Why Saraki lost election – Kwara senator-elect | Nairalaw

Mallam Sadiq Umar, the senator-elect for Kwara North Senatorial
District, says Senate President Bukola Saraki lost his senatorial
seat because he was no longer connected with the electorate.

Mr Umar said this in an interview with the News Agency of
Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Ilorin.

The senator-elect, who was reacting to the victory of the All
Progressives Congress (APC) in the state, said Mr Saraki’s
political relevance had always been overrated.

He said that the senate president was able to hold the state in
his grips for so long because elections had always been rigged in
his favour.

According to him, Kwara has suffered a protracted leadership
problem and now they have the opportunity to speak out loudly.

“The victory is an anticipated one and we are very happy about
it. Everybody is very happy because it was a very free and fair
election.

“Kwarans are very clear; enough is enough. They have not had a
good leader and those who are ruling Kwara are not giving the best
of leadership to the people.

“So the people want a change and we are very happy the
electorate have spoken very loudly that they are with APC and all
candidates of APC won the elections from Presidential to National
Assembly members,’’ he said.

Mr Umar described the development as a new dawn for Kwara,
saying all what the citizens had been deprived would be given to
them.

“Kwara will see development in infrastructure, employment,
empowerment, prompt payment of salary and improvement in salary
among others,’’ he said.

He urged the citizens to keep faith with the party and the newly
elected representatives, assuring that they would not fail the
people.

“My message to them is that there is hope for them. We will
never fail them.

“We are aware of the nascent experience in Nigeria, particularly
in Kwara. We just have to deliver the goods to the people of Kwara
or else there will be a judgment day.

“We are aware of that. We are responsible citizens who came into
politics for the purpose of serving our people.

“We are very grateful that they kept the faith. They promised
they will support us and they did it overwhelmingly.

“We are going to pay them back with good governance and the best
service we can render to them.

“So there is hope in Kwara, particularly in Kwara North that is
backward in everything.

“We need to speed and catch up as soon as we can,’’ said the
newly elected senator. (NAN)

Niger to Provide Fire Station in 25 LGCs

In a proactive bid to stem down the devastating effect of fire
outbreak, Niger State Government is to provide functional fire
fighting station in each of the 25 local govern.ent areas of the
state.

The State Governor, Alhaji Abubakar Sani-Bello disclosed this on
Tuesday when he made on the spot assessment of the burnt section of
the Monday Market in New Bussa in Borgu Local Government Area of
the state.

Fifty four permanent locked-up shops, 15 attached shops and
merchanrdise worth over N100 million were raised down to the
rubbles by the inferno that gutted market on Sunday night.

The Governor who noted that fire outbreak in markets across the
state has become a reoccurring incident said there is need to build
fire stations in markets and Local Goverment headquarters.

“This is not the first time we are experiencing fire outbreak in
markets across the state. Now it has happened in New Bussa but the
most important thing is that no life was lost.

“What we can do is to ensure that we have fire service stations
in all the Local Government headquarters and we have built seven
stations already. So we also have to ensure we set up one here as
soon as possible so that when there is fire outbreak we can contain
it before it cause more damages.”

Expressing concern about the attendant effect of fire incidence
on victims, Governor Sani Bello said “government will ensure it
provide support to the victims to reduce their hardship”.

The Governor who assured the victims of financial support said
the State Emergency Management Agency would do a proper assessment
to identify victims and look into how they would be compensated
.

He however called on the market committee to redesign the market
system and ensure that highly inflamable products are are kept in a
specific area in the market, ensure they monitor market activities
and ensure that each shop had a fire extinguisher so as to enable
them address such occurances.

Governor Sani-Bello further stated that the state government
would liaise with the local government council to see to how they
can support and rebuild the market.

The Director General, Niger State Emergency Management Agency,
(NSEMA) Alh. Ahmed Ibrahim Inga disclosed that 54 permanent shops
and 15 attached shops were affected. Adding that property worth
over N100 million were lost

Jibrin Baba Ndace
Chief Press Secretary
27 February 2019