₦airaland Forum

Emmanuel Bello


Governors of the People's Democratic Party (PDP) would converge in Jalingo, Taraba state from the 22nd to 24th of August, 2024, for their annual summit. It is the first of its kind for Taraba state. It, obviously, would be a big moment for politics, but certainly also a defining one for their excellencies young and vibrant host, Governor Agbu Kefas. The event will not only cement his place as a party man and one that has quickly mastered the art of statesmanship but will further strengthen the PDP. It would also be the symbol of his meteoric rise in the slippery world of power. Not bad for a man who, just recently, spent over two decades as a tough soldier but has now turned a democrat completely.

Indeed, when viewed closely, this historic event is also the reward of hard work and steadfastness. And consistency, too! Governor Kefas, who before becoming the executive governor of the state, was the party chairman, has sown acorns that are now growing into political oaks. Quietly and quickly assimilating the rule of the game, Governor Kefas guided the PDP to a resounding victory in the state in a very challenging transitional election. It was a testimony to his sagacity that he piloted the PDP in Taraba at a most crucial moment of its history. He had to battle both internal and external demons to secure the state.

No doubt, Taraba state has always been a PDP state. It's very political DNA attests to this. But it is the Kefas era that has steadily solidified the hold of the party on the state - makingTaraba the most "PDP state" in the country today. His careful planning has eliminated deep-seated animosity amongst party leaders, breaking barriers. In a short period, he has been able to unify the party, rebrand it, and market it to the national stage.

Today, PDP in Taraba state has become a behemoth, dwarfing opposition elements. It is doubtful if any party can compete with it in any coming elections. What is more, Governor Kefas himself has continued to play central roles in the fortunes of the party at the national level. Apart from his advisory roles and his mediating efforts, Governor Kefas has participated in PDP's electoral victories in many elections. He was the chairman of the campaign team that led Bayelsa state to victory.

Consequently, his fame has grown in the political firmament of the country. He is now a well sought-after, power broker. His colleagues are at ease with him as a peace maker, deal maker, and a decent friend in the cutthroat arena of power politics. Governor kefas can be trusted to deliver. Soft spoken and affable, his colleagues appreciate his vibrancy, attention to details and propriety.

The meeting in Jalingo is, therefore, befitting and timeous. Taraba PDP has earned this! The state itself is experiencing a new burst of good governance and massively improved security to guarantee an atmosphere for deliberations. It would also be a period for Governor Agbu Kefas, at a personal level, to yet again put in full display his legendary wisdom and friendship, which is earning him more fans across the political spectrum.

Bello is the Special Adviser Media and Digital Communications to Governor Kefas.

https://www.signalng.com/gov-kefas-taraba-dazzle-in-national-politics-as-pdp-governors-storm-jalingo-by-emmanuel-bello/

The politics of Edo State Governorship contestation have been very intriguing since the return to civil rule in 1999. Very curiously however, the 2024 Edo State Governorship Election appears the simplest and the most predictable. Not in anyway denigrating the league of other contestants for the high office of Governor of Edo State, what is largely before us is a Three-horse race.

We have Monday Okpebholo, the candidate of the All Progressive Congress APC, the Ruling Party at the Centre. We have Olumide Akpata, the candidate of the Labour Party LP. And we have Asue Ighodalo A.I, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party PDP, the Ruling Party in Edo State. The trio are predictable in so many ways having shown unique tendencies, and their uniqueness makes the choice before the Edo People an easy one come September 21, 2024.

As the Edo People go to the Polls to elect a successor to Governor Godwin Obaseki on the 21st of September, 2024, barely a month and one week from today, they are faced with three major candidates amongst others, and the next Governor of Edo State will most likely emerge from this class of three.

One is very mute and unable to articulate his plans and vision for the State. Another has pretty dance steps and lovely jingles but less and thin on policy programmatic, and appears distant regarding his understanding of the Edo challenge. And the third is clear on policy, on programs and on his vision for Edo State. This position is as true and as firm as the Himalayas.

Monday Okpebholo is mute, he hardly and scarcely speaks to the issues others canvass on his behalf. Senator Adams Oshiomole goes about Mute Monday's campaign as though he is the candidate. It will be impossible for Edo People to hold Monday Okpebholo to anything should he become Governor because he has not made commitments or spoken to anything. And the Edo Voter has proven over the years to be open minded, inquisitive, logical and beyond the coercive inveigle of perceived Godfathers. So Mute Monday is basically not an issue, he is a nonstarter and his candidacy is perhaps the worst mistake of the APC.

He released a manifesto very late in the day because he perhaps was unable to grapple with the necessity of putting out a manifesto. And when he made one available, it became a poorly doctored version of Pastor Ize-Iyamu's 2020 Manifesto. Monday Okpebholo is very manifestly unprepared for the high office of Governor of Edo State, and it does look like Adams Oshiomole is attempting to return as helmsman over Osadebe House with Mute Monday as surrogate Governor.

Monday Okpebholo is in many ways a no no to the Edo Voter. Not only has he not made commitments to the Edo People, he lacks proper grasp of the manifesto that he says will guide him should he become Governor, and he runs a campaign that has made Godwin Obaseki rather than the future of Edo State the issue. His sail to Osadebe House is rudderless, so not choosing and electing not to Vote him for Governor is indeed a simple one.

Barrister Olumide Akpata of the Labour Party has great and nice sounding jingles that he dances very well to. He was not an Obidient, yes, the only thing he did for Peter Obi during the 2022/2023 electoral contestation was to invite him to address the Nigeria Bar Association NBA Conference, like he did Bola Tinubu (who was represented by Shettima), and Atiku. He joined the Labour Party to reap the fervour and the monentum of the Obidient Movement, but beyond the jingles and his dance, Olumide has not come to the campaign with issues, policies and programmatic.

Dancing Olu D, yes dancing Olumide is probably the last of the leading three candidates to present his manifesto to the Edo People. His politics has been about what the PDP and Governor Godwin Obaseki didn't do right, and little, very little about what he will do. It has been about PDP bashing and very little about his manifesto. And when he bothers to say what he thinks he can do, he never tells the people how and where he intends to raise the resources to achieve them. He comes across as an excited young man who intends to learn on the job but the sophisticated Edo Voter wants more than that. The Edo Voter is more interested in the future of the State than Obaseki bashing, and that's how and where Dancing Olumide lost it.

The third person and apparently the Choice of the Edo People is Astute Asue Ighodalo, fondly called A.I not the now famous Artificial Intelligence but called by his initials. He was the first of the leading three candidates to present his manifesto called PROSPERITY FOR ALL to the Edo Electorate. In it he set out his vision for an Edo State that works for all. He articulated his programs, policies and programmatic, and tells how he intends to achieve them.

He has consulted with the largest number of Edolites at home and in the Diaspora knowing that the challenge before the Edo People and the State is about forging a united Edo that works for the good and benefit of all. He has pledged to bring his wealth of knowledge and experience to bear in taking Edo State to a new level of progress and prosperity. And he means every bit of it.

Astute Asue Ighodalo is not a rookie, of the leading three candidates running for the high office of Governor of Edo State he has the most boisterous CV and the most illustrious resume'. He has been Chairman of several Blue Chip Companies, and the Chairman of a successful Bank. He runs one of the most successful Law Practice in Nigeria, one that ranks amongst the best 3 Commercial Law Firms in the country. He knows how and where to raise the funds to fulfill and make real the promises of his manifesto. He knows how to improve the Internally Generated Revenue IGI of Edo State without stressing the people. He knows what to do and how to do it, little wonder the cliche and mantra of his campaign ASUE/OGIE GO DO AM. With A.I in the saddle as the next Governor of Edo State, a New Edo State is manifestly possible.

If you want to know more about why and how the choice of A.I is an easy and simple one, please google search his manifesto and see what future he promises Edo State, and see his well articulated pathway to PROSPERITY FOR ALL EDO PEOPLE. 'Asue Ighodalo na the man wey sabi', he has said that he wants to make Edo State the envy of all and he means it. I believe him, and so do the Edo People. Edo Voters are in unison in the fact that not only does the Asue Ighodalo candidacy meet the quest for Justice, Equity and Fairness in Edo State, that Asue Ighodalo is the most qualified, the most competent, the most capable, and the most credible of the three leading candidates seeking to occupy Osadebe House as Governor of Edo State come September 21, 2024, and A.I is the choice they have made.

May God Bless Edo State, and grant the Edo People the candour and competency to pull through with the choice of Asue Ighodalo; to thumbprint the PDP his Party; and to defend that choice come September 21, 2024.

Prof Chris Mustapha Nwaokobia Jnr. Convener COUNTRYFIRST MOVEMENT, a Good Governance Advocacy Group.

https://www.signalng.com/edo-2024-of-mute-monday-dancing-olumide-and-astute-asue-a-choice-so-simple/

Taraba state governor, Dr Agbu Kefas, has described Senator Daisy Danjuma, as an institution and a reputable mother in the land. Dr Kefas was eulogising the former Senator and spouse of former Minister of Defence, General TY Danjuma, as she celebrates her 72nd birthday.

In a statement signed by Special Adviser to Governor Kefas on Media and Digital Communications, Emmanuel Bello, Dr Kefas said:

“On behalf of myself, the Government and the People of Taraba State, I rejoice with the Distinguished Senator Daisy Ehanire Danjuma, an astute political leader, boardroom guru, philanthropist, and entrepreneur per excellence as she clocks 72 years today.”

The statement further reads “Distinguished Senator, Nigerians and, indeed, the global community will forever acknowledge with pride and praise your enormous contributions to the struggle for justice, peace and development in our dear country. You have, through your numerous social interventions, given hope and succour to innumerable widows, orphans, and many other persons in disadvantaged situations.

We in Taraba State appreciate you in a special way. You have been a great wife to our leader and mentor, and mother to our brothers and sisters.

We join your family, friends, and admirers to pray for you on this special occasion of your 72nd birthday anniversary, for long life and good health.”

Signed

Emmanuel Bello
Special Adviser Media and Digital Communications.

https://www.signalng.com/gov-kefas-hails-senator-danjuma-at-72/

Along with many well-meaning citizens we warned that talking down on the Gen Z Organizers of the ongoing protests across Nigeria will do Government no good. We warned that spending our collective wealth on Cashtivists who promised to frustrate the protests will boomerang. We warned that paid dissociaters were only scamming the government as one cannot dissociate from a protocol one knows nothing about. We warned that threats and words of nullification by Government Spokespersons, and Operators of State will escalate tension and further anger the already angry young People. Now that the Cashtivists and Dissociaters have failed, will Mr. President listen to those who truly care about Nigeria, and those who want him to succeed.

Will Mr. President fire the sycophants who got him the present slap? Will Mr. President engage more with the People? Will Mr. President understand that Power truly belong to the People? Will Mr. President embark on the immediate Reform of Government Policies and Programmatic? Will Mr. President and his Party the All Progressive Congress APC remove (or support the Impeachment) of the Jester cum Senate President who has shown a consistency for gibberish, tommyrot and sick mockery, nay he jokes with and about serious issues of State and he is manifestly unfit for the office of the 3rd citizen. Nigeria at this moment cannot afford another another week of a Clown as Senate President.

Will Mr. President slow down on the jet-speed pace with which he has set out to outdo Buhari's tendency for nepotism? Will Mr. President be more inclusive in his appointments? Will Mr. President cut down the size of his Cabinet, and cut down the cost of governance? Will Mr. President cut down on Profligacy, waste and wanderlust? Will Mr. President declare a State of Emergency on Insecurity; on Agriculture; on Education; on Job Creation; and on Infrastructural Development? Will Mr. President eschew the predilection of his government for Foreign Made Goods and Vehicles, and patronize Nigerian manufacturers and made in Nigeria goods? It will help the Naira against the Dollar.

Will Mr. President learn from the Leadership Secrets of Abraham Lincoln ditto his appointment of his worst critic Stanton as his War/Personal Secretary, and stop seeing his fierce critics as enemies? Will Mr. President sack all Appointees who wield ethnic baiting and divisive demagoguery as instruments of State policy? Will Mr. President put square pegs in square holes and repudiate nepotism, clanishness and kparakpoism? Will Mr. President begin the process of a holistic restructuring of the Country such that the presently dysfunctional entity called Nigeria would become productive, progressive and prosperous? Will Mr. President fight corruption and against his personal convenience hasten to purge the Oil Sector of its Olympic corruption? Will Mr. President address the nation and appeal to the soul and conscience of the Gen Z and indeed the Nigerian hoi polloi?

Will Mr. President undertake a forensic of the Fuel Subsidy protocol, and ensure that the huge scam that it has become is nipped in the bud? Will Mr. President address issues that bother on Electricity Tariff, and ensure that the energy sector is genuinely liberalized for efficiency? Will Mr. President say to the Bretton Woods Institutions ditto the IMF and the World Bank that government MUST subsidize goods and services that will ultimately help for growth and progress? America does that for Agriculture, and Energy. Will Mr. President pursue home grown policies and programs that will encourage hard work and creativity? And will Mr. President begin a holistic overhaul of our education curriculum? Will Mr. President quickly address the nation and deescalate on words of threat and nullification that has heightened the tension in the Land? And finally, will Mr. President assume in words, deeds and actions the status of the Father of the Nation without fanning regional, and or religious embers? I pray that Mr. President listens and turns a new leaf.

Over my head I see a New Nigeria in the horizon.

I'm CHUKWUDUMEBI.

Prof Chris Mustapha Nwaokobia Jnr.
Convener COUNTRYFIRST MOVT.


https://www.signalng.com/house-of-reps-pass-shipping-port-economic-regulatory-agency-bill/

By Emmanuel Bello

In a sense, the protests that rocked Nigeria today was a litmus test for all the governors in their respective states. It tested their ability to negotiate and connect with their youths. It put their record on the line: a first assessment exam, if you call it that.

Governor Agbu Kefas of Taraba state scored high marks in the way he handled the crisis. His expertise at conflict resolutions is stuff of professorial dissertation. Calm and collected, the military strategist did not betray any fear or panic at the start of the entire thing. When we discussed it, he sounded confident. He told me that he trusts that his hard work with the youth will pay off well. He predicted that Taraba Youths may not join the protest or will agitate against the other tier of government. He said he is sure of the youth of the state.

He has good reason for that confidence. First and foremost, Governor Kefas cabinet is 90% made up of youths. This is the first time the aphorism "young people are leaders of tomorrow" came alive. The youngest of those commissioners is in her early 20s!

Building on that, the youth friendly governor declared free education. The youths were the biggest beneficiaries. At the tertiary levels, young people pay only half of the tuition fees.

Moreover, the governor ensured that more opportunities for youth engagements are opened in the ICT world and other emerging new jobs. The results have been tremendous: the youths have finally found their governor.

So, on the day of rage, Taraba youths understood these efforts and did not go all out to unleash the dragon as we sadly witnessed elsewhere. Earlier, many of them have pledged their solidarity by noting that the governor has done a lot for they and their parents.

Consequently, in his parley with the youth yesterday, 31st July, the governor doubled down on his commitment to youth empowerment. He announced a Students Loans Scheme! This endeared him more to them.

Today, a smiling Governor Kefas practically marched with the protesters. The youths were overjoyed to see their governor. They saw in him a great negotiator who is navigating their future well. He again pleaded with them to reconsider their frustrations with the prevailing national economic downturn. He recommitted himself to their welfare. And they understood him.

Bello is the Special Adviser Media and Digital Communications to Governor Kefas

https://www.arewareportersng.com/protest-kefas-and-the-art-of-negotiation/

The two individuals that no longer surprise me at all are Citizens Joe Igbokwe and Bayo Onanuga, however in the present instance I wonder what sycophancy and court-jesting have done to their ability to discern the times and by jove incline their hearts to wisdom, apologies to the Holy Book.

Joe Igbokwe in the service of his master decided perhaps without deep research to do the greatest disservice to the present watch. In threatening the Igbo in Lagos and across the Country, Citizen Joe Igbokwe has forgotten that hunger and poverty are indiscriminate of Region, Religion and ethnicity. He has forgotten that unemployment and want are indiscriminate of Creed and Clan. And he has forgotten that playing the ethnic card ala threatening a Tribe in the face of pain, penury and poverty is but an invitation to anarchy. He has forgotten that he who is down needs fear no fall.

Citizen Bayo Onanuga is himself caught by a disease I would call Obi-neurosis, a fear I would call Obi-Phobia, and a complex that fixates him to everything and anything Peter Obi, and the Obidient Movement. I pity him.

The two citizens here mentioned and their fellow travelers in the path of infamy are obsessed with the spoils of power that they cannot see. They are blinded by filthy lucre that they cannot read the times, and their soul is sold to Mammon such that they cannot perceive the ominous tide that romances our space.

They are without an ounce of equivocation Pseudo-Progressives swimming against a deluge. Joe Igbokwe can threaten the Igbo for all he cares. Bayo Onanuga can accuse Peter Obi and the Obidient Movement for all he cares, one infallible fact is that the clock is ticking, that time is running out, and like Kenyans the Gen Zee generation are tired, and have elected to trounce the tranquilizing drug of gradualism choosing proactive action over siddon look.

The Looming Protest has nothing to do with Ethnicity, Region or Religion, deceive yourself for all you care, the Truth is before us. The Looming Protest has nothing to do with Peter Obi or the Obidient Movement, lie to yourselves for all you care, the Truth is lucid. Continue to make matters worse for Tinubu with your sycophancy, continue to gaslight the gullible, and continue to delude and denude the hapless. Truth is that Nigeria is at the precipice and that our Country is hanging dangerously at the tipping edge.

Rather than advise their Master to work the path of caution, discretion and propriety, they sing his praises and nudge him further down the path to Golgotha. They see no wrong in wanton profligacy and wanderlust. They see no wrong in a Presidency that pours out 100m US Dollars for a new Presidential Jet in the face of harrowing poverty. They see no wrong in the spate of job loss and inflation. They see no wrong in the scarcity of food, the hike in price of Fuel, and the suicidal hunger that confronts the Nigerian hoi polloi. All they do is hail their Master as though he is infallible. All they do is blame Buhari as if their Master didn't promise to continue with Buhari's policies that saw Nigeria going in out of inflation, today Nigeria is enmeshed in the worst inflation in our history. Seeing the glaring comeuppance of failure, seeing that the Young are gearing up to challenge for the soul of our nation, Joe Igbokwe, Bayo Onanuga and their cohorts in the cult of Court-jesting are busy shifting the blame, are busy gaslighting the ignorant, and are busy throwing darts at the innocent, but it won't work.

It was Frantz Fanon who said long time ago that every generation out of relative obscurity discovers it's mission, Fulfills or betrays it. If the Gen Zee across Africa have risen, to ethnicise this rising is like pouring water on the Crocodile, I pray Joe Igbokwe, Bayo Onanuga and Co knows this. If the Gen Zee is planning the Nigerian version of the Kenyan uprising, the right thing to do is to begin quickly to address their grievances and proceed with some immediate Reforms and not to threaten, insult, over-awe, harass and harangue them.

I must close this effort with the ageless lines of John F. Kennedy to wit, those who make peaceful change impossible, make violent change inevitable. The Truth is that those threatening the Young people hatching and planning a peaceful protest for the soul of Nigeria come August 1st to August 10th, 2024 are the enemies of democracy, enemies of the freedoms enshrined in the Constitution, and the enemies of Nigeria QED. And Nigeria shall most definitely outlive them.

I believe in Nigeria. I believe that the Eagle shall yet Soar. And I believe that this period of darkness shall yet pass.

I'm CHUKWUDUMEBI.

Chris Mustapha Nwaokobia Jnr.
Convener COUNTRYFIRST MOVT.

Today is exactly one year I got a call from Taraba's swashbuckling secretary to the State Government, Bar GT Kataps. He went straight to the point that I should head to the stadium where the commissioners were billed to be sworn in. I told him, of course, I was going there to witness the event and congratulate them. He said, "No, get ready. You will be sworn in too alongside them as Special Adviser on Media and Digital Communication." And that was that.

It's been an exciting year working with the enigma, Dr Agbu Kefas- unarguably Nigeria's most prolific governor. For a spokesman, this is the best governor one can work for: no controversies and plenty of materials to write on. Iconoclastic and almost surreptitious, working with Dr. Kefas is equally a huge experience, a university of sorts where you have no idea what's coming next. You just have to be prepared. His almost boundless energies, his work ethics, and commitment to details are topnotch.

A media friendly governor, he is not a believer in media over hype. He tells me to keep it real. He believes the work he is doing should speak for themselves. Consequently, he is a reporter delight without any fanfare. He has total respect for the work journalists do but eschews the hyperbole or half truth. He believes the Fourth Estate of the Realm is a strong pillar of democracy. His administration has ushered in a refreshing atmosphere for my colleagues to work with less Government/practitioners antagonism.

A stickler to time and procedures, working with Dr Kefas requires discipline. A quiet person, he has an uncanny ability for eloquence. He writes most of his speeches with lots of inspirational lines. His other life as a man of God makes him a voracious reader too. Not a social media frenzied fan, he still believes in the power of that medium. He is incredibly fun to be with but his penchant for discipline, excellence can be unnerving at times.

Invariably, working with the star boy can be challenging as you maneuver through his vision and struggle to emulate his inimitable styles.

But it's equally rewarding as you confront and learn new things everyday and sharpen your reflexes. You learn to adapt to speed and think outside that proverbial box. Because he is mostly unpredictable given his intelligence background, you are afforded the luxury to be creative and plan better. This is familiar territory for me but the latest experience is one that is enriching and enlivening. The coming years would be equally interesting.

Bello is Special Adviser Media and Digital Communications to Governor Kefas


https://www.arewareportersng.com/pheww-its-been-one-year-already/

By Emmanuel Bello

Those who underestimate Taraba state governor, Dr Agbu Kefas political sagacity, are on their own. And they do so at their perils. Although a soldier by training, Dr Kefas has a deep understanding of intrigues and conflicts: two basic ingredients of modern politics. He is trained to decipher even the most obscure signs in the human family.

This deep skill coupled with his love for people and his vast experience in the intelligence community has transformed him today into a giant in the political field.

But he is not just an armchair scholar of politics. He was also a one-time PDP Chairman in the state: a veritable prepatory ground for dealing with power brokers. Moreover, he was a party chair at the crucial period of transition. The moment was filled with political maneuvering and serious negotiations. Dr Kefas, as party chair, had to deal with all sorts of complex issues: aggrieved members, turncoats, returnees to party, the old order, and the new breed. He was also saddled, that year, with the responsibility of ensuring his party retained the state in the face of robust opposition and the scepter of the Federal Might. He handled all with distinctions.

It is noteworthy that in all of these, he applied the skills of a salesman, a deft business deal maker, a magician sometimes, and an honest bargainer in the affairs of people. Politics is a tough terrain, and Dr Kefas is no stranger to tough and rough things.

His sojourn in many war theaters across the world has prepared him for the challenges of this kind of stuff. But it is in the practical arena of solving problems that he has excelled. In the Niger Delta, for instance, it was this wisdom that was at work as he successfully worked with partners to bring about peace between militants and government. He still gets lots of credits for the work he did in the Amnesty Program.

Today, he is dealing with the political crisis of Taraba state with the same kind of models: silently listening, assessing, weighing options, deeply considering outcomes, and carefully planning strategies to win.

Little wonder that in Taraba state, the political atmosphere has remained stable. Yesterday's meeting with the party top hierarchy in the state was yet another demonstration of that sagacity. Dr Kefas, as a hard core party man, has been able to settle squabbles, strengthen party structures, apportion positions, and befriend the opposition. And this he does without too much noise.

He has also successfully navigated the thin line between politics and governance. He has preserved party supremacy but has also not compromised the ability to cross the aisle and make friends for progress. Not a small feat for someone some people view as not being a professional politician (whatever that even means).

Bello is the Special Adviser Media and Digital Communications to Governor Kefas

https://www.arewareportersng.com/gov-kefas-the-political-calculator-gladiator/

Soft spoken and self effacing, the Taraba State commissioner of finance, Dr Sarah Enoch Adi, is not your everyday financial egg head. She adds charisma and a presence to her efficiency. She is also a bundle of fun and an institution in her own right. She once told this writer that she is an aggressive believer in girl child education as educating a woman translates into a community's emancipation.

Sarah, as her fans fondly called her, said she is a great example of that emancipating power of education. Today, sound education has propelled Sarah to the exotic position of the all-powerful commissioner of finance for Taraba state. It is a duty she said she honored with all sense of responsibility. Prudence apart, Sarah said empathy and fellow feelings are a major component of her daily engagement.

In her words: "service must also have a human face, which is why my boss and I prioritize the welfare of workers. Prompt payment of salaries matter. Workers are very much encouraged by that. Same with their other entitlements. We work hard to ensure all these are paid."

Consequently, she revealed that Governor Agbu Kefas is committed to the overall payment of pensions and gratuities. It is an area that is greatly exerting herself and carefully following it. She is committed to the transparency in settling the areas. Sarah devotes a huge amount of her time, among other things, to this sector, ensuring that no one is left out.

Her motivation, she said, is the big smile she sees in the faces of the aged who have waited so long for these payments. It is the biggest legacy she wishes to be remembered for in her work at the ministry.

Born and raised in Wukari, Sarah started her education from the historic Ebenezer Primary School, Wukari. Same school, her boss, the star boy governor, attended. It is here, both souls found their commitment to alleviating human sufferings. Sarah's thirst for knowledge eventually earned her a PHD at the prestigious Nasarawa state University.


https://www.signalng.com/meet-the-brilliant-brain-behind-tarabas-pensions-and-gratuities/

By Emmanuel Bello

Everyone is dreaming of going to Taraba state these days. Investors want to take advantage of the friendly business atmosphere encouraged by the amiable helmsman, Dr Agbu Kefas. A cosmopolitan minded persona, Kefas is an ex soldier at home with all tribes and tongues. For a man who spent most of his active combatant life in the creeks of the Niger Delta, keeping the peace and fostering unity, Dr. Kefas is open to the world. Urbane and well schooled, Kefas is a citizen of the universe with partners around the globe.

The governor has brought that star power to the somewhat backwater state. His friends are now troopiing into Jalingo, our beautiful state capital. Business men, investors, corporate bodies and men, and women of means are starting to take the state seriously.

Kefas himself is not leaving anyone in doubt. With a courtesy call to virtually every military formation in Abuja and to almost all embassies, the Colonel turned politician is re- introducing the state into national and international reckoning.

The efforts are paying off. Every day, top-level investors from around the world troop into Jalingo via the Overland airline to discover opportunities. When the Chinese are not visiting, expatriates from the World Health Organization (WHO) and other global bodies are around to discuss prospects in solid minerals, education, health, and other areas.

Tourists are also waltzing into Taraba to discover the beauties of the Mambilla Plateau or the bounties of the Nwonyo Fishing festival recently resurrected by Governor Kefas Taraba is a tourist, haven. New hotels and relaxation spots are springing up every day.

Coming into Taraba itself had been made easy. Kefas started off by ensuring the Danbaba Suntai Airport is in the best shape to offer landing space to planes. Engaging key engineers in the sector, the governor ensured that the airport meets all known standards of aviation.

Today, three solid flights can bring anyone around the world to Taraba via Overland. Efficient and very professional, Overland ensures first-class services of the travel sector. Abuja to Jalingo is about an hour - a feat that has overcome time and space. And excuses! Connecting to the Mambilla Plateau - a bona-fide paradise on Earth - takes less than six hours with good roads.

A military brand ambassador, the former Army Colonel, Dr Agbu Kefas, is ensuring all-around security in the state. This has made Taraba safe for trips and all kinds of business activities. The metropolis itself bears all the signs of changes: good roads, street lights, better housing estates, modern bus stops, and a sprawling trade fair center.

Effective government policies like the free education scheme, workers' welfare, and youth employment opportunities have changed the Taraba landscape totally. Won't you rather visit our state?

My Late Younger Sister; The 14 Year Old Son of The Judge in Kaduna; And The Many Victims of the Pervasive Kidnap For Ransom Business Shall Stand in Judgment Against Nigeria And The Political Class. - Prof Chris Mustapha Nwaokobia Jnr.

I woke up with tears in my eyes and characteristic with the dictate of my soul, I proceeded to process the impious State of national security, the Politics of it, and the lame albeit draconic platitudes of the operators of State.

The alleged heartrending murder yesterday of the 14 years old son of the Kaduna Judge who was kidnapped with her 4 sons left me utterly heartbroken. Will the idiotic partisan obscurantist and soulless Cashtivist out there realize that we are in the Golgotha? Will they understand that the souls of the innocent victims of the murderous and marauding non-State actors killing, maiming and dishing out human barbecues in pursuit of bloodstained Ransom will stand in Judgement against Nigeria and against the Political Class?

Will they ponder about the fate of the many victims of Chibok, Dapchi, Mubi, Gwoza, and the hundreds of thousands of families that have fallen victim of the awful failure of State ditto the less than encouraging spate and State of national security. Since 2004/2005 it has been a progressive descent to abyss. One government after another blames the other, but nothing has changed. We are albeit hopelessly ensconced in this terrible and rock-struck Titanic. And if nothing is done quickly, we shall meet its horrible comeuppance as a nation and a polity.

The many silly debates and idiotism on our political kaleidoscope are apparently the karmic recompense of a nation that undervalues human lives and blood. This nation has gone mad and our political operators manifestly insane. And this is the cosmic result of playing politics with human lives and refusing to protect the poor and the needy.

In 2015 I lost my immediate younger Sister Mrs Patricia Amitaye nee Nwaokobia to kidnappers around the Eku/Orerokpe axis. Since then the same fate has befallen several families, and all you hear are platitudes from government, as the situation becomes sickening ad nauseam ad infinitum.

Innocent young girls were taken away from Chibok a year before that, 10 years after hundreds of them are unaccounted for. A few years after the same fate befell the Dapchi community, and several other families have been victims after that, and nothing has changed. Suicide Bombings have returned, kidnap for ransom has become the most lucrative business after looting, governmental larceny and corruption, and Partisans think that we will not all be judged? I worry.

When a family in Deidei/Kubwa, FCT, Abuja was taken away and the eldest child murdered a few months ago before Ransom allegedly in hundreds of million was paid to rescue the family from captivity, I wept. Now we are all in trouble. What case will the soul of the 14 years old son of a Judge in Kaduna murdered yesterday make against Nigeria and her Political Class before the Almighty? The impish operators still holding the mother and her 3 other sons have asked for 300m Naira ransom. It is their pain, until we all become victims. And sooner rather than later if nothing strong is done, we shall all definitely be judged.

Since the Government considered it right to return to the old national anthem, must it not consider scrapping the NYSC, freeing Maxi Nnamdi Kanu, and effectively listen to the call for Restructuring? Must State Police and devolution of power not come tops on its to-do-list? Must Politics, Profligacy and crash populism take preeminence over the primacy of lives and property? Indeed ours is a nation like no other.

But I have long decided not to do long writings on Nigeria ever again, and I shall not break that covenant here, all this is about, is to tell Nigeria and her Political Class that those who play politics with the lives of the people and the protection of the citizenry shall reap a horrendous comeuppance better imagined than experience. This nation will continue to suffer until something is done quickly to stem the murderous reign of wickedness. And to those who will judge this effort from partisan, regional, religious, and or sectional embers may the Judgment to come first be yours.


Prof Chris Mustapha Nwaokobia Jnr.
Convener COUNTRYFIRST MOVT.

https://kwararafareporters.com/this-souls-of-the-victims-of-insecurity-and-kidnap-for-ransom-shall-stand-in-judgment-against-us-prof-chris-mustapha-nwaokobia-jnr/

Taraba state governor, Dr Agbu Kefas, has been described as the most media friendly governor in the history of the state. He has also been lauded for appointing the Taraba state correspondents of Daily Independent Newspapers and Punch into his cabinet.

Governor Agbu Kefas recently appointed Mrs Janet Nyajo of Daily Independent and Justin Tyopussu of the Punch newspapers in a list of appointees.

Reacting to the development in Jalingo, Special Adviser Media and Digital Communications, Emmanuel Bello, said the media community in the state is excited about the appointments.

Bello said, "My boss has always believed in the Fourth Estate of the Realm and has continued to demonstrate his faith in the freedom of speech. By appointing two prominent members of the correspondent chapel into the cabinet, Governor Agbu Kefas is making a major statement. He is affirming his support for the media community in the state and by extention the nation."

Bello said Dr. Kefas is a true democrat who has continued to partnered with the media in bringing the dividends of democracy to the people. He stressed that Dr. Kefas believes that the media is the main plank on which good governance stands on.

Additionally, Bello said the governor has continued to support the media community in Taraba state by ensuring that they get the right offices and tools for their operations. "As I speak to you now, the governor has concluded to build a new complex for the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ). He personally visited their office in Jalingo, which has been in ruins for long. During the visit, he assured them of his desire to give them a better structure. Apart from fixing the vehicles of the Correspondents Chapel, he said he is committed to their training and other needs."

Bello noted that the governor has always encouraged the media to boldly pinpoint the pitfalls of government with all the touches of true professionalism.

https://www.arewareportersng.com/media-aide-lauds-gov-kefas-for-appointing-2-journalists-into-cabinet/

Emmanuel Bello

1. Gov Kefas is clearly a darling of many governors in Nigeria! Three governors stormed the venue of a housewarming party on a busy Friday! They are governors of Plateau, Kogi, and Adamawa.

2. Gov Kefas knows how to treat the elderly. The way Kefas kept chaperoning the patriarchs, especially General TY Danjuma, wasn't lost on anyone. He was always gently leading elderstatesman in clear-cut humility and admiration

3. Gov Kefas still has a sharp soldier salute. The way Gov Kefas saluted the elderly Generals shows that he's got it!

4. Taraba House is now a cynosure. A beautiful edifice, the TY DANJUMA HOUSE is clearly standing out in the array of real estate in this post part of Asokoro, Abuja Gov Kefas is a true master of ceremonies. His skills at guest management weren't missed at all, as he entertained his August A list of visitors.

5. General Gowon and the ancient order: that order included the likes of Generals Gusau and Martins Luther Agwai, who were present to honor their son, Dr Agbu Kefas. Professor Jerry Gana presence was exciting. It was a meeting of the old and the new. Almost as if they came to pass the torch to the youthful Governor Kefas.

6. Investors' confidence in Taraba state shoots up as many of the dignitaries say Taraba state is now ready for business. The edifice is also a place of meetings and conferences. Nature is represented with a mini zoo at the backyards.

7. UTC! It was amazing seeing my old boss and former Deputy Governor of Taraba state, Alhaji Umar UTC. Seeing him easily brought back memories of the days of the cabal!

8. Former First Lady Hauwa. The former first lady came resplendent in a beautiful dress, and you can't but recall the days of Late Gov Danbaba whose memorial comes up on the 29th. May his soul continue to rest in peace. With Rev Jolly Nyame in tow, the history of the remodeled governors lodge came in clear focus.

9. The First Family: Mrs Patience Agyin, the reigning first Lady of Taraba was the perfect host. She serenaded all with her flawless etiquette. She made everyone feel at home in their beautiful house, as she ensured guests were well taken care of. Her brilliant daughter, Bar Keziah Kefas, was also all over to ensure visitors felt pampered.

10. It was also a political event. The guest list was something else: Former Senators, serving senators, and former governors of the state and their deputies. The diplomatic community. National Assembly. At a point, the governor joked that very soon, many of the federal lawmakers in other parties will decamp to the PDP! It generated a good laugh.

Emmanuel Bello

The presence of some of the most reverred elderstatesmen at the recent commissioning of the TY Danjuma House in Abuja surprised attendees of the star-studded event. The highly honored General TY Danjuma apart, it is not every day you see former military Head of state, General Yakubu Gowon (rtd) at any function. He has largely maintained an ascetic lifestyle and is not given to the flamboyance of public engagements. It is not a very usual sight to see the likes of the respected General Aliyu Gusau (rtd) at an event. The super spook enjoys a mysterious anonymity and promotes his own self effacing mein.

But on this day, these reverred men were in attendance to support the effort of a younger but equally respectable Dr Agbu Kefas, Governor of Taraba state. There were other senior citizens like former presidential candidate, Professor Jerry Gana, and former minister Obadiah Ando. From the states, also poured in more big names in the national firmament.

Their auras added to the mystique of the moment and brought out in bold relief the honor Dr Agbu Kefas gets in power circles. It was clearly a case of the African proverb that said, "When a child washes his hands well, he eats with elders."

Dr. kefas has indeed washed his hands well in his pursuit of good governance in Taraba state. The nationalists who are nostalgic about the good old times when education was a priority are clearly impressed with the free education policy. Being all products of free education, these men must be excited at the prospect of a Nigerian governor pursuing it with transparency and passion.

Moreover, elderstatesmen easily respond to good governance. They remember with longing nostalgia the eras when government really worked for the people. Dr. Kefas represented that period in our history. His seriousness and leadership style recall a time when probity, moral rectitude, and commitment were the hallmark of public office. He therefore stirs in these men, a throwback to how things are supposed to be.

Miss Grace Nwaokobia daughter of Political analysist and a leading member of the Obi movement, Prof. Chris Mustapha Nwaokobia Jnr. Has currently surpassed the world record holder for the longest home kitchen cooking Marathon by an individual.



Grace whose attempt began on Saturday has since crossed 80hours as at 2:30am this morning.


The previous record holders time stood at 68hours 30Mins.


Food dished out by grace is been distributed around orphanage in Lagos.


The Little Saints Orphanage Ilupeju were the first to receive the taste of the food prepared by Miss Grace inline with her predilection for Charity.


More details soon....


https://www.signalng.com/breaking-chef-grace-nwaokobia-breaks-world-record-for-the-longest-home-kitchen-cooking-marathon/

By Sunday Alkali, Abuja

A civil society group, Volunteer Media Advocacy for Accountable Leadership, has condemned MTN’s persistent deductions for unsubscribed services from its customers’ accounts.

The group threatened to take legal action if the telecom giant fails to stop the practice.

In a statement on Monday, the group’s national coordinator, Augustine Aminu, lamented the numerous complaints from Nigerians who are being unfairly charged for services they never subscribed to.

“It’s unacceptable that MTN continues to deduct airtime from customers’ accounts without their consent, especially in this difficult economic climate,” Aminu said.

The group alleged that MTN’s customer service fails to rectify the issue, with some customers receiving messages thanking them for subscribing to services they never opted for. The deductions, ranging from N25 to N100, occur weekly, leaving customers frustrated and exhausted.

According to Aminu, one of such deductions reads, “Dear Customer, your subscription to Efiwe Daily_50 has been renewed successfully and N100.0 deducted from your account. This service will expire and auto renew on 18/06/2024. Text STOP EDF to 3700 or dial 3051# to cancel your service.”

The group referenced a 2016 lawsuit between MTN and a customer, Oluwole Aluko, a legal practitioner, over alleged unlawful deductions.

“We will not hesitate to return to court if MTN fails to address this issue,” Aminu warned.

The threat of legal action comes as a last resort, as the group said it believes MTN must be held accountable for its actions.

The group therefore demanded that MTN Immediately stops deductions for unsubscribed services; refunds affected customers and improves its customer service to address complaints effectively.

https://metrodailyng.com/stop-frivolous-deductions-for-unsubscribed-services-media-group-warns-mtn/

A thoroughbred soldier, with two decades of pure military activism, not many can guess that the self effacing governor of Taraba state, Dr Agbu Kefas, was once a battlefield expert. Calm, soft spoken, and affable, it is difficult to imagine Kefas as a swashbuckling Lieutenant Colonel of the elite intelligence Corp.

Yet it was here, in these trying
corridors of military power that his democratic ideals were horned. Although a product of the command structure, Agbu Kefas, paradoxically, was also given to the rule of law and order. For someone who was always obeying the last orders, he was also acutely aware of the power of dialogue, compromise, and horse trading.

Instructively, the history of June 12 itself is how the military truncated one of the best moments in our democratic journey. However, in Governor Kefas today, we see a reverse. We are witnessing how one of the best products of the military is deepening democratic credentials.

Governor Kefas is fast proving that the regimented structure can actually produce a flexible, born-again democrat who carries everyone along. It is not the first time we found soldiers turning into great statesmen since Winston Churchill, but in Kefas, we are experiencing that phenomenon in New Ways.

As a one-time party leader of the state, Governor Agbu Kefas rolled with the creme de la creme of the political class. He studied them and transcended the genre. His stint as the state PDP Chairman strengthened his conviction that democracy is the best form of government. He cherishes the fact that democracy creates opportunities for all and guarantees human rights. He loves the checks and balances imposed by the Separation of Powers. In Governing Taraba, he insists on this. That's why he does not interfere with any of the arms of government, especially the independence of the judiciary.

Emmanuel Bello

Special Adviser Media and Digital Communications.

https://www.vanguardngr.com/2024/06/june-12-bello-describes-kefas-as-thorough-bred-soldier/

Taraba state governor, Dr. Agbu Kefas has approved 500 million naira for payments of local government pensions and gratuities arrears. He has also set up a high-powered team to ensure swift payments of the backlog within the next few days.

It would be recalled that Governor kefas promised to wade into the local governments pensions backlog during the media parley he held recently to mark his first year in office.

Recall also that Dr. Kefas had already approved and released 2bn to offset the state gratuities debts. It was the biggest push for such settlements after an eleven year period of neglect by previous administrations.

In the current development, the commissioner of finance, Dr Sarah Enoch Adi, said Governor Agbu Kefas has given the marching orders for immediate release of funds and payments of accumulated arrears at the local governments levels. These initial funds will be followed up with 100 million naira each month for the continuous payments of the gratuities until all outstanding are cleared.

Already, a team to supervise the payments has been set up. The team includes the commissioner of finance, representatives of the Bureau for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Ministry of Justice, Pension Union, Local Government Pension Board, Magdaline Wunuji, Yoila Zando and Ibrahim Umar of the Bureau.

Emmanuel Bello

Special Adviser Media and Digital Communications.

https://www.signalng.com/lg-pensions-gov-kefas-approves-500m-forms-team-for-swift-payments/

Taraba state governor, Dr Agbu Kefas, has mourned the death of frontline woman leader and President Nigeria Council for Women Society (NCWS), Hajiya Lami Adamu Lau.

Lau passed on on Tuesday at Kebbi state during an official engagement.

In a condolence message, Dr. Kefas described the late Lau as a Taraba golden export to the rest of the world. He said her contributions to women causes stand tall in the history of gender activism. He noted that her demise has left a huge vacuum that may not easily be filled.

The governor, however, condoled with her family, the state, and the nation at large. He prayed for the repose of the departed while pledging more support for women's inclusion in governance.

He said the late Lau was an inspiration to him on the power of the girl child education that spurred him into the free education policy. He said he is encouraged to know that educating a woman is a gift to the whole world, noting that Lau exemplified the saying. He reaffirmed his faith in the administrative capacity of the women - a fact that has made him the governor with the highest number of women in the executive cabinet.

Meanwhile, Dr Kefas said the late Lau would be remembered for her principled and dogged fight against oppression of women and her commitment to bettering the lives of women and children.

Emmanuel Bello

Special Adviser Media and Digital Communications

Let no one call them names, they have raised the Progressive Bar remarkably high, perhaps the highest since the 2012 Ojota Fuel Hike protestation. Yours sincerely was heavily involved in that siege against Jonathan's Administration (in fact I addressed the rally in Ojota several times through the near two weeks of that popular action), a siege that was supported in cash and kind by the present watchman President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Against formidable attrition and debauchery, against the threat of jail and imprisonment, against a government that is squandamania oriented, and against a government sold to propaganda and gaslighting, they rose, they mobilized and shut down the nation with intent to call government to address the need for living wage, and they did so effectively, effectually and efficiently for 48 hours. I'm impressed and enamoured by the commitment of the NLC and the TUC to Take Back Our Country for good with the call for Living Wage as veritable weapon. Kudos.

Also impressive is the suspension of the Strike (Industrial Action) with a timeline. In 5 days time if the negotiation for Living Wage for Nigerian Workers remains a hard-call for government, the Civil Society, the Progressive left and the Nigerian Studentry must join forces with organized Labour to rescue the soul of our nation from the hoard of rampaging buccaneers feasting on our collective patrimony with reckless abandon.

In the one year of the present watch, the government has shown an uncanny predilection to wastage and wanderlust. See instances and questions that dominate the social media space and ask yourself why the government is slow about the need for a healthy minimum wage for the Nigerian worker whereas on all fronts it has shown an unbriddled penchant for profligacy. READ..

® N90B for Hajj.
-N4B Cars for BAT.
-N2B Cars for RAT.
-N58B SUVs for NASS.
-N37m Monthly for NASS
-N7B for Shettima's House.
-500m for each NASS member.
-N3TN budget padding by NASS.

But you say the NLC doesn't deserve at least N150,000 monthly salary? - Author Unknown.

Reading further one would wonder why the present watch appears impervious to logic, they appear completely focussed on mendacious inveigle and perfidy, with soulless propaganda as chief BUT I'm glad for Trojans Ajaero and Osifo, and I'm thankful to providence that hurricane TUC and NLC is here. READ...

©In as much as I believe the 1000% minimum wage increment that NLC is seeking is outrageous and untenable, the FG needs to answer some vital questions:

1. What are we doing with a bi-camera legislature? Why do we need the Senate and the House of Representatives?

2. What are we doing with a Presidential Yacht, and why do we need a Presidential fleet of 10 airplanes?

3. Why was there a 300% increment on the salaries of Federal Judges, and why did the FG need to buy new SUVs for Ministers, Senators and Members of HoR?

4. Where did the FG get over ₦80 billion to finance the needless foreign trips of the President and his Vice within a year?

5. Where did the FG get the ₦100 billion used to finance the Muslim pilgrimage in 2024?

Until the FG is able to provide answers to these pertinent questions, they have no right or moral justification not to increase the minimum wage by at least 200%. Credit: Femi Falana SAN.

Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty, we must therefore rise up and organize rather than agonize. We must close ranks and forge ahead with the NLC and TUC rather than break ranks. We must show to those who criticize and oppose our cause that the Hallmark of Patriotism is a critical mass, and proactive opposition. Once again I salute organized Labour for rising to be counted.

'E Soweto E Africa... Solidarity Forever!!!'

I'm CHUKWUDUMEBI.

Prof Chris Mustapha Nwaokobia Jnr.
Convener COUNTRYFIRST MOVEMENT.

He arguably comes across as the Governor with the best scorecard in 365 days. Ndi Enugu can attest to this truism. The Enugu space today tells lucid testimonies of the place of commitment, dedication, capacity and competency in transformational leadership. And such is the remarkable Story of Peter Mbah.

I had a near 30 minutes private dialogue with His EXCELLENCY Peter Ndubuisi Mbah three days after he was sworn in as the Executive Governor of Enugu State in 2023. Interestingly I have elected to pen this Tribute in Profound Leadership in his honour exactly one year after that incisive dialogue.

The caption of this Press Statement cum Tribute in exemplary leadership came as he responded to my advise that he must endeavour to leave his footprints on the sand of time now that his vision and ambition to govern Enugu State has become a reality. To my advise, Peter Mbah retorted, Prof it is not just about footprints on the sand of time, I shall do things differently, he assured me.

One year after, even the staunchest critic of Peter Mbah agrees indeed that things are being done differently. To Governor Peter Mbah democracy is nothing without the people. Conscious of this time tested praxis he set out to work with utmost alacrity knowing that without profound service to the people, democracy loses its defining ethos.

Barely one hour after he was sworn in as Governor on the 29th of May, 2023 he signed three Executive Orders.

The Orders were in regard to the Citizens’ Charter, which essentially outlined his commitment to the provision of jobs, as well as quality amenities and services that substantially improve citizens’ living condition; transparent and inclusive governance; and the convening of consultative town hall meetings to present government’s plans and receive citizens’ feedback.

That action was beyond symbolisms and was in no way driven by the quest for validation. It boldly reaffirmed his conviction to make the people the summum-bonum of his government’s policies. From the outset, there was absolute clarity about his vision for Enugu State, which could be summed up thus: To make Enugu one of the top three States in Nigeria in terms of Gross Domestic Product and achieve a zero percent rate in the poverty headcount index. This also includes the determination to grow Enugu State’s GDP from $4.4bn to at least $30b in the next four to eight years.

And taking that commitment beyond words or mere policy programmatic, Peter Mbah hit the ground running like one possessed by an excellent spirit. In one year the story is different. In one year the strides are lucid. In one year the dance is profound, and in one year there are monuments of reference.

On SECURITY. His government realized that nothing poses as much threat to the spirit of enterprise and, indeed, drains life out of a city as does criminality – or any hint of it. That explained why freeing the State from the stranglehold of an illegal sit-at-home order was among the earliest actions he took as Governor.

Crime may be an ever-present fixture in the society. Nonetheless, the Peter Mbah administration has shown zero-tolerance for crime in Enugu State. And he continues to demonstrate this through the consistent fight against crime, strengthening the capacity of the Distress Response Squad and providing logistical support to the various security arms in Enugu State. It is noteworthy that in the last 365 days there has been significant drop in crime across Enugu State. And very importantly the Mbah administration has remained proactive and vigilant. This is evident in the setting up of a Security Command Centre which is technology-enabled to offer real-time, round-the-clock surveillance of the major streets and neighbourhoods via CCTV cameras placed at strategic locations. Need I inform you that more than 80% of the Enugu Metropolis is presently covered by CCTV, thanks to the man who has elected to do things differently.

Conscious of the fact that the primary reason for which governments exist is the protection of lives and property, the Peter Mbah Administration hastened to establish a Security Trust Fund in furtherance to the determination to keep the State safe and enthrone a sustainable platform to pool resources to fund the security needs of the State. The Trust Fund which has been signed into law helps to foster citizens’ engagement and inspire a renewed sense of civic responsibility.

Across all sectors within the past 12 months Gov. Peter Mbah's commitment to the Citizens’ Charter and the courage to bring that vision to fruition has remained unbroken. The efforts of his Watch are vindicated by the visible turnaround in public infrastructure, and sustained increase in annual IGR. He is not reinventing the wheel, but has certainly created a suitable environment for the wheel to spin faster and unencumbered in a way that meets the urgency of now.

On WATER SUPPLY.
When Governor Peter Mbah gave a 180-day timeframe within which Enugu’s water problem would be solved, it wasn’t because he considered it a “low-hanging fruit” that could be easily notched. It was because he knew where the provision of potable water ranked on every resident’s wish list – and how urgently they wanted it to be ticked off.

He reckoned that the problem of acute shortage of potable water that Enugu residents had experienced for decades should by no means become a situation that simply has to be endured. The mere fact that an anomaly had persisted for so long is not an excuse for it to be normalized, as it were. That was why daily sights of children standing in long queues, with buckets and cans to buy water from tankers according to him were his most depressing encounters during his campaign for Governor.

Daily water supply to Enugu municipal was an average of two million litres before the intervention of the present watch. Today, the Peter Mbah administration has upped that paltry figure to 120 million litres of daily water supply. And this was done within the projected timeframe.

The fact is that only about 45 percent of what constitutes Enugu metropolis was reticulated, comprising mostly the older residential neighbourhoods. Much of the outlying – and fairly recent – districts were never connected to the supply grid. The Mbah Administration has successfully delivered water to those areas originally on the distribution line, mostly including neighbourhoods where public water had not run in decades.

A good example is the Enugu Campus of the University of Nigeria (UNEC) my alma mater, where the Deputy Vice-chancellor upon seeing water gushing from the taps for the first time in over a decade was overjoyed. And the excitement for the students remain palpable knowing that the sanitary condition of the hostels has improved with regular water supply. Indeed Mbah is doing things differently.

Coal Camp is another such neighbourhood where the taps had been dry for longer than most residents could recall. So, the excitement was understandably evident. On a general note, the administration has achieved this level of coverage across the Enugu municipal:

· GRA I & II – 80%

· Abakpa – 55%

· Ogui – 80%

· Independence Layout (including parts of Nza Street) – 60%

· Uwani – 85%

· Trans Ekulu – 30%

· New Haven – 85%

· Idaw River – 55%

· Emene – 60%

The public water supply experience in most of these neighbourhoods and their surrounding areas was at best unreliable – and at worst non-existent, such was the case for decades. But according to Governor Peter Mbah once the ongoing replacement of pipes, and water line obstruction in several locations arising from physical planning infraction are resolved, a total coverage of reticulated areas will be seen.

Indeed the vision of ensuring that every home in Enugu State has access to water, and the systemic commitment to pulling this through is one halcyon stride in Peter Mbah's predilection to doing things differently.

On ROADS. Roads that were, for many years by-words for neglect and municipal dysfunction are manifestly wearing new looks. From the once port-holed and dusty roads of Odudukoko and its environs in Gariki; to the gullies that for years left Trans Ekulu a shell of its once glorious past; from the literally impassable Premier Layout and College Road, in Abakpa; to the many Roads linking the metropolis which were nightmare stretch for motorists and residents, the Administration has increasingly turned the State to a huge construction site for the good of all.

It is evident that there is hardly anyone who hasn’t encountered some major road construction around their locality. It hardly matters where you live; the simultaneous rehabilitation and reconstruction of 71 roads in Enugu urban areas have ensured that virtually every neighbourhood in the city is experiencing an impressive road infrastructure makeover, and such is in tandem with his promise to do things differently.

The rural communities are not left out. The ongoing construction of 40-kilometre Owo-Ubahu-Amankanu-Neke-Ikem Dual Carriageway that will open a new gateway to the North-Central region is indicative of his determination to bring a new lease of life to rural communities.

And the recent acquisition of an asphalt production plant, which has a capacity to produce over 1000-ton eco-friendly asphalt daily defines the unalterable commitment of the Peter Mbah's administration to fix more roads even beyond his immediate projection.

To Governor Peter Mbah every intervention in the last one year has further reinforced the need to radically retool the socio-economic paradigm to make the hopes and aspirations of Ndi Enugu a Promise fulfilled.

On EDUCATION. The Commitment to doing things differently gave birth to the Smart Green School Initiative, which clearly is His Excellency's bold response to the shortcomings of the public education system.

The Administration is building Smart Schools in each of the State’s 260 electoral wards. These schools are reflective of the steely resolve of his government to bequeath to children an experiential education that can help them navigate the evolving knowledge-driven world, and imbue them with a skill-set that ensures they can practicalize what they have learnt, and are literally at ease with the tools of tomorrow’s workplace.

Mbah's Smart School Project is certainly not an abstract dream; its prototype stands out elegantly in Owo as a pointer to what the 259 others will look like on completion in 2025. Construction works are simultaneously ongoing at 135 schools, and the Action Governor has assured Ndi Enugu that contract for the rest is due for award in the second phase.

Each Smart School features an interactive digital whiteboard, an internet system, robotics and artificial intelligence centre, modern ICT centre, two science laboratories, hybrid multimedia library, creative production studio, 25 inclusive classrooms and 700 Android tablets. And through these schools, the government shall be nurturing a silent technological revolution.

Peter Mbah's administration’s N158.78bn education budget is both the highest per capita in the country, and in regard to the percentage of total budget sum – at 33 percent. It is also higher than UNESCO’s recommended benchmark of 15% - 20% of total annual budget. I can say perhaps it is the highest in the world. It implies for instance that for every 100 Naira spent, 33 Naira goes to the education budget. Think about that, and then the mantra 'doing things differently' will make renewed sense.

On HEALTHCARE. His investment in the health sector is no less remarkable. The Government of Enugu State under His Excellency Governor Peter Mbah is building new Type 2 Healthcare facilities across the 260 electoral wards in the State. In the 30 Public Healthcare Centres PHCs currently functional each centre is well-equipped and boasts the requisite manpower, comprising Doctors, Nurses, and other relevant health workers. To curb the notorious practice of workers’ absence in hospitals, there are living quarters with constant and alternative power supply for Doctors and Nurses.

Mbah's government has also paid due attention to the welfare of healthcare workers, and has ensured that every obligation in relation to allowances as well as agreements are fulfilled. This includes employment of Medical Practitioners, as may be necessary, to bring the doctor-to-patient ratio to acceptable standards. This would be impacted, no less, by the presence of the Enugu State University of Medical and Applied Sciences which received further boost when he signed the bill upgrading the institution to a Teaching Hospital.

Another area of success has been in the digitizing of patients’ records at various healthcare facilities in the State, which has created a seamless access to patients’ health history at state-owned facilities.

Development experts often say that the test of a policy is always evident in its outcome and impact on general wellbeing. This is especially true with what Peter Mbah has done in the health sector where there has been vast reduction in infant and maternal mortality rate in the State.

On REVIVING MORIBUND ASSETS AND RECOVERING STATE’S ASSETS. Few weeks ago the Peter Mbah led government signed a contract for the revamping of the iconic Presidential Hotel, and works have actually begun in that regard. He also performed the groundbreaking for the 345-room International Conference Centre Hotel, Enugu which would be the first 5-Star category hotel in the South East.

The absence of a truly 5-star hotel has long deprived Enugu State the opportunity of tapping into the immense benefits inherent in the expansive service industry such as conferences, meetings and events. This is despite the long illustrious history of the Coal City. But with its completion schedule of 11 months, the hotel, alongside the 5,000-seating capacity International Conference Centre due for opening in a few months, will take his government a step closer to making Enugu the Conferencing Capital of Africa. Indeed both facilities represent key enablers of his target of three million annual tourist visits to Enugu.

It is instructive that Presidential Hotel was built in 1963 with income earned largely from Agriculture, by the premier of the defunct Eastern Region, Dr. Michael Okpara. The same could be said of the several once-thriving but now moribund industries such as Nigergas Company Limited, Niger Steel Limited, Sunrise Flour Mills, etc. which the government is taking steps at reviving.

This commitment earned huge dividends recently with the return of 14 such assets to the government. And the motivation is the common good ditto improving the lives of Ndi Enugu.

On AGRICULTURE. Oil Palm was at the heart of Eastern Region’s agro-based economy. The presence of hectares of Palm Plantations across the region best illustrates this. Two such plantations from that era exist in Enugu State. Unfortunately, they have for years been in the throes of death – to put it mildly. However, with the signing of a N100bn partnership deal with Pragmatic Palms Ltd, a private investor, there is now a clear path to recovery for the moribund United Palm Products Ltd. What more defines the uncanny predilection of Gov. Peter Mbah to do things differently?

His government is scaling up Agricultural production in Enugu State. And he is committed to seeing that no longer will investment in agriculture seem like a mere token gesture – or an afterthought.

Indeed Enugu State is on the verge of an agricultural renaissance, given how his government is steadily creating the inputs that would enable the State to reap abundantly from the potential it offers. For instance, his government has created 100,000 hectares of land in each of Enugu’s three senatorial zones for the cultivation of export-focused cash crops, and building the infrastructure that opens up opportunities in the entire value chain, from storage to processing of agricultural produce.

From this vast tract of arable farmland, the Government has established a land bank through which it can forge partnerships with local or foreign businesses desirous of investing in agriculture. Indeed a few months ago Peter Mbah's administration sealed a Public-Private Partnership deal with Ugwuanama Farms Limited for the industrial cultivation of cassava, rice, maize, banana, oil palm, yams, and sundry crops at a 15,000-hectare farmland in Isi-Uzo Local Government Area. The investment of the government in agriculture reflects a strong emphasis on value addition and agro-processing, hence the attention devoted to growing the cassava-to-ethanol value chain.

Also, few weeks ago, the government received a delegation from the African Development Bank and the Federal Government through the ministries of finance as well as agriculture and food security. The visit was a preparatory step towards formalizing an investment partnership for Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zone, which, besides boosting the State’s earnings when operational, would create massive job opportunities.

As someone with an economic outlook extensively honed in the private sector, Peter Mbah fully understands the importance of creating a governance framework that enables businesses to flourish. This is at the heart of the “Enugu State is open for business” mantra.

On ELECTRICITY REFORMS. In signing the Enugu State Electricity Bill into law and establishing the Enugu Electricity Regulatory Commission, the Government took concrete steps towards becoming a major player in the power sector. This is critical to its plan for industrial expansion, and the projection of the Enugu State government to attain regular power supply in no distant time, working with the private sector.

Indeed, the ceding of regulatory oversight of the local electricity market to the Enugu State government is a strong validation for the quest to develop a commercially viable electricity market that is both reliable and sustainable. It is especially so, given that Enugu State was the first sub-national conferred with such rights. This development is a precursor to the ultimate goal of attracting investors desirous of setting up power generation plants in Enugu State, a move that will guarantee stable power supply and launch the bid of the State to become an industrial base.

On the JUDICIARY. The Reforms of the Peter Mbah led administration in this sector has yielded many benefits. Much progress has been achieved towards an end-to-end digitalization and automation of court processes. So, it’s only a matter of time before cases are filed virtually. The deliverables of the ongoing project include:

· Establishment and equipping of virtual hearing centres for the State High Court, the Correctional Centre, and the Enugu State Multi-Door Courthouse;

· E-filing for Lawyers;

· Automation and digitalization of Enugu State laws, amongst others.

Sufficient progress has also been made towards attaining Verbatim Reporting for the courts. This would eliminate the strain of longhand recording on Judges, shave off the time lost doing so manually and, ultimately, improve productivity.

Voicing a commitment to create an enabling environment for businesses tend to come easily. The difficulty usually lies in bridging the void between commitment and action. Not so however for the Peter Mbah government.


Prof Chris Mustapha Nwaokobia Jnr.
Convener COUNTRYFIRST MOVT.
Policy Analyst.
Leadership Trainer.


https://leadership.ng/may-29-nwaokobia-jnr-hails-enugu-gov-mbah-over-performance/

By Emmanuel Bello

The first year is over, and Governor Agbu Kefas has already slammed into gear two of the Moving Forward carriage. The speed has picked. As for the first year, the jury ( critics and fans alike) has since returned the verdict that Governor Agbu Kefas did a great job of jerking a comatose state back to life. In just a year, the former soldier turned civilian has exceeded expectations. He combated drought and starvation by sparking the food revolution via agricultural policies. He dealt with principalities and powers by ushering in a new kind of politics. He has blown off ignorance through a deliberate policy of free education.

Unarguably, the first year was indeed very dramatic as Dr. Kefas worked hard to steady the rudderless ship on a boisterous sea. Almost wordlessly, he erected lasting structures and deepened foundations.

Working with a great team, the governor sensationally pulled the state back from the brink. But as he faces the second year of his administration, Dr Kefas has said he would do more and consolidate on gains. Meanwhile, he is always the first to admit that more needs to be done to finish many of the good works. There are no quick fixes, he stresses. The crisis and challenges he met on the ground were daunting yet not unsurmountable.

Invariably, the second year offers another robust opportunity to expand, explore, and invigorate the gains of the last months. Dr. Kefas is excited about this and recently said he's re-fired to launch out. He said that in almost all the sectors, work will continue as he strives to bring some matters to a glittering closure. Lessons learned would be implemented; maps would be redrawn for effectiveness, and new paths would be beaten.

Therefore, gear two promises to be more intense and pleasurable than the first year. Taraba citizens should just sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride. It is the Kefas express.

Bello is the Special Adviser of Media and Digital Communications to Governor Kefas.


https://www.signalng.com/moving-forward-consolidation-as-gov-kefas-engages-gear-two/

Hours to his first year anniversary in office, Governor Agbu Kefas has gifted pensioners in the state with another round of payments of arrears. The governor ordered the immediate release of another one billion naira for the payments of gratuity.

The commissioner of finance, Dr. Sarah Enoch Adi, who revealed this Tuesday evening, said the governor is committed to offsetting all gratuities and pensions backlog. She described his actions as full of passion and zeal to confront the debts.

She noted that this was the second time the payments were getting huge funds to settle arrears. The commissioner noted that the gratuities are being paid in the most transparent manner, stressing the need for proper documentation for prompt actions.

It would be recalled that Governor kefas recently started the payments of gratuity after years of neglect. The last time any payments were made was in 2011. The hiatus had led to an accumulation of billions in arrears.

Today's directive is seen as a consolidation of the earlier payments. Many beneficiaries had testified that they did not believe they would live to see any payments of gratuities. They expressed gratitude and wish the government well in this endeavor.

They equally noted that the payments are coming at the time of great hardship in the country, stressing that the gratuities are cushioning the harsh effects of the removal of oil subsidy.

Emmanuel Bello

Special Adviser Media and Digital Communications

https://www.signalng.com/anniversary-gov-kefas-directs-another-release-of-1bn-to-continue-payments-of-gratuities/

Taraba state governor, Dr Agbu Kefas, has said the newly bought tractors will not be diverted but go straight to farmers. He said the machines are part of his total commitment to making Taraba state the ultimate hub of food production. He reiterated his earlier declaration that Taraba state can feed its populace and the entire country. He said, "Taraba state has no business with hunger. With our vast land and potentials in crop and cattle, we are now prepared to become the national leader in food security"

Dr. Kefas said farmers remain the hope of the state and the nation as hunger is now a security threat to the nation. He said the machines are not just about technology but sowing the seeds of hope.

The governor was speaking at the unveiling of the first 250 out of the purchased 850 tractors and other farm implements from the Czech Republic. The event is the second in the three-day program designed to commemorate Governor Kefas First Year in office.

Earlier in his welcome address, the commissioner of Agriculture, Professor Nick Namessan, said the farmers will sign agreements on receiving the tractors. A peep at the agreement document showed farmers will produce guarantors that will serve as sureties. Payments will be on a 40 -60 % ratio with government taking the larger share of the repayments. The beneficiaries will pay 40 per cent of the cost, while the government will pick the remaining cost. By subsidizing the cost of the tractors, government expect more farmers to take advantage of the scheme. Prof Nick said government will assidiously monitor the repayments and maintenance of the tractors.

Already a mobile maintenance vehicle is also available to ensure swift repairs when there are breakdowns.

Speakers at the event expressed their gratitude and noted that investment in agriculture is the way to go to ameliorate the food crisis in the land.

In his good will message, former governor of Taraba state, Rev. Jolly Nyame, extolled the virtues of Dr Kefas. He noted that the workshop he commissioned during his tenure was vandalized over the years. He said he was filled with pride that the current administration has restored the glory of the dilapidated structure.

He commended the governor for viewing government as a continuous phenomenon where uncompleted projects are revived and strengthened.

Representatives of the Czech Republic Ambassador to Nigeria said they are elated by the business relationships they have with the state.

In his speech, leaders of the various farmers groups in the state said the tractors have come at the time farmers were in dire needs of the machines. They pledged the support of farmers to be the main supervisor of the scheme to ensure its survival.

The program was attended by all top government functionaries and some traditional rulers prominent among them include the Aku Uka of Wukari and the Emir of Muri.

Emmanuel Bello

Special Adviser Media and Digital Communications

https://www.signalng.com/gov-kefas-ill-ensure-tractors-get-directly-to-farmers/

Labour Party Forum for Justice, Equity and fairness has asked the Leadership of the Party to give the Edo state Gubernatorial ticket To Barr. Ken Imasuangbon And Let Olumide Akpata Run As His Deputy.

Dr. Ben Osage in a press statement for the group said this is in Furthermore to the News Report of the Vanguard of the 19th of May, 2024 with the caption, Edo 2024: Labour moves to reconcile Akpata, Imansuangbon.

He said The Labour Party Stakeholders under the aegis of the Labour Party Forum For Justice, Equity and Fairness hereby elect to put the records straight.

Part of the statement reads;

"It is certain that the Labour Party and the Teaming Obidients across Edo State know that the September 21, 2024 Edo State Governorship Election is ours to win. It is without an ounce of equivocation clear that our Dear Party the Labour Party believes in Equity, Justice and Fairness. And it is important to put before the world the position of the Labour Party Stakeholders on the event superintended by select members of the Party on the 23rd of February, 2024 that was called the Edo State Labour Party Governorship Primaries."

"Whilst commending the Political Commissions of the Nigeria Labour Congress NLC and the Trade Union Congress TUC for efforts targeted at reconciling all interests, and reorganizing cum reshaping the Labour Party for effective participation in the democratic space, we must hasten to State that no reconciliation will be sustainable and far-reaching if the pillars on which the Party sustains is ignored or breached. Can there be genuine reconciliation where Justice, Equity and Fairness is thrown overboard?"

"The singular threat to the success of our Dear Party the Labour Party in the forthcoming Edo State Governorship Election is the fact that the largely mercantile erstwhile Labour Party leadership under Julius Abure torpedoed the values of Equity, Justice and Fairness by allowing a candidate from Edo South to emerge as the Labour Party candidate whereas the incumbent Governor of Edo State Godwin Obaseki is from Edo South. Also curious is the fact that in 24 years of the present democracy Edo South when Obaseki's tenure expires in a few months would have been in power for 16 years, and Edo North for 8 years, it is therefore only Just, Fair and Equitable to have someone from Edo Central as the Governorship Candidate of our Dear Party."

"The Two major Political Parties that we often vilify chose equity, justice and fairness over political correctness by ceding Power to Edo Central knowing that Inclusiveness ditto power rotation, power sharing and consensus building is necessary for development and progress. The PDP elected a Candidate from Edo Central because Equity, Justice and Fairness must count. For the APC, the very sagacious and popular Pastor Ize-Iyamu withdrew from the race so someone from Edo Central could be the APC candidate, and when Comrade Oshiomole and his Team thought otherwise by choosing a Candidate from Edo South, it took the intervention of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu who upon his return from a foreign trip instructed a rerun because of the call for Justice, Equity and Fairness noting that Edo Central as it were must be given a chance to produce the next Governor of the State. Indeed both the PDP and the APC have candidates from Edo Central, why should our Dear Labour Party that prides in Justice, Equity and Fairness be different?"

"As though karma were lurking in the corners of our hypocrisy, the candidate so chosen through Abure's subterfuge has huge legitimacy issues and the validity of the ticket is suspect. The choice of Deputy and the issues surrounding the replacement of the placeholder, as well as the fact that Barrister Olumide Akpata can no longer present a valid Deputy Governorship Candidate as stipulated by INEC Rules and Regulations having run out of time, even as he runs from pillar to post to validate a mortally defective ticket, we must state that the way out of the present logjam is for the Labour Party to ask Barrister Olumide Akpata to resign and serve as Deputy Governorship Candidate to Barrister Kenneth Imasuangbon who is from Edo Central."

"Conversely the only window open to our Dear Party the Labour Party so we do not lose out completely and not have a valid Governorship Candidate in Edo State is the providential action ditto the case in Court instituted by Barr. Ken Imasuangbon challenging the validity of the Olumide Akpata Ticket on grounds of Law, and also raising serious issues regarding the propriety of the ticket knowing that it works against Justice, Equity and Fairness. Indeed had Barrister Ken Imasuangbon not gone to Court the fate of the Labour Party in the Edo Governorship Election would have been sealed as the Party will have no valid candidate knowing that Olumide Akpata does not have a valid Deputy Governorship Candidate."

"As concerned Stakeholders of the Party we plead with organized Labour and the Obidients to prevail on Barrister Olumide Akpata to stepdown/resign and run as the Deputy Governorship Candidate of our Dear Party, with Barrister Ken Imasuangbon as the Governorship Candidate, this is the way to prevent our Dear Labour Party from losing out completely because Barr. Olumide Akpata is not a valid candidate known to the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC. Anything other than this clear pathway to victory will amount to the Labour Party surreptitiously working for the PDP or the APC because without a valid ticket our struggle will pan for nothing."

"We are committed to seeing that everything humanly and legitimately possible is done to ensure that the Labour Party wins Edo State come September 21, 2024, and the very bright path to tread is to support a Ken Imasuangbon/Olumide Akpata Ticket. We pray this happens." He said.

https://www.vanguardngr.com/2024/05/edo-guber-election-group-roots-for-imasuangbon-akpata-ticket/

By Emmanuel Bello

1. The governors were united in purpose like never before. The outward symbol of that bond was the uniform attire they resplendently wore. It is by far the most poignant outing in its 10 years history.

2. The choice of Bauchi as a venue was also symbolic as this was the historical cultural and political headquarters of the North East region. Meeting there carried all the weight of this historical import.

3. The region has enthroned the spirit of joint effort in tackling crises. This is a combined push needed to deal with nagging challenges. Going at it together is a robust strategy for concerted advocacy

4. The Kefas/Fintiri collaboration: The event also brought out the budding political union between the duo in more flashy ways. The governors of Adamawa and Taraba states are gradually emerging as a political power house within the block.

5. Taraba state also shone at the event with Commissioner of Energy, Naomi Agbu, clearly displaying her dominance in power matters. Agbu had earlier in a press statement chided the federal government over its attitude towards the outage crisis.

6. The black out situation in the region dominated the event. Its implications for the already charged security profile of the region were center stage. For a region that has given the world the Boko Haram pandemic, the light problem came in very clear focus.

7. Doubling down on their calls, the regional Governors were very tough on their calls for the federal government to take the light issues seriously. Although Commissioner Agbu was diplomatic in her choice of words, during her interview, the governors were clearly acerbic in their choice of words. They accuse the federal government of nonchalance.

8. Trade and investment in the region were also a major thrust of the event. A day before the governors meeting stakeholders in trade, they brainstormed on how to open up the zone for investors.

9. But still, on the disturbing issue of power, the governor adroitly said they would be monitoring the 27 May deadline of the restoration of power.

10. The governors also rightly advised the FG to find other routes of connecting the region to the national grid and find permanent solutions to the crisis of energy. On their own, too, the governors planned on leveraging on the abundant solar energy in the area to power the states.

https://www.signalng.com/10-interesting-titbits-from-the-north-east-governors-summit-by-emmanuel-bello/

By Emmanuel Bello

1. It's targeted at local government areas that have experienced crises, resulting in displacements, loss of homes, worship places, markets, and other structures. It is money aimed at rebuilding.

2. Endowment Fund will thus be a heavy budget for restoration, healing, equipping and restarting communities ravaged by years of strife.

3. Schools, in particular, would be rebuilt in areas where they have been overrun or destroyed.

4. The funds would be used in training more teachers and equipping them with modern working tools.

5. Health facilities would be funded to have the best equipment that meets globally accepted standards in Medicare.

6. The fund will also target the issue of shelter with plans to provide affordable housing for the poorest members of the community.

7. A chunk of the funds will go into road construction across the state to link the rural areas with urban settlements.

8. The provision of basic amenities, eg, water, light, and roads, shall be a cardinal attribute of the fund.

9. Policing will also get a boost with funds used in accelerating the effectiveness of neighborhood Policing, vigilantes, border patrol guards, and forest guards.

10. The funds will greatly enhance youth employment with smart jobs and provision of varied opportunities that will break the backbone of unemployment and support upstarts in businesses.

https://www.arewareportersng.com/10-things-you-should-expect-from-the-planned-kefas-endowment-fund/

By Emmanuel Bello

It would soon be one year since the media lavishly covered Dr. Agbu Kefas when he was sworn in as governor of Taraba state. It was a holistic coverage spanning all news outlets. You could sense that the media was thrilled by the soldier turned civilian who became governor in his seemingly young political career. His youthful energies, soft approach, and transparency are stuff media buffs easily connect with. Earlier on, at the campaigns, he excited the media with his simplicity, earning him the sobriquet:star boy! Trust was further built when he said the Fourth Estate of the realm remains his partner.

Since then, it can safely be said that Governor Kefas has enjoyed the robust support of the media both at the local and national level. It is a relationship built on mutual trust, understanding, and camaraderie. A man of few words, he said it is up to the media to report what they see in the state. Governor Kefas believes that good works announce themselves effortlessly without the hype.

That's why in the last one year, the governor has literally carried the media along in all he does. In one of the many parley with practitioners in the state, the governor was very direct: he needs the support of reporters not just to inform the world of the works but to also serve as a mirror for introspection. Gov Kefas believes a free press remains the cornerstone of democracy. He urged media practitioners to remain balanced, unbiased, and courageous in their reportage. He maintains that a government without media is rudderless and dangerous.

Consequently, he further noted that the press needs to be supported too to do its job. This would include encouraging a conducive working environment for practitioners and more access to government information. To this end, the governor has finalized plans to rebuild the dilapidated, almost abandoned Press Center at Jalingo. The press crew attached to Government House also got a brand new bus.

But it is in the area of more access to information, Dr. Kefas has excelled. News seekers are never denied any answers they need for their stories. Periodic media parley and direct passage to get better angles to government policies is at the heart of the Moving Forward agenda. It is indeed the golden age of the media (both the traditional and the modern) in Taraba.

As a result of these, government/media relations have tremendously improved. While the government is not seeking empty praises from the news outlets, it has been able to earn the respect and confidence of practitioners.

Bello is the Special Adviser Media and Digital Communications to Governor Kefas.

https://tribuneonlineng.com/gov-kefas-the-media-an-unending-romance-one-year-on/

Dr Richard Somiari, the eleventh prosecution witness in the ongoing trial of Chidinma Ojukwu, who was accused of killing Michael Ataga, has said the DNA done on blood found on the student's blouse matched that of the Super TV CEO.




Somiari testified before Justice Yetunde Adesanya of the Lagos State High Court, which is sitting at Tafawa Balewa Square, on Tuesday, April 16.




Ojukwu, a 300-level Mass Communication student of the University of Lagos, is charged with the murder of Ataga alongside her sister, Chioma Egbuchu, and one Adedapo Quadri.



Dr. Richard Somiari is the centre director/consultant for the Lagos State DNA and Forensics Centre. Led in evidence by the Lagos State deputy director of public prosecutions, Adenike Oluwafemi.


Dr Somiari stated that he has the highest level of oversight and produces administrative and technical reviews of reports.





Somiari maintained that he received the items for evidence, including a stained red dress, an army green T-shirt, and a DNA sample from Chidinma.




The analyst stated that other items received were gastric content, urine, bile and blood, which were retained for a toxicology report.




He mentioned that the objective was to create a triangle of evidence linking the suspect to the victim and the crime scene.




During cross examination Dr Somiari was queried about his statement by the defendant's lawyer, Onwuka Egwu about his claims that the DNA results was 99% accurate and only one in a quadrillion would match.




However, the response from Dr Somiari over the veracity of STR process used to identify the blood on the red blouse used for the test didn't match the DNA of the defendant.





This left rooms for queries noting that Chidinma's DNA wasn't identify on the dress that was found in the crime scene.



Below is the exchange that took place between Barr Onwuka and Dr Somiari:




Lawyer: "DNA samples. The B2 questioned DNA samples is the same as the one found on the red blouse?"






Dr Somiari: "Yes"




Lawyer: "You said that the STR profile obatained from this blouse didn't match that of the suspects?"




Dr Somiari: "Yes"






Lawyer: "On page 9, you said that the DNA sample is 7,000,000,000,000,000 (7 quadrillion) that of Micheal Ataga?"



Dr Somiari: "Yes"



Lawyer: "The short Tandem Report is SRT was used in analyzing it?" Forensic expert: "Yes"




Lawyer: "While testing with STR, it is afact that for every DNA sample e.g yours, Milord's and mine will 99.9% match?



Dr Somiari: "Yes sir"



This line of conclusion throws Dr Somiari's earlier statements open for discussion and near invalid.


https://www.arewareportersng.com/chidinmas-trial-prosecution-witness-contradicts-self-under-cross-examination/

By Emmanuel Bello

Taraba state has no business with food insecurity. In fact, the state should be feeding itself and the rest of the country. This has always been the declaration by the governor of Taraba state, Dr Agbu Kefas. The former soldier turned politician often wondered what is holding the state down to achieve its full potentials as far as food is concerned. When the governor recently set up the Food Sustainability Committee, he questioned the rationale of the vast resources the state has without a corresponding outcome in agricultural fortunes. Why should a state with some of the richest soil not having bumper harvest? Why should a state with massive potential for aqua agriculture grapple with food crises?

Dr. Kefas is already finding answers to these key issues. With a very clear blueprint on the agricultural sector, Governor Kefas is harnessing the robust mental energies of experts and actors in the sector. The commissioner of agriculture in the state is a professor of agriculture engineering. There is a high-powered committee comprising traditional rulers who easily the custodians of farming space in their communities. The committee is now serving as the hub for research and monitoring in the sector. A member of the committee, Zanau Maikasuwa, is the Special Adviser to the governor on agriculture saddled with the policy implementation of the department.

Digging in, Governor Kefas has also upped the game further with a tremendous deployment of tractors to the state. This is key because for a very long time, the state lagged behind in its tractors' needs. The Tractors Hiring Unit of the state was basically dead. The current deployment means a huge boost to mechanized farming.

This, alongside more pesticides and other supports to farmers, is a new kind of energy for agriculture in the state.

Above all, the state government is working assiduously to address security challenges. The governor believes that safer farms will mean more farmlands to be cultivated. It would also secure the roads to move harvests to the markets.

The efforts at reducing the conflicts between farmers and herders; the deployment of more boots on the ground and the general synergy amongst security agencies is helping to strengthen policy implantation in the agricultural sectors.

Bello is Special Adviser Media and Digital Communications to Governor Kefas.

https://www.arewareportersng.com/with-brand-new-tractors-security-taraba-set-to-feed-the-country/