Nation
THE STATES
Adamawa
Tenants, occupying the 52 low-cost housing units at Mubi in Adamawa, have pleaded with the State Government to reconsider the quit notice issued them by government in the interest of justice and fairness.
A spokesman for the tenants, Malam Umar Belel, told newsmen that the quit notice came as a surprise and a shock to the residents who over the years were hoping that the government’s policy of owner-occupier applied to all residents of government housing estates in the state.
“In Yola and Numan towns, the houses were given out on owner-occupier basis but to our surprise the good gesture was denied us and instead we were served quit notices, saying we should vacate the houses we live in for more than a decade with immediate effect”, Umar lamented.
Bauchi
Alhaji Yahaya Jalam, the Permanent Secretary, Bauchi State Environmental Protection Agency, says the State Government has set up a committee to redesign urban centres in the state.
Jalam told newsmen in Bauchi on Saturday that the committee was set up, following the expiration of an earlier master plan for the development of urban centres in 1998.
He said the committee would draw a renewed urban planning for Bauchi, Misau, Azare, Ningi, Jama’are and Dass townships, considering recent environmental challenges being faced by the state.
He disclosed further that structures that were constructed on either public drains or water ways in the areas marked for development would be demolished after the committee might have submitted its reports.
Borno
There was another bomb explosion on Saturday morning at the Ruwan Zafi area of Maiduguri metropolis, the second explosion in four days, an eyewitness has said.
The eyewitness, who spoke on condition of anonymity to newsmen in Maiduguri, said that the bomb was planted on the highway leading to Gamboru-Ngala.
“The bomb detonated when a truck driver drove on it but we thank God that nobody died,” the eyewitness said.
Confirming the incident, the Commissioner of Police in Borno State, Mr Simeon Medenda, said that the bomb was set on a tree branch before it was detonated and that there was no casualty.
FCT
Minister of State for Defence, Mrs Olusola Obada, said in Abuja that Nigerian women were looking forward to attain 50 per cent gender equality in appointments.
She spoke when the African Women Leaders Think Tank, led by the Regional Director, Dr Remi Aribisala, paid her a courtesy visit.
Obada said the 50 per cent gender equality was welcome, adding that the women were looking forward to that, “and one day, we will get there.’’
“Never in the history of this nation that any president has done so much for women like President Goodluck Jonathan.’’
She said that the President promised women 35 per cent, “ he must have surpassed that by now and appointments are still coming.’’
Kaduna
Mr Dogo Makama, the Executive Secretary of the Kaduna State Emergency Management Agency, says the State Government has spent N138 million on fire-fighting vehicles.
Makama told newsmen in Kaduna on Saturday that the vehicles were capable of fighting fire outbreaks in high-rise buildings.
He said the agency had also begun rehabilitation of fire-fighting machines at fire service stations in Kaduna, Zaria and Kafanchan for effective disaster management.
The executive secretary said the agency would develop a contingency plan for future disaster management in response to series of disasters that had affected the Kaduna metropolis and its environs in the past.
Katsina
Some farmers involved in the IFAD-assisted Community-Based Agricultural and Rural Development Programme (IFAD-CBARDP) in Bakori Local Government Area of Katsina, have called for the expansion of the seed multiplication strategy.
Alhaji Sule Yusuf, the Chairman of the groundnut and soya beans association, told newsmen on Saturday in Bakori, Katsina State, that farmers recorded increased harvest and profit using improved seeds.
Yusuf explained that the improved seed was farmer-friendly and stressed the need to expand the programme to enable more farmers, especially those in the rural areas to benefit.
“Farmers recorded increased gain by using improved soya beans and groundnut seeds supplied by the programme,’’ Yusuf said.
Lagos
Some university lecturers on Saturday in Lagos expressed concern over the continued security challenges in the country.
The lecturers told newsmen that the level of insecurity had become worrisome in recent times and appealed to the Federal Government to urgently proffer a solution.
Dr Kazeem Bello, a lecturer in the Department of Economics, University of Ibadan said that the bombing of the United Nations building, Abuja, showed that the government should do more on security.
Bello said that Nigeria had an image deficit which needed to be redeemed if the country must move forward, adding that the fundamental problem of national security has not been addressed.
Niger
The Anglican Bishop of Minna Diocese, Rt. Rev. Daniel Yisa, has charged the nine newly ordained priests and a deacon to fashion their lives in accordance with the teachings of Jesus Christ.
This charge was contained in a statement issued on Saturday in Minna and signed by Mr George Fashe, the Diocesan Communicator.
“You should fashion your lives in accordance with the precepts as you love and serve the people,” Yisa was quoted as saying.
He also advised them to work with members of their churches, caring for the young and the old, the strong and the weak, as well as the rich and the poor.
He admonished them to preach God’s forgiveness to the penitent sinners as they pronounce God’s blessings and perform other duties entrusted to them in the church diligently.
Nasarawa
Local government workers in Nasarawa State will soon receive the new N18,000 minimum wage, Alhaji Abdullahi Oji, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry for Local Government and Community Development, has said.
Oji told newsmen in Lafia on Friday that local government and development area workers were not excluded from receiving the new wage by the state government.
He said that 12 local government councils had already prepared and submitted their payment vouchers and allied documents, adding that the ministry had given the remaining local government councils up to the end of this week to submit their payment vouchers.
The permanent secretary said that “once the relevant documents are properly sorted out, the ministry will commence payment within the next few weeks.”
Plateau
The Plateau caucus in the House of Representatives has opposed calls for the declaration of a state of emergency in the state, following incessant conflicts in Jos and its environs.
The caucus, which comprised of Reps Jonathan Aminu, Bitrus Kaze, Emmanuel Goar, Peter Akujah and Beni Lar, expressed its position at a news conference in Jos on Friday, saying that such advocates of emergency rule were misguided.
“It is highly suspicious that they singled out Plateau State for persecution notwithstanding the precarious security situation in many parts of the country, including post-election violence and bombings.
“We make bold to state in unmistaken and unequivocal terms our determination to resist any attempt to plunge our state into another round of confusion; Plateau State cannot be treated as a scapegoat,” the lawmakers said.
Sokoto
Sen. Jibril Gada, a former Minister of Culture, Tourism and National Orientation, has urged the Federal Government to evolve concrete measures to assist Nigerian farmers.
Gada, who made the call in Sokoto on Saturday in an interview with newsmen said the measures should include agricultural programmes and the provision of adequate fertiliser and other inputs.
“The measures should include plausible agricultural programmes and policies as well as loans.
“The loans should be given only to genuine farmers nationwide,” he said.
Gada underscored the need for the involvement of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) in programmes meant for farmers, noting that the association had been recognised by all levels of government as the apex farmers’ body.
According to him, agricultural schemes and loan packages were often “messed up by bureaucrats and politicians”.
The former minister also stressed the need for a conducive environment for Nigerian farmers to produce more food and encourage foreign direct investment in the sector.
Zamfara
A Zamfara Local Shari’ah Court has ordered the amputation of the right hand of two men for stealing a farm bull.
The convicts are Auwalu Abubukar Tsaure, 23, and Lawali Musa Tsaure, 22.
They were convicted for stealing the bull valued at N130,000 and which belonged to one Bawa Maiguru in Birnin Magaji Local Government Area of the state.
Alhaji Muhammadu Gusau, a Higher Sharia Court Judge of Nasarawa Mailayi, said that the prosecutor proved beyond doubt that the two accused were guilty of the offence.
He said the accused persons would be punished according to the Sharia Law.
“The court arrived at the amputation sentence after careful consideration of the fact that the convicts are mature and stole the bull from a confined place.
“The cost of the stolen item exceeds one-quarter of gold gramme and their consistent plea of guilt.”
Gusau ordered that the amputation would be done in public on October 8 , the local market day of Nasarawan Mailayi for people to witness and to serve as deterrent to others.
The judge said that the offence was contrary to Section 144 of the Zamfara State Shari’ah Penal Code Law.
Nation
Accolades, Fanfare As Ogbakor Ikwerre President General Celebrates 80th Birthday

The President General of Ogbakor Ikwerre Cultural Organisation Worldwide and the Mgboh XIII of the Mgboh Royal Family of Emohua Kingdom in Emohua Local Government Area of Rivers State, Eze (Barrister) Godspower Onuekwa, penultimate Friday celebrated his 80th birthday with pomp, pageantry and fanfare.
The celebration, which commenced with a symposium organised in his honour at Rivers State University on Thursday, August 21,2025, got to a resounding climax on Friday at Suntai Event Centre in Port Harcourt, where people from all walks of life, including business associates, friends, well-wishers, relatives, community folks, traditional rulers, and admirers, gathered to pay glowing tributes to the celebrant.
Before then, a well attended thanksgiving service was held that same Friday at Emmanuel Anglican Church, Okoro-Nu-Odo, to honour him and return gratitude to God Almighty for the fruitful and eventful life and accomplishments of the Emohua leader and icon.
The service which was officiated by Rt Rev Wisdom Budu Ihunwo, Bishop of Niger Delta North had other renowned and respected clerics like Most Rev(Dr) Blessing Enyindah, Dean, Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion); Rt Rev(Dr) Emmanuel Oko-Jaja, Bishop, Diocese of Niger Delta; Rt Rev Innocent Ordu, Bishop, Diocese of Evo; and Ven Solomon Eze Nelson, Archdeacon, Okoro-Nu-Odo; among others lined up as officiating ministers.
The service lived up to its billing, as it featured powerful and soul-lifting praise and worship; point-blank prayers; and beautiful renditions, which electrified the entire atmosphere, essentially packaged to thank God for the life of the celebrant.
However, the crowning moment actually came when the who is who, the crème de la crème of the society, thronged the terraces and fabulously decorated expansive hall of Suntai Event Centre, to celebrate Eze Onuekwa, amid accolades, aplomb and panache, wining and dining, and clinking of glasses with him and all.
The chairman of the colourful ceremony, Chief Evans Woherem, who was represented by Eze(Prof) Christian Akani of the prestigious Ignatius Ajuru University of Education, praised the celebrant for his youthfulness in spite of clocking 80 years, generosity, humility, humaneness and selfless services to the Ikwerre ethnic nationality, the Niger Delta and Nigeria, and called on all and sundry to emulate his good legacies and simple disposition towards life and existence.
Goodwill messages also poured in in torrents to underscore and salute the doggedness, resilience, astuteness and uniqueness of the endearing life of the celebrant, with Prof Emenike Wami, the Ochia Ohna Ikwerre(XIV), taking the lead.
Prof Priye Iyalla, the wife of late renowned writer, novelist and playwright, Dr Elechi Amadi, held the audience spellbound as she masterfully reeled out the profile of the celebrant, amid intermittent applause from the crowd.
The Tiv Community from Benue State, resident in Rivers State, were not left out, as they honoured and decorated Eze Onuekwa in their complete traditional regalia.
Cultural displays from Baptist Church, Rumuowhor; ADNA Wogbuji Dancing Group, Egbeda; Tiv Dancing Group; and Promoter Eze and Rumu-Mgboh Emohua Wrestling Group, equally added colour and grace to the occasion, with the celebrant and his wife, Dame Ann Onuekwa, joining them to wriggle their waists and bodies in ecstasy.
In his response, the highly elated celebrant, Eze Onuekwa thanked all those gathered to celebrate with him, saying, celebrations would never cease in their homes, and attributed everything he represents in life, including his modest accomplishments to God.
Eze Onuekwa, while addressing newsmen, harped on the need for hard work among the youths and members of Ogbakor Ikwerre Cultural Organisation Worldwide, as a way of sustaining and giving meaning to the motto of the organisation, which he noted is anchored on peace, unity and progress.
He specially thanked God for sustaining his life, and for making everything possible for him and his family, saying, he was joyous that he has today become an octogenarian and elder statesman in Rivers State.
His son and medical practitioner, Dr Samuel Chizia Onuekwa expressed delight that people from far and near had come together to celebrate the father, whom he described as a role model and great inspirator.
He said it was a good thing that the children were celebrating their father when he is alive, stressing that the last time Eze Onuekwa was celebrated in such magnitude was 20 years ago, during his 60th birthday celebration, and prayed God to grant him many more years in good health.
Among dignitaries who graced the event were Senator Andrew Uchendu; Chief Sampson Agbaru; Prof Emenike Wami; Dr Peter Didia; Eze(Prof) Samuel Ugo Onyeka; and a host of others. Justice Iche Ndu(rtd); and C O Kattey were among personalities that attended the thanksgiving service, while the Vice Chancellor of Rivers State University, Prof Isaac Zeb-Obipi led the academics who graced the symposium, alongside Eze G A O Omodu.
Nation
Ensure That Ogoni Is Heard In The Right Way, HYPREP Urges Creative Arts Trainees

As the 100 Ogoni youths trained by the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) in Creative Arts close out their training on Tuesday at the Theatre Arts Department, University of Port Harcourt, the Project Coordinator of HYPREP, Prof Nenibarini Zabbey, has urged the beneficiaries to use the skills acquired to ensure that the Ogoni stories are told and heard in the right way.
The trainees, who had completed a four- month training in script writing, film production and make-up are beneficiaries of the HYPREP sustainable livelihood programme, aimed at providing high demand skills to Ogoni youths in the lucrative creative arts and entertainment industry.
Zabbey described the Creative Arts training as well as other programmes and interventions as HYPREP’s strategic sustained effort to create alternative sources of livelihood.
”Targeted capacity building for Ogoni youths and women remains a central strategy in HYPREP’s livelihood restoration and improvement efforts. Our goal is to reach every part of the Ogoni community and ensure that no group or talent pool is left behind. This training is a deliberate step to empower young people who aspire to make their mark in the creative and entertainment industry”, he said.
While commending the trainees for producing four short films within the training period, one of which was premiered at the ceremony-Dirty Festival, the Project Coordinator noted that the training would serve as a springboard into the industry, and enable them earn a living, become entrepreneurs, and open new doors of opportunities for themselves and their communities. The three other movies are Open Pain, Bomu and Green War.
He enjoined them to utilise their skills and platforms to promote civic responsibility, peace, and environmental sustainability, urging them to ensure that Ogoni is heard in the right way, speak for HYPREP and highlight the progress being made in implementing the recommendations of the UNEP Report.
Other speakers at the event, including the Director of Technical Services of HYPREP, Prof. Damian-Paul Aguiyi; Dr Ovunda Ihunwo, Head of the Theatre Arts Department of the University of Port Harcourt; Chief Douglas Experience, the Project Coordinator of Halibiz Consult Limited; and Mrs Josephine Nzidee, Head, Sustainable Livelihood of HYPREP, all applauded HYPREP for the training, and charged the trainees to maximise the opportunity.
The trainees were later presented certificates of participation.
Visibly elated Ms Lebee Tornwe, one of the beneficiaries, thanked HYPREP and the Project Coordinator for offering the trainees the rare opportunity to acquire skills in the creative arts and entertainment industry, and expressed delight that Dr Ihunwo and Halibiz Consult Limited gave their all in grooming them.
With the wrapping up of the Creative Arts training(100), HYPREP has trained 230 Ogoni youths in high demand skill sets ,viz; seafaring(100); and aviation (30). The Project will this year, commence training in other skill areas, including Mechatronic, Aviation, Full-Stack Development, Commercial Diving, Underwater Welding and Geographic Information Systems (GIS).
Still in the offing is the training for Ogoni Persons Living with Disabilities in five skill sets- fish farming; basic computer skills; photography; fashion and design; and shoemaking in line with their Needs Assessment and HYPREP’s policy of inclusivity.
Nation
NYCOP Urges Stakeholders To Develop, Empower Ogoni Youths

The National Youth Council of Ogoni People (NYCOP) had called on stakeholders to work collaboratively towards the development and empowerment of Ogoni youths.
NYCOP made the call in a communique issue over the weekend after an emergency Congress in Port Harcourt and signed by its President, Comrade Raymond Nwibani Marcus.
In the communique, NYCOP endorsed President Bola Tinubu’s appointments of the Governing Council and Board of Trustees (BOT) members of the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP), particularly Rt. Hon. Emmanuel Nwika Deeyah as Chairman of HYPREP’s BOT.
It respectfully appealed to the President to consider appointing a representative from the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP) under the leadership of Engr. Olu Andah Wai-Ogosu, being the pioneering social vehicle for Ogoni advocacy since the inception of the Ogoni struggle, adding that it would significantly contribute to the decision-making process.
The body commended the overall management of HYPREP and urges the President to continue funding the HYPREP project.
NYCOP furthermore recommended considering the conversion of HYPREP from a project to a full-fledged agency of the Federal Government of Nigeria.
The communique also stated that NYCOP thanked President Tinubu for establishing the Federal University of Environmental Technology, and for appointing key staff, forming a dialogue committee, and initiating infrastructural projects like the Eleme axis of the East-West Road and the Bonny-Bodo Road, significantly enhancing regional connectivity and economic prospects.
In solidarity with the Renewed Hope Agenda, the endorsed President Tinubu’s second-term bid, saying it believes his leadership embodies the aspirations of the Ogoni people and Nigerians at large.
“After thorough consideration of the Disciplinary Committee’s report, NYCOP resolves:
” To indefinitely suspend Comrade Nade Nade Burale from his position as Secretary General due to misconduct.
“To declare Comrade Saviour Imeabe persona non grata on Ogoni youth issues, given his actions’ potential to instigate crisis in Ogoni and beyond” the communique stated.
NYCOP in his resolution issued a 7-day ultimatum to former HYPREP BOT Chairman Mike Nwialeghi to explain the $100 million HYPREP fund investment, warning of potential litigation.
NYCOP reaffirmed its commitment to safeguarding Ogoni youth interests and preventing personal aggrandizement.
According to the communique the resolutions demonstrate NYCOP’s efforts to promote the collective welfare and advancement of Ogoni youth.
“We will no longer tolerate any individual or group using the name or issues of Ogoni youth for personal aggrandizement.
” Our mandate is clear: to promote the collective welfare and advancement of Ogoni youth” the communique said.
NYCOP passes a vote of confidence in Hon. Emmanuel Nwika Deeyah, acknowledging his impeccable credentials and credibility to lead the BOT of HYPREP effectively.
Kiadum Edookor
-
Sports3 days ago
CAFCL : Rivers United Arrives DR Congo
-
Sports3 days ago
FIFA rankings: S’Eagles drop Position, remain sixth in Africa
-
Sports3 days ago
NPFL club name Iorfa new GM
-
Sports3 days ago
NNL abolishes playoffs for NPFL promotion
-
Sports3 days ago
Kwara Hopeful To Host Confed Cup in Ilorin
-
Sports3 days ago
NSF: Early preparations begin for 2026 National Sports Festival
-
Sports3 days ago
RSG Award Renovation Work At Yakubu Gowon Stadium
-
Sports3 days ago
RSG Pledges To Develop Baseball