Gowon leads prayer for Nigeria

 

 Gen. Yakubu Gowon, rtd.

Former Military Head of State, rtd Gen. Yakubu Gowon on Monday  led conveners of Nigeria Prays mission to seek divine intervention against security threat and social-economic instability in the country.

The Convener of the National prayer rally, prayed for Nigeria and its people for God’s preservation against lurking anxieties of insurgency, banditry, separatist idea, famine and for the nation’s development.

The prayed began with prayer points, thanking God for Nigeria since it amalgamation in 1914, thanking God for all ethnic nationalities, for His forgiveness of sins.

The session was the South-West Zone National bimonthly chain prayer, with the theme “The Heavens Do Rule” to seek spiritual intervention on the nation.

In his supplication at the event, Gowon who spoke through a virtual telecast thanked God for His blessings on the land of Nigeria and its people, saying the preservation of Nigeria and its people was a priority to God that people should do their part by prayers to further provoke favourable spiritual intervention on the country.

The former head of state, said that, for the country to still remain one after the many international predictions of disintegration during the 2015 and 2019 General Elections and other anxieties that has befallen the nation; was a prove that God is interested in this country.

“The international prophecies that Nigeria is one of the five chosen countries God wants to use to trigger off end-time restoration of the world is being played out here.

“Another of such prove is the low casualty figure the country has being recording in the surging Coronavirus in relation to other countries of the world,” he said.

Gowon, who expressed dismay over the subsisting discordant tones from sub-units of the federation; tasked people to rather pray for God’s plan for the nation to quickly be accomplished.

Gowon, who raised to the altar of national prayer with all the five states in the southwest zone and the leaders as point of contact to other states of the nation, said that before the end of 2021 there will be national restoration, the people of Nigeria would witness a pragmatic turn around of the economy and an end to foreign borrowing by government.

In his application for Nigeria at the event, the National Director, Nigeria Prays, Rev. Moses Aransiola, said that, prayer was needed to unlock the nation from its shackles that has held it captive for long.

According to him all the factors whether spiritual or physical that are hindering the nation from taking its rightful position in the comity of nations have to surrender when take part in corporate prayer.

“Those forces of misrule, corruption, nepotism, religious intolerant and political disharmony that has made the country to remain at latent level through our prayer must give way for a formidable Nigeria,” he said.

The prayer group director, who described the migration of the nations prime youths to other countries for green pasture as horrifying; offered violent prayer to halt the trend and its cause.

He added that Nigeria prays was a spiritual investment by the group on behalf of Nigeria and Nigerians for a good society.

COAS tasks 2 Div personnel on loyalty, professionalism

The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt.- Gen. Faruq Yahaya, tasked officers and soldiers of the 2 Division Nigerian Army to be loyal and professional in the discharge of their duties. 

Yahaya gave the advice during his official visit to the headquarters of the division in lbadan on Monday.

The COAS said that Nigerian Army being a well-trained and experienced profession with over 185 years of existence, must continue to do things in tandem with the teaching of the profession.

He appreciated the officers and soldiers on their activities at tackling insecurity in the country and urged them to do more for the  nation.

Yahaya said that his visit to the troops was to interact with them and have first hand information on happenings on the ground and proffer solutions.

The COAS said that the Nigerian Army would continued to work in synergy with other services and other security agencies in tackling the security challenges in the country.

Yahaya further promised to improve on the welfare of officers and soldiers and as well, construct more accommodation and improved on the existing ones for optimum performance of the officers

The COAS later donated a Toyota Hilux to the Regimental Sergent Major (RSM) unit of the division and inaugurated  the Lt.-Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru Indoor Badminton Court.

Yahaya also paid a courtesy visit on the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Saliu Adetunji and Gov. Seyi Making of Oyo State.

Information ministry dissolves agencies’ governing boards

 

The Ministry of Information and Culture has announced the dissolution of the Governing Boards of all Agencies and Parastatals under its ministry whose tenures have expired.

Dr Ifeoma Anyanwutaku, the Permanent Secretary of the ministry made this known in a statement on Friday in Abuja.

Anyanwutaku said that the dissolved governing boards should henceforth cease from sitting.

The permanent secretary said that the notice should be brought to the attention of the boards chairmen to ensure full compliance with the directive which takes immediate effect.

“I am also to add that President, Muhammadu Buhari has already constituted a committee for the reconstitution of the various board of government, agencies and parastatals,” she said.

She appreciated the chairmen and members of the governing boards for their tenure and their services to the nation. (NAN)

NPA sets to reposition nation's seaports for efficiency, safety – MD

 

 

The Acting Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Mr Mohammed Bello-Koko, has pledged management’s determination to reposition the nation’s seaports for greater efficiency, safety and accountability.

Bello-Koko made the pledge in a statement signed by Mr Olaseni Alakija, General Manager Corporate and Strategic Communications, on Monday in Lagos.

The Acting MD, while speaking at the just-concluded strategic retreat organised for NPA top management, said that the organisation was currently poised to creating and sustaining competitive advantage by offering its best in port operations.

The statement said that the retreat was designed to allow management staff to strategise and come up with “smart actionable steps“.

This, according to Bello-Koko, is with the view to ensuring growth, competitiveness and future readiness of the nation’s seaport systems.

“As part of efforts to position the agency towards greater efficiency, safety and accountability, the management has outlined factors that will enhance such prospects, as well as the capacity to garner greater market share.

“This will include infrastructural renewal and expansion, the introduction of barge operations, automation of truck transit through the electronic call up system and improvement in the sources of revenue and collection.

“Others include plugging income leakages and reducing overhead costs, elimination of monopolistic conduct, formulation and implementation of policies aimed to incentivise patronage of the Eastern Ports and encouraging competition,” he said.

Bello-Koko said that management was also keeping up with the dictates of Consolidated Revenue Fund and Fiscal Responsibility Act, compliance with international best practices, elimination of red tape, boosting workers’ morale and capacity building, among others.

He disclosed that these initiatives had laid the groundwork for some milestones with great potential for more as some of the reforms continue to transform into success evidenced by improved cargo throughput and revenue growth.

“Because excellence is a moving target, we cannot afford to rest on our laurels, we must redouble our commitment to continuous improvement as an organisational culture.

“Surpassing internal and external stakeholders’ expectations, which constitute a cardinal objective of this management, will require your unalloyed support as heads of directorates, divisions, locations, departments, port sections and units.

Bello-Koko said he expected that the retreat would churn out specific, realistic, measurable, achievable and time-bound goals and objectives by which NPA would be benchmarking itself in the next five years.

He said that the last time an event of this magnitude was held to chart a new direction for NPA was over a decade ago where the organisation’s present vision, mission and core values were crafted.

“We must, therefore, go beyond rhetoric to churn out implementable strategies aimed at making us equal to the exigencies of the very competitive edge and sector that we operate in,” he said.

Bello Koko pointed out that the disruptions caused by the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic present a learning curve, especially for organisations such as NPA that operate in a sector that was global in scope to be constantly ready for dynamics in the form of increasing competition and innovation.

“Improving the turnaround time of vessels and reducing cargo dwell time is critical to attracting more vessels to our seaports.

“Optimising the business opportunities that the landlocked countries with whom we share borders presents a critical success factor in actualising our growth projections.

“The need to attract larger vessels and maximally benefit from the economies of scale that come with them show that the ongoing efforts to have deep seaports in Lekki, Badagry and Akwa Ibom, among others, are steps in the right direction,” he said.

He noted that in the meantime, NPA is constantly scaling up its responsibility of dredging the country’s channels to safely berth vessels of reasonable sizes whilst encouraging the use of flat bottom vessels (FBV) in areas of low draught.

He said that the current management would leave no stone unturned in its commitment in implementing the outcome of the retreat.

A highpoint of the event was the presentation of awards of excellence by Renner & Renner, in which the MD was honoured with the visionary leadership award.

PRESIDENT BUHARI MOURNS VICTORIA AGUIYI-IRONSI

 The death of Victoria Aguiyi-Ironsi, the former first lady who was married to an erstwhile Nigerian military leader, Major-General Johnson Thomas Aguiyi-Ironsi, has been described by President Muhammadu Buhari as a national loss.

According to President Buhari in a condolence message to the bereaved family of Aguiyi-Ironsi, late Victoria stood strong after her husband was assassinated in the 1966 counter-coup.

Buhari said late Victoria worked for the nation's peace (Photo: Aso Rock Villa, Guardian)

Below are some of her notable achievements recorded by President Buhari:

1. Strength, courage during Nigeria's crisis

According to the president, the former first lady remained unshakable as a God-fearing woman of valour when the country was going through one of its darkest moments in history that attended the forceful takeover of power before the civil war.

Not many citizens know that late Chief Victoria Aguiyi-Ironsi was a founding member of the Nigerian Army Officers’ Wives Association (NAOWA). President Buhari, in the brief message, noted that the amazon played great leadership roles in the organisation.2. A founding member of NAOWA

3. A resolute feminist

Late Victoria is known to have passionately championed the welfare and wellbeing of wives of military officers whose husbands paid the ultimate price while serving their nation.

4. A hardworking patriot

The president recalled that despite the fact that her husband was killed by some of his detractors, she never stopped working for Nigeria to ensure peace, stability, healing, and reconciliation in the land.

The concluding paragraph of the message shared on Facebook by Femi Adesina, a presidential media aide, read:

"The President sincerely hopes that Lady Victoria’s labours for the country will not be in vain, and joins all Nigerians in praying for the repose of the soul of the departed and comfort for those who mourn."