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Plateau recruits 5,253 teachers to enhance quality education

The Plateau Government on Thursday said it had recruited 5,253 ad hoc teachers as part of efforts to address shortage of teachers in the state.

The Executive Chairman, State Universal Basic Education Board ( SUBEB ), Prof Mathew Sule, disclosed this while fielding questions in Jos.

Sule said the state government had also trained more than 700 teachers to enhance their capacity and to provide quality education.

The chairman said the deficit and quality of teachers in public primary and Junior Secondary schools had been a major concern to the government.

“We visited some primary schools and discovered that many of the pupils in the senior classes cannot read or write.

“As part of efforts to address the situation, SUBEB organised a three-day training in March on ‘Jolly phonics’ for 700 teachers across the state,” he said.

NAN

October 5, 2017
Court arraigns man for stealing yams

A labourer, Monday Atawei, who allegedly stole 65 tubers of yam valued at N30,000 was on Thursday brought before an Okitipupa Magistrates’ Court in Ondo State.

Atawei of no fixed address, is standing trial on a two-count charge of conspiracy and stealing.

The prosecutor, Insp. Zedekiah Orogbemi, told the court that the defendant and two others at large, on Sept. 19 around 6:30 a.m at a farmland along Okitipupa-Ode-Aye Road, conspired to steal the yams.

Orogbemi said that the defendant was employed as labourer by the complainant, Idowu Akinsuleyin, to work on his yam farmland, but later came back, after collecting his wages, to steal the yams.

He said that the offences contravened Sections 312 and 390(9) of Criminal Code, Cap.37, Vol.1, Laws of Ondo State, 2006.

The defendant, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The Magistrate, Mr Banji Ayeomoni, admitted the accused to bail of N20, 000 with a surety in like sum and evidence of one year tax clearance.

He adjourned the case until Oct.13 for further hearing.

NAN

October 5, 2017
OCHA partner NEMA to tackle disaster

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs ( OCHA ), Nigeria, says it is partnering National Emergency Management Agency ( NEMA ) on strategic planning and coordination of humanitarian agencies, to strengthen disaster response.

Mrs Alta Bell, UN OCHA Representative, said this at the opening of a four-day workshop organised by NEMA in collaboration with UNICEF on the review and update of the National Multi-Hazard Contingency Plan in Keffi, Nassarawa State.

Bell noted that the major challenge of humanitarian agencies such as NEMA was coordinating with other agencies during disaster response, which usually delayed conflict resolution.

She said that the workshop was aimed at bringing together all humanitarian agencies to plan toward proper coordination and early preparation for disaster-prone areas.

“As a representative of the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), I think our organisation shares a special bond with some organisations like NEMA.

“We have a challenging role of coordinating across many different organisations and agencies.

“Even at the international level, we are working with the governments and in the case of NEMA, they have the challenge of trying to work together, coordinate and consolidate across the whole country.

“They are faced with the challenge to coordinate all the different levels of government and also to bring the different organisations and agencies to work together.

“To bring everyone together is not a very easy thing; coordination is one of those challenges difficult to define.”

According to her, coordinating means bringing people together; meeting on a regular basis, doing strategic planning and doing preparation, continuous planning such as the focus of the workshop.

She urged participants to brainstorm and evolve plans that would help mitigate and improve response to disasters.

Also speaking, the Director-General of NEMA, Alhaji Yunusa Maihaja, said that the workshop was aimed at strengthening the commitments and collaborations of stakeholders to identify and delineate roles and responsibilities, to reduce and prevent disasters.

Maihaja said the review and update of the National Multi-Hazard Contingency plan was of critical national significance.

According to him, an integrated proactive disaster management is being employed as a necessary strategy for the assurance of human security and promotion of sustainable development.

He said that it also focused on reducing risk and vulnerability at household, community and at national levels.

He said that NEMA considered its collaboration with UNICEF a priority and valuable in concerted efforts to build a culture of prevention, preparedness, response and community resilience to disasters.

The NEMA director-general said that the workshop had further created a platform for exchange of ideas between the UN systems, international NGOs and the private and public sector emergency response stakeholders.

He said that the recent flood disasters in some parts of the country, especially Benue, Imo and Lagos, were sad reminders of the 2012 flooding which caused a lot of displacement, food insecurity, malnutrition and epidemic.

Maihaja said that the 2012 flooding and the ongoing humanitarian crises in the North-East were huge economic losses which destroyed national assets as well as claimed lives.

NAN

October 5, 2017
FAAN inaugurates multi-storey car park at Lagos airport

Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria ( FAAN ), in partnership with Seymour Aviation Ltd on Wednesday inaugurated a multi-storey car park with a capacity for about 1, 300 cars at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport ( MMIA ), Lagos.

The six-storey facility, built through a Public Private Partnership ( PPP ) was financed by Fidelity Bank Plc.

The Managing Director of FAAN, Mr Saleh Dunoma, said at the occasion that the facility which would be for a 30-year tenor, would solve the problem of indiscriminate parking within and around the airport.

He said: “I wish to state that this facility is long overdue and equally timely as it will improve passenger facilitation and reduce the menace of indiscriminate parking within and around the airport.

“This project is one of the numerous partnerships FAAN has, and is still exploring to improve the infrastructure development at our airports. ”

Dunoma, who was represented by Alhaji Salisu Daura, the Director of Engineering Services in the agency, said the authority had introduced some measures to ensure a seamless management of the car park by the concessionaire.

These include restriction at the departure frontage to a drop zone only, enforcement of a no-pick -up zone at the “D” and “E” arrival of the terminal building and designation of parking lots to all escort vehicles at the old temporary car park.

He added that a task force comprising of MMIA management staff, aviation security, Nigeria Air Force, Nigeria Police and tow vehicle operators, had been constituted to enforce the restrictions and tow any vehicle parked in front of the terminal building and in the airport vicinity.

Dunoma appealed to stakeholders, passengers and other airport users to cooperate with the airport management for an effective operation.

Also speaking, the Managing Director of Seymour Aviation Ltd, Mr Francis Ikenga, described the car park as a milestone for the country as it met all international standards.

Ikenga said it was equipped with the state-of-the-art facilities including Closed Circuit Television ( CCTV ) cameras mounted on every floor and around the premises, adequate conveniences for both male and female users on every floor and elevators.

“To ensure uninterrupted power supply, the facility is equipped with a standby generator that can provide power for 24 hours.

“Passengers will also enjoy protection from the effects of weather elements as they disembark from their vehicles within the facility and move into the terminal without using an umbrella,”he said.

On his part, the Managing Director of Fidelity Bank, Mr Nnamdi Okonkwo, said the facility would be of great benefit to passengers and airport users.

NAN

October 5, 2017
41m children under five are obese – WHO

An estimated 41 million children under five worldwide are obese or overweight, the World Health Organisation ( WHO ) has said.

The UN health agency experts on Wednesday issued the warning at the launch of new guidelines to tackle what they called a global epidemic.

WHO said it was faced with evidence indicating that the problem affected rich and poor countries alike.

The UN health agency released details on how trained professionals could better identify youngsters in need of help.

The just-published obesity guidelines included counselling and dieting, an assessment of eating habits along with the more usual weight and height measurements.

WHO said the prevalence of obesity in children reflected changing patterns towards unhealthy diets and physical inactivity.

“Urbanisation, increased incomes, availability of fast foods, educational demands, television viewing and gaming have led to a rise in the consumption of foods high in fats, sugar and salt and lower levels of physical activity.

“While there have been major public health interventions to promote improved diet and patterns of physical activity in adults, the contribution of antenatal and young-child interventions to reducing the risk of obesity in later life have not been significantly reviewed.”

NAN

October 5, 2017
Late Mohammed: I have lost a colleague in war and peace – Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari has expressed deep pain and sorrow over the death of the former Military Administrator of Kaduna State, retired Air Vice Marshal Mukhtar Mohammed.

The President’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, said the president made his feelings known in a letter he wrote to the governments of Jigawa and Kano States.

He said the letter was handed to Gov. Badaru Abubakar of Jigawa by a Federal Government delegation on Thursday.

In the letter, President Buhari revealed the intimate nature of the relationship between him and the deceased military top brass, saying he had lost a friend in peace and in war.

“The delegation, which was led by the Chief of Staff in the Presidency, Abba Kyari with four ministers and three presidential aides, was in Dutse, the Jigawa State capital where a similar letter of condolence signed by the President was handed over to the Emir, Dr Muhammadu Sunusi,’’ the statement said.

The presidential aide said the team was also in Kano where they met both the Gov. Abdullahi Ganduje and the Emir Muhammadu Sunusi II before participating in the funeral prayers which took place at night due to the late arrival of the body from United Kingdom.

President Buhari’s condolence letter said, “Late Mukhtar was my friend in war and in peace. He was a brilliant Air Force officer, a good administrator and a patriot.

“All those who came in contact with him have recognized him as a brave man of vision and energy. These qualities he brought to bear in his service to Nigeria.

““In politics, he was dogged and determined to enthrone a good government, to clean up government business and establish democracy and rule of law.

“The late Waziri was a highly intelligent person and very brave in the face of challenges. He was prepared, and did leave his post on a point of honor and principle. He was a worthy and a true son of Nigeria.’’

The two state Governors and the Emirs praised the the exemplary qualities the late military officer and thanked the President for standing by their people in their hour of trial.

The federal government delegation included the Ministers of Interior, retired Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazau; Defence, retired Brig. Gen. Mansur Dan-Ali; Education, Adamu Adamu and the Minister of State, Aviation, Hadi Sirika.

Others were the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Abubakar Sadiq, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media, Garba Shehu, that of Special Duties, Ya’u Darazo, Sha’aban Sharada and Musa Daura, a nephew of the President.

Late Muhammad, who was the Wazirin Dutse in Jigawa, died on Sunday in a London hospital after a protracted illness.

NAN

October 5, 2017
Bayelsa investigates suspected outbreak of monkeypox virus

The Bayelsa Government is investigating suspected cases of monkeypox outbreak in its communities, the Commissioner for Health, Prof. Ebitimitula Etebu, has said.

Etebu spoke in Yenagoa on Wednesday following reports that some 11 persons, including a medical doctor, had been placed on surveillance in Yenagoa.

Those with the suspected cases had been quarantined at the Niger Delta University Teaching Hospital ( NDUTH ) , Okolobiri, Yenagoa Local Government Area.

The centre was established by Nigerian Centre for Disease Control ( NCDC ) and the epidemiological team of the state Ministry of Health to control the spread of the virus.

NAN also learnt that NCDC and the epidemiological team were tracing 49 persons, who were in contact with persons suspected to have been infected.

Etebu said that samples of the virus had been sent to the World Health Organisation laboratory in Dakar for confirmation.

He described monkeypox as a viral illness caused by a group of viruses that include chickenpox and smallpox.

The commissioner said the first case was noticed in the Democratic Republic of Congo and subsequent outbreaks in West Africa.

He said the virus had the Central African and the West African types but that the West African type was milder and had no records of mortality.

“Recently in Bayelsa, we noticed a suspected outbreak of monkeypox.

“It has not been confirmed. We have sent samples to the World Health Organisation reference laboratory in Dakar.

“When that comes out we will be sure that it is confirmed. But from all indications, it points towards it.

“As the name implies, the virus was first seen in monkeys but can also be found in all bush animals, such as rats, squirrels and antelopes.

“The source is usually all animals. It was first seen in monkeys and that is why it is called monkey pox.

“But every bush animal, such as rats, squirrels, antelopes are involved. So, the secretions from particularly dead animals are highly contagious.. Etebu said.

He listed the symptoms of monkeypox as severe headache, fever, back pain, among others.

Etebu said that most worrisome of all the signs were rashes bigger than those caused by chickenpox.

The commissioner said the rashes were usually very discomforting and spread to the whole body of an infected person.

“We noticed the first index case from Agbura where somebody was purported to have killed and eaten a monkey and after that the people who are neighbours and families started developing the rashes.

“We have seen cases from as far as Biseni. We invited the NCDC together with our own epidemiological team from the Bayelsa Ministry of Health.

“We have been able to trace most of the people who have come in contact with the patients.

“So far, we have 10 patients and we have created an isolation centre at the NDUTH and most of them are on admission and we are following up the 49 cases that we are suspecting might come down with the illness.

“As a state we are taking care of all the expenses of all the isolated cases.

“The disease has an incubation period and it is also self-limiting in the sense that within two to four weeks, you get healed and it confers you with immunity for life.

“We have mobilised virtually every arsenal at our disposal in terms of sensitising the general public and making them aware by radio programmes, jingles and fliers.

“So the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control has mobilised fully to Bayelsa State. We are on top the situation.” Etebu said.

NAN

October 5, 2017
One Corner Dance- The darling of parties, events

Dance forms a very important aspect of our identity as a people. It most times is at the epi-centre of our culture and tradition.

We communicate and share our essence with global audiences when we dance, especially our traditional dances.

Although, to be a good dancer you need a lot of practice and training and would be easier if the talent is inborn.

However, when dance loses its rhythm and essence, it not only becomes a ‘demonstration of craze’, but reduces man to states of bestial tendencies; more or less like a macabre dance.

Social media have been set ablaze with the trending song called ‘one corner dance’. This song by Patapaa Amisty, a Ghanian musician, requires some level of craziness to flow with it.

The winning strategy for this song was the introduction of a dance competition online; this meant that the winner carts away with a huge sum of money.

The dance competition made the song more popular (or should we say – notorious?), because both the old, young, celebrity and ordinary person danced enthusiastically and posts it on their various social media platforms.

This song has spread like wildfire such that it has become the darling of wedding parties and youth events, not just in its place of origin (Ghana), but also in our beloved country – Nigeria.

The question that readily comes to mind is – Is there a possessive spirit behind this song or is it an avenue for people to escape from the harsh economic and social realities that continues to stare them in the face like a one-eyed monster?

Can we say that those who dance to this song in weird manners do so without any sense of reasoning? Please before you start to throw tantrums on the writer…HOLD UP!

This should be an appropriate point for our regulatory bodies like the National Broadcasting Commission ( NBC ) to step up and take charge of the airwaves because apart from the fact that this ‘alien’ song has been surreptitiously introduced into our country, this song is gradually eating deep into the comportment and perceived sanity, especially among our youths and teenagers who have too much energy to burn.

The One Corner song is powered by merriment dance, which is hilarious in its notion. It is a sexualized dance movement in the sense that you move your waist in a sexual form.

Obviously, we (the youths) are already drowning in the ocean of ignorance and have thrown caution to the wind when it comes to ‘dancing.’

Although culture (dance inclusive) can be a viable source of revenue for the country, however, it is also very expedient that we tell the narrative of our rich tradition in the right way.

In Conclusion, Nigerians especially the youths should be more innovative and creative, and stop waiting for the chance to feed on another man’s creativity, especially when it is bereft of cultural ideals.

October 4, 2017
‘FADAMA has gone beyond a project, it is a movement’

Mr Tayo Adewumi, the National Coordinator, FADAMA III Additional Financing (AF) programme, says the programme has now transformed into a movement.

He said this in Abuja on Wednesday while speaking with journalists on the sidelines of the two-day FADAMA technical meeting on farm inputs distribution mechanism and produce marketing.

Adewumi noted that in all the participating states, the beneficiaries were involved in all the value chain processes – crop processing, packaging and off-taking.

“That is the best way a project should be run and sustained.

“This is what we call value addition; value addition is very vital and it should involve processes like production, capacity building, processing and packaging,’’ he said.

The coordinator said that the participants of the technical meeting– agro-dealers, off-takers and FADAMA officials in states – were mobilised to boost the country’s agricultural production.

He added that they would also strive to implement President Muhammadu Buhari’s agenda on food security by enhancing food production for local consumption and exports.

“We are targeting not only the regional markets but also international markets. The Green Alternative programme of the Minister of Agriculture, Chief Audu Ogbeh, is on course; we gather representatives from all states because they are all important in this gathering.

“We want to use the two days to rub minds, exchange our professional ideas and later articulate the lessons we have learnt at the end of the programme.

“We cannot assume that all is well in all the states but we want to say we have left the train station; the train is moving towards our final destination,’’ he said.

Adewumi said that in the course of programme implementation, there had been successes and challenges, adding, however, that by the end of the technical meeting, pragmatic solutions would have been proffered to all the perceptible challenges.

“We have not only invited off-takers and agro-dealers but we have invited the state FADAMA officers, so when they go back they would be able to re-echo all the decisions we have made at this forum.

“ We always appreciate agro-dealers for their wonderful job because seed security is food security.

“Our farmers are smiling because they now know the value of the programme and appreciate the seeds they are planting, they now see agriculture as a way of life and business; and they now have bargaining power,’’ he said.

Adewumi said that the timing of the meeting was apt because in 2014 when the FADAMA programme started, most of the participants did not know how to make project document work.

“Under the project management or donor project, our project document is referred to as a living document; at any point in time, whenever we want to implement a clause and we are facing certain challenges, we always go back to consult it and see the way out.

“The essence is for us to achieve the Project Development Objective ( PDO ) of the programme and be able to know that all the items listed in the project which have been implemented or achieved.

“We are doing all these to promote Nigeria’s agricultural development to serve as a tool for job creation, food sufficiency and engagement of the youth,’’ he said.

Adewumi described FADAMA as one of the Community Development Projects in Africa, saying that it had been very successful.

“It would not have happened if not for the zeal, commitment and efforts of all partners and Nigerians as a whole.

“Many youths have been trained from different states and the FADAMA collaboration has been excellent, it was not there before, we started in hard way; it is getting smoother and it will last longer.

“We want the relationship we have built to last longer and be sustained; we promise to continue to support our poor farmers and put smiles on their faces,’’ he said.

October 4, 2017
Ogun state sacks Mapoly Rector

Following the protest embarked upon by the student of Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Abeokuta, the Ogun State Government has sacked the Rector of varsity Prof Oludele Itiola.

This was shown in a statement issued by the Secretary to the State Government, Taiwo Adeoluwa which reads ; “Professor Itiola is expected to proceed on his terminal leave with immediate effect, while the new Acting Rector is expected to take over the administration of the institution”.

The government has also appointed Mr. Ayodeji Salimon Tella as the Acting Rector of the institution.

October 4, 2017