Category: Uncategorized

From Nicholas Kalu, Abuja

The Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, has launched the “IGP 30 Minutes Quiz Competition” with the aim of sensitising the younger ones on the dangers of crime through fun-filled quiz competitions.

Speaking at a ceremony, where he unveiled the logo of the competition at the Force Headquarters, Abuja, Adamu said he has resolved to run a Police Force with proactive approach to fighting crime.

“It remains my firm conviction that evolving new initiatives that will address the cause of crimes is a better option than concentrating on the manifestations. In this regard, we are gathered here today to witness the birth of one of such initiatives deliberately thought out, with the aim of sensitising the younger ones on the dangers of crime through fun-filled quiz competitions.

“The ‘IGP 30 Minutes Quiz Competition’ is being organised in partnership with the Federal Ministry of Education, State Ministries of Education, other education related agencies and stakeholders. This competition which is specifically designed for secondary school students, will feature students from Police, Military, and Paramilitary Secondary Schools in addition to other conventional secondary schools across the country. Seasoned panelists will ensure a credible, transparent and qualitative process that will culminate in a grand finale where mouth-watering prizes would be won.

“Equally, as the programme progresses there will be School Visitation programmewhere Public Relations Officers will be visiting selected schools across the country to lecture the pupils and students on the dangers of taking to crime as well as the importance of abstaining from it. It would also involve career talks with a view to triggering the interest of some of the students in considering careers in the Police Force. These will further help in steering our children and youths away from all forms of crimes and criminality.

Read Also: IGP recalls Kaduna forest battle

“ Last year, I launched the Police Campaign against Cultism and other Vices, otherwise known as POCACOV. This initiative, which was equally targeted at students, is already making positive impacts across states of the federation. These programmes are not in isolation but component parts of the big picture, which is, Community Policing with the sole aim of ensuring a safer nation,” he said.

He assured that the quiz competition will go a long way in curbing criminal activities and have beneficial impact on the youth and country at large.

He urged parents, guardians and academic institutions to encourage their children/wards to participate actively in all of these sets of beneficial  programmes.

Okodili Ndidi, Abuja

The  (AFRIGIST) has advocated the use of Geospatial technology in the execution of projects in Nigeria and other African countries.
It disclosed that it has initiated a programme that will provide Nigeria and other African countries the capacity to meet the geospatial need.

AFRIGIST formerly known as Regional Centre for Training in Aerospace Surveys (RECTAS) was established in 1972 under the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), is supervised by the Office of the Surveyor General of the Federation (SGOF).

The institute, which is located in the campus of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile- Ife, is a bilingual (English and French) inter-governmental educational outlet for the following member countries: Benin, Burkina – Faso, Cameroun, Ghana, Mali, Niger, and Nigeria the host country, and Senegal.

It was created to develop skilled manpower needs in geospatial information science and technology and its application, is open to all African countries, providing theoretical and practical training in Photogrammetry, Remote-Sensing, Cartography and Geographic Information Science (GIS) including their application in geographical surveys, environmental studies, natural resources management, mapping, land administration among others.

READ ALSO: Edo Poly Usen to unveil Centre for Geospatial Information Science

The Executive Dircetor of AFRIGIST, Dr. Adewale Akingbade, said that the benefits of Geospatial education is enormous, adding that Nigeria is yet to explore the opportunities in Geospatial technology.

He enjoined the government and relevant authorities to encourage the acquisition of geospatial education in the country adding that it will end the unwholesome practice of executing projects without data and facts.

Akingbade who made the call at the Palace of the Emir of Nasarawa, Alhaji Ibrahim Usman Jibrin, a former Minister for Environment, noted that “the benefits of Geospatial education remain enormous and Nigeria has not fully tapped into it”.

The traditional ruler stated that the importance of GIS cannot be over-emphazed, adding that Nassarawa State has achieved a lot through the use of geospatial technology.

He commended the Surveyor General of the Federation, Taiwo .Adeniran over his appointment and urged him to carry everyone along to achieve meaningful development.

From Eric Ikhilae, Abuja

The Court of Justice of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has adjourned for judgments in two suits filed against the governments of Guinea and Republic of Niger by their citizens, for alleged rights violations.

A three-man panel of the court, led by its President, Justice Edward Asante, after taking arguments from parties on Thursday, fixed judgment for April 21 in the case against Guinea and May 30 in the case against Niger Republic.

The prosecution of both cases is being promoted by a group, the Public Interest Lawyering Initiative for West Africa (PILIWA).

In the case against Guinea, the plaintiffs are demanding over $7bn as damages for the alleged murder, torture, arrest and violations of rights of the victims of Zoghota masacre on August 4, 2012 by some operatives of the Guinean security agencies.

According to the plaintiffs, agents of the Guinean security and defense forces on the orders of the state attacked Zoghota Village, firing at random, killing six residents, wounding several more, burning homes, and arresting and torturing several people.

The plaintiffs’ lawyer, Pepe Lama, told the court that they have to approach the ECOWAS Court for justice as they have tried to no avail to get justice in Guinea.

Lama said since 2018 when the compliant was filed against the respondents, the government has failed to investigate or hold anyone responsible.

He then prayed the court to recognise the violations and hold Guinea responsible, adding that the court should order Guinea to remedy the damage by prosecuting the alleged criminals.

Though the Government of Guinea was served with court papers and it filed processes in response, it was, however, not represented in court.

In the suit against the Government of Niger Republic marked: ECW/CCJ/APP/51/18, the plaintiffs, who are the family heads, representing those claiming ownership of the land, are challenging the alleged illegal acquisition of the land by the government.

According to them, the government illegally took over their lands used for farming and allocated to a private firm, Summerset Continental, for the construction of a luxury hotel.

The plaintiffs claimed that the state violated national laws and international standards on the right to property when it took their land in the fertile valley of Gountou Yena that was the residents’ sole source of livelihood, without prior consultation or compensation.

They said their resort to the court was to seek justice because the state took unjustified administrative actions to revoke and retroactively cancel the property rights that it had previously recognized as belonging to the families of Gountou Yena.

The plaintiffs urged the court to uphold their claims because the government has violated their rights by forcibly taking over their land without necessary and appropriate compensation.

The plaintiffs, through their lawyer, Idrissa Tercherna urged the court to order Niger to pay damages and loss of profit to each of the applicants (head of large family 450,000,000) CFA as compensation for any cause of damage.

Sued with the Republic of Niger, is a  firm, Summerset Continental Limited, owners of the Summerset Continental Hotel that is being built on the land currently under dispute.

The Niger authorities, who was represented in court by a lawyer, faulted the plaintiffs’ claims and prayed the court to dismiss the suit.

A sickle cell patient, Catherine Onofua, is seeking support to raise N10million for kidney transplant.

Three years ago, Onofua, who is also a single mother of two, was diagnosed with Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD).

The petty trader cannot afford the weekly dialysis and blood transfusions required to keep her alive.

With the help of her immediate family, she was able to undergo several dialysis and blood transfusions at the General Hospital, Odan, till they ran out of funds.

Her Church, Catholic Church of Annunciation, Ajah, through the society of St. Vincent De Paul took up the support by funding the dialysis and blood transfusions whilst trying to raise N10million for kidney transplant for Catherine.

She is asking kindhearted people to please donate generously to enable Catherine have kidney transplant.

All donations should be made to: St. Vincent De Paul Society, Catholic Church of Annunciation.

Account number: 4110024245

Bank: Fidelity Bank.

 

By Bolaji Ogundele, Abuja

President Muhammadu Buhari has described the terrorist attack along the Biu Road in Maiduguri, Borno state, on Monday as cowardly.

The President, in a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, commiserated with the families of the victims of the attack, assuring that his administration would not rest in its efforts to frustrate the intents of the terrorists.

President Buhari condemns the “murderous and cowardly attack on innocent passengers by the Boko Haram terrorists near Maiduguri’’, adding: “this administration is ever determined to frustrate their goal to hold Nigeria to ransom’’.

“The commitment of this administration to protect the lives of Nigerians will not be derailed by the cowardly and indiscriminate violence against innocent people by Boko Haram terrorists,’’ he said, while reacting to recent attacks in Maiduguri.

READ ALSO: Army dispels rumour on planned Maiduguri attacks

The President Buhari, who also condoled with the government of the state, warns “that terrorists are clearly on a back foot and their days are numbered’’.

“As our armed forces continue to receive more hardware and intelligence to counter our current security challenges, the remnants of Boko Haram will ultimately be crushed. The peculiar challenges of asymmetric warfare notwithstanding, our armed forces are ever determined to defeat these enemies of humanity,’’ President Buhari said.

The 37th Founders’ Day and 29th Convocation ceremonies of the Federal University of Technology, Minna may have come and gone but it is pertinent to reflect on the notable milestones recorded by the institution since inception.

The University was established on February 1st, 1983 with a vision to become a world class institution of learning and Nigeria’s leading University recognized for its excellence in capacity building and service delivery. The institution’s mission focuses on the training of skilled and innovative workforce that would transform Nigeria’s natural resources into goods and services driven by entrepreneurship as well as Information and Communications Technology (ICT) to positively affect the economy and thus the quality of life of her people.

It is instructive to note that 37 years down the line since its establishment, the university has not deviated from its stated vision and mission.

From an obscure background, the institution now has more than 130 professors, providing scholarly mentorship for junior staff and students of the University. There are about 165 staff of the university who are within and outside the country pursuing various doctorate and Master’s degree programmes under the institution’s sponsorship policy.

The selection process is transparent and rancour- free because the consideration of staff for study fellowship is under the purview of the University’s Committee of Deans who has the mandate to make recommendation to the Vice-Chancellor for approval.

Also, staff of the University are promoted as and when due in line with the University’s extant laws.

Since its inception, it has been one story of progress or another for FUT Minna. The University has been soaring high like an eagle in all perspectives which has also culminated in the institution being ranked as the best specialized university in the country. FUT Minna was one of only two Universities to have scored AA+ in the last and only institutional accreditation exercise conducted by the National Universities Commission (NUC) and 4th among the best most preferred graduates by employers.

FUT Minna has an intriguing track record of superb scholarship comparable to any part of the world and this has made the university the cynosure of all eyes whenever quality university education is mentioned in this clime. In the area of research breakthrough, the institution ranks high among its peers in the country and has a well-documented history of ambitious researches that led to amazing discoveries.

In the early 1990s, one of the University researchers, Prof Samuel A. Garba of the Department of Microbiology developed the typhoid fever vaccine which became the toast of the country. In terms of research grants, the university researchers have attracted many grants to the institution since its establishment. Notable among these grants are; the World Bank (Step-B) project for vaccine and drug development to the tune of 5.5 million dollars. The World Bank grant led to the establishment of the Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology. At this Centre, some of the university researchers carried out a study which led to the development of the first carbon nanotube for the treatment of water plants in Nigeria.

In 2012, the university won a grant from Germany for the establishment of West African Science Service Centre on Climate Change and Adapted Land Use (WASCAL) Master Research Programme (MRP) in Climate Change and Adapted Land Use (CC & ALU).

Owing to the outstanding performance of the university, the programme has been upgraded to Ph.D. status in Climate Change and Human Habitat. In 2018, FUT Minna also won the World Bank research grant for the establishment of Africa Centre of Excellence for Mycotoxin and Food Safety worth six million dollars.

Over the years, the University has been consistent in winning the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) institutional based research grants and National Research Funds. Out of the nine research proposals submitted by the university to TETFund for the 2019 national research calls, five went through and got grants of N175, 943, 776. 00. FUT, Minna was also part of a consortium involving four other African Universities that won a grant of 1.4 million Euros under the African Intra-mobility programme.

The institution also won a grant of £155, 465 from the Royal Academy of Engineering, United Kingdom for Artificial Intelligence for Clean Energy. For the past five years, the university researchers have won several grants from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NUC) in telecommunication related inventions.

The university has also attracted grants from the Federal Ministry of Mines and Steels as well as other local and international sources. In view of the University’s commitment towards research and patent applications, the National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP) donated world class equipment to the institution for the establishment of an Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer Office (IPTTO).

Just recently, the NUC granted approval to the University’s Centre of Open Distance and e-Learning (CODeL) to run an online degree programme via ICT enabled learning model of Open Distance Learning (ODL).

Funding largely from the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) and the Presidential Needs Assessment Fund for the Revitalization of Public Universities has enabled the University to undertake the construction of complexes for the School of Life Sciences and the School of Physical Sciences. The completion of these projects will enable the University relocate the two schools from the Bosso campus to the Gidan Kwano campus.

READ ALSO: FUTMinna research group gets £155,465 AI grant

The University has also started the construction of earth dam to address the shortage of water scarcity on Campus.
The University also has a valid partnership with some renowned institutions abroad namely Florida A & M University (FAMU), United States of America, Ghent University, Belgium, Anand Agricultural University, Anand, Gujarat, India just to mention but a few. The partnerships centre on staff and students exchange programme, joint research collaboration.

The university’s postgraduate programme is now one of the most sought after on the continent based on the fact that it is well structured and students conclude their studies as and when due without delay for those who are ready to work. This has culminated in exponential rise in the number of students seeking admission for postgraduate education in the university.

The university has also made tremendous progress in addressing the shortage of students’ hostel accommodation on campus, mainly through Public and Private Partnership with reputable investors as well as governmental intervention through the Needs Assessment Funds used to build the Ultra-modern students hostel adjudged as one of the best in the country.

The present Vice-Chancellor of the University, Prof. Abdullahi Bala has demonstrated an unprecedented commitment towards the development of University. As a consummate University administrator with over 30 years of scholarship, the Vice-Chancellor has used his contact in the society to attract critical infrastructure and investors to the institution. Notable among these partnerships is the on-going construction work for 5, 336 bed spaces undertaken by Urban Shelter Limited based on Build, Operate and Transfer agreement with the University. To ease the problem of students’ accommodation, the University Alumni Association has also embarked on the construction of 5, 000-bed space hostel for the University.

The Federal University of Technology, Minna has gone a long way in making a case for its rightful elevation into the league of the world’s elite universities. Indeed, all these achievements recorded over the years from limited available resources is proof of the rarefied field the institution now plays in.

Consequently, the university is open to more partnerships and support from spirited individuals, corporate organizations, particularly its Alumni to enable the university provide the right resources that would stimulate effective learning and research in its quest for more global recognition. Indeed, FUT Minna is moving forward.

Yetunde Adebambo

It is no longer news that Coronavirus is ravaging many lives. Since outbreak of the disease in China, there has been palpable tension across the globe with many countries putting measures in place to curtail its spread.

Coronavirus affects one’s nose or upper throat and can spread much like a cold virus.

Research shows that the incubation period for the 2019 coronavirus in people is within 14 days of exposure to the virus.

Most often, spread from person-to-person happens among close contacts (about 6 feet). Person-to-person spread is thought to occur mainly via respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes, similar to how influenza and other respiratory illnesses spread.

There are simple symptoms of Coronavirus, and they include: Cough, Fever, Shortness of breath in rare cases, severe respiratory problems and kidney failure or death.

READ ALSO: Coronavirus: it’s time for facts, science and solidarity

Recently, 97 people have been reported dead due to the deadly virus. A report also claims that a citizen of the United States died of the Virus recently, showing that the disease is fast spreading amongst different countries of the world.

There are ways to protect yourself from the fast-spreading disease. One of it is to wash your hands frequently and thoroughly with alcohol based sanitizer if soap and water are not available.

This should be done for a minimum of 20 seconds. Another is to avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands.

Furthermore, you should cover your mouth when coughing or sneezing, and use a tissue to clean up yourself. If you are sick, it is advisable to stay at home, to avoid any spread.

Our Reporter

 

The Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has identified basic education as an effective instrument in tackling female genital mutilation, noting that his administration will not relent in increasing access for girl-child education in the state.

Governor Obaseki said this in commemoration of International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation, a United Nations-sponsored annual awareness day, as part of efforts to eradicate the global menace.

The governor said Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is a violation of girls’ fundamental human right and cannot be justified by any cultural or religious myth, adding that more access to education is needed to stop FGM and end the suffering it inflicts.

The governor decried that despite the country being signatory to global declarations and policies that protect the rights of women and girls, which safeguards them from gender-based violence, female genital mutilation is still practiced in parts of Nigeria.

“On the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation, we reaffirm the commitment of the Edo State Government to end this violation of human rights and stop suffering of tens of millions of girls across the world.

Read Also: Finally, Obaseki demolishes Kabaka’s hotel

“This effort is especially critical because female genital mutilation leads to long-term physical, psychological and social consequences, which violates women’s rights to sexual and reproductive health, physical integrity, non-discrimination and freedom from cruel or degrading treatment. Female genital mutilation is never safe, no matter who carries it out or how clean the venue is.”

“Hence, we are calling governments all over the world to take a cue from the basic education approach of the Edo State Government in tackling this menace. This is because all over the world, education is a key driver of development and prosperity.

Access to education especially to the girl-child is a necessary tool in addressing the issue as it allows for the introduction of new concepts and the exchange of ideas, along with access to various sources of information and technology that foster social relations and developments,” he added.

According to Obaseki, “In Edo State, we are pleased with the revolutionary steps we have taken in basic education where we have trained over 11,300 primary school teachers, involved communities in school management; rebuilt about 240 schools and deployed bespoke technology in the classrooms. The net result is that over 300,000 children in our public schools not only just go to school but they now learn when in school.

“Satisfied with the situation in primaries one to six, our priority in 2020 is to redefine and improve the quality and pedagogy in the Junior Secondary School system.  Our goal is that when a child goes through the first nine years of learning in the Edo State School System, he/she will have acquired the basics to achieve success in life.”