News
Sokoto Spends N950m On Roads SOKOTO - The Sokoto State Government has said it has spent more than N950 million on the construction of two roads. The Commissioner for
Information, Malam Danladi Bako, however told newsmen in Sokoto that the projects have been completed and inaugurated. He listed the roads as the 37
No Bird Flu Outbreak KADUNA - The Kaduna State Government has dismissed as untrue news of an outbreak of bird flu in the state. Dr Francis Kambai, the Desk Officer, Avian Influenza (Bird flu), Department of Veterinary and Clinical Services, Kaduna state Ministry of Agriculture, disclosed this to newsmen. Kambai said the ministry was yet to even hear of any suspicion regarding bird flu outbreak in some poultry farms in the state. He said any bird flu case must be ascertained clinically, and has to be tested and proven otherwise. “The current case of flu being noticed in some farms or homes may be a different epidemic, but not necessarily bird flu, until investigation is concluded. “It can be another disease or epidemic, but bird flu is not common here. We have to actually do a laboratory diagnosis, before we can say ‘yes, we have it’. and they have not reported any to us,” the official said. Kambai said many other diseases could be identical with bird flu and could also result in a lot of mortality. He advised poultry owners to ensure that their birds were vaccinated at the appropriate time to avoid disease outbreak. The officer also advised livestock owners to ensure that they take basic hygiene measures and take the appropriate bio-security measures in order to avoid unwanted situations. “We did a lot of training for people on this bird flu outbreak issue, and that was how we were able to control the situation, especially this bio-security measure. “The bio-security measures, for example, include the restriction of movement of people in to a farm because people can easily carry the disease around through their feet and spread it round that way,” he said. Kambai warned that the disease could be very difficult to control when it was spread around. He also advised those who
- KDSG
intend to start the poultry business on the need for planning in order to succeed. “They should get basic information first and check appropriately, and also on the type of vaccine to be given and at what age,” the health official said. Kambai said a person rearing 1,000 chickens should have a qualified veterinary doctor to take care of them, in order to avoid recording casualties.
km Rundi-Katami road and the 40 km Illela-Gada road in the Silame and Gada local government areas (LGAs) of the state respectively. Bako said the roads were constructed to link the local government headquarters and as well enhance the socioeconomic development of the areas. “The state government will continue to initiate policies and programmes which will enhance the living status of the people,’’ he said. The commissioner solicited for more support for the state government from the people, especially by living in peace with one another.
L-R: National President, Fish Dealers Association of Nigeria, Alhaji Oyenike Atoyebi; Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina and former Director of Fishery, Ministry of Agriculture, Mr. Godwin Shimang, at the stakeholders’ meeting on repositioning the fisheries sub-sector in Abuja yesterday.
Late Speaker’s Brother Wins Election To Replace Brother TAKUM (TARABA) - Mr. Daniel Tsokwa, younger brother to the late Taraba Speaker, Haruna Tsokwa, has been declared winner of the bye-election for Takum 1 Constituency in Taraba. Declaring the results in the early hours of Sunday, the Returning Officer, Dr Ibrahim Wayo, said Daniel of PDP got 36,070 votes to defeat his opponent, Musa Danjuma of APC, who scored 4,479 votes. It was Observed that the election was monitored by no fewer than five resident electoral commissioners from neighbouring states and scores of senior officers from INEC Headquarters. There was heavy presence of security agents, including the army and the police, deployed across the six wards of the constituency to monitor the election. Commenting on the results, the state’s APC Chairman, Alhaji Hassan Ardo, attributed his party’s loss to what he described as misinformation. He said “the National Secretariat of the APC was misinformed and this led to the substitution of the candidate that won the party primaries.’’ It would be recalled that the late speaker, Tsokwa, who was at the centre of the Taraba political saga, died on November 4, 2013, creating the basis for the bye-election.
An accident at Ojodu-Berger in Lagos yesterday.
PCN Gets New Patron By KESTER OGIESEWU
BENIN CITY – Nigerians have been enjoined to embrace transparency, diligence, honesty
as a way of life. Speaking at the investiture ceremony of the Assisitant Director, Niger Delta Development Commission, Engr
Fredrick Nosakhare Ogbeide as one of the patrons of Peace Corps of Nigeria, the commandant of the peace corps of Nigeria, Muktar Edion Habib described
Institute Re-Introduces HND, ND Programmes KADUNA - The National Water Resource Institute in Kaduna, has said that it had reintroduced Higher National Diploma (HND) and National Diploma (ND) programmes in water resource and civil engineering respectively. The Executive Director of the institute, Dr Olusanjo Bamgboye, told newsmen in Kaduna that the programmes were suspended in 2006 due to national reforms. “It was the institution which wrote and asked for the
suspension of the programmes due to national reforms. “It happened at the time the Federal Government was doing a general reform in new technologies and our staff needed to upgrade themselves.’’ According to him, staff of the institute have now upgraded themselves, hence the reintroduction of the programmes. “The institute is coming back with a brand new project that is based on staff experience.
“The institute will also encourage polytechnics to run water resources engineering courses.’’ On construction of drains, he said the institute was reviewing the code of practice for its design. He said “the design for drains must have a slop and must be according to the hydrology condition of a particular environment. “Each sub-basin must release a lot of water to the next sub-basin and accumulate it until it gets to the final outlet, which is the river.’’
Engr Ogbeide as a man who is focused and has the charisma to lead. He said that PCN’s decision to honour Engr Ogbeide as one of its patrons is as a result of hardwork, and good working relationship with people especially staff of NDDC. Muktar Odion Habib also stated that the honour on Engr Ogbeide appreciation for his support for peace and security and his genuine desire to continue to propagate peace and security, responding, the beneficiary, Engr Fredrick Ogbeide thanked the peace corps of Nigeria for the honour and promised to assist in ensuring the success of the aims and objectives of the corps. Engr Ogbeide however, assured members of the PCN of his assistance and readiness to ensure that PCN succeeds.