InsightMinna

Nigerlites React to Conduct of LG Elections

- Zahra Muhammad

The conduct of the Local Government Council elections in Niger State has been greeted with mixed reactions following reports of low turnout and alleged malpractices in some areas.

The elections which were conducted across the 25 local government areas of Niger State on Thursday saw the All Progressives Congress (APC) winning 23 out of the 25 Chairmanship seats contested.

The exercise came to fruition after much ado on the part of the state Assembly, the People's Democratic Party, and the Niger State Independent Electoral Commission (NSIEC).

For the Niger State House of Assembly, the state was not financially buoyant to fund the exercise at the time the NSIEC had scheduled it.

A few days before the elections, the People's Democratic Party (PDP) had also announced that it will not be participating in the elections, a decision which came much to the dismay of many party faithful.

This, the party's Chairman, Barrister Tanko Beji attributed to alleged non-compliance by the state government to the laws and regulations guiding the conduct of the elections.

For many, the PDP was diminishing its popularity and in the long run, its chances of returning to power in the state after the 2023 elections by its refusal to participate in the race.

This, coupled with the low turnout of voters, had created the impression that the exercise will be a stroll in the park for any party which eventually emerged victorious at the poll.

Reactions

According to Yusuf Abdullahi, the local government council elections in Niger State were a free win for the ruling party as the main opposition party had refused to participate in the elections.

He however lamented that a few eligible voters had turned out to vote in the election, signaling apathy on the part of voters.

"The turnout was low, which to me is a bad signal for the forthcoming general elections. People are tired of bad governance and have lost hope.

"But the election has also shown candidates, voters, and political parties the importance of choosing a candidate with a good track record."

In his reaction to the conduct of the election, another resident, Ibrahim Kure said "This has shown us that people only go for the candidate they choose to trust they didn't go for the party and which is the right decision, now we are going to have competition among them to rule us well."

In his opinion, Umar Adamu Bako said that the results of the just concluded elections that many voters regard credibility in high regard.

"People have a thirst of wanting to vote for credible candidates caring less about their political parties.
If you want people in the 2023 election, you must go very close to them, if you don't have track records to bank on then you must make sure they share your vision, plan, and programs."

Another respondent, Muhammad Muhammad, said that the elections were not a true reflection of the yearnings of the people.
This, he said was because thousands of people were disenfranchised due to the insecurity in some parts of the state.

The Niger State House of Assembly had at a point, shared the same opinion, and had demanded that the NSIEC shift the polls until the situation improves.

Meanwhile, the Niger State Independent Electoral Commission (NSIEC) acknowledged that aside from some minor hitches, the elections were overall peaceful.

Additionally, social media is currently flooded with yet-to-be-confirmed footage and pictures of alleged electoral malpractices in some local government areas among which include Kontagora, Bida, and Katcha.

InsightMinna also observed that many voters had posted pictures of their ballot papers, an action which goes against the legal framework released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) ahead of the 2023 general elections.

The guideline by INEC states that telephones and other electronic devices capable of taking pictures are not allowed in voting cubicles.

As contained in Article 30 of the Guideline, “Prohibition of the Use of Telephones and Other Electronic/Photographic Devices in the Voting Cubicle,” states: “Telephones and other electronic devices capable of taking pictures are not allowed in voting cubicles.

“Voters may come to the Polling Unit with telephones and other electronic devices provided that they do not take them to the voting cubicles or take pictures of other voters while they are voting.”

Lone Accident Claims One Life, Leaves Seven Injured in Niger

- Zahra Muhammad

A road crash at Lanle Shebe village, in Lavun Local Government Area of Niger, has claimed one life and left seven others injured.

The accident, which occurred on Monday afternoon involved a Sharon commercial bus with registration number NBS 854 AA.

The vehicle, coming from New Bussa, in Borgu local government area to Bida according to the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) crashed as a result of overspeeding.

Mr. Kuwar Tsukwam, state Sector Commander of the FRSC confirmed this to journalists in Minna.

“Eight persons were involved in the accident, one of them died, while seven sustained injuries.

“The body of the dead person and the injured victims were taken to Kutigi General Hospital and the vehicle involved handed over to the police in Kutigi for further investigation,” he stated.

Tsukwam thereby advised motorists to abide by the speed limits to avoid accidents.

NAFDAC Arrests Producer of Fake Agro-chemical, Dudual 45 percent In Niger

-Zahra Muhammad

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has arrested the producer and distributor of Dudual 45 percent, an adulterated Agrochemical used by farmers as pest control in Niger State.

The suspect identified as Kabiru Idris was arrested by operatives of the agency in Niger State during a surveillance exercise on agrochemicals.

According to the state Coordinator, of NAFDAC, in Niger State, Mr. James Kigbu, the agency discovered that the said product, mostly expired was widely sold to farmers, especially by street hawkers.

“Recently we embarked on surveillance on agrochemicals within Niger state and arrested one Alhaji Kabiru Idris in Makira, Mashegu Local Government Area, where he produces fake agro-chemicals.

“Our investigations so far reveal that he is the producer and distributor of agrochemical known as Dudual 45 percent used for pest control,” he said.

Kigby warned farmers to be wary of buying agrochemicals from unregistered outlets in the state.
According to him, such sellers package their wares in empty containers of the original products to defraud the farmers.

Nigeria Army Unveils “Exercise Mugun Bugu” In Niger

-Zahra Muhammad

The Nigeria Army has unveiled a new military operation in Niger State.

The operation tagged “Exercise Mugun Bugu” (deadly strike) will see to the fight against banditry and insurgency in the North-Central and other affected regions.

Speaking during the unveiling of troops from various formations at the Nigeria Army Training Centre Kontagora, the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Farouk Yahaya said that training remains an indispensable tool in achieving professionalism among troops.

He noted that there was a need for the Nigerian Army to keep up with the changing dynamics of the prevalent insecurity in the country.

According to him, this situation presents new challenges to the troops who must up their game in the fight against insurgents.

The operation which was unveiled after two weeks of training and drilling of troops according to the Chief of Army Staff is the first of its kind, where all combat arms & combat support arms of NA Training Schools come together for a final joint training exercise.

Niger: Probe Ordered After Ex-Commissioner Dies Of Alleged Negligence

Niger State Government has constituted a committee to investigate the circumstances leading to the death of a former commissioner and spokesperson to the Governor of Niger State, Mohammed Danladi Ndayebo.

It would be recalled that Ndayebo died On Monday evening after an accident along the Suleja-Minna road.

Shortly after his burial, a brother to the deceased told journalists that the deceased was left unattended after he was rushed to the IBB Specialist Hospital alongside one other person.

In its response to the allegation, the Secretary to the State Government, Ahmed Ibrahim Matane told newsmen that the state government received information bothering on non-professionalism on the part of the management.

"I received a call that morning to be informed that late Ndayebo and one other patient were taken to IBB Specialist Hospital in the night, unfortunately in the morning when I was called, there was no single doctor to attend to them.

“When he was finally being attended to, he took his last breath some hours later. As a government, we are very concerned that government hospitals could respond to emergencies with such level of levity and neglect”, Matane said.

Matane added that the committee, will evaluate the performance of the hospital for any form of shortages in its workforce and also recommend the next line of action in the case.

Members of the Committee include, among others, Dr. Chindo Bisallah, Dr. Joseph Kolo, and Dr. Umaru Tiffin, as well as delegates of the state chapter of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC).