₦airaland Forum

Nasarawa State Government says it spends three hundred and fifty million Naira annually on feeding of students in public boarding schools in the state. The state Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Hajiya Fatu Sabo disclosed in Lafia at the distribution of food items to 29 boarding schools across the state.

She said the state government spends over 29 million Naira monthly on the feeding of students in all the state- owned public boarding secondary schools.

Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna state on Thursday said Nigeria’s power sector has gulped a sum of N1.7trillion in the last three years. The governor disclosed this at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, while briefing journalists on the outcome of National Economic Council (NEC) meeting chaired by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo. He said the situation of the power sector is a national emergency that requires all hands to be put on deck to interrogate why the sector is not working for the overall progress and benefit of Nigerians.

The governor, who gave an update on the two Committees constituted by NEC on the “Review of the Ownership Structure of Distribution Companies”, said, the solutions to the nation’s problematic power sector might be painful because the government could not continue to finance a sector that had gulped N1.7 trn without much progress. He said the NEC approved the proposal to co-opt Association of Electricity Distribution Companies in Nigeria and Association of Electricity Generation Companies of Nigeria as members of the committee, adding that they expected memoranda from members of the public to proffer final solution to the electricity problem.

“The National Economic Council appointed two committees last year, I was privileged to chair and we brought a progress report to the council. “We all agreed that the electricity supply industry is broken and the situation of the power sector is a national emergency that requires all hands to be put on deck to interrogate why the sector is not working for the overall progress and benefit of Nigerians.

“There is the will on the part of the committee members to really go into the root of the problems and speak to ourselves in an honest national conversation and find a way to fix this sector because this country will never make progress, will never create jobs until we industrialize with a functioning electricity sector,” he said. Speaking further, El-Rufai added: “There are other issues. The entire sector is broken, the tariff is an issue, the way the privatization was done is an issue to many. So, there are many issues. What we have agreed on is that there are fundamental problems in the electricity supply industry.

“The federal government has supported the electricity sector with N1.7 trillion in the last three years and this is not sustainable. So, solutions must be found, those solutions are not going to be nice, they may be painful but the only way to solve the structural problems in the industry is to take some very difficult decisions.”

President Muhammadu Buhari says reopening of the land borders will not happen until the final report of a committee set up on the matter is submitted and considered. He said this yesterday while holding a bilateral meeting in London at the sidelines of UK-Africa Investment Summit 2020 with President Nana Akufo-Addo of Ghana.

Buhari said the partial closure of Nigeria’s borders was not caused solely because food products, particularly rice, were being smuggled into Nigeria; but also because arms and ammunition as well as hard drugs were being ferried into Nigeria.

He said he could not open his eyes and watch youths being destroyed through cheap hard drugs, and compromised security caused by unbridled influx of small arms. “When most of the vehicles carrying rice and other food products through our land borders are intercepted, you find cheap hard drugs, and small arms, under the food products.

This has terrible consequences for any country.” He said it was regrettable that the partial border closure was having “negative economic impact on our neighbours,” but added that “we cannot leave our country, particularly the youths, endangered.” The president said the Sahel region was awash with small arms accounting for severe security challenges in Mali, Chad, Burkina Faso, Niger and Nigeria.

“We are in fact the biggest victims. We will get things sorted out. Our farmers, especially those who grow rice, now have a market, and are happy, and we are also concerned about hard drugs and weapons. Once the committee comes up with its recommendations, we will sit and consider them,” he said.

President Akufo-Addo, while showing understanding of the need for Nigeria to protect her citizens, pleaded for “an expedited process, because the Nigerian market is significant for certain categories of business people in Ghana.”

President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday said the Federal Government would engage more qualified teachers to increase the teacher-to-pupil ratio in the country. Buhari, according to a statement by his spokesman, Femi Adesina, said this at the State House in Abuja while receiving the leadership of the Nigeria Union of Teachers led by the union’s national president, Nasir Idris.

“We’ve created a dedicated platform under the National Social Investment Programme called N-Power Teach, which engages qualified graduates to man the gaps of basic education delivery in Nigeria.

“The aim of this, and many other Government programmes, is to increase the teacher-student ratio at the primary school level thereby enhancing the quality of students moving to secondary schools.”

... Kano, Adamawa, Benue, Plateau calm

Tension is high in Bauchi, Sokoto and Imo states ahead of today’s resumption of hearing of appeals challenging elections of seven governors at the Supreme Court. The seven outstanding governorship appeals before the apex court include the elections of governors Umar Ganduje (Kano); Waziri Tambuwal (Sokoto); Emeka Ihedioha (Imo), Ahmadu Fintiri (Adamawa); Bala Mohammed (Bauchi); Samuel Ortom (Benue); and Simon Lalong (Plateau).

Governor Ganduje’s election is being challenged by Abba Kabiru Yusuf (PDP) who is contending that he was winning the election in majority of the local governments in Kano before it was declared inconclusive and a rerun ordered by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). He also alleged widespread irregularities in the March 23 rerun election in the state. APC’s Ahmed Aliyu is challenging the election of Governor Aminu Tambuwal.

He is alleging over voting and other irregularities in the election. Aliyu polled 511,661 votes against 512,002 votes by Tambuwal after conclusion of collation in the rerun. Governor Emeka Ihedioha’s election is being challenged by the APC candidate, Hope Uzodimma, the Action Alliance (AA) candidate, Uche Nwosu and candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) Ifeanyi Ararume.

Although the allegations of irregularities in the election by the AA and APGA against Ihedioha were dismissed by the Court of Appeal, there was a dissenting judgment in favour of Uzodimma’s appeal. CJN forced to adjourn hearing At the hearing of the Kano governorship appeal yesterday, the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Tanko Muhammad, retired to his chambers after complaining about the congestion in the court hall. Supporters of governors of Kano, Sokoto, Bauchi, Adamawa, Imo, Benue and Plateau states had thronged the court premises as early as 6am. Director of Litigation of the Supreme Court, Ibrahim Gold asked persons who had no serious business in the court room to leave.

The CJN was again forced to stand down and eventually adjourned the proceedings over the ill-health of one of the justices on the panel, Justice John Inyang Okoro. Other justices on the seven-member panel were Sylvester Ngwuta, Olukayode Ariwoola, Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, Amiru Sanusi and Uwani Musa Aba-Aji.

Bauchi

The battle for the soul of Bauchi State erupted at the court premises when persons believed to be supporters of Governor Bala Muhammad pelted the convoy of the former governor, Mohammed Abubakar, with water bottles after he came out of the court and raised his hands in a sign of ‘four plus four’. Reports show there is anxiety in the state. Meanwhile, former governor Abubakar of the APC has described the attack as a “last minute ditch effort” by Governor Mohammed to influence the outcome of the governorship tussle before the Supreme Court of Justice.”

In a statement by his media aide, Ali M. Ali, the former governor called on his supporters to remain calm to what he called “resort to uncivilised conduct from supporters. Such shameful conduct is reflective of the violent behaviour of their benefactor.” But the state Commissioner of Information and Communication, Dr Ladan Salihu, denied the allegations, saying he must have been pelted by his own supporters who felt shortchanged by his administration and his hand sign of ‘4+4’, which is an attempt to return to office.

Sokoto

In anticipation of the outcome of the Supreme Court judgment in the appeal by the APC governorship candidate, Ahmed Aliyu, challenging the election of Governor Tambuwal, the police have beefed up security in the state. The adjournment of the appeals on Monday stirred more speculations in the state that the move is to enable the appellants curry favour from the judiciary. But Governor Tambuwal, through his media adviser, Muhammad Bello, urged his supporters and people of the state to exercise patience following the adjournment of the case.

Meanwhile, the state Commissioner of Police, Alhaji Ibrahim Kaoje, has assured the people of the state on keeping the state safe and secure, for all law-abiding residents to conduct their lawful businesses. He said the command had deployed one thousand conventional and plainclothes police officers across the state. Kaoje said adequate measures had been taken to ensure that peace reigned before and after the hearing.

Imo

There is anxiety in Owerri, the Imo State capital and environs over today’s hearing at the Supreme Court. Our correspondent reports that supporters of all the parties are upbeat as they have turned to prayer warriors, and pouring invectives on one another.

The police have warned supporters on both sides to exercise the highest degree of order and decorum in their jubilation on the outcome. In a statement, the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Orlando Ikeokwu, warned against breakdown of law and order.

“In view of the Supreme Court judgement on the Imo State governorship election, the Imo State Police command, in conjunction with other security agencies in the state, wishes to express its readiness to ensure safety and security of members of the public during and after the judgement,” he said.

Kano, Adamawa, Benue, Plateau calm

Reports from Kano, Adamawa, Benue and Plateau indicate that there is calm in the four states. Our reporters observed that business places such as markets, shopping malls, banks, filling stations were conducting their normal businesses.