Nation
THE STATES
Benue
The Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST) hasintroduced cargo delivery services in Benue State.
The Area Postal Manager in Benue, Mrs Mmayen Ujong, made the announcement at the inauguration of a post office cargo outlet for Mbayion Community in Gboko Local Government Area of the state.
Ujong explained that the cargo delivery service would include the postage of farm produce such as yams, rice and oil.
Others include Expedited Mail Service, bulk post and parcel post.
Borno
The Borno State Government has said it would overhaul the Sanda Kyarimi Zoological Garden, Maiduguri, in a bid to attract more patronage.
The Deputy Governor, Alhaji Zannah Mustapha, on a visit to the garden said that the garden had lost its status as the main tourists attraction in the state capital.
Mustapha gave the assurance that the state government would address the problem by putting in place mechanism to revive the garden.
He said: “The garden used to be the main centre of attraction for visitors in the past, but unfortunately, the situation has changed for the worst now”.
Kaduna
Seventeen workers of the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, Kaduna State, have been relieved of their appointments by the authorities of the institution.
The Acting Registrar of the institution, Malam Ahmed Kundila, announced this in a special news bulletin issued in Zaria.
The bulletin reads: “The Governing Council of ABU at its (Regular) meeting held on January 25 and 26, 2013, considered the report of the senior staff disciplinary committee on some cases of staff discipline referred to it by the management.
“The nature of the offences ranged from violation of study fellowship, leave of absence to gross misconduct.”
Kano
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar said that the proposed plan by the PDP to amend its constitution would not succeed.
Atiku made the remarks while fielding questions from newsmen after he paid a courtesy call on Governor Rabi’u Kwankwaso, at the Government House, Kano.
“The constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria gives any interested Nigerian the right to contest for any position of his or her choice.
“It is also unconstitutional as far as the PDP constitution is concerned. Nobody should stop anybody from contesting for an election,” he said.
Kebbi
The Yauri Local Government of Kebbi State has started pro-active measures to prevent the outbreak of measles and meningitis in the state.
The council Chairman, Alhaji Bala Mohammad, told newsmen in Birnin Kebbi that adequate drugs had been procured against the child-killer diseases.
He said that a centre to cater for victim of the diseases had been established while health awareness enlightenment campaigns had been intensified.
Mohammad, who did not disclose the amount involved, said there was no outbreak of measles in the area, adding that threats of any outbreaks would be guarded against.
Kwara
The Federal Ministry of Education in Ilorin has inaugurated a Bilateral Education Agreement (BEA) scholarship programme for the 2013/2014 session.
The Minister of Education, Prof. Ruqayyat Rufai in a speech, said that selected students in six states in the North central zones including the FCT would be interviewed for the programme.
She said that the sholarship programme was as a result of the partnership the country had with its international agencies on education exchange programme.
Lagos
The absence of the judge last Tuesday stalled hearing in a case of production of a killer teething syrup preferred against the Barewa Pharmaceutical Company Ltd.
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) charged the company with producing an adulterated teething syrup –My Pikin – before Justice Okechukwu Okeke of a Federal High Court in Lagos.
Trial in the case was to continue last Tuesday, but Okeke was not available. He was said to be at a conference in Abuja. The trial will now continue on April 15.
Nasarawa
The Nasarawa State Command of Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, has arrested 62 suspected fake corps members, including a nursing mother, at an illegal orientation camp.
The Commandant, Mr Andekin Musa, told newsmen in Lafia.
He said men of the command, acting on a tip-off, arrested the fake corps members last Sunday at a hidden camp near Government Secondary School, Tammah in Nasarawa Local Government Area of the state.
He said among those arrested were 44 females and 18 males.
According to him, one Mr Chinedu, believed to be the coordinator and director of the camp, is still at-large.
Ondo
The Federal Government has in Akure advised the Ondo State Government to make the provision of water supply its priority.
The National Commissioner, Strategic Communications, Fiscal Responsibility Commission, Dr Adewumi Abitoye gave the advice while fielding questions from newsmen in Akure.
Abitoye was speaking shortly after leading a team on inspection of the Owena dam and water treatment site.
He expressed concern over the shortage of water supply despite the enormous investment made in the execution of the Owena Multi-purpose Dam and the multi-billion Naira water treatment plant in Igbaraoke in Ifedore LGA of the state.
Ogun
Ogun State Government will pay more attention to the prevention of non-communicable diseases, the Commissioner for Health, Dr Olalokun Soyinka, has said.
The commissioner said this in Abeokuta at a three-day Cardio Metabolic Care Clinic Plan Capacity building programme organised for health workers in the state.
Soyinka said that some of the non-communicable diseases included diabetes and hypertension.
He bemoaned the high rate of diabetic patients in the country, saying that an average Nigerian family owns a diabetic patient.
Osun
The Fiscal Responsibility Commission, has commended the contractor handling the on-going construction of the Gbongan-Iwo road in Osun State.
The commendation was made in Gbongan, Osun, by the Commissioner representing the South-West in the commission, Dr Adewunmi Abitoye, who visited the project site.
Abitoye, however, attributed the slow pace of the project to inadequate funding.
Our correspondent reports that the 30.2 kilometre Gbongan-Iwo road was awarded in 2011 at over N7 billion.
The budgetary allocation for the project since 2011 had been N500million, resulting in the current 31 per cent execution.
Oyo
The Managing Director of Odu’a Investment Company Limited (OICL), Mr Adebayo Jimoh in Ibadan said that the Sketch Newspaper was not dead, but “ resting.’’
Jimoh said this at the public presentation of a report by the Odu’a Group-Ex-Sketch Staff Reconciliation Committee on the paper’s crisis.
‘‘Sketch is not dead, but only resting and waiting for a messiah to revive it,’’ Jimoh said.
The Odu’a-Ex-Staff of Sketch Press Limited Reconciliation Committee was set up in September 2012 to look into complaints of the former workers.
Zamfara
The Zamfara State Government is to relocate three communities living in flood-prone areas, as part of measures to avert loss of lives and property due to incessant floods in the state.
The Commissioner for Environment, Alhaji Mukhtar Lugga, said at a news briefing in Gusau that the government would relocate residents of Jangeru and Dole villages in Shinkafi, and parts of Moriki in Zurmi Local Government areas.
He, however, said that the relocation was being hampered by the delay in the release of the state’s share of Ecological Fund by the Federal Government.
The Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project(HYPREP) has inducted and given orientation to 100 Ogoni youths for training on Creative Arts. The beneficiaries were drawn from Khana, Gokana, Tai and Eleme Local Government Areas of Rivers State.
The induction and orientation ceremony, which took place at the CRAB of the Department of Theatre Arts of the University of Port Harcourt on Wednesday, was a prelude to the training proper, billed to commence next Tuesday.
As usual, HYPREP issued undertaking forms to the trainees, for them to complete and submit as a guarantee that they would subject themselves to the requirements of the programme as well as be of good behaviour throughout the four-month duration of the training.
HYPREP also announced that it would pay N150,000 to each of the beneficiaries monthly, as transport and feeding allowance, stressing, however, that only those who fully participate in the training would be entitled for the allowance.
Speaking at the event, the Project Coordinator of HYPREP, Prof Nenibarini Zabbey, welcomed the trainees to the programme, saying, HYPREP’s projects are evolving and that one thing that is happening today is that the Project has gotten leadership right, by making promises and keeping those promises.
According to him, the Project had equally promised to move away from rudimentary skills acquisition to high impacts acquisition levels, which it has kept today by sponsoring the training on Creative Arts.
He noted that in planning its livelihood programmes for Ogoni youths, HYPREP has taken time out to look for skills that would add value to the lives of the beneficiaries.
Zabbey, who was represented at the event by the Director of Technical Services, Prof Damian-Paul Aguiyi said by packaging the Creative Arts training, it was expected that the Ogoni people would have their own version of Nollywood known as Ogoniwood just as Nigerians are familiar with Hollywood, Bollywood, Kannywood and Nollywood.
To achieve this goal, the Project Coordinator explained that it was the reason for choosing a reputable establishment like Halibiz Consult Limited, to partner with the Department of Theatre Arts of the University of Port Harcourt, which he described as one of the most prestigious in the Niger Delta, for the training of the beneficiaries.
He also indicated that in doing this, HYPREP was desirous of going for talents that would help the Ogoni people grow in the film industry, and urged the beneficiaries to take the training seriously.
Zabbey equally enjoined the trainees to put in their best so that in the next three to five years, they would carve a niche for themselves and become forces to reckon with in the film industry.
On her part, HYPREP’s Head of Sustainable Livelihood, Mrs Josephine Nzidee said HYPREP does what it says it will, stressing that the process of training Ogoni youths on specialised skills started three years ago.
According to her, the selection process for the training was rigorous and transparent, and was carried out by renowned actors actresses.
She disclosed that the training consists of three major aspects, which include acting, script writing and make-up, while Nollywood actors like Charles Nnoje, Ngezu J. Ngezu and award-winning make-up artist, Jude Odo would be on hand to drill and groom the beneficiaries.
Mrs Nzidee noted that the programme is a specialised training that does not have anything like starter packs but that it is purely a professional certification programme that would launch the beneficiaries into the Nollywood industry in Nigeria.
According to her, the Creative Arts training is one of the four specialised trainings organised by HYPREP to ensure that the Ogoni people are well positioned in vital industries like Aviation, Maritime, Creative Arts and Mechatronics.
She said the last of such trainings on Mechatronics would take place in the coming months, and urged the beneficiaries to take the training seriously so as to put the Ogoni people on the Nollywood map.
She further indicated that while Charles Nnoje and Ngezu J. Ngezu would take the beneficiaries on the practical aspects, Jude Odo would take them on the make-up aspects.
Also speaking, the External Relations Manager of Halibiz Consult Limited, Alabo Experience Douglas said his company gives much premium to standard and quality, and assured that the firm would give the trainees value for the money spent on the programme.
While charging the beneficiaries to be dedicated and punctual, he stressed the need for them to approach the programme with the mindset of being empty so that at the end of the day, they would benefit maximally.
On his part, the Head of the Theatre Arts Department of the University of Port Harcourt, Dr Ovunda Ihunwo said the CRAB is an acronym for Creative Review of Arts and Books, stressing that it was named by renowned playwright, Prof Ola Rotimi.
According to him, the CRAB had nurtured, groomed and produced Nollywood actors and actresses like Bobmanuel Udokwu, Ejike Asiegbu,Francis Duru, Hilda Dokubo, Monalisa Chinda, Julius Agwu, and a host of others, assuring the beneficiaries that they were on fertile environment to hone their talents.
He noted that symbolically, the crab is a nutritious seafood common in the Niger Delta, and reiterated the need for the beneficiaries to come empty for the training, as it were.
Ihunwo disclosed that the theory classes of the programme would run for three weeks while the fourth week would be for the master classes, and urged the trainees to avail themselves of the opportunity to make a difference by telling the Ogoni story, which he described as inexhaustible by themselves, in order to put Ogoni on the map.
A 23-year-old student of Nasarawa State University identified as Jatau Rilokwah, has been reportedly found dead in the university’s senior staff quarters.
A counter-insurgency expert, focused on the Lake Chad region, Zagazola Makama, disclosed this on his X handle on Tuesday.
According to him, the discovery was made on April 27, 2025, by a security officer at the university, Emmanuel Gyawo.
He stated that Gwayo was directed by Prof. Shedrack Jatau to check on his son upon arriving at the residence, and he found Rilokwah hanging from the ceiling.
“Professor Jatau, who was reportedly out of the State at the time, was informed of the incident. A team of police detectives, led by the Divisional Crime Officer of Angwan Lambu, was dispatched to the scene.
“The body showed no signs of violence, and no suicide note was found. Rilokwah was rushed to the Federal Medical Centre in Keffi, where he was confirmed dead by a medical doctor,” he further stated.
He added that the student’s corpse had been deposited in the hospital morgue.
He also quoted police sources as saying that investigations were ongoing to determine the circumstances surrounding the incident.
The Ogun State Government has partnered with Nike Art Gallery to establish a new exhibition space at the Olumo Rock Tourist Centre in Abeokuta, a move Governor Dapo Abiodun says is aimed at boosting annual tourist visits from 20,000 to over 100,000.
Abiodun disclosed the plan on Wednesday while receiving the founder of the Nike Art Gallery, Chief (Mrs) Nike Davies-Okundaye, at his office in Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta.
“I went to Olumo Rock about a month ago and I decided that we needed to do something about restoring Olumo Rock to its old glory. From statistics, Olumo Rock hosts about 20,000 people a year in its current state, and I felt that we could increase that to at least ten times,” the governor said.
As part of the plan, an events hall within the tourist centre will be repurposed as a permanent gallery operated by Nike Art Gallery.
“I told them to shut it down. Practically, we want to bring it down and turn it into a gallery for you to use as an exhibition gallery,” he told Davies-Okundaye.
He added that the gallery will be ready before the National Sports Festival in May, when the State will host about 15,000 visitors.
“I want them to be able to see our tourist sites,” he said, listing attractions such as the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, the Ransome-Kuti family home, and the Adire market among key heritage spots to be showcased.
Highlighting Ogun’s improved infrastructure, the governor said, “Now that we’ve succeeded in having the intra and inter-state roads in place, you can come to Ogun State by rail; you can come by air. We’ve constructed one of the best airports in Nigeria, and very soon, you will be able to come by sea.”
Davies-Okundaye, in her remarks, praised the state’s efforts to promote tourism and pledged to use the new gallery to attract global attention.
“This gallery will bring many Heads of State. The one I opened in Abuja already has more than 10 Heads of State, including those from South Korea and the Czech Republic. The same will happen here,” she said.
She also applauded the Governor for his commitment to the Adire fabric industry.
“Adire is all over Nigeria, but Ogun has been promoting Adire for over 50 years. Today, the only cloth we can call our own is called Adire. This is what we can sell to the Europeans,” she said.
Abiodun reaffirmed his administration’s backing of the Adire industry, citing policies such as the Adire Ogun Digital Marketplace, compulsory wearing of Adire in the state, and provision of solar-powered production equipment to support artisans.
He also revealed plans to open a creative arts and entertainment village in partnership with Bolanle Austen-Peters, expected to be completed within two months.