Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix, in a statement by Oluseyi Soremekun, the National Information Officer of the UN System in Nigeria, said through both her words and actions, UN Police Officer Ugorji exemplifies the best of UN policing.

Of the 1,300 UN policewomen deployed in UN peacekeeping operations, twenty-one were nominated for the award.

Ugorji joined the Nigerian Police in 2003 and served as Criminal Investigator from the local to regional level, Child Protection Officer, Divisional Crime Officer up to Acting Deputy Commander of the Ogudu Police Division in Lagos.

The UN said 1,300 UN policewomen deployed in UN peacekeeping operations, twenty-one were nominated for the award and Chief Inspector Doreen Malambo of Zambia, serving with the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), would receive the award.

The award would be presented during a virtual ceremony presided over by Mr Lacroix on Tuesday, Nov. 3.

Also, Luis Carrilho, UN Police Advisor, congratulated Ugorji for being chosen as a runner-up and described her leadership of “three Formed Police Units(FPU) in Gao” as remarkable.

“Catherine has introduced tactical operations that have been instrumental in reducing crime in the area, in support of the Malian security forces and the host population.

“In addition to this very demanding role, Chief Superintendent Ugorji has worked diligently to improve living conditions for women police officers so they can serve safely and with dignity,” Carrilho said.

Ugorji was commended for her work to extend the outreach of the FPU to the Ansongo area, “close to the Mali-Niger-Burkina Faso border area, where terrorists and spoilers of the Malian peace agreement are increasing their influence.”

It was revealed in the statement that her support for the joint operations with the Malian police, gendarmerie and National Guard have helped to ensure the security of the local population.

Our correspondent reports that the UN Woman Police Officer of the Year award was established in 2011 to recognise the exceptional contributions of female officers to UN peacekeeping and to promote the empowerment of women.

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Osinbajo’s spokesman, Laolu Akande, in a statement in Abuja, said the Vice President received at the Presidential Villa, the executive committee of the Young Parliamentarians Forum, led by its Chairman, Simon Elisha, on Tuesday.

The Vice President said that the Social Investment Programmes (SIPs) were not done on the basis of sharing slots between public officials or political chieftains, but in a manner whereby Nigerians who knew no one could benefit and did benefit.

“The first problem was everybody wanted a slot. I resisted it. Why? If I do that, we will destroy the programmes because majority of Nigerians don’t know people who will take the slots.

“It was not that one was being purist, but if young people can’t get the benefit except they know someone then we have failed the young people.

“One day, the President called me that he was listening to BBC Hausa Service and he heard two young men-beneficiaries of N-Power – saying they didn’t know anybody but were being paid the N30, 000 monthly stipends.

“The President said that is what shows we are making a difference; and everywhere we went during the 2019 campaigns, we had these young people organising themselves coming out supporting us.

“If people know they count, then they can trust us and they won’t destroy because they have a stake. Otherwise, people will never trust us,” he submitted, insisting that political leaders must make sacrifices in order to win the trust of the people.”

He acknowledged that there were indeed important issues to be addressed.

Osinbajo said the youths were not just a demography but in the majority.

“What we need to do for that vast majority is what we must do for our country. We must find a way so they are represented as effectively as possible,” he said.

He welcomed the support of the House of Representatives members for the newly formed National Economic Council (NEC) committee set up yesterday to interface with youths, and other stakeholders on issues of employment, social safety-nets and national unity.

Elisha commended the Vice President’s sincere interaction with the youths over the years and especially in the wake of the #EndSARS protests across the country and called for improved interaction between youths and leaders at all levels.

In his contribution, Luke Onofiok, from Akwa Ibom State lauded the courage exhibited by the Vice President in honestly addressing issues in the wake of the nationwide protests.

“We appreciate the messages you sent to the youth during the protests. It doused tensions. You did the job of John the Baptist for the President ahead of his speech to the nation,” he said.

Other members of the forum at the meeting included Hafiz Kawu, Tarauni Federal Constituency, Kano State, Kabiru Tukura, Zuru/Fakai/Sakaba/D/Wasagu Federal Constituency, Kebbi State and Saidu Abdullahi, Bida/Gbako/Katcha Federal Constituency, Niger.

Also in the meeting were Taiwo Oluga, Ayedaade/Irewole/Isokan Federal Constituency, Osun Sate and Shina Abiola-Peller, Iseyin/Itesiwaju/Kajola/Iwajowa Federal Constituency, Oyo State

Elisha represents Kaltungo/Shongom Federal Constituency in Gombe State while Onofiak is from Etinan/Nsit Ibom/Nsit Ubium Federal Constituency in Akwa Ibom.

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Mr Ameh Ochojila, the company’s public relations officer said this in a statement on Tuesday, in Abuja.

Ochojila, said that the application named ‘ephonetaxi’ will help provide solution to the growing number of stolen phones in the country and across the globe.

“The application ‘ephonetaxi’ helps to lock out anyone who is unauthorised to use the phone, making it unusable and unsellable,” he said.

According to him, the application is designed to protect phone owners and the information stored on their phones from being compromised in the event of a phone theft.

“The application helps retrieve and send the user’s stored contents to his email.

“It also locks the phone, prevents either unauthorised access to stored pictures, videos, messages, or contacts of the phone owner.

“The app alerts the phone owner of any change in SIM card, monitors, and tracks the phone location including taking pictures of criminals in possession of the phone and sending the pictures to the email address of the owner,” he said.

Ochojila added: “The owner can do all these remotely in spite of the phone being lost or stolen.

“Once a phone is locked remotely by the owner, buying it will be a mere waste of money.”

The technical manager of the company, Mr Kelvin Raymond said that the application could also be used to trace kidnappers as it can reveal real-time location of mobile phones.

Mr Gideon Egbuchulam, Chairman of the company said that the application was one of the application lined up by the company to meet technical and software needs of Nigerians.

Egbuchulam said that the company had opened an incubation centre in Abuja where he planned to recruit brilliant young Nigerian Information Technology (IT) professionals.

“Given enabling environment, Nigerian youths will take Nigeria to the next Silicon Valley in Africa.

“Almost all giant tech companies in the world are interested in the Nigerian market and that is the reason our company is recruiting over 1000 people by the end of 2020 to support talented youths,” he said.

Our correspondent reports that available data showed that in 2016 alone, over 400,000 phones were stolen in the UK, with a good number of them shipped abroad for resale.

The data also showed that many of the stolen phones were first sold to criminal gangs who tried to access them for information that could be used to hack bank accounts of their owners, before selling them to end users.

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The Media Communications Manager of the company, Mr Kingsley Ezenwa, said this in a statement in Lagos on Monday.

Ezenwa said, “The theme of the summit is Building Partnerships for Resilience.”

The 26th Nigerian Economic Summit is jointly organised by the Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning (FMFBNP) and the Nigerian Economic Summit Group.

Ezenwa said that the summit would convened national and global policy makers, business leaders, development partners and sub-national governments, businesses and civil societies.

He said participants would not only chart a path to recovery but also build resilience for our country’s economy, households and businesses in the new world order.

According to him, as you may be aware, airlines are the worst hit by the COVID-19 pandemic but this has not diminished our commitment toward the growth and positioning of the Nigerian economy.

“As partner airline, we are offering complimentary and discounted tickets to delegates and officials, among other support toward the success of the summit,’’ he said.

Ezenwa described Dana Air as one of Nigeria’s leading airlines with a fleet size of nine aircraft and over 27 daily flights to major cities in Nigeria.

He noted that the airline was reputed for its innovative online products and services, unrivalled in-flight service and on-time departures.

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Sule, founder of CPU Hub, said this while speaking with our reporter in Abuja on Thursday.

He said government must strive hard to address the low representation of women in the ICT sector of the economy.

“In empowering women and girls in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), hands-on trainings for beginners in different aspect of sciences such as coding, robotics etc should be offered.

“This will help them build confidence, cultivate a community of supportive peers as well as ensure family members and teachers are part of the progress,’’ Sule said.

The expert also urged the government to sustain its collaboration with stakeholders towards providing the needed support in areas where women in STEM could be improved on.

“Through this collaboration, policymakers are helping to transform their agencies’ approach to gender inequality in STEM and can deliver policies that are designed to meet the specific needs that women have in different fields of sciences,” he said.

Sule said that there were lots of cultural bias and social expectations associating Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) discipline with men.

“Collaborations between government and Non Govermental Organisations (NGOs) can also create an internal culture that builds understanding around unconscious biases and overcoming gender stereotypes,’’ he said.

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Dabiri-Erewa made this known to our reporter on Thursday, after meeting with the Libyan Ambassador to Nigeria, Ayad Attayary, in Abuja.

The NiDCOM Chief stressed: “all we want is justice to ensure that the perpetrators are brought to book”.

Responding, the Libyan envoy gave assurances of an open and transparent Libyan legal system where justice is served on the three alleged killers.

The Libyan authorities have announced the arrest of three Libyans who are suspected to have killed the Nigerian migrant worker by setting him on fire.

The act has been condemned by the International Organisation for Migration, the United Nations and the Libyan Interior Ministry.

Also, the United Nations has also described the killing of the Nigerian man as another senseless crime against migrants in the Country.

However, the full identity of the Nigerian man has not been made known as investigations and interrogations of the suspected attackers who are in custody is still on.

The Libyan Country Chief for the International Organization for Migration (IOM), a UN migration agency, Federico Soda, said that those responsible for the crime must be held accountable.

Early reports revealed that the thee Libyans on Tuesday stormed a factory where African migrants are working, held the victim, and poured petrol on him and set him on fire with no clear motive for the shocking crime.

According to the IOM, there are about half a million migrants in Libya, with some of them having worked in the oil-producing country before it descended into chaos and warfare.

The IOM and the United Nations High Commission for Refugee (UNHCR), have both repeatedly said that Libya should not be classified as being safe for migrants.

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Osoba, Chairman, Governing Council of the Nigerian Institute of Journalism (NIJ), Lagos, gave the commendation when he spoke with journalist after the hoisting of flags and unveiling of the Framed Code of Ethics of the institute’s professional stakeholders.

He said the contents of Nigerian media had remained one of the most vibrant and most respected in the world.

According to the former governor, who is a foremost media practitioner, the country’s media industry is standing tall as a result of the high level of discipline and application of ethics.

“The Nigerian media is one of the most vibrant and most respected in the world. We are keeping to the ethics of the profession and I am happy to say that we have commanded the respect of the people.

“’I am happy about the state of affairs of the Nigerian press; what we are doing here today is partly to appreciate all those who are involved and sustaining the entire structure of journalism in the county.

“We are equally re-energising, redeeming and rebranding the Nigerian Institute of Journalism.

“The purpose is also to showcase the new council and new management to the world that we are determined to raise the bar of this institution and improve journalism in the country,” he said.

Earlier in his address welcome, the Provost of the institute, Mr. Gbenga Adefaye, said the main goal of the ceremony was to provide a linkage and identification of the various professional bodies.

He listed the professional bodies as the Newspapers Proprietors Association of Nigeria (NPAN), the custodian and guardian of Journalism in Nigeria, the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE), the gatekeepers and the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), the frontliners.

Others are the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), the mouth piece and the Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON), the town crier.

“Our hope is that whoever passes here will appreciate our connectivity when he sees the flags flying.

“It is important to highlight that the governing council membership of our institution is drawn from the professional bodies.

“In all, we hope the hoisting of the flags and the unveiling of the code of ethics plagues will open a new chapter in the transformation and re-positioning of the institution as we transform to digitally impact our profession,” Adefaye said.

According to him, the institution as a foremost communication training institute in it’s fifth decade of independent Nigeria, only has peers in Ghana and Kenya, and has remained a public trust of dual heritage; academic and professional.

“Our mandate is to train aspiring and budding journalists and others in the media and communication disciplines, as well as retrain practitioners in media and communication disciplines of journalism, broadcasting, advertising, public relations, marketing communication and others.

“Today, we hoist the flags of the various professional bodies, including the International Press Institute (IPI), which provided the seed fund in 1963.

“We also unveil the plague of the code of ethics of these professional bodies at strategic locations on our campus to constantly remind ourselves; faculty, students and visitors of the ethical requirements of our noble profession.

“This, we hope, will serve as constant reminder and consciousness builder for us in integrating the values and ethical standards required for professional practice.

“The foundation of professional practice is ethics; our flags must fly at full mast,” the provost added.

Our correspondent reports that the high point of the ceremony was the hoisting of the flags, each of them representing the various professional bodies.

The chairman of council of the institute, Osoba, took the lead by hoisting the Nigerian flag.

This was followed by representatives of other professional bodies, including Dr Ray Ekpu, Chief Executive of Newswatch Magazine and Mr Chris Isiguzo, President, NUJ, among others.

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A statement by Abdul-Rahman Balogun, Head of Media and Public Relations unit, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), indicated that Chenge, a native of Benue State in Nigeria, will challenge USA Representative Lamar Smith for the ticket under the Republican Party.

It said Chenge announced his intention to run for governor of Michigan in March 2020, making him the first Republican to do so.

According to the statement, the young Nigerian is an embodiment of the American dream who has repeatedly stunned critics by achieving what most people would consider impossible.

“Chenge is a Law graduate from the University of Birmingham, England. Since the year 2018, he has been serving with the US military as a specialist. He is a decorated with the Achievement Medal as a Distinguished Honour Graduate with a Culmulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of 99.8% and for exceptional performance while on active duty.”

The statement said that Chenge is popular locally for designing the popular tricycle, known as “Wazobia tricycle”, in 2016, designed to improve the lives of peasant farmers all over Africa.

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Magashi, who was represented by the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Alhaji Babangida Hussaini, stated this while inaugurating the 2021 National Planning Committee on Armed Forces Remembrance Day Celebration (AFRDC).

The Director, Press and Public Relations, Ministry of Defence, Mr Charles Nwodo, disclosed this in a statement on Thursday in Abuja.

Magashi said it was necessary for the Federal Government to appreciate the efforts and gallantry exhibited by the living and fallen heroes in safeguarding the integrity of the country.

He said the AFRDC was being organised by the ministry to honour the members of the armed forces who laid down their lives in service to humanity during the first and second world wars, Nigerian civil war, peace support and internal security operations.

According to him, the event is also used to honour the living veterans and raise funds to support the families of the fallen heroes.

The minister noted that Nigeria had been confronted with various internal challenges such as terrorism, banditry, herders/farmers clashes and separatists agitation which sometimes turn violent.

He added that the security challenges had tasked the capabilities and resources of the nation’s armed forces.

According to him, it is fitting that the nation remembers and appreciates these sacrifices and raise the consciousness of our citizens to the worthy cause of supporting those who chose to make them.

Responding, the Director, Joint Services Department and chairman of the committee, Mrs Olu Mustapha, said the AFRDC, was beyond the laying of wreath at the National Arcade as believed by many.

Mustapha said the event involved series of activities spanning a period of time and would climax with the ceremonial parade and wreath laying on Jan. 15, 2021.

She said the celebration would involve eminent Nigerians, members of the Diplomatic Community and the celebrants.

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The NICASA president said this in a letter to the Consul-General, Nigerian Consulate Johannesburg, South Africa.

A copy of the letter was obtained by our reporter on Saturday in Abuja.

Okoli said that the association was tired of sending Nigerians back home in body bags due to premeditated and organised crime against them in South Africa.

“Tragedy has struck the Nigerian community again, just after 4p.m. on Friday, May 3. Mr Okechukwu Henry was stabbed to death by unknown local South African robbers.

”The late Henry, a car dealer who specialised in used cars, lived in Middleburg Mpumalanga Province.

“Earlier before his death, some two local guys had indicated interest to buy his car – a white VW polo.

”They had negotiated the price and agreed to buy; late Henry had produced all necessary documents to seal the deal when suddenly the local buyers said they wanted to test-drive the car first before paying,” he said.

According to him, Henry obliged them but insisted he would drive along with them.

”As they drove out, he suddenly realised that they were robbers as they demanded for the key of the car.

”They attacked him and stabbed him several times, they took the keys but could not manage to drive away the car.

“Their action attracted the attention of people around and they ran away with the keys without the car,” he said.

According to him, Henry was rushed to hospital, but it appeared he had died at the scene.

He said that a case of robbery and murder had been opened by the NICASA Provincial chairman in Mpumalanga.

”Your Excellency, the attack on Nigerians has reached an alarming level and demands something urgent to be done to stem this ugly tide.

”Our nationals are under attack in South Africa. We are under attack from every angle.

He called on the Nigerian Mission to urgently intervene.

“We no longer feel safe, we have become like a trophy hunted by all.

“The Nigerian Citizens Association, South Africa, is disheartened by the frequent repatriation of the remains of our dear citizens,” he said.

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