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Tag: Kebbi

  • ASUU laments poor funding of Kebbi varsity

    The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has expressed concern over what it described as ‘unacceptable’ way the Kebbi State Government was handling its Science and Technology University, Aliero ( KSUSTA).

    Sokoto Zonal Coordinator of the union, Dr. Lawal Alkali Argungu, complained at a briefing in Sokoto, that apart from poor funding, the state had failed to constitute a governing council for the university.

    “This is indicative of how the state government has relegated the issue of education in the state to the background.  With the monthly overhead of N5 million only, since inception to date, the university can be considered abandoned by the government.

    “The state government has left the university without a Governing Council for over one year.

    “ASUU is appealing to the Kebbi State Government not to force the campus to industrial restiveness unnecessarily, because the issue of Governing Council is a serious business in any university system,” he said.

    Argungu also said the union had an “understanding” with Governor Atiku Bagudu, to the effect that, the Council was going to be constituted.

    “And, thereafter, the council will procedurally address the rest of the contentious issues as presented by ASUU/KSUSTA.  As a union, we believe any university without a Governing Council is just like a ship without a captain. KSUSTA has been a peaceful campus since inception. It has never had any course to embark on indefinite strike action,” he said.

    Argungu appealed to eminent Kebbi indigenes and others to prevail on the government to redress the ugly trend.

    “The state government should attend to its responsibilities on the University without further delay in the interest of peace and industrial harmony,” he said.

     

  • Ex- Kebbi Speaker dies in auto- crash

    Ex- Kebbi Speaker dies in auto- crash

    The immediate past Speaker of the Kebbi State House of Assembly, Alhaji Musa Habib Jega, has died in an auto crash.
    Close family sources said the accident occurred along Birnin Kebbi-Kangiwa road.
    The former Speaker is presently the Special Adviser on Local Government to the current Governor of Kebbi State, Atiku Bagudu.
    Late Jega, 49 years who is survived by wives and children he has since been beried according to Islamci right in his home town Jega.

  • NASS donate N10m to victims of Birnin Kebbi fire outbreak

    NASS donate N10m to victims of Birnin Kebbi fire outbreak

    Members of the National Assembly from Kebbi have donated N10 million to victims of the Birnin Kebbi Central market fire, which occurred on March 26, 2016.

    The News Agency of Nigeria(NAN) reports that a former governor of the state, Sen. Adamu Aliero, announced the donation on Monday when he led the NASS members on an inspection of the burnt market.

    He noted that the fire had led to colossal loss and resulted in serious setback to economic activities in the state.

    Aliero told the State Deputy Governor, Alhaji Samaila Yombe, who was on the entourage, that the donation was to assist the victims to come back on their feet.

    He called for investigation into the immediate and remote causes of the inferno and adoption of measures to prevent future occurrence.

    “I recall that 15 years ago when the market was commissioned fire preventive measures had been put in place,” he stated, and advised traders against erecting structures that would impede rescue operations.

    “I urge the authorities to promptly determine the extent of damage and to seek for assistance from the Federal Government, individuals and groups.”

    Responding, the deputy governor commended the lawmakers for the donation and pledged that the money would be utilized judiciously.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the NASS members also visited the Emir of Gwandu, Alhaji Muhammadu Bashar, to sympathise with him over the incident.

    Aliero called for prayers to prevent future occurrence and urged the traders to accept the calamity as an act of God.

     

  • Kebbi signs budget into law

    Kebbi State Governor Abubakar Atiku Bagudu has signed the 2016 budget into law.

    The event was held at the chamber of the Government House, Birnin-Kebbi.

    The Appropriation Bill totalling one hundred and nine billion, seven hundred and fifty two million, five hundred and twenty thousand, five hundred naira (N109,752, 520,500) was assented to by the governor at the instance of members of his executive council (exco) and lawmakers.

    The governor promised that the budget would be implemented 100 per cent to boost agriculture and other economic development.

    He said following the fire, which gutted the Birnin Kebbi Central Market, the executive arm would liaise with the legislature for supplementary appropriation.

    Bagudu hailed the legislators for quick deliberation on the budget. He described it as unique.

    The governor said his administration generated investment close to N20 billion in rice and wheat production.

    He hoped that this year’s dry season farming will record a bumper harvest.

  • Kebbi, Dangote, farmers parley on sugar factory

    Kebbi, Dangote, farmers parley on sugar factory

    the Kebbi State government has set up a 12-member committee to dialogue with communities in Koko-Besse and Shanga local government areas of Kebbi State on the establishment of a sugar factory by Dangote Group of Companies.

    The committee accompanied by representatives of Dangote Group visited Koko Besse and Shanga councils, meeting with community leaders, farmers and residents.

    The meeting was to discuss and exchange ideas on the factory site, and determine how farmlands will be acquired by the group.

    The committee was headed by Alhaji Umar Abubakar Babuga, a former State Director of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), who explained to the communities the importance and benefits of the project. He also negotiated how the lands would be acquired for the project.

    “We are here to hear your views, and to tell you the importance of the project and negotiate how the company will acquire your lands,” he said..

    In his remarks to the occasion, Engr. Hamid Alsharif , who is the North West Sugar Project Coordinator of Dangote Group said the Sugar factory will be the biggest in Africa and will employ over 40,000 skilled and unskilled labour.

    He added that apart from employment benefit, the communities will also benefit from the corporate social responsibility of the company like schools, roads, electricity, and other human development.

    The District Head of Shanga, Alhaji Nasiru Abdullahi, Kwakwaten Shanga prayed for the success of the project, while a community leader in the area, who is also a farmer, Alhaji Umaru Dutsin Mari called on the company to adhere strictly to the terms of     land compensation to farmers.

  • Kebbi to mass-produce rice

    Kebbi to mass-produce rice

    Kebbi State is aiming to produce rice in commercial quantity, the state governor Atiku Bagudu has said. To do this, he said the state would soon launch its rice mass production plan.

    That would be a good thing because the country spends an estimated $2.3 billion on rice importation in three years. This makes local production of the grain inevitable not just to feed the country but also create jobs.

    The governor told the leadership of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, (NUJ), Zone ‘A’, that in the next few years, the state should be among the largest producers of rice in the country.

    Governor Bagudu is targeting mass production of rice by engaging thousands of farmers and mobilising soft loans for them.

    He said, “Though government does not have enough to satisfy all your needs, we shall get in touch with financial institutions that would partner with us in that direction.”

    The state is already looking  ahead and aiming to produce several millions metric tonnes of rice per annum. The governor said the state was lucky to have been chosen for the flag off of the presidential initiative on rice and wheat production.

    As one who is passionate about rice farming, he is not in support of its importation, stressing that rice imported into the country is not safe for consumption.

    He said, “Most of the rice that is imported is seven years old. How is that preserved? There is imperialism in the food system. Local production should be encouraged.”

    Nigerians, he added, “are among the producers of high quality rice which does not come from Thailand, etc. We must not endanger our local variety; it has higher medicinal value.”

    Bagudu said, “Agriculture can be a business for our young ones, because there are many things in our agricultural value chain that can benefit the society.”

    He challenged journalists to help in marketing the country’s potentials in agriculture to the world, saying, “We are all stakeholders and we have our various roles to play, we shouldn’t be passive.”

    Bagudu said the federal government should create the enabling environment for farmers and make the occupation attractive, adding out that once this is done, many of the idle youths will be taken off the street. He said further that there is the need for “more technical methods of agriculture to be made known to farmers, modern method of planting, including spacing are not known to farmers and you don’t have the luxury of farming the way you are used to, if you need higher yields.”

    He argued that for the nation to attain food security and sustainable development it must evolve policies and programmes that will ensure small scale farmers are protected and supported for improved productivity. He therefore advocate for some level of immeasurable support for farmers to achieve food security in line with the federal government’s initiative.

  • APC suspends Kebbi legislator

    The Kebbi State All Progressives Congress (APC) has suspended a member of the House of Assembly, Hon. Sani Idris  Umar from Zuru Constituency.

    Its Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Sani Dododo, told reporters in Birnin-Kebbi, the state capital, that the lawmaker was suspended for alleged insubordination and disrespect to Deputy Governor Samaila Yombe.

    Dododo, a member of the APC Central Working Committee, said the suspension was sequel to a report of the Zuru Local Government Executive Committee.

    He said the party will not tolerate disrespect to leaders and elders of the party.

    Dodod said: “The party will not condone indiscipline and disrespect to leaders and duly constituted authority.”

    The Publicity Secretary said the suspension would enable the CWC to investigate the allegations against the lawmaker.

    However, Umar said the allegations were false and unfounded.

    He said he was ready “to face any genuine action and decision of the party after fair hearing.”

    Idris described himself as a loyal member of the party, adding that he held the deputy governor in high esteem.

    He said he would comply with the suspension, until the conclusion of the investigation.

    Idris said that his activities in the legislature have been misconstrued.

    He added: “The role I played in calling for a review of the selection of councillors may have attracted negative understanding from others after I had advocated for a spread in the selection of councillors.”

  • Kebbi proposes N107b budget for next year

    Kebbi proposes N107b budget for next year

    Fovernor Abubakar Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi State has presented a budget of N107 billion to the House of Assembly for the 2016 fiscal year.

    The budget tagged: ‘’Bring Kebbi State back on track’’ with  N73 billion for capital expenditure and N34 billion for recurrent expenditure.

    The governor made the highest allocation of N16.4 billion to the education sector. This is followed by agriculture with N12.5 billion, while  N3.9 billion was earmarked for the health sector.

    Bagudu, who decried the level of decay in the education sector, lamented that the  immediate past administration allocated only N3 billion to the sector, which is currently characterised by poor infrastructure like furnitures and lack of enough motivated teachers in schools.

    He also increased allocation for security in the budget, as he promised to improve and build sporting facilities in schools and major towns. Bagudu also proposes to spend N1.2 billion for youth development scheme. The governor intends to curb unemployment with intervention in the agric sector.

    He further stated that in view of the dwindling revenue acruing to the state, his administration would place emphasis to the solid mineral sector, to explore the sector for the benefit of the state..

    In his response after the presentation, the Speaker of the House of Assembly, Hon. Samaila Kamba promised that the house would expedite action on the budget for rapid development of the state.

  • Kebbi’s N26m for anti-measles fight

    Kebbi’s N26m for anti-measles fight

    Kebbi State has sets aside N26m to combat measles, a leading cause of death among the country’s children, especially those under five years.

    According to Word Health Organisation (WHO), measles vaccination helps to reduce by two-thirds the casualty figure of under-fives.

    Speaking to reporters in Birnin-Kebbi, the state capital, the state coordinator for WHO Dr Sameeh Omoleke said that children aged from nine months to five years should be vaccinated at least twice in order to be fully protected against measles.

    He also said the vaccines are free, safe and will not harm children.

    He said signs of measles include redness of the eye, high fever, running nose and rashes, adding that when parents notice them in their children, they should take them to the nearest health facility immediately. He said measles reduces a child’s ability to fight other diseases, which results in frequent illness, blindness and death.  He called on the general public to avoid measles outbreak and ensure that all the children in their house and community receive all vaccinations before the age of one year.

    The chairman of the monitoring committee on the measles campaign Alhaji Amed  Atiku told reporters that each of the 21 local government areas in the state will get N1m with which to fight the disease.

     

  • Kebbi, foundation screen 2000 women for cancer

    The Medicaid Cancer Foundation in collaboration with the Kebbi State government has carried out a free breast and cervical screening programme for 2000 women in the state.

    The campaign started with an awareness walk led by the wife of the state governor Dr Zainab Atiku Bagudu. A consultant paediatrician, Dr Bagudu also initiated the foundation which has been in the forefront of cancer advocacy for seven years across the North.

    Speaking at the occasion the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health Alhaji Atiku Kende stressed that every patient who tested positive during the exercise would be treated free by the state government.

    He advised women to use the opportunity to disabuse their minds of cultural beliefs and stigma attached to cancer.

    The governor’s wife assured women of the state that the foundation would continue the screening programme through the state. She called on radiologists and radiographer stop consider taking up employment with the state as it currently had none in its service despite having good equipments such as the mammography machine which some states do not possess.

    She also encouraged medical students present at the occasion to go into the speciality more so as to fill up the gap. Over 2000 people attended the program which continues throughout the week across the state. Also in attendance were student bodies, NGOs, wives of Sole administrators, government officials etc.