THE STATES

Governor Simon Lalong of Plateau State (left), receiving a t-shirt from the United Nations Women Representative to Nigeria and ecowas, Grace Ongile, who paid him courtesy visit in Jos on Monday

Adamawa

A former Interior Minister and APC chieftain in Adamawa
State, Alhaji Abdulrahman Adamu,  says the society has a vital role to play in efforts to achieve the December deadline to rout Boko Haram.
Adamu, who was Minister of State for Interior in the administration of the late President Umaru Yar’adua, made the statement in Yola on Sunday during an interview with newsmen.
He said that developments in the on-going fight against Boko Haram had shown that the insurgents had been seriously degraded.
He said what was needed was to mop up some of the insurgents who had mingled with the society and were causing havoc through suicide bomb attacks.
“It is our moral responsibility to help the army by exposing members of Boko Haram even if such suspects are our relations,” Adamu said.

Borno

The Borno State chapter of the Islamic Medical Associa
tion of Nigeria (IMAN) has donated relief materials worth millions of Naira to 40 widows of Boko Haram insurgency in the state capital.
The Chairman of the association, Malam Abba Babagana, stated this during the presentation of the items at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital.
Babagana said that the gesture was to assist the vulnerable victims of the insurgncy who were in dire need of assistance.
He added that the gesture would equally reduce the situation whereby women and children roamed the streets seeking for help.
In his remark, the Chief Medical Director of UMTH, Prof. Abdulrahman Tahir, said catering for the less privilage was paramount.
Tahir said report had shown that Borno had more than 10,000 widows as a result of the insurgency which posed serious problems to the society.

FCT

The Nigerian Association of Technologists in Engineer
ing (NATE), has urged the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) to establish a polytechnic in Abuja in order to enhance technical education in the territory.
The Chairman of NATE, FCT branch, Mr Jubril Kadri, made the call in an interview with newsmen in Abuja.
NATE is a professional body with membership comprising mainly Higher National Diploma (HND) and National Diploma (ND) holders in engineering.
Jibril, who rued the absence of government-owned polytechnics in the FCT, noted that the existing private polytechnics lacked the capacity to provide the necessary equipment to enhance engineering study.

Jigawa

The price of Benny seeds, also known as sesame seeds,
has dropped in major grain markets in Jigawa due to low patronage of the produce.
Our correspondent at Hadejia and Gujungu markets found that the price has dropped by about 50 per cent since the commencement of the harvest season.
It was gathered that a bag of the commodity now sells at N10, 500 as against the N20, 000 it sold for last season.
Traders at the market attributed the situation to increase in supply of the produce from the farms amid low demand.
Alhaji Shehu Malammadori, a trader, said prices would further go down due to lack of buyers.
Malammadori said that the market was flooded with the produce, thus forcing prices down.

Kaduna

The Statistician-General of the Federation, Dr Yemi
Kale, said the demand for data and statistical information had increased as the output of the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) also increased.
Kale told newsmen in Saminaka, Kaduna State, that the reason for the increase in the output was that NBS had become creative in data gathering.
He said that the bureau had become creative in the ways it gathered data and it equally devised more cost effective way in disseminating its data.
“We have gone electronically in most of our activities instead of printing hard copies and that will be more expensive for us.
“I think that is what people mean by saying that our measures are more for the elite, because instead of putting our reports on paper, we put them on website.

Kano

The Kano State Government has advised residents to be vigilant and be more fire-conscious in order to avert fire disasters during harmattan.
Governor Abdullahi Ganduje gave the advice while inspecting the timber section of the Sabongari Market that was gutted by fire.
He called on business men in the market and other markets in the state to take precautionary measures and not allow smokers to throw away lighted cigarette stubs anywhere in the market.
“Ganduje said , “Since investigation had shown that one of the causes of the inferno was lighted cigarettes stubs thrown away indiscriminately within the section, the business operators should ensure they prevent people from doing so.’’
He warned the security men guarding the market to stop making fire to warm their bodies during harmattan.

K
Kebbi

The Kebbi State Government said on Saturday that it planned to rehabilitate the Turai Yar’adua Psychiatric Hospital to ease hardship faced by patients, medical and administrative personnel.
A statement signed by Alhaji Abubakar Mua’azu, Press Secretary to the Governor, on Saturday in Birnin Kebbi, said the governor made the promise while inspecting the hospital.
It said that Governor Atiku Bagudu also addressed staff and patients during the visit promising to ensure affordable healthcare delivery, especially in the rural settlements.
According to the statement, Bagudu also promised to rehabilitate infrastructure, build patient wards, deploy medical and administrative personnel and ensure that adequate and required drugs are provided.
The hospital attends to patients once a week while those who require admission are referred to other specialists hospitals.
Lagos

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority says adequate
preparations have been made ahead of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme (USOAP) slated for March 2016.
This is contained in a statement by  the NCAA’s General Manager, Public Relations, Mr Sam Adurogboye, on Sunday in Lagos.
The statement said a six-man team from ICAO had recently arrived in Nigeria on technical assistance visit, ahead of the programme and had concluded its assignment.
It said the ICAO delegation was led by Mr John Gratton while other members were Mrs Kristian Dores, Mr Michael Mcdonald, Mr Tahir Siddiqui, Mrs Naomi Mwaugi and Mr Ben Hallberg.
According to the statement, the team has briefed all the stakeholders namely the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Nigerian Airspace Management Agency(NAMA) and the NCAA.
Ogun
The Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), has urged
motorists in Lagos and Ogun States, to obey traffic regulations, before, during and after the Christmas celebrations.
Asst. Corps Marshal, Nseobong Akpabio, in charge of Zone 2, made the appeal on Sunday in Ijebu-Ode, Ogun, in an interview with newsmen Zone 2 comprises Lagos and Ogun Commands.
Akpabio who also met stakeholders’ at the FRSC Unit Command in Ijebu-Ode, assured that the corps’ officers and men would do all they could to ensure the safety of all.
He said that Zone 2 would deploy over 6,000 personnel, including regular and special marshals, during the period to ensure smooth flow of traffic.

Plateau

The National Universities Commission (NUC) panel has
rounded off its accreditation visitation to the Plateau State University (PLASU), Bokkos.
The panel, led by Prof. Joseph Charles, arrived at Bokkos last Monday to accredit courses in the university’s Faculty of Social Sciences. The accreditation visitation was the first since the university was founded 10 years ago.
No fewer than 319 students who graduated from the institution had not been able to go into the labour market due to the non accreditation of its courses by the NUC.
Charles told authorities of the university that his team had concluded its assignment in the faculty, ready for submission to the NUC for consideration.

Sokoto
Sokoto State government said it had resolved to declare a
state of emergency in the education sector.
The state took the decision in order to ‘’ effectively tackle the problems bedeviling education in the state.’’
The government’s decision is contained in a communiqué signed by Prof. Bashir Garba, the Secretary to Sokoto State Government, and made available to newsmen on Sunday in Sokoto.
The communiqué was issued after a retreat organised by the Sokoto State government for its political office holders and senior public officials which ended in Kaduna at the weekend.
“The move becomes imperative not just because standards have fallen, but because education holds the key to tackling virtually all challenges of governance in Sokoto State in particular, and Nigeria in general.

Taraba

The Jukun Muslim community has urged the people of
Wukari in Taraba to eschew violence and live harmoniously with one another to foster peace and development.
A leader of the community, AIhaji Isa Zhema, made the call at a news conference in Jalingo on Sunday.
Zhema said the incessant crisis in the area had brought economic activities in the town to a halt and thereby impoverished the people.
“We want the people of Wukari – Christians, Muslims and traditional worshipers – to eschew violence and tolerate one another’s religion for peace and development,” he said.
Zhena urged the people to support the administration of Governor Darius Ishaku to it to succeed in efforts to address issues of insecurity, poverty, among others.