The Nation Newspaper

Tag: glory

  • The awaiting glory of Lagos

    By the year 2025, it is projected that about 40 million people will be living in Lagos, Nigeria’s foremost mega society, the economic hub of West Africa and the most populated African community. Lagos is undoubtedly Nigeria’s second in terms of administrative complexities. It is often said that any Governor who can manage the city successfully can obviously manage the entire country.

    Towards the close of 7th Assembly, the former Governor of Lagos State, Mr Babatunde Fashola (SAN) addressed the Assembly in a special session to present clear situation of economic challenges based on dwindling financial situation as orchestrated by the federal government under former President Goodluck Jonathan as a result of sharp decline on federal allocations and refusal of the federal government to reimburse Lagos State on project executed on its behalf.

    Lagos with strong economic base and opportunities does not come without challenges especially managing a steadily rising population which has continued to put pressures on facilities, making big efforts from the government to translate into little impacts in the eyes of the populace.

    The emergence of Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, a seasoned career accountant as Governor is a blessing to Lagos State at this critical economic relapse. A great money saver, prudent financial manager, astute believer in planning and steady approach to sustainable human development, Mr Ambode is an antidote against a financially staggered Lagos in a time like this. He comes with high profile in managing special financial situation as evident in the roles previously played in salvaging the state against gagging by the federal government under former ruling party, the PDP and precisely the Obasanjo administration when Lagos created 37 additional Local Governments. Then, Mr Ambode was the Accountant General of the state.

    The present picture is crystal clear that States’ revenues are fast decreasing. The fall in global price of crude oil coupled with excessive looting of national treasury has adversely affected our federal revenue and obviously its reflective impacts on the States. Our country has been put into a comatose that every State needs a genius as Governor to survive this trying time.

    If I am not sure of any other thing about Mr Governor, I am confident that he possesses the passion, coupled with skills and professionalism to turn our Lagos around for better. In few months of Akinwunmi Ambode administration, the Governor has made frantic moves that suggest Lagosians need not panic about the future.

    First, you see a Governor that is swift and very responsive to issues affecting his State. In addition, you see a Governor that is steady; he studies situations before coming out with policies. Governor Ambode took adequate time to review all administrative matters on his table before he started acting. As far as my knowledge of governance can take me, I believe there is no better way to ensure smooth transition from one administrator to another without hitch. Since then, every step taken by him is a pointer to governance that is inclusive, engaging and people oriented.

    Good governance is primarily about sound policy; whether it has immediate impact is another issue entirely. Governor Ambode hits the ground running by tackling headlong the security challenges in the State. The impact was immediate and effective. He began overhauling of the traffic management system and on the way to rolling out a traffic system suitable for addressing challenges posed by over two million vehicles that ply Lagos metropolis daily. The Governor recently reviewed partnership with transport union on LAGBUS and BRT in order to bring sanity and ensure decent, ideal conveyance for Lagosians while using public facility.

    As a legislator, I am aware that implementation of our laws is a serious issue given our peculiar mega environment. Conscious of the need to ensure our laws work effectively on government and the governed, the Governor recently inaugurated Board for the Lagos state Law Reform Commission which is a major step towards deepening democracy and the rule of law. Modern and civilized societies thrive on the quality of laws which regulate and guide actions of government, organizations, institutions and individuals. The dynamics of the law is relative to time and circumstances therefore demands that laws are revisited periodically to ensure their relevance and effectiveness.

    For every government that has succeeded globally, their policies on youth development are unbeatable. Realising the strength of young people, the need to see youth as strength of the nation rather than problems, coupled with the desire to inject energy into his administration as required by the reality of the time, Mr Ambode made youth empowerment one of the cardinal point of his campaign, which he has already started fulfilling. I am particularly happy with the establishment of Wealth Creation Ministry which is first of its kind in the entire country. This will drive our youth to productivity, self-reliance and creative sustenance. By signing the Employment Trust Fund bill into law, he has also demonstrated his readiness for high-level youth engagement. Tactically, the government will be proffering solutions to the economic challenges of the State and creating financial prospects in partnership with young people as N25 billion will be spent on entrepreneurship developments in the State channelled through the youth platforms. How smart! The One Lagos Fiesta that was put together in all divisions of the state to close the year 2015 with the youths also shows Mr Governor’s social ‘connect’ with the youth…the best way to go!!

    Interestingly, I am aware that civil servants were jokingly saying the Governor pays their salaries too early. Why not? He is civil service oriented and waits not for the sweat of labourers to dry as commanded by God. Even the out-of-service senior citizens or others who have one entitlement or the other are being promptly attended to in order to ensure no one goes to bed hungry while government is indebted to them. The Governor is also lighting up the state, improving night life and enhancing security of our communities day and night. Installation of over ten thousand CCTV camera will go a long way improving security situation and promote safety.

    As a lawmaker who is equally very passionate about seeing Lagos work, I am extolling the virtues of this administration to strengthen hopes of our people in what I believe will work. After our sleepless nights and hard-work at ensuring appropriation budget is timely attended to. The Governor, on the first working day of the new year signed the N662.588 billion Appropriation into law with a promise that the budget would be faithfully implemented in line with the determination of his administration to make Lagos work for all, irrespective of age, gender, tribe or status. What I see is a budget that will work. I see hope for our people!

    Ambode is building a Lagos for all – a Lagos where all can access opportunities for growth and development, not just a few people. We have challenges of a complex mega society but patience with this administration will help us more than any other factor to get to the Promised Land. Ours is a multi-ethnic society where every family all over the country has a representative. Our fight for special status on Lagos is undying and we shall resume the call with the Buhari’s administration.

    If you see what I see, a more prosperous Lagos beckons. We should take all it has to offer and also offer our best civic responsibilities. Governor Ambode is walking on the path of his predecessors who have achieved remarkable successes; of course Lagos has always been blessed with great Governors. Surely, I see Ambode becoming yet another glory for our dear Lagos after four years of exceptional turn-around of our mini Nigeria and a State known as the economic hope of Africa.

     

    • Olulade is a member of the Lagos State House of Assembly, representing Epe Constituency II

  • Ogun to restore agric’s lost glory

    The Ogun State government’s goal is to re-engineer the agricultural sector to boost its industrial base and restore its lost glory as the main source of the nation’s revenue base.

    Governor Ibikunle Amosun stated this at the kick off and distribution of agro-input to the British American Tobacco Nigeria Foundation (BATNF)-supported beneficiaries of the cassava project at the Ijebu North and Ijebu North East Local government areas of the state.

    Amosun represented by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry  of Agriculture Lanre Bisiriyu, said it was in realisation of this that his administration was providing adequate facilities, appropriate input, extension services and incentives which will greatly improve the level of agricultural production, productivity and well being of its citizens.

    He praised the Foundation for supporting cassava a value chain which is one of the six priority crops of his administration with others been rice, cotton, cocoa, kola nut and oil-palm.

    Earlier, the General Manager of the Foundation, Miss Abimbola Okoya, said the choice of the four beneficiaries – Ijebu Igbo, Ago Iwoye, Imewuro and Idode in the two local government – was as a result of extensive deliberations with their partner, the Ogun State Agricultural Development Programme.

    She added that the aim was to strengthen the capacity of farmers, cooperatives and agro-enterprise associations to participate in innovative economic activities, adopt renewable and energy-efficient technology, and implement practices of soil health.

    The farmers would also be supported with farmland preparation, provision of modern agricultural extension services, timely supply of improved agricultural input, provision of storage facilities and facilitation of access to open institutional markets.

  • Manu backs Golden Eaglets for glory

    Manu backs Golden Eaglets for glory

    Manu Garba, the 2013 FIFA Under-17 World Cup winning coach, believes the Niger 2015-bound Golden Eaglets being managed by Coach Emmanuel Amuneke can go all the way at the 11th African cadet championship.

    Watching the new lads for the first time during Saturday’s 2-0 win over Nigeria National League (NNL) side, Sokoto United at the Ahmadu Bello Stadium in Kaduna, Garba drew out some positives, advising Nigerians to rally behind the team’s quest for glory in Niger.

    He said he has already hinted his predecessor on some technical tips, saying he was confident that the Amuneke-led team is also on the threshold of history with good preparations for their upcoming competitions.

    “It would be wrong to start comparing this present team with the one that won the World Cup,” began Garba now tinkering with Flying Eagles.

    “I was particularly impressed by the two well planned goals. The team will surely qualify for the World Cup and with inclusion of other good players and good preparations, we can conquer the world again.

    “Good luck to the team in Niger as we shall keep on praying for all our national teams especially Under- 17 and U-20 because they are the future of the senior team,” he added.

  • City of lost gardens

    City of lost gardens

    •Port Harcourt’s race to regain glory

    Make una commot for here abeg. Dorty no dey kill Afrika man…The disparaging situation (garbage city status of Port Harcourt and its environs) made different administrations in the state to put in diverse strategies to address the challenges of municipal waste management and pollution

    Efforts are now being made to return Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital to its Garden City status. BISI OLANIYI writes on the determination of the stakeholders to effect the change.

    In the 60s and 70s, Rivers State was known for its clean, green and healthy environment. The lushness and serenity of the environment earned Port Harcourt, the state capital, its Garden City status.

    The Port Harcourt City, and indeed other parts of the state, lost the status due to the rapid influx of people into the state, occasioned by oil and gas exploration and exploitation, industrialisation and increased commercial activities. Port Harcourt, once known for its beauty and serenity, became a garbage city.

    Governor Rotimi Amaechi and other stakeholders are making efforts to restore the lost glory.

    In view of the efforts of the stakeholders, the Rivers State capital can easily take over from Calabar, the capital of Cross River State, as Nigeria’s cleanest city, if seen as a collective responsibility.

    Amaechi also called on the all the stakeholders to support the Rivers government in keeping the state’s environment clean.

    Amaechi, while inaugurating in Port Harcourt an Ashok Leyland refuse compactor truck donated to the Rivers State Waste Management Agency (RIWAMA) by Mobil Producing Nigeria (MPN) Unlimited, a subsidiary of ExxonMobil, declared that he was determined to ensure a clean Rivers State. Two more compactors are expected from Mobil.

    The donation to RIWAMA was facilitated by a Port Harcourt-based Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), the Manpower Development and Environmental Protection Initiative (MADEPIN), which has Livingstone Membere as its Chief Operating Officer.

    The Rivers governor, who was represented by the Chairman of the Rivers House of Assembly Committee on Environment, Mrs. Victoria Nyeche, of Port Harcourt Constituency One, noted that the money spent on healthcare would reduce, with a clean environment.

    Amaechi also lauded the Sole Administrator of the RIWAMA, Ade Adeogun, for ensuring a clean Rivers state, and Mobil for the initiative, in spite of operating on Bonny Island, with office in Onne, Rivers State, while asking other multinationals to emulate the oil giant.

    The Rivers government, through RIWAMA, seeks to transform Rivers into a state characterised by clean and greener cities, fresh waters and low carbon footprints, by enhancing the health and well-being, as well as raising the average life expectancy of the people.

    The Amaechi administration is also working towards improving sanitary habits and working at collectively harnessing the inner resources of the people in the state, to enhance wealth, job creation and economic empowerment, through effective modern waste management strategies.

    The ever-increasing population of Port Harcourt city and its metropolitan nature have increased the tonnage of household and commercial wastes, making it to become obvious that restoring Port Harcourt and indeed Rivers state to its Garden City status is a task that cannot be left to the government alone.

    The Rivers Commissioner for Local Government and Community Affairs, Charles Okaye, urged the contractors working for RIWAMA to avoid refuse dispersal on the state’s roads, thereby ensuring a clean Rivers State.

    The Commissioner for Environment in Rivers state, Dr. Nyema Weli, who was represented by Stephen Nyeenenwa, stressed that the population of Rivers had exploded, compared to when the agency was established in 1984, leading to massive production of refuse, which must be well disposed and that RIWAMA is adequately tackling the challenge.

    The General Manager, Public and Government Affairs of Mobil, Paul Arinze, who was represented by Yemi Fakayejo, the oil firm’s Manager, Public and Government Affairs, disclosed that the compactor was purchased for N16.5 million, while calling on RIWAMA to ensure its adequate maintenance.

    Arinze said: “As a responsible corporate citizen, the NNPC/MPN joint venture seeks to support the government in every small way we can, by embarking on sustainable community development projects presented to us for assistance by a broad spectrum of stakeholders, ranging from government, community, NGOs and civil society, to mention but a few.

    “The refuse compactor truck is courtesy of a request from RIWAMA and MADEPIN. Consistent with our avowed objective of supporting the government with the development of its people, we have delivered an average of one major corporate social responsibility project per quarter, since the beginning of the year, in various parts of Rivers State.

    “The truck is backed up with additional funding support to MADEPIN to implement an environmental awareness, sensitisation and advocacy programmes, in partnership with RIWAMA, towards the strengthening of institutional framework to sustain a culture of cleanliness in Port Harcourt and its environs.”

    Mobil’s general manager also reminded MADEPIN and RIWAMA that they were selected out of a pool of many NGOs and organisations requiring the oil giant’s support, having presented themselves as highly responsible and professional organisations.

    He asked RIWAMA and MADEPIN to know that Mobil’s support was given to them in trust and expected not only to be judicious in the use of the funds and equipment received, but to ensure the project was implemented in a sustainable way, in order to have the maximum impact.

    Arinze noted that the NNPC/MPN joint venture hoped that Port Harcourt would someday become Nigeria’s cleanest city, which he described as a vision, which he believed the management of RIWAMA could make happen.

    He stated that the management of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), which owns 60 per cent in the NNPC/MPN joint venture, deserved commendation for co-funding the project.

    Mobil’s general manager said: “For nine days in August 2014, the NNPC/MPN joint venture facilitated the provision of a free healthcare for the people of Omagwa, Ipo and Igwuruta, communities which are near the Port Harcourt International Airport.

    “Over 3,600 people (children, men and women) benefited from the support, which was provided courtesy of a request from the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Port Harcourt International Airport

    “Although, our company has no physical presence or relationship to the aforementioned communities, we acknowledge that corporations can be forces for social good, by complementing government in discharging its responsibility of meeting the social, health and welfare needs of the people.”

    Arinze also admonished Rivers people to continue to give peace a chance, stressing that there could only be development in an atmosphere of peace.

    The Chief Operating Officer of MADEPIN, Livingstone Membere narrated his experience with a resident in one of the waterfronts in Mile One, Diobu, Port Harcourt, during the NGO’s visit to the area, who said in Pidgin English: “make una commot for here abeg. Dorty no dey kill Afrika man.”

    Membere described the comment as an expression of the attitude and perception of most residents of Port Harcourt and its environs, indicating how, with the carefree attitude, residents had been defacing the city with garbage and other wastes.

    MADEPIN’s chief operating officer said: “The disparaging situation (garbage city status of Port Harcourt and its environs) made different administrations in the state to put in diverse strategies to address the challenges of municipal waste management and pollution. The RIWAMA, established by law in 2014, is the latest outcome of these efforts.

    “RIWAMA’s efforts under the leadership of the present Sole Administrator (Ade Adeogun) are yielding results. However, there is a very slow response from households and other stakeholders in complying with the regulations and also complementing RIWAMA’s efforts.

    “MADEPIN is working in six locations (Onne, Alesa and Akpajo in Eleme LGA; Elelenwo and Woji in Obio/Akpor LGA and Mile One in Port Harcourt City LGA) to create awareness on the dangers of a dirty environment and on how residents can keep their environment clean, through regular sanitation.

    “The sensitisation message is centred on waste reduction, reuse, recycling and proper disposal methods. To help RIWAMA with monitoring and enforcement, MADEPIN is working with residents in our pilot areas to facilitate the emergence of Volunteer Sanitation Marshalls (VSMs). We presently have 45 VSMs operating in the Sangana axis of Port Harcourt.”

    Membere also disclosed that MADEPIN had had scaled up what Mobil triggered, into a multi-stakeholder partnership for providing waste management support to the Rivers state government, christened the “Clean Rivers Initiative,” with youth corps members as some of the partners.

    MADEPIN, according to the chief operating officer, is also working with primary and secondary school students on its “Waste Craft Project,” with 100 to 150 students, between the age of 6 to 16 from various private and public schools involved, with the goal of training them on how to make useful gift items and toys from the waste they generate.

    The Sole Administrator of RIWAMA, Ade Adeogun, in his address, disclosed that 18 months after writing letters to multinationals and other companies operating in Rivers state, only Mobil had so far responded to assist the agency, while admonishing other firms to emulate the oil giant.

    He disclosed that the magnificent edifice when the handing over of the truck took place, about a year ago, was a mechanic workshop, without roof, but was redesigned into a beautiful storey building with befitting offices and a conference room.

    The RIWAMA’s sole administrator also revealed that before he came on board, companies operating in Rivers state were each sending N100,000 monthly to support environmental sanitation, without proper utilisation, but told the firms to stop the funds, while opting for enduring partnership and support for the agency, in form of equipment and vehicles to be branded.

    Adeogun assured that the compactor would be well maintained, while insisting that having a clean environment is a collective responsibility, in order to ensure good health and better productivity, while thanking Mobil, MADEPIN and other stakeholders for the support.

    To achieve a cleaner, greener and healthier Rivers state, all the stakeholders must collaborate and should not be seen as the job of a few persons.

     

  • Regaining Sagamu’s glory

    Regaining Sagamu’s glory

    Sagamu, a once-beautiful city, is fast relapsing into slum-like community. The smooth, sleekly administrative headquarters of Sagamu Local Government Area lacks roads and other amenities that enhance the well-being of the residents. ERNEST NWOKOLO reports that the government is working hard to fix the roads and other infrastructural facilities to make the city regain its lost glory.

    To some, it seems Sagamu, the administrative headquarters of Sagamu Local Government Area and the royal home of the Akarigbo of Remoland, Oba Adeniyi Sonarinwo, may relapse into a slum-like if the roads and other facilities are not improved upon. What they didn’t take into account is the efforts being made by the Senator Ibikunle Amosun’s administration to regain the seemingly lost glory of Sagamu as a city. It is not the fault of the government as most of the problems people are complaining about are as a result of actions of the residents.

    For instance, nowhere cuts this gloomy picture better than the seedy and boisterous Sabo and its surrounding.

    Aside the congestion and filth, the area is routinely flooded whenever it rains as a result of poor drainage.

    The roads leading to it, such as the Ode-Lemo, GRA; Sabo-Oja cow sellers’ roads respectively and the adjoining ones have remained in bad shape.

    To worsen the situation, roadside traders and hawkers make the roads get narrower, even as the trend makes vehicular and human traffic more challenging. Noise pollution emanating from grinders and blaring speakers of music sellers are also troubling to first time visitors.

    The fly-over constructed at Sabo as well as the Oba Akarigbo Road by Senator Ibikunle Amosun is the first modern road construction in the area in recent decades. Unfortunately, they are also being defaced with bizarre graffiti, dirt, fluttering junk banners and posters by the residents. Underneath it and even with the dirt, it serves as shelter for both the sane and insane.

    Our correspondent sited four lunatics-three males and a female—who had turned portions of it as their homes even as few others were roaming the area unkempt and scavenging for food.

    With regard to the economy of the state, the Igbo, Edo, Ibibio and Ishan, among other ethnic groups are making tangible contributions; but it seems the Yoruba and the Hausa are about the most active and commercially-inclined ethnic groups in Sabo.

    The nearly-a-century-old Oba Akarigbo Market in Sabo, which was founded by hunter-farmers (Agbekoyas) lacks water and toilets despite its size, economic importance and strategic location.

    A resident, Mr Sunday Adebayo described the market as one bustling and commercial nerve centre of Sagamu with admixture of the good and the ugly.

    Adebayo, who sells electrical materials, said the only driving principle in Sabo seemed to be business of “buying and selling” as people pay less attention to orderliness and cleanliness.

    He said: “Once you can get a foothold to display your wares; whether such a place is on the road or atop sewage system is secondary.”

    The Asiwaju of the market, Alhaja Falilat Awolaja (Omo Apelogun), who spoke to our correspondent on behalf of the Iyaloja, Bintu Sonnubi, said basic facilities are conspicuously lacking in the market.

    The market boasts a borehole facility for water provision. Mrs Awolaja, who sells in the market, said the facility functioned only for six months before it packed up.

    She said the Ode-Lemo Road, which traversed through the market requires urgent reconstruction as it leads to other places like Emuren (Sagamu), Agbowa and Imota in Lagos.

    Sabo’s peace and long years of ethnic harmony were ruptured in July, 1999 as the area erupted in violence. The mayhem was between the Yoruba and the Hausa over cultural issues.

    The violence, believed to have been caused by a young Hausa lady who came out during the observance of rituals of the Yoruba Oro traditional festival in the area. But the crisis was eventually resolved and normalcy returned.

    In 2012, Sabo-Sagamu was also the theatre of incessant robbery attacks and cult violence. The situation compelled commercial banks and other businesses to close down for weeks.

    Chief Olumuyiwa Sonuga, a civil engineer and President of the Sagamu Development Association (SDA), said the Sagamu people aren’t “crying wolves” over roads in the town “as the condition of the roads get worse by the day due to lack of maintenance.”

    Sonuga, who praised Governor Amosun for making Akarigbo Road a dual carriage way and the fly-over at the Sabo area of the town, urged him to also pay attention to internal road network. He also praised him for combating robbery and other vices in Sagamu with the provision armoured personnel carriers (APC) and other operational vehicles to assist police and other security agencies in carrying out their jobs.

    There is a ray of hope that palliative measures would soon begin on the roads as the rainy season subsides. The Secretary to the Sagamu Local Government Area (SSLG), Mr Isiaka Salami has promised that facilities that will improve people’s well-being will be rehabilitated, even as he blamed the deplorable condition of the roads on the residents.

    He said: “We are the problems behind the condition of the roads. Residents keep dumping refuse on the drainage which blocks them. When it rains, the water forces itself into the roads and washes them away.

    “That is why you see gullies and craters here and there. Although there has been shortfall in money that accrues to the local government from the Federation Account, we will do some palliative measures when the rains subside.”

    The Commissioner for Physical and Urban Planning, Olugbenga Otenuga, said what obtains in Sabo and some areas of Sagamu is a reflection of the state itself.

    Otenuga said Ogun State is an ancient state and residents had built in ancient way without making provisions for today’s challenges, resulting from development, increased human activities on the environment and population surge.

    The commissioner noted that some of the challenges such as poor road network, flooding, lack of drainage facilities in some places and inadequate space being experienced can’t be corrected immediately by the state government. He said steps are being taken to stop people from compounding the problem by discouraging them from building structures haphazardly.

    Otenuga further explained that the state government has designed programmes meant to “up-grade slum-like areas,” build pathways, gutters and toilets to enhance sanitary conditions as well as encourage residents to give their buildings face-lift.

    Governor Amosun had promised that Sagamu would be broken into two or three local governments in the planned creation of local council development areas (LCDA).

    Senator Amosun also said splitting Sagamu would not only bring governance and development closer to the people, but will be a thing necessitated by its land mass, size and population.

    The governor also assured that the Sabo-Emuren-Ode Lemo Road would be constructed once the rainy season subsides while the state’s proposed light rail project will also begin and will pass through Sagamu.

    But how far this can change the face of Sabo and its environs would be a matter of conjecture if the people do not abide by the physical planning regulations or take decency and cleanliness of the environment as a way of life.

  • From Glory To Glory to bring gospel acts together

    From Glory To Glory to bring gospel acts together

    Grace Family Church will, from November 12 to 16, hold its annual convention with the theme, From Glory To Glory. According to the General Overseer of the Church, Reverend Yinka Ojo, this year’s edition is timely because it has a direct bearing on the state of the nation.

    “We believe this one is very crucial because we are just a few weeks to a very crucial period in the history of our nation, the general elections. We believe that the intervention of God is what has kept Nigeria to this point,” said Ojo.

    According to the reverend, the convention will be held every day in the church premises, while on Saturday evening and Sunday morning, the activities will move to Blue Rooftop of Lagos Television, LTV. He also revealed that Ministers within and outside Nigeria will use music to evangelise to the people.

    “To a large extent, music is crucial to the sanity of Nigeria. Psychology shows that singing diffuses the tension in your life even if you don’t know what you are singing about. If you can sing a song of joy and pray, it diffuses the ticking time bomb inside you. On a higher level spiritually, we believe that praise, worship and music is what brings down the glory of God and this event is about us moving from glory to glory,” he added.

    Nigerian artiste, Omoobaorun and the award-winning Shalom will be thrilling guests at the conference. Elray and Tryx will be coming in from the UK while Stacey Guhr from the United States will also be performing during the ceremonies.

    Speaking on behalf of other artistes who will be performing, Omoobaorun said there will be a lot of praise worship as the intention is to let God use music to bless people.

  • From Glory To Glory to bring gospel acts together

    From Glory To Glory to bring gospel acts together

    Grace Family Church will, from November 12 to 16, hold its annual convention with the theme, From Glory To Glory. According to the General Overseer of the Church, Reverend Yinka Ojo, this year’s edition is timely because it has a direct bearing on the state of the nation.

    “We believe this one is very crucial because we are just a few weeks to a very crucial period in the history of our nation, the general elections. We believe that the intervention of God is what has kept Nigeria to this point,” said Ojo.

    According to the reverend, the convention will be held every day in the church premises, while on Saturday evening and Sunday morning, the activities will move to Blue Rooftop of Lagos Television, LTV. He also revealed that Ministers within and outside Nigeria will use music to evangelise to the people.

    “To a large extent, music is crucial to the sanity of Nigeria. Psychology shows that singing diffuses the tension in your life even if you don’t know what you are singing about. If you can sing a song of joy and pray, it diffuses the ticking time bomb inside you. On a higher level spiritually, we believe that praise, worship and music is what brings down the glory of God and this event is about us moving from glory to glory,” he added.

    Nigerian artiste, Omoobaorun and the award-winning Shalom will be thrilling guests at the conference. Elray and Tryx will be coming in from the UK while Stacey Guhr from the United States will also be performing during the ceremonies.

    Speaking on behalf of other artistes who will be performing, Omoobaorun said there will be a lot of praise worship as the intention is to let God use music to bless people.

    “We have a mission to carry people into God’s presence. It is not about showing off, but what is important for us is to give to the people of God what He has in stock for them. For people that are coming for the programme, we are trusting God to give them whatever they desire,” he said.

  • Kwara’s day of glory in Paris

    Kwara’s day of glory in Paris

    For a visitor, the sights of Paris, the French Capital, are a pleasure to behold. Ancient architecture competes with modern structures and spectacular aesthetics to earn Paris its reputation as one of Europe’s most beautiful. However, that was the last thing on the mind of Dr Abdulfatah Ahmed as he stepped into Paris on a cold October 7 Morning. Rather, the executive Governor of Kwara State was focused on the Kwara State Community Health Insurance Scheme (KCHIS) which had been nominated along with nine other development initiatives for the first Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development(OECD) Development Assistance Committee(DAC) Award for taking Development Initiatives to scale.

    In the run up to the event, Erik Solheim, Chair of DAC said although extreme poverty has been halved and progress made on MDG Goals, more innovative solutions needed to be taken to scale if “we are to end poverty, green our economies and to make sure that all the children now going to school now learn something”. It was an issue Ahmed will latch on to and escalate the following day at the globally renowned OECD New World Forum which dwelt on fresh pathways to Africa’s growth.

    Back to the DAC awards, Ahmed’s enthusiasm was understandable. In seven years, KCHIS has provided 85, 000 rural dwellers in Kwara State access to subsidized basic health care in 10 of the 16 Local government areas of rhea state. The scheme, which provides participants access to basic healthcare for a year, started in Edu Local Government Area of the State in 2007.The Ahmed have gained this recognition despite our resource challenges. It is therefore very encouraging to us that we have won this prize. In Kwara State, we have always prioritized healthcare based on the premise that only a healthy populace can be productive. That is why we collaborated with the Dutch government and PharmAccess to initiate this scheme that has grown from 10 participants in 2007 to 85, 000 today.

    “I must thank my predecessor, Senator Bukola Saraki, who is here with us, for his foresight in starting this project. We also appreciate the support of the Dutch government and other donor partners. Our target is Universal Coverage of all 1 million rural dwellers in the state by 2018.This is why we look forward to others partnering with us in this direction”. As is usual with ceremonies of this nature, the awards were followed wellattended dinner in one of the OECD’s impressive halls. As the team from Kwara retired for the night, the delights of Paris were still not strong enough to distract from the following afternoon’s event. The following afternoon, Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed was the only Nigerian on a panel discussion at the OECD’S New World Forum which discussed Africa’s future developmental prospects. Themed Africa: The Future is Now,it explored among others whether Africa is taking off in general or through isolated cases. It also explored the champions and engines of success in Africa while also interrogating obstacles to growth and the place of the middle class in providing administration has now extended it to 10 LGAs, according to Professor Babatunde Opabola, the Senior Special Assistant on Primary Health.

    Clearly,the simplicity, impact, and affordability of the scheme did not go unnoticed. The scheme had already received accolades from the Bill Gates Foundation, the World Economic Forum and UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon, said, However, the 34 member OECD had also taken notice of the innovative scheme.

    To underscore the importance of the occasion, Governor Ahmed’s predecessor in office, Senator Bukola Saraki had also arrived Paris to be part of Kwara State’s moment of glory. Not only was the scheme initiated in his tenure, Saraki was clearly pleased his successor had scaled up the initiative and garnered it global acclaim.

    Perhaps, to underscore the scheme’s importance and guarantee credibility, the DAC Jury was highly credentialed and global. Headed by H.E. Lubna Bit Khalid Al Qasimi, UAE’s Minister for International Development and Cooperation, the panel also included K.Y. Amoako, President, African Center For Economic Transformation, Homi Kharas, Senior Fellow and Deputy Director for the Global Economy and Development, Brookings Institution, Washington, Geoff Lamb, Chief Economic and Policy Advisor to the Co- Chairs and CEO, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Dato Lee Yee Cheong, Chairman, International Science Technology and Innovative Center for South- South Cooperation(STIC) Malaysia. Others are Rt Hon Andrew Mitchell, MP House of Commons, UK, Charlotte Petri-Gornitzka, DG, Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, SIDA and Julius Akinyemi, Resident

    Entrepreneur, Massachusetts Institute Of Technology Media Lab.

    Diplomats and development experts attended the award ceremony, which took place at the OECD’s gleaming headquarters in Paris, from Europe, Asia, and Africa, including Christian Rebergen, Director General, International Cooperation, Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Petri-Gornitzka, DG of Swedish Development Agency, SIDA set the ball rolling by introducing the finalists. Apart from KCHIS, initiatives from India, Kenya, Nepal, South Africa, Bangladesh and Pakistan were also shortlisted for the DAC Award. Although, Katalyst, a scheme that provides high-quality seeds to Bangladeshi farmers as a means of helping to increase their income, won the overall prize, KCHIS managed to share the limelight with the DAC 2014 winner.

    Indeed, jury member and SIDA DG felt compelled to acknowledge this given the attention and accolades KCHIS received in the run up to the main event as well as events that preceded it. For instance, at the breakfast meeting with representatives from the UK, Germany, Netherlands and the World Health Organization, WHO, the Kwara delegation, led by Ahmed and Saraki, received commendations from the European Countries and the global health body for being the only country in Africa to have taken Community health Insurance to scale. The Kwara delegation’s enthusiasm about DAC was therefore understandable.

    Petri-Gornitzka told the audience that she knew there was a lot of enthusiasm for KCHIS given it’s the only subsidized scheme that has been taken to scale in the world but that Katalayst’s intervention had reached 458000 people, the highest impact among the 10 initiatives that made the OECD shortlist. Nevertheless, she assured, Kwara’s finalist prize was also laudable given it was shortlisted among close to 50 entries. Indeed, Pieter WalhofDirector, PharmAccess Foundation, one of Kwara’s KCHIS partners, told an earlier meeting that the scheme was so innovative that the World Economic Forum has selected Kwara State as a model for other states, a call that Kaduna and Ogun States had respond to as they are currently understudying the Kwara Model with a view to implementing it.

    Receiving the finalist prize for taking KCHIS to scale in Kwara State, Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed said “we are very delighted to be here today because we sustainable development.

    Other panel members, were Moncef Cheikh-Rouhou, Professor and Member of the Tunisian Parliament, Prof. Achille Mbembe of Witwatersrand University, South Africa, Magette Wade, founder and CEO of Tiossan, Senegal and Lionel Zinsou, Chairman of PAI Partners, France. Given the forum and its topic of discussion, the world media was well represented with CNN, the FT; Le Point; and La Republica.

    Ahmed was blunt and straight to the point. Functional education is the key to Africa’s future. To succeed, Africa must decouple itself, from an educational system that remains shackled to the needs of colonialism more than five decades after. For Ahmed, a graphic manifestation of this dysfunction in African education is that an African child has a 6 per cent chance of making it to tertiary education while his European counterpart has an above 80 per cent chance. Ahmed said while he has no intention of excusing the violent insurgencies that were threatening to blight the future of Africa, the lack of appropriate education and opportunities for youths, he opined, contributed to Africa’s stagnation and violent strife. This has resulted in the continent having the highest number of internally displaced people, a huge number of unemployable youths and a significant number of out of school children.

    The solution, he said, was to review the content and context of African education. Infrastructure is key in this regard, Ahmed admitted, but more important is educational content skewed towards the continent’sidentified needs in science, technology and entrepreneurship.

    These, he said such can ensure that every child is equipped to innovate andcontribute to the country’s developmental objectives while achieving their own aspirations. Referring to Kwara, he said the state government was already pursuing this by focusing on entrepreneurial education at the state-owned university and by collaborating with City and Guilds of London to establish a groundbreaking International Vocation Center to plug gaps in middle-level manpower.

    Other contributions keyed into the need for an educational system that is designed to meet Africa’s development and the urgent need to promote entrepreneurship to provide jobs, grow Africa’s middle class and contribute to its growth.

    Clearly, Ahmed’s contribution had connected with the OECD’s call for better education for African children as the key to its future. More importantly,  Kwara State’s innovative KCHIS and its leadership’s vision for state and continent earned it acclaim and applause in far away Paris. In the end, missing the delights of Paris proved worthwhile.

     

    •Akorede is Senior Special Assistant to Kwara State Governor

  • AWC: Namibia’s coach tips Falcons for glory

    AWC: Namibia’s coach tips Falcons for glory

    Namibia Coach, Jacqueline Shipanga has congratulated the Super Falcons for their victory against her side in yesterday’s last group match of the Africa Women Championship (AWC).

    Following the victory, Shipanga has tipped the Nigeria side to win this year’s edition.

    “Your girls are very good. From the way they played today (Friday) shows that they are good for the trophy. I do not see any team stopping them,” she said.

    The Falcons continued their impressive run  with a 2-0 win over Namibia, with goals from Francesca Ordega and Gloria Ofoegbu. The hosts were hoping to cook up one of the biggest upsets in the history of women’s football against Nigeria. Head Coach, Edwin Okon had dropped the team’s leading striker, Desire Oparanozie, Asisat Oshoala, goalkeeper Precious Dede and Onome Ebi from the match, using second-string players with a view to resting them for the knockout stage.

    Speaking after the match, Team Captain, Evelyn Nwabuoku hailed the team’s performance, saying she was happy they picked all nine points available from the group stage. She, however, agreed that the Namibians put up a hard fight bowing out of the competition.

    “We always knew it would not be easy playing against the host nation because we would be up against the 12th man (the spectators), so, I’m happy we won. Namibia gave us a good fight, they gave us a run for our money today but we are happy to have contained them and got the maximum points,” she said.

  • Echiejile: hard work can propel Monaco to glory

    Echiejile: hard work can propel Monaco to glory

    Injured Super Eagles and Monaco of France defender, Elderson Echiejile has revealed that his side can do well in the Ligue 1 this season as well as in Europe.

    Monaco beat Montpellier 1-0 yesterday evening at La Mosson in a Ligue 1 clash and Echiejile stated that with the amount of talent in the team, all that was left to be done was concentration and hard work.

    “We have great players with great dreams and power,” he said. “We have players with all qualities in every department so I think we just have to work really hard.”

    He added: “If we stick together, what we’ll achieve will really surprise people.”

    Echiejile has featured only once for Monaco this season, disappointingly in a 4-1 mauling by Girondins de Bordeaux earlier in August.

    Monaco have accrued just 10 points this season with the win at La Mosson seeing them climb to the first half of the table.