The Kaduna State Pilgrims Welfare Agency yesterday said that no fewer than 790 of its pilgrims returned home in two flights after performing the 2022 Hajj in Saudi Arabia.

The Agency’s Public Relations Officer, Malam Salisu Anchau, told reporters in Kaduna that 2,600 seats were allocated to the state, but only 2, 489 pilgrims departed to Saudi Arabia to perform the exercise, while one female pilgrim from Zaria Local Government Area died in Arafat.

According to him, the first batch of the pilgrims departed King Abdul’aziz International Airport and landed in Kaduna on July 21, at 5:45 p.m. with 390 pilgrims.

“The second batch of Kaduna State pilgrims arrived at Aminu Kano International Airport at exactly 4:00 a.m. on Saturday, with 400 pilgrims.

He stated that the pilgrims, who returned home, were from seven local government areas of the state, including Igabi, Giwa, Zaria, Ikara, Soba, Lere and Kagarko.

He said the transportation of the remaining pilgrims to home would continue tomorrow.

To curb the rising unemployment rate in Plateau State, Governor Simon Lalong has advised the Plateau State Employment Council to generate 20,000 jobs before the end of this year.

Lalong gave the advice at the Government House Rayfield Jos yesterday while inaugurating the state employment council.

The 25-member council, which is chaired by the Secretary to the State Government Prof. Danladi Atu is to liaise with the national employment council for any employment opportunity at the national level.

Lalong, who was represented by the Deputy Governor, Prof. Sonny Tyoden, mandated the council to mop up every employment opportunity available in the state so as to close the rising rate of unemployment in the state.

Lalong said: “Unemployment is a major social and economic problem facing Nigeria and, indeed, Plateau State. This has resulted in poverty, hunger, and insecurity, among others. This is why the government at the national and sub-national levels have made the reduction of unemployment a major focus by adopting various measures, policies and programmes towards addressing the menace.

“This is so because unemployment induces crimes and criminality and a general breach of the peace and security in the state.

“For this reason and in line with the National Policy on Employment, the state government has decided that a state employment council be set up to serve as a bridge and coordination platform to guide, streamline and coordinate state efforts towards employment promotion and job creation in the state.”

The 25-member Council has the Chairman Plateau Youth Council as a member.

Also, the Plateau State Commissioner for Agriculture Dr Hosea Finangwai said the state government has put plans in motion to mitigate losses incurred by potato farmers during this year’s cropping season. Finangwai stated this in Jos.

The 2022 potato season recorded losses due to potatoes Blight, a disease caused by a fungus-like organism (Phytophthora infestans) that spreads rapidly through the foliage and tubers of potatoes, causing collapse and decay.

Finangwai said he had also contacted the Executive Director of the National Crop Research Institute (NCRI), through the Agric-Research Council.

He said the NCRI executive director would lead a high-powered delegation of expert breeders, pathologists and tissue culture specialists to visit the farmers and their farmlands.

The commissioner noted that prior to the outbreak of the Blight infestation; plans were already on the ground to boost potato production in the state up to export standards.

Finangwsi said Governor Simon Lalong had secured a facility from African Development Bank to boost potato production, even before the potato blight.

He said the state had been working on ensuring potatoes export since 2016.

Finangwai added that the government had the vision to ensure that the state produced clean potatoes, resistant or tolerant to diseases, including the Blight.

He urged farmers not to lose hope as the government was committed to their course and working to ameliorate losses they suffered during the cropping season.

President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the establishment of a Federal College of Education (Technical) in Yauri, Kebbi State, following the signing into law the bill establishing the institution.

It is the second federal tertiary institution being approved for the state by the Buhari government since 2019.

The president had earlier signed into law a bill to establish Federal University of Agriculture in Zuru, Kebbi state.

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The bill for the establishment of the Federal College of Education (Technical) in Yauri,  sponsored by Tanko Sununu a member of the House of Representatives, was signed into law by the President on the 20th July, 2022.

The college, according to the sponsor, is expected to  provide full-time courses for teaching instructions and training in technology, applied science, arts, social science, humanities and management, research in the development and operations of technical and related matters.

Some households in the northern part of the country may be pushed further into poverty, a humanitarian group, Save the Children International, has warned.

The humanitarian group noted that the rising security challenge in the region has affected the livelihood of some households in the region.

It further warned that insecurity had made the north to be more vulnerable, leading to food insecurity.

The group said this in its report titled: ‘Addressing Food Insecurity and Livelihood’, presented to the public in Abuja.

It noted that from its work in the North East and other northern states, it had observed that northerners are becoming more vulnerable and food insecure as a result of the unabating insecurity situation.

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The Country Director SCI, Mr Famari Barro, while speaking at a National Advocacy on Household Economy Analysis (HEA) workshop in Abuja, said the North was getting poorer while vulnerability was on the rise as a result of insecurity situation

He stated that the Household Economy Analysis (HEA) baselines conducted in seven states in Northern Nigeria, indicated that the poorer households comprise at least 74% of the population and are unable to access their minimum energy requirements in a sustainable manner, leading to chronic and acute malnutrition in children.

The states, according to Barro, include  Borno, Yobe, Jigawa, Bauchi, Kastina and Zamfara

Barro said  SCI was concerned about early warning systems in Nigeria, which focused on the food security situation in the country, saying this was why the organisation was building the capacity of local civil societies to report food crisis situations in the states they are working, so as to help donor organisations to channel their funds to meet  the demand of their target beneficiaries.

The HEA Coordinator for Save the Children Nelson Yidawi, in his paper presentation stated that SCI has been developing Early Warning Systems (EWS) on food  security situations across 16 states for the last 10years.

An unspecified number of people have drowned in a boat mishap that happened in Zumba in Shiroro Local Government area of Niger State.

It was learnt that the victims include women and children who were going from the Zumba Saturday market on Saturday morning.

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The boat was said to be among the five boats that took off from the Iburo community at about 10 am. It was said to have capsized midway into the journey. Local divers have begun searching for the bodies of the victims.

Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje of Kano State on Saturday inspected a 60km road linking part of Kumbotso Local Government Area that links up five local government councils.

The road, which is 80 percent completed, is linking Kumbotso, Rimingado, Gwarzo, Kabo and Tofa up to Karaye town, it was learnt.

The road being reconstructed is the oldest road linking Kano with northern Nigerian cities, the governor disclosed.

Dr Ganduje, in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Abba Anwar, added that the exercise was part of his efforts to optimise the presence of road network between Kano Emirate and other Emirates of the state.

The road will be completed by end of December, the contractor said.

Ganduje said: “The state government will put in place all the necessary efforts to see that the project is completed within the stipulated time.

“When we came to start the project we found out there were five bridges. To make the project more viable, we added  two more bridges.

The Niger State Police Command has foiled the plan of a notorious Kidnap kingpin, Alhaji Bashiru Abdullahi to recruit men to perpetuate his kidnapping escapades.

40-year-old Abdullahi, who was arrested in Kontagora, was said to have concluded plans to kidnap the former local government chairman of Mariga and the father of a former commissioner in the state but needed some men to help him carry out his plans.

According to him, the former chairman owed him N5.8 million and if he was abducted, he would have been able to get N10 million from him.

“I was equally planning to kidnap the father of the former commissioner because I owe him N1.3 from a business transaction we had and I was expecting to get N15 million ransom if the plan had succeeded.

The Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Wasiu Abiodun disclosed that Abdullahi was also discovered to have killed his 35-year-old brother, Mamuda Abdullahi, in March because he swindled him out of a N75 million deal.

Wasiu stated that the case is under investigation to unravel other criminal acts of the suspect as well as to unveil and arrest other suspected members of the gang.

The House of Representatives has expressed concern over the continued communal clashes among communities in Langtang North Local Gvernment Area of Plateau State and sought the immediate intervention of the federal government and its agencies to halt the clashes and killings associated with it. Adopting a motion of urgent public importance by Rep. Beni Lar, the House also asked the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to assist in providing the people of the affected communities with relief materials to cushion the effects of the crises.

Lar lamented that the Lyangit and Kumbwang Communities of Langtang North Local Government Area of Plateau State have been engaged in a series of communal clashes resulting from land dispute.

According to her, the most recent communal clash which occurred last month claimed several lives and properties worth millions of Naira, while displacing many people and rendering them homeless as the communities has been razed down by each other.

She said it was unfortunate that both communities have suffered tremendous loss of lives and properties, adding that if nothing is done to intervene and restore lasting peace in these communities, this re-occurring communal clashes will continue unabated and lead to further loss of lives and properties.

She said the displaced persons may start dying of exposure to unfavorable weather and starvation as they have no shelter and access to good food and drinkable water.

Mr. Bapigaan William Audu of the Plateau State Specialist Hospital has emerged Chairman, Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), Plateau State Chapter.

Audu polled 244 votes to beat three other contestants, Dr. Nankling Michael Lamu, Dr. Kwis Samuel and Dr. Mbwas Isaac Mashie who scored 195, 126 and 105 votes respectively.

Winners in other positions include, Dr. Ayo Aladeshuyi (Vice Chairman), Dr. Mawun Stephen Lukden (Secretary), Dr. Nenkang Sam-MBok (Assistant Secretary), Dr. Suchi Nanret Kyeswet, (Treasurer), Dr. Alobu Walter Emeka (Financial Secretary) and Dr. Istifanus Bintum Bako (Public Relations Officer).

The election of a new EXCO for NMA was the high point of  the association’s Annual General Meeting and Scientific Conference 2022 which kicked off on Wednesday.

In his acceptance speech, the new chairman promised to consolidate on the gains and successes recorded by the immediate past EXCO and move the association to greater heights.

The new EXCO would pilot the affairs of the association for the next two years.