Nation
THE STATES
Sokoto
The Minister of State for Information, Alhaji Ikra Bilbis has commissioned 100 computers and ICT facilities undertaken by USPF in Sokoto.
Bilbis disclosed that no fewer than 73 tertiary institutions and 500 schools across the country have benefited from the Universal Service Provision Fund (USPF) school access project while another set of 400 are ongoing.
Bilibis who spoke at the commissioning of 100 computers and ICT facilities at Shehu Shagari College of Education Sokoto said the programme was in line with 7-point agenda of the federal government aimed at providing concrete development to citizens.
He further explained that apart from this project, it has also embarked on similar projects in Usman Danfodio University Sokoto and 10 secondary schools across the state, adding that more secondary schools and two tertiary institutions would also benefit before the end of the year.
Borno
Borno state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Youth Vangaurd (NAYV) has kicked against the swearing in of Party chairmen and their executives in the state, as directed by the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party.
Members of the NAYV are not only kicking against the swearing-in of the local council party executives, they condemned the action in its entirety, saying it is null and void and against the rule of law and the constitution of the party.
Protesting the swearing-in at a press conference at the PDP headquarters Monday in Maiduguri, NAYV state co-ordinator, Ali Alhaji Modu, said the youths and women in Borno would not allow an individual politician in Abuja to rob them of their mandate in order to fulfill the political selfish interests of some politicians.
He disclosed that the planned swearing-in of the council party executive is a plot to connive with some unpatriotic politicians to disunite the PDP in the state and cause disaffection among the members.
Warning against the swearing-in, Mdou said: “As members of NAYV in Borno state are against the swearing-in of council party executives, the disunity being created by the directives of the national secretariat to swear in a parallel party executive at the local council level will give chances for the opposition parties to win the 2011 general election.”
Lagos
The Redeemed and Restored ministries int’l (more than conqueror arena), 80 Oloto Ring road, Otto, Ijanikin Lagos is set to hold its annual Shekinah song of praise/love feast beginning on Thursday 26th November at the church auditorium.
The events tagged; “The glory of his presence,” the 2009 edition of the feast which is schedule to hold from 26th to 29th November, promises God’s presence.
The church minister, Pastor Mrs. Nonye Egbujo, said the highlight of the event include: Shekinah Night of songs, Evangelism, revival, exchange of gifts and thanksgiving service among others.
Kwara
Towards making the fight against corruption in Nigeria more effective, the Chairman of Independent Corrupt Practice and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) Justice Ammanuel Ayoola, has canvassed a minimum of 15-years jail term without an option of fine for any public office caught in the act.
Besides Ayoola, while proposing the speedy inculcation of the penalty in the nation’s criminal code with the severity it deserved, added that illegally acquired assets from such crime be confiscated into the state’s coffer.
The ICPC boss made the call in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital at this year’s edition of the National Conference of anti-corruption committees in Nigeria legislatures and head of anti-corruption units in government establishment organized by the commission.
Adamawa
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has opposed the application brought before the Federal High court, Maitama, Abuja, by former governor of Adamawa State, Mr Boni Haruna.
He is facing a 28-court amended charges, which border on money laundering and stealing of public Funda totaling N161 million.
According to a release signed by the commission’s spokesman, Mr Femi Babafemi, Boni Haruna is speaking the leave of the course to travel to the United States of America for medical treatment.
But counsel to EFCC, Paul Erokoro (SAN), urged the court to dismiss the application as it lacked merit.
According to the prosecution counsel, the accused person has failed woefully in providing substantial evidence before the court on why he should be granted his travel document.
Kano
British High Commissioner to Nigeria Mr, Bob Dewan has said that British government is supporting the current reform in the baking sector initiated by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), saying the problems revealed in the nations banking sector can be addressed squarely.
Dewan, while speaking as guest speaker on British and Nigeria working transparently at the centre for democratic studies in Kano noted that the reforms will cultivate better supervision, regulations and transparency. He said Nigeria is blessed with resources particularly oil, gas and agriculture which according to him, pave way for more revenue which can be invested to develop other sectors, noting that a clean baking sector is therefore necessary.
The High Commissioner said each citizen in each country deserves public money for their benefits in terms of services such as education health, and infrastructure, stressing that as such transparency and healthy banking environment are necessary, Dewan said the precise priorities of such spending are decided through dialogue.
Ekiti
The Ekiti State government has explained that the on-going renovation of the theatre and maternity centre at the University of Ado-Ekiti Teaching Hospital accounted for the stoppage of emergency services at the hospital.
The State government’s explanation followed criticisms by the Action Congress (AC) that the Governor Segun Oni administration had failed to deliver on his electoral promises.
Chief press secretary to the governor, Wale Ojo Lanre, said that the state government embarked on the renovation of the theatre and maternity centre to improve on the facilities.
He stressed that it was untrue that medical personnel in the hospital were on strike over alleged deplorable facilities.
Ojo-Lanre said the renovation would be completed by tomorrow and normal medical services would resume immediately at the theatre, as the state government’s motive in carrying out the works was to provide functional facilities at the hospital.
The hospital had been rejecting patients, including pregnant women due for delivery, over its alleged deplorable facilities.
Katsina
An International based Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) Pan African Development on Education and Advocacy Programme (PADAP), has decried the rising rate of poverty, gender in-equality maternal and infant mortality in the country; calling on stakeholders to rise up to their challenges.
Programme Director of PADAP, Dr. Tominke Olaniyan, whose organization is spear heading an awareness campaign towards proper and timely execution of MDG programmes in the worth west states of Katsina, Zamfara, Sokoto and Kebbi states made the call in Katsina.
Olaniyan said the task before the organisation is to deal with eradication of poverty, gender inequality, maternal and infant mortality, desertification and desert encroachment that endanger farms and people of North-West zone in relation to income generation.
She maintained that until governmental all levels recognize and do something about monies being diverted from MDGS and capital being wasted on elephant projects, much cannot be achieved in combating Maternal and infant morality, gender inequality, and the like.
She averred that inequality is not peculiar to Africa alone, but that when left unchecked, could lead to conflicts, continued injustice, and other hydra-headed problems, hence the need for stakeholders to rise up to the task of fighting poverty and injustices in their domain.
Ogun
The House of Representatives Committee on Electoral Matters has paid an inspection visit to Abeokuta where the Deputy Committee chairman Abubakar Abubakar, disclosed that the N100 million project would be completed in a few weeks time.
Kayode Amusan, a member of the committee, who spoke with journalists after the inspection, stated that the two projects are part of government’s effort to ensure free and fair elections.
Petitioners have been complaining that electoral materials were being tampered with. So these projects are part of the measure by the government to ensure free and fair elections in the state, he said.
Admusan said that when completed the I.C.T strategic data storage project would serve as storage centre for all electoral records so that nobody can tamper with them.
Abubakar corroborated Amusan’s statement by explaining that all sensitive electoral materials be kept there for security reason. He expressed displeasure about the quality of work on the N100 million project and urged the contractor, Bonny Rose Investment to effect a change. The 14 member committee had earlier paid a courtesy call on Ogun State Governor.
Abuja
The Nigerian Army has described Lt. Col. S.S Jock’s suit against president Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, and minister of Defence challenging his trial by court marital by the Nigerian Army as a calculated attempt to rubbish the Army.
A statement signed by director, Army Public Relations, Brigadier General Chris Olukolade said the only response the Army has for Jock is that they will meet in court.
“In relation to the law suit in the various court, the legal department of the ministry of Defence is handling the matter on behalf at the defendants. So we are ready to meet Lt. Col. Jock in court. Thus, our advice to Lt. Col. Jock and only response for his petitions and publications in meet us in court!!!”, the statement said.
Olukolade said Jock’s suit was an attempt to harass and intimidate the Nigerian Army and the judiciary to accede to his requests which have no merit in law.
He also said available record show that Jock was never fine by court marital and that he had been lawfully retired from the Nigerian Army in accordance with the extant terms and conditions of service (TACOS) applicable to the Nigerian Army.
“first, there is no record anywhere that Lt. col. Jock was tired by court martial. Additionally, our records show that Lt Col. Jock has been lawfully retired from the Nigerian Army in accordance with the extant Terms and Conditions of Service.
Kebbi
Federal Government is to wade into the incessant clashes between farmers and cattle rearers in the North Western of the country by creating another international stock route in the zone.
Kebbi state officer of the federal ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Alhaji Mahmud Balarabe, who disclosed this at a sensitization meeting in Binnin Kebbi, said government had discovered that farmers in the North-West are encroaching on the present international stock route.
According to Balarabe, the survey and demarcation which will be carried out under the National Livestock Project Division (NLPD), will run in the zone from the borders of Niger Republic and Sokoto State through Kebbi and Niger States down to Cudan Majajiya reserve in Kwara state. He said the NLPD, management has proposed a one-day workshop with all stakeholders in the state which include local governments, mujetti Allah cattle breeders, All Farmers Association at Nigeria (AFAN), traditional rulers, security agents and the state land and survey department.
Balarabe said in Kebbi state, the route will pass through zuru, Danko-Wazagu, Fakai and Sakaba local government areas.
According to him, “there is the need for another international stock route in the North West because farmers are encroaching on the present route. This international route will also prevent frequent clashes between farmers and cattle rearers and at the same time reduce loss at lives.”
The President General of Ogbakor Ikwerre Cultural Organisation Worldwide and the Mgboh XIII of the Mgboh Royal Family of Emohua Kingdom in Emohua Local Government Area of Rivers State, Eze (Barrister) Godspower Onuekwa, penultimate Friday celebrated his 80th birthday with pomp, pageantry and fanfare.
The celebration, which commenced with a symposium organised in his honour at Rivers State University on Thursday, August 21,2025, got to a resounding climax on Friday at Suntai Event Centre in Port Harcourt, where people from all walks of life, including business associates, friends, well-wishers, relatives, community folks, traditional rulers, and admirers, gathered to pay glowing tributes to the celebrant.
Before then, a well attended thanksgiving service was held that same Friday at Emmanuel Anglican Church, Okoro-Nu-Odo, to honour him and return gratitude to God Almighty for the fruitful and eventful life and accomplishments of the Emohua leader and icon.
The service which was officiated by Rt Rev Wisdom Budu Ihunwo, Bishop of Niger Delta North had other renowned and respected clerics like Most Rev(Dr) Blessing Enyindah, Dean, Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion); Rt Rev(Dr) Emmanuel Oko-Jaja, Bishop, Diocese of Niger Delta; Rt Rev Innocent Ordu, Bishop, Diocese of Evo; and Ven Solomon Eze Nelson, Archdeacon, Okoro-Nu-Odo; among others lined up as officiating ministers.
The service lived up to its billing, as it featured powerful and soul-lifting praise and worship; point-blank prayers; and beautiful renditions, which electrified the entire atmosphere, essentially packaged to thank God for the life of the celebrant.
However, the crowning moment actually came when the who is who, the crème de la crème of the society, thronged the terraces and fabulously decorated expansive hall of Suntai Event Centre, to celebrate Eze Onuekwa, amid accolades, aplomb and panache, wining and dining, and clinking of glasses with him and all.
The chairman of the colourful ceremony, Chief Evans Woherem, who was represented by Eze(Prof) Christian Akani of the prestigious Ignatius Ajuru University of Education, praised the celebrant for his youthfulness in spite of clocking 80 years, generosity, humility, humaneness and selfless services to the Ikwerre ethnic nationality, the Niger Delta and Nigeria, and called on all and sundry to emulate his good legacies and simple disposition towards life and existence.
Goodwill messages also poured in in torrents to underscore and salute the doggedness, resilience, astuteness and uniqueness of the endearing life of the celebrant, with Prof Emenike Wami, the Ochia Ohna Ikwerre(XIV), taking the lead.
Prof Priye Iyalla, the wife of late renowned writer, novelist and playwright, Dr Elechi Amadi, held the audience spellbound as she masterfully reeled out the profile of the celebrant, amid intermittent applause from the crowd.
The Tiv Community from Benue State, resident in Rivers State, were not left out, as they honoured and decorated Eze Onuekwa in their complete traditional regalia.
Cultural displays from Baptist Church, Rumuowhor; ADNA Wogbuji Dancing Group, Egbeda; Tiv Dancing Group; and Promoter Eze and Rumu-Mgboh Emohua Wrestling Group, equally added colour and grace to the occasion, with the celebrant and his wife, Dame Ann Onuekwa, joining them to wriggle their waists and bodies in ecstasy.
In his response, the highly elated celebrant, Eze Onuekwa thanked all those gathered to celebrate with him, saying, celebrations would never cease in their homes, and attributed everything he represents in life, including his modest accomplishments to God.
Eze Onuekwa, while addressing newsmen, harped on the need for hard work among the youths and members of Ogbakor Ikwerre Cultural Organisation Worldwide, as a way of sustaining and giving meaning to the motto of the organisation, which he noted is anchored on peace, unity and progress.
He specially thanked God for sustaining his life, and for making everything possible for him and his family, saying, he was joyous that he has today become an octogenarian and elder statesman in Rivers State.
His son and medical practitioner, Dr Samuel Chizia Onuekwa expressed delight that people from far and near had come together to celebrate the father, whom he described as a role model and great inspirator.
He said it was a good thing that the children were celebrating their father when he is alive, stressing that the last time Eze Onuekwa was celebrated in such magnitude was 20 years ago, during his 60th birthday celebration, and prayed God to grant him many more years in good health.
Among dignitaries who graced the event were Senator Andrew Uchendu; Chief Sampson Agbaru; Prof Emenike Wami; Dr Peter Didia; Eze(Prof) Samuel Ugo Onyeka; and a host of others. Justice Iche Ndu(rtd); and C O Kattey were among personalities that attended the thanksgiving service, while the Vice Chancellor of Rivers State University, Prof Isaac Zeb-Obipi led the academics who graced the symposium, alongside Eze G A O Omodu.
As the 100 Ogoni youths trained by the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) in Creative Arts close out their training on Tuesday at the Theatre Arts Department, University of Port Harcourt, the Project Coordinator of HYPREP, Prof Nenibarini Zabbey, has urged the beneficiaries to use the skills acquired to ensure that the Ogoni stories are told and heard in the right way.
The trainees, who had completed a four- month training in script writing, film production and make-up are beneficiaries of the HYPREP sustainable livelihood programme, aimed at providing high demand skills to Ogoni youths in the lucrative creative arts and entertainment industry.
Zabbey described the Creative Arts training as well as other programmes and interventions as HYPREP’s strategic sustained effort to create alternative sources of livelihood.
”Targeted capacity building for Ogoni youths and women remains a central strategy in HYPREP’s livelihood restoration and improvement efforts. Our goal is to reach every part of the Ogoni community and ensure that no group or talent pool is left behind. This training is a deliberate step to empower young people who aspire to make their mark in the creative and entertainment industry”, he said.
While commending the trainees for producing four short films within the training period, one of which was premiered at the ceremony-Dirty Festival, the Project Coordinator noted that the training would serve as a springboard into the industry, and enable them earn a living, become entrepreneurs, and open new doors of opportunities for themselves and their communities. The three other movies are Open Pain, Bomu and Green War.
He enjoined them to utilise their skills and platforms to promote civic responsibility, peace, and environmental sustainability, urging them to ensure that Ogoni is heard in the right way, speak for HYPREP and highlight the progress being made in implementing the recommendations of the UNEP Report.
Other speakers at the event, including the Director of Technical Services of HYPREP, Prof. Damian-Paul Aguiyi; Dr Ovunda Ihunwo, Head of the Theatre Arts Department of the University of Port Harcourt; Chief Douglas Experience, the Project Coordinator of Halibiz Consult Limited; and Mrs Josephine Nzidee, Head, Sustainable Livelihood of HYPREP, all applauded HYPREP for the training, and charged the trainees to maximise the opportunity.
The trainees were later presented certificates of participation.
Visibly elated Ms Lebee Tornwe, one of the beneficiaries, thanked HYPREP and the Project Coordinator for offering the trainees the rare opportunity to acquire skills in the creative arts and entertainment industry, and expressed delight that Dr Ihunwo and Halibiz Consult Limited gave their all in grooming them.
With the wrapping up of the Creative Arts training(100), HYPREP has trained 230 Ogoni youths in high demand skill sets ,viz; seafaring(100); and aviation (30). The Project will this year, commence training in other skill areas, including Mechatronic, Aviation, Full-Stack Development, Commercial Diving, Underwater Welding and Geographic Information Systems (GIS).
Still in the offing is the training for Ogoni Persons Living with Disabilities in five skill sets- fish farming; basic computer skills; photography; fashion and design; and shoemaking in line with their Needs Assessment and HYPREP’s policy of inclusivity.
The National Youth Council of Ogoni People (NYCOP) had called on stakeholders to work collaboratively towards the development and empowerment of Ogoni youths.
NYCOP made the call in a communique issue over the weekend after an emergency Congress in Port Harcourt and signed by its President, Comrade Raymond Nwibani Marcus.
In the communique, NYCOP endorsed President Bola Tinubu’s appointments of the Governing Council and Board of Trustees (BOT) members of the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP), particularly Rt. Hon. Emmanuel Nwika Deeyah as Chairman of HYPREP’s BOT.
It respectfully appealed to the President to consider appointing a representative from the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP) under the leadership of Engr. Olu Andah Wai-Ogosu, being the pioneering social vehicle for Ogoni advocacy since the inception of the Ogoni struggle, adding that it would significantly contribute to the decision-making process.
The body commended the overall management of HYPREP and urges the President to continue funding the HYPREP project.
NYCOP furthermore recommended considering the conversion of HYPREP from a project to a full-fledged agency of the Federal Government of Nigeria.
The communique also stated that NYCOP thanked President Tinubu for establishing the Federal University of Environmental Technology, and for appointing key staff, forming a dialogue committee, and initiating infrastructural projects like the Eleme axis of the East-West Road and the Bonny-Bodo Road, significantly enhancing regional connectivity and economic prospects.
In solidarity with the Renewed Hope Agenda, the endorsed President Tinubu’s second-term bid, saying it believes his leadership embodies the aspirations of the Ogoni people and Nigerians at large.
“After thorough consideration of the Disciplinary Committee’s report, NYCOP resolves:
” To indefinitely suspend Comrade Nade Nade Burale from his position as Secretary General due to misconduct.
“To declare Comrade Saviour Imeabe persona non grata on Ogoni youth issues, given his actions’ potential to instigate crisis in Ogoni and beyond” the communique stated.
NYCOP in his resolution issued a 7-day ultimatum to former HYPREP BOT Chairman Mike Nwialeghi to explain the $100 million HYPREP fund investment, warning of potential litigation.
NYCOP reaffirmed its commitment to safeguarding Ogoni youth interests and preventing personal aggrandizement.
According to the communique the resolutions demonstrate NYCOP’s efforts to promote the collective welfare and advancement of Ogoni youth.
“We will no longer tolerate any individual or group using the name or issues of Ogoni youth for personal aggrandizement.
” Our mandate is clear: to promote the collective welfare and advancement of Ogoni youth” the communique said.
NYCOP passes a vote of confidence in Hon. Emmanuel Nwika Deeyah, acknowledging his impeccable credentials and credibility to lead the BOT of HYPREP effectively.
Kiadum Edookor
