Nation
THE STATES
Bauchi
The Executive Director of the National Primary HealthCare Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr. Ado Mohammed, has attributed increased cases of Vesico Vaginal Fistula (VVF) to poor attendance of ante-natal care by women.
Mohammed made the statement on Saturday at Talba Village, in Jama’are Local Government Area of Baucghi State while inaugurating a 40-bed Primary Health Centre built by NPHCDA.
He said most VVF patient at Ningi VVF Centre were girls between the ages of 14 and 17 years.
He urged husbands to always encourage their wives to attend ante-natal clinic and also to send their wives to nearby health facilities during delivery to avoid becoming victims of VVF.
Mohammed said that the Talba cenre was conceived in 2009 when the agency discovered that the area lacked such health facilities.
He said midwives would be posted to the centre while equipment for the centre had already been acquired and would soon be delivered to the centre for the full take-off of the centre.
He said that the inauguration of the centre would reduce maternal and child mortality in the area considering the long distance between Talba and Jama’ are General Hospital.
Ekiti
Ekiti State Government is to provide N3.2 billon to improve water and sanitation in the state, Governor Kaode Fayemi has announced in Ado Ekiti.
Speaking at a stakeholders forum on water supply, Fayemi said government had already provided N100 million to improve sanitation in 2011.
He said his administration was working towards improving the existing water scheme as well as the construction of new ones, adding that strategies were being worked out to provide a sustainable water supply system.
One of the strategies is the engagement of development partners such as the World Bank, European Union and the African Development Bank, he said.
FCT
An optometrist with the Bwari General Hospital, Dr Ochei Louis, has condemned the use of eye drops, without prescription.
He said speaking to newsmen in Bwari on glaucoma, the eye disease that makes people blind.
“ I believe from my experience as an optometrist that the cause of glaucoma is the poverty level of so many Nigerians.
“They indulge in self medication, some just ask their friends the name of drugs they used for certain eye problems and go for them instead of getting their eyes properly checked by an optometrist.
“Glaucoma is an increase in the pressure of the eye, ‘hypertension’ of the eye so to say, and there are two types; open and closed angle glaucoma, which is a silent killer that can make one blind within a short time.”
He said a combination of things resulted in this high pressure of the eye, especially when the tube where the eye fluid is supposed to flow through is blocked, the pressure could build up.
Gombe
The Gombe State 2012 Hajj Committee has suspended the sale of forms for this year’s pilgrimage in Gombe town until further notice, says the Chairman, Alhaji Yaya Hammari.
Hammari told newsmen in Gombe that the decision was taken due to the rowdy situation created by intending pilgrims at the Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board.
Six women sustained serious injuries following a disagreement among pilgrims on the modalities for the sale of the forms.
He explained that while some of them wanted the officials to use a list compiled the previous day, others insisted they should use the queue, leading to a serious disagreement.
According to him, the applicants abandoned the queue and forced themselves into the premises of the board and in the process, pulled down the gate leading into the premises.
Jigawa
Traders in Dutse are counting their losses due to power outages, our correspondent reports.
A cross section of traders who spoke to our correspondent in Dutse on Sunday said they had lost a lot to the outages.
A fish seller, Mrs Ifeoma Obi, said due to unstable power supply, she had to sell fish worth N400 for half the price because of a lack of preservation equipment.
Obi said the fish got rotten after five days of power outage. “I did not make up to N3,000 from the N8,000 I spent purchasing a carton of fish”.
Another trader, Malam Ali Adamu, who sells soft drinks, complained of low patronage which he attributed to the power problem.
Kaduna
Director-General of National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM), Mallam Yusuf Usman, said efforts were underway to boost the Nok area as a World Heritage site.
Usman, who disclosed this on Saturday during a stakeholders meeting with the Nok local community in Kaduna State, said it was in line with the proposal of National Tourism Master plan.
“Unfortunately, the Nok archaeological sites became victims of unprecedented looting especially in the nineties when some of these sculptures were illegally exported.
“The need to embark on scientific studies became very urgent in the face of this threat.’’
Usman said the commission entered into a partnership with the institute for African Archaeology and Archaeo-botany of the Goethe University Frankfurt in 2005.
Kogi
Kogi Director of Primary Health Care, Dr Funmi Balogun has warned against the non-challant attitude of some mothers to immunisation programmes against the major five child killer diseases.
Speaking in an interview with newsmen in Lokoja, Balogun observed that some mothers took the BCG immunisation at birth, only for them to ignore others.
She said the essence of immunisation was to avoid the child-killer diseases and check infant mortality rate.
Balogun also urged mothers to immunise their children against diphtheria, measles, polio and yellow fever, among others.
The director said that the first phase of the immunisation programme for this year had just been concluded adding that the second phase would soon commence.
The PHC director also decried the lack of awareness among mothers to register their babies with the National Population Commission (NPC) at birth, obtain birth certificates and help government have accurate data on population.
Lagos
Some youths, operating small-scale businesses in the Lagos metropolis, have complained about the high cost of doing business owing to the current epileptic public power supply.
Some of the youths, who spoke in separate interviews with newsmen in Lagos, said public power supply remained a major challenge to efforts to sustain their businesses.
Mr Anthony Emmanuel, a Pay-phone operator who also charges phone batteries in the Kakawa area of Lagos Island, said that PHCN electricity supply was inadequate and that it was negatively affecting his business.
Niger
The Niger State Polytechnic, Zungeru, has matriculated 1,376 students for the 2011/2012 academic session.
In his speech at the occasion, Alhaji Mohammed Garba, the Rector of the Polytechnic, warned the students not to be involved in cultism.
Garba warned that the management of the institution would not hesitate to dismiss any student found to be involved in cultism, instead of facing his/her academic pursuit.
He also warned that students who did not attain 75 per cent attendance in their lectures would not be allowed to sit for their examination.
Oyo
The Publicity Secretary of Ansar-ud-deen Society of Nigeria, Alhaji Muibi Adebanjo, has urged the National Assembly to evolve appropriate legislation that would revamp the education sector.
Adebanjo told newsmen in Ibadan that the development of the education sector was being hindered by inconsistencies in policies and discrimination.
He said the inconsistencies were caused by changes which came with the transition from military rule to pluralist democracy.
“ Ghana ’s educational policy has been consistent over the years since independence, hence the high quality remains,’’ he said.
Adebanjo, who is also the Chairman, Al-ilmu Schools, further condemned the discrimination against certain categories of certificates in favour of university degrees.
He further said: “Where do we put the remaining one million students that would not be catered for in the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board examination if only 500,000 students would be provided admission. ’’
Adebanjo appealed to government at all levels to ensure that the existing educational institutions were adequately equipped for practicals and research.
Plateau
The Plateau Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) says it has arrested a café operator, who allegedly issued a fake Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination registration slip to a candidate in Jos.
Mr. Desmond Agu, the Commander, told newsmen that the candidate, Vincent Bello, was also arrested.
“The duo were parties to a fake UTME registration slip and shall be investigated,’’ he said.
Bello had earlier presented the slip for Saturday’s UTME examination but was sent out of the hall and immediately arrested at the Plateau Polytechnic Centre I after it was discovered that the slip was fake.
A distraught Bello led the NSCDC officials to the café, where the operator was also picked.
Agu said that the owner of the café, located in Bukuru, Jos South Local Government of Plateau, had disowned the slip and claimed that the candidate lied against him.
He said that the fake slip was the only incident recorded during the examination and scored JAMB 98 per cent for conducting what he described as “the most successful UTME test“ in the country.
Sokoto
Secretary Aliyu Magatakarda Advocacy Group (AMAG) an NGO, Alhaji Abubakar Yabo, on Saturday called for intelligence sharing among security agencies in the fight against terrorism.
Yabo told newsmen in Sokoto that collaborative effort would enable the security agencies check the activities of the terrorists.
He said that information sharing among the security agencies will enable them come out with great ideas in confronting the security challenges without hindrance.
He expressed confidence in the ability of the security officers to tackle the nation’s internal security challenges.
Yabo called for the re-training of security officers to update their knowledge to ensure productivity.
Nation
Accolades, Fanfare As Ogbakor Ikwerre President General Celebrates 80th Birthday

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.
Nation
Ensure That Ogoni Is Heard In The Right Way, HYPREP Urges Creative Arts Trainees

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.
Nation
NYCOP Urges Stakeholders To Develop, Empower Ogoni Youths

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
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