Blog

NAN-DS-9

Determination

Katsina, Oct. 24, 2016 (NAN) President Muhammadu Bauhari says the Federal Government will do everything possible to safeguard lives and property of Nigerians for the development of the nation.

Buhari stated this at the opening of the Nigerian Air Force Games 2016 in Katsina on Monday.

Mansur Dan-Ali, the Minister of Defence, represented Buhari at the games which has “Sports as a vital tool for professionalism in Nigeria Air Force’’, as theme.

“As a government that is responsible for the wellbeing of its citizens, the Federal Government will not relent in its efforts to secure a better Nigeria for our children.

“We will continue to intensify our fight against security threats to ensure a free, safe and egalitarian Nigeria’’, Buahri said.

The president stressed the need for the military to be more physically, mentally and emotionally fit, to be able to cope with enormous demands, challenges and aspirations of the country.

He said the event was timely adding that it would enhance professionalism of the military for effective service delivery.

“For fighting force like the Nigerian Air Force, the essence of physically fit personnel underscores the need to always engage in sporting activities’’, he said.

He assured that the government would continue to accord top priority to the welfare of the military to achieve the desired goal.

Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshall Sadiq Abubakar, said the Nigerian Air Force will continue to maintain high level of professionalism to enable it address the current security challenges.

He said the sporting activities would assist to make air force personnel to be in good health, mentally and physically fit to be able to prepare for the task ahead.

Abubakar said they were geared toward achieving fitness and good health of the Air Force men. (NAN)

ZI/DUA/IEA
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Edited by Dada Ahmed
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NAN-H-78

Separation

By Funmi Adeyemi/ Uche Bibilari

Abuja, Oct. 24, 2016 (NAN) Prof. Ismail Junaidu, Executive Secretary, Nigerian Educational Research Development Council (NERDC), has called for the separation of history as a subject in schools, saying it would be beneficial to all and sundry.
Junaidu made this call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Abuja
He said that the archaic way of burying history under social studies was outdated, adding that this had not given the subject the priority it deserved.
“ Putting history under anything is not good, because you have to give it the prominence it deserves.
“History is too important to be put under any umbrella or any cover that is why now we find it very necessary to bring it out of the woods as they would say.
“Children will now clearly know who they are. They would know where they are, and it is only when you know where you are that you will know where you are going.
“So it is clearly very important that history is brought out to stand alone as a subject, particularly in that very crucial stage, which is at the primary and junior secondary school levels.
He said that the council would soon organise a workshop to re-train teachers with regards to the interpretation given to history.
Junaidu said that the workshop would enable the teachers to be abreast of the knowledge of history.
“ Basically the challenge we have to deal with first is the retraining of teachers.
“Yes, the facts of history are clear but the interpretation we give to the fact matters.
“So we want to have a workshop to re-train the teachers with regards to what kind of interpretation we should be giving to our history.
“There are also challenges of textbooks to be written and the members of the Historical Society of Nigeria (HSN) are well mobilised with regards to that.”
He said that the council had also proposed to the Minister of Education and TETFUND with regards to production of history textbooks for Nigerian history.
He said that they are also proposing a visual production of the textbooks, which would assist the primary school level to learn about the history of the country.
“For instance, when you talk about our traditional rulers like the Ooni of Ife, the Emir of Kano and the Obi of Onitsha and so on, you need to teach by showing their pictures.
“They must be able to also visualise not just by words of mouth but what they can see,’’ he said.
Junaidu, however, called on the HSN to brainstorm and proffer solution on how to go about this. (NAN)

FAK/UU/DO/AFA
Edited by David Onilede/Felix Ajide
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NAN-DS-8

Donation

By Angela Atabo

Abuja, Oct. 24. 2016 (NAN) The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), says it has received 5,000 reflective jackets and two laptops donated to it by the Trust Fund Pension Team.

Mr Emmanuel Okeh, spokesman for the NSCDC, announced this in a statement in Abuja on Monday.

Okeh said the presentation was made by the Chief Executive Officer, Trust Fund Pension Team, Helen Da-Souza as part of its cooperate social responsibilities.

“Da-Souza explained that the gesture was also in line with the laudable achievements of the corps, while presenting the items to the Commandant General of NSCDC, Abdullahi Muhammadu.

“In line with the Trust Fund’s social corporate responsibility, we have provided 5,000 reflective jackets and the two laptops are specifically for the Pension Unit of the corps.

“This is to facilitate the operational duties, in order to enhance their administrative functions’’, Okeh quoted Da-Souza as saying. (NAN)
ATAB/DUA/IEA
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Edited by Dada Ahmed/Idahosa Asowata

NAN-H-77

Expo

By Constance Athekame

Abuja, Oct. 24, 2016 (NAN) The 2016 edition of Children Expo of the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), has opened in Abuja.

Mr Adebayo Bamidele, General Manager,  NTA Educational Television told, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), that the Youth Innovation Platform, aims at bringing children together to showcase their intelligence and creativity.

According to Bamidele, the expo, with the theme ”Improved Technology as Impetus for Mechanised Agriculture, Renewable Energy and Power and the General Eevelopment of this Country”, will hold from Oct. 23 to Oct. 27.

”We are looking at agriculture and how to encourage young children to go into farming.

”We are also looking at energy and power which are some of the challenges we have; the essence is to draw the attention of children to their environment early in life.”

Bamidele also said that the expo, first held ten years ago, “is one of the mandates given to the NTA Educational Television to promote learning in all ramifications.

”Creativity; using your hands to achieve one thing or another is one of such mandates; we conceived the idea to bring Nigerian children together to showcase their intelligence and what they can produce technically or in arts work.

”Since then, we have been at this and every year we change our theme to suit the policy of government depending on the thinking and focus of government.”

The general manager said that every NTA station was represented at the event with 12 participants expected from each state and 25 states already on ground.

”On the average, about 250 to 260 children will participate in the expo. ‘We have seven judges headed by a Director in the Ministry of Science and Technology.

”At the end, the best participants will receive awards; some participants will go home with laptops or desktops, depending on their categories and what area they focused on. A lot of them who performed well will go home with gifts.

”Though it is an NTA affair, we get technical support from everybody; for instance, for arts, we have people coming from the Gallery of Arts”, he said.

According to Bamidele, the NTA is also getting support from Indomie, Star times, which is giving out its latest Kombo decoders, and Noble Carpets which has donated some carpets. (NAN)
COA/HAS/IEA
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Edited By Hajia Sani/Idahosa Asowata

NAN-H-70
Institute
Yola, Oct. 24, 2016 (NAN) Dr Gloria Elemo, the Director-General, Federal Institute of Industrial Research (FIIRO), Oshodi, Lagos, says the institution has trained no fewer than 500,000 techno- entrepreneurs.

Elemo made this known on Monday at the opening of a five-day techno- entrepreneurship training programme for North-East Zone in Yola.

The FIIRO boss said that the institute was established in 1957 to promote rapid industrialisation of the national economy through promotion and development of micro, small and medium enterprises.

FIIRO, he added, had been involved in other entrepreneurship development programmes since its technology transfer programme in 1986.

She explained that graduates of the institute had established profitable enterprises across the country and created millions of jobs as well as boosting the nation’s economy.

Elemo also said the institute had fabricated many machines that could be used in processing local raw materials and value addition.

She also said that the institute had developed many indigenous technologies in its 59 years of existence.

“In South-South, South-East and South- West, the institute has developed technology for the training and processing of high quality cassava flour and fruit juice.

“In North-Central, North-West and North-East, the centre has fabricated technologies on cassava processing, instant pounded Yam Flour, Kunu and Zobo drink production and preservation.

“Others, are tomato and fish smoking processing technologies,’’ she said.

She, however, expressed worry that in spite of the concerted efforts by federal and state governments to address unemployment, the situation remained alarming.

The FIIRO boss called on the government to encourage youths and women to develop entrepreneurial culture as a way of finding permanent  solution to unemployment in the country. (NAN)
AMA/DUA/OJO
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(Edited by Dada Ahmed/Mufutau Ojo)

NMA donates medical materials to prison inmates in Kwara

NAN-H-70
Donations
By AbdulFatai Beki.
Mandallah (Kwara), Oct 24, 2016 (NAN)The Nigeria Medical Association(NMA), Kwara branch on Monday donated medical materials worth over N200,000 to inmates of Mandallah Maximum Prison in Asa Local Government Area of Kwara.
The donation was part of activities to commemorate the 2016 Physicians’ Week of the association, celebrated in all the states of the federation.
Dr Habeeb Omokanye, Deputy Chairman of NMA in Kwara, donated the materials on behalf of the Chairman, Dr Kunle Olawepo.
He reaffirmed the determination of the association to continue embarking on activities that will uplift the standard of the less privileged in the society.
Alhaji Abayom Gbadamasi, in charge of the prison, who received the items on behalf of the state comptroller of prison, thanked the association for the gesture.
He described health problem as one of the major challenges facing the 210 inmates at the prison, adding that only one medical doctor normally visits them.
He solicited the assistance of the members of the association in the provision of quality healthcare to inmates.
Omokanye had at a press conference called on President Muhammadu Buhari to begin the full implementation of the National Health Act, signed into law since 2014.
He said the act when fully implemented was capable of solving various problems in the health sector. (NAN)

BEKI /AAB/OU
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Edited By Adeboye Ajayi/Obike Ukoh

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NAN-DS-8
Base
Katsina, Oct. 24, 2016 (NAN) The Nigerian Air Force says it will establish an operational base in Katsina State to effectively tackle security challenge in the Northwest part of the country.

Air Marshall Sadiq Abubakar, the Chief of Air Staff, disclosed this at the opening of 8th Air Force Games in Katsina on Monday.

He said that the Air Force base would be established in Katsina and Daura.

Abubakar said the force had secured a land for the construction of the base in the two towns.

He said that it would assist the force to effectively fight insurgency, cattle rusting and other forms of criminal activities in the zone.

Abubakar revealed that NAF had been fighting insurgency and militancy in the North-East and South-South geo-political zones.

According to him, the NAF has been using aircraft/helicopters to carry out surveillance with the aim of checkmating the activities of oil bunkerers in the South-South.

He said the surveillance had started discouraging youths from engaging in the illegal business by arresting them and making them to know that it was no longer lucrative for them.

He also said NAF had provided sport facilities to various commands to enable personnel become physically and mentally fit for such challenges.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that contingents from five commands would take part in 13 different events. (NAN)
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NAN-H-71
Plea
Deborah Akpede
Lagos, Oct. 24, 2016 (NAN) A 43-year-old father, Idris Abu, on Monday pleaded not guilty to defiling his two-year-old in an Ikeja Magistrates’ Court.

Abu had on Oct. 5, pleaded guilty to defiling his two-year-daughter, but made a u-turn on Monday claiming he did not understand the charge when it was read.

The Magistrate, Mr T. A Elias, had remanded at the Kirikiri Prisons for facts and sentencing till Oct. 24.

At the resumed hearing However, when Elias, was about to deliver his judgment, the accused changed his plea to not guilty.

Consequently, the magistrate ordered the investigating police officer to duplicate and forward the case file to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for legal advice.

Elias, therefore, granted bail to the accused in the sum of N500,000, with one surety in like sum.

He adjourned the case till Nov. 28 for mention.

Abu, a resident of Agege Area of Lagos, is being tried for indecent assault of his child.

The Prosecutor, Sgt. Rachael Donny, had told the court that the accused committed the offence on July 29 at his residence.

Donny said that the accused unlawfully sexually assaulted his two-year-old daughter by fingering her private part.

“The accused always inserted one of his figures into his baby’s private part ignoring her crying,” Donny said.

The prosecutor said that the child’s mother later discovered the atrocity after the girl complained of pain in her private part.

“The baby used to cry in the middle of the night, once when the mother rushed to the room she caught her husband naked with his manhood erect and with his finger in their daughter’s vargina,” he said.

According to the prosecutor, whenever the victim’s mother confronted him, he always threatened her with divorce.

The offence, he said, contravened Section 135 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011, which on conviction attracts seven-year imprisonment.
DOA//AOS/OFN

Edited by Bayo Sekoni// Felix Nwadioha

NAN-H-69
Trial
By Suleiman Shehu
Ibadan, Oct. 24, 2016 (NAN) Hearing in the case of a female lawyer, Yewande Oyediran, who allegedly killed her husband, Lowo, did not hold on Monday at an Ibadan High Court   due to the absence of the presiding judge, Justice Munta Abimbola.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Monday was earlier slated for the commencement of hearing of the case of murder against the accused person in July when the case came up.

NAN also reports that Nov.9 had now been picked as the new date for the commencement of the trial as agreed by both the prosecutor, Mr Sanya Akinyele, and the defence counsel, Mr Abioye Ashanike.

Oyediran, a staff of the Directorate of Public Prosecution in the Oyo State of Ministry of Justice, allegedly murdered her husband by stabbing him with a knife on Feb. 2 at Akobo area of Ibadan.

Yewande was arraigned on a one-count charge of murder and had pleaded not guilty to the charge.

NAN reports that the accused had since her arraignment been remanded in prison custody. (NAN)
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(Edited by Mufutau Ojo)

Disengagement of workers not due to recession – Dangote

NAN-HE-27
Dangote
Lagos, Oct. 24, 2016 (NAN) The Dangote Group of Companies has denied reports that the disengagement of 36 expatriate and 12 Nigerian  workers  from the company was due to economic recession in the country,

Mr Tony Chiejina, its Head of Corporate Affairs, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on Monday  that the expatriates were disengaged because of job overlap.

He said the 12 Nigerians that were affected were in the procurement department whose services were now redundant due to growth in the company.

Chiejina said that in spite of  the recession, the Dangote group has been expanding its operations into oil and gas, rice and diary projects, fertiliser and petrochemicals, among others..

According to him, this expansion would create more employments in the company.

He said that the current recession has been a challenge to the company as it strives  to impact more favourably on the Nigerian economy. (NAN)

PR/TA