Nation
THE STATES
L-R: Special Adviser, Media and Publicity to President Muhammadu Buhari, Mr Femi Adesina,Managing Director, News Agency of Nigeria (Nan), Mr Ima Niboro and Senior Special Assistant to President Buhari on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, during a Guild of Editors’ Dinner in honour of two media icons, Femi Adesina and Garba Shehu in Abuja recently
Ekiti
An Ado-Ekiti Chief Magistrates’ Court, has remanded one
Solomon Edward in prison custody over alleged defilement of a 10-year-old girl.
Chief Magistrate, Idowu Ayenimo, ordered that the accused be remanded in prison custody, and adjourned the case till October 16.
The prosecutor, Sgt. Bankole Olasunkanmi had told the court that the accused committed the offence on August 18 at Iye-Ekiti.
The plea of the accused was not taken, but his counsel urged the court to grant him bail in liberal terms.
The prosecutor, however, objected to the bail application, saying the act of defilement is now alarming.
FCT
The National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN), has asked the
National Assembly to initiate a legislation that will collapse the Federal Government-corruption agencies into a single formidable institution.
The group also said the agency which must be adequately funded, should have a department which would be responsible for tracking and verifying source of income of Nigerians living above their means.
National President of the NYCN, Mr. Ikenga Ugochinyere, stated this in Abuja at the official opening of registers to collect signatures in support of President Muhammadu Buhari’s anti-corruption war.
Ugochinyere, said the registers would be opened in all the 36 states of the federation, the Federal Capital Territory and Nigerian embassies in the United Kingdom, the United States and China for interested youth willing to support the Federal Government graft crusade.
He said the group will on September 17, mobilise thousands of Nigerian youth to stage a mass rally to the headquarters of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission; the National Assembly and Presidential Villa, to assure Buhari of the youth’s commitment to his anti-graft crusade.
Gombe
The Senate of the University of Maiduguri (UNMAID), says it
has approved the establishment of its first Distance Learning Outreach Center in Gombe.
The Vice Chancellor of the Institution, Prof. Ibrahim Njodi, disclosed this when he paid a courtesy visit on the Gombe State Governor, Ibrahim Dankwambo, in Gombe.
Njodi called on the state government to provide a befitting place for the immediate take-off of the centre.
He said that the approval of the programme by the Senate had made the university an institution that provided both conventional academic programmes and the Distance Learning.
Jigawa
The Jigawa State Special Worker Verification Committee has
said it screened 1169 of 1206 teaching and non-teaching staff in Malammadori Local Government Area.
The Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) in the area, Malam Aliyu Balarabe, who made this know to newsmen in Malammadori, Jigawa, said the exercise was conducted smoothly in all public primary and junior secondary schools.
It will be recalled that the state government had embarked on verification of pensioners, teachers and workers of the 27 local government areas of the state.
The council’s Education Secretary, Mukhtar Mukaddiri, said the exercise would enable the government to make proper planning toward improving the welfare of teachers.
Kaduna
Some Kaduna-based lawyers have urged their colleagues to
support President Muhammadu Buhari’s fight against corruption.
The lawyers spoke in separate interviews in Kaduna, while reacting to Buhari’s call on lawyers to desist from protecting crooks.
One of the lawyers, Mr Pascal Nickaf, said the call was timely and even long overdue.
He, however, said that the fight was not a one-man battle but a battle that required the support of all stakeholders.
Kano
The Kano State Agency for the Control of Aids (KSACA),
has asked stakeholders to collaborate with it to fight the spread of HIV/AIDS, particularly mother to child transmission of the disease.
The Director General of the agency Dr Sa’adatu Bala, made the call when she paid an advocacy visit to Hasiya Bayero Paediatrics Hospital in Kano.
She said the call was necessary in order to ensure continued support and stronger collaboration between the agency and the hospital to achieve the desired objective.
Responding, the Medical Director of the hospital, Dr Hafsat Kabir, said that the hospital needed assistance to install some laboratory equipment donated to it by a donor agency, FH1360.
Katsina
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) in
Daura, Katsina State, has distributed relief materials to no fewer than 2,000 flood-disaster victims.
The NEMA Director-General, Mr Muhammad Sani-Sidi, who handed over the materials to the victims, said the flood had affected seven local government areas of the state.
According to him, the major cause of the flooding was the blocking of drains with refuse and building of houses on water ways.
He said that the intervention was sequel to the receipt of the report of the disaster and subsequent needs assessment from conducted by the State Emergency Management Agency.
Kebbi
Governor Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi State has pledged to im
prove girl-child education in the state.
This is contained in statement issued by Chief Press Secretary to the governor Alhaji Abubakar Muazu, in Birnin Kebbi.
The statement stated that the governor made the pledge when he received a delegation of a non-governmental organisation, Voices of the Girl-Child Education.
Bagudu described female education as vital to human resource and social development, stressing that education could be conveniently combined with motherhood.
The wife of the governor, Dr Zainab Bagudu, who accompanied the group during the visit, said female education was paramount in building a virile society.
Kogi
The Catholic Bishop of Lokoja, Dada Olorunmolu, has reiter
ated Catholic church’s position against gay marriage, saying it was unequivocal and the church would not compromise on it.
The Bishop who made this known in an interview in Lokoja , said that approving gay union would amount to standing the Bible on its head.
According to him, the issue is against the teachings of the church and the Bible; it will amount to bending its teachings, its injunctions, just to accommodate what is unnatural.
The bishop prayed for those who indulged in the act, asking God to give them the grace to understand what was right.
Lagos
A coalition of civil society organisations in the country, has
alleged that former President Goodluck Jonathan, deliberately embarked on policies that directly promoted corruption and impunity in public offices during the six years that he administered the affairs of the country.
They, therefore, said it would be a great disservice to the entire Nigerian populace if his successor, President Muhammadu Buhari, heeded the advice of those asking that Jonathan should not be probed and brought to book.
The CSOs, which jointly addressed a press conference in Lagos, admitted that corruption in public offices did not begin under Jonathan, but they described the Jonathan’s era as one during which “Nigeria literally became a looting field; where big thieves became bigger; where new and powerful thieves were created; and where big, destructive ‘rats’ and ‘termites’.
Nasarawa
A 21-year-old bus conductor, Shedrach Ezekiel of Mararaba,
has been sentenced to18 months in prison by a Mararaba Grade 1 Area Court for stealing a phone valued at N11,000.
The presiding judge, Albert Maga, convicted Ezekiel after he pleaded guilty for the offence of conspiracy and theft.
Earlier the prosecutor, Cpl. Friday Adaji told the court that the convict was first arraigned on August 14 but remanded in custody for his accomplice to be arrested.
Niger
Ward Head, Nuatuko, in Bosso Local Government Area of
Niger State, Malam Usman Aliyu, has, implored the state government to provide the community with potable water and access roads.
Aliyu who made the appeal during interview in Nuatuko, said the only source of water in the community was from Dagbai stream, three kilometres away from the village.
The ward head said the immediate past administration in the state had promised the community a borehole on four different occasions but could not fulfill the promise.
He added that the main road linking the village with Bosso was in a deplorable condition, adding that, “right now, it is not passable, especially in this rainy season.
Ogun
The Ogun State Judiciary has commenced series of refresher
courses for Magistrates, Judicial Assistants, Secretaries, Court Registrars, Clerks and Bailiffs across the state, the Chief Judge, Mrs Olatokunbo Olopade, has said.
Olopade, who made the statement in Abeokuta while speaking with newsmen, said the four-day training was organised in partnership with the National Judicial Institute (NJI), Abuja.
She said the training was organised to improve the standard and quality of the state judicial system and judiciary staff.
The Director of Studies, NJI, Mr Cyprain Ajah, said the training, which includes Information Communication Technology (ICT), became imperative because of the need to build the capacity of judicial officers and staff.
Ondo
A commercial motorcyclist, Kamil Ibrahim, 25, was arraigned
in an Okitipupa Magistrates’ Court, for allegedly assaulting a salesgirl who refused him N200 worth of cigarette on credit.
The prosecutor, Insp. Zedekiah Orogbemi, told the court that the accused, on July 6 around 7:00 a.m. at Okitipupa market, beat up Bolaji Kusoro, and inflicted injuries on her.
Orogbemi added that the accused was still owing Kusoro N1,000, which made her to refuse further credit facility.
Magistrate Banji Ayeomoni, granted the accused bail in the sum of N20,000 and a surety in like sum, and adjourned the case till September 2 for further hearing.
Oyo
Chief Medical Director of the University College Hospital
(UCH), Ibadan, Prof. Temitope Alonge, has said that the hospital will extend its ongoing Human Papillo Virus (HPV) vaccination to rural areas.
Alonge made this disclosure on the sideline of the ongoing 9th Annual Scientific Conference with the theme “The Role of Pathologists in Oncologic Diagnosis and Management”, in Ibadan.
The five-day conference was organised by the West African Division International Academy of Pathology in conjunction with United States and Canadian Academy of Pathology.
Alonge said cervical cancer was the second silent killer in women, noted that vaccination against the virus was the surest way of preventing cervical cancer in Nigerian women.
Youths from five local government areas in Northern Cross River State have concluded a one-week warning protest and blockade of the dilapidated Ikom-Wula-Obudu federal highway over the weekend.
They have vowed to resume the road blocks if by this week the authorities do not intervene to fix the road.
More than five thousand locals, mostly youths from Obanliku, Etung, Obudu, Ikom and Boki LGAs trooped out everyday for one week, used palm trees to block the highway to draw state and federal government’s attention to their plights, requesting the repair of a road has has been unmotorable for about 40 years.
They warned that if they do not see any actions from the state or federal governments, they will resume their Plan B protest, stop revenue collections and make governance unpalatable.
The youths also warned that without interventions on the road which has claimed several lives, including that of last week when a pregnant woman died with her baby in the full glare of the protesters because of the terrible road, no election can hold in the area next year.
One of the leaders of the No Road , No Election protest, who is also the Abo Youths in Boki LGA, Dr Martins Assam said both the federal and state governments have neglected the region, which generates more than 70 percent state revenue from agriculture.
He said if machinery is not deployed by next week, they will not have any option than to embark on unpalatable and disastrous protest, and stop revenue collections in the area.
“Last week we had only a warning strike for one good week. We’ll embark on a more elaborate, disastrous one-month blockade of this highway until they intervene. We call on our Governor and representatives in the National Assembly to act now by impressing on the federal government to immediately fix this road else. We’re not asking for two much but to be treated as human beings.”
Another protester, Clinton Obi from the Etung axis said, “We’ve been neglected for 40 years. This Ikom-Obudu federal highway had been impassable. The government has removed its concentration from our plights. By this one week protest, we want action on this road otherwise the next phase of protest will be costly.”
Reverend Father Francis Amaozo, priest in charge of St. Nicholas parish in Nashua, Boki LGA said, “I have also been a victim of this very deplorable road. Enough is now enough. We’ve been betrayed by our representatives and other leaders, so that we in this axis have become endangered species on this road. I have lost some many members on this road.”
Member, representing the Boki-Ikom federal constituency of the state in the House of Representatives, Bisong Victor Abang had pleaded with the locals to be a bit more patient with the government as action will commence shortly.
Nation
UNIPORT VC Receives Inaugural Lecture Brochure As Professor Highlights Urgent Need For Drug Repurposing In Malaria Fight
The Vice Chancellor of the University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT), Prof Owunari Georgewill, last Thursday received the inaugural lecture brochure from the Inaugural Lecturer, Professor Udeme Georgewill, during a ceremony at the university’s Centre of Excellence attended by academics, researchers, students, and distinguished guests.
Delivering her lecture, Professor Udeme Georgewill described the occasion as the culmination of years of dedicated research, teaching, and service to humanity. He explained that his work as a pharmacologist has consistently focused on finding practical, affordable, and scientifically sound solutions to health challenges that disproportionately affect developing countries, particularly malaria, which remains one of Nigeria’s most pressing public health concerns.
She noted that Nigeria continues to bear one of the heaviest malaria burdens globally, accounting for a significant percentage of worldwide cases and deaths. The disease, largely caused by the Plasmodium falciparum parasite and transmitted through Anopheles mosquitoes, remains especially dangerous for children under five years and pregnant women, threatening not only present populations but unborn generations. Despite years of intervention efforts, malaria continues to strain families, health systems, and the national economy.
Prof Georgewill empha-sised that while Artemisinin-based Combination Therapies such as Artemether-Lumefantrine remain the gold standard for malaria treatment, emerging resistance patterns pose a serious challenge. He explained that drug resistance is a survival mechanism of the parasite, enabling it to adapt and reduce the effectiveness of medications designed to eliminate it. According to her, instances where patients do not feel better after initial treatment sometimes lead to repeated dosing or the search for injectable alternatives, practices that can worsen resistance and complicate treatment outcomes.
Against this backdrop, she advocated strongly for drug repurposing as a strategic and urgent response. Drug repurposing, he explained, involves identifying new therapeutic uses for already approved and widely available medications. He likened the concept to “old wine in new wineskins,” stressing that medicines already proven safe for certain conditions can be carefully re-evaluated and optimised for new roles in malaria management. This approach, she argued, offers advantages such as reduced research timelines, lower development costs, and faster clinical application compared to developing entirely new drugs from scratch.
She disclosed that her research had progressed from laboratory investigations to clinical evaluations, where his team is studying combinations involving Artemether-Lumefantrine and Ivermectin to determine their effectiveness in improving treatment outcomes and possibly reducing transmission. Clinical trials are ongoing, and findings will be communicated upon completion of regulatory processes. However, he cautioned strongly against self-medication, warning that misuse of drugs without proper diagnosis and prescription can lead to organ damage, treatment failure, and increased resistance.
Referencing global health commitments, Prof Georgewill highlighted Sustainable Development Goal 3.3, which seeks to end epidemics of malaria and other major infectious diseases by 2030. She questioned whether the goal remains attainable under current realities, especially with growing resistance and funding gaps. He also referred to strategies of the World Health Organisation aimed at drastically reducing malaria incidence and mortality while pushing toward elimination in several countries.
Looking ahead, she revealed that her team is building comprehensive research databases to support artificial intelligence-driven drug repurposing. He stressed that the integration of artificial intelligence, molecular docking, and advanced screening technologies is transforming global drug discovery, and Nigerian researchers must be equipped to participate competitively in this evolving scientific landscape.
In her recommendations, she called for the establishment of a National Centre for Drug Repurposing to coordinate research efforts and leverage artificial intelligence in identifying new indications for existing medicines. He urged policymakers to simplify and accelerate the translation of laboratory discoveries into clinical application, ensuring that scientific breakthroughs benefit the public more efficiently. She also appealed to the university and relevant authorities to increase funding and modernise laboratory infrastructure, including high-throughput screening facilities, to strengthen Nigeria’s position in global biomedical research.
The lecture concluded with expressions of gratitude to God, the university leadership, colleagues, students, and guests, as the event underscored the University of Port Harcourt’s commitment to research excellence and its role in addressing critical public health challenges facing Nigeria and the wider world.
The Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, Niger State Chapter, has rejected the proposed Niger State Hisbah Directorates Bill, describing it as controversial and capable of deepening religious division in the state.
In a statement signed by the State Chairman, Bishop Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, and made available to The Tide’s source yesterday, the association urged Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago not to assent to the bill if it is passed by the State House of Assembly.
The bill, sponsored by the member representing Chanchaga Constituency, Hon. Mohammed Abubakar, seeks to establish a Hisbah Directorate in Niger State.
CAN warned that the legislation could be perceived as discriminatory against Christians and may heighten tension in the religiously diverse state.
“Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago, we, the entire Christendom in the state, wish to draw your attention to what could easily create division among the people you govern,” the statement read in part.
The association questioned the necessity and benefits of the proposed law, asking what economic or social value it would add to the state.
It further argued that existing security agencies, including the Nigeria Police and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, already have constitutional mandates to maintain law and order.
The Christian body also faulted the legislative process, disputing claims that it was consulted during a public hearing on the bill.
It insisted that it was neither invited nor notified of any such engagement, despite being a critical stakeholder in the state.