Nation
THE STATES
FCT
The House of Representatives has stressed the need to strengthen the security structure in Aba, Abia State, and to address the gruesome murder of Aba residents.
This was sequel to the adoption of a motion by Rep. Prestige Ossy (Abia-APGA) at the plenary on Tuesday.
Moving the motion earlier, Ossy said that the entire security structure in Aba had practically collapsed.
He said the unfortunate turn of event had left the commercial city at the mercy of daredevil criminals, kidnappers and ritualists.
The lawmaker said that in the last couple of months, the undesirable elements who had infiltrated the city in large numbers had been ceaselessly unleashing mayhem, inflicting pains and untold sufferings on the people.
He said that on February 24, Chief Kalu Dieke, was kidnapped and gruesomely murdered by suspected kidnappers with his body dismembered and dumped around the notorious Orji Uzor bridge.
Jigawa
The Jigawa State Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (JACCIMA) has approved the removal of its President, Alhaji Shehu Sanusi, from office.
The chamber’s Vice-President II, Alhaji Yahaya Ibrahim, confirmed the development in an interview with newsmen on Tuesday in Dutse.
Ibrahim said the removal was with immediate effect.
He, however, did not give reasons for the removal.
According to him, the JICCIMA’s Vice President I, Alhaji Muhammad Muktar, has taken over the affairs of the chamber, pending election of a substantive president.
The Tide recalls that Sunusi was elected on May 21 last year as president, while Muktar and Yahaya were elected as deputy president I and II.
Kano
The Kano/Jigawa Customs Area Command on Friday in Kano destroyed expired items worth millions of Naira.
This is contained in a statement signed by the Commands Public Relations officer, Mr Danbaba Isah and made available to newsmen in Kano.
According to the statement, the burnt items include expired foreign rice, computer scraps and expired bubble gum.
Others were harmful and expired drugs including Dizapam, Heragra, Tranadol tablets and 250 cartons of expired liquid Indo food.
According to the statement, the Command’s Area Controller, Mr Abutu Onaja led in the destruction of the expired items which took place in the premises of the command’s warehouse.
“The destruction of the expired materials was approved and directed by the Comptroller General of Customes, Retired Col Hameed Ali.
“The exercise was witnessed by relevant government agencies operating in Kano state,” he said.
Kaduna
The Bank of Agriculture says it has secured 1.118 million dollars grant from the African Development Bank (AfDB) for its capacity building and institutional strengthening projects.
In a statement made available on Tuesday in Kaduna, Oluremi Olaoye, the Corporate Communication Manager of the bank, said the projects would enable the bank to sufficiently serve the Nigerian rural dwellers’ financial needs.
According to Olaoye, AfDB will to provide 987,510.30 dollars, or 88.12 per cent of the amount, while the bank of would provide 130,997.03 dollars or 11.88 per cent as matching grant.
The grant would be used to finance programmes that would lead to the expansion of the bank’s target clientele, which is currently small due to low institutional capacity.
Kebbi
The Kebbi State Government has earmarked N898 million for the rehabilitation of the 4.5 million cubic litres capacity Dukku Water Works.
The state’s Commissioner for Water Resources and Rural Development, Alhaji Bala Kangiwa,signed the agreement with a Chinese company, Zhonghao/Brosino Investment, in Birnin Kebbi recently.
“The N898million contract was awarded to the Chinese firm and the project is expected to be completed within 18 months,” he said.
He said the rehabilitation was necessary in view of the ageing of the water works constructed in 1970.
“Some of the equipment were affected by erosion, and could not take high pressure to deliver water to the tanks for onward supply to the town.
” We will also rehabilitate our old water works in other areas in order to complement the Dukku Water Works, “he said.
Kogi
The Wife of Kogi State Governor, Mrs Rashida Bello, has urged wives of local government adminstrators in the state to initiate programmes that would have positive impact on the lives of women in the area.
Bello gave the advice at the grand finale of a three-day retreat organised for the wives of local government administrators and other women leaders in the state in Lokoja on Tuesday.
The governor’s wife further advised them to have understanding and adequate knowledge of their responsibilities to enhance their performance.
“This retreat is meant to create an atmosphere that will ensure the integration, cooperation and relationship between my office and wives of local government administrators.
“It is germane to the development of every family and by extension, the development of council areas, state and Nigeria as a nation.
Kwara
The Kwara State House of Assembly on Tuesday passed the N160.9 billion appropriation bill of the state.
The bill was passed at the plenary after the House Committe on Finance and Appropriation approved on the budget estimate.
The budget, which was presented by Governor AbdulFatah Ahmed on December 29, 2016, represents an increase of N25.6 billion or 18.9 per cent over the original proposed N135,264,529,461 estimate presented to the House by the governor.
The recurrent expenditure of the budget stands at N70.8 billion, while the capital expenditure is N90.1 billion.
Prior to the passage of the fiscal document, some amendments were made to the report of the Finance and Appropriation Committee.
Speaking after the passage of the budget, the Speaker, Dr Ali Ahmad, said the House jerked up the budget size above the figure tabled by the state governor to expedite action on some ongoing projects.
Lagos
The Acting President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, has said that the new Lagos- Ibadan standard gauge railway project would be completed in 2018.
Osinbajo said at the ground breaking ceremony of the Segment II Lagos- Ibadan standard gauge rail track on Tuesday in Lagos.
“The acting president said that it was important to have a viable self-sustaining and improving railway services.
“The development will cut across the country; the Federal Ministry of Transportation has completed the feasibility study for up to 13 routes across the country to identify state capitals and major commercial centres.
“We should begin to see significant activities in this regard very soon.
“The fast and efficient railway service is scheduled to be completed by December 2018,” Osinbajo said.
He added that it was part of the promises made by the president during the campaign period.
Nasarawa
A housewife, Mrs Felicia Akinshola, 34, has pleaded with a court in Nasarawa State to dissolve her marriage over alleged inability of her husband to pay her bride price.
Felicia, who is also a business woman also told the Upper Area Court in Mararaba, to dissolve the union because her husband, Mr Akin Akinshola, “is irresponsible”.
She informed the court that she had been living with Akin for more than six years and that the marriage was blessed with three children yet the man could not pay her bride price.
According to her, Akin, who is also a business man, has failed in his duty as a husband and father.
“Akin has not paid my dowry in accordance with Yoruba tradition and every effort put across to enable him pay has proved abortive.
Niger
The Niger State House of Assembly has cautioned Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) against extra budgetary spending without recourse to the House for approval.
The House Committee Chairman on Labour and Productivity, Mr Malik Bosso, gave the warning on Friday when the head of the state civil service appeared before the committee for defence of the 20?17 budget proposal.
Bosso said that many MDAs were in the habit of spending money without approval, adding that the Assembly would take drastic measures against erring MDAs.
“We will no longer accept any spending outside the budget; we have resolved to take actions against any MDA that is found guilty.
“We will take measures against such spending because it is unconstitutional,” he said.
Ogun
The Chairperson of the Economic Community of West-African states (ECOWAS), Ellen Johnson -Sirleaf, has called on serving and former African presidents to establish presidential libraries as part of efforts to preserve the rich history of Africans.
She made the call in Abeokuta, Ogun on Saturday, at the inauguration of the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL).
The ECOWAS chairperson said the call had become necessary to enable Africans tell their stories from their own perspectives and avoid distortion of facts about their history.
Johnson-Sirleaf said that such libraries would help the governments to preserve records of their past for future generation.
Plateau
The United States Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr Stuart Symington, has commended Plateau Government’s efforts towards restoring peace to the crises-ridden state.
Symington, who spoke on Tuesday in Jos, at the beginning of high level dialogue on justice and security, promised that his country would support the efforts toward permanent peace in the north-central state.
The dialogue was organised by the West Africa Network for Peace Building, in partnership with the Plateau Peace Building Agency (PPBA), with the support of the United States Institute of Peace (USIP).
The Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) has announced that the mangrove wetlands in Ogoniland have been officially designated a Ramsar Site of International Importance by the Secretariat of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands.
The designation, according to HYPREP, underscores the global ecological significance of Ogoniland’s mangrove wetlands and highlights ongoing restoration efforts aimed at addressing environmental degradation in the area.
In a press statement issued by the Project Coordinator of HYPREP, Prof Nenibarini Zabbey, the recognition was described as a major milestone for the agency, the people of Ogoni and other stakeholders working towards environmental restoration in the region.
Zabbey explained that the mangrove wetlands, which cover more than 31,700 hectares, consist of islands, tidal creeks, mudflats and mangrove forests that support a wide range of biodiversity. The ecosystem provides habitat for several species including fin fish, shellfish, crustaceans, crocodiles, turtles and the endangered grey parrot.
He noted that beyond biodiversity conservation, the wetland also provides essential ecosystem services such as fisheries production, flood control, water purification and carbon storage. According to him, the international recognition will further support local livelihoods, promote ecotourism and bring global attention to the region.
The HYPREP coordinator disclosed that the designation followed a meticulous process that began in 2024 when the project submitted a memorandum to the National Council on Environment seeking support for the recognition of the Ogoni wetlands as a Ramsar site.
Following the council’s review and approval, the Honourable Minister of Environment and Chairman of HYPREP’s Governing Council, Balarabe Abbas Lawal, formally wrote to the Ramsar Convention Secretariat requesting international recognition of the wetlands.
After a comprehensive ecological assessment, the Ramsar Secretariat granted the designation, officially recognising the Ogoniland wetlands as one of the world’s sites of international importance.
Zabbey said the recognition would strengthen ongoing environmental restoration efforts in the area and encourage stronger conservation measures and sustainable management of the wetlands for the benefit of present and future generations.
He added that the designation also fulfils a key recommendation of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Environmental Assessment Report on Ogoniland, marking another significant step in the implementation of the report’s recommendations.
The HYPREP project coordinator reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to restoring the Ogoni environment through the remediation of oil-polluted land, shorelines and mangrove ecosystems.
He also called for collective responsibility and stakeholder support to sustain the progress of the Ogoni cleanup programme and facilitate the development of a comprehensive and sustainable management plan for the Ogoni mangrove wetlands.
The Permanent Secretary, Rivers State Ministry of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation, Mrs Lauretta Davies-Dimkpa, has attributed the successes of the 12-day programme organised for adolescent girls aimed at eliminating Female Genital Mutilation(FGM) in some parts of the State to the ability of the respective stakeholders to take ownership of the programme.
Mrs Davies-Dimkpa, who dropped the hint in an interview at the end of the programme in Elele-Alimini Community in Emohua Local Government Area on Saturday, said the event had a buy-in component, an ownership mentality, whereby facilitators, staff, and everyone involved took ownership of the project.
She explained that the Rivers State Ministry of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation, in collaboration with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) had packaged a series of training sessions for adolescent girls aimed at ending the practice of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in some communities across the State.
According to her, the initiative was designed to educate young girls on the harmful effects of the practice and empower them to become advocates against it within their communities.
She noted that the programme, which lasted for several weeks, targeted adolescent girls from different local government areas where the practice is still prevalent, stressing that
data collected by UNICEF and the Ministry revealed that Female Genital Mutilation is still practised in some parts of the State, prompting the need for intensified sensitisation and community engagement.
Mrs Davies-Dimkpa explained that the programme adopted a “train-the-trainer” approach where adolescent girls were educated on the dangers of the practice and encouraged to share the knowledge with their peers, families and communities.
“This is a programme by the Rivers State Ministry of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation with support from UNICEF and UNFPA to train adolescent girls towards ending Female Genital Mutilation, which is still practised in some local government areas,” she said.
She further explained that each participating local government area had a three-day training session, with the exercise running for a total of 12 days.
The local government areas, where the programme took place, she noted, included Ahoada West, Abua-Odual, and Emohua, adding that the initiative is part of broader efforts by the state government and development partners to eliminate harmful traditional practices and protect the rights and wellbeing of girls.
She revealed that prior to the training of the adolescent girls, the Ministry and its partners had also engaged community facilitators, including older women and men, to sensitise them on the dangers associated with Female Genital Mutilation.
According to her, the involvement of community leaders and adults is essential in addressing the cultural and social factors that sustain the practice.
Speaking on the response of the participants, the permanent secretary expressed satisfaction with the level of engagement and enthusiasm shown by the girls throughout the training sessions.
She noted that many of the participants said they were learning about the harmful effects of Female Genital Mutilation for the first time.
“The girls are between the ages of 12 and 17 and from the interactions we had with them, they were very excited. Some of them are hearing these things for the first time and never knew that the practice is harmful,” she said.
She expressed optimism that the knowledge gained from the training would enable the girls to serve as advocates for change within their communities.
She added that the Rivers State Government, alongside its partners, would continue to intensify efforts and expand community-based interventions aimed at ending the practice across the State.
Meanwhile, the participants for Emohua Local Government Area were drawn from Elele-Alimini, Egbeda, Rumuji, Ibaa, Rumuekpe, Rumuakunde, Eligbarada, and Ogbakiri Communities.
The participants,who spoke in separate interviews described the training as eye-opening, noting that it helped them better understand issues surrounding adolescent health, personal hygiene, reproductive health, and the harmful consequences of Female Genital Mutilation.
Favour Azukwu from Rumuekpe community, said the programme provided a deeper understanding of the dangers associated with the practice, particularly its impact on the health and wellbeing of girls and women.
She explained that the training sessions exposed participants to the medical, social and psychological effects of Female Genital Mutilation, including severe bleeding, infections and complications during childbirth.
She revealed that she personally experienced the practice at the age of 12 and suffered heavy bleeding afterwards, an experience that has strengthened her determination to advocate for its eradication.
According to her, many communities still practise Female Genital Mutilation because it is perceived as a cultural tradition, despite the dangers associated with it.
“I do not support Female Genital Mutilation because there are many dangers involved. I experienced severe bleeding when it was done to me as a child.
Another participant, Glory Ken, a 16-year-old secondary school student from Rumuji community, said the programme broadened her understanding of several important topics affecting adolescents.
She explained that beyond the discussion on Female Genital Mutilation, the training also focused on issues such as personal hygiene, reproductive health, peer education, and self-care.
According to her, the sessions helped participants understand the importance of making informed health decisions and supporting one another as peer educators.
“I learned about many things that affect young people in society and how to take care of myself. I also learned that Female Genital Mutilation is harmful to our health. The message I am taking back to my community is that this practice should stop,” she said.
Also speaking, Goodness Kenjika Nyeche described the programme as very impactful.
She noted that the training equipped participants with the skills and confidence to educate others about the harmful effects of Female Genital Mutilation.
She said she plans to organise sensitisation among adolescents in her community, particularly girls between the ages of 10 and 19, to ensure they understand the dangers associated with the practice.
“I learned many things from this programme and I feel very good about it. I will educate other young girls in my community and help them understand why Female Genital Mutilation should not continue,” she said.
For Queen Dike from Ibaa community, the programme helped clarify misconceptions surrounding the practice.
She explained that in some communities, the practice is still referred to as circumcision and is viewed as part of cultural identity.
She said the training helped participants understand that Female Genital Mutilation involves the cutting or removal of parts of the female genital organs and that it has serious health consequences.
She stressed that awareness and education are key to ending the practice, especially among communities that continue to uphold it as tradition.
“I think the programme is very helpful because many people still believe it is part of culture. More awareness is needed so people can understand why it should stop,” she said.
Another participant, MyJoy Echika Amadi, said the programme provided critical information about adolescent health and the dangers associated with Female Genital Mutilation.
She described the initiative as enlightening and said it encouraged young people to become advocates for change in their communities.
According to her, participants were encouraged to use various platforms such as churches, peer groups, schools and community gatherings to spread awareness about the harmful effects of the practice.
“This programme has enlightened us about the dangers of Female Genital Mutilation. I will do my best to create awareness in my community and encourage people to stop the practice,” she said.
Many of the participants emphasised that the knowledge gained during the programme has empowered them to challenge harmful traditions and promote healthier practices among young people.
They also called on the Rivers State Government, development partners and civil society organisations to sustain the sensitisation campaigns and extend the training to more communities across the State.
According to them, empowering young people with the right information will play a critical role in eliminating Female Genital Mutilation and protecting the rights, health and dignity of girls in Rivers State.
The participants expressed appreciation to the Rivers State Ministry of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation, UNICEF and UNFPA for organising the programme and for investing in the wellbeing and future of adolescent girls in the State.
