The Pioneer News Flash 24hrs

21/06/2025

21/06/2025

WOMBO BRIEFS CONSTITUENTS, DISTRIBUTES BAGS OF FERTILIZER
.. Set To Disburse Scholarship To Students

The Pioneer Reporters

Member representing Katsina-Ala/Ukum/Logo Federal Constituency, Hon. Prince Solomon Wombo yesterday, 20th June, 2025 briefed his constituency as his marked two years in office as Member Representing the Federal Constituency at the National Assembly.

While addressing his constituents on his journey of two years in office, he highlighted his achievements to include construction of link road from Tongov communities to Ugondo communities as well as ongoing infrastructural development across the entire Federal Constituency, saying he is dedicated in giving his constituents good representation despite, the insecurity challenges in the constituency.

He donated bags of fertilizer and huge amount of cash to constituents in other to ease farming activities in the areas saying, farming is the only thing that can sustain the people in meet up to their financial need.

He also directed the committee handling his scholarship for 400 hundred indigenous Sankera students in higher institution of learning to begin the disbursement.

In their separate remarks, Chairmen Katsina Ala Local Government Area, Hon. Dr. Justin Shaku, Ukum Local Government Area, Hon. Jonathan Modi and Logo Local Government Area, Hon. Clement Ungwachii Kav commended the Member, for such a wonderful gesture, describing it as first of it kind.

Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, Hon. Matthew Abo and Former Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources Hon. Dr. Benjamin Ashaver among other many speakers at the occasion acknowledged Hon. Wombo for his quality representation and urged him to maintain it, saying one good turn deserves another.

The constituency briefing was held at Hon. Solomon Wombo Constituency Office/Secretariat in Katsina-Ala Township.

In attendance were many Federal, State and Local Government appointees as well as numerous prominent sons and daughters from the Federal Constituency.

18/06/2025

CONDOLENCE MESSAGE

The Oba Yoruba Gboko Zone, His Royal Highness Olufemi Kinsley Omotayo has condoled The Chairman, Benue Traditional Council/Tor Tiv, HRM Prof James Iorzua Ayatse, The Executive Governor of Benue State, His Excellency Rev. Fr. Dr. Hyacinth Iormem Alia on the Yerewata mayhem, saying, this is a clear signal that the enemies are at war with the good people of Benue State.

He expressed his deepest sympathies to the families of the victims, who have lost their loved ones in this horrific incidence.

He on behalf of the Yoruba Community in Gboko Local Government Area, called on the State and Federal Government to bring the criminals to book and also come to the aid of the people affected by the armed Herdsmen Attacks by assisting them with the relive material in order to cushion the suffering of the affected persons.

Singed:
His Royal Highness Olufemi Kinsley Omotayo

13/06/2025

YAAN FELICITATES PRESIDENT TINUBU, GOV ALIA OVER DEMOCRACY DAY
..Seeks support and Collaboration from Government

By Timothy Atoza

The Chairman Nigerian Automobile Technicians Association, Gboko Main Unit, Comr. Paul Terna Yaan has on behalf of the entire union felicitated with the executive Governor of Benue State, Rev. Fr. Dr. Hyacinth Iormem Alia and the President, Federal Republic of Nigeria, Bola Almed Tinubu on the occasion of this year Democracy Day Celebration.

He has especially identified with Governor Alia over his achievements in office for the past two years which according to him include prompt payment of salaries to the civil servants, infrastructural development, particularly the ongoing construction of urban and rural roads across the State as well as the underpasses at High Level Makurdi and Gboko respectively among many.

He pledged the unalloyed support of the association to the administration of the Governor, even as he appealed to the State Government to assist the association financially or otherwise to acquire more technological and advanced tools so that members of the association would be able to provide best services to car owners in the state.

The chairman who spoke on behalf of the entire members of the association also urged the State Government to introduce skill acquisition programme in Automobile works and collaborate with the association to train many youths in the state in the handwork which according to him would help the youths to be self reliance and desist from different kinds of criminalities.

He expressed the desired of the association to accommodate more members and appealed for more land from the Government for easy expansion

04/05/2025

SOME GBOKO TRADERS DECRY UNLAWFUL EXTRA TAX CHARGES
.. Appeal for Government Intervention

By Timothy Atoza

Traders operating at Denen Tofi Palaza 1 and 2 in Gboko have decried imposition of unlawful extra taxes on them by Staff of Benue State Internal Revenue Service ( BIRS).

Briefing journalists on Saturday in Gboko, the, Patron of the Group, Chief Hon. Vitus Ikpa who spoke on behalf of them disclosed that, immediately the plaza was built and they occupied, all the members operating businesses within it paid all the necessary taxes listed in the tax gazette brought to them by the Government through the BIRS and Gboko Local Government Council, up to date.

He said that, the said plaza is a new plaza that is only one year old and most of their members selling there are operating small skel businesses and not wholesale.

According to him last year they were asked to pay two thousand fiftthy naira (N2,050) each for business premises, three thousand fifthy naira (N3,050 for Personal Income Tax (PIT), one thousand fiftthy Naira (1,050) for Development Levy (DL), seven thousand fiftthy (N7,050) for Annual Revenue from Gboko Local Government Areas, explaining that, the seven thousand fiftthy naira according to the tax officers, covers adverts and items they sell.

Chief Ikpa who said the above mentioned taxes were paid to various Government authorities that are in charge of it said, this year the same people who were asking them to pay the above mentioned charges last year, came this year and told them that, Benue State Government has now changed the method of revenue collection.

According to him, the tax collectors said, they are to register their shops with the sum of twenty thousand naira (N20, 000) each, pay twenty thousand (20,000) for certificate and ten thousand naira (10,000) for annual renewal of business premises respectively.

He said after receiving the new notice from the BIRS staff, all of their members become worried and thrown in serious pains and confusion, wondering how is possible for them to pay such huge amount of money from their small businesses saying, they are also surprised to receive notice for such huge increments which is even not captured in the revenue gazette given to them by the government.

The Patron further disclosed that immediately they received the increment notice from the BIRS staff, they approached one of their lawyers who went to the head office of BIRS and brought the current legally approved tax's gazette saying, they could not find such charges they imposing on them.

"According to the tax gazette brought by our lawyer, small skel businesses are to pay ten thousand (N10,000) for registration to obtain their business certificates and Annual Renual for retailers is five thousand (N5,000) yearly as stated in the gazette and any thing outside this according to the list is a scam" Chief Ikpa said.

Also speaking, he disclosed that, they invited the tax officers for proper explanation and dialogue but they turned their invitation down, insisting that if their members fail to pay the illegal charges demanded from them, all their shops would be locked and sealed.

The Patron who highlighted the negative effect of the unlawful increments such as unnecessary increments of all the price of items and failure of business owners to succeed in businesses among others, appealed to Benue State Internal Revenue Service (BIRS) and the entire Government of Benue State under the good leadership of His Excellency Rev. Dr. Fr Hyacinth Iormem Alia to come to their aid in order to stop the illegality.

Also in their separate remarks, Mr Nwabueze Omera Chairman Denen Tofi Plaza 2 Gboko, Chief Chuks Omada Treasurer who decried the continual harassment of on their members by same BIRS staff, frowned at the manner in which they are been forced to pay what is not officially gazetted in the tax documents of the government, appealing to the Government to urgently intervene in the matter for the safety of both their lives and businesses.

14/03/2025

GBOKO AUTO MOBILE SPARE PARTS AND MOTOR SPARE PARTS DEALERS DECLARE ILLEGAL CLOSURE OF THEIR SHOPS.
.. Alleged Threats to Their Lives

Auto Mobile Spare Parts and Motor Spare Parts Dealers Association in Gboko city of Benue State has declared unlawful closure of their business shops and harassment of their members by unidentified group of people who have come to impose levies on their members.

Briefing the media in a joint press conference held in their office in Gboko, the Patron of the two associations, Chief Hon. Vitus Ikpa (JP) who spoke on behalf of the two Chairmen of the association, Mr Kenneth Okechukwu and Mr Matthew Ogbona said, four days ago some groups of people came to where they are operating their business which is located outside the main market of Gboko and demanded that all their members should pay two thousand naira (N2,000) each for all the shops as a sweeping levy, which according to him they refused since there was no official notice of such from any Government authority to that effect.

He said, they also told them that, they have been paying all the gazetted taxeses sent to them by the Government and since that particular one was not included, they can not pay it but the boys insisted that the must pay.

According to him, three days ago the same group came and started harassing their members and packing their loads to unknown destination even beating some of their members who tried to resist their actions and they quickly alerted the DPO of A-division police station Gboko who sent his men that arrested them.

He said, the police took the boys who were 10 in number to their station for investigation and after listening to both of them, the DPO called the Council Chairman Gboko Local Government Area, Hon. Barr. Elias Torseer Yina to confirm wether he was aware of the existence of such group which according to him, the chairman said, he was the one who contracted the group to be doing the cleaning job within the town but has not permitted them to be collecting monies from shop owners and the police later released the boys and their members came back and opened their shops.

He said the same group of people came today again being the 14th of March, 2025 and forced all of their members to close their shops and beat some of them even took away some of their items but due to security intervention, they returned it back, saying their members became frustrated.

Speaking further, during the press briefing, Chief Ikpa who declared continion attack and harassment of the same group of people on their members as well as illegal closure of their shops is appealing to the Benue State Government to come to their aid to enable them to continue with the operation of their businesses, otherwise they may have no option than relocating their business to other States.

18/02/2025

Buter Seeks Government, Stakeholders Intervention for Timely School Resumption

By Timothy Msugh and Angbianshio Isaac

The Proprietor and Principal, Mount Carmel International College, Gboko, Mr. Terhemba Matthew Buter has appealed to Government at all levels and the necessary agencies to help in giving awareness to parents and children on the needs for timely school resumption in order to enable schools to properly capture their curriculum as directed by both the State and Federal Ministry of Education.

Mr. Buter made the appeal while speaking with journalists who were in his office for media interaction with him on the resumption of pupils in his school for the second term of 2024/2025 session.

He said some parents are in habits of keeping their children at home even when schools are resumed and that has seriously affected the the proper education of such children, saying some parent prefer their children to resume second or even the third term which according, has affected affected learning process of such pupils.

The principal who said it is better for parents to approach management of schools where their children are studying to shared their challenges with them than keeping their children at home when schools are resumed, disclosed that, it is a practice and tradition of their school for all the pupils to resume on the first day of resumption for proper learning to avoid penalties.

According to him, all their lesson plannings are in line with their policies on timely resumption which is believe to be best practices in educational sector saying, in their school teaching commence on the first day of resumption and any student who fail to resume on the first day is punished.

He appealed to Government and agencies that are responsible to help school managements in giving proper awareness and orientation to parents as well as children on the needs to resume back to school on the first day of resumption.

He said such orientation and awareness would help in curtailing the bad habit of late resumption as it affects learning process of pupils.

"We are appealing to Government and the necessary agencies that are responsible to help give proper awareness to parents as well as students so that the habit of keeping children at home when schools are resumed would be curtailed. It is a serious problem in the society because at the end of the day, you would discover that, what has been designated to teach for a whole term would be difficult to be covered by the teachers"

He further disclosed that in order to contribute their quota to the education of Benue State child, their school offers scholarship to some pupils to enable them to gain education for free of charge.