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THE STATES
Benue
A former state commissioner in Plateau State, Amb. Yakubu Jang, has admonished Berom people not to allow divisive tendencies to take control of them.
Jang gave the advice on Saturday during the maiden celebration of “Nzem Berom” Cultural Day in Makurdi, Benue.
Jang, who was the chairman of the occasion , is also a son of the immediate past, Governor of Plateau, Mr David Jang.
He said that there was power in unity, hence the need for all Berom people to stay united in order to achieve greater things for themselves.
Jang urged Berom youths to venture into technical education to be self reliant because white-collar jobs have
FCT
President Macky Sall of Senegal has thanked President Muhammadu Buhari for his intervention in The Gambian political crisis which led to the restoration of democracy in the country.
The Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the President, Mr Femi Adesina, said in a statement in Abuja, last Saturday, that the Senegalese leader conveyed his gratitude to Buhari in a communication between them.
“Thank you again for your support in The Gambia. May Almighty Allah give you greater health and energy to conduct the destiny of Nigeria,’’ Sall said.
The Senegalese president described himself as Buhari’s “younger brother” and prayed that Allah would bestow good health and wisdom on him to lead.
Mr Yahya Jammeh had refused to accept his defeat in an election in December, 2016, and hand over power to Mr Adama Barrow, the winner, as President of The Gambia.
Jigawa
Rep. Ibrahim Abdullahi (APC Dutse/Kiyawa Federal Constituency) in Jigawa State, has distributed 500 bags fo fertilizers, seeds and pesticides to 100 farmers in his consistency.
Abdullahi’s Personal Assistant, Alhaji Abubukar AbdusSalam, confirmed this in Dutse on Sunday.
AbdusSalam said the farmers were drawn from Dutse and Kiyawa local government areas of the state, adding that 50 farmers were selected from each of the local government councils.
The personal assistant said that each of the beneficiaries was given two bags of fertilizer, a bag of groundnut seed, a bag of millet seed and 50 kg of pesticide.
Kano
No fewer than 5,000 people, who contravened the Kano State Environmental Sanitation Law, have so far been prosecuted, according to the State Commissioner for Environment Dr Ali Makoda.
The alleged violators were arrested and tried by the state’s mobile courts between January and March.
Makoda, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Alhaji Sagir Wali, told newsmen on Saturday, shortly after monitoring the monthly sanitation exercise in eight local governments areas.
According to him, the violators were arrested along the major roads in the city during sanitation.
“We were able to arrest 5, 000 defaulters and they were charged to our mobile courts which imposed some fines on them”, he said.
Lagos
The Federal Government last weekend said it was ready to support states to generate ‘captive power’ as a permanent solution to the problem of electricity in the country.
The Minister of Works, Power and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola, gave the assurance when he paid a courtesy visit on Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State in Ikeja.
It is reported that a captive power plant is a facility that is dedicated to providing a localised source of power to energy users.
Such users are typically industrial facilities or large offices.
The plants may operate in grid parallel mode with the ability to export surplus power to the local electricity distribution network.
Nasarawa
The Chairman, Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, Nasarawa state chapter, Alhaji Mohammed Hussaini, has advised herdsmen to avoid destruction of farm produce and grazing on farmlands to avert clashes with farmers.
Hussaini made the call in Akwanga while addressing newsmen on Sunday on the outcome of the meeting the association held with Fulani community of Nasarawa North senatorial district of the state, comprising Nasarawa Eggon, Akwanga and Wamba in Akwanga local government area.
He said the meeting was to propagate peace and appeal to herdsmen that engaged in destruction of farm produce and grazing on farmland to desist from such act in the interest of peace and development of the state and the nation at large.
“The role of this association is to preach peace and unity, not only to the Fulani community in the state but also to Nigerians at large as no nation or society can develop in an atmosphere of rancour and confusion.
Niger
The Speaker of the Niger State House of Assembly, Alhaji Ahmed Marafa, has called on youths to acquire relevant skills that would enable them contribute their quota to nation’s building.
Marafa made the call on Saturday, when the state officials of the Change Organisation, a Non Governmental Organisation, paid him a courtesy visit in Minna.
He also informed the organisation that the legislature was prepared to enact laws that would help the teeming youths in the state realise their full potentials.
The Speaker said that the present administration will not relent on its efforts to ensure the completion of the Baro Port given the employment opportunities it will create.
Ogun
The Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola has commended the Ogun state government on the quality of the newly constructed and rehabilitated roads across the state.
Fashola gave the commendation after touring some roads constructed by Governor Ibikunle Amosun administration in some parts of the state on Saturday.
The Minister, who expressed satisfaction with the quality of roads and flyovers inspected , commended the governor for a job well done in infrastructural development.
He assured that President Muhammadu Buhari would adequately reimburse the state and every other state in the same category.
Ondo
Ondo State Governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, has solicited the assistance of the African Development Bank (AfDB) in boosting commercial agriculture in the state.
Akeredolu made the call when the AfDB President, Dr Akinwumi Adesina, visited him on Sunday in Akure.
The governor explained that the continental bank’s support was necessary to facilitate the cultivation of high quality cocoa, palm oil and cassava in the state.
He urged the AfDB president to make the bank’s presence felt at the grassroots through agriculture for the rapid development of the state.
Osun
An auto crash which occurred at Asejire end of Osun on Friday, killed five persons while others sustained severe injuries.
Among the dead was a journalist, Nathaniel Abimbola, working with the Osun State Broadcasting Corporation (OSBC) in Osogbo. His friends said he was aged 48. He marked his birthday on 26 of February this year.
Abimbola, a graduate of University of Ibadan was attached to the State Assembly and had been on the beat for 10 years.
Four others who died, alongside Abimbola, were all members of Celestial Church of Christ (CCC) Ayetoro Osogbo.
It was gathered that the entire occupants of the ill fated 18 seater bus were heading to Imeko headquarters of the church for a retreat.
Plateau
Pastor Victor Asemah of Shepherd House International Assembly, Jos has said that God’s blessings to Christians would become “worthless”, if those so blessed did not help neighbours in need.
“Those in need are always among us; we see them everyday and know their sufferings. If you are blessed, you must assist them otherwise your blessings are useless and worthless,” Asemah said in a sermon on Sunday, in Jos.
The Pastor, who spoke on the theme, “Supernatural Harvest for Progress’’, challenged Christians to assist the less privileged in the society, “especially the orphans, widows and others in difficulty”.
“When you help others, God increases your blessings. When we give to the needy, we have more access to his supernatural harvest,’’ he said.
Asemah described supernatural harvest as “having access to blessings outside the natural source and beyond ordinary imagination”.
“Such blessings are inexhaustible because of God’s divine connection to his children.
Sokoto
The death toll as a result of the meningitis epidemic in Sokoto State has now risen to 21.
The State Health Commissioner, Dr Balarabe Kakale, confirmed this in an interview with our correspondent in Sokoto on Sunday, as he gave an update on the state of high alert declared by the ministry since 20th March.
The deaths were recorded in the seven local governments of Kebbe, Bodinga, Rabah, Wamakko, Gada, Dange/Shuni and Tureta, mostly affected by the meningitis outbreak.
Kakale said:” the state government had since Monday deployed no fewer than fifteen medical teams, comprising of over one hundred and fifty medical personnel.
“ They were deployed across the 23 local governments of the state, fully equipped with ambulances and provided with free drugs,as well as medicament.
“ The emergency response teams were conducting house to house search, definition and management, both at home and the hospitals.
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.