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
President Donald Trump pressed his attacks on US intelligence agencies Thursday, vowing to catch “low-life leakers” amid a battle over contacts with Russia that led to the ouster of his national security adviser.US President Donald Trump
The latest flurry of presidential salvoes came amid reports that Trump plans to name a New York billionaire, Stephen Feinberg, to lead a sweeping review of the US intelligence agencies, raising fears of a bid to curtail their independence.
Since firing his top security aide on Monday night, Trump has lashed out repeatedly at the community, portraying the leaks that prompted Michael Flynn’s departure as a bid to undermine his legitimacy.
“The spotlight has finally been put on the low-life leakers! They will be caught!” Trump declared in an early morning tweet Thursday.
“Leaking, and even illegal classified leaking, has been a big problem in Washington for years. Failing @nytimes (and others) must apologize!”
Trump decried Flynn’s treatment at a news conference on Wednesday despite having fired the retired general two days earlier for deceiving Vice President Mike Pence about his contacts with Russia’s ambassador to Washington.
Instead, the president trained his fire on “criminal actions” of people “trying to cover up for a terrible loss that the Democrats had under Hillary Clinton.”
Earlier, he pointed the finger at the National Security Agency, which conducts electronic surveillance, and the FBI, which handles counter-intelligence probes, as possible sources of the leaks.
“The real scandal here is that classified information is illegally given out by ‘intelligence’ like candy. Very un-American!” he stormed in a tweet on Wednesday.
– ‘Classic misdirection’ –
But the drumbeat of revelations has infuriated Democrats and alarmed Republican leaders, wary of Trump’s overtures toward Russia.
“It is a cloud over the White House,” said Senator Lindsey Graham, a Republican hawk who has called for in-depth investigations.
The attack on leakers “is classic misdirection: he’s discrediting the revelations, thereby drawing attention away from what’s revealed,” tweeted Strobe Talbot, a former deputy secretary of state under Bill Clinton.
Trump’s stance on leaks has flipped since last year’s presidential campaign when he dismissed as a “joke” charges that Russia was behind damaging leaks of hacked Clinton campaign emails.
“Russia, if you’re listening, I hope you’re able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing,” he said at a news conference in Florida last July.
By January, US intelligence had concluded that those leaks were part of a wider campaign ordered by President Vladimir Putin to try to tilt the election in Trump’s favor. Moscow denies any involvement.
The New York Times reported Wednesday that intercepted calls and phone records show Trump aides were in repeated contact with Russian intelligence officials at least a year before the US elections.
Among those whose calls were monitored was Paul Manafort, a Trump campaign chairman who had worked as a political consultant in Ukraine, the report said. Manafort called the report “absurd.”
Trump also dismissed the report in a tweet as “non-sense.
– Mutual distrust –
With that as the background, a sense of mutual distrust has pervaded the president’s relationship with the intelligence community.
As president-elect, Trump ruffled feathers by giving short shrift to his daily intelligence briefings, and outraged the CIA’s director by likening the intelligence agencies to Nazi Germany after the leak of a dossier that made unsubstantiated claims that Russia held compromising information on Trump.
The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday that US intelligence officials have withheld from Trump sensitive information on sources and methods because of concerns it could be leaked or compromised.
A White House official rejected the report, saying “there is nothing that leads us to believe that this is an accurate account of what is actually happening.”
Trump has appointed Mike Pompeo, a Republican lawmaker from Kansas, to head the CIA. His nominee for director of national intelligence, Dan Coats, is awaiting Senate confirmation.
The Times said the planned intelligence review by Feinberg, a co-founder of Cerberus Capital Management, was seen as a way of injecting a Trump loyalist into the intelligence community.
Feinberg, who has no national security experience, had been considered for top intelligence positions as either director of national intelligence or head of the CIA’s clandestine service, the Times said.
– Russia moves –
Meanwhile, the Trump administration has moved gingerly on Russia, sending top officials to Europe to reassure NATO allies while making its opening official contacts with the Russians.
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson met with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Bonn, and said Washington is prepared to work with Russia “when we can find practical areas of cooperation.”
In Brussels, Defense Secretary James Mattis said the Pentagon was not ready “right now” for military cooperation with Moscow “but our political leaders will engage and try to find common ground or a way forward.”
Putin, meanwhile, called for Russian intelligence agencies to bolster their cooperation with the Americans in the fight against terrorism.
The United States “absolutely” supports a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict but is thinking of new ways to advance towards a peace deal, US Ambassador Nikki Haley said Thursday.
“We absolutely support a two-state solution, but we are thinking out-of-the-box as well,” Haley told reporters following a Security Council meeting on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
ABUJA- THE Nigeria Agribusiness Group, NABG, has assured that the Fertiliser Bill before the National Assembly will address farmers' challenge in food production.
This was stated by the Vice President, NABG, Emmanuel Ijewere, during a meeting with other stakeholders in the agricultural sector, which include the Seed Association of Nigeria, SEEDAN, Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa, AGRA, and the Fertiliser Producers and Suppliers Association of Nigeria, FEPSAN in Abuja.
Ijewere further stated that the stakeholders' meeting became necessary, which will help to make new inputs to the bill in order to address farmers' challenges in the sector.
He said: "The Fertiliser Bill currently before the National Assembly was sent by the Executive in 2013 and between that time and now, a lot of things have changed, there is need for inputs to be made before it is passed.
"A group of professors were put together by MIRA who were tasked to look and review the Bill and make it more relevant today. The aim is to get a bill to the National Assembly that is more current that takes into consideration the farmers who are end users of the input.
"Farmers do not get high yields due to adulteration. This bill will ensure that anyone that adulterates fertiliser is made to pay a huge fine."
According to him, the bill has provision for recourse when farmers fall victim of fake fertiliser in order to help them get their refund as a way to protect farmers.
"The farmers will have recourse because when they lose money, nobody speaks for them, they will have a place to go to. This bill will also give responsibilities to state government to speak for the farmers because they are too small to speak for themselves, he added.
Meanwhile, one of the key partners, Alliance for a Green Revolution will intensify investments in Nigeria by continuing to help strengthen private sector agribusiness and the capacity of smallholder farmers to meet the demands of food processors.
The investment covers policy and regulatory reforms in the importation, manufacturing, distribution and quality control of fertilisers to improve crop production and productivity.
Local talents to provide technical analysis of the economic impact of policy and regulatory reforms for agri-inputs and services in Nigeria has mobilised by AGRA.
Working in partnership with the organised private sector and the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD), AGRA will be investing in streamlined processes to align public-private investments in the production and supply of certified seeds of improved varieties and hybrids.
Gov. Willie Obiano of Anambra on Thursday ordered the relocation of filling stations constructed around residential buildings and markets.
Obiano gave the order at the scene of a fire incident which destroyed 13 buildings, 10 vehicles and other valuables worth millions of naira on Upper New Market Road, Onitsha, on Wednesday night.
The governor, who cut short his trip to Abuja to visit the scene, expressed worry over the increasing cases of fire incidents in the state.
"At about 8 p.m. on Wednesday when I was about to retire after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting, I was called and briefed about fire incidents in five locations in the state.
"The fire incidents occurred in Nnewi, Nimo, Okpuno, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka and Onitsha and all started almost at the same time.
"It is only in Onitsha that we had an extensive damage of property where about 15 families were displaced but no death was recorded in all."
Gov. Willie Obiano of Anambra State
He said that a committee would be set up to find out the remote causes of these fire incidents and what government could do differently to assist the victims.
"We are going to find out whether these filling stations will remain here because Onitsha has grown and the gas stations are now in the midst of residential buildings.''
The governor said that the committee, in collaboration with the Obi of Onitsha, Obi Alfred Achebe, would determine how the affected 15 families would be resettled around the area for a year.
Obiano also said that a barrier would be placed across the three flyovers in Awka, to restrict the movement of articulated vehicles on them.
He urged the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) to impound articulated vehicles that violate traffic rules and regulations.
While commending the firemen from the state and Asaba, for their timely intervention, Obiano disclosed that three special fire trucks to complement the existing ones had been ordered.
According to him, each has three components — 10, 000 litres capacity for water, 750 litres for foam and 75 kilogram for powder — which will make fire-fighting faster and more efficient.
"One of the trucks will be deployed to the Main market, Onitsha, while the others will be deployed to Nnewi and Awka; the trucks will arrive within two weeks," he added.
He appealed to traditional rulers and leaders in the communities to sensitise their people on the need to reduce bush-burning, especially during the harmattan season.
Obiano also advised people who do not have business around an inferno to run for their lives rather than stay close to take videos and pictures.
He commended the security operatives that assisted during the inferno, saying that their presence helped to stop attempts by hoodlums to loot banks.
Obiano also lauded members of the public who summoned courage to help put out the fire.
"What is left now is for us to begin the clearance of this place and I will direct our contractors and with the help of the Army, to pull out the tanker and remove the debris," he said.
The Chairman, Senate Committee on Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Sen. Ali Ndume, has challenged the commission to ensure that it conducted credible elections in 2019.
He particularly called on the Chairman of the commission, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, to surpass the achievements of his immediate predecessor, Prof. Atahiru Jega.
Ndume gave the charged when the committee hosted INEC in a defence of its 2017 Budget on Thursday in Abuja.
He said that the country could not return to the past when irregularities stalled elections across the country.
According to him, the 2015 general elections conducted by Jega was globally acclaimed to be credible and the best of its kind in the history of the country.
The chairman assured that the committee was willing to give the commission all the support it needed to ensure that the 2019 polls and beyond met expectations of Nigerians.
Defending the commission's budget, its chairman said that N45 billion had been budgeted for its activities in 2017.
He said that N20.9 billion was earmarked for Personnel Cost during the year, explaining that the commission's staff strength was over 16, 000.
Yakubu added that N19 billion was budgeted for electoral matters as against N25 billion in 2016 because there would be only few elections during the year.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that due to some exigencies, the commission's defence was adjourned till Tuesday to enable members of the committee acquaint themselves with details of the document.
After releasing a single, “Rude Boy” early this year, Kingsley Eno Osagie, "the Mr Big man, C-Krit", and " Coat of many Colours" crooner, popularly known by his artistic name as Winning Jah is due to release another Ska reggae riddim titled “Living in Fire" to keep track with his campaign against social vices.
Winning Jah
Winning Jah uses music as his vehicle to preach against terrorism, kidnapping and other social vices. And being a Rastafarian, the rising reggae star has chosen ‘social awareness’ as the theme for his music this year. In fact, last year, when he released his debut album, “Nouveau Business”, an 11 tracker album, his fans were at visibly home with his music which draws inspiration from music legends such as Peter Tosh, Fela Kuti, Bob Marley and Jimmy Cliff.
The rising reggae star, however, promised to live up to his billing, releasing hit songs after hit like you never heard before." Ihe describes himself as " the voice of the voiceless" adding that he used his singles to address social issues.
His recent track ” Coat of many Colours” from the album Nouveau Business, went viral on the internet, when it was released last year. The song was arranged by the multiple award pop music winner Enaruna Edosomwan, also known as “NaXis De Genexis”. Popularly called by his stage name NaXis DG, the Edo State-born singer was recently signed to VP Records, VPAL parent record.
The Commissioner of Police in Akwa Ibom, Mr Donald Awunah, on Thursday confirmed the abduction of Rev. Father Felix Akpan, a Roman Catholic priest of Ikot Ekpene Diocese, in Akwa Ibom.
Akpan, who is in-charge of St. Michael De Archangel Parish at Ikot Etim in Ukanafun Local Government Area, was abducted by unidentified gunmen along Abak-Ukanafun Road.
The priest is also said to be teaching at TopFaith International School, Mkpatak in Essien Udim Local Government Area. It was also learnt that the priest was said to have been kidnapped when he was returning from the school.
Awunah said that a crack team of police detectives had been deployed to ensure the release of the priest unharmed.
According to him, the priest's SUV has been recovered at a mechanic garage.
He said some suspects who took custody of the vehicle had been arrested. The commissioner said the suspects were helping the police in their investigation.
"We are closing in on them. We have recovered his car in a mechanic garage and arrested those who had the custody of the vehicle; they are now helping us in our investigation.
"The Nigeria Police Force will remain cautious with the investigation to ensure that the priest regains his freedom without any harm," he said.
Awunah appealed to members of the public to always volunteer useful information on criminal elements in their neighbourhoods to the police for prompt action.
The fourth edition of the Southern Governors' Wives Forum opened in Umuahia, the Abia capital on Thursday, with 11 members in attendance.
Those present were from Abia, Imo, Enugu, Ebonyi, Akwa Ibom, Delta, Cross River, Lagos, Ogun, Osun and Oyo states were present at the opening ceremony.
In her speech, the Chairperson of the forum, Mrs Nkechinyere Okorocha, said that the forum was established to address issues concerning the health and empowerment of women. According to her, it is the brain-child of the wife of the President, Hajia Aisha Buhari.
Okorocha, while underscoring the role of the woman in nation building, said that the Nigerian woman was key to the realisation of the Nigeria of our dream.
She further said that it was in line with the tradition of the forum to give out mental, spiritual and economic empowerment to women of the host state during each forum.
In an address of welcome, the host and wife of Abia Governor, Mrs Nkechi Ikpeazu, said that the purpose of the gathering was to empower women in the state.
"The women who are benefitting today were meticulously selected in such a way to ensure that they are capable of using the items to eke out a living for themselves. "It is my expectation that over time, this set of beneficiaries would become self-sustaining."
She said that similar gestures in the past failed to achieve the intended purpose because some beneficiaries sold off their items or lacked the requisite skills to sustain their businesses.
She, therefore, pledged to support the beneficiaries to be able to access loans and to succeed in their businesses.
It was gathered that the governors' wives present took turns to present speeches address different topics on health, girl-child education and business.
Topics discussed ranged from Cancer to negative widowhood practices, education, training and protection of the girl-child against abuse.
The role of women in the family, counselling the Nigerian child in the choice of careers, promoting healthy and positive relationship among the womenfolk, the role of women in nation building and tips on how to start small businesses were also discussed.
Prominent women politicians in the state, including Mrs Victoria Akanwa, as well as wives of two National Assembly members from Abia attended the ceremony.
No fewer than 300 women from the 17 local government areas of the state received empowerment materials such as hair-dressing kits, sewing and grinding machines, locally-made ovens and sets of cooking utensils.
Among the beneficiaries was a physically-challenged woman, Mrs Onyinyechi Ukaegbu, 51, who received hair-dressing kits and expressed joy and gratitude to the forum for its kind gesture.
Mrs Akudo Chukwuemeka, who received an oven, also thanked the forum and appealed for financial assistance to enable her to start her business.
The forum is expected to issue a communique at the end of the two-day meeting.
The federal government has said that it stopped paying Ekiti State funds from the Budget Support Facility (BSF) because it failed to meet the requirements agreed to by the state governors and the federal government, on the programme.
A statement by the Director of Information of the Federal Ministry of Information, Mr. Salisu Na'Inna, in Abuja , Thursday, indicated that Ekiti had been warned about the situation, as far back as August , last year, but that the warning was ignored.
It said, "The fact is that, the Ekiti State Government failed to comply with the necessary requirements for participating in the Budget Support Facility (BSF), which is a Conditional Loan Programme to State Governments introduced with the view to enhancing fiscal prudence and designed particularly to enhance transparency, efficiency in public expenditure and payment of salaries.
"This is not the first time of non-compliance by the Ekiti State Government. His administration defaulted in meeting the conditions specified and agreed upon by the 35 State Governments that are participating in the programme as contained in the Fiscal Sustainability Plan (FSP) and the Ekiti State Government was warned formally of its failure to comply with the full requirements vide a letter on August 5, 2016, with reference number HMF/FMF/ASG/1/2016.
"The failure of Ekiti State Government to comply with the requirements and conditions for the Budget Support Facility (BSF) resulted in a letter sent to the Chief of Staff to notify him of the suspension of BSF for Ekiti State and it was conveyed to Mr. President before payment to the Ekiti State Government was reinstated.
"The Ekiti State Government and all the other participating States are aware of the consequence of failure to comply with the full conditions and it is not the first time that a State would be stopped from accessing the Facility due to non-compliance. In the course of its normal duties, the Ministry of Finance has the right to query, suspend or withhold funds as part of the conditions of the Budget Support Facility.
"The process is for the Commissioner of Finance of any State or the Governor having issues to contact the Federal Ministry of Finance and resolve the issues without resorting to the media because such issues are of a financial nature and therefore, confidential; they are routinely resolved amicably by the parties involved.
"The Federal Ministry of Finance wishes to restate very strongly that the Budget Support Facility is a conditional programme and the Federal Government would not be intimidated or threatened in the discharge of its duties."
When Vanguard asked to know what specific conditions of the BSF Ekiti State failed to meet, an official who insisted he must not be quoted said that the Resolution by the State House of Assembly, authorizing it which should be approved by the state Executive Council was never submitted by the state.
Another official said, that the BSF was a loan that must be repaid and that each state must meet the condition before it could benefit from it.
A Plateau High Court sitting in Barkin-Ladi on Thursday sentenced a 37-year-old man, Benjamin Toma, to death by hanging for killing his wife, Vicky.
Justice Samson Gang, in a 68-paged judgement, pronounced Toma guilty of a one-count charge of culpable homicide, punishable with death, under section 221 of the penal code.
"Going by the findings of this court, you, Benjamin Toma, mercilessly and in a calculative manner, took the life of your wife in cold blood.
"You have not shown any remorse for your reprehensible act at the time of the incident and throughout the entire trial.
"You were exhibiting such character traits that seem to suggest your deep conviction about the justness of your wicked and calous act.
"In all of this, your two children are the ultimate losers, but the law shall nonetheless take its course; the offence for which you are being charged, does not contemplate a plea in mitigation.
"The sentence of this court upon you is that you, Benjamin Toma, will be hanged until you are dead," Gang declared.
Judicial symbol
It was gathered that Toma was arraigned on Oct. 13, 2014, to answer a one-count charge of culpable homicide punishable with death, under section 221 of the penal code. He was said to have committed the crime on March 4, 2014.
Toma was specifically accused of using an iron rod to kill the wife, and also using a rope to tie her neck before hanging her in the store, to give the impression that she killed herself.
When the suspect appeared in court, he however, pleaded not guilty to the allegation of killing his wife, and claimed that she took her life by hanging herself.
But while standing in court as a prosecution witness, Sgt. Sunday Abu, who investigated the case, however told the court that Toma, in a confessional statement, had said that on the said date (March 4), he demanded for sex from his wife, at about 1 a.m.
"He (Toma) further confessed that his wife refused to grant his request, and declared that Vicky had persistently rejected that demand for more than one year on the suspicion that he had HIV/AIDS.
"Toma said that because of this wife's allegation, he went to the hospital and confirmed he had hepatitis and not HIV. "He told investigators that on that night, he struggled with his wife and later used an iron rod to hit her.
"He said that when she fell, he left her there for two hours, and later took her out of the room and used a rope to hang her in a bid to conceal his action."
Abu, who submitted the confessional statement in court as evidence, quoted Toma as saying that he acted alone without any help, adding that even the children were fast asleep and did not know what was happening. Toma promptly owned up to this statement that bore his thumb-print.
He said he was not under duress when he made the two confessional statements, first at the Barkin-Ladi Divisional police headquarters and later at the state CID, all of which contained his acceptance of the deed.
Late Vicky's mother, Ngo Titi Sambo, who also appeared as a prosecution witness, told the court that she heard people crying at her daughter's matrimonial home and branched over only to discover the body of her daughter hanging from the roof.
Sambo said she called her son, one Captain, who observed that the table the accused claimed Vicky stood on, to commit the said suicide, was very far away from her.
Captain also noticed some lacerations and wounds on her, which prompted him to invite the police as he suspected foul play.
Speaking to newsmen after the judgement, Mr. David Adudu, defense counsel, said that the judgement was right in view of the evidence presented in the court. "Justice is a two-way traffic; justice for the state, the accused and the victim.
"However, there is a window for the convict to appeal. We shall study the judgement and know what steps to take, but for now, we are satisfied with the judgement," he said.
The foremost African institutional Guaranty Trust Bank plc (GTBANK) has appointed Bolaji Lawal as Executive Director and Babatunde Soyoye as Independent Non- Executive Director.
Guaranty Trust Bank’s Board of Directors announced the appointment of Mobolaji Lawal as an Executive Director of the Bank Thursday in a press statement.
Prior to his appointment, Mobolaji Lawal was the Divisional Head, Digital Banking Division.
Mr. Lawal who joined the Bank in 1992 as an Executive Trainee and rose through the ranks to become a General Manager, a position he held until his appointment as Executive Director. He has over twenty-four (24) years' of banking experience which covers various aspects of banking including Credit Risk Management; Corporate Banking Group; Commercial Banking Group; Investment Banking and Corporate Finance where he served as Group Head. Under his leadership, the Group worked on several landmark debt syndications, capital market and project finance transactions both in Nigeria and abroad.
Announcing the new appointment, the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the Bank, Mr. Segun Agbaje stated that: "As a Bank, we maintain high corporate governance standards and ensure our Board appointments are in line with global best practices". He further stated, "Bolaji has been an integral part of the Bank's success and has seen the bank evolve and develop through the years. I am confident that his appointment to the Board will further strengthen and position the bank for improved performance".
Guaranty Trust Bank plc was established in 1990 and is regarded by Industry watchers as the best run and most ethical financial institution within the Nigerian Financial Services space, due to its bias for world-class corporate governance standards, excellent service quality and innovation. The Bank is one of the few Nigerian financial institutions to have a well-articulated succession plan and this has enabled it seamlessly undertake two management and several board changes since inception.
The Bank operates from over 238 branches within the country and has banking subsidiaries in Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, Cote D'Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Liberia, Sierra Leone and the United Kingdom.
The wife of Kogi State Governor, Barrister Amina Oyize Bello, is the founder of Hayat Foundation, a Non Governmental Organisation, NGO, named after her first son, Hayatula Olarize Bello. 10-year-old Hayatula Olarize Bello was born a special child upon discovery that he has cerebral palsy Since his birth, Mrs. Bello has gone through a lot of trials such as stigmatisation for having a cerebral palsy child, starting from the immediate home and even as outsiders gather to whisper when the young Hayatula walks around. But rather than see this as an issue of discomfort, this astute woman displayed rare courage by turning her situation to advocacy and a voice for this set of special people.She kicked against situations where parents would lock children with cerebral palsy or other forms of deformities behind closed doors. According to her, "I had to come back home and that was how the whole thing started. When by the grace of God we found ourselves in the position of authority, I felt I found my calling and I couldn't help but project the image of these hidden faces, where you go into some homes you have been visiting them for years you never knew there was a special child or maybe a child with a spinal cord injury; not just children with cerebral palsy. "Why don't you take them to your church or your mosque as you go to every Sunday or Friday", they say the religious leaders are not ready to accept them; people will feel they are not performing enough miracles or people will start looking down upon them or start calling them names." Barrister (Mrs.) Bello spoke on the foundation and other burning issues with Chris Ochayi.
WHAT is the focus of Hayat Foundation?
I have a son named Hayatula Olarize Bello. I gave birth to him sometime in 2007 and he has Cerebral Palsy.
Initially, we didn't know, we were just living in denial.
We travelled from one country to the other, seeking solution and of course, we went through all those challenges and discovered that he had Cerebral Palsy.
But the major challenge was a society that was not accepting his kind. When we showed him too much love, people began to say that we must have used him for money rituals and when we don't, it is like we are hiding him.
I grew up with empathy for people and I love my son regardless; and my husband had to really put his feet down and insisted he is my first son. In a lot of ways, that gave me lots of peace and comfort.
Eventually our journey took us to Kennedy Craig in the United States and Johns Hopkins respectively.
Amina and Hayat Bello
Existence of the hospital
There, not just the hospital but society was so loving and for the first time I realized there was nothing wrong with my son. We just found ourselves in a society that has not grown to that level.
We thought of relocating at first but I got inspired by the story of the Kennedys' and the Craigs' which led to the existence of the hospital and the school in the first place and I felt if we all keep leaving Nigeria who will be the change maker.
I had to come back home and that was how the whole thing started. When by the grace of God we found ourselves in the position of authority, I felt I found my calling and I couldn't help but project the image of this hidden faces, where you go into some homes you have been visiting them for years you never knew there was a special child or maybe a child with a spinal cord injury; not just children with cerebral palsy.
There are different special cases. Even when you ask them, why are they not in the family portrait they will tell you: "I don't want people to start talking".
"Why don't you take them to your church or your mosque as you go to every Sunday or Friday", they say the religious leaders are not ready to accept them; people will feel they are not performing enough miracles or people will start looking down upon them or start calling them names.
So we had to start this advocacy to try to re-orientate our people that it is not all cases that are via exorcism, some are just medically there— the same way we have black, white colourations; it's the same way we have different children; and if parents are lucky to have healthy children all through, there are supposed to be a shoulder to lean on for parents that are not so fortunate.
Training centre for therapists
It doesn't mean those parents that have special children have committed any wrong whatsoever. God is just testing them and your attitude to it will determine how far you will go.
I have chosen to love my son. I want to be that face for parents that are ashamed of their ward and also for school owners that are quick to turn parents with special kids back for them to understand that they are just children.
There are able bodied men that just go about their normal businesses and for accidental reasons they have spinal cord injuries and they have to learn how to walk, how to talk, how to live life all over again. Public places should make wheel chair accessible and every school should have special teachers in each and every class for special children.
It's not like I am not aware of severe cases that should be in institutions but mild cases should be in mainstream schools and every class all the way to the university should have a special teacher so that parents like me are not forced to segregate amongst our children.
We are also working towards opening an institute that will focuse on severe cases, we also intend to have a training centre for therapists; for behavioral therapists, occupational therapists, physiotherapists so that teachers that have NCE can come for an additional programme, whereby they are equipped with this basic knowledge and schools can reach out to us for these teachers to have in their schools and also of course to find possible solutions causes and prevention of cerebral palsy.
Is there any way there can be sponsorship of a Bill to make sure that the discrimination against these types of people take precedence?
What we are trying to do is like a replica of what we have in Kennedy Craig and Johns Hopkins. We want a situation where people can come from all over Africa to get quality education for your ward if they have special cases. We are going to have even boarding facilities for such children. To that extent we don't intend to restrict it to Kogi State.
Even our religious and traditional leaders, we've been working with them to try and re-orientate them so they don't feel like as an Imam your followers will look down upon you because you allowed special people come into the mosque to pray; or as a pastor your followers look less at you that you perform less miracles just because you have special people come in to the church. We are all God's children.
Were there situations where people tried to use this to make mockery of you because we are in a society where things like that can't be ruled out?
The mockery is crazy and it made lot of parents develop all forms of depression. I have been advised to inject my son for instance. Some say why not take him to the village?
For other people it is easier for them to live in denial but we were not brought up that way and today we celebrate him even his siblings are looking out for him, supporting him just because we made it so and my husband to a large extent really helped in this regard. He said this is the will of Allah and we all learnt to embrace Hayat and today we are better for it as a people.
In America I was eager to go and whenever we go out either to shop or to stroll in the park I always come back home burning with tears of joy. I must have lost count of people who walked up to us saying 'Hello, cute boy, how are you?.' Some start singing nice songs to him; if we are in an elevator and there is a button to press, somebody will just oblige out of nowhere to press it and when we are to enter an elevator we are given first right at all times.
Singing ofnice songs
Some parents told me they wish they were Hayat's birth parents and when I asked why, they said government will make so many things easy for you because they know you have a lot to do. It's really not an issue over there.
The schools we go to are eager to prove to me they can look over Hayat, they can bring out the best in him- in fact they pick on him more in a positive way but the reverse happens to be the case in Nigeria. Maybe the mild one will say sorry we don't have facilities for him, some will just tell me straight on that parents will start withdrawing their kids if they should take him. As a parent those ones are even more painful than the day to day experience with my son.
Is it not possible to criminalize such actions?
Abroad, I interacted with some of my son's doctors and that is how I got some inspiration and they said to me that once upon a time in America, it was like that, and if indeed you go through some of their old videos you will notice that there was stigma over there, but as a people they were consistent in voicing it out.
Like the story about the Kennedy Craig, what they told me was that the Kennedys had a child with a special need and the Craig was a scientist and had all the inventions over what and what to do because they were in a place of authority and had the means as well.
They were able to partner Craig in making Kennedy Craig what it is today and overtime, people started donating to that effect and now the school is massive, the hospital is massive, people now travel all over the world to that place.
If you look at some other West African countries like Ghana for instance, you will notice that they are just catching up with us in so many areas even in the entertainment industry and of recent the incident in Gambia, as a country we went through it sometime ago during the military era. I feel the same thing is happening in this area. Somebody has to advocate, that person needs to be consistent and gradually something is hitting your hard strong perception, gradually there is something in you when next you see a special child you begin to have a new orientation again and you will probably talk to somebody. I feel it's a gradual process and we will get there someday God willing.
For parents out there who have similar children, what message of hope do you have for them, particularly on how to access the foundation?
They have to embrace whom they are and embrace their child regardless. There is something in that child; that child has come to this world for a purpose. They should stop wallowing in pain and self-pity. When people are pressing or stigmatizing them they shouldn't hold it against them because they don’t know any better. If they can take out time to talk to them, fine, if not you shouldn't discriminate against them.
In reaching out to us of course, we have got our face book page, we have our various numbers, we have our website and they also see my stories. The name of the foundation is Hayat Foundation. The website is basically inspirational
We are working with some international bodies, which use wheelchairs, standing aid, walking aid for children, because when kids out grow certain wheel chairs, of course, it becomes useless to them, because they have to get a bigger one. They bring to us and in turn we give it out.
Once their child outgrows it they have to return it so that we can give to some other persons that equally need it. We also partner with some people that sell wheel chairs locally here. When you go round you will never see wheel chairs for children and it is still part of the denial.
We have been talking to them that there are children who need them, that is the reason why some of them are usually on the floor because there are no wheel chairs for them.
We come up with programmes depending on what is peculiar at that point in time to just be a shoulder to lean on for each other.
Since you started this programme, how many of such cases have you been able to attract either through the websites, through outreaches and other forms of sensitization?
People do inbox messages to us, most parents are still scared, maybe because of stigma to come out publicly. Usually, I don't choose urban areas, I go to rural areas. For FCT, I normally chose the suburbs and that explains the few places we've visited.
Doctors and physiotherapists
Our target most times is to just bring smiles to those children and let the home that takes care of them, the care givers, know that there is someone out there looking out for them and since then we have engaged our doctors and physiotherapists, they have been visiting them on a weekly basis to teach the caregivers how to do various physiotherapy with those children because when we got there we discovered that some of them had not taken their bath for so many days.
Some had nothing on, some of them were on the floor. Partly why it is like that is because most people that have or those in authority do not really want to go to that area. It can be emotionally draining.
In western world those are the people that come first. I had to care for them and of course I had to have to my team visit them every week.
There was a particular time, we discovered that the drugs, the food, so many things we took to them were not being used including the mattress, so we had to call the head there to order: Some of these things, by the time they know that people are watching now for these children, they tend to sit up on their own.
If you are asked to draw a template for the government, what will be your recommendations to them?
There is no better template than my own personal experience. It will start with legislation because there is no law, a backing that will show that there will be a penalty.
When we talk about law people are quick to say it's because she is a lawyer but unfortunately that is really how the society should work.
Special people
In other climes for instance, if you park in a parking lot meant for special people, you will be fined heavily and if for whatever reason you maltreat any special child, schools knew that they could be sued, just for discriminating against one special child. The first thing they do is to show you that this special child is more important to us and they will go into details, they will even show their different therapists. They are quick to make reference to Kennedy Craig or John Hopkins, if maybe they have any cause or encounter any challenge. I discovered that legislation is the key fact and of course making every road wheelchair accessible, it's just as simple as that.
Apart from seeing beggars in front of churches or mosques they are not really inside, you begin to wonder if they exist.
Most women have been sent out of their matrimonial homes just because they have special children; most people come up to say we have never seen this kind of thing in our family before, it must have been a witch and all sorts of names and before you know it she is out.
In essence will this legislation back it up that schools that discriminate against special children be shut down?
Of course. Before you set up a school, the school should be first of all be accessible, you must have special therapists in each and every class and of course have a body from the special people's community that will come and certify that all these things are in place before the school can ceremony. Subsequently in the event that parents have challenges with either proprietress or the head of any school as a result of one stigma or the other there will be a law that such person can take the case up.
What is the source of your funding?
We are depending on international organisations and of course some private organisations here, also some well-meaning Nigerians that are willing to and they have been helping in that regard.
Your husband is the governor of Kogi State, what advice would you have for the governor in terms of empowering the women folk in the state?
His Excellency Alhaji Yahaya Bello is very passionate about women's needs and this is because he was for the most part of his life raised by his mum as he lost his dad at a very tender age. Naturally, he has empathy for women. In most of his programmes, he ensures they are carried along.
As a country, we are going through challenging times and as a state we are also going through the same phase as a result of the reform going on particularly in the civil service and as you know Kogi state. So state for the most part, so it is really biting hard on a lot of us.
Various programmes
But I always advocate that we should be patient and of course be prayerful. I have also come up with various programmes in helping women like Poliatu in the different senatorial districts, there is this Igbira ei tu nu chenu popularly known by Yoruba sisters as aso oke. I have been helping in that regard, advocating and sensitizing our women to embrace it more, make it wearable and also produce quality materials.
I do them by wearing them for the most part showing them to people that it is doable. To that extent we are able to create employment opportunities for our women.
We also group women that we have helped with soft loans to start up their various businesses and there are some other groups that we have helped with borehole because in dry season they have to go far to fetch water and it's not easy. Me in particular, growing up and going far to the stream to fetch water wasn't easy, so I understood their challenges. We have also assisted schools with writing materials.
Sub Saharan African farmers will soon have access to improved cowpea varieties that will lead to increase in yield.
This follows the development of Maruca Resistant Cowpeas by a public-private partnership project, the Pod Borer Resistant Cowpea Project: that has identified elite events and speedily advancing towards de-regulation and commercial release of the crop to farmers.
These varieties are expected to reduce grain yield losses caused by the Pod borer, Maruca vitrata, as well as reduce the need for insecticidal sprays. The expected yield improvement will impact household, national and global food security and economic status.
Considered as the most important food grain legume in the dry savannas of tropical Africa where it is grown on more than 12.5 million hectares, Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L. Walp) is said to be rich in quality protein and its energy content almost equal to that of cereal grains.
The legume is a good source of quality fodder for livestock and provides cash income. Nearly 200 million people in Africa presently consume the crop.
According to agric scientists, many biotic and abiotic factors greatly reduce cowpea productivity in the traditional African farming systems. Among these constraints is the pod borer, Maruca vitrata, which perennially damages cowpea pods in the fields.
The pod borer (Maruca vitrata), according to them is a major Lepidopteran pest that inflicts severe damage to the cowpea plant.
In severe infestations yield losses of between 70–80 percent have been reported. Control through spraying with insecticide has not been widely adopted by farmers due its prohibitive costs. On the other hand, farmers who have adopted control through spraying have been exposed to serious health hazards.
The Executive Director, African Agricultural Technology Foundation, Dr Dennis Kyetere, said the deployment of a cowpea product that is capable of protecting itself from attack by Maruca will make it easier and cheaper for farmers to produce cowpeas in areas where this pest is a problem.
" I am particularly excited about the prospects that the project holds given the excellent results from the trial fields across the four countries involved in this research, Countries like Nigeria will stop importing cowpeas in the coming years as it is expected to be cowpea sufficient with the advent of this variety," added Dr Kyetere.
He also paid glowing tribute and congratulated African Scientist and international development partners involved in the project.
The goal of the Pod-borer Resistant Cowpea Project is to develop and disseminate farmer-preferred and locally adapted Maruca-resistant cowpea varieties in Sub-Saharan Africa.
The Pod-borer Resistant Cowpea Project is a public private partnership coordinated by AATF with the funding support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to promote technological interventions that will optimise cowpea productivity and utilisation in Sub-Saharan Africa.
The partnership entails developing and testing cowpea varieties with a genetic trait that would make the plant resistant to the borer and provide farmers with an alternative to costly and hazardous insecticide spraying.
The project entails transferring the Bt gene, which confers resistance to the pod, into improved cowpea varieties.
The project is being implemented in four countries in Sub-Saharan Africa – Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Ghana and Malawi.
ABUJA- Nigeria governors Wednesday night in Abuja said that they were ready for Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on the investigation of alleged diversion of the Paris Club refunds made to States to pay workers’ salaries.
The governors took the position at the meeting of the Nigerian Governors Forum, NGF which ended at about 12 midnight at the Old Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
It will be recalled that reports were rife last week that the NGF may have used fictitious consultants to divert some of the money from Paris Club contrary to the advice of the President Muhammadu Buhari to offset salary arrears of workers in their respective States.
EFCC operatives
The ill development had also attracted the attention of the anti-graft commission. On that account, the Presidency, it was learnt, ordered an investigation into the disbursement of the funds.
But fielding questions from State House correspondents after the nocturnal NGF meeting, Chairman of the Forum and Zamfara state governor, Abdulaziz Yari, said the governors were waiting for EFCC.
“We discussed the issue of Paris Club and London Club. We observed that EFCC said it is doing investigations. Yeah, we support the federal government for fighting corruption.
“We are waiting for the EFCC to come up with what they say is the investigation and come up with the result”, Yari said.
By Ikechukwu Nnochiri ABUJA – The Supreme Court has struck out an appeal seeking to sack the lawmaker representing Bomadi/Patani federal constituency of Delta state, Hon. Nicholas Mutu, from the House of Representatives.
The apex court, in a bench ruling by a five-man panel of Justices led by the Acting Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Onnoghen, held that the appeal which was lodged by a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the state, Mr. William Angadi, lacked competence.
Angadi had gone before the Supreme Court to challenge the process that led to Mutu’s nomination as the candidate of the PDP in the 2015 National Assembly election.
The appellant contended that Mutu was not validly nominated to participate in the election as prescribed by both the PDP guidelines and the Electoral Act.
He prayed the apex court to set aside a judgment of the Court of Appeal in Abuja which on August 14, 2015, declared that the respondent was validly nominated by the PDP.
The appellate court upheld a concurring verdict of a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory ( FCT) which earlier dismissed the case for want of merit.
Dissatisfied with judgments of the two lower courts, Angadi, urged the apex court to set them aside.
Meanwhile, the Acting CJN, Justice Onnoghen struck out the matter on Wednesday on the premise that the appellant failed to obtain leave of the apex court before filling his notice of appeal.
Justice Onnoghen held that the original motion the appellant entered on August 20, 2015, contained mixed law and facts for which leave of the court was required.
By Chioma Gabriel, Editor Speacial Features Huawei Technologies, Chinese multinational networking and telecommunications equipment and services company is in the early stages of developing its own voice-powered digital assistant, stepping up competition with Apple, Google and Amazon in this emerging area of technology.
Huawei, according to Bloomberg, is currently the world third largest smartphone maker behind Apple and Samsung, deployed more than a hundred engineers to develop the technology and the move is specifically targeted at the larger players in the ecosystem.
Apple first launched Siri, its digital assistant in 2011, embedding it into its iPhones, and rivals have followed.
Google developed its own Assistant, which is currently available on its Pixel smartphones , its home speaker and certain smart watches. Amazon in 2016 launched Alexa, a standalone digital assistant device which continues to see traction.
Other manufacturers have also announced their own plans to launch similar products, underpinning the growing hype around Artificial Intelligence processes.
Huawei's assistant would be only be targeted at its home market, and communicate on its smartphones in Chinese languages, said Bloombergsources, and the company would continue to work with Amazon and Google outside of China.
Just last month, Huawei said its Mate 9 smartphones would be compatible with Amazon Alexa.
However, Huawei continues to step up its consumer business efforts, and recently detailed ambitions to overtake Apple and become the world second largest smartphone maker by 2018.
The Commandant, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Zamfara Command, Mr David Abi, said no fewer than 1,135 persons lost their lives to banditry in Zamfara between 2011 and 2015.
Abi disclosed this on Thursday when he paid a courtesy visit to members of the Correspondents Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) in the state.
He advised that in spite of the recent peace accord with the bandits in the state, the people should be cautious.
Abi said with the introduction of new strategies by the command, some of the unrepentant bandits were relocating to the towns to continue with their criminal activities.
He said the command had intensified its night vigil and surveillance patrol across the state to check activities of criminal elements.
The commandant said that in spite of the lack of operational facilities, the command would work relentlessly to ensure a smooth take-off of grazing reserves.
"We will give the herdsmen in Zamfara the desired protection and a sense of belonging," he said.
In a remark, Chairman of the Correspondents Chapel, Maiharaji Sala, assured that the chapel would continue to partner with the command and other organisations for the development of the state.
The Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Kayode Fayemi, on Thursday in Abuja said addressing illegal mining would be one of the priorities of the ministry in 2017.
Fayemi stated this while defending the ministry's 2017 Budget of N23.2 billion before members of House of Representatives Committee on Solid Minerals.
He said that the ministry planned to establish a safer mining technique centre to promote safe mining in the country.
"This is important to us because we have had to deal with incidents of lead poison that confronted small-scale informal miners.
"We believe that we need to begin to develop a process that can also serve as a training opportunity for people who want to engage in small-scale mining.
Fayemi
"We are to support these people who are doing this thing as anti-poverty strategy by building a skill base and provide them with tools and also, with education,'' he said.
The minister added that the ministry earmarked N500 million for research development and collaboration with universities.
According to him, there is need to build a strong synergy between the industry, the ministry and research institutions geared towards improved mining methods.
"We believe it is time for us to develop and strengthen that partnership in order for them to be of value to us,'' he added.
Fayemi said that there was high rate of tax evasion in the country's solid mining sector, adding that the ministry earmarked N171 million in the budget to recruit revenue consultants.
According to him, the only way to address the tax evasion is to recruit people who will incentivize to help us investigate what has happened.
"We are doing audit of the last five years and we will build a consistent mechanism that will allow federal mining officers in the states to work with these independent consultants in revenue generation.
"But we have to pay to make it work well,'' he said.
The minister explained that the ministry's projection for revenue during the year was N3.1 billion, adding that this would be focused on royalties and fees.
Fayemi said that N8.7 billion was for personnel cost while overhead cost would get N1.5 billion and capital vote, N12.8 billion.
A member of the committee, Rep. Mohammed Onawo, said that the estimate was inadequate to implement the diversification plan of the Federal Government.
"If we are going to leverage on this ministry to diversify, Federal Government has to do more to help the ministry.
"Miners are not encouraged, so government has to help them to reduce the influx of illegal miners in the country,'' Onawo said.
As part of the commitments of the House of Representatives to open up more revenue sources for Nigeria through legislative tools, it has organised a public hearing on bills that focus on how to boost and explore gas utilisation for revenue generation and accelerate private investment in the product.
Declaring the public hearing open at the National Assembly, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt Hon Yakubu Dogara, who was represented by the chief whip, Hon Alhassan Ado Doguwa, said the proposed legislation will help to create an enabling legislative order in which gas shall no longer be a footnote of crude oil with the attendant overriding benefits to the Nigerian economy.
He stated that "presently, Nigeria has a proven gas reserve of about 187 trillion cubic feet and with the global drive towards the use of cleaner fossil fuel (gas), we must do everything possible to draw maximum benefits from the emerging gas economy and the global trend on gas resources. Today, the establishment of fertilizer plants, utilization of gas for electric power production and for several significant economic purposes has tremendously heightened interest in gas production.
Yakubu-Dogara
"Legislations that are required to boost the envisaged level of gas utilization are largely opaque and not robust enough to accelerate private entrepreneurial investment in gas development, production, beneficiation and downstream activities; it is for this reason that the House of Representatives is highly committed to enacting legislation that would attract capital into the Nigerian gas sector."
Dogara also explained that the Bills seek to establish the much needed legislative framework to free – up Nigeria's gas deposits from the overarching concentration on crude oil production at the detriment of gas production and are expected to propel the country to give gas development, production and marketing its pride of place.
"If these Bills are eventually enacted into law, they will help create the enabling legislative order in which gas shall no longer be a footnote of crude oil with the attendant overriding benefits to the Nigerian economy.
The gas sector of the Nigerian economy has despite several commercial efforts failed to yield its value chain benefits. The laws in place in Nigeria have continued to make crude oil production the corner stone of the country's petroleum sector development, with inadequate focus on gas production. This misnomer is quite understandable in view of the fact that at the time of developing the Nigerian petroleum sector, global interest in crude oil production and utilisation far outweighed gas utilization. Indeed, gas was treated as waste. It has even still continued to be flared," he elucidated.
Leading referee Mark Clattenburg is quitting the Premier League after 12 years to work in Saudi Arabia, it was announced on Thursday.
The decision of the 41-year-old Englishman, who has also officiated in a Champions League final and the Euro 2016 final, was made public by Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL), the organisation which provides and trains officials for the senior levels of the English game.
“The Professional Game Match Officials Limited would like to wish Mark Clattenburg well as he prepares for his move to the Saudi Arabian Football Federation,” said a PGMOL statement.
“Since joining the PGMOL Select Group in 2004, Mark developed into one of our top officials, refereeing at the highest level and setting standards for others to follow.
“His accomplishments are numerous and last season saw Mark achieve a memorable treble, on top of another consistently excellent season in the Premier League, as he officiated three major cup finals — the FA Cup final, the UEFA Champions League final and the UEFA Euro 2016 final.”
The statement added: “Mark is a talented referee, he has been a great asset to the English game and hopefully an inspiration to those who want to get into refereeing at the grass roots of the game.
“We understand this is an exciting opportunity for Mark as well as further underlining what high esteem English match officials are held throughout the world game.”
In December, Clattenburg revealed he would consider working for the wealthy Chinese Super League, saying: “If an opportunity came along –- I am contracted to the Premier League –- but I have to look at my long-term strategy of my career.
“How long can I last as a referee? I have been in the Premier League 12 years. It’s been a wonderful 12 years.”
No comments:
Post a Comment