The Nation Newspaper

Tag: rehabilitates

  • German govt rehabilitates school’s facilities

    The German Development Cooperation (GIZ), on behalf of the German government, has rehabilitated the sports ground of the Muslim Girls High School, Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State.

    At the official opening of the rehabilitated facility, GIZ’s portfolio manager, Mr. Michael Sato, who represented the Country Director, Dr. Thomas Kirsch, said the support dates back to the visit of a government official in 2014.

    “This football ground was rehabilitated, and a multi-purpose court and changing room constructed at 95,000 Euros. The site was completed in time and certified fit for handover. “We hope the new ground gives the pupils access to regular sport activities and to development opportunities.

    “We acknowledge the support from the German government in Information Technology, and specifically the donation of 10 sets of internet-ready computers and two printers,” Sato said.

    Germany’s Consul-General to Nigeria Mr. Ingo Herbert urged Nigerians to operate with team spirit.

    “Team spirit is the secret of the success of the German economy, and this should be emulated by Nigerians,” he said.

    Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology Mrs. Modupe Mujota, who was represented by Mr. Salako Taiwo, urged the pupils and management of the school to use the facilities positively.

    His words: “I urge direct beneficiaries of these projects to maximise the opportunities provided, by upscaling their academic performance and competitive exploits so that our benefactors will be encouraged to do more. The school management should carefully maintain the facilities so they can serve us for long.”

    The school principal, Mrs. Ibrahim Bolanle Wasiat,  thanked their benefactors and prayed God to replenish their pocket.

  • Group rehabilitates school

    As part of its assistance to the society, a group, MMM, in conjunction with Life Changing Humanitarian Services, has donated items to Igbehinadun Special School for Deaf and Dumb and Physically Challenged Children, Okokomaiko, Lagos.

    Amaka Benson, offline secretary & events manager for MMM, said: “We were brought here by community development workers called Life Changing Humanitarian Services. They wrote a letter to us and we approved it to help them carry out projects.

    “Today, we are unveiling a new playground with swings for the children, including a basketball court. This place was nothing to write home about, It was abandoned and the children had nowhere to play. So we raised money to assist them. At MMM, we are out to put smiles on the faces of people and we do this every month across the country,” Benson said.

    Mr O. Joseph of Life Changing Humanitarian Service said: “Life Changing carries out humanitarian services. We choose this school because we believe it needs help. It has been abandoned for years. We came here to see what we can do for them. You need to see the condition of some of the children. It is terrible.

    “We say a big thank you to MMM. We were surprised when they agreed to sponsor this project because many organisations turned us down.”

  • Begging: Lagos rehabilitates mum, kids

    Begging: Lagos rehabilitates mum, kids

    The Lagos State Ministry of Youth and Social Development has rehabilitated a 44-year-old woman simply identified as Esther and her three children found begging near the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) at Ikeja.

    Esther was said to have been abandoned by relatives and friends, following an illness which left her with a protruding stomach. She took to begging for survival.

    The woman and her children have been moved to the Lagos State Correctional and Rehabilitation Centre in Majidun, Ikorodu.

    Our correspondent gathered that the woman is from Ijaw in Delta State, and stays around Agbado Railway Crossing in Ifo Local Government Area of Ogun State.

    The leader of the rescue team, Mr Kessington Fatai, said the operation was in line with the campaign against street begging.

    The Nation learnt that the ministry has since contacted Esther’s family. A meeting will be held this week on how to reunite them.

    The ministry’s Director of Rehabilitation Centres, Mr Joseph Olufemi Olatoye said: “We have contacted her family members, and the Commissioner, Princess Uzamat Akinbile-Yussuf, would have a meeting with them this week.

    “The three children are supposed to be in school, but they would instead sit with their mother to beg for alms from passersby. Meanwhile, the Child Protection Unit of the ministry has placed the children according to their ages in the Children Centre at Majidun, Ikorodu,” Fatai said.

  • Winners’ Chapel rehabilitates Ogun roads

    Respite has come the way of the people of Ado-Odo Ota Local Government and succour is finally in the pipeline for motorists and users of major roads and link-routes in the local government of Ogun state, as the headquarters of the Living Faith Church Worldwide (Winners’ Chapel International) located in Canaanland has taken up the challenge of rehabilitating stretches of collapsed roads and bad flashpoints.

    The leadership of the Church, led by Bishop David Oyedepo, which had on several occasions taken up the gauntlet and employed measures to fix the worst spots pending provision of permanent solutions by appropriate authorities, has now rather opted for “operation permanently fix the roads”. Bishop Oyedepo decried the high rate of failing roads around and noted that the Church would continue to assist government in providing succor and solutions in the face of mounting social challenges, while also charging organizations and groups in the position to consider the people’s plight and in the spirit of corporate social responsibility, render meaningful assistance to government in fixing roads and other collapsed public amenities.

    The rehabilitation of the 23-kilometre Atan-Lusada-Agbara highway was completed in less than one week and is now in good shape. The second phase of the route, which includes Unilever-Opic Estate road linking Mile 2 in Lagos, is under rehabilitation.

    Also under rehabilitation are the significant bad portions at Pako/Mosalasi, GT Bank (Lagos-Abeokuta express road), Toll Gate area and Canaanland – The Bells part of Idiroko express road. Other flashpoints being rehabilitated are Iyana Iyesi, Nycil Junction, Honda, Ogun State Housing Estate, Oju Ore, all of which are along the Sango-Idiroko express road. The entrance of Iyana Iyesi, as well as some bad portions between the junction and the inner points are also listed for rehabilitation.

    Aside the Atan-Lusada-Agbara road, major rehabilitation is also being done from Anglican Bus Stop to Idi Pako linking to AIT, which is a 2 kilometre-long road; the abandoned descending portion to Toll Gate of the newly constructed Local Council – Toll Gate expressway; Coca Cola-Ilobu road, off Oju Ore; the collapsed Joju-Alisiba (off Lagos/Abeokuta Expressway) road; and the Sifor-Estate road. The portion from Sango roundabout to Joju roundabout (right on the edge of the Sango-Idiroko expressway), which had not been motorable for close to a year will be paved with interlocks to absorb shocks and damaging effects of heavy-duty vehicles.

  • Cleric rehabilitates abandoned school

    Cleric rehabilitates abandoned school

    Ikwuorie Comprehensive Secondary School in Ohanku-Ndoki of Ukwa East local government, Abia State was always in a free fall. The fall began over a decade ago. One after the other, the structure of the school started falling apart, beginning with the chairs, then the tables. The chalk boards gave way too, followed by the roofing sheets.

    The deterioration ate in so much that students started sitting on bare floors for classes. Heavens opened up on them effortlessly during raining season. One of them recalled he wrote examinations for over five years in the school under leaking roofs.

    •Portions of the school before the intervention
    •Portions of the school before the intervention

    The physical state of the school affected learning and chased shocked teachers away. Many terrified students also stayed away. As at last term, the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) threatened not to conduct final leaving examinations in the school again. This was due to absence of basic facilities for the smooth conduct of the exercise.

    Parents watched helplessly; prominent indigenes and residents looked the other way; the community cried for help. But nobody could stop the school from falling deeper and deeper into oblivion. But all of these changed last Thursday. The hitherto written-off school wore a new look. So were members of the community as well as teachers and schools.

    Everyone was in high spirits during the commissioning of the renovated block of classrooms by a son of the soil, Dr Chibuzor Chinyere. Though based in Port-Harcourt, Rivers State, Chinyere returned home to give back to his community.

    Principal of the school, Dr (Mrs.) Nnadozie Sophie-Chikwere, who was recently posted to the school, said she was appalled by the state she met it. She said she could not believe that such a school could exist in a community that has produced prominent Nigerians.

    “Our students were studying on bare floor. They wrote examinations with open roof over their heads,” she lamented. “We cried for help but none was forthcoming until God decided to help us this a man himself.”  By renovating the building, she said Chinyere, who is General Overseer of Omega Power Ministries (OPM) has restored hopes to students and teachers alike as well as demonstrate his passion for education.

    Sophie-Chikwere urged the preacher-cum-philanthropist to also intervene in the welfare of staff and provide instructional materials, especially in the area of equipping the science laboratory.

    Chairman of the school’s Parents and Teachers Association (PTA) and board of Governors, Chief Godspower Nwankwo appreciated Chinyere for the gesture, saying it will go a long way in improving education in the community.

    A former Supervisor for education in Ukwa-East council, Hon. Chibuzor- Nwankwo, said Chinyere had succeeded where government failed, saying the provision of books to the students will further inspire them to become future leaders. He said the gesture was timely because WAEC authorities were about delisting the school over non-availability of facilities.

    President of Ndoki Students Union, Comrade Akparanta Emmanuel, thanked the preacher for the donation. He described Apostle Chinyere as an icon of development, human capacity builder and inspiration.

    He appealed to him to revisit the award of scholarship to students from the community. Emmanuel advised Ndoki students to avoid acts of lawlessness that will affect their future and concentrate on their studies.

    He led others executive members of the student body to present an award of excellence to Chinyere for his numerous contributions to uplifting youths from the area.

    Chinyere, in his remark, expressed satisfaction with the quality of work done on the building and pledged to look into the principal’s demand.

    He blamed suspension of the scholarship award on internal wrangling among the students and promised to immediately revisit the scheme.

    Commissioning the three units of classrooms, including the laboratory and the office apartments, Chinyere thanked God for his achievements in life, ministries and the community at large.

    He also donated An Sports Utility Vehicle, Armada Nissan, to the paramount ruler of the area, His Royal Highness, Eze Joshua Okwuonu-Dagbor.

     

  • Ogun rehabilitates roads

    The Ogun State government has completed the rehabilitation of two federal roads within its domain in a bid to alleviate the problems faced by motorists and other road users. The roads are Owode- Ijako, in Ifo Local Government Area of the State and Sagamu- Ogijo road, Sagamu Local Government Area.

    The Permanent Secretary, Ogun State Ministry of Works and Infrastructure, Mr. Kayode Ademolake, in a statement by the agency’s spokesman Mr. Ayokunle Ewuoso, said the state government took the initiative to rehabilitate the roads because in recent times, the heavy down pour has almost cut off these roads including the Lagos- Abeokuta old road due to erosion.

    “The Lagos-Abeokuta old road was badly damaged before we moved in to safe the situation about 500 metres of it was impassable; same thing happened to Ogijo-Sagamu road where about three locations were cut off by erosion,” the statement read.

  • Joy as church rehabilitates school

    Joy as church rehabilitates school

    Staff and pupils of Agidingbi Junior School, Agidingbi, Ikeja, Lagos State were full of gratitude to the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Israel Parish, for refurbishing a block of three classrooms in their school. The rehabilitation offered them a safer and more conducive learning environment.

    Speaking at the renovation of the classroom blocks, Tutor-General/Permanent Secretary (TG/PS), Education District Six, Mrs Amidat Anifowoshe, described the effort as remarkable.

    She pointed out that lack of conducive learning environment and parents’ lackadaisical attitude to their children’s education contributed to the poor results in the last West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) and encouraged the public to assist government, through such initiatives.

    She said: “You (Israel Assembly) have helped to make life more comfortable and convenient for the children to learn and this is beneficial to the entire Lagos State, but not everyone is willing to do this. It is a remarkable improvement to the school. Government is unhappy about the recent WASSCE result, which I believe was compounded by the state of the school and we hope that with more of such projects, there would be improvements.

    ” The time these children spend with parents is very important also, because teaching is only complete when you see the children practicing what they have learnt. But the time they spend with their parents is militating against us in the school, as parents do not seem to be doing much. We need churches and other groups to help us advice parents. Government is spending to make sure we have good, reliable, efficient, leaders of tomorrow, but how are we helping the children to be useful in the future?”

    Mrs Anifowoshe, who said the commemoration of the classroom blocks was the first project carried out in her district since she assumed office less than two months ago, promised to ensure maintenance of the classroom block.

    Commemorating the event, Pastor of Israel Assembly, Dapo Awosika said a conducive learning environment in schools would help children do better and curb crimes in the society.

    He called on the society to engage in corporate social responsibility acts to uplift the nation.

    “The value of cannot be underestimated. Education is very important to any given society and when the environment is conducive, performance would be improved and we would not even need to pray too much for the children’s success. It would also help to curb crimes and remove jobless youths from the streets. It is high time churches, organisations and every one of us looked into the communities around us to see what we can do to take the youths off the streets,” he said.

    To the benefactors, he said: “I would only tell the children that there is nothing as good as being taught how to fish yourself.  So now, they have no excuse not to learn. if you are not committed to learning, the you are the architect of your own misfortune.”

    Awosika said more than N2 million was spent on the project, which was raised through donations from church members.

    Principal of the school, Mrs Oluyinka Fadeyibi assured the church that the classrooms would be well-managed and secured, saying: “teachers and class prefects would work hand-in-hand to make sure that hoodlums do not gain access into this place to vandalise our classes. And when the students destroy, we call in their parents to fix it, because the school has no money.”

    Vice Principal, Academics, Mrs Oluwatoyin Williams advised the children to learn from the good gesture of the church and strive to imitate such as they grow.

  • Beautician Ozolua rehabilitates IDPs

    Beautician Ozolua rehabilitates IDPs

    the horrors of Boko Haram have spurred a renowned body enhancement expert, Modupe Ozolua into action.

    Her organisation, Body Enhancement Foundation, has brought relief items to internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Gombe State.

    Ozolua and her team visited the IDPs with consumables as well as jobs tools such as sewing machines to help them lead productive, independent lives.

    She spoke at the premises of the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) where she donated empowerment materials and food items IDPs in the state who have now been sent out of camps to fast-track their rehabilitation into the society after about seven months of camping.

    “The right way to tackle the situation is not to continue with relief in the sense that it makes people dependent and they are not able to get back to their feet because everybody’s integrity as a man or a woman is being able to see they can feed their families,” she said.

    Princess Ozolua visited Gombe to State to find out how she, through her non-governmental organisation (NGO), could help reposition victims of insurgency from Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states in Gombe.

    She went to the Wuro-Juli IDPs Camp and the Mini-camp at Federal Low Cost in the state capital where she took a census of essentially women with needs and what could be done to get them into the next stage of their lives.

    The protocol with her NGO was to take the IDPs’ names and anyone randomly picked would get relief materials.

    “But on seeing these people and their plight, she decided to set aside “this balloting thing,”said one of her field staff, Desmond.

    Eighteen women were given sewing machines; five got a bag of groundnuts each and other implements for groundnut oil processing; four were set up on cap making; 18 were given wrappers to sell, and the same number of people got N10,000 each to start micro businesses.

    Other items distributed were food items, toys and children’s clothes, as well as clothes for men while the tailors and groundnut oil makers were given additional cash to transport their items home. Also, women who indicated interest in acquiring sewing skills were told to go ahead with the foundation promising sponsorship.

    Ozolua said, “Most of you already know we met last week and promised we will come back; now we are here. The items you see here were based on the list of skills we were informed on by the men and women at the two camps that we are working with right now which is the one at Wuro-Juli and also the Federal Low Cost mini-camp

    “The assistance is targeted at women because the woman is responsible for her children and of course the men too. But we want to be able to empower the women so they can feed themselves, feed their families and be able to get back on their feet.”

    Receiving the princess and her team, Executive Secretary of the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Dr. Danlami Arabs Rukujei extolled the intervention as very timely and impressive because it was coming in at rehabilitation phase in the management of the IDPs.

    “I am more impressed because you are coming in and keying in at exactly the phase of rehabilitation.

    “It is in the light of this that Gombe State government deemed it right that we needed to get the people off camp, so that people can begin to get on their feet and you have come at such a very appropriate time.

    “There is nothing we will tell this woman and her team, than to appreciate them. It is not we that invited her, she came on her own, made enquiries and we told them we had gone beyond the stage of giving us just food or relief materials,” he said

    The SEMA Boss also appreciated the IDPs for having been law abiding since arrival and made them realise that the time had come for them to go and start looking for what to do, asking: “Should one give you a bag of rice, what if it finishes?”

    “But if you’re given something that will enable you generate income as this woman is doing today, that person would have contributed to bettering your lives,” he added

    An elated beneficiary of a sewing machines, Ndzarwa Bitrus, a tailor of over five years experience from Michika in Adamawa state. She lost her grandmother and uncle and had their house in Michika burnt by the insurgent. She said her husband is in Yola, jobless and homeless.

    “So, I didn’t come here with anything. I didn’t know what to do or how to start off again, but I was just praying. So I thank God who can make a way where there is no way. I thank this woman and her group that He has used. May God multiply them,” she said.

    Also a beneficiary, Fanna Bulama who hails from Damboa in Borno state is happy and satisfied with the presentation and prayed God to greatly the reward the giver.

    She plans to take her produce to Gombe main market as she had been doing at Damboa where she used to process the groundnut oil while her husband sold the produce and other by-products. She promised to use her gift appropriately.

     

  • Lagos council tackles traffic congestion, rehabilitates feeder roads

    Lagos council tackles traffic congestion, rehabilitates feeder roads

    To reduce the incessant traffic congestion on the Abule Egba axis of the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway, the Agbado/Oke-Odo Local Council Development Area of Lagos State has embarked on the rehabilitation of some feeder roads in the council area.

    The initiative, according to the Council Manager of Agbado/Oke-Odo LCDA, Mrs Mayowa Ikuforiji, became imperative following the hassles which traffic gridlock on the Lagos-Abeokuta expressway had caused in recent time.

    “As a responsible council development area, we have decided to alleviate the plight of motorists and commuters who have been subjected to long hours of delay in traffic on the ever busy Abule Egba axis of the Lagos-Abeokuta Highway, hence, we are rehabilitating feeder roads in the council area.

    “After the rehabilitation of Samuel Ajakaiye road, we shall move to other feeder roads, including Idowu Adeniji road, in order to reduce traffic gridlock to its barest minimum. We will ensure that we deploy part of our limited resources toward actualising this initiative which will no doubt go a long way to alleviate the suffering encountered daily on the highway.”

    A cross section of residents, who spoke with our correspondent, hailed the step taken by the council manager and her team for giving road rehabilitation premium attention since she took charge of the council administration.

  • SURE-P rehabilitates skills acquisition centres

    TheSubsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P) has completed the rehabilitation of eight Skills Acquisition Centres across the federation to create  employment opportunities for  unemployed youths.

    It was done through the Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Project of SURE-P.

    Minister of Labour and Productivity, Chief Emeka Wogu, who spoke when he inaugurated the Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity Skills Acquisition Centre, Bauchi, and Industrial Training Fund Centre of Excellence, Jos, said the ability of the government to continue to provide adequate and appropriate training for the nation’s  youths relied critically on the establishment of some form of sustainability.

    Wogu said: “The mandate of the TVET component of SURE-P is to reduce unemployment and poverty in Nigeria through skills acquisition as well as investing in technical/vocational training infrastructure to meet the changing technological needs in the production of goods and services. “This will enable our country compete favourably in international trade, thereby creating more employment opportunities for our teeming youths.”

    Wogu noted that over 5000 youths are benefiting from the TVET sponsored trainings in various vocations, such as ICT, electrical and mechanical engineering for the power sector, building and construction and automotive trades, among others.