Nation
THE STATES
Adamawa
Ahead of the 2012 governorship election in Adamawa, many supporters of former Vice President Abubakar Atiku are staging a return to the ruling PDP.
Many aggrieved loyalists of Atiku had left the party in protest over the conduct of the PDP presidential primaries that ushered in President Goodluck Jonathan as the party’s flag bearer in the April polls.
It was also gathered that the influx into the PDP in the state may not be unconnected with reports in the local media indicating that Atiku had directed his supporters to work for the party’s success in the forthcoming council and governorship elections.
The spokes man of the former vice president, Mallam Garba Shehu, confirmed the development last Saturday, saying Atiku had always stressed the need for a united PDP in Adamawa.
Bauchi
As the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan marks 100 days, some residents of Bauchi town have called for a complete overhaul of the security system.
The residents told the newsmen that while the administration had done well so far in some areas, the security situation had been a source of concern.
They said the achievements of the administration had been over-shadowed by the frequent ‘‘bombings and ethno-religious conflicts’’.
AlhajiAbdullahi Tanko, the Chairman of Academic Staff Union of Secondary Schools, Bauchi State, said the situation was gradually de-generating and might get out of control if not checked.
Mr Austine Tsenzughul, a Bauchi-based journalist, lauded the efforts of the Federal Government toward tackling the security problem by increasing the number of police personnel.
Borno
Three persons were feared dead following a riot which broke out in Biu Local Government Area of Borno last Friday.
Eyewitnesses told newsmen in Biu that the crisis began after some suspected militants killed a military officer.
“Soldiers stationed in Biu stormed the township immediately the news filtered to them and began shooting indiscriminately,” Malam Isa Shehu, a witness said.
“No fewer than three persons were shot during the incident while dozens of shops were also set ablaze by the rampaging soldiers.
“But the incident led to mass riot as dozens of unemployed youths cashed in on the situation to ransack the town,” he said.
Shehu said the youths also destroyed some places of worship and government buildings during the riot before the military authorities took control.
FCT
Special Adviser says terrorism is contrary to Nigeria‘s traditional value
Dr Sarah Jibril, the Special Adviser to the President on Ethics and Values, said last Friday that acts of terrorism and senseless killings were contrary to Nigeria‘s traditional and cultural values.
Jibril made the remarks in a statement made available to newsmen in Abuja, insisting that Nigerians were peace loving people.
“Acts of terrorism through suicide bombing, improvised explosive devise and other forms of senseless killings and destruction are very profoundly unethical and represent everything contrary to the tradition, culture and religious values of Nigeria,’’ the statement said.
It said that Nigerians were not only peace loving people, but were very receptive and caring to foreign nationals and establishments in their midst.
Jigawa
A forum of students from states in the northern part of the country has pledged to play a role in tackling the mass failure of students from the area in the Senior Secondary School examinations.
This was contained in a communiqué issued last Friday in Dutse, Jigawa, at the end of the maiden meeting of the National Presidents of Northern States Students Forum (NAPNSSF).
The forum, which was formed recently and inaugurated in Jigawa, consists of presidents of the National Association of Students from the 19 states in the northern part of the country.
According to the communiqué, the rate of failure of students from states in the northern part of the country in WAEC and NECO was disturbing.
It said that as students in higher institutions from the area, they would play their part in changing the situation.
Kano
Elder statesman, Alhaji Tanko Yakasai, has urged President Goodluck Jonathan to ensure the implementation of his economic transformation agenda.
The veteran politician, said in Kano last Saturday that he was satisfied with the steps so far taken by the president towards realising the agenda.
Yakasai, who was the Presidential Adviser on National Assembly Matters to former President Shehu Shagari in the Second Republic, also commended the president for constituting an economic team of tested hands.
“By appointing the Economic Management Team under the leadership of our renowned international financial expert, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the president has taken the right step in the right direction.’’
Katsina
Katsina State Government has ordered the arrest of one Aminu Lawal, an accountant with the Kurfi Local Government Council of the state, over alleged diversion of the council workers’ salaries..
The order was contained in a statement issued last Friday in Katsina and signed by Alhaji Sani Makana, the State Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs.
The statement directed the Local Government Services Commission to suspend Lawal, pending the outcome of an investigation into the matter.
According to the statement, Lawal, an accountant in the works department, is being accused of diverting the council workers’ salaries for August.
It warned that the ministry would not tolerate any case of misconduct, pointing out any staff of the commission found wanting would not be spared.
Ogun
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has hinged the defeat suffered by the party in the South -West Zone during the April general elections on indiscipline among PDP members.
Obasanjo, who is the Chairman, Board of Trustees of the PDP, spoke last Saturday at the South-West Zonal Meeting of the party held in Abeokuta, Ogun State.
“Absolute indiscipline and gross violation of the party’s constitution was the bane of our party during the last general elections,’’ he said.
He also attributed the poor performance of the party during the elections to strong internal strife as well as lack of commitment and loyalty to the party.
The former president, however, encouraged PDP members in the zone to learn from the past and forge ahead.
Sokoto
Thirteen lives have been lost to gastro-enteritis within the last two weeks in Sokoto State, Alhaji Abdullahi Maigwandu, the State Commissioner for Health, said last Saturday.
Maigwandu told newsmen that the disease was localised to six local government councils in the state.
He listed the councils as Gwadabawa, Rabah, Wurno, Goronyo, Dange/Shuni and Tambuwal.
Maigwandu pointed out that the 13 deaths were recorded as at Friday (September 2) from the more than 726 cases recorded.
He said that the casualties included males and females as well as children and adults.
Taraba
The T.Y. Danjuma Foundation last Friday distributed relief materials to the victims of the recent flood disaster in Taraba.
Presenting the items to the victims at the three Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) Camps in Jalingo, the organisation’s Executive Director, Ms Thelma Ekiyor, said the donation was under the organisation’s “Quick Impact Grant Scheme.”
Ekiyor said it was necessary to promptly attend to the immediate needs of the victims because Taraba was the Foundation’s “home state”.
“Seeing people who have lost everything calls for the support of all Nigerians. Private Institutions and individuals should work with the government to assist the victims in flood affected states,” she said.
Yobe
A cross section of Nigerians in the North East geopolitical zone, has advised the Federal Government to instal scanning equipment on all highways across the country to check proliferation of arms.
This was the consensus of a group of people who spoke to journalists in an interview.
One of them, Alhaji Musa Habu , a Damaturu resident said last Friday that the scanning machines would assist security operatives to detect hidden arms and its movement across the country.
“Security operatives will remain helpless without the necessary working tools to check trucks and lorries that are heavily loaded with goods and possibly carrying hidden arms.
“Government should also mount the x-ray machines at all border posts and, the highways to check the contents of all vehicles as a measure to curb arms smuggling into the country” he observed.
Youths from five local government areas in Northern Cross River State have concluded a one-week warning protest and blockade of the dilapidated Ikom-Wula-Obudu federal highway over the weekend.
They have vowed to resume the road blocks if by this week the authorities do not intervene to fix the road.
More than five thousand locals, mostly youths from Obanliku, Etung, Obudu, Ikom and Boki LGAs trooped out everyday for one week, used palm trees to block the highway to draw state and federal government’s attention to their plights, requesting the repair of a road has has been unmotorable for about 40 years.
They warned that if they do not see any actions from the state or federal governments, they will resume their Plan B protest, stop revenue collections and make governance unpalatable.
The youths also warned that without interventions on the road which has claimed several lives, including that of last week when a pregnant woman died with her baby in the full glare of the protesters because of the terrible road, no election can hold in the area next year.
One of the leaders of the No Road , No Election protest, who is also the Abo Youths in Boki LGA, Dr Martins Assam said both the federal and state governments have neglected the region, which generates more than 70 percent state revenue from agriculture.
He said if machinery is not deployed by next week, they will not have any option than to embark on unpalatable and disastrous protest, and stop revenue collections in the area.
“Last week we had only a warning strike for one good week. We’ll embark on a more elaborate, disastrous one-month blockade of this highway until they intervene. We call on our Governor and representatives in the National Assembly to act now by impressing on the federal government to immediately fix this road else. We’re not asking for two much but to be treated as human beings.”
Another protester, Clinton Obi from the Etung axis said, “We’ve been neglected for 40 years. This Ikom-Obudu federal highway had been impassable. The government has removed its concentration from our plights. By this one week protest, we want action on this road otherwise the next phase of protest will be costly.”
Reverend Father Francis Amaozo, priest in charge of St. Nicholas parish in Nashua, Boki LGA said, “I have also been a victim of this very deplorable road. Enough is now enough. We’ve been betrayed by our representatives and other leaders, so that we in this axis have become endangered species on this road. I have lost some many members on this road.”
Member, representing the Boki-Ikom federal constituency of the state in the House of Representatives, Bisong Victor Abang had pleaded with the locals to be a bit more patient with the government as action will commence shortly.
Nation
UNIPORT VC Receives Inaugural Lecture Brochure As Professor Highlights Urgent Need For Drug Repurposing In Malaria Fight
The Vice Chancellor of the University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT), Prof Owunari Georgewill, last Thursday received the inaugural lecture brochure from the Inaugural Lecturer, Professor Udeme Georgewill, during a ceremony at the university’s Centre of Excellence attended by academics, researchers, students, and distinguished guests.
Delivering her lecture, Professor Udeme Georgewill described the occasion as the culmination of years of dedicated research, teaching, and service to humanity. He explained that his work as a pharmacologist has consistently focused on finding practical, affordable, and scientifically sound solutions to health challenges that disproportionately affect developing countries, particularly malaria, which remains one of Nigeria’s most pressing public health concerns.
She noted that Nigeria continues to bear one of the heaviest malaria burdens globally, accounting for a significant percentage of worldwide cases and deaths. The disease, largely caused by the Plasmodium falciparum parasite and transmitted through Anopheles mosquitoes, remains especially dangerous for children under five years and pregnant women, threatening not only present populations but unborn generations. Despite years of intervention efforts, malaria continues to strain families, health systems, and the national economy.
Prof Georgewill empha-sised that while Artemisinin-based Combination Therapies such as Artemether-Lumefantrine remain the gold standard for malaria treatment, emerging resistance patterns pose a serious challenge. He explained that drug resistance is a survival mechanism of the parasite, enabling it to adapt and reduce the effectiveness of medications designed to eliminate it. According to her, instances where patients do not feel better after initial treatment sometimes lead to repeated dosing or the search for injectable alternatives, practices that can worsen resistance and complicate treatment outcomes.
Against this backdrop, she advocated strongly for drug repurposing as a strategic and urgent response. Drug repurposing, he explained, involves identifying new therapeutic uses for already approved and widely available medications. He likened the concept to “old wine in new wineskins,” stressing that medicines already proven safe for certain conditions can be carefully re-evaluated and optimised for new roles in malaria management. This approach, she argued, offers advantages such as reduced research timelines, lower development costs, and faster clinical application compared to developing entirely new drugs from scratch.
She disclosed that her research had progressed from laboratory investigations to clinical evaluations, where his team is studying combinations involving Artemether-Lumefantrine and Ivermectin to determine their effectiveness in improving treatment outcomes and possibly reducing transmission. Clinical trials are ongoing, and findings will be communicated upon completion of regulatory processes. However, he cautioned strongly against self-medication, warning that misuse of drugs without proper diagnosis and prescription can lead to organ damage, treatment failure, and increased resistance.
Referencing global health commitments, Prof Georgewill highlighted Sustainable Development Goal 3.3, which seeks to end epidemics of malaria and other major infectious diseases by 2030. She questioned whether the goal remains attainable under current realities, especially with growing resistance and funding gaps. He also referred to strategies of the World Health Organisation aimed at drastically reducing malaria incidence and mortality while pushing toward elimination in several countries.
Looking ahead, she revealed that her team is building comprehensive research databases to support artificial intelligence-driven drug repurposing. He stressed that the integration of artificial intelligence, molecular docking, and advanced screening technologies is transforming global drug discovery, and Nigerian researchers must be equipped to participate competitively in this evolving scientific landscape.
In her recommendations, she called for the establishment of a National Centre for Drug Repurposing to coordinate research efforts and leverage artificial intelligence in identifying new indications for existing medicines. He urged policymakers to simplify and accelerate the translation of laboratory discoveries into clinical application, ensuring that scientific breakthroughs benefit the public more efficiently. She also appealed to the university and relevant authorities to increase funding and modernise laboratory infrastructure, including high-throughput screening facilities, to strengthen Nigeria’s position in global biomedical research.
The lecture concluded with expressions of gratitude to God, the university leadership, colleagues, students, and guests, as the event underscored the University of Port Harcourt’s commitment to research excellence and its role in addressing critical public health challenges facing Nigeria and the wider world.
The Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, Niger State Chapter, has rejected the proposed Niger State Hisbah Directorates Bill, describing it as controversial and capable of deepening religious division in the state.
In a statement signed by the State Chairman, Bishop Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, and made available to The Tide’s source yesterday, the association urged Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago not to assent to the bill if it is passed by the State House of Assembly.
The bill, sponsored by the member representing Chanchaga Constituency, Hon. Mohammed Abubakar, seeks to establish a Hisbah Directorate in Niger State.
CAN warned that the legislation could be perceived as discriminatory against Christians and may heighten tension in the religiously diverse state.
“Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago, we, the entire Christendom in the state, wish to draw your attention to what could easily create division among the people you govern,” the statement read in part.
The association questioned the necessity and benefits of the proposed law, asking what economic or social value it would add to the state.
It further argued that existing security agencies, including the Nigeria Police and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, already have constitutional mandates to maintain law and order.
The Christian body also faulted the legislative process, disputing claims that it was consulted during a public hearing on the bill.
It insisted that it was neither invited nor notified of any such engagement, despite being a critical stakeholder in the state.