Nation
THE STATES
FCT
The World Health Organisation (WHO) last Tuesday in Abuja urged employers globally to treat mental health illnesses with the same urgency and seriousness as physical illnesses.
WHO’s Regional Director for Africa, Dr Matshidiso Moeti gave the advice in a message to mark the 2017 World Mental Health Day celebrated annually on October10.
Moeti said that mental health was often neglected as a key aspect of employees’ health, adding that an estimated 10 per cent of the employed population globally had taken time off work because of depression.
She urged employers to be change agents by modifying risk factors for stress in the workplace, create an organisational climate that promotes wellbeing, creativity and facilitate care for those who need it.
Kaduna
The Speaker, Kaduna State House of Assembly, Aminu Shagali, has urged members of the House to sponsor private bills that would add value to ongoing reforms in the state and lives of their constituents.
Shagali said in an address on the floor of the assembly, which resumed after a long recess that the assembly would support any member who presents bills that would have meaningful impact on the lives of the citizenry.
He noted that though the assembly had deliberated on a total of 55 bills since inception, they were largely sponsored by the executive.
The speaker, however, commended the lawmakers for conducting oversight visits and public hearings in spite of the recess.
Kano
Kano State Government has reiterated commitment to initiate more youth and women empowerment programmes to fight unemployment and poverty in the state.
Governor Abdullahi Ganduje said this when participants of Course 26 of the National Defence College, Abuja on Geo-Strategic Study tour of Kano State paid him a courtesy visit at the Government House, Kano.
Speaking on the theme of the Geo-Strategic Tour, “Youth Empowerment and National Security’’, Ganduje said, “most of our programmes are geared toward youths and women empowerment.”
The governor said the state government would continue to initiate more youth empowerment programmes in order to train more youths in different skills to also reduce social vices.
“Government has done this in the past and is still doing its best to reduce the rate of unemployment, youths’ restiveness, poverty.
Katsina
The Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ) in Katsina State has commenced a state-wide campaign to sensitise women on protective measures against rape.
The NAWOJ Chairperson in the state, Hajiya Hauwa Yalladan, said at a town hall meeting with women in Kaita Local Government Area of the state last Wednesday, that the campaign was part of the association’s efforts to highlight the dangers of rape in the society.
She said that NAWOJ decided to spearhead the campaign in view of rising cases of rape across the state.
“Rape cases in the state are becoming more rampant, no parent will want his daughter to become a victim.
“It has now reached an extent that even boys are not safe from rapists, so, we want all stakeholders to join hands to put an end to the menace,’’ the NAWOJ chairperson said.
Kogi
The Speaker, Kogi State House of Assembly, Matthew Kolawole says the House will enact laws that will promote the education and emancipation of the girl-child in the state.
Kolawole gave the assurance in a goodwill message to mark the 2017 International Day of the Girl-Child last Wednesday in Lokoja.
The message was signed by his Chief Press Secretary (CPS), Mr Femi Olugbemi.
He said the House would support and promote every cause that would enable women and girls to take their rightful positions in society.
Kwara
Members of the llorin Muslim Community in Kwara State say they would exhume the corpse of a civil servant killed by lightening on September 20, in Oro, lrepodun Local Government Area.
The Coordinator of the llorin Muslim cemetery and a lecturer in the University of llorin, Dr Abubakar Aliagan made this known in an interview with newsmen in llorin.
Aliagan said that the llorin Muslim Community had perfected arrangement to exhume the corpse to give him proper lslamic burial.
A correspondent reports that the victim, a 47-year old Salami Adekunle who was a staff of the Kwara State College of Education, Oro was buried at a Christian cemetery Okeose on September 21.
Adekunle was buried after his body was rejected at the Muslim cemetery in llorin.
Lagos
A Catholic Priest, Rev. Fr. Vincent Ezezue has urged the three tiers of government and wealthy Nigerians to empower the less-privileged to make them productive in the society.
Ezezue, also the Parish Priest of St. Michael, Raphael and Gabriel’s Catholic Church (Archangel Parish), Satellite Town, Lagos made the plea in an interview with newsmen in Lagos.
He spoke on the sidelines of the feast of Saint Vincent the Paul organised by the church.
Ezezue said, “It is necessary to always consider the needy and bring them closer to God by extending hands of fellowship to them.
“When we are marking the feast of Saint Vincent the Paul, our usual tradition is to gather the poor and the less privileged around us to share food items, clothes and other relief materials which they need.”
Nasarawa
The Nasarawa State Command of the Nigeria Prisons Service last Wednesday said that 25 inmates were undergoing degree courses at the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) in the state.
The State Controller of Prisons, Ekwere Ekaneem, disclosed this in an interview with newsmen last Wednesday in Lafia.
According to him, 20 inmates of Keffi Prisons and five inmates of Lafia Prisons are currently studying various courses at the NOUN study centre in Lafia.
Niger
The Niger State Government has signed N1.2 billion Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to improve healthcare delivery in the state.
Reports indicate that Governor Abubakar Bello of Niger State signed on behalf of the state while Dr Chris Elias, President of Global Development, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation signed for the foundation.
Bello who decried the neglect of the health sector in the past years said that the MoU would help strengthen the primary healthcare and reduce pressure on the secondary health sector.
Osun
The Osun State Commissioner for Education, Mr Kola Omotunde-Young has advised members of the National Youths Service Corps (NYSC) serving in public schools in the state to be dedicated to their duties.
He also urged the Federal Government Youth Empowerment Programme (N-Power), serving in such institutions to do same.
The commissioner gave the advice during an inspection visit to the Africa Church Middle School in Osogbo last Tuesday.
Omotunde-Young said by being passionately dedicated to their duties, the corps members and the r volunteers would be seen to be contributing their quota to the development of education in the state.
Oyo
A Consultant Dermatologist at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, Prof. Adebola Ogunbiyi has that hair problems among Nigerian women have become worrisome, stressing the need for hair management and hygiene.
Ogunbiyi who made this assertion while speaking with newsmen on health issues in Ibadan said Nigerians do not have adequate knowledge on how best to manage their hair.
Plateau
A Jos High Court has found Etisalat Nigeria (9 Mobile) guilty of trespassing into a personal property and ordered it to pay N15 million damages.
The judge, Mr Justice R.K. Sha ordered that the plaintiff be given the property.
The judgment was based on a suit filed by Christ Best West Africa Limited, Plaintiff versus Emerging Markets Telecommunication Services Limited (Etisalat Nigeria).
Sha said that the act of running and maintaining the mast on the property amounted to trespass and constituted a nuisance to the rights of the plaintiff to exclusively use and enjoy the property.
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.
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.
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.