The Nation Newspaper

Tag: David B. Lawal

  • AHI releases assessment of youth friendly health services in Badia

    Action Health Incorporated (AHI) has released an impact assessment report from the survey on the reproductive and Sexual health status of young people, age 10 – 24, living within Olojowo, a slum community in Badia, Lagos.

    The objective of AHI, a non-profit organization, dedicated to promoting opportunities for young people’s health and development to ensure their successful transition to healthy and productive adulthood, was to assess the Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) service utilization by young people living in the community and to gauge the fresh SRH perceptions of same people.

    Recall that the organisation published a report about a month ago from its survey conducted on the Olojowo community, which revealed the staggering information of how young people in the Lagos Suburb get information on sexual health, how they process the information and communicate same among peers. Findings of this survey were disclosed in a stakeholders meeting.

    [news_list display=”tag” category=”1225″ tag=”Rape” count=”2″ show_more=”on” show_more_type=”link”]

    The outcome revealed that many of the houses in the community are made of wood, which makes them susceptible to serious fire accidents. Also, there are no toilet facilities in many of the houses and power supply is very poor.

    Residents do not have access to potable water and there is a high level of insecurity at night, with many residents reporting disturbances by hooligans and frequent fights. Other themes explored in the study include young people’s involvement in sexual activities, knowledge of contraceptive methods, knowledge of HIV/AIDS and other STIs.

    However, even as the survey reports that about 70 percent of the respondents had received information about their reproductive organ and sexual activity (sexuality education) from someone while about 30 percent had not, the information was either not accurate or rather wrong.

    The survey had 553 respondents drawn from four Community Development Association (CDA) Area: Oke-Oja West, Oke-Oja South, Oke-Oja North, Gaskiya West, who constitute 46.1% male and 47.2% female respondents.

    [graphs]
    [graph title=”Male_Tertiary_Education” score=”3.8″ color=”#29c4a7″ text_color=”#0c0c0c”]
    [graph title=”Male_Secondary_Education” score=”79.2″ color=”#50c113″ text_color=”#000000″]
    [graph title=”Male_Primary_Education” score=”16.3″ color=”#eded09″ text_color=”#000000″]
    [graph title=”Male_No_Education” score=”0.7″ color=”#000000″ text_color=”#dd0202″]
    [/graphs]

    Unfortunately, the level of education, according to the survey outcome states that only about 3.8% of the male respondents have had a Tertiary education of one form or the other, 79.2%, secondary education; 16.3% primary education while 0.7% have no education at all. Similarly, 3.0% of the female respondents have had Tertiary education, 83.4% have been through secondary school, and 12.8% have had a primary school education while 0.8% have no form of formal education.

    [graphs]
    [graph title=”Female_Tertiary_Education” score=”3.0″ color=”#4f27bc” text_color=”#0c0c0c”]
    [graph title=”Female_Secondary_Education” score=”83.4″ color=”#c6136d” text_color=”#000000″]
    [graph title=”Female_Primary_Education” score=”12.8″ color=”#07bc77″ text_color=”#000000″]
    [graph title=”Female_No_Education” score=”0.8″ color=”#726300″ text_color=”#dd0202″]
    [/graphs]

    Meanwhile, as at the time of the commencement of this survey, 30% of the respondents have not had any form of sexuality education, a number which reduced to 13% at the end of the project. By this, 87% of the respondent are now aware of sexuality education, the assessment indicated.

    According to the assessment, the highest source of information on sexuality education remained the school with 81.1% followed by Friends, 54.1% at the baseline of the survey. The percentage, however, changed with School now at 84.5%, Mothers at 65.3%, Medical personnel at 50.8% and Friends now at 44.1.

  • N/Delta: Oil industry corruption birthed militancy – Agaga

    N/Delta: Oil industry corruption birthed militancy – Agaga

     There is no denial that in the minds of many patriotic Nigerians in Diaspora, who are Professionals and have become authorities at different capacities, what matters most is setting things straight in Nigeria; making leadership accountable to the people while delivering election campaign promises to the citizenry. This is similar to the interests of the Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Spain, Comrade Stephen Tella and a few other Chairmen, APC Diaspora.
    It is in the effort to correct the age long plague, corruption, that has bedevilled the Nigerian petroleum sector, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and the Niger Delta region in South-South Nigeria, that APC diaspora has sorted out Prince Christopher Akpojotor Agaga, who is well read and informed in the Nigerian petroleum industry as well as a few other countries around the world.
    Recalling the problems with the Nigerian oil sector, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), the Oil cabals and the Niger Delta people of South Southern Nigeria which dates back to 1907 when Nigerian Bitumen Corporation conducted exploratory work in the country, Prince Agaga boasted that if the Federal Government agrees to follow his proposal, contained in this report, the issue of Niger Delta agitations/militancy, the amnesty programme, as well as the unemployment menace ravaging Nigerian youths will be properly taken care of.
    Of a truth, the Nigerian oil and gas industry has been vibrant since the discovery of crude oil in 1956 by the Shell Group. However, the sector was largely dominated by multinational corporations until the early 1990s when Nigerian companies began to make a foray into the industry. Local participation was boosted with the implementation of the Nigerian Content Directives issued by the NNPC about a decade ago, and eventually, by the promulgation of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGIC) Act (The Act) in 2010, which seeks to promote the use of Nigerian companies/resources in the award of oil licences, contracts and projects.
    In respect to the enactment of the Local Content Act, Agaga, in an interview with newsmen, advised the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration to create the office of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), which he said will be a Federal Government organ, statutorily saddled with the authority to formulate and regulate the implementation of the Local Content Policy in the Petroleum industry.
    “This by extension is to monitor the full adherence to all the clauses as stipulated in the signed Local Content Act right from the pre-qualification stage through the Bidding stage and during the awarding and execution stages, because the Local Content Policy is to regulate, evaluate, monitor and effect the day to day implementation of every operation in the Oil and Gas industry which stipulates that Nigerians must be encouraged to be major players in the industry.
    christopher-agaga-1“This, the Nigerian Government believes will help in capacity building and also enhancement of all necessary opportunities. But ironically, this noble innovation of Government, because it has not been properly handled, has not yielded the required results and as such, in a very disappointing way, quenched the apprehensions which are serious sources of worries to all operators in the Oil and Gas Industry.
    “In addition to the above, effective monitoring and evaluation of projects are essential and pivotal means of guiding and accelerating the economic growths. However, evidence has shown that the practice of monitoring and evaluation / enforcement during construction projects in the Oil and Gas industry is grossly deficient since it has not been effectively extended through the necessary apparatus of Government to the Grassroots operational areas and as such led to the wastage of resources and leakages which negates project programmes designed to impact positively on the poor suffering people of this country.
    “Similarly, it has led to the prevention of the full assessment of projects in comparison with the declared intent from which authorization is derived. This deficiency can manifest the proliferation of continuous stoppage and disruption of construction projects in the respective projects sites which in turn will give a negative impact on the economic growth and development in the Oil producing states in particular and Nigeria in general. Therefore, the indispensability of project monitoring and enforcement cannot be over emphasized and also will only through a perfect connubial attract genuine development in the respective host communities,” he observed.
    The Political leader from a Niger Delta community noted that the office of the NCDMB shall be operated on behalf of the President by a Special Assistant who will automatically become Government/ Community Liaison Officer in the Presidency and shall be known in the Oil industry as the Presidential Liaison Officer (P.L.O) in all construction projects awarded by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and all its joint venture partners.
    He stressed that this office is very important if Nigerian oil must be channeled to the right sources while not trampling on the well being of the indigenes of the region, adding that the absence of inspection companies like the Oceanergy, Globe Resources and others that left the country years ago has given room for theft of crude oil in large quantities, direct from the oil well. “What these sort of companies do include the inspection of civil construction, electrical, mechanical constructions like welding and also divers. You will see a lot of vessels on the high sea, even the Navy will think they want to berth because they are waiting for a turn to discharge petroleum products, but I tell you that some of these vessels carry divers who go under the sea to do welding jobs which Nigerians are expected to do, thereby denying citizens job opportunities.
    “Another thing is that we used to have companies that were electronically monitoring the distribution of crude oil from place to place; from one terminal to another terminal, from one flow station down to the terminal before it gets into the ships. They know what is going out and what is going down. The excuse that people are agitators are blowing pipes is fake.
    “What we need to know is the record of what is passing through each pipe, what are the challenges that the pipelines have which will lead to what we do in those, like pigging (Pipeline Inspection Gauge) which helps in clearing the wax in the pipeline. All these have stopped.
    “Unfortunately, when these stopped, it automatically stole the job slots of some Nigerians. When it comes to construction, before a company, for instance a Korean company, Hyundai Heavy Industries or Samsung Heavy Industries, want to bid, they will send their bidding documents to, for example, Chevron. Chevron will now inform the NNPC that these number of companies are now pre-qualified and we want you to approve the ones that are qualified.
    “You know what to consider when considering those that scaled through pre-qualification stages; firstly, the ones that submitted their community/ security plan, cashes policy, etcetera. Now, just like it is done in every other kind of documentation where people prepare a profile. They go to consultants that will provide a perfect community/ security management plan, then you call it a local content policy plan.
    “So, what they do at the business centre is to replace the name of the companies that were inside existing ones with this new one and then submit
    it. Then NNPC will send it to the organ that should be statutorily responsible
    for this job, which is the Nigerian Content Development Monitoring Board
    (NCDMB). In turn, the NCDMB should ideally go to the community to find out from the locales if the listed company came to you because they are biding for this sort of job. If the people say yes, what did you discuss with them, what kind of project did they tell you they are interested in doing? This is fact finding which these organs don’t do anymore.
    “Also, the environmental impact assessment which they publish regularly, did they really do their own cross-checking of the said environment?”
    He disclosed that as much as Nigerian Government remains the rightful owners of the Oil wells and are totally in full control of all the security apparatus, it is directly impacted once the problems of mistrust exist between the host communities and the constructions/oil producing companies and this always result to crisis, as evidenced in the Niger Delta. By this, it becomes pertinent that the Government becomes the direct provider of Government/Community Affairs and Security Management on all project sites and creation of conducive environment for the companies to operate peacefully while in their respective project sites.
    His words: “In fact, this now makes it mandatory for the Federal Government to be the domestic and grassroots providers of construction project execution Monitors/Enforcement Officers with regards to implementation of a well-articulated Government/ Community Relations and Security Management plans in all Oil and Gas Project sites in the various Host communities in Nigeria. This automatically places the Federal Government in a strategic position of Monitoring and evaluating the sincere implementation of the Nigerian Local Content Law as it positively affects the poor masses of Nigeria.
    “Furthermore, is that the Special Assistant to the President shall be among the formulators and also monitors of the full implementation/Enforcement of all project contract Agreement and Memorandum of Understanding signed by all concerned parties. This is imperative because all the foreign owned Oil and Gas construction companies don’t and never prepared to respect the passed Nigerian Content Act specifically because they are not directly in partnership with the Federal Government.
    “But in contrast, it is the Oil Producing Companies that respects the Nigerian Content Act because they have a partnership Agreement with the Federal Government through the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation. Another unfortunate story in the oil industry is that the disease called corruption in the system grew to become a monster hurting the Oil and Gas Construction world. This is so because the Nigerian Managers in both at the NNPC and all the various Oil Producing Companies (i.e. Exxon Mobil; Chevron; Agip; Total; Shell etc) have togetherly turned the Oil and Gas industry into a money making machine.
    “By so doing, they influence the construction companies to divert most of the various project funds into their private pockets which in fact is always to the detriment of both the owners of the projects and the Host communities. The fact is that every project site is constantly faced with crisis and stoppage of works because the companies are always economical of the truth on matters concerning Community Affairs / Security Management Plans or Policy as agreed and stipulated in the various projects contract document.
    “They are forced into these negative acts because of the Public Affairs department of their various client (i.e. Chevron) have Cabal with which they use in draining project cost to the detriment of the host communities which people don’t know until when the project starts and the youths of the concerned host communities start agitating for their rights.
    “Also, the foreign Construction Companies are so greedy to the extent of withholding training Allocations, technological transfer and Job slot robbery caused due to the giving out of most of our (i.e. Nigerian) job slots to other Nationals (i.e. Philippines, Indians, Americans, Italians, Spanish, etc.), thereby reducing drastically the number of Nigerians employed or engaged in the various project sites.
    “These negative practices are made possible with the support and backings of the corrupt Nigerians, known as the Cabals, which includes some corrupt officers of both the Custom and Immigration Services that the Construction Companies used in providing fake foreign personnel information data for unqualified expatriates to get work permits illegally specifically with the intention of drastically reducing job spaces initially allocated for Nigerian youths in the various project Contract Agreements.
    “In addition is the falsification of imported facilities or materials / equipment import duty clearance document purposely to easily clear their goods from the Nigerian Sea Ports. The Cabals become more dangerous when being led by the corruptly imposed Governors from the Niger Delta states who provide both financial and security logistics to their various political thugs which they used in forcing themselves into the Government Houses but unable to provide the needed employment spaces or financial supports as promised during their respective election campaigns.
    “In fact, these Governors have turned the various project sites into their individual free Bank of Gangsterism. It is sad, what things have become in the oil industry.”
    Ones this office is created, Agaga, noted that the Officer shall report directly to the President through the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation on Local Content Enforcement Matters. “He shall also always act according to instructions and approval verbally or written from the Secretary to the Government of the Federation on all actions he wish to carry out while working in any of the companies,” he said.
  • Recession: Nigeria’s plight started in 1884 – Prof Ojeniyi

    Recession: Nigeria’s plight started in 1884 – Prof Ojeniyi

    Nigerians are impatient with the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration, Professor Ade Ojeniyi has said maintaining that it is too early to criticise the current administration for problems that are embedded in the foundation of the country.

    In his opinion, Nigerians are expecting results too soon, “because the foundation for our suffering as a people was laid on 15th of November 1884 at 2:00pm in Germany where all the European countries except Switzerland had the Balkanisation of Africa.

    Prof. Ojeniyi, who holds doctoral degrees in both veterinary and human medicine further noted that Nigerians need not blame the current recession on the Buhari-led administration, noting that many should revisit the country’s history for a better understanding of the crisis.

    The Professor admonished Nigerians to return to those days when farming was the major

    abroad have proved their mettle, their capacity, their efficiency, their devotion, their knowledge and their experience.

    He lamented that the professionalism and skills of these professionals are hampered by so many factors that introduce so many variables in their functionality when they return to home country to practise.

    The one-time Chief Physician and Government Medical Advisor to the Ministry of Health in Greenland identified the lack of power supply, lack of equipment as well as the lack of drugs, and of course security, which affects all, as factors that compromise the energy, the enthusiasm, the devotion, the conviction, their truism of Nigerian professionals abroad.

    The Denmark-based Professor, who emphasised that the lack of security heightens the tension for all Nigerian professionals in the security service, the state and civil services, and others, condemned the level of noise pollution in the country observing that besides transporters who make unnecessary noise on the road, religious activities have also become another major source.

    His words: “The noise pollution is just deafening. When somebody returns from work, then in the neighbourhood you see some people shouting ‘Jesus is coming with noise’ you can’t even rest your head. At 7pm, the Arabic people start with loudspeakers; ‘Allah Akbar’.

    “If you say your religion is the best and it is a personal thing, why do you want to disturb your Neighbour? Probably your neighbour wants to rest or perhaps he is on night duty and he works 5 days in a week, the noise damages or lowers the loop of people that are exposed to it.

    “If somebody does that in my wife’s country (Denmark), no problem, within 10minutes, there would be a Police car and an ambulance with a doctor, so that the person would be handcuffed by the police and the doctor with the ambulance would take such a person to the psychiatric ward and all the shouting would be over once the person is taken. Then they would check if something is wrong with the head because you have neighbours who want to rest.”

    It is very dangerous to people’s ears, some people don’t relate it and they discover that as time goes on people have to raise their voices to communicate because they think that they are not been helped because the number of decibels should actually determine the level of reaction to sound.

    Speaking about the level of concentration at the workplace from the perspective of a professional surgeon, Ojeniyi observed that sometimes you may be doing something and the electricity distribution company decides to interrupt power supply or somebody comes in for some injury of a nature, which demands that you do something right away but can’t be done because of power outage. 

    “It is just difficult for you to concentrate on a major operation per time because of so many interfering factors from the government to individuals and even other societal issues,” he said.

    According to him, industrial actions may not be the best for medical professionals to express their grievances but maintaining that when you have a medical personnel, for instance, going on strike, it has to be extremely serious before they do that, even when they go on strike, they always ensure that emergency service is still maintained.

    Currently a visiting Professor at the University of Texas, School of Public Health in Houston, Texas, Ojeniyi said: “Industrial action can be based on several things; one, is it because of selfishness, is it because of greed, or is it because you are frustrated that you can’t give that service you really want to give because of lack of this or that, because of passion. So it is difficult to just condemn outright.

    “We have also gone on strike in Denmark where things work perfectly. Maybe just a tiny thing, when they take action it could be for one hour or two hours, but that one o two hours would be effect by the society because everything goes smoothly.

    “So, when there is any strike, it affects the system, it reverberates. It is like pulling a net and it affects the whole system. So ideally, there shouldn’t be reasons for any strike but frustrations many times necessitate their attention because when they do not draw attention, it is ignored. And when the attention is gained you discover that it is bureaucrats who have no idea of what medicine means, that are taking the decisions.”

  • Nigeria ranks 23rd on global slavery index

    Nigeria ranks 23rd on global slavery index

    The third Global Slavery Index for 2016 has revealed that an estimated 45.8 million men, women and children around the world are today trapped in modern slavery – 28% more than previously estimated.

    According to the findings conducted on 167 most populous countries and released on Tuesday, Nigeria ranks 23 in 2016,

    The flagship research report published by the Walk Free Foundation observed that the 45.8 population are enslaved through human trafficking, forced labour, debt bondage, forced or servile marriage or commercial sexual exploitation.

    The 2016 estimate is an increase on the estimate provided in the previous edition of the Index. As efforts to measure this hidden crime are relatively new, it is premature to assert that modern slavery has increased in the intervening period.

    SlaveryIndeed, the results from Global Slavery Index website, quoting Walk Free Foundation, the national surveys reveal a mixed picture, with increases in some national estimates and decreases in others. For example, the national survey in Bangladesh resulted in an estimate of 1.5 million people in modern slavery, an increase from the previous estimate of 680,900 people. Similarly, the national survey in Myanmar led to an increase in the estimate-from 231,600 in 2014 to 500,000 in this edition.

    For over 400 years, more than 15 million men, women and children were the victims of the tragic transatlantic slave trade, one of the darkest chapters in human history.

    For the United Nations, every year on 25 March, the International Day of Remembrance for the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade offers the opportunity to honour and remember those who suffered and died at the hands of the brutal slavery system. The International Day also aims to raise awareness about the dangers of racism and prejudice today.

    North Korea is the country with the greatest prevalence of modern slavery, with 4.37% of its population estimated to be enslaved. It is also the country with the weakest government response in terms of actions taken to combat modern slavery. The next highest prevalence of slavery is found in Uzbekistan (3.97%), followed by Cambodia (1.65%).

    In terms of absolute numbers, India remains the highest with an estimated 18.35 million enslaved people, followed by China (3.39m), Pakistan (2.13m), Bangladesh (1.53m) and Uzbekistan (1.23m). Combined, these five countries account for almost 58% of the world’s enslaved, or 26.6 million people.

    The 2016 Global Slavery Index estimates that 28% more people are enslaved than reported in the 2014 edition. This significant increase is due to enhanced data collection and research methodology. Survey research for the 2016 Global Slavery Index included over 42,000 interviews conducted in 53 languages across 25 countries, including 15 state-level surveys in India. These representative surveys cover 44% of the global population.

    Slavery 1Meanwhile, since the index started, only a few countries have taken strong actions to address the menace. Among these countries are Netherlands ranking topmost, the United States of America ranking second, the United Kingdom third, Sweden ranks fourth, with Australia fifth on the table.

    Sadly, countries with the highest prevalence have taken even less actions to address the problem. It is assumed that governments of these countries have failed to pay attention to the general wellbeing of citizens.

    For instance, North Korea that leads the table of slavery index also ranks 161 in terms of action to reduce slavery. Meanwhile, at 160 is Iran that ranks 20; Eritrea is at 159, Equatorial Guinea at 158 and Hong Kong at 157. This is not good enough to reduce global slavery to the minimum.

    However, by the description of Walk Free Foundation of modern day slavery, most Nigerians living in places like Lagos, Kano and Calabar could be classified as modern day slaves.

  • Smartphone that uses two WhatsApp, BBM

    Smartphone that uses two WhatsApp, BBM

    Launched about five months ago, the emergence of Infinix enabled AndroidOne Smartphone is no longer news to many Smartphone users considering its performance when interchanging between Apps and its multitasking ability.
    Meanwhile, one thing remains largely unknown to many owners or users of this Google Android Lollipop Smartphone, even some tech savvy individuals do not know yet.
    Initially, it did not seem great especially when it goes hot like the name Hot 2, but it will take a little time to cool itself down even when you are not observing it.
    Little wonder, Benjamin Jiang, the Managing Director, Infinix Mobility, said during the launch in Lagos, Nigeria, that the new Infinix Hot 2 will redefine the Smartphone industry in Nigeria.
    And many will readily agree that yes, it is redefining it.
    No doubt, the Infinix Hot 2 is the cheapest Smartphone with latest version of Android 5.1 Lollipop, yet it is doing exceedingly well.
    Find below:

    Fresh Facts About AndroidOne

    No doubt, the Infinix Hot 2, launched about 5 months ago, is the cheapest Smartphone with latest version of Android 5.1 Lollipop, yet it is doing exceedingly well. The device can upgrade to the latest version of Android when released.
    Below one great expandable fact about the Google AndroidOne Smartphone…

    First

    The device can function like your Computer by switching users between the owner and guest users. Interestingly, you can open your user account as guests even if the owner locks the device.

    Second

    Each user can install and use applications independently without interfering with each other. Meaning, you can have more than one WhatsApp, BBM, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook Messenger Applications running per user. Similarly, you can sign in your gmail account in order to use Google Cloud backup service. Albeit, any user can update Apps for all other users.

    Third

    As the owner, you can allow or disallow if guests can make use of dial pad. That is, you decide if guests can make calls or check airtime balance on your device. Also, you decide if you want guests to use internet on the device.

    Fourth

    Like your PC, every user can secure the account with passwords, pattern or PIN. Which means, if you are using the device as a guest, you can secure your account and even the owner cannot boycott that expect to delete the account entirely.

    sixth

    Despite signing in to the device as a guest, it does not stop you from answering calls except that the ringtone is default for that account unless set to a specific tone by the user. Albeit, it depends on the two SIM cards installed in the device

    Sixth

    To create a user on your device, simply visit Setting — Users — Add User. Meanwhile, kindly pay attention to every information that pops up in the process so you could know what to do next and how to secure your device. Good Luck!

    Seventh

    Kindly explore your device and tell me something new you found out about this amazing device

  • Infographics: Out of school children in Nigeria

    Infographics: Out of school children in Nigeria


    The above representation attempts to compare the population of Out of School Children (OSC) in Nigeria to the entire population of some African nations.
    According to statistics provided by UNESCO, there are about 10.5 million Nigerian children that are out of school.
    This is the largest population of such OSC anywhere on earth, in fact, Nigeria accounts for 47 percent of the world’s population of OSC.
    In comparison, the entire population of Libya and Liberia is 10,496,000 while the population of OSC in Nigeria is approximately 10,500,000.
    According to the UNICEF, over the last decade, Nigeria’s exponential growth in population has put immense pressure on the country’s resources and on already overstretched public services and infrastructure. With children under 15 years of age accounting for about 45 per cent of the country’s population, the burden on education and other sectors has become overwhelming.

    Out of School“Forty per cent of Nigerian children aged 6-11 do not attend any primary school with the Northern region recording the lowest school attendance rate in the country, particularly for girls. Despite a significant increase in net enrollment rates in recent years, it is estimated that about 4.7 million children of primary school age are still not in school.

    “Increased enrollment rates have also created challenges in ensuring quality education and satisfactory learning achievement as resources are spread more thinly across a growing number of students. It is not rare to see cases of 100 pupils per teacher or students sitting under trees outside the school building because of the lack of classrooms.

    “This situation is being addressed by current efforts of the Nigerian Government with the implementation of the Basic Education scheme. The compulsory, free Universal Basic Education (UBE) Act was passed into law in 2004 and represents the Government’s strategy to fight illiteracy and extend basic education opportunities to all children in the country.

  • Marketing Edge holds summit, awards in style

    Marketers need to adopt a multimedia strategy to ensure effective and impactful consumer engagement, the former Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, Guinness Nigeria, Seni Adetu has advised marketing professionals in Africa.

    Mr Adetu gave this advice on Friday at the 2016 Marketing Edge Awards and annual summit held at the Civic Centre, Lekki, observing that consumers within the planet are becoming more discerning than ever before.

    Speaking on the theme: ‘Brand Positioning in a Digital Age; Challenges in a a Developing Market’, the marketing guru, noted that there is a real transformation happening in the digital space, which marketers need to take advantage of.

    He advised marketers not to consider Nigeria has one country when drawing marketing strategies, identifying differences around lifestyle, language, location and other societal values as factors that could influence consumers’ decision.

    The summit, which brought giants of the marketing profession together, also had discussants like Mrs. Chizor Malie, Mr. Chude Jideonwo and Mrs. Bukola Akingbade.

    Also speaking at the summit, Mr. Chude Jideonwo, co-founder and Managing Partner of Red Media Africa, noted that more and more brands are beginning to listen to ‘the streets’.

    “If nothing has changed between traditional ways of exchanging information and the digital media, the sensitivity has changed. What has changed is the way people engage with information” Mr. Jideonwo said.

    Further speaking about the migration from traditional to digital space, Jideonwo referred to the contemporary consumers as stubborn owners, who you either strategise to satisfy or loss to competitors.

    Speaking on the important roles marketers play, Mr John Ajayi, Publisher and Chief Executive Officer, Marketing Edge Magazine, commended the marketing professionals present at the summit/award night saying: “It is a night of honour and awards for those, who have made this industry what it is.”

    Present at the event include Sir Steve Omojafor, Chairman of McCann Group of companies; Mr. George Thorpe, Managing Partner, Market Space; Mr Gbenga Adefaye, Managing Director, Vanguard Newspaper; Mr. Niran Malaolu, Managaing Director, RockcityFM, among others.

  • WPFD2016: Buhari promises Press freedom

    WPFD2016: Buhari promises Press freedom

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday said that his administration is committed to defending the freedom of the press and the freedom of information in Nigeria.

    The President made this known in a social media post while joining the world to mark the World Press Freedom Day (WPFD) 2016.

    The posts read in part: “Under President Buhari’s administration, the Nigerian press – Africa’s most vibrant – will continue to enjoy the space to thrive.”

    It will be recalled that every year on May 3rd is a date which celebrates the fundamental principles of press freedom; to evaluate press freedom around the world, to defend the media from attacks on their independence and to pay tribute to journalists who have lost their lives in the exercise of their profession.

    The international day was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in 1993 following a Recommendation adopted at the 26th Session of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)’s General Conference in 1991. This in turn was a response to a call by African journalists who in 1991 produced the landmark Windhoek Declaration on media pluralism and independence.

    The UNESCO and the Government of Finland co-host the World Press Freedom Day’s main event and the UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize Ceremony in 2016 which will take place in Helsinki, Finland, from 2-4 May 2016.

    Recall that 250 years ago the world’s first Freedom of information (FOI) law allowed for accountability & gave citizens the right to express themselves.

    The WPFD2016, which started on Monday, May 2 and scheduled to end on Wednesday, May 4th, is organized under the patronage of the President of the Republic of Finland, Sauli Niinistö.

    [news_box style=”2″ display=”tag” link_target=”_blank” tag=”#WPFD2015″ count=”4″ show_more=”on” show_more_type=”link” header_background=”#c9812e”]

  • Minister commends Nobel Rugs, advise made in Nigeria

    Minister commends Nobel Rugs, advise made in Nigeria

    The Minister of State for Trade, Industry and Investment, Hajia Aishat Abubakar on Monday advised industries to look inward in order to achieve the made in Nigeria products vision.

    The minister gave this advice during an assessment visit to Lucky Fibres Limited, makers of Nobel Rugs and Carpets in Ikorodu, Lagos State.

    While inspecting the production facilities, Abubakar expressed satisfaction in the fact that the carpets and rugs are produced in Nigeria and exported to neighbouring countries like Ghana, Republic of Benin and Ethiopia, to mention a few.

    Speaking about the company’s challenges in meeting international standards, Mrs Kemi Ajibade, Senior Human Resources Manager, Lucky Fibres Limited, lamented the impact of smugglers’ activities, who take advantage of Nigeria’s illegal borders in importing sub quality carpets and rugs into the country.

    According to Ajibade, “an average Nigerian cannot identify quality products, but will rather buy what is affordable in the market even if it does not serve for a long time.

    “We urge the Government to assist us in addressing the activities of smuggling. If you visit Alaba Market, you will see different kinds of sub standard carpets and rugs being displayed for sales.

    “We import some of our production materials like polypropylene (PP) because local manufacturers could not meet the quality that our machine can work with. The machine is the latest in the industry and only works with high quality fibres.

    “Local manufacturers of polypropylene in Nigeria usually complain that we are the only manufacturer in the sub sector of the Nigerian textile industry who demand for that quality because we want the best for our people. And since we cannot consume a large quantity of their quality polypropylene alone, they prefer to produce the sub standard ones which is a popular demand.”

    However, the minister assured the company of improvement in ensuring that all textile products are of good quality to meet international standards, urging Lucky Fibre to devise means to work with local manufacturers in order for the country to achieve the made in Nigeria vision.

    “You need to exercise more patience because we don’t want to address a part of the problem, but we are putting a holistic approach in place. It is not just this sector, but for all sectors.

    “You, manufacturers should also be watchdogs for one another because Government might not see all the lapses. But when you identify any challenge that threatens your work, approach us and let us see what we can do to help,” she noted.

    In his remarks, General Manager, Lucky Fibres, Jitesh Pamnani, thanked the Minister for the inspection and promised that the company will continue to introduce the best machine, technology and manpower to keep the industry flourishing.

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  • Senate: Retirement home of ex-governors – Ezekwesili

    Senate: Retirement home of ex-governors – Ezekwesili

    The former Education Minister, Oby Ezekwesili on Monday reacted to the revelation from the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), which claimed that the Nigerian Senate inflated the cost of buying Toyota Land Cruiser Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs) for its members.

    Speaking through posts on her social media handle, Ezekwesili described the act as wicked demanding that Citizen occupy the National Assembly.

    Her reactions: “Governance has a Supply and a Demand side. For 50+years in Nigeria, only the Supply Side was active and so learned the bad ways of Monopolists.

    “Monopolists have no incentive to be efficient with product/price since there is no consequence. Sole Supply Side, Governance acts same.”

    The former minister stressed that until citizens activate the demand side of governance and pressure the supply side to be accountable and effective, good governance may never be realized in Nigeria.

    “The Senate needs to hear from as many of us – Citizens – as possible that we stopped laughing at their expensive jokes a long time ago,” she noted.

    Please find her posts below:

     

    In a statement made available to The Nation in Abuja and signed by its President, Comrade Ayuba Wabba, the NLC accused the Senate of spending money without appropriation when it publicly admitted that its standing committees cannot carry out their functions due to paucity of funds.

    The congress said while the senate purchased each of the cars for N35.1 million, the actual market price of the vehicles stands at N17 million.

    Read Full Report

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