Cultism ; Female Secondary School student stabs classmate for refusing membership

A female cult member, Josephine, has stabbed Miss Lilian Friday, her classmate, in the right eye for refusal to join her secret cult group.

The incident took place Friday in Otuoke, Bayelsa.

Josephine and the victim are both in Senior Secondary -1 students at Community Secondary School, Otuoke, in Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa.

Josephine had reportedly been mounting pressure and persuading her friend who she stabbed to join her cult group, which she declined persistently.

HIV prevalence drops to 3.8% in Bayelsa – Commissioner

The prevalence of HIV/AIDS in Bayelsa has dropped from 9.1 per cent in 2010 to 3.8 per cent in 2016, the state Commissioner for Health, Prof. Ebitimi Etebu, has said.

He said this on Thursday in Yenagoa while speaking at a programme to end a two-year project for the prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV/AIDS, sponsored by Chevron Nigeria Ltd (CNL).

Etebu attributed the decline to sustained partnership between the state government and donor agencies as well as improved funding of the Bayelsa Action Committee on AIDS.

Bayelsa to fund Students Loans from IGR

The Bayelsa government says it will use a yet to be determined portion of its internally generated revenue to fund the newly established Students Tertiary Education Loan Board.

  

Gov Seriake Dickson on Tuesday signed into law, the Bill establishing the Bayelsa State Students Tertiary Education Loan Board.

Dickson said shortly after signing the bill that the board specially designed to provide unfettered access to tertiary education in the state would be inaugurated in the next two weeks.

Ongoing Public Service Reforms will professionalise Govt media – Commissioner

The Bayelsa  government on Tuesday said that the  on-going civil service reforms in the state owned media outfits is to promote professionalism and ensure effective service delivery.

The State Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Mr. Daniel Iworiso-Markson stated this while receiving the report of the Bayelsa State Media Corporation Committee in his office at the Information House  Yenago.

Iworiso-Markson explained that the state government was desirous of evolving a media corporation that could withstand the changing trends in the media industry and dictate the pace for others.

Bayelsa Govt assures of availability of potable water in June

The Bayelsa government says, the people of the state would have access to potable drinking water in June 2018.

Addressing reporters on the outcome of the state Executive Council meeting, the Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Mr Daniel Iworiso-Markson disclosed that plans have been concluded to inaugurated several projects.

He said that the decision was part of the resolutions reached by the State Executive Council meeting on Wednesday in Government House, Yenagoa.

Dickson orders release of withheld salaries of 3,403 ‘excess workers’ affected by reforms

Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa on Wednesday directed that salaries of 3,403 workers affected by the ongoing public service reforms be released to them immediately.

Dickson, who gave the directive during a live radio programme broadcast, said that salaries of the workers earlier withheld should be paid pending conclusion of the reforms.

The Head of Service of Bayelsa, Rev Thomas Zidafomo directed that salaries of 222 staff of Bayelsa owned media houses and 3,181 non teaching staff in the State Universal Basis Education Board (SUBEB) be suspended.

Zidafomo in a letter dated Apri 6, 2018 directed that the withheld salaries of the affected workers listed as ‘excess workers’ be remitted to the Accountant General of Bayelsa.

Third Phase Ex militants allege marginalization by Amnesty Office

Ex-agitators who embraced the Federal Government Amnesty Programme in 2011, under the third phase have  alleged marginalization and appealed to federal government to fast track their training and reintegration.

Coordinator of the group Cairo Esenatebe who made the appeal on Sunday in Yenagoa noted that the programme for the group was behind schedule.

He said that the third phase beneficiaries have not been paid their monthly allowance for three months.

Esenatebe explained that there was a wide disparity between the progress made by the third phase beneficiaries and others under the amnesty programme, adding that the delay has dampened morale amongst the youths.

He appealed to the newly appointed Head of the Presidential Amnesty Programme Prof.  Dokubo to immediately correct the anomaly and bring the third phase at par with other phases.