4 die, 3 injured in Lagos-Ibadan Expressway accident

Four persons were killed on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway on Monday when a luxury bus rammed into a truck.

Three other persons sustained varying degrees of injuries in the accident.

Mrs Florence Okpe, Public Education Officer, Federal Road Safety Corps in Ogun, confirmed the incident in Abeokuta.

She said the truck did not stop after the bus rammed into it while negotiating a bend around “Kara’’ axis on the expressway.

Okpe said also that 21 persons, 13 men and eight women, were involved in the accident.

The corpses were deposited at a morgue in Sagamu in Ogun, while the injured were taken to a nearby hospital, she said. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

NTI, JICA partner on school-based management committee project – DG

The National Teachers’ Institute ( NTI), Kaduna has concluded the necessary arrangements to collaborate with Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) on the School-Based Management Committee (SBMC) project.

The institute’s Director and Chief Executive, Prof. Musa Garba-Maitfasir, explained that the arrangements was the outcome of a recent collaborative meeting between NTI and JICA, held in Abuja.

Earlier at the meeting, Garba-Maitafsir, who had disclosed the support JICA had given the Institute, applauded the Japanese Government through JICA, Nigeria Office.

He reeled out to the JICA officials the efforts of his administration in renovating SMASE hostels at the institute for conduciveness of the participants during training.

Garba-Maitafsirr said that the SMASE project was well accepted in all states of the federation ” because of its positive impact, coupled with trained national trainers , who were trained internationally.”

He assured the Japanese that NTI was well structured and equipped with the needed facilities and resource persons for any collaborative training.

The JICA Nigeria Office Project Adviser , Madam Kona, said they were impressed with NTI for sustaining the Strengthening Mathematics and Science Education project for more than ten years , in spite of the exit of the partner.

” Therefore, as a result of NTI’s commitment, JICA wants to collaborate with NTI on School -Based Management Committee (SBMC) implementation and sustainability for quality education in Nigeria,” she said.

Also, Dr. Armiya’u Malami-Yabo, Special Assistant to the Director and Chief Executive of NTI, informed the JICA officials about the Zambian 2023 Knowledge Co-creation , KCCP training Programme.

He said that it was attended by three SMASE Trainers on ” Enhancement Training of Management in Vocational Training Institutions.”

Justifying the choice of NTI, Armaya’u-Yabo, said that the institute has made an effort in the development plan and implementation of SBMC by UNICEF in Nigeria.

It had also participated in the development of the Whole School Development Plan ( WSDP), as well as trained many teachers and education managers.

According to the report, the concern of the project, among others, is on the competency of teachers for effective teaching and learning processes.

During the discussion, Madam Mayo, the Project Consultant presented the foundational model based on the research conducted on needs assessment for the implementation of SBMC project in Nigerian schools.

The areas of focus in the project are: Leadership, Communication and Support, while it will contribute by building the capacity of Nigerian teachers through NTI on proper implementation of SBMC and its sustainability for quality education.

Meanwhile, JICA has offered NTI two slots for nominated candidates at the Institute to study for a Masters Degree in Africa Business Education, plus six months of internship.

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The meeting, which was held at NTI North-Central Zonal Office , Abuja was also attended by Dr Zama Ismaila-Haliru, Konan Saori, Minami Mayu, Ja’afar Hussaini-Aliyu and Misbahu Adamu-Sani.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

ICRC provides mental health psychosocial support to 10,000 persons in Borno – Official

The International Community of Red Cross(ICRC) has provided 10,000 mental health and psychosocial support services to 10,000 traumatized victims in Borno in eight years.

Ms Comfort Dauda, The ICRC Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Field Officer, made this known in Maiduguri.

She said that ICRC has been providing mental and psychosocial support for people affected by violence of armed conflict in the state, noting that they are in one of the communities to celebrate World Mental Health Day with some of their service users.

She explained that ICRC has also provided basic psychosocial support, psychological first aid, psycho-education, awareness-raising, community-based activities, counseling, group therapy, psychiatric psychological assessments and treatments to the beneficiaries.

”The beneficiaries were drawn from Maiduguri Metropolitan Council, Damboa Dikwa and Monguno and Bama.

”They were provided with 10 weeks of psycho-social support services,” she said.

The official noted that those who accessed the services included IDPs, missing persons, hospital patients suffering weapon wounds; frontline healthcare workers; and people in detention were treated in various health facilities.

“We are supporting such patients in Umaru Shehu Hospital, State Psychiatric Hospital and State Specialist Hospital and University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospitals in the state to provide such services to the victims.

“We also collaborated with the State Psychiatric Hospital to train some social workers and nurses to support people affected by violence on mental health and psychosocial support services.

”We are also collaborating with the State Ministry of Health and Women Affairs to provide psychological support services to women, girls who were sexually violent victims.

“We are currently working in three communities in the MMC including Ngaranam Bayan Quarters and Libya Bayan Texaco where over 340 people with the same symptoms go to the centers to sit down and interact for ten weeks with our mental health and psychosocial support professionals,”she said.

Speaking, Malama Batul Bulama, an IDP, said she recovered from trauma after accessing mental health and psychosocial services provided by the organisation.

Bulama said that before she was treated in one of the centres, she was depressed and had serious health complications after she and her family were displaced in their community by Boko Haram insurgents.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

Rep. Mathew promoting peaceful coexistence through sports in Kaura constituency

Rep. Donatus Mathew (LP-Kaduna) has promised to promote peace and harmonious relationship through sports in Kaura Local Government Area of Kaduna State.

Mathew, who represents Kaura Federal Constituency made the promise at the opening of a friendly football match between Executive members of Labour Party in Zone 1 and Zone 2, in Kaura LGA on Sunday in Kagoro.

Zone 1 team is made up of executive members from Kadarko, Kaura, Zankan, Manchok and Bondon Wards, while Zone II is made up of executives from Malagum, Kpak, Fada, Agban and Kukum Wards.

The lawmaker explained that the friendly match was to cement a mutual cordial relationship among members of the party and promote peaceful coexistence.

He explained that part of his campaign promise was to ensure a paradigm shift through constituency engagement for quality representation and harmonious relationship among the different people in the area.

He recalled that he equally promised to strengthen unity among the divided people in the LGA with a view to work together for sustainable development.

“This is why sport is key in ensuring peaceful coexistence and love for one another irrespective of ethnic, political, and religious divide.

“We will use sports as an instrument to bring our people together to interact, laugh and have fun, while building talent among the youths, particularly those considering sport as a career,” he said.

Mathew said that sports competitions would be organised from time to time to foster unity among the people as part of a strategy to promote peace.

At the end of the match, Zone 1 emerged victorious with a 1 – 0 win over Zone II.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

AfDB committed to supporting Namibia’s water interventions

The African Development Bank (AfDB) is committed to supporting the Namibian Government in future interventions in the water sector, the bank’s representative, Herbert Chinokoro, has said.

Speaking in Windhoek on Monday, Chinokoro, AfDB’s senior water and sanitation engineer, said the support will help the government increase access to water and sanitation services for 100 per cent of the population.

He said the support will further “ensure sufficient water reserves for industrialisation and land servicing, and housing development purposes, and enhance resilience to climate change in alignment with National Development Plan goals on environmental sustainability and resilience.”

He said this at the beginning of the National Workshop on Water Security and Climate Change in Namibia.

The two-day workshop is held under the theme “Enhancing synergies and breaking down silos in water resources management for sustainable development in Namibia.”

Chinokoro said the African Development Bank underscores the importance of water security to improve Africa’s social and economic development.

He added that the bank is currently supporting the Namibian Government with N.dollars 1.9 billion and a N.dollar 61 million grant towards the Water Sector Support Programme.

“The aim of the programme is to increase access, quality, security and sustainability of water supply and sanitation services in Namibia, and also to strengthen the capacity of sector agencies to deliver better services as a first step to responding to the threats of water scarcity and climate change,” he said.

Since 2012, the AfDB has invested an estimated USD$6.5 billion in water resources, water supply, and sanitation services. At the end of October 2021, Chinokoro said the bank’s active water sector portfolio stood at USD$5.02 billion, comprising over 100 projects implemented in 40 countries.

“Climate finance will play a key role in making low-carbon and climate-resilient investments bankable by lowering the cost of capital and buffering risks both for sovereign and non-sovereign operations. The AfDB will continue to play a key role as a financier, partner, and advisor to its regional member countries to assist them in enhancing access to available resources, as well as capitalise on future financing opportunities from climate-related funds,” said Chinokoro, who is the AfDB task manager responsible for Namibia, Zambia, and Lesotho.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency