DMGS Old Boys Plan Projects, Commit To Higher Standards In Alma Mater

DMGS Alumni via Daily Sun

ONITSHA (SUN NEWS ONLINE) -- In a bid to support efforts at providing conducive learning environment and facilities at its alma mater, the Lagos branch of the Old Boys Association of Dennis Memorial Grammar School (DMGS) Onitsha, is planning to execute more projects in the school. They want to support the school management in improving standards at the institution.

The efforts of the association, which refers itself as Dennis Old Boys Association (DOBA) Lagos branch, are also geared towards recognising the sacrifice of Archdeacon T.J. Dennis, the man who translated the Bible from English to Igbo language and whom the school was named after.

Speaking during a re-dedication and Thanksgiving service held on Sunday at Our Saviour’s Church, Tafawa Balewa Square, Lagos, Barr Nelson Ako Okoli, President of the Lagos branch of the association, said that the old boys association worldwide had done projects worth over N1billion.

“We are hoping to do more and expect the new DMGS to be greater than the old one in terms of learning facilities. The library is well equipped now; new classrooms and hostels are coming and the school is going to be the Number 1 as it used to be,” Okoli said.

He further noted that the continued support to the alma mater was intended to provide learning facilities, help in maintaining the high standards, which the school is known for, and to motivate both the teachers and students to go for excellence in their work and academic pursuit.

In his sermon at the service, Reverend Cannon Dr. Kin Egwuchim, a guest preacher and also an old boy of the school, disclosed that the school, which opened its doors to students on January 25, 1925, as the first and best available school in the Eastern Nigeria then, has today produced prominent scholars, professionals and eminent Nigerians who have impacted the society positively.

He, therefore, called on members of the Lagos branch of the association to see the rededication service as opportunity to consolidate on the strong foundation the school laid on the gospel that liberated the Igbo land and high quality education that enlightened and empowered the people.

After the rededication service graced by members of the association, their families and friends, the celebration continued at the Police Officers’ Mess, Onikan, Lagos, where guests were treated to exciting food, wine and music offerings.

Speaking on the import of the event, Barr Sylvester Okonkwo, a politician, chairman of the occasion and an old boy, said the re-dedication and Thanksgiving was an annual event, which had now become a culture of the association.

For him, “it is very wonderful been an old boy of DMGS, as everywhere you go, you see your people, and have the inspiration to do right and show the light and it is rewarding.”

In the same vein, Ifeanyi Atuenyi, a pharmacist, a member of the class of 58 and a past president of DOBA, Lagos, said it had been a wonderful association with DMGS as the ex-students would keep appreciating what the school did in their lives, especially the strong foundation to excel in life. “There is no student that will not give a good report of DMGS because it was founded on the fear of God and training of students to be very good citizens. We are trying to be close to the school so that the young generation will not depart from the foundations we have laid,” he noted.

Going down the history lane, Dr. Chike Mogilim, a member of the class of 86, disclosed that the school has a very long and rich history, especially in the south eastern part of Nigeria. “It is one of the oldest grammar schools in Nigeria, and grammar schools were the best available schools then in the country.”

For him, going to DMGS was a thing of pride, even being admitted, because it has a rich history of good tutors, good students, good results, and excellence in sports.

Unveiling other plans for the school, Enwezor Victor, Secretary of Lagos branch and a member of the class of 92, disclosed that talks were ongoing between the school management and the association for the provision of power supply, new hostels, classrooms and other learning facilities.

On the poor standard of education across the country, Mogilim said there were efforts at keeping the standards at DMGS as high as it has always been. He said the old boys had invested a lot in building infrastructure, helping to pay teachers among others.

“The decay in Nigeria is very big, but even in the decay you will still find an oasis of sanity. DMGS is what it should be,” he said.

SOURCE: DAILY SUN

N4.6 Billion Onitsha Port Ready for Concession in Two Weeks

The multi-billionaire naira Onitsha Cargo Inland Port in Anambra State will be ready for concession within two weeks, authorities have said.

General Manager of the Nigerian Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), Mike Dike, made the revelation of the weekend during the visit of the National Good Governance Team to the port.

The port is yet to commence operation nearly five months after it was commissioned by President Goodluck Jonathan.

The Minister of Information, Mr. Labaran Maku, said the port would function alongside other ports under construction, including the ongoing Oguta sea inland port in Imo State and Baro port in Niger State to free Nigerian roads of cargo carriage.

He also said the resuscitation of rail transport in the country would also complement the river ports.

Dike, however, stated that the port was ready to be concessioned to the private sector, and that advertisement for concession would be placed within two weeks.

He added that NIWA was awaiting a go ahead from the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC).

He said the N4.6 billion cargo ports which has 3,000 containers warehouse capacity of 40 tonnes each was awarded in 2010 and completed in 2012 as against the 2011 expected date of completion.

Meanwhile, there were apprehensions amongst port users that only smaller ships will be able to pass under the famous River Niger bridge connecting Onitsha to Asaba which is a nexus to the port from Calabar axis except further dredging is performed.

Dike said all the equipment needed for the commencement of operation was available, stating that dredging was an exercise that would continue even after commencement of operation.

It is unclear whether further dredging is likely to affect the foundation of the bridge which is the major access road to the South-eastern part of the country.

-------Adebiyi Adedapo, This day, January 28, 2013

The IFJ Raises Concern About Security of Journalists After the Killing of an Editor in Nigeria

International Federation of Journalists 

PRESS RELEASE

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today has vigorously condemned the killing of a journalist in the Nigerian city of Onithsa (Anambra state, South East).

According to Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) an IFJ affiliate, the journalist Ikechukwu Udendu, editor of Anambra News a monthly newspaper, was shot dead on Saturday 12 January 2013 by unknown persons.

"We strongly condemn the killing of Ikechukwu Udendu and stand in solidarity with his family and colleagues. Nigeria has become a country of impunity for those who have attacked and killed journalists. This is a real press freedom regress. The Government must investigate thoroughly the circumstances of his death and bring his killers to justice," said Gabriel Baglo, IFJ Africa Director.

Udendu was shot while on his way to supervise the printing of his newspaper. The Nigeria union of journalists believes the act is dastardly as perpetrators made an anonymous phone call to Chukwulozie Udendu, the elder brother of Ikechukwu Udendu, asking him to go and retrieve the dead body.

"This is shocking to the Union as daily there are clear signals of such attacks on media professionals who work mostly without any insurance cover. Journalists now live in perpetual fear of being either arrested by security operatives or attacked by faceless assailants without any just cause," said Muhammad Garba, NUJ national president.

The IFJ believes that Nigeria is facing a spark of violence on which media professionals are victims. On 26 April 2012, two suicide car bombers targeted offices of Nigerian newspaper This Day in Abuja and a Media house in Kaduna. Arrests of journalists are also frequent. On 24 December 2012, journalists Musa Muhammad Awwal and Aliyu Saleh from weekly Al-Mizan, a Hausa-language newspaper, have been arrested and detained by the security forces without clear charges. They were recently released.

"In the decade, various forms of attacks against journalists have taken place, yet not a single case has been satisfactorily investigated and persecuted by the security personnel," Garba added. "This is very unacceptable, and we therefore appeal to the concerned authorities to ensure that such attacks are properly investigated and culprits brought to book," he concluded.

For more information contact the IFJ on +221 33 867 95 86/87

The IFJ represents more than 600.000 journalists in 134 countries

Interview: Watertown-Based Nurse Helps Patients In Onitsha Nigeria

By Julie Fay, Milton Patch

Vinieta Lawrence is the Director of Nursing at Emerson Village, a skilled nursing and rehabilitation center in Watertown. She recently volunteered on a medical mission with Onitsha America, Inc., bringing medical care and supplies to Onitsha, Nigeria. The Milton resident spoke with Milton Patch columnist Julie Fay about the vast differences and surprising similarities between health care in Nigeria and in the United States.

How did you come to participate in a medical mission to Nigeria?

One of my nurses knew of this group in Texas that was using telemedicine to treat patients in Nigeria. These physicians (originally from the coastal area of Nigeria) were using the Internet to log in, consult with doctors there and treat the patients. There’s a brain drain (in that) doctors from Nigeria settle in England or Canada or the U.S., but with twelve million people (in Onitsha), the need is great. So this group of physicians has been bringing free medicine and doing free health screenings there. I’ve been in contact with the group for the past four years, and earlier this year they asked me if I would like to be their guest and come.

What was your reaction when they asked you?

I jumped at the opportunity. I’ve always wanted to do missionary work, but as a single mother, I couldn’t commit to the extended time requirements, such as fifteen months for the Peace Corps, or even three months through church. But this was going to be ten days; to turn it down would have been unacceptable to me. I’d supported the missions in the past, but the physical going was much more of a commitment.

What kinds of situations did you encounter there?

I saw the same problems as in the U.S. People had no access to medical care, or the medical care they had was of poor quality, including the medicines. Also, people there, just like some people here, have to make a conscious decision about whether to buy medicine or buy food to put on their tables. It’s ridiculous, and just more ‘in your face’ there than here.

And the health conditions were similar, as well?

There’s a lot of hypertension and diabetes. One patient was so sick, with her blood pressure at 230/110 (normal is 120/80), I picked up my cell phone to dial 911 for an ambulance, but there’s no ambulance to call! I was waiting for her to stroke out on me, but we were able to give her medicines to bring her blood pressure down.

There was this twenty-something kid who was complaining about his eyes. He worked for the Red Cross, helping out his community with an immunization program for children through five years old. We saw him, and he had advanced glaucoma. Here’s this intelligent young man, doing something positive with his life, and he’s going blind. (Blindness is preventable with proper treatment of glaucoma.)

What was the most satisfying thing about the mission?

It was using my opportunities and expertise in a much bigger way than I can do locally. We saw 300 people in those few days, and they were so appreciative. They sang a song for me, and blessed me! Here, you don’t get a thank you when you do your job; people are ready to sue in a hot little minute. There, it was immediate gratification. I saw the results of a dramatic intervention for people who were really sick. It was overwhelming in a good way. It grounded me.

What was your favorite memory you brought back?

One of the doctors gave me a new name: Ada Di Ora Mma. It means “daughter to be appreciated that does good for the community,” or “daughter of the area.” I told (people) I’d see them next year, and I meant it.

Nigerian Jungle Blues: Ghetto Life Images II

What a life!


Na real wah! A nation that boasts of abundant natural resources and human capital.


Makes Compton and South Central Los Angeles look like heaven. Of course, Compton and South Central LA is heaven compared to anywhere in Naija.


Who cares? That's what it's all about.


Apparently it all means the world is a ghetto. Scenes from Aba Township. Images courtesy of KEVIN ANI/NSIBIDI PRESS


"Day of Hell in Lagos after downpour": From Ogba to Ikeja, Oshodi to Mile Two, Festac, Apapa, CMS, the story was the same. For those going to Tin-Can and Apapa, it was hell. Commuters who were able to board commercial buses could not get to their destinations eventually as most of them had to disembark on the way to begin the homeward journey early enough. According to them, it was no use continuing the journey since it was obvious they might not get to their offices before close of work time. VANGUARD


Erosion-ridden Anambra, Courtesy of Wazobaa


Abatete: Improper dumping of refuse in Anambra state has heightened the impact of erosion. Photo by Hilary Uguru/IRIN


Around Onitsha Market. Image courtesy of AFRIPOL