The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Nasarawa State

  • Tertiary institutions begin indefinite strike in Nasarawa

    State-owned tertiary institutions in Nasarawa have embarked on an indefinite strike, citing government’s refusal to address welfare-related issues.

    Institutions involved in the action included the College of Education, Akwanga, College of Agriculture, Lafia and the Nasarawa State, Polytechnic, Lafia.

    The workers, under the aegis of the Joint Union of Tertiary Institutions (JUTI), told newsmen on Wednesday in Lafia that they had exhausted avenues toward an amicable resolution of the dispute and were left with no alternative.

    According to Mr Samuel Bashayi, chairman of the state’s chapter of JUTI, the workers resolved to shut down the institutions at a meeting held at the State Polytechnic, Lafia, on Tuesday, April 4.

    He said that the state government had been “very insensitive” to the plight of the workers and had equally failed to address issues impeding effective service delivery.

    “The government has also failed to implement agreements reached between the workers and the government, through the Governing Councils of the institutions,” he added.

    He regretted that the union’s repeated notices were ignored, and listed key areas of concern to include promotion, annual increment, arrears, among others.

    “Instead of paying our allowances, government has chosen to dare us by removing even the allowances we used to take for granted,” he said.

    Bashayi advised workers to remain at home and await further directives.

    Correspondents of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), who went round the three affected institutions, met the gates locked in full compliance.

     

  • Nasarawa: Police arrest 40 suspected rustlers, recovers 500 cows

    Nasarawa: Police arrest 40 suspected rustlers, recovers 500 cows

    The Police in Nasarawa State says it has arrested 40 suspected cattle rustlers operating around Kokona and Nasarawa Local Government Areas of the state.

    Mr Abubakar Sadiq-Bello, the state’s Commissioner of Police, told newsmen on Monday in Lafia that the suspects were arrested during a joint operation by a police special squad in collaboration with members of vigilance group and Miyetti Allah Association in the area.

    He pointed that the sting operation, which lasted for some days, followed reports of increasing cases of kidnapping, armed robbery and cattle rustling around Udege-Mbeki, Mararaba-Udege villages in Nasarawa local government area as well as Odu and Agwada in Kokona local government area of the state.

    Sadiq-Bello explained that the leaders of the gang died during a gun battle with the police, adding that 500 cows suspected to have been rustled were recovered in the process.

    He listed other items recovered from the operation to include 13 motorcycles, one AK 49 Military rifle with 24 rounds of live ammunition and a pair of military camouflage uniform.

    Similarly, Sadiq-Bello said 12 other suspects were also arrested as part of a mob that allegedly attacked a Chinese Mining Company (Kenyang Limited) at Udege-Mbeki village.

    According to him, the suspects destroyed property worth more than N400 million on March 18.

    He said some of the suspects had confessed to the crime and were assisting the police with useful information on the incident.

    The commissioner noted that the new crime fighting strategy of partnering with stakeholders was yielding results and called for more synergy to rid the state of crime.

    He expressed optimism that the success of the operation has brought respite to the affected communities.

    Sadiq-Bello said that all the suspects would be charged to court as soon as the investigation was concluded.

  • Nasarawa raises committee toward establishment of Health Insurance Scheme

    The Nasarawa State Government has constituted a technical committee to work out modalities for the establishment of a state Health Insurance Scheme.

    The state Deputy Governor, Silas Agara, while inaugurating the committee on Friday in Lafia, said the scheme would facilitate access to quality and affordable healthcare service delivery in the state.

    He said the initiative would help the state to achieve universal health coverage and provide employment opportunities for the people.

    Agara urged members of the committee to deploy their wealth of experience on the assignment to give the state the best.

    He also urged the committee to initiate a bill at the state House of Assembly within the next three weeks for consideration by the legislature.

    He pointed out that adequate provision had been made in the 2017 budget for the state Health Insurance Scheme.

    The state’s Commissioner for Health, Dr Daniel Iya, said health insurance was sure way of accessing affordable and quality healthcare services.

    Iya explained that the system was designed in such a way that beneficiaries would have a little percentage of their salaries deducted monthly for them to access health services when the need arose.

    He, therefore, called for understanding and support of citizens toward the success of the scheme, when approved by the state assembly.

     

  • Two men docked over theft of phone

    A Mararaba Upper Area Court, Nasarawa State, on Wednesday granted N50, 000 bail each to two men, Abdullaziz Abdullahi and Toheed Yaya , docked for allegedly stealing cell phone worth N35, 000.

    The judge, Ibrahim Shekarau, ordered the defendants, who pleaded not guilty to the charges, to produce one surety each in like sum.

    ‎Shekarau also ordered that the sureties must reside within the jurisdiction of the court and adjourned the case till April 19 for hearing.

    Both defendants, who reside at Gidan Soldier, Mararaba in Nasarawa State, with no real means of livelihood, were charged with theft.

    The prosecutor, Cpl. Hamen Donald, told the court that one Musa Suleiman of Aku village, Mararaba reported the incident at A Police Division, Mararaba on March 28 at about 9:p.m.

    Donald said that the complainant, a self-employed person, alleged that the two accused persons stole his Techno cell phone valued at N35, 000.

    “The complainant said that the incident happened on March 25, and at about 8 p.m. while he was driving home from his office.
    “ He said that when he reached the Mararaba U-Turn, opposite international market, the phone was right inside the vehicle.
    “ The accused persons systematically removed it and escaped with it to unknown destination before they were arrested with the said phone,” Donald said.

    He said that the offence contravened Section 287 of the Penal Code.

  • JAMB candidates want registration hitches addressed

    JAMB candidates want registration hitches addressed

    Some prospective candidates wanting to register for Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) examination have called on the board to address the poor internet services in purchasing Personal Identification Number (PIN) in banks.

    A surveyed by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Keffi, Akwanga and Lafia Local Government Areas of Nasarawa State on Tuesday showed that the prospective candidates found it difficult to log into the JAMB’s website to get their PIN in banks since the commencement of the exercise on March 20.

    The candidates, who spoke in an interview with NAN, expressed dissatisfaction with the poor internet service of the examination body and called for help.

    They appealed for an urgent repair of the board’s connectivity service to enable them register for the examination before the closing date of April 20.

    They described this year’s JAMB registration as frustrating and stressful.

    Mr Francis Nangba, one of the JAMB candidates, said: “Since last week Monday, when I paid N5,500 for the examination form in the bank to get my PIN, after I have created my email address, I am yet to access my PIN as according to the bank, it was due to poor network.

    “So, it is in view of this, I want to appeal to the authority concerned to speed up the JAMB registration processes to enable prospective candidates meet up with the registration deadline,” he said.

    Another candidate, Ms Gloria Audu, said she had completed the entire requirement but she was yet to collect her PIN from the JAMB’s website due to the poor internet service.

    “As you can see, look at the large crowd of candidates, some of us have been coming to the bank frequently but up till now, I am yet to receive my PIN number,” she lamented.

    On his part, Mr Israel Isaac, said: “Staff of the examination body had been telling us to come back every time to collect our PIN but when we come, they will say, come tomorrow.

    “The internet connectivity has really caused a problem‎ for us and we just pray that the poor network will be solved in due time,’’ he said.

    He also appealed to JAMB to find a lasting solution to the internet problem to enable them register before the scheduled date of the examination.

    Reacting, the Zonal Acting Coordinator of JAMB in Lafia, Mr Moses Akobu, urged the prospective candidates to be patient, adding that the management of JAMB is on top of the situation to rectify the problem.

    “The new e-vending system is error free, so the hitches in which candidates are facing is temporary, just within a few hours or days, the problem will be over,” he assured.

  • Petitioner to court: My wife’s three months’ pregnancy belongs to another man

    A public servant, Dajin Maurice, on Monday told a Mararaba Upper Area Court, Nasarawa State, that his wife, Janet three months’ pregnancy belongs to another man as she disappeared from his house two years.

    Maurice who filed a divorce suit before the court, said that he was married to the respondent since May 20, 2005, and that their union was blessed with three children.

    “My wife packed out of my house without my knowledge on May 6, 2015 to an unknown destination.

    “I reported the matter to her father, who was disappointed in her and both of us tried all we could to bring her back to my house, but to no avail.

    “After many months, I started hearing rumour and even her father confirmed to me that my wife was flirting around.

    “At this point, there was nothing I could do but to carry on with my life and job,” he stated.

    The petitioner added that on his arrival from Borno where he was posted for special duties, he started getting calls from the respondent, begging to return to him.

    “After numerous pleading from her and due to the love I still had for her, I decided to give her a second chance by asking her to come back which she did on Feb. 3.

    “As soon as she returned, I took her for different tests, where she was confirmed to be three months pregnant, even when I did not sleep with her since she returned,”
    Maurice said.

    He said that he cannot accept or harbour another man’s child, while she was still married to him and living with him.

    Maurice said that he has lost interest in the marriage and begged the court to dissolve the marriage.

    The petitioner agreed that the custody of the two last children be given to the respondent, while the first would remain with him, but promised to pick their bills.

    However, the respondent who neither denied the allegations nor defended herself only told the court to grant the petitioner’s request.

    “Even if l say anything or try to defend myself, the petitioner has already made up his mind and l cannot force him to still love me.

    The judge, Mr Ibrahim Shekarau, who dissolved the marriage, ordered that they should collect their divorce certificate from the registrar’s office.

    He also advised the parties to look beyond their differences and ensure that the welfare of the children was well taken care of as agreed by the parties.

     

  • Emir urges youths to embrace education, entrepreneurship

    The Emir of Keffi, Dr Shehu Chindo-Yamusa, has advised youths in the country to embrace education and entrepreneurship skills, to enable them contribute meaningfully to national development.

    Chindo-Yamusa gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Keffi, Nasarawa State.

    “Most youths can become great if they pursue their career with proper planning, passion and focus,” the emir said.

    The first class traditional ruler enjoined the youths to always exhibit good conduct and desist from acts that would hamper their progress in life.

    The royal father, who noted that no nation could develop without functional and ambitious youths, urged Nigerian youths to exploit their talents for the social, economic and political development of the country.

    Chindo-Yamusa urged them to develop positive attitude to life, so that they can grow to become responsible leaders, fathers and guardians of tomorrow.

    The monarch further advised the youth not to be instruments of division, selfishness and mayhem in the society.

     

  • Corps member donates 400 mosquito nets to school

    A National Youth Service Corps member, Augustine Odefuwa, has distributed 400 insecticides mosquito nets to the students of Government College, Lafia, in Nasarawa State.

    Odefuwa, said while handing over the nets to the Principal of the college, Mr Musa Ayuba, on Friday in Lafia that the gesture was part of his community service.

    According to him, it is his contribution to reducing the scourge of malaria infection in the state.

    Odefuwa, who is doing his one year national service in the school said insecticide treated mosquito nets were very effective in preventing malaria.

    “If the students and the entire people use mosquito neat properly by sleeping under it every day, it is possible to eliminate mosquitoes totally in the state.

    “We can only assist the government by intervening but cannot come to your hostels and people’s houses to hang the net, hence the need for you to properly use the net,” he said.

    He commended the state Ministry of Health and the NYSC for granting him the approval to carry out his dream project.

    Receiving the net on behalf of the school, the principal expressed gratitude to the corps member and urged others to emulate the initiative.

    Ayuba promised to distribute the nets to boarding students in the school, adding that the gesture would help stem the scourge of malaria in the school.

    The principal also said that the school would set machinery in motion to ensure that all students sleep inside mosquito nets every day.

     

  • NOA urges Nigerians to embrace anti-corruption fight, patronise local goods

    The National Orientation Agency (NOA) has urged Nigerians to embrace the anti-corruption campaign of the present administration and patronise local goods, to salvage the nation’s economy.

    The NOA Director-General, Dr Garba Abari, said this while launching the agency’s nationwide Local Government Assembly at the Palace of the Esu Karu in Karu Local Government Area of Nasarawa State.
    Abari identified the need for citizens to establish a link between the causes of corruption and its effects.
    He attributed the lack of basic amenities in the country to corruption, and therefore, urged every Nigerian who had credible information about corrupt individuals to blow the whistle, assuring such informant of government’s protection.
    He also advised Nigerians at the grassroots to take advantage of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to obtain factual information on government budgets at all levels.
    “Without monitoring budget implementation and raising objections when budgetary provisions are misappropriated, no one will know what government is doing to assist the citizens,’’ Abari said.
    In his speech, the Esu Karu, Mr Luka Panya, harped on the need for Nigerians to return to the traditional values for which Nigerian communities were known.
    Panya listed these values to include integrity in service, respect for constituted authority, dignity of labour and good neighbourliness.
    He said that these values, if adhered to, irrespective of whether one was at home, in his place of nativity or away, would significantly curtail the security and corruption challenges in the country.
    Similarly, the Chairman, Karu Local Government, Hon. Bin-Allah Vandavu, advised Nigerians to embrace agriculture and shun the tendency to embrace foreign foods.
    He added that the craze for foreign goods encouraged corrupt practices and undermined local production.
    Meanwhile, at the interactive sessions on government initiatives and topical national challenges, a cross-section of Nigerians stressed the need to end the menace of herdsmen/farmers clashes in the interest of food and human security.
    They also urged traditional, religious and academic institutions to exercise greater caution in the award of titles, to avoid promoting corrupt persons and by extension, corruption.
    The News Agency Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the NOA Local Government Assembly is designed to sensitise citizens in the rural areas on government activities, policies and programmes to elicit citizens’ buy-in.
    It is specifically targeted in the two key areas of security awareness and combating corruption.
    The assembly attracted traditional and religious leaders, youth and women groups, NGOs, opinion leaders and other stakeholders.

  • Lawyers urge couples to abide by marital vows to avoid divorce

    Lawyers urge couples to abide by marital vows to avoid divorce

    Some lawyers have emphasised the need for couples to abide by their marital vows in order to check high incidence of divorce .

    They attributed the increasing rate of divorce cases in the law courts to infidelity, neglect, lack of care, among others.

    The lawyers who spoke in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), on Wednesday in Mararaba, Nasarawa State, stressed the need for couples to live up to their responsibilities.

    A lawyer, Mr Levinus Chiadikaobi of Equity Chambers, said that the Bible detests divorce, noting that marriage is a sacred institution ordained by God.

    Chiadikaobi said that couples should look beyond the immediate gains from their union and consider their compatibility in a life- long project like marriage.

    He pointed out that couples should learn from each other and appreciate their areas of strength and weaknesses.

    He listed some of the challenges in marriage to include, childlessness, interference by members of the extended families, among others.
    According to Chiadikaobi, tolerance is required to overcome these challenges.

    “Tolerating each other on certain issues makes the marriage to be stronger,” he stressed.

    Another lawyer, Mr Kwadugdu Peters, said that marriage should be rooted in love.

    “Some marriages are consummated based on educational background, while others look at financial status. When things go wrong in any of these aspects, the marriage is in trouble,” he stressed.

    Peters maintained that when the foundation of a marriage was faulty couples were bound to go their separate ways sooner than later.

    In his submission, another lawyer, Mr Peter Ayodele, said that some men and women fail to understand that love is the foundation of marriage.

    “If a marriage is rooted in love, couples will stay together ` for better and for not as good as,” he said.