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Folarin Kehinde

ASUU: Strike Looms as FG gets Tuesday Deadline

by Folarin Kehinde August 30, 2021

written by Folarin Kehinde

The Academic Staff Union of Universities has expressed its readiness to embark on another round of industrial action following what it called the failure of the Federal Government to implement an agreement signed with the union.

The union is giving the government till month end (Tuesday) to reach out or it will activate the procedure of embarking on strike.

The union’s President, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, who disclosed over the weekend added that the FG no longer picked its calls.

It would be recall that in March 2020, ASUU embarked on a strike following its disagreement with the FG over the funding of the universities and the ineffectiveness and discrepancies around the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System and others.

ASUU, however, developed the University Transparency and Accountability Solution to replace IPPIS and had several meetings with the Ministries of Finance, Education, Labour and Employment, and the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation before it was approved but yet to be implemented.

Likewise, the FG and ASUU signed an agreement aimed at resolving some of the demands of ASUU, a development that led to the suspension of the strike on December 24, 2020.

In addition, after a meeting with the FG on August 2, 2021, Osodeke said the Nigeria Information Technology Development Agency insisted that UTAS must be re-presented to the end users.

Also, at the meeting, Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, assured ASUU that the N22bn earned allowance captured in the 2021 supplementary budget would soon be accessed by university workers.

On the contrary, Osodeke said that the FG had stopped reaching out to ASUU and had failed to implement the agreement reached.

Due to government’s silence over their demands, Osodeke said the union would not hesitate to embark on a fresh strike to protest government’s failure.

He said, “The government has refused to reach out to us. Government officials have stopped. In fact, they don’t take our calls again. Nigerians should tell the government to do what they agreed to do.

“We signed an agreement and even in May, we reached a final agreement; this is August and nothing has been implemented. Does it make any sense? We are giving them till the end of August and after that, we start the procedures.”

August 30, 2021 0 comments

Headlines

Despite Failed Engagement, Alex Ekubo Shares Ph.d Post on IG

by Folarin Kehinde August 29, 2021

written by Folarin Kehinde

Actor Alex Ekubo has shared his first Instagram post since his failed engagement to model, Fancy Acholonu.

Recall that on Thursday August 26, Acholonu confirmed that she called off their engagement, adding that “it is important that everyone finds their happiness and live in their truth”.

Ekubo who has been off social media since Wednesday August 25, shared his first picture on Saturday evening.

The actor shared a photo of him receiving an honorary doctorate degree from a Benin Republic university with the caption “Tomorrow I will tell the Story.”

August 29, 2021 0 comments

Headlines

Just In: ‘Guitar Boy’ Sir Victor Uwaifo is dead

by Folarin Kehinde August 28, 2021

written by Folarin Kehinde

Legendary singer and guitarist, Sir Victor Uwaifo has been reported dead.

He was 80 years.

Uwaifo, who released hits after hits in fast tempo highlife music was said to have died, after a brief illness.
One of his monikers was ‘Guitar Boy’, a name that stuck with him after a song with same title.

The Nation reported that the artist died at home today.

Uwaifo, who served as Commissioner for Arts, Culture and Tourism in Edo State of Nigeria between 2001 and 2003, was born on March 1, 1941, in Benin City.

He attended Western Boys High School in his hometown and later, St Gregory’s College, Lagos.

He subsequently proceeded to Yaba College of Technology, Lagos from where he obtained a National Art Diploma with distinction and shone as an outstanding athlete.

He received a B.A Hons, First Class, Fine and Applied Arts from the University of Benin and a Masters’ Degree in Sculpting from the same university.

He also obtained a Ph.D in Architectural Sculpture from the same university where he has been a Professor for several years.

In March, he marked his 80th birthday, which was turned into a carnival of sort, to celebrate his contributions not just to music, but also to creative arts.

Uwaifo had a Doctor of Letters (D.Litt) Degree (Honoris) by the University of Benin; the Benin National Merit Award; the University of Benin Distinguished Alumnus Award and the National Honour of Member of the Order of the Niger by the government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

In 2010, Prof. Uwaifo was one of the select Nigerians awarded the fellowship of the Nigerian Academy of Letters at a grand event at the University of Lagos.

August 28, 2021 0 comments

Headlines

Black Friday: Nollywood Loses Victor Olaotan, As Racheal Oniga is Buried

by Folarin Kehinde August 27, 2021

written by Folarin Kehinde

While many are still yet to recover from the news of the death of legendary nollywood actress, Racheal Oniga, ailing nollywood actor, Victor Olaotan has died on Thursday after a prolonged illness.

Meanwhile, Racheal’s lying-in-state ceremony had earlier been held for the actress at the Catholic Church of Resurrection, Magodo Estate, Lagos.

Her remains were later committed to mother earth at a private cemetery in Lagos.

Late Victor Olaotan, 69-year-old actor, who is best known for his role as Fred Ade-Williams in the popular TV series, Tinsel, was bedridden for five years after he was involved in a ghastly accident.

The actor was driving to a movie set in 2016 when the accident took place around Apple Junction, in Festac, Lagos.

He had, until recently, been battling for his life in a Turkish hospital for almost three years.

His widow, Julia Olaotan, broke the news of his death on Friday morning.

Mrs Olaotan said she is grateful that the 69-year-old actor can finally go to rest after suffering for years.

“He has tried. It is not easy to be trapped in your own body for five years. He can finally rest now,” she said.

August 27, 2021 0 comments

Headlines

COVID-19: 18 Corps Members Test Positive in Niger

by Folarin Kehinde August 27, 2021

written by Folarin Kehinde

Kenny Folarin, Abuja

Eighteen National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members posted to Niger State have been confirmed to have exhibited COVID-19 symptoms.

The Corps members were said to have tested positive, following a test conducted on them by the state Ministry of Health.

Information Commissioner Sani Idris, who announced this while addressing reporters yesterday in Minna, the state capital, said the development had spurred the state to resuscitate its COVID-19 task force and ensure the observance of all safety protocols.

“We agreed that the state government would resuscitate the task force on COVID-19 to restore the COVID-19 protocols as an immediate action.

“Nobody would have access to all public offices without wearing of facemasks. All heads of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) have been directed to provide hand-washing facilities,” he said.

Also, the management of Stella Obasanjo Hospital on Sapele Road in Benin, the Edo State capital, has discharged 15 of the 17 Corps members deployed in the State for their mandatory one-year national service but showed signs of COVID-19 symptoms.

Another person, who was not a Corps member, was among the patients.

The 18 patients, including the 17 corps members, were brought to the government hospital for treatment on July 27.

According to report, the remaining three patients – two Corps members and the other patient – were responding to treatment and would be discharged soon.

August 27, 2021 0 comments

Headlines

Doctors’ Strike: FGs No-work-no-pay Policy is expected – NARD

by Folarin Kehinde August 27, 2021

written by Folarin Kehinde

Kenny Folarin, Abuja

The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors on Friday said it was not surprised at the decision by the Federal Government to invoke the no-work-no-pay rule over its ongoing industrial action.

It said despite the development, its members will not suspend the strike until all their demands were met.

The President of NARD, Uyilawa Okhuaihesuyi, said this in an interview with Punch on Friday.

He was reacting to the Federal Government’s directive to Chief Medical Directors and Managing Directors of federal tertiary hospitals, asking them to invoke the no-work-no-pay rule against the striking resident doctors.

Okhuaihesuyi said, “We are not surprised by their actions. We have envisaged this no-work-no-pay policy. We knew they were going to play this card.

“NARD will not resume, there will be no suspension of the strike until the government does the needful.”

August 27, 2021 0 comments

General

Youth, Key Resource to Ending Open Defecation – Minister

by Folarin Kehinde August 26, 2021

written by Folarin Kehinde

Kenny Folarin, Abuja

The Minister for Water Resources, Engr. Suleiman Adamu has said that Youth plays important role in curbing open defecation in the country.

Adamu while speaking in Abuja on Thursday at a National Youth and Stakeholders Dialogue on Clean Nigeria Campaign noted that open defecation pollutes the environment even as it poses a great risk to the entire population and to the dignity of the human person and as such, youth being an agent of social change are key resource not only in Clean Nigeria Campaign Initiative but also in the critical aspect of our engagement.

According to Adamu, the need for the adoption of good sanitation and hygiene is important so as to maximize the benefits of having access to safe water facilities.

Speaking on the theme: The Role of Young People in making Nigeria Open Defecation Free by 2025, Adamu said it represent a call to action by stakeholders in harnessing the young people towards achieving Nigeria’s targets of ending open defecation by 2025.

He thereby charged the Youth to lend their weight to support the initiative such that their positive impact and constructive engagement will be felt by the generality of all Nigerians.

The National Coordinator, Youth Wash Initiative Africa, Uchenna Oblakor on his own part stated that the initiative is borne out of the numerical advantage of the youth to work together in collaboration with the federal government to end open defecation.

Oblakor added that young people are more felt with the burden of open defecation and as such the great number of youth should work together to ensure that Nigeria is open defecation free by 2025.

Furthermore, he said the initiative will be driven to rural area in collaboration with the NYSC CDS group.

He added that if bottleneck such as bureaucracy in government is removed, Youth Wash Programmes and initiative will thrive.

August 26, 2021 0 comments

Headlines

WBW2021: Foundation, Partners Advocate Increased use of Mothers milk for Premature, ill babies

by Folarin Kehinde August 7, 2021

written by Folarin Kehinde

The Wellbeing Foundation Africa, (WBFA) and other partners including the Federal Ministry of Health have pledged their support to help mothers of premature and ill babies to successfully produce breastmilk and breastfeed in Nigeria.

The Foundation made this known through its Founder-President, Her Excellency Toyin Ojora-Saraki at a high-level stakeholder workshop in Abuja organized by WBFA, Medela Cares and the Federal Ministry of Health as part of the activities to mark the 2021 annual breastfeeding week.

Mrs Saraki explained that the Wellbeing Foundation Africa has taken the bold step since 2014 to represent Nigeria in the Global Breastfeeding Initiative’s consultations, and from that point onwards birthed an intentional and deliberate community-centred frontline strategy to provide hands-on lactation education support for newly delivered women in Nigeria, noting that it was “an early investment that stood the test of resilience during COVID-19, and became the enabler for a strong start to building back better, where others may have floundered”.

A mother of four premature babies herself, Saraki added that the foundation is committed to upskilling front frontline health care providers, and imparting knowledge that promotes and protects mother’s nutritional status, mental wellbeing, and lifestyle choices – before and during pregnancy. Specifically on breastfeeding, the WBFA is supporting Nigeria in key lactation-specific upskilling for all professionally qualified birth attendants to enable the establishment of mother-neonate latch within the first hour and day of birth.

“The organisation will build and deliver an online quality improvement toolkit to enable scale-up, monitoring and evaluation, alongside train-the-trainers workshops. We are focusing on the most vulnerable – 871,000 premature babies born in Nigeria annually by providing dedicated support to help mothers of premature and ill neonates successfully lactate and breastfeed in Nigeria. We are hereby pleased to be introducing Neonatal Intensive Care Unit specific strategies to the Federal Ministry of Health during 2021 World Breastfeeding Week.

“The WBFA strengthens primary health centres in Nigeria by remaining accessible, financially and geographically, thus, promoting a Continuum of Care that empowers frontliners to transition from community carers to community interlocutors” she said.

The Minister of Health Dr Osagie Enahire lauded WBFA and its partners for a taking a giant step focusing on lactation for NICU Babies. Represented by Dr. Binyerem Ukaire the head of the Nutrition Division of the Family Health Department in the ministry, Enahire highlighted that the initiative will go along a way in helping the ministry, NAFDAC and other stakeholders to work on a national guideline for the feeding of NICU babies.

The WBFA National Programme Coordinator, Dr. Wale Otun on his part noted that babies on NCIU admission are often left out on breast milk feeding campaign as there are no national guidelines on lactation of NICU babies.

***Programme Coordinator, WBFA, Dr. Otun Wale***

He stated that the poorly equipped facilities which are under staffed have had negative impacts on the quality of nutrition in NICUs thereby contributing to the morbidity and mortality of newborns. While calling on stakeholders to commit to developing another guideline on feeding of babies in Neonatal Intensive Care Units in Nigeria, Otun assured that the Foundation’s Medela Cares supported NICU program which has already taken-off in four health care facilities in Kwara, Lagos and the FCT strictly adheres to the World Health Organization (WHO) International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes Code and Nigeria Breastmilk Substitutes Law.

“871,000 premature babies are born in Nigeria annually; it is on this background that the Wellbeing Foundation and Medela Cares partnered on the Lactation Quality Improvement in the NICU program with the aim of improving health outcomes for neonates and their families.

“We are focusing on improving the use of Mother’s Own Milk in the neonatal intensive care unit to the most vulnerable” Wale said.

August 7, 2021 0 comments

Headlines

Plastic Pollution: FG Project more Plastics than Fishes in Oceans

by Folarin Kehinde July 15, 2021

written by Folarin Kehinde

Kenny Folarin, Abuja

The Minister of Environment, Dr. Mohammed Abubakar has projected that there would be more plastics than fishes in our ocean as about eight million tonnes of plastic toxic waste are deposited in the oceans annually.

Dr. Abubakar while speaking in Abuja on Thursday at the Presentation and Unveiling of the study on Available Sustainable Alternative Materials to Plastics and Innovative Packaging and Recycling Technologies that Meet Market Needs in Africa to Reduce Plastics Leakages to the Environment noted that Plastic Pollution has become one of the gravest environmental problems confronting global community with impacts transcending national, regional and international boundaries.

According to Abubakar, Nigeria with a population of about 200 million people generates about 1.5 million tonnes of plastic wastes annually of which less than 10% is recycled.

Abubakar however identified inadequate waste management infrastructure, poor behavioral attitude, unskilled waste collection workforce, indiscriminate dumping and burning of plastics among others as problems of plastic pollution in the country.

Meanwhile, Abubakar explained that the study on available sustainable alternative materials on plastics is in tandem with government action to address the challenges of Plastics Wastes in the country in a holistic and sustainable manner, particularly in the quest for alternatives to drive investment in the right direction and support sustainable development objectives to which Nigeria subscribes.

He further added that to reduce plastic pollution in Nigeria the Ministry of Environment has developed National Policies on Solid Waste Management and Plastic Waste Management, Ensure a national plastic waste recycling programme and develop waste to wealth entrepreneurship programme for the empowerment of the most vulnerable group especially youth and women.

Others include, putting in place a community based management programme that encourages the involvement of local communities in modern waste management practices and the Establishment and Implementation of the Extended Producer Responsibility Programme (EPR).

UNIDO Regional Representative, represented by Dr. Otu Osu stated that Plastics has become a global topic and Nigeria is not left behind despite its rich industrial importance but plastic waste has become a problem with its physically and non physical evident.

Speaking further, Mr. Osu disclosed that according to World Health Organization (WHO) plastic waste account for 12% of the principal amount of total solid waste generated globally in 2016.

“Out of 242 million tones of plastic waste generated globally, only 9% is recycled and 14% is collected for recycling”.

Reaffirming UNIDO’s commitment to supporting Nigeria reduce plastic pollution, Osu said “UNIDO is presently supporting Nigeria in UNIDO programs which has environment as one of the 9 key component.

“UNIDO is working closely with Federal Ministry of Environment to implement the assessment piloted in Lagos State and the Federal Capital Territory.

He added that Great Lessons has been learnt from this study which will open up lots of opportunities on legal frameworks technology, administration and financially, it will also promote a secular economy for plastics to Nigeria and economy.

“I reaffirm UNIDOs commitment to supporting Nigerian government and people towards promoting inclusive and sustainable industrial development without compromising the quality of the environment”.

Ambassador of Japan to Nigeria, Mr. Matsunaga Kazuyoshi on his part noted that with Japan’s proximity with Africa through the ocean, if plastic pollution is left unchecked, the menace of marine plastic litter could harbor resounding negative impact on Japan.

Kazuyoshi stressed that plastic pollution should be a concern to all stakeholders as it affect global diversity, food security and health issues.

“It is conforming that the attention of the global community and policy maker is gradually being drawn to this danger”.

He however reassures Japan’s commitment to support developing countries to mitigate the impact of plastic pollution.

“Japan has pledged to support developing countries at mitigating the menace of plastic waste by adopting sustainable waste management system”.

“We hope that this project will bring great value to the global effort and source for a sustainable alternative to plastic”.

“We hope that it will ultimately lead to the reduction of plastic waste”. He added.

July 15, 2021 0 comments

Headlines

Threat to Church: Groups Condemn Sowore’s ‘Buhari Must Go’ Protest

by Folarin Kehinde July 15, 2021

written by Folarin Kehinde

A coalition of Christian youths have condemned in totality the evil plot by self acclaimed human rights activist, Omoyele Sowore to destabilize the church by staging a political protest in Dunamis Church.

The groups in a communique signed by Amb. Phil Roberts issued on Wednesday which was obtained by THE SUMMIT, said that the meeting was aimed at bringing Christian youths together to unify the church and Nigeria irrespective of prevailing challenges.

The groups called on all youth bodies to dissociate themselves from politics of religion and ethnicity, bearing in mind that religion and ethnicity will only fuel needless tension and pull us farther apart as a people.

The communique read in part, “We condemn the evil plot by the self-acclaimed human right activist, Omoyele Sowore to destabilize the church by staging a political protest in Dunamis Church on Sunday, 4th July, 2021. Sowore in his own statement shamelessly denied the conduct of any protest, even while he was live streaming the same protest with the caption, “BUHARI MUST GO Campaign Hits Dunamis Church in Abuja.”