Nigeria, India To Boost Collaboration In Creative Industry

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April 26, 2023

Nigeria and India have committed to Strengthening ties in the creative industry, particularly in film.

The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed said the collaboration between Nigeria and India in the creative industry has begun to yield fruit, with the impending launch of the all-Nigerian-Indian cast movie, entitled “Post Card from India”.

The Minister said this in Abuja on Thursday when he received the Indian High Commissioner to Nigeria, Shri Balasubra Maniam, on a courtesy visit.

He said; “the Ministry is at the forefront of bringing together Bollywood producers, actors and promoters to interact and exchange ideas with their Nigerian counterparts in Nollywood, as India and Nigeria are the two powerhouses in the creative industry.

“I am glad that the recent collaboration between Nigeria and India in the area of culture, industry, film and music has yielded fruits. I am glad that the recent film, ‘Post Card from India,’ which was shot in India, will be coming out in July this year.”

Mohammed said; “the Nigerian Government has offered land to Indian investors in Abuja and Lagos to build a comprehensive film city in either of the two cities to further deepen the economy of the creative industry.”

The Minister also said that a team of Indian investors last August, inspected the Millenium Tower Complex, which would be an iconic cultural centre in Abuja when completed.

Mohammed pledged the readiness of the ministry to sign some of the outstanding Memoranda of Understanding with India to strengthen and deepen the relationship between the two countries in the creative sector.

He stressed the need for the governments of India and Nigeria to open windows of opportunities for the private sector of both countries to forge new ties beyond government-to-government bilateral relations.

In his remarks, the Indian High Commissioner to Nigeria, Balasubra, who traced the bilateral ties between Nigeria and India back to 1958, said the new film, ‘Post Card from India,’ with Nigerian and Indian cast, would showcase the composite cultures between the two countries.

He said the outstanding MoUs on Joint Film Production and Cultural Exchange Programme would further solidify the cultural ties between Nigeria and India.

EFCC Set To File Fresh Charges Against Fani-Kayode

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Rhoda Onuzulike

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April 26, 2023

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The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission(EFCC) is set to file fresh proceedings against former aviation minister, Femi Fani-Kayode, over money laundering.

Fani-Kayode and Nenadi Usman were arraigned by on a 17-count charge in June 2016.

Aside Fani-Kayode and Usman, also listed as defendants in the case are Danjuma Yusuf and Joint Trust Dimensions Limited.

It was alleged that the offenses were committed by the defendants between January and March 2015 in Lagos.

The defendant were alleged to have, at various times, unlawfully retained over N4.6 billion which they “reasonably ought to have known formed part of the proceeds of unlawful acts of stealing and corruption”.

EFCC investigation stalls Ekweremadu’s bail

An appeal was filed challenging the jurisdiction of the court.

The appeal turned out successful and the appellate court quash the trial on April 20.

At the resumed session on Tuesday, EFCC council, Rotimi Oyedepo, said following the court of appeal’s judgment, the commission would need to refile the case in the Abuja jurisdiction.

Oyedepo thereafter applied for exhibits and documents tendered by the prosecution during the trial at the Lagos division.

Justice Daniel Osiagor granted the application and ordered the release of all exhibits and documents tendered before the court during the hearing of the case.

Nollywood: Stakeholders Seek To Regulate Industry

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Koko Lawrence

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April 26, 2023

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Stakeholders in the Nigerian movie industry have called for more involvement of the government to achieve a regulated industry.

They spoke in separate interviews with reporters on Tuesday in Lagos, following the backlash received by a recently released Nigerian movie, ‘Gang of Lagos’, for allegedly having less regard for culture.

The movie which premiered via an online platform had some sector of the audience asking the National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB) to do the needful, which the Board immediately responded that it lacked the legal backing to do so.

The President, Actors’ Guild of Nigeria (AGN), Emeka Rollas, however said the government needed to do more in promotion and regulation to change the status quo.

“Taking a cue from the NFVCB, the Nigerian film industry is evolving and we are all basking in the euphoria of the success. The truth is that the government needs to do more in promotion and regulation.

“If the situation remains like this, anything can happen. The structure in Nigeria is really broken and it’s just all man for himself, God for us all.

“What is happening in the movie industry is everywhere. There are so many other industries in Nigeria that do not regard culture because the owners of the culture themselves are not doing enough to protect it.

“The movie industry has stayed long enough that the government needs to sit down and ask the stakeholders what they want and how to make the industry better,” he said.

The AGN President said the Nigerian movie industry is so porous that people come from different parts of the world to shoot movies with no one stopping them.

Exams System Needs Radical Overhaul – Scotland Education Secretary

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Nzubechukwu Anodo

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April 26, 2023

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Scotland’s education secretary, Jenny Gilruth says the country’s qualification system needs a radical overhaul that better supports teachers and young people.

He was speaking as pupils across the country sat down for the first written exams of the 2023 session.

This is the last year any modifications will be made to mitigate disruption caused by the pandemic.

Next year the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) plans to set exams back to Pre-pandemic norms.

Last month an interim report, commissioned by the Scottish government to examine the future of assessment in the nation’s schools, said the current exam system was no longer fit for purpose.

A final version of the review by Louise Hayward is set to be published next month.

Gilruth said that it is really important that what comes next, in the future, must better support the teachers in the schools but it also must better support young people.

She also dismissed the suggestion that future reform would be anything more than a rebranding exercise.

Hayward’s report also proposed the introduction of a Scottish diploma of achievement a qualification or graduation certificate that would provide evidence of pupils’ achievements.

Gilruth said there was a need to future-proof our qualifications and look radically into a different better future.

She also said it was essential that pupils were assessed continuously throughout the academic year.

Stakeholders Urge FG To Increase Capital In Health Sector

By

Olasunbo Okoromi

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April 26, 2023

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Stakeholders in the health sector have urged governments to close the gaps in the health sector through monetary and non-monetary reforms incentives to encourage qualified health workers to work in rural areas.

The call was made by participants at a webinar on Human Resources for Health Challenges and Universal Health Coverage in Nigeria in organised by ACIOE Foundation monitored .

The webinar was aimed at providing health stakeholders the opportunity to share their expertise and data-driven recommendations on the biggest challenges of human resources for health.

It explored how training, recruitment, retention, remuneration and government strategies/commitment, and how task-shifting and task-sharing policy can be leveraged to achieve Universal Health Coverage for all by 2030 in Nigeria were discussed.

Experts also discussed the current situation of medical personnel emigrating to other countries and provided best practices on how the government and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) could reduce migration of healthcare providers.

In his presentation, Director of Projects Development Research and Project Center Dr Stanley Ukpai, said Nigeria, with over 206 million people, has only 3 per cent of the world’s health workforce, while facing 24 per cent of the global disease burden.

He noted that production has not translated into adequacy in Nigeria’s tertiary, secondary, and primary healthcare centres.

He also said the difference between the number of professionals produced and those employed in the health sector could be attributed to brain drain, with low-capacity utilisation and an unfavorable working environment playing a part.

Public health physician Dr Ngozi Azodoh, called for more advocacy to the government and labour employers on remuneration, career progression, job satisfaction, migration policy review, and production of healthcare workers, among others.

She said that if Nigeria gets the human resources sector right, achieving Universal Health Coverage by 2030 would be easier.

While acknowledging that healthcare funding has increased in different countries, including Nigeria both at national and sub-national levels, the forum said that Nigeria was yet to achieve the Abuja Declaration of allocating 15 per cent of national budget to health.

Asides from funding, the forum called on relevant authorities to address discrimination against women in the healthcare workforce as well as a revision of self-care guidelines to accommodate emerging issues.

It also advocated the encouragement of migration of medical graduates to enhance their skills and knowledge, which eventually would flow back to benefit the source community and its healthcare system.

Experts at the webinar agreed that investments in skilled health workers from the public and private sectors should align with population health needs and health system demands.

Nollywood Produces 280 Movies In First Quarter Of 2023

By

Koko Lawrence

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April 26, 2023

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The Executive Director of National Film and Video Censors Board, (NFVCB), Adedayo Thomas, has confirmed that the board has received, and censored over 280 movies produced by the Nigerian film industry in the first quarter of the year.

He made this announcement in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja.

According to him, the figure was provided by the Department of Film Censorship and Classification of the board in its first quarter report for the year, capturing all films submitted to the board from across the country.

The report is for onward submission to the relevant Federal Government agency as an input for the compilation of the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for the first quarter.

The report shows a decrease in the number of movies produced from 340 in the fourth quarter 0f 2022 to 280 in the first quarter of 2023, which represented about 18 per cent downward slope.

The NFVCB boss in the statement explained that, 106 of the films came in from Lagos censorship centre of the board, representing the chunk of the movies produced during the period under review, and followed by Abuja with 99 movies.

As indicated in the report, Onitsha is next with 32 films, Abeokuta raked in 3 films, Kano 15 and Benin 1 only.

The analysis by censorship location further shows that Jos recorded 14 films, Port Harcourt 8, while Ibadan and Kaduna recorded 1 film each.

Rwanda’s Mount Kenya University Gets Accreditation

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Nzubechukwu Anodo

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April 26, 2023

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The Government of Rwanda has granted Mount Kenya University Rwanda (MKUR) full accreditation to operate as a fully-fledged university.

According to a communique from the Office of the Prime Minister, the accredited institution will launch as Mount Kigali University (MKU).

The communique details several orders made by a Cabinet meeting chaired by President, Paul Kagame.

The Cabinet approved the ministerial order granting accreditation and legal personality to Mount Kigali University.

The Vice-Chancellor of the university, Edwin Odhuno expressed gratitude to the Government of Rwanda for granting the university a charter and the Ministry of Education for the recognition granted the institution.

He said the award of charter is an exciting, yet challenging development because it means the university has the responsibility of delivering much more in teaching, research and community outreach.

Mount Kigali University becomes the first ever cross-border campus in Rwanda to attain this status.

Prof Odhuno further said he was confident that the MKU Chairman and Board of Directors, will continue supporting the new institution so that it can attain greater heights of success.

MKUR offers a wide range of academic and professional courses through various flexible modes that include online, face-to-face, day and weekend and Institutional based learning (School-based).

According to its memoir, its alumni include leaders in government, the private sector and civil society organizations.

The memoir also details its infrastructural developments such as the upcoming Kigali Paramount Hotel which will be a regional center of Excellency for the School of Hospitality and Tourism and its corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities such as empowering the girl child academically through Imbuto foundation and infrastructural development in schools among others.

Actors Union Says It Will Fight Cuts To NI Arts

By

Koko Lawrence

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April 26, 2023

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A union for performers and actors in Northern Ireland has said it will “fight to resist” budget cuts imposed on the arts.

Earlier this month arts organisations were told their annual funding available from the Arts Council could be cut by 10%.

But the Equity union, which represents those working in the arts, said it would push back against any cuts.

Alice Adams Lemon from Equity said arts needed “more investment, not less”.

Speaking at a protest in Belfast, she said: “No government minister has signed this off but the effects are already being felt and that is why we are here.

“Even before the cuts, effective organisations have been dealing with increased costs – high rates of inflation mean less available budget.

“Cuts hit culture, cuts hit communities.”

Local actors Adrian Dunbar and Ian McElhinney provided video messages during the rally, criticising any plans to impose cuts on the arts sector.

McElhinney, who has starred in Derry Girls and Game of Thrones, said the “arts are vital but government here in NI does not seem to understand that”.

Co Fermanagh actor Dunbar, star of Line of Duty, pledged his support for those fighting against potential cuts.

West End star, Belfast-born Rachel Tucker, also addressed the rally and said proposals for cuts “made her blood boil”.

She said: “I’m just so furious, the generation below me will not get what I received growing up and took for granted as a child, being taught by the best in our business for singing and dancing.”

JAMB Postpones Direct Entry Continuation

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Nzubechukwu Anodo

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April 26, 2023

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The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, has postponed the continuation of its ongoing Direct Entry registration, ahead of the 2023 national census exercise.

Announcing the postponement in a statement, the board Head of Public Affairs and Protocol, Fabian Benjamin, said that the Direct Entry registration, which was scheduled to close in April, would continue on the 6th of May after the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination and the national census exercise scheduled for 3rd to 5th of May 2023.

The Board also directed all candidates desiring to register for the DE exercise to obtain the DE E-PINs from designated vending outlets before the 30th of April closing date and proceed to the Board’s offices from the 6th to the 13th of May to complete their registration procedure.

The board assured candidates desirous of DE registration that none would be denied the opportunity to register provided they comply with the Board’s directives and within the stipulated time frame.

The Board, however solicits the understanding of candidates as it puts in place some innovative measures aimed at checking the incidence of falsification of results, data and other infractions.

Nigerian Scholar Emerges Winner of Sustainability Carbon Neutrality Award

By

Nzubechukwu Anodo

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April 26, 2023

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A Nigerian university lecturer, Professor Ademola Adenle has emerged as the only African among the winners of the Sustainability 2022 Carbon Neutrality Award by the Sustainability Publishing House Office, Basel, Switzerland.

Adenle, who lectures at the Department of Technology Management and Economics, Technical University of Denmark, was listed as the winner of the third prize on the organization’s website.

The Sustainability Award by the Sustainability Publishing House Office, Basel, Switzerland is a globally competitive award that celebrates remarkable contributions toward carbon neutrality and a sustainable future.

Adenle is a visiting Professor of Sustainability and Innovation Policy at the Department of Technology, Management and Economics, Technical University of Denmark.

His interdisciplinary research is located at the interface of natural and social sciences with over 22 years of combined experience in stakeholder engagement, teaching and research at the international level.

He focuses on the role of science, technology and innovation policy in addressing sustainable development challenges including food insecurity, climate change and energy poverty.