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Tag: Land

  • Dear Lord Have Mercy on our Land, Stephen Ojapah

    Dear Lord Have Mercy on our Land, Stephen Ojapah

    Stephen Ojapah msp

    “Assyria will not save us, we will not ride on horses; nor will we say again, ‘Our god,’ To the work of our hands; For in You the orphan finds mercy (Hosea 14:3). We will not rely on Assyria for protection and help. The Israelites frequently sought the alliance of the Assyrians, and are often reproved by the prophets for so doing. We will not ride upon horses we will not implore the help of Egypt, as we did formerly, nor depend on horses brought thence, or on any of our military preparations. It was chiefly on account of their cavalry that the Jews and Israelites courted the help of Egypt, having no cavalry of their own. This is the first part of the people’s repentance. It consists in their renouncing all dependence on foreign alliances, and on every arm of flesh.

    The second is, their renouncing every species of idolatry and image-worship, expressed in the next clause, neither will we say to the work of our hands ye are gods. This is often spoken of in the prophets, as an introduction to that state of the church which is to commence from the time of the conversion of the Jews (Hosea 2: 17), and Isaiah (1: 29). For in the fatherless we find mercy. Thou art the helper of the weak and friendless; of us, who are unable to help ourselves, and are exposed to the injuries of others, having none to defend us. God never fails to be the helper of all that are destitute of strength in themselves, and destitute of help from others: and who, being sensible of their helpless condition, look for it from God, who hath sufficient power, mercy, and wisdom to help.

    Alliances, have always been part of the international method of forestalling crisis. The League of Nations, an organization for international cooperation established on January 10, 1920, at the initiative of the victorious allied powers at the end of World War 1. Although the League was unable to fulfill the hopes of its founders, its creation was an event of decisive importance in the history of international relations. The League was formally disbanded on April 19, 1946; its powers and functions had been transferred to the nascent United Nations. The central, basic idea of the movement was that aggressive war is a crime not only against the immediate victim but against the whole human community. Accordingly it is the right and duty of all states to join in preventing it; if it is certain that they will so act, no aggression is likely to take place. Such affirmations might be found in the writings of philosophers or moralists but had never before emerged onto the plane of practical politics. Statesmen and lawyers alike held and acted on the view that there was no natural or supreme law by which the rights of sovereign states, including that of making war as and when they chose, could be judged or limited. Many of the attributes of the League of Nations were developed from existing institutions or from time-honored proposals for the reform of previous diplomatic methods. However, the premise of collective security was, for practical purposes, a new concept engendered by the unprecedented pressures of World War I.

    As a student of International affairs and diplomacy, one of my favorite courses was: World Peace and the United Nations. The one single question the course tries to answer is; how far has the United Nations gone in bringing about peace in the world? The historical antecedents are there for everyone to judge: The war, in Bosnia, Kosovo, Rwanda, Somalia, Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan. The most brutal of wars still occurred with the presence of the UN. It is certainly obvious that there is something deeper than human alliances that man needs to bring about peace in the world and peace in our hearts.

    We are not prophets of doom, but the situation in Nigeria is calling for an alliance with God to avert the impending doom. We have seen how human interest has not yielded any fruits in forestalling crisis between states and worse still, within a nation’s borders. The crisis in our dear land is fast taking an international dimension, where certain countries and individuals both within and out of the country are more than happy to offer their financial and logistical support for the violence in Nigeria to continue.

    For years, Nigerians have complained about helicopters who come to drop food and ammunitions for Boko Haram fighters in the bush, and now bandits; and no one seem to take such complaint seriously. Some weeks back, in a village called Arina, Shiroro LGA in Niger State. It is alleged that the locals used a ‘meta-physical’ approach to ground one of the helicopters that came to drop food items to the bandits, by using swarms of bees. This news has been totally denied by the Niger State Government. But the general premise of helicopters dropping arms and ammunition to bandits and Boko Haram cannot be disputed, it has been confirmed by thousands of eyewitnesses. The common man cannot afford helicopters in Nigeria. The elites are mostly the ones that own them. To a very large extend, they have shown reluctance in tackling the issues of insecurity. As a people of faith, we certainly turn to God for help and alliance. As practical people we call on the United Nations, and good people everywhere in the world, to let God use them avert the impending doom hovering over Nigeria.

    In kwimo village of Niger State, the Bandits visited the village, on the 4th of May 2021 and chased away everyone, carted away hundreds of cows, kidnapped lots of women and destroyed the convent of the Sisters of our Lady of Apostles (OLA). The bandits took hours unchallenged, destroying lives and properties. Prior to this carnage, the sister in charge of the convent in kwimo called on the military for assistance, and she was given very flimsy excuses as to why they cannot protect them. One of such useless excuses was the lack of authorization from Abuja, the headquarters. Almost saying to ordinary citizens that ‘they have been ordered not to protect them’.

    The Israelites, understood very perfectly, how unreliable the alliance with Assyria was. Psalm 127: 1 says: “If the Lord does not watch over the city in vain does the watchman keep vigil. In vain is your earlier rising and going later rest”. Alliance with human beings sometimes would mean;tThe world standing by and watching while you burn, despite the international treaties and agreements that is put in place to forestall lawlessness. Dear Lord, have mercy on Nigeria. And save us from the total collapse that steers us in the face right now.

    Fr Stephen Ojapah is a priest of the Missionary Society of St Paul. He is equally the director for Interreligious Dialogue and Ecumenism for the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto, a member of IDFP. He is also a KAICIID Fellow. (omeizaojapah85@gmail.com)

     

  • Disputes over National Theatre land in court

    Disputes over National Theatre land in court

    By Ikeddy Isiguzo

     

    Do agreements matter in Nigeria? It depends on who you are dealing with, a lawyer said without losing a breath. Does it matter if it is a business agreement with the Federal Government of Nigeria? Lawyers would be at their best answering the questions on 18 March 2021 at the Federal High Court, Lagos.

     

    Our National Theatre is the matter, not venue, of the contention it does not deserve. Who owns it? Who does not own it? Should a common property with known ownership be in dispute? The court would decide this matter that has travelled several roads since it began nine years ago.

     

    It dates more years back. Under President Olusegun Obasanjo the dilapidated National Theatre was put up for concession. The process stalled. A new drive began in 2012 and was deemed concluded when the Attorney-General of the Federation signed off on the concession agreement on 3 May 2017.

     

    TopWideApeas Consortium won the concession and was duly announced the concessionaire for the development of the fallow lands surrounding the National Theatre Complex to an eco-friendly grand mini-city housing two five-star hotels, water theme park, arts and entertainments arcades, office complexes, shopping mall and a high-rise car park, as well as providing appropriate connections to the Lagos light rail Metro Blue Line station planned for the National Theatre Complex. TopwideApeas Consortium says it raised nearly $2biillon USD as a total investment portfolio for these projects.

     

    Not a dime of the money was required from the government. Instead TopWideApeas was to pay billions of Naira in annual concession fees and taxes during the duration of the concession. It posted the concession bond requirement of N1 billion. The other gains were thousands of jobs that would be generated during a construction period of over four years and new jobs to manage the facility.

     

    According to the concession agreement, all developments are to be handed over to the Federal Government in good and operating condition at end of the concession period.

     

    The project was already being tagged a signature project of the Buhari Administration. The preservation of the National Theatre, our cultural edifice, one of the most famous landmarks of Nigeria, the epicentre of the monumental 1977 Festival of Arts and Culture, Festac, the global event that brought cultural troupes of black people all over the world to Nigeria, was on its way. Nigerians so hoped.

     

    Statutory responsibility for the concession was vested on the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission, ICRC, which had in May 2013 issued to the Minister of Tourism and Culture a letter of “No Objection” for “the development of complementary facilities to the National Theatre via Public Private Partnership, PPP, Procurement.” BGL Limited was ICRC’s Transaction Adviser.

     

    At the very strong request of senior officers of the National Theatre and the involved government agencies, TopWideApeas Consortium assumed the extra responsibility for a comprehensive rehabilitation and upgrading of the Complex to synchronise with the planned new structures with the agreement that upon completion of the rehabilitation, the National Theatre would be handed over to the Federal Government for continued management by the Board of the Complex. The agreement increased the construction costs. TopWideApeas did not object.

     

    Curious, new matters issued thence. Jadeas Trust staked its interests over the failed Obasanjo exercise. It sued the Federal Government. With all the processes concluded, the Minister for Information, Culture & Tourism Alhaji Lai Mohammed’s formal presentation of the contract details to the Federal Executive Council was stood down thrice due to the Jadeas Trust Vs. FGN court case. The case was subsequently resolved.

     

    TopWideApeas now initiated the final move for the Minister of Information to get the final FEC approval – the latest drama surfaced.

     

    By December 2019, Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Minister for Information, Tourism & Culture (Lai Mohammed), Access Bank Plc and Herbert Wigwe representing the Bankers Committee were among defendants in a case TopWideApeas filed. The other Defendants were the Board of the National Theatre, Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission, and Attorney-General of the Federation. The case was adjourned to 18 March 2021. TopWideApeas lawyers’ motion for interlocutory injunction to restrain any interference with the subject of the suit is equally pending.

     

    These did not stop CBN and the Bankers Committee, acting on a supposed authority of the Federal Executive Council, to on 14 February 2021 assume control of the theatre. A similar lawlessness on 12 July 2020 had vast media coverage.

     

    Beyond the legal matters, what is the interest of CBN in spending N25 billion in a project that the private sector has willingly taken up, at a time government is borrowing to meet its routine obligations? Who would manage the theatre after the CBN investment?

     

    What is the worth of agreements that have sailed through the testy routes of government approvals? TopWideApeas has been on this project for nine years? Is there the ease of doing business agenda that the government promotes?

     

    At a time of droughts in investments, why would government agencies turn against those who are committing their resources to Nigeria? What is the challenge with the TopWideApeas concession? Why would the government and its agencies not be willing to subject themselves to the law?

     

    Interests in the National Theatre are global. TopWideApeas Consortium that raised the $2 billion for the project has partners from the United States, Russia, and the European Union. How would they understand how business works in Nigeria? Are we concerned that prospective investors – some could be connected to the ones involved in the National Theatre – could be watching the outcome of these tentative steps that have kept the business in the cold for eight years?

    The National Theatre cannot continue hosting this show of impunity.

     

    Isiguzo is a major commentator on minor issues

     

  • No free land for grazing in Edo – Obaseki

    No free land for grazing in Edo – Obaseki

    The Edo State Government has said that it will not cede any part of its land for grazing cattle in the state.

    In a statement, Secretary to the State Government, Osarodion Ogie Esq., said that the government’s position on the matter is clear and has not shifted since it insisted that it would not cede its land to herdsmen.

    According to him, “Our attention has been drawn to misleading and false media reports claiming that the Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has agreed to provide grazing land for herders in the state.

    READ ALSO: Nigeria Has Many Ungovernable Spaces, Says Buratai

    “Our position on the matter of grazing land is clear and has not shifted, which is that there is no free land for grazing in Edo State. Grazing is an economic activity just like poultry and piggery or any other agricultural enterprise. The Edo State Government will not cede any land in the state for grazing.”

    “The governor has continually warned against the politicizing of security issues,” he added.

    Ogie noted that some political actors are trying to instigate the type of killings witnessed in some states in the country just because they are embittered by the heavy loss they suffered in the political space.

    He continued: “Thankfully, their plans have failed because of the pre-emptive actions taken by Governor Obaseki and the security agencies.

    “We condemn, in the strongest terms, the current futile efforts by these defeated politicians in the state to cause mayhem and chaos among our people.

    “All peace-loving people of Edo State are enjoined to dedicate this Lenten period to pray for peace at this difficult time in the life of our dear country.”

  • Editor cries to Sanwo-Olu over Customs boss, Omonile take over of land

    Editor cries to Sanwo-Olu over Customs boss, Omonile take over of land

    …says one Agabi a stripped chief is behind his ordeal

    …begs Lagos AG to intervene to save his property from land grabbers

    …warns that if nothing is done now, this could lead to breakdown of law

    The Publisher and Editor-In-Chief of South South International magazine and former President of the League of Maritime Editors and Publishers as well as former Publicity Secretary of Association of Communication Scholars and Professionals of Nigeria, Ovie Edomi has cried to the Governor of Lagos State and his Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice over the activities of land grabbers in Ibereko, Lagos.

    In an official letter to Babajide Sanwo-Olu and the Attorney general of Lagos, the Lagos based Journalist and publisher explained how the land he has paid in installments for between 2016 and 2018 to the Kelani family, a prominent family with vast land in Ibereko was transpassed upon by an Assistant Customs Comptroller, Mr Lucky Udukhomose, serving in Tin Can port, Apapa along with his wife, Pastor Mrs Favour Udukhomose who connived with Omonile to buy the same land from one self acclaimed Chief Ogabi who has been stripped of his chieftaincy title by the Oba of Ibereko and who claimed to be related to the Kelani family in order to expand Sapphire Gold Group of Schools, a private school built by the Assistant Customs Comptroller for his wife beside the Editor’s mini estate.

    According to Edomi, the Lagos State law on land Grabbing has made Lagos State very peaceful for its’ inhabitants and wondered why a serving Customs officer, who knows the law and should be seen obeying the law be the one to connive with unscrupulous element with a view to promoting his business interest when the Customs boss knows for a fact that the Journalist who had plantains planted on the land and has been harvesting the plantains for upward of 2years owes the land.

    Edomi further warned that any attempt to engage in land Grabbing, indiscriminate construction of private schools especially those that are constructed to block government approved streets and made the street a close without government approval would someday led to breakdown of law and order in Ibereko if the government does not implement its’ urban planning and environmental laws.

    He therefore called on the state Governor to put up stricter measures to check those who build indiscriminately without regard to the laws of the state and speed up the prosecution of land Grabbers in order to check the menance of land grabbling as well as close all illegal schools in Ibereko, Badagry.

    Edomi who says he believes in the rule of law and God’s protection for His children, however lamented that his life is being threatened by self acclaimed Chief Ogabi and his two Brothers who are acting on behalf of the Customs boss and his wife called on the Governor and the Attorney general of the state, well meaning Nigerians, the World Press Organization as well as the Presidents of NUJ, UPU worldwide, CAN, PFN and NBA to equally intervene saying the Customs boss and his wife,a Pastor, this time flew too high and too close to the sun with waxed wings.

    Furthermore, Edomi noted that with over 20 million people and expected to double by 2040, Lagos State will become a mega city as envisaged by the Lagos State government if people obey town planning and environmental laws.

    Meanwhile a document by the Kelani Oke family claimed that the land stretching from Kelani Street down to Oke Oko street at Ibereko belong to their father and claimed that the Customs boss had approached the Kelani family through one Chief Ogabi Brothers to buy the land but he was told that the had been sold to a Journalist.

    Edomi who is equally an Editorial Board member of the Compendium on Senior Advocates of Nigeria, SAN, further told newsmen that he earlier reported the matter to the Comptroller of Customs, TIN Can port, but regretted that nothing was done before crying to the Lagos State Governor for justice especially when he saw that the Customs boss took advantage of the lockdown owing to the COVID-19 pandemic to start construction of a storey building on the land. A development which he decried and noted that it is in further contravention of the government’s order during this period of lockdown as well as to show that the Customs boss is above the law or to prove that nothing would happen even if he breaks the law. Such person in developed societies of which Nigeria is one, needs to be further investigated by the Nigeria Customs Service where he works and the EFCC to know the source of the wealth which he displays now and reason for taking the law into his hands.

    Edomi, who described the development as a demonstration of lawlessness, ungodliness, oppression, insatiable greed and attempt to use one’s privileged position to acquire other people’s property or parvet justice insisted on justice, said he has no other option than to cry to the Lagos State Governor.

  • JUST IN: Saraki reacts to Kwara Gov’s Seizure of father’s land in Illorin

    JUST IN: Saraki reacts to Kwara Gov’s Seizure of father’s land in Illorin

    Former Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki has stated that Kwara State Governor, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq has crossed the line of decency with his recent efforts to erase the legacies of his (Saraki’s) late father, Dr. Abubakar Olusola Saraki.

    Saraki, in a statement he personally signed and released in Lagos today, stated that the war of attrition waged against the legacy of his father and everything that belongs to the late politician simply portrayed the Governor as a man who lacks the sense of history and set out only to fight the Saraki family but not to serve the interest of Kwarans.

    “Yesterday night, the Kwara State Governor, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq finally showed his true colour when he announced his decision to revoke the ownership of a property rightfully held by my late father, Dr. Olusola Abubakar Saraki on Plots 1, 3 and 5 Ilofa Road, GRA, Ilorin popularly known as Ile Arugbo, (Old People’s home) which since the Second Republic, has always been used to host the weekly gathering of a multitude of aged people in the society who are provided food, money and health services, as part of the social welfare programme sponsored by the late politician. The tradition has since been maintained.

    “Before now, this same Governor had invited all the members of the State House of Assembly and directed them to commence the process of amending the law to change the name of the State University which the last administration renamed after my late father, Dr. Abubakar Olusola Saraki. He then followed up on this act of vengeance by initiating a bill to rename the University and expunge the name of the late Dr. Abubakar Olusola Saraki. Now, he has decided to also revoke the titles of the landed property which belongs to the late politician. May be, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq thinks his will be the last administration in Kwara State but definitely, this is self delusion.

    “The property had been rightfully allocated to my late father under the name of one of his companies, Asa Investment Limited, since the 1980s and contrary to the claim of the Governor, the land was properly allocated and a Right of Occupancy title issued on it. It should be noted that the excuse given by Abdulrazaq in his revocation order holds no water since it is clear that this is the height of his vengeance against my father, Dr. Abubakar Olusola Saraki and I.

    “Till today, many Kwarans have been wondering what problem the Governor has with the late Oloye Abubakar Olusola Saraki or what the late politician did to offend him. It is surprising that of all vacant plots of land in strategic places across Ilorin township, the one that Abdulrahman found useful for his vengeful plan is the one owned by late Dr. Saraki. It is beyond comprehension why a Governor would set as his main agenda the objective of undermining and waging a war of attrition against a man who is no longer around.

    “This action is clearly a manifestation of vengeance and it shows that this Governor is not out to serve any public purpose or pursue any development agenda. In his narrow-mindedness, he believes his victory at the polls is an empowerment, entitlement and enablement to settle scores, provoke and pursue inter-family rivalry. Those who voted for the party in power in Kwara State and Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq obviously did not vote for the man to enable him wage war against Dr. Olusola Saraki and his legacies. They expected development and fulfillment of promises.

    “If the Governor believes people are not taking stock of his misguided and deceptive actions and that because he is in power, he could do whatever he likes, he must be a joker. Also, this war against the Sarakis will not successfully veil his unpreparedness for governance and divert people’s attention from the glaring lack of visionary, clear-cut plan to deliver on his empty promises to the people. He definitely cannot get away with all the atrocities he has been committing.

    “Since the outcome of the elections in March, despite the fact that there are clear grounds to challenge the results in court, I have decided to demonstrate maturity, statemanship and sportsmanship. I have chosen not to make comment on the policies, programmes and actions of the administration in Kwara State or that of its head. Also, I deliberately stayed away from the State to avoid creating any distraction for the administration. My decision is borne out of a genuine restraint to enable the administration settle down and fulfill its numerous promises to the people of our state.

    “However, seven months down the line, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq has shown that its cardinal Programme is to wage war against my late father and I. He has demonstrated that his only competence and astuteness is in the area of viciously assailing the late Oloye Saraki and I. Definitely, he is a man with no sense of history. Enough is enough. Now, he has crossed the line.

    “Perhaps, I should let it be known that if Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq thinks he is taking all these actions to get at me, he is only deceiving himself. There is no basis for competition between us. Our paths cannot cross because the status that he is struggling to attain, Almighty Allah has given it to me many years before now. I became Governor 16 years before him and served out my constitutional limit of eight years. Within the period, I was Chairman of Nigerian Governors Forum. I have moved on to serve in the federal legislature and by the grace of God, I headed the National Assembly as the number three man in the country. No matter, how well he tried to rewrite history, it is on record that I left Kwara State a lot better than I met it. In fact, the University that he is struggling to rename was established by my administration as just one out of many legacies we left behind. This Governor needs a lot more efforts, years, Intelligence and resources to attain the level Allah has taken me, not to talk of my late father, Dr. Olusola Abubakar Saraki, the Senate Leader in the Second Republic. As Governor, I used the position to serve the people and during the period I did not dishonour his own father or anybody’s father for that matter.

    “Just as I did after the election, my advise to Gov. Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq that he should devote his time and energy to providing good governance and genuine development of the state.

    “It is well known to the Governor that I fear nobody, except Almighty Allah, the ultimate owner of all powers. With all his subterranean and open moves against my family, person and property, I remain unmoved. However, his open antagonism against my late father and his legacies is unwarranted and will not be tolerated. He has definitely gone beyond bounds as he cannot be allowed to ride roughshod on the deceased. In this war against my late father, he will not win.

    “This Governor has shown that he is not a man who wants peace, co-operation and development. He believes that a constant attack on my family and I is all that he needs to win the hearts of Kwara people. The need to provide good governance is secondary to him.

    “However, it should be made clear to Abdulrazaq and his administration that their attack on my late father cannot erase the legacies of Oloye. No evil design, negative plot or propaganda can successfully rewrite the history of Kwara State. This plot against my late father will not stand. And I will like to make it clear that we will contest this petty, malicious, dubious and bias action of a parochial, vicious and vindictive administration through all legal means. We are sure this is not an action taken in public interest. Rather, it is done in pursuit of a selfish and devious objective”, Saraki stated.

  • RUGA: Abia to henceforth scrutinise land sales above five hectares – Attorney-General

    Abia state government says it has introduced a policy directing relevant agencies to scrutinise and ascertain the purpose behind the sale of any portion land above five hectares in the state.
    Mr Uche Ihediwa, the Commisssioner for Justice and Attorney-General of the state, said this on Wednesday in Umuahia, while briefing newsmen on Abia government’s stance on land-use planning.
    He said the policy made it mandatory for applications for Certificate-of-Occupancy for land above five hectares to be honoured or declined, depending on the purpose the land would be put into.
    He said: “With the present dispensation, any request for land will have to be scrutinised.
    “The state government’s policy is to scrutinise it and make sure that it is not something that is convertible into Ruga.
    “We have gone ahead to sensitise our communities to be sure that nobody sells large quantity of land.
    “There is a standing instruction in the Ministry of Lands, Survey and Urban Planning that sale of any land above five hectares will be scrutinised.’’
    Ihediwa said that the Town and Country Planning Law allows the revocation of any piece of land which had not been used for the purpose it was acquired.
    He said that there was no truth in the allegations that the state government secretly gave out land for Ruga settlement in Arungwa in Osisioma Local Government Area of the state.
    According to him, “Sometime in September 2014, the Federal Ministry of Works, Transport and Housing requested for land to build a trailer park.
    “There was nothing untoward about the request by the Federal Government under the administration of Dr. Goodluck Jonathan.
    “They were looking for 50 hectares of land in that place but we went round and discovered it was only 20 hectares.”
    He said that the negotiation was subsequently aborted and the land penciled down for a car assembly plant.
    Ihediwa said that the Land Use Act was clear on the processes and procedures for acquiring land for any purpose.
    The attorney-general therefore said that there was no Ruga settlement in Abia.

  • Man, 40, slits mother’s throat over land argument in Imo

    Man, 40, slits mother’s throat over land argument in Imo

    The people of Okpunoeze village in Uraugu community of Nnewi, Anambra, were on Wednesday thrown into mourning over the murder of Mrs Bene Ikegwuonwu, 70, by her son, Chinedu Ikegwuonwu, 40.

    The incident occurred at about 8 a.m. after an altercation between the duo over a piece of land belonging to the suspect’s younger brother.

    A source, who pleaded anonymity, said the deceased was cooking when her son allegedly approached surreptitiously from behind and slit her throat with a machete.

    “The suspect left the house immediately after the incident, leaving behind his wife and son,” the source added.

    The late woman is said to be blessed with four boys and three girls, one of who died recently in a fatal accident.

    A family member, who pleaded anonymity, said the suspect returned to Nnewi from a failed business in Aba, Abia.

    The source said that the suspect had had a running battle with his mother over his attempt to grab his younger brother’s land.

    “The woman gave Chinedu some money to raise the foundation of his building because he was unable to do anything about it after a year and half.

    “She even went to the extent of taking money from her late daughter’s bank account for the suspect to complete his building after which he then turned around to take over a portion of land belonging to his younger brother,” the source said.

    When contacted, Mr Haurna Mohammed, the state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), a Superintendent of Police (SP), confirmed the incident, noting that the police had launched an investigation into the case.

  • Lagos, five other states yet to provide land for housing – Fashola

    The Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, has urged the Lagos State Government to provide land for National Housing Programme in the state.

    Fashola, the immediate past governor of the state made the call at the 2018 Ramadan Lecture of the Lagos branch of the Ansar-Ud-Deen Society of Nigeria.

    The minister said the President Muhammadu Buhari led-administration was working towards making life more meaningful for Nigerians through carefully designed programmes and projects.

    According to him, the National Housing Programme is one of the Federal Government’s efforts to address the country’s housing deficit.

    He said, “Over 30 states have provided land for the housing programme and work has started in the states. We are appealing to the Lagos State Government to do same in Lagos.”

    Fashola also said Buhari had approved the construction and reconstruction of roads, including the Lagos-Abeokuta road, Lagos-Ibadan road, as well as the Ikorodu -Shagamu road.

    According to him, the roads would aid effective transport in the areas.

    He added that the ministry was working hard to improve power supply and make prepaid meters available to Nigerians.

    The National Chairman, ADS, Alhaji Femi Okunnu, urged the state government to exempt missionary schools from paying tax, as well as paying Land Use Charge.

  • We don’t have land to spare for cattle colonies, Ebonyi Govt insists

    The Governor Dave Umahi led Ebonyi State Government has insisted that it does not have lands to spare for the Federal Government proposed cattle colonies.

    This was revealed by the Commissioner for Environment, Mr. Donatus Njoku on Saturday.

    According to Njoku, the state government’s rejection of the policy is irreversible.

    Njoku made the assertion in Abakaliki on Saturday, while briefing journalists on measures adopted by the government to ensure peaceful co-existence between herdsmen and residents in the state.

    The commissioner emphasised that the state government had no land to give out for cattle colonies, adding that the available land in the state was for agricultural purposes.

    Addressing reports on social media that the state government had embraced the cattle colony policy, he said, “The rumours on social media are a misrepresentation. Governor David Umahi never said the state would give out land for creation of cattle colonies.

    “In Ebonyi State, there is nothing like cattle colony. The position of the Ebonyi State Government is that those herdsmen that have been in the state for years, living harmoniously with the people, cannot be asked to go. Our concern is the killer herdsmen who carry rifles and AK-47.

    “Any time the herdsmen want to move cattle to another location, the attention of the traditional rulers/town unions that reside in the community must be sought, indicating the routes/passages to follow.”

    Njoku stated that the state government had enacted a law prohibiting open movement of animals such as cows, goats and cattle, in addition to the inauguration of a special task force to ensure that cattle herders confined their cattle to one location.

    He said, “If you have cause to move the cattle, let the government know when and where you are moving them to and the routes to follow. It is important.”

    The commissioner wondered why herdsmen in the state would engage in open grazing despite state government’s law against open movement of animals, goats, cows, etc.

    “We have a law that specifies fines for defaulters. In addition, there is a taskforce that checkmates any form of rearing of animals such as cattle and goats. We are monitoring indiscriminate movement of cattle,” he added.

    Njoku commended the Federal Government for inaugurating the presidential committee on reconciliation of herdsmen/farmers, under the chairmanship of Umahi.

    “Very soon, the nation will come up with a permanent solution to the frequent clashes between farmers/herdsmen in the country,” he promised.

    On the activities of illegal miners in the state, the commissioner emphasised that the state government had laid out guidelines, which mining operators must adhere to.

    He said, “For one to mine in the state, you must adhere to the standard, conform to the Environmental Impact Assessment, and provide safety kits for the mining workers, etc.”

     

  • No land for cattle colonies in Urhobo – Omo-Agege

    The Senator representing Delta Central Senatorial District at the Senate, Ovie Omo-Agege of the ruling All Progressives Congress, has rejected the proposed establishment of cattle colonies across the country, saying that the Urhobo ethnic nationality in the Niger Delta are strongly against the move.

    Rising from consultations with Urhobo leaders across the country, Omo-Agege urged the Federal Government to exclude Urhobo communities, particularly in Delta Central in the arrangement.

    According to him, no community is ready to offer their land for such a purpose after their residents have been killed and their farmlands destroyed by suspected Fulani herdsmen in the past.

    In a statement made available to our correspondent on Friday in Effurun, the senator noted that the establishment of the cattle colonies would not end the incessant clashes between marauding Fulani herdsmen and local farmers in the country.

    He said, “Since the announcement by the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh, that cattle colonies would be established across our country for herdsmen to curb the increasing cases of clashes between farmers and herdsmen in the country, I have met with various leaders, stakeholders and constituents in Delta Central to discuss this complex and controversial topic.

    “Those discussions have revealed to me that the majority of the Urhobo people are strongly opposed to cattle colonies on their land. No one wants it and no community is ready to give its land to those who have killed their people and raped their wives.”