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NIGER - The Power State of Nigeria.
Transparency, Accountability, Integrity
Nov 19, 2008
... The upper legislative chamber which moved into a committee of whole under the chairmanship Senate President David Mark to debate and consider the bill clause by clause sustained a provision of the bill which list Niger, Kwara, Kogi and Kebbi states and any other state where hydroelectric power generation has commenced as members of the commission with the headquarters in Minna Niger state.
Nov 18, 2008
Nov 17, 2008
The Niger-American Medical City (N-AMC) has, in the last four months, spent over N120 million on the provision of equipment, engaging medical consultants and general upgrading of the IBB Specialist Hospital, Minna, Niger state. The Chief Operating Officer of N-AMC, Ms Habiba Mohammed-Sha'aba disclosed this at a news briefing at the weekend in Abuja. The hospital was recently concessioned to the N-AMC by the state government under a Public Private Partnership (PPP) The N-AMC, Mohammed-Sha'aba said, had already established a gynaecology department in the hospital where the first delivery was recorded on November 11, while a vast land had been acquired for the expansion of the hospital. The hospital, according to her, was presently being run as a private venture under a Public Private Partnership (PPP) with Niger state government, adding that efforts were being made to involve the local government councils to invest in the partnership in order for the hospital services to be subsidized for the benefit of the ordinary citizens of the state. She said the concession of the hospital, which was hitherto in a dilapidated condition, was to last for 25 years and to run in four phases while the management consultant was expected by the agreement to invest US $300million into the development of hospital. Under the agreement, the Niger state government, she said, holds 10 percent equity shares of N-AMC, so as not to make it a wholly privately owned, and assured that the hospital would in the near future be of world class standard if all parties remained committed to the agreement.
Nov 19, 2008
Niger State Governor, Dr. Muazu Babangida Aliyu, who is Chairman of Northern Governors’ Forum, visited his Zamfara State counterpart, Alhaji Mahmud Aliyu Shinkafi in Gusau, recently. He spoke with newsmen during the visit......... Some reports indicate that you faced so much intimidation upon assumption of office last year, how did you handle that?
It is true I faced lots of intimidation from the people I took over from. In fact, I am still facing that intimidation. They were the people who benefited from the old order and are resisting change. People who enjoy from a system will usually resist any attempt to check that system. So these are the people who never in their imagination thought a change would come from even within the PDP. Those who were enjoying the free lunch were suddenly told they have to pay for the lunch like every body else, and they were the ones who went underground to see whether they could fight us. At first they said, rather comically, that I was a new come to politics.
Nov 20, 2008
THE National Examination Council (NECO) on Wednesday in Minna, Niger State capital, released the results of the Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (SSCE), which showed an improvement over that of 2007. The results, which were released by the Registrar and Chief Executive Officer, Professor Promise Okpala, showed that, of about 1,166,018 candidates that sat for the examination, 859,998 candidates came out with average of five credits, including English Language and Mathematics. By the performance, Prof. Okpala said the students had qualified to seek admission into any university in the country. He said about 1,088,883 candidates registered for the examination, compared to 987,395 in 2007 with 52 of the candidates being physically-challenged compared to 33 in 2007. He said in 2007, 28,133 candidates were absent, while 381,361 did not sit for the exams in 2008. Giving a further breakdown of the statistics, Prof. Okpala said while no result was cancelled last year, a total of 99 candidates would not receive results this year for involvement in examination malpractices while 88,000 results were still pending. Lagos State, which registered about 72,922 candidates for the examination, Prof. Okpala said, recorded the best results in the examination in the analysis of the results, followed by Kaduna State.
Nov 20, 2008
The remains of Makaman Nupe Alhaji Shehu Ahmadu Musa, who died in a London hospital in the early hours of yesterday, are being expected in Nigeria today preparatory to his burial. Alhaji Shehu was the Secretary to the Federal Government (SFG) when Alhaji Shehu Shagari was the president in the Second Republic. He died of kidney-related ailments, according to family sources.
Nov 19, 2008
The Etsu Nupe, Yahaya Abubakar, and the Niger State government (the state judicial service) have jointly teamed up hand to fight what appears to be an unwinnable moral battle against one citizen Bello Ma'Asaba. The battle is unwinnable because the prosecutors (Bida Emirate Council as symbolised by Etsu Nupe, the Bida local government as a council and the Niger State government as symbolised by the State Judicial Service) appears to be on the edge even as they are collaborators. They are hasty, as it were, regarding due process of law (which makes miscarriage of justice imminent). They also appear to be judiciary unfriendly (because of stringent earth-shaking conditions spelt out for bailable civil charge that is not yet an offence legally proved and finally probed in law as convincing beyond reasonable doubts). Consequently, the prosecutors, it appears, are about to set bad precedence by distancing judiciary from being an agent of correction to what apparently appears to be a weapon of the retribution.
It is the larger society, needless to say, which both practically and spiritually suffer anytime judiciary fumbles; anytime there is skilful miscarriage of justice; anytime judiciary commits factual errors. For example, how can a non-Muslim Nigerian in a sharia-inclined Niger State of Nigeria chooses to have an issue in dispute with fellow Muslim citizen ever wish to settle at the sharia (civil) court with those earth-shaking bail conditions involving Muslim-Muslim (Islamic) adherents? Must we stop deceiving ourselves let alone subjecting ourselves to mockery? Judiciary, needless to say, has from time immemoriam in all human settlements been the beacon of hope, stability and progress. Fairness has been the glory that has been driving it smoothly and through this process, it will see eternity.
Nov 21, 2008
Nov 21, 2008
Nov 21, 2008
"The Northern Region, as it is today, is the product of three main factors -geography, history and the character of its people. I need to expand on this, but I must emphasise that these three factors have produced a real feeling of unity amongst the people who inhabit our region. We have divergences in custom, religion and language. But we have emerged and progressed out of the stage in the life of a people where such differences constitute a barrier to unity." These were the words of the late Premier of the defunct Northern Region, Sir Ahmadu Bello, Sardauna of Sokoto. No doubt, the premier was one of the most powerful politicians of his time, during the First Republic. He served as the Premier of the region in pre and post-independent Nigeria - till 15th January 1966, when he was assassinated during the first military coup d'etat. This strong stranglehold had in the main led to what has been described, though contentiously in the geopolitics of Nigeria as the "monolithic North" or, "the Northern Hegemony." This, coupled with its size both in land and population, has been regarded as the criteria for the much-orchestrated Northern domination in the Nigerian polity. Analysts believe that it was during the time of the late Sardauna that the area actually knew what could easily be referred to as total unity. He had, in fact built his philosophy on the unity of the North. Others were its rapid development, particularly in Western education, the preservation of all that was best in its diverse cultures and traditions and the reform of the corrupt systems. He also advocated that shared interest had to be achieved and sustained as important factor of solid foundation for the unity of the North in particular and the nation generally. In fact, by 1964, some analysts believe, it was quite clear that the Premier was satisfied that the North had developed politically and administratively that he no longer feared the region would ever be incapable of defending its interests and values as well as maintaining its unshakable unity within the federation.
Nov 18, 2008
Following the disposition to issues of probity and accountability as it relates to their superiors, the Governor of Niger State, Dr Muazu Aliyu has described civil servants in the state as timid. The governor made the observation at the opening ceremony of a retreat for directors and their deputies in the state civil service yesterday in Minna. He said the state government initiated the two week retreat to educate civil servants on how best to go about their roles in the administration. "Apart from the human capital development, this retreat is going to give us a chance to have a new cadre which had never been there before. We hope that at the end of the day, you will realize that the position you hold is in trust to the people and to God", he said. Aliyu explained that civil servants in Niger state are not assertive enough and as a result, they shy away from their primary function of running the affairs of government as most of them have the fear of stepping on toes. He observed that such position by the civil service does not mean well for governance, adding that they are the engine room that runs the state. The governor said directors and the deputies were very important links between policy makers and other players in the civil service. He said their role as bridge builders therefore had to be well formulated to enhance smooth dispensation of service to the people. "I will assure you that I will not relent in the effort of transforming the existing civil service into a proactive and result oriented one that can be relied upon in critical areas such as policy formulation and analysis, planning and management, coordinating as well as monitoring and evaluation", he said. He however expressed confidence in the potentials of the present civil servants in the state adding that capacity building programs would bring out the best in them for the overall benefit of the state. "I wish to re-iterate that we have a lot of faith in the ability of well trained civil service to deliver the goods no matter the political dispensation. We place absolute emphasis on capacity building for our civil servants," he said
Nov 18, 2008
Is Nigeria part of the third world nations? Is she part of the developing country? As rhetorical as these questions sound, I am fully persuaded that average Nigerians would agree with me that our nation under-developed and could be categorised under "fourth world" nations of the earth. God blessed us all the natural resources to enjoy but the blessings are in the hand of but very few.
This picture was taken from a town in Niger State called Papiri. As at the time of this report I learnt there are other towns like this accross the middle-belt where we have people who do not know anything about clothings, no schools to educate them, no water, no electricity...nothing. They live by themselves. They have no government because their government has lost them.
Nov 17, 2008
Supreme Court has reserved ruling to February 6, 2009 on whether it was constitutional for the Attorney General of Niger State to have initiated legal proceeding under the Robbery and Firearms (Special Provisions) Act Law of the Federation against one Aminu Tanko 10 years ago without the authorisation of the Attorney General of the Federation.
Nov 16, 2008
I have a dream - that Nigerians would stop expecting the Nigerian version of Obama to materialise so soon. It will certainly happen someday, but the time and day no man knoweth. To put things in perspective, Barack Obama is an African American, a junior Senator and a relatively inexperienced young man who will exercise the first executive powers of his life as the President of the world’s most powerful country! He is about to live his dream of occupying the White House. It reads like a fairy tale. It would have been more believable if it was scripted as a movie. But, no, it is happening in real life, in our lifetime, before our very eyes. Can we have an Obama in Nigeria? People would think this refers solely to the possibility of a president coming from an ethnic minority in Nigeria, same way Obama is from the minority race in America. But, pardon me, we’ve had many presidents/heads of state from minority groups in Nigeria. Gen. Yakubu Gowon, who ruled Nigeria for nine years, is an Angas from Plateau State. Gen. Ibrahim Babangida, president for eight years, is a Nupe from Niger State. The great, inimitable Gen. Sani Abacha was a Kanuri - it was boldly written on his face.
Nov 15, 2008
Nov 15, 2008
Stories and photos byHalf of Niger state's normal contingent to the annual national convention of the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) and, still, representatives of other states would be overwhelmed, even if the occasion held under the sea. Writers got a taste of this last weekend as the writers' fiesta came to a jaunty close: Niger state, the initiator of the now-mainstreamed Teen Authorship scheme, not only dazzled everyone with a literary series of stories for children, but got the hosting rights for next year's convention.
Nov 08, 2008
Nov 08, 2008
"O ye who believe! Fear Allah as He should be feared, and die not except in the state of Muslim" (Qur'an 3: 102)
The Federation of Muslim Women Associations of Nigeria has been in the forefront of the struggle to actualise the rights of Muslim women within the confines of the religion and support their members in the quest for the basic needs. Dr. Mrs Lateefa Moyosore durosinmi who holds a Bsc (Hons) Chemistry, MSc.(Analytical Chemistry) and Ph.D degrees is the National Amirah of the Association, leads the 34 states and FCT chapters including over 1,000 affiliate organizations in this online interview with Ishola Balogun she bares her mind the nudity bill as well as the travails of Mallam Bello Masaba of Niger state whose case still pending in court.
Nov 08, 2008
The first National kicked off Classics opened in Minna, the Niger State capital, on Wednesday with 31 male and female squash players competing for honours. The classics, tagged Talban Minna National Squash Racket Classics is being organised in recognition of the commitment of the state governor, Dr Muazu Babangida Aliyu, to the development of the game in the state, was preceeded by an umpires course which attracted about 13 referees.
Nov 07, 2008
Nov 07, 2008
BEYOND the jubilation over the historic triumph of Barack Obama as the first African-American President of the United States (U.S.), African leaders have been admonished to purge the continent of sit-tight syndrome that is ravaging it.
Nov 07, 2008
The Senate Chairperson on Environment, Senator Grace Folasade Bent, who accused some state governors of diverting funds earmarked for addressing ecological problems, said her committee would question contractors and consultants used by the states in ecological matters. Bent, speaking in Minna, Niger State, yesterday shortly after a visit to the Niger State Government House, described the diversion of the funds as having worsened the nation’s ecological problems.
Nov 06, 2008
In its bid to promote tourism and trade in Niger State, the government is set to partner Malaysian investors to transform the Minna airport into an airport city. This is to follow the new model of airport development worldwide, which encourages making an airport into an attractive place for both tourism and trade. Niger State governor, Babangida Aliyu disclosed yesterday at the presidential wing of the Murtala Muhammed Airport , Lagos in an interview with airport correspondents. He stated that arrangements has reached an advanced stage, and that the state was eagerly waiting for the investors to visit the airport. “In the major perspective, we are thinking of developing what we call airport city, we have already discussed with some investors from Malaysia now we are waiting for them to come to Nigeria to see the airport and the city”, he held. Aliyu said the state has acquired enough space for that development though there is still a lot to be done.
Meanwhile, the state government has finalised arrangements with Capital Airlines and others to begin scheduled flight operations in and out of Minna.
Nov 06, 2008
Nov 06, 2008
To those who have been following the performance of Governor Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu of Niger State since he took over the mantle of leadership of the power state, he has, within a short period of time, etched his name of the state in the sound of history. He has particularly entered the name of that state in the nation’s record of tourism as he has repeatedly demonstrated an unusual knack not found in many of his peers to open up the state to investors through tourism. It will, therefore, not be a surprise if, after less than two years in office as the Chief Servant of Niger State, that the Governor has started attracting the attention of stakeholders in the nation’s tourism sector to the extent of garnering awards.
Nov 05, 2008
Governor Mu'azu Babangida Aliyu of Niger State has told the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Chukwuma Soludo, to be sincere with the people of Nigeria, regarding the global financial crisis.
Nov 05, 2008
Nov 05, 2008
Nov 05, 2008
The Hydro-Electric Power Producing Areas Development Commission (HYPPADEC) Bill, when passed into law, will vest in the commission the responsibility to provide needed infrastructure for host communities who may be affected by adverse activities of dam projects.
Nov 04, 2008
Nov 04, 2008
Nov 04, 2008
The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has expressed disappointment at the poor leadership in the region over the years, saying that has been responsible for the comparative backwardness.
Nov 03, 2008
Nov 03, 2008
Nov 03, 2008
NIGER State governor, Dr Muazu Babangida Aliyu, has praised the Premier of the former Western Region, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, saying the sage was a visionary leader
Nov 02, 2008
Nov 02, 2008
Nov 02, 2008
Cover of the bookTHE seat of the Niger State government will soon move to the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, as the public presentation of 3:2020. Challenges and Prospects for a Greater Niger holds. Originally entitled 3:2020. Glimpses of Hope for Greater Niger and produced by the Niger State Community in ABU, the book is the first of three volumes that would beam their search lights directly on the administration of the Governor of Niger State, Dr. Muazu Babangida Aliyu (OON).
Nov 01, 2008
Niger state governor. Dr. Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu yesterday in Lagos renewed the call on other state governors to shift dependence on crude oil earnings to other sectors where they have comparative advantage.
The Federal Government has provided capital grant to the Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN) for the erection of permanent offices in four states.
Nov 22, 2008
The Niger State Governor, Dr. Muazu Babangida Aliyu, in this interview with a select group of journalists speaks on various issues affecting the nation. FRANCIS FALOLA was at the interactive session, which marked the governor’s 53rd birthday. People are generally surprised that today’s leaders cannot measure up to independence leaders such as Chief Obafemi Awolowo, the late Sardauna of Sokoto, Alhaji Ahmadu Bello, and Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe. Why? The possibilities are there, but the problem is in our value system. People are looking for quick rewards. We have lost our value system and we have placed much emphasis on the self above collective interest. The sense of collectivity as Africans, the sense of communality is gone. If in terms of real comparism or in terms of number of years spent in classrooms, the Sardauna, Awolowo and Azikiwe did not see too much but in terms of conduct and behavour, they acted and spoke more than what current doctorate degree holders are doing. The foresight, the focus was there. They had fantastic programmes and developmental plans. I once studied the plans of the old Northern Nigeria as far back as 1963. Till date, there is no plan that has surpassed it. Many of us had forgotten that there was such a plan and these are plans that cover virtually all facets of life, from agriculture to welfare, education and town planning.
Nov 30, 2008
The Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, has charged the Igbo race to be good ambassadors of the tribe by respecting the religion and socio-cultural heritage of their host communities wherever they find themselves. Speaking yesterday in Minna during the 2008 Igbo cultural day/new yam festival and the conferment of Chieftaincy title on, ‘Omezili Ndi-Igbo’ on the Niger state Governor, Dr. Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu, Ekweremadu urged the Igbo to remain focused and join hands with their host government to develop the state.
Nov 30, 2008
Some suspected assassins in Minna, Niger State on Thursday shot dead a police Sergeant, Ibrahim Danjuma, and an Abuja-based businessman at different locations in the state capital.
Nov 29, 2008
Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja was yesterday besieged by anxious and frustrated Muslim pilgrims seeking to obtain necessary documents to enable them travel to Mecca in Saudi Arabia.
Nov 28, 2008
The Governor o f Niger State, Dr. Muazu Babaginda Aliyu, has decried the huge foreign exchange on the importation of rice into the country annually which he puts at about US$800m when there is large land for rice production in the country.
Nov 27, 2008
As Dr. Muazu Babangida Aliyu, Governor of Niger State, brought his insightful lecture, entitled: "Bridging the Gap between the Town and Gown for Socio-economic and Political Development in Nigeria", to a close on Thursday, October 30, 2008, the Trenchard hall of the University of Ibadan erupted into frenzied ovation.
Nov 27, 2008
AT last, we may be on the brink of a new dispensation in sports administration. The inclusion of the name of Mohammed Sani Ndanusa in the list of ministerial nominees, made me blink more than once, I was just hoping, in my own quiet way, that Patrick Ekeji may be made to stay in the post of the Director-General recently vacated by Amos Adamu.
Nov 26, 2008
Niger State Governor, Muazu Babangida Aliyu, has debunked rumours that his reconciliatory moves with cetain aggrieved persons in the state is a ploy to retain the governorship position in the state. “It is not true if anyone says I am trying to reconcile because I want to retain my position as governor of Niger state, because no one gave me the position except the Almighty God and he alone has the power to take it away from me”. Aliyu said. He said he was only making reconciliatory moves to create a better working environment for him and members of his cabinet. “I am only looking for reconciliation because I need a more peaceful atmosphere to be able to carry out my responsibilities to the people and it is a fact that no one can perform perfectly in an environment that is not peaceful, that’s why I seek peace”.
Nov 26, 2008
Following the passage of the bill on the Hydropower Producing Areas Development Commission by the Senate, benefiting states have vowed not to repeat the past mistakes that led to the non-assent of the bill by former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
Nov 25, 2008
Aliyu stated that some states had no business establishing universities. He expressed concern about the quality of staff and quality of teachings in some of the state-owned universities, some of which he stated were established not for necessity but for political consideration.
Nov 24, 2008
GovERNOR Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu of Niger state has apologised to pilgrims for the two-day delay in their transportation to Saudi Arabia, for this year's Hajj operations. Aliyu made the apology on Saturday in Minna, at the inaugural flight of the state pilgrims to the holyland.
Nov 24, 2008
Niger State Governor, Dr. Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu, has challenged corps members to gear up their efforts towards aligning themselves with the national needs and values of the time in line with the present governments’ desire for a virile economy.
Nov 23, 2008
The judicial commission of inquiry sitting in Minna, Niger State, has summoned former Chief of Army Staff, Lt-General Muhammadu Inuwa Wushishi, over alleged fake and substandard tractors supplied to the state government by his company during the immediate past administration of Governor Abdulkhadir Abdullahi Kure.
Nov 23, 2008
Kure’s alleged involvement has been mentioned at the commission on issues relating to multi-million naira contracts that were not implemented.