Nation
THE STATES
Bauchi
The Bauchi State Government says it spent more than N160 million on implementing its Nomadic Education Programme.
Governor Isa Yuguda said this in Bauchi while giving account of his stewardship in the last three years.
Yuguda said the amount was spent to enhance access to quality education for nomadic children.
He said N60 million and N110 million were allocated to nomadic education sector in 2008 and 2009 fiscal years respectively.
The governor said more than N30 million was spent on the purchase and distribution of assorted text books.
“N20 million was spent on the rehabilitation of the Agency for Nomadic Education office complex and to provide two vehicles.
Benue
The Minister of State for Information and Communications, Mr Labaran Maku, has appealed to politicians not to allow political differences to becloud their sense of patriotism.
He made the call while paying tribute to the late Baver Dzeremo, a member of Benue House of Assembly, during a valedictory session in his honour on Monday in Makurdi.
The late legislator, who represented Tarka State Constituency, died on May 21in Makurdi, three days after his return from Germany where he had undergone treatment for five months.
According to the Minister, all politicians are supposed to be guided by ideas because “in a society without commitment to ideas, people use platforms of ethnicity and religion to have their way.”
FCT
The Minister of State for Health, Alhaji Suleiman Bello, says inadequate access to information on health management is responsible for the high rate of teenage pregnancy and drug abuse.
Bello said this in Abuja on Tuesday while declaring open the National Consultative Forum for Advancing Young Peoples’ Health and Development in Nigeria.
The minister said poor nutrition, unemployment and increased drug abuse due to lack of information had severe consequences on the health and development of young people.
He said young people between the ages of 10 and 24 were largely affected, adding that efforts must be made to ensure that health issues of young people were properly addressed.
Gombe
The Gombe State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) spent N1.6 billion on various projects in 2009, the Chairman, Alhaji Aliyu Elnafaty, said on Tuesday.
Elnafaty told newsmen in the state capital that the amount was spent on the construction of 200 new classrooms.
He listed the other projects as the renovation of 400 classrooms, provision of furniture and instructional materials as well as teacher training and workshops for all UBE teachers across the state.
According to the SUBEB chairman, the projects, which started last year, are expected to be completed by the end of June.
He appealed to the private sector to assist the state government in improving educational standards.
Kaduna
The National Population Commission (NPC) in Kaduna, has called on local governments to enforce the registration of births and deaths.
The commissions ’ vital registration Head of Department, Malam Umar Adamu made the call in an interview with newsmen in Kaduna.
Adamu said both registrations were useful for national planning and school enrolment.
He expressed regret that in spite of the N25 million that was released by the Kaduna State Government in 2009 for the training of village scribes on birth and death registration, the response had not been encouraging.
According to him, if the government made it mandatory for children to present their birth certificates before school enrolment, it could have received a more favourable response from parents.
Katsina
The Katsina State Government has spent N1.2 billion on the construction of 5.5 kilometres of dual carriage roads in Dutsin-ma town.
The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Works and Housing, Alhaji Danjuma Alti, said this in an interview with newsmen in Katsina recently.
He said that part of the money was also used in the construction of drains along some major roads and the provision of solar powered security lights.
”The road has since been completed and has been put into use,” he said.
He said the completion of the project brought to five, the number of such roads completed in five of the seven old local government headquarters in the state.
Kebbi
The Election Petition Tribunal in Kebbi has dismissed the petition of Alhaji Samba Aliyu (DPP) challenging the election of Alhaji Atiku Bagudu (PDP) in the Kebbi Central Senatorial by-election held in December 2009.
The Tide’s source reports that the Kebbi Central senatorial by-election was conducted in December 2009 following the appointment of Alhaji Adamu Aliero as then FCT Minister.
Delivering judgment, Justice Elizabeth Kpojimi, said that the petition was dismissed for want of evidence.
She said that the petitioner failed to convince the tribunal beyond reasonable doubt that the respondent had been indicted by any competent court on allegations of mismanagement of public funds.
Lagos
A cleric, Dr Fred Odutola, in Lagos said communicating in mother tongues will promote literacy and help children to imbibe good morals.
Odutola, the Chief Executive Officer of the Bible Society of Nigeria (BSN),said in an interview with newsmen that speaking and writing in vernacular sensitised children to societal values.
“It helps literacy a lot; there are certain things in a language that you cannot translate into English,’’ the cleric said.
He added that it would also enable children to identify with their origin and its norms.
“Our languages are rich in culture and morals. There is respect in our language,’’ he said.
The cleric warned that the lack of speaking of mother tongues would force some languages into extinction and make some Nigerians to lose their identities.
Ogun
Acute shortage of potable water has become a source of serious worry for residents of Ijebu-Ode, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.
Some residents who spoke with The Tide’s source, appealed to both the state and the local governments to urgently find a lasting solution to the problem.
They said that many people were now buying water or fetching from nearby rivers to meet their daily needs.
They said that if the water problem was not resolved on time, it might lead to the outbreak of water-borne diseases even as water hawking business was booming.
The development, it was learnt, has made many residents to embark on an endless search for potable water.
The residents urged the government to pay adequate attention to the Iyemoji Dam, said to be the major source of water for the town and its environs.
Ondo
The Ondo State House of Assembly has acknowledged the receipt of the names of two indigenes of the state, nominated for the post of commissioner by Governor Olusegun Mimiko.
The Majority Leader of the Assembly Mr Ifedayo Akinsoyin, who the confirmation on Monday in Akure, said the list had been received by the clerk of the House, Alhaji Jaye Dada.
In a letter signed by the Secretary to the State Government, Dr Rotimi Adelola,on Thursday, Mimiko nominated Dr Pius Osunyikanmi and Prince Oladiran Iyantan as commissioners.
Akinsoyin said the Assembly would do its legislative functions right as it had the interest of the state at heart.
Oyo
Authorities of the Lead City University (LCU), Ibadan, have threatened to expel lecturers and students, engaging in indiscipline.
Prof. Babajide Owoeye, Chairman of the Governing Council of the LCU who made the disclosure in an interview with newsmen in Ibadan said that the institution had created an atmosphere of transparency where the interest of everyone was protected.
“There is zero tolerance for acts of indiscipline. And in many occasions, we have had to ask some students to leave.
“Not just students, even members of staff. Once you cannot adapt to our philosophy here, whether you are staff or student, you have to leave,” he added.
Owoey said: “at LCU no lecturer has power to terrorise any student.
“And we will not say that because you are a student, you think that it confers on you the immunity to misbehave. We don’t allow that,” he said.
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,