Nation
THE STATES
Bauchi
Bauchi State Commissioner for Health, Dr Sani Malami, has warned rural dwellers against drying food items by the roadside, to guard against Lassa fever.
Speaking at a news conference on Tuesday in Bauchi, Malami said that the common practice of drying foodstuffs on the shoulders of highways could result in rodents that carried the Lassa fever disease contaminating the food items.
The commissioner stated that the warning became necessary as part of educating the people on the dangers of the disease, which has already affected about 397 people and claimed more than 40 lives in 12 states across the country.
“The Health Ministry is requesting the Ministry of Information as well as the media, to pursue a vigorous enlightenment campaign in collaboration with the State Environmental Protection Agency (BASEPA).
“The campaign is to discourage farmers and rural dwellers from the practice of drying grains on road shoulders on the highways because they could easily get contaminated by rodents,” he said.
He advised rural dwellers to find other suitable methods of drying their foodstuffs to avert disaster as Lassa fever is spreading fast in the country
Malami also solicited for the support of religious and traditional leaders in educating the people on safe methods of preserving food items.
Benue
The Benue State University (BSU), Makurdi, on Saturday matriculated 3,562 students into six faculties of the university for the 2011/2012 academic session.
The matriculating students were selected from the 17,433 candidates who sat for the last UTME and 3,280 direct entry candidates who applied to study at the university.
Tthere was no intake at the College of Health Sciences for the session due to the non-completion of the priority areas at the Teaching Hospital.
In her address at the 20th matriculation ceremony, Prof. Charity Angya, the vice chancellor of the university, told the students that Gov. Gabriel Suswam had promised to complete the hospital within two weeks.
“This will pave way for admission into the MBBS programme in the 2012/2013 academic year and ensure that our medical students do not continue to stagnate at the clinical level.’’
She urged the students to dedicate themselves to promoting academic excellence.
The don noted that many educational institutions had been plagued with social problems such as cultism, noting that BSU also had its share of the menace.
She appealed to them to shun all social vices that could impede their progress in life, warning that the consequence of indulging in social vices was expulsion.
Our correspondent reports that the matriculation oath was administered by Dr Timothy Utile, the registrar of the university.
Borno
Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno State has expressed shock over last week’s killing of Alhaji Adamu Ahmadu, the Comptroller of the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) in charge of Yobe and Borno State.
Ahmadu was killed on Tuesday at his residence in Potiskum, Yobe, by gunmen suspected to be Boko Haram members.
Shettima, who was exchanging views with journalists in Maiduguri, described the killing as sad.
The governor condoled with the NCS and family of the late comptroller over the incident.
Shettima said that from his brief encounter with the late comptroller, it was clear that he was a professional gentleman that had a vision to transform the service.
The governor prayed to God to grant his family and the NCS the fortitude to bear the loss.
FCT
President Goodluck Jonathan has formally written to commiserate with the families, people and governments of the two expatriates killed by their captors in Sokoto State last Thursday.
A statement in Abuja said the two separate letters were addressed to the Prime Minister of Britain, David Cameron and his Italian counterpart, Mario Monti.
The statement, signed by President’s spokesperson Reuben Abati, said the letters were delivered through diplomatic channels.
Jonathan said that the hearts of the people and government of Nigeria went out to members of the immediate families of the victims in their moment of grief.
He prayed that the Almighty God imbues them with the fortitude to cope with painful tragedy.
The President assured the leaders of both countries that “the Nigerian Government remains resolutely committed to facing up squarely the challenge of terrorism on our shores and in the international community.’’
Gombe
The Federal College of Education (FCE), Gombe, has matriculated 456 students into degree programmes for the 2011/2012 academic session.
The college is an affiliate of the University of Maiduguri and the Abubakar Tafawa Belewa University (ATBU), Bauchi.
The provost of the college, Dr Adamu Abbas, said that out of the 456 matriculating students, 330 were undergraduate students in various programmes of the University of Maiduguri, while 126 were undergraduate students of ATBU, Bauchi.
He said the occasion was the second matriculation for degree programmes in the school, noting that the first was in July 2010.
The provost advised the students to be serious with their studies, stressing that “anti-social behaviours such as indiscipline, refusal to attend lectures and cultism would not be tolerated.”
In his speech, the Vice Chancellor of University of Maiduguri, Prof. Malah Daura, said the institution would maintain high quality staffing and improve its infrastructure to produce quality graduates and maintain the standards set by the National Universities Commission.
Kano
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration Control (NAFDAC) will in April commence the re-certification of all registered sachet water factories in Kano state.
The state NAFDAC Coordinator, Akinwomi Adedeji, disclosed this in an interview with newsmen in Kano. He said the exercise would also audit available facilities in the factories to ensure that they meet the set standards.
“During the re-certification, those who meet our requirements will be re-certificated, while those who do not will be given time to adjust or be deregistered,’’ Adedeji said. The coordinator said NAFDAC officials would inspect facilities in all the registered factories in the 44 local government areas of the state.
According to him, the agency plans to hold a meeting with the registered water producers and organise a workshop to sensitise them on the proposed exercise.
Kebbi
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), has donated relief materials worth N10 million to victims of rainstorm in Yauri Local Government Area of Kebbi.
Two people lost their lives while six others were injured in the incident which also left several structures destroyed.
The incident occurred a fortnight ago when the area witnessed its first rainfall of the year.
The North West Acting Coordinator of NEMA, Alhaji Musa Ilelah, presented the relief materials to the victims in Yauri last Tuesday.
Kogi
Kogi House of Assembly has called on the Federal Government to urgently review and re-award contract for the completion of the abandoned maximum security prison in Koton-Karfe, first awarded in 1983.
The call was made in a resolution of the house reached at a plenary sitting, following the adoption of the motion by Chief Saidu Akawu-Salihu, representing Kogi-Koton/Karfi constituency.
Lagos
The National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA), has produced a film on the management of the ecosystem, as parts of its advocacy on sustainable environment.
The film, which would be shown on local television stations, was produced in collaboration with Adams Paul Film Production (APFP).
Paul Adams, Director of APFP told newsmen in Lagos that the film was aimed at enlightening Nigerians to be eco-friendly, and manage waste and climate change.
“Managing waste and climate change is encompassing. It is about managing power, water pollution, controlling how we throw dirt anyhow especially pure water sachet and other things that affect the environment.
Plateau
A member of Plateau House of Assembly, Daniel Deng says the state of emergency imposed on four local government areas is causing hardship in the councils.
The Federal Government imposed the state of emergency on Riyom, Barkin Ladi, Jos North and Jos South in December due to the persistent crises in the areas.
Deng told newsmen in Jos Saturday that since the imposition of the emergency rule, funds meant for the four councils had been withdrawn.
He said the withdrawal of the councils’ allocation had exposed workers to hunger.
The said development was worrisome and had created more challenges.
Sokoto
A Sokoto-based legal practitioner, Nasiru Binji, on Saturday urged the Federal Government to equip the National Directorate of Employment (NDE), with all the necessary facilities to train unemployed youths in various trades.
Binji told newsmen in Sokoto that it would enable the teeming youths to be self reliant, thereby developing the economy.
He said the Federal Government needed to focus on creating job opportunities for Nigeriams.
“Thousand of unemployed youths roam our major streets in search of job and is not doing good to our nation’s security.”
He explained that provision of learning materials at the various NDE offices would help the youth in learning various skilled trades.
Taraba
The Federal Government, Taraba and a Kenya-based, American rice farmer, Mr Calvin Burgess, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the production of rice in Gassol village of the state.
Mr Anthony Jellason, the Taraba Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, made the plan known in an interview with newsmen in Jalingo on Tuesday.
Jellason said the agreement would serve as an instrument that would enable each party “to swing into action” to ensure that the project, which would cover about 30,000 hectares, was leased to the investor to cultivate rice.
The commissioner explained that by the agreement, the Federal Government would encourage the Taraba Government and the investor to enter into a partnership.
A professor of English linguistics at the Rivers State University (RSU) Nkpolu Oroworukwu Port Harcourt, Prof. Isaac Enyi Ngulube, has advocated for better and improved funding for language centres in Nigeria, such as NINLAN Aba and Nigeria French Language Village, Badagry, for optimum value and effective local languages development.
He also called for funded research on the development of orthographies and language documents across the country to rescue local languages from extinction, as well as having a well-planned and implemented mother tongue education in all institutions in the country, from primary to tertiary.
Prof. Ngulube made with these assertions while presenting his inaugural lecture at the university’s 121st inaugural lecture with the topic “The Career of Rough Beats: Language, Literature and the Development of our Common Humanity” held in Port Harcourt, Wednesday.
The erudite scholar, in the lecture, stressed that the study of English language, linguistics, and literature is very broad, large, and difficult, adding that he overcame the rough roads through resilience and determination.
He described language as “a purely human and non-instinctive means of communicating ideas and emotions,” noting that “the word is a fundamental need in language; you cannot study language without the use of language.”
He urged parents to be cautious with their utterances, warning that “what they refer to their children as is what they will automatically end up becoming.”
He recommended a branded English language for every profession or course of study, stressing that embedding oral literature in the teaching of students from primary to tertiary level will enable them to know their traditions and roots of origin.
“Tell them the folk stories and moonlight tales; you are sending them back to their people. You must be a human being first before becoming a medical doctor, engineer, or anything else,” Ngulube said.
He also called for better and improved production of quality language and literature teachers, provision of modern teaching/instructional materials, improved welfare packages for teachers, and provision of better infrastructure at both primary and secondary school levels.
He used the opportunity to appreciate the Vice Chancellor for the approval of the Department of English Language and Literature, adding that it had been his long-held dream for the university.
In his speech, the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Isaac Zeb-Obipi, while highlighting the lecture, opined that the lecturer x-rayed the lecturer’s journey into the study of English language, linguistics, and literature, describing the field as broad, large, and difficult, but with determination and focus, he was able to defeat the beasts he encountered on his way.
Zeb-Obipi agreed with the lecturer’s recommendations on ways to improve indigenous languages in the country and directed that modalities be worked out for the university to have the Department of English Language and Literature, among others.
He highlighted RSU’s recent victory in the Bilingual Community Project organized by the French Embassy, describing it as proof of the university’s rising excellence in language studies.
The Federal Government through the implementation of the various projects of the Ogoni cleanup programme is demonstrating a strong commitment to national peace and the development of Ogoniland.
The Project Coordinator of the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project(HYPREP), Prof Nenibarini Zabbey, who made this assertion at a two-day training on Mechanism for Alternative Dispute Resolution(ADR) and other Peacebuilding Techniques for Community Leaders In Ogoni, held in Port Harcourt, said through the ongoing environmental restoration effort, potable water provision, livelihood restoration, public health interventions, and the Ogoni Power Project, HYPREP is contributing to national peace and development.
He explained that by improving the living conditions in communities and creating new opportunities for young people, the Project is also reducing the social pressure that often fuels conflict, stressing that the Project is proud of this service to the Ogoni people and the nation.
Describing traditional leaders and stakeholders as peacebuilders and guardians of community harmony, Zabbey noted that the workshop would strengthen their capacities and reinforce the Ogoni dialogue process, which HYPREP continues to support in line with its mandate on peacebuilding.
He said HYPREP is actively promoting ADR alongside other mechanisms across its project sites and other areas of operation aimed at fostering unity, fairness, mutual respect and faster dispute resolution, stressing that these are qualities necessary for the future of Ogoni people and their communities.
He further indicated that the Minister of Environment and Chairman of HYPREP’s Governing Council, Malam Balarabe Abbas Lawal is disposed to promoting peace and stability across Ogoni communities and HYPREP project sites.
The Project Coordinator, therefore, charged Ogoni leaders to be mindful of their actions, words and body language, as what they say or do can either promote peace or fan the embers of conflict.
Continuing, he stated thus,”We must always ask ourselves: Is my position on this matter in the people’s interest? Does it promote unity and progress? Will it enhance development?”
The Project Coordinator assured the participants that HYPREP is working tirelessly in line with the directive of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda for the accelerated implementation of the Ogoni cleanup programme and ensure that its benefits reach the grassroots where they are needed most.
Stressing the need for Ogoni leaders and stakeholders to explore communication and trust options to prevent disputes from degenerating into violence, the Project Coordinator noted that it was time for all Ogonis to be united for development, leaving behind perceptions that do not serve collective progress.
Similarly, the Director of the Centre for Peace and Security Studies of the University of Port Harcourt, Prof Chioma Daisy Onyige, said the workshop is a strategic platform aimed at strengthening the capacity of traditional institutions and community leaders to sustain peace, foster dialogue and promote non-adversarial engagements in the implementation of the Ogoni cleanup programme.
Prof Onyige noted that the Ogoni leadership structure commands deep respect and legitimacy, and strengthening their capacity in ADR methods such as mediation, negotiation, dialogue, facilitation, and consensus building means strengthening the foundation of peace in the region.
Participants, comprising traditional rulers and key stakeholders in Ogoni, commended HYPREP for the initiative, and assured it of their continuous support to the Project by providing an enabling atmosphere for the smooth implementation of the cleanup project in Ogoniland.
Resource persons who presented thought-provoking lectures at the workshop included the Dean of the Faculty of Postgraduate Studies of the University of Port Harcourt, Prof Kinikanwo Anele; Prof Olariwanju Lawal; Prof Chioma Daisy Onyige; and Dr Gbenemene Kpae; among others.
With significant achievements recorded across thematic areas of the Ogoni cleanup programme being executed by the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP), the Project Coordinator of the Project, Prof Nenibarini Zabbey, has said that all these are enabling pathways to the development of Ogoniland.
This is coming on the heels of milestone achievements in the following areas and their impact on Ogoni communities. They are mangrove restoration which is 94 percent complete; shoreline remediation which stands at 67.1 percent; and the phase 2 land remediation progressing to 36.55 percent.
Moreso, HYPREP has constructed 14 water facilities, providing potable water to 40 communities. With the commissioning of the water schemes in Bane and Gwara communities, the number of communities with access to clean and safe drinking water will be 45. The process of operationalising the Centre of Excellence for Environmental Restoration (CEER) which is at 92 percent complete, is ongoing. The same for the Ogoni Power Project which is progressing with wayleave compensation and construction works at Bodo and Wiiyaakaara substations ongoing
Similarly, the Ogoni Specialist Hospital and Buan Cottage Hospital are at 76.8 percent and 98.7 percent respectively.
This is alongside other public health interventions and the Human BioMonitoring Survey also in progress.
Under the livelihood
programme, over 7,000 direct jobs have been created for Ogoni women and youths, while over 5,000 have been trained in multiple skills and provided start-up kits, workshops, education grants, scholarships and other empowerment programmes. This quarter, training will commence in other demand-driven skill areas, such as cybersecurity, full-stack development, mud logging, software development, commercial diving, and underwater welding.
Zabbey had reeled out these achievements, during the third quarter interactive session between the Project Coordination Office engagement with Ogoni youths in Port Harcourt on Friday, in line with HYPREP’s strategic stakeholders policy to provide an interface opportunity to abreast Ogoni youths on the Project’s activities, while garnering their feedback.
Zabbey noted that, “This
quarterly engagement was,therefore, designed as an inclusive strategy to ensure that youth voices are heard, concerns are addressed, and progress updates are provided transparently. Also, it reflects our firm belief that a project of this magnitude must be people-centred, accountable, and participatory”.
” I am delighted to inform you that the Project remains on course to achieve its mandate as outlined in the UNEP Report on the Ogoni environment and the official gazette establishing HYPREP. HYPREP is committed to transparency and accountability in the implementation of the cleanup projects and activities”, he said.
He stressed that HYPREP’s achievements are pathways to a better Ogoniland, assuring that the Project’s goals are aimed at benefiting all categories of Ogoni youths, whether in business, farming, advocacy, education, entrepreneurship or community development.
”This Project belongs to all of you, and its success depends mainly on your participation, unity and constructive engagement. And with your support, we are confident that all challenges will be addressed in the overall public interest,” Zabbey said.
The Project Coordinator urged Ogoni youths to continue to support the Project by promoting peace, discouraging misinformation, and collaborating with project teams working in the communities, and address challenges through dialogue, rather than confrontation.
Prof Dinebari Badey, a Professor of Development Sociology in the University of Port Harcourt, delivered the keynote address, linking the nexus between HYPREP and youths in the development of Ogoniland through unity of purpose while Engr Solomon Akere, gave a talk on Ogoni youths in business.
Participants raised questions concerning the maintenance of the water projects, remediation efforts, and compensation for the Right of Way (RoW), among others.
In attendance were management staff of HYPREP who provided responses to the interventions.