Nation
THE STATES
FCT
Three more political parties were Tuesday registered by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) bringing the number of parties to 57.
In a statement, INEC Director of Public Affairs, Mr Emmanuel Umemegere said the commission approved the registration of the parties after having satisfied all the requirements specified in section 222 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
He said the approval was given at the commission meeting Tuesday.
They include the National Transformation Party (NTP), Democratic Party for a Peoples Federation (DPPF) and the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC).
Benue
The Benue State House of Assembly has insisted that the Pesident, Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, must appear before it to make firm commitments on the agreement he entered into with the Benue State Government, which he has allegedly breached by reducing the shares of the state at Benue Cement Company Plc (BCC).
Addressing reporters at the assembly complex Tuesday after Dangote failed to appear before the House for a second time over the share crisis between Dangote Group and Benue State, House of Assembly, Speaker, Terseer Tsumba, stated that the Assembly had given the business mogul the last opportunity to appear before the lawmakers on January 12, 2010.
He said the last two dates given to Dangote to appear before the house failed to yield any results as the business mogul only sent his representatives.
Tsumba said that Dangote Tuesday chose to send a deputy managing director of his group who was in company of some senior staff of the BCC Plc. He stressed that the House was not satisfied with the action of the BCC core investor; hence the decision to give him the last chance to appear before the Assembly.
Plateau
Mr Biran Dadi of the Democratic Peoples Party (DPP) was Tuesday sworn in as chairman of Lantang North Local Council, Plateau State.
His inauguration followed a judgement by the State’s Local Government Appeal Tribunal, which deemed him the lawful winner of the council polls earlier given to the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) by the Plateau State Independent Electoral Commission (PLASIEC).
Swearing in Dadi Tuesday, the Governor Jonah Jang lauded the council chief for his diligent pursuit of his mandate through the courts.
Jang said the swearing-in was another demonstration of his administration’s resolve to live by the rule of law.
The Local Government Appeal Tribunal has so far upturned three council elections in favour of the opposition parties. The Action Congress (AC) has retrieved Lantang South and Bokkos councils from the PDP through the appeal.
Kaduna
Officials of the National Union of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions Employees (NUBIFIE) Tuesday in Kaduna urged the presidency to relieve the minister of Agriculture, Dr. Sayyadi Abba Ruma of his appointment for allegedly undermining the Nigerian Agricultural Cooperative and Rural Development Bank Limited (NACRDB), as well as the nation’s peasant farmers. The NACRDB branch of NUBIFIE accused Ruma of gradually killing the bank because of his selfish interest with all sorts of uncivilised policies that are against the survival of the bank.”
The union in a statement jointly signed by NUBIFIE, NACRDB chairman, Ade Martins Odigie and the president at the association, Bala Waziri and made available to journalists in Kaduna, alleged that Ruma, whose ministry is not even part of the shareholders of the bank, had continued to undermine the financial institution in addition to running it like his personal estate. The unions further claimed that the alleged “selfish activities of the minister have brought untold hardship to millions of Nigerian farmers who relies solely on credit facilities from the agric bank.
Ekiti
Legal Luminary, Chief Afe Babalola (SAN) and proprietor of Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD) has criticised universities operating from rented facilities saying such universities were set up for profit making. Speaking Tuesday at the inauguration of the governing council of ABUAD, Babalola said the need to make a difference in university education informed the setting up of his own university, adding that ABUAD has set the standard for future private universities in the country.
He maintained that many of those who got license to operate a university and are doing so from a rented apartment are after profit, saying this ought not to be the situation.
Babalola pointed out that many great universities all over the world were not established for profit making, adding that ABUAD is meant to operate like them, giving to the society quality university education.
Also, while playing host to the management at ABUAD, Ekiti State governor, Mr. Segun Oni, said the state government has spent N8 billion on the funding of state-owned tertiary institutions in the last two and half years.
He said the amount surpasses the N7.5 billion expended on the same tertiary institutions by previous administrations in the state during a period of 11 years.
Gombe
Accounting profession in the country may be on the verge of losing out in the global standard practice due to inflation and pervading political insensitivity to critical economic issues, the National President of Association of National Accountants of Nigeria (ANAN), Mrs I.F. Gafar has said.
Gafar explained that the challenges in the practice of the profession, due to the unsavory external environment, has made data compatibility impossible because of poor handling of accounting historical records.
The ANAN boss, who made the assertion while delivering her address at the sixth session of the mandatory continuing professional development programme held recently, in Gombe, noted that the greatest challenge facing accountants in the country was the ability to improve reporting standard that would suit the pace of global development.
She therefore challenged the professional accountants to be alert and watchful as that would enable them to prepare for the unforeseen financial changes in the world economy in which the Nigerian economy was an integral part.
Gafar had therefore re-emphasised the need for continued training and retraining of accounts, as it was required by the profession in compliance with the international ethics and best practices of learning about new practice opportunities.
Plateau
The Plateau State budget performance in 2009 financial year was negatively affected by the November 2008 civil unrest in Jos, the state capital, fall in oil price and non reimbursing of the state of over N10 billion as its shares of excess foreign debt reductions handed over to Nassarawa state.
Governor Jonah Jang who lamented that all these adversely affected the state government projections, noted that the resources gulped by the management of the Jos mayhem would have been expended on the provisions of water and other social amenities.
According to him, it increased internal borrowing to cover the envisaged budget deficit, which impacted negatively on 2009 budget performance.
The state is to spend N74.8 billion in 2010, as against N78.4 billion in 2009, representing N4.5 billion decrease. Chief Jang, spoke while presenting 2010 Appropriation Bill to the state legislature recently.
According to him, the estimated Recurrent Revenue for 2010 is N33.5 billion as against N38.2 billion for 2009, while the Recurrent Expenditure gulped N25.8 billion in 2009 financial year.
Lagos
The Chief Judge of Lagos State, Justice I. Akerele Tuesday freed 34 inmates of Ikoyi prison.
Akerele who ordered the release of the inmates during a visit to the prison said her action was pursuant to section 1 (II) of the criminal justice release from Custody Special Provision Act Cap 340, 2004 law of the Federation of Nigeria.
The freed inmates were those who had been in custody longer than the maximum period of imprisonment which they could have served if convicted of alleged offence.
She said the move was to decongest the prison and urged the beneficiaries to go and sin no more.
Ondo
The lingering agitation by the organised labour movement for better wages for workers in the nation’s public sector may end on a positive note early next year.
The Minister of Labour and Productivity, Adetokumbo Kayode (SAN), declared in Akure, Ondo State capital Tuesday that “a new wage regime that would put smiles on faces of Nigerians, would take off soon.”
According to the minister, who is on a three-day official visit to Ondo State, final arrangements are already being put in place by all the concerned stakeholders in the wage issue to prepare a workable and acceptable framework in the first month of the new year.
He disclosed that the Justice Alfa Belgore panel, which was set up by President Umaru Yar’Adua to streamline issues pertaining to agitation over the wage matter, has been approved by the Federal Government.
His words: “The issue of minimum wage is under process. The Federal Government approved the Justice Belgore Panel, which hasp Labour, employers and government as members. We have been divided into sub-committees and we have been working and it is for the committee to round off its assignment.
“I asked them to round off early next year so that we can move on. We want to change from minimum wage to living wage. We want to have a salary that can allow people to live purposeful life and take care of the vagaries of the effects of the global and national economies on our social lives.”
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.