Day: September 21, 2023

The Director-General, National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Brig.-Gen. Yush’au Ahmed, has urged state governments and all other stakeholders to play their role in securing corps members in their domains.

Ahmed made the call on Wednesday in Abuja at the opening of a two-day meeting of NYSC management with representatives of state governments.

According to him, safety of corps members in all service locations remains a top priority of the scheme.

“In this regard, we are stepping up our liaison with security agencies, which have been very supportive.

“It is important that state and local governments as well as other stakeholders such as traditional rulers, religious and community leaders play their expected roles in securing corps members,” he said.

The D-G also said that in view of the dangers associated with night journeys, NYSC management had been sensitising both prospective and serving corps members on the need to stop such dangerous adventures.

“Accordingly, I must use this medium to call on the state governments to join hands with the scheme in discouraging corps members from night journeys.

“As a matter of urgent concern, I appeal to the state governments to initiate policies in this direction.

“Reach out to the Corps Producing Institutions, other stakeholders and transport companies in their states to stop conveying corps members to various locations during night hours,” he added.

He added that corps members are expected to cut their journey by 6.00 p.m. and pass the night at corps lodges, military formations and other places officially designated as safe and continue the following morning.

Speaking about other matters, Ahmed said that the condition of the orientation camp is critical to the success of the orientation course which is the first cardinal programme of the scheme.

He said that apart from the fact that the camp being first pot of contact of corps members with NYSC, it goes a long way in influencing their impression about the scheme and the state of deployment.

“For these reasons, we have continued to emphasise the need for all our camps to meet the minimum standards with essential facilities such as adequate hostel accommodation, conveniences, multi-purpose hall and good parade ground amongst others.

“I am pleased to note that few states have constructed new orientation camps in recent times while several others are making impressive efforts through renovation and upgrade of existing facilities.

“On the other hand, there are still other camps that are in deplorable conditions across the country,” he said.

Ahmed appealed to the state governments to accord priority to the provision of adequate facilities in the camps to ensure the smooth conduct of the orientation course.

He also urged them to, in view of the continuous rise in corps population begin expansion of camp facilities to cater for at least 5000 corps members.

Other areas of concern are accommodation of corps members, payment of state allowance, rejection/under-utilisation of corps members by employers and reward for excellence/post-service employment for corps members.

The D-G said that the theme of the meeting: “Five Decades of National Service: Mobilising Stakeholders for Enhanced Service Delivery”, was to assess the states’ performance and draw attention to areas that require improvement.

He added that the meeting would also be an opportunity for sharing of best practices among all states and the FCT in their collective quest to deepen the impact of the scheme on the nation’s socio-economic development.(NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

Mr Zaphaniah Jisalo, Minister of Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs, says he has no excuse not to discharge his duties as assigned to him by President Bola Tinubu.

Jisalo said this during his second familiarisation visit to the Management and Staff of the National Lottery Trust Fund (NLTF) Headquarters on Wednesday in Abuja.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the visit was the second familiarisation tour by the minister to the agencies under his ministry.

Interacting with members of staff of the agency, the minister explained that his visit was in line with the policy trust of the president to achieve his 8-points agenda which include job creation.

Jisalo urged the agency to key into the president’s agenda through its capacity as a revenue generating agency.

He added that this could only be achieved through team work by the agencies under his ministry.

“Our visit is in line with the policy trust of President Tinubu, with his 8-points agenda, the agenda which includes job creation and I want team work of the agencies under the ministry to achieve this.

“I owe him a duty and I have no excuse not to perform, I will do my best to give Nigerians what they deserve and I urge the NLTF’s management and its staff to key into this agenda.

“My hope is that in the next one year, my ministry will emerge first when he comes for evaluation, ” the minister said.

Earlier, Dr Bello Maigari, Executive Secretary NLTF, expressed delight over the visit by the minister, saying it was ground breaking as it had never happened since the agency’s establishment in 2005.

“As far as I can recall, the trust fund has never had an honourable minister visiting the agency officially until now.

“We are indeed honoured and grateful for the opportunity to rob minds and extend valuable conversations beyond the usual meetings in the ministry, ” he said.

Maigari expressed hope that the minister’s visit would usher a new era of cooperation and understanding to build a strong commitment to deliver on the aspirations of Nigerians through the lottery industry.

He listed some of the major achievements by the agency to include: provision of healthcare facilities/potable water supplies across the six-geopolitical zones, intervention to support government’s efforts to respond decisively to COVID-19 pandemic among others.

“I am pleased to inform the minister that our commitment to implement projects in this vital sector has helped to strengthen our fragile healthcare delivery systems across the six-geopolitical zones, ” he said

Maigari however highlighted some of the challenges faced by the agency including lack of befitting office accommodation.

In her contribution, Mrs Ibiene Roberts, Permanent Secretary in the ministry, said the visit was not for formality but a genuine effort to strengthen the bonds between the ministry and NLTF.

“Let us use this time wisely, sharing knowledge, building connections and laying the foundation for a more productive and collaborative future, ” she said. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

Mrs Fatima Bayero, Founder, Sickle Cell Self-Help Initiative,a Non-Governmental Organisation, has expressed concern over 51 additional cases of sickle cell anemia patients recorded in the state from January to August 2023.

Bayero stated this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Bauchi.

According to her, the statistic were generated from health centre s which include Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Teaching Hospital and Bauchi State Specialist Hospital, Bauchi.

Others are: State Low-Cost primary Health Centre and Women and Child Health Centre, all in the state capital.

She said that records revealed that in 2022, the state had recorded 8,787 patients over time.

She said that the figures were alarming, disheartening and could pose threat to public health in the state.

Bayero explained that the disease has social and economic impacts on the people and life-threatening.

Bayero called on the state government to declare a state of emergency on issues around sickle cell to save lives.

“In the mortality rate recorded from January to August 2023, we had 22 deaths.

“This is worrisome,the ailment is expensive and needs financial commitment to save lives.

“The patients and their families alone cannot stand the treatment especially at the time when the country is experiencing economic hardship.

“This disease can have negative effects on the productive age bracket in the state either socially or economically.

She appreciated the Bauchi State Government for the foresight to enroll 200 Sickle cell patients under its free healthcare services implemented by the State Health Contribution Management Agency.

She called for collective efforts among all stakeholders to assist patients with blood bags and other medical consumables to ease the infusion process.

Bayero also called on stakeholders to assimilate sensitisation campaigns into their various Programmes.

She advocated that the National Orientation Agency (NOA) in the state should champion enlightenment campaign in its numerous community engagements to provide a head-way in eradicating the disease.(NAN)

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

The Association of Professional Women Engineers in Nigeria (APWEN) has charged Nigerian women to take up career professions and aspire for top positions in politics and industry.

Mrs Norah Magero, the Founder, Drop Access Kenya, Winner Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation, said this at the International Conference Exhibition and APWEN 40th anniversary on Thursday in Abuja.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the theme of the conference was “Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in Engineering: Embracing Vision, Amplifying Voices and Shaping the Future.”

“Women should be reliable, dependable, value and think of the next generation to come and plan ahead, women should be determined to succeed, they should step up to do things differently to fulfill her purpose.

“It is very important to have a purpose, women engineers should change the narrative, for you as a woman to execute your actions you need to plan, you make progress when you learn to plan,’’ she said.

Mrs Bisola Atanda, the Sales Engineer, Schlumberger, U.S, and a Fellow, Nigeria Society of Engineers stressed the need for women to look into the future and plan toward retirement.

She said that retirement was an emotional journey as it brought about a total change of identity.

“When you retire, your identity will change totally, you will be at home always knowing what you will do to keep life moving, you have to engage in further studies in school and obtain more certificates.

“Also, engage in training people to add value to their lives, try to tell yourself that you can’t remain idle at home after retirement, don’t see yourself as an old person, try to identify your purpose here on earth, start saving some money to help you after retirement,”Atanda said.

Dr Elisabeth Eterigho, the President, APWEN said that the women in engineering were entrepreneurs who believed in using local content to innovate products that contributed to national development.

She said a woman was a creator, an innovator, that uses simple things around her even in her kitchen to produce durable and valuable products that enhance living and the society.

“Today, we are thinking of local content, design, production and let it be competitive. You know that you can even export it when it is well packaged.

“We have young women in engineering who are entrepreneurs, a young female engineer in one of our exhibition stands is using bamboo and raft palm to produce furniture, kitchenware and a series of decorative items.

“We are looking at applying our knowledge in engineering into production, solving people’s problems. Most engineers become entrepreneurs because that is the only way you can easily contribute to the economy.

“An engineer like I said is a problem solver so when you solve the problem do not leave it for somebody else go ahead and make it available and competitive in the market and then you produce it,’’ she said.

She said that for the woman engineer to reach her potential there had to be sustainable drive and equity in the distribution of administrative and managerial roles and good mentoring.

“Let us be the role models we have always been for aspiring female engineers, showing them that there is a place for them in this world of innovation and discovery; the engineering world.

“It is imperative that we use our voice to assert our presence, and pave the way for future generations of female engineers. We have the responsibility to build a future where every woman and girl can thrive.

“The future of engineering is in our hands, and it is a future we are shaping with each discovery, project and mentorship,’’ she said.

On the impact of the NGO in the last 40 years, Eterigho said it had a programme called ‘SheEngineer’ where they trained 500 students and 200 teachers in the 6 zones of the country and trained 50 engineers on STEM students.

“Also mentorship of over 200 graduate members on Entrepreneurship and are still on Job placements of over 5 graduates in different multinationals.

“Part sponsorship of graduates to study engineering related courses overseas, collaboration with the Nigerian Universities Engineering Students Association (NUESA), a division of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) in organising STEM related completion.

“Invent It Build It’ is also one of the programmes we initiated as a group in the last fourth years where we built 2 fully built and furnished Pry School Science Laboratories with ICT classrooms, E- Technical Drawing Class and Science laboratories.

“Eighty one students across the six geopolitical zones on scholarship, under NNPC Ltd, from primary to university provided they will study engineering among many other things we have been able to achieve over the years,” the APWEN president said.

Speaking on the way forward for the association, Eterigho said the NGO was looking forward to greater exploits adding that the association was started by six forceful women but after 40 years the group had registered 4,300 female engineers and expected to register more. (NAN)

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

The Commissioner of Police (CP) in charge of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mr Haruna Garba, has ordered a thorough investigation into the death of an undergraduate, Blessing Moses.

The Police Public Relations Officer in the FCT, SP Josephine Adeh, said this in a statement on Thursday in Abuja.

Adeh said the investigation is to unravel the circumstances surrounding the untimely death of the undergraduate of the National Open University of Nigeria.

“Our commitment to this case is unwavering and we are determined to uncover both the immediate and remote causes of this tragic incident.

“We are working closely with the Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB) to facilitate the retrieval of the decomposed remains.

“We acknowledge the sensitive nature of this task and will continue to provide updates to the public as our investigation progresses,” she said.

Adeh said the body of the 26-year-old deceased, who had been declared missing after leaving her place of work in Garki since Sept. 11, was discovered in a wooded area in Karimo area of Abuja.

She said her disappearance was reported to the the police on Sept. 14.

Adeh expressed the condolences of the Police Command in the FCT to the family and loved ones of Moses. (NAN)

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

No fewer than 72 Nigerians awarded with the Hungarian postgraduate and undergraduate scholarships would be departing Nigerian on Sept. 22 and Sept. 23.

The Minister of State for Education, Dr Yusuf Sununu, at a pre-departure briefing ceremony with the beneficiaries in Abuja on Thursday urged them to protect the image of the country.

He also tasked them to continue to polish the good qualities they have been exposed to and be willing to learn, relearn and unlearn as they begin the first phase of their life journeys.

” It is noteworthy that scholarship is a reward for excellence and an encouragement to brilliant Nigerians who could not afford to sponsor their studies in foreign countries.

“As we are all aware, the Federal Government of Nigeria, in 1999, revitalised the scholarship scheme by investing more in national and international programmes.

“This is in a bid to strengthen the Bilateral Education Agreement (BEA) with development partners to develop her manpower needs,”he said.

According to the minister, in spite of the global economic meltdown, the number of development partners have increased and many of them now offer scholarships to Nigerians.

He listed the active countries to include Hungary, China, Algeria, Romania, Morocco, Serbia, Mexico, Egypt and others non regulars including Macedonia, Poland, South Korea, Greece, Japan, Tunisia and Turkey.

“In order to reciprocate their good gestures, Nigeria also offered scholarship awards to China and Romania in the past and hope to reactivate the gesture as these countries and others indicate interest.

“To all the awardees, I say you have all overcome many challenges to get to where you are today, and everyone of you have achieved success in your own ways.

“I want to enjoin the parents of the awardees to always uphold them in prayers and encourage them with sound advice at all times so as to make you and Nigeria proud by being worthy ambassadors,” he said.

He called on the beneficiaries not to hesitate to return to the country at the end of their programmes to assist in making Nigeria a better place by contributing their quotas.

On his part, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Education, David Adejo, said the scholarships was a testimony of the incredible achievements of the beneficiaries of this year’s BEA Scholarship Awards.

Adejo admonished the awardees to be good ambassadors of their parents and the country, while advising them to utilise the opportunity to acquire requisite skills that may be available in their host country for Nigeria’s development.

He urged them to take their studies seriously and become catalysts for change on their return.

“I urge you to expand your horizon, embrace new challenges, embrace the power of knowledge as a tool for effective change and make the most of the resources available to you as this comes with the opportunity to shape your future and contribute to the betterment of the world.

“On behalf of the government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, I hereby express Nigeria’s profound gratitude to the government of Hungary for their immense contributions towards training Nigerian youths, thereby assisting Nigeria to achieve her developmental needs,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Director, Federal Scholarship Board, Mrs Astra Ndajiwo, said that the scholarship was opened to Nigerian citizens in 2022 with 150 entries.

Ndajiwo said that after rigorous screening, 72 of the 150 applicants who scaled through had received their September to December allowances for their final departure to Hungary.

She added that subsequent payment of their allowances would start from January 2024 and would be remitted through the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to the Embassy of Hungary.

Mr Ayodeji Akerele, who spoke on behalf of the awardees promised the Federal Government and their parents to portray the good image of the country as well as return to contribute their quotas to national development. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

Former PresidenT Goodluck Jonathan has been awarded the ‘Symbol of Peace’ among recipients of the maiden edition of the ‘100 Most Notable Peace Icons in Africa’ honour.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that he was presented the award by the ‘100 Most Notable Peace Icons in Africa’ project team at the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation on Thursday in Abuja.

Amb.Kingsley Amafibe, Project Director Africa, for the 100 Most Notable Peace Icons in Africa, said the award was in recognition of Jonathan’s commitment to protecting Nigeria’s peace and unity, despite predictions of disintegration.

He said although the 100 peace icons were people who have used their talents, positions and resources to build and promote peace across Africa, Jonathan stood out as the ‘Symbol of Peace’ for the continent.

According to him, the choice of Jonathan for the prestigious honour was made after painstaking consultations across the continent by the ‘100 Most Notable Peace Icons in Africa; team.

“Goodluck Jonathan is a symbol of peace, a symbol of sacrifice for fatherland and an example of true leadership who is a role model to young people, not just in Nigeria, but across Africa.

“He made an unprecedented sacrifice by his decision to accept the result of the 2015 Presidential poll, true to his words that his political ambition does not worth the blood of any Nigerian.

“That act of patriotism, which guaranteed a peaceful civilian-to-civilian transition, saved our dear country and the continent from imminent chaos and predictions of Nigeria’s disintegration.

“He therefore stands tall today among the 100 most notable peace icons, earlier announced, who have dedicated their lives to promoting peace and justice in their communities, countries, and the world at large.

“As we honour these remarkable individuals, we are reminded of the importance of their work and the impact it has had on the world,”Amafibe said.

In his acceptance speech, Jonathan commended the organisers for the honour and reiterated his commitment to the peace, unity and progress of Nigeria.

He therefore urged leaders at all levels in Africa to embrace democratic principles towards building a better continent for all.

NAN reports that Jonathan made history when he conceded defeat in the March 29, 2015 presidential election by swiftly calling to congratulate his opponent,Muhammadu Buhari.

The step halted predictions of violent bloodshed in Nigeria, and keeping his word that he would not allow the blood of a Nigerian to be shed to further his political ambitions.

That display of selflessness has continue to resonate across the globe over the years, bringing both local and international awards to the former president, including, the African Sun Times’ International Person of the Year 2015.

Others include the Peace Loving Global Citizen, African Democracy and Peace Icon Award and the Martin Luther King Human Rights Award, making him the first African leader to win the award.(NAN) (nannews.com.ng)

Source: News Agency of Nigeria