-Says anti-grazing law enforcement begins Nov 1
By Abdullahi M. Gulloma Abuja–
Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue state has said that despite threats by the Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, implementation of the state Anti-Open Grazing Act would commence on November 1, 2017. Speaking to State House correspondents after a closed-door meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari, the governor also called for the arrest of leaders of the herders for vowing to thwart the anti-open grazing law.
“I came to brief Mr. President about the security situation in my state, about the threat by Miyetti Allah that has even taken us to court.
They threaten that they will make the Anti-Open Grazing Act impossible for the people of Benue state. I intimated him and also on the security situation generally in the state. “I am a law abiding citizen and a governor, Benue people are law abiding and that is why in the midst of the provocation from herdsmen attack, we took time to ensure that we put law in place, signed it and we are going to start implementation 1st of November and we hope that people will comply. “Everyone in Benue state should appreciate the fact that it is the law that is giving us protection.
It is the intention of this government to ensure that we give protection to lives and property through the rule of law. So, anyone staying in Benue state must comply,” he said. Asked if there was provision for ranches, Ortom said, “of course we have lands, those who want to apply to get land to ranch they should do it. There are a couple of ranches around.
“We are also going to provide land in designated places in the three senatorial zones, these have been approved by the state executive council and as many that are interested in having these ranches, and we will give them the land.”
The governor called on security agencies not to allow members of the group to reverse the peace the people of the state “are currently enjoying or make the state ungovernable.” He said the law is not targeted at any particular group but meant to protect both farmers and herdsmen, who he enjoined to take up offers of land for ranching. “One thing I must say is that the law protects herdsmen and farmers.
We are against cattle rustling, those who are caught will be penalised. Those who want to stay in Benue state and do cattle business must ranch their cattle; this is what we are saying. “As far as we are concerned, the law is not targeted at any individual, group of people or ethnic group, it is meant to protect everyone who is living in Benue state.”
Buhari attends D-8 summit in Istanbul, visits Ankara
By Abdullahi M. Gulloma Abuja
President Muhammadu Buhari would today depart for Istanbul, Turkey, to participate in the ninth Summit of the Developing 8 (D-8) scheduled to take place on Friday. Prior to the D-8 Summit, President Buhari, at the invitation of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey, would participate in an official working visit to Ankara, the capital city, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, said in a statement in Abuja.
In Ankara, the President would have a tete-a-tete with his Turkish counterpart while delegations fromboth countries will hold discussions in various fields, including defence cooperation, security, educational and migration issues.
The Nigerian leader would also visit the Grand National Assembly of the Republic of Turkey in Ankara where he would meet with the Speaker, Ismail Kahraman. While in Istanbul, the Turkish commercial centre, the President would use the occasion of the D-8 Summit to bolster warm and growing ties across a broad range of areas of cooperation with leaders of the D8-member countries, namely Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Pakistan and Turkey.
The Summit with the theme “Expanding Opportunities through Cooperation,” would, among other things, focus on cooperation in the areas of agriculture, trade, transport, energy and increased private sector participation among membercountries.
During the ninth Summit of the D-8, which marks the 20th anniversary of the organisation established to improve the developing countries’positions in the world economy, the President would highlight the significant show of confidence in Nigeria’s business environment and economy.
He would also affirm Nigeria’s resolve to work with D-8 membercountries on many key areas, including peace and security, economy and trade. At the end of the Summit, the Heads of State and Government would adopt a Communiqué, also known as the ‘Istanbul Declaration.’
The President would be accompanied on the trip by ministers and top government officials including the Comptroller-General of the Nigerian Customs Service, Hameed Ali.
112m Nigerians live below poverty line – Senate
Urges FG to make education free, compulsory at all levels
By Taiye Odewale Abuja Th e Senate yesterday on a day designated as International Day for Eradication of Poverty by the United Nations, lamented that “no fewer than 112 million Nigerians representing 67.1 per cent of the country’s estimated population are living below poverty level, going by the recent data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).”
According to the upper legislative chamber, the scenario requires education in the country to be made free and compulsory at all levels by the federal government as a potent weapon of wiping out illiteracy in the land and eradicating poverty in the long run. It also demanded that the policies and programmes already evolved by the federal government through the Social Investment Programmes and other poverty alleviation measures are vigorously pursued towards achieving the desired result.
The Senate’s resolutions in this respect were sequel to a motion moved to that effect by Senator Ali Wakili (APC, Bauchi South) and 22 others. Senator Wakili in his lead debate on the motion said the passage of the Poverty Eradication Bill has been the right step towards the actualisation of the UN agenda 2030 for sustainable development and meeting the obligation by all countries to end poverty in all forms.
He noted that the achievement of a world free from poverty provides a path towards achieving peaceful and inclusive societies as envisioned in Goal 16 of theSDGs, which key target is to ensure responsive, inclusive, participatory and representative decision making at all levels.
In his contribution, Senator Atai Aidoko Ali (PDP, Kogi East) called for adequate funding of necessary agency saddled with the responsibility of poverty eradication with a view to making life bearable for the masses of the country.
In his remarks, the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, who presided over the plenary, said: “As a responsible senate we must focus on poverty eradication. We must ensure that we redistribute our resources and income to benefit every class of people.”
