The Federal Government said it sealed about 25,000 illegal pharmacy stores across the country in eight years. This, it said, was in order to uphold and promote the integrity and tenets of the pharmacy profession. It also said the action will protect Nigerians from quacks and unsafe medicines, and meeting the needs of patients.

The outgoing Registrar of the Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN), Dr Elijah Mohammed, made this known in Abuja during the presentation of his administration’s scorecard.

He said: “The illegal premises that were sealed within the period under review were about 25,000 across the federation. Reasons ranging from poor documentation, poor hygiene, poor environment, and inappropriate behaviours in their shops and premises.

“Before I came, we had 17 faculties of pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences in Nigeria. However, during my tenure, we added seven and about seven pending.

“Following my appointment as the Registrar of PCN in June 12, 2014, my administration decided to work with Council members, stakeholders and members of staff of PCN and put in place a pharmacy practice that is generational in thought, actions and deeds; and ultimately promote the tenets of the profession to meet the needs of the patient.

“I also set up a mission to create societal change agents out of career professionals (Pharmacists and Pharmacy personnel) through self-transformation as intellectual practitioners with good moral courage. This success is attributable to the Federal Ministry of Health and all stakeholders in the pharmaceutical sector that cooperated and supported PCN all the way.”

The Chairman of the PCN, Prof. Ahmed Mora said: “I think Dr Mohammed is a very lucky person. In the now 30 years of the PCN, there have been three substantive registrars, including himself and two Acting Registrars.

An education specialist with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Kano Field Office, Mutaka Mukhtar yesterday declared that Katsina State has about 536,132 out-of-school children.

Mukhtar, who made the declaration during a media dialogue on Girl’s Education Project (GEP-3), organised for reporters from Abuja, Kano and Katsina  stated that one out of five of the world’s out-of-school children is in Nigeria, while 536,132 out of school boys and girls are in Katsina State.

He said: ”This data was not from UNICEF, but it was according to the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) data.

“Girls’ education goes beyond getting girls into school, it includes ensuring that girls learn and feel safe while in school.

“It also include having the opportunity to complete all levels of education, acquiring the knowledge and skills to compete in the labour market; gaining socio-emotional and life skills necessary to navigate and adapt to a changing world making decisions about their own lives and also contributing to their communities and the world.”

Read Also: Why girl-child education is important, by UNICEF

He added that Katsina lags behind on equalising school attendance among boys and girls and that common gender norms continue to put girls at a disadvantage, lead them to drop out of school at higher rates.

According to him, such also push parents to prioritise the education of their sons over their daughters, engage in harmful practices such as child marriage.

He said: ”Prioritising education for girls ensures better educated women who tend to be more informed about nutrition and health care, having fewer children, marry at a later age.

“Educated girls are better equipped to become healthier, more prosperous adults, with smaller families and children who are less at risk of illness and death and more likely to succeed.

“Earnings and standards of living: Women with primary education earn 14 per cent to 19 per cent more than women with no education at all.

“Health, nutrition and well-being: increase women’s knowledge of HIVI/AIDS and also empower them to make decisions about their own health care.

“It also improves their sense of psychological well-being, reduce the risk of partner-violence and reduce the risk of under-five mortality and malnutrition among their children.

The dialogue was organised by the Katsina State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) in collaboration with UNICEF with funding support from the Foreign Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO) UK Office.

The Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Polytechnics has lamented the insecurity in the country, calling on the security agencies to come up with new strategies to contain the attacks by terrorists.

The union also condemned the killing of over 50 worshippers at a Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State, on Sunday.

It said this in a communique issued at the end of its General Executive Council meeting yesterday in Abuja.

The communique signed by SSANIP’s National President, Comrade Adebanjd.Ogunsipe, and National Secretary, Comrade Hussaini Gwandu, partly reads: “Council lamented the state of insecurity in the country at large. It condemned the recent unprovoked, evil, shocking and unfortunate massacre of worshippers at a Catholic church in Owo, Ondo State, on Sunday, June 5, 2022, where worshippers, including women and children numbering over 50 were reportedly killed.

Read Also: WHO donates drugs, consumables to victims of Owo Church attack

“While commending the past efforts of our security agencies, Council implore the Federal Government to charge the security agencies to, immediately go back to the drawing board, devise new strategies to quash the daily growing audacity of these terrorists, bandits and other “unknown gunmen” so as to create a peaceful environment in the country.”

SSANIP also expressed concerns over the growing hardship in the country.

On the state of the economy, SSANIP said: “Council observed with serious concern the alarming growing rate of inflation in the country and the attendant consequences on the purchasing powers of the average Nigerian. The daily rising prices of foodstuffs and other commodities was a source of great concern for the union.

“Council expressed fear that if the trend was not immediately put in checks, all past efforts to check the growing crime industry in the country would be overwhelmed and therefore, charged governments at all levels to do all possible to arrest this development in the interest of the country’s growth and development.”

The Northeast Zonal Coordinator for Persons Living with Disabilities (PLWDs) Alhaji Ali Goro has called for special intervention for members of his group from the Federal Government.

Goro, who made the appeal in a chat with reporters in Gombe yesterday, said the Federal Government should introduce a special intervention in the area of education and empowerment of members.

“For us, every day is a struggle because of the multiple barriers limiting our access to education; and which is a great obstacle to our well-being and fulfilment of our children’s dreams.

“We want the Federal Government to do the needful to make education at all levels accessible to our children.

Read Also: ‘Provide assistive materials for PWDs during election’

“We equally want the government to empower disabled communities, particularly the women who are more vulnerable and have become victims of sexual abuse by wicked people.

“Empowering our members will go a long way in reducing the number of beggars in the society,” he said.

He said the population of PLWDs was increasing daily as a result of terrorists’ activities in the region.

According to him, most of the international organisations coming to the Northeast do not have specific interventions or programmes designed for PLWDs.

“Our estimated population in the region is over 700,000 PLWDs, hence the need for the government’s intervention,” he said.

Goro also called on the six states in the region to consider PLWDs in their appointments.

The Katsina State Police Command has presented cheques for over N53.9 million to 25 families and next of kin of the deceased police officers, who died in active service.

Presenting the cheques yesterday in Katsina, the Commissioner of Police Idrisu Dabban, said the gesture was part of the Family Welfare/Insurance Scheme initiated by the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Alkali Baba.

According to him, the scheme was initiated to provide the families of deceased officers the necessary support.

Read Also: Niger police decorate 460 officers

Dabban commended the IGP for improving the welfare of the officers and men of the Nigerian Police Force.

He also urged the beneficiaries to make judicious use of the money for their well-being.

On behalf of the beneficiaries, Mr Al’amin Nuradeen thanked the IGP for the welfare package and promised that they would utilise the money judiciously.

The Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Mr Usman Alkali, has presented cheques worth over N30.2 million to families of eight policemen who lost their lives in active service.

Zamfara State Commissioner of Police Mr Ayuba Elkanah, presented the cheques on behalf of the IGP, in Gusau yesterday.

Elkanah noted that the cheques were testimonies of the IGP’s welfare scheme to the families of deceased police officers.

He appreciated the IGP for the gesture, describing it as timely. He said it would go a long way to alleviate the sufferings of families of deceased police officers.

The commissioner of police assured the IGP of the commitments of officers and men of the command, whom he said would continue to discharge their duties for sustenance of peace, security and safety of Zamfara and Nigeria as a whole.

“This gesture will serve as morale booster to the serving members of the force to continue to discharge their duties effectively,” he said.

Mrs Fatima Murtala, who spoke on behalf of other beneficiaries, thanked the IGP for the gesture and promised to put the money into judicious use.

The police commissioner also decorated 145 promoted officers and congratulated them.

He urged them to rededicate themselves to the service of the country and to consider their promotion as an additional responsibility that required more professionalism, hard work and discipline.

DSP Nuhu Samuel, on behalf of others, expressed their appreciation to the IGP, the Police Service Commission and the Commissioner of Police in the state for considering them worthy of the promotion.

Nuhu said he and his colleagues would redouble their commitments, saying their promotion is a call to more service.

Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom has said the prospect of an Idoma person emerging as governor in the future is achievable.

Ortom spoke on Tuesday when he received a delegation of the Benue Rebirth Movement; BRM led by AVM Monday Morgan (rtd), who visited at the Benue Peoples House, Makurdi.

The governor stated that he remained committed to the unity of Benue towards upholding justice, equity and fairness for all people of the state irrespective of their ethnic backgrounds.

He acknowledged that so far BRM has achieved enlightenment in the quest for an Idoma governor but enjoined the group to employ persuasion, dialogue, negotiation and eschew militancy, intimidation, victimisation or blackmail, which he noted will not build confidence.

Read Also: Why I gave priority to basic education – Ortom

On the appeal that governorship seat be rotated among the various groups in the state, the Governor advised the group to engage members of the legislature from their zone to push for a constitutional amendment at the National Assembly, pointing out that it was not just peculiar to only Benue State.

Ortom promised that his administration would look into the request by BRM for an amendment to the Benue Chieftaincy Laws to suit the peculiarities of the Idoma culture before the end of his tenure next year.

The leader of the Benue Rebirth Movement, AVM Morgan stated that although the organisation had put so much pressure on the government before the primary elections, its main desire was to ensure that someone from Benue South becomes the governor in the interest of fairness and justice and not antagonistic against the person or office of the governor.

Sequel to the crisis among traders and motorcycle riders at the Dei Dei Market in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, which led to the death of five people and the destruction of valuables, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has promised to mount pressure on the government to provide security operatives to avert a repeat.

ADC’s National Chairman Raph Okey Nwosu made the promise recently when he visited the market on an assessment tour.

He said the party would assist in providing legal services if need be to ensure that affected traders get justice.

Nwosu noted that an international market of that magnitude should be protected, given the high revenue the FCT administration generates from it.

He encouraged Nigerians to get their Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs) and to ensure that they vote in next year’s general elections.

“While I sympathise with you on the things lost, we are going to help in any way to ensure that the government and critical stakeholders of this country start taking action to ensure that we avoid this kind of thing.

“On the losses, we are going to make sure, and we appeal to members of the media to ensure that everything that has happened here is well documented.

“As a matter of fact, if it is possible, ADC will organize a special programme featuring everything that has happened here and show it to the world, for one hour.

“Because when some of these things happen, it is important that the ordinary Nigerians know about this.

“When they know and they see something happening and billions of naira lost, they will adjust.

“The money lost in closing an international market in one week is almost N1.5 billion.

“We will help you in any way you want. We have bright lawyers in this country. But we are going to put pressure on the government to ensure that they compensate the people.

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“We feel pain as ADC. Anybody that has lost anything here means that it is Nigeria that lost as it has affected the people who want to work hard.

“On a daily, weekly and monthly basis, the government would go out; from the FCT to the Federal Government, expecting revenue internally generated from here.

“And just imagine an international market like this one burnt. Part of our problems is leadership.

“You have played your part. I just wish that the multiple ecosystems that make up the bigger ecosystem are working well.

“Without playing politics, I want to appeal to you to ensure that your members collect their PVCs and they vote. It is very important.”

The politician decried the state of the nation regarding insecurity and bad leadership, stressing that something must be done to put the country alright.

He said: “When ADC talks about transformation, a lot of people look at us and say what these people can do. We can do something.

“Our country cannot continue going the way it is going and everybody will feel that it is the culture of nation-building. It is not.

“Let me point out the critical things. We have a market leadership that looks after the welfare of members.

“We have a government that seems to have no direction because, if an organised system such as a small market can reach out to other layers of the government who are supposed to be doing something and they did something, the situation would not have escalated.

“We have layers of government; the people’s government doing their small business, organising themselves to move well.

Executive Chairman Dei-Dei International Timber Traders’ Association Abuja (DITTA), Chibuzor Ekesiy, said that goods worth N1.5 billion were destroyed.

He said since the FCT Minister, Mohammed Bello, set up a committee nothing has been heard even though he gave the committee members an expiring date.

Ekesiy appealed to the government to situate a police post in the market to prevent a recurrence.

He said: “On the day we met with the minister, he set up a committee and since that time we have not heard anything from them even though he gave them an expiring date.

“No development yet regarding the erection of a police post even though the minister, on that day, emphatically told the police commissioner to see what he could do about it.

“We have been using our internal security day and night, but the crisis that overpowered our security personnel.

“The cost of the damage is estimated to be about N1.5 billion. But some people are still bringing their reports which we have not calculated.”

The governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Taraba State, retired Lt.-Col. Agbu Kefas has called on stakeholders in the party to close ranks and work together for the development of the state.

Kefas made the call in a chat with reporters after he received the PDP certificate of return following his victory at the primary election recently.

“PDP is a family and will remain a family. I thank those who withdrew or boycotted to create a smooth atmosphere for the party’s peaceful primary election.

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“Your sacrifices and efforts for the good of the party would not be taken for granted. I have no doubt that you will all accord me and the party an equal volume of cooperation and solidarity in the general elections.

“I want to urge my supporters and the people of Taraba State to be calm because PDP will win by the grace of God and it will be in history books that the mandate is for the people,” he said.

He further said his emergence as the candidate of the party in the next year’s general elections was by divine arrangement.

While thanking Governor Darius Ishaku, the people of Taraba, the PDP Elders’ Forum, youths and women, delegates and other aspirants who sought the position with him for their show of love and understanding, Agbu called on all to close ranks and work for the victory of the party.