The Executive Secretary, Nigerian Christian Pilgrim Commission, Rev Dr Yakubu Pam received in audience members of the working committee of the All Progressive Congress, APC Plateau State chapter, who paid him a condolence visit on 21st January, 2022 in his residence in Jos over the passing on to glory of his mother, Ngo Zimi Pam who died on 15th January, 2022 in Jos .
Rev Pam thanked them for their show of solidarity and love in this moment of his bereavement. His words,” I am highly humbled this morning for bringing the entire EXCO to my house on a condolence visit.
He explained that their visit had brought relief and comfort to him and the entire family.
He recalled with nostalgia the invaluable role played in his life by his late mother whom he said he would greatly miss her exit . His words,” I will definitely miss a counsellor and a friend”, he said.
He noted that in terms of spirituality, his late mother was his backbone. He described her as ” a woman who believes in prayer, fasting and intercession” . He added, ” I have seen divine interventions in various times through her”.
The NCPC boss further affirmed that her late mother was instrumental in the actualization of his dreams in life.
He commended the APC leadership in the state for their visionary leadership. He explained that the Plateau State Governor, RT.Hon.Simon Lalong is happy with the activities of the party in the state .
He thanked the members of the APC working committee for their words of comfort and consolation.
Earlier, the APC chairman in Plateau State, Hon. Rufus Bature stated thus: “we are here to commiserate with you over the loss of your mother”.
He explained that even though the late Ngo Zimi Pam died in her ripe age, but the entire family would greatly miss her wise counsel.
Hon. Bature further reiterated that “death is a passage that everyone must pass through, God,s time is always the best,” he said.
He prayed that God would grant the NCPC boss and his entire family the heart to bear the irreparable loss.
The chairman thanked the NCPC boss on behalf of the party for all his support to the party, the government of Plateau State and his support to the people of Plateau State.
Signed:
Celestine Toruka Head Media and Public Relations
21st January,2022.
APC PLATEAU STATE EXCO PAYS CONDOLENCE VISIT TO NCPC BOSS
NCPC BOSS RECEIVES MEMBERS OF THE PLATEAU STATE MUSLIM PILGRIMS WELFARE BOARD ON CONDOLENCE VISIT
The Executive Secretary, Nigerian Christian Pilgrim Commission, Rev Dr Yakubu Pam received in audience in his residence in Jos on 21st January, 2022 , the entire Members of the Plateau State Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board who paid him a condolence visit over the loss of his mother, Ngo Zimi Pam.
While playing host to the members of the Board, Rev Pam said their visit was a clear show of love to see the entire Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board on condolence in his residence.
He stated that the death of her mother had shown that Plateau State is a unique state where elders are respected and celebrated. He reaffirmed that her death had brought unity and togetherness.
Rev Pam told his guests that while his mother was alive, she could only be found in two important places- the farm and the church.
He explained that his attainments in life was because of her disciplined and prayerful life.
He thanked God for her good lifestyle and she did not owe anybody anything despite all her travails in life.
In his condolence, the Chairman of the Plateau State Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board, Barr. Auwal Abdullahi, told the NCPC boss that they were in his residence to commiserate and condole with him on the loss of his mother, Ngo Zimi Pam.
He described death as a phenomenon which everyone must pass through. According to him,” when someone,s time comes, it will not be delayed in a minute”, he said.
He affirmed that they were happy that his late mother was able to produce a worthy son like him; a worthy successor of a great mother judging by the rich pedigree of the NCPC boss.
Barr. Abdullahi said that Rev Pam and the Plateau State Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board enjoyed robust and excellent relationship from when he was the chairman of the Plateau State Christian Pilgrims Welfare Board.
Signed:
Celestine Toruka Head Media and Public Relations
22nd January,2022.
President Muhammadu Buhari’s vision is to lift 100 million Nigerians out of poverty by 2030
The attention of the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development is drawn to a statement credited to the Bauchi State Governor, His Excellency, Senator Bala Mohammed, who alleged that “over N1trilion federal government’s Social Investment Programme (SIP) has been siphoned by public and political office holders under president Muhammadu Buhari’s nose”.
The Governor, who further stated that “corruption has already crashed the Federal Government’s SIP programme to its knees, challenged the FG to adopt the system of empowerment his administration is doing in Bauchi state”.
The above statement was made at the launch of the Kaura Economic Empowerment Programme (KEEP), during which he was also quoted to have declared, amongst others, that “today, the social investment programme has collapsed and nobody is getting anything”.
The Ministry wishes to categorically affirm that the above unsubstantiated statements credited to the Bauchi State Governor are manifestly false, and have absolutely no bearing to the realities on ground.
The Federal Government’s National Social Investment Programme (NSIP) launched by His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari in 2016 and currently being supervised by the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development is very much alive functional, dynamic and increasingly expanding to reach and continue to make a significant positive difference in the lives of even more poor and vulnerable households and beneficiaries nationwide, including Bauchi State. To claim otherwise will not be in tune with the realities on the implementation of the NSIP in his state, in particular, as regularly being reported in both the traditional and new media outlets.
By way of emphasis, the National Social Investment Programme (NSIP), though a Federal Government funded intervention, is strictly being implemented by state government appointed officials and indigenes, who are working tirelessly alongside the NSIP team at the national level to deliver the inherent benefits of the various programmes to the poor and vulnerable persons in their respective states, in line with the good intentions of Mr. President to lift 100 million Nigerians out of poverty by the year 2030. The head of the State NSIP implementation team is a Focal Person directly appointed by His Excellency, the Governor.
The entire beneficiaries and participants across all programmes (clusters) are bona fide indigenes of the state, just as payments to participants and beneficiaries are also made directly into their individual accounts.
For instance:
a) On the National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme (NHGSFP), all payments made to cooks, who are all employed and appointed by the state government, are effected through their individual accounts. Similarly, the food materials aggregators are directly engaged and introduced to the Ministry by His Excellency, the Governor, and are also directly paid through their respective company accounts. In Bauchi State, there are 3,357 (three thousand, three hundred and fifty – seven) Primary schools with 444,099 (four hundred and forty – four thousand, and ninety- nine) pupils, 7,538 (seven thousand, five hundred and thirty – eight) cooks, and 12 (twelve) Food aggregators on the National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme.
b) Payments for N-Power beneficiaries, all indigenes of the State, are also made directly into their respective accounts. These N-Power volunteers are attached to schools, healthcare centres and ADPs across the state. Under Batch A, there were 4,837 (four thousand, eight hundred and thirty – seven) graduate beneficiaries, Batch B had 8,041 (eight thousand, and forty – one) graduate beneficiaries, 1,667 (one thousand, six hundred and sixty – seven) N-Build non-graduate beneficiaries, and 339 (three hundred and thirty – nine) N-Knowledge beneficiaries. Currently, under the Batch C1, there are 14,535 (fourteen thousand, five hundred and thirty – five) graduate beneficiaries, 629 (six hundred and twenty – nine) N-Knowledge beneficiaries, 301 (three hundred and one) Mobile Money Agents and 175 (one hundred and seventy – five) Phone Repairs Technicians participating in Bauchi State.
c) Under the Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme (GEEP), all beneficiaries receive the proceeds of their interest-free and collateral-free soft loans directly into their respective accounts. In Bauchi State, the GEEP 2.0 has already registered a total of 37,907 (thirty – seven thousand, nine hundred and seven) from all the 20 (twenty) LGAs to participate under the MarketMoni, TraderMoni and FarmerMoni products.
d) On the Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) cluster, the poor and vulnerable households are all identified and enrolled into the National Social Register (NSR) through an independent Community Based Targeting (CBT) strategy in each state. The NSR is generated from individual state social registers, which are domiciled at the State Ministry of Planning, including that of Bauchi State. From this NSR, the Conditional Cash Transfer beneficiaries are selected and enrolled into a National Beneficiary Register (NBR), which is used to make payments of N5,000 (five thousand Naira) monthly grants over a 2-year period. In Bauchi State, there are 75,110 (seventy – five thousand, one hundred and ten) poor and vulnerable households in the NSR, made up of 401,395 (four hundred and one thousand, three hundred and ninety – five) individuals, from which a total of 99,957 (ninety – nine thousand, nine hundred and fifty – seven) from all the 20 (twenty) LGAs are in the National Beneficiary Register (NBR) and are currently receiving monthly payments up to date.
e) Grant for Rural Women is a special project approved by Mr President aimed to empower rural poor and vulnerable women through an advance of a one off grant of N20,000 (twenty thousand Naira) to Rural Women with emphasis on engendering financial inclusion and, most specifically, developing and enhancing rural informal enterprises. In Bauchi State, a total of 8,671 (eight thousand, six hundred and seventy – one) women, all indigenes of Bauchi State benefitted.
f) Engagement of community-based Independent Monitors (IMs), who are all indigenes of the State, are deliberately deployed to ensure effective implementation of the NSIP as designed. In Bauchi State, a total of 268 (two hundred and sixty – eight) IMs from all the 20 LGAs have been engaged, deployed and are regularly being paid the monthly N30,000 (thirty thousand Naira) stipend directly into their personal accounts.
g) The Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) centers with requisite IT tools and equipment were established in selected public science and technical secondary schools to strategically engender and promote the study of science, engineering and technology, along with building the IT skills of students. In Bauchi State, 13 (thirteen) such adequately equipped STEM centres are currently functional, with 3 (three) fully trained STEM teachers in each of the schools.
h) The Alternate School Programme (ASP) that targets to reach 1,000,000 (one million) Out Of School Children (OOSC) nationwide in 2022, as approved by Mr. President, is currently being implemented. Bauchi State is fully captured, like all other States Nationwide.
The above verifiable statistics serve as ample and credible evidence that the NSIP is fully operational and functional across Nigeria, including Bauchi State.
It is pertinent to stress at this point that poverty knows no pollical affiliation. The Ministry, therefore, wishes to congratulate His Excellency, the Bauchi State Governor, on the recent launch of the Kaura Economic Empowerment Programme (KEEP) and also welcome him on board to join it in the onerous fight against poverty in Nigeria, and in Bauchi State in particular.
God bless Nigeria.
Engr. Umar B. Bindir, PhD
National Coordinator, NSIP
Issued this 21th day of January, 2022
Sadiya Umar Farouq bags Most Trusted Woman in Public Office award.
The International Human Rights Commission IHRC has decorated the Minister of Human Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development Sadiya Umar Farouq with the award of the ‘Most Trusted Woman in Public Office’.
The Minister was bestowed with the award on Thursday in her Abuja Office.
While decorating the minister, the Country Head for Nigeria and Commissioner for West African Countries, IHRC Ambassador at Large, Dr. Friday Sani noted that a searchlight was secretly beamed on Umar Farouq for the past two years but no crime of diversion of funds or otherwise were found during the investigation.
“Our regional organization received several complaints over financial irregularities and diversion of funds meant for the poor people of Nigeria and this prompted our close to two years investigation with our world class security organization.
“The report we have received from our partners, the International Police Corporation has proven negative of any money diversion linked directly or indirectly to the honorable minister as claimed by those who wrote officially to our office. And this has compelled the resolution of our advisory board to Honour the Minister as the First Nigerian Most Trusted Woman in Public Office”.
In her response, the Minister thanked IHRC for the noble award while promising to keep working hard for humanity.
“I see this as a divine honour from God because I have never met this people. I don’t know them but I know that there is an International Human Rights Organization .
“This award goes to the team who have supported me through thick and thin. Posterity will judge us. For us to be even recognized means that we are doing well and we will continue to serve our country in our service to humanity”.
Eight other members of the IHRC Executive accompanied the Country Head for Nigeria and Commissioner for West African Countries to decorate the minister including Barr. Barnabas Idoko
Director for Complaints and Registration, IHRC, Fadila Sale Badi Ag. Director for Int’l Genda Affairs, Tayo FolorunshoTechnical Partner, One Student, One Skill Education Programme, Danladi OmaleTechnical Partner, Social Affairs Services, Barr. Godfrey Asst. Head of Legal, IHRC and Barr. Chisom Laura Ikeudeoba, Multimillion Regional Volunteers Coordinator, Eastern Nigeria, IHRC.
NNEKA IKEM AIBEZE
SA MEDIA
20-01-2022
NITDA Set to Launch Hackathons in 3 States
PRESS RELEASE
The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) under the supervision of the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy through its subsidiary, the National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (NCAIR) is hosting 3 editions of the NITDA HACKATHON in January 2022.
NITDA Hackathon is a national event in collaboration with academic institutions to drive digital innovation and entrepreneurship by challenging Nigeria’s teeming youths to ideate and develop solutions from inception through to the market. The hackathon is set to develop and grow a global network of IT experts, comprising Nigerian youths within the country and in the diaspora. It is targeted at inculcating entrepreneurship spirit in academia, creating a platform where industry and public institutions will leverage the academic research ecosystem to solve national challenges using technology.
This year, the focus is on Agriculture, Security and Logistics. The first edition will hold between18th – 20th January 2022 at the ModibboAdama University of Technology(MAUTECH), Yola, Adamawa.And the second editionwill hold between 25th – 27th January 2022 at the University of Ibadan, Oyo State, while the third edition will hold between 31stJanuary – 2nd February 2022 at the University of Calabar, Cross Rivers State.
The challenge is open to ALL- students, entrepreneurs and innovators.
The successful startups’ groups in each category will be awarded cash prizes and will have the opportunity to develop their idea further for commercialisation with NITDA’s support.
For more information, please visit the link https://bit.ly/32FshGF.
About NCAIR
The National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (NCAIR) is one of NITDA’s special purpose vehicles created to promote research and development on emerging technologies and their practical application in areas of Nigerian national interest. NCAIR is also focused on creating a thriving ecosystem for innovation-driven entrepreneurship (IDE), job creation, and national development.
For more information: https://www.ncair.nitda.gov.ng
Signed:
Mrs. Hadiza Umar, MNIPR, M.APRA, MCIPR
Head, Corporate Affairs and External Relations,
Corporate Headquarters, Garki, Abuja.
NITDA TRAINS, EMPOWERS 60 RURAL WOMEN ON ICT, TECHPRENEUR
As part of efforts in bridging the digital divide in the country through the implementation of the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy, the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has continued in its national-wide capacitybuilding on digital literacy for the teeming youths and women across the country.
Digital literacy and skills, which is a key pillar in the Agency’s Strategic Road Map and Action Plan (SRAP) 2021-2024 have remained a key focus of the Agency’s Director-General, Kashifu Inuwa,CCIE, in ensuring the acquisition of digital skills across different works of life as well as support the goal of achieving 95% digital literacy level in the next ten years.
In implementing this strategic pillar, NITDA, in conjunction with the Federal Ministry of Communicationsand Digital Economy, has concluded a 4-day capacity building of Women on ICT Techprenuership in Dutse, Jigawa State capital,where 60 brand new HP laptops were presented to all participants who were drawn from various local governments within the state.
The Governor of Jigawa State, Badaru Abubakar who was represented by the Special Assistant on Economic Empowerment, Malam Muhammed sheikh Mujaddadi commended NITDA’s commitment to innovation-driven enterprises for micro, small and medium enterprises to thrive.
The participants were advised to make good use of the tools received from NITDA in collaboration with the Jigawa State Government in ensuring that they are self-reliant in the Digital world.
In his remarks, The NITDA Director-General, who was represented by the supervisory department’s desk officer, Folayan Micheal Oluwasegun, admonished all participants to apply the knowledge gained in their various fields.
“The aim of the training is to equip the women on how to utilize modern ICT tools in doing their online businesses,” the DG averred.
On their part, the participants thanked NITDA and Jigawa state Government for this laudable initiative and promised to make good use of the knowledge impacted on them and they materials they received .
Umar Farouq flags off Training of 37 Master Trainers For N-Skills Programme.
A training workshop for 37 Master Trainers for the N-Skills Programme, an arm under Federal Government’s National Social Investment Programme N-Power, has commenced in Abuja.
Declaring the training session open, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development Sadiya Umar Farouq said that the N-Skills programme targets marginalized and disadvantaged population, including those with primary or no-formal education.
The Minister who was represented by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry Mr Bashir Nura Alkali stated that the 37 Master Trainers will later coordinate the training of 6,475 youths selected from the 36 States and FCT.
“The Ministry worked with experienced training service providers to carefully select those to be trained today as Master Trainers. We expect these Master Trainers to effectively play their role of coordinating the training of the target beneficiaries of the N-Skills programme in their respective States and FCT.
“The success of the programme relies to a large extent on your capacity and commitment to ensure effective delivery of the training, especially in the three important areas of Life Skills, Foundational Skills and Entrepreneurial Skills.
“I urge you to, therefore, participate actively to learn and enhance your capacity. I am confident that with the calibre of resource persons and facilitators assembled here, this goal will be achieved”.
Earlier, the National Coordinator, NSIP Dr Umar Bindir noted that N-Power targets delivery capacity and capability alongside skills. He added that this is one of the measures being taken to ensure that no one is left behind under the President Muhammadu Buhari administration of lifting 100 million Nigerians out of poverty by 2032.
“The training targets the unlearned so that every category of Nigerians will have something to fall back on”.
In his remarks, the Team Lead, N-Power Mr Nsikak Okon stated that 175 N-Skills beneficiaries were selected through random sampling from each of the 36 states and the FCT.
“We target market places and other informal places as well as the streets.
“The essence of training the Master Trainers is to ensure that they get it right from the foundation. They have to know the entrepreneurial skills as well as life skills so that when they go back to the grassroots, they will be able to impart what they have been taught”.
Upon completion of the training, the target beneficiaries will be provided with Start-up Kits.
NNEKA IKEM ANIBEZE
SA MEDIA
14th January 2022
FGN LIFTS SUSPENSION OF TWITTER OPERATIONS
PRESS RELEASE
The Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) directs me to inform the public that President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, has approved the lifting of the suspension of Twitter operation in Nigeria effective from 12am tonight, 13th January 2022. The approval was given following a memo written to the President by the Honourable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof Isa Ali Ibrahim. In the Memo, the Minister updates and requests the President’s approval for the lifting based on the Technical Committee Nigeria-Twitter Engagement’s recommendation. 2. You may recall that on 5th June 2021, the FGN suspended the operation of Twitter through an announcement made by the Honourable Minister of Information and Culture, Alh Lai Mohammed. Thereafter, the President constituted a seven-man Presidential Committee to engage Twitter Inc. Subsequently, in its wisdom, the Presidential Committee set a 20-member Technical Committee comprising all relevant government agencies. The Technical Committee engaged and worked directly with the Twitter team. 3. The immediate and remote cause of the suspension was the unceasing use of the platform by some unscrupulous elements for subversive purposes and criminal activities, propagating fake news, and polarising Nigerians along tribal and religious lines, among others. These issues bordering on National Security, Cohesion and the effects of the abuse of the Twitter platform forced the FGN to suspend the operation of Twitter to address the direct and collateral issues around its operations in Nigeria. 4. The new global reality is that digital platforms and their operators wield enormous influence over the fabric of our society, social interaction and economic choices. These platforms can be used as either a tool or a weapon. Every nation is grappling with how to balance its usage efficiently. Without balancing, every citizen’s security, privacy, social well-being, and development are at stake. Therefore, our action is a deliberate attempt to recalibrate our relationship with Twitter to achieve the maximum mutual benefits for our nation without jeopardising the justified interests of the Company. Our engagement has been very respectful, cordial, and successful. 5. The process of resolving this impasse between the FGN and Twitter Inc. has helped lay a foundation for a mutually beneficial future with endless possibilities. Twitter is a platform of choice for many Nigerians ranging from young innovators to public sector officials who find it helpful to engage their audience. Therefore, our engagement will help Twitter improve and develop more business models to cover a broader area in Nigeria. Furthermore, the FGN looks forward to providing a conducive environment for Twitter and other global tech companies to achieve their potential and be sustainably profitable in Nigeria. 6. While appreciating all Nigerians, especially the vibrant Nigerian youths who have borne with the long wait to resolve this impasse, the FGN is happy to say that the gains made from this shared national sacrifice are immeasurable. Some of the gains include: a) Ongoing economic and training opportunities as the Company continues to consider expanding its presence in Nigeria; b) Getting a better understanding of how to use the Twitter platform effectively to improve businesses; c) Revenue generation from the operation of Twitter in Nigeria; d) Smooth and coordinated relationship between Nigerian Government and Twitter leading to mutual trust; e) Reduction of cybercriminal activities such as terrorism, cyberstalking, hate speech, etc.; and f) Working with Twitter and other global companies to build an acceptable code of conduct following the global best practice.
7. The FGN has asked Twitter to fulfil some conditions before restoring its services. These conditions addressed legal registration of operations, taxation, and managing prohibited publication in line with Nigerian laws. Twitter has agreed to meet all the conditions set by the FGN. Consequently, the FGN and Twitter have decided on an execution timeline, which has started this week. Our engagement with Twitter opens a new chapter in global digital diplomacy and sets a new operational template for Twitter to come back stronger for the benefit of Nigerians. The following are the resolutions agreed with Twitter. Inc.: i. Twitter has committed to establishing a legal entity in Nigeria during the first quarter of 2022. The legal entity will register with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC). The establishment of the entity is Twitter’s first step in demonstrating its long-term commitment to Nigeria. ii. Twitter has agreed to appoint a designated country representative to interface with Nigerian authorities. The Global Public Policy team is also directly available through a dedicated communication channel. iii. Twitter has agreed to comply with applicable tax obligations on its operations under Nigerian law. iv. Twitter has agreed to enrol Nigeria in its Partner Support and Law Enforcement Portals. The Partner Support Portal provides a direct channel for government officials and Twitter staff to manage prohibited content that violates Twitter community rules. At the same time, the Law Enforcement Portal provides a channel for the law enforcement agencies to submit a report with a legal justification where it suspects that content violates Nigerian Laws. Taken together, these represent a comprehensive compliance apparatus. v. Twitter has agreed to act with a respectful acknowledgement of Nigerian laws and the national culture and history on which such legislation has been built and work with the FGN and the broader industry to develop
a Code of Conduct in line with global best practices, applicable in almost all developed countries. 8. Therefore, the FGN lifts the suspension of the Twitter operations in Nigeria from midnight of 13th January 2022. We encourage all users of the Twitter platform to maintain ethical behaviour and refrain from promoting divisive, dangerous, and distasteful information on the platform. As patriotic citizens, we need to be mindful that anything illegal offline is also illegal online and that committing a crime using a Nigerian Internet Protocol (IP) is synonymous with committing a crime within our jurisdiction. 9. Considering Twitter’s influence on our democracy, our economy, and the very fabric of our corporate existence as a Nation, our priority is to adapt, not ban, Twitter. The FGN is committed to working with Twitter to do anything possible to help Nigerians align and navigate Twitter algorithmic design to realise its potentials while avoiding its perils. 10. In his approval, the President appreciates the Presidential Committee led by the Honourable Minister of Information and Culture, Alh Lai Mohammed, for the supervisory role and guidance given to the Technical Committee during the engagement. Similarly, the Presidential Committee commends the Technical Committee for a professional, robust and productive engagement with Twitter Inc. It also appreciates Government Regulatory Agencies and Internet Service Providers who implemented the FGN’s directives during the suspension.
Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, CCIE Chairman Technical Committee Nigeria-Twitter Engagement and Director-General National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA
NCPC TO BEGIN THE 2021 PILGRIMAGE EXERCISE TO ISRAEL, JORDAN AND ROME IN 1ST QUARTER OF 2022
The Nigerian Christian Pilgrim Commission is poised to commence the 2021 main pilgrimage to Israel, Jordan and Rome in first quarter of the year 2022. The Executive Secretary of the Commission, Rev. Dr. Yakubu Pam made the disclosure on 12th January, 2022 during an interview with a Media platform in Abuja.
The NCPC boss stated that the Commission would ensure that the 2021 main pilgrimage exercise would experience a hitch free operation.
He affirmed that the 2020 maiden pilgrimage to the Kingdom of Jordan was a huge success despite the fact that the exercise took place at the peak of the global pandemic.
He was particularly enthused that the pilgrimage recorded Zero abscondment of pilgrims, a feat that had not been feasible in our pilgrimage experience of about a decade.
Rev. Pam posited that because of the huge success recorded in Jordan pilgrimage, countries like Israel and Turkey are now eager to work with the Commission which is a healthy development for the growth of our Christian Pilgrimage.
The NCPC helmsman further threw more light on the pilgrimage route for the 2021 pilgrimage which according to him, “would start from Israel to Jordan while the Rome package will start from Rome to Israel”.
He revealed that the Commission would make every effort to raise as much as 10,000 intending pilgrims for the 2021 main pilgrimage.
The NCPC Chief Executive also hinted that the Commission as part of its preparation for the 2021 pilgrimage, would embark on the State of Readiness visit to Israel with the State pilgrimage Leaders by the end of January, 2022. He explained that the visit would afford them the opportunity to inspect the Hotels as well as the Holy Sites in Israel.
He further disclosed that the Commission would ensure that it meets with the requirements of international travels in line with the guidelines of the Federal Government and the Israeli authorities on COVID-19 protocols.
To this end, he intimated that the Commission had embarked on the administration of the COVID-19 booster doses for staff who had taken the first and second doses of the COVID-19 vaccine which would be extended to the intending pilgrims in the states.
In this connection, he further stated that the selected members of the Federal Medical team for the 2021 main pilgrimage were ready and they would be able to render effective medical care for our pilgrims during pilgrimage.
Signed:
Celestine Toruka
Head, Media & Public Relations
12th January,2022
A salute to Senate President, Ahmad Ibrahim Lawan at 63
On behalf of the entire Women in Nigeria, and the Management and Staff of Federal Ministry of Women Affairs as well as Development Partners of the Ministry, I heartily congratulate the indefatigable President of the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Ahmad Ibrahim Lawan who clocked 63 today, 12th of January, 2022 and to join your family and friends as well as your numerous admirers at home and abroad as well as the National Assembly to rejoice with you on this milestone and to celebrate you.
I wish to go on record to relate the conviction of the entire women of Nigeria which represent no less than 50 percent of Nigeria’s total population along with Management and Staff and Development partners that you, the Senate President, Ahmad Ibrahim Lawan stand out uniquely in piloting cordial Legislative-Executive relationship, from which Nigerian women, children and the vulnerable persons, who are the focus of the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs, have benefited tremendously from unprecedented passage of annual financial estimates for the development of Nigeria and most especially, the women, children and vulnerable persons’ sector.
For the aforementioned and more, we cannot but appreciate your person, your office and role for bringing humanness, humanity and principled peaceful relationship as well as inclusion to which the uninformed criticised you and have been calling you undeserved names.
Senate President, Ahmad Ibrahim Lawan, I prayed the Almighty Allah to grant you long fruitful life in the service of our great country and humanity.
Signed.
Dame Pauline Tallen, OFR, KSG
Honourable Minister of Women Affairs.
12th January, 2022.