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Ninth N’Assembly has achieved so much with Buhari – Senate President

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4 years ago

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National Assembly Complex, Abuja
National Assembly Complex, Abuja
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***Urges FG to support Livestock Industry, set up Gum Arabic Research Institute

The Senate President, Ahmad Lawan has said that the ninth National Assembly has achieved so much, collaborating with President Muhammadu Buhari’s government.

Lawan said the Assembly had passed many difficult and complicated legislations because President Buhari gave them all the support they needed to do their work.

The Senate President spoke on Monday in Damaturu, Yobe State at a State Banquet held in honour of President Buhari on first day of his two-day official visit to the state.

Lawan said: “Your Excellency, today by the Grace of God, it is almost three and half years that I have been working with you as Senate President.

“In all my years in the National Assembly, I have never worked with any President who never asked that he wanted things done a certain way but I want to admit here that Mr President, you have never asked me to do anything. You believe we should do what is best for our country.

“And when I said that we will continue to work with the executive arm of government, ensuring that the national interest is always our guide and focus, our opposition took me out of context.

“Some of them started writing that we are rubber stamp, that whatever is brought to National Assembly will be approved. I want to say here, that President Muhammadu Buhari never asked anything that is not in the national interest.

“And at the risk of being misquoted by the press, we all know who our President is. Before he became President and while he is still President. Nigeria, Nigeria, Nigeria is his focus, his concern. And that is why we believe that we should continue to work with him.We should support him.

“And in the ninth National Assembly, we have supported the executive arm of government fully because we believe this is one President, one administration, one government that has come to deliver Nigeria, from what happened in 16 years, from mis-governance by, of course, the PDP.

“Today, Mr President, I am proud to say that we have achieved so much working with you in the ninth National Assembly.

“We have passed the most difficult Bills, we have passed the most complicated legislations. This is because you gave us all the support that we needed to do our work in the National Assembly.”

Lawan thanked the President for making Yobe State to witness so much development during his tenure.

He also urged the President to consider establishment of Gum Arabic Research Institute in Yobe and deploy resources to develop Livestock Industry before his exit from power in May.

Lawan said: “Mr President, we have seen so much development in Yobe State during your tenure. Infact, Yobe never had it so good and we are very grateful.

“We have gotten appointments. You can see the high calibre Inspector General of Police and this IG of Police portrays what Yobe can do. Mr President, we still have some of our best still on the line waiting.

“Mr President, Yobe State, like Borno, Jigawa, Kano, Katsina, Zamfara, Kebbi, Sokoto, is on this Gum Arabic Zone. Gum Arabic is a cash crop that gave support to our people before. It is no more giving that support.

“Mr President, if there is one way that we can diversify our economy, Gum Arabic should be given a special position in our administration.

“And I want to say that this belt, from Borno to Sokoto, if we work on the Gum Arabic industry, we are going to earn foreign exchange for Nigeria.

“We spent billions of Naira, hundreds of millions of dollars to import Gum Arabic from other countries. We can do a lot more if we can get the support of Federal Government.

“Your Excellency, we already have a sub-station in Kajuwa, part of Yobe State. That sub-station is rather a research institute sub-station. That research institute is based in Benin, Edo state.

“Mr President, my belief is that Gum Arabic has that important economic value that deserves it’s separate research institute because it can transform our country.

“So on behalf of all our people and on behalf of other states, Mr President, I want to urge that before you leave on 29th of May, 2023, let us see how we can make the sub-station in Kajuwa to be the headquarters of the new Gum Arabic Research Institute.

“I believe that that kind of institute will now take a dimension that will support our economy and of course, maybe a consequential result of protecting the environment as well.

“The second issue is the issue of livestock development. Mr President, when you said you will support the livestock industry, some people said it’s private business. They shouldn’t be supported.

“There is nothing more private than someone setting up a Bank, kill the Bank and then the obnoxious loans will now be taking over by AMCON.

AMCON today has about six trillion naira of toxic loans on our head.

“Mr President, the livestock industry in Nigeria especially between Borno, Sokoto and of course Yobe is an economy that is worth 33 trillion Naira.

“Incidentally, the most poor states are in this zone. Where you have a potential of 33 trillion Naira economy, we have no reason to be poor. Mr President, I want to urge you that before you leave, let’s deploy some resources to develop the livestock industry.

“We in the National Assembly will support you because we believe that our livestock industry can give us a lot more economic stability because our people will benefit economically and infact can be another source of billions of revenue generation in Nigeria.

“So on behalf of those of us from this part, from Borno to Sokoto and indeed up to Rivers because almost every part of Nigeria has some livestock, Mr President, let’s devote some resources. I don’t know how we can get it, but about 300 billion naira can do some magic.

“Our state, the Yobe State is always ready to provide land for grazing reserve and whatever. Any state that desire to participate in the livestock development, Federal Government should support that state. Any state that doesn’t want, let that state stay away.

“But we shouldn’t deprive states that are prepared to work with the Federal Government to develop the livestock industry in Nigeria.”

 

 

 

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Police Arrest 5 PakistanI Nationals, Recover 35 Phones in Benue Intelligence Ooperations

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August 8, 2026

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The Benue State Police Command has arrested five Pakistani nationals and recovered thirty-five mobile phones in separate intelligence-led operations in Otukpo and Ugbokolo areas of the state.

The arrests were disclosed in a statement issued on Thursday, August 7, 2026, by the Command’s Public Relations Officer, DSP Orchia Peter Aondongu.

According to the statement, operatives acting on credible intelligence arrested three Pakistanis at Adoka Motor Park, Otukpo Local Government Area, on August 4, 2026.

The suspects were identified as Younas Mohammad, 36; Ahmad Nunil, 38; and Aslam Muhammad, 46. They were intercepted while attempting to board a vehicle to Adoka village.

During preliminary questioning, the suspects claimed they were in Otukpo to market cosmetics and mobile gadgets, none of which were found in their possession.

“This made their explanation, activities and movements within the area suspicious, requiring more clarification,” the PPRO stated.

In a separate operation on August 5, 2026, two other Pakistanis, Juma Sharif, 30, and Muhammed Sharif, 25, were arrested at a local hotel in Ugbokolo following another credible intelligence.

The two claimed to be dealers in Android phones. A search of their belongings led to the recovery of eleven Tecno Camon 50 Pro mobile phones.

Further investigation and operational follow-up resulted in the recovery of an additional twenty-three Tecno Camon 50 Pro phones and one Infinix Hot 60 phone, bringing the total number of recovered mobile phones to thirty-five.

The five suspects have been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department, SCID, Makurdi, where discreet and comprehensive investigations are ongoing to establish the circumstances surrounding their presence, activities and movements within the state.

The Command said it strongly suspects that the possession of the mobile phones may be a decoy for clandestine activities in rural areas of the state, noting that the suspects “hardly speak or understand English.”

The Commissioner of Police, Benue State Command, CP Cletus C. N. Nwadiogbu, commended the officers involved in the operations and members of the public whose timely information contributed to the arrests.

He reassured residents that the operations form part of the Command’s proactive, intelligence-led policing strategy aimed at identifying potential security threats, preventing criminal activities and safeguarding lives and property across the state.

CP Nwadiogbu further urged residents to remain vigilant and promptly report suspicious persons, movements or activities to the Police.

“The Command will continue to work with relevant stakeholders and members of the public to maintain peace and security across Benue State. The public will be updated as the investigation progresses,” the statement added.

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HURIWA Calls for Probe of Adeyemi’s Govt Collaborators

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August 8, 2026

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Human Right Writers Association of Nigeria, HURIWA
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The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has dismissed the interim report of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) on the controversial Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), alleging that its findings have raise more questions than answers.

HURIWA, National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, in a statement, on Friday, argued that the report appeared to focus largely on alleged offences committed by one individual while failing to establish how a purportedly non-existent government agency operated within official circles for an extended period.

The organisation therefore opposed the prosecution of Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi, ICPC’ sole accused for forging documents, falsely presenting himself as Director-General of the PFIPC, creating additional agencies, opening bank accounts with forged instruments and exploiting weaknesses in government institutions.

HURIWA insisted that the alleged activities of Adeyemi could not, on their own, explain how the PFIPC acquired the appearance of an official government institution.

In HURIWA’s view, the central issue was not merely who allegedly forged documents, but how such documents were accepted and acted upon by government institutions.

It asked how a non-existent agency could acquire official legitimacy, who admitted its operators into government circles, who authorised meetings and engagements with public institutions and why elementary verification procedures failed to detect the alleged fraud.

The group also questioned how the PFIPC found its way into the 2026 Appropriation Act with a budgetary allocation running into billions of naira if it did not legally exist.

“The questions confronting Nigeria are neither difficult nor complicated,” HURIWA said.

It said there is a need to establish who processed documents linked to the agency, who ignored red flags and who enabled it to operate without challenge.

The organisation expressed concern that the ICPC’s interim findings could give the impression that the scandal was essentially the work of a lone individual.

It argued that such a conclusion would be difficult to reconcile with the scale and duration of the alleged activities, particularly given the involvement of multiple Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).

“HURIWA refuses to accept the proposition that one private citizen, acting entirely alone, successfully penetrated multiple Ministries, Departments and Agencies, operated for an extended period, secured official interactions and allegedly built an elaborate structure involving forged instruments without significant failures or possible complicity within the public service,” Onwubiko stated.

The association noted that the ICPC itself had identified weaknesses in inter-agency coordination, verification mechanisms and internal controls, arguing that such weaknesses required further investigation.

It said Nigerians deserved to know whether the failures were merely administrative lapses or whether some officials deliberately facilitated the activities of the alleged fake agency.

HURIWA was particularly critical of any recommendation for administrative sanctions against public officers whose negligence may have enabled the operation.

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Why Alia revamped Abandoned Benue N70bn Taraku Mill After 40 Years

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August 8, 2026

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The Benue State Gov. Hyacinth Alia  says he revived the N70 billion moribund Taraku Mill after 40 years because the state could no longer afford to waste its economic potential.
Alia made the disclosure on Friday in Makurdi during a media chat with the Renewed Hope Ambassadors Presidential Media Team.
The team was led by Mr Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President Bola Tinubu on Media and Strategy.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports the team was in Benue to inspect completed and ongoing federal and state infrastructure projects, including the Taraku Mill, located in Gwer East Local Government Area.
The governor said the revival of the mill, located in Taraku, was part of his administration’s broader strategy to establish sustainable economic structures capable of surviving changes in political leadership.
He said previous administrations had lacked a comprehensive development plan, resulting in projects being initiated without adequate consideration for continuity and the actual needs of citizens.
“​​There has to be a direction. There has to be a mission and there has to be a vision,” Alia said.
According to him, his administration’s development blueprint was designed after consultations with communities to distinguish between what people wanted and their actual priority needs.
He said that the approach required government to understand the needs of market women, farmers and other residents before committing resources to projects.
Alia said the objective was to move Benue from  “a glorified village status” and improve the state’s towns and economic centres.
He said sustainability was built into the projects being implemented, stressing that government must put measures in place to ensure investments remained productive after the tenure of the current administration.
The governor argued that government could not completely stay away from business when strategic investments were necessary to create employment, retain capital and stimulate the local economy.
He cited the newly established Benue Brewery, juice factory and concentrate factory as examples of investments intended to process local agricultural products and strengthen the state’s value chain.
Alia said Benue produced sorghum, cassava, maize, oranges and soybeans in large quantities, but needed industries capable of converting the agricultural produce into finished products.
He said the development of such industries would create markets for farmers, generate employment and reduce capital flight caused by importing products that could be produced locally.
The governor said farmers with orchards and farms had been identified and organised into cooperatives, enabling them to access support while providing industries with dependable sources of raw materials.
He said the improved road network linking Benue with Abuja would further enhance opportunities for farmers to take fresh agricultural produce to the federal capital and other markets.
Alia said the revival of Taraku Mill was particularly significant because Benue was previously a leading soybean-producing state, but the collapse of the mill disrupted the market for farmers.
He said the return of the mill would provide a sustained market for soybean farmers, adding that his administration had begun providing incentives and farm inputs to identified producers.
The governor said the revival was, therefore, not limited to restoring the factory but was aimed at rebuilding an agricultural ecosystem in which farmers could consistently earn income from their produce.
Earlier, the inspection team visited the Taraku Mill, where the governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Mr Tersoo Kula, explained that production had continued until around the mid-1990s.
Kula said the factory subsequently became moribund until the Alia administration decided to revamp it, with the machinery serviced and currently undergoing test runs.
He commended residents of the area for protecting the abandoned facility over the years, saying they collectively ensured that no equipment was removed from the premises.
According to him, the mill will produce soybean and groundnut oil, process maize and manufacture animal feeds, thereby restoring its former role as an economic booster for the area.
Kula also attributed the revival to improved economic conditions and support from the Federal Government, saying major investments of that magnitude required adequate resources.
He said the administration had also rehabilitated the Otobi Waterworks and its treatment plant in Otukpo Local Government Area to provide water needed for operations at the mill.
Mr Terngwu Kyuve, General Manager of the mill, said the revived facility would create no fewer than 2,000 direct and indirect jobs when fully operational.
Kyuve said the plant comprised oil, maize and animal-feed divisions, adding that its maize plant had a capacity to process 72,000 metric tonnes annually.
He said the animal-feed plant could process 172,300 metric tonnes annually, while the oil division had mechanical pressing, flaking, solvent extraction and refining facilities.
According to him, the mechanical press can process 200 metric tonnes of seeds daily, solvent extraction 320 metric tonnes daily, while the refinery can process 100 metric tonnes of oil daily.
Kyuve, a pioneer staff member, said maintenance and test-running were ongoing, adding that dry and wet testing would precede actual production.
He expressed optimism that products would begin coming out of the factory within two months, marking the return of Taraku Mill to industrial production after decades of inactivity.

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