Nation
THE STATES
Adamawa
The National Centre for Islamic Thought, Adamawa branch, has called for the adoption of true federalism system in Nigeria.
The group’s call was contained in a communiqué issued at the end of its eight annual seminar in Yola and signed by the secretary of the centre, Adamu Dodo.
“The seminar in session agrees that Nigeria must consider the idea and adoption of true Federalism as the only solution for current situation in the country,’’ the statement, in Yola recently, stated.
It called for inter-religious dialogue aimed at peaceful co-existence among Nigerians
It advised Muslim to encourage their children to seek both Islamic and Western education and to live in peace with one another and shun criminal and immoral acts.
Borno
The Borno State Government said on Wednesday that it would reactivate the 67,000 hectares South Chad Irrigation Project (SCIP) located on Lake Chad shores.
The project, which was conceived by the Federal Government in the 70’s, had been abandoned for years.
Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno, who visited the site, said he would collaborate with the Chad Basin Development Authority (CBDA) to revive the project.
Shettima promised to inject the needed funds to actualise the revitalisation of the project.
He lamented that the project had been allowed to degenerate over the years in spite of its great economic potentials to the country.
FCT
The Chairman of the Governing Board of the National Merit Awards (NMA), Prof. Oluwafeyisola Adegoke, has said that inadequate budgetary provision is hindering research institutes from carrying out research and development in the country.
Adegoke made the disclosure in Abuja on Thursday in an interview with newsmen
“Nigeria is the only country I know of in the whole world where there is no research support. When you take a place like the U.S, the National Institute of Health alone in the U.S, the budget to support research is more than Nigeria’s national budget every year.
The board chairman appealed to the Federal Government to increase allocation to the NMA to enable it carry out its functions effectively.
According to him, the NMA has concluded plans to liaise with Nigerians all over the world to see how to promote excellence and to improve Nigerian universities as well as research institutes.
To this end, he said the organisation had set up the “NMA Policy Committee’’ that would take an in-depth assessment of critical issues affecting the country with a view to providing solutions to them.
Gombe
Twenty National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) batch ‘B’ members have received awards for meritorious service in Gombe State.
Mr Igyuse Manasseh, the Coordinator of the scheme in the state, announced the awards in Gombe in a message to the passing-out of the 1,003 corps members posted to the state.
Manasseh, represented by the Head of Mobilisation of the NYSC in the state, Mr Ochi Onyike, said the recipients were recognised for their tremendous contributions to the social and economic growth of the communities where they served.
He said the scheme would continue to recognise such efforts and urged serving corps members to strive to excel in their places of primary assignment.
The coordinator attributed the low-keyed passing-out ceremony to the security challenges facing the nation, saying “the security situation in the country calls for greater caution and proactive measures to forestall unnecessary loss of lives.
Jigawa
The Jigawa State Independent Electoral Commission (JISIEC), has fixed January 28, 2012 for the conducting of local government elections in the state.
The Chairman of the Commission, Alhaji Sani Ahmed, who made the disclosure to newsmen on Wednesday in Dutse, urged political parties to conduct their primaries in time and submit the names of their candidates to the commission not later than December 23 this year.
He said the commission would screen and verify the candidates to ensure that they were qualified for the positions they were contesting for.
The chairman told political parties in the state to cooperate with JISIEC to achieve free, fair and credible elections in the state.
Ahmed who promised to be fair and just to all political parties, noted that the election would be held in 3,527 polling units and 187 wards across the 27 local government areas in the state.
Katsina
Katsina State police command has arrested a 25-year-old man, Mannir Goma, for allegedly raping an 80-year-old woman in Matazu local government. .
Alhaji Ibrahim Mohammed, the state’s Commissioner of Police, confirmed the arrest in Katsina recently while parading 15 other criminals, including armed robbery suspects arrested across the state.
He said that the suspected rapist was arrested last week in Yelwa village shortly after raping the woman.
The police boss added that Goma had confessed that he committed the dastardly act, which seriously injured her, noting that she had been receiving treatment at Matazu Health Centre.
Mohammed disclosed that the command had also arrested nine suspected armed robbers at different times in Kankara, Batagarawa, Katsina, Musawa and Malumfashi local government areas.
Lagos
The Lagos State Chapter of the Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO) on Wednesday appealed to the Lagos State Government to intervene in the planned removal of fuel subsidy by the Federal Government.
CLO Chairman Ehi Omokhuale made the plea during a courtesy call on Governor Babatunde Fashola (SAN).
He said that there was a need for the state government to join in pleading with President Goodluck Jonathan to shelve the idea.
President Goodluck Jonathan, in a letter on Tuesday to the National Assembly conveying his administration’s Medium Term Expenditure Framework, said that the Federal Government would begin the removal of fuel subsidy next year.
The president said that removal of the subsidy would free up about N1.2 trillion in savings, part of which could be deployed to providing safety nets for the poor to ameliorate the effects of the subsidy removal.
Niger
The Acting Governor of Niger, Alhaji Ahmed Ibeto, has attributed the recent mass failure of the state’s students in external examinations to the unprofessional attitude of teachers in the state.
Ibeto made the observation during the celebration of this year’s World Teachers Day on Wednesday in Minna.
“The level of our students’ mass failure in examinations is a clear indication of the poor quality of teaching and learning in our schools,’’ he said.
Ibeto particularly urged primary and secondary school teachers to be more dedicated, resourceful and committed to their duties.
Ogun
The massive drift of Nigerian students to study abroad is a huge challenge to education planning in Nigeria, Dr Taiwo Edun, a lecturer at the Olabisis Onabanjo University (OOU), Ago-Iwoye in Ogun, has said.
Edun who made the remark on Wednesday in Ijebu-Ode in an interview with newsmen said that the lack of confidence in the quality of education in Nigeria by parents was responsible for the massive exodus of students.
Osun
The Osun State Government on Wednesday approved a 75 percent increment in the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS) paid to health workers in the state.
The state’s Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr Sunday Akele, announced the increment while briefing newsmen on the outcome of the State Executive Council Meeting in Osogbo.
Government’s announcement of the increment in CONMESS came just as health workers in the state called off their strike after fruitful negotiations with the state government.
Dr Oluwole Fabiyi, the Chairman, Osun Coalition of Health Workers, directed all the affected workers to immediately go back to their duty posts.
Mr Adegboyega Oyetola, the Chief of Staff to the Governor, represented the state government at a meeting where a truce was reached.
Sokoto
Governor Aliyu Wamakko of Sokoto State has called on Muslim pilgrims travelling to Saudi Arabia for this year’s hajj to pray for God’s intervention in the affairs of Nigeria.
He made the call on Wednesday, while addressing 520 prospective pilgrims at the Sultan Abubakar International Airport in Sokoto.
Wamakko said that Nigeria was in dire need of prayers for God’s guidance in the task of building a virile nation.
“We need you to pray fervently for our country to overcome the security challenges facing it,’’ he said.
The governor advised the intending pilgrims to refrain from taking prohibited items to the Holy land, adding that they should also respect the traditions and laws of Saudi Arabia.
Taraba
Mr Jonah Kataps, the NLC Chairman in Taraba, has said that the state’s education sector is in serious crisis.
The labour leader made the remark in a goodwill message to teachers during the celebration of the World Teachers’ Day in Jalingo on Wednesday.
He stressed that the state of education in Taraba would continue to deteriorate unless the state government initiated pragmatic measures to overhaul the education sector.
Kataps said that the WAEC and NECO results of the state’s schools had been abysmally poor in the last three years, adding that the results reflected the rot in the education system.
He, however, apportioned a substantial portion of the blame to the government, saying that a situation where some secondary schools had only the principal and one or two teachers was unacceptable.
“We need the immediate recruitment of at least 5,000 teachers,’’ he said, adding that 407 post-primary schools in the state had only 2,169 teachers.
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.