Author: Olusegun Oshin

NAN-H-59

Budget

By Abdullahi Shugaba

Dutse, Oct. 4, 2017 (NAN) The Jigawa House of Assembly said on Wednesday that it had received a supplementary appropriation bill of N12.1 billion for the 2017 fiscal year from Gov. Muhammad Badaru.

The Speaker of the House, Isa Gwaram, read the letter forwarding the supplementary budget at the house plenary in Dutse.

Gwaram said that the fund would be used to finance some critical projects that were not adequately captured in the 2017 budget.

He listed the projects to include agricultural loans to farmers which would gulp N5 billion and some projects being executed by some ministries and agencies in the state for which N1.42 billion was budgeted.

Others are some new road projects to cost N1 billion, solar power irrigation scheme that will take N100 million and others for which N4.28 billion was appropriated.

The house also held a special prayer session for AVM Mouktar Muhammad, an indigene of the state who died on Monday in a London hospital after a protracted illness.

The former Military Administrator of Kaduna State was the Wazirin Dutse.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) gathered his remains would be flown in on Wednesday to be buried in his Kano residence. (NAN)

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Edited by Cecilia Odey/Ejike Obeta

NAN-H-37
Stadium
Abdullahi Shugaba

Dutse (Jigawa), Aug. 18, 2017 (NAN) The Jigawa Commissioner for Information, Youth, Sports and Culture, Alhaji Bala Ibrahim, said the Dutse Ultra Modern Stadium would be completed before December 2017.

Ibrahim made this disclosure when the executive members of the state’s Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN), paid him a courtesy visit in his office in Dutse on Friday.

He explained that the stadium would be provided with capacity areas for volley ball, lawn tennis, hockey and boxing among other track and field facilities.

The commissioner said that the Gumel and Birnin Kudu mini stadia would also be upgraded.

Ibrahim said the completion and rehabilitation of sports facilities in the state will go a long way to encourage healthy competitions and unity among youths.

The chairman of SWAN, Mallam Ahmad Muhammad, said that the team visited the commissioner to express support for the efforts of the state on sports development.

Muhammad called on the government to appoint SWAN members into the sport committees wherever it organised competitions and other activities in the state. (NAN)

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Edited by Dauda Shehu/Yemi Idris-Aduloju

NAN-H-28

Abdullahi Shugaba

Redeployment

Dutse, Aug 14, 2017 (NAN) One hundred and nine corps members posted to Jigawa in the Batch `A’ Stream have been redeployed to other states, according to Mr Michael Amolo, NYSC Coordinator in the state.

Amolo disclosed this on Monday in Dutse, when NYSC Director General, Brig-Gen. Zakari Kazaure, paid an inspection visit to the NYSC camp.

“Among those redeployed were 25 pregnant women, 11 nursing mothers and 73 others with health challenges,” Amolo said.

He said that the affected corps members were redeployed after management considered their pleas and found them genuine and legitimate.

According to him, 1,767 corps members were registered, compromising 1,278 males 489 females.

In his response, Kazaure, who was represented by Mrs. Adetun Makinde, Director, Human Resources Management, NYSC headquarters, Abuja,  advised corps members to respect the religion, culture and tradition of their host communities.

He also urged them to take advantage of the Skill Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development (SAED) programme to prepare for a more productive life after the service.  (NAN)

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(Edited by Nick Nicholas and Ephraims Sheyin

NAN-AE-3
Windstorm
By Abdullahi Shugaba
Dutse, Aug 11, 2017 (NAN) Alhaji Yusuf Babura, Executive Secretary, Jigawa State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), says that the state government has released N5 million to support the victims of wind disaster in the state.

Babura said this in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Dutse on Friday.
He said that the victims of the wind disaster lived in Jigawan dan Ali, Gurfai, Faru, Maitaya,Manga, Unguwar Shuri communities, all in Babaru Local Government Area.
Besides, Babura said that recent floods had wreaked havoc in Gwari, Maikerya, Zuge, Garin Bako, Garin Galadima where assorted farm produce, including rice, millet, guinea corn, millet, sesame and water melon, were washed away.
He also said that the flood which occurred in Suletankarkar caused the death of some sheep, goats and cows.
Babura said that many villages and towns in Guri Local Government Area of the state were facing the threat of impending flood.

He urged the Federal Government and international donor agencies to salvage the state from the menace of environmental calamities. (NAN)
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NAN-AE-2
Seedlings
By Abdullahi  Shugaba
Dutse, Aug. 11, 2017 (NAN) Alhaji Umar Idris, Director of Forestry, Jigawa Ministry of Environment, says the state government has planted five million tree seedlings to check desertification in the state.

Idris made this known in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Dutse on Thursday.

He said that the tree seedlings were planted in Sule-tankarkar, Maigatari, Garki, Babura, Birniwa and Malammadori Local Government Areas (LGAs).

Idris said that the state government was working with the National Agency for the Great Green World (GGW) and Action Against Desertification (AAD) programme to raise tree seedlings in efforts to improve the environment.

He said that the state government had established a two-kilometre shelterbelt by the roadside in desert-prone areas.

Besides, Idris said that the state government, in collaboration with the GGW and AAD, had planted various species of grasses in Sule-tankarkar and Malammadori LGAs, to tackle the environmental challenges facing the councils.

He, however, appealed to civil society organisations, non-governmental organisations and philanthropists to collaborate with the state government in its efforts to fight environmental degradation. (NAN)
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Edited by Mustapha Lamidi and Dayo Komolafe

NAN-HE-18

Empowerment

By Abdullahi Shugaba

Dutse, Aug.  8, 2017 (NAN) Gov. Muhammadu Badaru of Jigawa said on Tuesday in Dutse that his administration would empower 1, 575 youths.

Badaru disclosed this at the inauguration of the various youths empowerment programmes and prize giving award to cluster farmers.

He said the  administration had already empowered 50,174 with various skill acquisition in the past years.

The governor  added that the state government would  also revive the abandoned multipurpose production machines by the previous administration situated in Kazaure, Babura and Hadejia local government areas.

Badaru said the aim was to augment the scrap dealers and empower youths in the production of plastic materials such buckets, cups, plates and other plastic items.

He said the state government would also reward  best performing Agricultural Extension Workers spread across the state that assisted the cluster farmers in improving  the agronomy, to ensure increased productivity at all levels.

The governor gave 27 commercial  vehicles to the National Association of Transport Owners (NARTO) Jigawa chapter, under the economic empowerment prgramme.

He said that the  gesture was to boost the economic well-being of the people.

Alhaji Muhammad  Shehu, Special Adviser to the the Governor on Youths and Economic Empowerment thanked the governor for his various economic initiatives to the people of the state. (NAN)

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(Edited by Idris Abdulrahman)

Corpers to plant 3,534 trees in Jigawa-NYSC coordinator
By Abdullahi Shugaba
NAN-H-26
Trees
Dutse, Aug. 5, 2017 (NAN) Mr Michael Omolo , the Coordinator of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in Jigawa, says members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) posted to the state will plant 3,534 trees to boost the fight against desertification.
Omolo disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday in Dutse during the NYSC tree planting campaign.
He said that 1,767 corps members were deployed to the state, adding that each corper was expected to plant and nurture two threes during the service year.
The coordinator said that apart from checking desert encroachment, planting trees around the environments would reduce global warming.
Alhaji Idris Umar, Jigawa Director of Environment who spoke, commended the NYSC for the initiative.
He said that it was a good development, as Jigawa was among the 11 frontline states in the country that are facing desert encroachment.
Umar announced that Jigawa has planted about five million seedlings aimed at checking desert encroachment.
He stressed the need for tree planting, adding that it helps in addressing climate change and global warming, among others.

“Trees beautify the environment, it is hoped that before 2020, Jigawa will be covered with vegetation,” he said. (NAN)
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Edited by Obike Ukoh
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Jigawa Pension House pays N461m terminal benefits to 339 retirees

NAN-HE-22

Payment

Abdullahi Shugaba

Dutse, Aug. 3, 2017 (NAN) Alhaji Suleiman Kiyawa , Executive Secretary of Jigawa State and Local Government Contributory Pension Scheme,  said on Thursday the scheme paid about N461.4 million in July as terminal benefits to 339 retirees in the state.

Kiyawa told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Dutse that the payment was in four categories.

The first category of 207 people who reached 60 years of age or attained 35 years of mandatory service collected N263.9 million.

He said said that 95 people in the second category were those that died in active service while their heirs collected N177.6 million.

According to him, N18.9 million is balance to be paid to relatives of 33 deceased people.

Kiyawa said four persons that did not contribute up to the stipulated five years to the contributory scheme collected N913, 387 as refund of eight per cent of their contributions to the scheme.

He said that nobody needed to lobby or bribe anyone before getting the  entitlements “because it is a right, not a privilege”.

The executive secretary commended the state Governor, Alhaji Muhammadu Badaru, for his support and cooperation towards the pension scheme and creating an enabling environment for the execution of the duty. (NAN)

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(Edited by Idris Abdulrahman)

NAN-AE-4
Prison
By Abdullahi Shugaba
Dutse, Aug. 2, 2017 (NAN) Alhaji Magaji Abdullahi, the Controller, Nigerian Prisons Service (NPS) in Jigawa, says the prisons service can contribute meaningfully to the nation’s agricultural production if it is well-funded.

Abdullahi said this in an interaction with newsmen in Dutse on Wednesday.

He said that the prisons service had hectares of land across the country which could be utilised for crop and livestock production.

The controller, however, appealed to the Federal Government to provide tractors, fertilisers and other farm inputs for the prison service to facilitate its crop growing efforts.

Abdullahi said that in Jigawa alone, the service had cultivated more than 500 hectares of farmlands in the 2017 cropping season.

He said that his command was focusing its attention on horticulture, irrigation, fishery and livestock production.

He said that the prisons service was currently rearing 55 cows, 55 goats and some sheep in the Birnin-kudu Prison.

He said that the animals would be killed to feed the inmates.

“The inmates too need balanced diets because they are also human beings; they are only victims of circumstances,” he said.

On skills acquisition, the controller said that the inmates were being taught carpentry, general wood works and laundry services to enable them to become self-reliant whenever they regained their freedom. (NAN)
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Edited by Mustapha Lamidi and Dayo Komolafe

NAN-AE-11
Workshop
Dutse, July 31, 2017 (NAN) The Jigawa State Local Government Service Commission is to spend N4.05 million to organise a workshop programme on agricultural value chain for 81 participants.

The Chairman of the commission, Alhaji Kabiru Sugungu, made this known in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Dutse on Monday.

Sungugu said that 81 members of staff of the 21 Local Government Councils in the state would attend the workshop, adding that three workers from each of the local government councils would be participants.

He said that the training would be organised by the commission in collaboration with the Centre for Continuing Professional Development, Kano State Polytechnic.

He said that the training would benefit all the workers in the agricultural sector, including deputy directors, heads of agriculture sections and officials of the forestry department, among others.

Sugungu said that the workshop was aimed at updating the knowledge of the participants on current agricultural practices.

“Conscious of their status and position as career officers in the local governments, I have utmost confidence and hope that they will brainstorm on the salient issues in the course of their deliberations during the workshop,” he said.

He said that the commission would not relent in its efforts to train and retrain of the local government staff so as to equip them with the wherewithal to meet current and emerging challenges. (NAN)
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Edited by Mustapha Lamidi and Dayo Komolafe