Nation
THE STATES
Bauchi
Bauchi town was agog last Saturday as Mohammed Abubakar, son of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and Badriyya Muazu, daughter of former Governor of Bauchi State, Ahmed Muazu, were joined in holy matrimony.
The marriage contract was sealed at the palace of the Emir of Bauchi, Alhaji Rulwanu Suleiman, after the payment of N1million and a flashy car as bride price by the groom.
Gov. Sule Lamido of Jigawa represented the groom, while the Governor of Bauchi State, Malam Isa Yuguda, represented the bride.
The Chief Imam of Bauchi Central mosque, Alhaji Bala Baba-inna, who presided over the religious aspect of the ceremony, urged the couple to have the fear of God and live in peace.
The ceremony was attended by prominent personalities, among them, business mogul, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, former Head of State Abdusalami Abubakar as well as Gov. Ibrahim Dankwambo of Gombe State and Gov. Babangida Aliyu of Niger.
Borno
The Borno Government said on Sunday that it trained 37,000 youths in various trades to fight the current security challenges facing the state.
The Commissioner for Poverty Alleviation and Youth Empowerment, Hajiya Zainab Gimba, announced in Maiduguri that the training was carried out under the skill acquisition programme of the ministry.
Gimba said the objective was to engage the youths in meaningful ventures and prevent them from joining bad groups.
She said that the state government was also collaborating with the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) office to implement a conditional cash transfer to 2,337 poor households in the state.
“We are collaborating with the MDG to begin immediate cash transfer to 2,337 poor households in five local government areas of the state. “The households are located in Kaga, Nganzai, Gubio, Guzamala and Magumeri,” Gimba said.
FCT
The Attorney-General of the Federation, Mr Mohammed Adoke, said he would assign lawyers from the Federal Ministry of Justice to re-investigate cases handled by the Public Complaints Commission (PCC) to ensure transparency.
A statement issued on Saturday in Abuja by the Public Relations Officer of PCC, Mr Chukwuemeka Nwosu, said the efforts would help the commission to fight injustice.
It said the attorney-general would host a stakeholders’ conference with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and Independent Corrupt Practices and other related Crimes Commission in that regard.
According to the statement, the National Human Rights Commission and PCC will also feature in the conference to form the desired synergy for fighting criminality and corruption.
It said such cooperation would help the commission to handle cases where an offence had been committed against the state.
Jigawa
An estimated two million Muslim faithful in Dutse, Jigawa, participated in a special prayer session for peace, unity and prosperity in the country, newsmen reports.
The prayer session, held on Saturday, was part of the five-day activity organised for the 27th Maulaud celebration to commemorate the birth of Sheik Ibrahim Nyass, a famous leader of the Tijjaniya Islamic movement.
Malam Ahmad Inyass, who led the congregation, prayed for peaceful co-existence among the people for sustainable social and economic development.
Inyass admonished Muslims to be upright, honest and dedicate themselves to the worship of Allah in accordance with the teachings of Islam.
Kaduna
Hundreds of refugees displaced by gunmen who attacked three villages in Birnin Gwari Local Government area of Kaduna State, are now taking shelter at Kamfanin Doka Primary School.
The Chairman of the council, Alhaji Idris Alhassan, who visited the displaced persons, pledged to provide relief materials and security to the camp. He said that several of the villagers, including women and children, were injured in the attack.
The chairman gave the names of the affected villages as Goron Dutse, Gwaska and Unguwar Nabango located on the border with Zamfara.
Lagos
The Founder of the O’odua Peoples Congress (OPC), Dr Frederick Fasheun, on Sunday said that President Goodluck Jonathan had a constitutional right to run for a second term in office.
Fasheun said that the Southern Nigeria Peoples Assembly only recently acknowledged the right of Jonathan to seek two terms in Office, as provided for in the Constitution.
Controversy had trailed the third conference of the Southern Nigeria Peoples Assembly (SNPA) held on May 20, at the Eko Hotels in Lagos, as a the leaders had been accused of endorsing Jonathan for the 2015 presidential polls.
Fasheun said that the issue of Jonathan running in 2015 was a matter of the right granted to all Nigerian citizens by the constitution.
Niger
Senator Ibrahim Musa (CPC-Niger) on Sunday said he had sunk 82 bore holes, including two motorised ones, to improve water supply in his constituency.
Musa said that he decided to intervene to end the suffering of the communities by executing the project to complement the efforts of the government.
He said the projects were undertaken with the assistance Sen. Mohammed Maigoro (PDP) and some members of the House of Representatives.
“The road is expected to be completed within three years, which include the expansion of the bridges. This would end the suffering of commuters and open up the area for economic activities, “ he said.
Ogun
Ogun Government has declared June 12 a public holiday to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the June 12, 1993 Presidential Election believed to have been won by late Chief MKO Abiola.
The Secretary to the State Government, Taiwo Adeoluwa, in a statement issued on Sunday in Abeokuta said the holiday would enable people to further appreciate the watershed that the annulled election represented, particularly as it served as the forebear of the current democracy which the country now enjoyed.
It said that during the anniversary, now known as Democracy Day, the government would host a Democracy Walk and rally in Abeokuta.
Osun
The Osun Government has commenced arrangements to relocate traders from the popular Alekuwodo Road in Osogbo, the state capital.
The state Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr Sunday Akere, gave this indication while speaking in Osogbo on Saturday.
Akere said the government had begun to pull down illegal structures around the new Orisunmbare market, to create room for the street traders.
The information commissioner said the Osun Government would move the street traders as soon as all illegal structures around new Orisunmbare market had been pulled down, adding that it was wrong for anybody to have put up a permanent structure on a piece of land owned by government.
Oyo
The former Director-General of NTA, Tony Iredia, said on Saturday said that the Nigeria Police Force would achieve its goals only through effective coordination of resources and communication.
Iredia said at the Police South-West Zone Intelligence Sensitisation and Community Partnership workshop held in Ibadan, that effective communication would go a long way in improving the police by helping the force to maintain a cordial relationship with the public.
He also implored members of the force to always conduct themselves appropriately in public as people would address them as they were perceived.
Iredia criticised acts of intolerance by some members of the police force against the media, adding that it constitutes a hinderance to their public relations efforts.
Sokoto
Governor Aliyu Wamakko of Sokoto State has directed the state Ministry of Environment to conduct a special sanitation within Sokoto and its environs.
The Commissioner for Environment , Dr Jabbi Kilgori, said in Sokoto on Sunday that it was sequel to presence of several heaps of refuse in the town.
According to Kilgori, the special sanitation is to make the town cleaner, healthy and more conducive for living.
He said public enlightenment had been intensified to sensitise the residents on the need to properly dispose refuse .The commissioner also said that the state government was making arrangements to provide more incinerators.
Kilgori urged residents of the town to support and cooperate with the government to ensure the success of the exercise.
Taraba
Taraba Justice Forum, a political pressure group, has asked Taraba Acting Governor, Alhaji Garba Umar, to make the medical report of Gov. Danbaba Suntai public.
In a statement, signed by its General Secretary, Mr Ambulus John, and issued in Abuja on Saturday, the group said that producing the medical report had become necessary in order to clear the air on conflicting reports about the true state of Suntai’s health.
“The people deserve to know the true state of the Gov. Suntai’ s health because in the past eight months the government has been spending public fund to foot his medical expenses abroad,’’ the statement said.
The group said that Taraba was facing the most critical challenge in its history and urged the acting governor to do the right thing.
“He must strike a balance between loyalty to his boss and the Taraba people.
“It is time for Umar to demand for and make public the governor’s medical records,’’ it said.
Strategic regulators and other stakeholders have expressed satisfaction with the pace, quality and magnitude of work carried out by the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) in Ogoniland, in line with the recommendations of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
In their separate speeches at the 2025 4th quarter key regulators / asset owners meeting held in Port Harcourt, the strategic stakeholders commended HYPREP for the significant milestones achieved with excellent efficiency and transparency, demonstrating capacity and commitment to sustaining collaboration with development partners for the overall success of the Project.
The regulators particularly lauded HYPREP for the landmark success in the implementation of the land and shoreline remediation, mangrove restoration, provision of reticulated potable water, the various sustainable livelihood programmes, donation of ambulances to health facilities in Ogoni, the construction of Centre of Excellence for Environmental Restoration, as well as the ongoing Ogoni Power Project, adding that their independent field reports have shown proofs of HYPREP driving even beyond its mandates.
The goodwill messages were made by representatives of the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA), Centre for Environment and Human Rights Development (CEHRD), Society for Women and Youths Affairs (SWAYA), Stakeholders Democracy Network (SDN), Nigerian Pipelines and Storage Company (NPSC), and Federal Ministry of Environment. Others are the Rivers State Ministry of Environment, the Rivers State Ministry of Health, the National Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), the Rivers State Ministry of Power, the Rivers State University, the Rivers State Ministry of Water and Rural Development, and Renaissance Africa Energy Company Limited.
Following the Monitoring and Evaluation Unit’s presentation on the status of HYPREP projects, participants offered feedback on areas of concern. They reassured HYPREP and the people of Ogoni of their continued support for the Project’s success. They also suggested that the quarterly review meeting be sustained as it enables them to report, evaluate and proffer solutions to areas of concern.
Participants also commended HYPREP for improved community and stakeholder engagement and for adding to what they saw the previous time. “We commend HYPREP for the quality work done at sites. The progress is phenomenal, because HYPREP is scoring good grades, above average,” Prof. Iyenemi Kakulu from Rivers State University said.
In his speech at the event, the Project Coordinator of HYPREP, Prof Nenibarini Zabbey, who was represented by Prof Damian-Paul Aguiyi, Director of Technical Services, commended the regulators and asset owners for their cooperation with the Project, and for making themselves available for fieldwork and the regular review meetings.
Prof Zabbey reiterated HYPREP’s commitment to best practice in waste management, particularly waste generation and disposal, calling on the Regulators for adequate logistics support, saying HYPREP’s priority is to focus on the core recommendations by UNEP, especially, remediation(soil, shoreline) mangrove restoration, provision of potable water, interventions in public health care services and sustainable livelihood for the people.
The Project Coordinator further highlighted the status of the Project, the successes achieved across all thematic areas, and assured that HYPREP will soon complete most of the ongoing projects and roll out others. He explained that the purpose of the meeting was to review the progress of the Ogoni cleanup, ensure quality control, and foster effective collaboration.
Consequently, the quarterly key regulators/asset owners meeting is HYPREP’s strategic stakeholder management model, further underscoring the Project’s commitment to transparency, partnership for development, and accountability, all of which are harbingers of effective project delivery.
Speaking to newsmen, HYPREP Project Support Lead and representative of Renaissance Africa Energy Company Limited, Engr Ehioze Igbinomwanhia, described his involvement with HYPREPas an encouraging and insightful experience, saying, the Project is implementing a wide range of projects across Ogoniland, spanning immediate remediation works as well as livelihood support initiatives aimed at improving the welfare of affected communities.
Engr Igbinomwanhia emphasised that Renaissance Africa Energy remains fully committed to supporting the objectives of the Ogoni cleanup project, noting that the company has a long history of collaboration with HYPREP.
He added that the partnership has been characterised by continuous learning, adaptation and a willingness to respond to observations and recommendations aimed at improving outcomes.
He further emphasised the importance of safety in all project operations, particularly given the challenging terrain and operating conditions in Ogoniland.
He noted that safety is treated as a critical priority and that contractors are continually reminded to maintain high safety standards, stressing that lessons learnt from previous operational challenges like the collapse of the water tank in Gwara Community are being applied to strengthen safety practices and overall performance.
The Rivers state Government has identified six local government areas with the highest burden of maternal and Neonatal mortality in the state.
State Commissioner for Health Dr Adaeze Chidinma Oreh said this in an interview with newsmen at the Maternal and Neonatal Reduction innovation initiative ( Mamii)Rivers state activation workshop and state engagement meeting in Port Harcourt.
The event was organized by The Federal Ministry of Health in conjunction with its Rivers state counterpart in Port Harcourt.
Dr Oreh also restated the preparedness of the state government to support current efforts by the federal government towards the reduction of maternal and infant mortalities in the country.
She mentioned the affected Local Government Areas to include, Andoni,Akuku Toru and Ahoada West
The rest according to the Commissioner are, Bonny, Etche and Emohua Local Government Areas.
She said the workshop will enable the team from the federal ministry of health and social welfare to brainstorm with the view to finding solution to the problem.
The Commissioner also gave reasons why the Mamii initiative was the best as far as finding solution to maternal mortality was concerned.
“The uniqueness of the Mamii initiative driven by the federal ministry of health and social welfare was that we used evidence to elicit the reasons for this deaths, so that the solutions will be context specific and tailored to the particular environment where those deaths are occuring
“For us in Rivers state we have six Mamii LGAs , nationally we we have 172 local government areas “the Commissioner said.
Earlier in her opening remarks,Dr Oreh said the state government is prepared to work with the federal ministry of health and social welfare to check the rate of maternal mortality in the state.
She commended The Minister of Health and Social welfare Professor Ali Muhammad Pategi for driving the Mamii initiative across the country and expressed optimism that the programm will see to the end of maternal mortality in the country.
Also speaking the National Coordinator Nigeria health sector Renewal Initiative Dr Adam Ahmed said Rivers state is the last state among Mamii states in the country to host the team.
He said the team will visit the affected Local Government Areas with the view to interacting with the people on how to check the trend.
He expressed the hope that with continuous efforts, maternal mortality will be checked.
Also speaking the permanent secretary Rivers state Ministry of Health Professor Justinah Jumbo said the government is not leaving any stone unturned towards reduction in maternal deaths.
The permanent secretary said Governor Siminalaye Fubara is a health friendly Governor who is desirous in improving the quality of health of Rivers people.
John Bibor
