The Nation Newspaper

Tag: visit

  • Aregbesola rounds off US visit

    Aregbesola rounds off US visit

    Investors of American origin and Nigerians in the Diaspora have signified their intentions to partner Osun State on information technology, youth development and tourism.

    This is the outcome of Governor Rauf Aregbesola’s one-week working visit to the United States, which would end today.

    At a dinner with Tim McNulty, the Vice-President, Government Relations of Carnegie Melon University, it was agreed that McNulty would visit Osun for an on-the-spot assessment with the intent to partner the state on information technology and set up a campus of the university in Osun.

    The Osun State government was praised for its innovations by officials of Allegheny County at The Courthouse, the county’s headquarters, where they explored areas of partnership and exchange with Aregbesola.

    The Chief Executive of Allegheny, Rich Fitzgerald, described the Opon Imo concept as an example of good governance.

    Fitzgerald pledged to buy the tablets for public schools in the county, adding that just as Osun seeks to learn from Allegheny, the county has a lot to learn from the state.

    Osun State partnered Allegheny County on culture, innovation, technology and youth empowerment.

    Allegheny is the biggest county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania with a population of 1.3 million. It is home to the popular Heinz brand and seven Fortune 500 companies with interest in steel and nutrition.

    Aregbesola, who later met with Bill Strickland of Manchester Bidwell Centre, a non-governmental organisation established in 1968 to combat the effect of economic and social devastation on youths of his inner city neighbourhood, expressed the desire to partner the centre in vocational development.

    The organisation has set up 100 centers in the US and another 100 in other parts of the world. Strickland engaged Aregbesola on the possibility of establishing a center in Osun.

    He is willing to work with the state to raise funds for feasibility study and to build the center. Strickland is expected in Osun soon.

    At a town hall meeting with African Americans hosted by the Christian Evangelical Economic Development (CEED) at its center, Aregbesola explained the policies of his administration and his achievements in two years.

    CEED Founder Mr. Ray Parker promised to coordinate the trip of African Americans, who will attend this year’s Osun Osogbo festival and a trade mission by small scale investors.

     

  • Fashola, Soyinka, Sunny Ade visit Alaafin

    Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola, Nobel laureate Prof. Wole Soyinka and juju maestro Sunday Adegeye (a.k.a. King Sunny Ade) at the weekend visited the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi 111, to commiserate with him on the fire that razed 21 rooms in his palace.

    Fashola, who presented a personal letter to the monarch, lamented the loss of artefacts in the fire.

    He said: “One can only imagine what a distressing experience the damage to the palace has been. The reality of lost documents and possessions, as well as treasured keepsakes collected over the years must be difficult to come to terms with.

    “We are, however, consoled not only because no life was lost, but also that out of the ashes of the palace, a more magnificent monument to the people of Oyo and Yoruba people in general will emerge.”

    Soyinka pledged to work with the Centre for Black Studies in Osogbo, the Osun State capital, to rebuild the palace, adding that such an historical monument should not be allowed to waste away.

    He said: “We are collaborating with the Centre for Black Studies in Osogbo to resurrect ‘Oba Koso’ as packaged by the late Duro Ladipo. The wife of the late Duro Ladipo is involved. Let us start from there. We are going to assist in the rebuilding of the burnt section. As far as I am concerned, all is not lost.”

    King Sunny Ade pledged to work with the committee that would rebuild the palace.

    He said: “We came to commiserate with your Majesty on the ugly incident that happened and I share your Majesty’s view that the burnt palace will be more beautiful after reconstruction. The fire is a concern to all Yoruba traditional rulers, princes and princesses.”

    Thanking them for their concern, Oba Adeyemi described his palace as the “State House of the Yoruba”.

    He said: “Oyo palace is like the State House to all Yorubas. It shows the building technology and architectural designs we have in Yorubaland with no specific design.

    “We have outer and inner corridors in the palace. When rain falls, it touches nobody in the inner corridors. In the history of the Oyo palace, no windstorm has ever ravaged the palace. Virtually all the buildings here were built with clay.

    “The major reason the fire was massive is that all the buildings are under one roof. No one is separated from the other.”

  • NUC team to visit Rivers varsity

    Another investigating panel of the National Universities Commission (NUC) is to visit the Rivers State University of Science and Technology (RSUST), Port Harcourt.

    This followed the deepening crisis over the re-appointment of Prof. Barineme Fakae, as the Vice-Chancellor.

    The setting up of another panel by the NUC followed the rejection of the report of the earlier panel, whose members were accused of taking sides.

    Members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) have been on strike since August 13 to protest Fakae’s reappointment.

    The discredited NUC team was in the university for two days, about a month ago.

    It was also learnt that the NUC team did not meet with the leadership of ASUU to ensure fairness and justice.

    The ASUU Chairman, Dr. Felix Igwe, said over 75 per cent of the lecturers were on strike.

    He insisted that due process must be followed in the appointment of a vice-chancellor.

    Igwe said RSUST was facing collapse in academic etiquette.

    The ASUU chair said instead of addressing the issues that led to the strike, the management was chasing shadows.

    He said the lecturers taught for five weeks before the strike commenced, but the students were forced to write second semester examinations with old question papers from September 17.

    Igwe noted that the NUC recommended that before examinations, the students must have been taught for 12 or 13 weeks.

    He said there had been no discussion whatsoever with the union on how to correct the anomaly, criminal abuse of due process and established procedure that led to the strike.

    The ASUU Chairman of RSUST added that Governor Rotimi Amaechi contravened the university’s law in the reappointment of Fakae and that the governor was inappropriately advised.

  • Boko Haram: Defence chief, IGP visit Borno, Yobe

    The Chief of Defence Staff, Admiral Ola Sa’ad Ibrahim yesterday urged Boko Haram members to sheathe their swords and channel the resources they are using for suicide bombing to useful ventures.

    Ibrahim spoke in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, during an assessment tour of the state.

    He said he made Maiduguri his first port of call after assuming office to get first-hand information on security situation.

    The Defence Chief explained that no religion approves the killing of one another.

    He wondered why a few segments of the society would want to force their opinions on others.

    Ibrahim urged members of the sect to form a political party instead of forcing their opinions on other people.

    The Defence Chief was accompanied by Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Mohammed Abubakar.

    He said the Federal Government would ensure that peace returns to the state.

    Ibrahim hailed the state government for supporting the Joint Task Force (JTF) to effectively discharge its duties.

    The Defence Chief praised the Kashim Shettima administration for engaging the youths in positive ventures to reduce insecurity in the state.

    IGP Abubakar said more troops and equipment would soon be deployed in the state.

    The police chief said he and Ibrahim were on an assessment visit to the troops deployed in the state.

    Shettima said the state was passing through a turbulent period.

    He added: “As a responsible and responsive government, we are determined to stop the problem.”

    The governor said his administration was focusing on education, agriculture and human development to engage the youths in positive ventures.

    Admiral Ibrahim yesterday said security operatives have kept Boko Haram insurgents on the run.

    The Defence Chief spoke in Damaturu, the Yobe State capital, when he IGP Abubakar visited the state for an assessment of the security situation.

    He said the military would keep the insurgents running until they leave the country.

    Ibrahim said: “It is self-evident that the war on terrorism is being won to a very large extent. Things have greatly improved. The terrorists are not comfortable as they were when they use to carry out attacks freely without any resistance.

    “We have kept the insurgents on the run. We will keep pursuing them to finish. We will continue to keep them running until are purged out of the country.”

  • Jonathan, children visit First Lady in Germany

    President Goodluck Jonathan was in Germany at the weekend to see First Lady Patience Jonathan

    The footage of the visit in which the President was in company with their two children, was aired last night on the Nigeria Television Authority (NTA) network news.

    In the footage, Mrs Jonathan was seen exchanging pleasantries with everyone including her husband and the children.

    She was dressed in long skirt and blouse sown with African fabric with a matching head tie. The President was dressed in his trademark Niger Delta attire.

    She was moving about greeting people while her husband sat. They were both laughing aloud. Their two children stayed close to her one – on the left and the other on her right.

    She was overheard saying in the background: “let me take pictures with my husband”.

    The footage did not however show whether they were in the hospital or elsewhere. But Presidential spokesman Reuben Abati who confirmed the President’s trip said the footage showed that much of what has been written on the First Lady’s health are incorrect.

    It was gathered that the President was accompanied on the trip by The Chaplain of Aso Vlla Chapel, Ven. Obioma Onwuzurumba. Nigeria’s Ambassador to Germany, Abdul Usman Abubakar was with them.

    The First Lady has been out of the country for about seven weeks. She was last seen in public on August 28.

    Abati sad the President returned to the country yesterday after the one-day visit.

    He said:”What that video has proved is that the President’s wife is hale and hearty and she is not in a bad shape like people will want Nigerians to believe.

    “The video has put paid to all the lies that people who play politics with almost everything have been spreading.

    “It was clear from that video that the scene was not an hospital scene.”

    The First Lady sudden disappearance from the Presidential Villa has set the tongues wagging. There have been intense speculations about her state of health. Some said she was rushed out as a result of food poisoning, others have said it was as a result of ruptured appendicitis among others.