Nation
THE STATES
Benue
The Benue State House of Assembly has directed former Chairman, Ukum Local Government Area, Mr David Sevav to refund N25 million, following an audit report which indicted some officials in local government councils in the state..
Sevav is to pay the money into the treasury of the council’s cooperative thrift within one month with evidence of payment to be submitted to the Committee on Public Accounts.
The House also directed the Sports Officer of Apa LGA, Mr Matthew Ofenkwu to refund N2 million to the coffers of the local government within one month.
The House gave the directive during a debate of the report of the Auditor-General on activities of Local Government Counclis from 2008 to 2010.
Borno
Borno State Police Command has denied media reports on alleged killing of a Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in Gwoza Local Government Area by suspected terrorists.
Some media organisations had reported that the DPO and his deputy were killed during an attack by suspected terrorists recently.
But Mr Dideon Jibrin, the spokesman of the command, said in a statement in Maiduguri that the story was untrue.
“I wish to state for the avoidance of doubt that at no time was the DPO or his deputy killed by suspected terrorists.
“The story is absolutely untrue,” Jibrin said.
FCT
An Abuja Grade 2 Area Court has sentenced a labourer, Abbah Lawal, to two months imprisonment for stealing a generator under the guise of assisting a trader to salvage his property from fire.
The trial judge, Ahmed Ado, sentenced Lawal, after he pleaded guilty to the one-count charge of theft.
Ado said the sentence would serve as a deterrent to others who might want to engage in such act.
He, however, gave the convict an option of N2000 fine.
Gombe
Gombe State Government has acquired and installed equipment worth N200 million for the full take-off of Gombe State University Medical College.
The Commissioner for Higher Education, Dr. Isa Wade, made the information known in an interview with newsmen in Gombe.
“The equipment which we bought for N200 million have been delivered and some of them are being put into use for the training of students,” he said.
According to Wade, the governor has approved another N50 million for the purchase of furniture, laboratory equipment and other facilities for the college.
Kaduna
The Nuhu Bamalli Polytechnic, Zaria, Kaduna State, has lauded the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) for developing and reviewing its 87 curricular and 356 instructional materials in engineering, science, business and technology.
Alhaji Adamu Aliyu-Shika, the Institute’s Rector, said this at a one day training workshop on curriculum and instructional materials organised for technical and vocational education teachers by the institute.
He said that without the support of NBTE, being the supervisory body of polytechnics and other similar institutions, the success achieved would not have been possible.
Aliyu-Shika explained that the workshop was primarily designed to enhance the curricular of technical and vocational education teachers’ programmes.
Kebbi
The Fiscal Responsibility Commission says it has embarked on inspection of the ongoing Federal Government projects in the six geo-political zones.
It’s Commissioner, Alhaji Zakari Sada, made this known in an interview with newsmen in Birnin Kebbi.
Sada said that the inspection was part of measures to ensure strict compliance to budget implementation.
He said the commission embarked on tour of Federal Government projects in the six geo-political zones “to obtain assess compliance to financial commitment of the government.
Kwara
The newly appointed Secretary, Board of Fountain University, Osogbo, Mr Yinka Yahaya has called for the establishment of more universities in Nigeria.
Yahaya made the call in Ilorin while speaking with journalists.
He said that the establishment of more universities would ease the difficulty Nigerian students faced in seeking admission for higher education.
According to him, more universities will enhance the development of human capital and accelerate national development and technological breakthroughs.
Lagos
The China Machinery Engineering Corporation, managers of Phase 2, Omotosho Power Plant, Ondo State, says it has completed the 500mw plant.
The Managing Director of the company, Mr Liu Zhao-Long, told newsmen in Lagos that all the four turbines were functioning.
“The project had been completed but the official commissioning will take place later this month. It will be commissioned by President Goodluck Jonathan.
“We have finished work on Omotosho Phase 2. The four turbines are contributing 500 Mega Watts to the national grid.”
Nasarawa
The House Committee on Finance and Appropriation in Nasarawa State House of Assembly says it increased the 2013 budget of N107 billion by N3 billion.
The Chairman of the committee, Mr Philip Gyunka, made this known while presenting its report on 2013 budget in Lafia.
Gyunka said the addition would facilitate the conduct of local government election, provide infrastructure for rapid development and fertilisers to boost food production in the state.
“The committee has added N3 billion to the budget of N107 billion earlier presented by Gov. Tanko Al-Makura, to ensure adequate provision of infrastructural facilities across the state.
Niger
The Chief Judge of Niger State, Justice Jibrin Ndajiwo, has said that inadequate funding of the judiciary by the federal and state governments was responsible for delays in justice delivery.
Ndajiwo made the statement in Minna at the opening of the 39th Joint Conference of Chief Judges, Grand Kadis and Presidents, Customary Courts of Appeal of the Northern States and FCT.
According to him, there is no compliance with Section 121(3) of the 1999 constitution.
The section states: “Any amount standing to the credit of the judiciary in the Consolidated Revenue Fund of the state shall be paid directly to the heads of the courts concerned.’’
Ogun
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo last Wednesday urged Nigerians to take advantage of public institutions that were established for their benefits.
Obasanjo said this in Abeokuta while playing host to the Commissioner, Public Complaint, Commission in Ogun State, Mr Wale Banjo and his team.
He said that one of such institutions was the Public Complaints Commission established to intervene and investigate acts of injustice and victimisation of any citizen free of charge.
“Most citizens do not make use of this opportunity probably because they do not know enough about the commission,” he said.
Oyo
A 25-year-old, Tijani Bilia, was remanded in prison custody for stealing an iron rod valued at N150,000.
The defendant was arraigned on a one- count charge of stealing before a Senior Magistrates’ Court.
The prosecutor, Insp. Aliu Samad, told the court that the defendant stole the iron rod belonging to one Babatunde Oladele.
Samad said the incident occurred last Friday at 10:00am at Oluyole Estate in Ibadan, adding that the offence contravened section 390 (9) of the Criminal Code Cap 38 Vol. II Laws of Oyo State, 2000.
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.