Nation
THE STATES
Bauchi
Alhaji Babayo Gamawa, the Deputy Governor of Bauchi State, says he will dedicate himself to the struggle for the creation of Katagum State if elected senator in 2011.
Gamawa, who wants to contest the seat for the Bauchi-North Senatorial District, made the pledge last Saturday in an interview with newsmen in Bauchi.
He said that if elected, he would devote 75 per cent of his time and energy in seeing to the creation of Katagum State.
Gamawa said that he made a lot of consultations on the issue with the speakers of state houses of assembly when he was speaker of the Bauchi State House of Assembly.
He said that he received encouraging words from the speakers and that many of them promised to support him in achieving the objective.
Borno
Borno State police command said on Sunday that it had arrested 13 suspects in connection to last week’s killings in Maiduguri.
Suspected Boko Haram militants had killed at least four individuals in separate attacks on Wednesday and Friday in Maiduguri.
But the command Police Public Relations’ Officer Mallam Lawal Abdullahi told newsmen in Maiduguri that 11 suspectswere arrested in connection with the Wednesday’s killing.
“I want to inform you that we have already made a number of arrests in connection with the killings.
Ekiti
A non-governmental organisation, WaterAid Nigeria has constructed 38 boreholes in Ekiti state as part of its efforts to ensure that people have access to safe water.
The Director of Justice Development Peace Initiative/WaterAid in the state, Rev. Fr. Raphael Aborisade said this at the weekend in Ado-Ekiti during a sensitization programme to mark the World Toilet Day.
Aborisade said the boreholes were constructed mostly in rural communities in Ikole, Ilejemeje and Ekiti South West local government areas.
FCT
Some applicants who did not meet the height requirement in the FRSC recruitment process were barred from taking part in the written test conducted by the corps in Abuja last Saturday.
Male applicants were required to be up to 1.7 metres while their female counterparts were expected to be up to 1.6 metres.
Those barred from the examination due to their height were seen in groups discussing their fate at the Mogadishu Cantonment, venue of the exercise.
However, reports that as at 11:30 a.m. some 1,800 out of the 5,400 cleared to write the test had done so with others on a long line waiting for their turn.
Kano
Most Food Vendors in Kano have yet to resume business, five days after the Eid-el-Kabir festival.
A survey conducted by our correspondent in the state capital revealed that the food sellers,many of whom hailed from other states of the federation, are still away,observing their Sallah break.
Our correspondents’ checks at Galadima Road, Audu Bako way,and the Sabon Gari market, found that most of the vendors’ stalls and other platforms remained desolate, due to the absence of the operators.
One of the operators, Hajiya Asiya Garba,told newsmen that she could not resume business now because she was still celebrating the Sallah.
Katsina
The Katsina Study Centre of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) on Saturday matriculated 207 students admitted to study various courses at the centre.
Speaking at the occasion, Dr Kabiru Galadanchi, Manager of the Centre, said that out of the over 1,000 candidates that applied to study at the Centre, only 207 were given admission.
He attributed the situation to the mistakes made by most of the applicants in filling their application forms.
Kogi
A total of 150 students on Saturday matriculated at the Lokoja Study Centre of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) for the 2009/2010 academic session.
The Centre Manager, Mr Theophilus Balogun, who made the disclosure to the newsmen in Lokoja at the 5th matriculation, said that similar ceremony took place simultaneously at the NOUN’s 40 study centres nationwide.
He identified the lack of physical structures and truancy by some facilitators as some of the challenges confronting the study centre.
Balogun urged the Federal Government to expedite action on the ongoing construction work in the centre, noting that lack of structures had forced them to use facilities at the Bishop Delise College.
Kwara
Kwara State Public Complaints Commission says a total of five hundred and seventy – nine (579)complaints werereceived between January and October 2010.
The Acting Durector of Investigation, Mr Caleb Bukoye disclosed this in an interview with newsmen last Sunday in Ilorin.
According to him, during the period the Commission has investigated and successfully resolved 324 complaints.
Bukoye urged members of the public to seize the opportunity provide by the federal government through the service of the Commission in getting their problems and complaints solved.
Niger
The National Agency for the Prohibition of Traffic in Persons and other related matters (NAPTIP) has said that a 58-year-old father, who allegedly impregnated his 14-year-old daughter is currently being detained.
The 58-year old farmer and the daughter were paraded before journalists on Nov. 15 by Deputy Police Spokesman, DSP Samuel Jinadu in his Ikeja office.
The police said that the man forcefully had canal knowledge of his daughter and has now delivered a baby girl from the relationship.
Ondo
The Ondo State Government on Saturday reiterated its commitment to sustain its zero tolerance for examination malpractice.
The state’s Commissioner for Education, Dr Pius Osunyikanmi, told newsmen in Akure that the state government had inaugurated an examination and ethics committee to monitor schools that engaged in malpractices.
He also said that disciplinary actions would be taken against any school involved in examination malpractice.
Osunyikanmi said that alreday, four schools had been banned from presenting candidates for public examinations for two years due to the high number of cheats recorded in that school.
Oyo
Some applicants, who turned up for the rescheduled test for recruitment into various positions in the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), on Saturday in Ibadan, have described the exercise as discouraging.
Some of the applicants, who would not want to be identified, alleged that they were made to sit on bare floor and write the test on their laps.
They condemned the inadequate arrangement made by the FRSC authorities for the test, saying that the shoddy arrangement for the test had dashed their hopes on the recruitment exercise.
Some applicants also alleged that their names were removed from the list of those qualified to write the test after they had scaled through the physical exercise conducted for the recruitment.
Plateau
Dr Mohammed Ali Pati, the Executive Director of Primary Health Care and Development Agency (PHCDA), says polio has reduced from 356,000 cases earlier recorded to below 1,000 in Nigeria.
Pati disclosed this last Saturday at the Silver Jubilee Investiture of Rotarian Joseph Kigbu, as the new President of Naraguta Rotary Club, Jos.
“With the Government fight against the polio scourge in Nigeria, we have been able to reduce the over 356,000 cases to less than a thousand.
“Very soon, we shall totally eradicate polio in Nigeria more so that we have other non-governmental organisations such as Rotary and USAID behind us in the fight,” Pati said.
The Rivers State Judiciary has denied claims of media reports circulating online that a judge of its High Court issued a ruling in favour of Governor Siminalayi Fubara against former Governor Nyesom Wike and President Bola Tinubu, there by sacking the sole Administrator of the state, vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (rtd).
A statement signed by the Chief Registrar of the State High Court, David Ihua-Maduenyi yesterday in Port Harcourt, described the purported report as false and misleading, particularly for linking a judge of the State High Court, Justice Boma Diepirii, to a ruling that reportedly came from a Federal High Court.
According to the statement, Justice Boma Diepirii is a Judge of the Rivers State High Court and not of the Federal High Court and currently on Easter Vacation, which commenced on Monday, 14th April.
The Chief Registrar further clarified that the Federal High Court and the State High Court are separate entities, stressing that “the inclusion of Justice Diepiri’s name in the fabricated report underscores the crass ignorance of the author.”
“The attention of the Rivers State Judiciary has been drawn to a fake news report alleging that His Lordship, Hon. Justice Boma Diepiri, delivered a judgment sacking the Sole Administrator of Rivers State. This is false in its entirety,” the statement read.
“Justice Diepiri is a judge of the High Court of Rivers State, not of the Federal High Court as was falsely reported”.
” Additionally, His Lordship is currently on Easter vacation which began on Monday, April 14, 2025, Ihua-Maduenyi stated.
The statement however advised the general public and members of the media to always cross checked information concerning the judiciary before publishing and as well disregard the said report in its entirety as its an embodiment of falsehood and fabricated story.
The Senate yesterday approved the bills for the establishment of Federal University of Medical and Health Sciences and College of Education, Bende at its plenary session.
The two bills sponsored by the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon . Benjamin Kalu came to the Senate for concurrence after the approvals from the House of Representatives.
The Deputy Leader of the Senate, Sen. Lola Ashiru in the absence of the Majority Leader presented the recommendations of the Lower Chamber for consideration and Concurrence .
The Bill for an Act to establish Federal College of Education, Bende in Abia State seeks to provide full-time courses, training in technology, applied sciences, commerce, social sciences, arts and humanities among others.
Kalu had in his lead debate stated that Bende has remained undivided since its creation in 1976, even though with the size of four local government areas as found in comparative federal constituencies.
“Despite its strategic location in Abia and sharing a border with Akwa Ibom, with a growing population and landmass, there is no tertiary institution in the Federal Constituency operated either by Federal or State Government. Bende deserves to have the presence of a tertiary institution to serve the education need of the teeming youthful population, especially now that the need for well-trained educationists has risen. This is accompanied by the need to fill the gaps created by both the consequences of brain drain and the lack of qualified educationists to provide quality training at all levels of education,” he said.
For the bill seeking the establishment of Federal University of Medical and Health Sciences, Bende, Abia State, he said when it becomes law, the university will be charged with the responsibility to, among other things, offer full-time training leading to the award of degrees in medical and health sciences.
Nneka Amaechi-Nnadi
South East Caucus of the Senate has appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to immorttalise late Professor Humphrey Nwosu considering his commitment to achieving a practical democracy for Nigerian.
The Senators visibly angered by the Senate’s rejection of the need to immortalise the late National Electoral umpire who stood for democracy through the turbulent 1993 elections stormed out of the Senate Chambers and spoke to the press .
The Chairman of the South East Caucus, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe ( Abia South), as he did in plenary on Wednesday, presented a motion for immortalisation of Humphrey Nwosu by naming the national headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission ( INEC) , after him , for laying the foundation in 1993 and conducting the freest and fairest Presidential election in the country .
The late Professor Nwosu was the National Chairman of the National Electoral Commission ( NEC) , now known as Independent National Electoral Commission ( INEC) , who through option A4, conducted the June 12, 19993 presidential election , adjudged to be the freest and fairest in the country.
Abaribe in the motion co – sponsored by 15 other Senators , said late Humphrey Nwosu deserved to be immortalised like other heroes of the June 12 , 1993 presidential election .
He also urged the Federal Government to honour the late former electoral umpire with post humous national honours .
But Abaribe’s request , seconded by Senator Victor Umeh (Anambra Central) and supported by Senators from the South East including forner Senate Leader, Yahaya Abdullahi ( Kebbi North) , was roundly rejected by other Senators who said the deceased deserved no immortalization .
Specifically , Senator Adams Oshiomhole ( Edo North) , in his contribution to the debate said the motion to him, was nothing but an attempt to manipulate and rewrite history.
“ Professor Humphrey Nwosu as NEC Chairman in 1993, failed to deliver on the June 12 , 1993 Presidential Election for lack of Courage
“ He who is not ready to die for something , will die for nothing
“ If he was afraid of the gun from announcing the election results and winner in 1993 , he cannot be rewarded now , more so, when many Nigerians died for what he inadvertently created “, he said .
Nneka Amaechi -Nnadi