Daybreak, Politics, Entertainment, Sport

Tag: Nassarawa

  • Nasarawa assembly suspends council chairman for insubordination, direct deputy to take over

    Nasarawa assembly suspends council chairman for insubordination, direct deputy to take over

    Nasarawa State Hosue of Assembly has suspended the Chairman of Nasarawa Local Government Council, Mr. Mohammed Sani Ottos for mobilizing APC supporters from his zone to witness judgement of the former SSG, Mr. Aliyu Tijani who was indicted over alleged N248.5 school projects funds.

    Daybreak news reports that the High Court sitting in Akwanga local government area of the state had on Friday last week nullify the indictment of the former Nasarawa SSG.

    The, House also suspended the Deputy Chairman, Karu Local Government council, Mr. Lawal Yakubu Karshi for the same act.

    Mr. Ibrahim Balarabe Abdullahi, Speaker of the House disclosed this today after Chairman, House Committee on Local Government, Barrister Mohammed Alkali moved a motion on the insubordination activities of the affected council officials during the House emergency sitting in Lafia.

    According to him, the chairman of Nasarawa LGC and Deputy Chairman, Karu Local government council to abandon their official duties to attend the court case of the former Secretary to the Government of the state Alhaji Aliyu Tijani Ahmed is disservice and act of insubordination.

    “The Chairman of Nasarawa Local Government Council is hereby suspended pending the investigation on his act of insubordination.

    “The Deputy Chairman of Nasarawa Local Government is hereby directed to take over the affairs of the council on acting capacity with immediate effect

    “The Deputy Chairman, Karu Local Government Council should also proceed on suspension

    “And the Commissioner of Police is hereby directed to provide adequate security cover to acting Chairman of Nasarawa Local government Council as the investigation lasts, ” he said.

    The speaker expressed dismay on how the Nasarawa Council boss abandoned his people on the eve of election to attend court case that does not concern government instead of being on ground to assist the security agents in ensuring peaceful Nasarawa Central constituency bye election.

    According to him, The Chairman is paying more allegiance to the former SSG than this institution and the government which is uncalled for.

    “The Chairman of Nasarawa Local government and Deputy Chairman, Karu Local Government were sighted on the court on the matter that is against the House and the people of the state forgetting that the House is responsible for the law that brought them into office.

    “The Nasarawa State Local Government law is made by the state assembly and the Nasarawa State Independent Electoral Commission law that gives room for the election of chairmen of local governments in the state is also made by the assembly,” he added.

    Mr. Daniel Ogazi, the Deputy Majority Leader of the House who seconded the motion moved by Barrister Mohammed Alkali and all other lawmakers who contributed during the sitting supported the move, noting that they would never give room for any one to rubbish the image of the institution.

    The Speaker also set up a seven man committee to investigate the two affected local government officials.

    “The members of the committee are Dr. Peter Akwe to serve as Chairman of the committee, Barrister Mohammed Alkali is the Deputy Chairman of the committee while other members of the committee are Mr. Mohammed Omadefu, Mr. Mohammed Agah Muluku, Hon Aliyu Dogara, Hon Danladi Jatau while the Deputy Clerk of the House Ibrahim Musa is the Secretary of the Committee.

    The speaker gave the committee three months to work and submit reports of the alleged crime.

    Responding to the resolution of the house in a telephone interview, Mr. Mohammed Sani, he only went there to support his boss, denying that he never mobilized party supporters to witness the court judgement of the former Nasarawa SSG Aliyu Tijani.

    He said he regrated his action, adding that he never knew that his action will contravene the house rules, which amounted to insubordination.

    His words: ” I feel sorry to have gone to the court. I never led any APC supporters to witness the judgement of former SSG who is my boss and a friend.”

  • FG begins distribution of cooking gas to 13,000 rural women in Nasarawa

    FG begins distribution of cooking gas to 13,000 rural women in Nasarawa

    The Federal Government on Tuesday in Nasarawa state commenced the distribution of cooking gas to 13,000 rural women across the state as part of efforts to check hazardous emissions.

    Mrs Pauline Tallen, Minister of Women Affairs, while flagging off the exercise in Lafia, said it was the first phase of the National Cooking Gas project and Tree planting initiative of President Muhammadu Buhari.

    Tallen said that the President had directed the supply of cooking gas cylinders to 1,000 rural women in each of the 774 local government areas across the country.

    The minister explained that the project being piloted in Nasarawa state would be executed in three phases across the country.

    She said the timing of the project was apt in view of the world’s attention towards reducing effects of green-house emission in the society.

    “According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), emission from cook stoves kills about 4.3 million people annually through air pollution and indoor smoke inhalation causing respiratory diseases and death.

    “This event is to create awareness and sensitise the public, particularly women and other stakeholders, on the effect of using firewood for cooking.

    “It is also to sensitise them on the health and environmental problems associated with cooking with firewood, and to introduce the women to the use of alternate clean stoves,’’ Tallen said.

    Similarly, the Minister also flagged off economic tree planting exercise as part of efforts towards addressing effects of deforestation and climate change.

    “This is also in line with Mr President’s pledge at the United Nations General Assembly session in 2019 to plant 25 million tree within one year,’’ she said.

    She advised the state, local government areas and civil society organisations to support federal government effort to scale down the project to the various communities.

    Nasarawa governor Abdullahi Sule in a speech at the occasion, commended the federal government for the initiative and for choosing Nasarawa state for the pilot phase.

    He urged the people of the state to embrace the use of alternate clean stove for cooking rather than firewood given the related poisonous gas emission hazard.

    Sule pointed out that Nasarawa state had already keyed into the tree planting campaign having launched it in August 2019 in Akwanga local government area.

    He, therefore, called on the people to imbibe the culture of tree planting by replacing any tree fell with three new ones.

    Hajiya Halima Jabiru, Nasarawa State Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, lauded the federal and state governments for their women-friendly dispositions.

    She urged the beneficiaries to use the cooking gas for the purpose it was meant as the ministry had taken measures to ensure they do not sell them. (NAN)

  • Land owners protest over inadequate compensation in Nasarawa

    Land owners protest over inadequate compensation in Nasarawa

    The residents of Akurba Village in Nasarawa State have staged a peaceful protest over purported inadequate compensation for their lands taken by the state government for the on 330 KVA Step Down Electricity Substation Project.

    Speaking to newsmen on Sunday in Lafia, Mr Yasir Arafat, spokesperson of more than 300 protesters, noted that they were not against the project on their lands but the compensation paid to them was grossly inadequate.

    He said that though the project would help them and the state at large, but wondered why some of them were given as low as N8,000 for their land that was taken over.

    “Farming is our only source of livelihood and now that our source of livelihood is taken over, we need something reasonable to enable us start-up another business.

    “What can N8, 000 do for us to provide for the needs of the family amidst the present economic condition,” Arafat added.

    He, therefore, called on the Federal and State Governments to come to their aid to prevent them from being expose to hardship.

    Similarly, Baba Badamasi, a community leader in the area, appealed to Gov. Abdullahi Sule to intervene in the matter to ensure justice was serve to them.

    He explained that some of them are making up to N1 million every year from their economic trees, but were given an amount that cannot sustain them and their families as compensation.

    He, therefore, appealed to the government to look into the issue again with the view to addressing it in the interest of the overall development of the state.

    When contacted, Mr Salihu Alizaga, Commissioner for Lands and Urban Development, said that the assessment for the payments of the compensation was done during the last administration in the state.

    “The assessment was done by the last administration before we came into office, so we paid the compensation base on the records of the assessment that was carried out,” the Commissioner added.

    Alizaga, therefore, urged people whose lands were affected by the electricity protect to remain calm and not to take the laws into their hands.

    The ongoing 330 KVA Step down Electricity Substation Project is being executed by the federal government with the state government providing the land which covers over sixty hectares. (NAN).