The Nation Newspaper

Tag: jubilee

  • Jubilee housing scheme: PPP to the rescue

    •Brains & Hammers bankrolls project

    Determined to continue with its housing initiative, but faced with scarce financial resources, the Lagos State Government has embraced the public-private partnership (PPP) alternative to bring the scheme to fruition.

    To this end, the state government, earlier in the week, finalised agreement with a development firm, Messers Brains & Hammers Limited, for the development of the 618 housing units at the Jubilee Estate in Iganmu. The project is designed to drive urban redevelopment in the area which will engender increased property values in the surrounding environment, thereby re-positioning the current site to one  highly sought after.

    Going by the cosmopolitan nature of Iganmu, the Jubille Housing Estate is estimated to create 3,590 direct jobs and about 7,000 indirect jobs in the area. Iganmu is dominated predominantly by the informal sector operators such as artisans, labourers, traders and food vendors.

    The estate, upon completion, will house 96 units of two-bedroom flats; 414 units of three-bedroom flats and 108 units of four-bedroom terrace houses. In addition to adequate parking facilities and excellent infrastructure, the development will include a well-equipped club house with a swimming pool, recreational areas and landscaping.

    Following the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), the development of the estate will begin next month, with a projected duration of 60 months from the receipt of all required approvals and permits.

    The Commissioner for Housing, Mr. Gbolahan Lawal, at the signing of the  MoU with Messrs Brains and Hammers Limited in his Alausa office, Ikeja, explained that the initiative, which was mooted by the administration of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode as part of activities to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the creation of the state, will stand as a symbol of the celebration for many decades to come.

    Lawal disclosed that the housing deficit in the state stands at over three million. Therefore, he further explained, in order to bridge this gap, about 200,000 housing units must be delivered annually in the next five years. This requirement, he emphasised, cannot be delivered alone by the government; hence the need to inject private capital into housing delivery. To achieve this purpose, the state government has made land available to prospective private developers who have exhibited technical and financial capabilities for the delivery of affordable housing units.

    “The Jubilee Estate project is a PPP between the Lagos State Government, represented by the Ministry of Housing and IBILE Holdings Limited on one hand and Brains & Hammers, one of the foremost housing developers in the country on the other hand. The state stands to derive significant internally generated revenue through the taxes that will accrue from the sale of housing units and will also benefit from Land Use Charge and other statutory payments for property,” Lawal explained.

    The Chief Operating Officer of Brains & Hammers, Mr. Ibrahim Wushishi, explained that while the firm will be leveraging on the latest construction technology to deliver the project, he nonetheless expects challenges. “The potential challenges with the site are two-fold. Firstly, the terrain is challenging for construction but over the years Brains and Hammers has developed the skill and competence required to provide quality construction regardless of terrain. We are leveraging on the best available technology in the form of vibro-flotation which will be used to stabilise the soil and prepare it to take large structures safely and securely. The second challenge we envision is being able to keep up with demand for the housing units. Due to the strategic location, we have been inundated with demand. As we are only able to build a total of 618 housing units currently, we are saddled with the limited supply and very heavy demand,” he explained, adding that the firm will be working with Lafarge Africa, who are recognised as the largest producers of building materials globally, including working with some of the proprietary technology in the form of specialised and customised concrete

    He revealed that the estate will be serviced by a stand-alone sewage treatment system that will have the required capacity and functionality to meet the needs of the estate in an environmentally-friendly manner, without recourse to other facilities in the area. Similarly, there is a plan to provide an integrated power system for the estate. This encompasses dedicated electricity supply from the local power provider and on-site power generation which will be augmented by a solar-powered solution. Wushishi said this will ensure value for money for residents and ensure carbon emissions are kept to a minimum in line with the new order of climate change.

    While Lawal signed for the state government, Messrs Adebola Sheidu, chairman of Brains and Hammers and Abubakar Sheidu, company secretary, witnessed for the company.

  • Jubilee to revolutionise syringe production in Nigeria

    Jubilee to revolutionise syringe production in Nigeria

    Barring any last minute hitches, Jubilee Syringe Manufacturing Company will commence full production of syringes in the country later this August.

    Jubilee Syringe, located on an 8000 square meter of land area in Onna Local Government of Akwa Ibom State, will be the first syringe manufacturing company in the country, second only to South Africa in the whole of Africa, and will kick off a start up production capacity of between 350 to 400 million syringes annually, with provision for expanding its production capacity to one billion syringes by 2018.

    This estimated 350-400 million production lines Jubilee Syringe intend to start-up with in Nigeria, far overshoots that of South Africa, as the South African Company has a production capacity of only 93 million, making Jubilee Syringe, of course, upon completion and commencement of operations the largest syringe production company in the entire African continent.

    Owned by a Turkish-born business man and investor, Mr. Onur Kumral, whose investments spanned over 17 countries, and having believe that Akwa Ibom has good development policies and adequate security, in addition to the overwhelming support provided by Governor Udom Emmanuel’s administration, said he was spurred to confidently take the risk of bringing such huge investment as Jubilee Syringe into the country.

    According to Kumral, even though the company is in Nigeria to make profit, its primary aim is not only to create jobs, but also to help in stabilising the nation’s economy and add value to Nigerians through training and retraining.

    Of course, his promise of adding value to Nigerians was realised when Jubilee Syringe recently sent 12 Nigerians to Istanbul, Turkey, for advance training on key areas of injection machines. These 12 Nigerians were trained on the operation of injection moulding machines, maintenance of moulds and quality control.

    Kumral had stated in an interview recently that there is this situation in Nigeria right now where the country is losing huge dollars daily through importations and noted that there must be deliberate efforts by all to stop it.

    Mr. Zubeyir Gulabi, who will run the daily management of Jubilee Syringe upon commencement of operations as the company’s Managing Director, said while receiving the 12 Nigerians who returned from Turkey, that they are the future of industrialisation in the state and the nation.

    He observed that there are plans by Jubilee Syringe to send more Nigerians for training especially in the area of safety, packaging and printing.

    Speaking with journalists on the plans the company has and the reason for coming to Nigeria, Mr. Kumral said they are impressed with the efforts of the government at various levels to encourage foreign investors and they believe that if they take the bold step and come into the country it will also encourage others to do the same. “That is why we are trying to encourage manufacturers to come into the country by establishing huge firms first. Do not forget that these syringe factory raw materials are in Nigeria, produced by Nigerian petrochemical companies, and of course, all the machineries needed to start the production of syringes in Nigeria has arrived the country.”

    At every point or opportunity, Kumral has never failed to remind whoever cares to listen that Africa provides one of the highest returns on investment, in the world for discerning investors who can take a calculated risks.

    The Chairman of Jubilee Syringe has constantly demonstrated this conviction by taking very bold, courageous, but calculated investment risks most of which have paid off handsomely.

    “What we are trying to put on ground in Nigeria is what should have been done years back if the political will was there. Establishing a syringe factory in Nigeria is definitely not something we should be celebrating at this time and age. The market is here. There is the potential for four billion syringes to be sold in this country.”

    Mr. Kevin, a Pharmacist with Pharmablaze Pharmaceutical Company based in Nigeria had this to say: “The coming in of Jubilee Syringe factory in Akwa Ibom is a dream come true, with respect to job creation and medical tourism in Nigeria. We in the business of medicine are quite happy because in the area of profits and risk of importation, we can say this is a major breakthrough. We can now stroll to our backdoor and buy with our own currency what we were spending huge foreign currency to import.

    “This shows that Akwa Ibom and indeed Nigeria will become the major hub for medical facility. Don’t forget, we have the Ibom Multi-Specialist Hospital, the best hospital in sub-Sahara Africa still in Akwa Ibom which will complement this syringe company. We are saying many thanks to Mr. Kumral the investor, his team and Akwa Ibom state government.”

    On his part, Pharm. Sylvester, who works with Veclem Pharmaceutical Company, believes that Jubilee Syringe is coming into the country at the right time, as a result of the economic crunch in the country. “This is the best news that is emanating from this part of the continent for years now. This country has not really fared well in terms of establishing manufacturing companies. We import everything in Nigeria. This is sad. The leadership of this country are not doing enough in attracting industries to the country so as to create employment and also reduce huge spending as a result of importation.”

  • School marks diamond jubilee

    Old students of Oyan Grammar School (GOYANS) have mapped out seven days of activities to celebrate the achievements of their alma mater since its establishment 60 years ago.

    Chairman, Organising Committee for the event, Prof Wole Atoyebi, said in a statement that a major feature of event scheduled to hold from May 24 to 28, would be the launch of a N250 million Development Fund on May 28 at the school premises.

    The launch is expected to be attended by Osun State Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola; Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, and Olatunji Shittu, Director, King Guards, who is the chief launcher for the event.

     

  • Golden jubilee for a teacher

    Golden jubilee for a teacher

    Arrangements have been concluded for the 50th birthday anniversary of Pastor Olaniyan Bolatito Christianah on Saturday. The anniversary will feature church service at the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Sanctuary of Divine Favour, Ilupeju Estate, Gbagi Olorunda Abaa Road, Akobo Ojurin Ibadan Oyo State at 11:00 a.m.

    A reception will follow immediately at the Mayor’s Place Centre, Gbagi Olorunda Abaa Road, Akobo Ojurin Ibadan.

  • Ezekwesili to deliver Foursquare diamond jubilee lecture

    Ezekwesili to deliver Foursquare diamond jubilee lecture

    A public lecture to mark the Diamond Jubilee Anniversary of the Foursquare Gospel Church in Nigeria holds in Abuja on Thursday at the National Christian Centre.

    It will be delivered by former Minister for Education, Mrs Oby Ezekwesili, will speak on the topic ‘The Role of the Church in Nation Building.’ It will be chaired by House of Representatives Speaker Yakubu Dogara. General Overseer of the Foursquare Gospel Church in Nigeria, Rev Felix Meduoye, will lead the District Overseers, Zonal Superintendents, pastors and members of the church, to welcome dignitaries and invited guests from all walks of life.

    The lecture is second in the series of such events to mark the 60th anniversary of the Foursquare Gospel Church, which was established in Nigeria by the missionary, Rev Harold Curtis, and his wife, in 1955.

    The international arm of the church had been founded in 1923 in Los Angeles, United States of America, by traveling evangelist, Aimee Semple McPherson. The maiden lecture marking the Diamond Jubilee had held in Lagos in May, and it was delivered by Professor Niyi Agunbiade, Vice Chancellor of McPherson University, Ogun State. The Diamond Jubilee Anniversary will be concluded in November with a special National Convention, which will attract delegates from different parts of the world, including the International President of the organization, Dr Glenn Burris Jnr.

  • Schools marks silver jubilee

    Schools marks silver jubilee

    In celebration of its 25th anniversary, the Home Science Association Secondary School (HSASS), Alakuko on the outskirts of Lagos will inaugurate a borehole in its host community, Saka.

    The borehole is donated by the Home Science Association (HSA), founder of the school as part of its corporate social responsibility.

    The event which holds today at the school hall will also feature the inauguration of the e-library donated by the school’s Parents Teachers Association.

    Minister for Communication Technology, Dr Omobola Johnson, and her counterpart for Culture and Tourism, Edem Duke, are expected to grace the occasion.

    At a briefing to announce the silver jubilee, Mrs Folashade Bakare, President (HSA) said the association was formed by group of women home economists who are passionate about giving quality academic foundation for Nigerians.

    The primary arm of the school started in Ikoyi in 1961. As a result of the yearning of parents, the immediate past president of the association, Mrs Folashade Olatunde, said the secondary school was added on January 29, 1990.  It started with seven teachers and 57 pupils, and relocated to the permanent site in Ajegunle, Alakuko, in 1993.

    Mrs Bakare said the school has won many awards including: Examination Malpractice Free School, Centre of Sport Excellence in 2010; and second best student in the 2014 PZ Chemistry Challenge.

    Mrs Olatunde urged the government to expedite action on the road leading to the school, and provide water for the community.

    The principal, Mr. John Olokose, said the school built a bridge behind the school for the community to access.  The silver jubilee celebration will end with a thanksgiving service tomorrow in the school hall.

     

  • School marks silver jubilee

    It was with excitement that the management, workers, parents, and pupils of ABDEK Private Schools, Somolu, Lagos, celebrated the school’s 25th anniversary and 19th graduation and prize giving penultimate week.

    The event held the Banquet Hall of Somolu Local Government secretariat, featured musical and cultural performances by the pupils.

    They performed the Yoruba bata dance, Igbo atilogu dance and Hausa traditional dance to the admiration of the guests.

    Chairman of the occasion, Senator Anthony Adefuye, praised the proprietor of the school, Abdullahi Olugbenga for his foresight in establishing the school 25 years ago to meet the educational needs of children in Somolu.

    From 20 pupils in 1988, the school has 300 pupils.

    Mrs Yetunde Onanuga, director, Finance and Administration, office of the Special Adviser, Lagos State Ministry of Environment, noted that the school is one of the best schools in the council in terms of discipline and sound academic standard.

    She counselled the graduating pupils to make good use of the knowledge and discipline they got from ABDEK and be good ambassadors of the school.

    The proprietor, Abdullahi Olugbenga the cordial relationship that exists between the school’s management and the parents, is one of secrets of its success in the last 25 years.

    He also praised the workers for being dutiful, committed and alive to their responsibility.

  • Feast of culture at college’s jubilee

    Feast of culture at college’s jubilee

    Ofo (the deity) led the procession, carrying a black pot through which he communicated with the populace. The chief priest followed the deity, making incantations with a cow horn wrapped with a red ribbon.

    The Igwe (king), his chiefs and some denizens, clad in flamboyant red and white robes, trailed them on the way to the shrine to seek the gods’ face for the festival.

    This was the setting when the Alvan Ikoku Federal College of Education in Owerri, the Imo State capital, held a cultural fiesta to mark its 50th anniversary.

    Students shone in different cultural attires to mark the day. Their dressing depicted tradition, life, arts and customs of all ethnic groups in the country.

    It all started with a procession round the campus by staff and students in their traditional attires, bearing object peculiar to their ethnic group. The Igbo, Yoruba, Hausa, Tiv, Efik and Idoma, among others were represented.

    After the tour, they gathered at the Handball Court, the venue of the programme, to dance.

    The ceremony was declared open by the Deputy Provost, Sir B.C Maduka, who praised the students for the display of the “rich cultural heritage of the people of this great nation”. After the speech, the stage was set for cultural troupes’ performance. About 16 different cultural groups entertained the audience.

    Some of the groups that performed are Nzezurume, Kegite Club, Tiv Students Association, Idoma Cultural Group, the Ezemmuo of Nzezurume and Yoruba Students Association.

    Anambra State students stole the show when they brought their masqueraders and dancers to the stage. The masqueraders showcased the rich culture of Anambra people in particular and the Igbo.

    Yoruba students surprised the audience with their Egungun (masquerader) and Babalawo (the priest). A student in the Yoruba troupe moved closer to the Egungun and placed his ears beside the spirit’s mouth. He urged the audience to be silent, claiming he wanted to hear from the ancestors. This attracted applause.

    The performance was followed by the display of the “Ezemmuo” – the oracle of the gods of Nzezurume of Alvan Community. The troupe made incantations in Igbo language, depicting how the oracles acted as medium of communication between the people and the gods. The chief priest interpreted the oracle’s message, which prescribed the use of herbs and leaves as medication by the people.

    Chairman of the Governing Council Hon. Ajibola Oyinlola danced with Yoruba students in excitement. He commended the students for their “perfect” display of their cultures. He told them to use culture to promote unity in the country.

    Theatre Art students displayed their dancing skills. They started with the Ohafia war dance, a symbol of Ohafia people in Abia State. They also performed the Atilogwu dance of Anambra people and the Egedege of Imo people.

    They staged a drama on how Dibia afa (native doctors) treated people with bone fracture, using Igba okwukwu (a traditional medicine). In the drama, a female dancer feigned injury and the native doctor (a male student) used traditional orthopaedic medication to reset her bones. After the medication, the dancer performed excellently.

    Nwaiwu Somtochukwu, a 200-Level student, said: “It is good to attend this kind of event. I have learnt new things about the culture of my people and I was able to find explanation to some traditions being practised in Igboland today.”

    Iwuchukwu Anurika, another student, said: “I have just discovered that culture is dynamic. I followed every activity of this cultural day and it was really fun-filled. I thought incantation is only used in Nollywood movies, but today I have witnessed it live. This is interesting.”

    At the event were Imo state University students and primary school pupils, among others.