Nation
THE STATES
Adamawa
The member representing Mubi South
Constituency in Adamawa State House of Assembly, Alhaji Usman Lamorde, has
executed seven projects in areas of health, education and water supply.
Briefing newsmen in Yola on the projects
executed in his constituency, Lamorde said the projects which included
maternity ward in Mujara, earth dam in Gella, classrooms in Gude and industrial
borehole in Lamorde were executed with savings from his salary and allowances.
“The projects were executed from the
savings from my salary and allowances and not money for constituency projects
as many people are thinking,’’ Lamorde said.
The lawmaker also said that he secured
government job for about 50 people in his constituency within the past 10
months.
Lamorde tasked individuals and groups in
his constituency to always forward their genuine complaints to his constituency
office at Mubi where he said there were officials employed to attend to them.
Bauchi
The Bauchi State chapter of the CPC has
obtained an interim order restraining the Bauchi State Government and two
others from spending the local councils’ funds apart from payments of salaries.
The order, signed by Chief Judge of Bauchi State, Justice Ibrahim
Zango, was made available to newsmen on Tuesday in Bauchi.
The order listed the state government, the
Commissioner for Local Government Affairs and the Accountant-General as
respondents.
It restrained them from releasing,
approving or in any manner allowing the 20 caretaker chairmen and their
councillors from spending any fund belonging to the local councils.
It also restrained the respondents from
tampering with the funds whether in joint account with the first respondent or
any other account and in whatever manner pending the hearing and determination
of the original summons.
Similarly, the order restrained the
respondents from awarding any contract or executing any project or programme
using the funds of the councils in whatever manner possible.
Benue
The Benue State Government has placed an
order for 400 trucks of fertiliser to be distributed to farmers, the Special Adviser to the Governor on
Agriculture, Mr Emmanuel Atser, said.
Atser said in Makurdi on Monday that the
consignment would arrive in the state before Friday for the distribution to
start next week.
He said the fertiliser distribution would
be devoid of corruption.
“A committee has been set up to ensure
that, only genuine farmers are given the product and any committee member who
violates the rule by selling to businessmen, will be sanctioned,” he said.
The adviser appealed to farmers that were
not selected as beneficiaries of the N1 billion agriculture loan that was
disbursed to some farmers on April 27 to be patient with the government.
He said the government was working out
strategies where all farmers in the state irrespective of their status would
benefit from agricultural loans in record time.
Borno
The Borno Commissioner for Women Affairs,
Hajiya Inna Galadima, has denied claims that the state government had neglected
the Fatima Ali Sheriff Motherless Babies Home, Maiduguri.
The motherless babies home is the brain
child of the wife of the immediate-past governor of the state, Mrs Fatima Ali
Modu Sheriff.
Galadima said that the ministry had devoted
much attention to the upkeep of the home since the inception of the
administration.
She said, “The ministry has always lived up
to expectations, especially in the area of taking proper care of the less
privileged in the society.
“We cannot abandon the home in anyway,
because of its benefits to the under privileged in the society.”
She urged Journalists to always verify
their facts before going to press.
Kaduna
The Chief Medical Director of Ahmadu Bello
University Teaching Hospital (ABUTH), Zaria, Dr Lawal Khalid, has urged
Nigerians to imbibe the culture of hand washing to curtail spread of diseases.
Khalid made the call at the commemoration
of the “World Hygiene Day” in ABUTH in Zaria, Kaduna State, on Monday.
He said hand washing after every activity
would keep people fit and tidy and reduce the rate of infections.
Khalid pledged the readiness of the
hospital management to ensure the success of the hygiene programme and
commended the hospital committee for organising the enlightenment programme.
In her speech, Chairman, Infection Control and Prevention of
the Federal Ministry of Health, Dr Adibola Olayinka, said about 15, 000 health
centres had been inaugurated nationwide to support hand washing campaign.
Kebbi
The Executive Director of National Cereals
Research Institute, Baddegi, Niger, Dr Monday Ukungwu, has solicited
collaboration with the Kebbi Government to boost agricultural production.
Ukungwu was represented by Mr Theo Isah
during a courtesy call by the management staff of the institute on the Deputy
Governor of Kebbi, Alhaji Ibrahim Aliyu, in Birnin kebbi, on Monday.
He said the institute had played a vital
role in cereal production, especially in the area of research and capacity
building.
Ukungwu appealed to the state government to
support the institute with project vehicles, tractors and research grants.
Responding, the deputy governor said
modalities would be worked out for a closer relationship between the state and
the institute, especially considering that agriculture was a priority sector in
the state.
Kwara
Director of Labour and Management Relations,
Michael Imodu National Institute of Labour Studies, Ilorin, Mrs Omolara
Folorunsho, on Tuesday identified time management as crucial in the development
aspirations of any country.
Folorunsho spoke in Ilorin while declaring
open a three-day capacity building workshop organised by the Radio Kwara
chapter of Radio, Television and Theatre Arts Workers’ Union (RATTAWU).
The Director said there may not be positive
progress in developing countries unless citizens were determined to respect as
well as be conscious of time.
Folorunsho, who spoke on “Work Ethics and
Attitudinal Change for Organisational Effectiveness, ’’ claimed that ethics and
work attitude were non-negotiable in organisational efficacy.
“Unarguably, the issue of ethics is
explicitly critical to every strategic decision maker and employee in
organisations in successfully addressing the issue of effectiveness,’’ she
said.
Ogun
The former Minister for Commerce and
Industry, Sen. Jubril Marthins-Kuye, said on Tuesday that every effort was
being made to resolve the crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in
Ogun State.
Marthins-Kuye who made this known in an
interview in Ijebu-Ode, Ogun said the party had now realised that there was
need for all the members to be united.
It would be recalled that the National
Working Committee of the party had on April 18 dissolved the Ogun State PDP
Executive and directed the South-West National Vice Chairman of the Party, Mr
Segun On,i to take over the party structure.
Martins-Kuye said that though the crisis
has yet to be resolved, all hands were on deck to put the party together for a
strong electoral fight against the ACN.
“Every effort is being made to resolve the
crisis in the party in the state. I will not say that the crisis has been
resolved but I think all hands are on deck.
“Most of us now appreciate sincerely that
in unity we achieve success and in disunity we achieve failure.
We are trying our best to put PDP together
in the state so that we can give a good electoral fight to the ACN“.
Marthins-Kuye, a one-time Minister of State
for Finance and a Third Republic Senator, is one of the prominent leaders of
the party in the state.
Osun
The Osun Government has approved the
disbursement of relief materials worth N15 million to victims of a windstorm in
seven local government areas of the state.
The General Manager of Osun Emergency
Management Agency (OSEMA), Mr Segun Ajayi,
disclosed this in Osogbo on Tuesday.
He said no fewer than 285 houses were affected by the
windstorm which blew off their roofs and destroyed other valuables between
February and April.
“The affected areas are Ogunwo town in Iwo,
Moro,Yakoyo and Ipetumodu in Ife North, Ede North and South, Ikeyinwa town in
Obokun, Ejigbo and Osogbo Local Government Areas.
“We have visited the affected areas and
evaluated the degree of damage which is put at N15 million worth of materials
and the governor graciously approved it.
“The items to be disbursed included bundles
of roofing sheets, pieces of mattresses and cartons of roofing nails,’’ he said.
He said the approval was a demonstration of
Gov. Rauf Aregbesola’s commitment toward ameliorating the plight of victims of
natural disasters in the state.
Ajayi also assured that the distribution of
the relief materials would be carried out equitably among the victims.
According to him, the victims of five cases
of fire incidents that occurred between January and April will also benefit
from the gesture.
Ajayi added that the agency would soon
embark on a public enlightenment campaign to sensitise Osun residents on ways
of preventing flooding and other natural disasters.
He called on landlords and shop owners
across the state to examine the roofs of their houses and carry out necessary
maintenance.
Youths from five local government areas in Northern Cross River State have concluded a one-week warning protest and blockade of the dilapidated Ikom-Wula-Obudu federal highway over the weekend.
They have vowed to resume the road blocks if by this week the authorities do not intervene to fix the road.
More than five thousand locals, mostly youths from Obanliku, Etung, Obudu, Ikom and Boki LGAs trooped out everyday for one week, used palm trees to block the highway to draw state and federal government’s attention to their plights, requesting the repair of a road has has been unmotorable for about 40 years.
They warned that if they do not see any actions from the state or federal governments, they will resume their Plan B protest, stop revenue collections and make governance unpalatable.
The youths also warned that without interventions on the road which has claimed several lives, including that of last week when a pregnant woman died with her baby in the full glare of the protesters because of the terrible road, no election can hold in the area next year.
One of the leaders of the No Road , No Election protest, who is also the Abo Youths in Boki LGA, Dr Martins Assam said both the federal and state governments have neglected the region, which generates more than 70 percent state revenue from agriculture.
He said if machinery is not deployed by next week, they will not have any option than to embark on unpalatable and disastrous protest, and stop revenue collections in the area.
“Last week we had only a warning strike for one good week. We’ll embark on a more elaborate, disastrous one-month blockade of this highway until they intervene. We call on our Governor and representatives in the National Assembly to act now by impressing on the federal government to immediately fix this road else. We’re not asking for two much but to be treated as human beings.”
Another protester, Clinton Obi from the Etung axis said, “We’ve been neglected for 40 years. This Ikom-Obudu federal highway had been impassable. The government has removed its concentration from our plights. By this one week protest, we want action on this road otherwise the next phase of protest will be costly.”
Reverend Father Francis Amaozo, priest in charge of St. Nicholas parish in Nashua, Boki LGA said, “I have also been a victim of this very deplorable road. Enough is now enough. We’ve been betrayed by our representatives and other leaders, so that we in this axis have become endangered species on this road. I have lost some many members on this road.”
Member, representing the Boki-Ikom federal constituency of the state in the House of Representatives, Bisong Victor Abang had pleaded with the locals to be a bit more patient with the government as action will commence shortly.
Nation
UNIPORT VC Receives Inaugural Lecture Brochure As Professor Highlights Urgent Need For Drug Repurposing In Malaria Fight
The Vice Chancellor of the University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT), Prof Owunari Georgewill, last Thursday received the inaugural lecture brochure from the Inaugural Lecturer, Professor Udeme Georgewill, during a ceremony at the university’s Centre of Excellence attended by academics, researchers, students, and distinguished guests.
Delivering her lecture, Professor Udeme Georgewill described the occasion as the culmination of years of dedicated research, teaching, and service to humanity. He explained that his work as a pharmacologist has consistently focused on finding practical, affordable, and scientifically sound solutions to health challenges that disproportionately affect developing countries, particularly malaria, which remains one of Nigeria’s most pressing public health concerns.
She noted that Nigeria continues to bear one of the heaviest malaria burdens globally, accounting for a significant percentage of worldwide cases and deaths. The disease, largely caused by the Plasmodium falciparum parasite and transmitted through Anopheles mosquitoes, remains especially dangerous for children under five years and pregnant women, threatening not only present populations but unborn generations. Despite years of intervention efforts, malaria continues to strain families, health systems, and the national economy.
Prof Georgewill empha-sised that while Artemisinin-based Combination Therapies such as Artemether-Lumefantrine remain the gold standard for malaria treatment, emerging resistance patterns pose a serious challenge. He explained that drug resistance is a survival mechanism of the parasite, enabling it to adapt and reduce the effectiveness of medications designed to eliminate it. According to her, instances where patients do not feel better after initial treatment sometimes lead to repeated dosing or the search for injectable alternatives, practices that can worsen resistance and complicate treatment outcomes.
Against this backdrop, she advocated strongly for drug repurposing as a strategic and urgent response. Drug repurposing, he explained, involves identifying new therapeutic uses for already approved and widely available medications. He likened the concept to “old wine in new wineskins,” stressing that medicines already proven safe for certain conditions can be carefully re-evaluated and optimised for new roles in malaria management. This approach, she argued, offers advantages such as reduced research timelines, lower development costs, and faster clinical application compared to developing entirely new drugs from scratch.
She disclosed that her research had progressed from laboratory investigations to clinical evaluations, where his team is studying combinations involving Artemether-Lumefantrine and Ivermectin to determine their effectiveness in improving treatment outcomes and possibly reducing transmission. Clinical trials are ongoing, and findings will be communicated upon completion of regulatory processes. However, he cautioned strongly against self-medication, warning that misuse of drugs without proper diagnosis and prescription can lead to organ damage, treatment failure, and increased resistance.
Referencing global health commitments, Prof Georgewill highlighted Sustainable Development Goal 3.3, which seeks to end epidemics of malaria and other major infectious diseases by 2030. She questioned whether the goal remains attainable under current realities, especially with growing resistance and funding gaps. He also referred to strategies of the World Health Organisation aimed at drastically reducing malaria incidence and mortality while pushing toward elimination in several countries.
Looking ahead, she revealed that her team is building comprehensive research databases to support artificial intelligence-driven drug repurposing. He stressed that the integration of artificial intelligence, molecular docking, and advanced screening technologies is transforming global drug discovery, and Nigerian researchers must be equipped to participate competitively in this evolving scientific landscape.
In her recommendations, she called for the establishment of a National Centre for Drug Repurposing to coordinate research efforts and leverage artificial intelligence in identifying new indications for existing medicines. He urged policymakers to simplify and accelerate the translation of laboratory discoveries into clinical application, ensuring that scientific breakthroughs benefit the public more efficiently. She also appealed to the university and relevant authorities to increase funding and modernise laboratory infrastructure, including high-throughput screening facilities, to strengthen Nigeria’s position in global biomedical research.
The lecture concluded with expressions of gratitude to God, the university leadership, colleagues, students, and guests, as the event underscored the University of Port Harcourt’s commitment to research excellence and its role in addressing critical public health challenges facing Nigeria and the wider world.
The Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, Niger State Chapter, has rejected the proposed Niger State Hisbah Directorates Bill, describing it as controversial and capable of deepening religious division in the state.
In a statement signed by the State Chairman, Bishop Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, and made available to The Tide’s source yesterday, the association urged Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago not to assent to the bill if it is passed by the State House of Assembly.
The bill, sponsored by the member representing Chanchaga Constituency, Hon. Mohammed Abubakar, seeks to establish a Hisbah Directorate in Niger State.
CAN warned that the legislation could be perceived as discriminatory against Christians and may heighten tension in the religiously diverse state.
“Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago, we, the entire Christendom in the state, wish to draw your attention to what could easily create division among the people you govern,” the statement read in part.
The association questioned the necessity and benefits of the proposed law, asking what economic or social value it would add to the state.
It further argued that existing security agencies, including the Nigeria Police and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, already have constitutional mandates to maintain law and order.
The Christian body also faulted the legislative process, disputing claims that it was consulted during a public hearing on the bill.
It insisted that it was neither invited nor notified of any such engagement, despite being a critical stakeholder in the state.
