Nation
THE STATES
Bauchi
Caretaker Chairman of Gamawa Local Government Area of
Bauchi State, Alhaji Kabiru Garba, on Sunday said the council would spend more than N3 million for feeding the needy during the ongoing Ramadan.
Garba told the inauguration of the feeding committee members in Gamawa that: ‘’Twenty one mosques have been selected to benefit from the feeding exercise and the money will be distributed, based on the expected number of people to feed in each selected mosque.’’
He said that some of the selected mosques designated as feeding areas included Gamawa Central, Gololo South and North and Jadori mosques. Others were Tumbi, Kore, Alagarno, Godiya and Kafiromi village mosques.
He urged members of the feeding committee to be just, fair and fear Allah in carrying out the responsibility bestowed on them. ‘’I urge you to be just and fear Allah in the discharge of your duty,’’ he said.
Borno
Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno State has advised the
state’s Pilgrims Welfare Board to ensure hitch-free conduct of this year’s holy pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia.
Shettima who gave the advice in Maiduguri on Sunday while inaugurating new members of the board, urged the board to ensure that all intending female pilgrims were accompanied by their Maharam (male guardians) to prevent deportation by the Saudi authorities.
He also advised the board to ensure that no pregnant woman was allowed to travel to Saudi Arabia from the state.
The Chairman of the board, Prof. Tijjani Almiskin, thanked the governor for the appointment, promising that members of the board would work for a successful hajj this year. ‘’We are going to develop a master plan towards ensuring the best hajj for the state,’’ he said.
Jigawa
The Chairman, Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Jigawa
chapter, Mr Adamu Turaki, on Saturday commended the Lagos Court of Appeal for acquitting Maj. Hamza Al-Mustapha and Alhaji Lateef Shofolahan.
The duo were discharged and acquitted over the alleged murder of Kudirat Abiola, the wife of late business mogul and politician, Chief Moshood Abiola, the acclaimed winner of the 1993 annulled general elections.
Al-Mustapha, the Chief Security Officer to late Gen. Sanni Abacha; and Shofolahan, Kudirat’s Personal Aide, had faced trial since 1998.
Kano
Kano State Government said it had released N14 million to
clear drains around the famous Jakara and Kwarin Gogau River in Fagge Local Government Area of the state.
The Commissioner for Environment, Alhaji Abdullahi Abba, announced this on Saturday while inaugurating the clearing of the drains at Jakara quarters.
The commissioner expressed government’s concern over the environmental condition of the area due to its vulnerability to flooding.
Abba said the eight-day exercise was a precautionary measure to avert recurrence of flooding of the River in the area, and called for the continued support of the community for the success of the exercise.
Ward Head of the area, Alhaji Sarki Labaran, commended the government, saying that the river had been posing threat to the people living around it.
He called on the government to hasten the payment of compensation to residents to be affected by the road construction on the river.
Kaduna
The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar on Saturday
blamed the failure of leadership for the increasing moral decadence among youths in the country.
Abubakar said this in Kaduna in a message to the opening of the 8th Ramadan Lecture, organised by the NTA, FRCN and VON, with the theme “Moral Upbringing in Islam”.
He noted that the complete break down of family and leadership values have left the youths with no role models to emulate, either at home or at the national level.
Represented by the Emir of Birnin Gwari, Alhaji Zubairu Jibril, the Sultan also noted that the marriage institution had completely collapsed as parents continue to produce children they could not fend for or even give advice to.
“Things are extremely bad and in shambles, parents have failed, the leaders whether political, religious or in the academics are not showing good examples,” he said.
Kwara
The member representing Ekiti, Isin, Irepodun and Oke-Ero in
the House of Representatives, Hon. Akeem Aiyedun, has presented empowerment materials to his constituents.
Speaking at the presentation in Omu-Aran, Irepodun Local Government Area of Kwara, Aiyedun said the empowerment programme was part of his efforts to give back to society and complement government’s initiatives.
“ Today’s occasion is quite unique for the fact that it was designed not only to showcase the valuable dividends of democracy, but also to deliver them to the doorsteps of my dear constituents.
“ It has demonstrated that being in leadership positions must be complemented by reciprocity,’’ he said.
The lawmaker, who was elected on the platform of the PDP, lamented that government at all levels was facing the challenge of paucity of funds, adding that many projects captured in the Appropriation Act were not being executed.
Speaking on behalf of PDP chairmen in the four councils making up the constituency, Chief Solomon Aboyeji, said the empowerment programme was unprecedented.
Lagos
The pan-Yoruba socio-cultural organisation, Afenifere, on
Saturday said it was dissatisfied with the Court of Appeal judgment that exonerated Maj. Hamza Al-Mustapha from the murder of Alhaja Kudirat Abiola.
The Court of Appeal, Lagos Division, on Friday discharged and acquitted Al-Mustapha and Alhaji Lateef Sofolahan of the murder charge.
Afenifere said in a statement: “In our opinion, the witnesses who gave evidence of the truth at the inception of the trial were instigated to contradict their evidence to render the evidence ineffective.
The statement signed by the Chairman of the Lagos Chapter of Afenifere, Chief Supo Sonibare said it was convinced that Kudirat’s murder was sponsored.
“Nigerians must remember that Kudirat and other Nigerians who were opposed to the Abacha regime were brutally butchered. “We doubt if the law enforcement agencies will need to look for other culprits for these crimes. “We already know who the murderers and accomplices are,” the group said.
Niger
The Niger State Primary Healthcare Development Agency has
immunised no fewer than two million children against polio during the just concluded round of Immunisation Plus Days exercise (IPDs).
The chairman of the agency, Dr Aliyu Yabagi said in Minna on Sunday that the exercise was part of the IPDs for children below the age of five years.
He said that the state and local governments contributed over N10 million towards the success of the exercise, adding that the agency embarked on a massive campaign in mobilising all stakeholders in the communities, in order for parents to allow their children to be immunised.
Yabagi commended traditional rulers and religious leaders for their roles in the sensitisation exercise on the importance of immunization, noting however that the agency was still faced with the issue of rejection of the immunisation by some parents in Chanchaga Local Government Area.
Osun
Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State has inaugurated the
construction of18 km Osogbo east bypass dual carriageway, worth N14.5 billion.
Aregbesola said at the inauguration on Saturday in Osogbo that the new road network would boost economic activities on completion, and also complement the Gbongan-Akoda dual carriageway to reduce traffic congestion as well as beautify the ancient city.
The road, which the governor named after the late Ooni of Ife, Oba Adesoji Aderemi, will be financed by Sterling Bank with an agreement on reimbursement.
He said that a bridge to be constructed on the road would be called “November 27”, in remembrance of the Governor’s inauguration on November 27, 2010.
Oyo
First female Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Chief Folake
Solanke, Saturday, urged parents and guardians to protect their children and wards against sexual harassment and exploitation.
Solanke said during the 2013 Valedictory Service and Graduation of the Bodija International College, Ibadan, that her advice was necessary because of increased cases of rape and exploitation in the society.
“We have cases of harassment of young girls; but we cannot go into what the law says now; nobody should be harassed. “Whoever is proven to have harassed somebody should be made to face the law. “As parents, we should prepare girls to resist attempts of assault whenever they can.
“We have the human trafficking law. This should be properly enforced to prevent our children from being moved into slavery in foreign countries where they are exploited, she said.
Plateau
Governor Jonah Jang of Plateau State on Saturday challenged
women to increasingly venture into male-dominated professions to fulfil their dreams in nation building.
Jang who made the call on Saturday in Jos when the Minister of Women Affairs, Mrs Zainab Maina, paid him a courtesy call, said.
“Women have the requisite ingredients to move the nation forward. “‘Our Nigerian women have what it takes to take the nation to the next level and so should not relent in venturing into male-dominated professions”.
The governor said the excellent performances of the few women occupying political offices were proofs of their capabilities of taking the nation to the next level.
Earlier, Maina, who said she was in the state on an advocacy visit, called on the state government to do more to curb maternal mortality, violence against women and encourage girl-child education.
Sokoto
A PDP chieftain in Sokoto State, Alhaji Abdullahi Bafarawa, has
appealed to President Goodluck Jonathan to act fast and help to end the political crisis in Rivers in the interest of the nation’s nascent democracy..
Bafarawa said on Saturday in Sokoto that the current events in the state could threaten the survival of the country’s democracy.
He said the time had come for the President “to exercise his executive powers to end the crisis in Rivers in the interest of Nigerians. “As a father to our great nation, the time has come for him to ensure amicable resolution of the problem,’’ he said.
According to him, “members of the opposition political parties are watching; hence, the need for the party to do more to promote internal democracy,” emphasising that the PDP required urgent political measures to solve its internal problems.
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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