NEPA booed on Workers Day in Jos

The Worker’s Day celebration was held in Plateau State Nigeria, as it was in the remaining 35 states of the federation and around the world.

Usually the event is marked by a march-pass by different trade unions. The electric power authority, Power Holdings of Nigeria popularly known as NEPA, their old name, was booed by the crowd to show lack of approval for their poor services which has complicated the Nigerian economic problems. The NEPA delegation compounded their situation when they sang one song that is popularly with football fans, ‘ole ole ole ole…… ole…. Ole…….’

Pensioners matched normally and later gave a speech in which they expressed their appreciation to the administration of the state for ending their woes of a very long time.
Teachers marched but refused to sing any song. It was protest to the neglect of their profession by successive administration.

Governor Jang Cuts Curfew Hours

Governor Jonah David Jang of Plateau State has further cut down the curfew hours by two. The announcement monitored on local radio says that the nine-hour curfew from 9 PM to 6 AM has now been reduced to seven hours starting from 11 PM to 6 AM.

Jang imposed a curfew in November last year when fighting broke out in parts of Jos-North following grassroots election. Jang had last year joked that he has realized that the curfew has strengthen families as fathers now go home early and as such he will not lift the restriction. Though the announcement was said jokingly the Governor appeared to have lived up to the statement. With the latest announcement, well meaning persons now feel that the curfew can as well last forever as no responsible persons will stay out beyond 11 PM except on essential duty.

Plateau State Executive Council Now Has Three New Members

The Plateau State Executive Council now has three new Commissioners. These are Professor Barnabas Mandong, Gregory Nyelong and Gayus Chidawa. This is an outcome of a moderate restructuring of the cabinet undertaken by the Governor and father of the state, Retired Air Commodore Jonah David Jang.

In the reorganization, the environment portfolio of the Ministry of Housing and Environment has been matched with the Ministry of Tourism and Culture. The Deputy Governor, Madam Pauline Tallen, ceded her additional responsibility as the Commissioner of Education. The Commissioner of Housing and Environment, Barrister Nankim Bagudu moves to Commerce and Industry while Na’Allah Mudbam of Commerce and Industry moves to Agriculture and Natural Resources. Nuhu Gagara of Information moves to Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters made vacant when Governor Jang fired the Commissioner, Benahel Andong late last year. Angela Miri, formerly of Health, moves to the Ministry of Education. Three voids were thus created in Information and Communication, Health and Housing and have been subsequently occupied by Nyelong, Mandong and Chidawa respectively.

ECWA National Women Conference Ends

The Plateau District Church Council (DCC) has successfully hosted the ninth edition of the tri-annual ECWA National Women’s Fellowship Conference. The conference with the theme “Vessels of Honor” taken from II Timothy 2: 20-21 was held at Kerker in Jos East Local Government Area of Plateau State. Between the 9th and the 12th of April 19, 2009 Kerker was totally painted in the camouflage colors of the traditional ECWA women uniform transforming the venue to a place of not just spiritual enrichment but economic as well as it became a beehive of businesses providing support services like the sales of foods and drinks, gospel related books, tapes and souvenirs. Commercial vehicle operators were also busy carrying people to and from the city of Jos throughout the four days of the event.

The conference could be said to be one of the biggest crowd puller of all ECWA events in view of the fact that the strength of most churches, by-and-large, are the women. The extensive geographical spread of the participants underscores the extent to which the church has grown since it was founded by the Sudan Interior Mission in 1903. The participants came from 73 DCCs with the exception of the fourth located in Washington DC United States of America. To paint a graphic picture, a DCC is made up of Local Church Councils (LCC) which in turn are made up of Local Church Branches (LCBs). In all about 15, 000 individual participants attended the convention.

The need to host an enormous conference such as this still revolves around the primary aim of the church, evangelism with the ultimate goal of winning souls that have not known Christ. Hence the foremost activities at the conference involved rendition of praise songs on to the Lord, sermons, and donations for the sake of the continued financing of future evangelism. According to the duo of Mama Elizabeth Dalhatu Abdu and Hannatu Audu, National Leader and Secretary respectively, the events were recorded in audio and video storage devices. These will be distributed so that the word will travel beyond the perimeters of the conference venue to possibly all parts of the world were it is expected that more souls would be won through playing them. She also is of the deep conviction that peace as enjoyed within family circles today, is a direct consequence of the teachings of evangelism that has encourage mutual respect between husbands and their spouses.

The women leaders are full of thanks and praises to the Lord to whom they give the glory for the success of the conference. With His support, the DCC successfully bought the conference venue, a large expanse of land running to about 500, 000 m2 at Kerker in Jos East. It also had to drill three motorized boreholes in addition to buying canopies and chairs to shelter the multitude of participants.

According to Mrs. Abdu, whatever is acquired by the church today is an investment to enhance evangelism tomorrow and demonstrate love to those in need. It is the reason why the large expanse of land will be used to host subsequent conferences and serve as future gospel crusades venues. In line with the biblical teachings of loving your neighbor, the boreholes will be dedicated to serving the water needs of the surrounding rural community of Kerker village. Everything is about love and salvation.

Attempted Assassins of Abraham Adesanya Sentenced

Two men Aminu Mohammed and Lateef Sonfolahon who attempted the assassination of the leader of Afenifere, Abraham Adesanya in 1997 have been jailed for 28 and 31 years respectively. The two men who have been standing trial for past ten years were sentenced by Justice Olusola Williams yesterday March 8, 2007. Aminu Mohammed was a member of the late Military Dictator General Sani Abacha’s dead squad. The court based its judgment on confessions of Aminu Mohammed and testimonies of star witness, Barnabas Mshelia a.k.a Sergeant Rogers who himself is notorious for been the trigger man of the Abacha killer squad of the 90s. Lateef sofolahon was a Personal Assistant to late Kudirat Abiola, allegedly assassinated by the Abacha dead squad with Sergeant Rogers as the trigger man and was an accomplice by virtue of being an informant

Plateau State Commission of Enquiry under Life Threat

The life of the Lead council of the Prince bola Ajibola Commission of Enquiry into the Jos crisis of November 2008 is under threat. Some persons who apparently, are not happy with the commissions efforts towards unearthing the mastermind of the crisis have stormed the residence of the Lead Council to the commission, Charles Obishe, with arms on the night of Thursday 19 at about 10 pm local time.

Death of Gbong Gwom, Plateau State Govt. and The Federal Govt.

Following the challenge of the decision of the Federal Government to Investigate the Jos North Crisis of November 28 last year by the Plateau State Government, there has been tension between the Plateau State Government and the Federal Government. The tension further worsened when members of the Peoples Democratic Party at the national level advised that the Plateau State Government withdraw the case from court on grounds of PDP brotherhood.

Certain persons in Plateau State, who felt they have been left on the touch line as far as the events in the state’s PDP are concerned, decided to take advantage of the crack between the two tiers of the PDP to find relevance. They decided to declare the existence of two factions of the party with the Governor and the party Chairman in a faction they referred to as unrecognized and they in the second and recognized faction. These persons felt they will easily get endorsement from the party’s national body in view of the disagreement between it and the state’s branch. It only worked to compound fear of the unknown in the state especially among well meaning persons.

The death of the Gbong Gwom Jos, Da Victor Pam on March 6 turned out to be a disappointment as a result of the loss his demise caused the people of the state. On the other hand, it appears the exit of the humble traditional ruler from the sinful planet might be the healing balm for the friction between the state and the federal governments. This is because the President wasted no time in personally coming to Jos to pay his condolence to the people of the state demonstrating that he is indeed a friend of the Plateau people. It was during that visit that his convoy was stoned by some misguided hoodlums.

Another key official of the Federal Government, the Chief of Army Staff, Gen. Danbazzau paid the people of Plateau State a condolence visit too, finally laying bare the fact that all is now well. The action of the Federal Government is indeed commendable. Plateau State has been a friend of Yar’adua. They demonstrated this by the massive amount of votes they gave him during the Presidential elections of April 2007.