THE STATES

Bauchi

Four female intending pilgrims from Bauchi State were barred from performing the 2016 Hajj Pilgrimage, the state’s Deputy Amirul Hajji, Alhaji Kawuwa Damuna, said.

Damuna, who is also the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, said that three of the intending pilgrims were discovered to be pregnant, while the fourth was disqualified on health grounds.

He said that officials of the state medical team discovered the pregnant women during their final screening.

Damuna said that the other pilgrim barred on health grounds was seriously sick.

“She was seriously sick and was also barred from boarding the aircraft conveying third and fourth batches of the state pilgrims on health ground,’’ he said.

FCT

The Federal Government has stepped up vigilance within

the drug supply chains in the country on the circulation of two confirmed falsified versions of Quinine Sulphate.

A statement said the Federal Ministry of Health received a medical alert that the two falsified drugs contain zero active pharmaceutical ingredients.

The statement signed by Mrs Boade Akinola, Director, Media and Public Relations of the ministry, said the drugs were circulating in West and Central Africa.

Akinola said the two version of the drug were circulating in Cameroon and Democratic Republic of Congo.

She said the Quinine Sulphate was used in the treatment of malaria.

According to her, the implication of using the falsified one is that it will not be effective and may also lead to other health challenges.

Jigawa

Flood has destroyed 120 houses and washed away farms

and other valuables worth million of naira in Jahun Local Government Area of Jigawa State.

Rep. Sai’du Yusif (APC-Jahun/Miga) made the figure known to newsmen after visiting the victims to sympathise with them.

Yusuf said the report received from the victims, indicated that about 120 houses, foodstuffs and other valuables were destroyed by flood.

The lawmaker, accompanied by Chief Whip, Rep. Alasan Doguwa and National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) official, said he came to sympathise with the victims.

Yusuf said he came in company of Alasan, who represented the Speaker, Rep Yakubu Dogara, to assess the level of damages caused by the flood for appropriate action.

Kaduna

The Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai, has urged

officers and men of the Nigerian Army to ensure they update themselves in terms of knowledge apart from military basic training.

Buratai spoke with newsmen at Kachia after he fired some shots in a mock war as one of the concluding exercises for graduating cadets.

“They must be up to date, not necessarily getting the basic military training only, they must be up to date in terms of current affairs and in terms of global trend.

“They must be current in Information Communication Technology and I am sure they will go places,’’ Buratai said.

Kano

Malam Abba Bala, a community leader in Warawa Lo

cal Government Area, Kano State, has expressed concern over the deplorable condition of Makole-Warawa-Laraba road.

The road linked the local government headquarters (Warawa), Laraba and other villages with Kano-Maiduguri highway.

Fielding questions from newsmen in Warawa, Bala said people living in the area found it difficult to reach Kano due to the terrible condition of the road.

“People in this area find it difficult to reach Kano-Maiduguri Highway to get a vehicle to Kano because of the condition of the road.

Katsina

Small holder farmers in Katsina State have appealed to

Federal Government and Agro-allied companies to ensure transparency in seed multiplication and other outgrowing business in the country.

The small holder farmers are from in Funtua, Faskari and Dandume Local Government Areas.

Outgrowing business is directing a collection of farmers to cultivate specific crop with inputs support from government or companies. It may be for special need such as multiplying breeder seeds to foundation seeds or expanding the cultivation of crops for maximum harvest.

Kogi

Nigerian women have been advised to inculcate at

tributes of good behaviour and fear of God in their children to be good citizens of the country.

Mrs Rosemary Adefarati, the Founder and Chairperson of Prosperous Women Organisation (PWO), gave the advice in an interview with newsmen in Lokoja.

She also charged women to be agents of peace and harmony in their homes, adding that they should also lay a good example for their children.

The chairperson advised mothers to be very watchful of their children, especially their daughters in this age where immoral behaviours were on the high side.

Kwara

A 65 year old woman, who was in charge of ensuring

proper sanitary condition of a mosque in llorin, Kwara was found dead inside a well at the mosque premises recently.

Our correspondent  reports that the incident occurred at AnsarulDeen Mosque, Osere area, Sawmill in llorin West Local Government Area of the state.

Eye witnesses’ account revealed that the dead woman popularly known as “lya Majeobaje” fell into the well while fetching water to clean the mosque. They said that there was nobody within the vicinity of the mosque to rescue her when she fell inside the well at about 5p.m. None of the worshipers with the mosque took notice of any human being inside the well during the evening and early morning prayers.

Lagos

The Federal Government has opened the Apapa Bridge

to light traffic as the emergency repair works being carried out on it reached “milestone”.

A statement signed by Mr Hakeem Bello, Special Adviser, Communications, to the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola said that the bridge had been  re-opened.  Fashola said that the bridge was opened after repairs on it “attained a milestone’’.

“Also completed is the placement of height restriction gantry in order to ensure that only light traffic can access the bridge.

Nasarawa

The 10th session of the National Council of Environ

ment has approved a nationwide monthly environmental sanitation and will also reward the cleanest council all year round.

Hajiya Amina Mohammed, Minister of Environment stated this in Lafia when she briefed newsmen about the decisions reached at the end of the meeting.

The 10th National Council on Environment was tagged “Environment and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Nigeria: Empowering People, Taking Climate Action and Protecting the Environment’’.

Chaired by Mohammed, the meeting was attended by all Commissioners of Environment from all states of the federation, Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), amongst other stakeholders.

Mohammed said the decision to reintroduce the monthly exercise was approved by the council following observation on the menace of poor solid waste management and sanitation issues.

Niger

The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in Niger State

has called on commercial vehicle operators to commence installation of the speed limiting device on their vehicles to beat the October 1 deadline when enforcement will begin.

Suzan Ajenge, the Sector Commander told newsmen in Minna that the FRSC would start taking action against erring commercial vehicles.

She said that the measure would commence with articulated and commercial vehicles and subsequently private vehicles.

“ The previous deadline was not successful because we discovered that motorists needed more time to adjust to the policy.

Zamfara

An NGO, Seeds Entrepreneurs Association of Nigeria

(SEEDAN) has donated 30 tonnes of 10kg bags of rice to Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Dansadau emirate of Maru Local Government Area in Zamfara.

Our correspondent  reports that over 3,000 IDPs were displaced from their various communities as a result of cattle rustling and bandit attacks.

Speaking while presenting the items to the victims, the Chairman of the association, Prof. Johnson Onyebe said that the gesture by the association was to assist the victims.

“We are very concerned about what has been happening here and we have decided to come and offer this assistance as our contribution to you as brothers and sisters.

“It is one of our programmes in SEEDAN, that whenever there are incidences like this, we contribute out of the little profit we are getting from our businesses to provide succour to humanity.