Nation
THE STATES
Abuja
In an effort to reduce maternal mortality in the country, the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) has provided “mama kits’ for pregnant woman to encourage ante-natal attendance.
Mama kits contain hospital requirements for expectant mothers.
The Executive Director of the agency, Dr Ado Mohammed, said this during an interview with newsmen in Abuja.
“That also encourages them. The kits has the normal materials that a woman brings when she is coming to deliver.”
Mohammed said facilities that used to witness three birth per month now record 40 births per month while in some facilities about 100 attend ante-natal care in a month.
He said the development had renewed confidence in the health system.
Mohammed added that a lot had been achieved as more women now attend ante natal care and also demanded for services in terms of skilled attendant.
According to the director, the remarkable achievement is that 1,000 facilities have midwives running 24-hour service.
Adamawa
Alhaji Musa Dantakarda, a PDP stalwart in Mubi, Adamawa, on Sunday called on opposition parties to support the new Murtala Nyako administration to enable it transform the state.
Reacting to Nyako’s victory at the Feb.4, governorship election, Dantakarda said that would also enable the governor continue with the sound programmes initiated in the last four years.
Dantakarda, who was the Chairman of the Nyako campaign organisation, said in Mubi that such cooperation would assist in building a new Adamawa.
“The parties and their candidates should support the PDP administration to work for the progress of our people.
“Adamawa should be our first priority and we must work together as one for the common good of the state,” Dantakarda said.
According to him, the PDP’s victory at the polls has shown the confidence the electorate reposed in its ability to transform the socio-economic condition of the state.
Borno
Women came out in large numbers to vote for candidates of their choice in Saturday’s by-election in Konduga constituency of Borno House of Assembly.
Our correspondent reports that the women, mainly housewives, began trooping to polling units as early as 7.30 a.m., outnumbering the men.
Some women, interviewed by our correspondent, attributed the women’s large turnout to the economic situation in the country.
“We came out because we are tired of being left behind. We want to effect a change by ourselves.
“We want to make sure that we elect a candidate that we can trust and who can make life better for us,” Mrs Yagunsu Umar, a voter, said.
Umar said she was mobilised by a women group that went from house to houses to sensitise women on the need to excercise their franchise.
FCT
The Secretary of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Health and Human Services Secretariat, in Abuja Dr Ademola Onakomaiya has on Sunday warned the public against patronising fake medical personnel in some hospitals in the territory.
He told newsmen while parading a suspected fake medical personnel at the secretariat in Abuja on Sunday that most people posing as medical personnel were fake, especially in private hospitals.
The secretary said the secretariat was, through the Private Health Establishment Registration and Monitoring Committee, monitoring and regulating the activities of private health care providers in the FCT.
He said it was in the course of duty that the secretarial staff discovered an unqualified medical care provider in a private hospital in Kubwa.
“The 45-year-old man who was parading himself as an optometrist in a hospital was apprehended by our monitoring team.
Kebbi
The Kebbi Government spent N9.2 million on the purchase of forms for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, organised by Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, a statement said in Birnin Kebbi on Sunday.
The statement, issued by Alhaji Abubakar Mua’zu, the Press Secretary to the Governor, said the 2000 forms would be distributed free to encourage good performance among students in public examinations.
It said the forms would be issued to qualified students in six education centers, who possessed a minimum of five credits in the Senior School Certificate Examinations.
The statement, said the gesture was in line with the policy of the state government to encourage students to acquire tertiary education.
Kaduna
Sen. Mohammed Sani-Sale said on Sunday that the just concluded by-election into the House of Representatives in Soba Local Government Area of Kaduna State was marked with intimidation.
He told Journalists in Zaria that the by-election was not conducted freely and fairly considering the illegality surrounding it.
Sani-Sale, an ex-army general, who represents Kaduna Central on the platform of CPC said, “I want to press my utmost disappointment over what happened during the by-election. I thought we are matured enough to conduct ourselves well, what I saw we had not learnt any lesson from the past.
“The mass disorderliness among the electorate and the inability of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to fully prepare for the election has shown that we still have a long way to go. I therefore call for outright cancelation of the election,” he added.
Kogi
Kogi State council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) has honoured six journalists and two corporate organisations with awards for excellent performance.
Our correspondent reports that the awards were given in Lokoja on Saturday during the maiden edition of the state NUJ end of year/New Year get together ceremony to take stock of the previous year and plan for the New Year.
The awardees are Mr Timothy Yusuf of NTA, Mr Abel Ada-Musa and Mr James Oyewole, both of Graphic newspaper and Alhaji Yekini Jimoh of the Tribune newspaper.
Others are Mr Mike Abu of the Post newspaper, a Lokoja-based fortnight tabloid, and the state correspondent of News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Mr Kola Adeyemi.
Kogi Broadcasting Corporation (Radio Kogi FM 94) and FRCN Prime FM 101.5, Lokoja, received the corporate award.
Speaking at the ceremony, chairman of the council, Malam Ali Atabor, said the union decided to honour the journalists as a way of celebrating and recognising excellence as well as good conduct and character of members.
Lagos
An actor, Nobert Young, says the lack of professionalism is the bane of the motion picture industry in Nigeria.
Young also identified tribalism, favouratism and mediocrity, among others, as factors militating the growth of the industry.
He made the observation in an interview with the newsmen in Lagos on Sunday, saying, “an otherwise very big industry, very big money-making industry, but people because of their mediocrity will not let it grow.
“If the professionals are handling this industry do you know how much we are talking about here, billions of naira?”
He decried the absence of control in the industry, saying “everybody comes in to do what he likes.
“You can’t tell a man that he doesn’t have talent because whatever he produces, there is always a market for it.
“He may not hit the target but he will make some money from whatever he produces. So, it is up to the viewing public to choose what to buy.”
Young suggested that the personnel involved in creating story lines, scripts, acting and directing of films be trained and retrained in order to get the desired change in the industry.
Ogun
The Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Mrs Adejoke Orelope- Adefulire, has called for collaboration with religious bodies and well-meaning organisations to tackle youth restiveness and juvenile delinquencies.
Orelope-Adefulire made the call at the 2012 Hope Day of the Habitation of Hope, a care ministry founded by Pastor (Mrs) Folu Adeboye, the wife of the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG).
“Government alone cannot fight the scourge,’’ Orelope-Adefulire said.
She said that governments, at all levels, were committed to taking disadvantaged children off the streets and providing them with an enabling environment to develop their talents.
“Our people look up to their spiritual heads for guidance and direction, and it is only appropriate to also put in place other measures beyond preaching the gospel or ministering, through which lives can be changed and more souls can be saved,’’ she stated.
Taraba
The police in Jalingo have intercepted a vehicle allegedly conveying a consignment of arms and ammunition between Zakibiam in Benue and Wukari in Taraba State.
The Police Public Relations Officer, Ibiang Mbasieke, told newsmen that the vehicle, a Toyota Carina E with Registration No. AA775ABE, was intercepted at a stop and search check-point near Wukari on Friday.
He said nine single-barreled guns, two locally made revolver pistols and one long range gun as well as several rounds of ammunition and cartridges were found in the car.
Mbasieke explained that the driver and one other occupant were arrested by the police, while investigations continue in the matter.
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.