Members of the Alia Alliance Women Wing in Abuja

By Bridget Ikyado

The Women Wing of the Alia Alliance, World Wide, a foremost support group for the Benue Governor-elect, Rev. Fr Hyacinth Alia, has drummed support for partnership for sustainable development of the state.

The group, led by Grace Iorlaha, made the decision at a meeting of the group in Abuja.

They promised to support the incoming APC administration in Benue, to boost the growth and development of the state.

The leader said the group intended to partner with the state government in creating, executing and promoting government plans and projects via the media.

It will also support programmes, especially those focused on women, youth empowerment, health and gender as well as suggest ways to curb maternal mortality .

Iorlaha said those were very critical projects that would enhance the development as a state and the nation at large.

We are setting a target specifically for ourselves, because women constitute a larger number of the society and contribute a whole lot to the society.

As far as we are concerned, whatever we can do to promote the women, children and youth in the society would have a positive effect to the society and state at large.

Empowering the youth will help curb juvenile delinquency and other ills in the society, just as insecurity will be minimised.

These will give us quick wins. Thats our goal and vision. Thats what we set out to achieve and we know we can do it together, she said.

The women, however, appealed to the incoming administration to consider a handful of women for appointments, especially from the group as they were capable and willing to work and bring the desired change and development the state needed.

The group felicitated with the governor-elect for appointing two women from the group, Bridget Ikyado (Venue Committee) and Susan Abu (Refreshment, Feeding, Protocol Committee) as members of the Sub Committees of the Governor-elects inauguration ceremony.

In a welcome Remark, the Alia Alliance Secretary General, Mr. Kelvin Dzeremo, thanked the leader for convening the meeting.

He commended all those present and urged everyone to keep the Alia Alliances guiding principle of all for one and one for all in mind.

He appealed for robust support from the women which would further enhance the states development.

He encouraged the women to sustain the impressive show he witnessed, even as he promised that great things awaited them as they tried to take Benue to greater heights.

Various contributions for the states development were made by the women who were present at the meeting.(NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Idris Abdulrahman

Source: NAN News

By Jacinta Nwachukwu

Mrs Grace Yussuf, a Deputy Editor in Chief with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), has shared her experiences in the profession to encourage younger female journalists finding it difficult to cope.

Yussuf shared the experiences in her book titled The Journalist, The Woman and Her Faith which was launched on Tuesday in Abuja.

She explained that the decision to write the book came out of her desire to document her experiences as a female journalist and a practicing Christian.

I believe that it will not only be a good reading for many but will also go a long way to encouraging younger female journalists, who may be finding difficulty to cope especially if they had to hold on to their faith and values.

It is my intention too, that this book will serve as a story of resilience, hard work, moral rectitude, a journey of faith and adherence to Christian virtues even in the practice of an utterly socially-relevant profession as journalism.

I say this because there is this general belief that journalists are unserious and frivolous. This puts women in a precarious position as it makes them more vulnerable than their male counterparts, she said.

Mr Joe Bankole, a Media Consultant, while reviewing the book, said that Yussuf having spent her life as a working journalist from 1992 to 2023 shared her 31 years of tutelage, frustrations, disappointments, sweet memories and all-round victory.

According to Bankole, the combination of the above-listed situations made her a success in the course of this interesting journey something to savour.

Journalism is not a profession I deliberately went into, however, I found myself in it after a few years in the private sector and I grew to learn, embrace and love it. I can safely say it paid off .

That was a quote from the introduction to the book. That sums up her incursion into the profession and the conclusion of her experience, he explained.

He, therefore, recommended the book to all lovers of a disciplined life and one dedicated to the praise of God Almighty.

On her part, Prof. Joy Ezeilo, the Executive Director, Women Aid Collective (WACOL) said that Yussuf balanced her role as a mother and journalist.

I recall her contributions not only in the economic industry but also in female and gender in Nigeria. I enjoin all of us to support this wonderful woman, who has made herself outstanding.

And as the topic suggests The Journalist, The Woman and Her Faith when I picked up her book; I saw a woman, who, regardless of stereotype in the industry, she was able to balance the role of a mother and her vocation as a journalist, she said.

Ezeilo, was represented by Mrs Ijeoma Ezeude, Head, Department of Legal Unit, WACOL.

Similarly, Mr Femi Adeshina, Special Assistant to the President on Media commended the author for the initiative.

This book is the odyssey of a courageous woman, who came out victorious after navigating the world of journalism in Nigeria and beyond after 31 years, he said.

Adeshina was represented by Ms Patience Tilleygyado, Assistant Director, Information, State House, Abuja.

Mrs Grace Yussuf is a Nigerian female journalist with a career at the News Agency of Nigeria.

She is a committed Christian, widely travelled, happily married with children. (NAN)(www.nanews.ng)

Edited by Maureen Atuonwu

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Source: NAN News

Mr Umar Yakubu, Executive Director, CeFTIW

By Emmanuel Afonne

Mr Umar Yakubu, the Executive-Director, Centre for Fiscal Transparency and Integrity Watch (CeFTiW), has called on Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to raise the bar in the fight against corruption to save the economy from collapse.

Yakubu made the call in Abuja on Thursday at a workshop/presentation of the Transparency and Integrity Index methodology handbook on anti-corruption.

He said the handbook was expected to promote transparency, develop strong preventive mechanisms against corruption.

Yakubu added that the handbook would assist public institutions to improve their performance across the various indicators used for ensuring compliance to public regulations.

The Transparency and Integrity Index (TII) methodology, therefore, employs a six parameter indices to benchmark the performances of MDAs toward good governance in certain critical areas.

They are website integrity, fiscal transparency, open procurement and contracting, budget implementation, inclusion and citizens engagement, as well as human resources, he said.

Yakubu noted that the purpose of the programme was to draw the attention of government at federal, state and local level, of the criteria set out to promote transparency in governance across five major thematic areas.

When we started in 2021, the highest score was 32. 9 out of 100 marks but in 2022, the Development Bank of Nigeria scored 52, so if you can get 20 percentage increase within one year, I think it is a good development.

But, a lot of other agencies are not doing so well but with this kind of engagement, we expect them to improve.

What we assess is the availability of the information on the website, and we are collaborating with other CSOs on anti corruption to ensure that the information being put out is actually true.

The impact of this workshop on the economy is the prevention of corruption, because we have enough institution combating corruption and we can prevent it before it happens which is a lot cheaper.

Prosecuting corruption is not cheap and most of the time, it is difficult to get the assess to recovery, so the whole message is about prevention of corruption which cascades into good governance, Yakubu said.

Mr Dasuki Arabi, the Director-General of the Bureau of Public Service Reform (BPSR), in his assessment of MDAs said that they would continue to work with CeFTiW to deepen transparency and accountability across public institution.

Arabi said the workshop was aimed at acquainting participants with the requirements necessary for them to discharge their duties creditably, as well as ensure the principles of accountability and transparency in their respective organisations.

The Bureau drew her inspiration to partner with the CeFTIW on the Transparency and Integrity Index (TII), based on her strategic role as a driver of Public Service Reforms across MDAs.

Public Financial Management of the National Strategy for Public Service Reforms seeks to achieve strategic, efficient and effective mobilisation, allocation and use of public resources as well as ensure fiscal discipline, transparency, integrity and accountability through timely reporting.

This position is also reinforced by the BPSR role as a member of various Inter Ministerial Anti-Corruption Agencies, and the underlying objective of driving public engagement in line with its statutory role in the implementation of this objective.

It is also informed in the quest to put in place machineries and institutional arrangements aimed at providing a common vision and long-term agenda to position the country among major player in the global economy in year 2050

This workshop/presentation of Transparency and Integrity Methodology Index Handbook is coming at the backdrop that during the 2022 Transparency and Integrity Index, it was evident that most Public Institutions were yet to be versatile with the parameters used for ranking.

This is owing to low level of awareness and compliance levels in the parameters used for ranking amongst MDAs, Arabi said.

Amb. Angela Nworgu, BoT Chairman, CeFTiW, said that transparency must be embraced as an essential principle of good governance.

Nworgu noted that transparency was an important tool with which citizens use to hold government accountable, promote trust in government, and foster a thriving ground for integrity.

The TII serves as a powerful tool to promote transparency, monitor public sector expenditure, and strengthen the integrity mechanisms of public institutions.

And through this assessment, we hope to make a long-lasting impact in fostering a culture of openness and accountability within the public sector, Nworgu said. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Chinyere Joel-Nwokeoma

Source: NAN News

By Ruth Oketunde

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has dispatched assorted food items to the Nigerian Embassy in Sudan to cater for stranded Nigerians waiting to be evacuated to Nigeria from Sudan.

This is contained in a statement signed by the spokesperson of the agency, Mr Manzo Ezikiel on Thursday in Abuja.

Mustapha Ahmed, the Director-General of the agency, explained that the food items are meant to cater for the Nigerian citizens who are awaiting evacuation.

The items consist of 100 bags of rice, 50 bags of beans, 10 cartons of seasoning, 50 cartons of spaghetti and 5 bags of iodized salt.

He said that the items had since been transported to Port Sudan via a TARCO aircraft which brought 123 stranded Nigerians to Abuja at about 12:25 p.m.

This brings a total number of 2,246 stranded Nigerians evacuated to the country from the war-ravaged country.

According to him the evacuation exercise is still in progress as efforts are being made to engage more Nigerian airlines to strengthen the process of transporting more Nigerians willing to come back home. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Auwalu Birnin Kudu/Kayode Olaitan

Source: NAN News

L-R: President, MAN, Otunba Francis Meshioye, Prof. Aliyu Jauro, DG, NESREA, Dr Eugene Itua, CEO, Natural Eco Capital and MAN DG, Dr Segun Ajayi-Kadir

By Rukayat Moisemhe

The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) has expressed readiness to support green manufacturing to ameliorate the negative impacts of their production activities on the environment.

Otunba Francis Meshioye, President, MAN, said this at the maiden edition of MAN Strategic Dialogue Session on Environment and Green Manufacturing in partnership with Natural Eco Capital on Thursday in Lagos.

Meshioye, describing green manufacturing as the current global phenomenon said MAN was committed to guiding its members to make significant progress in this regard.

To achieve this, he said, that the association in January created the Environment and Green Manufacturing Unit with the responsibility of stirring awareness among MAN members on climate change issues and Environmental Management System.

He said the unit in providing members with strategies and necessary information needed to drive environmental sustainability was set to collaborate with relevant institutions and international agencies in achieving its mandates.

This novel unit amongst other things would guide and encourage seamless transition of members manufacturing processes through the assistance of relevant agencies and organisations to an eco-friendlier production environment.

This can be achieved through the utilisation of leading technologies and practices on the environment and create mechanisms for sustainable development.

It will be supporting and facilitating the adaptation of clean and renewable energy by manufacturers while encouraging them to build and develop capacity in environment and green manufacturing, he said.

In his keynote address, the Director-General, National Environmental Standards Regulations and Enforcement Agency, Prof. Aliyu Jauro, noted that air quality had become a major concern in many parts of the world.

This, Jauro said, led to the need for growing awareness to address air pollution and its impact on public health and the environment.

He said that Nigeria, like many other countries, was already experiencing the impacts of climate change such as increasing temperatures, changing rainfall patterns, and more frequent and severe extreme weather events (floods and droughts).

Jauro, however, said that Nigeria had since taken steps to implement climate mitigation and adaptation measures, including the development of renewable energy sources and sustainable land-use practices.

Since the ratification of the Paris Agreement, Nigeria has been very forthcoming in turning ambitions into implementable policies and aligning its environmental regulatory regime with the goals of the Paris Agreement.

There is the need to prioritise the implementation and enforcement of environmental regulations, as well as the development of policies and incentives to promote a low-carbon economy.

Industries switching to cleaner technologies and transitioning to low-emission development are indispensable for achieving sustainable economic growth through pathways that yield reduced greenhouse gas emissions and other social, economic, and environmental benefits, he said.

Dr Eugene Itua, the Chief Executive Officer, Natural Eco Capital, said that the adoption of sustainable manufacturing was with enormous benefits and could engender competitiveness and a more resilient economy.

Itua noted that there was a spectrum of efforts to be made toward sustainable manufacturing such as the use of renewable materials, modification of production processes, and use of reusable, biodegradable products.

Industries must change their manufacturing process to minimise waste, conserve raw materials, and capture and reuse waste materials.

We must also utilise new technologies involves incorporating more environmentally responsible technologies and equipment into your production process, he said. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Chinyere Joel-Nwokeoma

Source: NAN News

Aregbesola

By Ibironke Ariyo

The Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola says state governments will now be feeding and accommodating inmates in their states.

He said this followed the recent consultational amendment which placed Correctional Services on the concurrent list.

Aregbesola gave the insight while speaking at a two-day High-Level Conference on Decongestion and Corrections Management, on Thursday in Abuja.

This simply means that states are now empowered to establish their own Correctional Services and facilities.

States which do not have correctional facilities would have to pay the Federal Government for the feeding and accommodation of their inmates, the minister said.

According to him, this is a huge relief to the Federal Government which used to shoulder the burden of accommodating and feeding inmates.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that in 2023, the Federal Government had earmarked N22.44 billion to feed inmates across 244 correctional facilities in the country.

The minister lamented that the huge amount was draining the coppers of the Federal Government.

These facilities are being run by the Federal Government. It should be noted that the criminal justice system of Nigeria makes provision for state and federal offences.

However, until the amendment of the Constitution, only the Federal Government was in charge of custodial centres.

With the amendment of the Constitution, states are now empowered to build correctional centres and facilities to house offenders who are convicted and sentenced for committing state offences.

Where states are unable to build custodial centres, it is believed that they can suggest ways to collaborate with the Federal Government in feeding and housing these state offenders, he added.

Aregbesola said that the conference had brought to the fore, applicable laws to aid the reform of correctional services, including custodial and non-custodial measures .

He said that Section 12 (4-12) of the NCoS Act, gave the Service the powers to reject inmates when custodial centres are full.

By the provision of the Act, the Controller-General, NCoS, is mandated to inform the head of the judiciary of when the custodial centres have exceeded their capacity.

This is necessary, so that more offenders are not sent to the centres to serve their sentence. Where his information is not heeded, he is mandated to reject new inmates.

It is hoped that the above measure will curb the dumping tendencies leading to overcrowding of the custodial centres.

This will be by encouraging the payment of fines for simple offences, non-custodial sentencing and also building and construction of new correctional facilities, the minister said.

The Controller General, Nigeria Correctional Service (NCoS), Haliru Nababa said that the sad cases of jail breaks had claimed the lives of of officers and inmates, and escape of prisoners.

Nababa said that the trend, posed a grave threat to the sovereignty and prosperity of the country.

However, we are not resting on our oars to ensure that we stem the tide.

We have stepped-up security in and around our Custodial Centres by fortification of access controls.

We have increased the capacity of our Armed Squad Personnel through specialized training and deployment of high caliber weapons.

We have up scaled our use of technology for security, with the improvement of the Correctional Information Management System for inmates biometric capturing to cover more formations.

In like manner, a Situation Room has been established at the National Headquarters to enable real-time monitoring of Custodial Centres in phases.

Similarly, we have continued to improve collaboration with sister security agencies at strategic, tactical and operational levels, Nababa said. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Ifeyinwa Okonkwo/Maharazu Ahmed

Source: NAN News

National Directorate of Employment (NDE) logo

By Ifeoma Aka

The National Directorate of Employment (NDE) has embarked on registration of all unemployed people in Nigeria with a view to engaging them in productive ventures.

The Enugu State Coordinator of the agency, Mrs Ifeoma Ezekwe, made the disclosure in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), on Friday in Enugu.

Ezekwe said that the exercise was being held across the 36 states of the federation, including the FCT, Abuja.

She said that the registration was going on simultaneously across the 774 local government areas (LGAs) nationwide, adding that it was for all classes of unemployed; and with or without any educational qualifications.

According to her, the essence of the exercise is to capture all unemployed persons to help the country with proper planning, as well as engage them in profitable ventures with a view to curbing crime and boosting economic development.

The country cannot plan without data, data is very important in planning, and NDE since 1987, had been in the business of reducing the number of unemployed people, making them employers of labour and self-employed.

I was appointed the state coordinator in May 2022, and I am fortunate to serve under the current Director-General of NDE, Malam Nuhu Fikpo, whom I call employment generator.

I call him employment generator because since he came on board, we have never had a minute rest without activities and programmes, Aka said.

Ezekwe explained that NDE had four key programmes which included; vocational skills, small skills enterprises, rural empowerment and special public works.

She said that the state directorate just concluded training of women on bags and shoes making, so that as full time housewives, they could have a vocation and earn some money.

According to the NDE official, when the directorate trains people, they give stipends as transportation fare to enable them go for the trainings.

Aka, who however, said the NDE had faced challenges such as paucity of funds and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)s Naira re-design policy, expressed optimism that the directorate would be able to discharge its mandate.

Ezekwe called on the state government to assist the agency with vehicles that could be used to access the hard to reach LGAs in the state. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Fatima Sule Abdullahi/Nyisom Fiyigon Dore

Source: NAN News

Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) says a total of 2,246 Nigerians have so far been evacuated from Sudan.

Head of Media, Public Relations and Protocols Unit of NiDCOM, Mr Abdur-Rahman Balogun, stated this on Friday in Abuja, while giving updates on the Federal Governments evacuation efforts since May 3.

He said on May 3, 94 evacuees, comprising 78 males and 16 females, boarded NAF C130 plane, while 274 boarded Air Peace plane from Aswan Airport, Egypt.

Balogun said on May 5, 130 Nigerians also boarded Tarco Airline, while on May 6, 131 evacuees boarded the same airline from Port Sudan, with 102 boarding the same airline from Port Sudan on Sunday.

He further said 410 Nigerians boarded Max Air and 322 Azman Air, both flights from Aswan Airport on Sunday.

Balogun said two flights from Tarco Airline evacuated 133 passengers, with seven children and nine infants, and 126 passengers, also with 12 children and 41 infants, from Port Sudan on Monday and Tuesday, respectively.

He further stated that 123 Nigerians boarded Tarco Airline on Wednesday from Port Sudan, while 136 boarded the same airline on Thursday.

He, however, said that the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) was expected to give the details of the 264 passengers aboard Tarco Airline as well as the 128 and 136 evacuees in separate flights.

Meanwhile, the NiDCOM Chairman, Mrs Abike Dabiri-Erewa, received the Vice-Chancellor of Igbinedion University, Okada, Edo, Prof. Lawrence Ezemonye, in her office in Abuja.

Ikechukwu expressed his universitys willingness to absorb some of the students recently evacuated from Sudan and give them concessions in the area of tuition.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that the war that broke out in Sudan had disrupted the academic programmes of many Nigerian students, leading to their evacuation to the country. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Fatima Sule Abdullahi and Wale Sadeeq

Source: NAN News

Managing Director of Guinness Nigeria Plc, John Musunga, presenting Guinness World Records to Gov. Godwin Obaseki of Edo

By Joy Odigie

Guinness Nigeria Plc says it is ready to collaborate with Edo Government for empowerment of women, as well as Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET) in schools.

Its Managing Director, John Musunga, made this known on Thursday in Benin, during a courtesy visit to Gov. Godwin Obaseki.

Musunga said that Guinness team in Benin would work with Edo Government on the partnership arrangement for the empowerment of women into its Plan W womens empowerment programme to create more jobs for Edo people.

You got the right team to address the issue of school TVET, park beautification and logistics. We can craft responses shortly as to what we can do in the medium and long term, he told Obaseki.

He said that doing business in Edo had been fairly stable, commending the Obaseki-led administration for its infrastructure development.

For the last six years, we have seen infrastructure development. You have lit up the streets and movement is much easier.

We did not have disruption in Benin during the election cycle; we were still able to produce and move our goods across the country.

Our business has been fairly stable in Benin and giving us the confidence to continue to invest here, Musunga said.

He also intimated the governor about the companys investment drives as well as corporate social responsibilities in the state.

We have put in about four million pounds and we will be commissioning our new water treatment plant. It will be ready for full commissioning in the next few weeks.

The plant treats about 80 per cent of all our effluent water and it is recycled back to a point where you can drink it.

However, we will only be using it in ancillary functions like cleaning.

We have the Water for Life programme and have given water to communities in Benin in the last 20 years. We are here to stay, the managing director said.

He, however, noted that the issue of forex was a challenge to the companys business investment plan in the country.

In his remarks, Obaseki said his administration was working round the clock to make the state conducive for investors to do business.

As a government, we are encouraging people to come and do business in the state. We are putting a transport hub together; we are building parks to organise transportation better, the governor said.

He said his administration was concerned about skills and capacity building, urging the Guinness Benin factory to adopt Western Boys High School as a TVET centre.

We are emphasising TVET and you have a school opposite your factory which we would like you to adopt.

We would like to build a TVET centre; we will like kids to go there, train kids who will one day work within your factory as senior engineers.

We are trying to make our city beautiful and attractive. We are building more parks and greening the city.

You have a park close to you; we can come up with a design so that you can adopt that space, Obaseki said. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Olagoke Olatoye

Source: NAN News

Rural Electrification Agency (REA) logo

By Constance Athekame

The Rural Electrification Agency (REA) has held its first investor matchmaking for the Solar Power Naija Programme to provide opportunity for potential investors to pitch their financial offerings to developers.

A statement from REA in Abuja on Thursday said the event was organised in collaboration with the Power Africa Nigeria Power Sector Programme (PA-NPSP, USAID).

REA said that the event also provided a networking and matchmaking forum that brought together key investors and high-performing developers pre-evaluated by the Solar Power Naija team in the power sector.

The agency explained that the programme was launched as part of the Economic Sustainability Plan (ESP) to achieve the roll out of five million new solar connections in off grid communities.

This programme is expected to generate an additional N7 billion increase in tax revenues per annum and 10 million dollars in annual import substitution.

The objectives of the programme are to expand energy access to 25 million individuals (five million new connections) through the provision of Solar Home Systems (SHS) or connection to a mini grid.

Increase local content in the off grid solar value chain and facilitate the growth of the local manufacturing and assembly industry and incentivise the creation of 250,000 new jobs in the energy sector, it said.

Speaking at the event, the Managing Director of REA, Mr Salihijo Ahmad, encouraged partnerships to boost energy access in communities.

As the implementing agency for Nigerias off-grid strategy, the REA has been working to support private developers by creating an enabling environment to facilitate investments in various ways, Ahmad stated.

He said that this partnership included access to data, policy support, grants, capacity development, stakeholder management and most importantly financing developers.

The Acting Deputy Missions Director, USAID Nigeria, Mr Stephan Menard, said: I encourage the private developers to take advantage in accessing financing towards improving the lives of Nigerians by delivering sustainable energy access.

On her part, the Head, Solar Power Naija Programme, Barbara Izilien, said that the match making event would build quick partnerships that could lead to new connections.

According to her, the partnership will further count towards the countrys target of electrifying a minimum of five million households, serving a minimum of 25 million Nigerians.

The Solar Power Naija Programme implemented through REA is actively working on catalysing access to financing for developers in the off-grid sector to achieve the programme targets, she said. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Gregg Mmaduakolam/Muhammad Suleiman Tola

Source: NAN News