Nation
Author Tasks FG On National Unity
Author of the book, “The Hebrew Evidence of Nigerian Jews: A Scriptural Insight”, Innocent Agu, has urged the Nigerian Government to explore the common ancestry of most Nigerian languages to promote national unity.
Agu, who made the call yesterday in Abuja during the book launch, said that majority of indigenous Nigerians were originally Israelites and Idumeans.
According to him, exploiting the common ancestry will help douse the current tension in the country, since the various geopolitical zones are more connected ancestrally.
It will reduce or even eliminate hate and distrust among Nigerian ethnic groups and bring about political harmony, the author said.
Agu added that it would also reduce religious tension seeing that the original Nigerians, both Christians and Muslims, migrated from Israel and Jordan.
“It will further show that Nigeria has the most glorious history on earth.
“It will make Nigeria a tourism destination of the world and a centre for linguistic and anthropological research, thus impacting the nation’s economy.
“It will modify the Nigerian education curriculum on history of its ethnic groups and it will ultimately unite the country,’’ he said.
The author also gave reasons why ECOWAS and the African Union should adopt findings in the new book in promoting integration of the continent.
According to him, Africa is host of the entire dispersion of Israel and Idumaea/Edom kingdoms.
“The one antediluvian language of the world which is Igbo is still spoken in Africa as can be seen in Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea, Southern Cameroon and some other African countries.
“This discovery will enhance African integration and cultural exchange and ultimately promote Africanism,’’ he explained.
He urged Israeli authorities to also key into the project, which would be of benefit to them.
“Whether or not people in Israel were all biological Israelites or not, it does not matter because God already said that Israel would be joined with strangers on their restoration.
“Isaiah 14:1 said: For the Lord will have mercy on Jacob, and will yet choose Israel, and set them in their own land: and the strangers shall be joined with them, and they shall cleave to the house of Jacob.”
He added that the discovery captured in his book would enhance Israeli-African affinity and remove possible future tension or dispute about who legitimately owns the land of Israel.
The author called on policy makers, scholars, interest groups and people of goodwill to also support the full restoration of the house of Jacob as said by God.
“ But, The Lord liveth, that brought up the children of Israel from the land of the north, and from all the lands whither he had driven them: and I will bring them again into their land that I gave unto their fathers,’’ he qouted the Bible as saying.
Earlier, the book reviewer, Dean Faculty of Arts, Federal University Lafia and President Historical Society of Nigeria, Prof. Okpeh Okpeh, said the 738-page book had unravelled the 12 tribes of Israel in Nigeria.
Okpeh said the tribes included those from Northern Israel that were captured by the King of Assyria in 722 BC and the dispersal tribes of Southern Kingdom after the invasion and conquest by the Roman soldiers in 70 AD, led by Vaspasian in the Jewish-Roman war.
According to him, the book unravels the age-long mystery surrounding Igbo people and some other Nigerian tribes.
“The research findings point to the fact that several indigenous Nigerian ethnic groups share common ancestry that is traceable to the lost tribes of Israel and Edom/Iduma – the country of Esau called Edo and Idoma in Nigeria.
“The research also revealed that the Paleo-Hebrew in which the Old Testament Bible was originally written is the same as Igbo language, both in words and dictionary meanings.
“Over 1,000 different Hebrew words, phrases and sentences are recorded in the book to attest to this fact,” he said.
He said that the book described Igbo language as one of the prehistoric languages as it was the same as the Paleo-Hebrew, the original Hebrew language of the Bible.
He said that the work recorded about a thousand ancient Nigerian towns from across the country, which corresponded to the same ancient Israeli/Idumean towns recorded in the Bible.
According to him, while most of the listed towns are located in the Southern and Middle Belt of Nigeria, considerable number are also found in northern Nigeria.
Okpeh further said in the book identified many ethnic groups in Africa that are connected to the nation of Israel and that the original people of the nation of Israel were black.
The professor noted that while tracing the origin of Igbo people of southeastern Nigeria, the author used linguistic and anthropological evidences.
He said the book established that the name Igbo was derived from Eber, the great-grand son of Shem and whose entire race was called Ebeo, Ebo, Ibo or Igbo.
He said that the findings in the book would open a new vista in historical traditions of most Nigerian ethnic groups, while it solved the puzzle that had heralded the Igbo’s origin, tradition and cultural practices.
The Executive Secretary of the Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD), Dr Chioma Ejikeme, has reiterated the commitment to service delivery for pensioners.
Ejikeme said this during the Customer Service Week in Abuja, yesterday.
He said that commission had a mandate to deliver good service delivery to the pensioners.
Ejikeme, who was represented by the Director Civil Service Pension Department, Mr Kabir Yusuf, said that the customer service week was important to operations of PTAD.
“Customer service is the support that you give to a customer, whether it is an existing customer or potential customer in the process of delivering or making enquires about a service.
“To be a good customer service representative you need to be knowledgeable, have good attitude and attribute especially to the senior citizens and have empathy,” he said.
Ejikeme said that all PTAD staff had most of the attributes of a good customer representative.
“We provide excellent customer service by going to verify our aged pensioners who cannot do it by themselves anywhere across the country.
“There is a dedicated team that was mandated to go round to confirm the aliveness of those who can not confirm their aliveness either because the are too old or have health issues,” the executive secretary said.
The National Coordinator, SERVICOM, Mrs Nnenna Akajemeli, said that the official theme of the 2024 customer service week was “ We Go Above and Beyond For Our Customers.”
She commended PTAD and the SERVICOM team for organising the 2024 customer service week.
“This is in line with the best practice of celebrating frontline workers and service takers.
“Customer service week is celebrated annually during the first full week in October.
It calls attention to the importance of people to boost morale team work and departmental collaboration in supporting pensioners.
“ It is a platform to reward employees for the significant work they do,” Akajemeli said.
She said that the objective of the customer service week was to celebrate the hard work and dedication of employee who strived to create positive customer experiences.
She said that it was time to show customers that the organisation valued their experience and feedback, through comment cards, dedicated hotline, among others.
Akajemeli said that it raised awareness internally and externally about the importance of good customer service in building customer loyalty and satisfaction.
She said that the benefit was to increase motivation, show appreciation, encourage friendly competition, boost employee retention, create a positive workplace and increase productivity.
The Head, Surveillance Department at the National Pension Commission (PenCom), Mr Abdulrahman Saleem, said that good service delivery was the key success of every establishment.
Salem said that PTAD operated with standard, considering the success it had achieved so far.
Saleem said that pensioners required the best service attitude and behavior.
“ I give kudos to PTAD for its efforts and encourage it to do more.
“Therefore I urge PTAD staff to keep up the standard and continue to give good service to the pensioners,” he said.
The Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Hasan Abubakar, has honoured Flying Officer David Sangokoya for winning the 2023/2024 Royal Air Force College Cranwell International Cadet Sword of Honour.
Abubakar honoured the officer during the presentation of cheques to 13 beneficiaries of the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Group Personal Accident Insurance Policy (GPAIP) in Abuja, yesterday.
He described the achievement as ground-breaking as it was the first time an African cadet had won the prestigious award since the Academy’s creation over 100 years ago.
According to him, the feat underscores the excellence that exists within NAF, and proof that NAF officers and cadets can stand shoulder to shoulder with the best in the world.
“To our awardee, you have set a new standard, not just for your peers, but for every cadet and officer that will come after you.
“This accomplishment is a powerful reminder that no goal is out of reach when one is armed with dedication, discipline and an unwavering commitment to excellence.
“Your journey as an officer has begun with this prestigious accolade, but the true measure of your success will be seen in how you serve, lead and contribute to the mission of NAF and the defence of our great nation.
“As we celebrate this historic occasion, we extend our deepest gratitude to the United Kingdom Government for its unwavering support in providing world-class training opportunities to our personnel.
“This has enabled our officers and men to gain invaluable skills and knowledge, strengthening not only our bilateral ties but also our collective ability to address global security challenges,” he said.
The CAS said that the NAF looked forward to continuing the fruitful partnership for the mutual benefit of Nigeria and UK countries.
He expressed gratitude and unflinching loyalty to President Bola Tinubu for his commitment to the welfare and training of members of the Armed Forces of Nigeria, and NAF in particular.
“I must also take a moment to extend my heartfelt appreciation to the leadership of the Nigerian Defence Academy and the instructors who helped to mould and prepare this cadet for the global stage.
“Their dedication and commitment to developing top-notch officers is evident in this ground-breaking achievement.
“You have not only trained a leader but have given the Nigerian Air Force a legacy we will all cherish,” he said.
National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) has advocated private sector involvement to strengthen Nigeria’s healthcare system.
The Director-General of the authority, Dr Kelechi Ohiri, made the call at a high-level policy dialogue on sustainable health system reforms in Nigeria in Abuja, yesterday.
The Tide’s source reports that the dialogue was organised by the Healthcare Federation of Nigeria (HFN), a coalition of private sector stakeholders, to address the multifaceted challenges plaguing the country’s healthcare system.
The dialogue has “Private Sector Support for SWAP (Sector Wide Approach) in Healthcare” as its theme.
Represented by Dr Yakubu Agada-Amade, the NHIA Director of Standards and Quality Assurance, Ohiri explained the crucial role of private sector collaboration in strengthening Nigeria’s healthcare system
He highlighted the “One Plan” under the SWAp framework, which seeks to unify health sector efforts, ensuring efficient resource use, effective governance and expanded healthcare access.
He also stressed the importance of overcoming barriers that historically hindered the implementation of healthcare interventions in Nigeria, such as inadequate financing, weak governance systems, and bureaucratic bottlenecks.
He added that “the dialogue explored innovative approaches, including digital health innovations and financing mechanisms to accelerate the implementation of the National Health Act and mandatory health insurance coverage.
“With enrollment in health insurance growing by 14 per cent over the past year, NHIA can push for greater inclusivity, particularly targeting the informal sector through flexible payment systems and partnerships with telecommunications companies.”
He called for stronger synergy between public and private health actors to ensure universal access to quality healthcare and sustainable reforms in line with the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative (NHSRII).
Panelists from the Association of Nigerian Private Medical Practitioners (ANPMP), Healthcare Providers Association of Nigeria (HCPAN) and Health and Managed Care Association of Nigeria (HMCAN) echoed the sentiments, underscoring the private sector’s role in expanding insurance coverage and improving healthcare delivery.
They commended NHIA’s efforts toward driving reforms to achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC) through the Sector-Wide Approach (SWAp).