Nation
THE STATES
Adamawa
The Adamawa government has requested for the permission of the state House of Assembly to source for about 24 million dollars loan from Islamic Development Bank (IDB).
Gov. Murtala Nyako, in a letter to the House in Yola on Wednesday, said he wanted 24.1 million dollars from IDB to finance the construction of three new science secondary schools.
Nyako said the schools would be sited in the three senatorial zones of the state.
“One will be in Madagali town to carter for 360 male students. The one in Southern Zone, also for 360 male students, is to be located in Mayo-Belwa while the one for Central Zone is to be located in Song for 600 female students.’’
Ekiti
The NDLEA Commander in Ekiti, Mr Bamidele Akingbade, says about 424 acres of land planted with Indian hemp has been destroyed in the state within the last one year.
Akingbade said this on Wednesday in Ado-Ekiti at a lecture to commemorate the 2011 International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.
The event was organised by the Psychiatry Department of the University Teaching Hospital, Ado-Ekiti.
The NDLEA boss listed Ise-Orun, Ilejemeje, Ido-Osi, Ado-Ekiti and Ikere as local government areas notorious for the cultivation of Indian hemp in the state.
He described Ekiti as one of leading states in the cultivation of Indian hemp, saying the notorious trade had become highly profitable.
FCT
Mr Stephen Frahm, Consular Chief of the U.S Embassy on Wednesday in Abuja advised Nigerians wishing to travel to that country to apply for visas at least a year ahead of time.
He said this at the embassy’s monthly briefing which had consular operations as the focus.
Frahm said the number of applicants outnumber those that can be accommodated daily, noting that this contributes to delays.
“ In Nigeria, there are a greater number of applicants than we have the ability to process. The number of people that can be processed in a given day is finite and that’s why it takes a long time in many instances to get an appointment.
Gombe
Twelve farmers were killed and nine others critically injured when thunder struck in Gelengu village in Balanga Local Government of Gombe State during a heavy downpour.
Malam Umar Ahmed, the Nigeria Red Cross Disaster Coordinator in charge of Gelengu, near Gombe, said.
Our correspondent on Wednesday in Gombe report that the incident occurred on Tuesday at around 1 p.m.
Ahmed said that the victims were on their farms when the rain started.
He said that the rains started with a storm, the victims scampered for shelter when the thunder struck.
Kaduna
As part of its efforts to protect its forest and prevent desert encroachment, the Kaduna State Government plans to plant one million tree seedlings this year.
Mr Anthony Kachiro, the Director of Forestry, state Ministry of Environment, said this on Wednesday in Kaduna in an interview with the newsmen.
He said the tree seedlings would be distributed to the 23 local government areas of the state after the launch of this year’s Tree Planting Campaign.
The campaign, he said, would be launched on Thursday in Kajuru Local Government Area.
Lagos
Mrs Amina AZ-Zubair, a former Senior Special Assistant to the President on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), says MDGs represent essential steps in tackling climate change challenges.
Az-Zubair said this in Lagos on Wednesday at the 6th Nigerian Institute of Building (NIOB)/ Dr Newton Jibunoh Lecture on “Sustainable Buildings as Tool for Driving Investment”.
She was represented by Mr Oluwole Edun, a Director in the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on MDGS.
Nasarawa
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) says no fewer than 11 persons were rescued when an uncompleted three-storey building collapsed on Wednesday in Mararaba, Nasarawa State.
NEMA Public Relations Officer, Malam Yushau Shuaib , told newsmen that rescue operation was continuing to determine the actual number of casualties in the incident.
He said NEMA had been holding series of meetings on to move the victims and residents around the site to a safe environment.
Officials of the NSCDC, NEMA, FRSC, civil society groups as well as members of the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN) were said to be involved in the rescue operation.
Ogun
Governor Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun on Wednesday vowed to take back all the assets allegedly sold or given out on concession by the immediate past administration of Chief Gbenga Daniel.
Besides, he indicated his readiness to revoke all the state lands allegedly sold to some individuals and corporate organisations by the Daniel administration.
Amosun gave this indication while speaking at a stakeholders’ forum in Abeokuta to mark one month of his administration.
Ondo
The Ondo State House of Assembly has urged the State Executive Council to take proactive measures to
prevent flooding in the area.
The speaker, Mr Samuel Adesina, made the call in Akure while commenting on the Elegbin River flooding of some areas of the state capital due to a heavy rainfall last week.
The Majority Leader, Mr Dayo Akinnsoyinu, also called on the state government to take some preventive measures to avoid natural disasters such as flooding.
Oyo
The Environmental Health Officers Registration Council of Nigeria (EHORECON) has appealed to Gov Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State to employ more Environmental Health Officers (EHOs) to rejuvenate sanitary inspection in the state.
Mr Joseph Ayoola, the council’s representative in the state made the appeal while speaking with the newsmen on Wednesday in Ibadan.
Sokoto
Alhaji Muktari Mapia, Deputy Treasurer PDP, Sokoto State, has appealed to members of the National Assembly (NASS), to introduce legislation that will reduce poverty in the country.
Mapia told newsmen in Sokoto on Wednesday that poverty and unemployment posed a serious threat to the nation.
He said time had come for the National Assembly to encourage governments to provide modern farming input to farmers at controlled prices.
Mapia explained that such equipment would enable youths to engage in farming, thereby creating job opportunities.
Taraba
Taraba House of Assembly has approved the nomination of Mr. Augustine Katakata as a commissioner and member of the State’s Executive Council.
The Tide reports that Katakata, who hails from Yorro Local Government Area, could not be screened together with his 12 colleagues due to poor health.
The Majority Leader of the House, Mr. Charles Maijankai, moved a motion that the commissioner should be allowed to take a bow and leave the chamber without answering questions, being a former member of the Assembly.
Zamfara
The Zamfara State House of Assembly has promised to tackle the high rate of maternal mortality in the state through increased funding of the primary healthcare system.
Alhaji Sanusi Rikiji, the Speaker of the assembly, made the promise on Wednesday when officials of the Development
Research and Projects Centre (DPRC) visited him.
He expressed the state government’s concern over the increasing rate of maternal mortality in spite of efforts being made to control it.
The speaker said the legislature would ensure that funds allocated to the health sector were judiciously used.
He also said the assembly would ensure that funds were sufficient for quick intervention in the health needs of women and children, particularly for primary healthcare services.
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.