Tag: Bauchi

  • Bauchi People with Special Needs Hails New Agency Creation

    Bauchi People with Special Needs Hails New Agency Creation

    By, Mohammed Umar Sanda, Bauchi

    People with Special Needs under the aegis of the physically challenged in Bauchi have voiced their solidarity with the appointment of Hamza Waziri as chairman of the State Agency for People with Disability.

    A coalition of People with Special Needs under the leadership of Comrade Abubakar Abdullahi also commended Governor Bala Mohammed for creating the agency, saying the appointment of Waziri is well deserved.

    Abdullahi, who is also the President of the National Association of Various Impaired Students, (NAVIS), Bauchi State chapter, made the commendation while addressing journalists at the NUJ Secretariat, Bauchi.

    He said, “We are in solidarity for the appointment of one of us. We thank God for making this opportunity for us to unite and thank our dear governor for making this well-deserved appointment”.

    The coalition chairman described as significance the appointment of Hamza Waziri as chairman of the agency, saying Waziri is young, energetic and vibrant person who has the zeal and commitment to help people with special needs.

    “This manifest through his various efforts which include among others, the creation of car wash centres that gives direct opportunity to people with special needs to because self-reliance”, Abdullahi said.

    “When he has an opportunity to go to Young African Leadership Initiative, YALI Conference in Washington DC, he worked a way to give opportunities to people with special needs in Bauchi state to attend World Computer Summit in Egypt”.

    Comrade Abdullahi observed that the appointment of Mallam Hamza Waziri did not come as a surprise taking into cognizance that Waziri is few among African youth who has the opportunity to attend the prestigious YALI conference.

    “Before Hamza attained this height in life, he had a charismatic background. The 28 years old Hamza was born in Bauchi and attended Makama Nursery and Primary School, Dutse Tanshi, Bauchi”.

     Abdullahi explained that Waziri later proceeded to ATBU International Secondary school and thereafter went to Malaysia where he bagged a degree in Business Administration.

    According to him, Waziri is currently awaiting VISA to proceed with his studies in Britain, but following the new appointment suspended the trip with a view to assist people with disability in the state.

    “As such we the coalition rise up in unison and give applause to Governor Bala Mohammed for giving us Hamza Waziri as chairman of the new agency and we are grateful”.

    Abdullahi told the press, “We believe the agency chairman will bring marvelous achievements to the physically challenged community in Bauchi state”.

    Comrade Abdullahi therefore called on physically challenged people in the state to accept Waziri as chairman of the new agency who has nothing but positive development for them.

    “We also believe he will change our situation for the better and not change for changing sake, but change to preserve our ideals and liberty and the pursuit of a good future”.

    Abdullahi pledged the unflinching support of the physically challenged and called on international bodies to partner with the agency as to better the lives of the needy in the society.

  • Bauchi government sets up judicial panel of inquiry on police brutality

    Bauchi government sets up judicial panel of inquiry on police brutality

    The Bauchi State Government has set up a Judicial Panel of Inquiry to investigate human rights abuses and police brutality in the state. 

    The announcement was made in a statement issued on Tuesday October 27 by the Senior Special Assistant Media to the Governor, Mukhtar Gidado. 

    He said the panel was created following the protest by youth across the country against the recurring highhandedness and Police brutality of the Special Anti-robbery Squad of the Nigeria Police Force. The panel will be inaugurated on Wednesday October 27.

    The statement read; 

    Following the protest by youth across the country against the recurring highhandedness and Police brutality of the Special Anti-robbery Squad of the Nigeria Police Force and the resolve of the Government to reform the Nigeria Police Force, His Excellency, Sen. Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed, CON, the Executive Governor of Bauchi State has approved the setting up of a Judicial Panel of Inquiry to investigate Human Right abuses in Bauchi State.

    The Committee has the following membership:-

    1. Justice Habibu Idris Shall (Rtd. High Court Judge)              – Chairman
    2. CP. Hamisu Makama (Rtd)                 – Member
    3. Chairman, Nigerian Bar Association, Bauchi State Chapter –   Member
    4. Barr. Jibrin S. Jibrin, Civil Society Groups, Bauchi State –    Member
    5. Representative of Human Right Commission Bauchi State Office (NHRC) – Member
    6. Representative of FIDA, Bauchi State Office –                              Member
    7. Chairman, Nigeria Union of Journalists, Bauchi State –            Member
    8. Representative of Jama’atul Nasirul Islam (JNI) Bauchi State Chapter. Member
    9. Representative of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) Bauchi State – Member
    10. Representative of National Council of Women Society, Bauchi State (NCWS) – Member
    11. Representative of National Youth Council of Nigeria Bauchi State – Member
    12. Representative of NACCIMA, Bauchi State –              Member
    13. Representative of Miyetti Allah Kautel Hore, Bauchi State – Member
    14. Representative of Miyetti Allah MACBAN, Bauchi State –      Member
    15. Representative of NURTW, Bauchi State –              Member
    16. Comrade Mohammed Nasiru Umar ATBU representing NUBASS – Member
    17. Representative of Attorney-General/Commissioner of Justice –     Secretary

    It is hoped that members of the committee will bring their wealth of knowledge and experience in the discharge of the committee’s assignment.

    The Panel will be inaugurated on Wednesday, 28th October 2020, by His Excellency Sen. Bala Mohammed CON, at the Banquet Hall Government House, Bauchi, by 10:00am.

  • Two injured as fuel tanker falls, explodes in Bauchi

    Two injured as fuel tanker falls, explodes in Bauchi

    Two persons have been injured in an accident involving a 33-thousand-litres fuel tanker which fell down and exploded in front of the gate of Federal Polytechnic, Gwallamaji, Bauchi on Wednesday night.

    Eyewitnesses accounts said that the accident occurred at about 8:00 pm when the tanker split its content split and caught fire. One of the residents of Gwallamaji said some people were injured.

    The Police Public Relations Officer, Bauchi Command, Ahmad Wakil confirmed the explosion and accident to The Guardian.

    He said, “They (two people) are receiving treatment at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital (ATBUTH).”

    Public Relations Officer of the Fire Service, Abubakar Bala, said that there was no casualty as a result of the incident.

    “It happened at about 8:45 pm when a tanker laden with fuel exploded in front of Federal Polytechnic in Gwallamaji. Our men immediately went there with support of the Fire Service of the Polytechnic. They put the situation under control.

    “We did not record any casualty at the spot but we heard that a resident who was scooping fuel was injured but we could not confirm that,” Bala said.

    He said that the accident was caused by a mechanical fault. He urged the drivers to always do daily and periodical maintenance of the vehicle.

  • Bauchi Discharges 20 Recovered COVID-19 Patients

    Bauchi Discharges 20 Recovered COVID-19 Patients

    The Bauchi State government has discharged 20 coronavirus (COVID-19) patients from its treatment facility in the state.

    Governor Bala Mohammed announced this on Monday via his verified Twitter handle.

    He noted that the latest recovery has raised the number of COVID-19 patients successfully managed and discharged in the state to 89.

    Governor Mohammed thanked the medical personnel in the State for their steadfastness in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

    He also commended the State Task Force on COVID-19 and security officials, among other stakeholders for their efforts in curbing the spread of the disease in Bauchi.

    As of May 17, Bauchi has 215 COVID-19 infections with 143 active cases, according to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).

  • COVID-19: Bauchi has discharged 40 patients so far, says Commissioner

    COVID-19: Bauchi has discharged 40 patients so far, says Commissioner

    The Bauchi State Commissioner for Health, Dr Aliyu Maigoro, says 40 coronavirus (COVID-19) patients have so far recovered and were discharged.

    Maigoro disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), in Bauchi on Friday.

    He said that the patients were discharged after they tested negative to COVID-19 following the series of treatments and medications administered on them.

    “We have so far discharged 40 people who have recovered from the novel Coronavirus in the state.

    “Initially, we discharged 31, but when another result came in yesterday night from Jos, Plateau State, we got an additional nine who came out negative.

    “These bring the total number of recovered and discharged patients to 40. This is the situation report for now,” Maigoro said.

    The Commissioner, who told NAN that the turnaround time for COVID-19 test result had improved, assured the people that health workers would continue to put in their best to ensure more recoveries from the virus.

    He said: “We are getting results every day and they are coming in very fast now.

    “We are doing our best to ensure that more people recover from this disease, but we can only pray to God to crown our efforts.

    “I want to appeal to our people to remain calm and observe all the preventive measures as advised by government and medical experts.”

    NAN reports that Bauchi state has so far recorded 207 confirmed COVID-19 cases with 40 discharged and three deaths.

  • BREAKING: Returnees from Lagos test positive for coronavirus in Bauchi

    BREAKING: Returnees from Lagos test positive for coronavirus in Bauchi

    Three new cases of coronavirus have been reported in Bauchi State,

    The new cases include two Lagos-returnees and another staff of the World Health Organisation in the state.

    This brings the total number of active cases in the state to six.

    Our correspondents reported on Sunday that a WHO staff in the state tested positive for the virus while a second staff was confirmed positive on Tuesday by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control.

    Information Officer, Bauchi State Primary Health Care Development Agency, Ibrahim Sani, who confirmed the three new cases, said the results were received from the NCDC on Thursday night.

    He said, “It is true that Bauchi has three new cases. As you know, so far, five patients have recovered and have been discharged. With this new development, there are now six active cases in the state, with no death.”

    Asked if any of the new cases is a contact of the two earlier infected WHO staff, Sani said, “Yes, one of the positive cases is a staffer of  WHO. He is a contact of the first case. Then, there is a woman and another man who both returned to the state from Lagos.

    “The woman is from Giade Local Government Area of the state while the other person is a resident in Bauchi metropolis.”

    Sani said the three new patients have been moved to the state isolation facility where they are receiving treatment.

  • Bauchi declares lockdown over COVID-19

    Bauchi declares lockdown over COVID-19

    The Bauchi State Government has imposed a lockdown for 14 days in order to contain the spread of the coronavirus disease in the state.

    The government’s decision was contained in a media statement signed by the Secretary to the Bauchi State Government, Sabi’u Baba, and made available to newsmen on Tuesday.

    He said that the lockdown will commence on Thursday, April 2nd, 2020 from 6:00pm.

  • NIMC enrolls 868,000 people, distributes 15, 523 cards in Bauchi

    NIMC enrolls 868,000 people, distributes 15, 523 cards in Bauchi

    The Bauchi State Office of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), says it has enrolled no fewer than 868, 000 people for the National Identification Cards exercise.

    Isa Abdulmumini, NIMC State Coordinator in the state, made the disclosure in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)  on Monday in Bauchi.

    Abdulmumini disclosed that the Commission had captured enrollees in various enrollement exercises between Dec. 2012 and  Feb.2020, adding that the exercise was currently ongoing in 15 of the 20 local government areas of the state.

    He said that enrollment exercise would soon commenced in the remaining five local government councils, and listed the areas to include Bogoro; Gamawa, Warji, Itas Gadau and Zaki.

    The Coordinator added that the Commission had designated enrollment centers in the affected areas and sensitised communities to mobilise participation in the exercise.

    Abdulmumini said the Commission has so far distributed 15, 523 of the 24, 537 ID Cards collected, while 7, 771 cards were unclaimed within the period under review.

    “We returned 59 cards to the headquarters due to some detected irregularities.” he said.

    He urged deserving residents of the state to properly enroll in the scheme, describing the card as a valid means of identification in both public and private transactions.

    According to him, the card expires after five years from the day of production, adding that the most important aspect of the exercise is the national identification number slip, which does not change.

    Hundreds of people were trooping to the designated enrollment centres to be enroll in the National Identification Cards exercise. (NAN)

  • NDLEA destroys 16, 146 kg of illicit drugs in Bauchi

    NDLEA destroys 16, 146 kg of illicit drugs in Bauchi

    Bauchi State Command of the National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) on Thursday destroyed 16, 146 kilogrames of illicit drugs and narcotic substances seized by the command.

    Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Agency, Muhammad Mustapha, stated this at the destruction exercise at Dungal Village in Bauchi Local Government Area of the state.

    Mustapha, represented by his Chief of Staff, Oluru Femi, said the seized drugs consist of 6, 665. 852 kilogrammes of cannabis;  7, 011. 865 kilogrammes of cough syrups and 1, 883. 914 kgs of Tramadol.

    He decried the prevalence of pharmaceutical drug prescriptions and the indiscriminate abuse among  youth and women, describing the trend as “worrisome”, noting that the drugs might appear less injurious but harmful as cocaine, heroin and cannabis.

    “The burnt drugs points to the growing abuse of pharmaceutical drug prescriptions such as cough syrups containing codeine and Tramadol.

    “These drugs have become more prevalent  than cannabis sativa that are cultivated locally,” he said.

    Mustapha assured that the Agency was on the top of the challenges posed by trafficking and abuse of pharmaceutical drugs.

    He said the state government and people of the state had been supportive to the Agency’s onslaught against drug dealers.

    According to him, drug abuse and illicit drugs trafficking are neither a respecter of persons, age, religion, social class or race as everyone is vulnerable, hence, the need to address the scourge.

    The chairman pointed out that the safety of our country tomorrow depended on our counter-narcotic measures today.

    “We are working on strategies to arrest the development and prevent the situation from degenerating,” he added.

    Gov. Bala Mohammed, said the destruction exercise of the drugs would serve as lesson to the dealers who invested heavily in the illegal business.

    Mohammed who was represented by his deputy, Baba Tela asserted that no nation was immune to the devastating problems of drug abuse.

    According to him, he is disturbed by the effects of drugs abuse resulting to road accidents, mental health, family disruptions and other health related diseases.

    Mohammed who expressed shock over  the large quantity of illicit drugs seized in the state, observed that the country at a time was seen by international community as major transit point for hard drugs en route U.S and Western Europe.

    Also speaking, the State Commander of the Agency, Segun Oke, noted that illicit drugs were mostly the bases of crimes, prostitution, robbery, kidnapping and general insecurity in the state and the country.

    Oke called on the state government and the people of the state to support the Agency in its crusade against the menace.

    He added that the event was paramount and a pointer to the dealers that were bent on resisting the war against them. (NAN)

  • Organization trains 9, 985 women on agricultural entrepreneurship in Bauchi

    Organization trains 9, 985 women on agricultural entrepreneurship in Bauchi

    An NGO, Mennonite Economic Development  Associate (MEDA), says it has trained 9, 985 women in Bauchi on processing techniques to encourage value addition to agricultural produce.

    Mrs Roxie Ola –Akuma,  MEDA’s Project Information and Communication Officer, made the disclosure at the Project Media Advisory Committee (PMAC) meeting, on Thursday in Bauchi.

    Ola –Akuma said that the women were exposed to production, processing and marketing techniques of three value chain products: ground nut, soy beans and rice.

    She said that the beneficiaries were trained in seven selected local government councils in the state.

    Ola –Akuma listed the participating councils to include Bauchi; Toro, Ganjuwa, Warji, Katagum, Jamare and Dass.

    “MEDA is working in seven local councils to improve production, processing and get market for women into the three value chain of rice, ground nut and Soya beans.

    “The training is to find market solution for women into various kinds of their products.

    “In about three years; 9, 985 women were trained using 397 cooperative groups in the targeted communities’’ she said.

    According to her, the organization also trained Women Sale Agents (WOSAs), as middle persons that will inform the women on current market and prices to enhance transaction.

    Ola-Akuma disclosed that that the organization planned to expand the scope of training programme to reach 16,000 women and youths between 2017 and 2022.

    She noted that the organization was working in partnership with the Association of Small Scale Producers in Nigeria (ASSAPIN), to promote production and market analysis.

    The MEDA official said that the organization had sponsored radio jingles to create awareness on prices, analysis and solutions to market issues, adding that: “The radio programmes targeted women conducting business from home”.