Nation
THE STATES
FCT
Private security guards are to benefit from the NHIS scheme as part of their welfare through the operators of Private Guards Companies (PCGs).
Mr Paul Ayeni, the Commandant, Private Guards Company (PGC) in the headquarters of Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), disclosed this recently in Abuja in an interview with newsmen.
He said that the corps was also interested in seeing that guards were covered by other insurance policies, noting that the welfare of the guards was another concern of the Commandant General of the NSCDC, Dr Ade Abolurin.
Ayeni said the number of PGCs rose to 507 in 2009, noting, however, that some were dormant in their operations.
He said that 400 licence applications were pending, stressing that those companies that were not functioning in compliance with the guidelines of the NSCDC would soon get their licence withdrawn.
Kaduna
The Federal University Pensioners’ Association, Ahmadu Bello University branch, has advised lovers of the institution to join hands toward progress, peace and tranquility in the institution.
A statement signed by the National President of the union, Dr Ayuba Kura, and made available to newsmen in Zaria on Sunday urged those it described as “trouble-makers” to allow peace to reign.
It noted: “the association strongly warns those who may like to cause trouble to stay away, as members of the association and the Samaru community will not fold their arms and allow them to cause confusion.
“We will not allow detractors to have their day in bringing our great university down for their selfish interest.
“All detractors who do not want peace in ABU are advised to leave the institution before they are fished out.”
It appealed to unions in the institution to support the new vice chancellor for meaningful development.
Kano
Former Head of Service of the Federation, Alhaji.Adamu Fika, has called for a return to the Parliamentary system of Government, to enhance democracy in the country.
Fika made the suggestion recently in Kano at the 27th Malam Aminu Kano annual memorial lecture, organised by the Aminu Kano Centre for Democratic Research and Training, Bayero University (BUK), Kano.
“The survival of Nigeria as a genuine democracy with effective opposition, concern for the rule of law and the welfare and wellbeing of the ordinary citizens and residents lies in our return to Parliamentary system,” he said.
The retired technocrat, who spoke on “The Role of The Opposition In Consolidating Democracy In Nigeria”, pointed out that the system provided for effective opposition and real checks and balances in the polity.
According to Fika, the system also makes it possible for “the ordinary grass-root electorate to have a say in the selection of Ministers”.
Katsina
Sandamu Local Government Council says it is constructing a multi-million naira water project that would address the perennial water problem being faced by people of the area.
The council chairman, Alhaji Nasiru Ibrahim who disclosed this in an interview with newsmen in Sandamu recently, said that the decision to embark on the project was to address the aged-long water scarcity in Sandamu.
He said three boreholes had been drilled, pumping machines procured and an under-ground tank had been constructed in Kagare village under the project, while pipes were now being laid to link up the town from the water source.
The chairman said that the project was expected to be completed by the end of next month.
According to him, the council has been without adequate water supply for about 20 years, hence the resolve of the local council to address the problem.
Kogi
The Kogi Government says it will soon set machinery in motion for the elevation of the annual Ovia Osese Cultural Festival to an international tourist event.
The state’s governor, Alhaji Ibrahim Idris, stated this in Ogori, near Lokoja at that annual celebration of the Ovia Osese festival.
He said government would partner with other stakeholders, including elders of the community and the Nigeria Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC) to achieve the aim.
Idris described the festival as an annual rallying point for all Ogori sons and daughters that could be exploited to create employment and transform the socio-economic life of the people.
Idris, who was represented at the event by his Chief of Staff, Alhaji Bala Haruna, commended the people of Ogori for upholding the age-long tradition which he said, had brought them fame and honour.
Lagos
NAFDAC has seized fake drugs and unregistered products worth N260 million that was being smuggled into Nigeria through Seme border.
Dr Paul Orhil, the Director General of NAFDAC, told newsmen in Lagos that the seizure was made at Okokomaiko in Ojo, Lagos during Easter.
Orhil said the culprits wanted to take advantage of the Easter holiday to bring in the illicit products.
“NAFDAC officials, in conjunction with officers of the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS), intercepted seven trailers loaded with assorted unregistered products worth N200 million,” he said, adding that the interception was made possible by agency’s intelligence network.
“NAFDAC officials were tipped -off by patriotic Nigerians and my men swung into action to carry out the arrest,” he said.
Orhil also said that in another operation at Okokomaiko, also during Easter, enforcement officers intercepted a 3×20 feet container load of suspected fake drugs, worth N60 million
The Tide’s source reports that the NAFDAC, Seme Area Command, headed by Mr Stanley Atabor, recently uncovered the routes being used by smugglers to bring in fake drugs.
Niger
Scores of people were injured on Sunday in Kutigi, the headquarters of Lavun Local Government Area of Niger, when violence erupted at a political rally, organised in honour of Sen. Zainab Kure.
Kure represents Niger South Senatorial District in the Senate.
The Tide’s correspondent reports that the violence erupted, sequel to a song which allegedly lambasted the people of the area.
The source also reports that no sooner had the singer, Alhaji Babaminin Waka, finished his song than youths of the area started beating all those at the scene.
It was gathered that the youths were angry when the singer said that the people should go and look for a way of making money for themselves.
This led to the abrupt cancellation of the event which was meant to precede the inspection of some personal projects, executed by the senator in the constituency.
Osun
Women in Ila-Orangun in Osun have threatened to go naked and make the town ungovernable through violent demonstrations if the court judgment which terminated the appointment of the Orangun of Ila on Friday was enforced.
The women, who were led by the Iyalode of Ila, Chief Funmilayo Oyebode, on a solidarity visit to the dethroned monarch, Oba Wahab Oyedotun, in his palace on Sunday, said the judgment was an abomination and unprecedented in the history of the town.
They added that Oyedotun’s reign since 2003 had brought immeasurable growth and development to the town.
Meanwhile, the deposed monarch has said that he remained the traditional ruler of Ila-Orangun in spite of the judgment of Justice R.A Siyanbola of the state’s High Court that dethroned him.
Oba Oyedotun said this while addressing newsmen in his palace on Sunday.
Oyo
The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Ibadan, and some Nigerian agricultural research bodies have released two new cowpea varieties to raise production and improve farmers’ incomes.
The IITA said in a statement that the varieties were released just as the country’s researchers were finalising plans to attend the Fifth World Cowpea Research Conference taking place from September 27 to Octember 1 in Dakar to discuss cowpea research.
The statement was signed and issued by the institute’s Corporate Communications Officer (West Africa), Mr Godwin Atser.
The new varieties, known as IT89KD-288 and IT89KD-391, were developed by scientists at the IITA in collaboration with the Institute for Agricultural Research, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria; the University of Maiduguri and the Agricultural Development Programmes in Borno, Kaduna, Kano and Katsina states.
Both varieties have proved to be superior to the current improved ones being cultivated.
Yobe
Yobe government has announced new water and sanitation policy to ensure adequate water and sanitation at affordable cost and sustainable manner.
The Water Resources Commissioner, Alhaji Barau Sugum, told in Damaturu on Sunday that a draft policy had been submitted to the governor for review and ratification.
He said the major component of the new policy was the elimination of overlapping functions among the line ministries and water agencies.
Barau added that the policy also drew the lines between service delivery, regulation and supervision of water and sanitation programmes.
He explained that the policy had proposed autonomy for water agencies like the water corporation, rural water supply and sanitation agencies, especially on revenue generation, appointments and payment of entitlements.
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.