Cubinks NEWS

Pressing for Development and a more Secured World I n 1921, legendary Manchester Guardian Editor, Charles Prestwich Scott, gave Journalism a push in his historic lead article, marking the centenary of  the paper.  He had served as pioneer editor for 50 years before penning the rich piece in which he emphasized what the roles of  members of the 4th Estate should be. "Fundamentally, " wrote Scott, "it (Journalism) implies honesty, cleanness, courage, fairness, a sense of duty to the reader and the community... Comment  is free, facts are sacred". As a practicing journalist for more than 3 decades, I have since coming across Scott's picture of the true practice of the profession, stood on the side of fairness and objectivity. The rowdy and bloody global environment today requires not only a global solution but a speedy and serious remedy which can only be recorded with courage, fairness and a sense of duty to the global village. The desirability...

A resource person engaging the participants during the session By BALA SHEKARI A 2-day seminar organized by Partnership to Engage,Reform And Learn-Engaging Citizens Pillar (PEARL-ECP),has opened in Kaduna State to look into the strategies for increased access of farmers to getting high quality seeds. On the first day, experts and participants brainstormed on issues like; low performance of seeds companies in both production and disbursement of high quality seeds, non conformity of farmers to terms and conditions of loans collected as well as issues of lopsided government policies and non enforcement of policies by agencies involved. Participants also dwelt extensively on strategies to remedy the challenges in advocacy on farmers access to high quality seeds. The strategy session attracted participants from farmer associations, Civil Society Organisations (CSO),Non Governmental Organisations (NGO), the Media, the Legislature, Groups and Government Agenc...

Manchok Plains of Kaura, Kaduna-Nigeria By  Dangwa Danjuma,  Kaduna S even communities in Kaura and Zangon Kataf local government areas  of Kaduna State are now at risk of  deforestation should the proposed Access Quaint solar and Vicampro  projects take root. In a dramatic twist last week, Dr. Zwahu Bonat of the Kaduna State University and a native of the communities where the proposed solar power project and potato processing facility are cited, was briefly detained by the Kaduna State Police Command for his stand on the matter.  Bonat, was released shortly after members of the community marched to the Police Headquarters  in solidarity with their kinsman. On the solar power generation project, spokesman of the community, Dr. David Duniya Adam told our correspondent that "contrary to the popular mischief making rounds, our communities have no problems with the siting of the investment. We are only asking that the investm...

When the going was good... By Dangwa Danjuma A strange disease suspected to be bird flu  has been reported in Ankwa, a district in Kachia Local Government Area of Kaduna state, killing chickens in their hundreds on daily basis in poultries that dot the area. Our correspondent who visited the area during the week  reports that chickens are dying daily in droves. Thomas Tambaya, a poultry farmer in Ankwa said of the strange disease:  "I have lost count of the chickens I have lost to this strange disease. My household is struggling to sustain the surviving birds now", Tambaya remarked, maintaining that his community can no more make those marginal profits from domestic poultry products as before in the area. Another farmer in the area, told Cubinks that he had to focus more on his layers in far away Gumel, as the locally grown chickens he keeps in Pa chiki are being lost to the strange disease.  To aggravate matters in the area af...

Commissioner of Health and Human Services (Centre), flanged by officials By YUSUF GOJE A group, Kaduna State Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Accountability Mechanism (KADMAM), has called on the Kaduna State Government to revisit the Primary Healthcare Centers (PHCs) said to be completed by contractors in the 255 wards of the State.  This was contained in the recommendations made at the KADMAM 1 st  Quarter Interactive Forum #openKDSMOH for Health Sector Performance Review held at ASAA Pyramid, Hotel, Kaduna. Mallam Lawal Abubakar, Kaduna Chairman, Health Reform Foundation of Nigeria, remarked that “of the 77 PHCs identified 100% completed in 21 LGAs, 75 were assessed”.  Furthermore, he stated that “more than half of the PHCs do not operate 24 hours per day; more than a quarter (36.0%) of the PHCs do not have the minimum recommended number of 13 rooms for provision of services; none of the PHCs have the recommended number of 19 skilled health workers”....