By Tijjani Muhammed

Mrs Maimunatu Ali-Keffi, the Chairperson, Nigerian Army Officers Wives Association (NAOWA),1 Division chapter in Kaduna, on Wednesday received the Arewa Students Forum humanitarian service award.

Delivering her speech, Mrs Ali-Keffi said "I came from a very humble beginning where I was taught that spending time enriching communities is a great way to broaden perceptions of the world, and that one gain a unique sense of purpose by serving those around him".

" I also married a loving man who dedicates his spare time to helping others, in the values of my upbringing and in my husband’s actions, I learnt that dedicating time to help others teaches patience, kindness, and resilience".

"I stand before you today, to say that, giving back to my community and people at large is a privilege, one that I do not take for granted, In my new role as the Chairperson NAOWA 1 Division Chapter, the opportunity to touch lives and make a difference in the lives of orphans, widows, prisoners, wounded In action soldiers and the less privileged is a humble calling that I had to obey with so much joy and willingness to serve".

"I am also blessed to work with a special group of women who understand and believe in my vision, they are the NAOWA women", she said.

" Having said that, I especially want to thank all the members of NAOWA, for their support and all that they do, their collaborative efforts and actions daily inspire me to dream more, learn more, and do more, this award is a testimony of our achievement as a team".

" I also would like to thank my husband Major General Danjuma Ali-Keffi for his leadership, teachings and for allowing me to be of service to humanity, to my children, thank you for the blessings and joy you bring into my life, this award will always have a place of honor in my home" she said.

Admonishing the students, Mrs Ali-Keffi said "As I look around this auditorium today; I see good people from all walks of life, but my focus is on the students that I see sitting here with grace, hope and enthusiasm, they are the ones that give me hope for a better tomorrow which leads me to the words of Eleanor Roosevelt which says, 'the future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams', to all the students here today, I applaud your resilience, hard work and perseverance".

"No plant grows without a seed, the seed you plant in your lives today, will be the harvest for your future tomorrow".

" Think before you act, the simple but effective process of thought will help you avoid making critical mistakes that could cost you your freedom, education or your life".

"Never see yourself as someone that knows it all; find a mentor, responsible adult knows what is best for his well-being, even if you must sacrifice your reputation with your friends, draw close to an adult who you know has your best interest at heart, Ideally this should be your parent, friends will come and go but your parents will be an unconditional and lifelong source of love and support".

" Do not be a follower; avoid being part of the crowd, without being a loner, you can separate yourself from the group of people who are not involved in positive things and still have a social life, void following popular trends that could lead to a high-risk lifestyle such as becoming so obsessed with materialism that you will do illegal activities to obtain certain things".

"Be humble; in the current environment, it is popular to be haughty or arrogant as such attitudes tend to prevent an individual from developing healthy relationships, being humble allows you to be open to learning from elders and making adjustment to become a better person ".

"Establish a set of values, there are many deep cultural, social and spiritual values that will benefit all people",Mrs Ali-Keffi admonished.

"l recommend three simple and basic set of values for youth: life, education and freedom, If you place a high value on each of these and consider them in your decisions, it will affect the choices you make, put simply, if you value your life you will think twice about drinking and driving, If you value your education you won’t threaten a teacher which will get you expelled and If you value your freedom, you will avoid criminal behavior that could lead to prison"

"Lastly maintain emotional stability, managing emotions is vital for navigating through these critical times that we are currently living in, emotions run high in dealing with personal matters, family matters, work relationships, even in sporting events there has been incidents that go bad due to a loss of emotional control".

"If you are in control of your emotions, most incident will not escalate and remember, 'life is 10 per cent what happens to us and 90 per cent how we react to it" Mrs Ali-Keffi said.

She thanked the Forum and board members for nominating and honoring her with the Icon of Humanitarian Service Award.

Earlier, The president of the Arewa Student Forum, Comrade Mohammed Aliyu Alabi, said they they identified with the Chairperson NAOWA 1 Division Chapter for the good humanitarian work she has been doing and also to learn from her style of leadership and follow her as a mentor. (NAN)

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House of Reps receives proposal to create Lagoon State from Lagos

Samson Toromade

June 3, 2021 9:04 AM

Seven current local government areas in Lagos are proposed as the new Lagoon State.

Lawmakers in the House of Representatives [NASS]

A proposal to carve out a new autonomous state out of the current Lagos State has been submitted to the House of Representatives' Special Committee on Constitution Review.

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A representative of Lagoon State Movement asked the committee at the South West Zonal Public Hearing in Lagos on Wednesday, June 2, 2021 to expedite the creation of Lagoon State.

He said Lagos has been denied the 'privilege' of being broken up like other Nigerian states to arrive at the current number of 36.

He noted that the proposed Lagoon State has the ability and resources to be self-sustainable, better than some states that currently exist.

"It is our prayer that the National Assembly will take a special note of our agitation and grant approval," he said.

Lagos is the smallest state in Nigeria, occupying a total land area of 3,345 square kilometers, but is considered the most populated with an estimated 20 million residents.

The Lagoon State Movement has been campaigning for over 10 years for a new autonomous state to cater to the rural communities especially those along the costal line.

Ikorodu, Epe, Kosofe, Somolu, Apapa, Eti-Osa, and Ibeju-Lekki Local Government Areas of Lagos have in the past been listed as proposed communities that will break from Lagos and create Lagoon.

Creation of new states was a very common request made at all four days of zonal public hearings on constitutional amendment that took place all over the country last week and this week.

At the Lagos venue that fielded proposals from the public in Lagos, Ogun, and Oyo, many submitted requests for creation of new states, including a separate Ibadan State breaking away from the current Oyo State.

The creation of new states is one of the items on the Exclusive Legislative List, which makes it the responsibility of the Federal Government.

Many other groups complained at the hearings that the item be taken off the list because the Federal Government should not be in the position to address such matters.