Nation

THE STATES

Published

8 years ago

September 1, 2017

Adamawa
Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar has donated hospital equipment to boost healthcare services in Adamawa State.
The state Commissioner for Health, Dr Fatima Abubakar said this in a statement last Monday in Abuja.
Abubakar explained that the former Vice President made the donation to boost healthcare facilities as well as to support hospital expansion scheme embarked on by Governor Mohammed Bindow.
She said the equipment comprise GE Brivo, X-Ray machine and ultrasound equipment for medical investigation and diagnosis.
“The donation given by Wazirin Adamawa has already boosted facilities at Jada General Hospital for effective patient care”, she said.

FCT
Concerned Imo State indigenes resident in Abuja have called on President Muhammadu Buhari to probe the use of soldiers for last Saturday’s demolition of Eke Ukwu Market, Owerri, by the State Government.
Three people were feared dead in the incident, including a 10-year-old boy, Somtochukwu Igboanusi.
Chief Sam Obaji, who spoke on behalf of the group on Tuesday in Abuja urged Buhari to set up a judicial commission of inquiry into circumstances surrounding the use of armed personnel for the demolition.
He said that anybody involved in the unlawful operation should be prosecuted in accordance with the law.
“ We are disheartened that the government involved the military in a civil operation where there is no breakdown of law and order”, Obaji said.

Gombe
Gombe State Commissioner of Police, Mr Austin Iwar said last Monday that his command had apprehended 10 suspected robbers that had been terrorising residents of Gombe metropolis.
“Before us are criminals that have made life difficult for a lot of us in Gombe.
“Through intelligence report and community policing, we are proud to say that we succeeded in arresting some of them,” said the commissioner at a press briefing in Gombe.
He said that three of the suspects specialised in terrorising people at petrol stations in the metropolis.
“For some time, we had series of armed robbery attacks in petrol filling stations but through investigation, intelligent reports and the support of members of the public, we were able to arrest three of them,” he said.

Katsina
A medical doctor, Dr Ahmed Mohammed has called for regular screening for Hepatitis disease, stressing that it is only through examination that it can be diagnosed.
He made the call in an interview with newsmen last Tuesday in Katsina.
He said regular testing for the disease could assist to know one’s status.
Mohammed defined Hepatitis as inflammation of the liver and could easily lead to death of patient if untreated.
He also advised those with the condition to quickly get medical treatment and avoid self medication.

Lagos
A Christian cleric, Rev. Fr. Livinus Ikechukwu, last Monday urged groups and individuals making various agitations in the country to be peaceful in their approach.
Ikechukwu, also the Parish Head of St. Augustine Catholic Church, Ikorodu said in an interview with newsmen in Lagos that violent agitations would not bring any good changes.
The cleric warned that the only thing that would be achieved using threats and violence to make demands was chaos, destruction and retrogression.
He pointed out that peace was needed to address development issues and justice, urging for dialogue with government for better results.
“My advice to the various groups and people making agitations for one thing or the other is that they should be peaceful in their approach”, he said.

Nasarawa
The Nigeria Association of Social Work Students (NASOWS), Federal University of Lafia chapter has donated sandals worth N200, 000 to students in 16 primary and secondary schools in Nasarawa State.
Reports say that the benefiting schools were in Akunza and Mararaba communities in Lafia.
At the distribution ceremony last Tuesday in Lafia, Mr the President of the association, Chinaso Aweze, said the gesture was to encourage the less privileged in the society.
“The gesture was part of our social responsibility and contribution to the development of the state and to ensure poverty reduction among the people,” he said.

Niger
The Niger State Police Command says adequate security measures have been taken to ensure a peaceful Sallah festivities in the state.
The Commissioner of Police in the state, Mr Austine Agbonlahor made this known last Tuesday in an interview with newsmen in Minna.
He said that the command would deploy undercover operatives to all Eid prayer grounds in and outside the state capital to forestall any form of security threats to residents.
“The operatives will complement the efforts of the regular security personnel that will provide security at the prayer grounds”, Agbonlahor said.

Osun
The management of the University of Ilorin recently hailed the Federal Government’s decision to lift ban on the conduct of post-UTME by tertiary institutions.
The institution said the decision would ensure quality in tertiary institutions’ education in the country.
The Director, Corporate Affairs of the university, Mr Kunle Akogun made this known to newsmen in Ilorin on Monday.
He said that most of the students admitted into the university without passing through the post-UTME screening did not meet the standard of the university.
“You know our style here; we have a very strict dressing code and a high moral standard.

Oyo
Twenty one newly elevated High Chiefs and Baales in Oyo State received beaded crowns and staff of office at the ancient Mapo Hall in Ibadan recently.
Reports says that the newly elevated Obas passed through spiritual rites and proceeded to receive their staff of office from Governor Abiola Ajimobi.
Among the newly crowned kings were former Ibadan High Chiefs, Oba Lekan Balogun, the Otun Olubadan, Oba Owolabi Olakunleyin, the Balogun of Ibadan land, Oba Tajudeen Ajibola, the Osi –Balogun and Oba Eddy Oyewole, the Ashipa-Olubadan.
Others included Oba Abiodun Kola-Daisi, the Ekerin Olubadan , Oba Lateef Adebimpe, the Ashipa-Balogun, Oba Amidu Ajibade, the Ekarun of Ibadan and Oba Kolawole Adegbola, the Ekarun Balogun.

Plateau
The Plateau State Government says it has received 1.5 million dollars for its Save One Million Lives programme for Results (SOML) funded by the Federal Government and World Bank.
The state Programme Manager of the Save One Million Lives for Results, Mr Philimeon Dagwa , disclosed this last Monday in Jos at the opening of the Integrated Supportive Supervision training workshop it organised for 82 health workers in the state.
Dagwa explained that the grant was received through the state Ministry of Health for implementation of the programme.
Accrding to him, SOML provides incentives based on achievement of results (health outcomes) and helps to drive institutional processes needed to achieve these results.
He disclosed that the programme seeks to catalyze change in the way health business is done by focusing on results and governance.

Sokoto
The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) is to collaborate with states government on the encroachment on airport land across the country.
FAAN Managing Director, Alhaji Saleh Dunoma, disclosed this at the 15th National Council on Transportation (NCT) in Sokoto last Tuesday.
He said that residential and commercial developments are going on around airports in Nigeria without the permission and supervision of relevant authourities.
Dunoma said that the protection of the airports land would allow for development that meets international standards and free of obstructions.
“We are proposing the protection of airports land because this is the best forum for all the states government because they are all here.
“Land allocated for development of the airports all over the country was by states to the Federal Government and FAAN is the custodian of that land”, Dunoma said.

Zamfara
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has advised the public to desist from promotion of breast milk substitutes as food for infants under six months.
The NAFDAC Coordinator in Zamfara, Alhaji Suleman Dabo said last Sunday that it was part of the agency’s efforts to support enforcement of Breast Milk Substitutes International Code and Promote Exclusive Breastfeeding.
Dabo, while receiving officials of the Save the Children International, an NGO, during a courtesy visit in his office, said that the agency would partner with all stakeholders to promote exclusive breastfeeding culture.
He decried poor adherence to Breast Milk International Code due to low awareness among the public, especially caregivers on significance of exclusive breastfeeding.
Dabo said that NAFDAC had been using the media campaign against the aggressive marketing of breast milk substitutes in the state.

Nation

Accolades, Fanfare As Ogbakor Ikwerre President General Celebrates 80th Birthday

Published

2 weeks ago

September 1, 2025

The Tide

The President General of Ogbakor Ikwerre Cultural Organisation Worldwide and the Mgboh XIII of the Mgboh Royal Family of Emohua Kingdom in Emohua Local Government Area of Rivers State, Eze (Barrister) Godspower Onuekwa, penultimate Friday celebrated his 80th birthday with pomp, pageantry and fanfare.

The celebration, which commenced with a symposium organised in his honour at Rivers State University on Thursday, August 21,2025, got to a resounding climax on Friday at Suntai Event Centre in Port Harcourt, where people from all walks of life, including business associates, friends, well-wishers, relatives, community folks, traditional rulers, and admirers, gathered to pay glowing tributes to the celebrant.

Before then, a well attended thanksgiving service was held that same Friday at Emmanuel Anglican Church, Okoro-Nu-Odo, to honour him and return gratitude to God Almighty for the fruitful and eventful life and accomplishments of the Emohua leader and icon.

The service which was officiated by Rt Rev Wisdom Budu Ihunwo, Bishop of Niger Delta North had other renowned and respected clerics like Most Rev(Dr) Blessing Enyindah, Dean, Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion); Rt Rev(Dr) Emmanuel Oko-Jaja, Bishop, Diocese of Niger Delta; Rt Rev Innocent Ordu, Bishop, Diocese of Evo; and Ven Solomon Eze Nelson, Archdeacon, Okoro-Nu-Odo; among others lined up as officiating ministers.

The service lived up to its billing, as it featured powerful and soul-lifting praise and worship; point-blank prayers; and beautiful renditions, which electrified the entire atmosphere, essentially packaged to thank God for the life of the celebrant.

However, the crowning moment actually came when the who is who, the crème de la crème of the society, thronged the terraces and fabulously decorated expansive hall of Suntai Event Centre, to celebrate Eze Onuekwa, amid accolades, aplomb and panache, wining and dining, and clinking of glasses with him and all.

The chairman of the colourful ceremony, Chief Evans Woherem, who was represented by Eze(Prof) Christian Akani of the prestigious Ignatius Ajuru University of Education, praised the celebrant for his youthfulness in spite of clocking 80 years, generosity, humility, humaneness and selfless services to the Ikwerre ethnic nationality, the Niger Delta and Nigeria, and called on all and sundry to emulate his good legacies and simple disposition towards life and existence.

Goodwill messages also poured in in torrents to underscore and salute the doggedness, resilience, astuteness and uniqueness of the endearing life of the celebrant, with Prof Emenike Wami, the Ochia Ohna Ikwerre(XIV), taking the lead.

Prof Priye Iyalla, the wife of late renowned writer, novelist and playwright, Dr Elechi Amadi, held the audience spellbound as she masterfully reeled out the profile of the celebrant, amid intermittent applause from the crowd.

The Tiv Community from Benue State, resident in Rivers State, were not left out, as they honoured and decorated Eze Onuekwa in their complete traditional regalia.

Cultural displays from Baptist Church, Rumuowhor; ADNA Wogbuji Dancing Group, Egbeda; Tiv Dancing Group; and Promoter Eze and Rumu-Mgboh Emohua Wrestling Group, equally added colour and grace to the occasion, with the celebrant and his wife, Dame Ann Onuekwa, joining them to wriggle their waists and bodies in ecstasy.

In his response, the highly elated celebrant, Eze Onuekwa thanked all those gathered to celebrate with him, saying, celebrations would never cease in their homes, and attributed everything he represents in life, including his modest accomplishments to God.

Eze Onuekwa, while addressing newsmen, harped on the need for hard work among the youths and members of Ogbakor Ikwerre Cultural Organisation Worldwide, as a way of sustaining and giving meaning to the motto of the organisation, which he noted is anchored on peace, unity and progress.

He specially thanked God for sustaining his life, and for making everything possible for him and his family, saying, he was joyous that he has today become an octogenarian and elder statesman in Rivers State.

His son and medical practitioner, Dr Samuel Chizia Onuekwa expressed delight that people from far and near had come together to celebrate the father, whom he described as a role model and great inspirator.

He said it was a good thing that the children were celebrating their father when he is alive, stressing that the last time Eze Onuekwa was celebrated in such magnitude was 20 years ago, during his 60th birthday celebration, and prayed God to grant him many more years in good health.

Among dignitaries who graced the event were Senator Andrew Uchendu; Chief Sampson Agbaru; Prof Emenike Wami; Dr Peter Didia; Eze(Prof) Samuel Ugo Onyeka; and a host of others. Justice Iche Ndu(rtd); and C O Kattey were among personalities that attended the thanksgiving service, while the Vice Chancellor of Rivers State University, Prof Isaac Zeb-Obipi led the academics who graced the symposium, alongside Eze G A O Omodu.

Nation

Ensure That Ogoni Is Heard In The Right Way, HYPREP Urges Creative Arts Trainees

Published

3 weeks ago

August 22, 2025

The Tide

As the 100 Ogoni youths trained by the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) in Creative Arts close out their training on Tuesday at the Theatre Arts Department, University of Port Harcourt, the Project Coordinator of HYPREP, Prof Nenibarini Zabbey, has urged the beneficiaries to use the skills acquired to ensure that the Ogoni stories are told and heard in the right way.

The trainees, who had completed a four- month training in script writing, film production and make-up are beneficiaries of the HYPREP sustainable livelihood programme, aimed at providing high demand skills to Ogoni youths in the lucrative creative arts and entertainment industry.

Zabbey described the Creative Arts training as well as other programmes and interventions as HYPREP’s strategic sustained effort to create alternative sources of livelihood.

”Targeted capacity building for Ogoni youths and women remains a central strategy in HYPREP’s livelihood restoration and improvement efforts. Our goal is to reach every part of the Ogoni community and ensure that no group or talent pool is left behind. This training is a deliberate step to empower young people who aspire to make their mark in the creative and entertainment industry”, he said.

While commending the trainees for producing four short films within the training period, one of which was premiered at the ceremony-Dirty Festival, the Project Coordinator noted that the training would serve as a springboard into the industry, and enable them earn a living, become entrepreneurs, and open new doors of opportunities for themselves and their communities. The three other movies are Open Pain, Bomu and Green War.

He enjoined them to utilise their skills and platforms to promote civic responsibility, peace, and environmental sustainability, urging them to ensure that Ogoni is heard in the right way, speak for HYPREP and highlight the progress being made in implementing the recommendations of the UNEP Report.

Other speakers at the event, including the Director of Technical Services of HYPREP, Prof. Damian-Paul Aguiyi; Dr Ovunda Ihunwo, Head of the Theatre Arts Department of the University of Port Harcourt; Chief Douglas Experience, the Project Coordinator of Halibiz Consult Limited; and Mrs Josephine Nzidee, Head, Sustainable Livelihood of HYPREP, all applauded HYPREP for the training, and charged the trainees to maximise the opportunity.

The trainees were later presented certificates of participation.

Visibly elated Ms Lebee Tornwe, one of the beneficiaries, thanked HYPREP and the Project Coordinator for offering the trainees the rare opportunity to acquire skills in the creative arts and entertainment industry, and expressed delight that Dr Ihunwo and Halibiz Consult Limited gave their all in grooming them.

With the wrapping up of the Creative Arts training(100), HYPREP has trained 230 Ogoni youths in high demand skill sets ,viz; seafaring(100); and aviation (30). The Project will this year, commence training in other skill areas, including Mechatronic, Aviation, Full-Stack Development, Commercial Diving, Underwater Welding and Geographic Information Systems (GIS).

Still in the offing is the training for Ogoni Persons Living with Disabilities in five skill sets- fish farming; basic computer skills; photography; fashion and design; and shoemaking in line with their Needs Assessment and HYPREP’s policy of inclusivity.

Nation

NYCOP Urges Stakeholders To Develop, Empower Ogoni Youths

Published

4 weeks ago

August 18, 2025

The Tide

The National Youth Council of Ogoni People (NYCOP) had called on stakeholders to work collaboratively towards the development and empowerment of Ogoni youths.

NYCOP made the call in a communique issue over the weekend after an emergency Congress in Port Harcourt and signed by its President, Comrade Raymond Nwibani Marcus.

In the communique, NYCOP endorsed President Bola Tinubu’s appointments of the Governing Council and Board of Trustees (BOT) members of the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP), particularly Rt. Hon. Emmanuel Nwika Deeyah as Chairman of HYPREP’s BOT.

It respectfully appealed to the President to consider appointing a representative from the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP) under the leadership of Engr. Olu Andah Wai-Ogosu, being the pioneering social vehicle for Ogoni advocacy since the inception of the Ogoni struggle, adding that it would significantly contribute to the decision-making process.

The body commended the overall management of HYPREP and urges the President to continue funding the HYPREP project.

NYCOP furthermore recommended considering the conversion of HYPREP from a project to a full-fledged agency of the Federal Government of Nigeria.

The communique also stated that NYCOP thanked President Tinubu for establishing the Federal University of Environmental Technology, and for appointing key staff, forming a dialogue committee, and initiating infrastructural projects like the Eleme axis of the East-West Road and the Bonny-Bodo Road, significantly enhancing regional connectivity and economic prospects.

In solidarity with the Renewed Hope Agenda, the endorsed President Tinubu’s second-term bid, saying it believes his leadership embodies the aspirations of the Ogoni people and Nigerians at large.

“After thorough consideration of the Disciplinary Committee’s report, NYCOP resolves:

” To indefinitely suspend Comrade Nade Nade Burale from his position as Secretary General due to misconduct.

“To declare Comrade Saviour Imeabe persona non grata on Ogoni youth issues, given his actions’ potential to instigate crisis in Ogoni and beyond” the communique stated.

NYCOP in his resolution issued a 7-day ultimatum to former HYPREP BOT Chairman Mike Nwialeghi to explain the $100 million HYPREP fund investment, warning of potential litigation.

NYCOP reaffirmed its commitment to safeguarding Ogoni youth interests and preventing personal aggrandizement.

According to the communique the resolutions demonstrate NYCOP’s efforts to promote the collective welfare and advancement of Ogoni youth.

“We will no longer tolerate any individual or group using the name or issues of Ogoni youth for personal aggrandizement.

” Our mandate is clear: to promote the collective welfare and advancement of Ogoni youth” the communique said.

NYCOP passes a vote of confidence in Hon. Emmanuel Nwika Deeyah, acknowledging his impeccable credentials and credibility to lead the BOT of HYPREP effectively.

Kiadum Edookor