The Nation Newspaper

Tag: committed

  • ‘Akeredolu is committed to workers’ welfare’

    ‘Akeredolu is committed to workers’ welfare’

    Babatunde Osho is a civil servant in Ondo State. For  eight months, he had not received his salaries. That was during the tenure of the immediate past administration. Things were really very tough and rough for Ondo State’s civil servants. But that seems to be consigned in the trash can of history.

    Quite recently, the unusual happened. The father of four received an unusual message on his phone; which turned out to be a credit alert.

    At first, he was not sure what type of alert it was. But when he looked closely again, he realised that it was yet another credit alert for his salary for the month of March, less than one month when he received that of February.

    As if that was not enough, he received credit alert for that month’s salary and a week after, there was another credit alert for August, last year’s outstanding salary arrear owed by the past administration.

    As a civil servant in the employ of the Ondo State government, it was the first time Osho would get his salary for two straight months since eight months because of the failure of the immediate past administration to pay the workers.

    Like other civil servants in the state, his life took a turn for the worse as days turned into weeks and weeks into months without any hope of getting his salaries.

    His children changed schools because he could not afford their fees, while the entire family survived on the meagre earnings from the wife’s petty trading.

    For months, Osho, the usually boisterous fellow, had become a shadow of himself. Aside from his inability to take care of his family, the father of four was also battling with some serious health challenges.

    The credit alerts received by the workers, which notified them of the payment of their salaries marked the beginning of a new dawn for civil servants in the Sunshine State.

    “For seven months, we were not paid our salaries. Most of the civil servants had lost hope of ever getting paid. But, with the fulfilment of the promise that Governor Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN) made to us, by paying the salary for the month of February and the vow that he would not owe workers, I am sure that the hopes of civil servants have been rekindled once again,” Osho said.

    Eniola Ajewole is another worker whose joy knew no bounds when he received the credit alert for his salary.

    It would seem that the alert he received lifted a heavy load off his shoulders. With the February and March salaries paid, he was able to pay his two children’s tuition and meet other domestic needs without stress–a feat he could not achieve for months under the immediate past administration.

    “I couldn’t believe it when I received the credit alert. But my cynicism began to wane when my neighbour, who is also a civil servant, confirmed to me that he had also received credit alert,” Ajewole said.

    The narratives of the duo and many other workers in the state have dispelled fears of sceptics about the readiness of Governor Akeredolu to develop the state with priority placed on welfare of the workforce.

    The payment of the workers’ salaries, beginning from February, has confirmed that Akeredolu is ever ready to keep his promise.

    The effect of Akeredolu’s message of hope during his swearing-in on February 24 to make life easy for the people has therefore started reverberating cross the state.

    The governor, who had set a clear agenda for himself on how to place Ondo State on the map of economic and industrial development, appears set to work with the available resources to move the state forward.

    Akeredolu’s inaugural speech entitled “Journey to Redemption,” had clearly shown the path the governor is now towing.

    Before the people of Ondo State and dignitaries that attended his inaugu ration at the popular Akure Township Stadium, Akeredolu had said: “I come to you this day, with a message of hope, a clear agenda of prosperity and vision of life abundant.

    “I believe the greatest expression of faith in our ability is to be strong enough to look upon imperfections and decide that it is in our power to remake our society to align with our highest ideals.

    “We can rise out of this dust and build a new Ondo State where honesty, prosperity and confidence can, once again, be our self-identity. We can pull ourselves by the bootstraps and shake off our current frustrations and disappointments.

    “We must recognise the need for a cohesive platform, indispensable to an effective and efficient implementation of policies and programmes of both government and party, respectively.”

    With the latest development, it is certain that the governor will take the Sunshine State to a greater height.

    This development is an indication that all the businesses that have gone moribund for years due to poor management of the state’s resources by previous administrations would soon get back on track.

    This is because the governor has assured the workers of his determination to pay the backlog of salary arrears he inherited.

    The ripple effects of the governor’s attempt to meet this important people’s need (payment of the backlog of workers’ salary arrears) will, no doubt, contribute to peaceful co-existence among residents.

    Without doubt, the road to achieving this lofty objective demands co-operation of all, including the civil servants and those in the informal sector such as traders and artisans.

  • NIMASA: we’re committed to Maritime varsity

    NIMASA: we’re committed to Maritime varsity

    The Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) is committed to the Maritime University at Okerenkoko, in Warri South West Local Government Area of Delta State.

    The agency, in a statement by its Head, Corporate Communications, Isichei Osamgbi, debunked claims the agency was opposed to the university’s take-off.

    The statement reads: “It has become necessary to clarify the issue as the Federal Government is committed to the actualisation of the project which the agency conceived. It is pertinent to note that NIMASA is supporting every aspect of the law in its determination to fulfill its obligations.

    “In addition, the National Assembly recently held a public hearing on the matter and it is expected that the funding of the institution and other aspects of running it will be specified in the Act setting up the university.

    “For the avoidance of doubt, at no time did the Director-General, Dr. Dakuku Peterside, say anything contrary to the Federal Government’s position on the issue and we solidly stand behind the Federal Government on its determination to actualise the project.

    “The benefits derivable from the setting up of the institution will be quite numerous.         Apart from becoming a citadel for knowledge and development of human capital, job opportunities will be created to the Nigerian people, particularly the community.”

  • ‘We‘re committed to Northeast peace initiatives’

    ‘We‘re committed to Northeast peace initiatives’

    Adamawa State Commissioner for Information and Strategy Ahmed Sajoh, in this interview with JOEL DUKU,  speaks on the Bindow administration, the Northeast peace initiatives and other issues.

    Could you explain what government is doing to ensure peace in the Adamawa State?

    We need to look at  issues that are related to  equity, justice fairness. These are the building blocks of an enduring society. That means we need to have true faith in the concept of the fear of God. People who fear God are supposed to be fair and just to one another. We are advocating for fairness and justice as a manifestation of the fear of God if we are truly religious. Only that can guarantee genuine peace and that will reduce the high level of poverty in our region, the very glaring social inequalities which are the building blocks of conflicts that are creating  a ready reservoir of extremely poor hopeless and despondent young people who would easily be indoctrinated to take up arms against the people. We need begin to have a paradigms shift so as to have a more egalitarian society that would not have so many despondent people that will be recruited by people who want to make some mischiefs.

    The second point is that often time, the unity of the Muslim Umma is impeded by inter-sect rivalry. Toady, you here, Izala, tijaniya, derecca, etc. As long as you have these rivalries based on sect, we will not have a unified voice.  We have to be united to condemn those that intordue doctrines that  preach elements of extremism or violence, miscreant who will interpret Islam   the way they like to promote some anti-Islamic ideology. As  long as we Muslims continue to speak like the tower of Babel where everybody says what he likes it will create and opportunity for other people to say things that are not Islamic. So we are calling for a unity of the Muslim Umma.

    The third is how much of us as Muslims contribute to knowledge. Knowledge in the sense of the modern world. It’s not enough to say we have memorized Quran and you can write it off head. We must cash in on the knowledge that is both secular and religious. Knowledge that provides spiritual guidance for you to practice your religion and knowledge that will provides you’re a skill that will help you earn a living because.  Its only when you live that you worship. It’s not enough to sit down and say that you have the knowledge of the quran. Of course that prepares you to meet your creator but that is not enough because you need some secular knowledge that will enable you compete in the modern world. We need to expand our thinking of knowledge in Islam. Like all the private universities in the north east don’t even offer some Islamic courses. We want to ask what we are doing in the improvement of Islamic education at the highest levels and answers to this questions are fundamental to this kind of gathering becauase at a time the Kanem Borno and Sokoto caliphate were at their prime, they were able to advance scholarship at the level it was useful to the socity if you read Shehu Othman Dan fodios work, you will discover that 90% of it is what we study today as sociology, political science etc. we must go back to the basic. That is the reason why Adamawa state decided that we must participate in this summit.

    How commited is Adamawa State to the peace project?

    Yes, we are hundred per cent committed. That is why as a government, we have taken steps to organise leadership at different levels in the state to make it responsible and responsive to make it work in the state. We already know that the political leadership from the president, governors, senators, house of representative, assemblies, and commissioners are already on record. We have realised we also have another tear of government that is important but has not been mobilized and conscintised or sensitized to play a role. That is traditional leadership.  We have documented traditional leadership at all levels. We have 8 graded first class emirs and chiefs, 178 district head, 718 village heads, 7, 813 mai- angwas or or ward heads all documented across Adamawa state. In addition, we have 21 local government Chairmen, 21 Vice Chairmen, 21  local government secretaries 226 elected councilor, we will document the supervisory councilors when they are appointed.

    We are going to document prominent religious leaders, Imams and pastors. If we have all these strata of leadership put together, we will sensitized them that peace begin with individual, families community, society, groups  etc. We noticed that when we wanted to roll back Boko Haram after they have captured communities, we mobilized hunters, vigilante and people in the communities.  We studied the system and learnt lesson from collective action between the leadership and the ordinary people.

    Where are  you getting money to execute the project in this period  of recession?

    If you remember, the Federal Government gave governors some bailouts for salaries and capital projects. We collected those loans because they were of very favorable terms. We got ourselves in some little trouble because the president insisted that each state should provide exactly how much they own their staff and when the governor demanded for the list of staff what they owe their staff, some of the ministries felt the governor wanted to probe the activities of the past government so they hid the truth and when the money arrived, we had some shortfalls. But with respect to capital grant, we planned ourselves and we don’t have problem with that. Like the problem of destruction by Boko Haram, the annual flooding from the Lagdo Dam in Cameroon. In addition, the prudence of the administration as I told has also helped us in executing our projects. We hired a consultant that helped us to raise our IGR from N600 million in a month to over N1 billion. We decided to use the BPP to ensure that costs were not inflated. That again reduces expenditure.

    Is Governor Bindow planing to probe his predecessors?

    I think we are trying to avoid creating further confusion. From 1999 to date, eight or nine people are governors and it’s a hell lot of confusion no state can develop under this kind of confusion. So what we are trying to do is to refocus sectors. For instance, we have seen road construction as a challenge and we have addressed it. We have seen agriculture  as a challenge and we a addressed that and we are just waiting for it to mature. We have started encouraging dry season farming and have also identified crops that the state have comparative advantage in which is rice and maize. We have bought new tractors to lunch this massive production. We have declared a state of emergency in education. We are refocusing education entirely. We realised that primary and  junior secondary education which are the basic foundation for students have no teachers so we have taken the board step to re-introduce teachers’ education in Adamawa state so that we can have teachers. We realised that people take up teaching jobs today without basic teaching requirements. People take up teaching jobs  because they  have  no jobs. We are changing this concept.

    Does that mean that you are not vetting the financial books of the state?

    We are no interested in that. We are interested in moving Adamawa to the next level. That’s our slogan. We have looked at all the areas and we have seen the flaws and we are trying to correct them. We believe that opening up probes will divert our attention and give us very negative publicity; put us up into bad light and that may even scare development away from our state.

    How is Governor Bidow managing the ethnic tension in Adamawa?

    We are fortunate. We have 87 ethnic groups, probably one of the highest in the country and we have a Christian Muslim population that is nearly balanced. That is our source of strength. But some people see it as a problem. It is strength for us because no single ethnic group in Adamawa state can lord it  over another. And no single religion can go it alone without the support from the  another. That is how God has made us in Adamawa state. Gov. Bidow is shifting his focus from encouraging antagonism to harnessing this source of strength. We need to work together to succeed. Our ethnic groups are not like the ones in other parts of the state where you have difference of dialect. Ours are actually differences of language. Everybody is different from Fulani, Chamba, Kilba, Gbachama, Izenyi etc. the difference is too wide.   Because that is how God has configured us, so we decided that the only way we can develop and move forward is to harness and build platforms that give everybody an opportunity.

    What is the governor’s biggest challenge?

    Our biggest headache is the mindset of the people who believe that good things cannot happen in Adamawa state. Unless we change that mindset then we cannot move forward as a state and a people.

    Our concern is that the entire Adamawa community joins the train so that we can take Adamawa to the next level. So anybody that is outside is our worry. We are all brothers and sisters and people with a common destiny so we want to carry everybody along. But I think resources is one of our biggest problems. If we had one tenth of what went to some other governments in the past. We would have achieved wonders.

  • Okorocha: Igbo truthful, committed but misunderstood

    Okorocha: Igbo truthful, committed but misunderstood

    Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha yesterday said the Igbo are “the most truthful, committed and trust-worthy people but often misunderstood in the country”.

    Speaking when he hosted the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai, at the Government House in Owerri, the state capital, Okorocha said Imo had witnessed tremendous progress under his leadership.

    He described Imo as “one of the safest states” in Nigeria, where there was no more kidnapping, robbery, cultism and baby factory syndrome.

    Okorocha attributed the relative peace and security in the state to the efforts of security agencies, the army.

    The governor hailed the military for the successes it recorded in the fight against insurgency and terrorism in the Northeast.

    He noted that such successes had not been achieved in Syria and other parts of the world where the battles to end terrorism were going on.

    Okorocha also hailed the Army for its Exercise Crocodile Smile and newly introduced Exercise Python Dance in the Southsouth and Southeast.

    The governor urged security agencies to do whatever they could to secure the pipelines to ensure free flow of oil to generate revenue for the nation.

    He promised to always support the Army.

    Buratai told Okorocha that he was in the state for the 2016 Chief of Army Staff Conference.

    The Army chief said Python Dance was a training to update troops in the Southeast on the rudiments and basics of their job.

    He said the Army would offer free medical services to the residents during the conference.

  • ‘We’re committed to serving humanity’

    Members of the Rotary Club of Lagos Central, District 9110 had gathered not only to celebrate its 35 years of acts of benevolence but also to encourage one and all to extend a helping hand to the needy.

    President of the club, Vincent Adubor said Rotarians all over the world focus on how to make the world better. He also said the club was committed to serving humanity whenever the need arises.

    He said Rotarians are unwavering when it comes to providing good things of life for members of a given community.

    On the benefit of joining the association, Rotarian Adubor said “membership of Rotary Club offers one several opportunities, which he said include business development, personal growth and development, leadership development, continuous education, development of social skills, public speaking skills and assistance to travelling, vocational skills and development of ethics,” among others.

    He advised government at all levels, corporate organisations and public-spirited individuals to join hands in helping those in need, adding that givers never lacked.

    In his address delivered during the Investiture and Induction ceremony of 2016 and 2017 Board of Directors/Fund Raising for the Club Projects in Lagos, with the theme: “Rotary Serving Humanity”, he revealed that the district would embark on literacy and adult education project, waste management, health management/support hospital.

    He added that the club would provide treated mosquito nets for communities within its area of operation; engage in routine immunisation of children as well as the supply of text books to schools among others.

    “We are interested in keeping our environment clean because prevention is better than cure”, he stated.

    Adubor, who noted that some secondary schools in Lagos State still lack the basic equipment, assured that the district would do its best to making the amenities available for the affected schools.

    He also said that it was the tradition of the district to receive the first baby of the year at the Island Maternity at the beginning of every year with presentation of gift items and cash.

    The club recognises the best workers in all categories based on in-house recommendations and reward them with gifts and cash. He said the club had bought incubators for the Massey Hospital in Lagos Island, adding that “we are always looking for areas of need for these hospitals.”

    He also stated that the district would provide about three boreholes within the community as the need arises.

    Apart from providing some amenities for communities within its operational areas, he said the district would provide some amenities to communities outside its traditional area of coverage in terms of road repairs during the Rotary year. He said the roads are in Irawo community in Kosofe Local Government Area.

    The President-Elect, Dipo Okunubi, who noted that the club had witnessed 35 years of continuous service to humanity, however stated that it would continue to focus on services that would be beneficial to human existence.

    He said: “We are serving humanity with our resources just to see that the society is at peace and fair to all.”

    He appealed to all to contribute generously to the well-being of those in need, adding that service to humanity is everybody’s business.

     

     

     

     

     

  • ‘Canada, Tinubu committed to SDGs’

    ‘Canada, Tinubu committed to SDGs’

    The Private Sector Summit of the ongoing United Nations Global Assembly kicked off with focus on the role of business in advancing sustainable development goals (SDGs) to prevent global instability.

    Speaking at the forum on the theme: Securing the way forward, the Group Chief Executive of Oando Plc, Wale Tinubu said education, innovation, and good governance are key facets to sustainable long term socio-economic growth.

    “Education remains the most powerful empowerment tool within a community. Through our Foundation, we are addressing the issues of access and improving the quality of teaching and learning outcomes in primary schools, with a focus on the girl child. This has led to infrastructure projects primed to impact over 75,000 children nationwide, scholarship programmes aimed at enhancing over 9,700 lives, ICT centres geared towards over 170,000 direct beneficiaries, and teacher training programmes designed to support the lives of over 1.2 million pupils.

    “In line with the SDGs these efforts have addressed goals of quality education, gender equality, clean water and sanitation and partnerships. However, we have much more to do, our hope is that alongside the government and partners we will create a sustainable and equitable educational system to ensure the empowerment of every child,” he said.

    Tinubu was one of eight international speakers and the only African invited to speak at the UN Private Sector Summit.  Other speakers who pledged their support included RT. Hon. Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada, who spoke on: Realising Opportunity: A Story of Partnership and actor and UNICEF ambassador Ewan McGregor who spoke on: Inspiring Momentum – Accelerating Change, as well as, Simona Scarpaleggia, CEO, IKEA Switzerland, Carolyn Miles, President and CEO, Save the Children, Richard Curtis, SDG Advocate; Screen Writer, Producer and Film Director, Mats Granryd, Director General, GSMA and Kaan Terzioglu, CEO Turkcell.

    Tinubu is part of a high profile list of attendees from the Nigerian public and private sectors including President Muhammadu Buhari, First Lady Aisha Muhammadu Buhari; Aliko Dangote, President & CEO,  Dangote Group; and Jim Ovia, Zenith Bank Chairman.

    “Increased indigenous participation in varying projects across sectors is accompanied by greater accountability by all of us to ensure Africa fulfills its enormous potential. My commitment to help fulfil the SDGs is unwavering,” he said.

    Tinubu also addressed African corporates’ dedication towards effectiveness, accountability and transparency—key SDG pillars for building a responsible organisation focused on good corporate governance.

    Attendees at this year’s UN Global Assembly included top government officials, private sector leaders, UNICEF ambassadors, and humanitarians including UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon; Lise Kingo, Executive Director, UN Global Compact; H.E. Peter Thomson, President of the seventy-first session of the UNGA; President Barack Obama of the United States and for the first time Theresa May the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party.

  • We ‘re committed to $1b investment plan, says ntel

    We ‘re committed to $1b investment plan, says ntel

     •Firm appoints Danjuma chairman

    Nigeria’s  mobile 4G/long term evolution (LTE) network provider, ntel yesterday in Lagos said it is  committed to invest  over  $1billion into the telco by 2020.

    Its owners , NatCom Development & Investment Limited, also  announced a very significant addition to its board with the emergence of elder statesman, accomplished businessman and respected philanthropist, Gen TY Danjuma (rtd) as its chairman.

    According to the firm, the corporate icon’s appointment as chairman came in the wake of his strategic and significant investment in the telco.

    The announcement followed Danjuma’s inaugural board meeting.  Fondly known as ‘the green general’ on account of his environmental activism, the new chairman has interests in oil and gas, banking and shipping. A respected environmentalist and philanthropist, he was chairman of Abuja Green Society and through the Danjuma Foundation, he established in 2009, he has passionately supported poverty alleviation, education and medical aid initiatives across the country.

    Danjuma brings to ntel board robust commercial experience covering some three decades in the public and private sectors, following a successful career in the army from where he retired as a three-star General and Chief of Army Staff in 1980. He also served as Minister of Defence in the first term of the civilian administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

    Olatunde Ayeni, lawyer, investor, businessman, key promoter of ntel and until yesterday the chairman of the board now becomes the vice chairman.

    A vibrant, energetic and new generation businessman with never-say fail spirit, Ayeni will join hands with the new chairman to drive the new board alongside the veteran business mogul, Danjuma.

    Other members of the board include Capt. Idahosa Okunbor, Biola Ayeni, Kasheem Shettima, Phil Chukwu, Kola Adesina, John Darlington, Dan Kunle and Tunde Omotoba.

    Commenting on this key addition to ntel’s board, Kamar Abass, ntel’s CEO, expressed delight at the new addition to the telco’s board.

    He said: “We are delighted to have a man of Gen TY Danjuma’s standing join us. As our new chairman, and as a shareholder, we welcome his support as we add momentum to our growth and development in Nigeria’s telecoms industry. We expect to benefit enormously from Gen Danjuma’s sterling leadership credentials and, in this way, build on the excellent work of our immediate past chairman, Dr. Tunde Ayeni, who positioned ntel to deliver the leading broadband experiences already evidenced in Lagos and Abuja.”

    ntel commenced commercial operations of its 4G/LTE-Advanced network in Lagos and Abuja. Network services in Port Harcourt are scheduled to commence early in Q4.

  • ‘We’re committed to excellence’

    The Provost, College of Education, Ikere-Ekiti, Ekiti State, Dr Mojisola Oyarekua, has said the institution will not relent in academic excellence and production of competent teachers.

    She said the institution has made progress since she assumed office in December due to workers’ discipline and prudent management of resources.

    “The steady growth of this institution can be attributed to the rules and policies guiding the training of students as well as quality of leadership provided.

    “We have established skill acquisition centers to allow students learn at least one skill within three years of their programme,” she said.

    The Provost said an anti-corruption unit has been set up to deal with not only financial recklessness but also sexual harassment, victimisation or any other form of malpractice.

    “The leadership of every institution has a strong role to play in its success or otherwise and if one is focused and put in place a bench mark in terms of quality and quantity as well as taking into cognisance the available resources he or she will make things happen,” she affirmed.

  • ‘We’re committed to achieving inclusive growth’

    The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Okechukwu Enelamah, has spoken of the ministry’s willingness to play a critical role in the economy, especially, now that the government is poised to diversify from oil in a sustainable manner.

    The minister, who spoke in Lagos  during a meeting with interest groups and trade associations, said he planned to achieve this through creating an enabling environment for industry, trade and investment with the implementation of the Nigeria Industrial Revolution Plan (NIRP).

    Enalamah said the current administration was poised to attract long-term local and foreign investments, despite the current challenges facing the nation. His words: “The flip side of the crisis is the opportunity it presents to create something new, develop new attitudes and appetites.

    “Fully convinced that this crisis is too good an opportunity to waste, the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari has started the difficult but rewarding task of making the economy break free from its traditional dependence on oil and gas and in its place developing a diversified export base and a solid base of domestic manufacturing.”

    He maintained that there has been consistent investor interest and attention on Nigeria.  He said this was good news given the difficult macroeconomic environment in which the nation has found itself with the dwindling oil prices.  He, however, advised that the renewed interest on the country should not be taken for granted, but seen as a timely opportunity to carry out a fundamental reform of the economy.

    He reiterated that the nation would overcome its challenges, hinging his optimism on the confidence and entrepreneurial energy and zeal of Nigerians. We see this energy everywhere – from small businesses to large ones, from aspiring entrepreneurs to long-established ones; in formal and informal settings. Having acknowledged this, we must find ways to harness these energies,” he said.

    Enelamah emphasised that the development of SMEs remained his ministry’s priority, considering the huge growth they will have on the economy.

    “Operators of SMEs are the unsung heroes of our economy. Currently, they contribute about half of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and possess the potential to be even more productive if given the right incentives,” he stated.

    He said to reposition SMEs, the ministry will work with agencies like the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), Bank of Industry (BoI), Industrial Training Fund (ITF), and the Nigeria Export Promotion Council (NEPC). It will also collaborate with other ministries and agencies of government to roll out programmes and initiatives focused on supporting MSMEs with financing, infrastructure, technical support and training.

    Enelamah said as part of the Federal Government’s N500 billion Social Protection programme for 2016, over two million traders, farmers and artisans will receive micro-credit, through a fund to be managed by BoI.

  • ‘We’re committed to people’s education’

    ‘We’re committed to people’s education’

    The Executive Secretary, Ikorodu Local Government Area, Hon. Wasiu Adesina has said that education would remain a priority of his administration.

    He said this while presenting bursary awards to indigent students of higher institutions who are indigenous to the area. He stressed that education remained the foundation through which any society could attain meaningful socio-economic and technological advancement.

    Hon. Adesina stated that the bursary award aims at giving support and assistance to the poor students to enable them to achieve their academic dreams. He informed them that the gesture is an opportunity that will help them to get relevant academic materials and not to be expended on frivolities.

    A total of 100 students selected and screened from the seven wards of the local government and from various higher institutions in the country were recipients of the award. Each student received N100, 000.

    Hon. Adesina further said the amount would be increased in the coming fiscal year, as the financial situation of the local government improves.

    In his own words, the Majority Leader of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon. Sanai Agunbiade thanked Hon. Adesina for the initiative and enjoined the local government to make the event an annual one.

    Hon. Agunbiade advised the students and youths generally to be diligent always, and never to relent in their efforts in acquiring the best of education. He also enjoined them to be hard working, saying “hard work never kills but makes one better”.

    Also speaking during the programme, the chairman, Lagos State Local Government Service Commission and former Head of Service, Alhaji Babatunde Rotinwa enjoined the students to always shun violence, thuggery and vandalism and endeavour to always embrace peace.

    Highlights of the programme were the presentation of bursary awards to the students by the former Lagos State Deputy Governor and a leading chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state, Prince Abiodun Ogunleye and other notable personalities in Lagos State and in Ikorodu division, among whom were Alhaji Muftau Abiodun, the bursary committee chairman; Alhaji Waheed Owokodu, former chairman, Ikorodu Local Government; Mr Emmanuel Oduloye, Education Secretary among others.