Nation
THE STATES
Bauchi
The Bauchi State Government has approved N30 million as counterpart fund to boost water supply and sanitation in the state.
Alhaji Yusuf Yerima, the Permanent Secretary, state Ministry for Water Resources, disclosed this in Bauchi at a one-day workshop organised by Sustainable Water and Environmental Sanitation (SWANSA), a donor Agency,
The workshop was organised in collaboration with the Management of Zaranda Hotel, Bauchi.
Yerima said that the fund was approved for SWANSA to improve water supply and environmental sanitation in both urban and rural centres of the state.
Borno
No fewer than 15 members of Borno chapter of the National Association of Patent Medicine Dealers have been killed in their shops by unidentified gunmen at different locations in Maiduguri in the past two months.
The President of the Borno chapter, Alhaji Abubakar Villah, made this known in Maiduguri in an interview with newsmen .
He said the association was seriously concerned by the killings, noting that its members were not known to be trouble makers, but had lived in peace in their communities and contributed to the development of the state.
FCT
A PDP chieftain, Sen. Mohammed Ohiare, in Abuja called for the rotation of the governorship position among the ethnic groups in Kogi.
Ohiare, who made the call while addressing news men, said rotating the governorship position would give a sense of belonging to all stakeholders in the state.
“I strongly advocate that power should be rotated among the Igalas, Okuns and the Ebiras as well as the minority tribes to showcase their leadership talents,’’ Ohiare said.
He said since the creation of the state in 1992, “both the Okuns and the Ebiras have not tested the executive seat.’’
Jos
Gov. Jonah Jang of Plateau has appointed Prof. Shedrach Best as the new Secretary to the State Government (SSG).
A statement by Mr James Mannok, Director of Press Affairs, in Jos said the appointment was with immediate effect.
Until his appointment, Best was Special Adviser to the Governor on Peace Building and Conflict Management.
He was a former Director, Centre for Conflict Management and Peace Studies, University of Jos.
The ANPP Gubernatorial candidate, Malam Salihu Takai, has petitioned against the election of Dr Rabi’u Kwankwaso of PDP in the April general elections.
The petition, No. KN/EPT/ Gov/03/11, filed at the state Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, urged the panel to set aside the election of Kwankwaso as governor- elect.
The petitioner also prayed that he, Takai, be declared the winner of the election or in the alternative, a fresh election be conducted in 23 local government areas, where there were suspected irregularities.
Kogi
The ongoing upgrading of the Ajaokuta Transmission Station in Kogi, from 30 MVA to 60 MVA, has reached 95 per cent completion.
Mr Abednego Akabuko, the Lokoja Business District Manager of the PHCN, made the disclosure on Wednesday.
Akabuko told newsmen that the project which was started last year to improve the quality of power supply to the state would be completed within the next couple of months.
Lagos
The Federal High Court in Lagos upheld the fundamental human rights case filed by the former Managing Director of Intercontinental Bank Plc, Erastus Akingbola, against the EFCC.
The EFCC had through its counsel, Mr Joseph Daudu, filed the stay of proceeding to enable the commission to appeal an order of the court made on May 6.
The court had directed EFCC to immediately release Akingbola and one of his aides, Bayo Dada, from its custody.
Justice Charles Archibong had also ordered the EFCC to stay off all actions against Akingbola pending the determination of the suit before it.
Nasarawa
The National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives, Ministry of Defence Chapter, laid the foundation for a housing estate for its members.
Speaking at the ceremony, the chapter’s coordinator, Mrs Omolola Okunnu, said the funding for the estate would be sourced from the Federal Housing Loans Board.
She said the association had been working on the land for the estate since July 2010.
Osun
The police in Osun have arrested five robbery suspects and recovered four stolen vehicles.
Mr Olusegun Solomon, Commissioner of Police in the state, told newsmen in Osogbo that the suspects were arrested in connection with theft of cars.
“At Testing Ground in Osogbo at about 7 p.m., a man was reportedly attacked on his way from Oyen village when his BMW car marked GY 605 GNN had a flat tyre,’’ he said.
He said as the victim was trying to fix the flat tyre, some hoodlums emerged from the bush and ordered him and his wife to surrender their belongings.
Ondo
The Ondo State Commissioner for Environment, Chief Omolebi Adepiti, has enjoined landlords in the state to provide toilet facilities in their houses to avoid arrest and prosecution.
The directive is contained in a statement, issued by the Press Officer, Ministry of Environment, Mr Tony Adetoye, in Akure.
The statement said a landlord had been arraigned for failure to provide toilet facilities in his house, while 18 others were given 30 days to comply or be prosecuted.
Adepiti said the state government had put in place various facilities and measures for proper disposal of waste and would not allow anybody to cause an outbreak of epidemic or deface the environment.
Oyo
The Association of Cocoyam Processors and Exporters in Oyo State has decried the apparent neglect of the crop.
The Chairman of the association, Chief Amusat Olamuyegun, made the assertion while speaking with newsmen in Ibadan.
According to Olamuyegun, cocoyam is not being given the desired attention as is the case with other root and tuber crops.
He said that unknown to a lot of Nigerians, cocoyam is one of the most nutritious tuber crops in the country and worldwide.
Olamuyegun said that if governments at all levels could develop cocoyam processing, it would also be a veritable source of employment to the unemployed youths in the country.
Sokoto
Senator-elect, Alhaji Ibrahim Gobir (PDP-Sokoto East), has called on Nigerians to always be security conscious by reporting suspected characters to the nearest security outfits.
“Security matters should not be left in the hands of security officers alone, hence the need for active participation of all and sundry becomes a task that must be accomplished,” he said.
Gobir told newsmen in Sokoto that Nigerians also needed to pray for God’s guidance to enable the elected leaders succeed.
He said seeking God’s intervention in the task of ensuring good governance would ensure rapid development.
“When you involve God in your daily affairs, certainly success will be on your way,” he said.
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.