A group, Women Protection Organisation (WOPO), has organised a workshop for Women School Based Management Committee (SBMC) on Lagos Island and Epe Local Government Education Areas (LGEAs).
The workshop was to strengthen women’s participation in education and on schools improvement by forming a women committee.
According to WOPO, the workshop would also help the proposed committee to ensure schools are safe places for students and free of violence.
Speaking at the event, which held at Christ Church Cathedral Primary School, Lagos Island and Epe Local Government Area, WOPO’s Programme Officer, Dr Adekunle Towobola, said the programme was aimed at sensitising women on their leadership role to build successful students, in addition to managing schools’ affairs.
He said schools should form a women committee that will be drawn from the community regardless of whether they have children in the schools or not.
He said WOPO expects the said committees to be active in their roles to bring about development in the schools and for the children to have a brighter future.
Towobola said: “The training is addressing children safety and protection at school and community level and also to respond to violations against children whether linked to issues of abuse, neglect, discrimination, safety or conflict.
“This committee will help protect our children for a brighter future. The women will be drawn from the community because the school belongs to them. Some of them are parents while some are artisans who may not necessarily have children there but for development and to help the students.
“Toilets of some schools are unacceptable which makes some students contract diseases which affect them in the future.”
Executive Secretary, Lagos Island Local Government Education Authority Mr Mayegun Moshood, described the workshop as a ideal.
He described women as champions in areas of taking care of the children.
“It is a good initiative and to be sincere, it is not too much if we have more of such committee to go round and monitor schools.
“We cannot shy away from the fact that we have lost our pupils to private schools but the government is doing everything humanly possible to ensure the population increases and we improve teaching and learning in our schools.
“I am proud to say at any forum that government schools have the best materials in terms of human resources where you can find qualified teachers, and all we need is to ensure they deliver qualitative education and a proper monitoring.
A group of residents and business owners in Oshodi and its environs has urged security agencies to do more in providing security, especially by curtailing hoodlums who have turned that high density area of Lagos to a theatre of violence.
The group, Oshodi Peace Movement (OPM), which consists of traders and residents helping security agencies in promoting peace and orderliness in the area, urged the Commissioner of Police and authorities of other relevant agencies to keep vigil as crimes perpetrated in Eyin-Irin area of Oshodi, which falls under the Onigbongbo Local Government Area, has recently been in the increase.
“We are calling the attention of the security agencies to the various crimes by a group that call itself Ko si Oga (No leader) and has continued to wreak havoc in our neighbourhood.
“We have identified some of them, although we understand that the security agencies have also been on the trail of their cohorts,” the group spokesman, Mr. Waheed Olaosebikan, said in a statement made available to newsmen.
Continuing, the statement said: “Although some of the hoodlums have been arrested, the Oshodi Peace Movement established five years ago, said the crimes have not abated because the leaders of the group are yet to be arrested.
“Various security agencies have been raiding this area but much has not been done to arrest the main culprits whom we have identified by their names and aliases which include: (Spider, One Naira, Gbenga Fowosere, Eba, Kango, Inspector, Baba Oba and Emi Esu). Until these people are arrested, we cannot have rest of mind here in our neighbourhood.”
A new online store for auto spare parts, Izzy Parts, has been unveiled.
The store, according to its owners, will offer vehicle owners quality and affordable auto spare parts.
With a domain www.IzzyParts.com, the online auto parts marketplace allows consumers to access high quality products from several original parts manufacturers around the globe.
Speaking during the unveiling at the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos, Izzy Parts Head of Media and Communications Collins Udeme, said with the launch of the online spare parts platform, it is expected that the challenges previously faced by vehicle owners in procuring genuine spare parts in the country will be eliminated completely.
He said the concept of creating an online auto marketplace is in line with the company’s desire to bridge the gap between manufacturers of genuine automobile spare parts and the end users.
Udeme, who said Izzy Parts entered the market to improve the after-sales services through sales of genuine auto spare parts sourced from reputable auto firms in United States (US), added that the firm has built a catalogue of over 550,000 auto parts and accessory items from a variety of the industry’s top brands; offering high-quality products at a favourably discounted rate.
“Currently, the Izzy Parts retail platform is developed, tested, operational and available for market introduction. When we start proper, payments will be made online while delivery from our warehouse to the buyer would not take more than two to three weeks. Our delivery is going to be manned by well trained personnel. We are also looking at a partnership with Fedex,” the media head said.
“Overall, it is Izzy Parts’ goal to create a sustainable business model that creates growing profits each and every year; becoming the leading auto parts platform throughout Nigeria and its surroundings countries,” he added.
To meet this goal, Izzy Parts seeks to build a successful auto parts pipeline by implementing solid logistics between two company warehouses (one located in Houston US, and one located in Nigeria, Africa); which will be built by December 2018.
According to Udeme, Izzy Parts will, during its operations, transact business morally, ethically and professionally; holding each of its representatives to a high standard of operational excellence and treating each customer with courtesy, respect and unmatched customer service.
He reiterated the firm’s commitment to become the leading distributor of auto parts throughout Africa by providing a consistently positive customer experience, guaranteed quality products, sound logistics and quick out-the-door delivery.
The leadership of the National Association Of Nigerian Colleges Of Education Student (NANCES) yesterday called on the Federal Government to establish a National Teachers Corps proposed the by former Minister of Education, Prof. Chinwe Obaji.
In a statement made available to The Nation in Abuja, the National President of the association, Com. Adediwura I. Adeshina, said: “We now call on NCCE not to relent on their action in making a good policy that will improve the lot of teachers in Nigeria.
“We are using this medium to remind NCCE about the proposed National Teacher Corps policy suggested by Prof. Chinwe Obaji, former minister of education in 2005.”
The creation, according to the union leader, will give the National College of Education (NCE) students the opportunity to participate in the National Youth Service Corps programme and provide solution to the problem of lack of teachers in the rural areas across the country.
Speaking further, Adeshina said : “We urge NCCE to agree with us that there is no better student that is supposed to go for the NYSC programme than NCE students. This is because making NCE graduates to serve on the platform of the National Teacher Corps is the only solution to all educational problems in Nigeria.
“NCE students are as important as medical students. If Nigeria will not allow medicine and surgery students to practice without completing their housemanship, they must make sure that NCE students go for National Teachers Corps before becoming a teacher, because “no nation can grow above its teachers”.
A socio-cultural orga-nisation, Igbo Ekwezuo, has justified a list it sent to President Muhammadu Buhari for ministerial consideration.
The list was detailed in a letter to the President on July 13.
It read in part, “Your Excellency in our 2015 second quarterly meeting held in Owerri, the Imo State capital, we reviewed the activities of the government in the recent years and posited corruption as the bane of governance in the country. Consequently, we resolved that we shall nominate and recommend some of our credible and dependable sons and daughters for consideration in your present and future appointments as a way to mitigate corruption in public office”.
In a statement made available to journalists in Owerri, the Imo State capital, after its monthly National Executive Council (NEC) meeting and signed by the President General, Chief Chibuike Obieshi, the group explained that the action was necessitated by the need to ensure that political appointees of Igbo extraction meet the standard of the new government.
It noted that most of the political appointees from the Igbo extraction, who had served the country in the past, soiled the image of the sub-region, adding that its intervention in the current process is to redress the trend.
The statement said, “It is high time the integrity status of an individual determined how far he can go on the leadership ladder of the country and this group will henceforth help the government to connect with those who have the right pedigree to serve the country”.
The statement also faulted those criticizing it for forwarding some names of politicians to the President, insisting that the action was designed for public good.
The group further challenged other ethnic nationalities in the country to emulate the example and ensure that “political appointees from their domain are people who are morally above board and this will guarantee the opportunity for the right caliber of people to mount the reins of governance in the country”.
Giving insight on the list sent to the President, the group disclosed that “the list contained 13 names from the 5 Igbo speaking states in Nigeria including one each from the Igbo speaking parts of Delta and Rivers states. Three women made the list and the choice of the names was neither based on partisan or religious sentiments”.
A group, under the aegis of Youth Alliance for Better Nigeria (YABN) and residents of Agege and Mafoluku Oshodi have urged President Muhammadu Buhari to beam searchlight on all electricity distribution companies across the country in his current campaign against corruption.
The group said there is the urgent need for the Federal Government to set up a committee that will monitor the operations of these companies to checkmate their inefficiencies, even as it maintained that there is a lot of misconduct on the part of the companies in the distribution of electricity as well as extortion of money from customers through coded and estimation bills.
The group suggested that the Federal Government should revoke the licences of the private companies and bar them from distributing electricity to consumers. It alleged that the electricity distribution companies were operating contrary to the laid down rules of the Federal Government and National Electricity Regulation Commission (NERC).
The group alleged that the companies are over-billing the residents despite poor services rendered to them compared to the period of the defunct National Electric Power Authority (NEPA) and Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN).
The group expressed its resentment to the situation in which some of the companies sell the pre-paid metres to costumers at a high price instead of giving them free to residents.
•Resident protesting prolong power outage
Joined by residents of Agege and Mafoluku Oshodi, the group embarked on a peaceful protest to the State Secretariat, Alausa, to register their displeasure and grievances against the Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company (IKEDC) over its poor operation, outrageous bills, epileptic power supply lack of pre-paid metres and unlawful disconnection of their electric wires, among others complaints.
No fewer than 50 buses conveyed the more than 3,000 residents to the State House. Adorned in all black attire to signify darkness which the company represents, some of them held placards with many inscription such as “we want pre-paid/smart metres,” “pre-paid metres will surely put a stop to IKEDC fraudulent act,” “Agege people are not chronic debtors,” “we are suffering from their unjustifiable net arrears of IKEDC,” “90 per cent buildings in Agege and Mafoluku Oshodi fall into the category of coded/estimated bills,” “we know they are intentionally starving us of the pre-paid metres,” and “save Agege/Mafoluku from the hands of this electrical Boko Haram.”
Southwest Report gathered that the crisis between the IKEDC and the residents began in January, and efforts made to resolve the issues were not successful as the company always ignores the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and agreement both parties entered into.
The residents said the overbilling of customers in the name of coded and estimation bills which IKEDC and other electricity distribution companies indulge in are part of corruption which President Buhari is waging war against, adding that their operations must be scrutinised.
Speaking during the protest at Alausa, the President of the group, Adegoke Moruf Niniola, said the residents are suffering and smiling, saying residents should be spared the hassles of spending their little income on estimation bills, coded metres and higher billing of IKEDC.
According to Niniola, all efforts made by the residents for the company to improve their services yielded no result; instead their bills keep on increasing at the end of every month.
He said several meetings have been held with the company in order to find solution to the issues.
“We have had series of meeting with the company on March 16, April 7, May 26 and June 28, this year. The meetings aimed at addressing the outrageous billings, epileptic power supply, quick distribution of pre-paid metres, maintenance of transformers, reconnection of fallen poles and cables and nonchalant attitude of their workers to the customers,” he said.
Continuing, he said: “A situation where residents used electricity for 72 hours in a month but ended up getting bills for 720 hours per month in the name of coded and estimated bills is unacceptable. The fraudulent act has rendered many Nigerians redundant. Many of the residents operating small-scale businesses can no longer continue because their little incomes were used to pay for electricity and fuelling their generating sets.”
Niniola urged the government to stop the IKEDC from charging residents before releasing the pre-paid metres. He said plans by some members of staff of the company to demand N6, 000 payments before giving out the new metres to residents have been uncovered.
The Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Hon. Tunji Bello, who addressed the residents on behalf of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, praised the group and residents for the peaceful protest, promising that government would take necessary steps to address the issues raised.
Worried by the deplorable state of infrastructure in the rural areas, the Lions Club District 404B-2, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) has concluded plans on how to improve the well-being of Nigerians at the grassroots. It identified rural communities as the index through which development in the country could be measured, adding that the future of the country will be shaped by the condition in the rural communities.
The new Lions Club Governor, 404B-2 Nigeria, 2015/2016, Christine Funke Adebajo spoke during her investiture as the district governor and installation of cabinet officers/fund-raising in Lagos.
•Adebajo
Adebajo, who is the first female district governor of the district, said the club has embarked on the construction of water plant factory in Lagos for girls and establishment of hospital for the terminally and seriously-ill patients in Ekiti State.
According to her, after series of brainstorming with members of her advisory committee, they arrived at a theme for the year, which is “Our Community: Our Future,” with a corresponding slogan, “Our future, Our World”.
While raising fund for the building of a water factory plant in Lagos for neglected girls and hospital in Ekiti State, she stated that the community has great role to play in the shaping of the future of the country.
“I believe that our future will be shaped by what we are able to make of our communities. If we positively impact on our community today, our future can be assured and comfortable. That will eventually translate to what our future world become tomorrow,” she said.
In the circumstances, therefore, she said the district would be embarking on a youth empowerment programme by building water factory plant at Ozanam House Complex, Ikeja Lagos. The project, she said, would cater for teenage girls who are victims of rape.
“These girls are abandoned by their families, relations and friends. Ozanam House will prevent them from committing unsafe abortion and suicide. They will be nurtured to deliver healthy babies,” she said.
The District Governor further explained that it became necessary to empower the girls because they most often become burden to the House which sustains itself purely through charity.
“From our assessment, the residents of Ozanam are in serious need of empowerment which will enable them to be reintegrated back to the society. The girls will be trained on the production of both bottled and sachet water. They will be equipped with skills of how to produce, package and market the finished product. Those who are willing can eventually set up small-scale industry for the production of sachet water.”
She revealed that a hospital will be constructed in Ado-Ekiti. According to her, the project was a special request by the Ekiti State Government which craves to feel the impact of Lions Club in the state. When completed, the centre will provide palliation for terminally and seriously-ill patients and those who are in severe pains.
While calling for support during the fund-raising, she said no government, organisation or individual can do it alone but “if each one of us continues to contribute our quota, we shall certainly leave our community and world a better place than we met them.”
The chairman of the Presentation Committee, Lion Tunji Edward, who described Adebajo as a resolute person, a goal-getter; an achiever per excellence, said besides the hospital and empowerment of the girls, the impact of Lions Club would be felt in other areas.
The programme, chaired by a former Vice-President of the Country; Gen. Oladipo Diya (CFR), had eminent personalities in attendance. They included Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Dr Idiat Oluranti Adebule; H.O.B. Lawal, Alex Irotumhe Princess Adetope Tychus, Air Vice-Marshal Anthony Okpere (rtd); Yinka Griffin; Ayoade Adesokan; Senator Bamgbetan Baju, among others.
Prince Julius Adelusi-Adeluyi (OFR), who gave a keynote address, challenged members of the club in Nigeria to rise to top echelon of the Lions family in the world.
Adelusi-Adeluyi, who is a Rotarian, advised Lions to see the organisation not only as a platform for socialisation, but also through which they could impact positively on the lives of the people, adding that “Lions are made of people doing extra-ordinary things for the society.”
While urging everyone to support Adebajo in her quest to make life meaningful for the less-privileged people in the society, the Deputy Governor of Lagos State said the state decided to identify with Lions because it has made positive impacts on the standard of living of people in many communities all over the world and in Lagos State.
“Institutions such as yours have laid credence to the fact that we all do not have to hold public leadership position to serve the people. We can, in our individual capacities and as groups, contribute in our own little ways, to making life more comfortable for the less-fortunate in our society.”
While commending the Lions Club for its humanitarian projects, Gen. Diya said they could do better if it strives to increase its current membership of 1.4 million. “You need to spread your gospel to wider audience who either do not know much about Lions’ activities. You should reach out to more of the 170 million population of Nigeria and spread to all states of the country,” he said.
The International Institute for Petroleum, Energy Law and Policy (IIPELP), last week in Abuja, appointed Dr. Timothy Okon as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the group.
A release by the group company secretary, Mrs. Valerie Arikpo-Ettah signed by the IIPELP President, Professor Niyi Ayoola-Daniels says Dr. Okon was until his appointment, the Acting Group Executive Director of (Exploration and Production) the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and Group Coordinator, Corporate Planning and Strategy, NNPC.
The IIPELP Group has developed strategic partnerships with the UK’S ‘British Integrated Solutions Network (BISEN)’, whose main objectives are to translate strategy and policy into successful capability through business solutions, especially in maritime and energy sectors.
BISEN, consisting of 39 UK registered companies conforms to international best practices and is actively supported by Her Majesty Government Departments, through strict governance and reporting framework.
Also, Mr. Allan Martin (British) has been appointed as Managing Director of Petgas Global Consulting Ltd, one of the operating companies in the IIPELP Group. Mr. Allan Martin will continue to be the IIPELP Group’s interface into both BISEN and UK Government Agencies.
Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) practitioners have urged President Muhammadu Buhari to sign National Safety Bill into law.
This, the group said, will aid enforcement of safety regulations in the country.
The bill, which has since been passed by the seventh National Assembly, is rumoured to have been signed by into law but safety practitioners said the bill had remained on the president’s table for consent before the last general elections.
The Director General of the Lagos State Safety Board, Mrs Dominga Odebunmi, said the speculation about the signing of the bill was fuelled by unconfirmed statement by officials of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity.
She said it could not be confirmed if the bill had become a law, since there had been no signed copy made available to the Lagos State government, which established the first safety body in the country. She added that safety practitioners also had no information about the status of the bill.
She said: “We are proud that the Federal Government pushed the National Assembly to pass the National Safety Bill before the last general elections. But, we are pleading with President Muhammadu Buhari to sign bill into law. Given that the president is a man that puts his pen where his word is, we are optimistic that, before the end of the year, he would sign the bill into law.”
If President Buhari signs the bill into law, Odebunmi said, it would empower federal and state emergency response agencies to enforce regulations that would promote best international safety practices.
She added the bill would play key role in preventing recurring industrial accidents, such of gas explosion and keep dangers away from work places.
The Executive Director, Safety Advocacy and Empowerment Foundation (SAEF), Mr Jamiu Badmos, said economic growth of the nation is tied to the passage of the bill, noting that a safety law is needed to prevent needless loss of lives and properties.
He said the Factory Act of 1990 could no longer guarantee safety and wellbeing of workers at their places of work, adding that there would be more job creation through establishment of State Safety Council if President Buhari signs the National Safety Bill.
The Nigeria Agribusiness Group (NAGB) has committed N360b to assist smallholder farmers, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Sonny Echono, has said.
He said the funds would be used to boost agriculture in 22 states.
Echono, who spoke at the First Annual General Meeting of the group in Lagos, said the group has helped to foster economic growth in Nigeria through the provision of take-off grants for smallholder farmers.
He said the investments will create jobs for youths, women, and uplift millions of farmers out of poverty.
He said: “Your recognition that smallholder farmers are the largest private sector group in Nigeria has helped to foster economic growth in rural Nigeria “as you provide guaranteed off-take markets for millions of smallholder farmers across the country.
“Sixteen of you have committed to invest in agriculture and agribusiness across 22 states of Nigeria a total $1.8 billion (NGN 360 billion). Turning these commitment into real investments will undoubtedly help to create jobs for our teeming youth population and women and help to lift millions of farmers out of poverty.
“On this ground, we are together inaugurating the Agribusiness Investment Inter-Ministerial (AIM) Working Group today (yesterday) as a show of our commitment in delivery on our promise to facilitate your investments from early stage and throughout the investment lifecycle.
“The AIM Working Group, our Project Delivery Team, will help to facilitate your investments and help to turn your commitments into real investments.”
Nigeria’s agriculture, he said, will be better positioned for inclusive growth together with the NABG.
He said working with NABG, will ensure that there will be no lack of information dissemination going forward.
“We are better positioned for inclusive growth where small, medium and large farmer groups will co-exist to generate wealth for millions of Nigeria and the unemployed youths and women.
“We have ended the dominance of government and I am optimistic that the private sector will lead Nigeria in restoring its past glory in agriculture.
“I am confident that the NABG will continue to play an important role in the new administration of H.E. President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR.
“I am confident that the group will continue to attract viable local and foreign direct investments into agriculture and agribusiness together with our Development Partners and other MDAs,” he said.
