Nation
THE STATES
L-R: Bauchi State Governor Muhammed Abubakar, Bauchi State Chairman, Nigeria Legion, Capt. Musa Yakubu (Rtd) and Commander 33, Artillery Brigade, Bauchi, Brig.-Gen. Alexander Dusu, at the opening of 2016 Armed Forces Remembrance Day Apple Week in Bauchi, yesterday
Adamawa
The Acting Executive Secretary, Nigeria Shippers Coun
cil, Mrs Dabney Shalhoma, has donated relief materials to Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Hong Local Government Area of Adamawa.
Making the presentation in Gombi town, Shalhoma said the gesture was aimed at identifying with the IDPs and given them a sense of belonging during the yuletide.
Shalhoma, who hails from Garha village, said she was also a victim of Boko Haram insurgency, adding that she lost some of her relations and properties to attacks by the insurgents.
She said: “It is regrettable and sad that human begins are experiencing this kind of situation caused by other human beings.
“It is unfortunate that the most defenceless people are the victims of this dastardly act.
Ekiti
The wife of Ekiti State Governor, Mrs Feyisetan Fayose,
has assured women of more government oriented programmes this new year.
Our correspondent reports that Mrs Fayose gave the assurance while presenting gifts to the babies of the year in Ado-Ekiti.
The governor’s wife said that women would enjoy more dividend of democracy through different programmes that would be initiated to carter for their welfare.
She however advised expectant mothers to patronise government hospitals to enjoy the quality service delivery from the medical workers.
The first baby of the year was born at Basic Health Centre, Aisegba-Ekiti to the family of Mr and Mrs Hassan at 12:03 a.m., weighing 3.5kg.
FCT
The Federal Government says it will digitalise the opera
tions of the Federal Civil Service in 2016 to forestall altering of vital documents by some officials.
The acting Head of the Civil Service (HOS) of the Federation, Mrs Winifred Oyo-Ita, stated this on Wednesday in Abuja, when she paid an unscheduled visit to some Ministries and Government Agencies.
She said the visit was to monitor the level of staff punctuality to duty, especially after the Christmas holidays.
“It was necessary for me to come round today with some of my permanent secretaries when I observed the scantiness in some offices after the Christmas holidays.
“The essence is to find out what is really happening,’’ the acting HOS said.
Kano
Kano State’s Head of Service, Alhaji Auwal Na’iya, said
plans are underway to introduce Contributory Healthcare Insurance Scheme for Civil servants in the state.
Na’iya announced this at a one day workshop organised by Nigerian Health Insurance Scheme, Kano State office in Kano recently.
He said the scheme would ensure an effective and sustainable healthcare system for the state workforce and their dependents.
“This arrangement is being made through the office of the Head of Service in collaboration with the Ministries of Health and Justice.”
He said a Bill on Kano State Contributory Healthcare Management Agency would be sent to the State House of Assembly for consideration.
Katsina
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Katsina command,
said on Wednesday that it had generated over N4.9 billion in the last 12 months.
Alhaji Gidado Bala, the area controller, who disclosed this at a news conference in Katsina, however said that the command realized N4.5 billion in 2014.
The controller said the command had intercepted goods with Duty Paid Value (DPV) of N134 million within the period.
The items, according to him, include 178 used vehicles, 133 used motorcycles, 4,929 bags of rice, 11,844 Jerry cans of vegetable oil and 1,490 bales of textile materials.
Others are 1,134 cartons of pharmaceutical products, 2,599 cartons of spaghetti and 1,750 bags of mosquito coil.
Jigawa
The Emir of Kazaure in Jigawa State, Alhaji Hussaini Adamu,
recently in Kazaure charged parents to ensure proper upbringing of their children.
Adamu made the call at a civic reception organised by the Kazaure community to honour the Minister of Water Resources, Alhaji Sulaiman Adamu, and 114 other prominent personalities.
He said that it was imperative for parents to enrol their wards in school and support them to pursue higher education.
“It is imperative to invest in education of our children, especially girl child.
“We must instil discipline, good moral virtues and ensure proper education of the young ones to achieve sustainable development,” he said.
Lagos
The Lagos State University (LASU) has directed its staff to
resume the signing of nominal roll before the fifth day of every month to ensure payment of their salaries.
This is contained in the university’s official bulletin made available to newsmen on Sunday in Lagos.
According to the bulletin, the directive is meant for both the academic and Non-academic staff.
The bulletin said the members of staff must henceforth resume the signing of the nominal roll in their various faculties, colleges, schools, departments, centres and units from January 2016.
“The university management also reiterates that as it is the practice, failure to submit the nominal roll by the 5th of every month by any faculty, college, school, department, centre or unit will lead to the forfeiture of salary of the concerned staff for that month”.
Nasarawa
The Mada Development Association (MDA) in Nasarawa State
has appealed to the State Government to construct a palace for the first-class traditional ruler of Mada, Mr Samson Gamu-Yare.
Mr Josiah Musa, the Chairman, Care Taker Committee of the association, made the call during the inauguration of MDA’s newly elected officials and launching of its 2016 Almanac in Akwanga.
Our correspondent reports that the Chun-Mada is the paramount traditional ruler of Mada nation in Akwanga local government area of the state.
It was learnt that the traditional ruler has been using his personal residence as palace since his appointment in July 2013 by Gov. Tanko Al-Makura.
Niger
Governor Abubakar Bello of Niger State has congratulated a
former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Idris Kutigi, on his 76th birthday celebration.
In a statement, issued by Malam Jibrin Ndace, the Chief Press Secretary of the Governor, in Minna, Bello described Kutigi as a towering judicial colossus, moral crusader and paragon of virtues.
The governor lauded the exemplary leadership demonstrated by Kutigi as the Chairman of the National Conference in 2014 and described the assignment as a selfless service to Nigeria and humanity.
He said the intellectual capacity and vast experience of Kutigi enhanced the performance and credibility of Nigeria’s judicial system.
Plateau
The Paramount Ruler of Pyem Chiefdom Mr Charles
Mato, in Mangu Local Government Area of Plateau, has declared a State of Emergency on education in his domain.
Speaking to newsmen in Gindiri Mato explained that the educational backwardness of the chiefdom informed the decision.
The traditional ruler said the chiefdom had decided to establish a technical school to train her people on various engineering courses.
“I have to declare state of emergency on the education sector in my chiefdom because we discovered that we have to do something drastic and immediate to save the situation.
“We have decided to set up a technical school which will serve as an avenue for our wards to study engineering courses such as mechanical, civil and electrical and also crafts, “ he said.
Sokoto
The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Isa Local Gov
ernment of Sokoto State has commended the State Independent Electoral Commission (SIEC) for postponing the local government elections until further notice.
Chairman of the Party in the area, Alhaji Awaza, made the commendation in Isa, the headquarters of the council during a rally organised by the party.
“The gesture by the commission is a welcome development as it will enable the commission to organise free, fair, transparent and acceptable polls.
“The action is indeed a right step in the right direction and all the political parties and stakeholders were happy when the commission heeded to our persistent pleas in this direction.
“ We will use these periods of the postponement of the polls to reconcile all aggrieved members due to the recent primary polls’’, he added.
Yobe
Yobe State Emergency Management Agency
(SEMA) has organised a circumcision ceremony for boys aged from five years to 10 years at Pompomari Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camp in Damaturu.
The Executive Secretary of SEMA, Alhaji Musa Jidawa, said 60 boys were circumcised according to the tradition and custom of the people.
“Circumcision of boys as we all know is the first initiation (rite) of the boy to manhood which is his right and we have just given them this right today,” Musa said.
The secretary said some of the boys lost their parents to Boko Haram attacks on their villages, while others were with their parents in the camp.
The Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) has commemorated the 15th anniversary of the release of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Environmental Assessment Report on Ogoniland, reaffirming its commitment to restoring the environment and improving the livelihoods of affected communities.
In a statement signed by the Project Coordinator, Prof Nenibarini Zabbey, to commemorate the anniversary, HYPREP described the anniversary as a significant milestone in Nigeria’s environmental restoration efforts, noting that the project has made remarkable progress in implementing the recommendations of the landmark UNEP report released on August 4, 2011.
The UNEP report had revealed extensive oil pollution across Ogoniland, severe environmental degradation, and serious public health risks resulting from decades of petroleum operations. It also recommended an initial $1 billion fund to commence the cleanup of the affected communities.
According to HYPREP, the Federal Government formally launched the Ogoni clean-up in 2016, while the Project Coordination Office was established in 2017 to drive the implementation of UNEP’s recommendations.
Zabbey said the current administration has continued to prioritise the project under the Renewed Hope Agenda.
Providing an update on the cleanup, the Project Coordinator disclosed that 30 of the 65 contaminated sites identified by UNEP have been fully remediated, while work is ongoing at several medium- and high-risk locations. It also stated that more than 1.5 million mangrove seedlings have been planted as part of what it described as the world’s largest restoration of oil-degraded mangroves, with over 1,000 hectares of shoreline already rehabilitated.
Zabbey further revealed that 49 Ogoni communities have been connected to potable water schemes through multiple water projects and booster stations aimed at providing safe drinking water across the region.
In the health sector, he said the 100-bed Ogoni Specialist Hospital in Kpite and the 43-bed Cottage Hospital in Buan are nearing completion, adding that several existing health facilities have been upgraded with modern medical equipment, while five ambulances have been donated to improve emergency healthcare services. The Project Coordinator also disclosed that a three-year human health biomonitoring study is being conducted in collaboration with the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).
On economic empowerment, Zabbey stated that the Project has created more than 8,000 direct jobs and trained thousands of Ogoni youths and women in various vocational and technical skills, including software development, cybersecurity, aviation, commercial diving, seafaring, mechatronics, and creative arts. The project also reported awarding scholarships to more than 1,000 students, providing grants to small businesses, and supporting persons living with special needs through skills acquisition programmes.
The statement further highlighted ongoing legacy projects, including the Ogoni Power Project and the Centre of Excellence for Environmental Restoration, which it said is about 96 per cent complete. HYPREP also welcomed the recent designation of the Ogoni Wetland as a Ramsar Site of International Importance and pledged to continue promoting biodiversity conservation and sustainable management of the ecosystem.
Marking the anniversary, Zabbey said the progress achieved over the past 15 years demonstrates the collective commitment of government, development partners, stakeholders, and local communities to restoring Ogoniland. He called for renewed collaboration to sustain the cleanup effort, promote environmental sustainability, and support the long-term development of the region. 3