Author: premier radio premier radio

NAN-H-25

Advice

By Abdulrahman Kadiri/StellaMaris Ashinze

Lagos, July 22, 2017 (NAN) An Islamic cleric, Prof. AbdulRaheem Lawal, has called on Muslims to be peaceful and law abiding, as they exercised their civic duty during the Saturday Local Government elections in Lagos.

Lawal, a former lecturer in the Department of Foreign Languages, Lagos State University (LASU), gave this advice in Lagos in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

“I will advise the Lagos electorate, especially Muslims, to consciously maintain peace and avoid violence, as they vote to elect their representatives at the Local Government level.

“Leadership entails serious sacrifice and service to the people and election of leaders should not degenerate into violence.

“I encourage our Muslim brothers and sisters to go out en masse to vote for the candidates of their choice.

“But they should not allow themselves to be drawn into violence for any reason,’’ he said.

Lawal advised the electorate to imbibe the habit of praying for their leaders at all levels.

“After the leaders emerge, we should endeavour to pray for their success because that will go a long way to engender progress and development in our societies’’.

He advised Muslims to desist from wishing leaders ill for any reason, adding that it was sinful to do so.

“The leaders, who emerge, irrespective of political or religious affiliation, should enjoy our support and encouragement.

“Leadership at all levels can only emerge through the help of Allah, and we should not join others to wish them ill,’’ he said.

He urged Nigerians to intensify prayers for the improved health and safe return of President Muhammadu Buhari.

At the Agbado-Oke-Odo Local Council Development Area (LCDA) of the state, NAN reports that there was a fair turnout of voters in some polling units while some others had a scanty turnout.

NAN observed that at the Kotangora polling zone 003, the turnout was encouraging, as residents queued to vote at about 11.00 a.m.

Mr Ishola Omobolaji, an ad hoc staff of the Lagos State Electoral Independent Commission (LASEIC), said that the voting process was orderly and that accreditation and voting were going on simultaneously.

At the polling zone 007 Agbado-Oke-Odo, the ad-hoc staff, Mr Obafemi Ibrahim, said that the process was peaceful and orderly.

Ibrahim said that the voters had been around since 6.30 a.m. but had to go home due to the late arrival of materials and they were expected to come back.

Some residents told NAN that they came out to vote in the interest of the development of their communities.

Mrs Toyin Adesola, a resident, said she was participating in the voting process for development and for the future of her children.

Mrs Akin Ajayi, the Council Manager of Agbado-Oke-Odo LCDA, said that there were 149 polling booths, seven wards in the LCDA and that “so far, all is well’’. (NAN)
KAE/SKA/AIB/YEMI

Edited by Abdulfatah Babatunde/Yemi Idris-Aduloju

NAN-H-17

Turnout

By Yunus Yusuf/Aderonke Lawal

Epe (Lagos State), July 22, 2017 (NAN) Early morning rain on Saturday prevented many voters from coming out to vote in the Lagos council polls in Eredo and Ikotun/Igando Local Council Development Areas.

Correspondents of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), who monitored the election, report that there was a low turnout of voters at some polling units.

NAN also observed that there was no presence of security personnel at Ward A Units 2, 7, 8, 10, 16, 18 and 19 in Ilara community as at 9.30 a.m.

However, security men mounted a barricade at the main junction as the Police engaged in stop and search.

An electoral officer in the area attributed the low turnout to the rain, adding that voters may still come out as soon as the rain subsided.

At Ward 037 in Ikotun/Igando LCDA, a few voters, majority of them old people, were at many of the polling units.

Mrs Yemisi Dosunmu, a 57-year- old caterer, told NAN that the apathy by youths was not good for our democracy.

She said it was important for the younger generation to understand the importance of voting.

“I came all the way from Egbe to vote here because this is where I registered when I was living here.

“That is to show you how important this election is to me; our voting age children (youths)  need to understand that they
have the power to elect leaders of their choice.

“As citizens, it is an obligation and our vote is the only power we have against bad governance, the power lies with us; we need to educate our youths,’’ she said.

Also, a 43-year-old engineer, Dauda Ojo, told NAN that the poor turnout showed that people lacked the understanding of their
voting power.

“Since I started voting, this turnout is one of the poorest, we cannot achieve much if we keep showing apathy towards the
election of office holders,’’ he said.

NAN also reports that some food vendors at Eredo LCDA took advantage of their proximity to the polling units to
make brisk business.

Meanwhile, Mr Olusoda Adedeji, the Electoral Officer, Eredo LCDA, has assured that the outcome of the election would be
credible in spite of the initial low turnout of voters due to the rainfall.

Adedeji said adequate security and logistics had been put in place in the five wards and 85 units in the area to ensure a hitch-free election with more than 185 personnel deployed for the exercise. (NAN)

YO/OAF/AIB/DA
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(Edited by Abdulfatah Babatunde/Dele Akinsola)

NAN-H-4

Abuse

By Rukayat Adeyemi

Lagos, July 22, 2017 (NAN) Mrs Florence Ubajekwe, Coordinator, Children and Women Against Child Sexual Abuse Initiative (CHWACSAI), an NGO, on Friday urged parents and guardians to expose perpetrators of child sexual abuse to curb the menace.

Ubajekwe, also a presenter and producer of Children Jolly Time on Radio 103.5 FM, Radio Nigeria, gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.

She said exposing the perpetrators of such evil act, to bring them to book, was the best measure to reduce the increasing rate of child sexual abuse.

According to her, one in every four children is sexually abused before attaining 18 years of age.

“About 90 per cent of children are sexually abused by people they know, including immediate family members.

“Child sex abuse is not limited to sexual intercourse; it also includes oral sex, genital contact and masturbation,’’ she said.

Ubajekwe said that in most of the sexual abuse cases, the children affected always tell the truth.

She, therefore, asked parents and guidance not to doubt their children and wards on an excuse of being under age.

The  coordinator said it was unfortunate that fewer than five per cent of children who had been sexually abused actually reported it while fewer than five per cent of perpetrators were arrested.

Ubajekwe said that members of the community who refused to report cases of child abuse to the appropriate authorities for prompt action were only aiding perpetrators of the evil act.

According to her, perpetrators of child abuse and their likes must be exposed or stigmatised, to serve as deterrent to others.

“We must all join hands to help the victims of sexual abuse by expose the perpetrators and ensure that they face prosecution.

“The increasing rate of the menace in Nigeria led to the establishment of CHWACSAI, a non-profit organisation in 2015.

“The vision of the organisation is to sensitise children, parents and increase awareness to reduce or prevent child sexual abuse.”

Ubajekwe said CHWACSAI had been organising workshops, seminars, rallies and campaigns with publications in English and local languages, in schools, to sensitise the children on the danger of early sexual intercourse.

“Child sexual abuse has become rampant in our society today and the victim of the abuse could either be boy or girl child.

“This is because there is the low level of awareness about the many dangers of this act.

“It is bad that many young people are not sensitised early enough about the dangers of such act like sexually transmitted diseases (STD’s), HIV/AIDS, indulging in drugs abuse and waywardness, among others.’’

She said that was the reason why the NGO had been going round primary and secondary schools, organising campaign and seminar tagged “Speak Out Against Child Sexual Abuse’’.

The coordinator said early awareness about child sexual abuse in primary and secondary schools would help young people to make an informed decision and protect their future by staying away from sex. (NAN)

RUKY/AIB/DUA

Edited by Abdulfatah Babatunde/Dada Ahmed

NAN-H-72
Babies
By Rukayat Adeyemi
Lagos, July 19, 2017 (NAN) An Obstetrician and Gynaecologist, Prof. Adekunle Sobande, on Wednesday advised medical practitioners to focus more on safe vaginal deliveries rather than Caesarean Section (CS).

Sobande of the Faculty of Clinical Science, Lagos State University College of Medicine (LASUCOM), Ikeja, gave the advice in a lecture at the college auditorium in Lagos.

The obstetrician and gynaecologist, who recently retired from the college, said that safe vaginal deliveries would help to reduce Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) in the country.

The lecture was entitled: “That They May Bring Forth Safely Through the Natural Route: The Push and Pull Route.’’

The World Health Organisation (WHO) defines Maternal Mortality as “the death of a woman, while pregnant or within 42 days of termination of pregnancy.

“This is irrespective of the duration and site of the pregnancy, from any cause related to or aggravated by the pregnancy or its management, but not from accidental or incidental causes.”

Sobande said that obstetricians, especially in the developing world, had expressed concern on the numbers of women who died avoidable death during pregnancy and childbirth.

According to him, the aim of CS, performed on a dying pregnant woman, is being defeated by ‘social reason’.

He said that CS was meant to save the baby or as a post-mortem for separate burial.

Sobande said that social reasons such as wanting a baby to be born on a particular date to mark an anniversary or memorable event had slowly crept into the list of reasons for CS.

He said that some women also prefer “elective CS’’ because they feel they could not cope with labour pains, even when given pain relief.

“Others want to avoid complication of vaginal delivery, which usually occurs with unsupervised vaginal delivery or untrained attendant.

“Inability to control passage of urine and faeces, sexual dysfunction and uterovaginal prolapse, are other reasons why some people prefer CS.

“WHO in 2014 recommended 10 to 15 per cent as the upper limit at the population level; we have since progressed from not doing enough to doing too many.

“A group of experts brought together by WHO in 1985 concluded that there is no justification for any region to have a CS rate higher than 10 to 15 per cent,’’ Sobande said.

The obstetrician said that Nigeria recorded very wide variation in the rates of CS in institution survey, varying from 5.39 per cent in Calabar to 44 per cent in Lagos.

“Unfortunately, the upward general trend of CS is going on unabated,’’ he said.

Sobande said that while it was possible to perform a CS in 15 minutes to avoid possible complications, “we tend to forget its immediate and future complications’’.  (NAN)
RUKY/AIB/GOK
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Edited by Abdulfatah Babatunde/Olagoke Olatoye

NAN-H-73

Tradition

By Rukayat Adeyemi

Lagos, July 13, 2017 (NAN) Prince Olanrewaju Fagbohun, the Vice Chancellor, Lagos State University (LASU), on Thursday made a grand entry into the Akesan Palace, three months after his father became king.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Oba Gbadewolu Fagbohun, father of the VC, was crowned as the Alakesan of Akesanland in Alimosho Local Government Area of the state on April 22.

In line with the tradition of the town, the VC, being the Aremo (first son) to the king, did not attend the coronation.

He was also not expected to see his father or enter the town until three months after the coronation.

A grand entry was organised by the Kingdom to welcome the Prince to the land and reunite him with his father, ahead of traditional rites to be performed for him (the Aremo).

Speaking while receiving his son, Oba Fagbohun said the event was significant and historic in the annals of Akesanland.

The royal father remarked that during the three months of the Aremo in “exile’’, he and every other member of the family, were paying for his safe return.

According to him, there have been incidents, in the past, of evil befalling some princes, who eventually are unable to return to the palace.

He said it was not easy for him not to see his son for three months but tradition must be adhered to.

“But in my own case, here is my son, the Prince is back to the palace, hale and hearty.

“Two weeks to his return, we all became over-anxious and I intensified prayers for his safe return,’’ the royal father said.

In his own brief remarks, Prince Fagbohun expressed happiness for arriving into the warm embrace of his father.

“I appreciate everyone for their prayers for this successful return to the palace,’’ the VC said.

He also thanked the friends, associates and the people of Akesan for their moral, financial and spiritual support.

NAN reports that in commemorating the event, different traditional rites were performed on the prince.

Prayer was also offered by the king, chiefs and several religious groups.

The best of traditional displays by the ‘Egun’ and ‘Zamgbeto’ masqueraders, among others, were showcased. (NAN)

RUKY/AIB/SOA

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Edited by Abdulfatah Babatunde/Oluwole Sogunle

NAN-H-5

TETFUND

By Stellamaris Ashinze

Lagos, July 13, 2017 (NAN) Dr Abdullahi Baffa, the Executive Secretary, Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND) has advised tertiary institutions to ensure proper utilisation of research grants from the Fund.

Baffa made the call on Thursday during the inauguration of some TETFUND projects at the Yaba College of Technology, Lagos.

He noted that proper utilisation of the TETFUND research grants would improve the quality of higher education and enhance the training of students in entrepreneurship in the country.

The executive secretary explained that a key mandate of the agency was to support higher institutions by funding essential infrastructure and research.

He suggested that institutions should focus more on research that has to do with equipment fabrication.

“Since many of our institutions have the right students and competent scholars, with this fund coming from the TETFUND, we should intensify on fabrication,’’ Baffa said.

The executive secretary complained that some institutions were not taking advantage of the Fund to develop their facilities.

According to him, there are academic research intervention and academic management intervention, which the TETFUND provides on regular basis.

“We will like to see institutions applying grants they receive on the specific project such funding is granted,’’ he said and commended YABATECH for doing that.

The executive secretary frowned at situations in which universities only display equipment they fabricate instead of putting the products to effective use.

“Many of the equipment in our factories can be fabricated in our institutions which can save the nation foreign exchange being used to import such equipment.

“We should be able to think further on how we can mass produce equipment we fabricate.

“Some of these fabrication are original and unique because they cannot be seen anywhere in the world.

“We should be able to research further and see how we can introduce innovations into our equipment fabrication.’’

Also speaking at the occasion, the Rector of the institution, Dr Margret Ladipo, pleaded for more assistance towards development of the college, especially its Epe campus.

According to her, grant is needed to enable YABATECH increase its carrying capacity and boost student’s admission.

Ladipo also lamented on the issue of flooding in the institution due to the low topography of the college terrain, which made it vulnerable to flooding.

She said flooding had damaged the college serenity and disrupted the community and academic activities.

“We shall greatly appreciate the intervention fund to assist us in solving this problem,’’ she said. (NAN)
SKA/AIB/MZA

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Edited by Abdulfatah Babatunde/Maharazu Ahmed

NAN-H-41

Employment

By Rukayat Adeyemi

Lagos, July 12, 2017 (NAN) Lagos State University (LASU) has employed more than 80 students to work in its library on part-time basis.

The University Librarian, Dr Oduwole Adebanbo, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Lagos that the initiative was a work-study project aimed at empowering the students.

Adebanbo said it was also geared towards developing the students’ employability skill.

“Management of this university is committed to developing the employability skills and work experience of our students.

“We also want them to earn substantial money while they school here.

“The project is just one of many the university management is working on,’’ he said.

According to him, any of the students, who performs well, will be retained by the university.

Adebanbo advised the students to be at their best in terms of dressing, dedication and maturity.

“Keep doing your level best; we will retain the outstanding and exceptional ones among you.’’

The President of LASU Students Union (LASUSU), Kappo Samuel, described the initiative as laudable, saying that it was fallout of existing cooperation between the university management and the union.

Samuel said the 80 students were shortlisted out of hundreds of applicants and the selection process was transparent.

“The work-study project is a synergy programme between LASUSU and the management of the institution.

“It will employ over 500 students at its peak as the process for other similar opportunities will soon be announced.

“Students interested in the library work were asked to submit application; they were interviewed.

“The criterion use in selecting the best employees included good composition, grammatical structure and handwriting,’’ Samuel said.

According to him, the beneficiaries had a four-day intensive training and had started work on July 8.

He said the students would get stipends ranging from N10, 000 monthly.

Samuel said the students would work only on weekends so that the project would not affect their academic activities.

Their schedule of duty includes retrieving books with cards and sorting retrieved books back to shelves, amongst other duties. (NAN)

RUKY/AIB/TA

Edited by Abdulfatah Babatunde/Tajudeen Atitebi

NAN-H-29

Centres

By Chinyere Nwachukwu

Lagos, July 10, 2017 (NAN) Prof. Abdalla Adamu, Vice Chancellor, National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), says his administration will continue to establish more study centres nationwide to satisfy the educational needs of the people.

The institution’s South-south Regional Media Officer, Mr Joel Nkata, in a statement on Monday in Lagos, quoted the Vice-chancellor as making the pledge during the fundraising/foundation laying of the permanent site of the Emevor Study Centre of the University in Delta.

Adamu noted that more Nigerians were embracing the Open and Distant Learning (ODL) mode of education because of the proximity of the centres, affordability and stress-free system of teaching and learning.

“With NOUN, there is nothing like missed chances.

“Any time one feels like returning to school, even while working, the opportunity is still there,’’ Adamu was quoted as saying.

The VC explained that Delta is special to the NOUN because the state has the highest number of students in the university.

He said at the occasion that the National Assembly had passed the amended Act of Parliament that established the university by removing the clause that precludes NOUN graduates from the Nigerian Law School and the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) programmes.

In a related development, the VC also inaugurated the administrative block and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) centre of the Owohrede Community Study Centre of NOUN, also in Delta.

Adamu called on the people of the Owohrede community to ‘own’ the study centre and nurture it for the development of the people.

He pledged the continued support of NOUN management toward actualising the mandate of the university in the community.

“It is the policy of the university to draw all junior cadre personnel among indigenes of the host community with automatic employment,’’ Adamu was quoted as saying.

The statement quoted Gov. Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta as commending the VC and his management team for promoting education in the country

Okowa pledged his administration’s commitment to sustaining and taking the study centre to an enviable height. (NAN)

CCN/AIB/SOA

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Edited by Abdulfatah Babatunde/Oluwole Sogunle

NAN-H-26
Training
By Abdulfatah Babatunde
Lagos, July 9, 2017 (NAN) No fewer than 18, 648 cocoa farmers in Ondo State have received Farmer Business School (FBS) training, with support from the German Development Cooperation-Sustainable Smallholder Agribusiness (GIZ-SSAB) programme.

The Media Consultant to the GIZ-SSAB, Mr Adhuze Robo made this known in a state made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Lagos.

Robo said that after the completion of the training, the farmers formed the Cooperative Multipurpose Union, with a view to putting their acquired skills into use to enhance the cocoa business.

According to him, the cooperative union was inaugurated on Thursday in Akure, by Gov. Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State.

Akeredolu, who was represented by his deputy, Mr Agboola Ajayi, applauded the initiative of the farmers, who formed the cooperative union to support themselves and expand their bargaining power.

He said the cooperative platform would enable the farmers to become self-sustaining financially, as producer groups and become less dependent on government.

Robo said the governor announced a grant of N25.75 million for the expansion of the Farmer Business School programme across the state.

He noted that this was in fulfilment of the state’s pledge to “work with genuine stakeholders in the development of the State’’.

The consultant also said that the GIZ-SSAB’s Country Director, Dr Thomas Kirsch also attended the inauguration.

Kirsch said the six-month training at the FBS was a partnership arrangement between GIZ-SSAB and the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in 2010.

The country director said that the partnership had so far brought business skills training to 89,040 cocoa farmers in Abia, Cross River, Edo, Ekiti, Ondo and Osun States.

“Across Ondo State, 18,648 cocoa farmers, made up of 7,449 women and 11,199 men in 648 groups across 10 local government areas received the training at the FBS in Akure.

“At the inauguration of the Ondo State FBS Farmers’ Cooperative Multipurpose Union in Akure, Dr Thomas Kirsch noted that establishment of the FBS was a partnership arrangement between GIZ-SSAB and the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

“The school, established in the six cocoa producing states in 2010, has brought business skills training to 89,040 cocoa farmers in Abia, Cross River, Edo, Ekiti, Ondo and Osun States,’’ the media consultant told NAN.

He said the core curriculum covered business skills, good agricultural practice and cooperative skills.

According to him, Kirsch remarked that “the FBS has succeeded in changing the orientation of the cocoa farmers, who now see farming as a business enterprise that needs to be well planned.

“By so doing they stand to reap the highest returns from the enterprise.

“The farmers have also recorded increase in income, production, yield and group sales as well as buying of farm inputs,’’ he said.

The GIZ country director was further quoted as saying that “farmers have realised the inherent benefits of coming together as a group under a multipurpose cooperative union.

Robo said the cooperative union was expected to act as a formidable and strong producer organisation, which can provide business services for farmer members.

It would also engage in strategic and financial management practices for the benefit of the members.

“The apex body of the forum of FBS Farmer Focal Persons is one of the most important ways of institutionalising the FBS approach.

“This is to ensure sustainability and continuity, even after the GIZ-SSAB funding ends.

“The apex body for Ondo State, registered as ‘The Ondo State FBS Farmers’ Cooperative Multipurpose Union Ltd’ was inaugurated last week in Akure.’’

He said a similar cooperative union would also be formed in the five cocoa producing states of the South Western part of Nigeria very soon.

The consultant also quoted the Chairman of the cooperative union, Chief Ebenezer Adenisimi, as urging farmers to adopt the business skills learnt in their farming practices.

These, he noted, include record keeping of inputs and outputs, savings in the bank, group purchase of farm inputs in large-scale and group sales of farm produce to off-takers.

Other skills learnt were diversification of production to generate additional income, organising and registering of groups as cooperative societies.

They were also taught on how to access financial services from banks, keeping of farm records and putting to use good agricultural practices among others. (NAN)
AIB/ERO/AFA
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Edited by Emmanuel Okara/Felix Ajide

NAN-H-101

Research

By Stellamaris Ashinze

Lagos, July 4, 2017 (NAN) The Secretary to the Lagos State Government (SSG), Mr Tunji Bello, has urged the Lagos State University (LASU), to come up with research efforts that would  boost the socio-economic activities of the state.

Bello gave the advice while delivering a lecture at the 4^th Annual distinguished lecture and award organised, by the Association of Nigeria University Professional Administrators (ANUPA), LASU branch on Tuesday in Lagos.

The lecture is tagged “LASU Administration: The Challenges of town and gown partnership in Lagos’’.

Bello said that LASU as a academic community, should lead research on the natural endowment of the land in the state and how it could be beneficial to the people.

According to him, Lagos State is naturally endowed with aquatic lives and coconut, ‘’so, research should be carried out on their sustainable economic uses.’’

“The university community should facilitate the process, act as the bridge builder and be the purveyor in fast tracking the research efforts,’’ Bello said.

The SSG further said the programme of the university should be tailored toward the societal and entrepreneurial needs and development of the state.

“It is not compulsory for us to follow Universities of Lagos, Benin, Ibadan, Jos or Maiduguri, but we should be able to think outside the box and address our socio-economic problems.

“We must begin to channel our energies in a direction that would effectively tackle our societal problems at large.

“This will surely restore the significance of gown as a credible symbol of intellectual attainment.’’

Bello noted that the task ahead of the state was far more critical than the path already transversed.

He, therefore, called on the institution to prepare to tackle the challenge.

“You should prepare to unleash the potential of this great megacity as a catalyst of rapid transformation in Nigeria.’’ (NAN)
SKA/AIB/DUA
Edited by Abdulfatah Babatunde/Dada Ahmed