The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Academy

  • Nigerdock Academy rebrands

    To enhance Nigeria’s local capacity in the energy sector, Nigerdock has rebranded itsTraining and Development Academy.

    Representatives of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Oil and Gas Trainers Association of Nigeria (OGTAN), Nigerian Institute of Welding (NIW), International Oil and Gas Companies (IOCs) as well as business partners, graced the occasion. They commended Nigerdock for its efforts to bolster local content and put the country on the global map in complex oil and gas projects delivery.

    Unveiling the new academy known as Nigerdock Training Centre, the Group Corporate Affairs Director, Jagal, Joy Okebalama, noted that by rebranding the centre, the company will be able to replicate its excellent quality footprints in the industry. It will also be able to increase its accreditation, enable partnerships with relevant public and private organisations, arm the youth with skills for employment and life and will, ultimately, be franchised across the country to offer internationally accredited qualifications in various disciplines.

    She recalled the centre recorded a landmark in 2012, when it was adjudged most suitable for developing training programmes in various skills lacking in the oil and gas sector on the back of the Chevron DSO Project in the country.

    A  globally recognised centre,the academy has been training tradesmen and professionals for over three decades, recording over 6,000 trainees in various skills. They include project management, quality assurance, occupational health and safety, welding, fitting, painting and coating, machining, lifting, rigging and scaffolding.

  • Mr Chef partners Bridge Academy on scholarship

    Bayswater Industries Ltd, producers of Mr. Chef seasoning cubes and powdered seasoning, has increased the number of scholarships it sponsors at Bridge International Academy (BIA) to provide quality education for the less privileged in the country.

    BIA is the world’s largest education innovation organisation using data-driven and technology-enabled platforms to serve over 700 million families whose median income is less than N30,000 per month in countries around the world.

    For the 2015/2016 academic session, Mr. Chef awarded 54 scholarships to pupils, who demonstrated exemplary academic performance in BIA primary schools in Igbogbo-Ikorodu, Badagry, Igando, Ajangbadi and Ijegun, all in Lagos.

    Nine pupils in each of the six schools received the awards.

    By July 2017, the firm will increase the number of scholarships to 60, when the number of BIA schools will have increased to 20.

    It will also avail about 12,000 parents of pupils in the schools free samples of Bayswater products including the master brand, Mr. Chef and the latest product, Choco Love cocoa beverage drink, which was formulated to promote the sharing of family love.

    Bayswater Industries Ltd Managing Director, Mr Piyush Nair, who made these known in his keynote address at the prize-giving ceremony of BIA, Igbogbo-Ikorodu, said his company supports primary education because it is the most critical foundation for moulding young people who would emerge as leaders in the next two decades.

    He said: “Success in the quest for excellence is not determined by age but by an ability to quickly key into visions of future greatness, especially from foundational levels. The success of BIA has shown that excellence in education is easily achievable through a collective and committed involvement of parents, teachers and learners as well as donors.

    “Mr. Chef has invested significant amount of money in our partnership with BIA as part of our corporate social responsibility (CSR) projects in the field of education. Apart from scholarships, we have also donated playground equipment to 20 BIA schools as part of our objective of encouraging physical and mental development of children.”

    He announced that Mr. Chef would present branded lunch boxes and sets of cutlery to pupils of BIA in September at the resumption of the 2016/2017 academic session in order to improve the quality of hygiene in the schools.

    In her response, expansion director of Bridge International Academies, Ms. Olu Babalola, thanked Bayswater Industries Ltd for its support to BIA to continually provide quality, inclusive education for less privileged children.

     

     

    A parent Mrs Toyin Oguntuyo, whose son, Caleb, a Primary 3 pupil won a scholarship, had this to say:

    “I am very happy with Mr Chef for offering scholarship to my son. Given the prevailing economic situation in the country, the scholarship will help me and my family to cushion the effect of the harsh economy. It will also encourage my son to work harder in his academics.”

     

     

    Another parent of a recipient, Mr Charles Urobuchi, said: “This scholarship will encourage our young ones to excel more in their performances at school. God bless Mr Chef.”

     

  • Maritime Academy warns employees against sharp practices

    The Registrar of the Maritime Academy of Nigeria, Oron, Akwa Ibom State, Mr. Mkpandiok Mkpandiok, has warned members of staff to take their work seriously and avoid all kinds of sharp practices for selfish gains.

    Mkpandiok gave the warning during his meeting with members of staff after the expiration of the period of mourning earlier declared by the Management in honour of the late Ag. Rector Dr. Anthony Ishiodu.

    He reminded them that ‘Public Service Rule’ is still in operation and he will not hesitate to apply sanctions on defaulting Staff where necessary.

    The Registrar, who has been sitting in for the Acting Rector since the demise of the former rector, said management may embark on expressed his dismay over the attitude to work of some Staff and condemned theft of the Academy’s valuables, frequent leakages of official documents or information by Staff to some unscrupulous members of the public, amongst other negative things.

    He further stressed such extreme behaviours are not justifiable, and called on those perpetuating these injurious acts to have a change of attitude before the law catches up with them.

    The registrar also proposed conference marking of scripts by lecturers of the academy and the conclusion of the exercise two weeks after the conclusion of examinations, saying such would help to restore sanity to the Academy.

    His words: “This serves as last warning on these things, after now, heads will roll.

    “I will also not approve frivolous advances; all funds disbursed to the Academy have been budgeted for under specific sub-heads, therefore the era of using government funds for personal reasons are gone.”

    He urged non-academic staff to properly keep records of Cadets and Students in file documentation.

  • Academy of Letters elects officers

    Members of the Nigerian Academy of Letters (NAL) have elected officers that will steer the affairs of the body for two years. The election was held during its 18th Convocation and the Investiture of new fellows, which took place at the Main Auditorium of the University of Lagos (UNILAG). The event was held from August 10 to12.

    A prolific writer and frontline academic, Prof Olu Obafemi, was elected the Academy’s president.

    Other elected officers include the Vice President, Prof Francis Egbokhare, Secretary, Prof Olutayo Adesina, Assistant Secretary, Prof Maduabuchi Dukor, Treasurer, Prof Tunji Oyeshile, and General Editor/Chairman Publications Committee, Prof Festus Adesanoye.

    Also inaugurated are members of Publications Committee, who include Prof Sam Ukala, Prof Akachi Ezeigbo, Prof Amechi Akwanya and Prof Babatunde Ayeleru. Other members of the Executive Committee are Prof Emeritus Ayo Banjo, Professor Emeritus Ayo Bamgbose and Prof Olatunji Oloruntimehin, who are former presidents of the Academy.

    NAL’s ex-officio members for 2016 to 2018 are Prof Dan Izevbaye, Prof Emeritus Ben Elugbe, Prof Umaru Ahmed, and Prof Sunday Ododo. A professor of French, Unionmwan Edebiri, will serve as NAL’s honorary solicitor, while Professor Rotimi Badejo, was retained as the Newsletter Editor.

     

     

  • Academy admits students for security course

    Academy admits students for security course

    FOURTEEN students have been admitted by Risk Control Academy, a security institute, to be trained in security management. The Rector of the Ajah, Lagos-based academy, Mr Olufemi Ajayi, who spoke at the school’s second matriculation ceremony, promised to train experts that would use their skills to solve security challenges.

    Ajayi said: “We are determined to train and produce men and women who will be at the forefront of assets protection in Nigeria in the 21st century. The security personnel stationed at strategic assets in the country may not have had necessary security training to protect the assets. We want to train experts that would provide adequate security to protect our national assets.”

    He said the academy was in collaboration with security industry regulators and practitioners to raise standards of professionalism in the nation’s security architecture and to make security a preferred career choice.

    Ajayi said the academy would expand its reach and curriculum in partnership with international organisations to ensure that youths are trained to manage security in aviation, maritime and financial industry. He added that the students would be taught courses in entrepreneurship and business management.

    A fresher, Husein  Adekoya, admitted into the Department of Information Technology Networks and Electronic Security, said he had hoped to become security and safety professional, saying: “The academy is purposefully established for youths like me to explore our talent in security sectore. This is a dream come true for me.”

  • Academy gets Registrar

    Academy gets Registrar

    The Minister of Transport, Rotimi Amaechi has appointed Head of Personnel Department, Maritime Academy of Nigeria (MAN) Oron, Mr. Ante Mkpandiok as the Registrar of the institution.

    His appointment followed the death, last week, of its former Rector, Mr Joshua Okpo.

    Mkpandiok was mandated by the Minister to oversee the affairs of the academy pending the appointment of a new Rector by President Muhammadu Buhari.

    The new Registrar holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mathematics and Statistics from the University of Calabar and a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) from the same university.

    The new Registrar was until his appointment, the Head of Personnel  and has worked in the academy for over two decades.

     

  • Niger to open football academy in schools

    The Niger State Governor, Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello, has promised to promote soccer in the state-owned schools by establishing football academy. The governor made this known at the Government House in Minna while speaking to reporters on his two-week trip abroad.

    According to Governor Bello, the academy would serve as a platform for grooming talents who would represent the country in major sport competitions.

    He said while he was away in United Kingdom (UK), he had meeting with the Super Eagles midfielder, Mikel Obi, during which he struck an agreement with the footballer to develop an academy in the state.

    The governor also assured that his administration would work round the clock to improve the lots of every citizen of the state, adding that the state-owned schools would witness establishment of soccer academy.

    The state coordinator of Abulolo Support Group, Hon Mohammed Mambo, expressed the group’s readiness to support the governor’s initiative. He said the group would also continue to collaborate with all non-governmental organisations (NGO) in the state to ensure the Bello administration achieve its aims.

    Mambo said: “We felt it is very important for us to receive our governor based on the tremendous contributions he has been giving to the state. We would bring all NGOs together with a common zeal towards achieving success and the interest of the common man.”

    Mambo urged residents to support the government to fulfill its promises.

  • Youths seek upgrade of Maritime Academy

    Youths seek upgrade of Maritime Academy

    The youths of Akwa-Ibom State under the auspices of Akwa-Ibom Youth Council and Essu Nlap Oro Development Organisation (Supreme Council of Oron Youths) have urged the Federal Government to upgrade the Maritime Academy of Nigeria, Oron, to a degree-awarding institution.

    The groups also urged President Muhummadu Buhari to boost the institution’s mandate to train more seafarers and secure the nation’s waterways, by supporting the present Rector, Dr. Joshua Enun Okpo to take the academy to a greater height.

    Speaking against converting the institution to a conventional degree-awarding institution, the groups said while a degree-awarding institution would develop technical manpower for the nation’s maritime sector, a university may cause the nation to lose its membership of the World Maritime Association.

    At a press conference held in Lagos, leaders of the groups, Mr. Gabriel Thompson and Ulap Chris Ebiefe-Ante, jointly recalled that the Academy, which was established in 1979, was solely to train middle level manpower and seafarers for the maritime sector.

    “In order to strengthen this mandate, the Oron people want the President to help and see to it that the institution is upgraded to a degree-awarding institution as it is obtainable in the Nigeria Defence Academy (NDA) which is created solely for the training of men and officers for the military,” Thompson and Ebiefe-Ante said.

    Speaking on the reappointment of the Academy’s Rector, Dr Joshua Okpo, for a second term, the group stated that the action of the President clearly shows that he is a leader who rewards excellence.

    “We hail President Buhari for his boldness, courage and patriotism in re-appointing Okpo, who is a high performing public officer. It has demonstrated that President Buhari is a leader who rewards excellence.

    “Okpo’s re-appointment is meritorious and well deserved because, in the past four years, the Rector has done very well in rejuvenating the academy and positioning it for a degree-awarding institution. He has succeeded in bringing the international maritime community into the academy by facilitating MoUs that would be taking the cadets on sea time,” Thompson said.

    This implies that as soon as they finish their national diploma, they go on sea time in international vessel. This is how we would build the maritime sector,” they stated.

    The groups added that the Cabotage Law was moved in Nigeria by the National Assembly because of the maritime school in Nigeria that would be producing manpower that would allow vessels to be run by Nigerians.

    “Today our vessels are being run by foreigners. This is not good for our economy; therefore there was a need for Cabotage Law. The thrust of this Cabotage Law was producing manpower for the sector.

    The academy is therefore vital to the improvement of the maritime sector, and the Rector is responding by working hard to ensure that the quality of the cadet meets world standard.

    “Due to the infrastructure renaissance under the leadership of the present Rector, he has acquired what is called 360 degree simulator.

    This equipment is to enable the cadet know how ships look like in the classroom which is the practical training of the vessel in the classroom.

    “When the President saw the success recorded under the present Rector, he re-appointed him for the second tenure,” the youths’ leaders told journalists.

    They, therefore, urged various groups petitioning against the Rector to desist from such act and allow him to focus on the duties that will benefit the academy and the nation as a whole.

    “We the youth in Oron community are monitoring the progress of the academy because it is the only landmark we have in that part of the Niger Delta. So, if things are not well run, the youth will rise against the leadership.

    “We are hoping that by the end of his second tenure, the academy would have attained an international standard with numerous infrastructural development and acquisition of simulators for both Deck and Engine Departments in line with Manila Amendments,” Ebiefe-Ante affirmed.

    He equally urged the Rector to continue with the good work and ensure that excellence and professionalism characterise his remaining tenure in the academy.

  • Lafarge eyes housing deficit reduction through microfinance academy

    Lafarge Africa Plc, a member of the LafargeHolcim Group, has launched the Lagos State Chapter of its Housing Microfinance Academy, which is to provide capacity building to Microfinance Banks to enhance accessibility of housing credits for the low to middle income segments of the society.

    The move, which is a corporate social responsibility of the group, is aimed at allowing low income earners own homes, reduce the 17 million housing deficits in the country and it is as a result of the success of the pilot scheme of the affordable housing initiative called ‘Lafarge Ile Irorun’ done in Sagamu last year.

    The Chief Executive Officer, Aggregates and Concrete, Lafarge Africa, Mr Loren Zanin said this over the weekend at the launch in Lagos, saying: “the ‘Lafarge Ile Irorun’ (meaning house of comfort), has gone a long way and expanded nationally, adding that it is the reason it is now called ‘Lafarge Easy Home.’ He said in just two years, it has enabled 2,000 families to build their homes, allowing a total of 10,000 Nigerians to become homeowners.

    Zanin said: “Nigeria has from the start been one of the key countries for our affordable housing initiative and what was done in Sagamu, the first housing microfinance programme ever in this country was through the partnership with LAPO Microfinance Bank and the support of the Agence Francaise de Developpment (AFD), that dedicated a five million Euros credit line to LAPO Microfinance for this.”

    On the reason for Lafarge’s involvement, Zanin said the challenge of providing access to housing for low-income earners has special importance within Lafarge Africa Plc, as it sees it not only as a challenge of the times, but also as an opportunity which is fully aligned and central to its strategic objectives.

    “This initiative was launched four years ago in the perimeter of Lafarge group and over the period, Lafarge has developed projects in 18 countries. This initiative is unique as it combines two objectives, which are finding new ways of doing business by serving the low income segment profitably, and making an impact on the housing for millions of people. This is now a business for Lafarge which impacted more than 300,000 people over the last two years, and generated €7,2m EBITDA last year”.

    The Ambassador of France to Nigeria, Mr Denys Gauer said AFD, which is an arm of the French development agency, a public institution in charge of administering aid. It was involved at the pilot scheme because of the importance of the initiative. He said the academy aims to enhance the development of microfinance housing in Nigeria to build houses for the poor which is a major challenge in Nigeria.

     

     

    Speaking at the event, the Country Manager, International Finance Corporation (IFC) in Nigeria, Eme Essien said IFC is in partnership because housing is a major challenge in Nigeria as statistics revealed that there is a housing deficit of about 16.17 million units to close up in the housing sector. He said the sector has to produce over 700,000 units of housing every year but the formal sector is only churning out about 1,000 units a year and the most prolific developers in Nigeria can only churn out about 400 units a year.

    Essen said when compared with developers in Latin America and East Asia that are able to build between 5,000 and 10,000 units a year, there is a real problem in Nigeria when it comes to trying to address the housing challenge.

    Another issue in the housing sector, she said, is that most developers tend to target only the high income segment, but in places such as Mexico, there are prolific developers that are able to churn out units for about $35,000.

    Lafarge Easy Home now has operations in Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ondo, Kwara, Edo and Cross River states, with, close to 200 families becoming clients of the scheme monthly.

    Head, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN’s) National Housing Fund Programme (NHFP), Mr Adedeji Adesemoye said the CBN is in the scheme because it aligns with the agenda of the NHFP and will provide housing to members of the  lower strata of the economy.

    Asesemoye said CBN is the project implementing entity of the NHFP and it is supported by the World Bank in collaboration with the Federal Government, Federal Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Lands and Housing and the state governments as states have the larger parts of the lands.

  • Academy fast-tracks placement of students abroad

    Topfaith Academy of Arts and Sciences(TAAS) in Mkpatak, Akwa Ibom State, has reiterated its commitment to uphold integrity and reputation as an institution that continually delivers quality results for its students.

    The Chairman, Board of Governors of the school Dr Emmanuel Abraham, spoke during the school’s one-year international programmes for students, including others pursuing the two-year Cambridge A-Level course.

    According to him, the event, which was held at its campus  in Essien Udim Local Government, was to ensure that students were placed in various leading universities of their choice abroad.

    The one-year fast-track international programmes of the academy include the International University Foundation Programmes (IUFP) and International Degree Foundation Programme (IDFP).

    These programmes qualify students for direct admittance into leading universities overseas for a wide range of over 70 arts, technology and science-based courses covering Management Studies, Medicine, Engineering, Computer/Information and Communications Technology, Aeronautic Technology, and Law.

    Others are: Psychology, Accounting, Journalism/Media, International Relations/Development, Political Science, Theatre Arts, Tourism/Hospitality Management, and Criminology.

    Students under IDFP programme have the advantage of progressing to reputable affiliate universities and institutions abroad on completion of their courses at TAAS, Abraham said.  Similarly, the two-year Cambridge A-Level programme provides dual gateway to study abroad or in Nigeria.

    It confers on candidates the freedom to choose whether to study locally or overseas.

    Dr Abraham attributed the quality and reliability of Topfaith programmes to its competent staff, driven by the institution’s score value of excellence and backed by extensive academic infrastructure  provided at its serene, ultra-modern campus complex.

    He admonished students in the Southsouth and Southeast to enrol at the academy for its 2015/2016 session billed to begin next month. Intending candidates would write an aptitude test scheduled for Saturday, August 29, Dr Abraham added.

    Programmes Coordinator of the academy Mr. Moses Udoudo, urged interested applicants to visit the school website for registration.

    He stressed that the programmes is a means by which the school attracts academic opportunities at global dimension closer to students and parents.

    At the briefing were the institution’s Academics/Records sSupervisor, Mr. Ututofon Ekop.