Nation
THE STATE
Adamawa
The Community-Based Agriculture and Rural Development Programme (CBARDP) has distributed N15.6 million agricultural inputs to farmers in Adamawa, the State Project Coordinator, Mr Musatafa Raji, has disclosed.
Raji, who disclosed this during the inauguration of the agriculture exhibition in Mubi last Thursday said that the project had also initiated a N200 million project for the procurement of 30 hand pumps.
According to him, 135 knapsack sprayers and 81 hand pumps were distributed to dry season farmers in the last three months.
He further said that 54 hybrid cattle, 100 rams, 32 goats, 28 pigs, 12 oil milling and four grinding machines were also distributed to farmers cooperative societies to encourage agricultural activity, reduce poverty and enhance wealth creation among the rural farmers.
“Under irrigation programme, 40 hectares of land have been put to use for cultivation of perishables such as onions, pepper, tomato, lettuce and cabbage.
Bauchi
The Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) in Bauchi State has appealed to passengers to assist in the fight against overloading by commercial vehicle drivers.
Making the plea in Bauchi while speaking to newsmen, the Public Enlightenment Officer of the commission in the state, Malam Ibrahim Gaidam, noted that overloading was a problem not only to the passengers and vehicles, but also contributes to the deplorable road conditions.
According to him, overloading means excess weight on the roads, and damage of the highways.
He said passengers could assist by ensuring that only the stipulated number of passengers per vehicle was carried for safety and well-being of passengers.
“Vehicles are constructed to carry particular weight and overloading them can cause accidents, damage to the vehicles, as well as the road itself.
“One can see that a vehicle carrying stipulated number of passengers lasts longer than the one that carries heavy goods,” he said.
Borno
The Deputy-Governor of Borno State, Mr Zanna Mustapha, says the state will collaborate with the Federal Ministry of Environment to actualise and achieve renewable energy.
Mustapha said this in Abuja on Thursday in an interview with newsmen after a meeting with the National Coordinator, Renewable Energy, Federal Ministry of Environment, Mrs Bahijahtu Abubakar.
However, the National Coordinator, Renewable Energy noted that all the comments at the meeting were encouraging, adding that she was excited at the new phase of the development in Borno.
Abubakar listed the frontline states in renewable energy development in the country, including Kaduna and Cross River.
A stockebroker, Mr Emma Ndidi, explained that the unimpressive dividend announced by some companies contributed to the lull experienced in the market.
FCT
The Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) has signed a N363 million contract with two indigenous firms for the 2009 to 2011 Oil and Gas and the 2007 to 2010 Solid Minerals audit.
Sada, Idris & Co, was hired to audit Oil and Gas sector while Haruna Yahaya & Co would audit Solid Minerals sector.
At the signing ceremony of the contract, Mrs Zainab Ahmed, the Executive Secretary of NEITI, charged the firms to ensure integrity and professionalism on the project.
She explained that the signing of the contract was part of plans to make NEITI’s audit regular and comprehensive in order to fast track the transparency process in the sector.
Ahmed said the agency would soon begin to automate its audit process and data gathering methods in line with its development plan.
Kaduna
North West zonal office of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has begun the campaign against Lassa fever which has claimed at least 40 lives in 12 states.
A statement issued in Kaduna and signed by NEMA’s zonal coordinator, Musa Ilallah said the campaign was aimed at curtailing the spread of the disease.
“A survey by NEMA showed that 12 states have recorded cases of Lassa fever and this prompted our quest to sensitise the populace to the danger and likelihood of the disease spreading to other parts of the country.”
NEMA said that researches conducted by experts had revealed that people were infected by consuming food or drinks contaminated with rat excreta or urine.
Katsina
The Katsina State Senior Magistrates’ Court III has fixed March 26 for mentioning of a charge of rape levelled against a former police corporal.
Abutu Joseph is alleged to have raped a cripple and her daughter inside the Katsina Central Market Police Post on December 16, 2011 while on night duty.
The prosecution said the woman and her daughter, who came from a nearby village, were lured by Joseph to spend the night at the station to avoid being harassed, while searching for accommodation in the town.
The accused person allegedly raped the duo in the night and appealed to them not to reveal the matter.
Kwara
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) on Thursday inaugurated Disaster Risk Reduction clubs in some schools in Kwara.
The NEMA Zonal Coordinator, Mr Ishaya Chonoko, explained that the Federal Government inaugurated the clubs to prepare youths for Disaster Risk Reduction programme.
He told newsmen on the sidelines of the inauguration that the exercise would be carried out throughout the federation in both primary and secondary schools.
Members of the club, he said, would become agents in the manaement of basic emergency situations occasioned by fire, flood, epidemic and windstorm disasters.
Lagos
Chief Executive Officer of the Eko Electricity Distribution Company, Lagos, Mr Oladele Amoda, says the company has invested more than N1 billion in new projects.
Amoda, who spoke at an interactive session with newsmen in Lagos, said that the company had embarked on several projects to boost electricity supply to its customers.
He said that the company had constructed a new 15 KV injector sub-station in Yaba to reinforce supply to numerous customers in that area.
Ogun
A former Commonwealth champion in long jump, Yusuf Ali, has called for a four-year budget plan for sports in Nigeria, to enhance its development.
Ali told newsmen that inadequate funding had continued to slow down the development of sports generally, and athletics in particular.
“Until we have a special budget for sports in Nigeria, we will continue singing the old song,” said the former Olympian.
According to him, other countries have continued to be ahead of Nigeria because of the peculiar manner they fund sports.
Ondo
The Police in Akure has arraigned a 28-year-old woman, Folashade Babatunde before an Akure Senior Magistrates’ Court for allegedly pouring faeces on a female banker.
The accused, a trade and HND student at Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, Owo in Ondo State was docked before Mrs Rabi Abdulahi on a two-count charge of act likely to cause breach of the peace and unlawful assault.
Babatunde was accused of pouring faeces on one Agnes Olasehinde, a 27-year-old banker with the First Bank Plc, Alagbaka branch, Akure.
The offence, according to the Police Prosecutor, ASP Ayodele Atandeyi, was allegedly committed on Feb. 24, at about 12.30 p.m. at the First Bank Plc, Alagbaka branch, Akure.
Osun
The Osun State Commissioner for Health, Dr Temitope Ilori, has expressed optimism that the Lassa fever epidemic would not spread to the state due to the premium placed on hygiene.
The commissioner spoke to newsmen in Osogbo while reacting to the prevalence of the epidemic in some parts of the country.
The state conducts an environmental sanitation exercise twice in a month.
Ilori, who explained that Lassa fever is a rat-borne disease due to dirty environment, lamented that the infection had already recorded casualties in some states.
Sokoto
Chairman Ansaruddeen Society of Nigeria, Sokoto State chapter, Sheik Bilyamu Ajani, has called on Christians to use the current lent period to pray for the political stability of the nation.
Ajani, who made the call in an interview with newsmen in Sokoto on Tuesday, said prayers would also help to guarantee God’s protection for the citizens.
He said that lent was a time for the Christians to be close to their creator just as the Muslims usually observed the Ramadan fast.
He explained that the country was in dire need of prayers for God’s guidance, peace, progress and political stability.
Ajani also called on Nigerians to physically demonstrate the teachings of the two major religions in their day-to-day activities.
Eight states across Nigeria have converged in Port Harcourt for the 2026 edition of the President’s Inter-Senior Secondary Schools Debate Championship, hosted by Rivers State Government.
The three_days championship, themed “27th Democracy & 3rd Year Anniversary of President Ahmed Tinubu Inter-Senior Schools Debate Championship,” opened on Monday at Government Girls Secondary School, Rumueme, Port Harcourt.
The participating states are Ebonyi, Abia, Delta, Sokoto, Yobe, Kwara, Enugu, and host state Rivers. Each state is represented by its top debaters selected through state-level contests.
Declaring the event open, the Rivers State Commissioner for Education, Dr. Peters Nwagor, said the championship goes beyond winning trophies. He described it as a national investment in the next generation of leaders.
“This platform is for nurturing young minds,” Nwagor said. “It builds critical thinking, research skills, confidence, effective communication, and the ability to engage constructively with views different from one’s own. These are the very qualities upon which responsible leadership and nation-building are founded.”
The Commissioner commended the organizers, participating schools, teachers, and coordinators for their commitment to promoting intellectual excellence among Nigerian youths.
He urged the students to compete with confidence, discipline, and respect. “Debate is not merely about winning an argument,” he noted. “It is about listening carefully, reasoning with clarity, presenting your evidence with honesty, and having the grace to learn from others. Let the quality of your ideas and the strength of your character define your participation here.”
Nwagor assured the participants that Rivers State is proud to play its part in raising a generation that will bring bold and innovative solutions to the country’s challenges. He wished all teams a rewarding, memorable, and successful championship.
Earlier in his welcome address, the National Coordinator of the President’s Schools Debate Nigeria, PSDN, Elder Dare Oritu, called the event a “gathering of minds” drawn from different parts of the country.
According to Oritu, debate is about three things. “It is about _unity_. It brings us together from different schools and backgrounds to learn from one another. It is about _broadening the mind_. It teaches you to think deeply, to listen well, to ask ‘why,’ and to defend your ideas with facts and respect. It is about _preparing you for leadership_. The problem-solvers and decision-makers of tomorrow are in this hall today.”
He reminded the students that debate is not a contest of aggression. “Debate is _not a fight_. We challenge ideas, not people. It is _not about who is better_. And it is _not do-or-die_. We win with grace, and we learn with humility,” Oritu said.
The PSDN National Coordinator encouraged all participants to compete with integrity, speak with clarity, and leave wiser than they came. He wished them the very best throughout the competition.
Highlights of the opening ceremony included the official draw for debate matches, administered by PSDN officials. The pairings will determine which states face each other in the preliminary rounds as the battle for the 2026 national title begins.
Amadi Akujobi
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
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