THE GUARDIAN, Tuesday, April 9, 2013
12
TheMetroSection ‘We need more hostels, classrooms ’
Briefs Ogbokor Ikwerre meets Sunday
• Blind teacher, group, seek government intervention for Blind School
HE general meeting of OgT bakor Ikwerre (Lagos) will hold on Sunday, April 14, at
. From John Okeke, Abuja
Club 1919, Nigerian Railway Compound, opposite AP Filling Station, Ebute Metta, Lagos at 3.00p.m.
The school is over-populated. We need more hostels and classrooms. Imagine having 30 people in one dormitory. It shouldn’t be. The government can do more by expanding the structures in the school so that we don’t contract diseases because of over-crowding... We don’t have enough materials such as the brain test. The students don’t have many books.
NIM holds lecture today IGERIAN Institute of ManN agement (NIM) will today hold the third edition of its yearly Management Day at 11.00a.m. at its Management House at Idowu Taylor Street, Victoria Island, Lagos. A statement by the President and Chairman of Council of the Institute, Dr. Michael OlawaleCole, said the theme paper:‘Good Governance: Enforcement of Law and Order’, would be presented by the guest speaker, a public affairs analyst and a reputable legal luminary, Prof. Itse Sagay (SAN).
New Covenant Church holds programme
HE victims of blind sickness living T in Abuja Blind School, situated in Jabi community, and a civil society organization have urged the Federal Government to assist the blind in their predicament to improve their welfare as the bona fide citizens of the country who are entitled to enjoy the dividends of democracy. Speaking yesterday in Abuja at a oneday walkathon awareness to raise funds for the numerous needs that are confronting the school, Mrs. Anna Ekandem, a blind teacher, lamented that the number of blind students are increasing astronomically in the school adding that the lack of structures in the school has been a major challenge the school was facing. She also stressed that the lack of books and instructional materials in the school have been a major setback to their studies. According to Ekandem: “ The school is considering the available structure. It is overpopulated. So we need more hostels and classroom accommodation because the place is jam-packed. Imagine how you see 30 people in one dormitory. It shouldn’t be. So the government can do more by expanding the structures in the school a little more so that we don’t contract diseases and all those things responsible for over-crowding. The greatest challenges we are having are with the materials. We don’t have enough materials like the brain test. Even in this school the students don’t have many books. We struggle to get books and the brain test kits. These are our greatest challenges.” Also, Mrs. Fatima Mohammed, the Coordinator of LIKEMINDS Project, organisers of the event, stressed that their visit to the school uncovered a lot of gaps that has kept the school in a dilapidated state adding that it motivated them to organize the fundraising walk to help the school meet their dire needs. Mohammed also urged the Federal
EW Covenant Gospel N Church will on Saturday, April 13, hold a programme tagged: In the Day of His Power at 115B, Ikorodu Road, by AP Filling Station, Fadeyi, Lagos at 8.00a.m. The theme is “The Irrevocable Father’s Blessing”. Chief Host is Rev. Felix Omobude while Rev. Sylvester Eghianruwa will minister.
Some of the pyhysically-impaired pupils at the dilapidated hostel
Dujima of Borno dies at 83 N elderstatesman and the A Zanna Dujima of Borno Emirate Council, Alhaji Umouru Bukar Mandara is dead. He died on Sunday at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH) at the age of 83. The Shehu of Borno, Alhaji Abubakar Umar Garbai Ibn ElKanemi, in a statement yesterday, said: “ Burial rites had been completed, according to Islamic injunctions at his Government Reservation Area residence (GRA). He was buried yesterday at the Gwange cemetery.” He is survived by three wives, many children and grand children.
Udeji, 79, for burial A cross-section of participants at the awareness walk...
Ministry of Education to assist the school meet its needs. She said: “ At the Jabi School for the Blind, we found out when we visited that there were a lot of things that the school needed, especially facilities were lacking there. So we decided to organize a walk basically to raise funds and help them increase their facilities. I want to use this medium to call on Ministry of Education that the school has special needs and a number of
things as far as facilities are concerned. The school needs upgrading because there are a lot of gaps. They need teachers especially specialists in the field.” Commenting on government’s budget allocation to the institution Mr. Meekam Mgbenwelu, Information Officer of LIKEMINDS Project urged the Federal Government to monitor its financial budget for the blind school to ensure proper usage and accountability.
He said: “Government can better monitor its allocation to this institution because we found out that huge sums are budgeted to this institution but the money does not go to the beneficiaries.” He added: “Government must ensure transparency in the disbursement and must ensure the judicious use of the money. There must be accountability and the beneficiaries must be seen to benefit from this allocation made by government.”
UNERAL rites for Mazi FUdeji Christopher Nwaelemnanya who died recently at the age of 79,begins on Thursday, April 11, with a Christian wake at his residence, Ndiagu Ogboli Awgu, Enugu State at 5.00p.m. He will be buried on Friday, April 12, after a funeral service at St. John’s Parish, Ndiagu Ogboli at 10.00a.m. Thanksgiving service holds on Sunday, April 14, at St. Michael’s Cathedral Awgu, EnuguState. He is survived by his wife and children among whom is Udeji Obinna G.
Three estate agents docked for alleged N4 million fraud By Joseph Onyekwere HE Police yesterday arraigned three estate agents, a woman and two men, at the Lagos State Magistrate’s Court, Igbosere for alleged N4 million fraud. The accused, Joy Thelma (34), Gbolahan Shodipo, 40 and Taiwo Ogundare, 36, are standing trial on a threecount charge of conspiracy, fraud and stealing. They all pleaded not guilty. The prosecutor, Inspector Stephen Molo, told the court that the trio, who all reside in Ikotun area of Lagos, committed the offences on January 10, at Block A, Plot 7, Diamond Estate in Lagos.
T
According to the prosecutor, the trio conspired to defraud an unsuspecting client by pretending to sell a house to him. He said: “The trio conspired to defraud one Mr. Frederick Akinsulire, who is the Managing Director of Freehide Facility Management Company of N4 million. The defendants obtained the sum from Akinsulire with the pretext of selling to him a house situated at Block A, Plot 7, Diamond Estate along Isheri Road, Lagos. The complainant, however, reported the case to the police when he suspected them to be fraudsters”.
The offence, according to the prosecutor, contravenes Sections 285, 312 and 409 of the Criminal Code, Laws of Lagos State, 2011. Section 312 of the Criminal Code, Laws of Lagos State, 2011 says that a person who commits an offence under this section is liable to imprisonment for 15 years. The Magistrate, Mrs. F. O. Aigbokaevo granted them bail in the sum of N500, 000 with two sureties in like sum. She adjourned the case to April 24, for mention.
Udeji