Nation
THE STATES
Benue
Many victims of last year’s flood disaster in Benue State have returned to the flood-affected areas, in spite of the State Government’s warning for people to stay away from the areas.
The victims, who are yet to benefit from the N500 million approved by the Federal Government for the flood victims, said they had no alternative than to return to the flood-affected areas.
One of the victims, Mr Dennis Igbana, said that the victims had no other option than to return to the areas affected by floods.
“Our situation is that of the abandoned child, we are treated as if we do not belong to this state or country, we are being abandoned as if we choose to be affected by flood. We cannot question God why we are citizens of Benue State, other states in the country such as Edo State, had released additional funds and shared to the victims, but government officials have decided to take away even the little, Mr President had given us,” he lamented.
Another victim, Mr Tyoyame Torkula, said that he had already completed planting his yam along the banks of the River Benue.
FCT
Alliance for Credible Elections (ACE), last Sunday urged opposition political parties involved in merger talks to evolve a new political ideology that would satisfy the yearnings and aspirations of Nigerians.
The General-Secretary of AEC, Mr Emma Ezeazu, made the call at a news conference in Abuja.
He said that Nigerians expected the emerging All Progressives Congress (APC) to use its manifesto to address the challenges facing the country such as distribution of national resources, poverty and unemployment.
“ It is important that the APC demonstrates convincingly to Nigerians that it is not just interested in grabbing power but in effecting real transformation in the quality of lives of ordinary Nigerians. “The APC must, therefore, show that it is not only offering superior value but that its idea of progressive politics unambiguously cuts an image distinct from the current dysfunction in Nigeria’s political arena,’’ he said.
Ezeazu also stressed the need for the APC to draft a constitution that would be issue-based with ideological orientation, and also strive to accommodate the concerns of vulnerable people, including women, youths and persons living with disabilities.
Gombe
The Parish Priest of St. James Catholic Church in Gombe State, Rev. Fr John Keane, has enjoined women to show love and care to their families and those outside their homes.
Speaking on Sunday, Keane also urged women to support their husbands to ensure a good upbringing of their children.
According to the cleric, they should also play their roles as mothers, as defined by the church and their traditions, so that society would develop.
Also speaking, President of the church’s Catholic Women Organisation (CWO), Mrs Eunice George, said the day was a unique one in the lives of women in the Christian faith.
George said mothers played significant roles in the church, and that was why the day was set aside to celebrate them as mothers of the society.
Kano
The Kano State Government plans to immunize about 6 million children against polio in the current round of the exercise.
The Public Relations Officer of the state’s Ministry of Health, Alhaji Isma’il Gwammaja, disclosed this last Sunday in Kano.
He stressed that the exercise had so far been successful, as it did not record any form of resistance in any part of the state.
Gwammaja also said that a state monitoring team, headed by the Commissioner for Health, Dr Abubakar Labaran, had visited Ungogo and Minjibir Local Government Areas to monitor the exercise.
He conveyed the team’s satisfaction with the conduct of the immunisation in the two local government areas that were toured since the onset of the exercise on Saturday.
The Information Officer of Fagge Local Government Council, Malam Salisu Kassim, also commended the manner in which the exercise was being handled in the area.
Kebbi
The Kebbi Agricultural and Rural Development Agency (KARDA), has cautioned farmers on the application of insecticides and chemicals, to prevent environmental degradation and human health hazards.
The Programme Manager in the agency, Alhaji Yahaya Haruna, gave the caution while speaking in Kalgo, Kebbi, recently.
Haruna observed that farmers engaged in the application of insecticides and chemicals without consulting extension workers from the agency.
He observed that some farmers had failed to realise the disparity between herbicides and insecticides to apply on the farmland, stressing that the extension workers would properly guide the farmers.
He, therefore, urged farmers to seek support and guidance from the agency, especially as collaborative efforts were being made with seed firms for the supply of sundry seeds, to ensure maximum yield.
Kogi
The National President, Old Boys Association, Our Lady of Apostles (OLS), Anyingba, Fidel Ogwuche, has commended a House of Representatives’ member, Tom Zakari, for donating educational materials to the school.
Egwuche made the commendation while receiving the items on behalf of the school last Sunday in Anyigba, Kogi State.
The items include, 20 computer sets, desks and chairs, a photocopy machine and two printers. Other items are two sets of split air conditioners, an internet dish, a 5 KV gasoline generator, a scanning machine, one spiral binding system, two standing fans and solar energy facilities.
He said with the digitisation of educational system in the country, the aid would immensely assist the students in updating their knowledge through research and e-learning.
Lagos
The Information Officer, South-West Zone of National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Mr Ibrahim Farinloye, on Sunday advised motorists to be more cautious while driving.
Speaking with newsmen in Lagos, he stressed that every driver on the highway had a responsibility to protect the road, the environment and his or her own life.
“There are traffic laws to be obeyed on the roads but it will interest you to know that many people still violate these laws to their own detriment,’’ he said.
Farinloye underscored the need for road users to obey all the traffic laws, as part of efforts to reduce accidents on the roads.
“We still have cases of people driving at night without headlight and people driving without the driver’s licence, such acts are not right,’’ he said.
He also urged all motorists and other road users to ensure that their vehicles were roadworthy and in good condition, particularly as the rainy season was fast approaching.
Niger
A Non-Governmental Organisation, Global Foundation, says it has expended N150 million in collaboration with the Niger Government to procure NECO exams scratch cards for extra-mural students.
The Secretary-General of the foundation, Alhaji Ibrahim Hussaini said in Minna that the amount was expended in the last five years.
He said the state government procured the scratch cards while the foundation distributed them to its committed extra-mural students attending lectures and tutorials in 53 lesson centres spread across the state.
According to the secretary-general, the programme would also enable the state meet its manpower requirement for growth and development.
He said the foundation started operating its lesson centres in 1997 through donations and the goodwill of wealthy individuals in the state, and disclosed that the foundation was also collaborating with individuals at the lesson centres which are named after them.
Ogun
The Ogun State Police Command says no student was killed by its men during a protest by students of Tai Solarin College of Education (TASCE), Omu-Ijebu on April 10.
The Command’s spokesperson, Mr Muyiwa Adejobi, said in Abeokuta last Friday that the protest took place and ended with no life lost.
Leaders of the institution’s students union had on Friday alleged at the state’s House of Assembly that police killed five of their colleagues during the protest.
Adejobi however said “the Command was taken aback to hear such a disgusting rumour.
“We hereby reiterate that no single student was killed by the police during the protest.
“The allegations by the students at the House of Assembly were just to appeal to sentiment and for other reasons known to them.’’
Plateau
The Plateau State Government has resolved to cushion the effects of the ongoing biometric capturing of workers by shelving the issue of variation in the interim and making blanket payment.
The state’s Head of Service, Mr Ezekiel Dalyop said in Jos last Friday that the issue of variation would still be tackled while officials found to have played a role in the delays would be penalised.
He said that the government had also given 15th of every month as deadline to all government MDAs to submit their variations and vouchers to the ICT unit of the supervising ministry, for timely payment of salaries.
The Head of Service said that more than 11,000 workers had been cleared and paid their salaries after undergoing the recent biometric exercise and that an additional 2,000 workers cleared by the Appeal Panel, would soon be paid.
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
