Nation
THE STATES
Bauchi
Governor Isa Yuguda of Bauchi State on Tuesday expressed
sadness over a fresh outbreak of polio virus in the state.
Yuguda, who spoke at the launch of the May 2012 polio
immunisation, said that measures would be put in place to eradicate the disease
in the state.
He said that one
polio case was recently recorded after two years of sustained campaign.
“No single polio case was recorded in the last two or three
years in the state due to government’s commitment and sustained campaign.
“We have the required manpower, equipment and logistics to
eradicate polio and we should not allow diseases which we can control, to
continue killing our children,” Yuguda said.
He attributed the prevalence of the new case to cross-border
migration from neighbouring states
Yuguda urged women to sustain government efforts at
eradicating polio by sensitising their mates and sisters in rural communities
to the importance of immunisation, especially in eradicating polio.
Borno
The Borno Government is to distribute thermo stoves to
residents of the state to reduce dependence on firewood for cooking and
preserve the environment, an official said.
The commissioner for environment, Alhaji Hassan Mustapha
said in Maiduguri on Tuesday that the thermo stoves used ethanol as fuel, which
was environment-friendly.
“The ministry is working on plans to provide thermo stoves
using ethanol as fuel for residents of the state to reduce dependence on
firewood.
“The gesture is aimed at preserving the environment and
prevent desert encroachment,” he said. Mustapha said the ministry was also
raising some tree seedlings for planting to check desert encroachment.
“The ministry is engaged in the raising of over 20 million
assorted tree seedlings, including Acacia, Moringa Oleifera and Jatropha.
“We are also collaborating with some consultants to
establish the Jatropha value chain in the state,” he said.
Mustapha added that the ministry provided employment for
2,000 youths in the forestry sub-sector through various programmes.
Kaduna
The Kaduna State chapter of the Nigeria Union of Teachers
(NUT), on Tuesday said the state government would reinstate the 435 teachers
recently disengaged from service.
The teachers were disengaged for non-participation in the
teachers’ verification exercise carried out by the government and
irregularities in their appointments.
Chairman of the union, Mr. Audu Amba, said in Kaduna that
efforts were on to recall the affected teachers.
He said already the teachers had submitted their complaints
to the state government as directed by the Head of Service.
“The Head of Service has assured the union and the affected
persons that the state government will soon release names of those cleared for
reinstatement.
Kano
The Kano State government has provided N350 million to Rural
Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (RUWASA) to execute water supply and sanitation
projects this year.
Alhaji Garba
Durbunde, the Commissioner for Rural and Community Development, said in Kano on
Monday that the government made provision for the N350 million in its 2012
budget.
“The agency presented a number of work plans to the state
government for approval.’’
According to him, the projects include the construction and
installation of 50 new model windmill water solution schemes.
Others are payment of counterpart funding for the
rehabilitation of hand pump-operated boreholes as well as construction of
numerous hand pump, motorised and solar-powered boreholes in the state.
Kano
Kano State Scholarship Board says it will computerise its
operations for efficient service delivery.
The Executive Secretary of the Board, Alhaji Usman Ririwai,
said in Kano recently that all necessary arrangements had been completed for
the take-off of the exercise.
Ririwai said that the measure was necessary to avoid cases
of lost of documents and misplacement of vital information being experienced in
the board and other organisations.
“The Board intends to establish a central data base and a
research unit to enable us have information on our finger tips at all times,”
he said.
On the non-payment of scholarship allowances to some
students in the state, Ririwai said that the present board had inherited “a
sieable amount of debt of unpaid students’ allowances”.
Katsina
The wife of Katsina State Governor, Hajiya Fatima Shema, has
distributed 68 special-breed goats to 34 women to encourage them in animal
husbandry.
She said, “The
distribution of the goats was aimed at introducing animal husbandry among women
in the state with a view to improving their socio-economic well being.”
Shema, represented by Hajiya Indo Bilya Sanda, who
distributed the goats in Katsina on Tuesday, explained that the goats were
given free of charge to the women selected from the three senatorial districts
of the state.
The programme, she said, was a collaborative effort of her
NGO, Service to Humanity Foundation and the state’s Ministry of Agriculture.
Shema urged the beneficiaries to rear the goats so that they
could multiply rapidly.
Kebbi
The Kebbi Government has said that it will support the Power
Holding Company Nigeria (PHCN) improve power supply for social and economic
activities in the state.
The Kebbi Commissioner for Water Resources and Rural
Development, Alhaji Abdullahi Bunza, made the pledge recently
in Birnin Kebbi during his visit to the Business Department of the
company.
He said that the continued load shedding of electricity in
the state had retarded social and economic activities. According to him,
investors are not keen to invest in the state because of the problem while
costs of social services have gone up due to irregular power supply.
Responding, the PHCN Business Manager, Alhaji Umar Aliyu,
explained that load shedding was sequel to the population increase and
inability of the two available 7.5 MVA transformers to satisfy demands.
He called on the state government to provide an additional
transformer within the metropolis to improve power supply.
Nasaraw
The Nasarawa State Government will start the distribution of
affordable drugs to 18 general hospitals across the state, the Commissioner for
Health, Dr Emmanuel Akabe, has said.
Akabe said in an
interview, Tuesday in Lafia that the drugs would be distributed under the
government’s drug revolving scheme to be inaugurated soon by Gov. Umaru
Almakura.
He said the scheme was aimed at providing quality health
care to the people of the state, adding that the healthcare system needed
urgent intervention.
“The facilities are dilapidated, equipment and manpower are
not there; you can imagine in some of the general hospitals I visited, there
were no doctors. In some cases, you have only two or three nurses; most
hospitals cannot run routine test so you can see the situation we have,’’ he
said.
Akabe explained that the scheme would ensure the
availability of drugs to patients directly from the manufacturers or their
representatives.
Ondo
The Ondo State Commissioner for Agriculture, Mr. Ademola
Olorunfemi, recently said that the
government bought additional 72 tractors in the last three years to boost food
production.
Olorunfemi, who said that the number of tractors in the
state had increased to 129.
He appealed to farmers to avail themselves of the use of the
tractors to enable them embrace mechanised farming to boost food production in
the state.
He said that the provision of additional tractors would
increase the number of Tractor Hiring Units in some parts of the state to give
farmers’ access to the use of the machines
“With this development, every farmer in the state can now
rent the tractors regardless of his location because the units are spread all
over the state,’’ he said.
Ondo
In pursuit of its rural development programme, the Ondo
State Government has embarked on the execution of 345 rural development
projects at a cost of about N3 billion.
The state
Commissioner for Community Development and Co-operatives, Mr Clement Faboyede,
said in Akure on Tuesday that 260 of the projects had been completed and
delivered to the communities.
Faboyede, who said other projects were at various stages of
completion, pointed out that the projects tagged “Quick Win” were executed to
the tastes of the communities.
He said that the government did not just execute them, but
with the consent of each community and what they required after due negotiation
and consultations with the people.
The commissioner said that the ministry had just completed
another round of a need assessment survey for quick win projects in another 40
communities in preparation for award of the contracts.
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
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