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THE STATES
L-R: Rep. Uzor Azubuike, former Speaker, House of Representatives/ Chairman, Sub Committee on PDP Post Election Review, Rep. Emeka Ihedioha and Alhaji Adamu Waziri, during the PDP Post Election Review Committee and PDP stakeholders meeting for the South West in Ibadan, yesterday. Photo: NAN
Adamawa
The Medical Unit of the 28 Taskforce Brigade Com
mand of the Nigerian Army, Mubi, says that it has treated over 3,000 people of various ailments in Mubi area of Adamawa.
Brig Gen. Victor Ezugwu ,Commander of the Task Force, told newsmen in Mubi.that the gesture was part of activities marking the 2015 Nigerian Army Day celebration, slated for every July 6.
He said that the medical reach-out covered communities where soldiers were deployed to carry out counter insurgency operations.
” Under the programme we are targeting no less than 5000 people. “But so far , we have already attended to over 3,000 people, all in Mubi area.” Ezugwu said.
He listed pregnant women, elderly people and children of five years and below, as those that benefited from the gesture.
Bauchi
Bauchi State Police Command has advised people of the
state to be on the alert following Sunday’s twin blast in parts of neighbouring Jos metropolis in Plateau state.
The command gave the advice in a statement issued by DSP Haruna Mohammed, the command’s spokesperson, and made available to journalists.
“Against the backdrop of prevailing security challenges, the Bauchi State Police Command urges members of the general public to be security conscious of their physical and social environment .
“They should pay special attention to persons and objects, particularly at motor parks, shopping malls, markets, schools and places of worships etc.
“They should also report suspicious persons or objects within their neighborhood, especially on motorcycles and tricycles, to the nearest Police station, or through the emergency numbers 08151849417, for prompt response”, it advised.
Borno
The Nigerian Army has released 182 detainees recently
cleared of any association with the Boko Haram insurgents.
The Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Kenneth Minimah, presented the detainees to Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno State at a ceremony in Maiduguri.
Minimah said the detainees were arrested few months back in Borno State and other parts of the country.
He said the military decided to release them after they had been cleared by an investigation panel.
Minimah said the detainees include 100 men, 24 women,18 teenagers and 40 children.
“We believe that the state government will work towards reintegrating them back to the society,” he said.
Ekiti
An Ado-Ekiti Chief Magistrates’ Court has ordered that
one Kayode Oke, 32, be remanded in prison for allegedly attempting to kill his mother.
The Prosecutor, Sgt. Bamikole Olasunkanmi, told the court that the accused committed the offence on June 29 in Igede-Ekiti.
Olasunkanmi told the court that the accused on the said date unlawfully attempted to commit murder by chasing his mother with a cutlass.
The prosecutor said the offence contravened Section 320 of the Criminal Code, Cap C 16, Laws of Ekiti State, 2012.
He also said that the case file had been sent to the Directorate of Public Prosecution for legal advice.
FCT
The Senegalese Head of State and current ECOWAS
Chairman, Macky Sall, has condemned the terrorist attacks in Nigeria in the last few days.
A statement issued by the Chairman and made available to the newsmen in Abuja said the attacks had left more than 150 dead and many others injured.
“In these painful circumstances, the Chairman presents his heartfelt condolences to the President of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari, the Government and brotherly people of Nigeria,” it stated.
It also quoted the Chairman as appealing for greater international mobilisation to end terrorism and violent extremism.
The statement also appealed for expeditious holding of the Summit of ECOWAS Heads of State and of the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS).
It added that such summits were needed to map out a common strategy against the terrorist movements.
Gombe
The United Nations has commenced screening of 2,000
Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) for the first phase of providing means of livelihood and early recovery support scheme to victims of Boko Haram insurgency.
The UN Resident Co-ordinator/UNDP on Resident Representative, Dr Daouda Toure, said in Gombe Monday while addressing the IDPs that the screening was to ascertain if they were actually victims of insurgency.
Toure said 500 beneficiaries would be selected from Adamawa, Borno and Yobe, and the UN was partnering with the three state governments to ensure the success of the exercise.
Toure, who was represented by Mr Matthew Alao, UNDP’s Conflict Prevention and Peace Building Analyst, said the beneficiaries would be placed on a six-month or one-year skills acquisition programme.
According to him, all the beneficiaries would be accommodated and also paid allowances for the entire period.
Kaduna
The Kaduna State Government has banned any form of
street begging and hawking in the state.
A statement signed by the media aide to the governor, Mr Samuel Aruwan in Kaduna, said the ban was with immediate effect.
The statement said that the order was to reinforce security in the state, following a suicide attack in Zaria, which claimed the lives of 25 people on Monday.
It emphasised that the ban on commercial motorcycle operation was still in force and government would deal decisively with offenders.
“All beggars and hawkers are to stay off the streets until further notice.
“Any beggar or hawker found on the streets will be arrested until these measures are relaxed,” it said.
Lagos
Some Nigerians in the Diaspora have urged the Federal
Government to be proactive in the global drug policy review and implementation.
The call by the group under the aegis of the United Nigerians in the Diaspora (UNID) is coming as the United Nations prepare for the periodic review of the global illicit drug policy in 2016.
UNID is a non-governmental organisation aimed at addressing youths’ challenges, providing succor to the downtrodden as well as collaborating with the governments in finding solutions to global and national social malaise.
UNID said in a statement by its President, Dr Paschal Okoli, that the unwholesome venture by Nigerians, especially youths in global drug trafficking had made it imperative for the Federal Government to maximise diplomatic overtures.
“The Federal Government must raise its voice in the global campaign against drug trafficking, production, use and against the killing of drug offenders, especially Nigerians in some Asian countries,” the statement said.
It said that the nonchalant attitude of government, especially Nigerian Embassies in the cases of alleged drug offenses, mostly in Asian countries had further embolden some countries to maltreat Nigerians.
Nasarawa
Governor Umaru Al-Makura of Nasarawa State has dis
tributed relief materials to 20 communities affected by the recent political clash in the state.
Speaking while distributing the items, the governor said that his administration was deeply concerned about the plight of the affected communities.
The items distributed include rice, beans, cooking pots, agricultural inputs such as fertiliser, herbicides and knap-sack sprayers, clothing materials, mattresses, roofing sheets and blankets.
He said that he made the donation in cooperation with the United Nations High Commission for Refugees and National Emergency Management Agency.
Osun
A Senior Pastor at the Christ Apostolic Church, Oke-
Itura, Oshogbo, Osun State, Pastor Israel Adubi, has called for fervent prayer to end insurgency in the country.
Adubi made the call in Osogbo last Tuesday in an interview with newsmen on the renewed onslaught by the Boko Haram in the North.
He also called on Nigerians, irrespective of religious affiliations and political leanings, to come together and pray for divine intervention.
The cleric explained that the trend in insurgency in which young females were used as suicide bombers was dangerous and worrisome.
Sokoto
Sokoto State Government has dolled out foodstuff and clothing materials worth N9.7 million to indigent women ahead of the Sallah festival.
The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Women and Children Affairs, Alhaji Suleiman Sarkin-Fulani disclosed this to newsmen in Sokoto.
He said the ministry had set up committees to distribute the items which included rice, sugar, wrappers, cash, among others.
The permanent secretary said apart from the women, patients on admission in hospitals and physically challenged persons would also benefit.
“The gesture is aimed at assisting the women to observe the ongoing Ramadan fast with ease.
“The clothing materials will also enable them to dress perfectly during the forthcoming Sallah just like other advantaged women,” Sarkin-Fulani added.
Taraba
The management of the Federal Medical Centre (FMC),
Jalingo, has appealed to the striking resident doctors to call off their strike in the interest of patients.
Dr Wiza Inusa, the Medical Director of the hospital, made the appeal at a news conference on Tuesday in Jalingo.
Inusa said that the Association of Resident Doctors (ARD) had embarked on an indefinite strike over the non-implementation of skipping allowances for their members.
He, however, explained that skipping allowances was a nationwide matter and should not be localised by doctors in the hospital.
“The resident doctors are pressing for the implementation of skipping allowances by the Federal Government which is okay.
`
Senator representing Kogi Central Senatorial District in the National Assembly, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, has commended the efforts by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC) to apprehend and prosecute the immediate past governors of Kogi State, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, over an alleged N80.2 billion fraud.
This is just as she also hailed the EFCC chairman, Ola Olukoyede, for ceding 14 properties that were initially forfeited to the federal government to the government and people of Enugu State.
Reacting to Bello’s excuse for not honouring the EFCC’s invitation, the lawmaker emphasized the need for the commission to investigate other corrupt public officials to avoid the impression that their actions against former governor were meant to witch hunt him.
In a now-viral video, the EFCC chairman had claimed Belloh told him that a female senator (name withheld) allegedly gathered journalists to humiliate him anytime he was at the agency’s Abuja office for interrogation.
“I called Yahaya Bello, as a serving governor, to come to my office to clear himself. I shouldn’t have done that. But he said because a certain senator had planted over 100 journalists in my office, he would not come.
“I told him that he would be allowed to use my private gate to give him a cover, but he said my men should come to his village to interrogate him,” Olukoyede was quoted as saying.
But Senator Natasha in a statement signed by her Chief Press Secretary, Arogbonlo Israel and issued at the weekend in Abuja, reminded Yahaya Bello of the importance of respecting Nigeria’s laws and constitution, given his former position as the chief security officer of Kogi.
“I was surprised to hear that Yahaya Bello evaded the invitation from the EFCC, despite having served as Kogi’s former chief security officer. As a former governor, he should understand the importance of respecting Nigeria’s laws and constitution.
“It’s a well-known fact that ‘he who comes into equity must come with clean hands’. As such, I advise him to honour the invitation and clear his name while he still has the chance.
“I’d also like to take this moment to appreciate the diligence of the EFCC in handling the case so far. No Nigerian is above the law, and therefore the agency must see this case through to the end if they are to gain the trust of both Nigerians and the international community in the fight against corruption,” she said.
Worried over the latest depreciation of the Naira against major foreign currencies, the Senate through its Committee on Finance, has stated that the Legislature is exploring a range of policy options to mitigate the impact of Naira depreciation and foster economic stability in the country.
These, according to the committee, in a statement signed by its chairman, Senator Sani Musa (APC Niger East) and released yesterday, includes robust oversight of fiscal policies, engagement with key stakeholders, and the formulation of targeted interventions to support key sectors of the economy.
Senator Musa said the statement became necessary “to address the current state of the economy and the need for concerted efforts at tackling the instability and continuous depreciation of the Naira.”
This is even as he hoped that the “economic managers will adhere strictly to the norms and standards set by this administration to ensure that we achieve the desired outcomes in taking Nigeria to its economic growth and prosperity”, pledging the support of the National Assembly to the executive arm of government to achieve the set goals.
He, however, urged Nigerians to remain vigilant and resilient as they navigate these uncertain times, saying “together, we can overcome the challenges facing our economy and chart a path towards prosperity for all.”
The statement titled: “State of the Nation Economy and Naira Depreciation’, reads “The Nigerian economy is facing significant challenges, exacerbated by both internal and external factors.
“Despite efforts to stabilize and bolster economic growth, the numerous initiatives and bold but necessary steps and policy decisions taken by President Bola Tinubu, the persistent depreciation of the Naira against major foreign currencies has become a pressing concern.
“The recent depreciation of the Naira underscores the need for proactive measures to safeguard the stability and resilience of our currency.
“The Senate Committee on Finance is closely monitoring the situation and is committed to working collaboratively with relevant stakeholders to implement effective policies and strategies.
“It is imperative that we address the root causes of Naira depreciation, including but not limited to fluctuations in global oil prices, fiscal deficits, and structural imbalances in the economy.”
The Senator, representing Rivers West Senatorial District at National Assembly Sen.Dr. Ipalibo Harry Banigo has advocated for legislative backings to enforce immunisation as a pre-condition for admission into nursing, primary and secondary schools in Nigeria.
Banigo made the assertion recently in a statement to commemorate this year’s week-long immunisation campaign in line with the World Health Organisation advocacy.
Banigo, a Harvard-trained Public Health personnel, explained that such legislation would strengthen the National Immunisation Policy in the administration of vaccines, saves lives, helps in the child normal growth, prevents serious illness and disabilities such as poliomyelitis .
The former Deputy Governor of Rivers State who is also the Chairman, Senate Committee on Health (Secondary and Tertiary), noted that Nigeria must attain at least, 90 percent vaccine coverage for all childhood and adolescence; stressing that a fully vaccinated child should have received BCG, Mussels and three doses of DTP and Polio .
She emphasised the need for collective efforts by stakeholders in the campaign against preventable diseases .
The theme for this year’s World Immunisation Week is “Humanly Possible: Saving Lives Through Immunisation” while the national theme is “Vaccine Works For All”.
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