Nation
THE STATES
Adamawa
A People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Board of Trustees
member, Prof. Jibril Aminu, last Monday, called for provisions in the constitution to check defection by elected political office holders in the country.
Aminu, a former Senator, said at a rally in Yola that the ongoing constitution review should consider forcing elected office holders to leave office whenever they defected from the party that brought them to office.
He also called for the removal of immunity clause and the inclusion of stiffer penalty for corruption practice.
Ekiti
The Director-General, Ekiti State Centre for Arts and
Culture, Mrs Yetunde Fosudo, said that cultural festivals could be utilised to enhance the wellbeing of the people.
She said this in an interview with newsmen in Ado-Ekiti.
Fosudo said that cultural festivals were a potent means of celebrating the people and their cultural heritage.
“Culture is a way of life of the people and their communities.
“Cultural festivals serve as means whereby people display and showcase their culture and ways of life to the world,’’ she said.
FCT
The Registrar-General, Corporate Affairs Commission
(CAC), Alhaji Bello Mahmud, said in Abuja that the CAC’s goal was to be able to register companies within two hours, anywhere in Nigeria.
Mahmud in a lecture: Nigeria’s New Business Environment and CAC’s Intervention,’’ said it had been able to reduce the period of registration of companies from five days to 24 hours.
The registrar-general, at the 3rd Annual Seminar for Trade and Investment Correspondents and Editors, said that its activities had helped to expose “the wonder banks“ in the country.
“Our collaboration with the EFCC, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and other financial agencies have exposed over 370 `wonder banks` out of 400 ones that were investigated.
Gombe
The Gombe State Government has empowered 233
trainees in various skills with equipment and funds in Dukku and Yamaltu-Deba Local Government Areas of the state.
The beneficiaries were trained under the Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) scheme of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) Office.
Special Adviser to Governor Ibrahim Dankwambo on MDGs, Alhaji Adamu Audi, announced this at the graduation ceremony of the trainees in Deba, headquarters of Yamaltu-Deba Local Government Area.
Jalingo
The Industrial Training Fund (ITF) last Monday said that
it had trained 1000 youths on welding, cell phone repairs and yam flour processing in Taraba.
The ITF Area Manager, Yola Office, Alhaji Saleh Garba, said in an interview in Jalingo that the training started in September and was held in Jalingo, Wukari and Bali local government areas.
Garba said that the objective of the training was to empower the youths to start their own businesses so as to reduce attention on civil service.
“The reality is that there is too much competition in acquiring a public service job these days.It is in the interest of the youth to embrace entrepreneurship; by so doing, they will certainly be self-reliant,” Garba said.
Jigawa
A member representing Dutse Constituency in Jigawa State House of Assembly, Alhaji Adamu Sada, has donated an 18-seater Peugeot bus to people with disabilities in the state.
Sada, who was on wheel chair while presenting the bus, said the gesture was to ease the peoples’ movement.
He said “the bus donation will ease the movement of my brothers and sisters that were living with disabilities like me.’’
The lawmaker said movement was one of the greatest challenges of such group of persons, adding that the bus would enable them to move freely within and outside the state.
Kaduna
Vice President Namadi Sambo has described late former
Governor Patrick Yakowa of Kaduna State as selfless and patriotic leader.
Sambo said this at a one-day public lecture to commemorate the first year memorial of the former governor.
He said Yakowa rendered patriotic service to the state and country as a whole. “He dedicated his entire life to the advancement of mankind.’’
“He brought to bear his experience on any assignment given to him’’, he added.
Sambo said the gathering of personalities from all walks of life was a testimony of the lives Yakowa touched positively throughout his life time.
Kano
Some former employees of Nigeria Airways in Kano State
staged a peaceful protest over non-payment of their entitlements for 20 years.
The protesters, who thronged their former office on Bank Road in Kano at about 2p.m., carried placards with inscriptions as: “pay us our entitlements’’, “we are dying.’’
The National Vice Chairman, Nigerian Union of Pensioners, Airways Branch, Alhaji Mohammed Adamu, said the protest was informed by the failure of the Government to pay their entitlements.
According to him, over 900 of their members have so died of frustration while a number of them are still battling with one sickness or the other at home.
Kwara
Not less than 1, 755 teaching and non-teaching staff,
across the 16 local government areas of Kwara State, converged on Ilorin to sit for the 2013 promotion examination.
The Executive Chairman, Kwara State Teaching Service Commission, Alhaji Umar Aboki, told newsmen that the promotion examination was to ensure that the teachers were able to impart quality knowledge on their students.
He said that the conduct of promotion examinations was a constitutional provision.
“This is a democratic government where every segment of the society should benefit from the dividends of democracy.
“Through promotion, civil servants would benefit from the dividends of democracy,” he said.
Lagos
A former Chairman of the Lagos chapter of the Nigerian
Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), Mr Jide Ologun, has urged the electorate to ask politicians credible questions about the 2015 election.
Ologun spoke with newsmen in Lagos recently.
“Definitely, the elections will hold but I am appealing to the electorate to ask questions concerning where Nigeria will be in 20 years.’’
Nasarawa
The Nasarawa State Government in collaboration with
the Industrial Training Fund (ITF) said 1000 youths were trained on various vocational skills under the National Industrial Skills Development Programme (NISDP).
Governor Umaru Al-Makura made this known at the graduation of the trainees in Wamba on Monday.
Al-Makura said the state government was poised to curb restiveness through a robust youth empowerment programme.
He said that vocational skill acquisition was crucial to the nation’s transformation agenda, adding that it would engender a technology-driven economy and fast track diversification from oil.
The governor said the youth were trained in furniture making, welding and fabrications as well as electrical installation.
Osun
Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State last Monday
presented a bill for the creation of 27 additional local government development councils in the state to the state House of Assembly.
Presenting the bill, Aregbesola said the essence of the creation of more councils was to bring government closer to the people at the grassroots.
He said that the current councils in the state could not bring the desired results.
The governor said this was because they were too large to achieve what the administration intended to achieve through the councils.
Oyo
The National Missioner, Ansar-ud-deen Society (ADS),
Sheikh Abdur-Rahman Ahmad, has declared that the Boko Haram insurgency is a collective embarrassment to all faiths in the country.
Ahmad, who spoke with newsmen, in Ogbomoso, Oyo State, said the group represented no religious interest, adding that their objective had yet to be known.
He said that it was difficult to know in whose interest they were fighting as they had attacked all faiths.
“I state unequivocally that Islam is different from Boko Haram. We don’t know who they are, their sponsors and why they are killing people.
Sokoto
The All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Sokoto
State chapter, said it had concluded plans to start giving tractors to large-scale farmers in the state as loans.
The Chairman of the association, Alhaji Murtala Gagado, made the disclosure in a telephone interview with newsmen in Sokoto State.
He said the association, in conjunction with a Kaduna-based firm, Kaka Nigeria Ltd., was set to give out 50 tractors, worth N340 million, to large-scale farmers as loan.
According to him, each tractor will be given to the beneficiaries on loan at the cost of N6.8 million.
L-R: Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State, Alafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi 111 and Aare Musulumi of Yorubaland, Alhaji Abdulazeez Arisekola-alao, at a reception to mark Governor Ajimobi’s 64th birthday in Ibadan last Monday.
Photo: NAN
The Presiding Bishop of Kingdom Life Gospel Ministries Outreach, Port Harcourt, Bishop Victor Uzosike, has described love as the bedrock of human existence, family stability and societal harmony, stressing that without love, nothing meaningful can thrive.
Bishop Uzosike made this assertion while speaking to journalists during the wedding ceremony of his daughter, Praise Uzosike, to Architect Chibuzor Akubueze on Saturday, December 20, 2025. The solemnisation was held at the Kingdom Life Gospel Ministries Outreach, Port Harcourt, and was attended by dignitaries from across Nigeria and beyond.
According to the cleric, love is not only the foundation of relationships but also a powerful force that determines the success of individuals, families and communities.
“If you do not love a place, that place will not bless you. If you do not love your children, they will not be useful to you. If you do not love your family, your family will become a strange island to you. What you do not love, you do not have. Love is the key,” he said.
Reflecting on his family’s journey, Bishop Uzosike said God’s love had sustained them through seasons of challenges and triumphs, noting that unity had remained their greatest strength.
“We have stayed together as one family. God has shown us love in miraculous and mysterious ways, especially during difficult times,” he stated.
Describing the wedding as an amazing and beautiful experience, the bishop expressed appreciation for the show of love from his daughter’s friends, many of whom travelled from the United Kingdom and Ghana to attend the ceremony. He revealed that some of them personally paid for their flights and accommodation, which he described as a rare display of genuine friendship.
He also disclosed that his first daughter, who lives in Manchester, United Kingdom, with her husband, could not attend the wedding due to tight schedules, but noted that she remains happily married and fulfilled.
While thanking guests for honouring his family with their presence, prayers and goodwill, Bishop Uzosike said he felt proud and grateful to God.
“One of the greatest gifts God can give to a man is children who are sound in all ramifications. My children can see, hear, speak and walk. That alone is enough reason to be grateful,” he said.
He praised the bride, describing Praise as an exceptional achiever who had distinguished herself academically. According to him, she completed secondary school at 15, graduated with First Class honours at 19, and earned distinctions in her MBA as well as her first and second master’s degrees.
“For a long time, people believed that highly educated women may not marry early or at all. Today, Praise has proved otherwise. She has made her mother and me very proud,” he said, describing her as a rare gem.
Bishop Uzosike also expressed joy over his son-in-law, whom he described as God-fearing, disciplined and professionally sound.
“He is well brought up, passionate about God and morally upright. His parents did a great job. My wife, Pastor Esther, also did an excellent job,” he added.
The wedding ceremony attracted prominent personalities, including the Deputy Governor of Rivers State, Prof. Ngozi Odu; the Chief Judge of Bayelsa State, Justice Matilda Ayemeyie; and several senior clerics.
Bishop Fidelis Ugbong officiated the solemnisation, while Apostle Chika Onuzo delivered the sermon, identifying communication, sex and money as key factors that can strengthen or weaken marriages.
Prof. Ngozi Odu also prayed for the couple and paid glowing tributes, drawing admiration from attendees.
The reception, held at the Golden Tulip Hotel, Port Harcourt, was equally colourful. Justice Matilda Ayemeyie proposed the toast, describing marriage as not always a bed of roses and emphasising patience, commitment and understanding.
The event was chaired by Chief Henry Nwabugo and attended by notable personalities, including retired Supreme Court Justice Mary Odili; Apostle David Zilly-Aggrey; Hon. Otunba Jumbo; Nze Best Anele; and Prof. Henry Ogiri, among others.
Guests were entertained with dance performances by the couple, while the parents’ outing added elegance to the celebration. The master of ceremonies, Ambassador Kingsley, kept the audience engaged with humour and interactive sessions.
Overall, the wedding was a remarkable blend of spirituality, culture and celebration, marked by love, joy and unforgettable moments.
Nation
2027: APC Chieftain Predicts Tinubu’s Victory …Says Bayelsa Stakeholders Supporting President en masse … IPAC Knitted Together, Working In Synergy With His Office
Chieftain of the All Progressives Congress(APC), in Bayelsa State and Special Adviser to the State Governor on Inter-Party Relations, Dr Jackson Ebi Suokiri has said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu would secure landslide win in the 2027 Presidential polls.
The Governor’s Aide stated this in Yenagoa, the state capital on Wednesday while fielding questions from newsmen against the backdrop of Tuesday’s pioneer Stakeholders meeting of the party convened by the State Governor, Senator Douye Diri as leader of the Party in the State upon his recent defection late last year.
He averred that Party stakeholders in the state were prepared to give the President the massive support needed to return elected, come 2027 following his sterling trajectory of performance and qualitative leadership prowess.
Dr Suokiri stressed that the reason for the governor’s swapping of party was in the best interest of the state, while also noting that the governor took the right decision as there was no need continuing with opposition politics even as the state has to align with the national government for rapid socioeconomic and political advantages for the state and its people.
“Governor Diri’s defection like you’ve personally heard him saying was for the best interest of our state, Bayelsa. When you’ve a President performing well at the national level and being very supportive to your state as a governor, I don’t think you’ve to be in an opposition party anymore, but rather align with the centre.
“Diri is a bridge builder. He is at peace with everybody and willing to work with all, irrespective of party affiliations or political differences for the interest of the state.
“As Stakeholders we’ve resolved to collectively work to return President Tinubu elected for second term in 2027. And you can see the Governor is not pressuring anybody or the structure of his former party, the PDP to defect like he has done.
“The PDP structure in the state is still intact, and for the APC, his new Party even as current leader in the State, he has been working with the structure and everybody he met on ground, hence you can see that the APC Caretaker Committee led by Dr. Dennis Otiotio has been maintained at the pioneer Stakeholders meeting convened by the Governor.
“But you must also know like you’ve seen and I’ve previously said that Governor Diri has outperformed expectations of Bayelsans in all sectors, be it economy, infrastructure, health, education, etc.”, he said.
Meanwhile, as against insinuations that some political parties were not working with the office of the Special Adviser to the Governor on Inter-Party Relations, the Governor’s Aide has revealed that as it were currently, all the 19 registered political parties with presence in the state are working in unity with his office as members of the Inter-party advisory council (IPAC).
“IPAC is working in unity with my office. Before the Governor’s defection the only party that wasn’t working with my office was the APC. But since after his formal defection, the APC and even those other parties that were either sympathetic to the APC, the governor’s new party or the PDP, his former Party are all now working together with my office as members of IPAC”, Suokiri added.
By Ariwera Ibibo-Howells, Yenagoa
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