Nation
THE STATES
Bauchi
The Executive Director of the National Primary HealthCare Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr. Ado Mohammed, has attributed increased cases of Vesico Vaginal Fistula (VVF) to poor attendance of ante-natal care by women.
Mohammed made the statement on Saturday at Talba Village, in Jama’are Local Government Area of Baucghi State while inaugurating a 40-bed Primary Health Centre built by NPHCDA.
He said most VVF patient at Ningi VVF Centre were girls between the ages of 14 and 17 years.
He urged husbands to always encourage their wives to attend ante-natal clinic and also to send their wives to nearby health facilities during delivery to avoid becoming victims of VVF.
Mohammed said that the Talba cenre was conceived in 2009 when the agency discovered that the area lacked such health facilities.
He said midwives would be posted to the centre while equipment for the centre had already been acquired and would soon be delivered to the centre for the full take-off of the centre.
He said that the inauguration of the centre would reduce maternal and child mortality in the area considering the long distance between Talba and Jama’ are General Hospital.
Ekiti
Ekiti State Government is to provide N3.2 billon to improve water and sanitation in the state, Governor Kaode Fayemi has announced in Ado Ekiti.
Speaking at a stakeholders forum on water supply, Fayemi said government had already provided N100 million to improve sanitation in 2011.
He said his administration was working towards improving the existing water scheme as well as the construction of new ones, adding that strategies were being worked out to provide a sustainable water supply system.
One of the strategies is the engagement of development partners such as the World Bank, European Union and the African Development Bank, he said.
FCT
An optometrist with the Bwari General Hospital, Dr Ochei Louis, has condemned the use of eye drops, without prescription.
He said speaking to newsmen in Bwari on glaucoma, the eye disease that makes people blind.
“ I believe from my experience as an optometrist that the cause of glaucoma is the poverty level of so many Nigerians.
“They indulge in self medication, some just ask their friends the name of drugs they used for certain eye problems and go for them instead of getting their eyes properly checked by an optometrist.
“Glaucoma is an increase in the pressure of the eye, ‘hypertension’ of the eye so to say, and there are two types; open and closed angle glaucoma, which is a silent killer that can make one blind within a short time.”
He said a combination of things resulted in this high pressure of the eye, especially when the tube where the eye fluid is supposed to flow through is blocked, the pressure could build up.
Gombe
The Gombe State 2012 Hajj Committee has suspended the sale of forms for this year’s pilgrimage in Gombe town until further notice, says the Chairman, Alhaji Yaya Hammari.
Hammari told newsmen in Gombe that the decision was taken due to the rowdy situation created by intending pilgrims at the Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board.
Six women sustained serious injuries following a disagreement among pilgrims on the modalities for the sale of the forms.
He explained that while some of them wanted the officials to use a list compiled the previous day, others insisted they should use the queue, leading to a serious disagreement.
According to him, the applicants abandoned the queue and forced themselves into the premises of the board and in the process, pulled down the gate leading into the premises.
Jigawa
Traders in Dutse are counting their losses due to power outages, our correspondent reports.
A cross section of traders who spoke to our correspondent in Dutse on Sunday said they had lost a lot to the outages.
A fish seller, Mrs Ifeoma Obi, said due to unstable power supply, she had to sell fish worth N400 for half the price because of a lack of preservation equipment.
Obi said the fish got rotten after five days of power outage. “I did not make up to N3,000 from the N8,000 I spent purchasing a carton of fish”.
Another trader, Malam Ali Adamu, who sells soft drinks, complained of low patronage which he attributed to the power problem.
Kaduna
Director-General of National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM), Mallam Yusuf Usman, said efforts were underway to boost the Nok area as a World Heritage site.
Usman, who disclosed this on Saturday during a stakeholders meeting with the Nok local community in Kaduna State, said it was in line with the proposal of National Tourism Master plan.
“Unfortunately, the Nok archaeological sites became victims of unprecedented looting especially in the nineties when some of these sculptures were illegally exported.
“The need to embark on scientific studies became very urgent in the face of this threat.’’
Usman said the commission entered into a partnership with the institute for African Archaeology and Archaeo-botany of the Goethe University Frankfurt in 2005.
Kogi
Kogi Director of Primary Health Care, Dr Funmi Balogun has warned against the non-challant attitude of some mothers to immunisation programmes against the major five child killer diseases.
Speaking in an interview with newsmen in Lokoja, Balogun observed that some mothers took the BCG immunisation at birth, only for them to ignore others.
She said the essence of immunisation was to avoid the child-killer diseases and check infant mortality rate.
Balogun also urged mothers to immunise their children against diphtheria, measles, polio and yellow fever, among others.
The director said that the first phase of the immunisation programme for this year had just been concluded adding that the second phase would soon commence.
The PHC director also decried the lack of awareness among mothers to register their babies with the National Population Commission (NPC) at birth, obtain birth certificates and help government have accurate data on population.
Lagos
Some youths, operating small-scale businesses in the Lagos metropolis, have complained about the high cost of doing business owing to the current epileptic public power supply.
Some of the youths, who spoke in separate interviews with newsmen in Lagos, said public power supply remained a major challenge to efforts to sustain their businesses.
Mr Anthony Emmanuel, a Pay-phone operator who also charges phone batteries in the Kakawa area of Lagos Island, said that PHCN electricity supply was inadequate and that it was negatively affecting his business.
Niger
The Niger State Polytechnic, Zungeru, has matriculated 1,376 students for the 2011/2012 academic session.
In his speech at the occasion, Alhaji Mohammed Garba, the Rector of the Polytechnic, warned the students not to be involved in cultism.
Garba warned that the management of the institution would not hesitate to dismiss any student found to be involved in cultism, instead of facing his/her academic pursuit.
He also warned that students who did not attain 75 per cent attendance in their lectures would not be allowed to sit for their examination.
Oyo
The Publicity Secretary of Ansar-ud-deen Society of Nigeria, Alhaji Muibi Adebanjo, has urged the National Assembly to evolve appropriate legislation that would revamp the education sector.
Adebanjo told newsmen in Ibadan that the development of the education sector was being hindered by inconsistencies in policies and discrimination.
He said the inconsistencies were caused by changes which came with the transition from military rule to pluralist democracy.
“ Ghana ’s educational policy has been consistent over the years since independence, hence the high quality remains,’’ he said.
Adebanjo, who is also the Chairman, Al-ilmu Schools, further condemned the discrimination against certain categories of certificates in favour of university degrees.
He further said: “Where do we put the remaining one million students that would not be catered for in the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board examination if only 500,000 students would be provided admission. ’’
Adebanjo appealed to government at all levels to ensure that the existing educational institutions were adequately equipped for practicals and research.
Plateau
The Plateau Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) says it has arrested a café operator, who allegedly issued a fake Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination registration slip to a candidate in Jos.
Mr. Desmond Agu, the Commander, told newsmen that the candidate, Vincent Bello, was also arrested.
“The duo were parties to a fake UTME registration slip and shall be investigated,’’ he said.
Bello had earlier presented the slip for Saturday’s UTME examination but was sent out of the hall and immediately arrested at the Plateau Polytechnic Centre I after it was discovered that the slip was fake.
A distraught Bello led the NSCDC officials to the café, where the operator was also picked.
Agu said that the owner of the café, located in Bukuru, Jos South Local Government of Plateau, had disowned the slip and claimed that the candidate lied against him.
He said that the fake slip was the only incident recorded during the examination and scored JAMB 98 per cent for conducting what he described as “the most successful UTME test“ in the country.
Sokoto
Secretary Aliyu Magatakarda Advocacy Group (AMAG) an NGO, Alhaji Abubakar Yabo, on Saturday called for intelligence sharing among security agencies in the fight against terrorism.
Yabo told newsmen in Sokoto that collaborative effort would enable the security agencies check the activities of the terrorists.
He said that information sharing among the security agencies will enable them come out with great ideas in confronting the security challenges without hindrance.
He expressed confidence in the ability of the security officers to tackle the nation’s internal security challenges.
Yabo called for the re-training of security officers to update their knowledge to ensure productivity.
An Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Centre is set to be established in Omoku, Ogba/Egbema /Ndoni Local Government Area of Rivers State.
The initiative is being championed by the Omoku People’s Forum, a global association of Omoku elites, under the leadership of its President-General, Dr. George Ada Ubah.
As part of efforts to ensure the successful execution of the project, a prominent son of Omoku, Chief (Barr.) Dennis Masi, has been appointed by the Forum as the Chairman of the ICT Centre Project Committee, entrusted with the responsibility of coordinating and driving the initiative to fruition. Upon completion, the ICT Centre is expected to serve as a major hub for the training and empowerment of youths in digital and technological skills, equipping them to actively participate in the increasingly technology-driven global environment.
The project is also widely regarded as a significant step towards positioning Omoku as an emerging ICT hub within Rivers State, fostering innovation, digital literacy, and economic development in the region.
Concerned Rivers Chiefs For Peace And Development has said it formation was not politically motivated or has any links to political parties or candidates.
The group which said this at a media briefing at Abuloma in Port Harcourt City Local Government Area said it’s formation has nothing to do with politics.
According to the text for the briefing jointly signed by Chief Boma Kele Oyika it’s chairman and Chief Inemo T Ikama Deputy Secretary General said the organization is expected to focus on conflict Resolution, community engagement, collaboration with government and private sector actors
‘it mandate also includes promoting peace building initiative, supporting local economic empowerment programms and strengthening traditional institutions in our state and beyond as partners in governance ”
It said the body is led by a team of respected traditional leaders serving as trustees
“Their collective leadership reflects a blend of experience cultural authority and grassroots connection
“Key elements considered vital for addressing long standing,socio economic and security challenges in the region”
The release further says ” the formation of this organization comes at a time when communities in Rivers state continue to navigate between issues ranging from youth unemployment, environmental concerns and intermittent conflicts amongst the traditional rulers and beyond
“By bringing together influential traditional figures under a unified platform, the group aims at serving as stabilizing force while advocating for inclusive development policies ” it said
It also described its emergence as a new chapter in grass roots leadership and regional development
Earlier, chairman of the body, Chief Boma Kele Oyika said the organization will work with relevant authorities to promote peaceful coexistence in the state, reduce crime and promote economic development.
He said it is open to all Chiefs from the 23 local government areas.
The Chairman of The Nigeria Delta Chamber of Commerce, Trade, Mines and Agriculture NDCCTMA,Ambassador Idaere Gogo Ogan and the Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission ( NDDC ) Dr Samuel Ogbuku have challenged Niger Delta entrepreneurs to close the gap in Gross Demostic Products (GDP) differences between the region and that of the South Western part of the country by coming home to invest.
The two leaders spoke at a business round table organized by NDDCTMA in Port Harcourt
Chairman of NDDCTMA Ambassador Idaere Gogo Ogan, said to close the gap between the south west region which he said has a GDP seize of about #59 trillion and that of the Niger Delta which is about #34 trillion was to massively invest in the region.
He said no other persons can do this except sons and daughters from the region.
“For me I believe in statistics,I believe in data and everyday I looked at the data concerning development in Nigeria and from the GDP point of view, the South West has #59 trillion, that is the seize of the south west region economy, the second region following them is the Niger Delta region with GDP seize of #34 trillion,so there is a yearning gap of #25 trillion that separates the south west and the Niger Delta region, that is why we are here”
Ogan said the region has the capacity to close the gap and even surpassed it but regretted that indigenes of the region have chosen to ignore it in terms of investment.
“We need to close that gap .If we close that gap and even surpassed it,all the negative problems of militancy and unemployment will automatically erase “he said
Ogan said the event was organized to remind the people that past efforts of militancy and agitations have not led the region to any where
“That is why we are gathered here in this room “he said.
Also speaking Managing Director/Chief Executive officer of the Niger Delta Development Commission( NDDC) Dr Samuel Ogbuku urged indigenes of the region not to use the problem of insecurity as an excuse to continue to deny the region of investment as every part of the country have in one time or the other experienced crisis.
Ogbuku said most indigenes have displayed high level of unpatriotism towards the region by taking investments that would have benefited the people to either Lagos or Abuja.
“With little threat we have left the city,we have gone to Lagos,we have moved our families to Abuja and Lagos
“If you go round GRA all the property, you will see,”to let to let”most of them are now empty “he said.
The NDDC MD said despite the fact that people from the region are doing well in the oil and gas, banking and other sectors, its impact are not being felt at home because they are stationed outside the region.
He said time has come for potential investors from the region to have a change of heart by coming home to invest.
John Bibor