Nation

THE STATES

Published

9 years ago

September 18, 2017

Adamawa
Governor Mohammed Bindow of Adamawa State last Wednesday said his administration would inject more resources into the state civil service for efficient service delivery.
Bindow made this known at the swearing-in of two Permanent Secretaries in Yola, describing civil service as a veritable instrument for positive change.
He said that improving its standard would engender better service delivery in the state.
Bindow assured civil servants in the state of his commitment to improving their welfare in order to get the best from them.
While urging the newly sworn-in permanent secretaries to uphold their oath of office by being fair and just in the conduct of their duties, he said that their choice was based on merit.

Bauchi
The Bauchi State Agency for Control of HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, Leprosy and Malaria (BACATMA) has distributed 13 ultra modern Tuberculosis diagnostic machines to 13 local governments, its Executive Secretary, Mansur Dada, said last Thursday.
Dada told newsmen in Bauchi that each of the 13 local governments got one Gene-Xpert machine.
He said the machine was for quick diagnosis of tuberculosis samples within three hours, thereby reducing the burden of manual laboratory tests.
He added that the agency procured the machine to ensure fast and easy diagnosis and release of results so that patients could start treatment without delay.

Borno
The Police in Borno State last Wednesday said a top Boko Haram commander together with other members of the group had surrendered to the command in the state.
The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Victor Isuku, said in a statement issued in Maiduguri that the insurgents unconditionally surrendered to men of the command.
“The counter terrorism effort of the Nigerian military, code named “Operation Safe Corridor” recorded another victory with the unconditional surrender to the police by high profile repentant Boko Haram terrorists.
“On September 10, at about 21: 00 hours, the intelligence arm of the Special Anti Robbery Squad (SARS) of the command, were able to negotiate a peaceful surrender of repentant Boko Haram terrorists with their families.

FCT
The Ministry of Power, Works and Housing has signed a tripartite agreement of N120 billion with Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) and Julius Berger Plc. for the construction of Bonny-Bodo road.
The Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola at the tripartite agreement and contract signing last Wednesday in Abuja said the project would revive and strengthen the nation’s economy.
The 34 kilometres road when completed would boost socio-economic development in the country and improve the lives of Nigerians in the Niger Delta region living on Bonny Island, Ogoni, Okrika, Eleme and Andoni.
Fashola emphasised that the project was in compliance with the Federal Government’s Economic Recovery and Growth Plan which had infrastructural provision as one of its pillars.

Kaduna
The Northern States Governors and traditional rulers last Wednesday agreed to hold town hall meetings in all the 19 states in the region on restructuring of the country.
The decision followed a closed door meeting chaired by Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State in Kaduna.
He told newsmen after the meeting that the inputs collated from across the region would be used as a working document by the technical committee on restructuring set up by the two bodies.
“We will also extensively engage all shades of opinion leaders in the North on what should be an aggregate position of Northern region of Nigeria.”
He said that the technical committee was set up to come up with acceptable, and sustainable position of the Northern region in consonance with provisions of the 1999 Constitution.

Kano
The Kano State Government has awarded contract for the upgrading of Kano City ancient wall as part of plan to make the state capital a mega city.
The Permanent Secretary, Kano State Bureau for Land Management, Alhaji Muhammad Yusuf, said this while awarding the contract to Messrs Tamidan Nigeria Limited in Kano last Thursday.
Yusuf said the state government was determined to beautify and up-grade Kano to become a mega city.
He said the contract include grading and sand-filling of the space by the wall from Gadon-kaya gate to Kofar Na’isa gate.
The permanent secretary called on the residents of the state capital to cooperate with the contractor.

Kogi
Kogi State House of Assembly last Wednesday set up a seven-man committee to dialogue with the organised labour in the state in apparent bid to avert a looming industrial action.
The organised labour in Kogi State had earlier issued a one week ultimatum to the Kogi State Government to pay its workers their full salary or risk a strike.
Reports that the action followed the adoption of a motion of Urgent Public Importance moved by Haruna Idoko Musa (APC-Idah) at a plenary in Lokoja.
Musa had said that it would be disastrous for the workers go on strike “at this trying period” of the nation’s economy.

Kwara
The Kwara State Police Command says it has arrested the alleged abductor of a 17-month-old baby who snatched the Hyundai car from the mother of the baby.
The Commissioner of Police in the state, Mr Lawan Ado, disclosed this while addressing journalists at the police headquarters in Ilorin last Wednesday.
He gave the registration number of the car as Lagos EPE 168 CF, saying that it belonged to one Mrs Omotoyosi Adewoye of Gaa Akanbi Area in Ilorin.
Ado said the suspect who attended same church; Living Faith Church, Offa Garage, with the owner of the car, requested for a ride, pretending to be going to same direction with her.

Lagos
Stakeholders in the aviation sector last Wednesday expressed divergent views over plans by the Federal Government to concession Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos and Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
Reports say that Vice President Yemi Osinbajo had last Monday announced that the Federal Executive Council (FEC) had approved the concession of both airports to improve their efficiency and service delivery.
The Chairman of Air Peace , Mr Allen Onyema told newsmen that the decision was a step in the right direction.
“Government has no business in doing business and that is the truth. If the Federal Government now decides to concession the airports, that is the right thing to do”.

Niger
The Niger State Government says it has released N13 million for the medical treatment of Mr Dauda Mohammed, a former President of National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS).
The Senior Special Assistant, Media and Publicity to Governor Abubakar Bello of Niger State Mr Jide Oritunsin disclosed this to newsmen last Thursday in Minna.
Mohammed, who was NANS’ President from 2011 to 2012 needs an urgent medical treatment for liver cirrhosis in a recommended Indian hospital.
Reports indicate that NANS’ President, Mr Chinonso Obasi last Wednesday led a peaceful protest to the Niger Government House to demand for the immediate release of funds for Mohammed’s treatment.

Nasarawa
The Nasarawa State Commissioner for Education, Tijjani Ahmed, has urged proprietors of private schools to beef up security in their schools in order to protect their students and teachers.
The commissioner made this call last Thursday in a meeting with proprietors of private schools in Lafia.
According to him, the call became imperative, in view of the current kidnapping of students and teachers in other states of the federation.
He noted that the state government put in place the precautionary measures in order to safeguard the schools before any unpleasant thing could happen.
Ahmed explained that apart from the parameter fencing, the school management needed to beef up security and monitor human and vehicular movements in and out of the the schools.
“The management should put machinery in motion to ensure that anybody coming in or out of the school including the staff goes through a check.

Ogun
The German government says it has concluded plans to train 10,000 Nigerian youths in Ogun and Plateau States between September 2017 and June 2018 to enable them acquire vocational skills.
Mr Horst Bauemfeind, an official of GIZ, the German National Agency for International Cooperation, stated this in Abeokuta last Thursday at the inauguration of the committee for the monitoring of the initiative in Ogun.
Bauemfeind said that the project would provide demand-oriented vocational training for young persons in the agriculture and construction sectors considered to be two areas with high growth and employment potentials.
He further said that the gesture was part of an ongoing development cooperation between Nigeria and Germany based on bilateral agreement.
The German official, who said that 5,000 youths would be trained in Ogun, explained that his team had already embarked on an assessment tour of vocational centres and technical colleges in the state to identify possible gaps and areas of needs.

Nation

REAN, SON synergise to curb fake renewable energy product

Published

1 week 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

1 week 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

1 week 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.