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State assemblies filled with governors loyalists, minister laments

Published

2 months ago

July 17, 2024

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The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, has expressed concerns about the composition of state Houses of Assembly across the federation.

According to him, the state Houses of Assembly are filled with passive loyalists who neglect their duty of providing checks and balances on the executive arm of government.

Tuggar’s comment comes as many in the country are celebrating the Supreme Court’s judgment granting autonomy to local governments.

Delivering a paper titled “Pathways to Peace, Security and Stability in the Sahel: What Role for Nigeria?” at the Nigeria Intelligence Agency Headquarters in Abuja on Tuesday, Tuggar stated that a system had been put in place to promote loyal local government chairmen to the state House of Assembly, ensuring they wouldn’t challenge the governor’s actions.

He said, “Many states don’t even bother with elections. The governors simply appoint loyalists as LG sole administrators. A system has been perfected through which a loyal LGA Chairman is promoted to the state House of Assembly, where he would not dare challenge the perspective of the governor.

“In reality, state Houses of Assemblies are packed with passive loyalists that fail in their duty of providing checks and balances on the executive arm. They also fail in looking out for the interest of their local government areas.”

Tuggar noted that after the autonomy granted to the LGs, routine elections must be conducted.

He added that this would prevent anyone selected by the governors from controlling the LG funds.

Tuggar said, “The other half is to find a way to establish routine elections at the LGA level, so that LG funds are administered by elected officials- Chairman and Ward Councillors, instead of those handpicked by governors.

“The governor’s party sweeps all the LG elections except in a few symbolic instances, leaving little room for inter-party competition for developmental projects that ultimately benefit the people. Competition makes everyone sit up for fear of underperforming and losing the next election.”

Addressing the lecture’s topic, Tuggar noted that there is often an over-simplification that the Sahel is primarily inhabited by nomadic groups like the Tuaregs, Bororo, and Zaghawa, many of whom are incorrectly assumed to lean towards terrorism and criminal activities.

He said, “There is often an over-simplification that goes thus: the Sahel is sparsely populated by nomadic groups (Tuaregs, Bororo, Zaghawa, etc.) and many of them tend towards terrorism and criminal activities. A certain degree of laziness in information collection processes and the wholesale adoption of western taxonomy and labelling has often led to wrong decision-making.”

He called on NIA to take the lead in adequate information collection processes to solve the challenges of insecurity in the Sahel region

Tuggar said, “Nigeria must therefore, as the hegemon in the region lead the way in providing more accurate and factual analyses and interpretation of events in the Sahel. It is incumbent on the NIA to pave the way through its information collection process.

“This would begin with more accurate taxonomy and labelling of groups. Not every act of crime- kidnapping for ransom, attack on a community, smuggling of weapons must necessarily be ascribed to a stand-alone jihadi or tribal group. Quite often, such acts are driven by economic interests and not ideological or tribal association.

News

Rupture In PDP Governors’ Forum deepens

Published

1 hour ago

September 20, 2024

Austin Ojomah

By Ojomah Austin.

The evolving fall-out, which comes barely days to the contentious National Executive Committee (NEC) of PDP, followed a back and forth between the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike and the Governors forum, who declared support for Rivers State governor, Siminalayi Fubara to be made leader of the party in the state.

After a meeting with some members of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) in Bauchi on Wednesday, Governor Mohammed, said “According to our party’s constitution, any leadership vacancy should be filled by someone from the region where it originated,” stressing that Damagum would be replaced soon considering that he hails from North East and not the North Central.

Same day, Makinde, during the groundbreaking of the upgrading of Ladoke Akintola Airport, Ibadan, to an international airport, which was attended by another set of NWC members, led by Damagum, said he would support whatever decision the Damagum-led NWC would take to reposition the party.

Damagum, who is considered a close ally of Nyesom Wike, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, was appointed acting national chairman after the removal of Iyorchia Ayu in June 2023.

Meanwhile, the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the PDP led by Senator Adolph Wabara, met with members of the National Assembly caucus in Abuja.

The close door meeting comes barely hours after the BoT met with Wike in Abuja.

While Wabara refused to comment on the essence of the meeting with the lawmakers, it was noticed that most of the lawmakers didn’t honour the invitation.

News

Tears As Man Takes Own Life Over Tinubu’s Govt Hardship

Published

1 hour ago

September 20, 2024

Naijablitznews

By Mario Deepromoter

Sad development in Marika village, Kiyawa Local Government, Jigawa, where a 40-year-old man, Jibrin Adamu, committed suicide by hanging himself.

According to eyewitnesses, Adamu’s lifeless body was discovered in a classroom at Miftahul Khairat Islamiyya and Primary School Gurdiba on Thursday.

Police spokesperson DSP Lawan Shiisu Adam confirmed the incident, stating that preliminary investigations revealed Adamu had struggled with mental health issues.

“Police received a report on Thursday that at about 1830hrs, a tragic incident was reported at the Command headquarters that one Jibrin Adamu ‘m’ age 40yrs of Jigawar Maroka village, Kiyawa LGA has committed suicide by hanging himself over the ceiling at Islamiyya school,” the Police spokesperson told Daily Post.

The Jigawa State Commissioner of Police, CP AT Abdullahi, has instructed officers to conduct a thorough investigation into the incident.

News

Just in: Dangote Petrol Now Available at N765.99 Per Litre

Published

1 hour ago

September 20, 2024

Naijablitznews

By Mario Deepromoter

11plc, Total Energies, AA Rano, and other marketers have begun lifting Dangote Petrol through Nigerian National Company (NNPC) Trading Limited for N765.99 to retail outlets nationwide.

Findings showed some petroleum marketers who were able to complete their payment process on the NNPC trading payment portal commenced the lifting of petrol earlier this week under the existing agreement between marketers and the refinery.

Tunji Oyebanji, managing director, 11Plc confirmed to BusinessDay on Thursday evening that some marketers have started lifting the products at N765.99 from Dangote Refinery through NNPC who remain the sole off-taker of product.

“We were among the first marketers to complete the payment on the NNPC portal. We have no direct arrangement with the refinery,” Oyebanji said.

It was gathered that NNPC Retail, 11plc, Total Energies, A.A Rano are among the marketers that have picked up products from the refinery.

He added, “We don’t know the contractual financial arrangement between NNPC and the refinery but what I can confirm is we are buying at N765.99 from NNPC to lift Dangote petrol”.

Efforts to get the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) to confirm if its members have picked up products at the Dangote Refinery proved abortive at the time of writing this report.

See also Nigeria’s Petrol Landing Cost Revealed
Adedapo Segun, executive vice-president, downstream at NNPC said marketers cannot purchase petrol directly from the refinery because the product is still sold at a subsidised rate.

“That is the same thing happening with Dangote. I said earlier that Dangote is a company and it is going to sell at market price,” he told Journalists.

According to Segun, “The market value of PMS is still higher than what N766 or N765 or N799 that NNPC is selling.

“The situation has not changed there. So, NNPC’s off-taking is only because the others would not buy at the price Dangote will be willing to sell, which is reasonable.

“As soon as the price allows for it, you will see the marketers go to Dangote and buy.”