THE STATES

Adamawa

The Federal Government said  last Tuesday that it is addressing the challenges against poverty eradication in the country.
The National Coordinator, National Social Safety Net Coordinating Office (NASSCO), Mr Peter Paka, said this in Yola.
Paka spoke while flagging-off a three-day training of community based targeting team of the federal government cash transfer programme to the poor and vulnerable in Adamawa.
He described lack of proper coordination and weak synergy between tiers of government as some of the major factors affecting the smooth implementation of poverty eradication programmes in the country.
He regretted that several poverty eradication programmes were set up by previous administrations, but the interventions were not translated into reality because of poor targets and performances.

Bauchi

The Bauchi State House of Assembly has placed embargo on sales of lands in some local government areas that were identified with petroleum resources.
The chairman,House Committee on Information,Hon.Ibrahim Hassan stated this last Tuesday during a meeting with stakeholders and the Presidential Sub-committee on Economic Development in Bauchi.
He said that the measure was to prevent the sales of such lands to people that were not indigines of the state.
“We learnt that in Alkaleri and Kirfi local government areas, some people are selling off their lands to people that are not indigines of the state.
“The state House of Assembly has stop Red that action because the areas are endowed with petroleum resources.
“We do not want incidences where we sell out  lands and when it is time to start drilling the available natural  resources, it becomes something else,” he said.

Benue

The Sector Commander, Federal Road Safety Commission, Benue State Command, Mr Chidiebere Nkwonta, has advised commercial drivers and other stakeholders to install the speed limiting device to avoid arrest and prosecution.
The Sector Commander gave the advice on Tuesday in an interview with newsmen in Makurdi.
According to him, the FRSC held meeting with stakeholders such as commercial drivers and some private vehicle owners.
“We have met with the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) and Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN).
He said that the meeting was to remind the drivers to make sure they install the speed limiting device on or before the enforcement date of February 1.
The commander urged them to comply with the directive, saying the enforcement was nationwide.

Ekiti

The police have arrested two persons  in Ayede Ekiti,  Oye Local Government Area of Ekiti State,  following  a violent protest  which trailed the alleged killing of one person  by a traditional ruler in the area.
The protest, which lasted for  hours,  was said to have been ignited when  the victim   identified as Seyi Oladipo was allegedly shot dead by the  traditional ruler over a  land dispute.
Sources told The Tide that the land in dispute was  at Orisunmibare located  between Ayede Ekiti and the  neighbouring town of  Itaji Ekiti.
The 40-year-old   father of three was allegedly shot on the hand by the traditional ruler  who then fled , resulting in  the  protest  by youths in the aggrieved community.
The swift deployment of policemen from the Oye Police Division prevented a breakdown of law and order.

Gombe

The Road Transport Employer Association of Nigeria (RTEAN), Gombe State chapter, has appealed to the Federal Government and the National Assembly to review the prices of speed limit device to make it affordable.
Publicity Secretary of the associationMalam Abdullahi Muhammad,  made the appeal in an interview with newsmen in Gombe on Tuesday.
The Tide reports that the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) has declared February 1 as the official date for the enforcement of the use of the speed limiting device in the country.
Muhammad said, “N48, 000 is too much for the limiting device, going by the current economic situation in the country.

Kaduna

Ahead of the UN World Interfaith Harmony Week which started  on February 1, a Muslim woman has donated chairs to a Church and a pastor decorated a Mosque both in Kaduna to boost inter-religious tolerance and harmony.
Hajiya Ramatu Tijjani, a Peace Ambassador, told newsmen in Kaduna last Tuesday that the donation was also to promote mutual respect and better understanding between Muslims and Christians in the state and the country in general.
She said the World Interfaith Harmony Week was to promote peaceful religious co-existance and dialogue on peace, share love, unity and encourage togetherness, irrespective of faith.
The week, beginning from February 1 to February 7 every year extends the Two Commandments by adding “Love of the Good” and “Love of the Neighbour”, she said.

Katsina

The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), has allocated 4,722 hajj seats to Katsina State for the 2017 hajj exercise.
The Executive Secretary of the state hajj board, Alhaji Muhammed Rimi, told newsmen last Tuesday in Katsina State.
“The commission has directed us to start collecting hajj deposit from intending pilgrims and we have begun collecting the deposit in the 34 Local Government Areas of the state.
“The board has directed each pilgrim to deposit the sum of one million naira, pending the final announcement of the actual hajj fare by the commission.
“We have begun preparation for the 2017 hajj exercise, as the board had already secured accommodation at Mecca and Medina at strategic places near the Holy Mosque.

Lagos

The Minister of State for Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika,  last Tuesday reiterated the Federal Government’s commitment to the growth and development of the transportation sector.
Sirika gave the assurance in Lagos while speaking with newsmen on the sidelines of the listing by introduction of Medview Airline on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE).
The minister commended Medview for taking the bold step of going public, saying it was an indication that Nigerian airlines were getting healthier.
“I think this is very good, and it is a plus for us, because it shows the confidence that Nigerians are beginning to have once more on our industry,” he said.
Sirika charged other entrepreneurs within the sector to emulate Medview Airline by running their businesses in such a way that would be beneficial to the country at large in the long run.

Nasarawa

Nasarawa State Independent Electoral Commission (NASIEC), says it plans to spend N900 million on the conduct of local government elections in the state.
Chairman of the commission  Dr Abdullahi Modibbo, disclosed this in Lafia recently while defending the commission’s budget before the State Assembly Committee on NASIEC, Multilateral Cooperation and Community Development.
He said that the commission plans to use card reader machines for the polls.
Modibbo told the committee that the card reader had been successfully used in three states of the federation and Nasarawa would not be an exception.

Ogun

The Ogun State House of Assembly  has passed a bill upgrading Moshood Abiola Polytechnic (MAPOLY) to a University of Science and Technology.
The Majority Leader, Mr Adeyinka Mafe, moved the motion for the third reading of the bill during plenary in Abeokuta  and was  seconded by the Minority Leader, Mr Olawale Alausa.
The bill was originally entitled  ”  A bill for a Law to Provide for the Establishment of Moshood Abiola University of  Technology and for Matters of Administration and Discipline of Students Connected Therewith.’’
The bill is now  entitled : “ A Bill for a Law to Provide for the Establishment of Moshood Abiola University of Science and Technology and for Matters of Administration and Discipline of Students Connected  Therewith.’’

Oyo

The Alaafin of  Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi,  says  the dispute on the creation of 35 Local Council Development Areas(LCDAs)  by the state government  will be settled out of court.
The monarch said this  last  Tuesday after a closed door meeting with Governor Abiola  Ajimobi  at the Governor’s Office in Ibadan.
The Tide reports that 15 village heads had approached the court on issues bordering on the newly created Local Council Development Areas(LCDAs) in the state.
One Chief Oladokun Abiola and 14 others from Oyo- East Local Government Area had approached the court  claiming that  the LCDAs  would ostracise them from their ancestral land.
Justice John Tsoho of an Abuja Federal High Court had on January 20 granted an interim injunction stopping the local government election scheduled for February  11 in the original 33 Local Government Councils  and the newly created 35 LCDAs in the state.

Sokoto

Governor   Tambuwal of Sokoto State, has advised residents of the state to endeavour to pay their taxes regularly to enhance service delivery.
The governor gave the advice on Tuesday in Sokoto while declaring open the 2017 Stakeholders’ Budget Summit.
The summit was organised by the Office of the Special Adviser on Media and Public Affairs, in collaboration with the state chapter of the Coalition of Non-Governmental Organizations.
Tambuwal said: “as it is now, only civil servants pay their taxes and revenues as at when due.
“Other categories of the citizens do not pay while those who pay are not paying as at when due.

Yobe

A cross-section of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Yobe State say the National Emergency Management Agency’s (NEMA) humanitarian support programmes have facilitated their resettlement. The IDPs made the commendation on Tuesday in separate interviews with The Tide correspondent while reacting to NEMA’s donation of food items to them.
Musa Manu, an IDP resident at Nayi Nawa in Damaturu, said that the Federal Government, through NEMA and other agencies, had gave displaced persons a new lease of life.