Nation
THE STATES
Jigawa
The Maigatari Local
Government Council of Jigawa State has recruited 60 casual staff as
environmental workers to enhance sanitation services in the area.
The Chairman of the council, Alhaji Isa Zakari, disclosed
this when the state Commissioner for Environment, Hajiya Hassana Adamu, visited
the council, in Maigatari.
Zakari said the workers were engaged to ensure prompt
clearing of drains and the evacuation of solid wastes dumped at various sites
in the area.
He said the council had also concluded arrangements to enact
a by-law to ban indiscriminate dumping of refuse in the area.
Responding, the commissioner urged the people to clear
culverts and drains to control flooding in the area.
Kano
The Kano State
Government has ordered the immediate closure of Triumph Publishing Company in
Kano, publishers of the Triumph group of newspapers.
Dr Umar Faruk, the Commissioner for Information, who
announced the closure while speaking to newsmen on Thursday, said the action
was necessary to facilitate some restructuring of the company.
Faruk said that the decision to close down the newspaper was
taken at Wednesday’s state executive council meeting, pointing out that the
government had ordered the payment of outstanding three months salary to the
members of staff of the company.
The commissioner said that freelance journalists, as well as
consultants, were to report to the office of the Head of Service of the state
to facilitate payments of their entitlements.
He said the newspaper staff would be posted to other
agencies and ministries.
Kaduna
The Nigeria Police
College, Kaduna has said that it found a robbery suspect among recruit
constables undergoing training in the college.
The Commandant of the college, Alhaji Sanusi Rufai, told
newsmen in Kaduna that the suspect was named by members of his gang after they
were arrested by the police in Abuja.
The commandant said details of the suspect’s identity were
forwarded to the college, which withdrew, arrested and transferred him to the
appropriate police unit for investigation.
Rufai said the suspect was among 25 recruits the college
disqualified for various inadequacies identified during training, pointing out
that some of the students were found to have presented forged school results
and others had criminal records, “while some were withdrawn based on health
grounds.
Rufai noted that the college would continue to screen “unfit
persons” out to ensure that only those with good knowledge and character were
allowed to train as policemen and women.
Katsina
Musawa Local
Government in Katsina State has begun the distribution of pesticides worth N2
million free of charge to farmers as assistance toward preventing crop damage
in the area.
Alhaji Sama’ila Kira, the Council’s Caretaker Committee
Chairman, said in Musawa, Katsina State, that the initiative was conceived due
to the financial difficulties faced by farmers and to serve as an encouragement
to smallholder farmers.
Represented by his deputy Alhaji Babangida Musa, his deputy,
Kira said the support would also enhance food security, noting that increased
harvest was expected considering the farmers’ huge investments.
He said that a committee had been constituted to ensure that
smallholder farmers who needed such support benefitted from the gesture, adding
that the council, has provided farming support to both rainy season and
irrigation farmers to reduce poverty and facilitate people’s engagement toward
ensuring food security.
Kogi
The Kogi State Government has warned people displaced by the
recent flood disaster in the state not to go back to their houses for now.
The government gave the warning in a statement signed by the
state’s Director of Information, Mr James Adedoyin, and issued in Lokoja on
Thursday.
The statement said the warning became necessary when
government observed that some victims in various camps had started leaving for
their homes, due to the noticeable decease in water level of the River Niger.
The release said some of the houses that had been under
water for several days might not be habitable as some of them were already
collapsing.
It said that in line with the promise made by the state’s
governor, Capt Idris Wada, government would conduct integrity test on buildings
that were submerged to ensure that they were safe for haibitation.
Kwara
State Government plans to spend N3.1 billion on
state-of-the-art aviation infrastructure to make the state the hub of aviation
services in West Africa.
Dr Abubakar Kanike, the Commissioner for Works and
Transport, made this known when the National Good Governance Tour team visited
the state-owned aviation college and cargo terminal in Ilorin.
He said the state government had spent N1.2 billion on the
establishment of a world-class aviation college, while N1.9 billion was spent
on the construction of the cargo terminal.
On the aviation college, Kanike said the state government
had provided modern facilities for Private Pilot Licence and Commercial Pilot
Licence training, noting that a lot was also spent on acquiring the
multi-engine qualification for the ICAO certified pilots.
Lagos
A total of 200 men of
the Lagos State Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC)
are currently undergoing training in arms bearing and physical drilling, The
Tide reports.
Mr Sunday Eromosele, a spokesman of the NSCDC, told NAN in
Lagos on Thursday that the trainees were expected to go through the general
rudiments of arms bearing, physical drilling and mental alertness.
According to the NSCDC spokesman, the training, taking place
at the NSCDC Camp in Badagry, became necessary in view of the security
challenges currently facing the country.
“The NSCDC Act of 2007 empowers the Corps to have Arms
Squads in all the state commands throughout the federation.
“The Lagos State Command has begun the first in the series
of such trainings, and it is being administered by the Nigerian Army,”
Eromosele said.
Ogun
The Ogun State Bureau
of Local Government Pensions on Thursday said it had disbursed N1.6 billion as
monthly pensions to retired local government and primary school workers.
Alhaji Ade Momodu, Permanent Secretary of the bureau,
announced this during an oversight visit by members of the Ogun State House of
Assembly Committee on Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs.
Momodu said that the money was paid between January and
September.
He said that pension was paid from the monthly allocation
the bureau received from the Joint Allocation Account Committee (JAAC).
“The bureau has also paid N643.3 million as gratuities to
retired local government staff, as well as primary school teaching and non
teaching staff between January and September 2012.
Ondo
In an effort to
further prevent flooding in Ondo State, the state government has approved the
purchase of additional Amphibious Excavator for dredging of rivers and other
water ways.
The Director, Ecology, Ministry of Environment and Mineral
Resources, Mr Olumide Kinga told The Tide on Thursday in Akure that the
ministry was taking every precautionary step to tackle the challenge.
Kinga said that the ministry had in the past three years
undertaken enlightenment campaigns to educate the people on how to properly
dispose their refuse.
“We made them to know the danger in dumping refuse into
gutters, streams, rivers and other waterways, we told them such action will
block the free flow of water, causing flood and damages to lives and
properties.
Osun
The Director, Centre
for Distance Learning, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Prof. Bode
Asubiojo, says the university would
close its study centres in compliance with the National University Commission’s
directive.
Asubiojo told The Tide on Thursday in Ile-Ife, that the
commission directed that such centres outside the main campus of the university
should be shut.
The professor of chemistry said: “ There is not going to be
study centres run by the university any more outside the main campus, what we
are presently doing is a mop up to pave way for e-learning programme.
“We are planning a programme whereby lectures will be
recorded and then super-imposed on key-points; we want to be doing distance
learning in a proper way that meet international standard.
Plateau
The Yakubu Gowon
Foundation (YGF) is organising a national essay competition for serving
National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members, Mr. Dan Tenshak, the Chief
Executive Officer of the foundation, has said.
Tenshak told our correspondent in Jos that the essay
competition was part of the activities to commemorate the 78th birthday of the
former Head of State, Dr Yakubu Gowon.
He said that the 2012 YGF essay competition, with the topic,
“Harnessing Our Diversity and Strength for National Development’’, would be
organised in collaboration with the National Orientation Agency and NYSC
directorate.
He stated that the competition was aimed at keeping the
mandate of upholding worthy values and legacies of leadership in the nation.
Taraba
Taraba State House of
Assembly on Thursday in Jalingo removed the state Deputy Governor, Alhaji Sani
Abubakar, from office.
The action followed the assembly’s adoption of the
recommendation of the seven-member Judicial Commission of inquiry set up by
Justice Josephine Tuktur, the acting Chief Judge of the state.
The commission, with Mr Usman Dangiri as Chairman, was set
up to investigate allegations of gross misconduct against the deputy governor.
Dangiri, submitted the findings of the panel to the plenary
sitting of the assembly on Thursday, saying that the deputy governor was found
guilty of the three allegations against him.
The report said Abubakar used his office to divert MDG
projects to Yagai Academy, a private school, which belonged to him.
Similarly, the report stated that the deputy governor was
guilty of using his office to influence the posting of an officer and
interfering in the affairs of his Karim-Lamido Local Government .
Zamfara
The Zamfara State
Government is to plant 1.5 million mango seedlings under a special irrigation
farming programme aimed at facilitating rural economic development.
The Consultant for the programme, Alhaji Abdulkadir Nasir,
told our correspondent in Gusau on Thursday that 14 local government councils
would partner with the state government on the programme.
“The idea of involving the local government councils is to
ensure that the pilot programme is replicated in all the councils for maximum
impact across the state.“
He said the programme was designed by the state government
to build the productive capacity of the rural farmers, train them in planting
and rearing of economic trees.
According to him, the goal is to address extreme poverty
among the rural adding that the mango seedlings had been raised at various
nurseries in the state and would soon be distributed for planting.
The Presiding Bishop of Kingdom Life Gospel Ministries Outreach, Port Harcourt, Bishop Victor Uzosike, has described love as the bedrock of human existence, family stability and societal harmony, stressing that without love, nothing meaningful can thrive.
Bishop Uzosike made this assertion while speaking to journalists during the wedding ceremony of his daughter, Praise Uzosike, to Architect Chibuzor Akubueze on Saturday, December 20, 2025. The solemnisation was held at the Kingdom Life Gospel Ministries Outreach, Port Harcourt, and was attended by dignitaries from across Nigeria and beyond.
According to the cleric, love is not only the foundation of relationships but also a powerful force that determines the success of individuals, families and communities.
“If you do not love a place, that place will not bless you. If you do not love your children, they will not be useful to you. If you do not love your family, your family will become a strange island to you. What you do not love, you do not have. Love is the key,” he said.
Reflecting on his family’s journey, Bishop Uzosike said God’s love had sustained them through seasons of challenges and triumphs, noting that unity had remained their greatest strength.
“We have stayed together as one family. God has shown us love in miraculous and mysterious ways, especially during difficult times,” he stated.
Describing the wedding as an amazing and beautiful experience, the bishop expressed appreciation for the show of love from his daughter’s friends, many of whom travelled from the United Kingdom and Ghana to attend the ceremony. He revealed that some of them personally paid for their flights and accommodation, which he described as a rare display of genuine friendship.
He also disclosed that his first daughter, who lives in Manchester, United Kingdom, with her husband, could not attend the wedding due to tight schedules, but noted that she remains happily married and fulfilled.
While thanking guests for honouring his family with their presence, prayers and goodwill, Bishop Uzosike said he felt proud and grateful to God.
“One of the greatest gifts God can give to a man is children who are sound in all ramifications. My children can see, hear, speak and walk. That alone is enough reason to be grateful,” he said.
He praised the bride, describing Praise as an exceptional achiever who had distinguished herself academically. According to him, she completed secondary school at 15, graduated with First Class honours at 19, and earned distinctions in her MBA as well as her first and second master’s degrees.
“For a long time, people believed that highly educated women may not marry early or at all. Today, Praise has proved otherwise. She has made her mother and me very proud,” he said, describing her as a rare gem.
Bishop Uzosike also expressed joy over his son-in-law, whom he described as God-fearing, disciplined and professionally sound.
“He is well brought up, passionate about God and morally upright. His parents did a great job. My wife, Pastor Esther, also did an excellent job,” he added.
The wedding ceremony attracted prominent personalities, including the Deputy Governor of Rivers State, Prof. Ngozi Odu; the Chief Judge of Bayelsa State, Justice Matilda Ayemeyie; and several senior clerics.
Bishop Fidelis Ugbong officiated the solemnisation, while Apostle Chika Onuzo delivered the sermon, identifying communication, sex and money as key factors that can strengthen or weaken marriages.
Prof. Ngozi Odu also prayed for the couple and paid glowing tributes, drawing admiration from attendees.
The reception, held at the Golden Tulip Hotel, Port Harcourt, was equally colourful. Justice Matilda Ayemeyie proposed the toast, describing marriage as not always a bed of roses and emphasising patience, commitment and understanding.
The event was chaired by Chief Henry Nwabugo and attended by notable personalities, including retired Supreme Court Justice Mary Odili; Apostle David Zilly-Aggrey; Hon. Otunba Jumbo; Nze Best Anele; and Prof. Henry Ogiri, among others.
Guests were entertained with dance performances by the couple, while the parents’ outing added elegance to the celebration. The master of ceremonies, Ambassador Kingsley, kept the audience engaged with humour and interactive sessions.
Overall, the wedding was a remarkable blend of spirituality, culture and celebration, marked by love, joy and unforgettable moments.
Nation
2027: APC Chieftain Predicts Tinubu’s Victory …Says Bayelsa Stakeholders Supporting President en masse … IPAC Knitted Together, Working In Synergy With His Office
Chieftain of the All Progressives Congress(APC), in Bayelsa State and Special Adviser to the State Governor on Inter-Party Relations, Dr Jackson Ebi Suokiri has said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu would secure landslide win in the 2027 Presidential polls.
The Governor’s Aide stated this in Yenagoa, the state capital on Wednesday while fielding questions from newsmen against the backdrop of Tuesday’s pioneer Stakeholders meeting of the party convened by the State Governor, Senator Douye Diri as leader of the Party in the State upon his recent defection late last year.
He averred that Party stakeholders in the state were prepared to give the President the massive support needed to return elected, come 2027 following his sterling trajectory of performance and qualitative leadership prowess.
Dr Suokiri stressed that the reason for the governor’s swapping of party was in the best interest of the state, while also noting that the governor took the right decision as there was no need continuing with opposition politics even as the state has to align with the national government for rapid socioeconomic and political advantages for the state and its people.
“Governor Diri’s defection like you’ve personally heard him saying was for the best interest of our state, Bayelsa. When you’ve a President performing well at the national level and being very supportive to your state as a governor, I don’t think you’ve to be in an opposition party anymore, but rather align with the centre.
“Diri is a bridge builder. He is at peace with everybody and willing to work with all, irrespective of party affiliations or political differences for the interest of the state.
“As Stakeholders we’ve resolved to collectively work to return President Tinubu elected for second term in 2027. And you can see the Governor is not pressuring anybody or the structure of his former party, the PDP to defect like he has done.
“The PDP structure in the state is still intact, and for the APC, his new Party even as current leader in the State, he has been working with the structure and everybody he met on ground, hence you can see that the APC Caretaker Committee led by Dr. Dennis Otiotio has been maintained at the pioneer Stakeholders meeting convened by the Governor.
“But you must also know like you’ve seen and I’ve previously said that Governor Diri has outperformed expectations of Bayelsans in all sectors, be it economy, infrastructure, health, education, etc.”, he said.
Meanwhile, as against insinuations that some political parties were not working with the office of the Special Adviser to the Governor on Inter-Party Relations, the Governor’s Aide has revealed that as it were currently, all the 19 registered political parties with presence in the state are working in unity with his office as members of the Inter-party advisory council (IPAC).
“IPAC is working in unity with my office. Before the Governor’s defection the only party that wasn’t working with my office was the APC. But since after his formal defection, the APC and even those other parties that were either sympathetic to the APC, the governor’s new party or the PDP, his former Party are all now working together with my office as members of IPAC”, Suokiri added.
By Ariwera Ibibo-Howells, Yenagoa
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