Adamawa

The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), has advised staff to partner with local communities and governments at all levels for the needed support to generate more revenue.

The Executive Chairman, Mrs Ifueko Okauru, gave the advice at the opening of the North East Region Enlarged Management and Town Hall meeting of the organisation in Yola.

Ifueko also called for the cooperation of states and local governments in the zone, to show commitment to off-setting all tax arrears within the shortest possible time and to avoid situations where arrears piled up again.

Bauchi

Governor Isa Yuguda of Bauchi State has approved N597,000 as maximum Hajj fare for intending pilgrims in the 2010 pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia.

Alhaji Ibrahim Ninge, the Permanent Secretary in the state Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board, made this known on Saturday in Bauchi while addressing newsmen.

Ninge also said that the sum of N582,000 was approved as medium fare while N488,000 was approved as minimum fare.

He explained that each pilgrim in the three categories would be given 750 dollars, 1,000 dollars and 1,500 dollars respectively as Basic Traveling Allowances (BTA).

He called on intending pilgrims who had already made deposits with officials of the board in the 20 local government councils to complete the payment before July 28, 2010.

Benue

FRSC’s “Operation Eagle Eye” will this month focus on the violation of the over loading regulation, driving with worn-out tyres and non-possession of spare tyres nationwide.

Mr Osita Chidoka, the Corps Marshal of the FRSC, made the disclosure in Makurdi, on Friday, while flagging off the operation.

He said the FRSC would continue to invest in call centres and ambulance services to ensure safety on the road.

Chidoka, who was represented by Mr Bake Kwaga, the Zonal Commanding Officer in Markurdi, expressed readiness to involve mobile courts in the prosecution of erring traffic offenders on the spot.

Borno

The Borno State Government on Friday warned its pilgrims to Saudi Arabia to avoid prostitution, child labour and other negative vices.

“We have observed that some Nigerian women are of the habit of staying back in Saudi Arabia after the pilgrimage with the intent to engage in some activities that are negative in nature,”Hajiya Hauwa Mai-Musa, Commissioner for Women Affairs, said at Train-the-Trainer workshop in Maiduguri.

She was speaking at the North East workshop for women group on this year’s pilgrimage, added that some women also engaged in child trafficking to Saudi Arabia.

Mai-Musa said that rather than indulge in criminal activities in Saudi Arabia, the pilgrims should return home and engage in lawful businesses.

Ekiti

As part of its efforts to provide quality healthcare delivery, the Ekiti State Government is to redistribute more health workers to rural areas, Governor Segun Oni has said.

Oni said this on Friday, in Ado-Ekiti, when the people of Ilokun-Ekiti led by Onilokuno of Ilokuno-Ekiti, Oba Adebayo Jegede paid him a courtesy visit.

He said that the efforts would also combat the inadequacy in the number of qualified health personnel in the rural areas.

The governor noted that the inability of past administrations in the state to ensure fair play in the distribution of the available human resources in the sector led to the drought of qualified health workers in the rural areas thereby putting communities in the areas at a disadvantage .

 FCT

 Vice-President Namadi Sambo, has given an assurance that the execution of the Zungeru hydropower plant will be fully financed through appropriation.

He said this had become imperative in view of the fact that concessionary loans had yet to be sourced for the project.

Sambo made the disclosure at a meeting of the co-ordinating ministries, consultants, contractors and stakeholders handling the Mambilla, Zungeru and Gurara phase two hydropower projects at the State House.

The meeting was to address issues bordering on the provision of adequate hydropower supply in the country.

Kebbi

The National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) in Kebbi State plans to collaborate with the youth corps members to expand the scope of tree planting in the state.

Dr Kasim Ahmed, the agency’s coordinator in  the state, announced this  in Birnin Kebbi while addressing batch ‘B’ NYSC members posted to the state.

He said the agency would engage corps members posted to rural communities to embark on tree planting to protect the environment even as the agency would seek the cooperation of corps members to create awareness among the people on the relevance of tree planting and the need to discourage tree felling.

Lagos

An NGO, Gender-Based Violence Response Network (GBVRN) on Friday, in Lagos ,called for a multi-level approach to stem the spate of child sexual abuse in Nigeria.

Its Programme Officer on Human Rights Education, Miss Kate Ibeanusi, told newsmen that sexual assault and harassment of underage female children had become rampart.

 “The increasing reports of cases of child sexual abuse in the state are a worrisome development that needs urgent concerted efforts to stem the tide,’’ she said in a statement.

Ibeanusi disclosed that at least 24 cases were reported between April and June.

Niger

A Minna Chief Magistrate Court on Friday, sentenced one Ayuba Umar of Suleja town in Niger, to two years imprisonment with hard labour, for extortion.

Umar was convicted on a charge of extorting N72, 000 from one Patrick Marshal of Otunsha Hotel, Keffi in Nasarawa.

Umar was charged with “systematically extorting the money from the complainant after series of telephone calls threatening to assassinate him if he refused to cooperate’’.

The Police Prosecutor, Mr Ahmed Danladi, told the court that Umar committed extortion punishable with death under section 294 of the Penal Code.

He told the court that from May 9 to July 9, 2010, Umar called Marshal on phone consistently, saying that he was hired to assassinate him

Ondo

An official of the Ondo State Ministry of Women Affairs, Mr Adeyemi Sarumi, has called on the state government to introduce sex and moral education into the school curriculum.

Sarumi, who is also a supervisor in the state Motherless Babies Home, made the call while speaking with newsmen on Friday in Akure.

According to him, adequate sex education for children will facilitate prevention of unwanted pregnancies and loss of lives among youths.

He also called for sensitisation of adults on fami

ly planning and sex education, while students should abstain from sex to avoid unwanted pregnancies.

Osun

The Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile- Ife, authority has dismissed allegations of its involvement in a recent students’ clash in the institution as false.

During the clash, some students reportedly sustained injuries during the clash which erupted in the university on July 12.

Mr Abiodun Olanrewaju, the Public Relations Officer of university, told newsmen in Ile-Ife on Saturday, that it was the management that rescued some students from the spot of the attack.

Olanrewaju said that efforts were being made to reconcile the students with a view to restoring peace.

Meanwhile, a pressure group, the United Action For Democracy (UAD), Osun Chapter, has expressed reservations over the incident.

Sokoto

 The Sokoto State Government has awarded contract for the rehabilitation of the state Rima Radio at the cost of N120 million.

The Commissioner for Information, Malam Dahiru Maishanu, told newsmen in Sokoto, on Saturday, that the contract included the construction of perimeter fencing, rehabilitation of the entire structures and upgrading of the studios.

Maishanu said the project was aimed at giving the premier radio station in the north west a facelift.

He said the government had also embarked on projects worth N178 million to upgrade the state-owned newspaper company.

Yobe

The Yobe State Commissioner for Women Affairs, Hajiya Asmau Kolo on Friday, said 85 women master trainers selected across the state had been trained in five skill acquisition programmes for economic empowerment.

The commissioner made the disclosure to newmen in Babangida, Tarmuwa local government area, at the graduation of 35 women trainees from zone ‘A’.

She said that the women were trained on soap, cream, liquid soap, room freshner and balm making.

“The women are mostly housewives whose economic status is low. They have been trained to train others in their localities for a wider coverage on skill acquisition”.

Zamfara

The Zamfara State Government has introduced a dress code for female teachers in academic institutions in its bid to inculcate discipline in the education sector.

Alhaji Isa Maru, the Public Relations Officer of the Ministry of Education,  said in a statement that the state government was disturbed by the upsurge of indecent dressing among female teachers.

Under the new dress code, female teachers must be dressed in a reasonable outfit that could guarantee them respect, not only among staff and students, but by the general public. Isa said that, “henceforth, it is prohibited for any teacher to dress indecently, especially in ‘half-naked wears’ during school hours.