Nation
THE STATES
Adamawa
The Adamawa Universal Basic Education Board (ADSUBEB) has distributed more than 17,000 textbooks to public schools in Mubi-North Local Government Area of the state.
The Education Secretary of the local government, Alhaji Ahmed Dan-Rimi, disclosed this in an interview with newsmen in Mubi in Adamawa.
Dan-Rimi said that the books were distributed to more than 80 primary and junior secondary schools in the area.
He said that 13,844 textbooks were distributed to 66 primary schools, while 20 post-basic schools received 3,634 books.
The education secretary further disclosed that the board also distributed teachers’ guide and other instructional materials to the schools.
“The books consist of English, Mathematics, Science, Literature, Social Studies, and Integrated Science books, among others,” Dan-Rimi said.
According to him, the gesture is part of efforts to implement the nine-year basic education curriculum in the state successfully.
Ekiti
The Commissioner of Police in Ekiti State, Mr. Olayinka Balogun, has threatened to remove any Divisional Police officer (DPO) who makes himself inaccessible to members of the public.
Balogun made the threat yesterday while parading 23 robbery suspects, including a 65-year-old woman, Victoria Faturoti in Ado-Ekiti.
He promised not to allow the politicisation of the arrest and detention of any of the robbery suspects, who have been terrorising the people of Ido-Ekiti in Ido/Osi Local Government Area.
The police commissioner emphasised that the suspects would be thoroughly investigated and prosecuted.
Balogun explained that he was quite aware of the politics behind the statement allegedly made by some suspects, pointing out that investigations would be conducted to ascertain the veracity of their claims.
He assured the people of the state that all the dangerous weapons being used by robbers would be mopped up before the 2011 general elections.
According to him, all the divisional police offices of the command had been placed on alert.
FCT
The Directorate of Technical Cooperation in Africa (DTCA) says it is making efforts to utilise the expertise of Nigerians living abroad for national development.
The Director General of the directorate, Mr Sule Bassi, said this in Abuja yesterday at the directorate’s merit award.
Bassi said that “out of more than 32 million Africans living outside their countries, 17 million are Nigerians.
“For Africa to develop Africans must take the bull by the horns, we need to harness our human resources and we need to encourage them to contribute to the development of the continent.”
He said that technical cooperation was an indispensable factor in any development effort, adding that African technocrats must be given due recognition.
Bassi said that the award was put in place as a policy to recognise hard work and excellence.
He said: “We are here to celebrate excellence in service.
“We are here to celebrate integrity in mandate delivery, honesty, loyalty and team work.”
Kaduna
The Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) in Kaduna State recorded 37 accidents during the third quarter of 2010.
The commission’s Public Relations Officer in Kaduna State, Malam Yunusa Ibrahim, made this known in an interview with our correspondent in Kaduna yesterday.
He said that the commission recorded 13 accidents in September and eight accidents in October, November and December, respectively.
Ibrahim said that the number of accidents so far recorded during the year was lower than that of 2009, which was put at 404 accidents.
He attributed the decrease to the enlightenment campaign, sensitisation workshops, lectures and seminars on traffic rules and regulations.
Kano
Kano-based Islamic Scholar, Sheik AbdulJabbar Kabara, has decried the continued poor performance of students in the Senior Secondary School Certificate Examinations (SSCE).
“As a scholar, I am worried about the continued recording of poor results in the SSCE by our students.
The trend must not be allowed to continue,” Kabara said in an interview with newsmen in Kano yesterday.
The cleric opined that majority of candidates who perform poorly in public examinations were those from “poor parentage”.
“You will discover that most of those who record poor results in these public examinations are children of the poor, because the wards of the well-to-do attend quality schools here in Nigeria and abroad,” he said.
Kabara also opined that children of the rich were taught by better-qualified teachers with better facilities in their schools; hence they performed better in public examinations.
Kabara, therefore, identified poverty as one of the causes of poor performance of students in public examinations.
Lagos
Authorities of the Lagos State University (LASU), Ojo, have appealed to the institution’s striking lecturers to suspend their action in the interest of their students.
That LASU lecturers, under the aegis of the Academic Staff Union of University (ASUU), have been on strike for more than three months.
Mrs Anthonia Oyeniyi, LASU’s Head of Information and Public Relations, made the appeal in an interview with our correspondent in Lagos.
According to her, it is only the lecturers that can resolve their disagreement with the state government, a problem which has halted academic activities in the school.
The lecturers are protesting against the non-implementation of 53.3 per cent enhanced pay for lecturers as negotiated by ASUU with the Federal Government in 2009.
Osun
The All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Osun Chapter, has commended Gov. Rauf Aregbesola on his plans to revive the state agricultural sector.
Alhaji Raheem Adeniji, the state Chairman of the association, gave the commendation yesterday in Osogbo while reacting to the 2011 budget proposals presented by the governor.
Aregbesola in his first budget presented to the state House of Assembly on Wednesday, gave indication of his plans to revive the agricultural sector.
The governor said that the government would acquire 1,000 hectares of farmlands in each of the 30 local government areas.
He said the farmlands would be cleared and ploughed before being allocated to interested and practicing farmers.
Under the plan, government, Aregbesola said, would purchase farm produce directly from farmers to prevent wastage and have surplus for sale outside the state.
The governor said his administration would encourage commercial farming by assisting farmers who engaged in commercial farming to access bank loans.
Oyo
A Factional Leader of the NURTW in Oyo State, Alhaji Lateef Salako (a.k.a Eleweomo) has been killed in Ibadan during the Local Government Congress of the PDP on Thursday.
The State Commissioner of Police, Mr Baba Bolanta, confirmed the death of Salako to newsmen during the PDP local government congress in Ibadan.
He, however, said he could not give details, saying that the Divisional Police Officer in charge of the Area had been summoned to brief him on the incident.
Salako (a.k.a Eleweomo) was reportedly killed at IDC Primary School, Olunloyo area of Ibadan during the party congress of Ona Ara Local Government Area on Thursday.
His remains have been deposited at the State Hospital Mortuary, Adeoyo.
trouble started when the motorcade of the Senate Leader, Sen. Teslim Folarin, arrived at the venue of the congress.
Sources told our correspondent that argument arose as to whether the deceased union leader was a delegate to the congress or not, because he allegedly introduced himself as a delegate.
Sokoto
Sokoto State Government has earmarked N 5.1 billion for the execution of various projects in the agricultural sector in 2011.
Gov. Aliyu Wamakko said this in Sokoto yesterday while presenting the 2011 budget proposals to the state House of Assembly.
He said government would accord priority to the agricultural sector in order to consolidate, sustain and improve on the level of achievements so far recorded in the sector.
Wamakko promised that government would embark on the rehabilitation and expansion of all irrigation schemes destroyed by floods in all parts of the state.
“Protection of farmlands near riverbanks flooded annually, especially the troublesome Maimasuka farm site will be given attention,’’ he said.
Wamakko added that construction of flood control structures would be pursued with vigour.
To ensure food security, Wamakko said his administration would buy assorted grains for the state Strategic Grains Reserves Programme.
Yobe
Yobe Governor, Alhaji Ibrahim Gaidam, yesterday presented an appropriation bill of N64.2 billion for the 2011 fiscal year to the state House of Assembly.
The budget represents a decrease of 1.4 per cent over the N65 billion budgeted in 2010.
Christened “budget of Sustainability”, Gaidam told the legislators in Damaturu that the state had N2.7 billion in its account as an opening balance carried forward to 2011.
The governor said the state was expected to generate N34.8 billion from the federation account in 2011.
Gaidam added that N6.7 billion was expected from Value Added Tax while N9 billion would come from the excess crude oil.
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.