Nation
THE STATES
Borno
The Borno State Police Command said it had put in place
all necessary machinery for peaceful conduct of the February general elections in the state.
The Police Commissioner in the state, Mr Clement Adoda, stated at a sensitisation meeting with officials of political parties in the state that the command was also looking at possibilities of seeking additional personnel from other states to beef up security during the polls.
The commissioner also said that the military could be drafted to provide additional support should the situation degenerate.
“The military is always on standby in every situation. “But if there is the need for the military assistance to civil authority during the elections, be rest assured of our preparedness to invite them,” Adoda said.
He said that the meeting was aimed at enlightening politicians on the need to avoid violence during the polls.
FCT
Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) have frowned at the
monumental fraud and looting of the oil treasury without significant action to identify, prosecute and punish culprits.
Convener of Protest To Power Movement (P2PM), Mr Jaye Gaskia, made this known in Abuja at a news conference recently.
The conference was jointly organised by the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), P2PM and State of the Union Coalition (SOTU) to mark three years of fuel subsidy protest.
He said treasury looting could not have happened without the collaboration and protection of highly placed political officials.
According to Gaskia, the NNPC, Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), Petroleum Product Pricing Regulation Agency (PPPRA), Federal ministries of Petroleum and Finance were not left out of the looting.
He said that no official had been implicated or disciplined on this issue.
He said any claim paid on subsidy since the downturn of oil prices in the international market would be regarded as fraudulent payment because the landing cost of fuel had reduced.
According to him, Nigeria is sufficient in producing refined oil in the country but our crude oil is being refined overseas due to corruption.
Kaduna
The Federal Government has said it had released N3
billion for disbursement to victims of 2011 post-election violence in Kaduna State.
The Vice President, Namadi Sambo made the disclosure at the 40th anniversary of Emir of Zazzau, Alhaji Shehu Idris, on the throne held at the Emir’s palace, Zaria, Kaduna State.
Sambo, who was represented by Governor Muktar Yero of Kaduna State, said the money which was already in the coffers of the state government would be disbursed to the affected victims accordingly.
He stressed the need for people to live in peace with one another to enable government at all levels to provide the dividend of democracy to the electorate.
While congratulating the Emir for attaining 40 years on the throne, Sambo attributed the success recorded by the Emirate to patience, fairness, justice and truthfulness.
Kano
The Kano State Government has approved over N17 mil
lion for the purchase of JAMB forms and training of candidates who will benefit from the forms, the Commissioner for Justice, Mr Maliki Umar, said.
Umar made the disclosure in Kano while briefing newsmen on the outcome of the state’s Executive Council Meeting.
He said the council had also approved over N186 million for the upkeep of public and voluntary schools in the state.
He added that “the council also approved N2.1 million for renovation of dental centre and eye clinic at Murtala Muhammed Specialist Hospital.’’
Katsina
The Katsina State Inter-faith Committee has denied the
destruction of a Church in Matazu Local Government Area by the Katsina Urban and Regional Planning Development Authority (KURPDA).
The Chairman of the committee, Alhaji Isah Dodo stated this in Matazu during a visit to the area.
He said that the committee was mandated by the state government to investigate and ascertain the true picture of the matter.
He explained that the affected area was a pathway between a school and staff quarters of the church.
Dodo further explained that the church decided to fence the school and the staff quarters, thereby, blocking the pathway which had been in existence for more than 20 years.
Kebbi
The Kebbi State branch of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breed
ers Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) has commended the Kebbi Government for the establishment of the Ministry of Animal Husbandry and Fisheries.
In a statement issued in Birnin Kebbi the Chairman of the association, Alhaji Muhammad Gwandu said that the new ministry would go a long way to boost livestock and fisheries production in the state.
The statement added that the new ministry would also boost family’s income, generate employment and improve nutrition in-take of the people of the state.
Ondo
The new Vice-Chancellor of the Adekunle Ajasin
University, Akungba Akoko (AAUA), Ondo State, Prof. Igbekele Ajibefun, has assumed duty.
The Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration), Prof. Francis Oyabade, led other principal officers and students of the institution to receive Ajibefun at the Senate Chambers where prayers were offered for a successful tenure.
The vice-chancellor, who was accompanied by his wife, Bosede, expressed gratitude to God for the appointmen,t and thanked Governor Olusegun Mimiko for appointing him to serve the state at another level after completing his tenure as the rector of the state polytechnic.
Ajibefun promised to justify the confidence reposed in him by driving the university toward fulfilling the vision and mission of its founding fathers.
Plateau
The Plateau State Head of Service (HOS) Ezekiel Dalyop
has described the biometric of the state workforce as ‘a huge success.’
Speaking with newsmen in Jos, Dalyop said the exercise which commenced in 2012 was tasking.
He said: “As a pioneering exercise, the biometric has not been easy but it has been a huge success in the sense that we have been able to identify clearly those who are genuine workers. “As at the state level, we have almost concluded the entire exercise.
“The report of the appeal panel on the exercise had been reviewed by another committee and has been submitted to the government.
Dalyop said the exercise was aimed at sanitising the state workforce, leave a legacy behind by identifying genuine workers.
“At the first count, we arrived at 11,000 workers certified as genuine, leaving about 6,000 plus workers who needed to answer questions raised by the committee.
Sokoto
The Sokoto State police command in has warned politi
cal parties against the illegal use of sirens.
Spokesman for the Command, DSP Al-Mustapha Sani, gave the warning in a statement in Sokoto on Wednesday, following complaints about the use of sirens by some candidates.
The statement stated that “ in Sokoto State, only the governor, his deputy, the speaker of the state House of Assembly, CP, AIG, the Brigade Commander and the Sultan are legally allowed to use the sirens while on movement. Anyone outside this exclusive list who uses sirens does so illegally and stands to face the consequences according to the laws of the land.”
The statement also warned political parties against moving with youths wielding various types of weapons during their activities
Zamfara
The Zamfara State Universal Basic Education Board
(SUBEB) has commenced training of 150 teachers on Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and its applications to education.
Public Relations Officer of the board, Alhaji Kabir Mayanchi, who made the disclosure in Gusau, said the training was to assist the primary and junior secondary school teachers to improve their knowledge of ICT.
He added that the training became necessary considering the fact that majority of primary school teachers in the state lacked basic requirement of computer literacy.
The image maker expressed optimism that the training would enhance the quality of education and boost the acquisition of basic ICT skills by teachers.
President Goodluck Jonathan (left) receiving letter of credence from the new Ambassador of Guinea Conakry, Mr Gaoussou Toure, in Abuja recently
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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