THE STATES

Governor Akinwumi Ambode of Lagos State (4th left), his Deputy, Dr Oluranti Adebule (3rd left), Amirul Hajj and Chairman, Special Adhoc Committee for the Lagos 2015 Hajj, Dr Abdulhakeem Abdullateef (3rd right) and others, during the inauguration of the Committee in Lagos last Monday

Adamawa

The wife of Adamawa State Governor, has organised a Sallah
party for the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Malkohi Camp near Yola.
Addressing the IDPs at a  party, Jibrilla said the gesture was to give them a sense of belonging and make them feel at home.
She urged them not to lose hope, assuring that this administration was committed to their safety and welfare.
Also speaking, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Women Affairs, Hajiya Maisaratu Bello, reiterated the state government’s commitment to the welfare of the IDPs, particularly the vulnerable ones comprising women and children.
Responding on behalf of the IDPs, the Excutive Secretary of the Adamawa State Emergency Management Agency (ADSEMA), Alhaji Haruna Furo, thanked the governor’s wife for the party and donation of foods and other materials to IDPs.

Benue

The General Manager, Benue Environmental and Sanitation
Agency (BENSESA), Mr Ediga Akpa, says additional dump sites will be created across the state to facilitate waste management.
Akpa disclosed this in an interview with newsmen in Makurdi.
He said the additional dump sites would facilitate effective discharge of the agency’s duties as well as enhance compliance with sanitation laws.
He said the present dump sites at North bank, Gboko road and Naka road were inadequate. Akpa attributed the indiscriminate refuse heaps in Makurdi to ongoing evacuation of drains and gutters by his men.
According to him, the evacuation will allow for the free flow of drains in the city and prevent flood.

FCT

The practice of true federalism will fast track Nigeria’s develop
ment, Mr Rafiu Salau, National Chairman, Alliance for Democracy (AD), has said.
Salau made the remark in Abuja during a meeting of the National Executive Council (NEC) of the party.
The meeting was attended by executive members of the party from the six geo-political zones of the country.
“The party believes that the nation needs true federalism.
“The practice of true federalism will boost our democracy and enhance national growth and development,’’ Salau said.
The chairman said the creation of local governments was not the responsibility of the federal government but that of the state.
“It is not the responsibility of the federal government to decide the number of local governments for a state.

Gombe

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has
donated drugs to victims of multiple blasts at Dukku and Dadin/Kowa motor parks, Gombe.
Presenting the drugs, the Director-General of the agency, Alhaji Sani Sidi, described the incident as unfortunate.
He said the donation was part of the Federal Government’s efforts to assist victims of the disaster.
Sidi commended the state Hospitals Management Board for treating the victims and condoled families of those who lost their lives during the incident.
He said the agency would continue to support the state government to take good care of the victims.
Receiving the drugs, an official of the Federal Teaching Hospital, Gombe, Dr Zainab Chukuma, thanked the agency for its concern.
Jigawa

The Jigawa State Government recently nnounced its decision
to establish School of Nursing and Specialist Hospital in Hadejia Local Government Area of the state.
This is contained in a statement issued by Malam Bello Zaki, the Special Assistant on Media to Governor Muhammad Badaru, made available to newsmen in Dutse.
The statement quoted Zaki as saying the governor stated this when he visited the Emir of Hadejia, Alhaji Adamu Maje, during a working tour to inspect parts of the town wrecked by flood.
Zaki said “Governor Muhammad Badaru has announced his government’s decision to establish School of Nursing and Midwifery in Hadejia town and the conversion of the town’s General Hospital to a specialists hospital during the tour.
“The governor mentioned it at the palace of the Emir of Hadejia, Alhaji Adamu Maje, during courtesy visit.’’
The special assistant said Badaru had reiterated the state government’s readiness to expand the Birniwa Hospital in Birniwa Local Government Area of the emirate to standard general hospital.

Kano

The Kano State Government, has directed its health of
ficials to investigate the reasons for the large number of unhealthy and dead cattle that littered abattoir in the state capital.
The Commissioner for Environment, Alhaji Haruna Makena, gave the directive last Saturday in Kano while monitoring the monthly sanitation exercise in Kano metropolis.
Makena, who was represented by Alhaji Sagir Wall, the Permanent Secretary, expressed concern that unhealthy and dead cattle could endanger the health of the people.
“We cannot just sit by and watch the health of our citizens being jeopardised,” he said and urged health officials to look into the cause of large numbers of dead and unhealthy cattle in its abattoir.
The commissioner commended Kano residents for participating in the sanitation exercise.

Nasarawa

Nigeria and her citizens need God’s favour to overcome
challenges and be self sustainable, Pastor Ben Andrew of Living Faith Church in Lafia  Nasarawa State.
The cleric made the declaration in a Sunday sermon entitled “favour, its impacts and benefits.
According to him, if the country and its citizens are not spiritually favoured by God, they cannot escape the struggles even if all manner of aids are offered freely to them.
He said “the lack of God’s favour makes one not to progress and creates unending problems. The lack of God’s favour makes one to be forgotten.’’
Andrew also said the lack of divine favour could result into daunting struggles with nothing to show.
He then pleaded with leaders in the country and the citizens to look up to God for lasting favours rather than shun Him and rely on fellow humans whose favours were unpredictable, short lived and had unreasonable conditions.

Oyo

A cleric, Moses Kasali, has called on Nigerians to be
patient with President Muhammadu Buhari over the delay in constituting his cabinet.
He made the call recently  while addressing the congregation at the auditorium of the ministry in Ibadan.
Kasali, Head, Mercy of Prayer Ministry, Ibadan, was optimistic that the President would choose members of his cabinet within the first 100 days of his administration.
He also urged Nigerians to avoid calling the President ‘Baba Go Slow’ for not constituting his cabinet almost two months after his inauguration.
He said that Buhari was studying the situation to ensure appointment of competent and reliable hands into key ministries and parastatals.
Kasali said the wrangling in the two chambers of the National Assembly was a carryover of the old order.

Plateau
Plateau State Governor, Simon Lalong, last Sunday appointed
Sheikh Sani Yahaya Jingir as the state’s Amirul Hajj for this year’s Muslim pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia.
Jingir is Chairman, Council of Ulama of the Jama’atul Izalatul Bidi’a Walikatis Sunna, which headquarters is in Jos.
Lalong, in a statement signed by Mr Emmanuel Nanle, Director of Press Affairs, also directed intending pilgrims that had completed the payment of their Hajj fare, to appear for screening from July 29, 2015.
According to him, the screening team, led by Alhaji Danlami Abdullahi, will carry out the exercise for two weeks.
The statement assured intending pilgrims that their safety and comfort would be ensured,both in Nigeria and Saudi Arabia.

Sokoto
Binji Local Government in Sokoto State has spent N100 million
into the construction of 10 Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs), its Chairman, Alhaji Umaru Danhabe, said in Sokoto, Sokoto State, recently.
Danhabe told newsmen that the council spent N10 million in constructing each of the facilities.
According to him, each of the PHCs had 10 wards with beds for 20 patients.
He said that one ambulance had also been provided to each of the centres to cater for emergency situations.
The chairman advised the people to promptly report any outbreak of epidemic to the nearest health centres, and assured them of government’s readiness to cater for their health needs.

Taraba

The Caretaker Chairman of Kurmi Local Government Area of
Taraba State, Mr Stephen Agya, has appealed to the federal and state governments to provide assistance to Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) in the area.
Agya, who made the appeal in an interview with journalists in Jalingo, noted that thousands of people have been displaced by communal clashes and rainstorm in the area.
“I want to appeal to the federal and state governments to come to the aid of the council in taking care of the victims of communal clashes and rainstorm, who have been in camps for so long.
“NEMA and SEMA carried out assessment of the level of damage in the area five months ago, but no assistance has yet been given,’’ he said.
Agya said that the council had been catering for the IDPs within its limited resources.

Zamfara

The Deputy Director, Special Education, Federal Ministry of
Education, Mrs Joyce Eke, said last  Saturday that globally there were 58 million children of primary school age who were not enrolled in school.
Eke said in Gusau at a two-day National meeting on the revision of the Girls Education Project (GEP-3) Enrollment Drive Guidelines that globally 100 million children do not complete primary education.
The meeting was organised jointly by UNICEF, the Federal Ministry of Education and the five GEP-3 states of Zamfara, Sokoto, Niger, Katsina and Niger.
She said that Nigeria was responsible for 10.5 million out of the 58 were, a figure, she said was the highest in the world.