Month: April 2024

The Police Community Relations Committee (PCRC), on Friday, distributed food items to the Police Muslim faithful at the Force Headquarters Mosque in appreciation of their sacrifices to the nation.

The National Chairman of PCRC, Alhaji Mogaji Olaniyan, said the organisation had made it a tradition to provide support for the Nigerian police.

According to Olaniyan, the current members of PCRC executive had put plans in place to celebrate Christian and Muslim faithful in the Nigerian police once in a year.

According to him, the committee chose Christmas period for the Christians and Ramadan period for Muslims, adding that today’s distribution marked the second edition.

‘So, this programme is to celebrate Muslim faithful in the Nigerian police as a token of appreciation of what they are doing.

‘Majority of us Muslims that are fasting take our leave during this Ramadan period, but the police personnel are busy running after criminals even in fasting.

‘The one that is supposed to be directing traffic is there
desperately fasting,’ said Olaniyan.

He explained that the PCRC leadership decided to provide about 1,000 materials for members of the Nigeria police force.

‘We are showing love and we want to use this to encourage them that we are with them,’ he said.

The representative of the Inspector-General of Police, AIG Yusuf Usman, who received the items, expressed appreciation to the PCRC for the kind gesture, especially in the face of current economic challenges in the country.

Usman said it was not easy for low income earners to buy food because of the high costs, saying the gesture would be a moral booster for the Muslim faithful in the police force.

He urged them to sustain the good virtue and gains of the Ramadan through dedication to duty and love for one another.

The Chief Imam of Force Headquarters Mosque, Alhassan Yakub, commended the committee for the gesture, adding that it would promote togetherness and peaceful coexistence.

He called for continuous prayers for the nation and its leadership to con
tinue to keep the country in peace and harmony.

‘We pray for all our officers and men that are protecting lives and property and all the security agencies.

‘We pray that this appreciation should continue and should go far and wide so that so many people can benefit more,’ he said.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

Gov. Hope Uzodimma of Imo and the Chairman, crude oil theft and management committee, says his committee is working to end crude oil theft in the country, within the shortest possible time.

Uzodimma stated this when he briefed newsmen, shortly after a stakeholders meeting that lasted for more than six hours in Abuja.

He said that the committee plans to submit its interim report to the National Economic Council (NEC) before the end of April.

Uzodimma assured that the committee, which is a sub-committee of the NEC, would at the next economic council meeting, give an interim report of what the outcome of their assignment was.

‘The NEC meeting usually holds the last week of the month.

‘So, it may be the last week of this month, if all goes well and there is a national economic council meeting, we will submit an interim report to the council and that report will also carry the interim findings and recommendations.

‘We have the mandate to eliminate completely, cases of crude oil theft, increase production of
oil and gas and boost revenue earning for the government.

‘We have done a lot. We have interfaced with critical stakeholders in the industry. Some revelations have been made, some findings have also been done,’ he said.

Uzodimma added: ‘We have also been able to collect sufficient data; many have been processed and some are still being processed.

‘I assure you at the next economic council, we should be able to give an interim report of what the outcome of our assignment is.

‘After the interim report, and if our recommendations have been approved, we will continue with more activities in terms of implementing the recommendations presented in the interim report.

‘So far, what we have seen is very encouraging and we are almost certain that at the end of the assignment, crude oil theft will become a thing of the past and there will be more discipline in the industry and operators in the industry will also play according to rules.’

On the high cost of gas, he said that the whole essence of the committee’s as
signment was to optimise production of oil and gas.

‘And with the increase in the price of gas, Nigeria being one of the major countries that can boast of gas reserves, sufficient gas reserves, we will benefit from it.

‘Crude oil too when optimised in terms of production, will also earn us more revenue. We discussed all that and what we are trying to do now is to improve on the level of sincerity, honesty in the industry.

‘And encourage stakeholders to play to the rules and have the interest of our country at heart to allow for a win, win situation where the oil companies that are producing will make profit, Nigeria that is also their partner will also make profit,’ he said.

He also assured that the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu would begin to yield results in the near future.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that participants at the stakeholders meeting included Mr Wale Edun, the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, the Minister of Budget and Economic Plan
ning, Malam Abubakar Bagudu, the Central Bank of Nigeria Governor, Mr Yemi Cardoso.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

Employment and Labour Minister, Thulas Nxesi, has launched a skills training and entrepreneurship programme designed to benefit the youth and the unemployed in the country.

The programme will afford Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) beneficiaries and unemployed youth with an opportunity to be integrated into the labour market or start their own businesses.

Nxesi announced the launch of the Unemployment Insurance Fund Labour Activation Programme (LAP) during a media briefing held in Pretoria on Thursday.

LAP was established within the UIF to enhance the department’s mandate through enhancing the employability of the unemployed through training; enable entrepreneurship through enterprise development; preserve jobs through the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) and Productivity SA, and collaborate across government departments and entities to massify jobs, skills training and enterprise creation.

Nxesi said an amount of R23.8 billion will be allocated to implement this plan.

‘Opp
ortunities will run between 12 and 36 months. The money invested in the plan will be recouped by the UIF through contributions and revenue generated from investments, as has been the sustainability model of the fund.

‘The spread of our implementation nationally will be across every province, with 333 recommended projects to provide seven training, small enterprise support and employment opportunities to 704 000 unemployed people,’ Nxesi explained.

Nxesi said the department is collaborating across with other government departments and entities to massify jobs.

‘As early as next week, we will be talking about a joint programme with the Department of Higher Education and Training, and Small Business, which is also a collaboration with the programme we are talking about today,’ Nxesi said.

The Minister assured that the projects have all been subjected to meticulous quality assurance processes to ensure that they are compliant with the policy and legislation.

‘There are necessary controls in place, there is c
apacity and necessary resources in place, and these programmes produce the real outcomes in terms of the jobs and at a perineural scheme or prospect.

‘Employability interventions are delivered through contracts with the condition that they guaranteed jobs for beneficiaries with a minimum period of employment of one year post intervention,’ Nxesi said.

Nxesi said he hopes the companies and industries will contribute significantly to the sectors, including agriculture, Information and Communications Technology (ICT), construction, engineering, manufacturing, education, transport, and mining.

The first roll-out of LAP projects will be launched in Gauteng with the provincial government on 6 April 2024, followed by KwaZulu-Natal on 16 April, Western Cape 17 April, Eastern Cape 19 April, Free State 22 April, North West 23 April, and Mpumalanga on 24 April 2024.

The launch will also move to Limpopo on 30 April, with the last roll-out to take place in the Northern Cape on 9 May 2024.

The programme will be offere
d to people across all ages.

Source: South African Government News Agency

WINDHOEK: A resident from Katima Mulilo in the Zambezi Region is demanding N.dollars 9.5 million in damages from a private hospital after his leg was amputated in 2020, following an alleged misdiagnosis.

Ollins Mulatehi alleges in court documents presented in the Windhoek High Court, that he was admitted to Enkehaus Private Hospital in November 2023 for abdominal pain treatment, where he was wrongly diagnosed with appendix and subsequently operated on ‘unnecessarily’ as the appendix was never removed.

During the surgery, he stressed, an artery was injured, resulting in the blockage of blood flow to his right leg and swelling.

The leg, according to his particulars of claim was declared dead and had to be amputated. A foreman at Nored Katima Mulilo, Mulatehi is demanding compensation because of the resultant medical costs and future medical treatment.

Dr Jeff Swartberg, who was presented as an expert witness on behalf of Mulatehi testified on Thursday that the blockage of blood flow to Mulatehi’s right leg
as well as the cut of supply of oxygen thereof were caused by surgery manipulation, and nothing else.

The hospital’s expert witness, Dr Edward Fynn however insists that there was no arterial incision.

‘Other causes of acute compartment syndrome include burns, vascular injuries, crush injuries, drug overdoses, reperfusion injuries, thrombosis, bleeding disorders, infections, improperly placed casts or splints, tight circumferential bandages, penetrating trauma and intense athletic activity,’ Fynn said.

The matter is before Judge Collins Parker. Profysen Muluti represents Mutalehi, while James Diedericks represents Enkehaus Private Hospital and Dr Kombo Bakashala, who is also listed as a defendant.

Source: Namibia Press Agency

WINDHOEK: The former chief executive officer of the Namibia Institute of Pathology (NIP), Augustinus Katiti scored a victory in the Windhoek High Court on Friday, after the NIP was ordered to pay him N.dollars 2 494 328.

Katiti was initially suing the parastatal for N.dollars 3.8 million after his employment contract was terminated in 2018. He was accused of corruption, amongst others. According to him, the agreement between him and the NIP was that in the event his employment is terminated, he was entitled to a once-off payout, to bar him from working for competitors of the NIP for a period of two years.

Katiti was employed as the NIP CEO since 2014 and earned an annual salary of N.dollars 1 500 000. At the time of his suspension, the amount had increased to N.dollars 1 918 714.

Presiding Judge Hannelie Prinsloo also ordered that NIP pays Katiti’s legal fees.

Source: Namibia Press Agency

A 14-year-old boy reportedly committed suicide by hanging at Ohailombo village in the Oshikoto Region on Thursday.

According to the Namibian Police Force crime investigations coordinator for the region, Deputy Commissioner Titus Ekandjo on Friday, the incident happened on Thursday around 21h00.

The deceased was identified as Pandulomwene Itamalo, a Grade 4 learner.

‘It is alleged that the 14-year-old Namibian boy was at home busy preparing dinner with his siblings, then later on he left to his sleeping room,’ reported Ekandjo.

After the siblings finished cooking they went to call him to come eat, but he was not found in his sleeping room.

‘He was then found hanging from a pole (at the house) with a piece of cloth around his neck. No suicide note was left behind nor foul play is suspected,’ Ekandjo added.

The deceased body was transported to Omuthiya Police Station mortuary for an autopsy to be conducted while investigations continue.

Source: Namibia Press Agency