Nation
THE STATES
President Muhammadu Buhari (left), welcoming his new Chief of Staff, Alhaji Abbah Kyari, at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Thursday
Adamawa
Dr Fatima Atiku, daughter of former Vice President Atiku
Abubakar and newly appointed Adamawa State Commissioner for Health, has forfeited her salary and allowances for use in revitalizing the health sector in the state.
Fielding questions from newsmen in Yola on Friday after being sworn –in along with 21 other commissioners, Fatima, a Consultant, said she was making the sacrifice because of the numerous challenges in the health sector.
“I am very grateful to the governor for appointing me to head the Health Ministry.
Bauchi
Twenty persons have died of Cholera in the Shira Local
Government Area (LGA), of Bauchi State.
This is contained in a statement made available to newsmen, by the Information Officer in the LGA, Malam Danlami Baza, in Bauchi on Saturday.
The statement said 200 persons were admitted in the hospital.
It added that the Acting Chairman of the LGA, Alhaji Usman Mashema, called on the public to come out for treatment as soon as they noticed any sign of cholera.
The statement appealed to the Federal and State Governments as well as donor agencies to come to the aid of those affected.
Borno
Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno State on Saturday
presented N100,000 cash assistance and clothing materials to each of the parents of the 219 girls abducted at the Government Secondary School, Chibok.
He presented the items while interacting with the parents in Maiduguri, noting that the gesture was a directive from President Muhammadu Buhari.
“I met with the president last Thursday in Abuja and he directed that I should meet you and console you over the missing girls.
Ekiti
The Speaker of Ekiti State House of Assembly, Mr Kola
Oluwawole, says some residents of the state have poor attitude to observance of the monthly sanitation in the state .
In a statement issued by Mr Stephen Gbadamosi, the Special Assistant (Media) to the Speaker in Ado-Ekiti on Saturday, the lawmaker observed that the poor attitude was common among the youth and commercial motorcyclists.
“I assure you that those citizens who breached the stay-at-home order on the exercise will be handed over to the police for appropriate sanctions.
FCT
The Presidency has advised the Peoples Democratic Party
(PDP) to stop playing down achievements so far recorded by President Muhammadu Buhari.
This is contained in a statement issued in Abuja by the president’s Senior Special Assistant, Media, Malam Garba Shehu.
Shehu said the PDP should rather bury its head in shame for subjecting Nigeria to the “worst economic plunder through corruption’’ in its recent history.
Jigawa
The National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), has
opened 62 study centres nationwide to avail Nigerians the opportunity to acquire higher education, according to Alhaji Abdullahi Dogo, Director, Jigawa Study Centre.
Dogo disclosed this on Saturday in Dutse, when the centre matriculated 180 students for the 2015/16 academic session.
He urged the newly admitted students to study hard and obey the rules and regulations of the institution.
Dogo warned that the institution would not tolerate any form of laziness and indiscipline.
Kano
The Kano State Police Command has warned the public
against the activities of some fraudsters extorting money from unsuspecting people on the pretext of getting them enlisted into the police.
This is contained in statement signed by the Public Relations Officer of the command, ASP Magaji Majiya and issued to newsmen in Kano on Saturday.
The statement said reports had reached the command on the activities of the fraudsters.
According to the statement, the command has yet to receive any directive on recruitment in line with the Federal Government’s plan to employ additional 10, 000 police officers across the country.
Kaduna
Senator Shehu Sani (APC-Kaduna Central), on Satur
day in Kaduna inaugurated a programme aimed at uplifting the lives of his constituents in education, healthcare, sports, recreation, and skills acquisition.
Sani, who tagged the programme“ , ‘Talakawa Grassroots Revolutionary Development Programme‘ explained that it would serve as his platform to meet the yearnings of the people.
“The launch of this programme signals the commencement of a revolutionary change in the lives of the people in my constituency, Kaduna central.”
According to him, the people voted for change that will make meaning to their lives by liberating them from plunder and exploitation.
Katsina
Women for Health, an NGO funded by the Department
for International Development (DFID) of United Kingdom, said it has expended N200 million on improving healthcare delivery in Katsina State.
The National Programme Manager, Dr Fatima Adamu disclosed this on Friday, when she paid a courtesy visit on Gov. Aminu Masari in Katsina.
According to her, the funds were used to build the capacity of health personnel and in establishing more health facilities.
She pledged her continuous support to the government to enhance healthcare delivery across the state.
Kwara
A lifeless body of a 65-year-old man, Mr Dele Ogundeyi,
was on Saturday recovered from a well on the Aperan Way in Omu-Aran, Kwara State.
Our correspondent reports that Ogundeyi was a retired Secretary of Offa Local Government Area Liaison Office, before his death.
The deceased, who hailed from Ile-Nla compound in Omu-Aran, went missing around 11 a.m. on Saturday, according to a relation, Mr Abdulkareem, prompting a search party by family members.
Kogi
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Kogi
State University, says it will resume an industrial action suspended in May over unpaid allowances of N1 billion to its members.
The Acting Chairman of union, Dr Gbenga Aina, told newsmen in Anyigba on Saturday that the lecturers had resolved to go on strike on Sept. 1 if the state government did not honour an earlier agreement with the union on the payment.
He accused the state government of reneging on the “gentleman’s agreement’’ reached with the union before the suspension of the strike in May.
Nasarawa
A retired psychiatric nurse with the Dalhatu Araf Spe
cialist Hospital, Lafia, Mr Emmanuel Ogar, has urged the federal and state lawmakers to enact tougher laws to prohibit drug abuse.
He told newsmenin Lafia on Saturday that such step would reduce mental cases in Nigeria.
Ogar insisted that the fight against drug abuse should not be left alone with the government, saying, “it should be seen as a collective fight by all well meaning citizens of the country.
“If we continue to leave it alone to the government, it will take a longer time to achieve success.
Sokoto
Farm produce worth over N100 million were detroyed by
flood in 27 villages in Wurno Local Government Area of Sokoto State, the Chairnan of the Local Government, Alhaji Shehu Chacho, has said.
Chacho disclosed this to newsmen in Wurno on Sunday.
He said the destroyed farm produce which were already maturing include; rice, millet, guinea corn, maize and beans.
According to the chairman, the flood was caused by the release of excess water from Goronyo dam and that it had affected no fewer than 7,577 farmers.
Yobe
Senator Muhammad Hassan (PDP) Yobe South, has do
nated N2 million and relief materials worth millions of Naira to flood victims in Ngelzarma.
Hassan, who presented the materials to the Emir of Ngelzarma, Alhaji Zanna Maiyeri, said the donation was to provide the victims with their immediate needs.
The relief materials were assorted foodstuff including rice, millet, guinea corn, beans, spaggetti,salt, sugar, milk, cooking oil, blankets, mattresses, mats, wrappers and clothing materials.
“I feel obliged to intervene and provide the flood victims who are members of my constituency with succour as they have been displaced and now taking refuge outside their homes.
A professor of English linguistics at the Rivers State University (RSU) Nkpolu Oroworukwu Port Harcourt, Prof. Isaac Enyi Ngulube, has advocated for better and improved funding for language centres in Nigeria, such as NINLAN Aba and Nigeria French Language Village, Badagry, for optimum value and effective local languages development.
He also called for funded research on the development of orthographies and language documents across the country to rescue local languages from extinction, as well as having a well-planned and implemented mother tongue education in all institutions in the country, from primary to tertiary.
Prof. Ngulube made with these assertions while presenting his inaugural lecture at the university’s 121st inaugural lecture with the topic “The Career of Rough Beats: Language, Literature and the Development of our Common Humanity” held in Port Harcourt, Wednesday.
The erudite scholar, in the lecture, stressed that the study of English language, linguistics, and literature is very broad, large, and difficult, adding that he overcame the rough roads through resilience and determination.
He described language as “a purely human and non-instinctive means of communicating ideas and emotions,” noting that “the word is a fundamental need in language; you cannot study language without the use of language.”
He urged parents to be cautious with their utterances, warning that “what they refer to their children as is what they will automatically end up becoming.”
He recommended a branded English language for every profession or course of study, stressing that embedding oral literature in the teaching of students from primary to tertiary level will enable them to know their traditions and roots of origin.
“Tell them the folk stories and moonlight tales; you are sending them back to their people. You must be a human being first before becoming a medical doctor, engineer, or anything else,” Ngulube said.
He also called for better and improved production of quality language and literature teachers, provision of modern teaching/instructional materials, improved welfare packages for teachers, and provision of better infrastructure at both primary and secondary school levels.
He used the opportunity to appreciate the Vice Chancellor for the approval of the Department of English Language and Literature, adding that it had been his long-held dream for the university.
In his speech, the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Isaac Zeb-Obipi, while highlighting the lecture, opined that the lecturer x-rayed the lecturer’s journey into the study of English language, linguistics, and literature, describing the field as broad, large, and difficult, but with determination and focus, he was able to defeat the beasts he encountered on his way.
Zeb-Obipi agreed with the lecturer’s recommendations on ways to improve indigenous languages in the country and directed that modalities be worked out for the university to have the Department of English Language and Literature, among others.
He highlighted RSU’s recent victory in the Bilingual Community Project organized by the French Embassy, describing it as proof of the university’s rising excellence in language studies.
The Federal Government through the implementation of the various projects of the Ogoni cleanup programme is demonstrating a strong commitment to national peace and the development of Ogoniland.
The Project Coordinator of the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project(HYPREP), Prof Nenibarini Zabbey, who made this assertion at a two-day training on Mechanism for Alternative Dispute Resolution(ADR) and other Peacebuilding Techniques for Community Leaders In Ogoni, held in Port Harcourt, said through the ongoing environmental restoration effort, potable water provision, livelihood restoration, public health interventions, and the Ogoni Power Project, HYPREP is contributing to national peace and development.
He explained that by improving the living conditions in communities and creating new opportunities for young people, the Project is also reducing the social pressure that often fuels conflict, stressing that the Project is proud of this service to the Ogoni people and the nation.
Describing traditional leaders and stakeholders as peacebuilders and guardians of community harmony, Zabbey noted that the workshop would strengthen their capacities and reinforce the Ogoni dialogue process, which HYPREP continues to support in line with its mandate on peacebuilding.
He said HYPREP is actively promoting ADR alongside other mechanisms across its project sites and other areas of operation aimed at fostering unity, fairness, mutual respect and faster dispute resolution, stressing that these are qualities necessary for the future of Ogoni people and their communities.
He further indicated that the Minister of Environment and Chairman of HYPREP’s Governing Council, Malam Balarabe Abbas Lawal is disposed to promoting peace and stability across Ogoni communities and HYPREP project sites.
The Project Coordinator, therefore, charged Ogoni leaders to be mindful of their actions, words and body language, as what they say or do can either promote peace or fan the embers of conflict.
Continuing, he stated thus,”We must always ask ourselves: Is my position on this matter in the people’s interest? Does it promote unity and progress? Will it enhance development?”
The Project Coordinator assured the participants that HYPREP is working tirelessly in line with the directive of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda for the accelerated implementation of the Ogoni cleanup programme and ensure that its benefits reach the grassroots where they are needed most.
Stressing the need for Ogoni leaders and stakeholders to explore communication and trust options to prevent disputes from degenerating into violence, the Project Coordinator noted that it was time for all Ogonis to be united for development, leaving behind perceptions that do not serve collective progress.
Similarly, the Director of the Centre for Peace and Security Studies of the University of Port Harcourt, Prof Chioma Daisy Onyige, said the workshop is a strategic platform aimed at strengthening the capacity of traditional institutions and community leaders to sustain peace, foster dialogue and promote non-adversarial engagements in the implementation of the Ogoni cleanup programme.
Prof Onyige noted that the Ogoni leadership structure commands deep respect and legitimacy, and strengthening their capacity in ADR methods such as mediation, negotiation, dialogue, facilitation, and consensus building means strengthening the foundation of peace in the region.
Participants, comprising traditional rulers and key stakeholders in Ogoni, commended HYPREP for the initiative, and assured it of their continuous support to the Project by providing an enabling atmosphere for the smooth implementation of the cleanup project in Ogoniland.
Resource persons who presented thought-provoking lectures at the workshop included the Dean of the Faculty of Postgraduate Studies of the University of Port Harcourt, Prof Kinikanwo Anele; Prof Olariwanju Lawal; Prof Chioma Daisy Onyige; and Dr Gbenemene Kpae; among others.
With significant achievements recorded across thematic areas of the Ogoni cleanup programme being executed by the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP), the Project Coordinator of the Project, Prof Nenibarini Zabbey, has said that all these are enabling pathways to the development of Ogoniland.
This is coming on the heels of milestone achievements in the following areas and their impact on Ogoni communities. They are mangrove restoration which is 94 percent complete; shoreline remediation which stands at 67.1 percent; and the phase 2 land remediation progressing to 36.55 percent.
Moreso, HYPREP has constructed 14 water facilities, providing potable water to 40 communities. With the commissioning of the water schemes in Bane and Gwara communities, the number of communities with access to clean and safe drinking water will be 45. The process of operationalising the Centre of Excellence for Environmental Restoration (CEER) which is at 92 percent complete, is ongoing. The same for the Ogoni Power Project which is progressing with wayleave compensation and construction works at Bodo and Wiiyaakaara substations ongoing
Similarly, the Ogoni Specialist Hospital and Buan Cottage Hospital are at 76.8 percent and 98.7 percent respectively.
This is alongside other public health interventions and the Human BioMonitoring Survey also in progress.
Under the livelihood
programme, over 7,000 direct jobs have been created for Ogoni women and youths, while over 5,000 have been trained in multiple skills and provided start-up kits, workshops, education grants, scholarships and other empowerment programmes. This quarter, training will commence in other demand-driven skill areas, such as cybersecurity, full-stack development, mud logging, software development, commercial diving, and underwater welding.
Zabbey had reeled out these achievements, during the third quarter interactive session between the Project Coordination Office engagement with Ogoni youths in Port Harcourt on Friday, in line with HYPREP’s strategic stakeholders policy to provide an interface opportunity to abreast Ogoni youths on the Project’s activities, while garnering their feedback.
Zabbey noted that, “This
quarterly engagement was,therefore, designed as an inclusive strategy to ensure that youth voices are heard, concerns are addressed, and progress updates are provided transparently. Also, it reflects our firm belief that a project of this magnitude must be people-centred, accountable, and participatory”.
” I am delighted to inform you that the Project remains on course to achieve its mandate as outlined in the UNEP Report on the Ogoni environment and the official gazette establishing HYPREP. HYPREP is committed to transparency and accountability in the implementation of the cleanup projects and activities”, he said.
He stressed that HYPREP’s achievements are pathways to a better Ogoniland, assuring that the Project’s goals are aimed at benefiting all categories of Ogoni youths, whether in business, farming, advocacy, education, entrepreneurship or community development.
”This Project belongs to all of you, and its success depends mainly on your participation, unity and constructive engagement. And with your support, we are confident that all challenges will be addressed in the overall public interest,” Zabbey said.
The Project Coordinator urged Ogoni youths to continue to support the Project by promoting peace, discouraging misinformation, and collaborating with project teams working in the communities, and address challenges through dialogue, rather than confrontation.
Prof Dinebari Badey, a Professor of Development Sociology in the University of Port Harcourt, delivered the keynote address, linking the nexus between HYPREP and youths in the development of Ogoniland through unity of purpose while Engr Solomon Akere, gave a talk on Ogoni youths in business.
Participants raised questions concerning the maintenance of the water projects, remediation efforts, and compensation for the Right of Way (RoW), among others.
In attendance were management staff of HYPREP who provided responses to the interventions.