THE STATES

Bauchi

The Bauchi State Government will no longer supplement
the salaries of Local Government workers in the state, according to Governor Mohammed Abubakar.
Abubakar made the announcement in Bauchi when members of the Bauchi State Committee on Land Administration, led by its Chairman, Prof. Adamu Ahmed, submitted their report to the governor.
“I have augmented the payment of Local Government staff salaries in the last three months and I will not do it any longer.
“The state depends almost 100 per cent on federation account to pay staff salaries and other activities while oil price in the international market has continued to dwindle.
“Both the state and Local Governments must explore avenues on how to improve their Internally-Generated Revenues (IGR), to enable the two tiers of government survive,” Abubakar said.

Borno

The Borno State Government has announced its plan to
return 50,000 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) to their communities in five local government areas this month.
No fewer than 200,000 IDPs from 23 of the 27 local government areas of the state were currently staying in 22 camps in Maiduguri after the communities were sacked by the Boko Haram insurgents in 2014.
The  Executive Chairman of the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Malam Satomi Ahmad, told newsmen in Maiduguri that “we are returning IDPs from communities in five local government areas of the state back to their homes in liberated areas.
“The communities are those located in Monguno, Gwoza, Askira-Uba, Mafa and Dikwa local government areas.’’

FCT

The FCT Minister, Malam Muhammad Bello, has urged
Nigeria’s elite to embrace the change agenda of the Federal Government to make Nigeria great again.
Bello made the call when he received participants of Senior Course 38, Command and Staff College, Jaji, in Abuja last Saturday.
Our correspondent reports that Course 38 participants were on study tour of the FCT administration.
He said that the topic under discussion, “Repositioning Nigeria’s non-oil sector as a major source of revenue’’,, was timely considering the dwindling oil prices at the international market.
The minister further urged Nigerians to have a rethink individually and collectively to agree that “we are really ready for change’’, citing Singapore and Malaysia as good examples.

Jigawa

Dry season farmers in Hadejia, Jigawa State, have ex
pressed worry over hikes in the prices of fertiliser due to its scarcity.
The farmers told newsmen in Hadejia that the trend was seriously affecting agricultural activities.
A wheat grower, Malam Musa Muhammad,said he was experiencing difficulties in sourcing for the commodity due to the exorbitant market prices.
Muhammad said a bag of assorted fertiliser attracts as much as N6,500 in the open market.
He said the situation was discouraging as farmers began cultivation for the dry season, adding, “the price of fertiliser is too high and it might affect productivity.’’

Kaduna

Vice-Chancellor, Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria,
Prof. Ibrahim Garba, says the institution has produced 305 Ph.D. holders and 98 First Class degree holders for 2013/2014 academic session.
He stated this in an address at the 38th convocation ceremony of the university held at the main campus, Samaru, Zaria, Kaduna State.
Garba said: “The Chancellor, Egwe, Nnaemeka Alfred Ugochukwu will in today’s convocation ceremony, confer a total of 13,149 First Degrees and 4,598 Higher Degrees and Diplomas to deserving graduates for the 2013/2014 academic session.”
He gave the breakdown as follows; First Class, 89 persons, Second Class Upper, 2,086, Second Class Lower, 7,108, Third Class, 3,161, Pass, 262 and 443 Unclassified Degrees.
According to him Higher Degrees and Diplomas include; 305 Ph.Ds., 2,669 Masters of Arts and Masters of Science and 1,624 Post Graduate Diplomas.

Kano

Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN), has de
cried insufficient water supply to irrigation sites by the Hadeja-Jama’are River Basin Development Authority (HJRBDA).
The Organising Secretary of the association in Kano State, Alhaji Isah Bawa, made the complaint in an interview with  newsmen in Kano.
Bawa said the authority had not been supplying sufficient water to the farmers at the time it was most needed.
“This is one of the problems affecting our irrigation activities and we don’t know why.
“When we need the water most, they will not give us,” Bawa said.

Kebbi

The Kebbi State office of the National Teachers Institute
(NTI) said it would increase students enrollment for the Nigeria Certificate of Education (NCE),Post Graduate Diploma(PGD) and Degree programmes.
The state NTI Coordinator, Alhaji Salman Maiwada,disclosed this in an interview with newsmen in Birnin Kebbi.
Maiwada said the institute would enroll 3,500 students in the 2015/2016 academic session against the 2600 it enrolled in the previous session.
He said the increase would be across the 14 study centres in the state.
Lagos

The Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) Ltd says it
has earmarked 12 million dollars to provide ultra-modern engineering laboratories in six universities in Nigeria.
The Managing Director of NLNG, Mr Babs Omotowa told newsmen  in Lagos that the project involved building, refurbishing and equipping of the laboratories to boos quality of science education and scientists in the country.
Omotowa said that the project, known as University Support Programme (USP) was one of NLNG’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) projects, which started in 2014.
He listed the beneficiaries to include Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, University of Ibadan, University of Ilorin, University of Port Harcourt, University of Maiduguri and University of Nigeria, Nsukka.

Nasarawa

A 28-year-old butcher, Atom Paul, has appeared in a
Mararaba Grade 1 Area Court, Aso Pada, for constituting public nuisance.
The accused, who resides at One Man Village, Nasarawa State, was arraigned on a two-count charge of joint act and public nuisance.
The Prosecutor, Cpl. Friday Adaji, told the court that Insp. Erugeh John and team of policemen attached to Surveillance Section of ‘A’ Divisional Police Station, Mararaba, arrested the accused.
Adaji said that while the police were on patrol, the accused was found inside the notorious jungle of Orange Market fighting with two others at large.
Oyo

Oyo State House of Assembly has called on the Federal
Government to further immortalise former Premier of the defunct Western Region, Late Chief Samuel Ladoke Akintola by naming a major edifice at the University College Hospital (UCH), which was established during his time after the late politician.
Moving a motion titled “Need to further immortalise the late Premier of Western Region, a former Aare Ona-Kakanfo of Yorubaland in Commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of his untimely demise,”Bimbo Olawumi Oladeji, representing Ogbomoso North Constituency said “Late Chief Akintola was responsible for the establishment of UCH as a Federal Minister in 1953 and also played a major role in the establishment of the Nigeria Airways in 1958.
He also laid the foundation of Cocoa House, Premier Hotel as well as the founder of University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University) who ought to be further immortalized in a bid to appreciate his legacies in Nigeria”.
According to Oladeji, a “political colossus and enigma” like the Late Chief Akintola should be recognised, further immortalised most especially being one of the three patriotic citizens of the country that moved a motion for the nation’s independence.

Yobe

The Federation of Muslim Women Association in Nige
ria (FOMWAN), has distributed sewing machines and livestock to 50 widows who were trained in various vocational skills for self reliance in Yobe.
The Chairperson of the Federation in Yobe who distributed the materials in Damaturu, Hajiya Halimatu Laminu, said the widows lost their husbands to Boko Haram insurgency in the state.
She said the women were trained in sewing, knitting, soap and cream making, baking, groundnut oil and ‘dawa dawa’ food seasoning production.
She added that the Federation was supported with funds by the Media Trust Foundation which it used to train the widows and provided them with machines and raw materials for the take-off of their trades.

Zamfara

Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN) said
150,000 rice farmers would be engaged in this dry season farming in Zamfara State as part of effort to ensure food security in the country.
The Secretary of the association in the state, Alhaji Sanusi Muhammad, disclosed this in an interview with newsmen in Gusau.
Muhammad said the association had begun educating people on the need to participate in local rice production to boost their economy and ensure food security.
He said the special intervention programme recently launched by the Federal Government on rice farming had boosted the moral of the farmers.
He said more than 20,000 hectares in Bakalori dam irrigation scheme and Fadama schemes in Maradun, Bakura and Talata-Mafara Local Government areas would be cultivated.

L-R: Director of Sahara Group, Mr Tonye Cole, Deputy Governor of Kaduna State, Mr Barnabas Bantx and Executive Director, Safe 54, Mr Shedrack Madlion, during their visit to the Government House in Kaduna on Wednesday