Niger Gov. directs demolition of structures on water pipelines

From Yakubu Mustapha

Minna

Niger State Governor Abubakar Sani Bello has directed the Ministry of Lands and its Water Resources counterpart to ensure that the Chanchaga Police Divisional

Headquarters and all other buildings on water pipeline in the area are pull down.

The Governor gave the directives when he inspected a bursted water pipeline located at the Police station which has prevented the supply of water to not less than 200 residents in the area.

He expressed displeasure on why structures including a Police station will be built on water pipeline which leads to one of the biggest reservoirs in Minna that supplies water to homes, describing the situation as unfortunate.

He reiterated that his administration in 2016, made a lot of investments in buying low and high lift pumps as well as other accessories to ensure adequate and constant clean water supply to the people, saying, that not being able to pump water due to bursted pipe is not encouraging.

The Managing Director Niger state Water and Sewage Corporation, Hassan Mohammed Chado, explained that the bursted water pipeline was laid over 40 years ago, pointing out that there was no building around the area at the time.

From

Abubakar Yunusa

The Convener of the Northern Elders Forum (NEF), Prof. Ango Abdullahi, has warned that any attempt to subvert the conduct of a free, fair, and credible election will be countered.

Abdullahi gave the warning at the General Assembly and 10th Anniversary Celebration of the Northern Elders Forum, held at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre in Abuja on Wednesday.

He said the North had given its support and had “rubbed more backs” of leaders from other regions of the country without sentiments.

He added that those warning the North against their aspirations to the Presidency had no right to do so, as it was also their right to contest the office, as many times as they wished to.

The NEF convener also called for the acceptance of the presidency of whoever emerged at the end of the conduct of the election without sentiments, stating that elections should only be won based only on thumbprints.

“The constitution is very clear that I can stand the election twenty times, and I can lose twenty times. But nothing should stop me from contesting elections if I want. Then when you look at it in terms of well, ‘do me I do you’, rub my back and I rub yours, the North has rubbed more backs than its back has been rubbed. Even if you are talking about the years in power from 1999 till date, Obasanjo did eight years; Jonathan six, that is 14; Umaru two, and now Buhari eight years. So, I am being owed even in the number of years, four years.

“The issue should not have been we are not qualified to contest, we have no right to contest. Certainly, this is the reason we are saying now that the issue in the Nigerian political environment, must be based on democratic tenets only. There should be no issue of reserving anything for anybody. If you win an election, you win on the basis of this thumbprint. If you win, we will accept.

“But for us to begin to see threats that if this happens, and we do not like it, we’ll do something negative, we are warning that the election will be contested hopefully free and fair, and credible. And anybody who wins the election must be accepted as the winner of the election, without sentiments. And if there is any attempt to subvert it, then we’ll be ready to also counter,” he said.