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
Following the need to develop Nigerian economy and other African countries, the Federal Government has indicated interest in improving its trade relationship with Japan even as the later has agreed to commit $30 billion for African development under the Asian Tiger’s sustainable development.
Based on this, the Federal Government has assured Japanese investors of a safe and business friendly environment for their investments, noting that it has begun to improve the ease of doing business in the country.
Speaking at the Japanese Business Mission to West Africa Business Seminar and Networking held in Lagos, the Minister, Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Okechukwu Enelamah, said that though the country is going through trying times, the present administration is working relentlessly to identify areas where Nigeria can attract the much needed foreign exchange to carry out developmental projects for economic growth and stability.
The Minister who was represented by the Executive Secretary, Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC), Ms. Yewande Sadiku, during a business seminar organised by Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO), said that there are more investment opportunities Nigeria and Japan can do considering the size of Japan.
"There is a lot more both countries can do together. However, the Federal Government is doing more to improve the ease of doing business in the country and that is why it inaugurated the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC).
In addition, Director General, JETRO Paris, Mr. Susumu Kataoka, said that at the Tokyo international conference on Africa development, the Prime Minister of Japan, announced its commitment to invest about $30 billion in Africa for the sustainable development in Africa especially in infrastructure, human resources development, technology, improvement of living conditions and regional stability.
Also speaking at the event, Research Analyst, Asoko Insight Limited, Mr. Olayinka Omolere, said, "Nigeria as the largest population in Africa has huge untapped potential that needs to be developed to make Nigeria among the world leading economies in the world".
Head, UNIDO investment & technology promotion office, Nigeria, Ms. Adebisi Olumodimu, said that the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation in Nigeria, is ready to direct Japanese investors to regional ECOWAS market and as well help in facilitate meetings and business discussions between potential Japanese investors with government MDA's and state Governments.
In the same vein, Senior Director, Africa Finance Corporation, Ato Gyasi, said, "there is need for interconnectivity in the race to develop trade in Africa. Even though developing a project tends to take a long time, infrastructure financing in Africa should be directed to retail trade, financial services, seaports, natural resources, telecom, roads & logistics, heavy industries, power, rail, agriculture etc.
Honourable Bemigho Eyeoyibo is the CEO, Roseview Global Concepts Limited, owners of Roseview Court, Hotel & Catering Services and Club 3sixty Reloaded among other companies. He is a philanthropist and politician who contested in the last general elections in his constituency,Warri North LGA, Delta State. In this interview with Moses Nosike, he argued that the Buhari administration was not responsible for the current economic recession in the country but our dependent on foreign goods as well as failure of previous government to save for the future.
How do you see the current economic recession in the country?
The economic recession in the country today is like the dooms' day we've been long awaiting, which is now staring us on the face. The recession we are talking about didn't start instantly, it has been accumulating over time through the failure of previous governments. However, the new administration has to come out and tell Nigerians the true position of the economy and what they are doing to get things right. But like every other patriotic Nigerian, I'm optimistic that the recession is a phase that would pass over. Nigeria is not the only country that has experienced recession. Some advanced countries like America had gone through numerous recessions and it came out of it. Nigeria is not an exception and we will come out of it. Recession is a global thing and countries that are plunged into it take their time to come out of it with good economic policies in place. Nigeria's case is however caused by over dependence on foreign goods and oil and the crash in the Naira.
Nigeria's economic challenge today is not the problem of APC or those in charge now. It is a result of long accumulated socio-economic and political problems which previous leaders refused to address. So it has got to a melting point which is near explosion. So accusations and counter accusations among political parties are not important now. What is important is that everybody should come to the table to chart a course for the survival of Nigerian economy and polity. We don't need all these distractions for now.
Eteoyibo
Small and Medium Enterprises and other business are facing some challenges because of the problem of forex, does it affect hospitality business like yours?
Every facet of the economy is affected, hospitality business is not an exception. Things are not just working,the cost of running hospitality business now has gone up in the mist of zero energy supply. And to worsen the matter, people don't have the economic power to patronize these businesses as they have to consider their stomach first. The situation is tough now in the country and hospitality business in all ramifications is badly hit.
What is your take on Niger Delta youth development?
Well, I would not ascribe what is going on in the Niger Delta region as crime, insecurity, terrorism or whatever negative name anybody would like to give it or government would choose to label it. Unfortunately, the Niger Deltans, in the mist of plenty and as the major source of income generation for the Nigerian economy through oil, are the most impoverished with their social and economic environment destroyed from pollution from the wells of oil companies and the neglect from government. The avenue through which they are making their demands might not be appropriate, even though they are fighting a just cause. I therefore advise that rather than resort to arms they should use diplomatic approach and peaceful means to achieve their goals.
On the other hand, I think the way forward is to keep these youths busy and provide alternative to oil. Over dependence on oil is the bane of our economic problem. Government should come closer to those regions, communities and provide them with social amenities such as roads, potable water, housing, electricity etc. The youths should be empowered with skills and introduce them to agriculture. In the riverine areas if the water is not polluted by the wicked tendencies of oil companies we can plant rice which the country needs now. At the river banks we can plant sugar cane. There is no part of the Niger Delta apart from oil that is not fertile because of the water there. Let's spend money to develop agricultural and crafts schemes.
Federal Government has met severally with Niger Delta elders on development in the area but there seems to be no result…
Those who have been going to dialogue with Federal Government on behalf of the Niger Delta people are not sincere. They not only dialogue with government but they go into shoddy negotiations with oil companies in the region, get things for themselves and it ends there. The outcome of their dialogue has always favoured them and their cohorts, meanwhile the communities are not getting any impact from their dialogue with government. My suggestion is that government should directly get involved and any project they want to carry out should be done by government itself, and that is the only way result will come in Niger Delta. They should do away with intermediaries. So, there is need for a blue print, a mission statement for Niger Delta from the government that should be executed directly by government.
Insecurity appears to be on the increase, for instance, your recently concluded conference at Sapele was allegedly invaded by local vigilante and group of people in army uniform. Why is this so?
I was actively involved in that conference that was held on February 18, 2017 in Sapele, Delta state where I was one of the guest speakers. The Neo Black Movement of Africa is a registered organization with Corporate Affairs Commission of Nigeria. Apart from that registration, they also have a Federal High Court declaration in Lagos that the Neo Black Movement of Africa is a legal entity and they must be allowed to exercise their fundamental human right to gather without harassment by anybody for that matter. I was ably informed that necessary permission was sought and same granted by the officer in charge of Sapele divisional police station. The humiliation, embarrassment, attack of the members and non members, men, women and children in Sapele on that day was unimaginable. It's an abuse of our fundamental human rights as citizens of Nigeria. We have finished with the seminar proper and the organization was treating members, family, friends and invited guests to dinner and cultural display and refreshments within the hotel premises, Richard Continental Hotel, Sapele. Suddenly, some soldiers came in with over 20 Hilux vehicles with policemen, mobile policemen and army officers numbering over 50 with two young men identified as commanders of the local vigilante from a community in Sapele. People then started running helter skelter on seeing military men. But these military men led by a lieutenant had no tags. They took over the entire premises and forced over 300 people to sit on the ground, gave them thorough beating with planks, gun boots. They came into my room dragged me out, stripped me half naked, pushed me to the ground and humiliated me. Some people sustained injuries while the hotel lost over N2m as a result of the mayhem. All entreaties to speak with them fell on deaf ears. Myself and about 30 persons were bundled into Hilux trucks like animals and taken to the police station where we were paraded with our hands tied and pictures taken. Due process was not taken and the security agencies acted very unprofessionally manhandling innocent citizens. The organization is seeking legal redress, so also my humble self and the owners of the hotel premises that was invaded. With this kind of scenario what confidence can the common man in the street have in our security operatives? Government needs to step up proper training programme for these operatives.
Donald Trump has thrown his full weight behind a contested plan to repeal and replace Obamacare, battling to overcome resistance from the Republican Party’s right wing and meet a key campaign pledge 50 days into his presidency.
With Democrats expected to unite against the new health care plan, Trump can ill afford defections from within as he seeks to drive through the top legislative priority of his new administration.
While the bill winds its way through Congress in the coming weeks, Trump is using his bully pulpit, powers of persuasion, and deal-making savvy to try and salvage the controversial plan.
On Friday Trump met in the White House with senior House Republicans to discuss the way forward on the repeal and replacement of Barack Obama’s signature health care law.
“We must act now to save Americans from the imploding Obamacare disaster,” Trump said as he sat down with the lawmakers.
US President, Donald Trump
“This is the time we’re going to get it done.”
The president has spent much of the week huddling with key health care players, including Republican lawmakers who support and oppose the bill, known as the American Health Care Act.
On Wednesday he hosted several conservative groups that have expressed concerns about how the plan to use tax credits for people to buy insurance on the free market is too similar to the subsidies in Obamacare.
Trump dispatches Vice President Mike Pence to Kentucky Saturday to talk up the bill. It could be an arm-twisting gesture of sorts, as Kentucky’s Senator Rand Paul is one of its chief Republican critics.
The president has signalled he is open to “negotiation” on the AHCA — a potentially critical acknowledgement as some conservatives in his party warn that the bill will not pass Congress without significant changes.
At the heart of the debate, Trump wants to repeal Obama’s landmark reforms and remove the federal government from its role as health care architect, while maintaining the high levels of coverage for Americans entitled to Obamacare.
Trump has stated he ultimately wants a plan in place that allows for “insurance for everybody.”
– ‘Binary choice’ – The chief champion of the plan in Congress, House Speaker Paul Ryan, claimed that millions of US taxpayers would benefit from a rollback of Obamacare’s subsidy system.
In a crisp rolled-up-sleeves presentation Thursday, Ryan also sounded a clear warning to Republicans who are considering bucking the president.
“This is the closest we will ever get to repealing and replacing Obamacare,” the charismatic 47-year-old said, describing the path forward as “a binary choice” between reform and the status quo.
House Republican Steve Scalise reiterated the us-versus-them approach Friday on CNN. “Members are going to have to pick a side: (House Democratic leader) Nancy Pelosi or President Trump.”
Polls show that Obama’s Affordable Care Act, which helped 20 million Americans gain coverage, remains popular. About half of those people are covered through Obamacare’s expansion of the Medicaid insurance program covering the poorest Americans — an expansion that would phase out by 2020 under the new plan.
Several health-related interest groups, including the American Medical Association, are opposed to the Republican reform, fearing millions could lose their coverage.
According to the Washington Post, citing figures from New York University research, the Republican plan would strip away vital drug addiction or mental health treatment benefits from as many as 1.3 million people.
The new legislation’s cost remains a major unknown. Next week the Congressional Budget Office is expected to release its “score” on the bill’s costs and the estimate on the number of people who could lose or gain coverage.
A preliminary analysis by Standard & Poor’s concluded that between six million and 10 million people could lose coverage if the Republican plan replaces Obamacare.
Ryan told his footsoldiers in Congress to gird for battle, as he framed the fight as between the free market and government mandates — which under Obamacare required people to take out health insurance.
“Our goal is not to show a pretty piece of paper that says we’re mandating great things for Americans,” he told the conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt.
“Our goal is to get a vibrant health care system that’s patient-centered, that brings down costs (and) that increases choices.”
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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Akwa Ibom State has gone beyond rhetorics on the functionality, or otherwise on the Poultry hatchery at Mbiaya Uruan. An assessment tour with the Commissioner of Information and Strategy, earlier Friday, confirmed that the State's signature poultry project does a lot much more than the sell of day-old chicks.
WHY THE HATCHERY
The Udom Emmanuel led administration inherited a project site that was designated for a poultry hatchery facility. According to the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Technical Matters and Due Process, Mr. Ufot Ebong, who was also on the tour;
"On the swearing-in of His Excellency, May 2015, he had promised industrialization. Afterwards, he actually informed his aides that you cannot hang industrialization on nothing. You must provide the raw materials. That's where he came up with that statement "all you need is all you have". By March 2016, we were able to get an investor from Ethiopia, Prime Poultry. They came in and we were given marching orders to get this thing up and running".
Akwa-Ibom hatchery
"We found out that the entire Eastern part of Nigeria got day old chicks from the West Even farmers from the far North-Eastern corner of this country received those products flown to them. We said, if we have this big hatchery that can produce 230,000 day old chicks per week, that we can supply the entire eastern Nigeria, north to south; and that's the target."
THE BREEDER FARM
At the start of the factory, according to the General Manager of Akwa Prime, Mr. Yakubu Bala, the hatchery had to buy eggs from the Western part of the country, which were brought down to Akwa Ibom, hatched and sold as day-old chicks.
The Government resolved to construct a breeder farm complex, for raising breeders, commonly called Parent Stock. The temporary breeder farm structure has several 60 by 30 feet floor space structures being built. Already, an entire block and several other sections are in use as pens housing over 20,000 layers, broilers and cocks, as at time of research.
THE OFF-TAKERS SCHEME
Interestingly, research has revealed that the largest number of off-takers in Eastern Nigeria come from Akwa Ibom State. This meant that we also had the largest and nearest market; all we needed to do was to create in-roads for sales. The Akwa Prime Off-takers Scheme took off, based on this.
In simple terms, Mr. Bala puts it as; "contract farming. I tell you I want chicken, you grow them for me." Poultry farmers in Akwa Ibom no longer have birds waiting to be bought.
15 hectares of land has also been allocated to an investor to build the permanent breeder farm complex. This portends absolute independence of the State and regions nearby from Western poultry farmers.
HOW THE GOVERNMENT IS INVOLVED
When asked what the agreement between the State Government and the Ethiopian investor looks like, Mr. Ufot Ebong, who also revealed the full involvement of the Ministry of Agriculture in the execution of this project, had this to say;
"We have equity participation. And most importantly, our agreement ensures that our people are employed here by up to 90%. There is no interference from government, but we have auditors that will check the books at the end of every financial year to ensure that the State's part of the equity has been remitted. We check that they have honoured the MOU they signed with the Akwa Ibom State Government to employ our people; good jobs, not slave labour.
So we're not going to interfere with any investor coming to do business, after all we have never hatched eggs; we don't know how they do it. It stops at our equity participation".
Mr. Bala supports that assertion thus;
"I'll confidently say that 93% of the staff here are Akwa Ibomites. It's even an employment rule that; "look where are you from?" before you're employed. The breeder farm manager is from Akwa Ibom; in fact virtually all the managers are from this state."
HOW EFFICIENT IS THE ENTIRE SCHEME?
The General Manager emphasizes the techniques employed and regulations observed in the entire hatchery project.
Firstly, the enforcement of Bio-secure zones, which prohibit visitors and especially unsterilized personnel from physically accessing the breeder pens, to the absolute prohibition of access to the incubating section – greatly reduces the risk of the breeder getting infected with the risk of deadly disease passing on to the day old chicks hatched from their eggs. It prevents fatalities too.
"We've not had even one mortality; I can say that with authority because they're under my watch. Our customers comment that the birds are strong, so that even when they have not been sold for a day or two, they still thrive. The product is our pride".
The establishment of the breeder section has greatly saved poultry farmers the cost, time and stress of travelling to Ibadan and other western cities for day old chicks. In time past, it was revealed also, the greatest problem faced by poultry farms in the State was the availability of buyers, but the Akwa Prime out-grower scheme has gone to solve that problem, thereby shooting up the number of poultry farms currently operating in Akwa Ibom State.
At the moment, says the General Manager; "the establishment even has a problem of shortage of products for the market. "We have a wider market in Akwa Ibom here than outside. My sales manager has had to recently delay treating an order from Owerri, asking the buyer to hold on for two weeks." He said.
At present, the hatchery produces 10k to 20k per week. The volume of day old chicks lifted from the hatchery has gone up from 35,000 tonnes per week to an average of 60,000 tonnes leaving the hatchery per week.
BENEFITS TO ASSOCIATED INDUSTRIES
Mr. Bala showed the tour team to few bags of waste matter remaining from sales. Vegetable farmers, including Benny farms – one of the beneficiaries of the State's Tomato cultivation programme – have become off-takers for the bags of animal waste.
The carpentry industry has also been impacted greatly. The proliferation of poultry farms has increased demand for wood-shavings, a product that carpentry workshops did not know, prior to the time, could fetch them revenue.
THE FEED MILL
Research reveals that several agriculturalists had attempted to set up feed mills in the state to produce to commercial quantity, but none was sustainable. Mr. Bala lends a conclusion as to a major cause of such failure:
"They did not have the depth of consumption to compete with the bigger millers", he says.
OPPORTUNITIES FOR MORE BUSINESS
In order to have raw materials for the feed mill, Akwa Prime factory has extended the out-grower scheme to maize farmers in the state. In simpler terms, if you can plant maize, the feed mill can buy it off you. Mr. Bala revealed that the company has designed a contract for two maize farmers in the state. They will be the pioneer maize out-growers.
The scheme is also in need of out-growers for soya, palm kernel cake, bone meal and other raw materials needed at the feed mill.
AKWA-PRIMO MEAT
The hatchery Facility rears breeder chicken, manages the process of laying hatch-able eggs, incubates and hatches; sells day-old chicks – and even extends to the management of a feed mill and the out-grower scheme, but there is still more. It also packages poultry meat products for sales to end-users.
The tour went through the preparation, preservation and packaging section for meat. There are refrigeration rooms that preserve prepared and packaged meat at -170C. These packaged products are sold to malls, supermarkets, dealers and end-users. Stone-cold, the products can survive, sold for days without decaying and without need for addition of preservatives.
MOVING FORWARD…
Mr Bala says that by middle of next month, the hatchery section will double in production capacity. And, according to him, it will continue like that till the last pen, still under construction, is ready for sue.
"Between now and end of the year, we should be approaching the threshold of our capacity, which is over 200,000 day-old chicks per week.
Noted Figures
230,000 – Targeted capacity for hatchery production
20,000 – Day-old birds sold weekly
60,000 – Weight in tonnes of products bought by off-takers weekly
93 – Ratio, in percentage, of Akwa Ibomites in the staff database of Akwa Prime
17 – Temperature, in Degree Centigrade, at which Akwa Primo meat is preserved at the Akwa Prime complex.
Uduak Umo is a PR Strategist and Public Interest researcher. He wrote this piece from Uyo, Akwa Ibom State
Eden Hazard’s stunning solo effort against Arsenal has been selected as February’s Carling Goal of the Month.
Picking the ball up inside his own half at Stamford Bridge, the Belgian danced past three players before finishing past Petr Cech to put Chelsea on their way to a 3-1 victory.
The Belgian’s effort, one of 83 Premier League goals in February, was chosen from a shortlist of eight contenders from the combined votes of a panel of experts and the public, who picked their favourite via the Carling Tap and website.
“It is one of the best Premier League goals I have scored for sure,” he said. “I was not thinking about scoring but step by step I came close to the goal and in the last 10 metres I was alone.
“When the ball went in I felt that I created something special so I was happy.”
Hazard is the second Chelsea player to win the award this season, after Pedro’s goal against Tottenham Hotspur earned the November prize.
As the Nigerian Professional Football League (NPFL) Youth Clubs League is set to kick-off, over 100 coaches including 40(2 per club) of the 20 NPFL Youth Clubs converged in Abuja for a weekend of coaching clinic with Resource personnel from the Spanish LaLiga. Over 60 coaches from the Nationwide League One, also participated in this clinic that was run by two LaLiga trainers, Oscar Pruzon and David Aznar.
FC Ifeanyi Ubah was represented by U-15 Coaches Sunny Pekus and James Okoroji, as participants in this wonderful program designed to upgrade the coaching skills of youth gaffers all over the country. The duo confirmed that they now are well equipped with all the necessary tactics they need to help them perform well during the upcoming U-15 League Championship.
The U-15 coaches who spoke exclusively to FC Ifeanyi Ubah Media, on their exposure to several tactical and physical training specifically designed to help U-15 players develop and improve their career.
Coaches Pekus and Okoroji
They however expressed optimism, towards the practical implementation of the technical knowhow, skills and knowledge acquired during the weekend long program and when applied in training will help to redirect the players approach to football.
Coaches Pekus and Okoroji commended the Chairman of FC Ifeanyi Ubah Mr. Chukwuma Ubah for giving them the opportunity to handle the U-15 team and also the privilege to be participants of this coaching course which according to them is highly rewarding.
A highly elated Chairman of FC Ifeanyi Ubah, Mr. Chukwuma Ubah received the duo in his office at the Club House, located at 21 Nnobi Road, Nnewi. He expressed gratitude towards the League Management Company LMC for organising this practical educative course for young coaches in the country. Adding that such vital program on a spontaneous sustenance remains a fulcrum to development of football at the grassroot level in Nigeria.
The Nnewi born Soccer Administrator, encouraged the two coaches to judiciously implent, the knowledge which they acquired in fashioning these crude talents of the team, to be physically fit and mentally ready as they prepare for the U-15 League championship soon to kick start.
The ever cool but goal getting Chairman, added that he strongly believes, FC Ifeanyi Ubah’s U-15 team will do extremely wel at the league championship and maintained that he will work together with these coaches, towards ensuring the team emerged as maiden champions of the country at this category.
The coaches were presented with certificate of participation, which they showed it to the Mr Ubah as an appreciative gesture for an opportunity to be called worthy Ambassadors of Anambra Warriors.
It is part of the League Management Company’s (LMC) long term strategy to develop a supply chain of trained players for the league.
Nigerian youths have been charged not to allow their challenges be their limitations in the quest to become successful in their endeavours. As a way out, the youths are advised to develop the necessary skills, attitudes and attributes to succeed as entrepreneur and excel in their chosen carrier.
The call was made during the grand finale of the MTN Foundation Scholars Alumni Conference. The event which held in Lagos, was part of several initiatives from the MTN Foundation aimed at empowering the Nigerian youths towards making their lives brighter.
Providing insight for becoming a successful entrepreneur in Nigeria, founder of arts and style centre, Tera Kulture, Ms. Bolanle Austen Peters, advised the students and alumni to build valued relationships that will be instrumental in their path to success.
According to Austen-Peters, "a valuable relationship and a bold determination is important to climbing and staying on top of the ladder of success. Fear is the enemy, dream big, be bold".
Recounting how he also surmounted his challenges, CEO OkadaBooks.com Ofili Okechukwu encouraged the youths to always explore every opportunity to achieve their objectives He said "don't get addicted to your degrees you have to get up and be a reformer, reformers do it until they get it right".
Earlier in Owerri, CEO, SLOT Nigeria, Nnamdi Ezegbo, urged the participants at the conference to grab opportunities as they come and avoid losing sight of their goals. "There is no perfect time for you to strike at success.
Every time is the best, but you need to understand the times." Speaking on the same issue in Abuja, the Co -Founder and Executive Director of Sahara Group, Tonye Cole, urged the alumni and other students to believe in their abilities and start winning.
He advised the participants to take advantage of the strength that comes from their abilities and use it to achieve their desires.
Assuring the participants of MTN Foundations' continuous support, Director, MTN Foundation, Elder Dennis Okoro, said that the participants should see the scholarship as a rare opportunity that must be well utilized.
For the alumni Okoro said, "now that you have all gained and have been empowered, it is essential that you show yourselves as worthy ambassadors of the programme. Feel free to exhibit your creativity positively and contribute your quota to the development of the country; also remain assured of our continuous support".
Headlined by a road show which began in Owerri, through Abuja and Lagos, the Scholars Alumni Conference is yearly gathering of the beneficiaries of MTN Foundation Science and Technology Scholarship Scheme and Blind Students Scholarship Scheme.
The event was preceded by the annual employability workshop, where the graduands were taught relevant life skills needed for economic empowerment.
Since the inception of the scheme, the MTN Foundation has awarded scholarships worth over 6 Billion Naira to more than 8,000 blind/science and technology students. The Foundation has provided annual scholarships since 2009 worthN200, 000 to 500 eligible students studying a science related discipline and 100 deserving Blind students.
A cleric and Chief Imam of Ansar-ur- deen Central Mosque Osogbo, Alhaji Sanusi Imogbemi on Friday adjudged the Rauf Aregbesola administration as the very first administration since the creation of the state to ensure the emergence of Osogbo as a truly capital city.
The Cleric listed previous governors and military administrators before Aregbesola whom he said made some semblance of efforts at changing the face of the state capital but left with not much impact.
The cleric stated that former Governor Adebisi Akande tried within the limit of the resources but said his efforts at constructing a befitting state secretariat for the state would go down as one of the landmark achievements of his administration.
Aregbesolat
He said some of the courageous decisions being taken by the Aregbesola administration could have been taken before him by his predecessors to develop the state.
"When Aregbesola began to remove illegal structures around Osogbo for the transformation of the state capital, there was uproar but only the discerning could realize that this was for the good of the state capital. Today, the status of Osogbo, the state capital has confirmed that what some people wanted to use to blackmail the government was for the good of all of us," Imogbemi said
The Chief Imam of Ansar-ur-Deen Osogbo said one of the governors had confessed that he would have embarked on some of the projects which today now earn Aregbesola his popularity but for the advice given by his aides who said such efforts would not be popular.
He said that the development efforts, though very heavy and noticeable at the state capital for obvious reasons, also cut across the entire state.
The cleric said this is why the response of the people of Osun to payment of taxes have been encouraging saying, "We are ready to pay taxes because we know this is a trustworthy administration which is using the taxes for development of the people. If, for some people who had ruled this state before, we would not have shown interests in paying taxes."
He advised the Governor not to listen to side talks as he said those given to mischief would continue with their mischief no matter how sterling Aregbesola’s performances are.
The cleric prayed for the governor and against all the machinations of those seeking to halt the development of the state.
Former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and chieftain of All Progressives Congress (APC), has expressed joy at the return of President Muhammadu Buhari from the United Kingdom on a medical vacation.
Atiku
The former vice president, in a statement released on Friday in Abuja by his media office, urged Nigerians to unite and shun bitterness.
"With the president's return, Nigerians should unite behind their common interests and speak with one voice instead of nursing bitterness against one another because of political differences,'' he said.
Atiku said that Buhari's safe return was a happy moment for him not because he was a fellow party member, but because he had tremendous goodwill and best wishes for him.
According to him, the return of Buhari at this time will put to end the uncertainty and the conspiracy theories that attended his 50 days absence.
The former vice president prayed to God to bless Buhari with many more years of good health and energy to serve the country.
By Bashir Bello KATSINA – Governor Aminu Bello Masari of Katsina State on Friday described President Muhammadu Buhari’s safe return to the country as the best thing and gift that had happened to Nigerians in year 2017.
PRESIDENT BUHARI RETURNS 8B. President Muhammadu Buhari, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Zamfara governor, Abdulaziz Yari, Kano Gov and Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello and Chief of Staff, Mallam Abba Kyari during a brief meeting with Service Chiefs and Ministers on arrival at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
Governor Masari stated this in a statement by his Senior Special Adviser on Media, Abdu Labaran Malumfashi and made available to newsmen in the state on Friday.
The Governor equally thanked Allah for answering it collective prayers by bringing the President back to Nigeria hale and hearty.
He commended Nigerians for the outpouring of love and support they expressed during the President’s medical vacation abroad, and his eventual return,
Part of the statement reads: “All praise be to Allah, the All mighty, who has answered our collective prayers by returning the President back to us hale and hearty to continue leading us in the just, fair and sincere manner that are his trademark over the years.
“The President’s safe return today is so far the best gift we as Nigerians have so far had this year.
“The Governor, who made these observations yesterday in reaction to the return of the President from a 50-day medical trip to the United Kingdom, also lauded Nigerians for their prayers for the health and wellbeing of President Buhari while he was away.
“Governors Masari and Katsina State had witnessed a series of prayer and fasting sessions organised institutionally and privately, by both Muslims and Christians for the health of the President and the welfare of the nation.
“Governor Masari urged Nigerians to always put their leaders and country in thoughts and prayers, saying that with positive thoughts and prayers, the country would overcome any challenges confronting it,” the statement however reads.
ABUJA – The Federal Government, on Friday, preferred nine-count money laundering charge against former Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, Mr. Andrew Yakubu, who was accused of stashing over N3billion at his house in Kaduna.Andrew Yakubu
Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, recovered the alleged loot which was in foreign currencies, from Yakubu’s guest house situated at Sabon Tasha, Kaduna State, following a tip-off by a whistle-blower.
EFCC said it had while raiding the house, discovered the sum of $9.7million and £74,000 that Yakubu hid in a fireproof safe inside the house.
A Federal High Court in Kano, on February 13, granted an order that forfeited the recovered money to FG, a decision Yakubu had since challenged, maintaining that the money was accumulated gifts he received during different ceremonies.
Meantime, in the charge marked FHC/Abj/ CR/ 43/ 2017, which was filed before the Federal High Court in Abuja, FG, alleged that Yakubu failed to declare the money in the assets form he filed at the EFCC on August 18, 2015, and thereby committed an offence contrary to section 27(3) (a) of the EFCC (Establishment) Act 2004 and punishable under section 27(3) (c) of the same Act.
In count three and four of the charge dated March 9 and signed by three EFCC prosecutors led by Prince Ben Ikani, FG, alleged that Yakubu had between 2012 and 2014, without going through a financial institution, received cash payments of $9, 772, 800 and £74, 000, and thereby committed an offence contrary to section 1 of Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act 2012 and punishable under section 16(2) of the Act.
In count five and six, FG alleged that Yakubu had with intent to avoid a lawful transaction under the law, transferred at various times in Kaduna, aggregate sums of $9,772, 800 and £74, 000, when he reasonably ought to know that the said funds formed part of the proceed of some form of unlawful activity and thereby committed an offence contrary to section 7(4) (b) (ii) of the Advance Fee Fraud Act, 2006.
Meantime, no date has been fixed for arraignment of the defendant who was GMD of the NNPC between 2012 and 2014.
It will be recalled that Yakubu was sacked by the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan for alleged insubordination and corruption.
The Ekiti State Government on Friday declared a three-day mourning in honour of the late Military Governor of the old Western Region, Gen. Adeyinka Adebayo.
Gov. Ayodele Fayose, who also signed a condolence register opened by the government, announced this in a state-wide broadcast in Ado-Ekiti.
Fayose explained that the declaration was in recognition of the fatherly role the late retired army general played in uplifting the entire western region.
Late Adebayo was also renowned for uniting the people towards the path of integration.
The governor conveyed the condolences of his family and the state government to one of the children of the deceased, who was the first civilian governor of Ekiti state, Chief Niyi Adebayo.
The State House of Assembly also commiserated with the people of Iyin-Ekiti in Ekiti state and the entire South-West over the demise of the late general.
Its Speaker, Mr Kola Oluwawole, in a statement signed on his behalf by Dr Samuel Omotoso, the Chairman, House Committee on Information, Youth and Sports, noted that the death of Adebayo was a colossal loss to the country.
The speaker described the death of Gen. Adebayo as the end of a glorious era for the country.
He said the late Adebayo was a courageous and dependable soldier, who dedicated his life to the course of Nigerian.
"He was an illustrious son of Ekiti state.
"He was an elder statesman, whose counsel would be missed at this crucial time in the history of our nation," Oluwawole said.
Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo state has declared a seven-day period of mourning in honour of late Dr Samuel Ogbemudia, a two-time governor of Bendel State.
Obaseki, in a statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr John Mayaki, said the mourning period would begin from March 10.Samuel Ogbemudia
The governor described the death of late Ogbemudia as saddening and prayed for his soul to rest in peace.
Obaseki described the deceased as "a fine military officer who helped to liberate the Mid-West region during the civil war".
He said under Ogbemudia's administration, Bendel became a leading state in education, sports and industry.
"As two time Governor of Bendel, which comprised present-day Edo and Delta states, Dr. Samuel Ogbemudia, will be fondly remembered for the strong foundation that he laid to consolidate the infrastructural, social and economic development of both states.
"Amongst his several milestone achievements was the Mid-West Institute of Technology, which is now the University of Benin.
"As we mourn our great leader and father, we take solace in the legacies he bequeathed Edo State and indeed Nigeria."
By Bashir Bello KATSINA – A Katsina based Islamic cleric, Imam Sheikh Suleiman Rahma on Friday said it will not stop and relent in it prayers for President Muhammadu Buhari.
The Islamic cleric stated this while delivering his sermon during the two rakkat Jumaat, Friday prayers at Kandahar Mosque.PRESIDENT BUHARI RETURNS. 14C President Muhammadu Buhari Returns to abuja.
Imam Rahma whose sermon centred around Prayer – Dua – as the weapon and sword of muslims, said it prayed for the President to get well and return safely and so they will not stop praying for him.
According to him, “we are the most happiest people today, particularly that President Buhari is back safely. We thank Allah for the success and pray that You give him long live and good health.
“We prayed that God gives him the strength and ability to lead the nation to the right path as well as his teams, advisers and others.
“we have started experiencing light in the Nation. So we need to continue to pray for Mr. President for him to continue with the good work he has started. We should lift our hands up and pray to him. We should cry to him because He (Allah) said we should pray to Him and He will answer our prayers.
“We pray for those who are sick in the hospital and at home that Allah grant them quick recovery from the sick bed,” Sheikh Rahma however prayed.
The terrorist ISIS group is on the verge of lasting defeat as its last strongholds are fast crumble, the U.S. Department of Defence has said.
"Despite a long road ahead for the U.S.-led coalition in its fight to counter the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, the enemy is being degraded by every measure and is on a trajectory to lasting defeat.
"In Iraq, with eastern Mosul liberated and the fight to retake western Mosul ongoing, liberating the city from ISIS' control is an important step in defeating the enemy.
"Without Mosul from which to recruit, train and plan attacks, and from which to project atrocities into Europe and the U.S. homeland, the coalition has seen ISIS' flow of foreign fighters and external support diminish significantly," the Department said.
It said by denying the group unfettered access to Mosul, its population and Iraq's natural gas and oil revenue, ISIS's ability to raise money and sustain its forces has been systemically reduced.
"Retaking Mosul will also be a symbolic victory after ISIS announced the birth of its 'phony' caliphate from Mosul's great mosque in 2014, it said, noting that without a power base in Iraq, ISIS' claims of legitimacy as a credible, alternative state are being exposed as a fallacy."
It said progress in Syria to liberate key cities from the enemy was evident, citing the recent liberation of Bab, which was the last major city ISIS held west of its proclaimed capital of Raqqa.
Bab lies at the intersection of four major Syrian cities, and its gain by Syrian Democratic Forces severed key ISIS logistical corridors and restricted the enemy's ability to move fighters and essential equipment, it said.
The Department noted that ISIS also lost the ancient Roman city of Palmyra, which was the only territorial expansion ISIS had made since 2015.
Another threat to ISIS lies in the remnants of its caliphate that's centered around the Euphrates River between Syria and Iraq, it said, noting that ISIS has limited ability to cross the river and has been driven to use ferry systems to move from one river bank to the other.
It added that ISIS cannot transit the river unimpeded, saying ISIS has lost a 'host' of high-level leaders after many were killed and the remaining fled.
"And as mid-level operational commanders are killed, they are being replaced by inexperienced fighters who are not able, in many cases, to marshal ISIS' dwindling forces. ISIS has also been observed turning on itself."
It said U.S. officials have seen reports of Iraqi fighters killing foreign fighters and rejecting the preferential treatment they were sometimes given.
"There are also indications of intensified hunts for spies within the organisation when ISIS suspects one of its own is providing targeting information to coalition forces.
"The enemy is not a unified force; ISIS is being beaten back in the face of increasing pressure and is struggling to maintain power with higher taxes, sagging morale, increasing recruitment of children and the elderly, and increased executions.
"Those are all indications of a desperate organisation falling under sustained pressure," the statement said
Pope Francis on Friday sent 100,000 euros (106,090 dollars) to the poor in the ravaged Syrian city of Aleppo, a Vatican spokeswoman said in a statement.
The Vatican administration, known as the Curia, contributed to the donation, which will be made through the papal charity office and the Franciscan order working in the Holy Land.
Pope Francis
Aleppo was Syria's most populous city before war broke out six years ago, but swathes of it have been destroyed and thousands displaced in the conflict gripping the country.
A monitor group said government forces, which seized the city from rebels in December after months of intense fighting, have captured its main water supply station from Islamic State.
The Savannah Centre for Diplomacy, Democracy and Development has said that ineffective political leadership at all levels of governance is a challenge to development, stability and security in the country.
The centre stated this in a communique at the end of the second edition of its four-series Policy Monitoring Dialogue on Leadership, Governance and Security Challenges in Nigeria in Abuja on Friday.
It said that majority of the nation`s leaders lacked national vision and ideology due to their ethnic, religious or regional cleavages.
It said that Nigerians expected their governments to ensure their welfare and security which could be met through the judicious and accountable management of the nation's resources.
According to the centre, it is therefore in the best interest of the political elite to deliver to the people the dividends they justifiably deserve.
It explained that effective leadership and good governance depended on the quality and effectiveness of the political parties in a country.
This, it said, required that political parties reinvented and re-positioned themselves for the important role through the development of appropriate content in their manifestos.
The group added that this could be achieved through a determination to attain high standards of education, character and competence for political office holders.
The communique said that it was unfortunate that most political parties in the country were funded by the wealthy who manipulated their affairs for selfish gains.
"The Nigerian political elite use religion and ethnicity negatively to advance their own selfish interests.
"Religion and ethnicity have gradually and unduly crept into politics and public affairs contrary to the spirit and letter of secularity as enshrined in the Constitution,'' it said.
It, therefore, recommended that curriculum of schools and other manpower training institutions should be designed to include appropriate content for discovering and grooming future leaders for the country from childhood.
It also recommended that political parties should develop and publicise clear procedures and standards for choosing those that should stand for public offices.
It further recommended that a crowd funding or public funding mechanism be prescribed for political parties to improve their internal democracy and encourage ownership by all members.
"Clear limits of financial and material contributions should be set for political parties, while anti-corruption and other accountability institutions should be strengthened to give more impetus to the fight against corruption,'' the communique said.
It added that the National Assembly should fast-track the passage of the Whistle-Blower Bill to promote the quick recovery of stolen public funds.
"Public institutions responsible for monitoring, evaluation and accountability should be strengthened through adequate funding and capacity building for efficiency and reliability,'' it said.
It said that security threats facing the country included insurgency, terrorism, violent extremism, ethno-religious conflict and vandalism, economic sabotage and unemployment among others.
All this, it added, could be attributed to the prolonged failure of government in delivering on its duty to guarantee the welfare and security of the people.
The centre charged civil authorities to summon the political will to hold the military and other security agencies accountable
for the use of excessive force or the abuse of their discretionary powers in handling civil insurrections.
According to it, the government should ensure the improvement of the capacity of the Nigeria Police to reduce the apparent over-reliance on the military to quell civil insurrections.
It said that the Office of the National Security Adviser should be reviewed with the aim of separating its roles of advising the president of the country, and coordinating security agencies.
It said that to effectively check open rivalry and overlapping roles between and among security agencies, government should clearly define their roles and create a suitable platform for the sharing of intelligence.
The group also advised that an effective cyber defence strategy should be developed and embodied in the reassessed National Security architecture to check cyber security threats.
The return of President Muhammadu Buhari from a 50-day medical vacation abroad has re-energised the nation, Gov. Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State, has said.
Tambuwal also said Buhari's safe return has renewed the confidence of Nigerians on the president.
This is contained in a statement issued by the Special Adviser to Tambuwal on Media and Public Affairs, Mr Imam Imam, to newsmen in Sokoto on Friday.
On the significance of the president's return, Tambuwal said: "The unbridled joy shown by many people across the nation showed that the country is united in their love for the President.
"Nigerians from all walks of life prayed for their President, now that God has answered their prayers, culminating in safe return of the President, we should continue to pray for him and his family.
"The President has said he wants a few days of rest until he writes to the National Assembly before resuming work."
Tambuwal added that the president deserved the extra days, urging that "we should continue to pray for him and for the nation.
"The President has shown uncommon commitment to solve the myriad of problems bedeviling the nation.
"We have absolute confidence in his ability to take us higher as a nation," the governor said.
LAGOS – SystemSpecs, a financial technology company in Nigeria and owner of Remita, Friday announced the release of the Beta version of Remita Mobile Application, to empower individuals to view multiple bank balances on one screen, make payments from and to various bank accounts including microfinance banks, settle various bills to Federal and State Government agencies as well as other billers, easily manage their expenses, and other key capabilities that allow users stay in firm control of their finance.
"Remita Mobile App will provide individuals with a much easier way to manage their finance," said John Obaro, SystemSpecs' Managing Director at a ceremony held recently in Lagos where a new Remita logo was also unveiled. "Now, with Remita App, customers of various banks will experience increased convenience, as they would be able to access their various accounts, seamlessly settle bills, and stay in firm control of their finance, anytime, from anywhere, on a single app."
With this app, individuals will be able to send and receive money from the comfort of their phones, without needing any other mobile app or visiting any bank branch. Also with the app, payers can respond to payment requests from restaurants, shopping outlets, schools, family, friends or other billers by quickly snapping a QR code from their smartphone or tapping their device against the biller's to complete transactions.
Speaking on the gesture, John Obaro said: "We are always glad to support innovative tech-driven startups to grow and scale their businesses. Remita Seed Fund is one of our contributions to the advancement of Nigeria's technology ecosystem. It is our belief and desire that it will help these three tech startups to take their ideas to the next level."
Commenting on the rebranding of Remita, David Okeme, SystemSpecs' Chief Marketing Officer, said: "The new Remita logo signifies our entry into a new phase in the history of the brand and represents our strong desire to consistently remain top of our customers' mind."
Speaking further, Okeme added: "We expect that the new Remita identity will affectionately resonate with existing and potential users, especially at this time we are introducing another innovation to them with the release of Remita Mobile App."
With Remita Mobile App, payments can be requested in the most convenient manner. Whether from customers for services rendered, from family and friends for various purposes like weddings, birthdays, for ‘aso-ebi’ payment contributions, or any other need. Funds or payment request can also be made by generating QR codes and sharing with customers and friends via email or other social media channels.
Asides the standard industry security measures which have been built into the app, Remita has specific security layers that guarantee the integrity of all access and transactions, including Personal Security Number, fingerprint authentication, One-Time Password Verification, among others.
Olówè however added that, "Currently, six Nigerian banks—Zenith, UBA, Access, Wema, FCMB, and Providus—have been fully integrated on the mobile application, with more banks already lined up to be introduced in the coming days when we take the solution out of the Beta phase."
Not only individual bank accounts can be accessed on Remita Mobile App, as individuals who play various roles on their corporate bank accounts will be able to play such roles on the App in addition to being able to conveniently manage their various personal bank accounts.
The app is the mobile version of the multiple award-winning Remita payment solution, which has revolutionalised the payment processes of various individuals and organisations in Nigeria for more than a decade.
The Beta version of Remita Mobile App is available for download on Android Play Store
