Nation
THE STATES
Gombe
Vice President Namadi Sambo has solicited the support of emirs and other traditional rulers in the northern part of the country for the Almajiri Model School scheme.
Sambo made the call in Gombe on Saturday when he visited the Emir of Gombe, Alhaji Shehu Abubakar, in his palace.
“I am happy to inform you that under the Almajiri programme, we plan to assign a lot of responsibilities to your council so that we will succeed in that direction.
“Mr President has stated that every Nigerian child has the right to education and we must educate every child.
“That is why that programme came from primary school project.
“It is very impressive, it is one of its kind and these are the types of programmes that other states should emulate so that we can achieve our objectives of educating every Nigerian child,’’ he said.
Kaduna
The Kaduna State Government has advised residents to report any incident of suspected Cerebrospinal Meningitis (CSM) in the state.
The government gave the advice when it announced a five-point prevention strategy against the outbreak of the disease.
The state Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health, Dr. Paul Dogo said that residents were being sensitised through public enlightenment on the preventive measures.
Dogo disclosed that adequate medical and health personnel including drugs and vaccines, had been mobilised to control, treat and manage the disease wherever an outbreak was reported.
He advised residents to report any suspicious outbreak of communicable diseases to the nearest health facility to prevent an epidemic.
Kano
The Kano State Government has warned residents of Kano metropolis against violating the monthly environmental sanitation.
The state Commissioner for Environment, Alhaji Abdullahi Abbas, gave the warning while addressing newsmen shortly after the exercise in Kano on Saturday.
“The environmental sanitation is for their own good hence the need for all Kano residents to come out and participate fully in the monthly exercise.
“This time around there is no police and mobile courts because we want to relax the enforcement due to the security situation in the state.”
He, however, urged the people of the state, particularly Kano residents and other major towns, to ensure full compliance with the order on restriction of movement during the exercise.
The Commissioner expressed satisfaction with the massive turn out of people in some areas within the metropolis.
Kebbi
The former Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Alfa Belgore, was on Saturday awarded the Garkuwan Bunza title, by the traditional institution of Bunza, his ancestral home in Kebbi.
The district head of Bunza, Dr Mustapha Bande, announced the award on Saturday in Bunza at the foundation laying ceremony of the multi purpose town hall complex in honour of the former Chief Justice of Nigeria.
Bande said the honour given to Justice Belgore was well deserved.
The Kebbi government would jointly execute the project with CITAR, an NGO on political awareness and sustainable human development.
Also speaking, Justice Belgore commended the NGO and the state government for the financial and human resources committed to building the complex in his honour.
He recalled that his parents migrated to Ilorin in 1858 to propagate Islamic knowledge and assured the people that he would continue to relate well with his ancestral home as well as partake in development efforts in the area.
He said the project would be completed and supported especially in the provision of facilities to ensure that it was beneficial to the people.
Kwara
Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed of Kwara on Friday said that the bomb attacks on some media establishments marked a dangerous trend in the act of terrorism in the country.
In a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Alhaji Abdulwahab Oba, the governor described Thursday’s attacks on ThisDay newspaper office in Abuja and other media houses in Kaduna as “shocking and unfortunate’’.
He stressed that the mass media constituted the conscience of the nation and the fulcrum of free speech required for deepening the democratic culture in a society.
He said that the attacks represented another despicable and deplorable effort to silence popular expression by promoting hate and fear among the citizens.
Ahmed, nonetheless, urged the country’s journalists not to be despondent because of the emerging threats, stressing that they should remain committed to the ideals of journalism and good governance.
“On behalf of the good people of KwaraState, I commiserate with the management and staff of ThisDay, the NUJ, NPAN, NGEs, friends and families of the deceased on this occasion of national grief.
Nasarawa
Governor Tanko Al-Makura of Nasarawa State on Saturday assured the people that his administration would be prudent and accountable in respect of contract awards.
Al-Makura madethe statement while inaugurating some earth moving equipment for the construction of rural roads in parts of the state in Lafia.
He said the present administration in the state would distance itself from the past practice when contractors failed to deliver on contracts and collected money.
“We are going to take a full stock of all projects that have been awarded and those either completed, abandoned or uncompleted.
“My administration will not leave any stone unturned and will deal with anybody found guilty of siphoning government funds,’’ the governor said.
He said the construction of rural roads would start at Agyaragu–Kwara, in Nasarawa North Senatorial (Lafia) Zone and in Garaku in Nasarawa West Senatorial (Keffi) Zone through Dari-Amba-up to Basa.
He said the Nasarawa Central (Akwanga) Zone road construction would begin from Wamba through FarrinRuwa to Maman areas.
He said the state government bought the equipment in conjunction with the local government/development areas for the construction and rehabilitation of rural roads.
Ondo
An Ondo State governorship aspirant under the platform of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Dr Olu Agunloye, has called for stiff penalties for electoral offences.
INEC is to conduct the gubernatorial election on October 20.
Agunloye decried the absence of commensurate penalties for electoral offences.
“One of the symptoms of apathy was the faulty reward and penalty systems in Nigeria.
“People don’t get appropriate rewards for the good they do and no adequate penalty for offenders,’’ Agunloye said.
Agunloye, a former Minister of Power and Steel, was also of the view that voters’ apathy was on the increase in the country because electoral offenders were not prosecuted.
The aspirant also cited the absence of justice as bane to smooth electoral process, adding that where there was no justice; there could not be peace.
Plateau
The Plateau chapter of National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) has expressed satisfaction with the decision of the state government to deploy local government staff to their areas of origin.
The state President of the union, Mr Samson Mafuyai, told our source in Jos on Sunday that the union had “no objection’’ to the policy, adding that the policy would make the workers more productive.
“The state government has the right to bring up any policy, but we have tried to find out whether such policies are good.
“ We have asked government to explain their motives and hope such motives will be very convincing,’’ he said.
The government last Wednesday inaugurated a 16-member committee for the deployment of local government staff to their local government areas of origin.
The Secretary to the State Government, Prof Shedrack Best, who inaugurated the committee, said that the decision was based on the recommendations of a committee on civil service reforms.
Yobe
The Yobe Agency for the Control of HIV/AIDS (YOSACA) has distributed 60 sewing and 70 grinding machines to 130 beneficiaries to promote self-reliance among People Living with HIV and AIDS.
YOCASA’s Executive Director, Hjiya Farida Mamudo, on Friday in Damaturu said that the empowerment project was intended to engender self-employment and self-sufficiency among the group.
She said that the agency had trained 100 health workers on how to reduce the stigmatisation of those living with the disease, while facilitating their support and social integration.
However, Mamudo said that 200 agricultural extension workers and 100 commercial transport workers had been trained by the agency on HIV prevention strategies.
She noted that the agency had been providing people living with HIV and AIDS with skills and materials to enhance their wellbeing and economic status.
Nation
Gombe Opens Bid For Construction Of Three-Arm Zone Project
Gombe State Ministry of Works, Housing and Transportation has opened bids for the construction of three arms zone complexes within the Gombe Capital Special Development Zone which held at the Ministry’s conference hall.
Speaking while presiding over the bid opening proceedings, the Commissioner, Engr. . Usman Maijama’a Kallamu assured the bidders that the bid opening would be carried out using procurement process which is based on specific regulations that are credible, fair, and transparent.
The Commissioner, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Alh. Idris Yambiu Buba said that the Ministry will continue to align itself for optimal results in the implementation of government policies and projects in line with Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya’s commitment to bringing development to the State.
While assuring the bidders of a transparent process, the SSA to the Governor on Special Project, Arch. Yakubu Mamman thanked Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya for his foresight in infrastructural development of the State, adding that government is committed to ensuring that all bidders had an equal chance to participate and compete based on merit to maintain standards and specifications.
Nation
Gov Mbah Signs Bill To Establish Teaching Hospital In Enugu
Governor of Enugu State, Dr Peter Mbah, yesterday, signed the Enugu State University of Medical and Applied Sciences (SUMAS) Teaching Hospital Bill 2024 into Law, promising to expedite action to actualise the teaching hospital immediately to provide quality training and healthcare services in the Enugu North part of the State and the State in general.
Mbah, while commending the Enugu State House of Assembly for accelerating action on the processing and passage of the Executive Bill, said that establishing SUMAS Teaching Hospital was in line with his manifesto.
He said, “What we have done by signing into law the Enugu State University of Medical and Applied Sciences Teaching Hospital Bill is that we now have in place a legal framework to immediately begin to put in place all that is required to upgrade SUMAS to a teaching hospital. This is part of our campaign promises and we are committed to delivering on that expeditiously.
“We believe that the importance and significance of siting a teaching hospital in our Enugu North zone can never be lost on us. So, we are not going to spend any time in making sure that everything that is necessary and required to upgrade and get the teaching hospital operational is put in place. With this Law, we are going to redouble our commitment and our efforts to achieve that.”
He assured the Governing Council and the Management of SUMAS of his continued support, adding that his administration would equally be counting on their pedigree and contacts to bring the teaching hospital to fruition in record time.
“We are going to continue to support you and we are also going to continue to count on your experience, network, and profile in raising resources to actualize the project.
“This year alone, we are going to spend 33 per cent of our budget on education. This underscores the importance of education to this administration. So, be sure to come to us whenever there is a need. We are going to support you because we are interested in education and we are investing heavily in it,” he said.
On his part, the Speaker, Enugu State House of Assembly, Hon. Uchenna Ugwu, who also spoke at the Bill signing witnessed by the Chairman of SUMAS Governing Council, Msgr. Obiora Ike, and the Vice Chancellor, Prof. James Ogbonna, and top hierarchies of the institution, commended Governor Mbah’s speed and faithfulness in delivering on his campaign promises. He assured that the House of Assembly was ever ready to fast-track every executive bill that would impact positively on the state and its people.
“We promised we are going to support this administration by doing our job expeditiously to ensure that there is no delay in your delivery of democracy dividends to our people. Therefore, the SUMAS Teaching Hospital Bill received expedited hearing and today you have the signing of the bill into law,” he stated.
Nation
Ododo Applauds Security Agencies Over Rescue Of 43 Bus Passengers
Kogi State Governor, Ahmed Usman Ododo has applauded security agencies in the State for their efforts in the rescue of 43 bus passengers.
The Special Adviser on Media to the Governor, Ismaila Isah disclosed this in a statement yesterday.
The statement noted that the governor welcomed the news of the release of the abducted bus passengers in Okehi Local Government Area of the State and called for sustained collaboration between security agencies and local communities to improve intelligence gathering and prevent crime and criminality in all parts of the state.
Ododo commended the caretaker chairman of Okehi LGA, Mr Amoka Eneji, the Nigeria Police, Nigeria Professional Hunters, Ebira Local Hunters Group and other security agencies for their intervention, which led to the rescue of the passengers who were abducted outside the state.
“Governor Ododo also commends the response of security agencies to the robbery incidence in Felele area of Lokoja and called for more urgency in addressing cases of insecurity in any part of the state.
“The Governor reassured the people of the state that his administration will not relent in its efforts in deploying maximum resources to ensure that all communities in the state remain unsafe for criminal elements.”
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