Zulum decries insensitivity of the NEDC towards disaster

By: Sam Kayode

Borno Governor Prof Babagana Zulum has decried the insensitivity of the North East Development Commission (NEDC) towards the recent flood disaster which befell residents of maiduguri the Borno state capital in which several souls perished in the water.

He said that the agency is a creation out of the tragedy of insurgency which afflicted the people of the north east of the country yet their management forgot so soon their roots by daring to abandon the people and spending most of their productive time in Abuja outside their jurisdiction.

The Governor who was responding to a visit by the chairman of the agency General Paul Tarfa retired and his management team to the government house recently stressed that he was not happy with the way management was handling Borno and other stake holders within the north east region of the country adding that they must repent from their wrong practices of just doing things and ignoring the authorities on ground.

” For now, what is important to us is the empathy from agencies like your own. Sympathy that stakeholders like yours will show to us and the people of the state. NEDC was created for distresses like this which is an emergency situation and we expect to see you people at the forefront in ameliorating the problems of the people.

“But you have not been up to the tasks even for our emergencies. I am afraid because you are too distant from us. I want to see the presence of the NEDC in Maiduguri instead of Abuja because we are the first priority of the agency.

” I am calling for a deliberate readjustment of the NEDC protocols so we can be carried along and can work together.. Nobody is happy with the NEDC and I believe they know this and should be working hard to change their current posture ” said Zulum.

Professor Zulum reiterated that the only way the NEDC can make its impact felt in north east Nigeria is to concentrate its administrative activities in Maiduguri as enshrined in the letters guiding the formation of the commission.

The Governor stressed that their urgent return to Maiduguri would ease the administrative lacuna between the north east governors forum and the agency.

Earlier the leader of the group General Paul Tarfa had said that he was happy with the achievements of the Governor which the whole world was aware of adding that his hard work and character has earned him good will which he is enjoying now.

“The goodwill you are enjoying now is because of your character and i want you to keep it up. We came to commiserate with you over the sad incident of the collapse of the Alau dam and we want you to take it in your stride.”

General Tarfa maintained that the response from those showing the State sympathy at this time of sorrow is positive and that the people will soon heal from all these damnation.

Also speaking the Managing Director of the agency Mohammed Goni announced that small businesses and petty traders will benefit from a whopping 3billion naira which would help them take off economically after the flood.

He said that his agency was planning its own contribution to assist and would announce such donations in due course.

Zulum decries insensitivity of the NEDC towards disaster

Jonathan Says StruggleJonathan Says Struggle for Power Remains Mai. cause of Conflicts in Africa

By: Michael Mike

Former Nigeria’s President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan has pointed out that the struggle for power remains the major cause of conflicts on the African continent.

Jonathan gave the remark on Tuesday at a a programme organized by the Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR) and partners in commemoration of the International Day of Peace in Abuja, where he was also as a Fellow of the Institute.

He became the second individual to be so honour after Gen. Yakubu Gowon (Rtd), Nigeria Head of State who oversee the reintegration of Nigeria after the Civil War, was given the same award last year

Speaking at the event, Jonathan said: “Actually, 10 top countries are in conflict globally. Three of them are in sub-Saharan Africa. And quite a number of countries around us, including us, are in one form of conflict or the other.

“And when you look at what causes conflict in Africa, most cases is struggle for leadership, contestation for power. And that is the main cause of conflict.

“Sometimes when you go through a society, and you can tell all kinds of stories. But by the time you do proper analysis, and dig deep, you know that most causes of conflict is leadership struggle. That is why I’m only worried about my country Nigeria.”

The former president, who chaired the programme, noted that the notion that politics is dirty is wrong, stressing that the players were responsible for the dirty state of politics in Nigeria and Africa in general.

He said: “People say politics is a dirty game. The way we play our politics is the way we want to play it.

“Remember (Olusegun) Obasanjo, the former president, recently made a statement that politics is not dirty but the people that play the politics, come to play politics with their dirty minds and dirty hearts. And dirty character.

“And that is why people say politics is dirty. And in that case, we must all begin to think differently. We must cultivate the culture of peace,” he added.

He said Nigerians and Africans in general must start developing a culture of peace, noting that peace should be part of their everyday life.

“Until we get to that level where we develop the culture of peace, in this country, we will always have political conflicts in our election.

“And without us strengthening that effort, without us developing that culture of testing a nation peacefully, we will always be in conflict in Africa and in Nigeria.”

The former president, who remains the only Nigerian president to hand over to opposition party after he was defeated at the polls, cited the recently conducted governorship election in Edo State, noting that there were more tension after the election than it was before the poll due to the feelings that some things were not done rightly.

He noted that technology would not solve the problem in Nigeria’s electoral process, decrying that technologies would be manipulated if the human mind is corrupt.

“Here in Nigeria, we talk about technology. Without the human mind ready to do what is right, if we bring the technology, they will manipulate it,” he said.

While delivering his lecture, Dr Samuel Iroye, the Head of Department of Peace and Conflict Studies at the National Open University of Nigeria, said all Nigerians need to play a part in the promotion of the culture of peace in the country.

Iroye, while stating that peace was not an ideology but a practical experience that could be felt called for the engagement of youths in developmental initiatives.

He said to achieve peace, there must be a level playing ground for everyone through education, stressing that the education curriculum in Nigeria doesn’t promote the culture of peace.

“To ensure a culture of peace, we must ensure that we have peace within ourselves”, he said, adding that no one could give what he doesn’t have.

Earlier, the Director General of (IPCR), Dr Joseph Ochogwu, said peace is an orphan, adding that people like to enjoy it but don’t want to invest in it.

While decrying the level of violence across the world, he charged Nigerians to start investing in the development of the culture of peace.

On why President Jonathan was picked for the award, Ochogwu said it was because of his ideology which promote peace above personal considerations, recalling the former President’s statement that nobody’s life is worth sacrificing for any personal political interest.
Ends for Power Remains Mai. cause of Conflicts in Africa

By: Michael Mike

Former Nigeria’s President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan has pointed out that the struggle for power remains the major cause of conflicts on the African continent.

Jonathan gave the remark on Tuesday at a a programme organized by the Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR) and partners in commemoration of the International Day of Peace in Abuja, where he was also as a Fellow of the Institute.

He became the second individual to be so honour after Gen. Yakubu Gowon (Rtd), Nigeria Head of State who oversee the reintegration of Nigeria after the Civil War, was given the same award last year

Speaking at the event, Jonathan said: “Actually, 10 top countries are in conflict globally. Three of them are in sub-Saharan Africa. And quite a number of countries around us, including us, are in one form of conflict or the other.

“And when you look at what causes conflict in Africa, most cases is struggle for leadership, contestation for power. And that is the main cause of conflict.

“Sometimes when you go through a society, and you can tell all kinds of stories. But by the time you do proper analysis, and dig deep, you know that most causes of conflict is leadership struggle. That is why I’m only worried about my country Nigeria.”

The former president, who chaired the programme, noted that the notion that politics is dirty is wrong, stressing that the players were responsible for the dirty state of politics in Nigeria and Africa in general.

He said: “People say politics is a dirty game. The way we play our politics is the way we want to play it.

“Remember (Olusegun) Obasanjo, the former president, recently made a statement that politics is not dirty but the people that play the politics, come to play politics with their dirty minds and dirty hearts. And dirty character.

“And that is why people say politics is dirty. And in that case, we must all begin to think differently. We must cultivate the culture of peace,” he added.

He said Nigerians and Africans in general must start developing a culture of peace, noting that peace should be part of their everyday life.

“Until we get to that level where we develop the culture of peace, in this country, we will always have political conflicts in our election.

“And without us strengthening that effort, without us developing that culture of testing a nation peacefully, we will always be in conflict in Africa and in Nigeria.”

The former president, who remains the only Nigerian president to hand over to opposition party after he was defeated at the polls, cited the recently conducted governorship election in Edo State, noting that there were more tension after the election than it was before the poll due to the feelings that some things were not done rightly.

He noted that technology would not solve the problem in Nigeria’s electoral process, decrying that technologies would be manipulated if the human mind is corrupt.

“Here in Nigeria, we talk about technology. Without the human mind ready to do what is right, if we bring the technology, they will manipulate it,” he said.

While delivering his lecture, Dr Samuel Iroye, the Head of Department of Peace and Conflict Studies at the National Open University of Nigeria, said all Nigerians need to play a part in the promotion of the culture of peace in the country.

Iroye, while stating that peace was not an ideology but a practical experience that could be felt called for the engagement of youths in developmental initiatives.

He said to achieve peace, there must be a level playing ground for everyone through education, stressing that the education curriculum in Nigeria doesn’t promote the culture of peace.

“To ensure a culture of peace, we must ensure that we have peace within ourselves”, he said, adding that no one could give what he doesn’t have.

Earlier, the Director General of (IPCR), Dr Joseph Ochogwu, said peace is an orphan, adding that people like to enjoy it but don’t want to invest in it.

While decrying the level of violence across the world, he charged Nigerians to start investing in the development of the culture of peace.

On why President Jonathan was picked for the award, Ochogwu said it was because of his ideology which promote peace above personal considerations, recalling the former President’s statement that nobody’s life is worth sacrificing for any personal political interest.

Jonathan Says StruggleJonathan Says Struggle for Power Remains Mai. cause of Conflicts in Africa

Plateau Middle Belt Journalists Forum (MBJF) Congratulates Hon. Dan Kwada

By: Bodunrin kayode

The Plateau State Chapter of the Middle belt Journalists Forum (MBJF), heartily felicitates with Hon. Dan Kwada on his recent appointment as Senior Special Assistant on Middle Belt Nationalities to the Governor of Plateau State, Barr. Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang.

A statement signed by the state coordinator Ezekiel Dontinna commended Kwada on the special appointment.

It went further. “Your appointment did not come to us as a surprise in view of your track record in championing the course of the Middle Belt and it’s people. Your appointment is a testament of your hard work and relentlessness in ensuring peaceful coexistence in the Middle Belt zone.

“We view your appointment as a confirmation of your belief in the Middle Belt ideology, hence the need for the MBJF to align with you in working towards uniting the various ethnic nationalities that make up the zone.

“We believe that this appointment would further spur you to do more in advancing the course of the Region, considering your doggedness in advocating and advancing the course of justice, peace and equity in the Region.

“While we assure you of MBJF readiness to collaborate with your office to ensure you succeed in your new assignment , we urge you to do your best and not betray the trust reposed in you by His Excellency, because Plateau State is the glue of the Middle Belt and Nigeria as a whole.

” We also used this medium to thank His Excellency for creating the office of the SSA on Middle Belt Nationalities. This, to MBJF, is an attestation of your policy on inclusiveness.

“To Hon. Dan Kwada, it is our desire and prayers that as you carry on with this huge task, we assure you of our unreserved support through advice and prayers always. As Middle Belt Journalists, we will not rest on our oars to avail you the opportunity to disseminate information on issues affecting the Middle Belt Region.”

Responding to the gesture of the Governor, the. Statement said that “the Plateau State Chapter of Middle Belt Journalists Forum (MBJF), hereby conveys members appreciation to Governor Caleb Mutfwang, for finding Hon Daniel Kwada worthy to serve in the TIME IS NOW administration.

“We want to assure you that, MBJF will continue to give your administration the needed support in promoting your dreams for Plateau State, Middle Belt and Nigeria at large.” It concluded.

Plateau Middle Belt Journalists Forum (MBJF) Congratulates Hon. Dan Kwada