The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Niger State

  • Niger prisoners get skills acquisition training materials from gov’s wife

    The Wife of the Niger state Governor, Dr. Amina Abubakar Bello has presented skills acquisition training materials to inmates of the Minna Old Prison.
    Making the presentation to the state Controller of Prisons, Prince Mustapha Illiaysu Atta, she said the materials is to encourage the inmates learn skills that would be beneficial to them when they leave the prison.
    “There is no better way to help the inmates than to help them  to have skills that will make them well equipped when they leave the prison. It will help them re-integrate into the society and deter them from going back to crime and their former way of life.
    “Here, I have training material for sewing, knitting, shoe and bag making and embellishments.”

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    She then expressed readiness to partner more with the prison service and the state ministry of justice promising to address the challenges bedevilling the prisons in the state.
    Receiving the items, the Niger state Controller of Prisons, Mustapha Iliyasu Attah expressed appreciation on behalf of the inmates and assured that the items will be put into use  for the training of the inmates.
    He pleaded with the Governor’s wife to help put the Prison’s skills acquisition center in good order stating that it would go a long way in empowering the inmates and make them to be able to make income for themselves.
    Atta who called on state government intervention in the prison said there is urgent need to address the water problem in the Prison.

  • ‘Minna-Suleja road has outlived its usefulness’

    The Niger state Commissioner for Works, Alhaji Ibrahim Balarabe has said that the reason for the continuous failing of the Minna-Suleja road after various rehabilitation is because the Road has outlived its usefulness.

    He explained that the construction design has expired.
     
    The Commissioner who disclosed this to newsmen in Minna on Monday said that this is the reason why the state government have embarked on total reconstruction of the road.

    “The Minna-Suleja road which happens to be a federal road has outlived its usefulness. The construction design has expired. What the government has done before was to rehabilitate the failing sections of the road buy having realized that each time we address the falling sections, it will not take a reasonable time and another section will fail. This is why we decided to go for total reconstruction putting in measures to ensure the roads do not return to its former state. “

    Read Also: David Mark visits IBB in Minna

    Balarabe said that though the state government is investing on the road, the control of the road still lies with the federal government.
    He disclosed that the state government has put in some remedial measures to ensure that the roads last longer unlike the past, “as part of the remedial measure, we introduced the suspension of heavy trucks along the road until 10 pm. This is aimed at embarking on the reconstruction without hindrance and to reduce the damages caused by the plying of the road. “

  • Eight feared dead in Niger communal land tussle

    Eight Persons have been confirmed dead in a communal land tussle between two communities in Lavun Local Government Area of Niger state.

    The communities, Gaba and Anfani were said to have been in dispute over a parcel of land given to Anfani community by Gaba community decades ago.

    The dispute resulted into a bloody clash when a Bida High Court ruled in favour of the Gaba community last week  directing the Anfani community to vacate the land.

    Having won the court case, Gaba directed 11 of its men to the disputed land to carryout survey but they were waylaid by the Anfani people who killed eight out of the eleven men sent which resulted to a full blown clash.

    Some of the deceased were said to have been beheaded, another had his two feet cut off while scores of people sustained varying degrees of injury.

    Read Also: Nigeria lauds international support on Boko Haram

    The police on Friday confirmed they evacuated eight corpses from the troubled area and deposited them at the Bida General Hospital mortuary.

    The Police Public Relations Officer,  Muhammad Abubakar said armed operatives have been sent to the affected areas to restore normalcy adding that no arrest had been made regarding the clash.

  • Niger police reads riot act to political parties

    The Niger state Commissioner of Police, Paul Yakadi has vowed to deal decisively with any political party that would want to cause violence and destruction in the state during campaigns and rallies.
    To this end, he said that political parties would have to seek clearance from the police 72 hours before holding rallies in order to avoid clashes.
    Yakadi dished out the riot act in a security meeting with stakeholders in preparation for the 2019 general elections.

    Read Also: Niger Assembly okays N1.5b loan

    He said the command was reading to ensure credible elections in the state adding that possession of any kind of dangerous weapon during rallies was prohibited while thuggery us not allowed.
    The commissioner who allayed fears of political parties emphasized that the police is partisan and would provide level playing ground to all political parties.
    He urged all stakeholders to abide by the rule of the game and rule of law during the campaigns.

  • 21,878 apply for 10,000 Police job

    Five days after  the announcement of the  recruitment of 10,000 into the Nigeria Police Force as Constables, the Police Service Commission  (PSC) has disclosed that 21,878 have applied so far.

    The Commission also revealed that Niger State has the highest number of applicants while Bayelsa has the lowest.

    Giving update of the recruitment process, the Spokesman of the Commission, Ikechukwu Ani said: “The Police Service Commission has so far received 21,878 applications, five days after it opened its portal for the recruitment of 10 thousand Constables on Friday, November 30th, 2018.

    “The on-line applications hit this figure as at 12.30 pm today, Tuesday 5th December 2018. The portal is expected to close on the 11th of January, 2019 in line with the Federal Character requirement of six weeks.”

    Read Also: Police deny deaths in Cross River communal clash

    Giving further details, Ani said: “Out of the 21,878 applications already received, 20,217 applicants are males while 1,661 are females.

    “Niger State has the highest number of applicants with 2,276 applications followed by Katsina with 1,677, Kano third with I, 577 and Bauchi, 1,543.

    “Bayelsa has the lowest application of just 55, Ebonyi 88, Anambra, 107, Lagos 112 and Abia, 130. Imo State has 133 applicants, Delta, 150 and Enugu 167.”

    The Commission said it was committed to a transparent and merit driven exercise, stressing that applicants should be rest assured of fairness  and openness throughout the process of the exercise.

  • Niger State secures N2bn loan for 10, 000 teachers

    The Niger State Government says it has secured a loan facility of N2 billion through its Universal Basic Education Board for 10, 000 teachers.

    The state Commissioner for Education, Hajiya Fatima Madugu, disclosed this during the ministry’s 2019 budget defense before the Niger House of Assembly Committee on Education on Tuesday in Minna.

    Madugu said that the facility was obtained to motivate the teachers to put in their best and promote learning.

    She said that 150 new teachers were recruited in 2018 and posted to schools to beef up the staff strength.

    The commissioner, however, decried the low releases of the ministry’s budgetary funds in 2018, adding that it had affected the completion of ongoing projects in the sector.

    On the 2019 budget, she said N1.4 billion was earmarked for capital projects, adding that the funds would be utilized to complete all ongoing projects and upgrade the existing infrastructure.

    Read Also: Niger State pilgrim dies in elevator pit

    “Priority areas of the 2019 budget include commencement of the second phase of the whole school development approach.

    ‘’Other areas are renovation of Government Technical College, Minna, Government Technical College Eyagi-Bida, Government Vocational Technical College, Rijau and Ahmadu Bahago Secondary School, Minna.

    Also in the priority list is the construction of new structures at Teachers Institutes at Agaie and Nasarawa Kainji,” she said.

    The House Committee Chairman on Education, Bako Alfa, cautioned the ministry against extra budgetary spending without recourse to the assembly.

    Alfa assured the ministry of the committee’s support to ensure smooth implementation of its budget.

     

    NAN

  • I’m Ready to Pay Any Amount Agreed Upon for Minimum Wage – Niger Gov

    Niger state Governor, Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello on Thursday said that he is ready to pay any amount agreed upon by the Federal government and the Nigeria Governors Forum on minimum wage.
    He expressed optimism that whatever amount agreed upon would be best for the government and the workers.
    Bello stated this when he played host to the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC) and Nigeria Pension Union (NPC) in Minna. 
    Governor Sani-Bello assured the workforce in the state of his commitment to sustain the cordial industrial relationship.
    He assured the state workforce of his determination towards ensuring prompt and regular payment of workers’ salary, stressing that payment of salary will continue to be a front line charge payment.
    “For me, I have resolved that payment of salary will continue to be on a frontline charge. We have perfected our plan, even when we do not  get the monthly statutory allocation, workers’ salary will be paid as a when due,” Gov. Sani assured the labour leaders.
    Earlier, the NLC state chairman, Comrade Ndako and his TUC counterpart, Comrade Yunusa Tanimu  commended the Governor for the existing cordial labour relationship being entrenched by the administration.
    According to Ndako, while many states were grappling to pay their workforce, with some states having a backlog of 7 to 10 months outstanding, workers in Niger state are not only being paid regularly but promptly.

    Read also: ‘Government has no option than to pay N30,000 minimum wage’

     “It is on record that some states are indebted to their workers for several months, some are owning 7 months while some have yet to pay in the last ten months, but we are not owed a day, while our salary is promptly paid as at when due.
    “We are here today to thank you, Mr. Governor for a job well done to our constituency. I mean to workers in the state. We want to appreciate the prompt payment of salary by the government,” Comrade Ndako stated.
    The labour leaders also commended the governor for the recent approval of 25 percent salary increase to officers on Grade level (GL) and the restoration of payment of leave grant to civil servants in the state after many years of non-payment.

  • Niger, CSOs partner to scale up routine immunization

    Civil Society Organizations in Niger State are partnering with the State Emergency Routine Immunization Coordinating Center (NISERICC) to scale up the coverage of routine immunization in the state.
    The resolve to partner with the government agency was decided during a meeting organized by the Center for Communication and Reproductive Health Services PACFaH@ Scale Project team between the two parties.
    The members of the Civil Society Organizations present observed the need to improve the poor coverage of routine immunization in the state and to resolve identified challenges of routine immunization coverage.
    Speaking on behalf of the CSOs, the Chairperson of Coalition on Maternal and Newborn Child Health in Niger (COMiN), Mrs. Mary Jalingo said that the CSOs will support NISERICC in strategic advocacy to relevant stakeholders and track routine immunization funds in the state.
    According to her, this would promote accountability and transparency across the the state and ensure prompt release of funds which had in the past, hampered routine immunization coverage in the state.
    Jalingo further stated that the collaboration would further strengthen the engagement of CSOs on routine immunization accountability platform in Niger State.
    In his address, the NISERICC Project Manager, Dr. Ahmed Abdulsalam emphasized on the importance of routine immunization stressing that it is the survival of children which needs to have all hands on deck.
    He said that NISERICC is an umbrella body formed to manage the full implementation of routine immunization programmes, strategies and other recommendations to improve routine immunization coverage in the state.
    Abdulsalam expressed readiness to engage the CSOs in its committees to compliment the effort of the Center towards achieving its objectives of strengthening leadership and accountability mechanisms where people are held accountable for results and achievements of overall programme goals.

  • NSCDC apprehend three kidnappers in Niger

    The Niger State Command of Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps has arrested three suspected kidnappers alledged to have been that terrorizing Pandogari in Rafi Local Government Area of the state.

    The suspected Kidnappers, Yahaya Mohammed, Muritala Isa and Abdullahi Adamu were arrested following a tip off to the paramilitary body.

    The state commandant, Philip Ayuba said that immediately the NSCDC got the information, suspects were placed under surveillance and arrested after adequate intelligence have been gathered about them.

    He disclosed that the suspects had placed calls on one Adamu Hassan, demanding the sum of N10 million ransom or risk being kidnapped.

    Read Also: NSCDC arrest three suspected vandals in Niger

    “The victim after several negotiation with the suspects was asked to pay the sum of N4 million which he will drop at agreed collection point in Rafi Sanyi area. He then reported the incident to our men who took up the matter.”

    One of the suspects,Yahaya confessed that the victim was his boss and he was the one who provided the telephone number to other members of his gang.

    “I gave my  other members the phone number of my master (Adamu Hassan)  to call him and demand N10 million ransom from him or he will be kidnapped.I regret joining the gang to plan against my masters down fall. My Master provided me with 168 cows and 188 sheep which was carted away  by cattle rustlers and upon that, he went as far as providing another 13 cows for me to survive, I regret planning his down fall. “

    The  state commandant said that four sims cards of various network and one handset was recovered from suspects during arrest.

  • Niger records 516 crashes and 597 death

    597 people were reportedly killed in 516 crashes in Niger state in 2017, the state Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Corps Commander Joel Dagwa has disclosed.
    According to him, 9,383 crashes were recorded across Nigeria with 2,587 of them recorded as fatal crashes and 5,121 people killed.
    The Corps Commander who made this disclosure in a press conference to commemorate the 2018 World Remembrance Day for Road Traffic Crash Victims in Minna said that he does not have the 2018 figures of road traffic crashes and deaths as it is still being compiled.

    He also adjudged the Abuja/Kaduna dual carriage road as one of the major routes in Nigeria that is prone to accident and crashes adding that other roads around Niger state which are a corridor for crashes include the Jebba/Mokwa, Bida/Minna and Tegina/Birin Gwari roads.

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    He noted that the World Remembrance Day for road traffic victims is to awaken the conciousness of those alive to the effect of road traffic crashes and the fact that it can be preventable and avoidable.
    “Beyond the statistics of the road traffic crashes, the victims may be fathers, mothers, spouses, children, friends, colleagues, neighbor. Their demise left in it’s wake trauma, economic dislocation and psychological disturbances.”
    Dagwa who lamented over the ‘I don’t care’ attitude of some drivers called on road users to take cognizance of safety precautions while using their vehicles and the roads.
    “We are advocating that road safety is a shared responsibility which calls for all hands to be on deck. The attitude manifested in the conduct of some road users who believe that they are immune to road traffic crashes has become worrisome. We need to know that if the statistics of road traffic crashes is to be reduced, the lot rests on all of us.”