Borno
No fewer than 2,000 registered rice farmers in Borno are to benefit from the Central Bank of Nigeria’s Anchor Borrowers Agricultural  Programme in the state.
Consultant in charge of the programme in the state, Mr Abbah Kale, who made the disclosure in an interview with newsmen in Maiduguri, last Thursday, said, rice farming had already commenced in liberated communities.
Kale, said registration and bio-metric data capturing of beneficiaries was on-going, just as they had scaled up the exercise to cover other liberated local government areas.
He said that, the programme was introduced by the Federal Government as part of renewed effort to boost rice and wheat production in the country.
According to him, the programme is aimed at supporting farmers with agricultural inputs to enhance productivity, create job opportunities and diversify the country’s economy.

Benue
The Benue State House of Assembly has confirmed four commissioner nominees presented to it by Governor Samuel Ortom.
During the screening of the nominees on Thursday at plenary, the legislators, lauded Ortom for the choice he made and moved that the nominees should be confirmed as commissioners.
The Speaker of the Assembly, Mr TerkimbiI Ikyange, advised the commissioners to put in their best to justify the confidence of the people who nominated them.
Ikyange, warned them not to abuse the privilege given to them but to always partner with the law makers in the overriding interest of the state.
The new commissioners are Mr Joseph Shmaor, a unionist, Mrs Ladi Isegbe, a civil servant; Mr Joseph Utsev, a lecturer and Mr Unenge Bernard, an engineer.

FCT
The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) says, 525 migrants and refugees have died in the Mediterranean sea while trying to enter Europe.
According to data from the organisation, the deaths recorded were between Jan. 1 and March 12, as against the 482 deaths recorded within the same period in 2016.
The data on deaths of migrants was compiled by the IOM’s Global Migration Data Analysis Centre.
The report stated that, there were 19,653 estimated total arrivals by sea, with Italy having 15,843 arrivals within the stated period.
On Monday, Kelly Namia of IOM Athens reported that, 2,810 migrants and refugees entered Europe through Greece since the start of 2017, compared with 143,205 within the same period in 2016.
Spain, however, recorded 1,000 arrivals compared with no arrivals in the same period in 2016.

Jigawa
Jigawa State Government has inaugurated a 23-member working committee to fashion out ways of improving the quality of education and healthcare delivery in the state.
Malam Ibrahim Isma’l, the Public Relations Officer, Office of the Head of the State Civil Service (HoS) made this known in a statement on Thursday in Dutse.
He said that, the committee was charged with the responsibility of developing strategic partnerships between the state government and relevant stakeholders, including non-government actors to spur implementation of the action plan.

Kano
The Deputy Governor of Kano State,  Prof. Hafiz Abubakar, says plans are on-going by the state government to provide low cost housing for low income earners in the state.
Abubakar, said this at a one-day Housing Forum organised by the Association of Housing Corporations of Nigeria in Kano State on Thursday.
The deputy governor stated that, apart from the 2,000 housing units presently under construction, the state would construct another 2,000.
”Kano State Government in its 2017 budget has made provision of N1.1 billion for the construction of one bed room, 2 bed room and 3 bed room detached bungalows to be executed by the State Housing Corporation.”

Kwara
The President of Kwara State Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (KWACCIMA), Alhaji Ahmed Raji, has decried the influx of sub-standard products into the country.
Raji, told newsmen in Ilorin last Thursday that all agencies regulating products must live up to expectation.
He expressed concern at the current situation whereby Nigerians imported garri, a Nigerian staple, from China, saying the development was absurd.
“We want the regulatory agencies to be more vigilant and pro-active so that they can give consumers value for their money.
“They should apprehend criminal minded people who are producing fake products and sanction them appropriately,” he said.

Kaduna
Save the Children, an International NGO, last Thursday urged all tiers of government to make more investment on girls education, social protection and women empowerment.
Mr Ekene Ifedilichukwu, the Nutrition Advocacy Coordinator of the organisation, made the call at a media training on nutrition reporting and budgeting in Kaduna.
Ifedilichukwu said that, investing in women would go a long way in improving the nutritional status of the vulnerable group in the society including children.
He noted that, such investment would assist in addressing the nation’s nutritional challenges.

Lagos
Eight ships laden with petrol and other commodities are to berth in Lagos ports, the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) said on Thursday.
The document noted that, four of the ships contained petrol, while other ships would berth with empty containers, crude palm olein and bulk fertiliser.
The document stated that, 22 ships laden with petroleum products, food items and other goods were expected to arrive Apapa and Tin-Can Island ports in Lagos from March 16 to March 27.
NPA said that, the expected ships contained buck wheat, containers, base oil, bulk corn, bulk sugar, bulk gypsum, bulk salt, cargoes, bulk fertiliser, empty containers, kerosene and petrol.
Niger

The Niger State Police Command has arrested a 62-year-old-man, Mohammed Sani, over alleged rape of a 3-year-old girl.
The Tide reports that, the suspect, a resident of Cool-Cat area in Maitumbi of Bosso Local Government Area, was arrested after the victim complained of severe pains in her private part.
Mr Bala Elkana, the Police Public Relation Officers, told newsmen on Tuesday in Minna, that Sani committed the offence on March 4, and was arrested on March 8.

Nasarawa
The Chief Judge of Nasarawa State, Justice Suleiman Dikko, has warned Magistrates and Area Court Judges in the state against indulging in corruption.
Dikko, gave the warning at a sensitisation workshop in Lafia last Thursday.
He said that, the workshop was necessitated by the desire of the management of the judiciary to find lasting solution to the lingering problems confronting the justice administration in the state.
“Some of the problems we intend to address in this workshop include corruption which has eaten deep into the judicial system in the country.”

Ogun
A 38-year-old man, Sunday Alonge, who allegedly collected 19 bags of rice valued at N313,000 under false pretext, was on Thursday arraigned in an Ota Magistrates’ Court.
Alonge, who lives at No. 35 Falade St., Iyana-llogbo, Ota, is facing a two-court charge of conspiracy and obtaining money under false pretence.
The prosecutor, Sgt. Chudu Gbesi, told the court that the accused and others still at large, committed the offences on March 2 at about 11.30a.m. at No. 15 Fadina Compound, Idiroko Road, Ota.

Plateau
The National Orientation Agency (NOA) says, activities of cyber criminals are jeopardising the integrity of digital transactions.
Mr Bulus Dabit, the Plateau State Director of the agency, told newsmen in Jos last Thursday that this was in spite of its numerous advantages of digital over the conventional transactions.
Dabit, said that digital transactions were usually built on trust, but which was now being threatened by devious operators who used it to prey on consumers.
“Although trust is mutual in digital transactions, the consumer bears the greatest risk as he has to sometimes part with his money before accessing the goods or services.

Zamfara
The Zamfara State Government, is targeting the production of 6,450 tonnes of rice and sorghum in the 2017 dry season farming, under the Fadama III project in the state.
The state Fadama III Project Coordinator, Alhaji Aliyu Shinkafi, made this known in Gusau on Thursday in an interview with newsmen
Reports gathered that, 1,290 farmers from three local government areas of Bakura, Maradun and Talata-Mafara were registered under the Fadama III project for the 2017 dry season farming.
Our correspondent also reports that each of the registered farmers would be supported with a 50-per-cent subsidy on all the inputs that are required for the farming activities.