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Zulum slams world bank, allow us implement projects the way it suits us

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Zulum slams world bank, allow us implement projects the way it suits us

By: Bodunrin Kayode

Governor Babagana Zulum has called on the World Bank to allow Borno state to implement sponsored projects from them the way it suits his people.

He made the request when the task team leader for the world bank hybrid implementation support mission in Borno state, Dr joy Iganye Agene led her delegation to pay an advocacy courtesy call on him last week.

Zulum regretted that the “Kogi Tifa” project so dear to him was abandoned purely due to lack of corporation coupled with technical disagreements on what dimensions the width of the project should take.

” For agreements to be reached, I want the World Bank to work to ensure efficiency and sustainability of the entire project. Projects should be designed to suit our peculiarities here and not the other way round.

” What are we saying? We are saying 9 metres instead of 3metres width is not feasible to us. We must find a common ground to agree because the money for the project is a loan which we must pay back and not a grant.

” Whoever sits on this seat when I am gone must pay back this loan so we cannot be careless about it at this stage. There is no harm in creating a new design but we must own the project.

“I believe that all projects must be driven by the community because we have both Arid, Semi Arid and humid environments within the state” said Zulum.

The Governor stressed that there was massive “over invoicing” in what he has seen in the project and this phenomenon to him as a trained engineer can kill the very spirit of the people and the entire humanity as it concerns this project.

” We should strive for a common ground however that will ensure that desertification must be dealt with headlong. This phenomenon has affected our people badly and as a matter of fact, it is a major challenge to our people. If you get to Kala Balge, you can drive for 10 km without seeing one tree. That is what I am talking about.

” This is why we must set alternative standards for firewood for our people who have suffered during this lingering insurgency war which has consumed over 300,000 people. They have been so badly affected that they must certainly be given alternatives while we work on the Climatic factors.”

Earlier the task team leader from the world bank Dr joy Agene told the Governor that there was need for massive landscape restoration in the entire state.

She posited that over 70% of Borno state has been degraded as a result of massive denudation which is why the Governor, Professor Zulum has been appointed as one of the Ambassadors of the project.

The world bank team leader noted that Borno is loosing land to sand dunes and desert encroachment and this should be stopped quickly she stressed.

Agene expressed regrets that only seven states have keyed into the project out of 19 in the north with over a million hectares of land which will be worked on within the region.

“Borno is also part of the stage two states which is why we brought experts to tamper with the engineering on the land for the benefit of the people” she said.

Dr Agene called on the Governor to continue his support of the project which is better completed under the watch of an engineer adding that the fact that he had dropped the first N100m that will make the project flourish is a sign of good things to come.

To ensure that residents in rural areas like Ngamdu have fire wood through out the year, “woodlots” would be established in most of the council areas already establishment as implemention sites.

There would also be Agroforestry plantations to support the communities badly affected by climate change so the people can have permanent cash crops to live on.

And the Borno office of ACRESAL will equally support communities to adopt sustainable landscape management practices after the surface water has been well managed with concrete drainage channels.

Zulum slams world bank, allow us implement projects the way it suits us

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Chieftaincy dispute causes chaos in Muye village in Niger

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Chieftaincy dispute causes chaos in Muye village in Niger

By: Zagazola Makama

A renewed chieftaincy tussle in Muye village, Lapai Local Government Area of Niger State, has sparked violent confrontations between rival supporters, prompting swift intervention by security operatives.

Zagazola Makama gathered that the crisis began around 6:20 p.m. on Thursday when the deposed village head, Alhaji Mohammed Abdulkadir Maigari II, forcefully returned to Muye and broke into the palace.

The incident provoked tension among residents, especially after supporters of the current Dakachi confronted the deposed monarch. The situation was immediately brought under control by a team of security personnel from Lapai.

However, Zagazola learnt that the situation escalated on Friday morning when supporters of both camps clashed again, leading to a free-for-all fight that disrupted public peace in the community.

Security sources were swiftly deployed to Muye to restore normalcy.

“The combined security teams have brought the situation under control. Monitoring and surveillance operations are ongoing to prevent further breakdown of law and order,” the source said.

No casualties or arrests have been officially confirmed as of the time of filing this report.

Chieftaincy dispute causes chaos in Muye village in Niger

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Eid-el-Kabir: IPCR Calls on Nigerians to Peace, Harmony

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Eid-el-Kabir: IPCR Calls on Nigerians to Peace, Harmony

By: Michael Mike

Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR) has called on Nigerians to promote peace and harmony in their communities, recognizing that peace is essential to national development and progress.

The advice was given by the Director General of the Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR), Dr. Joseph Ochogwu, in his message on Eid-el-Kabir.

The Institute, while extending warm greetings to Nigerians, wished them a joyous and peaceful celebration, marked by love, compassion, and unity.

The Institute while noting that Sallah is a significant occasion in the Islamic calendar, symbolizing the values of sacrifice, gratitude, and community, emphasized that the spirit of Sallah should guide Nigerians in their interactions with one another, fostering a culture of peace, tolerance, and understanding.

The IPCR urged Nigerians to promote peace and harmony in their communities, recognizing that peace is essential to national development and progress, while
encouraging individuals to embrace the values of Sallah, including forgiveness, empathy, and kindness, in their daily lives.

According to IPCR, peace is critical to promoting national stability and cohesion.

The Institute also urged Nigerians to use this period of Sallah celebration to address conflicts and promote dialogue, which could help to build trust and understanding among Nigerians and also contribute to a more peaceful society.

It recognized that the country’s many ethnic and religious groups can work together to build a more harmonious society, celebrating their differences and promoting a culture of tolerance.
End

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Community Leader Seeks Tinubu’s Urgent Intervention in Incessant Plateau Killing

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Community Leader Seeks Tinubu’s Urgent Intervention in Incessant Plateau Killing

By: Michael Mike

A community leader and the Waziri Mushere of Bokkos Local Government Area of Plateau State, Chief Yohana Margif has expressed dismay over the incessant killing of innocent citizens of the community.

Margif made this known in an interview with journalists on Thursday in Abuja.

He called on President Bola Tinubu to urgently intervene to halt what he described as genocide against the people, which he said was being perpetrated by suspected herdsmen.

Margif also called on Malam Nuhu Ribadu, the National Security Adviser, and other security chiefs in the country, to rein in the alleged culprits.

He said: “I would like to draw the attention of the topmost leadership in Nigeria to the deteriorating dire security situation in Plateau, particularly in Mushere Chiefdom of Bokkos LGA.

“I urge President Tinubu to take immediate decisive action to halt these endless and senseless killings, protect lives and properties, and secure the future of the Mushere people, and other victims of obvious genocide against the people.

“Herdsmen are killing our innocent people, burning their homes, looting their foodstuff, property, livestock, and taking over their ancestral lands,” he said.

According to the Abuja-based real estate mogul, the attacks and attendant killings have intensified recently since the onset of this year’s farming season.

Margif further said that the people had been displaced from their villages and ancestral homes and were forced to become internally displaced persons in the country.

He emphasised that the situation required immediate intervention by all stakeholders in order to prevent further escalation and inflict an irredeemable harm by wiping out the entire community from the surface of the earth.

He lamented that: “Since President Tinubu’s administration began, Plateau State has witnessed an unprecedented escalation of violence and loss of lives.

“This is the current sad reality. Our people are constantly under the threat of the enemy’s bullets and can’t sleep with two eyes closed due to the perpetual unleashing of violence against them by external forces.

“Something urgent must be done to stem the tide of violence and end this war against the people in order not to
harm this administration’s reputation,” Margif said.

In the past couple of days, suspected herdsmen militia killed no fewer than 35 people in the localities of Hokk, Pangkap, Fokoldep, Kopmur, Margif, Horop, Mbor, Mushere and Kwahas localities in Mushere Chiefdom.

Chairman, Bokkos Community Peace Observers, Kefas Mallai, who confirmed the killings to newsmen, said the victims included a 70-year-old Pastor of COCIN LCC Kwakas-Mushere, Mimang Lekyil, who was attacked and killed in the church.

He said that the pastor’s wife was also shot in the leg and was admitted at the Jos University Teaching Hospital for treatment, he said.

“Bokkos has never been this insecure, with the people being butchered as we are currently witnessing,” Lilian Madaki, from the Mushere community told journalists.

The Commissioner of Police in the state, Emmanuel Adesina, also confirmed the incident in a statement saying security forces including police and military personnel, had been deployed in the affected communities.

Community Leader Seeks Tinubu’s Urgent Intervention in Incessant Plateau Killing

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