Adamawa

The lack of improved toilets in households and public places in Mubi-North  local government  area of Adamawa, is a major threat to public health in the area, an environmentalist, Mr Jika Hayatu, has said.

 Hayatu, an Assistant Director, Health Education and Women Affairs in the council, told newsmen in Mubi  on Monday, that the lack of adequate toilet facilities in households exposed residents to diseases.

He expressed concern over the indiscriminate disposal of waste  and defecation in open places in the area.

 “The rate of defecation in open places is alarming and a major health problem,” Hayatu said.

He said the council had embarked on an enlightenment campaign to sensitize communities on the need to build improved latrines and to ensure proper waste disposal.

He said that 10 health educators and sanitary inspectors had been deployed for the exercise.

Bauchi

Security personnel on Thursday night, rescued a seven-year old girl, Jamila Ahmed, kidnapped two weeks ago in Bauchi.

The suspected captors of the girl, four men and two women, along with their two babies, were arrested by the security agents.

Briefing newsmen on the rescue operation, the Bauchi State Director of the State Security Service (SSS) said on Thursday night in the state capital, that SSS operatives, soldiers and the police undertook the mission.

Jamila is the daughter of a former Executive Secretary of the Corporate Affairs Commission, Alhaji Ahmed al-Mustapha.

She was kidnapped while being conveyed to her school, the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University International School, Bauchi, two weeks ago.

The SSS director, who refused to disclose his name, said his men initiated the operation while the military and police gave them cover.

Ekiti

The University of  Science and Technology, Ifaki-Ekiti, Ekiti State, on Tuesday, banned male and female students from cohabiting.

The Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Samuel Oye-Bamidele,

announced the ban while addressing a forum of parents at the institution’s temporary site in Ifaki-Ekiti.

He said investigations conducted by the authorities showed that some students had formed the habit of abandoning hostel accommodation on campus in preference for rented apartments in the town.

According to him, the male and female students live together off-campus to engage in unhindered sex.

The VC said such practices were contrary to the state government’s ideals of making the institution a world class university.

He maintained that the university would not allow children from different sexual and parental backgrounds to live together in the same room for any reason.

FCT

President Goodluck Jonathan on Tuesday in Abuja, urged the African Development Bank (ADB), to give greater support to the development of public infrastructure in Nigeria.

Jonathan, made the appeal at a meeting with the President of ADB, Mr Donald Keburuka and other senior officials of the bank, at the State House.

Jonathan said that the Federal Government, would particularly welcome ADB’s support for improvements in Nigeria’s power sector.

He commended the ADB for making support for the development of critical infrastructure in African countries the main focus of its operations.

Keburuka assured Jonathan that ADB would support his administration’s efforts to boost economic growth and development in every possible way.

According to him, the bank recognises the fact that Nigeria is the main driver of economic development in the West African sub-region.

He praised efforts being made by the Federal Government to achieve better management of Nigeria’s oil resources.

Gombe

The National Environmental Standard Regulation and Enforcement Agency (NESREA) has called on the people to be alert and report suspicious dumping to law enforcement agencies.

Dr Williams Arabs, the North East Zonal Director of  NESREA made the appeal in Gombe recently.

This followed the discovery of 20 jute bags containing rotten fish deposited in Wuroyoli village of Akko local government area of Gombe State on November 13.

Kaduna

The Kaduna State Government has attributed the scarcity of water being experienced in some parts of the state to insufficient power supply from the national grid.

The government also identified the current rehabilitation at some water works across the state as also one of the reasons for the shortage.

 The General Manager of the Water Board, Malam Hassan Mohammed, disclosed this while speaking with newsmen in Kaduna on Sunday.

Mohammed was reacting to complaints by the residents on the scarcity of water supply in various parts of Kaduna Metropolis.

He said the rehabilitation work resulted in the under utilisation of facilities to adequately provide water to the residents.

Kebbi

The Kebbi State-owned radio and television stations have reopened after RATTAWU and NUJ called off their three-day warning strike over improved remuneration.

The Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) and the Radio, Television and Theatre Arts Workers Union (RATTAWU) had called the strike on Monday, demanding an increased salary package due to the hazardous nature of the profession.

Malam Abubakar Chika, the Kebbi State Chairman of RATTAWU, told  newsmen in Birnin Kebbi on Tuesday that the call-off was sequel to a directive from the national headquarters of the union.

Chika warned members who failed to resume duty immediately that they “will have themselves to blame”.

He said the union had signed an agreement with the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission on the implementation of enhanced salary for members.

“The NUJ, RATTAWU, the Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity as well as the commission have signed an agreement for salary increment and members have resumed duty,” the chairman said.

Kwara

Chief Bode Oyedepo, the sole administrator of Kwara State Road Maintenance Agency (KWARMA), has pledged the organisation’s commitment to the reconstruction of all deplorable roads and drains in the area.

He made the pledge on Tuesday in Ilorin, in an interview with newsmen in Ilorin.

Oyedepo said that Governor Bukola Saraki was concerned about the deplorable condition of roads in the state, adding that officials of the agency were currently on an inspection tour of the roads to  determine the urgency of the repairs needed.

He promised that the roads would be rehabilitated to boost economic activities in the state.

Oyedepo said some of those already identified for urgent rehabilitation in the next few weeks included Adewole Kano Road, Sawmill Garage Road and Adabata Road in Ilorin.

Lagos

The Chief Executive Officer, Ijodee Dance Centre, Laidi Adedayo, said on Tuesday that dance could be used to promote unity in Nigeria and the world.

Adedayo told newsmen at the venue of the 5th edition of TRUFESTA in Lagos that, “dance provides interpersonal peace, unity and a sense of purpose in the society.’’

TRUFESTA is an annual dance festival which features training of dancers as well as workshops for professional dancers from Nigeria and abroad.

Ogun

Chief  Theophilus Adenaike, President, Ijebu-Ode Grade II Customary Court, has advised parents to rededicate themselves to the task of ensuring proper parental care and upbringing of their children.

He gave the advice in Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State on Tuesday in an interview with newsmen stressing that proper upbringing of children would stabilise the society. Adenaike explained that the only way parents could do this was by staying together and resolving their differences amicably, rather than seeing divorce as the last option to any marrital disagreement.

He observed that many children had become wayward due to the  lack of proper training and care by parents who, in most cases were already separated.

Adenaike noted that divorce always had negative effects on children’s upbringing, asserting that “a better society can only be achieved when children are brought up by both parents”.

“Divorce destabilises the society. When a marriage is dissolved, children from such union will not have access to proper parental care because they will be left with one of the parties, which is not good, he declared.

Osun

The First Lady, Mrs Patience Jonathan, has urged states which have yet to implement the National Gender Policy, to do so without further delay.

The President’s wife made the plea during the launch of her project, Women for Change Initiative (W4CI) in Osun.

She noted that although Osun produced the first female Speaker of the House of Representatives, as well as having a female deputy governor, women were still under-represented in the state.

She said: “I must point out that Osun State is among the six states in Nigeria with a female deputy governor. This is heartwarming and most commendable. However, women are still under represented in the state.

“Osun State has no female representation in the Senate and it has only one female member in the House of Representatives and one in the State House of Assembly.  In summary, the state is yet to implement the National Gender Policy on 35 per cent representation for women in governance, the first lady.”

Plateau

Representative Joseph Gumbari, an aspirant to the Senate, has promised to work towards more Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in Southern Kaduna, if elected in 2011.

“The economies of China, India and the so-called Asian Tigers were the same with Nigeria’s economy in the 1960s. In fact, Nigeria’s economy was better than those economies.”

“But such countries had since gone past Nigeria because they embarked on deliberate policies that developed their MSMEs, they also made sure that such policies were sustained to fruition,’’ Gumbari said on Monday.

He spoke at the launch of a Women Traders’ Cooperative Society formed by a group of petty traders of Southern Kaduna origin in Plateau.

Gumbari promised to advocate a strong state policy toward an autonomous MSMEs commission empowered to seek local and international funds to establish strong enterprises.