Tag Archives: Kwara State

Governor Ahmed Signs 2017 Budget Into Law.

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The Kwara State Governor, Abdulfatah Ahmed, has assented to 160.9billion Naira 2017 budget as passed by the Kwara State House of Assembly.

Speaking during the signing ceremony at his office, Governor Ahmed said with the signing of the budget into law, his administration will commence execution of some major capital projects immediately, starting with the new campuses of Kwara State University (KWASU) and all other major projects across the state.

“I want to assure you that as we sign the budget into law, we will hit the ground running.

“In this regard, some major capital projects slated for execution this year will be flagged-off from next week.

“We will start with the campuses of Kwara State University, we are building for Ilorin School of Governance, College of Agriculture in Ilesha-Baruba and of course, the Osi Campus.

“We will also be flagging-off the dual carriage roads and all other projects”, he said.

Ahmed said his government is working round the clock to ensure that funding for the budget is made available through the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) for optimal implementation of the appropriation law.

He also said he will uphold adherence to the provisions of the budget, while commending the House of Assembly for its professional approach to legislative function.

Dr. Ahmed said the House will however be approached for supplementary appropriation where the need arises.

Earlier, the Speaker of the Kwara State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Ali Ahmad said the House has passed a budget of 160.9 billion Naira with over 90billion Naira devoted to capital expenditure where all the indices put in place by international organisations are present.

He said it is a budget that will be different from all the budgets earlier passed in the state.

Hon. Ahmad stated that with the injection of significant capital expenditure into the economy, the state will surely move out of recession faster than expected.

It will be recalled that Governor Ahmed presented the 2017 budget estimate of 135,064,529,461 billion Naira to members of the State House of Assembly for consideration and approval on December 29, 2016.

However, the approved budget was increased by the House to 160.9billion Naira, with 90.1billion Naira voted for capital expenditure, while 70.7billion Naira was allocated to recurrent expenditure.

 

Source: Channels TV

Saudi investment company proposes Agric City in Kwara state

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A Saudi Investment Company, Zain Al-abdin group, is to set up an Agric City in Kwara State.

The proposed Agric City, which is to be located along the River Niger in Kwara North, will comprise a cluster of farms.

A statement released Tuesday by Muideen Akorede, Senior Special Assistant to the Kwara State Governor on Media and Communications, said the farms would specialise in cultivation, processing and export of rice, maize and vegetables.

The statement noted that the Chairman of the investment group, Zain Nafawi, disclosed this when he and other members of the group visited the Kwara State Governor, Abdulfatah Ahmed, last Friday at the Government House, Ilorin.

According to Mr. Nafawi, the Agric city will also contain facilities such as schools, hospitals, shops and other associated services.

The statement said that Mr. Nafawi noted that the project is a multimillion dollar investment, which will commence as soon as all paper work is completed.

“(Mr.) Nafawi said that the project has the backing of the Saudi Arabian government which is currently supporting Saudi investors to invest in agriculture across the world, especially Africa,” the
statement said.

“He explained that the choice of Kwara for the project was because of its advances in large scale agricultural investment as demonstrated by Shonga farm initiative and its beneficial weather and arable land particularly along the belt of the River Niger.”

Responding, Governor Ahmed directed the officials of the state’s Ministry of Agriculture to meet with the investors to iron out modalities for the commencement of the project.

The governor welcomed the project and expressed delight at the intention of the Saudi businessmen to invest in Kwara State, which he said has a large population of young people who are hardworking and are available to work on the farms and to market the farm produce.

He further noted that the proposed investment is in line with the government’s plan to broaden the state’s economy, feed the people and provide feed stock for industries, the statement added.

Mr. Ahmed emphasized that the fact that oil-rich Saudi Arabia is encouraging its citizens to invest in agribusiness abroad demonstrates the timeliness of ongoing efforts to diversify the national economy through agriculture.

The governor, also, said the state has all the appropriate facilities including an airport as well as an incoming cargo terminal that has wet storage facilities.

“He assured that the government will continue to initiate policies and create enabling environment to attract investors and support businesses in the state,” the statement said.

 

Source: Premium Times

Kwara State Government Extends Tenure Of LG Caretaker Committees

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The Kwara State government has extended the tenure of the Caretaker Committees with 16 Local Government Councils in the state by three months.

The extension was conveyed by the state governor, Abdulfatah Ahmed in a letter sent to the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Ali Ahmad.

Governor Ahmed explained that the extension is to ensure continuity of administration, pending the conduct of elections into the local councils.

The governor noted that extension of the tenure is in accordance with section 18(5) & (8) of the Kwara State Local Government Law 2006, which vested powers on him to extend the period of dissolution of the Local Government Council and the Caretaker Committees for three months at any given time.

It will be recalled that the Caretaker Committees were inaugurated on November 15, 2016 for a period of three months, which expired on Tuesday February 14, 2017.

 

Source: Channels TV

Kwara State: Police launches public complaint response unit.

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The Kwara State Police Command, in an attempt to ensure that the officers comply with the change begins with me policy of the federal government has launched a unit called ‘Public Complaint Rapid Response Unit’.

This is planned to ensure that members of the public are not cheated or maltreated in anyway.

The State Commissioner of Police, Olushola Amore, who led other officers in a walk around the major streets and roads in the state capital Ilorin distributed pamphlets to motorists and passersby on who to call or channel their grievances to in case of maltreatment from the Police.

The walk took the Police boss and his officers to popular areas like Challenge, Post Office before they return to the command headquarters after nearly one hour trek.

Addressing the people at Post Office area, the Commissioner of Police noted that the Police was rebranding, adding that the change mantra should begin with the officers.

The usual complaints of the public against the officers he added have been corrected since his assumption in the state, adding that there are ways the public could now assess the performance of the officers when maltreated.

Irregular arrest or bribe taking he assured would become a thing of the past in the state.

“Police is rebranding and the change should begin with the Police change and that change you will see in our service delivery, but that service delivery can only be measured when you give us feedback.

“That is why there is this launching of Public Complaints Rapid Response Unit on which you have seven platforms through which members of the public can get back to the Police on measurement of assessment either in our operations or attitude of our men.

“This is in continuation of the Police strategy that I put in place when I resumed in the state and directed all DPOs to write their phone numbers and mine on their police stations.’’

Kwara state House of Assembly confirms IF-K Establishment

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The Kwara House of Assembly has confirmed the establishment of the State Infrastructural fund (IF-K) for execution of capital projects under the Public Private Partnership Structure in the state.

The confirmation followed the presentation of the letter from the Governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed to the Speaker Dr Ali Ahmad on the notification to establish State lnfrastructure Fund (IF-K) for the execution of capital projects under the PPP.

The Speaker while reading the resolutions of the House said the confirmation became necessary since the state government according to him had addressed issues raised on the establishment of the IF-K.

Dr. Ahmad who recalled that officials of the IF-K concerned with the grey areas were summoned by the House, said the IF-K should with this confirmation, commence execution of projects that would have positive impact on the people of the state in earnest.

The Governor had in his letter informed the House that the State PPP had been fully set up in line with law establishing the IF-K and the board according to him had ratified all appointments of the Bureau and matters relating to IF-K in accordance with section 18(1) and section 10 of the KP3 Bureau law respectively.

Governor Ahmedpraised the House for its suggestions, recommendations and expediency given to deliberations on the matter.

Kwara State Government Begins Repair of Collapsed Moro Bridge.

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Following the release of funds by Kwara State Governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed, the repair of the collapsed Moro Bridge on llorin-lgbeti highway has begun.

 

The State Commissioner for Works and Transport, Alhaji Aro Yayaha who made this known in Ilorin, noted that the steel and other materials purchased for the repair have been received.

 

He also disclosed that the State government had earlier in March this year intervened on the Ohan-bailey Bridge, also in Moro Local Government of the State.

 

The commissioner explained that although the two bridges are Federal Government facilities, the State Government decided to carry out intervention work on them in order to ease the hardship faced by road users and motorists.

 

While commending the Federal Government for its interventions on various roads within the State, Alhaji Yayaha urged the central government to reconstruct the two bridges as the lasting solution to preventing their future collapse.

 

He added that the reconstruction of the bridges will further boost the agricultural activities in the area and the state in general, particularly in easing the transportation of farm produce to commercial destinations.

 

Alhaji Yahaya, therefore, urged commuters plying the bridges to be patient as the repair will be completed in no time.

Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed Sets Up Visitation Panels For COED, Oro & CAILS

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The Kwara State governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed has approved the constitution of visitation panels for the College of Arabic and Islamic Legal Studies (CAILS), Ilorin and the College of Education,(COE) Oro.

According to a statement issued in Ilorin on Wednesday by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Alhaji Isiaka Gold, the panels are to among other functions assess the operational practices of the institutions, examine the management of their finances in relation to available resources as well as assess the relevance of courses offered by both schools.

Alhaji Gold said the Visitation Panel to College of Education, Oro is also to appraise previous governments decisions with a view to determining the level of compliance. It will also examine the institution’s academic programmes and identify key areas of comparative advantage and ways to reinforce them as areas of specialties.

For CAILS, the panel is expected to examine the performance and contributions of the school to the development and advancement of Arabic and Islamic Legal education in particular and higher education in general as well as assess the College’s organisational structure with a view to determining its management quality.

Prof. K.S. Adeyemi is to head the Visitation Panel for COE, Oro, while Alh. O. O Yusuf is to serve as the Secretary. Other members are Alh. Salihu Arowolo; Mr. G. I Olawale; Barr. (Mrs) O. T Olubiyi and Mr. G. Y Jimoh.

The Visitation Panel for CAILS has Prof. Mohammed O. Ibrahim as the Chairman and Alh. Toyin Lawal Ahmed as Secretary. Other members are Dr. Ibrahim Abdulkadir Abikan; Alh. M. A Shehu, Barr. A. M Bello and Alh. Yusuf Bamigboye. The two panels have three weeks to submit their reports.

Kwara: Gov Ahmed Set To Weed Out Ghost Workers

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Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed of Kwara state has called for the verification of all staff in its payroll in order to detect ghost workers.

 

The verification will help increase its revenue to enable it clear salary debts and meet other financial obligations. Those to be audited will include the state civil servants, basic level teachers, local government workers and pensioners.

 

The governor disclosed this yesterday at a stakeholders’ meeting with leaders and supporters of the All Progressives Congress held in Ilorin, the state capital.

 

The governor, who blamed some workers for allegedly receiving multiple salaries for the current inability of Local Government Councils and State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) to pay workers’ salaries regularly, said the government was already collaborating with banks to use the Biometric Verification Number (BVN) to detect those collecting multiple salaries.

 

The governor announced that the new Internally Generated Revenue drive was yielding positive results, assuring workers that all outstanding salaries would be cleared before the end of next month.

 

On the proposed N20 billion bonds, Governor Ahmed said the process had reached advanced stage with the Security and Exchange Commission, Debt Management Office and the Federal Ministry of Finance in order to access the bond for capital projects.

 

Governor Ahmed also promised that his government would continue to meet its obligations despite the prevailing economic situation in the country.

 

Credit : Vanguard

Primary School Teachers In Kwara Begin Strike Today Over Unpaid Salaries – NUT

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The Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) in Kwara says primary school teachers in the state will embark on strike on Monday to protest the non-payment of their four months’ salary arrears.

 

 

The Chairman of the union, Comrade Musa Abubakar, made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Kaiama, Kaiama Local Government Area of Kwara .

 

 

NAN reports that the strike action will begin just when schools are expected to resume from their first term holiday.

 

 

Abubakar said that the union could no longer guarantee industrial harmony in the state following the non-payment of their four months’ salary arrears.

 

 

He said that the primary school teachers in the state had been loyal and dedicated to duty in spite of the failure of the government to pay them salaries for months.

 

“I want to believe they have tried. If the members of the National Assembly are not paid for four months, I doubt if you will see anybody in the red or green chambers. I recall in Oyo state; they were not paid for just two months and some House of Assembly members did not going to work.

 

So for us to have worked for four months without pay, I think the teachers have tried and that is why we told the government that we cannot guarantee any industrial harmony again.

 

We cannot guarantee any teacher going to class on Monday to teach with an empty stomach except the problem is addressed,’’ he said.

 

 

He explained that the union would start a sit-at-home strike action beginning on Monday to press home its demand.

 

According to him, workers from other sectors will soon join in the strike action in the spirit of solidarity.

 

The NUT leader criticised the state government for creating a dichotomy between primary schools teachers and their counterparts in the secondary schools.

 

He claimed that a Supreme Court judgment in 2002 had made state governments responsible for the management and funding of primary schools in the country.

 

“It is just unfortunate that a situation like this revolves around primary school teachers in the country. I want to say without mincing words that if that trend should continue, the primary school system will soon collapse,’’ the union leader stated.

 

 

Abubakar, therefore, urged the state government to live up to its responsibilities by doing the right thing.

 

“Education is the key and the bedrock of our development particularly at the grassroots. If this trend is not checked, honestly, this country will run into a problem.

So I would, therefore, urge the federal, state, and local governments to ensure that the ugly trend is checked,” he said.

 

 

He said that once that was done, the proliferation of private primary schools due to the public’s loss of confidence in public schools would be checked.

 

 

(NAN)

Ahmed Presents 2016 Budget To Kwara Assembly

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The Kwara State Governor, Abdulfatah Ahmed, has presented a budget estimate of 116,164, 043,000 naira to the state House of Assembly for the 2016 fiscal year.

 
The estimate is a decrease of over 1.5 billion naira over the 2015 revised appropriation which represents 1.3% decrease.
Out of the estimate, the budget is made up of recurrent expenditure of over 48 billion, over 10 billion naira for the public debt service while over 57 billion is earmarked for capital expenditure.

 
Tagged the budget of sustained expansion, the State Governor, Abdulfatah Ahmed, who laid the budget before the state lawmakers, said that the budget proposal was based on zero-budgeting approach for ministries, departments and agencies to justify all their expenditure needs in line with the prevailing economic situation in the country.

 
According to him, the total projected revenue estimate from all available sources to the state for 2016 fiscal year is over 116 billion naira.

 
Governor Ahmed also said that the 2016 Kwara budget holds great opportunity for the state and country, despite the challenges ahead.

 
He called on residents of the state to continue to cooperate with the government in its effort to elevate the state and contribute their quota to the development of the state.

Kwara Won’t Reduce Minimum Wage — Gov. Ahmed

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Gov. Abdulfatah Ahmed of Kwara says his administration will continue to pay the N18,000 minimum wage inspite of the drop in revenue earnings.

 

Ahmed gave the assurance at the inauguration of an auditorium at the Michael Imoudu National Institute of Labour Studies, Ilorin.

 

“The state government is committed to the security and welfare of its workforce despite the current controversy about the proposed downward review of the minimum wage to workers in Nigeria.

 

“I am happy to announce that the state government is still committed to the continued payment of the minimum wage as it is notwithstanding the dwindling monthly allocations from the Federation Account,’’ Ahmed said.

 

The state government, he said, was also set to introduce the Contributory Pension Scheme in order to check post retirement pension challenges.

 

He said it was becoming increasingly impossible to sustain the present pension model where the state government was solely responsible for workers’ pension.

 

The governor described the Contributory Pension Scheme as result-oriented and affordable, saying it would be easy for beneficiaries to invest and get interest on their deposits.

 

“It is therefore necessary and in fact beneficial to adopt the more sustainable model of contributory pension in Kwara State,’’ he said.

 

The governor, who urged workers in the state to embrace the contributory pension model, said it would be beneficial to them and assist government in the judicious management of scarce resources.

 

The Director-General of the institute, Dr John Olarewaju, said the institution had been playing critical role in capacity development of the country’s labour force through various educational programmes.

 

 

 

(NAN)

Kwara Imposes 24-hr Curfew As 4 Die In Share/Tsaragi Clash

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Kwara State Government has imposed a 24-hour curfew after at least four persons reportedly lost their lives on Sunday in a renewed communal clash involving Share and a neighboring town, Tsaragi in Kwara State.

 

A statement by the Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Isiaka Gold, said the curfew was with immediate effect.

 

The statement said a detachment of Nigerian Army has been drafted to reinforce security being provided by the Police and other para-military agencies in the area.

 

“The Kwara State Government warns that anyone found with illegal arms and ammunition or disrupting peace and public order in both communities will be dealt with in line with the laws of the land.

 

The Kwara State Government, therefore, assures of its preparedness to deploy all lawful measures to ensure the welfare and security of all citizens”, said the statement.

 

The statement appealed to other communities in the state to continue to live in peace with their neighbours.

 

It warned that the full weight of the law would be brought to bear on anyone or group found fomenting trouble in any part of the state, no matter how highly placed.

 

The Share, headquarter of Ifelodun, and Tsaragi in Edu, local government areas, have been involved in bloody land disputes for decades.

Protest: Kwarapoly Orders Students To Proceed On Break

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The management of Kwara State Polytechnic, Ilorin has directed students to proceed on a semester break following students’ protest over the N5000 payment for late registration.

 
As early as 8am yesterday, students barricaded the entrance to the institution and other major parts of the state capital in continuation of the protest.

 
During the protest, scores of the students reportedly sustained injuries during a clash with the police.

 
In a statement by Deputy Registrar, information and Communications of Kwarapoly, Allh Moshood Amuda asked the students to proceed on mid-semester break.
Though, no reason was given for the management’s decision, it might not be unconnected with the violent protest by some students which started on Tuesday.

 
The management equally advised parents and guardians to ensure that their children and wards vacate the institution’s campus as directed.

 
Recall that there was pandemonium in Ilorin, Kwara State on Tuesday morning as hundreds of students, took to major streets to protest the management’s decision to charge N10,000 fee as penalty for late registration.

 
It was gathered that the management of the institution had fixed December 11, 2015 as deadline for the registration of students with the calculation that whoever fails to meet the deadline would be made to pay N10,000 as extra fee.

 

 

Credit : Vanguard

Kwara Set To Renovate Sports Facilities

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The Kwara State Government has pledged its readiness to turn around the various sporting facilities at the State Stadium complex for optimum performance of its athletes.

The Commissioner for Sports, Alhaji Bolakale Ayo, said this on Friday in Ilorin during a tour of the facilities at the stadium.

He said the Indoor Sports Hall would be renovated to meet the present need, adding that the project, among others, had been captured in next year’s budget.

The Commissioner also announced that government would continue to accord sports top priority in view of its importance in positively engaging the youth.

He assured the staff of the Sports Council that government would continue to facilitate their training and re-training to achieve maximum result.

The State Director of Sports, Mr Tunde Kazeem, told the Commissioner that athletes from the state were being recruited by other states because their welfare was not being properly taken care of.

 

(NAN)

Gov. Ahmed Advises Schoolgirls On Healthy Living

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Gov. Abdulfatah Ahmed of Kwara, on Friday, urged schoolgirls to abstain from sedentary lifestyles that could expose them to cancerous diseases in future.

The governor gave the advice at the inauguration of Life Empowers Anchors Hope (LEAH), a cancer school club, as part of activities to mark the 2015 International Day of the Girl-child held in Ilorin.

The International Day of the Girl Child is being celebrated on Oct. 11, following UN General Assembly’s adoption of Resolution 66/170 on Dec. 19, 2011, to recognise girls’ rights and the unique challenges girls face around the world.

The governor, who was represented by the state’s Commissioner for Women Affairs, Hajiya Ayinke Saka, urged girls to be upright, obedient and respectful.

He also urged them to report any act of sexual abuse or molestation to the appropriate school authorities.

Ahmed warned girls against sexual activities at tender age, saying early exposure to sex could make them prone to cervical cancer later in life.

He also urged parents to always show love and care to their children, especially the females.

In her remarks, Mrs Omolewa Ahmed, wife of the governor, pledged her support toward the emancipation of the girl-child.

She encouraged school children to report any act of molestation toward them to authorities, adding that appropriate authorities had been put in place to promptly address the situation.

Also, the Deputy National President, National Association of Women Journalists, Hajiya Bilqees Oladimeji, said that the International Day of Girl-child was to encourage individuals and organisations to address issues concerning the girl-child.

In her comments, a legal practitioner, Mrs Biola Adimula, said there was the need to inculcate discipline, guidance and training in a girl-child, as well as protect them from discrimination and harmful practices.

According to her, the Child Right Act provides that every child deserves a right to survival, development, protection and participation.

 

 

(NAN)