Nation
THE STATES
Adamawa
The Federal Polytechnic Mubi Chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), has elected an eight-member executive council to run its affairs.
A statement signed by Mr. Stephen Stanley, said the election followed the removal of Mr. Innocent Ephraim the former Vice-Chairman and five others.
The statement said the congress unanimously endorsed the impeachment of the former officials and replaced them with the new elected members.
It added that the newly elected officials had already been inaugurated.
According to the statement, some of those elected are Mr. Stephen Stanley, as chairman, Muhammad Lawal, vice-chairman, Ndidi Camilia, secretary and Hussaini James, as assistant secretary.
Benue
The reconstituted Governorship Election Petition Tribunal in Benue, on Monday refused an oral application brought by ACN governorship candidate Prof. Steve Ugbah, for the consolidation of his application with that of Prof. Daniel Saror of ANPP against Gov. Gabriel Suswam.
Ugbah on Monday made the oral application for consolidation through his counsel, Mr Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN), at the commencement of the pre-trial session on both petitions.
Both Ugba and Saror had petitioned against the governor on the grounds that he was wrongfully returned by INEC as the winner of the April election.
Ugbah is also claiming that the elections were marred by electoral malpractices while Saror alleged that the governor had no Secondary School certificate, and as a result was not qualified to contest.
Their petitions were however dismissed by the Justice Munir Ladan’s Tribunal on the grounds of technicalities.
FCT
The National Coordinator of the One Nigerian, One Emblem Project, Dr. Kenneth Kalu has appealed to Nigerians to support the campaign to give military retirees better living conditions.
Kalu made the appeal on Monday in Abuja at a news conference on the preparation for the sale of the 2012 emblem for the Armed Forces Remembrance Day Celebration.
He said that every emblem purchased by a Nigerian was a donation to the Nigerian Legion, adding that the project was a charity drive meant to uplift a segment of the society.
Kalu noted that the Nigerian Legion was unpopular in the country but promised that the organisation would promote the body to make it popular.
Gombe
The National Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ) has suspended elections into the executive of the Gombe State Council of the union, earlier scheduled for Tuesday.
Briefing newsmen on Monday night in Gombe, the National President of the Association, Asabe Baba-Nahaya, said the suspension of the election was based on petitions written by some members of the association.
Baba-Nahaya also said that the office of the Vice President, Zone E and the Gombe State Council did not inform her of the election.
She said that the state executive did not follow established procedure in forming the election credentials committee, hence the need to resolve certain issues before the election.
Also in a press release, the NAWOJ president said the shift in the election date “is based on the petition received by the National Secretariat and the rancour currently going on in the association in the state.’’
Kano
Participants at the just concluded three-day retreat for management staff of the Centre for Management Development (CMD) have appealed to the Federal Government to fund research institutes in the country.
A communiqué signed by the Director-General of the center, Dr Kabiru Usman, said on Tuesday that the effectiveness of the institutes was tied to adequate funding.
The communiqué identified research activities as crucial for national growth and development, and urged the Federal Government to formulate policies that would enable the institutes to be result-oriented.
Lagos
Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State on Monday inaugurated an eighth-member task force to develop strategies for the eradication of poliomyelitis among the populace.
At the inauguration in Ikeja, Fashola said that the state had not recorded any case of polio in the last three years and that the task force was aimed at maintaining the record.
Fashola said the state would soon carry out joint polio immunisation and sensitisation activities with Ogun to ensure that the achievements of both states were not set back by migration.
The governor called on all stakeholders to do their best to eliminate polio from the country.
The task force is headed by the state Commissioner for Health, Mr Jide Idris.
Niger
Two rice mills are to be built in Badeggi and Wushishi in Niger State under a Public Private Partnership arrangement, the Minister of Agriculture, Dr Akinwumi Adeshina, said in Minna on Monday.
Adeshina said the projects were in addition to the rehabilitation of the old rice mill in Badeggi.
The minister said when he paid a courtesy call on Gov. Babangida Aliyu of Niger that the ministry would work closely with the Niger government toward boosting rice production.
He said the ministry would construct one Agro-Industrial Estate in Minna in conjunction with the state government to process 6,200 tonnes of rice per annum.
Adeshina said a market for the farmers would be constructed in Bida to warehouse fresh produce and market on favourable conditions to consumers.
He also said that one-stop shops and agricultural input centres would be constructed in Bida, Wushishi, Salka and Mokwa towns in 2012.
Osun
The Osun State Government has employed 12 Nursing Tutors as part of its efforts to strengthen the personnel in the health sector.
Gov. Rauf Aregbesola made the disclosure at the inauguration of the “Mandatory Continuing Professional Development Programme” in Osogbo on Tuesday.
Represented by Mrs Temitope Ilori, the Commissioner for Health, the governor said the services of nurses were indispensable in any health conscious society.
According to him, nurses are key players in the restoration of a healthy living, which is one of the six-point integral action-plan of his administration.
“Nurses are essential in ensuring that government’s plan for the provision of effective health care for the people is successful,” Aregbesola said.
He recalled that his administration had recently approved the implementation of the new medical salary scale known as Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS) for health workers.
Plateau
An Upper Area Court in Jos has sentenced a commercial motorcyclist, Federick Adamu, 30, to six months imprisonment for stealing a motorcycle.
Adamu stole a motorcycle estimated to cost N50,000 belonging to his friend, one Michael Anthony, contrary to section 287 of the Penal Code.
The court, however, gave the convict an option of N3,000 fine.
The Judge, Malam Mustapha Hassan, had said that the prosecution convinced the court beyond reasonable doubt that the accused committed the offence.
Hassan said that the court relied heavily on section 157(1) of the Criminal Procedure Code (CPC) that stipulated quick judgemnet for any persons that pleaded guilty to his or her offence.
Earlier, the prosecutor, Mr Shuaibu Tambaya, had told the court that the accused committed the offence on November 22.
Sokoto
The Federal Government in collaboration with the Sokoto State Government have commenced comprehensive rehabilitation of dilapidated primary schools in the state.
The Chairman of the State Universal Basic Education Board ( SUBEB), Alhaji Umaru Nagwari, told newsmen in Sokoto on Tuesday that the rehabilitation would gulp N2 billion.
“The Federal Government will contribute N1 billion while the Sokoto State Government will contribute N1 billion for the project.
“Arrangements have been concluded for the commencement of the state-wide project, aimed at giving a general face-lift to the primary schools in the 23 local government areas of the state.
“Most of the primary schools are currently in a sorry state and Gov. Aliyu Wamakko got worried during his just –concluded state-wide tour.”
Nagwari said the contract for the rehabilitation would be given to competent persons and companies who would do a good job.
Yobe
Four persons suspected to be assembling explosives in Damaturu on Monday sustained injuries, the Yobe State Commissioner of Police (CP), Alhaji Lawal Tanko, has confirmed.
The commissioner told newsmen in a telephone interview that one was apprehended at the site with wounds, while three others escaped with wounds.
He said “the police had intensified its searchlight to arrest the three suspects.”
Tanko added that the police had also made some recoveries “and we are still collecting the details on the incident.”
The Yobe capital was on November 4, rocked by series of bomb blasts and gun shots which resulted in the death of several security men and civilians.
However, normalcy had returned, with residents going about their normal businesses.
Senator representing Kogi Central Senatorial District in the National Assembly, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, has commended the efforts by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC) to apprehend and prosecute the immediate past governors of Kogi State, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, over an alleged N80.2 billion fraud.
This is just as she also hailed the EFCC chairman, Ola Olukoyede, for ceding 14 properties that were initially forfeited to the federal government to the government and people of Enugu State.
Reacting to Bello’s excuse for not honouring the EFCC’s invitation, the lawmaker emphasized the need for the commission to investigate other corrupt public officials to avoid the impression that their actions against former governor were meant to witch hunt him.
In a now-viral video, the EFCC chairman had claimed Belloh told him that a female senator (name withheld) allegedly gathered journalists to humiliate him anytime he was at the agency’s Abuja office for interrogation.
“I called Yahaya Bello, as a serving governor, to come to my office to clear himself. I shouldn’t have done that. But he said because a certain senator had planted over 100 journalists in my office, he would not come.
“I told him that he would be allowed to use my private gate to give him a cover, but he said my men should come to his village to interrogate him,” Olukoyede was quoted as saying.
But Senator Natasha in a statement signed by her Chief Press Secretary, Arogbonlo Israel and issued at the weekend in Abuja, reminded Yahaya Bello of the importance of respecting Nigeria’s laws and constitution, given his former position as the chief security officer of Kogi.
“I was surprised to hear that Yahaya Bello evaded the invitation from the EFCC, despite having served as Kogi’s former chief security officer. As a former governor, he should understand the importance of respecting Nigeria’s laws and constitution.
“It’s a well-known fact that ‘he who comes into equity must come with clean hands’. As such, I advise him to honour the invitation and clear his name while he still has the chance.
“I’d also like to take this moment to appreciate the diligence of the EFCC in handling the case so far. No Nigerian is above the law, and therefore the agency must see this case through to the end if they are to gain the trust of both Nigerians and the international community in the fight against corruption,” she said.
Worried over the latest depreciation of the Naira against major foreign currencies, the Senate through its Committee on Finance, has stated that the Legislature is exploring a range of policy options to mitigate the impact of Naira depreciation and foster economic stability in the country.
These, according to the committee, in a statement signed by its chairman, Senator Sani Musa (APC Niger East) and released yesterday, includes robust oversight of fiscal policies, engagement with key stakeholders, and the formulation of targeted interventions to support key sectors of the economy.
Senator Musa said the statement became necessary “to address the current state of the economy and the need for concerted efforts at tackling the instability and continuous depreciation of the Naira.”
This is even as he hoped that the “economic managers will adhere strictly to the norms and standards set by this administration to ensure that we achieve the desired outcomes in taking Nigeria to its economic growth and prosperity”, pledging the support of the National Assembly to the executive arm of government to achieve the set goals.
He, however, urged Nigerians to remain vigilant and resilient as they navigate these uncertain times, saying “together, we can overcome the challenges facing our economy and chart a path towards prosperity for all.”
The statement titled: “State of the Nation Economy and Naira Depreciation’, reads “The Nigerian economy is facing significant challenges, exacerbated by both internal and external factors.
“Despite efforts to stabilize and bolster economic growth, the numerous initiatives and bold but necessary steps and policy decisions taken by President Bola Tinubu, the persistent depreciation of the Naira against major foreign currencies has become a pressing concern.
“The recent depreciation of the Naira underscores the need for proactive measures to safeguard the stability and resilience of our currency.
“The Senate Committee on Finance is closely monitoring the situation and is committed to working collaboratively with relevant stakeholders to implement effective policies and strategies.
“It is imperative that we address the root causes of Naira depreciation, including but not limited to fluctuations in global oil prices, fiscal deficits, and structural imbalances in the economy.”
The Senator, representing Rivers West Senatorial District at National Assembly Sen.Dr. Ipalibo Harry Banigo has advocated for legislative backings to enforce immunisation as a pre-condition for admission into nursing, primary and secondary schools in Nigeria.
Banigo made the assertion recently in a statement to commemorate this year’s week-long immunisation campaign in line with the World Health Organisation advocacy.
Banigo, a Harvard-trained Public Health personnel, explained that such legislation would strengthen the National Immunisation Policy in the administration of vaccines, saves lives, helps in the child normal growth, prevents serious illness and disabilities such as poliomyelitis .
The former Deputy Governor of Rivers State who is also the Chairman, Senate Committee on Health (Secondary and Tertiary), noted that Nigeria must attain at least, 90 percent vaccine coverage for all childhood and adolescence; stressing that a fully vaccinated child should have received BCG, Mussels and three doses of DTP and Polio .
She emphasised the need for collective efforts by stakeholders in the campaign against preventable diseases .
The theme for this year’s World Immunisation Week is “Humanly Possible: Saving Lives Through Immunisation” while the national theme is “Vaccine Works For All”.
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