Nation
THE STATES
Adamawa
The Madagali Local Government area of Adamawa says it will engage the services of private revenue collectors to boost its internally generated revenue.
The council chairman, Alhaji Chibado Tijjani, disclosed this to newsmen in Madagali.
Tijjani said that the measure became necessary because of the poor performance of the council’s revenue collectors.
“The performance of the council revenue collectors is not encouraging at all.
“We need to engage more serious tax agents to handle the revenue generation,” Tijjani said.
He urged the people in the council area to pay their taxes and other levies promptly to the government to enable it to meet the growing developmental needs of the electorate.
Bauchi
Bauchi State Government has identified 11 cotton producing areas and set up a committee to resuscitate and fast-track cotton production.
Alhaji Isa Jibril, the Permanent Secretary, Deputy Governor’s office, stated this when he received in audience the new Deputy Governor of the state, Alhaji Sagir Saleh, in his office on Monday.
He said that already, the state government had bought improved variety of cotton seeds, worth over N2 million, for sale to farmers at 50 per cent subsidy.
Jibril also told the deputy governor that the state government had disbursed a grant of N225 million to nine community banks to enable them to migrate to micro-finance banking.
Our correspondent reports that the deputy governor doubles as the chairman, Micro-finance bank committee
Benue
A 32-year-old teacher, John Agbo, was on Monday arraigned at a Makurdi Chief Magistrate’s Court for collecting N8,500 each from three persons to buy them fake admission forms.
Agbo, from Ugbokolo in Okpokwu Local Government Area of Benue, was charged for cheating in contravention of Section 322 of the Penal Code Law.
The Prosecutor, Mr Moses Akor, told the court that the complainants, Justine Tersoo, Doris Akputu and Jennifer Ikoamo, reported the matter to the B Division Police Station in Makurdi.
They said each gave N8,500 to the suspect to buy the admission form of Open University, Lafia, for them but the forms he brought were fake.
Akor further said that Agbo was arrested during police investigation and that N25,000 had been recovered from him.
However, when the case was mentioned on Monday at the court, the accused pleaded not guilty.
FCT
The Nigerian Navy yesterday signed a partnership agreement with an European firm, TP Marine Global services Ltd., to establish a ship building facility in Lagos.
Speaking at a brief ceremony in Abuja, the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ola Ibrahim, said the project would be wholly financed by the firm while the navy would provide the land for the facility.
Ibrahim, who was represented by the Chief of Policy and Plans, Rear Admiral, James Oladimeji, said the completion of the facility would mark the beginning of self reliance in ship maintenance and repairs in the navy.
Our correspondent reports that the facility will be sited at the Naval Dockyard in Lagos and will be engaged in ship building, repairs and maintenance of vessels.
Kano
The National Association of Kano State Students (NAKSS), has pleaded with the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) and the State Security Service (SSS) to help it to locate the whereabouts of its missing member, Auwal Shanono.
A statement signed by the union’s National President, Auwal Dansherif, in Kano yesterday said that Shanono got missing recently.
The union also appealed to the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) to assist in locating the missing student.
Katsina
Farmers in Funtua, Faskari, Malumfashi, Bakori and Dandume Local Government Areas of Katsina State on Tuesday called for the revival of the annual agricultural shows aimed at promoting professionalism and markets.
A cross section of farmers told newsmen in Funtua , Katsina State, that such shows would enhance competition among farmers and encourage the cultivation of varieties of crops.
They maintained that such initiative would also boost food production and provide the avenue for farmers to sell their produce at competitive prices to compensate for their investments.
Lagos
A former governor of Lagos State, Chief Lateef Jakande on Tuesday urged heads of governments at all levels to step up efforts to take education to its rightful position.
The renowned journalist and elder statesman told newsmen in Lagos that the poor state of education in Nigeria was due to neglect by succeeding governments.
“My advice to the newly inaugurated governments at all levels is for them to ensure that they honour all pledges they made during their election campaigns.
“First and foremost, they should make education their first priority by ensuring that they return it to its former high position,’’ Jakande said.
Ogun
Residents of Abeokuta and its environs have lamented the scarcity and high cost of kerosene, newsmen report.
The residents who besieged the NNPC mega station to purchase the commodity raised alarm over the alleged persistent hike in price by the management of the station.
Our correspondent who visited the mega station located at Abiola Way, Abeokuta yesterday, observed a disorderly crowd of customers pushing themselves in a bid to purchase the cooking commodity.
Some of the residents who spoke to newsmen alleged that the attendants did not follow due process in the sale of the commodity.
Ondo
The Ondo State Government has warned that it would no longer tolerate illegal extension of structures to the roads, particularly in Akure and other major towns.
The Commissioner for Land and Housing, Alhaji Sikiru Basaru, told newsmen in Akure that the state government was committed to the success of its urban development projects.
Basaru said that appropriate government authorities were ready to arrest and prosecute whoever violated the existing laws in the state.
“The development of our society is in the overall interest of everyone in the state.
“No society can move forward until the people cultivate the habit of obeying the rules, regulations and laws put in place by the government to facilitate development,’’ Basaru said.
Oyo
Mr Taiye Adeleye, the South-West Coordinator, National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), said on Tuesday in Ibadan that the scheme had registered more than 90 per cent of the federal workforce.
Adeleye said at a one-day provider sensitisation seminar organised by the United Health Care International that the scheme was the best method of providing medical care worldwide.
He said the Federal Government would soon roll out a programme that would enhance the scheme to cover all Nigerians by 2015.
The coordinator said the scheme was also designed to cater for the vulnerable, physically challenged, orphans, aged and pregnant women.
“This scheme is designed by the Federal Government for different segments of the society.”
Adeleye said the NHIS had ensured that Health Management Organisations (HMOs) registered the beneficiaries and provided them with quality medical care and products.
The General Manager, United Health Care International, Dr Olusegun Odujebe, said the forum was organised to educate the health care providers and get feedback on their activities..
Plateau
Members of the House of Representatives voted for Aminu Waziri Tambuwal as Speaker on Monday because the PDP did not carry them along on its choice of who to vote for, Rep. Godfrey Gaiya said yesterday.
“We (members) were not carried along in arriving at the PDP decision; no one sought our input.
“The party just announced a candidate and issued a directive,” Gaiya (PDP-Kaduna) told newsmen in a telephone interview in Jos.
The defeat of Mrs Mulikat Akande-Adeola (PDP-Oyo) by Tambuwal (PDP-Sokoto) in Monday’s contest is seen as a negation of the PDP’s zoning formula, which reserves the seat for the South-West.
Sokoto
The Sokoto State Governmnt spent N439 million on Ramadan feeding programme in four years, Governor Aliyu Wamakko has announced.
Receiving the report of the six-member committee set up to review the programme in Sokoto, Wamakko said his administration was committed to the sustenance of the programme as part of his campaign promises.
He said the Ramadan was a period when all acts of benevolence was highly rewarded by God.
Wamakko urged wealthy individuals, members of the state executive council and other top government officials to complement the efforts of the state government in ensuring that the programme was sustained and improved upon.
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.
