The Nation Newspaper

Tag: NGO

  • NGO distributes e-books to pupils to encourage reading

    NGO distributes e-books to pupils to encourage reading

    An American non-governmental organisation (NGO), Worldreader-USA, has partnered with Nigeria’s Bisi Ogunjobi Foundation (BOF) to donate 50 e-readers to pupils of Emmanuel Anglican Primary School, Ikare, Ondo State.

    The devices were presented to pupils between Basic 4 and Basic 6 at the Worldreader e-Reader launch held in the school compound  last weekend.

    Founder of BOF, Elder Bisi Ogunjobi, said the programme was launched in a move to promote reading culture among Nigerian youths and bridge poverty, a barrier to sound education.

    He promised scholarships from JSS 1 to SS 3, to the first set of pupils to finish reading all the 100 books pre-downloaded into the e-readers, in any secondary school of their choice. This, Ogunjobi said, is aside the foundation’s annual tertiary scholarship scheme.

    Elder Ogunjobi said: “A nation that reads is a powerful nation. Donation of these devices and every other gesture of the Bisi Ogunjobi Foundation are meant to contribute to social progress and economic development of the Nigerian community. I am only starting with this school in Ikare because it is my alma mater.”

    He promised to expand the  project to the nation from community to community.

    Representative of Worldreader, Mr Joseph Botwey, said the e-reader initiative was carried out with the aim of digitalising educational system across Africa.

    He said e-readers could carry up to 1,400 books, although 100 were preloaded in them already, 50 of which were authored by Africans and the other half by international authors.

    “Imagine filling a classroom with that many books for each student. Each e-reader is essentially a library of books,” Joseph said, adding that e-readers have an edge over conventional hard copy books. According to him, e-books are mobile, save pupils the hard task of carrying stacks of books around, do not give in to wear and tear and provide a source of library for pupils.

    He said the software contained dictionaries to guide pupils with meaning of words as they read.

    Mr Botwey called on other NGOs  to partner with his organisation to assist African children gain quality education.

    He said: “We all know that knowledge is power so we want to empower these children, not by giving them arms, but equipping them with knowledge. With knowledge, there is nothing a nation wants to achieve that it won’t.”

    Speaking at the event, Interim chairman of Akoko Northeast Local Government, Olalekan Bada, described the NGO’s gesture as being of huge benefits to mankind.

    He said: “The world is on a digital level right now so this donation would encourage pupils to read. Children play a lot at home in this part of the world, where the parents unfortunately cannot afford the funds to pay teachers for home lessons. That is why we are encouraging different Nigerians to come together to assist people because government cannot do it all.”

    A Basic Five pupil of the school, Aliyu Fathia, who dreams to be a lawyer in future, expressed joy at the training she and her colleagues received ahead of the launch of the e-readers.

    Fathia told The Nation that the gesture was fine, and would help her dedicate more time to her studies.

    In her closing remarks, wife of BOF founder, Mrs Bisi Ogunjobi advised parents to put more efforts in helping their children study harder rather than sending them on errands.

    “Parents, when they (children) are reading, do not disturb them,” she advised. “Always dedicate at least some hours every day to helping them study. Suspend the errands you want to send them first; rather, assist them. Do not allow their play to be more than their studying.”

  • Succour as NGO supports the needy

    Succour as NGO supports the needy

    A non-Governmental Organisation, The Counseling Ambassadors Organisation (TCA), has extended a hand of fellowship to the less privileged in the society.

    The gesture according to TCAO Public Relations Officer, Olusegun-Oyewole, was borne out of the need to keep the masses alive and sustain the indigents in the society.

    She said living in a society where government pays less attention to the suffering of the masses is daunting, adding that TCAO finds it necessary to support the masses and make them less reliant on government at all times.

    According to her, “TCAO has been undertaking the task of providing succour in any and all respects to the rejected, helpless people, irrespective of race, tribe, religion or colour. Someone would dare to ask and say what is unique about an NGO sustaining or keeping the masses, but TCAO has done more than keeping or sustaining the masses, but rather taking the giant stride in giving empowerment/skills development, vocational education and training to the marginalized and vulnerable persons in the society and people dependent on the informal economy.”

    Olusegun-Oyewole said several programmes have been packaged to tackle youth unemployment crisis in Nigeria and unlock the potentials of people, reducing the statistics of those depending on aid.

    “TCAO believes in the total well being of the human being and for this reason she offers counseling to those people who are aching in heart and having issues that the society see to be embarrassing and so they die in silence. The counseling arm of the organization provides succour to those aching in heart, having emotional and even spiritual issues.”

    She listed some of the beneficiaries to include victims of the Abuja bomb blast, adding that TCAO annually provides food items to the indigents in the society in order to exterminate poverty in the land.

    “TCAO brings together both the high and mighty, La creame of the society, and the less privileged people in the society together on the platform of Berachah, a musical concert where everyone has the opportunity to praise and worship God without limits.

    Berachah, she said, is a large event which requires huge resources to organise and yet caters for those who are in need of empowerment materials and some other forms of financial needs.

    She said five persons benefited during the 2014 edition of the concert while adding that the five beneficiaries were given some empowerment materials including deep freezer, sewing machine, industrial sewing machine, generators etc.

    She said apart from the empowerment materials, there was also the release of N267, 000 to Mr. Samson Babatunde, a burns victim to enable him carry out surgery in his hand, while N1.7Million was expended on a baby with hole in the heart for surgery last year.

    She said the forth coming 8th series of Berachah will feature prominent personalities including the Wife of the Lagos State Governor, Dame Emmanuella Fashola.

    “The glory of the latter house must surely surpass the former because everything has been made ready for the event,” Olusegun-Oyewole enthused.

  • Firm, NGO partner on malaria prevention

    In commemoration of this year’s World Malaria Day, ExxonMobil has partnered with Youth Empowerment and Development Initiative (YEDI) to combat the disease, with a  tournament tagged: Kick against malaria football tournament. The tournament, now in its third year, was held at Q.I.C Primary School, Usung Inyang, in Akwa Ibom State.

    According to ExxonMobil, sustained efforts by corporations, individuals and organisations on Malaria awareness, prevention and control are yielding results as Malaria mortality rate in the WHO African region has fallen by 54 percent and by 47percent globally since 2000. And since that year (2000), ExxonMobil has become a leading private investor in Malaria, with an investment of over $120 million that has seen the distribution of 13,186,369 bed nets, 1,922,031 doses of anti-malarial drugs and 1,054,165 rapid diagnostic kits. This intervention which has reached more than 105 million people in Africa and Asia has trained of 355,484 healthcare workers and counsellors, as early diagnosis and treatment reduce the disease, prevent deaths and reduce transmission. Since 2013, ExxonMobil has  sponsored Youth Empowerment and Development Initiative (YEDI) with the Kick Against Malaria Football Tournament to provide Malaria Testing and Treatment, Free Health Services, Insecticide-Treated Net Distribution, and much more to communities in Nigeria.

  • NGO urges govts, stakeholders on access to potable water

    WaterAid, a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), in Abuja has called on governments and their developments partners to intensify their efforts to increase access to potable water.

    Its Advocacy and Partnership Manager , Mr Saheed Mustafa, said access to potable water would go a long way in reducing incidences of water-borne diseases.

    “Such diseases as diarrhea and other water-related ailments are preventable if people have access to clean sources of water,” he said.

    He said there was the need for governments to articulate and implement policies guiding the provision of water.

    He said the NGO was working on the provision of water schemes in small towns in six states.

    “We work in Nigeria in six states; we work in Bauchi, Plateau, Ekiti, Enugu, Jigawa and Benue states,” he said.

    Mustafa said the organisation was primarily established to assist in water and sanitation for rural dwellers worldwide.

    “He said: WaterAid is a charity organisation that is focused on promoting access to water and sanitation around the world.

    “We work with local partners, such as local governments, state governments and the Federal Government.

    “We also work with Civil Society Organisations; we work with media organisations and other key stakeholders, including communities that are supposed to be the main drivers of this intervention.

    “He said the NGO works with them to ensure that access to water and sanitation became universally assessable and at the right quality.

    “But more importantly, we try as much as possible to ensure that the technology is fit for purpose for the communities,” he said.

  • NGO seeks support for orphanage

    A non-government organisation (NGO), Royal Diamond Orphanage Home (RDOH), has urged private and government establishments to support non-governmental agencies offering humanitarian services.

    Co-founder/Executive Director, RDOH, Pastor Favour Olayemi, made the call at the inauguration of the group’s headquarters in Ojodu, Lagos.

    Pastor Olayemi said the home has made it a priority to offer uncompromising health care services to inmates of the orphanage.

    He said without this assistance,  there could be loss of lives in the home.

    He said: “We have a medical retainership services with a reputable hospital in the neighbourhood – St. Timothy Catholic Hospital in Ojodu. There is also Health Management Organisation (HMO) plan for the babies and staff.”

    “As part of the integrated approach in running orphanage home, we have a robust and tested model for taking care of the medical and health related challenges.

    “First aid attention is being provided by our residential nurses in collaboration with our part-time medical consultants.”

    He stressed the need for concerned institutions to be more proactive in providing drugs and infrastructure for emergency cases. They should also be more supportive, he added.

  • Civil Defence, NGO urge peaceful elections in Bayelsa

    THE Bayelsa State arm of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and civil society organisations have urged politicians to ensure that the general elections are peaceful.

    NSCDC Commandant Desmond Agu and the Project Director, Search for Common Ground, Mr. Chika Emeh, assembled representatives of security agencies, politicians, civil society groups, students, members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), students, state government officials and youth groups at the Banquet Hall in Yenagoa to discuss the need for a violent-free elections.

    The seminar tagged, “The benefits of violence-fee elections, a panacea for national development”, drew discussants from all walks of life. Governor  Seriake Dickson, who declared the discussion open, was represented by his deputy, Rear Admiral John Jonah (rtd).

    Dickson said Nigeria has always been at the mercy of pre and post election violence. He said there was need for a change of attitude adding that destruction has never produced good results in any society. He deplored do-or-die politics and said in any election only one person will emerge the winner.

    Agu said it was the duty of all  to seek security for environment, lives and property in any electoral period.

    “The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps being a major stakeholder has taken the bold step to call together all the interest groups in electoral process in Nigeria and Bayelsa State in particular to enlighten and sensitise them on peace and violence-free elections,” he said.

    The representative of INEC, Mr. Victor Akpoete, said a free, fair and peaceful election would lead to a responsive government.

    He noted that for peace to be possible, many organisations must play critical roles.

    He said INEC had established a process of eliminating factors capable of triggering violence after studying the causes of the 2011 post-election violence. He said the first step taken by INEC to ensure a credible election was the cleaning of the national voters’ register to eliminate multiple registration. “We now have a register hat will make votes count”, he said.

    One of the discussants and Chairman of the state’s chapter of the Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO), Chief Nengi James, said manipulation of elections by agents of government was the main cause of violence in the past.

  • 500 volunteers for public sanitation planned by NGO

    500 volunteers for public sanitation planned by NGO

    No fewer than 500 people have volunteered to participate in a sanitation scheduled for Ketu in Agboyi-Ketu Local Council Development Area.

    Organised by The Clean-up Nigeria Initiative, a Non-Governmental Organisation, the event tagged Cleanup Ketu will hold on Saturday.

    The NGO Coordinator, Mr Alex Akhigbe, told News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the exercise is aimed at working towards the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) number seven, which is “Ensuring Environmental Sustainability.’’

    He said the exercise, “Cleanup Ketu,’’ would involve 500 volunteers, who have passion for the environment, to clean up the environment and create a changed attitude towards the environment.

    “The Clean Up Nigeria Initiative is a project of Passion House International, a non profit social enterprise, with core focus on waste management, community-led sanitation and youth development.

    “This is borne out of the need to promote a cleaner and healthier environment and aimed at reducing the high rate of mortality.

    “The event will create a platform for people to give back to the community as their personal social responsibility towards keeping the environment clean and green,’’ he said.

    NAN reports that previous editions of the exercise were Cleanup Ajegunle in December 2010, Cleanup Mushin in March 2011, Cleanup Amukoko in June 2011 and Cleanup Surulere in June 2011.

    Others are Cleanup Oshodi in December 2012, Project Clean and Recycle in December 2013, and Cleanup Makoko in June 2014.

    Akhigbe told NAN that a free medical check-up and Green Certificate would be given to all the volunteers after the exercise.

    The Cleanup Ketu Project is in partnership with the Lagos State Ministry of Environment, Africa Youth Initiative on Climate Change, Green Alliances, and the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA).

  • NNPC, NGO promise to enforce N50 per litre of kerosene

    NNPC, NGO promise to enforce N50 per litre of kerosene

    The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and the Coalition of Grassroot NGO (CGN) have set up a monitoring team to ensure that kerosene is sold at N50 per litre, The Nation has learnt.

    The product though officially sold for N50 per litre, goes for over N120 per litre.

    The 15-man team will ensure that the product does not go to the black market through  middlemen. The Team Leader,  Waheed Adetunji, assured that Nigerians would not be subjected to hardship as a result of the inordinate ambition and get rich-quick attitude of a few Nigerians. “We have a job to do to ensure kerosene gets to the common man regularly and at regulated price of N50 per litre,” he said.

    He said the team would ensure that no one buys more than 25 litres of the product at a go. To checkmate officials and dealers, the  team would also ensure that measurement of kerosene at each station was taken before and after sales daily. It is also expected to report cases where there are infractions  of procedures by the dealers.

    The product will be available between 8am and 5pm daily.

    According to Adetunji, this  will halt the mid-night racketeering.

    Adetunji said kerosene would be sold at the NNPC Mega Stations and affiliated stations are scattered all over the country, urging Nigerians to take advantage of this intervention to get kerosene at the regulated price.

  • NGO educates pupils about voting

    The Civil Society Partnership for Democracy and Governance in Oyo State has organised a sensitisation programme on voter’s education for public secondary school pupils in Ibadan, the state capital.

    The lecture titled: “Election devoid of violence”, held at Expoyo Center. It was attended by pupils of Bashorun High School, Islamic High School, Bishop Onabanjo High School, Community Secondary School and Cheshire High School.

    The facilitator, Mr Ebika Anthony, said the lecture is coming at a time when Nigerians need to be enlightened.

    “We organised this programme for students in senior secondary school, who may not be of voting age, but can transfer it to their various homes. We want the students to educate their parents who are not educated to know their rights and not sell their conscience,” he said.

    Anthony also revealed that even though the pupils may not vote, knowing their rights is key to prevent violence.

    The keynote speaker, Mr Ayo Arowosafe, a lawyer, lectured the pupils on “The development of democracy, civil rights and election participation in Nigeria”.

    “We can have an election devoid of violence and the only way we can do that is to know our civil rights as citizens,” he said.

    He advised the pupils against election thuggery and violence.

    “I want to advise this up and coming generation, even though they may not vote this time around to shun all kinds of violence. We have discovered that it is mainly the youth that are used as perpetrators of violence in this country by politicians,” he said.

    He also urged the pupils to participate in the election by encouraging their parents and other family members to get their Permanent Voter Cards (PVC) to exercise their rights. “We want these students to be peer educators, to enlighten their parents to get their PVC and vote accordingly.”

    Speaking on the benefits of the programme, Ogunsanya Anu, from Cheshire High School, said she learnt about enlightening people to vote.

    Edet Blessing from Bishop Onabanjo High School said she now knows her rights and responsibilities.

    The representative from Islamic High School, Azeez Sodiq said he will never be a part of election thuggery.

    “I have learnt that election thuggery is not good and it does not make a good nation,” he said.

     

  • NGO seeks aid for poor pupils

    NGO seeks aid for poor pupils

    A former principal, Mrs Akinsanmi Olayemi is seeking for greater financial support from affluent Nigerians to be able to cater for the needs of less privileged children in the society.

    Mrs Olayemi, who started the OLA Foundation after retiring as the principal of St Joseph Secondary School, Mangoro, Agege, Lagos, said the foundation would reach more children if it had more funds.

    Lamenting that most Nigerians do not engage in philanthropy, she said: “The rich do not help the poor. They are only interested in their family members, if they had been caring for the poor in their midst, the rate of criminality would not be as much as it is now across the country.

    “The Foundation had been financially run by my immediate family. There are only a handful of supporters with the help of family members and my former students who try to help in any little way they can. The Foundation does not help only the poor, but as many as we come across who are not able to fend for themselves. Items collected from friends are opened to the public every three months to pick what they want. When there are disasters, we also reach out.

    “Although it has not been easy running this NGO, we intend soliciting for more assistance to reduce the miscreants on the streets,” she said.

    To mark its fifth anniversary, the foundation hosted less privileged, children drawn from various schools and communities in Ogba-Aguda, Lagos to a party, during which they were presented with gifts.

    Mrs Akinsanmi said the gifts are meant to ignite joy and create a sense of value in the young minds. She praised the New Era Lions Club for sponsoring the party and placing some of the children in school.

    “New Era Lions Club has assisted in making this party a memorable one for these children.

    “The Foundation has helped some children make a meaning out of their lives by placing 60 of them in public schools with the support of district offices and it is looking forward to giving scholarship to any child that performs well academically,” she said.

    She said many of the children are forced to the streets by parents to earn a living and support the family income.

    “In the process of hawking, most female children are impregnated and most parents who can’t fend for themselves would turn their children to emergency breadwinners of the home by way of exploitation,” she said.