Adamawa

The Adamawa Director of Diseases Control, Dr L.C Barka, on Thursday confirmed the outbreak of Cerebro Spinal Meningitis (CSM) in Lamurde Local Government Area of the state.

CSM is a dangerous epidemic and endemic, febrile disease, characterised by inflammation of the membranes of the brain and spinal cord, giving rise to severe headaches, tenderness of the back of the neck, paralysis of the ocular muscles, etc.

It is sometimes marked by a cutaneous eruption, when it is often called spotted fever. It is not contagious.

Barka told newsmen in Yola that the outbreak was recorded in Rugange and Gyawana villages of the area.

The director said that 29 persons were affected, out of which five were confirmed dead.

“We have already dispatched a medical team to the affected villages to contain the situation and the report we have now is that things are under control.”

Benue

The Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Makurdi, Bishop Nathan Inyom, has challenged the church to lead the crusade against corruption in the country.

Inyom told the newsmen in Makurdi that it was important for the church to enlist its members in the fight against corruption.

He said the call had become imperative owing to the high level of corruption in the country.

According to Inyom, the church with a large follower-ship, and which spans the social strata, is better positioned to tackle the menace of corruption in the country.

The cleric stated that the job was too much to be left in the hands of the anti-graft institutions.

Borno

Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno State has approved the employment of 200 fresh graduates into the state civil service.

Malam Isa Gusau, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Media and Communications, announced this on Wednesday in a statement in Maiduguri.

Gusau said the recuitment would involve qualified university and polytechnic graduates.

“Governor Kashim Shettima has given a go ahead to the Borno State Civil Service Commission to recruit 200 fresh graduates into the service.

“Those to be recruited will include both university and polytechnic graduates.”.

Gusau explained that the gesture was aimed at reducing graduate unemployment in the state as well as fill existing job vacancies in the service.

FCT

First Lady Patience Jonathan has stressed the need for Nigerians to unite “to tackle the security challenge in some parts of the country.’’

She made the call in a statement signed by Mr Ayo Osinlu, her Special Assistant, Media, in

Abuja.

The statement, which was her message to commemorate the Easter celebrations, urged Nigerians to unite, irrespective of their differences to assist the government and security agencies to tackle the challenges.

She said: “Christians should continue to do good to all and embrace peace, selflessness, tolerance and truthfulness.

“Nigerians must unite, irrespective of their religious, political, ethnic or tribal differences to assist the government to tackle the security challenge in some parts of the country.’’

The president’s wife urged Christians to “seize the opportunity to reflect on the essence of the sacrifice Jesus Christ made on the Cross of Calvary to bring salvation to mankind and ensure it is not in vain.’’

Gombe

Health officials in Gombe and Akko Local Government Councils in Gombe State on Tuesday said that they have solved the problem of resistance to application of polio vaccines in six wards of the councils.

In Gombe council, the Immunisation Officer, Malam Abdulraham Mohammed, told newsmen that areas with high resistance cases such as Shamaki, Bolari West, Nasarawo and Pantami had been successfully settled.

Mohammed said no single case of non compliance was recorded in the areas due to the intervention of the ward committees, comprising traditional and religious leaders, who prevailed on parents to allow their children to be immunised.

“For example, in Shamaki Ward, the District Head, Alhaji Usman Mohammed, marked the houses that resisted the immunisation and they were revisited immediately and they complied,” he said.

Jigawa

The Commissioner of Police in Jigawa, Mr. Kayode Theophilus, on Thursday in Kazaure warned that any policeman caught extorting motorists would face the full wrath of the law.

Theophilus gave the warning during an interactive session with officers and men of the Police and members of the Police Public Relations Committee drawn from Kazaure zone.

He described as “embarrassing to police leadership” the attitude of some policemen who continue to collect N20 bribe from motorists.

He said the command would no longer condone such attitude, warning that anyone caught would be seriously sanctioned.

Kaduna

The Peace and Reconciliation Committee set up by the Kaduna State Government to investigate the causes of post-election violence in the state has received over 120 memoranda.

Co-chairman of the committee, Air Vice Marshal Ishaya Shekari, disclosed this in Zaria, while fielding questions from newsmen.

“People have really responded. So far, we have received over 120 memoranda from the public.

“Don’t be surprised that the figure may rise to 200 before the end of the exercise.

“We are impressed with the level of compliance by the public, and we hope to come out with good and workable recommendations at the end of this exercise,” he said.

Lagos

The National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE) on Thursday called on the Federal Government to float a national carrier to eliminate fare discrepancies among foreign airlines.

The Deputy President of NUATE, Mr Samuelson Aturu, made the call while speaking with newsmen at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.

He said that Nigeria needed a national carrier to protect its interest in the global aviation industry, in spite the various flag carriers operating into the country,

He called for the establishment of a competitive commission to regulate the operations and fares of the mega carriers operating into the country, adding that such commission existed in other countries.

Aturu, however, condemned the mega carriers, especially British Airways and Virgin Atlantic Airlines, for charging what he called “cut throat prices” in Nigeria, in spite the country’s huge market.

Ogun

The Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Ogun Command, Abdulmajeed Alli, has donated items worth over N300, 000 to the Stella Obasanjo Orphanage in Abeokuta in remembrance of his late daughter.

The items included foodstuff, baby pampers, soaps and medicare materials, among others.

Alli told newsmen that the gesture was part of his late daughter’s vision to encourage the less-privileged and also set up an orphanage before her untimely death.

Receiving the items on behalf of the Home, the Permanent Secretary, Ogun Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, Mrs Aderonke Adeyokun, thanked the donor on behalf of the children..

Plateau

The Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development in Plateau has distributed 2,000 crates of eggs to hospitals and clinics to improve the nutritional quality of pregnant women and children.

The Commisisoner, Mrs Olivia Dazyam, told newsmen in Jos that the eggs were from the state government’s egg mop-up programme following a glut of the commodity this year.

She said that it was only the Northern Senatorial zone that had so far benefited.

Dazyam said that more eggs would be purchased in the mop-up initiative, and blamed the glut on security challenges facing the state.

She said that poultry farming had been a major occupation of many people in Plateau, and that the decision to intervene was a social service to minimise losses by farmers and encourage them to stay in business.

“Many farmers have so much eggs in stock and we felt that we should not allow the eggs to just waste away,” she said.

Sokoto

Chief Chaise Ejemeka, the leader of Igbo community in Sokoto State, has called on the security agencies to work out modalities to flush out those behind the spate of terrorism in the country.

“There is a need for the security agencies to adopt security measures to apprehend those involved in these deadly acts, Ejemaka told newsmen in Sokoto.

He stressed the need for the security agencies to provide an enabling environment for Nigerians to go about their normal affairs without harassment or intimidation.

“This will only be possible through a well coordinated security approach,’’ he said.

Ejemaka urged Nigerians to be watchful and report any suspected character to the nearest security agencies for prompt action.

The Igbo leader stressed the need for training and re-training of security officers to update their knowledge on how to tackle the current security situation in the country.

Yobe

The Yobe State Government plans to construct four dams before the end of the year to promote irrigation in the state, Alhaji Idi Gubana, the Commissioner for Agriculture, has said.

Gubana, who disclosed this in Damaturu while fielding questions from newsmen, said that feasibility studies on the projects had reached an advanced stage.

He explained that government was concentrating on dam construction to supplement rain-fed agriculture.

“Government is working hard to reduce dependence on rain-fed agriculture.

“The amount of rainfall in the state has been unreliable in sustaining agriculture so, government is placing emphasis on irrigation farming,” Gubana said.

The commissioner noted that 400 boreholes had been constructed across the state for irrigation farming this season.

“Irrigation farmers in the state were provided with fertiliser and improved seeds. I am happy to say that wheat, rice, maize and vegetables harvest were good and promising.’’

Meanwhile, a hungarian company is to establish tomatoes cottage factory in Gashua, the commissioner said.