By Suleiman Yakubu

The Niger State Commissioner for Primary Health Care, Dr. Mohammed Ibrahim Dangana, said the recruitment of 1000 health workers to fill the manpower gap plaguing the sector will commence soon.
The commissioner made the disclosure to journalists Tuesday during the post-exco press briefing at Government House, Minna.
He said the delay in the recruitment, which was earlier ordered by the state governor, was caused by the non-composition of the State Civil Service Commission (CSC), and as soon as this is concluded, the recruitment exercise will commence in earnest.
He said the government has been responding to the challenges by engaging retired medical personnel on contract basis and regularising doctors who are on casual leave, revealing that the Japa phenomenon, where qualified medical personnel were leaving the country in droves, has affected the health sector in the state.
Dr. Ibrahim said recruiting specialists was not as easy as many people think, saying the governor was worried by the situation.
He disclosed that because of this, the governor had directed the resuscitation of scholarship programmes for medical doctors to arrest the brain drain.
He said his ministry, though newly created, has already commenced full implementation of its mandate, which included making excellent medical services accessible and affordable to communities in the state.
"Moreover, part of our mandate was to control the outbreak of diseases through health education and counselling and encourage citizens to practice good hygiene because prevention, they said, is better than cure,"  he stated.
The commissioner said the present administration will continue with other laudable health programmes initiated by the immediate past administration, stating that the state government, in collaboration with partners, is building an edifice that will coordinate efforts at eradicating polio and other infectious diseases.
He then revealed that soon the government would begin the rehabilitation and restructuring of primary health care centres, which would see them utilise resources that would see communities derive maximum benefits.

By Suleiman Yakubu

The Minna Chief Magistrate Court, presided over by Hajiya Ummulkhatum Mohammed, has ordered the remand of the deposed Amana Kakada Muye in Lapai Local Government of Niger State, Alhaji Abdulkadir Mohammed Maigari, in correctional custody.
The deposed monarch was arraigned by the men of the Niger State Police Command for inciting public peace in the community.
He was standing trial on eight counts of charges that bothered on criminal conspiracy, inciting public disturbance, disturbance of public peace, impersonating a public servant, aiding and abetment, criminal intimidation, and disobedience to a lawful order promulgated by a public servant.
According to the charge sheet marked MN/CMC/CR/11/2024 made available in court and obtained by Newsline online, the eight count charges contravened sections 97, 114, 113, 139, 95, 152, and 397 of the penal code.
When the charges were read to him by the presiding Chief Magistrate, Hajiya Ummulkhatum Mohammed, he pleaded not guilty to all the counts against him.
At this point, the prosecuting police officer, Inspector Bello Mohammed, requested an adjournment to enable the police to get those at large arrested as the investigation was still ongoing.
On his part, the legal counsel to the monarch made an oral application for his bail, which was objected to by the presiding Chief Magistrate, who directed him to apply formally.
She then ordered his remand and adjourned to February 8, 2024, to hear the bail application.