Nation
THE STATES
Adamawa
Sick persons in Mubi North Local Government of Adamawa now patronise private clinics due to the strike by medical and health workers.
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) had on Monday embarked on an indefinite strike following disagreement with the state government over wages and improved working conditions.
A check by our correspondent at General Hospital, Mubi, showed that Out Patients Department (OPD), Emergency Unit and medical wards were shut, while some of the patients on admission had left.
The situation had forced residents to rely on the available private clinics for medical services.
One of the affected patients who gave his name as Doctor Makul, told newsmen that he had moved to a private clinic for treatment following the collapse of services at the General Hospital.
Bauchi
Participants at the end of a two-day workshop decried the failure by various levels of government to implement recommendations of various judicial commissions of inquiry on crises in the country.
The workshop organised by the Bauchi State Government had the theme “Fostering Peace in a Multi-Cultural and Multi-Religious Setting”.
The participants expressed the concern in a communiqué made available to newsmen in Bauchi last Friday.
They said that the non-implementation of such reports was partly responsible for the recurrence of such crises.
“Judicial Commissions of Inquiry should be balanced and fair to all sides and their reports should be fully implemented to serve as deterrence and to forestall future recurrence.
“States without such ongoing societal re-orientation programme should emulate the initiative of Bauchi State and establish a similar programme.
Benue
Participants at a two-day sensitisation workshop on sanitation and hygiene have expressed concern over the weak implementation of public health laws due to low political will and inadequate manpower.
In a communiqué issued at the end of the workshop on Friday in Markurdi, the participants also expressed concern over the poor coordination of sanitation and hygiene issues in the country.
The communiqué was jointly signed by Ifeoma Charles-Monwuba, National Coordinator of Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council, an NGO, and Peter Cookey on behalf of other participant.
They noted that the challenge had undermined Nigeria’s efforts at achieving the MDGs target in the sector.
More than 100 women were screened for breast and cervical cancer on Saturday in Abuja.
The screening exercise was organised by “Stand up to Cancer Naija”, an Abuja-based NGO, as part of activities marking the 2010 Sister’s Convention of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Mega Parish, Abuja.
Some of the women told newmen that they were initially scared of the test because of the outcome of the result.
Mrs Zainab Mamman said she was initially scared of the screening but was, however, glad that she did the test.
Mrs Isimhanze Margaret said that she was not surprised to find that people were afraid to come for the test, explaining that lack of money to pay hospital bill prevented her from taking the test before now.
“The test is quite cheap here. I paid N1,000 to get the two tests done.
Kano
The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) is to begin an Intra-city Train Service in Kano the Minister of Transport, Alhaji Yusuf Sulaiman has said.
Sulaiman disclosed this in Kano when he inspected facilities along the Kano-Challawa-Kano route of the proposed train service, recently.
He said the project was informed by government’s decision to ease transportation problems in the country by using the railway system.
According to him, the new train service will assist in decongesting traffic in Kano city for easy movement of people.
The minister, therefore, advised parents to allow their children to patronise the service.
Sulaiman disclosed that Intra-city Train Service would be introduced in six cities, Kano, Jos Maiduguri, Lagos, Enugu and Port Harcourt.
He said necessary work had been completed to commence the service in the six towns before the end of 2010.
Kebbi
To check deforestation in Kebbi State, the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA), has intensified its tree planting campaign.
The NESREA Coordinator in the state, Dr Ahmed Kasim, told newsmen on Friday in Abuja that the exercise was part of the campaign to safeguard the environment.
“The tree planting campaign is aimed at improving forest reserve, especially considering t hat trees will help to stem emission of carbon dioxide and other pollutants of the earth”, he said.
He said the campaign would be carried out in conjunction with the state government and the NYSC Club.
NESREA, he said, would take the campaign to secondary schools in the state to enable students imbibe the culture of planting trees.
He also stressed needs to carry out tree planting campaigns at local, state and federal levels to boost the boost the stock of trees in the country.
Kwara
The Kwara Government for Friday warned those involved in its FADAMA programme against fraudulent practices.
Governor Bukola Saraki gave the warning in Ilorin while flagging-off the FADAMA III programme.
He said those involved in the initiative should follow the procurement guidelines as well as ensure due process in their transactions.
He said his government had contributed its N40 million counterpart fund for the take off of the programme, adding that 10 councils benefited from FADAMA II.
In his remarks, Prof. Mohammed Yisa, the Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, said the ultimate objective of giving agriculture top priority was to ensure food security.
Yisa said agriculture would also help to create employment and attract investors in agribusiness and agro tourism.
He commended the World Bank for providing funds to alleviate poverty in the state.
Lagos
The scarcity and high cost of fresh tomatoes and pepper will linger till the end of the rainy season, Alhaji Haruna Muhammed, Chairman Mile 12 Market Management Committee, has said.
Muhammed told newsmen Friday in Lagos that the scarcity of the commodities was due to the rainy season.
He said that the current scarcity and high cost of food items in the country, was contrary to speculations by some people that it was as a result of the anticipated strike by traders in the north.
He said that the species of tomatoes and pepper currently in the market came from Jos, due to the cold weather in the city.
Muhammed said that other species of tomatoes and pepper were from Ibadan and Ghana, adding that these were the ones that consumers would be compelled to make use of till the end of the rainy season.
Oy Oyo
The Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Lagos chapter, on Saturday warned of the implications of teachers in Oyo State going on strike over non-implementation of Teachers Salary Scale (TSS).
Our correspondent reports that teachers in Oyo State are on a warning strike to press home their demand for the implementation of the new enhanced salary agreement signed in August 2008.
The Secretary, NUT Lagos State, Mr. Jamiu Idris, told newsmen in an interview that the development in Oyo State was regrettable.
“I particularly feel bad about this development because Oyo State is the only state that is yet to implement the 27.5 per cent teachers’ enhancement salary scale (in the Southwest).
“It is unfortunate that the Oyo State Government has not been responsive enough when it comes to teachers’ welfare”, Idris said.
Ogun
The Police in Ijebu-Ode last Friday arraigned a 50-year-old woman, Comfort Okuneye, before an Ijebu-Ode Magistrate’s Court for allegedly failing to produce her son whom she stood surety for.
The Police Prosecutor, Insp. Temitope Babatunde, told the court that Okuneye had on March 23 at Obalende Police Station, Ijebu-Ode, volunteered to stand as a surety for her son, Bola Okuneye, who was alleged to have stolen N375,000.
Babatunde explained that Okuneye, who pledged to produce the suspect whenever he was needed, signed a bail bond of N400,000.
She explained that Okuneye’s failure to produce her son when he was needed led to her arrest and arraignment in court.
Okuneye, however, pleaded not guilty to the one-count charge.
The Defence Counsel, Mr. D.T. Fowodu, told the court to grant the accused person bail on liberal terms since the offence was bailable.
Plateau
The Plateau government has said that there is no going back on the ban on commercial motorcyclists, also known as okada.
A statement on Friday, in Jos, signed by the commissioner for Information and Communications, Mr Gregory Yenlong, said that anyone who defaulted would face appropriate sanctions.
The Plateau House of Assembly in May passed a bill prohibiting the use of motorcycles popularly called ‘okada’ for commercial purposes.
A Jos Federal high judgment on Thursday, dismissed a suit instituted by the Association of Commercial Motorcycle Riders of Nigeria (ACOMORAN) against the state government.
The court dismissed the suit on grounds that it would not stop the enforcement of the law which was enacted pursuant to the powers vested on the state government by the constitution.
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.