The Nation Newspaper

Tag: activities

  • ‘Fair to boost activities’

    The organiser of the Lagos International Motor Fair and Autoparts Expo, BKG Exhibitions Limited, has said the fair would revive activities in the sector.

    The expo, the firm said, would showcase capacities and potential of the sector, thereby improving the economy.

    Its Managing Director, Ifeanyichukwu Agwu, said the seemingly intractable lull in the sector is taking a lot of shine out of the industry making it difficult for stakeholders to showcase the abundant opportunities and offers in the sector.

    Agwu said it was no longer news that the automotive sector is passing through tough times, saying: “What should be on every stakeholders’ mind is how do we unite to combat the challenges one of which is using the platform to bring the sector into the front burner of economic discuss in the country.

    “We are going to add more energy to promoting the spare parts sub-sector. This is informed by our determination to champion the development and thriving of auto parts sub-sector as leeway to fast-tracking the development of the automotive industry.

    “In this edition as we have been doing for sometime, we will champion the autoparts section so as to making Nigeria the hub of the business in Africa. We want to make it a strong point of real taking off of a realisable auto policy.”

    Agwu urged the Federal Government to focus more on spare parts manufacturing instead of assembling.

    According to him, spare parts are the place where the real technology transfer takes place. It involves precision and proper planning more than the coupling that takes place in assembling.

    This will give rise to establishing of more Original Equipment Manufacturers and increase employment.

    He said there should be a review of the ongoing auto policy to make it achieve the desired ends.

  • Ekiti unveils activities for Fayemi’s first 100 days in office

    Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi will tomorrow open a training and empowerment programme for 6,300 youths as part of activities marking his administration’s first 100 days in office.

    Fayemi was inaugurated as Ekiti State governor on October 16, last year.

    The administration will be 100 days in office tomorrow.

    A statement by the Chairman of the Media and Publicity Sub-Committee of the Central Planning Committee, Mr Yinka Oyebode, said the governor will tomorrow deliver the “State of the State” address at the House of Assembly in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital.

    The state-wide address will focus on the governor’s administrative journey in the past 100 days and its plans for immediate and future development of the state.

    Other programmes slated for the one-day celebration include kick-starting the New Ado-Iyin road project, a stakeholders’ forum, where representatives of critical stakeholders in the state will interact with the governor and his team.

    The 6,300 youths billed to participate in the training and empowerment programme are drawn from the 16 local government areas of the state.

    The programme is in collaboration with the National Directorate of Employment (NDE), the statement added.

    Fayemi, who has opted for a low key celebration, said his vision is to see Ekiti State regain its lost glory through huge investments in education, health care delivery, agricbusiness, youth development, infrastructure and industrial development.

    He noted that this can be achieved through effective application of the four pillars of the administration’s development agenda, viz: Social Investments, Knowledge Economy, Infrastructure and Industrial Development and Agriculture and Rural Development.

  • NERC Board’s absence stalling regulatory activities

    THE failure of the Federal Government to reconstitute the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) Board, two years after it was dissolved, is affecting the sector, The Nation has learnt.

    It was gathered that this had made it difficult for officials of the Commission to carry out some of its oversight functions, including monitoring the 11 power distribution companies (DisCos).

    At the moment, the Commission has no chairman. It was for this that the government directed that the vice chairman take charge.

    National Electricity Distributors (ANED) Director of Research and Advocacy, Association, Mr. Sunday Oduntan, said the absence of a Board for NERC was affecting regulatory activities.

    He told The Nation that critical issues, such as payment of the debts owed the Ministries Agencies and Departments (MDAs) by the government, metering and poor power supply, would have been addressed, if a Board was in place.

    He said since the dissolution of Dr. Sam Amadi-led Board two years ago, activities, especially   regulation, had suffered. He, therefore, urged the government to reconstitute the Board to breathe life into the sector.

    Oduntan said problems arising from the drafting of new regulations for the electricity distributors would not have arisen, if the Board of NERC had been reconstituted. The absence of a Board, he further explained, has made the sector not to operate optimally.

    Meanwhile, further investigation by The Nation revealed that there is an ongoing draft regulation process in the NERC. Draft regulation is a set of policies formulated to guide the activities of key stakeholders, such as the power generation companies (GenCos), power distribution companies (DisCos), the metering service providers, among others.

  • Governor expresses support for group’s activities

    Governor expresses support for group’s activities

    The Ogun State Governor Ibikunle Amosun has pledged his continual support for the Educational Initiative for Development in Western Nigeria (EIDWN) for sustaining the campaign for alma maters as they have become an important bedrock for the sustainability of socio-economic development of education in Nigeria.

    Amosun, who was represented by his Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Mrs. Modupe Mujota,  made this known on Tuesday while declaring open a maiden convocation of the Assembly of Old Students/ Alumni Associations of Western Nigeria held at the DLK  Events Centre in Abeokuta.

    The governor  pointed out that a platform of this magnitude  would not only be a common unifying factor for old students/ alumni associations, but an avenue to provide a united front for the educational sector of the nation for its growth and development in line with the mission of the founding fathers.

    “I have no doubt, it is most unlikely to find any other platform in education sector that can be as formidable for its common unifying factor as this old students/alumni associations.

    “Without mincing words, I am convinced the surest way to restore the glory and pre-eminence of our education sector is to efficiently harness the massive size and passion of our old boys and girls associations, “he said.

    In his welcome address, the Managing Trustee of the EIDWN, Mr. Adebowale Thompson, said the campaign was conceived as a vehicle to change the future of the educational sector by mobilising all and sundry towards doing something no matter how small for schools in their community and their alma maters.

    Speaking on the roles of old students/ alumni associations on needs assessment in primary and secondary schools,  the Vice Chancellor of Tai Solarin University of Education, Prof.  Oluyemisi Obilade, noted that old students must not lose touch with their alma maters, but should consistently re-unite and think about what they could do to develop where they had been moulded and transformed to become who they are.

    In his closing remarks, a member of the Board of Trustees of the EIDWN and the Ogun State Head of Service  Mr. Abayomi Sobande,  enjoined all stakeholders to put all hands on deck to revive the schools again to their places of glory.

  • UI VC to students: don’t disrupt academic activities

    The Vice Chancellor of the University of Ibadan (UI), Prof Idowu Olayinka, yesterday urged students planning to disrupt examinations to shelve the idea.

    In a statement in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, welcoming students back to campus, the vice chancellor described as unfortunate the postponement of examinations due to the students’ protest of May 29.

    He urged the students to work with the university’s management to ensure there is no further disruption of academic calendar.

    Prof Olayinka noted that any further closure of the school would have far-reaching effects on students’ service year and Law school enrolment.

    The vice chancellor said the university had made arrangements to make reading for examinations more stress-free through mobile generators to strategic lecture theatres for overnight readings.

    He said: “As I noted in my statement before the May 29 protest, this session has been unduly extended and any further extension will not in any way be in the interest of the students and the university community. The revised academic calendar, occasioned by the five-week break, implies that the current session is expected to end on January 29, 2018. This already has far-reaching implications for our final year students who should normally proceed to the Law School or the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme during the last quarter of 2017.

  • Ekeji urges NFF to prioritise its activities, matches

    Ekeji urges NFF to prioritise its activities, matches

    Patrick Ekeji, former Director-General, National Sports Commission (NSC) has urged the leadership of Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to prioritise its activities if it hopes to survive with its 2016 budget allocation. Ekeji gave the advice on Tuesday in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.

    He said that prioritising its activities; especially the national teams’ matches would enable the NFF make lot of achievements.

    Ekeji added that the present economic challenge in the country should serve as parameter for the football house to re-strategise and decide the number of competitions it would take part in.

    The former Green Eagles defender also urged the NFF to readjust and x-ray the realities on ground. This, he said, would save the country the type of embarrassment it experienced in Rwanda during the 2016 Championship of African Nations (CHAN) tournament. The team’s coach claimed that he fed players with his money during the CHAN tournament.

    According to Ekeji, participating in almost every football competition organised by FIFA and CAF during this period of economic downturn will only put the football house in a more difficult situation.

    “It is wrong to believe that we might be sanctioned if we don’t participate in all FIFA competitions. FIFA does not force any member country to take part in its competitions,” he opined.

  • Pro-Biafra protest disrupts activities in Nnewi

    Pro-Biafra protest disrupts activities in Nnewi

    Activities in Nnewi, Anambra State, was disrupted yesterday by the  the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), which was protesting the detention of its leader and Director of Radio Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu.

    The protesters mobilised from Onitsha, Asaba, Awka, Ekwulobia, Awka-Etiti, Enugu, Imo, Ebonyi and Abia States and converged on Nnewi to salute the late Ikemba of Nnewi, Dim. Chukwuemka Odumegwu Ojukwu.

    According to one of its commanders, Comrade Emeka Onwane, the protest is to urge the Federal Government to release Kanu.

    He said the protest would last for three days, with no market days during the period.

    The protesters carried placards, inscribed with: “Free Nnamdi Kanu, free Biafra”; “No Biafra, no peace; “We want Biafra now”; “Biafra now or never”.

    They moved from St Mary’s Junction to Nkwo Nnewi market, down to the expressway leading to Nnewi Area Command, through Odumegwu Ojukwu’s residence to Owerri Road, Nkwo Nnewi Triangle.

    Onwane said the journey was an endless one, but promised it would be peaceful.

    He said they chose Nnewi as it was home to the late Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu.

    The commander said:  “IPOB is looking up to the international community, including the United States, Russia, France and every other country, excluding Britain, which is the enemy of Biafra.

    “We are not talking about Igbo Presidency; we are talking about an independent nation of Biafra. So, we are looking up to world leaders to help us actualise Biafra,” Onwane said.

     

  • Union reviews activities

    Union reviews activities

    The Students’ Union Government (SUG) of the Federal Polytechnic, Bida (BIDA POLY) in Niger State has scored itself high in catering to students need.

    Its president, Emmanuel Obiora, said the union executive had achieved its goals, despite its challenges.

    Emmanuel said the union, under his leadership, succeeded on getting the school to reduce the N5,000 increment in tuition fee. He added that the union supported the management to initiate the building of more lecture halls through the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund).

    On accommodation, Emmanuel said the union is seeking to partner with private firms to build more hostels under the Build, Operate and Transfer (BOT) agreement to reduce students’ pains.

    The SUG, he added, ensured that any landlords who collected N20,000 rent would provide occupants basic amenities, such as water.

    He also spoke on the Nigeria Polytechnics Games (NIPOGA), which was attended by Governor Babangida Aliyu and royal fathers.

    The union’s  challenge, he said, is  to leave worthy legacy, noting that his predecessor left no guideline for him to work with.

     

  • ‘eID Card will stem fraudulent activities’

    ‘eID Card will stem fraudulent activities’

    As part of the pilot phase, NIMC has started to issue identify cards with MasterCard’s electronic payments functionality, which raised eyebrows among stakeholders in the IT and financial sectors of the economy.

    Speaking in Lagos during a media roundtable, Director General, NIMC, Chris Onyemenam, said the eID Card is capable of detecting fraudulent activities, adding that MasterCard was engaged to only provide the payments technology on the eID, in accordance with international standard.

    He explained that the commission hopes to register about 100 million Nigerians, adding that what NIMC is doing is identity management, to avoid duplication of efforts and waste of scarce resources carried out in the past.

    He noted that other agencies of government involved in the capturing of biometrics of Nigerians are merely issuing identity cards and not identity management.

    He pointed out that identity management enables Nigerians to update their biometrics whenever the need arises, as it is a continuous process.

    He said: “We are talking about a situation, for instance, where  as a single lady was enrolled and tomorrow she gets married, she can go to a particular location and update the information about herself.

    “Identity management is about being able to affirm or assert your identity. It is not just about issuance of cards.

    “Cards can be obtained at the road side business centres or cyber cafes. This is not what we are talking about.”

    Onyemenam said a harmonisation, implementation and integration committee has been set up to streamline the data from relevant government agencies such as the Federal Road Safety Commission, the Police, Independent National Electoral Commission, National Population Commission, Nigerian Immigration Service, among others.

    On the funding of the project by the Federal Government, the Director General of NIMC said N30 billion had been released for its initial take-off over a period of three years.

    On  how MasterCard was selected for the programme, the DG said, “MasterCard presented it’s payments solution and business proposal to NIMC for the National eID Card business together with other card schemes and companies. The three popular schemes, approved and licenced by the Central Bank to operate in Nigeria and with significant business relationship with the Nigerian deposit money banks,  we’re invited to submit proposals to NIMC. The most responsive and willing vendors was MasterCard”.

  • ‘Children need extra-curricular activities’

    It was celebrations galore for pupils of Greenville House as they were declared winners at the Third Annual Inter-house sport of Brilliant Esteem Private School Ifako Ijaiye Lagos, last Thursday.

    The feisty encounter between the two houses was a highly competitive one which eventually left Greenville House with 22 gold medals, ahead of Greenedge that pulled 14 gold medals.

    Mrs Mary Ogunbiyi, who doubled as the director of the school and chief hostess, said the event is ideal because it helps children develop better physically and mentally.

    “Children do not have to be limited to the class, they need extra-curricular activities to add more fun to their learning. Above all, extra-curricular activities also contribute positively to their physical well being as well” Ogunbiyo said.

    The pupils took part in no less than 25 events which includes: march past, running, boat race, loonier,  arm wrestle, dart game, road race, keg toss, egg tray, and table tennis, among others.

    One of the highlights of the events was the Taekwando presentation and the Atilogu dance which saw parents gleaming with pride and swaying to the beats of the drumbeats.

    A parent at the event, Mrs Olasunbo Oladimeji, said she really enjoyed herself and prayed for a better future for the school.

    Eniola Bankole, a Basic 1 Pupil and a member of the winning team, expressed so much excitement by the victory.

    “My house won, I am so glad for this victory” Bankole said.