In demonstration of its commitment to
enhancing community resilience against flood disaster, the Nigerian Red Cross Society (NRCS) has conducted a comprehensive simulation exercise for Flood-prone communities in Kogi State.

The exercise which was in collaboration with the European Union Humanitarian Aid ECHO was aimed at training the communities on how to respond to early warnings, implement evacuation procedures, and further reinforce confidence in their preparedness and response capabilities.

The Disaster Management Officer , Nwaoha Charity of Red Cross Society, Abuja disclosed this on Tuesday while speaking in a chat with journalists at a training and simulation exercise at Akpaku and Shintaku communities in Kogi and Bassa Local Government Areas of Kogi State, respectively.

Nwaoha explained that the program tagged, “Early Warning, Early Action” EWEA, had become necessary for residents of riverine communities following the unabated rise in the water level of the Rivers Niger and Benue as result of heavy downpour recorded across the country.

The NRCS simulation exercise involves using early warnings to initiate activities like distributing aid, building capacity through training, and improving community awareness before a disaster strikes, which helps protect people and their livelihoods.

She noted that the sudden nature of flood disaster requires that the residents be kept on their toes through Sensitization, stressing the need to train them on how to prevent disasters and manage the situation at all times in the event of flooding in their communities.

The DMO noted that apart from the simulation exercise and training, the Nigerian Red Cross has also installed Water gauges to monitor the rising level of water at the river to put the communities on red alert.

She pointed out that the Nigerian Red Cross Society and IFRC are jointly implementing the project in three states identified as prone to flooding, including Bayelsa, Kogi and Lagos respectively in 12 local government areas and 24 vulnerable riverine communities.

The Branch Secretary, Nigerian Red Cross Society, Mr. Danjuma Ahmed explained that the importance of the simulation exercise was to reduce the impact of floods on vulnerable populations and improve recovery timelines, adding that it’s also a platform for agencies to evaluate their flood response plans, share lessons learnt, and strengthen collaborations.

The Ohimege Igu of Koton Karfe, HRH Seidu Akawu, represented by the Ochotakpin of Koton Karfe, High Chief Hassan Ibrahim, while appreciating the Nigerian Red Society for the training, expressed gratitude on behalf of the Akpaku and Kashinuy communities for the exercise.

“With the simulation exercise we have seen this afternoon, it’s a clear demonstration of how our people could manage the situation in case there is flooding”, he noted .

He commended the organization for the installation of water gauge to monitor the water level of the river in various communities and start relocating to higher ground .

In the same vein, the traditional ruler of Shintaku and Gande, HRH Yahaya Umaru thanked the Red Cross for putting the riverine communities on red alert and trained them on quick response techniques to tackle the crises and manage the disaster.

He expressed gratitude to the NRCS for conducting the exercise, noting that it has given them valuable knowledge on how to react and stay safe during flooding.

The communities appealed to the State government to provide relief materials for flood-affected persons and to support organisations working to complement official interventions

Earlier on Saturday, the Society held a meeting with relevant stakeholders such as the IFRC, SEMA, NEMA, NASRDA, NIMET, Community Leaders, Security Agencies and the media on disaster management response.

The NRCS Kogi State Branch Chairman Mr. Benjamin Ajodo in his welcome address explained that the meeting was a strategic move to deepen understanding and also strengthen inter-agency coordination and collaboration amongst agencies in response to emergencies in the state. assess the operational readiness of emergency response teams in a severe flood situation.

In his remarks at the occasion, the Executive Secretary, Kogi State Emergency Management Agency, Mr. Mouktar Atima applauded the NRCS for constantly ensuring the safety of lives and property in the state.

While speaking on the efforts being put in place by the SEMA to mitigate the effect of the impending flood on communities prone to flooding, Mr. Atima emphasised that Governor Usman Ododo has demonstrated strong commitment to mitigating the effect of flooding and other disasters on the people.

Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo, in a message to the meeting reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to safeguarding lives and assets, noting that the government would support awareness initiatives aimed at educating the public about protective strategies for natural disasters.

Represented by the Special Adviser to the governor on Emergency Management, Alhaji Muhammed Shuaibu, Governor Ododo said the “Early Warning, Early Action” slogan was in tandem with the state government’s action-based program of safety of lives and property.

He highlighted some measures being implemented by his administration to boost the management of impacts of disasters on affected persons, including sensitization, advocacy and enlightenment programs.

Gov. Ododo emphasized the importance of individuals consistently implementing safety precautions and developing routines that would improve safety and safeguard lives and property in the state, and promised to provide immediate relief to affected communities.

By Musa Solomon.

The Kogi State Government is set to henceforth sanction any school that bypasses the State Ministry of Education in the registration of National Examination Council (NECO) Examination.

The State Commissioner for Education Mr. Wemi Jones made this known on Tuesday during a meeting with some school heads in Lokoja.

He stated that the State Government has invested a lot of funds in Education and will not allow bad elements in the sector to sabotage the gains already made in the education ecosystem.

The Commissioner who was represented by the Acting Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Mrs. Barikisu Omolayo Onazare, noted that the State Government allocation of 30% of the State Annual Budget to Education was to ensure that every child of school age had access to quality, accessible and affordable education and would not tolerate anyone that wants to draw the hands of the clock back.

According to him, bypassing the Ministry in NECO or any other Examination registration would henceforth be regarded as a serious offence by the Ministry.

Speaking earlier, the NECO Desk officer Mr. Paul Baba said some schools in the State deliberately bypassed the Ministry in the 2025 NECO Registration.

He decried the unwholesome attitude of some schools in trying to undermine the Ministry by conniving with NECO staff in the State to sabotage the Ministry and the State Government.

According to him, the ministry is aware of a syndicate in the State NECO office who connive with them to collect half of the money meant for clearance in the Ministry and clear them without clearance from the Ministry.

He noted that this will not be allowed to continue as the Ministry might consider writing to the NECO headquarters to stop such Schools from writing the Examination.

Responding, representative of one of the Schools in attendance, Mr Sunday Joseph of Demonstration Standard College, Onyukoko, Okene pleaded for lenience on behalf of the Schools and promised that such ugly trends would not happen again.

Family of late Bilyaminu Ahmed Bello have expressed deep sorrow and disappointment over the presidential pardon granted to Maryam Sanda, the convicted murderer of their loved one.

President Ahmed Bola Tinubu in a recent exercise of the Presidential Prerogative of Mercy, granted clemency to 175 convicted persons serving various jail terms across the country, including some on death row and a few posthumously pardoned.

In a statement titled, “When Prerogative Of Mercy Becomes An Affliction Of Pain”, signed by Ademola Adekusibe, the family described the decision as an “affliction of pain” and a “cruel reopening of old wounds.”

Core News recalls that Maryam Sanda was convicted and sentenced to death by the FCT High Court on January 27, 2020, for the premeditated murder of Bilyaminu Ahmed Bello on Sunday, 19th November 2017.

Not satisfied with the ruling, the accused approached the Federal Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court on December 4, 2020, and October 27, 2023, respectively, where the conviction was upheld.

The Bello family however expressed deep disappointment and pain over the presidential pardon, stating that it sends a chilling message that life may mean little in a nation that swore to uphold the rule of law.

They described the pardon as a situation where “justice is turned on its head,” allowing a convicted murderer to walk free barely years after taking a life in cold blood.

The family raised concerns about the potential impact of the pardon on the nation’s justice system and the value placed on human life.

“Among the names on that list, one struck our family with deep sorrow and disbelief: Maryam Sanda, who was convicted and sentenced to death by the FCT High Court on Monday, 27th January 2020, for the premeditated and cold-blooded murder of her husband and our beloved family member, the late Bilyaminu Ahmed Bello”.

“Yet, this latest decision by the Federal Government has cruelly reopened old wounds. To see Maryam Sanda, a woman found guilty beyond reasonable doubt, walk free and unmarked by the enormity of her crime is to witness justice turned on its head. Her release, barely years after taking a life in cold blood, sends a chilling message that life itself may mean little in a nation that swore to uphold the rule of law.”

“We issue this statement not to rekindle animosity but to humanise Bilyaminu, a loving son, brother, and father whose memory must not be erased or reduced to a mere statistic. The justification that Maryam’s pardon followed appeals from her family must be weighed against the immeasurable pain inflicted upon ours.

Let it not be forgotten that the same children now used to elicit sympathy and mercy were once denied the affection and presence of their father by the very hand that took his life.”

“As a family, we are left deeply wounded by this decision, which appears to prioritise appeasement over accountability, mercy over justice. In extending compassion to a convicted murderer, the state has inflicted a new and inexorable pain upon the family, friends, and loved ones of Bilyaminu Ahmed Bello, whose only crime was to love and trust the wrong person”.

They urged the state to prioritize accountability and justice over appeasement, stating that the pardon has inflicted a new and inexorable pain upon the family, friends, and loved ones of Bilyaminu Ahmed Bello.

While reminiscing on the fond memory of their late son, the family described Bilyaminu as a loving son, brother, and father whose memory must not be erased or reduced to a mere statistic.