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FG Deploys New Batch of Volunteers to The Gambia
FG Deploys New Batch of Volunteers to The Gambia
By: Michael Mike
A new batch of volunteers of the Nigerian Technical Aid Corps has been deployed to The Gambia.
The 11 Volunteers, who comprised professionals from diverse backgrounds, including Law, Engineering and expertise in Entrepreneurial Studies, were urged to see their new charge as a call to serve humanity.
Speaking during the Pre-departure Orientation for the Volunteers, Director General of the Nigerian Technical Aid Corps, Rt.Hon.Yusuf Buba Yakub, congratulated the Volunteers on being among the very few beneficiaries of the 37-year-old Scheme chosen from a long list of over 10,000 applicants when the agency advertised late last year.
Buba also called on the Volunteers to embody the values of integrity and simplicity and to portray Nigeria in positive light as Technical Diplomats in the recipient country. He highlighted that Nigeria’s approach to international relations is based on soft diplomacy, contrasting it with other nations that might rely on coercion.
He said: “You are called Volunteers because you are going out there to serve humanity in The Gambia.Even if it is half a room that you are given to live in,please, accept it and commit to what you have been sent to do there.Always bear in mind that you are there to represent Nigeria.
“On behalf of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,we are sending you to share with our sister African nation the abundant human resources our country possesses.
“As your parents here,the Nigerian High Commission in The Gambia with our High Commissioner there will be your guardian.”
While admonishing the Volunteers to see themselves not as individuals,but as Nigeria itself,the TAC DG said whatever the Volunteers do in their host country would be seen as the action of the country,hence the need to always stay above board.
He also added that the Scheme, which was established in 1987 through the visionary minds of our past leaders was one important instrument of Diplomacy by which Nigeria has continued to make friends and carve partnerships across the world.Such friendships and partnerships,he said, usually come handy in periods of expediency.
Buba also used the occasion to inform of the recent visit of the Attorney General and Minister of Justice of The Gambia,Mr Dawuda Jawara,who used the opportunity to identify some of the skills that are lacking in their country and requested TAC to rise in filling those gaps identified.He then challenged the Volunteers to do all that was considered necessary to rise up to the situation at hand in that country.
Earlier,while presenting the Volunteers to the TAC DG,Director of Programmes at the Agency,Amb.Zakari Usman,tasked the Volunteers to carry high the flag of the country like other participants in the Scheme before them.He said it was by doing so that the objectives of the Scheme would be adequately realized.He encouraged the Volunteers to also adhere to the dos and don’ts of the TAC Scheme,adding that this would only be possible if they upheld the highest standards of conduct and integrity while representing the country abroad.
Team Lead of the batch of Volunteers, Oyetunji Akinlabi, a Professor of Metallurgy and Materials Engineering at the Federal University of Technology, Akure, thanked the Federal Government for the opportunity given to the Volunteers to serve their country. He pledged that, in line with Section 19 of the Nigerian Constitution of 1999 (as amended), the Volunteers will strive to promote the nation’s national interest and also at all times seek to engage in activities that are geared towards the promotion and preservation of African unity.
Among those who spoke for the Volunteers were Dr. Hope Tebira, a Deputy Director and Legal Draftsperson at the National Assembly, and Barr.Joseph Okete. They each pledged to ensure that the nationals of their host country received more than what they had requested from Nigeria.
The new batch of Volunteers will serve for 24 months in the Gambia in line with the statutory terms of engagement with the Nigerian Technical Aid Corps (NTAC).
FG Deploys New Batch of Volunteers to The Gambia
Family Seeks Fresh Probe into Missing Corpse at Anambra Hospital
By: Michael Mike
The family of a deceased engineer whose corpse allegedly disappeared from a mortuary in Anambra State has asked the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) to order a supplementary investigation into the incident, citing omissions and inconsistencies in the police report.
The family, through its lawyer, Mr Joseph Offor, said the investigation into the disappearance of Chukwunweike Okammelu’s body from the mortuary of Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu Teaching Hospital, Amaku, Awka, had left critical questions unanswered.
In a letter dated July 6 and addressed to the IGP, Offor, counsel to Chief Osita Okammelu, urged the police chief to review the investigation and direct further inquiries into the circumstances surrounding the disappearance of the corpse.
The petition was also copied to the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of the Force Criminal Investigation Department, Abuja.
Offor said the matter was referred to the IGP following the family’s complaint, after which it was assigned to the Intelligence Response Team (IRT) for investigation.
He said the IRT had concluded its investigation and issued a report, but his client identified material omissions, inconsistencies and investigative gaps that, he argued, undermined the completeness, fairness and credibility of the findings.
According to him, the report acknowledged the possibility of criminal conspiracy and systemic failures but recommended the prosecution of only the mortician, Mr Clement Ogbonna.
He further alleged that the report acknowledged that significant aspects of the investigation remained outstanding while simultaneously recommending immediate prosecution.
Offor said the findings also identified serious administrative and operational negligence without adequately investigating or recommending appropriate action against all persons who might bear criminal responsibility.
He added that the investigators relied on financial records, call data records and other documentary exhibits without making comprehensive findings from the evidence.
The lawyer said critical questions concerning the chain of custody of the corpse, the roles of other listed suspects, institutional responsibility and the circumstances surrounding the alleged unlawful release and disappearance of the body remained unresolved.
Following the disappearance, the family had reported the matter to the police and raised concerns about what it described as the unprofessional conduct and poor handling of the case by the hospital management.
Offor alleged that, rather than adequately addressing the incident, the hospital leadership relied on what the family described as “spurious narratives and falsehoods” attributed to the mortician.
“Our client has accordingly prepared a detailed analysis identifying these gaps and respectfully demonstrating why he believes the investigation requires further review,” he said.
He urged the IGP to direct a supplementary investigation, with particular attention to the issues outlined in a memorandum accompanying the petition.
“Our client firmly believes that a thorough and comprehensive investigation will ensure that truth is fully uncovered and that justice is done to all parties without fear or favour,” Offor said.
Family Seeks Fresh Probe into Missing Corpse at Anambra Hospital
Presidential Campaign: Zulum Calls for Strategic Mobilisation
By: Our Reporter
Borno State Governor, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum, has called for effective coordination and strategic engagement among members of the Contact and Mobilisation Committee of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council.
Zulum made the call on Tuesday at a meeting of the committee in Abuja where he urged members to demonstrate commitment to their responsibilities and work together to deliver on its mandate.
Zulum, who serves as Coordinating Director, Contact and Mobilisation, said the committee was responsible for coordinating the activities of its various units and groups in line with directives from the APC national leadership.
He stated that its central assignment was to work towards the re-election of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima.
The Governor stressed the importance of holding periodic meetings to review activities, assess progress and develop strategies for engagement and mobilisation.
Governor Zulum also urged members to draw on their collective experience and strengthen consultations to ensure the committee delivers on its mandate.
The meeting was attended by the Deputy Director-General of the Presidential Campaign Council in charge of mobilisation, Senator Adams Oshiomhole; Minister of State for Education, Professor Suwaiba Said Ahmad; Minister of Women Affairs, Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim and Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), Abike Dabiri-Erewa.
Presidential Campaign: Zulum Calls for Strategic Mobilisation
Great Ife Alumni Begin 11-Day China Retreat, Business Tour
By: Michael Mike
The Great Ife Alumni Association has commenced an 11-day international retreat and business exploratory tour in Guangzhou, China, bringing together more than 55 alumni members to strengthen the association and explore business opportunities.
The biennial retreat, which runs from October 23 to November 2, is part of efforts by the association’s Global Executive Council, led by Dr Leye Bunmi Falode, to reposition the alumni body and its alma mater for greater institutional excellence.
In a statement, the association’s Global Publicity Secretary, Abdur-Rahman Balogun, said the initiative was designed to advance the council’s agenda of placing the association and the institution at the forefront of excellence in all ramifications.
Among the delegation are the Global President, Dr Falode, a solicitor and Notary Public; the Vice-Chancellor of Obafemi Awolowo University, Prof. Simeon Bamire; and a former Global President of the association, Engr. Wale Olaleye.
Balogun said no fewer than 55 members of the association had arrived in China for the retreat and business exploratory tour.
The programme combines the association’s biennial retreat with opportunities to explore business prospects in China, potentially opening new avenues for engagement among alumni members and strengthening ties with the international business community.
Great Ife Alumni Begin 11-Day China Retreat, Business Tour
Family Seeks Fresh Probe into Missing Corpse at Anambra Hospital
Presidential Campaign: Zulum Calls for Strategic Mobilisation
Great Ife Alumni Begin 11-Day China Retreat, Business Tour
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