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THE STATES
Benue
Two persons died in a motor accident that occurred last Friday in Wannune, Tarka Local Government Area of Benue State.
Mr Daniel Ezeala, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in Benue State, said in Makurdi that the accident occurred when a lorry conveying members of the NKST Church, travelling from Ukum to Makurdi, fell off the road after hitting another vehicle, killing two persons with others sustaining injuries.
“`The vehicle, which tried to avoid a speed bump, ran into another vehicle in front, thereby causing it to fall into a ditch, which resulted into the death of the two passengers,’’ he said.
Ezeala said that the passengers were travelling for a conference of the NKST Church in Makurdi,
FCT
The Executive Secretary of the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA), Mr Reginald Stanley, last Saturday assured Nigerians of steady fuel supply.
A statement issued in Abuja by Mr Lanre Oladele, the Public Relations Officer of PPPRA, quoted Stanley as saying that the NNPC and other marketers had sufficient fuel in stock.
The statement said that the agency gave the assurance to remove the fears created in the minds of the public that there might be fuel scarcity.
It said that the agency, however, expressed regret that some marketers usually hoarded petroleum products so as to make profit during festive periods.
“We wish to assure Nigerians that there is steady trucking out of products across the country and the trend shall continue without any hindrance,’’ the statement said.
Gombe
The Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Gombe has been upgraded to a Teaching Hospital.
According to a release signed by Malam Haruna Abdulrasheed, Assistant Director, Public Relations of the hospital issued last Friday, the approval for the upgrade was given by President Goodluck Jonathan
It said copies of the approval have been sent to the Minister of Health, Secretary to the Government of the Federation and Governor of Gombe State.
The release further said the upgrading was to enable the hospital to be used for the training of medical students of the Gombe State University.
Jigawa
The Police in Jigawa State said it recorded 21 murders and four suicides from January to December 2013.
The Commissioner of Police in the State, Mr Kayode Theophilus, made the remarks in Dutse last Sunday.
Theophilus said 13 of the cases had been charged to court while the remaining ones were being investigated.
Theophilus stated that 72 persons were arrested for causing grievous harm/ inflicting injuries on people. “The suspects have been charged to court.’’
He disclosed that 10 armed robbers were arrested while 426 people were nabbed for stealing and three others for forging currency notes and disclosed that crime rate in the state had drastically reduced when compared with the past.
Kadunaa
The Kaduna State Police Command last Saturday in Kaduna paraded seven suspected members of a gunrunning syndicate involved in the sale, manufacture and repair of locally made guns.
The Commissioner of Police, Mr Olufemi Adenaike, said that the suspected gun-runners were arrested following a tip-off from a member of the public.
Adenaike said that seven suspects, including Malam Aliyu Yahaya, the Village Head of Sabon Gidan, Kakau, in Chikun Local Government Area of the state, were arrested in the operation. According to him, investigations are still going on, with a view to arresting other members of the syndicate and others involved in the manufacture and repair of locally made guns.
He urged the public to continue to support security agents by providing them with useful information that would aid efforts to safeguard the state against terrorism and other crimes.
Kano
The Kano State Government says it will establish an e-learning centre in each of the 44 local government areas of the state this year.
The state Commissioner for Education, Alhaji Tajuddeen Gambo, said last Friday in Kano State that the project, which would be executed in collaboration with a Canadian non-governmental organisation, was part of the government’s effort to encourage e-learning.
“By 2015, JAMB examination is going to be done electronically. “So you have to ensure that all your students taking the examination are computer literate otherwise they will not pass the examination.
“The e-learning centres will be opened in each of the local government areas with no fewer than 30 computers in each centre,’’ he said.
According to him, the state government will also provide 61 computers in every secondary school.
Kebbi
The Kebbi State chapter of the Nigeria Cassava Growers Association says it is collaborating with local government councils to secure a N500-million loan for cassava growers and processors.
The association’s Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Nasiru Magaji, in a statement in Birnin Kebbi last Saturday, said that 20,000 cassava growers and processors would benefit from the loan.
He said that the gesture was to encourage more people to participate in cassava farming and processing and commended the state government for assisting 1,488 cassava farmers to obtain loans from the Bank of Agriculture.
Magaji also said that the moribund Cassava Processing Plant in Birnin Kebbi was being revived to produce pellets, chips, industrial starch and flour for domestic and international markets.
“The national body of the association will also assist the state branch with six additional cassava processing plants to boost the fortunes of cassava farmers,’’ he said.
Kwara
Members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and youths under the auspices of Youths for Change Initiative (YCI) in Ajase-Ipo in Kwara State, last Sunday pledged to work for the victory of the party in the 2015 general elections.
The groups, in a joint communiqué issued at a meeting on political developments in the state, said the party deserved their support at this critical period.
The communiqué was jointly signed by Yusuf Rasheed, Ward 2 Secretary of PDP and the Public Relations Officer, Oyinloye Simeon, while Suleiman Mansur, signed for YCI.
According to the groups, the achievements recorded by ex-governor Bukola Saraki and his successor, Alhaji Abdulfatai Ahmed, were made possible by the people-oriented policies of the PDP.
Lagos
Commercial motorists in Lagos State last Saturday appealed to the Lagos State Government to extend the December 31, 2013-deadline fixed for the new registration of commercial vehicle operations.
Lagos State Ministry of Transportation commenced the new registration of commercial vehicles on November 1, 2013 and the exercise was expected to end on December 31, 2013.
The Commissioner for Transportation, Mr Kayode Opeifa, said at a recent meeting with transport service providers that the new vehicles’ registration was for purely security reasons.
He said that the measure was adopted to address some security issues, including kidnapping, which were always linked to commercial vehicles in the state.
Yobe
Yobe State Government has refuted the claim by the Minister of State for Finance that the Federal Government is building the 31km Gashua-Yusufari road.
In a statement by the Special Adviser to Governor Ibrahim Gaidam on Information and Press Affairs, Abdullahi Bego, the government said the claim is “stunningly false”.
The statement reads, “the attention of this office has been drawn to a false claim by the Minister of State for Finance, Dr. Yerima Ngama, that the Federal Government is building the Gashu’a-Yusufari road. “The minister made the claim during the 9pm network news of the Nigeria Television Authority (NTA) last Thursday.
“Why would the minister ignore the lack of Federal Government projects in the state and instead choose to make desperate and false claims to projects being executed by Governor Gaidam.
“Coming from a politician desperate to explain the troubling lack of federal presence in Yobe State and much of the Northeast, the minister’s claim, though unbelievable, is understandable,” Bego said.
Plateau
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in Plateau State said last Monday it secured 122 convictions and seized 1,494.185 kilogrammes of hard drugs in 2013.
The NDLEA Commander in the state, Mrs Ngozi Madubuike, said in Jos that all the convicts were males between the age of 17 and 22 years.
Madubuike said that their jail terms also ranged between 30 days and seven years in prison and she attributed the rise in the use of drugs in Plateau to various factors, including peer group pressure, family disintegration, unemployment and cold weather.
She appealed to the public to cooperate with the agency by providing it with useful information that could assist in stopping drug trafficking and abuse.
L-R: Majority Leader, Oyo State House of Assembly, Mr Oyeniyi Akande, Chief Judge of Oyo State, Justice Badejoko Adeniji, Governor Abiola Ajimobi, the deputy, Otunba Moses Adeyemo, and Chairman, Oyo State All Progressives Congress, Chief Akin Oke, at the inter-religious prayer session to usher in 2014 in Ibadan last Monday. Photo: NAN
Residents of Omugo Community in Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara State have deserted their homes due to persistent bandit attacks.
The Tide’s source reports that the once lively community has turned into a ghost town with only a few domestic animals left.
Reports indicate that the recent bandits’ attack on the Omugo ECWA Church via Oro-Ago, led to the abduction of eight worshippers including the wife of the pastor in charge.
Three persons escaped out of the eight abductees with a N1billion ransom placed on the remaining victims in captivity. The community could only gather N1million which was rejected by the bandits.
Last week, the armed bandits invaded Oro-Ago community, killed one vigilante man identified as Baba Ibeji and injured his younger brother known as Ajere.
A Point of Sales, PoS, shop directly opposite the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps, NSCDC, Divisional office, was broken into by the bandits.
The gunmen also attacked the NSCDC office and sprayed bullets on the facility, though no casualty was recorded.
In earlier attacks on Oro-Ago environs, armed bandits ambushed a convoy between Oro-Ago and Oke-Ayan in Ilere district of Ifelodun Local Government Area and killed two local hunters on escort duty.
On Saturday, there was tension in Oro-Ago following a security alert that armed bandits were regrouping to launch fresh attacks on the community.
All security formations were, however, placed on ‘Red Alert’ to forestall the planned attack.
The Acting Provost of the Rivers State College of Health Science and Management Technology, Dr. (Mrs.) Peace Chigozirim Amadi has refuted claims circulating in the media suggesting that laboratory equipment went missing from the college.
In a recent statement, Dr. Amadi described the reports—particularly those attributed to certain publications—as false and misleading. She emphasized that all laboratory equipment at the college remain intact.
“I am here to set the record straight. No laboratory equipment disappeared from my college. Nothing is missing,” Dr. Amadi said, challenging anyone with contrary claims to provide evidence, including the names of the equipment and their supposed locations.
She further noted that the college recently underwent an accreditation exercise, during which significant investments were made in laboratory equipment. According to Dr. Amadi, these items are fully accounted for, and the college maintains a robust security system to protect its assets.
“Everything is intact. Nothing disappeared. The information being circulated is false and should be discarded,” she reiterated.
Beyond addressing the allegations, Dr. Amadi also called on media practitioners to exercise professionalism and verify stories before publication. “I want to plead with journalists to always verify their stories. Junk journalism does not help anyone. No matter the information you receive, it is important to hear the other side before publishing,” she said.
While social media posts have occasionally raised concerns about various issues in the region’s health education sector, including extortion and examination malpractice at related institutions, there is no independent evidence from credible news sources confirming that equipment went missing from Rivers State College of Health Science and Management Technology.
The college, a public tertiary institution based in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, is accredited to offer a variety of health-related programs, including Nursing, Midwifery, Laboratory Technology, and Environmental Health. It has consistently emphasized integrity, safety, and transparency in its operations.
Dr. Amadi’s statement seeks to reassure the public, students, and stakeholders that the college remains secure, well-managed, and free from the alleged equipment losses, while urging journalists to prioritize accuracy in reporting.
As the world commemorates World Water Day, the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) has reaffirmed its commitment to providing potable water across Ogoni communities, in line with the recommendations of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Report on the Ogoni Environment.
In a statement issued by its Project Coordinator, Nenibarini Zabbey, on March 22, 2026, HYPREP noted that this year’s theme, “Water and Gender,” alongside the campaign slogan, “Where Water Flows, Equity Grows,” underscores its resolve to extend potable water supply beyond oil-impacted communities to all Ogoni communities.
Zabbey emphasized that access to clean water is a fundamental human right, adding that HYPREP remains committed to ensuring inclusive and equitable water access across the region.
He disclosed that the agency has successfully provided potable water to over 43 communities in Ogoni, while ongoing Phase 3 water projects are expected to benefit an additional 17 communities. He also highlighted steady progress on windmill-powered water projects in less populated areas, particularly in Khana Local Government Area.
According to him, the K-Dere Water Project, which is over 99 percent complete, will be commissioned in the coming weeks, even as work continues on other water schemes across Ogoni.
Zabbey further noted that HYPREP’s interventions are aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 6, which focuses on ensuring the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all by 2030.
To ensure sustainability, he explained that the agency has adopted a joint management model involving host communities, the Rivers State Ministry of Water Resources and Rural Development, and the Rivers State Small Towns Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (RSSTOWA). He added that Water Consumers’ Associations have been established in communities such as Nchia and Eleme, alongside training programmes conducted in collaboration with non-governmental organisations.
The Project Coordinator stressed the importance of community ownership and protection of water facilities, echoing the call by the Minister of Environment, Balarabe Abbas Lawal, for residents to safeguard the infrastructure provided in their areas.
Zabbey expressed optimism that the ongoing efforts will significantly improve access to safe drinking water, reduce waterborne diseases, and enhance public health outcomes across Ogoni communities.
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