The rebuilding/reconstruction of the nearing century old St. Paul’s Methodist Church building in Obuohia Obi-Ibere, in Ikwuano Local Government Area of Abia State has been undertaken by the family of Rt Hon Sam Onuigbo, an indigene of the community who represented the Ikwuano/Umuahia North and Umuahia South federal constituency for eight years in the House of Representatives.

Rt Hon Onuigbo who had earlier served the USA Embassy as the Supervisory Fraud Prevention Specialist, Abia State as Commissioner for Lands and Survey, and later Finance, at different times, among others, is presently the South East Representative on the Board of the North East Development Commission. He chaired the House Committee on Climate Change and also sponsored Nigeria’s Climate Change Act 2021.

Speaking at the Family Thanksgiving Service he organized, Rt Hon Onuigbo said that his family consequently felt compelled to publicly appreciate God, acknowledging however, that no amount of thanksgiving could fully capture their (his family ) gratitude.

“We have come to prostrate before Him. Over time, we have taken record of what God has done in our lives. My wife retired this year from the Federal Service as a Director, and I was appointed as a Board Member of the North East Development Commission, after representing my constituents for eight years in the House of Representatives. All these are acts of God’s grace”.

Announcing his family’s decision to rebuild and reconstruct the St. Paul’s Methodist Church, he said it is in appreciation of God’s blessings showered on them.

Rt Hon Onuigbo said “we have agreed to rebuild this church as a continuation of our service to God. This is where I started from. I served as a chorister here in my early days”.

In his homily at the service the Prelate of the Methodist Church Nigeria, His Eminence Dr. Oliver Ali Aba, emphasized the spiritual importance of gratitude, stressing that it is a core principle of Christian living.

According to the Prelate, who added that thanksgiving opens the door to completeness and divine restoration, enjoined Christians to cultivate the habit of expressing gratitude at all times, irrespective of their circumstances in life.

Dr. Ali Aba commended the Onuigbo family for their conscious decision to publicly return thanks to God, stating that doing so is a demonstration of humility and spiritual maturity.

The thanksgiving service had in attendance thousands dignitaries from various walks of life within and outside the state, including the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt Hon Benjamin Kalu, serving Senator Austin Akobundu, representing Abia Central Senatorial District; Chief Henry Ikoh, former Minister of State, Science and Technology, traditional rulers, clergy, friends and well-wishers of Rt Hon Onuigbo.

REPORT BY GORDI UDEAJAH

GUSONS MEDIA

How to address the lethargic growth of the study of Nigerian indigenous languages was the focus of the address of the Executive Director (ED) of the Aba, Abia State based but Federal government owned National Institute For Nigerian Languages ( NINLAN ) Professor Ogbonna Onuoha during the first matriculation ceremony of the pioneer degree students of the Institute that is in affiliation with Nnamdi Azikiwe University ( NAU ) , Awka, Anambra state.

The Executive Director (ED), Professor Ogbonna Onuoha therefore urged all state governors and stakeholders to seize the opportunities offered by NINLAN to patriotically develop the Nigerian (Indigenous) languages spoken in their states, by granting scholarship to their citizens, to study their mother tongues, through NINLAN’s refresher, improvement, acculturation, conversion, development and research trainings.

” The Federal government having established NINLAN, state governors in whose states and regions the Nigerian Languages Institutions are located, should ‘water’ them, to benefit from them, for the educational, social, political, economic and cultural development of their states, peoples and the nation at large”.

The ED in his address, said that the day marked a major milestone in the journey of the great Institute to take it’s rightful place in the community of degree-awarding institutions in Nigeria, adding that the matriculation featured new students on the Ibibio and Annang Acculturation programmes in Nigerian Languages.

Disclosing that NINLAN is in the final stages of the memoranda of understanding with the Nupe, Obolo, TIV Idoma and Igede languages, towards their development, he said that the matriculants included their Certificate, NCE, Diploma and Postgraduate Diplomas students.

Professor Onuoha, who, before his appointment as the NINLAN ED, was the Deputy Vice Chancellor ( Administration ) at Abia State University, Uturu, being less than one year in Office, said ” we are glad to report that many graduates of non-Nigerian Language courses are fast converting to Nigerian Languages, to make their life careers, working in Nigerian Languages”.

Acting Vice Chancellor ( AVC ) of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, to which the NINLAN is affiliated, Professor Carol Arinze- Umobi, represented by Professor George Onwudiwe, said that by the affiliation, the degree programe of NAU admissions proceedings, academic staff numbers and qualifications, examinations and academic regulatuons in NINLAN are to be supervised by NAU.

She said ” the undergraduate students of this programme are in a sense, distant students of NAU, who will receive degree Certificates of NAU on successful completion of their programme hence, they are bound by the relevant NAU regulations that include among others, 75% attendance of lectures and practicals before writing examinations”

The NINLAN ED, (Professor Onuoha) who said also that it ( NINLAN ) has continued to witness transformations in both academic and infrastructure areas, remarked that due to ” the grave security concerns posed by their expansive 209.5-hectare unfenced campus, they have commenced the installation of solar-powered streetlights at strategic locations to enhance visibility and safety for staff and students, especially at night.

” In line with our mandate to serve all parts of the country equitably, the Institute has restructured its faculty formations to reflect the six geopolitical zones of Nigerian Languages under our care.

” We are equally championing technological innovations by developing specialised ,Computer Keyboards with Indigenous Language Characters, in partnership with a Chinese technical firm, to support reading, writing, and digital content creation in some Nigerian languages

” Beyond this, the Institute is also developing pioneering Text-to-Speech and Speech-to-Text applications powered by natural language processing algorithms, which will facilitate modern teaching, learning and research in Nigerian Languages, the NINLAN Nigerian Languages Online (NNLO) Programme, which, when launched, will deliver certificates and diplomas programmes, virtually to Nigerians at home and abroad, including foreigners seeking to acquire proficiency in Nigerian languages, for business, career, diplomatic, or cultural purposes”.

According to the ED, to boost language immersion and acquisition, they have established Acculturation and Language Acquisition Centres (ALACs) in some of the six geopolitical zones of the country, to serve as hubs where learners can internalize our Nigerian languages in natural environments, guided by well-developed operational procedures.

” The NINLAN Acculturation programme has been redesigned to include our demonstration schools with the strategic decision that, beginning from the next academic year, students enrolled in these schools shall study and be examined in Igbo, Hausa, and Yoruba proficiency, for national cohesion”.

Reporting on its Website, he said it is currently undergoing comprehensive restructuring in compliance with the directive of the Honourable Minister of Education and TETFund directives, which he said includes capacity-building for their ICT personnel to independently manage the platform.

” In keeping with our core mandate, we have equally undertaken the restructuring of all postgraduate Diplomas, insisting that a minimum of 50% of coursework, particularly in the PGDE, consists of Nigerian language- oriented content.

” We continue to build human capital through robust staff development initiatives, as many of our academic staff are currently pursuing postgraduate studies in reputable Nigerian universities, while our non-teaching counterparts are benefiting from targeted training and mentorship programmes designed to enhance their effectiveness and productivity.

While congratulating the matriculated students and extending warm appreciation to their parents, guardians and well-wishers who have entrusted their care to the Institution, he assured that NINLAN will continue to provide a supportive academic environment, equipped with the necessary human and material resources, to help them realize their dreams.

Executive Secretary, National Commission for Colleges of Education ( NCCE), Professor Paulinus Chijioke Okwelle, represented by the Provost , Federal College of Education, Ofeme, Abia state, said that the matriculation marked the formal integration of NINLAN into the mainstream of Teacher Education in Nigeria.

He added ” by training teachers of Nigerian Languages, we are not only producing classroom educators but also cultural ambassadors, bridge – builders and agents of national cohesion”.

He therefore charged the students to ” as pathfinders , carry the honour, responsibility and burden of being the first set students of this Institution history has chosen, to write the opening Chapter of NINLAN NCE Story.

Abia state governor’s wife Priscilla Otti has empowered with Skills, Cash and Tools, the 54 first cohort of beneficiaries of her facilitated Safe Tent Care Initiative to enable them commence businesses or expand them.

They had been trained for three months to acquire skills in various aspects of Catering, including pastry-making, food production, decoration among others under the Skill Up Abia Women programme and Safe Tent Care project being championed by Mrs Otti.

Each of the 54 aged between 15 and 35 years, was given Start-up kit comprising an Oven, Gas burner, Utensils, and essential ingredients, including ₦200,000 grant to enable them to launch or expand their businesses

Speaking at Aba Sports Club Aba, while presenting the beneficiaries with the empowerment items, Mrs Otti said that the Skill-Up Abia Women programme targets to provide vulnerable and underserved women, with high-demand, income-generating skills aimed at breaking cycles of poverty, fostering economic independence, and restoring dignity.

She charged them to make the best intended use of the Skills they acquired during their training and their empowered Tools, to drive away poverty, and create and embrace wealth.

She told them , “You are no longer just learners but entrepreneurs, wealth creators, and community builders hence, you now hold the power to shape your own destiny,”

Mrs. Otti further announced that continued mentorship, access to business advisory services, and inclusion in the Safe Tent Care empowerment network, would be available to the targeted group.

Earlier in her address, the Director of Vivdak Catering and Events Institute and Deputy Chairman of Isiala Ngwa South Council, Hon Vivian Obilor lauded Mrs. Otti’s quick approval of the programme in October 2024, disclosing that the 54 beneficiaries were selected through rigorous but transparent process from over 500 applicants.

Hon Obilor told the beneficiaries that having been trained and empowered “You are now financially independent, skilled entrepreneurs ready to create your own success stories.”

Similarly, the Special Assistant to the Governor on Vulnerable Groups and Poverty Alleviation, Chief ( Mrs ) Ifeoma Thomas, said that the Safe Tent Care Initiative is a non-profit Outfit dedicated to providing safe, supportive spaces for women, girls, and children to gain the skills and resources they need to thrive.

There were Goodwill messages by
the Wife of the state Deputy Governor, Her Excellency Adaeze Chidera Emetu, Commissioners for Women Affairs Dr. (Mrs.) Maureen Ijeoma Aghukwa, and Poverty Alleviation and Social Protection. Mrs Blessing Ngozi Felix.

On behalf of the beneficiaries, Miss Ananaba Favour and Miss Agu Chioma separately expressed appreciation for the wealth- growing skill training and tangible empowerment,

” We thank Her Excellency’s motherly love and believing in our potential, even when she did not know us personally”.

It was gathered that the Skill Up Abia Women programme contributes directly to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Goal 1 (No Poverty), Goal 5 (Gender Equality), and Goal 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth) , and forms part of the Safe Tent Care Initiative’s broader mission to advance empowerment, healthcare access, advocacy, and psychosocial support across Abia State.

Report By GORDI UDEAJAH