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THE STATES

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Adamawa

The National Population Commission (NPC) in
collaboration with UNICEF and the European Union (EU), have begun the training of birth registrars in Adamawa State on the use of automatic device.
The Director Vital Registration Department of the commission, Dr Babagana Wakili, said in Yola that the training was to  boost birth registration  exercise in Adamawa and Kebbi selected for the pilot project.
Wakili said Adamawa and Kebbi were selected for the pilot project in view of the states’ poor record in birth registration, being the least in the north.
He said that the success of the pilot project in Adamawa and Kebbi would facilitate the expansion of the programme to other states.

Borno

The World Health Organization (WHO) says it has
provided emergency health support to Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in liberated communities of Mafa and Dikwa in Borno State.
WHOs spokesperson, Ms Kulchumi Hammanyero, who disclosed this in a statement issued in Maiduguri, said the gesture was in response to the critical needs of the IDPs.
Hammanyero said that the WHO Acting Country Representative, Dr Rex Mpazanje, presented the materials at a ceremony in Maiduguri.
She also said that the gesture was aimed at intervening in the critical health sector of the area.

Jigawa

The Jigawa State Commissioner for Water Resources,
Alhaji Ibrahim Garba, has urged the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA) to ensure sustainable collation of  data on Hadejia, Jama’are, Komadugu, and Yobe River Basin.
Garba made the remark at the sensitisation workshop on 2016 Flood Prediction, Prevention and Mitigation in Hydrological Areas in Dutse.
The commissioner said that 15 million people are getting livelihood directly or indirectly on the river basin.
He urge NIHSA to increase the level of cooperation and synergy to Jigawa government, in ensuring sustainable data collection, collation and dissemination between all stakeholders on this basin and the country.

Kaduna

The Chief Magistrate Court, sitting at Kings Road,
Sabogari, Zaria has adjourned a case of N26 million registration fees scandal in Federal College of Education (FCE), Zaria to October 25 for definite hearing.
The case is between the Commissioner of Police and six others comprising Emanuel Toyin, Mu’azu Rufa’i, Bello Hassan, Bashir Lawal, Ahmed Yusuf and Shittu Toyin.
The case involved N26 million registration fees paid by 1,128 students into the Federal College of Education account but is yet to be credited into the college TSA account.
The prosecutor, Nasiru Suleiman had earlier told the court that it was a case of criminal conspiracy.

Kano

The Kano State Police command has warned the people
of the state, especially those who organised and conducted religious processions, to desist from the act or face the wrath of the law.
This is contained in a statement signed by the command’s Public Relations Officer, DSP Magaji Majiya, and made available to newsmen in Kano.
“The Kano State Police command under the leadership of CP Rabiu Yusuf is sounding a warning, especially to people who organise and conduct processions in the name of religious rite.
“The commissioner of police boldly warned that the command would not relent in ensuring law and order prevail on any religious group or sect that is trying to become a threat to public peace and order,” Majiya said.

Katsina

The Katsina State Police Command has banned all forms
of processions, rallies and unlawful assemblies by ‘religious groups or any group of people’ in the state.
This is contained in a statement signed by the command’s Public Relations Officer, DSP Salisu Agaisa, and made available to newsmen in Katsina.
Agaisa said that “any person(s) caught violating this order will be arrested and prosecuted”.
“The command wishes to inform the general public that it has banned all forms of processions, rallies, gatherings and unlawful assemblies under any guise throughout the state,” he said.
Kebbi

The Kebbi State Pilgrims Welfare Agency says it has
successfully completed the 2016 hajj operation with the return home of 4,105 pilgrims that performed the Hajj in Saudi Arabia.
Alh Bala Sakaba, the Executive Chairman of the agency, told newsmen that the last batch of 296 pilgrims arrived the state through the Sir Ahmadu Bello International Airport, Birnin Kebbi.
According to him, the pilgrims arrived on Monday with their luggage “in high spirit and good health.”
The chairman lauded the conduct of the state pilgrims while in the Holy Land. “Our pilgrims proved gentle and they complied with the rules and regulations of the Saudi-Arabian authorities.

Kwara

The Kwara State Government says it is making plans to
establish a pilot model school for both the physically challenged and able bodied people in the state.
The Commissioner for Information and Communication, Alhaji Mahmud Ajeigbe, disclosed this
in Ilorin when he received the leadership of the Kwara State chapter of the Association of Persons with Joint Disability.
The commissioner said that the ministry would liaise with the Ministry of Education and Human Capital Development to make good the plan.
According to him, the school is being conceived to accord persons with disability a sense of belonging and to address issues of discrimination against them.
He added that the idea was to make access to education in the state all-inclusive, irrespective of status.

Lagos

A Lagos court has slammed a N300, 000 bail on an
unemployed man, 32-year-old Debo Adisa, for allegedly stabbing a man with a broken bottle at a hotel for refusing to buy him a beer.
Adisa was released on bail on Tuesday by an Ikeja Magistrates’ Court after he pleaded not guilty to the charges brought against him. The Magistrate, Mr A.A. Adesanya, who gave the ruling, said the accused should produce two sureties as part of the bail condition.
Adisa, whose address is unknown, is being tried for breach of the peace and assault.
According to the prosecutor, Insp. George Nwosu, the accused committed the offences on October 3 at Donmorgan Hotel, Dopemu, Lagos.
The case has been adjourned to November 28 for mention.

Nasarawa

The  Emir of Keffi in Nasarawa State, Dr Shehu Chindo-
Yamusa, says only farming can take Nigeria out of the current economic recession  if properly harnessed.
Chindo-Yamusa made the assertion when some farmers in his emirate conducted communal labour on his farm located at Saura Area, Keffi .
According to him, God has blessed the nation with fertile land that if properly harnessed, can provide  abundant food for the country.
He said Nigerians should collectively go back to the farm and engage in both rain-fed and dry season farming to boost food production.
Ogun

A 23-year-old man, Ukanwa Justice, who allegedly stole a
laptop valued N82,000, was on Tuesday charged before an Ota Magistrates ‘Court in Ogun.
Justice, whose address is unknown, pleaded not guilty to the charge of stealing.
The Prosecutor, Cpl. Abdulkareem Mustapha, told the court that the accused committed the offence on September 23 at 12.00 p.m. at Living Faith Church, Canaan Land, Ota.
He said that the accused stole a laptop valued N82,000 belonging to one Oluyori Dele.
Mustapha said that the offence contravened Section 390(9) of the Criminal Code Vol.11, Laws of Ogun, 2006.
The Chief Magistrate, Mrs A.I. Adelaja, granted bail to the accused in the sum of N100,000 with two sureties in like sum.

Osun

A 26 year-old man, Raman Lasisi, has appeared before an
Osogbo Magistrates’ Court over alleged breach of public peace.
Lasisi is facing a charge bordering on breach of peace.
The Prosecutor, Sgt. Sunday Ajayi, told the court that the accused committed the offence on October 7, at about 12:00p.m., at Pavilion night club, Technical College area, Osogbo.
He said that the accused conducted himself in a manner likely to cause breach of public peace within the premises of the club.
He said that the owners of the club drew the attention of the Police to the unruly behaviour of the accused which led to his arrest.

Oyo

A member of the Oyo State House of Assembly, Mrs
Olawunmi Oladeji, says girl-child education is crucial to the economic development of the country.
Oladeji, the Chairperson of the House Committee on Women Affairs and Community Development, said this while speaking with newsmen against the backdrop of the International Day of the Girl-Child.
The International Day of the Girl-Child is marked every October 11.
This year’s edition has as theme: “ Girls’ Progress = Goals’ Progress: What Counts for Girls.’’
The theme was informed by the need to ensure programmes, policies and services effectively respond to the specific needs of the girls.

Plateau

Students of University of Jos whose unmarked examination
scripts were burnt on Saturday are to rewrite the affected papers.
The Registrar of the institution, Mr Monday Danjem, announced this in a statement issued in Jos on Tuesday.
The fire, which lasted for six hours, gutted the university’s library complex which equally housed the faculties of social science and management studies.
Danjem said the examinations had been rescheduled to a date to be communicated to the students by their respective heads of departments.
The registrar said the remaining examinations would resume on Tuesday while all examinations scheduled to take place on Monday, October 10, have been rescheduled.

Sokoto
Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State, has called on the Federal Government to rehabilitate the Zari’a-Funtua-Gusau-Sokoto highway.
The governor made the call in Sokoto when he received Babatunde Fashola, the Minister of Power, Works and Housing who paid him a courtesy visit.
He said that the call became necessary in view of the importance of the highway which links almost all the states in the North-west geopolitical zone.
He thanked the Federal Government for the on-going rehabilitation of Sokoto-Jega-Kontagora road.
Tambuwal appealed to the federal government to reimburse the money the state government expended on the rehabilitation of federal roads.
He pledged that his administration would complement Federal Government’s effort to improve power supply in the country.

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HYPREP Inducts 100 Ogoni Youths For Creative Arts Training

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The Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project(HYPREP) has inducted and given orientation to 100 Ogoni youths for training on Creative Arts. The beneficiaries were drawn from Khana, Gokana, Tai and Eleme Local Government Areas of Rivers State.

The induction and orientation ceremony, which took place at the CRAB of the Department of Theatre Arts of the University of Port Harcourt on Wednesday, was a prelude to the training proper, billed to commence next Tuesday.

As usual, HYPREP issued undertaking forms to the trainees, for them to complete and submit as a guarantee that they would subject themselves to the requirements of the programme as well as be of good behaviour throughout the four-month duration of the training.

HYPREP also announced that it would pay N150,000 to each of the beneficiaries monthly, as transport and feeding allowance, stressing, however, that only those who fully participate in the training would be entitled for the allowance.

Speaking at the event, the Project Coordinator of HYPREP, Prof Nenibarini Zabbey, welcomed the trainees to the programme, saying, HYPREP’s projects are evolving and that one thing that is happening today is that the Project has gotten leadership right, by making promises and keeping those promises.

According to him, the Project had equally promised to move away from rudimentary skills acquisition to high impacts acquisition levels, which it has kept today by sponsoring the training on Creative Arts.

He noted that in planning its livelihood programmes for Ogoni youths, HYPREP has taken time out to look for skills that would add value to the lives of the beneficiaries.

Zabbey, who was represented at the event by the Director of Technical Services, Prof Damian-Paul Aguiyi said by packaging the Creative Arts training, it was expected that the Ogoni people would have their own version of Nollywood known as Ogoniwood just as Nigerians are familiar with Hollywood, Bollywood, Kannywood and Nollywood.

To achieve this goal, the Project Coordinator explained that it was the reason for choosing a reputable establishment like Halibiz Consult Limited, to partner with the Department of Theatre Arts of the University of Port Harcourt, which he described as one of the most prestigious in the Niger Delta, for the training of the beneficiaries.

He also indicated that in doing this, HYPREP was desirous of going for talents that would help the Ogoni people grow in the film industry, and urged the beneficiaries to take the training seriously.

Zabbey equally enjoined the trainees to put in their best so that in the next three to five years, they would carve a niche for themselves and become forces to reckon with in the film industry.

On her part, HYPREP’s Head of Sustainable Livelihood, Mrs Josephine Nzidee said HYPREP does what it says it will, stressing that the process of training Ogoni youths on specialised skills started three years ago.

According to her, the selection process for the training was rigorous and transparent, and was carried out by renowned actors actresses.

She disclosed that the training consists of three major aspects, which include acting, script writing and make-up, while Nollywood actors like Charles Nnoje, Ngezu J. Ngezu and award-winning make-up artist, Jude Odo would be on hand to drill and groom the beneficiaries.

Mrs Nzidee noted that the programme is a specialised training that does not have anything like starter packs but that it is purely a professional certification programme that would launch the beneficiaries into the Nollywood industry in Nigeria.

According to her, the Creative Arts training is one of the four specialised trainings organised by HYPREP to ensure that the Ogoni people are well positioned in vital industries like Aviation, Maritime, Creative Arts and Mechatronics.

She said the last of such trainings on Mechatronics would take place in the coming months, and urged the beneficiaries to take the training seriously so as to put the Ogoni people on the Nollywood map.

She further indicated that while Charles Nnoje and Ngezu J. Ngezu would take the beneficiaries on the practical aspects, Jude Odo would take them on the make-up aspects.

Also speaking, the External Relations Manager of Halibiz Consult Limited, Alabo Experience Douglas said his company gives much premium to standard and quality, and assured that the firm would give the trainees value for the money spent on the programme.

While charging the beneficiaries to be dedicated and punctual, he stressed the need for them to approach the programme with the mindset of being empty so that at the end of the day, they would benefit maximally.

On his part, the Head of the Theatre Arts Department of the University of Port Harcourt, Dr Ovunda Ihunwo said the CRAB is an acronym for Creative Review of Arts and Books, stressing that it was named by renowned playwright, Prof Ola Rotimi.

According to him, the CRAB had nurtured, groomed and produced Nollywood actors and actresses like Bobmanuel Udokwu, Ejike Asiegbu,Francis Duru, Hilda Dokubo, Monalisa Chinda, Julius Agwu, and a host of others, assuring the beneficiaries that they were on fertile environment to hone their talents.

He noted that symbolically, the crab is a nutritious seafood common in the Niger Delta, and reiterated the need for the beneficiaries to come empty for the training, as it were.

Ihunwo disclosed that the theory classes of the programme would run for three weeks while the fourth week would be for the master classes, and urged the trainees to avail themselves of the opportunity to make a difference by telling the Ogoni story, which he described as inexhaustible by themselves, in order to put Ogoni on the map.

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Nasarawa Varsity Student Commits Suicide

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A 23-year-old student of Nasarawa State University identified as Jatau Rilokwah, has been reportedly found dead in the university’s senior staff quarters.
A counter-insurgency expert, focused on the Lake Chad region, Zagazola Makama, disclosed this on his X handle on Tuesday.
According to him, the discovery was made on April 27, 2025, by a security officer at the university, Emmanuel Gyawo.
He stated that Gwayo was directed by Prof. Shedrack Jatau to check on his son upon arriving at the residence, and he found Rilokwah hanging from the ceiling.
“Professor Jatau, who was reportedly out of the State at the time, was informed of the incident. A team of police detectives, led by the Divisional Crime Officer of Angwan Lambu, was dispatched to the scene.
“The body showed no signs of violence, and no suicide note was found. Rilokwah was rushed to the Federal Medical Centre in Keffi, where he was confirmed dead by a medical doctor,” he further stated.
He added that the student’s corpse had been deposited in the hospital morgue.
He also quoted police sources as saying that investigations were ongoing to determine the circumstances surrounding the incident.

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Ogun, Nike Art Gallery Set To Transform Olumo Rock

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The Ogun State Government has partnered with Nike Art Gallery to establish a new exhibition space at the Olumo Rock Tourist Centre in Abeokuta, a move Governor Dapo Abiodun says is aimed at boosting annual tourist visits from 20,000 to over 100,000.
Abiodun disclosed the plan on Wednesday while receiving the founder of the Nike Art Gallery, Chief (Mrs) Nike Davies-Okundaye, at his office in Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta.
“I went to Olumo Rock about a month ago and I decided that we needed to do something about restoring Olumo Rock to its old glory. From statistics, Olumo Rock hosts about 20,000 people a year in its current state, and I felt that we could increase that to at least ten times,” the governor said.
As part of the plan, an events hall within the tourist centre will be repurposed as a permanent gallery operated by Nike Art Gallery.
“I told them to shut it down. Practically, we want to bring it down and turn it into a gallery for you to use as an exhibition gallery,” he told Davies-Okundaye.
He added that the gallery will be ready before the National Sports Festival in May, when the State will host about 15,000 visitors.
“I want them to be able to see our tourist sites,” he said, listing attractions such as the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, the Ransome-Kuti family home, and the Adire market among key heritage spots to be showcased.
Highlighting Ogun’s improved infrastructure, the governor said, “Now that we’ve succeeded in having the intra and inter-state roads in place, you can come to Ogun State by rail; you can come by air. We’ve constructed one of the best airports in Nigeria, and very soon, you will be able to come by sea.”
Davies-Okundaye, in her remarks, praised the state’s efforts to promote tourism and pledged to use the new gallery to attract global attention.
“This gallery will bring many Heads of State. The one I opened in Abuja already has more than 10 Heads of State, including those from South Korea and the Czech Republic. The same will happen here,” she said.
She also applauded the Governor for his commitment to the Adire fabric industry.
“Adire is all over Nigeria, but Ogun has been promoting Adire for over 50 years. Today, the only cloth we can call our own is called Adire. This is what we can sell to the Europeans,” she said.
Abiodun reaffirmed his administration’s backing of the Adire industry, citing policies such as the Adire Ogun Digital Marketplace, compulsory wearing of Adire in the state, and provision of solar-powered production equipment to support artisans.
He also revealed plans to open a creative arts and entertainment village in partnership with Bolanle Austen-Peters, expected to be completed within two months.

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