By Aisha Gambo

The Kaduna State Government has advised citizens to report suspicious criminal activities to security agencies in the state.

Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Mr Samuel Aruwan, who gave the advice during a training for civilians and security stakeholders in Kaduna on Tuesday, said that such action would help in building peace in the state.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the training, tagged: “Securing Nigerian Community,” is organised by CLEEN Foundation, in partnership with Equal Access International.

According to him, government is trying its best to ensure peace and security in the state, adding that people should support it by giving security operatives the right information for rapid response.

“We are in challenging times; our security operatives cannot be in all the nooks and crannies of the state; that is why communities should complement the efforts of security agencies.

“We can prevent conflicts and other security challenges if we work together as well as communicate and interact with one another. The state government is open to any engagement that will bring peace,” he said.

Earlier, the Country Director, Equal Access International, Mr Maji Peters, said that the securing Nigerian community project would serve as a platform where community members and security personnel would be interacting on issues relating to peace.

Peters said that the project was aimed at working with security stakeholders by forming a community accountability forum where there would be synergy between operatives and the public.

He said that community members had important roles to play in peace building by taking proactive measures through information sharing with security agencies on any threat in their areas.

Also, the Programme Officer, CLEEN Foundation, Mr Ebere Mbaegbu, said that the purpose of the project was to secure Nigerian communities by preventing violent conflicts through strengthening early warning early response (EWER) mechanisms.

Mbaegbu said that participants would be trained for three days on EWER, strategic communication and every other thing needed to help promote peace and security in their communities.

According to him, a community accountability forum will be established at the end of the training, which will include women, youths, persons living with disabilities (PLWDs) and security personnel.

NAN reports that some of the participants expressed satisfaction with the project, saying that it was timely and would go a long way in promoting peace and security in the state.

Imam Shafiu Hassan, a religious leader from Kajuru Local Government Area, promised to be an ambassador of peace in his area and that the communities would embrace peace.

Also, Mr Titus Dauda, District Head of Kufana in Kajuru council area, said that the training would give them better understanding on how to prevent conflicts, especially by liaising with security agencies to see that peace and security of lives and property were achieved.

NAN reports that security agencies, traditional rulers, religious leaders, women groups, youths and civil society organisations were present at the event. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

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South-West PDP insists on southern presidency as Tambuwal rejects zoning

BAYO WAHAB

March 23, 2022 6:34 AM

Tambuwal says zoning the 2023 presidency would narrow the party’s chances of winning the election.

Sokoto State governor, Aminu Tambuwal [Sokoto State Government]

Members and leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the South-West region are not backing down on the demand for the 2023 presidency to be zoned to the southern part of the country.

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At its zonal caucus meeting held at the Oyo State Government House, Agodi, Ibadan, on Tuesday, March 22, 2022, the party reiterated its support for southern governors’ demand that the next president must emerge from the south.

In September 2021, the governors unanimously agreed that the 2023 presidency must be zoned to their region for the sake of justice and fairness.

Southern-Governors. (Premium Times)

The governors also threatened to oppose any political party that fields a northern candidate for president in 2023.

Corroborating the governors’ position, the South-West PDP at its meeting on Tuesday stressed its support for all efforts aimed at national cohesion through equitable distribution of federal positions and appointments among the six geo-political zones in Nigeria.

In a communique read by Olasoji Adagunodo, the PDP's National Vice-Chairman, South-West, the party said it has resolved that the unity of its members in the zone was non-negotiable.

The communique reads in part: “The PDP South-West Zone is in support of the Southern Governors’ Forum that the next President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria should come from the South.

“The South-West Zone reaffirms its position on restructuring of Nigeria.”

However, the Governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Tambuwal has rejected the idea of zoning the 2023 presidency to the south.

The governor during his consultation meeting with former presiding officers of state Houses of Assembly and the House of Representatives in Abuja on Tuesday warned the PDP to leave zoning and focus on winning elections.

Tambuwal said the PDP can rotate power between the north and the south only after it had successfully won the 2023 elections at the centre.

The governor said this barely 24 hours after PDP governors in the south-south region demandedthat the party should zone its presidential tickets to the south.

Governors Nyesom Wike of Rivers, Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta, Emmanuel Udom of Akwa Ibom and Douye Diri of Bayelsa state (TheNation)

Tambuwal said: “Now, this is for the PDP. In the South, as of today, the PDP is in eight government houses. The APC is also in eight government houses, leaving one, Anambra. In the North, the APC is in 14 government houses and the PDP is in five government houses. And they (the APC) have the President.

“I’m giving you this analysis so that together, as leaders of our party, we can work towards winning the election, not zoning, not winning tickets. Yes, we can share tickets and everybody can take his piece and go to his zone. But you must plan to win the election. That’s the reality of it. It’s not anybody’s making. I didn’t make myself come from Sokoto. No, it’s God.

“So, we must accept these realities as a party and work with these realities to win the election. After that, we can now say okay, let’s share power. Win the election first. Don’t win zoning! Win the election and then we’ll come and share power.”

The Sokoto governor advised the PDP to seek viable candidates with which it could win elections, adding that zoning the presidency would narrow the party’s chances.

According to him, the ruling party would have lost the 2015 presidential election if it had presented a southern presidential candidate.

Tambuwal is one of the main northern political leaders that seek to become Nigeria’s next president in 2023.