By Suleiman Yakubu

Staff of the 25 local government areas of Niger State have been called to remain focused and dedicated to their work.
The newly deployed Secretary of the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), Comrade Muhammad Kudu, gave the advice during a chat with a Newsline labour correspondent in his office at NULGE Secretariat Minna shortly after his assumption of office in the state.
Comrade Kudu, an indigene of Niger State who hails from the Bida Local Government Area of the state, said that his transfer from Katisna State to Niger after working for 11 years there as a unionist was a homecoming. And that he promised to do his best and serve the state with all sense of purpose in order to move the activities of the local government forward.
The secretary also called for teamwork among local government workers towards the development of all councils in the state, saying that it was only the spirit of teamwork that would enhance productivity, hence the need to cooperate with one another and work together to ensure the growth of local governments in the state.
Comrade Kudu, who is taking over the affairs of NULGE in Niger State, and Comrade Mohammed Kolo, who was transferred to Katisna State, where he was coming from, also worked as NULGE in Kaduna State for 10 years and expressed joy for his posting back to his home state, where he will continue to work as long as his life permits.
The secretary, who assured the media of a good working relationship to ensure effective coverage of union activities, promised an open-door policy, and called for their support and cooperation to enable him to succeed.

By Suleiman Yakubu

Niger State Government said it was making efforts to simplify land registration and acquisition to encourage investment and fast-track development in the state.
The commissioner for land and survey, Barr. Maurice Bello Magaji, disclosed this recently during the weekly post-executive council press conference at Government House, Minna.
He said the ministry of land and survey was going to rely on information and communication technology (ICT) to reduce physical contact between members of the public and officers of the ministry and make registrations, payment of fees, and acquisition of titles virtual and seamless.
The commissioner said the benefits of this new method were to reduce corruption, increase access, minimise time and distance, and encourage investors to process their titles as quickly as possible to fast-track development.
He said the innovative approach will include making the issuance of certificates of occupancy and other titles a weekly event where successful applicants will be issued their certificates by the governor before or after the council meetings.
Mr. Maurice Magaji disclosed further that both the CCECC and Arab contractors recently awarded contracts for reconstruction of roads in urban areas have been handed sites to construct their camps, and the communities where the sites were located will benefit immensely from the companies.
He said the state government will engage a technical firm to map the entire state and develop reliable geospatial data for easy reference and other uses.