Adamawa
Adamawa State Government last Thursday  inaugurated a special task force to tackle environmental problems confronting residents of Yola, the state capital.
Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Dr Umar  Bindir,  who inaugurated the committee in Yola, urged committee members to stop illegal hawking and trading within the area.
Bindir also advised the committee  to remove all the temporary structures along major roads that were not in line with the township development master plan.
He also mandated the committee members to maintain and sustain clearing of drains as well as to control haphazard packing of vehicles along major roads.
Bindir, who directed members to submit their report within three months for implementation, enjoined, them to be fair to all citizens in the discharge of their assignment.

FCT
An  NGO, Working to Advance STEM Education for African Women, says it plans to increase the participation of African women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) to 10 per cent by the year 2025.
The Programme Officer of the foundation, Ms. Loveth Obi, made this known in a statement  in Abuja on Thursday.
According to her, women can thrive in male dominated career if they are not afraid to take risks, adopt technology in their everyday lives and be abreast with innovations.
“WAAW foundation is working successfully to increase the number of African women in STEM with a target of 10 per cent increase by the year 2025.
“The takeover of technology in almost every business sector has opened up so many doors that the line between what is possible, and impossible has become almost invisible.

Kaduna
The National Orientation Agency (NOA), in Kaduna State has appealed to the people of  the  State to eschew violence and embrace dialogue to ensure peaceful co-existence.
The State Director of the agency, Zubairu Galadima, made the appeal in a statement signed by the Public Relations Officer of the agency, Patricia Onoja.
According to the  director,  peaceful co-existence, tolerance and unity are required to attain meaningful development in any society.
He said  peace is a fragile commodity that needs to be nurtured always.
“No society can make any developmental progress if it’s citizens refuse to imbibe the culture of tolerance, peace, love and dialogue in resolving their differences.

Kano
The Kano State Agricultural Supply Company (KASCO) is to commence production of 30 metric tons of fertiliser per hour before the end of this year.
Its Managing Director, Alhaji Bala Mohammed, disclosed this when some members of the Northern Elders Forum, led by Prof Ango Abdullahi, visited the company on Wednesday in Kano.
“The state government had acquired new blending machine and nine containers have arrived in Apapa port.
“When the blending machine is installed, the issue of non-availability of fertiliser will be history in the North as it will produce between 25 and 30 metric tons of fertiliser per hour,”he said.

Katsina
A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Katsina State, Alhaji Yusuf Barrista, has called on elected officials to eschew making bogus promises and promoting political violence, especially  among youths.
Barrista made the call in an interview with journalists in Dandume, last Thursday.
Barrista warned on the dangers of political violence, noting that such development would always subject the people to hardship and hindered development.
The chieftain stressed the need for more decorum and among politicians so that they could serve the people effectively.
He urged people, especially those living in the rural areas, not to entertain any candidate seeking for votes with bogus promises or capitalised on money to woo their votes.

Kogi
The Senior Special Assistant on Electronic Media to Gov. Yahaya Bello of  Kogi  State, Mr. Gbenga Olorunpomi, has said that the state government was not owing salaries of civil servants.
Olorunpomi told  newsmen in  Abuja last Thursday  that the government had paid the salaries of all workers cleared by the recently concluded civil servants verification exercise.
“This government came to power at the time civil servants were on strike; the issue that led to the strike was that of the salaries owed to the workers for many months.
“At that time, all schools in the state were shut down; the government of Governor Yahaya Bello then decided that the only way to tackle this was to do total civil service verification.
“In the process, we found out that the state had  plenty issues; about 83,000 personnel were withdrawing salaries from the state and this is a state that is barely 25 years old.

Nasarawa
Nasarawa State chapter of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), has donated educational materials worth N9 million to primary schools in the state.
Among the items shared out to head teachers of the schools in Lafia last Thursday were 5,500 copies of registers, 2,400 lesson note books, dusters and dossiers.
Its chairman, Mr Francis Jatau, who supervised the exercise, said that it was the second time the union was distributing educational materials to the schools.
He said that the union supplied the items after complaining severally to the government without any positive response.
“We do not have money but had to do this so that system will not degenerate further,” he said.
He said that the gesture was to complement government efforts.

Ogun
The Ogun State  Government has announced the retirement of the General Managers of the State Television (OGTV), Mr Dele Bolujoko and State Broadcasting Corporation (OGBC), Mr Tunde Awolana.
The government last Wednesday advised the affected managers to proceed on compulsory retirement from the public service.
The Head of Service, Abayomi Sobande, said in a statement in Abeokuta that Governor Ibikunle Amosun, had accepted the notices of voluntary retirement of the affected General Managers.
Sobande said the retirement of the general managers took immediate effect.
“On behalf of the Governor of Ogun State, I wish to seize this opportunity to appreciate the contributions of these General Managers to the development of the state and wish them success in their future endeavours”, he noted.

Osun
A 37-year-old man, Mukaila Shamotu, was last Thursday, arraigned in an Osogbo Chief Magistrates’ Court for allegedly stealing food items valued at N109,000.
Shamotu of no fixed address is facing a two-count charge of burglary and theft.
The prosecutor, Insp. Rasak Olaiwola, told the court that the accused committed the offences between May 8 and May 9 at Ota-Efun area in Osun.
Olaiwola said Shamotu broke into the shop of Oyekan Funke and stole some food items: bag of  rice, bag of beans, 25 litres of groundnut oil, and 25 litres of red oil among others, worth N109, 000.
Olaiwola said the offences contravened Sections 413 and 383 of the Criminal Code, Cap 34, Vol.11, Laws of Osun, 2003.

Sokoto
Governor  Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State has called on All Progressives Congress (APC)-controlled States to key into Federal Government’s programmes and replicate its achievements in their domains.
He made the call at the opening of the Second Quarterly Meeting of Secretaries of State Governments (SSGs) controlled by APC in Sokoto on Thursday.
Tambuwal said that keying into Federal Government’s activities would ensure rapid socio-economic development of the nation.
“Almost two years after coming to power, the Federal Government has recorded significant achievements, especially in the areas of security, job creation, agriculture, education, youth empowerment among others.
“ Now that the nation is at a crossroad, it becomes imperative for all APC member-states to ensure that a worthy turning-point is propelled.

Zamfara
The Association of Local Government Chairmen of Nigeria (ALGON), Zamfara State chapter, has welcomed the peace talks with armed bandits initiated by the state government to address security challenges in the state.
The association made the commendation in a statement signed by its Chairman, Alhaji Bello Dankande, and made available to newsmen in Gusau, on Wednesday.
“The peace talks initiated by the state government has yielded positive results as thousands of the bandits have surrendered their weapons and denounced their criminal acts.
“This has also returned peace to all communities throughout the state and our people are now returning to their normal lives, “ Dankande said.
He said many markets which were closed as a result of activities of the bandits were now being reopened as the displaced members of affected communities were returning home.