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Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, All Progressives Congress(APC) 2023 presidential candidate has appointed Gov. Aminu Masari of Kastina State as Campaign Senior Adviser on Administration and Government.
The former two-term Lagos State governor, also appointed former governor of Sokoto State, Sen. Aliyu Wamakko as Senior Adviser Special Duties.
According to the letters of appointment made available to newsmen on Sunday in Abuja and signed by Tinubu, both men are to serve in the APC Presidential Campaign Council (PCC).
The letters said both Masari and Wamakko’s impressive political achievement and the exemplary leadership demonstrated as governor and Senator, respectively in their states and as party members qualified them for the responsibility.
The letter to Gov. Masari read: “By way of this letter we are pleased to formally convey your appointment as the Special Adviser on Administration and Government of the Presidential Campaign Council.
“This appointment is fitting and appropriate given your impressive political achievement and the exemplary leadership you have demonstrated as governor of your state and as a party member.
“We are grateful that you have joined our campaign team, we know you will do your utmost in this new responsibility,”
Tinubu in the letter, expressed hope that Masari would help the party conduct an effective message-driven campaign leading to victory in the 2023 presidential election.
He said with unity, not only would the council ensure victory for the party in the February 2023 general elections, but would help it move Nigeria along the path of national greatness.
This, he said they would do by building on the achievements of the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration in providing progressive good governance to Nigerians.
Tinubu said the appointments were fitting and appropriate given the impressive political achievement and exemplary leadership both men demonstrated in different capacities and as a party members.
He prayed for guidance for the new appointees.
NewsSourceCredit: NAN
The Presidency says there is no State in the federation that has been authorised to procure automatic weapons for its security outfits.
Malam Garba Shehu, the President’s media aide, who made the clarification in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja, dismissed reports that Katsina State Government had been granted licence to procure and operate automatic weapons.
According to him, President Muhammadu Buhari has repeatedly made it clear that nobody is allowed to illegally carry AK-47 or any other automatic weapons and that they must surrender them.
”Where they fail to do so, the law enforcement agencies have been given clear directives to deal with any such outlaws.
”Under the existing regulations, only the Office of the National Security Adviser can issue such authorisation.
”This is upon proper clearance by the President and Commander-in-Chief and as it is at this moment, no such approvals have been issued to any state government.
”In the specific Katsina State often cited, Gov. Aminu Masari wrote to explain that the administration invited the Provost of the Civil Defence Training College in Katsina to train their Vigilantes for a five-day period in the handling and operations of Pump Action Rifles.
”The Vigilantes were not trained to take over the responsibilities of the security agencies of the Federal Government of Nigeria but to assist them,” he explained.
Shehu affirmed that the presidency appreciated the active involvement of states with security matters.
He, therefore, commended the state governments for assisting security agencies in the ongoing fight against terrorists and other criminals across the country.
Shehu noted that the collaborative efforts of the state governments with law enforcement agencies had continued to yield good results.
This, he said, had been thwarting attempts of terrorists to wreak havoc and destruction on communities.
”The president in particular has expressed happiness that in the last couple of years, security outfits mandated by state governments have been associated with several important initiatives.
”And reports have reached him of acts of utmost bravery and professionalism.
”He thanked them for their alertness that is helping to defeat nefarious plots against targets at grassroots levels.
”He, however, cautioned against the politicisation of security.
”Government at the centre with a national mandate cannot afford to alienate Ondo State or any other state for that matter on the important issue of security,” he said.
The presidential media aide quoted the president as urging leaders at various levels to ”exercise restraint in their speech, even as we are in a political season”.
NewsSourceCredit: NAN
Gov. Aminu Masari of Katsina State on Tuesday granted pardon to six convicts who were serving jail terms for various criminal offences in the state.
The governor granted the pardon following a report presented to him by Hajiya Asma’u Mukhtar, the Chairperson of the State Advisory Council on Prerogative of Mercy and the Attorney General of the state.
While receiving the report, Gov. Masari said, “In order not to waste time, I will sign this today.
If somebody is to be freed today, it is better he is free today than tomorrow.
”
He also directed Mukhtar to liaise with his wife, Hajiya Hadiza Masari to free those with minor offences through her Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), or with the state Chief Judge, Justice Musa Danladi-Abubakar.
Earlier, Mukhtar said Section 212 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, gave the governor the powers to grant pardon or respite to convicts for offences created by the laws of Katsina State.
The attorney general and commissioner for justice noted that such powers were exercised on the recommendations of the State Advisory Council on the Prerogative of Mercy.
“We recommended six convicts for pardon based on various considerations.
One of them, for example, is certified to have developed mental illness.
So, we recommended pardon for him to enable his family to take care of him.
“We also recommended pardon for a 69-year-old, who has spent over 24 years in custody and is paralysed.
There is another one that is 76-year-old, he is sick and spent 25 years in prison.
“There are other two that were sentenced to 24 years and have eight months remaining for them to conclude their sentences.
“We also recommended reduction of sentence of 11 convicts to various terms, some from death to life, some from 30 years to 25 or 15 years,” she said.
NewsSourceCredit: NAN
The UN in Nigeria says no fewer than 70 per cent of people in Katsina State live below the poverty line.
Mr Mathias Schmale, the UN Resident Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, made this known when he visited Gov. Aminu Masari on Monday in Katsina.
‘I said to my colleagues that I want to get first hand information so that people will not bamboozle me with statistics and arguments.
I can say I have seen it myself.
”We understand that poverty, insecurity and lack of knowledge are also key factors that are contributing to malnutrition among children in the state.
“At our next meeting of the humanitarian country team this coming Wednesday, we will discuss humanitarian issues in the rest of the country, not just in the north east,”he said.
Schimale said that Masari has visited the UN house on several occasions to show concerns over his people and elegantly made case for better support for the state.
”We have not forgotten his efforts.
I have been made to understand that Katsina has a very rich history in culture.
“What I have understood so far is a couple of things, one is that it seems there is a nutrition crisis all over Nigeria, including Katsina.
“What I have been educated on today, is the drivers of this crisis in your state are a mixture of three factors, one is insecurity, another one is poverty.
“And thirdly, in some places there also seems to be a lack of knowledge, and so, education should be part of it.
That’s w he said.
Responding, Masari also attributed the malnutrition crisis to some cultural issues.
”The same problem is happening in most of the northern states.
A family of 10 some 20 years back, had only one hectare of land for cultivation.
But because of culture, this family in 10 years can become a family of 100, living on the same source.
“The question is how can we address the issue in a fundamental way?
The main driver of poverty is lack of education and skills.
“The intervention we need in order to address poverty has to do with education that would give people knowledge and the skills so that production can rise, and people can look after themselves,” Masari said.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that in March, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) report (2012), indicated that Sokoto State has estimated poverty rate of 87.73.
The NBS said Taraba is second with poverty rate of 87.72 followed by Jigawa with 87.2 per cent.
The report showed that Katsina is number 10 with a poverty rate of 56.42 per cent.
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NewsSourceCredit: NAN
The National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE) visitation panel has visited Isa Kaita College of Education, Dutsinma in Katsina State, for assessment and approval of some courses due for accreditation.
This is contained in a statement by the institution’s Deputy Registrar, Alhaji Usman Datti, in Katsina, on Monday.
He said the visitation panel was led by the Deputy Director, Academic Programmes of the NCCE, Mr Moses Afolabi.
He said the team was in the school to asses 26 Nigeria Certificate of Education (NCE) courses that were due for accreditation.
Datti quoted Afolabi as expressing satisfaction with the team’s findings, and pledged that the panel would be thorough, free and fair in its assessment of the courses.
The statement also quoted the Provost, Dr Isma’il Ado as commending Gov. Aminu Masari for provding dequate funds and necessary support to the college.
“Apart from the TETFund interventions to the institution, Masari’s support on staff development had remained outstandingly commendable,” Ado was quoted as saying in the statement.
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NewsSourceCredit: NAN
The Katsina State team that represented Nigeria at the International Debate Championship in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, has emerged winner of the competition after beating the hosts Malaysian team.
The Katsina team secured the ticket to represent Nigeria after becoming runners up at the 2021 Presidential Inter-Schools debate championship in Lagos.
Malam Aminu Badaru, the spokesperson of Katsina State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), disclosed this in a statement issued to newsmen on Sunday in Katsina.
He said that the debate was conducted on current affairs, especially the crisis, Public and Private schools and also on two party systems of government.
According to him, the championship, held between Sept. 14, and 22, was conducted successfully and without hitches.
Badaru added that, “six students from Junior Secondary Schools (JSSs) in the state represented NIgeria at the competition, out of which four were females.
”
He said that the SUBEB’s Executive Chairman, Alhaji Lawal Buhari-Daura, who led the team, described the performance of the Nigerians as wonderful and commendable.
“Buhari-Daura also said that winning the trophy by the team was a clear testimony of the commitment of Gov. Aminu Masari’s resolve to resuscitate the lost glory of education in the state.
The SUBEB boss also appreciated and commended the state government for sponsoring the trip that enabled the state to represent Nigeria at the debate.
He assured the Presidential Schools Debate of Nigeria (PSDN) that the Katsina team would continue to make the state and the country proud in all future competitions.
Buhari-Daura commended the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) for its support towards the development of basic education in the state.
The SUBEB Desk Officer for debate and quiz competitions, Alhaji Suleiman Umar, said winning the trophy was not by surprise, considering the concerted efforts of the state government and vigorous grooming and training the team had before its departure.
According to him, the team has since returned home.
NewsSourceCredit: NAN
The Katsina State Commissioner for Education, Prof. Badamasi Lawal, has said that female students performed better than their male counterpart in the 2021 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) for school candidates.
Lawal made this known at the official closing ceremony of the Girl Education Project (GEP-III) on Thursday in Katsina.
He noted that this was recorded as a result of the commitment of the government to empower girls in the state, through various educational programmes.
According to him, in 2021, 18,321 students sat for the WASSCE and the state government paid the examination fee for all the candidates.
“Out of which 10,441 were male, while the female students were 7,880. But wonderfully, the results indicated that 4,627 of the female students scored credit in English language, which is 58.7 per cent.
“From the 10,441 male students, only 5,632 scored credit in English language, which is 54 per cent, this means the girls scored higher than the boys in English language.
“In Mathematics, the girls also performed higher than the boys, because 5,678 of them scored credits, while only 4,726 of the boys, scored credits.
“Because the number of the girls that sat for the examination was lower than that of the boys, the boys scored 58 per cent while the girls scored 53 per cent, which is also higher.
“Five credits, including Mathematics and English Language, out of the total number mentioned above, 4,247 among the girls scored credit, that is 56 per cent, as against the males who scored only 48 per cent,” he said.
According to him, the aim of the project in the state is to increase access to education among girl- children, improve teacher capacity and competency, as well as strengthening of the system.
He noted that all the activities mentioned had been achieved in the state, through the support of the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF).
“No doubt the intervention has improved the girl child education in Katsina State.
I want to showcase the evidence of this improvement, by making a presentation of the 2021 WASSCE results.
“It will show you that the presence of UNICEF in the state has done very well in improving girl child education,” the commissioner said.
According to him, in 2021, 18,321 students sat for the WASSCE examination, and the state government paid the examination fee for all the candidates.
“Out of which 10,441 were male, while the female students were 7,880. But wonderfully, the results indicated that 4,627 of the female students scored credit in English language, which is 58.7 per cent.
“From the 10,441 male students, only 5,632 scored credit in English language, which is 54 per cent, this means the girls scored higher than the boys in English language.
“In mathematics, the girls also performed higher than the boys, because 5,678 of them scored credit, while only 4,726 boys scored credit.
“Because the number of the girls that sat for the examination was lower than that of the boys, the boys scored 58 per cent while the girls scored 53 per cent, which is also higher.
“Five credits including mathematics and English, out of the total number mentioned above, 4,247 among the girls scored credit, that is 56 per cent, as against the males who scored only 48 per cent.
” He said.
The Commissioner attributed the success to the intervention of UNICEF through its various programmes under the GEP-3 project in the state.
In her remarks, the wife of Gov. Aminu Masari, Hajiya Hadiza commended the effort of UNICEF regarding the promotion of girl child education in the state.
She called on UNICEF to extend the programme which was funded by the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), so that more female children in the state can benefit.
The UNICEF Chief, Kano field office, Mr Rahama Farah in his speech said on access to learning, the partnership achieved an enrolment of 1.5 million girls in school.
Farah added that it also removed barriers to learning for over 50,000 boys and girls through cash transfers, and changed perceptions of many parents on the importance of girl’s education.
According to him, the project started in 2005 to 2008 as GEP-I, GEP-II started in 2009 to 2011, while GEP-III began in 2012 to 2022, about 10 years now.
NewsSourceCredit: NAN
The Katsina State Government has registered 25,922 Almajiri pupils across the state and also identified and integrated about 255 Qur’anic schools from 2019 to date.
The Executive Chairman (EC), of the state’s Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Alhaji Lawal Buhari, made this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Tuesday in Katsina.
Buhari added that 540 facilitators and mentors were also identified and trained, saying the achievement was recorded through the intervention of the Basic Education Services Delivery for All (BESDA).
According to him, the registration and integration is with a view to repositioning the system to enable them to learn Western Education in addition to their Islamic Education.
He further revealed that the state government through the intervention , within the period under review has spent 21million dollars.
Buhari explained that BESDA is a World Bank intervention programme geared towards supporting states with the highest number of Out-of-School Children.
He noted that the BESDA intervenes in three key areas; equitable access to education, improving literacy and system strengthening.
“Katsina State has the highest number of out-of-school children of about 1,135,000 which comprises almajiris, nomads, IDPs and vulnerable children.
“The implementation of the programme started in 2019 with the selection of 22 local government areas across the state for the reduction of Out- Of-School Children.
“Also, 13 LGAs for intensive literacy programme using RANA and Jolly Phonics Models.
From 2019 to date, 255 Qur’anic Learning Centres were integrated under the programme.
“The programme has succeeded in the reduction of 361,525 out of school children, representing 36 per cent of the set target in the selected LGAs in the state.
The EC added that BESDA programme will wind up in Oct. 2022, therefore appealed to the World Bank through the Federal Government to extend the programme beyond that period.
He commended Gov. Aminu Masari, for developing the basic education sector in the state.
NewsSourceCredit: NAN
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) gubernatorial candidate in Katsina State, Sen. Lado Danmarke, has said that the state will enjoy better security and good governance if he is elected in 2023.
Danmarke, who disclosed this in an interview with newsmen on Sunday in Katsina, called on the residents to remain calm as the state would be peaceful if he is elected.
According to him, the current security challenges in the state are worrisome, noting that a PDP government will come up with better strategies to solve the problems.
He said the way the present APC administration in the state was handling the security situation showed that it was not capable of ending the problem.
Danmarke said that the previous PDP government in the state had done a lot in moving the state forward, saying that his administration also had such intention.
He said that they had introduced strategies to the present administration of Gov. Aminu Masari on how to tackle the insecurity, but it failed to adopt the measures.
“I wish to inform you that God willing, the strategies we have on ground to end the security challenges in Katsina are going to succeed, hopefully, within our first three months in office,” he said.
According to him, the PDP is aware of the huge loans collected by the present administration, but lamented that it has done nothing with the money.
He stated that repayment of most of the loans collected by the government would not commence until after 2023, while expressing pity for the next administration.
Danmarke stressed that there were many ways of generating revenue, instead of amassing loans.
He called on aggrieved APC in the state, not happy with the outcome of the party’s primary election, to switch over to the PDP and support his gubernatorial ambition.
The PDP candidate pledged to carry them along, if he succeeds in the 2023 governorship poll.
Danmarke had on Saturday visited the Campaign Office of the immediate past Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Dr Mustapha Inuwa, to seek his support.
Inuwa is among the APC gubernatorial aspirants who Danmarke believes is unhappy with the outcome of the party’s primary election.
NewsSourceCredit: NAN
Katsina State Government has announced total ban on the sale and smoking of Shisha and other non-medical substances across the state with immediate effect.
The ban was announced in a statement issued by the state Director of Information, Alhaji Buhari Mamman-Daura, on Friday in Katsina.
He said that the ban on Shisha and other non conventional intoxicants, was part of the Innovative Inhalants Order 2022, signed by Gov. Aminu Masari on Sept. 5.
“This is in accordance with the powers conferred upon him by the provision of Section 5 Sub Section 2 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999, as amended.
“With this development, the sales, inhalation or dealing in any non-medical substances particularly shisha is banned throughout the state,” the director said.
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According to the him, the government took the stand in view of the increasing number of youths hooked on shisha in the state.
He maintained that any person who violated the order shall be guilty of an offence punishable under Section 114 of the Penal Code Law of Katsina State 2021.
Medical experts disclosed that Shisha has similar health hazard to cigarettes and can cause cardiovascular complications such as angina, congestive heart failure, heart attack or stroke.
Shisha also has almost the same amount of nicotine as cigarettes.
NewsSourceCredit: NAN
