Nation
THE STATES
Adamawa
The Emir of Mubi, Alhaji Abubakar Isa, has appealed to the electorate to ensure the safety of their voters’ cards, to guide against possible mutilation.
The emir made the call at a voter enlightenment and advocacy campaign in Gude District of Mubi-South Local Government Area on Wednesday.
Isa advised voters to handle their cards with utmost care and protection.
“Safeguard your voter’s card the same way you keep your money and other valuables. The card is your right to vote, therefore you must ensure its safety,” Isa said.
He cautioned the people against multiple registration, adding that such unpatriotic acts would invalidate their registered cards and make them to loose their voting rights.
Borno
The Borno State Government on Wednesday promised free transportation to Nigerians affected by the recent border adjustments with Cameroon Republic to enable them to register in the ongoing voter registration.
Governor Ali Modu Sheriff made the promise shortly after undergoing the registration process at Ngala, headquarters of Ngala Local Government Area of the state.
He said the free transportation would be offered some communities such as Dara, which had been seeded to Nigeria after the International Court of Justice Ruling.
“We are going to provide transport to convey villagers from the communities nearest the registration centers to enable them to register as eligible voters.
“It is our responsibility as government to take care of our brothers,” he said.
Sheriff expressed dismay at the slow pace of the registration exercise.
“I do not know why it takes so long to register a single individual. I wonder if we will be able to get all eligible Nigerians registered before the deadline,” he said.
FCT
The Inspector General of Police, Mr Hafiz Ringim, has given contractors handling police projects one month from Jan. 7 to fulfil their contractual obligations or face prosecution.
Ringim’s warning is contained in a statement signed by the Force Public Relations Officer, Mr Olusola Amore, on Wednesday in Abuja.
The statement said that there was no sign that the contractors had executed 350 projects for which N4.6 billion had been released, adding that 17 of the projects had been abandoned.
It said that N4.7 billion was earmarked for the execution of projects at the various police formations and commands across the country.
“It is observed that several projects for which initial payments have been made have been executed outside the contract’s specifications, while many others have not been executed in spite of the payments,” it added.
The statement warned that contractors who had collected funds for contracts they failed to execute or those who executed projects outside the contracts’ specifications would be arrested and prosecuted.
Kaduna
The Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria has written the Federal Government explaining the re-opening of schools operated by the Catholic Church during the period of the registration of voters.
The Catholic Archbishop of Kaduna, the Most Rev. Matthew Ndagoso, made the fact known in an interview with newsmen on the re-opening of Catholic schools in Kaduna State.
Ndagoso said the Conference had explained its position on the losure ordered by the Federal Government on Thursday, January 6.
He said it was regrettable that the government did not follow due process in giving the directive and added that if stakeholders were consulted, the Church would have complied.
He said Catholic schools in Kaduna State would abide by the decision of the Conference in the matter.
The Federal Government had ordered the extension of the resumption date of public and private primary and secondary schools in the country till Jan. 30 when the registration would end.
Many schools were due to re-open on Jan. 10 after the Christmas and New Year holiday but had to call off their resumption plans in compliance with the order.
The archbishop said the method the government adopted in giving the directive was “undemocratic”, pointing out that stakeholders in the education sector should have been consulted before the decision was taken.
“The point we are making is that, as stakeholders we should be consulted on an issue that affects our schools.
“Our schools are not under government subvention and our premises are not being used for the registration. Why should our students stay at home?,” he asked.
Katsina
The contractor handling the rehabilitation of the Katsina-Jibia-Kauranamoda Road may withdraw from site over the continued delay in the payment of his entitlements.
The Federal Controller of Works in Katsina State, Mr Aliyu Mohammed, made the disclosure in an interview with newsmen in Katsina on Wednesday.
He said that the contract was awarded about two years ago at a cost of over N3.9 billion.
He said that the non-payment of the contractor was responsible for the delay in completing the project.
Mohammed said “the contractor handling the construction has been able to achieve much in the past one year despite the delay in paying him for jobs done.
“This is the reason why the contractor is threatening to stop work and if that happens, it will cause a major setback to the entire project.”
The controller explained that a total of N20 million was also required for the payment of compensation to people whose lands were acquired for the expansion of roads in Jibia and Zurmi Towns.
Mohammed said: “we are trying to ensure that the payment is made to the affected persons as promised within the next few days”.
When completed, the road is expected to boost socio-economic activities in Katsina and the neighbouring Zamfara State.
Kwara
The people of Offa Local Government Area of Kwara have pledged to support INEC to ensure the success of the ongoing voter registration.
The Secretary of Offa Descendants Union (ODU), Mr Dele Abolarin, made the pledge in Offa yesterday during a sensitisation workshop on the registration.
Abolarin said the community was determined to give the necessary support to INEC to perform its duties without fear, favour or hindrance.
Vice Chairman of Offa Local Government, Mr Adebola Afolabi, urged the participants to use the knowledge to sensitise the people on the need to participate in the exercise.
This, he said, would enable them to elect leaders of their choice in April general elections.
Lagos
The Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), says there is no going back on the government’s plan to privatise the power sector before the end of second quarter of 2011.
The Director-General, Ms Bolanle Onagoruwa, told newsmen on Wednesday in Lagos, that the only way to ensure success in the power sector was through effective privatisation.
Onogoruwa urged both the local and foreign investors to show more interest in the ongoing bidding to get credible companies that could champion the effective distribution and generation of power.
The director-general said that the ongoing privatisation process would be driven by greenfield private sector investments.
She said that the citizens would benefit from the reform through stable and consistent electricity supply that would significantly boost economic activities for jobs creation, improving living standards and education.
“Government has come to the unequivocal acceptance and conclusion of the fact that only private sector investment in the sector can give the desired result.
“The process will satisfy Nigeria’s yearnings for stable power supply because government alone cannot afford to make all capital investments required in the sector to satisfy the energy needs of the people,” she said.
Oyo
The people of Egbeda Local Government Area of Oyo have called on INEC to provide them with more DDC machines to enable them register and vote in the forthcoming general elections.
Some of the communities include Olodo, Oki, Alagbon, Arubiewe, Olojo, Opa Musa, Kumopayi, Oriile, Ominiade, Aba Oku, Ogundipe and Galili, among others.
A resident in one of the communities, Mr Ganiyu Zaiyanullahi, told newsmen Egbeda, Oyo State, yesterday that the only DDC machine in their centre could not cope with the large turn-out of people.
“There are more than 20 communities in the area, all of which are densely populated due to influx of people from Ibadan.
“We wake as early as 4.00a.m. to go and register at the Community High School; but we meet people who had been there since 1 a.m. while others say they slept there.
“In fact, many of us are now thinking of going to Ibadan to register since the only machine here cannot cope with the crowd.
Zaiyanullahi, therefore, called on INEC to review its operation and deploy more machines to the rural areas to cope with the large turnout of people who want to be registered.
Plateau
Governor Aliyu Doma of Nasarawa has installed Joel Aninge as the Odyong Nyankpa, a first-class title in Panda development area of the state.
The chieftaincy was upgraded to a first-class status by the Abdullahi Adamu-led administration in 2007 but was not officially installed.
The presentation of the staff of office to the traditional ruler was made on Wednesday in Panda by Doma.
Speaking during the presentation, Doma said the Odyong Nyankpa Chiefdom deserved the first- class rating, considering the contributions of its people to the development of the state.
He said the government was committed to respecting and recognising traditional institutions.
He assured the people that the government would continue to create an enabling environment for traditional rulers to function as agents of social mobilisation, community integration and harmony.
Responding, the newly-installed chief thanked the state government for its developmental strides, and urged his people to turn out en masse and register as voters.
Aninge challenged the people to avoid the mistakes of the 2006 population census by turning out to register as voters.
The installation of the Odyong Nyankpa has brought the number of first-class chiefs in Nasarawa to 14.
Yobe
Yobe Governor, Alhaji Ibrahim Gaidam, has assured the people that the current political activities and the forthcoming general elections will to slow down projects initiated by his administration.
Geidam gave the assurance in Bukarti in Yobe on Wednesday while answering reporters’ questions after he had registered as a voter in Bukarti.
He said: “Government will not suspend funding of any project because of politics.
“The contractors also have no reason to abandon any project because government has been living up to its contractual obligations by paying them as soon as their certificates of job completion are raised.” The governor warned that government would not tolerate poor quality work from the contractors.
“Projects must be executed in accordance with the stipulated agreement for government to get value for its money,” Geidam stressed.
He expressed satisfaction with the improvement recorded with the INEC DDC machines being used in the ongoing voter registration.
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.