THE STATES

Adamawa

The Adamawa State Government said it received 11,000 improved palm tree seedlings from the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

The Desk Officer, Palm Oil Production Project in the state, Mr Ilyasu Mu’azu,  said in Yola that the development was part of the National Agricultural Transformation Agenda.

Muazu said that under the programme, over 1,000 palm tree farmers were registered and about 2,500 hectares cultivated in Ganye, Toungo and Jada local government areas.

He said that the seedlings were of high yield, nutritious and for short time harvest, and called on the state government to support the programme for the development of agriculture in the state.

Benue

Nine persons were last Tuesday arraigned in a Makurdi Magistrates Court over an alleged culpable homicide.

The Police Prosecutor, Mr James Onwone, told the court that one Cpl. Veronica Nwankwo, of the State Investigation Bureau Headquarters, Makurdi, reported the case.

According to Onwone, a complainant reported that her elder brother was shot and killed by cultists in his medicine store at No.7, David Mark Bypass, Makurdi.

He said that following police investigations, the accused persons, Ogenyi Isaac, Javer Jaga, Ibrahim Dahiru, Husaini Mohammed, Ali Abuh, Terver Hindan, Ochaigwu Ochefije, Gambo Yakubu and Ibrahim Sani were arrested in connection with the crime.

When the case came up for mention, no plea of the accused persons was taken for want of jurisdiction. The prosecution said investigation into the matter was still ongoing and asked the court for another date for mention.

FCT

President Goodluck Jonathan last Tuesday forwarded a request for the Senate to confirm the appointment of a new secretary and board members of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

In a presidential letter read by the Senate President, Chief David Mark, on the floor of the Senate, Jonathan said the request was in accordance with the provisions of the EFCC Act, 2004.

The nominees include Mr Michael Ebong (South South); Mr Uwasomba Udochukwu, (South East); Mr Emmanuel Obitolu (North Central), Dr Ismaila Dukku (North East) and Mr Adesojo Olaoba-Efuntayo (South West) as Secretary.

The president in a another letter, forwarded to the Senate, the names of Hajiya Fatima Kwaku and Mr Olumuyiwa Akinboro for confirmation as members of the Federal Judicial Service Commission.

The letter read, “Section 154 sub-sections (1) and (3) and Paragraph 12 (e) of Part 1 to the Third Schedule of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as amended, provided for the appointment of two persons, each of whom has been qualified to practise as legal practitioners in Nigeria, for a period of not less than 15 years, from a list of not less than four persons so qualified and recommended by the Nigeria Bar Association’’.

Jigawa

The Jigawa State Action Committee on AIDS (JISACA) has trained 50 women living with HIV and AIDS on various trades as part of its empowerment programme to check the impact of the scourge.

The Executive Secretary of the agency, Dr Bashir Ahmed, made the announcement in Dutse on Tuesday at a meeting between officials of the state government and persons living with HIV and AIDS.

Ahmed said that the agency had provided free treatment at various ART, testing and counselling service centres in the state, urging persons living with the disease to feed well and adhere to prescribed medications.

Kaduna

Traditional rulers in Kaduna State, on Tuesday appealed to the state government to demarcate cattle routes and help herdsmen to modernise their trade.

The traditional rulers made the call at a meeting with Gov. Mukhtar Yero and leaders of Fulani herdsmen, held at the palace of the Emir of Zazzau, in Zaria.

The Emir of Zazzau, Alhaji Shehu Idris, recalled that in the 1960s, forestry officials and agricultural extension officers collaborated to carve out cattle routes annually before the commencement of the rainy season.

In his submission, the Bongon Kurmi in Lere local government area of the state,  Dr Ishaku Damina, lamented that official cattle routes had been taken over by farmers, thereby it is difficult for the herdsmen to move freely with their flocks.

Kano

The Kano State Zakkat and Endowment Commission has established an office in each of the 44 local government areas of the state to enhance its activities.

The Director-General of the commission, Alhaji Sufiyanu Gwagwarwa, who disclosed this in an interview in Kano on Tuesday, said that the new offices were established to facilitate the collection and disbursement of Zakkat (alms) to the poor across the 44 local government areas.

“We felt it is necessary to create the offices in order to ease the problem encountered by wealthy individuals in the rural areas in giving out the alms. This will also make the commission’s work easier in collection and distribution of the alms to the needy in their respective local government areas,’’ he said.

Katsina

The Katsina State House of Assembly has passed a resolution urging the state government to hasten the evacuation of water-ways and drainages to avert flooding.

The resolution followed a motion moved by the Majority Leader, Dr Lawal Aliyu, (PDP-Muswa), which was seconded by Alhaji Babangida Nasamu (PDP-Katsina).

Aliyu recalled the forecast by the Nigeria Metrological Agency indicating heavy rainfall with flood in the state this year and said there was need to act promptly to avert disaster.

The lawmakers unanimously called on the ministry for Environment, the state environmental sanitation agency and local government councils to enforce environmental laws so as to maintain clean environment.

Kwara

The Kwara State government has proposed a fine of N.5 million against any state which poaches another’s athlete. The proposal was contained in a memorandum presented at the meeting of the National Council on Sports in Ilorin last Tuesday.

The memorandum recommended that the fine should be paid into the coffers of the state whose athlete was poached in order to discourage the “ignoble’’ practice signed by Tunde Kazeem, the Director, Kwara Sports Council, the memorandum described poaching as callous, unethical and unproductive.

According to it, poaching is an act of reaping where one has not sown. “This is tantamount to abduction at the point of gainfulness by the state or team that invested resources to train such athletes.

Nasarawa

Governor Umaru Al-Makura of Nasarawa State has directed that the Nasarawa State University, Keffi (NSUK), remains closed, pending the implementation of the investigative report on the students’ unrest in February.

Al-Makura, who made the statement in Lafia when he a received the report of the unrest that led to the death of two students, said that the university authorities did not consult with the visitor to the university before recalling the students.

Represented by the Deputy Governor, Mr. Dameshi Luke, the governor announced an indefinite suspension of the resumption date, pending full consideration of the report of the commission of inquiry.

Plateau

The Plateau State Government has turned the hitherto popular Plateau Hotel, Jos, into a residential quarters, investigation has revealed.

It was discovered by newsmen that the hotel’s halls usually hired for conferences, wedding receptions and other ceremonies, had been equally hired out to some religious groups.

Further findings revealed that facilities at the hotel, which was the attraction to many tourists to the state in the 1980s and the 1990s, had become deplorable.

“The situation has consistently gone from bad to worse simply because of the paucity of funds by the state government. We are forced to rent out some of the rooms so as to generate funds to maintain the structures,’’ source explained.

Responding, the Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Mr Sylvanus Dangtoe, admitted that the situation of many of the state-owned hospitality outfits were “very sad”, and said the current administration has put in place a lot of measures to revamp such outfits and there should be a difference very soon.

Sokoto

The Chairman of Wurno Local Government Area in Sokoto State, Alhaji Shehu Chacho, last Tuesday, solicited for the support of religious leaders in the promotion of girl-child education in the area.

Chacho said in Sokoto that the support would enable parents to allow their children to receive both Islamic and western education.

The chairman stated that religious leaders were expected to deliver special sermons on what Islam said about educating children, including the girl-child, noting that the council had reached out to royal fathers to assist in sensitising their subjects on what the society stood to benefit if the girl-child was educated.

He said “Educating a girl-child is like educating a nation as it is said, in Islam and we are ready to mobilise our people to actively enrol their children into schools, especially the girls, to acquire western education.

“The council will continue to give necessary support to ensure the development of education in the area through the provision of adequate teaching and learning materials.

Yobe

Gum Arabic Farmers and Marketers Association in Yobe State said over N700 million worth of gum arabic trees and the product are lost annually to firewood poachers in the state.

Spokesman of the association, Malam Jafaru Ayuba, disclosed this in an interview in Damaturu last Tuesday.

Ayuba explained that, gum arabic trees were indiscriminately cut down by firewood sellers coming into the state from the neighbouring states.

The spokesman noted that about 15,000 gum arabic farmers were loosing their means of livelihood to illegal tree felling in the state and called on the Yobe government to apply the full weight of the law on illegal tree felling so as to safeguard gum arabic and other economic trees.