Nation
The State
Kano
Kano State Government has urged the State board of Internal Revenue to find ways of generating more funds to augment its receipts from the Federal Government.
The State Commissioner for projects, monitoring and evolution, Alhaji Ibrahim Garba said at a meeting with officials of the board that the effort became necessary in the light of short falls in funds that the state received from the federation account.
Speaking through a statement from the office of the Project Monitoring and Evaluation Directorate in Kano the commissioner urged the board to support the government to successfully execute its programme.
Sokoto
Sokoto state government has sacked Alhaji Isa Bajini the ‘Galadima Garri who is a senior councilor in the sultanate councilor Bajini was also relieved of his membership of the state council of chiefs.
This information was contained in a statement signed by Malam Sani Umar the Media Assistant to Governor Aliyo Wamakko.
The statement said the state government and the sultanate council were only responding to the yearnings and aspiration of the people.
Taraba
Shelter Development Nigeria Limited has called on Taraba State Government to ensure adequate maintenance of the Jolly Nyame International Sprots Complex in Jalingo.
The call was made by a representative of the company’s managing director, Engr. Mohammed Tahir, at the finale handing over of the sports complex to the state Government by the company.
According to him, the complex has modern sporting facilities, and can seat 16,000 people. He said with the finale completion and handing over, of the project to the state government, Taraba can now serve as a hosting centre to any international sports event in the country.
Zamfara State
The Zamfara State Zakkat Endowment board has set aside N91 million for the construction of 28 schools to facilitate educational development among less privileged communities in the state.
The Executive Secretary of the board, Alhaji Atiku Sani Maradun, said on Thursday in Bungudu during presentation of cash donations to some less privileged that five out of the 28 schools have been completed at a cost of N16.2 million.
He gave the benefitting communities, as Madidi in Bungudu, Yargadaje in Zurmi, Jangeru in Shinkafi, Abarma in Gusau and Mabangala in Talata Mafara Local Government councils of the state.
He said the second phase of the project would cover Tsafe, Kauran Namoda, Maru Maradun and Anka Local Governments and is expected to be completed with in the next six months.
He said that the project was conceived out of the desire to encourage indigent communities to learn both Islamic and western education through the conventional school system.
The schools he said would be handed over to the communities under the supervision of the Ministry for Religious Affairs after completion, for proper co-ordination and guidance.
He also said that the board has contributed N15m to orphans and physically challenged persons under its small scale business support scheme across the state.
Speaking at the occasion, Governor Mahmuda Shinlkafi commended the board for its commitment to the welfare of their professional responsibility to the society.
While speaking at the occasion, senior environmental officer with KEPA, Mrs Maureen Oyedoja, expressed satisfaction and commended the ACPN members for willingly destroying the expired drugs.
Ogun
Pro Chancellor of the Olabisi Onobanjo University (DOU), Ago Iwoye Ogun State otunba Alex Onabanjo has attributed the rot in the university system to the lack of managerial exposure and training of successive vice chancellors.
Speaking as the guest lecturer in the maiden public lecture of the correspondents chapel of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) in Ibadan, Onabonjo decried the politicisation and ethnicisation in the appointments of vice chancellors and the constitution of governing councils of the nation universities stating that merit and vision have been sacrificed.
In the lecture entitled “Taking the public universities to the next level, the managerial challenged, Onabonjo said that politicisation of the appointments have robbed many universities of purposeful leadership.
He advised both the federal and state governments to always look for individuals who are successful in the business world to complement whatever theoretical knowledge academic and non academic members possess.
According to him, the primordial considerations has led to the emergence of universities leadership that lacked managerial abilities, purpose and vision complement the ideal of the founding fathers of tertiary education in the country.
Kaduna
Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN) in partnership with the National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and the Kaduna State Environmental Protection Authority (KEPA) have destroyed expired drugs and related products worth N2.9 million.
Speaking shortly after the destruction the chairman of ACPN, Kaduna State chapter, Mr Alphonsus Okoye said that the products destroyed included anti-cancer drugs, anti-biotics, anti-malaria, cough preparations and analgesics, among others.
He further explained that the expired drugs and related products were submitted to the association by its members to be destroyed based on the demands of pharmacy ethics.
According to him “this is an annual exercise aimed at safeguarding the health of the public by preventing them from accessing expired drug products.”
Okoye appealed to the government at all levels of always patronize registered pharmacies for their drugs so as to avoid buying expired ones and also called on the management of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) to ensure that Nigerians access drugs only from NHIS accredited pharmacies.
He also advised pharmacist to continue to submit expired drugs to the association for destruction as part of their professional responsibility to the society.
While speaking at the occasion, senior Environmental officer with KEPA, Mrs Maureen Oyedoja, expressed satisfaction and commended the ACPN members for willingly destroying the expired drugs.
Lagos
Worried by the menance of land speculators (Omonile), the Lagos State House of Assembly has urged the State Security Service (SSS) to assist the government in arresting the trend, especially around Ikorodu.
Speaking at the weekend when he and other members of the House Committee on Information, Strategy and Security, visited the Director of SSS, Alhaji Mohammed Abubakar, the committee chair, Hon. Ipoola Omisore, said the activities of the land speculators could throw the state into chaos.
“We need to look at the Ikorodu axis on the Omonile issue; it is very explosive and capable of causing crisis in the state,” Omisore said.
He spoke on the need for state police to enhance security.
Replying, Abubakar said the service recognised the importance of legislature and was prepared to enhance security.
“We share information with various states and federal agencies to aid the security situation not only in Lagos but throughtout the country,” Abubakar said.
On land speculators, the Director said it was within the purview of the outfit and “and we have been doing a lot about that and we are sure that by God’s grace we shall surmount”.
Abubakar praised the state government for its support for the security agencies, adding “we will continue to do our best to improve the situation.
Oyo
Oyo State Commissioner for establishment and poverty Alleviation, Jeleel Agboola has stressed the need for skill acquisition among women, describing it as a veritable tool for driving away hunger and creating sustainable employment among the womenfolk.
Agboola who said this at a poverty reduction workshop also urged for attitudinal change among the womenfolk, if the effort of the government to reduce poverty must have the desired effect.
The commissioner also urged the womenfolk and the youths to embrace acquisition and thus become self reliant, stressing that the focus on women was deliberate due to their sensitive nature and home support.
“Women constitute a large percentage of the population of this state and playing significant economic roles in the family as opposed to the past when they are limited to just taking care of children.”
In her goodwill message, of the event, the wife of the Oyo State Governor Mrs Oluwakami Alao-Alala lamented the second class role being conferred on the women by political office holders in the country, insisting that they constitute an important stake in the democratic project of the country.
“Clearly, empowering women through capacity building is on essential step to confronting the challenges of poverty and hunger” she said.
Abuja
The South South parliamentary caucus in the House of Representatives, has urged the federal Government not be in a haste to withdraw the Joint Military Taskforce ( JTF) deploy to the Niger Delta until it has been fully ascertained that there were no armed groups anymore in the region.
Secretary to the caucus Hon. Daniel Reyenieja said there should be a limit to the amount of pressure interest groups can bring upon government when it comes to issue of national security.
Reyenieju who spoke to newsmen in Abuja said that every Nigerian should applaud the amnesty programme and the success achieved so for, stressing that urging for the immediate withdrawal of the military from the region w’re doing so move out of the euphoria of the moment than out of the knowledge of the red security situation in the region.
“This is a national security issue and we cannot force the federal government to take certain decisions without considering their implications.
The decision to disown the militant groups was taken by the government in the best interest of the citizenry and as such when the peace has been achieved, to a relative height, government knows what to do.
He also said that the Niger Delta is so vast and so polarized that there are certain parks of the region that would not want the military to move out yet, because of the peculiar security situation prevalent in such places over the years.
The Senate yesterday approved the bills for the establishment of Federal University of Medical and Health Sciences and College of Education, Bende at its plenary session.
The two bills sponsored by the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon . Benjamin Kalu came to the Senate for concurrence after the approvals from the House of Representatives.
The Deputy Leader of the Senate, Sen. Lola Ashiru in the absence of the Majority Leader presented the recommendations of the Lower Chamber for consideration and Concurrence .
The Bill for an Act to establish Federal College of Education, Bende in Abia State seeks to provide full-time courses, training in technology, applied sciences, commerce, social sciences, arts and humanities among others.
Kalu had in his lead debate stated that Bende has remained undivided since its creation in 1976, even though with the size of four local government areas as found in comparative federal constituencies.
“Despite its strategic location in Abia and sharing a border with Akwa Ibom, with a growing population and landmass, there is no tertiary institution in the Federal Constituency operated either by Federal or State Government. Bende deserves to have the presence of a tertiary institution to serve the education need of the teeming youthful population, especially now that the need for well-trained educationists has risen. This is accompanied by the need to fill the gaps created by both the consequences of brain drain and the lack of qualified educationists to provide quality training at all levels of education,” he said.
For the bill seeking the establishment of Federal University of Medical and Health Sciences, Bende, Abia State, he said when it becomes law, the university will be charged with the responsibility to, among other things, offer full-time training leading to the award of degrees in medical and health sciences.
Nneka Amaechi-Nnadi
South East Caucus of the Senate has appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to immorttalise late Professor Humphrey Nwosu considering his commitment to achieving a practical democracy for Nigerian.
The Senators visibly angered by the Senate’s rejection of the need to immortalise the late National Electoral umpire who stood for democracy through the turbulent 1993 elections stormed out of the Senate Chambers and spoke to the press .
The Chairman of the South East Caucus, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe ( Abia South), as he did in plenary on Wednesday, presented a motion for immortalisation of Humphrey Nwosu by naming the national headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission ( INEC) , after him , for laying the foundation in 1993 and conducting the freest and fairest Presidential election in the country .
The late Professor Nwosu was the National Chairman of the National Electoral Commission ( NEC) , now known as Independent National Electoral Commission ( INEC) , who through option A4, conducted the June 12, 19993 presidential election , adjudged to be the freest and fairest in the country.
Abaribe in the motion co – sponsored by 15 other Senators , said late Humphrey Nwosu deserved to be immortalised like other heroes of the June 12 , 1993 presidential election .
He also urged the Federal Government to honour the late former electoral umpire with post humous national honours .
But Abaribe’s request , seconded by Senator Victor Umeh (Anambra Central) and supported by Senators from the South East including forner Senate Leader, Yahaya Abdullahi ( Kebbi North) , was roundly rejected by other Senators who said the deceased deserved no immortalization .
Specifically , Senator Adams Oshiomhole ( Edo North) , in his contribution to the debate said the motion to him, was nothing but an attempt to manipulate and rewrite history.
“ Professor Humphrey Nwosu as NEC Chairman in 1993, failed to deliver on the June 12 , 1993 Presidential Election for lack of Courage
“ He who is not ready to die for something , will die for nothing
“ If he was afraid of the gun from announcing the election results and winner in 1993 , he cannot be rewarded now , more so, when many Nigerians died for what he inadvertently created “, he said .
Nneka Amaechi -Nnadi
The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Gen. Christopher Musa, says the Nigerian Military is committed to facilitating sustainable food security in the country through the establishment of farms.
Musa said this in Abuja yesterday during the unveiling of the Defence Farm and Agro-Allied Products Logo.
He noted that the agricultural sector played crucial role in guaranteeing food security which was requisite for sustainable national security.
He said that the adverse impact of climate change, environmental degradation and conflict across some parts of the country had continuously threatened food security with dire consequences on national security.
According to him, to address this, the Defence Headquarters in May 2023, conceptualised the Defence Farm and Agro-Allied Products initiative.
“This is with the aim of keying into the federal government’s efforts at addressing food security challenges in the country.
“The initiative which aligns with the ‘People Centric’ policy thrust of my leadership concept is aimed at creating job opportunities and enhancing rural infrastructural development while significantly contributing to food security in the Country.
“Considering the extensive consultation, planning and preparation made by the committee thus far, I am optimistic that the Defence Farm and Agro-Allied Products initiative will have a positive transformative impact on host communities while enhancing national security.
“With similar initiatives replicated across the country, I envision a future characterised by modernised farming techniques in which the agricultural sector significantly contributes to economic growth and national development.”
The CDS enjoined all members of the Armed Forces and the general public to embrace the initiative and maximise its associated gains.
He expressed gratitude to President Bola Tinubu, for his sterling leadership and relentless pursuit of national peace, security and economic prosperity.
He also appreciated the efforts of members of the committee who worked assiduously to actualise the initiative.
Earlier, the Chairman, Defence Farms Committee,