Nation
THE STATES
Bauchi
The National Orientation Agency (NOA) in Bauchi State has called on wives of the local government chairmen in the state to educate rural women on government policies and gender mainstreaming issues.
Director of the agency, Hajiya Jummai Liman-Bello made the call in an interview last Friday in Bauchi.
She said that the measure would foster better understanding of gender mainstreaming issues by women at the grassroots, and commended the state’s Ministry for Women Affairs for enlightening the wives of top government functionaries in the state on gender issues.
FCT
A former Director-General of the Peoples Democratic Institute (PDI), Mr Anthony Ubani, has commended President Goodluck Jonathan for showing courage and good judgement in slamming state of emergency on Borno, Yobe and Adamawa States.
In a statement in Abuja last Thursday, Ubani described the president’s state of emergency declaration as a bold and constitutional move, designed to arrest the mindless bloodletting in some parts of the north.
He expressed his optimism that the president’s action would restore peace, law and order in the three states that had been under siege because of the activities of the Islamist Boko Haram sect.
Jigawa
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in Jigawa last Thursday appealed to the state assembly to enact laws to prohibit the sales of illicit drugs and substances.
The Commandant of the NDLEA, Malam Ibrahim Abdu, who made the appeal in an interview in Dutse said this had become necessary in view of the proliferation and abuse of drugs, including cough syrup, forte-win injection, rubber solution, tramol, and local gin (ogogoro), among others.
He said that the trade had persisted in the state because there were no laws banning the sales and consumption of these substances.
Lagos
One person is suspected to have died in a collapsed building located at Godo Blocks Estate, Ibereko in Badagry last Saturday.
The victim, Kehinde Williams (28), a carpenter, was working in the building when it collapsed.
An eyewitness, who visited the scene, learnt that the building collapsed about 10a.m. but the rescue work did not begin till 12.24p.m.
An eyewitness said that the deceased was trying to remove the planks from the deck of the building when it collapsed.
“At about 10a.m., Kehinde came to the building to remove the planks from the deck recently constructed.
“From our observations, it appeared that the blocks used for the construction were not of high quality and the cement was not yet dry before he started removing the planks from the deck.
“It was while removing the planks that the building collapsed,” the witness said.
The source said if attention was immediately rendered to the victim, he might still be alive.
Kaduna
The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), last Thursday said it would constitute a team that would monitor the conduct of the military in enforcing the state of emergency declared in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states.
The decision was contained in a statement issued by the ACF Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Fati Ibrahim after its National Executive Council meeting chaired by Alhaji Aliko Mohammed in Kaduna.
Sani-Sidi made the call last Thursday in Abuja when he received a delegation from the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), on a tour of the agency.
The director-general said that the collaboration among government institutions, individuals and critical stakeholders would safeguard lives, property and vital infrastructure, as well as sustain the development of the country.
Kano
Bayero University Kano (BUK), has indicated interest to partner with universities in Saudi Arabia in the area of science, technology and staff exchange.
This is contained in the official bulletin of the university issued by its Publications and Documentation Unit and made available to newsmen in Kano recently.
According to the bulletin, the Vice Chancellor of the university, Prof Abubakar Rasheed, made the proposal to the Consul-General of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Majid Muhammad Al-khatani when he visited him.
Katsina
The Katsina State Government has begun the disbursement of N35.8 million under its Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) programme to 6, 966 primary school girls in the state.
The Special Adviser to Gov. Ibrahim Shema on Girl-child Education and Development, Hajiya Bilkisu Kaikai, said the amount was being disbursed to selected pupils under the fifth round of the programme.
She said while issuing out the grant to some of the beneficiaries at Unguwar Tsamiya village in Kaita Local Government Area of the state recently, that each of the girls would receive N5,000.
She added that the money was to support pupils from very poor homes in the pursuit of primary school education and urged parents in the state to enrol their wards especially girls into schools.
Kogi
The Kogi State Government is to partner with a U.S. firm, Carghil, to establish a starch company at Agbadu in the Kogi West Senatorial District.
Gov. Idris Wada, who made the announcement in Lokoja recently, said that the company would also produce sucrose and other sweeteners to be used in the manufacturing of other products. He said that the company would source its raw materials from a special variety of cassava which it intended to introduce to Nigeria through the Kogi Government, adding that 15, 000 hectares of land has been allocated to the company.
Oyo
The Chairman, National Certification Committee for Guinea Worm Eradication, Prof. Kayode Oyediran, has expressed optimism that Nigeria would be certified free of guinea worm by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
“I believe we will be certified fully in June when the International Certification Team of the WHO comes to Nigeria for the final assessment,’’ he told newsmen in Ibadan last Saturday.
Oyediran spoke on the sideline of the sensitisation meeting organised by the Nigeria Guinea Worm Eradication Programme (NIGEP).
The former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ibadan said the WHO certification team would be concerned about the number of the disease’s “rumoured cases and actual cases’’ during the period.
Plateau
Rep Godfrey Gaiya (PDP-Kaduna) has suggested the return of mobile police check points to deter criminals, especially in flash points around the country.
The lawmaker said in Jos that “their mere presence is enough to scare many criminals”.
Gaiya said that such complaints were nothing compared to the usefulness of the road blocks to the Nigerian society.
He blamed the massive insecurity on the absence of the police on the roads and decried a situation where criminals could travel very long distances without being accosted with their loots or illegal arms.
Sokoto
The Minister of Youth Development, Alhaji Inuwa Abdulkadir, has restated the commitment of the Federal Government to maximise the desired impact of the NYSC programme on national unity.
Abdulkadir said this in Sokoto Wednesday at the opening of the 2013 Annual Management Conference of the NYSC scheme, recently.
He noted that the NYSC Programme was in tandem with the transformation agenda of President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration.
The theme of the conference is “The Relevance of NYSC to National Development: Achievements, Challenges, Prospects and the Way Forward.’’
Abdulkadir, however, said that the scheme would have recorded greater successes but for the current security challenges.
Zamfara
The Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar, says police will now strengthen partnership with communities to identify potential national security threats.
The IG said this on Saturday in Gusau at the opening of a one-day Intelligence Sensitisation and Community Partnership Workshop.
Abubakar, who was represented on the occasion by the AIG North West Zone, Suleiman Fakai, said partnership with communities would now take “central role in preventing and responding to terrorism and reducing citizens’ security concerns”.
The measure, according to him, will also enhance national security, protection of lives and property and stabilise democracy.
He said through community vigilance, an effective policing of the society would be ensured as more useful information on criminals and their activities would be forthcoming.
He said the workshop, which also involved the participation of media practitioners, would encourage newsmen to assist in reducing tension.
He said through feedback methods, “the media can also help to monitor and evaluate government performances to meet the minimum expectations of the people”.
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.