NGO wants Ortom to conduct staff audit of Benue workers

The chairman, Benue NGO Network, (BENGONET) Mr Justin Gbagir, has advised Gov. Samuel Ortom to conduct an audit of civil servants in Benue to weed out ghost workers and reduce monthly wage bill.

Gbagir told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in an interview on Saturday in Makurdi that the current wage bill of N3.7 billion being incurred by the state was unacceptable.

He said the audit would determine the actual staff strength of the state, saying that a lot of administrative lapses in the last regime in the state, might have been responsible for the huge amount.

He commended Ortom for his management of the resources of the state, urging him to continue the good work.

“What he (Ortom) has done shows an improvement over what we witnessed in the past eight years in this state.

“It shows transparency and accountability on the part of the governor, but I want him to do more in all aspects of spending.

“He should not rely on existing figures because they could be misleading, but carry out a staff audit of the workforce in the state,” he advised.

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Bauchi: Flood destroy houses,crops worth N46.16m

Houses and crops worth N46.16 million have been destroyed by flood in Misau town and surrounding villages in Bauchi State.

Alhaji Ado Aska, Chairman, Misau Local Government Council in the state, made this known in Misau on Saturday, in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

Aska disclosed that the incident, which occurred on July 28, destroyed 197 houses and crops worth N38.77 million in Misau town.

He explained that 52 houses and crops worth N7.39 million were also destroyed by the flood in Firko and Kafin Sule villages in the suburbs of Misau town.

He said that persons displaced by the flood had taken refuge with their relations in various locations within Misau Town.

The chairman attributed the incident to poor drainage facilities, coupled with the porous nature of the soil within Misau town its environs environs.

He said that officials from the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), had visited the affected and promised to assist with relief materials.

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Medical team disqualifies five prospective Muslim pilgrims in Sokoto

The medical team set up by the Sokoto State Pilgrims Welfare Agency (PWA) has disqualified five sick, aged and pregnant prospective Muslim pilgrims from performing this year’s Hajj.

The Chairman of the team, Dr Bello Ahmed, made the disclosure in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Sokoto on Saturday.

He said the five were disqualified during the ongoing statewide medical screening of prospective pilgrims from the 23 local government areas of the state.

Ahmed said one of them was an 85-year old man from Goronyo Local Government Area suffering from chronic hypertension.

The chairman added that the four other disqualified prospective pilgrims were from Silame and Wamakko local government areas who were found to be four months pregnant each.

He said “one of them is from Silame Local Government Area, while the remaining three are from Wamakko.’’

He explained that “although Islam does not prohibit a pregnant woman from performing Hajj, the medical team is looking at it from the health angle.

“Due to the rigours of the exercise, it can cause miscarriage to a pregnant woman, which can lead to excessive bleeding and even death.’’

The chairman disclosed that the medical team would also disqualify any prospective pilgrim suffering from mental problems, disability and any female who was four months pregnant and above.

He explained that the exercise had so far been completed in Isa, Sabon-Birni, Goronyo, Wamakko and Silame local governments.

According to him, none of the intending pilgrims from Isa and Sabon-Birni local governments is disqualified.

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Bin Laden"s relatives killed in Britain plane crash

Family members of Osama Bin Laden were on board a plane which crashed in Hampshire, the Saudi Arabian embassy in the United Kingdom has said.

The private jet crashed near Blackbushe Airport, Yateley, on Friday, the BBC reports.

In a statement on Twitter, the Saudi ambassador to the UK, Prince Mohammed bin Nawaf Al Saud, offered condolences to the Bin Laden family.

The embassy said it was working with the British authorities to investigate the incident.

The statement said: “His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Nawaf Al Saud has paid his condolences to the family and relatives of Mohammed bin Laden at Blackbushe airport in Britain for the great loss they have suffered as a result of the crash of the plane that was carrying the family.”

The embassy added that it was working with the British authorities to ensure the speedy handover of the bodies for funerals and burials in Saudi Arabia.

The plane – an Embraer Phenom 300 – is reported to have belonged to an aviation firm owned by the Saudi-based family of the former al-Qaeda leader.

The plane, which arrived from Milan, Italy, crashed into a British Car Auctions site at the airfield shortly after 15:00 BST, exploding on impact.

Its pilot and all three passengers were killed but no-one on the ground was injured, Hampshire Constabulary said.

In a statement, Blackbushe Airport said the jet had crashed near the end of the runway while attempting to land.

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"Ebola vaccine results remarkable" - The Nation Nigeria

A vaccine against the deadly Ebola virus has led to 100 per cent protection and could transform the way Ebola is tackled, preliminary results suggest.

There were no proven drugs or vaccines against the virus at the start of the largest outbreak of Ebola in history, which began in Guinea in December 2013, the BBC reports.

The World Health Organization (WHO) said the findings, being published in the Lancet, could be a “game-changer.”

The trial centred on the VSV-EBOV vaccine, was started by the Public Health Agency of Canada and then developed by a pharmaceutical company – Merck.

It combined a fragment of the Ebola virus with another safer virus in order to train the immune system to beat Ebola.

A unique clinical trial took place in Guinea. When patients were discovered, their friends, neighbours and relatives were vaccinated to create a “protective ring” of immunity.

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Troost - Ekong debuts for Norwegian club

Super Eagles defender, William Troost – Ekong, made his debut for Haugesund on Friday, few days after completing his transfer to the Norwegian top flight club.

In the Tippeligaen 18th round of matches, the central defender completed the full 90 minutes as Haugesund won its fifth game of the season, defeating Viking 1 – 0 in Stavanger, allnigeriasoccer.com reports.

Troost – Ekong was not the only Nigerian player in action at the Viking Stadium, with Samuel Adegbenro and Flying Eagles striker Suleiman Abdullahi making the starting XI for the home team.

Interestingly, Abdullahi and Adegbenro struck the post in the first and second half respectively, as Haugesund ran out winners thanks to an own goal by Karol Mets in the 69th minute.

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Bin Laden"s family "on UK crashed plane"

Family members of Osama Bin Laden were on board a plane which crashed in Hampshire, the Saudi Arabian embassy in the United Kingdom has said.

The private jet crashed near Blackbushe Airport, Yateley, on Friday, the BBC reports.

In a statement on Twitter, the Saudi ambassador to the UK, Prince Mohammed bin Nawaf Al Saud, offered condolences to the Bin Laden family.

The embassy said it was working with the British authorities to investigate the incident.

The statement said: “His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Nawaf Al Saud has paid his condolences to the family and relatives of Mohammed bin Laden at Blackbushe airport in Britain for the great loss they have suffered as a result of the crash of the plane that was carrying the family.”

The embassy added that it was working with the British authorities to ensure the speedy handover of the bodies for funerals and burials in Saudi Arabia.

The plane – an Embraer Phenom 300 – is reported to have belonged to an aviation firm owned by the Saudi-based family of the former al-Qaeda leader.

The plane, which arrived from Milan, Italy, crashed into a British Car Auctions site at the airfield shortly after 15:00 BST, exploding on impact.

Its pilot and all three passengers were killed but no-one on the ground was injured, Hampshire Constabulary said.

In a statement, Blackbushe Airport said the jet had crashed near the end of the runway while attempting to land.

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