Nation
THE STATES
Adamawa
Suspected armed robbers on Sunday killed two students of the American University of Nigeria (AUN), Yola, a statement from the university stated.
The statement, issued by the Deputy Director of Information of AUN, Mr Innocent Okorie, named the students as Mr Levi Nyat and Mr Abaagu Charles.
The statement said the incident occurred at a barbecue (suya) spot, near Jimeta main market, where the suspected robbers snatched a car belonging to one of the victims.
The President of AUN, Dr Margee Ensign said she was deeply saddened by the incident, which led to “the untimely death of the two students in the prime of their lives”.
Benue
Four traditional rulers in Guma Local Government Area of Benue on Monday appeared at a Makurdi Chief Magistrates’ Court for complicity in the violence in Agasha village in May.
The rulers, Chiefs Joseph Chekwu, Simon Agah, Ikyowe Adebur and Gideon Tiev are charged with criminal conspiracy, culpable homicide, inciting disturbance and causing death by fire.
The prosecutor, Mr Godwin Ebonyi, said that the actions of the suspects contravened sections 97, 221, 114 and 337 of the Penal Code.
Ebonyi told the court that Mr Stephen Kpev, the Chairman of the Caretaker Committee of Tarka Local Government Council, reported at the State CID Department that the accused conspired with youths to set Agasha community ablaze.FCT
FCT
The Minister of Education, Prof. Ruqayyatu Rufai, said on Monday that the Federal Government would take concrete steps to address the deplorable state of education and the problem of mass failure in Secondary School Certificate Examinations.
Speaking with State House correspondents shortly after briefing President Goodluck Jonathan on the plans of her ministry for the next four years, Rufai said that the issue of improving the quality of education and easy access to education would be the areas of priority for the ministry.
“We have just mentioned to the President that the ministry is going to focus on two main areas — the issue of access and equity and the issue of standard and quality assurance.
Jigawa
Alhaji Hanati Yakubu, the Jigawa Commissioner for Water Resources, said on Monday in Dutse that the state needed N6.2 billion to boost water supply in the state capital.
Yakubu told newsmen that the figure was arrived at after a survey carried out by the government.
He explained that due to the low water level in Dutse, the water would be sourced from Cintirimawa River, a distance of 50 km from Dutse.
The commissioner said that because of the huge capital outlay, the state would seek financial assistance from the Federal Government to finance the project.
Kebbi
The National Teachers Institute (NTI) in Kebbi has commenced a capacity building workshop for 2,491 teachers on new teaching methodologies under the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
The state NTI Coordinator, Alhaji Abdullahi Maiwada, who disclosed this in an interview with newsmen in Birnin Kebbi, said that the training programme was organised jointly by the MDGs Office and the NTI.
He said that 50 resource persons had been deployed to the training centres located in Birnin Kebbi, Argungu, Bunza, Yauri and Zuru, adding that the programme recorded nearly 96 per cent attendance.
He said 1,753 participants were primary school teachers while the remaining 738 teachers were JSS teachers who would receive training on four subjects, including English language, Social studies, Integrated Science and Mathematics.
Kogi
Work on the Neem-based organic fertiliser plant established by the Kogi government has been completed and ready for inauguration, an official said.
Dr Abdulkarim Abubakar, the Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, made the statement in Agbeji-Anyingba, Dekina Local Government Area, on Monday during an inspection tour of the plant site.
He said the plant had undergone a test-run within the last three months after its completion and was ready for inauguration.
He said the construction of a road network within the plant site was the only constraint to the inauguration.
Kwara
A university lecturer, Prof. Wole Ogundele, has expressed worry on the possibility of some local languages, including Igbo, Hausa and Yoruba, going into extinction in about 50 years time.
Ogundele who is the Director of the Black Culture and International Studies Centre at Osogbo in Osun, gave the warning in Ilonn on Monday at the inauguration of the Black Culture and Arts Foundation.
Bemoaning the inability of government to develop the nation’s languages, Ogundele advised the Federal, State and Local Governments to explore ways oftransfonning the nation’s arts and culture to create wealth and employment opportunities.
According to him, government at all levels in Nigeria have failed to tap the abundant resources in arts and culture but have instead, succeeded in making Nigerian culture look fake and secondhand.
Lagos
The National President, Ijaw Youth Development Association (IYDA), Mr. Amassoma Daniel, in Lagos has called for the review of the scheme for the training of Niger Delta ex-militants.
At an event organised by the Ijaw Monitoring Group (IMG) to celebrate President Goodluck Jonathan’s 100 days in office, Daniel said that the amnesty programme was being poorly implemented.
In an interview with newsmen, he said that “we have discovered that those undergoing the various trainings are not well equipped for self-sufficiency.
He said that there was the need to review the training module of the amnesty programme.
Niger
The World Bank has earmarked N120 million for the execution of community development projects in Niger, the General Manager of Community and Social Development Projects, Alhaji Adamu Abubakar, has disclosed.
Addressing the maiden meeting of the board of the organisation in Minna last Monday, Abubakar said that only N38.7 million of the sum had been accessed by communities benefitting from 62 approved micro-projects.
He blamed the inability of communities to access the funds to non-adherence to the bank’s guidelines and slow execution of projects.
Osun
A political scientist, Prof. John Ayoade, has said that the way salaries of public servants were fixed violated the principle of true federalism.
Ayoade stated this in a lecture he delivered last Monday as part of the activities lined up for the 20th anniversary of the creation of Osun State.
He called on President Goodluck Jonathan to ensure the practise of true federalism and argued that the Federal Government should allow every state to fix its workers’ salaries on the basis of productivity and ability to pay.
He observed that the failure of the country to address the problem of structural imbalance had been the bane of the Nigerian federalism.
The don argued that fixing a uniform salary might result to the problem of overpaying some workers while underpaying others within the same country.
Taraba
Mrs Josephine Zirder, the President, Tailor Made Tours Limited (TMT) Israel, a company that facilitates the movement of Christian pilgrims in the Holy land, has pledged to sponsor five members of Taraba cultural troupe to pilgrimage.
Zirder made the pledge on Tuesday in Jalingo at a meeting with the board members of the state Christian Pilgrims Welfare Board (CPWB).
Zirder and other management staff the company were visibly thrilled at the performance of the troupe during the meeting.
“We thank God for making it possible for us to be in Nigeria. We are excited at the warm reception accorded us, especially in Taraba.
“The performance of the cultural troupe has particularly been wonderful. TMT will sponsor five members of the troupe to perform during the 2011 Christian Pilgrimage in the Holy land.”
Zirder said their visit was to build a strong relationship between Nigeria and Israel as well as to commend Nigerian Pilgrims for always being peaceful and loving while on pilgrimage.
Sokoto
Alhaji Lawal Zayyana , the Speaker of Sokoto State House of Assembly, says the Assembly has embarked on the review of the state’s dormant and obsolete laws .
“The review is to make the laws to be in tune with the contemporary time and improve on the internally-generated revenue base of the state,’’ Zayyana told newsmen in Sokoto last Monday.
He said some of the affected laws had been in use for two to three decades.
“The exercise is going on smoothly and it will be completed soon. This action is intended to improve the provision of the needed services to the people,’’ he stated.
According to him, the review of the laws will directly bolster the revenue base of the state and rather than the state depending solely on the monthly allocation from the federation account.
The Rivers State Commissioner for Education, Dr. Peters Nwagor, has commended the orderly conduct of the ongoing 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination in the state and urged schools to sustain the standard.
Dr. Nwagor gave the commendation on Tuesday during a monitoring tour of selected secondary schools in Port Harcourt and environs where the WAEC exam is ongoing.
The commissioner, who was accompanied by directors and monitors from the Ministry of Education, said he was impressed with the peaceful atmosphere at the centres visited.
“The students conducted themselves properly and wrote their papers under conducive conditions. Invigilators and supervisors also performed their duties professionally,” he stated.
Nwagor noted that the Rivers State Government had invested heavily to ensure the smooth and credible conduct of the examination across the state
He urged candidates to reciprocate government’s effort by shunning all forms of examination malpractice and focusing on their studies.
“Government has done so much to ensure successful examinations in our schools. Students should take advantage of it by remaining focused,” the commissioner said.
While no case of malpractice was recorded in the centres inspected, Dr. Nwagor warned that any principal, teacher, invigilator, or official caught aiding malpractice would face strict sanctions in line with regulations.
He also commended school administrators, teachers, WAEC officials, and security personnel for upholding the integrity of the process.
Centres visited included County Grammar School, Ikwerre/Etche; Government Comprehensive Secondary School, Borokiri; Government Secondary School, Borokiri; and Pabod Model Secondary School.
Rivers State University and the Otonti Nduka Foundation for Values Education jointly hosted a two-day National Conference on 8 and 9 May 2026 to examine the state of values in Nigeria.
The two days conference held at Rivers State University convocation arena brought together academics, policymakers, legal experts and education leaders under the theme _“Trends and Challenges in Upholding Values in Nigeria.”_
The gathering focused on policy gaps, curriculum reform, and the role of ethics in public service and education.
The event opened on Friday with remarks from Vice Chancellor Prof. Chief Isaac Zeb-Obipi, who stressed the need to address declining moral and civic values across Nigeria’s education and public sectors. A book of abstracts for the plenary sessions was also presented to participants.
Key speakers included former Attorney General Chief Dr Kanu Agabi, SAN; NERDC Executive Secretary Prof. Shehu Salisu; Prof. Hauwa Imam, FNAE, of the University of Abuja; former Rivers SUBEB Chairman Ven Dr Fyneface Akah, ; former NIMASA DG Dr Hon. Dakuku Adol-Peterside; and RSU Director of ICT Prof. Sunny Orike.
Discussions centered on integrating values education into schools, tertiary institutions and public institutions, alongside the impact of technology on moral development among young Nigerians. Panel and plenary sessions produced practical recommendations for curriculum and policy reform.
On Saturday, the foundation marked its centenary with the unveiling of the book _Otonti Nduka in History_, launched by Chief Engr. Grant Offor, FNSE. The Nigerian Academy of Education held a ceremonial procession led by its President Prof. Olu Jegede and the Ikwerre Professors Forum.
In a communiqué, participants called for stronger collaboration between government, civil society and academia to mainstream values education nationwide. They recommended reviewing teacher training curricula and expanding digital platforms to promote ethical civic engagement, with the foundation pledging to share the outcomes with education authorities for implementation.
Dignitaries present included Ogbakor Ikwerre Worldwide as Chief Host, Prof. Emeritus Chief T. Uzodimma Nwala, the Ikenga 1 of Mbaise and first philosophy student of Prof. Otonti Nduka, alongside scholars and community leaders.
Amadi Akujobi
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