By Leonard Okachie

Deputy Gov. Ude Oko-Chukwu of Abia on Thursday challenged journalists to write books so that generations to come would always reference their materials and build up from there.

He issued the challenge while congratulating Chief Sam Ibe for his book Professional Journalism Practice Under Threat.Why all hands must be on deck, which was launched in Umuahia.

Oko-Chukwu, who was represented by Chief Michael Egwu, Permanent Secretary, Trade and Investments, said that journalists were in a better position to write about any subject.

Journalism has left the state of short story into something that can stand the test of time, he said.

Also, Chief John Okiyi-Kalu, the Commissioner for Information,Abia, while congratulating Ibe, said that it was important for journalists to document their thoughts.

He challenged journalists to rise above the threat posed by social media and quacks, even as he advised them to manage their time well and write books.

The book reviewer, Uche Uwaoma, an Association Professor, said that it was time professional journalists rose to stamp out those who had no business with the noble profession.

Most of citizens journalists do it for pecuniary reasons, but I want to say that journalism is not for sale, he said.

Earlier in hisremarks, the author said he was inspired by the fact that journalism profession practice had been debased to a ridiculous level that it had become an all-comers affair.

The book is an answer to some of the unethical blunders committed by some of our colleagues at public functions which is reducing the image of the profession, Ibe said.

Ibe, who is the Chairman, Correspondent Chapel of Abia council of Nigeria Union of Journalists, expressed optimism that journalism would regain its enviable status if all hands are on deck.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the book presentation was attended by many personalities from the academia, media and business circles. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Olajide Idowu

Gov. Gboyega Oyetola of Osun, Thursday inaugurated the Osun Food Support Scheme to mitigate the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on 30,000 vulnerable citizens.

Oyetola, while inaugurating the programme at the state secretariat, Osogbo, said the initiative was part of his promise to prioritise the welfare and general well-being of the people.

He said the scheme became necessary because available statistics showed that several jobs had been lost with many sources of livelihoods significantly threatened due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Oyetola said that the scheme would run till the end of his administration.

He said that the scheme would cater for the critical needs of 30,000 poor and vulnerable citizens, including youths, widows, the aged and people living with disabilities, across the state on a monthly basis.

Oyetola said beneficiaries were drawn from the nooks and crannies of the state using the World Bank-sponsored Social Register.

He stressed that his administrations ultimate goal, apart from feeding the vulnerable in the interim, was to also boost local food production and achieve food security in the long run.

The governor disclosed that the food support scheme had been calibrated, in line with the administrations policy of promoting small, micro and medium businesses to boost the local economy.

He said that all food items would be sourced locally to further encourage local farmers and businesses.

Oyetola said that to achieve the sustainability of the scheme, his administration, in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, had commenced the clearing of 10,000 acres of land,.

He said that part of the land would be allocated to youths who are genuinely interested in farming to engage them effectively and productively.

Oyetola added that 30 per cent of the beneficiaries of the Food Support Scheme were youths.

Through this scheme, in the first instance, 30,000 beneficiaries across our state will be reached and provided with 5kg of food bags as a token of support.

To make the exercise hitch-free and transparent, we have constituted a committee made of relevant state functionaries and key stakeholders with representations from the various religious bodies, trade groups, youth groups, minority groups, among others.

We are adopting the use of the World Bank-sponsored Social Register to cater for the beneficiaries in a manner that is just and equitable across the various nook and crannies of our state.

We also followed this up with our post-COVID economic recovery plan targeted at empowering over 5,000 SMEs with relevant skills and requisite funding in partnership with the Bank of Industry.

Through the Ministry of Youths and Sports, we have also been facilitating loans to businesses in the state to support youth entrepreneurship, he said. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

North Koreas national carrier set to resume flights between Pyongyang and Beijing this week, its website showed on Thursday, drawing attention to whether the route would resume after 14 months of suspension amid coronavirus.

According to the flight schedule released on Air Koryos website, the airlines JS251 flight will depart Pyongyang at 4:00 p.m. and arrive Beijing at 5:50 p.m. on Thursday.

Another flight is scheduled to depart from Beijing for Pyongyang on Friday, the airline stated.

The flights could mark the first time the North has operated an international commercial flight since January last year when it closed all ports of entry by land, sea or air as part of efforts to block the COVID-19 virus from spreading into the country.

It was, however, unclear whether the North would actually resume flights.

In February last year, the airline released its flight schedule to the Russian port city of Vladivostok but did not operate the flights.

North Korea has not reported any case of COVID-19 virus infection, but it has called for nationwide efforts to prevent the virus from breaking out on its soil through intensified border controls and tightened quarantine processes. (Yonhap)

Source: NAN News

By Ismaila Chafe

The Federal Government says it has so far enrolled 51million citizens for the National Identification Number (NIN) as at March 31, 2021.

Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Dr Isa Pantami, made this known at the weekly Presidential Media briefing organized by the Presidential Communication Media Team in Abuja on Thursday.

He also revealed that about 189 millionsubscribers of the Identification Module (SIM) had been registered in the country.

According to the minister, only 150million out of the 189million have successfully completed their registration while the remaining have problems of improper registration.

Pantami reminded all citizens to enroll for the NIN, warning that those yet to obtain the NIN risk seven or 14 years imprisonment as stipulated by the Nigerian Constitution.

Based on the requirement by law each and every citizen and legal resident must obtain his/her National Identification Number (NIN), which is being coordinated by the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC). Its a requirement by law but many citizens ignore it.

What we achieved in the area of enrolment from the time Mr President has directed me to supervise NIMC till date is unprecedented and we would continue to ensure that in the next few years we have an almost a complete data base of all our citizens in the country.

No country will be successful in education, health, budget planning or national planning without data base of its citizens in place.

What I inherited in the data base was less than 20 per cent of our population. But we want to ensure that before we leave office we would look at the data base and be proud of our country, he said.

According to him, while obtaining a SIM card maybe optional, NIN is mandatory, noting that a lot of transactions in the country are not supposed to be carried out without NIN.(NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Igbaugba Ehigimetor

Several members of the Main Organising Committee (MOC) of the 20th National Sports Festival (NSF) have arrived in Benin City, ahead of the events commencement.

Musa Ebomhiana, a Project Manager in the LOCs Media and Communication Sub-Committee, disclosed this to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Benin.

He said the MOC members led by Nebeolisa Anako, who is MOC chairman, arrived in Benin on Wednesday evening ahead of the Friday arrival date for the festivals athletes and officials.

The arrival of the MOC members has put paid to the question of whether the festival would still hold in Benin or has been postponed as being insinuated in some quarters, Ebomhiana said.

He said in spite of this however the state was ready to host the rest of the country.

The Local Organising Committee (LOC) members, headed by the Deputy Governor, Philip Shaibu, met last (Wednesday) night to compare notes and it was all agreed that all is set for the hosting of the festival.

Everything needed are in place and I can only say that we are just waiting for the arrival of the athletes and their officials for the games, Ebomhiana stated.

NAN reports that the 20th NSF, which has suffered several postponements, is holding from Friday to April 14. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Kemi Akintokun

Team Edo on Wednesday overwhelmed Team Kaduna with 57 runs to emerge champions of the National Mens Cricket Championship in Benin City.

Peter Aho, the captain of Team Edo, attributed their victory to discipline and huge support from the Edo State Cricket Association.

We give the glory to God and we thank all our mentors and the leadership of the Edo State Cricket Association who have sacrificed and encouraged the team to this height.

We dedicate this victory to them, the member of the national under-19 Cricket World Cup team in South Africa in 2020 said.

Yahaya Ukwenya, President of the Nigeria Cricket Federation, while speaking on the competition said the event has served its purpose.

Ukwenya said the opportunity to have more players drawn into the pool to be camped for the national assignments the country would be involved in later in the year was very key.

We set out to, among other things, use this event as a platform for the best players in the country to showcase their skills.

The national coach, Asanka Gurusinha, watched every match of this encounter with a team of selectors.

Soon our national camp will open for the assignments ahead with some new players invited based on their performance here, he said.

Mustapha Yussuff of Team Lagos was named the bowler of the series for bowling 16 wickets in four matches.

Selim Salau and Isaac Okpe from Edo and Kaduna state were adjudged the Fielder and Batsman of the event respectively.

Sylvester Okpe, the captain of Team Kaduna, was named the Most Valuable Player of the Championship.

Kofi Sagoe, the newly re-appointed Chairman of Lagos State Cricket Association, who was one of the selectors at the event, said the event has put some players under the spotlight.

Sagoe said the development would enrich the base of the national team.

He said:I think we should commend the work done by the Federation for constantly pushing the boundaries for developmental initiatives.

We have some learnings and have seen some more promising talents that should be mentored and groomed. This, I think, our national coach is equipped to bring about in them.

As for Lagos, our team was adjudged third, based on Net Run Rate, since there was no third-place match.

They are back in Lagos and had began technical analysis of our performance at this event, including some fixes that we hope will help us place better at the upcoming National Sports Festival.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that eight states - Lagos, Edo, Kwara, Anambra, Kaduna, Ebonyi, Rivers and Oyo -participated in the championship which began on March 22.(NAN)

Source: NAN News

Seouls metropolitan government said, on Thursday, it had notified the International Olympic Committee (IOC) of its bid to co-host the 2032 Summer Olympics with Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea.

The Seoul government said a written proposal on the joint hosting of the Olympics by Seoul and Pyongyang was submitted to the IOCs Future Host Commission.

The IOC selected Australias Brisbane as the preferred host for the 2032 Summer Olympics in a surprise move announced on Feb. 25.

The South Korean government and the Seoul city immediately expressed regrets at the decision and held consultations with the IOC, leading to the presentation of the co-hosting proposal, the metropolitan government said.

The government said it asked the IOC to continue to hold negotiations with other competing cities, as Brisbane has yet to be finally selected as the venue of the 2032 Olympics.

President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un agreed to cooperate to jointly host the 2032 Olympics through the Pyongyang Joint Declaration adopted in September 2018.

The metropolitan government said its co-hosting proposal contains a vision of Beyond the Line, Toward the Future and five major concepts, including cost reduction and minimal environmental damage, inter-Korean connection and peace and a combination of cutting-edge technologies and Korean culture.

In particular, the proposal elaborated on the realisation of global peace through sports and other positive ripple effects from the co-hosting of the Olympics by Seoul and Pyongyang, the government said. (Yonhap)

Source: NAN News

By Igbaugba Ehigimetor

The Edo State Traffic Management Agency (EDSTMA) says no fewer than 400 traffic personnel will be deployed in Benin metropolis during the 20th National Sports Festival (NSF).

Dennis Oloriegbe, the agencys Managing Director, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Benin on Thursday the move was to ensure asmooth flow of traffic during the event.

He said the personnel would also be involved inrescue and emergency operations, as well as assist visitors navigate their way during the event.

NAN reports that the 20th NSF tagged Edo 2020 is officially billed to begin on Friday and end on April 14.

A total of 8,000 athletes who are expected for the nations biggest sports fiesta, will start arriving in Edo from Friday.

The festivals opening ceremony is fixed for Tuesday.

While EDSTMA will deploy 200 of its staff for the operation, the rest are adhoc staff engaged for the purpose of the festival, Oloriegbe said.

He said the agency had commenced the installation of directional, parking and identification signages across the metropolis for the purpose of the festival.

If you move across the city this (Thursday) morning, you will see that we have started fixing directional signages, parking signages and identification signages.

We also started the training of adhoc staff who have been engaged to complement the 200 we will be deploying because the crowd will be massive.

We are working to ensure free flow of traffic during the festival, while parking will be banned in some areas in the city.

We are setting up information centres which will give visitors directions during the festival, just as we have also set up rescue and emergency teams that will attend to any issue of emergency.

Oloriegbe, however, noted that in spite of the concentration of its personnel within and around venues of the festival, other parts of the city would not be neglected.

We are not collapsing our operations in other parts of the state, he assured.(NAN)

Source: NAN News

Seven Hong Kong pro-democracy figures were convicted, on Thursday, for taking part in an unauthorised protest in 2019.

Prominent pro-democracy activist, Martin Lee, and media mogul, Jimmy Lai, were among those found guilty in a Hong Kong court.

It was not clear when the group would be sentenced.

The court decision was the latest blow for Hong Kongs pro-democracy movement, which Beijing has been cracking down on with a heavy hand.

In the last few months, especially since the introduction of the controversial national security law in June, numerous well-known activists have been handed lengthy prison sentences for relatively minor offences.

A number of Hong Kong activists fled to other countries in fear of prosecution.

On Tuesday, China approved an electoral reform which means voters would have less say in the make-up of Hong Kongs legislative bodies.

It effectively reduces the influence of the pro-democracy camp in the legislature.

Beijing has stated that it wants only what it calls patriots to govern in Hong Kong, namely politicians who support the central Chinese Communist government.

Hong Kong was handed over to China by Britain in 1997.

Under the agreements required for the transfer, the Chinese government allowed Hong Kong and its residents to retain many of the freedoms they had enjoyed as a British colony, including freedom of speech and a separate judiciary, until 2047. (dpa/NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Ifeanyi Nwoko

Member States and the Commission of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) have been fully equipped to drive the process of migration and other related issues in the sub-region.

The capacity building project tagged Free Movement Of Persons And Migration In West Africa and powered by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and its partners, began in 2013 and was officially closed in Abuja on Thursday.

Speaking in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja, Mr Tony Elumelu, Head, Border Management and Migration Division of ECOWAS said the project has equipped the Sub-region to handle its migration and free movement issues.

I will make bold to say that it has really achieved a lot. As we speak, member states have the capacity to drive the migration process in the region.

You can see that we have been able to strengthen the dialogue process. We have been able to institutionalize some thematic areas, the working group in border management, mixed migration.

We are also trying institutional some emerging issues like migration and climate change, migration and security.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the(FMM) project aimed at maximizing the development potential of free movement of persons and migration in West Africa by supporting implementation of the ECOWAS Free Movement of Persons Protocols and the ECOWAS Common Approach on Migration.

Giving more insight into the FMM Project, the ECOWAS Representative said that it aimed at ensuring the implementation of the free movement protocol and also ECOWAS common approach on Migration.

He added that part of the focus was to ensure that members of the community implement the rights of entry, residence and establishment and also related instrument in terms of migration beyond the region.

As at today, the project has enabled capacity building of ECOWAS Commission and also the member states, he said.

Also speaking in an interview, Farah Mohamed, FMM Project Coordinator in the office of the IOM, said that the project provided support to ECOWAS and its member states.

He pointed out that IOMs mandate was specifically to support dignified mobility, whether it is within ECOWAS as a region or between ECOWAS and the Continental Africa.

We have been working with the ECOWAS Free movement directorate in coming up with policies that will make it easy for member states to adopt and implement the 1979 free movement protocol, he said.

Mohamed added that at its inception in 2013, the project set out to implement the free movement protocol in three core components:

Strengthening the capacity of ECOWAS to develop and review policies for free movement, a case in point is the ECOWAS National Biometric Identity Card which we worked together with ECOWAS to create awareness.

Second component was on supporting member states in developing National Migration policies and thirdly was to work with the non-state actors and civil society across the block.

We worked with 13 CSOs in 13 member states. In Nigeria we worked with NAPTIP on counter trafficking and smuggling in persons, he said.

Going forward, the FMM coordinator said that the IOM now expects ECOWAS to better implement its free movement protocol.

Some of those present at the ceremony were: European Union Delegation, ECOWAS Commission and FMM West Africa consortium partners (IOM, International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the International Centre for Migration Policy Development)

Source: NAN News

By Emmanuel Oloniruha

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced Feb. 12, 2022 as the dates for the conduct of elections into the six area Councils of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Mr Festus Okoye, INEC National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, who released the timetable in Abuja, on Wednesday, said the election would be for the offices of chairmen of six area councils and 62 councillorship seats in the FCT, whose tenure would expire in May 2022.

He said that the date was one of decisions reached at the Wednesday meeting of the Commission amidst other where wide ranging issues discussed.

Okoye explained that other issues discussed included the issuance of the timetable and schedule of activities for the conduct of FCT Councils election, the only local government polls that INEC conducts.

He disclosed that the collection of Forms EC9 (Formerly CF001) and EC9B (Formerly CF002) for the election would commence on April 1, while the conduct of party primaries and resolution of disputes arising from the primaries would hold between April 1 and April 24, 2021.

The personal particulars of the candidates will be published on June 5 and the parties will commence campaigns on Nov.14, Okoye said, adding that the final list of nominated candidates would be published on Jan. 11, 2022.

He said by virtue of Section 108 (1)

By Muftau Ogunyemi

Gov. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State on Thursday, April 1, begins a 15-day working vacation, as the first installment of his 2021 Annual Leave.

This is contained in a statement made available to newsmen on Thursday in Akure by MrRichard Olatunde, Chief Press Secretary to the Governor.

The statement said that the governor had transmitted the development in a letter addressed to the Speaker of House of Assembly, Mr Bamidele Oleyelogun.

According to the statement, the leave will commence from Thursday, April 1 to Friday, April 23, 2021, both days inclusive.

While Gov. Akeredolu is away on vacation, the Deputy Governor, Mr Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa will perform the functions of the office of the Governor. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Collins Yakubu-Hammer

Citizen First Nigeria, a Civil Society Organisation, has condemned the attack on Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria and an aspirant in the forthcoming Anambra governorship election.

MrJohn Alphabet, the founder of the organisation in a statement on Thursday in Abuja saidit was important to remind the good people of Anambra that politics is a game of principles, consultations, debates and campaigns.

Alphabet said that politics should not for any reason be turned into a fight that would result to irreplaceable loss of lives as some policemen attached to Soludo were reportedly shot dead by gunmen.

We admonish all actors in the politics of Anambra to imbibe the culture of civility and dignity for humanity and to remember the campaign slogan that says Election No Be War.

We sincerely condole with the families of these gallant officers who paid the ultimate price.

We also enjoin the Nigeria Police Force and other security operatives to ensure that the perpetrators of this dastardly act are brought to justice.

Nigeria is a democratic society and such should not be allowed to continue. Democracy is about the people making progressive decisions and not killing people, Alphabet said.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that it was widely reported that gunmen on Wednesday disrupted an interactive session between Isuofia youths and Soludo at the towns civic centre and three policemen on guard were reported to have been killed. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Solomon Asowata

Ikeja Electric (IE) Plc said it had metered only some 24,000 customers under the National Mass Metering Programme (NNMP) of the Federal Government flagged off in October 2020.

Mr Felix Ofulue, Head, Corporate Communications, IE, gave the figure at a news conference in Ikeja.

He said that 106,701 customers of the electricity distribution company had been scheduled to be installed with free prepaid meters under the phase zero of the NMMP.

Ofolue blamed the present situation on theslow pace of registration by its unmetered customers for the NMMP.

According to him, only 57 per cent of customers have so far completed the mandatory Know Your Customer (KYC) online application.

The challenge we are having is that people are not going online to register. Only 57 per cent have done their KYC and some are even saying they dont want meters.

There is also the issue of separation of accounts by customers, which involves installation of their electrical connection to the required standard before they can be issued meters.

Some of them have refused to do that and we cannot issue one meter for instance for five flats because it can easily get damaged.

All those who are yet to register are enjoined to visit map.Ikejaelectric.com
to complete their registration as soon as possible, he said.

Ofulue said that without their registration, the DisCo would not be able to get more allocation under the next phase of the programme.

He said that the plan to bridge the metering gap in the country had been given a boost with the million funds from the World Bank.

The official advised customers to desist from attacking employees of the DisCo carrying out their official duties, warning that those involved would be prosecuted.

He urged the customers to help the DisCo to protect its electrical installations from vandals and energy thieves through its recently inaugurated whistleblower programme.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the government had on Oct. 30, 2020 flagged off the NMMP.

The programme is aimed at closing the metering gap in the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry to a set target by December 2021.

It will assist in reducing collection losses, while at the same time increasing financial flows to achieve 100 per cent market remittance obligation of the DisCos.

Objectives of the scheme also include the elimination of arbitrary estimated billing, improving network monitoring capability and provision of data for market administration and investment decision-making.(NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Justina Auta

Change Managers International Network, in collaboration with network of organisations, has urged government and other stakeholders to create a gender based budget that will cater for out-of-school adolescent girls in communities across the country.

Mrs Tayo Erinle, the Executive Director of Tabitha Cumi Foundation, made the call on Wednesday in Abuja at the Dissemination Meeting on Findings from Pilot Project: Partnerships for Equity and Inclusion.

The Project has its theme:
Adolescent Girls Missing from the Radar of Development.

The research, which was a collaboration of three groups: Change Managers International Network, Tabitha Cumi Foundation and University of Abuja Centre for Gender Studies, was aimed at identifying adolescent girls missing from the radar of development.

Erinle said it was important for stakeholders to embark on a policy direction that would include out-of-school adolescents to break the circle of poverty.
This report is excellent and timely, so what it means is that there must be policy direction to include adolescent girls, there must be gender based budgeting.
Their peers in schools are on the school register, so their statistics is covered, but those other ones that are not anywhere and do not have National ID cards are excluded.
They do not have drivers license, so they are not captured in the demographics of the country.
Girls that are not in school must be accounted for and be included and covered in a budget; their health, their education, their financial empowerment must be taken care of, if we want to break the circle of poverty, Erinle said.

Also speaking, Dr Felicia Onibon, the President of Change Managers International Network, explained that the qualitative and participatory approach of research was conducted in the six area councils of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) namely: Abaji, AMAC, Bwari, Gwagwalada, Kuje and Kwali.
Onibon said that the research had a sample size of 78 people which comprised of 66 adolescent girls and 12 community leaders.
We chose two communities per area council, so we had 12 communities and we identified 10 girls which we trained on participatory research method.
We had six youth researchers who lived in those communities and worked with them, they became skilled to ask questions, became more confident and they could help their peers, she added.

In the same vein, Prof. Ekundayo Ocholi, former Director, Centre for Gender Security Studies and Youth Advancement, said the findings of the report showed more concentrating on children in schools.
Ocholi added that government had programmes and plans to give the best education to those in schools.
She said it was also important for government to design best programmes for drop-outs and out-of- school girls in communities.
She explained that if you go to the hinterlands, you will see that so many girls are wasting away, doing nothing and nobody is thinking about them.
We do not know what the future of this county will be without them going to school; there is a multiplier effect on these children and on the generation yet to come.
We intend to publish the report and let every stakeholder know about it and everybody that is responsible for taking a decision concerning them, so that they will know and act to bring them back into the radar of development.
The don also listed some findings in the communities to include failure of parents to educate their children due to poverty, poor living conditions, social vices such as unwanted pregnancies, forced and early marriage.

Alhaji Mohammed Bawa Makama, the Chief of Idu Community in the FCT, thanked the organisations for identifying and including his community in the research work.
The chief acknowledged that the research work had brought much awareness and enlightenment to his community.
He said I am very glad as the research started in my community because I have seen a lot of changes.
In those days, we do not send our girls to school, we only force them into marriage.
With the coming of the programme, I have learnt more, our girl-child education programme is also moving on now; I am very happy that they brought this to the grassroots.
Aisha Adamu, a participant and Research Lead from Mapa Community in Bwari Area Council of the FCT, also thanked the organisations for their interest on out of school adolescent girls in the FCT.
She said I was trained to get information about challenges adolescent girls face in our community in terms of education and health and we were able to get feedback.
This research has helped in giving girls a voice to speak out on what is bothering them and if we cannot do anything within our community, we can run to the organisations to help us, Adamu said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports

Change Managers International Network works with 14 different organisations, institutions, civil societies and academics working together to do different innovative research that could lead to informed policy formation. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Florence Onuegbu

Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu has unveiled body-worn cameras for security agencies in the effort to enhance security and safety in the state.

Sanwo-Olu saidduring the unveiling ceremony, at Lagos House, Ikeja, that the use of the cameras would improve transparency and accountability in the activities of law enforcement agencies.

He said that the devices would help to put the state government in a better position to respond to security challenges in real time.

The governor also approved a mass training for the states law enforcement personnel on the use of the body worn cameras, ahead of the deployment of the digital tools for security operations across the state.

The three-day training, to begin in May, will be facilitated by the Lagos State Law Enforcement Training Institute (LETI), headed by Prince Falade Oyekan.

After the training, all state-funded law enforcement officers would be inaugurated to wear body cameras for their operations.

According to Sanwo-Olu, provision of adequate security is a key pillar of the administrations T.H.E.M.E.S. agenda, and the initiative reflects governments resolution to ensure Lagos remains secure for residents and investors.

I am pleased to inaugurate the use of body-worn cameras by law enforcement officers in Lagos and this is a groundbreaking move to enhance safety in the state, as well as increase transparency and accountability in the activities of our law enforcement agencies.

Lagos State has strategically set the pace among other states in Nigeria to launch the use of body-worn cameras by law enforcement officers.

The security challenges in different parts of the country are worrisome, but with proactive action, the use of modern technological tools, and a mix of well-trained and intelligent officers, we will successfully combat many of these challenges.

With body-worn cameras, our law enforcement officers are better equipped to protect lives and properties, thereby, making Lagos safer for us all, he said.

Sanwo-Olu said that the launch of the body-worn cameras would take the government a step closer towards fulfilling its security agenda.

He said that the introduction of the devices to frontline security team and officers would enhance their productivity and professionalism, while also fast-tracking law enforcement process.

The governor said that the cameras would help the state government to check abuse of power and excesses by security personnel, and the devices would be used for evidence sharing and intelligence gathering.

I am hopeful that all officers will optimise the cameras that will be assigned to them for the furtherance of justice and improvement of the law enforcement process.

Our government will continue to prioritise the welfare of our law enforcement officers whose pivotal efforts we acknowledge in the entrenchment of a safe city, Sanwo-Olu said.

The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Justice, Ms Khadijat Shittabey commended the governor for approving the initiative.

She said that the body-worn cameras would help the ministry in the administration of justice.

The cameras will also help to enhance professionalism on the part of the law enforcement agents, provide digital evidence of events and provide additional means of protection for officers.

The cameras will be used to establish guilt or innocence of officers when confronted with allegations of wrongdoing, Shittabey said.

The head of LETI, Oyekan, after demonstrating the operation of the camera before the governor, said that 7,000 officers would be trained in the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) and other agencies.

The others are Vehicle Inspection Service (VIS), Lagos Neighborhood Safety Corps (LNSC) and the Lagos Environmental Sanitation Corps (LAGESC).

He said that the training would be done in 26 batches to reduce crowding of the training centre.

LETI was established in 2013 through an Executive Order to set standards for recruitment of law enforcement agents, training and development of the officers. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Dorcas Jonah

The Fiscal Responsibility Commission (FRC) has pledged to partner with the Society of Project Management and Development Professional to curtail waste in the execution of Federal Government projects.

The Chairman of the commission, Mr Victor Muruako, said this when a delegation from the Society led by its registrar, Mr Ayodele Edwards, visited him on Wednesday in Abuja.

According to him,the Society came on a visit as one of the stakeholders of FRC that could be looked up to for partnership.

We are counting on them because they have been of help to us, they have been training our staff on project management, particularly as part of our mandate is fiscal verification of the Federal Governments capital projects.

We have a role because from the conception of any project, there is a need for proper planning, most challenges of our abandoned projects in Nigeria can be traced to improper planning.

We are going to work with the society to come up with a template that will ensure that the commission is involved from the planning stage of every Federal Governments project.

This is because going to verify project when it has already been concise and execution is ongoing, there is little or nothing that we can do.

We want to have a plan that before a project is conceived, the commission mustbe involved from the planning stage to reduce waste, the chairman said.

Muruako said that Nigeria was working to be considered for debt relief adding the President Muhammadu Buhari and his team had worked tirelessly to exist recession.

He said borrowing was not a bad thing when a country doesnt have sufficient to cover its needs.

This is not the best of time for world economic and Nigeria is not an exception, because of the obvious reason of the pandemic, a lot of economic are on their knees.

The president and his team worked very hard for Nigeria to exist recession, where you dont have sufficient for your need, you borrowed to make up.

Borrowing is not bad depending on the condition and what you are borrowing for. Yes we borrowed and still borrowing but it is for infrastructure, he said.

According to him, as a developing economy, there is the need for some developed economies to see the need to consider the issue of debt relief, for Nigeria.

But for us to qualify for such consideration, I think the discussion should be, what we are borrowing for, how are we managing what we have borrowed.

What is the prospect that when we get this opportunity again just as we had, between 2003 and 2007.

What is the assurance that we are going to maximize the opportunity and used it for the right things?

That is where FRC comes in; we have a role to play. Ours is to ensure proper use, accountability, transparency, in public finance management

It is expected that if you are looking forward to any consideration along this line, you must have been transparent in the management of your resources.

For us as FRC, we must ensure that every kobo of our nation is accounted for and properly managed, that is where our role comes in, he said.

Earlier, the registrar of the society, Edwards said the visit was to felicitate one of their own, Muruako on his appointment as the chairman of FRC.

Considering the strategic role of the commission in ensuring fiscal discipline and maximised value from the nations earned resources, it is wise that a competent hand is deployed with a sound understanding of effective project management.

It is at this point, we commend President Buhari for appointing one of our own, who has demonstrated unparallel commitment to institutionalize the operation of FRC, he said.

Edwards said that the visit was to support the effort of the chairman of the commission considering its strategic importance in ensuring fiscal discipline.

He noted that a lot of projects were abandoned because of poor planning which needs to be addressed.

We are here to work out collaborations to ensure that more agents of government are properly enlightened on the need to practice effective planning, execution and monitoring of projects.

There is a lot of waste that goes on when projects are not effectively planned, monitored and executed. This is why we are partnering with the FRC.

So that why they go out for the verification exercise, we want to see how to guide them through how they can get the best valve and also find ways to make input at the planning stage of all Federal Government projects, he said. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Yinusa Ishola

The Ekiti State Council of Traditional Rulers has described as untrue the alleged plan by government to cede portions of land to some people for ranching and grazing.

The clarification is contained in a statement issued by Chief Ajibade Olubunmi, Media Adviser to Oba Adebanji Alabi, the Alawe of Ilawe and Chairman of the council.

According to the statement, Gov. Kayode Fayemi has no plans to cede an inch of Ekiti land to any group of people for ranching.

The Alawe said the clarification was sequel to a publication by some traditional rulers under the aegis of Majority Obas in Ekiti Land (MOBEL) alleging that Fayemi intended to cede land to some people for cattle ranching or grazing.

Accounting to the statement, the Alawe was reacting to a statement issued by the Olomuo-Oke of Omuo-Oke, Oba Vincent Otitoju, Onikun of Ikun Amure Ekiti, Oba Olatunde Olusola and other traditional rulers.

The Alawe said available information from the government revealed that the news making the round on plans to cede land was meant to cause disaffection among the people.

The Chairman of the Traditional Council appealed to traditional rulers to show some restraint in reacting to news culled from social media which, he said, was prevalent with misinformation, disinformation and fake news.

The Alawe disclosed that members of the State Council of Traditional Rulers would be properly briefed at its next statutory meeting in April 2021 by top bureaucrats on government policy on animal husbandry. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Simon Akoje

No fewer than 5,000 smallholder farmers will now earn better livelihood by supplying high quality maize, soybeans, millet, and sorghum to Nestl, through the Developing Inclusive Grain Value Chains project.

The Developing Inclusive Grain Value Chains project is expected to improve the incomes of 5,000 smallholder farmers and increase the sales of the six aggregator SMEs by at least 10 per cent.

The initiative, launched on Monday, is initiated by Nestl in collaboration with IDH the Sustainable Trade Initiate and Technoserve, a statement by Nestle Nigeria says.

The seven-month project will enable more inclusive and transparent sourcing of maize, soybeans, millet, and sorghum for Nestls operations in Nigeria.

According to it, incorporating smallholders into a value chain like Nestls, will not only benefit the farmers who will see increased incomes from selling into stable and formal markets, but also the company, which will benefit from a steady supply of locally grown crops.

The importance of local supply chains has been highlighted over the past year, as the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted global shipping.

Over the last few years, Nestl has worked with smallholder farmers and aggregators in Kaduna State, Nigeria to improve crop quality, significantly reducing rejection rates from over 30 per cent to four per cent.

Abnormal rainfall patterns caused by climate change make it difficult for farmers to properly dry their grain, and therefore it is difficult to build upon and maintain the crop quality.

The Developing Inclusive Grain Value Chains project will engage stakeholders across the supply chain to address these challenges.

The project will work with six small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that aggregate crops and supply them to Nestl factories.

The initiative will build the capacity of businesses all along the grain value chain: aggregators and sub-aggregators will receive training onproper grain handling, storage, and testing, as well as entrepreneurial and financial skills.

Logistics partners will receive training on proper handling and storage of grain during transit.

The initiative will also work with extension agents from the aggregators to provide agronomy training to farmers, with a focus on good agricultural practices and post-harvest handling, it said.

Nestl Nigeria Managing Director and CEO, Wassim Elhusseini said of the project: At Nestl, we are committed to building strong communities and supply chains, improving livelihoods in communities directly connected to our business activities.

Therefore, we are delighted to work with IDH and TechnoServe to improve the livelihoods of smallholder farmers and SMEs who work within our supply chain.

This project will help 5,000 families apply more sustainable farming practices to improve their household income while protecting the environment for the generations to come, Elhusseini is quoted as saying.

Cyril Ugwu, Country Director, IDH Nigeria, said: We are excited at this opportunity of working with TechnoServe and Nestl in our joint mission to contribute to the improvement of agribusiness entrepreneurship in Nigeria.

The partnership is crucial as it not only contributes to improved local sourcing of commodities by a reputable brand as Nestl, it also contributes to food security and the economic wellbeing of a teeming number of farmers in the region, he said.

Contributing, Ayokanmi Ayuba, TechnoServes Deputy Country Director and Director of Programs in Nigeria, said: Building more inclusive supply chains is a win-win for farmers and the private sector.

We are excited to work with Nestl and IDH on this initiative to create lasting impact for smallholders, small businesses, and the sector as a whole, the statement quotes Ayuba as saying.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the project will increase traceability by working with aggregators to improve record keeping and by using assay testing kits to track the quality of grains provided by individual farmers.

This will also enable the initiative and stakeholders to better tailor training to the specific needs of smallholders.

To address the challenges posed by climate change, the project will work with the aggregatorsto provide accurate weather forecasts to farmers, helping them to make better decisions about when to dry their grains.

The initiative will also engage stakeholders to pilot new, low-cost technological innovations like solar dryers. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Emmanuel Afonne

The Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) has commended the Nigerian Airforce and the Army for appointing members of the institute Air Commodore EK Gabkwet and Brig.-Gen. Mohammed Yerima, as their spokespersons.

Mallam Mukhtar Sirajo, the President/Chairman of Governing Council, NIPR, gave the commendation in Abuja on Thursday in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

Sirajo said that letters of appreciation had been dispatched on March 26 to the Chief of Air Staff and Chief of Army Staff in respect to the appointments.

He noted that the NIPR had in the letter to the military acknowledged the support of the Army and Airforce to rid the Institute and Public Relations (PR) profession of quacks.

In the letter, we thanked the military for the confidence it has reposed in our members and we will rally round them and avail them with all necessary support to ensure it remains proud of its decision.

We also stated that the legal instrument that chartered the NIPR, which is Decree 16 of 1990, now CAP N114 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria (2004), is very unambiguous about the illegality of practicing Public Relations without licensing by the institute.

This means that the military does not only have confidence in the ability of the appointees but also respects professionalism, and is law abiding, Sirajo said.

The letter sent by the NIPR to the Army and Airforce read in part: The relationship between the Nigerian Military (Airforce and Army) and the NIPR has come a long way and has been a largely mutually respectful one.

A Fellow and other Members of the Institute have at one time or the other, diligently served as spokesmen in the military and have left enviable legacies in their trail.

It is our prayer, hope and belief that the appointment of Air Commodore Gabkwet and Brigadier Gen. Mohammed Yerima, will continue with that noble tradition.

The Institute will partner with the Nigerian Military in the area of training and public enlightenment especially at this challenging time to be able confront the security challenges facing the country.

It would be recalled that the Army appointed Yerima as its spokesman on Feb. 10, 2021, while Gabkwet was appointed for the same position by the Airforce on March 5, 2021. (NAN)

Source: NAN News