Nation
THE STATES
Bauchi
The National Directorate of Employment (NDE) in Bauchi State trained more than 35,000 people in different trades and skills, its Coordinator, Alhaji Shuaibu Mohammed, has said.
Mohammed who disclosed this in Bauchi last Friday during a ceremony to disburse resettlement equipment to graduates of vocational skills on loan, urged the beneficiaries to ensure good use of the equipment and the timely repayment of the loan.
The coordinator explained that this would enable others, especially youth, who were either idle or just roaming the streets, to benefit.
In his speech, the NDE Director-General, Malam Abubakar Mohammed, said the allowances of both trainer and trainees would be reviewed upwards as soon as funds were made available by the Federal Government.
Borno
Alhaji Abubakar Ibn Garbai, Shehu of Borno, said last Friday that awareness on compulsory insurance policy should be taken down to the local councils to enable people at the grassroots understand its importance.
Garbai stated this when the Board of Directors of the National Insurance Commission paid him a courtesy visit in Maiduguri.
“On the Issue that brought you to Maiduguri, my advice is that it requires wider publicity, the publicity should not be limited to Maiduguri alone or its environs. It has to go to various local governments and we have 27 local governments,’’ he said.
He added that a small committee should be formed to continue reminding the people on the need for the compulsory insurance policy, especially as it focused most on the third party.
FCT
The Ministry of Niger-Delta Affairs, says youths, who will be trained on empowerment programmes in the Niger-Delta, will enroll in nine skill acquisition centres in June, 2011.
The Press Secretary, Mr Fidelis Osammor, disclosed this in an interview with newsmen in Abuja.
The ministry had collected 13,000 applications from the youths to be trained to acquire skills in oil and gas, maritime and agriculture sectors.
He said the building of the skill acquisition centres in nine states of the Niger Delta, was ongoing and would be completed in June, 2011 as agreed between the ministry and the contractors.
Gombe
Governor Mohammad Goje of Gombe State on Friday directed council chairmen in the state to commence the implementation of free health care services for pregnant women and children under five years.
Issuing the directive at Lalaipido Town in Shongom local government area of Gombe State at the official launching of the Maternal and New-born Child Health Week (MNCHW), Goje said the implementation was with ‘immediate effect’.
The governor said that the state government started implementing the free-health services programme some years ago and that there was need for the councils to do same at the grassroots level to complement the efforts.
The governor also directed that all necessary arrangements should be made for the inauguration of the state’s taskforce on immunisation, headed by the Emir of Kaltungo, Alhaji Sale Muhammad.
Kaduna
The Nigeria-Sao Tome and Principe Joint Development Authority (JDA) has executed 28 educational projects in Nigeria worth more than N560 million.
The Chairman of the organisation, Amb. Sa’idu Pindar, said this during the inauguration of a security fence and gate-house at Government Girls Secondary School (GGSS), Samaru, Zaria.
Pindar said the projects were spread across 28 states of the federation, adding that JDA would cover the 36 states.
In his words, “we want to cover the remaining eight states in Nigeria so that the entire country will benefit from our projects. Each of these projects has a minimum and maximum budget of between N15 and N25 million. This indicates that each of the projects averagely costs N20 million.
Katsina
The Katsina State Education Fund spent over N66 million in training 10,000 secondary school students who failed WAEC/NECO examinations in the last 12 years in the state.
The Director-General of the fund, Alhaji Umaru Ali, told newsmen in Katsina that the training was to enable the students to qualify for university admission.
He explained that the fund is an NGO focusing in training secondary school students who have deficiencies in their examinations to get a minimum of five credits through either of its two special training programmes, namely; Continued Education and JAMB Clinic.
According to Ali, over N48 million have been spent on its continuing education programmes since inception in 1999 and that more than 5,000 students have so far benefited from such training while many of them have gained entry into universities. .
Kebbi
The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) Office has executed 6,504 community development projects nationwide in the past three years.
The Chairperson of the House of Representatives Committee on MDGs, Hajiya Saudatu Sani, made the disclosure on Friday, in Birnin Kebbi, at the inauguration of some MDGs projects. The 22 projects inaugurated by the Chairperson were facilitate by the MDGs Office and Alhaji Abdullahi Farouk, a House member representing Birnin kebbi, Bunza and Kalgo Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives.
Gov. Saidu Dakingari who spoke at the occasion urged other politicians to emulate the lawmaker in the provision of social services that would add value to the lives of the people.
He said he would support individuals and groups toward the actualisation of the MDGs programmes,”especially in the health, education and agriculture sectors”.
Lagos
John Utaka, a Nigerian International with Portsmouth in the English Premier League, has announced his intention to float a Foundation to empower indigent children and youths in the country.
Briefing journalists last Thursday in Lagos, the Portsmouth striker said that the decision for the ‘John Utaka Foundation’ was stimulated by the need to give something back to society.
”I believe that giving back to the society is very essential because I was in the system before I travelled abroad where I started playing my professional football.
Education is a human right and it should not be denied any child,” he said. Utaka said that the foundation would work in partnership with other organisations like Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to empower the youth through providing them scholarships.
He said that while the foundation’s focus would be providing formal education, nevertheless, it would also be empowering the youths through work placements and vocational training.
Ogun
The Ijebu-Ode local government of Ogun State on Friday, inaugurated an environmental task force to enforce the relevant laws in the area.The task force, comprising 90 youths, is to ensure sustainable clean environment and check environmental pollution in the area. In his inaugural speech, the chairman of the council, Mr. Mufutau Oseni, said the task force was constituted due to the increase in environmental pollution.
Oseni also noted that the unwholesome activities of some residents had destroyed the beauty of the area.
He said that members of the task force had been specially trained to cover all the nooks and crannies of the local government, adding that the operation of the force had legal backing.
The chairman urged the task force to discharge their duty without fear or favour and warned the people to desist from flouting sanitation laws as sanctions awaited offenders, no matter their status in society.
Earlier, the leader of the task force, Mr.Bolaji Odunusi, promised that they would discharge their duties diligently.Odunusi urged the members to eschew violence, acts of rudeness or disobedience to the constituted authority.
He also appealed to the community leaders to enlighten their people on the need to maintain peace and cordiality whenever the task force visited their areas.
Sokoto
Alhaji Mohammad Abubakar, Sokoto State Commissioner of Police, says the command is working in conjunction with the Sultanate to check the menace of hooligans in the state.
Abubakar told newsmen in Sokoto on Saturday, that the command would continue to partner with the traditional institution towards the improvement of security and cordial relationship among the people.
He acknowledged the immense support of the sultanate in the efforts at checking nefarious activities and improving the sense of security among the populace.
Abubakar said that a comprehensive list of area boys had been submitted to the sultanate council to ensure their proper rehabilitation and reintegration into the society.
Jigawa
The Executive Secretary, Jigawa State Pilgrims Welfare Board (JSPWB), Alhaji Suleiman Usman, says the state government has approved the fares for this year’s pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia.
Usman told newsmen last Friday in Dutse, that the fares would be as announced by the National Hajj Commission.
He said that each intending pilgrim would pay 750 dollars (about N482, 679.33) for economy class; second class passengers would pay 1,000 dollars ( N516.766.83) while first class passengers would pay 1,500 dollars ( N591, 769.43).
Usman urged all intending pilgrims in the state to contact officials of the state Pilgrims Welfare Board in their respective local government areas and zones for necessary arrangement.
He said that the board had also made necessary arrangements for Islamic clerics who would give lectures on how pilgrims were expected to conduct their spiritual and moral obligations while in Saudi Arabia.
The Rivers State Commissioner for Education, Dr. Peters Nwagor, has commended the orderly conduct of the ongoing 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination in the state and urged schools to sustain the standard.
Dr. Nwagor gave the commendation on Tuesday during a monitoring tour of selected secondary schools in Port Harcourt and environs where the WAEC exam is ongoing.
The commissioner, who was accompanied by directors and monitors from the Ministry of Education, said he was impressed with the peaceful atmosphere at the centres visited.
“The students conducted themselves properly and wrote their papers under conducive conditions. Invigilators and supervisors also performed their duties professionally,” he stated.
Nwagor noted that the Rivers State Government had invested heavily to ensure the smooth and credible conduct of the examination across the state
He urged candidates to reciprocate government’s effort by shunning all forms of examination malpractice and focusing on their studies.
“Government has done so much to ensure successful examinations in our schools. Students should take advantage of it by remaining focused,” the commissioner said.
While no case of malpractice was recorded in the centres inspected, Dr. Nwagor warned that any principal, teacher, invigilator, or official caught aiding malpractice would face strict sanctions in line with regulations.
He also commended school administrators, teachers, WAEC officials, and security personnel for upholding the integrity of the process.
Centres visited included County Grammar School, Ikwerre/Etche; Government Comprehensive Secondary School, Borokiri; Government Secondary School, Borokiri; and Pabod Model Secondary School.
Rivers State University and the Otonti Nduka Foundation for Values Education jointly hosted a two-day National Conference on 8 and 9 May 2026 to examine the state of values in Nigeria.
The two days conference held at Rivers State University convocation arena brought together academics, policymakers, legal experts and education leaders under the theme _“Trends and Challenges in Upholding Values in Nigeria.”_
The gathering focused on policy gaps, curriculum reform, and the role of ethics in public service and education.
The event opened on Friday with remarks from Vice Chancellor Prof. Chief Isaac Zeb-Obipi, who stressed the need to address declining moral and civic values across Nigeria’s education and public sectors. A book of abstracts for the plenary sessions was also presented to participants.
Key speakers included former Attorney General Chief Dr Kanu Agabi, SAN; NERDC Executive Secretary Prof. Shehu Salisu; Prof. Hauwa Imam, FNAE, of the University of Abuja; former Rivers SUBEB Chairman Ven Dr Fyneface Akah, ; former NIMASA DG Dr Hon. Dakuku Adol-Peterside; and RSU Director of ICT Prof. Sunny Orike.
Discussions centered on integrating values education into schools, tertiary institutions and public institutions, alongside the impact of technology on moral development among young Nigerians. Panel and plenary sessions produced practical recommendations for curriculum and policy reform.
On Saturday, the foundation marked its centenary with the unveiling of the book _Otonti Nduka in History_, launched by Chief Engr. Grant Offor, FNSE. The Nigerian Academy of Education held a ceremonial procession led by its President Prof. Olu Jegede and the Ikwerre Professors Forum.
In a communiqué, participants called for stronger collaboration between government, civil society and academia to mainstream values education nationwide. They recommended reviewing teacher training curricula and expanding digital platforms to promote ethical civic engagement, with the foundation pledging to share the outcomes with education authorities for implementation.
Dignitaries present included Ogbakor Ikwerre Worldwide as Chief Host, Prof. Emeritus Chief T. Uzodimma Nwala, the Ikenga 1 of Mbaise and first philosophy student of Prof. Otonti Nduka, alongside scholars and community leaders.
Amadi Akujobi
