Jigawa

A Jigawa State based NGO, the Association for the Ad
vancement of Women in Nigeria (ASSAWIN), has distributed uniforms and books to 151 pupils in Hadejia.
The Director of the organisation, Hajiya Aisha Babangida, said this while distributing the items to the beneficiaries in Hadejia.
Babangida said that school uniforms, books, bags, shoes and other instructional materials were distributed to children selected from 20 primary and junior secondary schools in the area.
She said that the gesture was to encourage enrolment and retention in school.
“This is part of the Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC) initiative to support the education of less privileged children.
“We had so far secured 36 birth certificates of children whose mothers could not do so following the death of their fathers,” she said.
Babangida explained that the organisation had also trained 40 mothers and children on various trades and provided them with economic strengthening equipment to enable them engage in productive activities.

Lagos

The Dredgers Association of Nigeria has urged the Na
tional Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) to stop illegal dredging of sand in water ways across the country.
Executive Secretary of the association, Mr Richard Ntang, made the appeal in an interview with newsmen in Lagos.
Ntang said the “reckless” sand excavation had made the depth of water ways irregular and dangerous for transportation and aquatic activities.
He said NIWA and the Federal Ministry of Solid Minerals should effectively tackle the problem, especially in Lagos State.
“Unlicensed operators have caused havoc to the even depth of nation’s waterways.
“Unsafe dredging activities pose threat to the safety of lives and the environment because it can cause a canoe or boat to capsize at will.”

Kano

The Kano State House of Assembly has passed into law
the 2015 Appropriation Bill of over N210 billion as proposed by the state government.
Speaking after the passage of the bill, the speaker, Alhaji Ali Danja, thanked the members for working tirelessly towards the passage of the bill in time.
He said its early passage would enable the state government to implement people-oriented programmes.
During the sitting of the house, the Speaker also announced the receipt of 2015 budget proposal for the 44 local governments in the state.
It would be recalled that on February 3, the Chairman of the House Committee on Budget and Appropriation, Alhaji Sule Bichi, presented the committee’s report on the budget proposal to the plenary.
Bichi said the amount was not altered after a thorough screening by members of the committee.

Kwara

The wife of Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed of Kwara STate,
Omolewa, has appealed to women in the country to imbibe healthy lifestyles to reduce the risk of having cancer.
A statement by Omolewa’s Press Officer, Mr Adeniyi Adeyinka, in Ilorin said she made the appeal to mark the World Cancer Day last Wednesday.
The statement said that women had been sensitised at the local level in Nigeria, especially on how to prevent breast and cervical cancers through public enlightenment.
“We are consciously providing basic screening centres in 28 communities spread across the geographical spread of Kwara,’’ it quoted her as saying.
The statement said the state had one of the most sophisticated diagnostic centres for cervical and breast cancer in Nigeria.
It urged all women to be conscious of living healthy lifestyles and to regularly go for checkup.
Nassarawa

Nassarawa State Universal Basic Education Board says it
has recently that it had not deducted the salary of primary school teachers to finance the election campaign of Governor Tanko Al-Makura.
The Executive Chairman of the board, Alhaji Abdulkarim Abdullahi said in an interview with newsmen in Keffi, that those peddling the rumour “do not wish the state well.”
He explained that the 20 per cent shortfall in the January salary of teachers of public primary schools in the state was due to reduction of funds received from the Federation Account.
Abdullahi, however, assured all teachers affected that the balance would be paid soon.
“I want to debunk claims in some quarters that the All Progressive Progress (APC) government in the state has deducted 20 per cent of primary schools teachers’ salaries to fund its campaign.
“This is not true; it is coming from those that do not wish the state well.
“I want to state, clearly, that the allegation is baseless, false and unnecessary as the board has not owed the salary of any teacher in the state.”

Niger

The Niger State Government says it will apply the full weight
of the law on anyone involved in political violence before, during and after elections.
The state Commissioner for Justice and Attorney General, Alhaji Abdullahi Wuse, stated this after the Executive Council meeting in Minna.
He said government was worried by the wanton intimidation, destruction and threat by some people in the build up to the elections.
“Council members decry the manner of political activities by some unscrupulous people since the campaigns began.
“Various judicial measures are already in place in our statute books. Law enforcement agencies have been directed to arrest and prosecute perpetrators of violence of any kind.
“We appeal to parents and guardians of minors to warn their children and wards in order to avoid being prosecuted for their children’s actions’’, he said.

Ogun

The Ogun State Hospital in Sango-Ota may give mass burial
to 205 unclaimed corpses in 2014 by the end of this month, an official said.
Head of Mortuary Attendants, State Hospital, Ota, Mr Kunle Babalola, gave the indication in an interview with newsmen in Sango-Ota.
Babalola said that the hospital would follow the due process before the mass burial.
According to him, the unclaimed corpses in the hospital mortuary include 95 males, 85 females and 25 children.
Babalola said that there was a stipulated period of between six months and one year within which claimers could come for the corpses before declaring them unclaimed.

Ondo

The Ondo State Government has in Akure announced
that the state has not recorded any case of Avian Influenza (bird flu).
The state’s Commissioner for Agriculture, Mr Lasisi Oluboyo, told newsmen that the state government had taken measures to prevent the spread of the disease to the state.
Oluboyo explained that the major causes of the disease include heat, and unhygienic water given to the birds.
The commissioner said that the state had been fortunate as rain had fallen to mitigate the hot weather and provide more water for farmers.
“We have had rainfall this year, it is a good thing because some of the causes of the virus are heat and unavailability of clean water.
“We have enlightened our poultry farmers to provide adequate clean water for their birds and ensure that their vaccines are given regularly. Prevention is better than cure,” he said.
Osun

Osun State Government has warned the residents
against dumping refuse in drains and streams to avoid flooding.
Deputy Director, Water and Environmental Sanitation (WES), Mr Gabriel Odesanmi, Ife Central Local Government, gave the warning in Ile-Ife in an interview with newsmen He said that the rains that fell recently flushed out waste dumped inside gutters, thereby causing majority of roads in Ile-Ife to be littered with refuse.
He said that the sanitarians had been educating the masses on the need to maintain personal and environmental cleanliness.
“We have tried all efforts to sensitise the people on how to keep their refuse properly and maintain personal and environmental cleanliness, but they refuse to yield to simple correction.

Oyo
Two artisans, a bricklayer and vulcaniser, have lost their
lives in the process of evacuating a septic tank at Oremeji area, Mokola, Ibadan.
Our correspondent reports that the two men fell into the septic tank and died before help could get to them.
An eye witness, Mr Akamo Oladimeji, who identified the victims as Wasiu and Solomon respectively, explained that they were invited by the residents of the house to evacuate their septic tank.
Oladimeji said: “One of the deceased was trying to pour some chemicals into the soak-away before evacuation when he fell inside.
“While trying to rescue him, the second man fell inside as well.
“There was a third person with them but he escaped death because he had gone in search of a pumping machine they needed for the evacuation.”

Governor Umaru Al-makura (middle) and members of the governing board of Nasarawa State University, during their inauguration in Lafia, recently.