Images of Ebiraland

By Ismail M. Kabir An interim report of the staff verification exercise recently conducted across Kogi State has sparked protest in many local government areas of states. The report is said to have revealed tens of thousands of ghost and illegally employed workers that overbloated the wage bill of the state for the past years. While violent reactions trail the recommendations of the screening exercise that advised the state government to weed out the numerous ghost workers, Governor urged genuine workers affected to forward their complains to the appropriate quarters for review. On her part, the Special Adviser to the governor on electronic media,  Petra Akinti quoted a report by Premium Times that viewed the findings of the exercise as troubling. "Kogi State has a shameful secret that is also an open one: it has one of the highest numbers of ghost workers and as the Kogi State Civil Service screening committee is winding down its exercise, the findings are quite troublin...

After Premium Times yesterday reported that the Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello allegedly squandered over N260m ‘security votes’ days after assuming office, his office has replied the media outlet saying it is far from the truth. Here’s what they sent in. The use of the word "squander", as far as I am concerned, is a clear abuse of the right to information. Every dime spent by the Governor can be accounted for. He has one of the lowest Security Fund in the nation which has even been underdrawn by his administration. It is a public knowledge that Kogi State has been contending with serious security breach for the past ten years. As a result of the location of the state as gateway to many states of the federation, the state drifted into a criminal hotbed. Also, years of gross maladministration and blinding embezzlement has left the youth bear, exposing them to all sort of criminal activities to survive. Kogi became a haven of robbers and kidnappers. As a respon...

Published on May 12, 2016 by pmnews. The Executive Governor of Kogi State, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, has assured the management team of the Ajaokuta Steel Company Limited and all the people of Kogi State that during his administration, the revival of the steel company would be concluded. The governor said this while receiving the team, who visited him at his office in Government House, Lokoja. He said he was taking the issue of natural resources very seriously and would make concrete demands of President Muhammadu Buhari and the Federal Minister for Mineral Resources, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, as it concerns the steel complex. “I will go to Mr. President with practical solutions to the problems,” Governor Bello said. “I want to let him know all that is involved, who started it, where it is now, what is required to complete it, who should complete it, how funds can be sourced to complete it. I want to tell him everything needed and I will follow up on the matter until that ...

I  Yahaya Bello of Kogi State has promised to accord the state judiciary the true independence that the arm of government deserves. I made the promise yesterday in Lokoja while receiving members of the State Judiciary Commission led by the State Chief Judge, Justice Nasir Ajanah, also tasked judges in the state to be professional in their dealings with people. Accordingly, “the job that you do, the intricacies of which lie beyond the understanding of many a man, demand no less. On an occasion such as this, no two principles will ring louder than Separation of Powers and Independence of the Judiciary. I will settle that dispute very summarily right now: my administration will respect both principles to the letter. “The Judiciary under my tenure will enjoy equity in the allocation of resources; will be autonomous in managing her finances and you will never find me trespassing into your official duties or capacities. Neither will I send or permit any person to do so on...

In recognition of the developmental giant strides undertaking by his Excellency, Alh. Yahaya Bello, the Kogi state Elders' Forum unanimously paid a solidarity visit to Governor Yahaya Bello in order to register their unreserved and unalloyed supports for his Excellency over what most of them described as being unprecedented giant strides ever since the creation of Kogi state. These glowing tributes were made at an event which coincides with his Excellency's 100 days in office. In his Excellency's response to the Elders' words of commendation he thanked them for their unyielding supports and promised to put in more efforts for the upliftment of Kogi state from her current state of quagmire and hopelessness which the previous administrations have subjected the state to in the last 25 years of its creation. He further stressed the fact that, the Elders' visit has further boosted and strengthened his moral to do more for the state as it is also an indication of the ...

This action is against the resolutions of the House of Representatives, last week, that ordered the governor to send the state budget and other executive bills to the National Assembly for consideration as stipulated in section 11 of the Constitution. The budget comprised N41.71 billion as capital and N58.228 billion as recurrent expenditure. Assenting to the bill in Lokoja, Bello described the bill as budget of change and promised its full implementation. According to him, a budget monitoring implementation committee will be set up to coordinate and monitor its full implementation. He said that government was fully aware of the implication of the drop in the allocation from the Federation Account. Advertisement

WRITTEN BY BALOGUN OMEIZA DAVID. How time flies. Just like yesterday, the Confluence Stadium in Lokoja, the State capital in Kogi State was filled to the brim. Faces of men, women, boys, girls, the handicapped and the aged were seen as they all trooped out in large numbers to usher in a government that was bent on charting "A NEW DIRECTION" for the state. Different bodies were present and also groups to witness this epoch making inauguration. To the glory of God Almighty the inauguration has metamorphosed into a hundred days in office for His Excellency, Alh. Adoza Yahaya Bello (AYB) and I deem it fit to congratulate this man of rare qualities and also to dissect the achievements of some of those he has saddled with responsibilities in his kitchen cabinet. Without mincing words, it is known to all and sundry that His Excellency met Kogi State swimming in the murky waters of backwardness and under development. The administration of Capt. Idris Ichalla Wada from whom our pres...