Nation
THE STATES
Adamawa
The member representing Mubi South
Constituency in Adamawa State House of Assembly, Alhaji Usman Lamorde, has
executed seven projects in areas of health, education and water supply.
Briefing newsmen in Yola on the projects
executed in his constituency, Lamorde said the projects which included
maternity ward in Mujara, earth dam in Gella, classrooms in Gude and industrial
borehole in Lamorde were executed with savings from his salary and allowances.
“The projects were executed from the
savings from my salary and allowances and not money for constituency projects
as many people are thinking,’’ Lamorde said.
The lawmaker also said that he secured
government job for about 50 people in his constituency within the past 10
months.
Lamorde tasked individuals and groups in
his constituency to always forward their genuine complaints to his constituency
office at Mubi where he said there were officials employed to attend to them.
Bauchi
The Bauchi State chapter of the CPC has
obtained an interim order restraining the Bauchi State Government and two
others from spending the local councils’ funds apart from payments of salaries.
The order, signed by Chief Judge of Bauchi State, Justice Ibrahim
Zango, was made available to newsmen on Tuesday in Bauchi.
The order listed the state government, the
Commissioner for Local Government Affairs and the Accountant-General as
respondents.
It restrained them from releasing,
approving or in any manner allowing the 20 caretaker chairmen and their
councillors from spending any fund belonging to the local councils.
It also restrained the respondents from
tampering with the funds whether in joint account with the first respondent or
any other account and in whatever manner pending the hearing and determination
of the original summons.
Similarly, the order restrained the
respondents from awarding any contract or executing any project or programme
using the funds of the councils in whatever manner possible.
Benue
The Benue State Government has placed an
order for 400 trucks of fertiliser to be distributed to farmers, the Special Adviser to the Governor on
Agriculture, Mr Emmanuel Atser, said.
Atser said in Makurdi on Monday that the
consignment would arrive in the state before Friday for the distribution to
start next week.
He said the fertiliser distribution would
be devoid of corruption.
“A committee has been set up to ensure
that, only genuine farmers are given the product and any committee member who
violates the rule by selling to businessmen, will be sanctioned,” he said.
The adviser appealed to farmers that were
not selected as beneficiaries of the N1 billion agriculture loan that was
disbursed to some farmers on April 27 to be patient with the government.
He said the government was working out
strategies where all farmers in the state irrespective of their status would
benefit from agricultural loans in record time.
Borno
The Borno Commissioner for Women Affairs,
Hajiya Inna Galadima, has denied claims that the state government had neglected
the Fatima Ali Sheriff Motherless Babies Home, Maiduguri.
The motherless babies home is the brain
child of the wife of the immediate-past governor of the state, Mrs Fatima Ali
Modu Sheriff.
Galadima said that the ministry had devoted
much attention to the upkeep of the home since the inception of the
administration.
She said, “The ministry has always lived up
to expectations, especially in the area of taking proper care of the less
privileged in the society.
“We cannot abandon the home in anyway,
because of its benefits to the under privileged in the society.”
She urged Journalists to always verify
their facts before going to press.
Kaduna
The Chief Medical Director of Ahmadu Bello
University Teaching Hospital (ABUTH), Zaria, Dr Lawal Khalid, has urged
Nigerians to imbibe the culture of hand washing to curtail spread of diseases.
Khalid made the call at the commemoration
of the “World Hygiene Day” in ABUTH in Zaria, Kaduna State, on Monday.
He said hand washing after every activity
would keep people fit and tidy and reduce the rate of infections.
Khalid pledged the readiness of the
hospital management to ensure the success of the hygiene programme and
commended the hospital committee for organising the enlightenment programme.
In her speech, Chairman, Infection Control and Prevention of
the Federal Ministry of Health, Dr Adibola Olayinka, said about 15, 000 health
centres had been inaugurated nationwide to support hand washing campaign.
Kebbi
The Executive Director of National Cereals
Research Institute, Baddegi, Niger, Dr Monday Ukungwu, has solicited
collaboration with the Kebbi Government to boost agricultural production.
Ukungwu was represented by Mr Theo Isah
during a courtesy call by the management staff of the institute on the Deputy
Governor of Kebbi, Alhaji Ibrahim Aliyu, in Birnin kebbi, on Monday.
He said the institute had played a vital
role in cereal production, especially in the area of research and capacity
building.
Ukungwu appealed to the state government to
support the institute with project vehicles, tractors and research grants.
Responding, the deputy governor said
modalities would be worked out for a closer relationship between the state and
the institute, especially considering that agriculture was a priority sector in
the state.
Kwara
Director of Labour and Management Relations,
Michael Imodu National Institute of Labour Studies, Ilorin, Mrs Omolara
Folorunsho, on Tuesday identified time management as crucial in the development
aspirations of any country.
Folorunsho spoke in Ilorin while declaring
open a three-day capacity building workshop organised by the Radio Kwara
chapter of Radio, Television and Theatre Arts Workers’ Union (RATTAWU).
The Director said there may not be positive
progress in developing countries unless citizens were determined to respect as
well as be conscious of time.
Folorunsho, who spoke on “Work Ethics and
Attitudinal Change for Organisational Effectiveness, ’’ claimed that ethics and
work attitude were non-negotiable in organisational efficacy.
“Unarguably, the issue of ethics is
explicitly critical to every strategic decision maker and employee in
organisations in successfully addressing the issue of effectiveness,’’ she
said.
Ogun
The former Minister for Commerce and
Industry, Sen. Jubril Marthins-Kuye, said on Tuesday that every effort was
being made to resolve the crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in
Ogun State.
Marthins-Kuye who made this known in an
interview in Ijebu-Ode, Ogun said the party had now realised that there was
need for all the members to be united.
It would be recalled that the National
Working Committee of the party had on April 18 dissolved the Ogun State PDP
Executive and directed the South-West National Vice Chairman of the Party, Mr
Segun On,i to take over the party structure.
Martins-Kuye said that though the crisis
has yet to be resolved, all hands were on deck to put the party together for a
strong electoral fight against the ACN.
“Every effort is being made to resolve the
crisis in the party in the state. I will not say that the crisis has been
resolved but I think all hands are on deck.
“Most of us now appreciate sincerely that
in unity we achieve success and in disunity we achieve failure.
We are trying our best to put PDP together
in the state so that we can give a good electoral fight to the ACN“.
Marthins-Kuye, a one-time Minister of State
for Finance and a Third Republic Senator, is one of the prominent leaders of
the party in the state.
Osun
The Osun Government has approved the
disbursement of relief materials worth N15 million to victims of a windstorm in
seven local government areas of the state.
The General Manager of Osun Emergency
Management Agency (OSEMA), Mr Segun Ajayi,
disclosed this in Osogbo on Tuesday.
He said no fewer than 285 houses were affected by the
windstorm which blew off their roofs and destroyed other valuables between
February and April.
“The affected areas are Ogunwo town in Iwo,
Moro,Yakoyo and Ipetumodu in Ife North, Ede North and South, Ikeyinwa town in
Obokun, Ejigbo and Osogbo Local Government Areas.
“We have visited the affected areas and
evaluated the degree of damage which is put at N15 million worth of materials
and the governor graciously approved it.
“The items to be disbursed included bundles
of roofing sheets, pieces of mattresses and cartons of roofing nails,’’ he said.
He said the approval was a demonstration of
Gov. Rauf Aregbesola’s commitment toward ameliorating the plight of victims of
natural disasters in the state.
Ajayi also assured that the distribution of
the relief materials would be carried out equitably among the victims.
According to him, the victims of five cases
of fire incidents that occurred between January and April will also benefit
from the gesture.
Ajayi added that the agency would soon
embark on a public enlightenment campaign to sensitise Osun residents on ways
of preventing flooding and other natural disasters.
He called on landlords and shop owners
across the state to examine the roofs of their houses and carry out necessary
maintenance.
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
