Nation

THE STATES

Published

12 years ago

May 23, 2014

Benue
A 37-year-old man, Philemon Kwaghkondo, was arraigned
before an Upper Area Court 2, Makurdi, for allegedly blocking the entrance and preventing customers from entering a bank. Kwaghkondo is charged with wrongful restraint.
The prosecutor, Cpl. Omaye Ujata, told the court that Alhaji Garba Adamu, Managing Director, Algreb Mirco-Finance Bank, Makurdi, reported the case at ‘B’ Division police station, Makurdi.
Ujata said that the accused used a mattress to block the entrance of the bank, thus making it inaccessible to members of staff and customers adding that the accused admitted to committing the offence.
The prosecution said that the offence contravened the provisions of Section 254 of the Penal Code. After the charges were read to the accused, the accused pleaded not guilty.
The magistrate, Mr Ibrahim Mohammed, granted the accused to bail in the sum of N10,000 with one surety in like sum.
Mohammed adjourned the case until June 3, for hearing.

FCT
The Inspector-General of Police, Mr Mohammed Abubakar,
has ordered Commissioners of Police to immediately carry out a nationwide security audit and threat analysis of boarding schools.
A statement issued by the Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Frank Mba, said the measure was part of a proactive effort to bolster security network in the schools.
“The outcome of this exercise will greatly assist police authorities and other security agencies in the task of designing security strategies that will help in promoting safety and security in schools. “It is equally expected that the result of the consultations, threat analysis and the attendant security awareness campaigns will help in reducing the vulnerability of the schools and strengthen an otherwise soft terror target,’’ it said.
The I-G advised the commissioners to collaborate with other security agencies, the Ministry of Education in the various states, as well as the management and staff of the schools and urged commissioners to work with the Parents Teachers Associations (PTAs), the host communities and other stakeholders so as to obtain the most reliable intelligence.

Kano
The Kano State Police Command said it arrested two sus
pects over alleged security breaches in the state.
The command spokesman, ASP Magaji Majia, said in Kano that “two persons were arrested at the New Road Motor Park this morning and brought to headquarters for further investigations’’.
“The commissioner of police has directed the CID department to investigate, thereafter he (the commissioner) will brief the press,” he said.
There was a bomb attack on Sunday night in which five persons died while an explosives laden car was demobilised in Kano on Monday.
Majia said the suspects were arrested, to avert further security breach, adding that “no information yet to link the suspects to the bombings until investigation is completed”.

Kaduna
Kaduna State Government said it would collaborate with
retired military officers to address the prevailing security challenges in the state.
Gov. Mukhtar Yero said this when Retired Army, Navy and Air Force Officers Association of Nigeria (RANAO) led by its President, Maj. Gen. Rabiu Aliyu (rtd) paid him a courtesy visit in Kaduna.
The governor, directed the coordinator of the state security outfit, Operation Yaki, to discuss further with the association on strategies to tackle the prevailing insecurity in the state.
Earlier, the President of the association, Maj. Gen. Rabiu Aliyu (rtd) said that members were ready to use their wealth of knowledge and experience to assist the government in tackling security challenges in the state.
Kwara
Workers at the three Kwara State owned Colleges of Edu
cation last Tuesday suspended their six-week industrial action called by Committee of Unions of Tertiary Institutions (CUTI).
CUTI Chairman, Malam Shehu Sanni, announced the suspension of the strike in Ilorin at the end of the congress of the union held at the College of Education, Ilorin.
He said the strike was suspended for three weeks to allow for negotiations between the union and the state government, and directed all members of the three unions under CUTI to return to work immediately.
Sanni said members of the College of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU), Non Academic Staff Union (NASU) and Senior Staff Union of Colleges of Education in Nigeria (SSUCOEN) met to take the decision.
The CUTI chairman said the union decided to suspend the six-week strike due to the intervention of Senator Bukola Saraki and Global Peace Movement.

Ogun
An Abeokuta Chief Magistrates’ Court, on Tuesday, re
manded three union officials in prison custody at the Abeokuta Prisons, Ibara, for allegedly stealing money belonging to two organisations.
The organisations are: the First City Monument Bank (FCMB) and the Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) of the Moshood Abiola Polytechnic (MAPOLY), Ojere, Abeokuta.
The accused, Odeogbola James, 55; Egbewunmi Olalekan, 44, and Taiwo Oladipupo, 38, are being tried for stealing, conspiracy and concealing relevant documents relating to the disbursement of funds, property of FCMB and NASU.
Earlier, the prosecutor, ASP Banji Sangotokun, had told the court that the accused persons, whose addresses were unknown, committed the offences between 2008 and 2011 at MAPOLY.
He said the accused persons were holding major positions in the union as the President, Treasurer, and Secretary of the NASU at MAPOLY.

Osun
The Osun House of Assembly has appealed to the Joint
Negotiation Council (JNC) of the non-academic staff union of state-owned tertiary institutions to call off its three- month-old strike.
The House made the appeal at a joint meeting of JNC, Head of Service and the Commissioner of Finance, Mr Akintunde Adegboye, in Osogbo.
Members of non-academic staff union of the institutions embarked on strike on March 11 over non-remittance of their contributory pension funds and poor condition of service, among others.
Addressing the meeting, the Speaker of the House, Mr Najeem Salaam, said the House would do everything within its power to address the union’s demands and assured that the House would consider the inclusion of the union in the new 65 year retirement age demanded by them.
Earlier, Mr Olusoji Fasipe, JNC chairman, said government had not been remitting their pension deduction into the appropriate quarters in the last nine months.
Oyo
The National Environmental Standards and Regulations En
forcement Agency (NESREA) says it will collaborate with the town planning authorities to stop the location of industrial and residential property in the same area.
South West Zonal Director of the agency, Mr Olufunbi Sode, who said this in an interview in Ibadan last Tuesday stated that to ensure a clean and healthier environment, the problem of locating industries in residential areas and vice versa must be resolved.
“It is important to ensure that areas designated for industries are solely used for industrial development and not to have residential buildings mixed up with industries.”We must stop the problem of having residents living close to industries, thereby keeping people away from industrial pollution. This should stop,” he said.
“We must establish working relationship with government establishments at the federal, state and local levels and in this instance, town planning authorities are paramount. “We have had occasions of working together with them in the past and only last year, we were able to sensitise them on this particular issue,” he added.

Lagos

The National Inland Waterway Authority (NIWA) has recov
ered the body of the victim of the boat mishap that occurred at Bonny Camp in Victoria Island, Lagos on May 18.
Eight of the nine people on board the boat were rescued alive while one of the passengers, a woman could not be accounted for.
The Head of the Marine Department of NIWA, Mrs Sarat Suleiman, said the body of the woman was recovered at around mid day on Tuesday.
Recounting the mishap, Suleiman said that a heavy wind blew against the boat and the operator could not control the situation.
She commended the Association of Tourist Boat Operators, Water Transporters of Nigeria and fishermen for rising up to the challenge before the arrival of NIWA rescue team and urged boat operators and passengers to desist from night trips to save their lives.
Also speaking, Mr Olayinka Marinho, the Managing Director of the Lagos State Waterways Authority, said that the authority had warned passengers and operators against travelling at night.
Marinho decried the failure of passengers and operators to heed warning on their safety, adding that any person who disregarded the law did so at his or her own risk.

Plateau
A former aviation minister, Chief Felix Hyat, has advised
northern governors to relate more with security agencies rather than hurling blames in the quest to tackle insurgency.
The former minister, who was also Secretary to the State Government (SSG) during the Ahmed Makarfi administration in Kaduna State urged governors and other leaders to be proactive and should quickly resolve issues as they arose rather than taking them for granted.
The former minister said Nigerians must be educated to accept one another, adding that they must realise that they cannot live in isolation.
“Even if we decide to be that foolish, we shall have denominational differences staring us in the face,” he said.
On the allegations that insurgency was politically motivated, Hyat described such claims as “myopic.”

L-Rt: U.S. Undersecretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracy and Human Rights, Sarah Sewall, Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Aminu Wali, U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr James Entwistle and Nigeria’s Ambassador to the U.S., Prof. Ade Adefuye, during the visit of the U. S. Under Secretary to Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Abuja, recently.

Nation

Youths Vow To Continue Protest Over Dilapidated Highway

Published

2 days ago

February 16, 2026

The Tide

Youths from five local government areas in Northern Cross River State have concluded a one-week warning protest and blockade of the dilapidated Ikom-Wula-Obudu federal highway over the weekend.
They have vowed to resume the road blocks if by this week the authorities do not intervene to fix the road.
More than five thousand locals, mostly youths from Obanliku, Etung, Obudu, Ikom and Boki LGAs trooped out everyday for one week, used palm trees to block the highway to draw state and federal government’s attention to their plights, requesting the repair of a road has has been unmotorable for about 40 years.
They warned that if they do not see any actions from the state or federal governments, they will resume their Plan B protest, stop revenue collections and make governance unpalatable.
The youths also warned that without interventions on the road which has claimed several lives, including that of last week when a pregnant woman died with her baby in the full glare of the protesters because of the terrible road, no election can hold in the area next year.
One of the leaders of the No Road , No Election protest, who is also the Abo Youths in Boki LGA, Dr Martins Assam said both the federal and state governments have neglected the region, which generates more than 70 percent state revenue from agriculture.
He said if machinery is not deployed by next week, they will not have any option than to embark on unpalatable and disastrous protest, and stop revenue collections in the area.
“Last week we had only a warning strike for one good week. We’ll embark on a more elaborate, disastrous one-month blockade of this highway until they intervene. We call on our Governor and representatives in the National Assembly to act now by impressing on the federal government to immediately fix this road else. We’re not asking for two much but to be treated as human beings.”
Another protester, Clinton Obi from the Etung axis said, “We’ve been neglected for 40 years. This Ikom-Obudu federal highway had been impassable. The government has removed its concentration from our plights. By this one week protest, we want action on this road otherwise the next phase of protest will be costly.”
Reverend Father Francis Amaozo, priest in charge of St. Nicholas parish in Nashua, Boki LGA said, “I have also been a victim of this very deplorable road. Enough is now enough. We’ve been betrayed by our representatives and other leaders, so that we in this axis have become endangered species on this road. I have lost some many members on this road.”
Member, representing the Boki-Ikom federal constituency of the state in the House of Representatives, Bisong Victor Abang had pleaded with the locals to be a bit more patient with the government as action will commence shortly.

Nation

UNIPORT VC Receives Inaugural Lecture Brochure As Professor Highlights Urgent Need For Drug Repurposing In Malaria Fight

Published

2 days ago

February 16, 2026

The Tide

The Vice Chancellor of the University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT), Prof Owunari Georgewill, last Thursday received the inaugural lecture brochure from the Inaugural Lecturer, Professor Udeme Georgewill, during a ceremony at the university’s Centre of Excellence attended by academics, researchers, students, and distinguished guests.
Delivering her lecture, Professor Udeme Georgewill described the occasion as the culmination of years of dedicated research, teaching, and service to humanity. He explained that his work as a pharmacologist has consistently focused on finding practical, affordable, and scientifically sound solutions to health challenges that disproportionately affect developing countries, particularly malaria, which remains one of Nigeria’s most pressing public health concerns.
She noted that Nigeria continues to bear one of the heaviest malaria burdens globally, accounting for a significant percentage of worldwide cases and deaths. The disease, largely caused by the Plasmodium falciparum parasite and transmitted through Anopheles mosquitoes, remains especially dangerous for children under five years and pregnant women, threatening not only present populations but unborn generations. Despite years of intervention efforts, malaria continues to strain families, health systems, and the national economy.
Prof Georgewill empha-sised that while Artemisinin-based Combination Therapies such as Artemether-Lumefantrine remain the gold standard for malaria treatment, emerging resistance patterns pose a serious challenge. He explained that drug resistance is a survival mechanism of the parasite, enabling it to adapt and reduce the effectiveness of medications designed to eliminate it. According to her, instances where patients do not feel better after initial treatment sometimes lead to repeated dosing or the search for injectable alternatives, practices that can worsen resistance and complicate treatment outcomes.
Against this backdrop, she advocated strongly for drug repurposing as a strategic and urgent response. Drug repurposing, he explained, involves identifying new therapeutic uses for already approved and widely available medications. He likened the concept to “old wine in new wineskins,” stressing that medicines already proven safe for certain conditions can be carefully re-evaluated and optimised for new roles in malaria management. This approach, she argued, offers advantages such as reduced research timelines, lower development costs, and faster clinical application compared to developing entirely new drugs from scratch.
She disclosed that her research had progressed from laboratory investigations to clinical evaluations, where his team is studying combinations involving Artemether-Lumefantrine and Ivermectin to determine their effectiveness in improving treatment outcomes and possibly reducing transmission. Clinical trials are ongoing, and findings will be communicated upon completion of regulatory processes. However, he cautioned strongly against self-medication, warning that misuse of drugs without proper diagnosis and prescription can lead to organ damage, treatment failure, and increased resistance.
Referencing global health commitments, Prof Georgewill highlighted Sustainable Development Goal 3.3, which seeks to end epidemics of malaria and other major infectious diseases by 2030. She questioned whether the goal remains attainable under current realities, especially with growing resistance and funding gaps. He also referred to strategies of the World Health Organisation aimed at drastically reducing malaria incidence and mortality while pushing toward elimination in several countries.
Looking ahead, she revealed that her team is building comprehensive research databases to support artificial intelligence-driven drug repurposing. He stressed that the integration of artificial intelligence, molecular docking, and advanced screening technologies is transforming global drug discovery, and Nigerian researchers must be equipped to participate competitively in this evolving scientific landscape.
In her recommendations, she called for the establishment of a National Centre for Drug Repurposing to coordinate research efforts and leverage artificial intelligence in identifying new indications for existing medicines. He urged policymakers to simplify and accelerate the translation of laboratory discoveries into clinical application, ensuring that scientific breakthroughs benefit the public more efficiently. She also appealed to the university and relevant authorities to increase funding and modernise laboratory infrastructure, including high-throughput screening facilities, to strengthen Nigeria’s position in global biomedical research.
The lecture concluded with expressions of gratitude to God, the university leadership, colleagues, students, and guests, as the event underscored the University of Port Harcourt’s commitment to research excellence and its role in addressing critical public health challenges facing Nigeria and the wider world.

Nation

Niger CAN Rejects Proposed Hisbah Bill, Urges Gov Bago Not To Assent

Published

2 days ago

February 16, 2026

The Tide

The Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, Niger State Chapter, has rejected the proposed Niger State Hisbah Directorates Bill, describing it as controversial and capable of deepening religious division in the state.
In a statement signed by the State Chairman, Bishop Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, and made available to The Tide’s source yesterday, the association urged Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago not to assent to the bill if it is passed by the State House of Assembly.
The bill, sponsored by the member representing Chanchaga Constituency, Hon. Mohammed Abubakar, seeks to establish a Hisbah Directorate in Niger State.
CAN warned that the legislation could be perceived as discriminatory against Christians and may heighten tension in the religiously diverse state.
“Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago, we, the entire Christendom in the state, wish to draw your attention to what could easily create division among the people you govern,” the statement read in part.
The association questioned the necessity and benefits of the proposed law, asking what economic or social value it would add to the state.
It further argued that existing security agencies, including the Nigeria Police and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, already have constitutional mandates to maintain law and order.
The Christian body also faulted the legislative process, disputing claims that it was consulted during a public hearing on the bill.
It insisted that it was neither invited nor notified of any such engagement, despite being a critical stakeholder in the state.