THE STATES

Bauchi

The Bauchi State Government says it would establish an
agency for Tsangaya Integrated Qur’anic Education system to ensure sustainability of the programme in the state.
Tsangaya is an Islamic education system where pupils were made to live with a scholar for the purpose of learning and memorising the Holy Qur’an.
The Governor of Bauchi State, Malam Isa Yuguda, said in Bauchi that the proposed bill for the establishment of the agency for such an education system had been drafted and would soon be submitted to the state’s House of Assembly for deliberation.
He made the disclosure when the Director-General of the Tsangaya Education System, Saiyadi Dahiru, and other officials visited him in Government House, Bauchi.
Earlier, Dahiru had told the governor that the visit was to thank him for supporting Quar’anic education in the state.
He said the Yuguda-led administration was the only government that addressed the plight of almajiris, as well as the welfare of Qur’anic teachers in the state.

Benue

The governorship candidate of the All Progressives
Congress (APC) in Benue State, Dr Samuel Ortom, said he was ready to face any litigation against him by the ruling PDP.
Our correspondent reports that Ortom decamped to the APC after losing the PDP governorship ticket to Terhemen Tarzoor in December 2014.
Ortom told newsmen at the premises of NKST Church in Makurdi, where he attended the ordination of some pastors, that he had not committed any crime to be scared of anybody.
The APC governorship candidate said as a law-abiding citizen, he was available to be served any court order at any time.
He said he had briefed his lawyers on the matter and was prepared to face the PDP in court.
Ortom wondered why the PDP instituted legal action against him when he had already left the party.

Borno

The Nigeria Union of Fishermen And Sea Food Dealers
(NUFAS), Borno State chapter, has lauded Lake Chad Basin Commission, N’djamena on its fish support programme to the union.
The chairman of the union, Alhaji Abubakar Namandi,  gave this commendation in an interview with newsmen in Maiduguri.
He said that the union members had received support under the Chad Republic Sustainable Development Programme to boost their production.
Namandi said the union had received fish farming inputs including 200 units of ‘chorkor’ oven for fish smoking, fish drying trays, water testing kits and containers for storage of fresh fish and about 5,000 fish nets.
He said that the gesture had led to an increase in local fish production from 650, 000 to 1.5 million metric tonnes annually.
Namandi said that the union had successfully registered more than one million members, comprising of local fishermen, fish dealers, producers, marketers and processors across the 27 Local Government Areas.

FCT

Justice Maureen Esowe of the National Industrial Court in
Abuja has fixed March 18 to deliver judgment in a case of replacement without benefit instituted against Julius Berger Nigeria Plc.
Our correspondent reports that 580 former employees of the company filed a suit on forceful replacement on September 24, 2014, against their former employer.
The judge gave the date after the final hearing in the case last Thursday.
The replaced workers members are seeking an order of the court for the payment of their benefits and entitlements, having worked for their employer for many years.
During the hearing, the Claimants’ Counsel, Mr Omar Musa, argued that the workers ought to have been compensated and paid some benefits for the period they had worked for the company.
Musa argued that although their employer had complied with Section 11 of the Labour Act of one month’s notice or payment in lieu as adduced by the defendant’s counsel, the sacked workers still had other claims.
Lagos

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has
postponed indefinitely its election at the Lagos State University (LASU).
The Chairman of LASU chapter of ASUU, Dr Adekunle Idris, made this known in an interview with newsmen in Lagos.
Idris said that the union took the decision at its National Executive Council (NEC) meeting at the Abia State University, Uturu.
“ASUU NEC has resolved that no election will hold in LASU to change the present leadership until all the pending rancours in the chapter are resolved,” Idris said.
The union leader said that the tenure of the present leadership was supposed to elapse in March.
Idris said that the decision of the NEC was to prevent some people from taking advantage of the election to super-impose themselves as leaders of the union in the chapter.
He said that the NEC would send delegates to meet with LASU’s Visitor, Governor Babatunde Fashola, its Governing Council and senate to resolve all issues between the authorities and the union.

Kano

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in
Kano State last Wednesday said it had distributed 3,731,775 permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), representing 75 per cent of the cards delivered to the state.
The Resident Electoral Commissioner in the state, Alhaji Abdullahi Minkaila, disclosed this in an interview with newsmen in Kano.
He said the commission had registered 4,975,701 voters in the state, adding that the turnout of people, especially women was impressive.
“The number of women that turned out to collect their PVCs is encouraging,“ he said.
He called on residents to encourage their wives and daughters to collect the cards before the March 8 deadline.
“With the extension of time for the distribution, the commission is expected to record higher number of collection before the deadline,“ he said.

Katsina

The Police in Katsina State have killed two suspected cattle
rustlers and recovered 533 cows from the hoodlums, from January to date.
The Deputy Commissioner of Police, Mr Bala Zamasanchi, disclosed this in Katsina while briefing newsmen on the achievements of the command during the period.
Zamasanchi said the cows were recovered around Funtua and Rugu forest in Safana and Batsari Local Government Areas of the state.
He said the police had also arrested 15 suspected cattle rustlers during the period.
He said 67 sheep were also recovered from the rustlers.
According to him, the police have arrested 30 notorious armed robbery suspects, and that 22 of them have already been charged to court.

Nasarawa

The Emir of Lafia in Nasarawa State, Alhaji Isah Mustapha-
Agwai 1, has honoured the wife of the state governor, Hajiya Salamatu Al-Makura, with the traditional title of Jaruman Mata Jaah Nasarawa’’ for her contribution to the development of women in the state.
Mustapha-Agwai said at a brief ceremony in his palace in Lafia that the emirate council would continue to honour indigenes of the area for their contrubution to the development of the emirate.
According to him, “those that are given traditional title are people of proven integrity and as well as those that showed concern to the development and socio-economic well being of the people of the emirate”.
He said that the gesture would encourage other people to live an exemplary life for the general good of the state.
The monarch appealed to the wealthy individuals to always assist the less-privileged ones in the society.

Oyo

All Farmers Association of Nigeria, (AFAN) Oyo State
branch, has urged the Federal Ministry of Agriculture to assist in curtailing the spread of the bird flu in the state.
Chairman of the association,  Mr Olumide Aina, made this call in an interview with our correspondent in Ibadan.
He said that in view of the losses experienced by many poultry farmers recently in the state, the association had approached the ministry for help.
“We don’t know the cause of the disease, but it is really affecting the sales of livestock in the market.
“We are hopeful that the Federal Ministry of Agriculture will respond fast enough in checking the deadly disease,” he said.
Aina, however, appealed to poultry farmers to be calm, saying, “with help on the way, I believe that the disease will soon become a thing of the past.”

Zamfara

The Zamfara State chapter of All Progressives Congress
(APC), has condemned the February 16 attack on APC supporters at the launching of the party’s gubernatorial campaign in Okrika, Rivers.
The Publicity Secretary of the party in the state, Alhaji Sani Gwamna,  made the condemnation in Gusau while addressing newsmen.
“It is unfortunate that unidentified gunmen attacked our party supporters who were innocent and armless politicians and in a legitimate campaign,“ he said.
Gwamma described the attack as ‘blessing’ to the people of Rivers who he said, “are in desperate need of change to bring development to the state.’’
The party spokesman urged the people of the state and other APC supporters to remain calm, adding that indications showed that the forthcoming elections in the state would favour the party.

Governor Babatunde Fashola of lagos State, with his Ogun Stated counterpart, Governor Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun State and Speaker, House of Representatives, Alhaji Aminu Tambuwal, during APC rally in Lagos recently.