Nasarawa govt open to private partnership – Deputy governor

FRANCIS NANSAK, Keffi |

The deputy governor of Nasarawa State, Hon. Silas Agara, has said that the state government would continue to create enabling environment to persons and organisations who would want to invest in the state.
He made this remark in Keffi during the official opening ceremony of Sawalino Hotels and Suites along Keffi-Akwanga Expressway.
Agara expressed profound appreciation to the management of the hotel whom he described as contributors to the development in the state by their vision, which, he claimed, would in no small measure boost the economic and the revenue base of the state.
“Nasarawa State government is committed towards encouraging public-private partnership (PPP) for the purpose of sustainable development and as such the present administration of his Excellency, Governor Umaru Tanko Al-Makura will extend and support any individual and organisation that is ready to invest in the state”.
The deputy governor, who officially performed the cutting of the tape to declare the opening of business, added that the state would collaborate with hospitality industries in order to boost Nasarawa State socio-economic development and its cultural heritage and also enhance its tourism potentials located in Wamba, Keana, Akwanga, Karu and in Keffi, in order to make the tourism industry more attractive to the international community.
Earlier, the chairman and chief executive officer of Sawalino Hotel, Zakka Audu, said that what was started seven years ago when Keffi was identified as a potential location for the development of hospitality business had finally come to fruition.
He also said 30% of the workforce that would be recruited in the hotel would be exclusively reserved for Nasarawa indigenes and that they will continue to support the government with ideas that can boost tourism in the state.

Calabar residents seek immediate refuse evacuation

Some residents of Calabar have urged the state government to evacuate the heaps of refuse littering the streets in the state capital.
They made the call in Calabar, yesterday.
The residents said that evacuation of refuse had become imperative for the city to regain its clean and green status.
An electrician, Mr Emmanuel Ekpenyong, said that a lot of places in the metropolis were dirty because of non-evacuation of the refuse.
“If you go to a place such as Watt Market, you can see heaps of refuse. The resurfacing of these heaps of refuse are worrisome.
“Some other areas in Calabar South are also very untidy. So, I believe that the government should increase the tempo in the refuse evacuation and disposal.”
According to him, government’s use of “direct labour” in refuse disposal in the city is not yielding the much-desired results.
A fashion designer, in Mile 8 Area, Mrs Maria Adie, decried the irregular evacuation of refuse in the area since the new administration assumed office.
“When the new governor announced that refuse would be evacuated in the night, we were happy because we presumed that everywhere would be clean and dry.
“But for some time now, you will see heaps of refuse littering everywhere and it takes some days, and sometimes weeks, before they are cleared. I think it is not good. Government should do something to change this situation,” Adie said.
A taxi driver, Mr Sunday Daniel, also decried the presence of refuse heaps in some parts of the city, describing it as worrisome.
Daniel noted that the present situation was unexpected because Calabar is a tourism destination, stressing that areas such as Calabar South needed some urgent attention.
Reacting to the situation, Mr Christian Ita, the chief press secretary to governor, said the state government was reforming its waste collection and disposal system to make it more effective.
Ita, while admitting that there was dirt in some streets of Calabar, said, however, that “generally the state remained clean and green.
“It may interest you to know that the current administration is reforming its waste collection and disposal approach.
“The administration is seeking to remove bins from the streets and replace them with home bins; this is to ensure that no heaps are found anywhere in the city,” Ita said.

Near extinction of Bonga fish: Fishermen seek FG’s intervention

The Artisan Fishermen Association of Nigeria (ARFAN) has called on the Federal Government to forestall Bonga fish species from going into extinction in the Nigerian territorial waters.
ARFAN coordinator in the Niger Delta, Samuel Ayadi, made the call in Yenagoa, yesterday.
Ayadi said that the association resolved to seek government’s assistance on the issue to preserve their trade.
“We want the Federal Institute of Fisheries and Marine Research to seek ways and means of breeding and re-introducing the species to the Nigerian territorial waters,” Ayadi suggested.
According him, it is an irony that the Bonga fish, a local species noted for its unique taste, is being wiped out by the contamination from an oil field named after it.
“The Bonga fish, which is common along the West African coastline, has disappeared from our menu for the past four years due to the adverse effect of the Bonga oil field spill.
“The near extinction of Bonga from our waters is a big blow to us. We are at the verge of losing our traditional fishing occupation because of the disappearance of the species. Bonga was the main fish species that our members caught and depended on,” he said.
Ayadi also said that the fishermen needed government’s assistance to boost fish production in the country now that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) had stopped issuance of foreign exchange to fish importers.
He stressed the need to follow up the policy by empowering fishermen to produce more fish to meet the anticipated demand occasioned by the import restriction.
It would be recalled that an oil spill from an offshore facility belonging to Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCO) discharged 40,000 barrels of crude into the Atlantic in December 2011.
The incident, which polluted the ocean and destroyed fish species, compelled fishermen in the Niger Delta to desert the sea.
The House of Representatives in December 2014 recommended $3.96 billion compensation yet to be paid to the victims of the incident, including the fishermen.