Plateau Youth activist Comrade Pius Hoomen ,on friday felicitated and congratulated the chief of Staff to Governor, Simon Lalong ,Hon Noel Donjur on his birthday. In a message to Hon Donjur made available to newsmen in Jos , Comrade Hoomen described him as a man of destiny and bridge builder. “You are a man of destiny Sir your coming on board as Chief of Staff to Governor Simon Lalong has brought a new lease of life to governance in the state . “As you celebrate today, we join the people of Plateau State and millions of Nigerians to honour you. Happy Birthday sir and may God continue to strengthen you and give you long life and prosperity.
Rep. Yusuf Gagdi on Thursday moved a motion on the need to investigate into the non-remittances of contribution by employers, delay and non-payment of their entitlement as pensions by the pension administrators in Nigeria and it was seconded by Rep. Shehu Koko.
Rep. Gagdi who spoke on the floor of the house stated that there is a stipulated date when employees are entitled to receive their monthly pensions, which is 7 days after the salaries of the staff still working in the organization have been paid. He, however, lamented that thousands of Nigerians of pensionable cadre have not received any payment long after retirement due to unexplainable reasons.
Rep. Gagdi also expressed worry that many MDAs of government refuse to contribute their quota to the scheme which gives room for such problems arising.
He expressed concern that the livelihood of people who have served the nation is not guaranteed after retirement, this he stated is worrisome considering the hard economic situation prevalent in the country.
Rep. Gagdi called on the House committee on pensions to investigate the non-remittances by such administrators and report back to the House in 6 weeks.
Hon.Commissioner of information and communication, Dan Manjang recently received members of the Lamingo Golf Club and Management of Jos Electricity distribution company (JED) at his office JD Gomwalk Secretariat, Jos. Members of the Lamingo Golf Club were in the Commissioner’s office to intimate him on the December 10 Golf tournament taking place here in Jos, the Plateau State capital, while JED management team were on a familiarisation visit where they appealed to the Ministry to use their good office to propagate the issue of payment of Electricity bills. In his response Mr Manjang appreciated the Lamingo Golf Club for the visit and said that for such an Elite tournament to be hosted in Jos shows that Peace has return to Plateau. The Commissioner applauded JED for improving in the provision of Electricity on the Plateau and urged the JED management to improve on their efforts since the people are willing to pay for what they have used. He appealed to them to put in more effort in making sure all consumers in the state are metered.
FAREWELL PRESS CONFERENCE BY HON. DAMISHI TONSON SANGO, CHAIRMAN, PEOPLES DEMOCRATIC PARTY (PDP), PLATEAU STATE CHAPTER, HELD THURSDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2019 AT THE PARTY SECRETARIAT, NO. 20/22, YAKUBU GOWON WAY, JOS.
Protocol,
Gentlemen of the media, great party men and women, distinguished ladies and gentlemen, you aware that since April this year, the state chapter our great party has been rocked by a tsunami-like crisis that has threatened its very existence as one united political party. This followed my purported suspension along with my deputy as Chair and deputy, respectively, by some members the executive committee on trumped up allegations of mismanaging funds meant for the party’s logistics arrangements in the 2019 presidential election in the State.
Following the unfortunate incident, determined to resolve the crisis and get the Chapter moving again, the national leadership of the Party, led by Prince Uche Secondus, set a three-man committee, under the chairmanship of Senator David Mark, to look into the said allegations and advise it accordingly.
3.The Senator Mark-led committee swung into action immediately, having an interface with individuals and different stakeholder groups within the Party in the State, including Senators Ibrahim Mantu, Jonah Jang and Jeremiah Useni; former Speakers of the State House of Assembly; sitting members of the National Assembly and State House of Assembly.
The three wise persons, after a painstaking exercise, dutifully submitted their report to the National Working Committee (NWC). On receipt of the report, an interactive meeting between the NWC and selected stakeholders from the state was convened at the Legacy House, Abuja by the National Chairman.
5 At that August meeting, the National Chairman communicated the following, which were adopted as resolutions:
(i) The Senator Mark Committee did not find me guilty of any financial impropriety, and so I was exonerated of all allegations against me;
(ii) Pursuant to my being exonerated, the group of sixteen executive committee members should write to the NWC, withdrawing their allegations;
(iii) Upon the withdrawal of the allegations, in consideration of the fact that there’s bad blood between me and most of my colleagues in the executive committee, particularly the group of sixteen, and to pave way for peace in the State Chapter, I should step aside as Chairman; and
(iv) In line with provisions of the party’s constitution, my deputy, Hon. Amos Gombi shall be Acting Chairman.
Gentlemen of the media, distinguished ladies and gentlemen, this explains why we are here this afternoon. The group of sixteen have written to the NWC as resolved, I have been communicated by the NWC accordingly and I have also written to the NWC; the sequence of events is now complete: I am formally stepping aside as the State Chairman of our great Party.
However, before I do this, I seek your indulgence to make a few remarks.
7.1 First of all, I wish to express my sincere gratitude to the PDP family in the State for giving me the opportunity to serve in this capacity. I do no take my three-year sojourn at the helm of affairs of this great Party in the State for granted.
7.2 Secondly, I would like to place on record my gratitude to the national leadership of the Party for the cooperation I received in my official capacity as State Chairman, for standing by me at my most difficult moments, and for the amicable resolution of the crisis that tended to destroy all that we had laboured to put in place in the last three years.
7.3 You will recall that the present leadership of the Party in the State came on board at a time when the Party‘s standing was at an all time low, having lost the governorship of the State to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
7.4 We, thus, had the onerous task of breathing life back into the Party.We did the following, amongst so many other things:
(I) As a first step, while interactions continued informally, we set up a reconciliation committee to assuage aggrieved members, bring back those that left before and after the 2015 general elections, bring back estranged relationships, and recommend steps that would help us move forward, once again. While I will appreciate those that worked tirelessly on the committee later, as I bring this conference to a close, I wish to specially recognize the highly invaluable role played by the Late Barrister Miskom Puepet in this regard.
(II) Conscious of some of the reasons why the APC took power from us in the State, we canvassed and adopted the zoning of the position of governor, deputy governor and speaker for the purposes of the 2019 general elections only, for the first time in the history of the party in the State. It is my hope that we deepen this understanding as we put our house in order and prepare for subsequent elections; and
(III) We came up with a framework that saw us conduct one of the most transparent gubernatorial primary elections in our twenty-one years of practicing democracy in the State.
Gentlemen of the media, Party faithful, ladies and gentlemen, I cannot leave the stage without drawing our attention to some developments that have remained pervasive in the last twenty years in the life of our great Party in the State.
9.Although Plateau State is the birthplace of our great Party, its leadership, especially the tenure of the Chairman, has always been dictated by the whims and caprices of some forces. It is on record, and I stand to be corrected, that apart from Chief Raymond Dabo who acted as State Chairman after the exit of Dr. Haruna Dabin, no other was allowed to serve out his term. The self-serving individuals have over the years, through their activities, hindered the optimal functioning of the state leadership, consequently leaving in its trail mistrust among the ranks, and ending up with a fractionalized and factionalized team .My stepping aside this afternoon is a product of such of the activities of such forces that usually feel that the leadership of the Party is there to do their bidding, even at the expense of majority considerations.
Let me use this opportunity to specially speak to those of you who may wish to contest certain offices/positions in the future. I have noticed over the years that there is always a tendency of creating confusion within the Party, or outright detection when things don’t go our way, even when primary elections are adjudged free, fair and transparent. Let’s resolve to always join hands with winners in greater interest of the Party.
It is my earnest prayer that my exit today shall cause us to resolve that never again shall we allow narrow-focused personal or group interests to determine the tenure of elected leaders of our Party. We cannot afford to have such forced exits (albeit through trumped up allegations, like in my own case) to continue as a common feature of our journey.
As I draw this conference to a close, I would like to, on behalf of my colleagues, I extend our depth of gratitude to the following individuals and groups their support and contributions of all forms to making the Party in the State to remain vibrant in spite of being in the opposition:
(i) Senator (General) Jeremiah Useni, our candidate and leader of the Party, for allowing us lean on his broad shoulders; he has, amongst other things, including the welfare of our support staff, ensured that we continue to operate from No. 20/22, Yakubu Gowon Way. He has also remained resolute in the defense of democracy by encouraging our team of lawyers to continue the search for the stolen mandate given him by the Plateau electorate;
(ii) Our esteemed Members of the Board of Trustees from the State: Senator Ibrahim Mantu, Senator Jonah Jang and Ambassador (Sir) Fidelis Tapgun, for allowing us leverage on their goodwill at all times;
(iii) Members of the National Assembly, sitting and past; Senator Istifanus I. Gang, Hon. Beni Lar, Hon. Solomon Maren, Hon.John-Bull Shekarau, Hon. Timothy Golu, Hon. Simon Mwadkwon and Hon. Musa Bagos for their critical interventions to the State Chapter;
(iv) Former Speakers of the State House of Assembly: ET. Hon. George Daika, Rt. Hon. Michael Dapianlong, Rt. Hon. Istifanus Mwansat, Rt. Hon. Emmanuel Go’ar and Rt. Hon. Titus Alams for invaluable contributions to the Party;
(v) Sitting and former members of the Plateau State House of Assembly, for providing guidance to leadership in times of need;
(vi) Our elders who kept coming, giving one advice or the other, to move forward;
(vii) My colleagues in the executive committee, for their cooperation, while I presided over the affairs of our Party;
(viii) Our LGA Chapter Chairmen, our grassroots keepers for holding forth under very difficult settings;
(ix) Our candidates at different levels, for remaining in the house, giving one form of support or the other, even when robbed of freely given mandates;
(x) Our aspirants who chose not chicken out in the face defeat, but remained, providing the needed vibrancy to the Party, even in opposition;
(xi) All those who have held one position or the other, both in government and party, for remaining steadfast;
(xii) Our ever vibrant youths, for always being there in promoting the cause of the Party;
(xiii) Our women, our mothers, for being by our side steadily;
(xiv) Our faithful and loyal supporters who have made us to remain strong, even in opposition;
(xv) Our friends and well-wishers, especially the media who have not only stood by us as an opposition party, but overlooked our shortcomings;
(xvi) The security agencies who have not only provided the needed atmosphere for us to operate, but have exercised patience with us under very difficult times; and finally, not by any means the least,
(xvii) The legal team assembled to handle the cases involving our candidates at all levels, for working tirelessly, with abiding faith, even in the face of outright judicial manipulation.
On a personal note, I wish to seize this opportunity to sincerely thank those of you who believed in me and my innocence concerning the allegations levelled against me. I am particularly thankful to my deputy, who did not only stand with me, but demonstrated loyalty, while my travails lasted. I hold no grudges against those who felt and acted otherwise.
s I bow out today, feeling fulfilled, and having been cleared of the trumped up allegations, I wish to make a solemn declaration: That as a founding member of this great Party and a former minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, I will continue to avail the Party of my services at all levels and at all times. My doors shall remain wide open to all of you.
In conclusion, I appeal to us all to forgive one another, let go of sad chapter(s) of the past , leave yesterday behind, and forge a partnership based on the ideals of this great Party. I call on those I am leaving behind in the Executive Committee and other organs of the party to work in harmony with Hon. Amos Gombi, the incoming chairman as the Party finds its footing once more.
Finally, I call on you all to stand with our candidate and leader, and the Party as we go the last step to the Supreme Court in search of the mandate freely given to us by the good people of Plateau State.
Long Live the Peoples Democratic Party!
Long Live Plateau State!!
Long Live the Federal Republic of Nigeria!!!
The Senate on Thursday has passed the 2020 budget before the National Assembly. President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan had announced on Wednesday that the 2020 Appropriation bill before the parliament will be passed today the 5th of December. He informed lawmakers at plenary shortly after the Public Procurement Act 2007 amendment bills were passed, which he believes, will complement the 2020 budget. According to Lawan, the Public Procurement bill passed by the upper chamber is the icing on the cake on the eventual passage of the 2020 budget. Chairman of the Committee, Senator Shuaibu Isah Lau (PDP, Taraba North), in his presentation, said “certain amendments were made on the bills to encapsulate the ingredients of the varied views collated from experts and professionals, aimed at adding value to the Procurement Act.” The Senate, in a clause-by-clause consideration of the bill, adopted the recommendations of the committee with slight amendments made to Section 1 under the Establishment of National Council on Public Procurement. The Senate also adopted the committee’s recommendation on the issuance of Certificate of No Objection which shall be issued by a Committee of Directors of the Bureau to the chaired by the Director-General of the Public Procurement Bureau. “The public procurement process in Nigeria has been a big bottleneck for some time, probably since it was passed. “I believe that with this amendment, the procurement process will be faster and better, as will be the budget implementation process. “Surely, this bill will have to go to the House of Representatives for them to concur. Similarly, the upper chamber considered the recommendation of the committee to review upwards the mobilization fee from 15 percent to 20 percent for local contractors as insufficient. Accordingly, Section 35 of the Act was amended to provide for not more than thirty percent mobilization for local contractors. The amendment for an upward review of thirty-five percent mobilization for local contractors was initially proposed by Senator Jibrin Barau (APC, Kano North) and seconded by Ibikunle Amosun (APC, Ogun Central). The Senate, however, settled for a thirty-percent review moved by Senator Abba Moro (PDP, Benue South) and seconded by Senator Rose Oko (PDP, Cross River North).
Division of the Federal High Court, on Thursday, sentenced a serving senator and ex-governor of Abia State, Orji Kalu, to 12 years in prison for N7.65 billion fraud. Justice Mohammed Idris who delivered the sentence had earlier declared him guilty of the charge in the case that had been on for 12 years. Mr Kalu was tried alongside his company, Slok Nigeria Limited, and Udeh Udeogu, who was Director of Finance and Accounts at the Abia State Government House during Mr Kalu’s tenure as governor. In an amended 39 counts charge, they were accused by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission of conspiring and diverting over N7 billion from the coffers of the state. In one of the counts, the EFCC alleged that Mr Kalu, who was Abia State Governor between 1999 and 2007, “did procure Slok Nigeria Limited – a company solely owned by you and members of your family – to retain in its account, domiciled with the then Inland Bank Plc, Apapa branch, Lagos, an aggregate sum of N7,197,871,208.7 on your behalf.” The prosecution claimed that the N7.1 billion “formed part of the funds illegally derived from the treasury of the Abia State Government and which was converted into several bank drafts before they were paid into the said company’s account.” The prosecuting counsel, Rotimi Jacobs, said the ex-governor violated Section 17(c) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2004, and was liable to be punished under Section 16 of the same Act. Apart from the N7.1bn, which he was accused of laundering, the ex-governor and the other defendants were also accused of receiving a total of N460 million allegedly stolen from the Abia State Government treasury between July and December 2002. The prosecutor said they breached Section 427 of the Criminal Code Act, Cap 77, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 1990. The defendants had pleaded not guilty to all counts. During the trial, the prosecution called 19 witnesses while the defendants testified on behalf of themselves . Full details of sentence coming shortly…
Hon. Yusuf Gagdi, the current Chairman House Committee on Navy is a Plateau State Legislator, born of parents from Kanam Local Government Area of Plateau state. Gagdi is currently hitting the news waves following his quest to better the lives of his consistency , the good people of Pankshin, Kanke (PKK) Federal Constituency Gagdi, was elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) . Our correspondent who visited his consistency on a fact finding mission gathered that the good people of the state have reaffirmed their confidence in the leadership of Hon. Gagdi Yusuf . A resident of Kanke local government Andre Pius who spoke on the developmental strides of Yusuf Gagdi said he is happy that the people of the zone voted massively for him in the last elections as the consistency is benefitting from his victory . In his words “The voters in my constituency made a wise decision to send Gagdi to the National Assembly knowing full well that he is going to represent them in a positive light and this is exactly what is happening . His words, “Today I can tell you that this Federal Constituency is reaping the benefits of Gagdi ,our federal lawmaker has done so well since he took over office , we are proud of the developmental strides of our Lawmaker . “Our Lawmaker is always in touch with his constituents and has empowerment hundreds of persons since he got into office “ “I have become a big fan of our lawmaker and will always support his political ambition .” “Gagdi is a blessing to our federal constituency, “ “Comrade Timothy Adamu ,from Kanam local Government who also spoke to our correspondent on the giant strides of the lawmaker said Yusuf Gagdi has proven that he is a perfect leader ,he carries every member of his constituency along regardless of party ,religion or tribe ,i commend him for being supportive. I am confident that Yusuf Gagdi would go far in politics , he is doing extremely well and we call on people of Plateau to support him at all times . ““I do not have regrets supporting Gagdi during the last elections because he has started delivering dividends of democracy to the people of my Federal Constituency and Plateau state in General Our correspondent reports that 21 youths of Plateau state on Monday secured employment with a federal government Parastatal courtesy of Rt. Hon Yusuf Gagdi. Majority from the number are from Pankshin, Kanke and Kanam, the constituency he is representing while some few among them are from other LGAs of Plateau State. Our correspondent gathered that In just six months in office, Yusuf Gagdi has so far gotten employment to 101 people. Saminu Maigoro recently wrote on his Facebook wall that the speed and tenacity Gagdi is putting on, thousands will be taking off the labour market before his four years. By the grace of God, Gagdi is a movement that cannot be wished away by machinations of political adversaries. He has started making a difference,” he said. He said Yusuf Gagdi is surely showing a great zeal towards providing succor to the problem of employment and joblessness bedevilling the youths of our state.
Our correspondent reports that Gagdi during the campaigns had always said that “Salaving Pankshin, Kanke and Kanam constituency is a task he must accomplish.” “And in His infinite mercies, God granted him victory at the polls and reaffirmed the victory at the election tribunal and court of appeal It could be recalled that Gagdi after winning his elections promised to secure employment for the teeming graduates in his constituency, adding that youths and women would also be empowered through various skills. He also promised to support farmers in his constituency with farm inputs and other incentives to enable them thrive in farming business. He then said “Let me reiterate our collective resolve to ensure that our able bodied men and women are gainfully employed in various federal ministries, departments and agencies.“ The legislator said he would achieve that within the four years of his tenure in the House of Representatives. “Soon we shall unveil our legislative blueprint, carefully fashioned out by a competent committee which shall serve as my dependable guide and compass in discharging my contract with my electorate. “Now is time for representation and governance and all hands must be on deck in order for us to bountifully reap the dividends of democracy.” Our correspondent reports that all this campaign promises are been fulfilled as apart from providing jobs to youths , he has empowered several women with capital to established business , as well as farmers ,elderly and the downtrodden . Gagdi before the elections took his campaigns to all electoral wards in his constituency in the three local government councils of Kanam, Kanke and Pankshin councils of central senatorial districts of his state and campaigned from house to house to drum his points home. Emmanuel Atuyu a citizen of Plateau said with all this achievements in less than 6 months , Gagdi is fulfilling his campaign promises . He said the legislative experience Gagdi garnered from Plateau House of Assembly has put him in a better position to make laws for the betterment of the people of his constituency. We call on him to sustain this quality legislation to the people of his zone and Plateau
Plateau State House of Assembly Standing Committee on Housing and Urban Development yesterday was in the office of the Hon. Commissioner of Housing Plateau state on a familiarization visit. Our correspondent reports that the committee members were lead by its chairman Hon. Timothy Dantong. Other member of the committee are Rt. Hon. Sale S Yipmong the deputy speaker of the house, Hon. Naanlong Daniel the majority leader of the house, Hon. Mrs Esther Dusu, Hon. Engr Amaradu Usaini, Hon. Hudu Noma, Hon. Barr Wallok Goma, Hon. Sanda Yakubu and the Secretary of the committee Mrs. Helen Azi Speaking at the occasion ,Hon Timothy Dantong said they were in the commissioners office to identity with him and to create a working synergy Addressing the high power delegation of the members of the state house of assembly , the commissioner of Housing, Barr Zulfa Bitrus Rimven thanked the Hon. Committee members for identifying with him and also assured them of collaboration and good working relationship towards delivering the dividends of democracy to the people of Plateau.
Foreign News A US sailor shot dead two workers before taking his own life at the Pearl Harbor military base near Honolulu in Hawaii on Wednesday. Officials say the gunman also injured a third worker before he killed himself. The incident prompted a lockdown at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, which is on the Hawaiian island of Oahu. The shooting was reported at about 14:30 (00:30 GMT) local time. The identities of those involved in the shooting have not yet been confirmed. All three victims were civilian defence department employees and the survivor is in stable condition, officials said. Rear Admiral Robb Chadwick, speaking at a press conference, said it was unclear if the victims were targeted or shot at random. He said the gunman has tentatively been identified as an active duty serviceman assigned to the USS Columbia. The submarine is currently undergoing maintenance at the base, US media reports. “Obviously our thoughts are with the families of the victims and everyone involved,” Rear Adm Chadwick added. The shooting prompted a lockdown at the military base, which is home to US navy and air force personnel. Both base security and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service are investigating the shooting, a spokesman said. Hawaii’s governor, David Ige, responded to the shooting in a tweet and confirmed the White House had offered federal assistance. Senator Mazie Hirono also paid tribute to the first responders at the scene. The shooting comes just three days before the 78th anniversary of a Japanese attack on Pearl Habor naval station, which left more than 2,300 Americans dead. The surprise attack, on 7 December 1941, prompted the US to declare war on Japan and enter World War Two.
Plateau state Governor, Simon Lalong, on Wednesday called on all migrants within the State to comply with the ongoing e -registration for them to continue to enjoy peaceful stay in the State. Lalong made the appeal while flagging off the E -registration center for migrants in Plateau . The Governor said ” Plateau State has the history of harboring the highest concentration of foreigners in the country because of our natural gift of clement weather, hospitable people,economic opportunities and many tourist attractions” In his words ” Since the Nigerian Immigration Service has provided for online pre-registration as well as desk registration, there should not be any reason why migrants will fail to participate in this exercise which is free.” ” The Plateau State Command of the Nigerian Immigration Service has assured me that they will be efficient, humane and professional while conducting” ” My appeal to the Comptroller and his staff is to ensure that no officer takes advantage of this exercise for money making or other corrupt tendencies.” ” Let me use this opportunity to ask all owners of premises that accommodate migrants in Plateau State to ensure that such migrants comply as they can be held liable in the event that the migrants fail to comply.” ” We as a Government are eager to receive more and more foreigners to our State especially as we woo investors to various sectors of our economy.” ” We will continue to improve on peace and security of the State and ensure that the lives and properties of all migrants are protected.” “. Like we have always done, we shall continue to support the Plateau State Command of the Nigerian Immigration Service to enable it discharge its responsibilities effectively.” Abdual Aliyu the State Comptroller of Immigration service Plateau state command who spoke earlier said ,”in compliance with the directive of President Muhammadu Buhari that all foreigners residing in the country should register with the Nigerian Immigration Service ,and the subsequent flag off of the center in the service headquaters Abuja on the 12th July 2019 .” “This development is in line with the ongoing reforms of the Nigerian Immigration Service aimed at addressing the security challenges facing the country and in this instance , Plateau state in particular .” “We are determined to creating a conducive environment for migrants and facilitating the integration of migration management in Nigeria and to create a workable central database for security management and control , migrants eligible for this exercise are Non citizens of Nigeria who have attained the age of 18 years and resident in the country ,and visitors who intend to stay in Nigeria for a period exceeding 90 days .”
MiddleBelt Reporters 