Nation
THE STATES
Borno
The Borno State Environmental Protection Agency
(BOSEPA) says it will partner with a Ugandan firm to manufacture roofing sheets in the state.
Its Sole Administrator , Malam Nasiru Surundi, told newsmen in Maiduguri that the roofing sheets would be manufactured from recycled polythene bags and water sachets.
“The Borno State Government is trying to set up a roofing sheet manufacturing plant in Maiduguri.
“ The plant will use polythene waste as its raw materials, thereby converting the numerous water sachets littering the state to wealth”.
According to Surundi, the setting up of a roofing sheet manufacturing plant is aimed at keeping the environment safe and clean.
FCT
A Senior Business Manager with APTECH Nigeria, Mr
Tushar Gupta, has called on the Federal Government to update ICT curriculum in colleges and other institutions.
APTECH Nigeria is a recognised Computer and IT institute in Nigeria, which provides computer education and IT training.
Gupta, who made the call in an interview with newsmen said that Nigerian colleges did not give deep knowledge on ICT applications.
“ICT is a course which students are expected to have in-depth knowledge on the topics that they are being taught.
“In ICT, you need to get intense knowledge on the topics so that the student can work and use the knowledge in life.
“So, without giving the deep knowledge, it is difficult to use and utilise the knowledge gained for day to day activities.”
Jigawa
The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in
Jigawa State says it has arrested a 25-year-old bricklayer with a 300-meter armour cable suspected to be the property of Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN).
The NSCDC Commandant in the state, Mr Muhammad Durumin-Iya, said this while presenting the suspect to newsmen in Dutse.
Durum in-Iya said the suspect allegedly stole the cable in Dajin Gwamna in Gumel Local Government Area of the state.
He said the suspect was arrested by one of the volunteers of the corps operating in the area while trying to sell the cable.
The commandant said the suspect, who confessed to committing the offence, would soon be charged to court.
Kwara
The Principal of Government Secondary School, Omu Aran,
Kwara State, Mr Segun Abifarin, says popular Christian cleric, Bishop David Oyedepo, is paying 20 teachers N40,000 each monthly to support the education sector.
Abifarin disclosed this in Ilorin during the re-union meeting of the 1981 set of the old students of the school.
He said Oyedepo, the President of Living Faith Church also known as Winners Chapel, was paying five teachers each in four community schools in Omu Aran, Irepodun Local Government Area of the state.
The principal said Oyedepo believes that government alone could not do everything for its citizenry and enjoined private individuals to support the education sector.
Abifarin said the school was presently under staffed and needed more teachers in core subjects.
Lagos
Governor Akinwumi Ambode of Lagos State said that his
administration had earmarked N20 billion to revamp the health and education sectors in the state before December.
Ambode said this during an interactive session at the 2016-second-quarter-town-hall meeting in Badagry.
He said that his administration had commenced a comprehensive rehabilitation and upgrading of hospital facilities across the state.
“Modern equipment will be procured to facilitate treatment of patients and we will invest in capacity building of our medical staff.
“We intend to spend over N10 billion on our hospitals across the state before December this year,” he said.
Nasarawa
Some traders and residents of Keffi, Nasarawa State,
have appealed to the state government to reconsider its decision to cut salaries of workers in order to ensure industrial peace.
They made the appeal in separate interviews with our correspondent on Sunday in Keffi.
It would be recalled that on July 4, 2016, the labour unions in the state went on an indefinite strike to protest the downward review of their salaries by 50 per cent.
The respondents said that their appeal became necessary because of the prevailing economic hardship, adding that pay-cut would worsen conditions of workers.
A petty trader, Mrs Sarah Oboh, said that the state government’s action would weaken the purchasing power of the civil servants.
“Our problem is that the strike by workers has been affecting our businesses negatively.”
Niger
No fewer than 250 people have been displaced due to a
clash between Fulani herdsmen and Gwagyi farmers in Niger State.
Our correspondent reports that the clash led to the death of four persons and destruction of property in Bara-kuta in Bosso Local Government Area recently.
Director-General, Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA), Malam Ahmed Inga, made this known to newsmen in Minna.
He said the displaced people were being resettled in a school in Bosso while reconciliation was ongoing toward returning them to their homes.
“The State Government has established links with the herdsmen and the farmers toward restoring lasting peace in the area to enable the Gwagyis go back to their homes and attend to their farms.
Ogun
The Ado- Odo/Ota Local Government in Ogun State
generated N103.5 million in the first half of the year, the council’s Chairman, Mr Olukayode Idowu-Ojumo, has said.
Idowu-Ojumo, who heads the council’s Transition Committee, disclosed this when the State House of Assembly Committee on Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs visited the council secretariat as part of its oversight functions.
He said the council received N9.7 million in January, N9.6 million in February, N18.3 million in March while in April it generated N40.6 million.
The council boss added that N14.9 million was raked in May while N10.4 million was earned in June.
Osun
A 35-year-old man, Bolanle Akanda, has been arraigned
before an Osogbo Magistrates’ Court over an alleged N200,000 fraud.
The Prosecutor, Insp Taiwo Adegoke told the court that the accused committed the offence on April .2 at about 1. 00 p.m. in Ile-Ife, Osun.
Adegoke said the accused allegedly defrauded one Pastor Oluwasanmi Samuel by collecting N200,000 on the pretext of buying and fixing some aluminum doors in his house.
The offence contravened Section 419 of the Criminal Code, Laws of Osun, 2003.
The accused pleaded not guilty.
Counsel to the accused, Mr Wole Olaleye, urged the court to grant him bail on liberal terms.
Oyo
An Ibadan Chief Magistrates’ Court has granted a
cumulative total of N5 million bail to five defendants for allegedly hijacking a fuel-laden tanker.
The Chief Magistrate, Mrs A. F. Richard, released the accused on N1million bail each, with two sureties in like sum.
She held that the sureties must also have landed property and be their blood relatives.
She adjourned the case to Aug. 23.
The accused persons, whose addresses are unknown, were identified as Saheed Adeleke (35); Moses Ishaka (33); Opeyemi Habeeb (29); Niyi Samuel (33) and Omotayo Adepemisoye (31).
They allegedly hijacked the Total Oil and Gas company’s tanker, laden with 33, 000 litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) otherwise known as Petrol, at Olorunsogo area of Ibadan.
Plateau
Seven in every 10 victims of road crashes are youths aged between
15 and 29, the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) has said.
Its Commanding Officer in charge of Jos Zone, Mr Oludare Fadogba, told newsmen in Jos on Sunday that Road Traffic crashes (RTCs) had remained the leading cause of deaths among youths.
The official, whose zone comprised Plateau, Benue and Nasarawa States, said that road crashes had devastating effects on Nigeria’s growth and development potentials.
“Road traffic crashes remain a global phenomenon, but they have more devastating effects in the developing countries like ours.
Yobe
The Chairman, Yobe State Pilgrims Commission, Alhaji Ibrahim
Al-Arab, said a total of 2,231 intending pilgrims from the state were set and ready for the 2016 Hajj in Saudi Arabia.
Al-Arab, who disclosed this in an interview with newsmen in Damaturu, said the Commission had already carried out successful orientation for the pilgrims and acquainted them with rituals of the exercise.
“The commission has organised educational enlightenment and practical exercises for the pilgrims so that they do not miss out anything and also get value for their money.
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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