The Beautiful Gate Handicapped People Center, Jos, notes with dismay and condemns in strong terms the discrimination meted to Mrs. Oguntoyose Gbemi (pseudonym).
Mrs. Oguntoyose was scheduled to fly on Dana Air 9J 353 Lagos to Abuja and was refused boarding because she is a wheelchair user.
The said action of Dana Air who stated that its airline does not have provision for wheelchair users is discriminatory and a violation of the Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act 2019.
Despite the passage into law the Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act 2019 in Nigeria, people living with disabilities continue to face and undergo various forms of discrimination which is sad, and condemnable.
The Beautiful Gate Handicapped People Center condemns the action of Dana Air and other organizations who engage in similar acts and calls for the full implementation of the National Disability Act with the aim of addressing unfavorable policies which further discriminates against persons with disabilities in the country.
Dana Airline is hereby implored to apologize to Mrs. Oguntoyose Gbemi for the embarrassment and trauma she was subjected to. Also, they should apologize to People Living with Disabilities via media outlets and it’s social media handles, and change its discriminatory policy towards People Living with Disabilities. If Dana Air fails to meet the aforementioned demands, we shall mobilise a total boycott of Dana Air by People Living with Disabilities, our family members and friends.
Government is also called upon to sensitise the public about the rights of People Living with Disabilities and prosecute those who violate the National Disability Act right so as to serve as a deterrent and close the gap on what People Living with Disabilities face as they go about their legitimate business daily.
Signed. Chief Ayuba Burki Gufwan Director, Beautiful Gate Handicapped People Center, Jos.
Following the inability of south-east governors, to float a security outfit like the Amotekun of the south-west, the indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, weekend, floated a security outfit named Eastern Security Network, ESN.
IPOB in a statement by its Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful, said that the security outfit is not Biafran Army neither is it for forceful declaration of Biafran Republic, but rather to guard the whole of south-east against the menace of killer herdsmen and other criminal groups.
IPOB added that the aim and objective of the new security outfit is to halt criminal activity and terrorists attack in Biafraland.
IPOB’s statement read, “We the global family of the Indigenous People of Biafra IPOB, under the command and leadership of our great leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, wish to announce with delight, that IPOB has floated a special security network to guard and protect the whole of Biafraland from the rampaging killer herdsmen terrorists activities and other criminal groups in our land.”
“The sole aim and objective of this newly formed Security outfit known as Eastern Security Network,ESN, is to halt every criminal activity and terrorists attack in Biafraland.
“This outfit which is a vigilante group like the Amotekun in the South West and the Miyetti Allah security outfit in North will ensure the safety of our homes, forests and farm lands which terrorists have converted into slaughter grounds and raping fields.
Since the South East and South South governors have failed to float a regional security outfit unlike their counterparts in the South West despite the worsening insecurity in the country, we have decided not to wait endlessly while our mothers and sisters are continually raped and slaughtered like fowls by terrorists in our land.null
“We can’t watch helplessly while those we are agitating to liberate from bondage are gradually being eliminated by terrorists.
“We therefore, advise every robber, kidnapper and other criminals to steer clear from Biafra land or brace up for the worst. We must defend Biafra land no matter the price.
“Biafra Security Network personnel will release special phone numbers for people to call whenever there is any case of criminality including kidnapping and robbery activities in the whole of Biafraland. Every resident in Biafraland should use the numbers to report any criminal activity anywhere in Biafraland for prompt response
“Killer herdsmen attack on our mothers and sisters must stop in our land with immediate effect. Unnecessary police brutality on innocent citizens also must stop. Police and Army check points which have since been converted to extortion points should be dismantled.
“Security agencies should stop milking our people of their hard-earned resources. Let the check points be set up in the North East where criminal and kidnapping activities are in high demand.”
CONGRATULATORY MESSAGE FROM APC YOUTHS ONLINE FORUM TO SEN. PROF. NORA DADUT ON HER INAUGURATION TODAY.
We are extending our heartfelt congratulations to the first female Senator from Plateau State, first Professor to be a senator from Plateau state and the first female professor from the North to be a senator; Sen. Prof. Nora Dadut on her inauguration today at the senate hallowed chamber.
We are optimistic that, with your vast talent as a professor and the compassion of a mother, you will adequately represent the interest of not only Plateau south but the entire State in the process touching the lives of the people and advancing the philosophy of our party.
Accept our congratulations and best of wishes always.
Saminu Maigoro State Chairman APC Youths Online Forum
GOVERNOR LALONG APPOINTS ACTING PROVOST, COLLEGE OF EDUCATION GINDIRI
Plateau State Governor Simon Bako Lalong has approved the appointment of Mr. Emmanuel Jurte as Acting Provost of the College of Education Gindiri, following the expiration of the tenure of the Sole Administrator, Monsignor Prof. Cletus Tanimu Gotan.
The Acting Provost is to oversee the affairs of the Institution pending the conclusion of the process for the appointment of a substantive Provost and other principal officers which is already in process.
Until his appointment Mr. Jurte was the Dean, School of Social Sciences and Chairman, Committee of Deans of the College.
Meanwhile, Governor Lalong has expressed appreciation to Monsignor Prof. Cletus Tanimu Gotan for his commitment, dedication and sacrifices during his stewardship which greatly assisted in repositioning the institution.
He said the clergyman deployed his vast academic and administrative knowledge in addressing some of the challenges of the College which culminated in holding the 28th-33rd Combined Convocation of the institution in 2019.
The Governor also commended him for also ensuring the accreditation of more courses at the institution as well as enhancing teaching and learning.
Dr. Makut Simon Macham Director of Press & Public Affairs to the Governor of Plateau State. 15th December 2020.
Senate President Ahmad Lawan on Tuesday swore-in the Senator representing Plateau South Prof Nora Dadu’ut and 3 others who were recently elected through bye-elections in states across the country.
The other new Senators sworn in include Senator Adetokunbo Abiru (Lagos East), Senator Henry Seriake Dickson (Bayelsa West), Senator Cleopas Moses (Bayelsa Central)
Speaking to newsmen earlier Prof Nora vowed not to disappoint the people of the southern zone and the entire State during her time at the Senate.
Prof Nora who is now the first female Senator from Plateau State expressed her appreciation to the APC leadership in the State and the people of the zone for reposing their confidence in her to serve them at the red chambers.
Our correspondent reports that Prof. Nora Dadu’ut emerged winner of the December 5th 2020 Plateau South Senatorial District bye-election by defeating her closest rival George Daika of the PDP for the nod to fill the vacuum created by the death of the former occupant of the seat late Senator Ignatius Longjan .
She said that she would work to tackle poverty in the consistency as well as empower women and Youths
Plateau State Governor Simon Bako Lalong on Tuesday 15th December 2020 witnessed the swearing in of Prof. Nora Dadu’ut as distinguished Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The swearing in was conducted by the Senate President Ahmad Lawan
AGAIN, GAGDI EMPOWERS CONSTITUENTS; DISTRIBUTES MOTORCYCLES, SEWING AND GRINDING MACHINES
The atmosphere in Dengi, headquarters of Kanam LGA was hilarious on Sunday 13th December, 2020 as chants of “PKK SAI DANMALIKI” rents the air, with another set of people; youths and women alike, received motorcycles, sewing, as well as grinding machines, as part of the constituency intervention program of the member representing Pankshin/Kanke/Kanam Federal Constituency, Rt Hon. Yusuf Adamu Gagdi.
Alongside the items enumerated above, hundreds of bags of fertilizer were distributed to beneficiaries, most whom are Ward Coordinators of the rep member from 36 federal wards across the three local government areas that sums up the constituency.
The items, which were made available as constituency intervention project of the lawmaker by Boarder Community Development Agency, was distributed as a way of empowering the beneficiaries by making them self sustaining.
Speaking at the distribution ceremony, Rt. Hon. Gagdi says the items distributed are not part of the 400 motorcycles, 400 grinding machines and 400 sewing machines he had earlier scheduled to distribute to his constituents on the 16th December, 2020. He said the items are already purchased and safely kept awaiting distribution at a grand reception that will have the attendance of the Speaker of the House of Representatives Rt. Hon Femi Gbajabiamila by the end of January 2021.
Hon. Gagdi maintains that the occasion will not be feasible on the 16th December, 2020 but rescheduled to between January 26th to 30th 2021, because of an international engagement that requires the attendance of the speaker and his humble self.
The lawmaker added that the occasion will also feature the commissioning of his constituency office, which is currently under construction in Pankshin, the Headquarters of PKK. He said because of the lack of a suitable office accommodation to house his constituency office, he has decided to buy a piece of land in a suitable location to construct his constituency office, which is currently under construction.
You will recall that on February 23, 2020 Hon. Gagdi had distributed water pumping generators, other agriculture materials as well as cash donations to individuals to start up petty trades, as a way of empowering his constituents.
He had also distributed palliatives thrice at the heat of the coronavirus pandemic, as a way of cushioning the effect of the pandemic on his constituents.
Not long ago, he had disbursed 45 million naira cash nonrefundable business capital to the business community in Kanam LGA and donated a well furnished storey building to the APC in Kanam LGA for its office accommodation.
This is not to mention the hundreds of youths that were empowered with job opportunities in various federal government agencies, as well as military and paramilitary organizations.
The tens of bills and motions so far sponsored by Rt Hon. Yusuf Adamu Gagdi in the discharge of his core legislative functions, as well as leading his committee members on oversight visits to all naval formations across the country, has qualified the member representing Pankshin/Kanke/Kanam Federal Constituency as an all round legislator who balances his lawmaking functions with constituency development.
Gagdi has become a reference point for legislative excellence in whom the electorate of PKK are well pleased.
GAGDI HEARTFELT CONDOLENCES TO THE PEOPLE OF GARGA, JAHR NATION, KANAM TRADITIONAL COUNCIL AND THE ENTIRE KANAM LGA.
The Member Representing Pankshin/Kanke/Kanam Federal Constituency and Chairman House Committee on Navy Rt. Hon. Yusuf Adamu Gagdi has expressed heartfelt commiserations with the immediate family, people of Garga, the Jahr nation, Kanam traditional council, friends, associates and the entire people of Kanam over the loss of a father, traditional and community leader, Alh Adamu Aliyu Mai Naira, the Ra’an Garga and the district head of Garga describing him as “an outstanding leader of rare courage and truth who is not afraid to tell the truth and give justice to whom justice is due”.
The royal father passed on early hours of Saturday, after an illness.
Condoling with the royal family, Kanam traditional Council, friends, associates and the entire people of Kanam the Danmajen Jhar urges them to take solace in the fact that all mortals are destined to ultimately return to their maker, adding: “What would then matter is how well we have carried out our stewardship on earth, and I believe Alh Adamu Aliyu played his role well.”
As the royal father goes home, the lawmaker affirms that he left a bold footprint on Kanam’s leadership, and his role in promoting unity, peace and development will always be remembered and appreciated by posterity.
Gagdi prayed that Allah will accept the soul of the departed, and reward his good deeds with paradise.
NIPSS – COURSE 42 GRADUATION GOVERNOR LALONG REPRESENTS PRESIDENT MUHAMMAD BUHARI
NIPSS COURSE 42 GRADUATION
Plateau State Governor Simon Bako Lalong represented President Muhammadu Buhari at the Graduation Ceremony of the 42 Senior Executive Course participants of NIPSS in Kuru- Jos today 12th December 2020.
Below is the speech of the President delivered by the Governor.
ADDRESS BY HIS EXCELLENCY, MUHAMMADU BUHARI, GCFR, PRESIDENT AND COMMANDER IN CHIEF OF THE ARMED FORCES, FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA, AT THE GRADUATION CEREMONY OF THE SENIOR EXECUTIVE COURSE 42 OF THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF POLICY AND STRATEGIC STUDIES (NIPSS) HELD AT KURU-JOS, PLATEAU STATE ON 12TH DECEMBER 2020. Protocol
It is my pleasure to be here at the graduation of yet another set of participants from our nation’s most prestigious policy think tank. I would like to congratulate the graduating class on the successful completion of the 42nd Senior Executive Course. At a time when our country is facing a myriad of challenges, the need for high quality strategic thinking and action across the public and the private sectors has never been greater. This is why I believe that it is significant that your set is graduating at this time and you must waste no time in getting into the fray.
It is clear that we live in a world that is in the throes of turmoil. Global currents are interacting with local tides to create stormy trends for our society. The Coronavirus pandemic has had a severe impact on the global economy resulting in increasing expenditure on healthcare and related infrastructure, disruptions to supply chains and suspension of economic activities as a result of prevalent lockdowns and massive job losses. Measures taken to contain COVID-19 have also had the effect of depressing the demand for crude oil and precipitating an unprecedented oil price crash. All of these have tipped the Nigerian economy into recession.
The facts and figures are grim but the point of this overview is not to drive us into despondency or disillusionment. Rather it is to attune our minds to the enormity of the task ahead. The times levy a demand on institutions such as this one and on its graduates for innovation and creative intelligence in addressing our national challenges.
You are all probably familiar with the axiom, “Never let a crisis go to waste.” It is an axiom that sums up the imperative of the present moment. A crisis, such as that which we are facing now, is an opportunity to institute a new and better order of things. Inherent in this moment, is an opportunity to dispense with old unproductive models of thinking and summon the future. Whether you are a senior bureaucrat or a military officer or a law enforcement official or a chieftain in the private sector, you must, as of this moment, see yourself as part of a cohort that must lead the charge into the future.
Often when we discuss the condition of our country and whose responsibility it is to change it, we place the blame at the doorsteps of those that we refer to as “the elites.” In these conversations, the term “elites” is used as a hazy construct referring to a category of powerful persons who seem to be faceless and nameless abstractions. Such is the shroud of anonymity in which these elites are cloaked that they often seem like spirits.
This description also lends an air of metaphysical mystery to our national problems. If the national condition is the aggregate of the actions or the inactions of the elites and these elites are anonymous ghosts, then our problems will seem paranormal and irresolvable except by means of magic or miracles. And yet our developmental challenges are not cosmic at all; they are understandable and unexceptional, common to many countries across the world and they are eminently solvable.
While I agree that elites must bear responsibility for the state of the nation and for fixing it, the accurate assignment of this burden of responsibility is impossible without arriving at an understanding of precisely who these elites are. For the avoidance of doubt, it is my submission that when we speak of the elites, we are actually referring to ourselves. We – all of us gathered in this arena – are the elites and we are collectively responsible for what our nation is and what it can become.
This unique burden is a consequence of our privilege. One might inquire as to the precise nature of this privilege that sets us apart and places the fate of two hundred million people upon our shoulders. In its simplest definition, privilege is a special advantage, right or benefit possessed by an individual or group as a result of birth, social position, effort or concession. In the context of a nation in which the majority of citizens are poor and illiterate, the educated and the accomplished, the wealthy, those in positions of authority in government and its agencies, the legislature or judiciary clearly belong to a privileged class. They are the elites of the society.
In the context of our nation the elites are found in the academia, in religion, government and business, across formal professional cadres and of course the arts. Our privilege manifests as easier access to capital or patronage through our social networks, to placements in highly competitive prestigious institutions such as this one, to political power, more rigorous education and other opportunities for advancement. It is always evident that by birth, effort or concession, we, the elites, are better off than the vast majority of their peers. In many ways, in our individual or collective capacities we determine not only formal rules but also informal rules and trends.
What we respect is what is respected and we shape in many profound ways the fate of our communities and ultimately the culture at large.
It is my conviction that the elites both individually and collectively have a responsibility and an obligation to society to plan it, organize it, order or reorder it and above all to make sacrifices for it, for the maximum benefit of all. It is their duty to find common cause across professions, vocations, ethnicities and faiths defining the minimum terms and conditions for the safety, security, growth and prosperity of the community. It is they who clearly define what is lofty, noble, and deserving of honour and how these values can be sustained and promoted. This is the burden of privilege that we all bear. This is the meaning of “Noblese oblige” – nobility obligates or perhaps more correctly for our context, the obligation of privilege.
I have gone to these lengths in my emphasis on our privileged status because we tend to discuss Nigeria and her institutions in terms of dissociative powerlessness. When things do not work, we explain by reaching for terms like “the Nigerian Factor”, “the system” or “vested interests.” We use these clichés to deflect responsibility and externalize culpability even for the institutions under our charge. These terms are diversionary because they refer to the actions or inactions of people like us – elites and people of privilege who have shirked the high responsibility that accompanies their status.
Here among us are senior officials in the public sector bureaucracy, captains in the private sector, commanding officers in the armed forces and the law enforcement establishment. You are men and women of accomplishment and authority. While all of us understand the bounds of our authority as prescribed by laws and rules, we are by no means powerless. We have spheres of influence within which we have both the responsibility and the power to promote new progressive ways of doing things. This is a burden that cannot be escaped or deferred.
This very institution was founded to empower decision-makers and executives across the public and private sectors and enable them to bear this burden. The selection process is deliberately competitive and the course load is intentionally rigorous. Indeed, the National Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies is an elite institution. There are few emblems of elitism in our society as credible as the designation “MNI – Member, National Institute.” To have those letters following your name is an indicator of your considerable status so there is no point attempting to downplay it.
To be clear, the burden of privilege is rooted less in altruism than in enlightened self-interest. It is the recognition that no society can endure where the majority is poor and a privileged minority monopolizes access to opportunity or in which justice and security are perceived as the preserve of the powerful or where the majority, confounded by the asymmetries of wealth and power in the society, become unable to see legitimate pathways of self-actualization and success.
In recent months, we have seen what happens when resentment, bitterness and discontent snowball into social unrest. We have also seen that when order collapses, all of us are directly and indirectly in peril. Enlightened self-interest is an entirely unsentimental calculation which holds that the lives, livelihoods and investments of the privileged are truly safe only when they expand the circle of opportunity and prosperity. This means tackling social inequality and entrenching better standards of living for the generality of the people.
As custodians of the social order, we cannot fail to realize that a fast growing young and dynamic population that feels alienated and disempowered is a threat to stability. This is why this administration has set its sights on lifting 100 million people out of poverty over the next decade. This calls for the expansion of access to opportunity and investment in human capital development on a scale that is unprecedented in our history.
At times, the relationship between the public sector and private sector is adversarial. We have come a long way from the era in which the Government was the principal actor in the economy. Today, we recognize that prosperity and growth lie in unleashing the Nigerian genius for enterprise and industry that is domiciled in her private sector. The role of the Government is now primarily that of a facilitator and an enabler. The old dichotomies between the state and the market no longer apply. We recognize that the path to the future will be paved by consolidating the interdependence of these sectors.
This is why we are building a new ethic of collaboration in which the public sector sees its role as enabling the private sector to perform optimally. Job creation and youth empowerment can be undertaken at scale by the private sector but it requires Government officials to encourage enterprise by promoting the ease of doing business. For many Nigerian entrepreneurs, the Government is perceived more as a hindrance than a help whether in terms of taxation, infrastructural deficits and the general lack of an enabling environment.
This has to change and this administration is committed to changing it. This is the spirit behind the Executive Orders which I signed in May 2017 on Support for Local Content in Public Procurement by the Federal Government which requires that MDAs utilize made in Nigeria products and on the Promotion of Transparency and Efficiency in the Business Environment. Through the Finance Act of 2020, we have consolidated various statutes on taxes into one law and thereby rendered the tax regime simpler and more accessible to citizens. Through this Act, we have also provided incentives to encourage small and medium scale enterprises.
Laws and policies are only as effective as the institutions that implement them and those institutions are run by elites such as those gathered in this room. Over the years, the reputation of Government as predatory, rent-seeking and extortionate has derived from the interaction between entrepreneurs and government institutions. It has led to the unfortunate situation in which regulatory institutions strangulate enterprise and discourage industry through the creation of unnecessary regulatory roadblocks often in the guise of “revenue generation.”
Our role is to create an environment in which enterprise and industry can thrive. Only as this economy expands can the revenue available to the Government in the form of taxation also increase. If government agencies cripple the economy through predatory rent-seeking, they create bitter resentments, reduce revenue channels and diminish their legitimacy.
I urge you all to make it your mission to dismantle all such roadblocks of rent-seeking and impediments to doing lawful business in your spheres of influence in your respective Ministries, Departments and Agencies. In the day to day discharge of your duties, the one question that should animate your conduct is whether you are serving as an enabler to lawful business or an obstacle. I urge you also to see the widespread perception of the Government as being corrupt as a personal affront. As officers of authority in the public bureaucracy, this perception reflects more on you than on any other cadre of government workers.
Discretion has been identified as an important element in the phenomenon of official corruption and advanced nations have put in place systems that either nullify or reduce the significance of discretion. This is one of the reasons for the introduction of electronic platforms in the operations of the public bureaucracy – to reduce the interpersonal interface which is prone to all the vagaries of misconduct that are rooted in human discretion.
There are obvious and undeniable benefits that come with being able to procure a driver’s license or a passport or a certificate of occupancy or a business registration certificate electronically. In a world in which investors are either attracted or repelled by the speed of institutions, how swiftly regulatory agencies deliver their services is a critical factor. Corruption which slows down institutional processes costs us dearly in terms of lost time and lost opportunities.
While this administration will continue to pursue the course of digitization of governance processes, it is important to point out that neither laws nor technology can totally eliminate the role of discretion in bureaucracies. As people of authority, a measure of discretion is inherent in your official capacities. This too is part of your unique privilege. Your high station affords you the license to make choices based on your preferences and perceptions as well as to register dissent with directives that conflict with your values through official channels. This institution and this course in particular were established to enrich the exercise of official discretion with sound judgment and strategic discernment. The bureaucracies to which you belong will either rise or fall on how ably you wield your discretionary powers.
There is a plague of cynicism in our public life that has been fostered by the apathy and indifference of the elites to the common good. The principle of enlightened self-interest does not ask us to do things merely out of the goodness of our hearts. It derives instead from a rational assessment of reality. To interrogate our present situation and reflect upon our circumstances is to realize that we cannot take solace in our relative affluence in the midst of widespread misery.
By reason of your position, you may have the financial muscle to absorb mounting costs of living but this cannot compensate for the perils that come with deteriorating standards of living. In fact, as we are now seeing, relative material affluence sets those that have it apart as targets of violent crime such as kidnapping and armed robbery. Consider the precautions and costs that you must sustain just to undertake interstate travel safely.
Consider how the institutional reputations of our law enforcement and security agencies have rendered their personnel vulnerable to personal attacks. And even if we are not directly endangered by these perils, consider the price that our families and loved ones must pay by association. This is because ultimately, neither status nor class can indemnify elites against social catastrophes. As Martin Luther King Jr. said, “We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.”
Precisely because they share the same economy and ecosystem, the fates of the elites and the masses are intertwined. When, for example, insecurity plagues rural agrarian communities, urbanites feel the impact in terms of the rising cost of food. Rural-urban migration leads to increased pressure on urban infrastructure and an increase in urban poverty. Rural insecurity leads inexorably to urban insecurity.
These plagues emanate from the failure of institutions and all of you gathered here today are custodians of institutions. More importantly, they underscore the importance of legitimacy in the relations between state and society. It is important that we recognize that Government institutions have no inherent legitimacy. Their legitimacy derives from how competently they fulfill their obligations to the public under the social contract. This is the standard by which we will be judged and our legacies assessed.
It is no longer enough to boast of successful careers in distinctly unsuccessful institutions. The true measure of our success will be revealed by the extent to which we are able to promote progressive values in our spheres of influence.
I am not suggesting that this is easy; I am, however, insisting that it is necessary. In many instances, being an exemplar of progressive values will make you part of a countercultural minority within the establishment but it will also inspire others to take up to the challenge. The simple resolve that things should work under your watch will win you both friends and adversaries but the evidence of history is clear that change must first come from the margins before it can become mainstream. Conclusion
In conclusion, let me reiterate something I mentioned earlier. I am in the midst of senior civil servants ranking no less than directorate level with at least five years left in the service, senior officers in the armed forces and the police, and nominees of professional bodies with years of experience in their respective professions. You are by no means powerless bystanders in the trends and events shaping the fate of this nation. You are critical actors now and in the days to come. As individuals and as a cohort, you possess sufficient authority and influence to reorient the institutions over which you have charge.
I urge you to consolidate the associations and friendships that you have established here and wield them as networks for positive change across all sectors of public life. Great societies are built by a critical mass of citizens that are guided by enlightened self-interest. It is my hope that you will be the lynchpin of this critical mass of elites in our nation. Once again, I congratulate you on your graduation from the Institute and I wish you all the very best in your endeavours going forward.
NORTHERN GOVERNORS CONDEMN ATTACK ON KATSINA SCHOOL
The Northern Governors Forum is enraged over Saturday’s attack by bandits on Government Science Secondary School, Kankara in Katsina State.
Chairman the Forum and Governor of Plateau State Simon Bako Lalong in a statement said the Governors totally condemn the unfortunate incident which is regrettable and intolerable.
While expressing solidarity with their colleague Governor Aminu Bello Masari, the Government and people of Katsina State, the Northern Governors said they stand with the authorities as they do everything possible to respond to the situation and ensure that no student gets missing or harmed.
Governor Lalong said they remain solidly behind security agencies who responded appropriately and have been in pursuit of the bandits to ensure that normalcy is restored and the criminals are apprehended.
He also said the Forum appreciates the directive by President Muhammadu Buhari to the security forces to deploy every available resource needed to deal with the situation.
Lalong said the prayers of the Forum are with the families of the students, the school authorities and the injured, even as he called on the citizens to volunteer useful information to the security agencies and relevant Government bodies that will assist in quick resolution of the sad incident.
Dr. Makut Simon Macham Director of Press & Public Affairs to the Governor of Plateau State and Chairman Northern Governor’s Forum. December 12, 2020
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