The Nation Newspaper

Tag: 000 Nigerians

  • 250,000 Nigerians benefit from MTN’s ‘Season of Surprises’

    250,000 Nigerians benefit from MTN’s ‘Season of Surprises’

    No fewer than 250,000 Nigerians benefitted from the just-concluded MTN ‘Season of Surprises’ give-back initiative.

    MTN’s General Manager Consumer Marketing Oluwole Rawa said the Season of Surprises team reached out to hundreds of thousandsof Nigerians over two weeks.

    According to him, many received gifts such as television sets, airtime, food items and branded souvenirs in the various communities visited. Others like shoppers who thronged popular malls for their Christmas shopping, had their purchases paid for while commuters at bus and train stations received refunds of their transport fares as well as free tickets courtesy of the ‘Season of Surprises’ initiative.

    Rawa explained that the idea behind ‘Season of Surprises’ was to express appreciation to Nigerians whether they are MTN customers or not in the spirit of yuletide.

    He added that the initiative was a core component of the company’s values and commitment to giving back to the communities within which MTN operates.

    He thanked Nigerians for receiving them warmly: “We’re very grateful to our compatriots for making it a successful one. At every stop, we were warmly received and were able to touch over 250,000 lives positively. We are very much committed to serving Nigerians better. The coming year promises to be exciting and we look forward to taking this journey together,” he said.

    The two-week ‘Season of Surprises’ initiative began at the Police barracks, Ikoyi before moving to the Lekki toll gates, delighting the public with toll-free passes, recharge cards and gift items. Other locations also received varying gifts and include Owerri, Ilorin, Oyo, Onitsha, Enugu and IDP camps in Cross River, Maiduguri and Sokoto, among others.

  • 300,000 Nigerians living in U.S., says Envoy

    THE outgoing Deputy Consul-General of the United States in Lagos, Ms Dehab Ghebreab, on Monday said that about 300,000 Nigerians were currently living in different parts of the U.S.

    Ghebreab, who told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that the number of Nigerians in America was increasing, also said that about 30,000 Americans were living in Nigeria.

    ‘’ It has been estimated that there are currently about 300,000 Nigerians working, studying or doing business in different states of America.

    ‘’We also have about 30,000 Americans living in different parts of Nigeria today.

    ‘’There is a growing increase in the people-to-people relationship between Nigeria and the United States today,’’ she said.

    Ghebreab noted that after decades of mutual partnership between Nigeria and the U.S., their relationship had grown favourably within the last five years.

    According to her, both countries will continue to have closer ties in the near future.

    Ghebreab said that the U.S. government would continue to promote people-to-people relationships between Nigerians and the Americans, to further enhance areas of partnerships between the two countries.

    The deputy consul-general expressed her government’s commitment to strengthening its partnership, as well as facilitating trade and investment with Nigeria in the years ahead.

    Ghebreab, who also commended the contributions of Nigerian and

    American citizens to both countries’ socioeconomic development, announced her government’s plan to facilitate the investments of U.S. companies in Nigeria.

    ‘’ The United States and Nigeria’s relationship has been going on for decades, and it has always been a very strong relationship.

    ‘’ Both countries will continue to address issues of mutual interest between them. This is what friends and partners do.’’

     

  • 60,000 Nigerians in Cameroon refugees’ camp

    60,000 Nigerians in Cameroon refugees’ camp

    There are over 60,000 Nigerian refugees in the Minawao camp, Maruoa in far North Region of Cameroon.

    Minister of Interior Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazzau visited the camp during his three days official visit to the neigbbouring countries.

    He assured the Nigerian Refugees that Government committed to relocating them back to their communities at home.

    He assured them that since peace has returned to the areas hitherto controlled by the Boo Haram, they can easily be integrated into the system back home.

    Gen. Dambazau also donated food and other essential items to the displaced Nigerians in Cameroon on behalf of the Federal Government.

    He was accompanied on the trip by the Inspector General of Police Mr. Solomon Arase, the CG Immigration Service Mr. Martins Abeshi, DG National Emergency Management Agency Sani Sidi, the Solicitor General of the Federation, Representative of National Refugee Commission and other government officials.

    The Interior Minister, in a communiqué at the end of a bilateral meeting with officials of Cameroon Interior Ministry on issues related to exchange of information on the organization and duties of Interior Ministry of both Countries, arrangement towards gradual return of Nigerian Refugees back home which would involve a tripartite agreement between Nigeria, Cameroon and United Nations Commission on Human Rights, Maritime Piracy, as well Memorandum of Understanding on the establishment of regular consultation mechanisms between authorities of the Cameroonian Regions, and States in Nigeria located along the common border.

     

  • 250,000 Nigerians suffer cancer yearly

    The Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, has disclosed that 250,000 Nigerians suffer from different forms of cancer yearly.

    The minister, who was represented by Mr. Samson Opaluwa, an engineer, said this yesterday in Abuja during the World Cancer Day. Its theme is: ‘Cancer- Did you Know?’

    He said: “We record 250,000 new cases of cancer yearly and as you all know, cancer is of different types, we have cervical cancer, breast cancer, lung cancer and so many others.”

    According to the minister, four myths have impacted negatively on the prevention and control needs to be corrected.

    “The myths are, so many people see cancer as just a health issue, cancer as a disease of the wealthy, elderly and developed countries, cancer is a death sentence and cancer is my fate.”

    Discouraging people on the myths, Prof. Chukwu said: “The truth is that cancer is not just a health issue. It has wide-reaching social, economic development and human rights implications. Also, cancer does not discriminate, it is a global epidemic, affecting all ages, with low and middle-income countries bearing a disproportionate burden.

    “Most of the people diagnosed with cancer see it as a death sentence. The truth remains that many cancer that were once considered a death sentence can now be cured and for many more people, their cancer can now be treated effectively.”

    The wife of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) governorship candidate in last year’s election in Ondo State, Mrs. Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu, has decried the poor funding and low awareness associated with cancer in Nigeria.

    She appealed to corporate bodies and well-meaning Nigerians to partner the Federal Government on cancer awareness to reduce the rate of the disease.

    Mrs. Akeredolu, who is also the President of Breast Cancer Association of Nigeria (BRECAN), spoke yesterday at a cancer awareness programme organised by the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members in Ile-Ife, Osun State to celebrate this year’s World Cancer Day.

    She said cancer was responsible for one out of eight deaths experienced daily worldwide, adding that 7.8 million cancer patients die annually in the developing nations as a result of their ignorance or lack money for treatment.