The Nation Newspaper

Tag: News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)

  • Sacked Jos electricity workers cannot be recalled – MD

    Sacked Jos electricity workers cannot be recalled – MD

    Workers of the Jos Electricity Distribution Company (JEDC), who were sacked recently, will not be re-engaged in spite of clamour by the workers’ union, JEDC Managing Director, Alhaji Gidado Modibbo, has declared.

     

    “We did not engage in a mass sack of workers as is being alleged by the union; we only removed redundant personnel whose productivity has dropped.

     

    “We operate the company as a private outfit that knows that it could only survive if it works with the best hands that will add value to the system,” Modibbo told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Jos on Tuesday.

     

    The managing director was reacting to the picketing of JEDC’s headquarters in Jos on Monday by the workers, who insisted that the 50 workers sacked by the company be recalled.

     

    Monday’s picketing of the company was led by Mr Musa Ayiga, the North-East Vice President of the National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE).

     

    Ayiga had accused the company of creating disparity in salaries and working conditions of its workers, claiming that workers inherited from PHCN are being paid less than those engaged by the new owners.

     

    Modibo said it was wrong for the workers’ union to seek to force the company to work with workers considered redundant and unproductive.

     

    He alleged that some of the workers were sacked for extortion, claiming further that it was such workers that mobilised students to seal up JEDC’s headquarters and disrupt its services.

     

    Modibbo explained that JEDC had employed more than 150 personnel since it took over the firm in 2013.

     

    According to him, the company only disengaged weak managers that included four Assistant General Managers, four Business Managers and some principal and senior managers.

     

    “We run JEDC as a private outfit that must stay afloat and survive; so, much premium is placed on productivity and resourcefulness.

     

    “The records and data are there to support the performances of those sacked and those retained,” he said.

     

    The managing director also dismissed claims of alleged disparity in salaries of workers, explaining that the salaries were harmonised in November 2015.

     

    “The records are there to back that harmonisation.

     

    “ We know the relevance of morale to efficiency and cannot treat some workers better than others, because we all need their maximum output,’’ he said.

     

    Modibbo said that he had never engaged in any argument with the union, and warned that the company may be forced to take legal action against the union if it continued to mobilize “thugs’’ to disrupt its activities.

  • Balanced diets, nutritional supplements, exercise reduce hypertension- Expert

    Balanced diets, nutritional supplements, exercise reduce hypertension- Expert

    Dr Kathleen Egbuna on Monday in Lagos said that balanced diets, nutritional supplements, exercises and proper stress management could reduce hypertension in patients.

     

    Egbuna, a nutritionist at the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR), Yaba in Lagos State, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that, “Hypertension is a condition where the pressure in the bloodstream of a person is consistently raised above normal.

     

    “When the systolic is consistently above 140millimeters of mercury and the diastolic is consistently above 90 millimeters of mercury, the person is in a state of hypertension.

     

    “Severely elevated hypertension may result in headaches, increase in heart rate, and a general feeling of ill-health.

     

    “Hypertension is an indication for the risk of stroke, coronary heart disease, heart attacks, kidney disease, and other related disorders,” she said.

     

    Egbuna said that lifestyles and aging process could also serve as key components of the scourge.

     

    “With the passage of time, the blood vessels gradually lose their elasticity and this may lead to a rise in systolic pressure when the heart contracts.

     

    “Hypertension may also be the consequences of medical conditions, and when hypertension is precipitated by other disease conditions in the body, it is called secondary hypertension.

     

    “Secondary hypertension includes; adrenal gland tumor, blocked renal artery, obstructive sleep, apnea, kidney diseases, endocrine diseases, obesity and nutritional causes.

     

    “Environmental factors contributing to hypertension include: smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, as well as eating of high-fat diets, high-salt diets, caffeine and tobacco,” she said.

     

    She also said that anti-hypertensive drugs would not cure hypertension but could only reduce blood pressure and control the condition.

     

    Egbuna said that the nutrients that could help to control hypertension include; potassium, calcium, magnesium, selenium, the antioxidant vitamins (A,C and E) and omega-3 fatty acids.

     

    She said that nutritional research had identified some natural agents and herbs that could provide a support for hypertension such as: garlic, green tea and Hawthorne berry.

     

    The nutritionist said that the root of bitter-leaf plant had a diuretic effect that can help in the management of hypertension.

  • Infrastructure: Ex-minister commends Buhari

    Infrastructure: Ex-minister commends Buhari

    A former Minister of Lands, Housing and Rural Development, Chief Nduese Essien, on Monday commended President Mohammadu Buhari for signing the infrastructural partnership with China.

     

    Essien, who made the commendation in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Eket, Akwa Ibom, described Buhari’s recent trip to China as a huge success.

     

    He said the trip was very timely, considering its significance to Nigeria, especially as regards the proposedEket, Akwa Ibom.

     

    “Though the project was initiated by former President (Goodluck) Jonathan, its inclusion in the 2016 appropriation bill is a mark of patriotism and good intentions for the people of the South-South.

     

    “It would have been disastrous if the Lagos-Calabar rail project was expunged from the 2016 proposed budget– the President having secured a bilateral economic agreement with China on rail projects in Nigeria,’’ he said.

     

    Essien, a two-term member of the National Assembly, also commended the South-South legislators at the National Assembly for their positive stance on the Lagos-Calabar Rail Project.

     

    He, however, called on members of the 8th National Assembly not to play politics with the Lagos-Calabar Rail Project, saying the overall developmental interest of the country was paramount.

     

    “National interest must come first before partisan affiliation. We must endeavour to collectively join hands in moving this country forward, irrespective of our political differences,’’ he said.

  • NAFDAC moves to check fake registration codes

    NAFDAC moves to check fake registration codes

    Mrs Roseline Ajayi, the State Coordinator for National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) in Kwara, said on Monday that the agency would descend on those parading fake NAFDAC codes.

     

    Ajayi stated this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ilorin.

     

    She said that NAFDAC would carry out periodic checks on imported and locally-manufactured products and urged manufacturers to make their products available for the exercise.

     

    “We know some people are using fake NAFDAC codes but they do not know that we have our codes for different products.

     

    “Through the check, we will be able to fish out those with fake codes.

     

    “We have some imported products around that bear NAFDAC numbers and some local products too which we categorised as sub-standard.

     

    “If the manufacturers know and importers are sure of what they are pushing into the market, they will subject it to NAFDAC scrutiny,’’ she told NAN.

     

    The coordinator, however, said that the problem of sub-standard products was minimal in the state.

     

    “I had the opportunity of interviewing some of our stakeholders and they often times accused us of being too stringent; that our requirements are too many compared to other states.

     

    “What we do is that we take samples of some of their products for test without telling them. So I can boldly say most of these products are measured up to standard.

     

    “To a large extent, Kwara is in good standing when it comes to product standard,’’ the NAFDAC chief said.

     

    Ajayi said that NAFDAC, under her administration, would intensify effort to sensitise the public on the need to patronise only registered products.

     

    She said that NAFDAC was the only agency saddled with the responsibility of assessing external and oral products, while others dealt with utility and household equipment.

     

    “We all work toward one purpose; we have the same aim and goal, there could be areas of overlap but certainly we are all working for the same purpose.

     

    “We scrutinise any product that can have any negative impact on health, whether external or oral,’’ she told NAN.

  • CCT Bill: Lawyers slam Senate

    CCT Bill: Lawyers slam Senate

    Some lawyers in Lagos on Friday reacted to the ongoing amendment of the Code of Conduct Tribunal Act by the Senate, describing it as self-serving and unacceptable.

     

    The lawyers, who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), said the amendment was ill-timed and a breach of public trust.

     

    NAN reports that the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, is currently being tried for alleged false declaration of assets by the Code of Conduct Tribunal.

     

    The bill to amend the CCT Act, has within 48 hours, scaled the second reading in the Upper Chamber.

     

    Mr Dotun Adetunji, the Chairman, Nigerian Bar Association, Ikorodu Branch, Lagos State, said the amendment of the CCT Act at this point was a “shameful act.’’

     

    He said any amendment to a law based on vested interest was contrary to the rule of law and the ethics of good governance.

     

    “This action of the Senate while its president is undergoing trial at the CCT is a shameful act.

     

    “It is also a slap on the generality of Nigerians that voted them into office and a breach of the trust expected of them.

     

    “This move by the Senate will not put this nation in good standing in the international community,’’ he told NAN.

     

    According to him, the amendment of the CCT Act by the Senate will not in any way bring Nigeria close to a sane society.

     

    “The rule of law is supposed to create a sane society and that is why its principles aim to ensure that a nation is governed by law and not by men’s self-serving interests.

     

    “The international community and Nigerians in diaspora should raise their voices in addition to all of us within the country to condemn this move by the Senate,’’ the NBA chief added.

     

    Another lawyer, Mr Ataene Spurgeon, said although the National Assembly was empowered by the statute books to make laws for the country, the amendment of the CCT Act might be a “coincidence.’’

     

    “The amendment of the Code of Conduct Tribunal Act is a `coincidence’ with the trial of the Senate President, Bukola Saraki.’’

     

    “If the laws establishing the Code of Conduct bureau and the Code of Conduct Tribunal are faulty, it becomes necessary for the sake of the good governance to amend the same.

     

    “If three judges ought to sit on a particular tribunal and there are only two judges presently sitting, then there is a gap in the law which needs to be addressed for the future, ’’ he also told NAN.

     

    For Mr Ola Ogunbiyi, the amendment should not affect the trial of the senate president.

     

    “The trial can only be affected if the trial is stalled till after the amendment.

     

    “The Senate can at any point amend the law, that it is being amended at this point in time is not an issue.

     

    “The law begins to take its course the day it is signed into law; it is not going to be retrospective.

     

    “Now it is not a law, it is still under amendment before the Senate and it will not affect his trial.’’

     

    An Abeokuta-based legal practitioner, Mr Emmanuel Olu-Alade, said there was no law forbidding amendment of an Act because someone was on trial.

     

    “The question is, ‎what are the paragraphs that are currently being amended and what would be the effect of the amended paragraphs considering the ongoing trial of Bukola Saraki.

     

    In his contributions, Mr Wale Ogunade, a lawyer and public affairs analyst, said:

    “The Senate is required by law to amend laws.

     

    “However, in the case of the amendment of the CCT Act by the Senate, the question to ask is: does the Senate have an honest intention or an ulterior motive.

     

    “My opinion is that the recent moves by the Senate to amend the CCT Act were designed to frustrate the trial of Saraki.

     

    “It is designed to water down the Act making it worthless, useless and of no effect whatsoever.”

  • Agro-forestry project to create mass employment in Ogun

    Agro-forestry project to create mass employment in Ogun

    An agro-forestry and forest landscape restoration project will soon take-off in Ogun, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.

     

    The state Commissioner for Forestry, Mr Kolawole Lawal, told newsmen in Abeokuta on Friday, that the project was aimed at creating employment opportunities for the teeming unemployed youths in the state.

     

    NAN reports that the commissioner had earlier held a parley with the Project Consultant, Mr Pierre Decroix, in his office.

     

    He said that the state government would sensitise the occupants of the proposed communities where the projects would be situated on the benefits accruable to them.

     

    “The project will be beneficial to settlers of the affected communities, as it will provide job opportunities for the teeming unemployed youths.

     

    “Besides, the project will reduce climate change and enhance food security in the state,’’ the commissioner said.

     

    NAN recalls that Gov. Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun, had last December, led a delegation from the state to the United Nations Conference on Climate Change in Paris, France.

     

    The delegation had also seized the opportunity afforded it then to hold multilateral talks with officials of Lafarge Holcim and other investors on forest landscape restoration project.

     

    Decroix commended the state government on the initiative, which he said, would be the envy of all, when completed.

     

    He stressed the need for the sensitisation of the occupants of the affected communities in line with global best practices.

     

    According to him, there is also the need for satellite mapping which will supply information on the environment and soil.

  • NGO, TY Danjuma foundation donate relief materials to IDPs camp

    NGO, TY Danjuma foundation donate relief materials to IDPs camp

    A non-governmental organisation, Chagro Care Trust, and TY Danjuma Foundation have donated relief materials to the internally displaced persons.

    The relief materials were donated to displaced persons from Goza in Borno being camped in Mansutu village of Ardo Kola Local Government Area of Taraba.

    The Programme Officer of Chagro care Trust, Miss Rijimra Ande, distributed the items directly to the IDPs.

    Ande said the IDPs had stayed in the rural community for three years before they were discovered by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugee (UNHCR).

    She said the UN agency drew the organisation’s attention to the camp which it responded immediately with a need assessment visit to the rural community.

    The programme officer called on the government, organisations and well meaning individuals to identify with the plight of the IDPs to make life more meaningful for them.

    “To be honest, when we came for need assessment, we were tempted not to come back due to complete lack of access road to the community.

    “But the condition we saw you compelled us to find a way of bringing the intervention to you,’’ she said.

    Ande noted that the organisation would soon return to the community for medical intervention for the IDPs.

    On her part, Miss Janet Ajala, the Taraba Coordinator of TY Danjuma Foundation, decried the condition of IDPs and lack of access road to camps.

    She, however, thanked Chagro Care Trust for taking the pains to ensure that intervention reached out to the people that were not discovered by any emergency agency for over three years of their stay.

    Ajala told the IDPs that the Chairman of the foundation, retired Gen. Theophilous Danjuma, wanted them to stay at peace with their host community and support government efforts at ending insurgency in the country.

    Responding on behalf of the IDPs, Mr Sunday Andraus, thanked the organisations for coming to their aide at their time of need.

    Andraus said they had been staying at the camp for a long time but only the local branch of the Baptist Church that had assisted them with some food items.

    He thanked the host community for providing them with portions of land to carry out farming activities to feed their families over the period.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that items donated include 12 bags of rice, 58 pieces of mosquito nets, 48 jerry cans, 48 cooking pots, sanitary pads, bathing soap, among others.

  • Institute advocates food safety among Nigerians

    The Nigerian Institute of Food Science and Technology (NIFST) has called on Nigerians to be conscious of what they eat to minimise the rising health challenges in the country.

     

    The National President of the institute, Mr Chijioke Osuji, made the call in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Friday.

     

    Osuji said that developing food safety consciousness would help the country to attain its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), increase its food exports and ensure food security.

     

    He said it would also help to minimise the rising health challenges bedevilling citizens in the country and assist in boosting food safety.

     

    According to him, the result of these in years to come, will make our food safer for homes, ensure improved export and increased foreign exchange.

     

    “We want food professionals and post harvest specialists to have legal empowerment and backing to help actualise the safety,’’ Osuji said.

     

    The NIFST president stressed the need for the country to accord priority to the job of post harvest officers to encourage and sensitise farmers to meet international standard.

     

    Post harvest officials according to Osuji are agriculture specialists, who guide farmers on the crops to plant and the fertiliser or chemicals that will suit a particular crop.

     

    “If the job of a post harvest agriculture specialist is given priority, it can boost job creation.

     

    “Even if we ignore the safety of our people, we should be mindful of the safety of the food we export.

     

    “The international community is watching, they will not take it likely if we export food that is not safe for their citizens.

     

    “The safety aspect is where their eyes are all the time; the man that will make you achieve that safety perimeter must be a trained post harvest man and food specialist.

     

    “Post harvest man has a say in every part of the value chain for example, before farmers can plant, they must have the right seed, there must be right breeder,’’ he said.

     

    NAN reports that NIFST is the only registered non-profit making body representing food professionals drawn from the academia, industries, government and research Institutes in Nigeria.

     

    Its mission is to harness the abundance of talents, knowledge and skills among food professionals in Nigeria toward food sufficiency and good nutrition for the masses.

  • Bishop advises FG to be pragmatic, reduce hardships

    The Bishop of Pankshin Diocese in Plateau, Mr Michael Gokum, has urged the Federal Government to be pragmatic in its policy and programme implementation and save Nigerians from the current hard times.

     

    He made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Pankshin on Thursday.

     

    “Times are hard and the people are really suffering; I hope God will inspire our leaders, especially the Federal Government to do something drastic and save the situation.

     

    “Nigeria is so blessed yet the people are suffering because of the greediness of our supposed leaders, who are starshing billions of Naira within and outside the country.

     

    “The doctrine of putting the interest of others before yours is not being observed here in Nigeria because of lack of fear of God, ’’ he lamented.

     

    Gokum said the situation the country found itself was not God but man made, which called for drastic action to save it from total collapse.

     

    While commending the Federal Government for its fight against corruption, the bishop said there was need for quick and deliberate action to reduce the suffering of the masses.

     

    According to him, the leaders are servants of the people and should be seen to be serving the people well, else God would not be happy.

     

    “As a people, we should be considerate in whatever we do; the faith in us should inspire us to always do the right thing and not to cheat, ’’ he said.

     

    The bishop prayed for the leadership of the nation at federal, state and local levels to succeed in the tasks given to them for the good of the nation and the citizens.

     

    He also called on Nigerians to be prayerful and “do what is right for God to help us move forward as a nation.

  • Rugby: Nigeria will qualify for 2019 World Cup

    Rugby: Nigeria will qualify for 2019 World Cup

    A Nigerian, Ike Onwukanjo, playing rugby in the U.S on Thursday expressed his optimism that Nigeria would qualify for the 2019 Rugby World Cup.

    Onwukanjo, a student of the University at Buffalo, New York, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) online that with adequate preparation Nigeria would hold its own in the World Cup.

    “I believe that the team can qualify if the right group of players can be brought together, if the right number of training is also given.”

    Onwukanjo said he would love to represent Nigeria if invited, saying that he would never shy away from helping to develop rugby in Nigeria.

    “If I am invited by the Nigeria Rugby Football Federation (NRFF), I will love to come; I always want to be part of anything that grows the game in Nigeria.

    “I love to represent my country at a high level.”

    He expressed optimism that rugby would be a sport to reckon with in the near future.

    “With the coming of the Olympic Games, NRFF’s major efforts will bring the sport to a higher level, rugby in Nigeria will grow great within the coming years,” he said.

    Ike began his rugby career as a sophomore at New Rochelle High School and joined UB Men’s Rugby upon his arrival at Buffalo, where he quickly established himself as a starter on both their 15s and sevens sides.

    His strong play in sevens led to an invitation to last year’s Northeast ODA Sevens Camp, where he had the opportunity to train with some of the best sevens players and coaches from across the Northeast.

    The NRFF had planned to camp the Black Stallions for 10 days in Rabat, Morocco, ahead of the Africa Cup 1B and also to qualify for the 2019 Rugby World Cup.

    The Africa Cup tournament is scheduled from July 9 to July 17.

    The 2019 Rugby World Cup will be hosted across 12 venues in Japan from Sept. 20 to Nov. 2 with the final slated for the Yokohama Stadium.

    The stadium hosted the 2002 Football World Cup final between Brazil and Germany.