THE STATES

Bauchi
Dry season farmers in Gamawa Local Govern
ment Area of Bauchi State have commended the member representing Madaki Gololo (PDP-Gamawa) for providing inputs to his constituents.
The Chairman, Rice Famers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN) in the area, Malam Abdullahi Usman gave the commendation in an interview with newsmen in Bauchi.
“Our farmers are interested in dry season farming, but the issue of inputs has remained our greatest challenge.
“We cried out to the member and he supported us with 187 irrigation water pumps and also dug 187 wash-bows in various clusters across the local government area.’’

Benue
Bishop Nathan Inyom of the Anglican Commun
ion, Makurdi, Benue State, has called on the Federal Government to develop a peace policy to facilitate effective management of crises in the country.
The Bishop made the call in an interview with newsmen in Makurdi.
Inyom said that without a policy document detailing crises management of issues, it would be difficult to contain the recurring crises in the country.

Ekiti
A Nutritionist, Mrs Cecilia Dolapo, says people
who eat cashew fruits or nuts regularly are less likely to develop cancer-related diseases.
Dolapo said this in an interview with newsmen in Ido, Ido/Osi Local Government Area of Ekiti.
According to her, cashew nuts are ripe with proanthocyanidiusi, a class of flavanois that can starve tumour and stop cancer cells from dividing.
She said that the intake of the nut, which is  kidney-shaped seed, was also good for people who want to lose weight.

FCT
Minister of State for Foreign Affairs 1, Prof.
Viola Onwuliri, and the Cuba’s Foreign Minister, Bruno Parilla, have pledged to work towards expanding economic and trade cooperation to attract tangible benefits to both countries.
The two ministers made the pledge while speaking in Abuja at a reception organised by Nigeria’s Foreign Ministry for the visiting Cuban Minister who concluded his four-day official visit to Nigeria recently.
Onwuliri said that economic cooperation was “heartening’’ because of the socio-economic reforms taking place simultaneously in both countries.
She suggested that priority should be given to cooperation in the areas of medicine, pharmacy and education in the renewed efforts to expand economic ties between both countries.

Jigawa
The Gumel Local Government Area of Jigawa
State  says it has spent about N4 million on water equipment for the people of the area.
The council Chairman, Alhaji Alasan Babandi, made this known in an interview with newsmen in Gumel.
Babandi listed the equipment to include 17 submersible pumps, pipes and hand pumps, among others.
He said that the equipment had been installed at Galagamma, Dahiru Atta Primary School and Prison Quarters at Gumel town for utilisation.
Kano
A Kano State High Court has sentenced four per
sons to 84 years imprisonment for armed robbery.
Monday Joseph, Umar Adamu, Simon Chile and Mukhtar Adamu, were convicted for robbing A. A. Rano Tudun Wada filling station in 2012.
The convicts had in December 2012 attacked the Assistant Manager and some staff of the filling station, and carted away N2.68 million during the operation.
Delivering judgement recently, Justice Nura Sagir said that each of the convicts would serve 21 years in prison.

Kebbi
The Kebbi State Government says it will soon revive
its four moribund companies to attract investors and generate employment for the youth.
Chairman of the Committee on Resuscitation of Moribund Industries, Alhaji Usman Mhammed, made this known to newsmen in Birnin Kebbi.
According to him, the companies are Neem Seeds Processing Plant, Transformer Manufacturing Company and the Cassava Processing Plant.
He said modalities were being worked out to also revive the Kitchen Wares Factory.

Kogi
The Chief Judge of Kogi State, Justice Nasir Ajanah,
has released four awaiting trial inmates and granted bail to one for unjust and illegal incarceration at the Medium Security Prison, Kabba.
The beneficiaries included Joseph Kashuwa, Safiu Lawal, Isiaka Mohammed and Mohammed Tambuyah while Mohammed Haruna was granted bail.
Ajanah said the continuous incarceration of Kashuwa was unjustifiable as the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) had issued an advice for his release in November last year.
He said the DPP had said there was no prima facie case established against him.
Lagoss

A psychiatrist, Dr Peter Ogunnubi, has urged stake
holders in the health sector to tackle non-communicable diseases such as cancer and depression effectively.
Ogunnubi told newsmen in Lagos that by 2020, cancer would be the commonest non-communicable disease worldwide, followed by depression.
The psychiatrist who works at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi-Araba, said that cases of depression in the country had been underreported.
“By 2020 cancer will be the foremost non-communicable disease followed by depression, the way we are going.
Nasarawa

The National Orientation Agency (NOA) in
Nasarawa State, said it had deployed its staff to rural areas to sensitise people ahead of the March 22, local government elections in the state.
The acting state Director of NOA, Mr Elisha Iyakwari, told newsmen in Lafia that this was part of the agency’s preparatory efforts for  free and peaceful local government polls in the state.
Iyakwari said the agency’s aim was to take the campaign to rural communities in the state to further re-orientate the people at the grassroots on the forthcoming polls.
”We have deployed our members of staff to villages, market squares to carryout voters education and to sensitise the people on their civic responsibility ahead of the Local Government polls.

Osun

An Osogbo Grade II Customary Court has dis
solved the 15-year-old marriage between Mutiat Asimiyu and her husband, Saheed over constant beating.
In his judgment, the President of the court, Chief Bolarinwa Popoola, dissolved the marriage and held that the marriage was problematic with accusations and counter accusations bordered on distrust.
“The court, hereby, dissolve the marriage in favour of the petitioner,” he held.
Popoola awarded custody of two children, aged 12 and 10 to the father, while custody of the four-year-old child was awarded to the petitioner.

Oyo

A Chief Magistrates’ Court in Iseyin, Oyo State
has sentenced a middle-aged man, Ganiyu Saheed, to nine months in prison with hard labour for stealing from a widow.
Delivering judgment, the Chief Magistrate, Mrs Abiola Richard, sentenced Saheed, after he pleaded guilty.
Richard, who did not give the convict an option to pay a fine, said that the sentence would serve as deterrent to others who engaged in such nefarious acts in the society.
The prosecutor, Inspector Friday Sule, had on January 21, told the court that the convict committed the offence on December 4, 2013.

L-R: Lagos Commissioner for budget and planning, Mr. Ben Akabueze, Deputy German Consul General, Jorg Stephan, German Consul General, Mr Michael Derug, Gov Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State and German Vice Consul, Sophia Stephan, during a visit of the Consul General To Gov. Fashola in Lagos, recently.