Former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo has urged the Federal Government to tackle the epileptic power supply in the country by generating electricity from renewable energy and clean carbon-free sources.
He gave the advice at the inauguration of a 2MW solar power project at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL), Abeokuta, Ogun State capital, Nigeria’s South-west.
The former President insisted that Nigeria has the resources to generate the bulk of electricity consumed in the country from alternative sources. “The goal of producing Nigeria’s electricity from renewable energy is achievable, affordable and transformative,” he said.
Speaking on the project, Obasanjo described it as “the single largest investment this not-for-profit organisation has made.”
To him, the OOPL solar power project is a reflection of the organisation’s commitment to clean and renewable energy.
“We hope that by committing to consume renewable energy, we inspire others to follow and still inform others to do their bit for the environment. Our great nation also needs to commit to producing our electricity from renewable energy and truly clean carbon-free sources.
“This goal is achievable, affordable and transformative. It represents a challenge to all Nigerians – in every walk of life, to our political leaders, entrepreneurs, innovators, engineers, and to every citizen.
“This is a generational moment. I’m asking each of you to join me and build this future. Our success depends on our willingness as a people to undertake this journey.
In his remarks, the Deputy Managing Director of Dantata Solar Limited, Najeem Animasahun, said 70 per cent of the materials used for the execution of the project as well as the human resources were sourced from Nigeria.
He added that only inverter and the panels were the materials imported into Nigeria.
The Ebonyi State Commissioner for Trade and Investment, Chioma Nweze said the new King David Medical University in the state would be producing dialyzers to commence treatment for heart related diseases.
Nweze made the assertion in a statement she issued in Abakaliki the State Capital, adding that the Institution has brought investment opportunities for investors within and outside the state.
The School, King David University of Medical Sciences is sited in Uburu, Ohaozara Local Government Area of Ebonyi.
“One spectacular thing about the new University is the production of dialyzers for the treatment of heart related diseases.
“By the construction of the Medical School, Ebonyi State has become the only place for treatment of major ailments like cancer and heart diseases.
“Additionally, the state will now be the sole producer and supplier of the life-saving dialyzers which are very important for the treatment of heart ailments.
“This means that, any state or individual that wishes to venture into dialyzer production in the future would first have to pay into the coffers of the Ebonyi State Government.
“The Governor, David Umahi has wholly delivered the International Standard University on the soil of the Salt of the Nation,” Nweze stated.
She noted that the overall essential of the University to the economic development of the State could not be over emphasised.
“This is because the University at its peak is expected to realise enough turnover and to be able to sustain itself and amass bulk money for the continued transformation of the State”, she added.
It would be recalled that the Vice-Chancellor of the School, Professor Jesse Uneke had said that the National University Commission NUC had approved 17 programmes to kick-start academic activities.
According to Uneke, the school is targeting about 1, 500 students for a start and some of our programmes include Medicine and Surgery, Physiotherapy and Pharmacy.
Others are Public Health, Anatomy, Computer Science, Medical Laboratory among others.
“The school is targeting December for its first matriculation, though the admission into the school is still ongoing.
“The institution was given recognition in July 2021 by NUC and admission began in October,” the Vice-Chancellor explained.
An Information and Communications Technology Company, Vatebra Limited, in partnership with the West African Examinations Council, Nigeria, have given out cash prizes to best schools and candidates in the 2020 West African Secondary School Certificate Examination.
The awards were presented to the various winners at the formal opening ceremony of the 59th annual meeting of the Nigeria National Committee held in Ibadan.
The best school, Ayebode High School, Ekiti State was the winner of the WAEC/VATEBRA Merit Award for best public Secondary School in Sciences, (Chemistry, Biology And Physics) in Nigeria and it received a cash prize of N1.5m.
Community Secondary School, Abajah, Owerri, Imo State, was the Overall Best Public Secondary School in all subjects in Nigeria and it got a cash prize of N2.5m.
Also, Okorie Nkechinyere of the Federal College of Education Technical Secondary School, Akoka, Lagos State, was awarded winner of the WAEC/VATEBRA Merit Award for Best Overall Female Candidate in Public Secondary Schools in all subjects and was presented with N500, 000 while Adeosun Ayotunde of Airforce Comprehensive School, Iyana Offa, Oyo State, was awarded winner of the WAEC/VATEBRA Merit Award for Best Overall male candidate in Public Secondary School in all subjects and also got a cash prize of N500, 000.
The Head, Educational Bodies at Vatebra Limited, Oluwole Aduloju, said, “One major criterion to be met by winners of the WAEC/VATEBRA merit award is to be outstanding and be without blemish knowing that this driving principle also transcends from one of our organisational core value of excellence.”
On the other hand, the Head of National Office, West African Examinations Council, Patrick Areghan, gave a brief background of the awards and the milestones achieved by the foremost examination body in recent years.
1095 Pope Urban II preaches the west to wrestle control of the Holy land the Seljuk Turks at the Council of Clermont, triggering the First Crusade
1627 Birth in the Hague, Netherlands, of Luise Henriette von Oranien, Electress of Brandenburg. She will become mother of Friedrich I, King of Prussia, founder of an orphanage near Berlin, and author of hymns, among which will be “Jesus Christ, My Sure Defense.”
1295 English King Edward I calls what later became known as “The Model Parliament” extending the authorities of its representatives
1493 Christopher Columbus returns to La Navidad colony, finding it destroyed by the 1st native American uprising against Spanish rule. Taíno cacique Caonabo led his people to attack the settlement after the brutal treatment they received from the garrison who disobeyed Columbus’s orders.
1807 Portuguese Royal Family and its court of nearly 15,000 people leave Lisbon for their colony of Brazil to escape invading Napoleonic troops
1895 Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel’s will establishes the Nobel Prize
Today’s Historical Events Today in Film & TV 2013 “Frozen”, the highest-grossing animated film of all time, starring Idina Menzel and Kristen Bell, is released
Today in Music 1967 The Beatles release their album “Magical Mystery Tour”
Today in Sport 1961 Gordie Howe becomes 1st to play in 1,000 NHL games
Do you know this fact about today? Did You Know? 1920 “The Mask of Zorro” directed by Fred Niblo and starring Douglas Fairbanks is shown in New York – 1st American superhero film
Would you believe this fact about today? Would You Believe? 2005 President El Hadj Omar Bongo Ondimba of Gabon, in power since 1967 and the longest-serving head of state in the world, is re-elected to his third consecutive seven-year term
The Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, has said the EdoBEST scheme promotes digital literacy among primary school children.
Speaking at the national Universal Basic Education Commission meeting in Benin City, Adamu, who was represented by Dr Folake Olatunji-David, said, “With the launch of the EdoBEST scheme, primary school teaching and learning has now been digitized, with remarkable improvements in curriculum design and delivery. This silent revolution has massively reduced digital poverty among primary school children.”
Also, Executive Secretary UBEC, Dr Hamid Bobboyi, noted that the theme of the meeting titled, ‘Enhancing Access, Equity and standards through technology-driven initiatives’, was in tribute to EdoBEST.
“EdoBEST is recognised as the premier basic education sector reform programme in Nigeria. Already embraced by Lagos and Kwara State, it is a model for across-the-board basic education sector reform.”
The Chairman of Edo SUBEB, Ozavize Salami, explained that EdoBEST was inaugurated by Governor Godwin Obaseki in 2018, adding that EdoBEST was the only subnational initiative that is part of the World Bank Accelerator Programme.
She said, “For any society to achieve holistic and resounding success in providing access, and improving the standards of basic education, the political will and support is the starting point. The resources needed for the utility of tech are substantial and require immense sacrifice by the political leadership and I am proud to say that this is our testimony in Edo State.”
The Chairman UBEC Governing Board, Prof. Adamu Usman, encouraged participants to take the EdoBEST techniques to their states.
During the four day programme, the Chairman of Lagos State Universal Basic Education Board, Wahab Alawiye-King, was elected as the Dean (Chairman) of the Forum of SUBEB Chairmen in Nigeria.
A statement by LASUBEB said his appointment was in recognition of his giant strides and various pacesetting innovations in basic education in Lagos State.
To improve the standard of education in Nigeria and reposition the teaching profession for the greater task of educating the next generation of Nigerians, an education consultant and Managing Director of Michelle & Anthony Consulting, Femi Ajulo, has stressed the need to transform teaching by setting up professional bodies to certify teachers and boost their prestige.
To him, education in Nigeria has suffered as a result of lack of quality teachers. He observed that based on its low prestige and poor pay, students hardly show interest in becoming teachers.
Noting that 90 per cent of teachers in Nigeria, never really planned to be one, Ajulo said they either exhaust their search for jobs and later embraced teaching as last resort.
Ajulo said until Nigerians make education to be at par with other professional courses with chartered bodies administering them, many exceptional students will not venture into the profession.
He said for many, they will have the confidence to embrace teaching once they know that after certification, they can start teaching with a basic salary of atleast N150, 000.
“How can government be the one controlling registration and also qualification of teachers?
If there were bodies set up by professionals, there would be standard and many will aspire to be teachers. A boy that does not know anybody will fill form and be interested in being a teacher. He knows that by the time he finishes his first degree, he might still be earning N50,000, but when he goes through professional examination, the minimum he will earn is N150,000 or N200,000, then he will take it as a profession. How can one body, Teachers Registrations Council of Nigeria (TRCN) certify teachers? Who appoints the people that do the certification? Is government the one appointing people at the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) or Association of Certified Chartered Accountants (ACCA)? If government is appointing and regulating, based on what is happening in the now, can you not influence it? You can influence who you want to be the registrar. Have you seen people influencing who wants to be the registrar of Chartered Institute of Bankers?”
Ajulo also noted that through education tourism and technology transfer, particularly in the sector, Nigeria could regain its lost glory. To this end, he said his firm is cooperating with schools in Canada to explore how Nigerian schools can benefit from what they have.
Minister of Defence, Bashir Magashi, has pledged to continue to support the Army War College and other military training institutions to meet the training needs of the Armed Forces.
Magashi disclosed this on Friday in Abuja at the graduation ceremony of course 5/2021 participants of the Army War College, Nigeria.
The minister, represented by Musa Istifanus, said the support was for the Armed Forces to develop the right skills and knowledge of its personnel to tackle the security threats confronting the country.
He said the continuity and sustainability of the trainings would develop the required capacity and skills in no distance time to overcome the present security challenges facing the country.
“War colleges the world over hold a pride of place as centre of excellence for military personnel leadership training.
“The Army War College, Nigeria, has remained focused and abiding in its mission of producing well-trained, educated and inspired operational level leaders for the Nigerian Army,” he said.
According to him, in four years of its existence, the Army War College, Nigeria, has been able to enthrone the culture of hard work, diligent and dedication to duty among participants.
He said tremendous progress had been made in the ongoing military operations in the North East and other parts of the country, particularly as the three services continue to operate more jointly.
According to the minister, the security challenges the country is currently facing, had impacted negatively on the collective well being of the country, thereby causing threats to national security.
“Personnel of the Armed Forces have been deployed across the 36 states of the country and FCT to aid civil authorities as enshrined in the constitution of the country.
“It is against this background that I must commend our troops who had exhibited serious determination to bring about peace and security across the country.
“Their loyalty, commitment and doggedness in the various theaters of operations deserve commendation and support from all Nigerians,” he added.
The minister congratulated the granduands and commended the management of the college for the successful completion of the course.
In his remark, the Commandant, Army War College, Maj.-Gen. Solomon Udounwa, , said 63 graduating participants were drawn from the Armed Forces, security agencies and friendly countries.
He said the participants had in the last 35 weeks undergone professional and military education to prepare them for responsibility in current and future operational leadership positions.
Healthcare providers in Nigeria have urged the Federal Government to address the high cost of essential medicines in the country.
According to them, the cost of essential medicines has been going up in recent times thus making life more difficult for Nigerians.
The healthcare providers under the aegis of the Healthcare Providers Association of Nigeria stressed that the FG should as a matter of urgency address the problem, lamenting that the high cost of essential medicines is causing a serious problem in the health sector.
According to them, the high cost of drugs has become a heavy and unbearable burden on patients.
The National President of HCPAN, Dr. Jimmy Arigbabuwo, made the call in a statement released on Thursday and made available to LN247.
Arigbabuwo said, “The attention of the healthcare providers nationwide has been drawn to a dramatic and unimaginable cost of various types and brands of intravenous fluids of all types now selling.
“They are being procured at costs that even beat crazy the current trends of convulsing costs of drugs and medicines of all types in the health sector in Nigeria.
“Agreed that water is the only raw material that our drugs and medicines manufacturers do not import, this trend of only converting semi-finished products into final products is no longer new to us even long before now.
“Agreed the naira has lost the best part of her beauty to the dollars and other harder currencies, the abysmally high cost of I/v fluids and other drugs and medicines we can call essential is already causing a bigger blow more than severe economic embarrassment in the health sector (especially in the private, and perhaps the public sector as well).”
Dr. Arigbabuwo who is also the National Chairman of the Nigerian Medical Association Committee on Public-Private Partnership also said, “It is only occasionally excusable that these fluids are not used in all surgical procedures as well as medical emergencies.
“It is by far lifesaving singular tool in most cases of road traffic accidents and traumas where blood loss is significant.
“The near spine breaking chaos in the supply chain is no longer acceptable especially when we consider that over 70 per cent of the healthcare expenses are still out of pocket (76.6 per cent).”
The physician asked for a bailout and a National Emergency Response in the health sector from what he described as a very heavy and unbearable burden on the patients.
“A situation where a pint (500 MLS) of Dextrose/Saline or Normal Saline drips is sold for between N750 and N780. Or a carton of 20 of such bottles is now sold for N15,000:00 as against what had been sold for between N4,500 and N5,500 a few months back or N3,000 about the year 2020 calls for an unusual alarm.
“Affected critical stakeholders are anxiously waiting for this national issue to be addressed with the necessary and urgent attention it deserves.
“We are suspecting a cartel of the extraordinary dimensions in this case scenario,” he said.
The HCPAN president called on the Minister of Health, Dr.Osagie Ehanire to as a matter of national urgency intervene and help address the challenge.
He also urged the Pharmacists Council of Nigeria and the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria to collaborate with healthcare providers in a joint effort to help ordinary Nigerians.
FIFA and the World Health Organisation have teamed up to raise awareness about domestic violence and support those at risk, during the 16 days of activism against gender-based violence.
The campaign, according to a press statement from the WHO, will kick off on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and will run until Human Rights Day on December 10.
“Violence is never the answer, especially at home, which should be a safe environment for everyone, and particularly for women and children,” said FIFA President, Gianni Infantino.
“It is FIFA’s statutory obligation to respect all internationally recognised human rights and as an organisation, FIFA shall strive to promote the protection of these rights. The #SafeHome campaign is now in its second year, and FIFA will continue to make football’s voice heard to amplify this message until these acts are no longer part of our society.”
“The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated many health challenges and inequities, including violence against women,” said WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “We all must come together to end all forms of violence and discrimination.
WHO is pleased to team up with FIFA and football stars around the world to help prevent violence against women and children, support survivors, and make our societies safer and healthier for all.”
Gianni-Infantino-and-Tedros-Adhanom-Ghebreyesus
Violence against women remains devastatingly pervasive and starts alarmingly young, according to data from WHO.
In a press statement by WHO, across their lifetime, one in three women aged 15 and over, around 736 million, are subjected to physical and/or sexual violence by an intimate partner or sexual violence from a non-partner – a number that has remained largely unchanged over the past decade.
“This violence starts early: one in four young women (aged 15-24 years) who have been in a relationship will have already experienced violence by an intimate partner by the time they reach their mid-twenties. Data suggests women’s exposure to violence has likely increased during the COVID-19 pandemic due to lockdowns and disruptions to vital support services.
“Violence – in all its forms – can have an impact on a person’s health and well-being throughout their life. It is associated with increased risk of injuries, depression, anxiety disorders, unplanned pregnancies, sexually-transmitted infections including HIV, and many other health problems, and comes with tremendous costs to households, communities, and societies as a whole.
“The five-part #SafeHome video campaign, which supports the WHO’s message to end violence against women and children, is being published in seven languages during the next 16 days. The campaign raises awareness of the risks and highlights actions that can be taken to prevent and mitigate these risks through survivor advice and support. There is also content that addresses perpetrator risk and calls for additional governmental effort to support those who are in a vulnerable situation.
“#SafeHome passes messages from 23 past and present footballers, many of whom have previously voiced their condemnation of violence against women and children,” WHO’s statement read in part.
Among the players featured are Emmanuel Amuneke, Asisat Oshoala, Álvaro Arbeloa, Rosana Augusto, Vítor Baía, Diego Benaglio, Sarah Essam, Khalilou Fadiga.
These players will publish their #SafeHome contribution on their channels, while the campaign will also feature on various FIFA and WHO digital platforms. Graphical toolkits are also being provided to the 211 FIFA member associations to further amplify messages in their territories.
“Once again, we call upon FIFA member associations to pro-actively publish details of national or local helplines and support services that can help anyone who feels threatened by violence,” added the FIFA President.
“In this regard, we also call upon our members to review their own safeguarding measures using the FIFA Guardians toolkit, to ensure that football is fun and safe for everyone in our game, especially the youngest members of the football community. This is what FIFA stands for, and it is what all of football has to stand for.”
Queens College, Yaba, Lagos, has won the 2021 edition of the School of Eloquence yearly competition for senior secondary schools in the state.
The competition, which was usually between two schools, returned to accommodate 10 schools this year having witnessed a year break due to the 2020 pandemic.
In this year’s Eloquence Cup competition, the queens collegel defeated nine others to retain the cup, which they won in 2019.
In the individual category, the duo of Esther Eze and Oluwakemi Lawal of Queens College emerged winner and first runner up respectively, while Ude Arinze Goodluck of Kings College, Lagos, was second runner up.
Eze smiled home with a laptop, the second prize winner got a tab, while the third was rewarded with exotic stationery and a school bag.
Similarly, the first of the Breakout speaker, Adjete Happiness of Dairy Farm Senior Secondary School, Agege, got cash reward of N25, 000, while the second, Samuel Bakare of State Senior High School, Oyewole, Agege, got N15, 000.
Founder of the school, Ubong Essien, lauded the participating schools, saying, participants by their actions, have given hope that in the next 15 to 20 years, the nation’s democracy will have deepened with lawmakers driven by quality and robust dialogue, based on the eloquence.
Essien, while noting that the contest coincided with the 15th anniversary of the School of Eloquence, added: “In 15 years, we have done a fantastic job of teaching the act of public speaking to our secondary schools.”
He further stated that the school is evolving and growing to develop into an institution.
“Our aspiration is for it to go national so don’t be surprised that in 2023, you have the Eloquence Cup in Lagos and Abuja,” he added.
The Registrar, Patience Essien, in her remarks said the school has grown from strength to strength in the last 15 years of its existence.
Before the competition kicked off, some old students educated contestants on career guidance, attitude, protecting the girl-child and the need to imbibe reading culture.
The event, which was witnessed by two members of the school board, Seyi Sowemimo (SAN) and Tonye Unuigbe, came to end with the cutting of the school’s anniversary cake.
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