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THE STATES

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Borno

The Borno State Government plans to create a special task force to ensure timely completion of various projects in this year’s budget, an official said  in Maiduguri last Wednesday.

In a statement he issued, a Special Adviser to the state governor, Malam Isa Gusau, said Governor Kashim Shettima announced the plans while presenting the state’s 2014 budget proposal.

Shettima had presented to the State House of Assembly in Maiduguri, last Tuesday, a budget proposal of N178.5 billion.

“Shettima announced that a special task force, with extant powers, is likely to be created. “The task force is to have the mandate of accelerating the speed of projects to ensure timely completion in 2014,’’ Gusau said in the statement.

 

Gombe

Gombe State Police Command has confirmed that a gang killed two persons and injured one in Ceceniya quarters of Gombe.

Spokesman of the command, DSP Fwaje Atajiri, said  in Gombe that the attack took place last Tuesday at about 11.45 p.m.

Atajiri said that a group of criminals attacked and killed their victims in Gombe Wednesday, metropolis with various dangerous weapons.

He described the incident as unfortunate, calling on the public to always report suspicious movements and promised a handsome reward for any one that could feed the police with information about the criminals.

 

Jigawa

As Nigerians celebrate the new year, farmers in Hadejia, Jigawa, have expressed hope for bumper harvest in the next cropping season.

A cross section of farmers in Hadejia last Wednesday, also hoped that the country would experience total peace and prosperity in 2014.

A farmer, Malam Ali Makintari,  expressed optimism that farmers would record high yields in 2014 “in view of the application of new farming techniques and farmers’ support programmes initiated by the federal and state governments.’’

Makintari said he recorded a bumper harvest in 2013 due to prompt availability of fertiliser and other inputs, adding “we hope that the Growth Enhancement Support (GES) programme initiated by Federal Government will be expanded to include other farmers.”

 

Katsina

About 4,000 patients with various eye diseases from 11 local government areas of Katsina South Senatorial District have received free eye treatment in Funtua.

Special Assistant to Katsina State Deputy Governor on Special Duties, Alhaji Qassim Muhammad, said last Thursday in Funtua that the exercise, tagged  “Free Eye Camp’’, took place from December 26 to December 31, 2013.

Muhammad said the treatment was conducted by a team of 14 doctors from Abasar Foundation in Saudi Arabia, in collaboration with Ihsan Yardam Vakfi Foundation from Turkey.

He said the Deputy Governor, Alhaji Abdullahi Garba, facilitated the exercise and sponsored all the required logistics used for the exercise and disclosed that the six day exercise was a milestone that enhanced the health of the people, especially the elderly from the rural communities in the state.

 

Kebbi

The Gwandu Local Government Area in Kebbi State last Thursday, said it had earmarked N35.7 million to boost water supply in the area.

Chairman of the area, Alhaji Juli Dangi, said in Gwandu that the council would drill 30 additional boreholes in Gwandu, Dalijan and Kambaza districts.

Dangi said the council had drilled 20 open wells in remote areas to augment the existing water projects initiated by the state government.

He said the council would continue to provide social services to improve the living condition of the people “in line with our mandate as representatives of the people” and

commended the state government for constructing one of the best health facilities in the area.

 

Kwara

Some religious leaders in Omu-Aran, Kwara State, last Wednesday, urged Nigerians to reflect on the significance of the New Year celebration and collectively proffer solutions to the nation’s challenges.

The Bishop of The Cathedral Church of St. Paul, Omu-Aran, Rt. Rev. Phillip Adeyemo, urged Nigerians to embrace love, peace and unity in the New Year and he appealed to citizens to check their shortcomings in the previous year and re-dedicate themselves to God in the New Year.

Adeyemo urged politicians and civil servants to shun corrupt practices, ungodliness and other acts capable of retarding the growth of the nation.

The President of the Women Wing of the Christian Association of Nigeria (WOWICAN), Kwara Chapter, Prophetess Bosede Adimabua,urged wealthy Nigerians to extend their assistance to the poor and those with disabilities.

 

Lagos

A Muslim cleric in Epe Local Government Area of Lagos State, Alhaji Haroon Daya-Biu, has urged Muslims and Christians to embrace the peace and live in unity in 2014.

Daya-Biu, who is the Head of “Ratibi Imam” in Epe, gave the advice last Tuesday night at a special prayer, tagged “Tahajjud Night’’, to mark the end of 2013.

In his message, Daya-Biu appealed to both Christians and Muslims to live in unity and embrace the peace to enhance progress in the country and urged adherents of both religions to show love to one another.

“Muslims love peace, Islam does not preach violence and we are peaceful people. “That is why we are going to use this prayer to pray for the peaceful coexistence of Muslims and our Christian brothers and sisters,” he said.

 

Nasarawa

No fewer than seven persons have died from cholera at Badawa-Galadima ward in Nasarawa Local Government Area of Kano State, an official of the council has said.

The Head of Health Department of the local government, Alhaji Ma’azu Doka, said in Kano on Wednesday that 68 patients were now receiving treatment.

Doka said 29 of them were at the Infectious Diseases Hospital (IDH) Kano, while the remaining 39 were outpatients.

“The outbreak, which started five days ago, has so far claimed seven lives. “We have also treated more than 71 persons, particularly those with cases that are not severe,’’ he said.

 

Ogun

For the umpteenth time, Iwoye-Ketu community leaders in Yewa North area of Ogun State have called on Federal and Ogun governments to intervene in the provision of road and other infrastructure in the border town between Nigeria and Benin Republic.

The traditional ruler, Oba Ademola Aremu, made the appeal last Tuesday, while conducting newsmen and leaders round the road and parts of the 20,000-strong community.

He decried what he called abject neglect of the community by previous administrations in the state, saying, “the neglect is dehumanising and unfortunate.’’

 

Oyo

Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State has granted amnesty to five condemned prisoners, total release and state pardon for four convicts who are on life imprisonment as well as amnesty to 12 convicts who are on various terms of imprisonment for misdemeanors.

In a statement issued by the State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Ojo Adebayo , the amnesty was in commemoration of the New Year.

According to the Attorney-General, the amnesty was an exercise of the governor’s power to grant prerogative of mercy to convicts as conferred by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 under section 212(1) of the Constitution.

The State Attorney-General said the governor is empowered to pardon, free, grant respite or substitute a severe punishment with lesser one as a form of amnesty for convicts, and by sub-section (2) of that section, can exercise that power on the advice of the Advisory Council on Prerogative of Mercy.

 

Plateau

Two officers in the Plateau State Police Command, Usman Adamu and Saad Ibrahim, both Chief Superintendents of Police (CSP) last Wednesday in Jos, received the State Commissioner of Police awards for dedication to duties and excellence in crime prevention.

The state Commissioner of Police, Mr Chris Olakpe who decorated the officers, said they were honoured for their consistency in high performance in their line of duties.

Olakpe, who described Adamu as the engine room of the command’s administration department, extolled him for discharging his duties without complaining.

The commissioner also said Ibrahim, who is the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Laranto Police Station, had consistently and tenaciously been fighting crime in his area.

Responding on behalf of the recipients, Adamu said they were ready to work tirelessly for the progress of the command.

 

Taraba

Acting Governor of Taraba State, Alhaji Garba Umar, last Wednesday, said his loyalty to his ailing boss, Governor Danbaba Suntai, was consistent and unshakable.

Umar, who made the disclosure in his New Year broadcast in Jalingo, said he was only holding brief for his principal, pending the time the governor would fully recover and capable of resuming full duties as governor.

The acting governor listed some of his achievements to include the completion of work on Jalingo-Sunkani-Garba Chede Road and the completion and inauguration of Takum General Hospital.

Others, he added, include the connection of Suntai Village, the governor’s country home, to the national grid, as well as the state’s House of Assembly Service Commission Complex.

L-R: Former Governor of Bauchi State, Senator Adamu Muazu; Minister of Water Resources, Mrs Sarah Ochekpe; Executive Secretary, Nigerian Christian Pilgrims Commission, Mr Johnkennedy Opara and Commissioner, National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission, Ambassador Abdullahi  Bage, during arrival of the last batch of Christian pilgrims in Abuja, last Friday. Photo: NAN

L-R: Former Governor of Bauchi State, Senator Adamu Muazu; Minister of Water Resources, Mrs Sarah Ochekpe; Executive Secretary, Nigerian Christian Pilgrims Commission, Mr Johnkennedy Opara and Commissioner, National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission, Ambassador Abdullahi Bage, during arrival of the last batch of Christian pilgrims in Abuja, last Friday. Photo: NAN

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Accolades, Fanfare As Ogbakor Ikwerre President General Celebrates 80th Birthday

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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.

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Ensure That Ogoni Is Heard In The Right Way, HYPREP Urges Creative Arts Trainees

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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.

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NYCOP Urges Stakeholders To Develop, Empower Ogoni Youths

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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

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