Nation

THE STATES

Published

13 years ago

February 20, 2013

Ekiti

The police have arraigned two men, Sunday Eyinafe, 23 and Adepoju Odunayo, 20, before an Ado-Ekiti Chief Magistrates’ Court for alleged assault.

The police prosecutor, Cpl. Curtis Enabulele, told the court that the accused committed the offence on February. 13 at Sabo Area of Ado-Ekiti.

According to him, the accused persons unlawfully assaulted two police officers, Akpamu Nicholas and Faluyi Olalekan, by biting and beating them while performing their official duties.

He alleged that the accused stole one Samsung cell phone worth N21,000 and another item valued at N10,000 belonging to Nicholas.

FCT

The Methodist Archbishop of Abuja, Rev. Chimaroke Iweha, has charged Christians and Muslims to lead godly lives that will impact positively on the society.

Iweha spoke with newsmen last Sunday, in Abuja, after the presentation of the new Abuja Diocesan Lay President of the Church, Mr David Fadairo

Iweha urged adherents of the two faiths to reflect and practise their beliefs and teachings not only in their places of worship but wherever they found themselves.

“Our problem is that we leave God in the Church and our various places of worship, with the feeling that it is the only place we can see God.

Gombe

The Gombe State Government says it will meet the 2015 Millenium Development Goals’ (MDGs) aspirations and the yearnings of the people of the state.

The state Commissioner for Water Resources and Environment, Alhaji Idris Mahadi, said this while speaking to newsmen in Gombe recently.

Mahadi said that the state government had continued to execute projects inherited from the previous administration.

According to him, the state government, in collaboration with the MDGs office, had awarded contracts for the drilling of solar boreholes in over 60 locations in the state.

Jigawa

Alhaji Muhammad Sambo, the Coordinator, National Directorate of Employment (NDE) in Jigawa has praised Governor Sule Lamido, for allocating 30 hectares of land to the directorate.

Sambo, who made the commendation in Dutse in an interview with newsmen, said that public works and housing units would be constructed on the 30 hectares land.

He said that the houses would be constructed on a two-bedroom and three-bedroom categories.

The coordinator said that the project would be financed by the Federal Mortgage Bank in collaboration with the directorate.

Kaduna

The Kaduna Agricultural Development programme (KADP) says it has registered more than 687 women groups under the KADP cooperatives project, to address the challenges of food security.

The Head of Women in Agriculture in the KADP, Mrs. Debora Bakut, told newsmen in Kaduna that the cooperative groups were registered to be able to access farm inputs and financial support.

Bakut said the groups were eligible to benefit from both the Federal and State Government soft loans to smallholder farmers and the newly introduced e-wallet fertiliser scheme, to enhance food production.

Katsina

President Goodluck Jonathan has given the assurance that the Federal Government will adequately fund and equip Nigerian universities to meet world standards and enhance development.

Jonathan gave the assurance at the maiden convocation ceremony of Umaru Musa Yar’adua University, Katsina.

“Our universities must be equipped and modernised to be able to play their role in nation building and compete with other universities in the world.’’

Jonathan, who was represented by the Vice Chancellor of Federal University, Dutsin-ma, Prof. James Ayatse, said the government planned to establish a research and education network to provide national bandwidth and Internet backbone for universities.

Kwara

The IIorin East Local Government Council in Kwara has commenced the rehabilitation of 20 rural roads to boost socio-economic activities of the area.

The Chairman of the Council, Hajiya Aminat Ishola, disclosed this in an interview with newsmen in Oke-Oyi, headquarters of the council.

Ishola said that more than 40 per cent of work on the roads spread across the 12 wards of the council had been achieved.

She listed some of the roads as Apado, Iponrin, Maya and Ile-Apa, among others.

She said that some of the groups would also benefit from the Bank of Agriculture loans as well as the World Bank Commercial Agriculture programme in the state.

Lagos

Prof. Nnenna Okore of Arts Department, North Park University, Chicago, USA, said on Sunday that the mindset of Nigerian youths could be changed for the better through creative arts.

Okore, who made the disclosure in an interview with newsmen in Lagos, said that changing the mindset of youths through arts was very vital for the country’s development.

The Professor said that engaging youths to develop their skills through the arts would also promote a better awareness of Nigerian arts internationally.

“It will also improve the level of intellectual pursuit in the visual arts sector.

Niger

The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Gen. Azubuike Ihejirika, says the Nigerian Army will establish a “reserve force’’ to be able to respond to emergency situations quickly.

“We want a situation where if there are some emergencies, we will have a force we can just call upon and immediately there will be response, whether the emergency is internal or external,’’ Ihejirika told newsmen in Kontagora.

“About 600 of the 2,904 soldiers who just graduated from the basic counter terrorism course at the Nigerian Army Training Centre in Kontagora will form the basis of the reserve force.

Osun

The Public Affairs Manager, Power Holding Company of Nigeria, Osogbo Business Unit, Mr Timothy Adesanya has said that there is adequate power supply in the area.

Adesanya told newsmen in an interview recently that the allegation in some quarters that there was a drop in power supply in the Osun State capital was not true.

He explained that the company was working hard to ensure there was stable supply of electricity across the country.

He said, “such an allegation that there is a decline in the supply of electricity in Osogbo as far as I am concerned is spurious and it is not objective in any way”.

Plateau

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Plateau has tasked its youth wing to embrace democratic ideals and also keep abreast of developments so as to remain relevant.

The state Assistant Organising Secretary of the party, told some youths in Jos that they must seek out and understand what was expected of them as key vanguards of the party.

“The party undergoes all kinds of reforms on a daily basis and it is incumbent on all of you to be in tune with the changes.

“You must also get the party’s constitution so as to know the roles assigned to the local, state and federal levels,’’ he said.

Zamfara

The Zamfara House of Assembly has urged the state government to reconstruct the Birnin-Magaji road connecting Magami-Gabake road to Mesa-Teke and Barkeji and terminating at Zurmi.

The House passed the resolution following the motion by Alhaji Rufai Chiroma (Kaura-Namoda north), saying the people of the area had suffered a lot due to the poor condition of the road.

Chiroma further noted that farmers and business men in Kaura Namoda Local Government Area could hardly carry out their activities during rainy season owing to difficulty in transporting their goods and services.

He said that the roads were not motorable and that movement from Kaura Namoda to Zurmi as well as Birnin-Magajii local government areas for economic activities was almost impossible during the rainy season.

Nation

Kwara Community Residents Flee Over Persistent Bandits’ Attacks

Published

2 days ago

March 30, 2026

The Tide

Residents of Omugo Community in Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara State have deserted their homes due to persistent bandit attacks.
The Tide’s source reports that the once lively community has turned into a ghost town with only a few domestic animals left.
Reports indicate that the recent bandits’ attack on the Omugo ECWA Church via Oro-Ago, led to the abduction of eight worshippers including the wife of the pastor in charge.
Three persons escaped out of the eight abductees with a N1billion ransom placed on the remaining victims in captivity. The community could only gather N1million which was rejected by the bandits.
Last week, the armed bandits invaded Oro-Ago community, killed one vigilante man identified as Baba Ibeji and injured his younger brother known as Ajere.
A Point of Sales, PoS, shop directly opposite the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps, NSCDC, Divisional office, was broken into by the bandits.
The gunmen also attacked the NSCDC office and sprayed bullets on the facility, though no casualty was recorded.
In earlier attacks on Oro-Ago environs, armed bandits ambushed a convoy between Oro-Ago and Oke-Ayan in Ilere district of Ifelodun Local Government Area and killed two local hunters on escort duty.
On Saturday, there was tension in Oro-Ago following a security alert that armed bandits were regrouping to launch fresh attacks on the community.
All security formations were, however, placed on ‘Red Alert’ to forestall the planned attack.

Nation

Acting Provost Dismisses Alleged Missing Equipment Claims at Rivers Health College

Published

2 days ago

March 30, 2026

The Tide

The Acting Provost of the Rivers State College of Health Science and Management Technology, Dr. (Mrs.) Peace Chigozirim Amadi has refuted claims circulating in the media suggesting that laboratory equipment went missing from the college.

In a recent statement, Dr. Amadi described the reports—particularly those attributed to certain publications—as false and misleading. She emphasized that all laboratory equipment at the college remain intact.

“I am here to set the record straight. No laboratory equipment disappeared from my college. Nothing is missing,” Dr. Amadi said, challenging anyone with contrary claims to provide evidence, including the names of the equipment and their supposed locations.

She further noted that the college recently underwent an accreditation exercise, during which significant investments were made in laboratory equipment. According to Dr. Amadi, these items are fully accounted for, and the college maintains a robust security system to protect its assets.

“Everything is intact. Nothing disappeared. The information being circulated is false and should be discarded,” she reiterated.

Beyond addressing the allegations, Dr. Amadi also called on media practitioners to exercise professionalism and verify stories before publication. “I want to plead with journalists to always verify their stories. Junk journalism does not help anyone. No matter the information you receive, it is important to hear the other side before publishing,” she said.

While social media posts have occasionally raised concerns about various issues in the region’s health education sector, including extortion and examination malpractice at related institutions, there is no independent evidence from credible news sources confirming that equipment went missing from Rivers State College of Health Science and Management Technology.

The college, a public tertiary institution based in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, is accredited to offer a variety of health-related programs, including Nursing, Midwifery, Laboratory Technology, and Environmental Health. It has consistently emphasized integrity, safety, and transparency in its operations.

Dr. Amadi’s statement seeks to reassure the public, students, and stakeholders that the college remains secure, well-managed, and free from the alleged equipment losses, while urging journalists to prioritize accuracy in reporting.

Nation

HYPREP Reaffirms Commitment to Safe Water Supply In Ogoni

Published

1 week ago

March 23, 2026

The Tide

As the world commemorates World Water Day, the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) has reaffirmed its commitment to providing potable water across Ogoni communities, in line with the recommendations of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Report on the Ogoni Environment.

In a statement issued by its Project Coordinator, Nenibarini Zabbey, on March 22, 2026, HYPREP noted that this year’s theme, “Water and Gender,” alongside the campaign slogan, “Where Water Flows, Equity Grows,” underscores its resolve to extend potable water supply beyond oil-impacted communities to all Ogoni communities.

Zabbey emphasized that access to clean water is a fundamental human right, adding that HYPREP remains committed to ensuring inclusive and equitable water access across the region.

He disclosed that the agency has successfully provided potable water to over 43 communities in Ogoni, while ongoing Phase 3 water projects are expected to benefit an additional 17 communities. He also highlighted steady progress on windmill-powered water projects in less populated areas, particularly in Khana Local Government Area.

According to him, the K-Dere Water Project, which is over 99 percent complete, will be commissioned in the coming weeks, even as work continues on other water schemes across Ogoni.

Zabbey further noted that HYPREP’s interventions are aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 6, which focuses on ensuring the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all by 2030.

To ensure sustainability, he explained that the agency has adopted a joint management model involving host communities, the Rivers State Ministry of Water Resources and Rural Development, and the Rivers State Small Towns Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (RSSTOWA). He added that Water Consumers’ Associations have been established in communities such as Nchia and Eleme, alongside training programmes conducted in collaboration with non-governmental organisations.

The Project Coordinator stressed the importance of community ownership and protection of water facilities, echoing the call by the Minister of Environment, Balarabe Abbas Lawal, for residents to safeguard the infrastructure provided in their areas.

Zabbey expressed optimism that the ongoing efforts will significantly improve access to safe drinking water, reduce waterborne diseases, and enhance public health outcomes across Ogoni communities.