Category: Northern Reports

A humanitarian group, Save the Children International, Nigeria, has urged state governments to put in place Child Protection Law Implementation Plan and also create an active Child Protection Law Implementation Committee.

The organisation commended state governments that have domesticated the Child Rights Act (2003), including Yobe, Borno, Katsina, Zamfara and Gombe States.

Director, Advocacy, Campaign, Communication and Media, Save the Children International, Amanuel Mamo said this during the inauguration of the 7th Nigerian Children Parliament by Minister of Women Affairs, Dame Pauline Tallen.

He said: “As you all know, children are under attack by the increasing number of sexual abuse, molestation and violence, including rape, early child and forced marriage, child labour and trafficking. The rights of children to safety and protection are at higher risk. The country is recovering from the effects of COVID-19 pandemic, whereas climate change is severely affecting some communities through floods and extreme weather – that result in the displacement of children and their families.

“In these kinds of disastrous situations, children, particularly girls, are the most affected. These all needs an innovative, urgent, strategy and approach to address them at all level.”

Minister of Women Affairs, Tallen, appealed to the remaining states to conduct election of their State Children’s Parliament.

She said: “Also to send their representatives to join the 7th National Children’s Parliament as we do not wish to leave any State behind.”

Speaker of the 7th National Children’s Parliament, Umeh Progress, who hails from Akwa Ibom State, said more needed to be done to ameliorate the plight of children in Nigeria in terms of security, education, rights, and others.

Progress said: “We must ensure that child trafficking and labour, sexual exploitation and harassment of children and other harmful practices that impact the lives of the Nigerian children become an issue of the past.

“We must go beyond just domestication, but ensure each and every state begins to implement the Child Rights Law.”

At least 50 elder statesmen, women, philanthropists and public intellectuals across all divides have been penned down for Kwara’s Lifetime Achievement Awards and Posthumous Merit Awards.

The government said the recognition is a “token of its appreciation” of their contributions to the growth and development of the state.

The awards come under 25 categories with each nominee picked on the merits of their strides or contributions in their fields, Kwara State Commissioner for Communications Abubakar Saddiq Buhari told a news briefing in the capital city ahead of the ceremony.

Buhari was flanked at the briefing by members of the various subcommittees for the Awards Ceremony, including the Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development Abdullateef Alakawa; Chairman of the Kwara State Sports Commission Bolakale Magaji; Managing Director of Ilorin Innovation Hub Temi Kolawole; Special Assistant to the Governor on Students Affairs Mubaarak Bello; Mohammed Usman of kW-IRS; and Chairman of Education Secretaries Forum Chief Lere Balogun.

“This award is a symbolic acknowledgment for all the awardees that the state truly appreciates them for what they have done or continue to do for their communities, their feats and exemplary achievements in their career paths, and their contributions to the growth of this state and national development. It is a token of appreciation from the state government,” Buhari said.

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“We want to add that this state is immensely blessed with great people — young, old, female, male, professionals, artisans, whether dead or alive. We are by this means showing our profound respect and appreciation to all, wherever they are, living or dead. In other words, the distinguished nominees for the various categories of the 2022 edition are only representatives and ambassadors of these great minds of Kwara State origins. More and more of these great people will be formally recognised in the coming years for their huge impacts and footprints in the sand of time.

“There are 25 categories in this Maiden edition of the Kwara State Merit Award 2022. These include Lifetime Achievements Award; posthumous achievement award; Most Outstanding Kwara State Indigene in the World; Friends of the State: Most Outstanding Media House; Most Outstanding Online Media Personality; Most Impactful MDA of the Year; Overall Best Student in Kwara State Institution; Best Student of Kwara State Origin in Nigeria; Best Political Appointee; Outstanding Business Owner in Kwara State; Outstanding Healthcare Worker of the Year; Outstanding Teacher of the Year; Outstanding Contributions in support of security operations; Most Tax Compliant Individual in Kwara State; Most Tax Compliant Organisation in Kwara State; Most Outstanding Athlete from Kwara State; Most Outstanding Para Athlete from Kwara State; Most Outstanding Contributions to Legislature; Most Outstanding Contributions to Judiciary; and Citizens Display of Excellence in Community Development; Most Outstanding Farmer; Appreciation and Special Recognition; amongst others.

“Nominations for these awards were made by different subcommittees based on criteria relevant to each. There are at least three distinguished nominees for each of the categories except the Lifetime Achievements and Posthumous Awards. For the Lifetime Achievements Award, we have 25 distinguished personalities who have done so much to earn their stripes and are accordingly being honoured by the Government of Kwara State. There are also 20 great personalities who were giants in their own rights during their lifetime and are to be honoured even in death.

“This list transcends all cleavages, and goes to show the unanimous opinions of the panels that these were outstanding individuals with clear footprints in Kwara/Nigeria. Following the nominations in the other 23 categories, online voting has since begun to determine the winners for each category. Voting ends at 12 noon on Thursday December 22.

“Nominees with the highest votes will be announced at the award ceremony, which holds on Friday December 23rd at the Atlantic Event Centre.

“This event is strictly by invitation. Only persons with the access card will be allowed entry. This is necessary for crowd control and convenience of everyone. Careful arrangements have also been made for parking and other security needs of the programmes.”

• Retirement age from 60 to 65 years

 

Kano State House of Assembly members yesterday mulled the possibility of upgrading the service year of civil servants in the state from 35 to 40 years.

The lawmakers also considered reviewing the retirement age from 60 to 65 years.

The development followed a motion of Urgent Public Importance, moved by the Majority Leader of the Assembly, Alhaji Labaran Abdul Madari, during plenary on Monday presided over by Speaker Hamisu Ibrahim Chidari.

Madari’s Motion contained the recall of the Kano state Pension and Gratuity Law, Kano House of Assembly Service Commission Law, and Kano State Road Traffic Law, which are subsequent for review and approval.

He submitted that the review of the Kano Pension and Gratuity Law is geared towards assuaging the problems and sufferings of pensioners and families of dead civil servants, who are obliged to claim their entitlements.

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Madari clearly stated that the amended law would also pave way for an extension of the retirement age, for civil servants from 60 to 65 years, while years of service would be reviewed from 35 to 40 years.

He advocated for the timely release of benefits and gratuities for pensioners.

Chidari received two letters from the Executive Arm, seeking the amendment of Kano state and Local Governments Revenue Administration, Codification and Consolidation Amendment no. 2, and Draft Bill of Kano State Emirate Council Law 2019.

He said the amendment of the Revenue Law would ensure improved revenue generation, transparency and accountability.

The letter further stated that the Executive Council proposed the review of the Kano state Council of Emirs, according to section 4, sub-section 2 of Kano state Emirate Council Law 2019.

The state lawmakers committed the bills to the relevant committees for further deliberations and legislative action.

 

The Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Polytechnics (SSANIP) has asked the Federal Government to release the N15 billion approved for the revitalisation of public polytechnics in the country.

The polytechnic workers, during its 69th General Executive Council meeting in Abuja, urged the federal government to fast-track the release of the fund without further delay.

A communiqué at the end of the meeting by its National President, Adebanjo Ogunsipe, and National Secretary, Emmanuel Enyiegor, expressed worry that the federal government was yet to release the approved fund.

SSANIP also lamented the non-signing into law, a bill scrapping the disparity between the university’s first degree and the Higher National Diploma (HND) issued by Polytechnics.

The polytechnic workers also lamented the non-release of the condition and scheme of service document by the office of the Head of Service.

The council is of the opinion that the release would go a long way in bringing about uniformity in the operational standard of Polytechnics and Colleges of Education in the country.

Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom has expressed hope of an early resolution of the crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) would be resolved.

Speaking during a stakeholders meeting in Makurdi, Ortom said: “By the grace of God we are tackling the issues in the party that would have to divide us; even though we still have issues at the national level of the party, we are tackling them. Let no one deceives you that we are divided; we are one in the PDP family.”

Ortom assured the gathering that the PDP Governorship candidate Titus Uba, who is undergoing medical treatment in Germany, was recovering fast and will return back to the state in January.

The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) has stated some safety measures it put in place in the Kubwa area of Abuja.

The corporation said it constructed two overpasses at different locations within the Kubwa in the FCT for ease and safety of crossing railway lines of the Abuja-Kaduna Train Service.

The corporation, however, said instead of using the overpasses, motorists resort to using illegally constructed level crossings.

NRC said the level crossing has been in recent times fatal as a result of collisions by the moving trains.

The NRC has in the past few days been criticised following the death of Selimota Idowu Suleiman, an NTA Channel 5 Abuja staff.

An Abuja-bound train crushed her at the Chikakore axis of Kubwa in Abuja last week Thursday Stating the safety measures put in place, the NRC in a statement yesterday by the Deputy Director, of Public Relations, Yakubu Mahmood stated: “The Board and Management of the Nigerian Railway Corporation wish to bring to the notice of the general public that there are two constructed overpasses at different locations within the Kubwa Abuja environs for ease and safety of crossing Railway lines of Abuja — Kaduna Train Service.

“However, motorists have been for reasons best known to them, avoiding those two overpasses and instead resorting to using illegally constructed level crossings which have been in recent times fatal as a result of collision by the moving trains.

“NRC management hereby enjoins motorists and other road users to always use the two constructed overpasses for their safety instead of the illegal level crossings that portray great risks and danger to their lives and properties.

“The corporation while appealing to the media to use their medium to enlighten the general public on the safety imperative of using the overpass to cross railway lines, added that the Federal Government’s Policy on railway modernisation is to ensure the safety of motorists and trains through the construction of overpasses in all railway tines constructions.”

Kano State Hisbah Board has arrested 19 persons for witnessing the “obnoxious wedding ceremony of two homosexuals,” identified as Abba and Mujahid.

Among those arrested are 15 females and four males, who are currently in the custody of the Sharia police at its headquarters in Sharada.

The suspects, said to be in their early 20s, were arrested by Hisbah men who stormed an event centre where the “unlawful wedding” was taking place, following a tipoff, The Nation learnt.

The couple, however, escaped. Their accomplices, who gathered to witness the “wedding” were apprehended and taken into custody by Hisbah.

The Hisbah authorities on Monday launched a manhunt for the ‘couple’ (Abba and Mujahid).

Commander General of Kano state Hisbah Board, Sheikh Harun Muhammad Sani Ibn Sina, confirmed the arrest to newsmen, describing the wedding as “un-Islamic and immoral.”

He said the arrest was made after a tipoff by a “good Samaritan.”

He, however, regretted that the “bride and groom” (Abba and Mujahid) escaped, but vowed that his men would fish them out from their hideouts.

The Hisbah boss identified the event organiser as 21-year-old Salma Usman, who is already in the custody of Hisbah.

He said the Hisbah Board would hand over those in their custody to the police for necessary action.

Sheikh Muhammad reiterated Kano Hisbah’s commitment to eradicating all forms of social vices and immoral acts in the state.

Upon interrogation, some of the ladies said they were invited to a neighbouring state’s wedding.

All Progressives Congress (APC) National Youth Leader, Dayo Israel, has urged youths and citizens of Zamfara State to maintain the party’s incumbent status and central government by backing its presidential and governorship candidates in next year’s general elections .

Israel said this while addressing the crowd at the One Million Youth March staged in Gusau, Zamfara state capital. It was to mobilise support, particularly amongst the youths, for Governor Bello Matawalle, who is seeking reelection.

Israel highlighted the successes of the APC government in security and economy, noting that Governor Matawalle, otherwise known has ‘Dodo’, had worked hard to combat banditry, which previously led to the occurence of daily killings and violent attacks in some parts of the state.

He said the Matawalle administration had ‘partnered effectively’ with the APC-led government at the center, adding that it was in the best interests of the people to preserve the partnership with the election of Bola Tinubu and Bello Matawalle as president and governor .

“My trip down here from Kaduna is a testament to the fact that Governor Matawalle has recorded notable success in his fight against insecurity. No longer is the state dominating the headlines for negative reports of killings and deaths. Things have considerably improved on that end because of the total commitment of the governor and his effective partnership with the Buhari-led APC Federal Government,” he said.

“Our party has demonstrated what it means to run a people-focused agenda and it is in the interests of our collective progress as a nation, and your economic well-being and protection as the people of Zamfara, to ensure that we remain in power across all levels of government come 2023.”

“Please obtain your PVCs and let your votes count by electing Bola Tinubu as president and Dodo Matawalle as governor.On the ballot paper, you must place your thumb only against the party with the broom logo so we can continue the important task of sweeping away the looters of our joint patrimony and reposition the country for greatness.”

Israel also paid homage to the Emir of Gusau, Alhaji Ibrahim Bello, to congratulate him over the national honor bestowed upon him by the president and to praise his fatherly role and outstanding contributions toward peace and development.

He was accompanied by youth leaders of the party’s state chapter with whom he held a closed-door meeting to discuss plans and assess their readiness for the election, particularly the attainment of the youth wing’s set goal to deliver over 40 million votes to the APC in 2023.