Nigerian Newspapers
PR field not for liars – Ale
Head, Corporate Affairs, National Space Research and Development Agency, Mr. Felix Ale, speaks with BOSEDE OLUSOLA-OBASA on how he has fared as a Public Relations practitioner
How would you explain space science and technology to a layman?
First I wish to acknowledge the exponential growth in knowledge and continued developments in science and technology in transforming society. Space Science is the study or use of everything beyond the earth surface – the atmosphere and the edges of the universe help us to discover possible threats to life on earth and help to inhibit them. Our lives and future depend profoundly on our understanding of planet earth. Space technology is also used to deliver services to users on the ground, that is, images of the earth or weather patterns, navigation and communication. For young people, a career in the space industry means the exciting job of becoming an astronaut and making trips to outer space or a great scope for creativity and a chance to build something new. However, there are more opportunities for people there than just astronauts.
But many Nigerians don’t see the seriousness in the country’s space adventure?
The Nigerian Space programme has been a success story and has made a lot of impact both in and outside the country. Nigeria’s venture into Space is not a mere adventure or coincidence but in pursuit of new strategies and solutions to numerous problems to enhance the quality of life of the common man. Nigeria has recorded major breakthroughs in Satellite technology, riding on the inspiring story of NASRDA, particularly on the successful launch of its various satellites, groundbreaking collaborative programmes, capacity building strategy and Space applications projects. Nigeria became one of the few countries with a high resolution earth observation satellite with the mission to provide high-resolution panchromatic and multispectral imagery. The beauty of it is that the Nigeria sat-X was solely designed and built to flight standard by Nigerian engineers and scientists, using the facilities of our technical partners in the United Kingdom.
It may also interest you to know that a lot of achievements have been recorded using the products of Nigeria sat I, II and X Satellite Data. They include provision of data through disaster monitoring constellation for Hurricane Katrina in the United States in 2004, Sokoto (2010) and Ibadan (2011) flood disaster in Nigeria as well as the devastating floods of 2012 that adversely affected a lot of states. Specifically, NASRDA provided satellite imageries that were used to map the Niger-Benue through and along some flood ravaged areas in the country in conjunction with NEMA and the World Bank. There were also desertification monitoring and early warning in the North-East Arid zone of Nigeria, satellite-based environmental change research in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria, gully erosion monitoring in the South East of Nigeria, Spatio-temporal assessment of climate and human-induced impact on ecosystem degradation and water resources management of Kainji lake area as well as the study and modeling of atmospheric pollution in the Niger Delta region and study on deforestation and implication on biodiversity (flora and fauna) in Nigeria. We can go on and on but I want to emphasise that NASDRA has provided a lot of satellite imageries for use for various socio-economic and developmental projects as well as research planning, implementation, monitoring and management of projects country wide and beyond. With these noble achievements, Nigeria has become the hub of Space programmes in Africa and indeed a reference point.
PR practitioners are usually perceived as boys for the dirty jobs. How true is this in your experience?
In the effective discharge of my duties at NASRDA, I have never seen PR as tantamount to doing the dirty job of covering up the truth. It is even more dangerous and counter-productive when a PR man covers up the truth. Truth is sacred, hence it is better for you to say it at all times. Nigeria is not a society where you can feed the public with lies because the people are intelligent. I remember when we de-orbited our first communication satellite codenamed NIGCOMSAT-I, there were lots of conflicting reports in the media. Some people said the satellite was parked in the orbit, while some reported that it had disappeared from the orbit.
But I had to tell the truth to the public that the satellite had actually been de-orbited due to the failure of its solar panel, which was more or less the power house for the satellite. When there is a major problem with any satellite in the orbit, the best thing to do is to de-orbit the satellite to avoid collision with other satellites. Such was the case with NIGCOMSAT-I. I later announced when the satellite was fully insured that it had. I added that satellite failure in the orbit was never a strange phenomenon in the global space community. Thereafter, the satellite was successfully replaced in the orbit with NIGCOMSAT-1R and it is working well. Immediately the true situation was revealed to Nigerians that time, the built up tension as a result of the misinformation by some senior government officials was doused.
You once served as a Chief Press Secretary to a governor. How easy was it integrating back into the society thereafter?
I cannot see a different lifestyle as a political appointee and as a career officer. From the very first day that I was appointed a Chief Press Secretary, I realised it was a call to service, particularly a rare opportunity for me to bring my professionalism forward. I never saw it as an opportunity to acquire wealth or embark on rat race for money. I maintained my usual relationship and interactions with my friends and colleagues and I never saw anything so special about the appointment. Contentment has always been the watchword. I was contented with my legitimate entitlement as a Chief Press Secretary and indeed very conscious of tomorrow. In my own case, I was constantly in tune with this reality. Hence I was able to justify the confidence reposed in me by the Ondo State Government.
Typically, journalists either smoke, drink or womanise. Into which category do you fall?
I don’t fall into any of these categories. I have never smoked in my life, neither have I ever taken anything alcoholic. The highest I can go is a bottle of soft drink. On the issue of ladies, well, as a young journalist and television star in Ondo State before my marriage, I had the best of time but never with too many ladies. I strongly believe that as individuals, we must be moderate in whatever we do. I often tell my friends that despite the rare opportunity God has given me to travel far and wide to different parts of the world, I have never engaged in any illicit relationship with white ladies, which are ‘hot cakes’ to most Nigerian young men. I have never been excited to the level of being carried away to get myself derailed or do anything contrary to the oath of my marriage, my principle as a young man or anything inimical to the interest of my nation. I believe we should strive at all times to moderate our lifestyle.
What attracted you to your wife?
I met my wife in 1994 when she was a student at the Ondo State School of Nursing Akure. Her discipline and character attracted me to her. My first visit to her was on a Saturday. I cannot forget my experience on that first visit. Shortly after I arrived at her house, there was a knock on the door and she found that it was her father, a school principal, then in Ondo town. Since there was no escape route for me, she ordered me to go under the bed while she blocked me there with books and boxes. Her father was a great disciplinarian and dared not see me or perceive such an unholy development. She said it would be suicidal for her, if her father got to know. I was under the bed for over two hours during which time her father stayed with her.
I was sweating profusely under the bed but kept praying for him to leave as soon as possible so that I could regain my freedom. Eventually, her father left and when I came out from under the bed, I could sense that she felt more pain than I did. My suffering and endurance strategically positioned me in her heart, until she later accepted my offer for a relationship. Another interesting thing that attracted me to my wife was the fact that I met her as a virgin. We dated for close to two years before I realised this. In fact, it was in the first month she gave me an ‘entry visa’ that I scored the ‘goal’. To me, it was a golden gift. I have never considered having someone else apart from her since we got married.
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•Deploy more personnel as army chief vows to wipe out terror group
•Security beefed up at N’Assembly
Deji Elumoye and Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja
Abuja, Nigeria’s seat of power, is under a massive security cordon following threats of attacks by insurgents and the increasing wave of banditry in the contiguous states of Kaduna, Kogi, Nasarawa and Niger States, THISDAY’s investigation has revealed.
There has been a wave of kidnappings in the outskirts of the federal capital, notably Pegi, Tuganmaje and Kuje among others, which the police have battled in recent times.
The security situation in and around the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) was heightened by the pronouncement of the Niger State Governor, Mr. Sani Bello, that Boko Haram fighters who he said sacked 50 villages in the state and hoisted the terror group’s flag, were about two hours drive away from the FCT.
Security has also been beefed up at the National Assembly as operatives, yesterday, thoroughly screened every vehicle approaching the National Assembly complex in Abuja.
The deteriorating security situation nationwide prompted the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Uche Secondus, to warn that the 2023 general election may not hold, demanding the declaration of a state of emergency as well as the convocation of a national conference.
However, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, yesterday restated the Nigerian Army’s determination to annihilate Boko Haram.
But the Governor of Katsina State, Hon. Bello Masari, cautioned against declaring a state of emergency, saying doing so isn’t the solution to combat the security challenges facing the country.
The security of the nation’s airports was also in focus yesterday as the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) said there was no threat to them.
THISDAY’s investigations showed increased presence of troops, police, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) personnel and intelligence operatives at the three strategic entrances to the city notably, Keffi, Zuba and Gwagwalada.
More checkpoints were also mounted around Gwagwalada and Keffi.
THISDAY also observed increased intelligence deployment at the entrance and the borders of FCT with contiguous states.
Beyond the borders, there were more deployments and police patrols inside the city and increased intelligence deployments as well.
Security sources told THISDAY: “There are deployments here and there but they are routine. Alertness is key to a secure environment.”
It was also learnt that security agencies were involved in frenzied meetings throughout yesterday.
The meetings, coordinated by the office of the Chief of Defence Staff under the new joint operational strategy of the armed forces, were aimed at coordinating a joint response to possible threats of attack to the FCT.
“I understand the security teams have been meeting for some days now and if you look around you, you will notice that there are increasing patrols and numbers of security personnel. The threats are not been taken lightly,” a source said.
National Assembly workers, lawmakers and visitors also had a harrowing experience accessing the legislative complex due to heightened security in the area.
Security operatives thoroughly screened every vehicle approaching the National Assembly complex in Abuja, impeding both human and vehicular traffic.
The Sergeant-at-arm of the National Assembly and other security agencies supervised the operations, leading to huge traffic build-up inside the complex.
Legislative staff, visitors and lawmakers were seen patiently waiting for their cars to be searched so that they could go ahead with the business of the day.
Some staff and visitors at some point got tired of waiting and were seen alighting from their cars to trek from the gate to the complex.
Meanwhile, the ONSA has said there is no threat to the nation’s airports.
A statement by the Head of Strategic Communication, Mr. Zachari Usman, said the reports of threats to the airports were an internal correspondence of security threat assessment misconstrued as security threat to the airports.
PDP Demands State of Emergency
In a related development, the PDP National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, yesterday demanded the declaration of a state of emergency, warning that the 2023 general election might not hold if the federal government failed to tackle insecurity.
He called on the federal government to summon a national conference to address the spike in insecurity.
Secondus added that the national caucus of the party will meet today to discuss the state of the nation.
Addressing members of the National Executive Committee (NEC) in Abuja, Secondus said: “We are worried Abuja is not even safe. It is no longer politics. We got alert of plots to bomb and burn down our airports.
“We urge the federal government to declare a national state of emergency in security. There is the need to call a national conference to discuss the insecurity in the country.
“There may not be any election in 2023 in Nigeria due to insecurity. This government must listen to the people. The Buhari government should call a national confab to discuss security and state of the nation. It is no longer politics. This time we are not playing politics. Let’s keep politics aside and move the nation forward.”
He said the country had been grounded, regretting that there had been no matching response from the federal government.
Secondus said in the past, terrorism in the North was confined to the North-east, but with the report of Boko Haram occupying villages in Niger State, terrorism had spread to the North-central
“Herdsmen are also menacing in the West; gunmen causing havoc in the East; and the militants in the South; all killing, looting, raping, maiming and burning down homes. The situation is bad; Nigerians all over are living in fear,” he said.
The Senate Minority Leader, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, said the problem of Nigeria was outside of the PDP headquarters, while pledging the support of the Senate to the declaration of state of emergency in security.
Abaribe said he deliberately decided not to speak on the floor of the Senate but to allow the APC senators to speak so as to avoid being accused of giving a partisan colouration to the issue of insecurity.
He stated that only electoral reforms would give victory to the opposition party in the 2023 general election and ensure a democratic defeat of the APC-led federal government.
Also, the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Hon. Ndudi Elumelu, commended the NEC and the PDP leadership for their collective efforts at resolving the House leadership crisis.
The NEC meeting adopted the position of Secondus, calling on the federal government to convoke a national conference to discuss the state of insecurity in the country, according to a communiqué read by the National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan.
Army Chief Vows to Wipe Out Boko Haram
The army yesterday reiterated its commitment to wipe out Boko Haram.
Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, told reporters in Maiduguri, Borno State that Boko Haram had been defeated in many encounters and would continue to be defeated until it’s annihilated from Nigeria.
“We will take on Boko Haram decisively, and we are committed to the focus of the operations, which is the total annihilation of Boko Haram from Nigeria,” he said.
The COAS, who was visiting the headquarters of Operation Lafiya Dole in Maiduguri for the fifth time since his appointment four months ago, said the visit was to boost the morale of the troops, reassure them and listen to any issues affecting them.
Earlier, the Theatre Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole, Maj. Gen. Farouq Yahaya, lauded the visit, which he said had continued to boost the morale of the troops.
“We are honoured, we are grateful, we are encouraged by those visits. You provided us guidance, logistics and other things we required. We are most grateful for those visits,” Yahaya said.
State of Emergency Won’t Solve Security Challenges, Says Masari
Katsina State Governor, Hon. Aminu Masari, has, however, said declaration of a state of emergency won’t solve the security challenges facing the nation.
Masari, who spoke yesterday with journalists after meeting with the Chief of Staff to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari at the State House, Abuja stated that he was against the recent call by the House of Representatives for the declaration of a state of emergency in the security sector as it would not solve the problem.
According to him, declaring a state of emergency will not achieve the desired effect as the security structure and personnel to be used to execute the emergency are already overstretched in a bid to safeguard lives and property.
Sourced From: THISDAYLIVE
Tribune Online
Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has recorded 62 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 165,110. The NCDC disclosed this on its official Twitter handle on Friday. “55 new cases of #COVID19Nigeria; Lagos-21, Yobe-19, Ogun-6, Akwa Ibom-3, Kaduna-2, Plateau-2, FCT-1, Rivers-1.” YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THESE HEADLINES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE COVID-19: Nigeria Recorded […]
Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110
Tribune Online
Sourced From: Tribune Online
By Olasunkanmi Akoni
The people of the South East region have been urged to explore the power of negotiation and mutual settlement in the face of ongoing killings and security challenges in the zone because the east can not afford another war at present.
Stakeholders from the South-East geo-political zone made the remark on Thursday, at the unveiling of the book, “Igbo, 50 years after Biafra,” written by Special Adviser to Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Drainage Services, Joe Igbokwe, held at Ikeja G.R.A.
Speaking at the unveiling of the book, the chairman of the occasion, Mr. Cutis Adigba,
urged the people of the South-East to learn to build bridges across the country, so that they can realise their ambition of producing the next president of Nigeria.
Adigba urged leaders from the zone to discourage the move and agitation by some youths in the South East to go to war and secede out of Nigeria.
Also read: Banditry: Disregard viral video, Niger State gov’t urges residents
He said that Igbo have always found it difficult to rule Nigeria because they refused to build bridges across the six geo-political zones that made up Nigeria.
While describing the agitation as uncalled for, Adigba noted that after two decades that Nigeria returned to civil rule, the Igbo has predominantly identified with only one political party.
He maintained that remaining in one party can not advance the cause of the people of South East and cannot make them realise their objective of producing an Igbo man as president.
He maintained that the publisher of the book, Igbokwe played politics outside his state, so that the Igbo race can be integrated with one another race.
Adigba said the failure of the Igbo to reintegrate with other ethnic nationalities politically was responsible for the retrogression of the race in Nigerian politics.
Igbokwe, also addressing guests on the occasion, maintained that the Igbo are not advancing politically because they refused to be integrated into National politics, lamenting that, despite their success in business, they are not successful in playing politics at the national level.
Corroborating Dimgba, Igbokwe noted that there was the need for the Igbo people to stand up and build bridges so that their objective of producing the next president of Nigeria could be realised.
According to him: “I have decided to raise my voice, I hope my people will hear me while trying to quell the effect of the war, our people are spoiling for another war, mayhem is being unleashed in Igbo land, and there is palpable fear.
“Those who could speak have lost their voice, mindful of the consequences of their actions, I am calling on all Igbo leaders to speak up because all actions carry consequences, consequences of the silence will be too dastardly to sustain.
“Those silently supporting the wild wind should be careful or else they hand over to their children,” he said.
Igbokwe urged those spoiling for war to jettison their plan and embrace dialogue, urging them to learn from the South West region that despite the challenges faced after the annulment of the June 12, 1993, election, they did not go to war, and the region had the opportunity of producing two of her sons for presidential position in 1999.
“You have to build bridges to become president of Nigeria, but it is unfortunate the Igbo are burning bridges.”
Speaking at the event, Chief Uche Dimgba who is the coordinator of Igbo in All Progressives Congress, APC in Lagos, described Igbokwe as “a Frank, fearless and reliable leader, who based his views on issues and stand by his opinions, and we the Igbo have confidence in him and believe he can lead us aright.”
“He is a leader we Igbo believe in and we will follow him. If he can serve all the governors produced in Lagos State since 1999, he is a better man to follow because he possesses all the experience that can be of benefit to Igbo both at home and in the diaspora.”
The post Attacks on S’East: We must explore all options of negotiation — Stakeholders urge Igbo appeared first on Vanguard News.
Sourced From: Vanguard News
The government said that no worker should stay back beyond 6:00 p.m. within premises of buildings undergoing construction.
The post Insecurity: Lagos bans occupation of abandoned buildings appeared first on Premium Times Nigeria.
Sourced From: Premium Times Nigeria
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Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110
Military, Police Ring Abuja to Forestall Boko Haram Attack
UFC: Usman gets N584m after beating Masvidal
Insecurity: Lagos bans occupation of abandoned buildings
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