Adamawa

An Islamic Cleric in Adamawa State, Utaz Idris Njidda, has called for compulsory test for all prospective pilgrims to Hajj to determine their eligibility for the exercise.

Njidda made the call in Yola at the on-going Hajj stakeholders meeting organised by the Nigeria Aid Group of Jama’atil Nasrul Islam (JNI).  He said that such examination on knowledge ability became necessary as many pilgrims had no basic knowledge of the religious rite.

Njidda, who is also a Hajj official from Fufore Local Government area of Adamawa State said that such test was conducted in his area after a two-month workshop, but that some were unable to answer simple questions on Islam.

He said, “Some could not recite Fatiha, Kalmatul Shahada or the five pillars of Islam correctly.

FCT

A Non- governmental organisation, Society Against Prostitution and Child Labour in Nigeria (SAP-CLN), has rehabilitated 470 women, including commercial sex workers, in FCT, Mrs Grace Adogo, Coordinator of the organisation, said.

Adogo made the disclosure in an interview with our Correspondent  in Abuja during a sensitisation programme for FCT residents.

She said the sensitisation became imperative considering that the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) administration had zero tolerance for street hawking, begging and commercial sex work in the city. She noted that among the rehabilitated women, 137 were repentant commercial sex workers, while the remaining were vulnerable women, single mothers, widows and mothers of child hawkers.

“We are also rehabilitating mothers of child hawkers in order for them to take their children out of the street and give them meaningful future.

Jigawa

The Jigawa State Government  has said it had awarded contract for the construction of 475 metres drain in the Ringim Local Government Council to check flooding in the area.

The state Commissioner for Information, Alhaji Babandi Ibrahim, told The Tide in Dutse that the project would cost N66 million.

According to him, the project is in continuation of efforts to check flooding in the area, pointing out  that the contract was awarded to Triacta Nigeria Limited, while the scope of the contract included, the construction of embankment, culverts and drain.  He said the State Government had also constructed drains and culverts in other flood prone communities across the state to stem environmental degradation.

The Tide recalls that four persons died while more than 1,000 houses, farmlands and roads were destroyed across 13 Local Government areas in the last four weeks.

Kaduna

Alhaji Shehu Malami Nuhu-Babajo of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has won Saturday’s by-election into Kaduna State House of Assembly for Zaria constituency.

Announcing the result on Sunday, the Returning Officer, Dr Dauda Ishaya of the Agriculture  Department, Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, declared that Nuhu-Babajo scored 13, 659 votes to defeat four other candidates.

He said: “Shehu Malami Nuhu-Babajo of PDP has emerged winner, having satisfied all the conditions and recquirement of the law and scored the highest number of votes.

“He is hereby returned as elected member to represent Zaria state constituency at the Kaduna State House of Assembly.”

Others, Ishaya said, were Kasimu Iliyasu of CPC who came second with 9,031 votes and Muhammad Inuwa-Umar of PRP who got 999 votes to place third.

Kano

The Oba of Lagos, Rilwan Akiolu, in Kano called on governments at all levels to focus on youth employment to tackle the growing rate of unemployment in the country.

The traditional ruler made the call at a special lecture organised by the Bayero University Kano in honour of CBN Governor, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi.

He stressed the need for the federal and state governments to create job opportunities for the teeming number of unemployed youths, to reduce redundancy among them, noting that empowering youths had become necessary for the economic growth and development of the country

Akiolu also advised politicians against any attempt to rig the 2015 election, to ensure the sustenance of democracy in the country and  called on elected political leaders to emulate Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State in terms of infrastructure development efforts.

Katsina

The Funtua zonal forestry officer in Katsina State, Alhaji Hassan Ibrahim has called for collaboration among institutions, communities and individuals for the maximum protection of the environment.    Ibrahim, who made the call in an interview with our Correspondent  in Funtua, Katsina State, on Saturday, emphasised the need for people to complement government efforts on environmental protection programmes.

He said that government efforts needed maximum support from the public, considering the huge investments on annual tree planting, demarcation of forest and grazing reserves, aimed at safeguarding the environment.

“The consequence of environmental degradation affects every person along with animals, therefore, concerted efforts are needed for individuals to contribute toward environmental protection initiatives.’’

Kogi

The Controller of Prison in Kogi State, Mr Adam Omale, has tasked Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and religious groups in the country to complement government’s efforts at reforming convicts and other prison inmates.

Omale made the call  in Lokoja at the decoration of 20 officers and men of the Nigeria Prison Service (NPS), who were recently promoted.

He said inmates should be shown love, care, attention and made to acquire skills, to reform them and ease their re-integration into the society on completion of jail terms, adding that  the task of reforming convicts should be collective and not left for government alone.  He called on NGOs, civil societies, religious groups, professional bodies and individuals to contribute their quota to the process.

Kwara

The Kwara State Government has yet to establish a functional family court to cater for problems confronting children, the Commissioner for Women Affairs, Mrs Comfort Afolayan has said.

Afolayan  who made the revelation in Ilorin in an interview with The Tide said although the government had approved the establishment of the court since 2009, it could not function because of the lack of accommodation and other logistic problems.

The commissioner said cases affecting children that were supposed to be handled by the court were currently being treated by some lawyers in the state Child Rights Act Committee and  appealed to the government to provide accommodation and other logistics for the state Ministry of Women Affairs for the take-off of the court.  The commissioner said government had domesticated the Child Rights Act since 2006, leading to the establishment of Children’s Parliament in the state.

Lagos

An expert on child abuse, Mrs Amaka Awogu, hascalled on parents to bond with their children to stem the rising tide of child abuse in the country.

Awogu, the Executive Director of Child Dignity Foundation, an NGO, made the call in an interview with The Tide in Lagos.

She said that parents should endeavour to develop close relationships with their children as that would be capable of building a sense of trust of the children in the parents.  “Parents should learn to bond with their children and not shut them out to create trust; this will enable the child to confide in his/her parents at all times and in all situations.

Niger

Comptroller of Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), in charge of Niger State Command,  Alhaji Aminu Abdulkarim says the command has deported nine Nigeriens.

He told The Tide in Minna that the illegal immigrants were arrested on September 11, in Minna without valid residence permits.   “We arrested nine Nigeriens on September 11, 2012, right now they are on their way back to their country.

“They constitute nuisance to members of the public because they do not have any source of livelihood.”

Abdulkarim said that the immigrants claimed to be water vendors, adding, “they are not; they only use selling of water as a cover up.”

Ondo

The Vice-Chancellor, Achievers University, Owo, Ondo State, Prof. Adebayo Odebiyi has called on the Federal Government to establish a Revolving Structural Fund for the funding of private universities.

Odebiyi, who spoke in an interview with The Tide  in Owo, said the fund would boost development of manpower in the private universities.   He said the credit should attract between two to three per cent interest and repayment period of 10 to 15 years.   Odebiyi decried the exclusion of private universities from benefitting from the Tertiary Education Task Fund, pointing out that both public and private universities were contributing to the development of the nation’s manpower needs.

The Vice Chancellor remarked that if the government could provide enabling environment for foreign investors, then the same environment and credit facilities should be made available for Nigerians investing in the nation’s education sector.

Sokoto

The Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), Mr. Osita Chidoka said on Saturday that 54 persons died in motor accidents in Sokoto, Kebbi and Zamfara between July and August, 2012.

Chidoka made the fact known in Sokoto at a Special Marshals Sectoral workshop, with the theme, “Advocacy as a tool for improved road safety activities’’.

Chidoka, who was represented by the Sokoto Zonal Commanding Officer of FRSC, Mr Alfred Adeboye, said 15 persons died during the Eid el-Fitr celebrations in August in Zamfara and Kebbi states.

He  said the zone, RS 10, came third nationwide in the ranking for accident rates during the period.

The Secretary to the Sokoto State Government, Alhaji Sahabi Gada, said the state government had given priority attention to road construction and rehabilitation, to ensure free flow of traffic.

Zamfara

A lecturer at the Talata Mafara Polytechnic, Zamfara State,  Malam Ibrahim Magaji, has urged the Federal Government to adopt measures to strengthen the nation’s security agencies.

Magaji, who is the Head of Department of Mass Communication, told our Correspondent  last  Friday in Sokoto State that this would enable them to effectively tackle the current security challenges in the country. He said the measure would also empower the security outfits to deal with the insurgency, militancy, and other crimes that had been retarding the nation’s development. “The nation’s security officials need urgent capacity building to enable them put to an end all the acts capable of tempering with the peaceful atmosphere.