By Adebola Adegoke

FranklinCovey Nigeria, a leadership and management service company, has urged the federal and state governments to make substantial investment in the children’s education.

The company said that such investment in education was crucial for nurturing patriotic citizens and fostering national development.

Mrs Ifueko Okauru, Group Chief Executive Officer, Compliance Professionals Plc (CPP), license owners for FranklinCovey Nigeria, made the call during a community outreach organised by the company on Thursday in Lagos.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that FranklinCovey Nigeria, as part of its corporate social responsibility initiatives, distributed noodle packets to 110 pupils in Adekunle Anglican Primary School in the Makoko community area of Lagos State.

Okauru said it was pertinent for governments at all levels to intensify efforts to secure the future of the younger generation who grow up to become patriotic.

“Patriotism comes from feeling that a country has served you and you want to serve that country to make it great. The best way to do that is through education.

“These are the leaders of tomorrow and if we don’t give them the right education, they will give you what they have.

“Education has to be universal and we must guarantee a certain level of education that is truly free even if it is the first three years of a child’s life that we can afford.

“We ensure that their food, books, shoes, uniforms, and fees are paid for, so that way it’s an equalizer where no one feels inferior to the other,” she said.

Speaking on the giving programme, she said: “Today is the giving day for FranklinCovey organisation worldwide.

“It is a Global Day of Service for us and FranklinCovey Nigeria decided where we wanted to make the most impact was a public school where giving this token would be of value and deeply appreciated.”

Okauru said that the heartfelt outreach went beyond just providing essential supplies to school children, noting, “it ignited a spirit of giving and showcased the power of corporate social responsibility”.

She added that the gesture had the potential to shape the future of young students and their community.

“It shows that everyone should have a spirit of giving no matter how small it may seem. The more you give and impact people’s lives, the more you get.

“Also, this programme has also given the children role models they can look up to, so that they can focus on their educational journey to become successful and impact other people’s lives.

“Beyond giving them food, as I interacted, I could see that shoes were also an issue for them because some were wearing slippers or worn-out sandals. So, we would plan to give more items that are of need to them.

“The essence of FranklinCovey is about impacting individuals’ businesses and countries through the solutions that we provide. It is about people, principles impact, and growth,” she said.

Mrs Olajumoke Akinyemi, Human Resources and Finance Team, FranklinCovey Nigeria, urged corporate bodies and organisations to work together and assist the government in keeping children in school and out of the streets.

“Makoko is an underserved community and we decided to come to this public school to extend our hands of love to them in the little way we can.

“Coming into the community, I saw the poverty and it brought tears to my eyes. So, as an individual, I will do more in my capacity to help more children in disadvantaged communities,” she said.

Also, Mrs Nkem Dilim, Senior Delivery Consultant, Anglophone West Africa, said community outreach was tied to the company’s mission to enable greatness in people starting from the foundation – children.

She said the outcome of the outreach created an avenue to realise more areas of need for the children, which she said, they planned to follow up with the school.

Ms Oluchi Samuel, Implementation Specialist at the company, hinted that next year’s giving outreach would look at giving educational items such as socks, uniforms, books, shoes, and sandals.

“We are going to improve our corporate social responsibility projects. We are open to partnerships, initiatives, and projects that are aimed at community impact,” she said.

Responding, Mrs Folake Akinnagbe, Head Teacher of the school, thanked the organisation for the token, saying that it would provide immediate relief for the pupils.

She urged parents to put more effort into taking care of their children and securing their future. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Olawunmi Ashafa

By Alex Enebeli

The Enugu State Government says it has constructed 15 aggregation and processing centres for improved production of  cashew, rice and poultry products in the state.
Mrs. Ihuoma Eze, the Acting State Project Coordinator of the World Bank-assisted Agro-Processing, Productivity Enhancement Livelihood Improvement Support (APPEALS) Project disclosed this on Thursday in Enugu.
During a media tour of the Nara rice and cashew aggregation and processing centres at Aguobu-Owa, Eze said that the projects were sponsored by the World Bank-assisted APPEALS project.
She added that the state government had also equipped the centres with agro-processing equipment and energy intervention for power supply to assist the rural farmers.
She said the centres were spread across 11 locations in the state’s three senatorial zones in accordance with their value chain belts.
The project coordinator added that the APPEALS Project had also installed equipment and energy in nine locations connecting farm clusters and common-user facilities to the national grid with 500kva/0.415 facility.
She explained that the feat was also made possible by Gov. Peter Mbah’s massive support, adding that the development would help to further increase cashew, rice and poultry outputs in the state.
“Farmers in the state suffer post-harvest losses due to inadequate bulk storage houses and near-absence of processing facilities.
“To reduce the losses, the APPEALS project in Enugu provided common-user facilities to farm clusters where farmers in cashew, poultry and rice value chains can store their produce and process them up to international standard.
“This will enhance their productivity, improve value addition and open vistas of market opportunities both locally and internationally,” she said.
The project coordinator commended the state governor for  his immense contribution at ensuring the success of the project in the state, within his first 100 days in office.
Speaking to newsmen, the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Chidiebere Onyia, lauded the APPEALS team in Enugu for their dedication.
He stressed that setting up the agro-centres was in line with the governor’s vision for agriculture in the state.
He said that the project had enhanced the capacity of the local farmers across value chains that had comparative advantage in each senatorial zone of the state.
“As we push towards eradicating poverty, projects like this will help get to rural farmers, not just farming to consume but to improve the economy and employ others to reduce unemployment,” Onyia said.
Mr JohnMary Eze, a Rice Farmer, said that the rice processing centre was of great help to rice farmers in Nara and neighbouring communities in Enugu East Local Government Area.
He said that prior to the establishment of the centre, the farmers usually processed their rice at Ugbawka, a neighbourng community, relying on sunshine to dry their paddy rice.
While commending the World Bank, the Federal and Enugu State Governments for initiating the project, Eze noted that lack of tractors and access roads still posed a great challenge to rice farmers in the community.
“We also appeal to the government to provide irrigation for us for all year- round rice farming, as we currently depend on rainfall to plant our rice,” he said. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Kevin Okunzuwa/Oluyinka Fadare

By Ismail Abdulaziz

Former Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, Prince Clem Agba, said that Nigeria Agenda 2050 had already identified and clarified where to be in 30 years’ time and how to get there.

The agenda is a perspective plan designed to transform the country into an “upper-middle income country” with a significant improvement in per capita income.

Agba spoke on Thursday in Osogbo while delivering a paper entitled: “Strategic Thinking for Progressive Governance in the 21st Century”, at the 22nd meeting of the National Council on Development Planning (NCDP).

He said that the perspective plan (Nigeria Agenda 2050) aimed to fully engage all resources, reduce poverty, and achieve social and economic stability.

“(The agenda) also targets developing a mechanism for achieving sustainable environment consistent with global concerns about climate change.

“The plan therefore presents the road map for accelerated, sustained and broad-based growth as well as provides broad frameworks for reducing unemployment, poverty, inequality, and human deprivation.”

Agba supervised the development of the National Development Plan (NDP) 2021-2025 and Nigeria Agenda 2050 as minister of state for budget and national planning.

He said that the path to that goal would pass through six Medium Term NDP, namely NDP (2021-2025) (already developed and published) and subsequent national development plans covering (2026-2030), (2031-2035), (2036-2040), (2041-2045), and (2046-2050).

According to him: “The first of the medium-term plans, named NDP 2021-2025, is to make Nigeria a country that has unlocked its potential in all sectors of the economy for a sustainable, holistic, and inclusive development.

“Specifically, the Plan aims to generate 21 million full-time jobs and lift 35 million people out of poverty by 2025; thus, setting the stage for achieving the government’s commitment of lifting 100 million Nigerians out of poverty in 10 years.”

He said that having set the future agenda through the above plans, the next step was to ensure effective implementation, monitoring and evaluation, and achieving the planned result.”

“To achieve these, we need to address binding domestic growth constraints through creating the needed enabling environment for sustainable economic growth and development to allow the private sector to drive the economy.

“The strategy is contained in Volume III, which is the legal and legislatives imperatives. This volume includes 18 laws that need to be passed or amended and 10 policies for effective implementation of the NDP, 2021-2025,” he said.

Agba said that there was an urgent need to resubmit and ensure the passage of “The Development Planning and Project Continuity Bill,” which had been in National Assembly undergoing legislative process for enactment.

He stressed that this would improve plan implementation majorly affected by political and policy changes.

He listed other steps to take to include strengthening the link between the Plan and Annual Budget and improving inter-sectoral collaboration.

He also called for coordinated and harmonised efforts with states and creating the enabling environment for increased private sector investment.

Agba said there was need for a mid-term review of the performance of NDP 2021-2025, stressing that this would focus on the degree to which planned results were on target, and the areas that might require improvement.

“Mid-term review should be carried out before the development of NDP 2026-2030. The report should guide the development of the next plan. In fact, the mid-term review should start now,” he added.

The immediate past minister also said that for effective implementation of the plan, there was need to implement the National Monitoring and Evaluation Policy already approved by Federal Executive Council (FEC).

“Increase the monitoring and evaluation process to ensure that we are not only getting value for money but that we are also strategic in resource allocation.

‘’(It should) ensure that the Plan Implementation Unit already set up by the Ministry is adequately resourced, running and efficient; and, this also needs to be replicated at the sub-national level.”

Stressing the importance of feedbacks, he said the government must ensure that Eye Mark App of the Ministry and the iMonitor Platform of the Budget office were up and running.

“Feedbacks collated from citizens should be used to monitor and enhance project delivery, as the use of feedback will elicit   citizens and Civil Society Organisations’ (CSOs’) participation in tracking progress and performance of government’s interventions.”

Meanwhile, Agba also commended Tinubu for setting up a committee to reform Nigeria’s tax system, for enhanced collection and with a target of at least 18 per cent tax-to-GDP ratio within the next 3 years without stifling investment or economic growth.

“This is part of a push by government to curb its reliance on borrowing to finance public spending. This target is seemingly aggressive, but all efforts should be made to achieve it.”(NAN)

IS/

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By Segun Giwa/Millicent Ifeanyichukwu

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Wednesday that learning crisis was seriously stalling development in the country.

Mrs Yetunde Oluwatosin, UNICEF Education Specialist who said this at a media workshop on foundational literacy and numeracy in Benin, Edo, called for foundational learning skills to correct the trend.

The News Agency of (Nigeria) reports that the theme of the workshop is “Turning the tide on Nigeria’s Learning Crisis, A South-West media dialogue on foundational literacy and numeracy”.

The workshop was organised by UNICEF in collaboration with the Edo State SUBEB, Edo State Ministry of Education and the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Lagos State Directorate

Oluwatosin said that 73 per cent of 10 years old children in the country were still having the challenge of reading or comprehending simple text, while nine out of 10 kids in Sub-Saharan Africa were trapped by learning poverty.

She said that while this trend exited, only 63 per cent of five years old categorised as the poorest children living in the rural areas and in the north, participated in an organised learning.

Oluwatosin said that this had led to late primary school entry and poor learning outcomes.

The UNICEEF education specialist noted that three out of four children in Nigeria could not read with meaning or solve simple mathematical problems.

According to her, 73 per cent of the Nigerian youths are literate, while only seven per cent have ICT skills needed for working and learning in the digital economy.

Oluwatosin also said that limited infrastructure, insufficient supply of teachers, limited learning data, especially on proficiency level were some of the reasons for the negative trend.

She said that UNICEF was improving the quality of teaching and learning materials, and had provided more than 1.8 million children with learning materials between 2018 and 2022.

Oluwatosin said that UNICEF was planning to reach another 4.8 million by 2027, particularly in the north.

She noted that foundational learning skills was needed to stop the learning crisis trend to improve learning outcomes in primary schools in the country.

In her remarks, Ms Blessing Ejiofor, UNICEF Communication Officer, appealed to the media to use their influence to sway policies and decisions aimed at improving leaning outcomes for children in Nigeria.

Ejiofor said she was looking forward to media reports that would aid the understanding and influence positive actions from decision makers, to leverage both financial and non-financial resources, to reduce learning poverty.

Speaking, Dr Joan Oviawe, Edo State Commissioner for Education, commended UNICEF for their efforts aimed at reducing learning poverty in the state.

Oviawe, who noted that the state has been doing a lot to compliment UNICEF efforts, said that the state had embarked on mass literacy initiative, especially “out of school population”.

“We acknowledge all that UNICEF have been doing. On our part, we engage artisans under the mass literacy initiative and learning by correspondence, to teach them on how to read and write.

“We also introduced technology into our learning agenda and also distributed learning tablets for students and teachers to encourage them and ensure that the learning activities are well structured and centralised.

“The special students are also captured in this initiative and the idea is to ensure total inclusiveness in our education agenda,” She added.

NAN reports that more than 70 journalists from the South-West zone are taking part in the two-day workshop. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Tayo Ikujuni

By Sani Idris

An NGO,  Victims Support Fund (VSF), has distributed food items to 3,000 households who are victims of banditry and terrorism in some identified  local government areas in Kaduna.

The benefiting LGAs are Chikun, Giwa and Zangon Kataf local council areas where 1,000 beneficiaries in each of the LGAs, mainly Internally Displaced Persons, were provided with the food items.

The items included bags of rice, beans, vegetable oil, salt, seasoning and sugar.

During the flag-off of the distribution of the commodities in Chikun on Wednesday, Mr Sunday Oyibe, an official of VSF, said the foundation was set up to provide succour to victims of banditry, terrorism and other related problems.

He said the foundation focused on four areas, including livelihood, to enable victims of banditry and terrorism to recover and get reintegrated into the  society.

He, however,  said that food was very critical to the victims, especially considering their condition, stressing it was out of humanitarian consideration that they provided the food items.

“This is the first phase of the distribution as we would sustain the gesture for the next  two  years as directed by our Chairman, retired Lt-Gen. Theophilus Danjuma,” he said.

Earlier, the Team Lead of the group  in charge of Kaduna and Adamawa states, Mr David Garnvwa, said the foundation was presently working in nine states of the federation.

He said the food items were palliatives, noting that VSF focused on the immediate, medium and long term measures of alleviating sufferings of the IDPs.

He symphatised with the beneficiaries for the condition they found themselves in, while urging them to be patient, saying  that no condition was  permanent.

Mr Silas Ideva, the Programme Manager of Carelink Resource Foundation (CRF), a partner in the programme, said the group also  engaged  in such humanitarian services .

He added that its aim was to ensure that vulnerable households, benefitted from such interventions, to  improve  their well being and enhance their livelihood.

He  explained that the VSF identified organisations that offered humanitarian support, where the CRF was selected among others.

“The VSF is providing complementary services to the Federal Government’s effort in providing relief services to the internally displaced persons,” he said.

“This initiative encompasses not only the provision of essential food aid but also extends to entrepreneurial training, equipping beneficiaries with starter packs and machinery for self-reliance,” he added.

Ideva noted that the benefiting  LGAs  had suffered  banditry and terrorist attacks which resulted  in the large number of the  IDPs .

According to him, the group has, in each of the affected LGAs, conducted a  painstaking profiling and verification process of the identified 1,000 vulnerable families and households.

“The goal of the VSF project is to facilitate the recovery of individuals affected by the scourge of terrorism and banditry and empower them economically and socially. ”

Earlier, Executive Secretary of the Kaduna State Emergency Management Agency (KADSEMA), Usman Mazadu, thanked the group  for the  gesture which he said was desirous and timely.

Mazadu, represented by the agency’s  Director incharge of Relief and Disaster Management, Mr Ya’u Mahmud, assured  of their regular commitment towards  providing succour to the people of the  State.

Also, Mrs Rahab Auta, the National Vice Chairperson of the State  Social Work Chapter, thanked VSF for the gesture, while describing it as a true service to humanity.

One of the  beneficiaries, Mrs Eunice Chukwu , said the food items were so much a relief for the struggle and hardship to start a new life in another community.

“As I am talking to you, I don’t even have what I and my children will eat today until this palliative comes our way, it will surely go a long way in easing my difficulties,”she said.

Also, Mr Amos Ishaya said the food was much of a relief to their everyday struggle to feed .

He thanked the foundation, while calling on other Philanthropists to also engage in humanitarian activities in their areas.(NAN)

Edited by Auwalu Birnin Kudu/Idris Abdulrahman

By Nefishetu Yakubu

Daikin Middle East and Africa company has announced the launch of its first Proshop in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, in partnership with Integrated Home Concepts Limited (IHCL), to showcase advanced air conditioners.

Daikin is a leading global innovator and provider of advanced, high-quality air conditioning, heating, ventilation, and refrigeration (HVAC-R) products for residential, commercial, and industrial use.

In a statement, Sami Monastiriotis-Gkouneim, Africa’s Sales Manager at Daikin, MEA, said Africa represented a key market in which Nigeria particularly stood out as a growth area.

Monastiriotis-Gkouneim said with the inauguration of the Port Harcourt Proshop, Daikin is taking its commitment to delivering industry-leading innovation and unmatched expertise to its customers in Nigeria

“Our objective is also to address the evolving needs of the Nigerian market by offering advanced air quality solutions that balance comfort with energy efficiency.

“Studies have revealed that certain air conditioning units might not be suited for Nigeria’s unique weather conditions, leading to potential health risks and mishaps from outdated systems and lack of technical know-how.

“Having rigorously assessed Nigeria’s market and its air quality challenges, we are now bringing our specialized expertise to bear to deliver top-tier air-conditioning solutions in this market.

“Our collaboration with IHCL follows Daikin’s approach of aligning with strategic local partners to ensure customer service excellence,” he said.

According to him, the newly launched Proshop is opened to costumers from September 13.

He disclosed that the Proshop would serve as a sales and service hub for Daikin’s extensive range of air conditioning technologies.

In the statement, Sanjay Mishra, the Managing Director of IHCL said that IHCL was partnering with Daikin to open its first Proshop showroom in Port Harcourt to offer quality and comfortable experience for both existing and prospective customers.

Mishra said “the partnership will provide sales and technical services at one place, ensuring a seamless customer experience and a great Daikin brand experience.

“Daikin’s goal is to foster a step-change in indoor air quality in the region by developing new sales and service channel partnerships that can bring our air quality and energy efficiency-enhancing systems to a wider audience.”

According to him, Daikin is committed to nurturing sustainability, promoting healthy living and introducing innovative products that ensure superior performance, lower operational costs and minimized environmental impact. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Vincent Obi

By Justina Auta

Actionaid Nigeria, a social justice organisation, has reviewed its strategy and engaged the media in alleviating at least five million Nigerians out of poverty.

Its Country Director, Mr Andrew Mamedu, said this at a media engagement on Wednesday in Abuja.

Mamedu noted the high poverty rates in the country, adding that the deployment of new strategies through collaboration with the media, communities and government would eradicate poverty and redistribution of wealth in the country.

“For us, the media is not just a tool, but partners in progress to achieve the five million people we want to contribute to take out of poverty.

“We will take five million Nigerians out of poverty in the next 10 years. That is one of the mandates we are doing now.

“We are in the process of reviewing our current strategy and we are looking at plans, strategies and processes on how to achieve that.

“Is it achievable? Yes, China, India, in one swift way got about a hundred and three hundred million persons out of poverty in one year.

” They did that by investing in education, infrastructure, and small-scale businesses,” he said.

Mamedu reiterated their commitment in promoting social justice, gender equality and poverty eradication through partnership with the government and other stakeholders to make an impact in the lives of citizens.

“The contribution of actionaid in ensuring transparency and holding the government accountable and ensuring that our resources are adequate and well utilised to benefit the people.

“Our bias is towards those living in poverty and the marginalised,” he said.

According to him, even though the organisation has specific programmes for women, men and boys were also not left out in some of its programmes.

“For us to achieve these lofty ideas that we have put in place, we have specific targets for women, children or young persons on unemployment, economy, humanitarian and others,” Mamedu said.

He, therefore, urged the media and other stakeholders to support the organisation to achieve its mandates.

“We will be providing some training, support for your organisation, proposals specifically targeting media organisations on what we can do towards poverty eradication in Nigeria,” he said.

Also, Mr Shagari Sumner, a senior media practitioner representing Arise TV, urged the organisation to factor some challenges affecting media operations, while relating with them.

Sumner also encouraged Actionaid to sustain its relationship with the media towards achieving its aim for the overall benefits of the citizens.

NAN reports that various media organisations from the print, television, radio, online and others were represented to strengthen partnership towards eradicating poverty, ensuring social justice and gender equality. (NAN)

Edited by Dorcas Jonah/Bashir Rabe

By Oluwatope Lawanson/Florence Onuegbu

The Lagos State Government said on Wednesday that it would end food wastage in the state by 2024.

Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State made this known in Ikeja, during the swearing-in of the new cabinet members of 37 commissioners and special advisers.

Sanwo-Olu said that ending food wastage and ensuring food security for the residents of the state was one of the focus agenda of his second term administration.

He said that the government would establish the Lagos Food Security and Central Logistics Park in Ketu-Ereyun, near Epe, by 2024.

“Food security for our people is another critical focus area for us this term. As we all know, Lagos ”imports” most of the food that we consume.

“Due to the lack of appropriate storage facilities, up to 40 per cent of the agriculture products either cultivated in Lagos or imported from other states end up wasted.

“We are poised to end this monumental waste when the Lagos Food Security and Central Logistics Park is completed in Ketu-Ereyun, near Epe, by 2024.

“This will cut down, if not eliminate scarcity of perishable food, improve access for processing and packaging, and ensure the application of quality standards.

“Above all, it will facilitate higher revenue for our teeming farming population,” the governor said.

He said that over the past 100 Days since the administration began its second term, a lot more had happened, as the government announced the renaming of its Governance Agenda to T.H.E.M.E.S+.

According to him, the renaming of T.H.E.M.E.S to T.H.E.M.E.S+, is in recognition of the necessity of incorporating Social Inclusion, Gender Equality and Youth Development into all government’s programmes.

Sanwo-Olu said that the government would focus on building a better and more equitable society, as no one and no sector would be left behind in the journey to building a Greater Lagos.

He said that beyond the broad T.H.E.M.E.S+ agenda, the second term would focus on building and completing enduring legacy projects in transportation, health and agriculture that would open up more economic and developmental opportunities for residents of the state.

The governor said that already, in just the first 100 days, the state had witnessed the commencement of operations of the Blue Line Rail Service.

“What a joy it has been for me and I am sure for millions of our people, to watch as Lagos finally joined the list of cities around the world with a modern and functional metro rail system.

“The journey to make this happen was long and tough but we proved ourselves to be more durable and tougher.

“The smiles on the faces of commuters already using the Blue Line will soon be replicated along the Agbado to Marina corridor, where we are putting finishing touches to the completion of the Red Line Rail Service.

“This route will encompass 13 Stations in iconic parts of Lagos like Iju, Agege, Ikeja, Oshodi, Mushin, Yaba, Ebute Meta and Ebute Ero.

“Still on Rail, we shall commence the extension of the Blue Line from Mile 2 to Okokomaiko. This will expand coverage of the service to millions more of our people,” he said.

According to him, when completed and fully operational, the extended Blue Line and the Red Line will jointly serve over one and half million commuters daily.

He said that as many experts had stated, the benefits of this to the economy would be massive and more importantly, the improvement in the quality of life of the people would be palpable.

Sanwo-Olu said that the giant strides being made with the rail would be complemented by the efforts on road infrastructure, as the government would focus on completing Phase 1 of the 4th Mainland Bridge.

He said that the 4th Mainland Bridge, which would link Ikorodu, Epe and Ibeju-Lekki axes of the state, would further open up the Eastern corridor of Lagos and catalyse economic growth and development for the millions of residents living and working in that area.

“Alongside the 4th Mainland Bridge is the Omu Creek Project. This will link the Lekki-Epe Expressway (the redevelopment of which is almost completed) to the Ito Omu area of Lagos.

“When completed, expect the rise of new towns that will help to decongest our metropolis, create massive job opportunities for the indigenous people of the area and facilitate private investments in multiple sectors.

“Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, a Greater Lagos is coming to Ito Omu,” Sanwo-Olu said. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Adeleye Ajayi