Nation
THE STATES
Abuja
The National Environmental Standards and Regulations
Enforcement Agency, (NESREA), says it is committed to sensitise Nigerians on the need to preserve air quality for healthier environment in the country.
Director-General of the agency, Dr Lawrence Anukam,made this known in an interview with newsmen in Abuja.
Anukam said that the sensitisation of Nigerians on air quality would help to address air quality problems in the country.
He said that the agency would also sensitise the public on the environmental and human health implications of air pollution and on the extant environmental and human laws related to air quality.
The director-general explained that air quality could be described as the condition of the air in an environment.
He said that air quality was being determined by assessing a variety of pollution indicators.
Anukam explained that good air quality was a requirement for preserving the exquisite balance of life on earth for humans, plants, animals and natural resources.
Bauchi,
The 33 Arttilery Brigade, Nigerian Army, Bauchi, says it
has arrested a fake soldier who claimed to be a serving personnel.
Ag. Assistant Director, Army Public Relations of the brigade, Cpt. Sunday Akinkunmi, said this in Bauchi while presenting to newsmen the suspect, Adamu Alexander, alias dudu, 22, from Maiduguri Local Government Area of Borno.
Akinkunmi said that Alexander was arrested on Novevember 4, 2016 at GSM Section, Winti Market, Bauchi, while attempting to sell a stolen Samsung cell phone Note 5.
He further said that the suspect was arrested in full military uniform by a detachment of officers from the brigade.
Akinkunmi said that the suspect during interrogation claimed that he was a serving military man with 22 Brigade, Nigerian Army, Dikwa, Borno.
Kano
The Kano State House of Assembly has called on the
state government to, as a matter of urgency, provide additional security personnel in all the boarding schools across the state.
The Assembly made the call following the presentation of a joint committee report of the Assembly on Emergency and Education.
Presenting the report, the Chairman of the Assembly Committee on Education, Alhaji Baffa Dan’agundi, said the call was necessary to ensure the safety of the students.
According to him, over 46 students were affected by the incident, while over N7 million worth of property was lost.
Dan’agundu also called on the state government to assist the students affected by the inferno.
Katisna
The Katsina State Standing Committee on the Improve
ment of Farmers and Herdsmen Relationship had recovered no fewer than 9,000 cattle from rustlers in the state.
The chairman of the committee, Alhaji AbdulAziz Lawal, disclosed this to newsmen last Tuesday in Katsina.
He said that 8,700 animals that were identified by their owners had been released to them.
Lawal said that cattle rustling had reduced drastically in the state following the efforts of the state government to dialogue with members of the group.
He said that had also reduced cases of clash between farmers and herdsmen across the 34 local government areas of the state.
Lawal said that the state government issued grazing permit to herdsmen through their traditional leaders as part of measures to curtail clashes between farmers and herdsmen in the state.
Kwara
An Ilorin Area Court has granted custody of a three-
year-old girl to her mother after both parents were separated.
The plaintiff, Fatimah Abubakar, had begged the court to grant her custody of her daughter after the dissolution of her marriage to Abubakar Aroni.
The plaintiff said her daughter had been with her husband since their marriage was dissolved in October.
She said the marriage was dissolved last month due to lack of care and interest by her husband.
In his ruling, the presiding judge, Mr. Abdulquadr Ibrahim, granted the woman the child’s custody but ordered the husband to give her N5,000 monthly for the child’s upkeep amidst other responsibilities.
Lagos
A Federal High Court in Lagos fixed December 2 for con
tinued trial of a former Managing Director of the Nigeria Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Ibrahim Abdulsalam.
Abdulsalam was charged alongside six others over alleged stealing and conversion of NAMA’s N6.8 billion.
The other accused are: Adegorite Olumuyiwa, Agbolade Segun, Clara Aliche, Joy Adegorite and two companies – Randville Investment Ltd. and Multeng Travels and Tours Ltd.
The accused are being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Justice Babs Kuewumi adjourned the case following the absence of prosecution counsel, Mr Rotimi Oyedepo, who informed the court of his non-availability, in a letter.
Oyedepo informed the court that he was before an appellate court for another case.
Nasarawa
Director of Child Development in Nasarawa State Min
istry of Women Affairs, Mrs Yomi Adagazu, has raised alarm over increasing cases of abandoned babies in Lafia, the state capital, and environs.
Adagazu expressed concern over the trend in an interview with newsmen in Lafia.
She noted that three babies were abandoned at different locations in Lafia and environs within the last one month.
The director said that the baby boy had been taken to Maimuna Katai Orphanage in the metropolis for proper upkeep.
Adagazu described as unfortunate the way girls were abandoning their babies in spite of the fact that these babies were precious gifts from God.
She appealed to members of the public and organisations to assist the orphanages in the state in catering for the children and assured of the ministry’s commitment to the proper up bringing of the orphans.
Niger
The Federal Government will provide land to artisanal
miners in the country to legitimise their trade, Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr Kayode Feyemi, has said.
Kayode, who inspected mining sites at Muye Kafinkoro in Paiko Local Government Area of Niger State, said the government was developing a framework to legalise artisanal mining in the country.
“Kayode said it was important for the miners to properly organise themselves into cooperative groups, to benefit from various interventions of the federal government to boost the sector.
He said that the ministry would issue mining licences through the cooperatives.
The minister explained that the registration of cooperatives would also allow the miners to be engaged by registered mining companies to earn decent income.
Oyo
The President of a Mapo Customary Court in Ibadan,
Mr Ademola Odunade, has dissolved 12 year-old marriage between one Aishat and her husband, Riliwan Atanda, for blowing off her tooth.
Odunade held that it was obvious that there was no more love between Aishat and Riliwan because the duo agreed to part ways and had even stopped living together.
He awarded the custody of their three children to Aishat for proper care.
The court president, however, directed Riliwan to be paying monthly feeding allowance of N10, 000 for the upkeep of the children and be responsible for their education and other welfare needs.
Narrating her ordeal, Aishat told the court that Riliwan blew off one of her teeth during one of his punching encounters with her.
Sokoto
The Sokoto State House of Assembly has received a
letter from Governor Aminu Tambuwal requesting for a second warrant to vire N2.4 billion in the 2016 budget.
Tambuwal, in the letter read by the Speaker, Alhaji Salihu Maidaji, drew the attention of the assembly to the ongoing development projects and services in the state.
The letter read: “Therefore, there is the need for the modifications in the budgetary provisions in order to ensure sustainability of the projects and services in the state.
“Further to that, all the affected votes of charge will be harmonised in the state’s budget outlay to ensure prudence in the management of the resources.
“In the light of the foregoing, I forward to the house, the 2016 second virement warrant request involving N1.130 billion for capital projects and N1.290 billion for recurrent expenditure.”
The Speaker referred the request to the House Committee on Finance and Appropriation for further consideration.
Zamfara
The police in Zamfara State say several people have
been killed by gunmen suspected to be cattle rustlers at a mining site in Gidan Ardo village of Bindin district of Maru Local Government Area.
The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in the state, DSP Shehu Muhammad, disclosed this to newsmen in Gusau.
Muhammad, however, said the command had yet to ascertain the actual number of those killed during the mayhem.
He said investigation into the killing had just begun.
He said the Anti-terrorism Squad of the command had already been deployed to the area to join the Army in trailing the gunmen, and assured that they would soon be arrested.
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