Nation
THE STATES
Governor Isa Yuguda of Bauchi on Monday swore-in Alhaji Jaafar Adamu as Commissioner and 23 new permanent secretaries.
The Tide’s source reports that with the swearing-in of the new permanent secretaries, the state now has 52 permanent secretaries.
Speaking during the ceremony, Yuguda enjoined the commissioner and permanent secretaries to ensure transparency, due process and accountability in the discharge of their duties.
He urged the permanent secretaries to show diligence and accountability in the conduct of government business.
Benue
Members of the Benue House of Assembly in Markudi on Monday held an Executive Session in honour of late Mr. Baver Dzeremo, who died on Friday.
Dzeremo, who represented Tarka State constituency, travelled to Germany in November last year for medical treatment and returned on May 19 after he was discharged.
Announcing the death of Dzeremo in his office during the session, the Speaker, Mr. Terseer Tsumb said members of the Assembly were in grief because the deceased was an astute politician.
He promised that the Assembly would do everything possible to give him a befitting burial.
Panic has gripped residents of Maiduguri over incessant suspected ritual killings in some parts of the state.
Barely two weeks after the body of a teenager was found in Lagos street in Maiduguri, with his head, arms, private organs and legs removed, another person was on Tuesday found mutilated in Bama town in Borno.
The Tide’s source reports that this is the third incident in the last two months.
The Borno Police Public Relations Officer, Mr Isa Azare, who confirmed the Bama killing to newsmen in Maiduguri on Tuesday, said the victim, 35-year-old Ali Karama, was found slaughtered in an uncompleted building with his throat removed.
He advised parents to monitor the movements of their children and report persons with questionable characters to the nearest security outfit.
The police patrol team had intensified its operations to
all suspected criminals’ hideouts in the state, he stressed.
The Police authorities in Ekiti State have dismissed six policemen attached to the command over alleged misconduct.
The command’s spokesman, Mr Mohammed Jimoh, told newsmen on Tuesday, in Ado-Ekiti, that the six policemen were dismissed two weeks ago.
He added that one officer was also demoted, while 11 others were sanctioned.
The spokesman said that the affected officers, who were between the ranks of constables and corporals, were tried by the disciplinary committee constituted by the command.
Prof Pai Obanya, an educationist, in Abuja, on Monday, urged stakeholders in the education sector to lay emphasis on quality education and not quantity.
Obanya, who was a resource person at the National Examination Summit, said the government should be more concerned with how resources spent on education impacted on children and not how much was spent.
“Invest on education and not spend on it because how much you spend is not an investment unless it produces positive results, only then would one say you have invested on education.”
A downpour, accompanied by strong winds has damaged hundreds of buildings, electrical poles and other installations in Danja local government area of Katsina State.
The council chairman, Alhaji Balarabe Dabai, newsmen who visited the area on Tuesday that more than 12 settlements were affected but that Danja town was the worst hit.
Dabai said the incident occurred on Sunday night and that the affected buildings included residential houses, schools, hospitals and government establishments.
A delegation of traditional rulers from Bauchi State arrived in Kebbi, on Monday, to understudy “the Systemic Engagement of Traditional Rulers’’ to immunisation.
The delegation, led by the Emir of Dass, Alhaji Usman Bilyaminu, will also study the revitalisation of Primary Health Care (PHC) in Kebbi.
The delegation, which includes USAID, WHO and UNICEF representatives, visited Governor Saidu Dakingari in Birnin Kebbi and commended the leading role of Kebbi in the eradication of the six child killer diseases.
“We will spend the next three days here to understudy the enviable role being played by the traditional rulers in this state on the eradication of child killer diseases for implementation in our state,” Bilyaminu said.
Workers in the steel sector have urged the Federal Government to immediately set machinery in motion to pay the N7.4 billion gratuities and pension arrears of some of their retired colleagues.
The workers, who made the demand in a position paper made available to The Tide’s source in Ajaokuta ,on Tuesday, said the amount had been outstanding since 2005.
In the position paper sent to the government through the Minister of Mine and Steel Development, Mr Musa Sada, the workers said that N5.2 billion of the amount was the outstanding severance benefit of their colleagues disengaged in 2005 by the Delta Steel Company, Warri.
The paper represents the joint position of the two major unions in the industry; Iron and Steel Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ISSAN) and the Steel and Engineering Workers Union of Nigeria (SEWUN) on the protracted crisis plaguing the steel sector.
Lagos State lawmakers on Monday in a rowdy session disagreed over a bill for the registration of residents of the state for purpose of setting up a data bank.
The Executive bill, which went through its second reading is entitled the “Lagos State Residents Registration Agency Bill”, and seeks to establish the state residents’ registration agency.
There was a sharp division among the lawmakers over the provisions of the bill, with some lawmakers who opposed it claiming that it lacked vital information required by members.
The members said the bill as presented was inadequate and should be sent back to the executive arm for more information.
Members in support of the bill, however, disagreed with their colleagues, arguing that because of the importance and merits of the bill, it should be read and allowed to proceed to the next stage.
The Nasarawa Government has released the sum of N30.4 million being the balance of its 2009 counterpart fund for the implementation of the Fadama III programme, an official said on Tuesday.
The Project Coordinator, Alhaji Abdullahi Alkali, disclosed this in an interview with newsmen in Lafia.
Alkali, however, said the counterpart fund for 2010 amounting to N56.3 million was still outstanding.
He said the programme was working to ensure the attainment of food security and sustainable income generation through the farmers.
He appealed to the state government to continue to meet its obligations in regard to the payment of counterpart funds to ensure immediate access to the World Bank contribution.
Health workers or institutions who fail to report the death of a mother during childbirth in Ondo State risk a three-month jail term or closure, a new law states.
According to the Confidential Enquiry into Maternal Deaths law, signed by Governor Olusegun Mimiko in Akure on Monday, an individual offender will be jailed three months or fined N30,000.
Similarly, an organisation will be closed or pay a fine of N100,000 or both, Mimiko who also signed into law the Ondo State Agency for the Control of AIDS (ODSACA) bill, said.
The governor said the Confidential Enquiry Law would assist in checking professional negligence that could lead to the death of pregnant women, “thereby providing a strategic information base for meaningful preventive interventions”.
As part of efforts to strengthen the peace-building process in Plateau, stakeholders have recommended the establishment of grazing reserves for Fulani herdsmen.
This was part of the resolutions reached at the stakeholders meeting convened by Governor Jonah Jang on Monday, in Jos to find solution to the incessant crises in the state.
A communiqué read by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Mr Samson Dimka, at the end of the meeting, identified indiscriminate grazing by Fulani herdsmen and other cattle rearers as a threat to farmlands and security.
The communique therefore, recommended that there was the need to demarcate cattle routes and published in the Gazette by both the Federal and Plateau governments.
Government and commercial activities in Gusau, the Zamfara capital, on Tuesday, came to a stand still in honour of visiting President Goodluck Jonathan.
The Tide’s source reports that Jonathan was in Zamfara for a one day visit to the state.
On arrival, Jonathan was expected to pay a courtesy call on the Emir of Gusau, Alhaji Muhammadu Danbaba as well as inspect and inaugurate some projects executed by the state government.
The Tide’s source in Gusau reports that most commercial centres and shops around the Gen. Sani Abacha Way, Umaru Yar’Adua road and the Ahmadu Bello Way, remained closed, while awaiting the arrival of the president.
Government offices and some schools also remained closed, while thousands of people lined up on both sides of the roads to have a glimpse of the president.
The President General of Ogbakor Ikwerre Cultural Organisation Worldwide and the Mgboh XIII of the Mgboh Royal Family of Emohua Kingdom in Emohua Local Government Area of Rivers State, Eze (Barrister) Godspower Onuekwa, penultimate Friday celebrated his 80th birthday with pomp, pageantry and fanfare.
The celebration, which commenced with a symposium organised in his honour at Rivers State University on Thursday, August 21,2025, got to a resounding climax on Friday at Suntai Event Centre in Port Harcourt, where people from all walks of life, including business associates, friends, well-wishers, relatives, community folks, traditional rulers, and admirers, gathered to pay glowing tributes to the celebrant.
Before then, a well attended thanksgiving service was held that same Friday at Emmanuel Anglican Church, Okoro-Nu-Odo, to honour him and return gratitude to God Almighty for the fruitful and eventful life and accomplishments of the Emohua leader and icon.
The service which was officiated by Rt Rev Wisdom Budu Ihunwo, Bishop of Niger Delta North had other renowned and respected clerics like Most Rev(Dr) Blessing Enyindah, Dean, Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion); Rt Rev(Dr) Emmanuel Oko-Jaja, Bishop, Diocese of Niger Delta; Rt Rev Innocent Ordu, Bishop, Diocese of Evo; and Ven Solomon Eze Nelson, Archdeacon, Okoro-Nu-Odo; among others lined up as officiating ministers.
The service lived up to its billing, as it featured powerful and soul-lifting praise and worship; point-blank prayers; and beautiful renditions, which electrified the entire atmosphere, essentially packaged to thank God for the life of the celebrant.
However, the crowning moment actually came when the who is who, the crème de la crème of the society, thronged the terraces and fabulously decorated expansive hall of Suntai Event Centre, to celebrate Eze Onuekwa, amid accolades, aplomb and panache, wining and dining, and clinking of glasses with him and all.
The chairman of the colourful ceremony, Chief Evans Woherem, who was represented by Eze(Prof) Christian Akani of the prestigious Ignatius Ajuru University of Education, praised the celebrant for his youthfulness in spite of clocking 80 years, generosity, humility, humaneness and selfless services to the Ikwerre ethnic nationality, the Niger Delta and Nigeria, and called on all and sundry to emulate his good legacies and simple disposition towards life and existence.
Goodwill messages also poured in in torrents to underscore and salute the doggedness, resilience, astuteness and uniqueness of the endearing life of the celebrant, with Prof Emenike Wami, the Ochia Ohna Ikwerre(XIV), taking the lead.
Prof Priye Iyalla, the wife of late renowned writer, novelist and playwright, Dr Elechi Amadi, held the audience spellbound as she masterfully reeled out the profile of the celebrant, amid intermittent applause from the crowd.
The Tiv Community from Benue State, resident in Rivers State, were not left out, as they honoured and decorated Eze Onuekwa in their complete traditional regalia.
Cultural displays from Baptist Church, Rumuowhor; ADNA Wogbuji Dancing Group, Egbeda; Tiv Dancing Group; and Promoter Eze and Rumu-Mgboh Emohua Wrestling Group, equally added colour and grace to the occasion, with the celebrant and his wife, Dame Ann Onuekwa, joining them to wriggle their waists and bodies in ecstasy.
In his response, the highly elated celebrant, Eze Onuekwa thanked all those gathered to celebrate with him, saying, celebrations would never cease in their homes, and attributed everything he represents in life, including his modest accomplishments to God.
Eze Onuekwa, while addressing newsmen, harped on the need for hard work among the youths and members of Ogbakor Ikwerre Cultural Organisation Worldwide, as a way of sustaining and giving meaning to the motto of the organisation, which he noted is anchored on peace, unity and progress.
He specially thanked God for sustaining his life, and for making everything possible for him and his family, saying, he was joyous that he has today become an octogenarian and elder statesman in Rivers State.
His son and medical practitioner, Dr Samuel Chizia Onuekwa expressed delight that people from far and near had come together to celebrate the father, whom he described as a role model and great inspirator.
He said it was a good thing that the children were celebrating their father when he is alive, stressing that the last time Eze Onuekwa was celebrated in such magnitude was 20 years ago, during his 60th birthday celebration, and prayed God to grant him many more years in good health.
Among dignitaries who graced the event were Senator Andrew Uchendu; Chief Sampson Agbaru; Prof Emenike Wami; Dr Peter Didia; Eze(Prof) Samuel Ugo Onyeka; and a host of others. Justice Iche Ndu(rtd); and C O Kattey were among personalities that attended the thanksgiving service, while the Vice Chancellor of Rivers State University, Prof Isaac Zeb-Obipi led the academics who graced the symposium, alongside Eze G A O Omodu.
As the 100 Ogoni youths trained by the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) in Creative Arts close out their training on Tuesday at the Theatre Arts Department, University of Port Harcourt, the Project Coordinator of HYPREP, Prof Nenibarini Zabbey, has urged the beneficiaries to use the skills acquired to ensure that the Ogoni stories are told and heard in the right way.
The trainees, who had completed a four- month training in script writing, film production and make-up are beneficiaries of the HYPREP sustainable livelihood programme, aimed at providing high demand skills to Ogoni youths in the lucrative creative arts and entertainment industry.
Zabbey described the Creative Arts training as well as other programmes and interventions as HYPREP’s strategic sustained effort to create alternative sources of livelihood.
”Targeted capacity building for Ogoni youths and women remains a central strategy in HYPREP’s livelihood restoration and improvement efforts. Our goal is to reach every part of the Ogoni community and ensure that no group or talent pool is left behind. This training is a deliberate step to empower young people who aspire to make their mark in the creative and entertainment industry”, he said.
While commending the trainees for producing four short films within the training period, one of which was premiered at the ceremony-Dirty Festival, the Project Coordinator noted that the training would serve as a springboard into the industry, and enable them earn a living, become entrepreneurs, and open new doors of opportunities for themselves and their communities. The three other movies are Open Pain, Bomu and Green War.
He enjoined them to utilise their skills and platforms to promote civic responsibility, peace, and environmental sustainability, urging them to ensure that Ogoni is heard in the right way, speak for HYPREP and highlight the progress being made in implementing the recommendations of the UNEP Report.
Other speakers at the event, including the Director of Technical Services of HYPREP, Prof. Damian-Paul Aguiyi; Dr Ovunda Ihunwo, Head of the Theatre Arts Department of the University of Port Harcourt; Chief Douglas Experience, the Project Coordinator of Halibiz Consult Limited; and Mrs Josephine Nzidee, Head, Sustainable Livelihood of HYPREP, all applauded HYPREP for the training, and charged the trainees to maximise the opportunity.
The trainees were later presented certificates of participation.
Visibly elated Ms Lebee Tornwe, one of the beneficiaries, thanked HYPREP and the Project Coordinator for offering the trainees the rare opportunity to acquire skills in the creative arts and entertainment industry, and expressed delight that Dr Ihunwo and Halibiz Consult Limited gave their all in grooming them.
With the wrapping up of the Creative Arts training(100), HYPREP has trained 230 Ogoni youths in high demand skill sets ,viz; seafaring(100); and aviation (30). The Project will this year, commence training in other skill areas, including Mechatronic, Aviation, Full-Stack Development, Commercial Diving, Underwater Welding and Geographic Information Systems (GIS).
Still in the offing is the training for Ogoni Persons Living with Disabilities in five skill sets- fish farming; basic computer skills; photography; fashion and design; and shoemaking in line with their Needs Assessment and HYPREP’s policy of inclusivity.
The National Youth Council of Ogoni People (NYCOP) had called on stakeholders to work collaboratively towards the development and empowerment of Ogoni youths.
NYCOP made the call in a communique issue over the weekend after an emergency Congress in Port Harcourt and signed by its President, Comrade Raymond Nwibani Marcus.
In the communique, NYCOP endorsed President Bola Tinubu’s appointments of the Governing Council and Board of Trustees (BOT) members of the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP), particularly Rt. Hon. Emmanuel Nwika Deeyah as Chairman of HYPREP’s BOT.
It respectfully appealed to the President to consider appointing a representative from the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP) under the leadership of Engr. Olu Andah Wai-Ogosu, being the pioneering social vehicle for Ogoni advocacy since the inception of the Ogoni struggle, adding that it would significantly contribute to the decision-making process.
The body commended the overall management of HYPREP and urges the President to continue funding the HYPREP project.
NYCOP furthermore recommended considering the conversion of HYPREP from a project to a full-fledged agency of the Federal Government of Nigeria.
The communique also stated that NYCOP thanked President Tinubu for establishing the Federal University of Environmental Technology, and for appointing key staff, forming a dialogue committee, and initiating infrastructural projects like the Eleme axis of the East-West Road and the Bonny-Bodo Road, significantly enhancing regional connectivity and economic prospects.
In solidarity with the Renewed Hope Agenda, the endorsed President Tinubu’s second-term bid, saying it believes his leadership embodies the aspirations of the Ogoni people and Nigerians at large.
“After thorough consideration of the Disciplinary Committee’s report, NYCOP resolves:
” To indefinitely suspend Comrade Nade Nade Burale from his position as Secretary General due to misconduct.
“To declare Comrade Saviour Imeabe persona non grata on Ogoni youth issues, given his actions’ potential to instigate crisis in Ogoni and beyond” the communique stated.
NYCOP in his resolution issued a 7-day ultimatum to former HYPREP BOT Chairman Mike Nwialeghi to explain the $100 million HYPREP fund investment, warning of potential litigation.
NYCOP reaffirmed its commitment to safeguarding Ogoni youth interests and preventing personal aggrandizement.
According to the communique the resolutions demonstrate NYCOP’s efforts to promote the collective welfare and advancement of Ogoni youth.
“We will no longer tolerate any individual or group using the name or issues of Ogoni youth for personal aggrandizement.
” Our mandate is clear: to promote the collective welfare and advancement of Ogoni youth” the communique said.
NYCOP passes a vote of confidence in Hon. Emmanuel Nwika Deeyah, acknowledging his impeccable credentials and credibility to lead the BOT of HYPREP effectively.
Kiadum Edookor
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