Nation
THE STATES
Gombe
Police in Gombe have confirmed the killing of a retired civil servant, Tijjani Magaji, 43, of Idi Dawaki quarters in Gombe by unknown gunmen on Saturday in Gombe.
The Police Public Relations Officer of the command, DSP Fwaje Atajiri, said in Gombe on Sunday that Magaji was shot dead around 7.30 p.m.
According to him, two of the gunmen came on motorcycle, shot the deceased and fled the scene.
He said police were still investigating the matter and that no arrest had been made.
A resident of the quarters, who preferred anonymity, said he witnessed the incident, adding that the gunmen fire close-range shots at Magaji.
The deceased was a civil servant in Gombe Local Government before he left the service for business.
Kaduna
Representing Soba Federal Constituency in Kaduna State, Rep. Ibrahim Khalid says he has disbursed N1.3 million to 130 youths in the area to empower them.
He said in an interview during the disbursement at Maigana Local Government Area of the state, Sunday, that the essence of the gesture was to reciprocate the efforts of youths during his election, which he said, paved the way for his success and urged members of the constituency to be patient, assuring them more democratic dividends.
Also in an interview, the former Chairman of Soba Local Government Council, Alhaji Kawu Ibrahim-Yakasai, described the gesture as timely and commendable.
Ibrahim-Yakasai, who is also a member of the disbursement committee, urged youths to make efficient use of the resources to improve their lives.
Commenting on behalf of the beneficiaries, Alhaji Mu’azu Mahawayi and Malam Buba Mohammed-Yakasai, expressed appreciation for the gesture, urging the lawmaker to sustain the tempo.
Katsina
The Commandant of Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in Funtua, Mr Betara Umar has confirmed the death of three persons in a road accident which occurred in the area last Friday.
Umar said on Saturday in Funtua that 17 other passengers sustained injuries in the accident which involved a bus and a car.
He said the dead passengers were two females and a man who died on the spot, adding that the FRSC officials had removed the bodies and taken the injured to Funtua General Hospital.
He said the accident occurred at Sheme village in Faskari Local Government Area of Katsina State, noting that investigations revealed that the accident happened as a result of wrong overtaking.
Umar appealed to road users to always adhere to road regulations and abide by safety rules.
Kwara
An Italian national, Digi Modesto, working with Borini Prono Construction Company, kidnapped in Ilorin on May 30, has been released.
A police source said on Sunday in Ilorin that the expatriate was released on Saturday by his captors.
According to the source, the Italian was immediately taken away from Ilorin by the construction company. The source refused to confirm the amount paid to the captors before the release of the expatriate was effected.
It was gathered that the victim was kidnapped while going to inspect an on-going road construction at Bishop Smith road, opposite Stella Obasanjo Multipurpose hall.
The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) of Kwara State Police Command, DSP Fabode Olufemi, confirmed the release saying investigation was still going on.
The police spokesman assured the general public that the security agents in the state were determined to ensure security of lives and property, and urged members of the public to go about their normal business and assist the security agents with useful information that would always lead to the arrest of criminals in the society.
Lagos
The Lagos State Commissioner for Environment, Mr Tunji Bello, has urged the residents to champion the cause of a sustainable environment.
He said this Saturday in Lagos, to commemorate this year’s World Environment Day set aside by the United Nations and scheduled to be observed from June 2 to June 17. The theme of this year’s celebration is, “Green Economy – Does it include you?”
Bello said this year’s celebration would dwell more on youths in the tertiary institutions and their involvement in the environment. “Youths, especially those in higher institutions, are change agents and potential crusaders of the Environment whose energy and resources we must enlist in the struggle for a safe and hygienic environment,” he noted.
Bello said that the debate was a way of promoting knowledge and spreading awareness about government’s greening programme and other environment policies among the youth.
The commissioner said the tertiary institutions involved in the debate included Yaba College of Technology, Lagos; State Polytechnic; Federal College of Education,Technical, Akoka; University of Lagos; and Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education.
Nasarawa
Governor Umaru Al-Makura of Nasarawa State has imposed a curfew on Alago and Eggon communities in Lafia, where two persons died in a communal conflict on Friday.
The governor, who visited the two communities in company of the state Commissioner of Police, Mr Abayomi Akeremale, directed that the curfew must run from 6p.m to 6a.m
Al-Makura expressed concern about the communal clash, promising that his administration would provide security of lives and property in all communities in the state.
The governor appealed to all the affected residents to remain calm while the security agents would find the perpetrators of the vicious acts and bring them to judgment and assured that government would provide relief materials to the victims and stressed the need for the communities to live in peace and unity.
Al-Makura attributed the occurrence of the clash to lack of patience and unity among the community members and urged the people of the affected areas to adhere strictly of the curfew, which he said, would hold until peace was restored to the areas.
Nasarawa
The Commissioner of Police in Nasarawa State, Mr Abayomi Akeremale, said that nine persons had been charged to court for disobeying traffic rules on the Karu-Mararaba road.
Akeremale said in Lafia on Saturday that the action was part of efforts aimed at enforcing traffic rules, particularly on the Karu-Mararaba highway which was known for serious traffic gridlock.
He stressed that nobody was above the law irrespective of his or her status in the society, urging citizens to cooperate with the police in efforts to ensure a crime-free society.
Besides, Akeremale said that 18 persons were been arrested under the bridge in the area, adding that nine of them had been charged to court since they had no means of livelihood, while the remaining nine were interrogated and discharged.
“You see, the powerful and mighty just park their vehicles indiscriminately on the Karu-Mararaba road and when you approach them; they will say they are working at so-so place, forgetting that nobody is above the law
“The law is not a respecter of anybody; we are all equal before the law, some people don’t believe that their actions are wrong until they are apprehended and charged to court. “We will continue to arrest them until they have a rethink and become aware that the law is a leveller,’’ he added.
Niger
The Niger Commissioner for Sports Development, Alhaji Hassan Abdullahi, has urged staff of the ministry to embrace computer literacy.
Abdullahi said in Minna while declaring open a two-week workshop organised by the Ministry of Sports Development for its staff to improve their computer skills, that computer literacy is one of the modern ways of keeping abreast of current developments across the globe.
“You must embrace computer literacy as this is the only way you can be connected to the current happenings across the globe. “Therefore, I want all the participants to take this workshop serious to ensure efficient and quality service
delivery,” he said.
Also speaking, Malam Abdul Abdul, the leader of the resource persons, described the computer as a friendly machine that could aid the work of every civil servant.
Ogun
Another multiple crash involving 24 vehicles near Sagamu, on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway caused traffic disorder last Saturday, according to the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC).
FRSC Deputy Corps Public Education Officer, Mr Bisi Kazeem, said that the accident occurred on Friday night when a trailer loaded with petrol fell and caught fire near the Sagamu interchange.
He said although no lives were lost, two persons sustained injuries while 176 people travelling in the affected vehicles had been evacuated.
The accident involved motor cars, mini and luxury buses, tankers as well as trailers, he said.
He appealed to motorists to use alternative routes to and from Lagos to avoid the gridlock, while fire-fighters, police and FRSC officers are battling to ease the traffic.
Last Thursday, there was a traffic logjam between Sagamu and Redeemed Christian Church on the expressway as a tipper, three fuel tankers and three articulated vehicles exploded on impact.
Plateau
Local government workers in Plateau have embarked on an indefinite strike over the non-payment of the N18,000 minimum wage.
Chairman of the NLC in the state, Mr Jibrin Bancir, said in Jos on Saturday that the strike started on Wednesday, May 30. He said that the Trade Union Congress (TUC) was also in support of the indefinite strike.
Bancir said that while the state’s civil servants had been benefiting from the N18,000 minimum wage, local government workers in the state were receiving N9,000 as the minimum wage. He stressed that the strike was to compel the state government to pay the local government workers the new minimum wage.
“We are not longer comfortable with the 50 per cent of what was being paid to workers in PlateauState’s civil service,’’ he said.
The National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) had rejected the 50-per-cent wage increase earlier proposed by the Plateau government.
Mr Samson Mafuyai, the state Chairman of NULGE, said that the union rejected the proposed wage increase because of the government’s inability to abide by the terms of earlier negotiations with the NLC and the TUC.
Sokoto
Gov. Aliyu Wamakko announced on Saturday in Sokoto that contractors executing projects for the State are to pay one per cent of their contract sum to the state Zakat and Endowment Committee.
He said the money would be deducted from source, hinting that a bill to give the deduction a legal backing would be forwarded to the State House of Assembly.
Wamakko spoke at the opening of a workshop on “Zakat and Endowment in Contemporary Society” organised by the State Zakat and Endowment Committee.
He said the direct deduction would boost the “monthly income of the committee to enhance its activities, aimed at alleviating poverty in the society.”
Wamakko also announced that the state government and its 23 local government councils would, henceforth, donate N31.5 million monthly to the committee instead of the current N7.4 million.
The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar, commended the governor for alleviationg the conditions of the poor.
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.