All Posts in "Metro"
Nigerian woman on Italy wanted list extradited from Abuja to Rome
By Favour Nnabugwu
A Nigerian woman by name, Joy Jeff who has been wanted in Italy since 2010, flown from Abuja to Rome where she had been sentenced in absentia to 13 years in prison for crimes including running a prostitution ring, Italian police has announced.
The 48-year-old Joy Jeff was one of the few women on Italy’s most-wanted list of 100 dangerous fugitives, police said in a statement on Wednesday, describing her as a prominent figure in the Nigerian mafia in Italy that is reputed for trafficking women and girls from Nigeria to Italy, where they force their victims to prostitution.
The extradition was facilitated by a treaty signed by Nigeria and Italy in 2020. She was arrested in Nigeria on 4 June 2022, on an international warrant issued by Italy, the statement said.
Joy Jeff was arrested in Nigeria by the Department of State Services (DSS) at the end of an intense search operation in which the Nigerian police and Italian embassy officials in Abuja were actively involved. “The location of Joy Jeff is the result of the excellent cooperation ensured by the Italian immigration expert in Nigeria, who supported the action of the local police force to locate the place where the woman lived, testifying to the operational potential offered by the Italian network of security experts operating in 84 countries around the world,” a press statement by the Italian police said.
Italian investigators in the city of Ancona said Jeff played a leading role in trafficking women to Italy, Spain and the Netherlands, where they were forced into prostitution by violence and threats. According to the investigations carried out from 2006 to 2007, Jeff brought the girls from Nigeria to Europe and they were then initiated into the business of prostitution with the use of violence and threats of all kinds, extended also to their family members in Nigeria.
Video released by the Italian police showed the woman being flown from Abuja to Ciampino airport in Rome where she was taken away in a wheelchair by the police.
“Africa today is a strategic location when looking for fugitives and fighting organised crime,” said Vittorio Rizzi, an Italian police chief responsible for international coordination, the news agency Reuters reports.
The Italian police through the extradition action wants to send a strong message that their home country is also not safe for Nigerian criminals in Italy and that if they run back home, they will be caught and returned to Italy to face punishment for their crimes.
Tomisin Ogunubi clears 49,000 to win $1 bn
By Favour Nnabugwu
Meet Tomisin Ogunnubi, the 16-year-old Nigerian who beat 49,000 competitors to win $1 billion with her app.
Sixteen-year-old Nigerian tech kid, Tomisin Ogunnubi, shocked the world when she beat 49,000 contestants from 170 countries to emerge as one of the winners of the $1 billion Rise Initiative competition. She presented an app that could help track the precise location of lost children. “My Locator,” the app she developed, leverages the power of Google maps to track the minute-by-minute location of users.
As one of the 100 winners of the $1 billion cash prize, Tomisin received a scholarship to study abroad, mentorship, and career-shaping opportunities, as well as funding. It wasn’t surprising that her app emerged as one of the top picks of the competition, it attracted over one thousand downloads within a short period of time when it became public.
The app functions when users enter the contact details of their family and friends in the emergency checkbox. There is an inbuilt alert and saved location buttons that signal security agencies and families of users when there is a crisis. The user needs to tap on the button when they are lost. Within a minute, their location will be sent to the security agencies and emergency contacts for immediate action.
Tomisin is proudly one of the youngest Nigerian programmers, and despite her age, she has cemented her authority within the tech space. A year after rising to prominence, she was awarded a scholarship to study at Oxford University. She later furthered her education at the Imperial College, London, and was part of her school’s team which won the robotics competition organized by the US Embassy in Nigeria, according to authorpedia.
Tomisin started exhibiting her love for coding at the age of 12, and always aspired to use her skill to impact society positively. But she knew she could not achieve her dream without deepening her knowledge in diverse areas, and therefore made extra efforts to study web and mobile development, and apps that broadened her scope in several languages as well as frameworks such as JavaScript, Java, and Python. As curious as she is, she has also extensively researched machine learning, animation, and design. She currently works as a software engineer at Cascade, United Kingdom.
Tomisin is not only passionate about tech but makes time to explore other talents, including her intense interest in sports and music. She once ran a track for her school and won medals as a member of the school relay team. She also sang in her school choir and loves to play the piano. In 2018, she co-authored a book with her mother, Yewanda, titled “A Walk In Her Shoes”.
#mufasaandsons #OperaNews
FG orders verification of academic ,NYSC certificates of NSITF staff
By Favour Nnabugwu
The Federal Government has directed the verification of the academic and National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) certificates of staff of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF).
Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, gave the directive to the reconstituted board of the Fund, shortly after their inauguration, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Ngige also charged the new board to ensure the full implementation of the NSITF Restructuring Report and conclusion of Electronic NSITF (E-NSITF) Phases I and II, to enable maximum collection of contributions from public and private sectors, as well as move into the informal sector of the economy.
The Minister called for the intensification of operational drive in the public sector, which is within the dimension of the formal economy, to ensure that national and sub-national governments (states) move towards universal coverage to all the workers in Nigeria.
He mandated the new board to do their best to build a new NSITF, noted for accountability, transparency and other principles characteristic of good governance.
The Minister expressed optimism that with the new board, the era of the media feasting on NSITF activities was over.
According to him, “Within the next eight weeks, you have to screen NYSC and certificates of all staff of the Fund. I have cause to say so. When I see letters written by staff, including people in management positions, I start wondering if they obtained General Certificate of Education (GCE).
“You should screen out impostors with fake educational and NYSC certificates.”
On the restructuring of NSITF, Ngige recalled that the President approved the implementation of the Restructuring Report, which the previous board could not conclude.
He directed the new board to ensure the full implementation of the report.
Stressing the importance of the E-NSITF, he noted that the platform would enable employers to make payments from the comfort of their offices while NSITF monitors from its own offices, hence, promoting transparency and accountability in the Fund.
He urged the new board to ensure that employers in the public and private sector key into the provisions of Employee Compensation Act 2010.
He also appealed to employers of labour in the nation to eschew subjectivity and key into the ECA 2010 and all its benefits to the workplace occupational safety and health.
Senator Ngige explained that the Act is a national law which drew from the provisions of the International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention No. 102, and replaced the old Workmen Compensation Act.
He urged employers to consistently make their statutory contributions to the fund for the security of their workers and aid nationally in the promotion of the decent work agenda.
He said apart from the implementation and enforcement of the ECA, the job of the fund would be expanded in the future to include other critical and thematic areas of thr ILO Convention no. 102, which the government of Nigeria in tripartite consultation with social partners, intends to ratify in parts owing to it’s expansiveness.
Responding, the new Chairman of the Board, Mr. Emmanuel Nwosu thanked Buhari for giving them the opportunity to contribute to the growth of the country.
Nwosu said he recognised the essence of NSITF to cater for various aspects of social security including protection of the world of work.
Also speaking, the new Managing Director, Mrs. Maureen Allagoa said she realises the burden placed on her, being the first woman appointed to administer the affairs of the fund.
The Publisher, THE WILL, loses Mother, Roseline Obiajulu Oganah at 83
Attack On PDP Chieftains in CRS…Group makes a case for Victims
NYSC deploys 200,000 corps members for 2023 elections
By Favour Nnabugwu
No fewer than 200,000 corps member has been earmarked to take part in the 2023 election by the National Youth Service Corps, NYSC,
NYSC Director General, Brigadier General Yushau Dogara Ahmed, who briefed journalists at the Scheme’s headquarters in Abuja, said the deployment was for the presidential and National Assembly elections scheduled for February 25.
Ahmed disclosed that the Scheme was working alongside other security agencies to ensure the safety of all corps members during the polls.
Nevertheless, he warned corps members against collecting any form of gratification, including food from politicians before, during and after the elections.
In the pre-election, the NYSC Director-General said: “We are deploying 200,000 corps members for the elections. What is fundamental for me to also mention is the security of these Corps members.
“Since I took over, I have met with the IG of Police, the DSS, I have met with the NSCDC, I have equally met with the INEC and every hand is on deck to ensure that the Corps members are secured
“We were assured by INEC that they will carry these Corps members to their respective places of assignment and bring them back safely from wherever they are picking them from.
“As for the welfare of these corps members, INEC has promised to provide them with sleeping kits and whatever they need for the elections.
“What I want to warn corps members about is that they should be careful in whatever environment they find themselves in. They should not accept any gift from any politician. They must not accept any food from anybody.
“As they go, they should carry at least their service support. Any form of gratification or gifts, we don’t expect any corps member to accept,” he added.
Ahmed also stated that those to participate at the elections had been provided with requisite skills for the conduct of the elections by officials of INEC.
“Those who are participating in this election have already been given proper training. Guidelines have been given to them. They have been well informed and they are ready to give their best.
“Some of them were trained outside the camps while those who just passed out (of the orientation exercise) were trained by INEC officials in the camp,” he added.
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Abuja Online Publishers Forum(AOPF) congratulate Ajaero as NLC president, pledges partners in progress
CAPTION:
Newly elected President of the Nigerian Labour Congree, NLC and President of Abuja Online Publishers Forum, Mr Martins Odiete
By Favour Nnabugwu
Abuja Online Publishers, AOPF has congratulated the newly elected National President and Executives of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC on their emergence.
In a statement signed by the President Abuja Online Publishers Forum, AOPF, Mr Martins Odiete and co-signed by the Secretary of the forum, Mr Shola Akingboye said the emergence unopposed by all stakeholders is a clear proof of the confidence in your sterling labour struggle credentials and the right choice to meet the yearnings of the labour movement in Nigeria.
AOPF is aware of your proven integrity, hardwork and pedigree as the voice of the voiceless and we look forward to a new vista of progress in Nigeria’s labour struggle under your watch.
“We look forward to a cordial relationship and pledge our commitment to building a formidable partnership with the new NLC leadership as you strive to take the labour movement to greater heights”..
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