Page 4 Monday

Page 4 Monday

ACF, Ohanaeze pledge peace, unity

From Andrew Agbese, Kaduna

The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) and Ohanaeze Ndigbo have reaffirmed their commitment to the unity and corporate existence of an indivisible Nigeria.

Members of two groups met in Kaduna yesterday to consolidate the cordial relationship between them and reinforc their stand on peaceful coexistence of their members in any part of the country.?

The groups in a joint press statement signed by Mallam Muhammad Ibrahim, the National Publicity Secretary of the ACF and Dr. Joe Nwaorgu, the Secretary General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, declared support for the war against insurgency in the North-east and commended Nigerian soldiers at the frontlines and the encouragement being given to them by the federal government.

“We extend our heartfelt condolences to the governments, people and families of innocent people killed in the affected states and equally sympathize with the displaced persons in the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPS) camps.

“We support the federal government’s war on corruption which must be sustained and call on all Nigerians to support it,” the groups stated.

The ACF and Ohanaeze also agreed to frequently interact and discuss the state of the nation with other socio-cultural organizations like the Yoruba Unity Forum, South South Peoples Assembly, Itsekiri Leaders of Thought and others and forward their joint decisions to the federal government.

In a related development, the University of Nigeria, Nsukka has conferred on the chairman of the ACF, Dr. Ibrahim Ahmadu Coomassie, an honorary Doctorate Degree of Doctor of Public Administration at its recent 45th convocation ceremony in Nsukka.

Coomassie was honoured for his selfless service to the nation not only in his career but also as someone who has continued to dedicate his life in retirement to the service of humanity.

UN, MNJTF meet on Boko Haram

From Ibrahim Sawab, Maiduguri

Representatives of the UN Secretary General in West and Central Africa, Abdoullaye Bathily and Mohammed Ibn Chambas, have met with the leadership of the Multi National Joint Task Force (MNJTF) to discuss the best ways to end the Boko Haram insurgency in the Lake Chad region.

Chief Public Information Officer of the MNJTF, Col. Muhammad Dole, said in a statement in Maiduguri at the weekend that the UN delegation met with the Head of Mission, Engr. Sanusi Imran Abdullah and the Operation Commander, Maj-Gen. Lamidi Adeosun at the headquarters of the MNJTF in N’Djamena, Chad.

He said the delegation was on a fact-finding and assessment mission to sensitise the international community on support of the MNJTF’s efforts to combat insurgency in the region.

He quoted the delegation as saying that the UN was in further consultation with political leaders of the Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC) member-states to explore the best ways to add value to the existing structure and operations of the MNJTF.

“The UN will work with the MNJTF to ensure that required logistics are provided for its full operationalization. The UN is equally concerned with level of humanitarian crisis caused by the insurgency, with a view to making recommendations for possible intervention,” the statement quoted Mr. Abdoullaye Bathily as saying.

It also quoted the MNJTF Commander, Maj.-Gen. Adeosun, as briefing the UN delegation on the operational status of the MNJTF and critical areas desirous of urgent international intervention, assuring the delegation of absolute commitment of the troops in ending insurgency in the region.

N/Assembly c’ttees charge NITT on IGR

From Christiana T. Alabi, Kaduna

The Senate and House of Representatives Committees on ?Land Transport have charged the Nigerian Institute of Transport Technology (NITT), Zaria to work harder on internally generated revenue.

The committees led by their chairmen, Senator Olugbenga Ashafa and Aminu Sani Isa respectively during an oversight function at the Institute at the weekend also advised the institute to work harder to be upgraded to a degree awarding status.

“This is the only educational institute focused on transport technology in West Africa, as such, it should be an avenue for educational tourism”, Ashafa said.

He charged the institute ?to apply modern management techniques as a strategy for creating awareness.

The Director General and Chief Executive of the Institute, Aminu Yusuf, called for a closer working relationship between the institute and the legislature to enable it devise an efficient transportation system in the country.

Major challenges facing the Institute according to him include poor patronage from agencies and poor budgetary releases among others. These he said had made planning and execution of its programmes difficult.

He therefore sought the amendment of the NITT’s enabling act as well as domestication of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport.

Kaduna urges monitoring of contractors

From Maryam Ahmadu-Suka, Kaduna

The Kaduna State government has called on religious leaders to monitor projects being executed in their areas by ensuring that contractors give the communities value for the money spent on such projects.

The Director General of Interfaith Matters, Engr Namadi Musa, who gave this advice at a sensitisation meeting with Muslim and Christian religious leaders in the three senatorial zones of the state at the weekend, urged them to report any project that is being shoddily executed to relevant authorities.

A statement issued by the Assistant Director, Public Relations, Yunusa Muhammad Abdullahi quoted the Director General as saying that Governor Nasir El Rufa’i has started fulfilling his campaign promises with the ongoing school feeding programme, roads, hospitals and schools rehabilitation across the state.

The statement pleaded with the people of the state to exercise patience with government’s policies and programmes as the governor is working to deliver the dividends of democracy.

The director general pointed out that some government’s programmes and policies were not intended to bring hardship to the people as critics allege, but to plug leakages in the system and make the state great again.

According to him, the administration decided to merge the Bureau for Islamic Matters and Bureau for Christian Matters in order to promote mutual understanding between the two religions, adding that it is better for them to understand their differences and respect each other.

Engr Musa further pointed that the essence of government is to protect lives and property of citizens in order to ensure peace because without peace, no meaningful development can be achieved.

In their separate responses, the state secretaries of Jamaátu Nasril Islam(JNI) and Christian Association of Nigeria(CAN), Alhaji Ibrahim Isa Kufena and Reverend Sunday Ibrahim respectively, who participated in the sensitisation program, called on the government to execute only programmes and policies that have direct bearing on the people.

They also urged the government to promote the teaching of religious subjects at all levels to inculcate moral values in pupils and students.