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Tag: kwara

  • Ex-minister dies at 71 in Kwara

    Ex-minister dies at 71 in Kwara

    Former Minister of State for foreign affairs, Alhaji Saidu Isa is dead. He was aged 71.

    The deceased who hailed from Lafiagi, Edu local government area of Kwara state was said to have died in the early hours of Wednesday in Ilorin, the state capital.

    Until his death, the deceased was the Chairman Governing Council, Kwara State University, Malete, and occupied the same position at the Federal College of Education Osi-Ile, Abeokuta in Ogun State.

    Kwara state Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed, has described the death one time Secretary to the State Government as a big loss to the state and the country as a whole.

    In a statement Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Alhaji Abdulwahab Oba said the deceased made outstanding contributions and selfless services to humanity and his fatherland.

    “My heart goes out to the families, friends and well wishers of the former ambassador and Pro Chancellor of Kwara State University, Malete. Indeed, this death is shocking”, Governor Ahmed said.

    The governor said the deceased was a community leader and technocrat par excellence whose wealth of experience would be missed by all.

    The governor prayed Allah to forgive the shortcomings of the deceased, grant him Aljanatul firdaus and give his families solace and fortitude to bear the irreparable loss.

    Read Also:Court dismisses PDP suit to stop Kwara council elections

  • Kwara Govt denies rumours of soldiers injecting students in Omu Aran

    Kwara Govt denies rumours of soldiers injecting students in Omu Aran

    The Kwara Government has denied rumours that soldiers are injecting school pupils in Omu-Aran, Irepodun Local Government Area of the state with killer vaccines.

    The Special Adviser ( SA ) on Security to the Governor, Alhaji Amusa Bello, made the denial in a statement on Wednesday in Ilorin.

    The  parents and guardians had on hearing the rumour rushed to schools to withdraw their wards.

    They besieged both private and public schools in the area as early 9 a.m. on hearing the rumour of the presence of vaccine injection team allegedly accompanied by soldiers in the town.

    Some of the parents, mostly traders and commercial motorcyclists, abandoned their businesses to withdraw their wards from schools to prevent them from being injected with the alleged vaccine.

    Some schools had to lock their gates to prevent the parents from gaining entrance to remove the students.

    The SA, therefore, advised members of the public to ignore the rumour as neither the Nigerian Army nor any other security agency was currently undertaking a vaccination exercise or any other health campaign in any part of the State.

    “The State Government calls on parents and guardians not to panic and to refrain from withdrawing their wards from schools based on this unfounded rumour,” he said.

    NAN

  • Monkey Pox cases increase to 74 in 11 states – FG

    Monkey Pox cases increase to 74 in 11 states – FG

    The Monkey pox virus outbreak has spread to 11 states with 74 suspected cases recorded, Minister of Health Prof. Isaac Adewole has said.

    Adewole made the disclosure in Abuja on Wednesday when he briefed State House correspondents on the outcome of the meeting of the Federal Executive Council (FEC).

    President Muhammadu Buhari chaired the meeting held at the State House Council Chamber, Abuja.

    The Federal Government, on Oct. 11 confirmed that 33 suspected cases of the virus were recorded in seven states.

    Monkeypox is a rare viral zoonosis (a virus transmitted to humans from animals) with symptoms in humans similar to those seen in the past in smallpox patients, although less severe.

    Smallpox was eradicated in 1980. However, monkeypox still occurs sporadically in some parts of Africa.

    The minister, who updated the Council on developments in respect of the outbreak, listed the affected States as Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Ekiti, Enugu, Imo, Lagos, Nasarawa and Rivers as well as the FCT.

    “The Council also received an update on the state of the public health of the nation. We informed the council about the latest development in respect of the Monkey Pox virus outbreak. So far as of today, there are 74 suspected cases in 11 states of the country.

    “We have confirmed three from Bayelsa and 12 of the suspected cases from Bayelsa tested negative; four suspected cases from Lagos tested negative. We are still expecting the results of the other ones.

    “We are also doing test at the African Centre of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Diseases (ACEGID), Edeh, to really understand the genomics of this virus.

    “Even when they are negative, the laboratory attendant should be able to tell us what exactly they are,’’ he said.

    The minister dismissed the assertion that the military was spreading Monkey Pox virus through vaccination.

    He said that the military was never involved in any vaccination in the country, adding that any vaccination must involve state governments and the Federal Ministry of Health.

    “It is also important to dispel the rumour circulating in the country that the military is vaccinating people and trying to spread Monkey Pox across the country.

    “The military is not involved in any vaccination exercise.

    “And I must educate Nigerians about how vaccination campaigns are done. The Federal Government will take the lead but we do not conduct campaign without working with states.

    “So, there is no way we will do campaign without working with the states,’’ he said.

    The minister announced that his ministry was conducting vaccination in only three states of the federation, namely Borno, Kwara and Kogi.

    He stated that the cholera vaccination was being conducted in Borno while that of Yellow Fever vaccination was being carried out in Kwara and Kogi.

    He stated that the ministry would soon start vaccination against measles while a nationwide vaccination against Yellow Fever would commence before the end of the year.

    Also addressing the correspondents on the outcome of the meeting, the Minister of Water Resources, Alhaji Suleiman Adamu, revealed that the Council approved N236 million for the completion of Sabke Irrigation Dam in Katsina State.

    He said the contract for the dam was initially awarded in 1997, re-awarded in 2009 after it was abandoned, but would now be completed by the current administration.

    NAN

  • Yellow Fever: Kwara vaccinates 200,000 people

    The Kwara State government said yesterday that 200,000 persons were vaccinated within three days of the yellow fever reactive vaccination.

    Commissioner for Health Dr. Sulaiman Alege said in Ilorin that 960,000 doses of the vaccine would be administered in nine communities.

    “The vaccination is holding in Ifelodun Local Government and eight others, comprising Isin, Ilorin South, Ilorin East, Irepodun, Oke-Ero and others.

    “About 960,000 vaccines are available, and we have so far immunised about 200,000 people in the first three days,” he said.

    The commissioner described the turnout as impressive, saying the people were mobilised through town criers and community informants.

    He added that the health education unit of the ministry was also on ground to ensure efficient participation.

    According to him, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and National Health Care Development Agency team visited some of the communities to monitor the exercise.

    He reiterated the government’s commitment to ensuring that its citizens remain in good health.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the vaccination would last for 10 days

  • Academic staff, COEASU, go spiritual over unpaid salaries

    Academic staff, COEASU, go spiritual over unpaid salaries

    Members of the Academic Staff Union of the College of Education ( COEASU ), Ilorin said they had embarked on prayer and fasting to ensure payment of their outstanding salaries by the Kwara Government.

    The Chairman of the union, Saba Daniel, on Monday in Ilorin said they went spiritual because the state government was yet to address the issue.

    ”We are still waiting because the issue is yet to be addressed, so we have resorted to fasting and prayers.

    ”The suffering is too much for our members because most of us can no longer cater for our families or send our children to school.

    ”Non payment of salary is a silent killer, so we are pleading with the state government to meet our needs and settle us,” Daniel said.

    He, however, said that the decision to either call-off the strike or continue with it depended on members of the union.

    In his reaction, the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Media and Communications, Muideen Akorede, said the subvention for the college for the last quarter would soon be released.

    ”The issue is not about prayers, Gov. Abdulfatah Ahmed has pledged to settle all outstanding salary arrears to state-owned tertiary institutions in this last quarter, ” Akorede said

    NAN

  • Kwara vaccinates 200,000 people in three days

    Kwara vaccinates 200,000 people in three days

    The Kwara Government said on Monday that no fewer than 200,000 people have been vaccinated within three days of the ongoing yellow fever reactive vaccination in the state.

    Dr Sulaiman Alege, the Commissioner for Health, who gave the figure to newsmen in Ilorin, said 960,000 doses of the vaccine would be administered in nine communities in the state.

    “The vaccination is taking place in Ifelodun Local Government and eight others, comprising Isin, Ilorin South, Ilorin East, Irepodun, Oke-Ero and others.

    “About 960,000 vaccines has been deployed, and for now, we have immunised close to 200,000 people in the first three days,” he said.

    The commissioner described the turnout as impressive, saying that people were massively mobilised through the use of town criers and community informants.

    Read Also: ‘No monkey pox in Kwara’

    He said that the health education unit of the ministry was also on ground, to ensure efficient participation.

    Alege said that the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and National Health Care Development Agency team had visited some of the communities to monitor the exercise.

    According to him, the state government remains committed to ensuring good health for its citizens.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the vaccination would last for 10 days.

  • ‘No monkey pox in Kwara’

    The Kwara State government has denied reports of the outbreak of monkey pox.

    Acting Director of Public Health in the Ministry of Health, Dr. Oluwatosin Fakayode, said the government took precautions to prevent the disease from penetrating the state.

    About seven states, including Ekiti State, which shares boundary with Kwara, have had reported cases.

    Dr Fakayode spoke on a radio show – The Platform.

    According to him, the ministry has put its Disease Surveillance and Notification Officers on the alert.

    He added that enlightenment programmes, involving traditional and spiritual leaders, on the need to cook food properly before consumption, has begun.

    Fakayode warned against body contact with infected persons and animals, especially monkeys.

    He identified some of the symptoms as fever, general body weakness, vomiting and rashes.

    The director called advised immediate medical attention in case of any suspected cases.

     

  • NSCDC to sanitise strip clubs and hotels in Kwara

    NSCDC to sanitise strip clubs and hotels in Kwara

    Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps ( NSCDC ) in Kwara has pledged to sanitise hotels and clubs engaged in strip dancing and other vices in the state.

    The Commandant, Mr Adeyinka Ayinla, made the pledge on Thursday in Ilorin when he paid courtesy visit to the state’s Commissioner for Information, Alhaji Mahmud Ajeigbe.

    The commandant said he was newly posted to the state and decided that it was important to partner with the Ministry of Information in promoting peace and stability.

    He explained that the NSCDC would commence investigation into issues deliberated on during courtesy visits to stakeholders.

    The issues, he added, included strip-dancing in hotels, cultism, kidnappings, ritual killings, oil diversion in Baruten Local Government and Nigerian refugees crisis in the Mediterranean.

    Ayinla told the commissioner that they were saddled with responsibility of partnering with many security agencies to ensure peace and stability in the country.

    Earlier, Ajeigbe had pledged the ministry’s readiness to partner with the corps.

    He, however, said “everybody should be security conscious and the society needs to assist security operatives in the area of intelligence.”

    NAN

  • Kwara, firm train youths on career development

    The Kwara State government, in conjunction with a consulting firm, Resource Intermediaries Limited, is training no about 250 youths on career development.

    The training is aimed at making them employable. The two day workshop is themed: Employability, Advancement, Solution for Youths (EASY).

    Secretary to the State Government Isiaka Gold, who opened the training, emphasised the need for entrepreneurship and skill acquisition among youths in the country.

    According to him, the country’s educational system is ill-equipped to prepare youths for the labour market. He added that the programme will prepare participants for capacity building and sustainable job placement, expose them to character for career development, mastering the art of interview, running of successful businesses, problem-solving and decision making skills, among others.

    Gold urged the youths to use the opportunity wisely, saying “it is through these that you can help yourselves out of poverty and create opportunities for other youths”.

    Senior Special Assistant to the governor on Youth Empowerment Saka Babatunde said the dynamic nature of the employment market accounted for youths’ inability to secure employment, adding that only few people who are skilled, creative and innovative, could excel in the process of job placement.

    “As young graduates, it is important that youths make themselves marketable so that potential employers will hire and pay them well. The Employability Advancement Solution for youths is, therefore, an approach known in recent time as one of the best strategies to prepare the mindset of the youths for best skills and aptitude in facing the current employment challenges,” he said.

     

     

  • Customs seizes 3, 278 bags of rice, 55 vehicles

    Customs seizes 3, 278 bags of rice, 55 vehicles

    The Niger Area Command of Nigeria Customs Service, says it generated N1.9 billion from January to September.

    The Area Controller, Mr Benjamin Binga, on Tuesday in Minna said that the command also seized 3, 278 bags of rice and 55 vehicles with Duty Paid Value of N52.6 million and 51.6 million respectively during the period.

    According to him, the command, made up of Niger, Kogi and Kwara states, will meet its 2017 revenue target of N2.8 billion by the end of the year.

    The controller stressed that customs personnel would continue to mount surveillance and adopt measures to make smuggling impossible in the area.

    “The command has deployed competent officers to manage all identified illegal routes used by smugglers to bring in unwholesome goods into the country,” Binga said.

    He solicited for the support of community leaders in the three states to assist customs field officers with vital information on the movement of smugglers.

    NAN