Nation
THE STATES
Borno
Farmers in Maiduguri metropolis have appealed to the Joint Task Force (JTF) to review the curfew imposed in some parts of the state to enable them perform their farming activities.
A cross section of those, who spoke to newsmen in Maiduguri and Jere local government areas on Tuesday said that the curfew had negatively affected farming activities.
The JTF on Operation Restore Order (ORO) had on January 12, imposed a 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew in five of the 27 local government areas of the state to curtail the activities of the Boko Haram sect.
Malam Ibrahim Audu, a farmer in Zabarmari, said that the curfew had made it difficult for farmers to operate optimally in the farm.
FCT
The Federal Government has reiterated its commitment to inter-religious harmony for peace and development in the country.
Vice President Namadi Sambo said this in Abuja when he received the Prefect, Pontifical Council for Inter-Religious Dialogue (PCID), His Eminence, Jean Louis Card Tauran, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
According to him, the government supports every synergy among religious organisations as this will enhance peaceful co-existence of the diverse groups in the country.
He assured the Pontifical Prefect of the government’s support, saying: “I want to assure you that we will give you all the support you need in the achievement of all your noble objectives in ensuring that there is peace and harmony in Nigeria and the world in general.”
Gombe
Governor Ibrahim Dankwambo of Gombe State has assured corps members deployed to the state that their security and welfare would be taken care of by the government.
He gave the assurance at the close of the 2012 Batch ‘A’ NYSC orientation course at Malam-sidi Permanent Orientation Camp in Kwami Local Government Area of the State in which 446 corps members passed out.
Dankwambo, who was represented by his deputy, Mr. Tha’anda Rubainu, however, advised corps members to identify with the people in the state and their aspirations for the service to be successful.
In his remarks, Mr Eli Akeme, the Head of the Civil Service in the state and Chairman of the Governing Council of NYSC, said the corps members were fully ready and eager to contribute their quarter to the development of their host communities.
Jigawa
Governor Sule Lamido of Jigawa State has charged batch “A” of the NYSC members posted to the state to rededicate their energies towards the unity of the nation.
Lamido was speaking at the parade/official closing ceremony of the orientation course for the members in Dutse.
He described “ youths as the vanguard of peace, unity and development of any society. “
He enjoined them to be committed, resilient and dedicated to their work in the various places of their primary assignments.
“As you are set out to begin your primary assignment, it is pertinent for you to reflect on the basic fundamental rudiments in which the orientation course was predicated. “
He explained that, the NYSC programme was designed to give members exposure and make them exhibit leadership qualities in their various communities after they finished the service.
Kaduna
The Kaduna State chapter of NULGE has urged the Kaduna State Government to reverse recent redeployment of working mothers in Kaduna North and Kaduna South local Government Areas.
About 350 workers in the affected areas were transferred to 21 other local government areas in the state due to the inability of the councils to pay workers’ salary.
The state President of NULGE, Alhaji Shehu Abubakar, told newsmen in Kaduna that, the call became necessary as married women could not work in places far away from their families.
He said that such transfers would reduce the affected workers’ performance as their attention would be divided.
Abubakar said that although the exercise was legal, it should consider issues of health and marriage.
Kebbi
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has directed producers of packaged water in Kebbi to re-register their companies in line with new strategies to improve quality.
The directive was issued on Tuesday in Birnin Kebbi by Dr. Eric Iful, the agency’s North-West zonal coordinator at a sensitisation workshop for packaged water producers in the state
He told participants that the compulsory re-registration was to enable NAFDAC to capture the bio-metric data of all clients for monitoring and evaluation towards good manufacturing practices.
Iful observed that 8,679 water packaging factories had failed to register with NAFDAC, adding, “the exercise will assist to overcome myriad of problems in the production of healthy packaged water”.
Lagos
A property consultant, Chief Kola Akomolede, has said that the worsening security situation in Nigeria might cripple the hospitality and leisure industry if not checked.
He told newsmen in Lagos that the spate of bombing and shooting could discourage tourists from coming to Nigeria.
“Even Nigerians are being discouraged from visiting certain parts of the country other than their own community,’’ he said.
Akomolede said that the hospitality and leisure industry were very important to national development because of the potentials as good source of foreign exchange earnings.
He said that opportunities abound in hospitality industries in Nigeria due to shortage of hotels and places of leisure.
The consultant said that very few cities in Nigeria could host major international events due to shortage of good hotels.
Akomolede urged the Federal Government to address the security challenges promptly.
“Besides the security issues, Nigeria is a potential tourist attraction, it’s just that we are not developing them,’’ he said.
Nasarawa
The Police in Nasarawa State has confirmed the killing of a suspected motorcycle snatcher by irate youths on Monday at Ajaga village in Nasarawa Local Government Area.
The Police Public Relations Officer, Mr Cornelius Ocholi, told newsmen in Lafia that the suspect, Bala Bawa, from Arah village allegedly snatched a motorcycle from one Ibrahim Hassan.
Ocholi said that Bawa snatched the motorcycle after beating Hassan to a state of coma.
He noted that villagers got wind of the incident and reported to the police in the area, which led to the arrest and detention of the suspect.
He said that youths in the area mobilised themselves and stormed the police post where the suspect was being detained, over powered the men on duty, dragged out the suspect and beat him to death.
The spokesman noted that the officers on duty contacted the Nasarawa Divisional Headquarters, which is about 30 kilometres away but that before the reinforcement could reach the police post, the mob had already killed the suspect and fled.
Ondo
Governor Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo State has appealed to security agencies in the country to always uphold their constitutional role of supporting free, fair and credible elections at all times.
The governor stated this in Akure while playing host to the Flag Officer Commanding (FOC), Western Naval Command, Rear Admiral Ameen Ikioda.
According to him, security agencies have crucial roles to play in sustaining the existing unity and stability of the country.
Mimiko also advised security agencies against being used by unscrupulous politicians “who are selfish and anti-people in their inordinate ambition to govern at all cost. ’’
“The role of security agencies is crucial to peace, unity and stability of our great country. Therefore, I want to plead with you to make sure that elections are free and fair in this country,” he said.
Mimiko further said his administration had implemented programmes and policies aimed at tackling poverty in the state.
He said the state’s healthcare programme, construction of mega schools and rural transformation initiatives were all targeted at the downtrodden in the society.
Plateau
Eggs mopped up following a glut in Plateau are being hurriedly distributed to some categories of people as some of them have rotten away.
Source said that the state government set up a committee, and released N30 million to buy off the eggs following farmers’ inability to dispose of them on time, especially in Chad Republic, as a result of recent border closure.
However, the eggs are being distributed by the committee after the bad ones have been removed.
Mrs Olivia Dazyam, Women Affairs Commissioner, who is in charge of the distribution of the eggs, however, confirmed that the eggs were already being hurriedly shared out.
“We are sharing 500 crates to patients and nursing mothers at the Plateau Specialist Hospital, Jos. We shall thereafter move to orphanage homes and special schools,’’ she told newsmen.
She regretted the undue delay and attributed it to efforts to ensure that only the targeted groups benefited.
Some eggs were purchased two weeks ago with farmers who said that they were three weeks old at the time of purchase.
Information Commissioner Abraham Yiljab, had blamed the poor demand on the closure of borders with Chad that had always purchased the commodity in bulk.
According to Barko, the committee is expected to purchase 50,000 crates for distribution to students, expectant mothers, the sick and the elderly.
Yobe
The Yobe Agency for the Control of HIV and AIDS (YOSACA) has observed that regular clinic attendance by expectant mothers and the voluntary HIV testing have reduced mother and child deaths in the state.
“The agency has enlightened, mobilised and encouraged pregnant women across the state to access the free ante-natal services and HIV tests provided in government hospitals,” the Executive Secretary of the agency, Hajiya Farida Mamudo told newsmen in Damaturu.
“YOSACA has trained 40 Traditional Birth Attendants in seven Local Government Areas specifically on referring pregnant women to ante-natal clinics and on prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV.
Mamudo commended the role played by traditional rulers, religious leaders and other organisations in combating HIV and AIDS as well as stigmatisation in communities.
“This collaborative effort combined with government’s determination is yielding positive results in healthcare delivery in the state,” she said.
Zamfara
The Zamfara Government has promised to provide adequate security for youth corps members posted to the state.
Governor Abdulaziz Yari made the promise during the graduation ceremony of the three-week orientation of Batch ‘A‘ youth corps members at the Tsafe NYSC camp, where he was represented by the Head of Service, Alhaji Bello Umar.
The governor said government was doing “everything possible” to ensure that the corps members were given adequate protection to enable them discharge their assignment without hindrance.
He noted that insecurity in the country had posed a major challenge not only to government but all peace-loving Nigerians.
He asked them to conduct themselves, and be dedicated in their places of primary assignment.
He said that efforts were on to rejuvenate the Sharia legal system although enforcement of its law would be applied to Muslims only.
He also pledged to complete the NYSC permanent orientation camp at Tsafe which was started five years ago by the previous administration.
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.