The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Vice President of Nigeria

  • Osinbajo launches school feeding programme in Edo

    …as FG feeds 9.3 million children

     

    Vice President of Nigeria, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, has launched the National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme (NHGSFP) in Edo State, to provide free meals for children in public schools in the state.

    During the launch of the programme at Eyaen Primary School in Uhunmwode Local Government Area of the state, Osinbajo said the NHGSFP feeds 9.3 million children in 49,937 public primary schools in 27 states, including Edo State.

    Earlier, Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, who received Prof. Osinbajo at Western Boys High School in Benin City, thanked the Vice President for the visit, and commended him for the Social Investment Programme, which has added value to the lives of Nigerians.

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    In his speech, Osinbajo noted that the programme employs 94,422 cooks while over 100,000 small-holder farmers are linked to the programme.

    The Vice President said in feeding the children across the country, 594 cows are slaughtered, 138,000 chickens killed, and 83 million tonnes of fish used in preparing the meals.

    He said the NHGSFP is part of the Federal Government’s Social Investment Programme which is one of the largest safety net programmes in Nigeria.

    According to him, “N-Power employs over 500,000 graduates and 200,000 non-graduates across the nation. Two million people benefit from our Micro Credit Scheme which includes Trader-moni and Market-moni. This will be expanded to the next level to enable more Nigerians benefit from it.  We will be able to reach five to 10 million Nigerians.”

    The Vice President said the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration has been able to achieve these because it has fought corruption to secure the country’s resources and develop the nation.

    Speaking on the impact of the Social Investment Programme, Obaseki said the programme has provided an opportunity for vulnerable families to feed and send their children to school.

    He explained that the NHGSFP would be linked to the Edo Basic Education Sector Transformation programme to bring out the best in school children, and thanked President Muhammadu Buhari and Prof Yemi Osinbajo for the initiative to feed children in schools.

    “This is a new dawn in Edo State that is ensuring that our children in schools across the state are not malnourished,” he added.

    The focal person of N-Power in Edo State, Ms. Osayuwamen Aladeshelu, said the NHGSFP has benefited thousands of Nigerians, who now include people in Edo State.

    “The programme is targeted at making children healthy. We are starting from Uhunmwode and Orhionmwon local government areas before spreading to other areas in the state.”

  • Preparation in top gear as VP Osinbajo visits Edo

    …To kick-start Tech Hub, 1800 housing Estate, others

     

    Contractors handling the construction of the Benin Technology Hub and the preliminary work at the site of the 1800 housing-unit Emotan Estate are working round the clock to deliver the projects on schedule, preparatory to the visit of Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo to Edo State.

    The Vice President’s June 14th visit will see him commission the first Benin Innovation Hub, that will host over 25 Information and Communication Technology (ICT) companies for training of both young and old Edo people and residents on various ICT-based skills.

    During an unscheduled visit to the remodeling work at the Institute of Continuing Education (ICE), in Benin City, which is being converted to the tech hub, Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, said he was pleased with the pace of work at the site.

    “The facility will be commissioned by the Vice President of Nigeria, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, and over 25 companies will use this innovation hub for different forms of training and certification,” the governor said.

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    He disclosed that his administration has received solicitation from major global technology companies that have indicated interest in the innovation hub.

    Prof. Osinbajo will also perform the groundbreaking ceremony to kick-off the construction of 1800 housing-unit Emotan Estate, a joint venture project of the Edo State government and MIXTA Africa, located in Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area.

    The project according to Governor Obaseki, was conceived to boost the state’s housing stock and assured that on completion, the houses will be affordable.

    Also on the itinerary of the Vice President is a facility visit to the 450 Mega Watts Edo-Azura Power project in the state, a project that has received positive reviews by the World Bank and its development partners as well as international and local actors in the power sector.

    The Social Investment Programme (SIP) of the federal government will receive a boost during Prof. Osinbajo’s visit as the vice president would hold a town hall meeting with beneficiaries. He is also expected to host the South-South tech community, where five start-ups will be picked after they pitch their ideas to a team of investors.

    He will also meet with the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) community in the state, as part of federal government’s efforts at deepening the sector to boost economic growth.

  • 2019: Women seek Vice President’s seat

    Some Nigerian Women on Friday pushed for the seat of Vice President of Nigeria to be reserved for women in subsequent elections in the country.

    Women, under the platform of the Nigerian Female Parliamentarians made the demand when they paid a courtesy call on President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    Speaking on behalf of the delegation, which comprises of elected lawmakers from the nation’s 36 states, Elizabeth Ativie said Nigerian Women are being marginalized by their male counterparts.

    She said the country only had one principal officer in each of the two chambers of the National Assembly since the return to democracy in 1999.

    She also said that as the President, anything he said at the gathering “will become policy and subsequently law”.

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    She said “Whenever the president is a man, the Vice President should be a woman”.

    Mrs. Ativie also said for every three senatorial seats in the states, one should be a woman.

    She said “Where there are nine House of Reps members, the men should take six and leave three for women”.

    Responding, President Buhari jokingly said “it is a pity that the Vice President is not here, but I am sure the Secretary to the Government of the Federation will brief him that his position is threatened “.

    He however appreciated the support given to him by women generally in the four times he ran for president.

    He recalled reports he received during elections in which women in labour queue to vote for him.

    He asked the delegation to take a message to their colleagues to extend the same support since he has declared to seek for second term.

    On their request, the president simply told the gathering that he is not “as powerful as you think”.

    He said such requests could only be made by a military head of state, but, he has today dropped the uniform for “agbada”.

     

     

  • Man docked over alleged impersonation of Vice President

    Man docked over alleged impersonation of Vice President

    A 44-year-old man, Eseosasere Gift Osifo, on Thursday appeared before an Osogbo Magistrates’ Court over alleged impersonation and fraud.

    Osifo was in court for creating a Facebook account using details of Prof Yemi Osunbajo, Vice President of Nigeria, to defraud unsuspected victims.

    The Prosecutor, Mr Onoche Ekwom, Principal Legal Officer, Department of State Services (DSS), told the court that the accused committed the offence between January and August before he was arrested and brought to the court.

    Ekwon said the accused used the account to extort money from unsuspected victims on several occasions before he fell prey to the last victim which led to his arrest.

    He said the offence contravened Sections 484 and 422 of the Criminal Code, Cap 34, Vol. 11, Laws of Osun, 2002.

    The accused pleaded not guilty to the two-count charge of impersonation and fraud.

    Counsel to the accused, Mr Peter Ofoyeju, prayed the Magistrate to grant his client bail in the most liberal terms.

    The Magistrate, Mrs Sodamade Fatimoh, granted the accused person bail in the sum N500,000 and two sureties in the like sum.

    Fatimoh said the sureties must reside within the court jurisdiction and must have evidence of tax payment and two passport sized photographs attached with an affidavit of means.

    She said one of the sureties must be a civil servant on Grade level 12 and the other a closed relations to the accused.

    The case was adjourned the case to Nov.21 for hearing.