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By Flowerbudnews

Enugu: No fewer than 55 newly-recruited officers of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) have graduated and 52 senior officers promoted to various positions at the NIS Enugu State Command.

The Assistant Comptroller General, Mrs Azuka Halliday, gave the numbers during the passing out parade of the newly-recruited personnel and decoration of promoted officers on Thursday at the Command.

According to her, the total number of the graduated personnel comprised 27 males and 28 females while the promoted personnels were promoted to different positions.

Those newly-promoted ranks include: one Deputy Comptroller of Immigration, eight Assistant Comptroller, seven Chief Superintendent, two Superintendent, 16 Deputy Superintendent, 12 Assistant Superintendent l and six Assistant Superintendent II.

Halliday urged the newly-recruited personnel to see their enlistment in the service as a call to duty to serve their fatherland with all sense of patriotism, discipline, determination, selflessness, and integrity.

She advised them to consider themselves privileged to be among the recruited officers and advised them to be more proactive and committed in their duties.

The Assistant Comptroller General said that the promoted personnel had done so noble in their former ranks for being promoted to their new positions.

She said that a lot and the best were expected from them.

“This is the period to ensure that we manage our borders, we should ensure we do our best with all form of transparency.

” I charge you to continue in your good work, work hard and show yourselves worthy of these new ranks,” she said.

In his remarks, Air Commodore Sylvester Eyoma of the Nigeria Air Force, Enugu, urged the promoted personnel to always mentor the junior officers so as to promote and build a good institution.

“Mentorship is what we are lacking in our institutions today. I charge you to consider it as a matter of necessity and try to impact in them what they should be,” he said.

The Instructor of the training, Mr Nweke John, commended the newly-recruited personnel for participating well during the period of the training.

Nweke said that there was a challenge at the beginning of the training as they were slow in learning but the challenge was over when they realised that it was not business as usual.

Some of the newly-recruited expressed their happiness for being among those recruited for the job.

Mr Ezukoke Jerry, an Immigration Assistant lll, said that the immigration job needed consistency and honesty, urged the government to always employ people that merited to be employed.

Miss Eunice Ugonna expressed her joy for partaking in the training, promised to put her effort in the job. (Flowerbudnews)

Lagos:   The Lagos State Government has said that the joint Search and Rescue Simulation by the Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA) would reduce rescue time and boost passenger confidence in water transportation.

The Lagos State Commissioner for Transportation, Mr Oluwaseun Osiyemi, said this during the joint exercise held in Lagos on Thursday.

Osiyemi said that the collaborative endeavour should recognise that emergencies and disasters know no boundaries, and a unified, well-coordinated response was paramount.

(From third left, The Lagos State Commissioner for Transportation, Mr Oluwaseun Osiyemi, Rear Admiral, Mustapha Hassan, Flag Officer, Commanding, Western Naval Command and The General Manager, LASWA, Mr Oluwodamilola Emmanuel, during the joint Marine Search and Rescue Simulation exercise held in Lagos on Thursday. )

According to him, in a world where global challenges demand global solutions, the importance of joint efforts in search and rescue operations cannot be overstated.

“Our interconnectedness and shared vulnerabilities underscore the need for seamless cooperation among our organisations and communities.

” Today’s joint simulation marks a crucial step in fostering the unity and interoperability required to face the unpredictable challenges on our inland waterways.

(A Rescue team of Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), led Director Operations Mr Olatunde Akinsanya, was the indecent commander, at the Search and Rescue Stimulation exercise)

“This exercise is a testament to our commitment to preparedness, response, and recovery.

“By bringing together diverse expertise, resources, and perspectives, we strengthen our capabilities and create a formidable force capable of tackling the most complex and demanding scenarios we will face,”Osiyemi said

He said that collaboration was not just an option but a necessity in search and rescue, adding that the joint exercise allowed them to simulate scenarios that mirror the reality.

He said that emergency rescue required them to navigate language barriers, cultural differences, and logistical challenges.

Osiyemi said the state government had identified areas for improvement and built a foundation of trust as well as understanding that transcended the diversity and functions.

The commissioner commended Nigerian Navy (Western Naval Command), Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, Marine Police, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, Lagos State Fire Service, Lagos State Ambulance Services and transport stakeholders.

Rear Adm. Mustapha Hassan, Flag Officer Commanding, Western Naval Command, said the advent of the Blue Economy and push for development came up with idea of taking Lagos residents off the road and being more water friendly.

Hassan, also the Commander, Joint Taskforce, said the exercise was the collaborative efforts of the Nigerian Navy, NIMASA, LASWA and other stakeholders.

He said it was in line with ensuring that water transportation was safer for transporters.

“The rescue exercise of today went successfully and we are happy about it.

“I was speaking with the commissioner for transport and he has given assurance of the Lagos State support.

” We plan to have deployment at critical spots in the inland waters of Lagos, which will reduce the traffic time to accident spots,” Hassan said.

and Ojo axis to enable them response as close as possible to rescue call.

The Director General, NIMASA, Dr Bashir Jamoh, who was represented by Director Deep Blue of NIMASA, Mr Otonye Obom, said the collaboration was the initiative of the agency, adding that securing safety on the waterways would make Blue Economy to thrive.

All the emergency stakeholders were well represented.(Flowerbudnews)

By Abiodun Lawal

The Ogun Government says it has plans to construct 10,000 housing units in 2024.

The Commissioner for Housing, Jagunmolu Omoniyi, disclosed this on Thursday in Abeokuta, while defending the ministry’s 2024 budget proposal before the state House of Assembly.

Omoniyi said that the essence of the housing scheme was to address the housing deficit in the state, while taking advantage offered by public private partnership (PPP) arrangements.

He said that the ministry’s total budget estimate was N2.3 billion.

According to him, N1.79 billion will go for capital projects, while N542 million is for recurrent expenditure.

“We will be doing more of PPP. The state is blessed with abundant land mass.

“We have the market and comparative advantage.

“We are bringing housing units to all the three senatorial districts of the state.

“It is the right of all citizens and not a privilege for a few,” the commissioner said.

On his part, the commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Tunji Odunlami, presented a budget proposal of N1.29 billion.

Odunlami said that of the amount, N999.9 million would go for capital expenditure, while the remaining N290 million was for recurrent expenditure.

NAN

By Mohammed Baba Busu

Gov. Mohammed Bago of Niger has approved a seven-day public holiday for workers to celebrate Christmas and New Year.

This is contained in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Bologi Ibrahim on Thursday in Minna.

Ibrahim said that the holiday would begin on Friday, Dec. 22 and end on Jan.1.

”The holiday will start from Dec. 22, 2023 to Jan. 1, 2024,” he said.

He stated that food stuff would be given to government officials for onward distribution to the less privileged in their localities and wards.

“Don’t stay in Minna, go and share foods with the poor people in your local government areas and wards,” Ibrahim quoted Bago as saying.

NAN