By Amina Samuel,Kaduna

In a landmark initiative aimed at alleviating transportation difficulties for workers, Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani has distributed 7,000 motorcycles to civil servants, including 4,000 electric bikes.

The distribution, which took place on Friday, marks a first-of-its-kind effort in Nigeria. Governor Sani, represented by his deputy, Dr. Hadiza Balarabe, emphasized the government’s commitment to improving workers’ welfare.

“We shall continue to create and innovate to better the conditions of our citizens,” he said.

Governor Sani noted that transportation costs significantly affect civil servants, and the initiative aims to reduce that burden.

“It is our hope that these motorcycles will help alleviate that burden, allowing you to come to work early and focus on the tasks at hand,” he said.

Funds recovered from loan repayments will be reinvested to procure more motorcycles, ensuring sustainability. To support the electric bikes, charging points will be installed in strategic locations across the state’s three geopolitical zones.

The governor underscored the critical role of civil servants in governance and economic transformation.

“Our administration recognizes that massive rural and urban transformations, as well as economic revitalization, are only possible if driven by a dedicated, skilled, and well-motivated workforce,” he said.

He praised civil servants for their contributions, stating that their hard work inspired the initiative.

The initiative is a collaboration between the Kaduna State Government, the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), Paynacle Digital Services Limited—which will provide charging stations—and Optimus Bank.

NLC Kaduna State Chairman, Comrade Ayuba Magaji, lauded Governor Sani for ensuring financial backing for the project.

“By making these motorcycles accessible through salary-deductible loans, Your Excellency has once again demonstrated a deep commitment to the welfare of workers,” Magaji said.

Additionally, the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) has purchased 1,000 electric tricycles for its members, priced at N7.5 million each and payable over two years. The union’s acting secretary, Comrade Hassan Ibrahim, urged the state government to support the initiative for its long-term success.

With this intervention, Kaduna State is setting a precedent in workforce welfare, aiming for a more efficient and motivated civil service.

Yahoo Mail: Search, Organize, Conquer

BY ANKELI EMMANUEL, Sokoto

In commemoration of the World Glaucoma Day, eye specialists from the Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital (UDUTH), Sokoto has taken an awareness campaign to members of the Fourth Estate of the Realm in the State.

The eye medical team led by a Consultant and UDUTH Head of Ophthalmology Department, (Dr) Mustapha Bature appealed to all and sundry to take adequate care of their eyes, saying, it’s one of the most sensitive organs in the human body.

Consultant Mustapha who decried that glaucoma is one of the leading causes of irreversible blondness, added that, early detection and treatment could prevent permanent vision loss.

“””Glaucoma is one of the leading causes of irreversible blindness and vision lost to glaucoma cannot be regained. Because of this, we believe it is crucial to enlighten the public about the need for early eye check-ups to preserve their vision and maintain their quality of life.

”And in acknowledgement of this, we have decided to collaborate with journalists in the state considering how important they are in information dissemination, especially as it regards the health of public”‘.

While noting that
Doctors and journalists share a long-standing relationship, Dr Mustapha Bature re-affirmed that, “‘Journalists have access to all corners of the society, including places we cannot easily reach.

“Therefore, by partnering and engaging the media, we are indirectly reaching the entire community with our message,” Consultant Bature enthused.

While at the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) Sokoto State Council Secretariat, the team of eye experts also provided free eye screenings, drugs, glasses and sensitization on the dangers of eye ailments, clarify myths about causes of eye ailments and provide useful tips on healthy eyes.

Commenting on the development, the Chairman of NUJ Sokoto State Council, Comrade Usman Binji, said the partnership was highly appreciated, hence it suitably aligns with his leadership mandate of commitment to the well-being of its members.

“”During our electioneering campaign, we pledged to improve the welfare of our members. This is not just about financial support but also about ensuring their health and well-being.

“”That is why we invited these medical experts to provide free eye screenings for our members,” Comrade Binji noted.

On their parts, some of the journalists who benefited from the gesture discribed the partnership as not only healthy but very important as both professional bodies (media/medicals) are very important to fostering a healthy society.

US Vice-President JD Vance says immigrants on student visas will be deported if the United States determines their stay is not in the best interest of the country.

Vance spoke in an interview with Fox News aired Thursday night.

The vice-president said he expects deportation numbers to rise as the President Donald Trump administration ramps up efforts to remove illegal migrants from the country.

He added that Trump has been impatient with the deportation process so far, promising that the numbers would rise.

Asked if it would affect foreign students who gained entry into the country legally, Vance replied in the affirmative, touting it as a measure to beef security.

“This is not fundamentally about free speech, and to me, yes, it’s about national security, but it’s also more importantly about who do we as an American public decide gets to join our national community,” he said.

“And if the secretary of state and the president decide this person shouldn’t be in America, and they have no legal right to stay here, it’s as simple as that.

“I think we’ll certainly see some people who get deported on student visas if we determine that it’s not in the best interest of the United States to have them in our country.

“I don’t know how high that number is going to be, but you’re going to see more people.”

Vance also blamed foreign students for taking up spots in high-ranking universities at the expense of native Americans.

“A lot of these foreign students, most of them, pay full freight. So sometimes what have you at elite universities like a Columbia or Harvard, you have a well-qualified middle class American kid from the heartland who doesn’t get a spot in these universities because some Chinese oligarch, who is paying $100,000 a year takes up that spot,” he said.

“So it’s not just bad for national security, it’s bad for the American dream for a lot of kids who want to go to a nice university and can’t because their spot was taken by a foreign student. It’s certainly something we are looking at.”

NIGERIANS AMONG THOSE TO BE AFFECTED

Last year, the US saw a record rise in foreign students’ enrolment after other choice destinations like the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia enforced biting visa restrictions to curb immigration.

Nigerians were among the highest enrollees, a US government report found.

With 20,029 students as of the last academic session of 2023/2024, Nigerians accounted for the seventh-largest source of international students in the US.

In 2021, the country was 11th on the list of countries with the highest number of students in the US and the highest from Africa.