Nation
THE STATES
Gombe
Vice President Namadi Sambo has solicited the support of emirs and other traditional rulers in the northern part of the country for the Almajiri Model School scheme.
Sambo made the call in Gombe on Saturday when he visited the Emir of Gombe, Alhaji Shehu Abubakar, in his palace.
“I am happy to inform you that under the Almajiri programme, we plan to assign a lot of responsibilities to your council so that we will succeed in that direction.
“Mr President has stated that every Nigerian child has the right to education and we must educate every child.
“That is why that programme came from primary school project.
“It is very impressive, it is one of its kind and these are the types of programmes that other states should emulate so that we can achieve our objectives of educating every Nigerian child,’’ he said.
Kaduna
The Kaduna State Government has advised residents to report any incident of suspected Cerebrospinal Meningitis (CSM) in the state.
The government gave the advice when it announced a five-point prevention strategy against the outbreak of the disease.
The state Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health, Dr. Paul Dogo said that residents were being sensitised through public enlightenment on the preventive measures.
Dogo disclosed that adequate medical and health personnel including drugs and vaccines, had been mobilised to control, treat and manage the disease wherever an outbreak was reported.
He advised residents to report any suspicious outbreak of communicable diseases to the nearest health facility to prevent an epidemic.
Kano
The Kano State Government has warned residents of Kano metropolis against violating the monthly environmental sanitation.
The state Commissioner for Environment, Alhaji Abdullahi Abbas, gave the warning while addressing newsmen shortly after the exercise in Kano on Saturday.
“The environmental sanitation is for their own good hence the need for all Kano residents to come out and participate fully in the monthly exercise.
“This time around there is no police and mobile courts because we want to relax the enforcement due to the security situation in the state.”
He, however, urged the people of the state, particularly Kano residents and other major towns, to ensure full compliance with the order on restriction of movement during the exercise.
The Commissioner expressed satisfaction with the massive turn out of people in some areas within the metropolis.
Kebbi
The former Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Alfa Belgore, was on Saturday awarded the Garkuwan Bunza title, by the traditional institution of Bunza, his ancestral home in Kebbi.
The district head of Bunza, Dr Mustapha Bande, announced the award on Saturday in Bunza at the foundation laying ceremony of the multi purpose town hall complex in honour of the former Chief Justice of Nigeria.
Bande said the honour given to Justice Belgore was well deserved.
The Kebbi government would jointly execute the project with CITAR, an NGO on political awareness and sustainable human development.
Also speaking, Justice Belgore commended the NGO and the state government for the financial and human resources committed to building the complex in his honour.
He recalled that his parents migrated to Ilorin in 1858 to propagate Islamic knowledge and assured the people that he would continue to relate well with his ancestral home as well as partake in development efforts in the area.
He said the project would be completed and supported especially in the provision of facilities to ensure that it was beneficial to the people.
Kwara
Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed of Kwara on Friday said that the bomb attacks on some media establishments marked a dangerous trend in the act of terrorism in the country.
In a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Alhaji Abdulwahab Oba, the governor described Thursday’s attacks on ThisDay newspaper office in Abuja and other media houses in Kaduna as “shocking and unfortunate’’.
He stressed that the mass media constituted the conscience of the nation and the fulcrum of free speech required for deepening the democratic culture in a society.
He said that the attacks represented another despicable and deplorable effort to silence popular expression by promoting hate and fear among the citizens.
Ahmed, nonetheless, urged the country’s journalists not to be despondent because of the emerging threats, stressing that they should remain committed to the ideals of journalism and good governance.
“On behalf of the good people of KwaraState, I commiserate with the management and staff of ThisDay, the NUJ, NPAN, NGEs, friends and families of the deceased on this occasion of national grief.
Nasarawa
Governor Tanko Al-Makura of Nasarawa State on Saturday assured the people that his administration would be prudent and accountable in respect of contract awards.
Al-Makura madethe statement while inaugurating some earth moving equipment for the construction of rural roads in parts of the state in Lafia.
He said the present administration in the state would distance itself from the past practice when contractors failed to deliver on contracts and collected money.
“We are going to take a full stock of all projects that have been awarded and those either completed, abandoned or uncompleted.
“My administration will not leave any stone unturned and will deal with anybody found guilty of siphoning government funds,’’ the governor said.
He said the construction of rural roads would start at Agyaragu–Kwara, in Nasarawa North Senatorial (Lafia) Zone and in Garaku in Nasarawa West Senatorial (Keffi) Zone through Dari-Amba-up to Basa.
He said the Nasarawa Central (Akwanga) Zone road construction would begin from Wamba through FarrinRuwa to Maman areas.
He said the state government bought the equipment in conjunction with the local government/development areas for the construction and rehabilitation of rural roads.
Ondo
An Ondo State governorship aspirant under the platform of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Dr Olu Agunloye, has called for stiff penalties for electoral offences.
INEC is to conduct the gubernatorial election on October 20.
Agunloye decried the absence of commensurate penalties for electoral offences.
“One of the symptoms of apathy was the faulty reward and penalty systems in Nigeria.
“People don’t get appropriate rewards for the good they do and no adequate penalty for offenders,’’ Agunloye said.
Agunloye, a former Minister of Power and Steel, was also of the view that voters’ apathy was on the increase in the country because electoral offenders were not prosecuted.
The aspirant also cited the absence of justice as bane to smooth electoral process, adding that where there was no justice; there could not be peace.
Plateau
The Plateau chapter of National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) has expressed satisfaction with the decision of the state government to deploy local government staff to their areas of origin.
The state President of the union, Mr Samson Mafuyai, told our source in Jos on Sunday that the union had “no objection’’ to the policy, adding that the policy would make the workers more productive.
“The state government has the right to bring up any policy, but we have tried to find out whether such policies are good.
“ We have asked government to explain their motives and hope such motives will be very convincing,’’ he said.
The government last Wednesday inaugurated a 16-member committee for the deployment of local government staff to their local government areas of origin.
The Secretary to the State Government, Prof Shedrack Best, who inaugurated the committee, said that the decision was based on the recommendations of a committee on civil service reforms.
Yobe
The Yobe Agency for the Control of HIV/AIDS (YOSACA) has distributed 60 sewing and 70 grinding machines to 130 beneficiaries to promote self-reliance among People Living with HIV and AIDS.
YOCASA’s Executive Director, Hjiya Farida Mamudo, on Friday in Damaturu said that the empowerment project was intended to engender self-employment and self-sufficiency among the group.
She said that the agency had trained 100 health workers on how to reduce the stigmatisation of those living with the disease, while facilitating their support and social integration.
However, Mamudo said that 200 agricultural extension workers and 100 commercial transport workers had been trained by the agency on HIV prevention strategies.
She noted that the agency had been providing people living with HIV and AIDS with skills and materials to enhance their wellbeing and economic status.
The Rivers State Commissioner for Education, Dr. Peters Nwagor, has commended the orderly conduct of the ongoing 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination in the state and urged schools to sustain the standard.
Dr. Nwagor gave the commendation on Tuesday during a monitoring tour of selected secondary schools in Port Harcourt and environs where the WAEC exam is ongoing.
The commissioner, who was accompanied by directors and monitors from the Ministry of Education, said he was impressed with the peaceful atmosphere at the centres visited.
“The students conducted themselves properly and wrote their papers under conducive conditions. Invigilators and supervisors also performed their duties professionally,” he stated.
Nwagor noted that the Rivers State Government had invested heavily to ensure the smooth and credible conduct of the examination across the state
He urged candidates to reciprocate government’s effort by shunning all forms of examination malpractice and focusing on their studies.
“Government has done so much to ensure successful examinations in our schools. Students should take advantage of it by remaining focused,” the commissioner said.
While no case of malpractice was recorded in the centres inspected, Dr. Nwagor warned that any principal, teacher, invigilator, or official caught aiding malpractice would face strict sanctions in line with regulations.
He also commended school administrators, teachers, WAEC officials, and security personnel for upholding the integrity of the process.
Centres visited included County Grammar School, Ikwerre/Etche; Government Comprehensive Secondary School, Borokiri; Government Secondary School, Borokiri; and Pabod Model Secondary School.
Rivers State University and the Otonti Nduka Foundation for Values Education jointly hosted a two-day National Conference on 8 and 9 May 2026 to examine the state of values in Nigeria.
The two days conference held at Rivers State University convocation arena brought together academics, policymakers, legal experts and education leaders under the theme _“Trends and Challenges in Upholding Values in Nigeria.”_
The gathering focused on policy gaps, curriculum reform, and the role of ethics in public service and education.
The event opened on Friday with remarks from Vice Chancellor Prof. Chief Isaac Zeb-Obipi, who stressed the need to address declining moral and civic values across Nigeria’s education and public sectors. A book of abstracts for the plenary sessions was also presented to participants.
Key speakers included former Attorney General Chief Dr Kanu Agabi, SAN; NERDC Executive Secretary Prof. Shehu Salisu; Prof. Hauwa Imam, FNAE, of the University of Abuja; former Rivers SUBEB Chairman Ven Dr Fyneface Akah, ; former NIMASA DG Dr Hon. Dakuku Adol-Peterside; and RSU Director of ICT Prof. Sunny Orike.
Discussions centered on integrating values education into schools, tertiary institutions and public institutions, alongside the impact of technology on moral development among young Nigerians. Panel and plenary sessions produced practical recommendations for curriculum and policy reform.
On Saturday, the foundation marked its centenary with the unveiling of the book _Otonti Nduka in History_, launched by Chief Engr. Grant Offor, FNSE. The Nigerian Academy of Education held a ceremonial procession led by its President Prof. Olu Jegede and the Ikwerre Professors Forum.
In a communiqué, participants called for stronger collaboration between government, civil society and academia to mainstream values education nationwide. They recommended reviewing teacher training curricula and expanding digital platforms to promote ethical civic engagement, with the foundation pledging to share the outcomes with education authorities for implementation.
Dignitaries present included Ogbakor Ikwerre Worldwide as Chief Host, Prof. Emeritus Chief T. Uzodimma Nwala, the Ikenga 1 of Mbaise and first philosophy student of Prof. Otonti Nduka, alongside scholars and community leaders.
Amadi Akujobi