Governor Muhammed Abubakar of Bauchi State (left), presenting a souvenir to DHLVisa-Sports Leader, Sharon Abott, during the courier team’s inspection of sports facilities in Bauchi, yesterday.

Adamawa
Following the outbreak of Lassa fever in Taraba State,
the Adamawa State Government has commenced mobilisation of rural communities in the five local government areas sharing boundaries with Taraba State.
The State Commissioner for Health, Dr Fatima Atiku, made this known in Yola while briefing journalists.
“ His Excellency has directed that we fully mobilise the public on precautionary measures and early detection.
“The disease is caused by virus from rats; our people should imbibe the culture of hygiene by covering their food and foodstuff,” Atiku said.
Atiku said all the disease control officers in the local government areas bordering Taraba had been placed on alert to check for any outbreak.

Bauchi
The Permanent Secretary, Bauchi State Ministry of
Health, Dr Saidu Gital, said that no case of Lassa fever had been confirmed in the state.
Gital stated this while briefing newsmen in Bauchi on the outbreak of the disease.
He said that although the state had four suspected cases, three were diagnosed to be negative while laboratory result on one was pending.
“The fourth person accidentally came from Kanam Local Government Area of Plateau, but the result is being awaited,” he said.
He said that the Federal Ministry of Health had supplied health personnel, protective equipment and Ribavirin tablets as well as injectable drugs for use when any case was confirmed.

FCT
The Federal Fire Service has said that it will sanction
any person who failes to comply to the National Fire Safety Code in putting up public structures in the country.
The Controller-General of the service, Mr Joseph Anebi, made the disclosure at an interactive session with newsmen in Abuja.
He urged Nigerians to always seek the advice of the service by sending their building plans for vetting and review before embarking on the project.
Anebi, who decried the incessant fire outbreaks in the country, attributed most of the incidents to carelessness of some Nigerians.
He said that the service had fined some filling stations in Kubwa in FCT and Mararaba in Nasarawa State for failing to adhere to the safety code.

EKiti
Mrs Feyisetan Fayose, the wife of Ekiti State Gover
nor, has reiterated her resolve to always celebrate her birthday with the less privileged.
Fayose made this known in Ado –Ekiti, during a short prayer session to commemorate her 52nd birthday anniversary.
The governor’s wife said rather than throwing party or spending on frivolity, she prefers to reach out to people who are incapacitated in taking care of themselves.
She gave succour to about 31 families by paying off their medical bills to celebrate her birthday.
The governor’s wife said the bills were paid in order to encourage the beneficiaries to always make use of government owned facilities whenever the need arose.

Kaduna
The Kaduna State Commissioner for Education, Dr
Shehu Adamu-Danfulani, has said that the free education programme of the Governor Nasiru El-Rufa’i’s administration has increased pupil’s enrolment by 64 per cent.
Adamu-Danfulani made the disclosure in an interview with newsmen in Zaria recently.
He said that some parents could not send their children to school because of the school fees of N200.
According to him, the policy decision of the El-Rufai administration to cancel the N200 school fees has increased enrolment in schools by about 64 per cent.
“Until I was appointed a commissioner and until the declaration by Governor El-Rufa’i, I never thought that some pupils could not go to school because some parents could not pay N200.”
Kano
The Kano State Government has confirmed fresh outbreak
of bird flu in the state.
The Director, Veterinary Services in the state Ministry of Agriculture, Dr Shehu Bawa, confirmed the incident in an interview with newsmen in Kano.
Bawa said that the outbreak, which resurfaced this week, had so far hit three poultry farms in the state.
“I can confirm to you that the disease has already affected three farms and we have taken samples from other farms.
“So far, we have three poultry farms that have been affected by the disease,” he said.
According to him, the department has already sent the samples to the National Veterinary Research Institute (NVRI), Vom in Plateau for confirmation.

Kebbi
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in Kebbi State has
commended the state government for releasing one billion naira for payment of outstanding pension of retired civil servants.
NLC Chairman Murtala Usman made the commendation in an interview with newsmen in Birnin Kebbi.
Usman said the efforts of the state government deserved commrnedation for taking the bold step of settling part of the outstanding pension of the workers.
He said the backlog of pension was more than one billion naira though the pension liability was part of the debt inherited from the administration of Gov. Saidu Dakingari.
He said a committee that would conduct and monitor the payment had since been inaugurated, and they were expected to swing into action by next week.

Kogi
Stakeholders have called on the Federal Government to
absorb personnel of National Blood Transfusion Service Centres across the country laid off following donor agencies withdrawal of their sponsorship.
The stakeholders, who made the appeal in separate interviews with newsmen in Lokoja, said that the government should absorb the personnel laid off across the country.
They said that due to the withdrawal of the sponsorship of the centres by donor agencies, core medical and health personnel were relieved of their jobs across the country.
Mr Friday Ogungbemi, the 2015 Highest Blood Donor at the Lokoja Service Centre said the Federal Government should absorb the personnel into the Federal Civil Service.

Kwara
An Okuta Area Court in Kwara State has dissolved a 13-
year-old marriage between Bilikis Idris and Abdullahi Idris over claim of frequent fighting.
The court presided by Mr Ahmed Yahaya, ordered the couple to go their separate ways without disturbing the peace of the society.
The wife, Bilikis, had approached the court in 2015, seeking the dissolution of the marriage which had produced three children, over allegation that she had no rest of mind in the union.
She pleaded with the court to grant her wish so that she would marry another man that would care for her.
The man, Abdullahi, who was absent in court but sent a letter, consented to the relief sought by his wife.
Lagos
The Lagos State Government has reaffirmed its com
mitment to end violence against children and ensure safe and secure future for the Nigerian child.
Commissioner for Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation in the state, Mrs Lola Akande, announced this while inaugurating the sub-committee on the launch of “Year of Action to End Violence against Children (VAC)’’ in Lagos.
The Tide reports that the programme would be inaugurated in February.
Akande said that VAC was crucial to the state government in view of cases of violence being perpetuated against children in the state.
She said that children were the bedrock of any nation, hence the need to safeguard their future by putting an end to any form of violence against them.

Ogun
The Vice-Chancellor, Bells University, Sango-Ota, Ogun
State, Prof. Isaac Adebayo, has advised all new students to be focused and desist from spending much times on social media devices like chatting.
Adebayo gave the advice at the 11th Matriculation of the institution in Sango Ota, Ogun.
The don urged the new students to be serious in order to face the rigors of academic life, adding that life in the university was different from life outside the world.
“Students should desist from spending much times on social media devices like chatting, and concentrate more on their studies in order to meet competitive global market,” he warned.
He implored matriculating students and under-graduates to empower themselves by acquiring additional skills and professional certificates to boost their future careers.

Yobe
The Yobe State Government says it has taken addi
tional measures to coordinate donors’ assistance to Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the state to guard against insurgents disguising as donors to infiltrate the camps.
The state Deputy Governor, Abubakar Aliyu disclosed this in Damaturu in an interview with newsmen.
Abubakar, who is also the Chairman, Committee on Rehabilitation and Relocation of IDPs, said it had become necessary to adopt additional security measures for the safety of the IDPs.
“We urge all donors ranging from government organisations to Non- Governmental Organisations (NGO) and philanthropists to liaise with the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) while providing assistance to the IDPs,’’ he said.
He said the state government had been providing food, shelter, water, health and sanitation needs of the IDPs in both government and self- established camps.