THE STATES

Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue (left), and wife of the Vice President, Mrs Dolapo Osinbajo, during the Vice President’s wife visit to Idps camp in Makurdi recently.

Borno

Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno has commended
President Muhammadu Buhari’s financial discipline, saying it would save many states from collapse in the face of the falling oil price at the international market.
A statement by Malam Isa Gusau, the Special Adviser to the governor on Communication, quoted Shettima as giving the commendation at a wedding reception in the Government House, Kano.
The reception was in honour of Gov. Muhammad Abubakar of Jigawa’s daughter, Amina, who got married to Lawan Dahiru Mangal at the Umar bn Khattab Mosque.
Shettima said: “The fall in price of crude oil to below 40 dollars per barrel has threatened Nigeria’s main source of revenue.
“Government in the 36 states will have been in serious trouble if not for the financial prudence of President Muhammadu Buhari.

Benue

The United Nations High Commission for Refugees,
(UNHCR) has advised the Federal Government to increase its assistance to Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Agatu, Benue.
UNHCR’s Representative to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Ms Angele DIkongue-Atangana, gave this advice on Wednesday in Makurdi in an interview with newsmen.
She said that the IDPs in Agatu required urgent and sustained attention just like their counterparts in the North-East and other areas in Nigeria.
“The amount of damage done to Agatu communities is similar to what obtained in Borno and other affected states in Nigeria.
“As at now, over 2.2 million Nigerians have been displaced from their homes in villages and towns seeking refuge and protection in camps and communities,’’ she said.

Ekiti

Coordinator, Vanguard for Better Living, a non-
governmental Organisation, Mr Samson Olaide, has lauded an Ado-Ekiti High Court judge for sentencing a school proprietor to 10 years imprisonment for raping a 10-year- old pupil.
Olaide gave the commendation while speaking with newsmen in Ikole, Ekiti State.
He said that the judgment would go a long way in curbing the activities of rapists, describing them as “animals in human body.’’
Olaide decried increase in reported cases of rape, especially abuse of minors across the country, saying the menace was fast assuming dangerous dimension.

FCT

Meat consumers in Kuje Area Council of the Federal
Capital Territory (FCT) have raised alarm over the deplorable state of infrastructure and unhealthy operational environment of the council’s abattoir.
Some of the consumers who spoke to newsmen in Kuje faulted the reliance of the abattoir on stream water for the washing of meat before conveying to market.
Mr Adekunle Odunayo, a meat consumer, said the use of stream water and car tyres for roasting meat for human consumption was unhealthy.
He said that “the state of the abattoir, as you can see, is not healthy because in the first instance, there is no water to wash the slab after use.

Katsina

Governor Aminu Masari of Katsina State has called on the
people of the state to exercise patience with the ongoing change agenda of President Muhammadu Buhari in the country.
He made the call when he launched small-scale businesses empowerment and free treatment schemes initiated by Sen. Abu Ibrahim (APC-Katsina).
Our correspondent reports that other House of Representatives and State House of Assembly members from Katsina South senatorial zone were also initiators of the scheme.
The governor assured the people that the APC-led .
Kogi

The Secretary to Kogi Government, Dr Folashade Ayoade
said the government would set up a committee to determine the fate of 142 workers placed on compulsory leave since 2011.
Ayaode, disclosed this in Lokoja during a meeting with the representatives of the affected workers of the state transport company.
She expressed sympathy with the plight of the workers who had lived for the past five years without salary.
The SSG promised to draw the attention of Gov. Yahaya Bello to their plight, adding that the government would also offer them relief package pending the determination of their case.
Spokesman of the affected workers, Mr Usman Ibrahim said their problem started in the second quarter of 2011 when 15 serviceable buses of the transport company were “fraudulently” sold to politicians at give away prices.

Lagos

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA)
said it had intercepted a letter laden with heroin in Lagos.
This is contained in a statement signed in Lagos by the agency’s spokesman, Mr Mitchell Ofoyeju.
According to the statement, the letter, which was sent from Bengalore, India, via Express Mail Service (EMS), was addressed to one Mr Yunusa Amusan, 33, in Mushin, Lagos.
“Upon interception by the NDLEA, about 480 grammes of powdery substance that tested positive for heroin, was found inside the letter.
“The thin parcels of heroin were carefully hidden in the letter in a manner that makes it difficult to detect.
“This is the first case of heroin letter discovered by the anti-narcotic agency this year,’’ it said.
The statement also quoted the Chairman of the agency, Mr Muhammad Abdallah, saying that the arrest was recorded following the diversification of the agency’s operations.

Osun

Coordinating Director, Osun State Ministry of Agriculture,
Food Security and Youth Engagement, Dr Oluwabukola Aluko, has announced that butchers operating in the state would henceforth pay levy to the government.
Aluko, who made the announcement in a statement issued to newsmen in Osogbo, said that the payment of the levy would commence from April 1.
He said that each cow slaughtered as meat for consumption in the state would attract N1, 000 levy while each sheep, goat, pig and other animals would attract N200 levy.
He said that the decision to introduce the levy was reached after an interactive session between Governor Rauf Aregbesola and butchers association in the state.

Plateau

The Plateau Director of National Orientation Agency
(NOA), Mr Bulus Dabit, has urged Nigerians to be patient with the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, in spite of the current challenges.
Dabit, who made the appeal in an interview with newsmen in Jos, said better days lie ahead for Nigerians.
“There is no gain without pain and Nigerians should be patient with the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.
“Nigerians need to understand that government cannot solely fizzle out the present challenges we are passing through as a country.

Sokoto

The Sokoto State Government said it would partner with
the UN Development Organisation ( UNIDO) and the Bank of Industry ( BoI) to establish leather cluster in Sokoto.
The state’s Commissioner for Commerce, Trade and Industries, Alhaji Aminu Bello, made the disclosure in Sokoto in an interview with newsmen.
He said that the cluster, which would be a conglomeration of industries producing leather products in one place, was aimed at harnessing the abundant hides and skin in Sokoto State.
He added that “this is a tripartite partnership aimed at reviving the moribund leather industries and boost the activities of leather artisans.

Yobe

The Yobe Government has pledged to support Internally
Displaced Persons (IDPs) relocating to their communities with agricultural inputs to boost farming and promote economic rehabilitation.
Alhaji Musa Jidawa, the Executive Secretary, Yobe State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), stated this in an interview with newsmen in Damaturu.
The secretary said some of the IDPs had started relocating to their communities preparatory to the farming season, noting that government would ensure that it provided them with farm inputs this cropping season.

Zamfara

The Deputy National Chairman, Ulama’u Council of the
Jama’atu Izalatil Bid’ah Wa’Ikamatis Sunnah (JIBWIS), Sheik Yusuf Rigachikun, has urged the Federal Government to involve more Islamic scholars on its Hajj committees.
Rigachikun made the appeal in an interview with newsmen in Gummi town, headquarters of Gummi Local Government of Zamfara.
‘’Involving more Islamic scholars on hajj committees is very important for the exercise, because they play vital role in preaching and teaching pilgrims how to perform the hajj rites to gain maximum spiritual benefits.