THE NIGERIAN
6
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2013
South-South Envoy Applauds South Korea, Nigeria Relationship PORT HARCOURT - Mr. Desmond Akawor, Nigerian Ambassador to South-Korea has applauded the improved diplomatic relations between Nigeria and South-Korea. Akawor told newsmen in Port Harcourt the cordial relations had increased the trade relationship between the two countries and had impacted positively on the nation’s economy. He said that five years ago, Nigeria did not have effective business ties with South-Korea but today almost every home appliance in the country was produced in Korea. “In terms of diplomatic achievements and diplomatic relationships, there are things you count: what was the relationship with the other country before you see yourself as a representative of Mr. President. “First of all, the one that comes to mind, I’m sure five years ago, Nigerians were not talking about Korea. Today everybody is saying something about Korea. “I think that is the number one achievement because my priority in Korea is not politi-
cal diplomacy, I came there to play economic diplomacy. Our relationship with Korea was less than one billion dollars, that’s our trade relationship. But today it is 2.7 billion dollars. ‘Most of the FPS tools, all the oil tools you see today, the FPS Agbani, FPS Apo, they are all constructed by Koreans.’’ According to Akawor, there are 15 Nigerian students who are undergoing various doctorate degrees on Korean scholarship, and we have others on various under graduate programmes. The ambassador also said that a group of youths from Nigeria, especially from the Niger Delta region, just came back from Korea after attending a technical programme.
Odot (Akwa Ibom)- The Akwa Ibom State Action Committee on AIDS (SACA) said HIV/AIDS prevalence in the state had dropped from 10.9 per cent to 6.5 per cent. The Chairman of SACA, Dr Francis Udokpong, made the disclosure at the Free Medical Outreach of HIV Counselling and Testing Campaign in Odot, organised by the National Agency for the Control of AIDS
(NACA). Odot is a community in the Nsit Atai Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom. The reports state that the programme was organised by NACA in collaboration with the office of the Senior Special Assistant to President Goodluck Jonathan on Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). He said that the state, which formerly occupied the second
The Chairman, Owan East Local Government Council, Hon. (Barr.) Jimoh Ijegbai, commissioning a block of three classrooms and headmasters office/toilet.
Hospital Defends Recruitment Of 48 New Workers
UYO -Prof. Etete Peter, the Chief Medical Director of University of Uyo Teaching Hospital (UUTH), has said that the hospital recruited 48 new employees without advertisement in accordance
with the principle of federal character. Peter made the explanation in a news briefing following complaints by prospective applicants for the posts.
A nurse and prospective applicant, Mrs. Constance Udoimuk, told Newsmen that she was very disappointed.
“It is very frustrating that UUTH, a government hospital, could not advertise for vacancies before recruitment is done. “I was very hopeful that I would be interviewed at the
Akwa Ibom Records Drop In HIV/AIDS Prevalence
Man, 27, Nabbed For Fraud CALABAR - The Cross River Police Command has confirmed the arrest of one Okon Ntiedo, 27, for allegedly duping 50 unemployed persons of about N3.5 million. Ntiedo was said to have told the unsuspecting victims who hailed from Akwa Ibom and Cross River states that he was an informant for the Directorate of State Security (DSS) and conned them into believing that he could secure federal appointments for them. The spokesman of the command, Mr. Hogan Bassey, who confirmed the story, told newsmen that the suspect had since been arrested. “The information is correct and there is no attempt to release him from detention because investigations are continuing. “The suspect is not on the staff of the DSS, we have confirmed that. His so called residential address is still in
doubt,’’ he said. Bassey said that Ntiedo, who was arrested on October 24 in a drinking spot in Afokang, Calabar South, was being detained at Mbukpa Police Station. He said the suspect promised to secure jobs for the victims in the Nigeria Customs Service, Nigeria Immigration Service, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Nigeria Prisons Service and other federal parastatal agencies. He said the suspect collected between N100,000 and N250,000 from the victims with the pretence that the money would enable him to process their forms and lobby officials. On his part, Ntiedo confirmed to journalists that he collected various sums as deposit from the victims. He said the total money he collected was N2 million and not N3.5 million as the police claimed.
position in the country, now occupied the sixth position. Udokpong said that the reduction was due to improvement in people’s response to the awareness created by SACA in collaboration with other partners on HIV/AIDS. “It was an embarrassment to me when I came in as the chairman of SACA and discovered that Akwa Ibom occupied the second position in the HIV prevalence rate in the country. “What I did then was to let people know what HIV is all about because they don’t know
what it means; what it does and what it is all about.’’ Udokpong advised people to stay away from “risky social behaviour and multi-partnership’’ in order to reduce HIV infections in the state. In his remarks, the DirectorGeneral of (NACA), Prof. John Idoko, commended the State Government for its efforts toward the reduction of the scourge in the state. Idoko, represented by Dr Priscilla Ibekwe, NACA Deputy Director Programme Coordination, said that Nigeria was rated
the third in Africa in terms of mother-to-child transmission. “This presupposes that the country has more people to treat and going by the prevalence rate, if adequate measures are not taken, it may not meet the 2015 MDGs target.” Idoko, however, urged those tested to maintain their status by avoiding any act that could lead to transmission of the deadly virus. “No fewer than 40 per cent of people living with HIV/AIDS are not aware because they have not gone for test.
A block of three classrooms at Ikao inaugurated by Hon. (Barr.) Jimoh Ijegbai, Chairman Owan East Local Government Council.
hospital any time recruitment was done but the hope was dashed last week,” Udoimuk lamented. Another medical doctor, who did not want his name mentioned, said that he felt very bad that invitation for interview was sent through text messages to few persons. “I have got my primaries, so I was very hopeful for the job at UUTH but I was not invited for the interview,” he said. However, the chief medical director said that the management was granted a waiver to select candidates from its pool of applicants. “It was at the discretion of the Federal Character Commission that we went into the pool and shortlisted candidates. “The Federal Character Commission has given us certificate of no objection because it was satisfied with what we have done,” he said. Peter said that out of the 48 new employees, 16 were not Akwa Ibom indigenes, thus reflecting that the institution was a Federal Government establishment. He said that the recruitment was taken out of the hospital premises to avoid disruption by host communities of Edienne- Ikot and Obio-Imo group of villages. “We were threatened that they will bring traditional injunction or `juju’, so we had to tread with caution and relocate,” Peter said. He said that the recruitment was for highly skilled manpower, such as doctors, radiologists and nurses, not for clerical staff.