Nation
THE STATES
Borno
A non-governmental organisation, Centre for Develop
ment and Democracy (CDD) , has trained 80 clerics in Borno State on de-radicalisation and counter-violence.
Programme Officer of CDD, Mr Ikponmwosa Omaigiade, who disclosed this in an interview with newsmen in Maiduguri, said the training was to equip the clerics with the knowledge they could use to curtail violent extremism in the country.
“Today we have successfully trained 80 clerics in Borno state as part of the larger programme that aims at training 200 clerics on de-radicalisation and counter insurgency.
“We identified those that we need to speak to, who will in turn speak to the larger community; we think religious leaders are important stakeholders in the communities.
A cleric in polo area of Maiduguri, Malam Abdullahi Muhammad, said the workshop was commendable as its promoted peaceful co-existence among Muslims and Christians.
FCT
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)
has called for thorough investigation of fake result sheet production in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, ahead of December. 10 legislative rerun elections in the state.
The Chief Press Secretary to INEC Chairman, Mr Rotimi Oyekanmi, made the call in an interview with newsmen in Abuja.
Oyekanmi also urged security agencies handling the matter to ensure that suspects already arrested in connection with the matter and their sponsors were prosecuted.
“The commission has heard the news about the arrest of nine people with fake result sheets in Port Harcourt.
Jigawa
The University of Abuja says it has concluded plans to
establish a Distance Learning Centre in Hadejia, Jigawa State, to enhance access to university education at grassroots.
The Deputy Vice Chancellor, Administration of the university, Prof. Sani Abubakar, stated this at a stakeholder’s forum for the distance learning programme, in Hadejia, Jigawa.
Abubakar said that the centre would be established in Hadejia, noting that the university had already commenced the sale of admission form for the 2016/2017 academic session.
He explained that the centre would offer undergraduate courses in six disciplines, which include Business and Public Administration; Banking and Finance, Economics, Sociology and Political Science.
Abubakar said that the gesture was to enhance access to university education to farmers, traders and women in rural communities.
Kogi
Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State has expressed shock
and sadness over the death of Lt. Col. Abu Ali, an indigene of the state, who was killed in an ambush by Boko Haram insurgents in Borno last Friday.
In a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Mrs Petra Akinti-Onyegbule, in Lokoja, the governor described the death of Ali as ” unfortunate and a monumental loss to Kogi and Nigeria “.
He commiserated with his father , the Etsu Bassa Nge Kingdom, retired Brig.-Gen. Abu Ali, and prayed God to give him and the entire people of Bassa the fortitude to bear the loss.
Late Ali died at about 10 p.m. of Friday, when suspected Boko Haram terrorists attacked 119 Battalion, Nigerian Army location at Mallam Fatori area of Borno.
The governor commended Ali’s gallantry as an officer , saying that he served the nation with dedication and commitment and paid the supreme price by laying down his life for the peace of the country.
Lagos
The Embassy of Spain in Nigeria has said that its
Economic and Commercial Department had in last five years organised 25 Spanish trade missions to Nigeria.
The Embassy’s Chief Economic and Commercial Counsellor, Mr Pablo Segrelles, told newsmen in Lagos that there was a growing interest of Spanish companies in Nigeria.
Segrelles, who said that the Spanish companies’ interest in Nigeria had been quite encouraging, however, said that the number of trade missions had reduced this year due to economic recession.
“We have had quite some useful business delegations between Nigeria and Spain in the last few years.
“In the last five years, we have had 25 trade missions coming from different parts of Spain to Nigeria, just as we had invited Nigerian businessmen and women to Spain”, he added.
Nasarawa
The Vice-Chancellor, Nasarawa State University, Keffi, Prof.
Mohammed Akaro-Mainoma, has urged the state government to release the N200 million Earned Academic Allowance owed lecturers of the institution, to avert strike.
Akaro-Mainoma made the appeal when members of the state Assembly Committee on Education, Science and Technology paid an oversight visit to the institution.
He said the university had in May signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to pay the remaining 20 per cent of the allowances by December.
The vice chancellor said that the MoU made the lecturers to suspend their three-month- old strike on May 31.
“Another disturbing matter is the review of the law setting up the university, to conform to the 2003 Act, as obtained in other public universities.
Niger
A Minna-based legal practitioner, Mr Taidi Jonathan has
said the rescue of another Chibok school girl demonstrated the commitment of the Nigerian Army to national security.
Jonathan said in an interview with newsmen in Minna that the effort also reinforced the determination of the Federal Government to safeguard the lives and property of all Nigerians.
He said that the Nigerian military have demonstrated professionalism and rare commitment to ending Boko Haram insurgency in the North East.
The legal practitioner expressed confidence that the remaining school girls would also be rescued alive soon.
He said that the effort of the security personnel has strengthened the hope of parents and all Nigerians that the ordeal of the schools girls and other hostages would soon be over.
Ogun
The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) Sector Commander
in Ogun State, Mr Clement Oladele has said that Julius Berger Nigeria Plc, will temporarily close a section of the Ibadan/Lagos corridor by Sagamu Interchange to effect repair.
Oladele, who disclosed this in an interview with newsmen in Abeokuta, said that Julius Berger Nigeria Plc had informed the FRSC that the reason for the closure was to effect repairs on the section from November 3 to November 12.
He urged motorists, especially commercial vehicles operators, to exercise caution and adhere to traffic rules.
Oladele advised motorists to cooperate with the FRSC and other traffic officers who would ensure minimal discomfort of motorists during the period.
Ondo
A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in
Ondo State has hailed the suspension of the Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Mr Timi Frank, by the National Working Committee of the party.
Frank was suspended for allegedly putting the party’s image in public odium.
Speaking with newsmen in Akure, the APC Publicity Secretary in Ondo State, Omo’ba Abayomi Adesanya said, “the action of the NWC is long overdue because Timi has really embarrassed the party in recent times.
“He has shown that his character does not possess the quality required of him to occupy such exalted position.
Osun
Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State has urged youths
to do things differently in order to make their mark quickly in the society.
Aregbesola gave the advice in a statement by his media aide, Semiu Okanlawon, made available to newsmen in Osogbo.
Aregbesola said his administration had provided different avenues for youth engagement in governance.
According to him, such avenues include the creation of Youth Empowerment Scheme (OYES) and Youth Empowerment Scheme -Technology (OYESTECH).
He said his administration had also established the Osun Job Centre, as a way of creating a data base of unemployed youths across the state, so as to train them to be employers of labour.
The governor urged youth in the state to take advantage of the opportunities to develop themselves.
Oyo
The police command in Oyo State has rescued a 10-year-
old girl, who was allegedly unlawfully imprisoned by her father, the spokesman for the police, SP Adekunle Ajisebutu, said.
Ajisebutu told newsmen that the victim was allegedly locked up in a room for three days without food by her father, who was currently at large.
He said that the girl was rescued by policemen from the Challenge Police Station.
He said that the victim had been properly fed and taken to the police clinic for medical attention.
Ajisebutu said that the case was under investigation and that efforts had been intensified to apprehend the suspect, who was at large.
Sokoto
The Sokoto State House of Assembly has called on the
state government to immediately relieve the Commandant of the State Marshalls Corps, Mr Sa’idu Madawaki, of his appointment.
The call followed the recommendation of a special committee set up by the assembly to investigate alleged disrespect of the government institutions and the assembly by officials of the corps.
Chairman of the committee, Alhaji Abdullahi Garba (APC- Gwadabawa North), while presenting report of their findings to the house, said that the recommendation for disengagement of the commandant was reached after extensive consultation.
Yobe
Vice Chairman, Presidential Committee on North East
Initiative, Alhaji Tijjani Tumsa, said the Victims Support Fund (VSF) would provide more interventions to support educational development in communities liberated from insurgency.
Tumsa disclosed this while fielding questions from newsmen in Damaturu, the state capital.
He said, “the VSF, which is a key component of the Presidential Committee on North- East Initiative, will recover public institutions through reconstruction and provision of instructional materials to fast track education in the affected areas.”
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