Month: August 2023

The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) and the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) on Saturday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on preserving critical evidence at crash sites.

Speaking at the MoU signing ceremony at the LASEMA office in Lagos, the Director-General, NSIB, Mr Akin Olateru, said it was important for agencies and organisations to partner in the interest of the country.

Olateru explained that partnership would further enhance safety and preservation of critical evidence at crash sites in cases of serious incidents and accidents involving any mode of transportation.

The director-general said the bureau had also volunteered to train over 200 staff of LASEMA in accident management.

Olateru explained that NSIB was not the first responder in accident cases, but noted that it was necessary for the agency to partner with first responders such as LASEMA, police, military and other critical organisations.

According to him, the partnership with LASEMA will aid accuracy of accident investigation and prevent recurrence.

Olateru recalled that it had in the past six years made attempts to partner with some government agencies, but failed to achieve this purpose.

He lauded the LASEMA management for agreeing to the MoU within five months of its first proposal.

“We had an initial meeting in March this year, which gave birth to this MoU that we are signing today.

“We have been pursuing some organisations in the last six years and nothing positive has come out of it. Whatever MoU we sign with organisations, it is for the interest of the nation.

“We are not the first responder in cases of accident; we are investigators. The first responders need to know their roles and we need to know ours, too.

“We are happy to train the staff of agencies. This is necessary for them to know what we do and how we go about them.

“Evidence needs to be preserved at crash sites. Partnering with an agency like LASEMA is good for our country. Lagos State is the size of four to five states in Europe.

“We will be deceiving ourselves when we say there will not be disasters. There will be disasters, but we need to partner for it so we can reduce the impact of the disasters.” he said.

The director-general noted that the new NSIB Act 2022 empowered it to investigate serious incidents and accidents in all modes of transportation with the aim of boosting safety.

He said the technical staff of LASEMA would be trained in batches by the Southern California Safety Institute of the United States of America (USA).

Earlier, Dr Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, Permanent Secretary, LASEMA, said the authority had signed MoUs with various organisations, including 25 United Nations agencies and a higher institution in the state.

Oke-Osanyintolu said the MoU would further assure the people of Lagos of the agency’s readiness to respond swiftly and manage any emergency.

He said that the State Government had, in recent years, expended billions of naira in the procurement of state-of-the-art ambulance vehicles and training of qualified personnel to equip the agency to manage disasters in the state.

“We also say that disaster management is the responsibility of everyone. We are signing this MoU with NSIB to take care of the airspace in case of an emergency or disaster.

“When the unfortunate aircraft accident happened earlier in the week, we worked together with the officials of NSIB at the crash site and our effort ensured that there was no mortality in the accident.” The permanent secretary said.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

The Federal Government, through the Office of the Vice President (VP), Kashim Shettima, is set to launch a digital hub that will empower one million youths across the country with digital and related skills.

Mr Olusola Abiola, Director, Information, Office of the Vice President, made the disclosure in a statement on Saturday in Abuja.

Abiola said the move is in line with President Bola Tinubu administration’s commitment to providing more digital jobs for young Nigerians,

He disclosed that the centres, to be known as FGN/ALAT Digital and SkillNnovation Hub, would open first in Lagos and Borno States with Katsina, Cross River, Anambra, Oyo, and Kano states to follow afterwards.

According to him, the hubs will be run in partnership with a leading financial institution in Nigeria, WEMA Bank.

He stated that the arrangement for the initiative was reached after a recent meeting between representatives of the bank and Vice President Shettima in Abuja.

He explained that the strategic objectives of the programme include: to empower young enterprenuers by providing them with tailored financial products, training and support to enable them build sustainable businesses that will support the growth of Nigeria’s economy.

“Other objectives include: supporting tech-savvy youths with keen interest in digital innovations and aspire to drive technological advancements, by providing them with financial solutions, training and access to strategic partnerships; and empowering young employees to become an integral part of the workforce in Nigeria, especially those deployed through the NYSC.

“FGN/ALAT Digital and SkillNnovation Hub, positioned to serve as a centralised platform to provide cutting-edge digital skills, mentorship and networking opportunities, is targeted at tech-savvy youths and young entrepreneurs in Nigeria.

” The focus is on promoting entrepreneurship, skills development and the integration of young employees in the workforce, particularly getting one million youths employed in the digital economy and upskilling SMEs who can directly add value to the country’s economy.”

Abiola said that one million young adults would be trained in software engineering, product management, business analysis, cloud computing, product design, using a specialized curriculum designed for the FGN/ALAT Digital and SkillNnovation Hub.

“On mentorship, 500,000 SMEs across Nigeria will be mentored by experts while coaches will train and upskill them for business growth and quantum leap.

“Under the scheme, grants will be provided under a collaborative arrangement between the Federal Government and WEMA Bank, setting aside N500 million to be given to SMEs and Techprenuers.”

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

Nigeria’s senior women basketball team, D’Tigress, on Saturday defeated Senegal 84-74 to win the 2023 Afrobasket Championship in Kigali, Rwanda.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the team put up superlative performances to win the title for a fourth consecutive time.

They had much in abundance in Amy Okonkwo, Murjanatu Musa, Sarah Ogoke and Ifunaya Okoro who were crucial for the Nigerian side

Okonkwo, as usual, unleashed the necessary qualities that kept Senegal on the back foot and she was so fantastic throughout the competition.

Her efforts were acknowledged, leading to her winning the tournament’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) award.

D’Tigress dominated the game and never gave Senegal any chance to dream, recording scorecards of 19-10, 24-21, 26-19 and 22-17 in the four quarters of the game.

History was also made as the Head Coach of D’ Tigress, Rena Wakama, was the first indigenous female coach to lead a national team to win the Afrobasket championship trophy.

At the post-match conference, Wakama praised the team for the doggedness, hard work and passion to achieve such feat in the short time they were put together.

“I’m very proud of my players. They deserve the accolades. Indeed this is a great achievement that should be rewarded.

“We did not have enough time to train together, yet they brought in their professionalism and were marvelous in winning the trophy,” Wakama said.

In a reaction, Queen Moseph, a sports journalist, described the victory as wonderful as the players have shown their qualities and proven their passion to win for the nation.

“We are very happy for them. They deserve the praises as they have lifted the spirits of many basketball loving Nigerians.

“We have always believed in them and winning four straight championship titles show how incredible the senior national team is,” Moseph said.

Kelechi Benard, a sports commentator, described the victory as a very good one for Nigeria especially for the girls who just came together for a week to train.

“The team has proved to many basketball faithful that hard work pays and team coordination is just what can make us to achieve more,” he said.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt.-Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja, has reaffirmed the commitment of the Nigerian Army to supporting and protecting democracy in Nigeria.

Lagbaja said this at the Passing Out Parade and Commissioning/Oath Taking Ceremony for Executive Commission Course 1/2023, on Saturday in Jaji, Kaduna State.

This is contained in a statement by the Director, Army Public Relations, Brig.-Gen. Onyema Nwachukwu, on Saturday in Abuja.

According to Lagbaja, the only thing better than democracy for Nigeria in this modern era, is more democracy.

He said that subordination of the military to constituted authority remains the most fashionable means of promoting military professionalism.

The COAS said that the desire of every Nigerian was to have a flourishing and uninterrupted constitutional democratic governance that promotes national values and the interest of every well-meaning Nigerian, irrespective of ethnic or religious affiliation.

“I therefore charge all Nigerian army personnel to be proud champions of our flourishing democracy and remain apolitical in discharging their constitutional duties.

“The Nigerian army remains committed to ensuring the security of lives and property across the country.

“We are working assiduously to protect the territorial integrity of the nation and support relevant security agencies in ensuring the security of lives and property within the country,” he said.

The Commandant, Nigerian Army School of Infantry, Maj.-Gen. Oluyemi Olatoye, who superintended the training of the cadets, said that the commissioned officers had been imbued with requisite skills to function as officers.

Olatoye said that the newly commissioned officers had been trained to be loyal, courageous and dedicated in their service to the nation.

According to the statement, Nwachukwu said the COAS, afterwards, conferred Presidential Commission on the Passing out Cadets, to the rank of Lieutenant, after which the Oath of Allegiance was administered to them.

He said the 239 passing out cadets comprising 12 females and 228 males were already in service as soldiers drawn from various corps who were selected for Executive Commissioning, after three months of intensive military training.

According to him, three cadets emerged in flying colours amongst their contemporaries.

Cadet A Saminu came first in order of merit, while Cadet SC Nwokanta came second and Cadet OY Yahaya bagged the third position.

“Highpoint of the event was the presentation of Parchment of Commission to the newly commissioned Officers.

“After the Commissioning ceremony, the COAS paid an empathy visit to officers and soldiers who were wounded in action during operational engagements at the 44 Nigerian Army Reference Hospital, Kaduna.”

Source: News Agency of Nigeria