THE STATES

Adamawa

The Adamawa Government in Yola has  inaugurated a 12­member committee on the implementation of the N18,000 minimum wage.

The Head of Service, Alhaji Othman Mohammed, who inaugurated the committee in his office, Monday said that it would devise ways and modalities to be used in the implementation of the minimum wage.

Othman said that while the committee should look into jacking up the salaries of those on grade levels 01 to 06 to meet up with the required N18,000, it should also “find a way of sprinkling some salt on the other grades so that their salaries will also be palatable”.

He urged the committee to consider a series of demands on enhanced salary package by various unions before the government so as to determine the huge financial obligation on the government.

Bauchi

The NUJ National President, Malam Mohammed Garba, on Tuesday in Bauchi said the union was watching with keen interest the final signing of the new salary structure for its members.

Garba made this known when he paid a courtesy visit to Alhaji Sani Adamu, the Bauchi Zonal Manager of the News Agency of Nigeria.

He said that the agitation for new salary structure was the right of the practitioners as well as the union, which, he added, was a professional body.

Garba revealed that the union had earlier reached an agreement with the Salaries and Wages Commission, the Information and Communications Ministry and the Ministry of Labour over the issue. He, therefore, appealed to the three government organs to facilitate the final signing of the agreement to enable members of the profession to benefit from the gesture.

Kano

A food processing company, Geisha Brand, has donated 1000 sets of furniture to five primary schools in Kano as part of activities to mark its 100 years anniversary.

Hajiya Aishatu Atiku, the Director of Planning, Research and Statistics in the State Universal Basic Education Board, announced the donation on Monday on behalf of the chairman, Alhaji Yakubu Adamu.

She said the items included classroom chairs and tables as well as other working materials.

The director expressed appreciation to the company for contributing to the educational development of the state, saying the gesture “supplements government’s efforts”.

Katsina

Thieves on Sunday night broke into Government Day Secondary School, Suduje in Daura Local Government Area of Katsina State and stole textbooks and Home Economics equipment, a witness said. An eyewitness said in Suduje village on Tuesday that eight thieves stormed the school premises in a bus by 2a.m. on the day of the incident.

The witness said the thieves attacked the security guard on duty, Abdullahi Madubi, stripped him and locked him up in the staff room before beginning their operation. Cartons of books and equipment.

Kogi

Governor  Ibrahim Idris of Kogi has approved the immediate dissolution of the executive councils of all the 21 local government councils in the state. Mr Joe Abrahams, the state Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, announced the dissolution in a statement in Lokoja on Tuesday.

The commissioner said that the governor had directed the outgoing chairmen to hand over to the directors in their respective local governments on or before July 28.

He said that the dissolution of the councils’ executives was because their three-year tenure would expire on July 28.

Kwara

The Kwara government has called on the Union Bank of Nigeria to accelerate the release of the N1 billion agriculture loan to members of the Integrated Youth Agricultural Training Farm at Malete in Moro Local Government Area.

The Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Alhaji Mohammed Isah, made the call during his familiarisation visit to the farm at Malete on Monday.

Isah noted that the loan would enable the young farmers to realise their dreams of becoming big time commercial farmers.

The commissioner also called on the chairmen of the 16 local governments in the state to provide land to the trained farmers.

Niger

The police in Niger has arrested seven persons for allegedly being in possession of large quantity of chemicals used in making explosives.

The Police Public Relation Officer, Mr Richard Oguche, who confirmed the arrest, told newsmen in Minna on Monday that the materials were recovered by the police in the house of one Alhaji Bature on Wednesday last week.

“We recover from him a highly sophisticated chemical capable of making bombs. From our findings the chemicals are high explosives that can only be used by licenced explosives end users.

“But from our investigation Alhaji Bature is neither a licensed retailer nor an end user. The claim that they used it for mining could not be genuine,” Oguche said.

The Federal College of Agnculture, Ibadan, has advocated the re-introduction of agricultural commodity marketing boards to boost farmers’ productivity.

The Provost of the college, Dr. Foluke Oluwatoyinbo, made the call while speaking on Monday in Ibadan. Oluwatoyinbo said that the marketing boards would ensure quality in agricultural production as was the case during the First Republic.

The provost recalled that the cassava glut that happened during the Obasanjo administration, could have been avoided if there had been marketing boards to standardise the quality of cassava and processed by-products.

Plateau

The Permanent Secretary, Plateau Ministry of Health, Mr Jacob Wongdem, says the state Government has  identified preventive actions against malaria.

Wongdem said in Jos, that the measures became particularly imperative because malaria had been found to be responsible for most cases of infant mortality.

“Thirty-five per cent to 50 per cent of most clinics, primary health centes and hospital in-cases and out-cases and most deaths that occur in children under five years of age are caused by malaria”.

He said that government had also distributed 1.4 million insecticide treated nets in all the local government areas.

He stated that the preventive measure had become even more necessary because malaria was becoming resistant to a single drug.

Sokoto

Mrs Dawa Everest, the NYSC Coordinator in Sokoto State, said on Tuesday that 70 per cent of the 1,606 batch ‘’B’’ 2011 corps members deployed to the state were posted to schools .

Everest disclosed this in Sokoto at the terminal parade of the batch after the completion of the three-week orientation.

According to her, “this is to ensure that the scheme contributes to the educational advancement and other socio- economic development of the state’’.

Everest said the decision was taken due to an observation that corps members posted to the ministries were largely under utilised and engaged in private practice.

She commended the state government, Sokoto Sultanate Council and the public for their sustained support to the scheme.

Zamfara

Governor  Abdulaziz Yari of Zamfara has ordered the contractor handling the Gusau-Sokoto bye-pass road project to ensure completion of the project before his first 100 days in office or have it revoked.

Yari, who made an unscheduled inspection tour of some vital projects in the state, said on Tuesday that his administration would not accept excuses from the contractors if the project failed to meet the September 10, completion deadline. “Having met our obligations and our part of agreement, I am not ready to accept any excuse if the project is not completed on or before our 100 days in office because the project is vital to the administration.”

Yari, however, expressed satisfaction with the quality of work done and urged the contractor to keep it up.