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Tag: Kogi govt

Kogi Govt. Vows To Clamps Down On Illegal Mining Companies
By Noah Ocheni, Lokoja
Kogi State Commissioner for Solid Minerals and Natural Resources, Engr. Abubakar Mohammed Bashir on Tuesday in Lokoja vowed to deal with illegal mining companies in the state.
Engr. Bashir Gegu who gave the warning while on a routine check as part of the Ministry’s obligations to minimize illegal mining activities in the State requested Mining Companies operating in Kogi State to present their license and other documents, granting them permit from the Federal Ministry of Mines and Steel Development.
Aside the presentation of license and other relevant documents, the commissioner stressed the need for the Companies to collaborate with the State through payment of haulage as statutory responsibility of such Companies to enable the State generate its revenue.
“By the time they tender the necessary documents and we find out that their activities is legal, there will be need to collaborate with the State government through payment of haulage to enable the State generate it’s revenue from the sector”
Engr. Bashir Gegu, therefore assured the Companies of enabling environment if they obey all protocols, stressing that the Governor Yahaya Bello-led Administration was always ready to ensure the growth of the sector.
He advised other Mining Companies that are yet to collaborate with the State to as a matter urgency do the needful to avoid embarrassment.
Engr. Bashir Gegu said the Ministry will continue to beam its searchlight on all nooks and crannies of the State to checkmate the activities of all miners for proper documentation and revenue generation.
April 13, 2021
Govt Vows To Arrest Cartels Behind Under Aged Prostitutions, Sex Slavery In Kogi
From Noah Ocheni, Lokoja
The Kogi State Government has vowed to clamp down on all the cartels behind the use of under aged girls for prostitution and sex slavery in the state.
It was gathered that some girls were trafficked from the northern parts of the country and other neighbouring countries like Chad and Niger republic into Kasuwan-ruwa, a subub of Lokoja, the Kogi State capital for prostitution.
More worrisome according to our investigation was that, the man who was allegedly behind the trafficking of these girls and identified as small lusher( not real name) gets the lion share of these girls’ sex working.
Further findings revealed that that the girls were either convinced to relocate to Lokoja with the promise of giving them job by their master (Small Lusher) but later end up becoming a prostitute and sex slave.
While residents of the community have continued to point accusing fingers at some security agencies for aiding and abating this illegal business which according to them has exposed the girl child to insecurities, psychological trauma and diseases after sleeping with men.
It was also learnt that some of these girls get pregnant on regular basis, abandoned their babies after given birth while those who could not carry the baby were compelled to abort the pregnancy.
Reacting to the discoveries, the Kogi State Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development Hon Hajiya ( Mrs) Fatima Kabir Buba said all the perpetuators of this crime will be brought to book.
She described the crime as heinous, adding that the government was not aware of the operation of such cartel in the state which according to her is against the provision of the child right act.
Hajia Buba noted that the Kogi State Government under Alhaji Yahaya Bello will not condole any act of human trafficking or sexual exploitations in the state adding
“We won’t allow any disgruntled element to come here and sabotage the effort of his excellency.”
” Am assuring the general public that this matter will not be swept under the carpet and will be investigated to a logical conclusion. Whoever that is behind this, no matter how highly placed in the society, must face the full wrath of the law.” She added.
January 27, 2021
School Resumption: Kogi Govt Satisfied With Compliance
By Noah Ocheni, Lokoja
Kogi state Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Hon. Wemi Jones on Monday in Lokoja expressed satisfaction with
the turnout of Students and the level of compliance with the safety protocols against the COVID-19 pandemic in the state.
The Commissioner made the remark while speaking with newsmen after monitoring students’ resumption in schools in Lokoja.
”It is quite encouraging and impressive in all the public and private schools we visited”, he said..
He stressed that there had been no panic in Kogi State as far as COVID-19 was concerned, saying the state had never recorded any death of student on account of COVID-19 pandemic.
The commissioner, however advised the students to take personal responsibility for their personal hygiene, their environment both at home and in school, saying, ”we will not lose any of you in Jesus name”.
He directed the principals of schools to always conduct assessment test for students on the first day of resumption of each term in order to encourage students’ turnout.
Also speaking, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Pastor Emmanuel Idenyi, advised parents and guardians to release their wards for resumption, saying the term is too short for any student to miss any lecture.
Idenyi further urged principals and head teachers to strictly comply with the revised academic calendar from the ministry for schools in the state.
On his part, Mr Godwin Yakubu, the Principal, Government Day Secondary School (GDSS), Adankolo, Lokoja, thanked the commissioner for monitoring schools to ensure compliance.
Yakubu, who doubles as the National Secretary of All Nigeria Confederation of Principals of Secondary Schools (ANCOPSS), commended Governor Yahaya Bello, for his undaunted support for education in the state.
Other schools visited were: Bishop Cowther Memorial College, Muslim Community Secondary School, Bishop Delisle College, Saint Luke Primary School, Saint Clement Minor Seminary, UBE/JSS Adankolo, Lokoja, among others.
January 18, 2021
Schools Reopening; Kogi govt. Assures, Parents, Students of Safety Of Lives
From Noah Ocheni, Lokoja
Ahead of schools’ resumption on Monday 14th September in Kogi,
the State Commissioner for Education , Science and Technology Mr. Wemi Jones has assured stakeholders, Parents, Students of safety of lives and property.
The Commissioner gave the assurance Tuesday when he paid assessment visit to the three tertiary institutions in the East Senatorial district of the state on their level of preparedness for the resumption of schools on 14th Sept. 2020.
He called on the institutions to ensure that cultism and other social misbehaviors on their campuses are checkmated in line with the governor’s directives , saying that the government has put in place a security model using the latest technology to guarantee safety and security of the institution’s communities.
He said, the government is collaborating with the Security Trust Fund for the implementation , which requires all the institutions to key into it.
The Commissioner also assured them that the government frowns at insufficiency of hostels on the campus and had worked out a model at no cost to the schools , asking them to key into the scheme to help stem tide up campus residence by the students.
The commissioner who commended the governor Yahaya Bello whose posture against merchandising , commercialisation, and promotion of Covid 19 have made the state to be the only state in the country without the presence of the pandemic.
He urged them to adjust their academic calender to address the current reality to cover the five months lost to the covid 19 .
Meanwhile, the Provost college of Education Ankpa, Dr. Mohammad Badaru Salihu, the Vice Chancellor of the State University Anyigba, Professor Morietu O. Tenuche and the Provost, college of Health Sciences and Technology Idah, Comrade Nuhu Solomon Anyegwu,
Jointly assured him of the adjustment of the academic calender that will cover the lost ground , which will not affect the quality and standard of education, commending the government for demarketing the pandemic in the state .
The Commissioner who was accompanied by the Special Adviser to the governor on Education Dr. Gabriel Ottah and other principal officers of the Ministry noted that with level of preparation he has seen in these schools, there would be no need of panicking on resumption.
September 9, 2020
Don’t reduce our percentage salary, local government workers beg Kogi govt
Local government workers in Kogi have appealed to the state government not to reduce their monthly percentage salary from 50 per cent to 30 per cent.
A group, League of Concerned Local Government Workers, made the appeal in a statement issued in Lokoja on Wednesday.
The statement, signed by its Coordinator, Mr Samson Amodu, and the Secretary, Mr Olagoke Babatunde, explained that there was no basis for the planned salary cut.
According to the group, there is no shortfall in the allocation that accrued to the state from the federation account for the month of March.
It said that any attempt by the state government to impose the 30 per cent salary on local government workers in all the 21 council areas would be resisted.
However, the Special Assistant to the state Commissioner for local government and Chieftaincy affairs, Mr Rufai Enero , said that no such plan was in the offing.
He dismissed it as a rumour, explaining that the ministry, to the best of his knowledge, had no plan to reduce the monthly percentage salary of local government workers.
Both Amodu and Babatunde, however, insisted that the plan was in the offing, alleging that some union leaders had been holding meetings with officials of the Ministry of Local Governments to give effect to the proposed 30 per cent salary payment.
The League urged the state government to emulate the Federal Government and some state governments which were giving palliatives to their workers to cushion the effect of COVID-19.
“Reduction in percentage of salary shouldn’t be the palliative Kogi State Government gives her citizens,” the statement said.
April 22, 2020