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L-R: Deputy Vice Chancellor, University  of  Lagos, Prof. Babajide Alao; Guest Lecturer, Prof. Anya O. Anya and a former Minister of  Finance, Dr Kalu  Idika  Kalu, at the 2nd Prof. Eni Njoku Memorial Lecture in Lagos, yesterday.

L-R: Deputy Vice Chancellor, University of Lagos, Prof. Babajide Alao; Guest Lecturer, Prof. Anya O. Anya and a former Minister of Finance, Dr Kalu Idika Kalu, at the 2nd Prof. Eni Njoku Memorial Lecture in Lagos, yesterday.

Adamawa

Staff of Adamawa Primary Healthcare Development Agency
have  staged a peaceful protest in Yola, demanding the payment of their outstanding salaries.
The protesting staff carried placards calling for the removal of the Executive Chairman of the agency, Dr Abdullahi Belel, and the state branch Chairman of the Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria (MHWUN), Mr Jeremiah Ngwakwar, for allegedly neglecting their welfare.
Spokesman of the protesters, Malam Halilu Ahmed, said since the upgrading of the state primary healthcare department to an agency, the staff had been left in a limbo, and called for Governor Bindow Jibrilla’s personal intervention to address their plight.
Reacting to the development, Belel said the workers were being owed two months’ salaries, and that the problem was caused by the dwindling monthly allocation for local government councils who are responsible for paying the agency workers.

Bauchi
Governor Mohammed Abubakar of Bauchi State says his
administration will be labour-friendly to enable workers carry out their responsibilities with ease.
Abubakar gave the assurance when he received the state officials of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) led by its Chairman, Comrade Hashimu Gital in Bauchi.
The NLC delegation was in Government House to present a letter of commendation to the governor from its national secretariat.
He assured that he would pay the outstanding salary arrears inherited from the last administration to ease the hardship being experienced by workers.

Jigawa

The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in
Jigawa has said that it arrested a 23-year-old man for alleged motorcycle theft.
The NSCDC Commandant in the state, Mr Muhammad Gidado, who made this known in an interview with in Dutse said that the suspect, a resident of Gamayin village in Kafin-Hausa Local Government Area was arrested at Kaban village, in Auyo Local Government Area with the stolen motorcycle.
He said one Usman Hussaini had complained that his Haojeu motorcycle and Gionee cell phone were stolen by suspected thief on August 8 at about 3:30 a.m. at Khandahar Quarters, Hadejia.
The commandant said that investigation revealed that the motorcycle belonged to Hussaini, and added that  the suspect would soon be charged to court.

Kano
The Kano State Government says it is doing everything pos
sible to ensure that its newspaper company, Triumph, is revived to embark on its normal publications.
The state Commissioner for Information, Comrade Muhammed Garba, announced this when he received the state assembly’s committee on information who came on a familiarisation visit to his office.
According to the Garba, the issue of reviving the state-owned newspaper is a priority of the state Governor, Dr Abdullahi Ganduje.
He said that the priority placed on the issue led the governor to set up a special committee with the responsibility of finding a lasting solution to challenges facing the company.

Katsina
Governor Aminu Masari of Katsina State has urged citizens
to desist from constructing houses on waterways to prevent flood disaster. Masari made the call in an interview with newsmen in Katsina after inspecting some local governments affected by flood disaster, and added that houses constructed along the waterways in Funtua, Malumfashi, Dutsin-ma, Katsina and Daura, would be demolished.
The governor called on district heads and local government chairmen to identify sites where people would be resettled after the demolition of their houses.
Masari maintained that government would not allow its citizens to risk their lives by building houses on waterways, and appealed individuals and corporate organisations to assist flood victims in the state.
Kogi

The Imam of Felele Central Mosque, Malam Abdulla Tahir, has
admonished Nigerians to embrace natural family planning as a potent tool to overcoming unplanned children.
Tahir gave the advice while fielding questions from newsmen in Lokoja on the need for Nigerians to align their lives with economic realities. He enjoined people to only bear children they can adequately cater for, and stated that Nigerians’ greatest undoing was the lack of birth control mechanism in place that has led to the population rise. According to him, without enough job opportunities to match the growing population, the idle mind would become the devil’s workshop.

Lagos
Three men, who allegedly broke into an office and carted away
items valued at N180,000, have been charged before an Ikeja Chief Magistrates’ Court.
The men — Atunrase oluwaseun, 27; Gabriel Mell, 42; and Segun Kolapo, 41 — are facing a three-count charge of conspiracy, burglary and stealing.
The prosecutor, Sgt. Joseph Ajebe, told the court that the accused committed the offences on August 5 at about 11.00 p.m. at Biggs Woltop Ventures Ltd, No. 123, Ogba Road.
He noted that the offences contravened Sections 285, 307 and 409 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011, but the trio pleaded innocence of the offences.

Nasarawa

The Aren Eggon of Nasarawa Eggon in Nasarawa State, Dr
Bala Angbazo, has called on all Nigerians to work genuinely toward achieving peace in troubled parts of the country.
The monarch made the call while playing host to a delegation of the Eggon Muslims Ummah Forum which visited his palace.
The traditional ruler said the call was imperative as the security challenges in the country was festering due to divisive tendencies.
Earlier, the Chairman of the body in the state, Alhaji Zakari Idde, said the visit was to intimate the monarch with the activities of the group which were aimed at promoting peace.

Niger
The National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and
Control (NAFDAC), has advised mothers to breastfeed their infants exclusively for six months and more for healthy development of their children.
Unit Head of NAFDAC in Niger State, Mr Dadi Mullah,made the call at a one-day workshop for 23 staff of the agency on code of marketing of breast milk substitute in Minna.
Mullah said that scientific research has shown that infancy is the peak age for faltering deficiencies of certain micronutrients and common childhood illnesses such as diarrhoea.
He said that in the long term, early nutritional deficits are linked to impairments in intellectual performance, work capacity, reproductive outcomes and overall health during adolescence and childhood.

Ondo

Some residents of Okitipupa in Ondo State, have criticised the
enforcement of the state’s Residency Card tagged “Kaadi Igbeayo’’ imposed by Governor  Olusegun Mimiko-led government.
The state government introduced the cards to store the biometric data of all residents of the state to access social services, and last week announced that all residents in the state must possess the card to access health care, education, electricity, good roads and others.
Some of the residents said that the card was a mere extortion, adding that all social services were obligations of the governments.
They also decried the retrogressive trend of the state in spite of its huge allocations as oil producing state, saying that they had not benefitted enough from the present administration.

Osun

The General Manager, Osun Water Corporation, Mr Gbenga
Owojuyigbe, says the 180 million litre capacity water works at Ede is now ready for the use of the community.
Owojuyigbe, who made the disclosure in an interview with nesmen in Osogbo on Tuesday, assured the people of the state of adequate water supply.
He said the present administration met only one pumping plant at its inception in 2010, and awarded contracts for the immediate rehabilitation of the treatment plant in the community, adding that there is also an order for new pumping plants to make the head works function at its full capacity.
He, however, appealed to the people to reciprocate government’s gesture by paying up their bills at all times.

Oyo

A Soil Microbiologist at the Institute of Agricultural Research
and Training (IAR &T), Ibadan, Prof. Lateef Taiwo,  says that application of untreated waste to the soil can lead to its infertility. Taiwo told newsmen in Ibadan on Tuesday that agricultural, industrial and domestic wastes were dangerous to farmers’ productivity.
He said that agricultural and domestic wastes should be processed before their application to the soil.
According to him, industrial wastes must pass through the treatment plants before being discharged.

Plateau

The Rotary Club District 9125, has donated various items to
the Open Doors Special Education Centre, Jos.
The centre is one of the special schools in Jos providing special education for children and youths with intellectual disability.
The District Governor, Dr Mike Omotosho, said the donation, was aimed at touching the lives of the needy in the society, adding that the supplies comprised of tissue papers, detergents, hand-gloves, antiseptic, diapers, thermometer, among others.
According to him, the objective of the club is to render selfless service to the needy in the society, adding that Rotary Club is not an elitist club. The President of Rotary Club of Jos Central, Mrs Laide Lawal, earlier in her remarks, said the supplies were based on a request from the authorities of the school.

Sokoto

A chieftain of All Progressives Congress (APC) in Sokoto
State, Alhaji Abdullahi Bafarawa, has advised President Muhammadu Buhari to set up special courts to handle cases of treasury looting. He also urged the president to appoint God-fearing judges to try the cases, and added that prosecuting those who stole public funds would serve as lesson for others with similar motives. He advised that only fearless and courageous judges should be given the responsibility to try persons that would be indicted for looting the nation’s funds.
Bafarawa commended Buhari for the bold steps being taken to recover the nation’s money from corrupt public officers.

Yobe

The Yobe State Government said it had rehabilitated over 300
classrooms and provided infrastructure in schools destroyed by insurgents across the state “to avoid gaps in the system”.
The Director of Press to the state Governor, Mr Abdullahi Bego, who said this in an interview with newsmen in Damaturu, added that the state government had made education and health care a priority.
He said the College of Education, Gashua, had received similar support and was producing over 1,000 NCE and 100 degree graduates fully qualified for teaching in schools.

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HYPREP Inducts 100 Ogoni Youths For Creative Arts Training

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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.

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Nasarawa Varsity Student Commits Suicide

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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.

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Ogun, Nike Art Gallery Set To Transform Olumo Rock

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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.

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