South Senatorial District candidate under the umbrella of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Hon. Joel-Onowakpo Thomas, has congratulated Senator Ahmed Bola Tinubu on his emergence as the Presidential flag bearer of the APC in the forthcoming 2023 general, describing him as a ‘political strategist and pillar of democracy showing political resilience in national and local politics.
In a statement by his Personal Press Secretary, Godday Odidi, Hon. Joel-Onowakpo said Bola Tinubu who was declared winner of the keenly contested APC Presidential Primary, held at the Eagle Square in Abuja, said Tinubu is truly the Jagaban of politics in Nigeria, adding that as one of the foundational pillars of the APC, he has built men and women in politics.
He noted that the emergence of Senator Tinubu was as a result of dint of hard work, stressing that the 1271 votes that gave him (Tinubu) victory was an indication of overwhelming acceptance of the man he described as a great politician who had touched lives across the length and breadth of the country.
He said Tinubu’s towering and intimidating political experience was enough quality that would send jitters into the spine of the opposition and reiterated that he was confident of a resounding outing of the APC come 2023.
“Your emergence brought political relief to our party that 2023 is going to be a contest between APC, PDP, and other political parties in Nigeria. On behalf of all my political supporters from the Delta South Senatorial district, I say a big congratulations to you, sir. We have confidence in you that the 2023 victory is secured.
Hon. Joel-Onowakpo specifically commmended the remarkable and unwavering leadership disposition of President Muhammadu Buhari, stressing that his leadership prowess saw the party organising a peaceful, transparent and acceptable presidential primary, adjudged the best in the history of Nigeria’s democracy.
In the same vein, Hon. Joel-Onowakpo congratulated all the aspirants who participated in the APC presidential primary and commended them for their display of maturity during the exercise.
He urged them to join hands with Tinubu towards repositioning the party to remain in power come 2023 and beyond.
He expressed gratitude to the delegates for making a sound decision, just as he praised the courage of the APC northern governors for the courage in speaking up and ensuring that they stood by their decision to have a candidate from the south.
He admonished party faithful to remain united and work for the victory of the party at all levels.
Ondo State Governor, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu,SAN, is deeply saddened by the unprovoked attack and killing of innocent people of Owo, worshiping at the St Francis Catholic Church, Owa-luwa Street, on Sunday.
The vile and satanic attack is a calculated assault on the peace-loving people of Owo Kingdom who have enjoyed relative peace over the years.
“It is a black Sunday in Owo. Our hearts are heavy. Our peace and tranquility have been attacked by the enemies of the people. This is a personal loss, an attack on our dear state.
“I have spoken to the Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Ondo, Most Reverend Jude Arogundade, who is presently on his way to Owo. Similarly, I have had to cut short my party’s national assignment in Abuja and visit Owo immediately.
“This is an unexpected development. I am shocked to say the least. Nevertheless, We shall commit every available resource to hunt down these assailants and make them pay. We shall never bow to the machinations of heartless elements in our resolves to rid our state of criminals.
“I commiserate with my people in Owo, particularly families of the those who lost their lives to this ugly and unfortunate attack. I extend my condolences to Olowo of Owo, Oba Gbadegesin Ogunoye as well as the Catholic Church.
“I urge our people to remain calm and vigilant. Do not take laws into your hands. I have spoken to the heads of the security agencies. I have equally been assured that security operatives would be deployed to monitor and restore normalcy to Owo kingdom.” Akeredolu said.
With all the news, runouts and all sorts of misinformation flying around in the build-up to the presidential primaries of All Progressives Congress (APC), it has become pertinent for us to state categorically that our Principal, President Muhammadu Buhari, is not an ingrate and he supports the candidature of Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu.
As against what few opportunistic politicians intended to achieve, President Buhari and Asiwaju Tinubu have high mutual respect for one another and this has been expressed openly and privately. It is therefore disgusting for some politicians within and outside the APC to want to creat disunity where there is none, thinking that will serve their interests.
As a Muslim, President Buhari abides by the injunctions in the Quran on paying good with good and reciprocating good gestures. Therefore, to the discerning, it should be obvious that President Buhari is for Asiwaju Tinubu and will not oppose his deserved aspiration to become the President of Nigeria.
We urge members of the public to disregard unfounded insinuations by enemies of progress and their puppets, who, for reasons best known to them, want to cause disharmony within our party and among our two leaders.
1. When I appeared on Channels TV last Thursday amidst the tension rippling through our political arena, it was to underline the promise Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s presidential bid held for those yet to establish the certainty of the hurdle ahead of the APC. I never set out to denigrate the personality of any aspirant, and definitely not that of my dear friends and allies. None of them is an opponent, so their aspiration isn’t a threat to us. They appear so in the sprint to become the party’s presidential flag-bearer in the 2023 elections, but they are our allies in the marathon.
2. My assessments of the Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, and the President of the Senate, Senator Ahmad Lawan, were well-intentioned. I never set out to subject them to ridicule but, rather, to stir up interest in the contrasting virtues of the cast of aspirants putting up a fight against my preferred aspirant, one most favoured and advantaged to guarantee APC’s victory in the forthcoming presidential election.
3. The interpretations of my remarks on Professor Osinbajo and Senator Lawan are, thus, being done literally and overblown. My words weren’t woven to portray them as unworthy aspirants, but merely to qualify them as non-threatening contenders. I, however, take full responsibility for my utterances and wish to appeal to our teeming supporters to neither take my words out of their metaphoric contexts nor interpret them as a measure and declaration of hostility towards my dear friends and allies.
4. I hereby tender my unreserved apologies to the Vice President and the President of the Senate for the unintended pains my jibes might have caused them and their families and supporters.
5. As we approach the finishing line of this tense political race, I’m not unaware of who the actual opponents are. A divided house, even if in the assumptions and imaginations of supporters with a distant grasp of our relationships with other aspirants, is the last impression we wish to create among Nigerians.
6. I want this to be taken as an appeal to our supporters across all political camps to build bridges and mend fences as the actual journey is just about to begin. Victory, for the discerning, has always been the first lap of the race. Thank you for your understanding.
The Governor Ifeanyi Okowa-led administration has proven beyond cynicism to be a youth-friendly government in all ramifications with its score of youth investment programmes. It is believed across many climes that investing in Delta youth is one bold stride that has rekindled hope for living by rewinding them with the countless mindset change and value re-orientation programmes and human capital development projects. One of the best legacies that can be given to this agile and unique generation is to empower them now.
Since the inception of this administration, an array of youth empowerment programmes has been launched to target different youth categories by addressing their yearnings and desires of which many youths have benefited from and have come out to boldly testify to its multiplier effects in their lives, families and communities.
One thing is clear. Senator Dr Ifeanyi Okowa believes in raising and building an army of entrepreneurs, who can contribute to the growth of the local economy by creating jobs and affecting their community positively. The governor did not leave out the rural communities just as he attended to the urban and semi-urban communities in his empowerment programmes. This kind gesture gave birth to the Rural Youth Skill Acquisition Programme (RYSA).
RYSA, a flagship programme of the Delta State Government domiciled with the Ministry of Youth Development, was borne out of the need to lift youths in the rural areas of Delta State out of unemployment by providing skills training and start – up support. It is designed to enhance the practical hands-on training, business and life skills of 810 interested youths of Delta State origin across 270 federal wards in the state who have already acquired relevant skills in their chosen vocations, demonstrated passion and dexterity, and need start-up to launch their businesses.
Start up packs
The Ministry of Youth Development ably led by the commissioner, Comrade Ifeanyi Egwunyenga and his team, worked tirelessly to ensure that the mandate of the governor was achieved. In year 2020, the ministry launched and graduated a total of 776 pioneer beneficiaries across 10 skills areas and these are: Fashion Design, Catering and Confectioneries, Alumni Profiling, Tiling, Make-over, Wood Work & Furniture, POP Screed-making & Painting, Hairdressing, Plumbing, Welding and Fabrication. It is worthy to note that over 86 percent of these beneficiaries are very active in business, gaining traction in their communities and becoming trainers with various empowerment programmes like WESAP
In a bid to improve the RYSA programme, the ministry expanded the skills from 10 to 11 to cater for the increasing demands across the communities. The selection process for both trainers and trainees was more rigorous, and accomplished through a detailed and empirical approach using a combination of skill and knowledge-based interview and proficiency tests to select the best-fit trainers and eligible trainees from applications received.
Beneficiary of Hairdressing start up pack
The 2021 cycle of RYSA trainees, for 12-weeks went through practical hands-on participatory training sessions, designed to upscale mastery of their skills. During this period the trainees and trainers were constantly assessed by the Directorate of Youth Monitoring and Mentoring (DYMM) and the Ministry’s Assessment Team (MAT) to ensure that standards and procedures of the programme were strictly adhered to.
The Community Business School (CBS), an implant into the RYSA programme designed to imbibe in the trainees’ vital business and life skills is geared towards developing their entrepreneurial drive, leadership capacity and the essence of community service. It is further aimed at enabling them to identify and take advantage of opportunities in digital marketing and business networking to support their business start-ups.
The RYSA trainees in the course of their Community Business School identified community needs in their various LGAs and took collective actions to proffer solutions for challenges across the local government areas/
A beneficiary of the 2021 cycle of tiling equipment start up pack from the Delta State Government
Their initiatives ranged from drilling of borehole in market, enrollment of indigent community youths into free skill training, donation of educational materials, painting of school Fences and maintenance of facilities at their local government secretariat to sensitization against social vices and the need to embrace skill acquisition across schools and communities, sanitation exercise and a host of other activities
The RYSA 2021 cycle graduated an outstanding 786 beneficiaries, bringing the total number of graduates to 1,562. The beneficiaries have distinguished themselves, saw the chance, made their choices and upheld the values of the RYSA programme by maintaining an organic level of competence with good character and commitment while imbibing the spirit of volunteering and also gave back to the society.”
The CBS instructors were exceptional and gave it their all, to ensure that well groomed RYSA ambassadors were birthed with the right character, life and business skills.
It can be categorically stated that “RYSA is not that ordinary youth development programs but classical top-notch youth investment programme worthy of domesticating. RYSA 2020 and 2021 cycle completed and finished strong.
No wonder Comrade Egwunyenga rightly observed, saying to the beneficiaries: “Your stunning performances during your classes at the Community Business School was second to none. The unscheduled assessment visits to your classes was as amazing as the feed-back received shows it was so impactful.”
The year 2022 World Communications Day has been marked in Delta State with a call on journalists and media practitioners to always dignify God through their profession as well as report the truth at all times.
The call was recently made by the Bishop of Issele-uku Diocese, Most Rev. (Dr) Michael Elue during the 56th edition of the World Communications Day which was organised by the Catholic Media Practitioners Association of Nigeria, Delta state chapter (CAMPAN).
In his homily, Bishop Elue who was represented by Rt. Rev. Msgr. John Aduba urged journalists to be guided by the eithics of the profession of journalism and also report news that would respect the dignity of the job and not reporting to twist the truth and falsehood.
He said that fake news was very injurious as it defaced situations and could cause crisis if not properly handled , adding that untrue stories could spread faster and would be very difficult to eliminate as soon as it had been spread like a wild fire .
He said that every human being was called to be witness of Christ, stressing that heaven was the final point of focus for all human beings on earth just as he urged all individuals to stand up for the truth at all times.
He prayed for peace and God’s goodness on each and everyone as Nigeria faced crisis occasioned by the daily raise in insurgency, ritual and political killings.
The message of His Holiness Pope Francis with this year’s topic ” Listening with the Ear of the Heart” was read by Comrade Sam Fejokwu who stressed on the importance of listening for effective communication which were decisive in the grammar of communication and a condition for genuine dialogue.
He also added that listening was undergoing important new development in the fields of communication and information through the various podcasts and audio messages available that served to confirm that listening was still essential in human communication in adherence with the humble nature of God .
High point of the ceremony was the installation of patrons and patroness and the presentation of awards of excellence to amiable personalities who had contributed to the development of the Catholic Church .
The awardees included the Permanent Secretary, Government House and Protocols, Sir Eddy Ogidi-Gbegbaje, Prof. Lady Joan Okoh, Comrade Mike Akpotosevwen Okeme, Engr. C.C. Chukwurah, Chief (Ogbueshi) Mrs. Felix Ejoh, Sir Austin Mowah, Prince Mike Oputa Ezinne Anthoina Maduemezia
The followers of politics will witness an historical catastrophe in politics in the next few days if President Muhammadu Buhari go ahead with his newly discovered Law of Reciprocity. It first appeared like Mathematical Law of Quadratic Reciprocity and one could not understand quickly how President Buhari intended to apply mathematics to solve the trending political issues in his party (APC). It later came as a shock that Mr. President has finally yielded to former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s advise that for anyone to succeed as President of Nigeria, he must have good traces of madness. And that’s what President Buhari’s Law of Reciprocity is all about. Unfortunately, President Buhari’s announcement of his newly discovered Law shows that he will not be a good wearer of the garment of madness recommended by former President Olusegun Obasanjo. In a shocking manner, President Buhari justified his proposed imposition of successor with the principle of reciprocity which holds between him & the State Governors.The hanging question is whether the Governors & PMB are the only members of the party. How would the principle of reciprocity come into play among Mr. President, the lawmakers & non elected party members who are also stakeholders in the party.
Nigerians are waiting anxiously to see how President Buhari who could not impose a governorship candidate successfully in his home state in 2011 could do it at national level without severe consequences. His efforts to impose Aminu Bello Masari on Alh. Munir Yakubu, Yakubu Lado Dan Marke and Abubakar Ismail Funtua in Katsina CPC primary election in 2011 met a brick wall. How could anyone thinks he will achieve imposition plan at national level in a party where others helped him largely to emerge as the candidate of the party?
Excellent government performance is one of the major elements that make a popular leader and in the societies where imposition of candidates for an election is permissible – the chief promoter of imposition must be popular among the people. If Tinubu did not do well as governor of Lagos, he could not successfully impose Fashola as his successor. He is able to maintain the trend because Lagos is on a good track in term of performance of government from 1999 till date. Otherwise people would have revolted through ballot box irrespective of the level of thuggery adopted during the election. Having spent more than 6 years in office in August 2021, President Buhari was reported to have said that he doesn’t want to exit govt as a failure. About a year to the handover day, Accountant General of the Federation was still able to loot the treasury in billions; University Education is still in Jeopardy; Electricity distribution assumed historical down slope; every part of the country is engulfed in all forms of security challenge; standard of leaving shows no sign of improvement. On what ground is President Buhari qualified to dictate to Nigerian people the way to go in 2023 election? Is he popular among the electorates by virtue of his performance in government in the last seven years?
There’s, indeed, no doubt, that Buhari’s speech shows clearly that he is truly under the influence of certain owners of Nigeria who are afraid of the ambition of former governor of Lagos State, Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Also colluding with those that are working against Tinubu’s ambition are his well known former allies who are in the cabinet of President Buhari as Ministers or Special Advisers. The most annoying part are those that didn’t realize Tinubu is bad when he was making them Commissioner; Governor; etc. Their right sense was in a state of hibernation throughout the years they were with Tinubu – it restarted and came back to life in the wake of juicier political expediency and then they realize Tinubu is not the kind of Leader Nigeria deserves. They malign Tinubu as if they are not products of everything they say about him. These are people Nigeria should beware of. They are bad spectators who cannot reciprocate half of Tinubu’s management skills if they were in his shoes. They are overambitious & insatiable servants that employ every arsenal to overtake their master. They are competing with the man that made them. They forgot yesterday because of the opportunities today presents. We heard VP Yemi Osinbajo saying he owes nobody allegiance outside his oath of office. Which one gave birth to the other: allegiance to Tinubu gave birth to allegiance to oath of office or vice versa? Which of the two is the Parent allegiance? Why would a child attempt to kill his parent because he wants people to think he fell from heaven?
If President Muhammadu Buhari continue to propagate and finally implement his Law of Reciprocity at the expense of Tinubu’s ambition, we should first of all investigate whether it is an attempt to handover to another Fulani man (Atiku Abubakar) or an effort to weaken the party that offered him the opportunity to achieve his ambition to serve Nigeria as Civilian President.
Nigeria should prepare to privatize Central Bank of Nigeria & sell the entire weaponry of our Military system if Buhari give way to PDP & Atiku by imposing the flagbearer in APC on the ground of Reciprocity between him and the State Governors. PDP will show they have learnt their lessons and rule for 32 years if they are allowed to regain power. Atiku will launch revenge on our treasury & take his dollars back. A businessman like Atiku could not invest in a “business” in foreign currency for more than a decade without getting profits. President Buhari will only impose a Presidential flagbearer on APC if and only if he wants Atiku to take his dollars back.
At the ideation and conception stages of the Sports University of Nigeria, Idumuje-Ugboko, the Proprietor, Prince (Dr) Ned Nwoko exuded implicit aplomb, that the fruition of the project will provide a watershed in the sporting fortunes of some developing countries in order to beget competitive parity in global sports.
Prince Ned Nwoko
He particularly identified Nigeria as an epicenter for deploying the institution’s innovative approaches; embedded in the modus-operandi of the trail-blazing Sports University, as against the hitherto unproductive methods, from which Nigeria could boast only three good medals, from more than a dozen Olympics appearances.
This remarkable educational institution’s uniqueness, revolves around the Proprietor and Chancellor, Prince (Hon) Ned Nwoko’s mission statement, which among others anchors on” providing education in sports services: science; medicine; management; engineering; physical education; humanities and social science, as well as to develop top-level athletes through high performance training.
Also, it will be collaborating with relevant authorities globally for exchange programmes to produce Olympic gold medalists, at international sports championships and world record breakers in many areas of sports”.
Beside churning out quality athletes, astute sports managers and administrators, the Nigerian, African and global sports fellowship stands to harvest plethora benefits.
Ned Nwoko
The Sports University boasts a preponderance of standard global sporting facilities, including but not limited to a three-floor academic building, top-scale art library, medical centers, Olympic-size swimming pool, and standard pitches for football, hockey, and baseball.
Also, the varsity showcases a five-star hotel, administrative blocks, lecture halls, canteen, and junior staff quarters among numerous state of the art facilities.
Ned Nwoko
And establishing an Olympic Training Centre at the facility will indubitably enhance the standard of competitiveness in the comity of the global sporting fraternity.
Additionally, athletes who are alumni, will no longer wallow in abject poverty, as skills acquired there from, will place them in good stead in their post-competition era, as against the prevailing status of retired athletes’ complaints of neglect from their hitherto benefactors.
President Muhammadu Buhari has called on investors to look beyond the challenges currently facing the world and focus on the opportunities they present, as according to him, there are no challenges without opportunities and solutions.
President Buhari made this call Thursday in Madrid when he addressed the Spain-Nigeria Business Meeting organised by the Spanish Chamber of Commerce and the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment during his State Visit to Spain.
The President told the gathering of Spanish and Nigerian corporations and investors to look towards Africa for the opportunities therein.
“It is currently a challenging time for the global economy. But I have always held the strong conviction that there is no crisis without an accompanying opportunity and solution. Increased collaboration with African nations could well be what Europe needs to mitigate against both current and potential future supply-chain challenges and improve both our economic opportunities,” he said.
President Buhari added that the business meeting provided a good opportunity to advance trade relations between the two nations which are today principally dominated by the oil and gas sector.
“I believe this forum is an excellent platform to establish and strengthen business relationships, share valuable experience, and collaborate for the mutual benefit of our countries.
“For quite a number of decades, Spain has been one of Nigeria’s most important trading partners. It is, for example, a major importer of Nigerian crude oil. Nigeria’s exports to Spain stood at $4.8b in 2020 whilst Spain’s exports to Nigeria increased from $97.2 million in 1995 to $517million in 2020. A lot more can be done to increase the volume of trade and today presents a good opportunity to explore how this can be achieved.”
The Nigerian leader reiterated that the current administration has put in place mechanisms to shift the age-long dependence on oil for the sustenance of the country, adding that the focus now is into value chain and exploitation of available abundant solid minerals.
“Since the inception of our Administration in 2015, we have concentrated on moving beyond the historical dependence on crude oil for government revenue and foreign exchange inflows. We have successfully driven its diversification and put the economy on the path of sustainable and inclusive growth through an open, rules-based and market-oriented way of doing business.
“Historically, the focus has been on Nigeria’s oil sector but Nigeria is home to a wide range of other sectors that hold very great potentials. We are the largest economy in Africa and our well over 200 million-strong consumer market is home to a range of attractive opportunities in sectors such as agriculture, healthcare, light manufacturing, infrastructure development and technology.
“Nigeria has a number of other notable mineral resources including coal, gold, bitumen, iron ore and uranium. However, our current focus is on adding value to our natural resources prior to exportation,” said the President
He therefore called on investors at the meeting to take advantage of the opportunities that the Nigerian market offers:
“We are open to widening collaboration with Spain and in order to encourage private capital inflow, we have put together fiscal investment incentives which include the following: three to five years tax holidays for enterprises in what we deem to be pioneer industries; tax-free operations and no restrictions on expatriate quotas in our Free Trade Zones; capital allowances for agriculture, manufacturing and engineering amongst others.
“Going into partnerships with trusted local and foreign partners who have well-established networks and understand the dynamics of the economy and country is one of the identified keys to success in Nigeria. Today provides a platform for Spanish businesses to connect with credible Nigerian partners. I trust that all here present will build relationships that will translate into increased trade and investment flows between Nigeria and Spain.”
President Buhari also used the opportunity to thank the Spanish Government for the donation of 4.4 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to the Nigeria.
Earlier in his remarks, the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Otunba Niyi Adebayo, said Nigeria and Spain have enjoyed a very cordial relationship since the 1960s. He added that Nigeria is “committed to increasing its volume of trade with Spain, even as Spain is currently one Nigeria’s strongest EU trading partners.”
“Since signing the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) Nigeria is also a gateway to the wider African market. Nigeria is a central point for companies wishing to do business in other parts of Africa. We are attracting and retaining sustainable investments by creating an enabling environment for businesses to thrive. The Federal Government is addressing critical concerns around infrastructure and security; and creating employment for its youthful population,” the Minister added.
Dennis Osadebe University (DOU), Anwai, Asaba, Matriculate her first set of students for the 2021/2022 session into the various Faculties/Department of the institution being a Centre of Leaning and excellence in Nigeria and the World at large.
DOU is committed to imbibing the culture of learning and producing students with high level capacity to develop our society and improve our economy for purposeful results in their various professionality.
The students of Dennis Osadebay University, Asaba are epoc making generation who are morally educated to be of humour to our society and the globe.
The Vice Chancellor in his speech thanked His Excellency the Governor of Delta State, Sen. Arthur Ifeanyi Okowa for the establishment of DOU, Asaba.
The DOUITES, are ready to abide by their matriculation oath as administered by the Registrar of the institution, the Vice Chancellor admitted the DOUITES to DOU, Asaba. Which makes them a Great DOUITES.
Start up packs
