Nation
THE STATES
Bauchi
The Executive Secretary, Bauchi State Primary Healthcare
Development Agency, Dr Nisser Umar, has refuted reports on the outbreak of new
cases of Diphtheria in the state.
He told The Tide in Bauchi that the cases being reported
occurred two months ago at Duzun in Katagum Local Government area and that 36
children were affected in the incident and only one tested positive to
diptheria.
Umar said that the children were immediately treated, adding
that all children under five years in the community were vaccinated and
provided with nutritional supplements and antibiotics.
The executive secretary said the agency had also organised
awareness campaign on the importance of utilising healthcare services.
FCT
A 26-year old actor, Bestwood Chukwuemeka, was last Monday
sentenced to three months imprisonment by a Karu Senior Magistrates’ Court,
Abuja, for having sexual intercourse with another man through the anus.
The convict, who resides at Gidan Mangoro, had pleaded
guilty to the charge.
“I am guilty of the charge against me. I was under the
influence of alcohol and I want the court to temper justice with mercy’’, he
said.
The police prosecutor, Mohammed Umar, had told the court
that the convict committed the offence in August when the complainant was
sleeping in his bed, pointing out that since he had pleaded guilty to the crime
he initially denied, the court should trial him summarily.
Gombe
The National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and
Control (NAFDAC) on Monday confiscated many expired, counterfeit and banned
drugs in some patent medicine stores in Gombe State.
The agency seized the drugs during raids on some shops by
different enforcement teams in Gombe, Kaltungo, Billiri and Kumo town.
Mrs Comfort Makanjuola, Deputy Director, Ports Inspection of
NAFDAC, told newsmen that the raids were aimed at ensuring compliance with the
law prohibiting the sale of unwholesome products.
She said “NAFDAC has acquired cutting edge technology,
called truscan technology, for a quick and on-the-spot assessment of
counterfeit and fake drugs.
Jigawa
The Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), has
spent N30 million on the purchase of audio recorders for intending pilgrims
from the state.
The Secretary of the association, Alhaji Abba Daguro, told
The Tide in Dutse that the tapes were meant to assist the pilgrims to record
and learn the etiquette of Hajj.
Abba said that the gesture was a moral obligation on its
part to ensure the success of the pilgrimage.
“Last year, we purchased the same gadgets and it is our hope
that we will continue with the gesture, annually.
Jos
The Plateau State Agricultural Development Programme (PADP)
and the ADP-assisted Fadama II has advised farmers in the state to embrace the
Community Seed Multiplication Programme (CSMP) as it has the potential of
increasing production.
Mr. Luka Kefas, the leader of the technical team of the
Fadama II programme made the call during an inspection tour of some selected
farms.
He said that the crop farms were earmarked for seed
multiplication in various parts of the state, adding that the CSMP was aimed at
making improved and high yielding varieties of seeds available to farmers at
affordable prices.
Kefas, who is also the Director of Technical Services of the
PADP, said that the Community Seed Multiplication Programme was necessary to
remove middlemen syndrome in the procurement of farm inputs.
Kaduna
The Federal Government on Tuesday declared that the Kaduna
River Bridge was safe for motorists.
Mr Sa’ad Tukur, the Federal Controller of Works, Housing and
Urban Development in Kaduna, told The Tide that the bridge was last maintained
in 2009 and was still safe.
Tukur frowned at speculations in Kaduna metropolis over the
safety of the River Kaduna Bridge, saying that visualisation inspection had
been carried out on the bridge by the ministry to verify and correct the erroneous
impression created by some opposition elements.
Tukur said that the only problem identified during the
inspection was that the walkway slabs had been removed by mobile phone
operators in the state and were not properly replaced.
Katsina
The Country Programme Manager, International Fund for
Agricultural Development (IFAD), Ms Atsuko Toda, has stressed the need to
consolidate the impact of the Community-Based Agricultural Development
Programme (CBARDP).
Toda said this in an interview with our correspondent as the
16th Supervision Mission of the IFAD-assisted programme got under way on Monday
in Katsina.
The programme is being implemented in the seven northern
states of Borno, Jigawa, Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto, Yobe and Zamfara.
While commending what she called “strong buy-in” into the
programme by the State Governments, she underscored the importance of ensuring
the viability and sustainability of programme implementation.
Kebbi
Governor Saidu Dakingari of Kebbi State has advised the new
local government council chairmen in the state to ensure accountability and
good governance in the discharge of their duties.
The governor who made the call in Birnin Kebbi during the
swearing-in ceremony of the chairmen, promised to give them free hand to
perform their statutory responsibility of improving the lives of the people.
Dakingari commended the people of the state for the peaceful
election and urged the chairmen to reciprocate the gesture through hard work.
“The popular choice of the people put you in office and such
popular opinion can remove you from office if you do not perform for the
people” he warned the council bosses.
Kwara
Kwara State Government has inaugurated a 22-member committee
for the celebration of the 52nd independence anniversary of the country.
The Commissioner for Sports and Youth Development, Mr
Anthony Towoju, inaugurated the committee in Ilorin on Monday.
Towoju said the committee would design an acceptable
programme and organise a hitch-free ceremony.
The Chairman of the committee, Hajia Aishat Mohammed,
promised that the members would organise a colourful event.
The committee has Alhaji Aliyu Ahmed, an Assistant Director
in the ministry as the Secretary.
Lagos
The Minister of Communications Technology, Mrs Omobola
Johnson, has said that the Federal Government would soon formulate a regulatory
framework for the protection of intellectual property rights in the country.
The minister said this at a dinner jointly organised by the
Information Technology Association of Nigeria (ITAN) and the National
Association of Computer and Software Companies of India (NASSCOM).
Represented by her Special Assistant on IT, Mr Ola Ogunleye,
the minister said that the proposed regulatory framework would support the
privileges of local entrepreneurs on technology biased policies like tax
breaks, tariffs, levies and concessions.
She said that the Ministry was creating enabling
infrastructure to boost Information and Communications Technology (ICT).
Nasarawa
The Nasarawa State Investment and Property Development Company
(NIPDC) on Tuesday disclosed that about 400 contractors had submitted bids for
the rehabilitation of the Karu International Market in Nasarawa.
Mr Daniel Ajegena, NIPDC General Manager, disclosed this to
our correspondent after the biding process in Lafia.
He said that about 400 bids had been received, adding that
the applications would be scrutinised to determine the technical and financial
capacity of the companies.
He said: “their bids will pass through a consultant who will
evaluate the contractors based on their technical and financial capacities,
adding that that NIPDC advertised for submission of interests for the
renovation of the market three weeks ago.
Oyo
The Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), Oyo State
Command, on Monday recovered 224 laptop computers worth N17 million from an
accident scene in Ibadan.
The FRSC Oluyole Unit Commander, Mr Sanya Adeoye, said that
the accident occurred at Onigari area along Lagos-Ibadan express road on Sunday
evening, pointing out that the accident involved a Toyota 18-seater Hiace bus
with registration number Lagos RN 210 AAA.
The commander said the driver of the bus, which had four
occupants, lost control of the vehicle as a result of over-speeding before
skidding off the expressway.
Zamfara
An Islamic scholar in Gusau, Sheikh Hamisu Anka, has urged
the Zamfara State House of Assembly to
drop its plan to reduce the tenure of local government councils in the state to
two years.
Last week, the House said it would soon commence
deliberations on a bill seeking to amend the tenure of the councils from three
years as provided by the existing law to two years.
The Tide reports that the bill has attracted criticisms from
many commentators who viewed the move as an avenue to waste public funds.
Anka, who was speaking at a preaching session in Gusau, said
the legislators should focus on laws that would fight poverty, ignorance and
unemployment among the youths and women of the state.
Strategic regulators and other stakeholders have expressed satisfaction with the pace, quality and magnitude of work carried out by the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) in Ogoniland, in line with the recommendations of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
In their separate speeches at the 2025 4th quarter key regulators / asset owners meeting held in Port Harcourt, the strategic stakeholders commended HYPREP for the significant milestones achieved with excellent efficiency and transparency, demonstrating capacity and commitment to sustaining collaboration with development partners for the overall success of the Project.
The regulators particularly lauded HYPREP for the landmark success in the implementation of the land and shoreline remediation, mangrove restoration, provision of reticulated potable water, the various sustainable livelihood programmes, donation of ambulances to health facilities in Ogoni, the construction of Centre of Excellence for Environmental Restoration, as well as the ongoing Ogoni Power Project, adding that their independent field reports have shown proofs of HYPREP driving even beyond its mandates.
The goodwill messages were made by representatives of the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA), Centre for Environment and Human Rights Development (CEHRD), Society for Women and Youths Affairs (SWAYA), Stakeholders Democracy Network (SDN), Nigerian Pipelines and Storage Company (NPSC), and Federal Ministry of Environment. Others are the Rivers State Ministry of Environment, the Rivers State Ministry of Health, the National Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), the Rivers State Ministry of Power, the Rivers State University, the Rivers State Ministry of Water and Rural Development, and Renaissance Africa Energy Company Limited.
Following the Monitoring and Evaluation Unit’s presentation on the status of HYPREP projects, participants offered feedback on areas of concern. They reassured HYPREP and the people of Ogoni of their continued support for the Project’s success. They also suggested that the quarterly review meeting be sustained as it enables them to report, evaluate and proffer solutions to areas of concern.
Participants also commended HYPREP for improved community and stakeholder engagement and for adding to what they saw the previous time. “We commend HYPREP for the quality work done at sites. The progress is phenomenal, because HYPREP is scoring good grades, above average,” Prof. Iyenemi Kakulu from Rivers State University said.
In his speech at the event, the Project Coordinator of HYPREP, Prof Nenibarini Zabbey, who was represented by Prof Damian-Paul Aguiyi, Director of Technical Services, commended the regulators and asset owners for their cooperation with the Project, and for making themselves available for fieldwork and the regular review meetings.
Prof Zabbey reiterated HYPREP’s commitment to best practice in waste management, particularly waste generation and disposal, calling on the Regulators for adequate logistics support, saying HYPREP’s priority is to focus on the core recommendations by UNEP, especially, remediation(soil, shoreline) mangrove restoration, provision of potable water, interventions in public health care services and sustainable livelihood for the people.
The Project Coordinator further highlighted the status of the Project, the successes achieved across all thematic areas, and assured that HYPREP will soon complete most of the ongoing projects and roll out others. He explained that the purpose of the meeting was to review the progress of the Ogoni cleanup, ensure quality control, and foster effective collaboration.
Consequently, the quarterly key regulators/asset owners meeting is HYPREP’s strategic stakeholder management model, further underscoring the Project’s commitment to transparency, partnership for development, and accountability, all of which are harbingers of effective project delivery.
Speaking to newsmen, HYPREP Project Support Lead and representative of Renaissance Africa Energy Company Limited, Engr Ehioze Igbinomwanhia, described his involvement with HYPREPas an encouraging and insightful experience, saying, the Project is implementing a wide range of projects across Ogoniland, spanning immediate remediation works as well as livelihood support initiatives aimed at improving the welfare of affected communities.
Engr Igbinomwanhia emphasised that Renaissance Africa Energy remains fully committed to supporting the objectives of the Ogoni cleanup project, noting that the company has a long history of collaboration with HYPREP.
He added that the partnership has been characterised by continuous learning, adaptation and a willingness to respond to observations and recommendations aimed at improving outcomes.
He further emphasised the importance of safety in all project operations, particularly given the challenging terrain and operating conditions in Ogoniland.
He noted that safety is treated as a critical priority and that contractors are continually reminded to maintain high safety standards, stressing that lessons learnt from previous operational challenges like the collapse of the water tank in Gwara Community are being applied to strengthen safety practices and overall performance.
The Rivers state Government has identified six local government areas with the highest burden of maternal and Neonatal mortality in the state.
State Commissioner for Health Dr Adaeze Chidinma Oreh said this in an interview with newsmen at the Maternal and Neonatal Reduction innovation initiative ( Mamii)Rivers state activation workshop and state engagement meeting in Port Harcourt.
The event was organized by The Federal Ministry of Health in conjunction with its Rivers state counterpart in Port Harcourt.
Dr Oreh also restated the preparedness of the state government to support current efforts by the federal government towards the reduction of maternal and infant mortalities in the country.
She mentioned the affected Local Government Areas to include, Andoni,Akuku Toru and Ahoada West
The rest according to the Commissioner are, Bonny, Etche and Emohua Local Government Areas.
She said the workshop will enable the team from the federal ministry of health and social welfare to brainstorm with the view to finding solution to the problem.
The Commissioner also gave reasons why the Mamii initiative was the best as far as finding solution to maternal mortality was concerned.
“The uniqueness of the Mamii initiative driven by the federal ministry of health and social welfare was that we used evidence to elicit the reasons for this deaths, so that the solutions will be context specific and tailored to the particular environment where those deaths are occuring
“For us in Rivers state we have six Mamii LGAs , nationally we we have 172 local government areas “the Commissioner said.
Earlier in her opening remarks,Dr Oreh said the state government is prepared to work with the federal ministry of health and social welfare to check the rate of maternal mortality in the state.
She commended The Minister of Health and Social welfare Professor Ali Muhammad Pategi for driving the Mamii initiative across the country and expressed optimism that the programm will see to the end of maternal mortality in the country.
Also speaking the National Coordinator Nigeria health sector Renewal Initiative Dr Adam Ahmed said Rivers state is the last state among Mamii states in the country to host the team.
He said the team will visit the affected Local Government Areas with the view to interacting with the people on how to check the trend.
He expressed the hope that with continuous efforts, maternal mortality will be checked.
Also speaking the permanent secretary Rivers state Ministry of Health Professor Justinah Jumbo said the government is not leaving any stone unturned towards reduction in maternal deaths.
The permanent secretary said Governor Siminalaye Fubara is a health friendly Governor who is desirous in improving the quality of health of Rivers people.
John Bibor
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