Tag: Atiku Bagudu

Okorocha Respects APC, He Has Not Left The Party – Governor Bagudu

Kebbi State Governor, Atiku Bagudu

 

Kebbi State Governor, Atiku Bagudu, says his Imo State counterpart, Rochas Okorocha, respects the All Progressives Congress (APC) and as such has not left the party.

While appearing as a guest on Channels Television’s Politics Today, Bagudu stated that though Okorocha may have been aggrieved with his travails in the party, still he remains a member of APC.

“Chief Rochas Okorocha has enormous regards to President Muhammadu Buhari. He respects his party to the extent that he has not left his party and he still believes in his party.

“He was not happy maybe about some things that have happened to him or he perceived has happened to him and I think he has been very careful to draw the distinction,” he stated.

Bagudu’s comments followed Okorocha’s claim that accused the party’s leadership of witch-hunting him, stressing that the evil he feared in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has befallen him ten times in the APC.

READ ALSO: The Evil I Feared In PDP Has Befallen Me 10 Times In APC – Okorocha

“That the party that I formed will treat me in this manner is rather unfortunate. The evil I feared in the PDP has befallen me 10 times in the APC. I hate injustice,” he said.

Bagudu explained that despite Okorocha’s anger with the party, he still leads the Progressives Governor’s Forum.

When asked if the APC plans to nominate another governor to chair the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF), Bagudu replied in the affirmative.

This is because the tenure of the current NGF Chairman and Governor of Zamfara State, Abdulaziz Yari, would expire on May 29.

Speaking on the security challenges the nation faces, the governor stated that President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration is committed to addressing the issue decisively for the good of the citizens.

Court Dismisses Suit Challenging Atiku Bagudu’s Election As Kebbi Governor

Court Dismisses Suit Challenging Atiku Bagudu As Kebbi Governor
File photo: Governor -Atiku Bagudu

 

A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has dismissed a suit challenging the election of Senator Atiku Bagudu as the governor of Kebbi State.

Delivering a ruling on the matter on Friday, Justice Ahmed Mohammed dismissed the suit for lacking in merit.

The trial judge held that the plaintiff did not prove beyond reasonable doubt that the governor was not qualified to run for office and that he lied under oath.

Bagudu was elected governor on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2015 general elections which saw the APC takeover power at the centre.

The candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Major-General Bello Sarkin-Yaki, in the poll had filed the originating summons before the court.

General Sarkin-Yaki asked the court to hold that Governor Bagudu was not qualified to contest the election because he did not possess the requisite academic qualification to contest.

He had also claimed that the governor made a false declaration on the form he submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Governor Bagudu had in 2008 won the senatorial by-election for Kebbi Central after Senator Adamu Aliero was appointed Minister of the Federal Capital Territory.

He later ran successfully for re-election on the platform of PDP in the 2011 general elections.

Nigeria In Safe Hands Under President Buhari – Kebbi Governor

Governor Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi State at the APC Mega Rally for Kayode Fayemi in Ado-Ekiti

 

The Governor of Kebbi State, Mr Atiku Bagudu, says the country is in safe hands under President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.

According to him, this is because both men have succeeded in handling the affairs of the nation.

Governor Bagudu said this on Tuesday during the Ekiti State Governorship campaign of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ado Ekiti, the state capital.

“Nigeria in the last three years has been in very safe hands of President Muhammadu Buhari and Professor Yemi Osinbajo,” he said.

Bagudu, who stormed Ekiti State along with Professor Osinbajo and other APC governors as well as leaders to rally support for Mr Kayode Fayemi,  is confident his party will emerge victorious in the July 14 governorship polls in the state.

According to him, victory in Ekiti is important as the APC already controls the other South-West states.

He, therefore, appealed to the people of Ekiti State to come out in large numbers and vote for Mr Fayemi, a former governor of the state.

The governor said, “I join all my brothers when they say ‘Kogi State, APC; Ondo State, APC; Oyo State, APC; Kwara State, APC; Ogun State, APC; Lagos State, APC; Kebbi State, APC; Edo State, APC; Osun State, APC; Ekiti State, APC.

“By God’s grace, Ekiti State will join the APC States by July 14.”

Bagudu’s comments come after his Kogi State counterpart, Yahaya Bello, assured the youths that the APC believes in them.

Bello, who became governor at the age of 40 and at 43 remains the youngest governor in the country, said it was because of the APC’s confidence in youths that he was given the chance to serve.

He urged youths in the state to support the APC to enable the party to fully implement its vision for them.

 

Ambode, Bagudu Launch ‘Lake Rice’ In Lagos

Ambode, Bagudu Launch Lake Rice In LagosThe Lagos state Governor, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode and his Kebbi state counterpart, Atiku Bagudu, have launched the locally made rice known as ‘Lake Rice’.

This move according to the governors is to encourage the local production of rice, as well as other staple foods.

Lake rice is a product of the partnership entered earlier this year, Lagos and Kebbi states involving the cultivation of rice and other staple foods.

It was  presented to the public at the state house in Lagos.

Plastic Rice

This is coming in the face of the economic recession, and at a time when the federal government has insisted that Nigeria can no longer sustain the importation of rice, which the nation’s farmers can produce, though not in sufficient quantity.

Several talks have been ongoing as to how to create alternatives also as there has been an upsurge in the cost of the staple food from about 12,000 Naira per bag, to over double that amount.

Barely 24 hours ago, the Nigerian Customs Service in Lagos, uncovered 102 bags of plastic rice imported into the country.

The increase in prices has pushed many to resort to smuggling of rice to be able to sell cheaper to Nigerians, thereby increasing the risk of consuming poor quality foods, which may pose serious health risks to innocent citizens.

The Anchor Borrowers’ Programme however, is one of the initiatives by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), that has immensely supported farmers in the local production of rice.

Based on the yields so far, Acting Director, Corporate Communication, CBN, Mr Isaac Okoroafor, had however said that before the end of 2017, Nigeria will begin to export rice to other countries.

Now with the new initiative by the Lagos and Kebbi state governors, local rice production has received yet another boost.

FG To Ban Felling Of Trees To Avert Desertification

Felling of Trees, Desertification, The Federal Government is working towards putting a ban on felling of trees as a means of addressing the challenge of desertification in Nigeria.

The Minister of Environment, Mrs Amina Mohammed, announced the plan on Wednesday at a public forum on desertification and deforestation organised by the European Union.

Mrs Mohammed laments that about 1.5 million trees are cut daily in Nigeria, thereby creating room for desert encroachment.

On his part, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Environment, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, hinted that the Senate was considering a bill to improve forestry in Nigeria.

At an earlier event to flag-off the ‘Keep Kaduna Green Project’, President Muhammadu Buhari expressed worry that Nigeria has the highest rate of deforestation in the world in spite of campaigns against such acts.

Restore The Environment

The President was represented by the Environment Minister at the event designed to plant one million trees annually in Kaduna State.

He pointed out that over 576 million trees were lost annually due to deforestation, adding that the situation had led to the increased rate of desertification, flooding and drought in some parts of Nigeria.

Environmental Auditors, AFROSAI, Implementation

President Buhari feared that with the upsurge in the rate of deforestation, the Federal Government’s effort to achieve the forest cover and restore the environment by 25% might be a tall dream.

Paid For Growing Trees 

In another development, the Federal Ministry of Environment reiterated its commitment to forestry development with a view to checkmate the effects of climate change in Nigeria.

The Minister of State for Environment, Ibrahim Jibrin, stressed the importance of agriculture and forestry to national economy and security.

He also expressed concern over the negative destruction of the nation’s forests which he said had led to numerous environmental challenges.

Mr Jibrin called on farmers and other stakeholders to come up with solutions on how to combat climate change and deforestation in Nigeria.

If Nigeria could enact a law that would proscribe felling of trees, the nation could be added to the list of countries getting paid for keeping their forests.

Over eight countries get the REDD+ (Reducing Emission from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) funds.

REDD+ is the UN led mechanism which helps countries earn dollars by not cutting trees and saving carbon dioxide in forests.

Environmental experts estimate that if a nation upholds deforestation and also plant new trees, it can earn $4 – 12 billion

Buhari Decries Rate Of Deforestation In Nigeria

deforestation, Tree Planting, KadunaPresident Muhammadu Buhari has expressed worry that Nigeria has the highest rate of deforestation in the world in spite of campaigns against such acts.

The President made the remark at the flag-off ceremony of the Keep Kaduna Green Project, designed to plant one million trees annually in the state.

Represented by the Minister of Environment, Mrs Amina Mohammed, President Buhari pointed out that over 576 million trees are lost in the country annually due to deforestation.

He said that this situation has led the increased rate of desertification, flooding and drought in some parts of the country.

President Buhari feared that with the growing deforestation in the country, the effort of the federal government to achieve the forest cover and restore the environment by 25% might be a tall dream.

He commended the Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai for the initiative which he said would go a long way in combating illegal felling of trees and restoring the green environment in the state.

On his part, Governor Nasir El-Rufai said that the project, apart from restoring the environment, will also create jobs for the teeming unemployed youths in the state.

Governor Darius Ishaku of Taraba and his Kebbi State counterpart, Atiku Bagudu were among the dignitaries who planted trees to flag off the Keep Kaduna Clean Project, with a determination to replicate same in their states.

According to environmental experts, Nigeria has one of the world’s highest rate of deforestation of primary forests, where more than 50% of such forests have been lost in the past decades through unsustainable logging.

These practices contribute to the environmental challenges such as erosion, flooding, desertification among others.

An estimated 1.3 billion people, or nearly 20% of the world’s population, rely on forests and forest products for their daily activities.

Stakeholders say the plan by the Kaduna State government to plant one million trees should be a project that should be keyed into by states and local government if the country must tackle erosion, flooding and other environmental challenges.

Meanwhile, the Director General of National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA), Dr Lawrence Anukam says the agency will deal with companies, organizations or individuals that degrade the environment through their operations.

This measures according to him is to mitigate all forms of environmental challenges in the country.

Supreme Court Upholds Kebbi Elections In Favour Of Bagudu

kebbiA Supreme Court sitting in Abuja has dismissed a petition filed by the PDP governorship candidate during the April governorship elections Bello Sarkin Yaki against Atiku Bagudu of the APC.

During a judgment on Tuesday in Abuja, the Supreme Court declared Atiku Bagudu as the validly elected Governor of Kebbi State after the counsel to the petitioner failed to prove beyond reasonable doubt that the election in Kebbi State was rigged.

According to the presiding judge, Justice Walter Samuel, detailed reasons for the dismissal would be given by the Supreme Court on November 13, 2015.

Meanwhile, Governor Atiku Bagudu, in a reaction to the judgement, has commended the nation’s judiciary for standing firm on the delivery of justice without fear or favour as he promised to execute developmental projects for the people of Kebbi State in the next four years.

NEMA Donates Relief Materials To Kebbi Flood Victims

NEMA Donates Relief Materials To Kebbi Flood VictimsThe National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, has donated relief materials to flood victims in Kebbi State, North-west Nigeria.

The development is coming after an estimated 21, 450 people were displaced by the recent torrent disaster, as the state is said to be the worst hit so far this year.

According to NEMA’s latest report on Kebbi’s flood, two communities in Makera Local Government Area (LGA) were completely dislodged from the flood in addition to 150 hectares of farmland, 480 houses destroyed and 4500 persons displaced.

The Director General of NEMA, Sani Sidi, disclosed that a total of 37, 460 hectares of farmland covering about 10 LGAs of the state, along with over 5,000 houses were washed away by the flood.

However, NEMA believed that more analysis may reveal further discovery of affected victims which prompted the agency to deploy a large amount of relief materials involving food items, medical facilities, as well as emergency sheltering equipment.

Receiving the materials, Kebbi State Governor, Atiku Bagudu, revealed that the State government had so far spent over 200 million Naira in managing the crisis across the affected areas.

Governor Bagudu noted that the government is looking for a way to manage the lost incurred mostly by the farmers.

He added that the State government had entered into partnership with the Sokoto State government, to see the possibility of improving water management within the two states.

As Kebbi State is set to experience food shortage, the government has prepared to embark on massive food supply for people in the state.