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Indeed, the collapse of a 21-story building under construction in the Ikoyi area of Lagos State on Monday, November 1, 2021, is unfortunate. Unfortunately, this sad incident occurs in almost every region of Nigeria without proper investigation to determine the actual courses of action and adequate solutions to prevent future occurrences.

By Adamu Ibrahim Jimeta

Adamawa State Police Command has announced the arrest of kidnapping syndicate that have been terrorizing Malabu/Belel axis in Adamawa State.

The statement signed Wednesday by the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Sulieman Yahya Nguroje, disclosed.

The operatives of the command attached to State Intelligent Bureau (SIB) in colaboration with the Police in the state accomplished the mission successfully.

The arrest of the suspects was said to have followed the directives of the Commissioner of Police, Mohammed Ahmed Barde.

Reports disclosed that Malabu had complained after been kidnapped twice by the criminal gang in the state, where they collected one million naira cash as a ransom.

The statement reads in part: “The confession of the suspects revealed they abducted the complainant sometimes, January, 2019, and received one million Cash as ransom and subsequently re- kidnapped him on the 11th February, 2021. by the same syndicate, but he luckily escaped from the captivity when negotiation for ransom was ongoing.

“Assisted by members of Miyetti Allah cattle breeders Association of Nigeria, apprehended 3 out of 5 members of the gang were arrested.

“They are Ahmadu Abdu, 24 years, a resident of Mbilla Malabu village, Fufore LGA; Buba Yusufa, 28years, a resident of Mbilla Malabu village, Fufore LGA; Usman Idi, 18 years, a resident of Bamanga village, Fufore LGA,” the statement added.

However, the CP while commending the police officers and Chairman Miyetti Allah, Alh. Jaoji, also assured the members of the public that they are committed to working with law abiding citizens to secure the state and reduce crimes to the bearest minimum .

By Uzair Adam Imam

Zamfara State Government has on Wednesday prosecuted more than 1,000 suspects for the violation of the executive order that aimed at putting bandits and banditry to an end in the state.

The disclosure was made on Wednesday by the Chairman of the Task Force Committee on lnsecurity, Abubakar Daura, in Gusau.

The chairman spoke while parading one Zayyanu Bingi and 42 other suspects arrested for alledgely buying fuel from different filling stations in the past few days.

Zayyanu was arrested while making attempts to make his seventh trip to convey gallons of the product concealed in sacks and ready to deliver to the bandits camps.

Daura said that “The committee through collaboration with security forces also arrested 100 other suspects including those involved in kidnapping and banditry as well as those who specialised in providing information to the bandits.

He also added that the security forces were investigating the suspects to ascertain their involvement in the allegations.

“The state government had banned the purchase of fuel and similar products in containers.”

“Many people were found to be using that to supply bandits with fuel in the various camps across the state,” he said.

He finally urged members of the public to continue exposing the bad eggs among residents as a way to restore peace to the state.

By Uzair Adam Imam

Governor Muhammad Badaru Abubakar of Jigawa State has approved the relief of 25 out of the 27 Local Government Council Secretaries.

The Public Relation Officer, Ministry of Local Government, Alhaji Najib Umar, made this known in a statement signed Wednesday in Dutse.

The statement reads in part: “Jigawa State Government is hereby announcing the relieve of the appointments of all the 27 Local Governments Secretaries, except those of Sule Tankarkar and Buji Local Government Areas (LGAs).

“The affected officers are directed to hand over all official documents and other materials and items to their respective Directors of Administration and General Services (DAGS) with immediate effect,” the statement said.

The statement added that the Governor thanked the sacked appointees for their tremendous contributions towards the development of the local government areas they served.

However, Badaru also wished them success in their future endeavours. Nonetheless, the reason behind their sack is yet to be disclosed.

As FG is set to reverse the sale of DISCOs and GENCOs, it shows the highest form of corruption and mismanagement that continue to pester in their management. Go to their offices and see mismanagement and corruption personified, poor customer services and daylight bribery, before a meter is issued to a customer and so on.

There are 11 electricity distribution companies in Nigeria. Majority of them violated the agreement they entered with FG. There are over 20 electricity generating companies in Nigeria today but the top six GenCos providing the country with electricity are Egbin Power Limited, Transcorp Power, Shiroro, Kainji/Jebba, Sapele and Geregu. They have also failed to inject money into power generation and are begging government for funds.

Don’t get me wrong. I am not against privatisation of NEPA, but I am certainly not happy with the hurried way the government sold the utility corporation without putting it in good shape so that the private hands that will buy it will have a smooth and easy take up.

I was against selling the power corporation to former leaders, cronies and incompetent men by the Jonathan administration.

The past government didn’t rehabilitate the power plants before selling them. All money set aside were stolen by officials. The government refused to listen. We said they should take a cue from global trend. Almost all countries around the world began their power reforms from different starting points with a long history of handing over relatively well managed power corporations.

In contrast, Nigeria is privatising inherited pieces of the old NEPA systems, a derelict corporation where power generation was allowed to dip below 3500mw .

Nigeria will be the only nation in the world that sold its utility corporation at such an abysmal low power generation level, 3500MW to be precise.

Privatization of the Power and Natural Gas Industries around the world has a starting point which include: industry structure, wholesale market, labour and management relations, regulatory framework, privatization objectives and privatization methods.

Nigeria was so much in a hurry to sell out the entire system without taking a holistic appraisal of the likely consequences of the exercise to the nation.

And this explains why the country will remain in darkness for a very long time!

Aliyu Nuhu write from Abuja, Nigeria.

By Muhammad Sabiu

By Muhsin Ibrahim

By Uzair Adam Imam

Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje of Kano has called for the establishment of small, medium and large scale processing plants in order to boost the production of the vegetable crop in the state.

Ganduje made the call on Wednesday,  3rd November, 2021 while addressing participants of the 4th regional onion conference at Kano Government House.

The Governor represented by his Deputy Dr. Nasiru Yusuf Gawuna stated that Kano being the 3rd largest onion producing state in the country and having one of its biggest market in the continent, his administration is working alongside the farmers in the state towards enhancing their production due to the importance of onion as a vegetable crop whose distinctive flavour and health benefits is appreciated by people around the globe.

“Because of our commitment towards promoting the value chain of onion, we are facilitating ways for the farmers to source for funds that will launch them into big processors and exporters,” he said.

Ganduje went on to describe the event as milestone and expressed appreciation to the organisers for the honour done to Kano to host the conference.

The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Mahmood Abubakar represented by Alh. Abba Gana Yamani said the importance onions in the Nigerian diet can never be under estimated, adding that the ease of cultivating the crop makes it a lucrative venture for farmers.

“Nigeria is among the largest producers of onions in the world, in 2012 alone, an estimated 240,000 tonnes of green onions and 1,350,000 tonnes of dry onions were produced in Nigeria the Minister revealed”.

Speaking earlier, the President Of the National Onion Producers, Processors and Marketers Association Of Nigeria, Aliyu Maitasamu Isa explained only 1,400,000 million tonnes of onions instead 2,500,000 million tonnes therefore calls for increase in the production of the vegetable crop.

He said the conference with the theme: “The Onion sector in the era of the African continental free trade area and the COVID-19 pandemic” is aimed at developing a business plan for onion trade within the West and Central African Economic Community and also to harmonize and fashion ways of continued business despite the challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The event was attended by onion producers, processors and other stakeholders across the African region.

By Uzair Adam Imam

Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State has explained the reasons behind the removal of his Chief of Staff, Muhammed Sani Abdullahi, and also denied Sunusi Lamido Sunusi’s involvement in his administration.

Recalled that the Kaduna State Chief of Staff had been removed from his position month ago and transferred to the Ministry of Budget and Planning Commission as a commissioner.

El-Rufa’i said that the ministry had been having challenges in preparing budgets two years since Abdullahi left the ministry.

He made the disclosure in a radio program in the state where he was quoted saying: “The removal of the chief of staff had nothing to do with addressing Khalifa Muhammadu Sanusi (II) as former Emir of Kano at an event in the state, recently.

“The transpired between the former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (Sanusi) and Abdullahi is a historical joke between Zaria and Kano people in which Zaria considered Kano people as their slaves,” he said

The governor further stated that the he mainly received advice from Sanusi, bu he has nothing to do with how he runs his government.

“He is the vice-chancellor of our state university because he is a professional in that aspect. Secondly, he is the deputy chairman of KADIPA.

“These are the two areas he is assisting us with advice and again everybody knows Muhammadu Sanusi is a qualified economist and so I only seek his advice on this aspect.

“But not on how I run my government or who will work with me. I don’t seek advice from anybody outside my colleagues in the government and we usually sit together to discuss,” El-Rufa’i concluded.

By Abdulrazak Iliyasu Sansani