Abuja

Sen. Lawal Shuaibu, the National Secretary of ACN, has urged the Federal Government to train security personnel on counter terrorism.

Shuaibu said in Abuja that enforcing the Anti-terrorism Act also entailed special training for the Nigeria Police and the entire law enforcement agencies.

“Otherwise, they will do the normal police work, which at the end of the day, may not yield what the law intends to address.’’

Shuaibu blamed the recent terrorism in Nigeria on the emerging culture of impunity.

He said a lot of youths were idle and therefore easily manipulated into doing crime.

Adamawa

The Adamawa Universal Basic Education Board (ADSUBEB) has promoted 407 teachers in Mubi South Local Council Area of the state.

The council’s Education Secretary, Alhaji Salihu Umar, announced this in Mubi last Friday.

Umar said that the promotion cut across various cadres of teachers

between Grade Levels 07 and 14.

He said the beneficiaries included primary and post-basic school teachers.

He said that more than 395 teachers were also trained under its teacher development initiative in the last three years.

Bauchi

The Bauchi Local Government Council says it will post health workers to rural areas in its bid to decongest heath centres in urban areas.

The Head of Administration of the council, Alhaji Abubakar Amale, disclosed this last  Friday in Bauchi, shortly after visiting the Bayan-Fada and Doya maternity centres in Bauchi metropolis.

Amale said that the council had noted with dismay that most of the health workers were working in the urban areas, leaving the rural areas without adequate personnel.

“This is detrimental to the health care delivery system we are busy trying to develop.

“We promised our people a first class health care system with health workers within their reach. How can we keep this promise when health care workers resist posting to rural areas,” he asked.

Borno

Gov. Kashim Shettima of Borno last Saturday rejected calls for the withdrawal of Military Joint Task Force (JTF) from the state capital, saying it was illogical.

Shettima said in a state broadcast, that the call for the removal of the Soldiers did not provide a reasonable security alternative for the maintenance of law and order.

“With no intention to denigrate nor question the motives of the eminent persons agitating for the withdrawal of soldiers from the state, I regret to note that none has offered a tangible sustainable alternative to fill the security vacuum to be created in the event of the withdrawal of the JTF,’’ he said.

Shettima, however, said that the government would pay compensation to all victims of recent clash between the military and the “Boko Haram” sect in the state.

Ekiti

Gov. Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State has ordered the immediate re-opening of the state College of Education, Ikere-Ekiti.

Fayemi disbanded the institution’s Students’ Union Government for its alleged role in the unrest that led to closure of the college more than a month ago.

A statement issued by the institution’s Sole Administrator, Prof. Fransisca Aladejana, said the governor had also approved that the students must resume on Monday, July 18.

The statement said normal academic work would start immediately, while students’ union activities had been suspended.

It said students allegedly took the laws into their hands on the day of their procession round the town, disrupting social and economic activities.

Gombe

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Gombe State chapter, says it will ensure the participation of its members in the three days warning strike over the non-payment of the N18,000 National Minimum Wage.

The Chairman of the state congress, Alhaji Ahmed Sakala, gave the assurance at a meeting of the congress in Gombe.

He, therefore, warned senior civil servants against sabotaging the strike scheduled to begin today.

Sakala said any civil servant found in his or her place of work during the strike would have his or herself to blame for whatever actions that would be taken against them.

Jigawa

Gov. Sule Lamido of Jigawa has charged the newly appointed Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Alhaji Lawan Abdu, to shun sycophants and focus attention on effective service delivery.

Lamido, who gave the charge in Dutse while swearing-in Abdu, said this was imperative in the drive to ensure effective service delivery to the people and speedy development in the state.

He promised to consolidate on the achievements recorded by his administration in the past four years.

Lamido explained that in his first four years in office, the journey was tough and rough, pointing out that he concentrated mainly on the transformation of the general infrastructures in the state.

Kano

Four ‘concerned citizens’ of Kano State, have asked the State House of Assembly to press for the payment of compensation to victims of Cerebrospinal Meningitis drug test in Kano.

The citizens are Alhaji Zubairu Mohammed, Alhaji Auwalu Abdu, Alhaji Balarabe Gabari, and Alhaji Musa Ibrahim.

The trials, popularly called Trojan drug test, were carried out by Pfizer, a pharmaceutical company, in 1996.

In a letter addressed to the speaker of the House, the four also demanded an investigation into the out-of-court settlement agreed between Pfizer and the State Government over the claims of the victims.

Lagos

Mr Nnadozie Uchenna, the Secretary of Alaba International Market Association (Electronics), Lagos, said the market lost about N20 billion following its closure on July 14 and 15.

Uchenna told newsmen in Lagos that the market was closed by the association to forestall a break down of law and order.

He said the closure was necessitated by the arrest of its Chairman, Dr Celestine Ezeani, and Vice Chairman, Mr Emmanuel Onyejelem, by the police on July 13.

According to him, based on past experiences from such illegal arrests of its executives, the association decided to shut the market to prevent hoodlums from using the opportunity to cause chaos.

Lokoja

The National Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal in Lokoja has struck out Dino Melaye’s petition challenging the election of Tajudeen Yusuf for Kabba-Bunu/Ijumu Federal Constituency.

Chairman of the three-member tribunal, Justice Celine Nweke, declared the petition incompetent as it was not signed by the petitioner or his counsel.

Nweke said the Legal Practitioners Act provided that only legal practitioners could sign such documents.

“But this petition was signed by a non-legal practitioner who is not even one of the petitioners.’’

She said that section 3(1) of the Electoral Act 2010 (As Amended) provided that for a petition to be competent, it shall be signed by either the petitioner or his solicitor.

Ondo

Ondo State House of Assembly Speaker, Mr Samuel Adesina, has appealed to labour unions in the state to suspend their indefinite strike to allow the assembly intervene in the dispute.

Adesina made the appeal in Akure at a meeting convened by the leadership of the assembly to intervene in the labour dispute between the workers and the state government over non-payment of N18,000 minimum wage.

The union led by the Chairman of the Joint Negotiation Council (JNC), Mr Solomo Adelegan, the state NLC Chairman, Mrs Bosede Daramola and the TUC Chairman, Mr Emmanuel Adewumi, accused the state government of breaching an agreement with labour.

He said the government, in a negotiation with labour during the last strike, agreed to pay N14, 000 salary relativity and that a circular to that effect was released and thereafter withdrawn unilaterally by the government.

Adelegan who said the decision of the state government to directly implement the N18,000 national minimum wage without the payment of the N14,000 salary relativity was not acceptable to the workers.

Osun

Commercial drivers and motorcycle operators have been warned against drinking alcohol, especially the local gin popularly called Ogogoro .

Mrs Oluronke Daniel, the Osun Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), gave the warning in Osogbo last Saturday.

Daniel was reacting to a recent increase in the patronage of the local gin a little sip of which they believe helps to take away chill during the cold weather.

She said that consumption of alcohol of any brand before getting on the wheels on the excuse that it would prevent cold was abnormal and dangerous.

Sokoto

Traditional rulers in the country have been urged to assist security agencies in exposing the people behind the spate of bombings in some parts of the country.

Alhaji Abdullahi Yusuf, the former Chairman of Isa Local Government Council in Sokoto State, made the call in Sokoto on Saturday in an interview with our correspondent.

He said traditional rulers had a great role to play in enhancing security in the country.

“I strongly advocate the full participation of the traditional

institutions in the fight against terrorism which is threatening the peaceful coexistance of our country,’’ he said.

“We must adopt the culture of assisting our security officers with relevant information on happenings around us.”

Yobe

The Yobe government has concluded arrangements to construct a 300-kilometre

road to link seven local government areas in the state.

Alhaji Maisanda Lawan, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Works, told newsmen in Damaturu last Saturday that the road would spur economic activities and increase revenue for the state.

He said that the road, which would link communities in seven local government areas along the border, would also boost trade among the communities.