Nation
THE STATES
Benue
A Magistrates’ Court in Makurdi, has ordered two
brothers, Mzuaii Uaaku and Terzungwe Uaaku, to be remanded at the Federal Prisons, Makurdi, for alleged conspiracy and armed robbery.
Mzuaii, 35, and Terzungwe, 25, both farmers, hail from Mondo village in Logo Local Government Area of Benue.
The police prosecutor, Cpl. Adama Owoicho, told the court that Oragbai Terna of R.C.M Primary School, Oragbai, reported the case at the Oragbai police station on March 28.
He said that the complainant was at home when his son, Terso Terna, reported to him that he had been attacked.
FCT
The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) says
it has commenced the construction of a transmission bye-pass to temporarily replace the destroyed 132kV transmission line from Tegina to Kotangora, Niger State.
Mr Dave Ifabiyi, TCN Assistant General Manager (Public Affairs), disclosed this in a statement in Abuja recently.
The statement said the company had mobilised to the site to construct the transmission line which was destroyed by rain on April 18.
It said that four transmission towers were destroyed as a result of the incident at Corner Mariga after Tegina, Niger state, causing power outage in the area.
Gombe
The Nigeria Association of Women Journalists
(NAWOJ) has commended Hajiya Adama Dankwambo, wife of Gombe State governor, for empowering more than 7,000 women in the state.
Mrs Ruth Absolon, the Chairperson of the association in the state, made the commendation in an interview with newsmen in Gombe.
She said that the beneficiaries were empowered in the last three years.
“The wife of the governor had empowered more than 7,000 women across the state.
“Honestly, she (Dankwambo) has empowered women, particularly the rural dwellers and less privileged, who were hopeless.”
Jigawa
Poultry farmers in Hadejia, Jigawa State, have la
mented the high prices of chicken feeds in the area.
They also called on the state government to establish a feeds mill to encourage processing and poultry production in the state.
A cross section of the farmers who spoke to our correspondent in Hadejia, said that the measure was necessary to end scarcity and enhance access to the products.
Mrs Halima Ismail, a poultry farmer, said that high cost of feeds was making poultry farming expensive and less attractive.
Kebbi
The Kebbi State Government has commenced the
training of 150 Sharia Courts Judges on advanced Sharia Legal System to enhance dispensation of Islamic Justice in the state.
Addressing the participants in Birnin Kebbi, the Chief Registrar, Sharia Court of Appeal, Alhaji Muhammad Sani, said the training would improve Judges’ practical knowledge and enhance their understanding and memory on Sharia legal system.
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Kaduna
Kaduna State Government said it had paid more than N100 million to the National Examination Council (NECO) as examination fee for its 15,000 candidates.
The Commissioner for Education, Alhaji Ibrahim Ali, disclosed this in a statement issued in Kaduna, and made available to newsmen.
Ali said the settlement of the fee would alleviate the financial burden on parents and guardians of the students, encourage access to education and improve the status of education in the state.
He however said only students that obtained at least five credits, including mathematics and English language, would benefit from the programme.
Lagos
The Commissioner for Agriculture and Co-opera
tives in Lagos State, Mr Gbolahan Lawal, has urged Nigerians to exploit the benefits of coconut.
Lawal gave the advice at Badagry during the grand finale of the annual coconut festival, saying that its benefits were under-exploited in the country.
“Coconut is often referred to as the tree of life and a wonder crop because of its versatility as all the parts can be put to economic and social use.
“Every part of the tree including the stem, branch, fruits has significant use; it has economic, environmental, medicinal and ornamental benefits which has been grossly unexploited in Lagos and Nigeria as a whole”, he said.
Ogun
The police have arraigned two women, Remi
Odeyemi, 27, and Aishat Showunmi, 19, in a Magistrates’ Court in Ota, Ogun, for slapping a policeman.
The accused were arraigned on a two-count charge of assault and conspiracy.
The prosecutor, Cpl. Olumide Awoleke, told the court that on April 7 at about 8.00 p.m. at Igbusi village, Ifo in Ota, the accused persons slapped Cpl. Yemi Odeniyi while on duty.
He said that the assault on Odeniyi was unprovoked, adding that the offence contravened the provisions of Sections 356(i) and 516 of the Criminal Code Revised Law of Ogun, 2006.
Osun
Dr Muritala Afolabi of Ladoke Akintola Teaching
Hospital (LAUTECH), Osogbo, has advised that malaria should be properly diagnosed before treatment.
Afolabi gave the advice in an interview with newsme in Osogbo.
The medical practitioner said “it is wrong to embark on malaria treatment without proper diagnosis.OyoOyo
Oyo
A professor of Chemical Pathology, Ladoke
Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso, Oyo State, Prof. Taiwo Adewole, has called for a national policy on DNA-based medical diagnosis of diseases in Nigeria.
Adewole made the call in his inaugural lecture in Oshogbo recently.
“DNA in the medical terms is a popular acronym for Deoxyribonucleic Acid, a double-stranded filamentous structure (molecule) found in the nucleus of every cell of higher organisms, including man.
“Every disease is about DNA while DNA is the key to the diagnosis, prognosis (disease outcome) and treatment of diseases, like cancer and malaria,” he said.
Sokoto
A delegate to the ongoing national conference,
Prof. Sambo Wali, says the conference is not only desirable, but timely.
“The conference is a welcome development to all well meaning and patriotic Nigerians who have the interest of the nation at heart,” he said.
Wali, who addressed a news conference in Sokoto, also said that it would allow Nigerians to express themselves freely.
“The conference is a forum to discuss the diverse views and feelings of the citizens about the country which has existed for over a century as a single indivisible entity.
Yobe
A chieftain of All Progressives Congress (APC)
in Yobe State, Alhaji Sani Fema, says the party’s consensual procedure in the ward and local government congresses had produced most popular and acceptable officials.
Fema said this in an interview with newsmen in Damaturu recently .
He said efforts were in place to produce the state executive council of the party by consensus.
“We are all putting heads together under the leadership of the state governor, Alhaji Ibrahim Gaidam, to produce, through collective agreement, officials that will lead the party at the state level”, he said.
L-R: Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, Minister of State 11 for Foreign Affairs, Dr Nurudeen Muhammad and Minister of State for Health, Dr Khaliru Alhassan, at the Federal Executive Council meeting in Abuja last Wednesday.
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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