Nation
THE STATES
FCT
The Executive Director of Conscience Nigeria (CN), Mr Tosin Adeyanju, has called on the National Judicial Council (NJC) to reposition itself to fight corruption as the integrity of the judiciary is waning.
Adeyanju said in Abuja that the council’s role in restoring the integrity of the judiciary could not be overemphasised.
He explained that this was because of the composition of the council with the Chief Justice of Nigeria, as its head.
The executive director said that the menace of corruption had assumed an unimaginable proportion in Nigeria that even the judiciary widely regarded as the citadel of justice was in it.
“Unfortunately, the present reality of deep-rooted corruption or the perception of it, appears to undermine the credibility of judiciary in the eye of Nigerians.
Gombe
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) last Monday said it would execute a project in one of the schools at Dukku Emirate in Gombe State as part of the bank’s intervention programmes in education.
The CBN Governor, Malam Sanusi Lamido, disclosed this during a visit to the Emir of Dukku, Alhaji Haruna Rasheed in Dukku. Lamido told the Emir to identify the school where the bank would execute the project.
“We have good news. The Central Bank of Nigeria is embarking on projects in schools this year. “We will like the emir to name a school in Dukku so that we will embark on the project,” he said.
Sanusi commiserated with the new emir over the death of his father, Alhaji Abdulrasheed and congratulated him on his appointment.
Jigawa
Chairmen of the 27 local governments in Jigawa on Tuesday donated 54 motorcycles to the policemen posted to their respective domains.
The state Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Alhaji Salisu Ndarawa, made the presentation in Dutse on behalf of the chairmen.
Ndarawa said that the gesture was to assist the policemen to carry out their duties effectively at the grassroots.
He said the chairmen contributed money to purchase the motorcycles in order to ease the operation of the policemen deployed to their areas.
“From our calculation, each of the 27 local government areas will get two motorcycles,” he added.
Katsina
About 50 youths participated in a cycling competition organised by the Ingawa Local Government Council in Katsina State on Tuesday.
The race which covered a distance of 24 kilometres from the roundabout at Ingawa town, attracted many spectators from within and outside of the area.
Presenting prizes to the winners of the competition, caretaker chairman of the local government, Alhaji Hussaini Dambo said that the aim of the competition was to enhance unity among the youths of the area.
Dambo, who was represented by a councillor, Alhaji Lawal Murtala, also said the cycling race would enhance the physical fitness of the participants.
He called on the youth to engage in sporting activities, assuring that the council was ready to assist them in that direction.
Kebbi
The Kebbi Government has released N90 million for the payment of registration fees for indigent students studying at Usmanu Danfodio University, Sokoto.
The Executive Secretary of the state Scholarship Board, Alhaji Murtala Yauri, in Birnin Kebbi on Tuesday that the amount would be remitted to the university.
He said that the board would also ensure payment of fees for students in other institutions to ensure their studies were not disrupted.
He said that education was free in the state “and we expect beneficiaries to justify the resources invested in them.’’
Yauri said the board would not delay the payment, stressing that each beneficiary would be paid through the banks.
He said the board had also purchased the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examinations (UTME) forms worth N2.5million for free distribution to qualified indigent candidates.
“Only those with minimum requirement would be considered,” he said.
Lagos
A 20-year-old man, Seyi Martins, who allegedly stole a laptop and some personal effects, was on Tuesday charged before an Apapa Magistrates’ Court in Lagos.
Martins allegedly broke into a house and stole the items worth N197, 000 according to the prosecution. The accused, who lives at Maza Maza area in Ojo on the Lagos-Badagry expressway, is facing a two-count charge of unlawfully breaking into a premises and stealing.
The prosecutor, Cpl. John Iberedem, told the court that the accused scaled the fence of Mrs Kate Ukabia’s house in her absence and gained entry into her room, where he stole a plasma TV, a laptop and a mobile phone valued at N197, 000.
Iberedem said the offences which were committed on January 22 at 1.00p.m. at No. 15, Church St. Dansa Village, Tedi-Ojo, contravended Sections 285 and 409 ofthe Criminal Code, Laws of Lagos State.
Nasarawa
Governor Tanko Al-makura of Nasarawa State said on Tuesday that a stakeholders’ meeting would be convened to proffer solution to the lingering crisis in the state.
He stated this when he visited Barkin Abdullahi to sympathise with the people and to ascertain the level of destruction in the area.
The governor condemned senseless killings among the different ethnic groups of Agatu, Eggon and Fulani over issues which dialogue could resolve.
Al-Makura stressed the need for people to live in peace with one another, in spite of their differences.
“We strongly need this unity if we are to continue to forge ahead as an indivisble entity”, he said.
Niger
The Niger/Kwara/Kogi Area Command of the Nigeria Customs Service has generated N451.7 million as revenue last year, the Area Controller, Alhaji Aminu Dangaladima, has said.
Dangaladima who said that the amount was about 25 per cent higher than the command’s set target of N360 million, attributed the feat to the support and co-operation of motor dealers in the states during a stakeholders meeting held in Minna.
The controller urged the dealers to impress on their customers to pay the correct customs duty for their imported vehicles before plying the roads to avoid embarrassment.
He said the command had been adjudged as the most improved command by the customs high command and was given an award for their achievement last year on its revenue collection efforts and enforcement.
Ogun
The Justice, Development and Peace Commission of the Catholic Diocese of Ijebu-Ode, Ogun, disbursed N14 million micro-credit loans to farmers in the state in the last one year, an official said.
The Assistant Coordinator, the Diocesan Agricultural Development Programme of the commission, Mrs Cordelia Obi, disclosed this in an interview on Tuesday in Ijebu-Ode.
Obi said that the loan was given to the farmers to promote sustainable and improved agricultural development in the area.
She said that the loan was disbursed to 35 farmer groups in Ogun East senatorial district, adding that the department had 60 farmer groups.
Osun
The Osun State Government said it would assist pig farmers as part of efforts to promote agriculture activities.
The Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security in the state, Mr Wale Adedoyin, made the pledge at a meeting with members of the Pig Farmers Association of Nigeria in Osogbo.
Adedoyin urged the farmers to form cooperative societies to enable them access government interventions, and said the government would provide high breed pigs to farmers as well as construct modern abattoir where the farmers would process and package pig meat.
According to the commissioner, the State Government is ready to assist pig farmers through stocking and feeding.
He directed them to present their proposals within two weeks to his office for appropriate action.
Taraba
The Acting Governor of Taraba State, Alhaji Garba Umar, has pledged to overhaul the state-owned media houses for effective coverage of the state.
He made the pledge when he met with Alhaji Abdullahi Garba, the Chairman of state’s Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) on Monday in Jalingo.
Our correspondent reports that the two state-owned broadcast media outfits, Taraba Television and Taraba Broadcasting Service go on air for less than two hours a day.
The Acting governor also announced donation of two 18 seater buses to the union to ease movements of journalists in the state.
He explained that the first bus would be provided by the end of February while the second would be given by the end of March.
Earlier, the NUJ Chairman appealed to the acting governor to intervene in the problem plaguing the state-owned media houses.
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.