Nation
THE STATES
Adamawa
Dr Mohammed Barau, the Rector of Federal Polytech
nic, Mubi in Adamawa, has been commended for his compliance with federal character principles in the recruitment of staff.
A community leader in Mubi, Alhaji Babangida Jibrilla, who gave the commendation in Mubi yesterday also lauded the rector for the rapid transformation recorded in areas of infrastructure and academic activities in the school.
Jibrilla said besides the compliance with federal character requirements in employment, the rector had in the last two years introduced various courses in the polytechnic that raised the school students population from 2,000 to 19,000.
“More than 20 courses run by the polytechnic were accredited within the last two years while series of physical development in terms of lecture theatres and office blocks were executed to make learning conducive.
Bauchi
No fewer than 100 youths have benefited from a skill
and vocational training programme initiated by the Bauchi State Furniture Company since 2009, as part of efforts to eradicate poverty in the state.
Alhaji Bakoji Badara, the Managing Director of the company, gave the information in an interview with The Tide’s source on Monday in Bauchi.
Badara said the youths were trained in carpentry, upholstery and metal works, under the skill acquisition scheme designed to enhance employment generation and encourage the growth of Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SME).
He said the trainees were paid between N8,000 and N25,000, as monthly allowances, depending on the nature of their work.
FCT
The National Council on Education (NCE) has prom
ised to map out innovative strategies on policy options and best practices for the development of education through Public Private Partnership.
Prof. Oladapo Afolabi, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, said this at the opening ceremony of the technical session of the 56th Meeting of the Council in Abuja on Monday.
He assured stakeholders that at the meeting “we shall consider memoranda for council’s approval with a view to mapping out innovative strategies on policy options and best practices”.
The permanent secretary expressed the commitment of the ministry for total restoration of the country’s education system to its former glory.
Gombe
The Gombe State Government has pledged more sup
port to the National Youth Service scheme.
Governor Mohammed Goje stated this on Monday while inspecting the NYSC permanent orientation camp in Malamsidi Kwami in Gombe State.
He commended the contributions of corp members to education, health and other sectors in the state.
Goje, who described the scheme as the best platform for national unity and integration, said government would ensure that the scheme continued.
The first phase of the permanent orientation camp project includes, hostels, offices and a parade ground, which is to cost N600 million and is expected to be completed by the end of March this year.
Kaduna
The Kaduna State Government plans to establish small
hydro power projects to complement the proposed 30 megawatts generation station being built at Gurara Dam, an official said.
The Commissioner for Rural Development, Alhaji Abubakar Musa Abubakar, made the information known in an interview with newsmen in Kaduna on Monday.
He said 11 spots had been identified for the projects but added that only three had been found to be viable, while others were still being studied.
Abubakar said the government and the Energy Commission of Nigeria were working on renewable energy sources.
Kebbi
The Kebbi State Government has uncovered 6,000
“ghost workers” and saved about N200 million since the introduction of e-payment in October 2009.
The Commissioner for Finance, Alhaji Bello Tugga, told newsmen on Monday in Birnin Kebbi that government had achieved 95 per cent success in the bio-metrix system of e-payment of salary to its workers.
He said a committee, with members from all segments of the civil service, had been set up to verify any anomalies in the payment of workers salary.
Tugga said government had no intention of punishing anybody for the discovery of the ghost workers, stressing that the measure was purely aimed at sanitising its accounting system.
Kwara
Kwara Deputy Governor, Joel Ogundeji, yesterday in
Ilorin called on the private sector to assist the government in financing education as part of its social responsibility.
Ogundeji made the call when he inaugurated a building donated to ECWA Girls Secondary School, Omu-Aran, by the Deputy Governor of Anambra, Dame Virgy Etiaba, an old student.
He said that government alone could not fund education in the country.
The deputy governor called on other stakeholders and corporate organisations to contribute their quota in ensuring quality education.
“All of us are duty bound to contribute to the physical and academic development of our alma mater,” he said.
Lagos
An Ikeja High Court on Monday admitted in evidence
video tapes containing recordings of the Special Investigation Panel (SIP) proceedings on the alleged attempted murder of Chief Alex Ibru.
Maj. Hamza Al-Mustapha, the Chief Security Officer to late Gen. Sani Abacha, and three others are standing trial for the 1996 alleged attempted murder of Ibru in Lagos.
The others are: former Commissioner of Police in Lagos State, James Danbaba; a former Military Administrator of Zamfara, Jubril Yakubu and a Chief Superintendent of Police, Rabo Lawal.
The tapes, tendered in evidence, contained the proceedings of interrogation by the SIP of several suspects including Al-Mustapha and other accused in 1999.
Niger
Alhaji Hassan Nuhu, the Director-General, Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs) in Niger, has announced the award of N1.8 billion contracts that would impact positively on the lives of the citizenry.
Nuhu announced the contract awards in Minna recently, during the presentation of the contract documents to some contractors handling the various projects.
He said the contracts included the construction of 12 comprehensive health care centres, each capable of catering for 20 admitted patients, at the cost of N600 million.
The DG said four health centres would be built in each of the three senatorial districts in the state.
According to him, the centres would be equipped and provided with medical consumables and drugs to increase the access of pregnant women and children to medical services.
Plateau
Governor Jonah Jang of Plateau has said that the state
would no longer allow unauthorised buildings in the greater Jos master plan.
Receiving the report of the plan in Jos on Friday, Jang said the government intended to pursue its actualisation very soon.
“Let me warn those who are fund of erecting buildings just anywhere that they will be bulldozed without any apology.
‘’We have told the task force on illegal structures to remove all illegal structures in the city.
“We are not joking about the matter. People will want to carry it into religion, they will term it tribal and all kinds of things but I am determined to do it, no matter what happens,” he said.
Sokoto
Sokoto State is to build a 30-megawatts Independent Power Project (IPP) at the cost of N3.8 billion.
Mr Ford Graham, Managing Director of the U.S.-based Vulcan Capital Energy Management, which won the contract for the project, disclosed this recently at a stakeholders’ forum organised by the state government in Sokoto.
Graham said that the state government had already paid 30 per cent of the total contract sum to his firm for the execution of the project, which was awarded in November 2008.
He said that his firm had commenced work on the project following the arrival in December 2009 of some of the equipment it ordered.
Graham blamed the delay in commencing work on the project to the delay in the acquisition of the site and in opening letters of credit.
Senator representing Kogi Central Senatorial District in the National Assembly, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, has commended the efforts by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC) to apprehend and prosecute the immediate past governors of Kogi State, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, over an alleged N80.2 billion fraud.
This is just as she also hailed the EFCC chairman, Ola Olukoyede, for ceding 14 properties that were initially forfeited to the federal government to the government and people of Enugu State.
Reacting to Bello’s excuse for not honouring the EFCC’s invitation, the lawmaker emphasized the need for the commission to investigate other corrupt public officials to avoid the impression that their actions against former governor were meant to witch hunt him.
In a now-viral video, the EFCC chairman had claimed Belloh told him that a female senator (name withheld) allegedly gathered journalists to humiliate him anytime he was at the agency’s Abuja office for interrogation.
“I called Yahaya Bello, as a serving governor, to come to my office to clear himself. I shouldn’t have done that. But he said because a certain senator had planted over 100 journalists in my office, he would not come.
“I told him that he would be allowed to use my private gate to give him a cover, but he said my men should come to his village to interrogate him,” Olukoyede was quoted as saying.
But Senator Natasha in a statement signed by her Chief Press Secretary, Arogbonlo Israel and issued at the weekend in Abuja, reminded Yahaya Bello of the importance of respecting Nigeria’s laws and constitution, given his former position as the chief security officer of Kogi.
“I was surprised to hear that Yahaya Bello evaded the invitation from the EFCC, despite having served as Kogi’s former chief security officer. As a former governor, he should understand the importance of respecting Nigeria’s laws and constitution.
“It’s a well-known fact that ‘he who comes into equity must come with clean hands’. As such, I advise him to honour the invitation and clear his name while he still has the chance.
“I’d also like to take this moment to appreciate the diligence of the EFCC in handling the case so far. No Nigerian is above the law, and therefore the agency must see this case through to the end if they are to gain the trust of both Nigerians and the international community in the fight against corruption,” she said.
Worried over the latest depreciation of the Naira against major foreign currencies, the Senate through its Committee on Finance, has stated that the Legislature is exploring a range of policy options to mitigate the impact of Naira depreciation and foster economic stability in the country.
These, according to the committee, in a statement signed by its chairman, Senator Sani Musa (APC Niger East) and released yesterday, includes robust oversight of fiscal policies, engagement with key stakeholders, and the formulation of targeted interventions to support key sectors of the economy.
Senator Musa said the statement became necessary “to address the current state of the economy and the need for concerted efforts at tackling the instability and continuous depreciation of the Naira.”
This is even as he hoped that the “economic managers will adhere strictly to the norms and standards set by this administration to ensure that we achieve the desired outcomes in taking Nigeria to its economic growth and prosperity”, pledging the support of the National Assembly to the executive arm of government to achieve the set goals.
He, however, urged Nigerians to remain vigilant and resilient as they navigate these uncertain times, saying “together, we can overcome the challenges facing our economy and chart a path towards prosperity for all.”
The statement titled: “State of the Nation Economy and Naira Depreciation’, reads “The Nigerian economy is facing significant challenges, exacerbated by both internal and external factors.
“Despite efforts to stabilize and bolster economic growth, the numerous initiatives and bold but necessary steps and policy decisions taken by President Bola Tinubu, the persistent depreciation of the Naira against major foreign currencies has become a pressing concern.
“The recent depreciation of the Naira underscores the need for proactive measures to safeguard the stability and resilience of our currency.
“The Senate Committee on Finance is closely monitoring the situation and is committed to working collaboratively with relevant stakeholders to implement effective policies and strategies.
“It is imperative that we address the root causes of Naira depreciation, including but not limited to fluctuations in global oil prices, fiscal deficits, and structural imbalances in the economy.”
The Senator, representing Rivers West Senatorial District at National Assembly Sen.Dr. Ipalibo Harry Banigo has advocated for legislative backings to enforce immunisation as a pre-condition for admission into nursing, primary and secondary schools in Nigeria.
Banigo made the assertion recently in a statement to commemorate this year’s week-long immunisation campaign in line with the World Health Organisation advocacy.
Banigo, a Harvard-trained Public Health personnel, explained that such legislation would strengthen the National Immunisation Policy in the administration of vaccines, saves lives, helps in the child normal growth, prevents serious illness and disabilities such as poliomyelitis .
The former Deputy Governor of Rivers State who is also the Chairman, Senate Committee on Health (Secondary and Tertiary), noted that Nigeria must attain at least, 90 percent vaccine coverage for all childhood and adolescence; stressing that a fully vaccinated child should have received BCG, Mussels and three doses of DTP and Polio .
She emphasised the need for collective efforts by stakeholders in the campaign against preventable diseases .
The theme for this year’s World Immunisation Week is “Humanly Possible: Saving Lives Through Immunisation” while the national theme is “Vaccine Works For All”.
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