Agency Report

By Aisha Gambo

Kaduna State government has shut Holiday Conference Hotel in Kaduna for accommodating drug dealers and for failing to pay its statutory land lease for five years.

Prof. Kabir Mato, Commissioner for Business, Innovation and Technology told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Kaduna that the hotel, shut on June 15, had become a centre for anti-social activities.

He said young people often walked into the hotel to buy and use illicit drugs.

He explained that the lease agreement the hotel’s management signed with the state government was to run the business for 15years on a lease expiring in February 2022.

The commissioner added, however, that the hotel had failed to pay anything to government since 2017.

“It signed an agreement for a 15-year lease which expires in February; it has been in default of payment of statutory fees for about five years.

“The agreement is mature; that is why we sealed it up because it’s a government property, government has taken over the place,’’ he said.

The commissioner commended business owners in Kaduna State for registering their business premises saying it would lead to effective and quality services by the ministry.

He urged owners of unregistered businesses to register quickly as failure to register infringed on the state’s laws and could lead to reduced access to business enhancement opportunities.

“We provide platforms and infrastructure for businesses to thrive, so business owners should reciprocate by ensuring that they register or renew their licences annually,’’ Mato said. (NAN)

News Politics

5 political reasons why Atiku prefers Okowa to Wike as a running mate

BAYO WAHAB

June 17, 2022 1:26 PM

Okowa is believed to be a gentleman whose name hardly appears in the news for controversial reasons.

Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, Former Vice President , Atiku Abubakar and Governor Nyesom Wike. (NewsNGR)

After a long wait, the Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP) Alhaji Atiku Abubakar finally settled for Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State as his running mate for the 2023 presidential election.

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Atiku and the PDP announced the development on Thursday, June 16, 2022, after weeks of speculation and permutations in the media.

Before the announcement, it had been reported that the opposition party’s National Working Committee had considered and endorsed the governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike for the position, but surprisingly, Okowa emerged as the party’s presidential candidate.

Okowa is believed to be a gentleman whose name hardly appears in the news for controversial reasons, while Wike on the other hand is believed to be a drama king.

But apart from this, there are many other reasons Atiku might have considered before choosing Okowa as his running mate. Some of the are stated below.

Okowa’s connection with the Igbos

Governor Okowa might be the number one citizen in a South-South state, he shares some ties with the Igbos in the South-East region.

First, his name, Ifeanyi is an Igbo name that means ‘nothing is too difficult for God’ when it’s written in full as ‘Ifeanyichukwu’.

As a VP candidate, the name Ifeanyi will no doubt appeal to the South-East electorate much better than the way the former President, Goodluck Jonathan 'adopted' an Igbo name, Azikiwe to pander to the sentiment of the Igbo tribe in 2011.

Again, Okowa’s affinity with the Igbos is strengthened by the fact that he is the first politician from Anioma to become the governor of Delta State.

Anioma is a community largely occupied by Igbos in Delta State, and Okowa identifying as a Delta-Igbo man can not be overlooked as he is fond of donning the red cap that traditionally belongs to the Igbos.

All of this justifies his electoral value for the PDP and cements his position as an ideal VP candidate for Atiku.

His importance in PDP

A lot of people talk about Governor Wike playing a key role in the PDP and sustaining the party’s relevance following its defeat in the 2015 general election, but Okowa too has been a key player in the party in the past seven years.

Okowa has over the year demonstrated his unwavering support and loyalty to the opposition party. He is believed to be a level-headed politician, who has never been caught in any web of political controversy.

These qualities are some of the reasons the party considered him as a member of the committee that organised the PDP Special Convention and Presidential Primary that produced Atiku as the party’s presidential candidate.

Okowa’s temperament and gentlemanly appearance are a gift for the opposition party as these may swing votes in favour of the party in the forthcoming elections.

Okowa is big in his region

As a governor of an oil-rich state, Okowa is a big name in the South-South region. He is also an influential governor among his contemporaries and counterparts in the region.

Having established a sound rapport with his colleagues in the geo-political zone as the incumbent Chairman of the South-South Governors Forum, Okowas was able to contribute immeasurably to Atiku’s emergence as the PDP's presidential candidate.

With the kind of image the governor has created for himself in the party and his region over the years, the Atiku/Okowa ticket will reasonably enjoy some support from the entire south-south and south-east region in the 2023 elections.

Atiku believes Okowa is his ideal running mate

The presidential candidate of the PDP, Atiku anchors his presidential campaign on unity and he believes Governor Okowa’s uncontroversial personality embodies the thrust of his agenda.

Speaking during the announcement of his running mate on Thursday, June 16, 2022, Atiku said his running mate should symbolize the quality to unite Nigeria.

The perceived animosity between Wike and Atiku

As stated earlier, the National Working Committee had recently recommended Wike and Okowa for Atiku as running mate options, but Atiku settled for Okowa because he reportedly believes Wike doesn’t like him.

Recall that in 2018, Wike worked against Atiku by supporting Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State to emerge as the presidential candidate of the party for the 2019 general election.

Also, Wike took advantage of his consultations with delegates ahead of the party’s primaries to take a swipe at Atiku who according to him is not loyal to the PDP because he allegedly abandoned the party after the 2019 elections.

However, going by the PDP’s National Working Committees' votes, Wike should have emerged as Atiku’s running mate because 13 members of the committee voted for him while only three endorsed Okowa.

But due to the frictions between the presidential candidate and Wike, the former VP decided to go for Okowa as his running mate.