Nation
THE STATES
Borno
The Borno State Police Command said it had put in place
all necessary machinery for peaceful conduct of the February general elections in the state.
The Police Commissioner in the state, Mr Clement Adoda, stated at a sensitisation meeting with officials of political parties in the state that the command was also looking at possibilities of seeking additional personnel from other states to beef up security during the polls.
The commissioner also said that the military could be drafted to provide additional support should the situation degenerate.
“The military is always on standby in every situation. “But if there is the need for the military assistance to civil authority during the elections, be rest assured of our preparedness to invite them,” Adoda said.
He said that the meeting was aimed at enlightening politicians on the need to avoid violence during the polls.
FCT
Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) have frowned at the
monumental fraud and looting of the oil treasury without significant action to identify, prosecute and punish culprits.
Convener of Protest To Power Movement (P2PM), Mr Jaye Gaskia, made this known in Abuja at a news conference recently.
The conference was jointly organised by the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), P2PM and State of the Union Coalition (SOTU) to mark three years of fuel subsidy protest.
He said treasury looting could not have happened without the collaboration and protection of highly placed political officials.
According to Gaskia, the NNPC, Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), Petroleum Product Pricing Regulation Agency (PPPRA), Federal ministries of Petroleum and Finance were not left out of the looting.
He said that no official had been implicated or disciplined on this issue.
He said any claim paid on subsidy since the downturn of oil prices in the international market would be regarded as fraudulent payment because the landing cost of fuel had reduced.
According to him, Nigeria is sufficient in producing refined oil in the country but our crude oil is being refined overseas due to corruption.
Kaduna
The Federal Government has said it had released N3
billion for disbursement to victims of 2011 post-election violence in Kaduna State.
The Vice President, Namadi Sambo made the disclosure at the 40th anniversary of Emir of Zazzau, Alhaji Shehu Idris, on the throne held at the Emir’s palace, Zaria, Kaduna State.
Sambo, who was represented by Governor Muktar Yero of Kaduna State, said the money which was already in the coffers of the state government would be disbursed to the affected victims accordingly.
He stressed the need for people to live in peace with one another to enable government at all levels to provide the dividend of democracy to the electorate.
While congratulating the Emir for attaining 40 years on the throne, Sambo attributed the success recorded by the Emirate to patience, fairness, justice and truthfulness.
Kano
The Kano State Government has approved over N17 mil
lion for the purchase of JAMB forms and training of candidates who will benefit from the forms, the Commissioner for Justice, Mr Maliki Umar, said.
Umar made the disclosure in Kano while briefing newsmen on the outcome of the state’s Executive Council Meeting.
He said the council had also approved over N186 million for the upkeep of public and voluntary schools in the state.
He added that “the council also approved N2.1 million for renovation of dental centre and eye clinic at Murtala Muhammed Specialist Hospital.’’
Katsina
The Katsina State Inter-faith Committee has denied the
destruction of a Church in Matazu Local Government Area by the Katsina Urban and Regional Planning Development Authority (KURPDA).
The Chairman of the committee, Alhaji Isah Dodo stated this in Matazu during a visit to the area.
He said that the committee was mandated by the state government to investigate and ascertain the true picture of the matter.
He explained that the affected area was a pathway between a school and staff quarters of the church.
Dodo further explained that the church decided to fence the school and the staff quarters, thereby, blocking the pathway which had been in existence for more than 20 years.
Kebbi
The Kebbi State branch of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breed
ers Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) has commended the Kebbi Government for the establishment of the Ministry of Animal Husbandry and Fisheries.
In a statement issued in Birnin Kebbi the Chairman of the association, Alhaji Muhammad Gwandu said that the new ministry would go a long way to boost livestock and fisheries production in the state.
The statement added that the new ministry would also boost family’s income, generate employment and improve nutrition in-take of the people of the state.
Ondo
The new Vice-Chancellor of the Adekunle Ajasin
University, Akungba Akoko (AAUA), Ondo State, Prof. Igbekele Ajibefun, has assumed duty.
The Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration), Prof. Francis Oyabade, led other principal officers and students of the institution to receive Ajibefun at the Senate Chambers where prayers were offered for a successful tenure.
The vice-chancellor, who was accompanied by his wife, Bosede, expressed gratitude to God for the appointmen,t and thanked Governor Olusegun Mimiko for appointing him to serve the state at another level after completing his tenure as the rector of the state polytechnic.
Ajibefun promised to justify the confidence reposed in him by driving the university toward fulfilling the vision and mission of its founding fathers.
Plateau
The Plateau State Head of Service (HOS) Ezekiel Dalyop
has described the biometric of the state workforce as ‘a huge success.’
Speaking with newsmen in Jos, Dalyop said the exercise which commenced in 2012 was tasking.
He said: “As a pioneering exercise, the biometric has not been easy but it has been a huge success in the sense that we have been able to identify clearly those who are genuine workers. “As at the state level, we have almost concluded the entire exercise.
“The report of the appeal panel on the exercise had been reviewed by another committee and has been submitted to the government.
Dalyop said the exercise was aimed at sanitising the state workforce, leave a legacy behind by identifying genuine workers.
“At the first count, we arrived at 11,000 workers certified as genuine, leaving about 6,000 plus workers who needed to answer questions raised by the committee.
Sokoto
The Sokoto State police command in has warned politi
cal parties against the illegal use of sirens.
Spokesman for the Command, DSP Al-Mustapha Sani, gave the warning in a statement in Sokoto on Wednesday, following complaints about the use of sirens by some candidates.
The statement stated that “ in Sokoto State, only the governor, his deputy, the speaker of the state House of Assembly, CP, AIG, the Brigade Commander and the Sultan are legally allowed to use the sirens while on movement. Anyone outside this exclusive list who uses sirens does so illegally and stands to face the consequences according to the laws of the land.”
The statement also warned political parties against moving with youths wielding various types of weapons during their activities
Zamfara
The Zamfara State Universal Basic Education Board
(SUBEB) has commenced training of 150 teachers on Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and its applications to education.
Public Relations Officer of the board, Alhaji Kabir Mayanchi, who made the disclosure in Gusau, said the training was to assist the primary and junior secondary school teachers to improve their knowledge of ICT.
He added that the training became necessary considering the fact that majority of primary school teachers in the state lacked basic requirement of computer literacy.
The image maker expressed optimism that the training would enhance the quality of education and boost the acquisition of basic ICT skills by teachers.
President Goodluck Jonathan (left) receiving letter of credence from the new Ambassador of Guinea Conakry, Mr Gaoussou Toure, in Abuja recently
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.