By Lucy Ogalue

The Nigerian Transportation Commissioners Forum (NTCF) has commiserated with the government and people of Kwara following the boat mishap that occurred in the state.

Its Executive Secretary, Mrs Chinwe Uwaegbute, who described the incident as sad and avoidable, said this while speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Thursday.

The incident occurred at Egbu village in Patigi Local Government Area on Tuesday when the boat that was transporting passengers reportedly hit a tree due to a river wave.

Uwaegbute, who sympathised with families of the victims involved in the boat accident, reiterated the forum’s commitment to curtail reoccurrence of such incident in future.

According to her, the incident which was caused by an overloaded locally fabricated boat resulted in the loss of over 100 lives, with others sustaining various degrees of injuries and some still missing.

The executive secretary recalled some similar events of mishap in Anambra and Lagos which also claimed lives.

She said, “ these unfortunate events are a somber reminder of the urgent need to prioritise safety in intermodal transportation and take proactive measures to prevent such incidents.

“It has become imperative for relevant authorities to ensure that boat owners and passengers strictly adhere and comply with safety measures.

“It is our firm belief that forging stronger partnership among intermodal stakeholders and practitioners is also essential to promote safety as the hallmark of transportation.

“We believe this will go a long way to ensure passenger safety thereby reducing reoccurrence of similar incidents in future,” she said. (NAN)(www.nanews.ng)

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Edited by Collins Yakkubu-Hammer

By Ruth Oketunde

The Board and members of Arewa Development Support Initiative (ADSI) have pledged to support President Bola Tinubu in his policies with focus on women and youth empowerment.

ADSI President Hajiya Khuraira Musa said this in a statement in Abuja.

Musa, who commended the president for demonstrating uncommon skills and understanding of the many challenges that had held Nigeria back for decades, promised of their readiness to support the president.

“This singular act has earned the president the recognition and confidence of not only Nigerians, but the global community.

“His efficient and effective actions for the socio-economic development of Nigeria and the sub-region have led to the sudden return of investors’ confidence in the stock market, uptick in oil production, increase in electricity generation with positive outlook in employment.

“The president has said among others that Nigeria will be impartially governed and women and youth will feature prominently.

“These words are commitments of a true leader on a mission to build a new and working Nigeria”, she said.

She, however, assured the president of the organisation’s readiness to support the government in the areas of youths and women empowerment, girl-child education and skills acquisition, especially in the northern part of the country.

“ADSI has demonstrated these capacities with proven track record in all of the 19 states of the northern part of the country.

“With hope that the age-long conflict between herders and farmers will be resolved, communities will be rebuilt and lives will return to normal.

“ADSI presents a veritable channel for the government in achieving some of these goals,” she said.(NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Ayodeji Alabi/Kayode Olaitan

By Okon Okon

President Bola Tinubu has approved the indefinite suspension of the Chairman of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr AbdulRasheed Bawa.

This is contained in a statement issued by Director of Information, Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Willie Bassey, on Wednesday in Abuja.

According to the statement, the suspension of the EFCC chairman is to allow for proper investigation into his conduct while in office.

“This follows weighty allegations of abuse of office levelled against him.

“Mr Bawa has been directed to immediately handover the affairs of his office to the Director, Operations in the commission.

“He will oversee the affairs of the office of the chairman of the commission, pending the conclusion of the investigation.” (NAN)(www.nanews.ng)

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Edited by ‘Wale Sadeeq

By Ruth Oketunde

Hope Behind Bars Africa (HBBA), a non-profit organisation, says it has provided legal representation to no fewer than 420 indigent pre-trial detainees in the last five years.

Ms Funke Adeoye, Executive Director of the organisation, disclosed this while briefing newsmen on the activities of the organisation, on Wednesday in Abuja.

She said that the organisation had also empowered no fewer than 102 female inmates with vocational and life skills to help them earn money while in prison.

She added that to reduce prison congestion and activate criminal justice reforms in the country, the organisation had also supported over 7,000 indigent persons with diverse interventions.

According to her, Nigeria’s prison population was 76,982, as at May 30 and the inmates awaiting trial constitute about 69.3 per cent of the prison population, which must be reduced.

Adeoye said that the figure is the highest percentage of awaiting-trial prisoners in Africa, according to the World Prison Brief’s report, which puts the figure at 12.4 per cent for Ghana and 32.9 per cent for South Africa.

The executive-director added that it would continue to advance access to justice using a multi-pronged approach.

“We started out directly representing inmates for free here in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and expanded to Kano and Edo states.

“Currently, we have a network of lawyers in Kaduna, Niger, Nasarawa, Edo, Kano and FCT. We have represented 420 indigent pre-trial detainees so far.

“About 40 per cent of this number were charged with simple offences, 20 per cent for misdemeanors, and the rest for felonies, capital crimes and fundamental human rights actions.

“About 80 per cent of these cases were taken from inmates during visits to the custodial centres, while 20 per cent were based on referral and at the police stage.

According to her, the results from these cases ranged from convictions, discharges for lack of diligent prosecution, successful no-case submissions, withdrawals of complaints and acquittals.

“In all these results, our main goal is to provide adequate legal representation and to make sure that the rights of indigent pre-trial detainees are not prejudiced.

“Evidently, with the cases we handled, we cut the time that would otherwise be spent awaiting trial by at least 50 per cent and saved taxpayers money that would have been spent on wrongful incarceration,” she said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the event featured the unveiling of the 5-year Impact Report/Strategic Plan of the NGO.(NAN)(www.nannees.ng)

Edited by Sadiya Hamza

By Rukayat Moisemhe

Experts have emphasised the need for young directors to adopt diversity, mentorship and inclusion as innovative strategies to drive organisational sustainability in Nigeria.

They spoke at the Institute of Directors (IoD) Young Directors Forum and Appreciation Cocktail with the theme: “Inclusion: A Pathway to Organisational Sustainability,” on Tuesday in Lagos.

Mrs Naomi Nwokolo, the Executive Director, United Nations Global Compact Network, Nigeria, said it was important for young directors to align with and embrace the interplay between diversity and inclusion to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.

Nwokolo said the network’s recent survey showed participant’s resolve to preserve and protect diversity and inclusion was clear with 92 per cent of companies surveyed revealing ongoing diversity and inclusion initiatives.

She charged leaders to be catalysts of change by embracing inclusive leadership.

Nwokolo said that this would foster trust and empower teams, resulting in higher levels of employee engagement and satisfaction.

The director quoted a study by Catalyst (2020), which found that companies with a higher representation of women in executive positions experienced a 53 per cent higher return on equity.

Nwokolo also said that organisations that implement inclusive practices and policies such as flexibility, mentorship, diversity training, and inclusive recruitment created an environment where all employees could thrive.

“There are numerous positive impacts of inclusive policies within organisations which extend beyond the realms of financial performance, innovation, customer satisfaction, and employee engagement, further emphasising the strategic value of inclusion.

“For companies ready to go from talking the talk to walking the walk, they must set targets for women on boards and senior management and then choose timelines for meeting those goals.

“Businesses must also build capacity to accelerate gender equality as women’s business leadership is linked to better Environmental, Sustainability and Governance performance.

“This includes reduced greenhouse gas emissions, stronger worker relations and reduced incidence of fraud, insider trading, and other unethical practices,” she said.

Also, Dr Ije Jidenma, the President, IoD, emphasised the importance of sustainability, saying it centred on futuristic potential, giving back to society and putting in place governance structures that engendered organisational success.

Jidenma charged directors to continue to sharpen their mindset, knowledge and skills to deliver on organisational goals and objectives.

She stated that the IoD created the young directors forum to serve as a network for talented and upcoming board leaders serving in firms across the economy to make them more versatile and competent through well thought out programs and event.

“We are proud to give back to society and this forum provides the opportunity to ensure young directors are well equipped to face the challenges of the future.

“Research shows that one of five start-ups tend to collapse within the first five years due to inadequate power supply, seed money and other challenges.

“In fairness, I laud Nigerian businesses for being untiring, strong and resilience in this environment.

“They must, however, leverage technology, blockchain, artificial intelligence and the institute’s platform to network and adopt regulatory and good governance practices,” she said.

Similarly, Dr Grant Akata, Chairman, Director Development Committee, IoD, said that the case for innovative strategies included backing up businesses with robust practices hinged on transparent leadership tend to post superior results.

Akata noted that while the current business environment was fraught with risks occasioned by flip-flop policy regime, survival and growth of organisations demanded innovation and prompt adaptation.

The chairman stated that besides robust training offerings, mentoring and coaching were some other areas where the institute could positively impact members competence by and large corporate Nigeria.

He tasked the institute to use the pool member-directors to drive the development of upcoming directors by equipping and building their confidence for their roles.

“The institute must foster amongst young directors a culture of best governance practices, help them focus on their succession plans and encourage them to experiment with and deploy innovative strategies.

“Directors, in particular chief executives, have the responsibility to balance competing priorities and provide insights for organisation sustainability and performance,” he said. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Ayodeji Alabi/Chinyere Joel-Nwokeoma

By Afusat Agunbiade-Oladipo

Police Command in Kwara has confirmed that 103 persons died in a boat accident at Egbu village, in the Patigi Local Government Area of Kwara.

The Spokesperson of the Command, SP Ajayi Okasanmi, confirmed the incident on Tuesday.

The deceased reportedly met their end after the boat conveying them while returning from a marriage ceremony capsized.

The tragic incident has cast an ominous cloud of sorrow and despair on the village.

Okasanmi said the names of the survivors would be published soon.

The Transition Implementation Committee Chairman, Patigi, Alhaji Mohammed Liman, put the number of passengers that died in the accident at 110.

Liman, while quoting from a statement by one Alhassan Bala Mohammed, a community leader in the area, said, “About 110 people died in the boat mishap in our area.

“We’re going to tell you about the tragedy and unforgettable memory that occurred to my people from our village and other neighbouring villages close to us.

“Our village people went to a wedding ceremony in another village called Gboti and the boat carried about 270 people, and almost 110 people were lost.”

“This is an unforgettable memory and tragedy in the history of our village,” he said. (NAN) (www.nanews.ng)

Edited by Idris Abdulrahman