Nation
THE STATES
Mr Markus Gundiri, Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) Governorship candidate for Adamawa, Mr. Markus Gundiri, has promised to resuscitate the ailing agro-allied industries in the state, if elected in April. Gundiri, who made the promise in an interview with newsmen in Abuja, said he planned to achieve the goal by collaborating with the private sector.
He said the major challenge of such industries had been the lack of sufficient electricity supply.
Gundiri said he would also concentrate on the exploration of the mineral deposits, to enable the state to earn foreign exchange.
He expressed the desire to contest the seat, to enable him to change the lot of the people by addressing poverty and underdevelopment in the state.
Poverty, he said, would assume an alarming proportion if left unaddressed.
Governor Sule Lamido of Jigawa has appealed to politicians in the country to shun sentiments in their campaigns for votes.
Lamido made the appeal at Yankwashi, Jigawa, while inaugurating a new road linking Yankwashi Local Government Area with other parts of the state.
“It is unfortunate that my fellow politicians use religion, tribalism and sectionalism to seek support from people.
“This time around we are no longer going to tolerate this; we are all Nigerians and we belong to one nation, one destiny and one family,’’ the governor said.
He appealed to the people to come out en-masse and vote for President Goodluck Jonathan and Vice-President Namadi Sambo.
According to the governor, the Goodluck/Sambo ticket on PDP platform is a good omen for the country.
The Commandant, Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA),Kaduna, Maj.-Gen. Chukwu Onwuamaegbu, has described social interaction with the civil society as necessary for the Nigerian Army to succeed.
Onwuamaegbu made the remark in Kaduna, during the West African Social Activities (WASA)/Physical Military Training, organised by the Nigerian Army depot. The event was held in honour of 65 Regular Recruit Intakes in Zaria, Kaduna State.
He said that social interactions remained vital in fostering unity between the army, their friends, families and the public.
According to him, it promotes peace, unity, understanding and affinity, thereby keeping soldiers’ minds alert.
The Kano State chapter of the Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria (MHWUN) has begun negotiations with the state government to find ways of improving its health care delivery.
The Chairman of the union, Malam Kabir Ado, who disclosed this to newsmen in Kano, said the decision followed the procurement of medical equipment and drugs for government hospitals in the state.
He said the forum was being attended by the representatives of the health workers in the state and officials of the state government, adding that the outcome of the meeting would determine the union’s next line of action.
On the implementation of the Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS) for the members of the union, Ado said the body had rejected the offer of 70 per cent implementation by the state government.
The Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) says it has charged five persons to a Magistrate’s Court in Jega, Kebbi State for allegedly violating the Electoral Act during the nationwide voter registration.
The state Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Alhaji Kabir Ahmed, told newsmen that two of the accused persons engaged in double registration in Gwandu and Birnin Kebbi Local Government Areas. He said the commission registered a total of 1,638,325 voters during the exercise. Ahmed said the exercise was successful, stressing that some of the challenges it encountered were addressed while registration officers were orderly.
The REC said apart from the initial protests by NYSC Assistant Registration Officers who objected to their non engagement for the exercise, no negative incident was recorded.
The Kogi State Government has commenced full implementation of the Consolidated Medical Salary Scale (CONMESS) for doctors in its health institutions. Dr Dorcas Onuminya, the state’s Commissioner for Health, who disclosed this to newsmen in Lokoja said payment of the new salary commenced in July last year.
The commissioner said that nurses and other health personnel in the Specialist Hospital, Lokoja, had also started enjoying the Consolidated Health Salary Scale (CONHESS).
She, however, confirmed that nurses and other health personnel in the state’s Health Management Board and the health ministry were yet to benefit from the new scale because of its high financial implications.
The National President of the Nigerian chapter of Junior Chamber International (JCI), Mr Julius Mmejim has called on the Federal Government to train more youths in information technology and agriculture.
He made the call in Ilorin recently at a news conference held to announce the group’s Area ‘A’ National Conference tagged “Garin-Alimi 2011″.
Mmejim said that such youth-training activities would go a long way to address the menace of unemployment and youth restiveness in the country.
He urged the government to empower the youth through various skill acquisition activities, saying that the menace of unemployment had forced many youths to go into crime.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Thursday took to court the former Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Mr Raymond Omatseye, over alleged illegal transfer of the agency’s funds.
In an 11-count charge brought before Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court, Lagos, the EFCC said that the ex-NIMASA boss illegally transferred 300,000 pounds sterling from the agency’s account.
According to the EFCC, Omatseye allegedly used the money to fund the candidacy of one Mrs Mbanefo as the Secretary-General of International Maritime Organisation.
The EFCC also alleged that Omatseye used his position as the Director-General of NIMASA to award contracts to 10 companies without approval from the NIMASA board.
The companies included Wabil Nigeria Limited, Franxeel Limited, Layol Commercial Services Nigeria Limited, Harmach Integral Services Ltd and Njamu Nig. Ltd.
Former President, Olusegun Obasanjo has admonished Nigerians to remain united to ensure the country’s rapid development.
Obasanjo made the call in Minna recently at the launch of the re-election campaign of Governor Babangida Aliyu of Niger.
He expressed dismay that those fuelling disunity in the country were those who had benefitted immensely from Nigeria through sound education and good positions in government.
The former president said that it was regrettable that these Nigerians were now calling for the country’s disunity, using religious and ethnic sentiments.
He advised all the citizens to endeavour to promote Nigeria’s unity, noting that such concerted efforts would engender the country’s development in a pragmatic way.
Obasanjo said he believed that the mistakes of Nigeria’s past leaders could be corrected by the current generation of Nigerians if they supported their leaders in efforts to foster quality governance.
INEC in Ondo State says it registered about 1.55 million eligible voters during the recently-concluded voter registration.
The INEC administrative secretary in the state, Dr Samson Awujoola, told newsmen in Akure that the electoral body was able to overcome the initial hiccups.
He said Akure North local government had the highest number of voters with about 251,468 people registered.
He said Akoko South East local government recorded the lowest eligible voters with 26, 875 people.
Awujoola further said that the all the 18 Local Government Areas of the state supported the corps members and relevant security agencies to ensure success.
Education stakeholders have advised the Osun State Government to be cautious over its plan to return some public schools to their original owners.
The stakeholders gave the advice in a communiqué, issued at the end of the two-day Osun Education Summit, held in Osogbo from February 7 to Feb. 8.
Members of the Summit Committee, Mrs Modupe Ajayi-Gbagbo, Mrs Kemi Adesina and Mr Semiu Okanlawon signed the communiqué.
The conference said the return of schools to their original owners in Osun was a very sensitive issue that needed serious deliberation and consultation before action could be taken.
The 18-point communiqué also stated that education policies should be devoid of political considerations, while appointments, recruitment and execution of projects in the education sector should be based on merit.
It also urged the state government to give the deserved priority to education to rescue it from crisis.
Automobile spare parts dealers at the Delimi market in Jos have announced their relocation to Jos-North shopping complex in the wake of the reccurrent crisis in the state.
Mr Anselem Ebosie, Chairman, Jos-North Automobile Spare Parts Association (JASPA), told newsmen in Jos that the relocation was necessitated by incessant attacks at their former base.
He said: “The crisis at Delimi has led to the loss of so many lives. The market is on the street, and we were always victims of the riots. That made it difficult for us to operate.
“The recent killing of many of our members around the market was the last straw.”
Ebosie said the traders would not return to Delimi, but listed challenges facing them at the new market to include the absence of toilet facilities and the lack of adequate security.
He appealed to Jos North Local Government authorities and managers of the market to provide the facilities to ensure a more conducive atmosphere for business.
Former Chairman of Isa Local Government Area in Sokoto State, Alhaji Abdullahi Yusuf, has expressed optimism that the people will massively vote for Governor Aliyu Wamakko during the April polls.
“Sokoto people are not clamouring for any political change because we are comfortable with the manifesto of the PDP-led administration under Wamakko,” he said.
Yusuf told newsmen in Isa that the “people-oriented programmes” embarked upon by the administration had reformed the state for optimal goals.
He said the government’s creation of jobs for over 70,000 youths and women through the skill acquisition programmes had enhanced socio-economic and political development of the state.
“What we fail to achieve in eight years was made possible by Wamakko administration in less than four years.”
He called on the electorate to vote for all PDP candidates in the April polls, to ensure continuity.
“Any person that offers you money, collect it but make sure you cast your votes for Wamakko in April,” he said.
Youths from five local government areas in Northern Cross River State have concluded a one-week warning protest and blockade of the dilapidated Ikom-Wula-Obudu federal highway over the weekend.
They have vowed to resume the road blocks if by this week the authorities do not intervene to fix the road.
More than five thousand locals, mostly youths from Obanliku, Etung, Obudu, Ikom and Boki LGAs trooped out everyday for one week, used palm trees to block the highway to draw state and federal government’s attention to their plights, requesting the repair of a road has has been unmotorable for about 40 years.
They warned that if they do not see any actions from the state or federal governments, they will resume their Plan B protest, stop revenue collections and make governance unpalatable.
The youths also warned that without interventions on the road which has claimed several lives, including that of last week when a pregnant woman died with her baby in the full glare of the protesters because of the terrible road, no election can hold in the area next year.
One of the leaders of the No Road , No Election protest, who is also the Abo Youths in Boki LGA, Dr Martins Assam said both the federal and state governments have neglected the region, which generates more than 70 percent state revenue from agriculture.
He said if machinery is not deployed by next week, they will not have any option than to embark on unpalatable and disastrous protest, and stop revenue collections in the area.
“Last week we had only a warning strike for one good week. We’ll embark on a more elaborate, disastrous one-month blockade of this highway until they intervene. We call on our Governor and representatives in the National Assembly to act now by impressing on the federal government to immediately fix this road else. We’re not asking for two much but to be treated as human beings.”
Another protester, Clinton Obi from the Etung axis said, “We’ve been neglected for 40 years. This Ikom-Obudu federal highway had been impassable. The government has removed its concentration from our plights. By this one week protest, we want action on this road otherwise the next phase of protest will be costly.”
Reverend Father Francis Amaozo, priest in charge of St. Nicholas parish in Nashua, Boki LGA said, “I have also been a victim of this very deplorable road. Enough is now enough. We’ve been betrayed by our representatives and other leaders, so that we in this axis have become endangered species on this road. I have lost some many members on this road.”
Member, representing the Boki-Ikom federal constituency of the state in the House of Representatives, Bisong Victor Abang had pleaded with the locals to be a bit more patient with the government as action will commence shortly.
Nation
UNIPORT VC Receives Inaugural Lecture Brochure As Professor Highlights Urgent Need For Drug Repurposing In Malaria Fight
The Vice Chancellor of the University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT), Prof Owunari Georgewill, last Thursday received the inaugural lecture brochure from the Inaugural Lecturer, Professor Udeme Georgewill, during a ceremony at the university’s Centre of Excellence attended by academics, researchers, students, and distinguished guests.
Delivering her lecture, Professor Udeme Georgewill described the occasion as the culmination of years of dedicated research, teaching, and service to humanity. He explained that his work as a pharmacologist has consistently focused on finding practical, affordable, and scientifically sound solutions to health challenges that disproportionately affect developing countries, particularly malaria, which remains one of Nigeria’s most pressing public health concerns.
She noted that Nigeria continues to bear one of the heaviest malaria burdens globally, accounting for a significant percentage of worldwide cases and deaths. The disease, largely caused by the Plasmodium falciparum parasite and transmitted through Anopheles mosquitoes, remains especially dangerous for children under five years and pregnant women, threatening not only present populations but unborn generations. Despite years of intervention efforts, malaria continues to strain families, health systems, and the national economy.
Prof Georgewill empha-sised that while Artemisinin-based Combination Therapies such as Artemether-Lumefantrine remain the gold standard for malaria treatment, emerging resistance patterns pose a serious challenge. He explained that drug resistance is a survival mechanism of the parasite, enabling it to adapt and reduce the effectiveness of medications designed to eliminate it. According to her, instances where patients do not feel better after initial treatment sometimes lead to repeated dosing or the search for injectable alternatives, practices that can worsen resistance and complicate treatment outcomes.
Against this backdrop, she advocated strongly for drug repurposing as a strategic and urgent response. Drug repurposing, he explained, involves identifying new therapeutic uses for already approved and widely available medications. He likened the concept to “old wine in new wineskins,” stressing that medicines already proven safe for certain conditions can be carefully re-evaluated and optimised for new roles in malaria management. This approach, she argued, offers advantages such as reduced research timelines, lower development costs, and faster clinical application compared to developing entirely new drugs from scratch.
She disclosed that her research had progressed from laboratory investigations to clinical evaluations, where his team is studying combinations involving Artemether-Lumefantrine and Ivermectin to determine their effectiveness in improving treatment outcomes and possibly reducing transmission. Clinical trials are ongoing, and findings will be communicated upon completion of regulatory processes. However, he cautioned strongly against self-medication, warning that misuse of drugs without proper diagnosis and prescription can lead to organ damage, treatment failure, and increased resistance.
Referencing global health commitments, Prof Georgewill highlighted Sustainable Development Goal 3.3, which seeks to end epidemics of malaria and other major infectious diseases by 2030. She questioned whether the goal remains attainable under current realities, especially with growing resistance and funding gaps. He also referred to strategies of the World Health Organisation aimed at drastically reducing malaria incidence and mortality while pushing toward elimination in several countries.
Looking ahead, she revealed that her team is building comprehensive research databases to support artificial intelligence-driven drug repurposing. He stressed that the integration of artificial intelligence, molecular docking, and advanced screening technologies is transforming global drug discovery, and Nigerian researchers must be equipped to participate competitively in this evolving scientific landscape.
In her recommendations, she called for the establishment of a National Centre for Drug Repurposing to coordinate research efforts and leverage artificial intelligence in identifying new indications for existing medicines. He urged policymakers to simplify and accelerate the translation of laboratory discoveries into clinical application, ensuring that scientific breakthroughs benefit the public more efficiently. She also appealed to the university and relevant authorities to increase funding and modernise laboratory infrastructure, including high-throughput screening facilities, to strengthen Nigeria’s position in global biomedical research.
The lecture concluded with expressions of gratitude to God, the university leadership, colleagues, students, and guests, as the event underscored the University of Port Harcourt’s commitment to research excellence and its role in addressing critical public health challenges facing Nigeria and the wider world.
The Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, Niger State Chapter, has rejected the proposed Niger State Hisbah Directorates Bill, describing it as controversial and capable of deepening religious division in the state.
In a statement signed by the State Chairman, Bishop Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, and made available to The Tide’s source yesterday, the association urged Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago not to assent to the bill if it is passed by the State House of Assembly.
The bill, sponsored by the member representing Chanchaga Constituency, Hon. Mohammed Abubakar, seeks to establish a Hisbah Directorate in Niger State.
CAN warned that the legislation could be perceived as discriminatory against Christians and may heighten tension in the religiously diverse state.
“Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago, we, the entire Christendom in the state, wish to draw your attention to what could easily create division among the people you govern,” the statement read in part.
The association questioned the necessity and benefits of the proposed law, asking what economic or social value it would add to the state.
It further argued that existing security agencies, including the Nigeria Police and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, already have constitutional mandates to maintain law and order.
The Christian body also faulted the legislative process, disputing claims that it was consulted during a public hearing on the bill.
It insisted that it was neither invited nor notified of any such engagement, despite being a critical stakeholder in the state.
