Day: May 3, 2023

The National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC) has advised Nigerian youths to shun the ‘Japa syndrome’, saying it does not guarantee shortcut to affluence.

Mr Olusegun Runsewe, Director-General, NCAC, gave the advice during a tourism and culture stakeholders meeting on Tuesday in Abuja.

The meeting meant to set agenda for the incoming government, had as its theme: “Culture, Peace and National Rebirth: An Agenda Setting”.

Runsewe gave instances where some youths travel abroad to embrace menial jobs which they found difficult to practice in Nigeria.

He said it was high time the ‘japa syndrome’ was addressed as he urged the youth to remain creative and work on being self employed.

He noted that traveling abroad did not give room for automatic affluence.

“It is our duty to culturally guide the country, our youths are frustrated due to the state of the economy but it is not enough to travel out of the country to embrace menial jobs when they can stay and be creative to create wealth.

“There is the growing feeling of alienation among the vast majority of our youths, manifesting in various forms of restiveness and the internationalisation and exhibition of vices that are at variance with our culture.

“We need to wake up to this reality and ensure the situation is promptly corrected as government and parents,” he said

Runsewe noted that the meeting was deliberately planned to guide the incoming government on what to be done in the cultural sector.

He said three garmane issues were addressed: the Japa syndrome, religious intolerance and violence as well as the need for cultural rebirth.

He appealed to Nigerian leaders at all levels to work as a team in providing the enabling social environment for the development of the nation by preaching peace, living in peace and working together in peace.

Also, Alhaji Nura Kangiwa, Director-General, National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism (NIHOTOUR), said , “there is no greener pasture anywhere, the youth only need to be appropriately skilled to be self employed.

“The observation is also that the youth are too proud to embrace the reality; wasting their future abroad; their choice of greener pasture can be created here in Nigeria as they embrace various skills.”

Earlier, Mrs Rebecca Ede, Chief Executive Officer, Hadid Consult, said government’s assistance and urgent intervention was needed to position the youth to know what they have to project for wealth creation.

She advised that internet fraudsters should also be harnessed for rehabilitation and reorientation.

She urged the youth to constantly upgrade themselves with some globally transferrable skills.

According to her, these skills refer to abilities or knowledge that extend beyond a specific role, function or profession

“The youth can empower themselves with power skills, also known as transferable skills like: problem solving, critical thinking, project management, relationship building, communication skills and technology skills.

“All these can be developed and served from Nigeria as they dominate the universe from home.

“These skills have the potential to be applied in various contexts, industries, or job functions, making them highly sought-after by employers worldwide.

“Possessing these skills can be an invaluable asset and can help you succeed, no matter where your career takes you. The good news is that developing these skills is straightforward, and they can be applied to any career path,” she said.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

Prospective pilgrims who made deposits for the forthcoming Hajj with Kano State Pilgrims and Welfare Board have been told to complete their payment as announced by the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON).

The Executive Secretary of the Board, Alhaji Abba Muhammed-Danbatta, gave the charge at a news conference on Tuesday in Kano.

Muhammed-Danbatta said the deadline was to enable the board to comply with the deadline set by NAHCON for all states in respect of payment of Hajj fares for this year.

The board executive secretary said that payment of the balance by prospective pilgrims would enable the board to establish its master list for the trip, considering the time frame for the transportation of the pilgrims to the Holy land.

Muhammed-Danbatta said that 4,500 out of the 5,917 intending pilgrims had completed their payment for the pilgrimage.

He disclosed that completing the amount as required, would enable the board to continue with other travel arrangements as well as the deadline for the balance of payment to NAHCON.

He said that, “even those who have not completed their payment are included in the list of the intending pilgrims going for this year’s Hajj, but I still want to plead with others to complete the payment of their fare.

“Max Air has been engaged as one of the aircraft to airlift our intending pilgrims, each one will airlift over 1,600 intended pilgrims and they have ordered for another aircraft,” he said.

Muhammed-Danbatta said the board had completed all preparations for this year’s Hajj, including accommodation, feeding, transportation from Jeddah to Makkah and Makkah to Madina.

He said the board was, however, waiting for directives from NAHCON to start issuing visa for those from the state.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

Mr Mele Kyari, the Group Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd. (NNPCL), has called on African countries to take advantage of the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA).

Kyari said this would help to diversify their energy sources into a sustainable and low-carbon energy mix, and ensure sustainability of the energy sector in the continent.

Kyari was represented by the Executive Vice President, Upstream, Mr Adokiye Tombomieye, while delivering a keynote address at a luncheon and panel session organised by Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria (PETAN) at the ongoing Offshore Technology Conference (OTC), on Tuesday in Houston, Texas, United States.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the session had as its theme: “Energy Transition in Africa: The Journey, Challenges and the Way Forward”.

He reiterated the need for African Union to adopt the African common position on energy access and equitable transition, which is a comprehensive approach that charts Africa’s short, medium, and long-term energy development pathways to accelerate universal energy access.

He described the theme as apt saying the journey toward energy transition in Africa has been challenging.

According to him, AfCFTA is one of the flagship projects of Agenda 2063 and it is a high ambition trade agreement, with a comprehensive scope that includes critical areas of Africa’s economy, such as digital trade and investment protection, amongst other areas.

“It is the world’s largest free trade area bringing together the 55 countries of the African Union (AU) and eight Regional Economic Communities (RECs).

“The overall mandate of the AfCFTA is to create a single continental market with a population of about 1.3 billion people and a combined Gross Domestic Product of approximately $3.4 trillion.

“By eliminating barriers to trade in Africa, the objective of the AfCFTA is to significantly boost intra-Africa trade, particularly trade in value-added production and trade across all sectors of Africa’s economy,” he said.

Kyari expressed worry that despite being home to some of the world’s largest oil and gas reserves, Africa has struggled to leverage these resources to drive sustainable development fully.

He pointed out that the lack of access to reliable and affordable energy had significantly impeded economic growth and development, particularly in rural areas.

The NNPCL boss said while African oil and gas industry had contributed to the continent’s economic growth for several decades, there was the need to ensure its sustainability.

To move toward a more sustainable future, Kyari said that the African continent must acknowledge that the industry is transforming rapidly.

He said, “As we gather here today, it is essential to acknowledge that Africa is at the forefront of the global energy transition.

“The journey towards a sustainable, low-carbon energy future presents challenges and opportunities for the continent.

“The energy transition is driving changes in the global energy mix, and it presents significant challenges for Africa (financing, infrastructure, policy/regulatory frameworks, skills and capacity).”

NAN also reports that the event was attended by captains of the oil and gas industry as well as regulators in the sector.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria