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THE STATES
Adamawa
The Adamawa Vocational Technical Training Centre (VTTC), Mubi, has trained 140 motor mechanics in the last six months, as part of effort to provide employment to the youth.
Some 300 youths are currently undergoing a three-year intensive auto-mechanic and electrical training programmes at the centre.
The Senior Technical Instructor, Sama’ila Yerima, told newsmen in Mubi yesterday that the graduates were exposed to modern technical skills to enhance their operations.
Yerima said the graduates were selected from among the semi-skilled road-side mechanics in Mubi-North and South Local Government Areas of the state.
“The trainees received training on various aspects of auto-mechanic.
“The programme is designed to impart relevant knowledge and skills as well as to promote specialisation among road-side mechanics,” he said
Yerima explained that the training was provided free to the beneficiaries.
“More than 300 students are currently undergoing Ordinary National Diploma (OND) technical courses at the centre.
“All the workshops and laboratories have met the standard set by the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE),” he said.
Yerima, stated that the centre was also paying N5,000 as monthly allowance to each of the 300 students.
According to him, the measure is to encourage more youths to enrol into its programme.
He urged state governments in the North-East zone to take advantage of the programme and enrol their youths into the centre.
FCT
Congress of Progressive Change (CPC) Chieftain Muhammadu Buhari (CPC) has promised Nigerians better leadership if voted into government as the country‘s president in 2011.
Buhari made the promise in Abuja while collecting the party‘s expression of interest and presidential nomination forms.
In a statement signed by Mr Dennis Aghanya, the National Publicity Secretary Buhari said that he would offer desired leadership if he emerged winner at both the party’s primaries and the general elections.
He thanked Nigerians for their solidarity and support, which, he said, he had enjoyed over the years and assured the party members that victory was “definitely theirs’’.
He stressed the need for them to protect their votes to ensure that their dream of enthroning good leadership in the country was transformed into reality.
He charged the party‘s members to come together to ensure victory at all levels in the general elections.
Sen. Rufai Hanga, the party‘s National Chairman, however, assured Buhari of the party’s preparedness “ to go into the 2011 general elections with all eyes wide open’’.
Kaduna
Governor Patrick Yakowa of Kaduna State has challenged stakeholders in the education industry in the northern part of the country to intensify efforts toward educational development in the area.
The governor gave the challenge at the 18th Annual General Meeting of Zazzau Emirate Development Association (ZEDA), held at Kongo Conference Hotel, Zaria .
He said: “The problem of education in this part of the country has for long been fundamental and requires the attention of well-meaning individuals and organisations such as ZEDA.
“This will complement government’s efforts at moving the sector forward.
“We have to adopt to changing situations of the time, particularly with regard to information communication transformation technology.
“We must realise that we live in a rapidly changing world and change is a weapon of advancement.
“We cannot compete favourably and be part of a better tomorrow if we insist only on using yesterday’s methods as we are living in an age of transformation.”
In his speech, the Cairman, ZEDA Central Working Committee, Dr Alimi Bello said the association was established to complement government’s efforts in educational development.
He noted that the association solely depended on donations from individuals for all its programmes.
Katsina
Governor Ibrahim Shema of Katsina State has called on politicians to avoid politics of violence, bitterness and rancour in their campaign.
Shema made the call at the weekend in Katsina at the inauguration of 52 campaign vehicles donated by his political associates to facilitate the governor’s second term bid in the 2011 election.
He told hundreds of PDP members to shun violence and concentrate on issues that would bring about positive changes in the state.
“I don’t believe in politics of bitterness or defamation of character, therefore nobody amongst you should insult anybody in the name of politics.
“For the past three and a half years, I have never insulted anybody because I believe that God gives power to whom He had chosen,’’ Shema said.
Shema commended the donors of the buses and motorcycles and reiterated his determination to continue with the developmental projects in the state.
Earlier, Hajiya Mairo Yar’Adua, the elder sister of late President Umaru Yar’Adua, declared the support of the Yar’Adua family to the candidature of Gov. Shema.
Kebbi
The Arewa Gabas Development Area Council in Kebbi State has spent N43.6 million on the provision of amenities and youth empowerment.
The Sole Administrator, Alhaji Abubakar Noma, told newsmen in Birnin Kebbi at the weekend that boreholes and cement wells were provided to communities.
According to him, abattoirs were also provided in Yeldu and Jar-Kukah while a mosque was rehabilitated and cemetery fenced
He said four vulcanising machines, 22 tonnes of cement, 30 Zinc roofing sheets, 175 mats, 500 kettles and five generators were provided as empowerment to the unemployed.
“The provision of such equipment is to enable people to be self-employed as well as to cushion the hardship they faced ” he explained.
Lagos
Mr Chibikem Okpara, a Lagos-based lawyer, yesterday called for the promotion of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) as a vital component of the justice delivery system.
Okpara, who made the call in an interview with newsmen in Lagos, said that ADR had helped in resolving many disputes outside the courtroom.
He said that the idea for ADR arose following the delays and frustration faced by many people in courts, adding that it was used to solve the problem of succession when the immediate past Sultan of Sokoto, died in a place crash.
“However, ADR should not be seen as an alternative in the sense that it complements litigation,’’ Okpara said.
He explained that in ADR, “an expert on the issue under dispute is appointed by the parties to adjudicate over the matter to the satisfaction of all concerned’’.
Ondo
The Ondo State Government has called on unemployed youths to align with one of the numerous skills acquisition programmes in the state.
The Commissioner for Youth Development and Sports, Alhaji Yekini Olanipekun, made the appeal in an interview with newsmen in Okitipupa in Ondo State.
Olanipekun described as unfortunate a situation where youths now preferred riding commercial motorcycles (Okada) to acquiring skills from any of the centres provided by the state government.
“Youths are no longer going to the skill acquisition centres that we have in all the 18 local government areas of the state.
“We have observed that they instead prefer riding Okada to going to study and acquire skills that will be useful to them and others,” he said.
Olanipekun said that the state government in collaboration with the National Orientation Agency recently held a session aimed at sensitising the youths on windows of opportunities for wealth creation.
He said that the government was planning to empower those youths, who took their training seriously before the end of December.
“What we are going to do before the end of the year is that those that have attended these skill acquisition centres will be empowered.
“We are going to give them sewing machines, welding machines and so on; they should go and learn something from these skill acquisition centers,” the commissioner said.
Olanipekun said that the government was working out modalities to create jobs for youths with requisite skills, adding, “this explains the essence of the skills acquisition centres”.
Plateau
Former Sports Minister Damishi Sango, who is seeking to unseat Governor Jonah Jang of Plateau in 2011, says he will support the incumbent if he picks the PDP ticket.
“We are more interested in the democratic process; if Jang defeats the eight of us who are challenging him in a free and fair process, we shall support him,’’ Sango told newsmen in a telephone interview.
Jang’s eight rivals are working together and have collectively promised to eventually agree on one person to wrestle the ticket from the retired airforce officer.
The aspirants, known as the G-8, featured in each others’ declarations and would normally tell their supporters that their game plan for picking the ticket was up their sleeves.
Sango, who spoke in Jos on Sunday, declared that the eight aspirants, which also include Deputy Governor Paulen Tallen and business magnet Chris Giwa, were politicians who “know what we are doing’’.
He said that they could agree on who to step down for “a day before the convention and quickly communicate same to their supporters’’.
Sango, however ruled out the possibility of a committee to adopt a consensus candidate as recently done by the Northern Political Leaders’ Front that threw up Atiku Abubakar, who floored three others, including former Military President Ibrahim Babangida.
Strategic regulators and other stakeholders have expressed satisfaction with the pace, quality and magnitude of work carried out by the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) in Ogoniland, in line with the recommendations of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
In their separate speeches at the 2025 4th quarter key regulators / asset owners meeting held in Port Harcourt, the strategic stakeholders commended HYPREP for the significant milestones achieved with excellent efficiency and transparency, demonstrating capacity and commitment to sustaining collaboration with development partners for the overall success of the Project.
The regulators particularly lauded HYPREP for the landmark success in the implementation of the land and shoreline remediation, mangrove restoration, provision of reticulated potable water, the various sustainable livelihood programmes, donation of ambulances to health facilities in Ogoni, the construction of Centre of Excellence for Environmental Restoration, as well as the ongoing Ogoni Power Project, adding that their independent field reports have shown proofs of HYPREP driving even beyond its mandates.
The goodwill messages were made by representatives of the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA), Centre for Environment and Human Rights Development (CEHRD), Society for Women and Youths Affairs (SWAYA), Stakeholders Democracy Network (SDN), Nigerian Pipelines and Storage Company (NPSC), and Federal Ministry of Environment. Others are the Rivers State Ministry of Environment, the Rivers State Ministry of Health, the National Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), the Rivers State Ministry of Power, the Rivers State University, the Rivers State Ministry of Water and Rural Development, and Renaissance Africa Energy Company Limited.
Following the Monitoring and Evaluation Unit’s presentation on the status of HYPREP projects, participants offered feedback on areas of concern. They reassured HYPREP and the people of Ogoni of their continued support for the Project’s success. They also suggested that the quarterly review meeting be sustained as it enables them to report, evaluate and proffer solutions to areas of concern.
Participants also commended HYPREP for improved community and stakeholder engagement and for adding to what they saw the previous time. “We commend HYPREP for the quality work done at sites. The progress is phenomenal, because HYPREP is scoring good grades, above average,” Prof. Iyenemi Kakulu from Rivers State University said.
In his speech at the event, the Project Coordinator of HYPREP, Prof Nenibarini Zabbey, who was represented by Prof Damian-Paul Aguiyi, Director of Technical Services, commended the regulators and asset owners for their cooperation with the Project, and for making themselves available for fieldwork and the regular review meetings.
Prof Zabbey reiterated HYPREP’s commitment to best practice in waste management, particularly waste generation and disposal, calling on the Regulators for adequate logistics support, saying HYPREP’s priority is to focus on the core recommendations by UNEP, especially, remediation(soil, shoreline) mangrove restoration, provision of potable water, interventions in public health care services and sustainable livelihood for the people.
The Project Coordinator further highlighted the status of the Project, the successes achieved across all thematic areas, and assured that HYPREP will soon complete most of the ongoing projects and roll out others. He explained that the purpose of the meeting was to review the progress of the Ogoni cleanup, ensure quality control, and foster effective collaboration.
Consequently, the quarterly key regulators/asset owners meeting is HYPREP’s strategic stakeholder management model, further underscoring the Project’s commitment to transparency, partnership for development, and accountability, all of which are harbingers of effective project delivery.
Speaking to newsmen, HYPREP Project Support Lead and representative of Renaissance Africa Energy Company Limited, Engr Ehioze Igbinomwanhia, described his involvement with HYPREPas an encouraging and insightful experience, saying, the Project is implementing a wide range of projects across Ogoniland, spanning immediate remediation works as well as livelihood support initiatives aimed at improving the welfare of affected communities.
Engr Igbinomwanhia emphasised that Renaissance Africa Energy remains fully committed to supporting the objectives of the Ogoni cleanup project, noting that the company has a long history of collaboration with HYPREP.
He added that the partnership has been characterised by continuous learning, adaptation and a willingness to respond to observations and recommendations aimed at improving outcomes.
He further emphasised the importance of safety in all project operations, particularly given the challenging terrain and operating conditions in Ogoniland.
He noted that safety is treated as a critical priority and that contractors are continually reminded to maintain high safety standards, stressing that lessons learnt from previous operational challenges like the collapse of the water tank in Gwara Community are being applied to strengthen safety practices and overall performance.
The Rivers state Government has identified six local government areas with the highest burden of maternal and Neonatal mortality in the state.
State Commissioner for Health Dr Adaeze Chidinma Oreh said this in an interview with newsmen at the Maternal and Neonatal Reduction innovation initiative ( Mamii)Rivers state activation workshop and state engagement meeting in Port Harcourt.
The event was organized by The Federal Ministry of Health in conjunction with its Rivers state counterpart in Port Harcourt.
Dr Oreh also restated the preparedness of the state government to support current efforts by the federal government towards the reduction of maternal and infant mortalities in the country.
She mentioned the affected Local Government Areas to include, Andoni,Akuku Toru and Ahoada West
The rest according to the Commissioner are, Bonny, Etche and Emohua Local Government Areas.
She said the workshop will enable the team from the federal ministry of health and social welfare to brainstorm with the view to finding solution to the problem.
The Commissioner also gave reasons why the Mamii initiative was the best as far as finding solution to maternal mortality was concerned.
“The uniqueness of the Mamii initiative driven by the federal ministry of health and social welfare was that we used evidence to elicit the reasons for this deaths, so that the solutions will be context specific and tailored to the particular environment where those deaths are occuring
“For us in Rivers state we have six Mamii LGAs , nationally we we have 172 local government areas “the Commissioner said.
Earlier in her opening remarks,Dr Oreh said the state government is prepared to work with the federal ministry of health and social welfare to check the rate of maternal mortality in the state.
She commended The Minister of Health and Social welfare Professor Ali Muhammad Pategi for driving the Mamii initiative across the country and expressed optimism that the programm will see to the end of maternal mortality in the country.
Also speaking the National Coordinator Nigeria health sector Renewal Initiative Dr Adam Ahmed said Rivers state is the last state among Mamii states in the country to host the team.
He said the team will visit the affected Local Government Areas with the view to interacting with the people on how to check the trend.
He expressed the hope that with continuous efforts, maternal mortality will be checked.
Also speaking the permanent secretary Rivers state Ministry of Health Professor Justinah Jumbo said the government is not leaving any stone unturned towards reduction in maternal deaths.
The permanent secretary said Governor Siminalaye Fubara is a health friendly Governor who is desirous in improving the quality of health of Rivers people.
John Bibor
