President Bola Tinubu has approved N80 billion for the reconstruction and expansion of the Alau Dam in Borno.

Prof. Joseph Utsev, the Minister of Water Resources, confirmed this during a briefing with State House correspondents following the second FEC meeting of the year on Tuesday.

Utsev, also the chairman of the inter-ministerial committee on dams, revealed that the President had approved the rehabilitation of Alau Dam, pending ratification by the FEC.

The committee, established on Sept. 23, 2024, includes the ministers of finance, environment, works, information, and the National Security Adviser as members.

The committee was inaugurated on Oct. 2, 2024 with the goal of assessing dams nationwide and recommending improvements for better usage

A sub-committee, co-opting members from the Nigeria Society of Engineers, the Council for Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria, and the Council of Dams Experts in Nigeria, was formed.

The committee has assessed around 35 dams and produced recommendations. An interim report was presented to the Federal Executive Council.

“So, the committee swooped into action and brought out recommendations of about 35 dams that have been assessed so far.

“Today the interim report was presented to the Federal Executive Council. The Alau Dam is very critical. We saw some challenges as a result of flooding on Sept. 10, 2024.

“The assessment of the remaining 34 dams is ongoing, and will be presented to the Federal Executive Council and the entire Nigerians,” Utsev said.

Utsev assured that the Borno government is working closely with the sub-committee to begin the project, aiming to complete the first phase before July.

He added that desilting will begin in December, with the entire project expected to take 24 months to complete.

Ogun Government has commenced the construction of smart classrooms in public secondary schools across the state.

The state Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Prof. Abayomi Arigbabu, disclosed this at a news conference in Abeokuta on Tuesday.

Arigbabu explained the idea was to create a conducive environment for teaching and learning in the state.

The commissioner said the state government would also be constructing 12 mega classrooms in four divisions of the state with a capacity to accommodate 900 learners each.

This, he said, would further decongest the number of learners in classrooms, particularly in the 42 flagship schools.

Arigbabu said the smart classrooms were being constructed in 72 of the designated secondary schools, including the flagship schools, under the first phase of the project.

He added that the schools were also being equipped with required teaching aids.

“This is part of moves by the present administration to decongest classrooms in public secondary schools.

“Government will continue to expand the facilities in the existing schools and build more schools, if necessary, to make classrooms conducive for teaching and learning,” he said.

Arigbabu assured that the government would continue to prioritise teachers’ welfare, clarifying that promotion arrears for teaching and non-teaching staff had been done from 2016 till date.

He revealed that the Ogun State Education Revitalisation Agenda (OGSERA) model had been used to digitalise and revolutionise the state education sector.

The Benue command of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) says the agency arrested 251 suspects for various drug-related crimes in 2024.

The State Commander of NDLEA, Mrs Esther Musa, made the disclosure in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Makurdi.

Musa, while highlighting the achievements of the command from January to December 2024, said that 220 of those suspects were male while 31 were female.

The commander told NAN that 31 of the suspects were convicted to various jail terms, 39 of the cases were dropped, while others were ongoing.

She further said that the command also seized different substances and drug exhibits from various suspects and also monetary exhibits.

“Cannabis sativa, popularly called weed, is the highest drug of them all. We were able to arrest one ton of cannabis (175.723 kg).

“The most common drug we have, Tramadol, is 43 kg, was seized and withdrawn from circulation, and also Fitamin 0.27 kg, Diazopharm 4.39 kg, and Codeine syrup 156.1 kg.

“Other items that were recovered within the year were locally made pistols, arms, ammunition, and explosives, which were transferred to the army and police, respectively.

“Our main achievement is centred on the area of arrest, seizures and WADA (War against Drug Abuse) sensitisation and prosecution.

“WADA is an enlightenment campaign that is championed by the agency to sensitise different target audiences and the populace on the menace and dangers of drug abuse, trafficking, cultivation, and other offences as it leads to substance abuse,” she said.

Musa said that the agency organised 142 different enlightenment programmes predominantly in schools and worship centres.

The commander added that law enforcement agencies, traditional leaders, and other stakeholders were sensitised about the effects of drugs or substance abuse.

“Our supply reduction effort is centred on enlightenment, sensitisation, and advocacy, and the command intends to intensify its efforts on sensitisation to prevent the populace from being entangled with drugs.

“It is better to sensitise the people than to go after the dealers, as it is cheaper with sensitisation and advocacy than going out for arrest and seizures

“We appeal to well-meaning Nigerians, the Benue Government, and non-governmental organisations to provide the command with a more standard rehabilitation centre to help rehabilitate drug users.

“We have a mini rehabilitation centre within the premises of the command where a professional takes care of the place; the only problem is the facilities at the centre are not of standard.

“As it is now, we don’t have facilities for females, and we have been getting requests for rehabilitation for female clients, but there is no facility for that, so when they come, we decline,” she said.

Musa urged the youths to shun any temptation of indulging in drug abuse, as it is detrimental to their health and future. So as not to kill the star in them.