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
The Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, says he is an ardent patron of products made in Aba and all he is wearing are made locally.
The minister disclosed this in Umuahia on Monday at the Federal Government's town hall meeting and the launch of the national reorientation campaign, "Change Begins With Me'' , in Abia.
Ngige said he used to buy his wears from Malaysia before he realised that such items were made locally, particularly from Aba and are of better quality.
The minister noted that "Nigeria and Nigerians have the resources to make the country great but we must look inward to develop our products''.
He said Abia had the full potential to become the industrial base of the country and the present administration had identified Aba as one of the places to build industrial parks and clusters.
Ngige called on the people of the state to take full potential of the advantage to transform the state and generate employment for the teeming youths.
The host of the event and the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said that one of the major planks of the Federal Government diversification policy was the boosting of local production of goods and services.
Dr Chris Nwabueze Ngige
He said government had also identified patronising Made-in-Nigeria goods and services as key to the success of the policy.
"In this regard, I can boldly say that Abia state is a pacesetter.
"Today, the state supplies high-quality military boots to our military and that is just one of such impressive ventures by the state.
"So, while the state is boosting local production of goods and services, the military is patronising Made-in-Nigeria goods.
"It is a symbiotic relationship, and there is no better way to give teeth to the economic diversification policy,'' he said.
The minister said that to encourage patronage of Made-in-Nigeria products, the Federal Government had approved the review of the establishing Act of the Bureau of Public Procurement.
He said the review of the Act would encourage and mandated patronage of local products and services by government institutions even private establishments.
The minister said that the policy would resulted ingrowth, development and boosting of the nation's economy.
Mohammed said government had introduced policies to develop Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) and approved a 60-day national action plan for ease of doing business in the country.
He said the measures would boost local production and give a much-needed bounce to the nation's economy.
Also, the Minister of State for Mines and Steel Development, Bawa Bwari, said that government had identified 44 viable mineral resources across the country.
Bwari said that experts from the developed world had also been engaged to develop bankable data on the resources to attract local and international investors.
The minister said that 675,000 mining cooperative societies had been registered by government to encourage local investors in the sector.
He said that the Federal Government would collaborate with states to develop the mining sector.
The Lagos State Government on Monday said it has concluded plans to commence the crushing and recycling of over 4000 impounded commercial motorcycles popularly called Okada, in line with the provisions of the State Traffic Law 2012.
Disclosing this to journalists at the Olusosun refuse dump site in Ojota, the State Commissioner of Police, Fatai Owoseni, said the recent clampdown on Okada across the State was a fall out of the Government’s resolve to address the security concerns posed by their operations, saying that criminals are in the habit of using Okada to perpetrate crime and get away.
Acting Commissioner for Transportation, Prince Olanrewaju Elegushi; State Commissioner for Police, Mr. Fatai Owoseni and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Transportation, Engr. Caster Bade-Ajibade during a media briefing on the thousands of impounded motorcycles (Okada) at Olusosun Dumpsite, Ojota, on Monday, February 27, 2017.
The Lagos Traffic Law 2012 prohibits the operations of Okada and Tricycles also known as Keke Marwa from operating in certain routes and areas across the State.
He said the State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode had directed that the Police and other security agencies concerned redouble efforts to ensure the Law is complied with, assuring that the clampdown will be sustained vigorously on a daily basis.
He said: "It would not be one off. So far, we have impounded about 500 motorcycles since we started our renewed efforts and we now have a total of about 4, 000 bikes ready to be crushed. The law made provisions on how those motorcycles should be handled and the law also made provision on how to handle those that have flouted the law itself."
According to Owoseni, the decision to crush and recycle the impounded motorcycles was in accordance with the provision of the Law
Owoseni said aside impounding the motorcycles and tricycles, the enforcement would also clampdown on the operators and residents who patronise them, adding that mobile courts would be instituted to try arrested offenders.
Impounded Motorcycles
"The operators of the commercial motorcycles and those patronizing them, with time, you will get to see the Mobile Court going around to try some of those that have been arrested. What we are saying here is that we want people in Lagos to know that there is a law and the law is made for a purpose and if all of us obey the law and conform, the better for us."
Besides, Owoseni said that due to the constant challenges of enforcing the law, the State Government was already considering an outright ban on okada operations in some areas of the State starting with the Lekki and Victoria Island axis.
He frowned at the flagrant way Okada and tricycle operators flout the Traffic Law especially by not obeying traffic light, saying that in most cases it leads to avoidable accident and death of innocent citizens.
"The Okada riders, no doubt, have been a sort of menace. They go into the road and flout the laws with impunity. When they get to where you have the traffic lights, they behave as if it is not meant for them and combine with that is the way the criminal elements put the motorcycles to either snatch money or use them as a getaway in some areas and the same law says that citizens should not patronize commercial motorcycles on prohibited routes.
"Not only that, the law says that by 8pm, they should not be on the road and so the message we are passing is that this is not going to be a one-off thing, we will continue and sustain it. We just like to appeal to people to stop patronizing Okada plying restricted routes," Owoseni said.
Corroborating him, Acting Commissioner for Transportation, Mr. Olanrewaju Elegushi said the administration of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode recently warned all commercial motorcycles to steer clear of restricted routes as the clampdown on defaulters would be total.
"We have an enforcement unit led by the Commissioner of Police, the Task Force on Environmental and Other Special Offences, the Divisional Police Officers and the Area Commanders. They have started enforcement and we came to see how far they have gone," Elegushi said.
UMUAIA—THE Federal Government yesterday apologized to the people of South East over the destructive activities of herdsmen in the area and assured that permanent solution was being worked out to stop them from destroying crops and farmland.
The Minister of Agriculture, Chief Audu Ogbeh who made the apology on behalf of the Federal Government also said that he has been a victim as the herdsmen had invaded and destroyed crops in his farm.
According to him, the Federal Government was seriously working out modalities to end the menace of the herdsmen, who he said have no right to carry about AK 47, with which they harass farmers.
Ogbeh who was reacting to issues and questions on herdsmen attacks raised at the a Federal Government organized Town Hall meeting in Umuahia, said "I sincerely apologized to those whose crops were destroyed by the herdsmen; I was a victim, they have invaded my farm and destroyed crops; but please nobody is happy about their activities.
"We are working hard to stop them, they have no right to carry AK 47, the army or police cannot follow the herdsmen around, but the Government is doing everything to find a lasting solution an may be in a few months you will see the result".
Armed Fulani-herdsmen
Earlier in his contribution to the meeting, the Minister expressed disappointed that Abia State Government, both the past ones allowed the legacy late Dr. Michael Okpara, former Premiere of Eastern Nigeria built in the area of agriculture, particularly palm produce.
He lamented that 17, 000 hectares of palm established by the late Okpara has been abandoned while Nigerian suffer under the yoke of high cost of palm oil.
Other ministers who spoke at the Town Hall meeting anchored by Information Minister, Lai Mohammed, include Labour and Productivity Minister, Dr. Chris Ngige; Investment Minister, Okechukwu Enelama, and Minister of State, Solid Minerals, Alhaji Abubakar Buhari Bawa.
Ngige in his contribution said that the Buhari administration has not abandoned the zone and named many dilapidated Federal roads where intensive work is going on even as he urged Governor Ikpeazu to do Federal roads in his State and tender bills for refund, insisting that the Federal would refund such money if the job was well done.
In his speech, Information Minister, Alhaji Lai Mohammed assured Nigerians that the recovered funds from corrupt Nigerians were well kept and would be used to fund infrastructural deficit and complement the social investment programmes of the Federal Government.
The minister blamed corruption for all the multi faceted problems confronting the country.
Alhaji Mohammed also told the people that there was no cause for alarm over president Buhari's health as he is neither critically ill nor in the hospital, insisting that there was nothing to worry about the health of the president.
He said "no economy in the world can survive the quantum of looting that happened in the country in the past 16 years and it is because of such massive corruption that the country is suffering her present woes including high cost in the prices of goods and other living conditions of Nigerians.
"Money that was meant to fix infrastructure was looted by few Nigerians to the extent that the economy was crippled. We would first fight corruption and at the same time face the challenges of fixing our infrastructures and better the lives of Nigerians".
The minister stressed that the "Programme Change Begins with Me" was targeted at achieving attitudinal change in the way Nigerians do things, saying that the town hall meeting would provide opportunity for the government to interact with the people and feel their impulse on the activities of government.
Oghara – Locals, today, rescued two women when a Sport Utility Vehicle, on the ever busy Warri – Benin expressway rammed into a Jetta Car, plunging it into the Oghara river.
The Jetta Car, according to eye witness, was a commercial vehicle, said to be on his way to Oghara in Ethiope West local government area of Delta State and was approaching the bridge when the accident occurred.
Details of the incident were still sketchy at press time, but it was gathered that the rescued women were rushed to the Delta State University Teaching Hospital, Oghara, where they are responding to treatment, while efforts are been made to rescue the other occupants of the Jetta car.
The bad spot on the road, close to the bridge, locals said, has resulted into accidents leading to lost of lives that has become a common occurrence on the road and attributed the accident as a result of the Jetta car trying to avoid the pot hole.
The Federal Government on Monday appointed five new Directors and one General Manager for the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).
NCAA made the announcement in a statement by its General Manager, Public Affairs, Mr Sam Adurogboye, in Lagos.
Adurogboye explained that the appointment was with immediate effect.
He said that those appointed were Capt. Edem Oyo-Ita as Director of Air Transport Regulations, Mr Abbas Sanusi; Director, Human Resources and Administration, Adamu Sani; Director of Finance and Accounts.
"Others are: Odunowo Tayyib Adetunji, Director of Aerodrome and Airspace Standards, Mr Ita Awak, Director of Airworthiness Standards, Lawrence Kwajok, General Manager, Air Navigational Standards," he said.
The federal government on Friday sacked all the directors in the agency.
The sacked directors were Salawu Ozigi, Joyce Nkemakolam, Aba Ejembi, Emmanuel Ogunbami, Benedict Adeyileka, Justus Wariya, and Austin-Amadi Ifeanyi.
By Soni Daniel Abuja – A patriotic Nigerian, Aliyu Usman Tilde, has alerted the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission of a suspicious lodgement of N900, 000 into his account in a commercial bank.
The money, which was mistakenly deposited in Tilde’s account by the Federal Ministry of Justice, was reported to the Gombe Zonal Office of the EFCC, which promptly delved into the matter and discovered that it was paid in by the ministry in error.
Tilde, who owns the account having done no business with anybody to warrant such credit in his account, reported the suspicious lodgement to the Gombe zonal office of the EFCC.
The EFCC through discrete investigation discovered that the money belongs to a law firm that was engaged by the Federal Ministry of Justice in a case that involved a former staff of Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
While commending the patriotism of Tilde, the EFCC calls on the general public to emulate such honest attitude by reporting suspicious lodgement/transaction to relevant authorities.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo State on Monday condemned the reported killing of five persons in Ondo West Local Government Area of the state, during a leadership tussle among rival cult groups.
Five persons were reportedly killed on Friday at various locations in the area by suspected cult members.
APC, in a statement by its Publicity Secretary, Abayomi Adesanya, in Akure also distanced members of the party from the alleged killings.
APC Logo
"According to the Police, a preliminary investigation showed that the deceased were members of the popular cult group in Ondo town known as "Aiye."
"APC condemns these killings in its entirety and warns mischief-makers to desist from involving the party in the crisis.
"It is barbaric, evil and inhuman to kill fellow human beings under any guise.
"The Police and other security agencies are in control of the situation and we hope the perpetrators and sponsors of this dastardly act will soon be arrested to face the wrath of the law,'' Adesanya said.
He appealed to residents of the town to be calm and to go about their normal and lawful duties.
Nnewi – The Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Monday released the prototype of the government and the diagram of the government it will run if it achieve the restoration of Biafra.
IPOB in a statement signed by its Media and Publicity Secretary Mr. Emma Powerful said that it has become very imperative for it to release to its members and supporters worldwide type of government and diagram of government to be run in Biafra.
IPOB said the government of will never cheat any body in the government of Biafra, in the diagram, the prototype government according to IPOB stipulates the directorates, commissions and agencies in the new government and it will be part of constitution of the Biafra government more are coming.
Air Peace on Monday clarified that one of its aircraft had a deflated and not a burst tyre, on take-off at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos.
The airline made the clarification in a statement signed by its Communications Manager, Mr Chris Iwarah and obtained by newsmen in Lagos.
Newsmen report that the flight, which was carrying 105 passengers from Lagos to Abuja, was aborted by the pilot due to the incident. Iwarah said:"At about 11am today, our Lagos-Abuja flight aborted take-off at the
Murtala Muhammed Airport when the pilot-in-command suspected that there was an issue with one of the tyres of the aircraft.
Air Peace
"Passengers on board were transferred to another aircraft to ensure they did not miss their appointments. "The passengers were all calm, as it was not a life-threatening incident. There was no question of air return as our very experienced flight crew noticed the development much before take-off.
"Because of the premium we place on safety, our pilots are under a duty to call for checks when they suspect any fault, however basic it may be. That was what happened in this case. "Although it was initially suspected to be a case of burst tyre, our engineering department later inspected the aircraft and confirmed that one of the tyres got deflated. The issue has since been addressed."
He assured Air Peace passengers and members of the public that the airline would continue to give top priority to their safety and comfort.
The UK Prime Minister's Trade Envoy to Nigeria John Howell on Monday said UK would strengthen and promote its existing relations with Nigeria and also assist the country to achieve its huge economic potential.
Howell, who is on a two-day visit to Nigeria starting Feb. 27 stated this in Abuja in a statement by Joseph Abuku, Press and Public Affairs Officer, British High Commission.
He said that his visit which was the second since 2016 aimed at strengthen and promoting the existing trade relations between the UK and Nigeria.
He said: "On this visit I will take forward engagement on ease of doing business and will specifically discuss with ministers key barriers that impact business and explore UK and Nigerian partnerships.
"UK businesses look to be a key partner in helping Nigeria achieves its huge economic potential.
"The UK is a global centre of excellence in diverse areas including architecture, digital technologies and professional services such as cyber security, fintech and general consultancy services; academia, healthcare, renewable energy, Oil and Gas and mining supply chain," he said.
He said that Nigerian domestic businesses who partner with UK businesses stood to benefit from skills and technology transfer, economies of scale and access to innovative technologies.
The envoy also said he would be meeting with a range of key stakeholders which include Nigeria's Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment; Minister of Finance, Minister of State for Petroleum.
Howell said he would engage with the Nigerian Stock Exchange and encourage continued cooperation between Nigeria's and British Stock Exchanges and financial institutions as part of an effort to help grow Nigeria's capital market.
On the Nigerian-British Chamber of Commerce the Trade Envoy said the Nigerian-British Chamber of Commerce had made a huge contribution to help facilitate trade between the two nations.
"I'm looking forward to celebrating the hard work of the Chamber and also engaging with Nigerian businesses and learning about their needs and how British expertise can help Nigerian companies grow.
"I will be visiting the Centenary City and discussing opportunities around Nigeria's ambition to develop future (smart) cities," he said.
Howell said UK had substantial expertise in urban planning and transport, which hopefully would support Nigeria via the Future Cities work-strand of the Prosperity Fund.
He said he wanted to advance his understanding of Nigeria's plans and needs on technology and innovation as he would be visiting the Abuja Tech Village.
He said UK was keen to support greater digital access and connectivity in Nigeria.
Sen. Theodore Orji representing Abia Central in the National Assembly has enrolled the services of his constituents in the identification of priority projects to be executed as part of his stewardship.
The Media Adviser to the senator, Mr Norman Obinna, told journalists in Enugu on Monday that the move was to ensure even spread of constituency projects.
Obinna said that the former Abia governor had also deployed the process to ensure that only projects dear to the people were put in place to attain optimum satisfaction.
He said that they desired to ensure that most communities in Abia Central had federal presence through the sighting of choice projects that would alleviate the suffering of the people of the area.
"Sen. Orji has directed members of his constituency to identify deficits in infrastructural development for proper communication to the Federal Government.
"This we hope will remedy the defects within the constituency with all possible and timely expedition," he said.
He assured that mechanism had been put in place to ensure that projects were evenly spread in the six local government areas in the district.
"Preference will, however, be given to communities facing menacing ecological problems like erosion and deplorable roads.
Sen. Theodore Orji
"This explains why Emede community in Umuhia North Local Government Area of the state has so far got the largest share of the 10 constituency projects recently kicked off.
"We also have erosion control in Umueze Road and Umuakanu Road as well as Umuagu Road all in Emede Ibeku community," he said.
Obinna said that the former governor of Abia was worried about the spate of ecological challenges in his constituency as affected communities were facing the threat of obliteration.
He said that constituents of the area had extracted commitment from their representative that communities yet to be included in the ongoing infrastructural would soon be reached.
"We still have other projects captured in 2017 budget. Once the budget is accented some of those communities are likely to benefit," he said.
Obinna debunked insinuations that the senator had not put to good use constituency projects funds made available to him by the Federal Government.
"Such allegations are not only unfounded but laughable and only exposes the ignorance of the purveyors," he said
He said that it was the responsibility of the senator to identify deficits in projects execution and present same on the floor of the senate.
Obinna said that it was not the duty of his principal to nominate contractors or partake in the execution of the project, adding "what we only do is to supervise".
A lagging sex drive and poor erection could be the result of what you've been eating. Of course, it's not always about food.
Poor erection can be attributed to a number of factors, including sociological, psychological, and hormonal influences. Often, antidepressant medications are the culprit. Other times, stress or drug and alcohol abuse can play a role.
Smoking, along with all of its other terrible health effects, can diminish sexual desire and satisfaction, especially in men.
"Smoking has a direct, negative effect on the sexuality of a man on every level," says Panayiotis M. Zavos, PhD, Altering bad habits, like smoking and excessive drinking, in order to encourage better overall health, will no doubt be beneficial to your sexual health as well.
Now lets talk about the kinds of food that may be affecting your performance on bed.
Generally any food type that makes us gain weight can affect one's libido as well but below are some foods that could be ruining your pleasures.
Fried Foods
Fried foods definitely don't do your sex life any favors. Trans fats found in fried foods dramatically decrease the male and female libido, according to Medical Daily.
Consuming trans fatty acids can also cause abnormal sperm production in men and interferes with female gestation. You and your significant other would be wise to skip the french fries at dinner, since they could be at fault for more than one sexual problem.
Processed Carbohydrate
Any refined carbohydrates, like those found in bleached white flour and white rice, are bad news for your sex drive. This includes many pastas, cereals [rice and wheat], breads, and snack foods like crackers, cookies, and chips.
Men's Fitness explained that large amounts of refined carbs will cause your testosterone levels to decrease. The sugars from these carbohydrates can make men gain weight and raise estrogen levels as testosterone is depleted. Reach for good carbs like vegetables and whole grains instead.
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The UN’s health agency urged the world on Monday to create new drugs to tackle 12 killer superbugs which are resistant to antibiotics and threaten an explosion of incurable disease.
The “priority pathogens” include germs that cause deadly infections of the bloodstream, lungs, brain or urinary tract, but do not respond to an ever-longer list of medicines.
In more and more cases, none of the existing drugs work.
“Antibiotic resistance is growing, and we are fast running out of treatment options,” said Marie-Paule Kieny, assistant director-general at the World Health Organization (WHO), which published the list.
“If we leave it to market forces alone, the new antibiotics we most urgently need are not going to be developed in time.”
Governments should put in place policies to boost public and private funding for drug research and development against the listed microbes, the WHO said in a statement.
The agency previously warned that if nothing is done the world was headed for a “post-antibiotic” era in which common infections and minor injuries become killers once again.
Bacteria can develop drug resistance when people take incorrect doses of antibiotics. Resistant strains can be contracted directly from animals, water and air, or other people.
When the most common antibiotics fail to work, more expensive types must be tried, resulting in longer illness and treatment, often in hospital.
The germs on the WHOs list were chosen based on the severity of the infections they cause, how easily they spread, how many working drugs remain and whether new antibiotics to kill them are already being developed.
– Saving lives –
The list is divided into three categories of priority: critical, high and medium.
The top priorities are superbugs resistant to carbapenem antibiotics — a last-resort treatment for life-threatening infections often spread in hospitals, nursing homes and among patients who rely on ventilators and catheters.
In January, an American woman died of an infection — resistant to all 27 available antibiotics — caused by a germ called Enterobacteriaceae which is on the WHO’s critical list.
The second and third tiers contain drug-resistant bacteria that cause “more common” diseases such as gonorrhoea and salmonella-induced food poisoning, said the WHO.
The list will be discussed with health experts of the G20 group of major economies in Berlin this week, it added.
“New antibiotics targeting this priority list of pathogens will help to reduce deaths due to resistant infections around the world,” said Evelina Tacconelli of the University of Tuebingen in Germany, who helped draw up the index.
Tuberculosis was not listed because well-funded programmes already exist to develop new antibiotics, said the WHO.
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, on Monday attributed the slow rate of infrastructure development in Nigeria to lack of synergy between public and the private sector.
Obasanjo, who was the Chairman of the 2017 Annual Seminar of Kaduna Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture [KADCCIMA], said the Nigerian government had over the years paid very little attention to the private sector.
According to him, it is important to develop deep synergy between the two in order to tackle the wide infrastructure deficit in the country and accelerate national development.
The former president explained that the relationship had not been productive because for some time, the public sector regard those in the private sector as "parasites", who reap from what they did not saw and only interested in making profit.
He noted that the theme of the seminar, `Promoting Public/Private Partnership, as a Panacea for Accelerated Growth and Development', stressed the need for the government and private sector to work together for the common good of the country.
Obasanjo noted that the engagement of more people from the private sector in government is helping to encourage a more robust relationship.
Obasanjo
He said that for the country to experience any serious development, it must view the public and private sector as two legs necessary for the country to move forward.
"Nothing would work if the emphasis is on the public or private sector, there must be synergy between the two for reasonable growth," he said. The former president also blamed the country's retrogressive growth to poor leadership.
"We are not there, is a fraction of leadership. We are where we are not because of God's design, given our human and natural resources, but because of bad leadership that could not put the resources to good use.
"The countries that are better than us today are better because they are committed, focused and understands what it takes to develop. "Until we get the problem of leadership right, we will not go anywhere," Obasanjo said.
On his part, the Guest Speaker, Dr Shamsudeen Usman, a former minister of finance, noted that the country has a huge infrastructural gap.
Usman, in a paper, "Promoting Public Private Partnership As a Panacea for Accelerated Growth and Development" said the country need foreign capital and expertise to supplement the resources that the country can afford to generate.
He described the Public/Private Partnership (PPP) as a crucial tool in addressing the infrastructural gap in the country, adding however, that its potential has not been fully tapped.
Usman gave example of countries like India, Malaysia and South Africa among other countries that successfully deployed PPP to achieve accelerated socio-economic growth and development.
He identified the problems of politics, absence of strong legal framework, inconsistency in policy implementation, lack of clear goals and coordinations as hindrances to Nigerians ability to tap the benefits of PPP.
According to him, the country's legal framework and budgetary approval processes must be review for PPP to work efficiently in the country.
"Similarly, there is the need for high political support, post transaction monitoring and evaluation, alternative dispute resolution mechanism to ensure smooth operation of the PPP strategy, " he added.
Earlier, the President of the KADCCIMA, Dr Muheeba Dankaka explained that the theme was chosen to highlight the need for collaboration between the public and private sector to enhance the business environment through massive infrastructure development.
"The PPP, if well tapped could maintain and sustain the productive and manufacturing sectors, which would in turn ensure equitable distribution of wealth. "To achieve this, government and the private sector must work together".
Gov. Ibrahim Dankwambo of Gombe State on Monday inaugurated newly elected chairmen of the 11 local government areas in the state.
The election, conducted on Saturday Feb. 25, saw the ruling Peoples' Democratic Party winning in all the local government areas. Dankwambo congratulated the chairmen and urged them to be committed in discharging their responsibilities.
According to him, the chairmen have been elected in conformity with section 79 (3) and (4) of the state Independent Electoral Commission Act.
He urged them to maintain the tempo exhibited by their predecessors in execution of projects, especially joint capital projects in order to improve the people's standard of living.
"Similarly, you should make efforts to improve on internally generated revenue by plugging all loopholes, as well as identifying new revenue sources.
"As agents at the grassroots, you are expected to evolve constructive ideas for the development and transformation of our Local Government Areas," he said.
Dankwambo also advised the chairmen to extend genuine hands of reconciliation to all those who contested and lost in the elections, regardless of party affiliations.
Responding on behalf of his colleagues,Chairman of Billiri Local Government Council, Mr Faruk Dankuka, thanked people of the state for electing them and assured that they would not betray the confidence reposed in them. Dankuka also lauded the state government for conducting peaceful and credible council elections in the state
At the ongoing GSMA Mobile World holding in Barcelona, Spain, technology gaint, Huawei Technologies explained how the company has been working with Nigerian government and other mainstream mobile companies in Nigeria in developing the country”s ICT plan.
The Executive Director of the Board and Chief Strategy Marketing Officer of Huawei, Xu Wenwei, who disclosed this to Technology Journalists during a press conference said that Nigeria is a typical emerging market for mobile technology, adding that Huawei was working in tandem with mainstream mobile operators like mtn in developing and managing apps and projects.
“Nigeria is a populist country with great potentials working with mainstream operators like MTM, Glo, and others in developing the ICT plan for Nigeria. We have partnered with local carriers in hosting services in the area of music application like mtn and we have worked with the Nigerian government in development of its ICT plan.
We have developed many solutions for Nigeria . We have worked with local operators who have optic fibre problems.
“Emerging markets like Nigeria represents great potentials. In many emerging markets; they have defined ICT as part of national strategy and they have highbrow potential markets.
“We are entering an exciting era where everything is connected and intelligent.. this era presents a significant opportunity for emerging countries to shift from resource-dependent economies to innovation driven sustainable economic growth.
“To benchmark digital economies; huawei published the global connectivity index which stated that countries are increasingly aware that solid digital infrastructure is a key engine driving sustainable economic growth”, he explained.
Mr Silas Agara, the Deputy Governor of Nasarawa State, has advised newsmen to focus more on developmental journalism to help Nigeria's search for a diversified economy.
Agara made the call on Monday in Lafia, when members of the Correspondents' chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) in Nasarawa State, paid him a courtesy visit.
He said that diversifying the economy required a cross fertilisation of ideas, and challenged the media to facilitate that.
He cautioned journalists against sensational reports capable of igniting civil or communal disturbances or stories that could incite members of the public against those in authority.
"Nasarawa State is just recovering from a plethora of crises; the media should not force us back to such bad moments," he said.
NUJ
He suggested that reports should be geared toward promoting peace and not stir up rancour and acrimony in the land.
The deputy governor reminded the reporters that the image from whatever they filed was the way the world would see the state, hence the need for them to be "positive and responsible".
He accused the reporters of "poor coverage" of government's achievements, and called for a greater collaboration toward speedy progress.
Earlier, the chairman of the chapel, Mr Suleiman Abubakar, had pledged the support of the union towards effective coverage of government activities, and particularly stressed his chapel's commitment to objectivity.
He urged the government to carry journalists along in its activities, and also stressed the need for an open system that would eliminate suspicion, rumour mongering and distrust.
The Chairman of the Constitution and Electoral Reform Committee, Sen. Ken Nnamani, has said that the ongoing reform will discourage swearing-in of office holders with cases at the election tribunals.
Nnamani, who spoke at the South-East zonal public hearing on electoral reforms on Monday in Enugu, said that the measure would discourage attempts by politicians to win at all costs.
He said that politicians were in the habit of deploying unwholesome means to be declared winners following which they would dare their opponents to go to the tribunal.
"We want to come up with a new system whereby no one can be sworn into office if they have election petitions hanging on their necks.
"Politicians are fond of fighting to win and saying 'let us go to court," he said.
The former senate president said that it was sad that prosecution of election cases had become costlier than campaigns.
"Experience has shown that majority of the cases in our courts are either pre-election or post-election matters and we want to find a way out of this," he said.
Nnamani said that the committee would ensure that future elections were credible such that no court would be able be upturning any of such elections, adding that such would also discourage unnecessary litigations.
Ken Nnamani
He said that the prevailing circumstance where cases were won in the courtrooms was discouraging.
"We want to ensure that after a candidate had spent time to campaign and given the mandate by the electorate such mandates will not be dropped at the court by way of losing in the case," he said.
He said that the work of the committee would not go the way of others before it, adding that President Muhammadu Buhari being a victim of electoral fraud had shown enough political will to implement the outcome.
"The president has been a victim so Nigerians should not entertain any fear whether or not the report of this committee will be implemented.
"I can assure you that if the president remains in office he is most likely to implement the outcome of our work.
"The easiest thing anyone can do is to criticize but we are here to listen to the public," he said.
The chairman said that the committee was made up of political veterans and consultants who could tell where the electoral act was faulty.
Nnamani said that the need for a new electoral act could not be over emphasized as laws were dynamic and in line with the dictates of the time.
Newsmen report that no fewer than 23 memoranda were received by the committee.
The public hearing is the first of seven of such that will hold across the country.
The head of Nigerian football’s governing body is at loggerheads with his executive committee after he endorsed Madagascar’s Ahmad Ahmad to be president of the Confederation of African Football.
The Nigerian Football Federation said it had called a meeting on Tuesday to distance itself from Amaju Pinnick’s position and instead throw its weight behind the incumbent Issa Hayatou.
CAF member countries vote for the new president in Addis Ababa on March 16. Ahmad is challenging Hayatou, who has been CAF boss since 1988.
Pinnick
One senior Nigerian official, who asked not to be identified, said the meeting in the capital, Abuja, was likely to be stormy after Pinnick made his preference known.
“He (Pinnick) has clearly upset the Nigerian football establishment and he will be told that in no uncertain terms at this meeting,” the official added.
Nigeria’s sports minister Solomon Dalung has already said Pinnick’s position was not that of the NFF, as have senior Nigerian football officials already holding CAF portfolios.
Amos Adamu, Dominic Oneya, Sani Lulu and Aminu Maigari — who have all been NFF president — at the weekend gave their backing to Hayatou in a public statement.
Pinnick as an individual could support anyone he wanted, they said, but added there was “no evidence where Mr Pinnick was mandated to commit this country to supporting Mr Ahmad”.
“No Nigerian member of CAF has been consulted nor informed out of courtesy about the ambitions of the NFF President,” they added.
“We do not remember Mr Ahmad visiting Nigeria to solicit or canvass for votes nor do we have any record of Mr Ahmad’s pedigree in the running of football in Africa that would have led Mr Pinnick to dangerously throw all of Nigeria’s eggs in his basket.
“We stand dangerously threatened.”
The Nigerian CAF officials instead said there was every reason to continue to support Hayatou, calling him “a pillar of support” and a “true friend of Nigerian football”.
A member of the House of Representatives, Alhaji Murtala Isa-Kankara, has urged people of his constituency to support the efforts of the Katsina State Government to dialogue with bandits attacking communities in the area.
The member, who represents Faskari/Sabuwa/Kankara Federal Constituency, made the appeal in an interview with journalists on Monday in Kankara.
He said that dialogue was necessary in ensuring lasting peace, adding that all people of goodwill must support the initiative to end the unnecessary killings and destruction of property.
According to him, the state government's dialogue and amnesty committees have been successful in bringing about relative peace in the area.
He noted that the committees, set up at community levels have made positive impact towards ensuring peace across the constituency.
Armed Fulani-herdsmen
Isa-Kankara commended those that surrendered their weapons in the pursuit of peace and encouraged them to remain steadfast in their resolve, saying their action was in the best interest of everyone.
He advised people of Faskari, Sabuwa and Kankara local government areas, hitherto dislocated by cattle rustling and vandalism to return to farm.
"Peace and stability enjoyed in the areas at present should be complemented with increased investment in agriculture," he said.
The lawmaker urged religious and traditional rulers to be vigilant and continue to support security agencies in the efforts to end all forms of criminality.
Isa-Kankara also urged residents to cooperate with community vigilance groups set up to compliment the efforts of security agencies in restoring lasting peace to the area
Newsmen recall that repentant cattle rustlers and vigilante members on January 15, 2017 surrendered 104 AK 47 rifles and other weapons to the state government at a ceremony in Kankara after intense dialogue for peace.
