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Oyo Central: Folarin to train 500 youths on solar power installation, maintenance
As part of his numerous efforts aimed at empowering the people of his senatorial district, especially the youths, no fewer than 500 youths, who have been chosen from the 11 local government areas will be for one month, starting from today 6th March 2023, learn solar power installation and maintenance courtesy of Sen. Teslim Folarin.
Folarin, who is the Asaaju Olubadan of Ibadan and governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in this week’s election, is completing his 3rd term as senator representing Oyo central senatorial district.
A project of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board, NCDMB, the training will run simultaneously in Ibadan, Oyo, and Ogbomoso at Havana Royal Hall, besides UI; Atiba University and Hecky Hall, Under G area, Ogbomoso till April 6, 2023.
Engr. Simbi Kesiye Wabote, executive director of the NCDMB, said the program was to, apart from making beneficiaries job owners and earning decent salaries, it will contribute to the economy of the country.
The project consultant, Hayes Multisystem Investment Ltd, in a statement by its communication department, said after the one-month intensive training, trainers would have been equipped with what we sustain them and they, in turn, would continue to build generations of entrepreneurs.
On why he decided to facilitate the training, Folarin, who chairs the senate committee on local contents, said “this is one of the things we have done in ensuring that our youths are engaged meaningfully. I think that is one of the ways to reduce restiveness and social vices. All of our youths cannot do white-collar jobs. It’s not even every one that wants to pay for a job, some want to be on their own. So we must cater to everyone. We will continue to do more.”
The NCDMB was established in 2010 by the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act, with a core mandate to manage and grow Nigeria’s local content capacity.
The 10-year strategic roadmap of the Board is hinged on 5 pillars and 4 enablers in which one of the pillars is Technical Capability Development which involves developing critical skills and infrastructure that are required & utilized in the oil and gas industry and other sectors of the nation’s economy.
The Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, has declared that the era of armed and bank robberies in Lagos State is a thing of the past, attributing the success to the collaborative efforts between the police and the state government.
Egbetokun made this statement on Thursday during the 18th Annual Town Hall Meeting on Security organized by the Lagos State Security Trust Fund (LSSTF). He noted that since 2007, only one bank robbery had been successfully executed in the state, which occurred in 2014.
“There was a time when armed robbery and bank robbery were common in Lagos. However, I can confidently say that since 2007, only one bank robbery succeeded, and that was as far back as 2014. The days of armed robbery and bank robbery are gone,” he said.
The IGP commended the Lagos State Government for its consistent support, emphasizing the critical role it has played in maintaining security in the bustling economic hub of the nation. He highlighted the challenges posed by the state’s continuous internal migration, with thousands of people moving into Lagos daily, creating additional security demands.
“What we are doing here today is the usual assistance the state government has been giving to the police. Without this, we would have been overwhelmed with insecurity in Lagos State,” Egbetokun added.
At the event, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu further demonstrated his administration’s commitment to security by donating over 250 brand-new patrol vehicles, along with hardware, communication gadgets, and protective gear to the police.
In his address, Sanwo-Olu outlined the government’s efforts to scale up the use of technology and data for improved security and traffic monitoring. He revealed plans to deploy drone technology for surveillance of waterways and densely populated areas.
“The EGIS component of our mapping and digitalization has almost been completed. Lagos is now properly mapped, and drone technology will be deployed to enhance monitoring, crowd management, and traffic assessment. This will ensure real-time responses to incidents,” the governor explained.
Chad announced Thursday that it was ending military cooperation with former colonial power France, just hours after a visit by French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot.
“The government of the Republic of Chad informs national and international opinion of its decision to end the accord in the field of defence signed with the French Republic,” foreign minister Abderaman Koulamallah said in a statement on Facebook.
Chad is a key link in France’s military presence in Africa, constituting Paris’s last foothold in the Sahel after the forced withdrawal of its troops from Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger.
“This is not a break with France like Niger or elsewhere,” Koulamallah, whose country still hosts around a thousand French troops, told AFP.
At a press briefing after a meeting between President Mahamat Idriss Deby and Barrot, Koulamallah called France “an essential partner” but added it “must now also consider that Chad has grown up, matured and is a sovereign state that is very jealous of its sovereignty”.
Barrot, who arrived in Ethiopia on Thursday evening, could not immediately be reached for comment.
– ‘Historic turning point’-
Chad is the last Sahel country to host French troops.
It has been led by Deby since 2021, when his father Idriss Deby Itno was killed by rebels after 30 years in power.
The elder Deby frequently relied on French military support to fend off rebel offensives, including in 2008 and 2019.
It borders the Central African Republic, Sudan, Libya and Niger, all of which host Russian paramilitary forces from the Wagner group.
Deby has sought closer ties with Moscow in recent months, but talks to strengthen economic cooperation with Russia have yet to bear concrete results.
Koulamallah called the decision to end military cooperation a “historic turning point”, adding it was made after “in-depth analysis”.
“Chad, in accordance with the provisions of the agreement, undertakes to respect the terms laid down for its termination, including the notice period”, he said in the statement, which did not give a date for the withdrawal of French troops.
The announcement comes just days after Senegal’s President Bassirou Diomaye Faye indicated in an interview with AFP that France should close its military bases in that country.
“Senegal is an independent country, it is a sovereign country and sovereignty does not accept the presence of military bases in a sovereign country,” Faye told AFP on Thursday.
The House of Representatives has confirmed the appointment of Olufemi Oluyede as the Chief of Army Staff (COAS).
While the constitution does not make provision for confirmation of appointments by the House of Representatives, the lawmaker adopted a report of its ad–hoc committee on the confirmation/screening of the Acting Chief of Army Staff and Thursday, confirmed the appointment of Lieutenant General Oluyede as the Chief of Army Staff.
Chairman of the committee Babajimi Benson in presenting the report, said Lt. Gen. Oluyede had satisfied all requirements.
