Maisamari Confirmed As SOKAPU President, Outlines Plans For SK

Mr Dio Awemi Maisamari, was confirmed as the new substantive President of the Southern Kaduna Peoples Union (SOKAPU) on Saturday, 10th September, 2022 in Kaduna.

His confirmation took palace during the Second National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of SOKAPU under the present national Exco. The brief ceremony was conducted by the Chairman, Board of Trustees (BoT) of SOKAPU, Elder Stephen Bangoji with some members of the Board in attendance.

A unanimous decision of the the NEC, with no single opposition, confirmed Maisamari’s substantive position. This is coming after his immediate predecessor, Hon. Jonathan Asake resigned to contest for the Governorship of Kaduna State under the Labour Party (LP).

The NEC of SOKAPU is made up of its  Central Executive Committee (CEC), Chairman and Secretaries of all State Chapters and local branches. It also includes the Women, Youths and Students wings and all past Presidents of SOKAPU. The new President of SOKAPU in his acceptance address, thanked the NEC for his confirmation and promised to improve on the legacies left behind by past leaders. He said that he was already working on a one year roadmap for SOKAPU and called for inputs, suggestions and contributions. 

During the meeting, he briefed the SOKAPU NEC about the achievements of the present National Exco under the leadership of Hon. Jonathan Asake. Among them were: 

Fundraising, procurement and distribution of palliatives to distressed citizens of Kaduna State during the 2020 COVID-19 lockdown.

Intensive media sensitization and campaign against the violence taking place against the natives of Southern Kaduna which has led to national and global awareness of the heinous crimes.

Movement of the SOKAPU National Secretariat to a more spacious, well furnished and equipped office in Kaduna. NEC was also informed that the design of permanent National Secretariat had been completed.

Establishment of Southern Kaduna Peoples Empowerment Foundation (SOKAPEF) with Apostle Emmanuel Kure as it’s BoT Chairman. As an incorporated body, SOKAPEF will do many things which SOKAPU was unable to do because of its registration status.

Fundraising and provision of humanitarian intervention to internally displaced persons (IDPs) in communities across Southern Kaduna from the inception of the current security challenges to date.

Setting up of a high powered Political Committee to brainstorm and chart the best political direction for Southern Kaduna.

Building on the efforts of past leaders to raise the standing, credibility and goodwill of SOKAPU as a major pressure group in Nigeria; among others.Also during the meeting, the SOKAPU Predident informed NEC that an Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be called in a month’s time during which the full financial report of SOKAPU will be submitted. Meanwhile the President gave some financial highlights on the total income and expenditure of SOKAPU from December, 2019 to date. He also briefed the meeting on the N120m donation in April, 2022 that came to SOKAPU from  Rivers State Governor, His Excellency Nyesom Wike. He clarified that under his predecessor, Hon. Asake, the procurement and distribution of food stuff and other basic necessities was done in Chikun, Kajuru, Kachia, Kaura,  Kauru, Zangon Kataf, Kachia. Also, other forms of humanitarian assistance were rendered where necessary. At the point of his resignation,  the former President left a balance of N60 million for the continuation of the humanitarian intervention. The above briefing stirred harsh comments by some members of the NEC. These were complaints of poor engagement with community development associations whose members are the target of the intervention, exclusion from decision making during the intervention implementation process and even the inability of some communities to get the relief materials.

In his reaction to the complaints, the President said all the points made had been noted and would be addressed in the next phase. He also reminded them that because of the enormity of the challenges, they should know that even several billions of Naira will not solve the problems. Meanwhile, he called on  the Southern Kaduna community wherever they are to continue to thank His Excellency, Governor Nyeson Wike for doing what the Federal and State governments refused to do.

In addition l, the new President assured the NEC of his determination to reposition SOKAPU to more effectively address the challenges confronting Southern Kaduna. He said the one year action plan will be unveiled during the AGM and intensive consultations  will be made to get inputs from far and wide. Finally, he appealed for support and cooperation from all and sundry. 

NIWOSEC ED berates Festus Kayamo on civil servants sack threat…calls it backdoor Strategy

By Matthew Denis Abuja

The Executive Director of Nigerian Workforce Strategy and Enlightenment Centre (NIWOSEC), Dr. David Kayode Ehindero has lambasted the Minister of  State for Labour and Productivity, Festus Kayamo (SAN) over comment on civil servants sanction. 

Recalled that the Minister during the 2022 Ministerial Service Award Programme for the labour sector in Abuja last week threatened that unproductive and incompetent civil servants will sanction henceforth.

The Minister had said ” with the performance management process put in place, it will sanction any worker discovered to be incompetent in the civil service. It will not be business as usual for unproductive civil servants.

Dr. Enhindero who is also the President of Nigeria Workers Group has taken a swift reaction to the Minister’s comment by saying ” I want to say categorically that the Federal Government should not use backdoor strategy to sanction or sack Nigerian workers because they haven’t come out with yardstick/ perimeters to measure unproductive of civil servants.

“Nigerian civil servants are ever ready to work but the Government has failed in using them to execute projects and carrying out assignments that they can do? The Government rather seeks the services of consultants and contractors to do workers job where they can siphons money. 

” So the Government should come out with platforms they will use to measure the unproductivity of civil servants let us know. I hope the Minister is not trying to play to the contentious of Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) who suggested to federal government to payoff civil servants who are 50years old and above?

The Executive Director stressed that should these ill-advised is considered by the federal government Nigerian workers will mobilize en mass to protest against it.

According to him it’s important that the government should appreciate and use workers thereby seeing them as assets to the nation. 

He said ” The Government should introduce policies and strategies that these workers can key in for development not seeing workforce as liabilities. They should conduct training and retraining for the workers routinely because when you don’t channel these workers properly you will see them as liabilities.

” the Government should deploy the service of workers and properly appropriate funds for them who are ready to work not being underutilized. 

On a related development, Dr. Ehindero stressed that the Governors Forum doesn’t have respect for the human resources in the country by calling the Federal Government to pay off workers above the age of 50years.

He said ” any nation that doesn’t have respect for human resources will end up being moribund. Human resources should be accorded with high esteem in the country.

“Governors Forum are seeing workers as liabilities and it’s bad because they are not properly utilized.

Kurama Paramount Leader Harps On Peaceful Coexistence in Kaduna

….says Peace is a magnet of development, praises Elrufai for a renewed fight against bandits

The Paramount ruler of Kurama Chiefdom, His Royal Highness Yakubu Sauri said there is nothing to be compared with Peace in our socioeconomic way of life.

Sauri harped on peace while playing a special guest during the sworn-in ceremony of the Youth wing of the Federated Kurama Association (FKA) officials in Yarkasuwa, Lere Local Government Area of Kaduna State.

Mr. Sauri who is Bugwam Kurmi ||| reiterated the need for the various ethnic nationalities domiciled in Lere Local to peacefully coexist.

According to him, no tribe is an Island, and the coming together of different tribes living in peace will bring about economic vibrancy that will attract development.

He praised the administration of Mallam Nasir Elrufai as the executive Governor of Kaduna over his urban renewal project despite insecurity challenges.

He said Mallam Nasir remains a leader to reckon with in the annals of Kaduna history whose glaring passion to serve humanity is undoubtedly evident.

Sauri enjoined the people of the state to pray for the administration of Nasir and called for support from all well-meaning Sons and Daughters of the state that can give moral backups to give much more in his efforts to serve humanity.

While calling on the newly elected Youth leaders of FKA to give a selfless service that will bring about unity of purpose among the Kurama nation and the various tribes in the Local Government, he said the leadership of what purpose is God design and the leader should consider that as His work in which He called them to do.

While administering an oath of office to swear in the new officials, Barr Yusuf Yakubu charged them to be cautious of violating the oath of office as it’s against the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

He said oath-taking is a serious matter in the Nigerian constitution and the expectation is that all sworn-in officials are to give their best by adhering to the bye-laws of FKA.

The FKA President, Mr. Dauda Barau who was in attendance during the sworn-in ceremony charged the new officials to serve with diligence and commit themselves to selfless service.

Dauda motivated them that service to Humanity is service to God and they should consider themselves privileged to be chosen by people to serve them.

In his response, the newly sworn-in Youth Leader, Mr. Bitrus (Peter) Garba said with all joy he accepted to serve the people of Kurama in the capacity of a Youth coordinator.

He promised to bring a lot of innovation to the Youth body of FKA that will cause the Kurama Youth to move with the trend of life.