Flood: Primary school building collapses in Bayelsa

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A building in a community primary school in Tombia in Yenagoa Local Government Area of Bayelsa State has collapsed following the flood which submerged the town, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.

Chief Christian Otobotekere, the Amananaowei of Tombia, disclosed this when Dr Sylvanus Abila, the state Commissioner for Environment, and his team visited the area on a flood impact assessment tour.

Otobotekere appealed to the state and Federal governments to do everything possible to prevent flood water from ravaging the town.

He suggested the dredging of the community water channel and filling potholes dotting the town.

Meanwhile, Mr Lot Bino, a youth corps member at the Community Primary School, Tombia, said that the school had been shut down due to the flooding which had made learning impossible.

NAN reports that the commissioner’s team also visited Biseni and Kalama communities in Yenagoa Local Government area.

At Biseni, an indigene, Mr Nath Scot, noted that the flood had become an annual problem, forcing some residents to flee their homes while others bailed water from their houses daily.

Scot called for immediate assistance from the Bayelsa State Government.

Responding, Abila appealed to them to remain calm with an assurance that efforts were ongoing to provide relief materials to the affected communities.

NAN reports that several communities in six of the eight local government areas of Bayelsa had been submerged.Toru-Orua community in Sagbama local council, hometown of Gov. Seriake Dickson, was also affected.

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Zamfara to boost education with two percent deduction from contracts

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Zamfara State Government is to establish a law compelling all its contractors to give two per cent of their contract sum in order to boost the education sector.

Governor Abdulaziz Yari said this on Wednesday while receiving individual reports on education from all the emirate councils in the state, the News Agency of Nigeria reports.

He explained that already, he had sent a bill to the state house of assembly requesting the legislators to review the law on the deductions from one per cent to two per cent as mandatory tax deductions from state government contracts, which would be added to education development in the state.

The governor, who set up the emirates’ education committees three weeks ago, noted that the state government could not handle educational development in the state alone.

Yari said with contributions received from contracts and other sources, it would allow the state government service other sectors such as healthcare, road construction, improvement of social welfare and provision of good drinking water.

He said from the reports submitted, the state government was now saddled with the responsibility of educating a total of 548,000 primary school aged children.

“So, we will have to review this year’s budgetary allocation to the education sector to about N5 billion, including collections from the Universal Basic Education Commission, in order to meet the target,” he said.

Yari said that various projects were currently ongoing under the Ministry of Education as well as that of science and technology, such as the building of staff quarters, expansion of schools and provision of furniture and learning materials.

The governor, who also set up a nine-man committee headed by Prof. Abdullahi Shinkafi, urged the committee to compile a summary of all the emirates’ submissions within three days in order to allow the state government start execution.

He also warned contractors handling projects under the sector to speed up and finish the projects or face the consequences.

He gave the contractors the next 30 days within which to finish their projects or have the projects transferred to more competent contractors.

Yari said that the state government had paid up all its contractual obligations, adding that funds meant for the payment of on-going projects had been in the state government coffers for the last seven months.

He said “anyone who completes his work, will be paid immediately.”

NAN reports that the concern of the governor on the development of the education sector had led to the setting up of a high-powered committee in 2011 to assess the problems of primary education.

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FG to engage 1,500 workers in irrigation project

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The Federal Government will engage 1,500 workers through the Integrated Irrigation Dam Project in Eyekonrin-Araromi, Kwara, an official has said.

Managing Director of the Lower Niger River Basin Authority, Ilorin, Kwara State, Alhaji Abubakar Aduagba, announced this in Eyekonrin, Asa Local Government Area during the National Good Governance Tour to the project on Tuesday, the News Agency of Nigeria reports.

Aduagba explained that the construction of the dam started in 2009 as constituency project of a member of House of Representatives, Mr. Ayo Adeseun, which was funded by the Federal Ministry of Water Resources.

According to him, the 1.3 cubic metre dam will also provide 5,000 gallons of water per day for the people living in the area.

He also said that the National Directorate of Employment took advantage of the project to build structure in the area to train graduates in farming and fishing.

“The dam, which was built by a local contractor, is now 100 per cent completed and the full irrigation processes will start next year.

“The NDE is also taking the advantage of the project to build their structure in this area to train people in farming, fishing among others,” he said.

He, however, noted that the dam would not be operated by the Federal Government but by individual farmers who would be formed into cooperative groups.

Aduagba told the inspection team led by the Minister of Information, Mr. Labaran Maku, that the project cost was N630 million.

In another development, the Director-General of Michael Imoudu National Institute of Labour Studies, Ilorin, Dr. John Olanrewaju, said the Federal Government would spend N550 million on the construction of the institute.

Taking the team round the ongoing project in the institute during the tour, the director-general said N148 million had so far been spent on the construction of auditorium and road network.

Olanrewaju explained that the construction work in the institute would require N350 million while furniture and other facilities would take the rest amount.

He appreciated the Federal Government for accelerating development in the institute, saying that the institute, established in 1983, had suffered neglect in the past.

The director-general explained that the institute had now become a regional centre as labour unions across the West Africa were coming to the centre for trainings.

He commended the Federal Government for the support and lauded the state government for donating two blocks of hostel to the institute.

In his remarks, the Minister of Labour and Productivity, Chief Chukwuemeka Wogu, said that the accelerated effort given to the institute was more than contribution from the previous government.

He added that the effort had made the institute a foremost trade union centre in Africa.

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Malawi president, Joyce Banda, explains pay cut, vows to sell official jet

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Malawi President Joyce Banda has said that she has decided to take a 30 per cent pay cut as a demonstration that she is prepared to sacrifice in line with government’s austerity measures.

Vice-President Khumbo Kachali announced last Friday that he and his boss would take a 30 per cent pay cut as part of the Banda administration’s austerity measures.

Banda on her return from her maiden appearance at the UN General Assembly in New York on Tuesday said, “The 30 per cent is what I got to become President of Malawi, so basically what I have done is to go back to my salary as vice-president.

“It may not be significant, it may not be a lot, but for me it’’ a demonstration that I am prepared to sacrifice.”

Banda, who is one of the few women to rule an African nation, ascended to power following the sudden death from cardiac arrest of her predecessor Bingu wa Mutharika in April.

“I’m finishing President Bingu wa Mutharika’s term. I didn’t know that I was going to be president by this time, but I’m doing the best that I can, but the 30 per cent came along with that job, it can go,” she said.

Banda, 62, said when she told the vice-president to make the announcement while in New York, Kachali volunteered that he too would take the salary cut, the Pan African News Agency reports.

But she said she would not force the rest of her cabinet to follow suit.

“I think it would not be fair for me to insist that because this is the decision that I have made I should then insist that all cabinet ministers should do the same,” she said.

“It’s up to them.”

As part of her government’s austerity measures Banda also said her government was selling the controversial presidential jet in a fortnight.

Her predecessor, Mutharika, got into trouble with Malawi’s biggest aid donor, Great Britain, when he used donor money to buy the plane.

London reacted by reducing its annual aid allocation to Malawi by three million pounds.

Banda said, “My position on the plane is that I shall never fly that plane again, it has to go.”

Vice-President Kachali said the plane would be sold “in two weeks.”

The decision by the Banda administration to allow a 49 per cent devaluation hit Malawians hard in the pocket.

Wild-cat strikes followed with people accusing leaders of not suffering together with the people.

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Edo begins distribution of relief materials to flood victims

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Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State says the state government has started the distribution of relief materials to victims of the flood disaster in the state.

This is contained in a statement signed by the governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Peter Okhiria, in Benin on Tuesday.

The statement said Oshiomhole made this known after inspecting the affected areas, the News Agency of Nigeria reports.

According to the statement, more than 30 communities of three local government areas – Etsako Central, Etsako East and Esan South East – are affected.

It added that Oshiomhole said the immediate release of funds would take care of the urgent needs of the victims.

It also stated that the distribution relief materials were being coordinated by the Chairman of the Relief Committee, Hajia Maimuna Momodu, in conjunction with the State Emergency Relief Agency.

The statement said the government would take adequate measure to ensure effective monitoring for even distribution of the materials to the victims.

It stated the governor appealed to the Federal Government to come to the aid of the victims.

The statement also listed the relief materials distributed to include mattresses, blankets, clothing, various food items, toiletries, beverages and drugs.

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Four-year-old girl kidnapped in Ebonyi

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A four-year-old girl, Faith Okorie, was on Saturday kidnapped by gunmen in Okposi, Ohaozara Local Government Area of Ebonyi State.

An eyewitness, who wished to be identified as Ijeoma, said, “It was like lightening; the young men numbering about five drove into the compound of the girls’ father, Mr. Chukwuka Okorie, with sophisticated guns.

“Before anybody could ask what the problem was, the criminals collected the phones of all members of the family at gunpoint. After collecting the phones, they snatched Faith and drove away with her.”

Ijeoma said the incident was reported at the Police Divisional Headquarters, Obiozara.

A family member, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the kidnappers had contacted the family.

 “The kidnappers have established contacts with the family and they are demanding N5m ransom before releasing the girl,” he said.

When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Sylvester Igbo, said he had yet to be fully briefed by the DPO of Ohaozara.

He, however, said the criminals would be apprehended and brought to book very soon.

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Minister warns publishers against corruption

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Minister of State for Education, Mr. Nyesom Wike, has warned publishers against conniving with schools to sabotage Federal Government’s efforts at improving the quality of education.

He gave the warning in Abuja on Friday in a meeting with publishers awarded the contract to produce free instructional materials for the Universal Basic Education programme.

“I summon this meeting just to let you know how serious we are and that it is no longer going to be business as usual. Every effort being made by Federal Government to improve quality of education at the basic level is being sabotaged by various people,” he said.

The minister explained that the meeting became necessary as the government had awarded contract for the purchase of materials for core subjects for public primary and junior secondary schools.

Wike pointed out that government was aware that publishers colluded with State Universal Basic Education Boards to sabotage government efforts through corrupt practices. He added that most times, the usual number of books that were supposed to be supplied were not supplied, saying, “Instead, cash is being exchanged,” he said.

He warned the publishers to refrain from such act, as the government had set up monitoring teams that would supervise the supply of the books in the states.

“This will also check what the Universal Basic Education Commission is doing; we want to actually know if the commission is part of the sabotage.”

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Court discharges order on Dana crash inquest

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A Federal High Court in Lagos on Friday discharged its order barring the Lagos State Government from proceeding with a Coroner’s inquest into the June 3, 2012 crash of an MD83 Dana Air plane in Lagos.

Justice Okon Abang had granted the order stopping the inquest based on an application by the airline.

The aircraft, which was on a scheduled Abuja-Lagos flight crashed into four buildings in Iju-Ishaga, Lagos, killing all 153 passengers and crew and four persons on the ground.

More details later.

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