Nation
THE STATES
Bauchi
The Bauchi State Government says its decision to pardon four out of the 20 former local government chairmen indicted by a government White Paper for corrupt practice was not “politically motivated”.
The state Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Alhaji Al-Mustapha Suleiman, made the clarification in Bauchi in an interview with newsmen.
The indicted former chairmen are Alhaji Muhammed Hassan of Katagum Local Government, Alhaji Tukur Adamu of Kirfi, Alhaji Bello Arabi from Alkaleri and Alhaji Garba Magaji, Darazo Local Government.
Gov. Isa Yuguda had on Thursday granted amnesty to 18 convicts and the four former local government chairmen indicted for embezzling public funds in the last administration.
Borno
An Islamic scholar, Sheikh Bashir Mustafa, was last weekend shot dead in his Gwange, Maiduguri residence, by gunmen suspected to be members of the outlawed Boko Haram sect.
An eyewitness, told newsmen in Maduguri that the cleric was shot with one of his students, Alhaji Dunoma, who had visited him.
“The cleric and Dunoma were inside the house when we saw two men approach the house on a motorbike.
“They packed the bike outside and went straight to meet them inside where they opened fire on them.
FCT
As the world marks the World Post Day, the Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST) last weekend in Abuja presented the 2010 Definitive Postage Stamps to promote Nigeria’s tourism potential.
Speaking on the occasion, Prof. Dora Akunyili, the Minister of Information and Communications, commended NIPOST for its initiative to key into the “Re-branding Nigeria” project through the production of the stamps.
Akunyili, represented by Mr Lagdam Ndam, Director, Research and Production in the ministry, noted that NIPOST, over the years had promoted the best of Nigeria’s cultural life, arts and history through postage stamps.
“All over the years, postage stamps are regarded as effective means of supplying information about a country’s history, people and culture.
Kaduna
Vice-President Namadi Sambo has said that President Goodluck Jonathan will be fair to all Nigerians if elected in 2011.
Sambo gave the assurance last weekend in Kaduna while inaugurating the Jonathan-Sambo 2011 North- West Zonal Campaign Office.
He said that the agenda of their administration was to restructure all the major sectors of the economy so as to attain the goals of Vision 20:2020.
The vice-president stressed that the administration was determined to make the country a comfortable place for all citizens, irrespective of where they came from.
Sambo appealed to the people of the North-West geopolitical zone region to vote for Jonathan in the 2011 presidential election, assuring them that there were specific development programmes earmarked for the region.
Kano
Participants at a workshop on Planning and Budgeting, have asked state governments to set up anti-corruption agencies to facilitate smooth budget planning and implementation.
In a communique issued at the end of the five-day workshop in Kano last weekend, the participants noted that corruption was “a major impediment to budget planning” in Nigeria.
The communique, which was signed by Malam Maikano Bashir, a Principal Assistant Secretary in the Kano State Deputy Governor’s Office, also urged State Houses of Assembly to pass the Fiscal Responsibility Bill into law to give legal backing to new planning and budgeting initiatives.
Katsina
The Katsina State Government will devote the N650 million it won in the 2007-2008 Award for Good Performance in UBE Implementation to the decongestion of some primary schools, an official said.
Alhaji Nuhu Kuki, the Executive Chairman of the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), announced the plan on Saturday in an interview with newsmen in Katsina.
He said that apart from the decongestion of the schools, the money would also be used for other school projects across the state.
Kebbi
Kano State governor Alhaji Ibrahim Shekarau has donated N25 million to assist victims of the recent flood disaster in Kebbi State.
He made the donation last weekend in Birnin Kebbi when he visited his Kebbi counterpart Alhaji Saidu Dakingari.
Shekarau, who led a large delegation to Birnin Kebbi, said the donation was to show brotherly concern for fellow human beings.
“The monetary donation is aimed at alleviating the hardship faced by the flood victims and we sincerely hope and pray for the avoidance of future disasters,” he said.
Gov Saidu Dakingari, who received the donation, commended the government and people of Kano State for the assistance and pledged that the money would be judiciously utilised.
Lagos
A total of 108 ships are scheduled to berth in Lagos ports in October, our correspondent reports.
The shipping position released by the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) in Lagos last weekend showed that many of the ships would be laden with containers, vehicles and petroleum products.
According to the shipping document, 15 of the ships are bringing in various petroleum products, mostly petrol, and are already waiting for clearance to berth.
Eighteen others are carrying bulk cargoes such as fish, fertiliser, bulk cement, bulk urea, bulk salt and containers.
Ogun
A business mogul, Chief Jimoh Ibrahim, last weekend pledged to construct a building worth N50 million for Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Abeokuta (MAPOLY).
Ibrahim announced the donation when he was conferred with the honourary fellowship of the polytechnic during its 13th convocation ceremony.
He said that the building would be known as “Olusegun Obasanjo Privatisation Centre’’.
Ibrahim said that the project would be jointly financed by five of his companies — Global Fleet, Nigeria Re-insurance, Air Nigeria, NICON Insurance and NICON Hotel.
Governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola of Osun State also received an honourary fellowship of the institution during the convocation.
Osun
The Osun Government has recruited 600 teachers to fill vacant positions in public primary schools in the state, Prof. Wale Oladipo, the Chairman of the State Universal Basic Education (SUBEB) said.
Oladipo said in a statement obtained by our correspondent last week in Osogbo that the recruitment would improve the standard of basic education in the state.
The newly employed teachers, he said, had already collected their letters of appointment and had been posted to primary schools across the state.
The SUBEB chairman also called on other qualified teachers seeking employment to come to the board for application forms to fill positions expected to be vacated by retiring teachers next year.
Sokoto
The Federal Government says plans have reached advanced stage for the reconstruction of the access
road to Usman Dan Fodio University, Sokoto, that was destroyed by flood in August.
Mr Chris Ogiewonyi, the Minister of State for Works, made the information known last weekend in Sokoto shortly after inspecting the road.
Ogiewonyi, who also inspected the Sokoto-Ilela road that links Nigeria with Niger Republic and promised that work would soon begin on the road.
More than 20 villages were washed away in Sokoto State following floods that ravaged 20 villages across six local government areas and rendered more than 8,000 people homeless.
The floods washed away more than 4km of the access road and a bridge to the university and connecting seven local government areas to Sokoto town.
Plateau
President Goodluck Jonathan last weekend inaugurated a new Governor’s Lodge and office for Plateau.
The President, who is in Plateau on a two-day visit, also inaugurated an overhead bridge in Kabong which was built at N2.8 billion.
Jonathan, who lauded the Plateau government for building the bridge he described as “very strategic’’, also thanked the Government for naming a road after him.
The 25km road named after Goodluck Jonathan, is a federal road which the State Government rehabilitated.
“The bridge is the only flyover bridge in Plateau and the best in the North-Central Zone; it will remain a landmark to the entire nation,’’ he said.
Yobe
ACN Chairman in Yobe Mai-mala Buni last Sunday advised the electorate to stop non-performing politicians aspiring for the Governorship House from getting elected.
Buni told newsmen in Damaturu that “Yobe has peculiar problems of desertification and drought, but docile lawmakers could not make any impact on those problems.
“Some of these politicians are now aspiring for the governorship which must be resisted because of their incompetence.
“It will be disastrous to entrust the future of the state in the hands of people who could not sponsor bills to impact on the lives of the people while at the National Assembly,” he said.
Buni, who is also the chairman of the coalition of political parties in the state, noted that political parties would sensitise their members against “aspirants who cannot deliver to improve the lives of the people’’.
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.