The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Hafiz Abubakar

  • School feeding addresses Nigeria’s nutritional challenges – Osinbajo

    School feeding addresses Nigeria’s nutritional challenges – Osinbajo

    Vice President Yemi Osinbajo said on Monday that one of the reasons the present administration’s Homegrown School Feeding Programme was conceived was to address problems of malnutrition, especially among primary school pupils.

    Osinbajo stated this while receiving a delegation of Nigerian human nutritionists led by the Deputy Governor of Kano State, Prof. Hafiz Abubakar, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    According to Osinbajo, the Federal Government will be ready to collaborate with states where nutrition issues are most urgent in prioritising the implementation of the school feeding programme.

    Already, 14 states are benefiting from the programme across the country, with almost three million pupils being fed daily.

    The vice president said the government would consider inaugurating the National Council on Nutrition.

    He, however, urged the experts to come up with an action plan to effectively address the malnutrition challenges in the country.

    Abubakar, who came with leaders of the Nutrition Society of Nigeria, had detailed the concerns of Nigerian professional human nutritionists on malnutrition challenges and how Nigeria was faring on the global nutrition targets.

    The delegation urged the federal government to inaugurate a National Council on Nutrition to address the situation.

    NAN

  • Ohaneze assures safety of Northerners in the East

    Ohaneze assures safety of Northerners in the East

    Chief John Nwodo, the President General, Ohaneze Ndigbo on Thursday assured northerners resident in the south-east of their safety. Nwodo gave the assurance when he paid a courtesy visit to Gov. Abdullahi Ganduje at the Government House, Kano. He said that every Nigerians could live in any part of the country of his choice without discrimination or harassment.

    “Every Nigerian can live in any part of the country of his choice and no harm will ever come to a Northerner in the East. “When the temperature is high we tend to forget what bind us together and we forget the sweet past. “If there was any disturbance in Kano where we have 1.6 million Igbos, the entire Igboland  would have been in mourning by now,” he said.

    He commended the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III, and Kano state government for promoting peace and brotherhood among the people. Nwodo said that the visit was to deliver the message of all Ndigbo and leaders in the zone. “Nigeria should not experience war the second time as it will not augur well for the country.

    “We must remain partners in progress of our country as we have seen how our own fathers lived to make it grow and develop,” he said. He said that the unity and peaceful co-existence must be the responsibility of all. The president then urged members of the group to remain law abiding, peaceful and respect the laws of Kano State in particular and the country in general.

    Earlier, the state Acting Governor, Prof. Hafiz Abubakar told the delegation that the state would always be home for all Nigerians irrespective of their religious beliefs. He said that people of Kano State accepted the Igbos as their brothers and called on them to continue to live in peace with one another for the socio-economic development of the country.

    Abubakar then called on Nigerians to always find an amicable and civilised way of handling issues. “I am calling on Nigerians to always find an amicable and civilised way of settling disputes. “Our diversity is a blessing and we as a government we are in constant dialogue with critical stakeholders in the state to promote peace and harmony,” he said.

    The acting governor then thanked them for the visit and assured them of the administrations commitment to promote peaceful coexistence among different groups in the state.

  • Kano approves N578m for payment of teachers

    Kano approves N578m for payment of teachers

    The Kano State Government said it had approved N578 million for the payment of 44, 654 primary school teachers and other non-teaching personnel‎ under the state’s Universal Basic Education Board. ‎

    The Commissioner for Information, Malam Muhammad Garba, made this known on Tuesday in a statement by the Press Secretary to the state Governor, ‎ Malam Ameen Yassar‎.

    He said the amount would cater for those who had been notionally promoted in 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017.  ‎‎‎
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    He stated that the State Executive council, under the chairmanship of the Deputy Governor, Prof. Hafiz Abubakar, approved the payment, which takes effect from June 2017, following negotiations with representatives of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT).

    “After series of deliberations between the government and the unions, especially in view of the financial situation, it was unanimously agreed that the workers would forfeit their arrears.

    “As at May, 2017, the state government was paying the primary school teachers N2. 33 billion, but with the new development, their salaries would rise to N2. 91 billion,” he said.

    According to him, the council has directed the Ministry of Finance and Office of the Accountant General to ensure that implementation of the increased salaries from the month of June, 2017 begins immediately,” he said.

  • Kano promises more support, medication to people living with HIV/AIDS

    The Deputy Governor of Kano State, Prof. Hafiz Abubakar, on Tuesday said the state government would continue to support and provide medication to people living with HIV/AIDS.

    Abubakar gave the assurance on Tuesday while presenting materials and drugs worth millions of naira to the State Agency for the Control of AIDS (SACA).

    He said that the Gov. Abdullahi Ganduje-led administration would also provide quality healthcare services to the citizens of the state.

    The deputy governor urged health facilities in the state to ensure proper utilisation of the materials and drugs.

    The items distributed include 52 laptop computers to monitoring and evaluation officers and three new vehicles.

    Other items are anti-retroviral drugs and consumables, 16 blood bank refrigerators, solar powered reagents and systems, safeguard equipment and 75,000 rapid test kits.

    Also, Dr Bashir Usman, the Director-General of the agency, commended the state government and the World Bank for their efforts toward improving the living standard of people living with HIV/AIDS.

    Usman said that the centre would ensure effective utilisation of the items.