not new because other countries practice it especially in London, where you do not only pay for parking but also toll gate fees. He said that the FCT administration would have handled the policy itself for a few months to understand how much is made in a day or month before contracting it out.

    With the knowledge of the system firmly under the belt, the administration will be able to avoid a situation where the private consultants try to enrich themselves.

    The head of mass transit under the transport secretariat of the FCTA, Mr. Adewale Alebiosu denied knowledge of a fraud against the administration and insisted that the four private consultants, Platinum Parking Management Services Ltd. Nagek Nig. Ltd. Integrated parking and the Automatem Baumen Nig. Ltd are doing a good job under the close supervision of the administration.

    He insisted that it is not the job of the ticketer, to go about looking for change but that motorists who know that they will need to pay for the policy need to come along with their change and not make the ticketer leave his duty post in charge of change.

    Alebiosu said, “We Nigerians simply like problem, if you know that you are going to a place and may spend up to two or three hours, why won’t you just pay it and save yourself the embarrassment?”

    He insisted that the FCT administration always sanctions erring officials or firms which do not abide by the rules and himself and other officials visit sites everyday, unannounced to make sure that the park and pay policy works appropriately.

     

  • Outrageous pay

    Outrageous pay

    •Must we look for a lens to know what our legislators (with oversight function) earn?

    When The Economist published the damning report about the stupendous pay Nigeria’s federal legislators take home annually, it probably said nothing new. Nigerians have themselves alleged that their federal legislators must be some of the most pampered in the world. The difference in The Economist’s report is that the magazine put figures to its claims which no one is yet to deny. Although the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) is saddled with the responsibility of fixing their salaries alongside those of other public officers, the fact is, the legislators cart home monthly far more money than the commission recommended for them under different guises.

    According to The Economist, a Nigerian legislator receives an annual salary of about $189,000, (an equivalent of N30 million) while their counterparts in Britain earn about $105,400 yearly; United States ($174,000), France ($85,900), South Africa ($104,000), Kenya ($74,500), Saudi Arabia ($64,000) and Brazil ($157,600). Other yearly salary details published by The Economist are those of lawmakers in Ghana ($46,500), Indonesia ($65,800), Thailand ($43,800), India ($11,200), Italy ($182,000), Bangladesh ($4,000), Israel ($114,800), Hong Kong ($130,700), Japan ($149,700), Singapore ($154,000), Canada ($154,000), New Zealand ($112,500), Germany ($119,500), Ireland ($120,400), Pakistan ($3,500), Malaysia ($25,300), Sweden ($99,300), Sri Lanka ($5,100), Spain ($43,900) and Norway ($138,000).

    Going by these figures posted on the magazine’s website on July 19, it is clear that Nigeria’s federal lawmakers earn by far more than their counterparts in 29 countries whose data were analysed by the magazine, comprising mainly prosperous countries as well as key developing ones. And these are in absolute terms. When we consider the ratio of what our National Assembly members earn to the gross domestic product (GDP) per person, the incongruity becomes the more flabbergasting.

    For instance, the N30million each that our federal lawmakers earn per annum is, according to The Economist, 116 times the country’s GDP per person while that of a British parliamentarian is just 2.7 times. Even Australian lawmakers, with $201,200 annual salary (the only country where the legislators earn more than Nigeria’s), their salaries are only three times their country’s GDP per person.

    This is one of the issues. If legislators in prosperous countries earn incomes that are a function of their GDP per person and that of Nigeria is so disproportionate to the country’s GDP per person, then, there is a problem, a big one at that. It is scandalous that legislators earn such humongous pay in a country where the majority live on less than $2 a day. Perhaps it is the guilty conscience arising from this indefensible emoluments that is making our legislators not to come clean on their worth.

    When a total of N150 billion was voted for the National Assembly in the 2013 national budget without a breakdown which should have shown at least a summary of the legislators’ earnings and a newspaper wrote to the National Assembly requesting for the breakdown under the FOI Act, the National Assembly refused to honour the request.

    Clearly, this pay structure is indefensible. Though not a part-time job, how many times do they sit in a year? They get paid for committee jobs, they get fabulous estacode and duty tour allowance per night. There are other packages, including severance package for a job that lasts four years and best, eight years!

    Though we now know the figures for the legislature, it is probably true the executive’s pay is no less bloated than the legislature’s. Yet, service delivery is as poor as the pay is rich!

    This is at the root of the do-or-die attitude by people willing to contest elections into the National Assembly. Many people go there because they have come to see it as the honey pot where people do so little for so much return. We urge the national legislators to do self-adjustment in view of the indefensibility of this pay structure. They do not have to wait until Nigerians begin formal protests like the Kenyans have had to do when confronted with a similar challenge. Nigerians do not have to go looking for lens to see what their representatives earn; people who carry out oversight functions on others must also come plain before the electorate.

  • Galatasaray to pay for Mikel N44.26bn

    Galatasaray to pay for Mikel N44.26bn

    Media reports have revealed Turkey champions Galatasaray will splash a fortune as well as offer Nigeria star Mikel Obi a four-year deal.

    Galatasaray will cough out nothing less than £18 million (about N44.26 billion) to land the Nigeria international, according to the Mirror of UK.

    The Turkey champions claim they are poised to land Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel to reunite him with his pal Didier Drogba this summer.

    The Istanbul club’s sporting director, Bulent Tulun, made the bold prediction after a visit to London, and is confident Mikel is ready to walk out of Jose Mourinho’s second blues revolution.

    Mikel – currently in Brazil as part of Nigeria’s Confederations Cup squad – is understood to be prepared to consider leaving the Premier League. Chelsea would demand a fee of at least £18 million for the 26-year-old.

    The prospect of being reunited with former Blues team-mate and good friend Didier Drogba in Istanbul and the Turkish champions’ financial muscle – have apparently persuaded Mikel to give the idea full consideration.

    So far, there have been no concrete talks about a fee or even personal terms for a player who has not always been popular with the Stamford bridge club fans, yet has played a key role since his arrival from Norwegian club Lyn Oslo in 2006.

    Chelsea had to pay Manchester United £12 million to complete the deal, after Mikel initially signed for the Reds, but since then the Nigerian has won the European Cup, Europa League, Premier League, FA Cup (four times) and League Cup.

    If Mourinho does sanction the departure of one of Chelsea’s few survivors from his first reign in west London, it will force him to make a significant central midfield acquisition with Sami Khadira, Xabi Alonso and Daniele De Rossi top on the list. It is also believed that Galatasaray have offered Mikel a four-year deal worth about £13m.

    According to the Express of UK, Chelsea are keen to recoup the full £16m paid out to price Mikel from Lyn Oslo, hijacking a move to Manchester United in 2006 during Mourinho’s first spell in charge which the actual amount Galatasaray is reported offering Chelsea to land the Nigeria international.

  • WARRI WOLVES TO RANGERS: Pay N12m, take Mba

    WARRI WOLVES TO RANGERS: Pay N12m, take Mba

    AFCON star Sunday Mba could break the Nigeria league transfer record as Warri Wolves want Rangers to pay them 12 million ($75,000) for him.

    Izu Azuka is believed to have commanded the biggest transfer fee in the domestic league thus far when he joined Sunshine Stars as a free agent two seasons ago for about nine million Naira.

    A committee set up by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has ruled that Mba is a player of Warri Wolves and Rangers would have to pay a transfer fee on the player to have him. Both clubs were expected to last night (Thursday) agree on a fee transfer fee for the player who has made known his wish to move to Rangers.

    “Wolves’ asking price is reasonable because we all know he would go for far more to a club in Europe in the summer and so Rangers could make a huge profit from this transaction,” a top official informed MTNFootball.com.

    Several European clubs including Bayer Leverkusen in the German Bundesliga have indicated interest in the 24-year-old attacking midfielder, who shone at last month’s Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa.

    The former Nigeria schoolboy international scored a tournament-defining winner against favourites Cote d’Ivoire in the quarterfinal of the AFCON and followed it up with the championship winner against Burkina Faso in the final.

  • Court orders Julius Berger, others to pay N25m for breach of lawyer’s right

    Court orders Julius Berger, others to pay N25m for breach of lawyer’s right

    Justice Nonye Okoronkwo of an Imo State High Court, Owerri has awarded N25million against Julius Berger Nigeria Plc and others for the gross violation of the fundamental right to liberty, dignity and freedom of movement and medical treatment of a Lagos-based lawyer, Emeka Ozoani.

    Others, who are to pay the damages of N25million alongside Julius Berger, are the Inspector-General of Police, the Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG), Zone 9, Umuahia, Mr P. S. Njoku (prosecutor) and Peter B. Ogunyanwo, DCP Zone 9, Umuahia.

    The judge also declared that the arrest and physical assault of the applicant inside the high court premises at Owerri on January 24, last year by armed police officers was a gross violation of the applicants fundamental rights to personal liberty, dignity of his person not to be subjected to torture, inhuman and degrading treatment as provided under Section 34(1)(A) and Section 35 of the 1999 constitution.

    Justice Okoronko, in his judgment, said he agreed with the submission of the applicant that in the circumstance of the case, he is entitled to exemplary damages “ which I assess at N25 million against the respondents jointly and severally.

    “As indicated above, the respondents shall jointly and severally pay the applicant the sum of N25 million for gross violation of the applicant’s fundamental right to personal liberty,” Justice Okoronkwo ordered.

    The court also restrained the defendants from continuing or attempting to arrest the applicant for any reason connected with the suits delineated No. HOW/581/2007 and Appeal No. CA/OW/146/2010 while proceedings are pending.

    Further, Justice Okoronkwo declared that the respondents owe Mr Ozoani an apology and N200, 000.

    Earlier, the judge held: “I have no doubt in mind that the police respondents have no hiding place, no subterfuge in Section 35 (1) (c) as that saving clause in the constitution does not avail them.

    “The arrest or attempted arrest of the applicant within the court premises at Owerri of a lawyer stepping out of court after adjourning his case, in full glare of his client present and prospective and others and subjecting him to such indignities that attracted the attention of lawyers in the premises, including the Chief Judge of the state is the most un-becoming of the police respondents and shows again, the flight of decency and decorum in some of our public institutions.

    “I am not in any doubt and I find and hold that the respondents are in disgraceful violation of the fundamental rights of the applicant particularly under Sections 35, 34 and 41 of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,”Justice Okoronkwo.

    Mr. Ozoani had filed its application pursuant to Order 11 of the Fundamental Rights Enforcement Procedure, Rules 2009 on October 3, last year for the enforcement of his fundamental rights asking for N50 billion as special, general and specific damages.

    The application was supported with a 59-paragraph affidavit with 14 documentary exhibits bound in volume 209 pages while Julius Berger Nigeria Plc filed a 61-point, 16 page affidavit and annexure of comparable prolix.

    The police respondents also filed an affidavit of 76 paragraphs spanning 17 foolscap pages accompanied with numerous exhibits, which constitute a huge volume.

    Reacting to the judgment, Mr Ozoani stated that it is “a well-reasoned judgment but the award was grossly low”.

     

  • SPECIAL ATHLETES TO KWARA HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY: Pay us N1m, N500,000, N250,000

    SPECIAL ATHLETES TO KWARA HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY: Pay us N1m, N500,000, N250,000

    Physically challenged athletes competing for Kwara State at the on going National Festival, Wednesday, reeled out demands to the State House of Assembly including payment of N1m to gold medalist, N500,000 to Siver medalists and N250,000 to Bronze medalists respectively.

    The athletes, numbering 30, bared their minds during an interactive session with House of Assembly members led by House committee Chairman on sports Honourable Adamu Ibrahim Sabi who had come on a solidarity and visitation mission to the athletes.

    The athletes who have so far won seven medals, one gold, one silver and 5 bronze medals in paralympics table tennis added that payment for laurels won should be made promptly and not delayed till few weeks to the beginning of another Festival, noting that the method had deprived them the joy of winning and doing the nation proud.

    Isa Abdulrahaman and Abdulkadiri Bilikisu who spoke on behalf of the team said but for their challenges they are in fact stronger than their able bodied counterparts even as they challenged the House members to approve monthly allocation for them to cushion the effect of unemployment among them.

    “Honourable sir, we will appreciate it if you can do these for us, we deserve to have reasonable reward for our effort and this should come immediately and not just before the next festival, it removes the fun and makes us suffer untold hardship,” they pleaded.

    In his response Hon Sabi, who gave the team a pat on the back for representing the state well, said he is not in the position to promise there and that their demands will be met but promised to convey their request to the state goverment, and urged them to continue to remain good ambassadors of the state. “Be rest assured that your request will be passed on for necessary action,” he submitted.

  • Jonathan, Mark, Tambuwal, Tinubu, ACN, PDP, others pay tributes

    Jonathan, Mark, Tambuwal, Tinubu, ACN, PDP, others pay tributes

    Tributes poured in torrents yesterday for the late Dr. Olusola Saraki, the Second Republic Senate Leader who passed on in Lagos.

    President Goodluck Jonathan said Dr. Saraki will be remembered as a political colossus.

    A statement by Presidential spokesman Dr. Reuben Abati, said: “President Jonathan extends sincere commiserations to the elder statesman’s family and the people of his home state, Kwara, to whose service and upliftment he selflessly devoted his long and very successful career in politics.

    “He urges them to be consoled by the knowledge that their departed father, leader and mentor lived a very successful and fulfilled life, rising to national prominence by dint of hard work, uncommon generosity, political sagacity, dedication and wholesome commitment to the service of his people and the entire nation.

    “President Jonathan believes that the late Dr. Saraki will be long remembered and eulogised as a consummate politician, an astute grassroots mobiliser, and a political colossus with awe-inspiring powers of political organisation.

    “The President has no doubts that this public-spirited politician will always occupy a place of honour in the hearts of his people, supporters, friends and associates across the nation.

    “He believes that the ordinary people of Kwara in particular will always remember the “Oloye” with great affection because of the constant support they received from him.

    “The President further notes that Dr. Saraki’s brand of people-oriented politics and his success in building on his strong support base to contribute positively to Nigeria’s political development as a powerful voice in the nation’s dominant political parties, as the Senate Majority Leader in the Second Republic, and as the ultimate reference point in the politics of Kwara state for decades, have assured him of a place amongst Nigeria’s heroes of democracy.

    “President Jonathan urges Nigerians to emulate Dr Saraki’s patriotic commitment to national unity, politics without bitterness as well as his magnificent spirit of philanthropy.

    Senate President David Mark said Saraki was a political giant and shinning star of Nigerian politics.

    A statement by Special Adviser, Media and Publicity, to the President of the Senate, Kola Ologbondiyan, quoted Mark as saying that Saraki was “a political tactician and political engineer” who navigated the political environment like a colossus.

    He noted that the political sagacity of Saraki helped to midwife the modern day Nigerian politics.

    Mark said: “Saraki was a political leader who stood to be counted when it mattered.

    “He stood on the side of the people and worked assiduously for the liberation of the down trodden.

    “He was a leader who lived and worked for others.

    “We shall miss his fatherly counsel. We shall miss his candour. We shall miss his humility. We shall miss his robust political debate. He was one of our brightest and focused political leaders.

    “Saraki has left a vacuum that would be difficult to fill.

    “The nation has lost one of her best and fertile minds”.

    As a parliamentarian, Mark noted that Saraki distinguished himself and unarguably laid solid foundation for today’s National Assembly.

    He added that Saraki left his positive footprint on the sand of time, saying the only way to immortalise him is to uphold the virtues of hard work, honesty and dedication to the ideals of nationhood which he stood for.

    House of Representatives Speaker Aminu Tambuwal described Dr. Saraki as a quintessential politician and father-figure who gave his all for the development of the country.

    In a message of condolence issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Public Affairs, Malam Imam Imam, Tambuwal said Saraki has earned his place as one of Nigeria’s most consistent advocates of democracy.

    He said Saraki would be best remembered for his pioneering role in the formation of leading political parties in the country especially during the Second Republic which led to the establishment of the then National Party of Nigeria (NPN) and in the present dispensation, the All Peoples Party (now ANPP).

    Tambuwal said as the Senate Leader in the Second Republic, Saraki, along with his colleagues, worked assiduously to entrench parliamentary democracy by putting national interest above personal and other parochial interests.

    While urging Nigerians to emolute Saraki’s virtues of dedication, humility and compassion for the ordinary folks, the Speaker prayed to Almighty Allah to forgive the deceased and grant him Paradise.

    National leader of the Action Congress of Nigeria (AC N) Asiwaju Bola Tinubu said Nigeria has lost a statesman and political tactician.

    In a statement, Tinubu said the death of Dr. Saraki, the man popularly called “the strongman of Kwara Politics” is a monumental loss not only to the people of Kwara State but also to Nigeria. “Saraki remains one of the builders of modern Nigeria. He was a political tactician who played pivotal role in the political advancement of his people and that of Nigeria”, Tinubu said.

    “From his days in the Constituent Assembly in 1977-1978 to his meteoric rise to become Senator of the Federal Republic where he served as majority leader, Saraki soon became a political institution, a force to be reckoned with not just in Kwara politics but also in national politics. He worked with others to make laws for the development of Nigeria’s political culture.”

    Tinubu recalled that Saraki was one of the brains behind the formation of the National Party of Nigeria (NPN). “A tactician, Saraki’s image loomed large during that era as he pursued a populist oriented politics and became a rallying point for the masses and a reference for political tolerance”.

    The former Lagos State governor described him as a political phenomenon, loved by his people and respected by his political peers. “Nigeria, has lost a political general and a formidable leader of influence and clout. Saraki was not just the issue, he was the main issue in Kwara politics and now that he is no more, Kwara politics will never be the same again”.

    The ACN expressed shock and sadness.

    In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party described Dr. Saraki as a colossus who possessed ab efficient political machinery that he used effectively to rally the people.

    ‘’Dr. Saraki defined his era, and since his entry into politics several decades ago, politics has never been the same again, especially in his native Kwara state, where he became synonymous with the politics of the state.

    ‘’Any politician who ignored him in his lifetime did so at his own peril, and only the casualties of his deft political manoeuvring can appreciate his clinical political efficiency,’’ it said.

    ACN said the death of Dr. Saraki, coming a few days after the passing of another great politician, Lam Adesina, is a big loss to Nigeria, especially at a time the nation needs the wisdom and rich experience of its great sons and daughters to help steer it to less-turbulent waters.

    ‘’The vacuum being created by the death of these political titans is a challenge to young politicians to strive hard to step into their shoes and work hard to make our country a proud member of the comity of nations,’’ the party said.

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) described the late strongman of Kwara politics as a political Titan, saying his death marks the gradual extinction of the last of the Mohegians.

    A statement by the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Chief Olisa Metuh said the nation has lost a political guru who compared in every respect with the generation of the independent Nigerian leaders. The statement reads: “Here was a fine medical doctor, philanthropist, humanist and an astute politician. Here, most importantly was a game changer, a man who changed the destiny of his people. Like the great Zik of Africa, like Ahmadu Bello and like Awo”.

    The party commiserated with the government and people of Kwara State and prayed God to grant them, especially the immediate family, the fortitude to weather storm of the irreparable loss.

  • Northern governors pay tribute

    Northern governors pay tribute

    The Northern States Governors Forum (NSGF) has paid tribute to the late former governor of Oyo State and elder statesman, Alhaji Lam Adesina, saying his death marked the end of a glorious era.

    Chairman of the forum and governor of Niger State, Dr Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu, said the late Adesina was a true nationalist who lived a purposeful life of dedication to the cause of Nigeria’s unity and development as well as commitment to the upliftment of the citizenry.

    In a statement signed by Governor Aliyu’s Chief Press Secretary, Danladi Ndayebo, the forum described the late Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) chieftain as a loyal party man and a diligent, principled person, who stood on the side of the people at all times.

    “From his days as a newspaper columnist through his election into the House of Representatives, to his elevation to the position of the Governor of Oyo State, and his life in retirement, Adeshina remained with the people,” the statement said.

    The forum said the best tribute that Nigerians can pay to the late Oyo helmsman is to re-dedicate themselves to the ethos of nationalism, nation building, democracy and love for one another.

    It called on the Oyo State government to honour the memory of the former governor to serve as an inspiration to the younger generation of Nigerians.

    The forum prayed God to grant repose to the soul of the departed and grant the ACN and the family he left behind the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss.

  • Kaduna govt. to pay victims’ medical bill

    Kaduna govt. to pay victims’ medical bill

    The Kaduna State government yesterday pledged to pay the medical bills of the 145 victims of St. Rita’s Catholic Church attack in Kaduna.

    Deputy Governor Mukhtar Yero spoke when he visited some of the victims on admission in four hospitals.

    Yero condemned the attack and assured that government was committed to the protection of lives and property of residents.

    He called for continuous peaceful coexistence among the residents to ensure the restoration of peace in the state.

    The deputy governor said the government would continue to support security agencies in the effective discharge of their duties.

    He urged the people to contribute to the effort to ensure peace and tranquillity by shunning rumour mongering and all acts capable of creating disharmony.

    The deputy governor commiserated with the Parish Priest of the Church, Rev. Fr. Mathew Goni, who is on admission at Multi-Clinic.

    The priest is injured on his legs, forehead and fingers.

    The deputy governor also visited other victims on admission at 44 Military Hospital, Garkuwa Specialist Hospital and Barau Dikko Hospital in Kaduna.