Bauchi

The Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) in Bauchi State has advised passengers to boycott irresponsible commercial motorcyclists to reduce rampant accidents in the state.

The Public Enlightenment Officer of the commission in the state, Malam Ibrahim Gaidam, who gave the advice in Bauchi on Thursday in an interview with The Tide said there had been many complaints about such motorcyclists, especially in Bauchi metropolis, adding that the best way to deal with their attitude was to shun them.

According to him, if passengers would refuse to patronize the motorcyclists, the action could make the operators to change their bad and reckless driving habit.

He warned the passengers to avoid motorcyclists who “wear over-size trousers using the ends as socks and leaving disheveled hair or raising the head lamp of their motorcycles to the sky”.

Benue

Displaced victims of the recent flood disaster in Makurdi, the Benue State capital, have appealed to the state government to intervene and resettle them on safe grounds.

More than 2,000 houses were destroyed by the floods in Wurukum, Wadata and Gyado Villa areas of Makurdi following the release of water from Lagdo Dam in the Republic of Cameroon.

The flood destroyed property worth millions of naira along the Benue valley, and the victims, who lost their valuables have appealed to the state government for assistance.

A victim, Mr James Tule, said although the government provided early warning signals  to alert them about the floods, it did not provide alternative resettlement centres for the victims.

FCT

The Inspector-General of Police, Mr Mohammed Abubakar, on Wednesday ordered the police to provide adequate security for all embassies and foreign missions in the country.

The directive is contained in a statement signed by Mr Frank Mba, the Deputy Force Public Relations Officer.

The statement directed the Assistant Inspectors General of Police (AIGs) in-charge of zonal commands, as well as state Commissioners of Police to provide a 24-hour water-tight security in and around the missions.

It said the directive followed recent violent demonstrations in some parts of the world linked to a recent US film believed to have offended a section of some religious faithful.

“The Nigerian Police has taken the immediate proactive security measures to ensure that no similar violence is replicated within our country.

Jigawa

The National Directorate of Employment (NDE) in Jigawa State trained 10,082 youths in various trades and vocational activities in the last five years, the state Coordinator, Mr Muhammad Sambo, has said.

Sambo told The Tide in Dutse that more than N24 million was disbursed as resettlement package to enable the trainees set up their own businesses.

He said that 2,600 youths were trained under the National Open Apprenticeship Scheme (NOAS), while 3,204 received training under the NDE/NYSC entrepreneurial development programme.

Sambo noted that more than 1,600 women and youths were also trained under the rural agriculture and handcraft scheme, adding that another batch of 2,432 youths were trained under the environment beautification and school-on-wheels skills acquisition programme.

Kaduna

The Kaduna State Government says it would not pay compensation to people living in flood prone areas in the event of a disaster.

Mr Shamaki Zakaria, the Commissioner for Environment and Natural Resources, made the statement while inspecting flood ravaged areas in Kaduna metropolis.

He said that the issue of compensation would not arise because there was no approved plan for buildings on waterways, pointing out that the government had issued many warnings and directed people living in such areas to temporarily relocate but that they refused to heed the advice.

Zakaria said that the people also ignored the alert given by Nigerian Meteorological Agency on the rain pattern for the year.

Kebbi

The Kebbi State Emergency Management Agency has relocated some flood victims from the Hajj camp to Bulasa Primary School on the outskirts of Birnin Kebbi.

Malam Abbas Rabi’u, the Executive Director of the agency, told our correspondent in Birnin Kebbi on Wednesday that the relocation was to enable pilgrims to use the camp to prepare for the Hajj.

The Tide recalls that persons, who were victims of a flood in August, were kept in the camp, adding that the number of victims had reduced from 350 to100. The agency received donations, such as building materials, foodstuff, drugs, blankets and mosquito nets, for the support of victims.

Kwara

Armed robbers last week attacked a first generation bank at Share in Ifelodun Local Government area of Kwara State and escaped with their loot, the police said.

The state Police Public Relations Officer, Mr Femi Fabode confirmed the attack on the bank in an interview with our correspondent  noting that the hoodlums arrived the bank in large numbers at about 12 noon in a Toyota Sienna Space Wagon bus and a Toyota Land Cruiser jeep and engaged policemen stationed at the bank in gun battle.

He said that some of the robbers escaped with injuries while the others abandoned their vehicles and ran away.

Fabode said no arrest was made but that the police was investigating details of the attack and had also increased patrol in the area.

Lagos

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) says it will embark soon on another phase of “massive campaign” against the abuse of the naira.

The CBN Director of Corporate Communication Department, Mr Ugochukwu Okoroafor, told The Tide on Thursday in Lagos that most Nigerians still mess up the naira.

Okoroafor said that the step was necessary to ensure that the government did not continue to spend huge sum of money in the reprinting of torn notes.

Okoroafor reiterated that the huge amount of money spent yearly to reprint torn notes necessitated the introduction of the proposed N5000 note, pointing out that the N5000 note would reduce the high cost of managing torn notes annually.

Nasarawa

Nasarawa State Government has said  it would build 1000 housing units for non- civil servants in the state.

The state Commissioner for Housing and Urban Development , Mr Musa Yusuf,told The Tide in Lafia that the houses would be located in the local government areas.

According to him, the project, known as “Informal Sector Co-operative Housing Loan Scheme”, will be executed in partnership with mortgage institutions.

“It is a social housing policy under the National Housing Programme aimed at providing housing for non- civil servants in the states”, he said, adding  that the project would benefit those that did not benefit from the 18 per cent national minimum wage, adding that it was to improve their well being.

Niger

Governor Babaginda Aliyu of Niger State has  said there was no going back on the plan by the state government to sell its houses in Minna.

Aliyu, who said this last Wednesday in Minna during a meeting with political appointees, said the decision was in the best interest of the people and in line with government monetisation policy.

A statement by Malam Danladi Ndayebo, Chief Press Secretary to the governor, said the houses earmarked for sale were constructed in 1978 for commissioners and lawmakers, stating that the governor dismissed those agitating against the plan, saying the administration would not be blackmailed or intimidated into reversing its decision.

Ogun

The Permanent Secretary, Ogun State Ministry of Forestry, Mr Oladapo Onayemi, has said the ministry realised N66.2 million out of the N293.6 internally generated revenue targeted for the year.

Onayemi, who announced this during a tour of the ministry by a committee of the state House of Assembly, said N206.7 million was also released for salaries and allowances.

The permanent secretary further said the ministry did not have the required apparatus to police its entire forest reserves, saying “We don’t have the required apparatus to police our forest reserves, illegal activities perpetrated in the forest reserves are done in the night and the perpetrators are armed,’’ he said.

Osun

The Speaker of Osun State House of Assembly, Mr Najeem Salam, last Wednesday advised commercial motorists and government drivers to always take necessary precaution on the road for public safety.

Salam gave the advice in Osogbo when Dr Wale Bolorunduro, the Commissioner for Finance, Economic Planning and Budget, presented a new official car to the speaker.

The car replaced the previous one involved in an accident some months ago on Iwo/Ibadan road.

He stressed that drivers should not engage in dangerous driving because their vehicles had insurance cover and said even when a property was insured, the handlers were expected to take necessary precaution and care for their lives.

Taraba

Hundreds of primary school children have been forced out of school in several communities affected by flood in Taraba State.

Investigation by The Tide in Lau, Karim-Lamido, Ardo-Kola, Gassol and Ibbi Local Government areas showed that the children were not in school because such structures had either been washed away or submerged.

The Tide correspondent who visited some of the affected communities observed that hundreds of children were now idling away at the various make-shift camps set up for displaced families, even though the schools had opened last Monday.