Nation
THE STATES
FCT
President Goodluck Jonathan has condemned the last
Friday assassination of the Emir of Gwoza, Alh Idrissa Timta, by the insurgent group, Boko Haram.
Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr Reuben Abati, disclosed this on Saturday, in an interview with the State House correspondents in Abuja.
He said the president had also spoken about those who were willing to renounce terrorism and those who were willing to embrace peace,
According to him opportunities have been created for them through the Presidential Committee on Dialogue and Peaceful Resolutions of Conflict in the North Eastern part of Nigeria.
Jigawa
A group, the Education Sector Support Programme in
Nigeria (ESSPIN) is to conduct a head count of out-of-school children in Auyo Local Government Area of Jigawa.
The Coordinator of the programme, Malam Danladi Abubakar, made the disclosure last Saturday during an advocacy visit to Auyo, Jigawa.
ESSPIN is a key education intervention programme, supported by the British Department for International Development (DFID).
The programme is designed to support the development of basic education, nomadic and adult literacy programmes.
Kano
The Kano State Government has commended the
remarkable improvement in the level of compliance to the monthly sanitation exercise in the state.
The Commissioner for Environment, Alhaji Abdullahi Abbas, who gave the commendation while speaking with newsmen shortly after the exercise in Kano last Saturday. He said that the level of compliance was unprecedented as fewer defaulters were recorded as against the previous exercises.
Ten mobile courts that operated under the state Task Force Committee on Sanitation for the month of May arrested 180 defaulters.
Also, the courts received the sum of N443, 750 being fines received from defaulters to the exercise in various parts of the state during the month.
Katsina
The Emir of Katsina, Alhaji Abdulmumini Kabir last
Saturday urged the populace to always do the right thing for the country to overcome its challenges.
He said in Katsina when he conferred the traditional title of ‘Kaugaman Katsina’ on the Acting Chairman, Federal Inland Revenue Service, Alhaji Kabir Mashi, that without attitudinal change, the nation’s economic and social challenges would be difficult to surmount.
The emir also urged the populace to continue to pray for peace in the country, and continue to support efforts by government to address the nation’s challenges and also called on religious leaders to avoid utterances capable of bringing about disunity among the people.
Kogi
Governor Idris Wada of Kogi State has promised that
his administration would ensure that politicking in the state would be devoid of rancour and violence ahead of 2015 general elections.
Wada who gave the promise in a statement issued in Lokoja last Sunday by the Press Secretary to the Deputy Governor, Mr Michael Abu, said that the administration would ensure peaceful coexistence among political parties in the state, which he said, had always been the cardinal focus of his administration.
He said that politicking should be development and people oriented and not destructive, he added
Kwara
The Association of Public Health Physicians of Nigeria
(APHPN), in collaboration with the Nigerian Tobacco Control Research Group, last Saturday, urged the Federal Government to increase tax on tobacco products.
The National Chairman of the Association, Prof. Tanimola Akande, made the call during a news conference organised to mark the “World No Tobacco Day’’ in Ilorin.
Akande also urged the Senate and the House of Representatives to “quickly do the needful” in harmonising and passing a comprehensive tobacco control bill.
Niger
The Etsu Nupe, Alhaji Yahaya Abubakar, has commended a UK-based NGO, Africa Healthcare Development Trust (AHDT), for offering free medical treatment to over 3000 patients in his domain.
Abubakar who made the commendation Sunday in his Wadata Palace in Bida while receiving members of the NGO said the gesture had helped to improve the health of the less privileged in the society in addition to bringing relief and succour to families of the beneficiaries.
He said the complementary role of NGO was worthy of emulation by other prominent sons and daughters of Nupe land.
A spokesman for the group, Dr Aminu Usman, had earlier commended Niger State Government for funding part of the programme and the Bida Emirate for providing enabling environment for the team to offer the services.
Nasarawa
Governor Umaru Al-Makura of Nasarawa State said that
his administration was using security vote to pay over 1,400 youths engaged by the state government under the Nasarawa Youth Empowerment Scheme (NAYES).
The Governor disclosed this in Lafia on Sunday, while speaking to journalists shortly after inspecting some abandoned road projects initiated by the previous administration in Adudu, Keana and Agyaragu.
Al-Makura said that the gesture became necessary following the zero allocation to the scheme in the 2014 budget proposal approved by the PDP controlled Nasarawa State House of Assembly.
Ogun
The Ogun State Government said last Saturday that it
had committed N21.6 billion to subvention to its tertiar institutions in the last three years.
Amosun said the government had also purchased 54-seater TATA Buses, Hilux Patrol Vehicles, Ambulances and 18-seater buses for the two state universities and Moshood Abiola Polytechnic.
He disclosed that the government had also spent N3.25 billion on the purchase of textbooks and instructional materials which were distributed freely to pupils in public primary and secondary schools.
Osun
The Osun State Government said last Saturday that it
would establish an automotive specialist institute to be named Bola Ige Mechatronics Institute (BIMI) at the Osun College of Technology, Esa-Oke.
Director, Bureau of Communications and Strategy, Office of the Governor, Mr Semiu Okanlawon, said in a statement in Osogbo, that the institute, when completed, will be the first of its kind in the country.
He said the institute would specialise in modern technology in vehicles such as combined electro-mechanical system with full automated control known as “Mechatronics.”
Plateau
Coordinator, Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)
in Plateau State, Mr Peter Gai, said the goals would soon begin free medical service at the grassroots across the state.
In an interview in Jos on Sunday, Gai said the service would provide diagnoses and treatments for various diseases.
He, however, said that the exercise would be done in some selected health centres in the three senatorial districts of the state.
Gai said the exercise was an effort at meeting some key goals of the MDGs, insisting that only patients at the grassroots would benefit from the free medical service.
“It will involve a holistic medical examination, treatment of different ailments and administration of drugs. “Those ailments that are beyond the medical team on the field would be referred to hospitals for proper treatment,” he said.
Sokoto
The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC)
command in Sokoto State has deployed security men in plain-clothes to the border between the state and Niger Republic to prevent arms importation into the country.
The corps Commandant in Sokoto, Alhaji Aliyu Yemal, said in Sokoto on Saturday that the command was working with other security agencies to check arms importation and ensure those engaged in such acts were arrested.
Yemal said the command was also working with local government chairmen and community leaders that share border with neighbouring Niger Republic in that regard.
The commandant solicited for the support of the people, especially those in rural areas, to cooperate with the officers in
efforts to prevent illegal importation of arms for the good of the country.
Taraba
The Kefas Agbu Foundation, a charitable organisation,
has awarded scholarship to 16 youths from Taraba to study various courses in the U.S., UK, Russia and Italy.
National coordinator of the foundation’s scholarship scheme, Mr Lukas Agbu, disclosed this at a ceremony in honour of the beneficiaries last Saturday in Jalingo.
He said the scheme was initiated by Lt Col Agbu Kefas (rtd), Chairman, Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) to ensure education-for-all in the country.
Agbu said the scholarship which would be offered on a continuous basis would soon extend to other parts of the country.
Also, Alhaji Muhammed Wangara, the chairman of the occasion, advised the beneficiaries to shun anti-social behaviour while pursuing their studies.
L-R: Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, Governor Adam Oshiomhole of Edo State and Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State, during the meeting of President Jonathan with governors from oil producing states in Abuja, recently. 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.
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