Nation

THE STATES

Published

15 years ago

February 14, 2011

Adamawa

A National Transformation Party (NTP) Senatorial candidate in Adamawa North, Alhaji Musa Bulama, has pledged to address the problems of unemployment and water scarcity, if elected in April.

Bulama told newsmen in Mubi, Adamawa, that he intended to tackle the challenges in health and infrastructure through proactive legislation.

He commended INEC for the successful conduct of the voter registration.

INEC had registered more than 63 million voters for the April general elections in the country.

Bulama said the Commission had displayed high sense of political acumen and professionalism in the conduct of the exercise.

“The high participation and coverage recorded in rural areas is a clear indication of the Commission’s readiness to conduct free and fair polls,” Bulama said.

Benue

Succair is on the way for many orphans in Benue State as the Rose of Sharon Foundation, a non-governmental organisation (NGO), is set to establish schools in the state.

The founder of the NGO, Mrs Folorunso Alakija, disclosed this last Thursday while addressing newsmen in Makurdi said adequate arrangement had been made to ensure that widows in the state were given the needed support that would better their lives and that of their children who often suffer as a result of the lost of their bread winners.

Alakija explained that in view of the challenges widows face, Rose of Sharon foundation would train two children of each widow from primary school up till tertiary institution in order to lessen their burden.

She said “we take two children from every family and train them from whatever level they begin like from primary to tertiary level with the hope that those people that we train will goback to help their families.

Alakija said the foundation has 18 Orphans which it currently caters for, 21 students who are receiving university education and empowered about 2000 others in the state.

Ekiti

The Inspector-General of Police, Hafiz Ringim had blamed politicians in Ekiti State over the location of a federal university in which three persons were reportedly dead and several others injured.

Ringim passed the blame last Friday expressing displeasure over a burnt police post and two operational vehicles of the force at Ido-Osi.

The police chief said that the incident was sequel to the death of three persons who lost their lives at Ikole-Ekiti when demonstrators against the location of the Federal University, Oye-Ekiti, attacked the Federal Government College Ikole-Ekiti, injured four students of the College and vandalised the school.

In his words “the demonstration was against the rumoured relocation of the Federal University from Ikole to Oye-Ekiti. Information from the Ministry of Education however confirmed that the federal university was originally located at Oye-Ekiti, with Prof. Chonedu Nebo as the Vice-Chancellor.

FCT

Community Emergency Response Initiative (CERI), an Abuja-based NGO, has trained more than 70 residents of Karu and Jikwoyi communities in the FCT on Community-led Total Sanitation (CLTS) approach and effective management of solid waste.

Mr. Benson Attah, CERI’s Executive Director, disclosed this on Wednesday in Karu during a training workshop.

He said the workshop was organised for the people of Karu and Jikwoyi due to lack of effective management of solid waste in the two communities.

He expressed the hope that the training would help the people imbibe the practice of safe hygiene and proper management of solid waste.

Kwara

Students under the aegis of the National Association of Kwara State Students (NAKSS) and the police on Friday clashed in Ilorin.

Scores of the students staged a Peaceful Protest over non-payment of their 2009/2010 annual bursary allowance but the protest turned violent as the students in the early hours of Friday Prevented free flow of traffic in parts of Uorin town, particularly, the ever busy Murtala Mehammed Way and Ahmadu Bello Bourlevard, the road leading to the State Government House.

Confirming the incident, the State Police Spokesperson, Ezekiel Dabo revealed that 16 students have been arrested adding that about three police officers were wounded in the process.

Lagos

Students of the Lagos State University (LASU) on Thursday raised alarm over growing cases of ritual killing and armed robbery along LASU/Iba road and other communities around its main campus at Ojo, Lagos. Some of the students told the newsmen that the frequent killings and robberies posed great threat to their lives and their academic pursuit.

Mr Senapon Ajasa, speaker of the institution‘ Students Union Government, told reporters that no fewer than 10 people have been killed in LASU area in the last two months by suspected ritual killers.

The student leader said that the development had thrown the entire university community into panic as students and other people around the campus now live in fear.

“Everybody, particularly the students, is afraid. Ritual killers who remove body parts of their victims after killing them have made LASU/Iba expressway and adjoining communities unsafe.

Niger

A Maiduguri High Court last Wednesday granted bail to 65 suspected Boko Haram members arrested over the recent killings in Borno.

The suspects were charged with holding unlawful assemblies in Bolori, London Cikin, Gwange and Dala wards in Maiduguri the Niger State Capital and its environs and breaching public peace. The prosecutor, Mr Abdullahi Izge, told the court presided over by Justice Wokil Gana that the action contravened the penal code.

Izge urged the court to adjourn the case to enable him to produce additional charges against the suspects.

The counsel to the accused persons, Baba Waziri, opposed the prayer, saying the case could only be adjourned if the suspects were granted bail.

Ondo

Ondo State Government said it has injected over N3.9 billion into its community development programme, in two years.

Disclosing this to journalists, the state commissioner for Community Development and Cooperative Services, Mr Clement Faboyede said the projects include classrooms, community health centres, Solar Power, borcholes, markets among others.

He said the state governor, Dr Olusegun Mimiko would be commissioning over 308 “Quick Win Projects’ to mark his second tenure and commended the administration for the creation of the ministry, which he said was meant to cater for people in the rural communities.

Oyo

Eight men were arrested in Ogbere Onilanta area of Ibadan, Oyo State Capital, in connection with the stampede caused by the rumour of poisoned food allegedly served by the agents of Governor Adebayo AkoAkala to School Children.

Although residents of the community protested at the palace of the Olubadan of Ibadan last Thursday evening, alleging that policemen raided their children at Elekuro High School, Ogbere. The Commissioner of Police, Mr Adisa Bolanta, said eight adults were arrested for vandalizing a car belonging to a woman conveying food to a school to serve teachers at a meeting.

The police boss said the women narrowly escaped being lynched for no just cause pledging that the suspects would be prosecuted.

Plateau

Five people were killed and nine others injured last Friday night in a fresh attack suspected to have been carried out by Fulani herdsmen, who made away with about 30 cows at the quarters of the federal College of Land Resources Technology Kuru, in Jos South Local Government Area of Platean State.

It was gathered that the stolen cattles belonged to the Chief Security Officer of the institution, haruna Danjuma, who was among the five victims.

Others who lost their lives in the incident include the Sccountant of the school, Mr Audu Chube, his wife and a four-year-old daughter and the electrician of the institution.

Yobe

Despite the flamboyant launch of its campaign in the three geo-political zones in the North, there are probably fears among the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that it might lose Yobe State and a few others to the opposition.

Also, there might be a battle to the finish between the PDP and the opposition in Nasarawa, Kwara, Yigawa and Kaduna State.

Investigation showed that out of the 19 state in the North, 16 are being controlled by the oppositions including Kano and Borno by the All Nigeria Peoples’ Party (ANPP) and Banchi, Katsina and Kebbi States where the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) has gained tremendous acceptance by the populace.

Zamfara

The Zamfara Government has said that it would soon set up an incinerating plant for the conversion of waste to wealth.

Alhaji Sada Ibrahim, the Director-General, Zamfara Environmental Health Sanitation Agency, said this on Thursday in an interview with journalists in Gusau.

Ibrahim said that the government had already built a “waste transfer loading centre’’ in Gusau, where waste products would be separated for recycling.

According to him, Zamfara generates 5,000 tonnes of waste daily, which will be converted into fertiliser, plastics and other products for domestic uses.

He also said that the government had procured four additional trucks for the evacuation of refuse to the site.

Ibrahim said that the project was aimed toward industrialising the state and creating employment opportunities for unemployed youths.

He also said that it would help improve the revenue base of the state and check the spread of diseases such as typhoid, malaria and cholera.

Nation

Youths Vow To Continue Protest Over Dilapidated Highway

Published

20 hours ago

February 16, 2026

The Tide

Youths from five local government areas in Northern Cross River State have concluded a one-week warning protest and blockade of the dilapidated Ikom-Wula-Obudu federal highway over the weekend.
They have vowed to resume the road blocks if by this week the authorities do not intervene to fix the road.
More than five thousand locals, mostly youths from Obanliku, Etung, Obudu, Ikom and Boki LGAs trooped out everyday for one week, used palm trees to block the highway to draw state and federal government’s attention to their plights, requesting the repair of a road has has been unmotorable for about 40 years.
They warned that if they do not see any actions from the state or federal governments, they will resume their Plan B protest, stop revenue collections and make governance unpalatable.
The youths also warned that without interventions on the road which has claimed several lives, including that of last week when a pregnant woman died with her baby in the full glare of the protesters because of the terrible road, no election can hold in the area next year.
One of the leaders of the No Road , No Election protest, who is also the Abo Youths in Boki LGA, Dr Martins Assam said both the federal and state governments have neglected the region, which generates more than 70 percent state revenue from agriculture.
He said if machinery is not deployed by next week, they will not have any option than to embark on unpalatable and disastrous protest, and stop revenue collections in the area.
“Last week we had only a warning strike for one good week. We’ll embark on a more elaborate, disastrous one-month blockade of this highway until they intervene. We call on our Governor and representatives in the National Assembly to act now by impressing on the federal government to immediately fix this road else. We’re not asking for two much but to be treated as human beings.”
Another protester, Clinton Obi from the Etung axis said, “We’ve been neglected for 40 years. This Ikom-Obudu federal highway had been impassable. The government has removed its concentration from our plights. By this one week protest, we want action on this road otherwise the next phase of protest will be costly.”
Reverend Father Francis Amaozo, priest in charge of St. Nicholas parish in Nashua, Boki LGA said, “I have also been a victim of this very deplorable road. Enough is now enough. We’ve been betrayed by our representatives and other leaders, so that we in this axis have become endangered species on this road. I have lost some many members on this road.”
Member, representing the Boki-Ikom federal constituency of the state in the House of Representatives, Bisong Victor Abang had pleaded with the locals to be a bit more patient with the government as action will commence shortly.

Nation

UNIPORT VC Receives Inaugural Lecture Brochure As Professor Highlights Urgent Need For Drug Repurposing In Malaria Fight

Published

20 hours ago

February 16, 2026

The Tide

The Vice Chancellor of the University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT), Prof Owunari Georgewill, last Thursday received the inaugural lecture brochure from the Inaugural Lecturer, Professor Udeme Georgewill, during a ceremony at the university’s Centre of Excellence attended by academics, researchers, students, and distinguished guests.
Delivering her lecture, Professor Udeme Georgewill described the occasion as the culmination of years of dedicated research, teaching, and service to humanity. He explained that his work as a pharmacologist has consistently focused on finding practical, affordable, and scientifically sound solutions to health challenges that disproportionately affect developing countries, particularly malaria, which remains one of Nigeria’s most pressing public health concerns.
She noted that Nigeria continues to bear one of the heaviest malaria burdens globally, accounting for a significant percentage of worldwide cases and deaths. The disease, largely caused by the Plasmodium falciparum parasite and transmitted through Anopheles mosquitoes, remains especially dangerous for children under five years and pregnant women, threatening not only present populations but unborn generations. Despite years of intervention efforts, malaria continues to strain families, health systems, and the national economy.
Prof Georgewill empha-sised that while Artemisinin-based Combination Therapies such as Artemether-Lumefantrine remain the gold standard for malaria treatment, emerging resistance patterns pose a serious challenge. He explained that drug resistance is a survival mechanism of the parasite, enabling it to adapt and reduce the effectiveness of medications designed to eliminate it. According to her, instances where patients do not feel better after initial treatment sometimes lead to repeated dosing or the search for injectable alternatives, practices that can worsen resistance and complicate treatment outcomes.
Against this backdrop, she advocated strongly for drug repurposing as a strategic and urgent response. Drug repurposing, he explained, involves identifying new therapeutic uses for already approved and widely available medications. He likened the concept to “old wine in new wineskins,” stressing that medicines already proven safe for certain conditions can be carefully re-evaluated and optimised for new roles in malaria management. This approach, she argued, offers advantages such as reduced research timelines, lower development costs, and faster clinical application compared to developing entirely new drugs from scratch.
She disclosed that her research had progressed from laboratory investigations to clinical evaluations, where his team is studying combinations involving Artemether-Lumefantrine and Ivermectin to determine their effectiveness in improving treatment outcomes and possibly reducing transmission. Clinical trials are ongoing, and findings will be communicated upon completion of regulatory processes. However, he cautioned strongly against self-medication, warning that misuse of drugs without proper diagnosis and prescription can lead to organ damage, treatment failure, and increased resistance.
Referencing global health commitments, Prof Georgewill highlighted Sustainable Development Goal 3.3, which seeks to end epidemics of malaria and other major infectious diseases by 2030. She questioned whether the goal remains attainable under current realities, especially with growing resistance and funding gaps. He also referred to strategies of the World Health Organisation aimed at drastically reducing malaria incidence and mortality while pushing toward elimination in several countries.
Looking ahead, she revealed that her team is building comprehensive research databases to support artificial intelligence-driven drug repurposing. He stressed that the integration of artificial intelligence, molecular docking, and advanced screening technologies is transforming global drug discovery, and Nigerian researchers must be equipped to participate competitively in this evolving scientific landscape.
In her recommendations, she called for the establishment of a National Centre for Drug Repurposing to coordinate research efforts and leverage artificial intelligence in identifying new indications for existing medicines. He urged policymakers to simplify and accelerate the translation of laboratory discoveries into clinical application, ensuring that scientific breakthroughs benefit the public more efficiently. She also appealed to the university and relevant authorities to increase funding and modernise laboratory infrastructure, including high-throughput screening facilities, to strengthen Nigeria’s position in global biomedical research.
The lecture concluded with expressions of gratitude to God, the university leadership, colleagues, students, and guests, as the event underscored the University of Port Harcourt’s commitment to research excellence and its role in addressing critical public health challenges facing Nigeria and the wider world.

Nation

Niger CAN Rejects Proposed Hisbah Bill, Urges Gov Bago Not To Assent

Published

20 hours ago

February 16, 2026

The Tide

The Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, Niger State Chapter, has rejected the proposed Niger State Hisbah Directorates Bill, describing it as controversial and capable of deepening religious division in the state.
In a statement signed by the State Chairman, Bishop Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, and made available to The Tide’s source yesterday, the association urged Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago not to assent to the bill if it is passed by the State House of Assembly.
The bill, sponsored by the member representing Chanchaga Constituency, Hon. Mohammed Abubakar, seeks to establish a Hisbah Directorate in Niger State.
CAN warned that the legislation could be perceived as discriminatory against Christians and may heighten tension in the religiously diverse state.
“Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago, we, the entire Christendom in the state, wish to draw your attention to what could easily create division among the people you govern,” the statement read in part.
The association questioned the necessity and benefits of the proposed law, asking what economic or social value it would add to the state.
It further argued that existing security agencies, including the Nigeria Police and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, already have constitutional mandates to maintain law and order.
The Christian body also faulted the legislative process, disputing claims that it was consulted during a public hearing on the bill.
It insisted that it was neither invited nor notified of any such engagement, despite being a critical stakeholder in the state.