Nation
THE STATES

Chairman, Transition Committee, Prof. Sonni Tyoden (left), presenting the committee’s report to Governor Simon Lalong of Plateau State, in Jos on Wednesday (12/8/15). Photo: NAN
Bauchi
Some operators of Cyber Café in Bauchi engage in sharp
practices by down-loading fake police recruitment forms and extorting money from unsuspecting applicants.
Spokesman of the Bauchi Police Command, DSP Haruna Mohammed, revealed this in a statement made available to newsmen recently in Bauchi.
“It has come to the knowledge of Bauchi State Police Command that some Cyber Cafes have started down-loading police recruitment forms for applicants and extorting money from them under false pretense.
“For the avoidance of doubt, there is no recruitment going on at the moment in the Nigeria Police Force.
“The Command, therefore, wish to use this medium to advise members of the public, to disregard any recruitment adverts, in order not to fall victims of such extortionists,” he said in the statement.
Borno
The Borno State Government has said it has purchased
a recycling plant that could convert polythene wastes into positive use.
The Coordinator of the Borno State Environmental Protection Agency (BOSEPA), Alhaji Nasiru Surundi, told newsmen in Maiduguri, capital of Borno State.
Surundi said that the decision was imperative as thousands of tons of waste were being generated by the increased population without a dump site to keep them.
“In the absence of an approved dump site, the recycling machine will come handy in ensuring that the streets of Maiduguri will no longer be littered with heaps of garbage that have continued to constitute environmental nuisance.”
Surundi attributed the annual flooding in most parts of Maiduguri to the wrong attitude of people toward waste management.
FCT
The National Peace Committee has dismissed reports
that it was lobbied by former President Goodluck Jonathan to stop President Muhammadu Buhari from probing his administration.
A member of the committee chaired by retired Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar, Bishop Mathew Hassan Kukah dismissed the report while answering questions from State House correspondents after the committee’s closed-door meeting with Buhari in Abuja.
According to him, though everybody is free to contact the committee to intervene in promoting peaceful coexistence in the society, the former president never talked to the committee for any form of intervention.
“Anybody is free to come to our committee, but President Jonathan never by telephone or by any other means sought to see the committee.
“We went to see him, but that was after we had already seen members of the political parties; we saw a few members of the civil society; we plan to see the speaker.
Gombe
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA)
has asked the Gombe, State Government to promptly complete work on the state’s waste recycling project to facilitate the conversion of waste to wealth.
In a communiqué after a one-day workshop organised by NEMA to seek out ways to mitigate flood, the agency said waste conversion would equally help in averting the risk of flood.
Our correspondent reports that the workshop, held in Gombe on Tuesday, focused on flood risk and the management of solid and liquid waste.
The communiqué expressed the need for the state government to hold sanitation twice a month, with an effective restriction of movement from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m.
Kaduna
Governor Nasir El-Rufa’i of Kaduna State has appointed
new Accountant-General for the state and announced the retirement of three Permanent Secretaries from the civil service.
The new Accountant-General is Malam Umar Waziri.
A statement issued by the Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to the Governor Mr Samuel Aruwan, in Kaduna described the changes as part of ongoing reorganisation of the state’s public service for greater performance.
The statement listed the retired permanent secretaries as Adamu Makadi (Local Government); Ibrahim Balarabe Musa (Youth, Sports and Culture) and Ishaku Shekari (Accountant-General).
Kano
Governor Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State has enjoined
residents of the state to register for their National Identity Cards.
Ganduje spoke when members of the National Identity Management Commission presented him with his national identity card at the Government House, Kano.
The governor, who explained that efforts were being made to make registration easy for the people, revealed that 10 centres had been established across the state.
He said that the government would soon inaugurate a sensitisation committee to enhance registration of people for their identity cards.
Earlier, state Coordinator of the commission, Hajiya Bilkisu Dalhatu, promised to sensitise the people of the state to enrol and collect their cards.
Katsina
The Katsina House of Assembly has approved the re
quest of Governor Aminu Masari to secure N2billion loan from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), to develop Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises in the state.
This followed a motion moved by the Majority Leader of the House, Alhaji Lawal Isa (Charanchi), which was seconded by Abubakar Yahaya, (Kusada).
The Majority Leader said the state government and the CBN had earlier explained to the House the importance of the loan to the state.
“We were convinced by the explanations because the loan would assist to boost socio-economic activities and eradicate poverty in the state.”
Isa further said that 60 per cent of the loan would be disbursed to women, while 40 per cent would be for males.
Kogi
A political group, Transparency Group, has advised the
leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to disqualify persons with pending corruption cases from contesting its forthcoming governorship primary in Kogi.
The Coordinator of the group, Mallam Ibrahim Ocholi gave the advice in Lokoja at a press conference.
He said the party swept the polls during the last general elections based on the integrity and honesty of its leadership.
He added that the message of hope the party had been selling to Nigerians must be maintained by preventing any politician already charged to court for corruption by the EFCC from contesting election.
“President Muhammadu Buhari is known by Nigerians as an incorruptible individual.
Lagos
The Lagos State Government has denied sponsorship of
pilgrims for the 2015 Hajj as being speculated in some reports.
The Amirul Hajj and Chairman of the Ad-hoc Committee on 2015 Hajj, Alhaji Abdul Lateef Abdul Hakeem, said in a statement in Lagos that the state has not sponsored any pilgrim for the 2015 Hajj operations.
He also said that the state had no plan to sponsor any pilgrim for the 2015 hajj operations, but was only interested in making sure that state pilgrims were taken care of.
AbdulHakeem was reacting to reports that some pilgrimage forms allocated to key officials of the state government had been hijacked.
Niger
Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) in Niger State
has, impounded 482 vehicles in Minna and Mokwa town for non compliance to road traffic rules and regulations, State Sector Commander Susan Ajenge, has said.
Ajenge made the disclosure in Minna in an interview with newsmen.
She said: “We made the arrests through our operation `Good Morning Minna’ which I introduced on my arrival to Niger State in July, 2015.
“The operation is aimed at checking the validity of drivers’ license and the state of vehicles using the roads in order to reduce road traffic crashes.
“We impounded 190 vehicles when we commenced the operation in July followed by 208 and 49 vehicles, respectively.
Oyo
The Muslim community in Ibadan has held special
prayers for the peace and progress of the country..
The Chief Imam of Ibadanland, Sheikh Abdul-Ganiyy Agbotomokekere, who led the prayers, stressed the need for all Muslims to promote efforts geared at promoting peace in the country.
“As Muslims, it is our duty to pray for the peace of our nation because this is our father land; we must come together and ensure unity in the fight against insecurity.
“We should realise that the challenges facing the country cannot be tackled with human knowledge but only through the help of God.
“ When we seek God’s face, He would hearken to our prayers,” he said.
Plateau
The Transition Committee set up by Governor Simon
Lalong of Plateau State says the immediate past administration of former governor David Jang left a debt of N222.3 billion for the Lalong administration.The Plateau Deputy Governor and Chairman of the Committee Prof. Sonni Tyoden,made this known when he submitted the report of the committee to the governor.
Tyoden explained that the committee was made up of 12 members of the central committee, 188 other members were broken into 27 sub-committees, each handling a particular aspect of government operations.
The deputy governor said that government records showed that between May 2007 and May 2015, the state received a total income of N525.35 billion.
“The sum of N747.65 billion was said to have been expended on Plateau citizens in the last eight years.
“The hand-over notes received from the previous government stated that the level of indebtedness of government was N103.9 billion as at May 2015 but our findings put the figure at N222.3 billion.
`
Zamfara
Zamfara State Radio Station has gone off the air follow
ing a lightning that destroyed the transmitter of the state.
The Managing Director of the station, Malam Nuhu Anka,told newsmen that the station’s power generation plant, was also affected.
The managing director however gave assurance that the station would soon resume full transmission of its programmes.
He said the state government had already supplied a new power generation plant and the destroyed spare parts of the transmitter, saying they were now being installed.
Nation
Key Regulators, Asset Owners Impressed With HYPREP’s Milestones
Strategic regulators and other stakeholders have expressed satisfaction with the pace, quality and magnitude of work carried out by the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) in Ogoniland, in line with the recommendations of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
In their separate speeches at the 2025 4th quarter key regulators / asset owners meeting held in Port Harcourt, the strategic stakeholders commended HYPREP for the significant milestones achieved with excellent efficiency and transparency, demonstrating capacity and commitment to sustaining collaboration with development partners for the overall success of the Project.
The regulators particularly lauded HYPREP for the landmark success in the implementation of the land and shoreline remediation, mangrove restoration, provision of reticulated potable water, the various sustainable livelihood programmes, donation of ambulances to health facilities in Ogoni, the construction of Centre of Excellence for Environmental Restoration, as well as the ongoing Ogoni Power Project, adding that their independent field reports have shown proofs of HYPREP driving even beyond its mandates.
The goodwill messages were made by representatives of the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA), Centre for Environment and Human Rights Development (CEHRD), Society for Women and Youths Affairs (SWAYA), Stakeholders Democracy Network (SDN), Nigerian Pipelines and Storage Company (NPSC), and Federal Ministry of Environment. Others are the Rivers State Ministry of Environment, the Rivers State Ministry of Health, the National Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), the Rivers State Ministry of Power, the Rivers State University, the Rivers State Ministry of Water and Rural Development, and Renaissance Africa Energy Company Limited.
Following the Monitoring and Evaluation Unit’s presentation on the status of HYPREP projects, participants offered feedback on areas of concern. They reassured HYPREP and the people of Ogoni of their continued support for the Project’s success. They also suggested that the quarterly review meeting be sustained as it enables them to report, evaluate and proffer solutions to areas of concern.
Participants also commended HYPREP for improved community and stakeholder engagement and for adding to what they saw the previous time. “We commend HYPREP for the quality work done at sites. The progress is phenomenal, because HYPREP is scoring good grades, above average,” Prof. Iyenemi Kakulu from Rivers State University said.
In his speech at the event, the Project Coordinator of HYPREP, Prof Nenibarini Zabbey, who was represented by Prof Damian-Paul Aguiyi, Director of Technical Services, commended the regulators and asset owners for their cooperation with the Project, and for making themselves available for fieldwork and the regular review meetings.
Prof Zabbey reiterated HYPREP’s commitment to best practice in waste management, particularly waste generation and disposal, calling on the Regulators for adequate logistics support, saying HYPREP’s priority is to focus on the core recommendations by UNEP, especially, remediation(soil, shoreline) mangrove restoration, provision of potable water, interventions in public health care services and sustainable livelihood for the people.
The Project Coordinator further highlighted the status of the Project, the successes achieved across all thematic areas, and assured that HYPREP will soon complete most of the ongoing projects and roll out others. He explained that the purpose of the meeting was to review the progress of the Ogoni cleanup, ensure quality control, and foster effective collaboration.
Consequently, the quarterly key regulators/asset owners meeting is HYPREP’s strategic stakeholder management model, further underscoring the Project’s commitment to transparency, partnership for development, and accountability, all of which are harbingers of effective project delivery.
Speaking to newsmen, HYPREP Project Support Lead and representative of Renaissance Africa Energy Company Limited, Engr Ehioze Igbinomwanhia, described his involvement with HYPREPas an encouraging and insightful experience, saying, the Project is implementing a wide range of projects across Ogoniland, spanning immediate remediation works as well as livelihood support initiatives aimed at improving the welfare of affected communities.
Engr Igbinomwanhia emphasised that Renaissance Africa Energy remains fully committed to supporting the objectives of the Ogoni cleanup project, noting that the company has a long history of collaboration with HYPREP.
He added that the partnership has been characterised by continuous learning, adaptation and a willingness to respond to observations and recommendations aimed at improving outcomes.
He further emphasised the importance of safety in all project operations, particularly given the challenging terrain and operating conditions in Ogoniland.
He noted that safety is treated as a critical priority and that contractors are continually reminded to maintain high safety standards, stressing that lessons learnt from previous operational challenges like the collapse of the water tank in Gwara Community are being applied to strengthen safety practices and overall performance.
Nation
Maternal Mortality: RSG Identifies 6 High Risk Local Government Areas
The Rivers state Government has identified six local government areas with the highest burden of maternal and Neonatal mortality in the state.
State Commissioner for Health Dr Adaeze Chidinma Oreh said this in an interview with newsmen at the Maternal and Neonatal Reduction innovation initiative ( Mamii)Rivers state activation workshop and state engagement meeting in Port Harcourt.
The event was organized by The Federal Ministry of Health in conjunction with its Rivers state counterpart in Port Harcourt.
Dr Oreh also restated the preparedness of the state government to support current efforts by the federal government towards the reduction of maternal and infant mortalities in the country.
She mentioned the affected Local Government Areas to include, Andoni,Akuku Toru and Ahoada West
The rest according to the Commissioner are, Bonny, Etche and Emohua Local Government Areas.
She said the workshop will enable the team from the federal ministry of health and social welfare to brainstorm with the view to finding solution to the problem.
The Commissioner also gave reasons why the Mamii initiative was the best as far as finding solution to maternal mortality was concerned.
“The uniqueness of the Mamii initiative driven by the federal ministry of health and social welfare was that we used evidence to elicit the reasons for this deaths, so that the solutions will be context specific and tailored to the particular environment where those deaths are occuring
“For us in Rivers state we have six Mamii LGAs , nationally we we have 172 local government areas “the Commissioner said.
Earlier in her opening remarks,Dr Oreh said the state government is prepared to work with the federal ministry of health and social welfare to check the rate of maternal mortality in the state.
She commended The Minister of Health and Social welfare Professor Ali Muhammad Pategi for driving the Mamii initiative across the country and expressed optimism that the programm will see to the end of maternal mortality in the country.
Also speaking the National Coordinator Nigeria health sector Renewal Initiative Dr Adam Ahmed said Rivers state is the last state among Mamii states in the country to host the team.
He said the team will visit the affected Local Government Areas with the view to interacting with the people on how to check the trend.
He expressed the hope that with continuous efforts, maternal mortality will be checked.
Also speaking the permanent secretary Rivers state Ministry of Health Professor Justinah Jumbo said the government is not leaving any stone unturned towards reduction in maternal deaths.
The permanent secretary said Governor Siminalaye Fubara is a health friendly Governor who is desirous in improving the quality of health of Rivers people.
John Bibor
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