Nation
THE STATES
Adamawa
Governor Murtala Nyako of Adamawa State has commended the state university in Mubi for excelling in academic activities.
Nyako made the commendation recently in Yola while receiving a letter of award and trophies won by the university in an academic programme coordinated by Oxford University, London.
He observed that since its inception, the university had made the state proud in academic performance, based on the accreditation of its courses by the National Universities Commission.
Earlier, the Vice Chancellor of the university, Prof. Alkassim Abba, said the award was won by the university after the assessment of its staff qualities, accreditation, exchange programme and regular implementation of courses and subjects.
Bauchi
The Bauchi State Adult and Non-Formal Education Agency, last Tuesday said it had enrolled 46,877 adults during the 2012/2013 academic session.
The Chairman, Board of Directors of the agency, Alhaji Ibrahim Aminu, told newsmen in Bauchi that the agency had initially targeted 38,390 learners across the state.
He said the agency had in collaboration with development partners opened 1,878 learning centres with 800 facilitators and 228 scheme organizers and that “from 2012 to 2013, the enrolment figures in the centres rose from 38,390 to 46,877 learners”.
The chairman said the Agency would work towards gradual reduction of illiteracy rate by 10 per cent every year through the development of a three-year strategic plan and appealed to all stakeholders to support the agency to achieve its goals.
Gombe
Chairman, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Gombe State chapter, Rev. Abare Kalla, recently predicted lasting peace and understanding among Nigerians in 2014.
Kala said in Gombe that from what he witnessed during the Christmas and Sallah festivities, peace had come to stay in the country.
The cleric said that meaningful development could only take place in a peaceful society characterised by tolerance, adding “we should learn how to tolerate each other, irrespective of religious and ethnic backgrounds.”
He urged Christians and Muslims to usher in the New Year with prayers so that insecurity would become a thing of the past.
Jigawa
The Jigawa State Government recently said it had approved contracts worth N1.3 billion for the construction of feeder roads and electrification projects across the state.
The Commissioner for Information, Youth and Sports, Alhaji Babandi Ibrahim,who announced this while addressing newsmen after the State’s Executive Council meeting in Dutse, said that N1.1 billion was earmarked for the construction of feeder roads in six villages while N249.5 million would be used to electrify 10 towns and villages.
He said that the roads included those of Gumel-Garungambo; Kiyakoto-Shurgarum; Shafa-Gidansani; Malamadori, Saturiyakwatche and Lanaki, adding that villages like Sarawiya, Shakoato, Gurinrima, Ariki, Kembo, Majigini, Banaga, Ungwa-kaya, Giwa and Deruru would be electrified in the project.
He said the step was taken to develop the rural areas and boost socio-economic activities, to improve the lives of the rural dwellers.
Kaduna
The Kaduna State Sector Command of Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), said it had arrested and tried 94 motorists for various traffic offences during the yuletide.
The Sector Commander, Mr Olu Olagunju, who made this known in an interview, Tuesday in Kaduna said the motorists were arrested in Kaduna, Birnin Gwari, Zaria, Saminaka, Tafa and Kafanchan from December 19 to December 30.
He said that 66 out of the 94 were convicted by the command’s two mobile courts while others were discharged, adding that five other motorists were apprehended for being in possession of hard drugs.
“We laid more emphasis on drunk driving, but recently we realised that there are drugs that are in common use that will not be detected under alcohol. “So we are partnering with the Nigerian Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) to check motorists under the influence of alcohol or drug, “ he said.
Kebbi
The Local Government Service Commission in Kebbi State, said it would introduce compulsory computer training for local government officials to improve their performance.
The Chairman of the commission, Alhaji Usman Bello, made the disclosure Monday, while presenting 200 computer sets to Birnin Kebbi local government council staff in Birnin Kebbi.
Bello said that “the target of the commission is to make the staff computer literate by 2020’’ noting that 200 directors and secretaries had been trained during the first phase of the programme.
The chairman said that the computers being presented to the council staff would be jointly paid for by staff and the commission, adding that “the commission will pay 50 per cent of the cost of the computers, while the beneficiaries will pay the balance.’’
The Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Nura Kangiwa, commended the commission for the training.
Kogi
The Chairman of Dekina Local Government Area of Kogi State, Mr Mohammed Ali, said those defecting from PDP to APC should not mistake the current silence of the electorate for acceptance.
Ali, said at a news briefing in Lokoja last Monday, stressed that the people would definitely react at the appropriate time and Ali described the defection as unfortunate.
On the state of local governments in the state, Ali said the 23 councils were operating under difficult situation, said the unresolved problem of ghost workers and huge monthly wage bills were responsible for the development which makes it impossible for the councils to implement people-oriented programmes.
The chairman contended that the way out was for the councils to widen their revenue base and remove all the ghost workers from their pay rolls without further delay.
Kwara
A House of Representatives member, Dr Ali Ahmad, has urged the Federal Government to increase the number of Supreme Court judges to fast track the dispensation of justice.
Ahmad, in an interview recently in Ilorin, said the few judges in the court were being overworked and stressed that it was time for the Supreme Court to stop entertaining some cases from the Court of Appeal, as was done in the U.S.
“The Supreme Court should look at it and if there is nothing remarkable about the appeal, if the issue has been settled, it should just refer the case back to Court of Appeal and that means the Supreme Court has affirmed it. “But we have this thing that says appeal is subscribe; we really need to look at that and do something about it,” Ahmad, who chairs the House Committee on Judiciary, said.
He disclosed that the National Assembly had provided in the constitutional amendments, that, interlocutory appeals should not stop prosecution of criminal cases, stating that the provision was meant to reduce cases at the apex court.
Lagos
Vice-Chancellor of Caleb University, Imota, Prof. Ayodeji Olukoju, recently called for the establishment of state police in Nigeria to maintain law and order alongside the Nigeria police.
Olukoju, who made the call during an interview in Lagos said.
“Let us have a federal police, not just Nigerian police at the centre where anybody can use against anybody. “Let us have it as it is done in America, police at different strata, local government police, state police and then federal police, all working together.
Reacting to the centenary celebration of the country being planned for January, 2014. The vice-chancellor advised that Nigeria should emulate the United States of America, where the local and state police exist side-by-side with the federal police.
“We have a declining quality in leadership; we have a decline in terms of civic responsibility and in terms of societal awareness. “The control for central power is what is killing Nigeria and this is because there is much money at the centre that people want to siphon,” he said.
Ogun
An Ota Magistrates’ Court in Ogun, recently remanded four men; Isiaka Ayorinde, Ayodele Olarewaju, Qudus Adesola and Bunmi Thomas in prison for alleged armed robbery.
The prosecutor, Cpl. Rosemary Brown, had told the court that the accused and others at large, committed the offences on December 6 at about 1.35 a.m.
Brown said the accused persons and the others at large, attacked the complainant, Mr Oladimeji Balogun at Oladimeji Street, Ajibanwo in Ota.
She said the accused dispossessed the complainant of a Samsung cell phone valued at N12,000, a wrist watch valued at N3,500 and jewelleries valued at N17,000, totalling N35,000.
Zamfara
The Zamfara State Government, recently, said the government would establish three FM radio stations as part of efforts to improve public enlightenment and information dissemination in the state.
The Commissioner for Information, Alhaji Ibrahim Birnin-Magaji, who made the disclosure while defending the ministry’s budget proposal before the state’s House of Assembly, said the state government decided to establish the stations after considering the importance of public enlightenment and information dissemination in the state.
He added that the stations would be established in Gummi, Talata-Mafara and Kaura-Namoda, noting that the state government hoped to complete the projects before 2015.
He urged the people of the state to support the state government in its effort to ensure effective leadership.
L-R: Wife of Lagos State Governor, Mrs Abimbola and Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Dr Leke Pitan, Carrying a set of twins deliverd by Mrs Adediji as first babies of the Year 2014 at the Island Hospital in Lagos last Wednesday. With them is the Special Adviser to the Governor on Public Health, Dr Yewande Adesina.
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