Benue People Regret Having Samuel Ortom As Their Governor

November 30, 2021

Benue State people have regretted having Samuel Ortom as their governor.

“It is disheartening that Governor Ortom has neither been able to initiate any development project nor pay basic salaries, and pensions and gratuities of retirees.”

In a statement today, November 30 in Abuja, Tiv Youth Council Worldwide (TYCW), a Benue-based socio-cultural group, said that the governor has consistently ignored counsel to partner with relevant Federal Government agencies to attract development to the state but continue to dish out verbal insults to perceived enemies.

In the statement, the president of the group, Mike Msuaan said: “we have appealed to Governor Ortom several times to please concentrate on governance and entrench good governance and responsible leadership in the state.

“We have wondered why development has continued to elude us under his leadership, especially at a time states, created several years after Benue, have moved with the speed of light.

“We have consistently tasked Governor Ortom to develop the state and to create an enabling environment for the people of Benue to excel.”

The group alleged that governor Ortom has not conducted any employment exercise since he came to office in 2015.

“In 2019, he promised to employ 5,000 teachers; lately, he reduced the number to 2,000, but this has remained in the realm of wishful thinking.

“The governor has refused to pay workers and pensioners in the state for several months,’’ the TYCW added.

It said that since he was elected governor, Ortom had not built any industry to meaningfully employ the people of Benue.

“We have continuously appealed to him, to liaise with relevant Federal Government institutions to rebuild, resettle and return Internally Displaced People to their ancestral homes.

“This appeal fell on deaf ears. We have consistently reminded him that even in Borno which is almost a war zone, GovernorbZulum has been resettling his people.

“Today, we are sad that the governor has moved from lack of development to verbally dishing out insults.

“We have listened to an audio recording in some national dailies and online media that while inaugurating a church building recently, the governor said his people drank from 9 a.m.

“He said in the audio recording that Tiv people used to go to bed from beer parlours only to wake and insult him (the governor).

“So far, there has been no rebuttal from the government.

“The response from the Chief Press Secretary, Mr Nathaniel Kyur, was a face-saving and damage control blunder in which he accepted that Gov. Ortom made the comment but it was targeted at APC members.

“We join well-meaning Nigerians to strongly condemn such use of derogatory words on the good people of Benue and demand an immediate and unreserved apology from the governor.”

The group said that such demeaning reference to a people should be condemned by all well-meaning people and called on the Benue Traditional Council and religion institutions to call the governor to order.

I Will Always Stand By You, Buhari Assures Women

Editorial staff

November 30, 2021

President Muhammadu Buhari has assured Nigerian women that he would always stand by them in their struggle against all forms of danger.

He expressed solidarity with them as they observe 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence Against Women and Girls from November 25 to December 10, 2021.

The President, who today, November 30 when he received in audience, the Minister of Women Affairs, Dame Pauline Tallen at the Presidential villa, Abuja said: “women are the bedrock of the society and are largely responsible for stabilising the home front. My faith in the capability of Nigerian women remains steadfast as exemplified by the key positions they occupy in the present administration.

“I assure you that I will always be here for you and you can count on my support in your activities.”

The Minister had briefed President Buhari on various enlightenment activities of her Ministry towards the international campaign.

She explained that the 16-day activism with the theme: “Orange the World: END VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN NOW!” which started Thursday, November 25, which is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women will continue until Friday, December 10, 2021, the World Human Rights Day.

Dame Tallen thereafter presented the President with commemorative items to mark his identification with Nigerian women.

We’re Not Able To Resolve Problems Of Youths In Nigeria, SGF Mustapha Admits

Greenbarge Reporters

November 30, 2021

“Right now, we are dealing with the youth population and we have not been able to provide solutions to some of the complaints in the country.”
These were the words of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha, at the launching of a book in Abuja yesterday, November 29.
The book, written by Dr Manassah Jatau, a retired Deputy Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, is titled, “A Sociology for Medical Practice.”
Boss Mustapha, who spoke mainly on the rapidly growing population in the country, said that Nigeria’s population projection is scary.
He stressed the need for the government to put in place control measures to keep the country’s population growth in check.
“Given one or two decades from now, Nigeria will become the third most populous country, coming after China and India.
“There is an urgent need for us to begin to plan for this increase.”
The SGF appreciated the author for his deep insight into issues of leadership in determining the effectiveness and efficiency of organizations, especially in physical and economic wealth, as captured in the book.
Boss Mustapha emphasized the need to develop Nigeria’s traditional medicine, adding that it would create employment, develop the nation’s pharmaceutical products, as well as improve its economy.
“There is also need for the introduction of traditional medicine. It will reduce the level at which Nigerians visit other countries for medical treatment.”
Source: NAN.

Gov. Zulum Unleashes Irrigation Farming On Borno, Targets 10,000 Farmers

Greenbarge Reporters

November 29, 2021

Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno has embarked on total irrigation farming in the state, targeting 10,000 irrigation farmers in 2022.

Governor Zulum, who addressed some of the 1,750 farmers who benefited from the 2021 dry season farming inputs yesterday in Shani, Bayo and Hawul Local Government Area of the state, said: “we want to do more than what we are doing now by identifying more potential sites for irrigation.

“We are targeting 10,000 irrigation farmers for next year.”

This was even as the chairman of the Borno Mega Farm Committee, Alhaji Inuwa Kubo, said that beneficiaries for the 2021 farming season were provided fertilizer, water pumps and agro-chemicals, as well as maize and rice seeds.

Kubo said that very soon, the committee would commence registration of wheat farmers for government support.

He advised farmers in the state to exploit the big opportunity provided by irrigation farming.

Source: NAN.

Divisional Police Officer Kidnapped In Edo

November 27, 2021

The Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Fugar Police Division, CSP Ibrahim Aliyu Ishaq has been kidnapped.

He was kidnapped today, November 27, around Ise river along old Auchi – Ekperi- Agenebode road in Edo State.

It was learnt that the kidnappers have contacted the family of the police officer for ransom payment.

CSP Ishaq, before his deployment some years ago, had served as DPO in Dakata Police Division in Kano State

This is a development story. More details later.

Source: PRNigeria

We Want Regulatory Body For Cotton Production In Nigeria, Group Appeals To Federal Govt

Editorial staff

November 27, 2021

The National Cotton Association of Nigeria (NACOTAN) has appealed to the Federal Government to establish a National Cotton, Textile and Garment Development Council.

It said that the Council would strengthen coordination, boost production and the marketing of cotton as well as enhance the development of the sector generally.

National Secretary of the association, Alhaji Hassan Buhari, who spoke today, November 27, at the Cotton Master Sampling and Production meeting in Zaria, Kaduna State said: “the Council, when established, shall provide the necessary support to cotton industry development through appropriate services in production, research, extension and training, financial assistance and other support services.

“It shall also prescribe and strictly enforce regulations and quality control needed to safeguard cotton growers.”

Hassan Buhari said that the Council would also serve as the country’s cotton development authority and would be committed to innovate and make cotton production competitive to increase farmers’ income, and generate foreign exchange revenue.

The national secretary expressed the association’s appreciation to President Muhammad Buhari for including cotton in government’s Anchor Borrowers Programme.

He said that the Anchor Borrowers Scheme had provided completed linkages between farmers and ginneries and between ginneries and the textile factories.

He also appealed to the Federal Government to sustain the scheme to boost production.

Earlier, the Deputy Director, Institute for Agricultural Research (IAR), Professor Ado Yusuf, said that the meeting was convened to set the standard for uniform seed cotton grading to meet international market requirements.

The meeting also reviewed production, quality and marketing issues, related challenges and possible solutions.

Professor Yusuf noted that the cotton industry had witnessed successive government interventions, and that the desired transformation to place Nigeria among the comity of cotton producing nations is yet to be achieved.

This was even as the Deputy Director, Produce, Kebbi State Ministry of Agriculture, Alhaji Mohammed Tilli, called on the government to replicate efforts put on rice and maize in cotton.

This, he said, would help to scale up cotton production.

Source: NAN.

Experts Advocate Harmonisation Of Organic Agriculture Standard To ECOWAS Countries

Editorial staff

November 27, 2021

Experts on Organic agriculture practice have advocated the harmonisation of its standards by the 15 ECOWAS member countries.

They stressed that such harmonisation will enhance quality trade in certified produce and products in the region.

They gave the assurance at the close of the 6th West African conference on organic agriculture with the theme: “Feeding the world without poisoning’’ held at Ouagadougou.

The conference had participants from across the world who rubbed minds on how to ensure healthy, sustainable agriculture practices.

The experts assured participants that the harmonisation of standards is for the good of the health of the people of the member states and their environments.

Head of Agriculture, ECOWAS Commission, Abuja,

Ernest Aubee said that the standards documents would be submitted to ECOWAS headquarters for ratification and approval.

Aubee is also Chairman of Ecological Organic Agriculture (EOA) Regional Steering Committee.

“In West Africa, we have different standards in different countries, while some countries do not have any at all; so this harmonisation will protect the interests of the two groups.”

Aubee added that organic agriculture is developing speedily at the global level, but that the pace is still slow in West Africa compared to East Africa, Europe and Australia.

“This harmonisation will accelerate organic agriculture development, regional growth of food and security integration.

“We want to achieve food security and safety so that our people do not only have enough to eat, but eat quality and nutritious food.

“I encourage stakeholders to appreciate and key into these harmonised standards when approved, in the interest of the region.”

In his contribution, Project Manager, International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movement (IFOAM), Rene Emmenegger, stressed the importance of organic agriculture standards, saying that the standardisation would improve development of organic agriculture in West Africa and also encourage export business.

He added that IFOAM offers a platform for organic standards setters to discuss standards and create synergies for standard development and harmonisation to also ease trade.

“Agriculture and certified organic farming without viable trade is not sustainable.

“It will bring diversity of produce, simplicity of the process, empowerment of farmers, and easy access to standardised produce and products in the region.

“It will also promote and increase supply of organic produce and products and stimulate the growth of the organic sector of the region.”

In another contribution, Dr Olugbenga AdeOluwa, Secretary, West Africa Ecological Organic Agriculture (EOA) cluster, noted that political and financial support is needed for proper formulation and implementation of the standards.

AdeOluwa suggested an enactment of stand-alone EOA policies, strategies and frameworks that supports regional standards.

“These policies should give clear guidelines and full support to the production of organic inputs and products.

“The policies should have proper institutionalisation and inclusivity of all stakeholders and public-private partnerships.

“It must include a bottom-up approach in the policy implementation which offers farmers good opportunities to contribute to the process and ensure its success.”

Source: NAN.

Conference Begs Buhari To Hasten Up Work On Revival Of Ajaokuta Steel Project

Editorial staff

November 27, 2021

National Conference on the Revival of Ajaokuta Steel Company Limited has appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to hasten work on the revival of the project before he leaves office next year.

A communiqué issued at the end of its meeting on November 25 in Abuja, the Conference also wants the proposed Steel University to be sited in Ajaokuta, Kogi State.

The event was organized by NGO Network in collaboration with Institute for Governance and Leadership Studies in Africa and CSO Coalition for the Revival of Ajaokuta Steel Company.

The conference complained that the delay in the revival of the steel industry spanning over 30 years, has caused untold hardship to workers, retirees, youths and women across borders that have skills, and trained but not utilized, thereby increasing redundancy, capacity gaps and unemployment in large scale, crimes and drug abuse among teenagers.

It said that the delay in the completion of the Ajaokuta Steel Company had been due to lack of Political will “until President Muammadu Buhari came to power in 2015.

“Infrastructural development has been undermined along the mining and steel areas which include roads, electricity, water supplies and has set the nation steadily backward over a long period of time.”

The Conference observed that there has been a disconnect between the local people, state and federal government on the value addition of local community which informed the crises recorded in the past that resulted into destruction of properties and stolen of assets at the feeder Agency.

It also observed that the biggest challenge hindering the quick revival and administration of the Ajaokuta Steel Company Limited is funding, even as the 2022 Budget Proposal undermines the efforts towards making Nigeria an industrialized nation.

The Conference recommended the following as key issues to take forward to the National Conference:

Commended President Muhammed Buhari’s commitment to the revival of the steel industry as exhibited in his visit to Russia, setting up the Ajaokuta Presidential Project Implementation Team (APPIT) and a recommendation to negotiate with the foreign partners on the legal tussles caused by the termination of the contract, but appealed that he should go a step forward by ensuring adequate and regular order to the supervising Ministry to ensure the foreign partners commences the Audit of Ajaokuta Steel Company Limited (ASCL) and National Iron Ore Mining Company (NIOMCO).

That government should as a matter of urgency and necessity, consider the inclusion of a representative of civil society organization in the Ajaokuta Presidential Project Implementation Team (APPIT) to promote inclusiveness and ownership by the people.

That to reduce unemployment among the youths and the citizenry, the government should as a matter of urgency, ensure the commencement of audit of Ajaokta Steel Company and feeder company, National Iron Ore Mining Company.

That government should initiate the recall of retired staff that have the skill, technical knowhow and experience to help in training, which will help to reduce the cost of foreign experts to train workers.

Called on the Federal Government to declare a state of emergency on the federal roads connecting Lokoja, Ajaokuta, Itakpe, Okene and environs for enhanced social economic activities while noting that the revival of the steel plant will assist greatly in revamping the power generation to the companies and adjourning states and FCT.

That a Host Community Relations Initiative that will identify certain statutory benefits to the people of the areas as compensation should be put in place by the Federal Government with adequate funding and monitoring.

That it supports the ongoing proposal to the National Assembly for the establishment of a Steel University in Nigeria, which should be in Kogi State, specifically for the purpose of training of youths and by extension reduce capital flight among trained experts currently working in other countries where their steel industries are working.

That the current statutory allocation of meager One Hundred and Fifty Million Naira (₦150,000,000.00) as yearly overheads should be increased in three folds or more, above under mining and steel companies, to enable it function effectively, while it is strongly advised that government should collaborate with the organized private and non-profit sectors of Nigeria to seek alternative funding sources for the mines and steel industries.

Those who signed the communiqué are Otumba Dele Ajayi-Smith, chairman,

Dr. Idris Jimoh (Joly) of the African Citizen Development Foundation, Lagos State Level Stakeholders; Hajia Medina Nadabo Dauda of the Next Generation Youth Initiative Int’l., Makurdi.

Special Forces Kill Dozens Of Kaduna-Abuja Highway Kidnappers

Editorial staff

November 26, 2021

In a very strategic move, Special Forces deployed to tackle the incessant kidnapping of travellers along Kaduna-Abuja highways have succeeded in killing dozens of bandits suspected to be behind recent kidnapping.

Video footage obtained by PRNigeria show the corpses of more than a dozen kidnappers that were killed this week.

Some of the corpses were recognised as residents within some of the communities.

A security source confirmed that there was a massive deployment of troops comprising military, police and intelligence operatives in selected communities along the highways.

“Before the Presidential directive, some deployments were effected. The directive has now influenced more deployment and provision of equipment and intelligence gathering tools to fight the bandits.

“We have so far killed more than a dozen armed bandits who attempted to escape on motorcycles after sighting the movements of the troops.

“Most of them are behind recent abductions on the highways as some people identified the corpses as known faces within the communities,” a top Military source said on the condition of anonymity.

President Muhammadu Buhari had, yesterday, November 25, gave marching orders to the security chiefs to go after insurgents, bandits and terrorists, at the meeting of the National Security Council (NSC).

The President emphasised that they must not rest until all Nigerians sleep with their eyes closed, asking them to pay special attention and surveillance on the Abuja-Kaduna Road.

Meanwhile, the Kaduna State Government has announced the restoration of telecommunications services that were earlier suspended in some parts of the state.

The government had, on September 30, shut down the networks as part of efforts geared towards checking the activities of bandits.

Kaduna had joined fellow Northwest states like Zamfara and Sokoto, who had earlier taken the same measure to curb banditry and rising insecurity.

The state’s Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan, announced the restoration of the network services while addressing journalists on Friday.

Aruwan said the state government has contacted the relevant federal agencies to effect the immediate restoration of telecommunication services which were suspended in some local government areas.

He said that the other measures announced as part of the security containment orders remain in force.

These include the prohibition of motorcycles all over the state, the ban on weekly markets, transportation of cattle, and the prohibition of sale of fuel in jerrycans in specified local government areas.

Buhari “Reluctantly” Greets Atiku On His 75 Birthday

Editorial staff

November 26, 2021

President Muhammadu Buhari has reluctantly sent a birthday greeting to the former Vice President of Nigeria, Atiku Abubakar as he clocked 75 today, November 26.

In a two-paragraph message, President Buhari said: “Happy birthday and best wishes to Waziri Atiku Abubakar. I wish you good health and long life.”

In the same statement, the President also congratulated the former Military Governor of Kano State, retired Colonel Sani Bello, who will be 79 tomorrow, November 27.

Buhari recalled that Sani Bello is among those leaders who left the military with the foresight and intellect to establish themselves in business.

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