Author: PositiveNaija

Okpekpe International 10km Road Race Gets IAAF Silver Label Status For 2018

The Okpekpe international 10km road race has been elevated to an International Association of Athletics Federations, IAAF Silver Label status for 2018.

According to Alessio Punzi, the IAAF Road Running Manager:

“Following a thorough review of your application; in recognition of the role played by your event for the promotion of elite road racing in your region, and of your efforts towards the improvement of the technical aspects of the event, the IAAF is happy to inform you that the Okpekpe Road Race 10KM is upgraded to IAAF Silver Label status for 2018.”

Spokesman for the race, Dare Esan stated:

“We are delighted the IAAF has recognised our leading role in promoting road running in Nigeria and the West African sub-region. The Okpekpe international 10km road race has set the pace for other road races in Nigeria [and] West Africa.

We are the first road race in West Africa to be designated by the IAAF as one of the leading road races around the world since the classification was introduced in 2008. For three years since 2015 the race was organised under the prestigious IAAF Road Race Bronze Label and and now we are the first road race to be granted a silver label status in West Africa.”

Dare Esan revealed the official Label certificate signed by the IAAF president, Lord Sebastian Coe has been received by the organisers of the race.

As disclosed by Dare Esan:

“The success story of the Okpekpe international 10km road race would not have been possible without the active role played by the Edo state government who provided the enabling environment, including a world class tarred road from Auchi to the hilly town of Okpekpe.

We are particularly grateful to His Excellencies, Comrade Adam Oshiomole, the immediate past governor of Edo state under whose watch the race was launched and his successor, Godwin Obaseki whose advice and words of encouragement have made the race better.

We are also grateful to the Honourable Minister of Sports, Barrister Solomon Dalung who availed us of his presence at the fifth edition of the race on May 13 this year.”

Dare Esan believes the roles played by sponsors and media partners of the race as well as the Nigeria Police, the Directorate of state security (DSS), the Civil Defense Corp (NSCDC) and the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) have been massive.

Dare Esan further said:

“Supersports and Channels are our official media partners and they, like the rest of the media have projected the race, the hilly town of Okpekpe, Edo state and indeed Nigeria as a destination of sort in terms of sports.

We also thank our sponsors led by Ecobank for helping us achieve this historic feat.”

The sixth edition of the race will hold on Saturday May 12, 2018 in Okpekpe in Etsako East local government of Edo state and Dare Esan reveals it will be technology driven.

Dare Esan further revealed:

“In 2015 we scored another first when we engaged MYLAPS Sports Timing, the internationally recognised automatic sports timing company to provide the race with an easy to use, accurate and reliable timing system.

Last year we also launched a tracking application to help fans follow the progress of friends, family or any of the participants who ran at the fifth edition of the race last May.

The tracking application was the first to be launched for a road race in Nigeria and offers mobile features designed to address three core digital needs: information delivery, sponsor activation and race day experience.”

Shola Olowookere Wins 2017 Lagos International Taekwondo Classics

Shola Olowookere has emerged the overall winner of the 2017 Lagos International Taekwondo Classics. He defeated his counterpart from Ghana at the finals of the competition at the Teslim Balogun Stadium in Surulere.

Shola Olowookere, a Lagos State taekwondo athlete and 300 level student of Chemistry Education, University of Lagos, said that the conduct of the competition was of international standard and an exposure to the abilities of athletes from other climes.

The Special Adviser to the Lagos State Governor on Sports, Mr. Deji Tinubu who spoke during the final events of the competition said that the state government will continue to use the opportunity of the Lagos International Teakwondo Classics to expose indigent athletes to the standards of the sporting activity at the global scene.

He said that the competition provided a platform for both experienced and up-coming taekwondo athletes in Nigeria to compete against their peers in other countries.

Tinubu advised the participating athletes to continue to show interest in similar competitions, stressing that the athletes could leverage on the various opportunities made available by the state government to launch themselves to the international scene by showcasing their various talents.

Deji added that apart from the discovering and nurturing of young talents in football, the state government is also extending the opportunity of discovering young talented Lagosians in other sporting activities including taekwondo.

In the words of Mr. Deji:

“As you know that one of the cardinal focus of the Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode’s administration is in the area of Tourism, Hospitality, Entertainment and Sports for Excellence, T.H.E.S.E. The present administration is seriously implementing the project T.H.E.S.E., to boost tourism, employment generation and relaxation especially for the youth.”

According to the Special Adviser, it is the resolve of the state government to use project T.H.E.S.E, to grow the Lagos economy and empower the youth through several alternative means in which sports development is an integral part.

The 2017 Lagos International Taekwondo Classics was attended by participating athletes from some African countries including Ghana.

Prophet T. B. Joshua Receives Senate Of The Dominican Republic Highest Awards [2017]

The Senate of the Dominican Republic has conferred the chamber’s highest awards on the founder and spiritual head of the Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN), Prophet Temitope Balogun Joshua popularly known as Prophet T. B. Joshua.

This was revealed at the end of the first session of the two-day crusade held at the Central Olympic Stadium, Felix Sanchez, located in the nation’s capital of Santo Domingo, on Friday, November 24, 2017.

While reading the letters of conferment of the Senate and Congress awards, the event had in attendance representatives of the governments of Russia, Spain, Brazil, Paraguay, Haiti, among others.

The Senate argued, among other things, that it reached the resolution of the conferment of the award on the cleric considering Prophet T. B. Joshua’s immense contributions to the growth and development of humanity, his wonderful and relentless social work, which he had tirelessly extended to impoverished regions of the world, his large donations to help widows, orphans, the destitute, the elderly and the physically challenged. Chief among the mention of the Senate was the humanitarian work spearheaded by the prophet after the 2010 Haiti earthquake, including supports to India, Ghana and the Philippines following various disasters.

The Senate further extolled the unrelenting commitment of the cleric in engendering global peace and therefore made him the spiritual guide of the nation.

While accepting the award in the company of his wife, Prophet Joshua thanked the government and people of the Dominican Republic for such recognition promising that he would continue to pray for the country while also making it his second home.

In the words of Prophet T. B. Joshua:

“I am very delighted. I am also very grateful to the government and people of the Dominican Republic. I dedicate this award to the people of this country. I will continue to pray for you and I will ensure that this country is my second home.”

The crusade venue witnessed a mammoth crowd of worshippers, government officials, politicians and the entire strata of the human society. Many had travelled far and wide to hear the cleric preach and pray for the sick and other miracle-seekers.

The crowd had continued to swell with over 60,000 participants in attendance. Despite the human traffic, no untoward incident occurred.

In his message, Prophet Joshua, taking his text from Romans 5:2 of the Holy Bible, called on his immediate and virtual listeners, to ensure that they sought the kingdom of God first while also seeking the happiness and joy of their neighbours.

According to Prophet T. B. Joshua:

“We live in a world where people measure their happiness with material possession. But this is not so. You must measure your happiness by ensuring the happiness of others. This is the example that Jesus Christ has set for us. You can bless others with your smile, your money, your material possession or even other things. Put a smile on people’s faces and you will be glad.”

During the prayer session, many who had various ailments and had travelled both far and wide were attended to by the cleric who laid his hands on them “in the name of Jesus”.

How Great Is Nigeria! By Udeme Akpan

How Great Is Nigeria! By Udeme Akpan

Arise o compatriots, Nigeria’s call obey… This is the first two lines of the National Anthem of my beloved country, Nigeria. Those words always brighten up my spirit whenever I voice it out or hear a beautiful harmonics of its song being played. I can still remember when I was a child battling with my pharynx in order to master and memorize each lines in its stanzas. Today, those words in the whole anthem planted seeds in my heart that have grown continually and built up patriotism in me which binds Nigerians all over the world.

The Federal Republic of Nigeria is a sovereign and democratic nation located in West Africa. She shares land borders with the republic of Benin in the West, chad and Cameroon in the East, and Niger in the North. Its coast in the south lies on the Gulf of Guinea on the Atlantic Ocean. This is Africa’s most populated country, as well as the 8th most populated in the world with a populated of over 160 million people. Nigeria is a developing country that struggled through the colonial era, got her independence in 1960 and later became a republic in 1963. All hail this great nation!

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3 Female Journalists Of WSCIJ 2017 Female Reporters Leadership Fellowship Programme Honoured

The Wole Soyinka Centre For Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ) honour female journalists who were part of its 2017 Female Reporters Leadership Fellowship Programme.

Olufunke Fayemi of Voice of Nigeria, VON, emerged overall winner and was awarded a cash prize of ₦200,000.

Juliana Francis, a crime reporter with New Telegraph newspapers emerged the runner-up and was awarded a cash prize of ₦150,000.

Bunmi Yekinni, a reporter with Radio 1, emerged second runner-up in the programme. She was awarded a cash prize of ₦100,000.

All of the three outstanding fellows were given a laptop computer each.

The award and appreciation programme, which saw the best three fellows receive special prizes, held at the Central Business District, CBD, GRA, Ikeja.

The Leadership Fellowship, supported by the Free Press Unlimited, was designed to empower female journalists with the skills, finesse, support and tools to take bold steps that help position them for the highest leadership roles in their various media houses.

According to the organisation, the initiative, which is a part of the WSCIJ Report Women programme, is helping to mobilise a network of female journalists that are oriented for leadership as well as create a train-the-trainer team who better appreciate the importance of mainstreaming gender in news.

The pilot exposure of the fellows of the WSCIJ Female Reporters Leadership Fellowship Programme included a three-day training, three-month mentorship, a fair-share as well as leadership and story fellowship projects for 15 fellows spanning over six months.

Speaking at the award ceremony, Mrs. Motunrayo Alaka, the programme director at the centre, explained:

“The media itself has its own challenges and one of those things is the gender issues.

In management position, it is a 9-1 ratio in many media houses; many media houses don’t have women in their management (cadre). So how does the media set agenda for gender balance when it does not live gender balance?

The programme is meant to help the media become what it wants the society to become. The media must be able to walk the path that they are preaching and we want to help the media set the agenda. There is an imbalance in leadership.

This is not a women-take-over initiative; not a move from patriarchy to matriarchy but to address the imbalance in leadership in the media… (but) to address how the media write stories – political and social – to reflect society and shape the narrative.”

In her remarks, veteran broadcaster, Bimbo Oloyede, advised the fellows of the WSCIJ Female Reporters Leadership Fellowship Programme to remain outstanding journalists and role models to young females in their respective capacities.

Similarly, the resource persons who took the fellows through the three-month programme –– Lekan Otufodunrin, Online Editor at The Nation Newspapers; Nneka Okekearu of Pan-Atlantic University; and Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi –– also admonished the participants to maximize the opportunity offered them by the centre through the training.

$300 Million Dangote Cement Plant Commissioned In Congo

A new 1.5 million metric tonnes per annum (MMTPA) Dangote Cement Plant built at a cost of $300 million has been commissioned in Mfila, in the Republic of the Congo.

The new cement plant has the potential for about 1,000 direct employment and thousands of several other indirect jobs.

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Samuella Sam-Orlu Wins 2017 UBA Foundation National Essay Competition

15-year-old Samuella Sam-Orlu of British Nigerian Academy, Abuja, has emerged the overall winner of the 2017 UBA Foundation National Essay Competition.

Samuella Sam-Orlu wins an educational grant of ₦1,000,000.00 to study in any African university of her choice, as well as a laptop.

Samuella clinched the first position at the grand finale, which was held in Lagos, ahead of 11 other finalists selected from over 1,000 entries received by the UBA Foundation from students of senior secondary schools across Nigeria.

Samuella Sam-Orlu who was escorted by her guardian, Mrs. Jacqueline Uzoadibe said that winning the competition would propel her to do more in attaining her dreams of becoming a Medical Director.

The second prize was bagged by Deborah Chinwendu Innocent aged 15 of Enal International Schools Abuja, who won ₦750,000 educational grant and a laptop while the third prize went to Yahofon Ettah Essien of Nigerian Christian Institute Akwa Ibom State, coveting a ₦500,000 educational grant and a laptop. The other 9 finalists were given laptops. All 12 finalists also went home with certificates.

In his remark, the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of UBA Plc, Mr. Kennedy Uzoka said:

“Seeing past winners tell their stories on the impact the grants have made on their education and particularly how the financial burden was lifted off their parents, gives us joy that our foundation is unique and stands out from others in touching lives.”

He informed the gathering made up of parents, students and media that the essay competition had produced over 100 winners, since its inception in 2011 in Nigeria, with winners studying varied courses in universities in Nigeria and within the African continent.

Mr. Kennedy Uzoka further stated on the 2017 UBA Foundation National Essay Competition:

“I must also state here that we want to make sure that the grants are given to those who really need it. That is why we restrict the grant to schools within Africa alone. If by chance the parents of any winner sends his or her ward to an elite school outside Africa, we would not go ahead with that support, because what we are really after are those who need the grant as we contribute to the development of Africa.”