Nation
THE STATES
Adamawa
Adamawa Muslim Pilgrim’s Welfare Board has received an initial allocation of 2,401 seats from the National Hajj Commission for the 2012 Hajj.
The Administrative Secretary of the board, Malam Musa Lamurde, disclosed this in an interview with newsmen in Yola.
Musa explained that the seats had been distributed to the 21 local government areas of the state.
He said a committee had been set up to train and enlighten the intending pilgrims on how to perform the Hajj.
Lamurde called on the Hajj commission to allow state pilgrims boards to feed their respective pilgrims during the Hajj in Saudi Arabia.
Benue
Benue State House of Assembly has passed the bill seeking to amend the 2007 Local Government Law .
Our correspondent reports that with the passage of the bill, the tenure of elected local government councils in the state would be slashed from three to two years.
The bill was passed last Tuesday by the legislature during its plenary session through a voice vote conducted by Speaker David Iorhemba.
Iorhemba said that local council caretaker committees would be appointed to oversee the affairs of the councils for six months.
He said the committees would comprise seven members – chairman, vice chairman and five supervisory councillors.
He further said that the committees would be dissolved after inauguration of elected councils.
FCT
The Federal High Court in Abuja has directed the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to serve former Gov. Timipre Sylva of Bayelsa with summons by substituted means.
The court gave the order in Abuja on Monday following the EFCC’s request.
EFCC had on February 24, dragged Sylva to court on alleged misappropriation of N6.46 billion state funds.
Justice Adamu Bello gave the order in a ruling on an exparte motion filed by Mr Festus Keyamo, counsel to the prosecutor.
“The application is granted.
“So, the prosecutor is now authorised to either serve the accused person by pasting the service on the gate of his house at No 3 River Niger Street, Maitama, Abuja or through publication in not less than two national dailies.’’
The prosecutor had sought the order of the court to allow it to serve Sylva the summons by substituted means “in view of his evasive nature.’’
The anti-graft agency, in suit number FHC/ABJ/CR/23/2012, claimed that Sylva and others now at large, committed the offence between October 2009 and February 2010.
Gombe
The Chief (Mai) of Tula in Kaltungo Local Government Area of Gombe State, Alhaji Abubakar Buba, has called on entrepreneurs to invest on the rich tourism potential in the area.
The Monarch made the call in an interview with newsmen in Kaltungo.
Buba said such investment would boost the economy of the state and improve the lives of the people there.
“I am calling on both local and international investors to invest in Tula because in the North East I would say, Tula stands out to be different in terms of the weather, the high altitude and the historical background of the chiefdom.”
He said Governor Ibrahim Dankwambo had assured the people of the area of his plan to develop the tourist sites in the area to attract investors.
He identified resorts and hotels as well as iron and solid minerals, as some of areas in which the investors can put in their money.
Jigawa
The Fadama III Office, in collaboration with the Jigawa Government, has disbursed the sum of N189 million to farmers to boost commercial agriculture in the state.
The Fadama National Project Coordinator, Mr Tayo Adewumi disclosed this during the inauguration ceremony of the project and disbursement of cheques in Dutse.
Adewunmi said that 36 Fadama Community Associations and 432 Fadama User Groups in the state would benefit from the programme.
Represented by the Zonal Coordinator, Alhaji Bala Shaibu, Adewunmi said that the project’s concept was “community-demand-driven”, adding that every stakeholder in the business must be carried along.
He urged beneficiaries to use the funds for the intended purpose so as to produce more food for consumption and for export.
In his remarks, Gov. Sule Lamido, said that his government was committed to boosting agriculture, being the occupation of the teeming populace in the state.
Kwara
The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) says it will continue to embrace policies and programmes which promote unity and peace among students.
The association stated this in a release in Ilorin against the background of the ongoing 13th West Africa University Games (WAUG) at the University of Ilorin.
The release issued by the association’s Sports Director, Saheed Ninalowo, was made available to newsmen.
The association said policies and programmes like WAUG would bring together students and other youths across the world to share common ideas and values.
“The Games provided a medium of bringing all students across West African universities together to agitate and discuss policies and programmes that affect their existence,,’’ it said.
Lagos
A pan-Yoruba socio-political group, Atayese, on Tuesday, urged the state governors to each organise referenda in their respective states and ethnic nationalities to determine what the people wanted.
At a news conference in Lagos, the Chairman of the group, Chief Tokunbo Ajasin, said it was the people’s desires that should be reflected in the presentations at the national conference Nigerians were clamouring for.
“The agitations for a sovereign national conference are okay but it must be preceded by a referendum.
“The people of each ethnic nationality must be allowed to decide on issues that they want to bring to a national discourse,” he said.
Ajasin suggested that the referenda should not be delayed to avoid more tension in the polity.
Nasarawa
The Nasarawa State House of Assembly has passed the N104 billion appropriation bill for the state for 2012.
The House Speaker, Ahmed Musa-Mohammed, said that the appropriation bill was increased by over N7 billion to N104 billion to enable the government complete pending projects.
Musa-Mohammed said that the increase was specifically to construct three kilometres of road in each of the 13 local government areas of the state.
He said that the Clerk of the House had been directed to produce a copy of the bill for ratification by the Committee on Finance and subsequent assent by the governor.
Before the passage of the budget, Muhammed Baba- Igbako, representing Udegye/Loko Constituency, had urged the House to expunge the provision for establishment of an airport in Lafia from the budget.
Niger
The prevalence rate of HIV/AIDS has dropped from 6.2 per cent to 4.0 per cent in Niger, Director General, Niger Action Committee on HIV/AIDS Mr Baba Umaru, has said.
“The drop was due to effective awareness campaign embarked upon by the committee across the state,” Umaru said on Monday in Minna in an interview with newsmen.
He added that the support and cooperation received by the committee from the government also contributed in reducing the pandemic.
The director general said the services of the committee had been made available in all the 25 local government areas of the state.
Osun
More than 73,000 children under the age of five years were immunised against polio in Olorunda Local Government Area of Osun during the second round of the 2012 immunisation exercise.
The Council’s Immunisation Officer, Mrs Jumoke Akande, disclosed this on Tuesday in an interview with newsmen in Osogbo.
Akande said the exercise was to ensure that all children between 0 to 59 months were given oral polio vaccine to protect them against poliomyelitis.
“ A day-old child is expected to be immunised at least few hours after birth until the child is nine months to have the normal routine immunisation,’’ she said.
Plateau
The Plateau government has earmarked N8 billion for the construction of additional water reservoirs to mitigate water shortage in Jos metropolis and adjourning towns.
The amount would also be deployed to overhaul old water pipes and lay new ones to address persistent shortage of potable water in the state.
The Commissioner for Water Resources, Mr. Idi Waziri, told newsmen in Jos that an initial N2.2 billion earlier released by the state government was used to rehabilitate three water treatment plants.
He explained that the rehabilitated plants would provide 140 million litres of water daily to the metropolis.
“This will improve the situation drastically as only 30 million litres are currently being pumped out,’’ he said.
Waziri, however, declared that the full potential would be achieved only when all the old pipes were overhauled and more water reservoirs constructed.
“We have finished the mechanical aspect which is the rehabilitationof the three water treatment plants.
Sokoto
The President of the Pontifical Council on Inter-religious Dialogue at the Cardinal James Tauran, Vatican, has called for sustained dialogue to ensure global peace and unity.
Tauran made the call in Sokoto when he paid a courtesy call on Gov. Aliyu Wamakko as part of his one-week working tour of Nigeria.
Tauran also said the fight against illiteracy and diseases should be fought collectively by Muslims and Christians globally.
“There must be moral formation and we must be peace-makers in the churches, mosques, schools and the universities, among others.’’
He said that in spite of the cultural and religious diversities, dialogue brings about change at all levels.
“In spite of all the diversities of religions, cultures and ethnicity, we are all the same and it is good to live together.’’
He commended the existing cordial relationship between the Muslims and Christians in Sokoto State, describing the state as a model in NIgeria.
The Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, has reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to enhancing the safety of the seafaring profession and upgrading maritime institutions to international standards.
Speaking at the 2025 World Seafarers’ Day celebration in Port Harcourt on Wednesday, organised by NIMASA, with the theme, “My Harassment-Free Ship.
He said that this year’s theme “speaks to our collective duty to make every ship a safe and respectful workplace noting that harassment and bullying have no place in our maritime industry.
The Minister further emphasised the importance of continuous training and retraining to ensure seafarers remain competitive and employable.
Also speaking, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Muhammadu Maigari, emphasised that seafarers are the backbone of international trade, facilitating the smooth transportation of goods and services across the globe.
He stressed the need to eliminate all forms of violence, harassment, and bullying against seafarers.
In his welcome address, the Director-General of NIMASA, Dr. Dayo Mobereola, emphasised the need for the maritime community to prioritise the welfare, safety of seafarers and maintain zero tolerance for harassment.
According to the DG, “Today provides opportunity for the Maritime Community to honor seafarers globally for their immense contribution to both domestic and international trade, powering the blue economy and connecting nations across oceans”.
He said that this year’s theme was particularly apt, as it was a call to action to “ensure that our seafarers feel safe, are valued and protected while at sea because the ship is not just their place of work; it is their temporary home. It must therefore reflect the highest standards of dignity and professionalism fostering zero tolerance for harassment”.
He declared that NIMASA must continue to play its part in ensuring that Nigeria contributes effectively to regulations affecting seafarers, as Nigeria remains the highest contributor of seafarers in Africa. “Our men and women sail on vessels in our domestic waters and also globally. This will continue to grow through the Nigerian Seafarers Development Program (NSDP) and the effort of our Maritime Training Institutions.
‘At the recently concluded 113th session of the International Labour Conference held in Geneva, seven (7) amendments to the MLC 2006 code addressing a broad range of issues affecting seafarers, including the recognition of seafarers as key workers, improved protection against ship board violence and harassment, enhanced access to shore leave and repatriation and updated medical and occupational safety standards were approved by an overwhelming majority.
These seven (7) amendments reflect collective global effort to align maritime Labour standards with the evolving landscape of global shipping.
I, therefore, call on shipowners, operators and crewing agencies to begin to review their operational manuals to align with these amendments ahead of the expected entry into force in December 2027. Our seafarers must be able to report grievances without fear of retaliation, while also ensuring protection against vexations or malicious complaints.
He added that NIMASA will play its role by establishing clear policies and procedures for preventing and addressing harassment on Nigerian-flagged vessels, ensuring confidential reporting channels for incidents of harassment and that reports are thoroughly investigated and addressed.
“Today is a clear reminder to us all – government, employers, unions, shipowners, and civil society- that seafarers should not be left alone in their struggles. They look up to us to help them foster a culture of zero tolerance on ships to protect their dignity”, he stated.
He also assured that under his leadership, NIMASA will ensure compliance with regulatory requirements, particularly the renewal of entries into force by ship owners, operators, and relevant agencies come December 2027.
Stakeholders drawn across the four local government areas of Ogoniland in Rivers State, have expressed delight over the excellent performance of the Project Coordinator of the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP), Prof Nenibarini Zabbey within the past two years, describing him as a true patriot, who has been showing leadership in delivering service to the people.
The stakeholders, who gave the indication in their separate goodwill messages during the mid-term stakeholders engagement and scorecard presentation organised by HYPREP in Port Harcourt, scored the Project Coordinator high on the Ogoni cleanup and the overall implementation of the recommendations of the UNEP Report on Ogoniland.
The President of KAGOTE and Board member of the Ogoni Trust Fund, Hon Emma Deeyah, particularly commended Zabbey for turning around the fortunes of the Ogoni people, as they are now having value for the money earmarked for the cleanup project, describing the Project Coordinator as “one of our best.”
He noted that Zabbey has done well on the saddle, working very hard, being an administrator and leader with listening ears, striving assiduously to meet the yearnings and expectations of the people.
He said the Ogoni cleanup is a journey that has just begun, stressing that he was happy that the Project Coordinator is not on the saddle to amass wealth but to deliver and achieve results, and appealed to the Ogoni people to continue to give him their support.
On his part, member representing Gokana/Khana Federal Constituency in the National Assembly and Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Host Communities, Rt Hon Dumnamene Dekor, said HYPREP under the watch of Zabbey is working with renewed vigour, and thanked the Project Coordinator for driving the Ogoni cleanup project with passion.
He noted that the funds dedicated and earmarked for the project are running out, disclosing that he was working on an Executive Bill, to facilitate the work of HYPREP.
While stressing the need for the people to take full responsibility of all the projects sited in their communities, Dekor regretted that some beneficiaries had sold the starter packs presented to them by HYPREP, while the water facility provided in his Bierra community has been vandalised.
The King of Tai Kingdom, King Samuel Nnee, said HYPREP under Zabbey as Project Coordinator has been delivering on its mandate, describing him as a square peg in a square hole, who has given hope to the Ogoni people.
The monarch urged the Ogoni people to give the Project Coordinator the necessary support.
The Paramount Ruler of Barako Community and member of the Governing Council of the University of Port Harcourt, Mene Kadilo Kabari, said Zabbey has always demonstrated that he is a true patriot by carrying along Ogoni people from all strata of the society, describing him as a performing Project Coordinator.
He noted that the bane of HYPREP before now had been the conflict between the Project Coordinator and the Minister of Environment, saying, under Zabbey, Ogoni people can now see what unity of purpose can achieve.
He expressed delight that the water facility which was the first commissioned by HYPREP in his community is functioning optimally following the solar-powered system installed by the Project.
The King of Eleme Kingdom, King(Dr) Philip Osaro Obelle thanked HYPREP’s management team for all that it is doing in Ogoniland, stressing that the Project was built on the graves, bellies and blood of Ogoni sons and daughters who lost their lives during the Ogoni struggle.
He, therefore, advised HYPREP “not to deviate from the expectations of our heroes but to do those things that would benefit Ogoni people for the betterment of Ogoniland.”
Former Nigerian Ambassador to Netherlands, Hon Oji Ngofa said HYPREP has been like the government of Ogoniland, and harped on the sustainability of all the projects.
According to him, Zabbey has been giving HYPREP a human face.
Former Vice Chancellor of the Rivers State University, Prof Barineme Fakae applauded Zabbey for the construction of the Centre of Excellence for Environmental Restoration, and stressed the need for the implementation of the recommendations of its technical committee which recently submitted its report.
According to him, if the project succeeds, Ogoni people are going to succeed.
Chief Priscillia Vikue, on her part, thanked Zabbey for his outstanding performance, saying, the women of Ogoni are very happy with what he is doing in Ogoniland.
While scoring the Project Coordinator highly on his performance, she said the women are happy because Zabbey knows what he is doing with HYPREP.
“You went to school.You did not cut corners.You are a square peg in a square hole.You have engaged women and the youths. We have seen what you have done. And we give you A1”, she said, and challenged Zabbey to see how more women would participate in the project and also how to sustain it.
In his remarks, the Project Coordinator, Prof Nenibarini Zabbey said the mid-term engagement is important because “it allows us to present tangible evidence of progress in the Ogoni cleanup effort, reinforce accountability, deepen transparency, and most importantly, enables HYPREP to interact directly with the communities and stakeholders who are the heartbeat of this project.”
He noted that the scorecard presentation is designed to show what HYPREP has achieved across key thematic areas, what challenges it is currently grappling with, and what the road ahead looks like, saying, “it is a moment for stocktaking and for re-affirming our shared commitment to the success of the Ogoni cleanup project”.
According to him, HYPREP has recorded commendable progress in the implementation of its core mandates in line with UNEP recommendations and the directives in the official gazette establishing HYPREP.
Donatus Ebi
The South-South representative of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) Board, Rt. Hon. Aboh Uduyok, has concluded his one-day official visit to Captain Elechi Amadi Polytechnic in Rumuola, Rivers State, with the unveiling of the Mass Communication Department classroom building. The project was executed under the 2021 TETFund intervention project.
During the unveiling of the project, Tuesday in Port Harcourt, Rt. Hon. Uduyok commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his commitment to the educational sector and praised the polytechnic’s management for utilising TETFund resources judiciously.
He noted that the quality of ongoing projects met approved specifications, and expressed satisfaction with the institution’s progress.
The TETFund representative stated that his visit was aimed at familiarising himself with beneficiary schools, assess fund utilization, and identify challenges.
He assured the school management that he would convey their requests for constructing engineering works and hostel accommodations to the board and notify them of any approval.
Rt. Hon. Uduyok explained that the TETFund Board is not initiating new projects this year, except where necessary, due to presidential directives. However, he commended the institution for the commendable quality of both completed and ongoing projects.
In his welcome address, the Rector of Captain Elechi Amadi Polytechnic, Dr. Moses S. Neebee, thanked the TETFund representative for visiting, and highlighted the institution’s successes and challenges. He requested support for hostel accommodations and engineering works, emphasising that a higher institution without hostels is akin to a glorified secondary school.
Dr. Neebee while briefing the visitor on the institution’s progress, noted that it currently runs 21 National Diploma programme and five Higher National Diploma courses. He disclosed that the school accessed the 2021 TETFund release in full but faced challenges with the 2023 fund due to harsh economic conditions and bid process delays, which increased project costs. The Rector pleaded for assistance in securing additional funds for the 2023 intervention release.
Akujobi Amadi