Nation
THE STATES
Bauchi
Some groups and individuals in the North-East geo-political have kicked against the use of ethnic nationalities as representatives at the proposed National Dialogue.
They made their opinion known at the North-East Public Hearing on the conference, organised by the Presidential Advisory Committee on National Dialogue said such representation would defeat the purpose for which the conference was convened.
In his presentation, Governor Isa Yuguda of Bauchi State, is saying that the use of ethnic nationalities was not feasible.
“Bauchi State alone has over 50 ethnic groups and a state like Taraba, among others, has over 100. ‘Therefore, it is not possible to have every tribe represented, as this can create room for chaos,’’ he said.
Borno
The Borno State Government on Monday, expressed delight over Federal Government’s promise of a possible assistance to victims of Boko Haram insurgency attacks in the country.
Governor Kashim Shettima who stated this in a statement signed by his Special Adviser on Communications, Mallam Isa Gusau, in Maiduguri said he “received with cheers” the announcement by Jonathan that government would soon provide assistance to victims of Boko.
The governor said he was excited on hearing the news that the presidency was working toward setting up a committee to work out modalities for assisting Boko Haram victims.
“The victims of the crisis, especially those residing in Borno who were worst hit by the insurgency, deserve all forms of support from government and the private sector. This is because no material assistance can adequately replace their loses,” he said.
Ekiti
Afenifere chieftain and Peoples Democratic Party governorship aspirant in Ekiti State, Prince Dayo Adeyeye, has warned the state government against any plan to frustrate the trial of suspects in the murder of Foluso Ogundare in Emure-Ekiti.
Ogundare, a supporter of House of Representatives member and All Progressive Congress governorship aspirant, Opeyemi Bamide, was shot by suspected political hoodlums on Sunday, November 3, 2013 in Emure Ekiti at the meeting of Opeyemi loyalists.
The police in Ekiti last week said they had arrested the suspected killers. Adeyeye alleged that the government was planning to make a “no-case” submission through the state Ministry of Justice when the suspects get to court.”
In a statement on Monday by the Director General of Adeyeye’s campaign organisation, Bisi Kolawole, the PDP chieftain said, “Chief Adeleye Awolumate, Kehinde Fajuyi, Michael Ipinlaye, Ayo Murphy Jeje, Mrs Juliana Adewumi and Foluso Ogundare are all victims of political violence.
FCT
President Goodluck Jonathan last Monday in Abuja decorated his Aide De Camp (ADC), Ojogbane Adegbe, with a new rank of Colonel
At the ceremony held at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, the president charged Adegbe to do more to justify his promotion in the Nigerian Army.
“When you are given higher authority you are expected to perform according to your status. “We hope that whatever you have been doing very well you will even do more.We wish you success in your career.You are a privileged colonel, otherwise, they would not be here.”
Speaking with State House correspondents at the end of the ceremony, Adegbe thanked God for the opportunity and the promotion.
Oyo
Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State on Monday in Ibadan swore in 12 newly-appointed commissioners, urging them to exhibit high level of integrity, commitment and service to humanity.
Oyo State House of Assembly had on Thursday ratified the list of the 12 commissioners sent to it by the state governor. The commissioners comprised five members of the former cabinet and seven new ones.
One of the new commissioners, Oyefunke Oworu, was a former Special Adviser to the Governor on Trade, Investment and Cooperative, while Gbade Lana was the former Chairman of the state Library Board.
Those recalled include Adebayo Ojo, Dapo Lam-Adesina, Zacheaus Adelabu, Dr. Muyiwa Gbadegesin and Adetutu Adeyemi-Aigbe, while the five new ones are Prof. Solomon Olaniyonu, Adewale Olujide, Adedeji Akande, Umar Alao and Abiodun Atanda.
Lagos
Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State has called on the Federal Government to do all it can to improve the funding of Nigerian prisons.
The governor made the call in Ikeja while handing over four buses to the Nigerian Prisons Service, to enhance its operational efficiency.
Controller of the Prisons Command in the state, Mrs Kate Ononye, led other officials to receive the State Government’s donation.
The governor said that proper funding of the prisons was imperative to strengthen criminal justice administration in the country.
Kaduna
Some groups in the North West have called for a Sovereign National Conference (SNC), saying it was the best option in the search for a new Nigeria.
The groups made the call in separate presentations at the public sitting of the Presidential Advisory Committee on National Dialogue in Kaduna.
One of them, The Katsina Group said the SNC would afford Nigerians the opportunity to take ownership of the conference and the decisions arrived at.
Its spokesman, Alhaji Kabiru Yahaya said the group was dissatisfied with the current state of the nation and would welcome open, frank and engaging discussions to move the country forward.
Katsina
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has presented relief materials worth millions of naira to Katsina State Government for distribution to flood victims in the state.
The Coordinator of the agency for North-West zone, Alhaji Musa Ilallah, presented the materials to the Katsina State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) in Katsina.
Ilallah, who was represented by Alhaji Mannir Gidado, an official of the Agency, said the relief materials were meant for distribution to flood victims in the local government areas that were affected by the disaster.
Responding, , Executive Secretary, SEMA, Alhaji Hassan Rawayau who received the items on behalf of the state government, commended NEMA for the support.
Kebbi
The Federal Ministry of Environment says it will train unemployed youths as forestry guards in Kebbi state as part of measures to protect the 100 kilometre shelter belt project in the state.
The ministry’s controller of environment in the state, Mr Ijioye Adekunle, said in Birnin Kebbi that the shelter belt project was established in Arewa and Dandi local government areas of the state.
He said that the engagement of the youths as forestry guards was in line with the Federal Government’s shelter belt programme adding that the second phase of the project would involve the provision of perimeter fence, water and security along the stretch of the belt.
He said the project which would involve 130 kilometres of five rows of trees with an interval of three metres was conceived to encourage planting of trees in the desert-prone areas to curtail environmental degradation and boost livestock development.
Kogi
The Minister of Information, Mr Labaran Maku, has urged political leaders in Kogi to adopt proactive measures to address any breakdown of law and order in the state.
Maku made the call at a Town Hall Meeting in Lokoja to end the tour of projects in Kogi by the National Good Governance team.
The minister stressed the need for leaders in the state to support the peace efforts by government to douse tension often generated as a result of political activities.
He advised that security must not be taken for granted, stressing that Kogi is the heart of the nation and we must not tolerate any disruption of peace in the state.
Plateau
Lecturers at the University of Jos have voted for continuation of the on-going strike by the Academic Staff Union of University (ASUU) in the country.
Chairman of the chapter, Dr. David Jankam who made this known last Monday while speaking shortly after the congress of the chapter said members did not see any substance in the dialogue with the federal government to warrant calling off the strike.
Sokoto
A Sokoto-based “large scale” water vendor, Chairman of the Katsina State Indigenes Association ( KTSIA) Alhaji Aliyu Daura, has introduced a scholarship scheme for youths in Sokoto city and its environs.
Daura said on Sunday in Sokoto that the first batch of 30 beneficiaries, all of them indigenes of Sokoto State, received N5,000 each.
According to him, beneficiaries of the gesture need only to be students of tertiary institutions of learning who have duly registered in their respective schools.
“These are indigent youths in the Universities, Polytechnics and Colleges of Education, across Nigeria. I always tell them the importance of education, as well as maintaining law and order so as to have lasting peace in Nigeria,” he said.
Zamfara
The Zamfara State Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) lastTuesday said it had registered 36 private security guard companies across the state for training.
The Head of the command’s Department of Private Guard Companies Training, Mr Aroworo Michael, disclosed this in an interview with our correspondence in Gusau.
“Two of the 36 registered outfits are indigenous while the remaining 34 have their headquarters outside the state,’’ he said.
The NSCDC official said the exercise was part of the agency’s mandate to register, train, supervise and monitor private security guard companies in the country.
“As part of our office activities, we have a dog section where we train dogs in various security techniques,” he said.
L-R:1st Vice President, National Assembly of Djibuti, Mr Mohamed Hoomed, former UN Undersecretary, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari and former President, African Development Bank, Dr Babacar Ndiaye, at the 1st Africa Legislative Summit in Abuja last Monday. Photo NAN
The President General of Ogbakor Ikwerre Cultural Organisation Worldwide and the Mgboh XIII of the Mgboh Royal Family of Emohua Kingdom in Emohua Local Government Area of Rivers State, Eze (Barrister) Godspower Onuekwa, penultimate Friday celebrated his 80th birthday with pomp, pageantry and fanfare.
The celebration, which commenced with a symposium organised in his honour at Rivers State University on Thursday, August 21,2025, got to a resounding climax on Friday at Suntai Event Centre in Port Harcourt, where people from all walks of life, including business associates, friends, well-wishers, relatives, community folks, traditional rulers, and admirers, gathered to pay glowing tributes to the celebrant.
Before then, a well attended thanksgiving service was held that same Friday at Emmanuel Anglican Church, Okoro-Nu-Odo, to honour him and return gratitude to God Almighty for the fruitful and eventful life and accomplishments of the Emohua leader and icon.
The service which was officiated by Rt Rev Wisdom Budu Ihunwo, Bishop of Niger Delta North had other renowned and respected clerics like Most Rev(Dr) Blessing Enyindah, Dean, Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion); Rt Rev(Dr) Emmanuel Oko-Jaja, Bishop, Diocese of Niger Delta; Rt Rev Innocent Ordu, Bishop, Diocese of Evo; and Ven Solomon Eze Nelson, Archdeacon, Okoro-Nu-Odo; among others lined up as officiating ministers.
The service lived up to its billing, as it featured powerful and soul-lifting praise and worship; point-blank prayers; and beautiful renditions, which electrified the entire atmosphere, essentially packaged to thank God for the life of the celebrant.
However, the crowning moment actually came when the who is who, the crème de la crème of the society, thronged the terraces and fabulously decorated expansive hall of Suntai Event Centre, to celebrate Eze Onuekwa, amid accolades, aplomb and panache, wining and dining, and clinking of glasses with him and all.
The chairman of the colourful ceremony, Chief Evans Woherem, who was represented by Eze(Prof) Christian Akani of the prestigious Ignatius Ajuru University of Education, praised the celebrant for his youthfulness in spite of clocking 80 years, generosity, humility, humaneness and selfless services to the Ikwerre ethnic nationality, the Niger Delta and Nigeria, and called on all and sundry to emulate his good legacies and simple disposition towards life and existence.
Goodwill messages also poured in in torrents to underscore and salute the doggedness, resilience, astuteness and uniqueness of the endearing life of the celebrant, with Prof Emenike Wami, the Ochia Ohna Ikwerre(XIV), taking the lead.
Prof Priye Iyalla, the wife of late renowned writer, novelist and playwright, Dr Elechi Amadi, held the audience spellbound as she masterfully reeled out the profile of the celebrant, amid intermittent applause from the crowd.
The Tiv Community from Benue State, resident in Rivers State, were not left out, as they honoured and decorated Eze Onuekwa in their complete traditional regalia.
Cultural displays from Baptist Church, Rumuowhor; ADNA Wogbuji Dancing Group, Egbeda; Tiv Dancing Group; and Promoter Eze and Rumu-Mgboh Emohua Wrestling Group, equally added colour and grace to the occasion, with the celebrant and his wife, Dame Ann Onuekwa, joining them to wriggle their waists and bodies in ecstasy.
In his response, the highly elated celebrant, Eze Onuekwa thanked all those gathered to celebrate with him, saying, celebrations would never cease in their homes, and attributed everything he represents in life, including his modest accomplishments to God.
Eze Onuekwa, while addressing newsmen, harped on the need for hard work among the youths and members of Ogbakor Ikwerre Cultural Organisation Worldwide, as a way of sustaining and giving meaning to the motto of the organisation, which he noted is anchored on peace, unity and progress.
He specially thanked God for sustaining his life, and for making everything possible for him and his family, saying, he was joyous that he has today become an octogenarian and elder statesman in Rivers State.
His son and medical practitioner, Dr Samuel Chizia Onuekwa expressed delight that people from far and near had come together to celebrate the father, whom he described as a role model and great inspirator.
He said it was a good thing that the children were celebrating their father when he is alive, stressing that the last time Eze Onuekwa was celebrated in such magnitude was 20 years ago, during his 60th birthday celebration, and prayed God to grant him many more years in good health.
Among dignitaries who graced the event were Senator Andrew Uchendu; Chief Sampson Agbaru; Prof Emenike Wami; Dr Peter Didia; Eze(Prof) Samuel Ugo Onyeka; and a host of others. Justice Iche Ndu(rtd); and C O Kattey were among personalities that attended the thanksgiving service, while the Vice Chancellor of Rivers State University, Prof Isaac Zeb-Obipi led the academics who graced the symposium, alongside Eze G A O Omodu.
As the 100 Ogoni youths trained by the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) in Creative Arts close out their training on Tuesday at the Theatre Arts Department, University of Port Harcourt, the Project Coordinator of HYPREP, Prof Nenibarini Zabbey, has urged the beneficiaries to use the skills acquired to ensure that the Ogoni stories are told and heard in the right way.
The trainees, who had completed a four- month training in script writing, film production and make-up are beneficiaries of the HYPREP sustainable livelihood programme, aimed at providing high demand skills to Ogoni youths in the lucrative creative arts and entertainment industry.
Zabbey described the Creative Arts training as well as other programmes and interventions as HYPREP’s strategic sustained effort to create alternative sources of livelihood.
”Targeted capacity building for Ogoni youths and women remains a central strategy in HYPREP’s livelihood restoration and improvement efforts. Our goal is to reach every part of the Ogoni community and ensure that no group or talent pool is left behind. This training is a deliberate step to empower young people who aspire to make their mark in the creative and entertainment industry”, he said.
While commending the trainees for producing four short films within the training period, one of which was premiered at the ceremony-Dirty Festival, the Project Coordinator noted that the training would serve as a springboard into the industry, and enable them earn a living, become entrepreneurs, and open new doors of opportunities for themselves and their communities. The three other movies are Open Pain, Bomu and Green War.
He enjoined them to utilise their skills and platforms to promote civic responsibility, peace, and environmental sustainability, urging them to ensure that Ogoni is heard in the right way, speak for HYPREP and highlight the progress being made in implementing the recommendations of the UNEP Report.
Other speakers at the event, including the Director of Technical Services of HYPREP, Prof. Damian-Paul Aguiyi; Dr Ovunda Ihunwo, Head of the Theatre Arts Department of the University of Port Harcourt; Chief Douglas Experience, the Project Coordinator of Halibiz Consult Limited; and Mrs Josephine Nzidee, Head, Sustainable Livelihood of HYPREP, all applauded HYPREP for the training, and charged the trainees to maximise the opportunity.
The trainees were later presented certificates of participation.
Visibly elated Ms Lebee Tornwe, one of the beneficiaries, thanked HYPREP and the Project Coordinator for offering the trainees the rare opportunity to acquire skills in the creative arts and entertainment industry, and expressed delight that Dr Ihunwo and Halibiz Consult Limited gave their all in grooming them.
With the wrapping up of the Creative Arts training(100), HYPREP has trained 230 Ogoni youths in high demand skill sets ,viz; seafaring(100); and aviation (30). The Project will this year, commence training in other skill areas, including Mechatronic, Aviation, Full-Stack Development, Commercial Diving, Underwater Welding and Geographic Information Systems (GIS).
Still in the offing is the training for Ogoni Persons Living with Disabilities in five skill sets- fish farming; basic computer skills; photography; fashion and design; and shoemaking in line with their Needs Assessment and HYPREP’s policy of inclusivity.
The National Youth Council of Ogoni People (NYCOP) had called on stakeholders to work collaboratively towards the development and empowerment of Ogoni youths.
NYCOP made the call in a communique issue over the weekend after an emergency Congress in Port Harcourt and signed by its President, Comrade Raymond Nwibani Marcus.
In the communique, NYCOP endorsed President Bola Tinubu’s appointments of the Governing Council and Board of Trustees (BOT) members of the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP), particularly Rt. Hon. Emmanuel Nwika Deeyah as Chairman of HYPREP’s BOT.
It respectfully appealed to the President to consider appointing a representative from the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP) under the leadership of Engr. Olu Andah Wai-Ogosu, being the pioneering social vehicle for Ogoni advocacy since the inception of the Ogoni struggle, adding that it would significantly contribute to the decision-making process.
The body commended the overall management of HYPREP and urges the President to continue funding the HYPREP project.
NYCOP furthermore recommended considering the conversion of HYPREP from a project to a full-fledged agency of the Federal Government of Nigeria.
The communique also stated that NYCOP thanked President Tinubu for establishing the Federal University of Environmental Technology, and for appointing key staff, forming a dialogue committee, and initiating infrastructural projects like the Eleme axis of the East-West Road and the Bonny-Bodo Road, significantly enhancing regional connectivity and economic prospects.
In solidarity with the Renewed Hope Agenda, the endorsed President Tinubu’s second-term bid, saying it believes his leadership embodies the aspirations of the Ogoni people and Nigerians at large.
“After thorough consideration of the Disciplinary Committee’s report, NYCOP resolves:
” To indefinitely suspend Comrade Nade Nade Burale from his position as Secretary General due to misconduct.
“To declare Comrade Saviour Imeabe persona non grata on Ogoni youth issues, given his actions’ potential to instigate crisis in Ogoni and beyond” the communique stated.
NYCOP in his resolution issued a 7-day ultimatum to former HYPREP BOT Chairman Mike Nwialeghi to explain the $100 million HYPREP fund investment, warning of potential litigation.
NYCOP reaffirmed its commitment to safeguarding Ogoni youth interests and preventing personal aggrandizement.
According to the communique the resolutions demonstrate NYCOP’s efforts to promote the collective welfare and advancement of Ogoni youth.
“We will no longer tolerate any individual or group using the name or issues of Ogoni youth for personal aggrandizement.
” Our mandate is clear: to promote the collective welfare and advancement of Ogoni youth” the communique said.
NYCOP passes a vote of confidence in Hon. Emmanuel Nwika Deeyah, acknowledging his impeccable credentials and credibility to lead the BOT of HYPREP effectively.
Kiadum Edookor
