In response to recent comments made by Benue State Governor Hyacinth Alia regarding the security situation in the state, Mr. Terrence Kuanum, Special Adviser to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume, has issued a statement.

Alia, who was a guest on Channels Television on Friday, criticized Akume and “his cronies” for remaining silent on the growing insecurity in the state.

Akume served as governor of Benue from 1999 to 2007.

The governor claimed that an interim report from a judicial panel he set up implicated politicians based in Abuja and within the national assembly in the orchestration of attacks in the state.

Although Alia refrained from naming those indicted, he said the report would be made public by Tuesday or Wednesday next week.

In a statement released Saturday, Kuanum countered that Akume has been actively engaged in addressing security concerns in Benue and ensures that such matters are consistently brought to President Bola Tinubu’s attention.

He argued that the governor either misunderstands the workings of government or is attempting to manipulate public opinion by demanding that Akume publicly address the media on the state’s security situation.

Kuanum called on Alia to submit the names of those implicated in the report to both President Tinubu and the federal security council.

“If the Governor of Benue State has expected that the SGF would be seen in the media discussing the efforts he has been making in that regard, then it betrays either a lack of understanding of governmental administrative procedure, or he is deliberately and unfortunately seeking to manipulate public sentiments against the SGF,” the statement reads.

“As a member of the Federal Security Council His Excellency Governor Hyacinth Alia very well understands how the Federal Executive Council functions and how it is through its channels of communication and administrative action, in which the SGF is centrally involved, that several security interventions have been made to Benue State and elsewhere towards tackling insecurity.

“It is also pertinent to remind His Excellency the Governor of Benue State that those he has persistently sought to label as cronies of the SGF in Abuja, particularly those in the National Assembly, have been most vociferous on the floor of the NASS in calling attention to issues of insecurity in Benue State.

Distinguished Senators Titus Zam and Emmanuel Udende as well as members of the House of Representatives from Benue State have been up and doing consistently in keeping the issue of attacks, killings and kidnappings by suspected herdsmen, bandits and terrorists on the front burner of discussion in both chambers of the NASS.

“Those efforts by the Benue lawmakers in the NASS have resulted in a number of motions which have gotten the attention and action of the Federal Executive Council.

“By his official designation, the SGF is permitted more of asymmetrical contributions to the scourge of insecurity in Nigeria, which yields more telling impact, than if he were to be mounting the rostrum to publicly discuss what he does regarding the matter.

“On the allegations by His Excellency the Governor that the report of his Panel of Inquiry indicts certain persons of complicity in fuelling insecurity in a part of Benue State, it is noteworthy that by administrative procedure, such reports are taken through stages of vetting and gazetting into a White Paper before their content may be deemed as a credible and official position of Government.

“But since His Excellency the Governor has chosen, perhaps as a result of how burning the issue is, to let the cat out of the bag before the administrative procedure, we urge him to make good on his word and expose those involved in the crime of aiding and abetting insecurity in his state.

His Excellency the Governor of Benue State must understand that his allegations and preemptive indictment of the persons so fingered now carry the weight of national security concern and must be treated as such.

“He should forward to His Excellency the President and to the Federal Security Council the names of those so indicted and their roles in sponsoring, aiding and abetting insecurity in Benue State as he claimed, and should also bring it publicly to the attention of the whole world who those enemies of Benue State are,” he stated.

……He described the civil war as the most difficult period of his life.

“The Biafra civil war was never my choice”, the Former military Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon has declared.

Recall that Gowon was presiding over the affairs of Nigeria during the civil war from July 6, 1967 to January 15, 1970.

The former ruler spoke after he was honoured with a Life Time Integrity and Achievement Award at the 5th Convention of the Christian Men’s Fellowship, Abuja Anglican Diocese on Saturday in Abuja.

Gowon explained that he prosecuted the civil war due to the urgency to preserve national unity.

The former ruler called for forgiveness, reconciliation and unity across faiths and ethnicities.

He said: “I always remember the civil war. It was the most difficult period of my life.

“It was not my choice, but I had to be there, and had to do what I did in order to keep this country together.

“It was never a hatred against any people, I can assure you.”

Reflecting on life after that period, the former Head of State stressed that his decisions had often been guided by prayers and a desire to act with integrity and compassion.

“As far as this heart is concerned, everything that I do, it is through prayers.

“I ask God to help me to do the right thing the way He thinks it should be done, with love and respect for all the people.

“That is why at the end, what do we have to say? As they say: no victor, no vanquished,” he added.

Minister of Power Adebayo Adelabu proudly highlighted the accomplishments of his ministry during his tenure.

Adelabu celebrated the ministry’s successes since taking charge a few years ago.

Minister Adelabu announced that the ministry achieved an additional N200 billion in revenue in 2024, as reported by Saturday Tribune.

But many Lagos residents, especially consumers in the power sector, do not share in the minister’s excitement.

Of late, it has been a litany of woes from the consumers, who insist that the reforms introduced by the minister since assuming office have left them worse off.

They can no longer use their freezers, pressing irons and other energy-sapping appliances.

Unfortunately, they believe the minister has abandoned them to the whims and caprices of the distribution companies (DisCos) in the state.

The DisCos, they claim, have continued to rip them off under the noses of the minister and other relevant regulatory authorities in the sector.

Some of them argue that despite being placed on Band A, they have been contending with epileptic power supply in their localities.

Recently, residents of Aguda and Ayetoro CDA in Surulere expressed their displeasure over exorbitant electricity bills despite poor power supply to the supposedly Band A consumers.

They allege that they receive less than 10 hours of electricity daily, instead of the over 20 hours meant for Band A consumers. Besides, they claim that N10,000 worth of electricity units last less than two hours.

They are therefore calling on the Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC) to return them to Band C, where they believe they truly belong based on the hours of electricity their community receives.

“What they are giving us is even more than our house rent. If you load N10,000 now, it won’t last two hours. Despite the high tariff, we are not getting electricity adequately,” Mr. Jimoh Ajala, the Aguda CDA leader, lamented in a video.

Ajala said, “I am here because of EKEDC. This is a residential area, not commercial. Like yesterday, they took the light four times for four hours each. We are requesting that the DisCo should return us to Band B or C. The tariff is for commercial users and we are not; we are residential.”

Another resident, Adeyanju from Ayetoro CDA, corroborated Ajala’s claims, saying that what they pay for electricity is more than their house rent.

“We are paying more than our house rent for light. This is killing us. They should return us to Band D,” he said.

Jimoh Ajala and other Aguda CDA residents in Surulere protested at the Ikoyi Federal High Court, demanding government action against their exorbitant electricity bills.Interestingly, they are not alone.

Many Lagos residents are finding it increasingly difficult to pay their electricity bills due to several factors, including the harsh economy, rising inflation, high transportation costs and rent, among others.

Source: Saturday Tribune