Nation
THE STATES
Benue
The Federal Ministry of Agriculture last Monday distrib
uted 180 knapsack sprayers to maize farmers in Benue.
The Coordinator of the ministry, Mr Benjamin Kuleve, who performed the exercise, said the gesture was a deliberate policy of the Federal Government to encourage farmers, especially the youths.
Kuleve urged the beneficiaries to make judicious use of the knapsack sprayers to complement the already existing efforts by the state government to take agriculture to enviable heights.
The Chairman, All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Mr Aondona Kuhe, thanked the Federal and State Governments on their efforts to boost agriculture in the country and that the association would monitor and ensure that the knapsack sprayers were used only for the purpose they were intended.
Borno
Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno State has promised
to complete all ongoing roads and other projects in the Gwoza Emirate of the State.
Shettima made the promise when members of the Gwoza Elders Forum paid him a courtesy visit in Maiguguri on Monday to thank him for elevating the Emir of Gwoza to first class status.
Ekiti
The National Conscience Party (NCP), has declared its
readiness to participate in the governorship election in Ekiti State in June.
The National Chairman of the Party, Dr Tanko Yinusa dropped the hint at the Special Convention of the State chapter of the party in Ado-Ekiti on Monday.
According to him, the NCP, in continued pursuit of the vision of its founder father, late Chief Gani Fawehinmi, would strive to eradicate poverty
.
FCT
The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Adm. Ola Ibrahim, has
commended the U.S and other countries for their support in combating terrorism within Nigeria and the sub-region.
Ibrahim made the commendation at the opening of a Workshop on Counter Insurgency and Counter Terrorism in Abuja on Monday.
“It is indeed gladdening to see the armed forces of Nigeria getting immense support from the United States as well as other countries towards defeating terrorism within Nigeria and the sub-region.’ “The recent joint exercises with navy along our coastal belt and training exercises with the army will attest to the collaboration towards building capacity of the armed forces’’, he said.
Gombe
The Police in Gombe State said it arrested six persons in
connection with the death of Alhaji Adamu Yusuf and Alhaji Umar Makama in Gombe metropolis on Dec. 31, 2013.
A statement signed by the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in the state, Mr Fwaje Atajiri, in Gombe on Monday. The statement said the suspects were helping the police in the investigation.
“The police wish to make it clear that it is poised to deal decisively with any form of thuggery, politically motivated violence and social miscreants, according to the law. “In the same vein, their sponsors will also face the full wrath of the law as no individual is above the law of the land,” the statement added.
Kano
The Kano State Government has donated N3million to the
state chapter of the Nigerian Legion as part of preparations for this year’s Armed Forces Remembrance Day.
Governor Rabiu Kwankwanso announced the donation Monday, at the launch of Emblem Appeal Fund at the Government House, Kano.
The governor, who was represented by the State Commissioner for Information, Dr Umar Faruk, said the donation was aimed at assisting the ex-service men in the state and appealed to the ex-service men to remain committed and patriotic towards national co-existence.
Katsina
The Nigeria Postal Service (NIPOST) in Katsina State
has threatened to withhold mails of the 34 local governments in Katsina State for allegedly failing to settle their debt for the past three years.
The NIPOST Manager in Katsina, Mr Alex Bature, told newsmen on Monday in Katsina that the debt amounted to N3 million.
Bature said although NIPOST was not a profit-making agency, there was need for individuals and organisations to pay for the services rendered to them “to enable us to settle our financial problems”.
The manager also said that NIPOST would organise a programme to enlighten students on the importance of postal services noting that the state Ministry of Education had made it mandatory for schools to embark on excursion to the agency.
Kwara
Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed of Kwara State has urged
Muslims to imbibe the virtues of Prophet Muhammad as they mark the birth of the Holy Prophet.
A message to mark Eid-El-Maulud, issued by the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Alhaji Abdulwahab Oba, on Monday in Ilorin quoted the governor as saying that the virtues of the Prophet were what endeared Him to humanity of all races and faith.
Ahmed also urged Muslims and Nigerians in general to use the occasion to reflect on the state of affairs in the country by praying for good governance and inter-religious harmony.
He added that “Nigerians, irrespective of our religious and ethnic diversity, must at occasions like this, reflect on issues that can strengthen our nationhood and He reiterated his administration’s commitment to ensure equity and justice in the pursuit of programmes that would enhance the welfare of the people.
Lagos
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB),
last Monday alerted the public on reports of fake Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) e-facility cards in circulation in Lagos.
The Coordinator of the Board in Lagos, Alhaji Kamaldeen Oladeji, disclosed in Lagos that the board’s annex in Lagos had been informed that some persons were selling fake e-facility cards for the board’s 2014 UTME.
“The candidates complained of the e-facility cards not only being sold, but also sold at more than the quoted purchase price of N1,000,” he said.
Oladeji added that the e-facility card was only available for sale to the public at the board’s offices nationwide.
Niger
Chief Magistrates’ Court last Monday sentenced a 26-
year-old labourer, Salisu Umar to 10 years imprisonment for raping in Minna, a 4-year-old girl contrary to Section 18 of the Child’s Right Law of Niger State.
The Police Prosecutor, Insp. Ahmed Saidu, told the court that one Ayuba Tanimu of Abdulsalam Quarters reported the case at the police station on January 8.
Saidu said that the convict, a resident of Peter Sarki Road Minna, took the complainant’s daughter to an uncompleted building and had sexual intercourse with her.
In his ruling, Magistrate Abdullahi Usman sentenced the labourer to 10 years imprisonment without an option of fine and ordered that the convict to pay a compensation of N50, 000 to the parents of the minor.
Osun
The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State, last
Monday said the achievements of Gov. Rauf Aregbesola would ‘speak’ for him in the campaign for the forthcoming governorship election.
The State Director of Publicity, Research and Strategy of APC, Mr Kunle Oyatomi, said in Osogbo, that the governor would not involve himself in any campaign of calumny but would showcase the good works he had done since the inception of his administration in 2010.
The director listed the major achievements of the governor to include stoppage of perennial flooding which had caused incalculable damage in some parts of the state.
Plateau
The President, Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria
(CBCN), Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama, last Monday said the national dialogue committee inaugurated was a right step in right direction.
Kaigama, who is the Catholic Archbishop of Jos, said this at the closing ceremony of the 42nd National Laity Council Conference of the church.
He said that the dialogue would enable Nigerians to sit and discuss their future as a nation.
“I hope that the national dialogue will be genuine enough and will not be turned to a mere national conference of leaders which will end up as an academic exercise,’’ he said.
Yobe
Youths in Damaturu last Monday appealed to the Yobe
State Government to extend the state empowerment programmes initiated in 2013.
Aliyu Kaku, an unemployed graduate and beneficiary of the programme said:”the programme had provided graduates with a means of livelihood.
Usman Buba, an NCE graduate called on the state government to concentrate on youth empowerment in 2014, with a view to finding solution to the challenges in the state.
President Goodluck Jonathan and Vice President Namadi Sambo with members of the National Pension Commission Board after the inauguration of the board by the President in Abuja last Wednesday. Photo: NAN
Senator representing Kogi Central Senatorial District in the National Assembly, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, has commended the efforts by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC) to apprehend and prosecute the immediate past governors of Kogi State, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, over an alleged N80.2 billion fraud.
This is just as she also hailed the EFCC chairman, Ola Olukoyede, for ceding 14 properties that were initially forfeited to the federal government to the government and people of Enugu State.
Reacting to Bello’s excuse for not honouring the EFCC’s invitation, the lawmaker emphasized the need for the commission to investigate other corrupt public officials to avoid the impression that their actions against former governor were meant to witch hunt him.
In a now-viral video, the EFCC chairman had claimed Belloh told him that a female senator (name withheld) allegedly gathered journalists to humiliate him anytime he was at the agency’s Abuja office for interrogation.
“I called Yahaya Bello, as a serving governor, to come to my office to clear himself. I shouldn’t have done that. But he said because a certain senator had planted over 100 journalists in my office, he would not come.
“I told him that he would be allowed to use my private gate to give him a cover, but he said my men should come to his village to interrogate him,” Olukoyede was quoted as saying.
But Senator Natasha in a statement signed by her Chief Press Secretary, Arogbonlo Israel and issued at the weekend in Abuja, reminded Yahaya Bello of the importance of respecting Nigeria’s laws and constitution, given his former position as the chief security officer of Kogi.
“I was surprised to hear that Yahaya Bello evaded the invitation from the EFCC, despite having served as Kogi’s former chief security officer. As a former governor, he should understand the importance of respecting Nigeria’s laws and constitution.
“It’s a well-known fact that ‘he who comes into equity must come with clean hands’. As such, I advise him to honour the invitation and clear his name while he still has the chance.
“I’d also like to take this moment to appreciate the diligence of the EFCC in handling the case so far. No Nigerian is above the law, and therefore the agency must see this case through to the end if they are to gain the trust of both Nigerians and the international community in the fight against corruption,” she said.
Worried over the latest depreciation of the Naira against major foreign currencies, the Senate through its Committee on Finance, has stated that the Legislature is exploring a range of policy options to mitigate the impact of Naira depreciation and foster economic stability in the country.
These, according to the committee, in a statement signed by its chairman, Senator Sani Musa (APC Niger East) and released yesterday, includes robust oversight of fiscal policies, engagement with key stakeholders, and the formulation of targeted interventions to support key sectors of the economy.
Senator Musa said the statement became necessary “to address the current state of the economy and the need for concerted efforts at tackling the instability and continuous depreciation of the Naira.”
This is even as he hoped that the “economic managers will adhere strictly to the norms and standards set by this administration to ensure that we achieve the desired outcomes in taking Nigeria to its economic growth and prosperity”, pledging the support of the National Assembly to the executive arm of government to achieve the set goals.
He, however, urged Nigerians to remain vigilant and resilient as they navigate these uncertain times, saying “together, we can overcome the challenges facing our economy and chart a path towards prosperity for all.”
The statement titled: “State of the Nation Economy and Naira Depreciation’, reads “The Nigerian economy is facing significant challenges, exacerbated by both internal and external factors.
“Despite efforts to stabilize and bolster economic growth, the numerous initiatives and bold but necessary steps and policy decisions taken by President Bola Tinubu, the persistent depreciation of the Naira against major foreign currencies has become a pressing concern.
“The recent depreciation of the Naira underscores the need for proactive measures to safeguard the stability and resilience of our currency.
“The Senate Committee on Finance is closely monitoring the situation and is committed to working collaboratively with relevant stakeholders to implement effective policies and strategies.
“It is imperative that we address the root causes of Naira depreciation, including but not limited to fluctuations in global oil prices, fiscal deficits, and structural imbalances in the economy.”
The Senator, representing Rivers West Senatorial District at National Assembly Sen.Dr. Ipalibo Harry Banigo has advocated for legislative backings to enforce immunisation as a pre-condition for admission into nursing, primary and secondary schools in Nigeria.
Banigo made the assertion recently in a statement to commemorate this year’s week-long immunisation campaign in line with the World Health Organisation advocacy.
Banigo, a Harvard-trained Public Health personnel, explained that such legislation would strengthen the National Immunisation Policy in the administration of vaccines, saves lives, helps in the child normal growth, prevents serious illness and disabilities such as poliomyelitis .
The former Deputy Governor of Rivers State who is also the Chairman, Senate Committee on Health (Secondary and Tertiary), noted that Nigeria must attain at least, 90 percent vaccine coverage for all childhood and adolescence; stressing that a fully vaccinated child should have received BCG, Mussels and three doses of DTP and Polio .
She emphasised the need for collective efforts by stakeholders in the campaign against preventable diseases .
The theme for this year’s World Immunisation Week is “Humanly Possible: Saving Lives Through Immunisation” while the national theme is “Vaccine Works For All”.
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