Nation
THE STATES
FCT
The independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)
had debunked allegation that some electoral materials meant for the February 6, governorship election in Anambra State was hijacked, by mischief makers.
But INEC on Saturday said a truck belonging to INEC which was conveying collapsible polling cubicles from its headquarters to Port Harcourt zonal store collided with a payloader at Okija in Anambra Stte.
The INEC position followed report that some INEC electoral materials were sized in a bid to rig February 6 election in Anambra State.
According to a statement signed by the INEC Director of Public Affairs, Mr. Emmanuel Umengar “the truck, like others deployed across the country, was on routine delivery of non-sensitive electoral materials to its Port Harcourt Store.”
Bauchi
Armed Mobile Policemen at the weekend stormed the
resident of Air Commondore Ishaku Komo (retd) and surrounded his house in Tafawa Balewa at about 3.am with the aim for undisclosed reasons.
This coming few weeks after Komo was installed as the first Gung Zaar Of the Sayawa Community in Bauchi State.
Sayawa community has for long been agitating for a chiefdom of its own and it was last year that the National Assembly passed a law granting the request, which sources say doest not go down well with the state government.
The Tide gathered that the new traditional ruler of the Sayawa People of Bauchi State has relocated to Kaduna in order to avoid arrest by the Bauchi State police command shortly after his first public appearance in Tafawa Belewa, the headquarters of the Zaar Chiefdom.
Gombe
Nigerians have been cautioned to moderate their reactions
to the state of health of President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, even as they have been urged to continue to pray for his speedy recovery.
The leader of the Yoruba Youths Alliance (YYA), Mr. Jackson Lekan-Ojo, also observed that calling for the president’s resignation was a wrong approach to the situation as it Portrayed those behind the call as callous and in human.
Lekan-Ojo, who was recently honoured with an Award of Excellence by the students’ Union Government of the University of Port Harcourt, noted that as human beings, no one prays to be sick and that Nigerians owed the President Prayers at all times, whether healthy or sick.
Jigawa
Attention of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National
headquarters has been drawn to alleged plot to impeach the deputy governor of Jigawa State, Ahmad Muhamma Gumel, if Governor Sule Lamido decides to run for vice president.
PDP stalwart and secretary of Yar’Adua friendship forum, Ishaq Hadejia, told The Tide that members of a group (name yet unknown) would not like to see Gumel become governor in the event of President Umaru Yar’Adua’s incapacitation, when lamido is appointed Vice President.
According to him, the group has been holding series of meetings to actualiSe their plan, a development which he said could throw Jigawa into Chaos.
“While the president is recovering and he has even spoken in the media, this group is spearheading a move to impeach the deputy governor in Jigawa”, he said.
Jos
As the people of Taroh land in Plateau are set to elect
another paramount ruler, following the death, last year, of the late Edward Zhattau, a social cultural group in the land “Gazum Cultural, Economic and social Development Organisation (GACESDO) has alleged a Plot to scheme Gazum People of the area out of the contest for the throne.
Addressing the press in Jos over the development, the national president of the organisation, Mr. Clement Chairman said the GACESDO was surprised that the selection process of Ponchi Taroh which was supposed to go on without rancour had been made unnecessarily difficult, thereby fanning the embers of hatred, distrust and bad faith among the people.
The National President Said the organisation had uncovered the plot to expunge a Gazum man as the legitimate heir to the throne, adding that the people behind the clandestine act had gone to the extent of making a fake draft gazette for Gazum chiefdom.
Kaduna
Former Head of State, General Muhammandu Buhari (rtd)
has said that lack performance on the part of those at the helm of affairs in the country and the refusal of Nigerias to take their destiny in their own hands had put the future of the country in a precarious situation.
According to the presidential candidate of All Nigerian People Party (ANPP) in the last general elections, ordinarily there is nothing wrong with the Nigerian Constitution, the Electoral Act and other laws of the land, saying that the only problem we have in the country is the lack of action on the part of those saddled with the responsibility of steering the country out of the present musky waters.
Lagos
The Minister of Petroleum, Dr. Rilwan Lukeman says
that no date has been set for the implementation of deregulation of the down stream sector.
He recounted a number of factors that have mitigated against the immediate take-off of the implementation like the condition of the nation’s four Refinaries.
Speaking at a function in Lagos State on the state of the industry, Dr. Rilwan said a lots of measures are been taken to repair the damaged oil pipe lines which will aid the resumption of local refinery capacities.
The minister further said the proposed petroleum industry bill help curb the challenges of supply and short falls of petroleum products in the country.
Borno
Campaigns for wide acceptance of the child Right Act
may not yield positive fruits in some Northern States unless certain aspects of the new Act are fine-tuned to get with the Sharia Code and Northern Culture, Borno State government and a federal ministry say.
This hint was dropped when the minister of women Affairs and Social Development, Hajia Salamatu Suleiman, paid a two day advocacy visit to Borno at the weekend.
The new Shehu of Borno Abubakar Kyari Ibri Garbai el-kanem, also shared this view by giving conditions under which the Act could be implemented in the state.
He said the conditions include the protection of Sharia law and traditions of the people of Borno, when the Act comes up for debate at the House of Assembly.
Niger
Former Federal Permanent Secretary, Chief Philip Asiodu,
on Saturday in Minna, Niger State, blamed the non-performance of the civil service in the country on the 1975 purge and the reforms of 1988.
Asiodu, chairman of council of Retired Permanent Secretaries, declared awareness of the great “erosion of standards and values of authority and powers which have afflicted the civil service, the devastating purge of 1975 and reforms of 1988.
The former permanent Secretary made the remarks at the public lecture organised by the Gamji Members Association in honour of the late Makama Nupe, Alhaji Shehu Musa.
Oyo
Oyo State police command has arrested three boys
including an under graduate student of the university of Maiduguri for alleged armed robbery, juust as a 52-year old was arrested for impersonation.
The suspects, Muhammed Shuaib (21), Nazim Emmanuel (20), a 100 level student of the university of Maiduguri in the Department of Public Administration and Abba Michael (21), were said to have on January 15 attacked residents of Tinuoye Estate, Ojoo area of the state capital.
Also arrested was a 52-year old Adebare Balogun for allegedly impersonating the Commissioner of Police.
Speaking while parading the suspects at the command’s headquarters, Eleyele, on Friday, the state Commissioner of Police, Alhaji Baba Adisa Bolanta, said the command received a distress call that some daredevil robbers were operating at Tinuoye Street, Ojoo area of the state capital.
Ogun
The Chairman of Ijebu-East Local Government Council,. Ogun State, Hon. Tunde Oladunjoye, has raised alarm over plans to unleash fresh mayhem in the council area .
The council boss said he wanted to inform the whole world on the plan by some politicians in the state to spill more blood in Ijebu-East local government.
Oladunjoy stated that, “before another blood is spilled in Ijebu East Local Government Area, I must inform the whole world that some unscrupulous men are mobilising hugs for the PDP extended executive meeting in Ogbere, Ijebu.
“Their plan is to create confusion during which someone will be killed and then blame it on my supporters, so that OGD will give me the treatment he meted out to Tele Ogunjobi of Ijebu North, whom he removed as chairman on 31 December, 2008.
The Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project(HYPREP) has inducted and given orientation to 100 Ogoni youths for training on Creative Arts. The beneficiaries were drawn from Khana, Gokana, Tai and Eleme Local Government Areas of Rivers State.
The induction and orientation ceremony, which took place at the CRAB of the Department of Theatre Arts of the University of Port Harcourt on Wednesday, was a prelude to the training proper, billed to commence next Tuesday.
As usual, HYPREP issued undertaking forms to the trainees, for them to complete and submit as a guarantee that they would subject themselves to the requirements of the programme as well as be of good behaviour throughout the four-month duration of the training.
HYPREP also announced that it would pay N150,000 to each of the beneficiaries monthly, as transport and feeding allowance, stressing, however, that only those who fully participate in the training would be entitled for the allowance.
Speaking at the event, the Project Coordinator of HYPREP, Prof Nenibarini Zabbey, welcomed the trainees to the programme, saying, HYPREP’s projects are evolving and that one thing that is happening today is that the Project has gotten leadership right, by making promises and keeping those promises.
According to him, the Project had equally promised to move away from rudimentary skills acquisition to high impacts acquisition levels, which it has kept today by sponsoring the training on Creative Arts.
He noted that in planning its livelihood programmes for Ogoni youths, HYPREP has taken time out to look for skills that would add value to the lives of the beneficiaries.
Zabbey, who was represented at the event by the Director of Technical Services, Prof Damian-Paul Aguiyi said by packaging the Creative Arts training, it was expected that the Ogoni people would have their own version of Nollywood known as Ogoniwood just as Nigerians are familiar with Hollywood, Bollywood, Kannywood and Nollywood.
To achieve this goal, the Project Coordinator explained that it was the reason for choosing a reputable establishment like Halibiz Consult Limited, to partner with the Department of Theatre Arts of the University of Port Harcourt, which he described as one of the most prestigious in the Niger Delta, for the training of the beneficiaries.
He also indicated that in doing this, HYPREP was desirous of going for talents that would help the Ogoni people grow in the film industry, and urged the beneficiaries to take the training seriously.
Zabbey equally enjoined the trainees to put in their best so that in the next three to five years, they would carve a niche for themselves and become forces to reckon with in the film industry.
On her part, HYPREP’s Head of Sustainable Livelihood, Mrs Josephine Nzidee said HYPREP does what it says it will, stressing that the process of training Ogoni youths on specialised skills started three years ago.
According to her, the selection process for the training was rigorous and transparent, and was carried out by renowned actors actresses.
She disclosed that the training consists of three major aspects, which include acting, script writing and make-up, while Nollywood actors like Charles Nnoje, Ngezu J. Ngezu and award-winning make-up artist, Jude Odo would be on hand to drill and groom the beneficiaries.
Mrs Nzidee noted that the programme is a specialised training that does not have anything like starter packs but that it is purely a professional certification programme that would launch the beneficiaries into the Nollywood industry in Nigeria.
According to her, the Creative Arts training is one of the four specialised trainings organised by HYPREP to ensure that the Ogoni people are well positioned in vital industries like Aviation, Maritime, Creative Arts and Mechatronics.
She said the last of such trainings on Mechatronics would take place in the coming months, and urged the beneficiaries to take the training seriously so as to put the Ogoni people on the Nollywood map.
She further indicated that while Charles Nnoje and Ngezu J. Ngezu would take the beneficiaries on the practical aspects, Jude Odo would take them on the make-up aspects.
Also speaking, the External Relations Manager of Halibiz Consult Limited, Alabo Experience Douglas said his company gives much premium to standard and quality, and assured that the firm would give the trainees value for the money spent on the programme.
While charging the beneficiaries to be dedicated and punctual, he stressed the need for them to approach the programme with the mindset of being empty so that at the end of the day, they would benefit maximally.
On his part, the Head of the Theatre Arts Department of the University of Port Harcourt, Dr Ovunda Ihunwo said the CRAB is an acronym for Creative Review of Arts and Books, stressing that it was named by renowned playwright, Prof Ola Rotimi.
According to him, the CRAB had nurtured, groomed and produced Nollywood actors and actresses like Bobmanuel Udokwu, Ejike Asiegbu,Francis Duru, Hilda Dokubo, Monalisa Chinda, Julius Agwu, and a host of others, assuring the beneficiaries that they were on fertile environment to hone their talents.
He noted that symbolically, the crab is a nutritious seafood common in the Niger Delta, and reiterated the need for the beneficiaries to come empty for the training, as it were.
Ihunwo disclosed that the theory classes of the programme would run for three weeks while the fourth week would be for the master classes, and urged the trainees to avail themselves of the opportunity to make a difference by telling the Ogoni story, which he described as inexhaustible by themselves, in order to put Ogoni on the map.
A 23-year-old student of Nasarawa State University identified as Jatau Rilokwah, has been reportedly found dead in the university’s senior staff quarters.
A counter-insurgency expert, focused on the Lake Chad region, Zagazola Makama, disclosed this on his X handle on Tuesday.
According to him, the discovery was made on April 27, 2025, by a security officer at the university, Emmanuel Gyawo.
He stated that Gwayo was directed by Prof. Shedrack Jatau to check on his son upon arriving at the residence, and he found Rilokwah hanging from the ceiling.
“Professor Jatau, who was reportedly out of the State at the time, was informed of the incident. A team of police detectives, led by the Divisional Crime Officer of Angwan Lambu, was dispatched to the scene.
“The body showed no signs of violence, and no suicide note was found. Rilokwah was rushed to the Federal Medical Centre in Keffi, where he was confirmed dead by a medical doctor,” he further stated.
He added that the student’s corpse had been deposited in the hospital morgue.
He also quoted police sources as saying that investigations were ongoing to determine the circumstances surrounding the incident.
The Ogun State Government has partnered with Nike Art Gallery to establish a new exhibition space at the Olumo Rock Tourist Centre in Abeokuta, a move Governor Dapo Abiodun says is aimed at boosting annual tourist visits from 20,000 to over 100,000.
Abiodun disclosed the plan on Wednesday while receiving the founder of the Nike Art Gallery, Chief (Mrs) Nike Davies-Okundaye, at his office in Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta.
“I went to Olumo Rock about a month ago and I decided that we needed to do something about restoring Olumo Rock to its old glory. From statistics, Olumo Rock hosts about 20,000 people a year in its current state, and I felt that we could increase that to at least ten times,” the governor said.
As part of the plan, an events hall within the tourist centre will be repurposed as a permanent gallery operated by Nike Art Gallery.
“I told them to shut it down. Practically, we want to bring it down and turn it into a gallery for you to use as an exhibition gallery,” he told Davies-Okundaye.
He added that the gallery will be ready before the National Sports Festival in May, when the State will host about 15,000 visitors.
“I want them to be able to see our tourist sites,” he said, listing attractions such as the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, the Ransome-Kuti family home, and the Adire market among key heritage spots to be showcased.
Highlighting Ogun’s improved infrastructure, the governor said, “Now that we’ve succeeded in having the intra and inter-state roads in place, you can come to Ogun State by rail; you can come by air. We’ve constructed one of the best airports in Nigeria, and very soon, you will be able to come by sea.”
Davies-Okundaye, in her remarks, praised the state’s efforts to promote tourism and pledged to use the new gallery to attract global attention.
“This gallery will bring many Heads of State. The one I opened in Abuja already has more than 10 Heads of State, including those from South Korea and the Czech Republic. The same will happen here,” she said.
She also applauded the Governor for his commitment to the Adire fabric industry.
“Adire is all over Nigeria, but Ogun has been promoting Adire for over 50 years. Today, the only cloth we can call our own is called Adire. This is what we can sell to the Europeans,” she said.
Abiodun reaffirmed his administration’s backing of the Adire industry, citing policies such as the Adire Ogun Digital Marketplace, compulsory wearing of Adire in the state, and provision of solar-powered production equipment to support artisans.
He also revealed plans to open a creative arts and entertainment village in partnership with Bolanle Austen-Peters, expected to be completed within two months.