Bauchi

No fewer than 400 fish farmers have benefited from
the Aquaculture Value Chain initiative of the Federal Government’s Growth Enhancement Support scheme (GES) in Bauchi.
Alhaji Mohammed Yusuf, the Director of Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in the state, made this known in an interview with newsmen in Bauchi.
Yusuf explained that under the scheme, each farmer received 500 fingerlings free and five bags of feeds at 50 per cent discount.
He said that the gesture was to create enabling environment for sustainable production of more than one million tonnes of fish annually.
According to him, this is to meet the projected annual demand of 2.6 million tonnes of fish in the country.
He said one of the objectives of the initiative was to enhance the local production capacity and turn the country from being a net importer of fish and fish products to a net exporter.

Benue
Governor Gabriel Suswam of Benue State said the state
government had not sold its shares in Dangote cement.
Speaking to newsmen in Makurdi, Suswam said the shares were still intact and had not been sold to anyone.
Suswam, who refuted claims that the shares were valued at N20 billion at the stock market, said the state government owned only N43 million shared with the company.
He said the shares were warehoused with the Benue Investment, Property Company (BIPC) and  blamed his detractors for peddling such falsehood on the shares.

Ekiti

Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has appealed to
the Federal Government to take necessary steps to make governance at the centre less attractive to politicians.
Atiku stated this in Ado-Ekiti when he inaugurated the Oba Adeyemo Adejugbe General Hospital built by the outgoing Ekiti State government to mark its fourth year in office.
He suggested that the federal government could reduce the rush for power at the centre by devolving some of its powers which he described as too enormous.
He advised the federal government to limit itself with issues relating to defence and foreign affairs among a few other responsibilities.
He said other sectors including health, education and agriculture should be left for the state governments to manage.

FCT

Director-General, Nigerian Institute of Leather Science
and Technology (NILEST), Zaria, Dr Isuwa Adamu,  has warned against the consumption of animal hides and skin known locally as “ponmo”.
Adamu told the newsmen in Abuja that the consumption of the product as meat substitute was dangerous to health.
According to him, scientifically, ponmo does not have any nutritional value to human health.
“In fact, it is not advisable for you to consume ponmo in the sense that some of the animals killed and used for ponmo actually have skin diseases.
“Some of these skin diseases are such that boiling them ordinarily, may not kill the bacteria,’’ Adamu said.

Katsina
The Tulsi Chanrai Foundation (TCF), an NGO, said
two million Nigerians risked losing their sight due to eye ailments.
Mr Genta Prasad, the Chief Operation Officer of the foundation, disclosed this while marking the World Sight Day in Katsina.
Prasad said the foundation had specialised in providing eye care services in the country.
He said the foundation had performed eye surgeries with 95 per cent success on 5,020 patients from 2012 to date in Katsina.  Kogi
Kogi

The Lower Niger River Basin Development Authority
(LNRBDA) is to irrigate 10,000 hectares in Kwara and Kogi States for the cultivation of rice and sugar cane.
Mr Niyi Afolayan, LNRBDA Managing Director, stated this in an interview with newsmen in Ilorin.
He said that the N3.5 billion contract for the irrigation project had been awarded and would also cover 3,800 hectares at Tada/Shonga.
He said when completed, the Tada/Shonga irrigation project would produce enough rice to feed the nation.
Afolayan said that Kampe dam between Kabba and Lokoja would irrigate 4,200 hectares for rice and sugar cultivation.

Kwara
A 29-year-old housewife, Fausat Audu, yesterday told
an Ilorin Area Court to dissolve her marriage with her husband, Suleman Audu, because he was “too heartless and harsh’’ to her.
Fausat, who is a resident of Osere area of Ilorin, prayed the court to dissolve her three-year-old marriage because her husband was fond of insulting her in public.
“My husband will at times abandon me and our only child for three days without bothering to phone whenever he travels,’’ Fausat said.
She told the court that their marriage was contracted in 2011 and had produced one female child.
“My Lord, I want an end to this marriage because I cannot cope with a man that is harsh and never cares for his wife and only child anymore,’’ Fausat said.

Lagos

The Farm Director, Cedar Agro Farms Ibadan, Mr
Olayinka Omotayo, last Tuesday said government should grant farmers access to silos to ensure proper storage facilities for grains.
Omotayo told the newsmen in Lagos that improper storage system was a major challenge in securing harvested grains which caused post harvest losses.
He said that farmers needed support in drying and preserving harvested grains such as maize, guinea corn, millet, amongst others, to prevent mould from growing on it.
“There are government-owned silos in different parts of the country, most of which are not being used. Government should allow farmers have access to these facilities.

Oyo

A non-governmental organisation, Coalition for Con
tinuity, yesterday urged residents of Oyo State to support  Governor  Abiola Ajimobi’s second term bid.
The  Chairman of the group, Mr Banbi Abiodun,  made the plea  while speaking with newsmen at Otu  in Itesiwaju Local Government  Area of the state.
Abiodun, who stressed the need for all residents to support the governor, said: “We are not politicians but our observation showed that Gov. Ajimobi has done well in infrastructural  development.
“Before his administration, we know what the security situation used to be in the state, but now, peace has returned.

Sokoto

The Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) in
Sokoto State said that one person died while 17 others sustained injuries in an accident that occurred between Sokoto and Sabon-garin Kwannawa recently.
Mr Kuteb Takum, the Sector Commander of the Commission in the state, who confirmed the accident, said the victims were returning from a ceremony in Sabon-garin Kwannawa— outskirt of Sokoto.
He told the newsmen in Sokoto that the vehicle —Pick-up van— marked Edo XF 739 BEN, somersaulted at the Sabon-garin Kwannawa Junction at about 10 a.m.
“The driver of the vehicle, who is now on the run, lost the control of the vehicle while on Kwannawa- Sokoto highway.
“It was not a head on collision, the van somersaulted several times after the driver lost the control of the vehicle and veered off the road,’’ he said.
Takum said that one person died immediately while other sustained injuries.
He said that seven of the injured were receiving treatment at the Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital, Sokoto.
According to him, the remaining 10 injured are responding to treatment at the Specialist Hospital, Sokoto.

Yobe
The Federal Government  has launched the distribu
tion of relief items worth N500 million to 116,000 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Yobe State.
The statement, issued by Mr Manzo Ezekiel, the Press Officer, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) in Abuja, said the items were distributed through the Presidential Committee on Relief Procurement and distribution.
It said President Goodluck Jonathan approved the distribution of the relief items in continuation of his humanitarian assistance to victims of insurgency in the North-East.

Governor Sule Lamido of Jigawa State (right), receiving the Chairman, Governing Council of Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria, Alhaji Mustapha Jumare in Dutse recently. Photo: NAN