BENUE 2023: SENATOR ABBA MORO MAKES STRONG CASE FOR IDOMA GOVERNOR AT PDP CONGRESS.

By James Amedu

The Senator representing the good people of Benue South Senatorial District, Comrade Abba Moro, has called on the people of the state to support a candidate from Benue Zone C to become governor of the state in 2023.

Senator Moro made the plea on Saturday during the Benue State Congress of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to elect state Executives of the party.

The Lawmaker urged political leaders in the state to pick courage and support someone from Benue South to become governor so as to build an all-inclusive Benue State.

Since Benue State was created in 1976, nobody from Benue South axis has been elected as governor, a jinx Senator Moro said should be broken in 2023.

He called on the five royal families from Zones A and B to support somebody from Benue South for governor in 2023.

His speech below;

“Today is unique because it sets a stage for a milestone and, therefore, let me seize this opportunity to thank the Governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom, who tenaciously ensures some level of cohesion in PDP that makes it a formidable party and a party to beat in Benue State.

“Today, I stand on behalf of the good people of Benue South Senatorial District to say that as we set the stage and march towards 2023, the good people of Benue South asked me, if I come here, to say that they crave the indulgence of the Benue people to support somebody from the Benue South Senatorial District to become Benue Governor in 2023.

“In 2007 when some of us contested for governorship seat, we were under the impression that Benue had three zones and that since zones A and B had produced governors of the state, it was the time for Zone C to produce one.

“This was unmindful of other permutations that were in the watch.

“Today, 2023 stares us in the face. I am saying because it will be very difficult for us to meet again in good time before other permutations to decide on where to go.

“And so, Your Excellencies, distinguished ladies and gentlemen, it’s my pleasure to say here that by all calculations that our amiable Governor is the fifth Governor of Benue State of the Tiv speaking area of the Royal families.

“I, therefore, plead with our brothers from Zones A and B to support someone from Benue South to become governor, even if it’s for just one term.

“Today, we are on the threshold of history and I urge our political leaders to pick up courage to support one of us to become governor, to build inclusiveness in the Benue State and the Benue of our dreams.

“I agree with the spirit that has pervaded the historical life of our Tiv brothers and sisters of ‘eating and giving to your brother’, that in the build-up to the new inclusiveness, let the people of Benue South become the ‘brother’ of the Tiv now.

“All of you know that a Tiv man, the revered JS Tarka, fought for the minorities, and, therefore, I call on our Tiv brothers and sisters to pick up from where our revered statesman stopped by making 2023 a year where Benue will build a new inclusiveness. A year where the Benue people will say ‘enough is enough’, that we are one people because we work together and together we stand stronger.

“Together we can achieve more. Together we can go far in the drive for us to make a new Benue a reality. A Benue where everybody is everybody’s keeper.

“Thank you and God bless Benue State!”

Commission pledges to eradicate illiteracy, endemic poverty in north east

The North East Development Commission Education Endowment Fund (NEDC-EEF), on Friday in Abuja has expressed commitment to the eradication of illiteracy and endemic poverty in the North East region.

The Chairman, Board of Trustees of the fund, Mr David Sabo Kente (DSK), made the pledge at the inauguration of the board by the Chairman of the North East Development Commission (NEDC), Gen. Paul Tarfa retired.

Kente said that the board would assiduously work towards the development of sufficient human capital in order to acquire adequate capacity for infrastructural and socio-economic development of the region.

He also said that the fund would build human capacity for the north east zone through scholarship endowment;
Offer citizens of member States equal opportunity in ICT skills acquisition and educational training at graduate and post graduate levels.

” We are also determine to provide educational training for families at Ward , Local Government and Senatorial district levels in all the States.

” And further the education of over 2400 beneficiaries of the Safe School Initiative (SSI) beyond Secondary School level;
Offer opportunity for training orphaned children and other vulnerable groups currently not benefitting from the safe school initiative.

” We will also provide short term but impactful entrepreneurship training programmes to candidates whose primary school or secondary school education were truncated by the Boko Haram and other crisis.

” Similarly, we intend to offer special scholarship opportunities to talented youths engaged in sports, and also establish a North East Regional Sports Institute in the future and support the training of Nurses, Midwives and retraining of Teachers and vocational training for women and youths.

” These will in no small measure, fight the menace of low human capital and illiteracy which has been traced to be the highest in the north east compared to the rest of the six geographical zones in the nation,” he said.

Kente said based on the UNDP Human Development Reports of 2018, north east States have a Human Development Index (HDI) scores below the National average.

” Ranging from a high of 0.4286 in Taraba to a low of 0.3238 in Bauchi State, less than half of that of Lagos State at 0.6515,the State with the Highest HDI score.”

He assured that the board would partner with States Education architecture, local and international development partners in the education sector, as well as donor agencies, to achieve it core mandate of creating an educated citizenry.

” This we believe will change the educational landscape of the region.

” Our intention and target is to get the first set of beneficiaries of the programme into various institutions by the beginning of the next academic session.”

Kente used the occasion to appreciates the support of the Chairman and Members of the Governing Board of NEDC for setting aside the approved grant to enable the board hit the ground running with the activities of NEDC-EEF.

PRESIDENT BUHARI RECEIVES THE LETTER OF GRATITUDE FROM THE PRESIDENT OF NYCN – AMB. SUKUBO SARA-IGBE SUKUBO, CHARGES SUKUBO TO SET UP SUPPORT CENTERS ACROSS NIGERIA.

“The heights the great men reached and kept were not attained by sudden flight, but they while their companions slept, were toiling upward in the night”, opines Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

Today, history has again been made in the Youth Constituency as the President of the National Youth Council of Nigeria – Amb. Sukubo Sara-Igbe Sukubo, in the company of some past Presidents and NEC members of the National Youth Council of Nigeria, held a closed door meeting with the Honorable Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Hon. Sunday Dare, at the Ministry of Youth and Sports Development. Present at the meeting include the Permanent Secretary, Mr. Gabriel Tanimu Aduda, the Director Press and other Directors of the Ministry of Youth and Sports Development.

The President of NYCN, Amb. Sukubo Sara-Igbe Sukubo, in his speech eulogized the Honorable Minister as a digital and innovative Minister who works round the clock to better the development of the entire Nigerian Youth.

Amb. Oladele John Nihi, the Hon. Commissioner of PYU and Past President of NYCN, thanked the Hon. Minister for his innovative prowess and urged him to keep on making giant strides in the Youth development. He also reiterated the need for the ministry to be the galvanizing point of all the Youth programmes and projects that are scattered in all other ministries, as the mother ministry of the Nigerian Youth.

In his Speech, the Honorable Minister, who just came back from the Presidential Villa after handing over the letter from Amb. Sukubo to President Buhari, conveyed the salutations of President Buhari to Amb. Sukubo.

The Minister appreciated the gratitude gesture from the entire Nigerian Youth, through the National Youth Council of Nigeria, to him and to President Buhari for the establishment of the Nigeria Youth Investment Fund (NYIF). He reiterated the commitment of this administration in championing the development and welfare of the Youth of Nigeria.

“This administration, through the Ministry of Youth and Sports Development, will do everything possible to keep Nigeria Youth meaningfully and gainfully busy. The overall development and upliftment of the Nigerian Youth is our priority. In fact, in the next ten to fifteen years, Nigeria will no longer pride in her oil but in the proficiency, efficiency and innovations of her creative Youth.

The Hon. Minister used the opportunity to break another good news to the Youth Constituency of Nigeria. According to him, aside the Nigeria Youth Investment Fund (NYIF), another mindblowing and stunning initiative for the development of the Nigerian Youth will be deliberated upon by next week. In his words, “it is something that will gladden the hearts of the entirety of the Nigerian Youth and put them in the front agenda of this country.”

In the light of the forthcoming projects, the Honorable Minister charged the President of National Youth Council of Nigeria, Amb. Sukubo Sara-Igbe Sukubo, to set up support centers across the country. The Support Centers will serve as “a go-between” for the Ministry of Youth and Sports Development and the Nigeria Youth at the grassroots. The support centers will be the centers of inquiry for the Nigerian Youth, regarding the various projects that will be rolled out by the Ministry.

Toeing the good thread of National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN), the Speaker of the Nigerian Youth Parliament (NYP), accompanied by some of his Excos, extended gratitude gesture to the Hon. Minister and President Buhari, in appreciation for the Nigeria Youth Investment Fund (NYIF). At the end of the visit, the Hon. Minister had a photo section with NYCN and NYP.