The Editorials

 State Governors have expressed willingness to implement RUGA Fulani settlement in their respective states. This was the statement obtained from a senior official of the Federal  Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, who would not want his name in press. The Official claimed that the Ruga settlement initiative is set for implementation in 11  pilot states including Sokoto, Adamawa, Nassawa , Kaduna, Kogi, Taraba and others. According to senior officials of the ministry, the Federal Government is determined to go ahead with the project, notwithstanding the public outcry, particularly in the South. He said, “The Governors of the 11 states are coming to the ministry to learn how the Ruga settlements will be implemented,” a senior official at the FMARD, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said. "They are the states that have fully shown their interest. But unfortunately, people are talking about this as if the Federal Government is planning to grab land ...

Controversy has continued to trail the statement of the General Secretary of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, Baba Uthman Ngelzarma, that the Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo’s office is helping the herdsmen to create Ruga settlements across the country, this is just as the Office of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has faulted the claim. Recall that Ngelzerma had on Sunrise Daily, a programme on Channels Television boasted that when the programme has been successfully completed, Nigerians would fully enjoy the benefits of animal husbandry. However, Ngelzerma said, “This Ruga settlement model is a component part of the livestock development and transformation plan that is being implemented under the Office of the Vice-President. It is a component part of it. “All must agree with me that the crisis we are facing today has become a multi-dimensional one and so the approach must also be holistic. It was the desire of the Federal Government to take a holistic ap...

The controversy over the purchase of security gadgets by the last administration in Ogun State has taken a new dimension as Senator Ibikunle Amosun has alleged that his successor Governor Dapo Abiodun was the main suppler of some of the controversial security equipment. Former Ogun State Governor Ibikunle Amosun in a statement released on Thursday said his government legitimately purchased the 13 units of Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs), 1000 units of AK 47 rifles, two million rounds of ammunition,1000 units of bullet proof vests and 500 bullet proof helmets and other security communication gadgets. Recall that the Commissioner of Police in Ogun State, Bashir Makama,had earlier onfirmed that former Governor Ibikunle Amosun gave a total of 1.4 million ammunition, three ballistic helmets and one Armoured Personnel Carrier to the command at the expiration of his tenure. The CP had revealed then that  he received the security gagdets as part of his statutory responsibili...

Alh. Mohammadu Umar, the Permanent Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, has revealed that the Federal Government has begin to establish “Ruga Settlements” for herdsmen in 12 pilot states nationwide. He made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Tuesday on the sidelines of a workshop on Regional Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) and associated legislation in West Africa. According to him, the farm settlements when fully established would address the incessant clashes between Fulani cattle rearers and farmers.. Umar further explained that the pilot programme had already commenced on a 31,000-hectare in Kotongora, Niger state. He said, " The required facilities for a basic life and treatment of cattle are being provided to enhance productivity. The government would replicate the programme in selected states as work “is ongoing in the 12 pilot states”. "Six settlements will be established in ea...

Oredola Adeola| The South West Governors have agreed to review their liberal policy of openness in the region and adopt community and state policing. These were part of the strategies discussed at the maiden edition of the South West Security Summit, organised by the Development Agenda for Western Nigeria (DAWN). The Chairman of the South West Governors Forum and Ondo State governor, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, led the Governors of the six states in the South West, to the summit held at the Theophilus Ogulesi Hall, Opposite UCH, Queen Elizabeth Road, Ibadan, Oyo State. This is coming against the backdrop of the ugly trend of insecurity in the South West region of the country. The host Governor, Engr. Seyi Makinde of Oyo State in his opening remark disclosed that the advantages of state police far outweighs the fears people have about it. He said,"Governors, it is our responsibility to ensure that everyone in our midst, indigene or alien resident is assured of ...

A Kwara State High Court in Ilorin on Tuesday sentenced an internet fraudster, Temitope Charles, to 35 years in prison without an option of fine. The Presiding Judge, Justice Mahmud Abdulgafar, while delivering Judgement on a criminal charge brought against the convict by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), pronounced the convict guilty and sentenced him to seven years in prison on each of the five-count charge. Abdulgafar directed that the prison sentence should run concurrently. The Judge agreed that EFCC had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt, noting that the evidence of the only prosecution witness, Olamide Sadiq, who is an operative of the commission, was very strong and reliable. ”The evidence of PW1, Olamide Sadiq, was left unchallenged by the defendant; all the chats and text messages were printed from his email address in his presence. “I have considered the testimonies of the PW1, this honourable court is of the opinion that the PW1 i...

Vice- President Yemi Osinbajo has revealed that most of the stories told about  kidnappings in Nigeria are not entirely true and some are not new. He made this statement in the New Yirk on Sunday evening while addressing the Diaspora community at a town hall meeting. This is against the backdrop of the rising insecurity occasioned by kidnapping, banditry, militancy, terrorism and other challenges. Responding to questions and comments on the security situation made by the participants at the town hall meeting,  Osinbajo said the social media “ tends to be hysterical about practically everything” , the News Agency of Nigeria reports. Many members of the audience had taken turns to express concern about the reported spate of killings and kidnapping back home, and wanted to know what the government is doing to address the situation . He said , “ With respect to general kidnapping which we have seen in parts of the country, again, this is not entirely new. In fact, some...