Nation
THE STATES
Borno
The Shehu of Borno, Alhaji Abubakar Ibn Garbai, has
appealed to Yola Electricity Distribution Company Plc (YOEDC) to restore power supply to Maiduguri and end the hardship being faced by residents.
He made the call when he received the Manager of YOEDC, Hajiya Zainab Hassan, in his palace in Maiduguri.
Electricity supply to Maiduguri had been paralyzed since May 13, following suspected Boko Haram terrorists’ attacks on the Damboa Power line.
The Shehu said that the continued blackout in the state had crippled economic and social lives.
He added that, “we are appealing to the authorities concerned to please restore electricity supply to the state capital as soon as possible.
Gombe
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA),
said it arrested 60 drug suspects and seized 434.53 kg of hard drugs in Gombe State from January till date.
NDLEA State Commandant, Mr Aliyu Adole,disclosed this in Gombe State in an interview with newsmen recently.
“We have arrested 60 people within this short period and we removed from circulation 434.53 kg of drugs.
“Out of these numbers of suspects, we got 27 convictions and 34 pending cases at the Federal High Court, Gombe,” he said.
Adole said that currently, four suspects are in the cell awaiting prosecution at the same Federal High Court.
According to him, the agency succeeded in establishing five area commands in the state.
“We have moved to interior settlements where drugs are being planted to ensure that we are able to reduce the business to the barest minimum.’’
Jigawa
The Jigawa State Commissioner of Police, Mr Mohammed
Mustapha, said 1,201 officers and men of the command had been promoted to various ranks.
Mustapha disclosed this while decorating the newly promoted officers in Dutse.
He said 11 Deputy Superintendants of Police (DSP) were promoted to Superintendents of Police (SP) and 27 Inspectors were now Assistant Superintendents of Police.
Others were 782 Corporals promoted to Sergents and 381 Police Constables elevated to Corporals, while the promotion result of Sergents to Inspectors was being awaited.
Kaduna
An agrochemical company, Vicampro Farms Ltd., has
called on the Federal Government to invest in mechanised farming to diversify the nation’s economy.
The Secretary and Legal Adviser of the company, Mrs Adediran Adeola, told newsmen in Kaduna that agriculture had gone beyond the use of hoes and cutlasses.
She advised government to invest hugely in mechanised agriculture by deploying modern techniques, to make a meaningful impact in the sector.
According to her, the country will exploit the full benefits of the sector if mechanised farming replaced the subsistence type of agriculture done with hoes and cutlasses.
“I am glad that the government and other state governments noted that agriculture is an untapped goldmine with huge potential for revenue generation and foreign exchange.
Kogi
The wife of Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State, Mrs
Rasheedat Bello, has organised free genotype screening for youths in Kogi State to assist them in tackling the dangers of sickle-cell anemia in marriages.
The screening was done at Crowther Memorial College in Lokoja recetly.
Mrs Bello said her pet-project, KOWYEF, in collaboration with office of the wife of the President, Mrs Aisha Buhari, organised the programme to celebrate the world sickle-cell day.
She appealed to the youth to know their genotypes before going into marriage, because sickle cell is an unavoidable disease in couples with wrong genotypes.
Kwara
Administrative activities at the Irepodun Local
Government Area of Kwara State have been grounded as the sit-at-home embarked upon by the workers entered its third week.
Our correspondent gathered that the workers had joined their counterpart in other 15 councils across the state to demand payment of their outstanding salaries.
The gate to the council secretariat in Omu-Aran remained under lock and key when our correspondent visited.
The directive for the sit-at-home was said to have emanated from the state chapter of Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE).
The development had adversely affected some applicants seeking to obtain vital official documents from the council.
Some of the applicants, who are mostly youths, were seen lamenting their difficulties outside the council secretariat.
Lagos
As countries of the world marked this year’s World
Refugees Day on Monday, the United State Government has announced its plan to host Leaders Summit in Refugees on September, recently.
The U.S. Secretary of State, Mr John Kerry, who announced the plan in a statement, expressed his government’s commitment to finding a lasting solution to the problems currently being faced by refugees.
According to the statement, during the summit, the U.S. will ask nations to make concrete commitments toward expanding the humanitarian safety net and creating more long-term durable opportunities for refugees.
“This year’s commemoration comes at a time when brutal conflicts are forcing record numbers of innocent people to flee and challenging the world to find better ways to protect them.
“The U.S. is determined to find solutions. That is why on September 20, at the UN General Assembly in New York, President Obama will host a Leaders’ Summit on Refugees.
Niger
The Niger State Government has inaugurated the sale of
subsidised grains to residents of its 25 local government areas.
Governor Sani Bello of Niger State, who performed the inauguration in Minna, said that the grains – rice, millet and maize, would only be sold in measurements in order to allow more people to access them and touch the lives of people at the grassroots.
Bello, who was represented by his Deputy, Alhaji Ahmed Ketso, said, “we feel the pains of our people and that is why we make it a priority to embark on the sale of 1,508 tonnes of these essential food items.
“Government has invested heavily on this project and we intend to make it a continuous exercise until the economic situation improves.’’
Ogun
A 64-year-old man, Toyin Fagbenro, who allegedly
collected N1.7 million under false pretence, has been arraigned in an Ota Chief Magistrates’ Court in Ogun State.
The defendant, who lives at No. 14 Shilloy Estate, Onigbongbo, Atan, Ota, is facing a two-count charge of stealing and obtaining money under false pretence.
The prosecutor, Cpl. Abdulkareem Mustapha, told the court that the accused committed the offences on October 22, 2015 at about 14:00 a.m. at Shilloy Estate, Onigbongbo, Atan, Ota.
Mustapha said that the defendant collected N1.7 million under false pretence on behalf of Shilloy Estate, to supply community electrical transformer. He said that the offences contravened Sections 309, 419 and 509 of the Criminal Code, Vol. 1, Laws of Ogun, 2006.
Ondo
The Rebuja of Osooro-land, Igbotako in Ondo State, Oba
Shedrack Gbadebo-Bajowa, has urged Nigerians to always pray for politicians to fulfill all their electioneering promises.
Oba Gbadebo-Bajowa, in an interview with newsmen in Igbotako, Ondo State, said that politicians needed prayers for them to do what was right, especially to the electorate.
The monarch said that no one could depend on his or her own wisdom to do anything right except with the wisdom of God.
“The economic status of the nation calls for serious prayers because whatever happens to the country indirectly affects the states, local government areas and all of us at large.
Osun
A human rights’ activist, Mrs Temitope Awe, has called
on the Federal Government to make more policy statements that will completely make child-trafficking a criminal offence in Nigeria.
She told newsmen in Osogbo, capital of the state of Osun, that such statement should make it an offence for parents to give out their children in trafficking.
Awe, the Executive Director of Girl-Child Rights Awareness Initiative in Africa, charged government to protect and save Nigerian children through proactive legislation that would serve as a deterrent to would-be-offenders. She said the rate at which Nigerian children were being trafficked within Africa and beyond was alarming and scaring.
Oyo
The Oyo State Director of the National Orientation
Agency (NOA), Mrs Dolapo Dosumu, has urged Nigerians to embrace peace for the development and advancement of the country.
Dosumu told newsmen in Ibadan that without peace, democracy would be threatened and socio-economic development would be hindered.
The Lagos State Government has disclosed that 26,592 public school students failed the 2024 West African Senior School Certificate Examination, raising alarm across the state’s education sector.
The state Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Jamiu Alli-Balogun, during a ministerial press briefing yesterday in Alausa, Ikeja, said that “45.7 per cent of the 58,188 students from public schools who sat for the exams did not pass.”.
This failure rate comes despite the state government’s significant financial backing N1.577 billion was paid on behalf of the students to cover WAEC fees.
“Suffice to say that the sum of N1,577,794,000 only was paid by the state government as examination fees for 58,188 students who were captured for the year 2024 WASSCE,” Alli-Balogun announced.
In a bid to tighten accountability and avoid wastage, the Commissioner disclosed that biometric and image registration was carried out to accurately determine eligible students for government sponsorship for the 2025 WASSCE.
“The exercise successfully captured and registered 56,134 students as bona fide beneficiaries of the Lagos state government’s sponsorship for the examination,” he added.
However, the Lagos State Government rolled out a bold educational intervention – the Eko Learners’ Support Programme for WASSCE and NECO candidates – aimed at reversing the tide of academic failure in the state’s public schools.
Launched on January 14, 2025, the initiative is part of a broader commitment by the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education to equip Lagos students with tools for success.
“This forward-thinking initiative was designed to support and empower young scholars in attestation of the ministry’s commitment to advancing interest and management of the educational system in Lagos State,” Alli-Balogun stated.
Ekiti State Government says it has vaccinated 226,429 eligible girls in the State against the Human Papilloma Virus, an infection believed to be a leading cause of cervical cancer.
The wife of the Ekiti State Governor, Dr Olayemi Oyebanji, said the HPV immunization exercise, which she flagged off in the State in May 2025 was a great success, noting that it reached targeted communities and protected children against cervical cancer.
The governor’s wife made the disclosure in Ado Ekiti yesterday during a one-day stakeholders’ sensitisation meeting on the introduction of Measles Rubella vaccines in Ekiti State.
She said, “The introduction of Measles Rubella Vaccines is a very crucial step towards protecting Ekiti children particularly the target age group of nine to 14 years from diseases.
“I urge all women in the State to regularly scan their breasts. This can be done with the aid of the Mammography machine which is available at Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital, Ado Ekiti”.
The state Commissioner for Health, Dr Oyebanji Filani, noted that the Measles Rubella vaccines would be rolled out nationally in October, 2025.
Filani said that the State was taking proactive steps to sensitise residents of the State before the date to ensure adequate awareness on the vaccines by citizens.
The Acting Ochimba of Ogida in Etche Local Government Area of Rivers State, Eze Ndudiri Azuatalam, says peace remains paramount in the socio-economic development of Etche land.
Eze Azuatalam, however, called on his people to embrace and eschew violence at all times.
The Onwa Nagbara Oha made the call during the official commissioning of his palace at Ogida recently.
The epoch-making ceremony held at his palace saw the attendance of members of the Etche Supreme Council of Traditional Rulers and Chiefs; the academia; the political class; the clergy ; women as well relevant stakeholders within and outside Etche land.
The Ngbaragida of Azuafor re-emphasised the essence of peace and social harmony which he said open the window for meaningful development to take place.
He also sought the support and collaboration of his people to achieve the desired goals of development, progress and prosperity.
He noted that the peace being witnessed in the area must be sustained through collective effort, saying, contributions and sacrifices need to be made by all concerned to live in peace.
Eze Azuatalam said his aim towards building a better Ogida cannot be compromised as he and his people have no other place called home.
The Acting Ochimba said as part of efforts to build a better Ogida, he has instituted a number of development projects, adding that some of his kinsmen have been empowered through his hard-earned money and resources, saying, he will continue to assist the less- privileged around him.
He reaffirmed his desire to impact positively on the lives of his people as the engagement of the youths will help to reduce social vices in the area.
He thanked members of the Etche Supreme Council of Traditional Rulers and Chiefs for honouring his invitation.
He specifically thanked the Onyi Ishi Etche and Ochie of Etcheland, His Eminence E mmanuel Opurum for leading Etche on the path of prosperity, and described the revered King as a role model to the younger generation.
He said his fatherly role has been a source of hope and inspiration to his subjects.
The palace was unveiled by His Eminence with the assistance of Ochimba of Abara, Eze Jonah Nwala and other prominent Etche traditional rulers and chiefs while the Onyi Ishi Etche was represented by Eze Ken Nwala, Onyi Ishi Agwuru, Ulakwo/ Umuselem Clan.
The Onyi Ishi Etche urged other prominent sons of Etche to emulate the kind gesture of Eze Ndudiri Azuatalam as his magnanimity is being seen and appreciated by his people.
Eze Azuatalam also applauded the efforts of Prof Mekuri Ndimele, former Vice Chancellor of the Ignatius Ajuru University of Education in the growth of Etche land.
According to him, during Ndimele’ s tenure, a lot of development projects were sited at the institution, including the development of Etcheland and empowerment of Etche people.