NEWS
Wike to Foreign Missions: Follow Through on Bilateral Agreements
By Laide Akinboade, Abuja
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, Monday, urged foreign missions in Nigeria to follow bilateral agreements to the logical conclusion.
The minister who was speaking when he received in audience the Irish Ambassador to Nigeria, His Excellency, Peter Ryan, regretted that several bilateral agreements have ended at the discussion levels.
He, therefore, urged the visiting ambassador to take advantage of the very vast arable land in Nigeria’s capital territory to strengthen the partnership between both countries.
According to the minister, “Relationships should be beneficial. I won’t be in a hurry to enter arrangements that end immediately after discussions.
“Nigeria has strong ties with the Republic of Ireland and so we would like to leverage on that, especially in the area of Agriculture which Ireland is known for.
“One of the important focuses of Mr President is to harness the potential in ICT, in the interest of the youths. We Will seize the opportunity to visit Dublin to see some of the ICT hubs so we can duplicate the same in the FCT.”
Earlier, the Irish Ambassador to Nigeria, His Excellency, Peter Ryan, said his country is willing to partner with the FCT Administration especially in the area of Education, Agriculture and Information and Communication Technology.
He said the Republic of Ireland has a very large Nigerian population, with many of them making remarkable contributions to the economy of Ireland especially in the area of Sports and ICT.
The Ambassador, who noted that the Republic of Ireland has a lot of partnership with several capitals in the world, said he sees the potential in Abuja and promises to connect the FCTA to the vibrant cultural ecosystem in his country.
He also promised to facilitate practical collaborations with key investment experts and other stakeholders in the Irish private sector.
“Education is very important to us and has helped us achieve the success we have in the area of technology.
“Our mission is very much the same, Ireland is world class in a number of areas, one of them is agriculture and education.
“In Ireland, we intend to be very practical as we know that we can’t do everything, so in things we do, we try to do the best we can.
“From the first week of December, we are bringing to Abuja, the head of the largest vocational education provider on the land of Ireland. He will be here, and has no agenda, so he is at your disposal.
“In the area of agriculture, we had a visit earlier in September by our Minister of Agriculture to Nigeria. And as a follow up to the visit, we can share the lessons and experience by connecting his excellency (the FCT Minister) directly to the experts that run an organisation called Sustainable Food System.”
NEWS
Shettima to Lead Nigeria’s Delegation to UNGA
President Bola Tinubu will not attend the 79th United Nations General Assembly session in New York this year.The President has thus directed Vice President Kashim Shettima to lead Nigeria’s delegation, Mr Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser, Information and Strategy, said in a statement on Thursday.“President Tinubu, who returned to the country last Sunday after his trip to China and the UK, wants to focus on domestic issues and address some of the country’s challenges, especially after the recent devastating flooding.
“At UNGA 79, Vice President Shettima will deliver Nigeria’s national statement to the General Assembly, attend important sideline events, and hold bilateral meetings,” said the statement.The high-level General Debate, with the theme, “Leaving no one behind: Acting together for the advancement of peace, sustainable development and human dignity for present and future generations,”will run from Sept. 24, to Sept. 28. (NAN)NEWS
NECO Releases 2024 SSCE Results
The National Examinations Council, (NECO) has released the June/July 2024 Senior School Certificate Examination results (SSCE), with 60.55 per cent of candidates securing five credits and above in English Language and Mathematics.
The Registrar of NECO, Prof. Dantani Wushishi, disclosed this while addressing newsmen at the NECO headquarters on Thursday in Minna, Niger.
Wushishi said that a total of 1,376,423 candidates, representing 706,950 males and 669,473 females, registered for the exam.
The registrar said that 1,367,736 candidates sat for the examination, representing 702,112 Males and 665,624 females.
He said that 828, 284 candidates had five credits and above, including English and Mathematics, representing 60.
55 per cent.Wushishi said that the number of candidates with five credits and above, irrespective of English and Mathematics, were 1,147,597, representing 83.90 per cent.
He said that there was a great reduction in the number of examination malpractices this year compared to 2023.
“The number of candidates involved in various forms of malpractice in 2024 is 8,437 as against 12,030 in 2023, which shows a reduction of 30. 1 per cent,” he said.
The registrar, however, said that 40 schools were found to be involved in mass cheating during the examination.
” During the conduct of the 2024 Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE), 40 schools were found to have been involved in whole school (mass) cheating in 17 states.
” They will be invited to the Council for discussion, after which appropriate sanctions will be applied.
“A school in Ekiti was recommended for de-recognition for mass cheating in two core subjects and 01 Science subject.
” Similarly, 21 Supervisors were recommended for blacklisting due to poor supervision, aiding and abetting, abscondment, extortion, drunkenness and negligence in 12 states,”said.
He urged candidates that sat for the examination to visit NECO website to access their results.
Wushishi said candidates can access their results on NECO website: www.neco.gov.ng using their examination registration number,” he said.(NAN)
NEWS
NDDC Unveils Initiative to Enhance food Security in N’ Delta Programmes
The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) says it is committed to advancing projects and programmes that enhance food security and sustainable growth in the region.Chief Monday Igbuya, the Delta representative on the NDDC Board, made this pledge in a statement issued on Thursday in Port Harcourt by the NDDC’s Director of Corporate Affairs, Mrs Seledi Thompson-Wakama.
Igbuya spoke at the inauguration of a training and empowerment programme for women and youths in livestock and agro processing in Amukpe, Sapele area of Delta. He stated that the NDDC was prioritising livestock training in line with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.“NDDC is focussed on implementing programmes to ensure food security and agricultural growth in multi sectors, aiming to improve living standards.“It is our belief that for socio-economic development to take place, there is need to develop manpower in the agricultural sector,” he said.Igbuya expressed confidence that training farmers would enhance livestock production, create jobs, and alleviate poverty in the Niger Delta.Mrs Winifred Madume, NDDC Director of Agriculture and Fisheries, said that training farmers and entrepreneurs was essential for improving productivity and market access.“The commission has been promoting research and development through various institutions and providing farming techniques to beneficiaries,” she said.The Project Consultant, Dr Simon Akhaine, said that 200 women and youths had registered for the livestock and agro-business skill acquisition programme.According to him, the programme aims to equip them with the essential knowledge and skills for self-sufficiency in livestock farming, thereby boosting regional food security. (NAN)