Nation
THE STATES
Bauchi
The first batch of Christian pilgrims from Bauchi State last Sunday left for Abuja on their way to Jerusalem for pilgrimage.
The state Head of Service and the leader of the delegation, Mr Abdin Dalla-Gin, said while addressing the prospective pilgrims that arrangements had been concluded to stop any pilgrim from defecting in Israel.
Dalla-Gin also called on the pilgrims to pray for peace in the state and Nigeria at large.
He said government had given the assurance the operation would be hitch-free.
Borno
Senator Ali Ndume (PDP-Borno), says, said security agen
cies in the country have the capacity to end the insurgency in the North East.
Ndume, who made the disclosure in an interview with newsmen in Maiduguri, also urged the security agencies to take proactive measures to end the Boko Haram insurgency.
“Boko Haram is a calamity that befell our country but I think our security agencies have the capacity to end the whole thing in a short time.
“I think the problem we are having is that of strategy. The security agencies need to apply new strategy to end the problem’’, he said.
Ekiti
The Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuwade, has warned
against any effort to distort the history of the Yoruba race so as not to jeopardize the people’s culture and misinform the younger generation.
The monarch gave the warning in Ado-Ekiti last Monday, at the launch of “Ekiti Historical and Royal Compendium”, a book written by all traditional rulers in Ekiti State.
Sijuade lamented that those involved in the distortion of the history of the Yoruba people had reduced the race to a “laughing stock”.
The Ooni said that for centuries, the Yoruba race had no “other source than the cradle, Ile-ife”, regretting, however, that many facts about the existence of the race had been distorted.
FCT
The Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA) said
it had constituted a task team to complete ongoing rehabilitation of roads to ensure they became functional throughout the Christmas season.
The Chairman of the agency, Mr Jide Adeniji, told newsmen in Abuja that the team would specifically ensure that the rehabilitated roads were free for motorists especially during the festive season.
“We have already constituted a task team for free passage of vehicles during the yuletide for the 34,120 kilometre-road network.
“Last year I went on air and said if there is a failure nobody should take Mr President for such a failure, they should hold me responsible. And by the special grace of God most of the roads are passable”.
Gombe
Malam Umar Adamu, Chairman of the Academic Staff
Union of Universities (ASUU), Gombe State University (GSU) chapter, has expressed concern over the exodus of Nigerian students to other countries for studies.
Adamu, who criticised the situation, said in Gombe last Monday that it was not for the educational development of the country. He expressed concern over the movement of the students to other countries that had lesser quality of staff.
He said the problems in the education system in the country was attributable to incessant and lingering crises in the sector.
The chairman advised government to honour its agreement with the union to restore confidence in the system.
Jigawa
The Jigawa State command of the Nigeria Security and
Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) says it has in its custody, a 23-year-old man (name withheld) who allegedly threatened to kill his father.
The NSCDC Commandant in the state, Mr Muhammad Gidado, newsmen in Dutse that the suspect was arrested in Taura Local Government Area of Jigawa State.
The commandant said “the father told us that the suspect came home drunk and he (the father) tried to counsel him to desist from taking drugs.
“The suspect then brought out a knife and threatened to kill the father if he did not leave him alone.’’
Kaduna
The Federal Government, said the planned deregulation
of the downstream sector of the petroleum industry was to ensure availability of products to Nigerians.
The Minister of Information, Mr Labaran Maku, said this in Kaduna during an inspection tour of the Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company (KRPC).
Maku said deregulation was the best solution to problems in the sector.
He added that middlemen and other players in the industry had taken advantage of government’s monopoly in the industry to shortchange the country.
Kwara
A group, the Magaji/Alangua Forum in Ilorin, has called
on politicians in Kwara to shun politics with bitterness in order to ensure steady development of the State.
The group made the call in a statement signed by its Chairman, Alhaji Abdulwahab Issah, and made available to newsmen in Ilorin.
The statement said the high chiefs in five local government areas of the emirate, including Issah, the Alajagusi of Ajagusi in Asa LGA, appealed to the politicians to bury their differences.
In the statement, the chiefs urged the politicians to work together in peace and harmony in the interest of the people and the development of the state.
Lagos
A Catholic cleric, Rev. Father Philip Obasi, has described
advent “as a time of repentance and holiness in preparation for the birth of Jesus Christ.’’
Obasi, an Associate Parish Priest, Saint Patrick Catholic Church, Alaba, Lagos, made the remark while delivering his homily.
The homily was delivered at St. Anthony Catholic Church out-station, Okoko in a Holy Mass to commemorate the second week in advent.
He called on Christians to imbibe the virtue of repentance, so as to demonstrate true Christian faith.
“‘It is a time for repentance and holiness, in preparation for the birth of Jesus Christ. There is need for Christians to have deep sober reflections on their daily lives.
Nasarawa
Governor Umar AI-Makura of Nasarawa State has presented N21.4 billion Supplementary Appropriation Bill to the State House of Assembly for consideration.
Majority Leader of the House, Mr Godiya Akwashiki, who presented the governor’s letter, said the bill was to address the security challenges facing the state.
The Speaker of the House, Alhaji Ahmed Musa, directed the Clerk to schedule the bill for further legislative action.
Governor AI-Makura had on December 2, 2012, submitted a budget estimate of N107 billion for 2013.
Niger
Governor Babangida Aliyu of Niger State has ordered the enforcement of the traffic law banning the operations of commercial motorcyclists in Minna from Jan. 2, 2014.
This is contained in a statement issued by Mr Danladi Ndayebo, the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, made available to newsmen in Minna.
The statement said adequate arrangements had been made to cushion the effect of the ban.
It added that the Ministry of Transportation had received 1,000 tricycles in addition to eight units of 18-seater buses.
Ogun
The Ogun State government said that it had earmarked N400 million and flood control in 2014.
The state Commissioner for Envrionment, Mr Ayo Olubori, made this known in Abeokuta while defending the 2014 budget proposal of the ministry at the House of Assembly complex.
Olubori also said that the ministry had proposed N513 million for the purchase of trucks for effective service delivery adding that the ministry would construct 8,303-metre-long drainage channels across the three senatorial districts of the state.
The commissioner put the targeted for 2014 at N157.3 million while N2.2 billion had been budgeted as total expenditure.
He further said that N878 million was budgeted as recurrent expenditure while N1.3 billion was earmarked for capital expenditure.
Plateau
Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama, Archbishop of Catholic Archdiocese of Jos has called on Christians to emulate people with exemplary lives like former South African President, Nelson Mandela.
Kaigama made the call during his pastoral visit to the Church of Immaculate Conception (CIC) Parish, Zaramaganda, Jos.
The Archbishop said that by emulating good people, their legacy would continue to impact on society.
“The Catholic Church had long identified such and had been immortalising people that lived righteous and exemplary lives as saints.
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.