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THE STATES

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Adamawa

Gov. Jibrilla Bindow of Adamawa State has said that his
administration will upgrade basic infrastructure for the judiciary to enhance efficient service delivery in the state.
Bindow, who made this known when he inspected courts in Yola, said that enabling environment for the judiciary would impact positively on the people of the state.
According to him, his administration is built on justice and fairness and infrastructure in the sector will translate into providing justice to the common man.
He directed the Ministry of  Works to submit the cost of procuring generating sets to his office to cushion the effects of power outage in the courts.
“My administration upholds justice and fairness and I must do my best to ensure that our courts are giving a facelift where workers will get human environment to give their best.
“It is sacrosanct that an enabling environment will boost the productivity of our judiciary staff which will in turn impact positively on our people.”

Borno

The Japanese Government has announced a donation of
three million dollars in support of victims of Boko Haram insurgency in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe States.
The Japanese Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr Sadanabu Kusaoke, made the announcement at the launch of the project in Maiduguri.
Kusaake said that the project was aimed at assisting the victims to engage in gainful activities like farming and trading for social stability.
“The Japanese Government has decided to support the project for early recovery and social cohesion in the North-East of Nigeria with a 3 million dollars donation.
“This is to help people who engage in gainful activities like farming and trading to contribute to the social stabilisation and recovery of the affected communities in the three states,” he said.
Ekiti

An Ekiti State High Court in Ado Ekiti has declined to
grant an ex-parte order sought by the Ekiti State Government to restrain EFCC from investigating the finances of the state.
Our correspondent reports that Justice Cornelius Akintayo refused to grant the order on the grounds that all the defendants in the case must first be put on notice to enable them prepare for their defence at the court.
The judge consequently adjourned the suit to August 23 and ordered all parties in the suit to appear before him when the motion on notice would be heard.
The suit was filed by Ekiti State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr Owoseni Ajayi, to stop the impending investigation of the accounts of the state government by the anti graft agency.
Another relief sought by the plaintiffs was an order stopping the arrest of the Commissioner for Finance, Accountant General and the managers of the banks in which the state had commitments.
FCT

The Japanese Ambassador to Nigeria, Sadanobu Kusaoke,
says 51 Nigerians have so far been granted scholarship for Masters Degree programme in various Japanese universities.
The Japanese envoy disclosed this at the sent-forth programme organised by Japan International Co-operation Agency (JAICA), for the successful candidates.
According to him, the gesture is an initiative of JAICA to assist Nigerian youths achieve their aspiration in life.
He congratulated the students for successfully going through the rigour of the selection process which he described as “very transparent”.
“The objective is to offer Nigerian students an opportunity to study at their Masters Degree level in various Japanese universities,” he said.

Jigawa
The Chairman of All Farmers Association of Nigeria
(AFAN), Jigawa State chapter, Alhaji Maigwa Jaga, says farmers in the state have shifted from subsistence farming to commercial agriculture.
Jaga disclosed this in an interview with newsmen in Dutse.
He said the farmers embraced the venture in response to the advice of Gov.ernor Muhammadu Badaru.
“Governor Badaru provided improved variety of sesame seeds, groundnuts seeds and rice seeds to farmers to enable them take off well,” he said.
Jaga said that the farmers were asked to form groups comprising 50 members each in all the wards of the 27 local governments of the state in order to test the viability of the programme.
Kaduna

The West Africa Agricultural Productivity Programme
(WAAP) says it is partnering with 40 Nigerian universities and agricultural institutions to facilitate agricultural technology transfer.
Acting National Project Coordinator, WAAP, Mr James Apochi,  said this to newsmen  in Zaria, Kaduna State, shortly after he visited some of the selected villages for the pilot scheme.
Our correspondent reports that the coordinator visited Guga Multi-purpose Association at Guga village and Nasarawan Buhari Farmers Cooperative at Nasarawan Buhari.
“We are partnering with 15 agricultural institutes, 11 federal colleges of agriculture and 14 federal universities of agriculture.
“We started with 52 villages and now we have 500 villages that have been adopted.”

Katsina

The Katsina State Police command, in collaboration with
other security agencies, recovered 2,151 animals from cattle rustlers in July, 2016.
Alhaji Usman Abdullahi, the Katsina State Commissioner of Police disclosed this in an interview with newsmen  in Katsina.
He said that most of the animals recovered by the security agents were cows, sheep, goats, camels and donkeys.
The police boss said that the animals were recovered in nine local government areas that were mostly vulnerable to the menace of cattle rustling.
“The security agents recovered the animals in Funtua, Faskari, Safana, Batsari, Danmusa, Jibia, Kurfi, Dutsin-ma and Kafur Local Government areas,” he said.
Commenting on the issue of arms recovery, the commissioner said that the command had recovered three locally-made pistols and one brown pistol from criminals.
Abdullahi revealed that the command also recovered three AK47 rifles, one beretta pistol and 20 dane guns.
He disclosed that the police had recovered 85 assorted life ammunition and 49 expended empty shells.
The commissioner called on the members of the public to provide useful information about criminal activities to the police for action.

Kwara

A team of medical experts at the University of Ilorin Teach
ing Hospital (UITH) have successfully removed a tumour of about 12 centimeter in diameter from the brain of a pregnant woman.
This is contained in the University of Ilorin (Unilorin)’s Bulletin made available to newsmen on Tuesday.
It said the successful operation was carried out on a 40-year old patient, whose right side had become paralysed before the surgery.
It stated that the feat was achieved with the assistance of Prof. Wale Sulaiman ,a visiting Neuro-Surgeon from the Ochsner Medical Centre, New Orleans, U.S.A.
The bulletin stated that the 13-hour surgery captured the essence of collaboration and team work in medical practice.
Lagos

The Lagos State chapter of Environmental Health Officer
of Nigeria (EHOAN) has called on the public to desist from eating at unhygienic places.
Chairman of EHOAN Mr Akin  Akingbehin, gave the advice in an interview with newsmen  in Lagos.
Akingbehin said the association was embarking on a zero tolerance campaign against food sellers operating in open places in the state.
“What is of utmost importance to us is the control of sales of food at open places.
“We are embarking on total clampdown on unhygienic display of food for public consumption.
“By this exercise, we are trying to prevent food-borne diseases, taking note of the fact that food is a veritable vehicle by which a range of illnesses which affect man are spread.

Nasarawa

A 36-year-old husband, Emma Edaih, has demanded com
pensation for the number of years he wasted in the name of marriage to his wife Uche.
Edaih made this known when he testified in a divorce petition by his wife at a Grade 1 Area Court, Aso Pada, Mararaba, Nasarawa State.
He claimed that he enjoyed his wife for only two months since they got married, adding that he had no problem with the court granting his wife’s request.
“But I demanded compensation for wasting my years with her in the name of marriage.
“Since 2013, we got married, I only slept with her the first two months into our marriage and after then, she never allowed me to touch her, nor will she let me sleep with her,” he said.
Osun

Three men, who allegedly assaulted a police officer while
on duty, have been docked at an Osogbo Magistrates’ Court.
The accused — Olateju Emaculate, 19; Adebayo Damilola, 21  and Olateju Threasa, 42 — are facing a three-count charge bordering on conspiracy and assault.
The Prosecutor, Insp. Fagboyinbo Abiodun, told the court that the accused committed the offences on August 15 at about 6:30 a.m. along OlaOluwa Estate in the Osun capital.
Abiodun alleged that the accused conspired and assaulted Cpl. Adetiba Ololade, attached to Dada Police Station while carrying out his lawful duty.

Sokoto

The Sokoto State Government says it has trained 500 un
employed youths from different parts of the state in domestic electrical instillation, fashion designing, tailoring and cosmetology.
The state Commissioner for Youth Development, Alhaji Musa Ausa, disclosed this at a ministerial briefing in Sokoto.
He said that the exercise was aimed at creating job opportunities for the teeming unemployed youths in the state.
The commissioner said the state government paid N5,000 monthly allowance to each trainee for the three months the programme lasted.

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HYPREP Marks 15 Years Of UNEP Report, Highlights Major Cleanup Milestones

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The Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) has commemorated the 15th anniversary of the release of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Environmental Assessment Report on Ogoniland, reaffirming its commitment to restoring the environment and improving the livelihoods of affected communities.

In a statement signed by the Project Coordinator, Prof Nenibarini Zabbey, to commemorate the anniversary, HYPREP described the anniversary as a significant milestone in Nigeria’s environmental restoration efforts, noting that the project has made remarkable progress in implementing the recommendations of the landmark UNEP report released on August 4, 2011.

The UNEP report had revealed extensive oil pollution across Ogoniland, severe environmental degradation, and serious public health risks resulting from decades of petroleum operations. It also recommended an initial $1 billion fund to commence the cleanup of the affected communities.

According to HYPREP, the Federal Government formally launched the Ogoni clean-up in 2016, while the Project Coordination Office was established in 2017 to drive the implementation of UNEP’s recommendations.
Zabbey said the current administration has continued to prioritise the project under the Renewed Hope Agenda.

Providing an update on the cleanup, the Project Coordinator disclosed that 30 of the 65 contaminated sites identified by UNEP have been fully remediated, while work is ongoing at several medium- and high-risk locations. It also stated that more than 1.5 million mangrove seedlings have been planted as part of what it described as the world’s largest restoration of oil-degraded mangroves, with over 1,000 hectares of shoreline already rehabilitated.

Zabbey further revealed that 49 Ogoni communities have been connected to potable water schemes through multiple water projects and booster stations aimed at providing safe drinking water across the region.

In the health sector, he said the 100-bed Ogoni Specialist Hospital in Kpite and the 43-bed Cottage Hospital in Buan are nearing completion, adding that several existing health facilities have been upgraded with modern medical equipment, while five ambulances have been donated to improve emergency healthcare services. The Project Coordinator also disclosed that a three-year human health biomonitoring study is being conducted in collaboration with the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).

On economic empowerment, Zabbey stated that the Project has created more than 8,000 direct jobs and trained thousands of Ogoni youths and women in various vocational and technical skills, including software development, cybersecurity, aviation, commercial diving, seafaring, mechatronics, and creative arts. The project also reported awarding scholarships to more than 1,000 students, providing grants to small businesses, and supporting persons living with special needs through skills acquisition programmes.

The statement further highlighted ongoing legacy projects, including the Ogoni Power Project and the Centre of Excellence for Environmental Restoration, which it said is about 96 per cent complete. HYPREP also welcomed the recent designation of the Ogoni Wetland as a Ramsar Site of International Importance and pledged to continue promoting biodiversity conservation and sustainable management of the ecosystem.

Marking the anniversary, Zabbey said the progress achieved over the past 15 years demonstrates the collective commitment of government, development partners, stakeholders, and local communities to restoring Ogoniland. He called for renewed collaboration to sustain the cleanup effort, promote environmental sustainability, and support the long-term development of the region. 3

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REAN, SON synergise to curb fake renewable energy product

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The Renewable Energy Association of Nigeria (REAN) says it has strengthened collaboration with the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) to enhance quality control and enforcement frameworks.
Mr Oisereime Lloyd-Dietake, the Head of Communications, REAN, in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja, said the collaboration would also involve stakeholder engagement on testing, certification and capacity building in Nigeria.
He said the synergy would strengthen quality control and enforcement frameworks, promote policy alignment, and ensure stronger regulation across the renewable energy value chain.
“REAN reaffirms its commitment to standardisation and quality assurance; tighter collaboration with SON is critical to eliminating fake and substandard renewable energy products from the Nigerian market.
“Enforcement and gaps in existing standards have continued to allow inferior products to circulate, undermining consumer confidence and slowing sector growth.”
Lloyd-Dietake said that at high-level discussions, REAN also highlighted the need for stronger regulatory coordination to address emerging challenges in the renewable energy space.
According to him, the issues include inconsistencies in standards, affordability issues linked to certification processes; and the increasing presence of substandard solar and renewable energy equipment in the country.
“The association further raised concerns about delays in product testing and approval, calling for the establishment of more testing laboratories and certification facilities to improve efficiency and reduce bottlenecks in the system,’’ he said.
Lloyd-Dietake urged closer collaboration among key regulatory bodies, including the Nigerian Electricity Management Services Agency, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, and the Rural Electrification Agency.
He said such team work would ensure harmonised standards and more effective enforcement against fake renewable energy products in the Nigerian market.
In response, SON acknowledged the important role REAN continued to play in supporting standardisation within Nigeria’s renewable energy industry and reaffirmed its willingness to deepen collaboration with the association.
SON further confirmed that REAN would be actively involved in future standard review processes and upcoming stakeholder engagements related to renewable energy and electric mobility standards development.
Lloyd-Dietake said REAN affirmed its willingness to formalise the partnership through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
He said the MoU is aimed at deepening cooperation, promoting quality assurance, and accelerating Nigeria’s transition towards reliable and standardised renewable energy solutions.
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Self Help Africa programme expands water access for 320,000 Nigerians

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The WASH Systems for Health (WS4H) Programme, implemented by Self Help Africa, has expanded access to safe water and sanitation services for more than 320,000 people in Kano and Cross River States.
The organisation disclosed this on Tuesday at the WS4H National Results and Learning Workshop in Abuja, where stakeholders reviewed achievements and lessons from the intervention.
Speaking at the event, Self Help Africa Country Director, Joy Aderele, said the programme demonstrated that sustainable WASH improvements require strong institutions, effective governance, adequate financing and collaboration.
Aderele said the UK-funded programme was designed to strengthen systems that support sustainable access to water, sanitation and hygiene services.
According to her, the intervention focused on improving governance, planning, financing, accountability and sector coordination to ensure resilient service delivery.
“More than 320,000 people now have improved or restored access to water services through programme-supported interventions,” she said.
She added that more than 5,520 household toilets were constructed in Yala and Makoda Local Government Areas, boosting sanitation, public health and efforts to end open defecation.
Aderele said the programme also strengthened public investment in WASH, with Cross River increasing its sector budget by 211 per cent in 2026 and Kano by 169.07 per cent.
She added that dedicated WASH budget lines had been established across 40 Ministries, Departments and Agencies in both states, strengthening accountability and institutional commitment.
According to her, both states reviewed and adopted updated WASH policies, while key planning documents were developed to guide future investments and service delivery.
She said Cross River also recorded a major legislative milestone through the passage of the Water Law and Open Defecation Prohibition Bill.
Aderele added that lessons from interventions in Yala LGA were already informing expansion efforts in Obubra Local Government Area.
While commending the achievements, she noted that capacity gaps, resource constraints and climate-related pressures remained challenges to sustainable WASH services.
“The sustainability of these gains will depend on continued government leadership, adequate financing, strong partnerships and investment in institutional capacity,” she said.
Also speaking, the Programme Manager of WS4H, Mr Timothy Ibeawuchi, said the intervention focused on strengthening systems needed to sustain gains and attract future investments.
According to him, the programme engages stakeholders in developing strategies that preserve achievements and support long-term service delivery.
“System strengthening work takes time because it addresses the fundamental issues responsible for sustainable and resilient service delivery,” he said.
Ibeawuchi said the programme strengthened policy development, planning, financing, monitoring and evaluation systems across the WASH sector.
He said two pilot local government areas were supported to develop WASH strategic plans outlining sector goals, targets and activities between 2026 and 2030.
According to him, the plans will guide future interventions and improve service delivery in the affected councils.
Earlier, the representative of the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), Chidera Chukwu, reaffirmed support for Nigeria’s development efforts in spite of the programme nearing completion.
Chukwu commended the Self Help Africa-led consortium for delivering the programme with professionalism and a strong focus on systems strengthening.
He said the consortium contributed greatly to strengthening Nigeria’s WASH sector through policy reforms, improved coordination and enhanced accountability.
“Together, we have advanced key policy and legislative reforms, including open defecation-free laws and strengthened state WASH frameworks,” he said.
According to him, the reforms represent enduring system-level changes that will continue delivering benefits beyond the programme’s lifespan.
In his remarks, Mr Jamilu Habu, Director of Water Quality Control and Sanitation, Federal Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation, commended the programme’s achievements.
Habu, who represented the Permanent Secretary, said the intervention strengthened governance, coordination, evidence-based planning and institutional capacity in the WASH sector.
He described the workshop as an opportunity to review achievements, share lessons and identify pathways for sustaining and scaling successful interventions.
According to him, the programme’s innovations and best practices will guide future policies and investments aimed at expanding access to safe WASH services.
Habu stressed the need for continued collaboration among governments, development partners, civil society organisations, the private sector and communities.
He said stronger partnerships remained essential to achieving universal access to water, sanitation and hygiene services and meeting Sustainable Development Goal 6.
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