Nation
THE STATES
Borno
Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno State has mourned the death of elder statesman, Alhaji Bukar Mandara, describing him as a true nationalist and philanthropist.
Mandara died after a protracted illness at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH) last Sunday, and he was buried on Monday at the Gwange Cemetery in the Maiduguri metropolis.
Shettima, in a statement signed by his Special Adviser on Communications, expressed shock over Mandara’s death, saying he was a man who worked tirelessly for the interest of the less privileged. “I received the death of Mandara with a total shock, although as a Muslim we believe that death is a necessary end to all humans,’’ he said.
FCT
The Lagos State Christian Pilgrim Welfare Board has been adjudged the most outstanding state in the promotion of self-sponsorship of Christian pilgrimage in the 2012 exercise.
Executive Secretary, Nigerian Christian Pilgrims Commission (NCPC), Mr John-Kennedy Opara, announced this at the joint conference of states pilgrims’ welfare boards and the commission in Abuja.
Rivers State was honoured for sponsoring the highest number of pilgrims; Borno State was recognised for its resilience in sponsorship of pilgrims in spite of daunting challenges while Benue was adjudged the most organised state.
Opara said that the honoured states had been consistent in their contributions to the smooth conduct of the 2012 exercise, and noted that the recognition was aimed at spurring the boards to work harder.
He said that the NCPC was committed to encouraging states welfare boards to organise intending pilgrims in a manner that appealed to requirements of both Nigerian and Israeli authorities.
In his address, the Chairman of the commission, Most Rev Nicholas Okoh, charged the secretaries and chairmen of the states boards to work hard in improving the spirituality of pilgrims in their respective states.
Gombe
The Pantami Magistrates’ Court in Gombe State has sen- tenced five persons to one month imprisonment each with an option to pay N1,000 fine each for breaking traffic law.
They are Abubakar Umar of Bakin Kura, Bauchi; Idriss Audu of Kabusa of FCT and Yohana Kalim of Tula Wange, Kaltungo local government area of Gombe. Others are Saidu Kabir and Mohammed Garba both of Tudun Wada Quarters, Gombe.
The convicts were sentenced based on their guilty plea and plea for leniency. Police prosecutor Sardauna Pukuma had told the court that the convicts were arrested on April 6, at about 8 p.m.
He alleged that the convicts drove different types of vehicles on the Gombe-Bauchi Federal Highway and disobeyed Police officers on stop and search, stating that the offence contravened the provisions of section 62 (J) of the Road Traffic Regulation (RTR).
Jigawa
The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) last Tuesday, appealed to farmers in Jigawa State to ensure effective utilisation of facilities provided them by the fund to boost agricultural activities in the state.
The IFAD Country Programme Manager, Atsuko Tudo, made the call while presenting work bulls and other agricultural processing equipment to some farmers in Kiyawa local government area of the state.
IFAD had in March disbursed N180 million to 36 village areas to facilitate the implementation of its Community Based Agriculture and Rural Development Programme (CBARDP) in the state.
She said that the programme was designed to reduce poverty, provide means of livelihood and encourage agricultural activity and rural development.
Kaduna
Kaduna State branch of Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria (MHWUN) last Tuesday expressed concern over the lack of cooperation among workers in the health sector.
The chairman of the union in the state, Mr Emmanuel Wudiri, expressed the concern at a news conference in Kaduna to mark the union’s health week.
Wudiri said the situation had contributed to the series of failures in tackling the healthcare challenges in the country.
He stressed the need for synergy among health professionals to ensure effective and efficient health care services in the country.
Governor Rabi’u Kwankwaso of Kano State has assured non- indigenes resident in the state of adequate security of their lives and property.
Kwankwaso gave the assurance when the President-General of Ohaneze Ndigbo Worldwide, Chief Gary Nnachi, paid him a courtesy call in Kano last Tuesday.
The state Commissioner for State Affairs, Alhaji Aminu Abdussalam, who received the Igbo leader on behalf of the governor, said the state government would continue to accord priority to security to ensure economic growth and development of the state.
Katsina
The Police Commissioner in Katsina State, Alhaji Abdullahi Magaji, has confirmed the attack of a police station at Ingawa local government area in Katsina State,
Magaji told newsmen in Katsina last Tuesday, that the intention of the gunmen, he described, as robbers, was to take away the police arms, and stated that one of the Improvised Explosive Devises (IEDs) fell on the roof of the police station and ignited the fire that destroyed the building.
“There is no casualty on the part of the police, but some of the suspects escaped with wounds and we have recovered five IEDs and three motorcycles. “We are pursuing them and we have alerted our neighbouring states and we are going to arrest them, God willing,’’ the commissioner said.
An eyewitness said that the incident occurred at about 9.30pm on Monday, adding that the gunmen, numbering about 10, invaded the police station and threw several IEDs at the building, one of which detonated.
Kebbi
The Secretary to Kebbi State Government, Alhaj Nurudeen Kangiwa, says the state government would partner with recognised professional security outfits to enhance security in the state.
Represented by the Permanent Secretary, Special Services Department, Alhaji Sani Sarki, Kangiwa gave the assurance when he received officials of the National Peace Corps and National Vigilante Groups in Birnin Kebbi last Tuesday.
He commended the security outfits for their decision to enhance peace and security and peaceful co-existence, adding “we commend your resolve that is centred on preventive measures on security.”
The National Commandant of the Peace Corps, Dr. Dickson Akoh, said the corps was recognised by the Federal Ministries of Education and Youth Development, while UNESCO and the UN had recognised its training methods.
Lagos
A downpour in Lagos last Tuesday caused flooding in some parts of the metropolis, resulting in traffic gridlock on several roads, which left many commuters stranded at bus stops for hours.
Some of the affected areas include Ajegunle in Ikorodu, Ikotun, Ikorodu Road, Alaka, Carter Bridge, Mushin , Ebute-Meta and Ile-epo along the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway.
Some motorists and commuters said that the flood on some of the major roads resulted in some vehicles breaking down, which affected the free flow of traffic.
A civil servant, Mrs Mary Udoh, said she was stranded in the rain for hours because most of the commercial buses had parked for fear of getting damaged.
Governor Mu’azu Aliyu of Niger State has called on the Federal Government to increase the funding of the National Population Commission to enable it effectively discharge its duties.
Speaking in Minna at the workshop on the review and evaluation of the 2006 population and housing census, Aliyu noted that national planning and development have been frustrated by manipulation of census figures over the years in Nigeria.
According to the governor, the manipulation of census figures of the country’s population has made it impossible to get an accurate figure of the populace since 1963.
Aliyu said that many Nigerians see census only in terms of ‘sharing the cake’ based on the mono culture of ‘oil money’ instead of laying emphasis on ‘baking the cake’.
Ogun
An Abeokuta Chief Magistrates Court has remanded in Ibara Prison a 33-year-old security guard, Mulero Ogunleru, for allegedly beheading a mad woman.
The Police Prosecutor, A S P Paul Etusi, told the court that the accused committed the offence on January 28 at about 5 p.m. at Ishaga Orile in Abeokuta. He said that the accused unlawfully killed a woman by cutting off her head with a cutlass.
“ Ogunleru was sighted by several eye witnesses at the same spot where the madwoman was murdered earlier in the day. “ He was said to be playing with her”, Etusi said.
The prosecutor said the offence contravened Sections 316 and 319 of the Criminal Code Laws of Ogun, 2006. The accused, whose plea on the one-count charge of murder was not taken by the court, had no counsel.
Ondo
Governor Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo State in Akure,last Tuesday, enjoined the judiciary to ensure speedy dispensation of justice, to restore the hope of the masses.
Mimiko during the opening of a three-day stakeholders’ workshop organised by the state judiciary, expressed concern over the delay in dispensation of cases in the country, adding that the workshop would reverse the situation in the state. According to Mimiko, the procedure, which is affidavit evidence based, will avert lengthy cross examination of witnesses as they will now rely only on adoption of his affidavit.
“With this, many of the civil cases in our various high courts will now be quickly dispensed with.
Sotoko
The Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG), Zone 10, Sokoto, Alhaji Sule Mamman, said measures had been put in place to control the importation of arms.
Mamman said in Sokoto, last Tuesday, that officers were posted to border towns of Illelah, Sabon Birni, Isa, Gudu and Tangaza in Sokoto State.
He also said that some were deplored to Kamba, Kangiwa, Bagudu and Augie in Kebbi.
“They were briefed on security methods to be adopted to ensure the arrest and prosecution of those involved in the nefarious business.”
The Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) has commemorated the 15th anniversary of the release of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Environmental Assessment Report on Ogoniland, reaffirming its commitment to restoring the environment and improving the livelihoods of affected communities.
In a statement signed by the Project Coordinator, Prof Nenibarini Zabbey, to commemorate the anniversary, HYPREP described the anniversary as a significant milestone in Nigeria’s environmental restoration efforts, noting that the project has made remarkable progress in implementing the recommendations of the landmark UNEP report released on August 4, 2011.
The UNEP report had revealed extensive oil pollution across Ogoniland, severe environmental degradation, and serious public health risks resulting from decades of petroleum operations. It also recommended an initial $1 billion fund to commence the cleanup of the affected communities.
According to HYPREP, the Federal Government formally launched the Ogoni clean-up in 2016, while the Project Coordination Office was established in 2017 to drive the implementation of UNEP’s recommendations.
Zabbey said the current administration has continued to prioritise the project under the Renewed Hope Agenda.
Providing an update on the cleanup, the Project Coordinator disclosed that 30 of the 65 contaminated sites identified by UNEP have been fully remediated, while work is ongoing at several medium- and high-risk locations. It also stated that more than 1.5 million mangrove seedlings have been planted as part of what it described as the world’s largest restoration of oil-degraded mangroves, with over 1,000 hectares of shoreline already rehabilitated.
Zabbey further revealed that 49 Ogoni communities have been connected to potable water schemes through multiple water projects and booster stations aimed at providing safe drinking water across the region.
In the health sector, he said the 100-bed Ogoni Specialist Hospital in Kpite and the 43-bed Cottage Hospital in Buan are nearing completion, adding that several existing health facilities have been upgraded with modern medical equipment, while five ambulances have been donated to improve emergency healthcare services. The Project Coordinator also disclosed that a three-year human health biomonitoring study is being conducted in collaboration with the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).
On economic empowerment, Zabbey stated that the Project has created more than 8,000 direct jobs and trained thousands of Ogoni youths and women in various vocational and technical skills, including software development, cybersecurity, aviation, commercial diving, seafaring, mechatronics, and creative arts. The project also reported awarding scholarships to more than 1,000 students, providing grants to small businesses, and supporting persons living with special needs through skills acquisition programmes.
The statement further highlighted ongoing legacy projects, including the Ogoni Power Project and the Centre of Excellence for Environmental Restoration, which it said is about 96 per cent complete. HYPREP also welcomed the recent designation of the Ogoni Wetland as a Ramsar Site of International Importance and pledged to continue promoting biodiversity conservation and sustainable management of the ecosystem.
Marking the anniversary, Zabbey said the progress achieved over the past 15 years demonstrates the collective commitment of government, development partners, stakeholders, and local communities to restoring Ogoniland. He called for renewed collaboration to sustain the cleanup effort, promote environmental sustainability, and support the long-term development of the region. 3