Nation

THE STATES

Published

13 years ago

November 4, 2013

L-R: Former Governor Of Bauchi State,Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu, Bauchi State Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, Hajia Amina Katagum, Vice President Namadi Sambo and Governor Isa Yuguda, during the inauguration of fertilizer blending company in Bauchi last Saturday.

Borno

The Nigerian Army says it has destroyed two
suspected operational vehicles of the Boko Haram sect in the ongoing operations in Maiduguri.
The spokesman of the 7 Division of the Nigerian Army in Maiduguri, Lt.-Col. Mohammed Dole, announced this in a statement.
Dole said that the destruction was to clear the insurgents terrorising motorists on high ways in Borno State.
“We have been able to identify camps used by the terrorists in planning attacks against motorists and innocent villagers in Kaga Local Government Area of the state.

Ekiti
A 31-year-old man, Joseph Idowu, has divorced his
wife, Omolara, for insulting his landlord.
Idowu had filed a suit before an Ikole Customary Court in Ekiti on August 31, seeking the dissolution of his five-year-old “mere association“, which was blessed with two children.
The plaintiff told the court that Omolara insulted his landlord when he was trying to settle a dispute between the couple, and later moved out of his house because she got annoyed for being corrected.
The woman, who denied the allegation, gave her evidence on oath to the effect that she did not insult their landlord.

Kaduna

The Speaker, Kaduna State House of Assembly, Alhaji
Usman Tahir, has constituted a seven-man adhoc committee to investigate alleged abuse of recruitment guidelines by the Zaria District office of Nigeria Railway Corporations (NRC).
The investigation was prompted by a motion moved on the floor of the assembly by Alhaji Yakubu Soja (APC-Zaria Kewaye) on alleged abuses in the recruitment of junior staff on grade levels 01-06 by the district office.
According to him, the recruitment violated the provisions of the Federal Civil Service, which provided that such vacancies be filled by applicants where the government offices were located.
Soja informed the members that applicants from Zaria district of the NRC had been sidelined from the exercise.

Katsina

The Katsina State Government has approved N159
million for the repairs of all damaged rural electrification projects across the state.
The General Manager of the state Rural Electrification Board (REB), Alhaji Abdullahi Tanwa, disclosed this at a press briefing in Katsina.
Tanwa said the resolution for the repairs of the projects followed Governor Ibrahim Shema’s directive to that effect, adding that it was to enhance power supply to rural areas.
According to him, some of the rural power installations were damaged by windstorms and car accidents, while “others were vandalised or stolen by unscrupulous persons”.

Kebbi

The National Association of Fish Farmers in Kebbi
State has started updating the database of its members as it gets set to provide soft loans and equipment to them.
Its Chairman, Alhaji Hussaini Raha, told newsmen in Birnin Kebbi that the database would enable the association to obtain loan from a bank so as to expand the scope of fish farming in the state.
Raha said the association has 2,145 major fish pond owners located in Argungu, Birnin Kebbi, Bunza, Bagudo, Shanga, Yauri and Ngaski local government areas that have high production of tilapia and cat fish.
He said there were 4,000 artisans and 300 cooperative societies registered under the association.

Jigawa

The Jigawa State Government has earmarked about
N2 billion for the construction and renovation of schools in the state.
A permanent member of the state Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Alhaji Bala Ahmad, made this known during the award of the contract in Dutse.
Ahmad said that the projects would cover Early Child Care, Primary and Secondary Schools, and would be funded under the 2012/2013 Universal Basic Education Commission intervention fund.
He said the projects were meant to provide conducive environment for teaching and learning in the schools.

Lagos

Two sales assistants were charged before an Igbosere
Magistrates’ Court, Lagos, over alleged theft of their employer’s goods valued at N469,500.
The accused — Isaiah Uduak, 19, and Esther James, 37 — whose addresses are unknown, are standing trial on a four-count charge bordering on conspiracy, receiving of stolen money and theft.
The duo pleaded not guilty to the charges against them.
But the prosecutor, Cpl. Okete Ejime, told the court that the accused committed the offences sometime between August and September at House L10, Road 13, Close 16, Victoria Garden City Estate, Lagos.

Nasarawa
The Nasarawa State Government has granted pardon to
three prisoners serving various jail terms in the state.
Notice of the pardon is contained in a statement issued by the state Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Innocent Lagi, in Lafia.
The statement quoted the attorney general as saying the inmates were freed from the Lafia, Nasarawa and Wamba prisons respectively.
Lagi noted that the government pardon was in accordance with Section 212 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended.

Ogun

The Ogun Commissioner for Forestry, Mr Ayo Olubori,
in Abeokuta said the ministry had generated N116.6 million between January and June of this year.
Olubori said this when members of the state House of Assembly Committee on Agriculture and Forestry paid an oversight visit to the ministry.
“The ministry, however, generated this figure out of the N375 million proposed for the same period,’’ he said.
The commissioner further said the ministry raised 450,000 tree seedlings of various species between January and April.

Osun
The Osun State House of Assembly says the 2013
budget performance by ministries, agencies and parastatals of the state government is “below average’’.
The House Committee Chairman on Finance and Appropriation, Mr Kamil Oyedele, made the observation when the budget and planning office of the governor presented budget performance of the organisations between January and September.
Oyedele said the statistics given by the budget office showed that the 2013 was “poorly implemented”.
He said it was time for the organisations to buckle up and be more aggressive, to generate revenues for effective implementation of the budget.

Oyo

The wife of the Oyo State Commandant of the Nigeria
Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Mrs Foluke Obafaiye, has described the home as the bedrock of peace.
She spoke in Ibadan while inaugurating the state’s chapter of the Civil Defence Officers Wives Association (CDOWA) at the command’s headquarters.
According to Obafaiye, the choice of CDOWA’s motto, “Peace at Home; Peace in the Nation,” showed the importance attached to peace at home.
“Peace is associated with growth and development in any society, but before the society knows peace at all, the home is the starting point.

Yobe
The Yobe State Government has inaugurated trucks and
equipment worth N361 million procured for the construction of roads through direct labour in the state..
Gov. Alhaji Ibrahim Gaidam, who inaugurated the equipment in Damaturu, said it would be used for the construction of short roads linking villages and towns.
He said the direct labour programme would hasten execution of road projects and save cost.
Gaidam expressed satisfaction with the quality of the equipment saying, there is value for money in the machines.

Zamfara
The Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) in Zamfara State
has dewormed 102 children of Gusau Orphanage Home as part of activities marking its 2013 Physicians’ Week.
The Chairman, Dr Sunday Onazi, said the exercise was aimed at ensuring that the inmates lived a healthy life.
He pointed out that it was important to deworm children regularly to protect them against malnutrition.
“If worms are allowed to grow in children, they would eat up most of the important nutrients in their body and then diseases such as malnutrition will take over.”

Nation

HYPREP Marks 15 Years Of UNEP Report, Highlights Major Cleanup Milestones

Published

1 week ago

August 10, 2026

The Tide

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

Nation

REAN, SON synergise to curb fake renewable energy product

Published

2 months ago

June 29, 2026

The Tide

The Renewable Energy Association of Nigeria (REAN) says it has strengthened collaboration with the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) to enhance quality control and enforcement frameworks.

Mr Oisereime Lloyd-Dietake, the Head of Communications, REAN, in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja, said the collaboration would also involve stakeholder engagement on testing, certification and capacity building in Nigeria.

He said the synergy would strengthen quality control and enforcement frameworks, promote policy alignment, and ensure stronger regulation across the renewable energy value chain.

“REAN reaffirms its commitment to standardisation and quality assurance; tighter collaboration with SON is critical to eliminating fake and substandard renewable energy products from the Nigerian market.

“Enforcement and gaps in existing standards have continued to allow inferior products to circulate, undermining consumer confidence and slowing sector growth.”

Lloyd-Dietake said that at high-level discussions, REAN also highlighted the need for stronger regulatory coordination to address emerging challenges in the renewable energy space.

According to him, the issues include inconsistencies in standards, affordability issues linked to certification processes; and the increasing presence of substandard solar and renewable energy equipment in the country.

“The association further raised concerns about delays in product testing and approval, calling for the establishment of more testing laboratories and certification facilities to improve efficiency and reduce bottlenecks in the system,’’ he said.

Lloyd-Dietake urged closer collaboration among key regulatory bodies, including the Nigerian Electricity Management Services Agency, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, and the Rural Electrification Agency.

He said such team work would ensure harmonised standards and more effective enforcement against fake renewable energy products in the Nigerian market.

In response, SON acknowledged the important role REAN continued to play in supporting standardisation within Nigeria’s renewable energy industry and reaffirmed its willingness to deepen collaboration with the association.

SON further confirmed that REAN would be actively involved in future standard review processes and upcoming stakeholder engagements related to renewable energy and electric mobility standards development.

Lloyd-Dietake said REAN affirmed its willingness to formalise the partnership through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).

He said the MoU is aimed at deepening cooperation, promoting quality assurance, and accelerating Nigeria’s transition towards reliable and standardised renewable energy solutions.

Nation

Self Help Africa programme expands water access for 320,000 Nigerians

Published

2 months ago

June 29, 2026

The Tide

The WASH Systems for Health (WS4H) Programme, implemented by Self Help Africa, has expanded access to safe water and sanitation services for more than 320,000 people in Kano and Cross River States.

The organisation disclosed this on Tuesday at the WS4H National Results and Learning Workshop in Abuja, where stakeholders reviewed achievements and lessons from the intervention.

Speaking at the event, Self Help Africa Country Director, Joy Aderele, said the programme demonstrated that sustainable WASH improvements require strong institutions, effective governance, adequate financing and collaboration.

Aderele said the UK-funded programme was designed to strengthen systems that support sustainable access to water, sanitation and hygiene services.

According to her, the intervention focused on improving governance, planning, financing, accountability and sector coordination to ensure resilient service delivery.

“More than 320,000 people now have improved or restored access to water services through programme-supported interventions,” she said.

She added that more than 5,520 household toilets were constructed in Yala and Makoda Local Government Areas, boosting sanitation, public health and efforts to end open defecation.

Aderele said the programme also strengthened public investment in WASH, with Cross River increasing its sector budget by 211 per cent in 2026 and Kano by 169.07 per cent.

She added that dedicated WASH budget lines had been established across 40 Ministries, Departments and Agencies in both states, strengthening accountability and institutional commitment.

According to her, both states reviewed and adopted updated WASH policies, while key planning documents were developed to guide future investments and service delivery.

She said Cross River also recorded a major legislative milestone through the passage of the Water Law and Open Defecation Prohibition Bill.

Aderele added that lessons from interventions in Yala LGA were already informing expansion efforts in Obubra Local Government Area.

While commending the achievements, she noted that capacity gaps, resource constraints and climate-related pressures remained challenges to sustainable WASH services.

“The sustainability of these gains will depend on continued government leadership, adequate financing, strong partnerships and investment in institutional capacity,” she said.

Also speaking, the Programme Manager of WS4H, Mr Timothy Ibeawuchi, said the intervention focused on strengthening systems needed to sustain gains and attract future investments.

According to him, the programme engages stakeholders in developing strategies that preserve achievements and support long-term service delivery.

“System strengthening work takes time because it addresses the fundamental issues responsible for sustainable and resilient service delivery,” he said.

Ibeawuchi said the programme strengthened policy development, planning, financing, monitoring and evaluation systems across the WASH sector.

He said two pilot local government areas were supported to develop WASH strategic plans outlining sector goals, targets and activities between 2026 and 2030.

According to him, the plans will guide future interventions and improve service delivery in the affected councils.

Earlier, the representative of the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), Chidera Chukwu, reaffirmed support for Nigeria’s development efforts in spite of the programme nearing completion.

Chukwu commended the Self Help Africa-led consortium for delivering the programme with professionalism and a strong focus on systems strengthening.

He said the consortium contributed greatly to strengthening Nigeria’s WASH sector through policy reforms, improved coordination and enhanced accountability.

“Together, we have advanced key policy and legislative reforms, including open defecation-free laws and strengthened state WASH frameworks,” he said.

According to him, the reforms represent enduring system-level changes that will continue delivering benefits beyond the programme’s lifespan.

In his remarks, Mr Jamilu Habu, Director of Water Quality Control and Sanitation, Federal Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation, commended the programme’s achievements.

Habu, who represented the Permanent Secretary, said the intervention strengthened governance, coordination, evidence-based planning and institutional capacity in the WASH sector.

He described the workshop as an opportunity to review achievements, share lessons and identify pathways for sustaining and scaling successful interventions.

According to him, the programme’s innovations and best practices will guide future policies and investments aimed at expanding access to safe WASH services.

Habu stressed the need for continued collaboration among governments, development partners, civil society organisations, the private sector and communities.

He said stronger partnerships remained essential to achieving universal access to water, sanitation and hygiene services and meeting Sustainable Development Goal 6.