Our Reporter

Joseph James Nantomah, popularly known as The Black Mentor, is one of the countless figures who has lent a helping hand to Africans in the heat of the Covid-19 pandemic. Committing his resources to help others was effortless for him because the pandemic was an opportunity to give back, he revealed in a recent interview.

“I provided business support to several companies and $10,000 business grants to two companies in Nigeria,” he affirmed.

This was not surprising to many as Nantomah, the President of the non-profit organization, Prosperity for Africa, already has a track record of working with black communities to better their lot. The Port Harcourt, Rivers State-born project management professional of international repute is also a popular life coach with passion for helping people succeed.

The Black Mentor, as he is better known, gave an insight into the motivation behind his philanthropy, saying that he was galvanised by Vice President Mike Pence of the United States when he met him in 2018 and he said to him: “The American Dream is come here, work hard and always give back.”

This was where he drew the inspiration to set up Prosperity for Africa in 2019 which became a useful vehicle for him when coronavirus swept across the world. “During the pandemic, we fed 25,000 Africans in Nigeria, Ghana and Rwanda,” he confirmed.

He also dwelt on the anti-SARS protests currently rocking Nigeria.

“Every decent Nigerian has encountered SARS,” he said. “I am currently battling one in court indirectly because a family member of mine was implicated by SARS operatives.”

He declined to speak further on the case which is already in court.

As far as The Black Mentor is concerned, he has not had a personal experience of racism in America. “Some of my mentors who have helped me to become successful have been from other races,” he said, noting that the African value he imbibed while growing in Nigeria helped him to live successfully in the United States.

“Those core value lessons include self-respect, respect for elders and others, believing in God and working hard,” he affirmed.

Since his relocation to the United States, Joseph James Nantomah has made a success of his life, having founded 13 thriving businesses.

He has been honoured by Who is Who Professionals and Who is Who in America. Most recently, he was honoured by President Donald Trump on September 9 with the Presidential Honors Roll.

“My goal is to support as many business people to find their dreams and aspirations,” he said.

Rotary Club of Surulere Northeast has donated a modern signage board to Obele Community Senior High School, Randle, Surulere, Lagos. It also reconstructed a roundabout in the school and beautified it with flowers.

Its President, Tosin Alfred-Kenepade said the club embarked on the projects as part of the celebrations of September – Rotary’s Basic Education and Literacy month. She said the projects funded by members’ contributions cost about N700,000.

She noted that in the past, the club had fixed the school’s borehole, donated dictionaries and other books, and held quiz contests among others. She added that the club also plans to donate school bags to the pupils before the Rotary year ends in 2021.

On the reason for the projects, she said it was the outcome of a needs assessment by the club, describing the school as a good place to invest their money.

Read Also: Rotary empowers 500 women

Inaugurating the projects, Rotary International District 9110 Governor Bola Oyebade said he was overwhelmed by the gesture of the club, urging them not to rest on their oars. He also urged the school’s leadership to take proper care of the facilities.

”What we do is that we launch them and leave them in the hands of the beneficiaries to take care of,” he said.

Principal of the school, Mrs. Esther Babatunde promised to maintain the facilities.

An SS 2 pupil of the school, Funmilola Adeyanju, thanked the club for siting the projects in the school.  “There are many schools in Surulere.  It is a privilege that you chose our school to site these projects,” she said.

End

From Bassey Anthony, Uyo

Southern Atlantic Polytechnic. Uyo. Akwa Ibom State is to commence enterprise training programmes for its students to make them self-reliant after graduation.

Accordingly, the private institution has engaged some resource persons to train its students in the areas of agriculture, shoe making, fashion designing, textiles, paint production and many others.

Founder of the school, Pastor Bassey James said that enterprise education was the solution to graduate unemployment in the country.

He said the institution was expanding its facilities to provide more hands-on education to its students.

“Various equipments will be arriving from abroad for palm oil processing, shoe making, and fashion designing among others.

‘’We have also acquired lands for agricultural projects and so we call on the state and Federal governments including Banks to support private polytechnics.

‘’Today, I can assure Nigerians that southern Atlantic polytechnic will change the face of polytechnic education in Akwa Ibom State and Nigeria.

‘’We can boast of the best in terms of equipment, facilities, infrastructures and personnel.

‘’The location of the school is great and some of my partners across the world are coming.  The students will have lots in terms of good education,” he said.

Bassey boasted of the quality of the institution.

‘’Our business school ,the first of its kind in South south has over 15 professors, and international business leaders across the world so I have built a one stop education program for my people,” he said

By Gbenga Omokhunu, Abuja

The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has received items donated by the Private Sector Coalition Against COVID-19 (CACOVID), under the Food Relief Programme of the Federal Government.

The items include 30,541 bags of 10kg rice, 30,541 cartons of pasta, 61,082 cartons of noodles, 30,541 cartons of sugar, 30,541 of salt and 30,541 bags of Semovita.

Receiving the items on behalf of the FCT Administration, FCT Minister of State Dr. Ramatu Aliyu expressed the administration’s profound appreciation to the CACOVID leadership for the humanitarian intervention.

The minister, who was represented by the Senior Special Assistant on Administration and Strategy, Prof. Muhammad Usman, said the CACOVID initiative was worthy of commendation because it has contributed significantly in reducing the spread of the disease and its multi-faceted consequences, especially on the vulnerable among the residents.

She assured that in line with the intervention objectives of the CACOVID food relief programme, the Federal Capital Territory Administration has constituted the distribution committees and committed to ensuring that the items donated get to targeted beneficiaries, according to stipulated quantities for each beneficiary household.

Representative the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Mr. Abdullahi Ibrahim, who is the leader of the committee, said the financial institutions and indeed the private sector have been working tirelessly with government at all levels, to bring relief to those most affected by the coronavirus pandemic in Nigeria.

Our Reporter

Schools in Kano State resumed on Monday, with a high turnout of pupils for the continuation of the 2019/2020 academic session.

The state government had directed reopening of public and private schools on Oct. 11 and Oct. 12 after seven months closure occasioned by COVID-19 pandemic.

A NAN correspondent, who visited some of the schools in Kano metropolis reports that the schools witnessed a massive turnout of pupils.

Water, soap, hand sanitisers were provided in the schools visited, but only a few of the schools use infrared thermometer.

Compulsory wearing of facemasks and social distancing in classrooms were observed by pupils and teachers.

Some of the schools visited included: Government Girls Secondary School, Dakata, Dabo Girls Junior Secondary School, Sabon-Gari, Day Science School, State Road and Governors College in Kofar Nasarawa and Crescent International School.

A teacher, Abdullahi Salisu, told NAN that the school adhered to all the COVID-19 guidelines as directed by the government.

He said the state government had fumigated the school before the resumption.

A pupil, Hashim Bala, expressed delight with the development, saying that he was happy to continue with his studies after seven months at home.

Bala hailed the government for reopening of school and providing water, soap and sanitiser for them.