Wife of the President, Mrs Aisha Buhari (middle), wife of the Vice President, Mrs Dolapo Osinbajo (4th –left) With Some of the wives of the heads of mission in Nigeria at the cocktail organized in their honour by Mrs Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, last Sunday

Adamawa

The Citizen Service Officer, U.S. Embassy, Abuja Ms Emily
Enright, has urged the media to mobilise Nigerians with dual citizenship on their right to vote in the November U.S. Presidential election.
Enright made the call in Yola in an interactive session with newsmen in Yola.
Enright said that such Nigerians who must be 18 years and above could vote from Nigeria through the Voting Absentee System that make room for U.S. citizens outside the country to vote.
“We want the media to take the message to Nigerian-Americans living in your society that they do have the right to vote.
“We want as many people as possible to turn out and vote in the election,” Enright said.

Bauchi
Bauchi State has recorded 21 cases of Lassa fever since
November ,2015, Dr Adamu Gamawa, Chairman, State Primary Health Care Development Agency (PHCDA), has said.
Gamawa made the disclosure in Bauchi, saying 11 victims had died and 10 on admission at the Exclusive Unit of Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital (ATBUTH), Bauchi.
He said the cases occurred in 12 communities of Bauchi, Alkaleri, Toro, Tafawa Balewa and Dass local government areas of the state.
Gamawa said the most recent case was in Ja’eh hamlet of Bal village in Tafawa Balewa local government area where a 78 years-old-man who was infected had nine members of the family infested.

FCT

The Ministry of Budget and National Planning in col
laboration with stakeholders reviewed the Draft National Policy on Food and Nutrition to eradicate malnutrition in the country.
At a stakeholder’s dialogue in Abuja, the Minister of State for the ministry, Mrs Zainab Ahmed, said that Nigeria had the highest burden of malnutrition in Africa.
Mohammed said this necessitated the review of the policy to address emerging concerns in the science, practice and programme of food and nutrition activities in the country.
She said the review was done with a view to scaling up high impact and cost effective nutrition interventions to stem the upsurge of malnutrition, especially among vulnerable groups.
“The NPFN is a 10-year blueprint for eradicating malnutrition for sustainable economic growth and development in Nigeria. It is a plan for the future we desire for our country.
“We are here to add value to the draft NFPN; our idea, perspective and criticisms would be invaluable,’’ the minister said.
The Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Mrs Fatima Mede, said the policy had potential to address malnutrition and extreme hunger among children, pregnant and lactating mothers.
Mede said that the policy would address emerging concerns in the science of food and nutrition programming.

Gombe

The Gombe State House of Assembly has passed a bud
get of N76.80 billion for the 2016 fiscal year.
This is contained in a statement signed by the Chief Information Officer of the Assembly, Alhaji Abubakar Umar, in Gombe.
The statement said that the budget was passed following the adoption of the recommendations of the House Committee on Appropriation during the plenary.
It stated that the budget reflected an increase of N257.19 million compared to the initial proposal presented to the Assembly.
According to the statement, the Chairman of the Committee, Mr Solomon Jisimah, said that the budget was made up of capital expenditure of N34 .57 billion and recurrent expenditure of N42.60 billion.

Jigawa

No fewer than 48, 047 children in Malammadori local
government council in Jigawa were immunised against polio virus during the February 2016 National Immunisation Plus Days (NIPDs).
Mr Muhammad Yusuf, the Immunisation’s Focal Person in the area, made the disclosure in Malammadori while reviewing the report of the February round of immunisation exercise.

Kaduna
The Kaduna State Government said it has commenced
discussion with private investors to construct rail lines in Kaduna metropolis.
The State Commissioner for Works, Housing and Transport, Mr Mahmud Hassan, disclosed this in Kaduna at a meeting with companies that bided for the project.
Hassan said that the government expects to receive authentic designs and good business proposals from companies interested in the rail project.
He explained that the metro would cover: Narayi-Refinery; Airport-Mando; Ahamdu Bello Stadium-Sabon Tasha; Kawo station-Kachia station; and Kawo fly over bridge-Nnamdi Azikiwe bye-pass-Sabon Tasha.
The commissioner said that the project would be executed through Public Private Partnership (PPP) and would compliment government’s Bus Rapid Transit (BRT).

Kwara

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kwara, has insti
tuted a stakeholders’ forum and constituted 10 committees as part of efforts to reposition the party.
The Chairman of the party in the state, Akogun Oyedepo inaugurated the forum and the committees at the party secretariat, Ilorin, recently.
He said that the move was also to strengthen the party ahead of the local councils election in the state and bye- election in Oke Ero constituency.
Oyedepo explained that the stakeholders forum was made up of one representative from each of the 193 electoral wards in the state.
“Stakeholders’ forum is the creation of the executive of the party as an instrument of providing for all inclusive administration in our party.
“There are so many men and women of wisdom outside the executive that we can leverage upon to provide for a strong party that can win elections,” he added.

Lagos

A Federal High Court in Lagos has fixed April 20 for
continuation of trial of 11 fishermen charged with pipeline vandalism and scooping of petrol valued at N5.3 million.
The accused are Sidi Egbayelo, 29; Sunday Shadrach, 39; Edem Okon, 30; Godwin Kofa, 28; Rosemon Neito, 30; Ejona Kpamkpam, 23; and Moses Victor, 28.
Others are Chris Sunday, 29; Peter Gay, 21; Remo Uchugwu, 23; and Mike Sabato, 29.
These men are standing trial for conspiracy, vandalism, stealing, and unlawful possession of petroleum products.
The court adjourned sitting to April 20 following the transfer of the trial judge, Justice Musa Kurya, out of Lagos Division.
Nasarawa

The Nasarawa State Government said that it had earmarked
N40 million for the construction of a permanent orphanage in Lafia.
Mrs Eunice Kerb, Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, made this known in Lafia while defending her ministry’s 2016 budget at the state House of Assembly.
Kerb told the House Committee on Women Affairs that the ministry was determined to improve on the welfare and standard of living of women, orphans and the less-privileged.

Plateau
A Non-Governmental Organisation, Small Scale Women
Farmers Organisation in Nigeria (SWOFON), has urged the Federal Government to provide power tillers for women to enhance agricultural production.
The President of the Organisation in Plateau, Mrs Mary Afan, made the call in Jos during an interview with newsmen.
She explained that the power tillers would reduce the hardship women are facing in tilling the soil before planting their crops.
SWOFON‘s president expressed regret that women do not own large hectares of land like their male counterparts, stressing that this had been an impediment toward accessing tractors for land cultivation.
“Unlike a man, a woman own less than one hectare of land, no tractor would come to till the land because of this size.

Ondo

An Akure Chief Magistrates’ Court has remanded seven
men for alleged robbery of a truck loaded with 45,000 litres Premium Motor Spirit (petrol) valued at N6m.
The accused are: Alaba Oke, 36; Omonugba Omosule, 30; Igbekele Nejo, 25; Arowojolu Seun, 27; Akinjole Kayode, 28; Samuel Adeoye, 29 and Kayode Alade, 29.
The Chief Magistrate, Mrs Victoria Bob-Manuel, ordered the accused be remanded in Olokuta prisons after they pleaded not guilty to a two-count-charge of conspiracy and armed robbery.
She declined the appeal and request by their lawyer, Mr Kehinde Adegun, that they should be granted bail.
The Magistrate ordered that the accused should remain behind bars pending the receipt of legal advice from the state’s Director of Public Prosecution (DPP).
She also directed that the original copy of the case file be sent to the state chief registrar for safe keeping.

Oyo

A consultant gynaecologist, Dr Fatima Akinlusi, has
described Vesicovaginal Fistula (VVF) as a major cause of unnecessary and avoidable suffering in women.
Akinlusi of the College of Medicine, Lagos State University (LASU), told newsmen that the condition was preventable, if people would adhere to the best practices and medical advice.
She said vaginal fistula was an abnormal opening of the tract that connects the vagina to the bladder that allows the continuous involuntary discharge of the urine into the vaginal vault.
“VVF is a condition that creates a hole in the vagina that allows stool or urine to pass through the vagina vault.
“It is caused mostly by complications during childbirth, like prolonged and obstructed labour, and it happens mostly where women have no access to quality healthcare.