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Tag: Zamfara

  • Full farming resumes in Zamfara – Gov. Yari

    Full farming resumes in Zamfara – Gov. Yari

    Gov. Abdulaziz Yari of Zamfara says full farming activities have resumed in the state following government efforts at brokering peace between farmers,  herdsmen and armed bandits.

    The governor said this on Sunday in a Sallah broadcast.

    He said farmers and herdsmen have resumed normal activities without any hindrance.

    He said the reconciliation committee set up by the state government under the chairmanship of the state deputy governor, Malam Ibrahim Wakkala, encouraged the warring parties to embrace peace.

    While urging all communities in the state to remain peaceful, Yari assured that the state government would continue to uplift the lives of citizens.

    He also commended Islamic scholars in the state for preaching peace during the just concluded Ramadan fast and urged people to use the gains of the month in all their dealings.

    He reassured that his administration would continue to ensure prompt payment salaries while making sure that basic amenities were provided.

    The governor celebrated this year’s Eid-el-Fitr with project visitations at his home Talata Mafara Local Government Area.

    Yari also hosted 340 orphans to a lunch at his private residence.

  • Zamfara approves recruitment of 56 midwives

    Zamfara approves recruitment of 56 midwives

    Zamfara Government has approved the immediate recruitment of 56 additional midwives as part of measures to address shortage of manpower in health facilities in the state.

    Muhammad Adamu, Secretary, Hospitals Services Management Board, made the disclosure in Gusau on Tuesday at a training on Sustainable Health Financing organized by Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (MNCH2 ) Project.

    According to him, the approval for the recruitment by Gov. Abdula’ziz Yari is in response to various recommendations by stakeholders on the need to address shortage of health personnel in the state.

    Adamu stressed that the additional staff would encourage access to healthcare services in rural communities.

    “The board has started receiving applications for the recruitment after which the successful candidates will be posted to general hospitals especially outside the state capital.

    “The recruitment of the midwives will facilitate improvement of the state health indices in the near future,’’ he said.

    Mr Isah Ibrahim, Advocacy and Communication Coordinator, Save the Children International, said steps taken so far by the government would enhance access to health care services at the grassroots.

    Ealier, the state team leader, MNCH2 Project, Mr Yusuf Lawal said the training was aimed at sensitising stakeholders on the implementation of Health Insurance Scheme.

  • Sallah: Zamfara donates food items to more than 8,000 repentant bandits, others

    Sallah: Zamfara donates food items to more than 8,000 repentant bandits, others

    The Zamfara Government on Sunday donated food items and clothing materials to more than 8,000 repentant bandits, local vigilance groups and herdsmen as alms, in line with Ramadan.

    The state’s Deputy Governor, Malam Ibrahim Wakkala, presented the items to the beneficiaries in Gusau.

    He stated that the assistance is aid of the beneficiaries to enable them to celebrate Sallah  happily.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that members of Vigilance Group of Nigeria (VGN), Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) were among the beneficiaries.

    The items donated included 300 bags of rice and sugar, 4,000 sets of women’s clothes and 4,040 sets of men’s wears.

    Wakkala, who is also the Chairman of the state government’s Peace, Accord and Reconciliation Committee, said the assistance was part of activities designed by the committee to improve the relationship with bandits groups that have renounced their criminal ways.

    ‘‘You know, it is part of the activities of this committee to always bring something that will improve the relationship among all the parties involved in the reconciliation process.’’

    He, therefore, called on the beneficiaries to sustain the peace agreement they had entered into  with the state to safeguard the lives of people and their property.

    He assured that the government would look into all problems arising from the negotiation in order to sustain the peaceful coexistence among all communities in the state.

  • Zamfara to provide free eye treatment

    Zamfara to provide free eye treatment

    The Zamfara Government says it would provide free eye treatment to all people with eye challenges in the state.

    The state Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Alhaji Muttaka Rini, made this known while briefing newsmen on the upcoming exercise on Thursday in Gusau.

    He said teams of eye specialists would be deployed to all the 14 local government areas of the state for the programme which would commence on June 9.

    Rini also explained that his ministry had in collaboration with the local government councils carried out mobilisation campaigns to inform residents to embrace the exercise.

    He said registration had since commenced in all public health facilities throughout the state, adding that the registration will continue even after the exercise had taken off.

    The commissioner stated that drugs and equipment needed for eye treatment and surgery had all been procured by the state government.

  • Prison congestion: Zamfara CJ to review over 700 cases

    Prison congestion: Zamfara CJ to review over 700 cases

    The Chief Judge(CJ) of Zamfara , Justice Kulu Aliyu has said that over 700 cases will be reviewed soon in order to address prison congestion and wrongful imprisonment in the state.

    Aliyu  stated this while speaking to journalists in Gusau on Monday at  the commencement of her annual prison tour.

    She noted that the Gusau Medium Prison  was over crowded and subjecting inmates to other dangers , especially healthcare issues.

    “Since the tour will afford us more opportunities to see the situation and conditions of inmates, we are very likely going to review many cases,” the CJ said

    Aliyu said that “all those  inmates wrongly accused and imprisoned will be set free because that is the dispensation of justice.”

    She then charged judges in the state to be “more diligent in the discharge of their duties, adding that if judges and the police were doing their job effectively, the issue of prison congestion will not arise.”

  • Zamfara: Medical team provides free medical services to 250

    Zamfara: Medical team provides free medical services to 250

    Himma Community Health Circle Initiative, a non-governmental organisation in Zamfara has, in collaboration with Moroccans doctors, provided free surgery and drugs to more than 250 people in the state.

    Speaking at the end of a medical outreach on Saturday, the Executive Director of the organisation, Hajia Zainab Yari, said the organisation had also provided educational materials to 5, 000 girls and trained 100 traditional birth attendants.

    “During the medical outreach to the people, the Moroccan doctors and their Nigerian counter parts performed eye surgery for 56 people and distributed drugs for lowering high blood pressure diabetes to more than 200 persons,’’ she said.

    Prof. Drissi Boumzebra, the leader of the Moroccan medical team, said the partnership had enabled the team to provide humanitarian services in the state.

    He called for more synergy among other similar organisations to bring succour to the less privileged, especially at the grassroots.

    Gov. Abdul’Aziz Yari of the state, who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Abdullahi  Muhammad Shinkafi, said the state government would always be ready to partner any individual or group in that regard.

    He commended the organisation for the initiative and urged other well-meaning persons and groups to emulate the gesture.

  • Zamfara targets 13,000 metric tonnes of rice production

    Zamfara Government says it is to produce about 13,000 metric tonnes of rice from the ongoing special pilot dry season farming under its Comprehensive Agricultural Revolution Programme (ZACAREP).

    The Special Adviser to the Governor on ZACAREP, Alhaji Aminu Dankwangila, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Gusau on Thursday.

    Dankwangila said the programme, which started from Gummi Local Government Area, was meant to complement the Federal Government’s efforts to revive agriculture to ensure food security and self-sufficiency in the country.

    “We selected Gummi Local Government Area from the 14 local government areas of the state to start the programme,’’ he said.

    He said that 2,000 farmers, out of  2,150 that applied for the programme were registered and each  given nine bags of fertiliser, improved seeds, agro chemicals and pumping machines.

    Dankwangila further said that each of the farmers was given N50, 000 cash for labour.

    “We mobilised the farmers to cultivate one hectare of land each that amounts to 2,000 hectares.

    “We are targeting the production of 6.5 metric tonnes of rice per hectare and if you multiply 6.5 by 2,000, it will give you 13,000 metric tonnes of rice,” he said.

    He, however, stressed that all the farm inputs were given to the farmers as loan, adding that they were expected to pay back with part of the produce.

    “We have come up with the guaranteed minimum price of N14, 000 per bag to encourage farmers; we will buy each bag of rice at N14, 000 instead of N10, 000 market prices.”

    “We gave them this loan through the local committees made up of traditional rulers and representatives of farmers’ associations at ward and district levels.

    “We are going to use the same channel to collect back the loan; we are calling on the farmers to comply with the repayment agreement.’’

     

  • Workers protest against non-payment of salaries in Fedpoly zamfara

    Security guards and cleaners of the Federal Polytechnic, Kaura-Namoda in Zamfara on Friday shut gates of the institution demanding payment of their five months salaries.
    News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that scores of menial workers who are contract staff blocked the entrance and exit gates of the institution and paralysed academic activities.
    Spokespersons of the aggrieved workers, Abdullahi Dayau and Umaru Danmashe, security man and cleaner respectively, said they will not allow passage through the gates until their demands were met.
    “We are prepared to sustain the struggle even if it means the end of our stay as workers in the school’’, they said.
    Dayau said their families had been facing untold hardship following non-payment of the salaries adding that the jobs were their only source of income.
    According to him, the rector had promised to raise money from the permanent staff’s salaries, yet nothing was given to them.
    Dayau said the situation had led to many broken homes while their children were sent back from school for non-payment of fees.
    Rector of the polytechnic, Mr Ahmad Lugga said the protesters were not the direct responsibility of the institution and as such, the protest was misplaced.
    “We contracted out the issue of security to Pama Securities while sanitation is being handled by Habitat Sanitation Company and both outfits are responsible for their staff’’, he said.
    The rector confirmed that the polytechnic owed the two companies adding that efforts were being made to resolve the problem.
    He pleaded with the workers to be patient as efforts were being made to pay them.

  • Meningitis: UNICEF donates cash, vaccines to Sokoto

    FOLLOWING the recent outbreak of Cerebro Spinal Meningitis(CSM) ‎in Sokoto state, the United Nations International Children’s Education Fund(UNICEF) is  delivering ‎850,000 doses of meningitis vaccines in addition  to a cash support of N17 million for logistics  and social mobilization activities to the state government.
    Accordingly, the Fund reaffirmed  it’s commitment to deliver results for children and makes sure children access to vaccination a priority above other needs.
    Mr Mohammed Mohiuddin, the Fund Chief in-charge of Sokoto Zonal Office,  made the disclosure Wednesday in Sokoto during a one-day stakeholders meeting as part of UNICEF’s support in response to CSM outbreak in Sokoto, Kebbi and Zamfara states.
    The sensitization meeting coordinated by UNICEF Sokoto Field Office in Colaboration with Ministries of Health, Information, Basic and Secondary Education and partner agencies is organised for print and electronic media, Muslim and Christian religious leaders, traditional leaders and education stakeholders in Sokoto.
    Mohiuddin further said UNICEF will also use its field network through LGA consultants, voluntary community mobilizers and community volunteers in nine affected areas.
    The areas include: Bodinga, Rabah, Dange Shuni, Sokoto North, Sokoto South, Tureta, Goronyo, Isa and Gwadabawa.. ‎He also disclosed that community members were being sensitized and informed about the disease (CSM) campaign and particularly, date, place and time of vaccination.”
    The Zonal Chief‎ also said that community members in the 14 remaining local governments were being informed about prevention of the disease and how to seek help from health staff when the symptoms of meningitis were noticed.

  • Meningitis: Nigeria need divine intervention to halt outbreak – Expert

    Nigeria is in dire need of divine intervention to halt the outbreak of meningitis, which has claimed 745 lives since it’s outbreak in November, 2016.

    Reason, the country is facing scarcity of vaccine, Dr. Ben Anyene, Chairman, National Immunization Finance Task Team (NIFT) revealed Thursday. This he blamed on the lack of proper planning on the part of the country.

    This is coming barely a week after the Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists of Nigeria (AMLSN) National President; Alhaji Toyosi Raheem called to question the country’s level of preparedness to response to emergency.

    The outbreak currently affects five states— Zamfara, Sokoto, Katsina, Kebbi and Niger. A total of 500,000 doses of Meningitis C vaccines have been distributed to some of the affected States for immediate outbreak response vaccination while additional 823,970 doses of Meningitis C vaccines are expected from the United Kingdom to support vaccination activities in other affected States.

    Anyene said the country effort to contain the outbreak is hampered by shortage of vaccine, and the implication is that Nigeria is facing vaccine scarcity.

    He said, “There is scarcity of vaccine or do Nigeria produce vaccine? Zamfara needs about 3million doses of vaccine and they gave them 300,000 doses, those that mean it’s available?

    He blamed the country’s lack of planning for emergency for the high death toll, saying “the constraint with immunization of meningitis is that there is no vaccine and that is the truth of the fact. The C strain of meningitis is not very common, but it do happen. The sign has been there in the country for the past 3 years but nobody wanted to take note.

    “For countries that plan, you don’t have to wait to have a situation, through their planning and preventive measures, they have these vaccines stocked. You heard them talking about vaccine coming from Britain, Britain doesn’t have meningitis but because of planning, they have some stocked but Nigeria don’t have such. We need to build up our system because vaccine is not a commodity on the shelf that you can just buy over the counter. Vaccine has to be pre ordered and paid for upfront and it takes about six month for it to be delivered to you.

    The outbreak of meningitis across the country has called to question the level of Nigeria’s preparedness to response to emergency, Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists of Nigeria (AMLSN) has said.

    AMLSN National President, Alhaji Toyosi Raheem said with the advanced warning that the country should expect adverse weather; those concern ought to have put up a strategy to contain the outbreak.

    He therefore called for the establishment of permanent emergency response team.

    Besides, he said the country needs to focus on research and development with emphasis on indigenous vaccine research and development, which will help resolve issue like meningitis vaccine shortage as witnessed recently.

    Addressing Journalists in Abuja on the occasion commemorating this year’s World Biomedical Day also called for the establishment of national emergency response team, which should be in place on a permanent basis with the responsibility of reacting to emergency issues.

    This he said will quicken response to emergency and reduce bureaucratic bottlenecks, which always lead to heavy casualties anytime there is an outbreak.

    He said, “We need to totally address our emergency response strategies even when they have not happened and when they happened we will be able to swing into action without any delay.