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Bauchi

Former Chief Security Officer to the late Head of State, Gen. Sani Abacha, Major Hamza Al-Mustapha, last Friday offered to partner with the Bauchi State Government to boost youth development.

Al- Mustapha , who is the President, Unity and Development Initiative (APUDI), an NGO, made the plea when he led members of the management team of the organisation on a courtesy call to the Bauchi State Governor, Malam Isa Yuguda ,in Bauchi.

He said that the organisation was creating new opportunities that would promote the well being of the younger ones.

Yuguda, who was represented by his Chief of Staff, Alhaji Musa Gumli , appealed to Al-Mustapha to take all that had happened to him as an act of God and forgive all those that erred.

 

Benue

The Executive Director, Environment and Climate Change Amelioration Initiative, an NGO, Mrs Victoria Esa, last Tuesday warned against bush burning and indiscriminate felling of trees.

Esa who gave the advice in an interview in Makurdi said bush burning and indiscriminate felling of trees were contributing to deforestation, erosion and global warming.

She urged the forestry departments at the state and federal levels to intensify efforts at reducing the massive felling of trees across the country.

Esa enjoined Nigerians to plant trees and flowers and nurture them to maturity in order to mitigate the effect of deforestation and its attendant consequences on the socioeconomic lives of the people.

 

FCT

The Chairman of Bwari Area Council in the FCT, Mr Peter Yohanna,  has called on politicians, especially those in leadership position, to make judicious use of resources at their disposal, to promote grassroots development.

Yohanna who gave the advice on Monday in his address at the conferment of the award of “Friendliest Chairman” on him by the Bwari chapter of the Motorcycle and Tricycle Operators Association of Nigeria urged political office holders to be more prudent in the use of resources to ensure even spread of social amenities in the country.

Yohanna said that eradicating poverty was not only through hard work, but also by making use of available resources judiciously to solve problems affecting the people and advised the political class to always seek divine intervention in the face of leadership challenges, in order to be able to find solutions to the problems of the country.

 

Kano

Kano State Government has ordered polio workers to conduct house-to-house immunisation in the 44 local government areas of the state.

The Commissioner for Health, Dr Abubakar Labaran, who gave the directive on Monday while monitoring the exercise in Garun Malam, Bebeji and Madobi local government areas said the workers should not wait for parents to bring their children to them for immunisation but to ensure that they entered the houses and immunise each of the targeted children.

He, however, commended parents for bringing their children below five years for immunisation centres and also commended traditional and religious leaders as well as voluntary organisations for working to ensure the success of the immunisation.

 

Katsina

The Katsina State House of Assembly last Tuesday passed the 2014 appropriation bill of N113.3 billion.

The passage followed the report on the budget presented by the Chairman, House Committee on Appropriation, Alhaji Abdu Danshehu.

The state government, had in December 2013, presented the budget of N113.6 billion with a surplus of N609 million before the House.

The House, however, made some minor adjustments by reducing the budget to N113.3 billion with a surplus of N259 million.

Danshehu commended the various ministries and parastatals agencies for the way and manner they defended their budgets before the committee.

 

Kebbi

The Emir of Argungu, Alhaji Sama’ila Mera, last Tuesday called on Kebbi State Government to enter into partnership with the Republic of Rwanda to develop the tourism potentials in the state.

Mera, made the call in Argungu when he received the Rwandan High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mr Joseph Habineza, during a courtesy visit to his palace.

He said the partnership would favour the state, “considering the fast rate of recovery of Rwanda after its internal crisis”.

The emir noted that Rwanda had taken measures that have enhanced the country’s tourism, turning it into a major source of revenue.

 

Kogi

More than 10,000 unemployed graduates have applied to fill 60 vacancies at the Kogi State Internal Revenue Service.

A competent source in the service said in Lokoja on Tuesday that the service had advertised for applications from suitably qualified candidates to be engaged as Revenue Trainee Officers noting  that about 900 of the applicants had First Class and Second Class Upper Division degrees as well as Distinction and Upper Credit at HND level.

It was gathered that government embarked on the recruitment drive to harness fresh brains following its resolve to reposition the service for operational efficiency in conformity with international best practises in tax administration.

 

Kwara

Governor AbdulFatah Ahmed of Kwara State on Tuesday presented a list of 16 nominees to the state House of Assembly for confirmation as commissioners in the state executive council.

The governor’s request contained in a message read by the Speaker of the House, Mr Rasaw Atunwa, during plenary was in consonance with Section 192, Sub-section 125 of the 1999 Constitution as amended.

The nominees are Mr Amos Aboyeji from Oyun Local Government Area; Alhaji Issa Kayode, Moro; Alhaji Aliu Mohammed, Asa; Alhaji Shaaba Umar, Edu; and Alhaji Abubakar Mora, Kaima.

 

Ondo

The Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Zone B, has advocated better wage for all media practitioners across the country.

A statement by the zonal Vice President, Mr Dele Atunbi on Monday in Akure  described the monthly take home of media practitioners as a “slave wage’’.

According to the union, the disparity in the take home of media practitioners and other civil servants is economic dehumanisation, deprivation and marginalisation.

It pointed out that the media in collaboration with other well-meaning Nigerians fought for the independence of the country.

 

Osun

A peace advocate, Mr Ajibola Owolabi, has described the directive by the All Progressive Congress (APC) to its National Assembly members to block all executive bills as “counterproductive’’.

Owolabi, the Executive Director of Advocacy for Advancement of Peace and Harmony in Africa Initiative (ADAPHAI), an NGO, said in Osogbo on Monday that the essence of formation of political associations was to mobilise the people and make them conscious of the ideal of good governance.

According to him, party politics should not be personalised at the detriment of the people if the political party really exists for the wellbeing of the people adding that blocking a budget would portray a political party as anti-people.

 

Oyo

Acting Vice-Chancellor, Ladoke Akintola, University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso, Prof. Adeniyi Gbadegesin, and two others have won the 2013 African Growth and Development Policy Modelling (AGRODEP) innovative grant.

According to a statement from the Vice-Chancellor’s office and made available to newsmen last Monday in Ogbomoso. Gbadegesin, Prof. Joshua Ajetumobi of LAUTECH’s Agricultural Economics and Extension Department and Prof. Olusanya Ajakaiye of the African Centre for Shared Development and Capacity Building, Ibadan won the grant.

 

Plateau

The Public Complaints Commission in Plateau State resolved 301 cases and recovered N82 million for complainants in Plateau last year, the commission said in a statement in Jos on Tuesday.

Its Director of Investigation, Mrs H.H. Isandu, said it received a total of 598 complaints in the year with 297 cases still pending.

Of the monies recovered, the statement said that some were unpaid salaries while others were terminal benefits and recoveries from breaches of trust.

 

Sokoto

The Sokoto State Government last Friday in Sokoto conducted a mass wedding for 125 couples.

The wedding prayer (Fatiha) conducted at the Government House, Sokoto was presided over by Gov. Aliyu Wamakko and the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III, who was represented by Alhaji Rilwanu Bello, the Magajin Rafin Sokoto.

Wamakko said that the gesture was aimed at further reducing the problems associated with the high number of unmarried youths and urged the new couples to uphold the trust reposed in them by the state government.

 

Taraba

The Acting Governor of Taraba, Alhaji Garba Umar, on Monday in Jalingo signed the 2014 Appropriation Bill of N83.33 billion into law.

The budget figure was reviewed by the House of Assembly from N79.66 billion to N83.33 billion.

Umar said that N41.70 billion of the budget was for recurrent expenditure, while N41.63 billion was earmarked for capital expenditure.

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Party Chieftain Hails LG Boss’ Dev Strides

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Acting Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ahoada West Local Government Area of Rivers State, Hon Chukwuemeka Nwuche has extolled the sterling leadership being provided by the Chairman of the council, Hon Iyeko Okporo, describing it as unprecedented.
Hon Chukwuemeka described the council chairman as God-sent, considering his achievements in just 100 days in office.
The PDP chieftain said the chairman has rekindled the hope and trust of the people in grassroots governance.
He expressed gratitude to the Governor for enabling his people to have his replica at Akinima.
He explained that the solar water project, the Late Eze Ekpeye Logbo 11 palace fencing, generator house rebuilding and town hall, all in Odiereke Ubie Community can best be described as the hallmark of true leadership.
He said the projects have direct bearing on the basic needs of the people who have suffered untold hardship and bad governance until the saviour came into office.
“ It is thunderous, as you can see the organic support and show of love to the performing chairman. Our people are overwhelmed seeing one of their own touching lives in a special way. As a community ,we have been in the past years without drinking water, but just two months in office, the chairman has provided not just drinking water, but a well-treated solar water project. Okporo is God-sent, no wonder he is nicknamed such. We have compared notes with other chairmen in the past and came to the conclusion that what he is doing in 100 days is overwhelming. Governor Fubara has made us proud by allowing a level playing field that necessitated the emergency of the chairman. You can see the women, men, youths and traditional rulers all saying one thing. God bless Governor Fubara for giving us our own. We owe him prayers and unwavering support,” he said.
In her welcome address, the Ward 9 councillor, Hon Catherine Uriah showered encomiums on the chairman for addressing the basic needs of the people in just 100 days in office.
Hon Uriah also thanked the Governor for allowing the will of the people to prevail in the just concluded local government elections which produced the God fearing chairman.
She said the people of Ward 9 as well as Ahoada West are pleased with the chairman because he is doing well.
She said the people will go to length to show support to him in his determination to redefine governance at the grassroots.

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Group Plans Pilot Farm Programme For 50  Schools

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A community-based non-governmental organisation, The Peoples Encouragers Initiative, is planning a pilot farm project for 50 schools in both Ahoada East and Ahoada West Local Government Areas of Rivers State.
Executive Director of the organisation, Chukwuma Abraham disclosed this at the recent International Human Rights Day celebration at Ahoada, headquarters of Ahoada East Local Government Area.
Abraham said the proposed programme which gulps the sum of N45million was intended to bring the youths back to the land and make them self-reliant.
“We hope to mobilise the factors of production inherent in all the schools through this programme to achieve two basic objectives of building self reliant youths and to create a viable and sustainable stream of income for our schools,” he said.
He said the programmme will also keep the youth busy and impact farming skills, stressing that each of the participating schools is expected to nominate at least two members of staff to coordinate and supervise the programme while10 students will be elected as executive members to administer the programmme on a day to day basis in their various schools.
“Every school has a sizeable portion of arable land to carry out the programme of establishing a functional farm in their chosen area of interest. We are hoping to mobilise an estimated N45 million to enable us set up the pilot farms across the 50 schools within Ahoada East and Ahoada West Local Government Areas,” he said.
He said the celebration was to draw attention of both the Nigerian government and the international community to the issue of human rights violation, adding that findings by the organisation has shown that insecurity and youth unemployment worsened over the past few years as a result of the insecurity that engulfed the Orashi region of the State. We also found out that the high level of cultism and social unrest within our environment is mostly fuelled by the high use of  illicit drugs among the youths. This programme will afford us the opportunity to take a tour through the universal declaration of human rights and reinforce on our youths the understanding that substance abuse can lead to crime, crime can lead to jail term and criminal record can blight their future dreams and life for ever,”he said.
Also speaking, the representative of the Rivers State Commissioner for Education, Mr. Ikporo Freedom urged the students to shun all forms of anti-social behaviours especially during the holiday season.
He also warned them against joining bad groups and stressed the need for the organisation to include private schools in the programme.
The Chairman of Ahoada East Local Government Council, Hon Ezu R .C . Hezekiah represented by his Deputy, Hon Ununuma Odoi pledged the support of the council to the programme.
He also urged other groups in the area to emulate The Peoples Encouragers Initiative by organizing programms that will impact on the lives of the people.

John Bibor

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NCSU Flays Police Take Over Of Rivers PDP Secretariat

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The Nigeria Civil Service Union(NCSU) has condemned the take over of the secretariat of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) in Rivers State by the police, saying the action is against the tenets and principles of the rule of law.
This is even as the union has appealed to President Bola Tinubu to call to order the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Chief Nyesom Wike for allegedly orchestrating and instigating the crisis rocking the PDP in the State.
The Rivers State Chairman of NCSU, Comrade Chukwuka Richman Osumah, who made the condemnation in an interview in Port Harcourt, said the police have no right to take over the PDP secretariat, as a ploy to provide cover and protection for members of the state executive of the party loyal to Wike, who were recently sacked by a court of competent jurisdiction in the State.
According to him, the action of the police is in clear defiance of a court ruling sacking the party executives at all levels in the State, instead of taking steps to enforce same.
He regretted that the police have consistently been showing that they are not appreciative of the logistic support Governor SiminalayiFubara has been extending to them, by openly demonstrating their bias, loyalty and allegiance to Wike and his supporters, contrary to their rules of engagement, which uphold and recognise absolute neutrality.
He said the Minister is wasting his time if he thinks that he could destroy the State by orchestrating and instigating needless crisis that is capable of making the State ungovernable, and appealed to President Tinubu to call him and his supporters to order.
Commenting on the fate of the 27 pro-Wike lawmakers in the State, who defected from the ruling PDP to the All Progressives Congress(APC), Osumah said their fate is apparently sealed, as the Supreme Court had already given judgment in a similar case, saying, Wike is merely wasting his time by using the lawmakers against Governor Fubara, and causing unnecessary problem in the State.
He said if the Minister and his supporters do not retrace their steps and give peace a chance, the NCSU would have no choice than to mobilise all civil servants in the State, to troop out to the streets and protest against them.
The labour leader stressed the need for the police to vacate the PDP secretariat along Aba Road in Port Harcourt, and respect the High Court ruling which declared the congresses of the party in the State null and void.
While reiterating the need for President Tinubu to call Wike to order, Osumah said the President cannot continue to fold his arms and watch the Minister continuously make frantic efforts to destroy his State.
He also carpeted those blaming Governor Fubara administration for the recent gruesome murder of a Chief Security Officer(CSO) and his son in Igwuruta Ali community, saying those making such insinuations and attributing the sad incident to security lapses on the part of the state government, are missing the point.
He noted that by empowering the police in the State with several operational vehicles and other logistics, it was expected that the police would reciprocate the gesture, by living up to their constitutional obligation of protecting lives and property in the State, contending that Governor Fubara has been playing his part of guaranteeing security in the State.

 

He said the State is generally peaceful and safe, and challenged those criticising the Governor to cast their minds and attention to what is happening in other parts of the country, where killings and other social vices have become the order of the day.
Osumah cited as an example the recent killings in Ebonyi State by Fulani herdsmen as well as incidences of kidnapping and banditry in several other States of the federation, and wondered if Governor Fubara could be held responsible for such anomalies.

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