Nation
THE STATES
Borno
The Bama Initiative for Human Development, an NGO, last Sunday in Maiduguri staged a peaceful demonstration demanding the return of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) to their respective communities in Bama.
The group’s Chairman, Alhaji Muhammad Hassan said that the IDPs would want to return and continue their normal activities in view of the prevailing peace in the state.
Hassan noted that about 70 per cent of the reconstruction and rehabilitation projects had been completed in the area, saying that they were tired of living as displaced persons.
“We are in Maiduguri for more than three years without meaningful means of livelihoods. The condition of our people is pathetic”, he said.
FCT
The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed has said that as far as Federal Government appointments to public offices and key positions are concerned, the era of “godfatherism’’ is over.
The minister stated this in Abuja last Sunday at a thanksgiving reception by the newly appointed Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Information and Culture, Ms Grace Gekpe.
Mohammed, who was represented by the Managing Director of News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Mr Bayo Onanuga stated that appointment to positions in the Federal Government “is strictly by merit’’.
“Gone are those days when people were appointed into positions by other factors apart from merit.
“Most of us must have heard that the new permanent secretaries were asked to write examination; Gekpe was one of the very few that scaled through the examination”, he said.
Kaduna
A philanthropist, Alhaji Suleiman Mohammed-Mijinyawa last Sunday says he plans to rehabilitate at least 1,000 drug addicts in Zaria, Kaduna State.
He said this in an interview with newsmen on the sideline of the weekly orientation and counselling programme for over 350 youth in Zaria.
Our correspondent reports that the programme which was organised by the philanthropist drew youths from 12 political wards of Zaria Federal Constituency.
Mohammed-Mijinyawa said the essence of the programme was to counsel the affected youth on the need to repent and become useful to the society.
Kano
Max Air Limited says it has so far returned no fewer than 23,000 pilgrims to Nigeria since the commencement of airlift of pilgrims after the 2017 Hajj in Saudi Arabia.
This is contained in a statement by the Airline’s Public Relations Manager, Alhaji Ibrahim Dahiru in Kano last Sunday.
According to him, the pilgrims were transported back to Nigeria from the Holy land through various airports in 45 flights.
He said the airline had made seven trips each for Sokoto and Katsina States in addition to eight flights for Zamfara.
He said that the airline also made four trips for Kaduna pilgrims, three trips for Kwara, one for Kogi, while Kano and Nasarawa States had two trips each.
Kogi
A cleric, Pastor Ben Oluyemi of the Living Faith Church, Winners Chapel, Lokoja has advised Nigerians to love God unconditionally to enjoy supernatural breakthrough.
Oluyemi made the call in Lokoja last Sunday in a sermon, titled: ‘Gateway to Supernatural Breakthrough; The Force of Love”.
The cleric, who is the state Pastor of the church also urged Christians let the love of God reflect in their relationships with people via caring, sharing and praying for one another.
According to him, doing so will promote God’s kingdom on earth.
Reading from the Bible, Oluyemi, who quoted the book of 1 John 4 : 8 and 16 to buttress his point, said, “He that loves not, knows not God; for God is love.”
Lagos
Stand To End Rape (STER), an NGO last Sunday sensitised over 50 teenage boys and girls at Bogije community in Ibeju Lekki Local Government Area of Lagos State on prevention of sexual violence and early pregnancy.
STER Executive Director, Ayodeji Osowobi, told participants at Bogije Primary Health Centre that the campaign woud also help parents and community leaders in protecting the girls against early pregnancy so as not to jeopardise their future.
“To enhance their knowledge on dangers of having unprotected sex which leads to unwanted pregnancy,stigma and unsafe abortion.
“We decided to come to this community because we have many records of teenage pregnancy between 12 and 15 years old in this community”, Osowobi said .
Nasarawa
Pastor David Tarva of Living Faith Church, Keffi has challenged wealthy Nigerians to spare some of their wealth for the needy.
Tarva, who gave the charge during a sermon last Sunday, said that it was a sin to throw away remnants while those in need were starving.
Using the analogy of Jesus asking his disciples to feed the people, he pointed out that humans needed physical bread, in addition to the spiritual food for the journey to eternity.
“People have to be nurtured spiritually and physically from hunger and poverty,” he sad.
Niger
Some university students in Minna have expressed joy over the suspension of the one-month-old strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
They expressed the joy in separate interviews with newsmen in Minna.
Ms Rita Moses of the Department of Educational Services, Federal University of Technology, Minna described the suspension of the strike as the best thing in the nation’s education sector in recent times.
Mr Abdulkarim Mohammed of the same institution also lauded the union’s decision, noting that students could now resume normal academic activities.
Oyo
A former Minister of Information, Prof Jerry Gana is to deliver the 9th convocation lecture of Ajayi Crowther University (ACU), Oyo,scheduled to hold on Thursday, October 12, 2017.
A Senior Assistant Registrar, Public Relations, ACU, Mr Alvan Ewuzie said this in a statement made available to newsmen in Ibadan last Saturday.
Ewuzie said that the politician and former minister of information would deliver a lecture entitled: ‘Building a Culture of Academic Excellence in Nigerian Universities’.
He stated that Gana was expected to bring his vast experience in politics and the academia to bear in the lecture which was among the events lined up for the convocation ceremony.
Plateau
Governor Simon Lalong of Plateau State has sworn-in Justice Yakubu Dakwak as the Acting Chief Judge of the state following the retirement of the former Chief Judge, Justice Pius Damulak.
Speaking at the ceremony last Saturday in Jos, Lalong said that the swearing-in of Dakwak was in line with the provisions of the law.
“Today’s swearing-in of my Lord, Justice Yakubu Dakwak, as Acting Chief Judge of Plateau, is in keeping with judicial precedence and the time-tested tradition of succession on the bench by seniority.
“Nature abhors a vacuum and so does the Judiciary. I have therefore considered it imperative to exercise without delay the duty of swearing-in an Acting Chief Judge for the state.
“Through the administration of the oath of allegiance in keeping with the provision of section 271(2) (3) and particularly sub-section (4) of the 1999 constitution as amended, the process for the confirmation or appointment of the substantive Chief Judge shall follow constitutionally laid down procedure and this shall commence immediately,” he said.
Sokoto
The Sokoto State Government has built 50 new secondary schools based on demands by their respective host communities, according to the Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Dr. Jabbi Kilgori.
Kilgori told newsmen last Sunday in Gudu that government’s partnership with communities on education had continued to yield positive results on the sector.
He said that government had established consultative committees on educational development at state and local government levels, to streamline government activities toward maximum success of the state-of-emergency declared on education.
According to him, members of the committee included traditional and religious leaders, Parents Teachers Associations, community-based organisations, NGOs and selected individuals.
“The committees assist government on enrollment drive campaigns, mobilise parents on continuation of studies and carry out other forms of sensitisations including door-to-door contacts”, Kilgori stated.
Zamfara
Troops of 1 Division of the Nigerian Army and operatives of the Department of State Service (DSS) have arrested two suspected illegal arms dealers along Funtua-Gusau road in Zamfara State.
Army spokesman, Brig.-Gen. Sani Usman said in a statement last Monday that preliminary investigation showed that the suspects were on their way to deliver ammunition to armed bandits.
Usman said that they were caught driving a Golf Volkswagen car with registration “number AWE-534-AA (Nasarawa) containing 1,479 rounds of 7.62mm (Special) ammunition.”
According to him, the suspects are in custody of DSS.
Usman said that troops deployed at Dangulbi in Maru Local Government Area of Zamfara also arrested three armed bandits while on routine patrol.
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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