Category: Uncategorized

By Danzumi Ishaku Jalingo

After over a hundred years of drinking water from ponds with animals, the Community and Social Development Projects (CSDP) has drilled a motorised borehole for the provision of portable water to Boboto village in Yorro Local government area of Taraba state.

Chief Sindi Shonvo, village head of Boboto, told newsman on Thursday that lack of portable water source had always been the problem of the community since they settled in the area over a hundred years ago.

Shonvo, said that successive governments in the state had promised to bring water to the community after listening to the plight of the people but always failed.

He narrated that the people had to travel to hours to the nearest pond to fetch water.

According to him, it became extremely difficult during the dry season when they had to spend agonising hours for the pond to generate water for them to fetch.

“It has been a very difficult experience for us. I am so excited that the Governor Darius Ishaku, in collaboration with the CSDP has listened to our cry and has brought this succour to our people.

“In the past, our women had to go to the pond that is very far away from here to go and fetch water.

“That is the same pond where our animals also drink an during the dry season, some of our children will even stop going to schools sourcing for water.

” They will spend long hours at the pond waiting their turns to fetch and today, all of that is put to rest now.

“With this borehole in our community now, half of our problem is solved and everyone is happy. ” The men, women, children, our animals and those making Burukutu (local beer) for us are all excited and happy’ the village head said.

Some of the people who spoke to Journalists expressed overwhelming joy over the development.

According to thirteen years old Veronica Santi, “now I don’t have to go to school late every day and we will continue going to school even during the dry season, the time we used to stop going to school because of water”.

Similarly, Joseph Shonva, a physically challenged man told Daybreak news that his plight for looking for water to bath and wash clothes had being addressed.

“My physical disabilities and the inconveniences that comes with it have been reduced to a great extent as I don’t have to crawl for hours just to go and take my bath and wash my clothes.

“Water is right at the back of my house and I feel very complete now,’ Shonva said.

Daybreak reports that the entire village was thrown into jubilation as a new borehole was commissioned in the community by CSDP.

By Samuel Itsede

Scores of Boko Haram Terrorists (BHTs) have been neutralized and their hideout destroyed at Bula Korege on the fringes of the Sambisa Forest in Borno State.

In a statement by Air Force spokes man Commodore Ibikunle Daramola, This was achieved in devastating air strikes conducted by the Air Task Force (ATF) of Operation LAFIYA DOLE as part of missions in the ongoing Operation GREEN SWEEP 3.

The target was designated for attack based on credible Intelligence reports, which were further corroborated by series of Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions, that established the settlement as a major hub of BHT activities.

The ATF therefore detailed 2 Alpha Jets to attack the target area. The air strikes were synchronized for maximum effect, recording devastating hits on the BHT hideout and killing several of their fighters, as captured in the Battle Damage Assessment (BDA) footage.

The statement further noted that the NAF, operating in concert with surface forces, will sustain its operations against the terrorists in the Northeast.

By Danzumi Ishaku

The National Youths Service Corps (NYSC) on Friday handed over three prospective corps members found with fake certificates to the police and other security operatives in the camp for further investigation.

Mrs Florence Yaakugh, the Taraba Coordinator of NYSC, who handed over the prospective batch B stream 2 corps members at the camp in Jalingo, said the verification officer discovered them with fake documents.

Yaakugh named the perspective corps members as Nasiru Yau, who claimed to have studied Mass Communication, Shehu Murktar -Computer Science and Illiyasu Usman- sociology, all from Isfop University of Kotonu, in Benin Republic.

“They came for registration and the verification officer discovered them with fake certificates and verification papers.

“If you will recall, the Director General of NYSC Brig Gen Shauibu Ibrahim had recently expressed deep concern over the activities of fake corps members who cannot make a correct sentence in the English language.

“He directed us to check and fish out such persons and hand them over to the security operatives for further investigation and this is what we are just doing,” he explained.

She noted that their preliminary investigation revealed that the persons involved cannot write or say anything logical about their courses of study.

Yaakugh urged the security agents to do a thorough job so that the truth would come out and justice done to the affected persons.

According to her, there was another similar case involving a female corps member, also a foreign student but the verification officer was yet to conclude internal investigation into her case.

Speaking with the prospective corps members, they claimed to have graduated from the institution but admitted to forging their verification papers.

Yau told that he gained admission through an agent and graduated but when he came to Nigeria for computer verification, they disqualified him that why he forged the verification paper to enable him go to the camp.

Murktar said he collected the verification paper from his friends and photocopied and filled in his information while Usman explained that he sent some people working at the computer centre who obtained his verification paper for him, saying he thought it was not a fake one.

…Reiterates Govt. Commitment to Partnering NTA

By Jennifer Yusuf

Deputy Governor of Imo State, Engr. Gerald Irona says former Governor Rochas Okorocha is fighting the present administration of Chief Emeka Ihedioha with ill-gotten wealth.

The Deputy Governor stated this in Owerri while receiving a delegation of the management team of the Nigerian Television Authority –NTA, Friday afternoon in his office.

“Let me reiterate the commitment of the present administration in Imo State, led by Chief Emeka Ihedioha to partner with the Nigerian Television Authority and all other Federal public institutions in the state. We are all working for the general interest of Nigerians.”

“We have finished politicking and this is time for governance and all hands must be on deck to ensure that Nigeria moves forward. The country is going through a difficult period. You will recall that almost on daily basis, there are media reports of ugly incidents and social vices everywhere.”

“We will encourage you to ensure that you support the government to fight crime in Imo State. Banditry has no boundaries and we must encourage the exposure of criminals, particularly, those that have looted our treasury. They must not be condoned. A criminal is a criminal. Criminals all over the world fight with ill-gotten wealth. It is the responsibility of the media to expose people who, in their opinion, through investigative journalism are corrupt.”

“We met Imo that people had lost confidence in government. We met Imo that was disoriented. There was a disconnect between the citizens and the government. Look at the challenge of flooding in Owerri. People built on canals and water ways and Owerri master plan was distorted. You can see that there are no good roads in Owerri. Someone was in charge of this state for eight years and you can see the depth of infrastructural deficit. He is now using looted funds to fight the present administration for asking questions that every responsible administration must ask. We are barely two months old and I can assure you that Imo State will smile.”

Earlier in her speech, General Manager of NTA Channel 12, Owerri, Mrs. Franca Akinneye congratulated the Governor and the Deputy Governor for their victory at the polls.

She pledged the commitment of the station towards partnering with the present administration to deliver dividends of democracy to the people.

Mrs. Akinneye assured the Deputy Governor of their commitment to professional and responsible journalism, irrespective of the political party in power.

“We are professionals and we are committed to professionalism, not minding the political party in power.”

Highpoint of the meeting was a presentation of Star Times Television Decoder to the Deputy Governor by the Head of Station.

Present at the meeting were: Communication Adviser to the Deputy Governor of Imo State, Dr. Walter Duru, Admin Manager of NTA Channel 12, Owerri, Emmanuel Opara, Marketing Manager, Martha Okoro, Babatunde Gbenga, Ugwu Hycinth, Chibuzo Lilian Okpara, Ada Oke and Nkiru Onyejesi.

By Danzumi Ishaku

Governor Darius Dickson Ishaku has expressed the determination of his administration to make Taraba State the number one producer of rice in Nigeria.

Gov Ishaku disclosed this during a courtesy call on the Ambassador of the Republic of Belarus, Mr Vyacheslav Bril at that country’s Nigerian Embassy in Abuja on Wednesday.

Gov Ishaku who was at the Embassy to seek ways in which that country and Taraba State can collaborate for the development of the state briefed the Ambassador elaborately on the development strides already achieved by his administration during his first tenure and called for assistance of the Belarusian government in areas of education, health, skills acquisition and transportation.

He told the Belarusian delegation at the meeting that his administration’s dry season farming has boosted rice production tremendously and created many wealthy farmers in the state.

Gov Ishaku expressed the desire to do a lot more to get more youths in the state productively engaged and taken out of the unemployment queue. He said a lot was achieved through the Hope Afresh Foundation of his wife, Anna Ishaku and the efforts of his own administration to help women and youths become financially independent through the acquisition of skills. He called on the Belarusian government to assist his administration with technical expertise in critical areas of socio-economic development.

In his response, Ambassador Brill promised to facilitate the visit of Belarusian experts to Taraba State to further study the critical areas of technical assistance that the state would require. After the visit, the country and Taraba State would work out a Memorandum of Understanding for a lasting and mutually beneficial relationship.

The Ambassador invited Gov Ishaku to visit Belarus to familiarise himself with what the country has to offer Taraba State in terms of technical assistance.

A delegation of the Taraba State government is to meet with the embassy’s team of experts later in the year for further discussion on areas of collaboration.

By Jennifer Y Omiloli

Alhaji Muhammad Musa Bello, who hails from Adamawa state, was conceived on eighth January 1959. An old boy of the prestigious Barewa College, Zaria, the FCT Minister is an alum of Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, where he acquired a B.Sc. in Management with inclination for Banking and Finance in 1980 as well as an MBA in same field.

He had an impressive career which spanned banking, industry, business and public service. He, at various times, was in charge of credit and marketing at the ICON Merchant Bank Plc and later a Director at Habib Bank Plc and several other top ranking firms.

An experienced project manager, he was Managing Director of the Bakabure Industrial Complex, Yola. He also has been member of several sub-committees of the defunct Technical Committee on Privatization and Commercialization (TCPC). He has equally been very active in the promotion of enterprise and commerce in Adamawa State, a passion which saw him play an active role as an official of the Adamawa Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (ACCIMA).

Before he was invited to join the cabinet of President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015, the Minister was Chairman of National Hajj Commission of Nigeria [NAHCON] from 2007 until May, 2015.