ANDP: We did not field any candidate for Bayelsa Election- Femowei

 

 By Our Correspondent

 

 

The National working committee of the Advanced Nigerian Democratic Party, ANDP led by its chairman Mr James Pere femowei esq has disclosed that the party did not field any candidate for the November 16th 2019 Governorship election in Bayelsa state  and therefore cannot have sued INEC for unlawful exclusion of the party in the election process.

 

 

Femowei made the statement at a press briefing at the Savanna suits area 3 Abuja recently stressing that on this grounds its expelled Chairman Barr Charles Ogboli holds no constitutional grounds to sue INEC on behalf of the party.

 

 

According to the executives of the party there is an urgent need to put the records straight in respect of the participation of ANDP in the Bayelsa guber election held on the 16th of November 2019 and the position of the party on the outcome of the judgement of the election petition tribunal delivered on the 17th of August 2020.

 

 

The current National Chairman James Pere Femowei said he was the national legal adviser of the party until 8th December 2018 when the former chairman Chief Charles Ogboli was expelled from the party by a 2/3 majority due to several acts of gross misconduct and insubordination.

 

 

Femowei stated that the party was unable to conduct primaries rather did it field any candidate for the 2019 Bayelsa election because its candidates were disqualified due to their age limitations.

 

 

 

According to him the National Executive Council, NEC, the National working committee, Nwc, the board of trustees, BOT, and some other sensible bodies were inaugurated immediately after the expulsion of the purported chairman by NEC of the party.

 

 

Lamenting on the persistent determination of Chief Ogboli to drag the PDP candidate to court, the ANDP boss noted that the purported ANDP governorship candidate and the presumed deputy withdrew from the suit when the full extent of the charade was brought to their notice.

 

 

‘‘Chief Ogboli’s reason to continue with the case and deception beats my imagination’’ he stated.

 

 

He prayed for peace to reign supreme in the state as he urged Bayelsans to be calm as it is their vowed intention to be joined in the suit, raise preliminary objectives to the locus of chief Ogboli to have filed the suit in the first instance since the ANDP as a party did not present a candidate for the governorship election and neither did it sue INEC, the PDP or Governor Douye Diri at the election tribunal.

             

 

Femowei however added that the party has appealed to the higher court hoping that the court will rule in its favour.

Femowei stressed that they are genuine members of the ANDP and that they were unaware of the petition filed by the party at the tribunal challenging Mr Diri’s election adding that they are in support for the governor Douye Diri.

Also he added some picture evidence to show the suspension of Chief Ogboli from the party

 

 

Also speaking Quadri - Adu Kehinde the National secretary advises bayelsans to tow the line of peace and unite to build the state.

         

 

 

 

New Dawn: Ijaw community Abuja chapter elects new leaders

The Ijaw Community Association Abuja, has elected its new executives that will manage the affairs of the organization for the next two years with the title New dawn.

At the end of the election, held in Abuja, Ibe-Jack Onisofiten Success, emerged chairman of the  community after polling a total number of 62 votes out of  90 delegates that participated in the exercise.

The chairman of the electoral committee, Wisdom Oniekpar Ikuli said the ELECO under his chairmanship has repackaged and rebranded the electoral process to produce a credible leadership.  

According to Ikuli, he titled the election "New Dawn"  because of the process the aspirants and delegates had to go through in other to be part of the new leadership.

"from the sale of form, screening of Aspirants , the uniqueness of the manifesto depicts a New dawn".

 

Ikuli particularly hailed the Governor of Bayelsa State, Douye Diri, for his efforts in bringing peace and development to the Ijaw people and for financial support towards the electoral excercise. 

The Governor of Bayelsa State who was  represented  by Dr Felix Tuodolo one time president of the Ijaw youth Council noted that the leadership of the Ijaw community are Apolitical. 

He added that the Ijaw nation  should remain committed to the struggle and to prepare to use their various organizational structures to defend the Ijaw land. 

Tuodolo urged ,the newly elected executives to serve the Ijaw people and remain committed to the course  of the Ijaw people who have been marginalized  have not  been compensated adequately. 

Other members of the executive are  Erenaminak Kiribo Marian , Vice chairman  Dide. A E Collins , Secretary General, Jack Bomma Prosper, Assistant Secretary, Provost Sisinwa George , Jaja Raphael Director of Social, Women leader, Wilkinson Oname, Director of Media, George N. Ikoli 

Welfare Esther Lawernce , Auditor, Blessing Ebiere , Financial Secretary, Timibrabo Eseimokumor , students Representative,  David Minaopuye

NIDCOM Boss hails Ukwuani appointment as chief digital officer, bank of kigali

   

                                                  

Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Chairman/CEO, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, NIDCOM has congratulated a-Rwadan based Nigerian, Obinna Ukwuani, on his new appointment as the Chief Digital Officer for the Bank of Kigali, Rwanda.

 

 

Ukwuani, a former Executive at PayStack, created NESA by makers, a Lagos based skill center that trains people on web development.

 

 

In a congratulatory message, Dabiri-Erewa said that Ukwuani has proved that hard work and dedication to duty always pays, noting that she was not surprised at the height he has attained due to his resilience and doggedness.

 

 

The NIDCOM boss prayed for Ukwuani's success in his new office and urged him to keep the flag flying and keep making the country proud.

 

 

Until his appointment in Rwanda, Ukwuani worked with a Nigerian Technology, Startup, PayStack and by this new appointment, he will be replacing Regis Rugemanshuro.

 

 

He has a Degree in Economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In Jan 2018, Ukwuani partnered with the Bank of Kigali to launch Makers Robotics Academy Rwanda, the first ever robotics Book camp in the Country.

 

 

The programme, facilitated by MIT Students offered a three-week course to about 40 Rwandan high school Students.

 

Also, the FCT Administration has appointed its premier Diaspora Focal Point Officer, DFPO, Mrs. Sarah David Areo. 

 

This was made known on Wednesday during a courtesy visit to the Office of the NiDCOM boss. 

 

Receiving Mrs Areo, the elated Chairman expressed her optimism that more projects will be implemented and developed now that the Abuja-born Nigerians, living in the diaspora, have a State unit which they can identify with.

 

 

Dabiri-Erewa urged the newly appointed Diaspora focal point officer to relate with others from the states in order to exchange ideas for national development. 

 

 

Responding, Areo thanked the Chairman of NiDCOM for her warm welcome and pledged to do her best in her capacity as the new Diaspora Focal Point Officer for Abuja.

COVID- 19: Coping with new normal

 

COVID- 19: Coping with new normal

The Covid-19 pandemic hit Nigerians like an unexpected rain storm forcing everything to change, from the economy to spirituality and making people learn what they would have preferred not to learn. Some Nigerians have shared their experiences and life lessons learnt during the COVID-19 lockdown how these lessons have shaped their lives, Ere-ebi IMISI writes.

 

 

Outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic came to many Nigerians as a shock as some still clutch to a believe system that the pandemic was absent in Nigeria considering our doggedness as a Nation.

 

It is pertinent to state that the disease is real, a lot of people contracted it and scientist are yet to find a cure, bearing in mind that prevention is better than cure. Also let us state that the COVID-19 pandemic is above all, it is a human tragedy and our hearts go out to all those who have lost loved ones, and to those who put themselves at risk to save others.

 

The Covid-19 pandemic has taught us some financial lessons, some have learnt that putting all of your eggs in one basket is never a good thing, and the same goes for trusting that your 9-to-5 job will always be available to you. This is where an alternative source of income will come in handy. It will help you meet these necessary expenses and tide over difficult times.

 

A lot of persons learnt that we need to create extra source of income, extra assignments over weekends, a part-time job in the evenings after work, or home-based work are good ways to earn that extra income.

 

For our religious practices, most churches learnt that you could still connect with your members online without physical services, members learnt to worship from the comfort of their homes without feeling guilty, while churches with tight seating arrangement learnt that they could accommodate more members and still observe social distances.

 

The educational sector was also affected as schools had to remain closed and are still closed forcing educational institutions to embrace the online/virtual learning pattern.

 

However, looking at the positive side, the pandemic provided the much-needed break from our busy schedule to sit back and reflect on life and career or business choices. For many, the lockdown gave them the opportunity to bond with their spouses and families communicate more and share quality time together.

 

Our correspondent spoke with Nigerians from all works of life while some spoke of the good sides of the lockdown, others spoke on how badly the lockdown affected them.

 

For Mr Bankole who works with a school, noted that the pandemic taught him how to use the computer better.

 

‘‘With the online school, I learnt a lot about the computer and the internet, working with an international school we never went on break. The kids took their lectures, we conducted examinations and even had the students pick up their report cards online. It has been quite interesting and also demanding for many of us and it actually affected badly initially.

 

‘‘I remember before we commenced the online examinations we had to set our questions online, this is something that I have never done before and our IT department had to conduct online trainings for us. I was forced to learn because all my colleagues were also creating theirs. At this point you cannot hide behind another person because you have to do your work yourself.

 

‘‘I must add that I have enjoyed the whole process and I am gradually beginning to love and embrace the online learning and I am sure it has come to stay.

 

Speaking further was Modupe a 400 level student who loves catering, disclosed that the lockdown give her an opportunity to learn new catering, home management and event planning skills via the internet.

 

According to Chinedu who runs a furniture shop in zone 3, wuse, noted that the closure of all banks during the lockdown made him to understand the need to use an ATM, Automated Teller Machine card.

 

“The COVID-19 lockdown really opened my eyes to a lot of things. But one big lesson that I have learned is the need for one to embrace digital banking, most especially the usage of ATM cards.

‘‘I say this because of the bitter experiences I had during the total lockdown. I had money in my accounts, but I couldn’t withdraw it because banks were closed. Before the lockdown, I’ve always preferred going across the counter to do most of my banking transactions. All these years, I’ve never liked the idea of online banking, like downloading a banking app on my phone or using ATM cards. I have these fears because I feel it exposes me to faceless online thieves that could steal all my money by merely getting just a few digits from my ATM slip. So, although I collect the cards from my banks, I don’t bother to use it or even care to change the cards when they expire.

 

‘‘But the Coronavirus lockdown has changed my mindset because when the banks closed, I could have still had access to my money if only I had a functional ATM card. So, I had to rely on friends that lent me money to provide for my family. I’ve now realized the need to have and use the ATMs. Hence I’d say that is the biggest personal lesson I learned during the COVID-19 lockdown.” he explained.

 

In all it was not all stories of bad tales as some persons utilized the opportunity to enrich themselves educationally, financially, morally and spiritually. Bearing in mind that the country is still faced with the pandemic and some persons still have to work from home, it is expected that people utilize the opportunity and make the best out of it.

 

 

However, looking at the positive side, the pandemic provided the much-needed break from our busy schedule to sit back and reflect on life and career or business choices. For many, the lockdown gave them the opportunity to bond with their spouses and families communicate more and share quality time together.

 

 

FG Pledges to Rescue 435 Nigerians, applauds JIFORM

 

FG Pledges to Rescue 435 Nigerians, applauds JIFORM

 

 

By Our Reporter

 

 

The Federal Government of Nigeria has pledged to rescue stranded Nigerian women in Saudi Arabia and Oman numbering 435.

 

 

This is coming as the government applauded the Journalists International Forum For Migration, JIFORM for its spirited concern over the plight of the ladies stranded internationally.

 

 

In a press statement, JIFORM President, Ajibola Abayomi noted that the Federal government through the Nigerians in Diaspora commission has headed to their outcry, as stated in a letter on Tuesday to commence rescue operations of the stranded ladies.

 

 

According to Abayomi, the media group has relentlessly spoken on behalf of voiceless Nigerians abroad not regarding their gender or location.

 

 

 

“I am directed to acknowledge the receipt of your letter dated August 20, 2020 and wish to commend your esteemed organization for the concerned about these stranded Nigerians. I am further directed to inform you that the NiDCOM is working with the relevant MDAs to rescue Nigerians from all over the world.

 

 

 

“In view of the above with the Federal Government of Nigeria  announced the opening of the air space on 5th September, 2020, it is our believe that with this directive, all Nigerians stranded abroad can return home” the letter states.

 

 

 

It would recalled that in July the JIFORM advocacy led to the rescue of 30 Nigerians ladies trafficked to Lebanon by the NiDCOM and other agencies of government.

 

Also, JIFORM had on August 20, 2020 forwarded a save our soul letter signed by its President on behalf of the stranded women who were yet to be connected to the Nigerian missions abroad owing to the inhuman treatment they were being subjected to by their hosts and employers in those countries and called for an extension of deadline for the rescue operation by the government.

 

 

The lists were compiled by the JIFORM, Synergy Rescue Mission and Rescue Africans In Slavery, RAIS foundation headed by Alhaji  Abdus-Salam Adefemi Sharafadin and Ms Omotola Fawunmi respectively with the support of the Nigerian communities in Diaspora.

 

 

 

COVID 19: TSTV Africa employs Over 100 Staff despite outbreak

 COVID 19: TSTV Africa employs Over 100 Staff despite outbreak

 

By Ere-ebi Imisi

 

In readiness to commence operations, TSTV Africa, a Nigerian Direct to Home Pay TV operator, has offered employment to close to 100 job seekers this year alone despite the COVID- 19 outbreak,

 

This is coming against the backdrop of limited knowledge about the duration of the outbreak, the effectiveness of policy measures, and the reaction of economic agents to these measures as well as negative investor sentiments, which are causing turbulence in capital markets around the world and leading to loss of employment in some industries.

 

According to a reliable source close to the company and equally a close friend of the MD of the company who spoke on condition of anonymity revealed that TStv has cleared all issues with their dealers and industry regulators who are now fully on board for a new launch date for the Pay TV operator to begin its operation, latest by the end of this year.

 

The source who refused to discuss TStv’s setback after its first launching in 2017, stressed that businesses all over the world are not immune to challenges adding that it is all in the past now.

 

‘‘TStv faced a lot of challenges and I think we should sometimes talk more about their consistency and the resolve of Dr. Bright Echefu to bring viewers something unique and economically sustainable to the average person.

 

“TStv has already acquired an expansive operation base in Idu industrial area of Abuja, while their Lagos office is also set to commence operations anytime soon. I am also aware of the recruitment exercise into the marketing department and the customer service which absorbed about 30 to 40 staff to bring them to a total of about 100 operating staff members as we speak. They will be launching soon but I can’t give you an actual date for it as I am not a TStv spokesperson.” he explained.

 

Suffice to note that this is coming at a period where investments by firms are impeded largely due to the uncertainties that come with the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

Despite the hard consequences of the pandemic on businesses, TStv is determined to meet the popular demand of Nigerians for a Pay TV that factors the Nigerian economic situation in its operations and billing system.

JIFORM set to take irregular migration advocacy to schools

By Ere-ebi Imisi Journalist international forum for Migration, JOFORM, has disclosed that it is set to take the advocacy against irregular migration to schools and rural communities adding that Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of Nigerians in Diaspora Commissioning, Honorable Abike Dabiri-Erewa is slated to attend. In a statement issued by the JIFORM President/Executive Director, Ajibola Abayomi, stated that JIFORM, having engaged in several international and local advocacies against irregular migration decided to take its campaign to reach out to schools and rural communities to further enlighten Nigerians against activities of human traffickers. According to Abayomi the event is slated to hold later in March at the Villanova Polytechnic, Imesi-Ile, Osun state. The JIFORM president however noted that the global body comprising over 150 seasoned journalists across the continent is taking the advocacy against irregular migration and human trafficking to schools and rural communities after hosting its inaugural international migration summit in Abuja in 2019. Also he stated that Comptroller General of the Nigeria Immigration Service, Muhammad Babandede, MRF and the Commissioner for Information and Civic Orientation, Osun State, Mrs Funke Egbemode, have been slated to attend an anti-human trafficking summit in Osun state. “At the JIFORM, we have decided to work the talk by taking the message of anti-human trafficking especially to the rural communities and students giving the growing concern regarding the rate at which Nigerians are being deceived to embark on unplanned journey premised on fake promises of better life. “It is our belief that we can’t continue to write alone as journalists focusing on migration rather time has come for us to share practical experiences with the people and orientate them against attempt to lure them into modern day slavery through deceits” he explained. ReplyForward