Attention Editors: This story replaces

H-68 slugged ``Sanitation'', which was

sent earlier

AIDS will make 8.2 million Nigerian

children orphans, says minister

NAN-H-68

Children

Abuja, Feb. 1, 2008 (NAN) The Federal Government

said today in Abuja that more than 8.2 million

Nigerian children might be made orphans by 2010,

through HIV and AIDS.

The Minister of Women Affairs, Hajiya Saudatu

Bungudu, made the remark while briefing newsmen

on the National Situation Assessment and Analysis

on Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC).

``These statistics remind us that millions of our

children remain vulnerable to poverty, preventable

diseases as well as physical and sexual abuse.

``Others are trafficking and the lack of educational

opportunities,'' Bungudu said.

She said the ministry was collaborating with the

Ministry of Health to protect vulnerable children from

diseases.

Children -- 2

The minister said there was the need for government

to make special health care arrangement for women.

She said the ministry in conjunction with relevant

stakeholders conducted surveys on situation

analysis and assessment of OVC and that the result

served as basis for further actions to protect the

OVCs.

The actions, the minister said, include the

development of advocacy plans for resource

mobilisation and supports for the implementation of

OVC intervention programmes.

Mrs Rosemary Abdulahi, the Director of Child

Development in the ministry, said children should be

given their rightful place in the society through

provision of technical and financial support.

Miss Karen Kassan, the Team Leader, HIV/AIDS and

TB, USAID, said USAID would assist Nigeria in

meeting the challenges posed by OVCs through

provision of technical expertise. (NAN)

FNO/DCO/KUA/AD

===============
Bauchi organises free tutorial for

WAEC,NECO candidates

NAN-H-98

Tutorial

Bauchi,Feb.1, 2008(NAN) The

Bauchi State Government today

said it has commenced free

extra lessons for 700 WAEC/NECO

candidates.

Alhaji Salmanu Muhammed,the

Director-General, Bauchi

Agency for Youth, Women

Rehabilitation and Development,

disclosed this in an interview with

the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)

in Bauchi.

Muhammed said the agency, in

conjunction with a private

firm, Examination Tutors Ltd.,

was handling the project.

He said the tutorial was being

organised for the candidates in

arts, sciences and technical

education.

Tutorial--2

The director-general said that the

agency had provided well-equipped

laboratories to prepare the beneficiaries

for the examinations.

The candidates,he said, were also

given transport allowance to motivate

them.

''The tutorial is designed to enhance

school retention, expand school

enrolment and improve youths'

educational fortunes,'' he said.

According to him, the agency has

secured admission in tertiary

institutions for some 600

indigenes.(NAN)

RSA/MSAD/OJO/ODI

================






Gov Obi promises to assist MTI

NAN-H-99

Education

Onitsha (Anambra) Feb. 1, 2008 (NAN)

Gov. Peter Obi of Anambra has

reaffirmed the state government's

commitment to the pursuit of academic

excellence in the state.

The governor made the pledge

today at the Metallurgical Training

Institute (MTI) Onitsha, Anambra,

during a familiarisation visit to

the place.

He said that education was a vehicle for

societal transformation, adding that it

would also guarantee the survival of the

nation.

Obi expressed delight at the high standards

at MTI, noting that it had produced highly-

skilled manpower for the technological

advancement of the state and the nation.

Education - - 2

He noted that such effort would go a long

way in curbing high rate of unemployment

as well as crime wave, involving mostly

jobless youths.

He promised to liase with the appropriate

authorities for possible solutions to the

problems militating against the institutes

operation, particularly the accreditation of

courses.

Earlier, the Directory, Mr Augustine

Nnadi, said the institute was established

in 1982 through a technical bilateral

agreement between Nigeria and Germany.

Education - - 3

Nnadi said its major purpose was to train

middle level technical manpower in the

maintenance and repair work for the steel,

oil/gas and allied industries.

He appealed to the governor to help provide

essential facilities, adding that the institute's

training programmes were now more

theory-oriented because the equipment for

practicals were outdated.

NAN reports that the governor inspected the

workshops and had interactive session with

the students.(NAN)

OBI/SY/ ODI

=========


61 drug couriers convicted in

Lagos in 2007 -- NDLEA

NAN-H-100

Couriers

Lagos, Feb. 1, 2008 (NAN) The

Lagos State Command of

NDLEA, today said 61 drug

couriers were jailed by the

Federal High Courts in

Lagos in 2007.

The Commander, Mr Midala Gaya,

said that at a news conference

held with the Commander, Murtala

Muhammed International Airport

(MMIA), Mr Victor Showers.

He said that out of the 61

convictions, 59 were traffickers

in cannabis, while two were

cocaine couriers.

He also said that during the

period, 2, 878 kg of

various types of hard drugs

were impounded from 264

couriers.

``These seizure include 2,873.5

kg of Indian Hemp, while cocaine is

4.6 kg and 23.5 gm of heroin,''

he said.

Couriers -- 2

Gaya said that during the period

under review, the command

raided 72 drug hideouts within

the Lagos metropolis.

According to him, the notorious

areas are Akala area of Mushin,

Maryland, Maza-Maza, Festac,

the Africa Shrine, Ikeja, Agege,

PWD Railway line, Idimu, Ajah,

Oshodi, Obalende, Oyingbo and

Ijora.

Gaya, who said the areas served

as abode for criminals, pointed out

that the raids were carried out jointly

with the police.

He said that 46 drug users and

addicts were counseled and

rehabilitated during the period

under review.

Couriers -- 3

Gaya warned people against

swallowing hard drugs, as such

act was like swallowing a bomb.

Also speaking, Showers said

that 10 foreigners were among

the 21 female and 234 male

suspects arrested at the airport

during the period.

Showers, represented by

Alhaji Idris Bello, an Assistant

Commander, said that of the

459 kg of banned substances that

were seized in the year, cocaine

topped the chart with 273.5kg.

He said Indian hemp constituted

128.5kg of the total seizure, while

heroin accounted for 57.1 kg.

(NAN)

ENN/PDE/BP/ODI

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LG Caretaker Chairman attacked by

suspected thugs

NAN-H-101

Attack

Katsina, Feb. 1, 2008 (NAN) Alhaji Sani

Sabo, Chairman of the Caretaker Committee

of Sandamu Local Government Area (LGA)

of Katsina State, was today attacked by

some assailants suspected to be party

thugs.

The chairman and his followers

were attacked, some metres from

Government House in Katsina, by some

people suspected to be PDP factional

members from the LGA.

Sabo was reportedly returning from

the venue of the PDP reconciliation

meeting at about 10.30 am when the

incident occurred.

A News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)

correspondent, who witnessed the

attack, reports that some armed

thugs had trailed the chairman to

the meeting's venue.

Attack -- 2

The thugs pounced on Sabo and

his supporters, wounding some

people and smashing some cars.

NAN reports that when the crowd

started gathering, Sabo was pushed

into a Toyota car by his supporters

and driven away to safety.

The thugs, however, succeeded in

smashing the rear windscreen of the

car, while two of Sabo's rescuers

were badly injured.

NAN also reports that Sabo, Yaro

Mamman and Sale Hassan are

the three PDP aspirants who want

to contest for Sandamu LGA's

chairmanship post in the council

polls slated to hold on March 1. (NAN)

ARL/DCU/OOK

============




My relationship with PDP leadership,

cordial - Bankole

NAN-H-102

Bankole

Ikeja, Feb 1, 2008 (NAN) The Speaker of the

House of Representatives, Mr Dimeji Bankole,

said today that his relationship with the PDP

leadership is `very cordial'.

Bankole spoke at the Presidential Wing

of Murtala Muhammed Airport (MMA) against

the backdrop of reports that he was shut out

of the party's caucus meeting held recently

in Abuja.

Bankole, who said he was on his way to

Ogun State to condole with the family of

the late Secretary to the State Government

(SSG), Mr Abdulsadiq Olukoya, said all was

well.

He also spoke on the 2008 Appropriation

Bill, saying it would be passed ``in a matter

of days''.

Bankole - 2

The Speaker said that work on the 2009

budget would start immediately to avoid

delay.

``We will set up a committee to start

work on the 2009 budget immediately we

pass the 2008 Appropriation Bill.

``We are also making efforts to finally

pass into law the National Assembly

Research Office Bill," he said.

Bankole said that the office would come

into operation before the end of the year

to expedite passage of laws.(NAN)

GE/WAS/BP

========
























S/African police provoke anger over raid on

refugee sanctuary

NAN-F-35

Refugee

Johannesburg, Feb. 1, 2008

(Reuters/NAN)South African

rights groups and a bishop

accused the police of maltreating

refugees during a midnight raid

in a Johannesburg church, a

sanctuary for Zimbabwean

immigrants.

Armed officers entered the

Church in down town Johannesburg late

Wednesday night, arresting hundreds

of suspected illegal migrants,

who had been staying in the

church.

The migrants, many of whom were

sleeping when police burst

in, said they were beaten and

attacked with tear gas during

the operation.

``The people were treated in

a humiliating and brutal

way," Alessandra Vilas Boas,

spokesman with Medecins Sans

Frontieres, providing health

care to the migrants at the

church said.

She added that some of those

detained by the police, were sick

and required prompt medical attention.

Refugee -- 2

There are three million Zimbabwean

refugees in South Africa suffering

from high rates of tuberculosis,

HIV and other diseases.

The Treatment Action Campaign,

the leading AIDS/HIV advocacy

group in South Africa, described

the police action as illegal

and demanded the immediate release

of the migrants.

It also called for a government

investigation of the police raid.

The South African Police Service,

however, said it had conducted a

legitimate operation.

``We were responding to public

complaints about robbers who

were in the church," Bheki Mavundla,

a police spokesman said.

Refugee -- 3

``The police have a duty to fight

crime," he said.

Mavundla declined to discuss

allegations of police abuse.

Callers to radio stations,

however, sided with the

Zimbabweans, with some comparing

the actions of the police to

the brutality of the apartheid-era

security forces.

More than 500 migrants continue

to be held by police.

Refugee -- 4

It is believed those found to be in

the country illegally will be

deported to Zimbabwe, where a

deep economic crisis has made jobs

and even food difficult to find.

An estimated 4,000 Zimbabweans

cross into neighbouring South

Africa each day to look for food

and work.

Many come to Johannesburg, the

centre of South Africa's booming

economy, where they have relatives

and can often find jobs.

The arrivals, however, have stirred

resentment among some

South Africans, who accuse them

of contributing to the country's

high levels of violent crime.

Refugee -- 5

Bishop Paul Verryn, who has

spearheaded the effort to make

the Methodist church a refuge for

the Zimbabweans, said police

had isolated the detainees.

``Our advocates and lawyers have

been refused access to them," Verryn

told Reuters.

The bishop also accused police

of using excessive force on the

migrants during the raid and of

treating church officials like

criminals.(Reuters/NAN)

OEO/HTH

======




Kenya's parties agree to stop violence

NAN-F-36

Violence

Nairobi, Feb. 1,2008 (Reuters/NAN)

Kenya's feuding parties today agreed

to a four-point framework for talks

that will resolve a political crisis

within 15 days, former UN

Secretary-General Kofi Annan said.

``We believe within seven to 15 days,

we should be able to tackle the first

three agenda items," Annan, who is

the chief mediator told reporters.

"The first is to take immediate

action to stop the violence," he said.

Violence -- 2

At least 850 people have been

killed in riots and ethnically

motivated violence in Kenya

since a disputed Dec. 27 election

that returned President Mwai Kibaki

to power.

The points the parties need

to agree on include stopping the

violence, providing humanitarian

aid to those affected by the violence,

resolving the political crisis and

finding a longer-term solution.

Annan said that finding a long-term

solution should be agreed within a year.

(Reuters/NAN)

OEO/HTH

======





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