By Jessica Onyegbula

The Executive Secretary, Nigeria Christian Pilgrims Commission (NCPC), Rev. Yakubu Pam says that pilgrimage is not for sightseeing but a place for prayers.

Pam in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Wednesday said pilgrimage was an opportunity to pray for the country, especially now that it was facing insecurity and economic challenges.

Nigeria needs Gods intervention to surmount all its challenges.

If we need anything, it is Gods intervention. Pilgrimage is not about sightseeing but prayers it is about going to rededicate our lives to God first and then pray for our country.

The spirit behind pilgrimage is also about discovering the things you read about in the Bible and reconnecting with God. The encounter is the most important aspect of it.

This is a critical time. Those going for pilgrimage now are going to pray prayers for our president, our governors, the future of the country, that is the purpose for pilgrimage at this hour, he said.

Pam explained that NCPC had picked Jordan as one of the countries for this years Nigerian Christian pilgrimage.

He said Jordan was a symbol of the church unity going by the baptism of Jesus Christ at the River Jordan.

People will always criticise new things. People are free to express themselves. In doing such, we are able to know that they need to be educated more.

You cannot stop a Catholic from going to Rome or the Pentecostal going to Greece, the same thing with the Methodist.

There are places you can mention that may not be a pilgrimage per say, in terms of going to Jerusalem, when we talk about Jordan, one thing that really unites the church is baptism.

Jesus was baptised there, all Christians do baptism. That is the original side of baptism. So there are many places there that can unite us more. That is where Elijah crossed and God took him alive to heaven.

There is also the history of Jacob and his brother. The choice to go to Jordan is so that all Christians, Catholic, Pentecostal can unite. It is a uniform ground, he added.

The NCPC boss urged those kicking against the choice of Jordan to see it as an opportunity to pray for Nigerias unity, just as baptism unites Christians.

Some people feel that this should not be done. We made a thorough contact and tried to sample opinions within the commission.

This is not just the Executive Secretary doing it. I have a board with stakeholders who are paying the money. In all the states, we do not have up to 10 people that have complained.

We only have one or two states that felt like they would not be able to go because they are not ready for now. The conference of states has agreed that we are all going.

In those days, Jordan and Israel were all one country, there is no difference between them in the days of the Bible.

There are borders and separations now because everybody has its own territorial authority to their own government and kingdom.

These are the things one can explain about this journey, it is a spiritual journey and people should take it by faith. I appreciate those who are able to speak their minds, he said.

He called on Christians to prepare their minds ahead of the pilgrimage in Jordan so that God would answer their prayers about Nigeria. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Rukayat Adeyemi
The Lagos State Government on Wednesday said it had paid over N32 billion to 7,998 retirees of its public service in the past two years.

Mr Babalola Obilana, Director-General, Lagos State Pension Commission (LASPEC) disclosed this during the 85th bond presentation to benefiting retirees in the state.

Obilana said that the state government considered the welfare of pensioners as top priority and was committed to the speedy resolution of all pension issues in the state.

He explained that one of the targets of the present administration was to successfully conclude the payment of accrued pension rights at the end of the governors first term in office.

According to him, this will enable pensioners to receive their entitlements upon retirement from the states public service on a pay as you leave basis.

Obilana noted that in fulfilment to the governments commitment to pensioners welfare, the Retirement Saving Accounts (RSAs) of 326 retirees were credited with over N1 billion for the month of May.

The governor is committed to retirees welfare that is why in spite of all odds, retirees are still on the front burner of his agenda.

It is clear that the financial freedom of the states pensioners is paramount to this administration, he said .

Obilana advised the retirees to choose the right option for their pension needs between annuity and programmed withdrawal.

He urged the elder statesmen not to follow the decision of others but ensure that they select choices that best suit them.

Mrs Felicia Ojo who spoke on behalf of the retirees, thanked Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the management and staff of LASPEC for their unflinching support for pensioners in the state. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Emmanuella Anokam
The National Boundary Commission (NBC) says that the Umuleri-Aguleri boundary dispute is an internal boundary problem in Anambara State that should be handled by the State Boundary Committee.

The Director-General of the commission, Mr Adamu Adaji, at the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) forum, in Abuja noted that inter-local government boundary cases within the state were being handled by its boundary committee.

Adaji said that the national boundary commission would only intervene in inter-local government disputes resolution if its attention was needed or on invitation to partner with the state.

The director-general, while reacting to the age-long boundary dispute between the two communities emphasised that the commission was invited on the case few years ago by the previous administration which it partnered with to resolve it.

We made our views known, and it was left for the government to implement what was agreed upon.

Whether the government implemented the agreements, suggestions and recommendations is what we cannot say because it is a different administration.

But the present administration has not had cause to request our interventions in that case but we have had cause to intervene on that case previously, he noted.

He said that for the case to resurface, it showed that it was not perhaps conclusively resolved by the previous administration with whom it partnered to resolve it.

But now that it has resurfaced we have not had any request for intervention by the state government until we are called upon.

If we are called upon we will gladly partner with them to offer solutions and recommendations as expected.

When they need our interventions, the state government will notify us and we will partner with the state to get it resolved it, he said.

Adaji recalled that the commission has had cases where states had intervened in some inter-local government boundary cases and one side would petition the national boundary commission to disagree with the states resolution.

He further stated that, it would only give the state that first opportunity of intervening on such cases but if a community disagreed, they could write the national boundary commission.

We will request for the action taken and engage the community immediately to see how far. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

S/East
By Ifeanyi Nwoko
A South East group, Ndigbo Youth Parliament, has condemned the spate of insecurity, killing of innocent citizens as well as attacks of government infrastructure in the South East.

A statement issued in Abuja on Wednesday by Mr Rikki Nwajiofor, Speaker of the group, also condemned the gruesome killing of a former Presidential Aide, Ahmed Gulak, by yet to be identified gunmen.

With particular reference to Imo state, the group expressed sadness and called on all in the region to embrace peace.

Ndigbo Youth Parliament has continued to sue for peace across the nation, especially in the Southeast.

We highly condemn the gruesome murder of Ahmed Gulak in Owerri. In the same vein, we extremely frown at the murder of innocent citizens, who met their untimely death in the hands of unknown gunmen, as they went about their daily hustles.

The grisly killing of security personnel, who were exterminated while serving our beloved Nation, is quite heinous and atrocious.

These are atrocities that should be condemned by every patriotic well-meaning Igbo person, the group said.

The NYP stressed that the menaces of unknown gunmen were gradually turning the Southeast to a war zone, especially Imo state where people now live in fear.

We cannot afford to watch our enamoured Southeast, traditionally known for peace and tranquility, turned to a crisis-ridden zone.

We, therefore, call on all the security agencies, all patriotic Igbo personalities and all well-meaning Nigerians to join hands with Ndigbo Youth Parliament as we organize the Ndigbo Youth Security Summit.

The summit is geared towards finding lasting solutions to the insecurity that has bedeviled our cherished Southeast.

Our Youths need to be called to a roundtable for heart-to-heart discussions; a roundtable where grievances will be placated and solutions for peace proffered.

We believe that Ndigbo Youth are lovers of peace and, if given sufficient sense of belonging, will collaborate with security agencies in fishing out the enemies of our land, the group said.

It called on the people of Southeast, especially the Youths, to remain law abiding and avoid associating with any unlawful group.(NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Lizzy Okoji

Four staffers of the ECOWAS Parliament have emerged first beneficiaries of the maiden Speakers Award for outstanding contribution to community goals launched by Hon. Sidie Mohammed Tunis.

The four staffers include Secretary-General John Azuma; Acting Head of the Library Department, Chinwe Adelekan: Acting Head, Language Department, Rukka Ajanna; and the Acting Head of Conference Department, Fatima Diop.

Dr Tunis said during the presentation of the awards at the ongoing First Ordinary Session of Parliament 2021 in Abuja, that the reward was in recognition of deserving members of staff who had served through various legislatures in their respective capacities.

We will start the recognition of staff members whom I believe are doing really well to promote this parliament.

For this particular session, there are staff members who went out of their way to make sure that we are able to meet in Abuja, he said.

The speaker also noted that going forward, serving members of parliament and former members who had finished serving their terms at the community parliament would also be honored with the Speakers Award.

The award was presented by the speaker in the presence of the President of the Commission, Jean-Claude Brou.(NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Ikenna Osuoha

Mr Fred Kafeero, the Country Representative of Food and Agriculture (FAO), says Africas milk consumption is lower than 40 litres per person yearly.

Kafeero said this while delivering a keynote address at an event on Tuesday in Abuja to commemorate the World Milk Day (WMD).

The WMD with the theme: Sustainability in the dairy sector, was organised by the Commercial Dairy Ranchers Association of Nigeria.

The World Milk Day is observed every year on June 1 to recognise the importance of milk as a global food.

He said lower consumption of milk could result to stunted growth of children under five and malnutrition in women.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends milk consumption of 210 litres per person per annum but Africas average is lower than 40 litres per person.

Nigeria varies significantly especially with the North where over 90 per cent of the cattle are kept, and where they have about eight litres per person in a year, according to the World Population Review, he said.

The FAO representative who described milk as a natural source of proteins, said it was necessary for building human bodies.

According to him, milk has important minerals as calcium, magnesium and phosphorus that play important roles in maintaining strong bones and teeth as well as rich in B2, B12 and B5.

Kafeero said the FAO was determined to collaborate with the International Atomic Energy in supporting national scientists in some countries to optimise livestock reproduction and breeding practices. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Justina Auta

An NGO, Initiative for Peace and Womens Right in Africa (IPWR) has sought for increased participation of girls in ICT to promote career opportunities in the world fastest growing economy and increase gender equality.

The Founder, IPWR, Mrs Edidiong Idang, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Tuesday that encouraging young girls to delve into science-oriented courses would promote Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education in line with global practices.

According to her, the organisation recently had a one-day capacity building programme for young girls between the ages of 10 and 15, tagged ICT 101 for youngsters to equip and mentor them with relevant skills to enable them perform well in the technology industry.

She stressed the need for the government and other relevant authorities to ensure that teachers were well trained and equipped to impact knowledge, counsel and guide young girls on choice of subjects and career.

Idang said that ICT knowledge would help students in their school projects, noting that the world has gone global and digital with everything which used to be done manually now goes on in the digital space girls must not be left to lag behind.

Things have moved from analog to digital and the more we expose our young girls who are often times seen as people who dont have flares, or the fact that the ICT world is male dominated but we want girls to know more because there is no limit of education a girl child should have, she said.

The founder also emphasised on the need to dismiss the notion that science courses were tough for females, hence should encourage more girls to participate in it.

We want the girls to pick interest so that when they go back to school they will not shy away from subjects such as physics, chemistry, mathematics which involves calculation because ICT will teach the kids easier ways to solve things, she added.

Idang, who is a trained self-discovery coach with specialty in young people especially women and girls, said the programme also provided a platform for young girls to discover their personality type and build a vision of their future using simple coaching techniques.

She emphasised the need for every young girl to have access to coaching programmes, saying while education builds on knowledge, coaching builds on self as it allows the individual to assess him/herself, understand their personality and transform their lives above all odds.

As a self discovery coach I have decided to use my skills to help the girls discover themselves and help the young girls build their vision, she added.

She, therefore, reiterated the commitment of the organisation towards promoting women in politics and empowerment, girl child education and mentoring girls. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Edith Ike-Eboh

The Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and non-OPEC Ministerial Meeting has reaffirmed its commitment to a stable global market in the mutual interest of producing countries

The meeting gave the assurance at the end of its virtual 17th OPEC and non-OPEC Ministerial Meeting on Tuesday.

In view of current oil market fundamentals and the consensus on its outlook, the meeting reaffirmed the existing commitment of the participating countries in the Declaration of Cooperation (DoC) to a stable market in the mutual interest of producing nations.

Also, the efficient, economic and secure supply to consumers; and a fair return on invested capital.

Reconfirmed the existing commitment of the 10th OPEC and non-OPEC Ministerial Meeting in April 2020, amended in June, September, and December 2020, as well as in January and April 2021 to gradually return 2 million barrels a day (mb/d) of the adjustments to the market, with the pace being determined according to market conditions, it said .

It will be recalled that Brent oil advanced above 70 dollars a barrel after the OPEC alliance forecast a tightening global market ahead its meeting

The meeting reiterated the critical importance of adhering to full conformity, and taking advantage of the extension of the compensation period until the end of September 2021asrequested by some underperforming countries.

It added that compensation plans should be submitted in accordance with the statement of the 15th OPEC and non-OPEC Ministerial Meeting.

The meeting further reconfirmed the decision made at the 15th OPEC and non-OPEC Ministerial Meeting with regards to production adjustments for the month of July 2021, given the observed market fundamentals.

It also emphasised the need to continue to consult and closely monitor market fundamentals.

According to it, to also maintain the monthly OPEC and non-OPEC Ministerial Meetings until the end of the decision made at the 10th OPEC and non-OPEC Ministerial Meeting on April, 12, 2020.

It noted the ongoing strengthening of market fundamentals, with oil demand showing clear signs of improvement and OECD stocks falling as the economic recovery continued in most parts of the world as vaccination programmesaccelerated.

The meeting welcomed the positive performance of participating countries in DoC overall conformity to the production adjustments.

The 18th OPEC and non-OPEC Ministerial Meeting is scheduled for July 1, 2021. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Ruth Oketunde

The newly appointed Director-General, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Mr Ahmed Habib, has pledged to strive to create frontiers that would make the management of emergencies in Nigeria easier and effective.

Habib made the pledge in a statement by his Media Aide, Mr Gimba Mohammed, in Abuja on Tuesday.

The new director-general is highly appreciative of President Muhammadu Buhari for finding him worthy of the appointment.

I will maintain the commendable work my predecessor has been doing and also strive to create frontiers that will make the management of emergencies in Nigeria easier and effective, he said.

News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that President Muhammadu Buhari had on May 31, approved the appointment of Habib as the new Director-General of NEMA.

Habib, a Business Administration graduate from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, took over from retired AVM Muhammadu Muhammed, who has assumed a new responsibility as the Chairman of the newly-established National Senior Citizens Centre.

Muhammed only served for one year, having been appointed on April 30, 2020.

Habib is expected to serve for an initial period of four years. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Mateen Badru

The Police Command in Lagos said it had rearrested one Oyemachi Maduabuchi who escaped from the Owerri Correctional Centre in Imo.

According to a statement signed by the Police Spokesperson in Lagos, CSP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, Maduabuchi, who escaped after a jail break on April 5, was re-arrested on April 23, in Lagos.

Adejobi said Maduabuchi fled Owerri same day and moved to his village, Fegge in Onitsha, Anambra, to meet his mother who later linked him up with his elder sister, Amarachi of Customs Bus Stop Ijegun Lagos.

He said that the said sister later invited him to Lagos on April 19.

The suspect was kept in the sisters house where she used to lead him to church for special deliverance service.

In the process, after the night vigil on April 20, at Bride Assembly Church, Ijesha Area of Lagos State, the suspect allegedly stole the Subscriber Identification Module (SIM) and the memory cards of a member of the church.

He was eventually arrested and the stolen items recovered from him.

In the course of police investigation, it was revealed that the suspect has been standing trial since 2009 for Conspiracy, Armed Robbery and Arson before Justice Nna Amadi of Mgbidi High Court 1, in Imo, he said.

The PPRO said Maduabuchi had confessed to the crime while Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Hakeem Odumosu had directed that he be handed over to the Nigerian Correctional Service for further investigation and necessary action.

The Commissioner of Police, therefore, assured the general public that the command will not relent on its efforts in making the state safe and peaceful for all and sundry to live in, Adejobi added.

He said that the Commissioner wished that as all hands were on deck to effectively police Lagos State. (NAN)

Source: NAN News