Prof. Tanko Ishaya is currently the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Acadamic), University of Jos.
The newly appointed Vice-Chancellor, Professor Tanko Ishaya is a Professor of Computer Science with a Mathematics background and specialism and experience in Data Engineering, Computer Security and Forensics. He obtained his B.Sc. in Mathematics Education (2nd Class Upper Division) in 1992 at University of Jos and began work as a lecturer in Mathematics at the College of Agriculture, Zuru, Kebbi State. Professor Tanko proceeded to the University of Manchester, United Kingdom to pursue an M.Sc. programme in Computation which he successfully completed in 1997. He later enrolled for his PhD in Computing Studies which he successfully completed in 2001. Professor Tanko was promoted to the rank of Professor of Computer Science in 2012.
He joined the University of Hull in October 2000 as a Lecturer and was Head of the Centre for Internet Computing at the University before returning to Nigeria in 2008 as a visiting Professor to the University of Jos whilst on his Sabbatical. Professor Tanko was the founding Director of the University’s Directorate for Information and Communication Technology from where he returned back to the University of Hull in January 2009 after his Sabbatical.
Professor Tanko came back to Unijos in 2012 on special request by the University to serve as the Director, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and doubled as the pioneer Head of Computer Science Department at the University. He has served in over 60 University Committees at the University of Hull and the University Jos. A member of several professional bodies and associations, including the being a Fellow of both the British Computer Society (BCS) and Nigerian Computer Society (NCS), Professor Tanko is a seasoned, multi-skilled IT professional equipped with over Twenty-Five (25) years experience.
BREAKING -PLATEAU NEW SPEAKER YAKUBU SANDA PRESIDES OVER PLENARY AT THE HALLOWED CHAMBER Breaking -Plateau new Speaker Yakubu Sanda presides over plenary Speaker of the Plateau state House Rt Hon Yakubu Sanda is currently presiding over plenary at the hallowed chamber of the state house of assembly.
Our correspondent reports that the Speaker Sanda arrived the state assembly complex alongside 11 members around 11 40 am Friday morning.
He moved into the chamber at exactly 12 .12 .
Most of the members present at the chambers are that of the All progressive Congress , as no single member from the Peoples Democratic party was seen inside the plenary .
It could be recalled that the members had appealed to the Inspector General of Police( IGP )to unseal the house to enable members to continue their legislative function, in-view of the numerous bills on ground which required legislative attention including the 2022 appropriation bill which was laid by the state Governor Simon Lalong recently .
Hon. Naanlong Daniel Majority leader, Plateau State House of Assembly ,who addressed newsmen in Jos on Thursday said “it became imperative that they address newsmen and put the records straight in-view of the aftermath of the change of leadership in the Plateau State House of Assembly.”
The lawmakers had before the commencement of the plenary accessed the damages carried out in the house.
GOVERNOR LALONG ATTENDS MEMORIAL MASS FOR LATE ARCHBISHOP G. G. GANAKA; PRAISES HIS LEGACIES
Governor Simon Bako Lalong says the legacies of the late Archbishop of Jos, Gabriel Gonsum Ganaka have continued to manifest in the growth of the Church in Plateau State and other parts of the nation.
The Governor was speaking at the Fatima Cathedral Jos during the memorial mass in honour of the late Archbishop Ganaka.
He said the late Archbishop did a lot to plant the seeds for the growth of the Church and the propagation of the gospel in Plateau State and other parts of the country particularly the North.
He said late Archbishop Ganaka taught love, humility, forgiveness, tolerance and sacrifice which has been inculcated among the people in the various churches over the years.
Lalong told the congregation to continue to pray for the leadership of the State and the nation especially at these difficult times, saying by the grace of God, the challenges will pass away soon.
The Governor said ahead of the 2023 elections, the people must pray and commit all political actors to God for direction and guidance. He said rather than panic, they should prepare to participate in the process and ensure that the right people are elected.
Catholic Archbishop of Jos, Most. Revd. Mathew Ishaya Audu said the late Archbishop G.G. Ganaka was a priest who stood for his calling and served God and humanity with zeal and sincerity.
He said the Archbishop G.G Ganaka raised and mentored many priests and faithful Christians who are today serving God in various places and changing lives.
He urged the congregation to sustain his legacies and seek for eternal things rather than earthly riches and titles that fade away.
Dr. Makut Simon Macham Director of Press & Public Affairs to the Governor of Plateau State. 11th November 2021.
Breaking: 16, not 8 members impeached Ex speaker Abok – Plateau APC Lawmakers Breaking: 16, Progressive members of the Plateau state House of Assembly on Thursday insisted that 16 members of the state house of assembly impeached the immediate past Speaker of the assembly Hon Abok Ayuba.
Hon. Naanlong Daniel Gapyil, Majority leader, Plateau State House of Assembly who addressed newsmen in Jos said
it is imperative that we address newsmen and put the records straight in-view of the aftermath of the change of leadership in the Plateau State House of Assembly.
Flanked by twelve members of the house of assembly , Hon Naanlong said “We want to put it on record that due process was followed in the impeachment of the former Speaker Rt. Hon. Abok Ayuba, as provided in section 92, 2 (C) CFRN 1999 (As amended) that 16 out of the 24 members sign a resolution for his impeachment. This was complied with on the 28th October 2021.
He said that The public and members of the press should note that 17 members were present in the Chambers at the sitting on that day which is more than the required number that forms a Quorum in any legislative business of a State House of Assembly.
In his words “It is baseless and misleading to say that only eight numbers sign for the impeachment of the former Speaker, as been spread around in the social and mainstream media and by some individuals. The clerk of the House is in possession of the names of all members who were in the House on that day. Unfortunately, some members of the other side who were there and even addressed the press afterwards have been involved in misinforming the public. We want you to beware.
SOME REASONS WHY MEMBERS REMOVED THE FORMER SPEAKER
1. REFUSAL TO RECONVENE THE HOUSE
You will recalled that since August this year, the house was unable to meet to undertake it’s Legislative business, because the former Speaker refused to reconvene the House because he was asked to render account of his Financial activities in the house. Siince then, he closed the house and refused to allow us to consider many crucial bills still pending. In fact, three times the Governor approached the House to lay the 2022 appropriation bill but the former Speaker refused. It took a lot of pleading and begging for that to happen. Is it his father’s House or personal property?
Because of his inability to reconvene the house for Legislative business, Bills, Motions and matters of urgent Public importance that could have helped the people of the State, the State has suffered a serious setback which the new Speaker Rt. Hon. Yakubu Sanda is determined to correct.
2. DICTATORIAL TENDENCES.
Despite the passage of the Autonomy Law by the Governor Rt. Hon. Simon Bako Lalong who was the first to do so in the country because he was one of those who started the struggle for autonomy in 1999, the way and manner the Former Speaker ran the house was more or less like his personal business venture, taking unilateral decisions, as against the funds Management Law, which stipulated that, Principal Officers, and financial Management Committee need to take collective decisions in regards to approvals or any important decision and Financial Management. Because he violated that law and was called to give account, he started running away and using other members who probably benefited from his misconduct divide the House.
3. GROSS INCOMPETENCE
All these matters mentioned above constitute Gross Incompetence, high headedness and financial recklessness, in the management of the house affairs which cost the former Speaker his seat.
4. USING FAKE MACE AND HOLDING AN ILLEGAL SITTING OUTSIDE THE HOUSE
Soon after we impeached the former Speaker, he
went and constructed a fake maze to convene a kangaroo sitting at an event centre in Zawan. This worsened his already bad c
NORTHERN GOVERNORS GREET ELDERSTATESMAN, MAMMAN DAURA AT 82,
The Northern Governors Forum has felicitated with elderstatesman, Mallam Mamman Daura as he clocks 82 years.
Chairman of the Forum and Governor of Plateau State, Simon Bako Lalong described him as a statesman who has dedicated his life to the service of Nigeria and the growth of the region over the years in his professional career, and many years after retirement.
Governor Lalong lauded Mallam Mamman Daura’s record of achievements as a diligent public administrator, outstanding journalist, and editor of the New Nigerian Newspapers, saying he exhibited sound knowledge, responsibility, patriotism and experience in serving the society, while also mentoring many in the public and private sectors.
Lalong said Nigeria and the Northern region have benefitted enormously from his versatility and entrepreneurship which saw him venturing into the textile and banking industries at various times as well as playing various roles in others.
While praying God to grant him good health and protection, Lalong urged the elderstatesman to continue to avail the nation his fountain of knowledge, wisdom and experience, particularly in addressing some of the challenges Nigeria is passing through.
Dr. Makut Simon Macham Director of Press & Public Affairs to the Governor of Plateau State & Chairman Northern Governors Forum. November 10th, 2021
PRESIDENT BUHARI LAUNCHES WHEAT FARMING IN PLATEAU; OPTIMISTIC OF ENDING WHEAT IMPORT SOON.
President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday 9th November 2021 flagged off the first ever rainfed commercial wheat cultivation in Nigeria at the Wheat Seed Multiplication Farm in Kwall, Bassa LGA of Plateau State with a charge to Nigerian farmers to embrace wheat farming and stop the import of the product which gulps over 2 billion dollars annually.
President Buhari who was represented by Plateau State Governor Simon Bako Lalong at the launch noted that the Agricultural sector is one of the critical non-oil sectors which has made significant contributions to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) accounting for a 22.35 and 23.78 per cent contribution to the overall GDP in the first and second quarters of 2021 respectively.
He said a key focus of his administration has been the deployment of mechanisms to ensure that agriculture thrives in Nigeria to significantly grow the economy and achieve maximum welfare for the citizens by ensuring food and energy security.
Buhari said Nigeria is on the path to actualizing sustainability in the production of rice, maize, cassava, soybean, groundnut, oil palm, cocoa and very soon the breakthrough in wheat cultivation in Nigeria will be accomplished.
He however lamented that Nigeria still spends humongous amounts of money on wheat import which is not acceptable because the country has the capacity to meet domestic consumption demands and also export.
He said “It is important to stress that Nigeria currently spends over $2 billion on the importation of wheat annually, one of the key contributors to the Nation’s huge foreign import bill. This is because millers have had to resort to importing wheat to meet the huge demand for wheat by-products. Wheat cultivation, similar to rice has the capacity to thrive in Nigeria due to the tropical climatic conditions. Currently, wheat is cultivated in many Northern states particularly in the dry season due to the high heat tolerance of the seed utilized by farmers”.
The President expressed excitement for the flag-off of the 2021/2022 dry season wheat farming noting that wheat can also be grown in the wet season in Plateau State as research also shows that it can be cultivated in other Plateaus in the country, namely, Gembu Plateau, Taraba State and Obudu Plateau, Cross River State. He urged these states to take advantage of this opportunity and key into the initiative.
The President commended the Central Bank of Nigeria, for using the Anchor Borrowers Programme not just in the Agric value chain, but in almost all sectors of the economy as shown in the recent launch of some transformative initiatives like the 100 for 100 policy for production and productivity.
CBN Governor Godwin Emefiele represented by Deputy Governor Edward Lamtek Adamu said in order to change the situation and leverage domestic production to bridge the demand-supply gap in the country, the Central Bank of Nigeria decided to add wheat to the list of focal commodities to be supported under the Bank’s agricultural intervention programmes.
He said improved seeds varieties of high yielding varieties from Mexico with potential average yield per hectare of 5-7 metric tons as against a range of 0.8-1.8 metric tons yield per hectare of those varieties previously cultivated have been acquired for distribution to farmers.
He also assured that the two-pronged approach of seed multiplication and grains production which has been adopted is expected to sustain the propagation of seeds and guarantee availability of high-yielding seeds to farmers.
The CBN Governor said “the event heralds the commencement of the Brown Revolution Journey, which is the first major wet season wheat production in Nigeria with about 700 hectares put under cultivation in Kwall, Kassa, Jol, Kafi Abu and Sop in Jos, Plateau State. While the short-term implication of this is the addition of about 2,000 metric tons of seeds to our national seed stock, the country can now potentially add 750,000 metric tons of wheat to the nation’s output annually through rain-fed wheat cultivation in Plateau, Mambila Plateau and Obudu Plateau. The CBN will not rest on its oars as we continue to work with our partners, Lake Chad Research Institute(LCRI), to expand the frontiers of wheat production in Nigeria to areas like northern Oyo, Kogi and Kwara states”.
Speaker of the Plateau State House of Assembly Rt. Hon. Yakubu Sanda said the people of Plateau State welcome the initiative and will do everything possible to sustain it for the benefit of youths, women and men who are in need of jobs and resources to meet the daily needs of life.
The Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development Dr. Hosea Finangwai, Gbong Gwom Jos, Da Jacob Buba, President of Wheat Farmers Association, Salim Mohammed, and the DG Lake Chad Research Institute, all commended the initiative by the Federal Government and said the people need to own the process by ensuring that middlemen do not hikack the initiative for profit, leaving them to wallow in poverty.
Dr. Makut Simon Macham Director of Press & Public Affairs to the Governor of Plateau State. 9th November 2021.
The member representing PKK in the House of Representatives, Rt Hon. Yusuf Adamu Gagdi, was at the 70th anniversary celebration of Gindiri Old Students Association (GOSA) as representative of the Speaker House of Representatives, Rt Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, were he made a personal cash donation of #1million and announced the speaker’s pledge to embark on a capital project for the school.
Gagdi who was at the occasion in company of his wife, Jemimah, a product of Gindiri Girls High School, said he is also a GOSA by association.
The occasion was graced by the Executive Governors of Plateau and Taraba states, former governor of Bauchi State, Adamu Muazu, Executive Secretary of TETFUND, Professor Suleiman Bogoro and several other dignitaries who added glamour to the event.
Gagdi was later in Dengi to grace the wedding reception of Emmanuel Bayero after which he visited many communities in the local government for condolences and courtesy visitations.
The lawmaker has since returned to Abuja to attend to the budget defense of the Nigerian Navy, as the National Assembly scrutinizes the 2022 budget earlier presented to it by Mr President.
PDP stalwarts from Vwang District, Jos South LGA have passed a Vote of Confidence and endorsed Hon. Dachung Musa Bagos, Member Representing Jos South/ Jos East federal constituency for a second term in office.
The stalwarts who came in their numbers to visit the member at the Constituency Office located at Bukuru Express, Jos South LGA, appreciated the member for representing them at the National Assembly with not only sterling performances but with quality representation.
Leading the delegation, the PDP stakeholders Chairman, Da Dauda Vwangdung, and other PDP Ward leaders of the district, took turns at commending the Member for his achievements so far.
They eulogized the member; and his team members for providing people oriented leadership. They thanked the member and prayed that he’d achieve greater heights and exploits in his future endeavors, continuing with the 2023 mandate.
Responding, Rep. Bagos thanked the PDP Stakeholders and ward leaders for reposing the confidence in him and promised not to betray the mandate graciously given to him.
Bagos who also hails from Vwang District, however, urged the leaders to pray and support him in discharging his duties with dexterity, morality, transparency and accountability.
Late CP JD Gomwalk The first military Governor of Benue-Plateau State Late Commissioner of Police, Joseph Deshi Gomwalk is to be granted State pardon before the end of 2021. This was revealed to Journalists on Saturday in Gindiri by Governor Simon Lalong on the occasion of 70th anniversary of Boys Secondary school (BSS) Gindiri Organized by the Gindiri Old Students Association (GOSA).
African Drum reports that Governor Lalong alongside his counterpart from Taraba State, Darius Ishaku commissioned series’of projects built by the Old Students Association of the school in continuation of the week long activities marking the event. As part of his responses to questions by journalists, Lalong highly commended mission schools for the role they have played over the years in keeping the standard of education high which he said had led to producing qualitative graduates who have made remarkable things and equally left indelible marks on the sands of time. Continuing, Gov. Lalong said, “Let me also tell you that the first Governor of Benue-Plateau State, Late JD Gomwalk who left invaluable and outstanding marks in the state, graduated from this Institution.
“I didn’t want to break the news that I have made a request and the President granted it and before the end of this year, JD Gomwalk would be granted State pardon and that pardon would be celebrated in this school.
“He was not only a student but an exceptional one because I understand he left the school as the overall best student.
“That also became a motivation to other students who came to the school after him because when you notice the record that he left, you would be prompted to strive to beat the record and that’s what I have noticed in Gindiri”.
Lalong Posited that in view of the economic crunch, if at all there was anything that could be done to assist mission schools was to give them grants so as to motivate them to continue to produce qualitative graduates. The Governor further hinted that it was as a result of the remarkable impact of mission schools in the State that led to the establishment of Legacy projects by his administration. “What we have done in Plateau State is to lay the legacy projects and by the time we complete these projects, you would appreciate what I am saying because we have copied everything from the mission schools and transformed it to public schools for the benefits of those that cannot afford to go to mission schools”, he said.
Gov. Lalong speaking to Journalists after commissioning of projects at BSS Gindiri on Saturday in continuation of the week long activities marking the 70 anniversary of the Institution. By his left is his counterpart from Taraba State Darius Ishaku and to his left is his Deputy, Prof. SG Tyoden.
Late JD Gomwalk (April 13, 1935 – May 25, 1976) was a Nigerian Police Commissioner and the first military Governor of Benue-Plateau after it was formed from part of Northern Region. He was executed due to his alleged connection to Bukar Sukar Dimka’s attempted C’oup against Murtala Mohammed’s Government. Late Gomwalk, an Ngas by tribe, from Kanke Local Government Area of Plateau State attended the BSS Gindiri where he graduated with distinctions in both academics and sports. He proceeded to the premier University of Ibadan and graduated with a degree in Zoology. He was Governor from 1967 until 1975 when the military Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon’s regime was toppled in a C’oup d’etat. A visionary and pragmatic leader, Gomwalk started the Nigeria Standard Newspaper in 1972 which later turned out to be a voice not only for the State but the entire Middle Belt and also
NORTHERN GOVERNORS CONGRATULATE EMIR OF ARGUNGU ON 25TH ANNIVERSARY ON THRONE
The Northern Governors Forum has congratulated the Emir of Argungu, His Royal Highness, Alhaji Samaila Muhammad Mera on his 25th Anniversary on the throne.
Chairman of the Forum and Governor of Plateau State Simon Bako Lalong in a message of felicitation described the silver jubilee of the Royal Father as eventful and fruitful.
He said the Royal Father has shown tremendous passion for the development of his people particularly in the areas of education, health and economic prosperity through agriculture and entrepreneurship.
He commended him for working with the State Government on reviving the Argungu Fishing Festival which has brought back the historic culture of the Emirate.
Lalong said Alhaji Muhammad Mera since ascending the throne, has walked in the footsteps of his late father, the late Muhammad Mera who ruled for 36 years by doing justice to all manner of people and encouraging peaceful coexistence of people within his domain irrespective of their different backgrounds.
He said the Northern Governors Forum has benefited immensely from the wisdom and counsel of the Royal Father who has supported the Governors in working with the traditional institution to find solutions to the challenges bothering the region and the nation at large.
He wished him more years on the throne and prayed God to give him good health, wisdom and prosperity.
Dr. Makut Simon Macham Director of Press & Public Affairs to the Governor of Plateau State & Chairman Northern Governors Forum. 6th November 2021.
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