By Sunday Bassey

Newly appointed Akwa Ibom Commissioner of Police, Amiengheme Andrew, has assumed duty at the State Police Command headquarters in Uyo.

CSP Nnudam Frederick, the commands spokesman, announced this in a statement in Uyo on Monday.

Fredrick said that the new commissioner took over from Imohimi Edgal as the 30th Commissioner of Police in the state.

The new police boss holds a Masters Degree in Public Administration (MPA) from Lagos State University and a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) degree in Economics from Bendel State University, now Ambrose Alli University, he said.

Fredrick said the commissioner joined the Nigeria Police Force as a cadet Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) in 1988.

He said Andrew had servedin various capacities in the force within and outside the country, including the United Nations missions.

The command spokesman quoted the commissioner as promising to bring his wealth of experience to bear in fighting crime in the state. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

DiSco Launches call centre in Port Harcourt.

By Desmond Ejibas

The Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company (PHED) says it has inaugurated a state-of-the-art 24-hours call centre to reduce exposure of staff and customers to COVID-19 pandemic in the country.

The PHED Managing Director, Dr Henry Ajagbawa said this on Monday while inaugurating the call centre at the companys headquarters in Port Harcourt.

Represented by Mrs Ochuko Amah, PHEDs General Manager of Services, Ajagbawa said the centre would handle complaints of customers in Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River and Rivers states.

So, with opening of the 24-hours seven-days call centre, we are telling our customers not to come to us physically, especially during this pandemic to get their issues resolved.

The centre will resolve all issues ranging from payment transaction to complaints of whatever magnitude from customers.

PHED is bent on achieving the feat of becoming the number one electricity distribution company in Nigeria, he said.

Ajagbawa said that part of the companys strategy to achieving its target of becoming the best distribution company was to provide quality services to customers.

He explained that the centre would run on Interactive Voice Response (IVR) backed technology which would allow customers interact with a computer operated phone system.

The IVR will enhance customer satisfaction as well as increase efficiency in self service enquiry, complaints resolution via call agents and work from home option.

So, customers will have their issues sorted from the comfort of their homes by connecting our call centre on: 070022557433, he added.

The Commissioner of Power in Rivers, Mr Damiete Miller, who spoke through Mr Francis Odili, an official of the ministry, thanked PHED for its commitment to improve electricity in the state. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

Nura Sani Kangiwa

By Priscilla Osaje
The Federation of Tourism Associations of Nigeria (FTAN) has commended President Muhammadu Buhari for appointing Alhaji Nura Kangiwa as the Director- General of National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism (NIHOTOUR).

The National President of FTAN, Alhaji Saleh Rabo, made the commendation in a statement signed by the associations Public Relation Officer (PRO) Mr Joesef Karim on Monday in Abuja.

He described the appointment of Kangiwa as a strategic game changer for the tourism industry in Nigeria.

Kangiwa is one of the most patriotic Pan-Nigerians I know, he is a thoroughly detribalised gentleman, and a stickler for improved standardisation of Nigerian hospitality sector, even to the extent of being globally competitive.

I trust in his intellectual capacity to transform NIHOTOUR, Nigerias flagship hospitality training institute into a world class knowledge destination for tourism business management, he said.

Similarly, Chief Abiodun Odunsawo, the President of the Institute for Tourism Professionals in Nigeria (ITPN) expressed satisfaction with Kangiwa appointment as the DG of NIHOTOUR.

According to him, Kangiwa is an outstanding fellow of the ITPN, the premier professionals body for our industry.

He added that Kangiwa being a tourism professional to the core, would add more advantage of diverse experience in Nigerias public and private sectors.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, in a statement on Tuesday, said the President had approved the appointment of Kangiwa as the Director- General of NIHOTOUR.

According to the statement, the appointment takes effort from Sept. 1, 2020.

Meanwhile, Kangiwa has expressed gratitude to the president and Minister of Information and Culture for reposing confidence on him.

The appointee, who reflected on the appointment, said that it was an opportunity to serve Nigeria and his beloved tourism industry.

The aim is to rebuild NIHOTOUR to become an African Centre of Excellence for sustainable Tourism and Hospitality personnel training.

I will ensure we deploy the latest internet technology to fast-track tourism manpower development, especially post COVID-19.

I will focus on bridging the knowledge gaps in Nigerias Hospitality and Tourism Industry, including working with all national and international tourism institutions and stakeholders.

I will commit that NIHOTOUR mainstreams online training of Nigerian youths and women on international best practices in hospitality services.

I believe that in a post COVID-19 world, implementing qualitative internet training, and also establishing enduring national structure for tourists services standardization are the bedrock of building competitive tourist destinations in Nigeria.

Moreover, as a matter of industry emergency, I will rally stakeholders to implement a professional regulatory framework for Nigerian tourism business operations, he said.

Kangiwa, who hail from Kebbi State, is a tourism technocrat and promoter.

He has worked as Senior Special Assistant on tourism matter to the Executive Governor of Kebbi State, Mr Abubakar Bagudu, with a clear mandate to restructure and rebrand the Argungu International Fishing and Cultural Festival into a world-class cultural event.

He has a Post Graduate Diploma on tourism policy and strategy, also Bachelor in Political Science.

Until his appointment as the director- general of NIHOTOUR, Kangiwa was Vice-President, Federation of Tourism Associations of Nigeria (FTAN), North West Zone.

He also remains the Director-General of Argungu International Fishing

Airport

By David Adeoye

Ibadan Airport workers on Monday held a peaceful march round the major streets of the city to protest against Federal Governments plan to concession four international airports in the country.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the protest was organised under the umbrella of Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN) and National Union of Air Transport Employee (NUATE).

The two bodies and representatives of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners carried placards bearing different inscriptions.

Some of the inscriptions read: Airport concession lacks transparency, Nigerians rise against siege on our common patrimony, Job loss looms in the aviation industry and FAAN pay our pension liabilities.

Other inscriptions are: Our airports are undervalued, Federal Government, please resolve MM2 concession, Airport concessioning, a threat to aviation industry, Chinese loan repayment threatened by concession and selective concessioning, ploy to destroy FAAN.

The Chairman of ATSSSAN, Mr Oyewole Olayade, who spoke on behalf of the unions, said the protest was to air their views on the governments proposed concessioning of the airports.

Olayade listed the affected airports to include the Muritala Mohammed Airport, Lagos, Aminu Kano Airport, Kano, Nnamdi Azikwe Airport, Abuja and Port Harcourt Airport.

Federal Government claimed that the airports are underdeveloped and cannot continue to fund them again.

Government now believes that it should invite private investors to come forward to invest so that there will be fund to develop the facilities.

Our stand has always been transparency. As critical stakeholders, we are supposed to be carried along in whatever government wants to do concerning concession.

These four major airports generate the bulk of our revenues, Olayade said.

He said that workers were convinced that the federal government was not transparent with the process of the concession.

He further said that the committee set up to examine the modalities on how the airports would be concessioned had yet to brief the national executive of the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) unions.

Olayade said: The committee met with our national leadership, where our executive asked questions on the area to be concessioned but government could not come up with genuine answer.

At the meeting, they promised to get back to us on the modalities and procedure they want to use but to our surprise, they didnt come back.

All we hear, especially the last time the Minister of Aviation, Sen. Hadi Sirika, appeared before the National Assembly, is that federal government has commenced with the policy.

He made it clear that it was a government policy to concession the four airports and that there was no going back.

We know it is government property but the critical stakeholders should be carried along, Olayade said.

Also, the Chairman of NUATE, Gbenga Kayode, urged the federal government to carry the executives of the unions along in major policies that affect FAAN workers. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Idonije Obakhedo

Mr Gbenga Adefaye, the General Manager/Editor-in-Chief of Vanguard Newspapers, has been appointed as Provost of the Nigerian Institute of Journalism, Ogba, Ikeja.

A statement signed in Lagos on Monday by former Ogun governor, Chief Olusegun Osoba, Chairman, Governing Council of the NIJ, said Adefaye would serve as Provost of the institution with effect from Sept. 1, 2020 pending the appointment of a new Provost.

He succeeds the former Provost, Mr Gbemiga Oluleye, who has served out his term meritoriously.

Adefaye was a former two-term president of the Nigerian Guild of Editors.

Theis a Nigerian monotechnic institute located at Ogba in Ikeja, Lagos State.

It is a diploma-awarding monotechnic established in 1963 by the International Press Institute. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

Nigerian Youths

By Abiodun Esan

Kwara Government says it will train 10,000 youths in virtual digital as part of its ongoing efforts to drive innovation and give young people the skills of the future.

A statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Rafiu Ajakaye on Monday in Ilorin, said the three-month training would commence with the sales of form from Sept. 1 to Sept. 14.

Ajakaye quoted Muhammed Brimah, anchor of the Kwara State Social Investment Programmes (KWASSIP), as saying:

The virtual training, which is the second phase of a programme billed to benefit 30, 000 young people across the state in three years, targets 10, 000 applicants over the next two months in batches.

The government had earlier trained over 3, 000 in April during the COVID-19 lockdown.

The training becomes more imperative owing to the rise in the unemployment rate and a dearth of required skills to survive in the 21st-century.

Nigerias unemployment rate in the second quarter of 2020 stood at 27.1 per cent.

It means over 27 million are unemployed. The labour force has also rapidly changed.

Computer literacy and digital knowledge are increasingly vital to get employed in the emerging economy.

Although, Kwara fares better in the recent rating, we are taking further steps to upscale the competencies of our youths with relevant digital skills and certifications to position them better for opportunities.

KWASSIP is organising the free training in partnership with Grow with Google and Wootlab Innovation.

Registration is open to all interested youth through, the statement added.

The statement said the government was encouraged by the success of the last group as some of the graduates have started using the acquired skills judiciously.

We had a great first edition. We have taken lessons from it, which are being taken into this session.

It is fulfilling to see applicants in the last cohort doing well with graphic designs and digital marketing. That is the desired impact.

We are currently in talks with a global tech giant to ensure that our best graduates have access to more advanced courses. Youths are therefore urged to seize the opportunity, it added. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Sumaila Ogbaje
Troops of Operation Sahel Sanity have continued onslaught against banditry in the North West by killing and arresting more bandits in their latest operations across the zone, Defence Headquarters says.

The Acting Director, Defence Media Operations, Brig.-Gen. Bernard Onyeuko, in a statement on Monday, said that more kidnapped victims were also been rescued.

Onyeuko said the troops arrested a suspected bandit named Lawali Dairu at Yauni village in Safana Local Government Area of Katsina State on Aug. 24, following a distress call from locals.

He explained that the suspect and one Ila Musa invaded the village to kidnap a woman but met strong resistance from local vigilante group in the area, adding that his accomplice escaped before troops arrived the village.

According to him, the suspect confessed during investigation that he is an associate of a bandit leader, Malam Yau hibernating in Tsafe forest, adding that concerted effort was being made to arrest his cohorts.

Onyeuko also disclosed that the troops had on Aug. 25 responded to a distress call at Daudawa village in Faskari about bandits attack leading to rescue of two kidnapped victims, arrest of one bandit while others escaped.

He further said that troops on fighting patrol on Aug. 26 encountered and rescued six persons wandering around Tungar Kaduku Forest who were discovered to be kidnapped victims from Damari village of Zamfara.

According to him, they also revealed that their escape was possible due to intense pressure by troops presence and operational activities in the area.

The rescued victims were immediately reunited with their families.

Similarly, on same day troops deployed at FOB Bena arrested a suspected bandit informant one Bello Abdulrahman around Mashaya Anguwan Abuja area of Bena town.

Preliminary investigation revealed that the suspect was responsible for giving out information to bandits on troops movement and identifying persons to be kidnapped for ransom in Bena general area.

Further investigation reveals that the suspect has strong connections with Rosha, Sadi Kaboru, Musa Dan Umoru and Dogo Gide who are notorious bandits in the area.

The suspect is in custody undergoing further interrogation, he said.

The operations spokesperson further disclosed that troops of FOB Danjibga arrested a suspected bandit named Zayyanu Kaura at Danjibga market on Aug. 27.

He said that the suspect confessed to be working for one Yakubu, a bandit leader who lives in Dutsen Kura forest, adding that the suspect was in custody for further action while efforts are ongoing to apprehend his group leader.

According to him, troops deployed at Mara laid ambush on suspected bandits who attempted to invade Gobirawa village on Aug. 28 with the support of the local vigilante.

During the ambush troops made contact with the armed bandits and engaged them with heavy volume of fire neutralising two of the bandits while others escaped with gunshot wounds as traces of blood were seen on their withdraw route.

During exploitation, troops also recovered one AK-47 Rifle and one Motorcycle from the fleeing bandits.

On the same day troops on fighting patrol around Tungar Makeri Village of Anka Local Government Area of Zamfara, rescued two kidnapped victims who escaped from Gobirawa forest due to the activities of troops in the general area.

The victims were immediately reunited with their families in Dahuwa and Sabon Birni villages, he added.

Onyeuko also said the troops conducted a raid operation at some identified bandits hideouts at Gamji village on Aug. 28 leading to arrest of six suspects and recovery of one dane gun, one motorcycle and two cutlasses.

He added that troops deployed at Zakka also arrested three suspected bandits namely, Sagar Garba, Hafisu Mato and Suleiman Sada, acting on credible intelligence.

According to him, suspects were identified by locals to be members of a syndicate terrorizing the general area.

During preliminary investigation the suspects confessed their involvements in recent cattle rustling activities at Kwaya, Sabon Birni and Baure villages.

All arrested suspects are undergoing investigation while effort is ongoing to apprehend other criminals in the general area.

To this end, the gallant troops of Operation SAHEL SANITY are commended for the successes achieved and their commitment to duty.

They are further urged not to rest on their oars until Northwest is rid of all forms of criminalities, while the good people of the Northwest are once more assured of troops commitment to safety of lives and property within the zone.

They are also encouraged to continue to avail the troops with timely and credible information that will assist them in the operation, he said.

Source: NAN News

COVID-19

Another spat about coronavirus curbs on Monday erupted in Ireland, days after Phil Hogan was forced to resign as the EUs trade chief for flouting rules while visiting his homeland.

Weekend footage of revelers drinking on the streets of Killarney, a tourist-draw town in Irelands South-West, was branded disgraceful by Mayor Brendan Cronin.

Health official Paul Reid said the scenes were unfortunate, while Simon Harris, a former Health Minister, said there would always be people who do stupid things.

Michael Healy-Rae, an independent parliamentarian from the area, said the weekend hedonism in Killarney could have been avoided, if Irelands coronavirus curbs were relaxed to allow pubs re-open.

If our public houses are open, people will get alcohol in a measured and sensible way, Healy-Rae said.
Some pubs re-opened on June 29, on condition they serve a substantial meal to drinkers.

Re-opening for all pubs has been postponed three times; with the latest hold-up flagged.The uncertainty has angered owners who say the delays are disproportionate to the impact of the virus.

While Irelands number of new daily coronavirus cases increased in August, only 35 people are in hospital after testing positive for the virus.(dpa/NAN)

Source: NAN News

Coronavirus

The Africa Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) on Monday said that the number of positive COVID-19 cases across the African continent has risen to 1,245,230.

The centre noted that only five African countries account for about 70 per cent of all COVID-19 infections in the continent, stressing that the death toll from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic rose to 29,589 on Monday.

Some 975, 643 people who were infected with COVID-19 had recovered across the continent so far, it said.

Amid the rapid spread of the virus across the continent, South Africa alone accounts for about 50 per cent of all COVID-19 infections in the continent, followed by Egypt which has eight per cent of all COVID-19 infections in the continent, the Africa CDC said.

The continental disease control and prevention agency said that South Africa had so far reported 625, 056 cases and 14,028 deaths as at Monday.

Egypt is the second most COVID-19 affected country with 98,727 positive cases and 5,399 COVID-19 related deaths, it was noted.

Morocco, which has so far reported 61, 399 positive cases and 1,111 deaths, comes third with about five per cent of all COVID-19 infections in the continent, while Nigeria and Ethiopia round the top five list.

According to the Africa CDC, the southern Africa region is the most affected area in terms of confirmed cases, followed by northern Africa and western Africa regions. (Xinhua/NAN)

Source: NAN News

Mr Olumide Adeosun, CEO of Ardova PLC

By Chinyere Joel-Nwokeoma

The Chief Executive Officer, Ardova Plc (AP), Mr Olumide Adeosun, has assured shareholders of improved profitability and value in the current financial year ending Dec. 31, 2020.

In a statement on Sunday in Lagos, Adeosun said the company would remain committed to delivering improved profitability and value for shareholders.

He said that improved profitability and value remained core component of the companys transformation agenda.

Adeosun added that AP would leverage new opportunities, innovation and partnerships that would further its goal to emerge as Nigerias energy provider of choice.

Commenting on the 2019 financial performance, he said the new management had the vision to create an energy firm that would become the brand of choice.

Following the entry of the new management in 2019, our vision is to create an energy firm that will become the brand of choice for consumers.

Our strategy to deliver on this goal is to be laser-focused in increasing operational efficiency and leveraging our core assets to maximise growth.

On this premise, we divested from our non-core subsidiaries, a strategic move that quickly resulted in a cleaner balance sheet and a healthy platform from which our resulting growth stems.

It is against this backdrop that we delivered a 31 per cent year-on-year growth in revenue and a 520 per cent year-on-year growth in profitability, he said.

Adeosun said that 2019 financial results marked the start of the companys repositioning plan.

The statement also quoted AP Chairman, Mr AbdulWasiu Sowami, as saying: The change in strategy introduced by our new management has begun to yield returns.

The evolution of our business model to one focused on improving operational efficiencies, leveraging existing core assets and positioning the company to be at the forefront of renewable energy distribution in Nigeria, has led to significant improvement in our top and bottom line.

We will continue to focus on delivering value to our shareholders as we continue
to drive the growth and profitability of our business, Sowami said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) teports that AP is a leading Nigerian integrated energy company with a network of over 450 retail outlets in Nigeria and significant storage facilities in Apapa, Lagos and Onne in Rivers.

Its primary service is to procure and distribute petrol, diesel, kerosene and liquefied petroleum gas. (NAN)

Source: NAN News