Bauchi

Some patients suffering from tuberculosis have advocated for measures to check social stigma against them that would also enhance treatment and control the spread of the disease.

A cross-section of the patients in Bauchi made the call on Thursday, while speaking with The Tide’s source on their plight.

Malama Safiya Usman, a TB patient, said the call was imperative in view of the growing stigma against sufferers in some communities in Bache.

Sofia said that the trend had made it difficult for them to access treatment and check high prevalence of the disease.

“Many people are afraid to go for tuberculosis test because of stigma.  People in the community and even your immediate family members are developing feelings of indifference and show no sympathy toward TB patients.

“Many of them stopped talking, eating or sharing anything with you because you have TB.  A great number of TB patients preferred to remain silent and die from the disease”, Sofia said.

The Benue House of Assembly has passed a resolution calling on FERMA and the Federal Controller of Works to hasten repair work on federal roads in the state.

The Assembly directed the Chief Maintenance Engineer (CME) of FERMA  and the Resident Federal Controller of Works to appear before its Standing Committee on Works.

The resolution followed a motion on a matter of urgent public interest by the member representing Okpokwu Constituency, Solomon Onah.

Onah, drew the attention of the assembly to the slow pace of construction work on the Otukpo-Enugu road which, he said, passed through his constituency.

He said because of the excavation of the Otukpo-Enugu road, cars, heavy duty vehicles have diverted traffic to the Ike-Ugbokolo road.

According to him, the use of the road by many vehicles had caused an increase in cases of hit-and run by motorists.

The AU Commission says it is ready to intensify its campaign against human trafficking in the continent in a bid to curb the menace.

Ms Cisse Mariama, Coordinator, Department of Stoical Social  Affairs, AU Commission, told The Tide’s source in Abuja recently that there was the need to increase campaign and enforcement of the various action plans and charters.

Mariama, who was participating in the AU-ECOWAS Workshop Initiative against Human Trafficking, said: “As you are aware, the AU has adopted the charter on the Right and Welfare of the Child in a bid to combat human Trafficking in Africa”.

She called on member-states and regional economic communities (RECs) to ensure the implementation of the charters and protocols on trafficking and migration.

Mariama said the Commission was putting in place mechanism to rehabilitate children “who are victims of trafficking, and punish perpetrators of the crime”.

Jigawa

The Jigawa government has selected 17 science students who had good results in their Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (SSCE) to study medicine in Cairo, Egypt.

The Commissioner for Education, Prof. Ruqayyatu Rufia addressed the students in Dutse on Thursday before they departed for Cairo.

She advised the students to be well-behaved and pay attention to their studies.

Rufai said government had confidence on the students and urged them to work hard and not to betray the confidence and government’s investment on them.

She advised them to come back to contribute their quota to the development of the state.

Jos

Troops of the Special Task Force (STF) on the Jose Crisis have averted a renewed violence in Bukuru, Jos.

Three persons including the Divisional Police Officer of ‘B’ Division, Bukuru, were injured while four suspects were arrested during the aborted violence.

A statement from the Task Force signed by Brig. Gen. Donald Oji in Jos said the violence which started about 5.30 p.m. involved two persons who started fighting after a game of football.

This developed to a situation in which youths started blocking the major roads and thereby attacking passers-by.

The STF therefore, appealed to public, especially youths to desist from taking the laws into their hands and causing a breach of peace.

Kaduna

Prof. Ephraim Okon, World Bank Consultant on ‘STEP-B’ project has urged the Federal Government to ensure adequate funding of the National Research Institute for Chemical Technology (NARICT) to enhance research.

He made the call recently in an interview with The Tide’s source after inspecting facilites at NARICT, Basawa, Zaria.

Okon said that adequate funding was fundamental to research and development, hence the need for government to redouble efforts.

The consultant applauded the institute for focusing attention on innovation and new findings relevant to the needs of the society.

He said, “NARICT is credibly doing well in terms of research and development.

“Though, it is a research institute, it is also an economy driven establishment if supported.

“The World Bank is satisfied with activities of the institute which is directed toward national development”, Okon added.    

The Kwara Government has inaugurated a nine-member task force to curb the menace of deforestation, desertification and their adverse effects on climate change.

Chief James Ayeni, the Commissioner for Environment and Forestry, who inaugurated the task force in Ilorin, said that the team was to prevent revenue losses arising from illegal exploitation of forest resources.

He, however, commended the contributions of chainsaw/plank operators in the state to the feats of the forestry department in revenue generation.

Ayeni congratulated the task force members for their appointment and urged them to carry out their assignment diligently and complement government’s efforts to improve the revenue generated in the sector.

He also charged them to regulate the activities of chainsaw/plank operators.

The commissioner stressed the need to promote honesty, teamwork and cooperation among the members in efforts to standardize the activities of the operators and ensure the safety of the environment.

Lagos

Mr.  Shola Tinubu, the Managing Director of Scib Insurance Brokers has urged stakeholders to evolve a structure that would make micro-insurance take root in the country.

Tinubu told The Tide’s source in Lagos that a perfect structure was vital for easier collection of premiums from rural dwellers.

He said that most insurance companies and brokers had not been able to develop products and market them because of that shortcoming.

According to him, micro-insurance marketing is more of retail thing and it has to be done in a most cost efficient way.

Yobe

The Yobe Fadama III Project is to  disburse N100 million to its user groups before the end of July.

The state’s Fadama Coordinator  Malam Musa Garba, told The Tide’s source in Damaturu recently that the project was targeting more than 2.2 million users as direct beneficiaries.

Garba said more than N18 million was disbursed to 10 farmer groups in five local governments in September 2009 during the first phase.

“Now, we have commenced the second phase of the project and as at March 2010, we had disbursed N10 million while the remaining N72 million will be disbursed before the end of July 2010.

“The total package for the state under Fadama III from the World Bank is 7.852 million dollars and the counterpart fund from both state and the 17 local government is N450 million.

Zamfara

The exit of credible personalities from the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) has marked the “death of the party beyond resurrection”, Gov. Mahmud Shinkafi of  Zamfara said in Gusau.

Shinkafi, who spoke at the formal defection of ANPP federal and state lawmakers  to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Monday, said the ANPP could no longer provide a credible platform for the actualisation of genuine political dreams.

“A dream party should be one that has a national outlook in terms of membership, structure, as well as an articulated agenda for development and progress”, he said.

The governor noted that the exit of respected personalities such as retired Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari from the ANPP was an attestation of its final collapse as a leading opposition party in the country.

He said the PDP in the state had mapped out strategies to ensure victory in the 2011 general elections.

Eminent personalities who graced  the occasion included Gov. Sule Lamido of Jigawa and the deputy governors of Katsina, Niger and Sokoto States.

The PDP National Chairman, Mr. Vincent Ogbulafor; Senate President David Mark and House of Representatives Speaker Dimeji Bankole were represented at the event.