Nation
THE STATES
FCT
The independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)
had debunked allegation that some electoral materials meant for the February 6, governorship election in Anambra State was hijacked, by mischief makers.
But INEC on Saturday said a truck belonging to INEC which was conveying collapsible polling cubicles from its headquarters to Port Harcourt zonal store collided with a payloader at Okija in Anambra Stte.
The INEC position followed report that some INEC electoral materials were sized in a bid to rig February 6 election in Anambra State.
According to a statement signed by the INEC Director of Public Affairs, Mr. Emmanuel Umengar “the truck, like others deployed across the country, was on routine delivery of non-sensitive electoral materials to its Port Harcourt Store.”
Bauchi
Armed Mobile Policemen at the weekend stormed the
resident of Air Commondore Ishaku Komo (retd) and surrounded his house in Tafawa Balewa at about 3.am with the aim for undisclosed reasons.
This coming few weeks after Komo was installed as the first Gung Zaar Of the Sayawa Community in Bauchi State.
Sayawa community has for long been agitating for a chiefdom of its own and it was last year that the National Assembly passed a law granting the request, which sources say doest not go down well with the state government.
The Tide gathered that the new traditional ruler of the Sayawa People of Bauchi State has relocated to Kaduna in order to avoid arrest by the Bauchi State police command shortly after his first public appearance in Tafawa Belewa, the headquarters of the Zaar Chiefdom.
Gombe
Nigerians have been cautioned to moderate their reactions
to the state of health of President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, even as they have been urged to continue to pray for his speedy recovery.
The leader of the Yoruba Youths Alliance (YYA), Mr. Jackson Lekan-Ojo, also observed that calling for the president’s resignation was a wrong approach to the situation as it Portrayed those behind the call as callous and in human.
Lekan-Ojo, who was recently honoured with an Award of Excellence by the students’ Union Government of the University of Port Harcourt, noted that as human beings, no one prays to be sick and that Nigerians owed the President Prayers at all times, whether healthy or sick.
Jigawa
Attention of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National
headquarters has been drawn to alleged plot to impeach the deputy governor of Jigawa State, Ahmad Muhamma Gumel, if Governor Sule Lamido decides to run for vice president.
PDP stalwart and secretary of Yar’Adua friendship forum, Ishaq Hadejia, told The Tide that members of a group (name yet unknown) would not like to see Gumel become governor in the event of President Umaru Yar’Adua’s incapacitation, when lamido is appointed Vice President.
According to him, the group has been holding series of meetings to actualiSe their plan, a development which he said could throw Jigawa into Chaos.
“While the president is recovering and he has even spoken in the media, this group is spearheading a move to impeach the deputy governor in Jigawa”, he said.
Jos
As the people of Taroh land in Plateau are set to elect
another paramount ruler, following the death, last year, of the late Edward Zhattau, a social cultural group in the land “Gazum Cultural, Economic and social Development Organisation (GACESDO) has alleged a Plot to scheme Gazum People of the area out of the contest for the throne.
Addressing the press in Jos over the development, the national president of the organisation, Mr. Clement Chairman said the GACESDO was surprised that the selection process of Ponchi Taroh which was supposed to go on without rancour had been made unnecessarily difficult, thereby fanning the embers of hatred, distrust and bad faith among the people.
The National President Said the organisation had uncovered the plot to expunge a Gazum man as the legitimate heir to the throne, adding that the people behind the clandestine act had gone to the extent of making a fake draft gazette for Gazum chiefdom.
Kaduna
Former Head of State, General Muhammandu Buhari (rtd)
has said that lack performance on the part of those at the helm of affairs in the country and the refusal of Nigerias to take their destiny in their own hands had put the future of the country in a precarious situation.
According to the presidential candidate of All Nigerian People Party (ANPP) in the last general elections, ordinarily there is nothing wrong with the Nigerian Constitution, the Electoral Act and other laws of the land, saying that the only problem we have in the country is the lack of action on the part of those saddled with the responsibility of steering the country out of the present musky waters.
Lagos
The Minister of Petroleum, Dr. Rilwan Lukeman says
that no date has been set for the implementation of deregulation of the down stream sector.
He recounted a number of factors that have mitigated against the immediate take-off of the implementation like the condition of the nation’s four Refinaries.
Speaking at a function in Lagos State on the state of the industry, Dr. Rilwan said a lots of measures are been taken to repair the damaged oil pipe lines which will aid the resumption of local refinery capacities.
The minister further said the proposed petroleum industry bill help curb the challenges of supply and short falls of petroleum products in the country.
Borno
Campaigns for wide acceptance of the child Right Act
may not yield positive fruits in some Northern States unless certain aspects of the new Act are fine-tuned to get with the Sharia Code and Northern Culture, Borno State government and a federal ministry say.
This hint was dropped when the minister of women Affairs and Social Development, Hajia Salamatu Suleiman, paid a two day advocacy visit to Borno at the weekend.
The new Shehu of Borno Abubakar Kyari Ibri Garbai el-kanem, also shared this view by giving conditions under which the Act could be implemented in the state.
He said the conditions include the protection of Sharia law and traditions of the people of Borno, when the Act comes up for debate at the House of Assembly.
Niger
Former Federal Permanent Secretary, Chief Philip Asiodu,
on Saturday in Minna, Niger State, blamed the non-performance of the civil service in the country on the 1975 purge and the reforms of 1988.
Asiodu, chairman of council of Retired Permanent Secretaries, declared awareness of the great “erosion of standards and values of authority and powers which have afflicted the civil service, the devastating purge of 1975 and reforms of 1988.
The former permanent Secretary made the remarks at the public lecture organised by the Gamji Members Association in honour of the late Makama Nupe, Alhaji Shehu Musa.
Oyo
Oyo State police command has arrested three boys
including an under graduate student of the university of Maiduguri for alleged armed robbery, juust as a 52-year old was arrested for impersonation.
The suspects, Muhammed Shuaib (21), Nazim Emmanuel (20), a 100 level student of the university of Maiduguri in the Department of Public Administration and Abba Michael (21), were said to have on January 15 attacked residents of Tinuoye Estate, Ojoo area of the state capital.
Also arrested was a 52-year old Adebare Balogun for allegedly impersonating the Commissioner of Police.
Speaking while parading the suspects at the command’s headquarters, Eleyele, on Friday, the state Commissioner of Police, Alhaji Baba Adisa Bolanta, said the command received a distress call that some daredevil robbers were operating at Tinuoye Street, Ojoo area of the state capital.
Ogun
The Chairman of Ijebu-East Local Government Council,. Ogun State, Hon. Tunde Oladunjoye, has raised alarm over plans to unleash fresh mayhem in the council area .
The council boss said he wanted to inform the whole world on the plan by some politicians in the state to spill more blood in Ijebu-East local government.
Oladunjoy stated that, “before another blood is spilled in Ijebu East Local Government Area, I must inform the whole world that some unscrupulous men are mobilising hugs for the PDP extended executive meeting in Ogbere, Ijebu.
“Their plan is to create confusion during which someone will be killed and then blame it on my supporters, so that OGD will give me the treatment he meted out to Tele Ogunjobi of Ijebu North, whom he removed as chairman on 31 December, 2008.
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
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