Nation
THE STATES
Bauchi
The Federal Government says education is the most potent tool for social change.
The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Education, Dr Macjohn Nwaobiala, made the declaration in Bauchi at the opening of the plenary session of the Joint Consultative Committee on Education.
Nwaobiala said that education was the most potent means of precipitating societal change.
He described the theme of the meeting, “strengthening the institutional management of education for quality service delivery”, as apt because the country was striving to achieve its goals of providing qualitative education.
FCT
The police have arraigned an Abuja-based businessman, Shaibu Usman, before a Karu Upper Area Court, Abuja, for allegedly hitting and removing Kasimu Umar’s teeth.
Police prosecutor Silas Nanpan told the court that Usman allegedly assaulted Umar of Nyanya, Panteka, Abuja, on July 23, 2012
Nanpan said that Usman attacked Umar in his shop in Nyanya.
“Umar was attending to a customer in his shop when Usman came out from nowhere and hit him on his mouth and in the process, removed his two front teeth.
Kano
The Kano State Police Command has confirmed the killing of a pedestrian by gunmen at Na’ibawa area of Kano last Monday.
The command’s spokesman, ASP Magaji Majiya, confirmed the incidence to newsmen, saying that it took place around 8.00 p.m.
According to him, some gunmen attacked a pharmaceutical shop at Na’iabawa and a passerby was shot dead while one was injured and taken to Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital.
He, however, said that investigations had since begun and tight security had been enforced in the affected area with restricted movement of people.
Kogi
Kogi State Deputy Governor Mr Yomi Awoniyi, has said that the state is ready to cooperate with the police to sustain the prevailing peace and security in the area.
This is contained in a statement issued by Awoniyi’s Press Secretary, Mr Michael Abu, in Lokoja.
The statement said the deputy governor made the remark when he received Mr Hilary Opara, the new Commissioner of Police posted to the state.
The deputy governor lauded the role played by the Nigeria Police in the maintenance and sustenance of peace and security in the state.
Kwara
The University of Ilorin Librarian, Dr Joseph Omoniyi, has identified laziness among students as one of the factors responsible for the poor reading culture in the society.
Omoniyi was speaking in an interview with newsmen in Ilorin.
He said the problem of poor reading culture was a systemic problem that required a systemic approach to address.
According to him, the western society is a literate one, but that the African society is still predominantly oral where most people spread information through the word of mouth rather than through writing.
Lagos
The spokesman for Lagos State Land Bureau, Mr Adebisi Moshod, has appealed to those seeking Certificates of Occupancy (C of Os) to always approach the bureau with genuine documents.
Moshod told newsmen in Lagos recently that the bureau was not unduly delaying the issuance of C of O.
He alleged that many applicants presented fake documents and that some took long time to provide necessary credentials required by the state government.
According to Moshod, the issuance of C of O generally does not take long when genuine documents are presented.
Nasarawa
The Nasarawa State Government has called on English Language teachers to address the challenge of mass failure in the subject in the secondary schools across the state.
The Permanent Secretary, Nasarawa State Ministry of Education, Hajiya Zainab Abdulmumuni, made the call in Keffi at a workshop organised for English language teachers in the state.
While lamenting the mass failure of students in English Language examinations in the state, she attributed the failure to the attitude of some teachers handling the subject.
According to her, there is need for English Language teachers to realise that English being the country’s official language must be taught with every sense of responsibility.
Ogun
A total of 30,000 jobs have been created in Ogun through the FADAMA III Agricultural Project, Dr Seemthamby Manoharan, the Head of the World Bank/ Federal Government Supervision team, has said.
Manoharan, who announced this when he led a delegation of the team to the state, said the project had recorded a huge success in many states of the country, including Ogun.
He said that this had enhanced favourable consideration of the Federal Government’s request for additional funding of the project by the bank.
Manoharan, however, appealed to defaulting states to pay their counterpart funding, saying that failure to do so could hinder the full realisation of the objectives of the project.
Oyo
A 28-year-old man, Ifeanyi Ogbonna, was last Tuesday arraigned before an Ibadan Chief Magistrates’ Court for allegedly stealing the sum of N116,000.
The Prosecutor, Mr Ade Adebusuyi, told the court that the defendant, being a staff of Collins Group Limited, Mokola area, Ibadan, allegedly failed to remit the money for the sales of Agricultural chemicals to the company.
Adebusuyi said the money belonged to one Vincent Okonli, and that the incident happened on December 24, 2012, at about 2:00 pm.
Osun
Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun, says he would create an enabling environment for peace, unity and harmonious co-existence among all religious faithful.
Aregbesola made the statement recently in Osogbo at a thanksgiving service to mark the completion of the 2012 pilgrimage to Israel..
The governor, who was represented by his deputy, Mrs Titi Laoye-Tomori, urged the people to always appreciate God in any circumstances. they might find themselves.
He lauded the state chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and Nigeria Inter-Religion Council (NIREC) for sustaining peace in the state.
Plateau
Consumers of locally brewed alcohol popularly known as “burukutu’’, risk cancer, hepatitis and others, diseases, Dr. Fabong Yildam, a doctor of family medicine, has said.
Yildam, who works with the Plateau Specialist Hospital, Jos, told newsmen, that the local brew “predisposes one to malnutrition, alcohol-induced hepatitis and various types of cancer’’.
“That local brew inhibits the breakdown of nutrients into usable molecules by decreasing secretion of digestive enzymes from the pancreas.
“It impairs nutrient absorption by damaging the cells lining the stomach and intestines and disabling transport of some nutrients into the blood.
Sokoto
Mixed reactions in Sokoto State have trailed the recent merger of the major opposition parties in Nigeria which led to the formation of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Former Governor of Sokoto State , Alhaji Attahiru Bafarawa told newsmen in Sokoto recently I am a member of the merger talks representing my party, ANPP and I support the merger .
“ The merger is not the problem but those who are trying to run the new mega party may be the problem
‘’ For the mega party to succeed, we must all set aside our selfish interests and save the Nigerian masses ,’’ he added .
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.