Chairman, Tribunal of Inquiry into Collapsed Buildings in Lagos, Mrs Abimbola Ajayi (left), presenting the report of the tribunal to Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State last Monday.
Photo: NAN

Benue

Governor Gabriel Suswam of Benue State last Mon
day charged auditors to curb corruption in the country by living up to their responsibilities.
Suswam gave the charge in Makurdi at the National Conference and Annual Meeting of the Committee of Heads of Internal Audit Department in Nigerian Universities (CHIADINU).
The governor said that corruption was affecting private or public sectors, reminding them that it was only auditors that could stem the ugly trend.
He also enjoined them to evolve strategies at checking misapplication of funds in all public and private organisations.  .
In his keynote address, Prof. Richard Anao, said that the prolonged ASUU strike had far-reaching implications on the country’s university system.

Borno

The Borno State Government has appealed to the
United Nations Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA) to include women victims of gender violence in its humanitarian service in the state.
Governor Kashim Shettima made the appeal while receiving Mrs Victoria Achenfon, the UNFPA country representative, in his office in Maiduguri.
Shettima said the gesture would help in rehabilitating women who suffered different kinds of gender violence due to the current security challenges in the state.
“Several young women have suffered different kinds of gender violence due to the insurgency facing the state.

FCT

The Auxiliary Bishop of Catholic Archdiocese of Abuja,
Rt.  Rev. Anselm Umoren, has called on Christians to be grateful to God in spite of the challenges around them.
Umoren gave the exhortation in his homily at the Harvest Thanksgiving and Bazaar of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish, Gwarinpa, Abuja last Sunday.
He said the fact that they were alive was worthy of celebration, adding: “you may have food but not alive to eat.
“Let everything be an expression of all that God has given to you. If you are grateful, God will bless you for appreciating His blessings in your lives,’’ he said.

Jigawa

Thousands of youths under the umbrella of National
Volunteer for Lamido 2015 took to the streets of Dutse, the Jigawa State capital, protesting the arrest of two sons of Jigawa state governor, Sule Lamido, by officials of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC), last week.
The two sons, Mustapha and Aminu Sule Lamido, were arrested last Thursday at their residences in Kano for alleged N10 billion money laundering.
Efforts  by Governor Lamido and his associates to see that the EFCC released the two accused on bail proved abortive.
The state coordinator of National Volunteer for Lamido 2015, Malam Musa Gambo Guri, who addressed the crowd in Dutse, said the arrest was political, aimed at tarnishing the image of the governor.

Kaduna

Not less than 3,500 intending pilgrims from Kaduna
State will depart Kaduna for Abuja to perform this year’s Christian pilgrimage in Israel.
The Chairman, Board of Directors, Kaduna state Christian Pilgrims Board, Mr Buba Lamido, made the disclosure in Kaduna State at a sensitisation programme for the intending pilgrims.
He advised them to adhere to religious regulations in Israel, eschew extravagance and pray for Nigeria.
He said that the pilgrimage was meant to transform the moral and spiritual lives of Christians and urged the intending pilgrims to report cases of illness to the board before their departure from Abuja.
Kano

The Kano State Government has sponsored 251 senior
civil servants for the Administrative Staff College of Nigeria  (ASCON) workshop and examination to enable them to acquire quality administrative and managerial skills.
The state’s Head of Service, Dr Umar Minjibir, disclosed this at the launch of the 19th Batch ASCON workshop and examination at the Murtala Mohammed Library, Kano, last Monday.
He also said that the state government had sponsored 10 officers from the Ministry of Lands and Physical Planning to pursue a master’s degree programme at the Regional Centre for Training in Aero Space Surveys (RECTAS), Oyo State
In his remarks, the Director-General of ASCON, Mr A. A. Peters, who was represented by a Director, Dr Tahir Fagge, said that the two-week management workshop would broaden the intellectual scope of the participants.

Kebbi

The Kebbi Government has established a shelter belt
covering 140 kilometres as part of the ongoing regional Great Green Wall afforestation programme, an official said last Monday.
The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Environment, Alhaji Katuni Sanusi, made the disclosure in Birnin Kebbi in an interview with newsmen.
Sanusi also said the programme was executed under the SURE-P projects scheme and in conjunction with the Federal Government.
He said the efforts made by the state in this regard had helped it in recording remarkable progress in the area of environmental protection.
“In addition to the established shelter belt, an additional 84 kilometres of shelter belt had been established in desert-prone areas,” the permanent secretary said.
Sanusi however advised the public against cutting down trees, in view of their long-term benefits, warning that violators would be prosecuted.

Kwara

The Kwara State University, Malete, has matriculated
1,127 new students.
The university’s Vice-Chancellor, Prof. AbdulRasheed Na’Allah, in his address, said that the new students were part of the 9,500 candidates, who applied for admission into the university.
He stressed that the university had academic excellence, institutional integrity, equity and diversity as its core values.
He said that these core values would serve as a catalyst for the intellectual growth and personal development of the students.

Lagos

No fewer than 135 buildings collapsed in Lagos in the
last seven years, the state’s Tribunal of Enquiry on Building Collapse said lastMonday.
The chairperson of the tribunal, Mrs Abimbola Ajayi, said this while presenting the tribunal’s report to Governor Babatunde Fashola in Ikeja.
The tribunal was constituted by the state government on May 20, following the spate of collapsed buildings in the state. It had a mandate to unravel the causes of the problem and come up with recommendations within three months.
Ajayi said that 130 cases were recorded before the tribunal was inaugurated while five buildings collapsed after it was set up.

Niger

The Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment
Programme (SURE-P) has set aside N15 billion to pay allowances of unemployed graduates participating in its Graduate Internship Scheme (GIS).
Head of its GIS, Mr Akubo Adegbe, disclosed this to newsmen in Minna during an interactive session.
Adegbe said each of the 50,000 participants to be recruited for the internship programme would earn N25,000 monthly.
He said the scheme was aimed at providing participants with requisite experience in various disciplines preparatory to securing jobs.

Ogun

Governor Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun State last Mon
day called for proactive measures toward  eradication of quackery and ethical misconduct in the media industry.
Amosun made the call in Abeokuta at the 2013 Press Week organised by the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Ogun council.
The governor was represented by Alhaji Yusuph Olaniyonu, the Commissioner for Information and Strategy said that journalists were crucial to the national stability, good governance and promotion of democratic ideals.
Amosun advocated collaboration between leadership of NUJ, Nigeria Police and the State Security Service (SSS) in tracking down fake practitioners.

Sokoto

The Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), Sokoto State
Chapter, has introduced a programme for the free treatment of 2,000 diabetic patients monthly.
The programme tagged: “Collaborative Community Health Programme’’ was flagged off on Sunday at Gagi, near Sokoto in Sokoto South Local Government Area.
The programme will cover the 23 local government areas in the state.
It was jointly organised by the state chapter of the Islamic Medical Association of Nigeria, the Nigeria Aid Group of the Jama’atul Nasril Islam and the Minarat Science Academy, Gagi-Sokoto.