FCT

The Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President (SSAP) on Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) is partnering with the Albino Foundation to provide succour to those living with albinism.

The SSAP on MDGs, Dr Precious Gbeneol, said this when she received members of The Albino Foundation (TAF) in Abuja last Thursday.

She said the office was partnering with the foundation under the MDGs Albinos Support Programme Initiative (MASPRO).

Gbeneol explained that MASPRO was a special focus empowerment project designed for the vulnerable section of Nigeria’s populace with principal consideration for people living with albinism.

“The initiative is an effective channel to reach a hitherto unreached group of Nigerians.’’

She said her office would address awareness progammes, economic empowerment and social inclusion of albinos.

Gbeneol said that some albinos had been given protective gadgets to prevent their exposure to the rays of the sun which make them prone to developing skin cancer.

She said the office was also planning skills acquisition and how to reduce poverty among the albinos.

Kano

Kano State Hisbah Command has started training prospective couples who qualified for its match-making project, our correspondent reports.

The Public Relations Officer of the Command, Mr Musa Tanko, said that the training, which would be held in batches, was aimed at preparing them for wedlock.

The speakers, drawn from various fields, made presentations on topics such as the importance of marriage and reasons for staying in wedlock.

One of the speakers, Dr Yakubu Katchako, who spoke on the rights of couples, said that women had the rights to decision-making in their matrimonial homes.

Dr Sani Shu’aibu whose presentation was on the processes of divorce in Islam, said that divorce was more prevalent in the Hausa speaking communities.

He said that research had revealed that the Hausa community was rated number two in terms of high rate of divorce in some parts of sub-Saharan Africa.

A participant at the training, Malam Sulaiman Muhammad, expressed optimism that the lessons learnt would guide him through his new marriage.

Katsina

The Katsina State Government has awarded a N600. 8 million contract for the purchase of 5, 000 tonnes of fertiliser for farmers, the Commissioner for Information, Alhaji Gide Sani, said.

The contract is in addition to an earlier one in which the government ordered 20, 000 tonnes for the farming season, Sani told newsmen in Katsina on Thursday.

He said the decision was taken at the state executive council meeting on Wednesday, adding that the state still had 17,000 tonnes of fertiliser remaining from the stock of 2011.

The commissioner said the contractors had six weeks to supply the commodity for distribution to farmers at subsidised rates.

The state government last week approved the inauguration of Songhai-Katsina Agricultural and Agro-allied projects worth more than N3.4 billion.

Lagos

A gang of armed robbers has shot dead two residents of Ibereko, Badagry during an attack on a family house in the area.

The Divisional Police Officer (DPO) CSP Dankoli Mohammed, in Badagry, who confirmed the incident, told newsmen on Thursday that one of the victims died on the spot, while the other died in the hospital the following day.

“It is true that some robbers attacked a private home at Ibereko on Tuesday morning and shot two people during the operation,” he said.

The DPO said that no arrest has been made adding added that the remains of the two victims, Bello Isah and Akeem Oluwarotimi, have been deposited at the mortuary, while police investigation continued into the matter.

Nasarawa

Nasarawa State Government has revoked the contract for the state’s Aerial Geographic Information system (NAGIS) awarded by the past administration in 2010 at a cost of N499 million.

The Commissioner for Lands, Survey and Town Planning, Mr Sonny Agassi,  disclosed this on Thursday in Lafia while briefing newsmen at the end of the State Executive Council meeting.

Agassi said that the contractor (JM Technologies) violated the contractual terms and lacked the capacity to deliver on the job.

He said the state government decided to revoke the contract and re-award it to another company (Suraj Engineering Consortium) at a cost of N2.7 billion.

The commissioner said that the new contract had three major components.

“These are digital aerial mapping of the state with the aim of giving appropriate titles, aerial geographic information services as well as detailed district planning of Lafia, Karu and Keffi.’’

Ondo

The Ese-Odo Local Government Chairman, Akinwunmi Sowore, has described politics as an instrument for tackling development challenges in the area.

Speaking with newsmen in Ese-Odo, Ondo, Sowore said politics could be used to influence decisions to favour communities, local government and states

“Politics is worth doing as it involves our day to day activities; my entry into politics has given me a lot of insight into the affairs of Nigeria.

“Since we came on board, we have been trying to impact on the lives of the people through our numerous empowerment programmes and about 500 youths have benefited.

“About 1000 of them are in the pipeline for the oncoming empowerment scheme; we have also been able to set the women up in small scale businesses,” he said.

Osun

The Radio Television Theatre Arts Worker’ Union of Nigeria (RATTAWU), Osun chapter, has appealed to the state government to commence the implementation of the N18, 000 minimum wage.

The state chairman of the union, Mr Layi Odekunle, made the appeal on Thursday in Osogbo in an interview.

He observed that the implementation of the wage would improve the purchasing power of workers in the state and make life more conducive for them.

The labour criticised the high salary being paid to political office holders, saying that the monthly salary of a special adviser was more than the salary of three directors in the state civil service.

Odekunle urged Gov. Rauf Aregbesola to ensure that payment of the new minimum wage was across the board, adding that it should not be restricted to officers on grade levels 1 to 7.

Oyo

The Oyo State Government says it has paid N396.7 million as WAEC fees for 67,786 students in the state’s secondary schools.

The state’s Commissioner for Education, Mrs Adetokunbo Fayokun,made this known during a media briefing in Ibadan on Thursday.

Fayokun also said N21.9million was paid as bursary award for 219 law students from the state in the 2010/2011 academic session.

She said the bursary was restricted to law students alone because the budget inherited by the present government did not take care of other disciplines.

He, however, added that as from the next academic session, the bursary would cover all students in other disciplines.

The commissioner said 250 pairs of furniture was purchased for Igbo Elerin Grammar school under the Education Trust Fund (ETF) while rehabilitation of 35 schools damaged by storm was carried out at cost of N269 million.

Sokoto

The Sokoto State Commissioner for Agriculture, Dr Jabbi Kilgori, says the state government is set to procure 296,000 bags of assorted fertilisers from the Federal Government for the 2012 farming season.

Kilgori told newsmen in Sokoto on Thursday that the fertilisers would be bought under the newly introduced electronically enabled system called “e-wallet voucher system using GSM.’’

According to Kilgori , the consignments will comprise 148,000 bags each of NPK and Urea brands of the commodity.

“We will buy each bag of the commodity at N5,500 while both the Federal and Sokoto State Governments will provide a 25 per cent subsidy each, on any bag of the commodity.

“Only genuine farmers will get the commodity while private fertiliser companies and agro-dealers will be used in transporting the fertilisers to the 23 local governments of the state.’’

Taraba

The Taraba State Government has awarded two separate contracts worth N10 billion for the construction of 4km roads in the headquarters of each of its 16 Local Government Areas.

The contracts were awarded under the State Joint Account Project to PW Nigeria Ltd and Taraba Road Construction and Management Agency (TARCMA).

Mr Timothy Kataps, the Commissioner for Justice, who signed on behalf of the government, said the roads would be constructed in the headquarters of each of the local government.

“PW will execute the project in 10 local governments in southern and central Taraba, while TARCMA will handle the roads in six local governments in the northern zone of the state,” he said.