Youths Protest Sokoto Emir’s killing

As President Tinubu and the political elite reduce governance to the pursuit of personal fancies, life in Nigeria has become nasty, brutish and short. In Sokoto for instance, a large group of youths from Sabon Birni Gobir Local Government Area has protested against the abduction and brutal killing of Alhaji Isa Muhammad Bawa, the Sarkin Gobir of Gatawa District. The demonstration erupted following Bawa’s death, which occurred on Wednesday after he was kidnapped and violently killed by his captors. Footage obtained shows the protesters marching toward the residence of Sokoto’s deputy governor, Alhaji Idris Muhammad Gobir, setting tires and other objects ablaze along their route.  Their protest reflects their demand for justice and greater action to address escalating violence in the region. The protest comes amid reports that Alhaji Bawa was buried without his body present due to the circumstances of his death. A video surfaced showing Bawa pleading for help before his death, which was confirmed after the terrorists’ demand for a ransom of N60 million and five motorcycles for his body. The kidnappers initially sought N1 billion for the release of Bawa and his son, who were abducted in July.  The distressing video of Bawa, captured in captivity, shows his desperate pleas for assistance. In response, President Bola Tinubu has condemned the attack, calling it a grave and unforgivable act. He has extended condolences to Bawa’s family, the Gobir Emirate, and the Sokoto State government.

ICPC Launches N3.8bn Projects’ Tracking In Sokoto

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has initiated the tracking of 72 executive and constituency projects valued at over N3.8 billion in Sokoto State. The investigative effort falls under Phase 6 of the ‘ICPC Constituency and Executive Projects Tracking (CEPT)’ programme, which is currently underway in several states across the country. Mr Sa’idu Yahaya, the Team Leader, on Monday announced that it would be inspecting projects across various sectors, including health, education, water supply, empowerment and electrification. “These projects were awarded at an approximate cost of N3.8 billion and are expected to be fully executed. “Our group, consisting of members from the ICPC, the Nigeria Institute of Quantity Surveyors, Civil Society Organizations, and the Media, will commence the exercise. “This is in order to monitor and assess projects’ performance, the value of work done, contractor identification, payment details, and project status,” he said. Yahaya added that part of the team’s goal was to determine the value and impact of these projects on the communities they serve. The team had visited the newly constructed and equipped Faculty of Engineering at the Sokoto State University. Other projects include a newly constructed block of classrooms and furnishings at Tafida Aminu Primary School and the installation of 38 solar street lights in the Mabera area of Sokoto South local Government.

Sultan, Kukah seek community involvement in tackling security challenges

The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III, has called for increased community representatives’ involvement in solving the lingering security challenges facing the nation. Abubakar, who was represented by Dr Jabbi Kilgore, the District Head of Kingori made the call during a town hall  organised by the Kukah Centre for Peace in collaboration with Global Right, an NGO on Tuesday in Sokoto. The Sultan said that bad governance, injustice and inequality were some factors contributing to insecurity. He enjoined leaders at all levels to be fair in dealing with their subjects and know that they would give an account of their stewardship after leaving this world. In his keynote address, Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Bishop Mathew Kukah also identified religious intolerance, fanaticism and injustice as some of the factors responsible for insecurity in the country. Kukah also said  that sectionalism, fanaticism, injustice and religious intolerance were responsible for insecurity in the country. He urged stakeholders at the meeting to come together to form common front in curbing the menace saying insecurity know no religion. Earlier,  Governor Ahmad Aliyu of Sokoto state, represented by the Permanent Secretary Ministry for Religious Affairs, Alhaji Abubakar Torankawa rreiterated the commitment of the government to partner with groups and association in promoting peaceful coexistence in the state. The Sokoto state commissioner of police,  Ali Kaigama, also emphasised on the need for public support to community policing drives initiated by the Nigerian Police. Kaigama said the police will continue to partner with the Nigerian army and other sister security agencies in tackling insecurity in the country. In his presentation, Prof. Tukur Baba, the Dean Faculty of Social Sciences in Federal University Birnin Kebbi dwelled on factors that promoted insecurity from pre-independece. Baba advised authorities to change the land use act, taxations and consider global, regional, national and community approaches to holistically deal with the problems of insecurity. He described the assessment by the National Bureau of Statics revealing the poverty index as glaring. ”This is the effect of insecurity, maladministration and poor people attitude in the northwest,” he said.

Development Bank builds capacity of 1,000 MSMEs

In continuation of its capacity development training programmes for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in Nigeria, the Development Bank of Nigeria (DBN) has organised a one-day training for over 1,000 small businesses across six states in the North-East and North-West. The MSMEs were spread across Gombe, Maiduguri, Adamawa, Katsina, Sokoto and Kebbi states.  The capacity training programme, which was conducted in each of the locations, had facilitators with experts in business management for small and medium-scale enterprises.  A statement from DBN stated that the training focused on optimisation and development of skills, aimed at further strengthening the capacity of the beneficiaries to scale up their businesses.  It also said the key objective of the training programme across locations, was to help the owners of the businesses develop their capacity and gain better knowledge of how they could access the DBN funding through the participating financial intermediaries (PFI). The Managing Director/CEO, Development Bank of Nigeria, Dr. Tony Okpanachi, commended the facilitators for bringing their expertise and experience to bear and expressed the optimism that the training would have a lasting impact on the participants and their businesses.   He affirmed that the training was in line with the Bank’s unwavering commitment to strengthening the capacity of MSMEs in the country so that they can continue to contribute more to the economic growth and development of the country.  Okpanachi said: “The strategic role of MSMEs as enablers of socio-economic development cannot be over-emphasised. A larger percentage of businesses in Nigeria are in the informal sector dominated by MSMEs. The MSMEs sector is a significant pillar of Nigerian economic growth; they make up 97 percent of businesses, generate six million jobs and contribute 50 per cent of the national GDP. “Small businesses are value-creators and they create wealth for individuals. At DBN, we are passionately committed to seeing MSMEs increase their capacity for growth and expansion, and being more sustainable so that together, we can continue to build a stronger economy for the benefit of all Nigerians.” The Development Bank of Nigeria through its numerous capacity training platforms has enriched the knowledge and capacity of MSMEs owners in the country through regular highly-enriching training initiatives and retooling, thereby positioning them for sustainable growth and expansion.   One of the platforms is the annual DBN Entrepreneurship Training Programme (DBNETP) currently in its 5th Cycle and has benefitted over 2000 MSMEs across Nigeria who have been trained digitally and physically, leveraging partnerships and the DBN Learning Management System (LMS).