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Tag: Unity

  • Ogwashi-Uku Festival celebrates unity

    Ogwashi-Uku Festival celebrates unity

    For the people of Ogwashi-Uku community in Aniocha South Council Area of Delta State, an annual carnival brings the people together from the Diaspora, affording them the opportunity to socialise.

    The Ogwashi-Uku carnival, a three-day fiesta, parades carnival float procession, cultural dances, musical concert, fashion shows, dinner party, quiz competition, talent hunt and display targeted at the progress and development of the community.

    According to its director of operations, Uche Nwulu, the Ogwashi-Uku carnival, which started in December 2010, is celebrated every December, specifically from Christmas Day, and serves as a springboard for tourist attraction and investment to potential development in Ogwashi-Uku, which he said was the dream of the initiator and president of the dance carnival, Anthonia Oguah.

    With consistency and the right sponsorship, Nwulu said, Ogwashi-Uku carnival would reach its zenith in no distant time. According to him, the sixth edition of the fiesta would commence on Christmas Eve with a road show and paying of homage to various clans.

    The carnival proper, he said, will be on Christmas Day with a cultural extravaganza and will be rounded off on Boxing Day with Olobo Masquerade Festival and a reunion dinner and awards party.

    Nwulu lauded MTN, one of the sponsors of the festival, for throwing its weight behind the 2015 edition of the festival.

    He also thanked Leadership Newspapers, Hero Beer, Chivita, Guinness Nigeria PLC, Flour Mills, Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC), 7UP Bottling Company, Goge Africa, Bellanaija.com, The Nation and Thisday Newspapers, as well as Airtel Nigeria for supporting the event.

  • BoT member calls for unity in Ondo APC

    BoT member calls for unity in Ondo APC

    A member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Board of Trustees (BOT), representing Ondo State, Chief Jamiu Ekungba, has appealed to members of the party not to allow divisions to thwart the chances of the party in winning next year’s governorship  election in the state.

    Ekungba made the appeal in Owo, while briefing party stakeholders about the outcome of his reconciliation tour of the state.

    Ekungba, who is a governorship aspirant, said he was being directed by national leaders of the party to unite members, so that the party would not go into the election as a divided house.

    The APC leader said party members should sheathe  their swords, saying the coming elections is as important as that of 2012, which the party lost to Governor Olusegun Mimiko.

    He noted that since Mimiko is aware of President Muhammadu Buhari’s anti-corruption war, he would do everything possible to prevent the APC from taking over the state.

    He said Mimiko will use all what he has to ensure that his candidate wins the election, to cover up the alleged mismanagement of funds by his administration.

  • Former commissioner urges unity in Ekiti APC

    Former commissioner urges unity in Ekiti APC

    Former Majority Leader of Ekiti State House of Assembly, Funminiyi Afuye, has said the All Progressives Congress (APC) has a right chance to regain power in the state within the shortest possible time.

    Afuye also advised leaders of the party to be ready to sacrifice their personal ambition and work together to sack the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from the Government House.

    In a chat with reporters at his Ikere Ekiti country home, Afuye explained that allegiance to the APC as a party is greater than allegiance to the groups or blocs they belong to within the party.

    The former Commissioner for Information and Civic Orientation and later Integration and Intergovernmental Affairs during the Kayode Fayemi administration said the chances of the APC returning to power within the shortest possible time is right.

    He advised Fayemi to use his ministerial position to bring all members of the party on board and rally them into a strong force to stop what he called “impunity and poor governance” being witnessed by the people of the state.

    Afuye noted that having the APC in power at the centre is an advantage but party members must take their destiny in their hands and work hard to return the broom party to power “most especially as the PDP government has disappointed Ekiti people.”

    He said: “As we speak now, the party has various groups and most pathetic is the fact that some members are owing allegiances  to these groups than the party. This is dangerous for our survival as a party.

    “I still owes  the strong view and position that the Ekiti APC has what it to defeat Governor Fayose and the PDP. The last presidential election and even other elections went to show the real strength of our party.

    “Despite that we didn’t campaign the way we were supposed to, the PDP beat us narrowly in virtually all elections and that was the bandwagon effect  of the defeat we suffered during the last governorship election.

     

    “We didn’t expect  such a serious defeat, but it came and it demoralized some of our members.

     

    “We just have to forget about the past and think of the future. Our case is better off now with APC at the centre, so we must put our house in order before 2018 for us to reclaim Ekiti back from the PDP”.

     

  • BoT member calls for unity in Ondo APC

    BoT member calls for unity in Ondo APC

    A member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Board of Trustees (BOT), representing Ondo State, Chief Jamiu Ekungba, has appealed to members of the party not to allow divisions to thwart the chances of the party in winning next year’s governorship  election in the state.

    Ekungba made the appeal in Owo, while briefing party stakeholders about the outcome of his reconciliation tour of the state.

    Ekungba, who is a governorship aspirant, said he was being directed by national leaders of the party to unite members, so that the party would not go into the election as a divided house.

    The APC leader said party members should sheathe  their swords, saying the coming elections is as important as that of 2012, which the party lost to Governor Olusegun Mimiko.

    He noted that since Mimiko is aware of President Muhammadu Buhari’s anti-corruption war, he would do everything possible to prevent the APC from taking over the state.

    He said Mimiko will use all what he has to ensure that his candidate wins the election, to cover up the alleged mismanagement of funds by his administration.

    He said: “When Prof. Aderonmu was giving his speech few minutes ago, he said by the time Mimiko will be leaving office, Ondo State debt would have risen to N200billion. With this, Mimiko will like to take the coming election so serious to ensure that his candidate emerged winner, in order to cover up his illegal deals.

    “The defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) was united prior to the 2012 election, but it nevertheless lost. Though some aspirants left the fold with their followers, the party remained united.

    “Now we are facing another battle. Our leaders believe that we will fail if we are not united in Ondo APC.

    “We must take over Ondo State; not for anything but for the sake of the unity and integration of the Southwest.

    “The truth of the matter is this, the era of oil boom is gone and it time for every geographical zones to seat down and do a research on how to develop their economy, so as to empower their citizens. Otherwise, there will be crisis in the land.

  • Work in unity, UI VC charges NASU exco

    Work in unity, UI VC charges NASU exco

    Acting Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ibadan, Prof. Emilolorun Aiyelari, has tasked the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institution (NASU) executive members to work in unity in order to actualise the goals of the union.

    Aiyelari spoke while declaring open the orientation seminar organised by NASU, Oyo State council for all elected branch officers in the state, which held at the institution.

    He said: “The executive members must speak with one voice otherwise, there will be cracks in the union. Openness, adequate and timely information on issues in administration are very vital for any union to succeed. You must also avoid rumour mongering.”

    Urging the branch officers to put the people’s interest above personal interests, the university don noted that labour unionism demands selfishness and personal sacrifice and not for personal aggrandisement.

    He said: “You must be ready to relegate your own personal agenda for the cause of the union. You have no business in unionism if you seek personal financial gains. Much is expected from you by the people who have voted you to serve them.”

    In his remarks, the Oyo State Chairman of NASU, Comrade Fatoki Cole, disclosed that the council has been inundated with series of challenges which include leadership deficiency, conflicts of interest within the executive committee, conflict of management between the branch union and management and communication gap.

    Cole stated that the seminar was organised to address the union’s challenges and to provide a platform for all the principal officers at the branch levels to rob minds.

  • Atiku: Dantoro was advocate of peace, unity

    Atiku: Dantoro was advocate of peace, unity

    Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar said the death of the Emir of Borgu, Alhaji Haliru Dantoro, has robbed Nigeria of a passionate advocate of peace, unity, religious tolerance and harmonious coexistence among the country’s complex ethnic diversities.

    Atiku, in a statement by his media office in Abuja over the weekend, noted that the late Dantoro was one of the greatest traditional rulers “one could ever encounter, and he always came across as a leader preoccupied with the peace, unity and progress of Nigeria.”

    According to the Turaki Adamawa, at whatever “age a man dies, what matters is not the length of years on the throne, or on earth, but the enviable legacy he had built for himself while he was privileged to serve his people.”

    He said throughout his life reign, the late emir had stayed out of controversy, adding that he only preoccupied himself with issues that promoted unity in the country, rather than divisiveness.

    The former vice president explained that the late Dantoro’s contributions to peace and unity were immeasurable.

    Nigeria would greatly miss such an “outstanding, decent and patriotic traditional ruler,” Atiku said.

    He extended his condolences to the family, the government and the people of Niger State over the death of the emir, praying to “Allah to grant the deceased an eternal bliss in paradise”

  • Group celebrates peace, unity

    Group celebrates peace, unity

    It was a gathering of kinsmen. Though scattered throughout the federation, they are kith and kin. Their gathering was a proof that wherever a people are scattered, they should identify with themselves once in a while. It was also evidence that distance is not a barrier to the unity of different tribes.

    The Bille people of in Degema Local Government Area of Rivers State demonstrated this much when they held their 3rd National Annual Peace Seminar/Public Enlightenment Campaign on the Need for Unity, Self Re-discovery, Peaceful Co-Existence and Solidarity among the JAMKAB Ethnic Group.”

    The event organised by the JAMKAB Peace and Empowerment Initiative was held at Iwo-Ama Town Hall in Bille Kingdom.

    The acronym JAMKAB reflects the initials of the tribes that sprang up from Bille which originated from Nigeria Bantu or Benue–Congo language.

    The tribes which are Jahr; Afizere; Mbula; Kantana; Kulun; Kwaita; Bille, Bambur; Bade; Tambo; Bakopi and Bwazza Mabilla are spread across 10 states of the federation namely Plateau; Bauchi; Gombe; Taraba; Yobe; Adamawa; Nasarawa; Kaduna and Rivers states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja.

    Welcoming participants at the seminar from these tribes spread in these states, the Secretary, Bille Kingdom Chiefs of Council, Chief Ibiba Kombonimi, said that “occasion such as this helps in no small measure to realise our communality, bridge the gap and thereby foster the unity, peace and stability that we sorely need in this country.”

    Kombonimi stressed the need for the people to forge unity because “in this era when a man without relations can be trampled upon without much ado, we are glad to know that we have our people out there and they are yearning to relate with us at all times.”

    He further said that “even though physical distance could be a veritable barrier to effective communication, it cannot discourage a mind assured of assistance in time of need,” adding that the presence of their kinsmen from other states is a sufficient assurance “that we are never alone anymore.”

    While reiterating that all Bille people come from the same source, Kombonimi also urged his people to always show keen interest and try and identify with one another whenever they come across one another, stressing that “our identification might save life, secure an opportunity or encourage a flagging effort to rise to a challenging moment; thus securing the needed peace, unity and solidarity in Nigeria.”

    During his speech, the originator of JAMKAB Peace and Empowerment Initiative, Comrade Butswat Kunwur explained the vision and mission of the organisation which he said was basically to improve the life of JAMKAB people by forging a common front.

    Kunwur also said his organisation would “unite the JAMKAB people for their socio-political and economic well-being within the context of the Nigerian society.

    “Based on this belief, we maintain that the crises in Nigeria are due to the inability of government to inculcate into its citizens a genuine sense of patriotism that pays unalloyed loyalty and allegiance to their fatherland.”

    The former Military Head of State, Yakubu Gowon, who was the chairman on the occasion stated that the unity of Nigeria is sacrosanct and that no group in the country should be regarded as minority.

    Gowon, who was represented by Alhaji Isa Hashimu Salami from Plateau State, noted that everybody is Nigerian and Nigeria is one.

    While thanking Bille people for their hospitality, he promised that they would all work together to create job opportunities for the people as well as empower them.

    In a 13-point communiqué issued at the end of the event, the people said they were happy to celebrate their discovered identity despite their expansive geographical spread, promising to continue their unifying annual cultural events.

    They also urged Nigerians to support and promote all programmes geared towards the promotion of peace and unity.

  • Govt calls for health team’s unity

    Govt calls for health team’s unity

    The Lagos State Government has called for the unity of all members of the health service team to achieve effective medicare delivery in the state.

    The Permanent Secretary Lagos State Health Services Commission (HSC) Dr. Jemilade Longe said this while declaring open the second National Conference of the Association of Medical Laboratory Technicians and Assistants of Nigeria (AMELTAN) and the National Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria (NLSCN) Workshop, which held at the Lagos State University College of Medicine (LASUCOM), Ikeja, Lagos.

    Describing medical laboratory technicians as the most underrated in the healthcare chain, Longe said the technicians being the first contact between a patient and the health team, must ensure they comply with basic universal safety precautions and work in unity with other members of the health team to get accurate diagnosis of any medical issues presented to them.

    He said though many in the sector have a wrong impression about the technicians, they (practitioners) are critical as they are the gateway to proper medical laboratory diagnosis.

    He charged the technicians not to be limited by their present calling but to aspire to be the best even in their calling through scholarship.

    Longe who admitted that the profession is fraught with risk, cautioned that the technicians must adhere strictly to basic universal safety precautions to protect their patients and not to be unduly exposed to infections through contacts with dangerous body fluids.

    He charged the laboratory technicians and assistants to think outside the box in riding the profession of quacks, who have found themselves providing illegal services at many hospitals across the country.

    NLSCN Registrar/Chief Executive Officer Prof Anthony Emeribe decried the influx of quacks, adding that about 150 per cent of laboratory technicians who have been trained by the council are still jobless because their places are being filled by people who have no business in medical laboratory services.

    To rid the industry of the menace, Emeribe said the council would be partnering with the Federal Ministry of Justice to intensify inspection of medical facilities across the country and arrest anyone suspected to be operating without the Council’s certification.

    “Six months ago, we arrested a suspect in Delta State and he had been sentenced to six months imprisonment by the courts. We are going to storm Abuja and all the 36 states of the country in our renewed commitment to rid the industry of quacks because the lives of Nigerians are in danger if those who are not qualified continue to issue medical results or open medical laboratory facilities as is being presently done,” Emeribe said.

    He said he was satisfied with the success recorded by the association, adding that technicians and assistants should continue to work together in the interest of the people who demand their services.

    Dr Oloruntoba Ekun of the Department of Laboratory Science, College of Medicine, University of Lagos in his keynote paper titled: Phlebotomy and its associated risk, said because these technicians carry out minor surgical operation procedure which deals with the withdrawal of blood or the introduction from a sample, they are open to several risks.

    Ekun, who was represented by Dr Oluyemi Akinloye said the technicians and assistants must be aware of the risks and mitigate them by putting in place quality assurance programme, ensure availability of medical laboratory consumables and the avoidance of used or contaminated samples.

    Liking laboratory technicians and assistants to a building foundation, Ekun said if the technicians get the diagnosis wrong, everything else would be wrong and the result might be fatal and irreversible.

  • Ambode praises Gowon, preaches peaceful coexistence, unity

    Ambode praises Gowon, preaches peaceful coexistence, unity

    Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, has urged Nigerians to continue to co-exist peacefully and work for unity of the country.

    He gave this admonition at the weekend during a courtesy visit at the Lagos House, Ikeja, by former Military Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon (rtd), and other executives members of Nigeria Prays.

    The governor praised Gowon for his relentless efforts in pursuing national peace and unity from the period he became Head of State till date.

    He said: “I can recall that at the end of the civil war in 1970, your good self declared that there was no victor and no vanquished and the main reason why you did that was because you wanted to create a platform for the future unity of Nigeria and that is why we are so glad to receive you here today. All these point to the fact that you have an unalloyed commitment to the unity of all Nigerians irrespective of where they come from and that is what we are very proud of in Lagos.”

    Ambode, who also recalled that it was the former military ruler that created Lagos, noted that it remains the only state where people have continued to live peacefully in spite of their tribal and religious differences.

    He added, “Lagos remains the only state that has not been divided ever since you (Gowon) created it since 1967. I remember also that the former Head of State was the person who created Unity Schools for the cohesion of Nigerians and to create future leaders of which I am a product.”

    While urging Lagosians to join the group in praying for the country, the governor noted that the success of the last general elections could not have been achieved without divine intervention.

    Earlier, the former Head of State said he and his team were in Lagos to pay homage to the governor, saying he has done some incredible work for the group. He also lauded the governor for accepting to host the prayer session for the South West zone.

  • Buhari’s wife tasks Nigerian women on unity

    Buhari’s wife tasks Nigerian women on unity

    •Okorocha seeks more roles for women

    The wife of the President, Hajiya Aisha Buhari, yesterday in Owerri, the Imo State capital, enjoined Nigerian women to be united for developmental goals.

    Aisha, who was represented at the grand finale of this year’s August Meeting at the Ojukwu Square by the wife of the Vice President, Mrs. Dolapo Osibanjo, harped on the need for the women to arise and speak with one strong and united voice.

    She noted that the greatest challenge facing the womenfolk is the inability to come and reason together to chart a common course for the emancipation of women.

    She, however, expressed optimism that with the gathering of women under the auspices of the August meeting, as observed in the state, “it will only be a matter of time for the women to take their rightful place in the country”.

    According to Dolapo, “Wife of the President asked me to tell you that she appreciates Imo women and to remind them of the theme of this years’ August meeting, ‘Dare to Dream’.

    She said that when you dream, Nigeria will never be the same again. If women arise, there would be unity in the country”.

    The President’s wife also encouraged the women to strive and bring up their children in the knowledge of unity and truth, adding that, “I tell you when you do that, Imo will be great again, Nigeria will be great again”.

    Earlier in her speech, the host and Imo State First Lady, Nneoma Rochas Okorocha , stated that women in the state are deeply rooted in the change propagated by the All Progressives’ Congress (APC).

    The state Governor, Rochas Okorocha, in his speech, urged highly placed Nigerians in authority to give women a chance to prove their worth in rendering assistance to leadership in the country.

    Dignitaries at the event include the first ladies of Edo, Nasarawa, Enugu, Zamfara, Ebonyi and Abia states.