Adamawa

Alhaji Umar Hassan, the vice chairman, Mubi Local Government Area of Adamawa, is dead.

Aged 40, the deceased’s brother, Malam Musa Hassan, confirmed the death to newsmen in Mubi.

He said that Hassan died at the early hours of Friday in a car accident along Biu-Gombe road.

Three other officials of the council also sustained injuries in the accident.

A well-established transporter, Hassan, was a member of the Adamawa State House  of Assembly between 1991 and 1993, representing Mubi Constituency.

The burial arrangement, as announced by the family, indicated that the deceased would be buried later in the day.

Hassan was survived by two wives and a child.

FCT

 Alhaji Mohammed Yunusa, the Supervisory Councillor for Education, Bwari Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), says the welfare of  teachers is his  priority.

Yunusa, a trained teacher, told newsmen  in Bwari that, “the welfare of  teachers is a priority and not the infrastructure.”

“It is when a teacher is comfortable and happy that he will impact positive knowledge on the children.”  

“ So, I am going to take the welfare of  teachers seriously.”

He also promised to alleviate the burden of  parents in the area through scholarship award to indigent students of  the area.

Yunusa said his support would be in form of both payment of school fees and purchase of  uniforms for students.

Kaduna

The Zazzau Emirate Development Association (ZEMDA) has appealed  to security agents  to brace up to the security challenges in Zaria and its environs.

The secretary of the association, Alhaji Sani Ibrahim, said in statement on Saturday, in Zaria, that the call became necessary in view of the killings in the area.

Our correspondent recalls that three people were recently killed by unknown persons.

They included Dr Musa Tukur, a deputy dean at the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU).

The association urged security operatives to do everything possible to trace the culprits and bring them to book.

It called on the public to give security agents maximum support and cooperation to enable them discharge their responsibilities diligently.

The association also advised ABU management to set up an ad-hoc committee to investigate the circumstances that led to the death of Tukur.

Katsina

The Umaru Musa Yar’Adua University (UMYU) Katsina, has expelled four students for alleged examination misconduct.

Investigation by our correspondent also revealed that four other students were rusticated for one semester.

Two of  those expelled,  we learnt,  were 100 level students  in the Faculty of  Natural and Applied Sciences.

They were said to have  committed the offence during the first semester of  the 2009/2010 session.

The other expelled students, one each from the Faculties of Natural and Applied Sciences and Humanities,  were said to have erred during the second semester of  the 2008/2009 session.

It was learnt that the rusticated students, also from the same faculties,  were found guilty of examination misconduct during the first semester of 2009/2010 and second semester of 2008/2009 academic sessions.

When contacted, Alhaji Mu’azu Isiaku, Head of  Information and Public Relations Department,  confirmed the expulsion and rustication.

In September 2009, the institution had sacked a Dean and demoted an examination officer for examination misconduct.

Kogi

The Kogi Government is  partnering with the media in its efforts to reduce thuggery and violence in the state before, during and after the 2011 elections.

The Commissioner for Information, Dr Tom Ohikere, told newsmen on Tuesday, in Lokoja, that the arrangement would include campaigns and public enlightenment programmes against violence.

He said politicians from across different political parties would also be involved in the campaigns.

Ohikere reiterated government’s zero tolerance for crime, and warned politicians who had formed the habit of hiring youths to perpetrate political violence to retrace their steps.

He also appealed to parents to be alive to their responsibility by ensuring that their wards were not used as tools to forment trouble by unscrupulous elements.

He said government was currently carrying out various projects and programmes to improve the socio-economic well being of the people, and urged them to continue to make the atmosphere conducive.

Kwara

The Federal Government has promised to refund state governments money spent on the repair of federal roads in their territories.

The Minister of Works, Alhaji  Mohammed Daggash, made the promise in Ilorin when he paid  a courtesy visit on the Kwara Governor Bukola Saraki, in company of the Minister of State, Mr Chris Ogiemwonyi.

He said that the Federal Government had concluded arrangement to refund those investment by state governments provided such states followed due process in the award of contracts.

According to him, the Federal Government intends to give the necessary confidence that will facilitate continued collaboration between it and state governments.

The minister, who said he was on assessment tour of federal roads across the country, noted that all such roads that were in bad state would receive attention before the end of the year.

Daggash expressed satisfaction with the quality of work carried out by the Kwara government on all the roads rehabilitated on behalf of the Federal Government.

He disclosed that the Ministry of Works was at the verge of signing the contract for the construction of part of Oyo– Ogbomosho expressway.

Lagos

The Police in Lagos on Tuesday, arraigned a 37-year-old tanker driver, Ayuba Musa, for allegedly killing three people through dangerous driving.

Musa, who is facing a two-count charge of manslaughter and dangerous driving at a Yaba Chief Magistrate’s Court, however, pleaded not guilty.

The Prosecutor, Sgt. Chinalu Uwadione, however, insisted that the accused had a case to answer.

He alleged that the accused drove a tanker with registration no. XZ 155 KJA recklessly and killed three occupants of a car on March 30 on the Oworonshoki Bridge, Lagos.

According to him, a Peugeot 406 saloon car and a Mitsubishi truck were crushed by the tanker.

Uwadione named those killed as the driver of the car, Enock Onabamiji (49), Ganiu Saheed (39) and a man whose identity was unknown.

He said the accused had contravened the Lagos State Traffic Laws.

The Chief Magistrate, Mrs A.A. Demi-Ajayi granted him bail in the sum of N500, 000 with two sureties and adjourned till July 7 for further hearing.

Nasarawa

The National Population Commission (NPC), has urged Nigerians to take the task of immunising their wards seriously, to enable the children to escape  from child-killer diseases.

The Chairman, Alhaji Sama’illa Makama, made the call on Tuesday, during a supervisory visit to birth registration centres in Wamba local government Area of Nasarawa State.

The NPC says its agency is collaborating with the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) as well as UNICEF to pilot a programme of issuing birth certificates to children under the age of five, while being immunised.

Makama, who implored parents to immunise their wards, explained that the exercise was necessary for the good health of the children.

He stressed that parents often ignored  immunisation, thereby exposing their children to diseases that could be avoided by immunisation.

He said: “Immunisation is very important; it prevents all kinds of diseases such as whooping cough, polio and chicken pox.”

He then also called on parents to take advantage of the pilot exercise to register the birth of children under the age of five in order to obtain a birth certificate,  which he emphasised, was free.

Niger

Rep Bala Kuta (ANPP-Niger) on Friday said that those accusing Speaker Dimeji Bankole of corruption should prove his guilt rather than resort to media campaign in a bid to remove him.

Some members led by Rep Dino Melaye (PDP-Kogi) gave Bankole a seven-day ultimatum within which to resign for mismanaging more than N9 billion.

The group known as the’ “progressive” said that they had incriminating documents against  Bankole.      

Kuta told  newsmen in Minna on Friday that the allegations against Bankole were baseless and lacked substance .

. They do not pose any threat to the seat of the Speaker contrary to their media outburst.

“ If they have prove of his guilt, let them tender the documents to us members of the House of Representatives, instead of resorting to media campaign against the Speaker”, he said.

“We have 360 member in the House of representatives, it is therefore impossible for a few group to hold the chairmanship position to themselves alone”, he said.

He urged the Speaker to ignore the call for him to step down and continue to give  the House a purposeful leadership as he had done in the past.

Ogun

The Awujale of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Adetona, has challenged his subjects to work toward transforming Ijebu-Ode town to an enviable status.

Our correspondent reports that Adetona made the appeal on Tuesday, while inaugurating an amenity ward constructed by a community group, “Oba Fuwaji,” at the General Hospital, Ijebu-Ode.

He said government alone could not develop the town and urged the indigenes to make meaning contributions toward its development.

Adetona, who was delighted that the ward was inaugurated during his 50th coronation anniversary, said that Ijebuland would be more developed if others could follow what the group had done.

The leader of the group, Mr Giwa Mosuro, had earlier said the construction of the amenity ward was in fulfillment of its determination to contribute meaningfully to the healthcare delivery in the town.

He promised that the group would not relent in its efforts to contribute meaningfully to the development of the town, adding that the inauguration to commemorate the 50th coronation anniversary of the Awujale.