The Nation Newspaper

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  • Gunmen kill Kogi Commissioner, abduct council chair

    Gunmen kill Kogi Commissioner, abduct council chair

    Agency Reporter

    Gunmen have killed a Commissioner in the Kogi State Pension Board, Mr Solomon Akeweje, and abducted the Chairman of Yagba West Local Government, Mr Pius Kolawole.

    Spokesman of the Police Command, DSP William Aya, who confirmed the incident, said the Commissioner and Kolawole were travelling in the same vehicle when they were attacked.

    He said that police received the report of the attack at about 4:30 pm of Saturday, May 1 and immediately moved to the scene of the incident.

    The police spokesman said the victims were attacked at Eruku, a border community between Kwara and Kogi States.

    READ ALSO: Senate passes bills to establish two universities in Kogi

    According to Aya, Akeweje and Kolawole were travelling back to Egbe from Kwara State when they were attacked by yet-to-be-identified gunmen.

    The whereabouts of the abducted Kolawole is unknown as at the time of this report while his abductors are yet to call.

    However, the driver of the vehicle survived the attack while the corpse of Akeweje was deposited at the morgue of ECWA Hospital, Egbe. (NAN)

  • GSF Foundation’s philanthropy for everyone, says Ologbenla Smith

    GSF Foundation’s philanthropy for everyone, says Ologbenla Smith

    Ologbenla Babatunde Smith has come to be known across Nigeria as the philanthropist who supports the sick and the extremely poor on account of his extraordinary assistant to the needy in society.

    His non-profit organisation, Givers Supportive Foundation GSF (better known on Instagram as GSF Foundation) has been a saving grace to many Nigerians who found themselves in otherwise dire strait and precarious health situations.

    Speaking recently, he avowed that people shouldn’t be surprised at what his organisation is doing. “Helping the less privilege, the sick people and the extremely poor is our main focus in Givers Supportive Foundation,” he said, “We might not be able to help everyone, but we keep doing our best helping and supporting in our own little way.”

    Speaking further, Smith explained that, unlike many non-profits whose scope of operations are streamlined, GSF Foundation, has a broad scope that allows it to touch lives in various ways.
    According to him, the sick and the extremely poor, who are the major focus of the GSF Foundation is a broad category that includes children and adults.

    READ ALSO: Foundation fetes private school teachers

    “Take for instance a four-year-old named David who had a pediatric surgery and his mother, a widow had thought her child is fine and okay, but this year, the boy was rushed from school after he collapsed foaming from his mouth and having shortness of breath. And it became imperative to raise N500, 000 for the boy’s treatment at the hospital for lung seizures and typhoid. Presently we are campaigning to raise the money,” Smith narrated.

    He continued: “Compare that to a woman who brought a man suffering from stroke to our office. So at GSF Foundation, we focus on everybody, I mean anyone that needs help, irrespective of age, especially those with ailing health conditions and those living in extreme poverty.”

    Of the second category, he gave a pertinent example. “I recently went to visit an old woman who needed a small business to sustain herself and her kids. And by the grace of God, I was able to render my support to her and I also promised to continue to support her.”

    The GSF Foundation CEO further asserted that giving is a charitable act that should be natural to every human being. “If you’re in the luckiest one per cent of humanity, you owe it to the rest of humanity to think about the other 99 per cent,” he stated.

  • 780 babies delivered in OPM free hospital in Rivers

    780 babies delivered in OPM free hospital in Rivers

    By Mike Odiegwu, Port Harcourt

    About 780 babies have been delivered at a free Specialist Hospital owned by the Omega Power Ministries (OPM) in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

    The Medical Director, Dr. Enighe Ugboma, who spoke on Sunday in a ceremony to mark the second anniversary of the hospital located at Aluu community in Ikwerre Local Government Area, said the facility provides free maternal healthcare services to expectant mothers and new mothers without collecting any fee from them.

    He said: “April 17, 2019 marks two years this hospital was inaugurated out of the love OPM General Overseer, Apostle Chibuzor Chinyere has for less privilege and downtrodden in the society

    “The hospital during the last two years has registered over 1,448 pregnant women for antenatal care; delivered 780 babies, including two sets of triplets and 23 sets of twins.

    “Every service in the hospital is rendered free of charge to pregnant women, including registration, obstetric ultrasound scan, antenatal, consultancy, tests, blood, drugs and vaginal and caesarean deliveries, among others.

    “On delivery, every woman is fed daily free of charge while indigent patient is given a delivery pack containing: baby clothes and toiletries”.

    Ugboma said the hospital usually gave transport fare to the women after delivery to make their departures from the hospital to their homes easy.

    The General Overseer of OPM, Apostle Chibuzor Chinyere, said the hospital was built and run from the offerings and tithes of members of the church.

    He said aside the two free specialist hospitals operated in Ohunku, Abia and Port Harcourt, OPM built 15 schools where students and pupils acquired knowledge free of charge

    He said: “We have also provided free accommodation to many in our estates and awarded scholarships to hundreds of students to study in both local and foreign universities.

    “OPM did all these and many more through the offerings and tithes of members – for the benefit of the less privileged, irrespective of their tribes or religion.”

    He added: “So, we decided to build the free hospitals due to the alarming maternal and infant mortality rate in Nigeria.

    “We realised that these avoidable deaths are caused partly because many pregnant women and their husbands do not have access to quality antenatal services.

    “So, because they cannot afford to go to hospitals to deliver their babies, many pregnant women lose their lives and that of their unborn children due to lack of proper medical care.

    “So, we are happy that God is using OPM to touch lives of the people – as the hospital has delivered almost 800 babies in two years of operation,” he added.

    Chinyere, however, said the hospital was expensive to run following the cost of operating generators 24 hours daily, to power medical equipment in the facility.

    He said it costs the church over N1million monthly to run the generators alone, aside maintenance cost and staff salaries, among others.

    He said: “So, we call on the government to immediately support us by restoring electricity back to this area and going by the many lives the hospital saves daily”.

    One of the beneficiaries, Saratu Musa, a Moslem and nursing mother of an 11-month-old baby, said she was delivered of her daughter without paying kobo to the hospital.

    She said: “The hospital took care of me from antenatal and actual delivery. They even fed me and my baby throughout my admission in the hospital”.

  • Why Borno Govt is delaying payment of promotion benefits – HoS

    Why Borno Govt is delaying payment of promotion benefits – HoS

    Agency Reporter

    Mr Simon Malgwi, the Borno Head of Civil Service, has said that the delay in the payment of workers’ promotion benefits was caused by anomalies discovered in some promotions.

    Malgwi made this known on Saturday in Maiduguri while addressing workers during activities to mark the International Workers Day at the state NLC secretariat.

    He said that the state government would soon constitute a committee comprising labour and his office to verify all promotions before payment of the benefits.

    “So many vices have crept into the promotion process and that’s why some people got promotions that they are not due for.

    “Some people have gotten promotion three times in one or two years and we don’t know which scheme of service they are using to get those promotions.

    “So, for the benefit of all of us and for the benefit of the system we must correct the system,” Malgwi said.

    On workers employed in 2019 that are yet to get their salaries, the head of the service said Gov. Umar Zulum had ordered him to compile their list for appropriate action.

    READ ALSO: Zulum inaugurates Borno varsity governing council

    Malgwi explained that the state government had discovered that some of the employees used fake certificates while some are completely unemployable.

    “Some are employable but have some technical problems which has to do with biometrics.

    “I am sure NLC will stand behind us to stamp out those with fake and unqualified results who want to peep into the system to destroy it,” Malgwi said.

    The head of service also spoke on the review of teachers verification exercise, stressing that unqualified teachers would not be allowed to continue teaching.

    He said allowing such teachers in service will not be healthy for the system and the future of education in the state.

    “Where somebody has not gotten the basic qualification to teach and we allow him, we are not only destroying the future we are also destroying our children.

    “Teaching is not about social welfare, when it comes to education and health we should be very strict,” Malgwi said. (NAN)

  • Abdulrazaq begs as workers insist on N30, 000 minimum wage

    Abdulrazaq begs as workers insist on N30, 000 minimum wage

    By Adekunle Jimoh, Ilorin

    Kwara Governor AbdulRahman Abdulrazaq has sought workers understanding with over implementation of the N30, 000 minimum wage by his administration.

    Governor Abdulrazaq spoke in Ilorin at the 2021 commemoration of the annual May Day.

    He also reassured Kwara workers of his administration’s commitment to improving their well-being despite the dwindling revenue amid the impact of the covid 19 pandemics.

    Represented by Head of Service (HoS) Mrs. Susan Oluwole, he said: “I understand the position of labour, particularly regarding the minimum wage.

    “I assure you all that we certainly do not overlook these issues and we are considering all positive options to further make our workers happy.

    “I call for your understanding and support for us to get through this hard time.”

    But the labour movement urged the government to resume dialogue on the vexed issue of minimum wage yet to be implemented by the state.

    Trade Union Congress (TUC) Kwara chief: Akinsola Akinwunmi said: “We shall continue to strive with resilience by constructively engaging the relevant organs of government until our demands are met.

    READ ALSO: Abdulrazaq, PDP disagree over alleged development strides rating

    “Therefore, I call on the governor to toe the path of history by bringing back the minimum wage issue where it has been kept to hibernate and let us quickly resume discussions and implementation of the wage bill within the shortest possible time.

    “Our endurance, long-suffering and sacrificial spirits should no longer be taken for granted.”

    His Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) counterpart Issa Ore accused the administration of frustrating efforts at negotiation and immediate approval for the implementation of the minimum wage.

    Comrade Ore added: “The state government has been playing antics with the minimum wage in the media and feeding the general public with wrong information on the issue.

    “But we are convinced that the monthly allocation and state internally generated revenue can conveniently implement the wage and attend to infrastructural needs of the state.”

  • Trinitas Foundation to offer N20m investment funds to startups

    Trinitas Foundation to offer N20m investment funds to startups

    Our Reporter

    One of Nigeria’s most laudable charity foundations, Trinitas Foundation is set to give out an investment fund of Twenty Million Naira (N20m) to ten startup ventures across Technology, Agriculture, Small Scale Manufacturing, Entertainment & Media, Fashion, Beauty & Lifestyle and Food Industries.

    The new initiative is the Trinitas Investment Programme, an annual startup pitch competition.

    The project is a strategic approach to highlight one of the key missions of the foundation, which is to empower and foster opportunities and possibilities for emerging African ventures across the target six industries.

    READ ALSO: How we spent COVID-19 funds so far – FG

    A statement by Ade George, founder and CEO of the foundation at the recently held media launch of the initiative says “our mission is to empower African startups and business ideas with funding that help them become employers of labor and contribute to the overall growth of Nigeria and the continent at large.

    Mr Tosin Ayodele, one of the Directors also stated that the foundation has partnered with some technical partners such as Access Bank to provide training and other forms of support to beneficiaries of this initiative.

    Mr Yanju George, a Trustee and director of Trinitas, affirms that the foundation will continue to deliver on its key missions which are feeding and providing vital essentials for the less privileged, providing resources for child education, empowering women through sustainable trade and enterprise support and funding prospective African startups and business ideas; a feat it has maintained since inception in 2016.

  • We have no competition, says Salami Bolatito

    We have no competition, says Salami Bolatito

    Our Reporter

    Acclaimed queen of ready-made and abaya, Salami Bolatito Elizabeth, famous on Instagram as @zanzeespabeautynstyle has explained why her brand is a household name.

    “Zanzee Spa, Beauty and Style offers nothing but the very best of beauty and skincare products and services from around the world. You can count on us to offer authentic and quality products at any time. Besides, we set the pace in the sector. We are very innovative and resourceful such that we don’t imitate, but instead, provide exclusive top-of-the-range beauty and fashion products.”

    Continuing, she further averred: “We have served a whole range of society’s creme de la creme and they keep coming back to us because of our excellent customer service. We treat each customer like royalty.”

    On competition, she expressed no fear but said instead: “there can only be one zanzeespabeautynstyle; any other one will be playing second best. There is no competition to my brand. Our service is exclusive to each customer. And that makes us the preferred choice to our numerous customers in Nigeria and abroad.”

    Aside from being a household name in the Lagos-Abeokuta axis, Salami’s brand has been dominating on social media too, especially on Instagram as @zanzeespabeautynstyle which has about 400, 000 followers who are mostly celebrities, socialites and fashion enthusiasts. Such clout made her a beauty influencer.

  • UniJos shuts student hostels over security threats – Official

    UniJos shuts student hostels over security threats – Official

    Agency Reporter

    The Management of the University of Jos has directed the closure of all its students’ hostels over security threats to the school.

    Mr Abdullahi Abdullahi, Deputy Registrar, Information and Publications of the university disclosed this in a statement sent to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) early on Saturday in Jos, adding that the hostels would remain closed until further notice

    According to Abdullahi, the decision followed an emergency meeting between the management of the university and other stakeholders, including heads of security agencies in the state, the chief security officer of the institution, students representatives and others, held on Friday, April 30

    The official said that the outcome of the meeting indicated that the university has become a soft target for insecurity, hence the decision for the students to vacate the hostels.

    READ ALSO: SSANU faults NUC’s suspension of UNIJOS Vice-Chancellorship race

    “The meeting deliberated on a security report regarding threats to the University Staff, Students and properties. As a result of this, soft targets like the hostels are in great danger.

    “In the light of this development, the hostels are to be closed with immediate effect. Students and other members of the university community are to note and strictly comply with this directive

    “This is in the interest of the safety of students until all security measures have been perfected to protect the campuses as well as the hostels,” he said.

    The deputy registrar, however, said that the ongoing examinations would continue unhindered.

    He called on students and all members of the university community to be security-conscious and report any suspicious movements within the university to the security agencies for a prompt response. (NAN)

  • EKOEXCEL: LASUBEB trains 2,000 primary school teachers

    EKOEXCEL: LASUBEB trains 2,000 primary school teachers

    By Samuel Oamen

    The Lagos State Universal Basic Education Board (LASUBEB) has completed the final phase of training for 2,000 newly recruited primary school teachers on integration of technological devices for instructional classroom delivery under the EKOEXCEL initiative of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu.

    According to LASUBEB, the training would not only empower and develop the newly recruited teachers and participating head teachers but also bring them up to speed with how knowledge is being impacted across other parts of the world by including technology in the basic education system.

    EKOEXCEL is dramatically accelerating learning two times more learning math and 3 more in literacy.

    The 2,000 teachers represent the final batch of teachers, who completed their training in a session phased in 3 batches to comply with the State Governments Covid-19 regulations.

    All participating teachers promised to implement all they have learnt in the classrooms, noting the training will not only boost their confidence in the classrooms but also ensure their pupils gainfully engaged in school.

    Read Also: Parents: EkoEXCEL helping our wards learn

    EKOEXCEL, which means Excellence in Child Education and Learning, is an educational transformation initiative of the present administration, which is aimed at bridging the gap in quality education delivery, through the use of technological devices such as teaching tablets and smartphones in public primary school pedagogy.

    In driving excellence in learning for all pupils across primary schools in Lagos state, Sanwo-Olu introduced EKOEXCEL.

    EKOEXCEL is an education reform programme successfully developing more highly skilled teachers by training, supporting and motivating existing government teachers to succeed in their classrooms.

    Over 14,000 government teachers are being re-trained and skilled through EDEXCEL.

    Leveraging Technology will enable teachers and head teachers to be more effective.

    They are also being supported through in-person and ongoing coaching.

    1016 head teachers will receive one-on-one coaching and support. The quality assurance team will be supported with digital tools.

  • BREAKING: Buhari presides over security meeting

    BREAKING: Buhari presides over security meeting

    By Bolaji Ogundele, Abuja

    President Muhammadu Buhari is presiding over a security meeting in the State House, Abuja.

    The meeting is coming on the heels of escalating insecurity in different parts of the country and general outcry by various stakeholders.

    In the last few days, several Nigerians have been killed or kidnapped in different parts of the country, a situation that has create panic among citizens.

    Among those attending the meeting are Vice President Yemi Osinbajo; the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr Boss Mustapha; Chief of Staff to the President, Professor Ibrahim Gambari and the National Security Adviser (NSA), Major-General Babagana Monguno.

    Read Also: Buhari ‘sad over attacks by Ortom’

    Others are General Lucky Irabor, Chief of Defense Staff; Lieutenant-General Ibrahim Attahiru, Chief of Army Staff; Vice Admiral Awwal Zubairu, Chief of Naval Staff; and Air Marshal Ishiaka Oladayo Amoo, Chief of Air Staff.

    The acting Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Usman Alkali Baba, is also in the meeting.

    Details shortly..