Nation
THE STATES
Borno
The All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Borno
State Chapter, says over 18, 000 rice farmers in the state will cultivate their farms in 2016 after four years of insecurity.
The state AFAN Secretary, Salihu Aliyu, made this known in an interview with newsmen in Maiduguri.
He said that many farmers had returned to their farms as a result of the relative peace being enjoyed in the state.
Aliyu, who lamented that the strangulating challenges of insecurity in the state and its environs, said insurgency had before now virtually crippled farming activities in the state.
He explained that the association was discussing with government officials on how its members could access part of the N4.9 billion loans to rice farmers under the CBN Anchor Borrower programme.
Ekiti
An Ado-Ekiti Chief Magistrate’s Court has ordered the
remand of two students of Ekiti State University, Sanya Alabi, 24, and Damilola Onipede, 20, over alleged involvement in cult activities.
The prosecutor, Sgt. Bankole Olasunkanmi, told the court that the accused persons committed the offence on August 8 at about 10.00 p.m. at Iworoko-Ekiti.
Olasunkanmi alleged that the accused persons, on the said date, armed with guns, cutlass and axe, attempted to kill one Oyewole Adebayo.
According to him, the offence contravened Section 320,1(2) of Secret Cult (Abolition and Prohibition) Law, Laws of Ekiti State.
FCT
The National Environmental Standards Regulations and
Enforcement Agency (NESREA), has said that the training of the police on environmental activities, would assist in promoting clean environment in the country.
The agency’s Director-General, Dr Lawrence Anukam, made this disclosure in Abuja in an interview with newsmen
He said that the training would also enable policemen to contribute their quota to the promotion of the nation‘s environmental activities.
“Taking cognizance of the important role the police will play in the enforcement of environmental laws and regulations, the agency has started training the police on environmental activities. “Some of the reasons for the agency‘s collaboration with the police is the establishment of Environmental Laws Enforcement Police Unit.
Kaduna
The Nigerian Air Force (NAF), Kaduna, has handed over
806 livestock and four motorcycles to Operation Yaki, a security outfit coordinated by the Kaduna State Government.
The NAF Base Commander, Air Commodore Bello Garba, disclosed this after handing over the livestock to the State Coordinator of Operation Yaki, Alhaji Yakubu Yusuf.
Garba said that the livestock recovered on August 8, included 665 cows and 141 sheep, adding that they were recovered in Birnin Gwari forest where bandits were operating. He said that during the operation, there was exchange of fire between the Air Force personnel and the rustlers.
Kano
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA)
says no fewer than 18 persons lost their lives and property worth over N700 million destroyed by flood in Kano State in the past two weeks.
This is contained in a statement by the North-West Zonal Coordinator of the agency, Alhaji Musa Ilallah in Kano.
According to the statement, the massive flood ravaged the 22 local government areas of the state.
It said that properties, including houses and farmlands were lost to the floods by no fewer than 1000 persons.
“The worst affected local government areas are Shanono, Bagwai, Kiru with 749 victims and N347million worth of properties damaged.
Kogi
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA),
Kogi State command, has arrested a truck driver carrying 1,126.9kg of cannabis sativa (Indian hemp) worth over N5 million.
NDLEA Commander in Kogi State, Alhaji Idris Bello, made the disclosure while parading the suspect and three others before journalists in Lokoja.
He said that the driver was arrested near Kabba junction on the Lokoja-Abuja highway. He said that the illicit drug was concealed in 100 big bags.
Bello said that the driver told NDLEA operatives that he was conveying the Indian hemp from Uromi in Edo State to Kaduna.
Lagos
The wife of the Vice President, Mrs Dolapo Osinbajo,
has appealed to organisations and well-meaning Nigerians to support the needy and malnourished children in the country.
Osinbajo made the appeal at the launch of the “Get Involved” initiative to prevent annual death of thousands of malnourished Nigerian children in the internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps in Lagos.
According to her, the gesture can be in form of material items.
The wife of the President, Hajiya Aisha Buhari, launched the ‘Get Involved’ initiative at the State House, Abuja on July 21.
“We are appealing to all Nigerians to get involved in providing humanitarian support for these needy and malnourished children in the country, especially those in the IDP camps.
Nasarawa
District heads and community leaders will be held re
sponsible for breach of peace in their domains, Dr Bala Angbazo, the Aren Eggon of Eggon nation in Nasarawa State, has warned.
Angbazo gave the warning when he received the State Commissioner of Police, Abubakar Bello at his palace in Nasarawa Eggon. The paramount ruler, who was reacting to the alleged resurgence of the “Ombatse” cult group, tasked district heads and chiefs to rise up to the occasion in order to nip any incidence in the bud.
Niger
The Students Union Government (SUG), College of Edu
cation, Minna, Niger State, has called on the state government to compensate the family of a pregnant student killed by an articulated vehicle.
SUG President of the college, Mr Ahmad Tafyan, made the call in Minna in an interview with newsmen.
The deceased, Mrs Angela Daniel was killed by the vehicle on Monday afternoon while on a motorcycle conveying her home after lectures along with another student who narrowly escaped with injuries. The incident triggered demonstration by students of the college who blocked the Minna/Suleja dual carriageway for over four hours until the police intervened.
Oyo
The Nigeria Institute of Animal Science (NIAS) has called
for the formulation of a national policy on livestock breeding.
The Chief Executive Officer of the institute, Prof. Eustace Iyayi, made the call at a lecture organised by the Federal College of Animal Health and Production Technology, Ibadan.
Iyayi, who spoke on “Sustainable Innovations in the Present Day Nigeria’s Animal Production Industry,’’ said such policy would bring a sustainable innovation in animal production industry.
He stressed the need to tackle problems associated with drivers of livestock production through research.
“We need national livestock census to ascertain the number of animals for production; renovation in breeding and molecular genetics.
Sokoto
A total of 1, 500 intending pilgrims from Sokoto and
Zamfara States have been transported to Saudi Arabia for the Hajj from the Sultan Abubakar International Airport, Sokoto, an official has said.
Alhaji Abubakar Kaoje, Sokoto Zonal Coordinator of National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) said that the pilgrims were taken directly to Medina.
Kaoje told newsmen in Sokoto State that the pilgrims were transported between August 8 and 10 by Max Airline.
He said that 1000 of those transported were from Zamfara while 500 came from Sokoto state.
The coordinator expressed satisfaction with the conduct of the exercise and commended the airline for keeping to schedule.
Zamfara
A National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member of
Batch B, Stream 2, 2015/2016, Mr Umar Abubakar, has planted 100 trees in Matazu-Filin Jirgi Community in Gusau, Zamfara.
The Corps member, who was serving in the state’s Ministry of Justice and an indigene of Bauchi State, planted the trees under his Community Development Service Project (CDS).
Launching the tree planting yesterday, the State’s NYSC Coordinator, Malam Ballama Bello, described the corps member as ‘a patriotic and dedicated Nigerian’.
Bello represented by the Head of CDS in the state NYSC Secretariat, Mr Mamman Adamu, said that CDS was one of the major cardinals of the NYSC scheme that provides direct benefits to the corps member’s host community.
“Even in the NYSC three weeks orientation course in the camp, we give emphasis to the CDS because it gives maximum contributions to the development of communities, especially in the rural areas.
“On behalf of the Director-General of NYSC, Brig.-Gen. Sulaiman Kazaure, the entire staff and NYSC in Zamfara, I commend you on this wonderful and encouraging effort”.
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.