Nation

THE STATES

Published

14 years ago

January 4, 2012

Adamawa

The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Dr. Nurudeen Muhammed has appealed to traditional rulers to join the Federal Government’s renewed effort in the fight against human trafficking and child labour.

Muhammed made the appeal on last Thursday in Yola when he paid an advocacy visit to Lamido of Adamawa, Alhaji Barkindo Mustapha, in his palace.

He said that traditional rulers had a vital role to play in the campaign against human trafficking and child labour in view of their positions in the society.

The Minister said that checking the menace of human trafficking and child labour was one of the protocol endorsed by ECOWAS Heads of Governments.

Mustapha urged government to always carry the tradit

Benue

The Benue Commissioner of Police, Mr John Haruna,has warned politicians in the state against acts capable of breaching the peace.

Haruna handed down the warning in Makurdi while briefing newsmen on the activities of the command in combating crime in the state.

He warned that the police would deal decisively with any politician who engages in nefarious activities to promote selfish and divisive interest.

The commissioner said that policemen had been deployed to identified flashpoints and on the highways to contain criminal activities and road accidents.

Haruna lamented that the state was almost “being consumed in cultism”, and announced plans by security agencies to curtail the menace, including the perennial clashes between farmers and cattle rearers.

FCT

Bwari Area Council has expressed its determination to sanitise the area through recycling of waste and wealth generation.

Mr. Haruna Labaran, the Head of Department of Environment in the council, told newsmen in Bwari, FCT, that the exercise would cover Ushafa, Dutse, Kubwa, Dei-dei, Dawaki and Mpape.

He said the decision to recycle waste was informed by the reckless manner people went about the collection, transportation and disposal of waste without regard to environmental health standard.

According to him, poor environmental standard is responsible for up to 75 per cent of the diseases that are ordinarily preventable.

The head of department urged residents to comply with the directive, noting that the exercise would open up the area for economic activities and development.

Gombe

Ibrahim Dankwambo of Gombe State Governor has presented a budget of N93.3 billion to the state House of Assembly for the 2012 fiscal year against its N79.4 billion for the 2011 fiscal year.

Presenting the budget, tagged “Budget of Reality”, the governor said that the budget would be financed from a total revenue of N50 billion.

He said that the government hoped to collect N4.6 billion as Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), while N40 billion was estimated to be from statutory allocation.

Dankwambo added that N3.4 billion would come from excess crude oil, N1 billion from the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), N500 million from Exchange Rate Gain and N500 million from other sources.

He noted that the total budget deficit for the year would be N1 billion.

Jigawa

The newly established Federal University, Dutse, has admitted 350 students, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Jibrila Amin, has said.

Amin said during the foundation laying ceremony of Computer Laboratory Complex of the university that the school admitted 200 students as directed by the National Universities Commission (NUC).

He said the institution submitted 150 additional names to the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board for harmonised admissions expected to be published soon.

Kano

The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) says 280 persons were killed and 2,433 others injured in road traffic accidents in Kano State between January and December.

The Sector Commander, Mr Ahmed Kogari, told newsmen in Kano last Thursday that the figures resulted from 770 accidents during the period under review.

He said that there was a reduction in the accident figure this year compared with last year’s figure, which he did not give.

“We are able to achieve this through intensive public enlightenment campaigns, enforcement of traffic rules and regulations as well as continuous surveillance, monitoring and patrol activities.”

Kebbi

The National Programme on Immunisation (NPI), in Kebbi has identified cases of missed children on immunisation days as the major reason for emergence of fresh polio cases.

.This is contained in a statement signed by the Kebbi NPI Manager, Hajiya Saudatu Abdullahi and made available to newsmen in Birnin Kebbi.

The LGAs that had high percentage of missed children during immunisation included Gwandu 49.3 per cent, Jega 19.2 per cent, Maiyama 19.2 per cent, Arewa 16.6 per cent, Ngaski 14.3 per cent.

The state chairman of ALGON and Binrin Kebbi LGA, Alhaji Musa Dan-Ilela, blamed the programme for not including the councils at the initial stage.

Lagos

The Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN) last Thursday cautioned labour leaders in political offices to guide against anything that would undermine industrial relations in the country.

Mr Solomon Onaghinon, Secretary General, ASCSN, stated this in an interview with newsmen in Lagos.

Onaghinon expressed worry that most labour leaders appointed into political offices, often get involved in negative means of settling industrial disputes.

Onaghinon said that such means of resolving disputes was against industrial relation practice and could weaken labour movement.

Oyo

The Kola Daisi Foundation (KDF) has donated an ambulance to the Kola Daisi Centre for Primary and Community Health being managed by the University College Hospital (UCH),Ibadan.

Speaking at the event in Yemetu, Ibadan, the Chairman of KDF, Prof. Niyi Osuntogun, said the ambulance would assist the health centre in conveying patients to the hospital during emergencies.

Osuntogun commended the founder of the centre, Chief Kola Daisi, saying his philanthropic activities were worth emulating.

“Wealthy Nigerians should emulate the good works Chief Kola Daisi has done in the course of rendering selfless service to humanity,’’ he said.

Plateau

The Plateau Government is to appoint caretaker committees for its local government councils in January preparatory to election, Mr. Alexander Mwolwus, Special Adviser to Governor Jonah Jang on Political Affairs, has said.

The tenure of the current council officials expires January 15, 2012, but the amended Electoral Act has yet to be passed into law.

“Since the tenure of the incumbent officials will lapse between Jan. 15 and 17, 2012, the governor shall have no alternative but to appoint caretaker committees that will take charge,’’ the official told newsmen in Jos.

Mwolwus explained that the new electoral law would empower the PLASIEC to conduct local council polls within 30 days.

He explained that the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) was already preparing for the election with its congresses beginning on Jan. 4.

Meanwhile, Mr Peter Daylop, Chairman, Plateau State Independent Electoral Commission (PLASIEC), has said that the Commission was still awaiting the new Electoral Act.

Sokoto

The Court of Appeal sitting in Sokoto has quashed the judgment of the Kebbi State Governorship Election Tribunal which nullified the election of Gov. Usman Dakingari.

Reacting to the verdict,Dakingari advised his supporters to be moderate in celebrating court’s judgment and called on the opposition parties to join his administration in moving the state forward.

Justice Laraba Mohammed, who led three other members of the tribunal, had on Nov. 13, nullified Dakingari’s election and ordered a fresh one within 90 days.

Justice Amiru Sanusi, who led four other Justices of the court, ruled in favour of Dakingari and set the judgment of the lower court aside.

Mr Ogene Nero, counsel to the CPC and its gubernatorial candidate, Alhaji Abubakar Gari-Malam, said they will appeal against the judgment at the Supreme Court.

The Kebbi State Chairman of the CPC, Alhaji Suleiman Nasiha, also said the party would appeal against the judgment within the 21 days stipulated by law.

Zamfara

Former Commissioner for Finance in Zamfara, Danbuba Mohammed says lack of focus on medium and long-term development plans by governments is responsible for socio-economic crisis in the country.

Mohammed made the statement in an interview with newsmen in Gusau shortly after Governor Abdulaziz Yari presented the state’s 2012 budget of N120.8 billion to the House of Assembly.

.He said the budget captured the essence of consistency and continuity in government policies, adding that it had also raised public hopes and expectations.

“This is the first time in several years that we are witnessing a medium-term development strategy captured in the budget with practicable ideas on how to actualise the plan for concrete development.’’

Nation

UNIZIK Honours Business Mogul, Ezekwe, For Philanthropism

Published

3 hours ago

March 2, 2026

The Tide

The Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK) has conferred the Award of Digital Academic Promoter on the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Arrowconn Group, High Chief (Dr.) Emeka Ezekwe, for his philanthropic gestures.

Chief Ezekwe received the philanthropist award during a landmark technical workshop organised by the Department of Business Education, Faculty of Technology and Vocational Education, Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK), Awka, recently.

Making the presentation, the Vice Chancellor of the university, Prof. Ugochukwu Stanley Anyaehie, said the award was in recognition of Ezekwe’s philanthropic contributions, academic support, and dedication to human capital development, hailing his commitment to bridging industry and academia.

Ezekwe who is also the Chairman of Port Harcourt Chamber of Commerce Professional Services and Consultancy Trade Group, delivered a keynote address at the event with a theme: “Technicalities and Application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Business and Education.”

In his address, Ezekwe described the current AI surge as a civilizational shift rather than a mere technological upgrade.

He compared AI’s rapid trajectory to past innovations like electricity, computers, the Internet, and mobile phones, which he said, progressed from luxuries to necessities.

“AI is reshaping value creation, knowledge sharing, and decision-making at unprecedented speed. It has moved from experimentation to execution, powering business forecasting, academic research, digital learning, and strategic decisions,” he said.

The business mogul, however, warned that in business, delays lead to losses, while in education, irrelevance spells failure.

“AI is no longer optional, it is a necessity,” he declared.

Ezekwe highlighted the critical AI skill gap, driven by curriculum lags, limited training, and fear of the unknown, but stressed the bigger danger which is exclusion.

“Those who master AI will shape markets, education, and policy; those who lag will be shaped by others,” he said.

The Arrowconn Group boss also outlined AI’s practical advantages for businesses —including data-driven strategies, smarter investments, scalable customer insights, and competitive edges for SMEs.

In education, he clarified that AI empowers rather than replaces teachers, enabling personalized learning, efficient lesson planning, assessment support, and accelerated research.

He advocated a shift from rote memorization to critical thinking, creativity, and problem-solving, while preserving human strengths in engagement, judgment, and collaboration.

Ezekwe urged ethical AI development, warning that “technology without values is dangerous,” and called on institutions like UNIZIK to update curricula, train educators, promote interdisciplinary work, forge industry partnerships, and produce graduates who are solution providers in an AI-driven world.

The workshop also marked the unveiling of the maiden edition of the UNIZIK Journal of Business Education and Entrepreneurship, reinforcing the department’s push for scholarly innovation in AI applications.

Nation

Don Calls For National Forensic Data Bank To Combat Rising Crime

Published

4 hours ago

March 2, 2026

The Tide

The Head of the Department of Anatomy at the University of Port Harcourt’s College of Health Sciences, Prof Gabriel Sunday Oladipo, has underscored the urgent need for Nigeria to develop a comprehensive forensic science infrastructure, warning that the nation’s ability to investigate and solve crime is being hampered by lack of scientific data and systems.

In his inaugural lecture titled, “Man: Fearfully Different, Wonderfully Made,” delivered as part of the 207th Inaugural Lecture Series of the university, Prof Oladipo highlighted that while no two individuals are exactly the same, the country currently lacks the robust systems needed to collect and manage biological and anthropometric data that could support criminal investigations.

He explained that the natural variations among humans — from fingerprints to physical measurements — form the foundation of personal identification in forensic work. These biological differences, he said, are essential for distinguishing one person from another, especially in the context of criminal investigations where clarity of identity can mean the difference between justice and impunity. Without this scientific foundation, he argued, law enforcement agencies lack a critical tool in the fight against crime.

Experts have noted that Nigeria’s forensic science capacity has historically lagged behind needs, with only a few forensic facilities available and many law enforcement agencies struggling to access or use scientific evidence effectively. One review of the state of forensic investigation in Nigeria found that outdated facilities and limited adoption of modern forensic methods have left many cases unsolved or poorly investigated, even as crime rates rise across the country.

In Lagos, efforts to improve forensic capabilities have focused on DNA analysis, with the Lagos State DNA Forensic Centre — the first of its kind in West Africa — providing critical support for criminal investigations and helping to identify human remains, link related cases, and assist with paternity testing. However, such initiatives are yet to be replicated at a national scale, leaving many regions without access to these vital scientific tools.

Prof Oladipo’s lecture went beyond academic theory to propose concrete actions. He called for the establishment of a National Institute of Forensic Science responsible for creating and managing a nationwide anthropometric and forensic data bank. This repository, he stressed, would significantly enhance Nigeria’s capacity to track crime, assist law enforcement agencies, and improve the administration of justice by providing reliable scientific evidence for investigative and legal processes.

He also highlighted the importance of strengthening research and training in forensic science. Many Nigerian universities currently lack the funding and infrastructure to offer complete undergraduate or postgraduate programs in areas such as forensic anthropology, DNA analysis, and crime scene investigation, a gap that forces aspiring experts to rely on collaborations with institutions abroad. By fostering a research-friendly environment and securing greater support from both government and private sectors, Nigerian institutions could produce homegrown experts capable of advancing forensic science in the country.

Awareness of forensic science’s role in criminal justice remains low among the general public and even among some security professionals. Studies have shown that a significant portion of Nigerians are unfamiliar with basic forensic concepts or the existence of tools such as DNA profiling and national forensic databases — tools that are common features of criminal justice systems in countries like South Africa and the United Kingdom.

Prof Oladipo also urged regular training and retraining programs to keep forensic practitioners updated with evolving scientific methods. According to him, continuous professional development is critical in a field where technological advances — from biometric databases to digital forensic tools — are transforming how crimes are investigated and solved.

The lecture was attended by academics, students, and professionals drawn to the intersection of science, identity, and justice, all of whom heard the professor make a compelling case for scientific innovation and institutional reform as central to Nigeria’s effort to contain crime and strengthen its justice system.

The event not only showcased Prof Oladipo’s expertise in human anatomy and forensic psychology but also positioned forensic science as a strategic national priority — one that could bring clarity to investigations, support victims and their families, and ultimately enhance public safety across Nigeria.

Nation

UPWA Hosts Colourful Inter-House Sports Fiesta

Published

3 days ago

February 27, 2026

The Tide

The University of Port Harcourt Women Association (UPWA) on Thursday staged a vibrant and memorable edition of its Annual Inter-House Sports Competition at the University of Port Harcourt Sports Village, drawing an impressive turnout of pupils, parents, staff and invited guests.

The event, organised by the UPWA International Group of Schools, brought together children from the pre-nursery, nursery and secondary sections in a colourful celebration of youth athleticism, discipline and teamwork. The arena came alive with cheers and excitement as pupils, clad in their various house colours, marched in a ceremonial parade before proceeding to compete in a wide range of track and field events, relays, novelty races and other team-based activities designed to promote physical fitness and healthy competition.

Declaring the competition open, the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Port Harcourt, Professor Owunari Georgewill, commended UPWA for sustaining a tradition that continues to nurture young talents beyond the classroom. He noted that sports remain a critical component of holistic education, helping to build resilience, confidence, leadership skills and social interaction among children.

In her remarks, the President of UPWA, Professor Udeme Georgewill, expressed appreciation to parents, teachers and members of the organising committee for their dedication and sacrifice in ensuring the success of the programme despite prevailing economic challenges. She described the event as a reflection of unity and collective effort within the school community.

“This is the first time White House is emerging overall winner, and that shows remarkable improvement and great sportsmanship,” she said. “We all had fun. It is not easy putting an event like this together considering the economic situation, but we are grateful to the parents for being part of this journey. The excitement everywhere is truly heartwarming.”

The competition featured spirited participation from the various houses, including Purple House, San Chicago Red House and White House, with pupils demonstrating strength, speed, coordination and teamwork. Parents and supporters filled the stands, cheering enthusiastically and adding colour to the spectacle, while teachers ensured orderliness and safety throughout the proceedings.

Professor Georgewill emphasized that the true essence of sports lies not merely in winning trophies but in participation and personal growth. “Sports is not just about winning. It is an avenue for growth, discipline and opportunity. The fact that a child is able to participate is already a win. Losing this year does not mean you cannot win next year. Keep trying,” she encouraged, urging pupils to see both victory and defeat as stepping stones to greater achievements.

She further observed that while there are many competing interests in the Nigerian sports sector, consistent grassroots investment remains essential for discovering and nurturing future champions.

The colourful ceremony culminated in medal presentations, trophy awards and group photographs, with UPWA executives, including Vice President I, Professor Adedamola Onyeaso, joining the participating teams to celebrate the day’s achievements.

The annual inter-house sports competition continues to stand as one of UPWA’s flagship events, reinforcing its commitment to balanced education, character formation and the promotion of healthy lifestyles among its pupils.