News
Ex PDP Youth Leader tells Gov Lawal to focus on Zamfara Airport Project, ignore selfish aides
From Abel Daniel
Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal has been advised to safeguard and complete the cargo airport project initiated by his predecessor, Dr. Bello Mohammed Matawalle and not to fall to the antics of sycophants who do not mean well for the state.
The ex-youth leader of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state, Comrade Mubarak Shi’itu, gave the advice in a statement in Abuja on Wednesday.
According to him, the advice is imperative in view of speculations by certain aides close to Governor Lawal that the project will become a conduit pipe as plans are on to allegedly sabotage it from within.
It will be recalled that the former governor Bello Matawalle initially awarded the airport construction contract to AVIC International Engineering Limited for ₦11.4 billion.
The government paid ₦3.5 billion (30% mobilization) to start work and an additional ₦2.3 billion (20% of the contract sum) due to the COVID-19 lockdown, totaling ₦5.8 billion paid for the project.
However, Governor Lawal revoked and reviewed the contract with the project cost jumping to ₦62.8 billion.
The youth leader said it will be disastrous for a project considered as key to the promotion of trade and tourism in the state to be left half way and abandoned by the time this administration winds down at the end of its tenure.
He noted that in view of the criticisms and outcries that greeted the review of the project at a cost many alleged was grossly exaggerated, there is need for the governor to guide the progress of work jealously while also ensuring that it is completed within the time frame stipulated in the contract.
“We know the controversy the project generated in the Matawalle led past government up to the time our present governor Dauda Lawal took over, we are also happily aware that the project sum was reviewed upward from N11 billion to over N60 billion because of the concern the present governor has to complete it and the progress made so far.
“It will be highly disappointing to hear of an evil plan to sabotage or destroy government project especially like the gigantic cargo airport that will further take our dear state which has been battling with armed bandits for years backward.
“According to the information at our disposable, the planned destruction of the airport will then be blamed on bandits attack so that the government can have genuine reasons to discontinue the project after the billions that have been sunk in from the tax payers’ money.
“So, as staunch supporters of PDP and governor Dauda Lawal, we will not fold our hands to allow the information go unnoticed as we did during the recent Nigeria hardship and bad governance protest, where some of our youths were engaged by some of our leaders to destroy innocent citizens’ properties in the name of politics.
“If the governor feels he cannot complete the project as he assured or that the project sum is still not enough, he can review it again for the benefit of State citizens.
“As PDP patriotic members we will continue to monitor and assess all government projects in order to ensure timely execution and quality job so as to avoid waste of government resources,” he stated.
He said his reason for joining Lawal during his electioneering campaigns is to contribute his own quarter for the development of the state.
“We are not going to support anything evil especially such that is aimed tat destroying or organised crime in the name of politics which is dirty.
So, let Governor Lawal ensure the protection of all the public facilities in the state and avoid being accused of not doing the right thing,” he said.
Former Director-General of the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), Professor Tom Adaba, has passed away at the age of 84.
According to reports, he died peacefully on Saturday in Abuja.
Chief Adinoyi Joe Anivasa, Secretary of the Egbira Elders Forum, confirmed the news, stating, “I feel sad to inform you that our elder and leader, Prof. Tom A. Adaba, has answered the call of nature this morning. Further details about his burial arrangements will be communicated later.”
Born on July 2, 1941, Prof. Adaba made significant contributions to Nigeria’s broadcasting industry. Between 1988 and 1992, he became the first Nigerian to serve as President of the African Council for Communication Education.
Despite calls for suspension from the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and the Nigeria Police Force, the Osun State local government election proceeded as scheduled on Saturday.
Governor Ademola Adeleke voted in Ede North Local Government Area, describing the process as peaceful and urging residents to exercise their franchise.
The AGF, Lateef Fagbemi, cited a Court of Appeal ruling allegedly reinstating sacked local government chairmen, while the police warned of potential security threats.
However, the Osun State government insisted on holding the election, emphasizing its commitment to obeying a court directive. The opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) boycotted the polls.
Voting took place under tight security, with minimal commercial activity observed in Osogbo, the state capital.
A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and former Commissioner for Information, Jonathan Vatsa, has indicated that Firmer President Muhammadu Buhari’s absence at the public presentation of former military ruler General Ibrahim Babangida’s autobiography, The Journey of Service, held in Abuja on Thursday was not surprising.
Speaking to journalists in Minna on Saturday, Vatsa suggested that Buhari’s no-show was a result of unresolved bitterness over the 1985 coup, in which Babangida overthrew him and subsequently detained him.
According to Vatsa, Buhari may still harbor resentment, especially over being denied the chance to bid his late mother farewell while in detention.
“It Would Have Been the 9th Wonder of the World If Buhari Had Attended”
Vatsa claimed that Buhari’s absence was expected, given the deep-seated history between the two former leaders.
“The memory of the ‘mother of all betrayals’ has not left him. It would have been the ninth wonder of the world if Buhari had attended that book launch,” he said.
The APC chieftain also linked Buhari’s perceived neglect of Niger State during his eight-year presidency to his history with Babangida.
“The whole world knows that Niger State was made a scapegoat by Buhari because of IBB. For eight years, he did not pay any serious official visit to the state, and not a single federal project was executed here. The Baro Port project was abandoned, and federal roads across the state were left in disrepair,” Vatsa alleged.
He claimed that despite the overwhelming votes Buhari received from Niger State in 2015 and 2019, the state was sidelined due to the personal history between the former presidents.
“When two elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers. Niger State paid for the sin of one man,” he lamented.
When asked for his opinion on the contents of IBB’s autobiography, Vatsa said he would reserve his comments until he has read and digested the book fully.
“There are certain things I expected to see in the book. Once I am done reading, I will invite you all for my comments,” he stated.
The book launch attracted several high-profile attendees, including President Bola Tinubu, former presidents Olusegun Obasanjo, Goodluck Jonathan, and Yakubu Gowon, as well as former military head of state Abdulsalami Abubakar.
Other dignitaries included former Ghanaian President Akufo-Addo, former Sierra Leonean President Ernest Koroma, and ex-vice presidents Atiku Abubakar, Yemi Osinbajo, and Namadi Sambo, alongside traditional rulers and state governors.
Buhari’s absence, however, remained a major talking point, reinforcing speculations that the 1985 coup remains a sore point in Nigeria’s political history.
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