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”.
The Senate yesterday approved the bills for the establishment of Federal University of Medical and Health Sciences and College of Education, Bende at its plenary session.
The two bills sponsored by the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon . Benjamin Kalu came to the Senate for concurrence after the approvals from the House of Representatives.
The Deputy Leader of the Senate, Sen. Lola Ashiru in the absence of the Majority Leader presented the recommendations of the Lower Chamber for consideration and Concurrence .
The Bill for an Act to establish Federal College of Education, Bende in Abia State seeks to provide full-time courses, training in technology, applied sciences, commerce, social sciences, arts and humanities among others.
Kalu had in his lead debate stated that Bende has remained undivided since its creation in 1976, even though with the size of four local government areas as found in comparative federal constituencies.
“Despite its strategic location in Abia and sharing a border with Akwa Ibom, with a growing population and landmass, there is no tertiary institution in the Federal Constituency operated either by Federal or State Government. Bende deserves to have the presence of a tertiary institution to serve the education need of the teeming youthful population, especially now that the need for well-trained educationists has risen. This is accompanied by the need to fill the gaps created by both the consequences of brain drain and the lack of qualified educationists to provide quality training at all levels of education,” he said.
For the bill seeking the establishment of Federal University of Medical and Health Sciences, Bende, Abia State, he said when it becomes law, the university will be charged with the responsibility to, among other things, offer full-time training leading to the award of degrees in medical and health sciences.
Nneka Amaechi-Nnadi
South East Caucus of the Senate has appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to immorttalise late Professor Humphrey Nwosu considering his commitment to achieving a practical democracy for Nigerian.
The Senators visibly angered by the Senate’s rejection of the need to immortalise the late National Electoral umpire who stood for democracy through the turbulent 1993 elections stormed out of the Senate Chambers and spoke to the press .
The Chairman of the South East Caucus, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe ( Abia South), as he did in plenary on Wednesday, presented a motion for immortalisation of Humphrey Nwosu by naming the national headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission ( INEC) , after him , for laying the foundation in 1993 and conducting the freest and fairest Presidential election in the country .
The late Professor Nwosu was the National Chairman of the National Electoral Commission ( NEC) , now known as Independent National Electoral Commission ( INEC) , who through option A4, conducted the June 12, 19993 presidential election , adjudged to be the freest and fairest in the country.
Abaribe in the motion co – sponsored by 15 other Senators , said late Humphrey Nwosu deserved to be immortalised like other heroes of the June 12 , 1993 presidential election .
He also urged the Federal Government to honour the late former electoral umpire with post humous national honours .
But Abaribe’s request , seconded by Senator Victor Umeh (Anambra Central) and supported by Senators from the South East including forner Senate Leader, Yahaya Abdullahi ( Kebbi North) , was roundly rejected by other Senators who said the deceased deserved no immortalization .
Specifically , Senator Adams Oshiomhole ( Edo North) , in his contribution to the debate said the motion to him, was nothing but an attempt to manipulate and rewrite history.
“ Professor Humphrey Nwosu as NEC Chairman in 1993, failed to deliver on the June 12 , 1993 Presidential Election for lack of Courage
“ He who is not ready to die for something , will die for nothing
“ If he was afraid of the gun from announcing the election results and winner in 1993 , he cannot be rewarded now , more so, when many Nigerians died for what he inadvertently created “, he said .
Nneka Amaechi -Nnadi
The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Gen. Christopher Musa, says the Nigerian Military is committed to facilitating sustainable food security in the country through the establishment of farms.
Musa said this in Abuja yesterday during the unveiling of the Defence Farm and Agro-Allied Products Logo.
He noted that the agricultural sector played crucial role in guaranteeing food security which was requisite for sustainable national security.
He said that the adverse impact of climate change, environmental degradation and conflict across some parts of the country had continuously threatened food security with dire consequences on national security.
According to him, to address this, the Defence Headquarters in May 2023, conceptualised the Defence Farm and Agro-Allied Products initiative.
“This is with the aim of keying into the federal government’s efforts at addressing food security challenges in the country.
“The initiative which aligns with the ‘People Centric’ policy thrust of my leadership concept is aimed at creating job opportunities and enhancing rural infrastructural development while significantly contributing to food security in the Country.
“Considering the extensive consultation, planning and preparation made by the committee thus far, I am optimistic that the Defence Farm and Agro-Allied Products initiative will have a positive transformative impact on host communities while enhancing national security.
“With similar initiatives replicated across the country, I envision a future characterised by modernised farming techniques in which the agricultural sector significantly contributes to economic growth and national development.”
The CDS enjoined all members of the Armed Forces and the general public to embrace the initiative and maximise its associated gains.
He expressed gratitude to President Bola Tinubu, for his sterling leadership and relentless pursuit of national peace, security and economic prosperity.
He also appreciated the efforts of members of the committee who worked assiduously to actualise the initiative.
Earlier, the Chairman, Defence Farms Committee,