Nation
THE STATES
Adamawa
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo on Tuesday in Yola condemned the recent mayhem in Adamawa where 26 persons were killed by gunmen.
Obasanjo made the condemnation when he visited the Christ Apostolic Church where 12 worshippers were killed.
The former President, who described the incident as “callous and shocking’’ said the perpetrators of the crime were possessed by Satan.
Obasanjo, who was in Yola for the grand finale of Governor Murtala Nyako’s campaign, said: “If the intention of the perpetrators is to cause ethnic and religious crisis, the people of Adamawa have disappointed them by their resolved to continue to live in peace.’’
Bauchi
The Bauchi State Police Commissioner, Mr Ikechukwu Aduba, on Monday commended the state chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) for conducting itself peacefully during the ongoing strike over the fuel subsidy removal.
He made the commendation in an interview with newsmen in Bauchi.
Aduba said that the labour leaders kept to their promise of ensuring a peaceful atmosphere during the strike.
He, however, regretted that some hoodlums attacked the Police during the protest.
Aduba also commended his men for displaying professionalism by not being provoked but kept the hoodlums at bay to avoid clash with the protesters.
‘’As a matter of fact, I give kudos to the leadership in charge of the affair, but that notwithstanding, there was some levels of infiltration. The hoodlums tried to hijack it at the Government House.
Borno
Borno government has presented a N100 million cheque to the family of Malam Baba Fugu, the slain in-law of late Boko Haram leader Malam Mohammed Yusuf.
Fugu was allegedly shot while in police custody in Maiduguri during the 2009 Boko Haram crisis.
The Fugu’s family sued the state government to court, and a Maiduguri High Court last year ordered the state to pay N100 million compensation to the family.
Not satisfied with the judgment, the state government took its case to the Appeal Court, Jos.
Presenting a cheque for the amount at a ceremony in Government House, Maiduguri, Gov. Kashim Shettima explained that the action was aimed at terminating the ongoing legal tussle between the two parties.
“No amount of money can adequately compensate for the loss of Fugu.
FCT
The Managing Director of Urban Development Bank of Nigeria (UDBN) PLC, Mr Adekunle Oyinloye, said in Abuja on Tuesday that about N50 billion capital injection would be needed to meet the “built-up’’ demands of the nation’s mass transit revolving loan scheme.
Oyinloye said that to cushion the effect of the fuel subsidy withdrawal, the Federal Government had entrusted UDBN with additional N15 billion for the mass transit revolving loan scheme under its Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SURE).
He said that the N15 billion would create a much larger pool of funds to enhance improved access to affordable public mass transportation across the country.
Gombe
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) member representing Billiri East Constituency, Gombe State House of Assembly, Mr. Sunday Mela says he has trained 20 youths and some women in various skills since he was sworn in, six months ago.
Mela, disclosed this in an interview with newsmen in Billiri on Monday.
He said the beneficiaries were trained in various skills including hair dressing and computer and internet operations.
Mela said that kits would also be provided to the trainees in batches, to enable them to establish their own businesses and become self-reliant.
“I know it is a different thing for you to train someone and allow him to keep roving the streets.
“I don’t have the capacity to take the whole 20 at a time, but I am working out a formula, whereby I would be settling one or three at a time,” he said.
Jigawa
An Islamic cleric, Sheikh Isa Kachako, has advised the Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress, to employ dialogue and consultation in pursuing the issue of fuel subsidy removal.
Kachako told newsmen in Dutse on Monday that anarchy and confrontation by the unions would not solve the current situation, adding that people must seek dialogue as a means of resolving crisis.
The cleric explained that the government alone should not be blamed for the removal of fuel subsidy, saying that some persons in the society should also share from the blame for exploiting the fuel situation.
Kachako urged parents to ensure that their children and wards stayed away from any act that could create problem in the society.
Kano
The Police in Kano State arrested 24 persons allegedly involved in an attempt to take over Government House, Kano, during protests against the removal of fuel subsidy on Monday.
The Commissioner of Police in the state, Alhaji Ibrahim Idris, told newsmen that the suspects pulled down part of the fence of the Government House and burnt 20 vehicles at the cabinet office.
Kebbi
The Kebbi government has released 200 vehicles on loan to the state branch of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), to cushion the impact of fuel subsidy removal.
The union on its part, immediately announced a reduction in transport fares by 15 per cent.
Gov. Saidu Dakingari, said in Birnin Kebbi while addressing a procession of protesters, that the vehicles were “highly subsidised”.
The governor, added that the government would also provide ferries to ease problem of movement in Dole Kaina, Lolo, Kwanji and Laffagu fishing communities of Dandi and Shanga local government areas of the state.
Lagos
A twenty-three-year old, Suleiman Ajanaku, has been arraigned before a Surulere Magistrates’ Court, Lagos, for allegedly stealing a Blackberry mobile phone valued at N120,000, property of one Miss Clara Nwafor.
The prosecutor, Inspector James Olumide, told the court that the accused had on December 31, at Akerele Street, in Surulere, Lagos, confronted Nwafor and demanded for her phone.
He said Nwafor had refused to surrender her phone to the accused, who forcefully snatched the phone from her, and pushed her to the ground in the process.
Plateau
The Jos Zone of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), has kicked against the removal of fuel subsidy by the Federal Government.
The students’ body has therefore asked the President to reverse the decision while dissociating itself from any decision taken by a faction of NANS’ national body in support of the removal.
In a statement in Jos on Monday, Mr Dazi Mangse, the Public Relations Officer Zone C of NANS, accused the government of carrying out the removal “undemocratically.”
According to him, the president should respect the constitutional rights of Nigerians who voted him by reversing the decision of removing fuel subsidy.
Sokoto
Governor Aliyu Wamakko of Sokoto State on Tuesday in Sokoto assured residents of their safety.
Wamakko gave the assurance when he met with a delegation of the Association of Resident Communities led by its President, Mr Patrick Atusu .
“I want to reassure you that as a responsible government, we take responsibility for each one of you just like any other indigene of the state.
“You should feel free to do your businesses in Sokoto State. You should shun rumour mongering and all forms of sentimental comments of some leaders elsewhere in Nigeria.
“The country belongs to all of us and everyone should be free to do business anywhere he or she wants”, he said.
Zamfara
Following the violence, which trailed Monday’s protest against the removal of fuel subsidy in Gusau, the Zamfara Government has accused politicians of instigating the destruction of public property.
A statement by the Special Adviser to the Governor on Media and Communication, Alhaji Sani Tsafe said “some politicians hide under the cover of the ongoing strike to cause havoc in the state.“
The statement said politicians instead of allowing the protest to go on peacefully instigated the youth to engage in the destruction of government and public property.
“If it is right for anybody to embark on strike to make his grievances public, it is equally the right of the public not to be victims of his action“ it said.
The government warned that it would not fold its arms and allow miscreants to plunge the state into crisis and strip it of its credible status as one of the most peaceful states.
Meanwhile, the police in Bauchi State on Monday announced that it would intensify a joint patrol with soldiers in Bauchi metropolis.
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.
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.
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
