Nation
THE STATES
Adamawa
The Director of National Orientation Agency (NOA) in Adamawa, Alhaji Mohammed Ngada, has urged electorate in the state to make the necessary sacrifice to ensure a hitch-free governorship election on Saturday.
Ngada made the call in an interview with newsmen on Thursday in Yola.
He urged the electorate to be peaceful, orderly and law-abiding for a successful poll.
According to him, the agency has gone round the 21 Local Government Areas of the state to mobilise the people for a peaceful election.
“We have been telling them to exercise patience, to spare that one day. Those who will be going to their farms please let them spare that day.
“Those who will be going about their normal business places, let them spare that day to go and vote for the candidate of their choice.”
Bauchi
A Nigerian-US based Consultant on Good Leadership, Alhaji Bashir Bugaje, has challenged public servants to provide good and transparent leadership in order to enhance the quality of governance in the country.
Bugaji gave the challenge in an interview with newsmen on Tuesday in Bauchi.
He said that with good leadership skills, the current security challenges being faced in the country would be overcome.
According to him, leadership is critical to the performance of any government.
“It will enhance the art and science of leadership and to a greater extent, management and at the end of the day, these are qualities that we’ll live all our lives even when we leave the services of the government.”
FCT
The Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) secretariat is developing investment and policy briefs for states across the federation.
This is in addition to developing a comprehensive labour relations programme at state level to smoothen relationship between workers and governors.
The Director General of the Secretariat, Mr Asishana Okauru, gave the information to newsmen in Abuja on Thursday.
He added that the secretariat recently launched a website to serve as a digital information hub for the policies and programmes of the 36 state governors.
The director general said the website was designed in collaboration with the Department for International Development (DFID).
Gombe
The Gombe State Government says it will continue to partner with newsmen in information dissemination and publicity of government programmes.
The Commissioner for Information, Rev. Habu Dawaki, made government’s intention known in Gombe on Thursday, when he visited the Gombe State office of NAN as part of his familiarisation tour of media establishments.
Dawaki said that he would revisit the suspension of subscription to news services by the state owned media organisations by previous administration with a view to ensuring closer collaboration with the agency.
The commissioner, who expressed delight over the operations of the agency in the state, solicited its cooperation in publicising the programmes and policies of the government.
Kano
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has donated drugs worth millions of naira to four hospitals treating victims of the recent bomb attacks in Kano metropolis.
Presenting the items to the representatives of the hospitals in Kano on Thursday, the Director-General of the agency, Alhaji Sani Sidi, said the gesture was aimed at assisting the victims.
The benefitting hospitals are Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH), Nasarawa Hospital, Murtala Muhammed Specialist Hospital and Dala Orthopedic Hospital.
Katsina
The Katsina State Government has earmarked N1 billion for the empowerment of women to participate in agricultural activities in the state.
the Commissioner for Women Affairs, Hajia Asmau Abdullahi, said this on Thursday in Katsina, shortly after defending the ministry’s 2012 budget before the State House of Assembly Committee on Appropriation.
She said the government had initiated three programmes to encourage women to participate in agricultural activities like fishery, poultry farming and planting of moringa trees.
Abdullahi said the women that would be selected to participate in the programmes, would be selected from the 34 local government areas of the state.
Kebbi
The Kebbi Government says it has spent N200.6 million in the past four years to assist people in the state living with disabilities to become self-reliant.
Alhaji Abdulnasir Argungu, the Senior Special Assistant to Governor Saidu Dakingari on Matters of People Living with Disabilities, told newsmen in Birnin Kebbi that N52 million was spent annually on the programme.
He said that his office in collaboration with the state’s Social Security Welfare Agency, had distributed 500 tricycles, 500 wheel chairs and 400 bicycles to a total of 1,400 beneficiaries.
Argungu said that 8,000 bags of grains, comprising 6,000 bags of assorted rice and 2,000 bags of cereal as well as bundles of textile materials were given to the disabled persons.
Lagos
The Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC) has said that the more than new 500 transformers kept at the National Theatre, Ignamu, Lagos, will soon be installed within the Eko electricity distribution network.
NDPHC Managing Director, Mr James Olotu, told newsmen in Lagos that the transformers were to boost power supply within the network.
He denied insinuations that the transformers, known as High Voltage Distribution System (HVDS), were abandoned.
“The poles will soon be delivered. It is wrong to say the transformers were abandoned. They are transformers meant for the Nigerian Independent Power Projects (NIPP) and are to be installed within the Eko distribution network.
Niger
The Etsu Nupe, Alhaji Yahaya Abubakar, has called for tolerance and mutual respect among Nigerians for peace and stability in the country.
Abubakar made the call in Minna, when he led a team of traditional rulers on a solidarity visit to Gov. Babagingida Aliyu of Niger at the Government House.
The Etsu Nupe said that Nigerians must learn to tolerate and respect each other’s value system in the interest of peace.
Ogun
The National Council of Muslim Youths Organisations (NACOMYO) advocated the sustained use of community policing to complement government’s efforts at tackling the nation’s security challenges.
The call was contained in the orgnisation’s Maulud Nabiyy celebration message signed by its National Secretary, Alhaji Kamal’ddin Akintunde, and released in Abeokuta.
While canvassing for a well-equipped police with sophisticated and modern day equipment, NACOMYO called for community policing because of the enormity of the security challenges.
The group also said it was important for all Nigerians to have the best interest of the nation at heart irrespective of religious or political affiliations.
NACOMYO stressed the need for the political class to imbibe sound and robust democratic values while jettisoning sentiments detrimental to the nation’s interests.
Plateau
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has fixed February 11, for the conduct of the re-run election in Dogo-Agogo polling unit of Jos North/Bassa Federal Constituency.
INEC Chief Public Affairs Officer in Plateau, Mr Bencyn Ikpe, disclosed this to newsmen in Jos on Thursday.
“The security situation has improved and we are going to hold the re-run election on February 11, 2012,’’ he said.
The election, ordered by the Court of Appeal, had earlier been scheduled for January 18, but was postponed for security reasons.
The re-run is between Peter Akujah (PDP) and Suleiman Kwande of the DPP.
The re-run order followed an appeal by Akujah against the verdict of the State Election Petition Tribunal, which had nullified his victory in the April election and declared Kwande winner.
Sokoto
The Acting Governor of Sokoto State, Alhaji Lawalli Zayyaba, has urged members of the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) to help in sustaining peace and unity in Nigeria.
“The members of the Guild have great roles to play in the sustenance of peace, unity and tranquillity in Nigeria,” he said on Saturday in Sokoto when he received the standing committee of the Guild on a courtesy call.
“You came to Sokoto when interesting political development had occurred and that was why I am standing before you as the acting governor of the state.
“God gives and takes leadership to whom He wishes at the time He wants. But even if elections are to hold today, Wamakko will surely win by the grace of God”.
Ogene of Asa Asi Asaga Community in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area of Rivers State, Eze Andrew Enemuwa, has expressed gratitude to the Governor of the State, Sir Siminalayi Fubara for the award of the contract for construction of Igiri- Ubimini-Egbeda-Elele road project.
Eze Enemuwa said the people of the local government are proud associating with a visionary leader like Governor Fubara whose interest in the development of his people knows no bounds.
The monarch, also the Secretary of Ogba Traditional Rulers and Chiefs Council said the unprecedented crowd of ONELGA people that attended the event shows that Governor Fubara is greatly loved and cherished by the people.
The Eze Dike Di Nu Obi of Ogbaland said the presence of the traditional rulers at the event speaks volumes.
The Okene Asa Kaka urged the people of the area to support Governor Fubara to attract more development to the local government area.
As Nigeria marks 10 years anniversary of the abduction of the Chibok girls, the United Nations Children Fund( UNICEF) has put the number of abducted children at different schools within the last 10 years in Nigeria at 1,680.
The organisation said this at an event it organised in conjunction with the Faculty of Media and Communications Studies in the University of Port Harcourt to mark the 10 years anniversary of Chibok girls abductions.
According to UNICEF release read by Communication officer, UNICEF Nigeria Dr Mrs Ijeoma Onuoha Ogwe, 180 children were killed within the period under review due to attacks on schools, while an estimated 60 school Staff were kidnapped,14 killed and more than 70 attacks on schools.
It urged the Nigerian Government and security agencies to intensify effort towards the rescue of the 90 remaining Chibok girls.
UNICEF described the Chibok girls saga as a wakeup call to the severe risks children face in their pursuit of education
‘Today, reflecting on this tragedy and other recent abductions, it is evident that our efforts to safeguard our children’s future must be amplified
“Given this alarming statistics, we must address not only the symptoms but also the root causes of this crisis,” it said.
UNICEF also said that the threat of abduction of students is severely affecting children’s learning.
“As at 2021, over one million children were afraid to return to school and in 2020, around 11,500 schools were closed due to attacks”, it said.
It called on the government and the international community to ensure that all schools have the resources and tools to fully implement the minimum standards for safe schools, focus on the most vulnerable regions and address critical gaps in safe schools infrastructure.
UNICEF also called for preparedness for natural disasters, conflicts and comprehensive approaches to violence against children.
Others include, strengthening law enforcement and security measures to protect educational institutions and communities from attacks and abduction, prioritising education and child protection in national policies and budget allocations to create a safer, more inclusive environment for all Nigerian children and ensure the continuity of education and learning when schools are shut through multiple learning pathways such as radio and TV programme and through digital platforms the Nigerian learning Passport.
Ogwe said UNICEF is working with the Nigerian Government to ensure that every child can access safe learning environment.
“The agency has supported the inauguration of state safe school steering committees and the drafting of state costed implementation plans for safe schools in 13 States.
“It also provides school grants, safety kits training and awareness raising to accelerate the implementation of the minimum standards for safe schools.
“As we remember the Chibok girls and all children whose rights to education have been compromised, let this somber anniversary serves as a catalyst for change”, UNICEF said.
Speaking with The Tide, Dr Nwachukwu Ginikanwa said the anniversary should serve as a wakeup call to the authorities to take the issue of security seriously.
John Bibor
As the one year anniversary of the Governor Siminalayi Fubara administration in Rivers State draws closer, a former Chairman of Eleme Local Government Council, Amb.Oji Ngofa, says the Governor has rekindled the hope of Rivers people.
Amb. Ngofa said within the one year of the administration, the Governor has shown a sense of connecting the people and the government unlike the immediate past administration led by Chief Nyesom Wike.
The former Deputy National Secretary of the All Progressives Congress ( APC) explained that within one year, Rivers people are seeing a visionary leadership whose imagination is essentially focused on the desire to improve the lives of the people, with the sole aim of creating an economy where everyone can participate.
Speaking in an interview in Port Harcourt, the forrmer Ambassador said Governor Fubara has been able to engage relevant stakeholders and sectors of the State which, according to him, remains the hallmark of leadership.
He emphasised that with Governor Fubara, no doubt, Rivers State is in safe hands, saying with Governor Fubara, there is the likelihood that the State would be greater than other States.
He noted that the Governor’s vision to develop and give capacity to the people in order to participate in the economy as well as creating the enabling environment for business to flourish in the State, coupled with his peaceful nature, have all combined to endear him to the people.
Amb Ngofa said real power comes from how well one is connected with the people through good leadership, and the people on their own voluntarily surrender to you just as Governor Fubara has demonstrated within the past one year, stressing that that has informed his decision as an astute politician just like all well-meaning Rivers people to align with the Governor in order to move the State forward .
He described Governor Fubara’s milestones in infrastructure, human capital development, health and agriculture as monumental.
Amb Ngofa urged the Governor to ensure his revitalisa- tion programme on Songhai Farms extends to Buguma and Andoni fish farms and Rivers State Sustainable Development Agency (RSSDA), and expand on the initiative, as it is critical in job creation for the teeming youths of the State.
“ In his one year in office as governor, Rivers people have seen the difference in terms of governance and total departure from self. Now Rivers people are having easy access to their governor. His focus is on policies and programmes that are capable of revitalising the economy aimed at improving the wellbeing of Rivers people, not just one man. Projects are springing up in all parts of the State, not necessarily in Port Harcourt and Obio,/ Akpor. All in just one year despite the distractions”, he said.
The Port Harcourt ring road loan to small skill medium businesses are one of the biggest achievements of his administration
Aleto- Woji road abandoned by the last administration had been carried on by a government that has interest of the people at heart
Despite the destruction ,he had demonstrated sense of focus on his primary duties as a governor
We are not just seeing monumental projects ,Rivers people are seeing total commitment to create an economy that will enable Rivers people to have a hold on there lives especially with projects like revitalizing Shonghai ,plaintain farms .
It is critical focusing on human capital development .I am aware of his programme of revitalising the economy ,state owned industries through public private partnership
Rivers people hope had been rekindled and those of us who are critic to the governor Wike led administration had been vindicated
Urging Eleme people to support the administration of governor Fubara to achieve their common dream which is development.
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