SR SahelReporters

By Aviashima Toom, Abuja The National Chairman, Caretaker Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Mai Mal Buni has commended member of the reconciliation committee for a job weldone. The committee which was inaugurated three months ago, is saddled with the responsibility of reconciling, harmonising and integrating all agrieved members of the party in order to cement all cracks and seeming differences. Speaking Monday while receiving the interim report of the Sen. Abdullahi Adamu-led APC National Reconciliation Committee, Buni who was represented by a member of the CECPC and former Senate President, Ken Nnamani said that, the report is coming at a crucial period as the party approaches the National convention and the 2023 general elections. According to him, findings of the committee would contribute in no small measure to a successful convention and the general election. He stated that the committee hav painstakingly visite...

By Our Reporter Two political youth groups have thrown their weights behind the governorship aspiration of Arc. Terwase Orbunde who is a gubernatorial aspirant on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). They made their feelings known during separate courtesy calls on him on Monday in Makurdi. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the groups were  G-91 and Orbunde Family. Leader of the G-91, Mr Emmanuel Ikyotser, stated that members of the group were committed to mobilizing support to actualize the governorship aspiration of Orbunde.  He promised that the group would canvass support for Orbunde at the polling unit level to ensure that he emerged the Benue governor in 2023. Ikyotser said that membership of the group cut across the seven Local Government Areas (LGAs) of the Benue North East Senatorial District of the State. He said that they formed the group in 2020, stressing that they had made personal financial contributions to fund its activiti...

By Our Reporter Benue people under the aegies of Zone A Peoples Assembly (ZAPA) have cautioned the Presidency to desist from blackmailing Gov. Samuel Ortom. This is contained in a statement signed by its President, Mr Fannen Mondo and Secretary, Mr J .T Ornguga and issued to newsmen on Sunday in Makurdi. They declared that President Muhammadu Buhari lacked the justification to criticise and blackmail the Ortom. The group challenged the presidency to rather address sensitive issues of insecurity, astronomical inflation and rising unemployment in the country as raised by the governor. They were reacting to the recent press release by the Senior Special Assistant (SSA) on Media to the President, Mr Garba Shehu who tried to mock the Benue State Governor over his recent interview on AriseTV.  "Ortom has not done any wrong by advising the President."  "Each time the governor challenges President Muhammadu Buhari on specific issues, especially those bothering on ins...

By Our Reporter Benue women under the aegis of Amazon Prime have called on the All Progressives Congress (APC) to choose Sen. George Akume, the Minister of Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs as its National Chairman. The President of the group, Mrs Hembadoon Aulleh made their feelings known when they organised a 1000 women walk in support of the aspiration of Akume on Saturday in Makurdi. "The Benue women are calling on President Muhammadu Buhari and other stakeholders to hearken to their call and choose Akume as the national chairman of the party during its National Convention billed for February 26. "Akume is an undisputable veteran of the progressives in Nigeria, having served many years as Minority Leader in the Senate. "Also, Campaign Organisation Chairman of APC for the entire Northern region. "He is a Benue mega political star with the largest followership,"  Aulleh said. She further said that Akume had a ver...

 By Aviashima Toom, Abuja As the world commemorates the fourth International Day of Education, Save the Children International SCL, has  called on the federal government to ensure inclusive, equitable quality education that would promotes lifelong learning opportunities for all to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).  In a statement signed by the Media and Communication Manager, Save the Children International Nigeria, Kunle Olawoyin, said that, It requires the Nigerian government’s fulfillment of the commitment President Mohammadu Buhari made at the Global Education Summit (GPE) (2021) to increase education funding to 14% by 2022, 16.7% in 2023, 20% by 2024, and 22.5% by 2025. He stated that education is no doubt at the heart of the Global Goals for Sustainable Development. It is a singular act that is needed to reduce inequalities (Goal 10), reverse cycles of intergenerational poverty (Goal 1), and improve health (Goal 3) as well as the vehicle t...

… Slides 5 places compared with 2020 CPI result By Aviashima Toom, Abuja THE Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre, CISLAC, and Transparency International, TI, Tuesday, released the 2021 Corruption Perception Index, CPI, indicating that Nigeria ranked 154 out of 180 countries. Executive Director, CISLAC, Auwal Ibrahim Rafsanjani, disclosed this during a press conference in Abuja, said that, the index revealed that Nigeria scored 24 out of 100 points in the 2021 CPI. According to ED, the seven parameters used for the ranking called weaknesses as highlighted in the report include Weakness 1: The “Non-Compliance/Internal Control Weaknesses Issues in Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs); Weakness 2: Security Sector Corruption; Weakness 3: Failure to Investigate High Profile Corruption Cases and prevent Illicit Financial Flows (IFFs); Weakness 4: Absence of asset recovery, protection of whistle-blowers, and other key anti-corruption legal frameworks; Weakn...

By Aviashima Toom, Abuja High Chief Henry Onwe: says his aspiration to represent  Ogoja/Yala Fed. Constituency of Cross River State, is on course. A businessman and National Assembly hopeful on the platform of All Progressive Congress Party, APC high Chief Henry Onwe has said his aspiration to represent the good people of Ogija/Yala Federal Constituency, Cross River State, in the lower house is intact and on course. He stated this on Monday while addressing journalists after submitting his intent and nomination form at APC Secretariat in Abuja, noted that two of them are left in the race.  According to him, while the okele coucus of the APC met and endorsed him as the sole candidate, the Yala coucus too also met and endorsed chief Ngaji as the sole candidate. "So as it stands the election is between me and chief Ngaji, and that is the position of the party, we are ready for the primaries and like I told you earlier on we shall see how things will unfold" he said. ...

By our Reporter The Vice Chancellor, University of Mkar in Gboko Local Government Area (LGA) of Benue, Prof. Zacharys Gundu, has appealed to the Mutual Union of Tiv in United Kingdom (MUTUK) to assist the university with books, journals and computers to enhance teaching as well as learning. Gundu made the appeal when the President of MUTUK, Dr Kohol Iornem paid a visit to the institution. The VC further pointed out that if MUTUk assisted the institution with the items it would go a long way it would add value to the quality of teaching and learning. He also requested that MUTUK should connect the institution with donors that would assist the institution with scholarship grants to students. He disclosed that the institution had a plethora of challenges that were hampering quality teaching and learning, stating that he was optimistic that the university would surely overcome those challenges in a record time. He gave Iornem the Ambassador of the University to people living in the United ...

By Aviashima Toom, Abuja Former Governor of Zamfara state and a top contender for the All Progressive Congress Party, APC National Chairmanship position, Abdulaziz Yari, has described Sani Abdullahi Shinkafi as a political prostitute, a nuisance and a witch hunting dog that cannot be taking with optimum seriousness. In a statement signed on Thursday by COS to Yari, Engr. Abdullahi Abdulkarim Tsare for the Campaign Group in Abuja, urged the public to ignore a chanting of an errand boy who would stop at nothing than to cause confusion in the public, simply to mislead the teaming Supporters of Abdulaziz Yari, and to further attract large sum from his pay masters.  Stating further that Shinkafi is not serious in the race of being the National Chairman of the All Progressive Congress Party, APC considering his antecedents in APGA.  The statement reads thus; "Ordinarily His Excellency Abdulazizi Yari, wouldn't have to join issues with the likes of Sani Abdullahi Shinkafi...

By our Reporter Barr Omale Omale, the Chairmanship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the October 2021 State Congresses in Benue and two others have dragged the State APC to Court. In suit no: MHC/14/22 which was filed at a Makurdi High Court of the Makurdi Judicial Division Omale was seeking to restrain the APC from swearing-in Austin Agada as the State Chairman-elect of the party. Omale and the two others who filed the suit also sought the court to restrain the APC from swearing-in the Treasurer-elect as well as the Assistant Secretary-elect until the determination of the substantive suit. The suit which was filed by JS Okutepa and JJ Usman, Counsels to Omale insisted that their clients were the consensus candidates of the party. In the originating summons filed by Counsels to Omale, urged the court to restrain Agada and the two others from parading themselves as chairman-elect, treasurer-elect and assistant said respectively. The Motion of Notice was bro...

By Aviashima Toom, Abuja Palpable fears may have enveloped, both the All Progressive Congress APC and Peoples Democratic party PDP as hundreds of their members defected to the African Democratic Party. ADC in Abuja. This is just as the Party has successfully Flagstaff it's campaign at the football field of the  Jikwoyi face two market, Abuja Speaking during the Flagstaff on Saturday the chairmanship candidate of the African Democratic Congress, ADC Hon. David Zamani commended members of the party for their firm believe in the party's ideologies urging members to redouble their commitment to the party which was relatively unknown few years ago, but has become a household name across the countryside He said ADC does not believe in godfatherism like the APC and PDP which have failed in it's leadership test. Urging the people to reject money bag politicians as they eneminal to Nigeria growing democracy. "Youths, Vote for the ...

By Aviashima Toom, Abuja It is a phase of a new dawn in Borno State northeast Nigeria for children as the government rolls out the ‘’Child Protection Law’’ approved by the house of assembly in December 2021, and signed into law by Borno State Governor on January 1o, 2022, the law seeks to protect children who continue to bear the brunt of the 12-year conflict in the region.  A statement by the Communication Manager, Save the Children International Nigeria, Kunle Olawoyin, Rhoda Daniel, Media Communications Coordinator, Save the Children International, Borno state, noted that the law puts the state in the spotlight as the first-ever in the region to domesticate the Child Rights Act (CRA) aimed at improving and protecting children’s rights.     According to the statement, Speaker Borno state Children's Parliament, Ibrahim Zana Sunoma, said “The Borno state children's parliament appreciates the efforts of all stakeholders involved in the passage and domestic...

By Fater Abagu In continuation of his grassroot consultations for his governorship aspiration, Comrade Richard Tersoo Mnenga on Friday, in Ugba, Logo Local Government Area of Benue State, met with the Local Government chapter leadership of APC where he briefed them of his ambition, vision and desire to govern Benue State come 2023 In his address to the party leadership which included party Exco, party elders, party stakeholders, women and youth, In his remarks, Comrade Mnenga stressed that his choice of Logo as his first port of call for his consultations for the new year was because of the region's significance and strategic position in Benue politics going by their political history and awareness that dates back to the early post independence political era.  According to him, it was based on this political awareness that Hon. Tashaku Orodi Ugba was elected to represent Sankera in the Federal House of Representatives in 1959 under UMBC but having realised the importanc...

By our Reporter Air Vice Marshal (AVM), Abraham Adole, on Friday assumed duty as the new Air Officer Commanding (AOC), Tactical Air Command (TAC) of the Nigerian Air Force (NAF), Makurdi. Adole took over from AVM Idi Lubo as the 42nd AOC TAC.  Lubo while welcoming Adole expressed confidence in the ability of the new AOC to steer the ship of the Command even better than he had done. "I believe that God has a reason for choosing you to succeed me and I have no doubts in my mind that you have all it takes to steer the ship more than what I have done." He pointed out that no officer in the NAF could live in isolation, stressing that it was for that reason that the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Oladayo Amao had brought everyone together. He urged all officers to give the incoming AOC the maximum support that they gave to him to enable him succeed. Meanwhile, Adole thanked the chief of the air staff for finding him worthy of the appointment. He further...