Nation

THE STATES

Published

9 years ago

February 27, 2017

Adamawa
The Adamawa State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Malam Ahmad says that, the state government Sajoh, has set up a High Powered Committee to resuscitate all skills acquisition centres in the state.
Sajoh, told newsmen, Thursday in Yola that the decision was taken at the State Executive Council meeting on Wednesday.
Sajoh said that, the committee had Gov.Bindow Jibrilla as chairman with some commissioners and some stakeholders in empowerment and poverty alleviation as members.
“The new focus of this government is youth empowerment, we are reappraising the skills acquisition centres.
“We have taken it so seriously that council has set up a High Powered Committee with the Governor as the Chairman and Chief of Staff to the Governor as Vice-Chairman.

Benue
The National Population Commission (NPC), last Thursday said, it has started the third phase of the Enumeration Area Demarcation (EAD) in Benue State for the 2018 National Population Census.
Mrs Patricia Kupchi, NPC Federal Commissioner in Benue, told newsmen in Makurdi that, the exercise started in Ohimini Local Government Area of the state.
She said that, enumerators would move round communities in the area to number and divide houses into enumeration areas, using satellite maps.
According to her, the exercise is aimed at dividing the enumeration areas into smaller units for effective census coverage.

FCT
Foreign Affairs Minister, Geoffrey Onyeama says, Nigeria is in need of about one billion dollars (N314.8bn) for recharging of drying Lake Chad.
The minister told newsmen last Wednesday in Abuja that the fund would also take care of the humanitarian needs of persons affected by Boko Haram insurgency in North East Nigeria.
Onyeama said that, an international conference of donor countries and agencies has been scheduled in Oslo, Norway, to raise the funds on February 24.
He said the conference was being put together with the support of Germany and Norway, who galvanised the international community to support Nigeria’s efforts in addressing its humanitarian challenge.

Jigawa
Director of Jigawa State Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr Shehu Sambo, last Thursday said, 3,260 children below the age of five in the state had died of malnutrition between 2010 and 2016.
Sambo disclosed this in a paper presentation on overview of Community-Based Management of Acute Malnutrition at the ongoing advocacy meeting on management of severe acute malnutrition by UNICEF, Bauchi field office.
He explained that, 36,271 out of 280,980 children admitted within the period under review were defaulters who did not complete treatment, hence some of them might have died thereafter while 20,226 of them were cured.
The Director noted that, it was worrisome that over 800 children died of malnutrition in the state in 2016 alone.

Katsina
The Katsina State Government says it has earmarked N12.3 billion for the completion and rehabilitation of some dam projects to boost water supply and irrigation in the state.
The Special Adviser to the Governor on Budget and Economic Planning, Alhaji Abdullahi Imam, said this during a news conference on Thursday in Katsina.
He said N5 billion had been set aside for the completion of Zobe water supply project in Dutsin-ma Local Government Area of the state.
Imam said that, when completed, the project would improve water supply to Kankia, Charanchi, Bindawa, Rimi Batagarawa and Katsina Local Government Areas.
“Government also sets aside N3 billion for the regional water supply in Danja Local Government Area to boost water supply and irrigation, particularly tomato and sugarcane production.

Kano
Kano State Executive Council has approved N780 million for the continuation of projects in various sectors in the state.
The state Commissioner for Information, Malam Muhammad Garba, made this known while briefing newsmen on the outcome of the State Executive Council meeting on Thursday in Kano.
Garba explained that, N60 million was approved for the procurement of chairs and desks for schools by the Ministry of Education.
Garba also said that, 37 junior secondary schools would be upgraded to Senior Secondary Schools and 66 new Junior Secondary Schools would be constructed.

Kogi
Kogi State House of Assembly last Wednesday in Lokoja passed the 2017 appropriation bill of N174.8 billion for the fiscal year.
The bill, passed during special plenary sitting in Lokoja, was based on expected revenue of N174.8 billion and an expenditure of same figure, giving it a balanced outlook.
The budget is made up of Recurrent Revenue of N81.66 billion and Capital Receipts of N93.18 billion as well as Recurrent Expenditure of N58.531 billion and Capital Expenditure of N116.320 billion, amounting to N174.851 billion.
Passage of the Appropriation Bill followed the adoption of report of the Assembly’s Committee on Appropriation and Budget Monitoring as well as clause-by-clause consideration by the Committee of the Whole during the special sitting.

Kwara
The Kwara State Government has earmarked N3.2billion for the take-off of two new campuses of the Kwara State University (KWASU) to be sited in Osi and Ilesa-Baruba.
The state Commissioner for Information and Communication, Alhaji Babatunde Ajeigbe, disclosed this on Thursday during a news conference on the outcome of the State Executive Council’s meeting held on Wednesday, February 22.
The briefing was also attended by the Special Adviser to the governor on Legal Matters, Mr Suleiman Atolagbe, the Senior Special Assistant (SSA), Dr Muideen Akorede and the Chief Press Secretary (CPS), Alhaji Abdulwahab Oba.
Ajeigbe said, the N3.2 billion was for the construction of roads, students’ hostels, lecture theatres, offices and water reticulation for the two campuses.

Lagos
The raid of Sango Ota Rice Garage last Tuesday night by operatives of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) sent “shivers down the spines” of Alaba Rago market rice sellers in Lagos.
The sellers, who expressed fear of a raid by officials of the Customs Service, had adopted more strategies to woo customers.
Some of the sellers told newsmen last Thursday in Lagos that Customs officials ought to restrict their operations to the borders.
According to them, there is no reason for Customs to go into the markets to harass sellers whose business is to sell the commodity and fend for their families.

Nasarawa
The National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) says it has commenced training of drivers on safety strategies to adopt while transporting pregnant women with complications to health facilities.
The Consultant of the NURTW Emergency Transport Scheme Alhaji Ismail Balogun, made this known on Thursday in Lafia, Nasarawa State, while addressing members of the union.
Balogun said that the training was to curb the increasing rate of maternal mortality.
He said that 30 drivers selected from Doma and Nasarawa-Eggon Local Government Areas of the state would benefit from the scheme.
According to him, the training will focus on the safety strategies to adopt while transporting pregnant women with complications to health facilities for proper medical attention.

Ogun
The management of the Home Grown School Feeding Programme in Ogun State last Thursday assured that it remained committed to effective service delivery to benefitting pupils across public primary schools in the state.
The Programme Manager, Mrs Tinuola Shopeju, stated this during an interactive session with food vendors engaged under the programme in Abeokuta-North and Abeokuta-South local government areas of the state.
Shopeju explained that additional vendors would be considered to adequately meet the demands of the beneficiaries.
She assured that the department would sustain the interaction with the vendors at regular intervals, to ensure prompt service delivery and feedback towards resolving various challenges confronting them.
The programme manager enjoined them not to hesitate to forward their observations, as and when due, for necessary attention.

Plateau
A total of 450 entries from 32 secondary schools across Plateau State have been received for this year’s Plateau Internal Revenue Service (PSIRS) Essay Writing Competition.
The students are expected to write on taxation in the state, and specifically offer suggestions toward enhancing such receipts in Plateau.
The Chairman of the eight-man panel of judges assessing the entries, Chief Vonjen Lar, disclosed this to newsmen last Wednesday in Jos.
Lar, a retired Permanent Secretary, described the response from the students and schools as, “very positive and “encouraging”.
“We have already started marking the scripts; we shall move through various stages and eventually arrive at the best three.

Nation

HYPREP Marks 15 Years Of UNEP Report, Highlights Major Cleanup Milestones

Published

1 week ago

August 10, 2026

The Tide

The Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) has commemorated the 15th anniversary of the release of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Environmental Assessment Report on Ogoniland, reaffirming its commitment to restoring the environment and improving the livelihoods of affected communities.

In a statement signed by the Project Coordinator, Prof Nenibarini Zabbey, to commemorate the anniversary, HYPREP described the anniversary as a significant milestone in Nigeria’s environmental restoration efforts, noting that the project has made remarkable progress in implementing the recommendations of the landmark UNEP report released on August 4, 2011.

The UNEP report had revealed extensive oil pollution across Ogoniland, severe environmental degradation, and serious public health risks resulting from decades of petroleum operations. It also recommended an initial $1 billion fund to commence the cleanup of the affected communities.

According to HYPREP, the Federal Government formally launched the Ogoni clean-up in 2016, while the Project Coordination Office was established in 2017 to drive the implementation of UNEP’s recommendations.
Zabbey said the current administration has continued to prioritise the project under the Renewed Hope Agenda.

Providing an update on the cleanup, the Project Coordinator disclosed that 30 of the 65 contaminated sites identified by UNEP have been fully remediated, while work is ongoing at several medium- and high-risk locations. It also stated that more than 1.5 million mangrove seedlings have been planted as part of what it described as the world’s largest restoration of oil-degraded mangroves, with over 1,000 hectares of shoreline already rehabilitated.

Zabbey further revealed that 49 Ogoni communities have been connected to potable water schemes through multiple water projects and booster stations aimed at providing safe drinking water across the region.

In the health sector, he said the 100-bed Ogoni Specialist Hospital in Kpite and the 43-bed Cottage Hospital in Buan are nearing completion, adding that several existing health facilities have been upgraded with modern medical equipment, while five ambulances have been donated to improve emergency healthcare services. The Project Coordinator also disclosed that a three-year human health biomonitoring study is being conducted in collaboration with the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).

On economic empowerment, Zabbey stated that the Project has created more than 8,000 direct jobs and trained thousands of Ogoni youths and women in various vocational and technical skills, including software development, cybersecurity, aviation, commercial diving, seafaring, mechatronics, and creative arts. The project also reported awarding scholarships to more than 1,000 students, providing grants to small businesses, and supporting persons living with special needs through skills acquisition programmes.

The statement further highlighted ongoing legacy projects, including the Ogoni Power Project and the Centre of Excellence for Environmental Restoration, which it said is about 96 per cent complete. HYPREP also welcomed the recent designation of the Ogoni Wetland as a Ramsar Site of International Importance and pledged to continue promoting biodiversity conservation and sustainable management of the ecosystem.

Marking the anniversary, Zabbey said the progress achieved over the past 15 years demonstrates the collective commitment of government, development partners, stakeholders, and local communities to restoring Ogoniland. He called for renewed collaboration to sustain the cleanup effort, promote environmental sustainability, and support the long-term development of the region. 3

Nation

REAN, SON synergise to curb fake renewable energy product

Published

2 months ago

June 29, 2026

The Tide

The Renewable Energy Association of Nigeria (REAN) says it has strengthened collaboration with the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) to enhance quality control and enforcement frameworks.

Mr Oisereime Lloyd-Dietake, the Head of Communications, REAN, in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja, said the collaboration would also involve stakeholder engagement on testing, certification and capacity building in Nigeria.

He said the synergy would strengthen quality control and enforcement frameworks, promote policy alignment, and ensure stronger regulation across the renewable energy value chain.

“REAN reaffirms its commitment to standardisation and quality assurance; tighter collaboration with SON is critical to eliminating fake and substandard renewable energy products from the Nigerian market.

“Enforcement and gaps in existing standards have continued to allow inferior products to circulate, undermining consumer confidence and slowing sector growth.”

Lloyd-Dietake said that at high-level discussions, REAN also highlighted the need for stronger regulatory coordination to address emerging challenges in the renewable energy space.

According to him, the issues include inconsistencies in standards, affordability issues linked to certification processes; and the increasing presence of substandard solar and renewable energy equipment in the country.

“The association further raised concerns about delays in product testing and approval, calling for the establishment of more testing laboratories and certification facilities to improve efficiency and reduce bottlenecks in the system,’’ he said.

Lloyd-Dietake urged closer collaboration among key regulatory bodies, including the Nigerian Electricity Management Services Agency, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, and the Rural Electrification Agency.

He said such team work would ensure harmonised standards and more effective enforcement against fake renewable energy products in the Nigerian market.

In response, SON acknowledged the important role REAN continued to play in supporting standardisation within Nigeria’s renewable energy industry and reaffirmed its willingness to deepen collaboration with the association.

SON further confirmed that REAN would be actively involved in future standard review processes and upcoming stakeholder engagements related to renewable energy and electric mobility standards development.

Lloyd-Dietake said REAN affirmed its willingness to formalise the partnership through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).

He said the MoU is aimed at deepening cooperation, promoting quality assurance, and accelerating Nigeria’s transition towards reliable and standardised renewable energy solutions.

Nation

Self Help Africa programme expands water access for 320,000 Nigerians

Published

2 months ago

June 29, 2026

The Tide

The WASH Systems for Health (WS4H) Programme, implemented by Self Help Africa, has expanded access to safe water and sanitation services for more than 320,000 people in Kano and Cross River States.

The organisation disclosed this on Tuesday at the WS4H National Results and Learning Workshop in Abuja, where stakeholders reviewed achievements and lessons from the intervention.

Speaking at the event, Self Help Africa Country Director, Joy Aderele, said the programme demonstrated that sustainable WASH improvements require strong institutions, effective governance, adequate financing and collaboration.

Aderele said the UK-funded programme was designed to strengthen systems that support sustainable access to water, sanitation and hygiene services.

According to her, the intervention focused on improving governance, planning, financing, accountability and sector coordination to ensure resilient service delivery.

“More than 320,000 people now have improved or restored access to water services through programme-supported interventions,” she said.

She added that more than 5,520 household toilets were constructed in Yala and Makoda Local Government Areas, boosting sanitation, public health and efforts to end open defecation.

Aderele said the programme also strengthened public investment in WASH, with Cross River increasing its sector budget by 211 per cent in 2026 and Kano by 169.07 per cent.

She added that dedicated WASH budget lines had been established across 40 Ministries, Departments and Agencies in both states, strengthening accountability and institutional commitment.

According to her, both states reviewed and adopted updated WASH policies, while key planning documents were developed to guide future investments and service delivery.

She said Cross River also recorded a major legislative milestone through the passage of the Water Law and Open Defecation Prohibition Bill.

Aderele added that lessons from interventions in Yala LGA were already informing expansion efforts in Obubra Local Government Area.

While commending the achievements, she noted that capacity gaps, resource constraints and climate-related pressures remained challenges to sustainable WASH services.

“The sustainability of these gains will depend on continued government leadership, adequate financing, strong partnerships and investment in institutional capacity,” she said.

Also speaking, the Programme Manager of WS4H, Mr Timothy Ibeawuchi, said the intervention focused on strengthening systems needed to sustain gains and attract future investments.

According to him, the programme engages stakeholders in developing strategies that preserve achievements and support long-term service delivery.

“System strengthening work takes time because it addresses the fundamental issues responsible for sustainable and resilient service delivery,” he said.

Ibeawuchi said the programme strengthened policy development, planning, financing, monitoring and evaluation systems across the WASH sector.

He said two pilot local government areas were supported to develop WASH strategic plans outlining sector goals, targets and activities between 2026 and 2030.

According to him, the plans will guide future interventions and improve service delivery in the affected councils.

Earlier, the representative of the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), Chidera Chukwu, reaffirmed support for Nigeria’s development efforts in spite of the programme nearing completion.

Chukwu commended the Self Help Africa-led consortium for delivering the programme with professionalism and a strong focus on systems strengthening.

He said the consortium contributed greatly to strengthening Nigeria’s WASH sector through policy reforms, improved coordination and enhanced accountability.

“Together, we have advanced key policy and legislative reforms, including open defecation-free laws and strengthened state WASH frameworks,” he said.

According to him, the reforms represent enduring system-level changes that will continue delivering benefits beyond the programme’s lifespan.

In his remarks, Mr Jamilu Habu, Director of Water Quality Control and Sanitation, Federal Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation, commended the programme’s achievements.

Habu, who represented the Permanent Secretary, said the intervention strengthened governance, coordination, evidence-based planning and institutional capacity in the WASH sector.

He described the workshop as an opportunity to review achievements, share lessons and identify pathways for sustaining and scaling successful interventions.

According to him, the programme’s innovations and best practices will guide future policies and investments aimed at expanding access to safe WASH services.

Habu stressed the need for continued collaboration among governments, development partners, civil society organisations, the private sector and communities.

He said stronger partnerships remained essential to achieving universal access to water, sanitation and hygiene services and meeting Sustainable Development Goal 6.