Trendy Finds

09/18/2023

Kontagora 2: Tribunal dismisses petition by PDP candidate

By Uthman Yawa-Siraja

The National and State Assembly Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Minna, Niger State, on Monday upheld the election of Isah Abdullahi of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Isah Abdullahi, who contested the April 18 Niger State House of Assembly election in the Kontagora two state constituency, was challenged by Mohammed Nasir of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on the ground that he was not qualified to contest the election.

The petitioner approached the tribunal alleging that the defendant did not possess the requisite qualification to contest the state house of assembly election to represent the Kontagora two state constituency in the election conducted on April 18, 2023.

He alleged that, apart from not having the requisite qualifications, the election was characterised by irregularities, over-voting, and other malpractices, and therefore requested that the tribunal nullify the election.

Three witnesses and subpoenaed witnesses testified before the tribunal, which included the Electoral Officer of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The respondent counsel, Barrister Ibrahim Isah Atabo, did not call any witness, as he told the tribunal during the trial and the adoption of the final written addresses that he relied on the subpoenaed witnesses of the petitioner to close his case.

In the over two-hour judgement delivered by Justice Mojisola Ishaq Sule, of the three-member panel, she submitted that the petitioner failed in entirety to prove all the allegations raised in his petition, and it was dismissed without any course.

Fielding questions from journalists shortly after the judgement, Barrister Ibrahim Isah Atabo commended the tribunal for their courage in delivering the judgement, describing it as eloquent.

He stated that the petitioner has no reason to approach the tribunal with the "unsubstantiated allegations against the respondent in the first place, because there is no basis for filing the petition.

"That was the reason we refused to call any witness to testify, and we relied on his own witnesses".

He called on politicians to always accept the outcome of the election results; this, he noted, will go a long way towards nurturing our democracy.

In his own remarks, the respondent, Hon. Isah Abdullahi, requested the petitioner to join hands with him to move Kontagora two constituency forward.

He appreciated the tribunal for allowing justice to prevail, stressing that the judiciary will always remain the last hope of the common man.

09/15/2023

Niger govt clears N600m AEDC Debt

By Abubakar Hassan

The Niger State Government has disclosed that it has paid about N600 million to the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) to offset the backlog of electricity debt owed to the company.

The Head of Service, Niger State, Abubakar Y. Salisu, made this disclosure during the post-state executive council press briefing held at the government house press gallery on Thursday.

He said the present administration was bittered about the embarrassment it faced whenever AEDC disconnected electricity from some of its critical facilities, such as the waterworks and the general hospitals.

Abubakar Salisu said in order to improve the provision of electricity in the state, particularly in the critical facilities of the government, the present administration under the leadership of Governor Umar Mohammed Bago had cleared all the remaining balance of the electricity debt.

He disclosed that, to the best of his ability, "the issue of AEDC's constant embarrassment of the government through its critical facilities has now been put to rest as the state is not owing AEDC a dime, except for the current month's September bill."

He also disclosed that plans were on the ground to take some of the energy-consuming agencies of the government off AEDC and that they were working tirelessly to achieve that, saying when this is done, the government will be completely free from AEDC embarrassment due to electricity debt.

The Head of Service disclosed that Governor Umar Mohammed Bago, having come from the banking sector, was able to stabilise the state's finances by being very careful about financial discipline, adding that the state is currently stable financially as it has not less than N10 billion in savings.

He revealed that in about 60 months of the last administration, salaries were paid with the aid of overdraft in the state, but that the present administration had paid the last three months salaries without taking overdraft, and that all development partner counterpart funds had been cleared with no development partner owing a dime.

Also, the state commissioner for local government, Hon. Hamidu Jantabo, said they were focusing on building a sustainable future for local government administration in the state.

He disclosed that having come from local government as a two-term council chairman, he was aware that anytime local government workers salaries were to be paid, the ministry had to take about N3.9 billion over draft, but that with the coming of the present administration the figure had dropped to about N2 billion, assuring that the target of the ministry was that by December the gap should be closed in such a way that salaries would be paid without taking overdraft.

He also revealed that it was not a hidden thing that local government workers were owed 100 percent of their October 2020 salary and a certain 10 percent and 30 percent, saying they have cleared the 10 percent and 30 percent remaining of their October 2020 salary, which he assured they were working on how to offset too.

On his part, the state Commissioner for Communication Technology and Digital Economy, Hon. Suleiman Isah, disclosed that information and communication technology (ICT) is the main thing now and that the state will leverage that to create job opportunities for the teeming unemployed youths in the state.

He disclosed that for the first time in the history of the state, the executive council meeting was held with the governor and other council members joining virtually, saying this will afford council members the opportunity to be part of council meetings from wherever they are, adding that they were working on documenting all council documents and resolutions electronically for easy access and quick action.

Earlier in her remarks, the state commissioner for information and strategy, Hon. Binta Mamman, said the first 100 days of the present administration were not without some modest achievements, even though the governor had shown no interest in celebrating the 100 days.

She disclosed that the present administration was committed to the new Niger State project and the urban renewal policy and that the government was committing over N200 billion to the Minna project, saying in the next 12 months Minna residents will have to use Google Maps to find their way to where they are going.

09/14/2023

Gov Umaru Bago begins groundbreaking road construction in Minna

By Akawu Ibrahim

Niger State Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago says his administration will construct about 1,500 kilometres of roads in the next four years.

The governor stated this at the flag-off of the rehabilitation and construction of 202km of Minna township roads.

The governor said the road projects were part of his aggressive urban renewal policy that would bring significant transformation to the state.

He observed that the state has a good number of federal roads spread across the state, and his administration will fix them and seek a refund from the federal government.

The governor charged the youth to take advantage of the road projects to gainfully engage themselves as materials and human capital will be sourced locally.

He added that the government, through the Ministry of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises, will come up with an empowerment scheme for those that will trade around the construction sites.

Earlier, the commissioner for works and infrastructure, Suleiman Umar, disclosed that the project, which has a total of 202.4 km, consists of 22 different roads.

He said this was in addition to five interchanges and flyovers at strategic locations that will open up the state capital.

While describing the project as one of the most ambitious urban development projects in the history of the state, the commissioner reiterated that the ministry will provide the needed monitoring and supervisory functions to ensure timely completion of the projects.

The Managing Director of China Civil Engineering Construction Company (CCECC), Mr. David Wang, commended the resilience of the governor and described him as an ambitious man who was focused on changing the face of Niger State through massive infrastructural development.

Mr. Wang promised to collaborate with relevant stakeholders and ensure harmonious relationships with the locals for timely and qualitative projects.

Also, the Emir of Minna, HRH. Alh. Umar Faruk Bahago, applauded the governor for his giant stride, especially in the urban renewal programme, and pledged the continued support of the emirate council to the government.

At the completion of the township roads, the size of Minna, the state capital, would have been expanded to 100 sq km.

09/11/2023

Tribunal nullifies election of Joshua Gana of PDP, orders rerun in 20 polling units

By Uthman Yawa-Siraja

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has been ordered to withdraw the Certificate of Return issued to Hon. Joshua Audu Gana, of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), as the winner of the February 25, 2023 National Assembly Election.

The National Assembly Election Petition Tribunal also set aside the election of the respondent and ordered a rerun in about 23 polling units in the three federal constituencies.

It will be recalled that Joshua Gana was declared the winner of the February 25 National Assembly Election to represent Edati, Lavun, and Mokwa Federal Constituency.

The Chief of Staff to the Governor of Niger State, Usman Abdullahi Gbatamangi of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who contested along with Joshua Gana and lost in the election, had approached the tribunal, requesting that he be returned as the rightful winner of the election.

Gbatamagi claimed that the respondent lost in some of the polling units across the three LGAs of the federal constituency, as the elections in some polling units were characterised by irregularities and other electoral malpractices, and requested that the tribunal declare him the winner.

While reviewing all the submissions of both the counsel to both the petitioner and the respondent, the tribunal expunged some of the evidence and attached all the exhibits related to the conduct of the election in Edati, Lavun, and Mokwa Federal Constituency.

After reviewing all the evidence, exhibits, and witnesses that testified, Justice Mohammed Rashid submitted that the evidence tendered before the tribunal was convincing enough.

He further affirmed that the tribunal was convinced by the testimonies of the counsel to the petitioner and the exhibits, and that the evidence availed to the tribunal was proved beyond every reasonable doubt.

Justice Mohammed Rashid, in an unanimous decision, gave the order that the INEC should immediately withdraw the certificate of return issued to the respondent without further delay.

The judge also ordered the conduct of a rerun in the 23 affected polling units within the next 90 days and equally set aside the election accordingly.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has been ordered to withdraw the Certificate of Return issued to Hon. Joshua Audu Gana, of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), as the winner of the February 25, 2023 National Assembly Election. The National Assembly Election Petition Tribunal also...

09/11/2023

Tribunal affirms election of Ismaila Modibo as NASS member

By Uthman Yawa-Siraja

The National and State Assembly Election Petition Tribunal sitting in the Minna High Court complex on Monday dismissed the petition filed against the election of Ismaila Musa Modibo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) by Abdullahi Mohammed Rico of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Abdullahi Rico filed the petition challenging the election of Ismaila Modibo during the February 25 Presidential and National Assembly Election to represent Munya, Rafi, and Shiroro Federal Constituencies on the ground that the respondent did not win the majority of votes cast and that it was marred with irregularities and overvoting.

He further alledged that the respondent did not obtain the requisite secondary school certificate from Government Secondary School (GSS) Tegina and also did not have a primary school certificate as claimed, requesting that the tribunal return him as the rightful winner of the election, having sufficiently qualified to contest the election.

He further alleged that the election of the respondent did not comply with the provisions of the Electoral Act 2022 as the respondent did not qualify to contest the election as required by the provisions of the Act.

During the pre-hearing trial of the petition, all the witnesses and evidence brought to the tribunal were all assigned as exhibits.

Also, three witnesses were subpoenaed by the tribunal, among them the principal of Government Secondary School (GSS) Tegina and the headmistress of Central Primary School Tegina, who all testified under cross-examination that the respondent completed and obtained his first school leaving certificate from Central Primary School, Tegina, as well as the testimonial issued to the respondent by the principal.

Delivering judgement after reviewing all the submissions and evidence, as well as the exhibits and the tesmonies of all the counsel in the matter, the chairman of the three-member tribunal, Justice Godspower Aguma averred that the petitioner failed to prove all his allegations as contained in his petition, and the petition was dismissed for lack of merit.

Speaking with journalists shortly after the judgement, Barrister Chris Osuagu described the judgement as a demonstration that the respondent was duly elected by the people of Munya, Rafi, and Shiroro Federal Constituencies at the February 25 National Assembly Election.

He said all the grounds sought by the petitioner could not be proved, and "even his own witnesses testified against him to tell you that the petitioner has failed in proving all the allegations he brought to the tribunal".

He appealed to politicians to always imbibe the spirit of sportsmanship when accepting defeat in an election.

09/11/2023

Police shot 12-year-old IDP during palliative distribution

By Uthman Yawa-Siraja

The police shot a twelve-year-old, Sani Danlami, as people scrambled over palliatives in Rijau, the headquarters of the Rijau Local Government Area of Niger State.

The police shot the victim on Sunday, during the distribution of palliative, when a skirmish engulfed one of the distribution units in the area.

It was gathered that the police shot sporadically into the air in an attempt to disperse the crowd; and in the process, a stray bullet hit Danlami, an internally displaced person, on his right hand while heading to the distribution side from his IDP camp.

Fielding questions from journalists, the Chairman of the Palliatives Distribution Committee in Charge of Rijau Local Government, Dr. Tukur Bello, stated that the police, in an effort to restore order, decided to shoot the victim, who was rushed to a nearby clinic for emergency medical attention before he was later referred to the IBB Specialist Hospital in Minna for further medical care.

Dr. Tukur, who is also the Commissioner for Secondary and Tertiary Health in Niger State, disclosed that the skirmish was the result of some miscreants who came into the distribution units and carted away some of the palliatives from the units, which resulted in shooting by the police.

According to Dr. Tukur Bello, in an effort by the police to control the mammoth crowd, they shot in the air, but unfortunately, the stray bullet hit the little boy, who is from an IDP camp, and the bullet hit him on his right hand.

" We rushed him to one of the clinics for emergency medical attention. On receiving the unfortunate information, the Governor, Umaru Mohammed Bago, directed that we do everything humanly possible to ensure that the boy was given full medical attention.That is why we are here with the boy, and we thank God the boy has been given the needed medical attention and is now recuperating," he told journalists.

According to Dr. Tukur, the divisional police officer in charge of Rijau Divisional Command has already taken the police officer who shot the boy into custody for further investigation.

09/10/2023

Gov Umaru Bago expresses shock over boat mishap in Mokwa LGA
--reiterates use of life jackets

By Akawu Ibrahim:

Niger State Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago has expressed shock over a boat mishap that claimed several lives in Mokwa Local Government Area of Niger State.

Governor Umaru Bago, in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Bologi Ibrahim, described the incident as terrible and sorrowful.

According to him, "This is quite a shocking and sorrowful situation for the people of the affected communities, and I share in their grief. I pray that God will grant the deceased paradise".

While commiserating with the families of the victims, the governor directed the Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA) to do the needful by ameliorating the sufferings of the people.

He also prayed that God would comfort the families of the deceased and grant quick recovery to those injured.

He, however, reiterated the importance of using life jackets when boarding a boat and urged people to desist from overloading boats.

It was reported that a boat carrying over 100 people onboard, including women and children from communities between Jebba and Kainji Dam, heading to the Old Gbajibo resettlement centre, capsized.

The victims, who were said to be from Gbajibo, Ekwa, and Yankyade communities, were going for farming activities when the incident occurred in the morning.

About 26 people, mostly women and children, have been confirmed dead and over 30 people have been rescued, while a combined rescue operation by marine police and local divers in collaboration with the Niger State Emergency Management Agency is ongoing.

09/10/2023

Our greatest undoing is infighting, lack of cooperation among leaders -Gov Bago

By Akawu Ibrahim

Governor of Niger State, Hon Mohammed Umaru Bago (2nd right), his deputy, Comrade Yakubu Garba (3rd right), Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris Malagi (2nd left), Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Sen. Abdullahi Sabi (far left) at the reception

Niger State Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago has said the state is endowed with great potential that will make it a giant, but infighting and a lack of cooperation amongst its political leaders have denied it the needed prosperity.

He said he was determined to change the narrative and bring all stakeholders together, provide a verifiable networking platform, and create a harmonious working relationship with everyone that matters to build a new Niger State.

The governor stated this during a special interview with journalists shortly after a grand reception his government hosted in honour of federal and state elected and appointed sons and daughters of the state at the Idris Legbo Kutigi International Conference Centre, Minna.

He said the state was blessed with potentials in human and natural endowments that should make it a giant in the comity of Nigerian states but identified internal squabbles, a lack of synergy, cooperation, and networking amongst its political and professional leaders as panaceas to its greatness.

He promised that his government would change the status quo. "This is the only state we call home.

We're great, sleeping giants. We have 10 percent of Nigeria's landmass, huge bodies of water, four hydropower stations, are agrarian by nature, and have the highest congregation of Fulani herdsmen in the world because of our rich pastoral nature.

"Niger State is the headquarters of shea production in the world, a giant in mango production, a great giant in cashew production, and the highest producer of paddy rice in this subregion. So we think that because of a lack of understanding and networking amongst ourselves, we are unable to explore and exploit these potentials. So I have called all my brothers for all hands to be on deck irrespective of party affiliation or political lineages; let's all come back and build our home ", the governor said.

Governor Umaru Bago said his efforts were to also show their supporters that it's all about Niger State and the construction of a new state where everyone will be proud to call home.

He said he wished to see the state in the next four years trailing the blaze while others followed.

He disclosed that the gathering will be made a quarterly event as a state policy to create a better avenue to compare notes, discuss solutions to issues, appraise progress and developments made, and offer advice and suggestions on the way forward. He ordered local government chairmen in the state to replicate the efforts in their respective local governments.

The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris Malagi, who spoke to journalists, said they welcomed the development and commended the governor for taking the bold step, describing it as unprecedented.

He said going forward, it now remained on the governor to walk the talk, revealing that as federal minister, he will help the administration succeed.

"I feel really great. It's a very powerful symbol he has demonstrated today, and like I said, it's necessary for all political leaders and all stakeholders to come together to ensure there's this unity of purpose we all need for development and progress to happen.

The first step his excellency has taken is indeed a powerful one, and we hope he walks his talk and ensures that this thing becomes part of his everyday life", the minister said.

On his part, the Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Sen. Abdullahi Sabi, said he will ensure that the federal government's agricultural pilot programmes start in the state.

He said this was because Niger State was a classical state with all the natural endowments that the nation needed to pursue its ambitious programme for food security. He revealed that the commitment of the governor to open a new chapter for the state was unblemished, noting that the state will gain tremendously from the federal government's agricultural programmes.

09/09/2023

Kpakungu residents decry distribution of one packet of spaghetti, macaroni as palliative

By Odigiri Mackson

A child displays the palliative given to his family

Residents of Kpakungu community in Chanchaga Local Government Area of Niger State have criticised members of the palliative committee in charge of the area for not utilising the N20 million naira given to their ward as palliative.
Some of the people who spoke with Newsline about their plights regarding the development of palliative but did not want their names mentioned in print said that what they were given as palliative was nothing to write home about, describing the action meted out on them as unfair after waiting for two days to have their shares with high expectations.
According to the residents, the people handling the distribution were seen moving from one house to another Thursday night and Friday morning, sharing one packet of spaghetti and one packet of macaroni per household; there was no rice, no oil, no tomatoes, and no beans. The question raised was what about the truck of rice allocated to each ward apart from the N20 million in cash?
They, however, called on the state government to investigate all those in charge of the palliative committee and give an account of what they did with the N20 million allocated to their ward, Minna South, which comprises 41 polling units.
The people, while expressing their displeasure over the insincerity of the palliative committee, said the plights of the downtrodden, who were the targeted beneficiaries aimed to cushion the effect of the fuel subsidy removal, were rather short changed from getting what they were supposed to be given while the rich got richer as they channelled the money for themselves.
They, however, blamed the state government for releasing the money meant for palliative to each ward to purchase food items by themselves and distribute.
The Assistant Public Relations Officer, APC, of Minna South Ward, Esther Gwonna, who confirmed the sharing of only one spaghetti and macaroni to a household in the area, told Newsline on Friday that what they shared with the people was what the palliative committee gave them to share.
Esther, while responding to a question from Newsline on what happened to the truck of food items allocated to each ward by the state government received from the federal government for distribution to the people in addition to the ones they were given money to buy, explained that they had not seen anything like that and said that what they were given to share with the people were the items bought from the market.
The Executive Chairman of Chanchaga Local Government Council, Hon. Aminu Ladan, a member of the committee, and all efforts to speak to him by Newsline between Thursday, the 2nd day, and Friday to get his comments proved unsuccessful as he refused to answer the calls put to him.
A Newsline correspondent who visited most of the polling units where the distribution of palliative was expected to be shared with the people, reported that none of the committee members surfaced in any of the polling units.

09/09/2023

Former PDP councillor commends Bida LG palliative committee

By Hamza Waziri

The Bida Local Government Palliative Committee has been commended for sticking to the template and having a seamless distribution of the food items accordingly.
Hon. Abdulmajid Danlami Yaman, a former PDP councillor who represented Bariki ward in Bida, said he was impressed with the way the team leader, Hon. Suleiman Umar, the Commissioner of Works and Infrastructural Development, exhibited leadership quality. Hon. Yaman disclosed this yesterday at Bida Town Hall, where the Committee flagged off the distribution of the palliative for the Bariki Ward.
He said the level of transparency displayed by the committee was highly commendable, as all the ward committee members were carried along.
In his address, the team lead, Hon. Suleiman Umar, said a monitoring committee was set up at the local government level to supervise the activities of the unit committee members.
He pleaded for the total cooperation and understanding of the people of Bida, disclosing that no man can share anything with the people in society perfectly; however, their target was that the beneficiaries should be more than those who might not be so lucky.
The Commissioner of Works and Infrastructural Development disclosed that the palliative was meant to cushion the effect of the fuel subsidy removal temporarily, especially for the most downtrodden in society, adding that, however, the government of Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago was designing a programme that would enable the citizens to feed themselves.
He said the state government was already taking steps such as the Bida Ring Road, Minna township road projects, conversion of the Shiroro Hotel to the IBBU Teaching Hospital project, redevelopment of Three Arms Zone, and others to create job opportunities for our teeming youth roaming around the corners of the state.
Hon. Suleiman then warned the various committees not to shortchange the template given to them as a comprehensive report would be filed after the exercise.
In his goodwill message, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Special Duties, Dr. Murtala Bagana, admonished the unit committee members to distribute the items with the fear of Allah, as they would be asked to account for their deeds.
He said that the committee's priority was to ensure the food items got to targeted beneficiaries, adding that widows, the physically challenged, and the less privileged must be carried along.
Hon. Sadiq Umar, a former member of the Niger State House Assembly who represented the Bida South constituency, pleaded with the beneficiaries to give their maximum support and cooperation to the sharing committee when they ask for their details, such as phone numbers, as the monitoring committee or even Governor Bago may decide to call them to inquire about them.
Five kg of rice and four wraps of spaghetti were given to the beneficiaries, and at the time of filing this report, all 14 wards in Bida had a successful flagged-off ceremony.