Home » Lokoja

Lokoja

Dangote Cement acquires 2,000 new vehicles to enhance transportation

Dangote Cement Plc has acquired 20,000 additional vehicles to enhance the distribution of the company’s cement products in the country. The company’s Spokesman, Tony Chiejine, said in a statement made available to newsmen on Monday in Lokoja that the new vehicles, made up of trucks, trailers and tippers, were acquired at a cost of $150 million US dollars. According to him, the company had recently taken delivery of another set of trucks, trailers, bulk tankers, tippers, cargo trucks and bulk cement tankers. “These assets would meet the expected increase in demand for transportation of cement to every part of the country and create employment for over 4,000 people in Nigeria,” he said. “We have acquired the new trucks in line with our new expansion capacity in Obajana, Ibese, Gboko and the ...

Pastor Adeboye hails Kogi governor’s handling of coronavirus

Pastor Enoch Adeboye, General Overseer, Redeem Christian Church of God, has lauded the governance and leadership style of Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State, describing him as a man of faith. Speaking when he visited Bello on Saturday in Lokoja, Adeboye also commended the governor for his religious tolerance. Adeboye said that the show of faith by Bello in handling the Coronavirus pandemic was a rare demonstration from a political leader. “We have heard and seen your show of faith in God, particularly in dealing with the Coronavirus. It takes the man of faith to have acted the way you did and we are very, very pleased with you. “We have also heard the news of how you have been relating to people of every faith to the extent that you built the first chapel in the Government House, Lokoja, ...

Kidnappers demand N100 million ransom for abducted Kogi council boss

The Kogi State Government has assured the family of abducted chairman of Yagba West local government council, Hon. Pius Kolawole, of its commitment to ensure his release. In a statement issued by the Commissioner for Information and Communications, Kingsley Fanwo, in Lokoja on Monday, the state government assured citizens of its avowed commitment to make Kogi the safest state in the country. Meanwhile, it was gathered that the abductors of Kolawole have demanded N100 million for his release. The abductors were said to have on Sunday night called one of the family members of the chairman to make their demands known. An unofficial source said the kidnappers had also contacted the Kogi State Chairman, Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON), Mr. Taufiq Isah, who doubled as the chai...

Kogi criminalises hawking by children during school hours

Kogi Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Mr Wemi Jones, says it is now an offence in the state for a child of school age not to be in school or seen hawking during school hour. Jones stated this on Thursday in Lokoja, at a stakeholders’ sensitisation meeting on the newly enacted Kogi State Education Law. According to Jones, the new law is contained in Section 9 of the Kogi Education Law. ”If any child is seen hawking or doing anything during school hour, that child shall be apprehended by the Special Marshals that will be put in place. “The parent or guardian of such child (must) come to give reasons why the child is not in school, and we are very serious about this,” he said. Jones said that the proliferation of private schools has become a source of concern and worry to t...

AIG Yunana Babas dies two weeks to retirement

The Assistant Inspector-General (AIG) of police in charge of Zone 8, Lokoja, Mr Yunana Babas, has died. The Acting Public Relations officer for the zone, Inspector Ruth Awi, confirmed his death to newsmen in Lokoja. She said that Babas, who was due for retirement in two weeks time died suddenly at the Federal Medical Centre, Lokoja, at about 10:30 am on Jan. 14. She said that the late AIG was in the office on Wednesday, Jan. 13, to attend to his official duty up till afternoon and later left for his house without any sign of illness. Awi said that Babas later sent for the zones photographer to come to his house to come and take some photographs. Awi explained that the photographer came back to the office later to inform them that he could not take any photograph because the AIG took ill su...

Kogi Assembly passes 2021 budget estimate of N130.54 billion into law

The Kogi House of Assembly on Tuesday passed the N130.54 billion Appropriation Bill tagged “Budget of Accelerated Recovery” into law. Newsmen report that the House considered the bill Clause-by-Clause at the “Committee of the Whole” of the House at plenary in Lokoja. Aderonke Aro (APC-Yagba West) and Chairman, House Committee on Finance, Budget Monitoring and Economic Planning, presented the committee’s report for consideration. Aro declared that Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) with genuine reasons for adjustments in their allocations were taken care of during the defence of their respective budgets. In the budget presented to the House on Dec. 1, Gov. Yahaya Bello of Kogi had said that the budget was indicative of the assessment of the amount the state could generate on its ow...

Former Kogi council chairman kidnapped

Gunmen have kidnapped a former Chairman of Olamaboro Local Government Area in Kogi, Mr Emmanuel Ekpa. The state police command spokesman, DSP William Aya, who confirmed this on Sunday in Lokoja said that Akpa was kidnapped along Ochadamu Road in Ofu Local Government Area. He said a police patrol team attached to Ofu discovered the abandoned car of the victim at Ochadamu area in the late hours of Friday, December 18. “On close scrutiny, they found an abandoned ID card in the vehicle bearing the name Emmanuel Isaac Ekpa, apparently indicating that he was kidnapped by gunmen,” Aya said. He said that the state Commissioner of Police, Mr Edeh Ayuba, had raised a team to track the kidnappers and ensure the safe rescue of Ekpa. Meanwhile, the abductors had made contact with the family of the vict...

2023: Kogi lawmakers endorse Yahaya Bello for the presidency

Less than one year into his constitutional four-year second tenure mandate as Governor of Kogi State, members of the Kogi State House of Assembly have called on Yahaya Bello to seek a higher office. The 25-member house made the unanimous call at plenary on Wednesday, 2 December, in Lokoja. Bello had on Tuesday presented a budget proposal of N130.5bn for 2021 to the lawmakers. The document was expected to gain attention of the lawmakers when they reconvened Wednesday. They however chose to delve into the uncertain waters of 2023 Presidential politics, asking the governor to throw his hat into the ring. The House in its plenary described Bello as fit for the office in view of his outstanding performances as Governor and in view of the fact that the North Central Zone has also not had the opp...

Minister condemns destruction of medical equipment in Kogi

The FCT Minister of State, Dr Ramatu Aliyu, has condemned the destruction by hoodlums of medical equipment worth billions of naira at the Central Medical Store in Kogi. Aliyu, in a statement signed by her Special Assistant on Media, Mr Austine Elemue, on Friday in Abuja, described the hoodlums as “enemies of the state”. She called on the state government to remain resolute and not be deterred by the unfortunate incident. “Government must remain resolute and be focused on repositioning the health sector for efficient service delivery,” she said. While acknowledging that the destruction was enormous, she expressed the hope that the state would bounce back better and stronger. “My heart broke when I saw the wanton destruction on our essential drugs warehouse by hoodlums. “I was particularly p...

Fire razes electrical complex in Lokoja

About three days after a tanker accident sparked an explosion that claimed 30 lives in Lokoja, a fresh tragedy has struck the city. The biggest electrical trading complex in the city Peelinks went up in flames over night. The fire disaster which an eye witness blamed on suspected electrical malfunction started around 11 pm Friday night and continued till the early hours of Saturday. From a little spark in a section of the two story building the fire quickly spread to other parts of the complex and became uncontrollable. Goods worth millions of naira were lost in the unfortunate incident. The building is located on the popular Murtala Mohammed Way in the city and the State fire service office is less than two kilometres away. No help came from the service as it is said to lack equipment. Th...

Police drag Kogi commissioner to court for ‘rape, battery’

Senior Police sources at the Force Intelligence Bureau, Force headquarters, under which the Police Gender Unit operates, on Tuesday affirmed that the Nigerian Police Force has charged the Kogi State Commissioner for Water Resources, Abdulmumuni Danga, to court for allegedly raping and assaulting a lady, among other charges, over a Facebook post. The lady, one Elizabeth Onyeniyi had petitioned the Police Force Intelligence Bureau (FIB) on her ordeal in the hands of the Kogi Commissioner and other accomplices alleging that she was not only raped, but beaten mercilessly and threatened, prompting the FIB to invite Mr. Danga to appear before the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Gender Unit, for questioning on the 2nd of June 2020, after which the Commissioner was released. It was gathered that di...

  • 1
  • 2