Nation
THE STATES
Adamawa
Adamawa State Acting Governor, Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri,
took the first step into his three-month stay with the appointment of a university lecturer, Prof. Liman Tukur, as Secretary to the State Government (SSG).
While administering the oath of office on Tukur, the acting governor said the new wind of change would bring succour to the people of Adamawa State and promised that his administration would include all shades of opinion.
He said although the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had not reopened the state’s statutory Allocation accounts, he had ordered the payment of salaries for June and the May shortfall.
Fintiri promised to pay the two months outstanding from 2012 when the workers were on strike and the former governor had to apply the no-work-no pay rule and disclosed that the state consolidated revenue account is indebted to the tune of N6 billion.
Borno
Representatives of the Chibok community in Abuja have
said the 12 fathers and five girls who spoke with Pakistani girl-child education activist Malala Yousafzai never requested to meet with President Goodluck Jonathan or any government official.
The Borno State indigenes said they only received the invitation to meet with the President after the girls and the parents had returned to Chibok. The parents were said to have been invited through a letter addressed to the Chairman of the Chibok community in Abuja, signed by the Chief of Staff to the President.
The community described as “unfounded” the Presidency’s accusation that the #BringBackOurGirls campaigners discouraged the parents from meeting with the President.
Kaduna
Sultan of Sokoto and President General of the Jama’atu
Nasril Islam, JNI, Alhaji. Sa’ad Abubakar III, has called on the Boko Haram and other terrorist groups in the country to cease hostilities in the country and embrace peace.
Abubakar also urged Muslims in the country to make the best use of the last 10 days of the Ramadan to seek for the night of power. This was contained in statement signed by the Secretary General of JNI, Dr. Khalid Aliyu Abubakar in Kaduna recently.
The statement read, ‘’The Sultan of Sokoto has called on Nigerian Muslims to mark the significance of the last 10 days of Ramadan by maximally reciting more of the Qur’an; being punctual in observing the daily obligatory prayers- the Tarawih and Tahajjud in congregation
Kano
The march towards 2015 General Election took a danger
ous dimension in Kano last Wednesday following calls by youths under the auspices of Arewa Youth Development Foundation for the division of Nigeria as a political entity.
The protest that was held outside the palace of the Emir of Kano shortly after a courtesy call on monarch, attracted hundreds of youths believed to be students drawn from tertiary institution in Kano.
Emir of Kano, Alhaji Muhammadu Sanusi II, appealed for calm and enjoins the youths to imbibe the lesson of peace in their entire endeavour considering the critical role they play in nation building.
Kogi
The Kogi State House of Assembly last Wednesday ap
proved the nomination of 15 from the 17 persons whose names were forwarded to it for approval by the state governor, Idris Wada.
The House Speaker, Alhaji Momoh-Jimoh Lawal, in his charge to the successful ones, urged them to key into the government’s Transformation Agenda for the overall development of the state.
One of the returnees and former Information Commissioner, Yabagi Bologi, and a new nominee, Stephen Aremu were absent during the screening exercise.
The screened nominees include Joe Abrahams, Zakari Alfa, Barr. Umoru Mohammed, Dr Idris Omede, Abdulrahman Wuya, Steve Mayaki, Dr. Abdulmumuni Usman, Ali Aju and Olatunji Oshanusi, who are all returnees. The six new nominees screened include Zainab Suleiman-Okino, Fidel Egwuche, Dr. Agnes Okai, Zacchaeus Atte, Barr. Kayode Olowomoran and Abubakar Ainoko.
Nasarawa
The paramount ruler of Mada, Akwanga in Nasarawa
State, Samson Gamu-Yare has called on Nigerians to always monitor their neighbours and report any suspicious activities to security agencies.
Gamu-Yare made the call recently at a security meeting with village heads and other community leaders in Akwanga Local Government Area of the state.
He said there was a need for Nigerians to know the people staying in their neighbourhoods, adding that everyone must monitor the activities of his/her neighbour and report any illegal activities to security agencies for prompt action.
In a remark, Anthony Yamusa, the District Head of Akwanga, thanked the royal father and appealed to the general public to joint hands with them so as to expose criminals in the area
Osun
Special Adviser to the President on Inter-Party Affairs,
Dr Ben Obi, has stressed the need for the conduct of free, fair and acceptable governorship election in Osun.
He made the call last Thursday in Osogbo at a sensitisation workshop for officials of political parties contesting the poll organised by the office of the Special Adviser to the Presidency on Inter- Party Affairs.
The special adviser reminded political parties of the need to ensure compliance with the revised political parties’ code of conduct they signed.
The chairman of the occasion, retired Admiral Ndubuisi Kanu, charged all stakeholders to give the growth and stability of democracy the necessary attention and stressed the need for political parties and stakeholders to make the indivisibility and peaceful co-existence of the country a priority.
Plateau
Uncertainty has gripped the PDP in Plateau over the
confusion trailing the suspension of its Chairman, Dr Haruna Dabin.
Dabin was suspended from office in May at a PDP Stakeholders’ executive meeting over allegation that bordered on financial mismanagement.
Dabin, who was suspended for two weeks, was also accused of running a one-man show and refusal to convene congress sessions “for several years’’.
A committee was set up to investigate the officer and report back within the period.Dabin, who before his suspension had declared his intention to contest the governorship election, was replaced in acting capacity by his deputy, Mr Raymond Dabo.
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Taraba
The TY Danjuma Foundation has released about N35.1m
to five Non-Governmental Organisations to undertake various community-based projects across Taraba State under its Grantee projects for 2014.
The Executive Director of the Foundation, Dr Florence Eta-AkinAina, in an interview in Jalingo last Wednesday. said the funds which were approved by the Chairman of the Foundation, Retired Gen. TY Danjuma and the Board of Trustees, were made available for intervention for projects in the areas of health, education, income generation as well as the Taraba Community Fund.
She said that four representatives each from the five beneficiary-organisations had already received training on the implementation of their programmes and on how to access the funds.
Eta-AkinAina, said the organisations are: Chagro Care Trust; Great Women Multipurpose Cooperative; Great Gender Grassroots Foundation; Better Living Advancement Centre; and Guidance and Counselling Development Association and urged the benefiting communities to own the projects and ensure their maintenance and safety.
Zamfara
Zamfara State House of Assembly, the Speaker, Sanusi
Garba Rikiji may risk being impeached for granting permission to the state government to secure bank loan.
The crisis started last Tuesday when opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) lawmakers in the House kicked against government’s decision to secure N3billion loan from the Central Bank..
The Minority Leader, Alhaji Ibrahim Dole, who spoke to newsmen insisted that all actions of the ruling APC members in the House would remain null and void.
According to him, opposition members would go to any length to challenge both the state government and their colleagues even with impeachment if they do not reverse the unwholesome act of taking the loan.
Governor Aliyu Wamakko of Sokoto (right), presenting rice and cash to the needy in Sokoto last Saturday.
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.