Goodluck Jonathan awards NYSC members

Presiden t Goodluck Jonathan yesterday gave automatic employment and scholarships for post-graduate studies to 164 former members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) who served in 2012, 2013 and 2014 service years.

He announced this at the presidential villa, Abuja, during the 2014 President’s NYSC Honours Award and the flag off of the NYSC Hope Alive Programme to assist corps members who suffered permanent disabilities during their service.

Among those awarded, 55 persons were selected from 2012, 52 were from 2013 and 57 from 2014 service year. The president noted, however, that the awardees who would be absolved into the federal civil service are those who were yet to be employed by their state governments.

Presenting the awards, Jonathan said, “I congratulate all awardees on your well merited recognition and honour. The entire nation salutes the determination, courage, discipline, commitment and hard work which you all exhibited during the service year.
“In line with our policy of encouraging our youths to always strive for excellence, including serving and prospective corps members, I hereby announce immediate employment of the award winners in the federal civil service, as well as automatic scholarship up to doctorate level in any university of their choice across the globe.” “I urge you to always be good ambassadors of this great country and we shall continue to look up to you for greater vision and accomplishments”.

He lauded some banks for their corporate social responsibility and uncommon concern for youth development displayed through the offer of automatic employment to the awardees. Appealing to other corporate organisations to emulate this laudable initiative as the expertise of these distinguished Nigerians should be utilised by both public and private sectors, the president promised to continue to accord priority to youth empowerment programmes by initiating policies and programmes that would focus on youths.

“A nation that does not build the youth is building a nation for disaster”, he added, even as he urged the NYSC to ensure that its efforts to establish the Integrated Farm Settlement Scheme nationwide becomes a reality without further delay.
Earlier, the director general of NYSC, Brigadier General JB Olawumi, said a significant aspect of this year’s award is the symbolic flag-off of a new programme by the scheme tagged, ‘NYSC Hope Alive Initiative’. He noted that the initiative which is public and private sector driven promises to give hope and succour to corps members who sustained some form of disability during the service year.

Noting that the scheme has benefited from government’s support in the MDG’s War Against Poverty Programme, Oluwami added that “within the past couple of years, a total of 4,273 corps members were trained out of which 3, 706 were empowered to establish their agro- enterprise.”
He observed, however, that a major challenge of the NYSC “which impinges on its operations is inadequate facilities to cater for the increasing corps population”.

source: Leadership

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Al-Jazeera journalist Peter Greste released from Egypt.

Al-Jazeera journalist Peter Greste has been freed and deported from Egypt and flown to Cyprus, bringing an end to 400 days behind bars.

The Australian ex-BBC correspondent was arrested in December 2013 and tried on charges that included spreading false news and aiding the Muslim Brotherhood. Two other al-Jazeera men, Mohamed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed, remain in detention.
Reports said Mr Fahmy would be deported to Canada, but concern remains about Mr Mohamed, who holds no dual nationality.
Mr Fahmy, who holds dual Egyptian and Canadian citizenship, may be freed after having his Egyptian nationality revoked, presidential sources said.
All the defendants denied the charges against them and said their trial was a sham.
They were accused of collaborating with the banned Muslim Brotherhood after the overthrow of President Mohammed Morsi by the military in 2013.
In their defence, the three men said they were simply reporting the news.
Mr Greste's brother Andrew said in a statement: "We're ecstatic that Peter has been released and we now ask if the world could respect his privacy, to give him time to appreciate his freedom before he faces the media."
Al-Jazeera tweeted that it welcomed Peter Greste's release and demanded Mr Fahmy and Mr Mohamed be freed.
Mostefa Souag, acting director-general of al-Jazeera media network, said in a statement: "We're pleased for Peter and his family that they are to be reunited. It has been an incredible and unjustifiable ordeal for them, and they have coped with incredible dignity...
"We will not rest until Baher and Mohamed also regain their freedom.
"The Egyptian authorities have it in their power to finish this properly today, and that is exactly what they must do."
'Relieved and delighted' Mr Greste's release came after a long campaign and a series of hints from Egyptian officials.

In November, President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi said he was considering the possibility of granting pardons to the two foreign al-Jazeera journalists. He had earlier signed a decree on repatriating foreign prisoners.
The BBC's Richard Galpin reports on how Peter Greste ended up in jail Then in January, Egypt's top court ordered a retrial of all three men.
Mr Greste's release was eventually confirmed by a statement issued by the Egyptian Interior Ministry.

The statement said it had been "decided to extradite Australian journalist Peter Greste... to his country today, 1 February (2015)... after the cabinet's approval, in enforcement of the Presidential Decree no. 140 for the year 2014 regarding the rulings on extraditing defendants and deporting the convicts".
An official told Associated Press the release had been co-ordinated with the Australian embassy in Cairo.
Mr Greste left Cairo for Larnaca, Cyprus at about 16:00 local time on Sunday. His brother Mike and airport officials later confirmed that he landed at Larnaca airport.
He is now expected to travel to his native Australia, where his parents Lois and Juris, and brother Andrew, are due to speak at 10:00 on Monday (00:00 GMT).

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