The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Rep

  • Rep raises alarm over increasing banditry in Zamfara

    Rep raises alarm over increasing banditry in Zamfara

    A member of the House of Representatives representing Kaura Namoda/Birni Magaji federal Constituency of Zamfara state, Aminu Sani Jaji, has raised the alarm over the rising cases of insecurity and banditry in the state and called for synergy between and among security agencies and communities to address the issue.

    Jaji, who heads the House committee on ecological fund, said at a news conference in Abuja that the level of insecurity in the state is at such a high level that the people of the state, particularly Kaura Namoda/Birni Magaji, just walk around aimlessly, not knowing where they are going.

    He said there was no need for a state of emergency in Zamfara as being demanded by some persons, since there was no complete breakdown of law and order in the state.

    He, however, opposed the clamour for the hiring of machinery by the government to help in the fight against banditry, adding that security agents in the country should rather be encouraged and equipped to carry out their assigned mandate.

    Jaji painted a gloomy picture of happening in the area, which he said has gone unreported, adding that over 200 persons are currently in captivity of the bandits while they parade the area unchally.

    He recalled that one of the promises of the present government during the campaign was to ensure the security of the lives of the people, warning that although the government is doing everything possible to keep the promise, there is a lot that still needs to be done.

    The lawmaker said the situation in the state has become so alarming to the extent that kidnapping and invasion of communities have become almost a daily occurrence, with about 60 persons kidnapped from a village about 2 weeks ago, while the kidnappers demanded about N30 million for their release.

    He said even after some of the victims were killed, the kidnappers kept insisting on the N30 million ransom, with their leader insisting on killing a young man who fell in his presence because of his ailment.

    “The leader of the kidnappers went to the House of the young man who was epileptic and insisted that the family bring him out for him to shoot. When they were delaying in bringing him, they shot two in the compound, saying they would keep killing them until they brought him out. The father had to bring out the boy, and they shut him.

    “Another situation was when a pregnant woman who was kidnapped delivered a set of twins in the kidnappers’ den. The leader collected the children and threw them to his dogs. That is the situation we find ourselves in right now.

    “The people cannot go to the farm right. In fact, the people of my constituency are just walking around, not because they know where they are going. The people of Zamfara and, by extension, the North West deserve to be protected. We need action to be taken.

    “I am aware that the government is doing its best. But there is a lot that needs to be done. We need serious stakeholder collaboration. There is a need for synergy between the security agencies and the communities. We need collective responsibility to address the challenges we are facing at the moment.

    “Insecurity is one issue that we must all have a consensus on how to address. If we don’t do that, it might consume not only Zamfara and the North West, but the entire country. Right now, it is negatively affecting the country’s GDP because there is no access to agriculture.

    “Whether micro or macro operation, something must be done. We must have a plurality of what must be done. Our role as legislators is to represent the people and do what we think is right by the laws of the land.”

    Read Also: Advocacy group blames insecurity in Zamfara on  leadership failure

    Speaking on the resurgence of Boko Haram and the clamour for machine guns, Jaji expressed concern about the management of repentant Boko Haram, whom he said had been trained and indoctrinated to kill.

    He said such repentant Boko Haram members need to be deradicalised so that they don’t return to their activities before being re-integrated into society, adding that there should be a government policy of deradicalisation.

    He said the head of the security agencies and the National Security Adviser should take it as a matter of priority to first deradicalise repentant Boko Haram members, while expressing confidence in the ability of the nation’s security to tackle the situation. 

  • ‘Rep must join peace effort’

    ‘Rep must join peace effort’

    Peace, and Good Governance Advocates (PEGGA) has urged House of Representatives member for Yusuf Gagdi (Pankshin/Kanam/Kanke Constituency)  to join the peace effort in Plateau State.

    The group advised politicians to shun divisive comments.

    Reacting to the lawmaker’s comment on Governor Caleb Mutfwang’s handling of security and claims of lopsided killings in his constituency, the group, in the statement by its national coordinator, Mani Imman, urged the lawmaker to join other stakeholders to work for peace in the state.

    The group noted that his assertions came a day after First Lady, Remi Tinubu, visited the state to address the needs of Internally Displaced Persons in the state.

    It reads: “We find the claims of Yusuf Gagdi that the governor is isolationist because he did not visit him or invite him to meet with him as provocative and unbecoming.

    Read Also: UN Chief, others call for global peace, solidarity

    “At a time statesmen from across the divide are addressing crisis on the Plateau, we should not fan embers of disunity.

     “Politics is over, voters have made their choices and we have to live with the decision of the electorate. Every leader on the Plateau should focus on building bridges and not dividing us as his assertions  seem to portray.

    “If the governor did not visit him or call on him while in Abuja, it does not warrant the claim of the governor being isolationist. Indeed, we call on the lawmaker to also on his part make efforts to reach out to the governor for him to have a fairer assessment of the situation on the Plateau instead of him purveying his views from comments he hears in Abuja by telephone.”

  • Rep proffers solution to youth unemployment

    Setting up of micro businesses by youths and women is the only solution to the alarming rate of unemployment in the country.

    A member of the House of Representatives from the Lagos Island Constituency One, Dr Dolapo Enitan Badru, made the assertion in a message sent to the beneficiaries of an empowerment programme he organized in collaboration with the Forestry Research Institute for about two hundred residents of his constituency.

    The lawmaker stated that small scale businesses are being used to drive economy in most advanced countries and they are doing fine.

    Dr. Badru, who was represented on the occasion by the Vice Chairman of the Lagos Island Local Government, Mr. Wadood Bashorun, urged the beneficiaries to use the skills acquired during the training to improve their economic status.

    He promised that the programme would be a continuous exercise with another batch of people participating in the one to be held very soon.

    Dr. Badru assured the residents that he would continue to do his best to serve them at the green chamber of the National Assembly.

    Earlier, the Team Coodinator of the programme, Mr. Shola Oyewole, commended the lawmaker, Dr. Badru for organizing the programme for his people.

    He said that if the trainers could learn very well, they would derive great advantages and become employers of labour as soon as possible.

    Mr. Oyewole outlined the programmes which include honey production, snail production, mushroom production, seed production, grass cutter, shea butter and agro forestry production.

    He stated that the courses would be taken by experts who would base their lectures on practical so that for the short period of three days, they would be able to learn and gain something.

    Some participants in the programme expressed gratitude to the sponsor of the programme, Dr. Badru, for his concern about the welfare of his constituents.

  • We’ll use civilised tools to remove Dogara, says Rep

    THE lawmaker representing Estako Federal Constituency, Johnson Oghuma, has ruled out the use of force to remove House of Representatives Speaker Yakubu Dogara.

    Oghuma said the All Progressives Congress (APC) lawmakers would use what he termed “civilised tools” to remove Dogara.

    Oghuma, who spoke to reporters in Benin City, dismissed reports that APC leaders in his constituency had abandoned him.

    He said it was wrong for Dogara to dump the party with which he became a lawmaker and subsequently House of Representatives Speaker.

    The Estako lawmaker said it was morally wrong for Dogara and Senator Bukola Saraki to keep presiding over the National Assembly.

    Reacting to speculations that party leaders in his constituency have not endorsed him for a second term, Oghuma said: “I just finished touring the 32 wards in my federal constituency. They all said they are returning me back. I have served and my records are there. I have not failed in my representation. There is no dissenting voice that said I will not go back.

    “In my last election, I won 29 out of 32 wards. I am barely a year plus in the House. I have nine bills and 22 motions. I have constituency projects to show for this my short stay. I have trained many people. I am oiling my party. They know me that I am a party man.

    On Dogara, Oghuma said: “We will all gather to take a decision. APC brought him to the House before he became a Speaker. It is not morally right for Dogara to continue. Is it right for a minority party to preside over the Senate and the House of Representatives?

    “We don’t use force in the National Assembly. There are civilised tools to use in a democracy and settle our differences.

    “Money will not play much role in our primaries. There were primaries that we did that cost huge money. We do not want to go that way. We do not want people to waste money. We want to have capable hands. That is why we are consulting to reduce cost. The party wants to have the best and loyal party members and not the ones that will abandon the party.”

  • Lawmakers can still reconvene before vacation is over, says Rep

    The National Assembly can still reconvene before the 25th September resumption date for the consideration of the N189.2b supplementary budget for the 2019 general election, a member of the House of Representatives has said.

    The National Assembly Joint Committee on Electoral Matters on Friday adjourned indefinitely on the matter.

    Joseph Akinlaja (PDP, Ondo East/Ondo West), however, said the emergency sitting is dependent on the determination of key stakeholders to follow due process.

    He said the political crisis rocking the National Assembly should be seen as part of the evolution of the nation’s democracy.

    “It is still possible that the NASS can reconvene before 25 Sept because we have seen it happen before espeially if the issue is of national interest,” he said in Abuja.

    “Sitting during recess, from my experience, is not a big deal. We did it in the 7th House when we had to intervene in the fuel subsidy crisis. So, in this instance, it depends on how we see it. If the Speaker asks us to report tomorrow for a joint session, we will surely turn up.”

    On the consideration of the 2019 election budget, Akinlaja said trust was lacking in the process that eventually led to the crisis.

    His words:”During crisis, everyone will go to his comfort zone. The president’s letter that came on the eve of our vacation; can’t somebody read meaning into it as a strategy to blackmail the legislature?

    “We had enough time to consider it before we went on our annual vacation if it had been brought earlier.”

    The budget was signed in June. The lacuna was seen and the need for virement. Why not present it soon enough? That might actually be a strategy to blackmail the NASS. It could have come a month or even two weeks earlier.

    “But must it be blackmail to achieve a purpose? Can’t dialogue be explored even as the budget came late, behind the scene for all of us working for the progress of this country?

    “Would it be strange for the topmost leadership of the executive and the legislature to meet behind the door and discuss the issue in the interest of Nigerians?

    “Threat of impeachment and blockade of the National Assembly should not have preceded dialogue between the two.

    “I will rather say that we should all act with free mind over this issue in the name of God and in the interest of the country.”

     

  • PDP are slow learners, APC will teach them quality governance for 50yrs – Rep

    The lawmaker representing Iwo Federal Constituency of Osun State at the Federal House of Representatives, Hon. Gafar Akintayo Amere, has described the opposition party, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as an impotent deceptive party besieged with members who are ignorant of quality governance.

    Amere condemned the recent statement by Osun PDP  against Aregbesola on reckless spending as mischief, saying opposition party members benefitted most from the employment and infrastructural facilities of the present administration.

    He said the 16yrs of PDP was characterized with maladministration, resources wastage and corruption, saying their incompetence and demonstration of callousness is certificate for the All Progressive Congress (APC) to rule the country for many years.

    The legislator averred that it will take about 50 years to tutor PDP the doctrine of progressive governance because they are slow learners.

    Amere stated that the move to gain the baton of power by PDP from APC is dead on arrival, noting that PDP are full of unrepentant leaders who are adamant to learning the pace of progressive governance launched by the President Muhammed Buhari led administration.

    The lawmaker described the APC administration within less than 3yrs as a template for progressive minded Nigerians, admonishing PDP to borrow a leaf, be lenient to learn and adopt the new breath of administration of the incumbent government at the center.

    He condemned the corruption trait in PDP as the bane of Nigeria development. He related the insurgency in the country to the ills of past government, pointing that it is the product of a corrupt society.

    Amere said if Nigerians will prefer another opposition government, never again will it be PDP. He said the party has brought perennial hardship to Nigeria, urging electorates to shun the devil they know.

  • Rep, others dump PDP for apc

    A House of Representatives member from Ekiti State, Mr. Olamide Oni and other People’s Democratic Party (PDP) chieftains have joined the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    They defected to the APC on Saturday when the campaign train of the party’s governorship flag bearer rolled into communities in Irepodun/Ifelodun, Ekiti West, Ekiti Southwest and Efon Local Government Areas.

    Oni, who represents Ekiti Central Federal Constituency II in the Green Chamber of the National Assembly, joined with his Personal Assistant, Mr. Banji Filani and scores of supporters in his hometown, Efon Alaaye.

    Other communities visited by Fayemi and his team include Iwaji, Ipole-Iloro, Ikogosi, Erijiyan, Igbara-Odo, Ilawe, Igede and Iyin.

    Thousands of crowds defied the rain in Ilawe to listen to Fayemi and other APC leaders.

    Ondo State Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu joined the rally at Ilawe to the admiration of the crowd urging Ekiti people to vote Fayemi to enjoy good governance and restoration of life-changing policies.

    Others are Afolabi Olasope, a lawyer and former First Bank Secretary in Nigeria and Overseas, who also won Ekiti Central Constituency Two seat in the House of Representatives under UNCP. Aanu Oni, who is former Special Adviser in PDP administration, also defected.

    Others included immediate past State Women Leader of PDP, Busola Oni; Dele Jeje, who is father of Efon Local Government Chairman, Bobby Jeje; and Local Government Woman Leader, Olomi Adeniyi.

    Oni said: “PDP leaders are always fighting for personal benefits while the masses suffer and an example is the administration of Fayose in Ekiti. State.

    “I was always insisting that they should make the general well-being of the people their focus, but they have always argued that they are in politics for personal benefit.

    “After discovering that this is the tradition in PDP, I had to leave for a party that wants to work for the benefit of all as we have seen in all development projects by APC administration of Fayemi.”

    Residents complained of neglect, unemployment, sufferings among the aged and salary payment default by the administration of Fayose, asking Fayemi to restore their hopes again.

    Fayemi promised to continue all his social service programmes, including social security stipends for the elderly people, YCAD, volunteer scheme, entrepreneurship scheme, rural development, road construction and health services while workers and  teachers will enjoy regular pay and promotions.

    He regretted that not a single project was added to all the projects he executed in the communities visited, promising to complete all abandoned projects for the benefit of the people, adding that all his development and empowerment schemes would continue.

    In particular, Fayemi promised to complete work on radio booster station in Efon, while the abandoned water project will also be completed.

    The APC flag bearer promised good times for pensioners, assuring that retired people will receive their entitlements regularly.

    He debunked insinuations by the opposition that he would ban okada operations and sack teachers and local government workers if he wins the election.

    He said: “I am sure that by now Ekiti people would have had enough of Fayose’s lies. He has been going round to deceive Ekiti people that I will sack workers to dissuade them from voting for APC so that he can continue to inflict more pains on the people while he enjoys himself in government.

    “I will never ban okada or sack teachers and local government workers because I am not a promoter of sufferings.

    “I made salary payment my priority, including payment of teachers’ rural posting and core subjects allowances. We shall continue to fulfill this obligation, including looking for new ways to promote the welfare of all categories of workers.”

    At Ikogosi where scores of PDP chiefs and no fewer than 50 other supporters defected to APC, residents lamented the closure of Ikogosi Resort and Gossy Water that resulted in job losses.

    Fayemi assured that the business concerns would be reactivated to provide jobs for the residents.

    He dismissed insinuations that he will sack teachers and local government workers, saying his records had shown that he was never an anti-worker governor.

    Residents assured Fayemi that all the beneficiaries of his policies would work for his success at polls.

    Fayemi assured the people of adequate security before, during and after the election.

    State Chairman of APC, Chief Olajide Awe, urged supporters to mobilise at the unit level and ensure they get their voter cards ready to vote on election day.

     

  • Rep to celebrate artisans

    A House of Representatives member representing Ijebu Ode/Odogbolu/Ijebu North Federal constituency in Ogun State, Hon. Kehinde Odeneye has promised to organize a special celebration of artisans and craftmen.

    The federal lawmaker made this disclosure during an interaction with newsmen on the sidelines of an endorsement rally by the All Progressives Congress (APC)  in Yemoji Local Council Dvelopment Area, saying that the celebration was in honour of the immense contributions of artisans to the informal sector of the country’s economy.

    He said: ‘’This event will be the first of its type  and it is being organized to promote artisans and their skills to prospective clients who might be caught in their need of genuine craftmen , thereby protecting unsuspecting victims from quacks.

    ‘’Promoting  vocational trade especially against the tide of mass unemployment will help the economy a lot and get a lot of our jobless people engaged in  a meaningful  vocation. The Artsians’ Day will  celebration  will foster  cordiality  among the various  professionals who might have probably been seeing themselves as rivals.’’

    Responding to the unanimous resolve of party leaders to return him to the lower chamber for the third term, Hon Odeneye expressed his desire ‘’to keep empowering people  and engaging in socio-economic development of his constituents.’’

  • Rep opens 80 market stores in Delta

    The member representing Ethiope at the House of Representatives, Lovette Idisi, has assured Ovu residents in Delta State of more dividends of democracy.

    He spoke while opening over 80 open market stores in Oviorie-Ovu, Ethiope East Local Government Area.

    Idisi said he renovated the market to ameliorate the suffering of traders and appealed for their support in 2019.

    Idisi, accompanied by the council Chairman, Faith Majemite, PDP leaders Chief Mike Adiotomre, Chief Bernard Edewor, the ward councillor, Vwede Orosevwotu and others, said the project is in line with his campaign promises.

    Addressing market masters and community leaders, he said: “Today, we have come here to commission the renovated Oviorie market to bring to our minds that the interest of the people is most paramount to us and we will continue to do our best.

    “Government is a process, things are not done overnight, especially when due processes are followed. Now that we have started, other development will follow as requested, and on the borehole at the market, I have instructed my engineers to be on site to ensure the borehole is done soon.

    “The process may be slow but gradually we are dishing out dividends of democracy to our people in line with our campaign promises, and we are assuring you that more is coming as you vote us back for second term.

    “My appeal is that we should be patient, most  of the things we appropriated for years, it is now they started working out, and we would say it is better late than never, and that it is not about campaign but doing the right thing at the right time.”

  • Military tackles Rep over Dapchi girls’ whereabouts

    Military tackles Rep over Dapchi girls’ whereabouts

    Youths: act on lawmaker’s tip

    The military has dismissed the claim that the 110 abducted Dapchi girls are in Yobe State.

    A top officer, who pleaded for anonymity, last night described Hon Goni Bukar and other politicians/activists speaking on the whereabouts of the girls and the identity of their abductors as “a bunch of confusionists”.

    “If they know where the girls are, they know what to do, instead of staying somewhere in Damaturu or Abuja and claiming that the girls are somewhere within Yobe State or anywhere else.

    “This is how some of these politicians will stay in Abuja and will be granting interviews to you media people, claiming this and that, yet they are not anywhere near their constituencies.

    “I have been in Maiduguri since Tuesday and all the nation’s top military and security brass have been in Maiduguri and Yobe axis, pursuing all the leads. The investigations are not only on-going, painstaking and multi-dimensional, but what I can tell you now is that we are not leaving any stone unturned.”

    The source challenged Hon. Bukar, a member of the House of Representatives representing Yunusari/Gaidam Federal Constituency, to present himself before the military and security outfits for a journey to Bulabulin or any other place where the girls could have been taken by the terrorists. He said Nigerians should beware of people with such “wild claims”.

    He also called on Nigerians to be patient with the military in their resolve to bring the girls back home, saying within the next few days, the nation would be briefed on the matter.

    The Defence Headquarters at the weekend gave a hint of its battle to rescue the girls.

    A statement signed by Acting Director of Defence Information Brig.-Gen John Agim said: “The Chief of Defence Staff, General Abayomi Gabriel Olonisakin and the Service Chiefs with the Director General, Department of State Service met in Maiduguri yesterday, 1st March 2018 to review the ongoing operations in the Northeast, particularly the operation to get back the Dapchi girls.

    “Even though the military is soliciting for useful information to facilitate its operations, the fishermen and farmers have not been singled out for this assistance; rather, all well-meaning members of the public are urged to provide useful information.”