Adamawa
The National Emergency Management Agency
(NEMA), has presented relief materials to Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Gulak town of Madagali Local Government in Adamawa State.
No fewer than 10,000 people displaced from Izge, Bitiku and Waga Chakawa villages attacked recently by insurgents are taking refuge in Gulak the headquaters of Madagali Local Government.
Presenting the materials, the chairman of Adamawa State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) who is also the state Deputy Governor, Mr Bala Ngilari, commended the Federal Government and NEMA for the assistance.
Ngilari said the assistance would go a long way in alleviating the sufferings of the displaced people.

Bauchi

The South African Government is to partner with the
Bauchi State Government to develop the tourism potential in the state, its High Commissioner in Nigeria, Mr Lulu Mnguni, has said.
Mnguni announced this when he visited the state governor, Alhaji Isa Yuguda, at the Government House, Bauchi.
He said he was in Bauchi to see how his country could partner with the state to develop the tourism sector of the state.
“The Yankari Game Reserve and Resort has huge tourist potential; we want to see how we can help you developed them to a world class resort to maximise it revenue generation.
Ekiti

The Anglican Bishop of Ekiti Oke Diocese, Most Rev.
Isaac Olubowale, has called on politicians to always render selfless service to humanity to have a glorious end.
The cleric gave the advice at the burial service in honour of a former Acting-Governor of Ekiti State, Mr Friday Aderemi, at Ayetoro-Ekiti, Ido/Osi Local Government Area.
He urged politicians to be modest in their lifestyles, build a legacy of trust and good conduct that could serve as a guide to the coming generations.
The Bishop reminded the living that “as there is life after death, one should also keep good records that will make people not to forget such a person easily.”

FCT

The Desk Officer for Global Environment Facility
(GEF), Mrs Halima Mohammed, has advised state governments to key into the GEF grants to implement environmental projects in their states.
Mohammed told newsmen in Abuja that the biggest challenge the project was facing was the inability of the states to tap the available resources.
She said that the states would always want the Federal Government to initiate ideas and projects for them in spite of the sensitisation on the grants.
“They (state governments) always want the Federal Government to initiate projects for them, which is not fair, that is a big challenge we are facing”, she said.

Gombe

Former Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon (rtd),
has urged all Nigerians to continue to pray for peace and unity of the nation.
Gowon, who is Convener of the Nigeria Prays, said this in Gombe when he visited the Deputy Governor of Gombe State, Mr Tha’anda Rubainu.
The convener said that the Nigeria Prays project was initiated in order to pray for the leadership, people and lasting peace in Nigeria as part of the members’ contribution to the development of the country.
“This is our contribution to see to the peace and wellbeing of Nigeria.

Jigawa

Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar, has urged
all tiers of government to fight the current security challenges in the country.
Abubakar made the call during the closing ceremony of the National Qur’anic Recitation Competition in Dutse recently.
He said that the spate of violence, killings and destruction of property in the North East was disturbing, hence the urgent need of more intervention by the government.
The Sultan said that he would continue to appeal until the insecurity problem was addressed.
He urged the government to renew negotiations with all the nation’s aggrieved citizens.

Kaduna
The Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Min
ister of Finance, Mrs Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has challenged accountants to address leakages in government revenue and wastages in expenditure pattern.
Okonjo-Iweala, represented by her Permanent Secretary, Mrs Nwobia Daniel, gave the charge at the opening of a two-day retreat in Kaduna.
The retreat was for Directors of Finance and Accounts and Heads of Internal Audit in Federal Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).
The minister said the retreat was to remind them on the importance of their roles in the government’s transformation agenda.
Katsina

Widows numbering 3,583 in the Katsina South Sena
torial District of Katsina State have received skills acquisition and empowerment tools from a philanthropist, Alhaji Umar Abdullahi-Tata.
The empowerment tools included 10 buses, 20 motorised tricycles, 72 motorcycles, 144 deep freezers, 144 drums of kerosene and 227 knitting machines.
Others included 1,020 sewing machines, 1,200 spaghetti-making machines, 260 vegetable-grinding machines, 200 jerry cans of vegetable oil, 200 bags of beans and 1,200 bags of flour.
Kwara
Three mobile courts sitting at different locations in
IIorin, Kwara State, have prosecuted 55 persons arrested during the state’s monthly sanitation exercise.
The Commissioner for Environment and Forestry, Alhaji Abubakar Mora, disclosed this to newsmen in IIorin, recently.
Mora said the increase in number of suspects was as a result of the nonchalant attitude of some residents to the exercise.
He said the ministry would embark on more sensitisation to enable more stakeholders to embrace the exercise.
Lagos

Road users in Lagos State have commended the Fed
eral Government for the ongoing construction of two pedestrian bridges in the Iyana Ipaja area, on the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway.
They, however, appealed for speedy completion of the project to reduce accidents on the road.
The road users, in separate interviews in Lagos, told newesmen that the foot bridges would check gridlock and ensure safety of both pedestrians and motorists.
Our correspondent reports that pillars for the pedestrian bridge at Cement Bus Stop on the Lagos-bound side of the carriageway have been completed.
Also, on the Iyana Ipaja end, concrete filling of earthwork on a pillar in the road median is ongoing.

Ondo

The International Fund for Agricultural Development
(IFAD) in conjunction with the Ondo State Government plans to empower 100 entrepreneurs in the state, an official has said.
The State Programme Officer of IFAD, Mr Alex Olusola, disclosed the empowerment programme plan to newsmen in Akure recently.
Olusola said the programme would be carried out under the Rural Agro Business Investment Scheme Empowerment (RAISE) basically designed for women and youths.
He said that Ondo was among the states in the Niger Delta included in the programme because of its performance in the organisation’s Community-Based Natural Resource Management Programme (CBNRMP).

Osun

L-R: Minister of Labour and Productivity, Chief Emeka Nwogu, Chairman,Subsidy Reinvestment Empowerment Programme (SURE-P), Rtd Gen. Martin Agwai and Minister of Works, Mr Mike Onolememen, at the Budget defence session of Senate Special Adhoc Committee on SURE-P in Abuja, last Tuesday. Photo: NAN.

Preparations for a house-to-house Oral Polio
Immunisation (OPI) for infants whose ages are between one day and five years have begun in Osun State, an official has announced.
The Director, Primary Health Care and Disease Control, Osun Ministry of Health, Dr Kayode Ogunniyi, made this disclosure during an advocacy visit to religious leaders in Osogbo.
Our correspondent reports that the immunisation is scheduled to begin on Saturday, March 1 and will last for four days.
“I call on all nursing mothers, parents and wards to co-operate with the health workers so that they will benefit from the free services for the children,’’ he said.
The health official said the exercise was planned to eradicate polio disease from the state.