A Nigerian newspaper and Online version of the Vanguard, a daily publication in Nigeria covering Niger delta, general national news, politics, business, energy, sports, entertainment, fashion,lifestyle human interest stories, etc
By Soni Daniel Bitten by the bug of recession, President Muhammadu Buhari has said that the nation requires what he calls 'out-of-the-box' thinking so as to get out of the economic doldrums.
Buhari spoke at a one-day Ministerial Retreat on the Economy and the Budget with the theme "Building Inter-ministerial Synergy for Effective Planning and Budgeting in Nigeria" in Abuja today.
The President said, "The challenges we face in the current recession require 'out-of-the-box' thinking, to deploy strategies that involve engaging meaningfully with the private sector, to raise the level of private sector investment in the economy as a whole.
"We are confident that the level of private investment will grow as we are determined to make it easier to do business in Nigeria by the reforms we are introducing under the auspices of the Presidential Committee on Ease of Doing Business."President Buhari in Daura.
He stressed the determination of the government to explore possible ways of turning the current challenges into opportunities for the country and especially the nation's vibrant youth on whose shoulders lie the future of this nation.
"This is why we have embarked on measures and actions that will open up the opportunities we have seen in the Power, Housing, Agriculture, Mining, Trade and Investment, Information Communication Technology (ICT) Sectors, Tourism, Transport and other sectors.
"I wish to reassure its teeming youth that this Government would remain steadfast in its effort to ensure greater progress and prosperity for you. "While Government is taking the lead in the task of repositioning our economy for Change, we cannot achieve this completely by ourselves. We will need, and we ask for the support and cooperation of the private sector's domestic and foreign investors, the States and Local Governments, the National Assembly and the Judiciary as well as all well-meaning Nigerians in this important task.
"We are confident that working together, we shall succeed," Buhari assured.
ABUJA – Timed to celebrate Nigeria's 56th Independence Day anniversary, Rok Studios, the Lagos-based film studio, is set to launch a fresh out of the box televison channel on Sky TV in the UK on Thursday, September 29, 2016. followed by a Gala party in London at 8 Northumberland on September 30. 2016.
This new station for Sky TV subscribers in the UK will bring the most recent and best Rok Studios created Television programs, motion pictures and magazine shows to subscribers 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
According to CEO of Rok Studios, Mary Njoku, Rok TV on Sky will be accessible as a free-to-air channel for all subscribers.
She said: "I am so happy to finally be able to share the news of this UK Sky channel with Rok fans. We have been working towards this for some time, and now we are launching in just a few weeks – we are all super excited. As a production house, we are obsessed with curating amazing African content and telling African stories our way – and with this next big chapter in the Rok story, we can give millions more people the chance to enjoy our movies and TV series,
"Rok is fortunate to have worked with so many of the screen greats – the likes of, Mercy Johnson, Mercy Aigbe Gentry, Ini Edo, Desmond Elliot, John Dumelo, to name but a few. These actors are instrumental in bringing our storytelling to life. We are also blessed to have a dedicated, hard working and creative production team, who work tirelessly to ensure we release amazing content. Together, as the Rok family, we are now bringing our beloved Nollywood content onto its biggest platform yet - Sky."
Numerous Nollywood A-listers which include Alexx Ekubo, Chioma Chukwuka-Akpotha, John Dumelo, Oge Okoye, Mercy Aigbe Gentry, Ini Edo, Annie Idibia, Yul Edochie, Jackie Appiah, Nse Ikpe-Etim, Patience Ozokwor, Segun Arinze, Funke Akindele. are billed to grace the event scheduled to hold on the eve of Nigeria's Independence day anniversary.
"We have so many Nollywood stars travelling to London together to celebrate the launch of our new channel; this is unheard of until now. London won't know what has hit it – Nollywood is going to take over the city. We're also hoping to see many of our fans at the Rok on Sky gala launch as well – we are eternally grateful to all the Rok fans who've been with us along the way,” Njoku added.
ABUJA - Award-winning Afrobeats act, D'banj, A.K.A Kokomaster, appears to have gone separate ways with Kanye West's G.O.O.D music as a late tweet from the label confirmed the fears of many fans who hold the suspicion that Kokomaster is no longer affiliated to the label.
D'banj
In an updated list of artistes signed to the Kanye's music imprint, both old and recent, which G.O.O.D music released on Twitter, the Kokomaster’s name was prominently absent on the rundown, putting to rest gossipy tidbits with respect to whether he is still an act of the label.
The list of artistes include; Kanye West, Big Sean, Desiigner, John Legend, Pusha T, Tyga, Teyana Taylor, Kacy Hill and Q-Tip. A summary of signed acts on Def Jam Records’ site also has D’Banj’s name missing.
Music lovers in Nigeria have argued in favour of the label pointing out that D'banj have failed to put together an album after five years of parting ways with former label mate, Don Jazzy, back in 2011 and joining G.O.O.D Music.
Abuja – The UN and the Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR) on Thursday in Abuja, urged aggrieved persons and groups in the country to ceasefire and allow peace to reign.
Speaking at a news conference on the commemoration of the forthcoming 2016 International Day of Peace, Director-General of IPCR, Prof. Oshita Oshita, said IPCR had embarked on several peace-building interventions.
The director-general explained that the Day would provide all aggrieved persons and groups with another opportunity to embrace dialogue in the interest of the country and humanity.
According to him, the Day also required all aggrieved persons and groups to ceasefire for at least 24 hours on the Day as a respect for humanity.
"In the context of Nigeria, the 2016 International Day of Peace requires all aggrieved persons, groups and conflicts actors ceasefire for at least 24 hours and allow peace to prevail.
"We demand all parties involved in crisis in the country, to ceasefire as no crisis can be resolved by violence; it still has to come to a roundtable for meaningful resolution.
"We want to draw the attention of all conflict actors on the need to come to our senses to bring our country to the path of dialogue and development," he said.
He appealed to state governments to ensure the commemoration of the day in their respective states, to underscore the importance of entrenching the consciousness of peace in the public and private conduct.
Oshita commended the Federal Government for given Nigeria an opportunity to breathe an air of peace through the degrading of Boko Haram.
He enjoined all Nigerians to join hands with the federal government to promote peaceful coexistence in order to attain the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
"Take a decision to be a peaceful person today and help to underscore the significance of the "change begins with me" philosophy of the federal government.
'With peace, we can all have an economy and an investors-friendly country to help create jobs for our youth,' he said.
In his remarks, Dr Zebulun Takwa, Peace and Development Adviser of UN Development Programme (UNDP), said the whole world look up to Nigeria to come out of current security challenge.
"The return of polio in Northeast Nigeria has been facilitated by the Boko Haram crisis and we are now spending hundreds of millions of naira to try to combat it.
"If ministries, departments and agencies had been spending just five per cent of their budgets in supporting peace-building, we would have re-oriented the minds of the citizens.
"Peace should not be a slogan for rhetoric, but we must all invest in it and it involves money," he said.
Mr Peter Mancha, Deputy Programme Manager, UN Women, stressed on the need to mainstream peace-building in development agenda, saying that the 17 Sustainable Development Goals could not be achieved without peace.
He pledged that the UN Women would continue to work in Nigeria in the area of women, peace and security in line with the UN Security Council Resolution 1325.
The theme for the 2016 Day is: "The Sustainable Development Goals: Building Blocks for Peace".
NAN also reports that the Day is commemorated every Sept. 21 in accordance with the UN General Assembly Resolution 55/282 of September 2002. (NAN)
Ekiti State Government said on Thursday that it had set aside N1.9 billion for the construction of a new governors' office and high court complex in Ado-Ekiti.
Ayodele Fayose
The Commissioner for Works and Transportation, Mrs Funmi Ogun, made this known during an open bidding for the two projects in Ado-Ekiti.
Ogun said that the projects were conceived as part of plans to the state a facelift in terms of infrastructure development.
She said that when completed, both projects would add to the existing legacy projects of the present administration in the state.
According to her, the consultants' proposed bill for the construction of the new governor's office is N687, 028, 630.63 million while that of the High Court Complex is N1, 299, 613, 897.60.
It was reported that the contractors that bid for the new governor's office project at the session included Vyouad Construction Company Limited, Tianjin Yuyang Construction Company and Goodek Ventures Limited.
For the construction of the proposed court complex, Grid Associates Limited and Fovak Construction Limited jostled for the job.
The commissioner stated that the open tender confirmed the transparency of Fayose's government and its commitment to prudent management of the state's lean resources.
"What we are doing today confirms the transparency of our government.
"It shows that Gov. Fayose is incurably committed to giving Ekiti a face lift and make Ado Ekiti capital city a real modern city.
"Ekiti will clock 20 years on Oct.1, 2016 and we have to embark on projects that will make Ekiti a developing state that can compete with other capital cities in terms of infrastructure.
"The High Court we are presently using was inherited from the old Ondo state and constructing a new one of our own will afford us the opportunity to put state-of-the-art equipment," she said.
An Osun Magistrates' Court sitting in Ile-Ife on Thursday sentenced a 42 year-old man, Ebun Akinnawonu, to 12 months imprisonment for stealing.
Magistrate Iyabo Salami, in her judgment, did not give the convict an option of fine, and expressed concerns that these generational youths were lazy and preferred stealing rather than struggle to earn an honest future.
She said that the youths live extravagant lifestyle, driving the best of cars on the interest of committing different atrocities such as stealing, kidnapping, rituals and other antisocial vices.
The magistrate said the sentence would serve as deterrent to other youths who drag their future in mud
Prosecutor Sunday Osanyintuyi told the court that the accused of Ore in Ondo committed the offence on Aug. 28, around 4 p.m. at 48, Olu-Ere Str., Ile-Ife, Osun.
Osanyintuyi said that the convict broke into a shop belonging to Abullazeez Yakubu with intent to commit felony and stole N48,500 from his save.
He added that the convict on Sept. 6, around 1:32 p.m. at Fajuyi Road, also broke into a shop belonging to Nwanfo Sunday, with intent to commit felony and stealing and was caught in the act.
The prosecutor said the offence contravened section 383 and punishable under sections 390 (9), 412 and 508 of the Criminal Code Cap 34 Vol 11, Laws of Osun, 2002.
Gov. Rauf Aregbesola of Osun on Thursday in Osogbo attributed the recent flooding in the state to the negative impact of the people's activities on the environment.
Mr Semiu Okanlawon, the Media Aide to the Governor, said in a statement that the governor expressed the view during a tour of communities affected by flood recently.
Aregbosola
The communities are Okeonitea, Rasco, Fiwasaye and Gbomi.
Okanlawon quoted the governor as saying that "huge accumulation of wastes remained a major invitation to flooding in the state'' as it blocked the waterways.
He said the governor appealed to the people of the state to be hygienic and to cooperate with the state government in maintaining good liveable environment.
"Our people must henceforth obey government sanitation control and the collection of waste that we put in place.
"If we religiously follow it, we will never experience this devastating flooding, everyone is urged to dispose his or her waste responsibly," the governor added.
He, however, expressed sympathy with those affected by the recent flooding, Okanlawon said.
The governor said the flood took the state by surprise judging by the heavy investments of his administration on flood prevention since 2011, Okanlawon added..
He added that considering its efforts at ensuring clear waterways in the past, the state government never expected the flooding.
"Since 2011, the government has been embarking on massive dredging of waterways in all parts of the state in order to prevent such disaster.
"As a matter of fact, we are still very much indebted to those who normally work with us to ensure the cleaning of our waterways.
"Our government deeply regrets the flooding that has affected our people," Okanlawon quoted the governor as saying.
The Kano State Police Command on Thursday said it had arrested two suspected armed robbers who terrorised some residents during the ongoing Eid-el-Kabir celebrations in Kano metropolis.
The Command's Public Relations Officer, DSP Magaji Majiya, confirmed the arrest in an interview with reporters in Kano.
Majiya said the suspects, Abdulraham Mohammed and Aminu Abdullahi, were apprehended along Abdullahi Bayero Road in Kano metropolis after an attack on some victims.
"The two suspected armed robbers were arrested after they attacked their victims and items recovered from them include two knives and cell phones,'' he said.
He said one of their victims who sustained serious injuries had been taken to hospital for treatment.
He said the State Commissioner of Police, Mr Rabi'u Yusuf, had ordered the transfer of the case to the State Criminal Investigation Department (CID) for proper Investigation.
Majiya said as soon as investigation was completed, the suspects would be charged to court.
The Police Spokesman urged residents to continue to be vigilant and report any suspected persons to security agents for prompt action.
NAN recalls that on Wednesday some miscreants around Magwan area, Audu Bako way, attacked some children and dispossessed them of their belongings.
A Lokoja Chief Magistrates' Court on Thursday remanded an 18-year-old Disc Jockey (DJ), Ugbede Iyeh, in prison custody for allegedly killing his friend, a barber, Ikani Amodu, 30, with a pestle.
The Chief Magistrat, Mr Levi Animoku, in his ruling, described the offence of culpable homicide and the it was allegedly committed as horrifying.
Animoku said the offence carried the highest penalty and remanded the accused at the Federal Prisons, Dekina.
He also transferred the case to the Chief Magistrate Court in Dekina, and adjourned it till Sept. 27 for mention.
Prosecutor Tuesday Ganagana had told the court that the case was reported at the Divisional Police Headquarters, Dekina and Criminal Investigation Intellience Department, Lokoja, by Samson Ebenehi, the elder brother of the deceased.
Ganagana said the accused had on Aug. 28, at about 8 a.m., under pretext gone to the barbing saloon of the deceased Ikani to download some music tracks from the deceased laptop computer into his own.
He said that the accused in the process, deleted all tracks in the late barber's laptop and a misunderstanding ensued, adding that the accused criminally armed himself with mortar pestle and hit the deceased on the head."
Ganagana further explained, the barber fell down and became unconscious and was rushed to Peace Hospital, Anyigba where he was confirmed dead on arrival.
The prosecutor said that investigation into the matter was ongoing and applied for another date to mention the matter.
He reminded the court that the offence of culpable homicide under Section 221 of the Penal Code was not ordinarily bailable and therefore, urged the court to remand the accused in prison custody.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said that it had continued with arrangements to ensure the success of the governorship election in Edo rescheduled for Sept. 28.
Deputy Director of Voter Education and Publicity in the commission, Mr Nick Dazang, stated this in an interview with reporters on Thursday in Abuja.
Dazang said that the commission had started looking at areas that needed to be reinforced in order to have a credible election in the state.
The areas, according to him, include publicity and voter education, engagement of stakeholders, especially at the state level and security.
"We are also consolidating on our arrangement for the deployment of ad hoc staff for the conduct of the election.
"INEC is also working to ensure that the smart card readers are reconfigured and charged before the election date,'' he said.
Dazing said that the commission was collaborating with relevant stakeholders to ensure that no stone was left unturned in its determination to achieve success in the election.
Abuja – A teacher, Mrs Precious Anthony, who resides at Karu Village, FCT, has asked a Jikoyi Customary Court to dissolve her marriage that her husband plans to kill her by stabbing her to death.
Precious, the petitioner told the court while testifying in the case on Thursday.
"My husband almost stabbed me to death after he has consumed excess alcohol.
"This has been his usual behaviour, anytime he comes back drunk, he never lets me be.
"He sometimes beats me up for doing nothing," she said.
She said her husband recently threw her out of the house with their only daughter.
"When my husband threw me and with my daughter, I did not know Who to run to, so I had to go back to my parents house in Jos," she told the court.
The petitioner also said that her husband did not come to see them in Jos not until after Six months.
According to her, even when he managed to come and see us, he came drunk.
"He even beat me up in my parents house and threatened to kill my brother who came to defend me while he was beating me," she said.
She begged the court to dissolve the marriage and grant her custody of the only child of the marriage.
Monday Mipan the respondent who is a security man and was present in court, denied the allegations.
Monday told the court to dissolve the marriage if his wife wants it so.
He begged the court not to grant custody of the only child of the marriage to his wife.
The presiding judge, Labaran Gusau, advised them to give room for reconciliation but they refused, saying " their is no more love in the marriage.
Chelsea manager Antonio Conte has confirmed David Luiz will make his second debut for the club against Liverpool in the Premier League on Friday.
Luiz, who returned to the west London club from Paris Saint-Germain in a surprise £32 million ($42.7 million, 38 million euros) move on transfer deadline day, will replace injured Blues captain John Terry at Stamford Bridge.
The Brazilian defender’s first spell at Chelsea became known for his habit of making high-profile mistakes.
Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville memorably said Luiz looked like he was “being controlled by a 10-year-old in the crowd on a Playstation” after one especially error-strewn display and the 29-year-old was unable to shed that reputation during his time in France.
But Conte, who has vowed to work on Luiz’s weaknesses, said Thursday: “David Luiz will play for the first time with us and we are confident about this.
“We expect him to play very well, with great attention. We know David is a good player and we are working to put him in the best condition to give us the best of him.
“When new players arrive they need time to adapt to a new concept of football. Tomorrow (Friday) we need to play David Luiz.”
Italian manager Conte added: “He has worked a lot on defensive situations. I’m confident for him. He’s a good player and during the training sessions I have been seeing good things.”
Meanwhile Conte insisted Cesc Fabregas was going nowhere following reports the Spain midfielder could leave Chelsea during the next transfer window.
Fabregas has found himself reduced to a substitute role in the early weeks of former Italy manager Conte’s time at Stamford Bridge, leading to speculation regarding his Chelsea future.
But Conte said Thursday: “Cesc is in my plans and in Chelsea’s plans. We all know Cesc is a fantastic player.
“I see him in every training session with great seriousness and if he continues in this way it will be very difficult choice for me.
“I want this from my players, to put doubts in my mind. Cesc is a great player, we all know he’s a very technical player, but also I’m starting to know him like a man.”
Chelsea, yet to lose this season, face a Liverpool side fresh from a 4-1 win over reigning Premier League champions Leicester City.
“I’m expecting a very tough match against a strong team,” said Conte. “I think Liverpool is a really good team, they play with identity, they can bring many players on in an offensive situation and we must pay great attention tomorrow.”
Leaders of several countries as well as rocker Tom Morello will take part in a second day of the anti-poverty Global Citizen Festival in New York, organizers said Thursday.
The Global Citizen Festival, which “sells” tickets to fans who commit to action to support the world’s poorest, will take place on September 24 in Central Park with headliners Rihanna, Metallica and Kendrick Lamar.
The festival, which last year featured a slew of visiting speakers including US Vice President Joe Biden and first lady Michelle Obama, said it would hold a second day this year aimed at “advocacy and impact” to be held September 22 at New York University.
The prime ministers of Belgium, Malta and The Netherlands will attend as well as Australia’s foreign minister, Nigeria’s environment minister and actor Forest Whitaker, Global Citizen said.
Musical attractions will include Morello — best known as the guitarist of politically charged rockers Rage Against the Machine — as well as versatile jazz artist Jon Batiste, alternative pop singer Regina Spektor and soul singer Aloe Blacc.
“Music has been, and will continue to be, an important component of the struggle for a more peaceful, just and humane planet,” Morello said in a statement.
Global Citizen, which has taken place annually since 2012, recently announced an expansion to India with hip-hop great Jay Z and rockers Coldplay to perform for the first time in the country at the November 19 show in Mumbai.
The festival encourages music fans to sign petitions or take other action for causes critical to ending extreme poverty such as putting more girls in school and improving access to toilets.
The Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) on Thursday said two persons lost their lives in seven road crashes during the Salah holiday in Lagos.
Mr Hyginus Omeje, FRSC's Lagos Sector Commander, told newsmen that the crashes were caused by excessive speed, alcohol violation, and dangerous driving.
According to him, the crashes involved 49 persons, with two fatalities and two were serious, while four were minor.
NAN reports that the FRSC in Lagos had embarked on a Salah Special Patrol from Sept. 8 to Sept. 13.
Omeje said: "One of the accidents occurred at Agege, involving four persons in which one person was killed and two were injured as a result of alcohol violation. "It involved a yellow-painted commercial bus with license number plate EPE-986-XL.
"Another happened on Saturday on the Ibeku-Lekki long bridge involving three persons; two people were injured while one live was lost. It involved two trucks and one private vehicle.'' He also said the command recorded a lone accident involving two persons, in which one died and the other injured.
The sector commander added that 593 motorists were apprehended for 660 traffic offences. "One hundred and forty-eight vehicles were impounded while 17 motorists were convicted by the mobile court,'' he said.
On his part, Mr Chris Olakpe, the Chief Executive Officer, Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, told pressmen that the agency did not record any obstruction in the Lagos Metropolis during the celebration.
The Oyo state sector command of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), said that six persons lost their lives from road crashes during the eld-el-kabir celebration in the state.
The sector commander, Mr Yusuf Salami, made the disclosure on Thursday in Ibadan in an interview with newsmen. He said that 24 persons were injured in seven crashes that occurred during the celebration.
Salami attributed the cause of the crashes to excessive speed. He said that 148 traffic offenders were arrested
"The state recorded low traffic gridlock during the celebration compared to previous years; this was as a result of sensitisation of motorists undertaken by the corps. "We are going to build on this achievement and we expect the situation to be better especially during this ember months,'' he said.
The sector commander advised motorists to obey traffic rules and regulations to prevent avoidable crashes.
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr Babachir Lawal, on Thursday said the Federal Government would soon begin the disbursement of soft loans to market women. Lawal made this known when the President, National Council of Women's Societies (NCWS), Mrs Gloria Shoda, visited him in his office in Abuja.
He said that the government would support the council's programmes that would add values, morals and aspirations to the country. According to him, government targets on women and youths includes 500,000 youths in agriculture, school and guaranteed internship scheme.
Lawal advised women to use their position to instil good moral values in young persons, saying that morals began at the homes. "Women play a prominent role to the government, youths and children as they are better in doing that; they should take the baton and help their various communities.
"The moral values begin from home and for the `Change Begins with Me' campaign by the President Muhammadu Buhari to work, the women cannot be left out; the government demands a lot from you as mothers of the nation,'' he said.
The SGF said that collective energies of women as key contributors to nation building were a globally recognised phenomenon.
He said that women in key positions in the country had proven competent, and were doing a good job.
Earlier, Shoda had observed that the government had adopted a gender-friendly approach in key areas of governance.
She, however, appealed to the government that issues concerning women should continue to be at the front burner of the nation's development agenda, especially in the areas of education, health and economic empowerment. Shoda called for increase in number of slots for women to attend the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), saying that the training would broaden opportunities for women.
"Nigerian as a growing democracy needs the input of all her citizens in the continuous enhancement of her status on the international stage. "We believe women should be wholesomely equipped to actively participate in this vision. The process of public service and nation building is one in which women are very keen to participate in, as equal partners,'' she said.
She appealed to government to appoint women in board of government parastatals and agencies, saying that women would be able to contribute to the country's growth and sustainable development. She said the launch of the "Change Begins with Me'' campaign by the president would change hearts, homes and communities.
"It is part of our duties as teachers, counsellors and mentors of the society to educate on behaviour and how we should all conduct ourselves within the larger society. "We assure you of our willingness to work in tandem with you, to promote the values towards achieving the goals of the noble orientation campaign,'' Shoda said.
The UN and the Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR) on Thursday in Abuja, urged aggrieved persons and groups in the country to ceasefire and allow peace to reign.
Speaking at a news conference on the commemoration of the forthcoming 2016 International Day of Peace, Director-General of IPCR, Prof. Oshita Oshita, said IPCR had embarked on several peace-building interventions.
The director-general explained that the Day would provide all aggrieved persons and groups with another opportunity to embrace dialogue in the interest of the country and humanity.
According to him, the Day also required all aggrieved persons and groups to ceasefire for at least 24 hours on the Day as a respect for humanity.
"In the context of Nigeria, the 2016 International Day of Peace requires all aggrieved persons, groups and conflicts actors ceasefire for at least 24 hours and allow peace to prevail. "We demand all parties involved in crisis in the country, to ceasefire as no crisis can be resolved by violence; it still has to come to a roundtable for meaningful resolution.
"We want to draw the attention of all conflict actors on the need to come to our senses to bring our country to the path of dialogue and development," he said.
He appealed to state governments to ensure the commemoration of the day in their respective states, to underscore the importance of entrenching the consciousness of peace in the public and private conduct. Oshita commended the Federal Government for given Nigeria an opportunity to breathe an air of peace through the degrading of Boko Haram.
He enjoined all Nigerians to join hands with the federal government to promote peaceful coexistence in order to attain the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
"Take a decision to be a peaceful person today and help to underscore the significance of the "change begins with me" philosophy of the federal government. 'With peace, we can all have an economy and an investors-friendly country to help create jobs for our youth,' he said.
In his remarks, Dr Zebulun Takwa, Peace and Development Adviser of UN Development Programme (UNDP), said the whole world look up to Nigeria to come out of current security challenge.
"The return of polio in Northeast Nigeria has been facilitated by the Boko Haram crisis and we are now spending hundreds of millions of naira to try to combat it.
"If ministries, departments and agencies had been spending just five per cent of their budgets in supporting peace-building, we would have re-oriented the minds of the citizens. "Peace should not be a slogan for rhetoric, but we must all invest in it and it involves money," he said.
Mr Peter Mancha, Deputy Programme Manager, UN Women, stressed on the need to mainstream peace-building in development agenda, saying that the 17 Sustainable Development Goals could not be achieved without peace.
He pledged that the UN Women would continue to work in Nigeria in the area of women, peace and security in line with the UN Security Council Resolution 1325. The theme for the 2016 Day is: "The Sustainable Development Goals: Building Blocks for Peace". The Day is commemorated every Sept. 21 in accordance with the UN General Assembly Resolution 55/282 of September 2002.
For allegedly stabbing his tenant to death over space to dispose used water, Gbade Metibemu is to be remanded at the Ikoyi Prisons, pending legal advice from the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP).
Metibemu, 34, was presented to face trial on a charge of murder before Magistrate Mrs K.A. Ariyo of an Ebute Meta Chief Magistrates' Court, Lagos, on Thursday, but his plea was not taken.
The prosecutor, Insp. Cpl. Hafsat Ajibodu said that the accused committed the offence on July 21 at No. 10, Apollo St., Makoko, Lagos.
She said that the accused and the deceased, Bright Chineme, had an argument over where the deceased's wife should dispose off her used water in the compound.
In the course of the argument, Metibemu picked up a kitchen knife and stabbed the deceased to death, the prosecutor told the court.
The offence contravenes Section 221 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, and can not be tried in lower courts, including magistrates' courts.
The section 221 prescribes a death sentence for offenders.
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has said that inactive telephone numbers in the country have increased from 67,331,498 in June to 76,164,149 in July.
In its "Monthly Subscriber Data'' report released in Lagos on Thursday, the commission said that there were 8,832,651 unused numbers during the period, making up the total inactive lines.
It showed that of the 226,426,215 connected lines, only 150,262,066 numbers were active.
The report stated that of the 76,164,149 inactive numbers, the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) networks had a share of 72,732,130.
The Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA mobile) operators had a share of 3,240,313 while the Fixed Wired/Wireless networks had a total of 184,819 unused lines.
Similarly, of the 150,262,066 active lines, the GSM networks had 149,708,077 numbers, adding a total of 528,994 lines to their June number of 149,179,083 active lines.
It said that the CDMA operators had 371,613 active lines, as their active numbers reduced by 82,479 lines from the June figure of 454,092 active numbers.
The fixed/wireless networks had a share of 164,114 of the active lines, reducing their June record of 170,539 by 6,425 lines in July.
In addition, the report said that the teledensity of Nigeria's telecommunications industry also climbed to 107.33 per cent in July, compared to 107.01 per cent in June.
It said that the teledensity measured the percentage of a country's population with access to telecommunications services as determined by the subscriber base.
The teledensity is currently calculated on a population of 140 million people.
The data showed that some subscribers purchased SIM cards but dumped them after using them for some time.
A 30-year man. Kinsley Ejiogu, appeared in a Surulere Chief Magistrates' Court, Lagos, charged with causing breach of public peace by threatening to kill his father.
Ejiogu, a resident of No. 21, Adisatu Str., Sari Iganmu, Lagos, had pleaded not guilty to a two-count charge of breach of peace and assault.
The Chief Magistrate, Mrs M.I. Dan-Oni, in her ruling, granted bail to him in the sum of N100,000 with one surety in like sum.
?Dan-Oni said the surety must be a blood relation of the accused with verifiable address and show evidence of tax payment.
The court adjourned the case till Sept. 20 for mention.?
The Prosecutor, Sgt. Christopher Okoliko, told the court that the accused committed the offences at No. 21, Adisatu Str., Sari Iganmu, Lagos, on Sept. 3.
? He said the father of the accused Sabastine Ejiogu, came to the station to report that his son threatened to kill him with a dangerous weapon.
"And he also assaulted his younger brother, Anthony, who accused the defendant of stealing his father's money by giving him several fist blows on his chest," he said.
?Okoliko said that the offences contravened sections 166(D) and 170 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State 2011.
