News

Southern Leaders Attack Northern Govs Over Benue

Published

9 years ago

January 22, 2018

An attack on Southern and Middle Belt leaders at the weekend, by the Chairman of the Northern Governors’ Forum (NGF), Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno State, has elicited a prompt rebuke from the leaders.
Shettima, who led a delegation of some northern governors to Benue State over recent killings by Fulani herdsmen in the state, described Southern and Middle Belt leaders as “political dinosaurs” with nothing more to contribute to national development.
The leaders, in their response, described the statement as rude and uncouth, saying “no well raised” person would address elderly persons as the northern governors did.
Leaders of the pan-Yoruba political organisation, Afenifere, Ohanaeze and Middle Belt Forum, had, last Wednesday visited the Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, to commiserate with him over the recent killings and mass burial of 73 people in the state. They called for a restructuring of the country.
But on Friday, leading Governors Simon Lalong (Plateau), Malam el-Rufai (Kaduna), Yahaya Bello (Kogi) and Mohammad Abubakar (Jigawa), Shettima described the southern leaders as old men who were living in the past with “nothing to give Nigeria again.”
The deputy governor of Osun State, Chief (Mrs) Titilayo Tomori, also joined the team to represent her governor, Mr Rauf Aregbesola.
The governor, who used the visit to lash at leaders of the Joint South and Middle Belt Forum, expressed disgust that people were trying to make politics out of the crisis, stating that “none of those people could say they know problems of this state than the governor.”
Shettima, who refused to condemn the activities of the herdsmen throughout his speech and during interaction with newsmen, said problems were created by men and only men could find solution to the problems.
According to him, “sensationalism cannot advance the cause of the issue. We should have generosity of spirit to embrace each other.”
While saying, unlike the old generations of southern leaders that do not have anything to give to Nigeria again, the governor said, “we are the new generation of Nigerian leaders, not for some political dinosaurs from Abuja or any other part of the country to cause unnecessary issues.
“All of us here are members of this generation. The future belongs to us,” he said, while adding that leaders born a few years after the amalgamation of Nigeria are “living in the past and are political dinosaurs.”
Reacting, however, the joint secretary of the Southern and Middle Belt Leaders Forum, Mr Yinka Odumakin, said the statement by Governor Shettima was a clear manifestation of somebody who lacked good moral standing and manners, but gained prominence in a country like Nigeria which he said had lost its soul.
“Shettima’s remarks are crude, rude, uncouth and acultural. No well-raised person would address a 90-year old man in such a mannerless fashion.
“And it is a country that has lost its soul that would make men in their advanced age to be travelling thousands of kilometres to commiserate over wanton killings of citizens by deranged elements, that could boast of such as a governor.
“We waited to hear him (Shettima) condemn the killers, but he did not. It is mourners he is now running his mouth against. Didn’t former Governor Ali Modu Sheriff tell us a few things recently about him?
“It is a shame and tragedy of monumental proportion that in the midst of death and wailings, some insensitive souls will go and march on the graves of the murdered and be politicking with unreasonable comments.
“The odd member of that delegation is the deputy governor of Osun State, Mrs Titilayo Tomori, who appeared like a sheep in the midst of dogs. These fellows are afraid of their shadows and, instead of addressing the wanton killing of innocent people by their sacred cows, are running about like beheaded chickens.
“The genie is out of the bottle and never again shall their wards kill without consequences. We shall continue to use our moral authority to make this land uncomfortable for killers and their patrons,” he said.
Reacting to the issue,Chief Ikedife said that “the way that the Federal Government is handling this matter falls short of expectation. It looks like the beginning of something that has been planned for a long time. Government’s seeming silence is suspicious. The way something like this has happened and nobody is taking responsibility leaves one wondering whether we have a government. These herdsmen use guns to sack villages and destroy farmlands.
They sack towns and are killing people on a daily basis, yet the government has not called them terrorists. But they were in a hurry to call the IPOB a terrorist group even when they have no weapons and have not killed anybody before. On top of that, we have a bill on grazing reserves and cattle colony. Where on earth do we have that kind of thing in the 21st century? Cattle rearing should not be in the wilderness,” Ikedife told newsmen
He continued: “What is happening is fanning the embers of disunity and threatening the wellbeing of the country and the government is keeping quiet and seems unconcerned. It does not show that government is being responsible and sensitive enough; it falls short of expectations. The president says it takes time for him to make up his mind on something, but he cannot be silent when the house is on fire. You cannot be playing hide and seek when there are things destabilising the country.”
On Buhari’s failure to visit Benue State in the wake of the killing of over 73 since January 1st, he said: “He does not need to visit but he can do something from where he is because of his security and age, which must be put into consideration. Let him stay there and give instructions and those affected will carry it out.”
He stated that with the level of displacement and hunger being caused by the development, it would be impossible for the people to participate in the 2019 general election.
Ikedife suggested that “government must take a stand and say something. We must say that what is happening is bad, and put in motion plans to stop them. The government has to wake up. A government that regularly organises Operation Python Dance, Operation Crocodile Smile among others is now watching its citizens being massacred in their homes. This leaves much to be desired. It means that something is wrong somewhere and we are watching and waiting as the music is being played by the Buhari administration.”
Chief Uwazuruike, who is thoroughly appalled at the Federal Government’s reaction to the continuous killings expressed shock that “two mobile policemen were killed when these people attacked their station, but the Inspector General of Police and the Federal Government have swept the matter under the carpet. It is the height of insult to the Nigerian people. The same people are claiming ownership of an entire state and nobody is holding them accountable. This is to say the least inhuman.
“Till today, the Federal Government has not sent any delegation to Benue State and did not attend the burial of the victims killed by the herdsmen. This is an indication that the Federal Government is partisan, compromised and insensitive to the plight of certain ethnic region. To add salt to injury, the Minister of Agriculture, who of course is an indigene of Benue State is talking about cattle colonies. What in the world gave him that kind of idea? We have an insensitive Federal Government that has refused to take the blame for the loss of lives and property of the people that voted it into power in 2015.
“The day President Buhari flew to Kaduna State, it would have taken him few minutes to look in at Benue and empathise with the people, but he did not. This means that there are people he is meant to protect and care for, not the Benue people.
“When the IPOB without arms was canvassing a referendum, the Federal Government sent soldiers to march throughout the streets of Abia State, massacred IPOB members and silenced their voices, but even with the scale of human loss in Benue, government says it is a communal clash. On the one hand, those who bear no arms are branded terrorists, on the other hand, those who kill with AK47 are protected. As a lawyer, I know what murder is and we know that this one is pogrom and genocide.
They were killed because they were farmers; they were killed because they were Christians, and they were killed because they are of a certain ethnic group. Let the Federal Government do what is required under the constitution and protect the people. Let the government fish out the killers.
More killings are going on within border communities of Benue and Taraba states on a daily basis. Government visited South East with Operation Python Dance and branded IPOB a terrorist organisation, why is the same government complacent with people that are killing others daily? It is the height of insensitivity.”
Rev. Chukwuma is of the firm view that “the government has shown that it is not there to protect the interest of all Nigerians.He therefore warned that, “the people are being provoked into taking up arms to defend themselves. When this is done, then it will result in full- blown war.”
Meanwhile, Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State, while receiving Shettima and his colleagues, declared that the state, in spite of assurances of security by the Federal Government, is still under the siege of Fulani herdsmen.
He said there were still pockets of challenges in the state which needed to be nipped in the bud, even as he called for the arrest and prosecution of the leadership of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association (MACBAN) which members were alleged to be behind the recent killings in the state.
The governor further said people of the state still lived in fear, following the persistent threats by the herdsmen who he said were insisting on claiming land to allow for open grazing in the state.
“We thank God that peace is gradually returning to the state, but there are still pockets of challenges here. We know the challenges will soon be over because our people are always at alert to give useful information to security operatives around.
“Let me tell you that our people are still living in fear and under siege; living in fear because of the series of threats by Kautal Hore which started the threat since seven months ago. They are not mere threats.
“We have evidence against them. What we are saying is that the Federal Government should arrest the leadership of Kautal Hore”, he said.
The governor, however, restated the commitment of his administration to ensuring peace in the state and enjoined Nigerian leaders to always be sincere and truthful, noting that doing this would make Nigeria take its rightful position as the giant of Africa.
The southern leaders’ delegation, led by Chief Ayo Adebanjo, had, on Wednesday, taken a swipe at President Muhammadu Buhari, saying Nigerians were warned against the Buhari presidency, adding that the president had made the presidency a northern agenda.
While insisting on the restructuring of the country which he said would give equal right to everyone, Chief Adebanjo had admonished Nigerians not to go into the 2019 elections until the country was restructured.
Adebanjo, who condoled with the people and government of the state, said, “If Buhari and the All progressives Congress (APC) are interested in keeping this country, they must go and resolve herdsmen issue
“To Benue, you are too educated, too civilised and matured for people who do not know how to read and write to come and intimidate you in your own land. No one should dominate the other.”

News

FG Spends N10tn On Power Since Privatisation

Published

1 day ago

November 13, 2026

The Tide

The Federal Government says it has invested more than N10tn in Nigeria’s electricity sector since its privatisation in 2013, but the intervention has yet to deliver the reliable power supply expected from the reform.

The Managing Director of FGN Power Company Limited, Kenny Anuwe, disclosed this yesterday at the sixth annual conference of the Power Correspondents Association of Nigeria, in Abuja.

The conference afforded stakeholders to examine the country’s roadmap to reliable and affordable electricity under the Federal Government’s ambition to grow the economy to $1tn by 2030.

Anuwe said the huge government spending has kept the industry afloat but stressed that public funding alone could not address the country’s electricity challenges, calling for increased private sector participation and alternative financing models to accelerate infrastructure development.

The conference was themed, “$1trn Economy: Nigeria’s Roadmap to Reliable and Affordable Power Supply.”

The disclosure raises fresh questions about the outcome of the 2013 power sector privatisation, which transferred the country’s 11 distribution companies and six generation companies to private investors, while the Federal Government retained ownership of the transmission network.

Despite successive government interventions, electricity supply has remained unstable, with inadequate generation, gas shortages, weak transmission and distribution infrastructure, mounting sector debts and poor investment continuing to undermine the industry.

Anuwe acknowledged that government funding had been significant but insufficient to meet the sector’s ambitions.

“Government has invested over N10tn in the electricity sector since the advent of privatisation. But is it enough? How much money is enough? If government didn’t invest that money, the industry would not be standing today.

“No matter how you look at it, no matter how critical you are about what government’s role is, if government did not put that money in, the industry would not be standing,” he said.

He, however, described the continued dependence on government funding as unsustainable, noting that the Federal Government was responsible for more than 95 per cent of new infrastructure investment in the sector.

“That’s not why we privatised. We have all kinds of excuses why that has happened. And a lot of them are legitimate. But it’s time for us to move from excuses to saying how do we fix it. It does not need the government to do everything. I believe that government cannot do everything,” Anuwe said.

He said the country needed simpler investment structures, predictable regulations, clear institutional responsibilities and commercially viable projects to attract private capital.

According to him, the FGN Power Company is targeting an investment structure that could attract 1bn, with the Africa Finance Corporation expected to match the amount.

He disclosed that the company’s ongoing Presidential Power Initiative projects were expected to deliver additional transmission capacity, with a target of 5,540 megawatts by 2029 and at least 60 per cent improvement in grid reliability.

The projects include a second batch of 12 Siemens substations and special projects involving Omotosho substations, which are expected to cumulatively deliver nearly 3,400MW.

Anuwe said most of the ongoing first-phase transmission substation and line projects were now expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2027, following delays.

He added that the company had secured financing for its pilot phase and was working with international technical and financial partners, including Siemens Energy, China Machinery Engineering Corporation and TBEA.

The Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, in his address, said the Federal Government had also developed a four-pronged roadmap to address the sector’s challenges through grid stabilisation, sector liquidity and sustainability, asset optimisation and expansion and enhancement of the national grid.

He said the government had raised N1.23tn under its N3.3tn plan to settle verified legacy debts owed to electricity generation companies.

According to him, more than 2.8 million electricity customers have been metered under the Presidential Metering Initiative, while additional transmission capacity exceeding 15,000 megavolt-amperes had been added to the national grid between 2023 and October 2026.

“Let me inform this gathering that we have developed a four-pronged roadmap to address
the power sector challenges comprehensively. These are Grid Stabilisation, Sector Liquidity
and Sustainability, Asset Optimisation, and Expansion and Enhancement of the grid. Central
to this plan is a corridor approach that prioritises major load centres for reliable, round-
the-clock electricity supply.

“A technical audit has been commissioned to establish a robust diagnostic baseline, identify critical constraints and guide the prioritisation, sequencing and
execution of interventions. The corridor approach gives this roadmap a practical industrial focus.

“In the past two months alone, I have commissioned newly installed substation equipment across Kumbotoso, Dankata, Mashi, Dan-Agundi, Apapa, Ijora, Ikeja, Biliri, Walalambe and other locations, adding over 1,300MVA to Nigeria’s transmission capacity. This has unlocked more power to the respective Distribution Companies for onward distribution to industrial and household customers,” Tegbe said.

He added that the government was adopting a corridor-based approach to improve electricity supply in major economic centres, beginning with the Lagos-Ogun axis and Abuja franchise area, which together account for more than 50 per cent of national electricity demand.

The minister said the proposed 24-hour electricity zones would align generation, transmission and distribution capacity with demand in industrial clusters, subject to technical readiness and commercial viability.

He also identified vandalism as a major threat to electricity infrastructure, disclosing that President Bola Tinubu had approved a coordinated anti-vandalism campaign involving security agencies.

Earlier, the Chairman of PCAN, Obas Esiedesa, said reliable and affordable electricity was indispensable to the country’s ambition of building a $1tn economy by 2030.

He urged stakeholders to move beyond identifying the industry’s problems and focus on practical solutions, particularly investment, infrastructure development and sustainable financing.

News

Fubara: Why We Engage Only Qualified Engineers, Indigenous Contractors On Projects …As Governor Bags NATE Platinum Award, Inducted Into Highest Membership Cadre

Published

1 day ago

November 13, 2026

The Tide

Governor of Rivers State, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has stated that his administration engages indigenous contractors, qualified engineers and technologists in road and housing projects to ensure the delivery of standard and quality projects in the State.

Governor Fubara stated this yesterday while declaring open the 42nd Conference of Technologists in Engineering ( CONFOTECH) and Annual General Meeting of the Nigerian Association of Technologists in Engineering, (NATE), in Port Harcourt.

The conference saw the association conferring its Platinum Award on Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his induction into the highest membership cadre of NATE in recognition of his massive infrastructural development across Rivers State.

Governor Fubara, who was represented by his Chief of Staff, Mr. Sunny Ewule, expressed the readiness of his administration to the continued partnership and support for professional associations in promoting professionalism, building capacity and driving technological advancement.

He thanked the leadership and the entire membership of NATE for finding him worthy of their most prestigious award and honour, the NATE Platinum Award, and the accompanying induction into the highest membership cadre of the association.

“I consider this award not as a personal achievement but as a recognition of the collective effort of my administration and the good people of Rivers State in the area of infrastructure development and the deployment of engineering and technological solutions to advance the socio-economic development of the state, he said.

Governor Fubara noted that the theme of the conference: Safety, Regulation and Enforcement in Engineering: A Panacea to Industrial and Technological Growth in Nigeria, could not be more timely and relevant.

According to Fubara, no meaningful industrial growth can take place without safety, strong regulation, and enforcement, adding that it is for that reason that his administration has continued to insist on standard, quality delivery, and the engagement of qualified engineers, technologists and indigenous contractors in road construction, housing and other major developments across the state.

In his welcome address, the National President of the Nigerian Association of Technologists in Engineering (NATE), Engr. Dominic Udoatan, said the conference underscores a fundamental truth that safety, effective regulation and strict enforcement are indispensable to sustainable industrial and technological growth.

He urged government, regulatory bodies, employers and professional associations to work together to ensure competence, accountability and the protection of lives and property, while expressing the association’s sincere appreciation to Governor Fubara’s administration for its recognition of the importance of infrastructure, technical competence and technological advancement.

News

IGP Warns Police Officers Against Partisanship …Directs Regular Engagement With Journalists

Published

1 day ago

November 13, 2026

The Tide

The Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, has warned officers of the Nigeria Police Force against engaging in partisan political activities, insisting that the Force would remain neutral before, during and after the 2027 general elections.

The IGP gave the directive during a strategic meeting with senior police officers, including Deputy Inspectors-General of Police, Assistant Inspectors- General of Police and Commissioners of Police, at the Force Headquarters, Abuja, last Wednesday.

He told the officers across the country to maintain regular interactions with journalists as part of efforts to tackle misinformation and fake news ahead of the elections.

He said sustained engagement with the media would strengthen public communication, promote transparency and help curb the spread of misleading information capable of undermining public confidence in the electoral process.

Disu assured that the Nigeria Police Force would not allow itself to be used by politicians or political parties, saying the Force remains committed to providing a level playing field for all participants in the electoral process.

“We will remain neutral, ensure the safety and security of the electorate before, during and after the election,” he said.

The Police Chief warned that any police officer found participating in partisan politics would face appropriate disciplinary and legal consequences.

On the protection of citizens’ rights, the IGP charged Commissioners of Police to ensure that all reported cases of human rights violations are properly documented, investigated and resolved within a reasonable period.

He also directed police commands and zones across the country to establish accessible and visible Complaints Response Units to enable members of the public report alleged abuses and obtain appropriate redress.

Disu emphasized the need to improve the welfare of police personnel, directing Commissioners of Police to ensure prompt payment of death benefits to families of fallen officers and personally visit such families to demonstrate the Force’s support and solidarity.

He highlighted some of the achievements recorded by the Force but maintained that more efforts were required to address prevailing security challenges, particularly banditry in parts of the country.

He also cautioned Commissioners of Police against travelling outside their respective states without obtaining express approval from his office.

The IGP thanked President Bola Tinubu for his continued support and commitment to strengthening the capacity of the police to combat crime and maintain national security.

King Onunwor