Nation
THE STATES
Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State (3rd left), his Deputy, Dr Idiat Adebule (2nd left), Chairman, Lagos Civil Service Commission, Mrs Adeyinka Oyemade (3rd right), Commissioner I, Pastor Israel Alagba and other members of the commission, at the inauguration of the commission by Governor Ambode in Lagos, yesterday.
Bauchi
Acting Rector of Abubakar Tatari Ali Polytechnic,
Bauchi, Dr Suleiman Lame, said that the institution had secured the accreditation of 39 courses within nine months.
Lame, said in an interview with newsmen in Bauchi that before May 2015, only five courses run by the 27-year-old school were accredited.
“Unfortunately, even the five courses that we have then, the accreditation of four expired in February 2011 leaving only one, which is computer science.
The rector said five of the accredited courses were for Higher National Diploma.
Lame said that the state government and TETFUND had improved the school’s infrastructure, including laboratories, workshops, hostels and construction of new school of general studies, engineering, vocational and technical studies.
Benue
The Benue State Government said it had commenced
the rehabilitation of both federal and state roads across the state.
The Commissioner for Works, Transport and Power, Mr Emmanuel Manger, made the disclosure in an interview with newsmen in Makurdi.
He said the rehabilitation became necessary due to the frequent road crashes they caused, leading to loss of lives and destruction of food and cash crops.
Manger added that both the state government would also repair its roads simultaneously with the federal government roads.
The commissioner said that the federal roads would be rehabilitated in consultation and collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing.
“The Minister of Power, Works and Housing, during his visit to the state, gave the assurance that federal roads fixed by states government would be duly reimbursed,’’ he added.
FCT
President Muhammadu Buhari has directed the Minis
try of Foreign Affairs and the National Hajj Commission, NAHCON, to negotiate with Saudi authorities on improved terms and conditions for Nigerian pilgrims performing Hajj.
This,is contained in a statement issued by Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to the President Mr Garba Shehu, on Saturday in Abuja.
According to it, the decision followed the completion of talks with rulers of the Saudi Arabian Kingdom after the acceptance by its government to freely and openly discuss outstanding issues with Nigeria.
The statement said President Buhari, among others, also requested the Saudis to conclude all issues with the Nigerian Hajj Commission.
Such issues it said, included the undetermined outcome of Saudi’s investigation into the stampede at Muna in 2015 where it was believed that 274 Nigerians died.
Gombe
Governor Ibrahim Dankwambo of Gombe State, said
recently that the state was intensifying the campaign on breast feeding.
Dankwambo said this in Dukku during a courtesy visit to the Emir of Dukku, Alhahi Haruna Rasheed in Dukku Local Government Area of Gombe State.
Our correspondent reports that the Chief of Nutrition, UNICEF, Mr Argan Dewagt, said that Gombe State “is doing very poorly in the area of exclusive breast feeding.’’
The governor made an appeal to Dukku monarch to speak to his subject on the need for every mother to breast feed her child exclusively.
“It is important for every woman to breast feed her child for the maximum period of 18 months.
“It is important because the breast has all the nutrients needed by a child.
“I want the traditional and religious leaders to carry out this campaign among the people,” he said.
Lagos
A Lagos lawmaker, Mr Olushola Shokunle has urged
both the Federal and State governments to be more committed to youths development to secure a future for the nation.
Shokunle, representing Oshodi/Isolo I at the Lagos State House of Assembly made the appeal in an interview with newsmen in Lagos.
According to him, Nigerian youths have all it takes to change the image and fortunes of the country.
He said, “The government should take the responsibility to make our youths productive and channel their youthful energy to developmental activities.
“Government must give the youths the proper attention to make them positively productive and engaged.
Kaduna
The Kaduna State Government has announced the re
lease of 19 inmates of Birnin-Gwari Prisons, as part of ongoing efforts to decongest prisons in the state.
This was contained in a statement issued in Kaduna by Mr Barau Emmanuel, Technical Assistant on Media to the state Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Ruth Dyeris-Sijuwade.
It said that the prisoners were released after evaluation of their cases by the Committee on Prisons Decongestion, headed by the commissioner.
According to the statement, those released were mainly first time offenders for non-capital offences and those held for offences not found in law.
Kogi
Residents of Lokoja, the Kogi State capital have ex
pressed shock and anger over the demolition of five popular landmarks and monuments in the city on the orders of Governor Yahaya Bello.
Also affected are the Lugard Roundabout in front of the Government House, erected in memory of Nigeria’s former Governor-General, Lord Fredrick Lugard, and the popular Kogi Circle, erected to mark the creation of the state in 1995.
Also demolished are the Welcome to Lokoja Roundabout, built at the entrance of the city to welcome visitors from South Western Nigeria.
The popular NTA Roundabout and the one adjoining the Government House and the Government Reserved Area were also demolished.
Niger
President Muhammadu Buhari has said that investment
in education by his administration would begin to manifest with the passage of the 2016 budget.
The president made the remark in a message to the 25th Convocation of the Federal University of Technology (FUT) Minna.
He said that the administration would bring about massive changes in the education sector to provide qualitative education to majority of Nigerians.
“This administration is placing high premium on education and agriculture.
Ogun
A former member of Ogun State House of Assembly,
Mrs Adijat Adeleye-Oladapo, says knowledge of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) can curb unemployment in the country.
Adeleye-Oladapo, a two term member of the Assembly, said this on Saturday while addressing the Batch nine graduands of the Motunrayo-Adeleye Free ICT Centre at Akute, Ifo Local Government Area of the state.
She urged the youths, irrespective of their socio-economic background, to embrace the principles and practices of ICT to further reduce unemployment rate in the country to its minimum level.
The former lawmaker said that the establishment of the centre was part of her efforts towards ensuring that everyone in Ifo II constituency, especially indigent citizens, acquired necessary information and communication technology skills.
Osun
The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi Ojaja II has
officially declared Ile-Ife as a tourism zone and called on individuals, groups, government and entire Africans to support him translate the dream into reality.
Oba Ogunwusi made the declaration during a summit at the Oduduwa Hall, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife.
He said Ile-Ife was blessed with natural and mineral resources and endowed with tourist attractions, “and that is why I planned to use the sites to create wealth and improve infrastructure for Ile-Ife and the Yoruba land.
Sokoto
The Federal Government has restated its commitment to
bridging the gender gap in education.
The Minister of Education, Alhaji Adamu Adamu, said this in Sokoto at the second steering committee meeting of the forthcoming Girls’ Education Conference.
The conference, whose date was yet to be fixed, is being jointly organised by the Sultan Foundation for Peace and Development, UNICEF and the 19 Northern state governments.
Adamu said: “The federal government will do everything humanly possible to bridge the gap between boys and girls across the nation.
“The federal government places greater emphasis on education and it is on the front burner of its policies and programmes.”
Yobe
Rep. Sabo Garbu (PDP-Potiskum/Nangere), has distrib
uted various items aimed at empowering 100 women divorcees and widows toward self reliance.
Our correspondent reports that items presented at a ceremony in Potiskum included raw materials for soap, cream and detergent making, tailoring and knitting machines as well as other complementary items.
Speaking at the occasion, Garbu advised the beneficiaries against selling the items.
The legislator said that the items were in addition to tricycles and grinding machines he had earlier distributed to youths in the area.
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.