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Tag: Nigerian Newspapers

  • Just in:Buhari, Service Chiefs meet in Aso Rock

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday met behind closed doors with Service Chiefs at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the meeting is coming almost 24 hours after the Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs. Winifred Oyo-Ita, was directed to proceed on indefinite leave.

    A statement issued from the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation on Wednesday, said Oyo-Ita’s indefinite leave was to allow conclusion of the investigation being carried out by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

    Read Also: Oba of Benin: Edo will benefit from Buhari’s govt

    The agenda of the meeting is however, unknown to newsmen as at the time of filing the report.

    NAN however, gathered that the president may be briefed by the service chiefs on the nation’s security developments in preparation for the UN General Assembly engagements.

    The President is bid to attend the 74th Session of UN General Assembly in New York on Sept 22.

  • Photos: Govs, others at NEC meeting

    Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on Thursday presided over the monthly National Economic Council (NEC) at the State House.

     

    Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Akwa Ibom State Governor Emmanuel Udom and Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki during the National Economic Council Meeting at the Presidential Villa in Abuja
    Anambra State Governor Willy Obiano, Delta State Governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, Benue State Governor Samuel Urtom and Ebonyi State Governor, Dave Umahi during the National Economic Council Meeting at the Presidential Villa in Abuja

  • An exclusive village for abandoned old people (1)

    Dr Ayo Ojo, my school father at Olivet Baptist High School, Oyo, reunited on the phone last week, more than 15 years after he left a thriving hospital chain in Lagos to become a royal father in his home town, Ilara Mokin, in Ondo State. He was his old self, buoyant, boyish at well over 70,passionate about whatever he believed in or did, receptive to the opinions of other people, including mine on Alternative Medicine and, like all senior citizens, noticed that the generational shift had overtaken him.

    I will mention Dr Ojo a little more because our first conversation in more than one dacade gave me the idea for this column.

    A younger brother of Chief Ade Ojo (a.k.a Elizade), Dr Ojo ran in Lagos an hospital group of about four branches, including the one in which I took refuge, disguised before the staff as his personal patient, when Gen Sanni Abacha marched on THE GUARDIAN newspaper, of which I then was editor-in-chief/ director of publications. A social critic and activist, even within the Lagos branch of the Nigerian Medical Association, Dr Ojo knew how far Abacha could go if he missed his prey. He rushed to my residence and evacuated my family to safety. And for the first time in my life in Lagos, I set foot in a place called OWORONSHOKI where he lived and ran an hospital.

    Gen Abacha wanted THE GUARDIAN to be his friend. But the newspaper could not. Key editors and editorial helmsmen were not blood spillers and blood suckers like him.They included Lade Bonuola(managing director), Dr Tunji Dare (editorial page editor and editorial Board Chairman, Dr Eddy Madunagu and Mr Sully Abu, editoral board members. Bonuola and Kusa stayed behind after they all quit, to retrieve The Guardian from underneath the jackboot. What brought The Guardian under the jackboot was a proprietary plant on the cover of a Sunday edition hiding from the Editor- in-chief with no professional justification for a newspaper walking on a  tight rope with a government of hoodlums. Titled: INSIDE ASO ROCK, it attempted to say that discord was tearing apart Abacha’s cabinet. To say the least, this was encouragement for forces which aimed to tear the cabinet apart or to topple the government to smite it. For a ruthless soldier who had been involved in all of Nigeria’s military coups,who knew such stories were invitation to coup makers that the coast was clear,what was he expected to do? Fold his arms? To worsen the case of The Guardian,there appeared a photograph beside the cover story which was equally offensive to Abacha, although, in defence of the editor, it was an unrelated event published only to brighten what would otherwise have been a sea of gray print. It was the photograph of two cocks squaring up or spoiling for a fight. Had this photograph been boxed off the cover story with a thin line, to show it was not a part of it, as was the professional practice, the storm may have been mitigateable. But, alas, it was not. When I saw the publication that Sunday morning, I drafted a query for the editor in self-protection, because the copy was not cleared with me for publication. I would later drive to the editor’s residence to inform him that The Guardian was shut in the night between that Sunday and Monday morning, only to learn that he, too, had heard about it and gone into hiding.

    Dr Ojo and I discussed these events and more, including my exit and Bonuola’s from The Guardian, the emergence of The Comet newspaper in which he invested and became a director. We also discussed the generational shift beneath our feet. In this shift, atomisation of community life had progressed beyond the assault of modernisation on extended family life to break down of the nuclear family. Siblings no longer looked after siblings and children abandon their aging parents to rot or to wither in desolation that old age may bring along with health discomfeitures. That is not to mention how easily today’s society remembers those people who of the old order who handed over the batton to the upcoming generation. Who, for example, among the generation beneath us know about Chief Obafemi Awolowo in the Southwest? What this means is that every new generation defines itself, its language, its ways and means e.t.c and pushes away almost everything about the older generation which, in shock, screams to no avail. The discussion led me to the cases of some abandoned old people I had been privileged to mediate, and to a”trending” post on Whatsapp shared with me by Mr Pat Enilama, one of my classmates at the University of Nigeria(UNN), between 1974 and 1977.

    Case one

    One of the wives of a former Nigerian military Head of State complained that her children who were abroad were no longer initiating telephone conversations with her. When she got tired and annoyed with one sidedness of their relationship, she complained but the children had no answer. Always, they had no time was their response. She gave up on them and continued to live a solitary life.

    Case two

    A prominent figure in Lagos State government a few years ago is prostrate somewhere on Adeniji Jones Avenue in Lagos. His wife left him to live permanently with their children abroad. When he got tired of solitary life, which may be lonely life for anyone who cannot upgrade loneliness to solitude and work miracles in it, he found a young woman from the back street, did her up, married her and even sent her four siblings to the university. When the last of them graduated,the young wife took them and her children, and off to America they went. Mr Hycinth Uzur, former natural sales manager of Nigeria Breweries Limited, who is conversant with the story of this former super permanent secretary, says the gentle man planned to sell his house set on sprawling grounds and gardens and move to an ant hole property which would be warmer and friendlier than a castle.

    Case three

    A former general manager of a well known Nigerian bank is wheel chair ridden. His five children had no time or kind words for him. If they went on  a visit, it was to see their mother.Tired of their 80 something years old father, they bundled him to the village one day, to have full stream access to their mother. They also told him, he said to me, to give out all his property away,that they needed nothing  from him and would not attend his funeral. He always asked me what crime he had committed? His wife had psychiatric issues and told their children he was getting on her nerves. Prior to this time, she spoke to him in parables he could not decode… “When two persons fetch fire wood in the bush all day, it is when they arrive at home in the evening that it would be known who had the bigger stock,” he did not realise then that firewood referred to  their children and evening to old age. I told him to take the advice of his children seriously, that it was possible he maltreated them or other people in a previous earth life, if he did not, or he was wrongly perceived to have offended them and their mother this earth life, or he was paying off a karmaic debt. If he was guiltless, the children and their mother were probably sowing seeds the harvest of which their own children may bring to them.The reality he must face is that his children have shifted from him.

    Case four

    A gentle man close to 80 has refused to accept apologies from his children who live abroad with their mother. She led them to abandon him. Now, they have awakened from slumber to tell their left hands from the right and are pleading for forgiveness. Every year, I join them in their pleas. But their father continues to turn his back on them for following their mother.

    There are more stories than I can tell here. They all led me to think that the time has probably come for Nigerian government to consider expansion of the concept of the old PEOPLES HOME bequeathed to us by the British to an old peoples village of which I will speak later. Meanwhile, a post shared by Mr Enilama, published below, shows us all senior citizens that the ground is shifting beneath our feet,that we probably moved to old age unprepared for it, that we can make some amends if we still can or live in peace with our reality.

    The sky gets dark, slowly

    Below is the post shared by Mr Pat Enilama

    “Mao Dun literary prize winner Zhou Daxin’s latest novel to be published, “The Sky Gets Dark, Slowly”, is a sensitive exploration of old age and the complex, hidden emotional worlds of the elderly in a  rapidly ageing population.

    “In it he writes, “ … Many elderly speak as though they know everything, but of old age they are in fact as ignorant as children. Many elderly are, in fact, completely unprepared for what they are to face when it comes to getting old and the road that lays ahead of them.

    “In the time between a person turning 60 years old, as they begin to age, right until all the lights go out and the sky gets dark, there are some situations to keep in mind, so that you will be prepared for what is to come, and you will not panic.

    • “The people by your side will only continue to grow smaller in number. People in your parents’ and grandparents’ generation have largely all left, whilst many your peers will increasingly find it harder to look after themselves, and the younger generations will all be busy with their own lives. Even your wife or husband may depart earlier than you, or than you would expect, and what might then come are days of emptiness. You will have to learn how to live alone, and to enjoy and embrace solitude.
    • “Society will care less and less for you. No matter how glorious your previous career was or how famous you were, ageing will always transform you into a regular old man and old lady. The spotlight no longer shines on you, and you have to learn to contend with standing quietly in one corner, to admire and appreciate the hubbub and views that come after you, and you must overcome the urge to be envious or grumble.
    • “The road ahead will be rocky and full of precarity. Fractures, cardio-vascular blockages, brain atrophy, cancer… these are all possible guests that could pay you a visit any time, and you would not be able to turn them away. You will have to live with illness and ailments, to view them as friends, even; do not fantasise about stable, quiet days without any trouble in your body. Maintaining a positive mentality and get appropriate, adequate exercise is your duty, and you have to encourage yourself to keep at it consistently.
    • “Prepare for bed-bound life, a return to the infant state. Our mothers brought us into this world on a bed, and after a journey of twists and turns and a life of struggle, we return to our starting point – the bed – and to the state of having to be looked after by others. The only difference being, where we once had our mothers to care for us, when we prepare to leave, we may not have our kin to look after us. Even if we have kin, their care may never come close to that of your mother’s; you will, more likely than not, be cared for by nursing staff who bear zero relation to you, wearing smiles on their faces all while carrying weariness and boredom in their hearts. Lay still and don’t be difficult; remember to be grateful.
    • “There will be many swindlers and scammers along the way. Many of them know that the elderly have lots of savings, and will endlessly be thinking of ways to cheat them of their money: through scam phone calls, text messages, mail, food and product samples, get-rich-quick schemes, products for longevity or enlightenment … basically, all they want is to get all the money. Beware, and be careful, hold your money close to you. A fool and his money are soon parted, so spend your pennies wisely.
    • “Before the sky gets dark, the last stretches of life’s journey will gradually get dimmer and dimmer; naturally, it will be harder to see the path ahead that you are treading towards, and it will be harder to keep going forward. As such, upon turning 60, it would do us all well to see life for what it is, to cherish what we have, to enjoy life whilst we can, and to not take on society’s troubles or your children’s and grandchildren’s affairs on for yourself. Stay humble, don’t act superior on account of your own age and talk down to others – this will hurt yourself as much as it will hurt others. As we get older, all the better should we be able to understand what respect is and what it counts for. In these later days of your lives, you have to understand what it means, to let go of your attachments, to mentally prepare yourself. The way of nature is the way of life; go with its flow, and live with equanimity.

    *******For all of us, a nice read, very beautiful, very true …. !

    “Hardly the day started and …  it is already six o’clock in the evening.

    “Barely arrived on Monday and it’s already  Friday.

    … and the month is almost over.

    … and the year is almost up.

    … and already 50 or 60 or 70 years of our lives have passed.

    … and we realise that we lost our parents, friends.

    and we realise that it is too late to go back …

    “So …  Let’s try  to take full advantage of the time we have left …

    Let’s not stop looking for activities that we like …

    Let’s put color in our greyness …

    Let’s smile at the little things in life that put balm in our hearts.

    “And yet, we must continue to enjoy serenely the time that remains.

    Let’s try to eliminate the “after” …

    I do it after …

    I will say after …

    I will think about it after …

    We leave everything for ‘later’ as if “after” was ours.

    “Because what we do not understand is that:

    after,  the coffee cools …

    after,  priorities change …

    after,  the charm is broken …

    after,  health passes …

    after,  the children grow up …

    after,  the parents get older …

    after,  the promises are forgotten …

    after,  the day becomes the night …

    after,  life ends …

    And all that afters, we find it’s often too late ….

    “So …  leave nothing for ‘later’ …

    Because in always waiting for later, we can lose the best moments,

    the best experiences,

    the best friends,

    the best family …

    The day is today … The moment is now …

    “We are no longer at the age where we can afford to postpone until tomorrow what needs to be done right away.

    “So, let’s see if you’ll have time to read this message and then share it.

    “Or maybe you’ll leave it for … “later” …

    And you will not share it “ever” ….

    Even share with those who are not yet “seniors”.

    GOD bless us all!!!

  • Council imposes curfew over cult clashes

    Following incessant cult clashes in Ekete and Ovwian communities of Udu council area of Delta state, a dusk-to-dawn curfew has been imposed on the flash points by the council chairman, Mr. Jite Brown.

    In a statement signed by the council secretary, Elohor Awinoron, the curfew which took effect from Wednesday, lasts from 9pm to 6am.

    According to the statement, the decision was reached after deliberations with Divisional Police Officers and other security chiefs in the council.

    Read Also: Soldier, NSCDC operatives killed as cultists, troops clash in Rivers

    Suspected rival cult groups have recently turned some areas in the communities to hideouts for their criminal operations.
    Residents have been living in fear due to the killings, robberies and other assaults meted on victims.
    Areas affected by the curfew are Ovwian town, Ekete Inland, Ekete Waterside, Owhase town, Express, Mofor and Orhuwhorun Junctions.

    The council chairman stated that the movement of commercial vehicles, including tricycles and motorbikes, commonly referred to as Keke NAPEP and Okada, are also restricted.

    He said anyone found operating within the time of curfew will be impounded and the owner prosecuted.

    Brown further emphasized that security men have been put on red alert to enforce the curfew, urging people in the respective areas to adhere to the directive.

  • Adopt multi-level policing to address insecurity in Nigeria, Educationist urges FG

    An educationist, Prof. Oyesoji Aremu, has urged the Federal Government to adopt multi-level policing, also known as state police, to address insecurity in Nigeria.

    Aremu, also the Director, Distance Learning Centre, University of Ibadan, made the plea at a two-day 2nd International Conference on Science, Technology, Engineering and Humanities (ICSTEH).

    It was organised by the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnic (ASUP), Yaba College of Technology Chapter, Lagos.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that theme of the conference is: “Technology Applications and Management for Global Security’’.

    Aremu spoke on: “Insecurity and Our Collective Failure: Reappraising Security Architecture for National Stability.’’
    He said insecurity in Nigeria was multi-faceted, adding that the establishment of state police would address the challenge.

    “There is no doubt that ours is a country with daunting security challenges. The insecurity in Nigeria is massive, multifarious and in diverse shades.

    “For over two decades, there has been several calls by stakeholders, especially security experts and public opinions on the need to review the national policing architecture.

    “Given its archaic policing strategies that are at variance with international best practices and current insecurity realities.

    “Nigeria has, for long, deliberately got so many things wrong from independence.

    “One of such crucial things is the floundering nature of unitary police bequeathed to the country which has hindered the nation’s federalism,’’ he said.

    Aremu said many developed countries had adopted multi-level policing to fight crimes and insecurity, urging Nigeria to follow the same vain.

    He said state police was the only way to go in the 21st century to reduce crimes, insecurity, kidnapping, terrorism and other vices confronting the country.

    The educationist said that police in Nigeria were not capable of contending with the gale of terrorism, insurgency and kidnapping in the country.

    “For a long time, the national police, as presently practiced in Nigeria, fractured in many ways, primarily security, and also renders same ineffective given visibility limitations and culture of incompetence, among other things.

     

    Read Also: I’ve solution to end insecurity in Nigeria, says Olumba Olumba

     

    “The federal police is also limited in many ways and not in tandem with the present security challenges and realities of the country.

    “The bad thing is we are in serious security challenge and tension is increasingly building everywhere.

    “One is not even sure of secured places, because the current insecurity discrepancies in our country, places like churches, mosques, higher institutions are no longer secured.

    “The country should begin to address critical policy issues that will culminates in the establishment of multi-level policing.

    “To achieve all these, all hands must be on deck. We are canvassing for the multi-level police.

    “I am an unrepentant advocate of the establishment of a state police,” he said.

    Earlier, Mr Obafemi Omokungbe, Rector of the college, commended the academic union for organising the conference to discuss issues that was relevant and affecting the nation.

    Omokungbe urged participants to come up with recommendations that would help to address insecurity in the country.

    He said insecurity was a mirage that must be quickly tackled.

    Also, Dr Oyeniran Adigun, Chairman, Organising Committee, said that currently, the entire West African region had been facing security challenges and threats, which requires new ways to solve them.

    Adigun said indeed, ensuring sustained peace and security in strategic and essential measures to safeguarding the productive process of stability at the regional level.

    “The 2nd annual academic conference was to explore how technology, entrepreneurship, science, engineering and humanities can be effectively deployed in solving insecurity and economic development of our nation,” he said.

    Earlier, Mr Nureni Yekini, ASUP Chairman, Yabatech chapter, said that the conference was organised in the interest of members of the union and the college community.

    Yekini said all the papers presented in the maiden edition in 2018 were available online, adding that some were used for promotion from one cadre to another.

    He said the conference had gone a long way to promote visibility of the college globally, as search for information on Internet, using any of the keywords of the paper presented at the conference.

    “The keynote of this year conference was chosen by the union, as the national development and unity of the country were being threatened by insecurity of life and property,” he said. (NAN)

  • How Adamawa varsity survived adversities to attain 98% course accreditation

    The management of Adamawa State University, Mubi, has recounted how the institution emerged from Boko Haram occupation of its campus between 2014 and 2015 besides two other crippling challenges to attain 98 percent of its courses duly accredited by the National Universities Commission (NUC).

    The acting Vice Chancellor of the university, Prof Kaletapwa Farauta, spoke when the leadership of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) paid a courtesy call on the university management.

    He stated that Boko Haram invasion and destruction of facilities was followed not long after resumption of academic activities in 2015 by long drawn disharmony between management and staff over entitlements and reduction in allocation to the university in 2017.

    She added that the university has weathered the storms through innovation and personal sacrifices by all members of management and staff.

    “This is the only university in the country where the insurgents gained entrance and sat where we are sitting today (Senate Building). The entire university was overrun, with buildings badly damaged and office equipment, furniture, vehicles destroyed or stolen,” she recounted.

    Farauta, who became acting VC in 2017, said she and other members of management who were appointed in place of a dismissed management team at the time over unending conflicts that involved management, staff and even students, met a polarized university.

    She added that the crisis-ridden environment was made worse by a cut in the subvention by the state government to the university.

    She recalled: “Before July 2017, the percentage of allocation coming to this university was 5%. From the day I walked in here as the acting vice chancellor (July 20, 2017), it was reduced to 3%.

    Explaining some of what have been the university’s surviving strategies, she mentioned prudent management of resources and innovation with accreditation by which the university uses internal staff to conduct mock accreditation exercises in preparation of courses for NUC’s accreditation, among other strategies.

    Read Also: U.S. ICT university to boost ICT in Adamawa

     

    She disclosed that of the 2% of courses yet to be accredited by the NUC, seven are set for NUC’s visitation, namely Mass Communication, Biochemistry, History, languages, Micro Biology, Biochemistry, Geology and Business Administration.

    The state Chairman of the NUJ, Mr Ishaka Dedan, who led other executives of the union on the courtesy visit to the university, appealed for admissions for members of the union seeking such opportunity.

    He pleaded they be granted rebate to enable them take advantage of the favour.

    “We have about 400 members in the state council of the NUJ. Many of this number got into the profession with diploma certificates. Those who may wish to come for higher qualifications, please open your doors to us,” Dedan said.

    He promised the university fair reporting of its events and issues by NUJ members in line with the union’s resolve to partner the university for a mutually benefitting relationship.

  • ‘Lagos’ Onikan is third world coolest neighbourhood’

    ONIKAN, Lagos State has been picked as the third among the world’s 50 coolest neighbourhoods by Time Out, a report of Cable News Network Travel.

    Time Out described coolest neighbourhoods as places to spend a vacation, famous attractions or gorgeous natural wonders.

    “But if you really want to get to know a city like a local, your best bet is to look for the neighbourhoods where they hang out, where the most interesting new restaurants, art galleries and coffee shops emerge,” the report stated.

    Time Out stated that Onikan was chosen as a result of being home to artists, writers, designers and Nollywood actors.

    “You might spot some of them hanging out in cool Onikan, where “past, present and future collide effortlessly”.

    “The central neighbourhood on the Lagos Lagoon is home to some of the city’s most important cultural offerings, including the Nigerian National Museum and Rele Gallery, which focuses on contemporary art,” the report indicated.

    Onikan was picked ahead of neighbourhoods in Wedding, Berlin, Filipinotown, Los Angeles, Strasbourg-Saint-Denis, Paris (seventh), Astoria, New York (eight); Embajadores, Madrid (ninth), Pilsen, Chicago (10th), Peckham, London (11th), Soi Pridi Banomyong/Phra Khanong, Bangkok (12th), .Melbourne, Zhongshan, Taipei, Tel Aviv,  Kypseli, Athens and others.

    Other African neighbourhoods, which featured in the report, are Jamestown, Accra (21st) and Melville, Johannesburg (41).

    In list of the world’s 50 coolest neighbourhoods, CNN Travel stated that Arroios, Lisbon, which is the No.1 coolest neighbourhood, might be the coolest city in Europe.

    “There are lots of independent things happening, young people, artists and people from all over the world. A neighbourhood that people used to be afraid of is now Lisbon’s dynamic, intercultural hub,” the report stated.

    The second coolest city is Shimokitazawa, Tokyo. The publication said: “Shimokitazawa is to Tokyo what Brooklyn is to New York, only cooler.

    “If you’d rather bypass the speed of central Tokyo but still be near good public transit, Shimokitazawa is your spot.”

    Read Also: Lagos seals markets on Lagos Island

    Time Out gives the neighbourhood the nod for top-notch Japanese curry restaurants like Ten To Sen as well as vintage shopping.

    Wedding, Berlin is the fourth neighbourhood in the category. Wedding is a neighbourhood in the northwest section of Germany’s capital.

    “Though the city is known as a place for 24-hour partying, Wedding’s side streets are quiet enough to guarantee you’ll get a good night’s sleep once you’re done hitting the beer halls.

    “By day, you can enjoy the great outdoors at Plötzensee Lake and woodsy Volkspark Rehberge,” it added.

    Historic Filipinotown, Los Angeles (LA), which is the fifth choice of the report, is LA’s Asian-American community.”It is rich and thriving, especially for its food cultures,” Time Out indicated.

    Time Out noted that “the area is still in the early stages of its rise, so don’t expect five-star hotels or bespoke cocktails”.

    “Instead, the focus is about casual walks and bike rides along Temple Avenue, stopping for snacks and photo ops along the way,” it added.

    Other neighbourhood are The Waterfront, Hobart (sixth), Strasbourg-Saint-Denis, Paris (seventh), Astoria, New York (eight); Embajadores, Madrid (ninth), Pilsen, Chicago (10th), Peckham, London (11th), Soi Pridi Banomyong/Phra Khanong, Bangkok (12th) and others.

     

  • Eight things you should know about Yemi-Esan new Head of Service

    By Praise Olowe

    President Muhammadu Buhari removed Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (HoCSF), Mrs. Winifred Oyo-Ita and appointed the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Petroleum Resources, Dr. Folashade Yemi -Esan as the acting Head of Service.

    Here are Eight things you should know about Dr.Mrs Folashade Yemi-Esan, the newly appointed acting head of service of the federation.

    • Yemi Esan served as Permanent Secretary in the Office of Head of Civil Service (OHOCSF), and in the Ministries of Information Education until her new appointment

    • She graduated as best Bachelor of Dental Surgery student in 1987 at the University of Ibadan.

    • She started her career at the Federal Ministry of Health and rose to become a director.

    • She served as Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Information, Federal Ministry of Education and Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources.

    Read Also: Yemi-Esan replaces Oyo-Ita as Ag. HoCSF

    • She rose to the position of Federal Permanent Secretary in 2012, serving first as Permanent Secretary, Service Policy and Strategy, Office in the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation.

    • She was Director Information in the State House Abuja from 2012 to 2014.

    • She was the Information Attach’e in the Nigeria Information Service Centre, Embassy of Nigeria, Abijdan, Cote d’ Ivoire from 1992 to 1995.

    • She was the Press Attach’e and Head of the Information and Cultural Service Centre, Embassy of Nigeria, Paris, France from 2001 to 2003.

  • Xenophobia: Malawian repatriates displaced nationals from South Africa

    The Malawian Government announced on Wednesday that it had hired two buses to repatriate nationals, who were displaced, following xenophobic attacks on foreigners in South Africa.

    The buses left Johannesburg on Tuesday evening and the repatriated Malawians would be back home on Thursday, Secretary for the Department of Disaster Management Affairs, Wilson Moleni, said in a statement.

    Moleni said the repatriation was decided after the government received a report from the Malawi High Commission in South Africa that 113 Malawians had been displaced.

    The displaced Malawians were being kept in temporary shelters set by the South Africa’s disaster management authorities in Katlehong town, 35 kilometres east of Johannesburg, the secretary said in the statement.

    Read Also: Xenophobia and Onyema’s patriotism

    He added: “Out of the 113 displaced Malawians, 76 expressed willingness to return home’’.

    Upon arrival, the repatriated Malawian nationals will be provided with temporary shelter in the commercial city of Blantyre before travelling to their various destinations, according to Moleni.

  • AOCOED Council sacks union leaders

    The Governing Council of Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education (AOCOED), Ijanikin, Lagos on Wednesday sacked the chairman, Senior Staff Union of Colleges of Education in Nigeria (SSUCOEN) Wumi Ombugadu.

    The Council equally demoted the secretary and assistant secretary of the union Afis Adebayo and Afolabi Oladipo respectively.

    The Council, led by Professor of Economics Education Tunde Samuel, approved Ombugadu’s retirement and the demotion of two others based on the recommendations of the Senior Staff Disciplinary Committee.

    Until her retirement, Ombagadu was a Principal Assistant Registrar in the college.
    The development provoked a protest at the college premises led by the National Vice President of SSUCOEN Mr. Nicholas Ogbusuo alongside the Lagos State chairman, Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) Olufunmi Sessi who condemned Council’s decision as unjust.

    The protesters went around and chasing their members out from the offices.

    Ogbusuo said the panel that took the decision met outside the college, thus making the sitting illegal and condemned the action of the Council.

    He said the council and management ignored the memorandum signed by the state government, governing council, management and SSUCOEN but went ahead to retire and demote two others because they failed to give the management their congress resolution.

    Nonetheless, the Registrar of AOCOED, Mr Muhideen Shehu, described the protest as ‘lawless’.

    ”No constituted authority will accept such action. The management will not tolerate hooliganism and gangsterism on campus. We don’t have any letter about the protest by SSUCOEN. It was a disciplinary action and we surprise about the protest,” Shehu told The Nation.

    Shehu said Ombugadu was retired and paid three month salary in lieu of notice for failure to appear before the governing council’s disciplinary panel.

    Shehu recalled how the trio were initially queried for failure to appear before the panel on alleged infractions, but they flaunted the directive..

    According to him, the governing council had earlier rescinded its decision because of the intervention of the Lagos State government, which directed the three unionists to appear before the panel.

    Shehu said based on the government’s directive, the three were given another chance to defend themselves against allegations of confrontation against the Council and management.

    Muhidden noted that while the two others responded, Ombugadu refused to appear, a development which the Registrar said necessitated different sanctions meted out to the union leaders.

    Going down memory lane, She said after the Council and management agreed to promote the level nine workers, the state government asked the college to reverse the decision but SUUCOEN resisted the move and engaged the Council and management in confrontation.

    ”As I speak to you, Wunmi Ombugadu is no longer the staff of AOCOED. She was compulsorily retired by the governing council. She was paid three-month salary in lieu of notice,” he stated.

    ”Our students are writing their examination. As soon as the news of the protest reached me, I called the Chief Security Officer of the college to invite the police. Normalcy has been restored to the campus.”
    Last month, The Nation broke the story of the imminent sack of the union leaders following the Governing Council deliberations at an undisclosed location around Ikeja.

    Two days after the story broke, the union led another protest where the leadership of SSUCOEN sought Lagos State intervention on the matter.

    Eventually, government waded in and asked both parties to maintain status quo until the latest development.