Uncategorized
Imperative of Northern Regional Conference
Former Senator from Kaduna Central, Shehu Sani at weekend canvassed what seemed a new proposition on the way forward in dealing with the myriads of problems confronting the Northern part of the country and by extension, the the nation as a whole.
In a chat with Newsmen in Jos, the Plateau state capital on a visit, Sani called on leaders of the North to convoke a regional conference to examine the plethora of problems confronting the region.
.
“Northern leaders and the people of the North need to set a conference of its own to look into the fault lines, to address its problems and challenges. The region must amend its house because the structure is staggering and is threatening the peace of the whole country,” he told newsmen at an interactive session in Jos, at the weekend.
“The immediate importance is that of peace, security and unity. The Northern part of Nigeria today is evidently disunited. Divisive forces are in control of the affairs of the state. People in the North are more polarized along religious and ethnic sentiments than have ever been in the history of our country. People are ready to kill and die in the name of religion and ethnicity and are not ready to die in the name of their own country.
“Political Leaders who are exploiting the sensibility and sensitivity of our people in order to re-enforce their political fortresses or stabilize their political thrust must be resisted. That is the fact, because our people are dying, our people are being killed every day, but we need to stand up and fight these divisive forces for the unity, peace and for the future of our country,” he stated.
The social critic also observed that “National unity is not all about coat of arms, is not all about National Flag, Green-white-Green, it’s also not about National Anthem, but is about peace, justice, equity, fairness and proportional representation.
“If you alienate certain sections of Nigerians or marginalised them, you are only planting the seed of disharmony”, he said.
We make haste to align with Senator Sani’s proposition and add that it is imperative for the North to set up a structure to commence regional dialogue without further delay.
For nearly a decade, the Northern region has been overwhelmed by insecurity arising from the activities of the Boko Haram insurgents in the North East. The problems have been worsened with the surfacing of other forms of insecurity including banditry in North West and parts of North Central, Farmers-Herders violent clashes in the North central, kidnapping, cattle rustling, drug abuse and other criminalities.
The recent violent attacks in Southern Kaduna, said to have claimed over 4oo lives in the last six months have further complicated matters and made such the proposed regional confab even the more compelling and urgent.
It is regrettable that in spite of all these challenges, the North has never really sat down to discuss the various dimensions and depth of these problems. At the very best, discussions have been limited to the level of Northern Governors Forum and Northern Traditional Rulers.
That the insecurity, criminalities, disunity, mistrust, poverty and other problems have continued to be on the increase is a clear pointer to the failure of whatever prescriptions these groups have put forward over the years.
It is painful to note that agriculture, which has been the pride of the North has been severely affected by the violence that has enveloped most parts of the region. Needless to add that commerce has taken back seat as the people struggle to hold body and soul together, after surviving the assaults of criminal elements.
From the foregoing therefore, we urge the Northern Governors Forum to work with traditional rulers and other groups like the Arewa Consultative Forum, Northern Elders Forum, Middle Belt Forum, Arewa Youth Groups, Scholars, the Business Community, retired military officers and leaders of ethnic nationalities to immediately convoke the regional confab.
We are in agreement with Senator Sani that the problems bedeviling the North at the moment are far more important than the 2023 elections, which appears to have preoccupied the minds of most leaders.
Indeed, the next general elections and all the political equations might be adversely affected if the prevailing state of affairs is allowed to persist.
We hold the view that what should be paramount to every leader in the Northern part of the country, should be the security of people and the unity of purpose, peace and development other wise politics would never deliver the intended benefits to the people.
A former member of the Senate, Shehu Sani, has cautioned the National Assembly against allowing its influence to be diminished by its actions.
Sani stated this while speaking at the opening of the National Assembly Legislative Aides’ Forum (NASSLAF) Week on Tuesday in Abuja.
The pro-democracy activist also urged the legislators to selflessly live up to their responsibilities, for the good of the country.
According to him, a subservient posture by the legislature is not in the interest of the country, warning that such can impede good governance and undermine democracy.
Sani compared the current national assembly with the Eighth Assembly, led by Sen.
Bukola Saraki, praising it (Eighth Assembly) for standing firm against executive’s overreach.He observed, with dismay, that the powers of the national assembly appeared to be eroded with time.
“In our time, it was unthinkable for heads of MDAs to ignore our summons. They understood the gravity of our oversight functions,” he said.
Sani warned that the current assembly risked becoming a “rubber stamp” for the executive, sacrificing its independence and weakening democratic checks and balances.
Sani, therefore, cautioned the lawmakers against prioritising their personal gains over their constitutional responsibilities.
“This institution needs respect. If you turn yourselves into stooges, you will lose that respect. Our era defended legislative independence, but it came at a cost,” he said.
The former senator further stated that their insistence on doing the right thing birthed frosty relationships with the executive and caused delay in bills’ passage, warning that excessive cooperation was dangerous, as it could breed tyranny.
Sani cited instances where heads of MDAs openly challenged lawmakers during oversight functions, a behaviour which, he said, would not have been tolerated by previous assemblies.
“The senate president must ensure that nominees for appointments and executive proposals undergo serious scrutiny. This is not a place for automatic approval,” he stated.
Sani reminded the lawmakers that their primary duty was to serve Nigerians, not the presidency.
Sani also acknowledged what he called the vital but often over-looked roles of legislative aides, describing them as the backbone of the legislature, instrumental to drafting laws and policies for the country’s governance. (NAN)
An Iyaganku Magistrates’ Court, Ibadan, on Tuesday remanded a 50-year-old man, Ismaila Aborode, in a correctional facility for allegedly being in possession of a gun, life and expended cartridges.
Aborode, whose address was not provided, was charged with unlawful possession of firearms.
The Magistrate, Mrs Gladys Oladele did not take the plea of the defendant for want of jurisdiction.
She directed the police to return the casefile to the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) for legal advice.
She adjourned the case until Jan. 7, 2025, for mention.
The Prosecutor, Sgt. Samuel Owolabi told the court that the defendant allegedly committed the offence on Nov.
30, about 5.00 p.m, in Olede area of Ibadan.Owolabi said the defendant unlawfully possessed one locally made double barrel gun, one life cartridge and one expended cartridge, without lawful authority.
He said the offence contravened Section 3 of the Robbery and Firearms Laws of Nigeria, 2004. (NAN)
From Joseph Amedu, Lokoja
The Nigerian Police Trust Fund has commenced the construction of a modern Divisional Police station to enhance the security of Ekin-Adde community in Ijumu Local Government area (LGA) of Kogi.
The Executive Secretary, the Nigerian Police Trust Fund, Alh.
Mohammed Seidu, who performed the Groundbreaking over the weekend in Ekinrin-Adde, said the project would enable police personnel to have a good working environment towards a more secure society.According to him, Kogi is strategically located at the Centre of Nigeria and Ijumu LGA borders four States, and it is key to locate such a divisional station in the area.
He commended the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun for his continued support in the agency’s efforts to strengthen and provide better welfare and good working conditions for the Nigerian Police.
This, he said, had been enabling the police personnel to perform effectively in protecting the lives and property of the people.
He assured that such a project would be relocated nationwide across the 36 States of the federation including FCT.
Seidu urged the contractor to do a quality job and ensure strict compliance with the specified standard, and deliver the project within the timeframe of four months.
In his remarks, the Kogi Commissioner of Police, Bethrand Onuoha said the command was happy for the gigantic project as it would take security closer to the people at the grassroots.
“You can see that this area actually requires more security presence, and when this project is completed it will attract larger personnel to this place.
“A good working and enabling environment will bring out the best in our personnel. On our side, we are going to redouble our efforts to make sure this area is safe and secured,” Onuoha said.
The CP stressed that the police and other security agencies are committed to doing their best to make sure that Kogi remains safe especially during this festive season.
The Chairman of Ijumu LGA, Alh. Haruna Ibrahim, commended the police trust fund for the gesture, and promised to support and create an enabling environment for the success of the project.
In his address, the Olu-Ade of Ekin-Adde, HRM, Oba Anthony Bamigbaiye commended the police trust fund for the gesture, saying it was a thing that the community had been yearning for.
The royal father noted that the community with over 25,000 populations had only one policeman to secure the entire community.
He stressed that the divisional station would foster economic development and security of lives and property of the people in his domain and the entire Ijumu LGA.
The traditional ruler specifically appreciated the Executive Secretary of the police trust fund being an indigene of the community for facilitating the project to boost the security of lives and property of the people.
The Project Contractor, Alh. Toyin Abubakar of RASWAS Nig. Ltd promised to execute a quality job and delivered within the timeframe by the end of March 2025
NDA Commandant Decorates Ombugadu, Others as Fellows of Solar Energy Society of Nigeria
ShareFrom Abel Zwànke, Lafia The 2023 gubernatorial candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Nasarawa State, His Excellency Rt....
Yuletide: Bode George Urges Tinubu to Reduce Petrol Price
ShareChief Bode George, a former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has urged President Bola Tinubu to...
Tinubu Set for Groundbreaking of Renewed Hope City in Lagos
Share President Bola Tinubu, is set to perform the groundbreaking of 2,000 housing units of the Renewed Hope City in...
Gov. Alia Presents N550.1bn as 2025 Budget Estimate to Benue Assembly
ShareGov. Hyacinth Alia on Wednesday presented the sum of N550.1bn as the 2025 appropriation bill to the Benue State House...
Tax Bills: NASS will not Betray the Trust of Nigerians, says Akpabio
Share The President of the Senate, Sen. Godswill Akpabio, says the National Assembly will prioritise the interest of all Nigerians...
Alia Has Demonstrated Capacity, Courage to Entrench Good Governance—Speaker
Share The Speaker, Benue Assembly, Mr Hyacinth Dajo, has said that Gov. Hyacinth Alia has so far demonstrated capacity, courage,...
Investors Gain N183bn on NGX
Share The Nigerian Exchange Ltd. (NGX) continued its bullish trend on Wednesday, gaining N183 billion. Accordingly, the market capitalisation, which...
Energy, Solid Minerals Top Priority, Tinubu Tells German Businessmen
Share President Bola Tinubu, on Wednesday, assured the German government and businessmen of Nigeria’s preparedness to expand frontiers for investors...
Nigerian Who Wrote WASSCE 17 Times Bags Distinction from London School
Share Dr Emmanuel Ahmadu, a Nigerian who wrote the West Africa School Senior Certificate Education 17 times, has earned a...
INEC Staff Welfare Association Warns Members Against Manipulating Election Results
Share The Abia Chapter of the INEC Staff Welfare Association (ISWA) has warned its members to uphold the integrity of...