By Emmanuel Afonne

Development stakeholders in Enugu have expressed optimism for a quantum leap in the state’s economy in the first two years of the governor-elect, Mr Peter Mbah.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Mbah and his deputy governor-elect, Ifeanyi Ossai, will be inaugurated as helmsmen of the Coal City following their victory in the March 18, 2023 governorship polls in the state.

The stakeholders expressed the optimism in separate interviews with NAN on Monday in Abuja.

The Director-General, Peter Mbah Support Group (PMSG), Chief Emeka Ogbu-Nwobodo, expressed optimisim of a prosperous economy from May 29.

Ogbu-Nwobodo told NAN that he relied heavily on Mbah’s manifesto to grow the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the state from $4.4 billion in 2022 to $30 billion by 2031.

“This is a very ambitious mission statement. It is indeed desirable to return Enugu state to its post independence era growth and retain it as the investment destination of Eastern Nigeria.

“Peter Mbah is capable of raising the bar in two years.

“He has demonstrated this in his Pinnacle Oil prior to his emergence as the governor-elect,” he said.

The director-general said it was thoughtful of the incoming governor to propose targeted policy incentives for public-private sector investments in key growth enabling sectors.

Ogbu-Nwobodo listed the sectors as: energy and natural resources development; agro-allied industrialisation and rural development; private sector development and integrated productive infrastructure development.

Chief Jude Aninta, the Abuja Coordinator of the group, said they looked forward for a prosperous Enugu economy from May 29.

Aninta told NAN that the incoming administration would surprise the citizens with “systematic, sustained and forward looking aproach”, to the development of the state.

“I am excited by the governor-elect’s plans in commerce and industry with focus on thriving Special Economic Zones to accelerate Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs) development.”

Aninta said that Mbah’s promise to partner venture capital firms to create over N100 billion venture capital for MSME’s per annum would help turn around the state’s economy in the shortest time possible.

Also, a development expert, Mr John-Kennedy Chime, noted that the governor-elect had set a target of providing portable water to inhabitants of the capital city in his first 100 days and construction/expansion of 10,000 kilometres of road across the state.

Chime also expressed optimisim that Mbah and his team would drive the administration’s urban renewal, roads and bridges, public transportation, creative industry, tourism and ICT initiatives as spelt out in the mission statement.

“I want to see a lot of developments in the rural areas in order to harness the agro-potential of our state and give the rural dwellers a real sense of belonging.

“Mbah has promised to apply modern technologies to provide security, job creation for the teeming youth, massive improvement of education; healthcare delivery, women and sports.

“Enugu people will derive the joy from their Mbah/Ossai choice.

“We do not expect less and I am sure that the incoming Mbah administration will be unique and break many new grounds,” Chime added.

Chief Emeka Aba, an industrialist and astute businessman, said the likes of Peter Mbah were not easily found.

Aba noted that Mbah’s humility, discipline, foresightedness, industry, business acumen, integrity and spirit of accommodation would be deployed to governance to uplift the standard of living of Enugu people.

He urged other stakeholders in the Enugu to sink their differences and partner the new administration to bridge the infrastructure deficit of the state.

“Today it is Mbah. It could be you tomorrow,” Aba added. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Chinyere Joel-Nwokeoma

By Vivian Emoni

The Gold Miners Processors and Marketers Association of Nigeria (GMPMA) said it was committed to partner with other mining developed countries to achieve international standards in the sector.

President of the association, Mr Auwal Bununu, said this while speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Abuja.

He said that the commitment would support the sector to acquire more knowledge on mining activities and provide equipment for effective implementation of policies and projects.

According to him, the challenge in the Nigeria mining sector is provision of mining equipment and machinery as well as international standard technical services.

“What we have started doing now is that we are looking at the mining developed countries such as Australia, Canada, China, South Africa, Turkey and Europe, to work with them.

“We are collaborating with those countries so that we can strongly build and strengthen mining companies in Nigeria.

“Working with international companies will help us get their capacity, gain more knowledge and higher standards to support our mining industries,” he said.

He said Nigeria took samples to laboratories at those developed countries to test some of the materials before use in the country.

He said that if such services could be provided to Nigeria about 80 per cent mining problems would be solved appropriately.

“When we have the services and have about 90 per cent of operators who are experts, investigations of materials and other activities will be easy and accessible.

“We can also provide the services locally in accordance with international standards.

“So, we are making efforts for our local mining companies to have access to such equipment that will get to the standards.”

Bununu said that the association had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Beijing Institute of Mineralogy and Mineral Resources.

He said that the association had also engaged with other partners from Europe to build up the synergies.

He said the effort was to ensure that Nigeria would get to the international standard in the mining activities.

Bununu, also Technical Adviser to Nigeria Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA), a mining group, said the association was an umbrella body of the GMPMA.

He said that the NACCIMA had engaged with other relevant stakeholders, such as Ministry of Mines and Steel Development and all the regulatory agencies under the ministry.

He said the engagement with the ministry and other stakeholders was to ensure that Nigerians comply with environmental laws, for safety of the environment and health of people.

The association boss said that the effort was to ensure that its mandates and objectives were achieved effectively.

He said that the collaboration would as well enable them to monitor unlicensed miners across the country.

“The association is committed to address the issue of unlicensed miners and other unauthorised activities in the sector.” (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Idris Abdulrahman

By Kadiri Abdulrahman

Some financial experts have advised the Federal Government to reappraise engagement with the World Bank Group in the interest of economic growth.

The experts spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) against the backdrop of the ongoing Spring Meeting of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) /World Bank in Washington DC.

They said that both institutions had not represented the interest of Africa in its past meetings.

A past president of the Chattered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN), Mr Okechukwu Unegbu, suggested that Nigeria and Africa should look toward the African Development Bank (AfDB) for more functional economic development.

“I have lost confidence in the World Bank and IMF, because whatever economic measures they propose are usually negative for Africa but positive for Europe and America.

“The only time we can expect their intervention to be beneficial to Africa is if they are reorganised with a strong African presence at such reorganisation, ” he said.

He suggested that Nigeria and other African countries should look more toward the AfDB for development of the continent znd its economies.

“The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) should stop participating in these meetings because their proposals have not benefited our economy.

“We should focus on strengthening the AfDB for a more functional development of Africa, ” he said.

According to Uche Uwaleke, a Professor of Capital Market at the Nasarawa State University, Keffi, expectations from the current meeting are huge for Nigeria.

Uwaleke called for a robust discussion on the Nigerian debt situation and how to get some relief.

“This is against the backdrop of Russian-Ukrainian war and a fragmented world which is affecting global economic growth, climate change, inflation and huge sovereign debts.

“For Nigeria, in particular, the possibility of restructuring her public debt with both multilateral and bilateral creditors should take centre stage,” he said.

Meanwhile, the IMF has urged the CBN to continue to tighten monetary policy rates to rein in inflation.

The IMF Director of Research Department, Pierre-Oliver Gourinchas said at the meeting, while releasing the World Economic Outlook (WEO) report.

NAN reports that Nigeria’s inflation rose in February from 21.82 per cent to 21.91 in spite the hike in CBN’s Monetary Policy Rate (MPR) from 16.5 per cent to 17.5 per cent in January.

This informed further increase in the MPR to 18 per cent in the month of March.

The IMF also upgraded Nigeria’s growth prospects for 2024 to three per cent, an upgrade of 0.1 per cent from its last WEO released in January.

It said that the prospects for Nigeria’s growth were stable and retained its predictions for 2023 at 3.2 per cent.

Speaking on Sub-Saharan Africa, Gourinchas said that inflation for the region was still high, but forecasted a gradual decline.

“This region is suffering from a strong funding squeeze.

“We already discussed some of the countries that are facing very innovative spreads, and a lot of them are already in the region.

“A lot of the challenges come from external factors that vary from the surge in energy and food prices as a consequence of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the tension in energy markets are affecting the region.

“So we have a slow growth for the region overall to about 3.6 per cent in 2023 and 3.9 per cent in 2022,” he said.(NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Ese E. Eniola Williams

By Vivian Emoni

The Gold Miners Processors and Marketers Association of Nigeria (GMPMA) has urged the President-elect, Sen. Bola Tinubu to place priority on the development of the mining sector of the economy.

Mr Auwal Bununu, the GMPMA president, said this when he spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Sunday.

Bununu said the sector was faced with lack of government attention, adding that such had hindered effective implementation of projects and policies in the sector.

“The sector is expected to be a major contractor to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

“In the 1960s and 70s, the sector contributed about 15 per cent of GDP because there was attention and strong support by relevant authorities.

“But today, the GDP contribution is low as the sector is no longer receiving such support and attention.

“The financial institutes and fiscal policies are not capturing the sector very well in the policy formulation, thereby making the sector not functioning effectively as its being expected,” he said.

Bununu, also the Technical Adviser to Nigeria Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Miners and Agriculture (NACCIMA), a mining group, said the association’s target was to promote the economic development of the country.

He said that the NACCIMA was an umbrella body of the GMPMA, adding that the association was working with stakeholders to achieve its objectives.

Bununu said that the association welcomed the president-elect pronouncement of plans forming a government of competence, which would ensure development in all the sectors in the economy.

” I am happy to hear the President-elect saying that he is going to form a government of competence.

“What that means is that from my own understanding, the administration will bake the national cake and ensure that it gets to everyone in all sectors in the country. What we have been experiencing is sharing formulas, but not baking the cake.

“So, in as much as the president elect has promised a government of competence, it means that he will not only bake the cake but everybody will benefit from the sharing.

“So, if he is baking the cake, mining is the most important sector that brings not only revenue generation but also industrial development,” he said.

Bununu added:“The president-elect cannot bake the cake without developing the mining industries where the country benefit from with heavy revenue and creating job opportunities.

“The association is now developing a private sector framework of mineral and metal development which will serve as a cake baking alternative for the new administration.

“The framework is a very critical thing, so we are working on the strategy to ensure it brings good result.

“We are also going to dialogue with the incoming administration as soon as he sworn-in.” (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Ali Baba-Inuwa

Prayer session  for release of Chibok School  girls, nine years after the abduction by Boko Haram.

By Justina Auta

Minister of Women Affairs Pauline Tallen has urged Nigerians to stand in solidarity with security organisations by providing information that will help to rescue the remaining Chibok schoolgirls still in captivity.
She made the call in Abuja on Friday during prayer session to seek the face of God to rescue the girls, nine years after the abduction of schoolgirls in Chibok, Borno, by Boko Haram.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that 276 students of Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok in Borno were abducted by Boko Haram sect on April 14, 2014.
Tallen said government had been working consistently to ensure the release of the remaining schoolgirls, as well as ensure the welfare of the rescued girls and their families.
She said “let the release of these children be the parting gift of this administration because I know how we have made every effort to ensure that.
“I know Mr President had pushed and got the security to do all they could; let God just wipe our tears and let the remaining 97 girls in captivity be released and that is why Nigerian women are crying to God today.”
Earlier, Col. Obinna Ezuipke, Head of the Intelligence Unite of the Joint Military Taskforce in the North- East, Operation Hadinkai, said out of the 276 abducted girls, 57 girls escaped in 2014, while 108 girls were released in 2018.
He added that three Chibok schoolgirls were recovered in 2019, two in 2021 and nine in 2022, with a total of 178 girls rescued and 96 still in captivity.

Also, Mrs Ene Obi, Country Director of Action Aid Nigeria, said Nigerian women believed in the capacity of the military and urged the force to redouble the efforts to secure the release of the remaining girls.
“We want to say well done to the Federal Government for all the efforts so far, but more needs to be done to secure the release of the remaining girls.
“We do believe in the capacity of the security of this country, the lives of our children should not be politicised. We need our children back,” she said.
Also, Mrs Ladi Bala, National President, Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), stressed the need for drastic change from the political leaders to address challenges affecting the nation.
Bala called on the in-coming administration to give priority to women in appointive positions to ensure the safety of women and equity in all sectors.
Also, representatives of the women wing of the Christian Association of Nigeria (WOWICAN), Mrs Hope Daniel and the Federation of Muslim Women Association of Nigeria (FOMWAN), Amina Abdulganiyu, prayed for the release of the remaining chibok girls and other girls in captivity.
They also prayed for peace and security in the country.
The prayer session also featured prayers from other women faith associations for wisdom and guidance to the in-coming administration to judiciously steer the affairs of the nation and grant comfort to the families of the abducted schoolgirls. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Hadiza Mohammed-Aliyu

By Perpetua Onuegbu

The Nigerian Institute of Building (NIOB) has commenced capacity building of artisans and craftsmen in the built industry  to address skills’ dearth and skill importation in the country.

The NIOB President Prof. Yohana Izam said  this at the 2023 Mandatory Continuous Professional Workshop for External Quality Assurance Managers on Saturday  in Abuja

Izam represented by 2nd Vice President, NIOB, Mr Bimbo Kolade said that the the two-day capacity workshop  was organised by the Artisans and Craftsmen Qualification Awarding Board  of NIOB

 Izam said the workshop was inline with the National Skills Qualification programme of the Government.

“The nation is coming up with the skill qualification. Our youth rather than just going to acquire an education they should alongside with the education acquire a skill.

” And under the National Skill Qualification framework, the Nigerian institute or building is the awarding body that awards  skill qualification certificate for the construction workers.

“There are levels with which you go through before you can be and you get qualified in this  various levels of training.”

According to him, there are seven trades and these include plumbing, piping jobs,  carpentry, aluminum framework, masonry and  roofing.

” So we have three levels of assessor, there is the Quality Assurance Assessor. The Internal Verifier Assessor, those ones superintend over the QAA.

“In this training that you are doing now, there is a specialized training for those who are at the highest level of the skill acquisition society which are the External Quality Assurance Assessors. These are quality assurance is managers.

“The participants come from all over the Federation, for now within the construction industry sector, we have 25 of them that are already qualified.

“We have seen some of them going into Morocco or the United Kingdom from where they are recognised and they can practice as quality assurance assessors even in those countries,” Izam said.

Dr Christopher Belonwu, Chairman Artisans and Craftsmen Qualification Awarding Board, said the essence of this training was to bring the participants,  up to speed with  current practice  National Board for  Technical Education (NBTE).

“At the end of the training you know that so many intervention projects linked to this NSQ, you have the n-power project, the n-skills project, the world Bank ideas project, project teamers, are all on NSQ.

“We want to make sure that all these various intervention projects, the ones that are construction related are executed better in the right way they should be.

“It means that era when certificates are given when people are not qualified, is gone. At the end of this workshop we expect that the skillsmanship of our craftsmen will be sharpened.”

Explaining further on the essence  of the workshop on skills importation Belonwu said it would be an end to such practice because Nigerian craftsmen would also do better jobs.

“In doing better it means they have a predefined step of doing the work, they understand the steps,  there are actual trade secrets that they try to carry out to do that better.

“So under this NSQ, we now have the standard which other countries do we call it the National Operating Standard.

“It is what all the artisans follow so that they can reach that point that foreigners have reached, they should actually know how to do better jobs and not jump any process.

Mrs Folashade Laja, former Vice-chairman, Artisans and Craftsmen Qualification Awarding Board  a participant  said it was an avenue for continued professional advancement.

“This is very important that we that are going to the field should ensure that the end product of the NSQ are competent people to be used in the construction industry.

“We also should be abreast of what is going on, so this is like, a kind of peer review, rubbing of knowledgeable minds,” Laja said.

The immediate past President of NIOB, Mr Kunle Awobodu decried the lack of aspiration to greater heights that was prevalent in the present crop of artisans and craftsmen.

This, he adduced to the lack of motivation in the wages being paid to most artisans because of their lack of improvement and expertise in the crafts.

Awobodu, therefore, urged the youth and other professionals to take advantage of this type of mandatory professional development to sharpen their skills and aim for greater heights in their endeavours. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Isaac Aregbesola

Participants at the Reading Wikipedia in the Classroom programme in Abuja.

By Deji Abdulwahab
The Wikimedia Foundation has advised teachers to use the knowledge they acquired from Reading Wikipaedia in the Classroom programme to improve their students’ digital and content writing skills and reading culture.

Ms Melissa Huert, Senior Programme Officer, Education Wikimedia Foundation, gave the advice at the Graduation Ceremony for the Reading Wikipaedia in the Classroom Programme in Abuja.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that train-the-trainers programme was organised for 70 teachers selected from the Junior and Senior Secondary Schools in Abuja and Nasarawa State by the foundation.

The theme was entitled: “Using Wikipaedia to Foster Media and Information Literacy Skills.”

Huert said that the programme would assist in sustaining the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on quality education for all.

According to her, the programme is also aimed at supporting students to become critical thinkers to innovate digital technology and information literacy skills.

She expressed hope that relevant stakeholders could not educate in isolation and that was why Reading Wikipaedia in the Classroom programme was imperative to teachers and students’ digital skills.

Also, Mrs Oby Ezeilo, the Certified Trainer, Reading Wikipaedia in the Classroom Programme, said that the programme was designed for teachers to help in integrating Wikipaedia as a learning tool into their classrooms.

“The curriculum of this programme is aligned with UNESCO’s Media and Information Literacy framework and it connects different approaches and methodologies used in the classroom to leverage the power of Wikipaedia as a learning tool.

“The programme also addresses teachers’ research skills, such as the ability to make sense of information, the ability to verify, evaluate and sift reliable information from information chaos and the ability to use the information to create new knowledge.

“By tying Wikipaedia to the components of UNESCO’s Media and Information Literacy (MIL) framework, it assists instructors to understand and use Wikipaedia as a learning tool,’’ Ezeilo said.

Also, Mr Noah Emmanuel, the National President, Non-Governmental Association for Literacy Support Services, said the training programme could only be useful when the participating teachers apply the knowledge in their classrooms.

Emmanuel urged the participants to build on the lessons and experiences gained from the training to promote digital literacy skills in the country.

In his remarks, Dr Olagunju Idowu, the Secretary-General, Nigerian National Commission for United Nations Educational Scientific Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), said that the Reading Wikipaedia in the Classroom programme was apt and commendable.

Idowu, represented by Mrs Tessy Amayo, UNESCO Aspnet National Coordinator, Nigeria, said that the programme would help educators to understand, connect diverse methodologies and leverage Wikipaedia as a learning tool.

According to him, it is also aimed at developing vital media and information literacy skills for the 21st century. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)
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Edited by Chidinma Agu/Olagoke Olatoye

By Philip Yatai

Good Deeds, a global movement of people dedicated to doing good, on Thursday, sensitised civil society organisations and humanitarian workers on mental health and self-care while providing humanitarian services.

The Focal Person of the group in Kaduna State, Mrs Itama Okhuelegbe, said at the event in Kaduna, that the exercise was to also appreciate civil society and humanitarian workers for their selfless service to humanity.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the event was organised in collaboration with Thinkers Children Foundation, as part of activities to mark the 2023 Good Deeds Day.

Okhuelegbe explained that the Good Deeds Day sought to promote people giving back to their community, thereby promoting harmonious relationships among people.

She said that since 2007, Good Deeds Day had been uniting people from around the world with the aim of spuring them to help others and do good for their communities.

“The act of charity and good deeds towards people in need, or communities in despair, is never forgotten by their recipients.

“Today, we are celebrating civil society organisations, individuals and groups rendering humanitarian services as first responders to people in need, putting smiles on people’s faces and keeping families together.

“We want to thank groups and individuals that have been rendering selfless help to survivors of sexual and gender-based violence, marginalised, neglected, and exploited groups.

“We want more people to become ambassadors of doing good things to those in need in whatever way they can – feeding the hungry, providing shelter to the homeless, and clothing the poor, among other good deeds,” she said.

While acknowledging the good deeds of humanitarian service providers, Okhuelegbe, however, stressed the need for humanitarian and development workers to also care for themselves to avoid mental breakdown.

On his part, Mr Peter Ebeh, Senior Psychologist with Neem Foundation, Kaduna Office, described mental health as emotional, psychological and social wellbeing of people.

According to him, mental health affects how people think, feel, and behave.

“It particularly determines how people handle stress, anxiety, depression, and insecurity; how they relate to others and the kind of choices they make,” he said.

He pointed out that with too much demand on the humanitarian workers, they could encounter stress, which in the long run, would affect their mental health.

“People need to know that in the attempt to do good and extend a helping hand without taking care of themselves, they may end up in a dysfunctional mental state.

“There is, therefore, the need for people to balance their work with self-care, to be able to function normally and maintain stable mental health,” he said.

One of the participants, Mr Sunday Awulu, Secretary, Kaduna State Branch, Nigerian Red Cross, acknowledged the absence of a balance between humanitarian work in the field and the workers’ self-care.

Awulu identified psychological stress due to pressure to meet set targets as one of the major causes of mental breakdown among humanitarian workers. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Maureen Ojinaka

By Aderogba George

Mr Tasiu Gidari-Wudil, President of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), has advised members of the society to emulate the stewardship service of late Mrs Funmilola Ojelade, who was a member of the society.

The president gave the advice on Friday in Abuja at the funeral service organised in honour of the deceased by the Association of Professional Women Engineers of Nigeria (APWEN), a division of the NSE.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Ojelade, a staff of the Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Plc (NSPM), died on March 22 after a brief sickness.

Gidari-Wudil described Ojelade who was the 16th President of APWEN, as a woman who dedicated many parts of her live while on earth to the service of NSE.

He said that the deceased was a very strong woman, innovative in her leadership role with APWEN, and by extension NSE.

“We cannot say we wont have a replacement of her but it will be difficult to have somebody like her, very innovative, her leadership was seen in running the APWEN, and by extension NSE, I will appeal to those of us who are still alive to emulate her.

“Ojelade was a detribalized Nigerian, a devoted Christian because I always received her Friday prayers every Friday, this tells you how nationalistic she was, how patriotic she was.

“I will urge everyone of us to emulate her and pray for her to be on the right side of the throne of God. I pray for the family because it is a sudden shock to us when we learnt of her demise.

“We pray to God to give the immediate family the fortitude to bear the loss,” the President stressed.

Mrs Elizabeth Eterigho, the current President of APWEN (17th), described the deceased as a humorous person whom everyone would like to be with, because she express her mind on issues straight.

She also described Ojelade as a woman who provided answers immediately to challenging issues, adding that many members of APWEN have drawn from her wealth of knowledge.

According to Eterigho, the deceased was a very close person to her because why she was the president of APWEN, herself was the vice-president, and by this they are always close together where she learnt a lot from her.

“During COVID-19 when everything was silent with most associations, Funmilola never allowed our association to be silent, she was up and doing in the association’s activities, her death was a huge lost to us,” Eterigho stressed.

Mrs Valerie Agberagba, the Ninth President of APWEN who disclosed that she had known the deceased for almost 25 years, described her as her IT tutor whom she would miss a lot.

She also described Funmilola as a fellow of the NSE who mentored young Engineers, by impacting knowledge into them, and prayed to God to continue to be with the young peers of the society who will miss her most.

According to Agberagba, the deceased had always advised young engineers to be strong and to be ethical in the profession of whatever they are doing.

Mrs Comfort Emenyonu, a fellow of NSE and member of APWEN who gave the first Christian sermon, advised members to live a life that they would be remembered for.

Emenyonu who titled her sermon as “What will you be remembered for”, taking from the book of Ecclesiastes 9:5 and Hebrew 9:27, stated that everyone must die, but they should be remembered for something.

According to her, Funmilola played her role before she left this sinful world, and prayed to God for everyone to be able to walk in the way that will bring impact to people’s life.

“You must live an indelible mark on this earth before you go, let’s learn how to forgive one another, let’s care for each other, concentrate on God’s works.”

Also, Pastor Dan Ogu of Redeem Christian Church of God (RCCG), Jesus Embassy Parish, Province 18, admonished Christians to prepare to meet God after death.

The pastor who titled his sermon as “Truth be told”, said all Christians need to know about death, adding that death is a constant and frequent occurrence which happens everyday.

He said that the holy book of Ecclesiastes chapter 3 verse 2 had testified that there are time to be born and there are time to die, saying that every living must taste death hen the time reaches.

He therefore encouraged everyone to prepare for death and prepare to meet their creator, and that after death, judgement follows. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Vincent Obi

The African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) says its 30th Annual Meetings will take place in Accra, Ghana, to mark  the high point of the Bank’s year-long 30th anniversary celebrations.

The event will take place from June 18 to June 21, 2023, under the theme “Delivering the Vision. Building Prosperity for Africans”.

The meetings will include the Annual General Meeting of Shareholders and an extensive seminar programme, featuring plenaries and side events, a statement from the bank said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) is a Pan-African multilateral financial institution mandated to finance and promote intra-and extra-African trade.

The 30th Afreximbank Annual Meetings and 30th Anniversary celebrations will bring together on one platform thousands of people, including African and Caribbean leaders and senior government officials, African, Caribbean and other policymakers, corporate leaders, bankers, academia and other thought leaders.

Professor Benedict Oramah, President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Afreximbank, thanked His Excellency President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and his Government for graciously accepting to host Afreximbank’s 30th Annual Meetings.

“ Thirty years ago, the founding fathers of Afreximbank launched a bold initiative for Africans.

“The hard work of the past three decades, in pursuit of that vision, has shaped what Afreximbank has become today.

“Member States, clients, customers and partners, the business and international trade community, all those in Africa and the diaspora who strive for the prosperity of African people are invited to join us in Accra to celebrate the Bank’s achievements.

“And reflect on its future in an increasingly turbulent world,’’ he said.

NAN also reports that Afreximbank Annual Meetings are open to all those interested and/or active in promoting African trade and supporting the socio-economic development of African economies.

In 2022, Afreximbank  Annual Meetings took place in Cairo, Egypt in June.

Ghana’s Finance Minister, Hon. Ken Ofori-Atta, said: “It is only fitting that the commemoration of this milestone for Africa’s key Trade Finance institution is co-organised by the host of AFCFTA Secretariat, the Government, and people of Ghana.

“…who are determined torch bearers for Africa’s quest for trade expansion and integration.

“This is another opportunity to deepen cooperation and seek African solutions to Africa’s challenges.” (NAN) www.nannews.ng

Edited by Vivian Ihechu