• Flags Off Geidam Township Roads, Drainages

Governor Mai-Mala Buni of Yobe State has laid the foundation for the building of a modern market in Potiskum, the state’s commercial town.

During the occasion on Wednesday, Buni said it is the resolve of his government to provide hard-working people of Potiskum and other Yobe towns with modern facilities that will encourage trade activities.

The governor advised the people of Potiskum and other people of the state to be more self-reliant and explore vast business opportunities across the state.

He gave a deadline of 12-months for the completion of the project, asking the contractors to do a good job, as he would be on their necks always.

He said: “We are going to undertake keen supervision to ensure that the market is built according to the contractual agreement.”

The state government is currently building similar modern markets in Damaturu, Gashua, Nguru and Buni Yadi.

The markers apart from shops are built to have abattoir, parking lots, roads and security outposts, which will encourage business activities and encourage investment.

Similarly, Governor Buni has flagged off the construction of Geidam township roads and drainages.

The project, which is aimed at enhancing movement and promotes economic development, is part of the Buni’s administration urban and rural development plan.

At the flag-off ceremony on Wednesday, Buni said in order to ensure value for money for the people of the state, contractors would be held to account in terms of standard and timely delivery.

He said. “Let me use this opportunity to remind the contractors that there must be value for money in this project. You are advised to abide by the contractual terms and agreements to ensure quality work and timely completion of the project. The government would not accept any form of sub-standard work.”

The governor has since the inception of his government been emphasizing the provision of infrastructure; insisting that it is key to social and economic growth.

Some of the projects already completed are township roads and concrete drainages in Damagum, Fune local government area, roads and concrete drainages in Buni Yadi, Gujba local government area, township roads and concrete drainages in Malammatari in Damaturu, township roads and concrete drainages in Jajimaji, Karasuwa local government area, township roads and concrete drainages in Babban Gida Tarmuwa local government area.

The Nigerian Governors’ Forum Chairman and Governor of Ekiti State, Dr Kayode Fayemi has said that the nation’s security challenges are beyond the Nigerian military, insisting that they are surely overwhelmed and cannot single-handedly handle the crisis.

Fayemi noted that the multitude of security situation affecting many parts of the country, that includes, Insurgency, banditry, kidnapping and armed robbery have overdrawn the military

Speaking in Maiduguri, Borno State Capital on Tuesday, he said: “We are here your Excellency, first to express our condolences to the families and loved ones of our lost citizens, and also to the good people of Borno State, and yourself as the leader of our people here.”

“But what happened in the last three days is by far beyond any imagination, it was a massacre and it was one that none of us could come to terms easily with.

“I know there is an element of fatigue that will creep into this, every time this happens we never let you rest on your phones expressing sympathies, we come here as delegation, you speak to us about your genuine believe on what could help us tackle this challenge that is depleting our country and we pledge to take steps to engage the leadership of our country. So there is very little we can say to you now that we haven’t said before as your brothers.

“There is nothing new that you haven’t told us, that you haven’t told the delegation from Mr President yesterday. We have all heard directly from you, your 6-point agenda, we have read it and you have just expressed to us in our private conversation. All I can say to you sir is that we fully and wholeheartedly endorsed every single point on that agenda.”

He added that: “The reality we can all say, I personally as security scholar, the reality I can see is that our military is overwhelmed. Our military is no longer in a position to single-handedly tackle this menace effectively.

“It is not a criticism of our military if one were to suggest a coalition beyond that will even include our neighbouring countries who are probably more experienced in fighting an asymmetrical war. It will not be a loss of our pride as a country if that were to happen and this certainly something that we as your colleagues and brothers will put before Mr President.”

Fayemi was accompanied by the Governor of Sokoto State and the Vice Chairman of the Forum, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, Governor of Kebbi State, Atiku Abubakar Bagudu and that of Niger State, Abubakar Bello.

The Governor also stated that their visit to Borno is an expression of their frustration for not able to make any meaningful development in the security problems facing the country, despite many attempts.

He said: “This is not a visit to gratify ourselves that we have come to you, no, it is an expression of also our own frustration that we have not been able to make changes because we have held series of meetings, you have been present at these meetings, some with Mr President, meetings with security chiefs, we have highlighted all the issues, you have spoken, frankly on all those occasions, but we are still where we are.

“We can’t bring back the people we have lost in the last couple of days, but if we do not take the necessary steps the entire nation will be consumed by this insurgency.”

He noted that, despite all these, the Nigerian Governors’ Forum will continue to support the government of Borno in engaging appropriate authorities to find solutions to the insecurity.

“We need to stand solidly with you, assist in whatever way you want us to, ensuring that our government takes the right position in order to tackle this problem. I want to assure you that we shall not relent as your brothers in conveying this to the appropriate authorities.” Gov. Fayemi said.

Borno State Governor, Professor Babagana Zulum who decried the continuous attack on innocent people, said: “We need to address the underlying causes of the insurgency while appreciating the effort of the federal government in implementing some policies that are geared towards addressing poverty in the entire nation, Borno State deserve more.

“We have said all, there is nothing new that I can say. But when shall we end this insurgency, that’s something very important.”

Zulum also expressed appreciation for all the members of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum for their support to Borno in time of her needs. He also thanked them for the visit.

Theleadnewsreport

BY REMILEKUN DARAMOLA/

The United Nations has said stabilising and developing troubled Northeast Nigeria is not crucial to Nigeria alone but the entire Sehalian sub-region.

A statement on Wednesday issued after the visit of the UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Edward Kallon after a visit to Zabarmari to condole the families of the farmers killed by Boko Haram on Kashobe rice field, lamented that slain farmers are still recovered daily, with many farmers missing and a lot of women abducted by the insurgents.

Kallon, in a statement issued on Wednesday, said: “There is no word to describe how I feel after my visit to Zabarmari communities yesterday. It is with great sadness, but also indignation, that I met the families of the victims of Saturday’s violent attack and their communities to extend my most sincere condolences, on behalf of the United Nations and humanitarian partners, and to commiserate with them on these atrocious circumstances.

“Farmers and villagers I have met have retold accounts of unspeakable cruelty. Innocent civilians – men and women – were ruthlessly killed. Details on losses are still coming in and the search for missing people is still ongoing. More bodies are being recovered.

“Farmers have also reported some of the missing women may have been abducted. I call for these innocent women and girls to be immediately released and for their safe return to their communities.

“With more slain civilians recovered almost every day since the attack, it is clear that this was an act of sheer inhumanity and abject cruelty. The perpetrators of this heinous and senseless act should be brought to justice.

“I met His Excellency Prof Babagana Umara Zulum, Governor of Borno State, as well as their Excellencies the Governors of Adamawa, Bauchi, Gombe, Taraba states and the Deputy Governor of Yobe State.

“We all agree that stabilizing and developing the north-east is not only important for the people living in these states but also crucial for the whole country and key to the sub-region.

“Farmers and families I met yesterday in Zabarmari are in shock. Idris Ahmad, one of the farmers I spoke with yesterday, told me his pain and grief, the trauma farmers are going through as their sons, brothers, cousins were killed in atrocious conditions and many had their throat slit by assailants armed with machetes.

“They now fear for their life and that of their children. They have not yet gone back to harvest the farms. They have no other resources and dread that everything they worked for is now lost.

“I reiterate our commitment to do our utmost to support the people of Borno State and particularly the most vulnerable, many of whom live in such remote areas and are taking inconsiderable risks every day to be able to have some food on their plate.

“If provided with the necessary resources and access, we are committed to do more to provide urgent assistance to those most in need in the north-east.”

He said: “This attack on Saturday is, unfortunately, one of too many such attacks targeting farmers, fishermen and families who are trying to recover some livelihood opportunity after over a decade of conflict. Such direct assaults against innocent civilians jeopardize the ability for the most vulnerable people to survive the adversity there are facing, and which we are striving to alleviate.

“Saturday’s incident is especially heart wrenching as we are recording this year some of the highest levels of food insecurity in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states. In these three states, the most recent official data indicate that 4.3 million people are currently critically food insecure and the number could reach up to 5.1 million over the lean season, between June and August next year.

“Rural communities in Borno State are facing untold hardships. Helping them to farmland and rebuild livelihoods are amongst our priorities and the only way to avoid the looming food crisis in Borno State. They and all other civilians need to be protected and provided greater assistance to survive the coming months.

“The situation in the north-east is that of a complex crisis, with a humanitarian emergency and, for the past few months, unprecedented challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic and its consequences on the economy and social fabric.”

The Head of the UN team in the country said: “The actions to be taken go beyond a security response. Nigeria is not the only country at grip with violent non-state armed groups in the Sahel. As we are seeing across the sub-region, a security response alone will not be enough to bring peace and security in a state like Borno, which has been facing over a decade of violence.

“All actors, including the international community, have to join forces and step up support to the people of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states. It is only by working together, saving lives, rebuilding communities, providing new opportunities, increasing peacebuilding efforts, developing the infrastructure, fostering education, that we will be able to address the root causes of the crisis, reduce insecurity and stop the violence.”

Theleadnewsreport

The candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC) have won all the positions on offer in all the 27 local government areas of Borno State, the State Independent Electoral Commission (BOSIEC) declared on Tuesday.

Announcing the results of the election in Maiduguri, the Returning Officer for the election and the Executive Chairman of BOSIEC, Abdu Usman said APC won all the positions on offer.

He said candidates of the ruling party won all the 27 chairmanship and all the councillorship seats in last Saturday’s local government elections.

He said the party won 18 chairmanship positions unopposed and no party contested most of the councillorship seats with the ruling party.

He noted that as at the time of announcing the results, no political party has forwarded any complaints, adding that the Commission faced some challenges such as movements of logistics to some of the local government areas of the state.

He lamented that a vehicle conveying logistics materials to one of the local government areas of northern Borno had an accident, where the commission lost one of its staff.

Six political parties which participated in the elections include Accord Party (AC), African Democratic Congress (ADC), All Progressives Congress (APC), All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Social Democratic Party (SDP).

Reasons have emerged on why the governors of the Northeast states called on the Nigerian government to seek the assistance of foreign mercenaries in the fight against Boko Haram insurgents.

Governors of North East states had on Tuesday said the thought of bringing mercenaries to fight Boko Haram should be taken seriously.

The governors’ call came a day after Borno State Governor, Prof. Babagana Zulum as part of his six-point recommendations on how to end the over a decade-old crisis, asked that mercenaries should be deployed to fight the insurgents.

Taraba State Governor, Ishaku Darius who led other governors from the Northeast sub-region to condoles the governor and people of Borno State on the massacre of rice farmers on a field in troubled Borno State, said, “Our dear brother, we are here to condole you over the killing of farmers by Boko Haram insurgents.”

“We are indeed saddened and traumatised. I will key into your request, which you said that the federal government should invite some mercenaries to come and help us out of this problem, because what you can’t do, what you can’t solve; I think we should invite who can solve it for us.

“We cannot continuously be mourning, there has to be a time to stop the mourning. All of us in the North East Governors Forum, we are pleading with the federal government to find a solution to the issue of Boko Haram because if we neglect it, it will become worst.”

The Taraba State Governor also appealed to the federal government to look into the infrastructural deficit in the northeast region.

“We also call on the Federal government to look at the northeast with sympathy, it is embarrassing in the whole budget, what is given to the northeast is 0.35%. With all these problems we are having, with the insurgency, all the problems, with the insecurity, from the whole federal budget of Nigeria, only 0.35% only allocated for the northeast.

“This is very very unfair. The federal government should look at the issue of infrastructure in the northeast, i will once again call on the federal government, and the issue of Mambila hydropower project, 3,500 megawatts should be looked at as matter of urgency. Without this power, we will not indeed have any meaningful development.”

With Darius were Governors of Adamawa, Bauchi and Gombe States, Ahmadu Fintiri, Senator Bala Mohammed and Mohammed Inuwa Yahaya, respectively.

Borno Governor Zulum expressed appreciation to the delegation for their visit to condole with government and people of Borno State.

Theleadnewsreport

By Ike Uchechukwu

A middle-aged man has been shot to death in Calabar by his girlfriend upon his directive for the girl to test the efficacy of a “native bulletproof” ( Odieshi charm) which he took earlier. The young man whose real name could not be ascertained as at the time of filing this report was simply known as “Email” which was his alias. ADVERTISING Vanguard gathered that the victim who both a cultist and drug peddler who specializes in the sales of Indian hemp, was with a group of his friend’s at the time of the incident yesterday in a compound where he resides at Nelson Mandela street, Calabar South, opposite the Assembly of God Church.

A family source who pleaded anonymity told Vanguard that her sister, Blessing was a friend to deceased “email” as they having been dating for some time. The source said at about 11:00 am on a fateful day, the sister passed by the compound of the late boyfriend the deceased was with his group of friends and they had taken local concoctions including native charms against guns and bullet shots. “After the group of friends had taken the concoctions they started testing the efficacy of the anti-gun charms among themselves. Others had tested and it proved effective but the deceased young man chose to ask the girlfriend to use the gun and shoot him to test the efficacy of the charm on himself, Unfortunately, the gunshot from the girl penetrated and he slumped and died instantly and there was chaos,” the source said. Vanguard learned that upon his death, people in the multi-residence compound all scampered for safety. Some among the group of friends to the deceased got angry with the girl and descended on her with matchets and other rough weapons that left her with deep cuts and bruises on her body before the Police were called in and she was rescued. Findings showed that the Police later carried the body of the deceased and they took her sister to the Police Clinic in Calabar where she is currently receiving treatment. When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer in Cross River State Command, DSP Irene Ugbo confirmed the incident and also confirmed the fact that the girl is on admission in the Police Clinic.

In Umeadi vs.Chibunze (2020)10NWLR(PT.1733)405@’ 412,ratio 7,the Supreme Court held, Where parties who believe in the efficacy of a juju resort to Oath- taking to settle a dispute,they are bound by the result and so the common law principles in respect of proof of title to land no longer applies since the proof of ownership of title to land will be based on the rules set out by the traditional arbitration resulting to Oath- taking.
The Court went further to conclude @ p.413,ratio 9 thus, Where customary arbitration is pleaded and proved,it is binding on the parties and capable of constituting estoppels

Vanguard

NAPTIP is an agency founded in 2003 to tackle human trafficking and similar human rights violations in Nigeria.

By appointing Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim as the new director-general of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), President Muhammadu Buhari has flouted the law establishing the agency.

Section 8 (1) of the NAPTIP Act 2015 stipulates that the director-general of the agency must be appointed from the directorate cadre in the civil service or from an equivalent cadre in any of the nation`s law enforcement agencies.

But the credentials of Mrs Sulaiman-Ibrahim does not match this requirement.

“There shall be for the agency a Director-General who shall be from the Directorate cadre in the public service of the Federation or its equivalent in any law enforcement service and shall be appointed by the President on the recommendation of the Minister,” the section reads.

Mrs Sulaiman-Ibrahim, a politician and businesswoman (dealing in Mary Kay products), does not, however, qualify for the position as she is neither of the directorate cadre in the public service nor does she hold any equivalent position in any of the country’s law enforcement agencies.

Presidential spokesperson, Garba Shehu, on Tuesday announced the appointment of Mrs Sulaiman-Ibrahim saying until her appointment she was a special adviser on strategic communication to the minister of state for education.

She is therefore a political appointee, whose appointment ends with the expiration of the tenure of the current government.

Mr Shehu added that the new NAPTIP boss holds a Bachelor’s degree in sociology and two masters degrees in arts management and business administration respectively.

She hails from Nasarawa State in North-Central Nigeria. She was also a member of the Nasarawa State Economic Advisory Council.

There is, however, no records of her holding other public service positions which put her in the right stead to head NAPTIP as stipulated by the law.

The spokesman to Abubakar Malami, the Minister of Justice and Attorney- General of the Federation, Umar Gwandu, declined comment when contacted on the violation of NAPTIP Act by the President.

The spokesperson of the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Halima Oyelade, also declined comment. The humanitarian affairs ministry directly oversees NAPTIP.

Meanwhile, Julie Okah-Donli, who Mrs Sulaiman-Ibrahim succeeded on Tuesday, was also not qualified for the top job she held for close to four years.

Her job profile showed that before her appointment to NAPTIP, she had only worked as a lawyer, a legal adviser of the Nigerian Capital Market Institute, an executive assistant to former Governor Timipre Sylva of Bayelsa, and head of the Abuja branch and northern region for UBA Trustees.

In fact, she was in private legal practice when she was hired for the job, in clear violation of the NAPTIP Act.ADVERTISEMENT

The reason for Ms Okah-Donli’s sudden removal is unclear. She was appointed for a four-year tenure on April 13, 2017, in line with the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Enforcement and Administration Act 2015. Her four-year tenure was to expire on April 13, 2021.

NAPTIP is a law enforcement agency founded in 2003 to tackle human trafficking and similar human rights violations in Nigeria.