Nation

THE STATES

Published

16 years ago

May 26, 2010

Bauchi

No fewer than 38 persons lost their lives in various auto-accidents in Bauchi State in the first quarter of 2010.

The Director, Bauchi State Vehicle Inspection Directorate, Alhaji Ibrahim Ya’u, said this when the state’s Commissioner for Transport, Alhaji Abubakar Ashu, visited the directorate.

He said no fewer than 89 other persons sustained injuries in the 43 auto-accidents recorded across the state.

Ya’u also said the directorate generated more than N6 million within the period under review.

He said N2 million was realised from the sales of ‘road worthy certificate’ to motorists, while N4 million was raised from the ‘Operation Show Your Particulars.’

Ya’u said N600,000 was generated from the general inspection exercise.

Ekiti

The NYSC has redeployed Mr Olayiwola Afolabi from Bauchi to its Ekiti State Directorate, a statement said.

The statement, issued by the Ekiti NYSC Directorate Public Relations Officer, Mr Funso Olusoji, in Ado-Ekiti on Sunday, explained that Afolabi had taken over from Lady Clara Anekwe, who was moved to the NYSC headquarters, Abuja.

Afolabi, who hails from Osun, is the first male state co-ordinator to head NYSC Ekiti, the statement added.

FCT

Police Service Commission (PSC) has approved the promotion of two Commissioners of Police (CP) to the rank of Assistant Inspector General (AIG) and reprimanded 16 officers for different offences.

A statement signed by Mr Ferdinand Ekpe, the Information Officer of the commission, on Sunday in Abuja, stated that the commission, at its 15th plenary meeting, approved the promotion of Mr Mohammed Zarewa and Mr Ibrahim Paiko to the rank of AIG.

The PSC also dismissed five ASPs for acts that were considered to be inimical to police discipline, while two of them were recommended for prosecution, due to the nature of their offences.

“It has similarly approved the compulsory retirement of an ASP, while 16 other officers were reprimanded for disciplinary offences.

Gombe

President Goodluck Jonathan has decried the arbitrary award of honorary doctoral degrees by Nigerian universities.

He made the remark at the maiden convocation ceremony of Gombe State University in Gombe on Saturday and commended the young institution “for not emulating those universities that sell honorary doctorate degrees.”

“It is rare for a young university such as this not to give honorary doctorate degrees,” Jonathan said at the ceremony, which was part of activities for his one day official visit to the state.

The president, who was the Special Guest of Honour at the ceremony, also lauded the academic standard of the institution, which produced three first class graduates at the maiden convocation.

He commended Gov. Danjuma Goje “for spending reasonable sums of money on gigantic projects, such as the airport, stadium and the university.

The president commended the governor for the vision which materialised in the establishment of the university and expressed delight that Gombe State had remained peaceful.

Kaduna

Vice President Namadi Sambo has urged the people of Kaduna State to support his successor, Mr Patrick Yakowa, to succeed.

Speaking during the handing over ceremony on Saturday in Kaduna, Sambo commended members of his cabinet and the legislature for supporting his administration in the past three years.

He said it would have been difficult to achieve the milestones his administration made in the fields of healthcare, girl-child education, road construction and job creation, without their support.

Sambo, therefore, appealed to the people to extend the same support and cooperation to his successor.

He said he was confident that Yakowa would build on the foundations laid in the state in the last three years, and pledged his support in achieving the objective.

Kano

The Kano State Government has so far spent more than N4.8 billion on its rice development projects, the Commissioner for Projects Monitoring and Evaluation, Alhaji Ibrahim Garba, has said.

Garba, who gave the figure when he visited the Magaga Dam irrigation project in the Kabo Local Government Area (LGA), said the projects were aimed at boosting food security and alleviating poverty in the state.

He, however, said that farmers on whose lands the rice cultivation projects would be executed would not be able to plant crops on their farms this rainy season.

Garba promised that the state government would compensate the affected farmers adequately for the losses they would suffer as a result of the projects and therefore appealed to them to cooperate.

Lagos

An aviation expert, Mr Olumide Ohunayo, has called on airlines and airport authorities to work together to strengthen security at the airports to checkmate stowaways.

A stowaway is a person who hides in a ship or aircraft in the hope of being taken somewhere without paying.

Ohunayo spoke to newsmen against the backdrop of the death of a Nigerian stowaway on a Delta Airline B777 Flight to the U.S. on May 7.

The stowaway, identified as Emeka Okeke, was found dead in the nose wheel compartment of the aircraft on arrival in Atlanta, U.S.

Ohunayo, a former President of the Cabin Crew Association of Nigeria, argued that thorough security at the airports would prevent stowaways from sneaking into an aircraft.

“If it is possible for a man to undermine airport security by stowing away on an aircraft undetected, what stops him from planting a bomb on the plane,’’ he asked.

Nasarawa

The people of Keffi in Nasarawa State on Saturday welcomed home the former Minister of Works and Housing, Dr Hassan Lawal.

Lawal, who had variously served as an academic, bureaucrat and technocrat before the dissolution of the late President Umaru Yar’Adua cabinet by then Acting President Goodluck Jonathan, was received by his people with pomp and celebration.

The Emir of Keffi, Alhaji Mohammed Chindo Yamusa, offered special prayers for Lawal before a reception at the Emir’s Palace, which featured a display of cultural dances.

Friends, political associates and religious leaders extolled Lawal’s contribution and meritorious service to the state and the country.

Responding, the former minister thanked the people for the honour and promised to render more service to the people and the country whenever called upon.

Niger

The Niger branch of Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) has spent N60 million in the construction of a shopping plaza in Minna in its bid to generate funds for its activities, an official said.

The union Chairman, Alhaji Saidu Kalla, made the disclosure in an interview with the newsmen in Minna, saying that the plaza, which consisted of 30 shops and nine offices, was near completion.

“Work on the shopping plaza is about 90 per cent completed and it is expected to be ready before the end of June,” he said.

The chairman said the complex was expected to generate over N5 million annually for the union, and explained that “this additional revenue will reduce our dependence on the monthly contribution of members for our activities.”

Ondo

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo says the major task before the PDP in the 2011 general elections is to reclaim states lost to opposition parties in the 2007 elections.

Obasanjo said this in Akure on Saturday at the grand reception/rally organised by the party to welcome Mr Jimoh Ibrahim and others into the party.

He added that the party would be repositioned before 2011 to reclaim the lost states.

Obasanjo said the party was battle ready to confront any political party that was planning to unleash violence in the next elections.

The former president, who said he was shocked by the loss of Ondo State to the Labour Party, urged PDP members to be united and work as a team to dislodge other political parties in future elections.

“There is a big task ahead of the party in 2011; we must all work together to make sure that PDP remained a formidable party in Nigeria.

“Our doors are opened for those who have defected to other political parties to come back,’’ he said.

Osun

Child rights advocacy received a boost in Osun recently when the state government inaugurated the 2010 Maternal and Child Health Week.

Mr Lanre Afolabi, Commissioner for Health, who was represented by Mrs Moji Oladipo, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, inaugurated the programme in Osogbo.

Afolabi said the week had a lot of goodies including the immunisation and other health and material needs in stock for mothers and their children.

He, therefore, urged mothers and care givers to take full advantage of the programme in the interest of children’s health.

“Every child is entitled to the services such as Vitamin A, immunisation, de-worming, distribution of insecticide treated nets among others,’’ he said.

The commissioner also said that the state government was making efforts to ensure that health services were more accessible to people through construction of new health facilities.

He stressing the need to devote more attention to the health of children, and said that the government would equip and upgrade all existing health facilities

Nation

REAN, SON synergise to curb fake renewable energy product

Published

5 hours ago

June 29, 2026

The Tide

The Renewable Energy Association of Nigeria (REAN) says it has strengthened collaboration with the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) to enhance quality control and enforcement frameworks.

Mr Oisereime Lloyd-Dietake, the Head of Communications, REAN, in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja, said the collaboration would also involve stakeholder engagement on testing, certification and capacity building in Nigeria.

He said the synergy would strengthen quality control and enforcement frameworks, promote policy alignment, and ensure stronger regulation across the renewable energy value chain.

“REAN reaffirms its commitment to standardisation and quality assurance; tighter collaboration with SON is critical to eliminating fake and substandard renewable energy products from the Nigerian market.

“Enforcement and gaps in existing standards have continued to allow inferior products to circulate, undermining consumer confidence and slowing sector growth.”

Lloyd-Dietake said that at high-level discussions, REAN also highlighted the need for stronger regulatory coordination to address emerging challenges in the renewable energy space.

According to him, the issues include inconsistencies in standards, affordability issues linked to certification processes; and the increasing presence of substandard solar and renewable energy equipment in the country.

“The association further raised concerns about delays in product testing and approval, calling for the establishment of more testing laboratories and certification facilities to improve efficiency and reduce bottlenecks in the system,’’ he said.

Lloyd-Dietake urged closer collaboration among key regulatory bodies, including the Nigerian Electricity Management Services Agency, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, and the Rural Electrification Agency.

He said such team work would ensure harmonised standards and more effective enforcement against fake renewable energy products in the Nigerian market.

In response, SON acknowledged the important role REAN continued to play in supporting standardisation within Nigeria’s renewable energy industry and reaffirmed its willingness to deepen collaboration with the association.

SON further confirmed that REAN would be actively involved in future standard review processes and upcoming stakeholder engagements related to renewable energy and electric mobility standards development.

Lloyd-Dietake said REAN affirmed its willingness to formalise the partnership through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).

He said the MoU is aimed at deepening cooperation, promoting quality assurance, and accelerating Nigeria’s transition towards reliable and standardised renewable energy solutions.

Nation

Self Help Africa programme expands water access for 320,000 Nigerians

Published

5 hours ago

June 29, 2026

The Tide

The WASH Systems for Health (WS4H) Programme, implemented by Self Help Africa, has expanded access to safe water and sanitation services for more than 320,000 people in Kano and Cross River States.

The organisation disclosed this on Tuesday at the WS4H National Results and Learning Workshop in Abuja, where stakeholders reviewed achievements and lessons from the intervention.

Speaking at the event, Self Help Africa Country Director, Joy Aderele, said the programme demonstrated that sustainable WASH improvements require strong institutions, effective governance, adequate financing and collaboration.

Aderele said the UK-funded programme was designed to strengthen systems that support sustainable access to water, sanitation and hygiene services.

According to her, the intervention focused on improving governance, planning, financing, accountability and sector coordination to ensure resilient service delivery.

“More than 320,000 people now have improved or restored access to water services through programme-supported interventions,” she said.

She added that more than 5,520 household toilets were constructed in Yala and Makoda Local Government Areas, boosting sanitation, public health and efforts to end open defecation.

Aderele said the programme also strengthened public investment in WASH, with Cross River increasing its sector budget by 211 per cent in 2026 and Kano by 169.07 per cent.

She added that dedicated WASH budget lines had been established across 40 Ministries, Departments and Agencies in both states, strengthening accountability and institutional commitment.

According to her, both states reviewed and adopted updated WASH policies, while key planning documents were developed to guide future investments and service delivery.

She said Cross River also recorded a major legislative milestone through the passage of the Water Law and Open Defecation Prohibition Bill.

Aderele added that lessons from interventions in Yala LGA were already informing expansion efforts in Obubra Local Government Area.

While commending the achievements, she noted that capacity gaps, resource constraints and climate-related pressures remained challenges to sustainable WASH services.

“The sustainability of these gains will depend on continued government leadership, adequate financing, strong partnerships and investment in institutional capacity,” she said.

Also speaking, the Programme Manager of WS4H, Mr Timothy Ibeawuchi, said the intervention focused on strengthening systems needed to sustain gains and attract future investments.

According to him, the programme engages stakeholders in developing strategies that preserve achievements and support long-term service delivery.

“System strengthening work takes time because it addresses the fundamental issues responsible for sustainable and resilient service delivery,” he said.

Ibeawuchi said the programme strengthened policy development, planning, financing, monitoring and evaluation systems across the WASH sector.

He said two pilot local government areas were supported to develop WASH strategic plans outlining sector goals, targets and activities between 2026 and 2030.

According to him, the plans will guide future interventions and improve service delivery in the affected councils.

Earlier, the representative of the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), Chidera Chukwu, reaffirmed support for Nigeria’s development efforts in spite of the programme nearing completion.

Chukwu commended the Self Help Africa-led consortium for delivering the programme with professionalism and a strong focus on systems strengthening.

He said the consortium contributed greatly to strengthening Nigeria’s WASH sector through policy reforms, improved coordination and enhanced accountability.

“Together, we have advanced key policy and legislative reforms, including open defecation-free laws and strengthened state WASH frameworks,” he said.

According to him, the reforms represent enduring system-level changes that will continue delivering benefits beyond the programme’s lifespan.

In his remarks, Mr Jamilu Habu, Director of Water Quality Control and Sanitation, Federal Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation, commended the programme’s achievements.

Habu, who represented the Permanent Secretary, said the intervention strengthened governance, coordination, evidence-based planning and institutional capacity in the WASH sector.

He described the workshop as an opportunity to review achievements, share lessons and identify pathways for sustaining and scaling successful interventions.

According to him, the programme’s innovations and best practices will guide future policies and investments aimed at expanding access to safe WASH services.

Habu stressed the need for continued collaboration among governments, development partners, civil society organisations, the private sector and communities.

He said stronger partnerships remained essential to achieving universal access to water, sanitation and hygiene services and meeting Sustainable Development Goal 6.

Nation

Lagos Residents Stranded As Floods Cut Off Ajah, Mafoluku Communities

Published

5 hours ago

June 29, 2026

The Tide

Residents of Ajah, Mafoluku and other flood-prone communities in Lagos have recounted how Thursday’s torrential rainfall left them stranded, submerged homes and cut off access to major roads.

The residents, who spoke with Tide source, on Friday called for urgent government intervention to tackle the recurring flooding blamed on poor drainage infrastructure.

Along Mobil Road in Ajah, Mrs Rukayat said floodwaters submerged about 200 metres of the road, forcing commuters to wade through waist-deep water.

“The water level was almost up to my lap. People literally had to wade through it to get home,” she said.

According to her, many motorists turned back, while others abandoned their vehicles and continued their journeys on foot.

“The only way to pass through the water was by walking or using a tricycle. Even then, the tricycles broke down and had to be pushed,” she said.

Rukayat said some youths assisted stranded tricycle operators by pushing their vehicles through flooded sections for a fee.

She said residents had repeatedly alerted authorities to the flooding but little had changed.

“We reported this when the rains started, but apparently nothing has been done about the problem,” she said.

She attributed the flooding to poor drainage and possible blockage of a major canal serving the area.

“There is a big canal here, but I don’t know what is preventing water from flowing through it properly,” she said.

According to her, overgrown vegetation and sand deposits might have obstructed the canal, reducing its capacity to discharge stormwater.

She added that although floodwaters usually receded after a few hours, sections of the road remained waterlogged.

In Mafoluku, residents said several streets, homes and access roads were submerged, leaving many unable to return home after going about their daily activities.

Mrs Iriagbonse Okunkpolor, a resident of Agboola Street, said what began as a short trip to buy household items became an hours-long ordeal.

“I left my house to buy a few items nearby, but the rain started suddenly and flooded the entire street.

“I was stranded for hours because there was no safe way back home,” she said.

Another resident, Mr Mukaila Idris, described the flooding as both dangerous and distressing.

“The current was very strong. I watched people pay young men to carry them across the water because they were afraid of being swept away or falling,” he said.

According to him, only physically fit residents could navigate the floodwaters safely, while many others waited several hours for the water level to subside.

Mr Williams Ekpo, who lives in the Eyinogun area, said the flood extended beyond the roads and entered residential compounds.

“The floodwater entered our compound and damaged some household items.

“This happens almost every rainy season, yet nothing seems to be done to address the drainage problem,” he said.

The residents urged the relevant authorities to investigate the persistent flooding and improve drainage infrastructure to prevent a recurrence during the rainy season.