Adamawa

The Federal Government says that it has evolved a comprehensive inland basin oil exploration framework to enhance the national oil and gas reserve.

The Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs Diezani Allison-Madueke, said this at the 11th combined convocation of the Federal Polytechnic, Mubi in Adamawa.

Allison-Madueke, who was represented by the Zonal Manager of NNPC, Kaduna, Alhaji Salihu Sambo, said the framework was designed to intensify oil exploration not just in Chad basin.

She explained that the framework covered other basins such as Sokoto, Bida, Yola, Gongola, Anambra, Benue trough and Dahomey.

The minister, who was conferred with a fellowship award of the polytechnic, reiterated the government’s commitments toward increasing the nation’s oil and gas reserves.

“Already our neighboring countries that have similar geological setting like Chad, Niger and Cameroun have recently discovered oil in commercial quantity.

Bauchi

Hajiya Biodun Yuguda, wife of the Bauchi State Governor, has charged religious leaders to instill good values in youths for a brighter future.

Yuguda stated this at the convention of the Youth Wing of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), with theme “Building the New Bauchi State”.

She said that to ensure a virile society and a bright future, religious leaders should teach the youths good moral values as contained in the holy books so that they would grow with the fear of God.

The governor’s wife commended the organisers of the convention and urged the participants to contribute their quota in building a new Bauchi State.

Borno

The Borno State Judiciary is planning to hold market day meetings in villages across the state, the Chief Judge, Alhaji Kashim Zannah, has said.

Zannah told newsmen in Maiduguri on Sunday that the meetings were part of a renewed effort to sensitise rural communities on the need to engage the services of the judiciary.

“We plan to hold market day meetings with the villagers as part of our enlightenment campaign on how individuals can access our services easily,” he said.

The chief judge added that the move was part of the justice sector reform initiated in 2008, aimed at enhancing access to justice.

The reform action plan was aimed at enhancing access to justice, as well as timely and quality justice delivery, he added.

Ekiti

The Ekiti State Government has paid the two months salary arrears owed its workers in the local government service, Chief Femi Akinyemi, the Chairman of the Local Government Service Commission (LGSC), has said.

Akinyemi told newsmen in Ado Ekiti on Sunday that workers in the 16 local government areas were owed April and May salaries “due to dwindling allocation from the federation account”.

He, however, explained that the two months salary had now been paid into the workers individual accounts, adding that “we do not owe any local government staff salary as at today”.

The chairman attributed the delay in the payment to the drop in the monthly allocation from the federation account “and the current global economic melt down.

FCT

The FCT administration has promised to compensate more than 6,000 persons whose land title were revoked on grounds of overriding public interest by the government.

Sen. Bala Mohammed, the FCT Minister, disclosed this during the presentation of the report of the Ministerial Committee on Repositioning Land Administration in the territory.

He said allottees who lost their land titles as a result of the government’s action were awaiting alternative allocation.

He explained that “in order to address this problem, I will dedicate appreciable percentage of all land allocation during my tenure to providing alternative plots to this category of victims”.

He said the administration would establish FCT Civil Service Commission to correct the abnormalities in personnel management and to check indiscipline among the staff.

The Federal Government has ordered the release of N15 billion for the construction of a 200 megawatts power plant in Kaduna State.

The Vice President, Namadi Sambo, made the disclosure in Zaria at a reception organised in his honour by the Zazzau Emirate Council on Saturday.

He said that President Goodluck Jonathan gave the order as part of efforts to improve electricity supply in the country.

He stated that already a letter of credit had been issued to the manufacturer of the equipment meant for the project.

“Very soon the project site will be handed over to the contractors,” he said.

Kano

 Commercial motorcyclists in Kano metropolis now harass motorists, making driving a nightmare in the commercial town, The Tide’s source’s check has shown.

The survey found that many of the cyclists, popularly known as “achaba,” often abuse motorists at the slightest encounter.

The source also found that the motorcyclists usually rode recklessly and often hit other vehicles passing by, smashing their bumpers or side mirrors.

A car owner in the city, Alhaji Na’Allah Abubakar, told the source  that he was apprehensive about driving in the city because of the attitude of the motorcyclists on the road.

“Driving has become a nightmare for me because of the irresponsible traffic conduct of the achaba boys.

Kwara

Governor Bukola Saraki of Kwara has vowed not to sign the Pension Bill passed by the state house of assembly until some controversial areas are resolved.

Speaking on Saturday during a media chat, the governor said that the executive would soon return the bill to the assembly with a view to amending some of the controversial areas.

“There are many controversial issues in it and I will not sign the bill because I am sending it back to the house for them to take a look at some of the issues therein.

“I know that about eight states are now operating similar pension schemes but some things must be amended,” he said.

The governor explained that he was more concerned with the resources of the state and the ability to implement the bill, saying that “definitely the bill will return to the house for a second look and to see what they can shave-off from the bill”.

Lagos

Some aviation professionals have advised airline operators to adopt manpower development as a means of solving the dearth of professionals in the industry.

The professionals were reacting to the approval given by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to Aeroconsult Training Organisation (ATO) to undertake training of professionals in the industry

In an interactive session with aviation correspondents in Lagos, the professionals decried the trend whereby airline operators, rather than train personnel, poach from each other to fill existing vacancy.

Mr Ayo Obadofin, the Managing Director of Aeroconsult said instead of the operators training their personnel to handle equipment, most of them rather seek for experienced hands to employ.

Nasarawa

Dr Peter Agu of the Nasarawa State Ministry of Science and Technology, has urged the Federal Government to enact a law that would make technical and vocational education functional.

Agu gave the advice while delivering a paper at the 3rd Academic staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) Conference at the Nasarawa State Polytechnic, Lafia on Saturday.

He said the low esteem of technical and vocational education had reduced enrolment into the polytechnics.

He stressed the need for intensified advocacy to improve the image and acceptance of vocational education in the country.

Niger

Sheikh Mohammed Yahaya, the Director of Propagation of Izala Islamic Movement, has called for an increase in the Basic Travel Allowance (BTA) of Muslim pilgrims during Hajj to ease their hardships.

Yahaya told newsmen in Minna on Sunday that the current minimum BTA of 500 dollars was grossly inadequate to cater for the needs of a pilgrim during Hajj.

He said that Nigerian pilgrims spent more than one month in the holy land during Hajj, resulting in the complete exhaustion of the allowance.

He added that “pilgrims who found themselves in such a situation were forced to beg to feed themselves or sell their personal belongings at give away prices just to feed before their return to the country.

Ogun

Former President Olusegun Obsanjo has advocated the use of green economy to mitigate the adverse impact of climate change in Africa.

Receiving participants in a climate change workshop in his Abeokuta residence, Obasanjo said: “Green economy is the vogue now; people are talking and doing something about it. We in Africa should go beyond talking about it and do someting about it.”

The Tide’s source reports that the workshop, which was for parliamentary support staff of the national and states assemblies, was organised by Africa Leadership Forum, Ota, Ogun, to enhance their capacity to perform their legislative and oversight functions.

Obasanjo told the participants that there were sufficient evidence to prove that climate change was real in Africa.

“One of the proof I know is that our own Lake Chad will no longer be in existence with water in it in the next 50 years, and the lake provides the means of livelihood for more than 1.5 million people in Nigeria, Chad, Cameroun and Niger,” he noted.

Yobe

Alhaji Muhammad Ahmadu, Yobe Resident Electoral Commissioner, said that less than 700 new voters in the state have registered in the continuous voter registration exercise in the last two years.

Ahmadu disclosed this on Saturday at a meeting organised by INEC for election stakeholders in Damaturu.

He said the exercise had been on since 2008 for those who did not attain voting age as at the last general elections.