Nation
THE STATES
Bauchi
Bauchi State Government has spent N2 billion to procure essential text books for schools in the state, the Deputy Governor Alhaji Sagir Saleh, said.
Saleh stated this at the inauguration of the 2012 Professional Teachers’ Development Programme in Bauchi.
Saleh, who represented Governor Isa Yuguda, said that apart from the textbooks, the government had also provided 600 hand pumps, 260,000 twin desks and recruited 2,000 teachers.
According to him, 2,000 blocks of classrooms and toilets were either constructed or renovated to improve the standard and quality of education in the state.
Benue
The General Manager (GM), Benue State Environmental Sanitation Agency (BENSESA), Mr Ediga Akpa,has attributed his inability to create a green and serene environment in the State to lack of fund.
The GM said the agency needed N30 million to meet her task of keeping the state clean.
Akpa pointed out that the money would be used to procure equipment that could be used in cleaning and sanitising the state.
He also lamented that the agency was understaffed, adding that at present the agency had only 16 staff.
He said that BENSESA is a revenue generating agency and that if properly financed, would provide huge revenue and employment opportunities for the state.
Borno
In its bid to encourage school enrolment, the Borno Government said it will soon commence the distribution of free uniforms to students in public schools.
Governor Kashim Shettima stated this when he paid an unscheduled visit to the Government Girls Technical College (GGTC), Damboa, in Borno.
Shettima also said the state government had put in place mechanism to improve on the quality of food to students in public schools.
“By next month, our new feeding arrangement will take off in public schools where the quality and quantity of food given to students will be improved upon. The state government will also provide all needed learning materials to schools to enhance teaching and learning environment”, he said.
FCT
Nigerians have lauded the introduction of “Drink the Content: Destroy the Can (DCDC)’’ by the National Orientation Agency (NOA).
The agency launched the campaign against the background of the use of cans by criminals to make explosives.
An official of Federal Road Safety Commission, Mr Dayo Akinola, said that all Nigerians must ensure that they destroyed cans after consumption the contents.
He said that if all patriotic Nigerians supported the campaign, the use of cans in the making of bombs would reduce drastically.
Gombe
A Bogo Magistrates’ Court in Gombe granted bail to a 21-year-old man, Mohammed Musa, who was arraigned for criminal conspiracy and witchcraft.
Musa is of Tumu village in Pindiga District, Akko Local Government Area of Gombe State.
Reading the First Information Report (FIR), the Prosecutor, Mr Bako Shekari, said the accused had, on June 26, at about 4 p.m., conspired with one Jarma, now at-large, to commit the offences.
Shekari said that the accused used witchcraft and inflicted sickness on one Ya’u Abdullahi, of same address, adding that that made the victim unable to walk.
The accused pleaded not guilty when the charges were read to him and asked the court to grant him bail.
Jigawa
Governor Patrick Yakowa of Kaduna State has advised governors of states in the Northern part of the country to invest more in agriculture to tackle poverty in the region.
Yakowa, who gave the advice when he visited his Jigawa counterpart, Alhaji Sule Lamido, in Dutse noted that the North is blessed with natural resources such as solid minerals and fertile soil for agriculture.
“We are endowed with natural resources, the north has potential in all sectors but unfortunately, the region is now faced with challenges of terrorism and ethno-religious misunderstanding. We, the governors from the north must come together to restore the hope and values of the region for the benefit of the people that elected us.”
Kaduna
Kaduna State is to spend its allocation of the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P) on security and agriculture, a top government official said on Monday.
The Information Commissioner, Alhaji Sa’idu Adamu, said this to newsmen in Kaduna after a special executive council meeting that deliberated on a report from its committee on subsidy reinvestment. The committee is headed by the state Deputy Governor, Alhaji Mukhtar Ramalan Yero.
Adamu said that other sectors that had been identified for reinvestment were health, education, women and youth empowerment as well as the provision of infrastructure.
Kano
Twelve of the 40 members of Kano State House of Assembly have protested against the amendment of the Ramadan and Ram bonus law of the state by the Assembly.
The House in Kano amended the law by making it optional for the state government to pay the bonus.
AlhajiAbdulwahab Garba, a Member of the Public Service Committee, made the view of the 12 known to newsmen after the House amended the law.
“The House had earlier amended the law and given approval for only civil servants on grade levels 01- 13 to benefit from the bonus”.
He said the 12 legislators, including two from the ruling PDP, would support the workers if they chose to challenge the amended law in the court.
Kebbi
Governor Saidu Dakingari of Kebbi has approved the constitution of a committee to conduct staff audit of local education authorities in all the local government areas across the state.
The Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Alhaji Abubakar Dakingari, announced this in Birnin Kebbi.
He said the 12-member committee, to be headed by Sen. Abubakar Abdullahi, has one month to come out with its findings, adding that the committee was mandated to look into the nominal rolls, verify staff appointments as well as the grade levels and steps of each staff of local education authorities.
According to the governor’s spokesman, the committee’s report will facilitate the implementation of the N18,000 minimum wage at the local government level.
Kogi
Kogi State Government has been advised to formulate risk reduction and emergency preparedness policy to forestall risks, hazards and disaster situations.
The advice was given in a communiqué issued at the end of a one-day interactive meeting of stakeholders on ‘Human Security in Conflict Emergencies in Kogi State’ organised by Action Aid on Monday in Lokoja.
The session was organised in collaboration with Participation Initiative for Behavioural Change in Development (PIBCID).
Other particpants included the Centre for Human Rights and Conflict Resolution (CHRCR), Lokoja , stakeholders from Adavi and Igalamela Local Government Areas, Civil Societies, security agencies and the media.
Lagos
Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos inaugurated the board of the state Office of Disability Affairs responsible for protecting the interests of people with special needs.
The seven-man board includes a blind person and three crippled people. The boarded is headed by Mrs Tolulope Animashaun.
Fashola said at the inauguration in Ikeja that the board and the office should ensure that people with disabilities were not discriminated against.
The governor said that although Nigeria’s Constitution prohibited all forms of discriminations against people with disabilities, the society had not done much to adequately protect their interests.
He said that the government enacted the People with Disabilities Law in 2011 in an effort to correct the imbalance.
Ondo
A chieftain of the Labour Party in Ondo State, Dr Kayode Ajulo, has advised the Ondo State House of Assembly to enact laws to check electoral malpractice.
Ajulo said in Akure that such laws had become imperative to curb the excesses of lawless politicians.
He said such laws should classify electoral offences and recommend severe punishment that would discourage people from committing electoral offences in the state.
“Some desperate politicians have succeeded in subverting the wishes of the electorates in our society. “This ugly situation has made them unaccountable to the people while occupying public offices because they are not the choice of the people,’’ Ajulo said.
Osun
As part of its plan to provide adequate security for tourists and investors, the Osun Government is to create a data base on all hotels in the state.
The Commissioner for Home Affairs, Culture and Tourism, Mr Sikiru Ayedun, disclosed this while briefing news men on the activities of his ministry.
Ayedun said the exercise would enable government to monitor the activities of the hotels and provide adequate security for their customers.
He said the recent inspection of some hotels in the state revealed that most of the attendants, receptionists, bar men and managers did not have adequate training for the hospitality business.
Nation
Gombe Opens Bid For Construction Of Three-Arm Zone Project
Gombe State Ministry of Works, Housing and Transportation has opened bids for the construction of three arms zone complexes within the Gombe Capital Special Development Zone which held at the Ministry’s conference hall.
Speaking while presiding over the bid opening proceedings, the Commissioner, Engr. . Usman Maijama’a Kallamu assured the bidders that the bid opening would be carried out using procurement process which is based on specific regulations that are credible, fair, and transparent.
The Commissioner, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Alh. Idris Yambiu Buba said that the Ministry will continue to align itself for optimal results in the implementation of government policies and projects in line with Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya’s commitment to bringing development to the State.
While assuring the bidders of a transparent process, the SSA to the Governor on Special Project, Arch. Yakubu Mamman thanked Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya for his foresight in infrastructural development of the State, adding that government is committed to ensuring that all bidders had an equal chance to participate and compete based on merit to maintain standards and specifications.
Nation
Gov Mbah Signs Bill To Establish Teaching Hospital In Enugu
Governor of Enugu State, Dr Peter Mbah, yesterday, signed the Enugu State University of Medical and Applied Sciences (SUMAS) Teaching Hospital Bill 2024 into Law, promising to expedite action to actualise the teaching hospital immediately to provide quality training and healthcare services in the Enugu North part of the State and the State in general.
Mbah, while commending the Enugu State House of Assembly for accelerating action on the processing and passage of the Executive Bill, said that establishing SUMAS Teaching Hospital was in line with his manifesto.
He said, “What we have done by signing into law the Enugu State University of Medical and Applied Sciences Teaching Hospital Bill is that we now have in place a legal framework to immediately begin to put in place all that is required to upgrade SUMAS to a teaching hospital. This is part of our campaign promises and we are committed to delivering on that expeditiously.
“We believe that the importance and significance of siting a teaching hospital in our Enugu North zone can never be lost on us. So, we are not going to spend any time in making sure that everything that is necessary and required to upgrade and get the teaching hospital operational is put in place. With this Law, we are going to redouble our commitment and our efforts to achieve that.”
He assured the Governing Council and the Management of SUMAS of his continued support, adding that his administration would equally be counting on their pedigree and contacts to bring the teaching hospital to fruition in record time.
“We are going to continue to support you and we are also going to continue to count on your experience, network, and profile in raising resources to actualize the project.
“This year alone, we are going to spend 33 per cent of our budget on education. This underscores the importance of education to this administration. So, be sure to come to us whenever there is a need. We are going to support you because we are interested in education and we are investing heavily in it,” he said.
On his part, the Speaker, Enugu State House of Assembly, Hon. Uchenna Ugwu, who also spoke at the Bill signing witnessed by the Chairman of SUMAS Governing Council, Msgr. Obiora Ike, and the Vice Chancellor, Prof. James Ogbonna, and top hierarchies of the institution, commended Governor Mbah’s speed and faithfulness in delivering on his campaign promises. He assured that the House of Assembly was ever ready to fast-track every executive bill that would impact positively on the state and its people.
“We promised we are going to support this administration by doing our job expeditiously to ensure that there is no delay in your delivery of democracy dividends to our people. Therefore, the SUMAS Teaching Hospital Bill received expedited hearing and today you have the signing of the bill into law,” he stated.
Nation
Ododo Applauds Security Agencies Over Rescue Of 43 Bus Passengers
Kogi State Governor, Ahmed Usman Ododo has applauded security agencies in the State for their efforts in the rescue of 43 bus passengers.
The Special Adviser on Media to the Governor, Ismaila Isah disclosed this in a statement yesterday.
The statement noted that the governor welcomed the news of the release of the abducted bus passengers in Okehi Local Government Area of the State and called for sustained collaboration between security agencies and local communities to improve intelligence gathering and prevent crime and criminality in all parts of the state.
Ododo commended the caretaker chairman of Okehi LGA, Mr Amoka Eneji, the Nigeria Police, Nigeria Professional Hunters, Ebira Local Hunters Group and other security agencies for their intervention, which led to the rescue of the passengers who were abducted outside the state.
“Governor Ododo also commends the response of security agencies to the robbery incidence in Felele area of Lokoja and called for more urgency in addressing cases of insecurity in any part of the state.
“The Governor reassured the people of the state that his administration will not relent in its efforts in deploying maximum resources to ensure that all communities in the state remain unsafe for criminal elements.”
-
Politics3 days ago
LP Petitions SGF Over Alleged Office Vandalism By NLC
-
News3 days ago
Ban On Foreign Trips’ll Save Nigeria N5bn Quarterly -Tinubu
-
Sports2 days ago
Corruption: China Jails FA President For Life
-
Politics1 day ago
EFCC’s Eyes On You, Gov Alia Warns LG CTC Chairmen
-
Oil & Energy4 days ago
Innovation, Key To Sustainable Energy Dev – Stakeholder
-
Sports3 days ago
NWFL:Heartland Queens’ Winger Sure Of Victory Against Abia Angels
-
Breaking News3 days ago
RSG Faults Assembly On Assembly Service Commission Law
-
News1 day ago
NSCDC Uncovers Illegal Refineries In Rivers Forest