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Tag: dedication

  • Sanusi advises Flying Eagles on discipline, dedication

    General Secretary of the Nigeria Football Federation, Dr Mohammed Sanusi has challenged players of the U-20 National Team, Flying Eagles to imbibe the virtues of discipline, dedication and commitment as they prepare for the upcoming WAFU U-20 Tournament in Lome and the Africa U-20 Cup of Nations in the Niger Republic.

    Speaking when he visited the team at training in Abuja on Saturday morning, the NFF scribe also urged the players to be humble at all times in order to drink from the fountain of knowledge and wisdom of their coaches.

    “Discipline and dedication are very important values in whatever we do in life. For those of us who came from the academia, we know that the certificate that you are given on graduation tells you that you have been found worthy in character and in learning. It is not only learning that gets you the certificate.

    “Character is key in whatever we do, and character is developed through your discipline, dedication and commitment to the cause you have chosen. The founding father of modern Olympics, Baron Pierre de Coubertin, stated that the most important thing about the Olympics is not in winning, but in participating.”

    Sanusi charged the players to heed the words and teaching of their coaches and to eschew social vices as they seek an ethical route to fame and fortune.

    “As a teacher, a licensed coach and an administrator, I care more about your character more than your output on the field.

    At the end of the day, the player with good character is always very different and lasts much longer than the one that lacks good character. Be humble, disciplined and dedicated, and you would be surprised how easy you overcome all the hurdles before you.”

    The Flying Eagles, seven-time African champions are presently shaping up for the WAFU U-20 Cup Tournament taking place in Lome, Togo 6th – 16th December – a preparatory competition for the 2019 Africa U-20 Cup of Nations coming up in the Niger Republic 2nd – 17th February 2019.

  • COSON honours Mohammed for dedication to creative campaign

    COSON honours Mohammed for dedication to creative campaign

    •Minister restates Fed Govt’s commitment to creative industry

    The Copyright Society of Nigeria (COSON) has honoured Minister of Information and Culture Alhaji Lai Mohammed for his dedication to the campaign for the rights of creative people.

    The event took place on Saturday when the minister visited the COSON House in Lagos.

    At the elaborate ceremony featuring a red carpet reception, music and documentary videos, the minister was presented with the ’’Copyright Medal of Honour’’ and his name entered in the ‘’COSON Roll of Honour’’ after the reading of his citation.

    The society’s chairman, Tony Okoroji, who made the presentation that rounded off the hours-long ceremony, described the minister as an ”unassailable and fearless public servant”.

    Okoroji thanked Mohammed as the first minister to visit the imposing green-and-white COSON House.

    The minister, who said he was very proud of COSON, thanked the organisation for the award and the hosting, which he described as ”one of the best Saturday mornings” I have had.

    He said COSON is a ‘’Made in Nigeria Organisation’’ functioning as an international organisation in terms of competence, excellence and the understanding of its core mandate, but noted that the achievements of the organisation are largely under-reported.

    Mohammed restated the Federal Government’s commitment to providing the enabling environment for the creative industry to thrive.

    The minister added that the administration’s economic and growth plan mentioned the industry as one of the key areas for the diversification of the economy.

    He listed the provision of infrastructure, strong laws, protection of Intellectual Property and the enforcement of existing laws as some of the areas in which the government can intervene.

    Mohammed added: ‘’This administration is steadily and consistently addressing those issues.’’

    The minister said efforts are also being made to give the creative industry a pioneer status so it can qualify for such incentives as tax holidays and waivers, especially customs duties on the equipment for film and music production, among others.

    Decrying the situation in which films and music meant for consumption in Nigeria are made in foreign countries, he said the government is determined to ensure that what is consumed in Nigeria, including films and music, must be made in Nigeria.

    The minister was accompanied on the visit by the heads of relevant parastatals in the ministry, including the Directors-General of the NTA (Yakubu Ibn Mohammed), FRCN (Mansur Liman), NTDC (Folorunso Coker) and the Executive Director of the Nigerian Film and Video Censors Board (Adedayo Thomas).

    Chief Ebenezer Obey, Ras Kimono and 2Baba, who could not join their colleagues to receive the minister, spoke to the audience at the ceremony via recorded videos.

    “It is a great day to have you in our midst. Unfortunately, or fortunately, I have to be in London. Notwithstanding my travelling to London, I am here with you in spirit. At COSON, we are for the progress of all. Hon. Minister, we thank you for being here with us,’’ Obey said.

  • Minister parleys with staff • Preaches love, dedication, hard work

    Minister parleys with staff • Preaches love, dedication, hard work

    The Minister of Youth and Sports,  Solomon Dalong has pledged that the rights and privileges of staff would be protected during his tenure in office, while calling on staff to expunge primitive sentiments by eschewing bitterness, rancour and embrace love, dedication and hard work.

    Addressing the staff of the National Sports Commission (NSC) yesterday at the National Stadium, Abuja, Dalong admonished the workers to key into the role sports play in our national unity.  He said: “We must see ourselves as a people, act as a people and work as a people for the progress of Nigeria”, adding”, “every person should have passion for the nation as there is no other than Nigeria.”

    He urged the top management to understand that the level of success which they have attained could be assessed through the impact they made on the lives of their subordinates.  He urged them to think of the welfare of these subordinates at all times because “the management cannot think well than those taking orders from them.”

    Speaking earlier, the Director General, Alhassan Yakmut assured of staff cooperation and undiluted service.

  • LASRRA rewards its workers for dedication

    LASRRA rewards its workers for dedication

    Lagos State  Residents Registration Agency (LASRRA) has rewarded its workers in recognition of their dedication and quality service during registration of residents in the state.

    The agency’s General Manager, Ms Yinka Fashola, said it had so far verified about 2.124 million residents in the ongoing exercise.

    Saying that the event was a way of appreciating the workers’ hard work, she added: ‘’LASRRA is out to have information about our residents where they live and how many people living in a particular area. We will keep the information secret and the identity cards being issued can be use for financial transactions.

    “Some do give false information, but when you give us such about a street for instance, we might not say anything at the point of registration, but when we upload the information, we will discover that something is wrong in the address and we will investigate.’’

    She urged those who had not registered to do so because the permanent card would be soon be made available to people.

    Mr.Kazeem Idowu Surakat won merit award for registering 600,000 people; Mr Ayodele Abiodun Ayanleye, 700,000; Mr Lucky Emeka Oha, 800,000; Mr Micheal Ogbabor Agi, 900,000, and Mr Tunde Sunday Akano, who registered one million residents.

  • Reporter dedicates child 14 years after

    Reporter dedicates child 14 years after

    The family of Chief and Lolo Ugochukwu Ugoji-Eke, a reporter with Vintage Press Limited, publishers of The Nation dedicated their second child, Master Chimdindu Onyedikachi Ugoji-Eke after 14-and-half years after.

    The dedication which took place at All Saints Methodist  Church Market Road, Aba Abia State attracted friends and well-wishers of the family, prominent among who were members of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Abia State chapter led by its Chairman, Mr. Hyacinth Okoli.

    Guests were later moved to Amokwo Item Hall where they were treated to sumptuous reception. The couple danced to the admiration of their guests.

    In separate interviews with the couple, they attributed the arrival of their son to divine intervention, adding that the child came at a time they least expected.

    According to Lolo Ugoji-Eke, “I am very, very happy to have another baby after having my first child after 13 years of marriage. It is wonderful because, at a time, I was as if all hope was lost, but God just remembered me. I can’t express it. There is no word that is enough to quantify what God has done for me.

    “I have always been hopeful, even when it wasn’t forthcoming, I never lost hope. I knew I will still have more, so I expected the baby. If given the opportunity, I will like to have one or two more babies and I will be done. The reason is that, I would want my son and his sister to have other siblings regardless of their sex(es).

    “For people who are passing through what I passed through in the past (childlessness), I will tell them not to lose hope, because once one is alive, there is hope and God says there shall be no barren women in his presence. So anybody who believes or knows what God can do should be hopeful that one day, it will be his or her turn and that God will remember them. Our children should look up to us for the best. We shall give them the best; with strength and resources from God, whatever is the best is what we will give to them.

    Chief Ugoji-Eke who stood by his wife all through her pregnancy period, said he felt highly elated because the birth of his son was a special case “that after 13 years of marriage, I had my first daughter. My son came exactly 14 and half years after that marriage. So, it is a special blessing and I thank everybody that has found time to be here today to celebrate with me and my family. I thank my office, the Vintage Press because they have been so wonderful, I am supposed to be somewhere with them but they gave me the leverage to be with my family to prepare for this ceremony. I highly appreciate them for their understanding because it is not easy to understand one’s pains and joy and share same with you at the same time, I am so happy.

    “I would say Yes and No, that I expected to have another child after the first one that came 13years after our marriage, because God is the giver of children. It is not about your might, it is about the grace of God. God gave it to us when we didn’t even expect it. If God decides to give us another one, fine but I don’t expect to have more than three because the cost of living now is so high and the best you can do for a child is to him/her a befitting educational background for him/her to grow to become somebody in the society. It is not about how many you have, it is about the quality of education and the standard of upbringing that you give to them that matters a lot.

    “For those who are still childless, all they need to do is to get down on their knees and pray to God without season. Like I said, it is not about strength; it is about praying and seeking the face of God. God will always answer them. God’s time is the best. People may say we had our babies at our old age, yes! But to God, it is nothing. By the grace of God, we will still be alive to see our children grow before our presence and give them the best of education. So, if you believe in God, pray to God, God’s time is the best. They should have patience, focus their lives and supplications unto God, God will answer all their prayers.

    “My promise to man and God is that my children will have the best that I, at my level can afford to give them. They shouldn’t because I had them late suffer, with the much I can produce out of my wealth, they will have it.”

    A close member of the family and also the godfather of Master Chimdindu, Mr. Obasi Ude said that as a godfather he was going to make sure that the child would be trained properly in a most responsible manner in order to not only be useful to the family, but to the society, adding that his family would always assist Ugoji-Eke’s family in helping the child meet his spiritual and material needs.

  • Senator, ex-NBA chief call for more dedication to duty

    The senator representing Lagos West at the National Assembly, Ganiyu Olanrewaju Solomon (GOS) and a former President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN), yesterday admonished Nigerian leaders at all levels to use the nation’s 53rd Independence anniversary to solve the nation’s woes.

    Solomon told The Nation yesterday that beyond the annual ritual of celebrating the nation’s independence for the British overlords, leaders across the country must reflect more on the tenets of governance rather than being carried away by the attendant revelry of the event.

    “Most Nigerians are not happy because the nation is sick. All of us therefore owe them the sacred duty to give them a new lease of life to justify the trust they put in us by voting us into the helm of their affairs,” the senator said.

    Olanipekun, who spoke in the same vein, deplored the declining welfare of majority of Nigerians amid the stupendous endowment of the nation. “I feel worried reading daily about the level of poverty and the attendant hunger ravaging people’s lives in this country. As we engage in the ritual of celebrating our independence again tomorrow, we must remind ourselves of the reason we all jumped up for joy when we were granted the said freedom.

     

     

     

     

     

  • Woman commits ‘suicide’ after baby’s dedication

    A thirty five-year-old woman, identified as Ejobosele Okoruwa, has allegedly committed suicide hours after dedicating her three-month-old baby in church.

    Her body was found dangling from a wrapper in her bedroom at Ekpoma in Esan West Local Government Area of Edo State.

    The widower, Okoruwa, said he slept in the sitting room with two of his children while his wife slept in the bedroom with their eldest daughter and the baby.

    Okoruwa said a shout from his daughter at about 2am woke him up and he discovered his wife’s lifeless body dangling from the ceiling.

    He said: “Recently, she exhibited some strange behaviour. She was moody; sometimes she will just be staring into space.

    “When you call her she won’t respond and after several calls, she will respond with a jolt.

    “I asked her several times if she had any problem but she said she was okay. There was a time she told my eldest daughter to take care of the children that she would be going away.

    “I thought she was abandoning the marriage, I pleaded with her and she promised to stay. She complained of some health problems. I asked her to go for tests which she did.”

    Divisional Police Officer Akpoko Omuohowo confirmed the incident.

     

  • Traders hail planned dedication of future budgets to real sector

    Traders have hailed President Goodluck Jonathan’s decision to dedicate future budgets to the real sector.

    The National Association of Nigeria Traders (NANT) said the plan would boost employment, wealth and make the economy stronger.

    While inaugurating the National Competitive Council of Nigeria (NCCN) board at the Presidential Villa, Jonathan said from next year the budget would be dedicated to the manufacturing sector.

    In a statement, NANT’s President, Mr Ken Ukoha, said.

    “NANT believes that Nigeria has all it takes to become a world power and investors destination. We further believe that industrialisation is key and it does not require rocket science to turn Nigeria into the next industrial destination point in Africa.

    “For us, the success or failure of an economy starts from the fiscal framework and the 2014 budget and beyond can be used as that master key to unlock the nation’s fortunes; therefore, Mr President’s vision is in the right direction and must be supported.

    “It is on record that the world (including global bodies such as the World Bank, the IMF, and other respected organisations) is seeing Nigeria as an emerging and potentially strong economy,”he said.

    He said for emerging economies, the share of manufacturing in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is between 20 and 40 per cent, adding that in Nigeria, the sector’s share is less than five per cent, indicating under-utilisation and under performance.

    “It is noteworthy that the manufacturing sector has over the years remained comatose and, therefore, lost its position in the overall economic status.

    “ In accurate terms, the contribution of the sector has been dwindling, and of late staggered with fluctuations between four and six per cent contribution to the nation’s GDP. The average manufacturing capacity utilisation decreased from 47 per cent in 2009 to 45 per cent in 2010 and it is still taking a downward trend.

    “In terms of employment generation, available information reveals that a total of over 800 manufacturing companies closed shop between 2009 and 2011 as a result of their inability to continue to cope with the challenges posed by the harsh operating environment in Nigeria; and what this means is that there is a significant decline in employment ratio as a percentage of the total labour force in the formal sector of the nation’s economy,” he said.

    Ukoha said agriculture and trade have been holding the economy at 41 per cent and 28 per cent contribution to the GDP, adding that such contribution is only an unfortunate economic indication of absolute lopsidedness and failure of industrial transformation of the primary commodities to finished products that would in turn reduce the huge volume of imports which has kept the country’s economy on its knees.

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Agege Catholic Church for dedication

    The Catholic Archbishop of Lagos Diocese, Rev. Alfred Martins, will tomorrow dedicate the renovated St. Theresa’s Catholic Church in Agege.

    The event will start with the Mass by 11am.

    The Parish Priest, Fr. Anthony Eboh and the Chairman of Dedication Committee, Mr. Allen Williams, in a statement, said the church has been expanded to accommodate 3,000 worshippers.

    The statement reads: “The remodeled church building sprang out of the ashes of the old one which has been in use since 1980, but over time became too small to accommodate the growing number of worshippers.

    “The need for a bigger church gave birth to the construction of this new church building. The efforts began on January, 2010.

    “Happily, the new church, with its enlarged gallery, comfortably sits about 3,000 worshippers at a time. It is fully air conditioned, one of the very few of such in the Lagos Archdiocese.

    “To ensure that the air conditions are put into use whenever required, there are two electricity generating sets of 150KVA and 40KVA each serving as stand by source of power.”

  • Agege Catholic Church for dedication

    The Catholic Archbishop of Lagos Diocese, Rev. Alfred Martins, will, on Saturday, dedicate the renovated St. Theresa’s Catholic Church in Agege.

    The event will start with the Mass by 11am.

    The Parish Priest, Fr. Anthony Eboh and the Chairman of Dedication Committee, Mr. Allen Williams, in a statement, said the church has been expanded to accommodate 3,000 worshippers.

    Two electricity generating sets of 150KVA and 40KVA have been installed in the church.