Kano govt. offsets rent of late Emir Bayero’s daughter, her mother
Rent
By Aminu Garko
Kano, June 25, 2024( NAN) Gov.Abba Yusuf of Kano State has paid rent fees for Princess Zainab Ado Bayero, and her mother after they the Emir’s family alleged that they were being neglected by the authorities.
Bayero’s daughter lives with her mother at Morning Side Suits, Victoria Island, Lagos.
In a statement the Governor’s Director of Press, Sanusi Bature, on Tuesday in Kano, said the intervention came few hours to the lapse of the eviction notice served on the princess.
Bature, said that already governor’s delegation had arrived Lagos to meet the apartment’s General Manager, Sunel Kumar, who had threatened to evict them by 3 pm on Tuesday, June 25, 2024.
“Princess Zainab had cried out for help in media, saying that they were neglected by the royal family following her father’s demise,’’ Bature said.
Bature also said that the governor’s intervention was prompted by his concern that the situation did not reflect well on the integrity of royal family and Kano state.
“The governor’s action was also driven by the fact that the Ado Bayero’s family members are in need and deserve support as Muslim sisters and brothers,’’ he said.
Bature said the princess and her mother expressed gratitude to Yusuf for his timely intervention that saved them from embarrassment( NAN)www.nannews.ng)
Filmmaker begins awareness to alleviate burdens of sickle cell warriors
Disorder
By Kazeem Akande
Lagos, June 25, 2024(NAN) A Nigerian award-winning actor and model, Emmanuel Ikubese, has begun an awareness campaign to alleviate burdens of sickle cell warriors in the country.
Ikubese spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Lagos.
According to him, he aims to support sickle cell warriors through the ‘Mzigo Project’, a campaign leveraging mainstream media to raise awareness about sickle cell disorder.
“Misconceptions and ignorance surrounding the condition have caused harm and stigma for those affected.
“By dispelling false narratives and myths, I and my team can educate people and foster support.
“I believe that increased awareness will encourage more people to get involved and help alleviate the burden of sickle cell disease.
“I can’t do this alone, but together, we can make a difference and create a more supportive community for those living with the condition,” he said.
Ikubese, a former Silverbird male Pageant Mr Nigeria in 2014, said he aimed to assist and enlighten a significant number of individuals living with sickle cell disorder.
According to him, ‘Mzigo Project’ has partnered SAMI, a sickle cell disorder focused organisation, on initiatives like the #Run4AWarrior.
“This partnership will enable us to provide medical insurance to numerous individuals in low-income areas who are living with sickle cell disease.
“Unfortunately, many warriors have lost their lives due to limited access to quality healthcare.
“To address this, we participate in the Lagos State City Marathon, running to raise funds and awareness for this critical cause.
“Over the past two years, our collaboration with SAMI has successfully raised millions of Naira, which has been used to provide medical insurance for sickle cell warriors in need,” he added.
The award-winning actor said that his Mzigo Project was currently focusing on highest prevalence of sickle cell disorder in Nigeria compared with other countries globally.
“ We’re starting from home, as the saying goes, charity begins at home.
“However, our long-term vision is to expand the project across Africa, as the same challenges and misconceptions surrounding sickle cell disease exist in other countries like Kenya, Tanzania, and beyond,” he told NAN.
Ikubese said that to address the issue, the sickle cell project would create a model that could be replicated and adapted in other African countries, ultimately making a broader impact on the continent.
He said that the pan-African approach would enable them to reach more communities, raise awareness, and support those living with sickle cell disorder, thereby fostering a more inclusive and supportive environment for all.
NAN reports that Nigerians living with sickle cell disorder faced staggering healthcare costs, with monthly expenses ranging from N70,000 to N1,000,000, largely due to frequent hospital admissions and costly medications.
Health insurance coverage falls short for many, with plans often failing to cover essential treatments like routine medications and consultations.
Government and Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs) efforts to support people with sickle cell disorder are insufficient, highlighting the urgent need for improved public healthcare infrastructure and more comprehensive assistance programmes in Nigeria.(NAN)
Ebonyi govt. welcomes independent investigation into collapsed building
Investigation
By Chukwuemeka Opara
Abakaliki, June 25, 2024 (NAN) The Ebonyi government said on Tuesday that it would welcome investigations by independent bodies to unravel the cause of a collapsed two-storey building in Abakaliki, on June 18.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that two trapped construction workers at the building owned by a serving state legislator were rescued alive while other workers escaped unhurt.
Chief Sunday Inyima, Ebonyi Commissioner for Capital City Development and Urban Planning, said this in Abakaliki while conducting a team from the Nigeria Building and Road Research Institute (NBBRI) round the debris.
“The government needs the truth on the cause of the collapse and that was why I inaugurated an investigative committee on the issue.
“The interest shown by independent bodies in conducting investigations into the incident gives us hope of unraveling the remote cause of the collapse,” he said.
He said that the government’s investigative committee was jointly headed by state chairmen of the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN) and Council of Registered Builders of Nigeria (CORBON).
“Your own report will be different from the state government’s committee and if we get a unified report, it will mean that a good job has been done.
“When there are differences in both reports, we would review such differences to unravel the true cause of the collapse.
“We hope to get recommendations from both committees that would help in forestalling future building collapse in the state,” he said.
He thanked the team for rating Ebonyi very low in occurrences of building collapse, assuring that efforts would be intensified to forestall such occurrences.
The Leader of the team, Prof. Akaolisa Ezeagu, said it was constituted by NBBRI Director-General, Prof. Samson Duna, to investigate the cause of the collapsed building and recommend ways of forestalling such.
Ezeagu commended the commissioner for conducting the team round the scene and for providing relevant documents among others that would assist the team in its assignment.
“We are not in Ebonyi to witch-hunt anyone but to conduct scientific based investigation into the collapse and providing documented recommendations to forestall future occurrences.
“Building collapse has become a national menance but we are happy that Ebonyi ranks very low in such occurrences.
“Our recommendations on forestalling building collapse assist federal, state governments and developers to learn relevant lessons in checking such ugly occurrences,” he said.
He called for concerted efforts from stakeholders to check building collapse due to inherent fatalities and economic losses.
NAN reports that the team conducted relevant tests on the building’s debris and interfaced with relevant authorities in the state’s housing and construction sectors. (NAN) (www nannews.ng)
Agege LG nabscman selling adulterated bottled water
Cholera
By Kazeem Akande
Lagos, June 25, 2024(NAN) Agege Local Government Environmental officials have nabbed a man selling adulterated bottled water to the public in the community.
The stride is in consonance with the directive of the Council Chairman Chief Ganiyu Egunjobi, to environmental health officials.
Mr Taiwo Awonuga, the Head, Environmental Health Department in the Council, disclosed these to newsmen on Tuesday.
According to him, the culprit was swiftly intercepted by the environment department staff following information given by market leaders.
“While being questioning by our council officials, he said that he bought some bottled water, got empty plastic bottles, filled them with adulterated water and sold to the public at Agege Market.
“He has been handed over to the Pen Cinema Divisional Police Station for onward investigation and prosecution,” he said.
Awonuga said that the council chairman had appealed to the residents to be wary of what they consume, to prevent the spread of Cholera disease.
Recall that Agege had suspended operation of food vendors in schools under the council as part of measures to curb the spread of cholera in the state.
The Lagos State Government has so far reported a death toll of 29 resulting from the disease.
It said 579 cases had been recorded across the state.
The Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, disclosed these on Monday during a press briefing held in Ikeja, to intimate residents on efforts to curb the spread across Lagos.(NAN)
NGO to ensure availability, accessibility, affordability of Vitamin A foods
Food
By Nicholas Dechi
Makurdi, June 25, 2025 (NAN) Global Alliance For Improved Nutrition (GAIN), says it is working assiduously to ensure nutritious foods enriched with vitamin A are available, accessible and affordable to Nigerians in all seasons.
The Senior Project Manager, GAIN Supply Chain for Commercialisation, Mr Godwin Ehiabhi, disclosed this during the training of trainers on improving nutrition and value addition for nutrient-enriched staples
on Tuesday, in Makurdi.
Ehiabhi reiterated that GAIN’s goal was to make nutritious foods, specifically Vitamin A enriched diets, available and affordable to all Nigerians in these hard times.
He further disclosed that GAIN was strengthening nutrition in priority staple foods, adding that the project was a five-year project that began in 2021 that would end in December 2025.
“It is aimed at solving the problem of malnutrition in Nigeria. 60 to 65 per cent are malnourished in Nigeria.
“In Benue, implementation is in four Local Government Areas (LGAs), namely Gboko, Makurdi, Gwer and Otukpo.
“The project has three components, bio-fortification, workforce nutrition and business support,” Ehiabhi explained.
According to him, bio-fortification is to train farmers for extension services and free input distribution, while workforce nutrition is to enable households adopt nutrition in their homes, encourage cooking demonstrations, social behavioural change campaign and home garden.
He further stated that business support was for processors and registered farm businesses along the vitamin A food value chain, as well as capacity building and award of grants to deserving businesses.
He explained that to ensure sustainability of the project, the trainers would step down the training or knowledge acquired to other LGAs that were not captured by the project.
According to the Policy and Advocacy Associate, GAIN, Ms Toromade Olutayo, 90 per cent of Nigerians are part of the one billion people in Africa that cannot afford a healthy diet.
Olutayo further noted that there was a 62.2 per cent prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in Benue.
Some beneficiaries, Mr Sughnen Osugh, Ms Bridget Idyu and Erdoo Jato, appreciated GAIN for impacting their lives, adding that it had helped them to enhance their income. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)
Lagos, June 25,2024 (NAN) The Academic Staff Union of Universities, Lagos State University of Education (ASUU-LASUED) Chapter, has called on Lagos State Government and the university’s management to address its demands without delay.
The union had planned a peaceful rally for Tuesday but it did not hold. It eventually had a congress instead.
The News Agency of Nigeria(NAN) reports that security operatives, which comprised military personnel and policemen were seen on Tuesday at the main gate of LASUED, Otto/Ijanikin over the planned peaceful rally.
The Chairman of ASUU-LASUED, Mr Akolade Lapite, told journalists after the congress that the union took a far-reaching decision about numerous internal demands.
Lapite said that the ASUU was committed to ensuring justice and fairness in the university.
“We gathered here in unity and determination to address critical issues that affect the welfare and rights of our members at LASUED.
“Among the internal demands agitating members is non-payment of 72 months arrears of hazard and transport allowances (for the past six years) which is put at N1.2 billion,” he said.
The chairman added that the union was unhappy at non-remittance of pensions arrears of its members in spite of their commitment to duties under challenging conditions.
He listed other demands to include rightful placement of lecturer II and incremental steps payment.
Lapite said that it was imperative that the issues should be resolved promptly to ensure continued dedication of the union’s members.
“We trust that the Lagos State Government and the university’s management will give these matters the attention they deserve and take decisive actions to alleviate the hardship faced by our members.
“Today, we stand united not just for ourselves but for the integrity and future of education in Lagos State,” he said.
Lapite said that ASUU-LASUED members deserved fair treatment, respect and payment of their entitlements.
“We will not rest until justice prevails and our university community thrives once again.
“There is also countless number of unresolved demands between the Federal Government and ASUU at the national level,” he said.
Reacting, the university’s Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Bidemi Lafiaji-Okuneye, confirmed that the peaceful protest did not hold.
Bidemi-Lafiaji expressed confidence that most of the demands of ASUU-LASUED would be addressed by the state government. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
Abeokuta, June 25, 2024 (NAN) Sen. Gbenga Daniel, a former Governor of Ogun, Tuesday in Abeokuta bemoaned the low rate of enlistment of people from the South-West of Nigeria into the military and paramilitary services.
Daniel, representing Ogun East Senatorial District at the National Assembly, raised his concern during the “Dialogue with Journalists”, an event organised by the Ogun Council of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ).
He said the South-West was seriously lagging behind in number in the military.
“The South-West is lagging behind in enlistment into the military and paramilitary, especially the Navy and Police.”
Daniel, who is popularly referred to as OGD and is Chairman of the Senate Committee on Navy, urged parents to stop discouraging their wards from joining the military and the Police.
“The military service, which was labelled as a job suitable only for the ‘miscreants’ by parents in the 1960s and 1970s, has produced leaders in both politics and economy in the country.
“As the Chairman, Senate Committee on the Navy and a member of Senate Committee on Police Affairs, it is painful to see few candidates from the South-West expressing interest in enlisting into the Navy and the Police.”
He said parents must endeavour to encourage and motivate their children to pursue careers in the military.
Daniel pointed out that individuals who were brave enough to join the military before and after Nigeria’s independence in 1960 were the ones directly and indirectly controlling the country’s affairs now.
“We were discouraged from enlisting in the military by our parents and grandparents, tagging it as a job for the miscreants in the society.
“As the Chairman, Senate Committee on the Navy, I have seen at first-hand our people’s lackadaisical approach to the enlistment into this noble service.
“A lot of positive things are happening in the Nigerian Navy on a daily basis, and I want to urge parents to stop discouraging their wards from joining the military and paramilitary services,” the former governor said.
On his stewardship in the last one year in the Senate, Daniel said he had presented no fewer than 11 bills, and disclosed that he is a member of 14 other Senate Committees.
He listing some of the bills he presented to include those on the College of Aviation Technology in Ilara Remo, Terminal Illness Trust Fund and Media Practitioners Registration Council.
Others are those on the Border Communities Development Agency (Amendment) and the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure Act, among others. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
Stakeholders, female farmers at a workshop on Climate Change and Access to Climate Finance
Climate
By Abigael Joshua
Abuja, June 25, 2024 (NAN) The Global Initiative for Food Security and Ecosystem Preservation (GIFSEP), NGOs, are partnering with OXFAM to train women on agriculture and climate change.
Dr Michael David, Executive Director, GIFSEP, communicated this at a workshop on Female Food Heroes (Ogbonge), Women on Climate Change and Access to Climate Finance on Tuesday in Abuja.
David said that the training was crucial because female farmers produced largely the food eaten in the country.
“Climate change is impacting on how they grow their food; looking at the food inflation the country is facing, we can attribute climate change to one of the cause of food inflation in the country.’’
He said that it was paramount to train the farmers to become change agents in their various communities and states so they could train others on how to build climate change resilience and simple climate adaptation techniques.
David said that the Federal Government needed to support the smallholder farmers with interventions that would proper bumper farming harvest in the country.
“If we must attain the Millennium Development Goals by 2030, then we must empower the small scale farmers; we need to train more women not just the ‘Ogbonge’ women to help our country attain food sovereignty,’’ he said.
Similarly, Peggy Maimaji, Project Coordinator Together Against Poverty, OXFAM, said that the project worked with female farmers to address issues that were salient to them especially the impacts of climate change on farming.
She assured that project would continue to address issues of access to land and finance saying that OXFAM collaborated to award no fewer than 12 women farmers every year since 2012 through the female food hero project.
Monica Maigari, one of the participants from Kaduna State, who had been awarded by OXFAM in 2014 for her performances, commended the NGOs for the training.
Maigari said she had learned how to mitigate climate change as well as to adapt to it.(NAN) (www.nannews.ng)
ASUU urges FG to remove universities from IPPIS, fulfill other agreements
ASUU members, Federal University Lokoja (FUL) in a group photograph after a protest on Tuesday at Feleke campus Lokoja
Protest
By Stephen Adeleye
Lokoja, June 25, 2024 (NAN) The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), has urged the Federal Government to fulfill its promise to remove its members from the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS).
Dr Joshua Silas, the Chairman of ASUU, Federal University, Lokoja (FUL) chapter, made the call on Tuesday during a protest by members of the union at FUL campus in Felele, Lokoja.
Addressing newsmen after the protest, the chairman urged the federal government to implement the re-negotiations of 2009 agreements reached with the national ASUU to prevent resumption of the suspended industrial action.
“We are carrying out these protests nationwide as directed by the national body of ASUU in solidarity to urge the federal government to promptly meet our demands.
“The government has failed to meet with our demands regarding the 2009 re-negotiation agreements with the national body of ASUU as promised.
“A lot has been done and government promised to meet our needs but since 2009 to 2024 till now, nothing has been done because government has failed to honour the agreements.
“We suspended the last strike in October 2022 with the hope that government would resolve all the outstanding issues, but till today June 25, 2024, nothing has been done.
“The protest is to call the attention of the general public to be aware and bear us witness that ASUU has been patient enough with the government.
“Enough is enough; this is totally unacceptable because many of our members have died due to the present economic hardships.
“We urge the government to do the needful because ASUU should not be blamed for any industrial action anytime from now,” Silas said.
According to him, the agreements include the removal of ASUU from IPPIS, outstanding academic allowances, revitalization fund, payment of promotion arrears balance as well as withheld salaries, among others.
Silas noted that the federal government had paid four months out of about eight months outstanding salaries remaining three and half months.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the protest was carried out by the union members within all the faculties of institutions and terminated at the university gate with chanting of solidarity songs.
Members of ASUU FUL during a protest on Tuesday at Felele campus Lokoja
They carried placards with various inscriptions such as: “Remove ASUU from IPPIS, “Release our withheld salaries”, Implement ASUU) FG agreements”, We are not Casual Workers”, among others. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
ASA/MNA
BEDC, MOJEC begin installation of prepaid meters in 10,000 households in Edo
Meter
By Nefishetu Yakubu
Benin, June, 24,2024(NAN)The Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) Plc on Tuesday began the installation of prepaid meters in 10,000 households in Edo to eradicate estimated billings.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the initiative tagged: Get metered in 24 hours will be carried out within 10 days.
It is being done in collaboration with a meter manufacturing firm, MOJEC International Ltd.
BEDC operates in Edo, Ondo,Delta and Ekiti states.
The Team Lead, MOJEC international Ltd, Titilope Oyelade, said the metering process was a win-win for BEDC and its consumers.
“It will help the BEDC to recover its lost revenue from their consumers while the consumers will pay what they consumed instead of getting bills what they did not consumed, “she said.
Oyelade urged electricity consumers to leverage on the ongoing exercise to get their houses metered.
She added that the prices of the prepared meters would be reviewed monthly as stipulated by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC).
In her remarks, the Head, Branding and Corporate Communications of BEDC, Mrs. Evelyn Gbiwen said the initiative was a significant step towards closing the metering gap in BEDC franchise states.
Gbiwen noted that the initiative would help address the long outstanding issues of delayed meter installations.
She said that BEDC was committed to working with partners like MOJEC company to ensure that it consumers received quality services in a timely manner.
According to her, an initiative such as this will help to reduce operational challenges and ultimately contribute to a more efficient, measurable and reliable electricity supply in BEDC franchise states.(NAN) (www.nannews.ng)
