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Tag: Sonni Tyoden.

  • 2019: Plateau APC adopts indirect primaries

    The Plateau chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has adopted the indirect method of primaries in choosing its candidates for elective positions in the 2019 elections.

    The party unanimously adopted the position at an expanded stakeholders meeting on Wednesday in Jos.

    Mr Johnclerk Dabwan, former Speaker of the Plateau House of Assembly, moved the motion for the adoption of the indirect primaries and was seconded by Mr Azi Pate, the party chairman in Jos East Local Government.

    The National Executive Council (NEC) of the party had given the state chapters the privilege of deciding how to arrive at its candidates.

    Among the options are direct and indirect primaries, as well as consensual agreement.

    Dabwan, while arguing for indirect primaries, cited security challenge in the state as his major reason.

    Read Also: 93, 788 PVCs uncollected in Plateau – INEC

    “Having gone through the provisions of our party’s constitution and the resolution of its National Executive Council where it suggested direct, indirect or consensus method in conducting our primaries, I want to move that Plateau should adopt indirect primaries.

    “The security challenges currently bedeviling us will make direct primaries very difficult and cumbersome,” he said.

    The news men report that stakeholders at the meeting, through a voice vote, adopted the motion after Mr Latep Dabang, the state party chairman, put the question to vote.

    Among senior party members at the meeting was Prof. Sonni Tyoden, Deputy Governor, his immediate predecessor, Ignatius Longjan, as well as former and serving lawmakers in the state.

  • Plateau tackles revenue theft, leakages to boost IGR

    Mr Arlat Dashe, Chairman, Plateau State Internal Revenue Service ( PSIRS ), said the state government was determined to boost its Internal Generated Revenue ( IGR ) by tackling revenue theft and leakages.

    Dashe disclosed this on Thursday in Jos, at the opening of a one-day workshop on tax matters organised for revenue generating Ministries, Departments and Agencies ( MDAs ) in the state.

    The theme of the workshop is: “Collaboration, synergy and compliance parameters: optimising internally generated revenue collection in Plateau for effective service delivery and development.”

    He said the Joint Revenue Committee set up by Mr Solomon Lalong, Plateau governor, observed poor and non-performance of revenue collection by some MDA’s, revenue leakages, abuse, misuse, fraudulent conversion and theft of government revenue.

    Dashe lamented the dismal performance of the MDAs in 2017 and urged them to take steps to harness, optimise and secure a leakage-free performance of their revenue targets under the 2018 budget.

    Dashe said the workshop was aimed at increasing the awareness of participants on the legal frame work and policy reforms in the area of tax administration in the state.

    Read Also: Sen. Useni declares interest in Plateau governorship race

    He said it was also meant to fully engage members of the State Executive Council and heads of MDAs on the needed collaboration to foster the needed synergy for prompt remittance of IGR.

    Lalong, who declared the workshop open, said it was timely and necessary to improve the IGR for the purpose of accelerating the much needed development of the state.

    Lalong, was represented by his deputy, Prof. Sonni Tyoden, at the workshop.

    Tyoden said the workshop would boost the state’s IGR as the successful execution of developmental projects could not be performed by mere wishes but through mobilisation of revenue for effective service delivery.

    NAN

  • Lalong commends NYSC skills acquisition programme

    Lalong commends NYSC skills acquisition programme

    Gov. Simon Lalong of Plateau has commended the National Youth Service Corps ( NYSC ) skills acquisition programme for corps members.

    Lalong gave the commendation on Thursday in Mangu at the inauguration of the 2017, Batch “B” stream one.

    He was represented by his Deputy, Prof. Sonni Tyoden.

    The governor said that the programme would help the beneficiaries to acquire additional practical knowledge and skills that would make them to be more productive and useful to the society in future.

    The governor urged the beneficiaries to pay attention to the programme.

    “The scheme runs a skills acquisition programme during the three weeks orientation which I believe you will find useful in future, please, take it seriously,” Lalong said‎.

    Lalong drew the corps members’ attention to the growing unemployment rate and described the development as a major problem facing Nigerian youths.

    “Millions of youths are out there searching for non-existing white-collar jobs. Those of you with alternative skills will not join that search because you would have prepared yourselves for self-employment.

    “The initiative of the programme is make you self-reliant at the end of the service of your year.”

    He also advised the corps members to visit micro/small ‎enterprises clinic for more knowledge on small business registration and access to soft loans.

    ‎The governor assured the corps members of their safety in Plateau.

    In her remarks, Plateau NYSC Coordinator, Fumilayo Akin-Moses, advised corps members to participate fully in camp activities to prepare them for the service year.

    Akin-Moses also urged them to participate in the various skills acquisition programmes to prepare them for life after the service year.

    2,886, corps members, comprising 1,407 males and 1,479 females were registered as at the close of the exercise on Wednesday.

    NAN

  • ‘Increasing NYSC members responsible for dwindling resources’

    ‘Increasing NYSC members responsible for dwindling resources’

    Brig. Gen Suleiman Kazaure, the Director General, of the National Youth Service Corps ( NYSC ), has blamed the dwindling resources in the scheme to rising population of corps members.

    Kazaure disclosed this at the opening of the scheme’s Annual Management Conference in Jos on Tuesday.

    The theme of the conference was: ‘Enhancing the Operations of NYSC through Strategic Planning’.

    The director-general expressed regret that the existing orientation camp facilities had been over stretched due to increased population of corps members.

    He decried the failure of some state and local governments to meet up with their statutory obligations to the scheme.

    Kazaure, therefore, urged them to be alive to their responsibilities to the scheme.

    He lauded the state and local governments that have shown commitment to the success of the scheme through the upgrade of orientation camp facilities and other forms of support.

    According to him, the scheme recently resuscitated the once moribund NYSC farm settlements in Bauchi, Kebbi, and Oyo states as well as the Federal Capital Territory.

    He disclosed that the Skill Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development centres in Gombe and Ekiti states were nearing completion, while the one in the South-South state of Delta was already functional.

    Kazaure stated that the scheme is now fully computerized and has already begun biometric registration and clearance of corps members toward enhancing its operational efficiency.

    He said that the conference provided an venue for stakeholders to meet and review the implementation  of the scheme with a view to evolving new policy direction, if necessary, for improved service delivery.

    “As we gather here today, participants are poised to evolve more cohesive and clearer strategies for administration and management of resources, especially against the backdrop of the country’s current economic realities.

    “The focus of the conference is for brainstorming and coming up with practicable solutions and strategies that will reposition and promote the ideals of the scheme in both the present and future,” he said.

    In a message to the conference, the Plateau State Governor, Mr Simon Lalong, represented by his deputy, Sonni Tyoden, praised the director-general for the ongoing reforms in the scheme.

    Lalong expressed satisfaction with the contribution of the scheme, especially in rural areas, in terms of education, health, agriculture through the corps members Community Development Programmes.

    NAN reports that the three-day conference organized for top managers of the scheme, state coordinators and deputy directors will end on Sept. 29th.

  • Jos: 80 houses for completion in June – Minister

    Eighty units of houses, built under the National Housing Scheme, have reached 70 per cent completion and would be inaugurated in June, Mr Mustapha Shehuri, Minister of State for Power, Works and Housing, has said.

    Shehuri disclosed this on Tuesday in Jos, when he paid a courtesy call on the Deputy Governor of Plateau, Prof. Sonni Tyoden.

    He said that Plateau was one of the beneficiaries of the pilot scheme ‎ of the housing programme.

    According to him, the project consists of 4 units of 1-bedroom semi-detached houses, 48 units of 2-bedrooms, semi-detached, and 28 units of 3 bedroom semi-detached homes.

    He said that the project, which commenced in February, would be completed and occupied in June this year.

    The minister said that Nigerians, who could contribute a specified amount to the Federal Mortgage Bank, were qualified to own a house in the scheme.

    Shehuri appealed to the state government to construct feeder roads that would link Rayfield to Laminga, where the houses were being constructed.

    Responding, Tyoden assured the minister of the state government’s readiness to construct feeder roads that would link Rayfield to Laminga.

    He appealed to the minister to address the issue of the abandoned 132 KVA line from Makara in Pankshin, noting that the abandonment had caused much hardship to the communities.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the minister, who had earlier inspected the housing project, expressed delight at the level and quality of work.