Nation
THE STATES
Adamawa
Hundreds of youths in Mubi, Adamawa, State are now going into commercial motorcycling to beat the unemployment scourge.
The trade, locally called “achaba”, is increasingly becoming popular among the jobless youngsters in the area in spite of the high rate of accident and other risks associated with it.
According to a survey in Mubi, most of the motorcyclists are graduates and high school dropouts who took to the business after being idle for many years.
The investigation showed that the motorcyclists are making brisk business due to the absence of taxis and city bus services in the area.
Bauchi
The Bauchi State Police Command has arrested 17 suspected criminals in the past two months, the Deputy Commissioner of Police in the state, Alhaji Abdul-Majid Ali, has said. Ali made the announcement in Bauchi while briefing newsmen on the activities of the command between September and this month. He named culpable homicide, conspiracy, mischief and theft as some of the offences allegedly committed by the suspects who are currently in police custody.
FCT
The University of Abuja on Thursday said the Veterinary Council of Nigeria (VCN) accreditation for clinical stage was being awaited to promote its 500 level students of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine.
Prof Olatunde Ajagbonna, Dean, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of the university stated this in Gwagwalada in an interview with newsmen.
He said the delay in advancing 500 level students to clinical stage of their course followed challenges in getting the National Universities Commission (NUC) and VCN accreditation for the stage.
Jigawa
The Jigawa Police Command has beefed up security in the state, following threats by the dreaded Islamic group, Boko Haram.
Mobile policemen were seen in large numbers at various check points in Dutse confiscating motorcycles without registered number plates.
The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, ASP. Abdu Jinjiri, told newsmen in Dutse on Monday that officers and men of the police were at the checkpoints for their normal routine duty.
Jinjiri said the command had earlier warned motorcyclists without registered number plates not to ply any of the roads in the state.
Kaduna
Governor Patrick Yakowa of Kaduna State has called on pilgrims to pray for peace, development and growth of the nation while in the Holy land.
More than 1,400 the pilgrims had been flown to Saudi Arabia.
Yakowa, who paid a visit to the temporary Hajj camp at the International Trade Fair and Investment Centre, Rigachukwu, Kaduna, also urged them to be good ambassadors of the country.
“Pray for Kaduna State so that the unfortunate and unnecessary post-election crisis that we witnessed in the state would never occur again. Pray for peace and pray for the government”, the governor urged the pilgrims.
Kogi
The Kogi State government has approved the expulsion
of 56 students of the state College of Education, Ankpa, for their involvement in the Aug.16, bloody violence in the institution.
The Ministry of Information, in a release in Lokoja said that the council also approved the immediate dissolution of the college’s governing council.
Dr Tom Ohikere, the commissioner for information was quoted in the release as saying that the council’s decisions followed the critical consideration of the report of a seven-man panel of enquiry set up on the incident.
Lagos
The Lagos State Government is to commence the Indoor Residual Spraying (IRS) of individual homes in the Badagry-Central Local Government Area on Thursday, to rid the area of mosquitoes.
Dr Adeyanju Oyetoyan, the council’s Medical Officer, told newsmen in an interview that the objective of the exercise was to control malaria in the area.
Last month, the local government distributed 112,000 Long Lasting Insect-Treated Nets to residents of the area.
Oyetoyan said that the objective of the programme was to stem malaria attacks in four local government areas of Badagry-Central, Ojo, Amuwo-Odofin and Ikorodu.
Nasarawa
The Nasarawa State says it will collaborate with the Federal Capital Territory Administration on its High Capacity Bus project, aimed at de-congesting the heavy traffic on the Keffi-Abuja road.
The Deputy Governor, Mr Dameshi Barau, disclosed the plan on Thursday in Lafia when a team of the Task force on Traffic Management and officials of the African Development Bank (ADB) paid him a visit.
Barau said the state government was planning a rail line project, which would link the state with the FCT as part of the efforts aimed at reducing traffic congestion on the route.
Ondo
Former deputy to ex-Gov. Ayo Fayose of Ekiti State, Chief Abiodun Aluko, has commended the latter for his decision to return to the PDP. Aluko told the newsmen in Akure that the return of Fayose to his former party was a welcome development to the party in the state.
He also lauded the former governor for toeing the path of reason and truth by retracing his steps back to the PDP which he said was the party to beat in the state come 2014.
Plateau
Constable Nelson Eric, a soldier serving with the military Special Task Force (STF) in Plateau, is to be tried for allegedly shooting and injuring one Alfred Adams, a pastor. The STF said in a statement last Thursday in Jos that Eric would be tried for “misapplication of firearms’’.
The statement signed by its media officer, Capt. Charles Ekeocha, said that the “ugly“ incident, which took place in the premises of the University of Jos, was “regrettable’’. “We thank the students of the University for listening to the voice of reasoning by not taking the law into their hands.
Sokoto
Supporters of Sen. Abubakar Gada have said the former lawmaker had remained a bona fide member of the party since 2003.
Gada represented Sokoto East Senatorial Zone in the Senate from 2007 to 2011.
He had since indicated his intention to contest the March 10, 2012 gubernatorial poll after failing to clinch a second term ticket with his defeat by the incumbent, Sen. Ibrahim Gobir (PDP-Sokoto).
Addressing a news conference, Alhaji Umar Sadik , the Special Assistant to Gada, said the former lawmaker had contributed immensely to the growth of the party at all levels.
“As a senator, he distributed thousands of motorcycles, bicycles and vehicles free as well as 3,000 water pumping machines while he dug over 3,000 tube wells among others.
“ We are strongly behind his candidature come March 10, 2012 to contest as governor in the state,’’ he said.
Taraba
The Chairman of Taraba State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Mr Bubajoda Mafindi, has expressed surprise at Monday’s protest by primary school teachers in Jalingo. Mafindi told newsmen in Jalingo that the board was in constant touch with representatives of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) over the issue of salary. The chairman said the state government agreed to pay the new minimum wage to all workers, pointing out that the delay in its implementation for teachers was due to the decision to use the bio-metric system.
He said the money for the September salary of teachers based on the old rate was intact, adding that this was rejected for the new wage.
“The protest took me by surprise because we have been in constant touch with the NUT representatives.
The Rivers state Government has identified six local government areas with the highest burden of maternal and Neonatal mortality in the state.
State Commissioner for Health Dr Adaeze Chidinma Oreh said this in an interview with newsmen at the Maternal and Neonatal Reduction innovation initiative ( Mamii)Rivers state activation workshop and state engagement meeting in Port Harcourt.
The event was organized by The Federal Ministry of Health in conjunction with its Rivers state counterpart in Port Harcourt.
Dr Oreh also restated the preparedness of the state government to support current efforts by the federal government towards the reduction of maternal and infant mortalities in the country.
She mentioned the affected Local Government Areas to include, Andoni,Akuku Toru and Ahoada West
The rest according to the Commissioner are, Bonny, Etche and Emohua Local Government Areas.
She said the workshop will enable the team from the federal ministry of health and social welfare to brainstorm with the view to finding solution to the problem.
The Commissioner also gave reasons why the Mamii initiative was the best as far as finding solution to maternal mortality was concerned.
“The uniqueness of the Mamii initiative driven by the federal ministry of health and social welfare was that we used evidence to elicit the reasons for this deaths, so that the solutions will be context specific and tailored to the particular environment where those deaths are occuring
“For us in Rivers state we have six Mamii LGAs , nationally we we have 172 local government areas “the Commissioner said.
Earlier in her opening remarks,Dr Oreh said the state government is prepared to work with the federal ministry of health and social welfare to check the rate of maternal mortality in the state.
She commended The Minister of Health and Social welfare Professor Ali Muhammad Pategi for driving the Mamii initiative across the country and expressed optimism that the programm will see to the end of maternal mortality in the country.
Also speaking the National Coordinator Nigeria health sector Renewal Initiative Dr Adam Ahmed said Rivers state is the last state among Mamii states in the country to host the team.
He said the team will visit the affected Local Government Areas with the view to interacting with the people on how to check the trend.
He expressed the hope that with continuous efforts, maternal mortality will be checked.
Also speaking the permanent secretary Rivers state Ministry of Health Professor Justinah Jumbo said the government is not leaving any stone unturned towards reduction in maternal deaths.
The permanent secretary said Governor Siminalaye Fubara is a health friendly Governor who is desirous in improving the quality of health of Rivers people.
John Bibor
The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) Rivers state has declared a one day fasting and prayer to seek divine intervention on the political crisis rocking the state.
The Association said this at a media briefing in Port Harcourt.
State chairman of the Association,Most Rev. Dokiboeriya B. Kaladokubo said the fasting and prayer which holds February 5th at the Ecumenical center Abonnema wharf was in furtherance of the Association peace, advocacy, good governance and political stability in Rivers state.
He said the Association has observed with disappointment the dangerous trend and and gradual descent of governance in Rivers state into uncertainty and near oblivion, adding that the trend has exposed Rivers citizens to insecurity, economic hardship, loss of livelihood and the destruction of lives and property.
Kaladokubo said the association has also watched with dismay the unfolding political crisis in the state, stressing “what we see today is not merely a disagreement among political actors,it is a dangerous drift that threatens the very foundation of governance, peace, security and the collective well-being of our people”
According to him,”as the custodians of the spiritual and moral conscience of Rivers state,we can not remain silent while the state is pushed steadily towards chaos, institutional breakdown and avoidable suffering
“We are not oblivious of the fact that Rivers state like some other states in the federation often experience tension between the Executive and the Legislature “adding”when disagreement escalate they can hinder governance, delay budgets ,erode public trust and impede peaceful, constructive development”
The Christian body stressed the need for parties involved in the conflict to seek for peaceful resolution, stressing that as Christians and children of God “we should seek the path of peace and reconciliation as Christ Himself taught us”it said
The Association further encourage the both arms of government to imbibe the spirit of forgiveness and prioritize good governance in Rivers state
“We also advised all the parties in these conflict to call their supporters to exercise restraint in all their utterances and de-escalate tension in the interest of peace in Rivers state ”
CAN also described as disturbing the role some elder statesmen and individuals in the state have played and continue to play in the crisis when they should have serve as voices of wisdom, restraint and unity
“Rather than guiding the process towards peace, some have taken sides,fueled division and encouraged instability becoming more dangerous than those currently holding power”,it said.
John Bibor
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