Nigerian Newspapers
Rescue mission
FATHIA ANSAH PLANGE Executive Director, Trend TV
Determined to rescue youths from the grip of poverty, Fathia Ansah Plange introduces a reality television show to teach the rudiments of wealth creation.
BY ADAOBI NNEKA IFEBI
‘Some are born rich, some have riches thrust on them, some are opportuned to get rich while others work hard for the riches.’
To Fathia Ansah Plange, executive director and producer, Trend TV, CTL Africa, opportunities abound for talented African youths to be successful hence her pet project, Make me a success, a television reality show. The mother of four, spoke to ICON on the youth oriented project that auditions young people and chooses 12 contestants that eventually get a cash prize to start an enterprise in their various villages or go to school.
Excerpts:
MOTIVATION
I have teenage children – three boys and one girl; they live in the United Kingdom. Around 2009, I took them to Ghana on holiday. We decided to do a tour of the entire country. We went to remote places. We went to the north. We went by road so that we could stop in some places. Unemployment is very high in Africa. We actually went into mud houses, being British, my kids were like, ‘oh! Do we have to go in there?’ I realised that we were in another world and it is not just in Ghana but the whole of Africa. On the route, I realised that there are so many intelligent people out there and so many things they could do with their hands. So that’s what inspired me. I just realised that there are too many young people; too much talent has gone to waste like a lost generation. I saw in the little things they were making, they were so smart but they don’t have the opportunity and that made me decide to do something to show them that they can make it in life. They can be successful. They got the talent. They got it in them and given a little opportunity, a little sum of money, even if it is just 200 or 300 dollars, they could make a better life for themselves. That’s what made me decide to start the ‘Make Me A Success Show.’ Even in Nigeria here, I have been to places where I have seen lots of young boys and young girls doing amazing things. When my Blackberry phone fell down, it was written off completely. I took it somewhere. A young guy in Lagos was able to put the whole thing back together. That’s what I am talking about. They have the intellect. They have the ability. They have the talent. They don’t have the opportunity and ‘Make Me A Success’ is here to give them that opportunity or show them that opportunity if they are not physically on the show. That’s what really inspired me to start this show because I thought the opportunity was there, the potential was there and nobody was taking any notice of it. And all those companies that came on board said that they wanted to do something, to give back to the community. For a lot of them, it was all about demonstrating a corporate social responsibility to the community. For most of them, participation or sponsorship may mean that by getting involved, the community would look at their product and be a lot more inclined to buy them because the company did something for the community.
THE SHOW
Young people have talent but they don’t have the opportunity. Make Me A Success television reality show comprises enterprise challenge. What we do is we take young people, young men and women from disadvantaged background, small town, unemployed young graduates and they do challenges in different industries. First of all, we take them to different companies. One day, we take them to poultry farm, manufacturing firm, another day they do dress making and so on. So they do many trades to enable them actually learn their true potential and bring out their real talent for business, for enterprise or even to know what kind of trade they want to do. When they do all those different trades with all those companies that they do the challenge, they engage in Enterprise Challenge. There is no eviction in this one at all. The person with the highest score every week is identified; at the end of the season, all these scores are added up for the different challenges. The person with the highest score gets the biggest prize. The second person gets the next prize, the third person gets the next prize and it goes on right down to the tenth person that gets the final cash prize. So everybody gets a cash prize to set up a small business or to use the money to further their education to improve their job prospects. It is a show where we are trying to get young people from unemployment. We are trying to get young people to stay away from crime related activity. We are trying to get the community to look within themselves and to build their own community while engaging in some small enterprise that could then further on increase development in that community because they would get to employ other people.
‘THE ENTERPRISE CHALLENGE’
By going to different companies, the contestants know whether they want to be in communication, banking, catering or fashion. We try to engage a variety. There are 10 companies that we go to, all doing different trades. Different industries, different challenges; the judges are the managers, the professionals in those industries. It is not a show whereby we try to get one company and find somebody within that company to find out what the apprentice is all about.
TALENTED CONTESTANTS
In the first season, a young girl had nothing, absolutely nothing. She lives alone, she is not an orphan but her parents didn’t want to know. She was on her own, struggling in a small village somewhere. She said she was a fashion designer because that’s what she knew but once she got on to the Enterprise Challenge, she realised that she had a potential for trading. She actually enjoyed trading. She enjoyed dealing with products and goods. She ended up coming (I think) third or fourth and she used her prize money to set up a small shop in her community and started selling provision; soon after, she started a small convenience store. She sells provision, rice, milk, tomatoes and all kinds of stuff. Another girl used her prize money to set up a small dressmaking training school; now she trains people in her community. So they are actually employing people in their hometown. They have helped a lot of young people within their hometown to work.
LOCATION
We started in Accra, Ghana. We just brought the show to Nigeria; we will do audition and choose 12 contestants. We didn’t take the contestants away from home. They took the skills they learnt from the different companies and industries back home and built something in their community. Contestants are not city dwellers. The aim of the show is for contestants to eventually take something back to their rural community and build something there. They already feel more comfortable being in their own hometown and doing something there. ‘Make Me A Success’ is about helping young people to realise their potential. Since we brought the show to Nigeria, the result has been absolutely amazing as far as the public goes. Those that have applied to participate, those that have called to make enquiries and those that have registered say the show is awesome. The response has been fantastic. We are not just going nationwide; being on CTL Africa, the whole of Africa watch our show. The Nigerian show goes on air throughout the whole of Africa.
BENEFITS
Basically what makes ‘Make Me A Success’ very interesting is that it is not just about contestants on the show. Every single week, we give out cash prizes to all viewers that are watching the show. Viewers get to see how the industries are, how to get into such business, how to make jewellery, how to be a dressmaker and how to be a caterer. We found out that the companies that got involved were getting a lot more enquiries. Some of them were making massive sales. They were getting a lot of orders, also a lot of enquiries from people who wanted to get involved in the Agricultural business and didn’t know how to go about it.
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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
•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
Kamaru Usman has raked in a mammoth £1.1million, about N584.2 million after his impressive knockout victory over Jorge Masvidal on Saturday night, Sportivation.com.ng reports.
The Nigerian Nightmare has been handsomely rewarded for his stunning performance and he was the best-paid fighter on the card which was witnessed by 15, 000 fans in Florida.
According to Daily Mail, Usman earned £538,000 to show up, £459,000 pay-per-view bonus, a £43,000 sponsorship bonus and a well deserved £35,000 Performance of the Night bonus.
Jorge Masvidal also earned £358,000 to show, £186,000 in pay-per-view money and a £28,000 sponsorship bonus.
This is the biggest payday of Usman’s career so far and the Welterweight champion also benefited from the fact that Masvidal is also a top draw for the fans.
Kamaru Usman is a Nigerian-American professional mixed martial artist, former freestyle wrestler and graduated folkstyle wrestler.
Sourced From: Latest Nigeria News, Nigerian Newspapers, Politics
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
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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