Day: July 10, 2024

The National Boundary Commission (NBC), says it has concluded plans to provide infrastructure in flash locations along interstate boundaries to encourage integration and cooperation.

The Director-General of the commission, Mr Adamu Adaji, stated this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Wednesday.

Adaji said that the commission would look at flash point areas and provide infrastructures that would encourage cooperation and integration among border communities.

He said that the goal was to see how the commission could bring people in border communities together to share from a common facility.

This, according to him, will douse tension and bring some kind of understanding among border communities.

‘The bounder communities will share the facilities, which in the long run will bring the people together and eventually reduce tension and boundary conflicts.

‘This is a way of encouraging integration and cooperation by encouraging people to come together, relate with one another an
d engage in beneficial commercial activities.’

Adaji said that a similar initiative was test-rune with a borehole, constructed boundary corridor in Ado Local Government Area of Benue state, where it shared boundary with Ebonyi.

‘We have also been able to construct some market stalls in the Ebonyi sector of the boundary between Ebonyi and Cross River,’ he added.

‘So, our appeal is for people to appreciate, cooperate and understand that boundaries are not barriers.

‘The boundary line will not stop somebody from owning properties across and that is what we want to partner with the states to educate people along by the boundary corridors.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

The National Boundary Commission (NBC), says it is creating platforms to promote peaceful coexistence among communities living along interstate boundaries.

The Director-General of the commission, Mr Adamu Adaji, stated this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Wednesday.

‘We have come up with a concept of what we call ‘local platform for promotion of interstate boundaries.

‘We have notified the affected local government areas on both sides, then created a kind of local platform where they will engage in the promotion of peaceful coexistence and the appreciation of the essence of boundaries.

‘So, we are going to do that for almost all the boundaries.

‘We are also going to intensify efforts in terms of awareness creation among communities along our various boundaries and engage the community members through workshops, training and seminars,’ he said.

Adaji said that the commission had organised zonal workshops on cross-border cooperation for all the six geo-political zones, ad
ding that plans were underway to organise similar gatherings, targeting fewer states.

He said, ‘we want to engage the states that have boundary issues and create a workshop that will bring people from the states concerned to dialogue properly.

‘This, in the long run, will strengthen cross-border cooperation.’

Adaji said that a similar initiative has been created at the level of international boundaries, where administrators along international boundaries were being engaged.

He added that the administrators were being encouraged to engage their counterparts on the other side for the promotion of peaceful coexistence.

According to him, the move is helping to douse tension, exchange of intelligence information.

‘Such collaboration, cooperation, exchange of information and early warning systems is helping to address insecurity and threat to national security.

‘So, we want to create that kind of scenario along our internal boundaries.’

He said that the commission also planned to organise a high-level cross
-border cooperation workshop on the Nigeria-Benin International border, because of the tension compared to other international boundaries.

The D-G said that the workshop would be attended by ministers of both countries, experts, academics and other stakeholders.

He said that discussion at the workshop would cover areas of cultural, economic, and security cooperation so that the two countries could be on the same page.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

The Federal Government says African countries must adopt unified business laws to enhance investment and promote greater economic integration.l

Mr Adegboyega Oyetola, the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, stated this on Tuesday in Abuja, at the opening of the 17th International Maritime Seminar for Judges.

‘If our business laws are harmonised, it will go a long way in enhancing international investment, reducing transportation and transactional costs.

‘It will also promote the ease of intra and inter African trade which is currently encouraged by African continental Free Trade Agreement, ‘ he said

Oyetola said the ministry was working to strengthen the institutional and legal frameworks of the agencies under the ministry.

He said the effort had led to the repeal of the Nigerian Shippers’ Council Act CAP N113 LFN and the Enactment of the Nigerian Shipping and Port Economic Regulatory Agency Bill, 2024.

The minister said, passage of the bill into law would maximise the gains of the ongoing reforms.

Th
e Minister hailed the collaboration of the Nigerian Shippers’ Council and the National Judicial Institute since 1995 when the seminar was first held.

He said one of the objectives of the seminar was to educate and provide Justices and Judges of superior courts with ‘knowledge of contemporary development in the complex and dynamic subject of admiralty law and practice, as it affects administration of justice in Nigeria’.

‘The maritime sector is a complex and dynamic field that necessitates comprehensive legal and regulatory systems.

‘ As Justices and Judges, your role is indispensable in interpreting and applying maritime law to resolve disputes, uphold international standards, and promote justice,’ he said.

According to him, the seminar is a vital platform for exchanging knowledge, sharing best practices, and addressing the evolving legal issues that impact nation`s maritime domain.

The minister stressed that judges and justices, as guardians of the rule of law, played a crucial role in shaping the legal
landscape that governed nation`s maritime affairs.

Speaking, Sen. George Akume, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, said the maritime sector was a vital part of any economy endowed with marine resources.

According to him, the present administration recognised the essential role and economic significance of the maritime sub-sector in diversifying, revamping, and strengthening the economy.

‘It was in light of this that the administration of President Bola Tinubu established the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy, tasked with exploring and harnessing the enormous potential of this critical revenue source.

‘This ministry is pivotal in driving economic growth and diversification and generating employment,’ he said

He assured that the Tinubu’s administration remained committed to fulfilling its international, regional, and sub-regional obligations, regarding the conventions, treaties, and agreements to which Nigeria is a signatory.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

The Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA), on Tuesday unveiled the monument of the first female general in the Nigerian Army, late Maj.-Gen. Aderonke Kale.

The Commandant of NDA, Maj.-Gen. John Ochai, said the academy would continue to prioritise gender equality.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that a lecture was held in honour of Kale at the academy’s auditorium in Afaka, Kaduna State.

Ochai said the Armed Forces of Nigeria have a plethora of set skills that women can equally participate even in combat operations.

He assured that the academy would continue to guarantee equality and inclusiveness to all Nigerians, irrespective of gender, race or religion.

Cross section of cadets of NDA during a lecture in honour of the first female Maj.-Gen. in the Nigerian Army, late Maj-Gen Aderonke Kale, on Tuesday in Kaduna.

Also speaking, Maj.-Gen. Abimbola Amusu, who was the second female general in the Nigerian Army, described Kale as a trailblazer who broke the jinx against all odds.

Amusu advised female cad
ets and officers to remain committed, resolute and leverage on the available opportunities and training for their career progression.

High point of the event was a lecture presentation by Navy Capt. Feyisara Solebo, entiled: ‘Impact of Traditional Roles on Women’s Participation in the Armed Forces: Exploring Gender Stereotypes and Cultural Barriers’.

NAN reports that monument of the Kale was unveiled in her memory at the female cadets’ lines of academy.

Kale was the first female Nigerian to attain the rank of a Major General in the army, and the pioneer female Medical Corps Commander in the Nigerian Army.

She died in November 2023 at the age of 83 in London.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

Mr Peter Scott, Global CEO of BURN Manufacturing, says his company plans to construct a full cooking stove manufacturing facility in Ogun.

Scott said this during a visit to Chief Ajuri Ngelale, Special Presidential Envoy on Climate Action, on Tuesday in Abuja.

Ngelale said the visit was sequel to an initial conversation with Scott, and the construction of the plant in Ogun, which would be an upgrade to the company’s assemble-only plant in Kano State.

‘As clean cooking has become more of a national focus, as not only a wealth-creating opportunity, but also as a central theatre of activity in the just transition, companies will be supported with clean-finance incentives to empower our people to create sustainable solutions for tomorrow.’

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that BURN Manufacturing is an American company, which started operations in 2010.

Its CEO, Scott had spent 13 years as a cooking stove consultant in Central America and Sub-Saharan Africa.

In 2014, BURN launched its first full manu
facturing facility in Kenya – the first and only of its kind, which is solar-powered.

Over the next three years, BURN aims to expand to Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, DRC, Nigeria and Ghana.

Meanwhile, Ngelale said he also hosted the Brazilian Head of Embassy, Mr Joao Soares, and exchanged views on present and future opportunities in the climate action and green industrial spheres.

‘As Africa’s and South America’s most populous nations, the two countries stand as critically important allies in the global south,’ Ngelale said in a statement.

He said the two nations would need to deepen industrial and other forms of collaboration to advance climate justice and ensure new economic opportunity for their fast-growing populations.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

Veteran Nollywood actor, Kanayo O. Kanayo, has urged the media to ensure proper verification of people’s identities before publishing any information.

Kanayo, on Tuesday, said this in an Instagram video reacting to a publication with the headline ‘Nollywood Actor Among Nine Alleged Kidnappers Killed in Lagos.’

The actor, who said he found the publication embarrassing to the Nigerian entertainment industry, said he had to swiftly intervene in the issue as a ‘protector’ of the industry.

Kanayo said: ‘My dear friends, my name is Kanayo O Kanayo. I am a Nollywood actor and a lawyer. Why l’m making this intervention is because I’m one of the protectors of the Nigerian entertainment industry in words and in deeds.

‘I just read this breaking news, ‘Nollywood actor among nine alleged kidnappers killed in Lagos’.

‘And I began to ask, who is a Nollywood actor, who is a Nollywood producer. Is it somebody as a producer who assembles some girls or boys conducting an audition, taking money from those to be auditioned,
we call him a producer?

‘An actor is now somebody who leaves his trade, finds Nollywood a fertile ground to foist his activities? Does an actress become a girl who sleeps with a man in the hotel, runs away with his dollars and she is announced as Nollywood actress?

‘We must begin to identify who is an actress and a producer. While I commend the Nigerian Police for making our Lagos safe, please, bloggers, influencers, journalists and all, please be mindful of those you refer to as Nollywood actors or producers.

‘It affects some of us who practise this trade, who depend on this. Don’t forget, there are high profile actors who have made the country proud, they have contributed to the Gross Domestic Product GDP.

‘So, I once again commend the Nigerian Police and all the security agencies for all they are doing.

‘So, before journalists go to publish, please let’s redefine what we call Nollywood actors and producers being involved in a crime, it affects all of us.

‘I made this in good fate and believing that w
e can now begin to identify who is an actor and a producer, so we don’t generalise because of somebody who has entered the industry for his own reasons and has not even produced or acted.

‘I want this particular person to be placed on the table of producers and tell us one or two jobs that the person has done. Thank you and God bless the entertainment industry in Nigeria. Nollywood, great.’

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Police in Lagos, on July 5, said nine members of a notorious kidnapping gang who had plotted to abduct some wealthy persons in the state were killed during its operation at Ladipo.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria