By Cecilia Ijuo

Mr Aliyu Tahir,Managing Director, Nigerian Electricity Management Services Agency(NEMSA), has warned against importation of substandard electricity materials into Nigeria.

Tahir, who is also Chief Electrical Inspector of the Federation, gave the warning at the 2023 First Quarter Interactive Session with Energy Reporters in Abuja on Wednesday.

He said the agency was collaborating with Standard Organisation of Nigeria(SON), security agencies and other stakeholders to ensure that only standard electrical materials were imported into Nigeria.

He said NEMSA had begun removing such materials across the country, adding that 68,168 substandard materials were removed in 2022.

The managing director said the agency had equally set up a tax force on monitoring and evaluation of existing networks to stem the use of substandard electrical materials.

Tahir said NEMSA would not relent in its effort to achieve its mandate, particularly in the area of substandard materials.

Four distribution companies in Abuja, Ibadan, Ikeja and Eko were monitored by the Tax Force set up by NEMSA last year.

This year, the monitoring exercise will continue to cover the six other distribution companies in Port Harcourt, Kano, Kaduna, Yola, Jos, Benin and Enugu.

The essence of this effort is to maintain stability in the existing electricity networks.

This is also to stem use of substandard materials, cables and equipment in the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry(NESI), he said.

On other achievements of the agency in 2022, Tahir said 10, 876 new electrical projects were inspected, 10, 598 existing networks were monitored while 771 of them were resolved.

He further said 3, 480 factories, public places and hotels were inspected, 2, 576, 607 electricity meters tested, 2, 719 electrical personnel certified and 6, 332 certificates renewed.

According to him, the agency also inspected 647 pole manufacturers in the country, investigated 376 electrical accident sites and established first Meter Generation Museum and Gallery.

Other achievements according to him are, training of 18 electrical engineers of NEMSA on renewable energy, certification of 36 electricity meters and instruments manufacturing assembling companies.

The managing director said in furtherance of previous achievements, the agency would continue with sensitisation, certification as well as stakeholders engagement among others.

There is a planned national conference on safety which is aimed at bringing together core professionals in the power sector and security agencies.

This is to chart the way forward on how to provide and deepen NEMSAs services in areas of security, safety of lives and property in NESI,he said.

Tahir said the agency was not unmindful of concerns by electricity customers.

According to him, the problem of epileptic power supply, meter purchase by customers, fast reading meters among others were being addressed.

He commended the media for its continued support, while calling for more support, particularly in the area of awereness creation on the agencys mandate.

The News Agency of Nigeria(NAN) reports that NEMSA was established in 2015 to enforce technical standards and regulations.

It was also established for testing and certification of all categories of electrical installations among others.(NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Yakubu Uba/Isaac Aregbesola

Source: NAN News

Cross section of participants at the workshop

By Segun Giwa

The United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) has urged youth to embrace digital learning platforms in accelerating skilling, up skilling and employment opportunities.

Mrs Blessing Ejiofor, UNICEF Communication Specialist, said this on Thursday in Lagos at a two-day workshop organised in collaboration with National Orientation Agency (NOA), Lagos Office, for young people and journalists across the country.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the two-day workshop is tagged: Media Dialogue on Digital Learning Platforms.

Ejiofor said the programme was aimed at galvanising the media to support advocacy on digital learning solutions with a focus on bridging the digital divide, especially for girls and young people in hard-to-reach communities.

She noted that UNICEF had collaborated with governments and other partners in creating the enabling environment for skills development that would enable young people to thrive and better able to respond to the countrys social and economic needs.

Ejiofor also said that the deployment of the Nigeria Learning Passport (NLP), an online offline and mobile digital learning platform that supports learning and skills acquisition for Children and youths as well as the Youth Agency Marketplace (YOMA) platform, were avenues to skill as well as connect young people to opportunities for employment, entrepreneurship and social impact.

Mr Joannes Yimbesalu, UNICEF Programme Specialist, said that the workshop was an opportunity to explore, learn and share ideas on the benefits and opportunities available to young Nigerians on the NLP, YOMA and U-Report digital platforms.

Yimbesalu enjoined the media to help amplify these digital platforms to the youths.

In her remarks, the NOA Director in Lagos, Ms Adetola Adegboyega, said that the training was important due to the importance of technology in day-to-day activities.

Adegboyega who noted that journalists were also an important aspect of the training, said that they would help in disseminating information on the opportunities offered by digital learning. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Victor Adeoti/Vincent Obi

Source: NAN News

Invictus Africa and BudgIT Foundation briefing newsmen on Womanity Index a tool to track annual ranking and reports on gender equality and Gender-Based Violence (GBV)

By Justina Auta

Two Non-Government Organisations Invictus Africa and BudgIT Foundation, on Wednesday, introduced Womanity Index, a tool to track annual ranking and reports on gender equality and Gender-Based Violence (GBV).

The Executive Director of Invictus Africa, Ms Bukky Shonibare, at a news conference in Abuja, said that the index would also focus on issues affecting women, especially girl-child education, womens health, economic empowerment and political representation in Senegal, Ghana and Nigeria.

She explained that it would be carried out through field and technology-based data collection to assist state and local governments to understand the context and identify gaps, as well as challenges peculiar to each state in addressing GBV.

She said the Womanity Index is novel as it helps subnational governments, as primary duty bearers, to know their performance in their efforts to prevent and respond to GBV in their states.

It will also identify the gaps and challenges that impede their performance, and the specific actionable recommendations which, when implemented, will result in ensuring laws and policies that guarantee GBV prevention, effective support systems, and allocation of adequate budget and spending to address GBV.

It will also aid accountability by duty bearers (governments) and provide the relevant data and evidence needed by citizens to track implementation and advocate for effective GBV prevention and response, she said.

Mr Gabriel Okeowo,the Country Director, BudgIT Nigeria, said data from the research in some states would serve as reference documents on GBV to ensure state-specific recommendations.

So this first work is very important and will serve as a base line.

We will then have a basis of comparison to be able to say as at 2023 this is where this state is and as at now this is what the results is showing, he said.

Mr Folarin Johnson, the Senior Project Officer, Nigeria Governor Forum World Bank SFTAS programme, said the index would enable government measure all interventions on GBV in their various states.

According to him, it is a research and it is not just about the field data collection.

We are going to be building on some of the data that are in existence.

So the reason this partnership exist is for everybody involved to bring out what they have done in the past and it is what will form the basis of what it is. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Kadiri Abdulrahman/Hadiza Mohammed-Aliyu

Source: NAN News

The Director, Army Public Relations, Brig.-Gen. Onyema Nwachukwu, briefing newsmen in Abuja on Tuesday

Source: NAN News

From left: Mr Thomas Etuh, Pst. Mrs Folu Adeboye and Pst. Enoch Adeboye, during the inauguration of the hospital

By Victor Adeoti

Pastor Enoch Adeboye, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God and Gov. Ademola Adeleke of Osun have commended the Jennifer Etuh Foundation (JEF) for donating a hospital and skill acquisition centre to Ifewara community in Osun.

The duo gave the commendation on Wednesday during the inauguration of the hospital built by the foundation in memory of the late Mrs Jennifer Ramatu Etuh, wife of the Chairman of JEF, Mr Thomas Etuh.

The establishment of the hospital is part of the vision of late Mrs Jennifer Etuh to provide accessible and affordable world-class healthcare services to women and children in rural communities.

In his remarks, Adeboye thanked Etuh for siting the hospital in his hometown, adding that the late Jennifer Etuh was one of his spiritual daughters.

The cleric who noted that the late Jennifer and her husband were very dear to him, said that in spite of his intercession while she was sick, the Lord decided to call her home.

Adeboye called for prayers for the family of the Etuhs, admonishing people to contribute their quota to improving the society and helping the people around them.

Also speaking, Adeleke appreciated the foundation for building the health facility in the state.

He said that his government would continue to prioritise the welfare of the people of the state.

The governor said his administration had provided free medical care to over 25,000 residents of the state under the Imole Free Sugical and Medical Outreach.

In his remarks, Etuh said his wife gave clear instructions on what should be done with her investments following her health challenges, before her demise.

He said the late wifes instruction gave birth to the medical centre.

Before her demise, considering what she was going through, Jennifer gave clear instructions on what was to be done with her investments and this was to ensure others do not experience what she unfortunately passed through.

It was the burden she carried before her demise that gave birth to the blessing, now known as the Jennifer Etuh Foundation (JEF).

By the special grace of God, we are here today inaugurating a new hospital in the home town of her spiritual parents, Pastor and Mrs Enoch and Folu Adeboye, he said.

Etuh noted that two similar medical centres on the instruction of his late wife, had been built and inaugurated in Odu (Kogi State) and Kagoro (Kaduna State).

He said the foundation intended to build two more hospitals.

Etuh disclosed that the foundation would soon inaugurate another hospital in Gombe State. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Emmanuel Afonne/Chinyere Joel-Nwokeoma

Source: NAN News

Participants at the training on digital learning platforms organised by UNICEF and NOA for journalists and selected youths

By Segun Giwa

United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF), in collaboration with National Orientation Agency (NOA), on Wednesday in Lagos, commenced training of selected youths and journalists in the South-West zone on digital learning platforms.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the two-day training is tagged: Media Dialogue on Digital Learning Platforms.

In her opening remarks, UNICEF Communication Specialist, Mrs Blessing Ejiofor, said that the programme was aimed at exposing youths to the advantages of digital learning platforms.

Ejiofor said that the media were also involved to do the advocacy on the digital learning platforms and give the platforms necessary publicity.

According to her, embracing the digital learning platforms by the youth will reduce unemployment and crimes in the country.

Ejiofor said that the primary purpose of the dialogue was to understand the various digital platforms and how young people could make use of them positively.

The UNICEF communication specialist also said that the training would expose the youth to how to write their curriculum vitae, where to submit job applications and how to make use of digital platforms for wealth creation, among others.

We brought many experts to this programme to help us know more about digital learning platforms of both the private and government organisations, she said.

In her remarks, the NOA Director in Lagos, Ms Adetola Adegboyega, said that the training was important due to the importance of technology in day-to-day activities.

Adegboyega, who noted that journalists were also an important aspect of the training, said that they would help in disseminating information on the opportunities offered by digital learning.

Also speaking, UNICEF Programme Specialist, Mr Joannes Yimbesalu, said that the programme was an opportunity to explore, learn and share ideas on digital learning.

In her presentation, Head of Communication, Lagos State Employment Trust Fund (LSETF), Ms Taiye Tunkarimu, said that the agency was saddled with creating employment and entrepreneurship opportunities for all Lagos residents.

Tunkarimu said that the agency was also working toward reducing unemployment and crimes in the state.

She stated that the agency had trained no fewer than 16,000 youths on digital literacy, tech talent drive and vocational skills, among others. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Victor Adeoti and Wale Sadeeq

Source: NAN News

By Reporters

Some residents of Abuja and its environs have expressed fear over the looming flood as a result of poor environmental and sanitation practices.

The residents, who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), said that rainy seasons had been a difficult period for them as floods always submerge their belongings.

Mr Jacob Idris, a resident of Nyanya, said that the community had been battling with flood every rainy season even after clearing the drainages around them.

He said until the bridge and the road are reconstructed and a bigger ring is fixed; they may not get out of the problem.

We dont have the financial strength to construct a bigger bridge and a better road thats why we are appealing to the government to come to our aid.

We have lost millions of naira worth of goods and property to flood in this area and we are afraid that if nothing is done this year, property or even lives may be lost to flood.

We have started seeing signs that it will rain heavily this year, since the first rain had caused serious flooding he said.

Mrs Amaka Ukachukwu, a resident of Mararaba, Nasarawa State, said to prevent a recurrence of flood this year, the public needed to be sensitised to desist from dumping refuse on water channels.

We need to sensitise residents to the danger of dumping refuse on waterways and major channels.

Now that the rains are coming, we appeal to the government to be prepared and assist us on time.

Some of us are poor, we should be relocated to camps as usual, so we are calling for early preparation in case such occurrences happened, she said.

Mr Abdullahi Sanwo, a resident of Ado, Nasarawa State appealed to residents to avoid blocking waterways with refuse.

He said that a simple environment friendly rule of cleaning the waterways should be adhered to.

We do not want to witness flooding this year in our community; we are educating our people on the need to keep the drainages free of refuse.

Aside that, we use the media houses to educate the public to clear their drainages and to cut the weeds on the waterways, he said.

Mrs Josephine Paul, a resident of Mpape, a suburb of Abuja, said that a committee has been constituted in her area to monitor residents to ensure proper disposal of waste .

Paul said that waste bins are provided by the government, so residents are been monitored to ensure the proper use of the waste bins

We had an agreement to contribute the sum of N100, 000 to hire labourers that will assist in clearing the drains and the weeds around our premises, he said.

Mr Isaac Dogo, a resident of Garki advised residents against blocking of drains, adding that nature would fight back and the result is flood.

I urged the government to take precaution against the impending doom, he said

He appealed to the government to take a lasting solution to address the issue of flooding in the country in general.

NAN reports that the Director-General of Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET), Prof. Mansur Matazu, says that rainfall is predicted to be earlier than the long-term average in most parts of the country.

NAN also reports that in 2023, although NiMet forecast had predicted a largely normal rainfall pattern, it also indicated a high possibility of flash floods in some states.

Matazu said there was likely to be elevated dry spell in some states of the north with potential adverse impact on planted crops.(NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Dorcas Jonah/Joseph Edeh

Source: NAN News

By Emmanuella Anokam

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd) says it has so far spent over 1.1 billion dollars on the ongoing construction of the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano (AKK) Gas Pipeline and Station project from its cash-flow.

The NNPC Limited GCEO, Malam Mele Kyari said this on Monday while touring some of its project sites in Kogi, with newsmen and other stakeholders.

Kyari was accompanied by some top officials of the NNPC Limited and Oilserv Limited, (Pipelines and Facilities), the contractor of the project.

Kyari said the company would continue to fund the massive project which it was delivering in phases and has been active even though it did not have third party finance for the project.

So far, NNPC Ltd has funded over 1.1billion dollars on the project and to date none of the project activities is abandoned as reported and we reassure all stakeholders that we have a line of sight to project delivery on schedule.

NNPC Limited remains highly committed towards the delivery of strategic National infrastructure projects through responsive project delivery, active collaboration with government security agencies and communities as well as deployment of technology for delivering the project.

This is is one of the most massive projects of proportion value to our country for economic growth. It is a must-deliver project and we have continued to fund in spite of not having third party finance support, we will deliver this project.

We do not owe a dollar to our contractors, there are over 30 sites that are active today in this project, we are very hopeful and optimistic to deliver this project, he assured.

The GCEO decried the fact that due to insecurity, it had lost some site workers thereby expressed sadness over thier demise and consoled their families whom he said the company shared in their grief.

He said 70 per cent of the welding work had been completed adding that once welding was completed, it could actually flow gas through the pipeline.

He said on completion the pipeline would deliver two billon cubic feet of gas, powering industries, powering power plants and creating gas based industries.

He said the entire welding work would be completed by the third quarter of 2023 then it would actually energise the pipeline.

Kyari further said that the gas pipeline was projected to support power plants with a total of 3,645 Mega Watts, adding that it would soon begin constrution of Abuja- Kaduna power plants in ernest.

Earlier, Mr Steve Nnorom, Project Manager, Oilserv Ltd explained that there were three schematic of the pipeline and station installations which included Brovo, Chalie and Alpha spread segment, that showed progress of the project.

He said they were currently doing full auto welding, completed 73 per cent of its mainland welding works and had done 222 kilo metres remaining 27 kilo metres of welding work to complete.

We are crossing rivers, railway, existing pipelines. We have other sites where various work activities are ongoing, our target is that concurrently all works will be going on at different spread, he said

Nnorom, while noting that the project has been active and fully financed said that it has purely 100 per cent Nigerian workers. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Isaac Aregbesola

Source: NAN News

By Mateen Badru

A Non-Governmental Organisation, Triumphant Foundation, on Sunday in Lagos empowered 100 people with new skills and supported them with grants.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the beneficiaries included women, widows and youths, who were trained in tie and dye, making of pastries, soap, air fresheners and cement.

The participants were part of a three-day skills acquisition programme organised by the NGO.

The Founder, Mr Patrick Tinka, commended the turnout of participants and said there was hope for the future of the country, seeing that people were still interested in personal development.

He urged the participants to take advantage of the skills they had acquired as it was a rare opportunity that should be cherished.

In the past, we had embarked on skills acquisition but never had we made it this elaborate by delving into empowerment.

The reason for this is because in the last five to six months, a lot of transformational events occurred in the country.

Events like the Naira redesign, cash crunch and fuel hike, among others, of which widows and orphans were mostly affected.

Who cared for them, who checked up on them, who saw the need to alleviate their sufferings? These are the questions that come to mind.

If they are empowered, if they are given an opportunity to fend for themselves and their immediate families, life would be easier, crimes will reduce tremendously and poverty will be at its barest minimum.

Nigeria is blessed with rich resources and our human capital is one of them, that is why you are here today, he said.

He urged the participants to take the trainings very seriously and remain focused on the goals and the reasons for the training.

Tinka said the training was free but charged the participants to approach it as though it was being paid for.

He advised the participants never to look down on themselves but to only forge ahead as this was the only way they could achieve their goals.

Never think that you are not enough to be self reliant or to be great in life, push and you will win.

I hope and pray that this will be the beginning of greater things to come, he said.

A participant, Mrs Grace Taiwo, a widow, expressed appreciation for having the opportunity to take part in the skills acquisition programme.

She commended the organisers and prayed for continuity to enable other people benefit from the initiative.

Another participant, Onaolapo Oladoja, said it was a special day for him, having been opportuned to participate in the peogramme as a form of enlightenment.

This has enlightened me in some aspects of life and opened the eyes of many youths like me to see that there is need for hard work.

There is also need for creativity and the need to do something great, especially with our talents, to make our country better, he said.

He further commended the organisers for a job well done, adding that he was overwhelmed with the love and hospitality shown by the organisers.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that 10 participants who showed more commitment and passion, were given a token of N10,000 as start-up capital.

Meanwhile, mechanisms were put in place to monitor and ensure that the monetary assistance was channeled to the purpose for which it was given. (NAN)

Edited by Wandoo Sombo/Idris Abdulrahman

Source: NAN News

By Justina Auta

The Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) says it is intensifying antipiracy drive and enforcing stiffer penalties for copyrights infringement and abuse of all literary works in the country.

Dr John Asein, the Director-General, NCC, made this known in a statement on Sunday in Abuja in commemoration of the World Book and Copyright Day, celebrated every April 23.

Asien, while lamenting over the cases of piracy in the country, added that the new Copyright Act 2022, will improve authors rights and address the challenges of digital transmission and online exploitation of works.

To guarantee adequate return on intellectual and financial investment in all creative sectors, the Commission is intensifying its proactive enforcement initiatives as well as enhancing the collective management of rights.

Working with various stakeholders and relevant agencies, the Commission has commenced a series of public education and enlightenment campaigns as a prelude to the full scale national antipiracy drive.

With the stiffer penalties available in the new Act for criminal infractions, the public is therefore advised to desist from all forms of copyright infringements and abuses, he said.

He also called on authors and other stakeholders to join the commission in telling the copyright story and drawing attention to the ills of piracy and other copyright abuses.

He stressed the need to recognise linguistic diversity and the importance of preserving, promoting and encouraging the use of indigenous languages in literature and other creative works in line with 2023 theme, Indigenous Languages!

Together, let us, in our literature, music, performances and movies explore alternative languages and give voice to indigenous communities, he said.

He explained further that with the over 600 indigenous languages in the country, Nigeria has a lot to offer to the world through its indigenous languages and the associated knowledge.

The NCC boss said they had consulted with relevant stakeholders to formulate the needed Regulations and Guidelines for the implementation of the provisions of the Act on the protection of expressions of folklore. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Muhammad Suleiman Tola

Source: NAN News