Nation

THE STATES

Published

14 years ago

August 31, 2012

Adamawa

Three persons have been reported dead and many still missing
in flood caused by the release of water from Lagdo Dam in Cameroon Republic.

“The incident occurred following the release of water from
Lagdo Dam by the Cameroon Republic on Saturday,’’ Mr Shadrack Barub, the
Secretary of Adamawa State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), said.

He added that “during assessment tour by the agency in some
of the affected areas, the agency received three death cases, so far, while
many are still missing and thousands of people have been rendered homeless.”

Barub said that the most-hit areas included Fufore,
Girei,Yola South, Yola North, Demsa, Numan, Lamurde, Sheleng, Michika, Guyuk
and Ganye local government areas.

FCT

The National Youth Desk Coordinator, Presbyterian Church of
Nigeria (PCN), Rev. Akin Mbeh on Sunday called on youths to start to build a
new Nigeria on the “ruins and rubbles ‘’ of what remained of the once
prosperous and glorious nation.

In a goodwill message presented to the youth in All
Presbyterian Church on the occasion of the Youths 2012 Sunday in Abuja and made
available to our correspondent, Mbeh said “If we are not truthful to ourselves
, we will never admit any lost glory of our life .’’

’’Youths and all Nigerians should be both builders of new
things and builders of damaged treasures,’’ he added.

“Therefore, we must think well before we build, know what we
want to build , how to build, for who we are building, why we must build and
our end reward or penalty .’’

Jigawa

The Jigawa Government said on Sunday in Dutse that it haS
spent N2. 5 billion on different scholarship programmes for its students from
2007 to date.

Prof. Haruna Wakili, the Commissioner for Education, said
this during the inauguration of the new site of Dutse Model International
School.

Wakili explained that between 2011 and 2012, no fewer than
307 students from the state were sponsored abroad to study Medicine,
Engineering, ICT and Islamic studies.

He said government’s spending on students studying in the
country had increased from N43 .5 million in 2007 to N734 .5 million in 2011.

The commissioner said tertiary institutions also received a
boost as government recently earmarked N1.1 billion for the establishment of
College of Remedial Studies in Kafin-Hausa.

Katsina

No fewer than 100 houses and 146 farms have been destroyed
by flood in Kofa and Tofani villages in Kusada Local Government area of Katsina
State.

The Tide also gathered that eight persons sustained injuries
during the flood which occurred on Friday in the two villages.

The injured persons were said to be receiving treatment at
various hospitals including Katsina General Hospital and Kankia Hospital, with
three treated and discharged.

The flood was said to have destroyed 85 houses and 95 farms
in Kofa village and 15 houses and 51 farms in Tofani village.

Kaduna

A Zaria-based agrochemical dealer, Alhaji Kasimu Iliyasu,
has won CPC’s primaries to be the party’s flag-bearer for Zaria by-election
into Kaduna State House of Assembly.

Declaring the result after the primaries held in Zaria on
Sunday, the Returning Officer, Senator Mohammed Garba, said Iliyasu polled 59
votes to defeat eight other contestants.

Garba said other contestants were Mohammed Ibrahim, who
scored 29 votes, Abass Hassan, 17 votes, Umar Sani, 13 votes, while Aliyu
Ja’afaru, Mohammed Tukur and Hussaini Usman got five, three and two votes
respectively.

The Tide reports that immediately after the declaration of
the result, all the contestants rallied round the winner indicating acceptance
of the outcome of the primaries.

Kogi

Some residents in Lokoja in Kogi State on Tuesday expressed
mixed feelings on the proposed currency restructuring by the Central Bank of
Nigeria (CBN).

The Tide reports that while some residents said it would
have positive effects, others said that it would not have desired effects on
the economy.

Mr Bayo Adeyemi, the Manager of Saklad Wine Shop, told our
correspondent that the currency restructuring policy was necessary now to
improve the economy.

He said it would be easier to move funds to banks after
daily sales if N5, 000 notes were part of the nation’s legal tender.

Kwara

Prof. Shehu Jimoh, Chaiman, Governing Council of Kwara
Polytechnic, Ilorin, has urged tertiary institutions in the country to
emphasise the teaching of science and technology courses in their institutions.

Jimoh told The Tide in Ilorin on Tuesday that the emphasis
was needed to meet the challenges of the 21st century.

According to him, concentrating on the disciplines will also
help move the country forward.

“There is need to place more emphasis on science and
technology, just as they do on cultism, examination malpractice and other
related issues.

“It is obvious now that the development of any nation
depends largely on science and technology and our tertiary institutions should
rise up to the challenge,” he said.

Lagos

Chairman, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA),
Ahmadu Giade has vowed to put an end to the abuse of narcotic drugs and
unconventional substances in some parts of the country.

This was contained in a statement signed by the agency’s
spokesman, Mr Mitchell Ofoyeju, which was made available to newsmen in Lagos.

Giade noted that substances like rubber solution, petrol,
lizard dung and pit toilet were regularly abused in some parts of Nigeria,
particularly in Kano State.

“We are determined to stop the abuse of narcotics and
unconventional substances such as rubber solution, petrol, lizard dung and pit
toilet, all in a bid to get high. All hands must be on deck to protect lives
from destruction.

Nasarawa

Academic activities have been paralysed in three tertiary
institutions of Nasarawa due to strike by lecturers.

The institutions are the College of Education Akwanga, the
College of Agriculture and the Nasarawa State Polytechnic, both in Lafia.

Chairman of the Joint Union of Tertiary Institutions in the
state, Comrade Ibrahim Bako, told newsmen in Lafia on Tuesday that it was a
warning strike to press the state government to meet their demands.

According to him, the government has failed to pay the 18
months outstanding salary arrears to staff of the three institutions.

Niger

The Niger Disaster Management Agency has called on the
Federal Government to hasten the repair of the Wuya Usman bridge across the
River Kaduna to avert its possible collapse due to erosion menace.

The Agency’s Director General, Alhaji Mohammed Shaba, made
the call on Tuesday in an interview with newsmen in Minna.

He said that the repair works must be carried out to prevent
the bridge from collapsing and cutting off the northern parts of the country
from the south on the Bida-Ilorin route.

Shaba, however, said the state government had begun some
repair works around the base of the bridge, adding: “but the Federal Government
must move fast and carry out the repairs so it will be permanent and avoid the
disaster’’.

Ogun

Ten passengers of a commercial bus died on Tuesday at
Obada-Oko in Ogun when their bus collided with an articulated vehicle.

Mr Fatai Bakare, the Itori Unit Commander of the Federal
Road Safety Commission, said the accident occurred along the Abeokuta-Lagos
expressway at about 12 midnight, adding that 11 people were involved.

Bakare gave the registration number of the bus as LAGOS CZ
269 MUS, while the articulated vehicle was marked LAGOS 208 XB.

“All the deceased had been deposited at Federal Medical
Centre (FMC), Abeokuta and Ifo General Hospital. The only survivor is
critically injured and receiving treatment at FMC.

Osun

The Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), the ruling party in
Osun, said on Sunday that it had put the state on the path of growth.

A statement by Mr Kunle Oyatomi, the party’s local Director
of Publicity, Research and Strategy in Osogbo, said that Governor Rauf
Aregbesola’s administration had made life meaningful for the people.

According to the party, as Osun marks its 21st anniversary
on August 27 it has been able to execute meaningful programmes two years after
it assumed power.

The party said that the rainy season that used to be a
period of grief due to poor drainage network was no longer so.

Sokoto

The Chairman of Shagari Local Government in Sokoto State,
Alhaji Abdullahi Maigwandu, said on Tuesday that the council spent about N100
million to construct 10 motorised boreholes in different parts of the area.

Maigwandu told newsmen in Sokoto that the council spent N10
million on the project in each of the 10 wards.

He said that the projects were undertaken to ensure the
supply of potable water for both human and animal consumption.

He explained that the council would continue to initiate
policies and programmes that would have direct bearing on the lives of the
people in the area.

Nation

HYPREP Marks 15 Years Of UNEP Report, Highlights Major Cleanup Milestones

Published

5 days ago

August 10, 2026

The Tide

The Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) has commemorated the 15th anniversary of the release of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Environmental Assessment Report on Ogoniland, reaffirming its commitment to restoring the environment and improving the livelihoods of affected communities.

In a statement signed by the Project Coordinator, Prof Nenibarini Zabbey, to commemorate the anniversary, HYPREP described the anniversary as a significant milestone in Nigeria’s environmental restoration efforts, noting that the project has made remarkable progress in implementing the recommendations of the landmark UNEP report released on August 4, 2011.

The UNEP report had revealed extensive oil pollution across Ogoniland, severe environmental degradation, and serious public health risks resulting from decades of petroleum operations. It also recommended an initial $1 billion fund to commence the cleanup of the affected communities.

According to HYPREP, the Federal Government formally launched the Ogoni clean-up in 2016, while the Project Coordination Office was established in 2017 to drive the implementation of UNEP’s recommendations.
Zabbey said the current administration has continued to prioritise the project under the Renewed Hope Agenda.

Providing an update on the cleanup, the Project Coordinator disclosed that 30 of the 65 contaminated sites identified by UNEP have been fully remediated, while work is ongoing at several medium- and high-risk locations. It also stated that more than 1.5 million mangrove seedlings have been planted as part of what it described as the world’s largest restoration of oil-degraded mangroves, with over 1,000 hectares of shoreline already rehabilitated.

Zabbey further revealed that 49 Ogoni communities have been connected to potable water schemes through multiple water projects and booster stations aimed at providing safe drinking water across the region.

In the health sector, he said the 100-bed Ogoni Specialist Hospital in Kpite and the 43-bed Cottage Hospital in Buan are nearing completion, adding that several existing health facilities have been upgraded with modern medical equipment, while five ambulances have been donated to improve emergency healthcare services. The Project Coordinator also disclosed that a three-year human health biomonitoring study is being conducted in collaboration with the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).

On economic empowerment, Zabbey stated that the Project has created more than 8,000 direct jobs and trained thousands of Ogoni youths and women in various vocational and technical skills, including software development, cybersecurity, aviation, commercial diving, seafaring, mechatronics, and creative arts. The project also reported awarding scholarships to more than 1,000 students, providing grants to small businesses, and supporting persons living with special needs through skills acquisition programmes.

The statement further highlighted ongoing legacy projects, including the Ogoni Power Project and the Centre of Excellence for Environmental Restoration, which it said is about 96 per cent complete. HYPREP also welcomed the recent designation of the Ogoni Wetland as a Ramsar Site of International Importance and pledged to continue promoting biodiversity conservation and sustainable management of the ecosystem.

Marking the anniversary, Zabbey said the progress achieved over the past 15 years demonstrates the collective commitment of government, development partners, stakeholders, and local communities to restoring Ogoniland. He called for renewed collaboration to sustain the cleanup effort, promote environmental sustainability, and support the long-term development of the region. 3

Nation

REAN, SON synergise to curb fake renewable energy product

Published

2 months ago

June 29, 2026

The Tide

The Renewable Energy Association of Nigeria (REAN) says it has strengthened collaboration with the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) to enhance quality control and enforcement frameworks.

Mr Oisereime Lloyd-Dietake, the Head of Communications, REAN, in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja, said the collaboration would also involve stakeholder engagement on testing, certification and capacity building in Nigeria.

He said the synergy would strengthen quality control and enforcement frameworks, promote policy alignment, and ensure stronger regulation across the renewable energy value chain.

“REAN reaffirms its commitment to standardisation and quality assurance; tighter collaboration with SON is critical to eliminating fake and substandard renewable energy products from the Nigerian market.

“Enforcement and gaps in existing standards have continued to allow inferior products to circulate, undermining consumer confidence and slowing sector growth.”

Lloyd-Dietake said that at high-level discussions, REAN also highlighted the need for stronger regulatory coordination to address emerging challenges in the renewable energy space.

According to him, the issues include inconsistencies in standards, affordability issues linked to certification processes; and the increasing presence of substandard solar and renewable energy equipment in the country.

“The association further raised concerns about delays in product testing and approval, calling for the establishment of more testing laboratories and certification facilities to improve efficiency and reduce bottlenecks in the system,’’ he said.

Lloyd-Dietake urged closer collaboration among key regulatory bodies, including the Nigerian Electricity Management Services Agency, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, and the Rural Electrification Agency.

He said such team work would ensure harmonised standards and more effective enforcement against fake renewable energy products in the Nigerian market.

In response, SON acknowledged the important role REAN continued to play in supporting standardisation within Nigeria’s renewable energy industry and reaffirmed its willingness to deepen collaboration with the association.

SON further confirmed that REAN would be actively involved in future standard review processes and upcoming stakeholder engagements related to renewable energy and electric mobility standards development.

Lloyd-Dietake said REAN affirmed its willingness to formalise the partnership through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).

He said the MoU is aimed at deepening cooperation, promoting quality assurance, and accelerating Nigeria’s transition towards reliable and standardised renewable energy solutions.

Nation

Self Help Africa programme expands water access for 320,000 Nigerians

Published

2 months ago

June 29, 2026

The Tide

The WASH Systems for Health (WS4H) Programme, implemented by Self Help Africa, has expanded access to safe water and sanitation services for more than 320,000 people in Kano and Cross River States.

The organisation disclosed this on Tuesday at the WS4H National Results and Learning Workshop in Abuja, where stakeholders reviewed achievements and lessons from the intervention.

Speaking at the event, Self Help Africa Country Director, Joy Aderele, said the programme demonstrated that sustainable WASH improvements require strong institutions, effective governance, adequate financing and collaboration.

Aderele said the UK-funded programme was designed to strengthen systems that support sustainable access to water, sanitation and hygiene services.

According to her, the intervention focused on improving governance, planning, financing, accountability and sector coordination to ensure resilient service delivery.

“More than 320,000 people now have improved or restored access to water services through programme-supported interventions,” she said.

She added that more than 5,520 household toilets were constructed in Yala and Makoda Local Government Areas, boosting sanitation, public health and efforts to end open defecation.

Aderele said the programme also strengthened public investment in WASH, with Cross River increasing its sector budget by 211 per cent in 2026 and Kano by 169.07 per cent.

She added that dedicated WASH budget lines had been established across 40 Ministries, Departments and Agencies in both states, strengthening accountability and institutional commitment.

According to her, both states reviewed and adopted updated WASH policies, while key planning documents were developed to guide future investments and service delivery.

She said Cross River also recorded a major legislative milestone through the passage of the Water Law and Open Defecation Prohibition Bill.

Aderele added that lessons from interventions in Yala LGA were already informing expansion efforts in Obubra Local Government Area.

While commending the achievements, she noted that capacity gaps, resource constraints and climate-related pressures remained challenges to sustainable WASH services.

“The sustainability of these gains will depend on continued government leadership, adequate financing, strong partnerships and investment in institutional capacity,” she said.

Also speaking, the Programme Manager of WS4H, Mr Timothy Ibeawuchi, said the intervention focused on strengthening systems needed to sustain gains and attract future investments.

According to him, the programme engages stakeholders in developing strategies that preserve achievements and support long-term service delivery.

“System strengthening work takes time because it addresses the fundamental issues responsible for sustainable and resilient service delivery,” he said.

Ibeawuchi said the programme strengthened policy development, planning, financing, monitoring and evaluation systems across the WASH sector.

He said two pilot local government areas were supported to develop WASH strategic plans outlining sector goals, targets and activities between 2026 and 2030.

According to him, the plans will guide future interventions and improve service delivery in the affected councils.

Earlier, the representative of the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), Chidera Chukwu, reaffirmed support for Nigeria’s development efforts in spite of the programme nearing completion.

Chukwu commended the Self Help Africa-led consortium for delivering the programme with professionalism and a strong focus on systems strengthening.

He said the consortium contributed greatly to strengthening Nigeria’s WASH sector through policy reforms, improved coordination and enhanced accountability.

“Together, we have advanced key policy and legislative reforms, including open defecation-free laws and strengthened state WASH frameworks,” he said.

According to him, the reforms represent enduring system-level changes that will continue delivering benefits beyond the programme’s lifespan.

In his remarks, Mr Jamilu Habu, Director of Water Quality Control and Sanitation, Federal Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation, commended the programme’s achievements.

Habu, who represented the Permanent Secretary, said the intervention strengthened governance, coordination, evidence-based planning and institutional capacity in the WASH sector.

He described the workshop as an opportunity to review achievements, share lessons and identify pathways for sustaining and scaling successful interventions.

According to him, the programme’s innovations and best practices will guide future policies and investments aimed at expanding access to safe WASH services.

Habu stressed the need for continued collaboration among governments, development partners, civil society organisations, the private sector and communities.

He said stronger partnerships remained essential to achieving universal access to water, sanitation and hygiene services and meeting Sustainable Development Goal 6.