Day: April 12, 2024

A Muslim cleric, Mohammed Abubakar on Thursday called on Nigerians to embrace Godliness and show of love as a lifestyle.

Abubakar, who is the head of ‘Masjidul Ansar’ mosque in One Man Village, Karu, Nasarawa State, made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

According to him, the period of Eid-el-Fitr and Ramadan is not just for merriment, but also a period to reflect on the spirituality and love exhibited by individuals and society as a whole.

Relating the just concluded Ramadan fast to school, Abubakar urged fellow Muslims and Nigerians to always adhere to the lessons and also learn to live with it.

‘If we can stay away from hurting our fellow human beings, robbing, cheating, killing and committing all manner of evil for that period of 29, 30 days, then, it shows we can stay without sins.

‘We should not forget what we have learnt during the period of Ramadan. We should pray and hope for more grace in our future endeavours and celebrations,’ Abubakar said.

He advised citizens
to go beyond the Sallah celebration and continue to share love and peace among themselves.

‘As we celebrate this Eid-el-fitr, haven learnt so much from Ramadan, irrespective of being rich or poor, we must, especially the rich, always extend food, money, clothing and arms to the poor.

‘We should consider everybody as one and desirable of each other’s love in different ways,’ he said.

Abubakar urged Nigerians to always pray for the nation’s peace and harmony.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

Addis Ababa: France will host international humanitarian conference next week with the objective to find a sustainable solution to the conflict in Sudan, according to the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs for European Affairs.

The “Paris Conference for Sudan”, which will be held on the 15th of April in Paris, is expected to find solutions to the problems in Sudan with the participation of all influential actors, highlighting humanitarian disasters, and soliciting donations and pledges to support those affected by the war.

It was learned that the conference will include representatives from 20 countries and international organizations, including Sudan’s neighboring countries, IGAD and African Union. .

Sudanese civil society organizations, academics and Sudanese business community will also participate at the conference.

It was indicated during the occasion that the humanitarian needs in Sudan is estimated at 4 billion euro.

Source: Ethiopian News Agency

The Lagos State Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development has called on communities in and around Omu-Creek, in Ibeju-Lekki Local Government Area, to support the government in achieving the construction of Omu-Creek Road and bridge.

The Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Dr Oluyinka Olumide, made the appeal at a stakeholders’ meeting on the construction of the first phase of the project, on Friday in Lagos.

Olumide, represented by Mr Oluwole Sotire, Permanent Secretary, Office of Physical Planning, said that the Omu-Creek Road project was one of the many great examples of the infrastructure improvements of the state government.

According to him, this aligns with the goals outlined in Gov. Sanwo-Olu’s THEMES+ Agenda as he believes that this new road will improve connectivity and the economy of the area.

He said, ‘ As we deepen our developmental efforts in your local government area, it is important that all hands must be on deck to ensure the successful takeoff and complet
ion of the Omu-Creek Road project to enhance connectivity and vastly improve the socio-economic development of the state.

‘To this end, I urge members of the communities in and around Omu Creek Road(Phase1) as well as the entire Ibeju-Lekki Local Government Area of Lagos State to give their unalloyed support to the people that will be involved in the project.

‘The support should also include staff of the Office of Physical Planning and Lands Bureau, who shall have to establish and deliver the Right of Way, and respectively carry out enumeration of affected property for the project to birth successfully.

‘And produce the expected benefits of improved transportation and interconnectivity within the state while also enhancing property value among others.”

Olumide emphasised that public infrastructure like roads were collective assets which belong to everyone in the community.

He said that it was the responsibility of everyone to ‘monitor and protect’ these public assets, including the new road to be con
structed.

The commissioner promised that the government would take all necessary steps to finish the project on time, adding that it would try its best to minimise any disruptions caused by the construction.

He acknowledged that some structures might need to be removed to make way for the road, noting that this removal would only happen if absolutely necessary for the project.

He promised that any property affected would be compensated according to the rules.

The Special Adviser, Works and Infrastructure, Lagos state, Mr Olufemi Daramola, congratulated the communities in and around the axis and convinced them of the project’s benefits and why they should support it.

He noted that the project aligned with Gov. Sanwo-Olu’s development plan, emphasising the government’s focus on infrastructure.

Daramola assured the community that the upcoming wet season would not be a problem for commuters, suggesting improvements compared to the past.

He encouraged residents to appreciate the governor’s efforts in develo
ping the area, emphasising that the project followed the state’s long-term development strategy.

Daramola, who highlighted the project’s significance, said it had the potential to increase property value in the area.

He requested the community’s cooperation for the success of the project, saying this is presented as the beginning of further development initiatives in the area.

The Permanent Secretary, Office of Infrastructure, Mr Lateef Somide, while discussing the project brief, noted that the road, about 600 metres bridge length, would open up the creek and improve economic activity of that corridor.

He said that the road would be in two sections and would have pavements of 3.65 metres each just like what is being done presently in Lekki-Epe expressway.

He said, ‘ So it tells you that, that particular road will have nothing less than over 50 years life span upon completion and economic activities on that road will be enhanced.”

Mr Tomilola Olatinwo, Project Consultant, Advanced Engineering Consultant
s, explained some of the challenges and considerations that would go into the designing of the project.

He revealed that the soil around the creek was weak and would require special attention, adding that there was a need to build a very strong foundation, possibly going down 60 to 70 meters, to account for this.

Olatinwo also said that due to the difficult soil conditions, the project would be more expensive than usual.

The consultant said that the road was designed to have a three-lane carriageway on each side of the road, including the bridge to handle the expected traffic volume in that area.

The Project Director, Zakhia Bozhouny, Craneburg Construction Company, promised that the construction work on the Omu-Creek road project would be of the highest quality.

He said that the company would use the best materials and construction methods to build a road that is durable, safe, and functional.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that stakeholders at the meeting appealed to the state government for
fair compensation for their loss and fair treatment during the construction process.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

Addis Ababa: Efforts are being made with a view to achieving excellence in digital transformation in Ethiopia by supporting products of artificial intelligence (AI), Deputy Prime Minister Temesenge Tiruneh remarked.

Robot Desta performed a musical performance with the distinguished Jazz musician, Mulatu Astatke last night.

The Deputy PM, high ranking government officials, technology innovators and other invited guests were in attendance at the event.

On the occasion, Deputy PM Temesgen said Ethiopia is working to accelerate the transformation of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and technology transfer.

Temesgen mentioned the importance of AI in tackling the complex challenges facing African nations, including Ethiopia, and said that the government is exerting efforts to accelerate the growth of the sector and other digital alternatives by establishing Digital Transformation Council and taking other crucial measures.

Thus, he continued, the country’s digital transformation will be intensified through accelera
ting the development of AI technologies like Robot Desta.Director General of Ethiopia’s Artificial Intelligence Institute, Worku Gachena for his part described the significance of AI in supporting the ongoing digital transformation process in the country citing efforts being made to use AI in the development of agriculture, health, education, industry parks and other economic sectors.

The Musical performance was organized by Ethiopian Artificial Intelligence Institute and iCog Labs in partnership with Ethiopian Airlines and Ethio-telecom.

Robot Desta has been made to speak Amharic, demonstrates other feelings including happiness.

Desta delivered a speech in Amharic at the event.

Robot Desta, which is in display at the Science Museum, has been developed by Ethiopian Artificial Intelligence Institute and iCog Labs in collaboration with other institutions.

Source: Ethiopian News Agency

Prof. Elifas Bisanda, the Vice-Chancellor, Open University of Tanzania (OUT), has called for the rejigging of educational curriculum in Africa, to focus on core societal needs, rather than western culture.

Bisanda said this on Friday while delivering the 13th Convocation Lecture of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) in Abuja, with the theme ‘Is Western Education still Relevant for Africa?’.

He said that the theme of the convocation lecture was borne out of several questions on the minds of Africans, if the current trend in education was still beneficial to the continent.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the convocation lecture is part of activities lined up for the 13th convocation of NOUN and the investiture of the third Chancellor of the university, Ewuare II, The Oba of Benin.

Bisanda, who is a Professor of Mechanical Engineering, said it was time for Africa to put behind it the shackles of colonialism and move into the present realm of education that guarantees skills develop
ment.

Citing examples with some African and European countries, Bisanda noted that what distinguished the education in Africa from the West was the skills acquisition.

‘Skill acquisition is absent in our education in Africa, but it is present at every level of education in advance countries.

‘Our education should focus on societal needs so that our youths would be prepared to participate in the local economy when they leave schools.

‘Those who graduated previously from colleges and universities but cannot gain employment must be encouraged to go back to undertake technical and vocational education in order to gain new skills that are relevant for this age,’ he said.

The Tanzanian highlighted the lesson’s and the experiences of COVID-19 many people died in Europe and America, while many survived in Africa because of herbs prepared by herbalists.

‘We survived in Africa because local herbalists produced a lot of concoctions out of ginger, onions, garlic and many other herbs that killed the COVID-19 virus.

‘
But the World Health Organisation (WHO) did not recognise those concoctions and hence were not prescribed and administered by doctors in some hospitals.

‘Some rich people went to hospitals that were admitting western drugs and perished there; meanwhile, poor people who used traditional concoctions, including steam infusion, survived. I salute all our traditional herbalists for saving our continent,’ he said.

According to Bisanda, there seems to be a conspiracy theory by the West against Africa to ensure that development is stunted.

He pointed out that the skills possessed by Africans were destroyed by the western world when they came to colonise Africa.

‘While the West is determined to keep us Africans where we are, we must take affirmative action to get out of this mess they have imposed on us, while our resources are being taken away.

‘Our forefathers could make canoes and boats for fishing and water transport, but when the colonialists came, they did everything they could to kill our indigenous skills
.

‘In Uganda, they cut off the thumbs of all blacksmiths so that they could not forge or cast tools as their thumbs were the main actor in the process of blowing air in the furnace.’

He added that learning no longer take place in the classrooms, but on the fields and by practical experiences since the advent of iinternet and the fourth industrial revolution. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

WINDHOEK: A 19-year-old Namibian male died on the spot after he jumped from the fourth story of the Independence Memorial Museum in Windhoek around 09h00 on Friday.

Chief Inspector Elifas Kuwinga of the Namibian Police Force confirmed to Nampa that the name of the deceased is known but could not be revealed because his next of kin had not yet been informed of his death.

Kuwinga said that according to a witness, the deceased came into the building, took the elevator to the fourth floor, went to the bar and asked for water to drink. He then went to the balcony on the same floor and jumped.

No suicide note has been found, and police investigations in the matter continue.

Source: Namibia Press Agency