…As SOSG submits bills on Fiscal Probity to Assembly As the people of Sokoto await the 2021 budget, the state Commissioner for Finance, Abdussamad Dasuki has assured that the estimates would be one of fortification against the vagaries of economic meltdown occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic and other natural factors. Dasuki disclosed this at a joint press briefing shortly after a three day marathon meeting of the state executive council on the adaptation of the 2021 budget and other fiscal probity bills that the council has passed and will submit to the state House of Assembly (SOHA) on Thursday. Other…
Author: Abdallah el-Kurebe
A group of concerned Nigerians has is an indictment of the government for which President Muhammadu Buhari must take responsibility as the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. This is contained in a statement by Dr. Olisa Agbakoba, Prof. Jibrin Ibrahim, Bishop Matthew Kukah, Mrs Funke Adekoya, Malam Kabir Yusuf and 37 others on behalf of concerned Nigerians, a copy of which was made available to ASHENEWS on Wednesday. According to the statement, there is evident “incompetence in governance demonstrated by a lack of ideas on how to tackle insecurity, a poor understanding of the situation and a clear failure in…
The Executive Director of the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre, CISLAC, and Transparency International Nigeria, Auwal Rafsanjani has said that the country needs anti-corruption action rather than rhetoric. He stated this at the occasion of the celebration of the 2020 Anti-Corruption day celebration with a theme: “United against Corruption.” According to him, “the pandemic has further exposed governance weaknesses in Nigeria,” specially in the areas of “poor governance, corruption, weak institutions and insecurity, which have worsened because of the pandemic and its economic consequences.” Read the statement below: It has been a uniquely challenging year and the COVID-19 pandemic has…
By Abubakar Shekara In Sokoto state, the requirements for genuine democracy are fulfilled: an Executive elected through the most contested polls in the history of the state, a Legislature that numerically gives the opposition the upper hand and a Judiciary that is equipped and free, while the Fourth Estate of the Realm functions without hindrance. Yet, there’s harmony: a symbiosis inspired by cross cutting selfless desire to discharge mandates in the service of the people. And the masses are much the better for the state of affairs, as they reap one dividend of democracy to another. Just yesterday, the Sokoto…
The Sokoto State House of Assembly has approved N538 million virement request by governor Aminu Tambuwal. The motion on the request was moved by the Leader of the House, Alhaji Bello Ambarura, during Tuesday’s plenary. He told the House that the governor had requested for the virement to cater for some projects in the 2020 Appropriation Bill. “This is for the consideration and subsequent approval by the House. “The request is necessitated by the present administration’s desire to address a number of development projects. “However, the request is on projects that were not adequately provided for in the 2020 Appropriation…
Princess Gloria Akobundu, National Coordinator, New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), says the agency has earmarked two billion dollars to empower smallholder farmers in Nigeria. This, she said, was to help boost food sufficiency in Nigeria for local consumption and export. Akobundu stated this at the Summit and Technical Engagement Roundtable on the project “Innovative Strengthening of Small Holder Farmers Capabilities Toward Productive Land Restoration Amid COVID-19 in Nigeria” on Tuesday in Abuja. She said it would be done in partnership with African Union Development Agency (AUDA), Central Bank of Nigeria, Federal Ministry of Agriculture, state governments, local government areas, …
Governor Abubakar Sani-Bello of Niger, has appointed Tanko Dada as Senior Special Assistant, SSA, on Media Relations and Strategy. Sani-Bello in the appointment letter by the Secretary to the State Government, SSG, Ahmed Matane urged Mr Dada to work assiduously to justify the confidence reposed in him for the betterment of the entire State. According to the letter, the appointee would report to the office of the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, who would be monitoring his activities. Dada, who retired as an Assistant Editor-In-Chief at News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, after 35 years of service, was a one-time Director…
The Sokoto Zonal Office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), on Monday, arraigned one Shafiu Suleiman before Justice Raliya Muhammad of the Sokoto State High Court, Sokoto State for alleged criminal breach of trust and misappropriation to tune of N8,040,000.00. This is contained in a statement by the Spokesperson of the Commission, Mr Wilson Uwujaren and made available to AsheNews on Monday. According to the statement, Suleiman in 2016, allegedly lured one Samaila Abubakar Jega to supply a truck-load of Automotive Gas Oil (AGO/diesel), valued at N8,240,000.00 to him, paying only N200,000.00 with a promise of paying up after…
By Anselm Okolo ’’The Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) for 2016 to 2017 showed that Sokoto state has made appreciable progress, resulting in over 50% cut in the number of out-of-school children. It gladdens my heart, seeing the commitment shown by the political leadership and the technical teams set up by the government to work with UNICEF and partners in various sectors for the children of the state’’ these were the exact words of Mohammed Muhuiddin, a former UNICEF Field Office Lead in Sokoto State in 2018, two years after Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal took office as Governor of Sokoto…
By Abdallah el-Kurebe The latest report by the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA) on the Global Status of Commercialized Biotech/GM Crops released on Monday, says Africa is leading with six adopting countries. According to the Dr Margaret Karembu, ISAAA AfriCenter director, who spoke at the presentation event of the latest report through webinar, Africa doubled the number of countries planting biotech crops from three in 2018 to six in 2019, leading the progress among the regions of the world in GM crop adoption. The report also showed Ethiopia, Malawi and Nigeria as the latest countries to…