Day: September 16, 2024

Mr Francis Bobai, former Special Assistant to special duties minister Joseph Jisalo, when he was Abuja Municipal Area Council’s Chairman, has declared interest in the Chikun/Kajuru Federal Constituency seat.

The seat became vacant following the demise of Mr Adams Ekene in July.

Ekene had won the election on the ticket of the Labour Party (LP), flooring PDP’s Yakubu Barde that occupied the seat for 20 years.

Ekene, widely believed to have achieved much within the one year that he served, died after a brief sickness.

Bobai, who is seeking the ticket of late Ekene’s party, the LP, to take his place, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kaduna on Monday, that he had a big advantage over his rivals both in, and outside the LP.

‘I believe I am the viable candidate. I can deliver.

‘We worked closely with Ekene, so, when we lost him, some youth and elders’ groups pleaded with me to contest the seat so as to sustain his many legacies. We shared our dreams of service to the nation together.’

Bobai, a former
teacher, Real Estate dealer and philanthropist, said he had given a lot in the area of sports, support to religious bodies and care for the youths and elderly.

He identified the concerns of the constituents to include lack of development and insecurity.

He said that his focus is the empowerment of the youths to make them self-reliant, take them off the streets and make them assets to the society.

‘I have been empowering many youths and even empowered 100 women to start off businesses that are flourishing.

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‘I am doing this on my own. I intend to do much more if elected to serve the people,’ he said.

Bobai said that the LP had a wide acceptance because the people had tried both the APC and PDP and were disappointed year after year.

‘The Chikun/Kajuru Federal Constituency seat, for instance, has been occupied by Yakubu Barde of the PDP for 20, but the people did not see any impact.

‘But, in his few months at the National Assembly, Ekene did so much
and that is what is helping us as a party.’

He listed Ekene’s projects to include solar light projects, school construction and the provision of electricity transformers to the constituents.

‘So, generally, the people empathise with the LP for such massive loss and want to vote whoever the party presents,’ he said.

He said that some of his rivals for the LP ticket were being sponsored by opponents to ensure the right candidate did not pick up the ticket.

‘Apparently, they want to weaken the LP and destroy the opposition, but we won’t allow that,’ he said.

He cautioned the APC against seeking to use money to buy votes and influence officials, declaring that the youths would resist that.

‘The youths know these antics and are ready to protect votes the way they did for Ekene.

‘The factors that worked for Ekene will favour me even more.

‘The APC and PDP, no one likes them. They could try to use underhand tactics, but those games are already known and shall be stiffly resisted,’ he said.

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Bobai emphasised the need to empower the youths to make them self-reliant, take them off the streets and make them assets to the society.

‘Only the LP can do that. We do not want another political party to come and destroy the scorecard and legacies we are building for the people and society,’ he said.

He also stressed the need to support the LP to complete Ekene’s tenure ‘especially when it has been widely acknowledged that he performed excellently’.

The aspirant listed five areas he said would be his focus, with the completion of projects Ekene started as the prime agenda.

Other areas included youth empowerment and support for the aged, especially with a monthly stipend for food and medicine.

He also promised to support the farming population with fertiliser and provide micro scheme loans for the women.

Bobai said he would partner with the Kaduna State Government to provide security, especially for vulnerable persons that had become victims o
f attacks.

He expressed confidence that he would pick the LP ticket and win the secondary election in view of his general acceptance in the community where he was born 45 years ago.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

Mr Francis Bobai, an aspirant to the Chikun/Kajuru Federal Constituency seat, has said that the leadership feud in the Labour Party (LP), is a family issue that would soon be resolved.

Bobai, former Special Assistant to Mr Joseph Jissalo, special duties and inter-governmental affairs minister, expressed the optimism in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), on Monday in Kaduna.

NAN reports that the party has been embroiled in a crisis that has torn it into various factions.

At a recent meeting in Umuahia, the party set up a 29-member caretaker committee with former finance minister Nenadi Usman as Chairperson.

The 29-member committee has been rejected by a group in the party that feels that officials of the party at all levels still have subsisting tenures.

But Bobai, who is seeking the party’s ticket to contest the House of Representatives seat that became vacant with the death of Adams Ekene, told NAN that the feud would soon be resolved.

‘The party is working toward uniting all contendi
ng interests; we all should see the need for one strong, cohesive and indivisible force.

‘We should all realise that we are better together and that we need each other to form a strong force capable of winning elections which is the sole goal of a political party.

‘The party has factions, but its members in all the factions know that we cannot win any election if we are divided.

‘We all know that a house divided against itself is bound to fail. We do not want to fail,’ he said.

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The aspirant described the LP as ‘the most popular political party in the country’.

‘LP is well loved by all Nigerians. Having tested the two other political parties – PDP and APC – Nigerians generally see the LP as the only group with the zeal and integrity to make a difference.

‘It is this popularity that our political rivals are jittery over and that is why they are doing everything to infiltrate our ranks and cause confusion from within,’ he said.

He sa
id that the LP would surely retain the House of Representatives seat that became vacant with the demise of Ekene.

‘The PDP had held that seat for 24 years with nothing to show for it.

‘Nigerians decided to try the APC both at the state and federal government levels, but they all realised that both political parties had nothing.

‘That was the thrust of Ekene’s campaign and that was what gave him victory.

‘What I want is the opportunity to continue Ekene’s legacies. I want to continue where he stopped.

‘From my interactions with the voters, they empathise with the LP. They are filled with anguish over the loss of the brilliant lawmaker from the LP stable.

‘So, they have vowed to replace Ekene with another LP candidate.

‘That is why I am in the race. It is all about sustaining and consolidating on the LP legacies to the people.

‘And that is why I want the LP to fight together and win together.

‘We need this unity more than ever before.

‘Nigerians love and trust us. We cannot afford to let them down.

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‘We must fight together and win together,’ he declared.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

Deputy Minister of Health, Dr Joe Phaahla, will today outline the government’s plans to address the burden of the emerging non-communicable diseases (NCDs) pandemic.

‘The NCDs, otherwise known as diseases of lifestyle, have emerged as a major global health challenge, affecting millions of individuals globally, and are among the leading causes of death in South Africa today,’ the Department of Health said.

Diabetes, according to the department, remained the second leading underlying cause of death in 2020 at 6.6% of all deaths, following COVID-19 which was first detected the same year and became the leading cause of death.

Meanwhile, a new report released by Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) described rising NCDs such as diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, chronic respiratory conditions, and cancers as a looming health crisis which requires urgent attention.

Today, Phaahla will outline the response plan during a roundtable discussion on the Healthy Life Trajectories Initiative (HeLTI) – a co
llaboration between national research funding agencies in Canada, China, India, South Africa, and the World Health Organisation (WHO).

‘The initiative aims to develop linked international intervention cohorts that will implement and test approaches to prevent overweight and obesity in children and risk factors for NCDs and improve early childhood development (ECD),’ said the department ahead of Monday’s roundtable.

The event will be attended by amongst others, experts from the South African Medical Research

Council, academic institutions of higher learning and representatives from the High Commission of Canada in South Africa and the WHO.

Source: South African Government News Agency

Collaboration and partnerships are key in addressing the negative impacts from the illegal snaring of wildlife.

This was among the takeaways from the inaugural two-day national Snare Mitigation Symposium in Pretoria, which was attended by leading experts in wildlife crime, government officials and representatives of numerous stakeholders across the sector to examine the multi-faceted aspects of the snaring crisis.

The meeting of 140 delegates delved into the impacts, drivers and solutions to this increasing threat to wildlife and the economy.

This is according to a joint statement issued on Monday by the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE), the Cape Leopard Trust (CLT), the Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT), the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) and South African National Parks (SANParks).

The statements said snaring is motivated by complex socio-economic and cultural drivers.

The symposium explored snaring from a myriad of angles and viewpoints.

‘Information
gained through the symposium highlighted that animals are snared largely for personal or commercial use and is occurring at unsustainable rates across all provinces and in diverse landscapes.

‘Sadly, many species including leopard, lion, hyena and other predators are killed as by-catch in snares originally set for bushmeat,’ said the statement.

A key takeaway from the symposium is that there is a need for less ‘fortress’ mentality and more community and sustainable use interaction among stakeholders towards achieving positive outcomes for this threat to wildlife.

‘Communities living with wildlife, and those linked to snaring, need to form an integral part of the solutions being proposed, and to be undertaken, to address snaring.

‘No solution will be credible without the involvement of the relevant community voices in co-development of solutions. Solutions need to be diverse, purposely inclusive and tailored to, and by, the people living in the affected areas. Technological advances were showcased at the s
ymposium to improve snare detection and data collection,’ the statement said on Monday.

Among the key decisions adopted as outcomes of the symposium included further research on the drivers and alternative livelihood solutions, more cohesive legislation to address snaring and other wildlife crimes, more centralised reporting and monitoring to ascertain the extent of the problem and creating a greater understanding of the impact of snaring not only on biodiversity, but also on the economy and well-being of communities.

‘Looking to the future, greater teamwork and communication between State, private sector and civil society will be cultivated to find sustainable long-term solutions for both people and wildlife,’ the statement said.

Source: South African Government News Agency

The funeral service for former Minister Pravin Gordhan is expected to be held at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre in Durban on Thursday.

Gordhan, 75, passed away on Friday following illness.

‘President Cyril Ramaphosa has declared a Special Official Funeral Category 2 in honour of the late struggle and Cabinet veteran. The Special Official Funeral Category 2 will entail ceremonial elements performed by the South African Police Service.

‘The funeral service will be followed by a private cremation,’ the Presidency said in a statement.

Gordhan’s family has requested that ‘in lieu of floral tributes, mourners offer donations to charities of their choice, or the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation’.

The late struggle stalwart served in Cabinet for many years before his retirement earlier this year.

‘Mr Gordhan served as Minister of Finance from 2009 until 2014 and again from 2015 until 2017.

‘He also served as Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs from 2014 until 2015, a
nd as Minister of Public Enterprises from February 2018 until his March 2024 announcement of planned retirement.

‘Mr Gordhan was appointed as Commissioner of the South African Revenue Service in 1999, after a period as Deputy Commissioner,’ the Presidency said.

The funeral service is expected to start at 10am.

Source: South African Government News Agency

In a bid to address the skills mismatch, the Department of Higher Education and Training will send a number of local students to China to study scarce and critical skills of the future.

The department will send around 100 students to China next year.

Higher Education and Training Minister, Dr Nobuhle Nkabane made the announcement during a media briefing held in Pretoria on Monday.

This announcement followed the Minister’s return from China, as part of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s delegation to the recent Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) Summit, held in Beijing, China.

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Nkabane noted that South Africa has a long-standing cooperation with the People’s Republic of China in various areas of higher education and training, which continues to grow and support South Africa’s knowledge and skills development.

‘Our engagement during this visit aligns with South Africa’s strategic goals regarding technological advancement and international coll
aboration in education,’ Nkabane said.

WATCH | Higher Education Minister Dr Nobuhle Nkabane briefs the media

The Minister, joined by the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) Administrator, Freeman Nomvalo, held a joint media briefing to provide feedback on a four-day Ministerial Stakeholder engagement programme, which started on Thursday and concluded on Sunday.

Nkabane had an extensive consultation with stakeholders in the Post-School Education and Training (PSET) sector on Thursday to solicit inputs and proposals to policy positions on matters that affect the PSET system.

NSFAS participated in the stakeholder engagement meetings where student formations, universities, and Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges posed robust engagements and shared with the department, insights on how best they can turn around the institution.

The Minister also consulted extensively with PSET institutional governance structures, including the South African Union of Students (SAUS), South Afri
can Further Education and Training Student Association (SAFETSA), South African Public Colleges Organisation (SACPO), and Universities South Africa (USAF).

2025 NSFAS online applications

‘It was due to these critical consultations that we have had to postpone the launch of the 2025 NSFAS online application launch, which is a significant concern for students nationwide. Another reason for postponing the launch of the 2025 NSFAS online application process was to allow NSFAS to do a dry run of the online application system to stakeholders,’ the Minister explained.

Nkabane said the feedback received has already informed critical system changes to simplify the online application process making it accessible to all.

The stakeholder engagements also helped enrich the department’s understanding of matters, including addressing NSFAS inefficiencies, challenges confronting NSFAS, the student funding model and its interface with the Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETAs), safety and security of Vice Chanc
ellors and students which remains a concern among others.

Having received a presentation during the stakeholder consultations, and having noted the comments received from stakeholders, Nkabane said she is now confident that NSFAS is ready to kickstart the 2025 online application process- effectively on Friday, 20 September 2024.

‘I am therefore inviting all students who are siting for their matriculation this year to take this opportunity and apply for either the NSFAS bursary or loan. This invitation is also extended to learners from grade 9, 10, and 11, who would like to enter the Technical and Vocational Education and Training sector,’ Nkabane said.

NSFAS is expected to brief the media on the opening of the 2025 online application process on Friday, where detailed information on the process will be shared.

Meanwhile, the Minister said the department intends increasing the intake of the college system by one million enrolments in community colleges and 2.5 million in public and private TVET colleges by
2030.

‘In relation to our universities, we will continue to diversify them based on their strengths and the needs of the communities in which they are located by targeting 1.6 million enrolments by 2030.

Source: South African Government News Agency