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Gov. Nasir El-Rufa’i of Kaduna State, on Monday, directed the 13 new Permanent Secretaries for the state civil service to deliver on their mandates in line with the vision of his administration.

The governor said after the swearing-in of the permanent secretaries that as technocrats, they must guide commissioners of their respective ministries to function efficiently and effectively.

He also called on them to bring their professionalism to bear in delivering quality services to the people of Kaduna state.

The 13 permanent secretaries include Adamu Mansur, Human Services and Social Development; Nuhu Buzun, Public Service; Abdullahi Sani, SUBEB; Stephen Joseph, Environment; Ibrahim Jere, Establishment and Training, and Mahmoud Yamusa, Planning and Budget.

Others are Chris Umar, Justice; Habiba Shekarau, Civil Service Commission; Musa Adamu, Ministry of Local Government,; Murtala Dabo, Finance; Mahmoud Shuaibu, Health; Umar Ibrahim, Political Matters, and Umma Ahmed, Quality Assurance.(NAN)

ov Dave Umahi of Ebonyi has petitioned the South African government over the alleged murder of a Nigerian, Mr Benjamin Simeon in South Africa.

Simeon, 43, a native of Okposi, Ohaozara local government area of Ebonyi and resident in South Africa was allegedly shot dead by gunmen in Johannesburg.

Umahi, in a statement signed by Mr Emmanuel Uzor, Chief Press Secretary and made available to newsmen in Abakaliki on Sunday requested for a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the gruesome murder of Simeon.

Simeon was allegedly shot by yet to be identified gunmen on Aug 3, 2019 at Verona Street in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Umahi, in the petition written to the South African High Commission in Nigeria, called for a full investigation into the killing of the Nigerian citizen with a view to unmasking the killers and bringing them to justice.

The deceased, was until his death, a taxi driver in Johannesburg.

He had dropped his passengers shortly before he was allegedly shot dead by his assailants.

“The deceased, was until his death a law abiding Nigerian citizen resident in South Africa where he was going about his normal business as a taxi driver,” he said.

Umahi called on the Federal Government to intervene in the matter to ensure that perpetrators were brought to book.

“We call on South African government to ensure that justice is not only served to Simeon but also served to the Nigerian government, Ebonyi and the family of the deceased.

“The loss of a highly talented and law abiding citizen of Nigeria who was going about his legitimate business in South Africa aptly challenges us all to call on the reserves of our cherished African brotherhood. (NAN)

Gov. Samuel Ortom of Benue on Saturday in New York said no fewer than 81 herdsmen had been convicted and 3,000 cows arrested under the state’s anti-open grazing law.

 

Ortom, who gave the update in a keynote address at the 2019 annual convention of the Idoma Association USA, said implementation of the law had brought relative peace to the state.

 

“We are implementing our law, and there is relative peace. As at today, we have convicted 81 herdsmen. Some have paid fines; others are still in prison as I talk to you.

 

“We have gone a step further. Anywhere we see cattle doing open grazing, we go after them. So far, we have arrested over 3,000 cattle.

 

“The law stipulates that within seven days, owners of such cattle should pay fines and reclaim them. We have been collecting fines from them,’’ he said.

 

While insisting that ranching remained the best solution to the farmers/herders conflict, the governor challenged anyone with a better alternative to bring it forward.

 

Ortom spoke on the topic, “Security and Economic Challenges in Benue State’’, which was a modification of the theme of the conference that centred on Idoma land.

 

He said all parts of the state were facing similar development challenges, including insecurity, infrastructural deficit, unemployment, health and sanitation issues, among others, hence his decision to broaden the scope.

 

The governor said only four of the 23 local government areas in the state, namely Otukpo, Konshisha, Ushongo and Vandeikya, were spared of conflict between locals and herdsmen in the last six years.

 

“As at today, herdsmen have attacked 19 of the 23 local governments in Benue, claiming over 5,000 lives between 2013 and 2018.

 

“Over 195,000 homes and 30 churches worth billions of Naira were destroyed in the attacks,’’ Ortom said.

 

He thanked Idoma people in the U.S. for their support to victims of the Agatu attack in 2016; award of scholarships to Benue students, among others.

 

The governor also lauded them for being of good conduct, noting that to the best of his knowledge no criminal case or report had been brought against them.

 

Ortom used the opportunity to brief his hosts on the policies, programmes and projects being executed by the state government under his leadership.(NAN)

 

 

The Ebonyi Government has warned that any civil servant in the state that fails to undergo the August 6 verification faces possible sack from the civil service.

The warning was contained in a statement issued on Monday in Abakaliki by Mrs Jennifer Adibe-Nwafor, the Special Assistant to Gov. Dave Umahi on Labour and Inter-Party Matters.

Adibe-Nwafor said the exercise would commence in all the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of government at 8 am on Tuesday.

She said the exercise was in compliance with the governor’s directive for a comprehensive staff audit and verification for all categories of workers in the state.
“These include teachers, staff of all MDA as well as those in the Local Government System.

“All employees of the Ebonyi government are consequently directed to appear at their respective ministries, while workers at the various councils and Development Centres are to appear at their various council headquarters,” she said.

Adibe-Nwafor said they should attend the verification with their letters of appointment, first school leaving certificates, birth certificates and two passport photographs. (NAN)

A Cleric, Apostle Eugene Ogu, General Overseer, Abundant Life Evangel Mission, has appealed for patience from Nigerians concerning evident infrastructure deficit and insecurity in the country.

Ogu told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Port Harcourt that the new administration needed time to form its team so as to achieve expected success.

He said that it was necessary to allow the new administration an ample time for proper formation and policy takeoff, adding that any attempt by groups or individuals to trade blames or label the government as incompetent was very unnecessary.

“At this moment, I think every one should wait and be patient, let’s see the new team that President Muhammadu Buhari is constituting, let’s observe their new direction.

“Let’s see what action they will be taking, if they are going to declare a state of emergency on security, education, roads and airports.

“Let’s give the administration some time to form its executives and implement new polices so that we can ascertain if those policies could actually address our concerns.

“For now, I don’t think casting aspersions on the Federal Government and trading blames is the right thing to do,” Ogu said.

Reacting to arrests of some participants in the Aug. 4 #RevelationNow Protest, Ogu said that such arrests would not erase the cause of action which invariably was poverty, insecurity and infrastructure decay across the country .

“Let us believe that the government knows the pains and challenges of the people, whoever is being arrested as a result of that protest does not stop the fact for which the protest was intended.

“I advise that whenever they carry out these arrests, wisdom is required, such that once what they strove to stop has been stopped, the arrested persons should be released because if such arrests are not checked, it may get to a point where the greater population of Nigerians will stand up to say arrest all of us.

“There is actual poverty in the land, Nigerians are finding it difficult to survive in their own country because basic infrastructure are lacking.

“The roads are bad, our education system is nothing to write home about, health care amenities and electricity are inadequate, if democracy dividend could translate to poverty reduction in the country, I believe this administration would enjoy the accolade it wishes to get.

“Our country is right now in a very challenging situation that requires immediate action.

“And so Mr President should do everything within his powers to understand the urgency of meeting the expectations of Nigerians,” the cleric said.

But however, the president should be given sometime to enable him implement the right policies that could address these urgent needs, he advised.

Ogu also asked the government to totally overhaul the country’s security operating system to effectively tackle insurgency. (NAN)

The Gombe State Government, in collaboration with the Federal Government, has secured N3.4 billion loan from the World Bank for use in checking malnutrition in the state.

 

Dr Kamil Shoretire, National Project Manager, Accelerating Nutrition Result in Nigeria (ANRiN), stated this while fielding questions from newsmen on the sidelines of orientation workshop organized for stakeholders on the project in Gombe on Tuesday.

 

According to him, 12 states of the federation will benefit from 232 million dollars and Gombe state has secured 9.5 million dollars, which is equivalent to N3.4 billion.

 

He said the duration of the project is five years and it is expected that within that period, the burden of malnutrition among the Nigerian children will drastically reduce.

 

According to him, about 15 million Nigerian children are malnourished and stunted and the National Demographic Health Survey (NDHS) shows that Nigeria has not made any remarkable improvement in terms of child nutrition.

 

“NDHS survey indicates that we have not made any remarkable improvement in terms of nutrition and this gives us the impression that we may have humanitarian crisis while we are not at war.

 

“With this project, we will increase the quality and utilisation of the package of nutrition services in Nigeria among under- five children,” he explained.

 

He said the project would also focus attention on mothers of adolescent children, lactating women, as well as create awareness on exclusive breast-feeding.

 

Shoretire also said ‘Infant and Young Child Feeding’ programme would be introduced and children under- five would be de-wormed.

 

According to him, pregnant women will also receive folic acid, iron and other important components of micro nutrients.

 

Malam Suleiman Mamman, Project Manager, Gombe state, said the loan would attract 0.6 per cent interest and government would be repaying gradually.

 

He said the percentage of malnourished children in the state had been rising daily, from 46.6 per cent in 2018, to its current 50 per cent.(NAN)

By Mouhammed Baba Busu

Gov. Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa state has directed local government chairmen in the state to pay June and July salaries owed their workers before Aug. 9.

Sule gave the directive on Wednesday during a meeting with the 13 local governments’ chairmen at the Government House in Lafia.

According to him, the measure will enable staff of the councils to celebrate the forthcoming Eid-el-Kabir with ease and comfort.

The governor, who decried the hardship being experienced by the local government workers, said the issue was of great concern to his administration.

He said the delay in the payment of salaries and pension to local government workers was counter-productive and debased the morale of the workers.

Sule warned that his administration would not fold its arms and watch men and women, who are sacrificing their time and energy to sustain the existence of the state, to suffer.

The governor added that salaries and pensions should be paid to the deserving workers and retirees, urging the councils to ensure that salaries and pensions were paid regularly.

The governor decried inability of nine out of the 13 local government councils in the state to pay workers’ salaries in spite of the implementation of Local Governments autonomy in the state.

He said he was one of the first governors to implement the directive by the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) on direct allocation to the local government areas.

“I deliberately refused to be part of the allocation but after the sharing formula was done, nine local government chairmen ran to me, seeking permission to use funds meant for capital projects to be able to pay salaries.

Sule, who apologised to the staff of the nine councils for none payment of their salaries, called on the electorate to elect educated and competent people who could effectively handle the finances of their councils.

Earlier, the Chairman of Lafia Local Government, Aminu Maifata commended the governor for the encouragement given to local governments through his people-oriented policy, prudent management of resources and accountability.

Maifata, also the state ALGON Chairman, said local councils in the state were currently verifying the authenticity of workers.

“Ghost workers were discovered in the payroll of the 13 local government areas in the state during a recent verification.

“The verification was necessitated by the inability of nine local governments of Akwanga, Nassarawa-Eggon, Kokona, Karu, Doma, Obi, Toto, Nasarawa and Lafia, to pay June salaries in spite of receiving allocation directly from the Federal Government.

“It was also discovered that some unpatriotic staff connived and slotted into the payroll, unapproved promotion lists, thereby increasing the wage bills of the affected local governments.

“Through the verification, it was discovered that N60 million was being diverted by the syndicates responsible for the abnormalities monthly,’’ he said.

He attributed the menace of ghost workers and other illegal activities by some unpatriotic staff to the recent delay in the payment of June salaries of local government staff.

Maifata gave the assurance that measures were being put in place to fish out the perpetrators in order to clean up the system for better service to the people. (NAN)