Nation
THE STATES
Adamawa
The Adamawa State Agency for Mass Education enrolled 14,643
adult students in its 2011 mass education programme, Mr Solomon Adzigare, the
Executive Director of the agency, said.
Adzigare told our correspondents in Yola on Tuesday that out
of that number, 6,659 were females while 7,984 were males aged between 30 years
and 70 years.
“In 2011, the agency admitted a total of 14,643 adults for
mass education programme. And about 8,765 graduated and issued with
certificates,” Adzigare said.
According to the director, the agency is presently offering
about seven courses under the national mass education guidelines and
supervision, explaning that the courses offered by the agency include basic
literacy class for those that did not have access to primary education from
their childhood.
Bauchi
Bauchi State Government has banned all mining activities in
the state, the Commissioner for Environment, Alhaji Mahiru Maiwada, has said.
Maiwada disclosed this in an interview with our
correspondent in Bauchi on Tuesday,
saying that the ban would remain in
force until the law regulating the exploration of mineral resources was amended
by both the Federal and State House of Assemblies.
He said that the state was not comfortable with the
arrangement whereby prospective miners would obtain permission from the Federal
Government to operate in the state.
“We know that mining
is on the exclusive list of the Federal Government, but we’ve domesticated it
here. We have our own local laws which will soon be passed by the State House
of Assembly to regulate the activities of all these illegal miners in the
Bauchi.
Benue
Rehabilitation camps set up by the Benue State Government to
accommodate displaced flood victims in Makurdi need more food supplies to cope
with the feeding of victims, camp workers say.
Some camp workers told The Tide in Makurdi on Tuesday that
the populations in the camps surpassed food supplies to the victims.
At the Wurukum camp, the Assistant Camp Commandant, Mr Justin
Depuun, complained of difficulties in meeting the feeding needs of the people,
especially the children.
Depuun said for a camp with a population of 4,290 people
that comprised 501 families, it was difficult to adequately meet their feeding
requirements and appealed to corporate organisations, political and religious
organisations as well as individuals to donate food items, especially for the
use of the children.
FCT
A black Honda saloon car with registration number CY 691 LND
on Tuesday fell off a bridge near Wuse Market, Abuja, killing the driver.
The driver, a police corporal, died on the spot.
The Tide correspondent, who visited the scene, reports that
the car knocked off the concrete embankment on the bridge before crashing into
the ravine below.
The impact tore the car into pieces with the engine
separated from the body.
Mr Kassim Yusuf, the Divisional Traffic Officer at Wuse
Police Station, confirmed the death of the driver who, he said, was a police
corporal at the FCT command.
Gombe
The transportation of Muslim pilgrims from Gombe State to
Saudi Arabia will commence on October 2,
the state Amirul Hajj, Alhaji Usman Baba-Liman, has said.
The Amirul Hajj told newsmen after inspecting facilities at
the Gombe Airport that arrangements had been made to ensure that this year’s
exercise was the most successful in the history of the state.
Baba-Liman commended Hajj officers in the local governments
for their efforts in properly organising the pilgrims and urged them to remain
focussed throughout the duration of the exercise.
He called on the state Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board to
address the problems the pilgrims often encounter while at the Hajj Camp,
adding that the board had succeeded in
getting visa for the pilgrims with the exception those sponsored by the
government.
Baba-Liman advised the pilgrims to attend induction courses
to get acquainted with the modalities for the Hajj and the laws of Saudi Arabia.
Kano
A Kano-based
electrical engineering consultant, Malam Ibrahim Sani has advised the federal
and state governments to provide special recycling plants for electronic scrap
materials to protect the environment.
Sani, who spoke to The Tide in Kano on Tuesday, described
electronic waste as “dangerous and harmful to human beings”, saying that recycling plants could sort out the waste
into useable and non-useable components.
Sani suggested that as an alternative to the expensive
recycling plants, landfills may be excavated at special locations to dispose of
the wastes. He, however, warned that when buried, certain poisonous chemical
components of the electronic wastes could be passed to underground water,
causing soil pollution and health problems.
Kebbi
The Kebbi State Pilgrims Welfare Agency has said it had
transported 2,000 out of 5,670 pilgrims registered for this year’s Hajj in the
past three days.
Alhaji Usman Suru, the Executive Secretary of the agency,
told our correspondent in Birnin Kebbi
that pilgrims from Aliero, Augie, Bagudo and Koko/Besse local government areas
had departed.
He said the agency had prepared adequately for the
accommodation, welfare, medical and transportation needs of the pilgrims in
Saudi Arabia. “For the 2012 Hajj, Kabo and Max Airlines will transport the
pilgrims to the holy land and back with their luggage on time.”
Kogi
The Federal Government has
directed Julius Berger and two other construction companies to free the
submerged Lokoja-Abuja Road from flooding within three days.
The Minister of
Works, Mr Mike Onolememen, gave the directive in Lokoja when he paid a courtesy
call on Governor Idris Wada.
Onolememen described the flood as a disaster that deeply
touched President Goodluck Jonathan because it affected key national structures
and threatened the link between the northern and southern parts of the
country.
He said he also brought the managing directors of the three
construction companies; Julius Berger, RCC and Dantata and Sawoe and their
teams to assess the impact and address the situation.
Lagos
Public primary and secondary schools in Lagos State could
not resume for the new academic session on Monday because of a teachers’
strike.
The state chapter of Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) on
Thursday declared an indefinite strike starting from Monday following the
failure of government to pay them the 27.5 per cent Teachers Peculiar
Allowance.
Some of the schools visited by our correspondent include
Zumratul Isamiyya Senior High School, Yaba, Surulere Girls’ junior and senior
schools, Jibowu, Biney Memorial Primary School as well as Anglican Primary
School, Jibowu.
Others are Holy Trinity and Anglican primary schools,
Ikorodu, Iponri Estate Junior and Senior School, Iponri, Ola-Olu Primary
School, Shomolu, and Shyllon Primary School, Ilupeju. Oriwu Model College and
Igbogbo High School both in Ikorodu and Ransome Kuti Memorial Junior and Senior
Grammar schools, Jibowu.
Niger
The Sector Commander, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), in
Niger State, Mr David Usman, has said that the corps would soon personalise
vehicle number plates to help track offenders.
Usman made the plan known when he paid a courtesy visit to
the Niger State Assembly, saying: “that
is why the number plates have to be changed. Right now, the number plates are
registered with the vehicles.’’
He said when operational, the owner of the vehicle would own
the number plate not the vehicle.
The commander said: “if you decide to sell your vehicle at
any time, you detach your number plate from the vehicle and keep it. When you
have a new vehicle, you register it with the number.
Ogun
The Thai Farm International Limited, Ososa in Ogun, has
urged cassava farmers to pool their resources in order to benefit from the
opportunities offered by the Federal Government’s Agricultural Transformation
Agenda.
The Tide reports that
the company is one of Nigeria’s leading producers of high quality cassava
flour.
The Managing Director of the company, Mr Louw Burger, gave
the advice in Abeokuta while presenting a paper at the international symposium
on root crops.
In his paper titled: ‘Building a Strong Partnership for
Cassava Development’, Burger noted that an average Nigerian farmer faced
daunting challenges in cassava production.
Oyo
Chairman, Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) in Oyo State, Mr
Oluseun Abimbola, on Tuesday advised security operatives to focus more on
intelligence gathering in their operations.
Abimbola gave the advice in an interview with The Tide in
Ibadan.
He described intelligence gathering as the most critical
factor in any security operation, pointing out that security was beyond
deploying armed personnel at check points, but more of intelligence gathering.
He said that the security challenges was not peculiar to
Nigeria and advised that the country’s security agencies to learn from the
experiences of other countries that went through similar challenges.
Plateau
Worried by the incessant theft of cattle largely blamed for
violence in Plateau north and parts of Bauchi, the military Special Task Force
(STF) in Plateau has banned grazing at night.
In a communique after a peace meeting with stakeholders from
nine local government areas held on Monday in Barkin-Ladi, Plateau State, the
STF also banned any movement of cows at night.
“There should be no movement of cattle in the night even on
the highways within these states,’’ the communiqué declared.
The STF and stakeholders from seven Plateau crisis-prone
local government areas – Jos East, Riyom, Barkin-Ladi, Kanke, Pankshin, Bokkos
and Kanam, and two others – Bogoro and Tafawa Balewa in Bauchi State, agreed to
arrest anyone with cows at night.
Zamfara
The Zamfara State Pilgrims Welfare Agency has transported
2,140 intending pilgrims to Saudi Arabia one week after the commencement of the
exercise.
The Spokesman of the agency, Malam Yakubu Mafara, gave the
figure in an interview with The Tide in Gusau on Tuesday.
Mafara said that the more than 3,000 pilgrims from the state
would be transported to Saudi Arabia through the Sutan Abubakar International
Airport, Sokoto, adding said that the
intending pilgrims, who had arrived in Saudi Arabia included those from
Maradun, Mafara, Gusau, Kauran Namoda, Shinkafi , Zurmi, Tsafe and parts of Bukkuyyum
local governments.
He said that all pilgrims from the state had arrived in
Saudi Arabia and in Medinah except some female pilgrims, who had been detained
by the Saudi immigration officials.
Mafara noted that
high level talks between Nigerian and Saudi Arabian authorities were on to
resolve the issues surrounding the controversial detention of the 400 Nigerian
female pilgrims.
He said that reports from Zamfara pilgrims’ officials
indicated that pilgrims from the state were in good health and had adequate
welfare facilities to enable them commence the Hajj rites.
The Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) has successfully concluded its Seafarers Training Programme for 100 Ogoni youths, positioning them for opportunities in the competitive global maritime industry.
The beneficiaries, who underwent four months of intensive training at Charkin Maritime Academy, Port Harcourt, received their certificates during a close-out ceremony held on Tuesday, February 10, 2026. The event was attended by top management staff of HYPREP, the HYPREP Project Support Lead and Representative of Renaissance Africa Energy Company Limited, the Executive Director of Training and Strategic Planning of Charkin Maritime Academy, the Head of the Seafaring Department, the Principal Consultant of DCL Consulting Firm, and other dignitaries.
Addressing the graduates, HYPREP Project Coordinator, Prof. Nenibarini Zabbey, described the ceremony as a celebration of hard work, dedication, and the beginning of a new chapter in the lives of the young beneficiaries.
He said the graduation symbolises vision, resilience, and hope — hope translated into skills, certificates, and tangible opportunities for a better future for Ogoni youths.
According to him, the passing-out ceremony marks an important milestone in HYPREP’s mandate to restore livelihoods and promote sustainable development in Ogoniland. He urged the beneficiaries to make productive use of the skills and certifications acquired.
“These skills and achievements should not end here but serve as a springboard for self-reliance, dignity of labour, and long-term economic empowerment for the good of Ogoniland and Nigeria,” he stated.
Prof. Zabbey noted that the seafaring programme is significant not only to the beneficiaries but also to HYPREP’s broader livelihood restoration strategy and the Federal Government’s blue economy agenda.
He explained that by equipping the youths with globally relevant maritime skills, HYPREP is opening alternative income opportunities while discouraging oil theft, artisanal refining, re-pollution, and other environmentally harmful practices. He added that the initiative aligns with the directives of the 2016 HYPREP Establishment Gazette and reinforces the Project’s commitment to implementing the recommendations of the UNEP Report on Ogoniland.
Commending Charkin Maritime Academy as a dependable training partner, Zabbey described the institution as one of the foremost maritime training centres in the country.
“This partnership has delivered high-quality results today, and we intend to expand it as we intensify efforts to provide sustainable alternative livelihoods for the Ogoni people,” he said.
He expressed confidence in Ogoni youths as drivers of unity, peace, and progress, noting their resilience and commitment to peace in the area. He reaffirmed HYPREP’s commitment to supporting the aspirations of youths and women in Ogoniland.
The Project Coordinator likened knowledge and certificates to fuel in a vehicle, stressing that they are meant to propel the graduates toward greater heights.
“We hear your voices calling for restoration, and today, environmental and livelihood restoration are gradually unfolding before your eyes, bringing renewed hope. We continue to lay brick upon brick, building pillars of Ogoni development, as evidenced by the Centre of Excellence for Environmental Restoration (CEER), which is 93 per cent completed,” he added.
He emphasised that HYPREP’s approach integrates all projects and interventions toward achieving environmental sustainability and long-term development in Ogoniland.
Also speaking, the HYPREP Project Support Lead and Representative of Renaissance Africa Energy Company Limited, Engr. Ehioze Igbinomwahia, said the graduates had gained not only technical maritime skills but also discipline, resilience, and confidence to compete globally.
He described their graduation as the beginning of a new journey and noted that the UNEP Report emphasised that environmental restoration must be complemented by sustainable livelihoods, capacity building, and youth empowerment.
“Without empowering people, restoration cannot be complete. Programmes such as this maritime training represent practical steps toward creating employment pathways, dignity, and long-term community stability,” he said.
Engr. Igbinomwahia added that Renaissance Africa Energy Company Limited remains committed to supporting environmental recovery, human capacity development, and sustainable economic opportunities in Ogoniland and the wider Niger Delta.
Highlighting the importance of discipline and safety, he urged the graduates to be ambassadors of professionalism and integrity.
“The sea you are about to enter is vast and sometimes challenging, but it is also full of opportunity. Let discipline guide your actions, let safety remain your constant companion, and let your character speak for you wherever you go,” he advised.
Similarly, the Executive Director of Training and Strategic Planning at Charkin Maritime Academy, Captain Joseph Awodeha, who represented the Chairman, Dr. Charles Wami, emphasised discipline and safety as critical to career success in the maritime sector.
The Head of the Seafaring Department, Captain Jonathan Hammond, urged the graduates to remain humble and disciplined, noting that such virtues are essential for career growth.
In his remarks, the Principal Consultant of DCL Consulting Firm, Barrister Dornu Baridan, commended the beneficiaries for successfully scaling through the
rigorous selection process and completing their training as seafarers.
The Nigerian Society of Engineers, Port Harcourt Branch, Rivers State, has elected 14 member executives to lead the organization for the 2025/2026 year. Engr. Belema Fubara Ekine, FNSE, is the 23rd chairman.
The inauguration ceremony, held at the Engr. Ishmael A. Branch Secretariat, 3 Benard Carr Street (Waterworks Yard), Port Harcourt, attracted members of the engineering profession from within and outside the state.
Other elected executives include:
Engr. Samuel H. Kwelle, MNSE – Vice Chairman
Engr. Dr. Promise Jumbo, FNSE – General Secretary
Engr. Priye P. K. Lawson, MNSE – Assistant Secretary
Engr. Patrick O. Udegbunam, MNSE – Treasurer.
Others are Engr. Hilda D. Batubo, MNSE – Financial Secretary
Engr. Bowei M. Dauseighe, MNSE – Technical Secretary
Engr. Charles O. Okwakpam, MNSE – Assistant Technical Secretary
Engr. Agnes Komolafe, MNSE – Membership Secretary
Engr. Dike N. Livingstone, MNSE – Publicity Secretary
Also elected are Engr. Ayebaye Daniel Wanatoi, MNSE – Welfare Secretary
Engr. Oribiokpomari I. Comfort, MNSE – Internal Auditor
Engr. Dr. Idaeresoari Harriet Ateke, FNSE – Immediate Past Chairman
Engr Dr Hachimenum Amadi, FNSE (Ex-Officio)
In his a goodwill message, the Secretary to the Rivers State Government, Hon. Frederick Anabraba, urged the new executive to maintain high ethical standards and move the association forward.
In his acceptance speech, the newly elected chairman, Engr. Belema Fubara Ekine, FNSE, promised an inclusive administration and teamwork, focusing on collaboration with stakeholders. He had begun building partnerships with Rivers State University and the University of Port Harcourt.
The highlight was the inauguration lecture, “Engineering Solution for Security, Energy Access and Sustainable Development,” delivered by Engr. Victor Bandele, Deputy Managing Director, Deepwater Assets, TotalEnergies EP Nigeria Limited.
Nation
World Wetlands Day: HYPREP Blends Science, Tradition To Restore Ogoni Mangroves, Revive Livelihoods
The Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) has reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to wetlands protection and ecosystem restoration, highlighting significant progress in mangrove restoration and shoreline cleanup in Ogoniland, Rivers State.
In a statement issued by HYPREP to mark this year’s World Wetlands Day on Monday, February 2, 2026,and signed by the Project Coordinator, Prof Nenibarini Zabbey, the Project said its ongoing mangrove restoration programme in Ogoni is delivering tangible environmental and socio-economic benefits by combining modern science with indigenous traditional knowledge.
The World Wetlands Day 2026 is observed under the theme, “Wetlands And Traditional Knowledge: Celebrating Cultural Heritage.”
According to Zabbey, the theme aligns strongly with the Project’s restoration approach, which integrates scientific best practices with community-led stewardship rooted in local culture.
He disclosed that Phase One of HYPREP’s mangrove restoration programme has successfully restored about 560 hectares of oil-degraded mangrove ecosystem, while Phase One of the Ogoni shoreline cleanup has reached over 76 per cent completion. These efforts, he noted, are already yielding encouraging signs of biodiversity recovery across affected creeks and improving the livelihoods of host communities.
The Project Coordinator explained that the mangrove restoration initiative is science-based and involves large-scale planting of five native mangrove species, carefully designed to mimic the natural zonation of black, white and red mangroves found in Ogoni creeks, saying, the Project also adheres strictly to health, safety and environmental (HSE) standards to ensure sustainability, inclusiveness and alignment with international wetlands conservation principles.
Beyond planting, he said the project incorporates traditional ecological knowledge, recognising the cultural and economic importance of mangroves to the Ogoni people. This approach, he noted, has strengthened community ownership and enhanced long-term environmental stewardship.
Recent post-fish stock assessments in Bomu Creek, where mangrove restoration and shoreline cleanup are ongoing, show promising signs of ecological recovery.
According to him, HYPREP reported increased fisheries production, with fish species previously absent returning to the creek. “Local fisherfolk are now recording improved catches, while women and youths have resumed picking periwinkles, signalling a revival of traditional livelihoods,” he said.
He stressed that the mangrove restoration project goes beyond environmental remediation, describing it as a catalyst for ecosystem revitalisation, cultural renewal and social recovery. Healthy wetlands, HYPREP noted, contribute to safer shorelines, improved fisheries, enhanced carbon sequestration and renewed economic opportunities for communities.
He also highlighted HYPREP’s efforts to reintroduce the West African cockle into Ogoni creeks, a species deeply connected to the cultural identity and culinary heritage of the people.
Acknowledging the role of collaboration, the Project Coordinator commended community leaders and residents, civil society organisations and relevant government agencies for their collective contributions to on-the-ground progress, and called for sustained partnerships, policy support and responsible environmental stewardship to safeguard Nigeria’s wetlands.
The Ogoniland mangrove restoration programme, Zabbey concluded, stands as a practical demonstration of how degraded wetlands can be restored to deliver lasting environmental, economic and social benefits.
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