Nation
THE STATES
Gombe
Police in Gombe have confirmed the killing of a retired civil servant, Tijjani Magaji, 43, of Idi Dawaki quarters in Gombe by unknown gunmen on Saturday in Gombe.
The Police Public Relations Officer of the command, DSP Fwaje Atajiri, said in Gombe on Sunday that Magaji was shot dead around 7.30 p.m.
According to him, two of the gunmen came on motorcycle, shot the deceased and fled the scene.
He said police were still investigating the matter and that no arrest had been made.
A resident of the quarters, who preferred anonymity, said he witnessed the incident, adding that the gunmen fire close-range shots at Magaji.
The deceased was a civil servant in Gombe Local Government before he left the service for business.
Kaduna
Representing Soba Federal Constituency in Kaduna State, Rep. Ibrahim Khalid says he has disbursed N1.3 million to 130 youths in the area to empower them.
He said in an interview during the disbursement at Maigana Local Government Area of the state, Sunday, that the essence of the gesture was to reciprocate the efforts of youths during his election, which he said, paved the way for his success and urged members of the constituency to be patient, assuring them more democratic dividends.
Also in an interview, the former Chairman of Soba Local Government Council, Alhaji Kawu Ibrahim-Yakasai, described the gesture as timely and commendable.
Ibrahim-Yakasai, who is also a member of the disbursement committee, urged youths to make efficient use of the resources to improve their lives.
Commenting on behalf of the beneficiaries, Alhaji Mu’azu Mahawayi and Malam Buba Mohammed-Yakasai, expressed appreciation for the gesture, urging the lawmaker to sustain the tempo.
Katsina
The Commandant of Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in Funtua, Mr Betara Umar has confirmed the death of three persons in a road accident which occurred in the area last Friday.
Umar said on Saturday in Funtua that 17 other passengers sustained injuries in the accident which involved a bus and a car.
He said the dead passengers were two females and a man who died on the spot, adding that the FRSC officials had removed the bodies and taken the injured to Funtua General Hospital.
He said the accident occurred at Sheme village in Faskari Local Government Area of Katsina State, noting that investigations revealed that the accident happened as a result of wrong overtaking.
Umar appealed to road users to always adhere to road regulations and abide by safety rules.
Kwara
An Italian national, Digi Modesto, working with Borini Prono Construction Company, kidnapped in Ilorin on May 30, has been released.
A police source said on Sunday in Ilorin that the expatriate was released on Saturday by his captors.
According to the source, the Italian was immediately taken away from Ilorin by the construction company. The source refused to confirm the amount paid to the captors before the release of the expatriate was effected.
It was gathered that the victim was kidnapped while going to inspect an on-going road construction at Bishop Smith road, opposite Stella Obasanjo Multipurpose hall.
The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) of Kwara State Police Command, DSP Fabode Olufemi, confirmed the release saying investigation was still going on.
The police spokesman assured the general public that the security agents in the state were determined to ensure security of lives and property, and urged members of the public to go about their normal business and assist the security agents with useful information that would always lead to the arrest of criminals in the society.
Lagos
The Lagos State Commissioner for Environment, Mr Tunji Bello, has urged the residents to champion the cause of a sustainable environment.
He said this Saturday in Lagos, to commemorate this year’s World Environment Day set aside by the United Nations and scheduled to be observed from June 2 to June 17. The theme of this year’s celebration is, “Green Economy – Does it include you?”
Bello said this year’s celebration would dwell more on youths in the tertiary institutions and their involvement in the environment. “Youths, especially those in higher institutions, are change agents and potential crusaders of the Environment whose energy and resources we must enlist in the struggle for a safe and hygienic environment,” he noted.
Bello said that the debate was a way of promoting knowledge and spreading awareness about government’s greening programme and other environment policies among the youth.
The commissioner said the tertiary institutions involved in the debate included Yaba College of Technology, Lagos; State Polytechnic; Federal College of Education,Technical, Akoka; University of Lagos; and Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education.
Nasarawa
Governor Umaru Al-Makura of Nasarawa State has imposed a curfew on Alago and Eggon communities in Lafia, where two persons died in a communal conflict on Friday.
The governor, who visited the two communities in company of the state Commissioner of Police, Mr Abayomi Akeremale, directed that the curfew must run from 6p.m to 6a.m
Al-Makura expressed concern about the communal clash, promising that his administration would provide security of lives and property in all communities in the state.
The governor appealed to all the affected residents to remain calm while the security agents would find the perpetrators of the vicious acts and bring them to judgment and assured that government would provide relief materials to the victims and stressed the need for the communities to live in peace and unity.
Al-Makura attributed the occurrence of the clash to lack of patience and unity among the community members and urged the people of the affected areas to adhere strictly of the curfew, which he said, would hold until peace was restored to the areas.
Nasarawa
The Commissioner of Police in Nasarawa State, Mr Abayomi Akeremale, said that nine persons had been charged to court for disobeying traffic rules on the Karu-Mararaba road.
Akeremale said in Lafia on Saturday that the action was part of efforts aimed at enforcing traffic rules, particularly on the Karu-Mararaba highway which was known for serious traffic gridlock.
He stressed that nobody was above the law irrespective of his or her status in the society, urging citizens to cooperate with the police in efforts to ensure a crime-free society.
Besides, Akeremale said that 18 persons were been arrested under the bridge in the area, adding that nine of them had been charged to court since they had no means of livelihood, while the remaining nine were interrogated and discharged.
“You see, the powerful and mighty just park their vehicles indiscriminately on the Karu-Mararaba road and when you approach them; they will say they are working at so-so place, forgetting that nobody is above the law
“The law is not a respecter of anybody; we are all equal before the law, some people don’t believe that their actions are wrong until they are apprehended and charged to court. “We will continue to arrest them until they have a rethink and become aware that the law is a leveller,’’ he added.
Niger
The Niger Commissioner for Sports Development, Alhaji Hassan Abdullahi, has urged staff of the ministry to embrace computer literacy.
Abdullahi said in Minna while declaring open a two-week workshop organised by the Ministry of Sports Development for its staff to improve their computer skills, that computer literacy is one of the modern ways of keeping abreast of current developments across the globe.
“You must embrace computer literacy as this is the only way you can be connected to the current happenings across the globe. “Therefore, I want all the participants to take this workshop serious to ensure efficient and quality service
delivery,” he said.
Also speaking, Malam Abdul Abdul, the leader of the resource persons, described the computer as a friendly machine that could aid the work of every civil servant.
Ogun
Another multiple crash involving 24 vehicles near Sagamu, on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway caused traffic disorder last Saturday, according to the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC).
FRSC Deputy Corps Public Education Officer, Mr Bisi Kazeem, said that the accident occurred on Friday night when a trailer loaded with petrol fell and caught fire near the Sagamu interchange.
He said although no lives were lost, two persons sustained injuries while 176 people travelling in the affected vehicles had been evacuated.
The accident involved motor cars, mini and luxury buses, tankers as well as trailers, he said.
He appealed to motorists to use alternative routes to and from Lagos to avoid the gridlock, while fire-fighters, police and FRSC officers are battling to ease the traffic.
Last Thursday, there was a traffic logjam between Sagamu and Redeemed Christian Church on the expressway as a tipper, three fuel tankers and three articulated vehicles exploded on impact.
Plateau
Local government workers in Plateau have embarked on an indefinite strike over the non-payment of the N18,000 minimum wage.
Chairman of the NLC in the state, Mr Jibrin Bancir, said in Jos on Saturday that the strike started on Wednesday, May 30. He said that the Trade Union Congress (TUC) was also in support of the indefinite strike.
Bancir said that while the state’s civil servants had been benefiting from the N18,000 minimum wage, local government workers in the state were receiving N9,000 as the minimum wage. He stressed that the strike was to compel the state government to pay the local government workers the new minimum wage.
“We are not longer comfortable with the 50 per cent of what was being paid to workers in PlateauState’s civil service,’’ he said.
The National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) had rejected the 50-per-cent wage increase earlier proposed by the Plateau government.
Mr Samson Mafuyai, the state Chairman of NULGE, said that the union rejected the proposed wage increase because of the government’s inability to abide by the terms of earlier negotiations with the NLC and the TUC.
Sokoto
Gov. Aliyu Wamakko announced on Saturday in Sokoto that contractors executing projects for the State are to pay one per cent of their contract sum to the state Zakat and Endowment Committee.
He said the money would be deducted from source, hinting that a bill to give the deduction a legal backing would be forwarded to the State House of Assembly.
Wamakko spoke at the opening of a workshop on “Zakat and Endowment in Contemporary Society” organised by the State Zakat and Endowment Committee.
He said the direct deduction would boost the “monthly income of the committee to enhance its activities, aimed at alleviating poverty in the society.”
Wamakko also announced that the state government and its 23 local government councils would, henceforth, donate N31.5 million monthly to the committee instead of the current N7.4 million.
The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar, commended the governor for alleviationg the conditions of the poor.
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,