Experts in the building profession have attributed incessant building collapse in the country to quacks who, according to them, members of the public prefer to contract in the construction of their buildings.
This was the position of Nigeria Institute of Building, NIOB, Wednesday in Benin at the induction of Builder (Mrs) Abiona-Omole Aina Evelyn as the first female fellow of the Institute in Edo State.
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Thirty members were inducted across the country through zoom due to the COVID-19 pandemic and in line with the NCDC guildlines on the pandemic.
Speaking, Gabriel Omoruyi, Chairman, NIOB, Edo State chapter, noted that quacks practising in the profession led to the incessant building collapse, just as he described anyone who is not licensed by the law as a quack.
Further decrying quackery in the profession, Omoruyi noted that every profession has regulary agency that regulate it activities, stressing that anyone who has not be licensed by the Council of Registered Builders should not be regarded as builder.
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He warned that if not quick checked, after Boko Haram killings the next killer awaiting Nigeria and Nigerians is building collapse.
” Whether you like it or not, after Boko Haram, the next killer issue is building collapse. The society must recognise this fact. And the problem why building collapse is common these days is due to quackery. The question you may ask, who is a quack, a quack is simply someone is not enabled by the law to practice in a particular profession. Every profession has a regulary agency that regulate their practices.
“It pains that the Nigeria society has not come to recognise that there is a difference in building, building construction, and management. So, when it comes to the building of projects, it is the main function of a builder,” the chairman said.
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Builder (Mrs.) Abiona-Omole Aina Evelyn, first female to be inducted in Edo State as fellow of Nigeria Institute of Building
Commenting further on Abiona-Omole as the first female to be inducted as fellow of the Institute in the state, Omoruyi said she must have worked hard to have attained the position, just as he added that the Institute don’t just give the position which he described as peak, nor does the Institute sell it out to unworthy persons.
” Nigeria Institute of Building don’t just give fellow; it is not purchased; it is a product of hardwork. To see a female, and the first female to attain this height, it is a thing of great joy,” he added.
On her part, the inductee, Abiona-Omole thanked God and her husband for giving her the opportunity to soar higher in her profession.
Admitting that it was not easy along the way, she noted that it took effort from other professional colleagues for her to succeed at the final stage of the exam.
The presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi has explained why the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, servers failed to work during the 2023 presidential election.
He said the ‘establishment of criminality’ made the INEC servers not work during the last last general elections.
Obi stated this, while addressing the issues of the 2023 elections, including the IREV servers, in Canada during the weekend.
The Labour Party flagbearer in 2023 said people must intensify engagement with all the stakeholders to make the system work.
The former Anambra State governor explained that Amazon testified there were no glitches recorded globally on the day of the presidential election.
He said: “Where did we go wrong in the last election? We didn’t go wrong anywhere. We did the right things.
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“But as I can always tell people: when you bring a change, you fight all those who live off the old order. They don’t go away; they gang up. And don’t think it’s a straight race to remove an establishment.
“It’s a long-distance journey anywhere in the world. Go and check anywhere, whether you are looking at what happened in India, with Mandela in South Africa, or America. No change has happened overnight, it takes time.
“I urge all of you, if you really want change, we have just begun. We just have to continue from where we are.
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“Yes, there might be one or two things we will correct, those things we will correct. I assure you we are correcting them without naming them.It’s not going to be easy.”
The Ijaw National Congress (INC) says time has come to internationalise the “Ijaw struggle” beyond rhetoric.
Prof. Benjamin Okaba, President, INC, said this in a communique of the 2024 edition of the Ijaw National Day celebration held in Bayelsa.
Okaba said that the vexatious factors that provoked grievances between the late Maj. Adaka Boro and the federal government in the improper management of the oil political economy of Nigeria, have remained unmitigated.
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He noted that the situation had worsened with its attendant impunity.
According to him, the Ijaw environment continues to bear the brunt of petroleum resources exploitation-related pollution without concomitant remediation or reparations of the heavily despoiled ecosystem.
“Instead, Ijaw communities still face the adverse effects of uncontrollable spills, perennial flooding, ocean encroachment and so on,” he said.
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The INC president noted that at different forums, it had been made clear that the Ijaw agenda of self-determination was premised on resource and environmental justice.
“What all Ijaw people seek is for a fair, just and justifiable reward for our resources and sacrifices.
“The Ijaw Congress has articulated a set of prescient conditions for its continuous commitment to the Nigerian project and these include restoration of true federalism (fiscal federalism).
“Devolution of power and repel of all obnoxious and discriminatory environmental and resource related laws (Land Use, PIA), as well as restoration of Ijaw Territory as non-balkanised, administrative and politically generated unit(s).
“This is for the reassurance and promotion of Ijaw developmental pursuits by creating at least two additional states, more local government areas and wards for the Ijaws.
“Remediation of our massively polluted and endangered environment and the enforcement of adherence to international environmental best practices by IOC’s operating in Ijaw territories,” he said.
Okaba also demanded for the relocation of the administrative headquarters of all oil companies and their subsidiaries to their operational bases in Ijaw territory and Niger Delta.
He further called for proper funding and management of the Interventionist Agencies such as the Presidential Amnesty Programme and Niger Delta Development Commission.
“We call for the promotion of modular refineries owned by our people.
“We also want a balance in appointment at the federal levels (the civil service, military and oil companies) as well as equitable distribution of critical infrastructure, to reflect the true principles of federal character.”
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He said it was against this backdrop that the theme of the 2024 Ijaw National Day “Re-Invigorating Our Resolve to take the Ijaw struggle for Self-determination beyond Rhetoric”was derived.
US rapper Drake has vowed to quit his music career if allegations regarding a secret daughter are substantiated.
The controversy started when rival artiste Kendrick Lamar, in his diss track ‘Meet The Grahams,’ levied accusations suggesting Drake’s involvement with an 11-year-old secret daughter.
Lamar branded the Canadian rapper a “deadbeat” for purportedly neglecting his paternal responsibilities
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Renowned American media personality Akademiks, however, disclosed rapper’s response to the allegations during a recent broadcast.
According to Akademiks, Drake denied the claims, going as far as promising to leave the music industry and work for Akademiks if any evidence of the alleged secret daughter emerged.
During his Saturday night show, Akademiks shared the rapper’s direct message, stating, “Drake hit [texted] me, he said, ‘Ak, if you or anybody can prove that I have an 11-year-old daughter, I’ll quit rapping and come work for you.’”