NEWS
PAP Boss Tasks Students on Commitment to National Development
From Mike Tayese, Yenagoa
The Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, Dr Dennis Otuaro has urged Nigerian students to always demonstrate patriotism and commitment towards the development and unity of the nation.
Otuaro, who offered the advice while making his remarks at the inaugural National Tech Summit themed “Empowering Nigerian Students Through Tech”, which held in Abuja on Tuesday, stressed that the country’s future lies in the hands of the youth.
The summit was organised by the joint leadership of the National Association of University Students (NAUS), National Association of Polytechnics Students (NAPS) and National Association of Colleges of Education Students (NACES) with sponsorship by the Nigeria Customs Service.
In a press statement by the Special Assistant on Media to the PAP Administrator, Igoniko Oduma, on Wednesday and made available to newsmen via email, said Otuaro was bestowed with an award of ‘Icon of Community Development’ by the Nigerian students at the event.
He encouraged students across the country to realise that their dedication and hard work, among others, were the catalysts for the building of a secure, prosperous, peaceful and technologically-driven nation.
Otuaro, who was represented by his Special Assistant on Special Duties, Dinyain Tuebi, noted that education and technological empowerment were critical pillars for national growth and development.
He also urged the students to take leadership seriously and embody the values of integrity, service and excellence while contributing meaningfully to nation building.
He lauded the joint leadership of the NAUS, NAPS and NANCES for the summit, adding that the initiative showed their shared vision of using technology to advance their education and future careers.
The PAP boss thanked the student bodies for the award which he dedicated to President Bola Tinubu and other stakeholders “who have been working tirelessly to foster peace, stability and development in our beloved nation.”
He said, “This summit embodies the spirit of resilience, creativity and determination that is synonymous with the Nigerian student. As you embark on this journey of exploration and learning, today, I encourage you to remain steadfast in your studies, patriotic in actions, and committed to the growth and unity of Nigeria.
“The future of our nation lies in your hands, and it is through your dedication and hard work that we will continue to build a prosperous, peaceful and technologically advanced Nigeria.”
In his address, the president of NAUS, Marshal Obaji, explained that the summit was geared towards addressing the technological skills gap among Nigerian students and graduates, as well as providing adequate mentorship for interested young minds in emerging tech fields, innovation and networking opportunities.
NEWS
Customs Intercept Contraband Worth N510.92m in Two Conths
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Federal Operations Unit Zone C, says it intercepted contrabands with a Duty Paid Value (DPV) of N510.92 million between July 15th and September 15th, 2024.The zone covers the six states in the South-South geopolitical zone and the five states in the Southeast geopolitical zone.
This is contained in a statement signed by Jerry Attah, Public Relations Officer, NCS, Zone C, and made available to journalists on Wednesday. According to the statement, Comptroller Michael Ugbagu, NCS, Zone C, gave the statistics while showcasing the seized contraband to relevant regulatory agencies at the Government Warehouse in Edo.Ugbagu said that the zone also recovered the sum of N25.57 million from demand notices raised based on some infractions noticed, making a cumulative sum of N536.49 million recorded within the months under review.“The DPV was derived from our seized goods, which include 49,699 sachets of various brands of tramadol and 3,350 bottles of various cough syrups with codeine without an NAFDAC number.“1,015 sacks of dry donkey meat and skin, 75 jumbo bales of second-hand clothing, 463 cartons of foreign spaghetti, 269 pieces of used pneumatic tires, and 56 cartons of smuggled foreign tomato paste.“More worrisome is the interception of 49,699 sachets of various brands of tramadol and 3,350 bottles of various cough syrups with codeine without NAFDAC registration numbers.”He noted that the cough syrup with codeine and tramadol without NAFDAC registration numbers, if not intercepted, could have had adverse effects on youths.He added that the items were mostly intercepted along the Ewu-Okada/Benin expressways based on credible intelligence. (NAN)NEWS
APC Forum Decries Deplorable Condition of Federal Roads
The Forum of Stakeholders of the All Progressive Congress (APC) has decried the deplorable condition of some federal roads in Nigeria. Alhaji Saleh Zazzaga, the North-Central Chairman of the forum, said this in an interaction with newsmen on Wednesday in Jos. Zazzaga described some of the federal roads as ”death traps”, particularly those within the north-central region.
He said that some of the deplorable roads in the region include Jos-Akwanga, Makurdi-Oturkpo-Otukpa, Makurdi-Ankpa, and Jos-Saminaka. Other roads that needed urgent attention, he said, included Suleja-Minna, Ejule-Otukpa, Ganawuri-Manchok, Lokoja-Abuja, Lapai-Agaie-Bida, Birnin-Gwari-Bokani-Mokwa, Minna-Zungeru-Tegina-Kontagora. ”Currently, the north-central region has the most deplorable roads and highways in the country. ”These deplorable roads have brought severe hardship on the people and lost lives and property through preventable road traffic crashes. ”We call on President Bola Tinubu to intervene and ensure the rehabilitation of these roads because good roads are vital enablers of development,” he said. The chairman also called on governors of states within the region to reconstruct the dilapidated roads and seek refunds from the federal government. ”Though these are largely federal roads, they are located within states, and the beneficiaries are the people of these states. ”So we call on state governments to reconstruct these roads and seek refunds from the federal government,” he added. (NANNEWS
Yuan Strengthens 7. 087 Against Dollar
The central parity rate of the Chinese currency renminbi, or the yuan, strengthened 160 pips to 7.087 against the dollar on Wednesday.This is according to the China Foreign Exchange Trade System.In China’s spot foreigners exchange market, the yuan is allowed to rise or fall by two per cent from the central parity rate each trading day.
The central parity rate of the yuan against the dollar is based on a weighted average of prices offered by market makers before the opening of the interbank market each business day. (Xinhua/NAN)