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Tag: Akwa Ibom

  • Woman baths daughter, 12, with acid in Akwa Ibom

    A 12-year-old girl, Miss Mercy Asuquo Frank, has appealed to the Akwa Ibom State Government and Nigerians to come to her aid following an acid attack on her body by her mother.

    The distraught Mercy was sighted yesterday at the Children Ward of the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital (UUTH) during a visit by The Nation to the premises, sitting alone begging passersby for money to eat.

    The 12 year-old primary pupil of Atabong Primary School in Oron, Akwa Ibom State, told The Nation that she was accused of being a witch by one pastor, a situation that made her mother to bath her with acid solution.

    After the acid attack which affected her breasts, mouth and other parts of her body, the little Mercy said her mother dumped her on the road side in Oron and took to her heels.

    “ I am the second child to my parents in the family of four children. My mother poured acid solution on my body. That is why my mouth and my body are like this.

    “One of our neighbours told my mother that I am a witch, but I told her that I am not a witch. She took me to Apostolic Church in Atabong, Oron and the Pastor told her that I am a witch.

    “The Pastor prayed and told my mother that I am a witch then we went back home after the prayer.

    “Later at midnight, my mother took me to a deep forest and poured acid solution on me and carried me and dropped me by the roadside and left that midnight.”

    According to Mercy, the security agents brought her to the hospital after seeing her in pain crying by the roadside.

    Efforts to get her mother’s reaction to the allegation did not yield any result.

     

  • Akwa Ibom to partner Canada on power

    Akwa Ibom State has sought the partnership of Canadian companies in generating adequate electricity supply to boost its economy.

    Speaking when he received Canadian High Commissioner in Nigeria Chris Cooter in Uyo, the state capital, Governor Godswill Akpabio said the state’s Independent Power Plant is producing 191 megawatts of electricity, adding that it needs partnership to generate more for distribution to consumers.

    Akpabio said: “With the recent completion of our independent power plant (IPP), we would want to partner Canadian companies to improve on the power generation and expansion of the current power to many consumers’’.

    He also sought Canada’s assistance in the development of Ibaka Deep Seaport, saying: “We will be glad to see Canadian companies coming to develop Ibaka Seaport and to partner with us on the development of the aviation sector through Akwa Ibom International Airport. Already, we are constructing an international hangar, which would make us the first state to land a Boeing 380 aircraft in the country”.

    Akpabio added: “We want to co-operate with companies in Canada for investment by bringing in more companies for investment and the development of the state. Akwa Ibom State is an economic hub; so we are building the state for the future. That is why we’re building basic infrastructure to facilitate the economic boom of the nation”.

    Earlier, Cooter said Nigeria and Canada had moved fast in their partnership in the last six months, noting that in October, last year, both countries signed a trade agreement to cement their ties.

    Cooter said his country is partnering India on the construction of hospitals, adding that in May, the Canadian government would permit Nigeria to bring 200 persons on a trade mission to the country.

     

  • Akwa Ibom sends delegation to Poland

    Akwa Ibom has mapped out plans to send a trade delegation to Poland to understudy and learn the business ideas of the country’s investors.

    Governor Godswill Akpabio, who gave the hint during an interactive meeting between Polish investors and Akwa Ibom business community at Government House Banquet Hall, Uyo, said the delegation would meaningfully replicate the investment ideas in the state on arrival.

    Akpabio assured the Polish delegates of government support and co-operation and called on business people in the state to take active part in any viable business venture coming to the state.

    The Polish Ambassador to Nigeria, Prezemyslaw Niesiolowski, said their visit was to organise a trade mission in the country with Akwa Ibom as one of the business communities for the mission.

  • NMA seeks review of hospital management board laws

    The Nigerian Medical Association, Akwa Ibom branch, on Tuesday called on the state House of Assembly to review the laws establishing the hospitals management board in the state.

    Making the appeal in a chat with the News Agency of Nigeria in Uyo, the NMA state Chairman, Dr. John Udobang, said the association was proposing law to make it statutory for a medical doctors to be appointed as chairman of the board.

    “More than 90 per cent of staff members in the hospitals management board are health personnel, so it is advisable that the board chairman should be a medical doctor.

    “In other areas like the Judiciary, the commission chairman is a professional, hence the hospitals management board should not be an exception,” Udobang argued.

    “We need the right people in the right positions to promote health care delivery in the state.

    “We are calling on the state House of Assembly and all Akwa Ibom people to support the state leadership of NMA in this lofty plan,” Udobang pleaded.

    Udobang explained that the association had earlier rejected the composition of the present board led by non-medical doctors as chairman and permanent secretary, respectively.

    “But we have also realised that there is no law stating expressly that a medical doctor be appointed the chairman, hence the need for the review of the laws setting up the place,” he said.

     

  • Akwa Ibom, others get Multichoice resource centres

    MULTICHOICE Nigeria, the nation’s leading pay television destination has announced plans to roll out more MultiChoice Resource Centre (MRC) in public schools across the country.

    The centre, which is an audio-visual teaching and learning aid for teachers and students in secondary schools, is a corporate social initiative (CSI) of MultiChoice Nigeria in partnership with MultiChoice Africa.

    The MRC project is designed for beneficiary public schools to have access to MultiChoice Education Bouquet with a view of integrating the programmes into their curriculum in order to enhance the teaching and learning processes in their schools and with over seven channels on the bouquet, teachers and students have attested that the facility has made learning and teaching easy.

    Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Ondo and Benue States, to mention but a few, are some of the states that will benefit from the launch of the resource centres, which are already in operation in 21 states across the federation.

    The MRC project does not end with the installation of the facility in the schools. MultiChoice takes the project a step further by training teachers who man the facility. In September 2011, MultiChoice Nigeria in collaboration with SchoolNet Nigeria organised a- three day training workshop for over 25 teachers from Nigeria and a Sierra Leonean teacher, Mr. Albert Kamara, on the use of the MultiChoice Resource Center in class room teaching/ learning at Ansar-ud-een Girls College, Iteri, Surulere, Lagos State.

    Speaking about the MultiChoice Resource Centre project, Mr. John Ugbe, Managing Director MultiChoice Nigeria said beneficiary schools of the resource center project have access to the special MultiChoice Education Bouquet. “We have instructional channels such as Discovery, National Geographic, BBC Knowledge, BBC World, History Channel, Animal Planet and Mindset Learn at no cost to the schools” he commented.

  • ACROSS THE STATES (2/1/2013)

    ACROSS THE STATES (2/1/2013)

    1 ACTING CHIEF JUDGE OF NASARAWA, JUSTICE SULIEMAN UMARU-DIKKO, TAKING HIS OATH OF OFFICE IN LAFIA.

    2. GOV. GODSWILL AKPABIO OF AKWA IBOM  PRAYING FOR PEACE IN THE STATE AT THE 2013 SOLEMN ASSEMBLY IN UYO.

    3 CLERGYMEN LED BY PRELATE EMERITUS OF METHODIST CHURCH OF NIGERIA, HIS EMINENCE SUNDAY MBANG (M), PRAYING FOR PEACE AND DEVELOPMENT IN AKWA IBOM AT THE 2013 SOLEMN ASSEMBLY IN UYO.

    4 FULL BUSINESS ACTIVITIES RESUMED AT THE ABUBAKAR GUMI CENTRAL MARKET IN KADUNA AFTER THE NEW YEAR HOLIDAY ON WEDNESDAY.

    5 PHYSICALLY CHALLENGED PERSONS AND LESS PRIVILEGED FAMILIES SELECTED UNDER THE POVERTY ALLEVIATION SCHEME COLLECTING CASH ASSISTANCE AT KANKARA, KATSINA STATE, ON WEDNESDAY. RIGHT IS CHAIRMAN OF THE COMMITTEE AND SPECIAL ADVISER TO THE STATE GOVERNOR ON POVERTY REDUCTION, ALHAJI BATURE MASARI.

    6 GOV. JONAH  JANG OF PLATEAU (L), BEING DECORATED WITH ARMED FORCES REMEMBRANCE EMBLEM BY MISS RHODA DADON DURING THE 2013 ARMED FORCES REMEMBRANCE DAY EMBLEM AND APPEAL FUND LAUNCH IN JOS.

    7 COMMISSIONER OF POLICE, PLATEAU, CHRIS OLAKPE (L), IN A HANDSHAKE WITH  GOV. JONAH  JANG  DURING THE 2013 ARMED FORCES REMEMBRANCE DAY EMBLEM AND APPEAL FUND LAUNCH IN JOS.

    8 FROM LEFT: DIVISIONAL POLICE OFFICER (DPO), IPONRI, CSP KUNLE OLUSOKAN; MANAGING DIRECTOR, NEWS AGENCY OF NIGERIA (NAN), DAME OLUREMI OYO, AND MANAGING EDITOR AND HEAD OF NAN LAGOS OFFICE, MR ISAAC IGHURE, DURING THE VISIT OF THE DPO TO NAN OFFICE IN LAGOS.

    9 NASARAWA SOLICITOR-GENERAL AND PERMANENT SECRETARY, MINISTRY OF JUSTICE, MR MOHAMMED IDRIS-APA, TAKES OATH OF OFFICE IN LAFIA .

     

     

     

    PHOTO:  NAN-PHOTO

     

     

  • Akwa Ibom to shut illegal schools

    Akwa Ibom to shut illegal schools

    The Akwa Ibom government on Thursday in Uyo warned that it would shut all illegal schools in the state.

    At a media forum, the Commissioner for Education, Mrs. Eunice Thomas, said the ministry would commence visitations to schools to authenticate their certificates of registration.

    “Any school that did not meet government’s approved standard will be closed down,’’ she warned.

    Thomas said the government had received a consignment of books worth N16.2 million for its free and compulsory education programme.

    She said it was illegal for some private schools, which had approval to operate nursery classes to extend their programmes to cover to primary and secondary schools.

    “The state government has observed that while some proprietors of these private schools operate without certificates of registration, some had failed to update their documents to cover the additional schools,’’ the News Agency of Nigeria quoted the commissioner as saying at the forum.

    Thomas said that many of the operators did not have the facilities to accommodate the expansion they carried out.

    The commissioner said several meetings were held with stakeholders in an effort to make the system functional for the 1.7 million pupils and students in the state.

    She stated that government’s aim was to provide a sustained education system for the state.

     

  • A/Ibom community rejects Mobil’s relief materials

    Ibeno, an oil-producing community in Akwa Ibom, has rejected relief materials presented to it by Mobil Producing Nigeria, to cushion the effect of the recent oil spill in the area.

    The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the oil company had, a few days ago, announced that it would send relief materials to communities impacted by the November 9 oil spill from its facilities.

    Many communities in nine local government areas in the state were affected by the spill and it was learnt that Mobil had distributed the relief items to more than 90 per cent of the affected area.

    But Ibeno community turned down the gift on the grounds that the company said that it was donating the materials “on humanitarian ground and not because it is liable for the spill.”

    According to Chief Ukott Esenem, head of the community, the oil company said that the donation of the relief materials to us did not necessarily mean that it is responsible for the spill.

    “If they are now claiming that they are not liable for the spill, it means that something is wrong somewhere,” Esenem said

    He added that it was wrong of the company to distance itself from the spill, and stressed “besides they sent only 60 bags of rice and some other items to the entire Ibeno local government area.”

    He lamented that the area was a major host to Mobil, adding that thousands of fishermen in the area had had their businesses disrupted by the incident.

     

  • Akwa Ibom hosts writers

    Akwa Ibom State will come alive with literary festivities tomorrow. Writers, authors, publishers and book enthusiasts from within and outside the country will converge on the state’s capital for this year’s edition of Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) international convention.

    The three-day event, billed to run till Sunday, will feature plenary sessions, book fair, readings, performance, novelty football march, tour, among others.

    The visitors are ecstatic about the event. This is the first time the state will host a large crowd of writers. Given its immense historical and cultural wealth, the visitors are hoping to get inspired, especially by the tourist sites in the state.

    According to the Chairman of the state’s chapter of ANA, Joseph Ushie, the convention will impact the economy and tourism sector.

    With the theme, Nigerian Literature, Social Media and Security, speakers from within and outside the country will be led by Prof Pius Adesanmi of the Carelton University, Canada.

    Others include writer/lawyer Chuma Nwokolo; DCP Emmanuel Ojukwu; Mallam Al-Bishak (Nasarawa State University, Keffi; Ngozi Chumah-Udeh (Anambra State University); Jeroome Dooga (University of Jos); Camillus Ukah (ANA Imo) and Monday-Michaels Ashibogwu, an online journalist.

    With social media as a sub-theme, it is hoped that more light would be shed on how writers can harness the immense possibilities in new media.

    With the mind of intimating and educating writers on new media, ANA is partnering YSGHubs, a new e-commerce and mobile applications development company in Lagos, a subsidiary of the Young Shall Grow [YSG] Group, it was learnt. It runs an online media store that enables users purchase eBooks, music, videos, event tickets and lifestyle accessories from the convenience of their homes, classrooms, offices and even on-the-go.

    According to a statement signed by the Richard Ali, Publicity Secretary (North), the company has donated N2 million towards the success of the 2012 convention.

    “A demonstration of this partnership will include guaranteeing positive brand visibility of YSGHubs at the Uyo Convention. The Association will also facilitate presentations by a marketing team from YSGHubs. An Information Desk will be maintained for the use of our esteemed members at the Convention Venue,” it read.

    The partnership, Ali said, was part of the national executives’ move fulfilling its mandate. “The Remi Raji-led executives seek to bring about a “New ANA” with the successful ANA/Yusuf Alli Reading Campaign and the Teen Author Campaign sponsored by Hajiya Babangida Aliyu all in the last twelve months.

     

  • Akwa Ibom deputy governor resigns

    Akwa Ibom deputy governor resigns

    The Deputy Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Mr. Nsima Ekere, has resigned from office.

    In a letter of resignation dated Wednesday, October 31, the deputy governor said he was resigning on personal grounds.

    A statement signed by his Press Secretary, Inemesit Ita, said Ekere thanked the governor and the people of the state for the opportunity given him to serve the state in the last 17 months.

    “Mr. Ekere wished the governor and the people well in the remaining years of the administration, “ the statement added.