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THE STATES

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Adamawa
Governor Muhammadu Jibrilla of Adamawa State has
directed local government council chairmen in the state to account for the salaries of their workers.
The governor also asked the Commissioner of Police in the state, Mr Gazali Mohammed, to investigate four acting local government council chairmen over alleged misappropriation of money meant for workers’ salaries.
Jibrilla gave the directive recently after an emergency meeting with the acting chairmen of the 21 local government councils of the state over problem of salaries.
The affected local governments are Lamurde, Jada, Shelleng and Demsa.
The governor said that his administration hinged on transparency and accountability, adding that public funds must be adequately accounted for.

Borno

The Nigerian Army said that its troops in Borno State
have killed a top Boko Haram commander known as Ameer Abubakar Gana and 18 other fighters.
A statement issued by army spokesman, Col. Sani Usman said several arms, ammunition, vehicles and other items were recovered during the operation.
Usman said in the statement that the commander and his men were killed during a clearance operation on the terrorists’ stronghold at Chukungudu by troops from various army battalions with support from Air Force aerial surveillance.
Usman said the operation was conducted following intelligence report about the activities of the insurgents in the area.
“Following credible information on the presence of Boko Haram terrorists at Chukungudu, a carefully planned operation comprising troops of 22 Brigade Garrison and 153 Task Force Battalion as well as Nigerian Air Force Intelligence Surveillance Reconnaisance, was conducted.

Ekiti

A Chief Magistrates’ Court sitting in Ado-Ekiti has re
manded a 19-year-old man, Seyi Oluwafemi, for alleged rape of a 13-year old girl.
The police prosecutor, Sgt. Caleb Leranmo, told the court that the accused committed the offence on May 26 at Efon-Ekiti.
He alleged that the accused, on the said date, unlawfully defiled the girl, which led to a serious injury on her.
Leranmo said the offence contravened section 218 of the Criminal Code, Cap C 16, Laws of Ekiti State, 2012.
He said he had duplicated the case file and forwarded It to the Office of Director for Public Prosecution (DPP) for legal advice.

FCT

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP),
has secured three million dollars grant from the Government of Japan to accelerate the recovery and stability of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the North East.
A statement by Mr John Nwankwo, Information official of the Embassy of Japan, said the sum would be used to implement two new projects in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe.
Nwankwo said the two projects are “Support for Early Recovery and Social Cohension” and “De-radicalisation, Counter –terrorism and Migration”, which would be implemented over a 12 months’ period.
According to him, the Ministry of Budget and National Planning will coordinate the implementation of the two projects.
He explained that the support to early recovery and social cohesion would contribute to ongoing recovery interventions in the region, devastated by more than five-year-long insurgency.

Kaduna

A staff of Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Joy
Enobong-Akpan, and her daughter, Akon Iyene, have been arraigned before a Chief Magistrates’ Court, Chediya GRA, Sabongari, Zaria for criminal conspiracy and offering false information..
The two were said to have connived and falsely accused six staff of the university of kidnapping the second accused, Iyene, a student of Human Anatomy Department of the institution.
Kano

The Kano State Government has approved N1 billion for
the construction of 348 classrooms in secondary schools across the state.
The Commissioner for Information, Alhaji Muhammad Garba, announced this when he briefed newsmen on the outcome of the state’s Executive Council meeting in Kano.
He said that the gesture was part of Gov. Abdullahi Ganduje’s promises to embark on projects that would have impact on the people of the state.
Garba added that the new classrooms would not bear any inscription or name of individuals on them.
He noted that the Council had also approved N90.7 million for the conversion of Mariri orphanage home into boarding primary school in the state
The Council approved another N125 million for the construction of drains in Kano State University of Science Technology, Wudil, he said.

Kwara

The Chief Imam of Markaz Al Adaby Mosque in Ilorin,
Malam Abdulmumin Apaokagi,  has urged Muslims to be spiritually prepared during Ramadan fast by moving closer to Allah and be steadfast in prayers.
Apaokagi made the call in Ilorin while delivering lecture as the last Friday preceding the Holy month of Ramadan.
Ramadan is the month which Muslims fast for 29 or 30 days as prescribed for them in the Holy Qur’an chapter 2 verse 183
as “O ye who believe, fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed to those before you that ye may (learn) self-restraint.”
The cleric said Muslims should not only prepare for Ramadan by stocking their homes with foodstuff but by purifying their hearts to usher in the holy month.

Lagos

No fewer than eight suspected fake optometrists have
been arrested in Lagos by the Registrar of Optometrists and Dispensing Opticians Registration Board of Nigeria, in conjunction with the Nigeria Police.
Our correspondent reports that the board members, the Ministry of Health and the police raided some areas in Lagos Island, including Tinubu Square, to make the arrests.
The Vice Chairman of the Nigeria Optometrists Association, Lagos State chapter, Dr John Sedi, who confirmed the number of arrests to newsmen, said that some eye glasses and some equipment for optometrists were recovered from the suspects.
He said that the raid was one way to protect the eyes of many Nigerians from being damaged, and to also enlighten the public on the dangers in patronising quacks.

Nasarawa

Maichibi Widow of Hope Foundation, an NGO, has ap
pealed to parents and guardians to ensure good education for their female children/wards before giving them out in marriage.
The Chief Executive Officer of the foundation, Mr  Bitrus Maichibi, made the appeal in Akwanga, Nasarawa State, during an awareness campaign on girl-child education.
He explained that the campaign organised by the foundation for public and private school female students in Akwanga Local Government Area, was aimed at stressing the importance of girl-child education.
Maichibi said that sexual abuses, lack of proper education for the girl-child, were reasons for the sensitisation exercise, adding that parents should send their female children to school.

Ogun

The Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Corps (TRACE)
in Ota, Ogun State has urged companies to retrain their drivers to cope with the challenges of driving during the rainy season.
The TRACE Zonal Commander, Mr Adekunle Ajibade, made the appeal in an interview with newsmen in Ota.
Ajibade said he would love to see the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) assisting the agency in spreading the campaign, especially now that the rainy season had started.
He said that retraining was needful because the rainy season was more prone to accident than the dry weather.
According to him, the slippery nature of roads during the rainy season had often contributed enormously to road crashes.
Plateau

Governor Simon Lalong of  Plateau State has inaugurated
the first ever Primary Health Care (PHC) Clinic in his own village, Ajikamai, in Shendam Local Government Area.
Inaugurating the N13 million facility, the governor described the event as “historic”.
“It is the first time my people are seeing an edifice like this in this village,” he said.
The governor said that the centre was built under the Community and Social Development Programme (CSDP) of the state.
He expressed satisfaction with the quality of the work as well the speed with which it was completed, stating that the project would address the health needs of the people.

Sokoto

The Sokoto State Pilgrims Welfare Agency (PWA) says it
hasso far remitted over N1.6 billion to the National Hajj Commission (NAHCON) for the 2016 Hajj.
The Director-General of the agency, Alhaji Ibrahm Umar made the disclosure in Sokoto during the payment of N159 million as refunds to 4,997 pilgrims from the state who performed the 2015 hajj.
According to the Umar, the remittance was for 50 per cent of the 4,948 hajj seats allocated to the state by NAHCON for the forthcoming exercise.
“All the seats had been allocated to the 23 local governments in the state, while efforts are on to collect the balance and remit same to the commission,’’ Umar added.

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Rivers Deputy Governor Hails PH City One Love For Humanitarian Gesture

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Rivers state Deputy Governor Professor Ngozi Nma Odu has commended “The Port Harcourt City One Love,”a Port Harcourt based humanitarian orgnisation For it’s commitment towards alleviating the sufferings of the poor and vulnerable in the society.

Professor Ngozi Nma Odu said this while speaking at this year’s edition of “operation feed the needy” a yearly outreach program of “The Port Harcourt City One Love ” in Port Harcourt.
The Deputy Governor said by feeding more than sixty thousands hungry people within the past six years, the Port Harcourt City One Love Movement has distinguished itself as a club that cares for the less privilege in the society.

She commended the , organization for listing eleven thousand persons to be fed in the current exercise.

Meanwhile The Port Harcourt City One Love  has planned a permanent solution to the problem of feeding the poor in the state.

The leader of the group Mr Idaere Gogo Ogan who said this in an interview with newsmen during the distribution of food items to the poor and vulnerables in Port Harcourt said the organization is planning a permanent food kitchen where poor and vulnerable persons can work in anytime and get fed.

Idaere Gogo Ogan said more than sixty thousands poor and vulnerable persons across Port Harcourt City and environs have been fed since the inception of “The operation feed the needy” program six years ago,adding that so far sixty thousands poor and vulnerable persons have beneffited.

 

He described the group as a platform to promote friendship, brotherhood, community development empathy and feeding the less privilege and hungry people
“That’s what we are doing today here,so we started the exercise six years ago”.he said.

Ogan said the effort was a private sector driven initiative but added “it also involves people in Government because the platform does not recognize any division,we bring everybody together in unity , friendship and brotherhood”he said.

He said the effort will go along way in alleviating hunger especially following the prevailing hunger in the country.

According to him “you know the country is very tough, people are hungry people are starving, there is a whole lot of economic hardship,so for us, this is just our own way of reaching out, our own social contribution to what is very difficult”he said.

Over eleven thousand persons were fed in the just concluded exercise.
Areas of coverage include, Isaac Boro park, Port Harcourt prison/Macoba, Borokiri/Enugu waterside Bundu areas Waterlines and others.

Some of the beneficiaries including an 80 years old widow commended the movement for the annual programm and urged other organizations to emulate them

 

John Bibor,/Esuuk Oyet/Suotor Memoye /Jeremiah Hannah

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We’ll Partner Private Sector to Industrialize Rivers State – Fubara …Hints Revitalization of Ahoada, Trans Amadi Industrial layout

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Rivers State Governor , Sir Siminialayi Fubara says the industrialization of the state remains a key drive of his administration.
Speaking through Director General of the Rivers  State Investment Promotion Agency, Dr. Chamberlain Peterside at the Shell Gas Limited and Manufacturers Association of Nigeria(MAN) Investors Forum held in Port Harcourt, Fubara stressed that public /private partnership is key to revive production in the state.
“We are ready to partner Shell Gas Limited to revive manufacturing in Rivers State at Ahoada Industrial Park, and the new Port City project, including the proposed Bonny Industrial Park which will grow industries along the Bonny corridor” he declared.
Part of the scheme, he further stated is to collaborate with Shell Gas Limited and the private sector to transform Rivers State into a major manufacturing hub in the South of Nigeria.
Commending Shell and MAN for leading the frontline, Sir. Fubara said,” the time to act is now  and thank God Shell is taking the lead to prioritize gas.”
The governor opined that the gas sector provides huge investment opportunities to drive the state economy as the world is gradually shifting towards gas and other environment friendly energy, while urging stakeholders to evolve an actionable gas policy for the state.
Earlier in his remarks, Shell Gas Limited Head of Gas Distribution, Mr. Chukwuka Amos-Ejesi said it is high time the state utilized its huge gas resource.
“Today gas offers investors opportunities and raises the value chain as it boosts production for industry users,” Amos-Ejesi said.
The Shell Gas Distribution executive said the company seeks to support manufacturing by adopting a user friendly approach that allows manufacturers to grow profitably with affordable cheaper energy.
He explained that natural gas provides huge potentials and aligns with federal government  policy of gas utilization.
Chairman of MAN Rivers and Bayelsa Branch, Elder Vincent Okugu described gas as the backbone of manufacturing.
He said the forum has become timely and key to address the pressing energy provision to boost production in the sector, as he lamented the high costs borne by manufacturers in sourcing energy alternatives.
In her remarks, Chairperson of  the Port Harcourt Chamber of Commerce Industry Mines and Agriculture, Dr. Chinyere Ngozi Nwoga commended Shell for the forum which she described as a bridge to reduce gap of energy provision for manufacturers.
Ngozi Nwoga said the transition to natural gas has become imperative, stressing that pipeline gas offers cheaper and smooth energy provision for industries.
Former MAN chairperson for Rivers and Bayelsa States, Mrs Emilia Akpan was of the view that the quest to provide cheap energy should be driven with technical manpower, as she emphasized  need for Rivers State to recreate its economy.
By Kevin Nengia
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SheVentures Open Zero-interest Loan Applications for Women Entrepreneurs

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First City Monument Bank (FCMB) has opened a new round of applications for its SheVentures proposition, offering zero-interest loans of up to N10 million to women entrepreneurs to ease access to working capital and support business growth.
The facility provides loans ranging from N500,000 to N5 million under a general category, and N5 million to N10 million for sector-specific businesses, with funding capped at up to 50% of an applicant’s average monthly turnover.
Managing Director and Chief Executive of First City Monument Bank (FCMB),  Yemisi Edun,  said the initiative reflects a deliberate approach to inclusive growth.

“Inclusive growth requires access to capital and the right conditions for businesses to deploy that capital effectively. Women-led enterprises are critical to economic activity, yet they face structural barriers.

“This intervention aims to help close that gap by providing financing that supports job creation, business expansion, and long-term sustainability for women entrepreneurs”, Edun said.

Group Head, SheVentures and Impact Segments at First City Monument Bank (FCMB), Nnenna Jacob-Ogogo said access to affordable finance remains a major constraint for women entrepreneurs.

 

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