Nation
THE STATES
Adamawa
The National Emergency Management Agency
(NEMA) has expressed concern over the poor participation of the private sector in emergency relief response for Internally Displaced Persons in the North East.
Alhaji Muhammed Kanar, North East Zonal Coordinator of the agency, expressed the concern in an interview with newsmen in Yola, recently.
Kanar said that the attitude of leaving everything to government was over, as it could not afford to carter for the needs of all the people.
Bauchi
Rice farmers in Itas-Gadau Local Government Area,
Bauchi State, have said the Federal Government’s N3.6 billion Mechanised Agriculture Intervention Fund would reduce the cost of their activities when disbursed.
The Chairman, Rice Farmers Association of Nigerian (RIFAN), Malam Auwalu Saidu, Itas-Gadau Local Government chapter, made the assertion in an interview with newsmen at Gabu.
He commended the Federal Government for coming up with the intervention, saying it would boost food production nationwide and make agriculture more lucrative.
“With this intervention, tractors and other farm machinery will be provided for hire at affordable prices to the farmers just as seeds; fertiliser and water pumps are being provided.
Borno
No fewer than 4,000 people in Borno State were
engaged in community-based development activities under the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P) in 2013.
The SURE-P Coordinator in the state, Malam Wakil Kalanga, made this known in an interview with newsmen in Maiduguri recently.
Kalanga said that the participants were being empowered under the Community Services, Women and Youths Employment (CSWYE) project of the SURE-P.
He said that the beneficiaries were drawn from the 27 local government, included youths, women and vulnerable groups selected by the community leaders in their various localities.
Gombe
A commercial agricultural firm, Savannah Integrated
Export Processing Farm, has provided 1,504 acres of subsidised land to 1,000 farmers at Dadin-Kowa irrigation site to boost irrigation farming in Gombe State.
The farm manager of the firm, Malam Nasiru Umar, spoke to newsmen in Dadin-Kowa town recently.
Umar said the firm provided land to the farmers at subsidised rate, cultivated the land and gave to farmers of different crops at the site.
The farm manager said the company had wanted to give them water for irrigation, but could not do that and advised them to dig shallow wells.
Jigawa
The Jigawa State Government said it had spent N371
million to purchase vehicles for the 25 council chairmen in the state.
The state Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Alhaji Salisu Ndarawa, said this in an interview with newsmen in Dutse.
Ndarawa said 25 Toyota Prado Jeeps were purchased for the chairmen, adding that nine of the vehicles had been delivered to some of them.
The commissioner said the remaining 18 would be delivered soon.
Kebbi
The Kebbi State House of Assembly has con
firmed the reappointment of Alhaji Kindi Zauro as a commissioner in the State Independent Electoral Commission (SIEC).
Our correspodent reports that Governor Saidu Dakingari had requested the legislature to approve the reappointment after Zauro’s tenure expired five months ago.
The Speaker, Alhaji Habibu Jega, who presided over the plenary session, said members endorsed the reappointment unanimously after a voice vote.
Meanwhile, the House has also confirmed the appointment of Malam Hassan Dakingari as a Special Adviser to the governor on Micro Finance Banks.
Lagos
An Ogudu Magistrate Court in Lagos State has
sentenced a 25-year-old ‘pure water’ hawker, Musa Sule, to one year imprisonment, with hard labour, for stabbing a colleague.
The Chief Magistrate, Mrs Omolade Awope, sentenced Sule after he pleaded guilty to a one-count charge of assault.
Delivering judgment, Awope described the action by the convict as “callous”, adding that Sule must be very violent.
“Sule saw a knife just lying fallow in a tomato seller’s shop, picked it and put it in his pocket. What attracted him to the knife and for what intent?
Nasarawa
The Nasarawa State Government said that it had
constituted an 11-man committee to tackle the spread of communicable diseases in the state.
The Commissioner for Health, Dr. Emmanuel Akabe disclosed this in an interview with newsmen in Lafia.
According to him, the move is to ensure quick response in the event of any outbreak of diseases as well safeguard the lives of the people.
Akabe said that there were reported cases of Cholera, Lassa fever and other communicable diseases in Lafia and other parts of the state recently, which resulted to loss of lives.
Ogun
The Minister of Interior, Mr Abba Moro, has appealed
to traditional rulers to caution politicians in their domains against activities capable of aggravating the security challenges facing the country.
Moro made the appeal in Abeokuta when he paid a courtesy call on Oba Adedotun Gbadebo, the Alake and paramount ruler of Egba land.
He visited the monarch shortly after inaugurating an administrative block and 36 units of staff quarters at the Civil Defence College of Security Management in Abeokuta.
The minister expressed concern over incidents of insurgency, militancy and communal clashes in some parts of the country.
Sokoto
A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr
Usman Bugaje, has advocated the formation of political parties in Nigeria, based on “content, conscience and courage.”
Bugaje said this at the maiden edition of the monthly lecture series, organised by the Muslim community, Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto.
He also called for the use of modern technology to transform political parties and democracy and stressed the need for vibrant civil society organisations as panacea to the nation’s political problems.
Yobe
The authority of the Federal Government College, Buni-
Yadi, in Yobe State, Mr Ibrahim Abdul, has confirmed that 29 of its students were killed by insurgents who attacked the institution on Monday.
A Senior Master, gave the figure while receiving Gov. Ibrahim Gaidam during a sympathy visit to the school.
Abdul said that 11 students also sustained various gunshot wounds.
He said that all the hostels and classrooms were burnt by the insurgents who attacked the college at about 11.30 p.m.
Zamfara
The Zamfara State Government has distributed more
than N20 million as assistance to victims of a recent attack in Tungar Rakumi Village of Maru Local Government Area.
The villagers were attacked three weeks ago by unknown gunmen, who killed 25 residents, burnt down houses and foodstuff and injured many others.
Chairman of the committee set up to distribute the money, Alhaji Sani Mayanci, said it was meant to serve as assistance to families of the victims.
He said the families of those who died would receive N300,000 each while others affected by the incident would be given N100,000 each.
Nation
Party Chieftain Hails LG Boss’ Dev Strides
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.
Nation
Group Plans Pilot Farm Programme For 50 Schools
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
Nation
NCSU Flays Police Take Over Of Rivers PDP Secretariat
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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