As the controversy over the ban on the sales, distribution, and consumption of alcohol in Suleja Local Government Area of Niger State rages on, the Chairman of the Council, Alhaji Ishaku Bawa Naibi, has insisted that his administration at the council will continue to enforce the law banning or prohibiting the sales and consumption of beer and other related beverages in the area, adding that there is an existing law backing his decision.
The Chairman said his Council is merely enforcing an existing law that was in operation before the coming of the incumbent Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago-led administration in the state and thereby vowed to enforce it within the ambit of the existing liquor law in the state.
According to him, the law banning the sales and consumption of alcohol in the state had been in existence since 2001 during the administration of the late former governor of the state, Engineer Abdullahi Abdulkadir Kure, highlighting that “Suleja Local Government Council did not ban the sales of alcohol; the law banning sales of alcohol has been in existence before now.”.
The council boss said, “We are therefore only working within the ambit of the law, and what we are saying is that those selling alcohol should operate within the ambit of the law.”
The chairman’s position is contrary to the directives of the state governor, Hon. Mohammed Umaru Bago, who, on the heels of the controversy surrounding the council’s position, denied authorising the ban on the sale of alcohol in any part of the state.
The Governor, through a statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Ibrahim Bologi, and made available to journalists in Minna, made it categorically clear that the government did not order any ban on the sales and consumption of alcohol in the state, insisting that that was not the immediate priority of his administration.
The State Government, in a statement in Minna, strongly denied that the Governor has not imposed any ban on alcoholic drink sales and consumption in any specific areas of the state, especially the Suleja local government area, and that such a decision will amount to a distraction to his administration’s renewed hope agenda.
The government, however, dismissed such assertions as baseless, emphasising that the governor never issued any directive nor ordered any of its agencies to enforce the ban on alcoholic drinks in any part of the state.
The governor further pointed out that the statement attributed to the Secretary of the Niger State Liquor and Licencing Board, Ibrahim Mohammed, did not emanate from the government, stressing that no such board has been formed under his administration.
In addition to the denial, the governor had instructed security agents to apprehend the author of the statement, Mohammed Ibrahim, the self-appointed secretary of the non-existent board, to investigate the motives behind the false pronouncement.
While emphasising the commitment of his administration to safeguard citizens’ fundamental rights, including freedom of religion, the governor, therefore, assures residents that such misleading information holds no merit in the policies of his government and therefore urges citizens to continue their lawful activities without undue concern.
“The public and media are urged to disregard such announcements and seek clarification from authorised government officials for accurate information,” the statement added.
But the council chairman, while meeting with hotel and beer parlour operators at the council secretariat on Tuesday, made it clear that his council was going ahead with the enforcement of the ban on the sale of alcohol in his council.
But the Suleja Council Chairman, while justifying his actions, argued that the council is guided by law, insisting that “we would continue to operate within the ambit of the law.”.
Meanwhile, the state liquor and licence board has denied authorising the collection of N1 million from beer parlour operators in the Suleja local government area of the state to enable them to operate.
The Secretary of the state liquor and licence board, Mallam Ibrahim Mohammed, said in an interview with our correspondent in Minna on Friday that the clarifications had become imperative following reports that beer parlour operators in Suleja and its environs have been levied N1 million each to resume the sales and consumption of alcohol in the area.
He pointed out that neither the board nor any of its staff is involved in the illegal N1 million levy being imposed on beer parlour operators in the area, adding that “the liquor board is not involved in any collection of the N1 million levy from beer parlour operators either in Suleja or any part of the state.
“The renewal of a liquor licence is usually done through payment to designated government banks and a receipt issued to the operators. The licence fee is not N1 million.”.
He therefore urged the public and beer parlour operators in the state to disregard any individual or group parading themselves as the agents of the board to extort money from them.