… As CSOs urge FG to tackle oil pollution***
Zamfara has trained 5,000 women and youths in modern fish farming under Gov. Bello Matawalle’s Youths Farmers Empowerment Scheme.
The latest set of trainees was given fish farming equipment worth millions of Naira in Gusau on Sunday.
The newsmen report that the training was organised and sponsored by the Commissioner for Finance, Sufiyanu Yuguda.
The Head of Service, Kabiru-Muhammad Gayari, who represented the governor at the distribution of equipment, urged the trainees to use the training given to them judiciously.
He said the training was one government’s numerous empowerment schemes designed to eradicate unemployment and idleness among youths and to reduce their over-dependence on the government.
“It is our hope that the participants will use both skills and equipment given to them to become self-reliant and establish their own businesses,’’ Gayari said.
The Emir of Gusau, Alhaji Ibrahim Bello, who was present at the occasion, commended the finance commissioner for sponsoring the programme.
He urged other political office holders to emulate Yuguda to reduce unemployment and poverty in the state.
Special Adviser to Gov. Matawalle on political matters, Ibrahim Ma’aji, who represented the All Progressives Congress (APC) chairman in Zamfara, Alhaji Tukur Danfulani described Gov. Matawalle’s administration as youths and women oriented.
He said the APC is proud of the government in the state considering various development programme initiated for the masses.
Earlier, Yuguda said he dedicated the project to Matawalle.
“This is one of the laudable blueprints of Matawalle-led administration in the state to help to promote income-generation by the poor and the vulnerable.
“We will continue to do more to ensure that the dividends of democracy got to the common man.
“After this training, there will be a follow-up to access the sustainability of the project for us to register another set of the beneficiaries,’’ Yuguda said.
Aliyu Umar and Umaima Ibrahim who spoke on behalf of the beneficiaries commended Gov. Matawalle and Yuguda for giving them the opportunity to improve on their lives.
In another development, a coalition of Civil Societies, Publish What You Pay (PWYP), has called on the Federal Government to resolve the oil pollution in the Niger Delta, its attendant environmental impacts and climate disasters.
The National Coordinator of (PWYP), Mr Taiwo Otitolaye, made the call in a statement in Abuja on Saturday.
According to Otitolaye, It is time for the Nigerian government to unmask the long years of inefficiency and low capacity to resolve the oil pollution in the Niger Delta, its attendant environmental impacts and climate disasters.
The newsmen report that the PWYP is a coalition of civil societies that is championing transparency and accountability in the extractive industry.
It has championed this through the scrutiny of revenue payments and receipts, tracking and accessibility to such records and publicity as the case may be.
PWYP National coordinator said, “What is urgently needed is stoppage of the spills, mitigation, restitution and adequate compensation to the communities, and the environment.
“This is another exposure of lily-livered politicians and leadership camouflaging as representatives of the people.
“The recently enacted Petroleum Industry’s Act (PIA) should not be another idle roll call register, it must be effectively used to regulate irregularities in the oil and gas sector.
“Political will must not only be exercised to aggravate the sufferings of the citizenry through petroleum price increases without benefits and corresponding development,” he said.
