President Bola Tinubu has urged Christian and Muslim faithful to embrace love and trust, saying these values are essential for building a cohesive and united society. Tinubu made the appeal at the Nigerian Inter-Religious Council (NIREC) meeting held on Wednesday in Owerri, Imo.

Represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr George Akume, Tinubu stressed that without trust, noble intentions risk being misunderstood and distorted. He added that trust can help Nigeria overcome deep divisions, resolve complex conflicts, and pave the way for national consensus and lasting greatness. Tinubu acknowledged NIREC’s vital role in bringing together leaders of the two major religions to promote peace and moral guidance among their followers. He praised the council’s efforts, calling them a beacon of hope and a moral compass guiding national unity and harmony. The President also thanked Gov. Hope Uzodimma for hosting the meeting and commended the peaceful and welcoming atmosphere in the state. He described the meeting’s theme, ‘Building Mutual Trust and National Unity,’ as timely, relevant and particularly fitting for the country’s current challenges. Meanwhile, Uzodimma thanked NIREC for selecting Imo to host the conference and lauded their mission of fostering inter-religious understanding and unity. He urged religious leaders to remain steadfast in promoting a Nigeria built on peace, love, and mutual trust as foundations of national pride. The governor also praised the dedication of NIREC’s co-chairmen, Sultan Mohammed Sa’ad Abubakar and Archbishop Daniel Okoh, for their patriotic leadership. Uzodimma noted that NIREC’s initiatives had helped reduce religious conflicts and improve understanding between diverse faith communities across Nigeria. He cautioned that religion must never be misused as a tool for division, but rather as a unifier in society. He urged Nigerians to look beyond stereotypes and embrace each other’s humanity, highlighting unity as key to national development. Religious leaders were encouraged to use their influence to promote love, tolerance, respect, and peaceful coexistence among Nigerians of all faiths. Uzodimma also advised clerics to speak out against violence, crime, terrorism, and other forms of insecurity affecting the country. Rev. Fr. Cornelius Omonokhua, NIREC Secretary, said the council believes the negative narratives around religion and ethnicity can be positively transformed. He lamented that diversity, which should enrich Nigeria, has often been manipulated to pit people against each other as adversaries. Omonokhua called for educational reforms that preserve truthful teachings of religion and history, fostering unity and Godly fear among students. In separate remarks, co-chairmen Abubakar and Okoh urged Nigerians to show sincere commitment to peacebuilding and national progress. They warned against ethnic and religious profiling, calling for love, unity, and prayers for wise and effective leadership. Mr Fidelis Chukwu, former Ohanaeze Ndigbo chairman, and Alh. Alatare Musa presented insightful papers at the conference. The event’s highlight was the inauguration of NIREC members from the five states in the South-East geo-political zone. (NAN

Nasarawa State House of Assembly said that the ACREeSAL projects have promoted developments in the state.Mr Mohammed Omadefu, the Chairman of the House Committee on Environment stated this when management of the ACReSAL Project appeared before the committee on their 2025 budget assessment for the first quarter on Wednesday in Lafia.

Omadefu commended the State Government and World Bank for initiating and implementing various ACReSAL projects in the State that are impacting positively on the lives of the people. ” We invited you here to assess your 2025 budget performance for the first quarter.” I want to commend you for being up and doing in executing projects that have direct bearing on the lives of our people across the state” he said.The chairman urged the management to execute more people oriented projects for improved standard of living of the people of the State.He assured of the committee’s continued commitment and support to them to succeed.Responding, the Project Coordinator of ACReSAL, Mr. Napoleon Elias, said the project was aimed at addressing climate change and providing intervention to communities to improve on their standard of living.He appreciated the committee for their support in ensuring the development of the project in the State.The coordinator appreciated Gov. Abdullahi Sule for giving his attention to the project to succeed in the State.Elias said that the project has provided powered solar boreholes and solar street lights as well as tractors to farmers among others in the State.He assured of his commitment to initiate more projects for the overall development of the State.(NAN)

The Enugu State Government on Wednesday sealed unregistered hospitals and pharmaceutical stores in Enugu and Nsukka areas of the state to safeguard public health.

The health facilities were sealed during a two-day Monitoring Exercise of the Expanded Joint Inspectorate of the State Ministry of Health, Regulatory Bodies and Associations of medical health groups in Enugu.

The Director, Medical Services, Enugu State Ministry of Health, Dr Sam Egwuonwu, said the
exercise was to fish out hospitals that had not registered with the state’s Ministry of Health but were operating.

He disclosed that the operation also involved those who had not renewed their annual registration fee.

According to him, the monitoring yielded fruits as they sealed more than six private hospitals and health institutions.

“It was joint inspection of all the stakeholders in the health sector in Enugu such as the Nigeria Medical Association, Medical and Dental Midwifery, Laboratory Councils, Association of Nurses, Pharmacists in Enugu, Civil Society Organisations, Police and Media.

“We have two teams, one in Enugu thencapital and another in Nsukka. The idea is to make all the private health facilities in the state legal and ensured they register with the Ministry of Health.

“And if you register and did not renew, your operation that year is illegal and by making them register will reduce quackery in the state and generate revenue for the government, Egwuonwu explained.

He assured of the prioritisation of people’s health, adding that the task force would ensure that hospitals in the state practice according to approved standards.

Earlier, the state Commissioner for Health, Prof. Emmanuel Obi, said the exercise was to optimise healthcare delivery and reduce fatalities linked to illegal operations.

Obi added that the team would inspect healthcare facilities in both urban and rural areas.

He urged residents to verify the status of any health facility before patronising them.

Comrade Innocent Ejike, an official of the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives, Enugu Chapter, said the association also checked if the nurses and other medical personnel were qualified and registered.

“On our own, we check if they have registered nurses and practicing licenses and if hospital is operating without nurses, we seal it.

“If they are operating without doctors, we seal it, same thing goes to the medical laboratory,” Ejike said