The Nation Newspaper

Tag: training

  • Palm wine tapper offers free training

    Palm wine tapper offers free training

    A palm wine tapper, Mr Okilo Ozoemenam, has offered to train youths in his trade for free. Why? He said he wanted them to earn a decent living, thereby shunning violent crime and idleness or wasting their time in betting houses.

    Ozoemenam said he was pained each time he saw youths idling away at newsstands or engaging in kidnapping, robbery or any other violent crime.

    Speaking with reporters at his Umuokehi farm residence, the tapper said he has about 100 raffia trees from which he taps wine and that the youths should come for tapping lessons.

    Ozoemenam called on the youths of the state to swallow their pride and learn the trade rather than “going everyday to bet to make quick money, engaging in kidnappings and armed robbery”.

    He said that it pained him to see the state’s youths on a daily basis arguing at newspaper stands and “wasting the time they would have used to learn one trade or another only to turn around later in life to blame the government for not providing jobs for them”.

    The palm wine tapper said that his wine business has helped him to improve himself financially, pointing out that he started life with a bicycle and now owns a tricycle and a piggery which brings in good money for him.

    Ozoemenam said, “I want the youths to engage in meaningful ventures and I am willing to teach them how to tap palm wine free of charge for their financial benefits and help them in sustaining their families. Our youths should feel free to engage themselves in agricultural; production either through conventional farming or through poultry or piggery farms or anything other type of farming that would not only keep them busy but also help in the financial output for them and the state.”

     

  • First Bank BC begins training, signs seven new players

    First Bank BC begins training, signs seven new players

    First Bank Basketball Club will begin training for the 2015/2016 season at the sports hall of the National Stadium today with 10 old  and seven newly signed players with one other serving as a player for the future.

    According to coach Peter Ahmedu, who made the list available at he weekend, the returning players are skipper Chioma Udeaja, Atosu Upe, Iornumbe Regina, Nkechi Akashile, Ulabo Queen, Juliet Chinyere, Elawure Odion Tina, Adekoya Biliqis, Akaraiwe Nkem and Chidinmma Nwakama

    The new players, who successfully went through screening, which had 30 players in attendance, are Daniel Buki Idowu, Benin Republic import Kondoh Aishatou, Ezeh Jennifer Adaezeh, Anaswen Josette, Isuombut Mary Okon, James Happy Rita, Kato Magdalene and Akinbode James Onome Mary, who is making the team as a player of the future.

    Ahmedu stated that the new players were selected based on their all-round ability on the basketball court. He noted that they were tested on their ball handling skills, offensive and defensive play, their positioning on the court and their level of stamina.

    “I must admit that basketball requires lot of skills and any player who hopes to be a successful basketballer must have vast knowledge in basic skills of the game.  However, a good player must also have the stamina to go all the way. Basketball demands a lot of energy and at First Bank BC, we need players that can complement their skills with stamina.

    Ahmedu, who took over the team in November, also said that all old players must be prepared for stiff competition from the new ones, who showed exemplary skills and commitment at the screening, which took place last week at the Dodan Warriors Basketball court in Ilupeju.

    “The screening showed that we still have talented players in the country and with the right training and attitude they can become top stars. I would say the purpose of organising the screening camp was achieved and I am grateful to the management of the team, First Bank Nigeria PLC for giving us (the coaching crew) the opportunity to hold the camp.”

    He also said that the aim of the team is to reclaim the national title, retain its FIBA Zone Three title and better her fourth place finish at the African Championship. To achieve this objective, he will be assisted by coaches Chris Okoh and Taiye Adeniyi.

  • AHEAD CHAN 2016 ‘Mosquito’, Matthew shine in training

    AHEAD CHAN 2016 ‘Mosquito’, Matthew shine in training

    ESTABLISHED Nigeria league campaigner Ikechukwu ‘Mosquito’ Ibenegbu and emerging star Ifeanyi Matthew have thus far impressed in the Super Eagles training camp ahead of next weekend’s CHAN in Rwanda.

    Officials disclosed that the other players who have shone in the Eagles training camp in Pretoria, South Africa, are Nigeria U23 midfielder Usman Mohammed and little known Shooting Stars midfielder Ibrahim Salawu.

    ‘Mosquito’ Ibenegbu scored the Eagles goal against Angola in a warm-up match in Pretoria and his leadership overall contribution in the midfield has won him the admiration of coach Sunday Oliseh.

    Versatile Nigeria U20 midfield star Ifeanyi Matthew has already been tipped to go all the way and be capped by the full international team after what he has produced thus far in South Africa.

    The El Kanemi Warriors star has a strong mentality, hard working and has established himself in the starting XI for the CHAN as other more established players have struggled for form.

  • The difference training makes

    Yimika Adedayo joined pupils of Yaba Model Nursery and Primary School, Yaba, and Nathan Nursery and Primary School, Yaba, to present popular song, “We are the World”, at the launch of the Bunmi Adedayo Foundation (BAF) at the MUSON Centre, Onikan, Lagos on Tuesday.  Though devoid of the emotions that the USA for Africa super group put into the original song that made waves in 1985 the performance was beautiful.

    Tears welled up in my eyes as I watched them.  The song they chose was significant.  It showed that the intervention of the foundation would help change the lives of the children positively.  The foundation is currently rehabilitating their schools.  It plans to do a host of other programmes, including training for teachers, counseling, and provision of learning materials.

    Now, why the emotions?  I have covered so many programmes in the past where public school children have performed cultural dances or songs.  Most were not well coordinated.  The children sang at various pitches.  The songs were uninspiring – with lyrics that praised public officers in attendance.  Many times, I blushed, cringed and was embarrassed by the performances, impatient for them to end.  I felt this way especially when representatives of private sector organisations attended the events as donors.  I felt as if the children were being exposed to ridicule – which strengthened the belief that we should not expect much from public school pupils.

    Tuesday’s performance got to me because it was the exact opposite of my past experiences with public school children.  Their voices were clear and melodious. The pitch was right.  Nobody went off.  Mr Babatunde Akinleye, chairman, Board of Directors for the Foundation, gave the answer for the difference – training.  The children received quality training during rehearsals and were able to deliver.

    I am a firm believer that talented children are very many in public schools.  However, without access to good quality training or opportunities, they are disadvantaged.  Some years ago, I attended the closing ceremony of a camp for some select secondary school pupils.  The participants had to display various skills to us.  The best debater came from a public school.  When she debated, it was clear why she was the best.  But she made so many grammatical errors while speaking.  Though those were overlooked and she still got the award, I knew that if she were to enter for a more serious competition, that factor would disqualify her.  If she were attending a private school, she would likely not have had such problem.

    Public schools can be better if the various governments pay greater attention to funding of education.  But it does not end at that; the funds must be judiciously utilised.  I agree with the renowned Prof Pai Obanya points that spending on education is not the same as investing in education.  Spending lots of money that we cannot account for is not worth anybody’s while.  Investing in education means at the end of the exercise, we can see the differences the money spent and actions taken have made for the better.  A re-orientation is needed in this regard.  Happy New Year!

     

  • Mbu decries decay in police training institutes

    Mbu decries decay in police training institutes

    Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG) Mbu Joseph Mbu has decried the dearth of infrastructures in police training institutes across the country.

    Mbu, who is the Commandant, Police Staff College, Jos, spoke with reporters after the graduation ceremony of Strategic Leadership and Command course two/2015 students at the weekend.

    He said: “I make bold to tell you that if we want changes, a special committee should be set up to visit all police training institutions because they are in a state of decay.

    “I have no regret saying this and I don’t care the consequences of what I am saying. Police training institutions are in a state of decay.

    ”When I came here, I know what I met on ground. This is the highest police training institution in Nigeria but it has decayed. It has been neglected.

    “There are abandoned jobs here from the Ministry of Police Affairs. There was a reform programme. Billions of naira were put into these jobs and they are all abandoned.

    “There is total decay in our training institutions. They have been neglected for a very long time. More than 20 years. We are facing infrastructural and logistics decay.

    “Officers who are here are feeding themselves. Then later, allowances are sent to them. It should not be so.

    “Before the officers come here, the Ministry of Police Affairs, which has now been collapsed, ought to make provisions and send adequate funds to the Commandant so that they can feed them well.

    Asked if contracts approved by former President Goodluck Jonathan for the renovation of facilities in police training schools were not implemented, Mbu said they have been abandoned.

    “You are here now and can go round to see things for yourself. I intend to call for the details of these projects and invite the contractors to the school.

    “The projects have been abandoned. Very good plans, ideas, vision but no implementation.

    “I was once the Chairman of the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Monitoring Task team. These contractors need to be followed up.

    “Also they owe lot of them too.

    “So they cannot use teeth to complete the jobs. But something has to be done because training institutions are the key to the success of any organisation.

    “If you train the personnel well, they will come out well. The IG Solomon Arase is now very conscious of the things we are facing over here and he is doing something.

    “But he is also constrained. I think he is sourcing for funds to get this place and other training institutions in good shape.

    “Even the staff of the colleges should also be encouraged. Once the collages are in good shape with good directing staff, then the products of that college will come out of the study and behave well to the society,” he said.

    Mbu also tasked the graduands to be courageous and have integrity, warning them to shun unprofessional acts.

    “As senior police officers, do not allow yourself be cowed. Do not succumb to blackmail or intimidation. Defend your subordinates when they do the right things and admonish them when they do wrong,” he counselled.

  • Training vital to agric transformation

    Training vital to agric transformation

    The Acting  Executive  Director, Agricultural and Rural Management Training Institute, (ARMTI), Mr  Anthony  Njoku,  has said value  chain training is vital to enhancing the quality of human resources in the sector.

    At a workshop on “Training of Trainers for facilitators of value chain development” in Ilorin, Kwara State, he urged practitioners to  focus on integrating more  value  chain  into training for farmers  and increase co-operation to apply more advanced technology in the sector.

    He  said the institute would support farmers and agribusinesses to enhance capacities  that will  cater for the need in the market and production of the sector.

    Njoku  said  between 2010 and 2011 ARMTI trained two of its very senior trainers on “Pro-poor Agricultural Commodity Value Chain Development”. The training was facilitated by the renowned International Institute of Rural Reconstruction in Addis Ababa, 2010, and Kenya, 2011.

    He  said the  Agricultural Transformation Agenda (ATA) of the Federal Government  highlighted commodity value chain development as the main vehicle to drive the  process.

    In the institute’s  budget proposal for 2012,  he  said  capacity building packages were included towards addressing the focus of  the government to make agriculture a business in the country.

    In the budget, he  said  ARMTI amongst others, sought approval to implement the following capacity building projects conduct the first national baseline study on value chain development in Nigeria; and present report in a national seminar and national sensitisation seminar in the six geo-political zones on the product of the national baseline study, and training of trainers for facilitators of value chain.

    To make agriculture profitable to rural populace and as well boost food sufficiency, he  said the institute  did a  baseline study on commodity value chain development.

    The  project, he said, gives the appropriate picture and provides information on value chain development among the agricultural commodities in each geo-political zone with emphasis on the comparative advantage in the production management per zone.

    The ARMTI boss added that the value chain programme has the capacity to unlock this huge potential. Besides, through this study, ARMTI will continue to brainstorm with each geo political zone towards exposing to us how each of us fits into this grand scheme.

    In another development, a team  from the institute, led by the  Public Relations Officer, Mayowa  Gidado, donated sweet potato from its demonstration farm to the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps in Abuja.

    At the camp in Kaaru District, the team was received by the coordinator, Mr. Sunday Wabba. It donated 12 bags of  sweet potato.

  • Auditors need training, varsities told

    The Acting Auditor-General of Ogun State, Mr Sunday Olubanjo, has recommended that institutions put in place formal training programmes to enhance the proficiency of the internal auditors and equip them with specialized skills to perform effectively.

    Speaking at a conference of the Committee of Heads of Internal Audit Departments/Units in Nigerian Universities (CHIADINU) held at Babcock University on Monday, Olubanjo said that auditors need to embrace the modern approach of auditing which is process oriented.

    Olubanjo who spoke on: “Global Trend in Information Communication Technology (ICT): Strategies for meeting Increasing Stakeholders Expectations of Internal Auditors in Nigerian Universities”, added that ICT tools improve auditors’ ability to review information and manage their activities better.

    “Automated tools allow auditors to increase individual productivity and that of the audit function. Auditors must recognise the key reasons to use audit tools and software”, Olubanjo said.

    The Director, Audit, Risk and Compliance at Babcock University, Mr Samuel Amanze, who chairs CHIADINU, said that the auditing profession has evolved from paper and pen to paperless transactions.

    “Every profession is dynamic. It responds to its environment. Internal Auditing has also evolved into the ICT age which is why its practitioners also need to evolve with it,” Amanze said.

    He explained that the discussing the theme could give the government, which is keen on fightion corruption and fraud, new insight into combating them.

    He added that the conference would expose the participants to the enormous challenges inherent in electronic transactions and how internal auditors should adapt to its changes.

    Vice Chancellor of Babcock University, Prof. Kayode Makinde said the conference would help to highlight the functions of auditors and appraise the system of financial management in Nigerian Universities.

    The Director, Internal Audit, National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), Mrs Halimat Ajayi, said that ICT has eased the auditing process.

    “Our work can now be done faster and better with the aid of Information Technology tools and devices”, Ajayi said.

     

  • Dansol alumni laud their training

    Dansol alumni laud their training

    Mrs Adun Akinyemiju was one proud school owner when some alumni of Dansol High School, which she founded 20 years ago, shared the foundation-forming experiences they had at the school.

    They spoke at a symposium to commemorate the Christian school’s 20th anniversary.

    Akinkunmi Ojediji, now a pilot at Caverton Helicopters Nigeria, left the school 10 years ago.  He told the guests present at the event, comprising representatives of the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI), school owners, parents, and teachers that he owed his success in life to the values instilled in the school.

    “All the while you are here you really won’t appreciate it until you leave the school.  I studied in South Africa at a pretty young age and I was alone.  Dansol teaches you beyond academics.  Going out there, it all makes sense eventually.  You know you are different.  When you see people doing things certain way, you know they did not go through a Dansol system,” he said.

    Another alumnus, Mrs Funto Ibuoye, got a hug from Mrs Akinyemiju to the stage after recounting how the school owner’s tears over her bad behaviour were the beginning of her redemption.

    She said: “I started Dansol in my SS1, I was just an average student.  The turning point for me was when I got into trouble for having a boyfriend in the school.  When we were reported to Mrs Akinyemiju, she started crying.  I was touched that she could cry for me.  I finished with one of the best results in the school – I made seven distinctions.

    “When we were graduating, they gave each of us a bible.  This has been the only thing that has kept me.  I have gone everywhere with it,” said the chartered accountant.

    In her speech, Mrs Akinyemiju said the testimonies of the alumni about their training were in line with the school’s vision and mission, which seeks to educate pupils to be different and love God.

    She said: “Our vision is ‘Educating children to stand out and be different to make a difference in their generation.’ Our mission is ‘We are a Christian School dedicated to the training of students who will excel through the wisdom attained from fearing God. Through the blending of biblical principles and modern scholarship, we train students to STAND OUT AND BE DIFFERENT in their generations.’”

    Mrs Akinyemiju also thanked God for the school’s success and growth from four pupils at inception to over 800.

    “Our help comes from the Lord who made heaven and the earth, whatever has been done or achieved in the 20 years of our existence as a High School has been by the help of the Almighty God.  He has been faithful to his promises concerning Dansol and has done abundantly above all that we asked, our thought when we started,” she said.

    The symposium, which had as theme: “Raising Godly Leaders for Global Relevance through Christian Schooling”, was treated by four speakers: Dr Samson Makhado, ACSI Director, Africa; Prof Ayodeji Olukoji, Vice Chancellor, Caleb University, Imota, Lagos; and Mr Laoye Jaiyeola, CEO, Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG).

    In his presentation, Dr Makhado urged the school to prepare the pupils to live successfully within the realities of the society.

    “As our children face the world, it won’t be a question of how well protected they have been, but how well prepared and equipped they are.  As we know, they will face the world. We need to produce students who have transformed character and are principled.

    “Not to protect them from the world but to prepare them for service in the world; not to Shelter them from life but to shape them to transform their societies; not to escape from the culture around them but to engage the culture as light engages the darkness and salt engages the food,” he said.

    On his part, Prof Olukoju said parents need to play their roles in grooming godly leaders.

    “Godly schooling starts from the home.  You need to show good example; show them through the bible.  It is from that point that godly schooling begins.  Students that come to the tertiary institutions are already formed,” he said.

  • Lagos organises referees, judges’ training course

    The Lagos Amateur Boxing Association (LABA) has announced plans to engage it’s referees and judges in refresher courses in order to acquaint them with new developments in the sport.

    The secretary of LABA, Adejuwon Adesoye made the announcement at the bi-monthly stakeholders meeting of the association held at the Boxing Gym, Surulere, Lagos.

    He said: “We have concluded plans to have the judges and referees under our association to further improve the officiating standards in boxing. This is part of our quest to intimate our referees and judges with the rules and regulations guiding the sport while encouraging our members to develop themselves in the best ways possible.”

    “The association wants to have its referees and judges represent the country in AIBA recognised international competitions like the world championships and the Olympics.”

    “Over the years, we have seen a lot of our boxers being shortchanged in tournaments because we did not have quality representation at the technical corner,” he said.

    The course will run from  November 23 to 30  at the Teslim Balogun Stadium and is open to all referees and judges across the the country and members of the public who are interested in taking part.

  • Training necessary for Quality Assurance

    The Executive Secretary of the National Commission for Mass Education, Alhaji Jibrin Paiko, has underscored the relevance of training to quality assurance in the non-formal education sub-sector.

    Addressing participants at a two-day workshop for monitoring officers in Makurdi, the Benue State capital, Paiko said that for illiteracy to be eradicated in Nigeria, stakeholders must gain the requisite knowledge.

    “Monitoring and evaluation is one of the major functions of the commission, and a technical area that requires special skills for effective accomplishment of the corporate mission of the commission,” said Paiko.

    He urged participants to take advantage of the training to enrich their skills and experiences.

    The Executive Secretary said he expected that participants would have learnt new skills that would add value to their performances and bring about improved service delivery at the end of the training.

    Paiko, who declared the workshop open, praised the organisers for a job well done and advised the trainees to take the training seriously.