By Rukayat Adeyemi/Grace Alegba

Mr Anthony Adegbola, Chief Information Officer of telecom company Ntel, on Sunday charged members of the Nigerian Society of Engineers(NSE), to digitise their operations for maximum efficiency.

Adegbola said this in his lecture titled, Building Indigenous Capacity For National Development at the 2nd Edition of Akintunde Zedomi Distinguished Lecture Series in Lagos.

The lecture was part of activities to commemorate the 20th Anniversary of the NSE, Apapa branch, and honour Zedomi who was the inaugural Chairman of the chapter.

He urged engineers to also embrace digital economic principles to develop the nation and maintain their relevance in the future.

According to him, the world is at the peak of change and therefore NSE must look inward and actively invest in Information and Communication Technology (ICT).

He said that ICT provided open standards that allowed engineers to develop their own technology.

A strategic plan for digital transformation across all industries is the solution for building indigenous capacity for national development.

We are in a new normal and must develop a new mindset and new way of thinking, he said.

According to him, disruption was happening presently globally and it was a great big opportunity for Nigeria to key into.

Adegbola said that the emergence of the fourth industrial revolution and the digital economy have given an opportunity for engineers to take a leap.

Old business models are changing and Nigeria can take an advantage of new platform of business models to collaboratively grow into new fields and create development.

The Ntel spokesman urged NSE members to share ideas within themselves, develop a culture of sharing knowledge and let the next generation build on their ideas, history and lessons.

Get up engineers and serve the people because the world is going to become a digital economy, you need to digitise to be efficient.

You must digitalise or else, you will not exist in the next couple of years because disruption is taking place to make many irrelevant, he said.

In her remark, Mr Abiola Kosegbe, Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development, lauded the NSE Apapa branch for its exceptional contribution to the growth of the sector.

Kosegbe hailed Zedomi for being a pace setter for the younger engineers and urged all the chapters of NSE to continue the good work they are doing.

She said that the Lagos State Government was already working out modalities to collaborate with engineers in different areas and charged NSE to step up and key into what the state was doing.

According to her, the government would roll out the programmes for the engineers in few months and will continue to support the Society.

NSE must also collaborate with the state government to fight out quacks in the sector to maintain standard in the industry, she said.

In his address, the President of NSE, Mr Babagana Mohammed, said the topic of the lecture was to re-emphasise the major essence of the existence of NSE.

He said that part of the existence of NSE was to provide professional and holistic solutions to national development.

Mohammed, represented by Mr Olatunde Jaiyesinmi, Former Chairman, NSE Lagos branch, described Zedomi as a consummate engineering professional who has made tremendous contribution to the growth of NSE at various level of service.

He noted that Zedomi, a worthy and distinguished fellow of the society and fellow of many other Institutes, truly deserves the honour.

Zedomi did enormous and invaluable background work to ensure birth of NSE Apapa branch, 20 years ago.

He became the inaugural chairman and continued to render illustrious and selfless service to make certain that the branch became firmly rooted.

He had continued to make very valuable contributions to the development of engineering in Nigeria by mentoring younger engineers and delivering qualitative and ethical services as a consultant, he said.

In his goodwill message , Mr Ali Alimasuya, President, COREN, advised NSE to take engineering education to the grassroots and catch them young.

Alimasuya, represented by Mrs Margaret Aina -Oguntala, congratulated the NSE Apapa branch on its anniversary, for organising the lecture to celebrate Zedomi and maintaining a good position in the committee of societies.

In his welcome address, Mr Christian Ufot, Chairman, NSE, Apapa branch, commended Zedomi for guiding the chapter passionately and sharing his wealth of experience with colleagues and younger engineers.

Ufot said the topic of the lecture was chosen to reawake the consciousness of engineers on their mandate to develop the society.

He disclosed that the branch would continue to offer its over 700 members training and workshop to improve their capacity.

Speaking, Zedomi appreciated the NSE Apapa branch for recognising his contribution, celebrating him while still alive and building on the legacy he founded.

He urged engineers to develop a culture of sharing ideas and giving back to encourage the younger generation.

The iconic engineer also emphasised the need for engineers to digitise and provide solutions to the various problems in the society, as that was the mission and mandate of the profession.

Source: NAN News

Australian authorities are planning to evacuate thousands more people on Monday from flood-affected suburbs in Sydneys west.

The country is set for its worst flooding in 60 years with drenching rain expected to continue for the next few days.

Unrelenting rains over the past three days swelled rivers in Australias most populous state of New South Wales (NSW), causing widespread damage and triggering calls for mass evacuations.

According to the NSW state Premier, Gladys Berejiklian, we need to brace ourselves, it will be a very difficult week.

Torrential rain which has submerged large swathes of NSW is in stark contrast to the weather conditions in the same regions a year ago, when authorities were battling drought and catastrophic bushfires.

I dont know any time in a state history where we have had these extreme weather conditions in such quick succession in the middle of a pandemic.

Sydney on Sunday recorded the wettest day of the year with almost 111 mm (4.4 inches) of rain.

Some regions in NSWs north coast received nearly 900 mm of rain in the last six days, more than three times the March average, government data showed.

The Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) official, Jane Golding, said around 18,000 people have been evacuated from low lying areas of the state.

Large parts of the countrys east coast will get hit by more heavy rains from Monday due to the combination of a tropical low over northern Western Australia and a coastal trough off NSW.

We expect this heavy rain to fall on areas that havent seen as much rain over the last few days, we expect the flood risk to develop in those areas as well, Golding told reporters.

Some places in Sydneys western regions have seen the worst flooding since 1961, authorities said, as they expect the wild weather to continue until Wednesday.

A severe flood warning has been issued for large parts of NSW as well as neighbouring Queensland.

Source: NAN News

The number of people in the United Kingdom (UK) experiencing loneliness during the Coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) has more than doubled since March 2020 in spite of an overall reduction in anxiety levels, a new study has revealed.

A survey conducted by the Mental Health Foundation also revealed that fewer adults felt they were coping well with the stress of the ongoing pandemic compared to last year.

Out of 4,251 adults surveyed in February 2021, over a quarter (26 per cent) said they now felt lonely, up from 10 per cent last March.

Younger people were also more likely to feel alone, with 48 per cent of those surveyed in February reporting feeling alone.

The foundation said that feelings of loneliness had not returned to their pre-lockdown levels at any point over the past year even when most restrictions were lifted over the summer.

Around two-thirds (64 per cent) of those surveyed thought they were coping well with the pandemic, down from 73 per cent in last year.

Those experiencing suicidal thoughts had also risen year on year from 8 per cent to 13 per cent.

But overall anxiety about the pandemic has fallen among adults, from 62 per cent of those surveyed in March 2020 to 42 per cent in February 2021.

Dr Antonis Kousoulis, director for England and Wales at the Mental Health Foundation, said it was important for people to remember that the pandemic had affected individuals in different ways.

What we see (from the study) is a complex picture.

On some measures, UK adults are feeling better than in March 2020 but on others, we are feeling no better or worse.

Fewer of us are feeling anxious about the pandemic but more of us now feel lonely and ground down by the stress of the past year.

It is absolutely important to remember that the experience of the past year has not been shared by everyone.

We have all been in the same storm, but we have not all been in the same boat.

However, for many of us, the next few months, and even years, will remain tough, vulnerable, and uncertain, he said.

The survey said young adults, aged 18 to 24 years old, full-time students, and unemployed people were also significantly more likely to be feeling distressed, across a range of measures, compared with UK adults generally.

One of our key aims when we launched the Study a year ago, was to identify what was happening across the UK population and whether some groups were particularly seriously affected.

This was designed to help us as a charity, and policy-makers, to target support at some of the most vulnerable people.

We can now see clearly that among the most seriously affected people are young adults, people who are unemployed and full-time students.

In these groups, painful experiences including loneliness, hopelessness, and feeling suicidal are much more common.

This is especially troubling, at a time when unemployment is set to rise.

Policymakers must target support at these more vulnerable groups, to help prevent them reaching crisis point, Kousoulis added.

Source: NAN News

By Ifeanyi Olannye

Gov. Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta on Saturday called for unity and political cohesion among Anioma people in the state as honour to the late Senator Nosike Ikpo.

He stated this at the funeral of the late Ikpo, who died at age 92, in his Ibusa community in Oshimili North Local Government Area of Delta.

He said that the late sage, a political father of all Anioma people, sowed the seed of emancipation of the people and was firmly committed to promoting peace and political advancement of the people.

The governor said that the former senator made remarkable contributions to the development of Delta North, adding that he also played notable role in stabilising the polity in the defunct Midwest Region and Bendel State.

According to Okowa, Ikpo was a lover of Anioma people and a strong voice that made the people realised that they could struggle among the committee of communities and ethnic nationalities to become what they can be.

He added that the late nonagenarian was a formidable voice on the necessity for people of Delta North to come together, saying; today, we are glad that people are beginning to realise that we have to stay together.

While saying that Nosike Ikpos love for the people of Anioma was unquantifiable, the governor called on Delta North people and the people of Delta as a whole to emulate his virtues of peace-building and selfless service to humanity.

Nosike Ikpo was a man full of wisdom. Even when he didnt have the opportunity of a formal education at the beginning of his life, he struggled through life and was able to help himself by Gods grace, and rose to the pinnacle of a legislative career.

Starting from the grassroots as a councillor and ending up in the Senate is no mean feat.

It is a huge achievement made possible by God obviously because the man was resilient and committed to that which he believed in.

We must forever remember him because if people like him did not start that foundation, I am wondering what some of us would have been able to build on.

He was a formidable voice on the necessity for our people to come together. Today, we are glad that people are beginning to realise that we have to stay together.

He was a man that built bridges. As people of Anioma, as people of Delta North, we must realise that the more we stay together, the better for us so that the foundations that some of these our forefathers made for us, we do not use our own hands to destroy them.

We need to continue to speak about him. He was a strong voice; even in death, he still remains a strong voice.

He (Ikpo) was a man we need to emulate and these are the kind of men that can enable us to build a stronger community for ourselves, the governor said.

Earlier, one of the children of the late nonagenarian, Mrs Obiageli Nnamani, while welcoming the governor to the ceremony, thanked him for identifying with the family in its moment of grief.

Nnamani said that she and her siblings were greatly humbled by the governors show of love towards the Nosike Ikpo family before and during the period of their grief.

In their separate remarks, Hon. Pat Ajudua and Chief Austin Izagbo described the late Ikpo as a great political icon, scholar and a great writer as well as a man of extreme intelligence and a leader par excellence, who would be greatly missed for his political tutelage.

Source: NAN News

The espionage trial of former Canadian diplomat Michael Kovrig began Monday behind closed doors in a Beijing courtroom.

Kovrigs trial comes less than a week after it opened proceedings against his compatriot Michael Spavor.

Kovrigs trial which opened on Monday behind closed doors in Beijing witnessed diplomats from more than two dozen countries, including Germany, attempt in vain to gain access to the proceedings.

Many legal observers said the pair were pawns caught in a fight between Washington and Beijing.

Kovrig and Spavor, whose trial opened on Friday, were arrested in December 2018 following the arrest of Meng Wanzhou, the chief financial officer of the Chinese telecom giant Huawei, in Canada at the instigation of U.S. authorities.

Some diplomats see the case as a retaliation for Mengs arrest and accuse Beijing of hostage diplomacy.

The Charge daffaires at the Canandian embassy in Beijing, Jim Nickel, said Kovrig had been arbitrarily detained.

And now we see that the court process itself is not transparent. We are very troubled by this, Nickel added.

The reason that has been given to us while we are being denied access to our citizen facing trial is that this is a so-called national security case and therefore it is a closed case, a closed court room.

At the time of his arrest, Kovrig was working as an expert for the International Crisis Group think-tank in China.

Spavor, whose trial opened in the north-eastern Chinese city of Dandong last week, ran a cultural exchange company with North Korea in China.

Both defendants face long prison terms if convicted.

Source: NAN News

By Philip Dzeremo

Mr Yakubu Mohammed, Sector Commander, Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), Benue Command, has warned FRSC personnel in the state against receiving bribes from motorists.

The warning, contained in a statement signed by him and issued to newsmen in Makurdi on Sunday, said that a machinery was put in place to check such erring personnel for punitive measures.

It also charged road users to be conscious of all safety rules and regulations to avoid traffic breaches such as overloading, reckless driving and speeding.

The statement also reiterated the Commissions commitment to public education, rescue of road traffic victims and strict enforcement of traffic rules.

It also admonished drivers and vehicle owners not to patronise touts in securing drivers licence and vehicle number plates.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the new Commander, who assumed office on March 18, replaced Mr Aliyu Baba, who is undergoing a course at the War College, Abuja.

The commander also assured members of the public of the readiness of the command to respond promptly to all cases of road crashes in order to save lives. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Cecilia Ologunagba

A consultant Haematologist, Dr Uche Nwokwu, says over 80 per cent of childhood cancers are curable because children respond faster to anticancer medicines and other forms of treatment, including surgery and radiotherapy than adults.

Nwokwu, a consultant at the National Cancer Control Programme of the Ministry of Health, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.

He said that childhood cancers were curable to a large extent if they were detected early, because children respond to chemotherapy faster and they may also benefit from stem cell transplant better than adults.

The most common types of childhood cancers include leukemias, lymphomas (especially Burkitt lymphoma in malaria endemic areas like ours) and other solid tumours, such as neuroblastoma and Wilms tumours, he said.

According to him, what is important in the management of childhood cancers is early detection and treatment, saying the beauty of childhood cancers is that most of them are curable unlike adults.

The consultant said that the causes of childhood cancers were same with adult cancers.

He explained that causes of cancers were multifactorial, adding that there might not be a single cause for cancers; it is multifactorial in the sense that there are so many factors responsible for it.

One of them is genetic predisposition, if that person now gets exposed to other environmental factors like radiation, chemicals or toxic substances because they are genetically predisposed, the person is more at risk of manifesting such cancers.

There are some viruses like viral hepatitis for liver cancer, HPV for cervical cancer which causes about 90 per cent of cancer of the cervix. Some of these viruses can predispose people to cancer.

For childhood cancers, these environmental factors can also come to play as well as genetic predisposition but why attention needs to be given to childhood cancer is that they are preventable and curable.

They are preventable because they are mainly due to infections and exposure to environmental factors. For instance, pregnant woman, who gets exposed to radiation, is not good for the baby.

Mothers are advised while pregnant to avoid some chemicals and toxins. These can affect both the women and the babies in their pregnant states, he said.

Nwokwu further noted that diagnosis of childhood cancers were on the increase in Nigeria because there was more awareness, better capacity to handle it and reporting system.

He explained that there were more Paediatricians, who specialise in oncology than before resulting to early detection and treatment of the diseases.

We also have cancer registration going on across the country, we are able to pick these cancers and document them.

Unfortunately in Africa while we are drifting toward western world life style, we are also living with our infectious diseases, which all contribute to increase in number of cases of cancers, the consultant said.

In addition, he said that the Federal Government was also paying more attention to cancers in the country, especially childhood cancers than before.

Nwokwu said the ministry had approved inclusion of 12 additional hospitals in Cancer Access Partnership (CAP) Programme to improve access to chemotherapy at over 50 per cent cost reduction.

The consultant said the Federal Government had also increased the number of hospitals offering the service from seven in 2020 to 18 hospitals.

The CAP programme has also the formulation of chemotherapy products from nine products 20 products.

The consultant said children cancers are giving attention in all the CAP centres and in those expanded products and Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) will be supporting the treatment.

Graciously, CHAI has opted to provide specialised supportive care for childhood cancers and they are piloting it in four hospitals.

The hospitals are University Teaching Hospital, Enugu, Obafemi Awolowo Teaching Hospital, Ile-Ife, National Hospital Abuja and University of Abuja Teaching Hospital, Gwagwalada.

CHAI will also support to increase Childhood Cancer registration and how to support their improvement in the management of childhood cancers.

There is a special attention now on childhood cancers because we are seeing more cases because of better diagnoses and better registration activities, he said. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Nabilu Balarabe

Yobe Desert Stars FC on Saturday in Damaturu defeated FRSC Football Club of Abuja 2-0 on Match Day 7 in the 2020/2021 Nigeria National League (NNL) Group A2.

The match played at the August 27 Stadium saw hosts Desert Stars taking an early lead in the third minute through a free-kick converted by Dayyabu Hamza.

The right full-back could have doubled the tally in the 67th minute, but he shot wide from close range.

The second goal came in the 81st minute when Aliyu Habib nodded home a cross to secure the vital home win for the Desert Stars.

FRSC FC appeared to have contained Yobe Desert Stars in spite of trailing by one goal in the first half, but could not produce even a shot on target.

Speaking to journalists after the match, Akin Onigbinde, Head Coach of FRSC FC, expressed satisfaction with his teams performance in spite of the defeat.

He said his focus was on allowing the players to rest so that they could be in good shape for their next match.

Yahaya Aminu, the Assistant Coach of Yobe Desert Stars, rued chances missed by his players, but thanked God that they secured the three points.

He said the Desert Stars were looking forward to grabbing yet another three points when they lock horns with ABS FC of Ilorin on Wednesday.

If we win that outstanding match with more goals, we will top the table because at the moment, we have seven points, Aminu said. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

The United Nations (UN) on Saturday voiced concern over Turkeys withdrawal from the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence, otherwise known as the Istanbul Convention.

UN Women voiced the concern in a statement.

This action comes at a point when concerted international action and commitment to end violence against women and girls is more important than ever and as UN Women is seeking to mobilise even greater multi-stakeholder and cross-generational action on this issue, with the women movement being key in these efforts, said UN Women.

We urge Turkey to reconsider its withdrawal, it added.

UN Women has highlighted an increase in reported violence against women and girls during the Coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) as a result of measures such as lockdowns and disruptions to vital support services, which comes on top of the already existing extreme levels of violence.

The pandemic revealed the gaps in our systems to respond to such violence and the acute need to respond firmly and with unity.

The solidarity of nations that comes with being part of international conventions is critical for a world that is free of the shadow pandemic of violence against women, UN Women said.

The global body joins those urging the government of Turkey to continue protecting and promoting the safety and rights of all women and girls, including by remaining committed to the full implementation of the Istanbul Convention, it added.

We need bolder and game-changing actions that continue to move us forward, in order to ensure that women and girls live free from violence, in line with the principle of gender equality and the commitment to leave no one behind of the Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development, it said. (Xinhua/NAN)

Source: NAN News

y Akeem Abas

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo says there is a lot for Nigerian politicians to learn from the successful transfer of leadership in the Christ Apostolic Church (CAC).

He made the disclosure on Saturday in Ibadan during the inauguration of the 8th president of Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) worldwide.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the inauguration of Pastor Samuel Oladele as the 8th president of the church was attended by representative of the vice president and some governors from the south west region.

Osinbajo, who was represented by Pastor Seyi Malomo, the Chaplain of Aso Rock Chapel, said: When I attended your centenary celebration three years ago, I reminded us all that through the apostle, CAC, God has demonstrated that he did not need many to do His work.

Neither did He need professors or men of race scholarship to propagate the gospel.

He said that the anointing of God in the church has made it such that the humblest of men, even the least educated of men and women can bring the good news on certain chains of captivity of the devil.

The anointing can bring good news, delivering the oppressed from evil spirit, healing the sin and even raising the dead. Apostle Ayo Babalola, founder of the first general evangelist, released a testament to this fact.

He says of evangelism and miraculous accomplishments are beyond incredible harvests of salvation of souls through this church in Nigeria and comparing world.

Nigeria and the world have come to know through the Christ Apostolic Church that Gods supernatural power is real.

Today, as we inaugurate the 8President, I have no doubt that God will pour again fresh anointing to empower the church to move higher, to move wider.

And even faster in its core objectives of spreading the gospel, saving of souls, delivering the oppressed from the devils stronghold, healing the sin and raising the dead, he said.

The vice president enjoined the church, its leadership and laity to support the new president.

I therefore enjoined all the church, the leadership and the laity to support the new president, so that as one body, the CAC will march forward, grow stronger and move faster as a united force to propagate the much-needed gospel for the disciple of these mini generation.

Osinbajo also delivered President Muhammadu Buharis congratulatory message to the church and the new president.

Gov. Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State appreciated the new president for making it a priority to end the crisis in CAC, calling on all to support him in this new mission.

We are happy today to witness the inauguration of another president of this church. In your speech, you said your priority is to ensure the crisis in the CAC ends. This is a great priority from you and I urge all to support you, he said.

The governor said that it was important to return to the bible to remain spiritually alive, saying it is the only way to enjoin the favours of God.

Gov. Seyi Makinde of Oyo State lauded the rancour-free transition process which ushered in the new president of CAC, praying that the new leadership bring good tidings to the church, Oyo State and Nigeria.

The governor, who said that the nation was at a cross-road due to insecurity, enjoined Nigerians to eschew all divisionary tendencies.

NAN reports that the event was attended by Dr Charles Akinola, who represented Gov. Gboyega Oyetola of Osun State, traditional rulers, prominent clerics and hosts of other invited guests. (NAN)

Source: NAN News