Nation
THE STATES
Bauchi
Bauchi State Governor, Isa Yuguda, last Tuesday said over
two million people displaced from their communities by members of the Boko Haram sect are currently taking refuge in his state.
Yuguda spoke with State House correspondents shortly after attending a meeting President Goodluck Jonathan had with parents of the girls abducted from their school in Chibok, Borno State on April 14.
He said the situation had become a challenge to his state which is surrounded by all the states having security challenges, adding that his state’s resources were being overstretched because they had to share the little they have with the refugees.
Minister of Education, Ibrahim Shekarau, faulted those who are of the view that the President’s meeting with the parents was too late in coming.
Borno
The Speaker of the Borno State House of Assembly,
Abdulkareem Lawan, last Tuesday, said the rumoured impeachment process against the governor was a farce and the machination of political interest working to destabilise the troubled state.
He noted that it was glaring that majority of the lawmakers were wholly committed to the return of peace to the state and would stand against any act that would cause a breach of the peace.
The Speaker, who warned that any impeachment process against the governor would further draw the state back, noted that the governor had done nothing to warrant being removed.
Lawan, who spoke on the telephone to journalists from Saudi Arabia, where he is on the Lesser Hajj, said the impeachment process alleged to be championed by the former governor of the state, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, would fall flat.
He said, “The leadership and more than two-third of members of the Assembly are fully behind Governor Kashim Shettima, and our major preoccupation at the moment is how to restore peace in the state and put an end to killings, rather than any political upheaval.”
Ekiti
Court of Appeal sitting in Ado Ekiti has dismissed an ap
peal challenging the appointment of Oba Adegoke Adeyemi as the Alara of Aramoko-Ekiti.
The court upheld the decision of the Ekiti State High Court which struck out the suit filed by one of the contestants to the throne, Prince Olusegun Aderemi.
Adeyemi was declared the Alara of Aramoko on August 10, 2009 after defeating Aderemi by seven votes to six in the ballot by kingmakers.
Aderemi had challenged the appointment and asked the trial court to set aside the purported election of the monarch among other reliefs.
But the court presided over by Justice Cornelius Akintayo, on April 16, 2013 ruled that the case was incompetent because the plaintiff did not exhaust the conditions precedent and local remedies before filing the case.
FCT
The Inspector-General of Police, Mr Mohammed Abubakar,
says the force will establish a 26-bed cottage hospital in each of the six geo-political zones in the country.
He gave the assurance last Tuesday in Abuja in an interview with newsmen shortly after he declared open a three-day seminar for police medical officers.
He said, “We have made it a point of duty now that very soon if there is recruitment; they (medical unit) are going to be given large chunk. “This is to enable them to recruit more doctors and other medical personnel.”
Abubakar said the establishment of the cottage hospitals in the zones was to enable officers and men of the force in the rural areas benefit from the police medical services.
Also, AIG, Medical, Mrs Grace Akudo, said the unit had received some fund from the National Health Insurance Scheme and promised that it would be used to upgrade the force’s medical facilities.
Akudo said the unit would soon develop a strategic medical plan for the force where training of professionals would be given priority.
She said in the planned recruitment, both middle and high level professionals would be recruited to provide effective medical services to officers and men.
Kano
Six persons have died of cholera in Kafin Dalawa Village in
Tudunwada Wada local council of Kano State. Besides, the state Ministry of Health has confirmed the out break of cholera in nine local councils and had since deployed medical personal to observe the situation and check possible epidemic.
The affected councils are Doguwa, Tudunwada Wada, Gaya, Wudi, Dawakin Kudu, Garko, Kabo, Rano and Sumaila, all outside the metropolis. The Commissioner for Health, Dr. Abubakar Labaram Yusuf, told newsmen that 116 people were infected, though the ministry was already working to curb further spread.
He hinged the outbreak to the method of consumption of food and water, especially during the Ramadan period, even as maintained that only seven persons were currently on admission for suspected cholera infection.
However, a non-governmental organisation, Isma Medicare Initiative, revealed that about 701 people have been infected in the past six days, with 20 severe cases in Kafin Dalawa alone.
Kwara
Two people were feared dead in Ilorin, Kwara State capital
last Tuesday when men of the Nigeria Custom Service and suspected smugglers clashed over the alleged refusal to check their consignment, at Binukonu motor park, Sawmill area, Ilorin.
It was revealed that, the Customs men were on trail of a vehicle carrying suspected smuggled cosmetics products, including air fresh conditioners car perfumes into the city, having refused arrest.
Sources said that the driver of the vehicle was thus chased by the men to Binukonu Motor park at Saw Mill area, where they exchanged gunshots.
The stray bullet allegedly fired by men of the Customs hit one of the members of the motorpark, leading to burning of used tyres at different areas of the town by colleagues of the dead person.
Lagos
Lagos lawyer, Mr Festus Keyamo has described the res
ignation of Adamawa State Deputy Governor, Mr Bala Ngglari as illegal and unconstitutional.
In an open letter to the President, Dr Goodluck Jonathan, Keyamo said the impeachment of the state governor, Vice Admiral Murtala Nyako (rtd) and the resignation of Ngglari were characterised by illegalities.
He warned that the nation might be gradually sliding into “a state of anomie, if your Excellency turns a blind eye and deaf ears to the various illegalities that have characterised the process employed in the gale of impeachments, or threatened impeachments and/or removal of elected representatives of the people in various parts of this country.”
He argued that as at the time Ngglari purportedly resigned, Nyako was still the governor and therefore the letter of resignation should have been addressed to him (Nyako) and not the Speaker.
Ogun
The Forum of South-West Peoples Democratic Party state
lawmakers has called on President Goodluck Jonathan to rescue the abducted Chibok girls, using the best option that will not put the lives of the girls in danger.
They made this call last Tuesday in a communique after their meeting in Abeokuta, last Thursday, signed by 15 PDP state lawkers from Oyo, Ekiti, Ogun and Ondo, they commended Jonathan’s effort to curtail insecurity in the country, they urged him to expedite action on the rescue mission.
They said, “While we commend the President for his determination and zeal to ensure that insecurity become a thing of the past, we also appeal to him not to rest on his oars in attempt to rescue the abducted Chibok girls using the best option that will not put their lives in danger.”
The lawmakers also called on the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar, and other security agencies, to provide adequate security for the Osun governorship election holding on August 9, as well as the 2015 general elections, to prevent unnecessary shedding of blood, before, during and after the polls.
Osun
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Osun State chapter,
has demanded a detailed account of how the state’s allocations and other funds collected by the administration of Governor Rauf Aregbesola, since the inception of his administration were utilised.
The party, in a statement last Tuesday, by the Director of Media and Publicity of Iyiola Omisore Campaign Organisation, Mr. Diran Odeyemi, said the PDP was making the request because it had established that all the projects the Osun State government had claimed as its projects were either funded by the Federal Government or with local governments allocations.
The party said it welcomed the admittance by the government spokesperson, Mr Sunday Akere, that the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan through UBEC, built all elementary and middle schools in the state, while those roads executed at local governments were paid for by all council areas in the state.
The PDP said, “With the facts at our disposal, Ogbeni Aregbesola has received over N300bn from federation account since he took over as the governor of the state. All elementary and middle schools in Osun state are built by UBEC, all high schools were constructed with SUKUK bond,
Plateau
Aggrieved workers of Jos North Local Government Coun
cil in Plateau State have staged a protest over non-payment of their two months outstanding salaries and other entitlements.
The workers in the early hours of last Tuesday blocked the council secretariat preventing people from going in to conduct their day-to-day activities.
The protesting workers had earlier blocked the entrance of the council secretariat to prevent the interim chairman and other senior staff of the council from gaining entry into the secretariat.
Chairman of the Jos North NULGE, Mr. Yakubu Dung, however said the workers were not on strike, stressing that they were just gathering to be addressed by the leaders of the workers’ union.
He said the council was seriously addressing the plight of the workers, adding that leadership of NULGE is in dialogue with the management. Chairman of the council, Mr. Danjuma Sanda, was not available for comments.
Nation
Council Boss Impeached 48 Hours To LG Polls In Katsina
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.
Nation
Association Tasks Fubara On Rumuwoji Market Phase Three
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.
Nation
AfDB President Denies 2027 Presidential Ambition
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.