InsightMinna

09/01/2023

09/01/2023

Fact-Check - No be true: Shey dem been sell Bag of Rice Between N7,000 to N8,000 for 2015?

Claim: Former Governor of Niger state, wey him name be Dr Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu tok this one say the time wey dem dey for government wey be government Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) say the time wey dem comot from Office for year 2015, bag of foreign rice na N7,000 go N8,000 for market.

Verdict: This talk no be true because as of January 2015, a bag of rice dey been sell am for N8,100 and for November 2014, bag of foreign rice dey been sell am for N10,000.

Claim

The former Governor of Niger State, wey him name be Dr Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu during the Governorship Flag-off campaign of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) wey happen for inside Bida local government, Niger state talk say bag of rice been dey between N7,000 go N8,000 during the PDP’s tenure wey dem dey for power.

Aliyu wey be one of the PDP Chieftains inside Niger state talk say, “Ona don miss plenty because, during we time before, 1 bag of rice na N7,000 go N8,000. Today, now na how much?”

PDP Tenure in Office

The PDP wey been dey rule political party inside Nigeria for 16 years after wey dey win 1999 general elections and President Olusegun Obasanjo wey come from the party enter asso rock as President.

Obasanjo been lead the country for eight years and Umaru Musa Ya’adua come enter after Obasanjo for 2007 alongside Goodluck Jonathan as him Vice. The time wey Yar’adua die for 2010, hin Vice, Goodluck Jonathan come take over and come contest for the 2011 elections come win. Jonathan come remain President until the party lose to the All Progressives Congress (APC) for 2015.
During this period, Dr Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu na im be Governor of Niger state from 2007 go 2015 as him serve two terms as Governor of Niger state.

The tenure for PDP to seatdown for power come end for May 2015.

Price of Bag of Rice Between 2014 and 2015

Although the former governor no gree talk if him dey talk about foreign or local rice o, but doubt Say e feat be foreign rice because for 2015, over 70 percent of rice for Nigeria markets na foreign or the one wey dey import before the importation to ban wey happen for same year.

search been come through the Nigeria Bureau of Statistics (NBS) show say no any selected Food Prices Watch come for 2015. The one food watch price wey dey close pass begin for February 2017.

However, a search through google come reveal say inside November 2014, according to the commodity index make available by Novus Agro Nigeria Ltd inside Lagos on Friday, November 21st, say the price of a 50kg bag of royal stallion and other type wey dey import come na N10,000.

Novus Agros Nigeria Limited na firm wey dey monitors the prices of commodities inside 50 major markets for 25 states of the federation.

Another survey carry out by the same firm from January 2 to 8 show say the same bag of 50 kg bag of rice wey dey import come dey sell am N8,100.

Inside 2013, before before President of the Rice Sellers Association, Daleko Market inside Lagos, Silifat Akinsete as e dey predict ontop increase wey go happen say the price of rice for the second quarter of 2013 disclose say the price of a bag of rice had increase from N8,000 go N12,000.

Verdict: So the claim wey the former Governor of Niger state do na false ontoh the extensive search don shown say dey no sell rice for N7,000 anytime from 2013 to 2015 and for the time wey PDP comot from power, rice dey above N8,000.

Na Niger state fact-check Hub na dem conduct this Fact-Check. The Fact-check dey necessary to ensure say the electorates for the state get real facts by politicians during and even after the campaigning period.

08/01/2023

https://insightminna.com/fact-check-false-a-bag-of-rice-was-not-sold-between-n7000-to-n8000-in-2015/




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15/11/2022

Nigerlites React to Conduct of LG Elections

- Zahra Muhammad

The conduct of the Local Government Council elections in Niger State has been greeted with mixed reactions following reports of low turnout and alleged malpractices in some areas.

The elections which were conducted across the 25 local government areas of Niger State on Thursday saw the All Progressives Congress (APC) winning 23 out of the 25 Chairmanship seats contested.

The exercise came to fruition after much ado on the part of the state Assembly, the People's Democratic Party, and the Niger State Independent Electoral Commission (NSIEC).

For the Niger State House of Assembly, the state was not financially buoyant to fund the exercise at the time the NSIEC had scheduled it.

A few days before the elections, the People's Democratic Party (PDP) had also announced that it will not be participating in the elections, a decision which came much to the dismay of many party faithful.

This, the party's Chairman, Barrister Tanko Beji attributed to alleged non-compliance by the state government to the laws and regulations guiding the conduct of the elections.

For many, the PDP was diminishing its popularity and in the long run, its chances of returning to power in the state after the 2023 elections by its refusal to participate in the race.

This, coupled with the low turnout of voters, had created the impression that the exercise will be a stroll in the park for any party which eventually emerged victorious at the poll.

Reactions

According to Yusuf Abdullahi, the local government council elections in Niger State were a free win for the ruling party as the main opposition party had refused to participate in the elections.

He however lamented that a few eligible voters had turned out to vote in the election, signaling apathy on the part of voters.

"The turnout was low, which to me is a bad signal for the forthcoming general elections. People are tired of bad governance and have lost hope.

"But the election has also shown candidates, voters, and political parties the importance of choosing a candidate with a good track record."

In his reaction to the conduct of the election, another resident, Ibrahim Kure said "This has shown us that people only go for the candidate they choose to trust they didn't go for the party and which is the right decision, now we are going to have competition among them to rule us well."

In his opinion, Umar Adamu Bako said that the results of the just concluded elections that many voters regard credibility in high regard.

"People have a thirst of wanting to vote for credible candidates caring less about their political parties.
If you want people in the 2023 election, you must go very close to them, if you don't have track records to bank on then you must make sure they share your vision, plan, and programs."

Another respondent, Muhammad Muhammad, said that the elections were not a true reflection of the yearnings of the people.
This, he said was because thousands of people were disenfranchised due to the insecurity in some parts of the state.

The Niger State House of Assembly had at a point, shared the same opinion, and had demanded that the NSIEC shift the polls until the situation improves.

Meanwhile, the Niger State Independent Electoral Commission (NSIEC) acknowledged that aside from some minor hitches, the elections were overall peaceful.

Additionally, social media is currently flooded with yet-to-be-confirmed footage and pictures of alleged electoral malpractices in some local government areas among which include Kontagora, Bida, and Katcha.

InsightMinna also observed that many voters had posted pictures of their ballot papers, an action which goes against the legal framework released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) ahead of the 2023 general elections.

The guideline by INEC states that telephones and other electronic devices capable of taking pictures are not allowed in voting cubicles.

As contained in Article 30 of the Guideline, “Prohibition of the Use of Telephones and Other Electronic/Photographic Devices in the Voting Cubicle,” states: “Telephones and other electronic devices capable of taking pictures are not allowed in voting cubicles.

“Voters may come to the Polling Unit with telephones and other electronic devices provided that they do not take them to the voting cubicles or take pictures of other voters while they are voting.”

15/11/2022

Fake Doctor, Drug Dealer Arrested In Niger

A 24-year-old resident of Korokpan, in the Chanchaga area of Minna, the Niger State capital has been arrested for alleged impersonation by the police.

The suspect, Clement Joseph was nabbed by operatives of the intelligence unit of the police command based on a tip-off.

Joseph is also being investigated for fraud and causing an abortion, a statement by the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Wasiu Abiodun said.

Abiodun said that the suspect had been parading himself as a medical doctor in the area, where he "unlawfully had carnal knowledge of four other female victims, impregnated one of the victims while he conspired with one Aliyu presently at large and aborted a pregnancy of one other victim."

This is aside from defrauding another person of N280,000 under the pretext of running a cryptocurrency exchange, Zuga Coin International.

Similarly, a suspected drug dealer was also arrested by the police during a raid on a shop in Bangi, Mariga local government area of Niger State.

According to the police, the suspect, Chinedu Makata was arrested in possession of 47 wraps of Indian h**p and other hard drugs.

"During the raid, forty-seven (47) wraps of suspected Indian h**p and some other suspected hard drugs were recovered from the shop.

"In the process of effecting the arrest of the said shop owner, he pulled out a locally made gun and threatened to shoot the Police Operatives.

"However, he was later disarmed and arrested by the Police team." the police said.

15/11/2022

18-year-old Suspected Kidnapped Arrested In Niger

- Zahra Muhammad

The Police in Niger State say it has arrested an 18-year-old Suspected kidnapper at Kango, in the Lapai local government area of Niger State.

The suspect identified as Shehu Baidu was arrested after an Intelligence report received by police operatives in the area.

According to the police, the suspect is alleged to be a member of a syndicate terrorizing the Lapai local government, Gurara, and its environs.

"During interrogation, he confessed that between the period of May 2021 and August 2022 he conspired with the following gang members: Mamman Mallam, Sidi, Buba, Shehu, Abubakar, Kura-Kura, and Chede all male of no fixed address who operates with three AK47 rifles and invaded Gurara Dam Site and Maijaki village, where they kidnapped ten victims while N2.6m was collected by the syndicate as ransom before their release.

"He further confessed that in August 2022 he contacted one Shehu of Saminaka village via Lapai to purchase five soft drinks, five packets of ci******es, and two loaves of bread for him in order to take same to his gang members in their hideout. "

The statement added that the suspect has been arraigned in court while the police continue investigations.

15/11/2022

LG Polls: APC Candidate Claims Victory In Niger

_ Zahra Muhammad

The Candidate of Katcha under the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the recently concluded local government council elections in Niger State has claimed victory.

This is coming after the Niger State Independent Electoral Commission (NSIEC) declared the candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) as the winner of the elections conducted on Thursday.

The candidate, Hon. Musa Isyaku declared himself as the duly elected Chairman of the Council during a press briefing on Monday at the State Secretariat of the Niger State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) in Minna.

According to him, he won in seven out of the 10 wards in the council, totaling 9,423 votes as against his opponent's 4,354 votes.

“Let me state categorically that I, Musa Isyaku the duly elected Council Chairman for Katcha Local Government of the 10th November 2022 Local Government elections. I won in seven wards out of the ten and polled a total of 9,423 votes under the platform of APC as against the second-placed Social Democratic Party (SDP), Chairmanship candidate, Hon. Danlami A. Safu, that polled 4,354 votes.

“With the above pronouncement by NSIEC at Katcha Local Government headquarters that day by the Returning Officer, Mallam Kolo Ibrahim, in the presence of the Electoral Officer, Kassim Abdullahi Mazakuka alongside the three party agents of the APC, SDP, and NNPP.

“The Returning Officer, Kolo Ibrahim openly announced the results, and declared me, Musa Isyaku, the APC candidate the winner of the election. I was also presented with NSIEC signed results sheet as evidence, Isyaku said.

15/11/2022

Lone Accident Claims One Life, Leaves Seven Injured in Niger

- Zahra Muhammad

A road crash at Lanle Shebe village, in Lavun Local Government Area of Niger, has claimed one life and left seven others injured.

The accident, which occurred on Monday afternoon involved a Sharon commercial bus with registration number NBS 854 AA.

The vehicle, coming from New Bussa, in Borgu local government area to Bida according to the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) crashed as a result of overspeeding.

Mr. Kuwar Tsukwam, state Sector Commander of the FRSC confirmed this to journalists in Minna.

“Eight persons were involved in the accident, one of them died, while seven sustained injuries.

“The body of the dead person and the injured victims were taken to Kutigi General Hospital and the vehicle involved handed over to the police in Kutigi for further investigation,” he stated.

Tsukwam thereby advised motorists to abide by the speed limits to avoid accidents.

14/11/2022

NAFDAC Arrests Producer of Fake Agro-chemical, Dudual 45 percent In Niger

-Zahra Muhammad

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has arrested the producer and distributor of Dudual 45 percent, an adulterated Agrochemical used by farmers as pest control in Niger State.

The suspect identified as Kabiru Idris was arrested by operatives of the agency in Niger State during a surveillance exercise on agrochemicals.

According to the state Coordinator, of NAFDAC, in Niger State, Mr. James Kigbu, the agency discovered that the said product, mostly expired was widely sold to farmers, especially by street hawkers.

“Recently we embarked on surveillance on agrochemicals within Niger state and arrested one Alhaji Kabiru Idris in Makira, Mashegu Local Government Area, where he produces fake agro-chemicals.

“Our investigations so far reveal that he is the producer and distributor of agrochemical known as Dudual 45 percent used for pest control,” he said.

Kigby warned farmers to be wary of buying agrochemicals from unregistered outlets in the state.
According to him, such sellers package their wares in empty containers of the original products to defraud the farmers.

14/11/2022

Nigeria Army Unveils “Exercise Mugun Bugu” In Niger

-Zahra Muhammad

The Nigeria Army has unveiled a new military operation in Niger State.

The operation tagged “Exercise Mugun Bugu” (deadly strike) will see to the fight against banditry and insurgency in the North-Central and other affected regions.

Speaking during the unveiling of troops from various formations at the Nigeria Army Training Centre Kontagora, the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Farouk Yahaya said that training remains an indispensable tool in achieving professionalism among troops.

He noted that there was a need for the Nigerian Army to keep up with the changing dynamics of the prevalent insecurity in the country.

According to him, this situation presents new challenges to the troops who must up their game in the fight against insurgents.

The operation which was unveiled after two weeks of training and drilling of troops according to the Chief of Army Staff is the first of its kind, where all combat arms & combat support arms of NA Training Schools come together for a final joint training exercise.

12/11/2022

Niger: Probe Ordered After Ex-Commissioner Dies Of Alleged Negligence

Niger State Government has constituted a committee to investigate the circumstances leading to the death of a former commissioner and spokesperson to the Governor of Niger State, Mohammed Danladi Ndayebo.

It would be recalled that Ndayebo died On Monday evening after an accident along the Suleja-Minna road.

Shortly after his burial, a brother to the deceased told journalists that the deceased was left unattended after he was rushed to the IBB Specialist Hospital alongside one other person.

In its response to the allegation, the Secretary to the State Government, Ahmed Ibrahim Matane told newsmen that the state government received information bothering on non-professionalism on the part of the management.

"I received a call that morning to be informed that late Ndayebo and one other patient were taken to IBB Specialist Hospital in the night, unfortunately in the morning when I was called, there was no single doctor to attend to them.

“When he was finally being attended to, he took his last breath some hours later. As a government, we are very concerned that government hospitals could respond to emergencies with such level of levity and neglect”, Matane said.

Matane added that the committee, will evaluate the performance of the hospital for any form of shortages in its workforce and also recommend the next line of action in the case.

Members of the Committee include, among others, Dr. Chindo Bisallah, Dr. Joseph Kolo, and Dr. Umaru Tiffin, as well as delegates of the state chapter of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC).

12/11/2022

Niger Govt Sets Up Investigative Panel Into Allegations Against State IGR Boss

Niger State Government has announced the commencement of investigations into allegations of misappropriation levied against the Chairman of the Niger State Board of Internal Revenue, Mohammed Etsu.

The Secretary to the State Government, Ahmed Ibrahim Matane who announced this in Minna said that the state government has received a petition on the misappropriation of funds against the Chairman.

He said that the panel will look into verifying all issues raised in the petition, primarily establishing whether or not there were any financial or administrative infractions within the board leading to disaffection by the staff.

Matane stated that the panel will also come up with a recommendation for the state government after verifying all issues raised in the petition.

The panel which is made up of the state Account General, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry for Water Resources, Mr. Anas Salihu, Dr. Yahaya Zakari, and a representative of the Nigerian Labour Congress has been given two weeks to come up with a resolution.

On his part, the Chairman of the state Internal Revenue Board, Mohammed Etsu said that the petition against him was submitted by some staff of the agency who were unwilling to accept the positive reforms he introduced when he was appointed into office.

"Corruption is huge in the revenue board, there are a lot of good policies that I want to bring in but the staff is grumbling, they do not want these changes.

“The staff of Niger state Revenue Board are against change. They try to sabotage those who are brought into the Board who are not staff of the revenue board and they try their best not to allow them to succeed. They do all they can to stop you from achieving your goal.

“My books are clean and the records are there for anybody to come and check," Etsu told journalists during a press briefing on Tuesday.

12/11/2022

Police In Niger Recover 500 Rustled Cattle

The Commissioner of Police in Niger State, Ogundele J. Ayodeji has announced the recovery of 500 cattle rustled by bandits in three local government areas in Niger State.

These recoveries followed a series of operations in some communities invaded by bandits between Monday and Wednesday this week.

The communities invaded by the bandits include Chibani in Shiroro Local Government Area, Kafin-Korro in Paikoro local government, and Akare, Jiwawa, Gulanji, Kadaura, and some neighboring villages were attacked in Wushishi LGA.

In a statement made available to journalists in Minna, the Ayodeji said that the recoveries followed credible information received from residents of the affected areas on the presence of bandits in their communities.

He said that the Police, alongside a combined group of
local vigilantes had intercepted the bandits and engaged them in a gun duel which made them abandon the cattle.

In Wushishi, the Police said that the bandits were intercepted while trying to cross the Tegina-Zungeru road after rustling cattle from Akare, Jiwawa, Gulanji, Kadaura, and some neighboring villages under Wushishi LGA.

"Police/Military tactical teams mobilized and responded swiftly to the scene and engaged the bandits in a fierce gun battle.

"As a result, the bandits abandoned the looted cattle and some of their motorcycles as they scampered in disarray for safety with bullet injuries into the forest," he said.

In Kafin-Korro, two persons sustained gunshot injuries while two vigilantes died during the attack in Chibani, in Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State, the police said.