Nation
THE STATES
Adamawa
Commissioner for Health in Adamawa State, Dr Fatima
Atiku, said Isa Hamman, the patient who lost his kidney in an operation at a private clinic in Yola, was responding to treatment.
Atiku, in a statement made available to newsmen in Yola, said that the patient was referred to Malam Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Kano.
According to her, Governor Muhammadu Bindow personally intervened in the matter.
She said that Hamman was taken to Malam Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital personally by the governor in good faith and that his kidney transplant will be conducted soon.
“Available reports show that Isa Hamman condition is stable, and he is responding to treatment, while clinical examinations are still ongoing,” Atiku said.
Borno
The Borno State Police Command says that it has placed
the former spokesman of the Boko Haram sect, Ali Konduga, under psychiatric investigation.
This, the police said, followed Konduga’s display of abnormal behaviour since his arrest last week.
Mr Victor Isuku, the spokesman of the command, said this in a statement he issued in Maiduguri.
Isuku said that Konduga was arrested after a complaint by one Muhammadu Kala.
“On September 14, one Muhammadu Kala lodged a complaint at the GRA Police Station, Maiduguri, that Mallam Ali konduga of Gwange ward had trespassed into the premises of the house of Senator Muhammed Ndume.
“The DPO led a team of policemen to arrest the trespasser where he had gone to receive treatment for injuries he sustained as a result of a mob action,” Isuku said.
Ekiti
Ikole local government council in Ekiti State, has implored
traders and people patronising Ikole Main Market and other markets in the council area to make use of facilities provided in the markets.
Head of the Department of Environment in the council area, Mr Tunde Famuyisan, made this call while addressing some traders at the Ikole Main market recently.
He urged the market men and women to maximize use of latrine, dustbins and clinic provided in the market.
Famuyisan said the council made provision of these facilities to those visiting the market for one activity or the other; so that buying and selling would be carried out under good hygienic environment”.
FCT
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees,
Mr Fillipo Grandi, said at the UN General Assembly (UNGA), that the commission was committed to working with world leaders in addressing refugees and migrants crises.
This is contained in a statement released in Abuja to newsmen by Mr HansonTamfu, the External Relations officer, UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) in Nigeria.
Grandi, speaking at the opening ceremony of the Assembly said that the declaration marked a political commitment of unprecedented force and resonance.
He said that the UNHCR welcomed the adoption of the declaration by 193 governments at the UNGA first ever summit addressing the large movement of refugees and migrants.
“It fills what has been a perennial gap in the international protection system of truly sharing responsibility for refugees in the spirit of the UN Charter”.
Jigawa
The Jigawa State Emergency Management Agency
(SEMA) says flood has killed 18 persons and destroyed 6,637 houses in about 19 local government areas in the state.
SEMA Executive Secretary, Alhaji Yusif Sani, said this while briefing newsmen on the activities of the agency in Dutse.
Sani said that the incidents occurred during the current rainy season.
He explained that the persons died in Gwaram, Dutse, Jahun, Gumel and Ringim local government areas of the state.
The executive secretary said that the flood destroyed 141 houses in Dutse; 419 in Jahun; 525 in Hadejia, 417 in Babura; 525 in Ringim; 822 in Gumel; 529 in Malammadori and 126 in Birninkudu local government areas.
Kaduna
Prof. Nasiru Shua’ibu of Biochemical Parasitology De
partment, Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria has developed a new malaria vaccine to prevent high rate of death arising from malaria fever.
Speaking with newsmen in Zaria, Kaduna State, Shu’aibu said the new malaria vaccine was different from others currently in use.
Shu’aibu, who is currently working with the Institute of Tropical Medicine, Japan, said the result of the research on the new vaccine would soon be out for Nigerians to use.
“In a simple term that a layman can understand, the content of this malaria vaccine research is difficult, but let me try if I could simplify it, it is called DNA Vaccine.
“It is a new technology for discovery and delivery of vaccine against any infectious disease that was developed in the early to mid 1990s”.
Kwara
Head of Service (H0S), Kwara State, Mrs Zahra Omar,
said the recent discovery of polio outbreak in Nigeria was a disappointing development, despite all efforts to eradicate the disease.
She made the remarks during a courtesy visit to her office in Ilorin by the Rotary Club of Ilorin.
Omar, however, expressed optimism in the eradication of polio in the country.
She also commended the efforts of Rotary Club for assisting the state government in the areas of provision of water and eradication of polio.
Lagos
The Managing Director, Accion Microfinance Bank
(MFB), Mrs Olubunmi Lawson says the bank has partnered with a non-governmental group, JAKIN, to assist 500 vulnerable pupils in Lagos public schools.
Lawson told newsmen in Lagos that the gesture was to give hope and ensure brighter future to those at the bottom rung of the society.
According to her, the partnership tagged: “Dress a Child for School Project’’ is also to support UNESCO International Literacy Day marked on every September 8.
She said that it was also to check the increasing number of school dropouts.
Lawson assured that the gesture would be extended to vulnerable children in other parts of the country.
She said that the beneficiaries would get uniforms, sandals, bags, books and writing materials for 2016/17 academic session.
Niger
Governor Abubakar Sani Bello of Niger State, has ap
pealed to Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) to help sustain peace at the grassroots in the state.
Bello made the appeal when he visited the Commandant-General of NSCDC, Mr Abdullahi Gana.
He said that the state, with the largest land mass in the country, needed deployment of more NSCDC personnel in certain local government areas.
Osun
A member of the Osun State House of Assembly, Mr
Olatunbosun Oyintiloye, has advised government to invest in tourism in its effort to diversify the economy.
Oyintiloye, who is the House Committee Chairman on Information and Strategy, gave the advice in an interview with newsmen in Osogbo.
The lawmaker said it was important for government to invest in tourism as it grappled with putting the economy back on track.
According to him, the tourism sector is a money spinning industry and can be used to stablise Nigeria’s economy.
Oyintiloye, who said that the country was blessed with many tourist sites, said that such sites could help boost the economy if government paid serious attention them.
He argued that apart from the fact that tourism could boost the national economy, it could also provide jobs for people.
Oyo
A Consultant Pathologist at the University College Hos
pital, (UCH), Ibadan, Prof. Femi Ogunbiyi, said on Tuesday that early health screening would reduce adult mortality in the country.
Ogunbiyi made the remark in an interview with newsmen, Ibadan.
He defined screening as “an examination or testing of a group of individuals to separate those who are well from those who have an undiagnosed disease or defect”.
The consultant pathologist said that screening included individuals with presymptomatic or unrecognised symptomatic disease.
“The objective of medical screening is to identify a disease in its pre-clinical stage and, therefore, hopefully still curable phase.
“Screening tests are somewhat unique in that they are performed on persons apparently in good health”.
Plateau
Executive Secretary, National Health Insurance
Scheme (NHIS), Prof. Usman Yusuf, has called on governors of the 36 States to adopt the scheme in order to achieve universal health coverage in Nigeria.
He made the call in Jos during the Progressive Governance Lecture Series held in Plateau State capital.
He said that the aim of the partnership between the NHIS and state governors was to extend healthcare to most Nigerians and also create strategies to improve health care financing across the states.
Yusuf said that the scheme had recorded low level of health coverage.
He said that most countries such as Kenya, Ghana, and Rwanda had achieved over 50 per cent coverage of its citizens.
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.