FCT

The Minister of State for Finance, Dr Yerima Ngama, has called on revenue collectors to shift emphasis from revenue sharing to growing the revenue.

Ngama, who made this call at a National Workshop on Non-Oil Sector of the Economy in Abuja, urged the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), not to relent in promoting the benefits of diversifying the nation’s revenue sources through agriculture, solid minerals and tourism.

He urged the revenue collection agencies to be more open to the public and ensure that information was not restricted to relevant government agencies.

“Increased information sharing among government revenue collection agencies would ensure more transparency and accountability,’’ he said.

Gombe

A 32-year-old man, Malam Maikudi Abdullahi of Dawaki quarters, Gombe, was last Wednesday sentenced to six months imprisonment for belonging to a gang of thieves. Abdullahi was sentenced Wednesday after he pleaded guilty for the offence.

The prosecutor, Mr Idi Ibrahim, said the First Information Report, showed the convict was arrested at Bolari Area near Malam Usman lodge but could not give a satisfactory account of himself.

Ibrahim said the convict committed an offence contrary to Section 306 of the Penal Code. He said that since the convict pleaded guilty, the court should invoke Section 157 for summary trial.

Alhaji Bello Sheriff, the Chief Magistrate, sentenced the convict to six months imprisonment with an option to pay N1, 500 fine.

Jigawa

The Jigawa State Police Command has arrested nine persons in possession of dried leaves suspected to be Indian hemp, intoxicants and some hard drugs.

The Commissioner of Police, Mr Kayode Theophilus, told newsmen in Dutse, that the suspects were arrested during a raid at various black spots and criminals’ hideout in Gumel Local Government Area of the state.

He said during the operation, about 535 parcels and 1,200 wraps of Indian hemp, packets of suck-and-die solution, five knives and 15 sachets of diazepam tablets were recovered from them.

The commissioner pledged that the command would continue to raid such spots to rid the state of criminals.

Kano

The Police Command in Kano State, has declared wanted two identified major suspects in a robbery incident at the popular WAPA Bureau de Change.

This is contained in a statement issued in Kano by the command’s Public Relations Officer, Asp. Magaji Majiya.

The statement noted that “the command, in its effort to arrest the culprits, is working closely on the clues at the scene of the robbery. So far, two identified major suspects have been declared wanted.”

Katsina

The Katsina State Agricultural and Rural Development Authority (KTARDA), last Thurday said it has distributed high yielding groundnut seeds to farmers, in a bid to revive groundnut production in the country.

The Acting Director, Agricultural Services, Alhaji Mansur Altine, disclosed this in an interview with newsmen in Katsina.

He said the seeds mature early and have high oil content.

The director said the farmers were selected from Batsari, Dutsinma, Safana and Zango Local Governments areas.

Kogi

The Deputy Governor of Kogi State, Mr Yomi Awoniyi, has said that the state’s flood victims are desperate to go back to their homes to continue their businesses.

Awoniyi, made this known when he received the Head, African Zone of the Red Cross, Mr Alhassan Sengo, in his office in Lokoja.

Kwara

The Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) last Wednesday restated its determination to improve safety consciousness among Nigerians.

Mr Kehinde Adeleye, the Zonal Commanding Officer, Zone 8, comprising Kwara, Ekiti and Kogi, said this in Ilorin at the final of FRSC quiz competition for primary and secondary schools.

He said that road safety had been included in the syllabuses of primary and secondary schools in order to ensure safety consciousness.

“The objective of the competition is to prepare future generation on road safety consciousness.

Lagos

The families of the June 3 Dana Airline plane crash victims are yet to collect the remaining 70 per cent compensation from the airline’s insurance company.

The Director-General, Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Dr Harold Demuren, said this in an interview with journalists at the NCAA annex, Ikeja, Lagos.

He said: “this is due to the non-issuance of Letters of Administration to them by the probate registry arm of the Lagos High Court which would be presented to the Lloyds of London.’’

The NCAA boss spoke with journalists after a meeting with families of the victims and representatives of Dana Airline.

Ondo

The Ondo State House of Assembly last Wednesday ordered the recall of the suspended chairmen of nine of the 18 local government councils in the state, barely a week after their suspension.

The affected councils included Akure North, Ose, Owo, Ifedore, Idanre, Ile-Oluji/Okeigbo, Ilaje, Ese-Odo and Akoko North East.

The suspension of the chairmen, according to the Speaker of the Assembly, Mr Samuel Adesina, was due to their failure to comply with a directive on the audit of their workers for submission to the house.

However, at the sitting of the house on Wednesday, the Majority Leader, Mr Dayo Akinsoyinu, said the caretaker chairmen had complied with the assembly’s instruction.

Osun

Osun State House of Assembly lastWednesday rejected Gov. Rauf Aregbesola’s nominee for the post of Chief Judge of the state.

The lawmakers attributed their rejection of Justice Adepele Ojo’s nomination to the House rule and constitutional provision that bars the parliament from acting on a matter pending in court.

During the deliberation on the matter, the Deputy Speaker, Mr Adegboye Akintunde, said there was a pending case involving the nominee in court.

Plateau

Governor Jonah Jang of Plateau State, has called on the United Nations and European Union (EU) to introduce policies and programmes that would protect women and children from conflicts and violence.

Jang made the call in Jos when the UN and ECOWAS Women representative in Nigeria, Mrs. Grace Ongile, paid him a courtesy call.

“Women and children across the globe are always the ones that bear the brunt whenever there is a conflict or violence.

“Such crises or violence exposes them to various vices as their boys are usually forced into child-soldiering, while the girls are into immoral acts.

Sokoto

The National President of Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), Alhaji Ibrahim Khaleel,  in Sokoto last Wednesday called for the scrapping of states / local governments joint accounts.

Khaleel, who made the call at a news conference on the review of the 1999 Constitution, suggested that Section 162 of the constitution be amended.

Khaleel said the states tampered with the accounts “to the extent that only between 23-25 per cent of statutory allocation from the Federation Account eventually gets to the local government due to illegal and sundry deductions.

He said the scrapping of the account would guarantee fiscal jurisdiction through direct remittance of local government allocations from Federation Account to the councils with necessary checks to guard against the mismanagement of public funds.

Zamfara

Zamfara State Governor, Abdulaziz Yari, said lack of pragmatic leadership was responsible for the dwindling performance of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) since the 1999 general elections.

Yari, elected under the ANPP, made the remark in Gusau last Thursday when he received a committee set up by the Board of Trustees to determine the party’s support base nationwide.

“Since the beginning of this democratic dispensation in 1999, only the ruling PDP and our party, ANPP have national spread and acceptability, but because of leadership problem, the party is dwindling by the day.“

The governor said considerable number of “high braw personalities” within the ruling PDP cross carpeted from the ANPP, adding that it was an indication that something was wrong with the past leadership.