Southern Kaduna: Zangon Kataf, Kaura on the brink

Manchok Plains of Kaura, Kaduna-Nigeria

By Dangwa Danjuma,

Kaduna

Seven communities in Kaura and Zangon Kataf local government areas of Kaduna State are now at risk of deforestation should the proposed Access Quaint solar and Vicampro projects take root.

In a dramatic twist last week, Dr. Zwahu Bonat of the Kaduna State University and a native of the communities where the proposed solar power project and potato processing facility are cited, was briefly detained by the Kaduna State Police Command for his stand on the matter.

Bonat, was released shortly after members of the community marched to the Police Headquarters in solidarity with their kinsman. On the solar power generation project, spokesman of the community, Dr. David Duniya Adam told our correspondent that "contrary to the popular mischief making rounds, our communities have no problems with the siting of the investment. We are only asking that the investment be positioned uphill away from the people's arable land the only source of their livelihoods".

On the potatoes processing facility, Adam said: "Our men, women and youths are already willing to produce potatoes to feed the Vicampro processing factory, what we are however against is any attempt to confiscate our lands under any guise."

Cubinks learnt that Bonat was arrested on trump up charges by the Kaduna State Government, that he allegedly destroyed properties belonging to Messers Access Quaint Nigeria Limited and Vicampro Farms Nigeria Limited. Speaking on condition of anonymity, a member of the affected community revealed that "there were threats by Access Quaint, Vicampro and the office of the Governor to silence the community for vested interest."

When our correspondent visited the Command, for confirmation, Police Public Relations Officer, (PPRO) Mukhtar Aliyu was unavoidably absent.

Comments

Kaduna COVID-19 Lockdown, People Living with Disabilities and Inclusion

Chairman JONAPWD, Abdulaziz Suleiman , (Right) and a colleague (Middle) in a chat with CALPED's Yusuf Goje By SMITH WAYA Before the index case of Corona virus (Covid-19) in Nigeria, the Kaduna state government held a public hearing on the proposed Kaduna state social protection policy, in line with the administration's slogan of putting the people first. The Joint National Associations of Person with Disability(JONAPWD), Kaduna chapter, as the umbrella body for people living disabilities in the State, were invited to present a position paper on their expectations of the new policy. The Disability Community took advantage of the town-hall meeting to appeal to the state government to work assiduously towards reducing poverty and hunger in their household. The Governor, Mallam Nasir Ahmed El-Rufai, assured them of the state government's commitment in ensuring that no one is left behind especially people living with disabilities. Incidently, as the State governm...

Reflecting on Kaduna State's Commitment to Open Budget

By YUSUF GOJE T he present administration of Governor Nasir Ahmed El-rufai, since coming into office in 2015, has initiated a number of reforms. These reforms are aimed at strengthening the State’s public finance management system and improving public service delivery to the residents. The reforms are rooted in key laws such as the Fiscal Responsibility Law, Public Procurement Law, Tax Codification & Consolidation Law, Public Finances Law all in 2016, and Planning & Budget Commission Law in 2017. They provide the mechanism for achieving the developmental and socio-economic aspiration in the State Development Plan (SDP, 2016-2020) through the Sectors Implementation Plan (SIP, 2016-2019) and annual budgets. The high point of these reform initiatives came in 2017 when the State government signed into the Open Government Partnership (OGP). In fact, making it the first subnational in Nigeria to do so and was later elevated as a member of OGP global in 2018. This was follo...

Jema'a Council boss seeks support of civil society on OGP

I n his bid to institutionalize the ongoing local government reforms in Kaduna state especially the principles of Open Government Partnership (OGP), the Chairman of Jema'a Local Government Council has solicited support of civil society in promoting transparency, accountability and improve service delivery that would impact positively on the lives of the people in his local government. Council Chairman, Hon Danjuma Peter Averik, who made this known when he paid a courtesy visit to officials of Partnership to Engage, Reform and Learn(PERL/DFID) in their Kaduna office, said his visit became necessary to solicit for partnership against the backdrop of his passionate desire to engender transparency and accountability in his administration. "I am here to seek for collaboration that can help in institutionalizing key local government reforms especially the OGP and Local Government Fiscal Transparency, Accountability and Sustainability (LFTAS) program towards improvin...

Suspected outbreak of Bird Flu in Kachia

When the going was good... By Dangwa Danjuma A strange disease suspected to be bird flu has been reported in Ankwa, a district in Kachia Local Government Area of Kaduna state, killing chickens in their hundreds on daily basis in poultries that dot the area. Our correspondent who visited the area during the week reports that chickens are dying daily in droves. Thomas Tambaya, a poultry farmer in Ankwa said of the strange disease: "I have lost count of the chickens I have lost to this strange disease. My household is struggling to sustain the surviving birds now", Tambaya remarked, maintaining that his community can no more make those marginal profits from domestic poultry products as before in the area. Another farmer in the area, told Cubinks that he had to focus more on his layers in far away Gumel, as the locally grown chickens he keeps in Pa chiki are being lost to the strange disease. To aggravate matters in the area af...

Outcry over a Woman's Inhumanity

DANGWA DANJUMA F ollowing intense investigation and reports by BREKETE FAMILY a flagship radio programme on Human Rights Radio and Television station focusing on human rights abuse, on how Deborah Babaji Longs, a personal assistant to Mrs Mariam Ahmodu Ali, spent three days in a dog’s cage without food or water, the Federal Capital Territory Police Command has arrested the wife of former People’s Democratic Party National Chairman and Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Col. Ahmodu Ali (rtd). The story of Deborah Babaji Longs, who worked as Mariam’s personal assistant, featured on Human Rights Radio and Television aka ‘Berekete Family’ on Saturday March 26, 2022 following a report of her alleged imprisonment by Mariam Ahmodu Ali. Narrating her ordeal, Deborah told Brekete Family under oath that Col. Ahmodou Ali, his two daughters and a son-inlaw witnessed the life threatening humiliation and blows meted out to her by Mrs Ali in the middle of their living room in their Abu...

Cubinks NEWS

Search This Blog