Nation
THE STATES
Adamawa
The Adamawa Universal Basic Education Board (ADSUBEB) has decried the increasing rate of consumption of alcohol by some primary school teachers during working hours.
The board’s Director of School Servives, Hajiya Fuloh Maikano, made the observation on Tuesday in Yola at a “train the trainer” workshop on abuse of alcohol for primary school headmasters.
The workshop was organised by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in collaboration with ADSUBEB.
Maikano said such teachers, who were mostly in the rural areas, engaged in the consumption of local gin, popularly known as “Ogogoro” which had adverse effect on their health.
Borno
Another bomb exploded on Monday in Maiduguri near the customs round about, killing two children.
Maj.-Gen. Jack Nwaogbo, the Commander of the Military Task Force code named “Operation Restore Order’’, made this known in an interview with newsmen in Maiduguri.
Nwaogbo said that three customs officers were also injured in the explosion, suspected to be a car bomb.
“Two people died in the blast; they are children believed to have accompanied their mothers hawking in the area.
“Three custom officers were also injured although the injuries were not life threatening,” he said.
Ekiti
The Ekiti Government has said that its decision to raise bonds from the capital market was because of the need to fast-track development in the state.
Mr Oladapo Kolawole, the state’s Commissioner for Finance, gave the explanation in Ado-Ekiti on Monday while addressing stakeholders at a public hearing on a bill to raise the bonds.
The bill is titled, “Ekiti State Bonds, Notes and Other Securities Issues Bill 2011”.
In the bill, the state’s governor is seeking the state legislators’ approval to enable the state government to raise bonds from the capital market for the execution of pressing capital projects at minimal and affordable interest rates.
While debating the bill during its first and second readings, most of the lawmakers expressed support for the executive bill.
FCT
The Cameroonian Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr Salahudeen Abbas, has commended the remarkable progress recorded so far by the American University of Nigeria (AUN), Yola.
A statement by Mr Abbas Tahir, AUN’s Vice-President, Public Relations and Communications, on Tuesday said.
Abbas made the commendation when he visited the university while leading a 10-member Cameroonian officials to Yola for a diplomatic meeting on interconnection of power between the two countries.
The meeting also facilitated the inauguration of a bilateral technical committee of 23 members with respect to electricity sharing between the two countries.
Jigawa
The Commander of National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), in Jigawa, Alhaji Ibrahim Abdul, has decried the high rate of drug trafficking and drug abuse in the state.
Abdul bared his mind at a seminar to mark the International Day Against Drug Abuse, last Tuesday in Dutse, saying that the development had led to an upsurge in other crimes in the state.
He said that the high intake of hard drugs in the state had also caused a wave in the rate of armed rubbery, prostitution, pastoral and farmers’ conflicts as well as kidnapping.
The commander said that within five months, his command alone had arrested 156 suspects with 46 kilograms of various drugs of abuse in the state.
Kaduna
Bee-keeping Extension Society, a Kaduna-based NGO, has appealed to the Federal Government to engage youths in bee-keeping business to curb restiveness.
The president of the society, Mr Idris Mohammed, made the appeal in an interview with newsmen in Zaria, Kaduna State.
Mohammed stressed the need for the government to provide the enabling environment to enable bee-keepers compete favourably with their international counterparts, as Nigerian honey had been adjudged the best worldwide.
Lagos
The Chairman of Conoil Plc, Dr Mike Adenuga, says exposure of shareholders to the provisions of International Finance Reports Standard (IFRS) will aid corporate governance.
Adenuga, who made the observation at a workshop in Lagos said that there was the need to educate shareholders on the new accounting method.
He promised that his company would train members of its audit committee on the new method.
Our correspondent reports that Adenuga, who was represented by a director in the company, Dr Moses Omatsola, charged shareholders to organise “exploratory workshop” on IFRS.
Oyo
The Catfish Farmers Association of Nigeria (CAFAN) has suggested channelling flood waters to dams as an effective flood control strategy.
Mr Rotimi Oloye, the national Secretary-General of the association, made the suggestion while speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ibadan on Tuesday.
Oloye said that the strategy could also pave the way for more fish ponds in the country, adding that the numerous inland waterways in the country could be made viable for fish production.
Ogun
Governor Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun last Tuesday said that given the poor financial situation of the state, his administration might not be able to pay the N18,000 minimum wage.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the minimum wage issue has pitched most of the state governors against labour, for claiming that they had no adequate resources to pay.
Some of the governors had recently hinged the payment of the new wage on the upward review of the revenue allocation, which they said was grossly in favour of the Federal Government.
Osun
Chief Adelowo Adebiyi, the Chairman Osun Action Congress of Nigeria
(ACN) has called on the people of the state to support the state government’s environmental sanitation programme.
Adebiyi, who made the call in a statement made available to newsmen in Osogbo, noted that the programme was one of Aregbesola’s promises to give the state a face lift.
He said that the cause of restoring healthy living in the state, which is one of the items on the administration’s six-point agenda might fail if nothing was done.
“The battle to rid the state of filth is a major task without which the health of our people might be in danger.
Sokoto
Hajiya Luba Hassan, a PDP Ward Secretary in Sokoto South Local Government Area has appealed to the state government to provide some infrastructure in Gagi, to prevent floods in the area.
Hassan told newsmen in Sokoto that the infrastructure, including drainage, if provided, would prevent houses from collapsing.
“We lost two girls and several houses as a result of heavy rain fall about a week ago.
“Our Governor is a listening one and I am very optimistic that he will urgently do something about it because he is concerned about the yearning and aspiration of the governed.’’
Zamfara
The Zamfara Government says it will partner with France to develop irrigation agriculture to facilitate economic growth and place agriculture as a major revenue earner.
The Acting Governor of the state, Malam Ibrahim Muhammad, said this in Gusau when he received the French Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr Jean Michel Dumont, who paid him a courtesy visit.
Muhammad noted that Zamfara is an agrarian state which requires modern agricultural systems to boost its production capacity for enhanced revenue generation and the development of its economy.
According to him, the state looks forward to a partnership that will be mutually beneficial .
He commended the French Government for its foreign policy of non-interference in the internal politics of other countries.
Earlier, Dumont said he was in Zamfara to seek collaboration with the state in area of agricultural development.
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.