Nation
THE STATES
Bauchi
Rep. Aliyu Gebi, (Bauchi Federal Constituency) last Sat
urday called for devolution of powers from the federal level to the state and local government councils.
Gebi made the call in a paper entitled: “Hindrances to Transformation Agenda. The Way Forward”, he delivered at the Annual National Alumni Lecture of Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi.
He said it would be difficult to deliver dividends of democracy with the current power structure in the country, adding that it would be difficult to realise the aims of the Federal Government’s transformation agenda if power structure remained unchanged.
Earlier, the National President of the alumni association, Malam Mohammed Wada, said the association would continue to uphold the aspirations of the founding fathers of the university.
Benue
The priest in charge of the Catholic Youth
Centre, Makurdi, Rev. Fr. Ambrose Amue, last Sunday appealed to Nigerians to exhibit humility in public service.
Amue, who made the appeal at a sermon, said that humility was necessary as those in leadership positions were entrusted with such responsibility by the people.
He said humility would always enable political officer holders to act with fear of God and provide selfless service to the people.
The cleric urged politicians to consider political appointments as an opportunity to serve the people better.
According to him, leadership is about rendering service and that those occupying the positions of responsibility must see themselves as servants rather than masters of the people.
Borno
The Borno State Government said last Sunday that it
would partner with Pakistan to harness the full agricultural potential of the state.
Governor Kashim Shettima made the statement while receiving a Pakistani trade delegation, led by the Nigerian High Commissioner to Pakistan, Alhaji Dauda Danladi, who paid him a courtesy visit at the Government House, Maiduguri.
Shettima pointed out that the partnership would cover areas like agriculture, pharmaceuticals, sports and gum Arabic among others, and declared that government was also making effort to revive the state’s education system through strengthening of science education.
The governor said that the administration was also willing to partner with Pakistan in the area of training for science teachers and training of medical doctors.
Jigawa
The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC)
in Jigawa State has arrested a 25-year-old woman for allegedly dumping her new born baby girl in a graveyard in Kazaure Local Government.
The NSCDC commandant in the state, Mr Muhammad Gidado, said last Saturday in Dutse that the suspect was arrested last Friday at Ilallah quarters in Kazaure town.
Gidado said the woman, who was a housemaid in the area, was arrested after the corps conducted a thorough investigation among divorcees, widows, housemaids and prostitutes living in the area.
He said a medical examination at the General Hospital at Hadejia revealed that the suspect was the biological mother of the baby.
Kaduna
Kaduna State chapter of the Jamaatu Izalatul Bidia
Waiqatusunnah (JIBW) last Saturday said youth empowerment was key to the eradication of moral decadence and violence among them.
Chairman of the group, Sheik Tukur Isa said this when he led other officials to pay a courtesy visit to the Chairman of Jema’a Local Government Area in Kafanchan, Kaduna State.
He said government at all levels should take the empowerment of young people as a cardinal point in their programmes, adding that self-reliant youths remained one of the keys to addressing lots of the social vices facing the country.
The cleric commended Jema’a local government council’s efforts at uniting the people of the area and pledged its support and prayers for unity among the people.
Kano
Kano State Government has urged residents of the state
to desist from erecting structures on waterways to avoid flooding.
The Commissioner for Environment, Alhaji Abdullahi Abbas, made the call while speaking to newsmen in Kano shortly after the monthly environmental sanitation exercise on Saturday.
Abbas said the flood which occurred in many parts of the state was man-made and could have been prevented if people did not block waterways.
According to him, “people erect structures on top of waterways and drains and when there is a down pour they experience flood because the passages are blocked. I want to commend the Governor Kwankwaso administration for its efforts to revert to Kano’s initial town plan. That is the only solution to the current situation as some structures have been moved away to free the waterways.”
Kogi
Governor Idris Wada of Kogi State has approved the
appointment of four new permanent secretaries into the state civil service.
This is contained in a statement by the Permanent Secretary in charge of the state Civil Service Commission, Mr Felix Ogbodo.
The statement, a copy of which was made available to newsmen last Sunday in Lokoja, named new permanent secretaries as Messrs James Adedoyin, Usman Odawn, Ibrahim Joshua and Mrs Iyabode Agbore.
It said the appointments was with immediate effect.
Kwara
APC chairmanship candidate in the Irepodun Local Gov
ernment Area of Kwara State, Mr Abdulraheem Olawuyi, has called on religious leaders to assist government in reviving the nation’s education sector.
Olawuyi made the call last Sunday at the 2012/2013 Prize Giving Day ceremony of the Omu-Aran Summer School Programme in Omu-Aran.
Olawuyi who decried the not-too impressive fortune of the education sector in Nigeria, said the trend posed grave danger to the growth and economic development of the country.
According to him, any nation aspiring to develop either through research, scientific or medicinal needs to strive harder to ensure a high level educational development of its citizenry.
“Government at all levels in the country seems to be at a loss as the state of Nigeria’s education sector declines by day. It is declining at such an alarming rate, hence the need for divine intervention through prayers.
Niger
Activities of Prison Fellowship of Nigeria in the areas of
evangelism and care for inmates have brought about positive changes in the lives of inmates across the country.
Pastor Peter Okere, the chaplain of the fellowship, Suleja chapter, stated this last Saturday in Suleja, Niger State, at a one-day Prison Ministers’ Conference entitled “The Chosen One’’.
He said the fellowship’s decision to embark on prison outreach programmes was informed by its belief that prisoners deserved God’s love.
Okere urged the public to have compassion for prisoners, insisting that experience had shown that repentant prisoners had been useful in the spread of the gospel and prevention of crimes.
Ondo
A teenager, Oluwaseyi Adelegan, 14, was last Friday
murdered by unknown assailants at his father’s house in Akure.
The deceased is the son of Chief Solomon Adelegan, the National President, Amalgamated Union of Public Corporation, Civil Service Technical and Recreational Services.
The Police Public Relation Officer (PPRO) in Ondo State, Mr Wole Ogodo, confirmed the incident. It is obvious the young boy was killed while trying to move out of his bedroom to the sitting room before he eventually gave up,’’ Ogodo said.
Ogodo, who said that no arrest had been made, said that the case had been transferred to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).
According to him, “the information surrounding the death of the young boy is still sketchy, but I assure you that police will get to the root of the crime”.
Taraba
A joint meeting of Taraba State chapters of the Muslim
Council and the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) last Saturday advised politicians not to use religion to pursue their selfish agenda in the State.
In a communiqué issued at the end of their meeting in Jalingo, CAN and the Muslim Council decried the manner politicians in the state were whipping up religious sentiments to achieve selfish political goals.
The communiqué was signed by the State Chairman of the Muslim Council, Alhaji Inuwa Mafindi and the state Vice Chairman of CAN, Rev. Ben Ubeh.
It observed that Taraba had been “unnecessarily thrown into a state of confusion by selfish politicians who did not mean well for it since the return of Gov. Danbaba Suntai on August 25.
The communiqué commended the State Government and the peoples efforts aimed at maintaining peace and for their tolerance of one another. It urged the people to remain calm to ensure that the prevailing peace was sustained.
Strategic regulators and other stakeholders have expressed satisfaction with the pace, quality and magnitude of work carried out by the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) in Ogoniland, in line with the recommendations of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
In their separate speeches at the 2025 4th quarter key regulators / asset owners meeting held in Port Harcourt, the strategic stakeholders commended HYPREP for the significant milestones achieved with excellent efficiency and transparency, demonstrating capacity and commitment to sustaining collaboration with development partners for the overall success of the Project.
The regulators particularly lauded HYPREP for the landmark success in the implementation of the land and shoreline remediation, mangrove restoration, provision of reticulated potable water, the various sustainable livelihood programmes, donation of ambulances to health facilities in Ogoni, the construction of Centre of Excellence for Environmental Restoration, as well as the ongoing Ogoni Power Project, adding that their independent field reports have shown proofs of HYPREP driving even beyond its mandates.
The goodwill messages were made by representatives of the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA), Centre for Environment and Human Rights Development (CEHRD), Society for Women and Youths Affairs (SWAYA), Stakeholders Democracy Network (SDN), Nigerian Pipelines and Storage Company (NPSC), and Federal Ministry of Environment. Others are the Rivers State Ministry of Environment, the Rivers State Ministry of Health, the National Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), the Rivers State Ministry of Power, the Rivers State University, the Rivers State Ministry of Water and Rural Development, and Renaissance Africa Energy Company Limited.
Following the Monitoring and Evaluation Unit’s presentation on the status of HYPREP projects, participants offered feedback on areas of concern. They reassured HYPREP and the people of Ogoni of their continued support for the Project’s success. They also suggested that the quarterly review meeting be sustained as it enables them to report, evaluate and proffer solutions to areas of concern.
Participants also commended HYPREP for improved community and stakeholder engagement and for adding to what they saw the previous time. “We commend HYPREP for the quality work done at sites. The progress is phenomenal, because HYPREP is scoring good grades, above average,” Prof. Iyenemi Kakulu from Rivers State University said.
In his speech at the event, the Project Coordinator of HYPREP, Prof Nenibarini Zabbey, who was represented by Prof Damian-Paul Aguiyi, Director of Technical Services, commended the regulators and asset owners for their cooperation with the Project, and for making themselves available for fieldwork and the regular review meetings.
Prof Zabbey reiterated HYPREP’s commitment to best practice in waste management, particularly waste generation and disposal, calling on the Regulators for adequate logistics support, saying HYPREP’s priority is to focus on the core recommendations by UNEP, especially, remediation(soil, shoreline) mangrove restoration, provision of potable water, interventions in public health care services and sustainable livelihood for the people.
The Project Coordinator further highlighted the status of the Project, the successes achieved across all thematic areas, and assured that HYPREP will soon complete most of the ongoing projects and roll out others. He explained that the purpose of the meeting was to review the progress of the Ogoni cleanup, ensure quality control, and foster effective collaboration.
Consequently, the quarterly key regulators/asset owners meeting is HYPREP’s strategic stakeholder management model, further underscoring the Project’s commitment to transparency, partnership for development, and accountability, all of which are harbingers of effective project delivery.
Speaking to newsmen, HYPREP Project Support Lead and representative of Renaissance Africa Energy Company Limited, Engr Ehioze Igbinomwanhia, described his involvement with HYPREPas an encouraging and insightful experience, saying, the Project is implementing a wide range of projects across Ogoniland, spanning immediate remediation works as well as livelihood support initiatives aimed at improving the welfare of affected communities.
Engr Igbinomwanhia emphasised that Renaissance Africa Energy remains fully committed to supporting the objectives of the Ogoni cleanup project, noting that the company has a long history of collaboration with HYPREP.
He added that the partnership has been characterised by continuous learning, adaptation and a willingness to respond to observations and recommendations aimed at improving outcomes.
He further emphasised the importance of safety in all project operations, particularly given the challenging terrain and operating conditions in Ogoniland.
He noted that safety is treated as a critical priority and that contractors are continually reminded to maintain high safety standards, stressing that lessons learnt from previous operational challenges like the collapse of the water tank in Gwara Community are being applied to strengthen safety practices and overall performance.
The Rivers state Government has identified six local government areas with the highest burden of maternal and Neonatal mortality in the state.
State Commissioner for Health Dr Adaeze Chidinma Oreh said this in an interview with newsmen at the Maternal and Neonatal Reduction innovation initiative ( Mamii)Rivers state activation workshop and state engagement meeting in Port Harcourt.
The event was organized by The Federal Ministry of Health in conjunction with its Rivers state counterpart in Port Harcourt.
Dr Oreh also restated the preparedness of the state government to support current efforts by the federal government towards the reduction of maternal and infant mortalities in the country.
She mentioned the affected Local Government Areas to include, Andoni,Akuku Toru and Ahoada West
The rest according to the Commissioner are, Bonny, Etche and Emohua Local Government Areas.
She said the workshop will enable the team from the federal ministry of health and social welfare to brainstorm with the view to finding solution to the problem.
The Commissioner also gave reasons why the Mamii initiative was the best as far as finding solution to maternal mortality was concerned.
“The uniqueness of the Mamii initiative driven by the federal ministry of health and social welfare was that we used evidence to elicit the reasons for this deaths, so that the solutions will be context specific and tailored to the particular environment where those deaths are occuring
“For us in Rivers state we have six Mamii LGAs , nationally we we have 172 local government areas “the Commissioner said.
Earlier in her opening remarks,Dr Oreh said the state government is prepared to work with the federal ministry of health and social welfare to check the rate of maternal mortality in the state.
She commended The Minister of Health and Social welfare Professor Ali Muhammad Pategi for driving the Mamii initiative across the country and expressed optimism that the programm will see to the end of maternal mortality in the country.
Also speaking the National Coordinator Nigeria health sector Renewal Initiative Dr Adam Ahmed said Rivers state is the last state among Mamii states in the country to host the team.
He said the team will visit the affected Local Government Areas with the view to interacting with the people on how to check the trend.
He expressed the hope that with continuous efforts, maternal mortality will be checked.
Also speaking the permanent secretary Rivers state Ministry of Health Professor Justinah Jumbo said the government is not leaving any stone unturned towards reduction in maternal deaths.
The permanent secretary said Governor Siminalaye Fubara is a health friendly Governor who is desirous in improving the quality of health of Rivers people.
John Bibor
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