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President Tinubu Attends Burial of Slain Soldiers, Offers Scholarships to Families

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President Bola Ahmad Tinubu paying his respect to Slain Soldiers

 

President Bola Tinubu says the federal government will provide scholarships up to the university level for all the children, including the unborn, of the Nigerian Army personnel killed in action at Okuama community in Delta State.

The President, who announced this at the funeral of the personnel at the National Military Cemetery, Abuja, on Wednesday, directed the military authorities to ensure that the benefits of the departed are paid to their families within 90 days.

The President also declared that the federal government would provide a house in any part of the nation to each of the families of the four officers and thirteen soldiers.

At the solemn event attended by some state governors, the military hierarchy, and families of the deceased, the President bestowed posthumous National Honours on the 17 fallen heroes.

Lt Col Ali, Major D.E Obi, Major S.D. Ashafa, and Captain U. Zakari were given the honour of Member of the Order of Niger (MON).

Staff Sergeant Yahaya Saidu, Corporal Danbaba Yahaya, Corporal Kabir Bashir, Lance Corporals Abdullahi Ibrahim, Bulus Haruna, Sole Opeyemi, Bello Anas, Private Alhaji Isah, Clement Francis, Abubakar Ali, Adamu Ibrahim, Hamman Peter, and Ibrahim Adamu were awarded Federal Republic Medals.

“On the 14th day of March, Lt. Colonel A. H. Ali, the Commanding Officer of 181 Amphibious Battalion, led three other officers and 13 soldiers to the Okuama Community to mediate in the lingering dispute with Okoloba Community.

“They went as peacemakers and peacekeepers respectfully seeking to bring an end to the hostilities between the two communities.

“They did not go with tanks, machine guns, and other weapons. They were on a mission of peace.

“Before the dastardly attack, Lt. Colonel Ali, as the Chief of Army Staff narrated to me, achieved great operational exploits; fighting terrorists and insurgents in the North East and North West before his deployment to the Niger Delta.

“Ali kept faith with his military calling until the end.

“On behalf of a grateful nation, we honour the sacrifice of Ali and the other gallant patriots who died that day. They will forever be remembered as heroes who answered the call of duty and paid the ultimate price,” the President said.

Reaffirming government’s commitment to justice, President Tinubu vowed to bring the perpetrators of this heinous crime to account.

While commending the military for not embarking on a reprisal attack on the community, the President declared: “I want to make it clear, once more, that those who committed this heinous crime will not go unpunished. We will find them, and our departed heroes will get justice.

“The elders and chiefs of Okuama also must help the military in fishing out the gunmen who committed the barbaric crime against our men.

“I wish to commend our Armed Forces for their restraint in choosing not to carry out any reprisal attacks on Okuama or its neighbouring communities. We must all ensure that the innocent people of Okuama are not made to bear the punishment of the guilty and wicked among them,” the President stated.

President Tinubu, while commiserating with the families of the fallen heroes and the entire Armed Forces, prayed God Almighty to comfort the bereaved.

“It is worth restating the debt of gratitude we owe these valiant soldiers and their families.

“As Commander-In-Chief, I do not take the contributions of members of our Armed Forces for granted. I recognize your valour and bravery. I honour your unflinching commitment to making our country safe from criminals, bandits, kidnappers, and insurrectionists.

“While we continue to grieve for the courageous men we lost that day, let us also, on this solemn occasion, be reminded of the unfinished business of working for peace and harmony in our communities. We must begin to rebuild our communities and make them into places where love, tolerance, and harmony will reign.

‘‘Leaders at all levels, especially community leaders and traditional rulers, must work to strengthen the bonds that unite us. We must end the cycle of violence and bloodletting,” the President said.

President Tinubu urged the Armed Forces not to be discouraged by the death of their fellow compatriots but to honour their memory by rededicating themselves to the service and defence of the nation.

“As the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, I have a message for you: Do not let the death of your compatriots discourage you.

‘‘There is no higher honour than the vocation you have chosen to pursue. We cherish you. We cherish your labour of love. We salute your daily sacrifice in protecting your fellow citizens from danger. We acknowledge your sacrifices to defend our nation,” the Commander-in-Chief affirmed.

 

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African Media Network (REMAPSEN) Appoints Nigerian Journalist Khadija as Deputy National Coordinator

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Khadija Aliyu

 

REMAPSEN, an African media network, has appointed Khadija Aliyu as Deputy National Coordinator for its Nigeria office.
This announcement was made in a statement signed by the Chairman of the Board of Directors, Bamboo Yousuf.

Khadija Aliyu is an ace broadcaster and a senior correspondent with Radio Nigeria. She graduated from the Department of Mass Communications at Bayero University Kano in 2008 and later obtained a master’s degree in Communication Studies from the same institution.”

REMAPSEN, AN OVERVIEW
REMAPSEN is an African media network for the promotion of good health and environment.

It was established on June 13, 2020 by some journalists in the Francophone countries with passion for public health concerns as they affect children and women as well as environment.

The aim is to build a network of African journalists who are committed to using their platforms to help people overcome challenges from health emergencies, epidemics and other health concerns, and environment issues.

The Nigerian arm; REMAPSEN NIGERIA, was inaugurated at an international conference of the forum in Lome, Togo on 23rd November, 2023, along with Ghana, Liberia, Mauritania and other Anglophone countries.

REMAPSEN International headquarters currently sits at Abidjan, capital of Cote d’ivoire with Mr Bamba Youssouf as the President.

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Dangote Cement Plc Launches Malaria Programme in Edo

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The Sustainability and Social Performance Department of Dangote Cement Plc will be implementing a malaria intervention programme at communities in Okpella, Edo State.

The health intervention programme, according to a statement from the company, will run for two days around the host communities of the Dangote Cement Plc, Okpella.

The statement said the “intervention is part of efforts to advance the Safer and Healthier Communities (SHC) initiative to promotes access to health and wellbeing of our host communities and their neighbours through structured health interventions and public health awareness campaigns.”

It added that: “Malaria is another key area of the DCP Group’s public health focus besides HIV/AIDS.”

It said that Dangote Cement Plc had initiated its Safer and Healthier Communities (SHC) programme in 2022 with the implementation of the pilot phase of the HIV/AIDS intervention programme in three transit communities in Gboko, Benue state.

Speaking, Head of Social Perfomance of the Dangote Cement Plc, Mr. Wakeel Olayiwola, said the two-day event (9th and 10th May) would feature awareness campaigns testing and referrals, distribution of treated nets, mosquito creams, ultrasonic anti-mosquito insect repellant, rechargeable electric mosquito killer swatter and other mosquito repellant paraphernalia. The Public Health officials will also offer counselling and referral services.

The intervention is the company’s response to reports that Edo state records an estimated 1.2 million malaria cases with a 317/1000 per location or geographical area. As a socially responsible company, Dangote Cement implements this initiative as contribution to safeguarding the lives of populations of high risk of malaria, which includes children, pregnant women and the elderly.
The Head of Sustainability, Dr. Igazeuma Okoroba providing context on the partnership of the programme expressed appreciation to the Medical Women Association of Nigeria, Edo State chapter, the Edo State Primary Health Care Development Agency, and Nigrowth Consults Services – implementing partner.

According to her, the project which supports Sustainable Development Goal 3_ Good Health and Wellbeing, is another effort of the Dangote Cement Okpella to demonstrate its solidarity with stakeholders in Edo state and the health sector at large.

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Nile leads as MAAUN ranked 2nd best private university in Northern Nigeria

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The AD Scientific Index ranking 2024 has ranked the Nile University, Abuja, as the best private university in Northern Nigeria.

According to the ranking made available on the website of the AD Scientific, titled: ‘Nigeria Private Universities Ranking 2024’, the Maryam Abacha American University, MAAUN, emerged second best university in the North.

This is as the American University of Nigeria, AUN, was ranked third in the same category.

In the overall ranking, Redeemers University was ranked 1st University in Nigeria, followed by Covenant University Ota and Afe Babalola University, which emerged 2nd and 3rd, respectively.

Nile University, founded in 2009, was ranked 10th, MAAUN, established in 2021 in Kano, was ranked 11th, while AUN got ranked as the 13th university.

Al Qalam University in Katsina was ranked 33rd, Al Hikmah University Ilorin 39th and
Skyline University 42nd

MAAUN was established in 2021 by renowned philanthropist Professor Adamu Abubakar Gwarzo, who is also the founder of Niger’s best private university, Maryam Abacha American University of Niger.

Prof. Dr Bikash Sharma, co-founder and president of International Academic and Management Association, described the ranking as a stepping stone for MAAUN.

“It’s high time that we did a complete overhaul of the education system globally, employing the best lecturers, and equipping our universities with the best facilities.

“MAAUN achieving this feat in less than 3 tears is not surprising. The founder has proved his commitment to standard and internationalisation.

“It is high time that we move from traditional teaching to experiential learning,” he said.

On his part, Isa Gwadabe, an educationist, hailed MAAUN for projecting its image through commitment to academic excellence.

“This is not an achievement to the institution alone but to the entire Kano State and Nigeria in particular. Among all the universities that were given licences together, MAAUN is leading in just less than 3 years.

AD Scientific Index is one of the best rankings for scientists in the world.

“I hope other institutions will emulate MAAUN towards achieving this great feat.”

The “AD Scientific Index” in its website said the University Rankings will not only show the areas in which a university is best or focused but also reflect the results of the institutions’ scientific recruitment policies.

This feature reveals the ability of institutions to attract successful scientists and the ability of institutions to promote advances and retain scientists.

“AD Scientific Index” is the only university/institution ranking system that analyzes the distribution of scientists in an institution according to the top % 10, %20, %40, %60, % 80 percentiles and total scientists.

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