Governor of Kano State, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, has said it may be impossible for the All Progressives Congress (APC) to adopt any zoning arrangement for the 2023 presidential election.

He said although he was not in the best position to decide for the ruling party, the zoning arrangement for the 2023 presidential election was still in the realm of “realism and idealism.”

Ganduje also said the Ruga policy should not be a national issue, arguing that imposing it on Nigerians would be tantamount to building a nightclub near a church or mosque.

He stated this in Abuja in a chat with newsmen to mark his 100 days in office.

“About the zoning issue, which was triggered by the governor of Kaduna State, it is an issue between realism and idealism. Idealism is a situation whereby things should be according to ideal, and, if things are according to ideal, then everybody has equal opportunity, equal chance to contest and then whatever the people decide would triumph. That is idealism.

“Now, the issue of realism, Nigeria is multi-tribal and that is why we have geopolitical zones, that is why we have, even during the colonial time, North and South, but now we have states and geopolitical zones. So, in reality, people are yearning for participation from different geopolitical zones: North and South. That is still in our mind.

“The reality of the situation is that people are clamouring (over) marginalisation in the leadership of the country but the idealism is that people should participate and be elected based on their capacity and capability.

“So, it is not the governor of Kano State that would decide whether it would be idealism or realism. It is the party that would determine which theory (ism) should be applied in Nigeria. Politics is a game of numbers. So, the political party should decide which one to follow,” he said.

Speaking on the proposed Ruga settlement scheme and herdsmen’s menace, the governor said: “Pertaining to herdsmen/farmers’ crisis, which we succeeded in curtailing. We are going to contract farm settlements so that the herdsmen will no longer travel from one place and another.”

However, former senator representing Kaduna Central in the eighth Assembly, Mallam Shehu Sani, has said rotational presidency indispensable for the unity of Nigeria. He specifically made a case for Igbo presidency in 2023.

The human rights activist-turned-lawmaker stated this in Kaduna when he hosted some Igbo leaders who had long resided and worked in northern Nigeria, especially, Kaduna State.

To Sani, the Igbo in Nigeria have made tremendous sacrifices for the unity, peace and progress of the country and have made the country proud in a number of respects, from Chinua Achebe of yesterday to Chima Amanda of today. According to him, in the field of commerce and industry, the Igbo were in the forefront, leading Nigeria to where it ought to be.

“Since our independence to this very moment, there is no any national or international sporting event (where) there is no Igbo sacrificing themselves, struggling hard, wearing the national flag with respect and bringing laurels and trophies to our country.

“Igbo have, in the last 50 years, demonstrated that they are true Nigerians. If you read Igbo from the point of those who want to break away, then you will make a different judgement. But, when you read Igbo from the ones you see in your homes, villages and towns in the North and in all parts of Nigeria, then your views and positions about them would be quite different.

“They have, over the years, proven to be reliable national species of Nigerians. The best way to appreciate the Igbo, I believe, is to appreciate that glory, which they have brought to our country and the nationalistic spirit in them.

“We are from the North and we were born here. But we have also seen Igbo that we were born together here in the North.

“If there is anyone who spoke for Igbo in the North, if there is anyone who stood for Igbo in the North, I believe it was Wada Nas of blessed memory. Wada Nas, a decade and a half ago, was speaking out for Igbo. What he said in the past is still relevant today as it was then.

“Each time the Igbo are marginalised, the nation is empowering those who want to break away. Where my house is today is the same ward where the house of the late Sardauna of Sokoto was.

“So, my own position is that any government that is worth being in office should treat each and every Nigerian with dignity, honour, and give everyone a sense of belonging, with equity and justice.

“But we must be very sincere with ourselves, if we can call a spade a spade. The whole of Nigeria should have a new thinking and perception of the Igbo of today.

“It is unfair to hold Igbo children to ransom or hostage to historical events of which there was no common unanimity of Igbo. Some of the greatest Igbo we have in history were born in the North, including the late Nnamdi Azikiwe, even the Ikemba of Nnewi. So, the Nigerian state should not treat Igbo like in apartheid, where one nationality is superior to another.

“Those who felt that one part of the country should continue to produce the President till thy kingdom come are not conscious of the fact that there were warnings in our history, which we must not forget and we should take lessons from.

“There is no village or town in the North, no matter how remote it is, (where) we don’t see an Igbo man. If they did not believe in Nigeria, they wouldn’t have been here for generations to stay,” he said.

Meanwhile, as part of the solution to the challenges facing the contentious Ruga policy, Ganduje promised to build farm settlements to curtail the movement of herdsmen from the north to the south of the country.

He further disclosed that his administration would equip the settlement with state-of-the-art facilities and social amenities, to enable the herders enjoy what Nigerians in other parts of the country enjoy.

“We have a technical committee, which involves herdsmen themselves. We have five big forests, which we are converting to be grazing reserves, including Falgore forest. We already have the technical committee working. We have already awarded contract for water, which is being provided as we construct some tanks in some places.

“We will provide social amenities like hospital, veterinary clinic, market, security post and school so that herdsmen will enjoy facilities just like other Nigerians.

“Ruga should not be a national issue, it should be a state issue. If there are Fulani in the South and they want to remain there, the Constitution has allowed them to remain there but they should negotiate their stay with the host communities without harming anybody. If you live in a place, you must not harm the environment and the environment must not harm you and that could only exist when you negotiate. You cannot build a nightclub near a church or near a mosque. That will not guarantee peace.

“In those days, herders-farmers’ relationship was symbiotic. While the cow dung provided manure for the land, the herdsmen get grazing areas. But because of climate change and population expansion, the land became scarce. You can remain wherever you are but you must negotiate your stay,” he said.

Weirdo energy.. can you guys tell @princesshyngle1 to delete my photo off her page. I already asked nicely but then blocks me

firstly, that a criminal who was painstakingly arrested by operatives will be made to escape is unfortunate not only is the escape unfortunate but that five lives(3 of the police and 2 of their informants) were allegedly wasted under the supervision and directives of a superior officer of other security agencies is still baffling and incomprehensible'.

When we continue to think about insurgencies and reason why it has refused to end, this if not the only, is the reason why it could or would not end! PURE SABOTAGE! While some operatives are working tirelessly to end kidnapping, robbery and terrorism, some are busy sabotaging their efforts just because of material gains.

For every security personnel and all others working against the well being of this nation, may you all die sudden death for Nigeria to have peace!

I sincerely commend and appreciate the President of our dear nation, the Inspector General of Police, the Deputy Commissioner in charge of IRT, officers and men of NPF and all other good spirited Nigerians involved in re-arresting this suspected criminal WADUME! We are all folding our hands to see and hear the outcome of the investigation surely the revelation will be startling.

May the soul of the dead officers and the civilian involved Rest in Peace and may God give the family the fortitude to bear this unfortunate and irreparable loss. May God help Nigeria!

ABOUT three weeks after being screened by the Senate, ministers-designate are expected to assume office on any moment from, barring any unforeseen circumstance. They are move into different ministries after President Muhammadu Buhari would have assigned portfolios to each of them. They are coming on board more than 100 days after May 29, 2019, when the president took the oath of office, having been declared winner of the 2019 presidential election, by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

See the snapshot of all Buhari Minister -Designate below

Ahead of their inauguration today, President Muhammadu Buhari, yesterday, charged ministers-designate on the delivery of quick results, saying four years is not a very long time.
However, 20 out of the 29 state governors elected in March and also sworn-in on May 29, are yet to constitute their cabinets.

Buhari spoke, yesterday, at the end of a two-day retreat organised for the 43 ministers-designate at the State House, Abuja.

Today’s inauguration of ministers came nearly three months after his swearing in on May 29, and six months after his election.

The retreat was attended by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Senate President Ahmad Lawan, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Ahmed Idris Wase, and APC National Chairman Adams Oshiomhole, among others.

The ministers would be sworn-in today at the Council Chamber of the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
At the retreat, Buhari told the ministers-designate that working collaboratively and purposefully will enable them to achieve quicker results, recognizing that four years would come to pass within a short time.

“For the new ministers, make sure you engage and benefit from the experience of the older ministers and former governors in the cabinet.

“These last two days have been very instructive for me personally, because I have had the opportunity to know many of you, the new ministers-designate. I was also pleased to see that you have all equally enjoyed debating and deliberating on the various challenges before us over the next four years,” he said.

He noted that majority of Nigerians were poor, and anxiously hoping for a better life.

Presidential spokesman Femi Adesina said the ministers-designate will be sworn in today after which they will be allocated portfolios by Mr President.

“Following the swearing-in, each minister will be given a mandate, based on the assigned ministry, and which will spell out priorities, deliverables and timelines,” Adesina said.

“In addition, a robust monitoring and evaluation framework will also be put in place to track the implementation of all policies and programmes over the next four years,” he said.



Governors that are yet to form cabinet

Daily Trust reports that 20 governors including newly elected and those who won a second term are yet to inaugurate their cabinets.

The governors include those of Ogun, Jigawa, Abia, Kebbi, Taraba, Zamfara, Kwara, Borno, Yobe, Bauchi, Gombe, Adamawa, Kano, Niger, Cross River, Enugu and Imo.

Governors of Katsina, Oyo, and Rivers have appointed one or two commissioners while in some states, the governors have forwarded names to the state house of assembly.

Only eight governors including those of Benue, Akwa Ibom, Lagos, Kaduna, Delta, Sokoto and Ebonyi have inaugurated their cabinets.

In Ogun, Governor Dapo Abiodun has kept stakeholders guessing over those that would be part of his cabinet.

Apart from the appointment of the Secretary to the State Government, Tokunbo Talabi and Chief of Staff, Shuaib Salisu and a few aides, Abiodun has not nominated anybody as commissioner yet.

The development, which keeps tongues wagging, has been attributed to the diverse political interests the governor is expected to capture in the would-be cabinet.

Daily Trust gathered that Abiodun’s delayed cabinet has been drawing criticism from stakeholders who are not comfortable with his “slow approach to governance.”

Speaking with newsmen recently on the delayed cabinet, Abiodun said he is shopping for “capable hands” who he intends to appoint into his cabinet to help drive his vision for the state.
Similarly in Jigawa State, Governor Muhammadu Badaru Abubakar is also yet to constitute his cabinet.

The rumour in the state is that the governor would not constitute the cabinet until around December. It was said that the delay was a deliberate plan to save some revenue for the state.

The governor has also not appointed any aides whose process of appointment does not require the approval of the state house of assembly, even though there are few political appointees that have not been relieved.

The Secretary to the State Government, Abdulkadir Fanini, was also reported to have been reappointed even though there was no official statement to that effect.

In Abia, only the commissioner for Information and Strategy and the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice have been appointed by Governor Okezie Ikpeazu.

Governor Darius Ishaku of Taraba State is also yet to appoint commissioners and there is no explanation as to why he is delaying forming his cabinet.

In Kebbi State, Governor Abubakar Atiku Bagudu is yet to inaugurate his cabinet, though government sources said he would soon unveil members of his new cabinet as several meetings were held at the government house in Birnin Kebbi in the past few weeks.

There were speculations last week that many of those who were made commissioners during his first tenure are still being listed to be part of the new cabinet.

A source told our correspondent that some of those expected to be on the list of the yet to be constituted cabinet were contacted last week.
They were asked to take their curricula vitae to the office of the chief of staff to the governor and the secretary to the state government.

Zamfara State’s Governor Bello Muhammad Matawalle has not also nominated his cabinet members yet.

The Director General, Press Affairs in the government house, Alhaji Yusuf Idris, told Daily Trust that the cabinet list is yet to be submitted to the state house of assembly. He did not specifically tell our correspondent when the cabinet members would be nominated.

The situation is the same in Kwara State where Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq is also yet to constitute his cabinet members that will assist him in piloting the affairs of state.

The governor had however sent a letter to the state house of assembly seeking for approval to appoint some special advisers which was granted before the Sallah break.

Surprisingly, Abdulrazaq has not named the assistants. This has generated a lot of discussion in the state with observers expressing the suspicion that the governor is being controlled by some people, hence the delay in the appointment of commissioners and other aides.

Governor Aminu Bello Masari of Katsina State has so far appointed only one commissioner, Barrister El-Marzuk Ahmad, who has since resumed at the Ministry of Justice.
Ahmad’s name was sent to the assembly and cleared before Masari was sworn in for his second term.

Similarly, 12 weeks since his inauguration, Plateau State Governor Simon Bako Lalong is yet to form his cabinet. The governor however made his first appointment on July 29th when he appointed Makut Simon Macham as Director of Press Affairs, Governor’s Office.

The governor had dissolved the State Executive Council on the midnight of 28th May, less than 24 hours to his swearing in for a second term in office.

He however mandated the State Attorney General and the Acting Secretary to the State Government, Richard Tokma, to remain in office pending the reconstitution of a new cabinet.

Also in Nasarawa, Governor Abdullahi Sule has not nominated anybody yet as potential cabinet member/commissioner.

Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State is yet to constitute his full cabinet three months after his second term inauguration.

The governor had few weeks after his inauguration appointed a secretary to the state government and two commissioners including that of finance and justice.

The governor at a recent function in Port Harcourt said he will be very careful in selecting those that will work with him.

"My mum was killed in June 1996, three months shy of her 45th birthday.
I am 45 today. This year, more than ever, I am conscious of the gift of time.
I am thankful for -
My larger-than-life father, MKO, who taught me the importance of being African, to recognize that my humanity is connected to yours.
My mother, who always said I should do 'shuku,' a traditional hairstyle that I later discovered is favoured by Yoruba queens. It was just one of the many ways my dearest mother nurtured the queen within me.
My siblings. All of them.
My husband and gentle angel children.
My elders, friends and aburos (people younger than me).
All shape the person I have been, am and will be.
May my use of what time remains honour the deposits made into my life.
Asé."