Nation
THE STATES
Benue
Two persons died in a motor accident that occurred last Friday in Wannune, Tarka Local Government Area of Benue State.
Mr Daniel Ezeala, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in Benue State, said in Makurdi that the accident occurred when a lorry conveying members of the NKST Church, travelling from Ukum to Makurdi, fell off the road after hitting another vehicle, killing two persons with others sustaining injuries.
“`The vehicle, which tried to avoid a speed bump, ran into another vehicle in front, thereby causing it to fall into a ditch, which resulted into the death of the two passengers,’’ he said.
Ezeala said that the passengers were travelling for a conference of the NKST Church in Makurdi,
FCT
The Executive Secretary of the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA), Mr Reginald Stanley, last Saturday assured Nigerians of steady fuel supply.
A statement issued in Abuja by Mr Lanre Oladele, the Public Relations Officer of PPPRA, quoted Stanley as saying that the NNPC and other marketers had sufficient fuel in stock.
The statement said that the agency gave the assurance to remove the fears created in the minds of the public that there might be fuel scarcity.
It said that the agency, however, expressed regret that some marketers usually hoarded petroleum products so as to make profit during festive periods.
“We wish to assure Nigerians that there is steady trucking out of products across the country and the trend shall continue without any hindrance,’’ the statement said.
Gombe
The Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Gombe has been upgraded to a Teaching Hospital.
According to a release signed by Malam Haruna Abdulrasheed, Assistant Director, Public Relations of the hospital issued last Friday, the approval for the upgrade was given by President Goodluck Jonathan
It said copies of the approval have been sent to the Minister of Health, Secretary to the Government of the Federation and Governor of Gombe State.
The release further said the upgrading was to enable the hospital to be used for the training of medical students of the Gombe State University.
Jigawa
The Police in Jigawa State said it recorded 21 murders and four suicides from January to December 2013.
The Commissioner of Police in the State, Mr Kayode Theophilus, made the remarks in Dutse last Sunday.
Theophilus said 13 of the cases had been charged to court while the remaining ones were being investigated.
Theophilus stated that 72 persons were arrested for causing grievous harm/ inflicting injuries on people. “The suspects have been charged to court.’’
He disclosed that 10 armed robbers were arrested while 426 people were nabbed for stealing and three others for forging currency notes and disclosed that crime rate in the state had drastically reduced when compared with the past.
Kadunaa
The Kaduna State Police Command last Saturday in Kaduna paraded seven suspected members of a gunrunning syndicate involved in the sale, manufacture and repair of locally made guns.
The Commissioner of Police, Mr Olufemi Adenaike, said that the suspected gun-runners were arrested following a tip-off from a member of the public.
Adenaike said that seven suspects, including Malam Aliyu Yahaya, the Village Head of Sabon Gidan, Kakau, in Chikun Local Government Area of the state, were arrested in the operation. According to him, investigations are still going on, with a view to arresting other members of the syndicate and others involved in the manufacture and repair of locally made guns.
He urged the public to continue to support security agents by providing them with useful information that would aid efforts to safeguard the state against terrorism and other crimes.
Kano
The Kano State Government says it will establish an e-learning centre in each of the 44 local government areas of the state this year.
The state Commissioner for Education, Alhaji Tajuddeen Gambo, said last Friday in Kano State that the project, which would be executed in collaboration with a Canadian non-governmental organisation, was part of the government’s effort to encourage e-learning.
“By 2015, JAMB examination is going to be done electronically. “So you have to ensure that all your students taking the examination are computer literate otherwise they will not pass the examination.
“The e-learning centres will be opened in each of the local government areas with no fewer than 30 computers in each centre,’’ he said.
According to him, the state government will also provide 61 computers in every secondary school.
Kebbi
The Kebbi State chapter of the Nigeria Cassava Growers Association says it is collaborating with local government councils to secure a N500-million loan for cassava growers and processors.
The association’s Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Nasiru Magaji, in a statement in Birnin Kebbi last Saturday, said that 20,000 cassava growers and processors would benefit from the loan.
He said that the gesture was to encourage more people to participate in cassava farming and processing and commended the state government for assisting 1,488 cassava farmers to obtain loans from the Bank of Agriculture.
Magaji also said that the moribund Cassava Processing Plant in Birnin Kebbi was being revived to produce pellets, chips, industrial starch and flour for domestic and international markets.
“The national body of the association will also assist the state branch with six additional cassava processing plants to boost the fortunes of cassava farmers,’’ he said.
Kwara
Members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and youths under the auspices of Youths for Change Initiative (YCI) in Ajase-Ipo in Kwara State, last Sunday pledged to work for the victory of the party in the 2015 general elections.
The groups, in a joint communiqué issued at a meeting on political developments in the state, said the party deserved their support at this critical period.
The communiqué was jointly signed by Yusuf Rasheed, Ward 2 Secretary of PDP and the Public Relations Officer, Oyinloye Simeon, while Suleiman Mansur, signed for YCI.
According to the groups, the achievements recorded by ex-governor Bukola Saraki and his successor, Alhaji Abdulfatai Ahmed, were made possible by the people-oriented policies of the PDP.
Lagos
Commercial motorists in Lagos State last Saturday appealed to the Lagos State Government to extend the December 31, 2013-deadline fixed for the new registration of commercial vehicle operations.
Lagos State Ministry of Transportation commenced the new registration of commercial vehicles on November 1, 2013 and the exercise was expected to end on December 31, 2013.
The Commissioner for Transportation, Mr Kayode Opeifa, said at a recent meeting with transport service providers that the new vehicles’ registration was for purely security reasons.
He said that the measure was adopted to address some security issues, including kidnapping, which were always linked to commercial vehicles in the state.
Yobe
Yobe State Government has refuted the claim by the Minister of State for Finance that the Federal Government is building the 31km Gashua-Yusufari road.
In a statement by the Special Adviser to Governor Ibrahim Gaidam on Information and Press Affairs, Abdullahi Bego, the government said the claim is “stunningly false”.
The statement reads, “the attention of this office has been drawn to a false claim by the Minister of State for Finance, Dr. Yerima Ngama, that the Federal Government is building the Gashu’a-Yusufari road. “The minister made the claim during the 9pm network news of the Nigeria Television Authority (NTA) last Thursday.
“Why would the minister ignore the lack of Federal Government projects in the state and instead choose to make desperate and false claims to projects being executed by Governor Gaidam.
“Coming from a politician desperate to explain the troubling lack of federal presence in Yobe State and much of the Northeast, the minister’s claim, though unbelievable, is understandable,” Bego said.
Plateau
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in Plateau State said last Monday it secured 122 convictions and seized 1,494.185 kilogrammes of hard drugs in 2013.
The NDLEA Commander in the state, Mrs Ngozi Madubuike, said in Jos that all the convicts were males between the age of 17 and 22 years.
Madubuike said that their jail terms also ranged between 30 days and seven years in prison and she attributed the rise in the use of drugs in Plateau to various factors, including peer group pressure, family disintegration, unemployment and cold weather.
She appealed to the public to cooperate with the agency by providing it with useful information that could assist in stopping drug trafficking and abuse.
L-R: Majority Leader, Oyo State House of Assembly, Mr Oyeniyi Akande, Chief Judge of Oyo State, Justice Badejoko Adeniji, Governor Abiola Ajimobi, the deputy, Otunba Moses Adeyemo, and Chairman, Oyo State All Progressives Congress, Chief Akin Oke, at the inter-religious prayer session to usher in 2014 in Ibadan last Monday. Photo: NAN
The Alliance Française Port Harcourt in conjunction with the Embassy of France Nigeria over the weekend joined the globe to campaign against the 2025 gender- based violence (GBV) with the theme: “16 Days of Activism Against Gender- Based Voice”
The event which took place at the event Hall of the Alliance Française Port Harcourt was in collaboration with the Female in Gaming Network, ( FIGN) and partnership with Nexal a body that seeks to promote online safety and responsible digital behaviour.
The Tide reports that the project which was aimed at promoting digital safety and girls inclusion in Gaming, with the initiative tagged ‘Gameover Gender- Base Violence’was part of the global campaign against gender- based Violence.
The activity which experienced a flavour of festivity was full of fun and excitements as participants took part in tournaments on popular digital games such as Mario kart and EAFC 25, with an intent to creating safer and more inclusive digital spaces.
The Director of the Alliance Française Port Harcourt, Mrs Marina Lacal said that these activities were designed to encourage inclusion of girls, team work and fair play on online gaming spaces, saying that the gaming world reflects these inequalities, where female players are often under represented.
According to her the main objectives of the initiative was to provide a supportive environment for girls and female in gaming network.
“GameOverGBV” is a project created to reshape this landscape by offering an innovative inclusiveness of girls on online digital Gaming community and digital environments that provide opportunities for creativity, learning and connection, but also fight against Gender-Based Violence Digital Gaming,”she said
She however, explained that the Digital Game, sport competitions, was launched to strengthen social and digital skills through games, workshops, and raise awareness among all young participants about respect, equality and digital citizenship.
The Tide News reports that in Port Harcourt, the competition brought together 100 young participants from three major universities: University of Port Harcourt, ( UNIPORT),Ignatius Ajuru University of Education(IAUE) and Rivers State University (RSU)as well as students from four selected secondary schools, Oginigba comprehensive Secondary.School, Vine lnternational, Virgo predicanda lnternational, and Excellent Montessori Secondary school.
“This is an approach where girls and boys can learn, play and collaborate in a more respectful and safe space for young women, while ensuring a safe, enjoyable and respectful digital environment. It also expose young women to cyberbullying, exclusion, sexist comments and online hate,” Mrs. Lacal said.
Earlier, a game developer Sophia Nei and her. team had engaged participants in an interactive session with the theme: “Can Video Games Be Safe Spaces For Girls?”
However, Mrs Nei and her team educated the girls on the benefits and violence on online digital gaming and urged them ( participants)to learn to say ‘No’ to Online hate, sexist and cyber bullying, while encouraging them(students) to stand up for themselves by reporting such issues to the appropriate authority.
Highlight of the competition was the awarding of prizes to winners by the Director of Alliance Française, Mrs Marina Lacal.
