FCT

The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) is to demolish 19 villages in the territory, an official of the authority said on Thursday in Abuja.

Head of Public Relations Unit, Department of Development Control, Abuja Metropolitan Management Council (AMMC), Mrs Josie Mudashiru,  told newsmen last Thursday in Abuja.

Mudashiru said the affected villages comprised Idu, Karmo-Dape, Tasha, Gwagwa, Suburi, Zauda, Jahi, Gishiri, Mabushi, Mpape, Kuchigoro, Chika, Aleita, Piwoyi, Lugbe, Pyakassa, Tudun-wada, Dei-dei and Guzape.

She said that AMMC had begun a two-month sensitisation programme for residents of the areas. “We have commenced sensitisation programmes in Hausa, Ibo, Yoruba, Gbagi and pidgin English in the affected areas before the demolition exercise.

“We have involved chiefs, youths and other stakeholders in the sensitisation programme. We will proceed for marking after the programme, and hopefully, the demolition will commence before the end of 2012,” Mudashiru stressed.

Gombe

The Deputy Governor of Gombe State, Mr Thanda Rubainu, has advised the Ashaka Cement Company to increase its production to four million tonnes annually.

Rubainu gave the advice in Gombe on Thursday when the company’s Board of Directors paid him a courtesy call, stressing that increased production would boost the company’s profile and position it better to retain the market shares.

Earlier, the Chairman, Ashaka Board of Directors, Alhaji Umaru Kwairanga,  said they were in Gombe for the company’s 37th Annual General Meeting. He said the company was planning to increase its production from 900,000 tonnes to 1.3 million annually.

Kwairanga assured the state government of the company’s continued support to the host communities in terms of social amenities.

He said the company dug boreholes, constructed health care centres and built schools to the communities around it, and also gave scholarship to 50 Gombe indigenes studying in various universities in the country.

Kano

Animal feeds prices have increased around Kano metropolis due to scarcity of the product, The Tide’s correspondent reports.

The demand for the product had increased since the state government began the empowerment of women and youths in poultry farming.

The price of a 50 kg bag of the feed formerly sold at about N1,200 now goes for between N1,500 and N1,600, depending on the selling point.

Consumers of the product have expressed concern over the sudden increase, saying that it would also impact on the prices of chicken and eggs.

A dealer in animal feeds, Malam Habibu Balarabe,  attributed the development to low production at the factories due to the rainy season.

“During the rainy season, the storage of the product is a bit difficult so people use other methods to feed their animals as the feeds easily got spoilt during this season.”

A consumer of the product, Hajiya Khadija Nura,  said that the development would translate to an increase in the prices of chicken and eggs, as well as other animals.

Katsina

Fifty-four victims of food poisoning in Gatakawa village in Kankara Local Government Area of Katsina State have survived it.

The Chief Nursing Officer of the Kankara General Hospital, Mr Joshua Danjuma, said last Thursday in Kankara that they were brought to the hospital same day and put on admission.

He said the victims reportedly consumed a local cake prepared with treated beans meant for planting.

Danjuma said that all the victims had survived what could have been a tragedy after series of medications, stressing that they were admitted at the stage of convulsion.

He said the victims, who included school children and adults, were brought to the clinic unconscious with most of them vomiting and excreting some substances.

The Primary Health Care Coordinator of Kanakara Local Government Area, Alhaji Sani Kusada, confirmed the incident.

Kebbi

The Kebbi Government has commenced the training of female Muslim Guides to assist pilgrims in this year’s Hajj in Saudi Arabia.

The Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Nuruddeen Kangiwa, who addressed the trainees in Birnin Kebbi on Thursday, said adequate provisions would be made to ensure smooth pilgrimage.

“The utmost care and guidance for the pilgrims of the state must be your priority and I urge you to shun any anti-social and illegal activities while in the Holy Land for the pilgrimage.”

The Chairman of the state Muslim Pilgrims Board, Alhaji Usman Suru, said the training of female guides was in line with the directives of the National Pilgrims Board.

“We would ensure that our pilgrims are properly guided. “Part of your responsibility is to ensure that Pilgrims especially women abide by the rules as well as conduct themselves in an orderly manner during the pilgrimage.”

Kogi

Kogi urgently requires additional 2,000 for effective teaching in its 238 public secondary schools, the acting Chairman of the State Teaching Service Commission, Alhaji Salu Aliu, said on Thursday in Lokoja.

Aliu told newsmen that 3,000 teachers currently engaged in the schools were inadequate for quality teaching.

He said the situation had been compounded by the fact that many teachers would soon retire.

He blamed the predicament on the staff auditing exercise carried out by the state government in 2009 during which more than 2,000 secondary school teachers were “shown the way out of service.”

He said that the effect of the shortage was being felt badly in core subjects of Mathematics, English language and the sciences.

He said a proposal to recruit teachers to fill the vacancies had been sent to Gov. Idris Wada and appealed to the government to quickly accede to the request.

Aliu called on all stakeholders in the nation’s education sector, especially the government, teachers and parents, to come together to rescue the sector from total collapse.

Lagos

Two tanker drivers and a conductor were on Thursday charged before an Igbosere Magistrates’ Court in Lagos for allegedly stealing aviation fuel worth N4 million.

The accused — Abdulsalami Tirimisiyn, 42; Kodiri Murina, 27; and Kodiri Oladele, 21 — are standing trial on a two-count charge of conspiracy and stealing. Tirimisiyn and Murina were the tanker drivers while Oladele was the conductor.

The trio, whose addresses were unknown, however, pleaded not guilty.

The prosecutor, Insp. Marcus Okon, told the court that the trio committed the offences sometime on June 7 and 8 at Coconut Bus Stop, Apapa.

He said the accused stole 36, 000 litres of Jet A (aviation fuel) worth N4 million, property of S-Kay Haulage and Transport Services Nig. Ltd.

“The accused stole the product while in transit from Lagos to Abuja,’’Okon said.

Ondo

An Akure Senior Magistrate’s Court on Thursday remanded a com-mercial motorcyclist, Friday David, in prison for alleged indecent assault.

The presiding magistrate, Mrs. Funke Adegoroye, ordered the remand of the 23-years-old man who is standing trial on a two-count charge of unlawful and indecent assault on a 12-years-old girl.

According to the police, the offence was allegedly committed on June 18, at Irawo Street, Akure, in the Akure magisterial district.

David was accused of unlawfully taking the girl into custody against the wish of her parents for three days, and indecently assaulted her.

Police said the accused person touched the girl’s breasts and private part and had carnal knowledge of her without her consent.

This, the police said, was contrary to and punishable under Section 222 of the Criminal Code Cap 30 Vol. I Laws of Ondo State 2006.

The accused person pleaded not guilty to the charges, and told the court that the girl’s mother was actually his girl friend.

He also told the court that both the girl and her mother had spent up to three days with him, and that the mother usually sends the girl on errands to his house.

Plateau

The Plateau House of Assembly has threatened to sanction Heads of Ministries, Agencies and Departments (MDAs) that fail to furnish it with their Financial Report for the first quarter of the year.

The House had allotted a one-week grace period for accomplishment of the assignment, failing which defaulting heads would be summoned.

The Speaker, Mr John Dabwan, who issued the order on Thursday, expressed surprise that most MDAs had yet to submit their first quarter reports to the legislature as stipulated by law.

The member representing Jos-South, Mr Dalyop Mancha, had called attention of the House to lapses in its over-sight function, occasioned by the inability of the MDAs to furnish it with their quarterly financial reports.

Mancha said that the action of the MDAs had denied the various committees of their role of tracking the performance of the budget.

Sokoto

Sokoto State Government on Thursday doled out 2,300 bags of grains worth N2.5 million to the poor in the state.

Gov. Aliyu Wamakko said in Goronyo while inaugurating the distribution of the grains that each of the beneficiaries would also receive N5,000. He said the gesture was aimed at alleviating their suffering.

The governor also said that the government was spending N45 million monthly on physically challenged persons across the state.

“I have also directed the state Zakat and Endowment Committee to get the census of all those physically challenged persons not currently benefiting from the monthly gesture.

“This is with the view to bringing all of them on board to benefit from the N6,500 each receives as monthly allowance, as a way of reducing begging in the society,” he said.

Also speaking, the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar, commended the state government for its commitment to improving the welfare of the people.

Abubakar called for fervent prayers by the people for peace to prevail in the state and the nation.

The Chairman of the committee, Alhaji Lawal Maidoki, who is also the Commissioner for Religious Affairs, Prof. Musa Maitafsir, commended the administration for giving priority to the welfare and comfort of the people.

Yobe

The new National Security Adviser (NSA), retired Col. Sambo Dasuki, said the Federal Government would give top priority to dialogue and negotiation to tackle the current security challenges in the country.

Dasuki stated this in Damaturu on Thursday, when he paid a courtesy visit on Gov. Ibrahim Gaidam, at the Government House.

He said that government was committed to working with all stakeholders to bring a final solution to the prevailing security challenges posed by insurgency.

In his remarks, Gaidam urged the Federal Government to consider the option of dialogue and negotiation to provide solution to the security challenges.

The governor called on the Federal Government to introduce special welfare packages for security men “in the event of death, injury and accidents while on duty”.

He commended the professionalism and gallantry of the Joint Task Force team during the four major attacks on Damaturu in less than one year, noting that their sacrificial efforts had succeeded in reducing casualties.