By Suleiman Yakubu

The provost of Fati Lami Abubakar Institute for Legal and Administrative Studies (FLAILAS) in Kpakungu Minna, Dr. Muhammad Aliyu Busa, has made a passionate appeal to the Niger State government for the construction of more structures in the institution.
Dr. Busa made the appeal yesterday in his address on the occasion of the 2023–2024 matriculation ceremony of the newly admitted students of the institute, held at the Mass Communication Lecture Theatre.
The provost said that the construction of more classrooms and lecture theatres will enhance the desire of students to learn in a conducive environment.
Dr. Muhammad Busa, who spoke further on some of the needs of the school management that require the urgent attention of the present administration, led by Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago, for intervention, also appealed for the completion of the 200-capacity female hostel, which was initiated by the past administration but has remained uncompleted up to date.
He also requested the landscapping of the institute, which, according to him, would give the institution a facelift.
The provost, who spoke earlier on the number of students who got admission into the institute for the 2023–2024 academic session, explained that over 3,000 candidates applied, but only 1,874 were successful and matriculated, with 384 from the law department being the highest number of matriculants, followed by mass communication and computer science with 205 students.
The provost, while congratulating them, said that lots of projects have been embarked upon by his administration, such as the construction of a moot court for law students, a mass communication laboratory comprising a TV and radio studio, and a micro-hall, among others, and urged them to be more focused in their academic activities in order for them to succeed in life, as well as justify the huge investment to be expended by their parents.
Dr. Busa used the occasion to inform the matriculants that his management has been able to secure approval by the federal government to run the institution as a state monothecnic with NBTE as a regulatory body, pointing out that four academic programmes to this effect have already commenced.
According to him, the institute under his management was able to secure accreditation for the Professional Diploma in Education and has over 22 Ph.D. holders presently in the institution, with many masters degree holders now, as compared to 2016 when he came on board as the provost of the institute.
In his message to the occasion, the Governor of Niger State, Hon. Mohammed Umaru Bago, represented by the Commissioner of Tertiary Education, congratulated the matriculants and urged them to shun all forms of vices that would deprive them of their academic pursuit.
The Governor tasked the newly matriculated students to focus on their studies while assuring them and the management of the institute that his administration has plans to sponsor indigent students across tertiary institutions across the country with scholarships to reduce the burden faced by the parents.
The governor, who commended the provost of the institute for the numerous achievements recorded over the years, also informed the management that plans were underway by his administration to transform the College of Agriculture, Mokwa, to the University of Agriculture and the Niger State Polytechnic, Zungeru, to the University of Science and Technology, stressing that a directive was issued by him to the ministry of tertiary education to work out the modality to ensure the actualization of the proposed plans.
Highlights of the occasion were the administration of oaths to the matriculants by the Chief Registrar of the High Court, Minna, Hassan Mohammed.        

By Suleiman Yakubu

An interactive meeting between the newly created Niger State Ministry of Primary Health Care and the 25 local government directors of primary health departments has been held in Minna, the Niger State capital.
The meeting, which focused on seeking ways for collaborative synergy between the ministry of primary health care and departments of health in all the local governments in the state, was aimed at strengthening mechanisms for the management of funds and the administration of health services at the local government level.
Declaring the meeting open in the conference room of the ministry yesterday, the Commissioner for Primary Health Care, Dr. Ibrahim Ahmed Dangana, said his ministry has the mandate to deliver excellent, qualitative, accessible, and affordable health care services at community levels.
He said that to achieve these goals and ensure effective implementation of PHC activities in the state, the ministry intends to work closely with local government health authorities and to meet regularly to plan and review progress.
The commissioner then called on the directors of primary health care services of the local governments to key into the New Niger agenda of the present administration, which seeks to attract massive investment in healthcare services to improve health and attract medical tourism to the state.
Dr. Dangana further revealed that the ministry was the first of its kind in the history of Niger State and in the federation, expressing gratitude to the governor, Mohammed Umaru Bago, for his foresight in creating the ministry. He then called on the directors to reciprocate the gesture by taking their responsibilities seriously.
He then announced the distribution of funds to all the primary health care centres in the state from the basic health care provision fund to assist in the day-to-day administration of health care centres in the state.
Some of the PHC directors who spoke to newsmen expressed their readiness to work closely with the new ministry to achieve efficient and quality health care services in the state.
The interactive meeting will be held quarterly to assess the impact of policies and programmes and review progress made, including peer review of progress amongst local government health care services, as stated by the commissioner.