The Lagos State Neighbourhood Safety Agency has deployed 233 body cameras, safety shields, surveillance drones, dashboard cameras, stun batons, binoculars, vehicles, telephones and internet facilities to its divisional offices.

The General Manager of the agency, Dr Ifalade Oyekan, said this at a media breakfast meeting in Lagos on Wednesday.

The theme of the meeting was: Five Years of Safeguarding our Neighbourhoods in Partnership with the People: Our Achievements, Our Challenges.

Oyekan said that they were meant to boost the operations of agencys personnel and enhance effective community policing across the state.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the agency was established in 2016 to partner communities, police and other relevant security agencies in gathering, collating, and sharing information and intelligence to ensure safety in communities within Lagos State.

Oyekan added that the agency had set up a situation room and software to monitor officers on duty, to ensure transparency and accountability.

We have also upgraded our communication systems by installing hollow masts to replace the outdated angular masts.

This is to ensure the free flow of communication among officers across the divisions in the state, Oyekan said.

He also said that the agency was rebranding its operations across the state to ensure effective community policing by December.

The agencys personnel are currently operational in all the 20 local government areas and 37 local council development areas of the state.

Oyekan said that the agency would create more operational units to complement the activities of other security agencies and boost community policing in the state.

He said that the new units would include: Research, Development and New Innovation; Human Trafficking, Domestic and Sexual Violence, Forest Rangers, Marine Patrol and Deterrence, Anti-riot and Crowd Management; Forensics and Crime Scene Management.

There is the need for a department that will be solely dedicated to researching crime, modern methods and techniques of policing as well as challenges militating against safety and stability.

For the Forest Rangers unit, the objective is to create formidable intelligence gathering machinery within forest areas of the state; especially in Epe, Badagry and Ikorodu.

Selected officers will be trained in jungle activities such as tracking, jungle calls, non-verbal signals, animal migration, and natural compass reading.

They will mainly gather intelligence and transmit same to the operations department, and intelligence departments of sister security agencies.

We are also training our officers to understand the importance of crime scene management to prevent loss of valuable evidence such as prints, blood spatters, positioning and other evidence that the scene provides for investigators, he added.

The general manager thanked Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu for his support toward making the agency a model in community policing in the country.

He, however, solicited more support from the government for the agency to be able to actulalise its mandate.

On inter-agency cooperation, Oyekan said that it was important in ensuring effective safeguard of lives and properties of the residents of the state.

He said that they had been working with the Police, the NSCDC, the Army, the Department of State Services, NAPTIP, the NDLEA and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime.

He added that the agency had submitted several intelligence reports of its surveillance on abandoned buildings, vehicles, suspected illegal immigrants, beggars and hideouts to the relevant agencies for appropriate action.

He said that the agency recognised the role of citizens in safety and security and had constantly engaged with community leaders, development associations, traditional and religious institutions.

The agency also is developing safe and anonymous crime reporting mechanisms to encourage citizens partnership and participation in security, he added.

He called on the residents of the state to cultivate relationships with the agencys personnel in their neighbourhoods and support them with information on potential security threats. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Maharazu Ahmed/Peter Dada

Source: NAN News

By Kingsley Okoye

The Senate has passed the Nigerian Start-up Bill, 2022.

The passage of the bill followed the adoption of a report of the Senare Committee on ICT and Cyber Security at Wednesdays plenary.

Presenting the report, the Chairman of the Committee, Sen.Oseni Yakubu said that the bill sought to provide for the establishment of the National Council for Digital Innovation and Entrepreneurship.

According to him, the council, upon its establishment, would create and develop an enabling environment for technology-enabled start-ups in Nigeria.

Also at plenary , a bill for an act to provide for the ease of doing business to ensure transparency, efficiency and productivity in Nigeria and for other related matters passed second reading.

The bill was sponsored by the Deputy Senate Leader, Ajayi Boroffice (APC Ondo).

The bill after consideration, was referred by the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, to the Committee on Trade and Investment for further legislative inputs.

The Committee was given two weeks to report back to the chamber in plenary.

Similarly, a bill to establish the Federal Nephrology and Kidney Research and Treatment Centre Hadejia, also scaled second reading .

The bill, sponsored by Sen. Hassan Ibrahim Hadejia (APC Jigawa), was referred to the Committee on Health (Secondary and Tertiary) for further legislative inputs.

The Committee which has Sen.Yahaya Oloriegbe as Chairman was given four weeks to send its report back to senate. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Ali Baba-Inuwa

Source: NAN News

By Stephen Adeleye

A non-governmental organisation Mentor-Box Foundation on Tuesday began the training for more than 2,000 youths, women and persons with disabilities in the three senatorial districts of Kogi.

A statement by Mrs Eunice Emmanuel-Agada, the Co-Founder, Mentor-Box Foundation, in Lokoja, said that the project was an initiative of Innovation Support Network (ISN), aimed at equipping the vulnerable groups to access credit opportunities.

Emmanuel-Agada described ISN as Nigerias national network of more than 100 entrepreneurships.

She added that the ISN remained an innovation and technology hub, providing policy advocacy; creating linkages between corporates, academia, funders and development partners; and promoting structures that drive hub sustainability.

According to her, ISN is collaborating with Mentor- Box Foundation to support 2,500 beneficiaries across the three senatorial districts in Kogi.

She added that the project seeks to provide free training for 60 per cent women, 30 per cent youths and 10 per cent people with disabilities in rural and urban areas.

The co-founder noted that business training would equip the beneficiaries to access credit opportunities, such as the Nigeria Youth Investment Fund (NYIF) that could help to propel their businesses.

Participants who are drawn from the three senatorial districts of Kogi will be provided with information on how to access NYIF through awareness and socialisation, she said.

Emmanuel-Agada said that the project, which began on July 4, would last for two years, adding that communities in Anyigba, Lokoja, Girinya and Okene had benefited in the state.(NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Ifeyinwa Okonkwo/Kayode Olaitan

Source: NAN News

By Victor Okoye

Dr Charles Ugwanyi, an aspirant in the upcoming Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), FCT branch elections has unveiled his 11-point agenda ahead of the polls in Abuja.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Ugwanyi is an aspirant vying for the position of the Chairman, Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), FCT branch, in the associations elections coming up on Aug. 5.

Dr Ugwanyi, who is a consultant in the Surgery Department at the National Hospital Abuja, revealed his 11-point agenda during the launch and unveiling of his manifesto on Tuesday in Abuja.

He explained that the summary of the agenda was aimed at getting the doctors to rediscover themselves, their potential and create sufficient awareness in the medical service industry.

He said this was necessary to ensure the doctors perform their duties in an enabling environment with adequate exposure to mechanical and social engineering to deliver the desired service to the Nigerian patients.

At the end of the day, we believe that the Nigerian patients are worth much more and not getting a very good deal with what obtains right now.

We will reposition our thinking, we will reposition our service delivery packages to render the desired services to the Nigerian patients.

At the same time, we will not forget that a doctor cannot give what he doesnt have.

So, we will look into the doctors welfare and we will do the needful by encouraging the relevant authorities to make sure that the doctor is comfortable.

The doctor is not asking for too much. The doctor is simply asking for a liveable wage and an enabling working environment in order to deliver these services to the Nigerian patients, he said.

He explained that his 11-point agenda included the continuous engagement of members in the affairs of the association to keep their interests intact, members welfare, social and financial re-engineering.

Others include the organisation of useful programming, publications, corporate social responsibility, protection of members and collaboration with affiliate groups.

The rest are: the establishment of a working relationship with NMA FCT young doctors and elders as well as the setting up and empowerment of relevant committees and strict adherence to the rule of law, he said.

Dr Jerry-the-first Oguzia, the Convener of the event said the essence of the launch was to create an awareness about the candidature of their choice.

Oguzia, who is also a past NMA FCT Chairman and former President, National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), noted that the integrity and character of Ugwanyi was not in doubt.

We are here for the launch of the Eagle Project Campaign, which is the campaign structure of Dr Charles Ugwanyi.

So, we are trying to let the members of the NMA FCT residing and practicing in Abuja to know our candidate.

We want to let them know that he is credible and a man of strong character, integrity, honesty and experience.

For me there is only one contestant and that is Dr Ugwanyi. I dont know if there is any other, he said.

Also, Dr Charles Anakwe, the Chairman of the event said he had known Dr Ugwanyi right from his days as a young doctor, adding that he was worthy to take up the challenge and responsibility before him.

Anakwe, who is also the Medical Director of Camek Orthopaedic Hospital, Abuja threw his weight behind Ugwanyis candidacy, stressing that he would make the association very proud.

The man running for Chairmanship of the NMA, FCT is my son by adoption. I picked him up when he was a young doctor just out of school and I have seen him through to where he is today.

There is virtually nothing about him that I dont know and if I had seen anything in him that is unworthy of the aspiration he has, I would have called him by the side and advised him to drop it.

I am fully in support of his candidacy and I think he will make us proud, he said.

Dr Atinko Sunday, the Campaign Manager said that he was looking forward to delivering Ugwanyi as the NMA FCT Chairman for the 2022 to 2024 tenure.

He said his job had been made quite easy due to the pedigree of the candidate, adding that almost all the doctors had bought into Ugwanyis dream and prepared to ensure that it became a reality.

Ugwanyi is a cerebral doctor, who is very intelligent, smart and hard working. He is a stickler for discipline, a mentor and takes everything he gets into very seriously.

He has trained his younger colleagues and mentored them and has got alot of goals and vision.

Whatever you see him do, he targets excellence and drives one to achieve his or her potential.

You can see from the gathering today that the creme de la creme of the NMA FCT are all represented here to see that NMA FCT is taking to the next level and that the doctors welfare is made a priority in the scheme of things.

So, the campaign has kicked off in full swing and we are hopeful that come Aug. 5, Dr Ugwanyi will emerge as our Chairman to pilot the affairs of the association for the next two years, he said.

The highlight of the event was the setting up of the Campaign Advance Parties to pilot the activities of the campaign and the endorsement of Ugwanyis candidature by some important personalities of the association. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Grace Yussuf

Source: NAN News

By Tosin Kolade

The Federal Ministry of Water Resources on Tuesday, said it will not be deterred by activities of detractors sponsoring false narratives against the passage of the National Water Resources Bill.

The Minister, Mr Suleiman Adamu at a news conference in Abuja, said it was saddening that recent agitation against the bill would not do the country any good.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the bill which triggered controversy in the National Assembly between 2017 and 2020 has now been re-presented for consideration.

The bill had sparked outrage as many Nigerians interpreted the proposed law as a plot to grab the waterways and hand same to Fulani pastoralists.

Adamu said the bill being re-presented to the National Assembly had been reviewed by water resources experts and had all grey areas addressed.

He said that innovations in the reviewed bill included; institutionalisation of an independent regulatory body to help reposition the water sector to aid cost recovery and improve the irrigation sector.

As far as we are concerned, our reforms in the water resources sector is to reposition it to where it is supposed to be, and that is our target.

We are not mindful of the antics of the antagonism against this bill, but we remain committed and focused, while keeping our eyes on the ball to ensure that we do all that is necessary for the benefit of Nigerians.

We will not be deterred, we will continue to remain focused and I have to say at the end of the day, it is not the color of the article or the false narratives in the media.

The sponsored articles against this bill will not determine the decision of the National Assembly, the minister said.

Adamu noted that the legislature were knowledgeable enough to discern what was best for the nation, saying, they are our representatives and I am confident that they will represent us very well.

He described as crucial for Nigeria and Nigerians to educate themselves on the overall benefits of the bill, saying that meeting the sustainable development goals on water and sanitation was tied to it.

The minister said no city in the country enjoyed uninterrupted pipe borne water, adding that subscribing to sustainable development goals on adequate water supply and sanitation by 2030 meant prioritising access.

He said Nigeria must seek alternative sources of funding to water resources sector, saying reliance on development partners was not sustainable.

How are we going to do that? If we continue to rely simply on budgetary allocation, it is never going to happen. So we have to think outside the box, Adamu said.

Mr Benson Ajisegiri, a water resources consultant, said the passage of the bill was an opportunity for rapid acceleration to pool funds towards meeting the sustainable development goals.

Ajisegiri noted that the media had a huge role to disseminate accurate information to the citizens, adding that this would curb the misinformation going around.

Mrs Tanwa Koya, a water resources expert, said legal framework of the national water resources bill was not different from the countrys constitutional provisions. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Remi Koleoso/Razak Owolabi

Source: NAN News

By Emmanuella Anokam

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd) says its huge asset base will be disclosed soon in view of its current status.

Malam Mele Kyari, Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPC Ltd made this known on Tuesday at a media chat after the Presidential unveiling of the New NNPC Limited at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that President Muhammadu Buhari unveiled the new NNPC Ltd. which would operate as a profitable commercial entity and declare dividends to its 200 million shareholders.

The Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) provides for the transition of NNPC into a fully commercial entity, a Limited Liability Company incorporated under the Companies and Allied Matters Act (CAMA), to be known as the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd.

The Africas largest National Oil Company (NOC) would also support sustainable growth across other sectors of the economy as it delivers energy to the world.

The Group CEO said the organisations structure would be changed so as to get different results while more competencies would be embraced.

We now have a smarter, more responsive and more accountable company that must act within the premises of all the regulations that are accountable for private companies.

We must also meet the standards for best practices in the industry, in terms of governance and make sure that all regulations are applied.

We must ensure that we deliver back to back to all our stakeholders, he said.

Kyari said that its value would translate in two forms:ensuring dividends and delivering energy being longed by shareholders.

He said the new company was in the position to achieve both mandates because it was now an enabling company that could act quickly and can also make decisions quickly.

He said that by the middle of 2023, the company would be having systems, processes, line of profitability and accountability to stakeholders.

On subsidy, he said the NNPC Limited had no issue with it rather it would be an issue of the state.

Whatever is the decision and policy of the state, the NNPC is there to deliver commercial value to the customer at the price that the state want, he said.(NAN) (www.nannews.ng.)

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Edited by Isaac Aregbesola

Source: NAN News

By Ekemini Ladejobi

Several big budget Nollywood films including The Man of God, Blood Sisters and Chief Daddy 2 made their debut on streaming platforms in the first half of the year, carrying the audience along with them, a move which experts have attributed for the poor turnout in cinemas.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that these films are part of the growing content docket spread across several streaming platforms, which have launched in Nigeria.

Netflix and Showmax joined home-based IrokoTV and in the last quarter of 2021, Amazon officially launched in the country and has begun commissioning its own slate of content.

Film business journal, The Industry by Inside Nollywood, has reported a decline in Nollywoods cinema market share in the first half of 2022.

It dropped from 39.3 per cent in the same period of 2021 to 28.5 per cent in 2022.

The journal notes that with the introduction of streaming, it is cheaper to bundle all your Nollywood gamble on one platform, which costs less than N5, 000 monthly than go through traffic and spend at least N2, 000 per film (outside other costs).

The audience is afraid to keep gambling and the economy does not make it easier to throw more money to the wind.

This is why when they find a film that is way less disappointing, they reward it with loyalty, hoping stakeholders in the industry will take hints, it added.

Speaking on the data, co-publisher of the Inside Nollywood journal Anita Eboigbe told NAN, there are two issues here.

The first is that the general film admissions is not growing. For the last three years, except 2020, about 1.5 million tickets have been sold in the first half of each year.

It is a stagnant number annually with slight variations in market shares between the players.

The second is the shrinking market share by Nollywood which is alarming given that it defeats the multiple sources of income debate and further slows down the process of customer acquisition for films in Nigeria, she said.

Eboigbe added that among filmmakers, there is a slow disenchantment with the cinema distribution process.

The primary reason is that the returns are not what they are hyped to be and secondly, they do not seem to be improving anytime soon. Yet, distributors and exhibitors do not seem alarmed enough to aggressively do something about it. (NAN/ www.nannews.ng)

Source: NAN News

By Ekemini Ladejobi

Nollywoods market share in the cinemas is currently at 25.8 per cent, down from the 39.3 per cent it held in the first half of 2021, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.

According to data analysed by The Industry by Inside Nollywood, a film data publication, the drop is despite the fact that in both years, total cinema admissions have remained in the same ballpoint of 1. 49 million with 7, 000 more admissions recorded in 2022.

The little increase in total admissions counted in favour of Hollywood titles leaving Nollywood films scrambling for an even smaller percentage of cinema goers.

The 2022 drop is an all-time low despite the stable streak in the last five years.

The journal, which is Nigerias first film business publication, noted that in the last couple of years, Nollywood had managed a market share within the threshold of 40 per cent with a large chunk of the remaining 60 per cent held by Hollywood.

In 2021, despite it being a pandemic recovery year, the industry still managed to hold 39.3 per cent in the first half of the year selling about 964,523 tickets out of the over 1,491,530 tickets sold.

Meanwhile, in the first half of 2022, out of the 1,498,934 tickets sold in the first half of 2022, Nollywood sold about 520,656 which is a 46 per cent decrease from the previous year.

Speaking on the data, co-publisher of Inside Nollywood, Anita Eboigbe told NAN that there are always about 10 Nollywood movies in the cinema, per time.

While some movies such as Omo Ghetto have thousands of admissions, others get only about ten people weekly.

Tickets range between N1,200 to N5, 000 depending on the buzz around the movie and the performance weekly.

There have been unicorns of some sort in the two years.

In 2021, it was Funke Akindeles Omo Ghetto that defied expectations and earned over N636 million in total gross before making it to a streaming platform.

In 2022, Femi Adebayos King of Thieves, ushered a new movement and made over N300 million in total cinema gross.

Eboigbe noted that the decline in market share by Nollywood calls for some introspection and stakeholders are constantly debating several possibilities but the over dependence of filmmakers on streaming have conditioned the audience as well as the laziness of exhibitors in growing the cinema culture. (NAN/www.nannews.ng)

Source: NAN News

By Bridget Ikyado

The Youth Wing, Christian Association of Nigeria (YOWICAN), North Centralhas appealed to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to extend the voters registration to avoid disenfranchisement.

Owoyemi Olushola, the Chairman, North Central of YOWICAN made the appeal during a world press conference with theme: Say no to Muslim -Muslim Presidential Ticket on Tuesday in Abuja.

According to him, INEC should also move the registration centre close to people in the grassroots.

I want to be joining my voice with those clamouring that the registration exercise be extended. Please, INEC should try and extend it.

We are praying and hoping that they will do so because everybody has a right to be registered, he said.

He urged everybody, especially Christians to participate in the 2023 elections, pick the people of their choice and see how the country can be better.

Olushola also urged them to hold their representatives responsible at various levels.

The chairman saidthat INEC should obey the voice of the majority that was calling for an extension of the registration.

We hope that INEC will listen to our yearnings, he said.

We call in every youth to come out en mass to vote against divisive combination of any party to enthrone a government which unites the country and restored peaceful coexistence.

The YOWICAN chairman appealed to political parties to be sensitive and do everything humanly possible not to create or endorse any perception that could create fear and divisions amongst Nigerians. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Grace Yussuf

Source: NAN News

Copenhagen, July 19, 2022 (dpa/NAN) The European offices of the World Health Organisation (WHO) says that Coronavirus (COVID-19) case counts has tripled across Europe in the last six weeks.

This the organisation said, hinting at a huge challenge for the continents health care system for the rest of the year.

My message to governments and health authorities is to act now to prepare for the coming months, said Hans Kluge, the WHOs regional director for Europe.

Right now, the southern hemisphere, where it is winter, is experiencing a very active influenza season, which, along with COVID-19, is putting a continued strain on health systems.

We are likely to see a similar scenario in the northern hemisphere come autumn and leading into winter.

If health authorities act now, they can help reduce the anticipated disruptions to society, including health worker absences and overburdened health systems, struggling businesses and travel chaos.

Kluge noted 3 million new cases reported last week, though he added that intensive care admissions remain relatively low.

But he said he is worried that, as people return from summer vacations, schools reopen and people start socialising indoors due to colder temperatures, case counts could spike higher.

He noted that the situation is being exacerbated by the prevalence of new strains of the Omicron variant, which is making reinfection more likely.

Each new infection could lead to long COVID, he said.

To prepare, he said countries need to revive vaccination drives; support mask-wearing; strengthen laboratory capacities; prioritise contact-tracing; and bolster infection control practices in all health care facilities.

Just because a mask isnt mandated, doesnt mean its prohibited, he noted.

Edited by Julius Toba-Jegede

Source: NAN News