Nation
THE STATES
Adamawa
The Adamawa Local Government Election Petitions
Tribunal has received 38 petitions from the November 24, 2012 council election conducted in the state. The Secretary of the Tribunal, Mr Hashimu Suleiman, made this known in an interview with newsmen in Yola. Suleiman said the National Conscience Party (NCP) filed 12 petitions while the rest were filed by Congress for Progressive Change (CPC).
He said further that the petitions comprised 23 for chairmanship and 15 for councillorship.
Bauchi
Bauchi State Government said it spent more than
N30 million on the vaccination of 1.7 million cows in 2012.
Dr Bala Musa, the Director of Veterinary in the state Ministry for Animal Health and Nomadic Settlement, said this in an interview with newsmen on Tuesday in Bauchi.
“In the 2011/2012 vaccination period, we spent a little more than N30 million on vaccines, equipment, and personnel allowances; and we actually covered the 20 local government areas of the state. “We vaccinated more than 1.7 million cattle; this year, we are targeting the same figure and even more.
Benue
A 27-year old politician, Terfa Ankyo of Gboko Lo
cal Government Area of Benue, has been remanded at the Federal Prisons, Makurdi, for alleged terrorism.
The prosecutor, Sgt. Gabriel Ebonyi, told the court that one Yandev Amaabai, also of Gboko, reported the case at the Gboko Police Station.
Ebonyi said Amaabai told the police that the accused, on Nov. 24, 2012, while driving in two Hilux vans with six unidentified armed men in army uniform, shot at his Jeep on sighting him.
The prosecutor said the complainant sped off, but the suspects pursued him (Amaabai) for more than two kilometres before he managed to escape.
FCT
The FCT Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil
Defence Corps, has sealed up three illegal private guard companies in the territory.
They are Vault Security Company Ltd, Bright Star Security Ltd and E-Control Security Ltd.
Mr Abdullahi Kofaroro, the FCT Commandant of the Corps, said the defaulting companies failed to honour several invitations requiring them to make amend.
Kofaroro, who was represented by the command’s Officer-in-Charge of private guard companies, Mrs Florence Akalawu, said the companies had been operating without meeting the requirements for setting up security companies.
Gombe
No fewer than 430 people are undergoing training
on various skills organised by the National Directorate of Employee (NDE) in Gombe state .
Alhaji Abdulkadir Mabudi, the state Coordinator of NDE, made this known in an interview with newsmen in Gombe on Monday.
He said out of the 430 trainees, 100 youths were undergoing vocational training in Basic National Open Apprentices (BNOA) in each of the three senatorial zones of the state. “We sent 300 unemployed youths to various fields across the state to be trained in welding, metal fabrication, GSM repairs and maintenances, computer operation and maintenance, food processing and tailoring.
Jigawa
The Jigawa State Government said it has concluded ar
rangement to recruit 3,044 workers in 2013.
The state Head of Service, Alhaji Mustapha Aminu, made this known in an interview with newsmen in Dutse on Tuesday. Aminu said that 1,670 workers were also approved for promotion, saying that the recruitment and promotion would be spread across all sectors as captured in 2013 appropriation bill.
He explained that 1,200 teachers would be recruited under the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) to teach in primary and junior secondary schools.
Kano
The Kano State Government has budgetted N200 million
for the establishment of two Information Technology (IT) secondary schools in 2013.
The Commissioner for Science and Technology, Alhaji Bala Gwagwarwa, disclosed this in an interview with newsmen in Kano.
According to him, the schools are meant to boost the study of computer science in the state.
Gwagwarwa said the decision was borne out of the government’s effort to encourage more students to go into the study of computer science and other IT programmes.
Kwara
The Vice President, Nigeria Labour Congress, Isa Aremu,
has urged the Federal Government to revive the nation’s textile industry.
Aremu told newsmen in Ilorin that reviving the industry would reduce unemployment rate in the country.
He said if such industries were in full production, Nigeria would have no business in importing textile materials.
Aremu said Nigeria was the third largest producer of textile in frica, adding that the sector employed close to 1.5 million persons in the past, with about 250 industries across the country.
Lagos
An Ojokoro Senior Magistrates’ Court in Lagos has sen
tenced two commercial motorcycle operators to 80 hours of community service each, for violating traffic laws.
The duo, in separate cases, had pleaded guilty to four-count charges bordering on violation of the laws.
Magistrate A.F. Adeeyo sentenced the accused, Ismaila Oyelowo, who resides at No. 11, Oyeyemi St. Igando and Solomon Rafiu, of 48, Adelakun Close, Igando, to 20 hours on each of the four counts of their charges. She ordered that the community service should be carried out within Ijaye/Ojokoro Local Council Development Area.
Nasarawa
Edward Collins, 24, of Behind City Rock Hotel, Mararaba
has been arraigned before a Senior Magistrates’ Court in Mararaba, Nasarawa State, for allegedly receiving stolen property.
The Police Prosecutor, Mr. Joseph Ahwo, told the court that Anayo Chukwu of Building materials market, Mararaba, reported the matter at the ‘A’ Division Police Station on December 18.
Ahwo said Emmanuel Madu of Aliada Road, Gboko, Benue burgled the shop of one Chibuike at the building material market, Mararaba, on November 13, and stole some electrical materials valued at N22,000.
He sold the electrical materials to the accused person.
Niger
The Niger government has received the N400 million do
nated by the Federal Government to flood victims in the state.
Ahaji Mohammed Shaba, the Director general, Niger State Disaster management Agency, announced this at a news conference in Minna.
He said the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) had also fulfilled its pledge of N25 million to victims of the Madalla bomb blast.
Shaba said the donations, which were recently posted into the account of the agency, would soon be disbursed to the affected persons.
Ogun
An Abeokuta High Court has dismissed an application
filed by the former governor of Ogun, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, seeking its leave to reduce and quash some of the charges leveled against him by the EFCC.
The anti-graft agency had on April 2, 2012 instituted a 38-count charge against the former governor bordering on fraudulent conversion of land and diversion of public funds.
Daniel, through his counsel, Prof. Taiwo Osipitan, had last October filed an application to strike out counts 1-13 of the 38 charges which related to fraudulent conversion of various plots of land belonging to the state.
Oyo
A property developer, Mr. Richard Adeogun has criticized
successive administrations in Oyo State for lacking foresight in mapping out a comprehensive master plan for Ibadan, the capital city.
Adeogun, the Business Development manager at Zilt Consulting Firm, said this in an interview with newsmen in Ibadan.
He said that such neglect was reflective of the poor housing layout and difficulties encountered in acquiring land by prospective buyers.
Adeogun said that proper planning was needed if the state was to compete favourably with Lagos State as a real estate giant.
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.