Benue
A governorship aspirant on the platform of the Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP) in Benue State, Mr Peter Chieshe, has suggested more international assistance in the fight against insurgency in the country.
Chieshe said in an interview on Sunday in Makurdi that the government and international communities should evolve pragmatic approach aimed at ending the activities of the insurgents.
Chieshe condoled with those who lost relations and loved ones in the Nyanya bomb and described blasts, the abduction of school girls in Chibok, Borno, as despicable.
He urged Nigerians not to surrender their destiny to faceless insurgents whose mission was to destroy the country.
“The insurgents seek to disrupt the peace, unity and existence of the country; but it is the duty of every Nigerian to work for a united and peaceful Nigeria,’’ he said.

Ekiti
The Ewi of Ado-Ekiti, Oba Rufus Adejugbe, has said that
the relationship between him and a former Ekiti State governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose, is cordial.
Adejugbe who made this known last Sunday when he received Fayose, who was on a campaign tour of Ado Local Government Area, in his palace at Ado-Ekiti ruler noted that he was not thinking or talking about the past, adding that the past had gone with its inadequacies.
He, however, enjoined candidates of all political parties, including Fayose, to be peaceful in their campaigns, so as not to throw the state into violence.
Earlier, Fayose told the Oba that he was in his palace to pay homage, as well as seek his royal blessings and praised the Ewi in forgiving his wrong doings, adding that he was now a better person, more responsible, mature and responsive.

FCT
The Nigerian Building and Road Research Institute, says it
has  undertaken a study on the frequent deterioration of roads in the country.
Director-General of the institute, Prof Danladi Matawal, said in an interview Sunday in Abuja that the research was funded by the Samuel Olatunde Fadahunsi Foundation.
He said N6.8 million was received from the foundation for the project, which also entailed designing and fabricating an interlocking block making machine and developing ceiling boards using pulp and sawdust.
According to him, the researches have been highly successful, and a number of publications on the subjects have been made.
Matawal said the findings were presented during the 2013 national conference on road failure organised by the institute and the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria.

Gombe
Chairman of Balanga Local Government Area of Gombe
State, Alhaji Abdullahi Talasse, has urged the Federal Government to complete the Balanga Dam Project.
Briefing journalists in Gombe, Abdullahi said that the completion of the dam was necessary to enable irrigation farming and provision of potable water for communities in the North East geo-political zone.
The chairman said that the completion of the dam would also facilitate power generation and boost socio-economic development of the region and country at large.
“If this dam is completed, it would reduce youth restiveness by way of job creation and many companies will be attracted to the place because of power supply. “It is the same dam that would pump potable water to the people for irrigation purposes”, he said.
Abdullahi also appealed to the Federal Government to ensure the provision of fertiliser, and other agricultural inputs such as tractors, herbicides and pesticides as well as soft loans for farmers during the 2014 farming season.

Lagos
As Nigeria joined the rest of the world to mark the Press
Freedom Day, the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) has called on the authorities to see the media as an ally.
The NGE said the day afforded Nigerians the opportunity to reflect on the state of the media in the country, adding “Without a free press, good governance cannot be guaranteed, the fight against corruption will at best be tepid, our political development will be stunted and sluggish.
“The fundamental rights of the citizenry would be trampled upon with impunity.
But a free press will accelerate national development and engender the country of our dreams, which yet remains in the realm of envisioning,” the statement noted.
Kebbi
The Kebbi State Government has approved N12.6 billion
for the execution of education, water and roads projects.
The state Commissioner for Information, Alhaji Sani Kanya, told newsmen in Birnin Kebbi that the State Executive council approved N7 billion for the purchase of text books for SSS and JSS students.
He said N2 billion would also be spent on the construction of the 40km Suru-Zengelu road while N1.6 billion would be spent on constructing the 26km Katari-Kechi road while the sum of N865 million would be expended on construction of a 30km road from Dakingari to Maitambari.
The commissioner also said N670 million would be spent on the improvement of rural water supply in addition to the Japanese and Federal Government water supply facilities received by the state.
Kogi
Governor Idris Wada of Kogi State has pledged the state’s
readiness to support individuals whose focus was to impart knowledge and support its education transformation agenda.
Wada, who made the pledge in a statement by the Deputy Governor’s Press Secretary, Mr Michael Abu, on Sunday in Lokoja, said Wada made the promise throught the Deputy Governor, Mr Yomi Awoniyi, at a book launch by a renowned educationist, Dr Bello Ibrahim, in Arabi Local Government Area of Kogi.
It said the knowledge gathered by the author and documented would be significant to the development of education in the state and country at large
Wada urged Nigerians to see politics as geared towards development adding that the present realities point to the fact that those in positions of authority must live above board and make service delivery their cardinal point.
Kwara
An aspirant in the forthcoming National Association of
Women Journalists (NAWOJ) elections, Mrs Ifeyinwa Omowole, last Saturday in Ilorin pledged to provide the platform for members to excel.
Omowole, who is aspiring to the association’s National President’s position, made the pledge while briefing members of NAWOJ in Ilorin.
“Our association, which was basically set up to empower women journalists, has unfortunately lost its course. “Due to the edge male journalists have, the need for women to form their organisation so as to provide equal opportunities for women arose.
“But what we have now is not what we bargained for,’’ she said.
Omowole, a one-time National Deputy President of NAWOJ, said the association had over the years lost track and had not become very relevant in the scheme of things.
“I promise to bring back the former glory of this association,” she said.
Nasarawa
St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Akwanga, Nasarawa
State, last  Sunday, announced a special prayer for the freedom of more than 200 school girls abducted in Chibok, Borno.
The Assistant Parish Priest of the church, Rev. Fr. Azige Alfred, said during his sermon that the prayer became imperative to seek God’s intervention.
He urged the members of the church and Nigerians to pray seriously and ask God to help the girls to gain freedom and said because of the security challenges in the country; the church had taken some measures to protect members.
Alfred said such measures included the directive that church members and visitors should not be allowed to enter the church with handbags and called on leaders to create employment opportunity for the youths to curtail vices in the society.
Niger
The Muslim Students Society of Nigeria (MSS), has
urged Nigerians to embark on fasting and prayer for the safe return of the students abducted in Chibok, Borno, on April 14.
Malam Abdulazeez Folayemi, President of the society made the call in Minna during a lecture organised by the North Central Zone of the MSS to mark the Diamond Jubilee of the body.
“The million of Muslim students in Nigeria and the Diaspora reject this terrorist act that is aimed at increasing and complicating the suffering of the already traumatised Nigerians. “We call on everyone to embark on fasting and prayer in order to seek Allah’s intervention in this precarious time.
He urged the Federal Government to deploy “all necessary machinery to ensure the safe return of the girls” and urged the authorities to come up with more proactive measures to tackle the Boko Haram insurgency.

Sokoto
Hundreds of Muslim women last  Sunday prayed in
Sokoto to seek God’s intervention over the lingering insecurity in parts of the north, especially in the recent abduction of over 200 school girls in Chibok, Borno State.
The women were drawn from Muslim Organisations, Islamic Medical Association of Nigeria, Women in Dawah, Muslim Students Association of Nigeria and Muslim Corps Members Association of Nigeria.
Spokesperson for the group, Hajiya Rahmatu Saleh, called on those holding the school girls to have the fear Allah and release them.
She stressed the importance of prayers towards achieving peace in the country and advised Muslims to turn to Allah.

L-R: President, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, and Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar, at a Summit for Child Health in Abuja, recently.