All Posts in "News"

Okowa appoints Orodje of Okpe as Chairman of Delta State Traditional Rulers Council

By admin

 

Delta State Governor Ifeanyi Okowa has appointed Orodje of Okpe, HRM Major General Felix Mujakperuo (rtd), Orhue I as the Chairman of Delta State Traditional Rulers Council.

TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports Governor Okowa appointed the Orodje Okpe as Chairman of the Delta State Traditional Rulers Council following the dissolution of the former council headed by Dr. Emmanuel Efeizomor II.

The defunct council had the Orodje of Okpe, who is now the chairman of the newly reconstituted council, as it’s Vice Chairman.
The newly reconstituted council has HRM Pere Stanley P. Luke, Kalanama VIII, The Pere of Akugbene-Mein as first Vice-Chairman, and HRM Agbogidi, Obi Henry A. Kikachukwu, The Obi of Ubulu-Unor as second Vice Chairman.

The appointment of the Orodje Okpe as Chairman of the Delta State Traditional Rulers Council was communicated by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Patrick Ukah.

Patoma Admin by — January 26, 2022 in Metro 1
19-Year-Old Becomes Youngest Woman To Fly Around The World Solo

A teenage pilot has set a record for being the youngest woman to fly solo around the world. Belgian-British Zara Rutherford spent 155 days in her Shark Aero ultralight before touching down in Kortrijk-Wevelgem in Belgium to complete her round-the-world challenge earlier today.

Zara Rutherford is a Belgian-British pilot, holding FAA and UK private pilot licences plus Slovakian and French microlight licences. She says she has been flying for ‘as long as I can remember’, and that one of her biggest dreams has always been to fly around the world. At just 19, having completed her A levels in Math, Economics, Further Math and Physics, the ambitious youngster set off from Belgium, heading West, to begin her challenge.
Today, 155 days later, Zara touched down in Belgium once again, completing her challenge and earning her place in the history books.

Previously, the youngest woman to have flown around the world solo was Shaesta Waiz, who was 30 when she completed her challenge. Zara has beaten this by more than a decade, narrowing the gap between male and female, with the youngest solo man record still held by Travis Ludlow who was 18.

Part of the reason to undertake the challenging journey was to encourage girls and young women to take up careers in aviation and STEM. In a statement on her website, Zara said,

“Only 5% of commercial pilots and 15% of computer scientists are women. In both areas – aviation and STEM – the gender gap is huge. It is in fact a dream gap as our dreams are shaped from early childhood through the fairy tales and role models we are exposed to. Boys learn through toys, street names, history classes and movies that they can be scientists, astronauts, CEO’s or presidents. Girls are often encouraged to be beautiful, kind, helpful and sweet.

The circumnavigation Zara undertook took in 60 stops across five continents. Originally planned to take around three months, the trip was hampered by multiple issues. In fact, when she arrived in Alaska, only three of the 39 flights she had taken had gone to plan.

Delays due to bad weather caused her visa for Russia to expire. She had to wait in Nome for her passport to be shipped over to the Russian consulate in Houston. Even then, she had to wait three more weeks before the weather was good enough in both Nome and Russia to cross the Bering Strait.

There were mechanical issues to contend with too. Instrument malfunctions in New Mexico caused problems, and a flat tire saw her stranded in Singapore for Christmas. She had to cope with flying through wildfire smoke in California, and blinding smog in Delhi.

As well as becoming the first female to fly solo around the world, Zara has also jumped into more records today. She becomes the first woman to fly a microlight around the world, and the first Belgian to fly around the world solo

Patoma Admin by — January 25, 2022 in Metro 0
FG spend N152Bn digitalization in 2021, targets 2030 for paperless government operations

By admin

 

 

The Nigerian government said it spent a whopping N152 billion on digitalization in 2021, describing it as a quantum leap from the N9 billion spent in 2019 and 2020.

“While we are targeting 2030 to have a paperless government operation, we will like to inform you that the government spent N152 billion on digitalization in 2021. This amount is a quantum leap from the N9 billion spent in 2019 and 2020,” the Minister of Communications and \digital Economy, Prof. Isa Pantami disclosed at the Champion Day and Closing of 2021 Service Wide Capacity Building program on e-Government in Abuja.

According to him, the amount constitutes the total sum approved by National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) for the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), Immigration and Customs among other agencies of government for the 2021 fiscal year.

He said the target of the Federal Government is to make sure that by 2030, we achieve a paperless government where emerging technologies like Blockchain that has data integrity and many more is guaranteed.

While maintaining that paperless government is very possible because government is desirous of digitizing its processes, he posited that technology cannot do it alone, stressing that training those who will manage the technology effectively for the betterment of our country is also important.

In her goodwill message, the Head of Service Civil of Federation, (HoSCF) Dr Folashade Yemi-Esan disclosed that many Ministries, Departments, and Agencies of government are on the verge to digitalize their processes, assuring that by the end of the year, many successes would have been recorded in the nation’s drive to digitalization.

While commending the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy and its parastatals for the support in ensuring that processes at the Office of Head of Service for the Federation is digitalize, she noted that the gestures would go a long way in assisting us to achieve our own dream.

Meanwhile, the NITDA Director-General who also doubled as the Council’s Chairman, e-Government Training Centre, Kashifu Inuwa, CCIE, said the Federal Government had trained 1,376 civil servants from 48 ministries, departments and agencies between November 2020 and December 2021 in the use of ICT.

He said the capacity building programme for civil servants is part of the federal government’s e-Government Master Plan aimed at digitizing every government process in all ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs).

Patoma Admin by — January 15, 2022 in Metro 0
FG declares Monday, Tuesday and Monday holidays for Xmas, New year

By Favour Nnabugwu

The Federal Government of Nigeria has declared Monday and Tuesday after Christmas public holidays for the Christmas and Monday for the new year celebrations.

The Government of Nigeria has declared Monday 27th, Tuesday 28th December 2021 and Monday, 3rd January 2022 as public holidays to mark Christmas, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day celebrations respectively.

The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Interior, Shuaib M.L. Belgore, in a statement, said the Minister, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, made the declaration on behalf of the Federal Government.

Aregbesola on behalf of the FG felicitates with Christians and all Nigerians at home and in the Diaspora on this year’s Christmas and New Year celebrations.

Aregbesola also enjoined Christians to practice the doctrines of Christ, which include but not limited to these – faith, hope and love.

“We must emulate the life of Jesus Christ in His practice and teachings on Humility, Service, Compassion, Patience, Peace and Righteousness, that His birth signifies.

“This will be the best way to portray Christ and celebrate his birth”, he noted.

Aregbesola emphasized that peace and security are two critical conditions for economic development and prosperity.

He urges Christians and Nigerians to make the best use of this festive period to pray for the total eradication of insecurity bedevilling our dear nation.

Aregbesola also strongly charges Nigerians not to be lulled into a false sense of security on COVID-19 pandemic but to note that it is increasingly assuming a very dangerous and harmful dimension with the emergence of a virulent variant, Omicron.

“This calls for deliberate responsibility and discipline on the part of all”, Aregbesola said.

He enjoins all to adhere strictly to and observe all the stipulated non-pharmaceutical protocols and guidelines such as wearing of facemasks, frequent washing of hands with soap and water, using of hand sanitizer and avoidance of large groups.

Aregbesola also urged quick report to medical authorities of any respiratory illness observed in self and others before, during and after the Yuletide.

Aregbesola said this Yuletide calls for spartan discipline in order to prevent the spread of the virus in our community and the nation as a whole.

Aregbesola says “Moderately celebrate the festival without large groupings and observe all the protocols stipulated by medical authorities.

“Take it as a point of personal responsibility to prevent the spread of the virus”.

The Minister also assures that the Government has put in place effective measures for the security of lives and property and expects Nigerians to support the efforts of security agencies by providing useful information that will assist them in the performance of their duties.

Patoma Admin by — December 22, 2021 in News 0
JOY TO THE WORLD – Pastor Favour Onoja

By Pastor Favour Onoja

 

INTRODUCTION:
Christmas is the celebration of the birth of our saviour, Jesus Christ. This celebration has been on over Two Thousand (2,000) years ago.

It is a time for giving and not simply a day we exchange gifts. The spirit of Christmas is in “togetherness”.  It’s a period which you put into thinking about others. It’s a selfless time, where we forgive, take stock of what is important and become better.

Christmas is the most celebrated event in the history of the World by believers and non believers. It is a time of spiritual reflection on the important foundation of christian faith. We celebrate Gods’ love for the World through the birth of Jesus Christ.

The birth of Jesus Christ was recorded in Luke 2:4-19. He was born for the redemption of mankind. God sent His only begotten son to be the atonement for all our sins, so that we would not be separated from God. Meaning that without Jesus, we would all die for our sins, but thank God for this precious gift of God at Christmas.

THE ESSENCE OF CHRISTMAS:

Many celebrate Christmas without knowing the reason. The following are some of the reasons why we celebrate Christmas:

1. Celebrating Gods’ unconditional love for Humanity:

Christmas is a demonstration of God’s love to humanity, unconditionally. Out of the love for mankind, God sent His only begotten son to earth for the redemption of mankind.

Jesus’s birth was the greatest gift of God in His redemptive plan for the World.  “For God so love the World, that He gave His only begotten son, that whosever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life”.

“For God sent not His son into the World to condemn the World; but that the World through him might be saved” (John 3:15-16).

Despite our short comings, God sent His son to be born and died for the sin of man. Therefore,  it behoves on man to respond to that love.

2. Christmas is a demonstration of Gods’ unspeakable joy to man:

“Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, through now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of joy” (1Peter 1:8).

The coming of Jesus Christ brought joy into the World. This joy cannot be taken or given by the world. The joy was also heralded by an Angel in Luke 2:10.

“And the angel said unto them, fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people”.

The joy that Christmas brought to mankind is priceless. In the midst of anarchy, turmoils, troubles and tribulations in the World, He brought us that joy. What a privilege!

3. It is a celebration of Victory, Abundance, Blessing and Rest.

His coming brought us all the above four, at Christmas.

“The thief cometh not, but to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and have it abundantly” (John 10:10).

His coming is the secret of abundance (blessings); the fullness of all that God has packaged for you in His redemptive plan; the termination or annihilation of the enemy’s captivity/verdict; and the restoration of human’s destiny and dignity (Isaiah 10:27; 42:22).

His coming brought us rest.

“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your soul” (Matthew 11:28-29).

His coming is the termination of struggles and toiling in life and destiny (Luke 5:5-11).

4. Christmas is the celebration of Gods’ unprecedented presence with man. It gave man unhindered access to God.

“Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us” (Matthew 1:23).

We have undeniable and an unquantifiable access to His presence at Christmas; and His presence guarantees peace, tranquility and quietness.

What a joy at Christmas! You don’t need a mediator to go to God. We have direct access to His presence and in His presence there is fullness of joy.

5. Christmas brought peace to Humanity:

“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting father, The Prince of Peace, of the increase of his government and peace, there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this” (Isaiah 9:6-7).

The peace that Jesus brought to us at Christmas is limitless. That peace, the World and it’s system of government cannot give it; United Nation cannot give it; wealth and accomplishments cannot give it; yet, Jesus gave it to us free of charge, at Christmas.

6. Celebration of God’s unquantifiable gift to Man.

“Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift” (2Corinthians 9:15).

God gave us the greatest gift of His son at Christmas. That gift that money, fame and influence cannot buy. It was a priceless gift. Jesus Christ was that precious gift to mankind at Christmas.

7. His birth was a call to Worship:

Christmas should be a season of worship and appreciation to God for His kindness, benevolence and generosity demonstrated towards humanity.

The Angel worshipped:

“And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of heavenly host praising God, and saying,

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill towards men” (Luke 2:13-14).

At Christmas, don’t be concerned and cumbered with what to wear or eat, where to go for your vacation or other activities during the festive season and miss His visitation and purpose for your life, just like Martha, who almost missed Jesus. Jesus even counseled her about being bothered and troubled with many things.

He said, “but one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her” (Luke 10:41-42).

Brethren,  I counsel you at this Christmas, to let go of everything that bothers you and worship at the feet of the Master, by casting all your cares upon him (1Peter 5:7), because His steadfast love is better than life.

You shall praise Him as long as you live.

“Because thy loving kindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee.

Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name.

My soul shall  be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips:

When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches.

Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice”. (Psalm 63:3-7).

HOW DO WE CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS:

1. With Joyfulness And Singing.

“And the angel said unto them, fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

For unto us is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

And this shall be a sign unto you; ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of heavenly host praising God, and saying,

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill towards men” (Luke 2:10-14).

Let your Christmas be characterized with celebration and thanksgiving. Don’t let what you will eat, wear or other activities be the basis for your celebration.

Joy is a fruit of the spirit. It’s not based on what you have or does not have. Be joyful. Come before Him in a dance and sing unto Him for His unspeakable gift to humanity at Christmas.

2. With Appreciation And Giving.

“And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh” (Matthew 2:11).

Giving is living. God gave us the greatest gift at Christmas. Give to God, give to humanity. Give to the less privileged (orphans, widows, etc).

Demonstrate benevolence, liberality and generosity towards others at Christmas.

3. With Surrender And Submission To God.

“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light”. (Matthew 11:28-30).

Gods’ invitation to you at Christmas is to receive His gift (Jesus Christ) into your life as your Lord and personal Saviour.

He said come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  What a great invitation! What an honour and what a privilege!

It’s only in Him that you are secured and can find rest from troubles, struggling, trials and temptations. In the World, you have tribulations and trials (John 16:33).

Friends, note that, it is in absolute surrender to His perfect will for your life that you can find fulfilment.  His will for you at Christmas is that you should not perish and that was why He gave Jesus, a propitiator for your sin, as a precious gift for your salvation at Christmas; that whosoever believeth in him, should not perish, but have eternal life (John 3:15).

Beloved, if you have not received Jesus into your life, could you kindly pray this prayer with me from your heart at Christmas:

“Come into my life and make me a new person. Change my life and destiny today. I say ” NO” to sin and I receive the grace to serve and live for you by faith.

From today, I go forward and backward never.

Thank you for answering me, in Jesus Name.

If you prayed this prayer, you can reach me on my e-mail or telephone nos for further counseling and prayers.

E-mail: onojaaf@yahoo.com

Tel: +234(0)7034893375
+234(0)8055842594

H A P P Y   C H R I S T M A S / N E W   Y E A R

GOD BLESS YOU RICHLY.

Patoma Admin by — December 1, 2021 in Metro 0
Several countries receive InsurTech accelerator support

By Favour Nnabugwu

 

FSD (Financial Sector Deepening) Africa, an Africa-focused UK government funding agency, will extend its InsurTech accelerator program next year, targeting Ghana and Nigeria.

The agency is working with several insurance regulators, including those in Ghana and Nigeria, to create an environment conducive to technological innovation in insurance on the continent.

The plan follows the roll-out of an insurance accelerator program in Kenya earlier this year, reported Techcrunch.com.

Under the acceleration programs, FSD Africa provides participants, including teams from selected InsurTechs, with knowledge and resources to develop and prepare their solutions for the African market.

InsurTechs introduce personalised policies using data from wearable technology and social platforms. They offer innovative products operating on the basis of micro-payments or pay-per-use, which increasingly influences market trends.

Venture capital and other support

In addition to installing the accelerator, FSD Africa wants to set up access to capital through a venture capital fund for InsurTechs on the continent in the start-up phase. In addition, a platform will be put online where the various players in the sector can exchange views to share their experiences or forge partnerships to support the growth of their various businesses.

Patoma Admin by — November 29, 2021 in Metro 0
Over 3m kgs of drugs seized in 10 months – Marwa

By Favour Nnabugwu

 

The Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), retired Brig.-Gen. Buba Marw said that over three million kilograms of drugs have been intercepted and seized by the agency in the last 10 months

Marwa said this during the Crime Reporters Association of Nigeria (CRAN) 2021 Annual Lecture and Award Ceremony in Lagos on Thursday with the theme: “Proliferation Of Drugs, Bane Of Insecurity”

The chairman was represented by the Commander of Narcotics, Lagos State Command, NDLEA, Mr Callys Alumona.

Marwa also said that 10,000 suspects had been arrested and 1,000 had been convicted in the past 10 months since he had been commandeering the agency.

“Collaboration with the press, especially CRAN is one of the things that has made my tenure for the last ten months memorable.

“I request that you continue to give the needed support because without information, it will be very difficult for people to know what is wrong with Nigeria in terms of security, drug abuse and drug trafficking.

“For every criminal intention, especially in violent crimes, drug abuse is behind it,” he said.

The chairman said that banditry, rape, gender based violence and kidnapping was a synopsis to the fact that drug abuse was eating deep into the fabrics of Nigeria.

“Even, bandits and terrorists sometimes demand drugs in exchange for persons and they also export drugs in order to get arms to further terrorise us the more.

“It is a person under the influence of drugs that usually commits heinous crimes, therefore, drug abuse and drug trafficking is a war that must be won,” he said.

Marwa said that one security agency alone cannot fight the issue of drug trafficking and drug abuse unless we come together to rid Nigeria of this menace in society.

“Security agencies such as the police, Army, Navy among others are synergising to ensure that drug proliferation is brought to a minimum in the country as a whole.

“With this, we are sure that the foundations of insecurity will be weakened,” he said.

Marwa said that the police and army recently transferred some arrested suspects to the agency for persecution.

He also said that the agency frequently raided night clubs and many other places to rid hooligans who engage in drug intake before they affect the society negatively.

“We are not stopping only on arrest and seizure but we are also focused on the supply and demand reduction of drugs in the society.

“If we stop the supply reduction then we are making progress,” the chairman said.

Marwa said that President Muhammadu Buhari on June 26, launched the “War Against Drug Abuse” which will be brought to every state to tackle the menace of drug abuse.

“This war is to enlighten the public from the state government down to the local government, to the communities and to the family on the dangers of drug abuse.

“We will further go to secondary schools and market women to preach the gospel of stopping drugs because drug abuse kills and is inimical to growth whether you are poor or rich.

“Therefore, the best is yet to come in terms of eradicating drug abuse in the society,” he said.

The chairman urged the public to come up with information anywhere they see people gathering in the use of drugs.

“This will enable security agencies to sweep into action and curtail such gatherings before they impact negatively on the society,” Marwa said.

Patoma Admin by — November 25, 2021 in News 0
AfDB to spend $110 million on Kano Special Agricultural Processing Zone

By admin

 

The African Development Bank (AfDB), has budgeted the sum of $110 million to fund projects under the Special Agricultural Processing Zone in Kano State.

This was disclosed in a statement by the Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State, on Sunday in Kano, according to the News Agency of Nigeria.

The AfDB President, Dr Akinwumi Adesina revealed that millions of dollars would be budgeted by the bank to fund agriculture projects in Nigeria like the Special Agricultural Industrial Processing Zone in Kano

According to a press release read by Mr Abba Anwar, the Chief Press Secretary (CPS) to Gov. Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State, Adesina said, “In all, we are having about $563 million dedicated for our projects in various states in Nigeria.”

“We are using $110 million for our programme on Special Agricultural Industrial Processing Zone in Kano.

“The funds will be invested on rural roads, transport infrastructure, water and sanitation, and in agriculture to increase productivity.”

He added that the fund would enable the creation of job opportunities and boost rural infrastructure development.

Governor Ganduje commended the AfDB’s decision, stating that, “When institutions are strengthened and individuals or group of individuals are directly impacted, this is what we mean by genuine development.

“My dream is to promote Kano into a Mega City, which is not only a collection of population but also, a collection of an environment where things are working, where traffic flows, where health services are excellent.

“This is aimed at reducing medical tourism abroad and where you can have security using technology.” 

Patoma Admin by — November 22, 2021 in Metro 0
External reserves resume decline, lose $410m in 17 days

Favour Nnabugwu

 

Nigeria’s external reserves dropped by $410m in the past 17 weeks, after rising by a record $5.05bn last month, the latest data from the Central Bank of Nigeria have shown.

The CBN data revealed that the reserves dropped to $41.50bn on November 14 from $41.79bn on November 1.

The reserves, which had maintained a growth trajectory in recent months, increased from $36.78bn on September 30 to $41.83bn on October 29. It rose by $2.76bn in September from $34.02bn at the end of August.

The Head of the Economics Department, University of Ibadan, Prof. Adeola Adenikinju, pointed out that how to boost foreign exchange supply to the economy remained a challenge for Nigeria.

He said, “Given the four major sources of expanding supply: oil exports, foreign capital flows, remittances and non-oil exports, foreign portfolio investments, while desirable, is, however, very fungible.

“Oil exports are similarly very volatile. The long-term interests of the country would be served by encouraging remittances and non-traditional exports. Hence, suggestions to nationalise remittances will be counterproductive to the economy in the long term.”

Adenikinju, therefore, advised that Nigerians should be encouraged to bring their funds into the economy by removing any uncertainty around the ownership and management of such funds.

He also encouraged the CBN to conduct studies to better understand the working of the foreign exchange market in Nigeria, especially the microeconomic factors driving economic agents’ behaviour in the market.

He said, “In the light of the above, I would like to make the following recommendations: First, given the limited options open to the bank to expand foreign exchange supply in the near term, there is a need to carry out a comprehensive study of foreign exchange market operations in Nigeria with a view to determining the fundamental drivers, and relative sizes of the segments of the foreign exchange market in Nigeria.

“In addition, there must also be effective monitoring of the DMBs to close loopholes for shady practices, collusion, and round-tripping,” he added.

Patoma Admin by — November 20, 2021 in News 0