Adamawa

Sick persons in Mubi North Local Government of Adamawa now patronise private clinics due to the strike by medical and health workers.

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) had on Monday embarked on an indefinite strike following disagreement with the state government over wages and improved working conditions.

A check by our correspondent at General Hospital, Mubi, showed that Out Patients Department (OPD), Emergency Unit and medical wards were shut, while some of the patients on admission had left.

The situation had forced residents to rely on the available private clinics for medical services.

One of the affected patients who gave his name as Doctor Makul, told newsmen that he had moved to a private clinic for treatment following the collapse of services at the General Hospital.

Bauchi

Participants at the end of a two-day workshop decried the failure by various levels of government to implement recommendations of various judicial commissions of inquiry on crises in the country.

The workshop organised by the Bauchi State Government had the theme “Fostering Peace in a Multi-Cultural and Multi-Religious Setting”.

The participants expressed the concern  in a communiqué made available to newsmen in Bauchi last Friday.

They said that the non-implementation of such reports was partly responsible for the recurrence of such crises.

“Judicial Commissions of Inquiry should be balanced and fair to all sides and their reports should be fully implemented to serve as deterrence and to forestall future recurrence.

“States without such ongoing societal re-orientation programme should emulate the initiative of Bauchi State and establish a similar programme.

Benue

Participants at a two-day sensitisation workshop on sanitation and hygiene have expressed concern over the weak implementation of public health laws due to low political will and inadequate manpower.

In a communiqué issued at the end of the workshop on Friday in Markurdi, the participants also expressed concern over the poor coordination of sanitation and hygiene issues in the country.

The communiqué was jointly signed by Ifeoma Charles-Monwuba, National Coordinator of Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council, an NGO, and Peter Cookey on behalf of other participant.

They noted that the challenge had undermined Nigeria’s efforts at achieving the MDGs target in the sector.

More than 100 women were screened for breast and cervical cancer on Saturday in Abuja.

The screening exercise was organised by “Stand up to Cancer Naija”, an Abuja-based NGO, as part of activities marking the 2010 Sister’s Convention of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Mega Parish, Abuja.

Some of the women told newmen that they were initially scared of the test because of the outcome of the result.

Mrs Zainab Mamman said she was initially scared of the screening but was, however, glad that she did the test.

Mrs Isimhanze Margaret said that she was not surprised to find that people were afraid to come for the test, explaining that lack of money to pay hospital bill prevented her from taking the test before now.

“The test is quite cheap here. I paid N1,000 to get the two tests done.

Kano

The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) is to begin an Intra-city Train Service in Kano the Minister of Transport, Alhaji Yusuf Sulaiman has said.

Sulaiman disclosed this in Kano when he inspected facilities along the Kano-Challawa-Kano route of the proposed train service, recently.

He said the project was informed by government’s decision to ease transportation problems in the country by using the railway system.

According to him, the new train service will assist in decongesting traffic in Kano city for easy movement of people.

The minister, therefore, advised parents to allow their children to patronise the service.

Sulaiman disclosed that Intra-city Train Service would be introduced in six cities, Kano, Jos Maiduguri, Lagos, Enugu and Port Harcourt.

He said necessary work had been completed to commence the service in the six towns before the end of 2010.

Kebbi

To check deforestation in Kebbi State, the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA), has intensified its tree planting campaign.

The  NESREA Coordinator in the state, Dr Ahmed Kasim, told newsmen on Friday in Abuja that the exercise was part of the campaign to safeguard the environment.

“The tree planting campaign is aimed at improving forest reserve, especially considering t hat trees will help to stem emission of carbon dioxide and other pollutants of the earth”, he said.

He said the campaign would be carried out in conjunction with the state government and the NYSC Club.

NESREA, he said, would take the campaign to secondary schools in the state to enable students imbibe the culture of planting trees.

He also stressed needs to carry out tree planting campaigns at local, state and federal levels to boost the boost the stock of trees in the country.

Kwara

The Kwara Government for Friday warned those involved in its FADAMA programme against fraudulent practices.

Governor Bukola Saraki gave the warning in Ilorin while flagging-off the FADAMA III programme.

He said those involved in the initiative should follow the procurement guidelines as well as ensure due process in their transactions.

He said his government had contributed its N40 million counterpart fund for the take off of the programme, adding that 10 councils benefited from FADAMA II.

In his remarks, Prof. Mohammed Yisa, the Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, said the ultimate objective of giving agriculture top priority was to ensure food security.

Yisa said agriculture would also help to create employment and attract investors in agribusiness and agro tourism.

He commended the World Bank for providing funds to alleviate poverty in the state.

Lagos

The scarcity and high cost of fresh tomatoes and pepper will linger till the end of the rainy season, Alhaji Haruna Muhammed, Chairman Mile 12 Market Management Committee, has said.

Muhammed told newsmen Friday in Lagos that the scarcity of the commodities was due to the rainy season.

He said that the current scarcity and high cost of food items in the country, was contrary to speculations by some people that it was as a result of the anticipated strike by traders in the north.

He said that the species of tomatoes and pepper currently in the market came from Jos, due to the cold weather in the city.

Muhammed said that other species of tomatoes and pepper were from Ibadan and Ghana, adding that these were the ones that consumers would be compelled to make use of till the end  of the rainy season.

Oy               Oyo

The Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Lagos chapter, on Saturday warned of the implications of teachers in Oyo State going on strike over non-implementation of Teachers Salary Scale (TSS).

Our correspondent reports that teachers in Oyo State are on a warning strike to press home their demand for the implementation of the new enhanced salary agreement signed in August 2008.

The Secretary, NUT Lagos State, Mr. Jamiu Idris, told newsmen in an interview that the development in Oyo State was regrettable.

“I particularly feel bad about this development because Oyo State is the only state that is yet to implement the 27.5 per cent teachers’ enhancement salary scale (in the Southwest).

“It is unfortunate that the Oyo State Government has not been responsive enough when it comes to teachers’ welfare”, Idris said.

Ogun

The Police in Ijebu-Ode last Friday arraigned a 50-year-old woman, Comfort Okuneye, before an Ijebu-Ode Magistrate’s Court for allegedly failing to produce her son whom she stood surety for.

The Police Prosecutor, Insp. Temitope Babatunde, told the court that Okuneye had on March 23 at Obalende Police Station, Ijebu-Ode, volunteered to stand as a surety for her son, Bola Okuneye, who was alleged to have stolen N375,000.

Babatunde explained that Okuneye, who pledged to produce the suspect whenever he was needed, signed a bail bond of N400,000.

She explained that Okuneye’s failure to produce her son when he was needed led to her arrest and arraignment in court.

Okuneye, however, pleaded not guilty to the one-count charge.

The Defence Counsel, Mr. D.T. Fowodu, told the court to grant the accused person bail on liberal terms since the offence was bailable.

                                    Plateau

The Plateau government has said that there is no going back on the ban on commercial motorcyclists, also known as okada.

A statement on Friday, in Jos, signed by the commissioner for Information and Communications, Mr Gregory Yenlong, said that anyone who defaulted would face appropriate sanctions.

The Plateau House of Assembly in May passed a bill prohibiting the use of motorcycles popularly called ‘okada’ for commercial purposes.

A Jos Federal high judgment on Thursday, dismissed a suit instituted by the Association of Commercial Motorcycle Riders of Nigeria (ACOMORAN) against the state government.

The court dismissed the suit on grounds that it would not stop the enforcement of  the law which was enacted pursuant to the powers vested on the state government by the constitution.