A 500-level student of the Faculty of Law, Olasubomi Olopade, on Wednesday became the vice Chancellor of Bowen University.
Olopade’s tenure would last for just one day for which he would be paid..
Olopade, who ran the affairs of the university on Wednesday, emerged the winner of a competition, One Day VC,’ which involved a series of screening, essay competition and manifesto presentation.
The students who came second and third, Ibunkunoluwa Areo, a 400-level student of Economics Department; and James Joshua, a 400-level student of Statistics Department, assisted Olopade as the deputy vice chancellors Academics, and Research and Outreach respectively.
The one-day VC, in an interview after a church service held in his honour, said he contested in the first edition, but could not make it beyond the best five contestants. He said he applied again this year and eventually became the winner.
Olopade said, “This is an opportunity to serve my colleagues and display the leadership skills I have imbibed.
“Our politicians usually tell us that the youth are the leaders of tomorrow and that is when they a begging for votes but after that, it ends.
I had a seat in the school library–Adeyemo, 2017/18 Bowen varsity best graduating student
Bowen varsity keeps mum over abducted employees
But the truth is the youth should be partners with the leaders now. I am.not calling for eradication of the elders but the youth should be given opportunities to showcase their talents.”
A 400-level student of Medicine and Surgery, Mayomikun Olawale, won the 2020 contest at the maiden edition.
The substantive VC, Prof Joshua Ogunwole, had told our correspondent that he introduced the concept of one-day VC to give students practical exposure to leadership.
Unknown gunmen have kidnapped a Nigerian football coach, Stanley Eguma.
Subsequently, the police commissioner in Enugu, Mohammed Aliyu, has ordered the rescue of Mr Eguma.
Mr Eguma is the coach of Rivers United FC, Port Harcourt. He was reportedly abducted along the Enugu-Port Harcourt expressway on Tuesday.
Mr Aliyu gave the order in a statement issued by the police spokesman ASP Daniel Ndukwe, on Wednesday, in Enugu.
The statement disclosed that Mr Eguma was abducted by gunmen on June 15, at about 4:00 p.m. on the Enugu-Port Harcourt expressway.
“The order is sequel to a complaint made to the Anti-Kidnapping Unit of the command, the same date as the incident at about 5:05 p.m., by two other persons travelling with the victim.
“His co-travellers alleged that the unidentified gunmen, operating in a white-coloured Hilux van, trailed and forced the black-coloured Hilux van conveying them from Gombe to Port-Harcourt, to stop.
“They further alleged that the assailants pushed the two of them out and made away with the vehicle, abducting the victim in the process,’’ the police statement explained.
The police added that the commissioner was urging the public to provide useful information that will assist the command in its ongoing investigation.
“Informants can call the command’s hotlines: 08032003702, 08075390883, 08086671202 or 08098880172 or by sending an email to: contact042ppro@gmail.com. The command is assuring the confidentiality of the informants’ identities,’’ the statement added.
The Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF), Africa’s leading philanthropy empowering young African entrepreneurs from all 54 African countries, has successfully trained over 200,000 entrepreneurs in core business management skills as part of its 2021 TEF Entrepreneurship Programme.
The Business Management training was conducted exclusively on TEFConnect, the Foundation’s proprietary digital platform that provides capacity-building support, advisory and market linkages to over 1 Million Africans and counting.
The TEF Entrepreneurship Programme Business Management Training equips entrepreneurs with critical skills required to launch and run their businesses at the early growth stage. With a unique curriculum that encompasses topics on Starting Your Business, Business Management & Fundamentals, Leadership & Business Growth, Selecting and Building a Team, amongst others, entrepreneurs are effectively armed to achieve business growth, profitability, and sustained success.
Entrepreneurs were hosted to weekly information sessions, as part of the training, to address relevant concerns and share vital programme updates. All entrepreneurs received active support from coaches and mentors who provided technical guidance, counsel and one-one interaction throughout the duration of the training programme.
The training, which is one element of the 7 pillars of the Tony Elumelu Foundation Entrepreneurship Programme, was carried out in the official African languages including English, French, Portuguese and Arabic, and over 40 percent of trained participants were women.
Commenting on this milestone, Ifeyinwa Ugochukwu, CEO of the Tony Elumelu Foundation, said “Every year, our commitment to transform Africa is further strengthened with the passion, resilience and talent of the high-calibre entrepreneurs who onboard our flagship programme. Our curricular provides a holistic opportunity for entrepreneurs to learn, grow and contribute to the development of their communities.”
The Chief Executive Officer added: “Furthermore, it is a testament to the eagerness and readiness of African entrepreneurs across all of Africa to make themselves available to transform the continent for good. I would like to commend these entrepreneurs for their discipline, dedication and hard work throughout the training and look forward to the immense impact of their businesses across diverse sectors in Africa. We remain committed to empowering African entrepreneurs with the required resources and support that will ensure that their businesses can scale and drive sustainable change on the continent”.
The TEF Entrepreneurship Training is immediately followed by a Business Plan review process for each entrepreneur. The top-performing entrepreneurs subsequently participate in the Pitching phase of the Programme after which successful entrepreneurs receive a non-returnable seed capital of US$5000 each.
The leading African philanthropy also hopes to train and empower thousands more across the African continent as part of its commitment to catalyze economic growth, drive poverty eradication and ensure job creation.
In 2020, the Tony Elumelu Foundation marked ten years of impact, having empowered and funded nearly 10,000 African entrepreneurs from all 54 African countries as part of its US$100 million TEF Entrepreneurship Programme. The Tony Elumelu Foundation is inspired by Tony Elumelu’s economic philosophy of Africapitalism, which positions the private sector, and most importantly entrepreneurs, as the catalyst for the long-term social and economic development of the African continent.
To learn more about the Tony Elumelu Foundation, please visit TonyElumeluFoundation.org; and to receive the Foundation’s free business training, please visit TEFConnect.com.
Tragedy struck again at Iwo Road area of Ibadan, the Oyo state capital city on Wednesday, two people were confirmed killed when men of the Oyo State Park Management System under the leadership of Mr Mukaila Lamidi (also known as Auxiliary) allegedly attacked some shop owners in Iwo Road area of Ibadan, the Oyo state capital city on Wednesday.
According to a report by The Nation Newspaper, the attack on the shop owners was said to be in continuation of an earlier attack and a counter attack between the Auxilliary PMS boys and members of the proscribed National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) on Tuesday.
Two persons were said to have died from the PMS and banned NURTW camps on Tuesday.
On Wednesday, the suspected PMS boys stormed the Baba Onilu area of Iwo Road, attacking the shops where phones were being sold.
They were said to have unleashed terror on the phone sellers and shop owners destroying kiosk, show glasses and items.
One member of the NURTW was said to have been killed in the process while many others suffered varying degrees of injuries.
A son of one of the shop owners, simply identified as Ahmed, was said to have been killed in an effort to identify those fomenting trouble in the property.
Twenty-five years after the current Polling Units were created in 1996, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has created new 56,872 Polling Units, bringing the number to a total number of 176,846 from the existing 119,974 Polling Units. These will come into effect starting from the Anambra State Governorship election holding on November 6.
The last elections to be conducted using the previous number of polling units are the four pending bye-elections in Kaduna, Jigawa and Plateau states. “Two of these elections,” according to INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu will hold this weekend, “in Sabon Gari State Constituency in Kaduna State and Gwaram Federal Constituency in Jigawa State, while the Commission awaits the formal declaration of vacancies by the Honourable Speaker of the House of Representatives in respect of Lere Federal Constituency of Kaduna State and Jos North/Bassa Federal Constituency of Plateau State.”
The Commission has also approved that the Ekiti State Governorship election will hold on Saturday, June 18, 2022 while the Osun State Governorship election will hold one month later on Saturday, July 16, 2022.
Under the newly announced Polling Units, Lagos has the highest number of 13,325 Polling Units, followed by Kano State with 11, 222 Polling Units. Bayelsa State recorded the least number of Polling Units with 2,244 Polling Units followed by Ekiti State with 2,415 Polling Units.
Yakubu disclosed this at a meeting with Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) at the INEC headquarters in Abuja Wednesday. He said the additional 56,872 Voting Points and Voting Point Settlements were converted to fully developed Polling Units following wide ranging consultations with stakeholders and fieldwork by its officials.
Despite increased number of voters, previous attempts to increase the number of Polling Units nationwide, which is one of the reasons identified for voter apathy, were unsuccessful. In response to the pressure, INEC established Voting Points and Voting Point Settlements across the States of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) as a pragmatic response to necessity.
Yakubu also intimated the RECs that “the Commission has successfully removed 749 Polling Units from inappropriate locations to appropriate public facilities or open spaces in line with our policy to guarantee unencumbered access to Polling Units for all voters. Of this figure, 232 were removed from private properties, 145 royal palaces, six Mosques, 21 Churches and nine Shrines. The remaining 336 Polling Units were relocated for various reasons which include distance, difficult terrain, congestion, communal conflict, new settlements and general insecurity.”
Embattled promising gospel minister, Adeyinka Alaseyori, has finally responded to the crisis that rocked social media over the criticism over her hit song entitled “Oniduro Mi” by a popular gospel artiste, Tope Alabi.
Alaseyori during her birthday praise concert, on Tuesday night, appealed to fans to allow peace reign, just as she described the senior gospel musician, Tope Alabi as a mother in the industry.
“I am delighted to worship and praise God. I want everyone all over the world to join me and I will like to say this. Please, let peace reign. Mummy Tope Alabi is our mother. Let us embrace peace and be happy in God,” she added.
The duo has been in the news since Saturday following the public criticism of Tope Alabi at a music ministration condemning the hit track of Adeyinka Alaseyori, saying it lacks spirituality.
The statement eventually became the talk of the town as Tope Alabi was widely condemned by many over her position on the song.
However, the tension, especially in social media could be dowsed as Alaseyori had eventually displayed maturity to calm her fans, admonishing them to embrace peace and show love to Tope Alabi.
The Federal Government has approved automatic employment in the Federal Civil Service of one graduate each from the families of the 10 corp members killed in 2011 post-election violence in Bauchi State.
Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Sunday Dare disclosed this on Tuesday during the inauguration of the National Governing Board of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).
He added that President Buhari also approved scholarships to the four children of Mr Adowei Elliot, a Delta State indigene killed during the post-election violence.
“It has become an integral part of our national development and unity architecture. Nigerian youth continue to benefit from this scheme.
“As a sign of the Federal Government’s unflinching commitment to the NYSC, President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the automatic employment of 10 direct siblings of the diseased NYSC members, who lost their lives during the 2011 post-election violence in Bauchi State.
“Mr. President also approved appropriate scholarships to the four children of Mr Adowei Elliot,” the Sports Minister said.
The 10 corps members were reported killed in Bauchi State following the 2011 election won by former President Goodluck Jonathan.
The Minister called on the board members to come up with initiatives that will make the NYSC more impactful and increasingly endearing to all Nigerians.
He added that the inauguration of the Board is taking place at a time when all hands must be on deck to further strengthen the NYSC Scheme and charged both the returning and new members to continue to get acquainted with the provisions of the NYSC Act.
He assured that President Buhari and the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development are committed to the continued success of the Scheme.
See the full statement below…
ADDRESS BY THE HONOURABLE MINISTER OF YOUTH AND SPORTS DEVELOPMENT, MR SUNDAY DARE, AT THE INAUGURATION OF THE NYSC NATIONAL GOVERNING BOARD ON TUESDAY, 15TH JUNE, 2021
PROTOCOL
It is my pleasure to address you on this occasion of the formal inauguration of the new National Governing Board of the National Youth Service Corps. Let me begin by congratulating the Chairman and Board Members on this unique opportunity to make further contributions to the progress and development of our dear country. I am also delighted at the re-appointment of the Chairman of the immediate past Board, Ambassador Fatima Balla Abubakar, along with most of its members into the new Board in the same capacities. Indeed, this is an eloquent testimony to the confidence of His Excellency, Mr. President in your performance.
2. Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, I wish to reaffirm the full commitment of the Federal Government to the success of NYSC’s mandate. There is no gainsaying the fact that the Scheme has made enormous contributions to the promotion of national unity and integration as well as the acceleration of development in various spheres, including education, health, infrastructural development, sports and social services, amongst others. NYSC, therefore, remains a great source of pride to the Government and the entire people of our dear country. Without doubt, all well-meaning Nigerians strongly recognize the continued relevance of the Scheme, especially at this critical period of our national life.
3. The inauguration of this Board is taking place at a time when all hands must be on deck to further strengthen the Scheme. This underscores the enormity of the task before you. It is pleasing to note that the Chairman and members, who were in the immediate past Board, are adequately informed about the objectives, programmes, achievements and challenges of the Scheme. It is my ardent hope that you will work collectively to build on the successes made by the former Board. In particular, I charge both the returning and new members to continue to get acquainted with the provisions of the NYSC Act, especially as they relate to the roles and responsibilities of major stakeholders, including the Board.
4. Distinguished Chairman and Board Members, I wish to use this unique occasion to once again affirm the satisfaction of the Federal Government with the achievements of the present Management of NYSC, which has enhanced the visibility of the Scheme. Accordingly, I commend the Director-General, the Management team, Staff and Corps members, whose collective efforts resulted in the successes recorded. I expect that members of the Board will deploy the political influence at their disposal to strengthen all levels of engagements aimed at sustaining the legacies of the scheme through continuous engagement with policy makers at various levels.
5. I also commend the excellent synergy between the immediate past Board and the Management, which contributed to the remarkable achievements recently made by the Scheme. I wish to stress the need for the new Board to sustain the harmonious working relationship in line with the expectation of Mr. President. For emphasis, all your actions must be guided by extant regulations. At all times, your major pre-occupation should be the success of NYSC and, by extension, the success of this Administration.
6. I am confident that you will work together to come up with initiatives that will make the Scheme even more impactful and increasingly endearing to all Nigerians. However, it is important to highlight the following guidelines as they affect roles, responsibilities and privileges of Members of the Governing Board as follows:
i. The Board shall set up operational and administrative policies in accordance with Government policy directives and supervise the implementation of such policies;
ii. The Board shall not be involved directly in the day-to-day management of the Scheme;
iii. The Board must only operate on part-time basis in accordance with extant rules that forbids allocation of official quarters to Members on a permanent basis and use of official vehicles by Members on a permanent basis;
iv. Estacode allowances are only for overseas travels approved by the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and the Supervising Ministry;
v. No Member of the Board shall be allowed to retain official vehicle for use on a permanent basis;
vi. On the other hand, the core functions of the Chief Executive Officer include the day-to-day administration of the NYSC.
Furthermore, the Board shall perform the following oversight responsibilities:
i. Ensure that long-term interest of the Federal Government of Nigeria is served;
ii. Work with the Management to determine the Scheme’s mission and long term strategy;
iii. Promote sustainable and cost-efficient activities of the NYSC;
iv. Establish and promote the objectives and integrity of the Scheme;
v. Monitor the performance of the Management in achieving set objectives of the Scheme; and
vi. Request appropriate reports from Management.
7. I consider it appropriate to use this forum to once again endorse the proposal made by stakeholders for the establishment of the National Youth Service Corps Trust Fund. I am confident that such an initiative will go a long way in strengthening the Scheme and deepen its impact. Among other benefits, the Fund will make the NYSC Skill Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development programme more functional. It will, especially, serve as a sustainable source of providing start-up capital for the trained Corps members to actualize their business plans and in turn employ more Nigerians. Therefore, I appeal to all and sundry to support the actualization of the proposal. The NYSC Scheme will be sustained. It has become an integral part of our national development and unity architecture. Nigerian youth continue to benefit from this scheme. As a sign of the Federal Government’s unflinching commitment to the NYSC, President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the automatic employment of 10 direct siblings of the diseased NYSC members, who lost their lives during the 2011 post-election violence in Bauchi State.
Mr. President also approved appropriate scholarships to the four children of Mr. Adowei Elliot.
8. In conclusion, I wish to reaffirm the unflinching support of His Excellency, Mr. President, and the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development for both the National Governing Board and Management of the NYSC towards the continued success of the Scheme.
9. I now have the pleasure to formally inaugurate the NYSC National Governing Board. Once again, I congratulate you and, as you set out to discharge this important national assignment, I pray the Almighty God to guide you at all times.
10. Thank you and God bless
Cristiano Ronaldo’s recent gesture towards bottles of Coca-Cola may have adversely impacted the share price of the company.
Ronaldo removed two bottles of Coca-Cola from his region during Monday’s news conference ahead of Portugal’s game against Hungary. The Portuguese star sat down and spotted the two bottles of the carbonated drink and pushed them aside. Unfortunately, the gesture had a big negative influence on the brand.
The Portuguese international has even said in some interviews that it is important for children to have a healthy and healthy diet, away from sugar and fats. Being asked on one occasion about his relationship with his son on this issue, Ronaldo was clear. “I’m tough on my son. Sometimes he drinks Coke and Fanta and eats chips and he knows I don’t like it,” he said.
According to The Athletic, Coca Cola’s shares were worth $56.1 each when the market opened in Europe on Monday. But by the end of the press conference, they had fallen to $55.2 each. The 1.6% drop in share price meant a loss of $4 billion dollars in terms of company worth. At the time of writing this article, the stock price has seen some recovery to $55.44.
It is important to note that Coca-Cola shares were on a bearish trend on Monday trading session with a dropped by -1.09%. Investors are expectant of a strong bullish recovery as regards their next earnings release.
Leicester City hitman Jamie Vardy has joined the league of football club owners after investing in US-based team Rochester Rhinos according to the club.
The 34-year old striker purchased a minority stake in the New York-based club, which has not played a competitive game for four years.
The club statement said: “The Rochester Rhinos are delighted to announce that Premier League star Jamie Vardy has become a co-owner of the club.
“The Leicester City striker has bought a minority stake and is excited by the prospect of being part of a journey that puts the Rhinos and Rochester back on the map after a four-year hiatus.
“This is a huge coup for Rochester and the Rhinos. Jamie is known throughout the soccer world and we are delighted that he has chosen to join us as a co-owner.
“Hopefully this fantastic news will give everyone connected with the club the belief that there are good times ahead.”
Rhinos, the only non-Major League Soccer club to have won the US Open Cup, announced in November 2017 they would go on hiatus as they sought extra funding.
Rochester Rhinos in 2017 announced the club will go into hiatus as they sought extra funding. The New York-based club plans to resume competing in the USL League One in 2022, the third tier competition on the American football pyramid.
The Rochester Rhinos hold the enviable record of being the only non-Major League Soccer club to win the US Open.
Vardy also joins a select few active footballers with stakes in football clubs around the world, alongside Zlatan Ibrahimovic who owns a 23.5% in Swedish club Hammarby IF, Thomas Partey with CD Paracuellos Antamira in Spain, Demba Ba, Eden Hazard, Yohan Cabaye, Moussa Sow co-own US-based San Diego 1904 FC and Gerard Pique who owns third-tier Andorra FC based in Spain.
The Lagos Assembly on Tuesday called on the federal government to engage agitators across the country rather than employ the use of force.
This is as the Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon. (Dr) Mudashiru Obasa, argued that the use of the military in an attempt to quell agitations for secession would not yield the desired result since it is part of democracy for a people to speak out concerning how they are governed.
Obasa, who noted that the 22 years of unbroken democracy being enjoyed by Nigeria is worthy of celebration, however, said there many things yet to be done after so long adding that these had led to the tension in the country.
The Speaker of the Lagos Assembly, who made the comment during the debate on a motion about the 22 years of unbroken democracy in Nigeria raised by Hon. Setonji David, commended President Muhammadu Buhari for signing an executive order granting autonomy to state legislatures and judiciary and for honouring the late MKO Abiola with the declaration of June 12 as democracy day.
Noting that democracy is a wholesome package, he added: “It is not about electing us alone. Those that elected us also have freedom, they have the right to protest where they think things are not working.
“The right to protest should not be taken away from them as long as such right is not taken for granted.
“There is no crime in seeking for separate nations within an existing nation,” he said as he mentioned some countries where the citizens have called for disintegration.
“Those representing the people through the ideology of social contract must listen to the people,” he said urging the government to engage the groups and calling on the National Assembly members to go beyond weeping on the floor of the House and truly rejig the constitution.
“For the southern governors, having stated their position, they should not go to sleep. They should follow it through,” he urged.
Concerning the issues of insecurity, the Lagos Assembly Speaker said: “We will continue to cry that we have state police and devolution of power.”
He said restructuring, which he described as part of the solutions and not a problem, should have addressed economic challenges and poverty level just as he lamented that the Naira has continued to fall against the Dollar.
He praised Lagos as the true example of democracy and promised that the state would continue to lead in this area.
The House observed a minute silence in honour of the late MKO Abiola and all those who lost their lives in the course of the struggle for democracy.
Earlier in his contribution, Hon. Rotimi Olowo described the current constitution as fraud.
“This 1999 constitution amended so many times can no longer be embellished. It is fraud,” he said as he called for the semblance of regionalism where the interest of the minority is taken care of.
To him, the current amendment is another effort in futility and a new constitution reflecting the will of the people has to be produced.
Hon. Gbolahan Yishawu suggested an overhaul of the constitution while noting that some items on the exclusive list be devolved.
On his part, Hon. Bisi Yusuff noted that Nigeria’s democracy is not a true reflection of the will of the people adding that the constitution was promulgated through a decree.
Supporting the motion, Hon. Desmond Elliot said Nigeria will not progress more than it is now if the constitution is not overhauled.
Other lawmakers of the Lagos Assembly who spoke concerning the motion include Hon. Tobun Abiodun, who complained that states are not allowed to manage their resources, and Hon. Kehinde Joseph, who noted the high level of insecurity in the country.
The Lagos Assembly also called on the National Assembly to ensure true federalism while it urged Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and the government to engage in enlightenment of the people on security consciousness.
