Peace Initiative: German-based artist to train Kogi youths in various skills, vocations
By Isaac Aregbesola
Training
Abuja, Dec. 27, 2018 (NAN) A German-based Nigeria Artist, Chielo Ojirika, is to organise skills acquisition training for youths in Kogi State under the initiative: “ Finger Off the Trigger – Violence is Stoppable, Peace is Possible’’.
Ojirika, also known as `Chiboy the Black Courage’, disclosed this in a statement on Thursday in Abuja, saying that the training will be held for five days in Lokoja.
He said that it was part of the initiative’s ongoing nationwide security, peace and stability campaign ahead of the 2019 general elections.
“The general public needs to be enlightened, especially the youth, on peaceful and violence-free elections.
“Thus, the need for these basic skills that will positively engage them towards sustainable peace, growth and development.
“Especially as a stabilised Nigeria means a stabilised Africa and by extension, the world,” the artist said.
He said that the campaign was intended to benefit thousands of youths across the state.
According to him, the programme will feature professional facilitators cutting across security agencies and vocational trainers from within and outside the country.
“Participants will benefit from various skills acquisition and vocational training in selected areas including peace and conflict resolutions, website development, video and photography.
“Others are crime prevention and community security, music and film production, Plaster of Paris (POP) and screeding, graphic design, among others,” Ojirika said.
According to him, the campaign which is focused on security, peaceful focused coexistence, tolerance and patriotism also centres on attitudinal change, economic empowerment and good governance.
“It is being organised in collaboration with Salute Nigeria Initiative, Dream Projects, National Orientation Agency and the Nigeria Union of Journalists.
“Other collaborators are Voice of Nigeria and Innovative Edge Solutions with the support of the State House, Abuja,” the artist said.
He said that as part of efforts to ensure the success of the campaign in the state, “Finger off the Trigger’’ was also partnering the Nigeria Police Force.
Ojirika said that he led the team with the National Coordinator and Director of Programmes, Mr Ibrahim Ochigbo, and other team members to visit the Commissioner of Police, Kogi State Command, Mr Ali Janga.
The Commissioner of Police was quoted as having lauded the initiative in the statement, saying it is timely.
Janga said that the uniqueness of the programme would go a long way in complementing the efforts of the Nigerian Police to secure lives and properties.
The Commissioner said it would also help in the disarmament campaign of the Inspector General of Police, Mr Ibrahim Idris.
He assured the team that the Command would ensure the success of the programme in the state. (NAN)
IAA/COF/MST
Editing by Oluyinka Fadare/Muhammad Suleiman Tola
Ogun political parties chairmen disown IPAC chairman over Akinlade’s endorsement
Endorsement
Abeokuta, Dec. 27, 2018 (NAN) Dissatisfied with the purported endorsement of an Ogun governorship, a group under the aegis of Political Parties Chairmen Forum in Ogun has dissociated itself with it, calling it an act of political fraud.
The group said the purported adoption and endorsement of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) governorship candidate, Adekunle
Akinlade, by 60 party chairmen in the state was totally false.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Akinlade, who currently represents Ipokia area of Yewa in the House of Representatives, is
Gov. Ibikunle Amosun’s candidate.
He and his supporters defected from the All Progressives Congress (APC) in November for allegedly “denying” him the party’s ticket.
The group, an affiliate of the Inter Party Advisory Council (IPAC), said the pronouncement made by the Chairman of IPAC, Abayomi
Arabambi, “is not true”.
Addressing journalists in Abeokuta, the spokesperson for the group, Mr Olusegun Olufemi, said it rejected in totality the adoption of
any governorship candidate, describing the action as “a gross misconduct, abuse of office and actions inimical to the constitution of
IPAC by its executive members in Ogun State”.
According to him, IPAC by its rules and regulations, has no mandate to endorse or adopt any candidate and further described the
adoption of Akinlade as “fake and fraudulent”.
“We were not carried along about the adoption, Arabambi-led executive is like bread and butter, endorsing any political party; his
executive is a fake mask and it should be frowned at by the people.
“The IPAC’s chairman (Arabambi) has over stepped his bounds and we will not fold our arms and watch him disgrace other
members of IPAC,” he said.
Olufemi, who is the Ogun chairman and the governorship candidate of Better Nigerian Progressive Party (BNPP), noted that no fewer
than 38 political parties would vie for the governorship position in the state.
He added that IPAC’s main role was to ensure inter-party harmony and not endorsing any particular candidate, especially when
member-parties had their own governorship candidates.
Olufemi, in company of the state chairmen of Peoples Progressive Party (PPP), Mr Biola Lawal and the Freedom and Justice Party
(FJP)’s Mr Okuoye Taiwo, said the Forum, made up of 10 political parties, had written a petition to the National Chairman of
IPAC, Mr Peter Ameh, over the matter. (NAN)
Asaba 27, 2018 (NAN) A 32-year-old man, Mr Nnaemeka Alu, was on Thursday arraigned before an Asaba Magistrates’ Court for alleged defrauding one Mr Oscar Nze of N400,000.
The Prosecutor, Mrs Rachael Eze, told the court that the accused committed the offence on Nov. 6 at Plot 7, Ogwu Street, Asaba.
Eze said that the accused acted in pretence of installing aluminum frames and windows for the complainant but failed to do it
She said that the offence was punishable under Sections 419 of the Criminal Code Cap C21 Vol. 1, Laws of Delta State of Nigeria, 2006.
The accused however pleaded not guilty and was granted bail in the sum of N100,000 with a surety in like sum.
The Magistrate, Mrs Edith Anumodu, ordered that the surety must be residents in Asaba and be a relative of the accused.
She said that the surety who must own a landed property must also provide 2 passport photographs to the court.
She adjourned the case until Jan. 15, 2019 for definite hearing. (NAN)
EGI/BOLA/EMO
============
Edited by Bola Akingbehin/Ejike Obeta
NIMASA
By Uchenna Eletuo
Lagos, Dec. 27, 2018 (NAN) The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) says it will post 500 seafarer cadets to various vessels in 2019 for seatime training under the National Seafarers Development programme.
The Director-General of NIMASA, Dr Dakuku Peterside, made this known to newsmen on Thursday in Lagos.
The director-general, who did not disclose the countries or the ships in which the cadets would be trained, said that they would be sent out for the training in January.
“Next month, we are going to place as many as 500 of our cadets on various vessels to acquire seatime training.
“At the centre of a vessel are human beings who steer the vessel from one location to the other; without seafarers we cannot get it right in our industry.
“We are supporting the Maritime Academy of Nigeria, Oron, to grow the industry’s human capacity and to make it a world-class institution that will produce graduates who can compete in any part of the world,” he said.
He noted that 200 cadets were also given a seatime experience by NIMASA in 2018.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the 200 cadets were trained in Egypt, India and the United Kingdom.
Peterside also said that NIMASA would soon reach an agreement with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation and the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board to work out a five-year vessel demand forecast.
He said that the aim was to enable Nigerians to buy vessels and compete favourably with their foreign counterparts. (NAN)
EUC/JI/IGO
=========
Editing by Joseph Idika/Ijeoma Popoola
Dr Adesola Adeduntan, managing director, First Bank
News Analysis by Chinyere Joel-Nwokeoma, News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)
Lagos, Dec. 26, 2018 (NAN) Unarguably, women play an important role in the economic growth and development of any nation.
From retail business to entrepreneurship, women make significant contributions to financial transactions, as recently acknowledged in a World Bank study, which noted that women controlled over 20 trillion dollars transactions worldwide.
However, the study titled, “Unrealised Potential: The High Cost of Gender Inequality in Earnings,” revealed that several countries were losing 160 trillion dollars due to differences in lifetime earnings between women and men.
Ms Arunma Oteh, the bank’s Vice President and Treasurer, explained that the figure represented an average of 23,620 dollars lost per person in the 141 countries captured by the study due to inequality in earnings between women and men.
According to Oteh, the study revealed that globally women accounted for only 38 per cent of human capital wealth as against 62 per cent for men.
“In fact, in low- and lower-middle income countries, women account for a third or less of human capital wealth. The losses in wealth from inequality in earnings between men and women vary by region.
“The largest losses – each between 40 trillion dollars and 50 trillion dollars – are observed in East Asia and the Pacific, North America, and Europe and Central Asia,” she said.
Oteh noted that women were important for economic development and were the economic powerhouse for society today, hence the need for concerted efforts for women empowerment.
The shortfall in earnings between women and men, and the need to bridge the gap, is said to be a concern in many countries around the world, particularly as governments are also facing funding challenges.
In Nigeria, some financial institutions have risen to the occasion by proving financial products tailored toward empowering women, as a component of the general financial inclusion drive.
For instance, First Bank of Nigeria Limited, realising that women are the most dynamic and fastest growing economic force in the world, launched an initiative tagged FirstGem to provide financial solutions to women.
Dr Adesola Adeduntan, managing director of the bank, while marking the second anniversary of the scheme recently, said over N57.067 billion was given to 81, 687 individuals and businesses owned by women in Nigeria.
He said FirstGem was a product suite that cut across women of all generations irrespective of age, location and social status.
He explained that it was created with an understanding of the uniqueness of women and the need to bridge the identified gaps in their lives, both in corporate Nigeria and in the entrepreneurial space.
To him, the focus of the scheme is to harness and financially mobilise the growing percentage of women in the country by creating an attractive and convenient product that suits their business aspirations, lifestyles and expectations.
Adeduntan said FirstGem had provided opportunities for women to create a savings plan and culture that guarantees them financial freedom and safety for the future; enabling them to save towards specific targets.
“FirstGem was launched to drive financial inclusion and all-round development of women through gender-advancement programmes wrapped around savings culture, financial literacy, loan management and building Investment portfolio.
“FirstGem has created an avenue for women to have access to soft loans to support their aspirations and economic development in their different fields of endeavour.
“It has enhanced women’s lifestyle needs – FirstGem account holders enjoy tremendous discounts from retails stores and life-style improvement outfits in strategic partnership with FirstBank,” he said.
Adeduntan said the bank had continued to use the platform of FirstGem to organise and participate in many women empowerment programmes due to the impact of women’s contribution to economic development.
The managing director said the bank also created FirstGem Online Community, an online platform that provided information on a wide range of issues affecting women from lifestyle, politics, business ideas, skills acquisition, among others.
He said the online community also featured blogs and videos of high-profile women of influence, providing mentorship nuggets and answers to a variety of life, career and business/social issues as guides for women.
In all, he said the bank would continue to put its customers and stakeholders at the heart of its business with the introduction of products and services that would withstand the test of time.
“For over 124 years of our existence, we have focussed on providing excellent financial services to meet the needs of our esteemed customers.
“We continue to improve on our products and also create new ones that suit their specific financial needs.
“The reason why we have been successful is our ability to invent, reinvent and reinvent ourselves.
“You can only be successful like that when you put your customer at the centre piece of all your actions. That is the secret of our success,” said Adeduntan.
Access Bank similarly introduced the ‘W Initiative’ to empower and inspire women in business. The bank said empowering women was truly at the heart of its strategy.
Group Head, Product Sales of Access Bank, Mrs Ope Wemi-Jones, recently said the bank trained 75,000 women in 81 locations in 19 states on finance, education, SMEs, event planning among others.
She said the bank had continued in its commitment to help women overcome the cultural and financial barriers toward harnessing their potential both as women and business owners in Nigeria.
Also, Polaris Bank, formerly Skye Bank, as part of its commitment to empower retail business women in the country, launched Webnar 2.0 for Polaris Pearl subscribers.
Pearl Initiative is a-best-in-class programme which offers women real value-added beyond finance, taking into account the holistic needs and concerns of women in their quest to actualise their potential either as entrepreneurs, professionals or stay-at-home mums.
Such interventions have fueled the hope that, indeed, women, particularly Nigerian women, would in no time make significant contributions to the nation’s growth and restore it to the path of development. (NAN)
**If used, please credit the writer as well as News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)
NGO advocates stiff penalty for rapists
Penalty
By Tukur Muntari
Kano, Dec. 27, 2018 (NAN) Mr Sanusi Ali, Chairman, Steering Committee, Sexual Assault Referral Centre, Kano, has called for a stiff penalty for rapists in the country.
NAN reports that the centre was established in Murtala Mohammed Specialist Hospital by an US-based NGO, Path Finder to provide medical and surgical intervention to victims of sexual gender based violence in the state.
He made the call while addressing a news conference in Kano on Thursday as part of activities to commemorate this year’s International Day for the Elimination of Violence against women which held recently.
He said the call was necessary in view of the increasing number of rape cases especially in Kano and other states of the federation.
According to him, the centre had within the last two years recorded 1, 027 rape and other related cases in the state.
“The centre has from January 2017 to December 2017 received 400 cases while from January 2018 to date no fewer than 627 cases were recorded,” he said.
He attributed the increasing number of reported cases to massive sensitization campaign being carried out by the centre and other stakeholders.
“Even though the Kano State Government in 2014 amended section 283 of the penal code for the enforcement of 14 jail term for convicted rapists as part of effort to check the menace.
“But there is still need for stiffest penalty against rapists in the state in view of the alarming rate of the cases,” Ali said.
Ali, who is also the Director, Citizens Rights, said the centre would soon commence sensitisation visit to all the 44 local government areas and major market places across the state.
He said during the visit, the centre would seek audience with traditional rulers and religious leaders as they have significant roles to play in enlightening the people on the dangers of the illegal act.
“We have also made some recommendations to the state Attorney-General and Commissioner of Justice on how to ensure speedy trial of suspected rapists.
“We are also conducting sensitisation programme in schools in addition to working with other NGOs to ensure speedy trial of suspects at the court,”he added.
He said the centre had also secured the conviction of 175 rapists from January 2017 to December 2017 in the state. (NAN)
MTM/EAL
======
Edited by Ekemini Ladejobi
Lagos, Dec. 27, 2018 (NAN) Ahead of the 2019 International Handball Federation (IHF) Men’s Junior championships scheduled for July in Spain, Coach Fidelis Obi, has called on authorities to ensure early camping for the national team.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the U-20 national junior team picked the tournament ticket at the Nation’s Cup which served as qualifiers, held in Kigali and Morocco.
Obi who led the team to the victorious outing, told NAN that early camping had beome necessary for the coaching crew to sharpen the boys’ skills and do the needful.
“Our qualification for the tournament is one goal down, but a lot of work needs to be done to adequately prepare the team ahead because its a world class championships.
“What I am saying in essence is that there is the need for early camping of the national team to enable us have enough time to implement necessary build up programmes.
“The federation and sports authority must live up to expectations by providing the needed support that will help us to complete the victory we started at the Nation’s Cup,” he said.
He said the players were observing training in their various stations, but there was the need for them to come together early enough under the supervision of seasoned coaches in order to prepare as a team.
The coach added that the preparation would include friendly matches whereby the team would engage other nations as part of build up programmes, giving the coaching crew opportunity to access them.
“The boys are training day in day out and they even featured at the Prudent Energy League held in Abuja and Lagos but we must imbibe team spirit in them in the national camp.
“There will be a grade A friendly matche between our national team and other country’s national but most importantly with France to precede the competition coming up in July,” he added.
NAN reports that IHF Men’s Junior Championships is the official competition for men’s national handball teams of U-21 category, organised by IHF which takes place every two years. (NAN)
Activist wants implementation of judicial independence
Judiciary
By Sandra Umeh
Lagos, Dec. 27, 2018 (NAN) An activist, Mr Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, on Thursday underscored the need for the implementation of independence of the judiciary nationwide for an efficient justice delivery system.
“For the judiciary, 2019 should be a year of independence, when the courts will take a stand to defend democracy, the rule of law as well as human rights,’’ Adegboruwa told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.
He called on judicial officers to exhibit uprightness and diligence in the dispensation of justice, adding that the judiciary remained a last resort in the country’s democracy.
“As we approach the 2019 elections, the judiciary should stand tall to take its pride of place in the adjudication of disputes in a fair and unbiased manner.
“The judiciary should let its eyes of measurement remain closed to political and other subterranean and extraneous influences of all kinds and from all quarters,’’ the activist said.
He said that the nation and indeed the whole world, is looking up to the judiciary to set the pace for ethical standards in the conduct of free, fair and credible elections.
“The judiciary should take advantage of the newly enacted Act that has given it some measure of independence to control its own funds, and wean itself from the clutches and influences of the executive arm of government.
“Our courts have to embrace modern technology in the administration and dispensation of Justice.
“There should be no court room in Nigeria, in 2019, where proceedings are taken in long hand, where it will take days and months to get judgments of courts or its proceedings.
“There is an urgent need to follow the good example already set by the Chief Justice of Nigeria, to digitise our court systems.
“We hope to have less of court declared governors and legislators, when the courts will give the political parties the right to determine who should be their candidates in any election.
“We pray for a judiciary in 2019, where judges and judicial officers are better laid and taken care of, and in that wise, eliminate all forms of corrupt practices,” Adegboruwa said.
Adegboruwa also commended the judiciary for standing to uphold the rule of law in all cases in 2018, adding that he is optimistic that the upcoming year will also mark tremendous positive progress. (NAN)
UNS/AOM/EAL
==========
Edited by Abdullahi Mohammed/Ekemini Ladejobi
Lagos, Dec. 27, 2018(NAN) A 21-year-old man, Kamaru Kuye, who allegedly broke into a shop and stole goods valued at N220,800, on Thursday appeared in an Ebute Meta Chief Magistrates’ Court in Lagos.
Kuye of no fixed address is facing a two-count charge of burglary and stealing, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge.
The prosecutor, Insp. Oladele Adebayo, told the court that the accused committed the offence on Dec. 23, at 2.30 a.m., at No. 1, Kano St., Ebute Meta, Lagos.
Adebayo said the accused unlawfully entered the shop of the complainant, Mrs Risikat Salako, and stole one Samsung television, four crates of Trophy beer and a pack of five alive juice.
According to Adebayo, all valued at N220,800.
The offences contravened Sections 287 and 307 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State, 2015.
The Chief Magistrate, Mr O.O. Olatunji, granted the accused bail in the sum of N100, 000 with two sureties in like sum and adjourned until Jan. 30, for mention. (NAN)
Crime
By Aminu Ahmed Garko
Minna, Dec. 27, 2018 (NAN) The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Niger says the command recorded crime-free Christmas celebration due to the residents’ cooperation.
The NSCDC Commandant in Niger, Mr Philip Ayuba, also attributed the feat to the efforts of the command in promoting order.
Ayuba spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Minna on Thursday.
“We will continue to initiate various forms of security measures to sustain the peace.
“We have put in place sensitive security measures that will enable the residents to also observe New Year celebration in a peaceful atmosphere,’’ he said.
Ayuba called on members of the public to volunteer information on movement of suspicious characters.
“We need useful information on suspicious characters to enable us to come out with measures to apprehend them,’’ he said.
He thanked officers and men of the command for demonstrating professionalism. (NAN)
