Bauchi

Caretaker Chairman of Gamawa Local Government Area of
Bauchi State, Alhaji Kabiru Garba, on Sunday said the council would spend more than N3 million for feeding the needy during the ongoing Ramadan.
Garba told the inauguration of the feeding committee members in Gamawa that: ‘’Twenty one mosques have been selected to benefit from the feeding exercise and the money will be distributed, based on the expected number of people to feed in each selected mosque.’’
He said that some of the selected mosques designated as feeding areas included Gamawa Central, Gololo South and North and Jadori mosques. Others were Tumbi, Kore, Alagarno, Godiya and Kafiromi village mosques.
He urged members of the feeding committee to be just, fair and fear Allah in carrying out the responsibility bestowed on them. ‘’I urge you to be just and fear Allah in the discharge of your duty,’’ he said.

Borno

Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno State has advised the
state’s Pilgrims Welfare Board to ensure hitch-free conduct of this year’s holy pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia.
Shettima who gave the advice in Maiduguri on Sunday while inaugurating new members of the board, urged the board to ensure that all intending female pilgrims were accompanied by their Maharam (male guardians) to prevent deportation by the Saudi authorities.
He also advised the board to ensure that no pregnant woman was allowed to travel to Saudi Arabia from the state.
The Chairman of the board, Prof. Tijjani Almiskin, thanked the governor for the appointment, promising that members of the board would work for a successful hajj this year. ‘’We are going to develop a master plan towards ensuring the best hajj for the state,’’ he said.

Jigawa

The Chairman, Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Jigawa
chapter,  Mr Adamu Turaki, on Saturday commended the Lagos Court of Appeal for acquitting Maj. Hamza Al-Mustapha and Alhaji Lateef Shofolahan.
The duo were discharged and acquitted over the alleged murder of Kudirat Abiola, the wife of late business mogul and politician, Chief Moshood Abiola, the acclaimed winner of the 1993 annulled general elections.
Al-Mustapha, the Chief Security Officer to late Gen. Sanni Abacha; and Shofolahan, Kudirat’s Personal Aide, had faced trial since 1998.

Kano

Kano State Government said it had released N14 million to
clear drains around the famous Jakara and Kwarin Gogau River in Fagge Local Government Area of the state.
The Commissioner for Environment, Alhaji Abdullahi Abba, announced this on Saturday while inaugurating the clearing of the drains at Jakara quarters.
The commissioner expressed government’s concern over the environmental condition of the area due to its vulnerability to flooding.
Abba said the eight-day exercise was a precautionary measure to avert recurrence of flooding of the River in the area, and called for the continued support of the community for the success of the exercise.
Ward Head of the area, Alhaji Sarki Labaran, commended the government, saying that the river had been posing threat to the people living around it.
He called on the government to hasten the payment of compensation to residents to be affected by the road construction on the river.

Kaduna

The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar on Saturday
blamed the failure of leadership for the increasing moral decadence among youths in the country.
Abubakar said this in Kaduna in a message to the opening of the 8th Ramadan Lecture, organised by the NTA, FRCN and VON, with the theme “Moral Upbringing in Islam”.
He noted that the complete break down of family and leadership values have left the youths with no role models to emulate, either at home or at the national level.
Represented by the Emir of Birnin Gwari, Alhaji Zubairu Jibril, the Sultan also noted that the marriage institution had completely collapsed as parents continue to produce children they could not fend for or even give advice to.
“Things are extremely bad and in shambles, parents have failed, the leaders whether political, religious or in the academics are not showing good examples,” he said.

Kwara

The member representing Ekiti, Isin, Irepodun and Oke-Ero in
the House of Representatives, Hon. Akeem Aiyedun, has presented empowerment materials to his constituents.
Speaking at the presentation in Omu-Aran, Irepodun Local Government Area of Kwara, Aiyedun said the empowerment programme was part of his efforts to give back to society and complement government’s initiatives.
“ Today’s occasion is quite unique for the fact that it was designed not only to showcase the valuable dividends of democracy, but also to deliver them to the doorsteps of my dear constituents.
“ It has demonstrated that being in leadership positions must be complemented by reciprocity,’’ he said.
The lawmaker, who was elected on the platform of the PDP, lamented that government at all levels was facing the challenge of paucity of funds, adding that many projects captured in the Appropriation Act were not being executed.
Speaking on behalf of PDP chairmen in the four councils making up the constituency, Chief Solomon Aboyeji, said the empowerment programme was unprecedented.

Lagos

The pan-Yoruba socio-cultural organisation, Afenifere, on
Saturday said it was dissatisfied with the Court of Appeal judgment that exonerated Maj. Hamza Al-Mustapha from the murder of Alhaja Kudirat Abiola.
The Court of Appeal, Lagos Division, on Friday discharged and acquitted Al-Mustapha and Alhaji Lateef Sofolahan of the murder charge.
Afenifere said in a statement: “In our opinion, the witnesses who gave evidence of the truth at the inception of the trial were instigated to contradict their evidence to render the evidence ineffective.
The statement signed by the Chairman of the Lagos Chapter of Afenifere, Chief Supo Sonibare said it was convinced that Kudirat’s murder was sponsored.
“Nigerians must remember that Kudirat and other Nigerians who were opposed to the Abacha regime were brutally butchered.  “We doubt if the law enforcement agencies will need to look for other culprits for these crimes. “We already know who the murderers and accomplices are,” the group said.

Niger

The Niger State Primary Healthcare Development Agency has
immunised no fewer than two million children against polio during the just concluded round of Immunisation Plus Days exercise (IPDs).
The chairman of the agency, Dr Aliyu Yabagi said in Minna on Sunday that the exercise was part of the IPDs for children below the age of five years.
He said that the state and local governments contributed over N10 million towards the success of the exercise, adding that the agency embarked on a massive campaign in mobilising all stakeholders in the communities, in order for parents to allow their children to be immunised.
Yabagi commended traditional rulers and religious leaders for their roles in the sensitisation exercise on the importance of immunization, noting however that the agency was still faced with the issue of rejection of the immunisation by some parents in Chanchaga Local Government Area.

Osun
Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State has inaugurated the
construction of18 km Osogbo east bypass dual carriageway, worth N14.5 billion.
Aregbesola said at the inauguration on Saturday in Osogbo that the new road network would boost economic activities on completion, and also complement the Gbongan-Akoda dual carriageway to reduce traffic congestion as well as beautify the ancient city.
The road, which the governor named after the late Ooni of Ife, Oba Adesoji Aderemi, will be financed by Sterling Bank with an agreement on reimbursement.
He said that a bridge to be constructed on the road would be called “November  27”, in remembrance of the Governor’s inauguration on November 27, 2010.
Oyo

First female Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Chief Folake
Solanke, Saturday, urged parents and guardians to protect their children and wards against sexual harassment and exploitation.
Solanke said during the 2013 Valedictory Service and Graduation of the Bodija International College, Ibadan, that her advice was necessary because of increased cases of rape and exploitation in the society.
“We have cases of harassment of young girls; but we cannot go into what the law says now; nobody should be harassed. “Whoever is proven to have harassed somebody should be made to face the law. “As parents, we should prepare girls to resist attempts of assault whenever they can.
“We have the human trafficking law. This should be properly enforced to prevent our children from being moved into slavery in foreign countries where they are exploited, she said.

Plateau
Governor Jonah Jang of Plateau State on Saturday challenged
women to increasingly venture into male-dominated professions to fulfil their dreams in nation building.
Jang who made the call on Saturday in Jos when the Minister of Women Affairs, Mrs Zainab Maina, paid him a courtesy call, said.
“Women have the requisite ingredients to move the nation forward. “‘Our Nigerian women have what it takes to take the nation to the next level and so should not relent in venturing into male-dominated professions”.
The governor said the excellent performances of the few women occupying political offices were proofs of their capabilities of taking the nation to the next level.
Earlier, Maina, who said she was in the state on an advocacy visit, called on the state government to do more to curb maternal mortality, violence against women and encourage girl-child education.

Sokoto

A PDP chieftain in Sokoto State, Alhaji Abdullahi Bafarawa, has
appealed to President Goodluck Jonathan to act fast and help to end the political crisis in Rivers in the interest of the nation’s nascent democracy..
Bafarawa said on Saturday in Sokoto that the current events in the state could threaten the survival of the country’s democracy.
He said the time had come for the President “to exercise his executive powers to end the crisis in Rivers in the interest of Nigerians. “As a father to our great nation, the time has come for him to ensure amicable resolution of the problem,’’ he said.
According to him, “members of the opposition political parties are watching; hence, the need for the party to do more to promote internal democracy,” emphasising that the PDP required urgent political measures to solve its internal problems.