Nation
THE STATES
Adamawa
The Adamawa government has approved N35 million for the purchase of meat vans to transport meat from abattoirs to markets within the state.
The Commissioner for Livestock Production, Dr Lawan Hamidu, said this in Yola, during an interactive session with the peer review team of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF).
The team was in the state to inspect government’s developmental projects and their impact on the people, an exercise which it began last year.
Hamidu said that the decision to purchase the vans was to meet the challenges of transporting meat from abattoirs and to ensure the consumption of healthy and wholesome meat as well as disease free animals.”
Bauchi
The Church of Christ in Nigeria (COCIN) in Bauchi State has said that it will resist any attempt to use the church to cause disorder in Tafawa Balewa Local Government Area of the state.
The Church stated this in a statement made available to The Tide’s source in Bauchi.
The statement, which was signed by Rev. Yusuf Waziri and Rev. Yakubu Saidu, said that the clarification became necessary following allegations that some people were planning to use the Church to cause mayhem in the state.
It said that the principal aim of the Church worldwide was the salvation of souls, adding that the objective could only be achieved through peaceful means.
“The spirit of God, through Christ, vests upon all Christians and enjoins all believers an existence of peace and not violence, good neighbourliness and not acrimony, peaceful co-existence and love, not war or hatred.
Ekiti
The Ekiti State Government at the weekend disbursed N50 million loans to 250 farmers under the first phase of its newly introduced Peasant Farmers Programme.
The Tide’s source reports that each of the farmers drawn from the 177 political wards in the state received N200,000.
Speaking at the ceremony in Ado-Ekiti, Governor Segun Oni, who said the loan would be interest-free, noted that the scheme was designed to assist each of benefiting farmers to cultivate a minimum of two hectares of both annual and perennial crops this farming season.
Oni, who identified lack of funds as a major problem militating against the agricultural sector in the country, said that the state government decided to pioneer direct funding of agriculture with the aim of enhancing food security.
He urged the beneficiaries to make judicious use of the loans and ensure repayment within four years to enable others to have access to the funds.
The governor announced that 250 peasant farmers would benefit from the programme annually.
FCT
Dr Nafisatu Muhammad, the Executive Secretary of the National Commission for Nomadic Education, said 60 per cent improvement on girl-child education had been achieved through Gender Education Project (GEP).
GEP is an empowerment programme of the Federal Ministry of Education to give educational access to boys and girls in the southern and northern parts of the country respectively.
Muhammad made this known in Abuja recently in an interview with newsmen.
“In the current data, you still find girls still hawking although it has improved with a lot of sensitisation and mobilisation that is going on under the GEP”, he said.
Kaduna
Kaduna State Police Commissioner, Alhaji Mohammed Tamberi, has linked the high prevalence of rape cases to multiple tenancy.
Tamberi said this in Kaduna while parading three rape suspects.
The police chief noted that while incidence of rapes were uncommon in high brow areas, their frequency was on the increase in places with shared tenancy.
According to him, the highest incidence of rapes were recorded in Rigassa and Tudun Wada areas of the town.Tamberi regretted the incidences, but assured the public that the police was not relenting in the efforts to rid the state of criminals.
He said the three suspected rapists entered the houseof one Mohammed Salihu and defiled the housemaid.
Kano
Sheikh Salisu Muhammad, an Islamic scholar, has called for special prayers over the persisting crisis in Jos, the Plateau State capital.
Muhammad made the call recently at a monthly lecture delivered at the Sanabiyyatul Nisa’iyyatul Islamic Institute in Kano.
He said that there was need for both Muslims and Christians in the country to offer special prayers for peace to be restored in Jos.
“It is very strange and uncomfortable to witness that a place like Jos, which is blessed with so many natural and human resources is in crisis,” Muhammad said.
He described the crisis as political, saying that some group of people were benefiting from the blood shed that was taking place in the area.
Mohammed, therefore, urged the Federal Government to find a lasting solution to “the endless bloodshed’’, and pleaded with the elders to come to the rescue of the “weeping land of Jos’’
Kogi
The Kogi State Government is to construct two new modern markets in Lokoja to complement the existing International Market located in the state capital.
Mr Mohammed Sule, the State Commissioner for Environment and Physical Development, disclosed this in Lokoja in an interview with newsmen.
He said that the two markets, one of which would be sited in Ganaja and the other in Dogondaji areas of Lokoja, were expected to accommodate traders who could not secure stalls at the International Market.
Ogun
The Ogun State Government has appointed Prof. Segun Awonusi as the new Vice Chancellor of the state-owned Tai Solarin University of Education.
The appointment is contained in a statement signed by Mr Shina Kawonise, the Commissioner for Information and Orientation, a copy of which was made available to The Tide’s source in Abeokuta .
The source reports that Awonusi is to take over from Prof Kayode Oyesiku, whose five-year tenure expires on March 31.
The new vice chancellor is currently the Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology.
According to the statement, “Gov Gbenga Daniel of Ogun has approved the appointment of Prof Olusegun Awonusi as the new Vice Chancellor of the Tai Solarin University of Education, Ijebu-Ode.
“Otunba Daniel who is also the Visitor to the University, authorised the appointment following the recommendation of the Governing Council of the University which sanctioned his appointment as a replacement for the pioneer Vice Chancellor, Prof Kayode Oyesiku, whose five-year tenure ends on March 31, 2010.”
Yobe
The Yobe College of Agriculture in Gujba has introduced veterinary services to reduce the mortality rate in animals in the host community.
The Provost of the college, Alhaji Mulima Mato, told The Tide’s source in Gujba that animals, including goats, sheep and cattle, which were slaughtered or died of common ailments, had been treated and saved by the college.
He explained that “the clinic had provided medical services to animals with complications arising from polythene materials eaten by the animals which were very common.
“We have also carried out surgery on animals with birth complications,” he said.
The provost added that the community had in the past lost many animals to curable ailments due to the lack of medical attention.
He said that “quacks visiting the farmers had exploited the situation, providing sub-standard drugs and services and causing economic loss to the farmers”.
Nation
HYPREP Trains Students On Petroleum Jelly, Liquid Soap Making
In a bid to meaningfully engage secondary school students in Ogoniland during the Christmas holidays and beyond, the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project(HYPREP) has trained them on petroleum jelly and liquid soap making.
This is even as the Project has partnered with the National Orientation Agency(NOA) and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency(NDLEA) to keep the students away from crime and other related social vices during the Yuletide, by giving them pep talks that would put them on their toes during the period.
This came to the fore as HYPREP recently organised an Ogoni Young Men Mentorship programme and life skill workshop with the theme, ‘Career Coaching: Developing The Young Minds’ at Birabi Memorial Grammar School, Bori, headquarters of Khana Local Government Area of Rivers State.
The beneficiaries of the programme are essentially members of environmental clubs in 13 schools in four local government areas of Khana, Gokana, Tai and Eleme.
At the event, both NOA and NDLEA gave career talks to the students, aimed at keeping them off social vices like drug abuse and addiction as well as negative peer influences through out the Christmas holidays and beyond.
Speaking at the event, the Project Coordinator of HYPREP, Prof NeinibariniZabbey said the Project deemed it necessary to invite the National Orientation Agency and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency(NDLEA) to speak to the students in order to shield them from negative peer influences as they are preparing to go for the Christmas holidays.
He explained that the workshop would enable the students to know when the signs of the negative peer influences start coming.
Zabbey, who was represented at the occasion by HYPREP’s Head of Sustainable Livelihood, Mrs Josephine Nzidee, said the Project is not only going to train the beneficiaries but also give them the tools and skills that would grow them in the future so that they would start making money for themselves.
Also addressing the students, the Rivers State Coordinator of the National Orientation Agency(NOA), Mr Young Ayo-Tamuno expressed delight for meeting young minds, to discuss issues on values, describing it as a great opportunity.
He noted that there are seven values which constitute the role and commitment of the government towards the citizenry and another seven core values which constitute the code for the citizens.
While commending HYPREP for organising the event, Ayo-Tamuno said team work is key to making Nigeria a better place for all, as both the government and the citizens have their respective roles to play, with each staying committed and focused.
The Chief Programme Officer of NOA, Mr Henry Ayede was the one who actually mounted the rostrum and drilled the students on the seven core values embodied in the National Value Charter for citizens, and stressed the need for them to imbibe them and put them to practice as they grow up.
Ayede listed the values to include discipline, duty of care, leadership, tolerance and respect, transparency, environmental awareness and resilience.
He also underscored the need for the students to imbibe the spirit of hard work and dignity of labour, contending that while hard work and dedication contribute to success, every job can contribute to national development.
According to him, dignity in labour is the foundation of success.
On his part, Mr Bill Ebiokpo of the Media/ Advocacy Unit of NDLEA, who represented the Bori Area Commander of the agency, advised the students to guard against drug abuse and addiction, which he said have far reaching consequences.
The Principal of the Senior Secondary of Birabi Memorial Grammar School, Barrister Bob Agbozi thanked HYPREP for organising the programme, which he said enriched his knowledge and that of the students on the core values guiding the society, saying inculcating such values in young people and teaching them practical skills have contributed immensely to the greatness of advanced countries and even countries like Rwanda in Africa.
He noted that the career coaching would change the behavioral pattern of the students particularly during the Yuletide.
He also thanked NOA for the career talks and urged it to replicate the programme in other places, not only in schools but also in market places.
The training of the students on petroleum jelly and liquid soap making was anchored by an expert, MrsLekpa Abel, with HYPREP workers lending a helping hand.
It was, indeed, a practical session with the students, who came face to face with the production materials of the products.
Donatus Ebi
Nation
Community Organises Civic Reception For LG Boss
It was celebration galore as the people of Isu Community in Etche Local Government Area of River State held a civic reception in honour of the Council Chairman, Dr Uzodinma Nwafor .
The epoch- making ceremony which took place recently at the community ancestral home saw the attendance of the political class, the clergy, opinion leaders, the academia, youths, women, elders and chiefs gather to honour their brand new chairman.
In his remarks, the Chairman of Etche Local Government Council, Dr Uzodinma Nwafor expressed gratitude to the people for according him such honour, saying it shows their unwavering support to the development of Etche.
Nwafor announced the readiness of his administration to embark on electrification of Ozuzu clan including Isu community.
The Etche council boss also said the market at Isu will be reconstructed to improve the economic life of the people.
He revealed that the two projects will commence in January as efforts are on to mobilise the contractors.
Nwafor told the mammoth crowd that his major concern remains, peace and unity of the entire Etche, saying security of lives and property remains top on his agenda as no meaningful development can thrive in an atmosphere of violence.
He urged parents to encourage their wards and children to refrain from violence and embrace peace. “Let us allow Etche to be at peace .Don’t allow any body to use you set Etche ablaze. Parents advise your children to stay away from crime .We must stay in peace and unity. Our children must shun violence ,it can’t take us anywhere as a people ,” he declared.
He thanked the people for their support as well thank their son, former commissioner for Energy ,Okey Amadi for being a Pilar of his political sojourne.
Earlier, the Isu opinion leader and Principal, Community Secondary School, Mgbosomini in Obio/ Akpor Local Government Area, Mr Chijioke Amadi said the honour done Etche chairman was a collective division of his people.
Amadi described the council boss as an illustrious son who has contributed immensely to the wellbeing of the community.
He declared that his community and the entire Etche will keep supporting him because he is doing well.
Amadi urged the people to keep praying for him and the Rivers State Governor to succeed in delivering dividends of democracy.
Nation
Senate Summons Wike Over Demolition Of Houses …Set To Investigate FCDA Activities
Senate has set up an adhoc committee to investigate the demolition of buildings in the Federal Capital Territory, FCT by the Federal Capital Development Authority, FCDA, just as it summoned the Minister of FCT, Nyesom Wike, to appear before it to explain the reasons behind the demolitions, which have left many residents stranded
The resolutions followed a motion by Senator Ireti Kingibe ( FCT), who expressed concern over the illegal demolition of structures in the nation’s capital and called for an immediate stop to further demolitions.
The Red Chamber particularly ordered the FCDA to halt ongoing demolitions of property in the Territory within the next two weeks pending the report of its adhoc committee constituted to probe the issue.
The adhoc committee, to be chaired by the Deputy Senate President, Senator Barau Jibrin, has the Deputy Senate Leader, Senator Lola Ashiru; Chief Whip of the Senate, Senator Tahir Monguno, Senator Yahaya Abdullahi, Senator Sahabi Ya’u, Senator Victor Umeh, Senator Jimoh Ibrahim, Senator Idiat Adebule and Senator Jarigbe Agom Jarigbe, as members.
The Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, who announced the composition of the committee, gave it two weeks to submit its report.
Akpabio while reading the resolution of the Senate, said: “The Senate urges the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) to stop further demolitions of structures, except those ordered by courts of competent jurisdictions, until the adhoc committee constituted by the Senate to ascertain the propriety or otherwise of the exercise concludes its investigation and interface with the FCT administration within the next two weeks.”
Kingibe in her lead debate said that in recent times, the demolition exercise in the FCT was no longer based on reasons that necessitated the demolition.
She urged the Senate to be further concerned that the current demolition in the FCT was not in line with due process of court orders to demolish.
“As such, a cross section of individuals had suffered untold hardships occasioned by massive demolition, which has led to a loss of properties worth billions of naira.
“Also concerned that at the moment, an estate by name, Messrs Paulosa, for which late Colonel Paul Osakpawan Ogbebor is the chairman, is currently under revocation and demolition. And from reliable information, the said plot of land was allocated to him in 1984 with requisite title document.
“And further concerned that the owner of this estate was a patriotic Nigerian who served the nation meritoriously and one of the first intakes of the Nigerian Defence Academy, Kaduna, with registration Number 001,” Kingibe said.
She urged the Senate to accordingly resolve to urge the FCT administration to halt the ongoing revocation and demolition of the said property, “as it does not fall within the purview of the reasons for the massive demolition being carried by the FCDA.”
Senator Kingibe also advocated thatall demolitions should follow due process while the Senate set up a committee to investigate the matters arising from the demolition.
However, Senator Sunday Karimi ( Kogi West) in his contribution said the Senate needs to hear from the Minister of FCT, Nyesom Wike, before ordering a halt to the demolitions.
“If you look at this motion, the presenter said, a specific land allocation was mentioned belonging to one Paul Ogbebor.
“We don’t know anything about this thing and we are just coming because of this to tell the minister to stop?
“There is need to investigate this matter before giving any directive. We must hear from the minister. But we have to hear before we say stop demolition.
“Let’s hear from the Minister. You cannot shave a man’s head at his back. We need to hear from the Minister,” Karimi said.
The Chairman Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters, Senator Adeniyi Adegbonmire (Ondo Central), however disagreed with Karimi, saying that the request that the Senate should call on the FCT minister to halt further demolitions was in order.
He said: “Mr. President, with respect I disagree with Mr. Karimi. I think we need to be fair to everyone. There is before us an allegation that says certain steps are to be taken which will culminate in demolition. Are we saying that we should allow the place to be demolished while we are trying to look into it?”
In his response, the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio agreed with the chairman Senate Committee on Judiciary and Legal Matters, saying “my thought is in line with yours. If we just say, continue the demolition, and then we start investigation, what are we then investigating?”
He, thereafter, read the resolution of the Senate calling on the FCT Minister to halt further demolitions of property in the FCT pending the investigative report of its adhoc committee chaired by the Deputy Senate President.
Nneka Amaechi-Nnadi
-
Rivers3 days ago
Emulate Fubara’s Transformation Agenda, LG Boss Urges S’South Leaders … Calls For Investment In N’Delta
-
Niger Delta4 days ago
Foundation Leads Campaign Against Genetically Modified Foods In Edo
-
Sports4 days ago
BFN Hold Clinic to Empower Coaches
-
Niger Delta4 days ago
Eno Recommits To Accountability, Effective Service Delivery
-
Sports4 days ago
NBA train youths, coaches in Nigeria
-
Business4 days ago
New Naira Notes Still Valid – CBN
-
Sports4 days ago
We’ll use Sports to Promote Peace, create Wealth in Tai…Chairman.
-
Business4 days ago
Onne OMT Port Acquires 2 Cranes For Container Haulage