THE STATES

Bauchi
The wife of Bauchi South Senator, Hajiya Hadiza Wakili,
has distributed fertiliser and agro-chemical worth thousands of naira to 100 women groups in Bauchi Southern Senatorial District.
Hadiza said the gesture was a demonstration that the weak and vulnerable groups in the society were dear to her heart and her husband.
She noted that the farm inputs would assist host communities, who were playing host to victims of insurgency in the North-East of the country.
Hadiza further noted that the insurgency had destabilised and crippled both agricultural and other economic activities of the affected people.
She said that the gesture was aimed at helping women, who had assisted her husband during his electioneering, to engage in farming towards boosting food security.

Benue
A Makurdi Upper Area Court has dissolved the eight-
year-old marriage between Nelson Ebiem and Nneka over irreconcilable differences and unholy behaviour.
Nneka had dragged her husband to court over alleged cruelty, unholy behaviour, threat to life and  refund of bride price.
The presiding officer, Ibrahim Mohammed, in his judgment, said that both parties agreed to dissolve the marriage.
“The petitioner sought divorce on the grounds of cruelty, threat to life and refund of bride price.
“Any custom that seeks to remove divorce and refund of bride price from the court is an aberration.
“That custom is an affront to the court created by the constitution and other enabling laws of this country.
“Such custom should not be allowed to exist in this 21st century”, the judge said.

Borno
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA)
has presented additional foodstuff to the Borno State Government for the feeding of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Maiduguri and its environs.
NEMA North-East Coordinator, Malam Muhammad Kanar, presented the items to officials of the state government in Maiduguri.
Kanar said that the donation was in line with the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between NEMA and the state government on the feeding of the IDPs.
He said that the gesture followed a request by the state government for additional supply to take care of increasing food needs at the IDPs camps.
Kanar said that the presentation was in addition to 8,000 bags of rice handed over to the state government a fortnight ago for the monthly feeding of the IDPs.

Ekiti
Ekiti State Government has commenced the planting of
750 trees as part of measures aimed at protecting public buildings at the State Secretariat against windstorms.
The State Head of Service, Dr Olugbenga Faseluka, said that 128,000 seedlings of teak and Gmelina had been raised for free distribution to public institutions.
Faseluka stated this at the launching of the tree planting programme, within the state Public Service at the state Secretariat headquarters, Ado-Ekiti.
He said the distribution of the seedling followed the launch of the State Forest Regeneration Programme by Gov. Ayo Fayose two weeks ago.

FCT
The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON),
has assured of the safety of lives and properties of pilgrims to the 2016 Hajj in Saudi Arabia.
Alhaji Abdullahi Mohammed, the Executive Chairman of NAHCON told newsmen in Abuja that the commission had taken proactive measures to ensure the safety of all the intending pilgrims.
Mohammed said that the Saudi Authorities had assured the commission that there would be no re-occurrence of the incidents that led to the death of pilgrims in 2015.
Our correspondent  reports that no fewer than six Nigerian pilgrims lost their lives in the tragic crane incident that occurred at the Grand Mosque in Ka’abah, Mecca, Saudi Arabia on September 11, 2015.
Similarly, 274 Nigerian pilgrims died during a stampede in Muna, the venue of the symbolic stoning of the devil.
Gombe
About 800 repentant Boko Haram members will soon
arrive Gombe for rehabilitation, Brig.-Gen. Bamidele Shaffa, Coordinator of Operation Safe Corridor for Repentant Boko Haram, has said.
He was speaking  in Gombe during an interactive session with newsmen.
Shaffa said that all the necessary arrangements had been put in place to commence operation at the rehabilitation camp.
According to him, the repentant militants would undergo a de-radicalisation process in the camp, which would prepare them to go back to their various communities.
Shaffa said that about 14 Federal Government agencies including the security personnel would work in the camp.

Kano
The National Association of Resident Doctors of Nige
ria (NARD) has directed its members in hospitals that had not received full salaries by end of July, to take necessary actions including total withdrawal of services to ensure compliance.
The President of the association, Dr Muhammad Askira, gave the directive while briefing newsmen in Kano recently.
He said the decision to give the directive was taken at the National Executive Council meeting of the association held between July 25 and July 30, in Keffi, Nasarawa State.
“Many Federal Tertiary hospitals are yet to pay full salaries for doctors despite the directive and agreement that such should commence latest by end of July”, he said.

Katsina
The Katsina State Government has distributed 720 high breed of goats worth N104 million for distribution to women under its Women Empowerment Scheme.
Alhaji Abdulkadir Nasir, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Economic Empowerment, disclosed this in Katsina at the launching of the programme.
He said that each of 240 women selected across the 34 local governments would be given two female goats and one male goat.
The official said that the animals, which were purchased in Niger Republic, were of highly reproductive and good for breeding.

Kebbi
The Kebbi State Government has promised to collabo
rate with Niger and Benin Republics to promote agricultural, economic, cultural and political relationship.
Governor  Atiku Bagudu made the pledge  in Birnin Kebbi when he received a delegation of farmers, traders and livestock breeders from Dosso State in Niger republic.
The delegation, led by Isah Ibrahim, was in the state to explore areas of collaboration in agriculture, especially poultry and livestock and rice farming.
He said he would spearhead the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the state and the neighbouring countries.
Nasarawa
Residents of Mararaba, Nasarawa State, have expressed
worry over refuse dump site on Abuja/Keffi express way and called on Nasarawa State Government to evacuate the heap threatening public health.
They made the call in separate interviews with our correspondent  in Mararaba.
A petty trader, Malam Ahmed Waziri, said the heap of refuse had been in the area for over a month threatening public health and needed to be evacuated on time.
According to the trader, the refuse is overdue for evacuation and any further delay can pose a serious threat to the health of the people, especially to those living in the area.
Another trader, in the area, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that the refuse might block the road, if quick intervention by the government of Nasarawa State did not come on time.

Niger
The Niger State newly appointed Chief Judge(CJ), Jus
tice Maria Dzukogi, says about N50 million has been spent to refurbish various courts across the state.
Dzukogi said this shortly after the State House of Assembly confirmed her appointment as the new Chief Judge of the state.
Dzukogi replaced the former CJ, Justice Fati Abubakar, wife of Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar, a former military head of state, and an in-law of Gov. Sani Bello of Niger.
Dzukogi said that seven courts had been renovated since the inception of the present administration, adding that the plan was to give all the courts a face lift.
“So far seven courts in Minna, Suleja and Agaie have been given a new facelift and the idea is to extend the renovation to all the courts in the state.
“We expect the continuation of the rehabilitation of our decayed infrastructure, especially, court buildings across the state,” she said.

Osun
The Osun State Government has announced that butch
ers in the state would henceforth pay N700 as levy for every cow slaughtered for sale in the state.
Our correspondent reports that the announcement followed a decision reached at a meeting between the state government and Osun Cattle Butchers Association in Osogbo.
Mr Wale Adedoyin, a consultant to the state government, who represented it at the meeting, told newsmen that the levy was introduced to boost internally-generated revenue of the state.
According to him, parties at the meeting agreed that henceforth the establishment of a new slaughter slab will attract payment of N50, 000.
Adedoyin, a former Commissioner for Agriculture and food security in the state, added that registration of each member of the butchers association would attract N2,500 while annual renewal of registration would cost N1,000.