Sen. Rufai Sani Hanga said on Monday that he has no regrets donating clay pots and textile materials, used in burying corpses, to his constituents.

Hanga, who represents Kano Central in the Senate, said this on Monday in Kano during a news conference.

He was reacting to criticisms by members of the opposition in the state that the lawmaker was honouring the dead instead of empowering his living constituents.

“I have no regrets whatsoever purchasing and donating burial materials to my constituents.

“Furthermore, the gesture is a tradition in my family as I grew up witnessing my father carrying it out.

“Before I became a senator many people knew me with the gesture; when I became Senator, some groups came requesting that I should purchase materials for them to maintain their graveyards.

“And I decided to spread the gesture to all the 15 Local Government Areas of my constituency,” the lawmaker explained.

He said apart from the purchase and donation of pots and other burial materials, he had been delivering other dividends of democracy to his constituents.

“As part of my constituency project we are building roads in about 10 Local Government Areas, and Women Centers in about 6 Local Councils.

“This is after giving women and youths monetary incentives to selected beneficiaries from the 15 Local Government Areas.

“In the education sector we have sponsored no fewer than 2000 students to study at the Kano State Polytechnic.

“`We paid school fees 1500 Bayero University, Kano (BUK) students as part of our support to their education,” Hanga said.

Similarly according to the lawmaker, following a request by some Islamic Scholars, he built an Islammiyya School at Dan Dishe town.

He said he had also distributed 450 bags of assorted grains such as rice and millet as well as spaghetti to each of the 15 Local Government Areas in his constituency. (NAN)

The Department of Development Control, FCT Administration (FCTA) has served 24-hour demolition notices to operators of illegal markets and shanties along Karmo – Dei-Dei Road corridor.

Reports says that over 500 illegal structures and shanties, sitting on the road corridor have been marked for demolition.

Mr Garba Jibril, the Sector Monitor and Assistant Director in the department who led the exercise in Abuja on Monday, said that the affected owners have been served with several notices.

Jibril added that the Director of Development Control, Mr Mukhtar Galadima, had held a sensitisation meeting with the stakeholders.

He explained that demolishing the illegal structures was necessary because they constituted nuisance on the road in addition to heavy traffic, especially on their market days.

He added that their activities were equally emitting environmental hazards, which the FCT Administration frowned at.

The team lead also disclosed that the FCTA had awarded a contract for the construction of Life Camp – Dei-Dei Road.

He, however, said that the traders’ continuous stay on the road corridor was preventing the contractors from moving to site.

According to him, the 24-hour notice is not to be played with and those who refused to comply will have themselves to blame.

He also said that the traders have been asked to move to the designated market called Karmo Market, adding that the market was fully developed and equipped with necessary facilities.

“But the traders have been reluctant to move.

“We have had several meetings with the relevant stakeholders including traditional leaders in the area to get them to move but they remained adamant.

“We equally held a meeting with the traders and the new market operators, who promised to give the traders some incentives to be able to accommodate them in both the informal and the main shops.

“We are hoping that after the demolition, there will be a successful relocation from the road corridor to the main market.

“This will not only maintain a serene environment, but also ensure free flow of traffic in the area,” Jibril said. (NAN)

The 13th Extraordinary General Assembly of the Forum of South–South Monarchs is scheduled to hold   in Asaba from May 21 – 22 May, with the President of the Senate and Chairman of the National Assembly, Senator (Dr) Godswill Obot Akpabio CON as Special Guest of Honour and the Executive Governor of Delta State, Excellency Rt Hon Elder Sheriff FO Oborevwori as the Chief Host.

A statement issued in Abuja on Sunday by the Chairman, Planning Committee, HRM Pere Stanley Perediegha Luke – Kalanama VIII (JP) – Pere of Akugbene – Mein Kingdom, and 1st Vice Chairman, Delta State Council of Traditional Rulers, said the event will hold at the Unity Hall, Government House, Asaba, on the theme: “Strengthening Stakeholder Collaboration for Development of the South – South Region: The Role of the Traditional Institution.

According to the statement, the Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Chief Dr Samuel Ogbuku, is expected to be the Guest Speaker, while the keynote address will be presented by Adele L. Jinadu, former Executive Director, Centre for Advanced Social Sciences (CASS) Port Harcourt and Adjunct Professor, Department of Political Science, University of Lagos.

Membership of the Forum consists of all First-Class Traditional Rulers and Members of the State Councils of Traditional Rulers of the six States of the South – South geopolitical zone: Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Edo and Rivers States.

The statement also explained that the 13th Extraordinary General Assembly of the Forum is being organized in partnership with the Ashcraft Centre for Social Science Research to intensify collaboration, deepen synergy and articulate a common front among the diverse Stakeholders in the Region and beyond towards achieving the strategic imperatives of security and sustainable socio-economic development for the Region.

“The Forum is consciously aware that emerging national realities require the collective and deliberate action of all the gatekeepers to achieve the aspirations of the founding fathers and people of the Region,” it added.

Giving a background to the meeting, the statement noted that the Asaba event was in consonance with the fact that sustainable development, peace and security are major factors in nation building and national security, which constitute the fundamental underpinnings in the existence and survival of any society or nation.

“Therefore, the traditional institution must be alive to its responsibilities in achieving its natural mandate of promoting peaceful co-existence, peace and security in their domains, and also fostering national security which is fundamental in national development,” it said.

It expressed the firm belief of the South – South Monarchs Forum believes that by building Stakeholder synergy, the meeting shall engender shared responsibilities towards achieving the institutionalization of the road map and priorities of the policy frameworks crafted to boost economic revival, security and stability of the Region.

“It is also the expectation of the Forum that the derivatives from the meeting shall regenerate confidence in securing Foreign Direct Investment into the Region’s productive Sectors as canvassed by His Excellency President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, at different international fora; and also boost capital growth and turnkey business startups and development,” it said.

While lamenting the palpable security challenges in the South-South Region, especially the unfortunate killing of 17 military personnel in Okuama community in Ughelli South LGA on 14th March, 2024, the said it was expected that the Asaba meeting would provide the avenue to extensively deliberate on how to avoid recurrence in any community within the Region.

It expressed appreciation to the Senate President, Senator Godswill Obot Akpabio; the Executive Governor of Delta State, Rt Hon Sheriff FO Oborevwori; the Managing Director of NDDC, Chief Dr Samuel Ogbuku and; all political leaders from the zone for their support geared towards making the forthcoming meeting a success.

“The subject matter is very sensitive to the aspirations of the Region. It is hoped that the proceedings from this General Assembly shall also inject fresh ideas and initiatives into the overall architecture of the Forum to reinforce a systemized and collective framework in actualizing its mandate.

“We also look forward to the robust participation and inputs of all Stakeholders, both in the public and private circles towards achieving the strategic imperatives of this event. The Forum is hopeful that all Stakeholders will consider this as a patriotic duty to our fatherland and contribute to the success of this event,” the statement said.