Nation
THE STATES
Adamawa
The Adamawa government has requested for the permission of the state House of Assembly to source for about 24 million dollars loan from Islamic Development Bank (IDB).
Gov. Murtala Nyako, in a letter to the House in Yola on Wednesday, said he wanted 24.1 million dollars from IDB to finance the construction of three new science secondary schools.
Nyako said the schools would be sited in the three senatorial zones of the state.
“One will be in Madagali town to carter for 360 male students. The one in Southern Zone, also for 360 male students, is to be located in Mayo-Belwa while the one for Central Zone is to be located in Song for 600 female students.’’
Ekiti
The NDLEA Commander in Ekiti, Mr Bamidele Akingbade, says about 424 acres of land planted with Indian hemp has been destroyed in the state within the last one year.
Akingbade said this on Wednesday in Ado-Ekiti at a lecture to commemorate the 2011 International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.
The event was organised by the Psychiatry Department of the University Teaching Hospital, Ado-Ekiti.
The NDLEA boss listed Ise-Orun, Ilejemeje, Ido-Osi, Ado-Ekiti and Ikere as local government areas notorious for the cultivation of Indian hemp in the state.
He described Ekiti as one of leading states in the cultivation of Indian hemp, saying the notorious trade had become highly profitable.
FCT
Mr Stephen Frahm, Consular Chief of the U.S Embassy on Wednesday in Abuja advised Nigerians wishing to travel to that country to apply for visas at least a year ahead of time.
He said this at the embassy’s monthly briefing which had consular operations as the focus.
Frahm said the number of applicants outnumber those that can be accommodated daily, noting that this contributes to delays.
“ In Nigeria, there are a greater number of applicants than we have the ability to process. The number of people that can be processed in a given day is finite and that’s why it takes a long time in many instances to get an appointment.
Gombe
Twelve farmers were killed and nine others critically injured when thunder struck in Gelengu village in Balanga Local Government of Gombe State during a heavy downpour.
Malam Umar Ahmed, the Nigeria Red Cross Disaster Coordinator in charge of Gelengu, near Gombe, said.
Our correspondent on Wednesday in Gombe report that the incident occurred on Tuesday at around 1 p.m.
Ahmed said that the victims were on their farms when the rain started.
He said that the rains started with a storm, the victims scampered for shelter when the thunder struck.
Kaduna
As part of its efforts to protect its forest and prevent desert encroachment, the Kaduna State Government plans to plant one million tree seedlings this year.
Mr Anthony Kachiro, the Director of Forestry, state Ministry of Environment, said this on Wednesday in Kaduna in an interview with the newsmen.
He said the tree seedlings would be distributed to the 23 local government areas of the state after the launch of this year’s Tree Planting Campaign.
The campaign, he said, would be launched on Thursday in Kajuru Local Government Area.
Lagos
Mrs Amina AZ-Zubair, a former Senior Special Assistant to the President on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), says MDGs represent essential steps in tackling climate change challenges.
Az-Zubair said this in Lagos on Wednesday at the 6th Nigerian Institute of Building (NIOB)/ Dr Newton Jibunoh Lecture on “Sustainable Buildings as Tool for Driving Investment”.
She was represented by Mr Oluwole Edun, a Director in the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on MDGS.
Nasarawa
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) says no fewer than 11 persons were rescued when an uncompleted three-storey building collapsed on Wednesday in Mararaba, Nasarawa State.
NEMA Public Relations Officer, Malam Yushau Shuaib , told newsmen that rescue operation was continuing to determine the actual number of casualties in the incident.
He said NEMA had been holding series of meetings on to move the victims and residents around the site to a safe environment.
Officials of the NSCDC, NEMA, FRSC, civil society groups as well as members of the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN) were said to be involved in the rescue operation.
Ogun
Governor Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun on Wednesday vowed to take back all the assets allegedly sold or given out on concession by the immediate past administration of Chief Gbenga Daniel.
Besides, he indicated his readiness to revoke all the state lands allegedly sold to some individuals and corporate organisations by the Daniel administration.
Amosun gave this indication while speaking at a stakeholders’ forum in Abeokuta to mark one month of his administration.
Ondo
The Ondo State House of Assembly has urged the State Executive Council to take proactive measures to
prevent flooding in the area.
The speaker, Mr Samuel Adesina, made the call in Akure while commenting on the Elegbin River flooding of some areas of the state capital due to a heavy rainfall last week.
The Majority Leader, Mr Dayo Akinnsoyinu, also called on the state government to take some preventive measures to avoid natural disasters such as flooding.
Oyo
The Environmental Health Officers Registration Council of Nigeria (EHORECON) has appealed to Gov Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State to employ more Environmental Health Officers (EHOs) to rejuvenate sanitary inspection in the state.
Mr Joseph Ayoola, the council’s representative in the state made the appeal while speaking with the newsmen on Wednesday in Ibadan.
Sokoto
Alhaji Muktari Mapia, Deputy Treasurer PDP, Sokoto State, has appealed to members of the National Assembly (NASS), to introduce legislation that will reduce poverty in the country.
Mapia told newsmen in Sokoto on Wednesday that poverty and unemployment posed a serious threat to the nation.
He said time had come for the National Assembly to encourage governments to provide modern farming input to farmers at controlled prices.
Mapia explained that such equipment would enable youths to engage in farming, thereby creating job opportunities.
Taraba
Taraba House of Assembly has approved the nomination of Mr. Augustine Katakata as a commissioner and member of the State’s Executive Council.
The Tide reports that Katakata, who hails from Yorro Local Government Area, could not be screened together with his 12 colleagues due to poor health.
The Majority Leader of the House, Mr. Charles Maijankai, moved a motion that the commissioner should be allowed to take a bow and leave the chamber without answering questions, being a former member of the Assembly.
Zamfara
The Zamfara State House of Assembly has promised to tackle the high rate of maternal mortality in the state through increased funding of the primary healthcare system.
Alhaji Sanusi Rikiji, the Speaker of the assembly, made the promise on Wednesday when officials of the Development
Research and Projects Centre (DPRC) visited him.
He expressed the state government’s concern over the increasing rate of maternal mortality in spite of efforts being made to control it.
The speaker said the legislature would ensure that funds allocated to the health sector were judiciously used.
He also said the assembly would ensure that funds were sufficient for quick intervention in the health needs of women and children, particularly for primary healthcare services.
Rivers state Deputy Governor Professor Ngozi Nma Odu has commended “The Port Harcourt City One Love,”a Port Harcourt based humanitarian orgnisation For it’s commitment towards alleviating the sufferings of the poor and vulnerable in the society.
Professor Ngozi Nma Odu said this while speaking at this year’s edition of “operation feed the needy” a yearly outreach program of “The Port Harcourt City One Love ” in Port Harcourt.
The Deputy Governor said by feeding more than sixty thousands hungry people within the past six years, the Port Harcourt City One Love Movement has distinguished itself as a club that cares for the less privilege in the society.
She commended the , organization for listing eleven thousand persons to be fed in the current exercise.
Meanwhile The Port Harcourt City One Love has planned a permanent solution to the problem of feeding the poor in the state.
The leader of the group Mr Idaere Gogo Ogan who said this in an interview with newsmen during the distribution of food items to the poor and vulnerables in Port Harcourt said the organization is planning a permanent food kitchen where poor and vulnerable persons can work in anytime and get fed.
Idaere Gogo Ogan said more than sixty thousands poor and vulnerable persons across Port Harcourt City and environs have been fed since the inception of “The operation feed the needy” program six years ago,adding that so far sixty thousands poor and vulnerable persons have beneffited.
He described the group as a platform to promote friendship, brotherhood, community development empathy and feeding the less privilege and hungry people
“That’s what we are doing today here,so we started the exercise six years ago”.he said.
Ogan said the effort was a private sector driven initiative but added “it also involves people in Government because the platform does not recognize any division,we bring everybody together in unity , friendship and brotherhood”he said.
He said the effort will go along way in alleviating hunger especially following the prevailing hunger in the country.
According to him “you know the country is very tough, people are hungry people are starving, there is a whole lot of economic hardship,so for us, this is just our own way of reaching out, our own social contribution to what is very difficult”he said.
Over eleven thousand persons were fed in the just concluded exercise.
Areas of coverage include, Isaac Boro park, Port Harcourt prison/Macoba, Borokiri/Enugu waterside Bundu areas Waterlines and others.
Some of the beneficiaries including an 80 years old widow commended the movement for the annual programm and urged other organizations to emulate them
John Bibor,/Esuuk Oyet/Suotor Memoye /Jeremiah Hannah
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“This intervention aims to help close that gap by providing financing that supports job creation, business expansion, and long-term sustainability for women entrepreneurs”, Edun said.
Group Head, SheVentures and Impact Segments at First City Monument Bank (FCMB), Nnenna Jacob-Ogogo said access to affordable finance remains a major constraint for women entrepreneurs.
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