Nation
THE STATES
Bauchi
Bauchi State Government has spent N2 billion to procure essential text books for schools in the state, the Deputy Governor Alhaji Sagir Saleh, said.
Saleh stated this at the inauguration of the 2012 Professional Teachers’ Development Programme in Bauchi.
Saleh, who represented Governor Isa Yuguda, said that apart from the textbooks, the government had also provided 600 hand pumps, 260,000 twin desks and recruited 2,000 teachers.
According to him, 2,000 blocks of classrooms and toilets were either constructed or renovated to improve the standard and quality of education in the state.
Benue
The General Manager (GM), Benue State Environmental Sanitation Agency (BENSESA), Mr Ediga Akpa,has attributed his inability to create a green and serene environment in the State to lack of fund.
The GM said the agency needed N30 million to meet her task of keeping the state clean.
Akpa pointed out that the money would be used to procure equipment that could be used in cleaning and sanitising the state.
He also lamented that the agency was understaffed, adding that at present the agency had only 16 staff.
He said that BENSESA is a revenue generating agency and that if properly financed, would provide huge revenue and employment opportunities for the state.
Borno
In its bid to encourage school enrolment, the Borno Government said it will soon commence the distribution of free uniforms to students in public schools.
Governor Kashim Shettima stated this when he paid an unscheduled visit to the Government Girls Technical College (GGTC), Damboa, in Borno.
Shettima also said the state government had put in place mechanism to improve on the quality of food to students in public schools.
“By next month, our new feeding arrangement will take off in public schools where the quality and quantity of food given to students will be improved upon. The state government will also provide all needed learning materials to schools to enhance teaching and learning environment”, he said.
FCT
Nigerians have lauded the introduction of “Drink the Content: Destroy the Can (DCDC)’’ by the National Orientation Agency (NOA).
The agency launched the campaign against the background of the use of cans by criminals to make explosives.
An official of Federal Road Safety Commission, Mr Dayo Akinola, said that all Nigerians must ensure that they destroyed cans after consumption the contents.
He said that if all patriotic Nigerians supported the campaign, the use of cans in the making of bombs would reduce drastically.
Gombe
A Bogo Magistrates’ Court in Gombe granted bail to a 21-year-old man, Mohammed Musa, who was arraigned for criminal conspiracy and witchcraft.
Musa is of Tumu village in Pindiga District, Akko Local Government Area of Gombe State.
Reading the First Information Report (FIR), the Prosecutor, Mr Bako Shekari, said the accused had, on June 26, at about 4 p.m., conspired with one Jarma, now at-large, to commit the offences.
Shekari said that the accused used witchcraft and inflicted sickness on one Ya’u Abdullahi, of same address, adding that that made the victim unable to walk.
The accused pleaded not guilty when the charges were read to him and asked the court to grant him bail.
Jigawa
Governor Patrick Yakowa of Kaduna State has advised governors of states in the Northern part of the country to invest more in agriculture to tackle poverty in the region.
Yakowa, who gave the advice when he visited his Jigawa counterpart, Alhaji Sule Lamido, in Dutse noted that the North is blessed with natural resources such as solid minerals and fertile soil for agriculture.
“We are endowed with natural resources, the north has potential in all sectors but unfortunately, the region is now faced with challenges of terrorism and ethno-religious misunderstanding. We, the governors from the north must come together to restore the hope and values of the region for the benefit of the people that elected us.”
Kaduna
Kaduna State is to spend its allocation of the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P) on security and agriculture, a top government official said on Monday.
The Information Commissioner, Alhaji Sa’idu Adamu, said this to newsmen in Kaduna after a special executive council meeting that deliberated on a report from its committee on subsidy reinvestment. The committee is headed by the state Deputy Governor, Alhaji Mukhtar Ramalan Yero.
Adamu said that other sectors that had been identified for reinvestment were health, education, women and youth empowerment as well as the provision of infrastructure.
Kano
Twelve of the 40 members of Kano State House of Assembly have protested against the amendment of the Ramadan and Ram bonus law of the state by the Assembly.
The House in Kano amended the law by making it optional for the state government to pay the bonus.
AlhajiAbdulwahab Garba, a Member of the Public Service Committee, made the view of the 12 known to newsmen after the House amended the law.
“The House had earlier amended the law and given approval for only civil servants on grade levels 01- 13 to benefit from the bonus”.
He said the 12 legislators, including two from the ruling PDP, would support the workers if they chose to challenge the amended law in the court.
Kebbi
Governor Saidu Dakingari of Kebbi has approved the constitution of a committee to conduct staff audit of local education authorities in all the local government areas across the state.
The Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Alhaji Abubakar Dakingari, announced this in Birnin Kebbi.
He said the 12-member committee, to be headed by Sen. Abubakar Abdullahi, has one month to come out with its findings, adding that the committee was mandated to look into the nominal rolls, verify staff appointments as well as the grade levels and steps of each staff of local education authorities.
According to the governor’s spokesman, the committee’s report will facilitate the implementation of the N18,000 minimum wage at the local government level.
Kogi
Kogi State Government has been advised to formulate risk reduction and emergency preparedness policy to forestall risks, hazards and disaster situations.
The advice was given in a communiqué issued at the end of a one-day interactive meeting of stakeholders on ‘Human Security in Conflict Emergencies in Kogi State’ organised by Action Aid on Monday in Lokoja.
The session was organised in collaboration with Participation Initiative for Behavioural Change in Development (PIBCID).
Other particpants included the Centre for Human Rights and Conflict Resolution (CHRCR), Lokoja , stakeholders from Adavi and Igalamela Local Government Areas, Civil Societies, security agencies and the media.
Lagos
Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos inaugurated the board of the state Office of Disability Affairs responsible for protecting the interests of people with special needs.
The seven-man board includes a blind person and three crippled people. The boarded is headed by Mrs Tolulope Animashaun.
Fashola said at the inauguration in Ikeja that the board and the office should ensure that people with disabilities were not discriminated against.
The governor said that although Nigeria’s Constitution prohibited all forms of discriminations against people with disabilities, the society had not done much to adequately protect their interests.
He said that the government enacted the People with Disabilities Law in 2011 in an effort to correct the imbalance.
Ondo
A chieftain of the Labour Party in Ondo State, Dr Kayode Ajulo, has advised the Ondo State House of Assembly to enact laws to check electoral malpractice.
Ajulo said in Akure that such laws had become imperative to curb the excesses of lawless politicians.
He said such laws should classify electoral offences and recommend severe punishment that would discourage people from committing electoral offences in the state.
“Some desperate politicians have succeeded in subverting the wishes of the electorates in our society. “This ugly situation has made them unaccountable to the people while occupying public offices because they are not the choice of the people,’’ Ajulo said.
Osun
As part of its plan to provide adequate security for tourists and investors, the Osun Government is to create a data base on all hotels in the state.
The Commissioner for Home Affairs, Culture and Tourism, Mr Sikiru Ayedun, disclosed this while briefing news men on the activities of his ministry.
Ayedun said the exercise would enable government to monitor the activities of the hotels and provide adequate security for their customers.
He said the recent inspection of some hotels in the state revealed that most of the attendants, receptionists, bar men and managers did not have adequate training for the hospitality business.
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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