Day: March 23, 2023

Toastmasters (TM) International Club, a non-profit organisation, has underscored the need for adequate investment in skills development, particularly for women, to achieve meaningful growth in Nigeria.

Mr Jude Nnadozie, President, Hatlab TM Club, District 94, Division E, Area 30, Abuja, gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Abuja.

He spoke against the backdrop of the Club’s bi-monthly meeting, with the theme: “The leading edge”, in commemoration of the 2023 International Women’s Day (IWD).

Nnadozie said, “When you join platforms like TM, you will meet other people and develop your skills which is important. So, the things we learn are enormous.

“This is why we have special meetings where we celebrate great women. By our theme, we put spotlight on things women who succeeded in their chosen career have done to succeed.

“Today, we brought together lots of distinguished women on the platform of TM, because they have been there for a while and conquered many grounds we look forward to conquer in life.

“Not just women and girls, but generally on what people can do to succeed in various endeavors.”

In her general evaluation, Mrs Stella George, Division E Director of Toastmasters International, urged people to always participate in meetings to imbibe modern skills which could enable them tackle modern challenges.

The division director quoted Mahatma Ghandi, saying: “The best way to gain yourself is to lose yourself to serving other people” to reiterate the importance of leadership.

According to her, Toastmasters International is a place people could build noble character and become more productive.

“Here you learn about emotional intelligence, interpersonal communication skills, quick thinking, and the ability to organise a group of people.

“You need to build capacity and support others; this is what makes the world go round because you never get tired doing what you love while serving humanity,” she said.

High point of the event was recitation of “Resilience” as key word of the day and panel discussion on gender equity being moderated by Udanga Jarigbe, a Toastmaster.

The discussion by Distinguished Toastmasters Stella George (Division Director), Toju Cole, Soji Salu, Alhassan Mohammed and Titi Ojo, stressed the need for people to understand and be dedicated to core values to achieve success in their career.

The event also featured general evaluation, introduction of table topics by Mr Ifeanyi Nwoko, Vice President of Hatlab Toastmasters Club, and cutting of cake to commemorate the IWD.

NAN reports that TM International Club promotes improvement in public speaking, self-confidence, leadership and networking skills. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

Dr Emem Omokaro, the Director General of the National Senior Citizens Centre (NSCC) says the centre will continue to collaborate with other relevant agencies to improve the health and well-being of senior citizens in the country.

Omokaro stated this on Wednesday shortly after the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Federal Ministry of Health and the NSCC in Abuja.

The MoU was signed during a stakeholder’s engagement on the development of National Benchmark for the training of caregivers to older persons.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the MoU is aimed at developing a National Action Plan on the care of older persons in the Healthcare sector.

She said that the meeting consideref the state of care services for older persons and built a consensus that older persons have a right to dignity and security.

According to her, the centre will ensure the training of caregivers and examine their capacities and their competencies as well as the Care Agency Operators to ensure that effective result was achieved.

The D-G said the centre had carefully considered the relative challenges and the cultural background in line with global best practice.

Omokaro said the centre was determined to deliver a sustainable process and secure care services toward building the ultimate care system for the betterment of older persons in Nigeria.

“ In Nigeria as in most countries in sub-Saharan Africa, families provide the majority of care for older persons, the number of older people in Nigeria is growing rapidly.

“The latest survey 2022 by NBS shows an increase of two million from 14.8 million in 2019 and it is expected to double by 30 million in the year 2050.

“ The conflicts of family caregivers and other non-cultural factors with insufficient support systems for older persons, increasing the care burden of a few family caregivers who provide care without any training or support,“ she said.

Also, the representative of the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Dr Nasir Sani Gwarzo, commended the centre for mapping out a unique strategy towards achieving healthcare services to older persons in the country.

Gwarzo urged the stakeholders to also consider the plight of older persons “who are victims of natural disasters”.

He, therefore, expressed readiness to support the centre in its determination to deliver quality health for senior citizens in line with its mandate.

Similarly, the representative of the Minister of Health, Dr John Ovuvoroye assured the centre of the ministry’s commitment to providing strong synergy toward achieving improved healthcare for older persons in line with universal health coverage.

Ovuvoroye said the MoU would further strengthen the collaboration with the centre for the benefit of older persons. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng).

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

The U.S.A-based AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), an NGO, on Thursday called on governments and world leaders to prioritise the prevention and treatment of Tuberculosis to mitigate avoidable deaths in Nigeria.

AHF’s Programme Director in Nigeria, Dr Echey Ijezie, made the call in a statement it issued in Abuja to herald the 2023 World Tuberculosis Day.

The World Tuberculosis Day is commemorated annually on March 24 to elicit support for tuberculosis sufferers.

It is also commemorated to encourage world leaders to focus on ending the disease that is 100 per cent preventable and treatable.

The theme for the 2023 Tuberculosis Day is: “Yes! We Can End Tuberculosis.’’

In commemorating the Day, AHF called on heads of states to attend the United Nations High-Level meeting on Tuberculosis in September to show their commitment to ending tuberculosis in their countries.

Tuberculosis is a serious infection of the lungs caused by a bacterium that spreads through tiny droplets, released in the air when a sufferer coughs or sneezes.

“Ending tuberculosis in Nigeria must come with intensified level of case finding and patients who show up in hospitals to embrace treatment, which is free across health facilities in the country.

“Importantly, we must increase funding available to tuberculosis, improve the level of education and awareness as well as engage the rising incidence of stigma related to the disease,’’ Ijezie said in the statement.

Ijezie decried the listing of Nigeria by the WHO as one of the 10 countries accounting for 64 per cent of the global gap in tuberculosis case finding.

He stressed that Nigeria’s situation required urgent attention as the WHO also listed it alongside India and Indonesia as accounting for almost half of the total gap in case finding.

In the statement also, AHF’s Chief Global Advocacy and Policy, Mr Terri Ford, said the foundation was focusing on tuberculosis by educating its staff members and clients and by providing tuberculosis screening in its clinics.

“The Foundation is also prioritising prevention and treatment of HIV and tuberculosis co-infection, which is one of the main causes of death of people living with HIV.

“AHF urges all government and public health institutions to do their part to ensure tuberculosis research, prevention, and treatment programmes are fully funded and supported.

“We all must do more to finally stop tuberculosis worldwide, particularly in lower-income countries,’’ Ford said.

The AHF stated that tuberculosis claimed 1.6 million lives in 2021, the year when more than 10 million new infections were recorded, yet it remained woefully neglected and underfunded in many countries.

“Even as tuberculosis is a global epidemic, more than 95 per cent of deaths occur in lower-income countries.

“WHO estimated that finances were less than 40 per cent of what was needed to prevent and treat tuberculosis in 2022.

“The time is now for heads of state to urgently focus efforts on tuberculosis prevention and mitigate millions of avoidable deaths,’’ it stressed.

AHF is a global non-profit organisation providing cutting-edge medicine and advocacy for more than 1.7 million people in 45 countries, including Nigeria. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Faruk Yahaya, on Thursday announced scholarship for the best male and best female trainees who graduated from the Nigerian Army Officers Wives’ Association (NAOWA) training institute.

Yahaya made the announcement at the graduation of the third batch of 264 barrack youths in the NAOWA Youth Development Project in Abuja.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that NAOWA graduated 232 youths in the first batch of trainees and 231 youths in the second batch.

Mr Sanusi Abubakar was announced as the best male trainee in the third batch that graduated on Thursday, while Miss Jennifer Okechukwu was announced as the best in the female category.

Gen. Yahaya said the scholarship offer would cover academic expenses in any institution of higher learning of the choice of the beneficiary.

The Nigerian Army, he said, would fund the scholarship as a way of encouraging barrack youths to fulfil their dreams and aspirations.

He said the Nigerian army had always emphasised the need to guide youths towards realising their dreams and ambitions, adding that the report of their conduct from the first batch to the present was encouraging.

“What you have just done was to graduate another batch of youths from our barracks trained in various skills in four areas of computer and Information Technology management.

“Then there are those who have acquired skills in tailoring and fashion designing. There are 32 of them in fashion designing and they have all been given starter packs.

“So, as they leave now, they are already established to start businesses and have been empowered in various skills of their interests.

“We have also given scholarships to the best two. That is the best male and best female to further their education anywhere they want and we will support them.

“Youth development is of importance for the Nigerian army and we will continue to support it.

“We have abundance of youths in the barracks with a lot of skills and competencies that we will continue to harness so that we can make them better people,’’ he said.

Yahaya said the army remained committed to supporting and giving back to the society, adding that NAOWA had continued to ensure that barrack children and indeed the society was empowered.

He said that efforts would be made to extend the youth project to all army formations and units across the country to support the youths.

He commended NAOWA for the initiative and challenged the association to explore more areas of need that would be of great support for the future development of youths.

Yahaya advised the trainees to put in more efforts and tenacity to ensure that the skills acquired did not go to waste, urging them to make the skills the good currency that they could leverage on.

In her remarks, President of NAOWA and wife of the Chief of Army Staff, Mrs Salamatu Yahaya, said the project was initiated to positively engage youths within the barracks community.

This, she explained was done by committing the youths to learning in the fields of ICT and vocational and entrepreneurial skills that would enhance their academic and career pursuits and their productivity.

Mrs Yahaya said the third batch had 32 youths that participated in a three-month intensive training in fashion designing and tailoring in addition to the ICT trainees.

She said the introduction of fashion designing and tailoring expanded the earlier training module which was limited to ICT.

According to her, the ICT segment of the training is conducted by Unites Cisco Networking Academy, technical facilitators of the programme.

The fashion designing and tailoring trainings were carried out by instructors at the NAOWA Institute of Management and Technology, she added.

“In continuation of what we did during the first and second graduation ceremonies, we shall present brand new laptop computers to the best three graduating trainees in each of the five ICT courses.

“Additionally, we shall be presenting starter packs, comprising of brand new industrial sewing and weaving machines to all the 32 graduating trainees of fashion designing and tailoring

“The laptops would be issued to 17 ICT trainees, who distinguished themselves by their conduct and outstanding performance as a mark of recognition of excellence and encouragement for continuous learning for the recipients.

“The sewing and weaving machines that would be issued to the graduating trainees of fashion designing and tailoring are our way of actualising their wants and zeal for learning and self-empowerment.

“It is our hope that these machines would enable the beneficiaries to begin work immediately with their acquired skills, and would enable them to generate funds to cater to their needs,” she said.

In her intervention, a former president of NAOWA, Mrs Hadiza Dambazzau, commended the association for upholding and improving on the objectives of NAOWA.

She urged the current leadership to continue to build on the legacy of the founding mothers of the association and urged barracks youths to take advantage of the opportunities to better their future.

The best graduating trainee, Miss Jennifer Okechukwu, thanked the NAOWA president for her thoughtfulness towards barracks youths to bring out the best in them.

Okechukwu said the training had exposed her to a lot of skills in ICT and pledged to make use of the skills to actualise her dreams and aspirations. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

The New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) has rejected the outcome of the National Assembly elections in the Federal Capital Territory and proceeded to the tribunal to seek redress.

The party alleged that the process that produced Ireti Kingibe, the candidate of the Labour of Party (LP) as Senator-elect for the FCT was marred by irregularities.

Mr Mubarak Tijjani, the NNPP’s party senatorial candidate in the FCT, said this at a news conference held in Abuja, on Thursday.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that on Feb. 25, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Mrs Ireti Kingibe of the LP as the winner of the FCT Senate seat.

Ireti scored 202,175 votes to emerge winner, adding that Sen. Philip Aduda of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and incumbent senator came second with 100,544 votes.

“Mr Angulu Dobi of the All Progressives Congress (APC) placed third with 78,905 votes.”

Tijjani claimed that the election was marred by irregularities ranging from over voting and the omission of NNPP’s logo from the ballot paper.

“We were sabotaged; all our efforts were sabotaged and undermined.

“I’m not trying to throw allegations but it is clear to everybody in FCT that LP and the INEC have played some certain role of sabotaging our efforts in NNPP.

“Our logo was changed on the ballot paper, which was something that has caused NNPP a great loss in the 2023 general elections that we will never forget.

“That is why I’m challenging the result that brought Ireti Kingibe as the Senator-elect. This is not a true democracy. Democracy did not play doing the 2023 general election,” he said.

Tijjani also said that the Agent’s tag for his party was not provided..

“A day to the election, they told us they forgot to print the entire tags for FCT.

“We were trying to improvise, the following morning we saw other party agents with their tags.

“By the time our agents who had trained to protect their votes, came to their polling units to do their assignment, they were only sent away by other party agents.

“We are highly disappointed in LP and we are not going to relent. We have to seek for justice not just for ourselves, for our people, for our supporters but for our democracy,” he said.(NAN)

(www.nannews.ng)

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

The Defence Headquarters says Nigerian troops have eliminated 46 terrorists, bandits and other criminals across North East, North Central and North West in the last two weeks.

The Director, Defence Media Operations, Maj.-Gen. Musa Danmadami, said this during the biweekly news conference on the operations of the armed forces on Thursday in Abuja.

Danmadami said the troops also apprehended more than 50 terrorists and other criminals as well as rescued 97 kidnapped victims within the period.

In the North East, Danmadami said the troops of Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK) had sustained and continued to dominate the theatre of operation with commendable successes.

He said the troops had within the weeks in focus, neutralised 18 Boko Haram/Islamic State of West Africa Province terrorists, arrested six logistics suppliers and rescued 119 abducted civilians.

He added that a total of 1,506 terrorists and members of their families comprising 154 adult males, 514 adult females and 838 children, surrendered to troops at different location within the theatre of operation.

According to him, troops also recovered 16 AK 47 rifles, one 60mm mortar bomb, 10 dane guns, 12 dummy rifles, 280 rounds of 7.62mm special, 118 rounds of 7.62 x 50mm NATO, 13 rounds of 5.56mm ammo and 10 rounds of 7.62 x 54 mm NATO ammo.

“Also recovered are one round of 12.7mm NATO, 17 AK47 magazines, one firing pin, one mechanic tools box, two knives, six motorcycles, 24 mobile phones, 41 livestocks, assorted food items, one vehicle, four sim and other sundry items as well as the cash sum of N2.2 million.

“All recovered items, rescued civilians and apprehended suspects have been handed over to the appropriate authority for further action, while surrendered terrorists and members of their families are been profiled for further action,” he said.

Danmadami said the air component of Operation Hadin Kai conducted several air interdiction operations against terrorists enclaves and logistics in support of ground operations during the period.

He said that several air interdictions operations were carried out in some forest in Borno and Yobe where several terrorists were neutralised in the airstrikes.

According to him, the ground forces on mop up operations, recovered one gun truck, three AK 47 rifles, one PKM gun, one PKM metal link with 19 rounds, two Improvised Explosive Devices, 129 rounds of 7.62mm (39mm) ammunition, 60 solar panels among others.

Danmadami added that two terrorists logistic depots were destroyed.

In North Central, the defence spokesman said troops of Operation Safe Haven and Whirl Stroke, apprehended 28 bandits, criminals and political thugs during the March 18 election across the zone.

He added that a total of eight bandits were eliminated in different operations while five kidnapped victims were rescued.

Danmadami said the troops had on March 12, apprehended two suspected kidnappers while attempting to collect ransom at Gegu-Beki village in Kogi Local Government Area, Kogi

According to him, preliminary investigation revealed that the suspect was sent to collect the sum of N2 million.

Danmadami said the troops of Operation Whirl Stroke, between March 16 and March 22 neutralised eight terrorists, recovered arms and ammunition, rescued five kidnapped civilians and arrested seven other criminals in Benue.

“In another development, troops conducted fighting patrol to Independence National Electoral Commission office in Ilorin-West Local Government Area of Kwara on March 18 and intercepted some armed thugs.

“Troops search the area where the thugs were seen and recovered two pump action guns, four locally made dane guns, two machetes, four mobile phones and one vehicle, as well as arrested six thugs,” he said.

In North West, Danmadami said the troops of Operations Hadarin Daji, within the period neutralised 14 terrorists, arrested 12 logistics supplier and rescued 16 abducted civilians.

He added that the troops recovered large cache of arms, hard drugs, assorted food items and the sum of N9,670.

According to him, all recovered items, arrested suspects and rescued civilians have been handed over to relevant authority for further action. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Source: News Agency of Nigeria