Nation
THE STATES
Bauchi
The Executive Director of the National Primary HealthCare Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr. Ado Mohammed, has attributed increased cases of Vesico Vaginal Fistula (VVF) to poor attendance of ante-natal care by women.
Mohammed made the statement on Saturday at Talba Village, in Jama’are Local Government Area of Baucghi State while inaugurating a 40-bed Primary Health Centre built by NPHCDA.
He said most VVF patient at Ningi VVF Centre were girls between the ages of 14 and 17 years.
He urged husbands to always encourage their wives to attend ante-natal clinic and also to send their wives to nearby health facilities during delivery to avoid becoming victims of VVF.
Mohammed said that the Talba cenre was conceived in 2009 when the agency discovered that the area lacked such health facilities.
He said midwives would be posted to the centre while equipment for the centre had already been acquired and would soon be delivered to the centre for the full take-off of the centre.
He said that the inauguration of the centre would reduce maternal and child mortality in the area considering the long distance between Talba and Jama’ are General Hospital.
Ekiti
Ekiti State Government is to provide N3.2 billon to improve water and sanitation in the state, Governor Kaode Fayemi has announced in Ado Ekiti.
Speaking at a stakeholders forum on water supply, Fayemi said government had already provided N100 million to improve sanitation in 2011.
He said his administration was working towards improving the existing water scheme as well as the construction of new ones, adding that strategies were being worked out to provide a sustainable water supply system.
One of the strategies is the engagement of development partners such as the World Bank, European Union and the African Development Bank, he said.
FCT
An optometrist with the Bwari General Hospital, Dr Ochei Louis, has condemned the use of eye drops, without prescription.
He said speaking to newsmen in Bwari on glaucoma, the eye disease that makes people blind.
“ I believe from my experience as an optometrist that the cause of glaucoma is the poverty level of so many Nigerians.
“They indulge in self medication, some just ask their friends the name of drugs they used for certain eye problems and go for them instead of getting their eyes properly checked by an optometrist.
“Glaucoma is an increase in the pressure of the eye, ‘hypertension’ of the eye so to say, and there are two types; open and closed angle glaucoma, which is a silent killer that can make one blind within a short time.”
He said a combination of things resulted in this high pressure of the eye, especially when the tube where the eye fluid is supposed to flow through is blocked, the pressure could build up.
Gombe
The Gombe State 2012 Hajj Committee has suspended the sale of forms for this year’s pilgrimage in Gombe town until further notice, says the Chairman, Alhaji Yaya Hammari.
Hammari told newsmen in Gombe that the decision was taken due to the rowdy situation created by intending pilgrims at the Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board.
Six women sustained serious injuries following a disagreement among pilgrims on the modalities for the sale of the forms.
He explained that while some of them wanted the officials to use a list compiled the previous day, others insisted they should use the queue, leading to a serious disagreement.
According to him, the applicants abandoned the queue and forced themselves into the premises of the board and in the process, pulled down the gate leading into the premises.
Jigawa
Traders in Dutse are counting their losses due to power outages, our correspondent reports.
A cross section of traders who spoke to our correspondent in Dutse on Sunday said they had lost a lot to the outages.
A fish seller, Mrs Ifeoma Obi, said due to unstable power supply, she had to sell fish worth N400 for half the price because of a lack of preservation equipment.
Obi said the fish got rotten after five days of power outage. “I did not make up to N3,000 from the N8,000 I spent purchasing a carton of fish”.
Another trader, Malam Ali Adamu, who sells soft drinks, complained of low patronage which he attributed to the power problem.
Kaduna
Director-General of National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM), Mallam Yusuf Usman, said efforts were underway to boost the Nok area as a World Heritage site.
Usman, who disclosed this on Saturday during a stakeholders meeting with the Nok local community in Kaduna State, said it was in line with the proposal of National Tourism Master plan.
“Unfortunately, the Nok archaeological sites became victims of unprecedented looting especially in the nineties when some of these sculptures were illegally exported.
“The need to embark on scientific studies became very urgent in the face of this threat.’’
Usman said the commission entered into a partnership with the institute for African Archaeology and Archaeo-botany of the Goethe University Frankfurt in 2005.
Kogi
Kogi Director of Primary Health Care, Dr Funmi Balogun has warned against the non-challant attitude of some mothers to immunisation programmes against the major five child killer diseases.
Speaking in an interview with newsmen in Lokoja, Balogun observed that some mothers took the BCG immunisation at birth, only for them to ignore others.
She said the essence of immunisation was to avoid the child-killer diseases and check infant mortality rate.
Balogun also urged mothers to immunise their children against diphtheria, measles, polio and yellow fever, among others.
The director said that the first phase of the immunisation programme for this year had just been concluded adding that the second phase would soon commence.
The PHC director also decried the lack of awareness among mothers to register their babies with the National Population Commission (NPC) at birth, obtain birth certificates and help government have accurate data on population.
Lagos
Some youths, operating small-scale businesses in the Lagos metropolis, have complained about the high cost of doing business owing to the current epileptic public power supply.
Some of the youths, who spoke in separate interviews with newsmen in Lagos, said public power supply remained a major challenge to efforts to sustain their businesses.
Mr Anthony Emmanuel, a Pay-phone operator who also charges phone batteries in the Kakawa area of Lagos Island, said that PHCN electricity supply was inadequate and that it was negatively affecting his business.
Niger
The Niger State Polytechnic, Zungeru, has matriculated 1,376 students for the 2011/2012 academic session.
In his speech at the occasion, Alhaji Mohammed Garba, the Rector of the Polytechnic, warned the students not to be involved in cultism.
Garba warned that the management of the institution would not hesitate to dismiss any student found to be involved in cultism, instead of facing his/her academic pursuit.
He also warned that students who did not attain 75 per cent attendance in their lectures would not be allowed to sit for their examination.
Oyo
The Publicity Secretary of Ansar-ud-deen Society of Nigeria, Alhaji Muibi Adebanjo, has urged the National Assembly to evolve appropriate legislation that would revamp the education sector.
Adebanjo told newsmen in Ibadan that the development of the education sector was being hindered by inconsistencies in policies and discrimination.
He said the inconsistencies were caused by changes which came with the transition from military rule to pluralist democracy.
“ Ghana ’s educational policy has been consistent over the years since independence, hence the high quality remains,’’ he said.
Adebanjo, who is also the Chairman, Al-ilmu Schools, further condemned the discrimination against certain categories of certificates in favour of university degrees.
He further said: “Where do we put the remaining one million students that would not be catered for in the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board examination if only 500,000 students would be provided admission. ’’
Adebanjo appealed to government at all levels to ensure that the existing educational institutions were adequately equipped for practicals and research.
Plateau
The Plateau Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) says it has arrested a café operator, who allegedly issued a fake Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination registration slip to a candidate in Jos.
Mr. Desmond Agu, the Commander, told newsmen that the candidate, Vincent Bello, was also arrested.
“The duo were parties to a fake UTME registration slip and shall be investigated,’’ he said.
Bello had earlier presented the slip for Saturday’s UTME examination but was sent out of the hall and immediately arrested at the Plateau Polytechnic Centre I after it was discovered that the slip was fake.
A distraught Bello led the NSCDC officials to the café, where the operator was also picked.
Agu said that the owner of the café, located in Bukuru, Jos South Local Government of Plateau, had disowned the slip and claimed that the candidate lied against him.
He said that the fake slip was the only incident recorded during the examination and scored JAMB 98 per cent for conducting what he described as “the most successful UTME test“ in the country.
Sokoto
Secretary Aliyu Magatakarda Advocacy Group (AMAG) an NGO, Alhaji Abubakar Yabo, on Saturday called for intelligence sharing among security agencies in the fight against terrorism.
Yabo told newsmen in Sokoto that collaborative effort would enable the security agencies check the activities of the terrorists.
He said that information sharing among the security agencies will enable them come out with great ideas in confronting the security challenges without hindrance.
He expressed confidence in the ability of the security officers to tackle the nation’s internal security challenges.
Yabo called for the re-training of security officers to update their knowledge to ensure productivity.
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.