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Leadership newspaper reports that in keeping faith with the demand of labour union to avoid frosty relationship in the present dispensation, the Kogi State governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, has pledged to pay the minimum wage that is agreed upon by the tripartite committee set up by the federal government.  The chairman of the concerned Kogi State Workers’ Forum, an informed organisation based in Lokoja, Kogi State, Com Adex Shaibu, made the statement at a conference in Lokoja, yesterday.  Com Adex stressed that this is in spite of the impasse in the committee’s meeting that led to the national leadership of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) giving a 14- day ultimatum to finish and announce a new minimum wage.  The chairman stated,  “I am however pleased to assure the Kogi State workers that the state government, ably led by Alh Yahaya Bello, has expressed ability and willingness to pay whatever is agreed upon by the federal government.  Adex said that labour was no...

The Kogi State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has announced the result of the Presidential primary in the state.  Abdullahi Bello who was the returning officer made the announcement on Saturday at the Party Secretariat in Lokoja, the state capital.  President Muhammadu Buhari was able to rake 388,663 votes from across the 21 local government areas of the state.  See breakdown  Adavi - 29228 Ajaokuta - 43554 Ankpa - 14856 Bassa -  24580 Dekina - 15925 Ibaji - 11291 Idah - 6,703 Igalamela - 6988 Ijumu - 20,470 Kabba/Bunu - 26817 Kogi - 5530 Lokoja - 18470 Mopa Moro - 6470 Ofu - 11799 Ogori Mangogo - 12,047 Okehi - 28,123 Okene - 21860 Olamaboro - 30,811 Yagba East - 25,841 Omala - 24,780 Yagba West - 13781

The Kogi State Government, on Saturday, says the results of  candidates for the State 2018 Basic Certificate Examinations (BECE), Common Entrance Examinations (CEE) and Basic Six (6) Examinations (BSE), are ready for collection. Mr Eric Aina, the Permanent Secretary, Kogi Ministry of Education, Science & Technology, made this announcement in a statement in Lokoja on behalf of the Commissioner for Education, Mrs Rosemary Osikoya. “All principals, parents, guardians, school administrators and the public are to note that: “Candidates’ results for the Kogi State 2018 Examinations are ready for release namely: Basic Certificate Examinations (BECE); Common Entrance Examinations (CEE) and Basic Six (6) Examination”. According to the statement, all school principals are requested to verify and confirm the details of their candidates in the Examination & Certification Department of the ministry. “And complete all outstanding payments as prerequisite condition for release of th...

By Otori Ozigi The front-line aspirant in the forthcoming APC Senatorial primary scheduled for Tuesday 2nd October 2018, has assured the good people of Kogi Central to do things differently, saying I won’t warm bench if elected to represent Kogi Central as Senator in the next dispensation. Alhaji Oseni who spoke with this journalist over the weekend in an exclusive chat promised to keep his campaign promises which include educational development, women empowerment,and youth development and job creation/employment. The youthful politician who is presently the executive chairman of the state internal revenue services is a seasoned banker before joining politics in 2015. He has his first degree in Economics (second class upper) from the prestigious Ahmadu Bello University Zaria and his master’s degree in Economics from the University of Abuja. He gave the assurance to offer a robust representation at the upper chamber of the national assembly if given the mandate by the electorate come...

By John Akubo The organised labour in Kogi State has called for the resignation of Mrs. Deborah Ogunmola as Head of Service in the state. This is contained in a statement jointly signed by the secretaries of Public Service Joint Negotiating Council, Isah Abubakar; Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Faniyi Olakunle; and Trade Union Congress (TUC), Kolawole James and made available to The Guardian in Lokoja yesterday. Labour maintained that in a circular, HS/KGS/CLR/3/V/587 dated September 18, 2017, Mrs. Ogunmola abolished contract appointment in Kogi civil service, wondering what she was still doing in office when she had retired. It accused Ogunmola of threatening to apply ‘no work no pay’ rule should Kogi workers embark on any strike. “The continued stay of Mrs. Ogunmola in office as against this circular duly signed by her is against the body and spirit of the civil service reform embarked upon by this administration.”

The Kogi State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has congratulated the Governor-Elect of Osun State, Mr Gboyega Oyetola having scored the highest votes at the just concluded gubernatorial election. State Publicity Secretary of the APC, Jibril Abu in a congratulatory statement on Friday said the polls was free and credible, and showed that victory is the nature of the ruling party.  "Our victory at the polls can simply be said to be nothing but a decisive victory overtly birthed by divinity and seconded by humanity. As the dust settles from this fiercely competed Gubernatorial election in Osun State history, "Kogi APC takes this rare opportunity to congratulate the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,  Muhammadu Buhari (Rtd) for APC's victory at the polls and for keeping to his words to ensure a free, fair and credible election," he said.  Abu urged  candidates of other political parties to accept defeat and support the new leadership....

With less than 3days to APC Senatorial indirect primary, the front-line aspirant in the race Alhaji Yakubu Oseni is expecting a landslide victory because of his popularity and general acceptance in Kogi Central. According to the Banker turned politician his pedigree as a public officer, tax administrator, and social reformer would pave the way for him to beat his opponents convincingly. He said God on his side as the man to beat in the primary, adding that he is mentally and psychologically prepared for the primary which is scheduled to hold on Saturday 29th September 2018. Alhaji Oseni who has won several awards for his academic excellence and philanthropic activities over the years told this journalist that” I have won several awards for meritorious achievements. Including Best Graduating Student in the Faculty of Social Science. Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria (2001), Best Graduating Student in the Department of Economics, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria (2001), Edith Wetan Prize f...

The Nigerian Army Records, Lokoja, has announced the seizure of 45,000 litres of crude oil from suspected vandals. The crude oil was handed over to the  Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Kogi State command on Wednesday. The Acting Public Relations Officer, Nigerian Army Records, Lokoja, Captain Nick Ejeh, said the troops of the command made the seizure during a raid on Irekpene, Kogi State. Ejeh noted that the troops got a tip-off from the public that some suspected vandals were transporting the product to an unknown destination. The captain, who doubles as the Intelligent Officer of the command, said the suspects took to their heels when they learnt that the troops were coming for them.  “The command is making efforts to arrest the perpetrators,” he added. While receiving the impounded tanker-filled crude oil, the Kogi State Commandant, NSCDC, Philip Ayodele, lauded the discipline among the rank and file of the Nigerian Army. He vowed that the command would cont...

The organised labour in Kogi has directed workers in the private and public sectors to embark on a seven-day strike with effect from September 27. The directive was contained in a statement issued on Wednesday in Lokoja by the state chapters of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Trade Union Congress and the Joint Public Service Negotiating Council. Messr Onu Edoka, Ranti Ojo and Aaron Akeji, state Chairmen of NLC, TUC and JPSNC respectively, signed the statement on behalf of the unions. According to the statement, the declaration of the strike is in line with the position of the national leadership of the unions to press home the demand for a new minimum wage. It directed that all public and private offices at state and local government levels be shut down, saying that workers should remain at home within the stipulated period of the strike and await further directive. (NAN)

The State Working Committee of Kogi State Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, has passed a vote of confidence on the Chairman of PDP, Engr Sam Uhuotu. The confidence vote on the Chairman followed after the state working committee meeting held yesterday, the 26th day of September in Lokoja, Kogi State.  In a statement signed and issued by Bode Ogunmola, State Publicity of the Party, he said SWC meeting found out that the allegations against the Chairman of alleged corruption being branded around in the news media and particularly social media is not only fake but were concocted stories. According to Hon Ogunmola, the State Chairman has since his assumption come to equity with clean hands in the running of the affairs of the party. He described the allegations as those made by some persons to smear and tarnish the good reputation of the state chairman in the ongoing screening of aspirants of the party. The statement urged the people to disregard the rumors, stressed that t...

The ongoing nationwide recruitment exercise being conducted by the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) was disrupted for hours in Lokoja on Tuesday when one of the applicants collapsed suddenly  and died. The Kogi State Sector Commander of the FRSC, Mr Olusegun Martins, who confirmed the incident said that the applicant, a male collapsed shortly after successfully completing about a two-kilometre race. Martins said that the applicant, who could not disclose his name even dropped his tally before he suddenly fainted and collapsed. According to the commander, a team of medical officials of the FRSC joined by their Nigerian Army counterparts quickly attended to the applicant and administered first aid on him. He was later taken into the army clinic in the Chari Maigumeri Barracks where the recruitment was taking place for treatment. Martins said, however, that the applicant died barely 30 minutes after he was admitted into the clinic. He said that the incident would not result t...

Vice President Professor Yemi Osinbajo has promised victims of the flood disaster that the Federal Government will ensure that they are well taken care of, even as it continues to make efforts to tackle the menace. He made the promise on Monday when he visited an Internally Displaced Persons Camp in Koton Karfe, Kogi State, created for the flood victims. The Vice President stated that once the flood waters recede, the government will do its best to compensate all those who have lost property and farmlands. He said, “It is the intention of the Federal Government, working with the state government to ensure that when the flood waters recede, we are able to offer some rehabilitation and some comfort in whatever way possible to those who have lost their farmlands and those who have lost their homes. “This is only the first stage. I am here to look at what has gone wrong. “A lot of farm and property are under water but after this period when the water recedes, that is when the hard...

Ahead of the 2019 general elections the President General of the Ebira Peoples Association (EPA), Dr. Musa Abdulrahman Adeiza has called on all aspirants to various positions from Kogi Central senatorial district to play the game according to the rules devoid of violence and acrimony. The president who Stated this during a meeting  with aspirants on the platform of different political parties in Lokoja on Sunday, noted with regret, the experience of previous years where contestants from the area were at daggers drawn in the quest to represent the people. Taking the aspirants through the memory lane, he noted with sadness a situation where several human lives and property worth millions of naira were lost in the name of politics, saying that the aspirants must guide against it occurrence. According to him the whole essence of the meeting was to caution the major actors against acts and utterances capable of causing frictions with its attendant grave consequences on the people ...

By Abubakar Ozioto  The hope and trust of the good people of Ebiraland in the administration of His Excellency Alh. Yahaya Bello to deliver on the earnest yearning of the people has been rekindled with the reassuring words of his Special Adviser on Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Engr. (Dr.) Abubakar Sadiku Ohere. Engr. Ohere gave the reassurance yesterday while on an assessment tour of the ongoing rehabilitation of Okene Waterworks Facility. According to him, His Excellency is very much aware of the immediate concerns of the people as captured in his commitment at the beginning of his administration; and as a responsible government, no rest is being taken until those promises are fully redeemed.  Engr. Ohere said with the progress attained on the water project, the perrenial water scarcity in Ebiraland will soon be a thing of the past.  On salary payment, Engr. Ohere said there is serious improvement compared to before as the August salary of all cleared Loc...

Yakubu Oseni, the Senate Aspirant running with the anointing oil of Gov Yahaya Bello for Kogi Central Senatorial District in the forthcoming election, has been reportedly denied clearance by the Screening Committee of the All Progressives Congress (APC). Oseni who is the Chairman of the Kogi State Board of Internal Revenue was said to be one of the aspirants directed by the screening committee to get clearance from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), being an assurance that the party's hopefuls are not under the radar of the Anti-graft Agency.  The development which may have been deliberately kept from the public's eye, has put the aspirants on the run for their heads before the primaries, Ebira Reporters reliably gathered.  Recall that a Civil Society Group, Integrity Watchdog in a petition submitted to the EFCC, as reported by www.integritywatchdog.com, called for the investigation of a three billion naira tax diversion into private bank accounts. The ...

...h e is a silent achiever. For starters, I want to make it abundantly clear that I'm a journalist and PR expert. I don't care whatever anybody calls me because of the position I've taken on the issue of Governor Yahaya's performance in office. Call me any unprintable names, call me a sycophant, or a praise singer or Yahaya Bello apologist; I certainly know who I am. I don't know Yahaya Bello, and I have no intention to meet him. I am an Ebira man to the core, and as a well-cultured man, I can never use my left hand to point to my Father's house. My intention here is to give an objective assessment of Governor Yahaya Bello in office. Having said that, I will be using unassailable facts and figures to buttress every point I make in this write-up. Firstly, on the issue of security, before Governor Yahaya Bello's assumption in office, the entire state was in a state of insecurity. Recall that the issue of kidnapping and other violent crimes was at its peak....

Local Government workers in Kogi State have applauded the state government for its decision to increase their monthly percentage salary from 30 per cent to 54 per cent with effect from this month. The state chapters of the Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria (MHWUN), Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) and the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) gave the commendation in a statement in Lokoja on Sunday. It said that the decision to raise the bar was commendable and urged the government to take cognizance of the percentages of salary yet to be paid. The statement signed by Mr Onu Edoka, Mr Tade Adeyemi and Mr Thomas Ayodele, state Chairmen of MHWUN, NULGE and NUT respectively urged the government to continue this gesture until 100 per cent salary payment is regularized. “Government should include in the payroll the names of all the staff and teachers that have been cleared but are to be captured on the payroll, while the case of the uncleared undergoing review s...

The much publicised and awaited "Ihima Youth Summit" organised by the Ihima Liberation Forum which was scheduled to hold on the 22nd day of Sepetember 2018, was yesterday disrupted by hoodlums suspected to be acting on the instruction of the Administrator of Okehi Local Government, Hon. Abdulraheem Ohiare. The event which has the theme: "Exploiting Socio-economic and Political Potentials for Sustainable Development" was to take place at the premises of the iconic Ihima Community Secondary School, Obeiba. No sooner had guests and members of the public who started arriving the venue where settling down for the business of the day when these agents of underdevelopment and destruction numbering about 60, invaded the venue brandishing various weapons which resulted to the guests scampering for safety. The miscreants did not only take over the venue, they ensured that no single person was left, thereby bringing an abrupt end to the planned event.  As if that was not ...

Kogi state university is officially an institution of learning being run and administrated by “Educated illiterates”. Perhaps, misinformed, incompetent, administrative failures, are better terms with which to describe those currently vested with the responsibility of smoothly and competently running the school, of which the college of health sciences is an extension of. For the registrar of the institution to display such crass ignorance about which “academic session” it’s currently stagnated medical students are in is at best laughable, and at worst worth crying over. What other explanation can one give for a situation where the school management is compelling her medical students which it has allowed to be stagnated in the same academic session for almost 3 years to pay tuition fees for the accumulated years they have been stagnated in? What is even more flabbergasting is the purposed reason apparently lifted from the school’s administrative constitution; “…for the avoidance of do...

The National Working Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has called for calm among its National Assembly aspirants in Kogi. The party made the call in a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, on Saturday in Abuja. Ologbondiyan gave the party’s assurance that no aspirant would be unjustly excluded from participating in the National Assembly primary election. “The NWC of our party has taken an ample note of all the complaints arising from our screening exercise in Kogi and has taken adequate steps to ensure fairness to all. “This is in line with the determination of the NWC to ensure transparency, fairness and credible electoral process at all levels of political engagements and participation on the platform of the repositioned PDP. “The party, therefore, calls on all aspirants, stakeholders and our teeming supporters in Kogi to remain calm as the NWC addresses all issues relating to the screening.” Meanwhile, journalists covering the o...

Barely two days after the security guard at his house gunned down a youth in what has been described as an accidental discharge, the Special Adviser to Kogi State Governor on Domestic Affairs, Kabiru Jatto aka "Kabiru Onyene" has visited the family of the deceased.  There had been a reported tension at Idare in Okene Local Government Area when the news broke out that Abdul Rashid, said to be a tilerr had met his death.  Sources told Ebira Reporters that some politicians who made the first call to the house of the bereaved were dismissed by irate youths.  While the identity of the killer-guard remains a mystery, his employer on Saturday led a delegation of other Kogi State Government functionaries on a condolence visit to the family.  The delegation appealed for calm and pledged to support the family.  Meanwhile, some of the family members who spoke with our correspondent demanded justice for Rashid.

While planning to hold an all-important summit, being an opportunity to address critical issues affecting the socio-political development of Ihima district in Okehi Local Government Area, little did the organizers know that the much publicised event will hit the rock.  The Ihima Summit which was billed to hold on Saturday was disrupted by hoodlums who made it to the venue before the time of the event.  In the bid to speak with one of the conveners, Lawal Babamba, our correspondent gathered that he had been picked up by the Police.  Meanwhile, a source who spoke on the condition of anonymity narrated that the hoodlums invaded the Ihima Community Secondary School venue of the event, threatening the hall decorators to pull down the arrangements.  According to him, one Nasiru was also arrested by the Police, and accused of having made inciting statements on social media.  "We were taken by surprise because we made sure every relevant stakeholders, including...

Kogi state governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello on Friday called on youths to shun all violent tendencies that are inimical to the peace, progress and development of the state. The governor also charged the youth to always resist any attempt by disgruntled politicians to use them as agents of destruction especially during the forthcoming elections. Governor Bello who made the call in Lokoja during the 2018 World Peace Day cerebration organized by ActionAid Nigeria in collaboration with Participation Initiative for Behavioural Change in Development (PIBCID), said his administration has built bridges of peace to unified all the ethnic groups in order to foster unity among them and pave ways for the existence of progress and development of the state. “This administration came to unite the people of Kogi state; it is only through unity that the people can enjoy peace and once there is peace, there will be development in term of infrastructure and provision of basic social amenities to the peop...