Ekiti
The PDP flag bearer for the June 21 Ekiti State guberna
torial election, Mr Ayo Fayose last Tuesday said the name of his running mate earlier submitted to INEC has been substituted.
The Director-General of the Campaign Organisation, Mr Dipo Anisulowo, who spoke on behalf of Fayose,  said that the name Dr Olubunmi Olusola, who is in his 50s, was forwarded to INEC as a replacement for Ojo.
“The name of Pa Joshua Ojo, earlier submitted to the electoral body was done to beat the April 28 deadline earlier set by INEC. The actual name of our deputy was kept close to our chest as a political strategy since INEC timetable for the poll allowed for substitution of candidate or their deputies.
“The choice of Olusola was arrived at in order to give the people of the Southern part of the State a sense of belonging in the political calculation, “he said.

FCT
An Abuja Senior Magistrates’ Court in Life Camp has
sentenced 14 hawkers to two weeks in prison each for disobeying police order.
They are Ifeanyi Kingsley, Godwin Suswan, Stephen Monday, Davidson Uche, Samuel Elah, Ameobi Kalu and Collins Ogheleye.
The others are Chinwechi Chukwu, Asohera Uzoma, Thomas Bonfert, Joshua Arifuzo, Chibike Odenigbo, Usman Mohammed and Hamisu Mohammed.
Senior Magistrate Zubairu Mohammed convicted the accused, all of no fixed address, after they pleaded guilty to a two-count charge of joint act and disobeying order.

Gombe

The Gombe State Government has presented relief ma
terials worth N44 million to 2, 261 households affected by the April 17 windstorm disaster in the state.
Presenting the items to the victims, Dr. Arab Rukuje, Executive Secretary, Gombe State Emergency Management Agency, said that the gesture followed census of the victims in four local government areas affected by the disaster in the state.
Rukeje listed Akko, Billiri, Gombe and Kaltungo local governments as areas affected by the disaster.
“About 2, 261 household were reported to have been affected and the state government approved the provision of relief materials to those that are affected. These materials are to cushion their losses, which is why it is called relief materials, and we are doing it across board, so it is not compensation,” he said.

Jigawa

The Jigawa State Universal Basic Education Board
(SUBEB), on Tuesday said it had rehabilitated over 40 primary and junior secondary schools in Hadejia Local Government Area.
The Education Secretary in the council, Alhaji Lawan Abubakar, said in an interview in Hadejia that three schools were also established to boost access to education in rural communities.
Abubakar said also that the board had in addition embarked on total rehabilitation of primary schools in Dubantu, Agumau, Garko and Maje, to provide conducive atmosphere for teaching and learning in the area.

Kaduna
The Adopt A Goal for Development Initiative (GAADI),
a Kaduna-based NGO, on Tuesday called for the reduction in the cost of governance to make public office less attractive.
The Head, Strategy and Coordination, Mr Atoye Ariyo-Dare, said in an interview in Kaduna, that Nigeria could address the problem of scarce resources by adopting the principle of fiscal federalism where every zone or state would develop its potentials and merely contribute something to the centre.
According to him every state in Nigeria has abundant mineral and human resources, which with good restructuring, would sustain it.
“Nigeria is yet to tap 50 per cent of the opportunities available to it. The world is currently moving towards a knowledge based economy, so what each state or zone needs to do is to expand the frontiers of opportunities for research and developments so that, ideas and innovations can drive the economy”, he said.

Katsina
More than 100, 000 registered commercial motorcycle
operators will be thrown out of job if the Kaduna State Government bans the use of commercial motorcycles, an official of the “Okada” riders, has said.
The state Chairman of Amalgamated Commercial Motorcycle Owners and Riders Association of Nigeria (ACOMORAN) Alhaji Garba Rabiu,  made the claim in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Kaduna.
Rabiu, who was reacting to the passage of the executive bill on the ban of “Okada” operation in parts of the state by the Kaduna State House of Assembly, said the decision would have negative economic consequences last many families.
Kebbi
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in Kebbi State,
has cautioned the state government against poor implementation of the newly introduced compulsory pension scheme for workers.
Malam Sadiq Ka’oje, the state NLC Chairman, in an interview in Birnin Kebbi, Tuesday, noted with concern that since the introduction of the scheme, the State Pension Board had not met, and contributors were yet to be issued with PIN numbers or linked with their pension administrators.
According to him, the contributors also need to be fully enlightened on the scheme, to enable them know how much would be deducted from their monthly salaries to avoid suspicion of foul play.

Kogi

The INEC says it will commence distribution of perma
nent voter cards to the electorate in Kogi State on May 23.
The state Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mr Olusegun Agbaje, who announced this in Lokoja last Tuesday said that the distribution of the cards would take place in all the 5,248 polling units in the 21 local government councils in the state.
Agbaje said that only those who participated in the last registration cards would be issued the cards, saying that the decision to distribute the cards at polling units was to facilitate easy collection by voters.

Kwara
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kwara State
has described the state government’s announcement of N3, 000 salary increment for workers as a “booby trap”.
The PDP Publicity Secretary, Chief Rex Olawoye, said last Tuesday that the said salary increment amounted to a deceit on the part of the state government.
Olawoye added that the said N3, 000 increment was a political gimmick to hoodwink patriotic workers to vote All Progressive Congress (APC) government back to power in 2015.
He called on the state government to clear the air as to whether the N3, 000 increment was monthly or annually.

Niger

The Northern Governors’ Forum (NGF) has commiser
ated with former Head of State, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, over the death of his father-in-law, Alhaji Halilu Chiroma.
A statement issued in Minna by the Forum’s Chairman, Gov. Babangida Aliyu of Niger signed by Gov. Aliyu’s Chief Press Secretary, Mr Danladi Ndayebo, described the incident as “painful’’.
It said Chiroma’s death came at a time when his parental support and guidance were most needed and urged Buhari to be consoled by the fact that “from God we are and unto Him we all shall return’’.
It prayed God to grant the deceased eternal rest and the bereaved family, especially Gen. Buhari’s wife, Hajiya Aisha Halilu-Buhari, the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss.

Osun

Chairman of  Osun State House of Assembly Commit
tee on Education, Science and Technology, Folorunso Bamisayemi, says the dichotomy between Higher National Diploma (HND) and Bachelor of Science (B.sc) is “unjust and unfair’’.
Bamisayemi said this in an interview that there was no evidence to show that degree holders were more superior to HND holders in terms of competence.
He said that the training of HND graduates was to complement the degree holders, adding that it was high time government removed the dichotomy and recognised both the B.sc and HND holders and treat them as equals.
Bamisayemi however commended the Federal Government for setting up a committee to resolve the issue surrounding the dichotomy, saying “it is a right step in the right direction’’.

Zamfara

The Zamfara State Teachers Service Board is to train
3,223 teachers in modern teaching methodology as part of effort to deepen and strengthen the profession to enhance improved performance and teaching outcomes.
Jelani said that the training was aimed to ensure the provision of effective and sustainable primary and secondary education in the state.
“If teachers are given qualitative training from the grassroots level, the output of our schools will contribute to promote sustainable educational development. Training is a continuous process and not something that you will come and finish in one day; we have already compiled names of our teachers for training and we will group them according to their levels and areas of training need and very soon the training will commence,’’ he said.
Jelani said that teachers training programme was part of the state government’s commitment to promote both primary and secondary education in the state.

L-R: Representative of the Director-General, National Emergency Management Agency (nema), Mr Eugene Eze, Deputy Governor of Bauchi State, Alhaji Sagir Saleh and Governor Isa Yuguda, at the presentation of relief materials by nema to Bauchi State Government in Bauchi, yesterday. Photo: NAN