Nation
THE STATES
Adamawa
Brig.-Gen. John Nwaoga, the Commander of the 23 Brigade of the Nigerian Army, Yola, has confirmed that 15 people including seven security men were killed when suspected bandits attacked Gombi town in Adamawa.
Nwaoga said at a news conference last Friday at the Command’s headquarters, that the incident occurred on Thursday at about 2.30 p.m.
“Eight civilians were killed in Uba, while seven police men were killed in the Gombi Local Government Area Divisional Police headquarters.
“Right now we cannot conclude that the attack was carried out by members of Boko Haram sect; they could be bandits.
“We will reveal in subsequent investigation if they are actually members of the Boko Haram sect, judging by the way and manner the operation was carried out.
Kebbi
The Kebbi chapter of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) will conduct a verification exercise aimed at identifying unqualified members and quacks in the profession.
The state chairman of the Union, Alhaji Muhammad Tukur, told newsmen in Birnin Kebbi last Sunday that in addition to the verification an enlightenment campaign would be conducted for members to be conversant with the NUJ constitution.
He said the verification would also enable the smooth conduct of fresh election for new officials of the union, adding, “members were expected to pay their professional fees to enable them participate in the election”.
Kwara
Gov. Abdulfatah Ahmed of Kwara has condemned in strong terms the bomb attack that rocked the United Nations building in Abuja, where several people were killed and many others injured.
Reacting to the unfortunate incident last Saturday, Ahmed said the attack was a national disgrace and an assault on the United Nations.
According to a statement signed by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Alhaji Abdulwahab Oba and made available to the newsmen in Ilorin, Ahmed described the attack as barbaric and dastardly act.
He also called on the Federal Government and security agencies to fish out the perpetrators of the attack and bring them to book to forestall future occurrence.
Nasarawa
INEC in Nasarawa State has commenced a recount of the ballots cast in some polling units during the April governorship election in the state.
The Governorship Election Petition Tribunal had granted the request of the PDP for a recount of ballot papers used in the election in some units from which INEC declared Umaru Al-Makura of CPC as winner of the poll.
Former Gov. Aliyu Akwe Doma of PDP, who lost his re-election bid, is contesting Al-Makura’s victory.
But PDP said it was not impressed with “the snail speed” of the ballot recount.
The PDP had taken Al-Makura and CPC to the tribunal to challenge the election result.
Niger
The Acting Governor of Niger, Ahmed Ibeto, has called for a National Security Summit to find a lasting solution to incessant bombings in the country.
Ibeto was reacting to the latest bomb attack at the UN House, Abuja, which killed and maimed several persons last Friday.
A statement signed by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Malam Danladi Ndayebo, quoted Ibeto as saying that the spate of bombings in the country had become a national emergency and should be treated as such.
“The issue of security should not be left to government alone. Government alone cannot stop the activities of terrorists which have left hundreds of innocent Nigerians either dead or wounded,” he said.
Ogun
An NGO, the Initiative for Environmental Education, has advised the three tiers of government to increase awareness on climate change in the rural and urban areas.
Mrs Justina Adebayo- Sopoiki, the executive secretary of the body, made the call in an interview in Ijebu-Ode, Ogun, last Sunday.
Adebayo-Sopoiki said the awareness on climate change, especially tree planting, was very low in Nigeria.
“We have been hearing about what is happening in other countries in terms of flooding and other natural disasters due to climate change.
Ondo
The Ondo State Government has condemned the bomb blast, which damaged part of the UN building in Abuja last Friday.
In a statement issued by Mr Kolawole Olabisi, the Chief Press Secretary to Gov. Olusegun Mimiko, in Akure last Saturday, the government described the action as reprehensible and antithetical to sane reasoning.
It expressed dismay at the spate of bombings in the country and sympathised with the families of the victims as well as the UN.
The government appealed to the security agencies to leave no stone unturned in efforts to arrest the perpetrators of the act.
Osun
The Federal Government has spent N1.5 billion on the construction of 25,000 metric tonnes silos in Ilesa, Osun.
Dr Adegbite Ojo, Coordinating Director, Ministry of Agriculture, Osun, made this known while speaking with the newsmen in an interview, recently .
Ojo said that construction work was still ongoing at the project site being the only Federal Government silos in the state.
According to him, the construction of the silos shows that the government is committed to the revival and development of agriculture especially in the area of food production.
Oyo
The police and National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) have confirmed 12 persons dead from the flood disaster in Ibadan last Friday night.
Mr Iyiola Akande, the South-West Zonal Director of NEMA, told newsmen that seven people died and five others missing in the flood.
Akande explained that three major bridges also collapsed in the flood that affected 11 local government areas around the capital city.
Similarly, the Police Spokesman in the state, Mr Femi Okanlawon, said that five people were found dead at Odo-Ona Elewe in Oluyole Local Government Area.
“One aged woman died when a wall fell on her while another old man was found dead at Apata area of Ibadan,” Okanlawon said.
Sokoto
An outbreak of Gastroenteritis in Gandi, Rabahl local government of Sokoto State
has claimed the lives of two children.
About 70 cases were said to have been recorded in the area.
The Commissioner for Health, Alhaji Abdullahi Maigwandu, confirmed the outbreak of gastroenteritis.
“We have since dispatched our medical team to the area and they are working with the local government and Medicines Sans Frontiers (MSF) (Doctors without borders).
“The ugly situation has been brought under control. The medical teams are still working in the area to ensure that the epidemic is tamed,’’ the commissioner explained.
Yobe
The Yobe State Sharia Court of Appeal has said that more
than 1,000 pending appeal cases will be tried in September.
A statement issued by Muhammad Degubi for the Chief Registrar of the Court and made available to newsmen Saturday in Damaturu, said the appeal session would sit for 25 days.
“The 2011 Sharia Court Appeal session shall sit between September 5 and September 30 in Potiskum, Gashua, Geidam and Damaturu, to cover the three Judicial Divisions and the Headquarters.
A professor of English linguistics at the Rivers State University (RSU) Nkpolu Oroworukwu Port Harcourt, Prof. Isaac Enyi Ngulube, has advocated for better and improved funding for language centres in Nigeria, such as NINLAN Aba and Nigeria French Language Village, Badagry, for optimum value and effective local languages development.
He also called for funded research on the development of orthographies and language documents across the country to rescue local languages from extinction, as well as having a well-planned and implemented mother tongue education in all institutions in the country, from primary to tertiary.
Prof. Ngulube made with these assertions while presenting his inaugural lecture at the university’s 121st inaugural lecture with the topic “The Career of Rough Beats: Language, Literature and the Development of our Common Humanity” held in Port Harcourt, Wednesday.
The erudite scholar, in the lecture, stressed that the study of English language, linguistics, and literature is very broad, large, and difficult, adding that he overcame the rough roads through resilience and determination.
He described language as “a purely human and non-instinctive means of communicating ideas and emotions,” noting that “the word is a fundamental need in language; you cannot study language without the use of language.”
He urged parents to be cautious with their utterances, warning that “what they refer to their children as is what they will automatically end up becoming.”
He recommended a branded English language for every profession or course of study, stressing that embedding oral literature in the teaching of students from primary to tertiary level will enable them to know their traditions and roots of origin.
“Tell them the folk stories and moonlight tales; you are sending them back to their people. You must be a human being first before becoming a medical doctor, engineer, or anything else,” Ngulube said.
He also called for better and improved production of quality language and literature teachers, provision of modern teaching/instructional materials, improved welfare packages for teachers, and provision of better infrastructure at both primary and secondary school levels.
He used the opportunity to appreciate the Vice Chancellor for the approval of the Department of English Language and Literature, adding that it had been his long-held dream for the university.
In his speech, the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Isaac Zeb-Obipi, while highlighting the lecture, opined that the lecturer x-rayed the lecturer’s journey into the study of English language, linguistics, and literature, describing the field as broad, large, and difficult, but with determination and focus, he was able to defeat the beasts he encountered on his way.
Zeb-Obipi agreed with the lecturer’s recommendations on ways to improve indigenous languages in the country and directed that modalities be worked out for the university to have the Department of English Language and Literature, among others.
He highlighted RSU’s recent victory in the Bilingual Community Project organized by the French Embassy, describing it as proof of the university’s rising excellence in language studies.
The Federal Government through the implementation of the various projects of the Ogoni cleanup programme is demonstrating a strong commitment to national peace and the development of Ogoniland.
The Project Coordinator of the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project(HYPREP), Prof Nenibarini Zabbey, who made this assertion at a two-day training on Mechanism for Alternative Dispute Resolution(ADR) and other Peacebuilding Techniques for Community Leaders In Ogoni, held in Port Harcourt, said through the ongoing environmental restoration effort, potable water provision, livelihood restoration, public health interventions, and the Ogoni Power Project, HYPREP is contributing to national peace and development.
He explained that by improving the living conditions in communities and creating new opportunities for young people, the Project is also reducing the social pressure that often fuels conflict, stressing that the Project is proud of this service to the Ogoni people and the nation.
Describing traditional leaders and stakeholders as peacebuilders and guardians of community harmony, Zabbey noted that the workshop would strengthen their capacities and reinforce the Ogoni dialogue process, which HYPREP continues to support in line with its mandate on peacebuilding.
He said HYPREP is actively promoting ADR alongside other mechanisms across its project sites and other areas of operation aimed at fostering unity, fairness, mutual respect and faster dispute resolution, stressing that these are qualities necessary for the future of Ogoni people and their communities.
He further indicated that the Minister of Environment and Chairman of HYPREP’s Governing Council, Malam Balarabe Abbas Lawal is disposed to promoting peace and stability across Ogoni communities and HYPREP project sites.
The Project Coordinator, therefore, charged Ogoni leaders to be mindful of their actions, words and body language, as what they say or do can either promote peace or fan the embers of conflict.
Continuing, he stated thus,”We must always ask ourselves: Is my position on this matter in the people’s interest? Does it promote unity and progress? Will it enhance development?”
The Project Coordinator assured the participants that HYPREP is working tirelessly in line with the directive of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda for the accelerated implementation of the Ogoni cleanup programme and ensure that its benefits reach the grassroots where they are needed most.
Stressing the need for Ogoni leaders and stakeholders to explore communication and trust options to prevent disputes from degenerating into violence, the Project Coordinator noted that it was time for all Ogonis to be united for development, leaving behind perceptions that do not serve collective progress.
Similarly, the Director of the Centre for Peace and Security Studies of the University of Port Harcourt, Prof Chioma Daisy Onyige, said the workshop is a strategic platform aimed at strengthening the capacity of traditional institutions and community leaders to sustain peace, foster dialogue and promote non-adversarial engagements in the implementation of the Ogoni cleanup programme.
Prof Onyige noted that the Ogoni leadership structure commands deep respect and legitimacy, and strengthening their capacity in ADR methods such as mediation, negotiation, dialogue, facilitation, and consensus building means strengthening the foundation of peace in the region.
Participants, comprising traditional rulers and key stakeholders in Ogoni, commended HYPREP for the initiative, and assured it of their continuous support to the Project by providing an enabling atmosphere for the smooth implementation of the cleanup project in Ogoniland.
Resource persons who presented thought-provoking lectures at the workshop included the Dean of the Faculty of Postgraduate Studies of the University of Port Harcourt, Prof Kinikanwo Anele; Prof Olariwanju Lawal; Prof Chioma Daisy Onyige; and Dr Gbenemene Kpae; among others.
With significant achievements recorded across thematic areas of the Ogoni cleanup programme being executed by the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP), the Project Coordinator of the Project, Prof Nenibarini Zabbey, has said that all these are enabling pathways to the development of Ogoniland.
This is coming on the heels of milestone achievements in the following areas and their impact on Ogoni communities. They are mangrove restoration which is 94 percent complete; shoreline remediation which stands at 67.1 percent; and the phase 2 land remediation progressing to 36.55 percent.
Moreso, HYPREP has constructed 14 water facilities, providing potable water to 40 communities. With the commissioning of the water schemes in Bane and Gwara communities, the number of communities with access to clean and safe drinking water will be 45. The process of operationalising the Centre of Excellence for Environmental Restoration (CEER) which is at 92 percent complete, is ongoing. The same for the Ogoni Power Project which is progressing with wayleave compensation and construction works at Bodo and Wiiyaakaara substations ongoing
Similarly, the Ogoni Specialist Hospital and Buan Cottage Hospital are at 76.8 percent and 98.7 percent respectively.
This is alongside other public health interventions and the Human BioMonitoring Survey also in progress.
Under the livelihood
programme, over 7,000 direct jobs have been created for Ogoni women and youths, while over 5,000 have been trained in multiple skills and provided start-up kits, workshops, education grants, scholarships and other empowerment programmes. This quarter, training will commence in other demand-driven skill areas, such as cybersecurity, full-stack development, mud logging, software development, commercial diving, and underwater welding.
Zabbey had reeled out these achievements, during the third quarter interactive session between the Project Coordination Office engagement with Ogoni youths in Port Harcourt on Friday, in line with HYPREP’s strategic stakeholders policy to provide an interface opportunity to abreast Ogoni youths on the Project’s activities, while garnering their feedback.
Zabbey noted that, “This
quarterly engagement was,therefore, designed as an inclusive strategy to ensure that youth voices are heard, concerns are addressed, and progress updates are provided transparently. Also, it reflects our firm belief that a project of this magnitude must be people-centred, accountable, and participatory”.
” I am delighted to inform you that the Project remains on course to achieve its mandate as outlined in the UNEP Report on the Ogoni environment and the official gazette establishing HYPREP. HYPREP is committed to transparency and accountability in the implementation of the cleanup projects and activities”, he said.
He stressed that HYPREP’s achievements are pathways to a better Ogoniland, assuring that the Project’s goals are aimed at benefiting all categories of Ogoni youths, whether in business, farming, advocacy, education, entrepreneurship or community development.
”This Project belongs to all of you, and its success depends mainly on your participation, unity and constructive engagement. And with your support, we are confident that all challenges will be addressed in the overall public interest,” Zabbey said.
The Project Coordinator urged Ogoni youths to continue to support the Project by promoting peace, discouraging misinformation, and collaborating with project teams working in the communities, and address challenges through dialogue, rather than confrontation.
Prof Dinebari Badey, a Professor of Development Sociology in the University of Port Harcourt, delivered the keynote address, linking the nexus between HYPREP and youths in the development of Ogoniland through unity of purpose while Engr Solomon Akere, gave a talk on Ogoni youths in business.
Participants raised questions concerning the maintenance of the water projects, remediation efforts, and compensation for the Right of Way (RoW), among others.
In attendance were management staff of HYPREP who provided responses to the interventions.