Nation

THE STATES

Published

10 years ago

August 21, 2015

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.

Nation

Accolades, Fanfare As Ogbakor Ikwerre President General Celebrates 80th Birthday

Published

2 weeks ago

September 1, 2025

The Tide

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.

Nation

Ensure That Ogoni Is Heard In The Right Way, HYPREP Urges Creative Arts Trainees

Published

3 weeks ago

August 22, 2025

The Tide

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.

Nation

NYCOP Urges Stakeholders To Develop, Empower Ogoni Youths

Published

4 weeks ago

August 18, 2025

The Tide

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