Nation
THE STATES
Adamawa
Governor Murtala Nyako of Adamawa State has described the N18, 000 minimum wage as too small.
Speaking with newsmen in an interactive session on Christmas day in Yola, Nyako said the amount was to meager to cater for a family man.
Nyako was, however, quick to point out that in spite of the small amount, many state governments would find it difficult to implement.
He said this was because of the states’ sole dependence on the monthly federation account allocation.
Nyako said there was need for states to source for alternatives to oil money if they were to meet the growing developmental needs of their people.
He said it was the zeal to wean Adamawa from over dependence on oil money that his administration engaged in projects such as transforming agriculture by introducing commercial farming.
Bauchi
The wife of the Bauchi State Governor, Hajiya Aisha Yuguda, has distributed food and textile materials to various churches in the state to mark the Christmas.
The materials were presented to various churches by the representative of the governor’s wife, who is also the Commissioner for Women Affairs, Hajiya Talatu Barwa.
At the presentation in Bauchi on Saturday, Yuguda said “this is just a token gift to the Christian faithful to assist you in this year’s celebration. We pray that we celebrate the season in peace.’’
She felicitated with the Christian community in the state and prayed for a peaceful celebration.
Receiving the items, Mrs Suzana Moses of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, Yelwa-Bauchi, expressed gratitude to the first lady and assured her that the gifts would be distributed accordingly.
FCT
Alhaji Balarabe Musa, National Chairman of Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), has urged the Federal Government to carry out a total reform of the electoral process.
Musa, who made the call in an interview with newsmen in Abuja, said it would help to reduce tension in the country.
He noted that Nigerians approved a complete overhaul of the electoral process, to ensure transparent and peaceful elections in the country.
“The whole purpose for the electoral reform, every Nigerian agrees, is to ensure the electoral process is credible.
“It must be credible and capable of bringing about free, fair and transparent election leading to a legitimate government and solving the perpetual crisis Nigerians are facing, particularly after every national election,’’ he said.
The PRP chairman decried the current trend in which candidates were imposed on the electorate without consideration for their freedom of choice.
Kaduna
Governor Patrick Yakowa of Kaduna State has advised Christians to see Christmas as a period for sober reflection and stock taking on their relationship with God.
Yakowa, in Christmas message signed by Mr Reuben Buhari, the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity and made available last Friday, felicitated with Christians and the entire people of the state on the event.
He said “Christmas is not only a time for celebration, but a period for sober reflection and stock taking of God’s blessings.
“One of the areas we must reflect on is our relationship with God and with our fellow humans and therefore Christians and the entire people of Kaduna State must be committed to religious harmony, peaceful living and understanding of one another.”
Kano
Malam Ahmad Abusalma, a Hausa film director in Abuja, on Sunday lauded Kano’s Hausa film industry as it clocked 20, saying that it had come of age.
Abusalma, who gave the commendation in an interview with newsmen in Kano, said that the Hausa film industry would excel in Africa if was supported by stakeholders.
He recalled that the industry was founded by a few practitioners “who were then regarded as jobless and stupid”, adding that due to their strength and courage, the industry had grown into a big one across the Northern states.
Katsina
Katsina State Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (RUWASSA) has established water, sanitation and hygiene committees in 28 communities to ensure effective water supply and sanitation in the state.
The agency also established environmental health clubs in 12 secondary schools to promote environmental sanitation as well as ensure good water supply to the schools.
Alhaji Abubakar Gege, the Executive Director, disclosed this in an interview with newsmen yesterday in Katsina.
He said members of the committees and the environmental health clubs which were formed in the last three months had received training on maintenance, ownership and operation of all water supply facilities.
Gege disclosed that after inaugurating the three new rigs of the agency three months ago, the state government had released N158.3 million to the agency.
Kebbi
The Kebbi State Governor, Alhaji Sa’idu Dakingari, on Friday commended Christians for sustaining peaceful co-existence and lending support to the constituted authority.
A statement by the Chief Press Secretary, Alhaji Abubakar Dakingari, quoted the governor as wishing Christians a Merry Christmas and urging them to emulate the exemplary life of Jesus Christ.
“I enjoin all Christians to emulate the virtues of Jesus Christ and use this festive mood as a time for sober reflections with a view to improving our future,” it stated.
He urged them to pray for peace, unity and successful elections in 2011.
He urged Christians further to pray for safe return of the Christian pilgrims in Jerusalem now performing their religious obligations.
NAN reports that the Christmas was marked peacefully with Christians attending church services and exchanged gifts and visits with friends, neighbours and relations.
Lagos
The Head, Test Development Division of the West African Examination Council (WAEC), Mr Patrick Modebe said by 2020 the examination body would conduct its examinations in the e-test format.
Speaking with newsmen in Lagos on Saturday, Modebe noted that the Council had begun the process to realise that objective, even before 2020.
Modebe, who would be retiring from the Council soon, said that adoption of the Electronic Examination method popularly called the e-test format by the Council, would be ‘a vision come alive’.
“I also know that WAEC is working assiduously towards applying the e-marking method in its operation to facilitate early release of examination results,’’ he said.
He, however, observed that the application of the electronic e-test and e-marking formats depended greatly on government’s success in its National Computerisation Policy.
Ogun
Mr Poju Adeyemi, an Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) chieftain in Ogun, said the party would take over the reins of government in the state in 2011.
Adeyemi, a former Secretary to the State Government (SSG) between 1999 and 2003, made the declaration in an interview with newsmen in Abeokuta.
He said that ACN had been put in good shape to win at all levels in the forthcoming general elections in the state.
Adeyemi said his optimism was based on the feelers the party was getting from all nooks and crannies of the state.
“The response we have been getting from our interactions with the people is that they are tired of the present administration. When the masses say yes, who can say no?
“The ACN is solidly on ground to provide a better alternative to what he described as a charade,’’ he said.
Plateau
The Plateau State Government has condemned those behind the planting of bombs which rocked some parts of Jos on Christmas eve.
Mr Gregory Yenlong, the Commissioner for Information and
Communications, in a broadcast on Saturday, said that the act was heinous and condemned those behind it.
Yenlong said that the act also laid credence to several threats
by some unknown persons to make the state ungovernable,
“as a way of opposing the administration.’’
He commiserated with families of those killed in the blasts
and wished those who sustained injuries quick recovery.
Our correspondent learnt that the first of the bombs detonated at about 7.30 p.m. around Kabong (Gada Biyu) , while the second was at Angwang Rukuba, at about 8 p.m.
Sokoto
An aspirant on the platform of the PDP, Alhaji Yusuf Abdullahi, has called on President Goodluck Jonathan not to allow PDP governors leave the party because of the electoral act amendment.
Abdullahi, who is eyeing the Isa/Sabon-Birni Federal Constituency seat in the House of Representatives, made the call in an interview with newsmen in Sokoto.
He said that the current controversy over the electoral act amendment should not be allowed to tear the biggest party in Africa apart.
“PDP has come to stay in Nigeria, Mr President should use his good office to settle with the governors because they are closed to the electorate who will contribute positively towards the success of the party at the polls,’’ he said.
The Aspirant also advised President Goodluck Jonathan not to listen to Abuja politicians as “they have nothing to offer as far as getting eligible voters is concerned.
He pointed out that “those that matter are the governors who are with their people and who will work towards the success of our party.’’
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.