Nation
THE STATES
L-R: Archdeacon, Diocese of Lagos West Anglican Communion, Venerable Christopher Ayejoto, Celebrant and Director, Finance and Account, Federal Institute of Industrial Research Oshodi, Mr Okeowo Oderinde, Special Guest, Mrs Adetoun Henry-Ajomale, celebrant’s wife, Mrs Atinuke and Priest, Anglican Communion, Revd. Kayode Okun, at the 2015 Family Harvest of the Anglican Communion in Lagos, yesterday.
Adamawa
The Adamawa Government is to launch enlightenment posters
on the ongoing fight against the Boko Haram insurgency in the state.
The state Commissioner of Information, Malam Ahmad Sajoh, disclosed this in Yola in an interview with newsmen.
Sajoh said the enlightenment programme being spearheaded by the ministry involved educating the public on how to identify Boko Haram suspects, particularly suicide bombers.
The commissioner lauded the relative peace in the state since the last bombing incident that took place more than one month ago.
He also commended the people of the state for complying with the security directives issued by the government.
“Since the last bombing incident on Nov. 10, we have recorded relative peace in the state.
“We have reviewed the security situation and we are satisfied with the level of compliance with security measures by the public.”
Ekiti
An Ikole-Ekiti Customary Court has dissolved a one-year old
marriage between Ayodele Olukayode and his wife, Kikelomo, over the wife’s lack of proper care for the husband.
The husband had sought for divorce in a suit filed against his wife on November 17 on the grounds that the 12-month-old union had broken down irretrievably.
Olukayode told the court that he sought for divorce because his wife had adopted a negative lifestyle.
He added that his wife had no respect for him, other members of his family, and was always fighting him on minor domestic issues.
The plaintiff further told the court that there was no child between them.
Kikelomo, however, denied the allegation against her, saying that she cared for the plaintiff and gave due respect to him and his family.
FCT
President, Institute of Tourism and Hospitality Services of Ni
geria, Mr Ashamu Fadipe, has called on the Federal Government to review the Tourism Master Plan which was produced in 2006.
Fadipe, a former Permanent Secretary in the Lagos State Ministry of Tourism, made the call in an interview with newsmen in Abuja on the sidelines of a workshop tagged: “Mainstreaming Tourism into Economic Agenda of Government”.
The workshop was organised by the Department of Domestic and Eco-Tourism Promotion and Control, Federal Ministry of Information and culture, Abuja.
“In 2006, Nigeria produced a Tourism Development Master Plan; the master plan articulates the tourism resources of the country ranging from natural endowments, cultural and historical resources.
“This was divided into five tourism clusters for the purpose of development and making it a preferred tourism destination in Africa.
“In each of the clusters, there is a flagship project proposed and this flagship was never done in any of the five clusters,’’ he said.
Jigawa
A member of the Jigawa State House of Assembly, Alhaji Kais
Abdallah, has donated 100 mattresses to the General Hospital, Malammadori.
Abdallah disclosed this in an interview with newsmen in Malammadori.
The legislator, who represents Malammadori constituency, said he had also donated pillows, blankets and blood pressure test kits to the hospital.
He said he was also planning to distribute drugs and consumables to the 23 health facilities in the area.
“We are taking assessment needs of the clinics to assist them with drugs and equipment,” he said.
Kebbi
Deputy Speaker of Kebbi State House of Assembly, Alhaji
Buhari Aliero, said that he had distributed 90 forms for admission into tertiary institutions to indigent students in his constituency.
Aliero stated this in an interview with newsmen in Aliero.
He said that the gesture was to promote educational zeal in indigent children in his Aliero constituency.
He disclosed that he gave out 50 University Matriculation Examination forms and 30 other forms for those seeking admission into the state-owned school of Nursing and Health Technology.
Aliero said that if the students gained admission, they would receive monthly allowance from him while in school.
He said that his gesture was based on the fact that education remained the bedrock of development of any society, adding that it was, therefore imperative for him to contribute to human capital development through such assistance.
Lagos
An Igando Customary Court in Lagos saved a 40-year-old
marriage between Mrs Margret Kehinde ,60, and her septuagenarian husband, Francis Kehinde , over alleged infidelity.
Our correspondet reports that the Court President, Mr Adegboyega Omilola, after several adjournments and interventions, successfully resolved the marital differences between the couple.
Omilola admonished the respondent to turn a new leaf and he urged the couple to maintain peace.
“I urged both of you to go home and continue to love each other and live in peace.” he said.
Mrs Margret Kehinde, 60 and a trader, had pleaded with the court to end her 40-year-old marriage over her husband’s infidelity.
The petitioner said that her 70-year-old husband, Francis, for whom she bore four children, was fond of bringing several women into their matrimony home.
“My husband comes home with different women and they sleep on our matrimonial bedroom, and he will tell me to excuse them by relocating to the guest room.”
Nasarawa
The Police have arraigned a commercial driver, Bitrus Matthew,
38, in a Mararaba Grade 1 Area Court on a three-count-charge of mischief, breach of trust and cheating.
The prosecutor, Cpl. Friday Adaji, told the court that the complainant, Cpl. Friday Enumaje, attached to ‘A’ Division Police Station, Mararaba, reported the matter on December 12.
Adaji said that the complainant entrusted his Toyota Camry car to the accused for commercial purpose, with an agreement of remitting N15, 000 weekly.
He said that the accused used the car for two weeks, and did not remit the money as agreed, instead he ran away with the said car to an unknown destination.
The prosecutor said that the accused was seen on December 9 with the car and he was arrested.
He said that the offences contravened the provisions of Sections 327, 312 and 322 of the Penal Code.
The accused denied committing the crime.
The Presiding Judge, Mr Albert Maga, granted the accused bail in the sum of N100, 000 and a surety in the like sum.
Ogun
The Ogun State Commissioner for Housing, Mrs
Oluwasegun Abiodun said on Thursday that the ministry proposed N3.74 billion as its capital expenditure for the 2016 fiscal year.
Abiodun spoke while defending the ministry’s 2016 budget proposal before the Ogun House of Assembly in Abeokuta.
The commissioner also said that the ministry proposed 10 hectares of housing estates in 12 locations across the state.
He listed the locations as Abeokuta, Sagamu, Ifo, Ijebu-Ode, and Ado- Odo Ota, among others.
“In terms of urban renewal, the ministry intends to embark on the urbanisation of Akute Isheri area of the state in the next fiscal year; the project is termed `Mitros City’ development.
“As part of the state government’s efforts towards industrialisation, housing project is a dedicated infrastructure in order to attract new business at Agbara Industrial Estates, “she said.
Osun
Two men, Olarewaju Omokehinde,50, and Abode Adigun, 38,
were on Thursday arraigned in an Osogbo Magistrates’ Court, over alleged N800,000 fraud.
Omokehinde and Adigun, of no fixed addresses, are facing a three-count charge bordering on conspiracy and fraud.
The prosecutor, Sgt. Lamide Rasak, told the court that the accused persons committed the offences on April 14 at about 12:00p.m. along Omokehinde St. in Osogbo.
Rasak said the accused persons tricked one Mr Kayode Lawal by obtaining N800,000 from him with promise to lease a building to him for business activities.
He said the offences contravened Sections 422, 421 and 383 of the Criminal Code, Cap 34, Vol. 11, Laws of Osun, 2003.
The accused persons denied committing the offences.
The defence counsel, Mr Beatrice Akande, prayed the court to grant the accused persons bail in liberal terms.
Oyo
Govwenoe Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State said NYSC members
must contribute to national unity and cohesion for Nigeria to achieve the dreams of its founding fathers.
Ajimobi said this at the close of the orientation course for the Batch ‘B’ Corps members at the NYSC Permanent Orientation Camp on the Iseyin-Okeho road.
Represented by his deputy, Mr Moses Alake-Adeyemo, Ajimobi advised the corps members to keep Nigeria as one indivisible nation.
“I commend your patriotism and commitment to duty since the beginning of your orientation about three weeks ago.
“ It shows that you are ready to ensure that Nigeria remains one and by God’s grace nothing will separate us.
Plateau
The Special Task Force (STF) in charge of security in Plateau
State has confirmed the killing of 12 persons in an attack on Kwata community in Jos South Local Government.
Capt. Ikedichi Iweha, STF Spokesperson, told the newsmen in Jos that several others were injured in the attack that took place recently.
Iweha said that the STF personnel rushed to the area of the attack when it was alerted but the perpetrators had disappeared.
“By the time we arrived there, the attackers had carried out their heinous act and left; we just evacuated the injured and the dead and rushed them to Plateau Hospital, where health officials confirmed 12 persons dead.
Zamfara
The Zamfara State Government last Thursday said it had spent
N58 billion on rural electrification and semi-urban water projects.
The Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs in the state, Alhaji Muttaka Rini, disclosed this in an interview with newsmen in Gusau.
Rini said N41 billion was spent on the provision of electricity to 80 rural communities, while the remaining N17 billion was committed to semi-urban water scheme across the state.
He said the projects were executed in collaboration with the 14 local government councils of the state, which contributed 50 percent of the project cost.
He said the state government would continue to execute meaningful projects to improve quality of lives of the people in rural areas.
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.
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.
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
-
News5 days agoUmahi Threatens Defaulting Contractors With EFCC Arrest
-
Sports4 days ago
IAUE VC Football Cup Final Holds In PH, Wed
-
News5 days agoWe’ll Support Federal University Environment And Technology – Ibas
-
News5 days agoTinubu Orders Fresh Push To Crash Food Prices
-
Rivers4 days agoNDDC Charges Youths On Sustainable Peace In The Region
-
Rivers4 days agoRivers CJ Tasks RSMDC Arbitrators To Be Neutral, Unbiased In Determining Cases