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Tag: niger

  • Eid-el Fitri: Police deploy personnel for hitch-free celebration

    Niger State Police command on Thursday said it deployed 3,000 personnel across the state to ensure security of lives and property before and during the Eid-el-fitri celebration.Eid-el-fitri is an Islamic celebration to mark the end of the Ramadan fast of 29 or 30 days.

     

    Muslims the world over commenced fasting on May 27, expected to end on June 24 or June 25, to be followed by Eid-el fitr.

     

    The Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) in Niger, Bala Elkana, said that the command had an operational order for the celebration.

     

    He said “we have operational order for the Sallah celebrations, so we are adequately prepared because as I speak to you, we have deployed 3,000 personnel.”

     

    Elkana added that the command had deployed police to various Mosques where tafsir messages were going on.

     

    He noted that the police would also deploy personnel to Eid grounds across the 25 local government areas of the state.

     

    He said the command had also drafted its personnel to markets, highways, Minna and other towns, as well as recreational facilities and other public places to maintain law and order and have a hitch-free sallah.

     

    He appealed to the people of the state to be law abiding during the celebration, as the police was ready to enforce law and order.

     

    Similarly, Superintendent of Corps, Ibrahim Yahaya, the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in the state, told NAN that the corps deployed 1, 855 personnel across the state to ensure a hitch free Sallah celebrations.

     

    He said “the Niger command of the NSCDC has deployed 1,855 personnel, including undercover personnel to ensure a hitch-free Sallah.

     

    “We have deployed our officers and men to every nook and cranny of the state to secure lives and property during Sallah,’’ he added.

     

    Yahaya said that armed personnel of the corps would start patrol on Friday, adding that officers and men would be deployed to all the Eid grounds to maintain law and order, noting that Divisional Officers in the 25 local government areas were also directed to beef up security in their areas.

     

    Meanwhile, Muslims across the country would celebrate the Eid-el Fitr on Sunday or Monday, depending on when the new moon would be sighted.

     

    The NSCDC command in Kwara also said it deployed 2000 personnel across the 16 local government areas of the state to ensure a hitch-free sallah.

     

    Mr Pedro ldeba, the state Commandant, told NAN in Ilorin on Thursday most of the

    personnel were deployed to maintain law and order at Eid grounds.

     

    The commandant added that others were deployed to protect government facilities.

     

    He said “the 2000 personnel deployed are already at their duty posts to ensure security before, during and after the celebration.”

  • Niger President, Mahamadou Issoufou postpones visit to Buhari

    Niger President, Mahamadou Issoufou postpones visit to Buhari

    The President of Niger Republic, Mahamadou Issoufou, has postponed his proposed visit to President Muhammadu Buhari.

    This was contained in a press statement signed by the Special Adviser to President Buhari on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, on Thursday.

    He insisted that the rescheduling, was at Issoufou’s request

    “The visit of President Mahamadou Issoufou of Niger Republic to President Muhammadu Buhari scheduled for Friday, May 5, 2017, has been put forward.
    “The rescheduling is at the instance of President Issoufou who has another domestic engagement,” the statement said.

    It said that all arrangements had been concluded for President Buhari to receive his Nigerien counterpart and his delegation at the forecourt of the Presidential Villa.

    The statement added that a new date for the visit would be announced in due course.

  • BREAKING: Court grants former Niger Gov Babangida Aliyu N150m bail

    BREAKING: Court grants former Niger Gov Babangida Aliyu N150m bail

    Minna High Court on Wednesday granted bail in the sum of N150m to former Gov. Babangida Aliyu of Niger State, charged with N4.568bn misappropriation.

    Aliyu was arraigned last Tuesday on a six-count charge alongside Umar Nasko, the Chief of Staff under his administration.

    The former officials were accused of conspiring and dishonestly converting for personal use, the sum belonging to Niger State Government.

    According to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, which is prosecuting the former officials, the misappropriated funds are ecological projects funds as well as money realised from the sale of 16 per cent shares of the state in the North-South Power Company.

    The defendants, however, pleaded not guilty.

    Ruling on the bail applications of the accused, Justice Aliyu Mayaki said: “The first applicant is admitted to bail in the sum of N150m with two sureties in like sum, who must be resident within the jurisdiction of the court.

    “The sureties must also deposit Certificate of Occupancy (C of O)of landed property worth not less than N200 million, situated within the jurisdiction of the court.

    “The second applicant is granted bail in the sum of N100 million and two sureties in like sum.

    “The sureties must deposit C of O of landed property worth not less than N150 million.”

    The judge held that the EFCC had not adduced concrete evidence to show that the defendants would interfere with justice, if granted bail.

    He said that the defendants had no criminal antecedents, adding that they provided sufficient materials in support of their applications.

    The judge adjourned the case until June 12 commencement of hearing.

     

     

    NAN

     

  • Why Buhari is importing crude oil from Niger – Oyegun

    Why Buhari is importing crude oil from Niger – Oyegun

     

    The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, has said the party supported President Buhari’s importation of crude oil from the Republic of Niger for refining at the Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company (KRPC) because of the level of disruptions in supply from the oil facilities in the South.

    The APC chairman spoke on Wednesday during a courtesy visit by the Niger’s Minister of Petroleum, Foumakoye Gado and the country’s Ambassador, Mansour Maman Hadj Daddo at the APC national secretariat in Abuja.

    He observed that the initiative “is already bearing fruit. For us it will make great economic sense for the refinery in Kaduna to function properly.

    “Moreso, in the face of disruptions we have in the southern parts of our country. It is a major economic advantage for that project to be expedited and come to fruition as soon as possible.

    “At the Party level, we assure you that everything will be done to ensure that those who are involved expedite the discussion and agreement so that the plan can be made operational as soon as possible,” he said.

    Also speaking, the Nigerien petroleum minister, said: “We acknowledge the cordial relationship between the President of Republic of Niger and Nigeria hence the need for us to come to the Party to strengthen the relationship. We believe this should be replicated at Party level.”

    “It is line with this understanding that the two leaders (Nigerian President, Muhammadu Buhari and Nigerien President, Mahamadou Issoufou) agreed to channel crude oil from Republic of Niger to the Kaduna refinery for refining.

    “We have had discussion with the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Mr. Maikanti Baru, to facilitate the plan.

    “The project is unprecedented because in Africa we are used to exporting crude oil instead of refining it within the continent. This is the first time two countries are coming together for this sort of bilateral crude-refining arrangement,” he said.

  • Niger has no record of pensioners – DG

    Niger has no record of pensioners – DG

    Niger State has no record of its pensioners and that is making it difficult to meet its obligations to retirees, according to Alhaji Usman Mohammed, Director-General, Niger State Pension Board.

    “There are no records; this has militated against a smooth take-off since I assumed office in 2016,” Mohammed told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), in Minna on Sunday.

    He regretted that records of pensioners were not available, “especially at local government pension units where there are no reference files”.

    The Director-General said that the first thing he did was to design a system where all the files they met on ground were numbered, in conjunction with local government audit units.‎

    “The files we numbered were in thousands and that affected our speed,” he said.
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    The official said that the board had already discovered 50 recycled files and had marked them out for “special scrutiny”.

    He disclosed that Gov. Abubakar Bello had mandated the Auditor-General verify all payments to pensioners so as to ascertain the true figure government would work with.

    “When that report is submitted, a lot of weeding will be carried and that will ease our job,” he said.

  • Niger inaugurates Green Guards to curb bush burning

    Niger inaugurates Green Guards to curb bush burning

    The Niger State Government on Monday said Green Guards had commenced patrol of the entire forests in the State to prevent bush burning.

    The Commissioner for Environment, Dr Aliyu Tangwagi, made this known in an interview with newsmen in Minna.

    He advised people against burning the bush indiscriminately in the State.

    He said such practice could cause negative effect on the environment, adding that the state government will not tolerate such misconduct from the residents.

    He said step had been taken to ensure the safety of forests as members of the Green Guards would arrest and prosecute those found setting the bush on fire.

    He stressed that the green guards had since embarked on patrol of the entire forests in the state.

    The commissioner solicited the support of traditional rulers to curb indiscriminate cutting down of trees and rampant bush burning in the state.

    He said that members of the green guards would continue to work with royal fathers to ensure maximum protection for the state’s forests.