Nation
THE STATES
Speaker, Rivers State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Otelemaba Amachree (left), former Speaker, Rt. Hon Tonye Harry (middle) and Leder of the House, Hon. Chidi Lloyd, scrutinising the 2013 Appropriation Bill prior to its passage, recently. Photo: Chris Monyanaga
Adamawa
The Lutheran Church of Christ in Nigeria has constructed a health clinic worth N4.5 million in Gombi Local Government Area of Adamawa.
The acting Bishop of Yola Diocese, Reverend Ishaku Bala, who disclosed this at the opening of a three-day conference of the diocese on Friday in Gombi said that the clinic was built to address the health needs of the people in the area.
Bala added that the church had implemented several human capacity buildings programme to improve the living standard of its members across the state.
“The church has also established poultry and fish ponds that will accommodate more than 1000 chickens and different variety of fish,” he said.
Borno
The Defence Headquarters said on Saturday in Abuja that 65 persons suspected to be terrorists had been apprehended by its Special Task Force (STF).
A statement signed by Brig.-Gen. Chris Olukolade, Director of Defence Information, said the terrorists were caught while attempting to infiltrate Maiduguri as they fled their various camps now under attack.
The statement said the arrest was a continuation mission aimed at ridding the nation’s territories of all insurgent activities.
“The facilities have now been occupied by our troops,’’ it said further.
The statement said further that, in another development, troops have engaged and dislodged elements of insurgent groups who carried out the May 7 attacks on citizens in localities such as Gamboru ward.
FCT
A member of Forum of Legal Practitioners, otherwise known as ‘Lex Fora’, has advocated death penalty for rapists.
A former Chairman of the forum in the FCT, Mr Paul Eshiemomoh, who made the suggestion in an interview in Abuja on Sunday, described the act of rape as barbaric and animalistic.
“Because I don’t see any sense in a man going to rape an underage, such people should not be allowed to leave among people in the society Yes, I support imposition of death penalty for rapists because it will serve as deterrent to others,’’ he said.
Eshiemomoh said that the law prescribes maximum sentence of 14 years imprisonment for rapists because it is a major crime, and decried the poor handling of rape cases by some prosecuting agencies, such as the police.
Jigawa
Two hundred and students of National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), Dutse Campus, matriculated on Saturday for the 2012/13 academic year.
The Coordinator of the Study Centre, Malam Abdullahi Abubakar, said at the matriculation ceremony that the centre, established in 2008 with five students, currently had 751 students.
Abdullahi expressed concern over the low patronage for programmes of the school and appealed to the people to embrace them considering that NOUN was like any other university.
He said that NOUN provided opportunity for both the young and the old to continue their education through the distance learning process.
Kaduna
The Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company (KEDC) has warned that it would punish its staff involved in extorting money from customers.
Addressing the Customers’ Consultative Council at Sabon-Tasha Business Unit forum in Kaduna, the Managing Director of KEDC, Malam Mohammed Idris, said the management was worried by frequent complaints of monetary extortion by its staff.
Idris said the company was determined to deliver quality service to customers and would not allow any bad eggs to tarnish the image of the company and rubbish its efforts to meet the aspirations of its consumers.
Kaduna
The National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), Kaduna, has accredited seven programmes of the Federal College of Agricultural Produce Technology (FCAPT), Kano.
The college was established in 2008 to train middle level manpower in agriculture, post-harvest technology and agricultural produce inspection. The Provost of the college, Alhaji Muhammadu Ibrahim, who disclosed this in Kano on Sunday in an interview said the accreditation was for the institution to award National Diploma in Science Laboratory Technology, Food Technology and Statistics.
He said the college was in the process of developing a curriculum for National Diploma in Produce Post-harvest Technology and Produce Inspection.
Nasarawa
The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Nasarawa State command, has started a sensitisation campaign on traffic rules and regulations for primary school pupils in Lafia.
Addressing the pupils of Loremm International Primary School, Lafia, on Friday, sector commander, Mr Francis Udoma, advised children to educate their parents on how to drive in accordance with the rules governing driving.
Represented by Mr Basil Igbana, Udoma urged road users to exercise caution as they drive to reduce the rate of accident, and advised road users to make sure their vehicles are in good condition before starting any journey.
In her remarks, the proprietress of the school, Mrs Ego Okafor, who was represented by Mr Bob Nwankwo, described children as “agents of change’’.
Osun
The Osun Commissioner for Home Affairs, Culture and Tourism, Mr Sikiru Ayedun, on Saturday said the state government was preparing to give a facelift to historical sites to boost tourism.
Ayedun who made this disclosure in a telephone interview in Lagos, said the state was blessed with an array of culture, arts and tourism opportunities to make it the number one tourism destination in the country.
The commissioner said it was on the basis of the derivable benefits from the venture that necessitated government’s decision to embark on the project.
Ayedun revealed that government had previously restored sites such as the Olajokun Memorial Park, Osun Grove, “Opa Oranmiyan”, Oke-Mogun shrine in Ile-Ife and the Oluminrin Waterfall in Erin-Ijesa.
Oyo
Three African Congres of Nigeria (ACN) Governors, Babatunde Fashola of Lagos, Rauf Aregbesola of Osun and Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti have pledged support for Gov. Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State’s urban renewal project.
The governors made the promise on Saturday at a reception at the Obafemi Awolowo Stadium Ibadan, to climax the chieftaincy titles conferred on the governor and his wife.
The governors, who spoke separately, said that Ajimobi had restored the glory of Oyo State, adding that he had achieved the set goals of his administration in two years.
Plateau
Plateau State Governor, Jonah Jang has described Presi
dent Goodluck Jonathan’s declaration of emergency rule in three states as the best decision for the country.
Jang made the declaration while speaking to newsmen on arrival at the Jos Airport after a three-week trip abroad ,last Saturday.
“Our president knows better as the chief security officer of this country, and he has acted in the interest of all citizens.“Without peace, there is no way Nigeria can enjoy the patronage of investors. Peace is a prerequisite for investment, development and growth.“Ours is to support everything the President is doing, so that we can bring total peace to our country,’’ he said.
The governor said he and some others were just back from an investment summit in Canada aimed at attracting investors to the country.
Sokoto
The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria ( NAHCON), has allocated 6,450 seats to Sokoto State for the 2013 Hajj, top official of the pilgrims agency has said.
The Chairman, Sokoto State Pilgrims Welfare Agency (PWA), Alhaji Muntari Maigona, said in an interview in Sokoto on Saturday, that Gov. Aliyu Wamakko had approved over N25 million for the provision of computers and other accessories for the establishment of ultra-modern ICT-compliant Hajj registration centres.
He said that part of the funds would be used for the intensive training of the Hajj registration officials in the state to ensure success of the ongoing biometric registration of all prospective pilgrims.
Zamafara
The Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar, says police will now strengthen partnership with communities to identify potential national security threats.
The IG said this on Saturday in Gusau at the opening of a one-day Intelligence Sensitisation and Community Partnership Workshop.
Abubakar, who was represented on the occasion by the AIG North West Zone, Suleiman Fakai, said partnership with communities would now take “central role in preventing and responding to terrorism and reducing citizens’ security concerns”.
The measure, according to him, will also enhance national security, protection of lives and property and stabilise democracy.
Gov. Abdulaziz Yari, who was represented by the Commissioner for Local Government, Muttaka Rini, expressed readiness to always partner with security agencies to ensure peace in the state.
Yari said government would always support the agencies with logistics to enhance their performances in the protection of peoples’ lives and property and ensure peaceful coexistence among the communities.
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