NAN Archive

Loading

NAN Archive

Tag President

Foreign

Putin congratulates German President, Chancellor on re-unification

Putin congratulates German President, Chancellor on re-unification

Re-unification
Moscow, Oct. 3, 2019 (Xinhua/NAN) Russian President, Vladimir Putin, on Thursday congratulated German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, and Chancellor Angela Merkel on Unity Day, which commemorates the re-unification of West and East Germany in 1990.
Putin noted in a congratulatory message released by the Kremlin that the re-unification was a historic event that symbolised the end of the Cold War in Europe.
This, he said, opened a new chapter in the relations between the two states.
He said constructive development of Russian-German cooperation in various areas and continuous concerted action with regard to topical matters on regional and international agendas serve the fundamental interests of the people of Russia, Germany and European continent. (Xinhua/NAN)
YI/MST
Edited by Yahaya Isah/Muhammad Suleiman Tola

Health

2017 President’s NYSC Honours Award: Committee begins selection process

2017 President’s NYSC Honours Award: Committee begins selection process
By Yashim Katurak
Award
Abuja, Dec. 10. 2018 (NAN) A 13-man National Selection Committee has been inaugurated and given four days to submit names of deserving corps members for the 2017 President’s National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) Honours Award.
Inaugurating the committee in Abuja on Monday, the NYSC Director-General, Maj.-Gen. Suleiman Kazaure, charged them to approach the process dispassionately and improve on existing standards.
Kazaure said that the management of the scheme expects the committee to emerge with candidates who by every standard would be acceptable to all.
He said that he was optimistic the committee would deliver on the mandate given to it.
“As the highest body saddled with the evaluation of the performance and selection of corps members for the award, this committee is expected to improve on the standards set already.
“As you embark on this round of selection process, I implore you to approach the task dispassionately. This is because management expects the emergence of candidates who by every standard will be acceptable to all.
“As you may be aware, the President’s NYSC honours award was instituted in 1974 as a way of encouraging corps members to contribute to the overall national development by embarking on community development projects.
“The award is also to serve as motivation for hard work and reward for excellence among corps members. Since its commencement, the award has had numerous recipients.
“Community development service remains one of the major areas where the scheme has recorded remarkable success.
“The good image of the scheme is soaring partly due to corps members activities and involvement in the areas of infrastructure, education, healthcare delivery and agriculture in many rural communities across the country,” Kazaure said.
Mr Abdulrasheed Sanusi, the NYSC Director, Corps Welfare and Inspectorate, said that the selection process was in three stratas; namely local government, state and national selection committees.
Sanusi assured that in order to ensure a smooth and hitch-free national selection exercise, the department has conducted due diligence and verified claims from state secretariats to forestall novelty and frivolities.
According to the director, on the spot assessment of the projects were carried out and briefs have been prepared on each corps member to support the citations forwarded by the state secretariates.
“It is therefore, the duty of the national selection committee to meticulously assess the nominees and select diamonds from other pearls using the set criteria.
“The committee has been given four days to present their final selection of corps members to be given the awards. The preliminary work is almost done and the selection committee is here to ensure that our final selection shows objectivity.
“We have put together certain criteria to ensure objectivitiy in the selection of award winners and very soon the award ceremony will be done.’’
Prof. Angela Miri, the Chairman of the Committee and Vice Chancellor, Federal University, Lokoja, assured that the committee would ensure transparency and objectivity in the process.
Miri said that the committee would work hard and sieve through all the names previously selected and submitted at the local, state and national levels and come up with truly deserving corps members to receive the honours award.
The vice chancellor listed some of the criteria given to the committee to use for selection to include corps members who have diligently carried out community development service, completed them and have been assessed.
Other criteria include corps members whose community development projects have directly and positively impacted the communities in which they have served and those who were committed during the orientation course.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that members of the committee include two NYSC retired directors, a representative from the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF), and the Ministry of Youth and Sports Development.
The committee also comprises a representative from the National Council for Women Societies (NCWS), Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA), Nigeria Police Force and the Nigerian Army.
Council of Heads of Polytechnics and Colleges of Technology in Nigeria, All Nigeria Confederation of Principals of Secondary Schools (ANCOPSS), as well as the Citizenship and Leadership Training Centre (CLT) are also represented in the committee. (NAN)
KRY/MST
Edited by Muhammad Suleiman Tola

General news

Security challenges: I-GP briefs Buhari, may appear before Senate

Security challenges: I-GP briefs Buhari, may appear before Senate
NAN-H-3
Security
By Ismaila Chafe
Abuja, Nov. 3, 2017 (NAN) Inspector-General of Police (I-GP) Idris Ibrahim on Friday in Abuja updated President Muhammadu Buhari on security situation across the country.
Speaking to State House correspondents after a closed door meeting with the President, the I-GP said he might appear before the Senate ad hoc committee under the chairmanship of the Senate Deputy Whip, Francis Alimikhena, to probe him.
The Senate had served the I-GP an invitation letter on Oct. 16 to appear before the Alimikhena Committee on Nov. 1, but failed to honour the invitation.
Senate, however, insisted that the I-GP must appear next Tuesday.
Alimikhena told newsmen in Abuja that the committee received a letter from the I-GP’s lawyer, Alex Izyon, on Tuesday informing the committee that “it would amount to subjudice if the Inspector General of Police appears before the Senate committee on the same issue that is before the competent court of law”.
He said that the I-GP would be invited to appear before the Senate on Nov. 7 to offer explanations.
However, the I-GP stated that for the sake of having respect for the National Assembly, he might honour the Senate’s invitation as he was awaiting advice from the police’s legal team.
“These are legal issues. We are discussing with our legal team, obviously if there is need we are going to appear for the sake of having respect for the Senate, I will appear before them.
On the outcome of his meeting with the president, Idris said he briefed him on the efforts of the police to check criminal activities such as kidnapping, armed robbery and other social vices.
According to him, he also updated the president on the measures being taken to ensure a successful and peaceful governorship election in Anambra.
“Obviously I am here as usual to discuss with the commander in chief on the security challenges we are having and how we will face these security challenges adequately.
“The security challenges are, obviously, you know we are having elections in Anambra state and we are having challenges in various parts of the country especially some of these issues of kidnapping and these are things I discussed with the President, and the measures taken to address them squarely,’’ said the I-GP.
He revealed that water boats, helicopters and about 21,000 police officers would be deployed for the smooth conduct of the election.
“We are deploying a lot of police officers, almost about 21,000 police officers to be able to provide adequate security in the Anambra election.
“We are deploying our water boats to take care of the water ways, we are deploring our helicopters to take care of the aerial surveillance of the areas and we are deploying our conventional police men and special police units to take care of situations on ground.
“And by the grace of God we are going to have a successful and peaceful election in Anambra state,’’ Idris said.
The I-GP added that the Force Headquarters in Abuja had deployed special police unit to patrol the Abuja-Kaduna-Kano highway with a view to checking the menace of armed robbers and kidnappers along the route. (NAN)
SYC/MST
Edited by Muhammad Suleiman Tola

General news

Youth empowerment, my utmost priority – WYO President

Youth empowerment, my utmost priority – WYO President

NAN-HG-8
Youths

By Akeem Abas
Ibadan, Jan. 11, 2017 (NAN) Amb. Adeyemi Adeniyi, the newly elected President, World Youth Organisation (WYO), says youth empowerment will be his priority on assumption of office.

He made this known to newsmen on Wednesday in Ibadan during a courtesy call on Gov. Abiola Ajimobi.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Nigerian-born Adeniyi is the first democratically elected president of WYO, the youth organ of the United Nations (UN).

Adeniyi stated that the recent statistics of the World Bank, which placed the number of unemployed youths across the world at 620 million, was alarming and needed to be addressed.

“ Youth empowerment will be my priority on assuming office to ensure adequate positioning of youths across the world.

“This is the first thing to do if youth restiveness must be addressed. Idle mind, they say, is the devil’s workshop,” he said.

Adeniyi said that he has launched a 10,000 youth empowerment scheme in his hometown, Ogbomoso, Nigeria, while the next phase of the scheme would be launched in Iwo, Osun State soon.

He said that his new position was a great opportunity for Nigeria and Africa, promising to give his best in ensuring that youth across the world were empowered.

On the various crisis across the world, he stated that world peace was a priority of the UN, promising to uphold the ideals of the body.

On the political crisis rocking The Gambia, Adeniyi urged President Yahya Jammeh to step aside for the new president, Adama Barrow, to avoid been sanctioned by the UN.

“My advice for President Yahya Jammeh is to step aside, having lost the Dec. 1, 2016, election in Gambia to businessman, Adama Barrow.

“I believe he should know the advantages of stepping aside honourably and the disadvantages of being forced out of government,” he said.

NAN recalls that Adeniyi was elected as the new WYO at a World Youth Conference held on Nov. 12, 2016, in New Delhi, India.

He had contested the election with nine others and won with 1,679 votes, while the first runner up from the U.S. secured 501 votes.

Adeniyi was a former aide of the eighth and former United Nation’s Secretary General, Mr Ban Ki-moon, before his new position.

The new WYO President was a graduate of Agronomy from Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso in Nigeria, and Accounting from the Western University of Ontario in Canada.

Adeniyi, a Chattered Accountant, was the former Accounting Officer to the Late Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuwade, who facilitated his job with Ban Ki-moon through former President Goodluck Jonathan. (NAN)

TAA/MST

Edited by Muhammad Suleiman Tola