THE STATES

Benue
Federal Public Complaints Commissioner of the Federation, overseeing Benue State Alhaji Abubakar Tsav,has written to President Muhammadu Buhari, accusing Governor Samuel Ortom of “executive recklessness” and privatisation of the state.
The 10-page letter dated May 16th titled “ Whistleblowing:  Stagnation of Benue State”  was addressed to  Governor Ortom and made available to newsmen Makurdi. Copies were also sent to all the anti-graft agencies in the country.
Tsav in the letter accused Governor Ortom of “corruptive nepotism and executive recklessness” by placing his family business,  Oracle Business Limited above the state. He said this represents a conflict of interest.
“On 12th July, 2015, your brother who is the CEO, Oracle Business Ltd, Mr. Michael Ortom wrote a letter congratulating you on your electoral victory as Governor of Benue state.

FCT
Deputy Whip, House of Representatives, Rep. Pally Iriase, has called on the Federal Government to declare state of emergency on insecurity as killings, kidnappings and raping continue unabated across the country.
Iriase made the call in Abuja on Sunday while speaking with newsmen.
He appealed to the government and security operatives to check the activities of the bandits killing, raping and kidnapping innocent people in Edo State.
The lawmaker, who refused to call the bandits Fulani herdsmen, said that residents of Owan East and West, Etsako and Akoko local government areas were under siege by the bandits.
He said that the bandits carried sophisticated weapons like AK47 and machine guns.

Gombe
Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon.Yakubu Dogara, last Saturday, urged minority tribesmen  in the country to devise ways of preserving their languages to guard against extinction in future.
Dogara gave the advice in Lubo community of Yamaltu-Deba Local Government Area of Gombe state during the launch of New Testament Bible, which was translated to ‘Tera’ language.
He commended the effort of Tera speaking people for taking a bold step to translate the Bible into their dialect, adding that the move would go a long way in preserving their language.
“Language that is not preserved may likely go into extinction and this will affect the unity of the people.

Jigawa
The Igala Cultural Group from Jigawa State in Dutse last Sunday emerged winner of the 2017 National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) Batch ‘A’ Stream One Dance Carnival, organized by Jigawa NYSC.
Reports have it that the Yorubu group came second while the Igbo group came third, with each of the groups carting away a trophy.
Ten groups, which represented different tribes of the country, featured in the event.
Speaking at the occasion, the Emir of Dutse, Alhaji Nuhu Muhammad, said the competition had further strengthened the unity of the country and brotherhood of the corps members.

Katsina
Governor Aminu Masari of Katsina State has called on elected officials, agencies and other initiators of empowerment support schemes to allocate not less than 60 per cent to women.
Masari made the call in Bakori last Sunday while launching  distribution of 30 cars, 100 motorcycles, 70 sewing machines and 20 generating sets as empowerment items donated by the representative of Bakori/Danja Federal Constituency, Rep.  Amiru Tukur.
The governor explained that women faced enormous challenges, especially in the rural areas, where they were mostly bread winners, sponsoring children’s  education and other burdens.
He said women always ensured that their earnings went to family upkeep more than men.

Kogi
Senator  Dino Melaye (APC-Kogi) has said that the ongoing move by the electorate in his constituency to recall him from the Senate will fail.
Melaye, who is representing the Kogi West Senatorial District in the Senate, made the statement in Kabba, Kogi State, last Sunday, when he addressed his supporters.
He said his achievements in the Senate were enormous and as such the people of the constituency were solidly behind him.
Melaye, who later led his supporters on a peaceful march round Kabba town, alleged that the state Governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, was behind the move to recall him.

Kwara
The Kwara State Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board last Sunday said it had fixed Friday, June 16th, as deadline for the completion of payment of 2017 Hajj fare by all  prospective pilgrims travelling through the board.
Alhaji Mohammed Tunde-Jimoh, the Executive Secretary of the board, announced this while speaking with newsmen in llorin.
He therefore advised all intending pilgrims to pay up their balance on or before that date, or forfeit their seats, warning that there would be no extension of the deadline
Tunde-Jimoh said the fixing of the deadline was necessitated by the directive of the National Hajj Commission that all state Muslim pilgrims welfare boards should submit all travelling documents of their intending pilgrims.

Lagos
A veteran journalist and poet, Mr Akeem Lasisi, has called on journalists to write books to enable a large number of people to benefit from their knowledge.
“It shouldn’t be about covering events. The news reporting that we do everyday largely flows with the wind.
“Where were the stories you and I wrote five years ago or six years ago.
“You can only find them in one archive or library somewhere people don’t get to talk about them again,’’ Lasisi said in Lagos at a launch of a book he co-authored.
Lasisi, a poet for more than 25 years, said that some journalists developed ideas that could form books, but did not produce books out of them.

Nasarawa
Secretary, Nasarawa State Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board, Alhaji Abubakar Nalarabe, has appealed to the Federal Government to subsidise hajj fare.
He made the appeal last Sunday, in Lafia, during orientation programme organized by the board for prospective pilgrims from the state.
He urged the government to come to the aid of intending pilgrims in view of the high exchange rate and the economic situation in the country.
Nalarabe noted that those who participated in the 2016 pilgrimage paid N1, 050, 000 (one million, fifty thousand naira) as fare, adding that the fare had gone up to N1.5 million.

Sokoto
Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State says the current recession in the country has hindered his zeal to deliver more dividends of democracy to the people of the state.
Tambuwal stated this in Sokoto, on Sunday, at the quarterly stakeholders’ meeting of All Progressives Congress (APC) party in the state.
“ We came with the zeal to work, but the unfortunate situation we found ourselves, has slowed us down.
“ Yet, we have been promptly paying salaries and other workers’ entitlements, as well as pensions and gratuities.
“ We have also completed most of the inherited projects; some are ongoing, while we have initiated additional projects.
“ The present administration will not abandon any projects, which would be evenly spread across the state,” the governor said.

Oyo
Senate President Bukola Saraki  last Saturday, said  Nigeria would only attain greatness in unity.
Saraki told newsmen in Ibadan, last Saturday, that Nigerians, irrespective of political, ethnic and religious affiliations, must shun calls for disintegration.
Report that Saraki,  in company with Sen. Abdulfatai Buhari(APC-Oyo North),  was  in Ibadan for the wedding ceremony of the daughter of  APC chieftain, Chief Bisi Akande.
The senate president was reacting to the ultimatum issued by some northern youths  to Igbos to quit the north by October 1 and the counter threats by some other ethnic groups.
But Saraki  said that the unity of the country was not negotiable, adding that  Nigerians must come together to achieve peace and progress.
“ Leaders from the various regions of the country should preach unity to their youths”, he said.

Plateau
The Federal University of Technology, Minna, has donated 148 titles with 458 volume of books worth over N1 million to the University of Jos.
The institution’s Public Relations Officer, Mrs Lydia Legbo, disclosed this in a statement made available to newsmen in Minna, last Saturday.
She said that it was part of the university decision to assist the institution in rebuilding process after the fire incident that razed the university’s library at the permanent site in September, 2016.
The donation was made by the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Musbau Akanji, who was represented by the University Librarian, Dr Jubril Alhassan.
Speaking at the occasion, Prof. Akanji expressed FUT, Minna, heartfelt sympathies with the university over the colossal loss of its library books and equipment that were destroyed during the inferno.