Nation
THE STATES
Adamawa
No fewer than 500 women have benefited from the vocational and skill acquisition programme initiated by the Maiha Local Government in Adamawa during the last two years.
The Coordinator of the programme, Hajiya Zainab Abdullahi, told newsmen in Maiha last Tuesday that the measure was to empower women and enhance their economic wellbeing.
She said the beneficiaries were trained on aquaculture, poultry, livestock and crop production as well as tailoring, soap making and groundnut oil processing.
Abdullahi said the local council had distributed soft loans, sewing machines and other working tools to enable the women to set up their businesses and engage in gainful productive activities.
Bauchi
Bauchi State Ministry of Water Resources sunk 500 boreholes in various parts of the state between 2007 and 2011.
The outgoing Commissioner for Water Resources, Alhaji Bukar Bayero, made the announcement on Tuesday in Bauchi while handing over the affairs of the ministry to the Permanent Secretary, Alhaji Yerima Yusuf.
He said that most of the boreholes were sunk in rural areas to ease the water problem faced by the people.
Bayero said that some of the boreholes were sunk in hospitals and schools in various locations in the state.
He advised Governor Isa Yuguda to appoint credible people as commissioners to enable the government to sustain and improve on its achievements so far.
Borno
The Borno co-ordinator of NAFDAC, Malam Adamu Sabo, in Maiduguri called on the producers of foods to avoid adulteration or be ready to face the consequences.
Sabo, who made the call in an interview with newsmen, noted that palm oil, groundnut oil, fruits and other food items were being adulterated by the sellers to maximise profit.
He said the adulteration was harmful to human health, pointing out that such act affected the functions of body organs.
Adamu said the agency would not accept any thing other than a high level of hygiene in the production of food items.
Ekiti
A 32-year-old man, Mr Gabriel Adeniyi, last Tuesday appeared before an Ado-Ekiti Magistrate’s court charged with the vandalism of equipment belonging to the PHCN in Ado-Ekiti Business District.
Our Correspondent reports that the accused person was allegedly caught vandalising the company’s transformer located along Oke-Ila Street in Ado-Ekiti.
The Police Prosecutor, Mr Ewuola Ebenezer, told the court that the accused person and two others, now at large, were arrested by the police at midnight on Feb. 12 while vandalising the equipment.
Ebenezer, a corporal, said that the accused person had committed an offence punishable under Section 509 of the Criminal Code, Cap. 30, Volume 2, Laws of Ondo State, as applicable to Ekiti State.
FCT
Miss Dupe Shittu, a seamstress in Utako Market, last Tuesday, pleaded with an Abuja Customary Court to order a judicial separation from her 22-year-old relationship with Mr Isaac Omolua.
Shittu also wants the court to give her custody of the three children that came from the relationship and to restrain Omolua from abducting them.
She told the court that Omolua, who is above 60 years, was a polygamist with three wives and 10 children.
Kaduna
The Kaduna State Government has warned residents against the dumping of refuse in drains, on rail tracks and highways, warning that it would deal with anyone violating the directive.
Mr. Zakariah Shamaki, the state Commissioner for Environment, gave the warning in an interview with newsmen in Kaduna last Tuesday.
Shamaki said that notorious dump sites had been identified and would soon be cleared.
He disclosed that the state government had cleared 20 out of the 49 dump sites discovered last year.
He expressed concern over the indiscriminate dumping of refuse and said that the state government would apply appropriate measures to stop the act.
Katsina
Alhaji Yakubu Wada, acting chairman of Malumfashi local government in Katsina State on Monday enjoined youths to participate in community development programmes.
Wada made the call while addressing group youth associations at voluntary dredging of Malumfashi dam embarked by youths associations aimed at enhancing water storage and water passages.
He said community development efforts would enhance development as government have enormous burden and called on wealthy individuals and organisations to assist such initiatives.
Kobbi
The Kebbi Department of Fire Services has said that two persons died in the 44 fire incidents it recorded between January and April.
The State Director of Fire Services, Alhaji Garba Zagga, said in Birnin Kebbi on Tuesday that about 85 per cent of the fire incidents were caused by electrical faults.
Zagga told newsmen that Jega, Aliero, Birnin Kebbi and Koko/Besse local government areas recorded the highest number of fire incidents.
He said that the two deaths recorded were in Koko/Besse Local Government Area, while 13 houses and property worth N800,000 were lost in Barbarejo in Suru Local Government Area.
Kwara
Dr Aishat Saka of University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital says Nigeria records 114 deaths in every 1,000 births.
Saka said in an interview with the newsmen in Ilorin last Tuesday that the maternal mortality rate in Nigeria was 948 per 100,000 live births.
She said adequate maternal nutrition was essential for new born babies and advised nursing mothers to embrace exclusive breast-feeding with a view to improving the intellectual capacity of their children.
Saka said adequate nutrition was a major determinant of health and growth as well as the determinant of the intellectual capacity of the child.
Logos
The Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) has begun the clearing of waste from water bodies in the state, Mr Ola Oresanya, the Managing Director, has said.
Oresanya told Journalists in Lagos that the project was ongoing in Lekki, Badagry, Ikorodu, Iddo, Snake Island and Oworonshoki.
He expressed the hope that that the exercise would enhance the preservation of aquatic life.
“We have commenced a routine operation of waste collection and disposal from across lagoons in the state.
Niger
The Niger State Government has spent N1 billion on the purchase of 13,000 metric tonnes of fertiliser for sale to farmers on subsidy, the Commissioner for Agriculture, Alhaji Aminu Yusuf, has announced.
He told newsmen that the purchase was part of government’s efforts to boost food production in the state.
Yusuf said the NPK brand of fertiliser would be sold at a subsidised rate of N2,500 per bag against the N4,800 market price, while the Urea brand would be sold at N2,100 per bag against the market price of N4,500.
Plateau
Governor Jonah Jang of Plateau has approved the appointment of Mr Gyang Pwajok as his new Chief of Staff.
The appointment is contained in a statement signed by Mr Atang Azi, the Permanent Secretary, Policy and General Services, in Jos last Tuesday.
It said that the appointment was with immediate effect.
Until his appointment, Pwajok was the Director-General, Research and Documentation in the governor’s office.
The new Chief of Staff replaces Mr Ignatius Longjan, who is now Deputy-Governor elect.
Sokoto
Alhaji Bala Yabo, member-elect, Sokoto State House of Assembly, has promised to introduce a scholarship scheme for all qualified pupils in his constituency.
Yabo told newsmen in Sokoto that the measure would complement the effort of the state government in its resolve to provide qualitative education in the state.
He said education remained a tool needed to fight poverty and all machinery had been put in place to ensure youths acquired western education, to enable them to contribute positively to the development of the area.
“We must at this material time begin necessary modalities that will make our future generation relevant in the task ahead,” he said.
Taraba
The Federation of Muslim Women Association of Nigeria (FOMWAN) in Taraba has accused men of inciting Nigerians against one another, and causing religious crisis in the country.
Hajiya Zainab Galadima, the Chairperson of the association, made the accusation in an interview with newsmen in Jalingo.
According to her, the Islamic religion considers all human beings as equal before God.
She said that she could not understand why men used the religion as an instrument for division.
“My understanding of the Islamic religion is that all human beings are equal before God.
“The closest person to God is the one who is righteous, not the one that belongs to a particular religion.
Zamfara
Prices of beans have increased by about 15 per cent in Gusau, Zamfara.
A survey conducted by Our Correspondent in grain markets in Gusau on Tuesday showed that a bag of beans, which was N8, 000 four weeks ago, now sells for between N9,000 and N9,500, depending on the quality of the grains.
Also a measure of beans, which was N250 last month, now costs between N260 and N270.
Mallam Muhammadu Kabiru, a beans dealer, told Our Correspondent that they expected the high prices to come down any moment from now.
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.