By Suleiman Yakubu

Niger State Governor, Mohammed Umaru Bago, has advocated for 13 percent derivation benefits for all federally conducted economic activities in the state.
He requested N1 trillion as compensation for the state in the next three months and revealed that if the demand has not been met, the state government has no option but to drag the federal government to court and enforce its rights.
The governor made the demand when officials of the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants, and Internally Displaced Persons (NCRNIDP) paid him a working visit at Government House, Minna.
He said 75 percent of the land and resources of the state were under the full exploitation of the federal government and called for a special benefit for the people of the state, who suffer daily from the consequences of such exploitation.
He said the state and its people have been pushed to the wall and may act if the federal government refuses to address the grievances and glaring suffering the state has been contending with over the years.
The governor said, "Our people are ravaged and displaced year in and year out because of the flow of water from Niger to the Delta, and that's why it's called the Niger Delta, where the oil comes. We have four hydroelectric dams, and we don't have a derivation for power; instead, we've been ransacked and displaced.
"So we have two options; the first is to sit on a round table and discuss. The second option is to cut off power. We must be compensated. Our people have sacrificed enough for Nigeria, and we need to be compensated".
The governor said 75 percent of the federal capital territory was 'carted" away from the state and yet no one was compensated, describing the situation as 'absolutely absurd ', reiterating the need for special federal attention to assuage the feeling of years of neglect and abandonment.
"This is not acceptable. For the past four years, a 100-kilometre road linking Minna to Abuja has been under construction by the federal government. We have three million truck movements every month, traversing from north to south. The only inland water port in the north, the Baro port in Niger State, has been neglected. How can we continue this way?
"The federal government is going to pay N1 trillion for hydrocarbon exchange. They must do that in the next three months. The only thing we will do if they cannot pay us is to shut down the hydroelectric dams. We are going to take the federal government to court if 13 percent of the derivation from our land, water,air, grass, and everything else is not paid", the governor thundered.
He thanked his guests for the visit and assured them of his administration's commitment to match every intervention the commission made in the state.
The Federal Commissioner of the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants, and Internally Displaced Persons, Tijani Aliyu Ahmed, said they were in the state to distribute relief materials to IDPs in the state.
He said 700 households from the various IDP camps in the state will benefit from the items provided. He further disclosed that the 2024 budget contained special funds for state interventions.
The federal commissioner said, based on the commission's findings, there are not less than 64,000 IDPs at various camps in the state.
Items distributed were 572 bags of rice, 572 cartons of spaghetti, 572 bags of semovita, 144 bags of garri, 96 cartons of vegetable oil, 91 cartons of seasoning, 58 bags of Salt Lake City, and 1 solar-powered borehole.

By Suleiman Yakubu

Niger State Commissioner of Information and Strategy, Hon. Binta Mamman, has urged journalists to join the state's new urban renewal drive through their reportage and advice.
Hon. Binta said this when she paid a courtesy call to the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Niger State Council at the IBB Pen House, Minna, on Tuesday.
She said that through their reportage, they would correct many wrongdoings, and their advice would ensure that the government takes the right decisions.
According to her, there is no way that her office will perform without the support of the members of the fourth estate of the realm, adding that the essence of her visit was to seek their support, partnership, and synergy.
She assured the NUJ that the present government, led by Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago, has the political will, zeal, and commitment to change the narrative and that journalists have a critical role to play by portraying the state in a good light in order to attract investors.
The commissioner said that she was working within her powers to ensure that the state-owned media houses were revamped and functional.
She said that the training and retraining of journalists, among other welfare packages, were critical to the functionality of journalists and would be looked into.
The Chairman of NUJ, Comrade Abu Nmodu, while responding, said that the visit was timely as the council was holding its monthly congress and highlighted some of the challenges facing the state-owned media outfits, including a shortage of manpower and obsolete equipment, among others.
Comrade Nmodu appealed to the government to invest in the media houses and to grant them partial exemption from the Treasury Single Account (TSA), as it was an impediment to their ability to carry out their statutory functions.
Other speakers who spoke separately included the Permanent Secretary, Hajiya Aishatu Nuhu Yarwa; Director Administration, Hajiya Su'ad Lami Yakawu; and Director Information Services, Mrs. Joan Hassana Kpetu, who commended the commissioner for being the one who paid the visit rather than waiting for the NUJ to visit her.
They assured her that the NUJ would not let her down, as they would synergize with the ministry.