Nation
THE STATES
Bauchi
Alhaji Babayo Gamawa, the Deputy Governor of Bauchi State, says he will dedicate himself to the struggle for the creation of Katagum State if elected senator in 2011.
Gamawa, who wants to contest the seat for the Bauchi-North Senatorial District, made the pledge last Saturday in an interview with newsmen in Bauchi.
He said that if elected, he would devote 75 per cent of his time and energy in seeing to the creation of Katagum State.
Gamawa said that he made a lot of consultations on the issue with the speakers of state houses of assembly when he was speaker of the Bauchi State House of Assembly.
He said that he received encouraging words from the speakers and that many of them promised to support him in achieving the objective.
Borno
Borno State police command said on Sunday that it had arrested 13 suspects in connection to last week’s killings in Maiduguri.
Suspected Boko Haram militants had killed at least four individuals in separate attacks on Wednesday and Friday in Maiduguri.
But the command Police Public Relations’ Officer Mallam Lawal Abdullahi told newsmen in Maiduguri that 11 suspectswere arrested in connection with the Wednesday’s killing.
“I want to inform you that we have already made a number of arrests in connection with the killings.
Ekiti
A non-governmental organisation, WaterAid Nigeria has constructed 38 boreholes in Ekiti state as part of its efforts to ensure that people have access to safe water.
The Director of Justice Development Peace Initiative/WaterAid in the state, Rev. Fr. Raphael Aborisade said this at the weekend in Ado-Ekiti during a sensitization programme to mark the World Toilet Day.
Aborisade said the boreholes were constructed mostly in rural communities in Ikole, Ilejemeje and Ekiti South West local government areas.
FCT
Some applicants who did not meet the height requirement in the FRSC recruitment process were barred from taking part in the written test conducted by the corps in Abuja last Saturday.
Male applicants were required to be up to 1.7 metres while their female counterparts were expected to be up to 1.6 metres.
Those barred from the examination due to their height were seen in groups discussing their fate at the Mogadishu Cantonment, venue of the exercise.
However, reports that as at 11:30 a.m. some 1,800 out of the 5,400 cleared to write the test had done so with others on a long line waiting for their turn.
Kano
Most Food Vendors in Kano have yet to resume business, five days after the Eid-el-Kabir festival.
A survey conducted by our correspondent in the state capital revealed that the food sellers,many of whom hailed from other states of the federation, are still away,observing their Sallah break.
Our correspondents’ checks at Galadima Road, Audu Bako way,and the Sabon Gari market, found that most of the vendors’ stalls and other platforms remained desolate, due to the absence of the operators.
One of the operators, Hajiya Asiya Garba,told newsmen that she could not resume business now because she was still celebrating the Sallah.
Katsina
The Katsina Study Centre of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) on Saturday matriculated 207 students admitted to study various courses at the centre.
Speaking at the occasion, Dr Kabiru Galadanchi, Manager of the Centre, said that out of the over 1,000 candidates that applied to study at the Centre, only 207 were given admission.
He attributed the situation to the mistakes made by most of the applicants in filling their application forms.
Kogi
A total of 150 students on Saturday matriculated at the Lokoja Study Centre of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) for the 2009/2010 academic session.
The Centre Manager, Mr Theophilus Balogun, who made the disclosure to the newsmen in Lokoja at the 5th matriculation, said that similar ceremony took place simultaneously at the NOUN’s 40 study centres nationwide.
He identified the lack of physical structures and truancy by some facilitators as some of the challenges confronting the study centre.
Balogun urged the Federal Government to expedite action on the ongoing construction work in the centre, noting that lack of structures had forced them to use facilities at the Bishop Delise College.
Kwara
Kwara State Public Complaints Commission says a total of five hundred and seventy – nine (579)complaints werereceived between January and October 2010.
The Acting Durector of Investigation, Mr Caleb Bukoye disclosed this in an interview with newsmen last Sunday in Ilorin.
According to him, during the period the Commission has investigated and successfully resolved 324 complaints.
Bukoye urged members of the public to seize the opportunity provide by the federal government through the service of the Commission in getting their problems and complaints solved.
Niger
The National Agency for the Prohibition of Traffic in Persons and other related matters (NAPTIP) has said that a 58-year-old father, who allegedly impregnated his 14-year-old daughter is currently being detained.
The 58-year old farmer and the daughter were paraded before journalists on Nov. 15 by Deputy Police Spokesman, DSP Samuel Jinadu in his Ikeja office.
The police said that the man forcefully had canal knowledge of his daughter and has now delivered a baby girl from the relationship.
Ondo
The Ondo State Government on Saturday reiterated its commitment to sustain its zero tolerance for examination malpractice.
The state’s Commissioner for Education, Dr Pius Osunyikanmi, told newsmen in Akure that the state government had inaugurated an examination and ethics committee to monitor schools that engaged in malpractices.
He also said that disciplinary actions would be taken against any school involved in examination malpractice.
Osunyikanmi said that alreday, four schools had been banned from presenting candidates for public examinations for two years due to the high number of cheats recorded in that school.
Oyo
Some applicants, who turned up for the rescheduled test for recruitment into various positions in the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), on Saturday in Ibadan, have described the exercise as discouraging.
Some of the applicants, who would not want to be identified, alleged that they were made to sit on bare floor and write the test on their laps.
They condemned the inadequate arrangement made by the FRSC authorities for the test, saying that the shoddy arrangement for the test had dashed their hopes on the recruitment exercise.
Some applicants also alleged that their names were removed from the list of those qualified to write the test after they had scaled through the physical exercise conducted for the recruitment.
Plateau
Dr Mohammed Ali Pati, the Executive Director of Primary Health Care and Development Agency (PHCDA), says polio has reduced from 356,000 cases earlier recorded to below 1,000 in Nigeria.
Pati disclosed this last Saturday at the Silver Jubilee Investiture of Rotarian Joseph Kigbu, as the new President of Naraguta Rotary Club, Jos.
“With the Government fight against the polio scourge in Nigeria, we have been able to reduce the over 356,000 cases to less than a thousand.
“Very soon, we shall totally eradicate polio in Nigeria more so that we have other non-governmental organisations such as Rotary and USAID behind us in the fight,” Pati said.
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.