Nation
THE STATES
Adamawa
The Adamawa Government, has intervened in the dispute
between the newly appointed 35 development area administrators with their
predecessors over who has the right to official cars.
There was a running battle between the newly appointed
administrators, who insisted on having
the official cars from their predecessors.
Declaring government’s position to newsmen on the
development, the Chief of Staff to Governor
Murtala Nyako, Alhaji Abdulrahman Abba, said the out-going
administrators were the rightful owners of the cars, which he confirmed had
been monetised.
Abba, who is also the acting commissioner for information,
said the state government had directed the new administrators who had
confiscated the cars from their predecessors to return them.
He said that the government had also directed those still
hunting their predecessors to desist forthwith.
The chief of staff said, “with this development, the matter
has been settled for good.’’
Jigawa
The Jigawa House of Assembly, passed a bill for the establishment of a
Farmers/Pastoralists Board, the Speaker, Alhaji Adamu Ahmad, said in Dutse.
Ahmad said in an interview in Delta, that the
executive-sponsored bill was aimed at checking the incessant crisis between
farmers and herdsmen in the state.
He commended the administration of Governor Sule Lamido for coming up with the bill
which, he said, would provide lasting solution to the problem of farmers and
pastoralists.
According to him, conflict between the two groups has
minimised since the inception of the present administration in the state.
Ahmad said that the House had also passed a bill to
establish the state Arts Exhibition and Multimedia Censors’ Board.
Kaduna
The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has urged
Christians not to stay away from church activities, particularly at this time
of persecution.
The Chairman of the Kaduna State chapter of CAN, Rev. Samuel
Kujiyat, made the call in Kaduna recently.
He stressed that the recent developments in the country
notwithstanding, Christians should always strive to propagate the gospel,
adding that if Christians refrained from preaching the gospel, the perpetrators
of the persecution would have an upper hand and be encouraged to commit their
evil plans.
Kujiyat, who spoke at the 19th Synod of the Diocese of
Kaduna, Anglican Communion, however, prayed for God’s intervention and
protection for the Christian faithful.
Kano
The Joint Security Task Force (JTF) and operatives of the
State Security Service (SSS) have in Kano arrested three suspected gunmen at
Gadar Bayero, near Taburawa Kano.
The State SSS Director, Mr Bassey Ettang, announced this
while briefing newsmen. He said the suspects were apprehended during an early
morning raid at a hide out at Tamburawa, a Kano outskirt.
“The operation was carried out based on an intelligent
report of the activities of the terrorists who operate at the outskirts of Kano
now. “We were able to recover some quantities of primed Improvised Explosive
Devices (IEDs) ready for detonation, together with military uniforms used by
the gunmen.’’
Kebbi
The Controller of Prisons in Kebbi, Alhaji Othman Musa, has
com-mended the Emir of Zuru, Alhaji Sani Sami, for assisting in the reformation
of minor offenders to be good members of society.
Musa, who gave the commendation in Birnin Kebbi urged
members of the public to emulate the Emir to ensure that prison inmates came
out as better citizens.
He said the nation’s prisons were facing the challenge of
blending their inmates to fit into the society after their jail terms,
considering that some of them felt abandoned by relatives and the society.
“We would strive to erase the stigma placed on the inmates
by the society to prevent them from transforming into hardened criminals,
deviants and social misfits. “The people need to emulate the Emir of Zuru,
Alhaji Sani Sami, who had facilitated the release of minor offenders as well as
assisted them with tools to learn skills that would enable them blend into
society.”
Kogi
The President, National Council of Women Societies (NCWS),
Kogi chapter, Mrs Mary Olowosegun, has
advised women to show commitment to politics in order to reflect their real
strength.
Olowosegun newsmen in
Lokoja, that she was disappointed at the low turnout of women aspirants for the
forthcoming local government election in the state.
She said it was the zeal that women aspirants displayed in
politics that would generate financial support for them.
The women leader said that she was planning to have a meeting
with the representatives of the association in the rural areas to help
sensitise the women in the state towards the forth coming local government
election.
Kwara
A cleric, Uztaz Abdulfatah Abiona-Ibrahim, has urged wealthy
Mus-lims in the country to always provide assistance to the poor, particularly
during the last 10 days of the Ramadan.
Abiona-Ibrahim, an Ilorin-based Islamic scholar, made the
call while delivering a sermon at the “A” Division Police Station Mosque in
Ilorin, recently.
He said the call became necessary because of the blessings
attached to the last 10 days of the Ramadan known as the “Night of Majesty.”
The cleric also urged Muslims to ensure that their
Zakatul-fitri (gift) was observed in accordance with the provisions of the
Quran and Hadith. He said the gift could be in form of food stuff presented to
the less privileged.
Ondo
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has predicted that the
People’s Democratic Party (PDP) would win the October 20 Ondo governorship
election.
Obasanjo stated this
in Akure at a rally organised by the PDP ahead of the election. At the
rally tagged “ Unity Rally,’’ the governorship candidate of the party, Chief
Olusola Oke was handed over the party’s flag.
Obasanjo described Oke as very credible, and urged the
people of the state to vote for him.
“I want to start by thanking our brothers and sisters
outside Ondo State who have come to flag off the campaign to bring PDP back to
the state. “We have a creditable candidate for Ondo State, Olusola Oke is a
good leader that can be taken by his words,’’ he said.
Ogun
The General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God
(RCCG) Pastor Enoch Adeboye, says the church has foreign missions in 160
nations of the world.
He disclosed this at the Special Holy Ghost Service which
commenced on Friday night as part of activities marking the 60th Convention of
the Church.
Adeboye said that the church opened branches in 13 countries
in the last one year in addition to the existing 147 nations where the church
operated.
According to him, God expects RCCG to be present in all
nations of the world. He, however, expressed optimism that the goal would be
achieved soon.
Adeboye, who announced that a total of 11,162 weddings were
conducted by the church in the last one year, added that 68 women were
delivered of babies inside the camp ground, venue of the convention.
Osun
Some residents of Modakeke in Osun have commended the state
government for introducing compulsory environmental sanitation twice in a
month.
A resident, Mr Oluwaseun Ajibade, in Modakeke said that the exercise would ensure the good
health of the citizens. “Health is wealth; the basic concept of the bi-monthly
sanitation in Osun is to make people healthier and by implication, prolong
their lifespan,’’ he said.
Ajibade, who spoke during the initial observance of the
sanitation, reiterated that the exercise would promote healthy living among the
citizens of the state.
A resident of the Oke-ola area of Modakeke, Mrs Omolabake
Goriola, commended the government for
the initiative, condemning the manner in which some residents disposed of their
refuse.
Oyo
The Oyo State Government says it will soon begin the payment
of the retirement entitlements of primary school teachers and local government
workers via e-payment.
A statement by the Chairman, Oyo State Local Government
Staff Pensions Board, Chief Lasisi Ayankojo, in Ibadan said that the policy was
aimed at checking fraud in the payment of pensions and gratuities.
The state government recently uncovered a N2.6 billion pension
fraud in the board. The interim investigation of the board’s account between
September 2010 and March, 2011, which exposed the fraud, allegedly indicted 10
civil servants.
Ayankojo said that the e-payment would also help to
streamline pension payment, while reducing the troubles usually associated with
the payment of pension.
Taraba
The Proprietor, Beautiful People Driving School, Jalingo, Mr
Francis Ejembi, has advocated proper training for both commercial and private
drivers to reduce the high rate of road accidents on Nigerian roads.
Ejembi, who gave the advice in Jalingo, in an interview said
that most of the road crashes occurred as a result of ‘gross disregard’ for
road signs due to little or no training by drivers.
He said that a well-trained driver would not wait for
officials of the FRSC to tell him to put on his seat belt because he should
know the importance of seat belt to his safety.
“Proper training of drivers is one of the development agenda
of the United Nations Vision 20:2020. “A well trained driver knows that he has
to do routine checks on his vehicle, put on his seat belt and respect the
rights of other road users.
Yobe
The Yobe State Commissioner of Police, Mr Patrick Egbuniwe,
has confirmed that gunmen engaged security operatives in a shoot-out at the
Bindigari area of Damaturu.
Egbuniwe said in a telephone interview that the shoot-out
ensued when security operatives went to the area on security patrol.
“Gunmen as usual, have engaged our security operatives in a
shoot-out. “The operation is still on in the area, so we can not confirm
casualties yet. Other parts of the town are, however, calm and security
operatives are on top of the situation,’’ Egbuniwe stated.
Meanwhile, many residents have deserted the streets of the
city for safety.
Six soldiers and one civilian were killed on August 5 in a
suicide bomb attack along Gashua Road in Damaturu.
The President General of Ogbakor Ikwerre Cultural Organisation Worldwide and the Mgboh XIII of the Mgboh Royal Family of Emohua Kingdom in Emohua Local Government Area of Rivers State, Eze (Barrister) Godspower Onuekwa, penultimate Friday celebrated his 80th birthday with pomp, pageantry and fanfare.
The celebration, which commenced with a symposium organised in his honour at Rivers State University on Thursday, August 21,2025, got to a resounding climax on Friday at Suntai Event Centre in Port Harcourt, where people from all walks of life, including business associates, friends, well-wishers, relatives, community folks, traditional rulers, and admirers, gathered to pay glowing tributes to the celebrant.
Before then, a well attended thanksgiving service was held that same Friday at Emmanuel Anglican Church, Okoro-Nu-Odo, to honour him and return gratitude to God Almighty for the fruitful and eventful life and accomplishments of the Emohua leader and icon.
The service which was officiated by Rt Rev Wisdom Budu Ihunwo, Bishop of Niger Delta North had other renowned and respected clerics like Most Rev(Dr) Blessing Enyindah, Dean, Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion); Rt Rev(Dr) Emmanuel Oko-Jaja, Bishop, Diocese of Niger Delta; Rt Rev Innocent Ordu, Bishop, Diocese of Evo; and Ven Solomon Eze Nelson, Archdeacon, Okoro-Nu-Odo; among others lined up as officiating ministers.
The service lived up to its billing, as it featured powerful and soul-lifting praise and worship; point-blank prayers; and beautiful renditions, which electrified the entire atmosphere, essentially packaged to thank God for the life of the celebrant.
However, the crowning moment actually came when the who is who, the crème de la crème of the society, thronged the terraces and fabulously decorated expansive hall of Suntai Event Centre, to celebrate Eze Onuekwa, amid accolades, aplomb and panache, wining and dining, and clinking of glasses with him and all.
The chairman of the colourful ceremony, Chief Evans Woherem, who was represented by Eze(Prof) Christian Akani of the prestigious Ignatius Ajuru University of Education, praised the celebrant for his youthfulness in spite of clocking 80 years, generosity, humility, humaneness and selfless services to the Ikwerre ethnic nationality, the Niger Delta and Nigeria, and called on all and sundry to emulate his good legacies and simple disposition towards life and existence.
Goodwill messages also poured in in torrents to underscore and salute the doggedness, resilience, astuteness and uniqueness of the endearing life of the celebrant, with Prof Emenike Wami, the Ochia Ohna Ikwerre(XIV), taking the lead.
Prof Priye Iyalla, the wife of late renowned writer, novelist and playwright, Dr Elechi Amadi, held the audience spellbound as she masterfully reeled out the profile of the celebrant, amid intermittent applause from the crowd.
The Tiv Community from Benue State, resident in Rivers State, were not left out, as they honoured and decorated Eze Onuekwa in their complete traditional regalia.
Cultural displays from Baptist Church, Rumuowhor; ADNA Wogbuji Dancing Group, Egbeda; Tiv Dancing Group; and Promoter Eze and Rumu-Mgboh Emohua Wrestling Group, equally added colour and grace to the occasion, with the celebrant and his wife, Dame Ann Onuekwa, joining them to wriggle their waists and bodies in ecstasy.
In his response, the highly elated celebrant, Eze Onuekwa thanked all those gathered to celebrate with him, saying, celebrations would never cease in their homes, and attributed everything he represents in life, including his modest accomplishments to God.
Eze Onuekwa, while addressing newsmen, harped on the need for hard work among the youths and members of Ogbakor Ikwerre Cultural Organisation Worldwide, as a way of sustaining and giving meaning to the motto of the organisation, which he noted is anchored on peace, unity and progress.
He specially thanked God for sustaining his life, and for making everything possible for him and his family, saying, he was joyous that he has today become an octogenarian and elder statesman in Rivers State.
His son and medical practitioner, Dr Samuel Chizia Onuekwa expressed delight that people from far and near had come together to celebrate the father, whom he described as a role model and great inspirator.
He said it was a good thing that the children were celebrating their father when he is alive, stressing that the last time Eze Onuekwa was celebrated in such magnitude was 20 years ago, during his 60th birthday celebration, and prayed God to grant him many more years in good health.
Among dignitaries who graced the event were Senator Andrew Uchendu; Chief Sampson Agbaru; Prof Emenike Wami; Dr Peter Didia; Eze(Prof) Samuel Ugo Onyeka; and a host of others. Justice Iche Ndu(rtd); and C O Kattey were among personalities that attended the thanksgiving service, while the Vice Chancellor of Rivers State University, Prof Isaac Zeb-Obipi led the academics who graced the symposium, alongside Eze G A O Omodu.
As the 100 Ogoni youths trained by the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) in Creative Arts close out their training on Tuesday at the Theatre Arts Department, University of Port Harcourt, the Project Coordinator of HYPREP, Prof Nenibarini Zabbey, has urged the beneficiaries to use the skills acquired to ensure that the Ogoni stories are told and heard in the right way.
The trainees, who had completed a four- month training in script writing, film production and make-up are beneficiaries of the HYPREP sustainable livelihood programme, aimed at providing high demand skills to Ogoni youths in the lucrative creative arts and entertainment industry.
Zabbey described the Creative Arts training as well as other programmes and interventions as HYPREP’s strategic sustained effort to create alternative sources of livelihood.
”Targeted capacity building for Ogoni youths and women remains a central strategy in HYPREP’s livelihood restoration and improvement efforts. Our goal is to reach every part of the Ogoni community and ensure that no group or talent pool is left behind. This training is a deliberate step to empower young people who aspire to make their mark in the creative and entertainment industry”, he said.
While commending the trainees for producing four short films within the training period, one of which was premiered at the ceremony-Dirty Festival, the Project Coordinator noted that the training would serve as a springboard into the industry, and enable them earn a living, become entrepreneurs, and open new doors of opportunities for themselves and their communities. The three other movies are Open Pain, Bomu and Green War.
He enjoined them to utilise their skills and platforms to promote civic responsibility, peace, and environmental sustainability, urging them to ensure that Ogoni is heard in the right way, speak for HYPREP and highlight the progress being made in implementing the recommendations of the UNEP Report.
Other speakers at the event, including the Director of Technical Services of HYPREP, Prof. Damian-Paul Aguiyi; Dr Ovunda Ihunwo, Head of the Theatre Arts Department of the University of Port Harcourt; Chief Douglas Experience, the Project Coordinator of Halibiz Consult Limited; and Mrs Josephine Nzidee, Head, Sustainable Livelihood of HYPREP, all applauded HYPREP for the training, and charged the trainees to maximise the opportunity.
The trainees were later presented certificates of participation.
Visibly elated Ms Lebee Tornwe, one of the beneficiaries, thanked HYPREP and the Project Coordinator for offering the trainees the rare opportunity to acquire skills in the creative arts and entertainment industry, and expressed delight that Dr Ihunwo and Halibiz Consult Limited gave their all in grooming them.
With the wrapping up of the Creative Arts training(100), HYPREP has trained 230 Ogoni youths in high demand skill sets ,viz; seafaring(100); and aviation (30). The Project will this year, commence training in other skill areas, including Mechatronic, Aviation, Full-Stack Development, Commercial Diving, Underwater Welding and Geographic Information Systems (GIS).
Still in the offing is the training for Ogoni Persons Living with Disabilities in five skill sets- fish farming; basic computer skills; photography; fashion and design; and shoemaking in line with their Needs Assessment and HYPREP’s policy of inclusivity.
The National Youth Council of Ogoni People (NYCOP) had called on stakeholders to work collaboratively towards the development and empowerment of Ogoni youths.
NYCOP made the call in a communique issue over the weekend after an emergency Congress in Port Harcourt and signed by its President, Comrade Raymond Nwibani Marcus.
In the communique, NYCOP endorsed President Bola Tinubu’s appointments of the Governing Council and Board of Trustees (BOT) members of the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP), particularly Rt. Hon. Emmanuel Nwika Deeyah as Chairman of HYPREP’s BOT.
It respectfully appealed to the President to consider appointing a representative from the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP) under the leadership of Engr. Olu Andah Wai-Ogosu, being the pioneering social vehicle for Ogoni advocacy since the inception of the Ogoni struggle, adding that it would significantly contribute to the decision-making process.
The body commended the overall management of HYPREP and urges the President to continue funding the HYPREP project.
NYCOP furthermore recommended considering the conversion of HYPREP from a project to a full-fledged agency of the Federal Government of Nigeria.
The communique also stated that NYCOP thanked President Tinubu for establishing the Federal University of Environmental Technology, and for appointing key staff, forming a dialogue committee, and initiating infrastructural projects like the Eleme axis of the East-West Road and the Bonny-Bodo Road, significantly enhancing regional connectivity and economic prospects.
In solidarity with the Renewed Hope Agenda, the endorsed President Tinubu’s second-term bid, saying it believes his leadership embodies the aspirations of the Ogoni people and Nigerians at large.
“After thorough consideration of the Disciplinary Committee’s report, NYCOP resolves:
” To indefinitely suspend Comrade Nade Nade Burale from his position as Secretary General due to misconduct.
“To declare Comrade Saviour Imeabe persona non grata on Ogoni youth issues, given his actions’ potential to instigate crisis in Ogoni and beyond” the communique stated.
NYCOP in his resolution issued a 7-day ultimatum to former HYPREP BOT Chairman Mike Nwialeghi to explain the $100 million HYPREP fund investment, warning of potential litigation.
NYCOP reaffirmed its commitment to safeguarding Ogoni youth interests and preventing personal aggrandizement.
According to the communique the resolutions demonstrate NYCOP’s efforts to promote the collective welfare and advancement of Ogoni youth.
“We will no longer tolerate any individual or group using the name or issues of Ogoni youth for personal aggrandizement.
” Our mandate is clear: to promote the collective welfare and advancement of Ogoni youth” the communique said.
NYCOP passes a vote of confidence in Hon. Emmanuel Nwika Deeyah, acknowledging his impeccable credentials and credibility to lead the BOT of HYPREP effectively.
Kiadum Edookor