Nation
THE STATES
Bauchi
The Director-General (DG) of Bauchi State Environmental Protection Agency (BASEPA), Hajiya Dije Bala, says the Agency was not responsible for the removal of campaign posters in Bauchi metropolis.
Bala told newsmen in Bauchi that no staff of the Agency was officially directed to remove campaign posters.
The DG expressed surprise that people had resorted to using her staff to achieve their political ambitions.
“I did not direct any of my staff to remove any poster in the state, it is unfortunate that some politicians are using my staff unofficially to remove the posters of their rivals.
“We are aware that some politicians are using our staff to peel off posters meant for political campaigns in the metroplis, but is not official,” she added.
Ekiti
Mr. Dipo Anisulowo, President of Ekiti State Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (EKICCIMA) has called on politicians to invest in the economic development of the state.
Anisulowo said at a press briefing in Ado-Ekiti that the state economic development was still at a very slow pace because the state politicians invest solely on politics.
He noted that if the huge sum of money being spent on politics could be spend on economic development, the state would have developed tremendously.
He wondered why politics had become the only major occupation in the state.
According to Anisulowo, the lack of buoyant members in the state chamber is responsible for the low industries in the state.
Besides, he said businessmen who were willing to invest in the state had been prevented from doing so through petitions by those he described as enemies of progress.
Henceforth, singing of the National Anthem during the National Economic Council (NEC) meeting has been ruled out, the Acting President, Dr Goodluck Jonathan has directed.
Jonathan gave the directive at the commencement of Tuesday’s NEC meeting, which was attended by 24 governors and eight deputy governors.
The Tide’s source observed that the acting President who presided over the NEC meeting, was initially reminded by some governors on the need to sing the anthem, but he did not yield.
He later explained that the banning of the National Anthem and the National Pledge was informed by the advice he received from his protocol officers.
“I was told by the protocol unit that singing the National Anthem during NEC meeting is wrong,” he said.
The Gombe State Government spent about N200 million on the construction and equipping of four skill acquisition centres for women in the three Senatorial Districts in the state.
The state’s Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Mrs Fatima Bello, told newsmen in Gombe that the centres were located in Dukku, Gombe metropolis, Shongom and Akko.
Bello said the centres were established to cater for the teeming number of school drop-outs, casualties of early marriage, hawkers and those who were not opportuned to attend any school.
“We are concerned with these categories of people because we want them to be self-reliant and also to reduce the number of dependents in the society,” she said.
According to her, those enrolled in the centre are being taught kniting, tailoring, hair dressing and cookery.
Kaduna
The Fiscal Responsibility Commission (FRC) recovered more than N21 billion as “operating soplus” from 18 corporate organisations in 2009.
The Commissioner for Strategic Communications, Mr Adewunmi Abitoye, made the announcement in Kaduna shortly after officials of the commission paid a courtesy visit to Governor Namadi Sambo.
He said the amount was subsequently remitted to the Federal Government’s consolidated account.
Abitoye said that “operating soplus” was the fund generated by corporate agencies outside the budgeted amount for a particular year.
The commissioner, who represents the West geo-political zone on the commission, said the agencies were expected to remit 80 per cent of such fund to the Federation Account.
He said the funds were recovered after the agencies failed to remit the excess funds to the federation account.
Kano
The Emir of Kano, Alhaji Ado Bayero, has urged governors of the 36 states not to divert funds voted for development projects to other purposes.
The emir made the call in Kano when the Peer Review Team of the Nigeria Governors‘ Forum (NGF) Secretariat paid him a courtesy visit.
Bayero said that the call was necessary based on past experience when monies voted for development projects were diverted into private accounts.
He, however, observed that if top government officials were able to shun corrupt practices, the country would be better for it.
This, he said, was because corruption was common among top government officials, adding that unless they were appropriately punished when caught, the vice would continue to thrive.
On the current electricity problem, the emir advised state governors to establish independent power plants, while the Federal Government should find ways of tackling the challenge.
Katsina
The DIG “A” Department , Nigeria Police Force, Alhaji Uba Ringim, has expressed the police readiness to provide adequate security during and after the 2011 general elections in the country. Speaking when he visited Governor Ibrahim Shema of Katsina State, Ringim said the police force was well prepared to establish peace and order in the country during the 2011 general polls.
“We are training our personnel so that they would be able to move with the challenges of politics in the country,’’ he added.
He, however, said the political situation in the North-West Zone was “very peaceful, especially in Katsina State”.
“The state is very peaceful and the peace situation is due to the state government’s fairness and from the record we receive from the state police command, the state government is all out to protect the life and property of its citizenry,’’ he noted.
Kwara
The Kwara Government has inaugurated a task force to facilitate the distribution of potable water in the Ilorin metropolis. Speaking during the ceremony, recently the state Commissioner for Water Resources, Dr. Abubakar Kannike, said the committee would be in charge of facilitating the distribution of water to the various parts of the city.
Kannike, who is also the chairman of the task force, said that 172 water points had been established under the Kwara State Water Support Scheme to ease the water supply problem. He restated the determination Governor Bukola Saraki to make water available to all the nooks and crannies of the state.
According to him, the governor has approved the establishment of 30 additional water points under the Water Support Services.
He said the government had also approved the purchase of two water tankers and the repair of three others, to complement the 10 existing tankers for the smooth distribution of water to the people.
Ogun
Scores of widows, artisans and the aged in Odogbolu Local Government of Ogun received cash and working tools from the wife of the state’s governor, Mrs Olufunke Daniel.
Daniel distributed the cash and tools at Ososa during a forum organised by her pet project, Gateway Front Foundation(GFF).
She appealed to the beneficiaries to use the items and money given to them judiciously.
“It is the intention of my pet project, Gateway Front Foundation, to provide succour for the downtrodden and voiceless citizens of this state,” she added.
Daniel urged indigenes of the state, especially philanthropists, to assist the state government in improving the economic fortunes of citizens.
“We must all work together to move the needy amidst us to the next level, that is how to be our brother’s keeper.
Sokoto
The Police Command in Sokoto State has arrested 12 suspected criminals and embarked on the evacaution of used tyres obstructing the free flow of traffic, a statement said.
The Police Public Relations Officer, Mr Lawal Abdullahi, in a statement in Sokoto said the exercise would be carried out in all police formations in the state.
The statement also said that it was part of the measure by the police in crime prevention.
“This is to prevent miscreants and other undesirable elements in the society from taking advantage of such tyres to make bonfires, blockage of the roads or causing havoc in the community.” “It is on record that irate youths on a slight issue take advantage of such tyres as an avenue to cause a total breakdown of law and order,” the statement added.
The statement urged the public to assist the police by removing old tyres from their localities.
The Zamfara State House of Assembly in Gusau has approved a budget of N29.8 billion for the 14 local councils in the state. The House Leader, Malam Mani Mummini, who moved the motion, said that the proposals were rich enough, as they contained development projects in those areas.
Mummini added that some of the councils also focused on the completion of ongoing projects that had direct bearing on the people.
The motion was seconded by Alhaji Yusuf Ahmad Dogon-koli, a member representing Gusau II.
Mummini said that the councils had submitted their proposals to the House at the right time.
He urged the House to approve the budget for the councils to be able to execute development projects at the grass roots.
The House, after going through the appropriation, passed the budget for the immediate execution of the projects.
The Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) has commemorated the 15th anniversary of the release of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Environmental Assessment Report on Ogoniland, reaffirming its commitment to restoring the environment and improving the livelihoods of affected communities.
In a statement signed by the Project Coordinator, Prof Nenibarini Zabbey, to commemorate the anniversary, HYPREP described the anniversary as a significant milestone in Nigeria’s environmental restoration efforts, noting that the project has made remarkable progress in implementing the recommendations of the landmark UNEP report released on August 4, 2011.
The UNEP report had revealed extensive oil pollution across Ogoniland, severe environmental degradation, and serious public health risks resulting from decades of petroleum operations. It also recommended an initial $1 billion fund to commence the cleanup of the affected communities.
According to HYPREP, the Federal Government formally launched the Ogoni clean-up in 2016, while the Project Coordination Office was established in 2017 to drive the implementation of UNEP’s recommendations.
Zabbey said the current administration has continued to prioritise the project under the Renewed Hope Agenda.
Providing an update on the cleanup, the Project Coordinator disclosed that 30 of the 65 contaminated sites identified by UNEP have been fully remediated, while work is ongoing at several medium- and high-risk locations. It also stated that more than 1.5 million mangrove seedlings have been planted as part of what it described as the world’s largest restoration of oil-degraded mangroves, with over 1,000 hectares of shoreline already rehabilitated.
Zabbey further revealed that 49 Ogoni communities have been connected to potable water schemes through multiple water projects and booster stations aimed at providing safe drinking water across the region.
In the health sector, he said the 100-bed Ogoni Specialist Hospital in Kpite and the 43-bed Cottage Hospital in Buan are nearing completion, adding that several existing health facilities have been upgraded with modern medical equipment, while five ambulances have been donated to improve emergency healthcare services. The Project Coordinator also disclosed that a three-year human health biomonitoring study is being conducted in collaboration with the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).
On economic empowerment, Zabbey stated that the Project has created more than 8,000 direct jobs and trained thousands of Ogoni youths and women in various vocational and technical skills, including software development, cybersecurity, aviation, commercial diving, seafaring, mechatronics, and creative arts. The project also reported awarding scholarships to more than 1,000 students, providing grants to small businesses, and supporting persons living with special needs through skills acquisition programmes.
The statement further highlighted ongoing legacy projects, including the Ogoni Power Project and the Centre of Excellence for Environmental Restoration, which it said is about 96 per cent complete. HYPREP also welcomed the recent designation of the Ogoni Wetland as a Ramsar Site of International Importance and pledged to continue promoting biodiversity conservation and sustainable management of the ecosystem.
Marking the anniversary, Zabbey said the progress achieved over the past 15 years demonstrates the collective commitment of government, development partners, stakeholders, and local communities to restoring Ogoniland. He called for renewed collaboration to sustain the cleanup effort, promote environmental sustainability, and support the long-term development of the region. 3
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