Nation
THE STATES
Borno
The United Nations says it has distributed fertiliser, seeds and other inputs to 1.2 million farmers displaced by the Boko Haram insurgency in the North-East.
The UN Deputy Humanitarian Coordinator for Nigeria, Peter Lundberg told newsmen in Maiduguri that the gesture was to assist farmers who had returned to their homes in liberated communities.
Lundberg disclosed that the UN and its partners were currently providing food support to 1. 3 million displaced persons on monthly basis in the region.
He said that the measure was part of a comprehensive support programme to enhance food security and tackle humanitarian crisis occasioned by the insurgency.
“For the UN, food security situation is one of the major issues,” he said.
FCT
A combined military training organised by the United States Air Force (USAF) Command in Europe in partnership with the Nigeria Air Force (NAF) has opened in Lagos.
The Director of Public Relations and Information, NAF Headquarters, Air Commodore Olatokunbo Adesanya, disclosed this in a statement in Abuja. Adesanya said the week-long programme with the theme: “Aeromedical Evacuation and Medical Deployment”, began last Monday at the Sam Ethnan Air Force Base, Ikeja.
He said the programme would bring together countries in Africa to simulate a combined security and humanitarian environment.
Declaring the programme open, Governor Akinwumi Ambode, said the combined training was a welcome development.
Kano
A Kano Chief Magistrates’ Court recently ordered the remand of a teenager, Abdul Ibrahim in prison custody for allegedly defiling an eight-year-old boy. Ibrahim, 18, who lives in Brigade Quarters in Kano, is facing a charge of defilement. The Prosecutor, Sgt. Pogu Lale, told court that one Umar Jibrin of Tudun Murtala Quarters, Kano, reported the case at the Gwagwarwa Police Division in Kano on June 1. Lale said that on May 31 at about 7:00 p.m., the accused deceived and lured the boy to his brother’s shop situated at Brigade Market, Kano.
“The defendant deceitfully had canal knowledge of the boy and gave him the sum of N30,” he said.
Kebbi
Staff of Kebbi State House of Assembly last Monday embarked on an indefinite strike over the non-payment of their allowances for the past three years. It was gathered that the strike stalled the activities of the House as the workers’ chants made it impossible for the members to communicate, forcing a quick adjournment. Chairman, Kebbi State chapter of the Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria, Alhaji Mohammed Garba, who briefed newsmen on the action, said that workers were left with no other option after pleas to management yielded no fruits.
“We have pursued the payment of these allowances for the past three years.
“We have made several appeals and held meetings with the leadership of the House on the issue but to no avail,” he said.
Kwara
Vice-Chancellor, University of Ilorin, Prof. Abdul Ganiyu Ambali, has pledged to hand over a better institution than he inherited five years ago, to his successor.
Ambali, whose five-year tenure ends on October 15, 2017, disclosed this during an interview with newsmen last Tuesday in Ilorin. The vice-chancellor noted that his administration had done its best towards sustaining the legacies of the founding fathers of the University.
He added that he had also succeeded in maintaining an uninterrupted academic calendar as well as ensuring peace on campus.
Lagos
No fewer than 62 juvenile offenders and 67 inmates with disabilities held at Kirikiri Female Prisons and Kirikiri Medium Prisons, Lagos, were recently released on the orders of the State Chief Judge, Justice Olufunmilayo Atilade. She said her intervention particularly at the female prisons was part of efforts to address the problem of under-aged offenders being locked up in prisons across the state. Our correspondent reports that Atilade had on August 1 released 80 juvenile offenders held at Badagry Prison, Lagos, for sundry offences.
Nasarawa
The Joint Union of Tertiary Institution (JUTI) has called on the Nasarawa State Government to enrol its workers in the contributory pension sheme.
The Chairman of the union, Mr Ariks Bashayi told newsmen in Lafia yesterday that the call became necessary in view of the problems that had beset the existing pension scheme. “Under the current pension scheme, a lot of our staff who retired from service more than firve years ago have not been able to receive pension or gratuity, he explained. Bashayi also urged the managements of all the Nasarawa state owned tertiary institutions to allow their workers to join the contibutory pension scheme.
The College of Education Akwanga (COEA); State Polytechnic Lafia; College of Agriculture Lafia; and Nasarawa State University in Keffi are some of the state-owned tertiary institutions.
Niger
The Niger State House of Assembly has pledged to enact laws that would ensure an environment conducive to woo investors to the state.
The Speaker of the Assembly, Alhaji Ahmed Marafa, made the pledge in Minna during the 2017 Niger State Investment Summit which had as its theme: “Impact Investing for Advancing Agricultural Economy and Innovation.”
Oyo
A divorce-seeking housewife, Risikat Ojo, says her husband, Mathew Ojo, deserts home whenever Eid-el-Kabr and other festivals draw nearer in order not to spend money during the festival periods.
Risikat testified recently in an Idi-Ogungun Customary Court, Agodi, Ibadan, in a divorce suit she filed against her husband.
“My lord, Ojo did not pay my dowry and was in the habit of abandoning me at home and pack out to unknown destination whenever Ileya festival and other festivals draw nearer.
Plateau
The Plateau State Police Command has advised motorists to protect their vehicles with security gadgets.
It advised motorists to protect their vehicles with steering and pedal locks in addition to inscribing their vehicles’ registration numbers on the two windscreens, side mirrors and other parts. The Command’s Public Relations Officer (PPRO), ASP Terna Tyopev, gave the advice in a statement made available to newsmen last Tuesday in Jos. According to Tyopev, the advice became necessary because of the rising incidents of car theft in the state.
“We have observed with so much concern the rising spate of car theft within Jos and the environs, this is mainly because people park their vehicles with any form of security”, he said.
Sokoto
Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State last Tuesday urged corps members posted to the state to consider themselves as agents of change.
Tambuwal made the call at the closing of 2017 Batch ‘A’ stream II, NYSC orientation camp in Sokoto State. The governor urged them to freely mingle with the communities as well as engage actively in activities that would contribute toward economic development of the state. The Governor, represented by State Head of Service, Dr Abubakar Bello, urged corps members to also strive toward eradication of poverty, fight against corruption, drugs abuse and other social vices.
Zamfara
Chairman, Zamfara State Council of Chiefs, Alhaji Attahiru Ahmad, has attributed low turnout of electorate to collect their Permanent Voter’s Cards (PVCs) and participate in Continuous Voters Registration in the state to insecurity.
Attahiru, who is the Emir of Anka, stated this at his palace, Anka, last Tuesday, when he received in audience the state committee on mobilisation and awareness creation on the collection of PVCs. The 14-man committee was led by the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Alhaji Sanusi Rikiji. The emir noted that insecurity situation faced by the state had resulted to underdevelopment in various sectors, including PVC registration.
The Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) has commemorated the 15th anniversary of the release of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Environmental Assessment Report on Ogoniland, reaffirming its commitment to restoring the environment and improving the livelihoods of affected communities.
In a statement signed by the Project Coordinator, Prof Nenibarini Zabbey, to commemorate the anniversary, HYPREP described the anniversary as a significant milestone in Nigeria’s environmental restoration efforts, noting that the project has made remarkable progress in implementing the recommendations of the landmark UNEP report released on August 4, 2011.
The UNEP report had revealed extensive oil pollution across Ogoniland, severe environmental degradation, and serious public health risks resulting from decades of petroleum operations. It also recommended an initial $1 billion fund to commence the cleanup of the affected communities.
According to HYPREP, the Federal Government formally launched the Ogoni clean-up in 2016, while the Project Coordination Office was established in 2017 to drive the implementation of UNEP’s recommendations.
Zabbey said the current administration has continued to prioritise the project under the Renewed Hope Agenda.
Providing an update on the cleanup, the Project Coordinator disclosed that 30 of the 65 contaminated sites identified by UNEP have been fully remediated, while work is ongoing at several medium- and high-risk locations. It also stated that more than 1.5 million mangrove seedlings have been planted as part of what it described as the world’s largest restoration of oil-degraded mangroves, with over 1,000 hectares of shoreline already rehabilitated.
Zabbey further revealed that 49 Ogoni communities have been connected to potable water schemes through multiple water projects and booster stations aimed at providing safe drinking water across the region.
In the health sector, he said the 100-bed Ogoni Specialist Hospital in Kpite and the 43-bed Cottage Hospital in Buan are nearing completion, adding that several existing health facilities have been upgraded with modern medical equipment, while five ambulances have been donated to improve emergency healthcare services. The Project Coordinator also disclosed that a three-year human health biomonitoring study is being conducted in collaboration with the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).
On economic empowerment, Zabbey stated that the Project has created more than 8,000 direct jobs and trained thousands of Ogoni youths and women in various vocational and technical skills, including software development, cybersecurity, aviation, commercial diving, seafaring, mechatronics, and creative arts. The project also reported awarding scholarships to more than 1,000 students, providing grants to small businesses, and supporting persons living with special needs through skills acquisition programmes.
The statement further highlighted ongoing legacy projects, including the Ogoni Power Project and the Centre of Excellence for Environmental Restoration, which it said is about 96 per cent complete. HYPREP also welcomed the recent designation of the Ogoni Wetland as a Ramsar Site of International Importance and pledged to continue promoting biodiversity conservation and sustainable management of the ecosystem.
Marking the anniversary, Zabbey said the progress achieved over the past 15 years demonstrates the collective commitment of government, development partners, stakeholders, and local communities to restoring Ogoniland. He called for renewed collaboration to sustain the cleanup effort, promote environmental sustainability, and support the long-term development of the region. 3