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Borno
The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) says it has arrested a 24-year-old tricylist, Isah Ma’azu for allegedly snatching 15 cell phones from housewives in Maiduguri. The Commandant of the Corps, Ibrahim Abdullahi disclosed this in an interview with newsmen  in Maiduguri.
Abdullahi said that the suspect was apprehended by members of the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) and handed over to the Corps.
He said the suspect had swindled 15 cellphones and other valuable items from married women in the metropolis.
He explained that the suspect was disguising as an errand boy and going to the victims’ matrimonial homes under the pretext of delivering shopping or food items from their husbands.

FCT
The Acting Chairman of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr Ibrahim Magu will speak at the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria’s maiden anti-corruption workshop scheduled for November.
A statement by ALGON last Tuesday in Abuja said that former Secretary-General of Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria, Rev. Fr. George Ehusani would also speak at the occasion.
The statement signed by the Chairman, Board of Trustees (BOT) of ALGON, Mr Odunayo Ategbero  said that the workshop would hold from November 9 to November 10 at the Shehu Musa Yar’adua Centre, Abuja. Ategbero said that Magu would take the anti-corruption awareness to the grassroots as he would speak to principal operators of the 774 local governments of the federation.

Kebbi
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) says it has provided relief assistance to the recent Kebbi State flood victims. It could be recalled that about 100 households were affected by the flood in Dole-Kaina area of Dandi Local Government Area of the state sometime in September.
The Director-in-charge of Search and Rescue, Air Commodore Paul Ohenmu who presented the relief materials to the victims in Birnin Kebbi last Tuesday, said the assistance was meant to alleviate their sufferings.
“This is just a token to alleviate your suffering; we know that it will not be enough to take care of the disaster, but just for you to know that the Federal Government sympathises with you,” Ohenmu said.

Kogi
The Kogi State Government has described as false, rumours that some unidentified men are infecting children with monkey pox virus in schools in the guise of vaccination.
The Commissioner for Health, Dr Saka Audu in a statement by his media aide, Mr Audu Haruna last Tuesday in Lokoja said that government had investigated the claim and found that it was untrue.
According to him, “the rumour is baseless and unfounded, as it is similar to the rumour that gripped Abia, Enugu and Imo a few days back.’’
“The only parts of Kogi where we have an ongoing vaccination exercise is in Yagba West, which will soon be extended to two contiguous wards in Yagba East Local Government Area.

Kwara
A Librarian in the Kwara State Library, Mr Yisa Eleshinnla has urged the State Government to restore the electronic library (e-library) in the library.
Eleshinnla told newsmen  in Ilorin last Tuesday that the state e-library had been down for the past seven years and pleaded for its resuscitation. According to him, e-library is needed to enhance students’ performance in their academic fields of study, especially at this present computer age.
government has included the innovation project of the library in the state budget. He attributed the non-functioning of the e-library to mismanagement of facilities and equipment. “But, we have written a lot of memos to the government on this e-library project, but there has not been any positive response.
“E-library has to do with laptops, Internet and stable electricity, but they are all not working”, Yisa said.

Lagos
A creative expert, Temitope Olagbegi has identified too much concentration on politics and entertainment as major factors distracting youths from academic pursuit.
Olagbegi, the Creative Director, Sixth Sense, Lagos, in an interview with newsmen  in Lagos said “it has negative impact on their intellectual development’’.
She spoke on the sidelines of the Guardian of Hope (GOH) Foundation Excellence Award for Medical and Surgery Emergency Workers of the Lagos State Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Ikeja. According to her, the over-concentration is luring more youths to the “Get Rich Quick Syndrome’’, which most youths are now embracing in to the detriment of their integrity and diligence.

Nasarawa
A first class traditional ruler in Nasarawa State, Dr Ayuba Audu has advised parents against early marriage of their female children to enable them acquire quality education. Audu, the Zhe Migili of Migili nation, Nasarawa State gave the advice last Tuesday in an interview with newsmen in Jenkwe, Jenkwe Development Area of the state.
He appealed to parents and guardians to strive to provide high-quality education for their female wards for the overall development of the country. The Zhe Migili cited the example of Prof. Dinatu Iwala of Nasarawa State University, Keffi, who became the first female professor of the Migili people to buttress his position.

Niger
The Niger State Child Rights Protection Agency has announced the arrest of  eight persons suspected of raping four girls in Minna. The Director-General of the Agency, Mrs Mairam Kolo, told journalists last Tuesday that the victims were teenagers hawking wares on the street.
She gave the names of the suspects as : Yahaya Yakuso (50) Yusuf Idris (35) Tukur Buhari ( 35) Mohammed Yusuf, (25) Musa Ibrahim (35) Nasir Abubakar (35) Isah Garba (29) and Ibrahim (30). According to her, the suspects were arrested following series of surveillance by the agency’s  officials and tip off from other stakeholders that a gang of rapists were sexually abusing the girls.

Ogun
The Chancellor of Covenant University, Ota, Dr David Oyedepo  has advised tertiary institutions to train thinkable leaders that would provide immediate solutions to the nation’s current challenges. He said that these leaders must “first turn themselves into critical thinkers to reproduce young scholars that will sustain that thinking culture.”
Oyedepo gave the advice at the 54th Meeting of Committee of Deans of Postgraduate Schools (CDPGS) in Nigerian Universities held in his institution last Tuesday.

Ondo
The 32 Artillery Brigade of the Nigerian Army, Akure has debunked rumours of harmful vaccination being conducted by some people believed to be soldiers in Ondo State.
There was pandemonium in primary and secondary schools in the state which made parents and guardians to withdraw their children and wards, when rumours filtered in that harmful vaccination was being administered on children.
The Brigade’s Spokesperson, Major Ojo Adenegan said this in a statement issued last Tuesday in Akure.
”The attention of 32 Artillery Brigade, Akure has been drawn to the fake information making rounds in Ondo State that soldiers are administering poisonous vaccine on pupils and students of primary and secondary schools in the state,” Adenegan said.

Plateau
The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Plateau State chapter  has decried the lack of unity among Christians, and declared that the travails of the faithful would only worsen if the Church remained divided.
“The Church today is faced with a lot of problems, but the major one is lack of unity. The challenges are massive; we can only tackle them if we are united and speak with one voice,” Dr. Soja Bewarang, its Chairman, said on Tuesday.
Bewarang spoke at the 2017 Unity Service and Prayer, organised for Christians in the Central Senatorial Zone of the state, and held in Bokkos.
The service, an annual event held in the three senatorial zones of Plateau, is targeted at bringing all Christians together to encourage them to pray for peace, progress and tranquility.

Sokoto
The outgoing UNICEF’s Chief of Field Office for Sokoto, Zamfara and Kebbi States, Mohammed Muhuiddin says that there is over 50 per cent decrease in number of out-of-school children in Sokoto State. Muhuiddin made the disclosure last Tuesday at a reception organised in his honour by the Sokoto State Government after the completion of his tour of duty. He said that the number of out-of-school children in Sokoto State which he noted was the highest in the country, had dropped from 69 per cent in 2015 to 37 per cent in 2017.
“The Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) for 2016 to 2017 showed that Sokoto State has made appreciable progress, resulting in over 50 per cent cut in the number of out-of-school children.
“It gladdens my heart, seeing the commitment shown by the political leadership and the technical teams set up by the government to work with UNICEF and partner with various sectors for the children of the state”, he said.

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

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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

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REAN, SON synergise to curb fake renewable energy product

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

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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.
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