Nation
THE STATES
Adamawa
Alhaji Umar Hassan, the vice chairman, Mubi Local Government Area of Adamawa, is dead.
Aged 40, the deceased’s brother, Malam Musa Hassan, confirmed the death to newsmen in Mubi.
He said that Hassan died at the early hours of Friday in a car accident along Biu-Gombe road.
Three other officials of the council also sustained injuries in the accident.
A well-established transporter, Hassan, was a member of the Adamawa State House of Assembly between 1991 and 1993, representing Mubi Constituency.
The burial arrangement, as announced by the family, indicated that the deceased would be buried later in the day.
Hassan was survived by two wives and a child.
FCT
Alhaji Mohammed Yunusa, the Supervisory Councillor for Education, Bwari Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), says the welfare of teachers is his priority.
Yunusa, a trained teacher, told newsmen in Bwari that, “the welfare of teachers is a priority and not the infrastructure.”
“It is when a teacher is comfortable and happy that he will impact positive knowledge on the children.”
“ So, I am going to take the welfare of teachers seriously.”
He also promised to alleviate the burden of parents in the area through scholarship award to indigent students of the area.
Yunusa said his support would be in form of both payment of school fees and purchase of uniforms for students.
Kaduna
The Zazzau Emirate Development Association (ZEMDA) has appealed to security agents to brace up to the security challenges in Zaria and its environs.
The secretary of the association, Alhaji Sani Ibrahim, said in statement on Saturday, in Zaria, that the call became necessary in view of the killings in the area.
Our correspondent recalls that three people were recently killed by unknown persons.
They included Dr Musa Tukur, a deputy dean at the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU).
The association urged security operatives to do everything possible to trace the culprits and bring them to book.
It called on the public to give security agents maximum support and cooperation to enable them discharge their responsibilities diligently.
The association also advised ABU management to set up an ad-hoc committee to investigate the circumstances that led to the death of Tukur.
Katsina
The Umaru Musa Yar’Adua University (UMYU) Katsina, has expelled four students for alleged examination misconduct.
Investigation by our correspondent also revealed that four other students were rusticated for one semester.
Two of those expelled, we learnt, were 100 level students in the Faculty of Natural and Applied Sciences.
They were said to have committed the offence during the first semester of the 2009/2010 session.
The other expelled students, one each from the Faculties of Natural and Applied Sciences and Humanities, were said to have erred during the second semester of the 2008/2009 session.
It was learnt that the rusticated students, also from the same faculties, were found guilty of examination misconduct during the first semester of 2009/2010 and second semester of 2008/2009 academic sessions.
When contacted, Alhaji Mu’azu Isiaku, Head of Information and Public Relations Department, confirmed the expulsion and rustication.
In September 2009, the institution had sacked a Dean and demoted an examination officer for examination misconduct.
Kogi
The Kogi Government is partnering with the media in its efforts to reduce thuggery and violence in the state before, during and after the 2011 elections.
The Commissioner for Information, Dr Tom Ohikere, told newsmen on Tuesday, in Lokoja, that the arrangement would include campaigns and public enlightenment programmes against violence.
He said politicians from across different political parties would also be involved in the campaigns.
Ohikere reiterated government’s zero tolerance for crime, and warned politicians who had formed the habit of hiring youths to perpetrate political violence to retrace their steps.
He also appealed to parents to be alive to their responsibility by ensuring that their wards were not used as tools to forment trouble by unscrupulous elements.
He said government was currently carrying out various projects and programmes to improve the socio-economic well being of the people, and urged them to continue to make the atmosphere conducive.
Kwara
The Federal Government has promised to refund state governments money spent on the repair of federal roads in their territories.
The Minister of Works, Alhaji Mohammed Daggash, made the promise in Ilorin when he paid a courtesy visit on the Kwara Governor Bukola Saraki, in company of the Minister of State, Mr Chris Ogiemwonyi.
He said that the Federal Government had concluded arrangement to refund those investment by state governments provided such states followed due process in the award of contracts.
According to him, the Federal Government intends to give the necessary confidence that will facilitate continued collaboration between it and state governments.
The minister, who said he was on assessment tour of federal roads across the country, noted that all such roads that were in bad state would receive attention before the end of the year.
Daggash expressed satisfaction with the quality of work carried out by the Kwara government on all the roads rehabilitated on behalf of the Federal Government.
He disclosed that the Ministry of Works was at the verge of signing the contract for the construction of part of Oyo– Ogbomosho expressway.
Lagos
The Police in Lagos on Tuesday, arraigned a 37-year-old tanker driver, Ayuba Musa, for allegedly killing three people through dangerous driving.
Musa, who is facing a two-count charge of manslaughter and dangerous driving at a Yaba Chief Magistrate’s Court, however, pleaded not guilty.
The Prosecutor, Sgt. Chinalu Uwadione, however, insisted that the accused had a case to answer.
He alleged that the accused drove a tanker with registration no. XZ 155 KJA recklessly and killed three occupants of a car on March 30 on the Oworonshoki Bridge, Lagos.
According to him, a Peugeot 406 saloon car and a Mitsubishi truck were crushed by the tanker.
Uwadione named those killed as the driver of the car, Enock Onabamiji (49), Ganiu Saheed (39) and a man whose identity was unknown.
He said the accused had contravened the Lagos State Traffic Laws.
The Chief Magistrate, Mrs A.A. Demi-Ajayi granted him bail in the sum of N500, 000 with two sureties and adjourned till July 7 for further hearing.
Nasarawa
The National Population Commission (NPC), has urged Nigerians to take the task of immunising their wards seriously, to enable the children to escape from child-killer diseases.
The Chairman, Alhaji Sama’illa Makama, made the call on Tuesday, during a supervisory visit to birth registration centres in Wamba local government Area of Nasarawa State.
The NPC says its agency is collaborating with the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) as well as UNICEF to pilot a programme of issuing birth certificates to children under the age of five, while being immunised.
Makama, who implored parents to immunise their wards, explained that the exercise was necessary for the good health of the children.
He stressed that parents often ignored immunisation, thereby exposing their children to diseases that could be avoided by immunisation.
He said: “Immunisation is very important; it prevents all kinds of diseases such as whooping cough, polio and chicken pox.”
He then also called on parents to take advantage of the pilot exercise to register the birth of children under the age of five in order to obtain a birth certificate, which he emphasised, was free.
Niger
Rep Bala Kuta (ANPP-Niger) on Friday said that those accusing Speaker Dimeji Bankole of corruption should prove his guilt rather than resort to media campaign in a bid to remove him.
Some members led by Rep Dino Melaye (PDP-Kogi) gave Bankole a seven-day ultimatum within which to resign for mismanaging more than N9 billion.
The group known as the’ “progressive” said that they had incriminating documents against Bankole.
Kuta told newsmen in Minna on Friday that the allegations against Bankole were baseless and lacked substance .
. They do not pose any threat to the seat of the Speaker contrary to their media outburst.
“ If they have prove of his guilt, let them tender the documents to us members of the House of Representatives, instead of resorting to media campaign against the Speaker”, he said.
“We have 360 member in the House of representatives, it is therefore impossible for a few group to hold the chairmanship position to themselves alone”, he said.
He urged the Speaker to ignore the call for him to step down and continue to give the House a purposeful leadership as he had done in the past.
Ogun
The Awujale of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Adetona, has challenged his subjects to work toward transforming Ijebu-Ode town to an enviable status.
Our correspondent reports that Adetona made the appeal on Tuesday, while inaugurating an amenity ward constructed by a community group, “Oba Fuwaji,” at the General Hospital, Ijebu-Ode.
He said government alone could not develop the town and urged the indigenes to make meaning contributions toward its development.
Adetona, who was delighted that the ward was inaugurated during his 50th coronation anniversary, said that Ijebuland would be more developed if others could follow what the group had done.
The leader of the group, Mr Giwa Mosuro, had earlier said the construction of the amenity ward was in fulfillment of its determination to contribute meaningfully to the healthcare delivery in the town.
He promised that the group would not relent in its efforts to contribute meaningfully to the development of the town, adding that the inauguration to commemorate the 50th coronation anniversary of the Awujale.
Nation
Gombe Opens Bid For Construction Of Three-Arm Zone Project
Gombe State Ministry of Works, Housing and Transportation has opened bids for the construction of three arms zone complexes within the Gombe Capital Special Development Zone which held at the Ministry’s conference hall.
Speaking while presiding over the bid opening proceedings, the Commissioner, Engr. . Usman Maijama’a Kallamu assured the bidders that the bid opening would be carried out using procurement process which is based on specific regulations that are credible, fair, and transparent.
The Commissioner, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Alh. Idris Yambiu Buba said that the Ministry will continue to align itself for optimal results in the implementation of government policies and projects in line with Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya’s commitment to bringing development to the State.
While assuring the bidders of a transparent process, the SSA to the Governor on Special Project, Arch. Yakubu Mamman thanked Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya for his foresight in infrastructural development of the State, adding that government is committed to ensuring that all bidders had an equal chance to participate and compete based on merit to maintain standards and specifications.
Nation
Gov Mbah Signs Bill To Establish Teaching Hospital In Enugu
Governor of Enugu State, Dr Peter Mbah, yesterday, signed the Enugu State University of Medical and Applied Sciences (SUMAS) Teaching Hospital Bill 2024 into Law, promising to expedite action to actualise the teaching hospital immediately to provide quality training and healthcare services in the Enugu North part of the State and the State in general.
Mbah, while commending the Enugu State House of Assembly for accelerating action on the processing and passage of the Executive Bill, said that establishing SUMAS Teaching Hospital was in line with his manifesto.
He said, “What we have done by signing into law the Enugu State University of Medical and Applied Sciences Teaching Hospital Bill is that we now have in place a legal framework to immediately begin to put in place all that is required to upgrade SUMAS to a teaching hospital. This is part of our campaign promises and we are committed to delivering on that expeditiously.
“We believe that the importance and significance of siting a teaching hospital in our Enugu North zone can never be lost on us. So, we are not going to spend any time in making sure that everything that is necessary and required to upgrade and get the teaching hospital operational is put in place. With this Law, we are going to redouble our commitment and our efforts to achieve that.”
He assured the Governing Council and the Management of SUMAS of his continued support, adding that his administration would equally be counting on their pedigree and contacts to bring the teaching hospital to fruition in record time.
“We are going to continue to support you and we are also going to continue to count on your experience, network, and profile in raising resources to actualize the project.
“This year alone, we are going to spend 33 per cent of our budget on education. This underscores the importance of education to this administration. So, be sure to come to us whenever there is a need. We are going to support you because we are interested in education and we are investing heavily in it,” he said.
On his part, the Speaker, Enugu State House of Assembly, Hon. Uchenna Ugwu, who also spoke at the Bill signing witnessed by the Chairman of SUMAS Governing Council, Msgr. Obiora Ike, and the Vice Chancellor, Prof. James Ogbonna, and top hierarchies of the institution, commended Governor Mbah’s speed and faithfulness in delivering on his campaign promises. He assured that the House of Assembly was ever ready to fast-track every executive bill that would impact positively on the state and its people.
“We promised we are going to support this administration by doing our job expeditiously to ensure that there is no delay in your delivery of democracy dividends to our people. Therefore, the SUMAS Teaching Hospital Bill received expedited hearing and today you have the signing of the bill into law,” he stated.
Nation
Ododo Applauds Security Agencies Over Rescue Of 43 Bus Passengers
Kogi State Governor, Ahmed Usman Ododo has applauded security agencies in the State for their efforts in the rescue of 43 bus passengers.
The Special Adviser on Media to the Governor, Ismaila Isah disclosed this in a statement yesterday.
The statement noted that the governor welcomed the news of the release of the abducted bus passengers in Okehi Local Government Area of the State and called for sustained collaboration between security agencies and local communities to improve intelligence gathering and prevent crime and criminality in all parts of the state.
Ododo commended the caretaker chairman of Okehi LGA, Mr Amoka Eneji, the Nigeria Police, Nigeria Professional Hunters, Ebira Local Hunters Group and other security agencies for their intervention, which led to the rescue of the passengers who were abducted outside the state.
“Governor Ododo also commends the response of security agencies to the robbery incidence in Felele area of Lokoja and called for more urgency in addressing cases of insecurity in any part of the state.
“The Governor reassured the people of the state that his administration will not relent in its efforts in deploying maximum resources to ensure that all communities in the state remain unsafe for criminal elements.”
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