Nation
THE STATES
Adamawa
The Mubi Emirate Council of Adamawa at the weekend honoured some of its illustrious sons for their contributions to the socio-economic development of the area.
The PDP National Vice-Chairman (North East), Sen. Paul Wampana bagged the traditional title of “Zannan Mubi’’, while the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Power, Alhaji Sali Bello, was honoured with the title of “Dan Masanin Mubi’’.
Similarly, Alhaji Gidado Sajoh, a member representing Mubi South Constituency in the State House of Assembly, bagged the title of “Katukan Mubi’’, while Alhaji Gambo Abba, a retired custom officer, was honoured with the title of “Jakadan Mubi’’.
In a speech at the occasion, the Emir of Mubi, Alhaji Abubakar Isa, tasked the title holders to be good ambassadors of the Emirate. Isa, who lauded the peaceful coexistence among “the diverse people’’ of the Emirate, condemned the recent sectarian violence in Jos and said that those found to be responsible should be dealt with accordingly.
Responding on behalf of his colleagues, Wampana lauded the leadership quality of the Emir, who, he said had been able to unite the diverse people of the Emirate.
Borno
Mr Asishana Okauru, Director-General, Nigeria Governors‘ Forum (NGF), has urged the federal government to urgently address the poor state of federal roads across the country.
Okauru made the call in an interview with The Tide’s source in Ngala, Borno State.
He said that the poor state of the roads was impacting negatively on the nation’s economy. He spoke to the source after the visit of the NGF peer review team to the International College and the mini stadium being built by the Borno State Government.
He noted that the deplorable state of federal roads made nonesense of the efforts of state governments across the country to achieve economic development.
According to him, the deplorable state of the highways is a major hinderance to the realisation of the vision of states in regards to the empowerment of the people and economic growth. “Unless the federal government resolves to deliberately invest in the immediate rehabilitation of these federal roads, the investments of state governments would not yield the desired results.
“And this will not be in the interest of the less privileged, most of whom look up to states to have their poverty alleviated,” Okauru said. He said that the poor condition of federal roads particularly in the north east zone, made it difficult for the states in the area to achieve their economic potentials.
FCT
A water expert, Mr Hope Ogbeide, has called on Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) to advocate for increased access to water and sanitation in the country.
Ogbeide, the Coordinator of the Society for Water and Sanitation in the south-south, made the call while speaking with The Tide’s source in Abuja. He said the CSOs should remind the federal government of its commitment in the endorsement of various water and sanitation declarations at regional and global levels.
The coordinator recalled that Nigeria had in 2008 ratified various protocols on water and sanitation at meetings in Egypt, South Africa and Tunisia, to fast track its water and sanitation goals.
“Usually, when there is a law in place, it becomes easier for a group of people to take advantage of it to pursue their goals.
“In this case, CSOs have an opportunity in the fact that we have signed those conventions, to begin to mobilise to ensure that the National Assembly domesticates such conventions.
“Once that is done, the next step and next thing to be done is to advocate for its implementation because it is one thing to have those things in place and another for them to be implemented,’’ the expert said.
He advised the CSOs not to stop at advocacy, but to also monitor the impact of the particular activity they were advocating for.
Kaduna
The Kaduna command of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), says it arrested 92 suspects in the past three months.
A statement sign by NDLEA State Commander, Epeso Ngale, in Kaduna, said the command also intercepted 591.1 kilograms of various drugs from the suspects. The statement said the arrests were made during raids at seven hideout of the suspect traffickers in Kaduna and Zaria.
It stated that seven persons had been convicted, while 11 addicted persons were admitted for counselling and rehabilitation. The commander appealed to the public for useful information that would lead to the arrest of traffickers in the state.
Kano
Sheikh Muhammad Tudunwada, a Kano-based Islamic scholar, on Saturday in Kano called on Muslims and Christians to live in peace with one another.
Tundunwada, who made the call in an interview with The Tide’s source, said that Easter, Christmas, Sallah and Maulud celebrations were the best periods to advocate for peace.
“During those periods, people are relaxed and they worship their God whole heartedly and are always attentive to what their leaders say,” he said.
Tundunwada noted that both Christians and Muslims worshipped one God, and said that they should avoid unnecessary sentiments that could lead to blood shed.
He condemned the recent crisis in Jos, adding that it was created by unnecessary sentiments that had no basis in either the Christian or Islamic religion.
Tudunwada advised the federal government to ensure that all those behind the crisis were brought to book.
Katsina
The Katsina State Government says it has donated N25.5 million to 17 registered community colleges of Arabic and Islamic studies to enhance their operations.
The state Commissioner for Education, Alhaji Abdullahi Garba, disclosed this in an interview with The Tide’s source in Katsina. Garba said that each community college received a donation of N1.5 million from the state government.
The gesture, he said, was to assist the colleges to address their pressing problems with a view to complementing the government’s efforts at improving education in the state.
“The state government is giving the desired attention to Arabic and Islamic education.
“That is why it established an additional college of Arabic and Islamic studies in Fago, apart from the exisiting ones in Katsina, Dutsin-ma and Kabomo towns of the state,” he said. The commissioner also disclosed that the state government had sponsored many students to study Arabic Language, Arabic Caligraphy and Computer studies at the University of Sudan. According to him, more than 60 of such students have graduated, while 175 of them are currently pursuing their various courses in Sudan.
On the dearth of Arabic and Islamic teachers in the state, Garba said the government was making efforts to address the problem.
Lagos
The Surulere Local Council in Lagos State says it has begun an enlightenment campaign at motor parks to check drug abuse and sale of alcohol. The Chairman, Dr Razak Folami, told The Tide’s source in Lagos that the campaign was aimed at re-orientating youths and commercial bus drivers. He expressed concern over the problem of drug abuse and alcoholism which, he said, had reached an alarming dimension. Folami said the council decided to take the campaigns to motor parks because they had become a haven for hard drugs and alcohol. “We have commenced a campaign to enlighten drivers and commercial motorcyclists on the harmful effects of such drugs.
“The local concoctions mixed with gin are part of the hard drugs which they consume; they are injurious to health and also affects safe driving,’’ he said.
Folami stressed the need to prevent accidents at parks by discouraging the consumption of drugs and alcohol by the drivers and commercial motorcyclists.
He threatened that after the campaigns, the council would clamp down on erring drivers and sellers of local gin and alcohol at parks. “Consumption of such drugs causes abnormal behaviour which leads to accidents.
“Council officials have been deployed to parks to enforce the law banning sale and consumption of alcohol at parks,’’ Folami said.
He said the council was also collaborating with Federal Road Safety Corps in enforcing traffic rules and regulations to reduce accidents in the area.
Niger
Governor Babangida Aliyu of Niger has ordered the release of N160 million to the state eight emirate education foundations as part of government support for their activities.
Aliyu gave the order during the combined annual general meeting of the Minna Emirate Education Foundation (MEEFO) held at the emir’s palace, Minna.
According to the governor, the Minna Emirate Education Found will get N30 million, the Bida Emirate Education Foundation, N25 million; while the Kontagora, Borgu and Suleja emirate foundations will each receive N20 million.
Similarly, Aliyu also directed that N15 million each should be released to Lapai, Agaie and Kagara emirate foundations for their activities. He directed the emirate foundations to ensure that part of the money was used for the construction of toilets and locally dug wells, in order to make public schools more conducive for pupils and students.
Aliyu, however, ordered that the funds for Kagara Emirate Education Foundation be withheld, until it accounted for the funds already given to it.
“We heard that some people in the area have misused the foundation’s funds and as such their share should be withheld until the previous allocation is properly accounted for,’’ he said. The governor urged officials of MEEFO to re-vamp the foundations so that they could live up to the goals of their founding fathers, among which “are the construction or rehabilitation of schools structures and award of scholarship to indigent students.
In his speech, the Emir of Minna, Alhaji Umar Faruk, expressed his concern about the mass failure recorded in the November-December 2009 NECO examination and called on the officials of the foundations to work toward improving the standard of learning.
MEEFO spent N54 million on the renovation and construction of classrooms and award of scholarship to indigent students in the emirate in the last three years.
Youths from five local government areas in Northern Cross River State have concluded a one-week warning protest and blockade of the dilapidated Ikom-Wula-Obudu federal highway over the weekend.
They have vowed to resume the road blocks if by this week the authorities do not intervene to fix the road.
More than five thousand locals, mostly youths from Obanliku, Etung, Obudu, Ikom and Boki LGAs trooped out everyday for one week, used palm trees to block the highway to draw state and federal government’s attention to their plights, requesting the repair of a road has has been unmotorable for about 40 years.
They warned that if they do not see any actions from the state or federal governments, they will resume their Plan B protest, stop revenue collections and make governance unpalatable.
The youths also warned that without interventions on the road which has claimed several lives, including that of last week when a pregnant woman died with her baby in the full glare of the protesters because of the terrible road, no election can hold in the area next year.
One of the leaders of the No Road , No Election protest, who is also the Abo Youths in Boki LGA, Dr Martins Assam said both the federal and state governments have neglected the region, which generates more than 70 percent state revenue from agriculture.
He said if machinery is not deployed by next week, they will not have any option than to embark on unpalatable and disastrous protest, and stop revenue collections in the area.
“Last week we had only a warning strike for one good week. We’ll embark on a more elaborate, disastrous one-month blockade of this highway until they intervene. We call on our Governor and representatives in the National Assembly to act now by impressing on the federal government to immediately fix this road else. We’re not asking for two much but to be treated as human beings.”
Another protester, Clinton Obi from the Etung axis said, “We’ve been neglected for 40 years. This Ikom-Obudu federal highway had been impassable. The government has removed its concentration from our plights. By this one week protest, we want action on this road otherwise the next phase of protest will be costly.”
Reverend Father Francis Amaozo, priest in charge of St. Nicholas parish in Nashua, Boki LGA said, “I have also been a victim of this very deplorable road. Enough is now enough. We’ve been betrayed by our representatives and other leaders, so that we in this axis have become endangered species on this road. I have lost some many members on this road.”
Member, representing the Boki-Ikom federal constituency of the state in the House of Representatives, Bisong Victor Abang had pleaded with the locals to be a bit more patient with the government as action will commence shortly.
Nation
UNIPORT VC Receives Inaugural Lecture Brochure As Professor Highlights Urgent Need For Drug Repurposing In Malaria Fight
The Vice Chancellor of the University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT), Prof Owunari Georgewill, last Thursday received the inaugural lecture brochure from the Inaugural Lecturer, Professor Udeme Georgewill, during a ceremony at the university’s Centre of Excellence attended by academics, researchers, students, and distinguished guests.
Delivering her lecture, Professor Udeme Georgewill described the occasion as the culmination of years of dedicated research, teaching, and service to humanity. He explained that his work as a pharmacologist has consistently focused on finding practical, affordable, and scientifically sound solutions to health challenges that disproportionately affect developing countries, particularly malaria, which remains one of Nigeria’s most pressing public health concerns.
She noted that Nigeria continues to bear one of the heaviest malaria burdens globally, accounting for a significant percentage of worldwide cases and deaths. The disease, largely caused by the Plasmodium falciparum parasite and transmitted through Anopheles mosquitoes, remains especially dangerous for children under five years and pregnant women, threatening not only present populations but unborn generations. Despite years of intervention efforts, malaria continues to strain families, health systems, and the national economy.
Prof Georgewill empha-sised that while Artemisinin-based Combination Therapies such as Artemether-Lumefantrine remain the gold standard for malaria treatment, emerging resistance patterns pose a serious challenge. He explained that drug resistance is a survival mechanism of the parasite, enabling it to adapt and reduce the effectiveness of medications designed to eliminate it. According to her, instances where patients do not feel better after initial treatment sometimes lead to repeated dosing or the search for injectable alternatives, practices that can worsen resistance and complicate treatment outcomes.
Against this backdrop, she advocated strongly for drug repurposing as a strategic and urgent response. Drug repurposing, he explained, involves identifying new therapeutic uses for already approved and widely available medications. He likened the concept to “old wine in new wineskins,” stressing that medicines already proven safe for certain conditions can be carefully re-evaluated and optimised for new roles in malaria management. This approach, she argued, offers advantages such as reduced research timelines, lower development costs, and faster clinical application compared to developing entirely new drugs from scratch.
She disclosed that her research had progressed from laboratory investigations to clinical evaluations, where his team is studying combinations involving Artemether-Lumefantrine and Ivermectin to determine their effectiveness in improving treatment outcomes and possibly reducing transmission. Clinical trials are ongoing, and findings will be communicated upon completion of regulatory processes. However, he cautioned strongly against self-medication, warning that misuse of drugs without proper diagnosis and prescription can lead to organ damage, treatment failure, and increased resistance.
Referencing global health commitments, Prof Georgewill highlighted Sustainable Development Goal 3.3, which seeks to end epidemics of malaria and other major infectious diseases by 2030. She questioned whether the goal remains attainable under current realities, especially with growing resistance and funding gaps. He also referred to strategies of the World Health Organisation aimed at drastically reducing malaria incidence and mortality while pushing toward elimination in several countries.
Looking ahead, she revealed that her team is building comprehensive research databases to support artificial intelligence-driven drug repurposing. He stressed that the integration of artificial intelligence, molecular docking, and advanced screening technologies is transforming global drug discovery, and Nigerian researchers must be equipped to participate competitively in this evolving scientific landscape.
In her recommendations, she called for the establishment of a National Centre for Drug Repurposing to coordinate research efforts and leverage artificial intelligence in identifying new indications for existing medicines. He urged policymakers to simplify and accelerate the translation of laboratory discoveries into clinical application, ensuring that scientific breakthroughs benefit the public more efficiently. She also appealed to the university and relevant authorities to increase funding and modernise laboratory infrastructure, including high-throughput screening facilities, to strengthen Nigeria’s position in global biomedical research.
The lecture concluded with expressions of gratitude to God, the university leadership, colleagues, students, and guests, as the event underscored the University of Port Harcourt’s commitment to research excellence and its role in addressing critical public health challenges facing Nigeria and the wider world.
The Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, Niger State Chapter, has rejected the proposed Niger State Hisbah Directorates Bill, describing it as controversial and capable of deepening religious division in the state.
In a statement signed by the State Chairman, Bishop Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, and made available to The Tide’s source yesterday, the association urged Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago not to assent to the bill if it is passed by the State House of Assembly.
The bill, sponsored by the member representing Chanchaga Constituency, Hon. Mohammed Abubakar, seeks to establish a Hisbah Directorate in Niger State.
CAN warned that the legislation could be perceived as discriminatory against Christians and may heighten tension in the religiously diverse state.
“Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago, we, the entire Christendom in the state, wish to draw your attention to what could easily create division among the people you govern,” the statement read in part.
The association questioned the necessity and benefits of the proposed law, asking what economic or social value it would add to the state.
It further argued that existing security agencies, including the Nigeria Police and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, already have constitutional mandates to maintain law and order.
The Christian body also faulted the legislative process, disputing claims that it was consulted during a public hearing on the bill.
It insisted that it was neither invited nor notified of any such engagement, despite being a critical stakeholder in the state.