Christian Pilgrims Commission expresses readiness for Pilgrimage

The Executive Secretary of the Nigeria Christian Pilgrim Commission Rev Yakubu Pam says so far no pilgrims has absconded while on Pilgrimage.

He revealed this while addressing about three hundred intending pilgrims in Lagos .

The Christ the Chapel of Light Church auditorium was busy with intending pilgrims to the holy land of Israel and the Kingdom of Jordan , their families, friends and officials of the Nigeria Christian Pilgrim Commission, NCPC.

Those here are batch 6 drawn from Lagos, ogun and Oyo.

One after the other their travelling documents were handed over to them.

While charging them to be good Ambassadors, The Executive Secretary of the commission says he’s optimistic that none of them will abscond

The Chairman of the Lagos State Christian Pilgrims Welfare Board and others spoke on pilgrimage

Other intending pilgrims from Bayelsa for the 9 day trip will be picked from port harcourt Airport.

WORLD CUSTOMS ADMINISTRATORS CONVERGE IN NIGERIA, TO CHART WAY FORWARD

O/C Customs administrations from over 40 countries have converged on Nigeria to discuss the role of their administrations in fragile and conflict-affected situations.

This is with a view to seeing how the World Customs Organization can support its members in shapening their strategies in response to complex environments.

A world Customs organisation conference, which also has in attendance, representatives of United Nations agencies and the donor community.

Talks at the meeting include similarities across regions on fragile borders, the role of borders as symbolic and economic resources for communities, smuggling in social activities, connections between smuggling and mining activities, as well as the informal taxation levied by non-state armed groups.

The objective of the meeting is to transform the outcomes of the world Customs Organization’s field research initiated in 2016 in more than 14 countries into a practical action plan for all Members impacted by fragility and conflict.

The focus here includes refining the analysis for driving an Action Plan on Fragile Borders that should guide the future activities of the world Customs Organization.

The customs administrators share challenges and strategies they have adopted in adapting to times of war or when under threat by terrorist groups and criminal gangs.

The Conference also provided an opportunity for Customs administrations affected by fragility and conflicts to exchange ideas on technical arrangements, equipment and methods to be adopted in specific situations.

This also included institutional arrangements and inter-agency cooperation schemes such as the establishment of multi-agency information and intelligence teams, cooperation with the armed services to secure Customs patrols, the adaptation of taxation to special circumstances amongst others.

NEMA CONFIRMS DEATH OF 3 PERSONS RESCUE OF 3 OTHERS IN PORT HARCOURT COLLAPSED BUILDING

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has confirmed the death of three persons at the collapsed two-story building in Aluu community, Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State, Friday night.

The NEMA South-south Zonal Coordinator, Godwin Tepikor, who spoke at the incident scene Sunday, said the disaster agency has concluded the evacuation, adding that the three dead bodies recovered from the rubble have been deposited at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH) mortuary.

Tepikor, who blamed the incident on sharp practices by the engineer constructing the building, claimed that the engineer may have been compromised on the project as the incident could have been averted.

“National Emergency Management Agency have completed evacuation in the collapsed story building. We got a report of the collapsed building under construction yesterday (Saturday) and as the lead agency in charge of disaster management in Nigeria, we had to coordinate other stakeholders on a rescue mission at the incident scene.

“It’s glaring from our site assessment that the engineer or whoever would have been in charge of the project would have compromised.

“However, we have carried out the response and evacuated three bodies from under the rubble. The bodies have been deposited at the UPTH mortuary,” he said.

Tepikor commended agencies and other stakeholders for their full participation to ensure the management of the disaster.

“I will not fail to commend the stakeholders, including the Nigerian Police Force, Federal Fire Services, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Nigeria Red Cross, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Rivers State Emergency Medical Service and Ikwerre Local Government council chairman, who worked tirelessly, mobilised heavy equipment and other materials to save lives and maintain law and order,” he stated.

Reacting on the incident, the Rivers State Commandant of the NSCDC, Michael Ogar, said that the sad occurrence would have been avoided if the contractor had desisted from using substandard building materials.

Represented by Head of the Rivers NSCDC Disaster Management Rescue Team, Assistant Commandant Ngene James, Ogar noted that preliminary investigation reports revealed that the rods, pillars and blocks used in the construction of the two-storey building were far below the required specifications.

“It is high time Nigerians began to take responsibility for their actions most especially when life of humans are involved. The collapse of the two-storey building at Aluu in Ikwerre Local Government Area could have actually been avoided if standardized materials and right specifications were used.

“Owners of buildings and landlords are hereby advised to be wary of desperate and quack building contractors who cares only about their pockets and not the lives of innocent people,” Ogar said.

The commandant also lauded the Chairman, Ikwerre Local Government Area, Samuel Nwanosike, for mobilizing three pay loaders and providing the necessary logistics, which enhanced the rescuing of the victims and recovery of the three corpses during a joint rescue operations by the stakeholders at the scene of incident.

“Let me use this opportunity to thank the Ikwerre Local Government Chairman, the Head of NEMA South-south Office, other security agencies and well meaning people of Rivers State who collaborated with our men in the search and rescue operations. The collapsed building environment has now been cordoned and sealed to prevent further disaster,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Ikwerre LGA Chairman, Nwanosike, has sympathised with families of those who lost their lives in the incident, assuring them that the government will prosecute anyone found culpable in the building collapse.

Nwanosike said: “I can categorically state that NEMA has ascertained that search and rescue has come to an end. What happened here is a disaster that would have been averted if those who are involved had obeyed the laws of the land. But nevertheless, the rules of Nigeria must be applied adequately.

“For those who lost their lives, we sympathise with their family and we will do the needful as the law entails.”