Nation
THE STATES
Adamawa
Governor Murtala Nyako of Adamawa State has stresseed an urgent need for cultural rejuvenation in the country.
The governor stated this in Yola while declaring open a one-day sensitisation workshop on Role of Media in Promoting Culture for journalists.
The workshop is organised by the National Museum in Yola in collaboration with the Fombina Palace Museum in Adamawa.
Nyako said the cultural rejuvenation had become necessary to “enable us integrate our cultural values as a nation”.
“We must find ways and means of integrating our cultural values of peace, tolerance, hard work, good neighborliness, respect for constituted authority and elders into our youths, who are the future leaders,” he said.
The governor, who was represented at the forum by the Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Mr Ahmadu Batuwa said, “Culture is our identity and any society that loses its identity had lost its essential value that guarantees its existence.”
Ekiti
The Ekiti State Government said that it committed N66 million on the renovation of six secondary health facilities in the state in the second quarter of this year.
The Commissioner for Health, Prof. Olusola Fasuba, disclosed this to newsmen in Ado-Ekiti after an inspection tour of some health facilities in the state.
Fasuba said that the hospitals wer located in Ikole-Ekiti, Ikere-Ekiti, Ijero-Ekiti, Aiyede-Ekiti, Ise-Ekiti and Aramoko-Ekiti.
He said that the state government also expended the sum of N72 million on settlement of the medical bills of indigent patients in the last 18 months.
The commissioner also said that a laboratory block and a new accident and emergency block were constructed at the Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital (EKSUTH), Ado-Ekiti, during the period under review.
He said that N54 million was approved for the renovation of structures in the health facilities, adding that a separate sum of N6.7 million was approved for the provision of facilities at the Central Sterile Supply Department of the Ministry of Health.
FCT
The Advocacy for Women with Disabilities Initiative, an NGO, has
called on stakeholders to invest in educating children with disabilities by incorporating them into development programmes.
The National Coordinator of the NGO, Ms Patience Ogolo, made the call at the annual national conference of the association in Abuja .
She said there was the need for such children to be educated, so as to reduce the culture of dependency.
Ogolo also said that parents of children with disability needed to be informed on the importance of education, as this was the only way they would be part of the development process in the country.
“Over 19 million people in the country live with one kind of disabilities or another; there is the need to integrate them into all spheres of the society.
Jigawa
The Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) in Jigawa has decried the rate of accident in the state.
The state Sector Commander, Aminu Umar, made the remark at a one-day sensitisation workshop on road safety.
He said that it had adopted effective measures to enforce traffic rules and regulation on the road users in the area.
The theme of the workshop, “Advocacy as a tool for improve road safety activities’’, he said was designed to equip corps marshal and to educate motorist on traffic rules.
According to him, the commission has intensified its public enlightenment campaign to reduce carnage on the road.
He said the commission would continue to support its personnel as well as special marshal to enable them discharge their duties diligently.
In his remarks, the Permanent Secretary in the state Ministry of Special Service, Ibrahim Alhaji, pledged the State Government’s support toward curtailing road accidents.
Kaduna
Malam Habibu Ahmad of Kabala Costain, Kaduna, has sued his mother-in-law, Gambo Alhassan, at a Kaduna Sharia Court for allegedly hiding his wife.
Ahmad told the court that his wife left home on Sallah day to deliver Sallah food to their families but did not return.
“Before I left for Eid-el-Fitr prayers, my wife, Asma’u, was cooking and on my return, she had finished. She told me that she would stay with her relations till evening before returning.
“After waiting for long, I called her mobile phone and it was switched off. I called the people she visited and I was told that she did not stay long there.”
He further alleged that Asma’u had never spent six months in his house without moving to unknown destination, adding:“She always returned to me after plea dings through phone calls.”
Katsina
Flood has again ravaged the Mani Local Government Headquarters and its environs in Katsina State, claiming two lives and destroying more than 100 houses.
Eyewitnesses told our correspondent on Tuesday in Mani town, that the flood affected Randawa, Galawa, Tabalawa, Gidan Gewayau villages and part of Mani town, the council headquarters.
According to the eyewitnesses, one person died in Galawa village, while another death was recorded in Mani during the ravaging flood.
Meanwhile, the Executive Director of the state Rehabilitation and Emergency Relief Agency (RERA), Alhaji Hassan Rawayau, has visited the affected areas to sympathise with the victims.
Rawayau, on behalf of the state government, condoled with the families of those who lost their lives.
He assured the victims that the agency would assess the damage, with a view to recommending possible assistance from the state government.
Kogi
A former President, National Association of Kogi State Students, Mr Dare Michael, has hailed Governor Idris Wada’s administration for ensuring better welfare for students.
Michael made this known in a telephone interview with The Tide in Lokoja.
He commended the State Government for the prompt release of funds for the students’ convention which was held on August 25, 2012 in Lokoja.
He said that Wada had been of immense support to the association since his assumption of office.
“Wada has always given us better welfare and an atmosphere for learning,” he said.
Michael said that the convention could not have achieved the desired success without the assistance of the government.
He urged students to accept the outcome of the convention in good faith and support the newly-elected President, Mr Abdullahi Oshihana.
Lagos
A psychologist, Dr Oyesoji Aremu, on Tuesday said victims of rape might experience long-lasting severe emotional shock and distress.
Aremu told The Tide that such a girl-child could become physically and psychologically disillusioned and traumatised.
“Rape of a girl-child is the forceful carnal knowledge of a person who is physiologically and emotionally immature for sexual relationship,” he said.
The psychologist said; “The consequences of it are very grievous on the girl-child, and socially, the victim becomes stigmatised.
“This may have a lasting effect on her social wellness and on her inability to socialise.
“She may grow to either abhor sex and its associated gratification or she may become obsessed with sex by developing low sexual efficacy and low self-worth of herself.”
He said that the consequence of the victim blacking out sex, might affect her marriage in the future.
Nasarawa
The Executive Director of the Nasarawa State Adult and Informal Education AgencyMr William Ebuga, has said the agency is to intensify its efforts to curb Illiteracy in the state.
Ebuga made the staement in an interview with our correspondent in Lafia.
He said the objective of the campaign was to educate school drop-outs and people who had no opportunity to go to school, noting that the the agency had mapped out strategies to achieve the goal.
The executive director said: “majority of the people in the state do not know how to read and write, this situation will affect the state now and in the future.
“There is need for constant efforts to fight illiteracy in the state and looking at statistics, more than half of the population of of the state are illiterate.”
Ondo
The Commissioner for Education in Niger, Mrs Susan Gana, has called for concerted efforts to revamp the standard of education in the state.
Gana made the call in Minna at a one-week retreat for principals and vice principals of public secondary schools in the state, with the theme:“Effective Management of Public Secondary Schools in Niger State’’.
She said the development of individuals and the society at large, depended largely on the quality of education available.
“It is our collective responsibility to redeem the education system from the present state and move it forward.
“Quality of education has taken a downward trend for quite some time; from the primary to tertiary institution levels the educational standard has fallen to an extent that it no longer contribute meaningfully to individual and national development.
Sokoto
The Vice-chairman of Nigeria Labour Congress, Sokoto State chap
ter, Mr Abubakar Malami, has called on the state government to rehabilitate Kalmalo and Lugu dams.
Malami our correspondent in Sokoto that the rehabilitation of the dams would enhance irrigation farming in the state.
He said many farmers in Goronyo area had benefitted tremendously from the rehabilitation of Goronyo Dam and were planting rice, onion, garlic and maize, among other crops.
He also asked the state government to provide modern implements for farmers in the rural areas to ensure massive food production in the state.
The union leader said the state was blessed with abundant irrigable land capable of producing different crops but that the lack of modern farming equipment was hindering the potential.
Zamfara
Zamfara State Government says it would no longer give “special treatment to persons considered highly placed or connected in government’’ during Hajj operations.
This announcement was made in Gusau by the acting Governor , Alhaji Ibrahim Wakkala at the balloting of flight schedules to the 14 local councils for this year’s Hajj.
The acting governor, who was represented on the occasion which took place at the Pilgrims Welfare Agency office by the Leader of the state House of Assembly, Alhaji Salisu Tsafe, said the administration would continue to treat all citizens as equals “with justice and fairness.”
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
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