The Nation Newspaper

Tag: group

  • Group cautions politicians

    The Acting National Coordinator of the Committee for Democracy and Rights of the People (CDRP), Comrade Saka Waheed, has urged politicians to desist from unruly behaviours capable of affecting the credibility of the general elections.

    The rights activist, who spoke in Osogbo, the Osun State capital, advised stakeholders to embrace peace and transquility.

    He described the attack on the All Progressives Congress (APC) supporters in Rivers State as a bad omen. He said that a trend of violence has emerged with the disruption of a peaceful rally in Akure and the burning of President Jonathan’s campaign bus in Jos, Plateau State capital, by angry youth. He said these actions are condemnable, parochial and disgusting.

    Saka stressed: “The purpose of election, both in theory and practise through-out the world, is to allow people in their respective environment to freely, fairly and happily choose their leaders.

    “For an election to be free and fair, the United Nations says the general environment must be free from certain things. These include violence, coercion, bribery, corruption, cheating, intimidation, rigging and abuse of incumbency. Any attempt by political parties to use any of these approaches to subvert the people shall be categorised as a deliberate sabotage of Nigeria’s fledgling democracy.”

    Saka, who is also the Osun state Coordinator of Human Rights Agenda Network (HRAN), urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the political class and security agencies to perceive the election as another opportunity to consolidate democracy.

    He said: “The election is not about one political party or the other, but about the strengthening of our democratic institution. Therefore, any hiccup in the process will tactically and technically put Nigeria in serious confrontation.”

  • Group holds cancer awareness seminar

    A  non-governmental organization, creating cancer awareness, will today hold a seminar at Afe Babalola Auditorium, University of Lagos, Lagos.

    The event, which starts at 10.00am, has ‘Lifestyles that Prevent Cancer’ as topic.

    The organizers of the seminar, the Committee of Concerned Women for Grail Movement-Nigeria and the Sunshine Foundation, are concerned with the welfare of senior citizens in Nigeria.

    A member of one of the organizing bodies, Prince Adebambo Epiphanio Joseph, in a short interview, said: “Concerned Nigerians are worried about the scourge of cancers which is currently on rampage. The disease which was unpopular some decades ago is now common place.

    “At the least, one in every five Nigerians must have been familiar with it. If the Nigerian is not a direct sufferer, the citizen must know a close relative who had been terminally afflicted. The disease is currently becoming endemic to cause the reason for searching for an effective intervention.

    “About two-third of all cancer cases are not caused by environmental factors or bad genes that had earlier been held responsible. There are many reasons that could be responsible for the ‘bad luck’. Reports from John Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Centre in the U.S.A confirms that there are many forms of cancer, but they are basically cells running amok, and multiplying uncontrollably, which leads to tumors growing and interfering with the normal functions of an organ.

    “Carcinogenic factors like smoking of cigarettes and exposure to direct rays of the sun or heredity contribute to the probability of developing the disease. Majority of the causes cannot be traced to these factors. They are as a result of other life styles- mainly that of the urban dwellers. This is the reason for the talk-shop which takes place today.

    “Some experts have been lined-up as resource persons for this important event. These cut across the spectrum of health-givers, orthodox-medicine, energy therapy homeopathy and African traditional medicine.

    “Facilities and health personnel would be provided for general diagnosis of the first 200 attendees at the foyer of the venue, courtesy of the Shell Petroleum Development and Exploration Company of Nigeria. It promises to be a memorable day for healthcare delivery in Nigeria.”

  • Group targets one million volunteers for APC

    Group targets one million volunteers for APC

    Ahead of the general elections, a  group, the Coalition for Change, has unfolded plans to raise one million volunteers in each state to mobilise support for the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    At its inauguration held at the APC campaign office, Victoria Island, the group said that Nigerians cannot stand another four years of the Jonathan Administration.

    While appreciating the various volunteers for their overwhelming support for its presidential candidate, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, and his running mate, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, the coalition said it campaign focus will be in line with the objectives of the campaign organisation.

    Addressing the volunteers,  APC chieftain  Dr. Tunde Ayeye said they would engage  door to door mobilisation,  preaching the message of change to the people.

    He said God has given to Nigeria two people, Buhari and Osinbajo, who are men of   integrity. He said they posses leadership qualities, adding that they have the genuine desire to serve.

    Ayeye said  the ticket signifies hope in the midst of despair, urging volunteers to convince the people to vote APC.

    He said: “I am certain that there is hope for Nigeria with the Buhari/Osinbajo ticket. A lot of people despite the desoaur in the land, have committed their time and are determined to be the desired change.

    “We want to ensure citizens rights and responsibilities are fulfilled. We will do everything within the ambit of the law to ensure that.

    “We are members of the same team and working for the same purpose. We found out that a lot of individuals and groups have shown interest and believe that the Buhari/Osinbajo ticket is the best option for our country today.

    He added: “They are ready and willing to commit their time and money to ensure that it becomes a reality. At the moment, different individuals and groups are doing different things towards the same purpose and so, we decided to form a coalition to harmonise each group’s strength and sphere of influence by ensuring that we preach the same message and there is coordination.

    “We want to ensure consistency and strategy in the delivery of our objectives, which is we must ensure change come February 14. That change is going to come through the power of the ballot box. Everyman is equal on February 14. The election day is one day that all fingers are equal and we are the ones to ensure that the change happens.

    “The time is short but with the kind of spirit, willingness and commitment that we see, I am confident that the time we have is probably too much.

    “The campaign office decided to create a hunt called the C4C to ensure that every individual or group volunteers take their root from the coalition. The coalition is just an umbreka body that will galvanise and bring everybody together for the singular purpose.

     

    •This page ought to have come out yesterday  –  Editor

  • FRSC men’s wives get group

    FRSC men’s wives get group

    APPARENTLY emulating spouses of military and police officers, wives of officials of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) have launched their own association – the Road Safety Officers’ Wives Association (ROSOWA).

    No fewer than 200 of them converged on Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital on January 3, for a get-together.

    At the Ogun State Sector Command of the FRSC venue of the event were the women and their children.

    To lively up the day and give the kids a sense of belonging, singing, dancing and quiz competitions were organised as part of the activities.

    The Commander in-charge of the Lagos/Ogun Zonal Command of the FRSC, Assistant Corps Marshal (ACM), Godwin Ogagaoghene, accompanied by his wife, Hope, chaired the event.

    The chairperson of the event’s organising committee, Mrs. Adekunbi Adetunji, said the gathering was to bring together in a social gathering, the children, who rarely have the opportunity to sit with their fathers due to the work schedule.

    “This is to strengthen love and unity among the officers’ wives and children. And to pass messages across to the families of those that had lost their beloved ones due to crashes, that they are remembered,” she said.

    She expressed gratitude to God for the success of the event despite all the challenges her committee went through and to Mrs Ogagaoghene for throwing her weight behind the idea.

    ROSAWA, as she said, is a non-profit and non-governmental organisation, aimed at promoting goodwill, friendship, socio-cultural opportunity of its members.

    Mrs. Adetunji, said the association, would afford members the platform to interact in a way that would be beneficial to their families and the less-privileged in the society.

    Mr. Ogagaoghene congratulated the women for their efforts and urged them to stand as pillars of support to their spouses, especially when away on duty.

    He urged them to remain focus on welfare programmes that could benefit women, youths, children and the less-privileged.

  • Group targets one million volunteers for Buhari/Osinbajo

    Group targets one million volunteers for Buhari/Osinbajo

    Ahead of next month’s general elections, a volunteer group, Coalition for Change (C4C), has set in motion plans to ensure that the All Progressives Congress (APC) emerges victorious at the polls by engaging at least one million volunteers in the 36 states of the federation.

    At its inauguration held at the Buhari/Osinbajo campaign office in Victoria Island, Lagos at the weekend, the group called on Nigerians to vote out President Goodluck Jonathan.

    While appreciating the various volunteers for their overwhelming support for Buhari and his running mate, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, leaders of the group said it was formed to synergise the activities of the various volunteers in line with the objectives of the campaign organisation.

    Addressing a mammoth crowd of volunteers, one of APC campaign leaders in the state, Dr. Tunde Ayeye, said their motive was to move from door to door, preaching the message of change and reigniting the voting spirit in people.

    He stated that God has decided to smile on Nigeria by presenting two individuals with integrity, leadership qualities and the genuine desire to serve.

    According to Ayeye, the Buhari/Osinbajo candidature signifies hope in the midst of despair, urging volunteers to go to their neighbourhoods and convince people to vote for the APC in next month’s general elections.

    He said: “I am certain that there is hope for Nigeria with the Buhari/Osinbajo ticket. A lot of people despite the despair in the land, have committed their time and are determined to effect the desired change in the country.

    “We want to ensure that citizen rights and responsibilities are fulfilled; we will do everything within the ambit of the law to ensure that. We are members of the same team and working for the same purpose. We found out that a lot of individuals and groups have shown interest and believe that the Buhari/Osinbajo ticket is the best option for our country today.

  • Group proffers solution to education’s woes

    Worried by the poor quality of education in the country, the Executive Director of Academic Excellence Initiative (AEI), a non-governmental organisation, Dr Nasir Ariyibi,  has called for concerted effort to see to the improvement of the sector.

    Ariyibi spoke at the group’s annual seminar for secondary school leavers, tagged: Youth Orientation Programme (YOP).

    Ariyibi said last yera’s November/December West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) result where only 29 per cent made the benchmark of five credits including Mathematics and English, further heightened the group’s concern.

    On its part, he said AEI would help bridge the knowledge gap of students so they can perform better academically.

    “AEI is a stop-gap between the academic ambition of students and all forms of obstacles that may hinder them. The body will hence mobilise personnel, materials, support and fund on behalf of students and judiciously manage same to develop students of unparallel educational achievement and moral rectitude,” he said.

    He explained that the YOP seminar, among others, was conceived to guide pupils towards achieving lofty goals in their academic pursuit and having a focus after school.

    “Youth Orientation Programme is aimed at giving the secondary school graduates a sense of direction on what to embark upon after their secondary education,” he said.

    Speaking on the topic: ‘Treading the uncharted path’ the guest speaker, Dr Musa Dambele, told the participants they would face challenges, but overcome if they plan their programmes effectively.

    “Manage your time wisely, plan your day, week and months ahead; decide up front how much time you want to give to yourself, friends and spiritual; stick to your schedule to avoid unneeded stress; form good study habit and be responsible regarding your academic work,” he said.

    One of the participants, QudusAkande said the seminar has afforded him opportunity to know how to channel his energy towards achieving his goals in life.

    “The programme has afforded me the opportunity to develop my skill further towards my academic performance; set my goals correctly and work hard to achieve it, I am really grateful to have attended this programme,” he said.

     

  • Group rewards outstanding pupils

    Six pupils in Oshodi/Isolo Local Government, Lagos State have been awarded prizes at the Third Oshodi Brilliance Awards (OBA) at Ikeja Grammar School Hall, Oshodi.

    According to the organiser, Nigeria will be greater when the culture of appreciation for positive achievements is enthroned, adding that the central message of OBA is that recognition serves as an impetus to greater productivity.

    The awardees were: Ogunola Taiwo of Ewafuntun Senior Grammar school; Iwuala Onyinyechi of Mafoluku Senior Grammar School; Esekhiagbe Peter of Ikeja Senior Grammar School; and Abdul Azeez Olamilekan of Oshodi Senior High School.

    The two others were: Ogunniyi Isreal of Bolade Senior Grammar School and Ekemma Emeka of Oshodi Comprehensive Senior High School who emerged overall best. Emeka bagged two awards – overall best and best student.

    Speaking to The Nation on how he achieved it, 17-year-old Emeka said: “It was not quite easy but due to my hard work and dedication. Sometimes I do sleep late into the night because of study.  I also associate with intelligent friends because a popular saying goes thus: “Bad company corrupts good manners.”

    Emeka, who is the son of an interior decorator father and mother, who is into business, hopes to study Chemical Engineering in future.

    “He advised his colleagues: We all should always work and study hard. We should always strive for success and not settle for less.”

    Chairman of Adams College, Mr Adams Adebola, said the council was inspired to start the initiative because of the societal penchant for rewarding mediocre pupils.

    “For national development, education is key and one of the ways we can develop it further is to look into the grassroots and see how we can get young boys and girls into limelight by motivating and encouraging them.

    Congratulating the awardees, Education Secretary Oshodi/Isolo Local Government, Mr Olalekan Adekoya, said: “We congratulate the winners; we urge them to see this as a call to higher duties. You must be ambassadors of change by redoubling your efforts and promoting the culture of diligence and doggedness.”

  • Group seeks accountability in fund use

    The Centre for Constitutional Governance (CCG) has called for transparency and accountability in the utilisation of the Global Fund (GF) allocations to Nigeria for 2014-2017.

    In a statement by its Programme Officer Juliana Iregbu-Ihejirika, the group said Nigeria with an allocation of $1.1billion tops the list of a group of 15 countries who will receive over half of the total allocation of $14.67billion by the Global Fund.

    Global Fund’s allocation for HIV in Nigeria is pegged at $477 million, while malaria gets $500 million, it was learnt.

    The group said the civil society, including the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) and others, should pay attention to his this money is used by demanding accountability.

    “The optimistic determination of the Global Fund donors to fight HIV/AIDS, malaria and TB to a halt with such a laudable commitment should also translate to a heightened resolve of those in charge of utilizing the funds in Nigeria to do what is right and a steadfast zeal of civil society and key populations to police these monies,” Iregbu-Ihejirika said.

    She added: “Only about three percent of HIV positive mothers in Nigeria are said to have access to antiretroviral treatments, a large number of inmates in congested prisons across Nigeria are living with HIV and AIDS and most often without treatments. The rate of TB infections is also tilting towards an epidemic level”.

    Iregbu-Ihejirika urged the civil society to ensure that “there is effectiveness and efficiency in the utilisation of the current global fund allocation to Nigeria to enable us turn the current state of the Nigerian health sector around.”

  • Group distributes free soap to rural dwellers

    To curb the spread of infectious diseases through hand washing, a non- governmental organisation, Thomas O. Women Network (TOWN) has distributed free soap empowered women and children in Ikate community, Lekki, Lagos State.

    Over 1000 rural dwellers were given soaps and other household items at the event tagged “Bathe a child, preserve a life”.

    The brain behind the initiative, Mrs Thomas Ogboja said:”TOWN manufactured soaps and we also collect used soaps left by guests in hotels to reproduce new soaps. Even though soaps usually contain antibacterial ingredients that kill germs, we will also recycle them so that they do not pose as health hazard to our beneficiaries.

    “TOWN is not selling the recycled soaps but distributing them to people free. We intend to educate less-privileged women in the society on the importance and benefit of ensuring they and their children maintain good hygiene.’’

    She noted that with regular hand washing with soap, 1.4 million deaths can be prevented each year and mortality rate will drastically be reduced. Foodstuffs, including rice, salt and clothes were later donated to the beneficiaries during the event.

  • Akwa Ibom 2015: Group hails Emmanuel’s emergence

    Akwa Ibom 2015: Group hails Emmanuel’s emergence

    A socio-political group, the Akwa Ibom Consolidation Initiative, has hailed the election of Mr. Udom Emmanuel as the flag bearer of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the Akwa Ibom governorship race, saying it is a reflection of the wish of the people. Emmanuel is the immediate past Secretary to the Akwa Ibom State Government.

    In a press statement issued in Lagos, the group’s coordinator, Mr. Udoh Ekwere noted that the outcome of the primaries, which took place at the Uyo township stadium, is a reflection of the wishes of the people.

    Emmanuel polled 1,201 votes and was declared winner by the chairman of the election panel, Bola Oyebowale.

    Ekwere noted that as a technocrat with leadership and managerial skills, Emmanuel is unarguably the best candidate to sustain the tempo of developmental strides of Governor Godswill Akpabio in the state.

    “We believe that the choice of Udom Emmanuel by the Akwa Ibom PDP delegates is indeed in line with the wishes of the people. Emmanuel is a technocrat and we believe that he is capable of continuing the good work of our out-going governor,” he said.

    Ekwere appealed to the aspirants who lost at the primaries to work together with the PDP flag bearer to ensure the success of the party in next year’s election.