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  • Sani outlines security plan for safer Kaduna

    Sani outlines security plan for safer Kaduna

    Kaduna State Governor, Senator Uba Sani, has outlined his administration’s blueprint for building peace, tackling insecurity and ensuring a safer Kaduna State.

    The governor spoke as the guest of honour at a symposium organised by the Kaduna Peace Commission, at Kaduna State University, to commemorate the 2023 International Day of Peace with the theme “Call for Action: #GlobalGoals.”

    The governor who was represented at the event by his Special Adviser on Peace and Conflict Resolution, Atiku Isaac Sankey, said his administration is bolstering the security architecture of the state with the recruitment of 7,000 additional vigilantes to join the existing 2,000 vigilantes in the Kaduna Vigilance Service for a community policing model that complements the efforts of national security agencies.

    Read Also: Troops nab murderer of Dorathy Jonathan in Southern Kaduna

    He added that the administration will deepen dialogue among the diverse communities in the state by strengthening the platforms that allow for open, frank, and honest discussions that are essential in addressing issues of concern.

    Addressing the gathering, the Governor’s representative said “Citizen engagement lies at the heart of Governor Uba Sani’s administration. Through town hall meetings, public consultations, and grassroots initiatives, we will create avenues for meaningful participation and input from our citizens.

    He added that Governor Uba Sani’s administration recognises the invaluable role played by the traditional institutions that serve as vital links between the government and the people, and their knowledge and wisdom are invaluable in maintaining peace and security.

    Sankey further said to truly address insecurity and build sustainable peace, Governor Sani firmly believes in the importance of human capital development, inclusiveness, and poverty eradication adding that these pillars form the foundation upon which the administration’s peace-building efforts stand.

  • Sani flags off 22km road linking 32 villages of Kubau, Ikara LGAs

    Sani flags off 22km road linking 32 villages of Kubau, Ikara LGAs

    Kaduna State Governor, Senator Uba Sani, on Saturday performed the groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of the 21.7km Anchau-Gadas-Palla Road in Kubau and Ikara Local Government Areas of the State.

    The groundbreaking ceremony, which is part of the activities lined up to mark Governor Sani’s 100 days in office, is a significant milestone in rural development, as the road will connect 32 villages across the two local government areas.

    Speaking at Anchau, the headquarters of Kubau Local Government, Governor Sani highlighted the importance of the road project in addressing transportation challenges faced by the 32 communities along the route.

    He emphasised that the road would not only facilitate movement of people but also enhance the transportation of agricultural produce from farms to markets, ultimately boosting rural development and the local economy.

    Read Also: INEC presents Certificates of Return to Kaduna State Governor-elect, Deputy

    According to the governor, “The reason we have decided to come this morning for this groundbreaking for the construction of 22 km road is simply because we know the significance of this very road. The people of Kubau Local Government and people of Ikara Local Government had approached us during our campaign and informed us about the importance of this road. This road connects at least 32 villages from Anchau to Pala; and the reason why we have decided to quickly start the construction of this road is simply because it will revitalise the economies of the rural areas, particularly those 32 communities.”

    Governor Sani also expressed sympathy to the people of Sayasaya in Ikara Local Government over the tragic loss of lives in the Friday night attack by bandits, promising to bring the culprits to book.

    He emphasised that the security of lives and property is a top priority of his administration, and he will not tolerate conflict entrepreneurs moving freely across the State.

    In their separate remarks, the host chairmen of Kubau and Ikara LGAs expressed their gratitude to Governor Sani for selecting their local government areas as beneficiaries of the projects planned for the celebration of the first 100 days of his administration.

    Eng. Idris Adewole, speaking on behalf of the contractors, assured Governor Sani that the construction process would actively involve the people of Kubau and Ikara LGAs. He also requested the support and cooperation of traditional and religious leaders in ensuring the successful execution of the project within the designated timeframe.

  • Sani rolls out infrastructure plans for rural areas

    Sani rolls out infrastructure plans for rural areas

    As part of activities lined up to mark his 100 days in office, Kaduna State Governor, Senator Uba Sani, yesterday announced infrastructural development plans for rural communities across the 23 local government areas.

    The governor reiterated his administration’s commitment to revitalization of the rural area, through massive infrastructural development as a way of reinventing the rural economies.

    Addressing Kaduna citizens at the town hall meeting which held Umaru Musa Yar’Adua Hall, Murtala Mohammed Square, Kaduna, Governor Sani said, his administration’s focus will be on rural development to construct various link roads across all the 23 local governments areas.

    Giving a rundown of his government’s activities within the last 100 days in office, the Governor stated that, as part of efforts to fulfill his campaign promises, the government has procure medical equipment worth N3 billion to upgrade 290 Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) across the state.

    Read Also: Akeredolu’s return imminent, says spokesman

    He noted that in the area of education the government has made a downward review of school fees at all the state owned higher institutions of learning.

    “In an effort to uplift the educational system in the state, the state government has also approved the establishment of another campus of College of Education Gidan Waya at Hunkuyi to reduce the burden of transportation,” he said.

    Sani said after reviewing the situation of students in the state, it was realised that lots of the students abandoned school in the state decided to study outside the state, adding that, the downward review of the school fees will make education more accessible to all students.

    While assuring of his administration’s commitment to carry everyone along irrespective of ethnicity and religious differences, the Governor said, “we will give equal opportunities to all wherever they are in the state.”

    He promised to provide support to security agencies to enable them to carry out their duties effectively, adding that he has ordered recruitment of 7,000 personnel of Kaduna Vigilant Service to complement the efforts of the various federal security agencies in the state.

  • Senate: ‘How we dislodged Saraki, Ajimobi, Akpabio, Alasoadura, Sani’

    When the 9th National Assembly takes off in June, some of the notable names that will be missing on Senators list are Bukola Saraki, the current Senate President; Abiola Ajimobi, current governor of Oyo State ; Godswill Akpabio,erstwhile Minority Leader of the Red Chambers and former governor of Akwa Ibom State; popular human rights activist Shehu Sani; and the Chairman,Senate Committee on Petroleum (Upstream); Tayo Alasoadura following their defeat in last weekend’s election. How did it happen? Those who defeated them spoke to correspondents Abdulgafar ALABELEWE, Bassey ANTHONY; Damisi OJO, Akure; Yinka ADENIRAN, Ibadan and Adekunle JIMOH, Ilorin

    The National Assembly election is only a week old today, but  the Senator elect for  Kwara Central,Dr. Ibrahim Yahaya Oloriegbe is already taking stock of his victory  over  Senate President Bukola Saraki. Oloriegbe, a  former World Health Organisation (WHO) consultant, thanked God and the people for making his victory  possible.

    Saraki’s cup is full – Oloriegbe

    “My reaction is that of gratitude to the Almighty God. He who gives power to who He wishes and takes power from He wishes,” he said in an interview in Ilorin.

    He said the people went a step further to demonstrate that they meant business with  to the slogan “O to ge”.

    The people, according to him, decided to “walk the talk because the talk has been enough is enough (“O to ge”) and the voice was loud.

    “This voice was demonstrated at the polls by voting out those that they considered were not delivering the dividends of democracy in the real sense of it. Those they considered as selfish, self-centred and those that used our commonwealth for self.

    “Those that have not provided Kwarans good education, healthcare, good roads, potable water. Those that have been cutting the people’s salaries. These are all the issues and more. Lack of job opportunities for the youth.

    “The other reaction is to look at the enormity of the current situation and the expectations of the people from us for the true change to happen in the state. But on that one, my belief is that we have good intention and our belief is that the people are still with us and they should be patient with us to start together with them to correct the wrongs on the past.”

    On the description of the voting pattern in the state as a revolution,Oloriegbe said: “ It is a combination of so many factors. It is not only about the revolution. Yes, there was that revolutionary movement of ‘O to ge’.

    “Kwara central people had made request to opposition parties to present candidates that are credible and have track records of performance for them to vote.

    “O to ge came up, but going back into history, 2015 people were in despair against the candidates presented by the opposition party against the status quo.

    “Then, if you go back to 2011 when I was the candidate of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), if you look at the performance when my current opponent, Senator Bukola Saraki, was a sitting governor, people voted massively for me.

    “The supposed winning by him then came from Asa local government area of the state, where the voters’ turnout was claimed to be over 80 percent as compared to the Ilorin metropolis where the voters’ turnout was put at about 40 percent.

    “That was a reflection of what should have been. In my view, I think the two factors came together. But far and above all those factors and human conjectures, it is God’s time that has come.

    “As we all know, in life nobody will live in perpetuity. It is only God.”

    Asked what had changed between the previous elections when  Saraki had defeated him and now for the people to go for him this time around,the senator-elect said: “There are several things that have probably changed. But there are certain things that have not changed.

    “Even in 2011 when he said he defeated me and I accepted the verdict but then at the tribunal, we proved that there were a lot of irregularities in that election. But through the use of the federal might, we were not able to get anywhere.

    “That was unfair. Now we have not used any federal might, we have ensured a level-playing ground. Apart from that, INEC is now stronger and more transparent. The use of the card readers has prevented many politicians to manipulate the elections. With card readers, there cannot be over-voting again.

    “What has changed again is that the cup of the Saraki dynasty is  full beyond what the people can tolerate.

    “People have become intolerable of the bad governance they have been experiencing in the last eight years.

    “Eight years ago, when he left as   governor for the Senate, things were not as bad as they are now. Salaries of workers were paid then but now they are not paid.

    “The current Abdulfatah Ahmed administration, which Saraki installed, has not performed at all. Of course, we cannot totally remove his attitude to the APC government, a platform that he used to get the Senate Presidency.

    “He worked against that party to become a minority in the National Assembly, minority in terms of leaders and not in terms of membership; that is particularly important for us, especially Ilorin people as he cannot handle trust.

    “He used his position to work against Buhari. Buhari, in Ilorin, is a friend by virtue of his friendship and relationship with the late Major General Tunde Idiagbon. Ilorin people see the sincerity and credibility of Buhari.”

     

    It’s a surprise Shehu Sani got up to 70,000 votes, says Uba Sani

    Kaduna Central Senator-elect, Malam Uba Sani of the All Progressives Congress (APC),who defeated  incumbent Senator Shehu Sani, also spoke on his own triumph at the polls.

    Sani came a distant third  in the race with 70,613 votes.

    Second was Lawal Adamu of the PDP  who had  195,497 votes. Uba Sani recorded  355,242  votes.

    Aiming a dig at Shehu,the senator-elect said: “It is even a surprise to me that Shehu Sani got up the 70,000 votes that he got. I didn’t even expect him to get more than half of what he got. So, I congratulate him for even getting 70,000 votes.”

    They used to be in the same party,APC,until Shehu fell out with Governor Nasir El-Rufai apparently because of Shehu’s ambition to succeed the former.

    A parting of ways between the governor and Shehu soon came when El-Rufai vehemently refused to give the senator another chance to contest on the platform of the APC.

    He accused Shehu of working against the interest of the people by voting in the Senate against the approval of a $350million World Bank loan for the state.

    Shehu moved on and berthed in the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP).

    Uba Sani believes that Shehu’s constituents have repaid him back for abandoning them.

    “Defeating an incumbent like Senator Shehu Sani is as easy as anything because, right from the very moment he was elected, he abandoned the principles of the APC,” he told The Nation.

    He added: “The principles of the APC require that you are close to the people, but he abandoned the very people that elected him.

    “Kaduna central zone is a very important one, where you have a lot of elite and highly educated people, who know what is going on in the National Assembly.

    “So, if you don’t constantly come back to tell them what you are doing, ask about their problems and go back to the assembly to make a case for them, and promote the development of their constituency, they will vote you out.

    “An instance is the issue of the $350million World Bank loan the Kaduna State government requested for. Shehu Sani rejected it. He might have take n it as a joke, and I saw his explanation for rejecting the loan, but that was a major mistake he made. You don’t toy with the interest of your people; we are talking about nine million people of Kaduna State.

    “When you look at the template we submitted to the World Bank, we are supposed to build over 1,000 schools, primary and secondary schools and enhance our healthcare. We are building infrastructure in Kaduna, and someone sat there saying, I am going to block this loan, simply because he didn’t want Governor Nasir El-Rufai to achieve anything.

    “For me, it is not about El-Rufai, it is about nine million people of Kaduna State, and that singular act made us to be able to defeat the incumbent. He committed a lot of unfortunate errors.

    “I also challenge you to go to his constituency office, you will see it taken over by dust, because he has not opened it in the last two years. You cannot do that in Kaduna central, and that is why we found it very easy to defeat the incumbent.”

    Uba Sani also said that the party on which platform he(Shehu Sani)contested –PRP-  has no structure to win an election.

    His words: ” I don’t think the PRP has any structure on ground to win an election. In fact, he (Shehu) should be worried that it is so bad that he even lost in his polling unit; APC which is my party is a very popular one in Kaduna central zone, Kaduna State and Nigeria as a whole.

    “The truth of the matter is that, we never regarded PRP as our challenger in this contest and of course, you know that  the major reason why he was rejected is that, he abandoned his people. “Take for example the situation in Birnin Gwari, the road from Kaduna to Birnin Gwari, which is a federal one, and as a senator for almost four years, he never for one day made a case for the government to  do anything on the road until recently when Governor Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai reached out to the federal government, which  has made a commitment to fixing the road.

    “So, for me, the people of Birnin Gwari rejected him because he abandoned them; he never for one day stood up on the floor of the National Assembly to move a motion on the security challenges in Birnin Gwari.

    Read also: Horror moments for Saraki, Southwest politician

    Why Ajimobi fell- Balogun

    The senator-elect for Oyo South District, Dr Kola Balogun,sees the hand of God in his election.

    “My victory is absolutely by God’s mercy,” Balogun told The Nation in Ibadan.

    He said: “My victory is absolutely by God’s mercy.

    “And talking about political factors, I will say that through my interaction with the people of the district, I discovered that they were tired of government policies and programmes, particularly at the local level.

    “There is so much poverty, there is the inability of the government to develop the local economy, pay salaries promptly, pay serious attention to the entitlements of pensioners, ensure that collapsing infrastructure are attended to, revamp the education sector, inability to pay teachers’ salaries, provide teaching aids, affordable healthcare, develop agriculture, which is one of what we can leverage on to provide employment for our youths, inability to assist market men and women with low interest loans and inability of the government to provide security. All these produced hopelessness.

    “But we presented better alternatives which people embraced. We also leveraged on my track record. They also saw my sincerity of purpose during my interaction with them. They saw that I could represent them well.”

    On how he feels after defeating the incumbent, Sen. Soji Akanbi and the APC candidate, Governor Abiola Ajimobi, Balogun said: “I give all the glory to God. It is not by my power. I thank God and I feel fulfilled. I also thank the good people of Oyo South Senatorial District for their tremendous show of support. I reassure them that I will not disappoint them.”

    I knew God was going help me defeat Akpabio, says  Ekpenyong

    Dr. Chris Ekpenyong, who defeated Senator Godswill Akpabio  in Akwa Ibom Northwest also attributes his victory to God.

    Ekpenyong, deputy governor of the state between 1999 and 2007, said his own  political sagacity also went a long way to give him victory.

    “It was just like what happened to Jehoshaphat in the Bible when he was accosted by people with chariots and weapons and he called upon the name of the Lord and the enemies vanished,” he said in Uyo.

    “I knew I was going to beat him because I was backed  up by the blood of Jesus Christ.

    “God led me to the political battle field with prayers as my only weapon of war. I made several supplications to God asking Him to let His will be done in the election.

    “I’m glad God gave me victory; it shows that there is always victory in humility. I told God to come and set His people free the way He set the Israelites free from the hands of pharoah.”

    On his mission in the Senate, Ekpeyong said:“Since the war ended, our people are yet to be rehabilitated and reintegrated. There is no reconstruction and we are still having the relics of war.

    “We need reconstruction, rehabilitation and reintegration. Governments have come and gone, yet no action.

    “We need someone to bring it to the front burner. My primary responsibility is to ensure that there will be good laws and resolutions that will positively change the fortunes of the people of Akwa Ibom north west senatorial district. My victory is from God”.

    He said he supported and worked for Senator Godswill Akpabio’s reelection until he dumped the PDP for APC in August 2018.

    According to him, “In 2007 when I laboured for power shift to our senatorial district, Akpabio contested and won as governor; I supported him.

    “When he wanted to go  for a  second term, he took me to the then President Jonathan and I knelt down and begged Jonathan to allow him contest a second term as governor.

    “I didn’t do it for a fee but  I showed humility in service.

    “In 2015, Akpabio went to the Senate, I supported him. Even in 2018 when he declared for reelection, I supported him wholeheartedly until he left PDP for APC and the PDP fielded me to contest against him.  It is just a change of baton.

    “My name is Christopher and I am a cross bearer, I bear the cross of my people “.

    Akinyelure: my victory is of God

    Mr.Ayo Akinyelure (PDP)  is returning to the Senate for a second time after defeating Mr.Tayo Alasoadura (APC) and former Governor Olusegun Mimiko of Zenith Labour Party in the contest for the   Ondo Central District ticket.

    Incidentally, it was Alasoadura who defeated Akinyelure in 2015.Akinyelure,like Ekpeyong and Balogun, attributed  his victory to God.

    He was also full of praises for his  constituents for reposing confidence in him.

    “My people had resolved to pay me back for the good work I delivered to Ondo Central during my stewardship in the 7th Assembly as the senator  that represented the district,” he said.

    “During that period, I was able to add value to the citizenry of the  district by providing employment for over 550 graduates in various federal ministries and parastatals and many empowerment programmes designed to raise my people.”

    Recalling his defeat by Alasoadura in 2015,the senator-elect said:”When I was defeated in 2015 election by Senator Alasoadura, I was the first to congratulate him and accepted the verdict of my people.

    “The incumbent came second in the just concluded election,and has congratulated me.”

    This developnent,he said, demonstrated the spirit of sportsmanship.

    However, he said he was still expecting a congratulatory message from former Governor  Mimiko.

    He said:”He should remember that one good turn deserves another. We all stood by him when the whole Ondo State decided to vote him twice as governor of the state.

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    “Ondo State belongs all of us and therefore, any one of us is qualified at one time or the other to be chosen by the majority of the people of Ondo State, particularly Ondo Central to represent their interest.

    “It is,therefore, my turn now, and they have resolved to re-elect me to the Senate as a ranking senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

  • Battle for Senate: Saraki, Sani, Olujimi, others fall

    Adeola, Osinowo triumph in Lagos  Kalu, Boroffice, Bamidele, Bashiru, Adetunmbi win

    Some giants have fallen in the fierce battle for the Senate – going by results announced by the electoral umpire.

    Dr. Bukola Saraki lost his bid to return to the Senate for the third time – and his hitherto firm grip on Kwara State politics.

    Saraki, who stormed Kwara politics in 2003 by riding on his father’s profile, lost to another medical doctor, Dr. Ibrahim Yahaya Oloriegbe.

    Oloriegbe of the All Progressives Congress (APC) polled 123, 828 to beat Saraki of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who scored 68, 994.

    The loss is a major setback for the Saraki dynasty in 43 years since the patriarch of the family, the late Dr. Abubakar Olusola Saraki, a former Senate Leader, dominated Kwara politics.

    The dynasty has installed six governors since 1979, hundreds of lawmakers at the national and state levels, councillors and chairmen of local government areas.

    According to the results released by INEC, Saraki was defeated in all the four local government areas in the district.

    The breakdown is as follows: Asa: APC (15,932), PDP (11,252); Ilorin East: APC (30,014), PDP(14,654); Ilorin South: APC (26,331), PDP(13,013) and Ilorin West: APC (51,531), PDP (30,075).

    Apart from the Senate President, others who will not return to the Upper chamber are the Senate Minority Leader, Mrs. Abiodun Olujimi (Ekiti South) and Senator Rafiu Ibrahim (PDP, Kwara South). Senators Olujimi and Ibrahim were beaten by Prince Dayo Adeyeye and Lola Ashiru (both of the APC).

    But electoral fortunes smiled on some leaders, who won senatorial tickets, including ex-Governor Orji Uzor Kalu (APC, Abia North); Prof. Ajayi Borrofice (Ondo North); Opeyemi Bamidele (APC, Ekiti Central) and Senator Olubunmi Ayodeji Adetumbi (APC, Ekiti North), who dislodged Senator Duro Faseyi.

    Kalu polled 30,580 votes to defeat the incumbent PDP Senator, Mao Ohuabunwa, who recorded 21, 940 votes.

    In a landmark electoral contest for the first time in his political career, Adeyeye polled 77, 621 to trounce Mrs. Olujimi, who got 53,741 votes for Ekiti South District slot.

    Adetumbi defeated Faseyi of PDP by 60,689 to 49, 209.

    Opeyemi, a former House of Representatives member,  won the Ekiti Central Senatorial District for APC with 94,279 votes as against the PDP’s Adewale Obafemi, who scored 48,707.

    Ashiru garnered 89,704 votes to defeat Senator Ibrahim. Who got 45,176 votes.

    Shehu Sani (Kaduna South), who was elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), defected and contested on the platform of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP). He lost to Uba Sani of the APC.

    In Ondo State, Boroffice polled 53, 199 to beat his challenger for the North Senatorial District, Dr. Tunji Abayomi of the Action Alliance (AA).

    Former Governor Olusegun Mimiko may not realise his ambition to represent the Ondo Central at the Red Chamber on the platform of his Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), it was learnt.

    Besides delivering his Bende Local Government Area to President Muhammadu Buhari of the APC, Kalu defeated Ohuabunwa.

    The returning officer for the senatorial election, Dr. Charles Anumodu, declared Kalu winner, with 31,203 votes. Ohuabunwa polled 20,801 and the candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, Chief David Ogba, scored 11,410.

    Ohuabunwa, however, rejected the result of the election in a statement issued by his campaign organisation, signed by Mr. Ukpai Ukairo.

    The incumbent said the results were still being collated.

    The statement reads: “It has come to our knowledge that INEC operatives in their haste to arrive at a pre-determined conclusion manipulated the electoral process to the shock of all well-meaning patriots who believe in democracy.

    “In this respect, it is tragic that INEC could conduct an election without the issuance of form EC40G, a form used to capture cancelled votes and places where there was no voting.

    “In the circumstances of the above, we demand that the Resident Electoral Commissioner in  Abia State should direct the Returning Officer of the Abia North Senatorial Election to make the requisite declaration in accordance with the dictates of Rule 17E(e) of the guidelines for the conduct of elections issued by INEC by cancelling the elections completely.”

    In Osun State, APC’s Ajibola Bashiru was declared winner of the Osun Central Senatorial District with 132,821votes. He  defeated Ganiyu Ola-Oluwa of the PDP, who scored 106,779.

    Lere Oriolowo (APC, Osun West) defeated Lere Oyewuni of the PDP to clinch the Osun West Senatorial ticket.

    In Lagos West Senatorial District, Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola (APC) beat Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivor of the PDP.

    The result for the Lagos Central Senatorial District was still being awaited last night.

    Senator Oluremi Tinubu is APC’s candidate for the zone.

    The APC candidate for the Lagos East Senatorial Zone, Bayo Osinowo beat Abiodun Oyefusi of the PDP.

    In Edo State, Senator Francis Alimikhena (APC, Edo North) won with 1, 176 to retain his seat.

    In Imo State, Governor Rochas Okorocha looked good to represent Imo West Senatorial Zone as he was reported to have won eight out of the nine local government areas making up the senatorial zone.

    Senator Aliyu Wamakko (APC, Sokoto North) was set for victory. He was leading five of the eight local government areas making up the district as of the time of filing this report.

    In Akwa Ibom, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) suspended the announcement of the results in Senator Godswill Akpabio’s North West Senatorial District.

    It was over a controversy surrounding the result submitted from Akpabio’s Local Government Area, Essien Udim.

    The PDP senatorial candidate in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) was leading in three of the six Area Councils in Abuja.

    He was being closely trailed by the APC candidate The senatorial candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has won in three of the six Area Councils in the territory.

    This was revealed in separate presentations of results by Collation Officers to the Returning Officer, Prof. Sani Saka on Sunday in Abuja.

    In Abaji Area Council, Aduda got 11,290 votes to beat his closest rival and candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Mr Jisalo Zephania who got 11,276 votes.

    In Kwali Area Council, the PDP candidate got 17,642 to beat the APC candidate who got 14,899 votes.

    Also, in Gwagwalada Area Council, Aduda of the PDP got 29,567 to beat Zephaniah of the APC who got 22,318 votes.

    At the time of filing this report, results were still been expected from Abuja Municipal, Bwari and Kuje Area Councils.

    This was revealed in separate presentations of results by Collation Officers to the Returning Officer, Prof. Sani Saka on Sunday in Abuja.

    In Abaji Area Council, Aduda got 11,290 votes to lead his closest rival and APC candidate, Zephania, who got 11,276 votes.

    In Kwali Area Council, the PDP candidate got 17,642 to beat the APC candidate who got 14,899 votes.

    Also, in Gwagwalada Area Council, Aduda of the PDP got 29,567 to beat Zephaniah of the APC who got 22,318 votes.

    At the time of filing this report, results were still been expected from Abuja Municipal, Bwari and Kuje Area Councils.

     

  • How to resolve farmers/herders crisis, by Tinubu, Ribadu, Sani

    All Progressives Congress (APC) stalwart Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu yesterday listed the search for water as one of the major causes of the clashes between farmers and herders.

    Tinubu noted that water, or more accurately the lack of it, is at the heart of consistent conflicts between farmers and herders in parts of the country.

    He suggested both short and long term solutions to the lingering crisis that has left many dead and others displaced.

    Also yesterday, a former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, said that because the nomadic Fulani have not been integrated into the country, they had been moving in search of land where they will be regarded and treated as other Nigerians.

    Ribadu underscored the fact that it was wrong to ascribe the clashes to President Muhammadu Buhari.

    He said that it was obvious that the native Fulani were angry with President Buhari for allegedly turning his back on them and not giving them audience like he does to other groups.

    Tinubu and Ribadu spoke at a two-day national summit on conflict resolution organised by The Nation and Television Continental  (TVC) as part of their contribution to finding a lasting solution to the bloody farmers/herders clashes.

    Speaking through a Federal Executive Commissioner (South West) in the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Mr. Sunday Dare, Tinubu said the  government must sustain wise policy and action to keep peace and prevent violent recurrences.

    According to him, the government must also maintain reasonable and effective military and law enforcement presence in the affected areas.

    The security operatives, he said, should work with leaders of the herders and the farmers in the communities as well as traditional and religious leaders.

    On the long term solution, Tinubu said that Nigeria needed to take the lead for Africa in international fora dealing with climate change as well as develop what he called “water catchment and conservation systems”.

    Tinubu said: “My contribution will not be filled with statistics, graphs and figures. It will have more of a conceptual or strategic bent.

    “I take this route because the challenges we discuss are complex and encompass more than meets the eye.

    ”In order to adequately address these challenges, we must sufficiently define what they are.

    ”Sensational media headlines and much of public opinion have concluded that the conflict between herders and farmers is inherently a religious or ethnic scrum.

    ”This conclusion is understandable. The most visible thing seen are two groups predominately of different religions and ethnicities contending against each other.

    ”However, wisdom counsels against hasty conclusions. Sometimes that which is unseen is more important than that which is visible.

    ”For instance, gravity and the magnetic field affect everything we do but we cannot see these fundamental forces of the physical universe. Yet, anyone who walks to the edge of tall building, but refuses to keep gravity in mind may quickly find that he has sacrificed himself to his own ignorance.

    ”Perhaps this conflict is not birthed of the religious identities of its antagonists as zealots on both sides of this equation would have us believe.

    “Such a description might fit their notions of religious intolerance and bigotry but it is likely too simplistic to be correct.

    “Instead, we should ponder whether this conflict is but the manifestation of deeper forces at work. This conflict, for the most part, is not born of religious or ethnic differences.

    ”Many things contribute to this situation. However, if you forced me to identity one factor, I would do so in one word. And that word is:  Water. Or, more accurately, the lack of it.

    ”Our physical bodies are predominately water as are the bodies of the flora and fauna we depend on for our existence.

    Water-based ecosystem

    “Our ecosystem is a water-based one. A civilisation’s success is keenly determined by its relationship with and management of water.

    ”Too much water – like in the tsunamis, hurricanes and floods seen across the globe – often kills man.

    ”Conversely, insufficient water turns man into a killer of himself.

    ”Throughout recorded history, civilisations have risen and fallen with changed rain patterns, with droughts and floods.

    ”What does that mean in the Nigerian context?

    “Perhaps through a combination of the natural climate cycle and man-made climate change, weather extremes are more frequent.

    ”When it rains, it floods. When dry season comes, little water is to be found. Land becomes swiftly parched as if water never ministered to it.

    ”In the North once marginally arable land has turned too barren to sustain life. Cattle herders, mostly unaware of this phenomenon called climate change, still sense something is wrong.

    “Places they once took their cattle are now nothing but blasts of hot air and inedible dust.

    ”Of necessity as they see it, they drive their herds onward, further south toward water and greenery.

    “But also toward farmers and their farmlands. Each year, the desert eats up thousands upon thousands of acres of land.  This pushes herders and even some farmers southward.

    ”The result is that an increasing number of people and livestock seek to extract from a dwindling amount of fertile land enough water and feed to sustain themselves.

    ”This is a recipe for increased competition and conflict. Violence is almost inevitable in this situation of diminishing vital resources.”

    Not unique to Nigeria

    In the view of the former Lagos State governor, ”this scenario is not unique to Nigeria”. “Other  West African nations suffer it”.

    ”In some of these nations, both farmers and herders are of the same religion but that affiliation does not thwart conflict,” Tinubu said, adding:

    ”An acutely thirsty man remembers neither Bible nor Quran very well until his thirst is quenched.

    “Dire need often pushes a man to behave as if bereft of compassion for a person in equally dire circumstance.

    ”No doubt the problem has exacerbated during the past decade. We must assume climate change plays a role.

    ”Those of us who herald globalization and tout its promised rewards, better take a step back and lower the volume of their cheerleading just a bit.

    ”For climate change is but a portion of the malign underside of globalisation.

    “Africa now bears the greatest ecological brunt of a globalisation that has not even rendered to Africa its just economic rewards.

    ”First, Africa is shorted by the unequal exchange of its natural resources for more expensive finished goods.

    ”Compounding the injury, our weather patterns have been made to pay the price for the relative opulence of the West.

    ”This is not to absolve Nigeria and Africa of its share of the blame. We do not tend our environment sufficiently. We are guilty of wasteful, sometimes harmful, misuses of our land.

    “However, the damage done by others to the global ecosystem dwarfs our missteps.

    ”Thus, while we rightly see the situation as an immediate crisis that must be decisively and swiftly resolved so as to save lives, we must also see it as an alarm, requiring us to devise even more long-term changes that protect our people from environmental degradation.”

    Tinubu noted that though the violence has thankfully subsided, the government must sustain wise policy and action to keep peace and prevent violent recurrences.

    He advocated “a comprehensive remedial/rehabilitation strategy for victims of the violent crisis.”

    The government, he stressed, must help herders gradually shift from their traditional nomadic existence to a more static lifestyle.

    Tinubu said: “We have to face the reality that modernity is making the nomadic way counterproductive and inefficient.

    ”Unoccupied, isolated land can quickly be turned into grazing areas in the affected states.

    “In the long run, this will enable herders to better maintain their livestock and thus their own livelihoods.

    Forum for farmers/herders

    ”Government should establish a permanent panel as a forum for farmers and herders to discuss their concerns and identify ways to mitigate contention.  This will also help educate the general public.”

    The APC leader, who preferred long term solution to the crisis of herders/farmers clashes, said: “Nigeria needs to take the lead for Africa in international fora dealing with climate change.

    “Water catchment and conservation systems must be developed. This includes the prudent use of dams and irrigation sub-systems maintainable at the local level.

    ”More water efficient farming techniques must be employed. Projects to protect the land for additional desertification must take adequate priority.”

    He noted, however, that “these recommendations are suggestive and not at all comprehensive.”

    ”However, I think they convey the idea that dealing with the immediate crisis is essential. But we also must position ourselves to deal with these larger forces, which are at the deepest root of this challenge.

    “If we cannot get to this root, our short-term efforts may be successful but over time they will be of decreasing utility.

    “This is a problem that is mostly not of your doing but one that you must solve for the future of this nation and its people.

    ”If you allow your greatness as a nation to show, you shall succeed in securing the benefits of a good life and suitable environment for people and generations to come.  That is the Nigeria I see and believe in.”

    Ribadu on nomadic Fulani

    To Ribadu, Nigeria’s major challenge is that most of the nomadic Fulani do not have a place to call their own and are, therefore, constantly on the move in search of land for their animals.

    Ribadu said that apart from the nomadic education programme put in place by the government a few years ago, there has not been any concrete effort to integrate the nomadic Fulani into the scheme of things.

    He said “As a developing country, we will continue to have challenges and problems. But it is important for us to address the problems confronting us. Whatever we are going through, other countries have gone through it. Why don’t we look at what we must do.

    “Nomadic tribes are not new. They exist all over the world. Most of the native tribes of America are nomads. In India alone, we have about 350 nomadic tribes. Even in sub Saharan Africa, there are nomadic tribes. If you go to the southern part of Africa, you go to Kenya, Tanzania and other places you have nomadic tribes up to Namibia.

    “There had always been a problem and they were able to do something about it. But the question is, why have we not been able to address it? In Namibia, we had a big problem too of nomadic and pastoralists.

    “Nomads are normally landless people who have animals to take care of and, in doing that, there is likely going to be a problem. There is also the issue of continuous migration and the attendant problem on ecology and this has continued to put pressure on the system. That is why in Nigeria today, there has been a problem and we have failed to address the fundamental issue.

    “We forget that people who are landless will continue to be a problem and part of the problem we are facing today is these people fighting to say we are part of this country. They want a place of their own where they will be taken care of, but there is resistance. That is why you see what is going on in Zamfara, Birnin Gwari and most of the places.

    “The Fulani in the town who claim to be part of them, or even their traditional rulers who claim to be their leaders, don’t understand what they are going through. They are people who are completely out of everything.

    “You can hardly see any nomadic Fulani man that is part of state assembly or the National Assembly and they form about 15 to 20 million of the population and they are marginalised. They are not in any way benefiting from what is happening in the country today.”

    According to Ribadu, “there has been only one attempt to address the problem and that was the nomadic education programme”.

    “ Many of those who participated in the nomadic education programme are PhD holders today and those are working are helping their communities. Other than that, I have not seen any effort geared towards solving their problem.

    “The crisis of the nomadic Fulani are even more at home with non Fulani communities. Today, because of the problem of internal migration, they will rather go to the southern part of Nigeria and stay there and live in comfort because of the insecurity in northern Nigeria.”

    Buhari not part of it

    Defending President Buhari against allegations of supporting his Fulani brothers, he said “People have continued to misunderstand what is going on. President Buhari has nothing to do with what is going on. In fact, the Fulani are even angry with him because they think he has abandoned them. They think he is listening to the others and that he gives audience to the people from Benue, Plateau and never gave them audience.”

    The Senator representing Kaduna Central, Shehu Sani, said the political elite must decide the type of country they wanted to preside over.

    Sani insisted that the political elite should make concerted efforts to address the security challenges facing the nation.

    Sani said: “We must look for how best we can solve these problems that has become cancerous in our society today. It is to the knowledge of every person that in the last twenty years there has been Forum and fora that provided opportunity for people to dissect the problem and proved solutions. Naturally, we are not a country that is short of solutions.

    “The problem is that a problem exists in our country and the solution exists in our group. So, the disconnect between problems and solutions kept us running round the circle of violence, bloodshed and hostilities that has become part of our daily lives.

    “If we are serious as a country determined to address these problems, it is something that we could have achieved. But it has always been talk, talk and talk with no solution in sight. The political establishment in this country must decide for themselves which kind of country they want to be saddled with.

    “Most of those people that are killed are the people living in the rural areas. Most often, those in the position of leadership and power have not been touched by these crises. That explains why it is what it is today. There have been blames on the security agencies.”

    “Each time we have violence, there are talks that they need to address the situation. But how can that be possible when people in position of power, like governors, control billions of Naira as security votes which they spend on political thugs and not on security agencies.

    “Security votes are used to oil political machinery and support violent criminals in the society or aimed at capturing power or preserving power. We spend so much time in politics. If a fraction of the the time and resources we spend on politics is spent on peace and security in this country, we could have gone very far, but that is not the case.”

  • No automatic ticket for Sani, says Kaduna PDP

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kaduna State has denied promising Senator Shehu Sani (APC/Kaduna Central) an automatic ticket to woo him into its fold.

    Chairman Hassan Hyat, who spoke to News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Jos yesterday, said: “People have inundated me with phone calls, seeking to clarify alleged claims by Senator Shehu Sani that the PDP has promised him an automatic ticket for re-election if he joins the party.

    “I want to make it clear that we did not promise the Kaduna Central senatorial ticket to anyone, including Sani.

    “It is only my office that can make that promise to him, and we have not done that. The PDP has not and will not give an automatic to anyone, either new or old.

    “I do not know who promised him the ticket; certainly not me. And no one can do it on my behalf.”

    The chairman added that aspirants seeking elective offices or fresh tenures would have to go to the electorate and canvass for the ticket.

    He warned Sani against using the party’s name to pursue his interest in the APC, but said the senator was welcome to the PDP if he chose to come on board.

    “But while we welcome him, if he chooses to come, we must add that he is coming to join others to fight for the ticket,” Hyat added.

  • Between Sani and Omo-Agege

    Consider the differing fates of Shehu Sani (Kaduna Central) and Ovie Omo-Agege (Delta Central); and you’d probably put your finger on the moral sewers in which this eighth Senate proudly wallows.

    Sani ratted on his colleagues — a very good ratting, if you ask — of a N13.5 million monthly “running costs”, in a season of economic angst and pan-Nigeria hunger.

    That alone symbolizes unconscionable greed; and perhaps the greatest concentration of senatorial parasites, on a vanishing national purse.

    Indeed more ruinous, for the reckless assembly’s health: it is suicidal hubris for the parasite to care less about its host.  If its host drops dead, is it not kaput too?

    The great Awo resonates, from the world beyond, on his iron clad classification of the politicians of his day: the “Oselu” (Yoruba for politician) versus the “Ojelu” (Yoruba for parasite).  No prize for guessing where the Senate, under Bukola Saraki, falls!

    In spite of his ratting however, Shehu Sani sits pretty and dainty.  No one could touch him.  The assembly just licks its wound in seething but impotent rage.

    Not so, with Ovie Omo-Agege.

    Omo-Agege never ratted on anyone.  And even if he did, it was never on nation-threatening greed, on which this Senate and the House of Representatives stand fairly accused.

    He only blew the whistle on what everyone already knew: that this Senate had developed a sickening pleasure, of turning public estate, into private treasure.

    The exact “satanic verse” that sent the senatorial cabal hopping mad?

    “The President has not done anything to warrant the deliberate provocations being directed at him by this Senate.  It is callous and unacceptable to me,” he told the media, of the Senate attempts to reorder the sequence of elections. “We cannot make a law just to fight one man. I will not be part of it, 59 Senators have said that we won’t be part of that act of vindictiveness, put it into vote, we will defeat it…”

    Indeed, illicit advantage never had higher parliamentary representation in Nigerian history!  A Senate never looked more like a coven of powers and principalities!

    But after all that, the dam broke!  The guilty may well be afraid.  But when, in Chinua Achebe-speak, a coward sights a person he can maul, he becomes hungry for a fight.

    A Senate that cowered before Shehu the Impregnable — his hard moral punch so stunning and so devastating — rashly rushed for the scalp of Ovie the Vulnerable, alleging an abuse of parliamentary privilege.

    Dino Melaye put Omo-Agege in the dock.  Bukola Saraki handed down the final judgment, albeit with perverse mercy — the “convict” would endure 90 days suspension, half of the original “ sentence” of 180 days!

    In-between, members of a tiny clique testified why open truth and notorious facts are dire threats to them on their senatorial street!  It’s the making of a Senate as a democratic farce!

    When the dust cleared, even a greater farce had seized the horizon.  Some alleged louts stole into the Senate-at-plenary, grabbed the mace and vanished — rippling security be damned!  Whodunnit?

    “You, Omo-Agege!” a furious Senate barked.

    “Not me!” Omo-Agege counter-hissed.

    As patriotism is often the last bastion of the scoundrel, the Senate dived into its umpteenth frenzy of empty cant — Saraki in America and Ike Ekweremadu in Abuja — mouthing beatification everyone knows is the exact opposite of what this Senate is.  Reminds you — doesn’t it — of Wole Soyinka’s Beatification of the Area Boy?

    Still, even as the farcical drama plays out and the polity vibrates with excitement, it is clear to everyone, not the least the hypocritical Senate, that its crude impunity is the architect of its crude invasion of April 18.

    Its self-imposed nemesis is its so-called “suspensions”, which vault group rights over and above the constitution-enshrined right to constituency representation.  As The Nation argued in its editorial of Sunday April 22, how can the 1999 Constitution say yes, but its mere creations say no?

    In this eighth Senate, it would even appear worse: that “group right” would appear no more than the oppressive whims and caprices of a clique, carving the assembly out in its reactionary image.

    Of course, a telling riposte to this impunity was the Omo-Agege stunt — no, not the criminality of alleged louts making away with the mace — but of defying the so-called suspension and attending plenary, Senate integrity be damned!

    A case of jungle resolutions earning civil defiance, all in the hallowed chambers of the Senate, now turned completely hollow?  It never gets more bathetic — and pathetic.

    Still, this fumbling Senate ought to have armed itself with little history, of how parliamentary rascality had, in the past, earned Nigeria sundry grief.

    On 25 May 1962 — 56 years ago by May — some rascals in the Western Region House of Assembly orchestrated the chaos that led to the declaration of emergency in the Western Region.  That would push Nigeria to destructive military rule.

    But that was the age of naivety when, for the reckless rascality of a few lawmakers, conceited soldiers presumed they could sack the republic.

    As E.M. Forster quipped in A Passage to India — and Nigeria has been eminent proof — soldiers could indeed put one thing straight.  But they’ll set tens of others awry.

    Luckily, that age of innocence is gone.  Now, come Election Day, every senator must pay for his own insouciance — or be rewarded for his own diligence.  It’s all about the grim majesty of democracy.

    For the decent souls in the Senate, this isn’t the best of seasons.  Aren’t they even stunned at the gargoyle their chamber has turned?

    The Senate president, for personal hustle, sold his party cheap.  The deputy, happy, merry and cheerful, received the “stolen good” — for where else, in a sane democracy, does a man, for personal gain, pawn his party’s birthright to the opposition?

    It’s epochal perfidy — the making of the eighth Senate as a moral howler.

    With such a dangling moral albatross, it is doomed with fatal distractions.  That is why it would tarry to pass the budget — and it’s near-end April — but hurry to impose farcical suspensions.

    That is why it would cannibalize the 2017 budget, and cream off crucial votes for the Lagos-Ibadan expressway — among other key arteries nationwide — for useless porks that pass for boreholes, Marwa tricycles and allied nonsense, as “constituency projects”.  Yet, that was an economy wrestling with recession!

    In ancient Athens, the Areopagus — supreme legislative and judicial council — teemed with seasoned minds.

    In its Sparta equivalent, the famed elders of the state that existed for Spartans passed laws that ensured the coming generations also lived — and died — for Sparta.

    In ancient Rome, the Senate was the bastion of critical thinking and provocative debates.  So, is it in present day United States.

    Why does this eighth Senate glory in nothing but frivolities, sundry humbug and illicit self-help?

    Nigeria needs servant-senators that would serve the people, not errant hustlers that spur them like a mule.  It’s time for a complete clear-out in 2019.

  • SANI: The ombudsman within

    SHEHU Sani, the senator representing Kaduna Central, caused a major stir last week by lifting the veil on the earnings of his colleagues in the Senate. The matter had before now been kept as one of the nation’s biggest secrets, but Sani is not one to be wrapped in oath of secrecy, even in matters concerning the salaries and emoluments of his colleagues.

    Even as a chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), he had on several occasions criticised the President Muhammadu Buhari administration on the floor of the Senate. He had spear-headed the campaign for the removal of the former Secretary to the Federal Government, Mr Babachir Lawal, over an alleged contract scam. And as chairman of the Senate Committee on Local and Foreign Loans, he was known to have spoken out against northern governors who went abroad in search of loan, saying there was no justification for the loan being sought by the governors.

    Yet his finest hour came last week when he disclosed that senators receive N13.5 million monthly as “running expenses”, besides their N750,000 monthly salary. Sani’s revelation remained the first by a lawmaker from the Senate since the clamour began for full disclosure of lawmakers’ earnings. Justifying the revelation, Sani said: “The National Assembly is one of the most non-transparent organs of government. It pricked my conscience and I decided to burst the bubble and open the National Assembly to public scrutiny.”

    As would be expected, many Nigerians have commended Sani for his unusual courage. According to one analyst, Sani today represents the conscience of the National Assembly, being the only member who had the courage to declare his assets publicly. But the act would not come as a surprise to many who are familiar with Senator Sani’s antecedents as a social gadfly. With his involvement in partisan politics, many had thought he would mellow down on his activism, particularly where the interest of his party is involved. Alas, they were wrong. Rather than mellow down, he has assumed the position of a political gadfly, putting the actions of both the federal and Kaduna State governments under scrutiny and criticising the two authorities at the slightest opportunity.

    For instance, his rift with Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State has polarised the state. According to Sani, “The Kaduna APC crisis came in different stages-the one that began with me and the one that is continuing with Senator Hunkuyi and others. There are both ideological and political differences between me and El-Rufai. He came from the political establishment.” The crisis reached a crescendo when Sani was suspended in January 2016 by his Tudun Wada ward.

    The ward executive said it took the action to suspend the senator because he had made statements that allegedly violated the rules of engagement of the party, factionalised the party and allegedly engaged in anti-party activities by criticising openly the policies of Governor El-Rufai. It noted that hardly would a week pass without Sani’s group going on air to criticise and challenge the enduring legacies of the governor and that Sani’s statement on national issues was not in conformity with that of the federal and Kaduna State governments.

    The suspension lapsed on December 2, 2016 but Sani was again slammed with indefinite suspension. Born on October 29, 1967 to a middle class family in Kaduna, Sani cut his teeth in activism right from his school days. He is an author, a playwright and human rights activist. He had his primary education at Local Government Education Authority (LGEA), Badarawa and Kaduna between 1975 and 1980.

    He attended Government Secondary School, Kagara, Niger State. He gained admission into the Kaduna Polytechnic in 1984, to study Agricultural Engineering up to Higher National Diploma (HND) in 1993. He was a student union activist during his studentship in Kaduna Polytechnic, serving as the social director of the union. He was Chairman, Central Mobilisation Committee of Pan- African Student Organisation and President, African Democratic Youth Congress. Sani, no doubt, was influenced by his father’s exposure as a production manager who trained in the United Kingdom and Germany and worked with the New Nigerian Newspapers for 30 years.

    Before then, he had worked as a printer with the Kadunabased Daily Mail. He was also the government printer for Sokoto State from 1976 to 1979. His father had a well-stocked library where he drank from the pool of literary knowledge available, especially books on socialism and politics of the left. At that time, there was massive inflow of literature from Eastern Europe. The exposure to books helped to shape Sani’s thoughts and leftist perception of life as well as exposing him to the reality and decadence brought to the society by military dictatorship. Sani was equally influenced by his mother who was a community woman leader and a prominent member of radical political parties led by the late Aminu Kano: Northern Elements Progressive Union (NEPU) and Peoples Redemption Party (PRP). From Kaduna Polytechnic, Sani plunged into national activism.

    He joined the Campaign for Democracy (CD), the umbrella of pro-democracy groups led by activists like the late Beko Ransome-Kuti and Femi Falana in the struggle to put an end to military rule in Nigeria. Sani later served as the Northern Coordinator and National Vice Chairman of the group. He experienced the first hazard of activism in July 1993 when he was detained by the military regime of Gen. Ibrahim Babangida.

    His offence was that he advocated the revalidation of the result of June 12, 1993 presidential election won by the late Chief M. K. O. Abiola. He co-founded the Movement for Unity and Progress and teamed up with other northern progressives such as Col. Abubakar Dangiwa Umar (rtd), Dr Bala Usman, Mr James Bawa Magaji and Alhaji Balarabe Musa for the actualisation of the June 12, 1993 presidential election. Under the interim government of Chief Earnest Shonekan, Sani was charged with sedition at a Magistrate’s Court in Kaduna. He was arrested and detained for two weeks and was later charged to court again for sedition. Sani is renowned for providing human rights campaign support to the poor and the disadvantaged.

    He had in the process of doing that clashed with security agents. During the religious riots in Kaduna in 2000, he was the only human rights activist in Kaduna that came out in the heat of the violence to condemn the massacre. During Gen. Sani Abacha regime, he was implicated in the 1995 phantom coup and he was subsequently jailed for life which was later commuted to 15 years by the Patrick Aziza Special Military Tribunal that convicted the likes of Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo, Col. Lawan Gwadabe, Chris Anyawu and other journalists. He was charged with treason and managing an unlawful society (CD). He was detained in various prisons: Kirikiri, Kaduna, Port Harcourt, Enugu and Aba. He was released from life imprisonment when democracy was restored in Nigeria in 1999.

  • Why I revealed senators’ pay, by Sani

    SENATOR Shehu Sani (Kaduna Central) has explained why he opened the lead on the jumbo allowances he and his colleagues get every month as federal lawmakers.

    “I decided to burst it open. It was a moral issue”, the senator reportedly to the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) in a chat yesterday.

    Sani’s revelation that a senator receives N13.5 million as running cost monthly in addition to his/her consolidated monthly salary of N750 was at the weekend confirmed by Senate spokesma Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi.

    According to the senator, divulging the information on the lawmakers’ salary “is a moral issue”, lamenting that the National Assembly was being run with little accountability about how the money is spent.

    Pushing for the scrapping of what he called an illegal payment, the senator believed that such step would make National Assembly attractive only to people who can contribute ideas.

    Sani told the BBC: “The National Assembly is one of the most non-transparent organs of government. It pricked my conscience and I decided to burst the bubble and open the National Assembly to public scrutiny.

    “If the expenses payment system was ended then parliament would only be attractive to people who contribute ideas.”

    In an interview with The News last week, the senator had revealed that he and his colleagues receive N13.5 million monthly as “running cost”, aside a N750, 000 monthly consolidated salary and allowances which they also receive.

    Sani’s revelation remained the first by a lawmaker from the Senate since the clamour by many for a full disclosure of lawmakers’ earnings.

    The revelation has triggered widespread anger among Nigerians who had always criticised the lawmakers for arbitrarily allocating jumbo pay to themselves.