Pocket News Nigeria Online News Blog

08/10/2025

https://pocketnewsnigeria.blogspot.com/2025/10/the-kano-born-ag-inec-chairman-mrs-may.html

The Face of Mrs. May Agbamuche-Mbu, a National Commissioner at INEC, to assume the role of Acting Chairman. A National Commiss...

06/10/2025

https://pocketnewsnigeria.blogspot.com/2025/10/governor-mutfwang-has-done-excellently.html

Senator Simon Mwadkwon Fwet needs no introduction in Plateau politics as an astute politician,scholar and administrator. He was ...

29/09/2025

GOVERNOR MUTFWANG HAS DONE EXCELLENTLY WELL - Senator Fwet

Senator Simon Mwadkon Fwet needs no introduction in Plateau politics as an astute politician,scholar and administrator.

He was a former President of the Berom Youth movement (BYM) Former Chairman of Riyom Local Government Council, Member of the House of Representative representing Riyom/ Barkin Ladi Federal Constituency and Senator representing Plateau North in the 10th Senate where he was the Senate minority leader before the Court of Appeal truncated his tenure in a controversial ruling.

Through out his political journey he has been a staunch member of the People's Democratic Party (PDP)

In a recent interview he asseses the administration of Barrister Caleb Mannaseh Mutfwang of Plateau State and spoke on other sundry issues.
POCKET NEWS MAGAZINE BRINGS YOU EXCERPT;


On 2 years of the Governor Caleb Mutfwang administration in Plateau State what's your take sir considering that some members of the opposition have termed him a non performer?

Well we are not praise singers and we like to say things as they are I don't want to praise him with empty words.

The new road networks for instance can attest to that and you will notice that before now Jos was filled with gabbage and the town was literarily smelling but all that has been taken care of and our city is looking clean and smarter than before.

Apart from security in the area of agriculture giant strides have been achieved particularly in the area of fertilizer, other farm implements and critical interventions whereby fertilizer is supplied when due and at highly subsidized rates to our farmers and I am also aware that 1000 youths are being trained in agriculture at BARC farms in Zalaki and another batch will soon be deployed so that they can be self reliant and have something doing for themselves .What he has done in this sector is to have food produced all year round and not seasonally as done in the past.You will also notice that our "Plateau Potatoes" is now produced all year round thereby ramping up the food value chain in the state.

Back to security the governor has done very well while we are not talking of absence of skirmishes here and there because he has been inclusive devoid of ethnicity,tribe or religion which he has done through the peace building agency and personally by preaching peace and the advantages of living together in unity and good neighborliness.

In the health sector you can see the massive turn around at the Plateau State Specialist equipment where state of the art facilities have been deployed.

I could go on and on but the point is that the governor has virtually touched every sector in the State and I will rate him at over 70 percent level of performance which you know is excellent and we just have to encourage him to do more so that he doesn't get carried away for me he has done well.

You can see the series of endorsements across the state as citizens and communities are urging him to continue in office for a second term particularly not from politicians but the people in the state the citizenry as a statement of fact which is a court of public opinion so to me he deserves a second term in office.

What are the Chances of the opposition party in the State the APC in the 2027 gubernatorial polls?

Well politicians like to paint beautiful pictures by promising Utopia and people get carried away what we call bandwagon however we have to talk about the realities on ground.

Though the APC is the ruling party at the national level I will categorically say that has nothing to do with Plateau and our dynamics is totally different.

The system we practice now where money is shared by the federation account is faulty because in other developed climes states are allowed to generate and control their resources which is fiscal federalism then they contribute to the central government so the idea that we on the Plateau should jettison a performing governor to join the centre is sucidal to us.

Plateau State is capable of generating revenue to sustain the economy particularly agriculture I recall the governor re christening the "Plateau Potatoes" which has now become indigenous to us,coffee is thriving here and there is virtually no vegetable you cannot find here.

You don't change a winning team imagine your football team playing well do you change the team simply because you want some players to be fielded?

There are states in Nigeria today that are not of the APC extraction and they are doing very well even better than the ruling party states.

I can confidently tell you that the achievements of the Governor Muttwang administration in 2 years has surpassed the 8 years of the former Governor Senator Simon Bako Lalong led APC.

It's my wish that all the elections are conducted in one day to save costs and also to deepen our democracy due to this notion that if the president wins his elections which usually comes first on the timetable then others must follow suit.

We shouldn't be afraid to amend laws while we are in office because one day you may not be there.

My take is that Plateau people will not deviate from the PDP and even at the national level I am confident we will the Presidential elections by the grace of God.

As the 2027 elections approach are you still throwing your hat in the ring for the Plateau North Senatorial Zone?

You are aware of what happened to us at the Court of Appeal a decision the Supreme Court upturned for the gubernatorial elections and the injustice inherent in the Appellate Court judgement which unfortunately was our court of last resort.

Presently I am engaging critical stakeholders and citizens in my zone and very soon we will come out and chart the way forward.

27/09/2025

https://pocketnewsnigeria.blogspot.com/2025/09/plateau-north-senator-empowers.html

It was a day of joy at the Langfield event Center in Jos, Nigeria on Friday 26 September 2025 as Senator Pam Dachungyang Mwadkon...

24/09/2025

https://pocketnewsnigeria.blogspot.com/2025/09/senator-natasha-remains-defiant-says.html

Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan (PDP, Kogi) on Tuesday gained access to her office at the Senate wing of the National Assembly, ...

19/09/2025

I BELIEVE IN YOUTH INVESTMENT FOR THE FUTURE- BAGOS

Onjefu Odaudu,Jos
A former Member who represented Jos South/Jos East federal constituency in the 9th assembly in the house of representatives has clarified that his passion for the younger generation is to mould them for a productive future.

He disclosed this in a chat with some select journalists in Jos the Plateau state capital while lamenting how Nigerian youths have lost hope and confidence in the system.

Hon Bagos stated that though he is considered as a youth but as Nigeria will be celebrating 65 years of independence, he has over run the not too young to run bill that says you can contest for the presidency at the age of 40, stating that he is now heading for 50, adding that the bill further states that you can contest for other positions at the age of 25 - 39.

According to the former law maker, "I have been discussing with civil societies and even movers of the not too young to run bill on what confidence do the elders have on the youths to run at that particular age, what capacity can we really put on the youths to run for such offices that the bill has given them the opportunity to run? adding, That is why my investment in the youths is basically about the future of the youths, that they should believe in the system and also believe they can do it".

Retreriating "I am concerned about how youths have lost confidence in the system and are channeling their thoughts on seeking greener pastures beyond the shores of Nigeria".

" I recall while we were having a discussion in NIPSS sometimes ago on the Nigerian youths, how they are leaving the country, how they have lost hope, low and behold, while we were having that discussion I got a message from one of my mentees, that reads "I am tired of Nigeria" and I showed them the message, stating this is the reality of what is going on in the circle of the average Nigerian youth".

Bagos added that the youths have not gotten the booster that their hope can be revived, adding that once upon a time, as a youth, you had scholarship to go to school, you got employed when you graduate from school, stressing that "these are the things Nigerian youths are yearning for, these things they are looking for were there once upon a time in Nigeria".

Speaking on the possible remedy the honourable puts it "The insecurity in Nigeria and on the Plateau was not there in the 90's, so if it was not there, that means we can solve it. Plateau or Nigeria was not birthed with insecurity, it was not birthed with most of the challenges we faced today, it simply means we can solve it, Nigeria at 65 years, we are supposed to be discussing how we can improve and solve these challenges".

"Most of the policy drivers today are more than 65 years, we must be able to ask them what happened along the 65 years, where did we get it wrong? We must get back to the drawing board and get it right whether we like it or not".

In his word to the youths, "My plea to the youths is that let us come back and put our heads together, let us have confidence in the system, let us understand that all hope is not lost".

Bagos reiterated "My investment in the younger generation is about their future the need to push for discussions on how to make Nigeria better".

He further revealed thar leadership recruitment for the youths is part of his drive, stating that the youths have been so brainwashed that politics is all about N10 000 and not about the future, that politics is about screaming and not thinking, that politics is all about abusive words on social media.

He further adds "The only person who can change the narrative is a carefully chosen leader, stressing that today we have a Governor on the Plateau who says enough of taking our past leaders to EFCC and at the end of the day waste government money without any progress adding that we have a leader that says I rather spend N1 million to sink a borehole that will benefit the people than to give it to somebody to put in his pocket and go and waste his life in the beer parlor, today we have a leader who is concerned about how to improve our state"

'The reason we are asking Governor Caleb Mutfwang to run again is not just because he is a Governor that we like, is not because he is PDP, but because we have seen that he can do it"

He equally implored citizens to mobilize and return Governor Mutfwang for a second term of four years so that his gigantic developmental and infrastructural strides will be sustained.

17/09/2025

https://pocketnewsnigeria.blogspot.com/2025/09/sen-lar-launches-advocacy-for-voters.html

By Jeffrey Daudu, Langtang, Plateau State. Worried by the lacklustre performance of the APC in the 2023 elections in Plateau So...

16/09/2025

Kindly disregard the fake news
Arjen Robben is alive and well

05/09/2025

https://pocketnewsnigeria.blogspot.com/2025/09/spitting-on-dele-giwas-grave-throwing.html

By Richard Akinola Today, Friday, September 5 is the 16th anniversary of the death of Chief Gani Fawehinmi. There is no better w...

05/09/2025

https://pocketnewsnigeria.blogspot.com/2025/09/plasiec-fixes-september-1st-as-election.html

As part of preparations for the 2026 Local Government elections, the Plateau State Independent Electoral Commission (PLASIEC) h...

29/08/2025

KAWA MAI GOSHI: SETTING THE RECORD STRAIGHT

In recent weeks, the story of Miss Bethel, popularly known online as Kawa Mai Goshi, has stirred emotions across Plateau State and beyond. With over 150,000 social media followers, her story has touched many. Some see her as a symbol of resilience and hope. But behind the clicks, likes, and shares, government has a duty to ask an important question: Is the child truly safe, protected, and free from exploitation?

Why Government Had to Step In
It was reported that despite her online fame, Bethel was spotted in Jos looking scruffy and even begging. This is not something any responsible authority can ignore. When the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development received the report, the first step was simple: invite her parents and her manager, Grace Joseph, for a fact-finding discussion.

Unfortunately, despite invitations on August 2nd, 4th, and 25th, Ms. Joseph refused to attend. Only with the intervention of law enforcement was she eventually brought forward. Even then, instead of cooperating with efforts to protect Bethel, she later went online to insult the government and rain curses on officials before her followers.

This raises serious concerns about transparency and accountability.

Helping is Good — But Help Must Follow the Law
We want to be clear: the Ministry is not against people helping children. On the contrary, Plateau State encourages citizens to support vulnerable children. But such support must remain within the ambits of the law.

Why? Because history has shown us that many tragic cases of child trafficking began with families “giving away” their children to someone who promised them a better life. For this reason, there are clear procedures for fostering, guardianship, and child representation in media. These procedures exist to protect the child first.

As the law stands:

Section 28 of the Child Rights Act prohibits exploitative labor and provides up to five years imprisonment or fines for violators.

Section 30 of the Child Rights Act explicitly forbids using children for hawking, begging, or economic exploitation.

Section 18 of the Child Rights Act protects children from exploitative or unfair contracts.

Section 59 of the Labour Act forbids child employment under conditions that are not supervised by parents and strictly limited.

It is not about sentiment. It is about protection.

Clarifying Misinformation:

The Ministry’s only action was to invite Ms. Joseph and the parents for a conversation to guide them on how to protect Bethel’s welfare legally and sustainably.

Had she honored the invitation, the matter could have been resolved with orientation, legal guidance, and support. Instead, her refusal has left government no choice but to proceed with a full investigation.

The Bigger Picture
This is not about Bethel alone. The Ministry has been meeting with organisers of children’s pageants, talent shows, and media projects to ensure everyone understands the law. Nobody is above these rules. Nobody gets immunity because they claim to be “helping.”

We know emotions are high. Many admire Ms. Joseph for giving Bethel opportunities. We recognize that. But the moment the child was seen in a vulnerable state, a duty of care was triggered. At that point, intentions are not enough; the law must guide.

Our Commitment
The Plateau State Government remains resolute: we will leave no stone unturned in protecting children. We will investigate, educate, and if necessary, prosecute to ensure that every child grows up in safety and dignity.

To our citizens, we ask: join hands with us. Help children, yes — but do it right. Because the welfare of Bethel, and every child, is not a matter of choice. It is the law.

— Plateau State Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development

From Hon Caroline Panglang Dafur .

27/08/2025

https://pocketnewsnigeria.blogspot.com/2025/08/plateau-state-police-command-list.html

By Onjefu Odaudu,Jos The Plateau State Police Command under the leadership of CP Emmanuel Adesina at it's monthly press briefin...