Nation
THE STATES
Bauchi
Alhaji Yahaya Jalam, the Bauchi State Commissioner or health has pleaded with health workers to ensure judicious distribution and effective utilization of drugs provided by government in public hospitals across the state.
Jalam made the call recently in Bauchi during the de-briefing of the mosquito net distribution exercise.
The Tide’s correspondent recalled that the government had, in 2008, introduced free medical treatment and food supplement scheme for children under the ages of five and for pregnant mothers in its hospitals.
The Scheme was designed to enhance health care delivery and reverse the trend of high maternal and infant mortality rate in the state.
FCT
Ustaz Musa Muhammad, the Chief Imam of the Abuja national Mosque, has called on Nigerians to continue to pray for the peace and stability of the nation.
Muhammad made the call in Abuja in an interview with newsmen shortly after the juma’ at prayers.
He urged Nigerians to intensify their prayers “as the country marches toward the 2011 general elections”.
Muhammad stressed the importance of Juma’ at prayers and urged Muslims to take advantage of it to supplicate to God for their needs and ask for forgiveness for their sins.
Kaduna
Farmers in Zaria and its environs have expressed concern over the delay in the supply of fertiliser for this year’s farming season.
An investigation conducted by The Tide’s source in Zaira revealed that farmers have already started clearing their farmland in preparation to commece farming.
Alhaji Aliyu, Africana a farmer in the area, told the source that the commodity usually arrive late when farmers had already resorted to other althernatives.
“Most of us do not wait for fertilizer procured by the government; we source for the commodity from the black market.
“Nevertheless, I want to appeal to the state government to expedite action and ensure availability of the commodity in good time”, Africana said.
Kogi
The Kogi State government has commenced the implementation of the white paper on the crisis in Ebira land, the Commissioner for Information, Dr. Tom Ohikere, has said.
Ohikere told newsmen in Lokoja, that the move was to find lasting solution to the crisis in the area.
According to him, government has commenced the banning of masquerade outing in Ebira land in line with the recommendations of the white paper.
The law banning masquerades came into being during the first civilian administration in the state.
Ohikere said that government had equally granted permission for the setting up of a vigilance group to check questionable movements and behaviours, especially in Okene and other suburbs.
He said that names of identified persons, who were behind the crisis had been submitted to the security agents for necessary action.
The commissioner also told our source that government was considering “hosting a broad-based economic summit, to enable experts do a brain-storming on various social and economic issues capable of turning around the economy of the state for good.
Lagos
The Acting General Manager of the National Theatre, Lagos, Alhaji Yusuf Atai said about N6.5 billion would be needed to renovate the edifice.
Speaking in an interview with newsmen Atai said the national monument has become decrepit following several years of neglect.
“The National Theatre is like a village, so it requires huge amount of money to maintain. The facilities and buildings are in a deplorable state,” he said.
According to Atai, since 1976 when the structure was built by the Bulgarian contractors, no major renovation had been done to keep the building in shape.
“In the master plan, the instruction left by the contractors was that renovation should be done on the structure after 10 years, but for over 34 years now, no major renovation has been done”.
Niger
A High Court in Minna has ordered that the suspended Chairman of Rafi Local Government Council in Niger, Alhaji Ali Kagara, be reinstated.
In his judgment, Justice Aliyu Maiyaki ruled that “the appointment and swearing-in of the Acting Chairman of Rafi Local Government Council is declared “null and void.”
“He should vacate the office of the Chairman of Rafi Local Government Council forthwith.
“The defendants are also ordered to reinstate the plaintiff to the office of the executive chairman of Rafi Local Government Council forthwith and pay to him all his emoluments for the period he was unlawfully removed from office”, the Judge ordered.
Reacting to the judgment, Kagara expressed gratitude to Almighty Allah for the judgment and the judicial system for upholding his fundamental rights.
Oyo
A dietician at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, Mrs Iyabode Alabi, has advised Nigerians to consume more water as against soft drinks and processed fruit juice.
Alabi, the head of Department of Dietetics, told newsmen Ibadan that “many Nigerians consume more soft drinks because we attend social parties a lot.”
She further said: “Water transports nutrients from the body into the cell and allows free bowel movement.”
“Soft drinks do not contain any other useful nutrients to the body, their sugar content is high and also contain high caffeine.
“Caffeine is a stimulant which increases the body’s nervous activities, so it is not good especially if you are hypertensive or have stomach ulcers.”
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.