Int’l Helicopter School Takes Off

BRIEFS

AN International Helicopter Training School, the first of its kind in the West African sub-region would commence operations next month in Enugu State, says Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Umar Dikko.

Dikko spoke at the weekend during a graduation ceremony of students of Administration, Air Police, Music, Physical Education and Regiment at 325 Ground Training Group, Nigeria Air Force in Kaduna.

The NAF boss said a fleet of new aircrafts was on ground to start off the school and that all facilities including personnel are in place.

He said: “Being an international institution, a lot of resources has been put into establishing that school to train military and civilian personnel. This is a training that has been in existence. But this time, we are internationalising it by taking students from abroad.”

The Chief of Air Staff, who was represented by Air Vice Marshal J.C. Ifemeje, explained that inadequate instructors, a major challenge of the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT), as pointed out by the Commander 325 BSG, would be looked into.

Dikko told the graduates that discipline remains the bedrock of any fighting force without which there could be no cohesion and team spirit.

The Commander, 325 Ground Training Group, Air Commander Bassey Inyang, said a total of 199 persons graduated during the ceremony. He disclosed that 19 of the students did not meet minimum standards; hence they could not graduate.

State, Pakistan,Partner On Irrigation

From Njadvara Musa, Maiduguri

THE Borno State government and Pakistan will partner in addressing poverty and unemployment in the state by harnessing agricultural and solid mineral resources with improved irrigation technology and high-yielding seeds of wheat, maize and cotton. The partnership has also, identified the agriculture, power and education sectors as priority areas where the twin problems of poverty and unemployment could be fully addressed.

Varsity Holds First In‘Genius Project Competition

TERTIARY institutions in the country will soon witness mind-boggling tasks as genius minds come together in a competition to outdo one another. This is the revelation of the new-on-the-bloc duo of Oreoluwa Ogundipe and Elija Olawoye, Nigeria’s fast-rising entrepreneurs, who started the In‘Genius project competition. The first edition holds at the University of Lagos main auditorium July 9-10 2012. In‘Genius is a medium through which young ideas in developing nations find expression and also win great prizes. The competition, which will be conducted in three stages, will include Submission of Power Point Presentation, Video Presentations and Live Presentations. For entry/qualification, competitors are required to enter as groups with minimum of three and maximum of six members in each group, with (optional) supervisor (a doctor in the group’s discipline). To enter, a group will need to send an email to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Onasanya For PEARL Awards Lecture

THE PEARL (Performance Earning and Returns Leadership) Awards will on July 5, 2012, hold its eighth Annual Public Lecture at the Muson Centre, Onikan, Lagos. The theme is ‘Rejuvenating the Nigerian Capital Market for Sustainable Growth and Global Competitiveness: Issues, Challenges and Options’. The lecture, to be delivered by GMD/CEO of First Bank of Nigeria Plc, Mr. Bisi Onasanya, promises to be educative and informative.

A press release, signed by Secretary, Board of Governors, Pearl Awards Nigeria, Mr. Olalekan Adekoya, says other experts in corporate Nigeria, including MD/CEO, Financial Derivatives Limited, Mr. Bismark Rewane and MD/CEO, Proshare Limited, Mr. Femi Awoyemi will join in the discussion. The event is timely, considering low level of activities in the capital market and need to renew sensitisation.

UNILAG,  Seplat, Hold Breast Cancer Campaign

THE University of Lagos chapter of the Pharmaceutical Association of Nigerian Students (PANS) and Seplat Petroleum Development Company Limited joined forces recently to promote breast cancer awareness among Nigerians with a view to checking spread of the disease.
The campaign, sponsored by SEPLAT, an indigenous Petroleum company, was part of activities designed to commemorate the 2012 edition of PANS’ Annual Health Week.
The week, themed, ‘Global Trend in Pharmacy Practice: Nigeria’s Position’, which began June 25, 2012, ended yesterday.

How To Stave Off Economic Crisis, By Aregbesola

THE governor of Osun State, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, has warned of possible crash of the nation’s economy, if nothing is done about its dependence on oil.

Aregbesola gave the warning in Osogbo, the state capital yesterday, while playing host to the National Association of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions (NUBIFE).

The President of NUBIFE, Comrade Sunday Olusoji Salako, and his team, were in Osun to understudy state operations, despite nationwide economic crisis and job cuts by government and corporate organisations.

“We are a consuming nation. We live on rents and commissions. Until we develop our local production and produce what we consume locally, our economy will not only be dependent but also weak,” the governor said.

He told the NUBIFE executive that current increase in unemployment and further job threats are direct fallouts of the vulnerable economy of the country.

He disclosed that during the 2008 global economic meltdown, pundits said Nigeria was insulated. But the meltdown had claimed its first casualty, the Stock Exchange, leading to loss of huge resources.

“We were all aware that what we were stoking was just a pipedream, yet we went into it. The point now is: how do we ensure that coming out of the current financial crisis, we would not be taken for a ride again.”

The body that can guarantee that is your association. At every forum you organise, let those who are versed in the dynamics of the nation’s economy diagnose how we can move away from oil by getting involved in production process.

Salako urged the governor to publicise the state’s formula for job creation amid massive job cuts, expressing optimism that the state would be better off at the end of Aregbesola’s tenure.