Connect with us

Nation

THE STATES

Published

on

Bauchi
Bauchi State Governor, Isa Yuguda, last Tuesday said over
two million people displaced from their communities by members of the Boko Haram sect are currently taking refuge in his state.
Yuguda spoke with State House correspondents shortly after attending a meeting President Goodluck Jonathan had with parents of the girls abducted from their school in Chibok, Borno State on April 14.
He said the situation had become a challenge to his state which is surrounded by all the states having security challenges, adding that  his state’s resources were being overstretched because they had to share the little they have with the refugees.
Minister of Education, Ibrahim Shekarau, faulted those who are of the view that the President’s meeting with the parents was too late in coming.

Borno
The Speaker of the Borno State House of Assembly,
Abdulkareem Lawan, last Tuesday, said the rumoured impeachment process against the governor was a farce and the machination of political interest working to destabilise the troubled state.
He noted that it was glaring that  majority of the lawmakers were wholly committed to the return of peace to the state and would stand against any act that would cause a breach of the peace.
The Speaker, who warned that any impeachment process against the governor would further draw the state back, noted that the governor had done nothing to warrant being removed.
Lawan, who spoke on the telephone to journalists from Saudi Arabia, where he is on the Lesser Hajj, said the impeachment process alleged to be championed by the former governor of the state, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, would fall flat.
He said, “The leadership and more than two-third of members of the Assembly are fully behind Governor Kashim Shettima, and our major preoccupation at the moment is how to restore peace in the state and put an end to killings, rather than any political upheaval.”

Ekiti
Court of Appeal sitting in Ado Ekiti has dismissed an ap
peal challenging the appointment of Oba Adegoke Adeyemi as the Alara of Aramoko-Ekiti.
The court upheld the decision of the Ekiti State High Court which struck out the suit filed by one of the contestants to the throne, Prince Olusegun Aderemi.
Adeyemi was declared the Alara of Aramoko on August 10, 2009 after defeating Aderemi by seven votes to six in the ballot by kingmakers.
Aderemi had challenged the appointment and asked the trial court to set aside the purported election of the monarch among other reliefs.
But the court presided over by Justice Cornelius Akintayo, on April 16, 2013 ruled that the case was incompetent because the plaintiff did not exhaust the conditions precedent and local remedies before filing the case.

FCT
The Inspector-General of Police, Mr Mohammed Abubakar,
says the force will establish a 26-bed cottage hospital in each of the six geo-political zones in the country.
He gave the assurance last Tuesday in Abuja in an interview with newsmen shortly after he declared open a three-day seminar for police medical officers.
He said, “We have made it a point of duty now that very soon if there is recruitment; they (medical unit) are going to be given large chunk. “This is to enable them to recruit more doctors and other medical personnel.”
Abubakar said the establishment of the cottage hospitals in the zones was to enable officers and men of the force in the rural areas benefit from the police medical services.
Also, AIG, Medical, Mrs Grace Akudo, said the unit had received some fund from the National Health Insurance Scheme and promised that it would be used to upgrade the force’s medical facilities.
Akudo said the unit would soon develop a strategic medical plan for the force where training of professionals would be given priority.
She said in the planned recruitment, both middle and high level professionals would be recruited to provide effective medical services to officers and men.

Kano
Six persons have died of cholera in Kafin Dalawa Village in
Tudunwada Wada local council of Kano State. Besides, the state Ministry of Health has confirmed the out break of cholera in nine local councils and had since deployed medical personal to observe the situation and check possible epidemic.
The affected councils are Doguwa, Tudunwada Wada, Gaya, Wudi, Dawakin Kudu, Garko, Kabo, Rano and Sumaila, all outside the metropolis. The Commissioner for Health, Dr. Abubakar Labaram Yusuf, told newsmen that 116 people were infected, though the ministry was already working to curb further spread.
He hinged the outbreak to the method of consumption of food and water, especially during the Ramadan period, even as maintained that only seven persons were currently on admission for suspected cholera infection.
However, a non-governmental organisation, Isma Medicare Initiative, revealed that about 701 people have been infected in the past six days, with 20 severe cases in Kafin Dalawa alone.

Kwara
Two people were feared dead in Ilorin, Kwara State capital
last Tuesday  when men of the Nigeria  Custom Service and suspected smugglers clashed  over the alleged refusal to check their consignment,  at Binukonu motor park, Sawmill area, Ilorin.
It was  revealed that, the Customs men were on trail of a vehicle carrying suspected smuggled cosmetics products, including air fresh conditioners car perfumes into the city, having refused arrest.
Sources said that the driver of the vehicle was thus chased by the men to Binukonu  Motor park at Saw Mill area, where they  exchanged gunshots.
The stray bullet allegedly fired by men of the Customs hit one of the members of the motorpark, leading to burning of used tyres at different areas of the town by colleagues of the dead person.

Lagos
Lagos lawyer, Mr Festus Keyamo has described the res
ignation of Adamawa State Deputy Governor, Mr Bala Ngglari as illegal and unconstitutional.
In an open letter to the President, Dr Goodluck Jonathan, Keyamo said the impeachment of the state governor, Vice Admiral Murtala Nyako (rtd) and the resignation of Ngglari were characterised by illegalities.
He warned that the nation might be gradually sliding into “a state of anomie, if your Excellency turns a blind eye and deaf ears to the various illegalities that have characterised the process employed in the gale of impeachments, or threatened impeachments and/or removal of elected representatives of the people in various parts of this country.”
He argued that as at the time Ngglari purportedly resigned, Nyako was still the governor and therefore the letter of resignation should have been addressed to him (Nyako) and not the Speaker.
Ogun

The Forum of South-West Peoples Democratic Party state
lawmakers has called on President Goodluck Jonathan to rescue the abducted Chibok girls, using the best option that will not put the lives of the girls in danger.
They made this call last Tuesday in a communique after their meeting in Abeokuta, last Thursday, signed by 15 PDP state lawkers from Oyo, Ekiti, Ogun and Ondo, they commended Jonathan’s effort to curtail insecurity in the country, they urged him to expedite action on the rescue mission.
They said, “While we commend the President for his determination and zeal to ensure that insecurity become a thing of the past, we also appeal to him not to rest on his oars in attempt to rescue the abducted Chibok girls using the best option that will not put their lives in danger.”
The lawmakers also called on the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar, and other security agencies, to provide adequate security for the Osun governorship election holding on August 9, as well as the 2015 general elections, to prevent unnecessary shedding of blood, before, during and after the polls.

Osun
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Osun State chapter,
has demanded a detailed account of how the state’s allocations and other funds collected by the administration of Governor Rauf Aregbesola, since the inception of his administration were utilised.
The party, in a statement last Tuesday, by the Director of Media and Publicity of Iyiola Omisore Campaign Organisation, Mr. Diran Odeyemi, said the PDP was making the request because it had established that all the projects the Osun State government had claimed as its projects were either funded by the Federal Government or with local governments allocations.
The party said it welcomed the admittance by the government spokesperson, Mr Sunday Akere, that the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan through UBEC, built all elementary and middle schools in the state, while those roads executed at local governments were paid for by all council areas in the state.
The PDP said, “With the facts at our disposal, Ogbeni Aregbesola has received over N300bn from federation account since he took over as the governor of the state. All elementary and middle schools in Osun state are built by UBEC, all high schools were constructed with SUKUK bond,

Plateau
Aggrieved workers of Jos North Local Government Coun
cil in Plateau State have staged a protest over non-payment of their two months outstanding salaries and other entitlements.
The workers in the early hours of last Tuesday blocked the council secretariat preventing people from going in to conduct their day-to-day activities.
The protesting workers had earlier blocked the entrance of the council secretariat to prevent the interim chairman and other senior staff of the council from gaining entry into the secretariat.
Chairman of the Jos North NULGE, Mr. Yakubu Dung, however said the workers were not on strike, stressing that they were just gathering to be addressed by the leaders of the workers’ union.
He said the council was seriously addressing the plight of the workers, adding that leadership of NULGE is in dialogue with the management. Chairman of the council, Mr. Danjuma Sanda, was not available for comments.

L-R: Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, John Cardinal Onaiyekan, All Progressives Congress (APC) National Chairman, Chief John  Oyegun and Senator Chris Ngige, during the APC chieftains visit to the cardinal in Abuja, yesterday.

L-R: Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, John Cardinal Onaiyekan, All Progressives Congress (APC) National Chairman, Chief John Oyegun and Senator Chris Ngige, during the APC chieftains visit to the cardinal in Abuja, yesterday.

Continue Reading

Nation

HYPREP Inducts 100 Ogoni Youths For Creative Arts Training

Published

on

The Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project(HYPREP) has inducted and given orientation to 100 Ogoni youths for training on Creative Arts. The beneficiaries were drawn from Khana, Gokana, Tai and Eleme Local Government Areas of Rivers State.

The induction and orientation ceremony, which took place at the CRAB of the Department of Theatre Arts of the University of Port Harcourt on Wednesday, was a prelude to the training proper, billed to commence next Tuesday.

As usual, HYPREP issued undertaking forms to the trainees, for them to complete and submit as a guarantee that they would subject themselves to the requirements of the programme as well as be of good behaviour throughout the four-month duration of the training.

HYPREP also announced that it would pay N150,000 to each of the beneficiaries monthly, as transport and feeding allowance, stressing, however, that only those who fully participate in the training would be entitled for the allowance.

Speaking at the event, the Project Coordinator of HYPREP, Prof Nenibarini Zabbey, welcomed the trainees to the programme, saying, HYPREP’s projects are evolving and that one thing that is happening today is that the Project has gotten leadership right, by making promises and keeping those promises.

According to him, the Project had equally promised to move away from rudimentary skills acquisition to high impacts acquisition levels, which it has kept today by sponsoring the training on Creative Arts.

He noted that in planning its livelihood programmes for Ogoni youths, HYPREP has taken time out to look for skills that would add value to the lives of the beneficiaries.

Zabbey, who was represented at the event by the Director of Technical Services, Prof Damian-Paul Aguiyi said by packaging the Creative Arts training, it was expected that the Ogoni people would have their own version of Nollywood known as Ogoniwood just as Nigerians are familiar with Hollywood, Bollywood, Kannywood and Nollywood.

To achieve this goal, the Project Coordinator explained that it was the reason for choosing a reputable establishment like Halibiz Consult Limited, to partner with the Department of Theatre Arts of the University of Port Harcourt, which he described as one of the most prestigious in the Niger Delta, for the training of the beneficiaries.

He also indicated that in doing this, HYPREP was desirous of going for talents that would help the Ogoni people grow in the film industry, and urged the beneficiaries to take the training seriously.

Zabbey equally enjoined the trainees to put in their best so that in the next three to five years, they would carve a niche for themselves and become forces to reckon with in the film industry.

On her part, HYPREP’s Head of Sustainable Livelihood, Mrs Josephine Nzidee said HYPREP does what it says it will, stressing that the process of training Ogoni youths on specialised skills started three years ago.

According to her, the selection process for the training was rigorous and transparent, and was carried out by renowned actors actresses.

She disclosed that the training consists of three major aspects, which include acting, script writing and make-up, while Nollywood actors like Charles Nnoje, Ngezu J. Ngezu and award-winning make-up artist, Jude Odo would be on hand to drill and groom the beneficiaries.

Mrs Nzidee noted that the programme is a specialised training that does not have anything like starter packs but that it is purely a professional certification programme that would launch the beneficiaries into the Nollywood industry in Nigeria.

According to her, the Creative Arts training is one of the four specialised trainings organised by HYPREP to ensure that the Ogoni people are well positioned in vital industries like Aviation, Maritime, Creative Arts and Mechatronics.

She said the last of such trainings on Mechatronics would take place in the coming months, and urged the beneficiaries to take the training seriously so as to put the Ogoni people on the Nollywood map.

She further indicated that while Charles Nnoje and Ngezu J. Ngezu would take the beneficiaries on the practical aspects, Jude Odo would take them on the make-up aspects.

Also speaking, the External Relations Manager of Halibiz Consult Limited, Alabo Experience Douglas said his company gives much premium to standard and quality, and assured that the firm would give the trainees value for the money spent on the programme.

While charging the beneficiaries to be dedicated and punctual, he stressed the need for them to approach the programme with the mindset of being empty so that at the end of the day, they would benefit maximally.

On his part, the Head of the Theatre Arts Department of the University of Port Harcourt, Dr Ovunda Ihunwo said the CRAB is an acronym for Creative Review of Arts and Books, stressing that it was named by renowned playwright, Prof Ola Rotimi.

According to him, the CRAB had nurtured, groomed and produced Nollywood actors and actresses like Bobmanuel Udokwu, Ejike Asiegbu,Francis Duru, Hilda Dokubo, Monalisa Chinda, Julius Agwu, and a host of others, assuring the beneficiaries that they were on fertile environment to hone their talents.

He noted that symbolically, the crab is a nutritious seafood common in the Niger Delta, and reiterated the need for the beneficiaries to come empty for the training, as it were.

Ihunwo disclosed that the theory classes of the programme would run for three weeks while the fourth week would be for the master classes, and urged the trainees to avail themselves of the opportunity to make a difference by telling the Ogoni story, which he described as inexhaustible by themselves, in order to put Ogoni on the map.

Continue Reading

Nation

Nasarawa Varsity Student Commits Suicide

Published

on

A 23-year-old student of Nasarawa State University identified as Jatau Rilokwah, has been reportedly found dead in the university’s senior staff quarters.
A counter-insurgency expert, focused on the Lake Chad region, Zagazola Makama, disclosed this on his X handle on Tuesday.
According to him, the discovery was made on April 27, 2025, by a security officer at the university, Emmanuel Gyawo.
He stated that Gwayo was directed by Prof. Shedrack Jatau to check on his son upon arriving at the residence, and he found Rilokwah hanging from the ceiling.
“Professor Jatau, who was reportedly out of the State at the time, was informed of the incident. A team of police detectives, led by the Divisional Crime Officer of Angwan Lambu, was dispatched to the scene.
“The body showed no signs of violence, and no suicide note was found. Rilokwah was rushed to the Federal Medical Centre in Keffi, where he was confirmed dead by a medical doctor,” he further stated.
He added that the student’s corpse had been deposited in the hospital morgue.
He also quoted police sources as saying that investigations were ongoing to determine the circumstances surrounding the incident.

Continue Reading

Nation

Ogun, Nike Art Gallery Set To Transform Olumo Rock

Published

on

The Ogun State Government has partnered with Nike Art Gallery to establish a new exhibition space at the Olumo Rock Tourist Centre in Abeokuta, a move Governor Dapo Abiodun says is aimed at boosting annual tourist visits from 20,000 to over 100,000.
Abiodun disclosed the plan on Wednesday while receiving the founder of the Nike Art Gallery, Chief (Mrs) Nike Davies-Okundaye, at his office in Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta.
“I went to Olumo Rock about a month ago and I decided that we needed to do something about restoring Olumo Rock to its old glory. From statistics, Olumo Rock hosts about 20,000 people a year in its current state, and I felt that we could increase that to at least ten times,” the governor said.
As part of the plan, an events hall within the tourist centre will be repurposed as a permanent gallery operated by Nike Art Gallery.
“I told them to shut it down. Practically, we want to bring it down and turn it into a gallery for you to use as an exhibition gallery,” he told Davies-Okundaye.
He added that the gallery will be ready before the National Sports Festival in May, when the State will host about 15,000 visitors.
“I want them to be able to see our tourist sites,” he said, listing attractions such as the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, the Ransome-Kuti family home, and the Adire market among key heritage spots to be showcased.
Highlighting Ogun’s improved infrastructure, the governor said, “Now that we’ve succeeded in having the intra and inter-state roads in place, you can come to Ogun State by rail; you can come by air. We’ve constructed one of the best airports in Nigeria, and very soon, you will be able to come by sea.”
Davies-Okundaye, in her remarks, praised the state’s efforts to promote tourism and pledged to use the new gallery to attract global attention.
“This gallery will bring many Heads of State. The one I opened in Abuja already has more than 10 Heads of State, including those from South Korea and the Czech Republic. The same will happen here,” she said.
She also applauded the Governor for his commitment to the Adire fabric industry.
“Adire is all over Nigeria, but Ogun has been promoting Adire for over 50 years. Today, the only cloth we can call our own is called Adire. This is what we can sell to the Europeans,” she said.
Abiodun reaffirmed his administration’s backing of the Adire industry, citing policies such as the Adire Ogun Digital Marketplace, compulsory wearing of Adire in the state, and provision of solar-powered production equipment to support artisans.
He also revealed plans to open a creative arts and entertainment village in partnership with Bolanle Austen-Peters, expected to be completed within two months.

Continue Reading

Trending