Nation
THE STATES
Benue
The Benue State Bureau for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs said it spent N100 million to pay severance allowances to council chairmen between 2004 and 2006.
The Special Adviser to Gov. Gabriel Suswam on Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Mr Solomon Wombo, made the disclosure on Friday in Makurdi at a news conference on the activities of the bureau.
The special adviser said the allowances were paid to ease the hardship of the former council helmsmen, adding that efforts were on to clear the backlog of allowances.
Wombo said the bureau was up to date on its financial obligation to past and serving local government officers in the state.
Borno
Five suspected armed robbers were on Friday shot dead by the 243 battalion troops of the Nigerian Army, Manguno, in Borno State.
The spokesman of the Joint Task Force (JTF) on Operation Restore Order (ORO), Lt.-Col. Sagir Musa, stated this in Maiduguri.
“Following a tip-off, the 243 battalion in Monguno at about 1655 hours on Friday raided a hideout of notorious gang of armed bandits terrorising the people of Monguno and environs.
“Twenty suspected bandits engaged the troops in a shoot-out that led to the death of five persons, and some escaped with bullet wounds,” the statement said.
It said that two soldiers were also wounded during the shoot-out and were responding to treatment.
“The following items were recovered from the hideout, one AK47 rifle, two locally-made pistols, some ammunition and four Nokia handsets.’’
Gombe
The Magistrates’ Court I Kasuwan Shanu Gombe, on Monday granted bail to a 20-year old man, Auwal Mohammed of Malam Inna quarters, Gombe, charged with conspiracy and possession of offensive weapons.
The Police Prosecutor, Cpl. Elisha Luka, told the court that the accused person on May 13, conspired with Ibrahim Bala and Aminu Shaye of the same address, now at large, to commit offence.
He said the accused person was arrested with a cutlass, thereby committing an offence, contrary to Sections 96, 95 and 8 (1) (3) Cap 382 Law of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
The prosecutor also said that investigation had been completed and asked the court to proceed with the hearing of the case against the accused person.
Kaduna
Children and tutors in Kaduna, Monday, decried the low-key Children’s Day celebration.
Gamji Gate, which used to be crowded with children during such celebration, was deserted.
Some of the children, who turned back on sighting the empty park, said that this year’s celebration was different as there were no special programmes organised for them.
Nine -year-old Danladi Yusuf, a primary 5 pupil of Hall-Mark International School, Kaduna, blamed parents for lack of attention to their children.
Miss Shem Ibrahim, 12, and a JSS two student at Imperial College, Kaduna, urged the government to build world-class amusement parks and special library, where children could interact and gain knowledge.
Kano
The Medical Director of Danfodiyo Islamic Medical Centre, Dr Abdullahi Idris, has called on the National Assembly to investigate the alleged brutality by the Joint Security Task Force (JTF) on Dorayi residents in Kano.
Idris who made the call in an interview in Kano recently said that the JTF operatives had on May 15, raided Dorayi area of the metropolis in an effort to arrest suspected gunmen involved in the recent attack on Bayero University Kano.
Idris said the call became necessary in order to ensure justice and restore the confidence of the people in the security outfit, noting that it was unfortunate that the soldiers who were supposed to protect lives and property of innocent citizens could engage in acts that would portray them as anti people.
Kebbi
Kebbi State Deputy, Governor Ibrahim Aliyu, on Monday urged youths in the state to be security conscious and respect constituted authorities.
The deputy governor gave the advice in Birnin Kebbi at a symposium on the role of youths organised to mark the International Children’s Day and Democracy Day.
Aliyu said the current security situation in the country requires the youth to be alert and to assist in policing their communities.
He said the youths must also “imbibe the virtues of respect for law and order, seriousness of purpose and commitment to earning a living as the bedrock of your future”.
Represented by the Commissioner for Education, Alhaji Abdullahi Kambe, Aliyu pledged that the state government would provide environment conducive to teaching and learning.
Kwara
An expatriate working with Borini Prono Construction Company has been kidnapped in Ilorin, Kwara State.
The victim, who was said to have gone to inspect an ongong road construction at Bishop Smitt road, was whisked away by his abductors at about 5:30 p.m on Monday to an unknown destination.
The Police Public Relation Officer (PPRO) in Kwara, DSP Fabode Olufemi, told the newsmen in Ilorin on Wednesday, that hte police was aware of hte incident.
He siad that no contact had been made with the kidnappers, adding that the police could only confirm the report pending the outcome of its investigations.
The police spokesman explained that the victim was an Italian, working with Borini Prono.
He, however, assured the public that the victim was an would soon be rescued.
When NAN visited the head office of the company along new Yidi road, there was nobody on hand to speak on the incident.
Lagos
Some Lagos-based lawyers said on Friday that the entrenchment of the rule of law was key to the development of Nigeria’s democracy.
One of the lawyers, Mr Spurgeon Ataene, said that the immediate reinstatement of Justice Ayo Salami, as President of the Court of Appeal, would be the rule of law at work.
He said that any action that would influence people to lose confidence in the nation’s judicial system must be avoided. According to him, democracy will not become fruitful to Nigerians if the judiciary is not vibrant and does not play its role without interference.
Another lawyer, Mr Seun Adenuga, said that emergent democracies needed to first address the challenges facing their judiciary before other things to make the political system to succeed.
Niger
The Federal Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development is to collaborate with a private developer, Ofra & Davon to construct 5,000 housing units for the officers and men of the Nigeria Police in Minna.
The Chief Executive of Ofran & Davon, Mr Victor Danjumbo, who disclosed the plan on Sunday at a stakeholders meeting in Minna, said that the agreement was signed in October 2011.
He said that the ministry had since 2007 acquired about 500 hectares in two different locations within the Niger capital, noting that each of the land acquired would house 2,500 housing units.
Danjumbo said that when completed, 60 per cent of the housing units would be allocated to the Nigeria Police Force, while the remaining would be sold to interested members of the public.
Sokoto
The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), has called on President Goodluck Jonathan to intervene in the feud between the sacked medical doctors in Lagos State and the government.
The Secretary of the NMA, Dr Abubakar Panti, Sokoto State chapter, made the call in Sokoto at a news conference. Panti also called on the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III and Gov. Aliyu Wamakko of Sokoto State to also intervene in the crisis.
He further appealed to others, including the Senate President, David Mark, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Alhaji Aminu Tambowal to wade into the crisis for an amicable settlement
“We want them and all other well meaning Nigerians to talk to the state governor, Mr Babatunde Fashola-led government to heed the voice of wisdom and stop playing politics with the lives of the electorate that brought him to power.
Taraba
The Gassol Local Government in Taraba has begun the screening of 500 members of a vigilante group to confront the current security challenges in area.
The Chairman of the council, Alhaji Tukura Bashir, who announced this to newsmen on Monday in Mutum-Biyu, said the Nigeria Police Force was screening the members.
He said that every member of the group must be endorsed by his Village Head to avoid engaging people with criminal records.
“It is compulsory that every member of the group should obtain clearance and submit same to the police. Through this process, people of questionable character will be fished out.”
Bashir said that a van and office accommodation would be provided to the group to assist it in arresting criminals and handing them over to the police.
On development projects, the council chief said the state government had awarded a contract for the construction of a four-kilometre road in Mutum-Biyu, the headquarters of the council, to open up the area for local and foreign investments.
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.
