Bauchi

No fewer than 38 persons lost their lives in various auto-accidents in Bauchi State in the first quarter of 2010.

The Director, Bauchi State Vehicle Inspection Directorate, Alhaji Ibrahim Ya’u, said this when the state’s Commissioner for Transport, Alhaji Abubakar Ashu, visited the directorate.

He said no fewer than 89 other persons sustained injuries in the 43 auto-accidents recorded across the state.

Ya’u also said the directorate generated more than N6 million within the period under review.

He said N2 million was realised from the sales of ‘road worthy certificate’ to motorists, while N4 million was raised from the ‘Operation Show Your Particulars.’

Ya’u said N600,000 was generated from the general inspection exercise.

                                    Ekiti

The NYSC has redeployed Mr Olayiwola Afolabi from Bauchi to its Ekiti State Directorate, a statement said.

The statement, issued by the Ekiti NYSC Directorate Public Relations Officer, Mr Funso Olusoji, in Ado-Ekiti on Sunday, explained that Afolabi had taken over from Lady Clara Anekwe, who was moved to the NYSC headquarters, Abuja.

Afolabi, who hails from Osun, is the first male state co-ordinator to head NYSC Ekiti, the statement added.

                                    FCT

Police Service Commission (PSC) has approved the promotion of two Commissioners of Police (CP) to the rank of Assistant Inspector General (AIG) and reprimanded 16 officers for different offences.

A statement signed by Mr Ferdinand Ekpe, the Information Officer of the commission, on Sunday in Abuja, stated that the commission, at its 15th plenary meeting, approved the promotion of Mr Mohammed Zarewa and Mr Ibrahim Paiko to the rank of AIG.

The PSC also dismissed five ASPs for acts that were considered to be inimical to police discipline, while two of them were recommended for prosecution, due to the nature of their offences.

“It has similarly approved the compulsory retirement of an ASP, while 16 other officers were reprimanded for disciplinary offences.

                        Gombe

President Goodluck Jonathan has decried the arbitrary award of honorary doctoral degrees by Nigerian universities.

He made the remark at the maiden convocation ceremony of Gombe State University in Gombe on Saturday and commended the young institution “for not emulating those universities that sell honorary doctorate degrees.”

“It is rare for a young university such as this not to give honorary doctorate degrees,” Jonathan said at the ceremony, which was part of activities for his one day official visit to the state.

The president, who was the Special Guest of Honour at the ceremony, also lauded the academic standard of the institution, which produced three first class graduates at the maiden convocation.

He commended Gov. Danjuma Goje “for spending reasonable sums of money on gigantic projects, such as the airport, stadium and the university.

The president commended the governor for the vision which materialised in the establishment of the university and expressed delight that Gombe State had remained peaceful.

                        Kaduna

Vice President Namadi Sambo has urged the people of Kaduna State to support his successor, Mr Patrick Yakowa, to succeed.

Speaking during the handing over ceremony on Saturday in Kaduna, Sambo commended members of his cabinet and the legislature for supporting his administration in the past three years.

He said it would have been difficult to achieve the milestones his administration made in the fields of healthcare, girl-child education, road construction and job creation, without their support.

Sambo, therefore, appealed to the people to extend the same support and cooperation to his successor.

He said he was confident that Yakowa would build on the foundations laid in the state in the last three years, and pledged his support in achieving the objective.

                                    Kano

The Kano State Government has so far spent more than N4.8 billion on its rice development projects, the Commissioner for Projects Monitoring and Evaluation, Alhaji Ibrahim Garba, has said.

Garba, who gave the figure when he visited the Magaga Dam irrigation project in the Kabo Local Government Area (LGA), said the projects were aimed at boosting food security and alleviating poverty in the state.

He, however, said that farmers on whose lands the rice cultivation projects would be executed would not be able to plant crops on their farms this rainy season.

Garba promised that the state government would compensate the affected farmers adequately for the losses they would suffer as a result of the projects and therefore appealed to them to cooperate.

                        Lagos

An aviation expert, Mr Olumide Ohunayo, has called on airlines and airport authorities to work together to strengthen security at the airports to checkmate stowaways.

A stowaway is a person who hides in a ship or aircraft in the hope of being taken somewhere without paying.

Ohunayo spoke to newsmen against the backdrop of the death of a Nigerian stowaway on a Delta Airline B777 Flight to the U.S. on May 7.

The stowaway, identified as Emeka Okeke, was found dead in the nose wheel compartment of the aircraft on arrival in Atlanta, U.S.

Ohunayo, a former President of the Cabin Crew Association of Nigeria, argued that thorough security at the airports would prevent stowaways from sneaking into an aircraft.

“If it is possible for a man to undermine airport security by stowing away on an aircraft undetected, what stops him from planting a bomb on the plane,’’ he asked.

                        Nasarawa

The people of Keffi in Nasarawa State on Saturday welcomed home the former Minister of Works and Housing, Dr Hassan Lawal.

Lawal, who had variously served as an academic, bureaucrat and technocrat before the dissolution of the late President Umaru Yar’Adua cabinet by then Acting President Goodluck Jonathan, was received by his people with pomp and celebration.

The Emir of Keffi, Alhaji Mohammed Chindo Yamusa, offered special prayers for Lawal before a reception at the Emir’s Palace, which featured a display of cultural dances.

Friends, political associates and religious leaders extolled Lawal’s contribution and meritorious service to the state and the country.

Responding, the former minister thanked the people for the honour and promised to render more service to the people and the country whenever called upon.

                        Niger

The Niger branch of Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) has spent N60 million in the construction of a shopping plaza in Minna in its bid to generate funds for its activities, an official said.

The union Chairman, Alhaji Saidu Kalla, made the disclosure in an interview with the newsmen in Minna, saying that the plaza, which consisted of 30 shops and nine offices, was near completion.

“Work on the shopping plaza is about 90 per cent completed and it is expected to be ready before the end of June,” he said.

The chairman said the complex was expected to generate over N5 million annually for the union, and explained that “this additional revenue will reduce our dependence on the monthly contribution of members for our activities.”

                        Ondo

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo says the major task before the PDP in the 2011 general elections is to reclaim states lost to opposition parties in the 2007 elections.

Obasanjo said this in Akure on Saturday at the grand reception/rally organised by the party to welcome Mr Jimoh Ibrahim and others into the party.

He added that the party would be repositioned before 2011 to reclaim the lost states.

Obasanjo said the party was battle ready to confront any political party that was planning to unleash violence in the next elections.

The former president, who said he was shocked by the loss of Ondo State to the Labour Party, urged PDP members to be united and work as a team to dislodge other political parties in future elections.

“There is a big task ahead of the party in 2011; we must all work together to make sure that PDP remained a formidable party in Nigeria.

“Our doors are opened for those who have defected to other political parties to come back,’’ he said.

                        Osun

Child rights advocacy received a boost in Osun recently when the state government inaugurated the 2010 Maternal and Child Health Week.

Mr Lanre Afolabi, Commissioner for Health, who was represented by Mrs Moji Oladipo, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, inaugurated the programme in Osogbo.

Afolabi said the week had a lot of goodies including the immunisation and other health and material needs in stock for mothers and their children.

He, therefore, urged mothers and care givers to take full advantage of the programme in the interest of children’s health.

“Every child is entitled to the services such as Vitamin A, immunisation, de-worming, distribution of insecticide treated nets among others,’’ he said.

The commissioner also said that the state government was making efforts to ensure that health services were more accessible to people through construction of new health facilities.

He stressing the need to devote more attention to the health of children, and said that the government would equip and upgrade all existing health facilities