The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Nigerians

  • Firm initiates campaign, rewards Nigerians

    Lipton, is a brand of tea, owned by Unilever is carrying out a campaign tagged ThinkLessDoMore meant to reward hard working people within the society.

    The company had announced, for the second consecutive year, its plan to celebrate with Nigerians  through its #Don’tJustThinkDo campaign. This campaign which was aimed at promoting the values that Ramadan stands for was to get Nigerians to imbibe the habit of doing good.

    According to the company, the campaign promotes the essence of doing good. “Lipton didn’t just stop at telling people to do good, it actually went to several cities in the country including; Lagos, Abuja, Kano, Kaduna to search for people who are doing good in their communities so as to reward them with gifts,” it said.

    Some of the beneficiaries in the campaign are Hassan Black, who helps keep a popular market in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital city, clean; Florence Okeme, a dedicated traffic warden in Yaba, Lagos; and Bimbo Akinsanya, the founder of a non-governmental organization (NGO) which is committed to ensuring that young less-privileged ladies in public secondary school and local communities have access to hygiene materials, educational talks and mentorship opportunities, among others.

    “If more Nigerians, as a result of this campaign, start doing more good, there is no doubt that the country will be better, peaceful, safer and more prosperous. The positive effect it will have on various sectors of the economy will be massive,” the company said.

    Brand Manager, Lipton, Adetayo Adesokan  said: “Don’t Just Think Do isn’t just another campaign, but a well thought out approach to promote the virtues of doing good acts in the country, it was launched in order to drastically improve the number of good deeds that are done by Nigerians daily.”

    “We are trying to paint the picture that shows how Nigerians should strive to relate with one another, we are sharing with Nigerians of all backgrounds and from any of the six political zones, what they can do to improve their societies,” he concluded.

    Giving, showing love, and caring for one another, sowing seeds of kindness, are all necessary activities that we all need to do in order to achieve our goal of creating the society we dream of.

    Lipton has paved the way and set the pace for Nigerians to emulate through its #Don’tJustThinkDo campaign. We all have a duty to make a commitment to ramp up the good deeds we do on a daily basis in order to make the society a better place.

    “The brand’s goal was to get more Nigerians to start taking positive actions. Lipton wanted to show more Nigerians the positive ripple effects that doing good will have on themselves, and the nation in extension. To achieve this, it embarked on a series of activities to win more people into its army of “do good-ers” including engaging with Nigerians on conversations surrounding the topic across various media platforms, and embarking on a nationwide tour to reward and celebrate Nigerians who are doing selfless acts in their respective communities,” the firm said.

    Continuing, the firm said: “Nigeria is full of pleasant people, resilient individuals who are filled with enthusiasm and passion regardless of whatever they might be going through, regardless of the impediments, obstacles or challenges they might be facing. This spirit of Nigerians can be seen across the nation and beyond. Most people in Nigeria, irrespective of their region, tribe or religion are warm and kind individuals, however, most times, in their quest to earn a living and better their lives, they forget to look out for the next person as actively as they normally would”.

    “Lipton is leveraging on the ideals that Ramadan stands for this season to get more Nigerians to tap into the beauty of giving, of sharing love and care to their neighbours. Ramadan has always been a period of introspection, a period of discipline, a time to show love, a time to share, to sow the seeds of kindness, and through the ‘Don’t Just Think Do’ campaign, Lipton aims to get more people to move from just thinking, to actually taking doing these good deeds”.

  • Reps Summon Minister, NCAA, Ethiopian Airlines, over stranded passengers

    Reps Summon Minister, NCAA, Ethiopian Airlines, over stranded passengers

    The House of Representatives Wednesday mandated its committee on Aviation to invite the Minister of Aviation, Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and Ethiopian Airlines to appear before and give reasons for the excessive delays in bringing back Nigerians stranded in Saudi Arabia

    The Green Chamber flayed the airline for the recent long delays and disrespectful behavior towards Nigerians and other nationals from Saudi Arabia to Nigeria by the Airlines and said flight delay compensation be paid to them according to global aviation rules.

    The resolution of the House was sequel to the adoption of the prayers of a motion by Hon. Zakari Mohammed on complaints against Ethiopian Airlines.

    The lawmaker while moving the motion noted that Ethiopian Airlines due to the backlog of delays have left Nigerians stranded in Jeddah for over one week with most running out of funds to survive.

    He said the airline’s refusal to offer a reasonable explanation for the delay was worrisome, and also in violation of Article 2 of Ethiopian Airlines passenger commitment.

    According to him, it made reservations for three persons to occupy one hotel room in overnight delays again, in violation of Article 11 of the Ethiopian Airlines passenger commitment published on their website.

    He said passengers had to incur more expenses by making hotel reservations for themselves. due to the inconveniences caused by the airline,

    Mohammed also said over one thousand Nigerians who were due to be back in the country on 27 June, 2017 were stranded in Jeddah for 4-5 days.

    The House thereafter mandated its committee on Aviation to invite the Minister of Aviation, Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and Ethiopian Airlines to appear before and give reasons for the excessive delays.

    The House also resolved that Ethiopian Airlines should apologize through two national dailies, to the affected passengers.

  • Nigerians in ‘private’ prisons abroad

    SIR: There are too many reports of Nigerians in foreign prisons these days.  The last report published with The Guardian of Wednesday, June 28, said that the number of Nigerians in private prisons in Libya is over 2,000.

    What is the meaning of private prisons? Aren’t these detention camps without government control?

    How long shall we continue to hear such sad news of our citizens being kept in prisons or of those who lost their lives in the seas? If the Nigerian governments can create jobs and provide enabling environment for its citizen, I don’t think Nigerians within the age of 20 to 35, who constitute the most productive part of our human resource would be dying just to travel out only to be locked up like animals in a zoo.

     

    • Assurance Ovie,

    Benin City.

  • Cleric tasks Nigerians on co-operation with govt

    The Assistant General Overseer, Admin. & Personnel, of The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor Johnson Odesola, has called on political leaders and every Nigerian to shun the attitude of using their privileged positions only to benefit from the nation’s resources in the absence of making meaningful contributions towards nation building.

    Odesola said this  yesterday at the “Breakfast with the King,” organised by RCCG (Love Assembly) Lagos Province 1, headquarters, which took place at Sheraton and Towers, Ikeja, Lagos. The Breakfast is part of the three day  Special Holy Ghost Service which had thousands of Christian faithful from across the country.

    He lamented the culture of “what can the government offer me,” saying, “It has to be give and take and if things would get better in this nation, people would have to make sacrifices”, the pastor said.

    The Pastor in Charge of Lagos Province 1, Pastor Samuel Bode Olaniyan, at the night vigil, organised to pray for the second half of the year yesterday asked Nigerians to have a common goal against anti-corruption crusade.

     

  • Eid-El-Fitri: Peterside preaches unity, felicitates with Nigerians

    Eid-El-Fitri: Peterside preaches unity, felicitates with Nigerians

    The Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Dakuku Peterside, has felicitated with Muslim faithful on the successful completion of this year’s Ramadan fast and celebration of the Eid-El-Fitri, while calling for unity among Nigerians.

    He urged Muslim faithful to learn from the significance of the fasting period, which he said dwelt on sacrifice, selflessness, love and unity.

    Peterside, yesterday in a statement by his media team, stated that the lessons learnt from the Ramadan fast should continue to guide the faithful’s daily living and their contributions to the growth and development of Nigeria.

    The NIMASA chief tasked Muslims and indeed all Nigerians to continue to pray for the quick recovery of President Muhammadu Buhari and more wisdom for the Acting President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, in the discharge of his responsibilities.

    He said: “Let us continue to pray for President Buhari and his team as they think of ways and means of bringing Nigeria out of recession. This period calls for commitment on the part of everybody. I am confident that in due course, the economy will get better.

    “We should also pray for the unity of this country. God has a reason for bringing us together. We can achieve greatness if we put aside our differences and work together with oneness in fulfillment of our aspirations.”

    On the incessant killings and insecurity in Rivers, Peterside, the 2015 governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state, admonished Muslims and Rivers people to pray for peace and unmasking of the persons behind the evil acts.

  • ‘More Nigerians engage in Yoga practice’

    More Nigerians are engaging in Yoga practice, Mrs Simran Magnani, President of Yog Shivir, an Indian Yoga coaching organisation, said.

    Yoga is an ancient physical, mental and spiritual practice that originated from India, which focuses on bringing harmony between the mind and body.

    Magnani spoke at an event jointly organised by the High Commission of India and the Indian Cultural Association (ICA) in Lagos to mark the 2017 International Yoga Day.

    “In the last three years that we have been observing the International Yoga Day in Lagos, there is growing awareness among Nigerians of the benefits of Yoga. There is currently a high level of its awareness among more Nigerians. Many are becoming more enthusiastic about Yoga practice. I presently have more than 30 Nigerians that have joined my Yoga sessions in Lagos alone,’’ she said.

    Magnani said it was important for Nigerians to realise that Yoga practice was different from physical exercises, because it works on the mind and enhances calmness and relaxation.

    According to her, it is imperative for more Nigerians to know that Yoga is the art and science of healthy living.

    ICA President Chief Sanjay Jain enjoined Nigerians to avail themselves of the benefits of practising Yoga.

    Jain said Yoga practice enhances vitality, focus, memory, productivity, body, mind, emotional stability, strength and stability of the spine.

    He said it was also imperative for Nigerians to know that its practice assists in relieving back pain, stress, anxiety and tension.

    “We believe that the celebration of the International Yoga Day here at the premises of the High Commission of India in Lagos these past years is to sensitise Nigerians on the benefits of Yoga.

    “We still want to encourage more of our Nigerian brothers, sisters and friends to adopt the practice of Yoga,’’ he said.

  • WEF, DQ to provide digital learning skills to Nigerians

    Digital Intelligence Quotient (DQ) Institute, an organisation working in collaboration with the World Economic Forum (WEF), has developed a digital initiative aimed at boosting the digital competence of one million younger generations in Nigeria and other countries by 2030.

    The initiative christened DQEveryChild, is a free digital intelligence education programme, which can be ‘plugged and played’ into the country’s education system.

    DQEveryChild is a combination of online education tools and real-time assessment which is free to every child eight and 12 globally, and can be easily incorporated into any national or school curriculum via the DQWorld.net platform, paving the way for a healthier, safer and more prosperous digital economy, for all.

    With the scheme DQ Institute said children will be able to measure their ability and command of digital media, thereby helping to combat their exposure to dangers such as fake news, cyber bullying, online grooming and radicalisation.

    Through the platform, the curriculum of 20 lessons over 10 hours is delivered through storytelling and gamified design, which makes learning interactive and fun and encourages a positive attitudinal shift and behavior.

    The curriculum covers eight core digital citizenship skills including Digital Citizen Identity; Screen Time Management; Cyber Bullying Management; Cyber Security Management; Privacy Management; Digital Empathy; and Critical Thinking; Digital Footprint Management.

    At the end of each lesson, children take an online real-time assessment that will provide DQ scores for each of the skills acquired.

    The DQ Institute, in association with the WEF, will explore the integration of a Global DQ Index – measuring the average DQ across participating countries – within one of the Forum’s main annual reports.

    An official of RAVE et al, a certified-DQ ambassador pioneering the implementation of DQ across Nigeria, Mr. Charity Babatunde, said: “Our children are digital natives, born into a world that offers them incredible opportunities but not without its own fair share of dangers.

    “The eight core digital citizenship skills that DQWorld.net empowers our children with, is a vital necessity for helping them make informed choices and navigate the digital world safely.

    “It is a great honour for me to serve as the pioneer DQ Ambassador in Nigeria (first in Africa) and to be a part of this laudable, award-winning initiative. I encourage parents, schools, government and all other stakeholders to join the #DQEveryChild movement. Let’s make the necessary investment today, in preparing our children for the digital future.”

    Founder and Chief Citizenship Officer of DQ World, Dr. Yuhyun Park, said: “Africa is experiencing explosive growth in the use of the internet. With the increased opportunities offered by this connectivity come new risks, especially for our young children, who are the first generation born and raised in a digital world.

  • Six European countries deport 34 Nigerians

    Thirty-four Nigerians were yesterday deported from six European countries for committing immigration-related offences.

    The deportees arrived at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMlA) Lagos at about 6.30am.

    The deportees from Switzerland, Germany, Iceland, Austria, Belgium and Hungary comprised 32 men and two women.

    They were brought back in a chartered Airblue Panorama aircraft.

    Spokesman of the Lagos Airport Police Command DSP Joseph Alabi confirmed the development.

    Alabi said: “This morning, we received 34 Nigerians who were brought back from Europe. They were made up of 32 males and two females.”

    He said the deportees were alleged to have committed immigration-related offences in their host countries.

    Alabi confirmed that the deportees were received by officers of the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) and the Police.

    On ground to receive them were officials from the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).

    The deportees were profiled by immigration authorities and were allowed to depart to their destinations.

  • Why Nigerians are angry – Onaiyekan

    The Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, John Cardinal Onaiyekan, yesterday said anger and dissatisfaction expressed by people would continue in the country, when federal character principle leads to injustice and margina-lisation.

    To address the ongoing agitation in Nigeria, the Onaiyekan advised the Federal Government to change the rules of governance in addition to yielding to call by Nigerians to restructure the country.

    Onaiyekan, who stated this at a press conference on the Centenary of the Late Eminence, Ignatius Cardinal Ekandem, the first Episcopal Archbishop of Abuja Catholic Metropolitan, in Abuja, described him (Ignatius) as ‘a real man of the church’.

    Speaking on the process entailed in the canonisation of Archbishop Ekandem, who lived between 1917 to 1995, Onaiyekan said Nigerians were displeased with the way and manner government runs the country.

    His words: “We all know what is causing people to be angry, and if you want to be sincere, there is no part of Nigeria where there is no cause for anger, no part. May be some people are expressing their anger more than the others. But everywhere, people are dissatisfied. And this has nothing to do with who is president and who is not the president?

    “It goes in my opinion to the rules of governance. How we governed ourselves, the whole area of justice system, equality before the law. The whole concept of federal character supposed to be that no part of the country is left behind. Federal character can not mean that some parts of Nigeria will be favoured over others.

    “If the federal character leads to injustice and marginalization, then, it does not make sense. We must change the way we are doing thing, we cannot continue like this. Definitely, if we do, there will be more anger, more calls for change and we don’t know who will be able to mobilize more people to cause more problem. Don’t forget that this was the one of the major positions held by the Boko Haram.”

    Onaiyekan maintained that the lackadaisical attitude displayed by some of those at the helms of affairs would do no good for the country; rather, they should look at the agitation holistically to correct the imbalance in the land.

    He said; “The issue is, what are those things that are happening in Nigeria now, which we need to critically and effectively look at, in such that, this sense of dissatisfaction, exclusion, injustice that people are feeling will be reduced to the minimum? So, some people put it under big title of restructuring.

    “Some people think that restructuring is to create more states, as far as am concerned if you create more states and the system remains the same, you will only have more problems. The problem is not about how many states or regions but how does government function? How do I as a Nigerian feels at home in this country? And how do I as a Nigerian expect that I will be treated with justice, respect and dignity?

    “We need to restructure if we want the country to survive. The truth is that things are not organized properly and it makes the people to be dissatisfied. It is not only the Biafrans who are disgusted with this country; a lot of us are, even though we still are not thinking of that. It is like a father who is very angry with his son; you will still not throw him away.”

  • NLC accuses multinationals, rich Nigerians of tax evasion

    Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) yesterday accused multinational companies operating in Nigeria and wealthy citizens of evading tax.

    Its President Comrade Ayuba Wabba spoke at the opening of a workshop on “Tax Justice and Illicit Financial Flows (IFFs)” organised by the congress.

    It was organised in collaboration with the Public Service International, International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC-Africa) and Friedrich Ebert Stiftung in Abuja.

    He said halting illicit financial flows, non-payment of taxes, corruption and,in their place, instituting responsive governance would tame poverty and inequality.

    Wabba said: “In the context of Nigeria, the burden of payment of tax is squarely on the workers and they call it ‘pay as you earn’. Before you are paid, the tax is already removed and therefore, the rich and the powerful feast on our commonwealth, which is the tax we contribute.

    “In other spheres, it is the other way round. The rich subsidises for the poor so that we can have a decent society and have social justice. This is the whole essence of this campaign, which I think is our campaign as workers. We must continue to advocate for social justice and ensure that the rich pay appropriate tax. The most important aspect is that multinationals and bigger businesses evade payment of tax. Infact, they don’t pay tax at all.

    “We are aware that these individuals that evade tax are very powerful. I am sure that when we pull our forces together as citizens that are concerned, we are going to overcome them.”

    He explained that in 2016, the congress led a protest campaign to the office of the Minister of Finance, demanding that the issue of IFFs must receive urgent attention.

    He said: “I wish to state that our effort has elicited some positive response from government and the Federal Government has taken some steps towards ensuring that those negative trends that allowIFFs out of Nigeria are checked and the trend halted.

    “We are aware that government has set up a presidential committee on IFFs and there are some activities around the review of the tax laws and treaties with a view to promote tax justice.”

    He hailed the “initiative to support Trade Unions in Nigeria to develop, deploy and sustain their tax justice campaign to contribute to the national agenda and end IFFs from the country and contribute to the global demand, where fair taxation reigns.

    “We have affirmed that ending illicit financial flows, corruption and engineering imaginative and responsive governance are some of the ways to tame poverty and inequality. Given that financing is critical to the successful implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals. We need alternative resource mobilisation possibilities that ending IFFs and corruption can provide.”