NEWS
Agada Engaging in Sneak, Snap Show to Gain Attention – Omale
From Attah Ede, Makurdi
The Benue State All Progressives Congress (APC), Unity Caretaker Committee Chairman, Dr. Benjamin Omale has said his predecessor Austin Agada, has continued to engage in sneak and snap show in a bid to gain unnecessary recognition before the public.
Omale in a statement he personally signed and made available to newsmen, said the former chairman now specializes in sneaking anywhere the APC national chairman Alh Ganduje is holding meetings, stood behind him take a snapshot and depart immediately. Our correspondent had gathered Agada was recently seen at one of such gatherings where he sneaked in and had a snapshot Ganduje and quickly left the arena.The Caretaker Committee Chairman in the statement assured party members in the state that Mr. Agada was no longer the chairman of the party in the state after he was allegedly “relieved of his position, and in his place, the APC National Leadership inaugurated a duly constituted Caretaker Committee, which “I, Dr. Benjamin Omale have been leading”. “And Since our inauguration, we have successfully steered the party’s affairs, culminating in a landslide victory in the October 5, 2024 Local Government Council elections conducted by BSIEC. The party has remained strong, united, and fully functional under our leadership. “It is therefore deeply concerning and deceptive that Austin Agada has continued to parade himself as the Chairman of APC Benue State, despite his removal. “The latest in his series of misleading antics is his claim of attending a strategic meeting with the APC National Leadership and North Central Governors on February 11, 2025. We wish to categorically state the that Austin Agada was neither invited nor was there any meeting convened that warranted his presence. “Normally, when a meeting of North Central Governors is convened, some State Party Chairmen accompany their Governors. Due to an unavoidable engagement, I was unable to attend and had duly informed our Governor and leader, Rev Fr. Hyacinth Iormem Alia.” Dr. Omale alleged that Mr. Agada got into the venue of the meeting, “took photographs, and is now using them to mislead the public. Such acts should not be tolerated.” “The Governor of Benue State was not accompanied by Austin Agada, nor did he acknowledge him in any capacity at their meeting. “In light of these disturbing developments, I urge all members of our great party to remain calm and assured that we are fully in charge. We have already notified the National Leadership of this anomaly, and steps are being taken to prevent such incidents in the future. “I appreciate the unwavering support of our party members, the APC National Leadership, and our visionary leader, Governor Hyacinth Alia, in ensuring peace, unity, and progress within the APC in Benue State. We remain committed to strengthening the party and delivering on our collective mandate.””Agada is bragging about that he has the backing of the national leadership of our party. However it is my firm believe that the national secretariat who my-led committee in the state, has enormous integrity and would never compromise in anyway.”Therefore, is no longer the chairman and only embarking on a sneak and snap show to gain unnecessary recognition”, Omale said.
By Tony Obiechina Abuja
The Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Sen. Abubakar Atiku Bagudu has called on the Civil Society Organizations and other Development Partners to sensitize citizens on the need to participate in the budgetary processes of government in order to ensure transparency, accountability and better understanding of governance.
The Minister made the call on Wednesday in Abuja, when members of the Open Government Partnership (OGP) Global Support Unit, led by its lead person, Maureen Karuki, paid him a courtesy visit. Bagudu, who is also the in-coming OGP State Actors Co- chair, said President Bola Tinubu is determined to encourage transparency, through courageous reforms like, The HOPE initiative on Governance, Education and Health among others.He explained that in a constitutional Federalism like Nigeria, democracy, particularly, the preparation of budget, places a high demand on the legislative body with additional challenge of constituency prioritization of projects.He said, “The citizens could be judgmental when there is no clear understanding of why specific projects are placed at various locations during budget preparation. It is therefore important for OGP and other development partners to assist the country in sensitizing the citizens, through informed narratives, to ensure better understanding of the government, its structures and other countries willing to take difficult decisions to ensure higher revenue to GDP ratio”.He said advocacy could also encourage citizens to stress quality requests through their representatives to ensure their needs are given priority in the budget. “These are areas that can help to boost citizen participation in governance,” the minister emphasized. Speaking earlier, the leader of the delegation, Support Unit Global lead of Partnership for Accountability OGP, Maureen Kariuki, announced that OGP was at its best when it was headed and coordinated by the Ministry.She also said that the visit was aimed at seeking the political will and leadership that the Ministry could bring to OGP, considering the fact that OGP enjoyed a significant leap when its office was located within the Ministry and to collaborate with the Ministry in strengthening Budget transparency.She supported the minister’s stance that citizens’ participation in their Budgetary processes should be encouraged. According to her, “I would like to see it demonstrated in the next Action Plan of 2025 – 2029. Fiscal transparency and citizen participation around budget processes ensure that budgets serve what benefits the citizens.”
By Eze Okechukwu, Abuja
The Senate yesterday passed into law a bill for the establishment of a Federal Medical Center, Adikpo in Benue state.The bill which was sponsored by Senator Emmanuel Udende (APC, Benue North East) was read for the third and final time during plenary with an unanimous approval by the legislatures when it was committed to the Committee of the whole.
The bill, according to Udende, seeks to establish a federal medical center in Adikpo which will not only cater for the health needs of the people of Benue North East senatorial zone but Benue state and Nigeria in general and beyond. ”The bill awaiting presidential assent seeks to bring medical care closer to the people, especially in times of emergency. The distance between Adikpo , a Nigerian boarder town and Makurdi, Benue State capital where a Federal Medical Center exists is over 300 kilometers, so patients who need medical care within the Adikpo axis are on a danger line, hence my resolve to use the instrumentality of the parliament to address the troubling health challenge”, senator Udende said.He explained that the people of Kwande who share boundaries with the Republic of Cameroon most often are required to seek medical attention outside their country and in most cases are frustrated or cannot afford the cost.According to senator Udende, the strategic location of the health facility will provide potential economic benefits of trade and cultural exchange, giving its proximity to the Republic of Cameroon.He stressed that the Federal Medical Centre will also trigger infrastructure development, healthcare and open up the locality in terms of education while expressing concerns that the absence of such institutions on the side of the Nigerian border town has grossly caused underdevelopment.The senator however commended the senate Committee on Health and Tertiary Institutions for conducting a public hearing which gave rise to the final parliamentary journey of the bill.
From Ayinde Akintade, Osogbo
Controller-General of Corrections, Sylvester Ndidi Nwakuche, through the Deputy Controller of Corrections and Public Relations Officer, Umar Abubakar, has said that an investigation had been launched into seven inmates that escaped from the Medium Security Custodial Centre in Ilesa, Osun State on Tuesday.
According to the PRO, “The service is working closely with Sister Security agencies as well as community leaders to recapture the escapees and bring them back to custody”. The agency appealed to the public for assistance in the ongoing manhunt, urging citizens to provide any information that could lead to the re-arrest of the fugitives.”The service also solicits the cooperation and support of the public in providing information that may lead to the recapture of the fleeing inmates” he added.Local residents expressed concern about the security breach, though there have been no reports yet of any encounters with the escapees.The agency further informed of the security personnel that have been deployed across strategic locations in Ilesa and surrounding areas as part of the efforts to track down the fugitives.The Medium Security Custodial Centre in Ilesa has previously experienced structural challenges, with authorities calling for upgrades to meet modern correctional standards.Recall that seven inmates escaped from the Medium Security Custodial in Ilesa in Osun State on Tuesday due to heavy rainfall that compromised the prison’s perimeter security, enabling the inmates to flee.
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