Nation
THE STATES
Benue
The Benue State Government last Monday said that
retired civil Servants in the state were being owed gratuities amounting to N7.4 billion.
The Head of Service, Mr Terna Ahua, disclosed in Makurdi, that the debts dated back to 1995 and represented unpaid gratuities, owed either to retired civil servants or their next of kin.
Ahua said that it was unfortunate that during the military era, many public servants were relieved of their jobs, even when there were no resources to settle their benefits.
FCT
Commercial drivers at Abuja’s Jabi Motor Park have
lamented the dearth of passengers for them in recent times, blaming this on “illegal parks’’ and dwindling spending power of many Nigerians.
Some of them told our source last Sunday that “the poor state of the country’s economy’’ could be particularly responsible for the situation.
They said there was a paucity of cash in circulation in the last one month, pointing out that many Nigerians have as a result refrained from spending as before.
Jigawa
The Independent National Electoral Commission
(INEC) last Sunday announced Alhaji Abubakar Murtala of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) winner of the State House of Assembly by-election in Ringim Constituency of Jigawa, held last Saturday.
The INEC Chief Returning Officer, Alhaji Umar Sani, said that the PDP candidate polled 22,431 to defeat his close rival of All Progressive Congress (APC) who scored 11,533 votes.
The re-run poll followed the death of the former Deputy Speaker of the state assembly, Alhaji Inuwa Udi in a road accident in August.
Sani said that a total of eight political parties participated in the by-election.
Kaduna
Christians resident in Kafanchan in Kaduna State
could not attend the usual Sunday church service as a result of the curfew imposed on the city after the civil strife in the city, last Friday.
They had to stay in their respective homes in compliance with the restriction on movements within the city.
The situation in the city, which is the Jama’a Local Government Area’s headquarters, was against the usual practice, as there was always a large turnout of Christians on Sundays for services.
Some residents said the presence and strict measures adopted by security agents made it impossible for them to go to their respective churches.
Kano
Some victims of flood disaster in Tarauni Local Gov
ernment Area of Kano State last Sunday appealed to Governor Rabi’u Kwankwaso to take necessary measures to ameliorate their sufferings.
Making the appeal in an interview, one of victims, Malam Musa Lawan, said the call was necessary as no fewer than 575 persons were displaced in the area during the flooding of August 9 stating that nobody had come to their aid or given them any assistance since the flood disaster.
Lagos
Some lawyers last Sunday said the endorsement of a
national conference by Senate President, David Mark, was a realisation that the challenges facing the country needed to be discussed.
In interviews in Lagos, the lawyers said that it was important a national conference was convened in order for the country to remain a single, peaceful entity.
According to Mr Onyekachi Ubani, chairman, Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Ikeja branch, Nigeria stands to gain by organising a talk where the questions of the ethnic nationalities staying together will be honestly and unemotionally discussed.
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Nasarawa
The Police in Nasarawa State last Monday confirmed
the arrest of no fewer than 40 suspects in connection with the recent ethnic clashes in the state.
The Commissioner of Police in the state, Mr Umar Shehu, told newsmen in Lafia that the police also recovered weapons and charms from the suspects.
He said that the police had also discovered a shallow grave at Tudun Adabu in the Obi Local Government Area of the state, where Alhaji Alhassan Gidado, Managing Director of the Police Community Bank, Tunde Banwo and their driver, Aliyu Adamu, were buried after they were killed.
The commissioner said that the suspects directly linked to the killing of the bank chief were among those arrested by the police, while their remains had been unearthed for proper burial.
Ogun
The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in Ota, Ogun
State, last Sunday, said it was set to embark on programmes that would reduce road accidents in the ember months.
The Ota Unit Commander of the corps, Mr Omafu Sunday, said in Ota that the programmes would help to sensitise motorists on speed limits.
According to him, the rate of road mishaps in Sango-Ota and its environ in the ember months is alarming and something must be done fast to check it.
“Our first outing will focus on public enlightenment rallies at all the auto parks in Ota. Subsequently, we will then move to other areas,’’ he said.
Ondo
The Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB)
said last Monday that its Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) would be computer-based from 2015.
The JAMB Registrar, Prof. Dibu Ojerinde, said this in Akure at an advocacy campaign on the advantages of the Computer-Based Test (CBT).
Ojerinde, who said that there were enough facilities for the CBT in Ondo state, also made it clear that candidates who chose to write the next UTME in the state would have no option than the CBT.
Oyo
Nigeria may not be classified as a developed nation
by 2020 if the country fails to tackle child labour.
This was contained in a communique issued at the end of a three-day workshop on elimination of child labour in Nigeria organised by the International Labour Organisation International Programme on Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC) for media professionals.
The National Bureau of Statistics had in 2000 estimated that more than 15 million Nigerian children are involved in child labour consisting of 7,812,756 males and 7,214,856 females.
The ILO, however, said “Nigeria may not be classified as a developed nation by 2020 if predisposing factors are not addressed by stakeholders.”
Sokoto
Chairman of the Poverty Reduction Committee in
Sokoto State, Dr Jabbi Kilgori, says the Yabo Local Government in the state is planning to give jobs to 1,000 unemployed youths.
The committee chairman said last Sunday in Sokoto State that the gesture was sequel to a recent directive by Governor Aliyu Wamakko noting that the employment scheme was under the Subsidy Re-investment Programme (SURE-P) in the state.
Kilgori, who is also the state’s Commissioner for Environment said the youths would be paid monthly allowances of N10,000 each and disclosed that “The youths will be engaged in some projects aimed at improving the environment and keeping environmental problems at bay.”
Zamfara
Governor Abdulazez Yari of Zamfara State las Mon
day in Gusau said gunmen had killed 160 people and abducted 10 married women in different villages of the state in the last three months. Yari who made the disclosure when he addressed members of the state House Assembly on security situation in the state said the situation had caused disaffection between residents of the affected villages and the state government.
The governor said the hoodlums, who continued to terrorise villages in parts of the state, stole no fewer than 6,000 cows and 4,000 sheep within the period.
Yari said the state government was handicapped, and urged the Federal Government to deploy more security personnel to the state to protect lives and property of the people.
The Speaker, Alhaji Sanusi Rikijin, assured the governor of the assembly’s support,“We will consult with other state houses of assembly and the National Assembly to ensure justice, equity and fair play in the country,’’ Rikijin said.
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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