Plateau State Governor Simon Lalong has reiterated his administration’s commitment to providing an enabling environment for the private sector to strive.

This is because no society can make any meaningful progress without the active participation of major private sector partners such as NASCO Group.

According to him, the company deserves to be recognised for its loyalty to the Nigerian consumer as it has consistently been one of Nigeria’s most renowned brands. He added that the secret lies in its focus on providing a high-quality life for all Nigerians.

Lalong stated this while making a remark at the inauguration of the facility yesterday in Jos.

He said since NASCO Group began its operations 59 years ago, millions of Nigerians from the post-independence generation to young Nigerians today, have been able to share almost identical experiences from having used the different product categories for which the company is known.

The governor noted that on a larger economic scale, long before the government began to promote self-sufficiency in food production – a policy which encouraged Nigerians to produce what they eat-NASCO’s adoption of the policy of backward integration in sourcing maize as its chief input for the production of cornflakes had empowered thousands of farmers across many locations in Nigeria.

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“This has directly impacted the volume and quality of the maize that its suppliers were cultivating. Cumulatively, this process now integrates into the Buhari administration’s drive to develop the agriculture commodity supply chain, for which maize has been recognised as one of the most important commodities.

“As a government, we recognise that this desire is very much in line with NASCO’s mission to be a major driver of economic prosperity and social progress, and to bring about a reality where millions of Nigerians can live a high-quality life.”

Lalong commended NASCO Foods Limited for deploying and harnessing the power of cutting-edge innovation in the cereal industry, in its desire to see that it improves the overall efficiency of its production process.

“This innovation and strategic investment in “state-of-the-art technology” equipment and machinery, will further upgrade the standard of its cornflakes to match the most notable international brands in terms of superior quality and value,” he said.

The level of this investment is encouraging and not only demonstrates the depth of the local and wider national markets for NASCO cornflakes but also serves as a positive indicator that Plateau State has indeed regained the confidence of investors as a viable destination for both local and foreign capital inflows.

The Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of NASCO Group Dr Attia Nasreddin said the inauguration of the new plant is a factor for employment generation, helping people to reconnect with nature and for natural nourishing goodness.

He pointed out that, through his historic understanding, NASCO is poised to unlock and unleash massive growth opportunities across the value chain, with low environmental impact and promotion of sustainable farming.

The first batch of 393 intending Kaduna Hajj pilgrims who departed the Kaduna International Airport at 12.50 a.m. has safely landed in Madinah, Saudi Arabia.

The pilgrims that arrived at 5:00 a.m. were conveyed by Azman Airline.

The pilgrims are from Zaria, Ikara, Igabi and Giwa local government areas of the state.

While bidding farewell to the pilgrims on Tuesday at the Mando Hajj Transit Camp, the Acting Governor of Kaduna State, Dr Hadiza Balarabe urged them to be good ambassadors of the state and the country in general while in the Holy Land.

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She appealed to them to pray for Kaduna State and the country.

“We urge them to be good ambassadors of, not only Kaduna State but also Nigeria as a whole. They should conduct themselves in a manner that is worthy of emulation by all pilgrims that will be at the Holy Land.

“We also urge them to make out time since it is a time for prayer and reflection, that they should pray for the country, pray for Kaduna state and pray for our leaders with the hope that Allah in His mercy will accept our prayers and that we will come back safe.”

The Executive Secretary of the Kaduna State Pilgrims Welfare Agency, Dr Yusuf Yakub Arrigassiyyu commended the state government for taking measures to ensure a hitch-free exercise.

About 2,491pilgrims are expected to perform this year’s Hajj exercise from the state.

The Plateau State Government has declared June 28, 2022, as a public holiday to enable citizens of the state to turn out en masse to register at the ongoing Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Permanent voter’s card slated to end on June 30 2022.

In a statement by the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Danladi Atu said the decision of the governor was aimed at ensuring that citizens of Plateau State are not denied the opportunity to participate and vote for candidates of their choice ahead of next year’s general election.

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It further stated that “Governor Simon Bako Lalong has declared Monday, June 27 and Tuesday, 28, 2022, as a public holiday.

“This is to enable citizens of Plateau State to turn out end masse for the ongoing INEC voter’s registration exercise which concludes nationwide on Thursday, June 30.

The Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) Alhaji Zikrullah Kunle Hassan has commiserated with Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal over Monday’s attack on some intending pilgrims from Sokoto State by bandits.

In a statement by NAHCON’s Assistant Director, Public Affairs, Hajia Fatima Sanda Usara, Alhaji Hassan said he joined the government in the moment of grief and prayed to Allah to assist the federal and state governments in ending the bloodbath and all forms of atrocities being perpetrated in the country.

Read Also: Bandits abduct 21 pilgrims in Sokoto

The NAHCON Chairman has instructed the Secretary of NAHCON’s Central Security Committee (CSC) to intensify collaboration between them and state governments to safeguard pilgrims.

He appealed to state governments to reinforce security around pilgrims’ camps and their movements.

There may be another showdown between the Kaduna State Government and the organised Labour because of the decision of the Kaduna State Universal Basic Education Board to sack 2,357 teachers for failing a competency test.

Already, the leadership of the Nigeria Union of Teachers has threatened to embark on a nationwide strike if the state government failed to reverse the decision to sack the teachers.

The union made its position known yesterday during its National Executive Council meeting at the Teachers’ House, Lugbe Abuja.

The Nigeria Labour Congress had, on May 18, last year, commenced a one-week warning strike cutting off services to protest the alleged anti-labour postures of the state government.

The strike was suspended on the third day following the invitation of the NLC and the Kaduna State Government for dialogue by the Federal Government, led by Minister of Labour and Employment Chris Ngige.

However, on June 19, the Kaduna State Universal Basic Education Board announced the dismissal of 2,357 teachers who failed the recently-conducted competency test.

In a statement by its spokesperson, Hauwa Mohammed on Sunday in Kaduna had said the board conducted a competency test for over 30,000 teachers in December last year.

She said 2,192 primary school teachers, including the National President of the Nigeria Union of Teachers, Amba, had been dismissed for refusing to sit for the competency test.

Mohammed noted that 165 of the 27,662 teachers that sat for the competency test were also sacked for poor performances.

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Addressing reporters in Abuja yesterday, Deputy President of the NUT, Dr Kelvin Nwankwo said its President, Amba did not fail the test as announced by the state government and therefore remained its national president.

The union also said the action of Governor Mallam Nasiru El-Rufai was clearly to intimidate the NUT President and embarrass teachers in Nigeria. He accused the governor of using the tactics not to pay owed salaries.

The NEC urged the state government to embark on a continuous teacher training programme, which would, at the end of the day, improve knowledge and service delivery by teachers in the public schools of Kaduna State as obtained in other professions such as nursing, medicine and law.

He said: “The concept of competency test is an aberration and absurd; having regards to the fact that the teachers in Kaduna State have, prior to their recruitment in the state public service, attended schools and institutions statutorily saddled with the responsibility of teacher education. These institutions have certified them to be competent, fit and proper to be teachers.”

Nwankwo said Kaduna was the second most indebted state in Nigeria, adding that the state government was on a free roller coaster move to satisfy the conditionality handed down to it by its creditors, which normally includes downsising of the public service without even the remotest regard to our peculiar circumstances.

He added: “The whole concept of competency test was designed by the Kaduna State Government to achieve its inglorious aim of casualisation of the teaching profession in Kaduna State.

“In accordance with the Kaduna State Public/Civil Service Rules, these purported 20,000 teachers were employed on a temporary basis and placed on a one-year probationary period.

“Their appointments were to be made permanent and pensionable after the one-year probationary period.  However, rather regrettably five years down the line, these teachers are still under temporary appointment with the result that the Kaduna state government can whimsically and shamelessly ask them to leave the public service without any terminal-related benefits.

“These 20,000 constitute the bulk of the 2,357 teachers, who are said not to have passed the latest in the series of competency tests in Kaduna State.”

Kebbi State Governor Atiku Bagudu has approved the payment of N3 billion as gratuity and death benefits to 1,172 beneficiaries for 2021.

The approval is contained in a statement issued yesterday in Birnin-Kebbi, the state capital by the Acting Head of the Civil Service, Alhaji Safiyanu Garba-Bena.

“The payment is to cover 1,172 beneficiaries in the state, local governments and local government areas and the education authority,” he said.

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“The state government has given cumulative approval of more than N30 billion since 2015 for payment of gratuities and death benefits.

It approved N20 billion to cover from 2015 to 2018 and another N10 billion representing the balance for 2017 and 2018.

Full payment was approved for 2019 and 2021 for 3,724 retirees.

The Northeast Development Commission (NEDC) yesterday said 1, 800 teachers of the basic education segment from the six states of the Northeast have been retrained to improve their skills. This will enable them to impart knowledge to the pupils in their areas of competence.

The Acting Chairperson of the board of trustees, Hahiya Asmau Mohammed said this in Gombe during the launch of NEDC-EEF to support education development in Gombe State in particular and the Northeast in general.

She said: “The Commission has early this year, commenced the implementation of its planned programmes.

“Already, 1,800 teachers of the Basic Education segment from the six states of the Northeast have been retrained to improve their skills so as to impart knowledge to the pupils in their respective areas of competence.

“Another batch of 1,800, including school administrators, will soon be selected across the states to benefit from the same training. A total of 115 schools have been selected and contracts have been awarded for the construction of three classrooms each, with the supply of school desks and learning materials.”

She said the management and board of the Commission considered it necessary to put in place a special-purpose vehicle to address the educational needs of the six states of the Northeast.

According to her, the objective of the Commission was realised when its governing board approved the establishment of the Education Endowment Fund on December 12, 2019, and its board of trustees was inaugurated in August 2020.

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“This is to revive our decaying education infrastructure and human resource base. Since then, the Education Endowment Fund has embarked upon the daunting task through skilful planning and programme development in the following critical areas.

She added that such areas include teachers’ training, resource mobilisation, scholarship and grants, technical, vocational and educational training (TVET), and special projects; which will involve campaigns against drug abuse, cultism as well as promotion of sports in the schools.

Others are basic education intervention components, focusing on the renovation of classrooms, the building of new ones, provision of desks and teachers’ furniture as well as other instructional materials, training for nurses, midwives and community health workers and welfare support for women and girls.

The Managing Director of NEDC, Mohammed Alkali said the Commission is reconstructing the Gombe-Abba-Kirfi Road in Bauchi State in order to enhance socio-economic activities between Bauchi and Gombe states.

According to him, the NEDC is committed to achieving a secure, healthy, prosperous and peaceful region.

“In addition, towards meeting the health needs of the people across the Northeast, the Commission will donate a 500KVA power generating set to the Federal Medical Centre. This will promote efficient health care services through the provision of an uninterrupted power supply.

”The Commission has, since its inception, assisted the Federal Medical Centre Gombe in several ways in order to enhance its basic operations in the state.

“These include support to strengthen the hospital’s capacity in the coverage and treatment of COVID-19 cases through the donation of preventive items, ambulances, Personal Protection Equipment (PPEs) and other medical consumables as well as the establishment of a molecular laboratory to also treat other diseases,” he said.

Gombe State Governor Inuwa Yahaya, who was represented by his Deputy, Dr Manassah Jatau commended the commission for its various interventions in the state. He added that more still needs to be done to improve the lives of the people of the Northeast.

“We thank you for all that you have done. Like Oliver Twist, we are still asking for more so that the region can be completely lifted out of its myriad of problems,” he said.