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Bauchi
The Federal Government has been urged to resolve its
differences with the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) and end the seven-month-old strike by the lecturers.
The call was made by the  president of the students union government of  Federal  Polytechnic, Bauchi, Malam Abubakar Bako.
Bako told newsmen that the lingering strike by the lecturers was having a toll on the students hence the need to end it and prevent idle polytechnic students from taking to crime.
He said that the strike, if not resolved, could force students into social vices due to idleness and frustration.

Benue

The Benue State House of Assembly has elected a new
Minority Leader, Mr Benjamin Adanyi, representing Makurdi South constituency on the platform of All Progressives Congress (APC).
Adanyi was before his elevation the chairman, committee on Culture and Tourism.
Reading the letter on the elevation during plenary last week, the Speaker, Mr Terhile Ayua, stated that Adanyi’s elevation became possible due to the vacuum created by a Supreme Court’s ruling.
However, Mr Ianna Jato, (Katsina-Ala East), objected to the method used in Adanyi’s appointment, saying it breached the House’s Standing Rules.

Borno

The Chad Basin Development Authority (CBDA) has
distributed 1,500 irrigation pumps to 70 farmers’ associations in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states to boost food production in the country.
The CBDA Managing Director, Dr Garba Iliya, announced this  while inaugurating the 2014 dry season farming in Maiduguri.
He said that the authority also drilled boreholes in the Jere Local Government Area of Borno State to provide irrigation water to farmers in the area.
He said that CBDA also cultivated 150 hectares of rice in two irrigation schemes in Yobe in spite of the current security challenges in the area.

FCT

The Head of Service, Alhaji Bukar Aji, has charged Per
manent Secretaries in federal ministries to create programmes and policies that would improve the lives of women in the country.
Aji gave the charge when he led a team of federal permanent secretaries on a peer review meeting to the Ministry of Women Affairs, Abuja.
He said it was important for all permanent secretaries to align themselves with the activities of their ministries, department and agencies (MDAs) to make the civil service a world-class institution.
He said that the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (OHCSF) had been restructured to focus on training and welfare to improve the lives of all civil servants.

Gombe

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB)
has conducted advocacy campaign on computer-based test for 100 secondary school students in Gombe State ahead of its April Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examinations (UTME).
The JAMB Deputy Director in charge of Test Development, Alhaji Muhammad Buba-Sabo, stated this at a one-day sensitisation campaign for secondary school students in Gombe State.
Buba-Sabo told the students that JAMB decided to unify its examinations to give the students the opportunity to exhibit their abilities, and urged candidates who registered for its examinations to read hard to pass.
“Your performance will determine where you are going – university, polytechnic or college of education,’’ he said.

Kano

The National Orientation Agency (NOA) says it will col
laborate with some key stakeholders on environmental issues to prepare a work plan for the “Keep Kano Clean” campaign.
The acting Director of the agency in Kano, Alhaji Muhammad Bashir, made this known  during the agency’s campaign on “Do the Right thing: Keep Kano Clean” campaign in the Kano Municipal Council..
Bashir expressed optimism that the government would facilitate the execution of the work plan in all the 44 local government areas of the state.

Kebbi

Two female hostels in the Yauri Government Girls Sci
ence Secondary School were destroyed by fire, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Science and Technical Education, Alhaji Garba Kangiwa, said recently.
Kangiwa who made the disclosure in an interview with newsmen in Birnin Kebbi.
He said the hostels were destroyed by an early morning inferno when the students were at the assembly ground.
He added that though no life was lost, many personal belongings of the students were destroyed.
The permanent secretary said an alternative accommodation had been provided for the 400 students displaced.

Kwara

The wife of Kwara governor, Mrs Omolewa Ahmed, has
promised to set up a cancer community of Okuta, Baruten Local Government Area of the state.
The governor’s wife disclosed this in Okuta during her cervical and breast cancer awareness campaign in the community.
Ahmed, who is the founder of LEAH Charity Foundation, said the centre to be established in March would provide facilities for screening of breast and cervical cancer at a token fee.
She told the people that cancer could be cured if detected early.

Lagos

The Nigeria Police Force has commenced training of of
ficers and men, nine months after the rehabilitation of the Ikeja Police College.
The Force Spokesman, CSP Frank Mba, told newsmen in Lagos that some officers were currently having their promotion training at the college.
It would be recalled that President Goodluck Jonathan paid a surprise visit to the institution on January 19, 2013, after a television station exposed the decay of its facilities and promised to refurbish it.
Nigerian Army engineers completed the rehabilitation of the college in May 2013, after carrying out works on 29 different buildings, including the hostels, for about three months.

Nasarawa
The Nasarawa State Chapter of Nigeria Labour
Congress (NLC) has directed workers in the state to shun calls by the state government for a staff audit.
The congress advised the workers not to attend any screening exercise called by any of the government offices, including the office of the head of service.
The directive of the workers’ union was contained in a statement issued in Lafia by the state NLC Chairman, Mr Asoloko Maku, and the Secretary, Mr Jacob Makama, which was made available to newsmen.
The statement was also signed by Chairman and Secretary of Trade Union Congress (TUC) in the state, Mr Danladi Namo and Mohammed Umar,.

Osun

A chieftain of the  All Progressive Congress
(APC), Bola Tinubu, said that the large turn-out for membership registration was an indication of the party’s readiness for elections.
Tinubu made the remark while answering questions from newsmen on the just-concluded registration exercise of the party in Osogbo recently.
The APC chieftain said party faithful came out on their own, adding that the exercise was transparent and well organised.
In Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, there was a massive turn-out for the registration exercise.

Plateau

The Plateau State Executive Council has ap
proved N368 million for the completion of office accommodation for special advisers to the governor.
“Part of the money will go for the purchase of official vehicles for the speaker and deputy speaker of the state House of Assembly,’’ the Commissioner for Information, Mrs Olivia Dazyam, told newsmen after the weekly meeting in Jos.
She said part of the money would also be utilised for the purchase of equipment for the Plateau Publishing Company.
Dazyam said that the meeting, chaired by Governor Jonah Jang, also considered and approved a submission for the award of contracts by the Plateau Tender’s Board.

Vice President Namadi Sambo (left)  with Govwenoe  Sule Lamido of Jigawa State,  at the National Quranic Recitation Competition in Dutse last Friday. Photo: Nan

Vice President Namadi Sambo (left) with Govwenoe Sule Lamido of Jigawa State, at the National Quranic Recitation Competition in Dutse last Friday. Photo: Nan

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Party Chieftain Hails LG Boss’ Dev Strides

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Acting Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ahoada West Local Government Area of Rivers State, Hon Chukwuemeka Nwuche has extolled the sterling leadership being provided by the Chairman of the council, Hon Iyeko Okporo, describing it as unprecedented.
Hon Chukwuemeka described the council chairman as God-sent, considering his achievements in just 100 days in office.
The PDP chieftain said the chairman has rekindled the hope and trust of the people in grassroots governance.
He expressed gratitude to the Governor for enabling his people to have his replica at Akinima.
He explained that the solar water project, the Late Eze Ekpeye Logbo 11 palace fencing, generator house rebuilding and town hall, all in Odiereke Ubie Community can best be described as the hallmark of true leadership.
He said the projects have direct bearing on the basic needs of the people who have suffered untold hardship and bad governance until the saviour came into office.
“ It is thunderous, as you can see the organic support and show of love to the performing chairman. Our people are overwhelmed seeing one of their own touching lives in a special way. As a community ,we have been in the past years without drinking water, but just two months in office, the chairman has provided not just drinking water, but a well-treated solar water project. Okporo is God-sent, no wonder he is nicknamed such. We have compared notes with other chairmen in the past and came to the conclusion that what he is doing in 100 days is overwhelming. Governor Fubara has made us proud by allowing a level playing field that necessitated the emergency of the chairman. You can see the women, men, youths and traditional rulers all saying one thing. God bless Governor Fubara for giving us our own. We owe him prayers and unwavering support,” he said.
In her welcome address, the Ward 9 councillor, Hon Catherine Uriah showered encomiums on the chairman for addressing the basic needs of the people in just 100 days in office.
Hon Uriah also thanked the Governor for allowing the will of the people to prevail in the just concluded local government elections which produced the God fearing chairman.
She said the people of Ward 9 as well as Ahoada West are pleased with the chairman because he is doing well.
She said the people will go to length to show support to him in his determination to redefine governance at the grassroots.

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Group Plans Pilot Farm Programme For 50  Schools

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A community-based non-governmental organisation, The Peoples Encouragers Initiative, is planning a pilot farm project for 50 schools in both Ahoada East and Ahoada West Local Government Areas of Rivers State.
Executive Director of the organisation, Chukwuma Abraham disclosed this at the recent International Human Rights Day celebration at Ahoada, headquarters of Ahoada East Local Government Area.
Abraham said the proposed programme which gulps the sum of N45million was intended to bring the youths back to the land and make them self-reliant.
“We hope to mobilise the factors of production inherent in all the schools through this programme to achieve two basic objectives of building self reliant youths and to create a viable and sustainable stream of income for our schools,” he said.
He said the programmme will also keep the youth busy and impact farming skills, stressing that each of the participating schools is expected to nominate at least two members of staff to coordinate and supervise the programme while10 students will be elected as executive members to administer the programmme on a day to day basis in their various schools.
“Every school has a sizeable portion of arable land to carry out the programme of establishing a functional farm in their chosen area of interest. We are hoping to mobilise an estimated N45 million to enable us set up the pilot farms across the 50 schools within Ahoada East and Ahoada West Local Government Areas,” he said.
He said the celebration was to draw attention of both the Nigerian government and the international community to the issue of human rights violation, adding that findings by the organisation has shown that insecurity and youth unemployment worsened over the past few years as a result of the insecurity that engulfed the Orashi region of the State. We also found out that the high level of cultism and social unrest within our environment is mostly fuelled by the high use of  illicit drugs among the youths. This programme will afford us the opportunity to take a tour through the universal declaration of human rights and reinforce on our youths the understanding that substance abuse can lead to crime, crime can lead to jail term and criminal record can blight their future dreams and life for ever,”he said.
Also speaking, the representative of the Rivers State Commissioner for Education, Mr. Ikporo Freedom urged the students to shun all forms of anti-social behaviours especially during the holiday season.
He also warned them against joining bad groups and stressed the need for the organisation to include private schools in the programme.
The Chairman of Ahoada East Local Government Council, Hon Ezu R .C . Hezekiah represented by his Deputy, Hon Ununuma Odoi pledged the support of the council to the programme.
He also urged other groups in the area to emulate The Peoples Encouragers Initiative by organizing programms that will impact on the lives of the people.

John Bibor

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NCSU Flays Police Take Over Of Rivers PDP Secretariat

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The Nigeria Civil Service Union(NCSU) has condemned the take over of the secretariat of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) in Rivers State by the police, saying the action is against the tenets and principles of the rule of law.
This is even as the union has appealed to President Bola Tinubu to call to order the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Chief Nyesom Wike for allegedly orchestrating and instigating the crisis rocking the PDP in the State.
The Rivers State Chairman of NCSU, Comrade Chukwuka Richman Osumah, who made the condemnation in an interview in Port Harcourt, said the police have no right to take over the PDP secretariat, as a ploy to provide cover and protection for members of the state executive of the party loyal to Wike, who were recently sacked by a court of competent jurisdiction in the State.
According to him, the action of the police is in clear defiance of a court ruling sacking the party executives at all levels in the State, instead of taking steps to enforce same.
He regretted that the police have consistently been showing that they are not appreciative of the logistic support Governor SiminalayiFubara has been extending to them, by openly demonstrating their bias, loyalty and allegiance to Wike and his supporters, contrary to their rules of engagement, which uphold and recognise absolute neutrality.
He said the Minister is wasting his time if he thinks that he could destroy the State by orchestrating and instigating needless crisis that is capable of making the State ungovernable, and appealed to President Tinubu to call him and his supporters to order.
Commenting on the fate of the 27 pro-Wike lawmakers in the State, who defected from the ruling PDP to the All Progressives Congress(APC), Osumah said their fate is apparently sealed, as the Supreme Court had already given judgment in a similar case, saying, Wike is merely wasting his time by using the lawmakers against Governor Fubara, and causing unnecessary problem in the State.
He said if the Minister and his supporters do not retrace their steps and give peace a chance, the NCSU would have no choice than to mobilise all civil servants in the State, to troop out to the streets and protest against them.
The labour leader stressed the need for the police to vacate the PDP secretariat along Aba Road in Port Harcourt, and respect the High Court ruling which declared the congresses of the party in the State null and void.
While reiterating the need for President Tinubu to call Wike to order, Osumah said the President cannot continue to fold his arms and watch the Minister continuously make frantic efforts to destroy his State.
He also carpeted those blaming Governor Fubara administration for the recent gruesome murder of a Chief Security Officer(CSO) and his son in Igwuruta Ali community, saying those making such insinuations and attributing the sad incident to security lapses on the part of the state government, are missing the point.
He noted that by empowering the police in the State with several operational vehicles and other logistics, it was expected that the police would reciprocate the gesture, by living up to their constitutional obligation of protecting lives and property in the State, contending that Governor Fubara has been playing his part of guaranteeing security in the State.

 

He said the State is generally peaceful and safe, and challenged those criticising the Governor to cast their minds and attention to what is happening in other parts of the country, where killings and other social vices have become the order of the day.
Osumah cited as an example the recent killings in Ebonyi State by Fulani herdsmen as well as incidences of kidnapping and banditry in several other States of the federation, and wondered if Governor Fubara could be held responsible for such anomalies.

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