Nation
THE STATES
Adamawa
Governor Murtala Nyako of Adamawa State has ap
proved the extension of the appointment of Justice Nathan Musa as the acting Chief Judge of the state.
Nyako also approved the appointment of Alhaji Muhammed Alkali as the acting Grand Khadi of the state Sharia Court of Appeal.
The approvals were contained in a statement signed by the Adamawa Judiciary Head of Information, Mr Ishaya Lidawus, last Tuesday in Yola.
The statement said the extensions were in line with the recommendation of the National Judicial Council (NJC).
“Both appointments were in accordance with the provisions of the 1999 Constitution as amended,” the statement said.
Ekiti
A Muslim cleric, Alhaji Musbaudeen Yisah, last Tuesday
urged Muslim faithful to be moderate in their celebration of the forthcoming Eid-el-Kabir festival.
According to him, Muslims should use the period to serve Allah wholeheartedly and worship the creator in accordance with His command.
“It is against Islamic injunction to take loan or spend above your limited resources for the celebration. Allah does not have interest in how much you expend in buying rams but your commitment and sincerity of purpose,” Yisah said.
He noted that some people lay more emphasis on the celebration than the worship of Allah and doing His will and appealed to Muslims to monitor the movement of their children and wards during the celebration to avoid unpleasant occurrences.
FCT
Justice Abubakar Umar of an FCT High Court last Tues
day ordered a Polish woman, Dora Gilmaska, standing trial over a N9 million scam, to appear unfailingly on November 14.
The judge gave the order after the Counsel to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr Samuel Ugwegbulam, said that the woman had for the second time, failed to appear in court.
The EFCC is prosecuting Gilmaska, the Executive Officer of Icon Media and Marketing Agency Limited, for allegedly forging and issuing a dud cheque of N9 million to one Tayo Olugbemi in 2012.
Her counsel, Mr Selekowei Larry (SAN), prayed the court for an adjournment to enable him trace her, electing that his client had not communicated to him, her reason for not being in court.
The judge, then adjourned the matter to November 14 for adoption of the final written addresses.
Gombe
Traditional rulers in Gombe State last Tuesday promised
to reinforce their campaign against rape in the state to save the girl-child from being ruined.
They made the promise when members of the Child Protection Network (CPN), an NGO, and officials of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) paid advocacy visit to the Emir of Gombe, Alhaji Shehu Abubakar, in Gombe.
The District Head of Bolari, in Gombe metropolis, Alhaji Garba Abubakar, descried the increasing cases of rope in the state.
Earlier, the Coordinator, CPN Kano, Alhaji Mohammed Ali-Mashi, urged the traditional rulers to take the campaign to their subjects and enjoined the traditional rulers to impress on clerics to preach against the menace in mosques, churches, naming ceremonies and other social gatherings.
Jigawa
The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC)
in Jigawa State has said that it arrested a 45- year-old man for alleged fraud.
The State Commandant, Mr Muhammad Gidado, said that “the suspect had been duping people in Dutse and its environs”.
He alleged that the suspect paraded himself as a close associate of Jigawa and Kebbi States governors adding that the suspect promised to secure his victims contracts to supply 500 cars each to the Kebbi and Jigawa governments.
Gidado said the suspect told his victims that the money would be used to pay for his hotel and feeding allowances throughout his stay in the states to facilitate the contracts.
Kaduna
The Kaduna State House of Assembly has expressed
dissatisfaction with the level of sanitation in the state, saying the government must justify the N90 million it spends monthly on refuse disposal.
The House took the stand last Tuesday after reviewing the report of its committees on Environment, Natural Resource, Solid Minerals, Works and Transport as well as Land, Survey and Country Planing.
The Assembly had on September 25 mandated the committees to jointly evaluate the sanitation situation in the state following complaints from the public.
It said the state was too dirty and that the government needed to take action to justify the huge monthly expenditure on refuse evacuation and disposal.
Kogi
Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA) last Tues
day said it had rehabilitated 300 km out of 1, 630 km federal roads in Kogi.
The Director of FERMA in the state, Mr Kayode Emmanuel, said in Lokoja that 225 km of the roads were awarded to contractors for rehabilitation.
According to him, the remaining 75 km were executed through direct labour by the agency and listed the roads rehabilitated to include: Itakpe-Ogaminana-Kabba road, Ajaokuta-Anyigba road, Anyigba-Otukpa road and Kabba-Okorogbede road.
The director said that all the Federal Government roads in the state were in good condition except Okene-Ajaokuta road, Kabba-Omuo-Ekiti road and Egbe-Kwara State boundary road which were in terrible shape.
Kwara
A bill seeking an amendment to the Area Court Law of
Kwara, 2006, last Tuesday passed second reading in the state House of Assembly.
The bill was sent to the House in September by Governor AbdulFatah Ahmed.
The motion for the second reading of the bill was moved by the Majority Leader of the House, Alhaji AbdulGaniyu AbdulKareem, and seconded by Mrs Ebun Owolabi representing Ekiti Constituency.
The Deputy Speaker of the House, Prof. Gana Yissa, who presided over plenary, referred the bill to the House Committee on Judiciary, Ethics and Privileges for more inputs. He directed the House Committee on Business and Rules to monitor the progress on the bill.
Nasarawa
The National Association for the Blind, Lafia chapter in
Nasarawa State, has urged the state government to institute a scholarship scheme for its members.
The Chairman of the union, Malam Hassan Adogo,who made the appeal in a statement last Tuesday in Lafia Adogo said members of the union needed scholarships to enable them to pursue studies that would make them become self-reliant later in life.
He said the blind had always participated in elections but never received any dividends of democracy when elected governments were inaugurated.
The scholarship, he added, would go a long way in helping many of its members to complete and even further their education.
Ogun
The Nigeria Postal Service (NIPOST), Ogun territory, last
Tuesday said it had received 362,593 letters and parcels within eight months.
The Area Postal Manager, Mr Afolabi Mathias, said in Abeokuta that emphasis was shifted from individual mailers to bulk mailers between January and August.
The manager said that the use of ICT had enhanced the services of NIPOST, adding that the Internet was, however, limited in the number of facilities provided.
According to him, the baggage on ground can not be sent by Internet and maintained that the post would continue to be relevant because people would continue to receive and send messages, especially hard copies.
He advised students to embrace the habit of writing letters to improve their writing skills, saying that the use of postal service would boost their writing skills.
Ondo
Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation,
Chief Olu Falae, last Tuesday, urged members of the cc State House of Assembly to render selfless service to the people.
Falae made the remark in his Oba-ile residence in the state when the lawmakers paid him a condolence visit over the death of his son, Deji in the plane crash in Lagos last Thursday.
The Afenifere Chieftain appreciated the lawmakers over the Assembly’s nomination of his deceased son as a two-time commissioner under Governor Olusegun Mimiko’s administration.
In a remark, the Deputy Speaker of the House, Mr Dare Emiola, who led other lawmakers to Falae’s house, described Deji’s death as “rude shock and as a great loss to the people of the state.“
Sokoto
Governor Aliyu Wamakko of Sokoto State has directed
the Ministry of Finance to begin the payment of October salaries to the state civil servants.
A statement Tuesday in Sokoto by the Senior Special Assistant to Wamakko on Media, Malam Sani Umar, said the directive was to enable the Muslims to celebrate the Eid-el-Kabir slated for October 15, next tuesday.
It stated that the payment of the salaries should start today.
‘’The governor has therefore, directed the state Ministry of Finance to ensure that the salaries are paid latest by Friday. ‘’The measure is meant to assist the civil servants to celebrate the Eid-el-Kabir comfortably with their families,’’ the statement added.
Yobe
Yobe State Livestock Pilot Development Programme, Dr
Mustapha Gaidam, said 5.2 million livestock had been vaccinated against various diseases since 2009 in the State.
Mustapha said in Damaturu on Saturday that the state was now targeting 1.7 million cattle, sheep, goats and dogs in the 2013 mass vaccination.
He explained that 800,000 herds of cattle were to be vaccinated against Contagious Bovine Pleuro Pneumonia (CBPP) and Black Quarter (BQ).
“Also, 900,000 sheep and goats will be vaccinated against pest de petit ruminantes and 2,500 dogs will be vaccinated against rabies”, he said.
A professor of English linguistics at the Rivers State University (RSU) Nkpolu Oroworukwu Port Harcourt, Prof. Isaac Enyi Ngulube, has advocated for better and improved funding for language centres in Nigeria, such as NINLAN Aba and Nigeria French Language Village, Badagry, for optimum value and effective local languages development.
He also called for funded research on the development of orthographies and language documents across the country to rescue local languages from extinction, as well as having a well-planned and implemented mother tongue education in all institutions in the country, from primary to tertiary.
Prof. Ngulube made with these assertions while presenting his inaugural lecture at the university’s 121st inaugural lecture with the topic “The Career of Rough Beats: Language, Literature and the Development of our Common Humanity” held in Port Harcourt, Wednesday.
The erudite scholar, in the lecture, stressed that the study of English language, linguistics, and literature is very broad, large, and difficult, adding that he overcame the rough roads through resilience and determination.
He described language as “a purely human and non-instinctive means of communicating ideas and emotions,” noting that “the word is a fundamental need in language; you cannot study language without the use of language.”
He urged parents to be cautious with their utterances, warning that “what they refer to their children as is what they will automatically end up becoming.”
He recommended a branded English language for every profession or course of study, stressing that embedding oral literature in the teaching of students from primary to tertiary level will enable them to know their traditions and roots of origin.
“Tell them the folk stories and moonlight tales; you are sending them back to their people. You must be a human being first before becoming a medical doctor, engineer, or anything else,” Ngulube said.
He also called for better and improved production of quality language and literature teachers, provision of modern teaching/instructional materials, improved welfare packages for teachers, and provision of better infrastructure at both primary and secondary school levels.
He used the opportunity to appreciate the Vice Chancellor for the approval of the Department of English Language and Literature, adding that it had been his long-held dream for the university.
In his speech, the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Isaac Zeb-Obipi, while highlighting the lecture, opined that the lecturer x-rayed the lecturer’s journey into the study of English language, linguistics, and literature, describing the field as broad, large, and difficult, but with determination and focus, he was able to defeat the beasts he encountered on his way.
Zeb-Obipi agreed with the lecturer’s recommendations on ways to improve indigenous languages in the country and directed that modalities be worked out for the university to have the Department of English Language and Literature, among others.
He highlighted RSU’s recent victory in the Bilingual Community Project organized by the French Embassy, describing it as proof of the university’s rising excellence in language studies.
The Federal Government through the implementation of the various projects of the Ogoni cleanup programme is demonstrating a strong commitment to national peace and the development of Ogoniland.
The Project Coordinator of the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project(HYPREP), Prof Nenibarini Zabbey, who made this assertion at a two-day training on Mechanism for Alternative Dispute Resolution(ADR) and other Peacebuilding Techniques for Community Leaders In Ogoni, held in Port Harcourt, said through the ongoing environmental restoration effort, potable water provision, livelihood restoration, public health interventions, and the Ogoni Power Project, HYPREP is contributing to national peace and development.
He explained that by improving the living conditions in communities and creating new opportunities for young people, the Project is also reducing the social pressure that often fuels conflict, stressing that the Project is proud of this service to the Ogoni people and the nation.
Describing traditional leaders and stakeholders as peacebuilders and guardians of community harmony, Zabbey noted that the workshop would strengthen their capacities and reinforce the Ogoni dialogue process, which HYPREP continues to support in line with its mandate on peacebuilding.
He said HYPREP is actively promoting ADR alongside other mechanisms across its project sites and other areas of operation aimed at fostering unity, fairness, mutual respect and faster dispute resolution, stressing that these are qualities necessary for the future of Ogoni people and their communities.
He further indicated that the Minister of Environment and Chairman of HYPREP’s Governing Council, Malam Balarabe Abbas Lawal is disposed to promoting peace and stability across Ogoni communities and HYPREP project sites.
The Project Coordinator, therefore, charged Ogoni leaders to be mindful of their actions, words and body language, as what they say or do can either promote peace or fan the embers of conflict.
Continuing, he stated thus,”We must always ask ourselves: Is my position on this matter in the people’s interest? Does it promote unity and progress? Will it enhance development?”
The Project Coordinator assured the participants that HYPREP is working tirelessly in line with the directive of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda for the accelerated implementation of the Ogoni cleanup programme and ensure that its benefits reach the grassroots where they are needed most.
Stressing the need for Ogoni leaders and stakeholders to explore communication and trust options to prevent disputes from degenerating into violence, the Project Coordinator noted that it was time for all Ogonis to be united for development, leaving behind perceptions that do not serve collective progress.
Similarly, the Director of the Centre for Peace and Security Studies of the University of Port Harcourt, Prof Chioma Daisy Onyige, said the workshop is a strategic platform aimed at strengthening the capacity of traditional institutions and community leaders to sustain peace, foster dialogue and promote non-adversarial engagements in the implementation of the Ogoni cleanup programme.
Prof Onyige noted that the Ogoni leadership structure commands deep respect and legitimacy, and strengthening their capacity in ADR methods such as mediation, negotiation, dialogue, facilitation, and consensus building means strengthening the foundation of peace in the region.
Participants, comprising traditional rulers and key stakeholders in Ogoni, commended HYPREP for the initiative, and assured it of their continuous support to the Project by providing an enabling atmosphere for the smooth implementation of the cleanup project in Ogoniland.
Resource persons who presented thought-provoking lectures at the workshop included the Dean of the Faculty of Postgraduate Studies of the University of Port Harcourt, Prof Kinikanwo Anele; Prof Olariwanju Lawal; Prof Chioma Daisy Onyige; and Dr Gbenemene Kpae; among others.
With significant achievements recorded across thematic areas of the Ogoni cleanup programme being executed by the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP), the Project Coordinator of the Project, Prof Nenibarini Zabbey, has said that all these are enabling pathways to the development of Ogoniland.
This is coming on the heels of milestone achievements in the following areas and their impact on Ogoni communities. They are mangrove restoration which is 94 percent complete; shoreline remediation which stands at 67.1 percent; and the phase 2 land remediation progressing to 36.55 percent.
Moreso, HYPREP has constructed 14 water facilities, providing potable water to 40 communities. With the commissioning of the water schemes in Bane and Gwara communities, the number of communities with access to clean and safe drinking water will be 45. The process of operationalising the Centre of Excellence for Environmental Restoration (CEER) which is at 92 percent complete, is ongoing. The same for the Ogoni Power Project which is progressing with wayleave compensation and construction works at Bodo and Wiiyaakaara substations ongoing
Similarly, the Ogoni Specialist Hospital and Buan Cottage Hospital are at 76.8 percent and 98.7 percent respectively.
This is alongside other public health interventions and the Human BioMonitoring Survey also in progress.
Under the livelihood
programme, over 7,000 direct jobs have been created for Ogoni women and youths, while over 5,000 have been trained in multiple skills and provided start-up kits, workshops, education grants, scholarships and other empowerment programmes. This quarter, training will commence in other demand-driven skill areas, such as cybersecurity, full-stack development, mud logging, software development, commercial diving, and underwater welding.
Zabbey had reeled out these achievements, during the third quarter interactive session between the Project Coordination Office engagement with Ogoni youths in Port Harcourt on Friday, in line with HYPREP’s strategic stakeholders policy to provide an interface opportunity to abreast Ogoni youths on the Project’s activities, while garnering their feedback.
Zabbey noted that, “This
quarterly engagement was,therefore, designed as an inclusive strategy to ensure that youth voices are heard, concerns are addressed, and progress updates are provided transparently. Also, it reflects our firm belief that a project of this magnitude must be people-centred, accountable, and participatory”.
” I am delighted to inform you that the Project remains on course to achieve its mandate as outlined in the UNEP Report on the Ogoni environment and the official gazette establishing HYPREP. HYPREP is committed to transparency and accountability in the implementation of the cleanup projects and activities”, he said.
He stressed that HYPREP’s achievements are pathways to a better Ogoniland, assuring that the Project’s goals are aimed at benefiting all categories of Ogoni youths, whether in business, farming, advocacy, education, entrepreneurship or community development.
”This Project belongs to all of you, and its success depends mainly on your participation, unity and constructive engagement. And with your support, we are confident that all challenges will be addressed in the overall public interest,” Zabbey said.
The Project Coordinator urged Ogoni youths to continue to support the Project by promoting peace, discouraging misinformation, and collaborating with project teams working in the communities, and address challenges through dialogue, rather than confrontation.
Prof Dinebari Badey, a Professor of Development Sociology in the University of Port Harcourt, delivered the keynote address, linking the nexus between HYPREP and youths in the development of Ogoniland through unity of purpose while Engr Solomon Akere, gave a talk on Ogoni youths in business.
Participants raised questions concerning the maintenance of the water projects, remediation efforts, and compensation for the Right of Way (RoW), among others.
In attendance were management staff of HYPREP who provided responses to the interventions.