Month: July 2023

Guiness World Record holder, Hilda Baci, will display her world-beating culinary skills in Lagos on Friday, July 14, to raise funds for a widow.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Baci’s dishes will be tasted in an initiative by Joseph Edgar, The Duke of Shomolu, to assist widows and empower them to be self-reliant.

Edgar, Chief Executive Officer of Duke of Shomolu Productions, a theatrical play producing outfit, disclosed this to NAN on Sunday.

He said that Baci is expected to display her “mesmerising skills which enamoured the world and saw her emerge as the Guiness record holder in a bid to raise N1 million for a widow”.

He said that the initiative, which had been running for the last three years, had raised more than N10 million for deserving widows.

“The initiative involves very close friends and associates of The Duke of Shomolu, donating cash instead of gifts to mark his birthdays.

“The cash gifts are then sent to needy widows, who would have been nominated by members of the public.

“Last year, N2 million was donated to four deserving widows by the friends and associates of the Duke of Shomolu

“This year, N3 million was raised with the winner, who got N1 million, nominated by a director at Keystone Bank, Mr Yemi Odusanya, who incidentally shares same birthday with the Duke.”

Edgar himself chose 10 other widows from among the close to 100 nominees who shared N1million.

He said that Baci would be cooking for 10 people at the Ivy Hotel at Emerald in Ikeja GRA, Lagos.

According to him, the sum of N1 million will be donated to a widow of her choice.

He said that Prothrive Astute heights Ltd., makers of Grandios Pap, would sponsor the event as part of its social responsibility.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

UNFPA Country Representative, Ulla Mueller, says the attainment of eight billion world population is a significant milestone in human development in areas such as medicine, science, health, agriculture and education.

She told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) forum in Abuja on Sunday that the achievement is however, accompanied by concerns and anxiety as the world faces various crises, such as climate change and mass displacement.

The UNFPA in its 2023 State of World Population (SWOP) Report, an annual publication produced by the Fund, revealed that global population will hit eight billion by mid-2023.

The report, which was launched in June, provides an insight into global population trends and implications to development.

According to a new report by the UN, Nigeria’s population is estimated to rise to 223.8 million by mid-2023 from 216 million in 2022.

The SWOP Report, which highlights the rapid growth of Nigeria’s population, notes that in 2006 when the last census was conducted, the country’s population was put at 180 million.

It indicated that the population, aged 0 to 14, increased by 43 per cent, the population aged 10 to 19 increased by 23 per cent, those aged 10 to 24 increased by 33 per cent, 15 to 64 years increased by 54 per cent, while those aged 65 and above increased by three per cent.

Mueller, therefore, explained that the 2023 UNFPA SWOP Report — “8 Billion Lives, Infinite Possibilities: The Case for Rights and Choices’’ — aims to reshape the conventional understanding of population figures.

She urged policymakers and the media to abandon sensational narratives about population booms and busts.

The country representative said the report is an annual flagship publication of the Fund since 1978, aimed at bringing population issues, growth and demographic shifts to global attention.

The report is also to explore challenges and opportunities they present for international, regional, national and sub-national development so as not to leave anyone behind.

In the report, she said, recommendations are proposed to enhance the health, wellbeing and rights of individuals and communities across the globe.(NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Population

By Hadiza Mohammed-Aliyu

Abuja, July 9, 2023 (NAN) UNFPA Country Representative, Ulla Mueller, says the attainment of eight billion world population is a significant milestone in human development in areas such as medicine, science, health, agriculture and education.

She told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) forum in Abuja on Sunday that the achievement is however, accompanied by concerns and anxiety as the world faces various crises, such as climate change and mass displacement.

The UNFPA in its 2023 State of World Population (SWOP) Report, an annual publication produced by the Fund, revealed that global population will hit eight billion by mid-2023.

The report, which was launched in June, provides an insight into global population trends and implications to development.

According to a new report by the UN, Nigeria’s population is estimated to rise to 223.8 million by mid-2023 from 216 million in 2022.

The SWOP Report, which highlights the rapid growth of Nigeria’s population, notes that in 2006 when the last census was conducted, the country’s population was put at 180 million.

It indicated that the population, aged 0 to 14, increased by 43 per cent, the population aged 10 to 19 increased by 23 per cent, those aged 10 to 24 increased by 33 per cent, 15 to 64 years increased by 54 per cent, while those aged 65 and above increased by three per cent.

Mueller, therefore, explained that the 2023 UNFPA SWOP Report — “8 Billion Lives, Infinite Possibilities: The Case for Rights and Choices’’ — aims to reshape the conventional understanding of population figures.

She urged policymakers and the media to abandon sensational narratives about population booms and busts.

The country representative said the report is an annual flagship publication of the Fund since 1978, aimed at bringing population issues, growth and demographic shifts to global attention.

The report is also to explore challenges and opportunities they present for international, regional, national and sub-national development so as not to leave anyone behind.

In the report, she said, recommendations are proposed to enhance the health, wellbeing and rights of individuals and communities across the globe.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

The Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA) says plans are under way to fill up potholes and intervene in the repair of failed roads nationwide as the rainy season sets in.

The acting Managing Director, FERMA, Mr Godson Amos made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Abuja.

According to him, the intervention was necessitated because of the need to ameliorate the hardship and delays road users face daily.

He was optimistic that the intervention would be acheived within six weeks of the commencement and all potholes and road failure worked on, on federal roads across the country.

He said he had gotten reports across the country of of the deplorable Federal Roads across the country which had caused a lot of inconveniences to road users.

He added that these failures have hampered economic activities due to inability of the people to freely move goods from one place to the other.

” The failures on the roads are mostly caused by the incessant rainfall being experienced in many parts of the country, which results in cutting off of roads embankment and collapsing of many carriageway sections at many locations across the country.

“Also excessive traffic, ovet loading of vehicles coupled with age of the roads are other factors that have contributed to the dilapidation of the federal roads.

“This hinders the free flow of traffic, causing colossal damages to vehicles, wastages of productive man hours and huge discomfort to road users.

“Our of engineers in the Field Offices have already carried out route condition survey of the Federal Roads and heave identified all critical failures like road embankments washout and failed carriageway section for the agency to take action.”

Speaking on how the agency would executive this intervention, Amos said direct labour would be deployed by engaging skilled and unskilled youths in the communities.

He further said that appraisals have been made, including the assessment of works requirement, estimation of resources like men, materials and machines that will be deployed to achieve most cost effective result.

Amos said in order to ensure that maximum results was achieved the agency had designed a good monitoring mechanism for effective and efficient monitoring of all the projects nationwide deploying management team for inspection.

H urged the media to give effective coverage to the activities of the agency and other stakeholders to partner with the agency to ensure that citizens have stress free and enjoyable travel experience on our highways.

The chief executive of FERMA however, said funding was a challenge in the maintenance of the 36,000 kilometres of federal highways all year round.

NAN reports that FERMA is an agency that was set up for the monitoring and maintenance of all federal roads in Nigeria.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

Alhaji Nasiru Shehu-Bodinga, a member of the House of Representatives (APC-Sokoto), representing Bodinga/Dange-Shuni /Tureta Federal Constituency, has donated vehicles, motorcycles and cash gifts to his constituents.

The items were presented to the beneficiaries in the presence of party officials and loyalists in Bodinga town, headquarters of Bodinga Local Government on Saturday .

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the event had attracted thousands of party stalwarts and well wishers from across the state.

The items distributed included 43 motorcycles to the leaders and members of the party in the three local governments.

In the same vein, a vehicle was given to each of the Chairmen of APC in the three local governments, as well as a vehicle to the women leader in Sokoto South Senatorial District.

Similarly, N500,000 was doled out to each of the women leaders in the three local governments, among others.

“The event is to thank my constituents for reposing tremendous confidence by electing me.

“I promise never to fail you, my constituents, my party and its leadership in the state.

“I also promise to provide quality representation, with a view to attracting colossal development to my constituency, Sokoto State and Nigeria in general,”he said

Speaking at the event, Gov. Ahmed Aliyu of Sokoto State described the gesture by Shehu-Bodinga as unparalleled and worthy of emulation.

He, therefore, challenged other National and State Assembly members to follow suit, with a view to further alleviating the suffering of the people.

Aliyu reiterated his unwavering commitment to religiously implement his nine-point agenda unveiled during his campaigns.

The governor vowed that his administration would continue to reel out a myriad of plausible programmes and policies to provide the direly needed dividends of democracy to the people of the state.

According to him, his administration remains resolute in fulfilling all his campaign promises,saying: “I know all these promises and we have already swung into action to redeem them.”

Speaking at the event, the Guest of Honour and leader of the party in the State, Sen. Aliyu Wammako, lauded the bold move by the lawmaker just a few days after assuming duty.

Wamakko, a former Governor of Sokoto State, who represents Sokoto North Senatorial District on the platform of APC urged other lawmakers to also assist the less privileged members of the society.

He said: “We should all do more to assist the masses to ameliorate their suffering as this is the essence of democracy and being in leadership positions.

“We all have to do this passionately as the people are in dire need of help.”

The Chairman of the occasion and former Minister of Police Affairs, Alhaji Muhammadu Dingyadi, also commended the lawmaker for the gesture.

Dingyadi said that it would go along way in alleviating the travails of the beneficiaries, urging other elected and appointed officials to emulate him.

A cross section of the beneficiaries commended Shehu-Bodinga for the gesture and urged other lawmakers to emulate him.

Other speakers at the event included the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Tukur Bala-Bodinga and the State APC Chairman, Alhaji Isa Sadiq-Achida, among others.

They all lauded the lawmker for coming to the aid of his constituents.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria