Nation
THE STATES
Benue
The Benue State Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), says it has arrested a woman, who allegedly stole a Pastor’s car.
Its Commandant, Mr Shuaib Jubril, said in Makurdi that the clergy man was travelling from Taraba State to Makurdi when he lost the car to the woman.
Jubril, who was briefing newsmen on the activities of the command during the Yuletide, however, refused to give the name of the suspect and the circumstances of the crime.
He commended personnel of the corps for striving toward a crime-free Christmas and New Year celebrations, and revealed that many arrests were made and handed over to the police as it was not within the jurisdiction of the corps to prosecute suspects.
Borno
The Borno State Government has announced the ban on operations of illegal motor parks in the state to ensure safety of lives and property.
The state‘s Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Alhaji Kakashehu Lawan, made the announcement while speaking with newsmen in Maiduguri.
Lawan, who said that the operations of the parks had been a source of concern to the government, said the decision was part of efforts to consolidate the emerging peace in the state.
He averred that the government had a duty to ensure maintenance of peace and harmony in the society, hence the drastic action.
He said that the government would prosecute commercial vehicle owners found contravening the order.
Gombe
Gombe State Transport Service has concluded plans to procure 100 new vehicles in 2017 to enhance its services, the Secretary of the company, Abdullahi Muhammad, has said.
Muhammad told newsmen in Gombe that Governor Ibrahim Dankwambo had given approval for the procurement.
According to him, each of the vehicles to be procured through Remarkable Trust Company, will gulf N17.7 million.
The secretary explained that the money for the vehicles would be repaid by the company within three to four years.
The secretary said two fatal accidents were recorded by the company in 2016, adding that the low accident rate was due to the training and retraining of its drivers by the Federal Road Safety Corps and Vehicle Inspection Officers.
Kaduna
The Zonal Commander of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), Zone 1, Mr. Bulus Darwang has advised senior officers and marshals of the commission to be professional in carrying out their assignments.
Darwang gave the advice in Kaduna after decorating some of the newly promoted senior officers of the commission in the zone comprising of Kaduna, Kano, Katsina and Jigawa states.
He also stressed the need for the officers and marshals to operate within the confines of the law while on duty on the highways to gain the confidence of the motoring public.
The commander also asked the newly promoted officers to consider their elevation as an impetus toward enhanced productivity.
Kano
The Kano State Government has earmarked over N167 billion for the construction of an international market in the state to be called ‘Kanawa Market.‘
The state’s Commissioner for Commerce, Industry and Cooperatives, Alhaji Rabiu Bako disclosed this in Kano, while briefing newsmen.
According to Bako, the construction of the modern market with over 9,000 shops for traders,will boost global commercial activities in the state.
He said that the market would attract the attention of foreign investors to invest in diverse business opportunities in the state.
Bako added that the construction of the market would be a joint venture between the state government and an indigenous construction company.
Katsina
A girl, Habiba Ishaku, 18, last Wednesday disassociated herslef from a suit purpotedly instituted on her behalf by a foundation and the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA) over her conversion to Islam.
The girl had eloped, embraced Islam and married one Jamilu Lawal in Kankara Local Government Area of Katsina State.
Her father, Mr Ishaku Tanko, had gone to a Katsina High Court in collaboration with Trustees of Stefanos Foundation and ECWA to challenge the action, claiming that Habiba was a minor.
During the court sitting last Wednesday, the judge, Justice Baraka Iliyasu-Wali, drew the attention of the plaintiff and defence counsels to a letter addressed to the court by Habiba, disassociating herself from the suit.
Kwara
The Chairman, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Ilorin Chapter, Prof. Timothy Popoola has applauded the sack of the Executive Secretary of the Financial Reporting Council (FRC), Jim Obazee by the Federal Government.
Popoola, in a statement, said the dissolution of the board and the sack of its scribe was commendable as “the church is not a company where the leader could just be replaced.”
“The church is not where you can just put somebody because he is capable. It is a ministry where God appoints people.
“So, I applaud President Buhari for recognising this and his action will bring peace into the mind of many agitated leaders of the church,” he said.
President Muhammadu Buhari last Monday announced the dismissal of Obazee who had earlier effected the Corporate Governance Code.
Nasarawa
The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has appointed Mrs Zainab Isah as its new coordinator in Nasarawa State.
A statement by the NYSC said that Isah took over from Mrs Habiba Bappah, who has been transferred to its headquarters in Abuja.
Until her new appointment, Isah was a deputy director, Planning, Research and Statistics at the NYSC headquarters in Abuja.
The new state coordinator, who had resumed duty, solicited the cooperation of the people of Nasarawa State to enable her succeed in her new assignment, the statement said.
Niger
Many sympathizers across the country converged on Minna, the Niger State capital, to pay tribute to late former governor, Alhaji Abdulkadir Kure, who was buried last Wednesday.
Kure, a formaer governor of the state died penultimate Sunday in a German hospital.
The sympathizers, who spoke to newsmen in Minna, described the late governor as a great leader and peace maker.
Former Senate Deputy President, Senator Ibrahim Mantu, said that late Kure would be missed for his wise counsel and contributions to the growth and development of the country.
Ondo
The Cocoa Exporters Association of Nigeria has called on the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and Nexim Bank to urgently do something about the disbursement of the N500 billion Federal Government loan for non- oil export.
The National Secretary of the association, Mr Kayode Babade, made the call in an interview with the newsmen in Akure.
According to him, the disbursement is imperative considering the recent crash of crude oil price and the dwindling foreign exchange flow in the country.
Babade, however, said that barely a year after the release of the fund the exporters were yet to see the fund readily available for disbursement.
Also speaking, the National President of the association, Mr Pius Ayodele, called on the authorities to start disbursing the fund in the best interest of the nation’s economy.
Osun
An Osun Magistrates’ Court has remanded in prison a 29-year-old man, Emmanuel Oladayo, who scaled the fence of a house to steal a motorcycle.
Magistrate Risikat Olayemi, sitting in Ile-Ife, said the accused should remain behind bars pending when the bail conditions would be perfected.
She had granted the accused bail in the sum of N100, 000 with two sureties in like amount.
The accused, however, pleaded not guilty.
Earlier, the prosecutor, Sgt. Sunday Osanyintuyi, told the court that the accused committed the offence on January 8 at about 1.39 a.m. at No. 136, Fajuyi Road, Ile-Ife.
Osanyintuyi said the accused scaled the fence of the house of the complainant, Emmanuel Adebimpe, and stole the motorcycle parked there.
Oyo
The deposed Baale of Olode town in Oluyole Local government Area of Oyo State, Chief Lukman Alao, has challenged in court, his removal from office by the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Saliu Adetunji.
A motion challenging his removal from office by the Olubadan was filed at the Oyo State High Court in Ibadan.
Alao also claimed N2 million in general damages for the “ pain, embarrassment and degradation he suffered’’ over what he called his unlawful deposition by the Olubadan
The petitioner was removed from office last Monday and a new Baale appointed and sworn-in immediately.
Alao, in a motion on notice filed by his counsel, Mr Saani Oyedele, joined the Olubadan-in-Council, Oluyole Local Government Council and the new Baale, Dauda Odeyemi, as co-respondents.
Besides, he also claimed that the new Baale was not qualified to occupy the position as he was not a member of the Olode chieftaincy family.
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.