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Borno, Buhari Disagree Over Boko Haram

The Special Adviser to the Borno State Governor on Public Relations and Strategy, Isa Gusau, has faulted allegations by President Muhammadu Buhari, that Boko Haram was succeeding due to the collaboration of residents.
Buhari had at a sympathy visit to Maiduguri, last week, stated, “Boko Haram or whatever they are, cannot come to Maiduguri or its environs without the local leadership knowing, the local leadership is in charge of security in their own respective areas.
“We are working for you in this country; as Commander-in-Chief, I am dealing with the security institutions, and I believe there is an improvement in security. I urge the people of the state to cooperate with the law enforcement agencies; let us deny Boko Haram access to our loyal citizens, and encourage displaced people to go back to their land.”
But speaking on NTA’s ‘Good Morning Nigeria’ programme, yesterday, however, the Borno governor’s aide said it was wrong of anyone to say that the residents and the traditional leaders were not doing enough.
He said that in the last two years, at least, 1,000 youths in Borno State had laid down their lives in the fight against insurgency while some traditional rulers had been killed for giving information to the authorities.
Gusau, who didn’t mention the President’s name, said, “The fact remains that we must make concerted efforts to acknowledge that a lot of people in Borno State are giving everything in the fight against Boko Haram.
“If I were to be honest with you, I usually feel very bad when I hear anyone raising questions about the sincerity of the people of Borno State in the fight against Boko Haram. I told a story two days ago.
“In 2014, I and the former governor with whom I worked went to Konduga. On our way to Konduga, there was an attack in Dalori. A woman and her husband approached the governor and were shouting at the top of their voices.
“They said one of their sons is a member of Boko Haram, he has escaped from the bush and has been hiding in our house for the last six days. I want your Excellency to assign security aides to pick him up. They picked him up. This is the extent of commitment.
“From 2013 till date, more than 26, 000 youths in Borno, sons and daughters of Borno, they didn’t fall from the moon, have given their lives in the fight against Boko Haram. More than 1,000 of them have been killed in the last two years.
“And if you look back at how Boko Haram began to operate in 2010, they started by the gradual assassination of district heads. They killed a number of district heads, a number of traditional rulers. They killed the Emir of Gworza, they have sacked many communities.
“Why did they do that? Because they know that these district heads are very critical in generating intelligence within the community. It got to a point where when you report a thing about Boko Haram, you get killed the following day.
“So, when you find people who are living in trauma, people who are displaced, who are suffering, and somebody begins to raise suspicions on their level of commitment, you end up demoralising them. So, I think it is one issue that as a country, we need to take seriously and address”, the Borno governor’s aide added.
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I’m Committed To Community Dev – Ajinwo
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RSG Tasks Rural Dwellers On RAAMP …As Sensitization Team Visits Akulga, Degema, Three Others

Rivers State Head of Service, Dr (Mrs) Inyingi Brown, has called on rural communities in the State to embrace the Rural Access and Agricultural marketing project (RAAMP) with a view to improving their living conditions.
This follows the ongoing sensitization campaign by the State Project Implementation Unit (SPIU) visits to Degema, Abonnema, Afam headquarters of Degema, Akuku Toru and Oyigbo Etche and Omuma local government areas respectively.
Dr Brown who was represented by the Deputy Director, Special Duties in her office, Mrs Dein Akpanah, said RAAMP was initiated by the Federal Government and World Bank to economically empower rural dwellers.s
She said the World Bank understands the plights of rural farmers and traders in the State, and therefore came up with the programme to address them.
According to her, RAAMP will improve the conditions of farmers, traders and fishermen, and therefore, behoves on every rural communities in the State to embrace the programme.
The Head of Service also said the programme would support the youths to be gainfully employed while bridges and roads will be built to link farms and fishing settlements.
Also speaking, the State project coordinator, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the programme has the potential of creating millionaires among farmers and fishermen in the State.
Kpakol who was represented by Engr. Sam Tombari, said RAAMP would help farmers and fishermen to preserve their produce.
According to him, the project will build cold rooms and Silos for preservation of crops and fishes while access roads will also be created to link farmers and fishermen to the market.
He, however, warned them against any act that will lead to the suspension of the projects by the World Bank.
Kpakol particularly warned against acts such as kidnapping, marching ground, gender based violence and child labour, adding that such acts if they occur may lead to the cancellation of the project by the World Bank.
During the visit to Oyigbo local government area, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the team was there to let them know how they will benefit from the Raamp.
The coordinator who was personally at Oyigbo said the World Bank introduced the project to check food insecurity in the State.
He said already 19 states in Nigeria are already benefitting from the project and called on them to embrace the project.
Meanwhile, stakeholders in the three local government areas have commended the World Bank for including their areas in the project.
They, however, complained over the incessant attacks by pirates on their waterways.
At Degema, King Agolia of Ke kingdom said land was a major problem in the kingdom.
King Agolia represented by High Chief Alpheus Damiebi said many indigenes of the kingdom are willing to go into farming but are handicapped by lack of land.
Also at Degema, the representative of the Omu Onyam Ekeim of Usokun Degema kingdom, Osoabo Isaac, said Degema has embraced the programme but needed more information on the implementation of the programme.
Similarly, while High Chief Precious Abadi advised that the project should not be narrowed to only crop farming, a community women leader, Mrs Orikinge Eremabo Otto, called for the construction of cold rooms in all fishing settlements in the area.
At Abonnema, Mr Diamond Kio linked the problem of the area to incessant piracy along waterways.
He also expressed fears over the possibility of the project being hijacked by politicians.
Also at Abonnema, a stakeholder, Ikiriko Kelvin, called on the World Bank to design an agricultural project that will suit the riverine environment, while at Oyigbo, HRH Eze Boniface Akawo expressed satisfaction with the project.
John Bibor
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Senate Replaces Natasha As Committee Chairman

The political mudslinging between the Senate leadership and Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan continued yesterday as the Senate named Senator Aniekan Bassey as the new Chairman of the Committee on Diaspora and Non-Governmental Organisations.
Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, announced the appointment during yesterday’s plenary, confirming Bassey’s replacement of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who is currently on suspension.
Akpoti-Uduaghan was reassigned to the Diaspora and NGOs Committee in February after she was removed as Chair of the Senate Committee on Local Content during a minor reshuffle.
Bassey is the senator representing Akwa Ibom North-East Senatorial District.
Although no reason was given for her removal yesterday, the change is believed to be connected to her unresolved suspension.
In May, Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court ordered her reinstatement and directed her to tender an apology to the Senate.
However, the Senate has insisted it has not received a certified true copy of the court judgment.
Akpoti-Uduaghan who represents Kogi Central, has yet to resume her legislative duties despite a recent court ruling that voided her suspension.
In a televised interview on Tuesday, Akpoti-Uduaghan said she was awaiting the Certified True Copy of the judgment before officially returning to plenary, citing legal advice and respect for institutional process.
Although the Federal High Court described her suspension as “excessive and unconstitutional”, a legal opinion dated July 5 and attributed to the Senate’s counsel, Paul Daudu (SAN), argued that the ruling lacked any binding directive to enforce her reinstatement.
Akpoti-Uduaghan, one of only three female senators in the current assembly, said the continued delay in allowing her return was not only a denial of her mandate but also a blow to democratic representation.
“By keeping me out of the chambers, the Senate is not just silencing Kogi Central, it’s denying Nigerian women and children representation. We are only three female senators now, down from eight,” she said.
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