THE STATES

Adamawa

The Adamawa Government, has intervened in the dispute
between the newly appointed 35 development area administrators with their
predecessors over who has the right to official cars.

There was a running battle between the newly appointed
administrators, who insisted  on having
the official cars from their predecessors.

Declaring government’s position to newsmen on the
development, the Chief of Staff to Governor
Murtala Nyako, Alhaji Abdulrahman Abba, said the out-going
administrators were the rightful owners of the cars, which he confirmed had
been monetised.

Abba, who is also the acting commissioner for information,
said the state government had directed the new administrators who had
confiscated the cars from their predecessors to return them.

He said that the government had also directed those still
hunting their predecessors to desist forthwith.

The chief of staff said, “with this development, the matter
has been settled for good.’’

 

Jigawa

The Jigawa House of Assembly,  passed a bill for the establishment of a
Farmers/Pastoralists Board, the Speaker, Alhaji Adamu Ahmad, said  in Dutse.

Ahmad said in an interview in Delta, that the
executive-sponsored bill was aimed at checking the incessant crisis between
farmers and herdsmen in the state.

He commended the administration of Governor  Sule Lamido for coming up with the bill
which, he said, would provide lasting solution to the problem of farmers and
pastoralists.

According to him, conflict between the two groups has
minimised since the inception of the present administration in the state.

Ahmad said that the House had also passed a bill to
establish the state Arts Exhibition and Multimedia Censors’ Board.

 

Kaduna

The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has urged
Christians not to stay away from church activities, particularly at this time
of persecution.

The Chairman of the Kaduna State chapter of CAN, Rev. Samuel
Kujiyat, made the call in Kaduna recently.

He stressed that the recent developments in the country
notwithstanding, Christians should always strive to propagate the gospel,
adding that if Christians refrained from preaching the gospel, the perpetrators
of the persecution would have an upper hand and be encouraged to commit their
evil plans.

Kujiyat, who spoke at the 19th Synod of the Diocese of
Kaduna, Anglican Communion, however, prayed for God’s intervention and
protection for the Christian faithful.

Kano

The Joint Security Task Force (JTF) and operatives of the
State Security Service (SSS) have in Kano arrested three suspected gunmen at
Gadar Bayero, near Taburawa Kano.

The State SSS Director, Mr Bassey Ettang, announced this
while briefing newsmen. He said the suspects were apprehended during an early
morning raid at a hide out at Tamburawa, a Kano outskirt.

“The operation was carried out based on an intelligent
report of the activities of the terrorists who operate at the outskirts of Kano
now. “We were able to recover some quantities of primed Improvised Explosive
Devices (IEDs) ready for detonation, together with military uniforms used by
the gunmen.’’

 

Kebbi

The Controller of Prisons in Kebbi, Alhaji Othman Musa, has
com-mended the Emir of Zuru, Alhaji Sani Sami, for assisting in the reformation
of minor offenders to be good members of society.

Musa, who gave the commendation in Birnin Kebbi urged
members of the public to emulate the Emir to ensure that prison inmates came
out as better citizens.

He said the nation’s prisons were facing the challenge of
blending their inmates to fit into the society after their jail terms,
considering that some of them felt abandoned by relatives and the society.

“We would strive to erase the stigma placed on the inmates
by the society to prevent them from transforming into hardened criminals,
deviants and social misfits. “The people need to emulate the Emir of Zuru,
Alhaji Sani Sami, who had facilitated the release of minor offenders as well as
assisted them with tools to learn skills that would enable them blend into
society.”

 

Kogi

The President, National Council of Women Societies (NCWS),
Kogi chapter, Mrs Mary Olowosegun,  has
advised women to show commitment to politics in order to reflect their real
strength.

Olowosegun newsmen  in
Lokoja, that she was disappointed at the low turnout of women aspirants for the
forthcoming local government election in the state.

She said it was the zeal that women aspirants displayed in
politics that would generate financial support for them.

The women leader said that she was planning to have a meeting
with the representatives of the association in the rural areas to help
sensitise the women in the state towards the forth coming local government
election.

 

Kwara

A cleric, Uztaz Abdulfatah Abiona-Ibrahim, has urged wealthy
Mus-lims in the country to always provide assistance to the poor, particularly
during the last 10 days of the Ramadan.

Abiona-Ibrahim, an Ilorin-based Islamic scholar, made the
call while delivering a sermon at the “A” Division Police Station Mosque in
Ilorin, recently.

He said the call became necessary because of the blessings
attached to the last 10 days of the Ramadan known as the “Night of Majesty.”

The cleric also urged Muslims to ensure that their
Zakatul-fitri (gift) was observed in accordance with the provisions of the
Quran and Hadith. He said the gift could be in form of food stuff presented to
the less privileged.

 

Ondo

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has predicted that the
People’s Democratic Party (PDP) would win the October 20 Ondo governorship
election.

Obasanjo stated this
in Akure at a rally organised by the PDP ahead of the election. At the
rally tagged “ Unity Rally,’’ the governorship candidate of the party, Chief
Olusola Oke was handed over the party’s flag.

Obasanjo described Oke as very credible, and urged the
people of the state to vote for him.

“I want to start by thanking our brothers and sisters
outside Ondo State who have come to flag off the campaign to bring PDP back to
the state. “We have a creditable candidate for Ondo State, Olusola Oke is a
good leader that can be taken by his words,’’ he said.

 

Ogun

The General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God
(RCCG) Pastor Enoch Adeboye, says the church has foreign missions in 160
nations of the world.

He disclosed this at the Special Holy Ghost Service which
commenced on Friday night as part of activities marking the 60th Convention of
the Church.

Adeboye said that the church opened branches in 13 countries
in the last one year in addition to the existing 147 nations where the church
operated.

According to him, God expects RCCG to be present in all
nations of the world. He, however, expressed optimism that the goal would be
achieved soon.

Adeboye, who announced that a total of 11,162 weddings were
conducted by the church in the last one year, added that 68 women were
delivered of babies inside the camp ground, venue of the convention.

 

Osun

Some residents of Modakeke in Osun have commended the state
government for introducing compulsory environmental sanitation twice in a
month.

A resident, Mr Oluwaseun Ajibade,  in Modakeke said  that the exercise would ensure the good
health of the citizens. “Health is wealth; the basic concept of the bi-monthly
sanitation in Osun is to make people healthier and by implication, prolong
their lifespan,’’ he said.

Ajibade, who spoke during the initial observance of the
sanitation, reiterated that the exercise would promote healthy living among the
citizens of the state.

A resident of the Oke-ola area of Modakeke, Mrs Omolabake
Goriola,  commended the government for
the initiative, condemning the manner in which some residents disposed of their
refuse.

 

Oyo

The Oyo State Government says it will soon begin the payment
of the retirement entitlements of primary school teachers and local government
workers via e-payment.

A statement by the Chairman, Oyo State Local Government
Staff Pensions Board, Chief Lasisi Ayankojo, in Ibadan said that the policy was
aimed at checking fraud in the payment of pensions and gratuities.

The state government recently uncovered a N2.6 billion pension
fraud in the board. The interim investigation of the board’s account between
September 2010 and March, 2011, which exposed the fraud, allegedly indicted 10
civil servants.

Ayankojo said that the e-payment would also help to
streamline pension payment, while reducing the troubles usually associated with
the payment of pension.

 

Taraba

The Proprietor, Beautiful People Driving School, Jalingo, Mr
Francis Ejembi, has advocated proper training for both commercial and private
drivers to reduce the high rate of road accidents on Nigerian roads.

Ejembi, who gave the advice in Jalingo, in an interview said
that most of the road crashes occurred as a result of ‘gross disregard’ for
road signs due to little or no training by drivers.

He said that a well-trained driver would not wait for
officials of the FRSC to tell him to put on his seat belt because he should
know the importance of seat belt to his safety.

“Proper training of drivers is one of the development agenda
of the United Nations Vision 20:2020. “A well trained driver knows that he has
to do routine checks on his vehicle, put on his seat belt and respect the
rights of other road users.

 

Yobe

The Yobe State Commissioner of Police, Mr Patrick Egbuniwe,
has confirmed that gunmen engaged security operatives in a shoot-out at the
Bindigari area of Damaturu.

Egbuniwe said in a telephone interview that the shoot-out
ensued when security operatives went to the area on security patrol.

“Gunmen as usual, have engaged our security operatives in a
shoot-out. “The operation is still on in the area, so we can not confirm
casualties yet. Other parts of the town are, however, calm and security
operatives are on top of the situation,’’ Egbuniwe stated.

Meanwhile, many residents have deserted the streets of the
city for safety.

Six soldiers and one civilian were killed on August 5 in a
suicide bomb attack along Gashua Road in Damaturu.