Bauchi

As Muslims prepare to celebrate the Eid-El-Fitr, the Bauchi
State Police Command has commenced a 24-hour ‘stop and search’ operation with a
view to detecting any plan to disrupt the peace in the state.

The Bauchi State Commissioner of Police, Alhaji Mohammed Ladan,
said that although the state had enjoyed relative peace, his command did not
want to take chances.

“We have deployed patrol teams, with the mandate to stop and
search, especially suspicious vehicles and individuals, on a 24-hour basis.
“Policemen are now everywhere. We want citizens to sleep with their two eyes
closed, without any fear, during the Sallah period and even beyond,” he said.

Meanwhile, Bauchi metropolis has continued to witness influx
of people from neighbouring Yobe State, where the security situation is very
fragile.

Gombe

The Gombe State Government has released N120 million for the
payment of scholarship to students who are studying in various tertiary
institutions across the country.

The Commissioner for Higher Education, Dr Isa Wade, made
this known in Gombe in an interview.

He said that the payment of the scholarship would henceforth
be done through a card, known as “Talba Bursary Card” named after the
traditional title of Governor Ibrahim Dankwambo. Dankwambo has the title of
“Talban Gombe.’’

Wade said the Talba Bursary Card Scheme was part of the
government’s policy to address some of the problems in the payment of
scholarship.

“It is an e-wallet that enables students to access their
scholarship whenever the government pays; it’s just like an ATM card”, he
emphasised.

Jigawa

The Jigawa State Government has warned land developers
against erecting illegal structures capable of distorting the Dutse master
plan.

The Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Lawan Audu,
gave the warning while inaugurating an 11-member reconstituted board of the
Dutse Capital Development Authority (DCDA) in Dutse.

Audu said that flagrant distortion of the master plan, which
was based on appropriate town planning could lead to environmental hazards and
retard sustainable development of the state capital.

He said that the government had adopted practical measures
to ensure strict compliance with the master plan designed to structure Dutse
into a modern town.

In a remark, the Chairman of the board, Alhaji Bashir Aminu,
pledged to make Dutse a model town in the country.

Kaduna

Two bridges, one linking Zaria city with Igabi Local
Government Area and the other, linking Zaria with Aba village, were washed away
by flood last week.

The two bridges were vital routes for the movement of farm
produce and animals from rural areas to the urban centres.

Some rural dwellers in the area said that they had to extend
their trips by many kilometres to arrive at their destinations.

Malam Buba Bala and Malam Harisu Usman said the collapse of
the bridges had inflicted hardship on, not only the farmers, but the entire
people of the area.  The Kaduna State
Emergency Management Agency had been advising people on the need to take
necessary precautions to combat the expected flood.

Kano

The acting Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety
Commission (FRSC) in Kano State, Mr Kabir Nadabo, has warned parents not to
allow their underage children to drive vehicles.

Nadabo, who is also the head of operations of FRSC in Kano
State, said the warning become necessary because of the increasing number of
underage drivers, who are arrested daily.

Nadabo said that henceforth any underage driver caught in
the state would have his vehicle impounded, while his or her parents would be
arrested and prosecuted.

He warned that the command would not fold its arms and allow
the ugly trend to continue, and reminded car owners that the law prohibiting
car racing was still in force.

Katsina

The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in Katsina State has
advised motorists in the state to avoid night journey in order to reduce
accidents.

The Sector Commander
of the corps, Alhaji Habu Dauda, gave the advice while presenting ‘Road
Transport Safety Standardisation Scheme’ (RTSSS) certificates to 10 fleet
operators in Katsina.

He said the advice became necessary in view of the
increasing night traffic crashes in the state.

The sector commander enjoined motorists to be extra-careful
while on the roads and adhere to traffic rules and regulations.

Kebbi

The NLC in Kebbi State has urged the state government to
fast-track the payment of the balance of leave grant to workers.

The NLC Chairman in
the state, Alhaji Sadiq Ka’oje, made the appeal while addressing the delegate’s
conference of the Agriculture and Allied Workers Union in Birnin Kebbi.

He said that the payment of the leave grant by the
government had become necessary to avert an impending strike by workers in the
state.

Ka’oje said that the workers would not hesitate to embark on
strike if the government continued to renege on its promise. The chairman said
that the NLC would soon meet to determine the next line of action, if the
government did not rectify the anomalies.

Kogi

Ofu Local Government Council in Kogi State will soon embark
on mass transfer of primary school teachers to ensure distribution of teachers
across the schools in the rural areas.

The Education
Secretary for the Local Government Education Authority, Mr John Ojochenemi,
made this known in an interview in Ugwolawo, headquarters of the council.

Ojochenemi said the mass transfer was necessary to enable
primary schools in the rural areas to get adequate teachers, adding that most
schools in the villages lacked teachers whereas the urban areas had surplus.

According to him, teachers who refused posting to villages
will be sanctioned as they stand to lose their jobs, stating  that the council had planned to meet
education stakeholders to discuss how to improve the quality of education.

Kwara

An Islamic cleric, Sheikh Abdullahi Umar, has stressed the
need for religious tolerance between Christian and Muslim faithful in the
interest of mutual co-existence.

The scholar, who
condemned the spate of bombings and killings in places of worship, called on
those behind the dastardly acts to desist in the spirit of the Eid-el-Fitr
celebration.

Umar said that the
current security challenges facing the nation were disturbing, but expressed
optimism that peace would soon prevail.

He urged the Federal Government to renew efforts to contain
terrorism in the country through dialogue with the group claiming
responsibility for the attacks.

Nasarawa

The PDP in Nasarawa State has called on Muslims to use the
Sallah celebration for sober reflection and unity of the country.

The Secretary, Adamu Onyaki, in a Sallah message to the
people of the state, urged Muslims to continue to pray for the unity of
Nigeria, even after the Ramadan period.

The statement also advised government at all levels to
always encourage peaceful co-existence among the different ethnic and religious
groups for peace and development.

The party equally appealed to those with criminal tendencies
to refrain from such acts, adding that violence against fellow human beings was
an offence against God and humanity.

Osun

The first graduate in Osogbo Osun State capital, Chief
Ladunjoye Omigbodun, has died at the age of 100 years at his residence in
Osogbo.

The deceased, until
his death was the Ashipa Ataoja of Osogbo and Venerable of the All Saints
Cathedral Church, Balogun Agoro, Osogbo. He was the pioneer principal of Osogbo
Grammar School.

One of his sons, Mr
Goke Omigbodun, who confirmed his death to newsmen, said that prominent
dignitaries from the town had been trooping in to condole with the family.

The Osun Deputy Governor, Mrs Grace Titilayo Laoye-Tomori,
was among scores of sympathisers who paid a condolence visit on behalf of the
state governor.

Oyo

The Oyo State Commissioner for Women Affairs, Community
Development, Social Welfare and Poverty Alleviation, Mrs Atinuke Oshikoya, has
urged children in the state to engage in productive activities.

The commissioner made the plea in Ibadan at a programme
entitled “ A day out of school’’ organised by the ministry for orphans,
vulnerable children as well as selected children in the state.

Oshikoya also advised children to desist from acts that were
negative, saying the forum was designed to create confidence and a sense of
belonging in them.

Earlier in her remarks, Permanent Secretary in the ministry,
Mrs Olubunmi Sali, said 39 homes from across the state were represented at the
forum meant for informal activities.

Plateau

The Centre for Peace Advancement in Nigeria (CEPAN) has
challenged religious leaders to practise the messages of peace they preached to
the faithful.

Its Director, Rev. Samuel Goro, said in Jos that leaders of
both religions tended to practise the entire opposite of their messages.

“When you preach peace, we must see you as very committed to
it. Anything other than that is a negation of what is required in Jos today,”
he said.

He accused religious leaders of contributing to violence in
Plateau, and cautioned them against igniting violence among their adherents.

He noted that the two major religions preached peace, and
advised the clerics to champion such missions.