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Our Reporter

After its successes recorded in its first and second editions in Abuja and Lagos 2019, the third edition of Vivacity PR annual Glocalisation and Branding Summit, is set to hold on December 1, 2020 at the NEPC Building, Maitama in Abuja.

With theme, ‘A Synergy between Global and Local Strategies’ this edition of the summit aims to deepen knowledge and further discussions on glocalisation processes for all Nigerian SMEs.

According to the founder Vivacity PR and convener, Oluwakemi Ann-Melody Areola, the essence of the Summit targets MSMEs, Intrapreneurs, Entrepreneurs and Multinational organisations with the aim of creating strong and sustainable business alliances across a number of key sectors — ICT, PR, Fashion, Cosmetics, Automobile, Art, Law, Finance, Culture & Tourism, Retail, Hotel & Hospitality, Education, Mining, Renewable Energy, Infrastructural Development, Real Estate, Health, and more.

She noted that the concept of glocalisation is creation of products or services intended for the global market but customised to serve the local cultures. “Glocalisation has been advocated as an attractive alternative to mass tourism, providing sustainable livelihoods to small local operators, protecting and sustaining the cultural resources, and educating tourists and locals alike.

“The glocalisation of media merges globalised media and local specificities, this mixes the elements different cultures can share with specific elements that pertain to a specific culture. In the context of marketing, glocalisation signifies the creation of services or products for the international market by adapting the product to local or regional culture.”

The summit, which is first of its kind in Nigeria will bring together speakers from private sector and government parastatals to enlighten attendees on glocalisation and the efforts being made to ensure that Nigerian products compete at the same level as others in the global market.

It will therefore assist in providing an enabling environment for Nigerian SMEs to flourish locally and internationally. Help in the reduction of the unemployment rate through entrepreneurship and job creation.

Create an avenue for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises to interact with Federal Agencies and obtain practical and on-the-spot solutions to their business challenges. These solutions include on-the-spot business registrations, processing of approvals/licenses, advisory, capacity building and more.

And bring necessary required Government business development services to MSMEs within the country through the participating Federal Agencies of MSME Clinics including Bank of Agriculture (BOA), Bank of Industry (BOI), Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Industrial Training Fund (ITF), National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Nigerian Export Import Bank (NEXIM), Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), Small and Medium Enterprise Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), and the Standards Organizlsation of Nigeria (SON).

Vivacity PR is a global company within local reach headquartered in Nigeria but diligently serving clients in Africa, Europe, USA and beyond. With speciality in building and protecting reputations with effective and affordable communications and promotions, they implore the use of intelligent, highly targeted/focused PR and marketing campaigns to achieve desired results, while providing full professional public relations service utilising a wide range of skills, spanning over ten years practical experience.

By Sanni Onogu, Abuja

Seventeen-year-old NNPC/SNEPCO scholar, Miss Ulan Sylvia Andrew, has been celebrated for scoring straight A1 in the 2020 West African Examinations Council (WAEC) Senior School Certificate Examination.

The management of an Abuja-based private secondary school, Premiere Academy Lugbe,
said Miss Ulan, broke the academic record in the school with her outstanding performance.

Ulan was a deputy Head Girl of the Academy and one of the first set of 30 products of the Cradle To Career Scholarship programme sponsored by NNPC/SNEPCO, which started in 2014.

While Ulan obtained A1 grades in all the nine subjects offered, other members of the top 10 got between eight and six A1 with only B2 and B3 to complement.

The school said in its 15 years of existence, Ulan’s academic feat was unprecedented and commendable.

At a brief virtual ceremony, encomiums were poured on the young girl, who hails from Plateau State, and other nine students in the top 10 group, who performed exceptionally in this year’s edition of the examination.

The school said out of a total 135 finalists that sat for the 2020 WAEC it recorded 82 per cent distinctions.

It noted that in 2015, a commercial student obtained A1 grades in all eight subjects offered, while in 2017, about seven students obtained eight A1 grades at the same time.

“We are here celebrating all of them that excelled in the 2020 exams. Ulan here is representing all of them. We must make sure that we sustain the feat in the 2021 edition and even make it better,” said the Head of the Academy, Mr. Chris Akinsowon.

Akinsowon later presented Ulan with a Laptop computer and cash gift on behalf of the Academy to appreciate her performance.

On her part, Ulan, who aspires to become a Chemical Engineer, thanked NNPC/SNEPCO for the sponsorship and the management and staff of Premiere Academy for imparting her with life-long education.

Representative of NNPC/SNEPCO, Mr. Nuka Hope, who spoke through Zoom, said the partnership was proud of the finalists.

He lauded the Academy, adding that “SNEPCO is excited and I am sure NNPC is happier.”

Our Reporter

The Lagos State Government has flagged off the second phase of the Mother, Infant and Child (M.I.C.H) program across wards in the state.

The project is to provide food and supplements for 1,140 expectant mothers from their second trimester to delivery stage.

Speaking at the event on Thursday at Bariga LCDA, Special Adviser, Office of Civic Engagement, Princess Aderemi Adebowale said the second edition of M.I.C.H birthed through the commitment of the governor to reduce the death rate among mothers and children, even from the womb.

The intervention was first initiated by the First Lady Dr. (Mrs.) Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu on July 28, 2020, at Igbogbo-Baiyeku Local Government Area and has been taken to various local government including Ikorodu, Epe, Ebeju-Lekki, Eti-Osa among others.

Adebowale who represented the First Lady said that M.I.C.H would not only encourage antenatal visits at primary health care facilities but also encourage pregnant women that rely on herbal homes to attend the Primary Health Care Centers for pre-natal regularly thus, reducing maternal and infant mortality rates.

“Guided by this lofty objectives, we have birthed the 2nd phase of Mother, Infant, and Child (M.I.C.H) pilot program, as a follow up to the initial pilot to assess the impact of the MICH Food and supplements on the pregnant participants with full monitoring of their existing conditions, along with their unborn children throughout pregnancy till delivery and post-partum.

“For clarity, the MICH program at full launch is targeted at 15,000 (Fifteen Thousand) participants over the course of the next 3 years, however, we are kicking off with this second pilot phase with 1,140 participants only comprising a research study with 20 pregnant women in each of our 20 LGAs and 37 LCDAs,” she said.

Adebowale highlighted that the second phase is tagged: ‘The Research Phase’ will include independent case studies and research involving 1,140 pregnant women with follow up and monitoring of diverse medical and social indices starting from December 1 till the next six months.

Continuing she said: “Our formidable team of medical and technical experts has come up with a research proposal which aims to provide informed recommendations for the use of the State Government, the Federal Government and international development agencies like the United Nations.

“To ensure this research phase is impactful, we will ensure that the participating pregnant women receive qualitative health care and follow-up through home visits by a dedicated team of public and state-approved private community health workers and medical consultants.”

Adebowale, however, strongly appeals to all husbands, partners, families, and support systems of the pregnant participants to ensure that the MICH Plus Food packs meant for the sole consumption of our target participants are not abused or misused.

According to her, the Lagos State Government has thought ahead of the need to support struggling spouses of our indigent pregnant participants, hence they have included indicators relating to the family engagement component of the MICH program as part of the research studies.

She assured that over the next few months, Lagosians will not only birth new healthy, virile babies and economically stable and civically responsible families but re-write the social inclusion narrative in our local governance and global sustainable development.

Chairman of Bariga Local Government, Hon. Alabi Kolade David applauds the project as he promised to support it by keying into it to ensure that the death of pregnant women reduces drastically.

Our Reporter

Abuja-based Social Media, Suleman Alimat Sadia, otherwise called Pride Evy, is perky about her fantasy to make a major imprint in media outlets as she puts the traditional press on notification with a totally different twerking aptitude.

The 21-year old increased inescapable acknowledgment following a viral video of her swaying her tail in twerk-like style to Joeboy’s hit tune “Nobody”, carrying the vibe into the lounge rooms of thousands of supporters who have their twerks on.

It just bodes well that she has become the most recent web-based media influencer with an enormous horde of allies to show for it.

The most punctual video on her Instagram page goes back to 2018 when she did a twerk dance to Teni’s best hit “Case”. From that point forward she has had arrangements of other dance recordings credited to her.

She is said to have struck various special arrangements, remarkable among which is the Lagos brand – Safe Weight reduction, to which she likewise advances their online presence on Instagram.

By Moses Emorinken, Abuja

The Governing Council of the Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN) is taking steps to ensure that the difficulties young pharmacists face in securing a place for internship after graduation is addressed and solved.

The council Chairman, Prof. Ahmed Tijjani Mora, addressing reporters on Tuesday in Abuja, said the average number of fresh pharmacy graduates annually is between 1,500 to 1,800, while the accredited internship training centres are only 380, with most of the centres at general hospitals, teaching hospitals and manufacturing facilities and community pharmacies.

He said the council was concerned about the frustrations and restlessness of young pharmacists over the issue and had set up an ad hoc committee and made other plans to ensure that fresh pharmacy graduates were attached to accredited internship training centres.

Mora said the council would ensure a harmonised system of internship placement so that by the time the registrar was administering the oath of pharmacy on fresh graduates, they would have known where they were going to do their internship.

PCN Registrar Elijah Mohammed said pharmacists and pharmacy technicians are already online and that patent medicine vendors should be online for their annual licences by 2021.

He said the council was liaising with the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to overcome registration challenges of faculties that had developed hand sanitisers, Vitamin D and Ascorbic Acid against COVID-19.

Our Reporter

Dr. Calvin Gar Wing Jung is creating the shape of things to come, both for his patients and for the entire body contouring industry.

Born and raised in Vancouver, Canada, Dr. Jung completed his Bachelor of Science degree in 2003 at the University of British Columbia.

From there, he studied at NYU School of Dentistry, where he graduated in 2008, followed by the NYU School of Medicine, where he graduated in 2012.

Now, as a cosmetic surgeon with a keen focus on liposculpture, Brazilian Butt Lift, abdominal etching, and specialization in body contouring, Dr. Jung is sharing his story. “I think it chose me,” he says of his decision to get into this industry.

During his internship in general surgery, he had the chance to rotate and operate with distinguished facial, aesthetic, and plastic surgeons and developed a passion for cosmetic procedures. He continues, “After fellowship, I learned so many different surgeries. Moving to Houston and being in a saturated market for cosmetic procedures, I knew that I needed to focus my energy and be good at ‘something’ so that I could shine above the rest.”

Dr. Jung received a call from a head hunter that was looking for a doctor to help with liposuction in Houston and his career skyrocketed! He was invited to join the Cosmetic Surgery Fellowship from 2015 to 2016, the American Board of Cosmetic Surgery ABCS in 2017, and was awarded a Total Definer Certificate for 4D Body Contouring in 2018. However, it seems that this success was only the beginning for Dr. Jung.

His continuous success has been attributed to his unique experience in both maxillofacial and cosmetic procedures. However, Dr. Jung believes that it is his passion and expertise with Colombian body-contouring methods that set him apart from the rest.

After training with a world-renowned plastic surgeon, Dr. Alfredo Hoyos, in Colombia, Dr. Jung was determined to bring these methods to the United States. “As I did more research, I knew that the body contouring and liposuction methods in the States were not on par with what was being done in Colombia,” he explains. “So, I took all the principles I learned, from pre-op to surgery to post-op, and incorporated them into my practice.”

READ ALSO: Buttocks enlargement may cause death, plastic surgeon warns

Dr. Jung is regarded as an expert in his field. He has completed thousands of surgeries to date and lectured nationally on various topics ranging from facial reconstruction and rehabilitation to full body and facial cosmetic surgery.

He has been a faculty member at live surgery workshops in cosmetic surgery and authored publications on subjects including the treatment and management of head and neck pathology.

He has also developed custom post-operative garments, Brazilian butt lift pillows, and abdominal boards to allow for the best healing and outcomes for his patients.

“Once I started utilizing these techniques, I started getting noticed on my transformations and it has been an explosion since then,” he notes. With a fully-booked roster for 2021, including numerous celebrity patients, the sky is truly the limit for Dr. Jung!

Dr. Calvin Gar Wing Jung practices in Houston, Texas, where he lives with his wife and their child. To see before-and-afters and follow along with Dr. Jung’s career.

By Charles Okonji

The Ministry of Science and Technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu has described the 2021 budget as being designed to enhance the capacity of Nigerian youth towards embracing Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI) for entrepreneurship.

Onu who disclosed this during the opening ceremony of the 18th National Council on Science, Technology, and Innovation in Abuja over the weekend, added that the Ministry has developed policies aimed at increasing the participation of youths in the development of STI in the country.

He pointed out that the policies include s, the Executive Order 05, the Economic and Recovery Growth Plan (ERGP 2017-2030), the National Strategy for Competitiveness in Raw Materials, and a host of other policies developed by the Ministry.

The Minister stated that the recently launched Methanol Fuel Technology policy has started to yield positive fruits as over 20 private organisations and state governments have shown interest in its implementation.

Onu expressed that the dream of Nigeria to become a global socio-economic hub could only be achieved through the adoption and implementation of STI policies.

“Nigeria has the potentials to overtake many of the technologically developed nations of the world if more attention was paid to STI.

READ ALSO: Be hopeful, Onu tells Nigerian youths

” Recently, the African Union (AU) resolved that African nations should appropriate at least 1 percent of their GDP to the development of STI. Nigeria has to key into the resolution in order to make a meaningful socio-economic breakthrough. Nigeria should take the lead in Africa in the development of STI for sustainable socio-economic growth.

“The present time was auspicious for innovative strides and technological developments, especially with the outbreak of Covid-19 and its attendant disruptions to global economic activities,” Onu recounted.

Examining the Ministry’s towards finding a solution to the Covid-19 pandemic, he noted that the Ministry came up with a strategy on Prevention, Tracking, Testing and Treatment (PT3) on the short, medium, and long term basis.

Speaking at the occasion, the Minister of Information and Culture, Alh. Lai Mohammed said cultural institutions in Nigeria would benefit immensely from the nascent revolution taking place in the science and technology sector.

Lai called for the patronage of indigenous Earth Construction Technology which is indigenous, durable, cheaper, stronger, and long-lasting.

Earlier in her remarks, the UNESCO Representative in Nigeria, Dr. Moma Enang said STI was a vital tool that can be used to rebuild the economies of countries, especially after the set-back of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Enang stressed the development of gender-sensitive policies on STI, adding that it will bridge the gender gap in the scientific community.

Bassey Anthony, Uyo

The Rector, Federal Polytechnic, Ukana. Dr. Uduak S. Ukekpe has warned students of the institution against indulging in cultism and examination malpractice and other antisocial activities.

Ukpekpe issued the warning on Tuesday at the occasion of the 5th Matriculation ceremony held Tuesday at the Engineering Lecture Hall, Main Campus, Ukana.

He implored the new students to be diligent, hardworking, and focus on academics during the 2019/2020 academic session.

READ ALSO: Shun cultism, Malpractice, other social vices -Abia Poly Rector tells students

“I advise you to be law-abiding, shun cultism, face your studies squarely, live harmoniously with other students and staff, and obey the rules and regulations of the polytechnic,” he stressed.

He said Management will not hesitate to sanction any student whose behaviour and conduct runs contrary to laid down rules and regulations of the institution.

The Rector disclosed that the institution has put in place facilities that would make the teaching and learning process easy for students and lecturers through a well-equipped digital Library that would help students with their studies both online and offline.

He also hinted that the Polytechnic is a work in progress with many all the Lecture complexes and other structures at the Main Campus at various stages of completion.