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Tag: Yero

  • Ex-Kaduna gov Yero dumps PDP

    Ex-Kaduna gov Yero dumps PDP

    Yhe former Governor of Kaduna State under the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Mukhtar Ramalan Yero, has resigned his membership of the party.

    Yero was Deputy Governor to Governor Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa in 2011, but became the substantive governor of the State, following the death of Yakowa in a helicopter crash on December 15, 2012.

    Read Also: Ashiru beats ex-Gov Yero, Shehu Sani, others, picks Kaduna PDP Gov ticket

    The resignation letter dated 30th September 2023 was personally signed by Yero and addressed to the ward chairman of the party in Kaura ward, Kaura, Zaria Local Government Area of the state.His resignation came 48 hours after the petition of the PDP candidate, Isa Mohammed Ashiru, in the March 18 governorship election was dismissed by the tribunal.

  • Yero, El-Rufai pray for smooth transition

    Outgoing Kaduna State Governor Mukhtar Yero and Governor-elect Nasir El-Rufai at the weekend prayed together as part of activities for the May 29 inauguration of the incoming government.

    A statement in Kaduna by the governor-elect’s spokesperson Samuel Aruwan said other top government functionaries attended the prayer.

    The statement said the Jum’at (Friday) prayer at the 44 Comilla Barracks Mosque in Kaduna was organised by Kaduna State Government Transition Committee.

    El-Rufai said: “We are grateful to Almighty God for His kindness and benevolence. We pray for a successful transition in our state – for peace, development and harmony among our people.

    “We are appealing to all citizens of Kaduna State to join us in prayers and work together for progress. We pray Allah to bless our state and uphold us as we strive to provide purposeful leadership for our state.”

    Deputy Governor Nuhu Audu Bajoga and Deputy Governor-elect Bala Barnabas Bantex yesterday attended the ECWA Church at the Prisons Barracks in Kaduna for the Christian prayers.

    The Chairman of the state branch of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Bishop George Dodo, urged politicians to be God-fearing and focus on service delivery.

  • SURE-P funds: APC drags Yero to EFCC‎

    SURE-P funds: APC drags Yero to EFCC‎

    Barely 24 hours after Kaduna State Governor-elect, Malam Nasir Ahmed El-Rufai vowed to probe anyone culpable in the N2.7billion SURE-P funds diversion, the State APC Transition Committee has dragged the Governor Mukhtar Ramalan Yero led government before the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

    The transition committee is asking the anti-graft agency to stop the Yero led outgoing government from what it described as last minute looting of public assets.

    It accused the ‎outgoing Kaduna State Government of taking elaborate steps to legitimise the ‎misappropriation‎ of N2.744 billion Local Government Sure-P funds,

    According to a letter addressed to the EFCC Chairman by the transition committee and titled:‎‎The ‎attempt to misappropriate ‎SURE-P Funds in Kaduna State, “Yero‎‎ has been putting the legislature under tremendous pressure to approve his utilisation of 50 per cent of the Sure-P funds for a road project, while the 23 local government councils would share the balance.”

    ‎‎The letter signed by the Chairman of the committee, Balara‎be Abbas Lawal‎ read that, “I write to bring to your attention the elaborate steps being taken by the outgoing Kaduna State Government to legitimise the ‎misappropriation‎ of N2.744 billion Local Government Sure-P funds, and to request that you exercise your responsibility of deterring crime by preventing this last-minute looting of public assets.

    “The Kaduna State House of Assembly declined to appropriate the Sure-P funds in the 2015 budget, and promptly removed them from the budgets submitted by the 23 local government councils. The state legislators further resolved that the fate of the funds be left to the incoming administration.

    “The ‎outgoing governor, Mukhtar Ramalan Yero‎, however has been putting the legislature under tremendous pressure to approve his utilisation of 50 percent of the Sure-P funds for a road project, while the 23 local government councils would share the balance. Coming from a government whose tenure expires in less than two weeks, the intensity of the lobby for the money indicates a certain desperation that is clearly not in the public interest.

    “I ‎wish to therefore request that you urgently investigate whether the Sure-P funds are still intact, or if they have been spent without appropriation thus necessitating a belated approval from the House of Assembly to provide a ‘legal’ means of retiring the funds. If, as it is widely believed in the state, the monies have already been spent, it is crucial to determine the projects, the contractors and the procurement processes that facilitated such a deliberate hemorrhaging of public funds,” it reads.

    Meanwhile, ‎El-Rufai was quoted in ‎statement as saying, “I have been informed of desperate attempts to secure approval to spend N2.744 billion Sure-P funds. Less than two weeks to its exit, the outgoing government of Kaduna State is seeking to pressure the outgoing House of Assembly to permit it to spend 50 percent of the money on the Kawo road project, while the 23 local government councils will share the balance.

    “As governor-elect, it is my duty to caution every official involved in these last-minute deals that the incoming government will ensure that there are consequences for illegal conduct, breach of trust and stealing of public assets. Our government will certainly insist on accountability, and no one should be in any doubt about our resolve, be it the instigators of any impropriety or those who facilitated and executed it,” El-Rufai said.

  • Yero stops Southern Kaduna Chiefs from meeting Osinbajo – APC

    Yero stops Southern Kaduna Chiefs from meeting Osinbajo – APC

    All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kaduna State alleged that, Kaduna State Governor, Alhaji Mukhtar Ramalan Yero on Tuesday morning stopped a meeting between Southern Kaduna top traditional rulers and in-coming Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo in the state.

    The Director General of Kaduna State APC Campaign Council, Mr. Ben Kure disclosed this in a statement sent to newsmen in Kaduna on Tuesday.

    Osibanjo was in Kafanchan to meet critical stakeholders in the area that includes traditional rulers, Christian leaders, academic, youth and women leaders ahead of Saturday’s governorship election.

    The party alleged that, over 20 traditional rulers drawn from eight local government areas were on their way to palace of Chief of Kagoro, venue of the meeting, when they received the governor’s instruction.

    “Some chiefs were already in the vicinity when they received signals warning them against meeting with Osinbajo.

    “The programme was to first meet traditional rulers before church leaders, and we have notified them and they were ready to receive our in-coming Vice President. The meeting was to pay homage and intimate them of what the in-coming Muhammadu Buhari’s government has in stock for Nigerians irrespective religion, ethnicity, region or political interests.

    “To our surprise, we received a message that the governor has stopped the meeting and cautioned them to return to their domains. The monarchs complied with the warning, aborted the meeting and proceeded to their palaces.

    “The same governor three weeks back stopped the President-elect from holding a campaign at Murtala Square Kaduna. And he is now trying to embarrass his Vice President.

    “Are the people of Kaduna state and their traditional rulers slaves of the governor? It is quite unfortunate that Kaduna state is now under an individual who is above the law and ruling with impunity.

    “He should know that the people of Kaduna state are free people with the right of free association and choice. He will not force people to vote for him, it is a democracy and the voice of the people must be heard, “‎ Kure said.

     

  • Yero, El-Rufai, others sign peace pact in Kaduna

    Yero, El-Rufai, others sign peace pact in Kaduna

    Kaduna State Governor and the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate, Alhaji Mukhtar Ramalan Yero; his All Progressives Congress (APC) counterpart, Malam Nasir El-Rufai and other flag bearers with their party stakeholders yesterday signed a peace pact to ensure violence-free campaign and elections.

    The peace accord was facilitated by the Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG) in charge of Zone 7, comprising Niger and Kaduna states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Patrick Dokumor.

    Dokumor, who spoke at the Police Officers’ Mess on Independence Way in Kaduna, said political campaigns were increasingly becoming violent.

    The police chief said there was need for all to embrace peace.

    He promised to bring to prosecute anyone who breaks the peace pact, no matter how highly placed.

    Dokumor said: “Campaigns, in recent times, have been characterised by violence. An election should seen as a game in which no one uses weapon or unleash terror on another.

    “This country is greater than any individual or group. Therefore, no group of people will be allowed to set this country ablaze. We will not spare anybody. Whoever it may be, we will not tolerate that any longer.”

    Yero, who said the peace pact was in the interest of the people, urged other candidates and their supporters to desist from destroying his posters.

  • ‘No compensation, no votes for Jonathan, Yero’

    ‘No compensation, no votes for Jonathan, Yero’

    Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) of the 2011 Kaduna post-election violence yesterday threatened not to vote for President Goodluck Jonathan and Kaduna State Governor Mukhtar Ramalan Yero, if the compensation promised them were not paid before next month’s general elections.

    This came as Vice President Namadi Sambo boasted to deliver two million votes to President Jonathan from the state.

    The protesters chanted “No compensation, no vote for President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan and Governor Mukhtar Ramalan Yero”.

    The aggrieved Kaduna IDPs said they had written several letters to the Presidency and the Kaduna State government on the matter, but without response.

    Addressing reporters in Kaduna, the spokesperson of the IDPs, Comrade Mohammed Dan’Azumi Zonkwa, regretted the suffering of the affected people, four years after.

    He said the Federal Government constituted a Presidential panel to investigate the crisis and make recommendations.

    According to him, the panel had concluded its assignment, adding that Kaduna State had 80 per cent casualties.

    The spokesman wondered about the delay in the implementation of the committee’s report.

    Zonkwa said: “We are highly surprised that Kaduna, of all states, is yet to be paid, despite the fact that it has several men and women of high esteem representing the state at the federal level.”

  • Opponents challenge Yero’s re-election bid

    Opponents challenge Yero’s re-election bid

    Kaduna State Governor Muktar Yero’s bid to contest next year’s governorship election has not been a smooth sail. He took over power on December 16, 2012, shortly after the demise of Governor Patrick Yakowa. MUSA ODOSHIMOKHE chronicles his ordeal so far, particularly with regards to his party’s governorship primaries. 

    Governor Muktar Yero of Kaduna State would be testing his popularity in the forthcoming governorship primaries of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) scheduled for next Monday. This is owing to the fact that other governorship aspirants within the party are not in the mood to allow Yero a smooth sail to continue as the governor. Yero assumed office as governor on December 16, 2012, following the tragic death of his predecessor, Patrick Yakowa, in a helicopter crash.

    Four aspirants are contesting against him during the governorship primary. They are: Hassan Felix Hyat, Senator Haruna Zego Aziz, Ismaila Yakawada and Jimmy Dung. The contestants cut across religious and tribal lines.

    In the build up to the contest, Governor Yero has been accused of trying to manipulate the process, by hand-picking the delegates to the recent party congress; to ensure that he realizes his ambition. The congress has been criticised as lacking in democratic principles. Three of the aspirants, Hyat, Aziz and Yakawada, which made their position on the primaries known at a press conference in the state capital recently said it fell short of the people’s expectation.

    The aspirants have decided to close ranks over the matter, to counter Governor Yero’s alleged antics over the primaries. After their meeting, they urged the leadership of the PDP to address the issue as matter of urgent importance. They alleged that the irregularities observed during the congress must be tackled, if the party would have a good outing the next year’s elections.

    At the conference, Dung alleged that names of delegates were written before the actual congress. According to him, it negates the principle of fairness and justice. He said the outcome of the delegate’s congress was beyond the people’s comprehension.

    He said the process was a fraud because the names of delegates approved were prepared from Government House; with loyalists of the governor and Vice President Namadi Sambo making the list.

    The aspirants believe that it would only be fair when a properly conducted congress was allowed to produce the delegates, noting that the aspirants would not condone act of impunity being displayed by the government.

    Yakawada believes the idea of automatic ticket being proposed for PDP governors just completing their first term by the party leadership is a farce, and that it is unacceptable.

    He added that aspirants in Kaduna were prepared to slug it out with the incumbent at the primaries, urging the party hierarchy to provide a level-playing ground for the contestants.

    He said if there was no proper election and consensus to elect delegates for elections in the party, the party’s professed stance of practicing internal democracy was an illusion.

    He added: “I can inform you that there was neither consensus nor election where members agreed that the adopted delegates would represent us during the primaries; they are not the choice of the people.”

    But, the Kaduna State PDP Publicity Secretary Ibrahim Mansur has faulted the aspirants, saying they were being economical with the truth. He described as baseless the allegations that the party leadership in the state and Governor Yero hijacked the process leading to the delegates’ congress.

    Mansur urged party members to sheathe their swords and work for the unity of the party in the forthcoming polls. He said it is only a united PDP that would ensure continuity and that the division in the party would be too costly.

    Some aspirants from the fold had earlier crossed to the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC), alleging that they fear they would not have fair treatment in the primaries.

    A former House of Representatives member, Jagaba James Jagaba, equally dumped the PDP because of what he described as Yero’s antics to hold on to power without popular wish.

    The infighting within the party has brought division along ethnic lines, resulting in the formation of alliances and counter alliances.

    Despite the re-alignment of political blocs to ensure that the alleged flawed congress does not have negative consequences on the coming primaries, stakeholders are keenly interested in who pilots the affairs of the state from next year.

    Ahead of next Monday’s primaries, all the aspirants have agreed to present a united front, by bringing one person forward as a consensus candidate to challenge Yero at the contest.

    Political analysts believe the PDP is shooting itself in the foot, by going into the primaries divided.

    At one of the meetings attended by various interest groups, Senator Aziz was tipped as the aspirant to slug it out with the governor. The meeting which had in attendant four aspirants from Southern Kaduna, religious bodies, youths and elders drummed support for the consensus arrangement, saying it would help to thwart the plan of the incumbent governor.

    In a communiqué presented after the meeting, the Southern Kaduna Christian Leaders Council, the Northern Christian Elders Forum, South Kaduna Indigenes Progressives Forum, South Kaduna Peace Initaitives, Gurara Forum and other organisations, urged the people to put aside their differences for the common good.

    They said the decision to present a common front in the coming primaries was deliberate and that it would brighten the chances of the aggrieved aspirants; as one of them would be a beneficiary of the arrangement.

    The associations believe it would reduce the bickering associated with politicking and reduce the cost of electioneering in terms of finance.

    They said: “While it is easy for the other contenders who have agreed to step aside, the onus of collective purpose and communal welfare must be seen to take precedence in order to have one candidate to contest with the incumbent at the PDP primaries scheduled for December 8.

    “With this heart-lifting and very promising development, a new Southern Kaduna is born. The depth of our disunity is in the process of being jettisoned for the common purpose. We can now see the light at the end of the tunnel.

    “Consequently, we are appealing to all to support the candidature of Senator Aziz at the primaries to achieve our objective of him becoming the PDP flag bearer in the coming elections in February 2015,” the communiqué stated.

  • Yero retools schools

    Yero retools schools

    The ugly face of schools in Kaduna State is giving way, thanks to the Mukthar Ramalan Yero administration. The policy of fixing the schools, according the Director General, Media and Publicity to the governor, Ahmed Maiyaki, is to tackle deficiencies in such key areas as manpower, infrastructure and construction. The institutions are being equipped and stocked with books and scholarship awarded to graduate and post-graduate students.

    As part of this effort, the government recently approved post-graduate scholarship worth about N800 million in foreign universities. Concerned about the delay in the completion of the Kaduna State University Teaching Hospital to offer clinical training for students of the state owned university, the government, according to Maiyaki, has entered into partnership with the International University in Kampala, Uganda where 29 students from the state University are currently undergoing their clinical training.

    He said, “29 medical students from the state university have already enrolled at the prestigious International University in Kampala, Uganda for their clinical studies as part of the MBBS programme. The second sets of beneficiaries have emerged and would be sent to reputable universities across the World to acquire additional qualifications for the purpose of improving the human capital of the state”.

    Maiyaki told The Nation that following the sack of some unqualified teachers in the state and the directive to others to upgrade their qualifications or leave the service, the government was concerned about the gap being created in the the teaching service in the state and made move to fill those gaps.

    He said, “I am sure that you are aware that the last administration carried out a verification of teachers and discovered that some of the teachers in the state were not qualified. Some of those teachers were asked to go and upgrade themselves while those who could not be redeemed were asked to go. The exit of those teachers created a vacuum which needed to be filled. So, in order to fill that vacuum, the government, in the last few months, employed over 1,800 teachers while providing training and retraining for teachers in the core science subjects.

    “The State Government has entered into collaboration with the National Teachers Institute (NTI) for the training and retraining of its workforce in the areas of science based subjects, diploma qualification and regular Teacher’s Summit in partnership with other development partners annually. This was aimed at improving the atmosphere of teaching and learning. This is already yielding results with improvement in results of candidates that sat for major examinations in the State.

    “In 2014, Kaduna State emerged third best in the country on the list of States with the highest number of students that passed the West African Examination Council (WAEC) organised Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE).

    Students from the state also performed to the pride of the entire nation at the International Quiz Competition held at Bangkok, Thailand and other international and local debates and quiz competitions”.

    The state university, he said, has enjoyed a lot of attention from the present administration in the state. He explained that the law setting up the university made it a dual campus institution, stressing that this made the development of the Kafanchan campus of the university as important as the main campus.

    He dismissed claims that the government was not interested in developing the Kafanchan campus, adding that the Yero administration has committed a lot of resources to the campus which houses the Faculties of Environmental Studies and Agriculture as well as the School of Basic Studies. Other projects already completed in the university include the development of Kafanchan Campus for take-off of Environmental Sciences and Agriculture programmes, rehabilitation of various classroom blocks, conversion of existing hostel blocks to academic office buildings, rehabilitation of residential quarters, construction of Multi-purpose complex, construction of Convocation Square, construction of various model twin lecture halls. development of  Faculty of Science Phase II, development of Faculty of Social and Management Sciences, development of university library, development of Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences building, development of Faculty of Arts, Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Pharmaceutical Sciences complex, Faculty of Arts building complex and 500 sitting capacity Lecture Hall and Entrepreneurship Centre.

    He said that the government was determined to fully develop the education sector in the state and has began the construction four new science secondary schools in collaboration with the Islamic Development Bank (IDB). The schools to be located in Koreye in Sabon Gari Local government, Manchok in Kaura Local GovernmentAarea, New Millennium City in Chikun Local Government Area and Rigachikun in Igabi Local Government Area will cost about $17.2 million. When completed, the schools are expected to train students from the state in science and technical subjects. In addition, the government, he said has built two more Tsangaya schools in Jere and Birnin Gwari area of the state as part of efforts to take almajirai out if the streets. These schools are expected to compliment the first Tsangaya school established by the government in Sabon Barki Local Government Area and named after the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua.

    He said further that “Governor Yero also approved N90m for the purchase of computer science equipment for senior secondary schools, which was distributed in March. Government also plans to increase students’ bursary and a committee has been constituted to assess and improve allowances of students. The government, through the Universal Basic Education (UBE) expended over N1.2 billion on Whole School Development Strategy in 46 primary schools across the state renovating and constructing classrooms, toilets and offices for primary schools as well as junior and senior secondary schools across the state”.

     

  • Yero’s good advice

    Any news item read in Pidgin English on radio is always interesting to listen to.  The presenters have a way of embellishing the stories in a most delicious manner that makes the listener feels as if he is eating a meal.  You almost always laugh.  Laugh I did when I listened to Wazobia FM’s delivery of a visit by the House of Representative Committee on Education to Governor Ramalan Yero of Kaduna State on Monday.  Unfortunately, I cannot remember the exact expressions well enough to share it with you.  Next time, I will take care to be more attentive.

    What caught my attention, however, was what Yero told the lawmakers to do to sanitise the public education system in Nigeria.  He called for a law that would bar public servants from sending their wards to private schools within the country and abroad.  Many others have called for a similar legislation so it is not novel.  Perhaps I was surprised such statement could come from a governor in the present dispensation.  Chief Obafemi Awolowo’s daughter, Mrs Tokunbo Dosunmu, attended one of the non-fee paying primary schools her father started as the Premier of the Western Region.  That era seems so far removed that it is like we cannot return to it.

    Some may argue that back then there were few private schools.  They are right.  However, such a Law may benefit the education sector if enforced.  If public servants are compelled to send their wards to the same schools as the commoners, they would be concerned about the state of facilities in the schools, the quality of manpower and their commitment to education service delivery, as well as the academic performance of the learners.  Just as everyone was concerned about checking the spread of Ebola because the disease is no respecter of persons, highly-placed public officers in the civil service, parastatals as well as the judiciary, executive, legislative arms of government would be concerned about the state of public schools if their wards have to go there.

    Then, we can hope there would no longer be schools without fences, roofs, windows and doors.  Classroom and teachers’ furniture would not only be available but adequate, sporting facilities would be top notch, laboratories, well equipped, and school buses would not be a luxury.  Also, schools that boast of influential people as parents should expectedly gain a number of benefits.  For instance, they would fall over themselves to donate to the schools, endow prizes or introduce laudable programmes.  But such a Law may never be introduced in Nigeria.  Its workability would be an issue because presently, there are more private than public schools.  So, on the excuse that there are not enough public schools, the public officers will just take their wards to private schools.

    On a lighter note, Let us imagine that indeed the law is included in the Nigerian constitution and public servants are compelled to send their wards to public primary, secondary, and tertiary institutions in Nigeria.  I am sure quite a lot of interesting things would begin to happen.  First, there would be worse traffic on the roads leading to schools as siren blaring state-of-the-art cars convey little ‘excellencies’ to school during rush hour.  There would be competition for parking spaces for these cars in the schools as the chauffeur and the bodyguards have to wait until the school closes.  Maybe these people would form a professional association (of chaffeurs and bodyguards) that would compare notes on their masters’ level of influence in the society.

    Everything would become a competition – even to the brand of school bags, shoes, socks and even pencils and pens used by the pupils.  We should also expect to have teachers be at their best in the presence of these big government men and women or favour their wards above others of lowly birth.  I once heard that a school in Abuja passed over the overall best pupil for a prize in favour of the daughter of the PTA chairman, who had donated a lot of money to the school.  Such things may be the order of the day when public officers enroll their wards in private schools – after all, this is Nigeria.  But do not take this picture I have painted seriously.  Tear it up and forget I wrote it.  It is just a figment of my imagination.  Governor Yero has suggested a good thing.  However, this is Nigeria.

     

     

     

  • Yero expresses intent to contest poll

    Yero expresses intent to contest poll

    Kaduna State Governor Ramalan Yero yesterday submitted a letter of intent to contest next year’s governorship to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) state secretariat in Kawo, Kaduna.

    He said it was in response to calls on him by many groups to seek re-election.

    Yero said: “I am yet to formerly declare my intention to run in 2015. But I cannot ignore the pressure mounted on me by people within and outside the state to contest the election in order to continue with the progress we are recording in Kaduna, especially in peaceful coexistence and developmental projects. So it is in that regard that I have come to submit a letter of intent to the party’s chairman.”

    Receiving the letter, state PDP Chairman Abubakar Gaya said he was happy that the governor finally listened to the voice of his people to contest next year’s poll.

    Gaya assured aspirants seeking elective positions of a level playing field.

    The sale of PDP nomination forms begins tomorrow.

    Yero was accompanied to the party secretariat by a crowd of supporters from the 23 local government areas.