Adamawa

Members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) that participated as ad-hoc staff in the just concluded Adamawa governorship election have been commended for their good conduct.

The Adamawa Coordinator of NYSC, Alhaji Shittu Suleiman, made the commendation in an interview with newsmen on Tuesday in Yola.

Shittu said apart from returning safely to their places of primary assignment after participating in the exercise no corps member was caught wanting in his or her conduct during the exercise.

“This is a good development and we have to commend them for a job well done,’’ Shittu said.

The state coordinator said that the outstanding allowance of all those that participated was with his office and would be paid to them on Wednesday.

He lauded all stakeholders particularly security and the people of Adamawa for their active support and cooperation in ensuring the safety of all corps members and other ad-hoc staff that participated in the election which was generally peaceful.

Benue

A 36-year-old man, Christopher Emmanuel, was on Tuesday arraigned before a Makurdi Chief Magistrates’ Court charged with murder.

Emmanuel was arraigned on a two-count charge of criminal conspiracy and culpable homicide.

Police Prosecutor, Sgt. Michael Iwoh, told the court that one Anthony Odoh reported the matter at the Divisional Police Headquarters, Oblegi in Ogbadibo Local Government Area of Benue.

He said that Odoh alleged that the accused conspired with a group of men and killed one Inalegwu Abah.

Iwoh said that the accused along with one Emmanuel Sunday, Micheal Okpe and others now at large, stabbed the deceased with a knife while they were drinking at John Brown Beer Parlour in Obu Branch, Otukpa.

He said that during Police investigation, the accused was arrested at Nsukka in Enugu while trying to escape to Port-Harcourt.

FCT

The Minister of Women Affairs, Hajia Zainab Maina, says 28 states of the federation have so far benefitted from the Federal Government’s Women Fund for Economic Empowerment (WOFEE) scheme.

WOFEE is a micro-credit scheme aimed at strengthening women’s operational bases in the rural areas through the formation of women cooperatives.

Zainab, who was speaking at the ongoing Annual Microfinance Conference organised by Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in Abuja on Tuesday, said the scheme was being implemented by the ministry in partnership with the Bank of Agriculture (BOA).

She said the ministry in collaboration with the bank also initiated the establishment of “Business Development Fund foe Women” (BUDFOW), following the successful take off of the WOFEE programme.

“Following the successful take off of WOFEE, a gap was also observed regarding the need for a higher level of financial and technical assistance for women who will be graduating from the WOFEE programme to establish a small and medium scale businesses of their own.

Kaduna

Retired Maj.-Gen. Bala Usara has commended the Nigerian Military School, Zaria, Kaduna State, for graduating “sound and vibrant” young soldiers.

He gave the commendation during the school’s 2012 West African Social Activities, held in Zaria on Saturday.

Usara observed that the young soldiers were not only given professional training but also sound academic education helped them to score excellent grades in both WAEC and NECO.

He appealed to the commandant of the school, Col. Abdullahi Lawal-Faskari, not to relent in his efforts aimed at maintaining excellent standard.

Earlier, Lawal-Faskari said the school had stepped up efforts to molding the students to enable them cope with global technological challenges.

Kano

The Kura Local Government Council of Kano State has set up a 14-man committee to oversee the disbursement of scholarship funds to students of the local government in tertiary institutions.

Inaugurating the committee on Saturday in Kura, the council Chairman, Alhaji Ibrahim Halilu, said that setting up the committee was in line with the state government’s effort to enhance the students’ welfare.

Halilu said the council found it necessary to constitute the committee to ensure transparency and fairness in the payment of scholarship allowances to students from the area.

Kebbi

A stakeholders parley on security in Birnin Kebbi has recommended regular meetings between Christians and Muslims to promote cordial relationship among the faithful of the two major religions.

The meeting also urged security agencies in the state to enforce the laws guiding the conduct of Muslim and Christian preachers.

A statement by Alhaji Abubakar Mua’azu, the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, in Birnin Kebbi on Tuesday said the meeting, which was chaired by Gov. Saidu Dakingri, urged the public to be security conscious by reporting on criminal activities in their neighbourhood to security agencies.

The meeting urged the state and local governments to urgently facilitate the demarcation of grazing lands to prevent frequent clashes between farmers and cattle breeders.

Kwara

The Kwara State Government and the National Economic Reconstruction Fund (NERFUND) have approved the release of N500 million to assist Small Scale Enterprises (SMEs) in the state.

The state’s Commissioner for Commerce and Cooperatives, Alhaji Saka Omimago, said this on Tuesday in an interview with newsmen in Ilorin.

According to him, Gov. Abdulfatah Ahmed has provided the sum of N250 million while NERFUND will provide the balance.

He explained that the fund would be disbursed in two phases of N250million each through 10 micro finance banks already identified by government.

Lagos

The Police in Lagos have  paraded two suspected armed robbers, who allegedly robbed two bankers of $12, 800 (about N1.92m) on January 30.

Parading two of the three suspects, the Police spokesman, SP Jaiyeoba Joseph, said that the suspects were arrested a day after the incident.

Joseph, however, confirmed that $8, 320 dollars was recovered from the two suspects, while the third member of the gang was on the run.

Of the two suspects, Joseph said one was a 200 level law student of the University of Uyo, while the second, who allegedly masterminded the robbery, was a driver with the victims’ bank.

Nasarawa

The Nasarawa Commissioner for Planning, Hajiya Maryam Buba, has re-affirmed the state government’s readiness to partner with civil society groups and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) for the rapid development of the state.

She gave the assurance recently  in Lafia when officials of the state chapter of the National Council of Women’s Societies (NCWS) paid her a courtesy visit.

Buba said the administration would continue to partner with unions, associations and NGOs to proffer solutions for the development of the state.

She said government would do everything humanly possible to facilitate good working relations between it and the various organisations.

Oyo

The Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria (FRIN) is to establish 10 forestry villages in different parts of the country.

FRIN’s Executive Director, Prof. Solomon Badejo, made this known on Tuesday while speaking with newsmen on phone in Ibadan.

He said the villages would help create awareness about FRIN’s activities.

“We want to establish 10 adopted villages in different ecological zones of the country whereby we can demonstrate most of the technologies developed and perfected here at FRIN,’’ Badejo said.

Plateau

Eventolicks, a world class tour packaging in Spain, has indicated interest in exploring the abundant tourism opportunities in Nigeria.

Otunba Segun Runsewe, Director General, Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation, told newsmen  in Jos recently  that the outfit was interested in “packaging tours to Nigeria for different categories of its clients’’.

Runsewe, who just returned from this year’s World Fair held in Madrid, Spain, quoted Mr Javier Arambarri, the company’s representative at the fair, as describing Nigeria’s tourism potential as “great and attractive’’.

The Madrid fair, which was attended by 72 countries, brought together countries and private industry practitioners from all over the world.

Sokoto

Former Sokoto Governor, Alhaji Aliyu Wamakko, says he would execute projects worth over N2 billion for three Local Government Area (LGAs) that give PDP the highest number of votes at the governorship poll.

Wamakko, the PDP candidate in the forthcoming governorship election in the state, made the offer at Binji on Tuesday while addressing PDP supporters during a campaign rally in the area .

The Independent Electoral Commission ( INEC) had fixed February 18 , 2012 for the gubernatorial poll in the state sequel to the judgment of the Supreme Court, which sacked five state governors, including Wamakko.