Nation
THE STATES
Adamawa
Mrs. Wale Fwa, the only female member in Adamawa Assembly, has described as encouraging the growing number of women aspiring for elective offices in the 2011 general elections in the state.
She told newsmen in Yola that the women should not relent in their efforts at joining the political class and also called on others nursing political ambition to be courageous and come out to declare their interest.
The PDP lawmaker, who is representing Demsa Constituency, declared her interest to re-contest the seat, saying she would love to see more women joining her in the state assembly.
Bauchi
Hajiya Yelwa Tula, a renowned woman politician in Bauchi, has called on women to use their numerical strength to vote for women candidates at all level of representations in the 2011 elections.
Tula, who made the call in an interview with newsmen in Bauchi, urged women to show greater interest in politics so as to ensure effective gender representation in governance.
‘’Politics cannot be left to men alone. We have all it takes to change the course of history through the electoral process,’’ she said.
The woman politician urged women in Bauchi State to close ranks and vote for gender-friendly candidates at various levels of representations.
Ekiti
Ekiti State Government is to spend N1 billion on the construction of classrooms in public primary schools under the 2009 SUBEB/UBEC projects, an official said.
The Chairman of the State Universal Basic Education (SUBEB), Mr Dayo Adeyeye, told newsmen in Ado-Ekiti on Sunday that the project would include the provision of furniture.
He explained that the projects, which would be executed in the 16 local government areas of the state, would involve the construction of 26 storey buildings, blocks of three and four classrooms with offices and computer and library projects.
FCT
The Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) has aligned itself with the decision of leaders from the northern part of the country to drop the zoning policy in the interest of democratic governance.
A spokesman of the party, Mr Jimoh Abdullahi, told newsmen in Abuja that the decision against the “unwholesome campaign” would be in the best interest of democracy in the country.
“If eleven sons of the same father will form a formidable national team, let them go ahead and represent the country to deliver result.
Kaduna
A member of House of Representatives, Joseph Gumbari has urged the Church to go beyond preaching against crime and initiate steps that would create jobs to curb idleness and minimise temptation to crime.
Gumbari, who is aspiring to represent Southern Kaduna in the Senate in 2011, was speaking in ECWA Church, Biniki, where he delivered a paper on “the importance of skills acquisition to the youths of Southern Kaduna’’.
He urged the Church to partner with local and international Non-Government Organisations (NGOs) to establish skills acquisition centres where youths could train to facilitate self-reliance.
The legislator advised youths against waiting on unavailable white-collar jobs but to seek ways of exploring their hidden talents to achieve success in life.
Kano
The Kano State Directorate of Societal Re-orientation has lauded the efforts of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Sen. Bala Mohammed, to rid Abuja of prostitutes.
The Director-General of the agency, Malam Bala Muhammad, said in a statement that the measure was necessary to prevent the territory from being taken over by unscrupulous persons.
He noted that “this unfortunate trend has reached such alarming stage that if all hands are not put together to fight it’’, its consequences would be disastrous for the society.
“This is because the menace is on the increase with young ladies as well as teenagers continuously flooding into the federal capital for a better life,” Muhammad said.
Kebbi
The Emir of Argungu in Kebbi State, Alhaji Samaila Mera, has called on the National Orientation Agency (NOA) to embark on intensive campaign to re-orientate the people on the 2011 general election.
Mera, who received the state NOA Director, Alhaji Umar Babuga, in Argungu said government organs were expected to embark on campaigns to encourage Nigerians to support good leadership.
He also called on state and federal authorities to ensure adequate funding of the agency to ensure people were enlightened on government programmes and policies as well as make the people part of decision making..
He said the agency was better placed to re-orientate the people on the irrelevance of ethnicity, rumour mongering, tribalism and the need to engage in activities that would usher in good leadership and development.
Kogi
The Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) says it will revolutionise agriculture, power and energy, if voted into power in 2011.
The Vice-Chairman, North Central zone of the party, Alhaji Abu Onaji, gave the assurance on Thursday while speaking with newsmen in Lokoja.
Onaji, a onetime General Manager of Kogi State Broadcasting Corporation, Lokoja, said the party would evolve people-oriented philosophy of selfless service to improve the well-being of the people.
He said that the party was determined to wrestle power from the ruling PDP in 2011, adding that agriculture and power sectors would be prioritised.
Lagos
The Chairman, Apapa-Iganmu Local Council Development Area (LCDA), Dr Samuel Adedayo, on Saturday urged the Lagos Metropolitan Development and Governance Project (LMDGP) to be more procative in upgrading slums in the area.
Adedayo made the call in Lagos when the wife of the state Governor, Mrs Abimbola Fashola, inaugurated some projects in the LCDA.
He said that bureaucracy employed by the LMDGP had stalled the reconstruction of 15 roads and projects in three schools in Apapa-Iganmu LCDA. This has tasked our people’s patience beyond limit and has become a source of embarrassment and pressure on our administration”, he said.
He said the cardinal objective of his administration was to ensure even development in various wards that constituted the LCDA.
Niger
The Chanchaga Local Government Council in Niger State executed development projects worth N437.9 million between April 2008 and June 2010, its chairman, Alhaji Yakubu Sallau has said.
Sallau made the disclosure on Saturday in Minna at the inauguration of a primary health care clinic constructed by the Council.
He listed the projects to include the renovation and construction of classrooms and provision of instructional materials amounting to N204.3 million.
Others are the construction of primary health care centres in Kpakungu, and provision of other health facilites, which gulped a total of N53.8 million.
He said that N40 million was expended on environmental sanitation within the period, while the provision of boreholes in different parts of the local government area gulped N19.4 million.
Osun
NYSC Director-General Maharazu Tsiga has urged corps members to contribute to the success of credible election in 2011.
Tsiga, who made the appeal at Ede on Wednesday when he visited the orientation camp of the National Youths Service Corps, said INEC would need the services of 400,000 corps members as electoral officers during the elections.
He said their involvement in the elections would drastically reduce the cases of electoral fraud characterised with previous elections.
Tsiga said the scheme had been one of the unifying factors in Nigeria, adding that those calling for the scraping should be enlightened on its importance.
Sokoto
The Nigerian Ambassador to Argentina, Mr Nduka Kanu, has advised the Federal Government to take pro-active measures to effectively tackle the problem of kidnapping to restore confidence in the populace.
He told newsmen in Sokoto on Thursday that it was not in the culture of Nigerians to be involved in the evil act.
Kanu said that kidnapping posed a great threat to the survival of the nation’s democracy, adding that government should put in place approriate security arrangements to guarantee the safety of Nigerians.
He stressed the need for vigillance and adequate internal security to ensure smooth implementation of people-oriented programmes by the three tiers of government.
He also called for more political tolerance and understanding among Nigerians to ensure free, fair and transparent elections in 2011.
Yobe
Dr Shettima Saidu, Provost, Federal College of Education Potiskum, Yobe State says upgrading colleges of education to degree awarding institutions would reduce the pressure on the universities.
Saidu told newsmen on Saturday in Potiskum that the National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE) should be empowered to accredit colleges to award degrees.
He said the NCCE should be empowered to accredit colleges of education that have met the requirements to award degrees to reduce the pressure on universities.
He explained that, the FCE had gone a long way in striving to become a centre of excellence in Information and Communication Technology (ICT).
Zamfara
Due to the recent lead poisoning in Zamfara State, the National Environmental Standards and Regulation Enforcement Agency (NESREA) has advised the government to broaden the scope of its environmental assessment.
The tragedy claimed about 153 lives, according to government figures.
Alhaji Abdullahi Bindawa, the agency’s Director for North West zone, gave the advice while speaking with newsmen in Gusau.
Bindawa said that widening the assessment beyond the affected areas, would serve as a preventive measure against future outbreak of mining related disasters.
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.