WAFCON 2022: Senegal In A Record First ever win of

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July 4, 2022

Senegal achieved a major milestone on Sunday when they beat Uganda 2-0 in Group A at the 2022 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, to record their first ever win in the history of the competition.

It was in similar fashion that their Group A counterparts and hosts, Morocco did a night before when they earned their first victory in 24 years.

In a hard-fought match, Mame Moussa Cissé’s Teranga Lionesses beat the Ugandans after scoring a goal in each half.

Diakhaté Ndeye opened the scoring for the Senegalese team with a penalty in the 39th minute after Tunisian referee Dorsaf Ganouati had no hesitation in pointing to the spot after a foul on Senegal’s 16-year-old striker Hapsatou Diallo.

Uganda could have equalised a few minutes later through their dangerous Kazakhstan-based striker, Fauzia Najjema, but Lionesses goalkeeper Tenning Sene brilliantly denied Najjema and the Cranes.

Pre-match favourites Uganda laid siege to the Senegal goal, with Najjema hitting the post in the 32nd minute, but somehow Senegal retained their 1-0 lead at half-time.

Senegal doubled their lead through Nguenar Ndiaye five minutes after the break, who finished clinically after being put through by the young rising star of Senegalese football, Hapsatou Diallo.

The goal was a huge blow to the Crested Cranes, who desperately tried to get back in the game to no avail.

Lionesses goalkeeper, Tenning Sene, may have been a peripheral figure for Senegal in the build up to the tournament, but she grabbed her chance brilliantly to be named “Woman of the Match” after a scintillating performance in goal for Senegal.

The 2-0 win for Senegal gives them top spot in Group A, as they leapfrog Morocco, who they join on three points.

ASUU Strike: Stakeholders Calls For Immediate Resolution

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Rhoda Onuzulike

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July 3, 2022

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Some stakeholders in the education sector have continued to deep express worry over the lingering crisis between the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).

They said that the face-off had crippled the livelihood of the people around the universities.

The stakeholders, who spoke with the News correspondents in Abuja on Saturday, called for immediate resolutions so that students would return to their classrooms.

An educationist, Olaniyi Olawade said the effect of the strike had brought untold hardship on the youths, business owners and had affected the economy of residence where institutions were located.

Olawade said that many students had lost focus and were getting involved in so many criminal activities capable of shortchanging their destinies.

According to him, many who earn a living from businesses around the school communities cannot do anything again and have resorted to living unproductive lives.

“The effects of ASUU strike on the youth of this nation is quite enormous. It has adverse effect on their present and future endeavours as it makes them unproductive and lazy.

“The strike has done more harm in wasting the precious time of the students and making the youths to become unscrupulous and to lose hope in this country,” he said.

Olawade said that the four months strike had grounded the productive academic sector and other aspects of the economy of the nation.

“Also, those that are not in the academics but earn their daily bread by selling stuff to the students and academic communities are not finding things easy this period.

“We are pleading with the government and the academics to sheath their sword and allow peace to reign so that this matter can be resolved once and for all as the students are the most affected by the crisis,” he added.

A civil servant and a mother of three, Damilola Bankole said that the strike had drawn back the academic progress of students as compared with their colleagues from other climes.

Bankole called on the government to wade into the situation by attending to the needs of these universities lecturers, while looking for alternative preventive methods to avoid such crisis in the future.

“One of the major effect of ASUU strike on Nigerian universities is the fact that it’s going to draw us back. The academic calendar has been drawn backward and for it to pick up again, it will take a lot of time.

“Apart from this, it is also going to have a great effect on the smooth transition from secondary school to higher institutions.

“This is because some students have just concluded writing their WAEC and JAMB examinations and have applied to these universities but as it stands, nothing can be done as they have to be on the queue.

“And when there is a queue in the education system of a country, it leads to crimes and other moral decadence in the society because a child who waits more than necessary will be involved in unscrupulous acts,” she said.

Meanwhile, the Vice Chancellor, Niger Delta University, Bayelsa, Prof. Samuel Edoumiekumo called on President Muhammadu Buhari to take charge and speed up the process of resolving the ongoing trade dispute with ASUU and other unions.

Edoumiekumo is also the Chairman of the Committee of Vice Chancellors of Nigerian Universities (CVCNU).

He said that a drastic action must be taken to stem the haemorrhage that the system was currently witnessing for the sake of the Nigerian children.

” I have said that the president should speed up the whole process, take over everything and take a concrete decision and that is even now, so that our students who are at home will be back on campuses.

“So, we are calling on Mr President to speed up action, so that we call off the strike, and the students can come back to campus,” he said.

A political analyst, Rotimi Lawrence said that the lingering strike should be addressed as it had caused not only a national embarrassment but monumental loss of human capital to the country.

Lawrence said that if nothing was done to address industrial disputes in the tertiary institutions, it would continue to affect the global rating of public ivory tower.

A student of Federal University, Oye Ekiti, Favour Rotimi, said that many students were frustrated as a result of the strike and want immediate solution so that they could return to their schools.

Rotimi said that the effect of the strike was enormous as some female students were now involved in the act of prostituting, while some had been impregnated.

”We have been at home in the last four months. Many of us tried to get menial jobs to do but we can’t get it when even graduates are still hunting for jobs.

“I will not blame any students who have decided to look for money through other means. What I think the government can do is to facilitate this dialogue with the lecturers so that we can all have our peace as a nation.

” Yes, it is true that the lecturers are demanding for their welfare and the welfare of the university system as a whole.

“This is not too big for them to ask. We don’t take education seriously as a country and this will continue to affect us even on the global scene,” Rotimi said.

Gov. Sanwo-Olu Gifts 13 SUVs To Outstanding Teachers

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Rhoda Onuzulike

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July 3, 2022

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Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State on Wednesday presented 13 Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs) to outstanding teachers selected across the six education districts.

The teachers were presented brand-new vehicles for their passion and deployment of modern techniques to teach students.

The recipients were among the finalists nominated for the Year 2021 Teachers’ Merit Award, by the Screening Committee, led by the chairperson of the Association of Private Educators in Nigeria, Lai Koiki.

At the grand finale of the 2021 Teachers Merit Award, held at Lagos House, Ikeja, Sanwo-Olu said that the initiative was in line with the commitment to use education as an instrument to change the world and influence the teaching profession.

He said that the reward was for selflessness, dedication and diligence among our teachers in the state.

According to him, it is a very good way to motivate and encourage excellence in teachers, in the quest for quality and effective education delivery to the much cherished students.

”Awards of this nature, are not only symbolic to reward worthwhile services but they are also a genuine way to promote merit and encourage the spirit of healthy competition amongst our teachers in Lagos State.

”The teaching profession is such a unique one because it involves the strong efforts of promoting the complex personal development of our youth, in preparation for their future as responsible citizens and career in the workplace; a synergy expected as a needed catalyst in socio-economic growth.

”This is a sacred responsibility, and our teachers cannot afford to fail in the discharge of this key duty.

”This award should remind us all, particularly our teachers, that passion, personal development, and commitment are qualities that will stand you out from the crowd.

”With these qualities, our pupils will not only excel in academics but will also exhibit innate sterling abilities in cognitive, psychomotor, affective and co-curricular areas of learning,” he said.

Sanwo-Olu said that teachers should not to see the award as a contest but a way to encourage themselves to continue to put in their best, knowing that such commitment would one day be rewarded.

The Commissioner for Education, Folasade Adefisayo said that teachers rewards were no long in heaven but here on Earth.

Adefisayo urged the teachers to continue to put in more efforts, as they carry out the their duties.

The recipients of the brand-new vehicles are Adenike Ojo (Junior Secondary School Administrator), Folasade Oyedeji (Junior Secondary School teacher), Oluseyi Amoo (Junior Secondary School teacher), Olubukola Dosumu (Junior Secondary School teacher), Olusegun Muftau (Primary School administrator), and Fauziyat Adegeye (Primary School teacher).

Others are Michael Ayoola (Primary School teacher), Omolayo Fadayomi (Primary School teacher), Bolanle Alamu (Senior Secondary School administrator), Adeola Adefemi (Senior Secondary School teacher), Soji Megbowon (Senior Secondary School teacher), Yahya Adesokan (Senior Secondary School teacher), and Lukman Agbabiaka (Special Education Needs teacher).

Akwa Ibom Governor Increases State Varsity’s Subvention

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Rhoda Onuzulike

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July 3, 2022

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Governor Udom Emmanuel has increased subvention to the Akwa Ibom State University (AKSU) with effect from July, stating that the increment would enable the university to function more effective.

The governor disclosed this during a courtesy call on him by the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) at Government House, Uyo.

Gov. Emmanuel noted the reforms of NBTE in polytechnics. He commended the board for the accreditation of programmes in the state’s polytechnic, emphasising the need for skills and technology acquisition as the bedrock of development.

“Let me thank you for the full accreditation of programmes in our polytechnic, and since you have accredited all the programmes we were running, we add new ones. We just increased the subvention that we are giving to Akwa Ibom State University, effective from July 1, 2022, to enable them to run more efficiently. We are going to do a lot more,” Emmanuel explained.

The governor added, “We are trying to bridge the gap between secondary education and tertiary education in terms of skills acquisition which is why we are building one of the best skills centres in Nigeria that I will open soon.”

He assured of regular payment of salaries to lectures of the state tertiary institutions and promised to improve manpower and personnel further.

Noting the contributions of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND) to the development of tertiary institutions in the country, the governor appealed to (TETFUND) to consider Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic (AKWAPOLY) as one of the best in terms of skills and technical knowledge.

The head of NBTE’s delegation, Arc. Ngbede Ogoh, stated, “We are in the state to carry out quality assurance exercise to over 20 academic programmes of Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic, Ikot Osurua.

The exercise saw resource inspection of nine academic programmes, including two on skill acquisition and more than 13 programmes for accreditation as well as re-accreditation.”

FedPoly Oko Gets New Registrar

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Rhoda Onuzulike

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July 3, 2022

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The Governing Council, Federal Polytechnic, Oko, Anambra State has approved the appointment of Umeozor Anthony Ogochukwu as the substantive registrar of the polytechnic

The approval, according to a statement by the Acting Public Relations Officer, Chijioke Ibeziako, was made at the council’s emergency meeting held on June 23.

“The selection board committee of the council had earlier conducted interview for the position of Registrar and forwarded their recommendations to the council.

“Ogochukwu, who hails from Uga in Anambra State, has been a Deputy Registrar in the Polytechnic for 15 years. He has held positions at different capacities in the polytechnic.

“He is a holder of M.Ed (Education) and a Member of Nigeria Institute of Management (MNIM). He takes over from Ifeoma Ezeokoli , who is on acting capacity,” the statement reads.

The Council Chairman, Kale Kawu, expressed satisfaction at the process leading to the Registrar’s emergence, just as he hailed the selection board committee for discharging their task with tact and dedication.

Describing registry department as the engine room of the polytechnic, Kawu urged the new registrar to bring his wealth of experience to bear in his new assignment and add great value to the polytechnic.

He called for co-operation and support for the registrar from the management and members of staff.

4 Chinese Airlines Order 292 Planes From Airbus

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Angel Gimalo

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July 3, 2022

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Four Chinese airlines says they will buy a total of 292 planes from Airbus in a $37 billion windfall for the aviation giant, as the industry rebuilds after the so-called coronavirus pandemic.

The orders come after a bumper year for Airbus, which posted record profits in 2021 after a two-year pandemic slump, giving the company a further boost over US rival Boeing.

China Eastern it had agreed to purchase 100 A320neo jets and China Southern said on the same day that it would buy 96 of the same model.

Air China and its subsidiary Shenzhen Airlines also confirmed the purchase of a combined 96 A320neo planes, according to separate filings.

Airbus said in a statement that the deals showed “the positive recovery momentum and prosperous outlook for the Chinese aviation market”.

It said the deals “brought to conclusion these long and extensive discussions that have taken place throughout the difficult Covid pandemic”.

Boeing’s business in China — one of the world’s largest aviation markets — was hit in recent years by uncertainty over its 737 MAX planes, which were suspended from use in the country after deadly crashes in 2019.

Chinese authorities finally gave the go-ahead for the 737 MAX to resume service last year after making a series of safety adjustments.

In March this year, a Boeing 737-800 crashed in the southern province of Guangxi, killing 132 people in China’s worst air disaster in decades.

The China Eastern flight was travelling from the cities of Kunming to Guangzhou when it inexplicably plummeted from an altitude of 29,000 feet into a mountainside.

Last month, the Wall Street Journal reported that US investigators believe someone on board crashed the aircraft deliberately, citing a person familiar with a preliminary assessment of the incident.

Visitors To Experience New Exhibition Spaces For First Time As London’s Leighton House Opens In October

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Angel Gimalo

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July 3, 2022

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London’s Leighton House to set to reopen in October, following an £8 million redevelopment, showcasing work by Middle East artists.

Noted for its spectacular Arab Hall and collection of tiles from the Middle East, the Victorian art house on the edge of Holland Park, central London, is the former home of artist and former President of the Royal Academy, Frederic, Lord Leighton.

It has a completely transformed new wing with new exhibition spaces and previously unseen historic features which will be open to the public for the first time.

The new wing includes the museum’s first permanent contemporary commission, Oneness by Iranian artist Shahrzad Ghaffari.

She has painted an 11-metre high mural, which envelopes the curved walls of a new helical staircase across three floors.

Inspired by a 13th-century poem by Rumi exploring cultural unity, its turquoise calligraphic brushstrokes reference the distinctive tiles from the iconic Arab Hall.

A suite of specially commissioned furniture handmade by Syrian artisans based in Jordan’s capital Amman is also featured in the new space.

These include marquetry — the craft of applying pieces of veneer to a structure to form decorative patterns — derived from inlaid motifs on a Syrian chest that Leighton acquired on his travels and converted into a seat in the historic house.

They were created in partnership with Turquoise Mountain — a UK charity set up by the Prince Charles to preserve and develop traditional craft practices, originally in Afghanistan, as a means of economic regeneration.

Situated in Kensington, Leighton House is famed for its opulent interiors.

Its Arab Hall features mosaic floors and tiles acquired through Leighton’s travels to Turkey, Egypt and Syria.

The project has focused on the 20th-century additions made in the wing at the east end of the original house.

This has been completely refurbished revealing original historic features and creating new exhibition spaces and displays.

It also features the De Morgan cafe, which opens on to the redesigned garden, a new learning centre and a collections store.

Designed by architects, engineers and consultants from BDP, the project also sees the recovery and restoration of parts of Leighton’s house lost in changes made in the 20th century.

“This project will have a transformative effect on the museum, allowing it to be accessible to all for the first time, and provide excellent visitor and collection care facilities,” David Artis, architect director at BDP, said.

“This refurbishment supports the museum’s ambitions to safeguard and preserve the integrity of the original house, while meeting the needs of new audiences and cementing it as unique asset for the borough.

“Leighton House is one of London’s great houses and we are very much looking forward to seeing it re-open to the public at a time when such places are needed more than ever.”

The two new gallery spaces will be exhibiting A Life of Drawing: Highlights from the Leighton collection, which will showcase a rarely-seen selection of Lord Leighton’s studies and sketches made in his studio and on his travels, and Artists and Neighbours: the Holland Park Circle, which will feature local artists.

The house will be reopening to the public on October 15.

UBEC Calls For The Recruitment Of More Teachers In Oyo State

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Rhoda Onuzulike

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July 3, 2022

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The Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), has called on the Oyo State Government to recruit more teachers into public primary schools in the state.

The Executive Secretary (ES) of UBEC, Hamid Bobboyi, gave the charge in Ibadan, the state capital, as part of the 2022 National Personnel Audit team’s recommendation to the state government.

While commending the qualitative education pupils in Oyo State are enjoying under the Governor Seyi Makinde-led administration, Bobboyi said the need to recruit more teachers became manifest during the just concluded Personnel Audit Exercise in the state by the commission, in collaboration with the Oyo State Universal Basic Education Board (OYOSUBEB).

Bobboyi, however, commended the Oyo State Universal Basic Education Board for cooperating with the commission’s audit team in the conduct of the National Personnel Audit Exercise.

Speaking through the head of the team, Muhammed Bello, the ES pledged the commitment of the commission to look into other areas to move basic education forward in Oyo State, noting that the National Personnel Audit Exercise was a major activity in data gathering used in the planning and development of education.

Bobboyi, who revealed that the commission discovered a lot of progress made compared to the previous exercise, stated: “Though entry is still ongoing, we would give the Board updates on the list and give the State government accurate data in order to plan and develop basic education.”

The ES solicited the cooperation of other stakeholders in education in ensuring accurate data so as to know where every Nigerian child of school age was at any given time.

Responding, the Executive Chairman, OYOSUBEB, Nureni Aderemi Adeniran, admitted the shortage of teachers in the state, saying the state government is making efforts to look into fresh recruitment and replacement of seconded teachers in the state.

Adejiran noted: “We are aware of the shortage of teachers in our primary schools. The state government, under the leadership of our dear Governor, Engr Seyi Makinde, is making efforts to ensure the problem is resolved in time.”

He said the state government would continue to collaborate with the federal government and other relevant agencies to ensure the public education sector in the state thrives.

Adeniran also hinted that school owners and proprietors operating illegally in the State would be made to face the law, warning such schools to regularise their registration by visiting the ministry of Education, Ibadan.

He reiterated the Oyo State Government’s commitment to revamping education in the state and commended the National Personnel Audit team’s report on data of schools in the state, adding that the update would help the state in planning its education in the forthcoming fiscal budget.

3 Hezbollah Drones Shot Down By Israel As It Heads Towards Gas Rigs

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Angel Gimalo

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July 3, 2022

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Authorities in Israel say they have shot down three Hezbollah drones heading towards one of its gas rigs in a disputed area of the Mediterranean.

Military officials say the drones were launched from Lebanon and were shot down by a combination of fighter jets and ship-mounted missiles.

Hezbollah confirmed it had launched the drones in a short statement.

Tensions have mounted between Israel and Lebanon over ownership of the Karish gas field.

US energy envoy Amos Hochstein is mediating between the two countries to settle the longstanding dispute.

Israel says the field lies within its UN-recognised exclusive economic zone, but Lebanon has also laid claim to parts of it.

Hezbollah said it had targeted the rig as part of a reconnaissance flight.

“The mission was accomplished and the message was received,” the statement said.

Last week, the group’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, threatened to use force to prevent Israel from operating the rig.

Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz said the Islamist group was “preventing the state of Lebanon from reaching an agreement regarding maritime borders, which are critical to the economy and prosperity of the Lebanese nation”.

Hezbollah’s reported attack comes amid political instability in Israel.

On Thursday lawmakers voted to dissolve parliament and call the fifth election in four years.

The vote, which comes after the collapse of former Prime Minster Naftali Bennett’s multi-party coalition, offers Benjamin Netanyahu, the right-wing opposition leader, a chance to return to power.

Troops Outgunned As Ukraine Confirms Russian Capture Of Lysychansk

By

Angel Gimalo

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July 3, 2022

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Ukraine’s military has confirmed that the eastern city of Lysychansk has fallen to Russian forces.

“After heavy fighting for Lysychansk, the defence forces of Ukraine were forced to withdraw from their occupied positions and lines,” the army general staff said.

Earlier Russia’s Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said his forces had captured Lysychansk and taken full control of Luhansk region.

Its general staff said that “in order to preserve the lives of Ukrainian defenders, a decision was made to withdraw”.

It said the Russians had multiple advantages in artillery, aircraft, manpower and other forces.

Earlier, the head of Russia’s Chechen Republic, Ramzan Kadyrov, published video apparently showing Chechen fighters in the centre of Lysychansk.

Further west, the Ukrainian-held city of Slovyansk came under heavy shelling, with at least six people killed.

It is in Donetsk region, which with Luhansk forms the industrial Donbas.

Just before he launched the war, President Vladimir Putin recognised all of Luhansk and Donetsk as independent of Ukraine. Russian proxy forces began an insurgency there in 2014.

Just over a week ago Russian troops captured Severodonetsk, a city reduced to ruins by weeks of Russian bombardment.