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THE STATES
Adamawa
Governor Murtala Nyako of Adamawa State has commended the state university in Mubi for excelling in academic activities.
Nyako made the commendation recently in Yola while receiving a letter of award and trophies won by the university in an academic programme coordinated by Oxford University, London.
He observed that since its inception, the university had made the state proud in academic performance, based on the accreditation of its courses by the National Universities Commission.
Earlier, the Vice Chancellor of the university, Prof. Alkassim Abba, said the award was won by the university after the assessment of its staff qualities, accreditation, exchange programme and regular implementation of courses and subjects.
Bauchi
The Bauchi State Adult and Non-Formal Education Agency, last Tuesday said it had enrolled 46,877 adults during the 2012/2013 academic session.
The Chairman, Board of Directors of the agency, Alhaji Ibrahim Aminu, told newsmen in Bauchi that the agency had initially targeted 38,390 learners across the state.
He said the agency had in collaboration with development partners opened 1,878 learning centres with 800 facilitators and 228 scheme organizers and that “from 2012 to 2013, the enrolment figures in the centres rose from 38,390 to 46,877 learners”.
The chairman said the Agency would work towards gradual reduction of illiteracy rate by 10 per cent every year through the development of a three-year strategic plan and appealed to all stakeholders to support the agency to achieve its goals.
Gombe
Chairman, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Gombe State chapter, Rev. Abare Kalla, recently predicted lasting peace and understanding among Nigerians in 2014.
Kala said in Gombe that from what he witnessed during the Christmas and Sallah festivities, peace had come to stay in the country.
The cleric said that meaningful development could only take place in a peaceful society characterised by tolerance, adding “we should learn how to tolerate each other, irrespective of religious and ethnic backgrounds.”
He urged Christians and Muslims to usher in the New Year with prayers so that insecurity would become a thing of the past.
Jigawa
The Jigawa State Government recently said it had approved contracts worth N1.3 billion for the construction of feeder roads and electrification projects across the state.
The Commissioner for Information, Youth and Sports, Alhaji Babandi Ibrahim,who announced this while addressing newsmen after the State’s Executive Council meeting in Dutse, said that N1.1 billion was earmarked for the construction of feeder roads in six villages while N249.5 million would be used to electrify 10 towns and villages.
He said that the roads included those of Gumel-Garungambo; Kiyakoto-Shurgarum; Shafa-Gidansani; Malamadori, Saturiyakwatche and Lanaki, adding that villages like Sarawiya, Shakoato, Gurinrima, Ariki, Kembo, Majigini, Banaga, Ungwa-kaya, Giwa and Deruru would be electrified in the project.
He said the step was taken to develop the rural areas and boost socio-economic activities, to improve the lives of the rural dwellers.
Kaduna
The Kaduna State Sector Command of Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), said it had arrested and tried 94 motorists for various traffic offences during the yuletide.
The Sector Commander, Mr Olu Olagunju, who made this known in an interview, Tuesday in Kaduna said the motorists were arrested in Kaduna, Birnin Gwari, Zaria, Saminaka, Tafa and Kafanchan from December 19 to December 30.
He said that 66 out of the 94 were convicted by the command’s two mobile courts while others were discharged, adding that five other motorists were apprehended for being in possession of hard drugs.
“We laid more emphasis on drunk driving, but recently we realised that there are drugs that are in common use that will not be detected under alcohol. “So we are partnering with the Nigerian Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) to check motorists under the influence of alcohol or drug, “ he said.
Kebbi
The Local Government Service Commission in Kebbi State, said it would introduce compulsory computer training for local government officials to improve their performance.
The Chairman of the commission, Alhaji Usman Bello, made the disclosure Monday, while presenting 200 computer sets to Birnin Kebbi local government council staff in Birnin Kebbi.
Bello said that “the target of the commission is to make the staff computer literate by 2020’’ noting that 200 directors and secretaries had been trained during the first phase of the programme.
The chairman said that the computers being presented to the council staff would be jointly paid for by staff and the commission, adding that “the commission will pay 50 per cent of the cost of the computers, while the beneficiaries will pay the balance.’’
The Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Nura Kangiwa, commended the commission for the training.
Kogi
The Chairman of Dekina Local Government Area of Kogi State, Mr Mohammed Ali, said those defecting from PDP to APC should not mistake the current silence of the electorate for acceptance.
Ali, said at a news briefing in Lokoja last Monday, stressed that the people would definitely react at the appropriate time and Ali described the defection as unfortunate.
On the state of local governments in the state, Ali said the 23 councils were operating under difficult situation, said the unresolved problem of ghost workers and huge monthly wage bills were responsible for the development which makes it impossible for the councils to implement people-oriented programmes.
The chairman contended that the way out was for the councils to widen their revenue base and remove all the ghost workers from their pay rolls without further delay.
Kwara
A House of Representatives member, Dr Ali Ahmad, has urged the Federal Government to increase the number of Supreme Court judges to fast track the dispensation of justice.
Ahmad, in an interview recently in Ilorin, said the few judges in the court were being overworked and stressed that it was time for the Supreme Court to stop entertaining some cases from the Court of Appeal, as was done in the U.S.
“The Supreme Court should look at it and if there is nothing remarkable about the appeal, if the issue has been settled, it should just refer the case back to Court of Appeal and that means the Supreme Court has affirmed it. “But we have this thing that says appeal is subscribe; we really need to look at that and do something about it,” Ahmad, who chairs the House Committee on Judiciary, said.
He disclosed that the National Assembly had provided in the constitutional amendments, that, interlocutory appeals should not stop prosecution of criminal cases, stating that the provision was meant to reduce cases at the apex court.
Lagos
Vice-Chancellor of Caleb University, Imota, Prof. Ayodeji Olukoju, recently called for the establishment of state police in Nigeria to maintain law and order alongside the Nigeria police.
Olukoju, who made the call during an interview in Lagos said.
“Let us have a federal police, not just Nigerian police at the centre where anybody can use against anybody. “Let us have it as it is done in America, police at different strata, local government police, state police and then federal police, all working together.
Reacting to the centenary celebration of the country being planned for January, 2014. The vice-chancellor advised that Nigeria should emulate the United States of America, where the local and state police exist side-by-side with the federal police.
“We have a declining quality in leadership; we have a decline in terms of civic responsibility and in terms of societal awareness. “The control for central power is what is killing Nigeria and this is because there is much money at the centre that people want to siphon,” he said.
Ogun
An Ota Magistrates’ Court in Ogun, recently remanded four men; Isiaka Ayorinde, Ayodele Olarewaju, Qudus Adesola and Bunmi Thomas in prison for alleged armed robbery.
The prosecutor, Cpl. Rosemary Brown, had told the court that the accused and others at large, committed the offences on December 6 at about 1.35 a.m.
Brown said the accused persons and the others at large, attacked the complainant, Mr Oladimeji Balogun at Oladimeji Street, Ajibanwo in Ota.
She said the accused dispossessed the complainant of a Samsung cell phone valued at N12,000, a wrist watch valued at N3,500 and jewelleries valued at N17,000, totalling N35,000.
Zamfara
The Zamfara State Government, recently, said the government would establish three FM radio stations as part of efforts to improve public enlightenment and information dissemination in the state.
The Commissioner for Information, Alhaji Ibrahim Birnin-Magaji, who made the disclosure while defending the ministry’s budget proposal before the state’s House of Assembly, said the state government decided to establish the stations after considering the importance of public enlightenment and information dissemination in the state.
He added that the stations would be established in Gummi, Talata-Mafara and Kaura-Namoda, noting that the state government hoped to complete the projects before 2015.
He urged the people of the state to support the state government in its effort to ensure effective leadership.
L-R: Wife of Lagos State Governor, Mrs Abimbola and Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Dr Leke Pitan, Carrying a set of twins deliverd by Mrs Adediji as first babies of the Year 2014 at the Island Hospital in Lagos last Wednesday. With them is the Special Adviser to the Governor on Public Health, Dr Yewande Adesina.
The Chairman of Malumfashi Local Government Council of Katsina State, Maharazu Dayi, has been impeached.
Maharazu Dayi was impeached yesterday by 11 out of 12 councillors, barely two days before the local government elections in the State.
The councillors reportedly took action following allegations of misconduct and poor governance against the chairman after a dispute over the distribution of the council’s Paris Club funds.
The development has sent shock waves across the local government area, especially as the impeached chairman is among those who failed to secure the ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to contest in the forthcoming election.
The Rumuwoji Ultra Modern Market Traders Association, Mile 1, Port Harcourt, has urged the state government to utilise the available spaces within the area to build phase 3 of the Rumuwoji Market in order to solve the ever increasing needs of traders.
The association, which said this at a media briefing in Port Harcourt, also described as a welcomed development the decision by the state Governor to open the phase 2 of the market for business.
According to the association, “We consider it as an answer to the various cries of the people, because he is a man on a mission who is out to place the interest of Rivers people first. It is a dream come true for the first time for the market to be dully allocated and open for business”
Chairman of the association, Hon Godspower Wobo, who briefed the press shortly after a meeting of the association in Port Harcourt, also urged the public to disregard the activities of some persons whose stock in trade is to cause disaffection in the market.
He said the attention of the association was drawn to the activities of some strange fellows who went about misforming the people about situation in the market, stressing that apart from his association, no other group exists in the market except subdiary unions.
Wobo also tasked the reallocation committee to tread with caution so as to avoid being deceived by any group.
According to him, time has come for the state government to engage in robust discussion with aggrieved shop owners who went to court and those who paid monies to the state coffers and issued with allocation certificates for the overall interest of peace.
He also advised the public to deal directly with his association, stressing that the meeting was to review activities for the last year as well as unveil their new Constitution.
Also speaking, former Chairman of the association, Deacon Kenneth Eze urged the Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara to open the phase 2 of the market, as it is long overdue.
Eze who is the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the association also urged the public to do business with only the Rumuwoji Ultra Modern Market Traders Association as it is the only union recognised by the traders.
The President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), Akinwunmi Adesina, has debunked reports linking him with the race for Nigeria’s presidency in 2027.
Reacting to the report on his X handle yesterday, following a recent interview with Arise TV, the AfDB boss said his quotes were misrepresented and misinterpreted in several Nigerian media reports.
However, the AfDB president denied the media reports, stating that he never said that he wanted to contest for President.
“A segment of my recent interview on @Arise TV has been both misinterpreted and misrepresented in several Nigerian media outlets. What I said was, “I will be available to serve in any capacity, globally, in Africa, anywhere, including my own country.”
“A listen to the substantive and robust interview, which is available online, will show this to be the case. For clarity and for the record, I did not say that I am running for the office of President of Nigeria,” Adesina said.