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
Abuja – The Minister of Interior, retired Lt.-Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazau will on Monday officially launch the new Immigration Regulations, 2017 to ensure better security and Immigration in the country.
ABDULRAMAN DAMBAZAU
Mr Sunday James, the spokesperson for the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) disclosed this in an interview on Saturday in Abuja.
He said that the Immigration Regulations, 2017 was a vital document that sought to operationalise the Immigration Act, 2015. "The honourable Minister of Interior, Lt.-Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazau, (retired) will officially present the Immigration Regulations 2017 to the public on Monday, March, 20, 2017.
"The Immigration Regulations 2017 is a vital document that operationalises the Immigration Act 2015 and provides the legal framework for the effective implementation of the Act," he said.
He further said the new immigration regulation was a product of robust discourse that involved legal and migratory experts, including serving and retired immigration officers.
James expressed optimism that the document, if properly implemented, would go a long way in transforming the operations of NIS in line with international best practices. The Immigration Act, 2015 contains updated structure and functions of NIS in relation to immigration, passports, deportation, visas, resident permits and general immigration offences.
The Act also gives effect in the Federal Republic of Nigeria to the provisions of the protocol against the smuggling of migrants by land, sea, air which supplements the UN Convention Against Transitional Organised Crime. The Act was enacted by the National Assembly in May, 2015 to the Immigration Act, 2004.
Once in a long while, someone who just knew what to do would come upon a society in a predicament, and he would, effortlessly it seems, lead that society in the right direction. Others would marvel at how simple it all seemed to the hero. Or as David Crosby put it in a 1994 song titled the Hero, "And he never wondered what was right or wrong/He just knew, he just knew".
Brigadier-General Samuel Osaigbovo Ogbemudia just knew …what to do when he was the Military Governor of Midwest, which was later renamed Bendel State from 1967 to 1975 – and now, he towers, heroic in public estimation, above his governor colleagues. If Prusia's Fredrick The Great is still known as Stupor Mundi (Wonder of The World) because "he took a hand in everything: arts, laws, sciences, poetry, universities, crusades, parliament, wars, politics, contention with the papacy" as Barbara Tuchman wrote in The March of Folly", then Ogbemudia would remain the Stupor Nigeriana. He undertook an all-round development of the state to .the extent that many may be so focused on the physical and economic structures he set up that they may miss getting an insight into the man himself; that would be terrible .
Take this as an example: in an unsigned tribute to Ogbemudia, the anonymous author noted that ….."Schools were established all over the place, including the School of Agriculture, Awain, Asaba, Collage of Education, Agbor, the University of Benin and the University of Benin Teaching Hospital. We remember the New Nigeria Bank, Bendel Insurance Company, Iyamomo Rubber Research Institute, Urhonigbe Rubber Plantation, Warrake Farms, Agbede Cattle Ranch, Ughelli Fish Ponds, Bendel Food Production Company, Bendel Brewery, Bendel Pharmaceutical Company, AsabaTaxtile Mill, Ughelli Glass Factory, Okpella Cement Company, Bendel Line, Bendel Woods Company, etc. These organisations provided the money that did the magic. He provided General Hospitals in major towns and Health Centres in rural communities as well as potable water and rural electrification in virtually all parts of the State. He built the Ogbemudia Stadium and other Stadia in major cities across the State; the Afuze Games Village; and the Ogba Zoological Gardens and Recreation Centre. In the area of mass communications, Ogbemudia established the Midwest Television, now the NTA, Benin and the Bendel Newspapers Corporation, publishers of the Observer titles"
Great observation; except that to set the record straight, the 1963 to 1966 Mid-West Region administration of Dr. Dennis Osadebay established the Ughelli Glass Factory, the Asaba Textile Mill, Okpella Cement Factory among others.
Ogbemudia
The story here is not really what Ogbemudia established but what inspired him to so do. In 1988, Bendel State celebrated the 25th anniversary of its creation. I interviewed the man who moved the motion for the carving out of Mid-West from the Western Region; Rev.Cannon Ayeni, Ogbemudia himself and the First Governor of Mid-West, Osadebay (he told me that the famed and lyricized Chief Obafemi Awolowo's development of the Western Region did not impact on Mid-West and that on the new region's coming into being, the West dismissed the civil servants from the new region and they gathered, like refugees, on the grounds of Edo College, Benin-City) …and there was no grant, no loan, just absolutely nothing for the Mid-West – from the Western Region. And there was nothing of import from Auchi to Warri, and from Benin to Asaba.
Worse still, the Biafran incursion into the Mid-West, and its liberation by the Federal Forces reduced the state to a war theater and its infrastructure seriously depleted. It was this degraded state that the then General Officer Commanding the Second Division, the then Col. Murtala Ramat Muhammed appointed Ogbemudia to be its Military Administrator on 20 September 1967. Six weeks later, with the state totally liberated, Lagos ratified Ogbemudia's appointment and named him Military Governor – 13th of November 1967.
Ogbemudia told me that the first challenge was to unite the polarized state; the Igbo-speaking areas of Aniocha, Ika and Ndokwa areas, now known as Anioma had supported the Biafran incursion or were considered to have done so. Thus, as Biafran forces were pushed back, the Mid-West Igbo people deserted their posts and fled home. The first thing Ogbemudia did was to ensure that all the houses the Biafran and Mid-West Igbos abandoned were captured in a census, rents on them were collected and banked and they were handed back to their rightful owners whenever they showed up –with the rent accruals.
To show that this was a product of a particular mind-set, Ogbemudia was to donate 2000 seats and desks to the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, at the end of the Nigerian Civil war. Then, the Anioma officers who fought on the Biafran side were given appointments in state-owned parastatals, with the eight colonels among them as Managing Directors. To reassure the Anioma people that they too had a stake in the state, he said he appointed Dr. Isaac Okonjo, from Ogwashi-Uku, as the Secretary to the State Government.
Did Ogbemudia set out to build a super state? Yes, he answered, saying that Okonjo brought up that idea at an Executive Council meeting that Mid-Westerners would be contented only with a super state to show the Western state that severance from it was not a mistake, as the Osadebay-led administration was already doing before Nigeria's first coup d'état.
From there, there was no stopping Ogbemudia as he turned the state into Nigeria's most developed. He introduced the Mid-West Line – Mercedes Benz air-conditioned luxury buses and cars (Peugeot 404 station wagons served the need of the lower class) to cruise from Benin, its base, to far flung parts of Nigeria. Like, a national airline, the Mid-West Line flew the state's flag. Passengers would be served meals during the trip. There was a departure and arrival time-tables too. Within Mid-West, an inter-city bus service made transportation cheap, easy and hassles-free. Students in uniform had a reduced rate. Many of the bus drivers were women!
Everybody has heard that Ogbemudia made Bendel number one in sports, and that he established a Sports Camp in Afuze village. But not many know that Ogbemudia would spend weeks at a go in that camp with the athletes, answering the 5.30 am roll call with them and hosting the Executive Council meeting in Afuze whenever he was there. Under him the state craved for the little ways of doing things differently just to set the state apart from the rest. Thus, at the 1973 First National Sports Festival, other states took the match-past in track suits, but the Mid-West athletes received a sustained ovation when they appeared in Ankara traditional up and down style with the state's map and Ogbemudia's face emblazoned at the front and back of the bearers.
Medal-winning field and tracks athletes from school competitions were removed from their schools to congregate at Edo College, Benin-City. Promising student footballers were sent to New Era, Benin. Table-Tennis players were sent to Hussey College, Warri. The entire Mid-West schools were a vast sports factory that churned out athletes who were sent to the designated schools to gain from burnishing by coaches. Some, like St. Anthony's College, Ubulu-Uku'sAninye Jonathan (alias Atangana) won a silver medal at the under 13 junior Table-Tennis category at the 1973 National Sports Festival, and earned a six-month training stint in Shanghai, China. Senior category athletes who have represented the state were routinely sent out to schools as "coaches" to prepare students for competitions and bring out the best in the students – and earn some cash too. That was how Coach Odudu came to teach Lawn-Tennis at St. Anthony's College Ubulu-Uku, and while he represented the state in the senior category that 1973, his ward, Emmanuel Obiora did the same at the junior level – and earned a silver medal.
It is easy to remember that Ogbemudia built many tertiary institutions but not many still remember that twice a month, trucks and boats filled with books would tour the state – as part of Mid-West Mobile library and card-holding members would borrow books. Ogbemudia also set up the Institute of Continuing Education centres for the adult's informal education. This enabled many over-aged people and workers to attend school in the evenings and earn certificates.
Not to leave the villages behind, Ogbemudia provided T.V viewing centres in them, powered by small electricity generators. It was in one of such, in Ubilu-Uku, Aniocha North LGA, Delta State that this reporter watched Mohammed Ali's defeat by Joe Frazier in 1971. People gathered in such places to watch the evening news and popular TV plays…and football matches.
Still on education, Ogbemudia set up the Ethiope Publishing Company to churn out books for the state's secondary schools and the Mid-West Book Depot to import books at reasonable prices. Many teachers took advantage of Ethiope Publishers to become authors.
Yes, you may have heard that Ogbemudia extended social amenities as much as he could. But it is hard to believe that a state Governor would, on seeing some students going to the stream in the evening and stop his entourage to chat with them. He wondered why St. Anthony's College Ubulu-Uku did not have pipe-borne water. The result was a contract that provided an over-head tank that would store water that would be piped in from the nearby Iyi-Ago stream. Pipes were laid across the school from which taps protruded; those pipes and taps still remain dry to this day. Lesson; even Ogbemudia could not finish all the projects he started …or did a conscienceless contractor swindle the state?
Yes, many Nigerians know that Ogbemudia was elected Governor of Bendel (Mid-West became Bendel in 1976) State in 1993. But not many know that Ogbemudia aspired to become President in 1999. When he informed Gen. Ibrahim Babangida that he wanted to run to be president, IBB told him to forget it because the Generals had decided to GIVE it to Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo. A realistic Ogbemudia accepted the fact, went to Ota to pledge his loyalty to Obasanjo, dismantled his campaign machinery, and asked his spokesman, Mr. Steve Itugbu, to work with Obasanjo. What if…Ogbemudia had become Nigeria's President in 1999?
Through Steve Itugbu, I met Ogbemudia several times in Abuja. His favorite hotel was the Command Guest House, not the top class Transcorp-Hilton; he was that simply. Actually I remember him the most because of his simplicity. In 1988, at the Gala Night of the celebration of the 25th anniversary of Bendel state, as Victor Uwaifor played away on his guitar, I met Ogbemudia as he was returning, a plate of food in hand, to his table, introduced myself and asked for an interview date. I followed him to his table and he simply asked: "can we talk now, or must it be later"? I opened my notebook and began to work. I brushed off his advice to go and collect some food. Then, he asked me to give him a few minutes, and off he went. He returned with a plate of food – for the reporter! He was that unassuming..
Did he succeed in building a super state? He said that a super state would entail having a well-educated populace, proud of their history, truly confident, never happy to take the second position in anything and hopeful of their future. He then said that it was when in Ilorin, Kwara state, he overheard a girl say to another: "See, I have no fear. I know no fear. At the very worst, I can return to Bende, or don't you know I'm from Bendel,"? that he knew that his efforts were not wasted. He said that he would wish that the Bendel can-do spirit would spread over the whole Nigeria so that Nigerians would lead Africa in the contest for the control of the world's resources. Oh, I didn't tell you that he also had a company that fabricated machinery – just as he set up Bendel Phamacueticals Company and Wood Works to produce things. In Agbede Cattle Ranch (which came ever before itinerant Fulani cattle herdsmen began clashing with farmers everywhere) , he introduced Bufallo rearing for meat production.
No wonder he told someone: "It is a time when there is the need to formulate a National Sports Policy that will clearly draw the line on whether our sports should be for recreation only or for national mobilisation, economic growth and international diplomacy." Now, you have seen the soul of this man who wanted to make Bendel a super state and succeeded. To him, sport was a means to an end, a calculated end!
To end the story here is to pretend that Ogbemudia never had his ups and downs. Like other Military Governors, he was swept out of office by the 1975 coup that brought in the Murtala/Obasanjo administration. That day the public looted his poultry in Benin. The Ogbemudia Farms were trashed. When in 1976, a probe panel found him guilty of corruption, newspaper columnists excoriated him. But his rehabilitation was complete when he was elected Governor in 1983; he had been only months in office.
Ogbemudia was a man of energy, of foresight, of purpose; a man who raised his state to the highest estate – a man who was never afraid to experiment.
Tony Eluemunor is Chief James OnanefeIbori's Media Assitant.
Lagos – The Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has described the late Gen. Adeyinka Adebayo, former military governor of the old Western Region, as a detribalised Nigerian who contributed immensely to the peace and unity of the country.
The Minister told newsmen during a condolence visit to late Adebayo`s family home in Lagos on Saturday that the deceased played a big role in the stability of the country at the critical time he was governor.Adebayo: Ex-Military governor of defunct Western Region.
Mohammed,who was received by the deceased`s widow,Modupeola and daughter,Mrs Nike Makinde, as well as other family members, said Adebayo was a passionate and astute administrator who put the interest of the country first in all he did.
He said the life and times of late Adebayo was a great leadership lesson in tolerance and peaceful co-existence as he was very understanding and tolerated everybody, regardless of ethnic and religious background.
"Late Gen. Adeyinka Adebayo was an astute administrator who did his best to promote the peace and progress of Nigeria, particularly the old Western region, when he was governor.
"I think what we need to learn from the great leadership achievements of late Adebayo is that Nigeria is too delicate a place; we must understand the various sensibilities; we might be a country, but we are a country of many nations.
"So anybody who is entrusted with the mantle of leadership must look at Nigeria from that perspective. He must be very understanding, accommodating and tolerant.
"And we can say about late Adebayo that he was tolerant, understanding and accommodating, and was able to achieve quietly what others would achieve with so much noise," he said.
The minister said Nigerians should celebrate late Adebayo rather than mourn, adding that history would be kind to him for his role in keeping the country together.
In her comments, the deceased`s daughter, Makinde, said the late patriarch of the family was a perfect example in humility and selfless service.
She said their father was not given to materialism, but dedicated all he had for the comfort and needs of the less privileged around him.
"Our father was a good example of humility and generosity. He always told us to humble ourselves before people and never feel that we were important.
"He was not materialistic; he did not live for himself alone, but also for the needy. He was always helping people and would not say it.
"He was such a wonderful father.We will sorely miss him for his great impacts. He really did his best for humanity,"she said.
Makinde thanked Nigerians for standing with the family, saying the condolences they had received were a measure of the achievements and the goodwill of their late father.
Latte Adebayo , father of former Ekiti governor, Mr Niyi Adebayo, died in Lagos on March 8, a day to his 89th birthday.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres has asked men to be prepared to lose more positions to women so as to ensure gender parity.
Guterres told women's rights activists and civil society representatives at a town hall discussion at UN headquarters in New York that "the clear objective of our time is parity' rooted in women's empowerment".
"Gender parity at all levels – political, cultural, economic and social – is a 'central objective' and must be based on women's empowerment.
"Parity is important in all areas of political and social life. This is a battle, a struggle.
"Generally no one likes to lose positions they have long held, but the reality of gender parity is that many more women will be in positions that today are occupied by men.
People crying
"But that's a good thing," he said, noting that in his experience, gender parity means better decision-making and better management.
The Secretary-General sought suggestions and opinions of the civil society representatives on how the UN could move forward on its commitments on gender equality.
He opened the discussion by sharing life lessons on the issue, telling the gathering that during his time as Prime Minster of Portugal, one of his most difficult battles had been putting family values on the national agenda.
"There was kind of a national conspiracy to make sure that no one talked about it – from the police to the judiciary and public in general, it was as if the problem did not exist.
"But it was a very serious problem," he said, noting that much had to be done in those areas, including through legislation and broad based campaigns to put it on the agenda.
According to him, the central question is empowerment at all levels.
Later, as UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Guterres said he saw that women and children were the most vulnerable among those that fell under his agency's mandate.
"Indeed, women were 'doubly vulnerable", he said, adding over his tenure, he learned while international legal protections are important.
"We live in a male-dominated world and a male-dominated culture, so the issue goes beyond protection: the central question is empowerment.
"The question of empowerment has many dimensions, one being to ensure that men and women are able, in parity, to assume their responsibilities at all levels; political, economic, social and cultural.
"And so, parity for us in the UN is a central objective, at the level of senior management, as well as the entire staff," the UN scribe said.
"So this is a very central question," Guterres said, inviting the enthusiastic audience to share their perspectives on ways to push the issue forward, in cooperation, not only as an objective regarding the rights of women but "an objective in relation to the quality of our societies and the international community as a whole".
The meeting, attended by UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed and other senior UN staff, ended the first week of the 61st Commission on the Status of Women.
Known as the largest inter-governmental forum on women's rights and gender equality, the theme this year is 'Women's Economic Empowerment in the Changing World of Work'.
BY UGOCHUKWU ALARIBE ABA – Factional leader of the Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra, MASSOB, Comrade Uchenna Madu has said no amount of pressure from any quarter would make his group and other pro-Biafra group to quit their struggle for the actualization of an independent state of Biafra.
Madu, in an interview with journalists in Aba, on Saturday, said the agitation for the sovereign state of Biafra has come a long way and that pro-Biafra groups would not relent until their dream is actualized.
Asked whether the group would relent in its agitation now that it appears the federal government has started addressing some of the infrastructural decay in the south East, the MASSOB leader said, "We can't stop, we have passed that point. Some people think that the agitation for the Sovereign State of Biafra was because of marginalization or infrastructural decay in the Eastern region. No. We have passed that.
"We want Biafra, not because our roads are bad, not because Igbo man has not become the President of the country, Nigeria. We want Biafra not because of negligence of our area, but we want Biafra because we are Biafrans; we are created Biafrans and we have to exhibit it in all sense of responsibility. We want to restore the ancient kingdom of Biafra as it were before the 1914 amalgamation of Northern and Southern Protectorate.
"Our people have died not because of Igbo Presidency, because of Biafra and the people that were killed in Aba and many other parts of Nigeria were being killed because of Biafra. They were not killed because of the bad roads in the South East, second Niger Bridge or Igbo Presidency or decay in infrastructure; if they like, let the federal government fix everything overnight, it won't make us to stop. We have reached at the point of no return, there is no way we can go back in the struggle for Biafra."
He disclosed that his group's decision to relocate its administrative headquarters out of Okwe, Imo State and allow his former boss, Ralph Uwazuruike access to his father's compound, was a unanimous agreement by all the major stakeholders of MASSB, stressing that the choice for Enugu was also for administrative convenience and the centrality as the capital of Biafra.
"We decided to allow Uwazuruike to return to his father's house, this is three years that he has been in exile. We don't want to cage or isolate ourselves in a particular place. The administration of MASSOB or Biafra shouldn't be in somebody's house or village, so we decided to leave that place and allow him to come back. We have lifted the ban and forgiven him (Ralph Uwazuruike) in the spirit of Biafra. We can't continue to keep grudges. We have handed his matter over to the ancestors (Chukwu Okike Abiama) to handle him. We can't continue to play god. Let god decide his case, so that we too can move on.
"The essence of the whole thing is that, we are expecting to take over Biafra land soon and we have relocated to Enugu which is Biafran Capital where we are going to operate from. Enugu which is the capital of Biafra and we don't need to operate from Okwe," he said
At least 464 students of Madinatul- A habab Markaz Community School in Daura, graduated from the school after completing the reading of 60 portions of the Holy Quran.
The Director of the school, Malam Abdullahi Lawan, announced this in Daura, Katsina State on Saturday when he addressed guests at the 59th graduation ceremony.
He said 426 students successfully completed the reading of 60 portions of the Holy Quran, while 33 students of the age of 13 years learnt the entire Holy Quran by heart.
In his remarks, the Emir of Daura, Alhaji Umar Farouk, congratulated the graduating students and urged them to be of good character.
He said traditional rulers would continue to support the pursuit of both Islamic and Western education.
He called on the graduating students to make judicious use of the knowledge acquired, stressing that they should be good ambassadors of the school.
He cautioned them against keeping bad company and unnecessary arguments that could cause trouble for themselves and the society.
Alhaji Lawal Buhari, the Chairman, Katsina State Universal Education Board SUBEB congratulated the graduating students and urged them to imbibe the teachings of the Holy Quran in their daily activities.
He also called on parents to enrol their children in western educational schools, stressing that girl-child education was paramount to the nation`s development.
He said he was willing to extend any support to the school and the graduating students especially those who are determined to further their education.
Newsmen report that dignitaries from all walks of life attended the ceremony.
By Chinedu Sabastine Gabriel ENUGU – LEADERSHIP of IPOB has called on all Biafrans and lovers of Biafra all over the world to converge at the Federal High Court, Abuja, come March 20, 2017 in solidarity to their leader, Nnamdi Kanu and others detained over agitation for the liberation of Biafra from Nigeria.
A statement signed by their spokesman, Comrade Emma Powerful, indicates that all lovers of Biafra living in Abuja should show solidarity on that fateful day, March 20, 2017, to witness the trial of their leader.
Kanu
“The indigenous people of Biafra IPOB and it’s leadership worldwide call on members who are living in and around Abuja and it’s environs to be in court on 20th March 2017 in solidarity to our leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and others detained illegally in Kuje prison Abuja. We expect Biafrans from all walks of life to be in Abuja on that fateful day,” the statement points out.
According to the statement, “the Nigerian Government and her APC Party led by Major General Muhammadu Buhari through her security agencies especially the DSS, has been bringing frivolous charges against our leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and IPOB which has never held any water from day one because God Almighty Chukwu Okike Abiama in his infinite mercy has opened the eyes of the judges to see the truth, hence the quashing of some of the charges preferred against them. We expect justice Binta Nyako to discharged some of the remaining charges.
“We urge the Nigerian Government and her judiciary not to embarrass themselves before the international community and foreign observers that will be in the court on that day and dropping the remaining charges preferred against our leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and other members detained illegally alongside him in the prison since almost two years now.
“At the last court session, some of the silly charges were dropped against our leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and other illegally detained Biafrans. It was also determined on the 7th March 2017 and pronounced to the hearing of the world that Indigenous People of Biafra IPOB is a lawfully constituted organisation which has been welcomed by the international community and foreign policy makers in the various countries of the world.
“In other words, the whole world is looking forward to seeing the Nigerian Government, the judiciary and the Federal High Court under the presiding justice Binta Nyako to do the needful by removing other charges against the members of a lawful organisation like IPOB because they did not commit any crime against humanity or Nigerian State,” the organisation exhorts.
The Nigerian education system is poised for greater productivity this year as Nigerian Tulip International Colleges (NTIC) confirmed full scholarship for 8 students and rewarded 15 others from the South zone States, who came top in 2017 National Mathematics Competition (NMC), organised by NTIC in collaboration with National Mathematics Centre (NMC).
L-R: News Anchor of Channels Television, Ms. Ijeoma Onyeator; The Servant Leader, Rose of Sharon Glorious Ministry International (RoSGMI), Mrs. Folorunso Alakija and Head of Counseling Dept. of RoSGMI, Lady Yemisi Rufus-Giwa; at the just-concluded RoSGMI interactive session on marriage themed’ Change begins with who in marriage’ held in Lagos.
Speaking at the final prize and award ceremony of the event in Lagos, the coordinator, South West zone of 2017 NMC, Fevzi Senkal, said NTIC is a non-governmental institution operating 16 schools in six States of Nigeria and supports education as a way of giving back to the society. "Our school has been organising this competition for the past 13years, hence this is the 14 edition of this award.
“There has been a lot of improvement in the conduct and the release of results. Eight years ago, our school started partnership with National Mathematics Centre in Abuja in the conduct of the examination nationwide.This competition was further strengthened with the collaboration with State Universal Basic Education Boards in Ogun, Oyo and Osun States", he said.
He added, "To give a wide coverage, the whole country is divided into five zones, with NTIC Abuja coordinating the competition in the North Central and the South East, NTIC Kano supervises the North West, NTIC Yobe supervises North East, NTIC Kaduna covers the North central while NTIC Ogun supervises the entire South west and Kwara State. The first stage of the competition held in 2016 brought over 35.000 pupils nationwide. The second round was held in March 2017, even as the second stage saw the best five pupils from each State, except Lagos with 10 qualifiers.
The competition this year has witnessed greater success. The quality of the examination has improved to the extent of being used as the yardstick to measure the performance of mathematics teachers in public schools across different education districts of the participating States. For instance, last year, the teachers, pupils and schools were recorded The rewards include cash prizes, photocopier, certificates, medals and scholarship at different stages. This is our way of giving back to the society."
Also speaking, the Managing Director of NTIC, Mr. Orhan Kertim, said, " NTIC is proud to support these students realise their dreams towards a better future in Nigerian society".
At least 100,000 youths from 46 associations converged at the palace of the Emir of Daura, Alhaji Umar Farouk, for a grand thanksgiving rally in celebration of President Muhammadu Buhari's safe return of from medical vacation.
Alhaji Nura Baure, the Secretary, Daura Youth Coalition, an NGO, who addressed thousands of Buhari supporters in Daura on Saturday, restated their commitment to ensuring the president's well-being.
He said a lot of fabricated information and misinformation on the health status of the president had prevailed in the country in recent times.
He said President Buhari is a mere mortal capable of taking ill or dying at the time appointed by his creator.
According to him, the youths are happy that the president is in high spirits.
Alhaji Ahmed Murzuk, the Katsina State Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice, who represented Gov. Aminu Masari, described President Buhari as a president with unique plans.
Muhammadu Buhari
He said all those wishing the president dead were enemies of Nigeria, whose actions and pronouncements indicated that they had motives that were beyond politics.
He said the Katsina state government would continue to support the initiatives of the present administration, especially the fight against corruption and efforts aimed at diversifying the economy through agriculture.
Alhaji Sani Alinem, the Chairman, All Progressives Congress (APC) in Daura, commended the youths for organising the rally, saying it is timely and very important.
He said the party would continue to support such moves with a view to promoting and projecting the good image of the President Buhari administration.
Earlier, in his remarks Sen. Mustapha Bukar (Katsina North/APC) commended those who helped organise the rally.
He added that the senate would soon pass the 2017 budget to enable government to execute development projects.
According to him, President Buhari is doing very well.
"We will not hesitate to do what we need to do to reposition this country,''he said.
Alhaji Abdulfatah Nahabu, the Organising Secretary, Youth Vanguard, expressed appreciation for the massive turnout of supporters of Buhari.
He expressed appreciation to religious and traditional leaders for praying fervently for the well-being of the country.
He stressed the association's continued support to enable the President to repositioning the country.
Newsmen report that 46 youth organisations participated in the rally.
Kwara State has had its own share of economic recession as it battled every time to meet its financial obligations.
This is understandable because Kwara is a civil service state for which it depends largely on the monthly allocations from the Federation Account.
Meanwhile, it is among the least paid on the ladder of the allocations, a development that makes its financial situation more precarious.
For this reason, the state has had to augment its income with Internally Generated Revenue(IGR)which even then was poor because the civil servants in charge were ripping the state off.
This was the situation before Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed realised that he could turn the fortune of the state around by proper re-engineering of the Internally Generated Revenue Service.
The re-engineering blocked the loop holes through which revenue is stolen while setting up an independent agency complete with its own efficient staff and management, centralising IGR payments into state coffers,and coordinating same for the sixteen local governments in the state among other mandates.
The importance of who to head the revenue body was also strategic, so a financial expert who was then lecturing in the state owned Kwara State University, Malete, Dr Muritala Awodun, was withdrawn from the lecture room to take the position of the Executive Chairman of Kwara State Internal Generated Revenue (KWiRS).
KwiRS, established by law, took off in January 2015. Today, the story of IGR in Kwara has changed following the giant strides of the KWIRS. The state government did not only reform its revenue service , it also introduced the Kwara Infrastructural Development Fund(IF-K) as its own way of ensuring that the revenue mobilised are judiciously utilised for infrastructural development of Kwara.
The state government has consequently set aside N500m monthly for IF-K from the revenue raked in by KWIRS , a development that caused Governor Ahmed during the launch of IF-K, in September 2016, to pronounce that the days of abandoned projects were over in Kwara with the inauguration of IF-K.
Today, across the the state, there is the evidence that KWIRS is on course. At various roads construction where rehabilitation is ongoing are conspicuously placed sign boards of KWiRs on duty with the inscription,'Play your part and pay your tax'.
KWIRS also at various times has interacted with corporate organisations in the state,heads of ministries and parastatals and the media among others to know areas of improvement in order to raise IGR.
Stakeholders in the country's health sector have faulted the new tax policy of the "Import Adjustment Tax" by Federal Ministry of Finance, describing it as capable of discouraging potential investors and warned that pharmaceutical services will no longer be affordable thereby reducing its demand.
Already,many Nigerians are currently going through pain and hardship as the leadership of the Nigerian Customs Service has said there is no going back on the implementation of 20percent duty on medicament.
Meanwhile, experts have pointed out that, the recent directive from the Finance Ministry on tax would do more harm than good to the economy especially as it runs contrary to President Muhammudu’s Buhari’s mandate to ensure efficient health care delivery in the country.
It would be recalled that in a circular released recently from Ministry titled "Import Adjustment Tax.", the minister ordered the introduction of 20percent tax on imported medicament in the pharmaceutical sector. This means that for every imported drugs and allied products, a minimum duty of 20 percent is payable to the coffers of government through the Nigeria Customs Service.
This extra payment, analysts insist, will result in more than proportional increases in prices of drugs which definitely will cascade down the ladder to the common man in the street, the very people the government vowed to give affordable and available health care. "They also argued that the policy directive runs contrary to World Trade Organization (WTO) recommendation of not more than 5 percent duty on medicament as a way of fast tracking the achievement of global vision of affordable universal healthcare and eliminating diseases.
Now there seems to be a policy reversal which when combined with the deleterious effects of devalued Naira, high exchange rate , unavailability of the dollar and other foreign currencies have accentuated the suffering of the masses and complicated their health challenges which the current government vowed to drastically reduce.
Already, prices of medical services and drugs have gone haywire as a result of this not well thought through reversal which according to Ministry of Finance, was necessitated by the need to ramp up revenue generation and support local drug manufacturing. However, Nigeria currently has less than 300 drugs manufacturing companies of which less than 5 percent are WHO certified.
From Adenta to Chicago, to New York, city after city, that's how music star, Oluwatosin Oluwole Ajibade also known as Mr. Eazi has been touring in the last couple of weeks, gathering accolades from left, right and center, making money and promoting his brand around the world. Friends and close associates of the 'Leg Over' crooner are however lamenting his weird lifestyle.
For instance, it was revealed that before he left for his tour, the budding musician had a misunderstanding with his manager as regards his choice of apartment. Upon his rise to fame, his manager had suggested they move to a bigger and better apartment on the Island which the crooner objected to.
Mr. Eazi
After months of disagreement on the above subject, it was revealed that Mr. Eazi succumbed to his manager's option, but the problem became the choice of apartment. While the crooner opted for a one bedroom apartment, his manager wanted something bigger, more like a duplex, submitted our source.
Buttressing on the gist, our source said, Mr. Eazi insisted he'd rather forfeit the temporary comfort of staying in a bigger apartment and save money for his building project. Although it wasn't revealed to us if the 22-year-old is a miser but it indeed told this reporter that he considers staying in duplex a complete waste of resources.
Eventually as things turned out, the lanky, hat dotting singer and his manager are said to have since settled for a 3-bedroom apartment before leaving Nigeria for their tour.
A nutritionist, Mrs Dorcas Odunayo, said on Saturday that a positive lifestyle choices can help Nigerians stay on top of their health and increase their lifespan.
Odunayo, who works with an Abuja-based private hospital, stated this in an interview with newsmen in Abuja.
Newsmen report that healthy and positive lifestyle has nothing to do with looks, money or status although it can make life easier to have these than not.
Some positive lifestyle choices include taking responsibility, learning to let go, putting things right, never putting one's self down, and being grateful.
Others are never putting to tomorrow what one can do today and learning to like oneself.
The nutritionist identified proper eating habit as a thing that could create a positive vibe in the lives of people.
She added that physical activity could help control blood pressure and lower the amount of cholesterol in the body.
"To help make life-long lifestyle choices, try making one change at a time and add another when you feel that you have successfully adopted the earlier changes.
"When you practice several healthy lifestyle habits, you are more likely to achieve and maintain healthy blood pressure and cholesterol levels," she said.
She said to help prevent or control high blood pressure, one should be physically active, maintain a healthy weight, limit alcohol intake and manage and cope with stress.
The nutritionist said foods such as potatoes, oat meal, beans, spinach, bananas, fish oil, cashew, and almonds had the potency to boost the health status of Nigerians.
"Potatoes are high in potassium and magnesium; these are minerals that can help lower the blood pressure.
"They are also high in fibre, which is necessary for overall health,'' Odunayo said.
She stated that high-fibre, low-fat, and low-sodium foods can help lower blood pressure.
"Oatmeal for breakfast is a great way to charge up for the day.
"On its own, oatmeal can be bland, but refrain from adding too much sugar.
"Instead, one can add little honey.
"Nutritious and versatile beans are rich in soluble fibre, magnesium and potassium.
"All these excellent ingredients are for lowering the blood pressure.
"So are spinach, cashews and almonds as well as fish oil and garlic," she said.
Arsene Wenger will announce "very soon" whether he will remain at Arsenal after reaching a decision on his future.
Newsmen report that Gunners boss was speaking after a 3-1 Premier League loss at West Brom, a fourth league defeat in five matches.
The loss increased the pressure on the beleaguered Frenchman and left Arsenal facing the prospect of failing to finish in the top four for the first time since he joined the club in 1996.
"I know what I will do," said Wenger. "You will soon know."
The 67-year-old continued: "Today I do not necessarily worry about that. We are in a unique bad patch we never had in 20 years.
"We lose game after game at the moment and that for me is much more important than my future."
Wenger's current contract expires at the end of the season. He has been offered a new two-year deal to stay at the club he joined in 1996.
Wenger has come under increasing pressure in recent weeks, with fans responding to defeats in both the Premier League and the 10-2 aggregate loss to Bayern Munich in the Champions League by calling for him to leave.
Arsene Wenger Photo: Arsenal.com
More anti-Wenger banners were held aloft by Gunners fans in the closing stages at The Hawthorns, while in the first half two planes pulled banners overhead – one criticising the Frenchman and the other supporting him.
"We've never had this before," he said about his side's run of form. "We face big problems to regroup and find resources to sort the problem."
After the international break, Arsenal's next Premier League game is against Manchester City, the side they face in next month's FA Cup semi-final.
"It's very worrying because we are not used to that [a poor run of form]," Wenger told reporters.
"Overall, I think we have a hell of a task to fight back but we need to regroup and focus on the games coming up because we have many big games.
"Even though it is a disappointing result, everybody goes away now to recover and prepare well."
It was another weak performance from Arsenal on Saturday as they went down to two Craig Dawson headers from corners and a goal from substitute Hal Robson-Kanu, scored with only his second touch after coming on.
The Gunners did rally quickly after falling behind through Alexis Sanchez's 18th league goal of the campaign but this was completely overshadowed by their vulnerability at the back.
There problems were compounded by injuries to Petr Cech in the first half and Sanchez in the second.
Wenger confirmed that Cech was forced off with a calf problem and that Sanchez was substituted after a knock to his ankle.
"It was a typical Premier League game. A team that likes to play and a team that defends well," Wenger told Match of the Day.
"It was a tough performance. They caught us on set-pieces and one break and that made the difference.
"Overall our record against set-pieces is quite good. We were a bit naive, maybe, on the corners. Then we were punished. It's a shame. We looked in the second half to take completely over.
"We didn't create enough. We lost Sanchez in the second half, he was very dangerous in the first.
"He came out in the second half and he couldn't move any more. In the first half he was a guy who created a lot.
"We face some serious challenges. The City game at home is a big game for us."
Nancy Ukaha, a cancer of the face victim from Benue State has called on singer 2face Idibia to come to her rescue. Ukaha, who is 20 years old, needs N1.5 million for a face reconstruction surgery at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria.
Ukaha revealed that her trouble with cancer of the face started when she was just 8 years old having hit her head on the floor.
During a visit to our office, Ukaha revealed that she has had to live with her condition for 12 years devoid of friends, as nobody wants to associate with her. The young lady is begging 2Baba to see her as his sister and help her live a normal life once again. In her words, "He is my brother because we are from the same state. I know that he can help me, and I am using this opportunity to beg him to come to my rescue. God will bless him."
Nancy Ukaha can be reached via her brother Moses Ukaha's phone number 08095006644. Individuals wishing to help Nancy Ukaha can also pay their widows mite to:
Tanzania is to send 500 doctors to Kenya to help overcome the effects of a strike in public hospitals, the Tanzanian president's office said on Saturday.
Kenya's doctors went on strike in public hospitals on Dec. 5 over pay and working conditions.
A deal struck this week opened the way to negotiations to end the strike, but many doctors are still not back at work.
The strike means many public hospitals, already stretched for cash and materials, have had to turn away some patients. The situation threatened to undermine Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta's bid for a second term this August.
Tanzanian President John Magufuli approved Kenya's request for more doctors after he met Kenya's Health Minister, Cleopas Mailu, in Dar es Salaam on Saturday.
"Tanzania has accepted Kenya's request for 500 doctors to help the country deal with a shortage of doctors at its medical centres following a doctors' strike," the statement from Magufuli's office said.
"Kenya's problems are Tanzania's problems," Magufuli was quoted as saying.
Kenya will pay the Tanzanian doctors and provide them housing, the statement said.
Tanzanian Health Minister Ummy Mwalimu said Tanzania had many qualified, unemployed doctors.
The Kenyan Health Ministry and the Kenyan doctors' union were unavailable for comment.
On Friday, there were only two doctors on duty at the Kenyatta National Hospital, the biggest public hospital in the country, a nurse told media reporter.
"We can give you some pain relief but it will be a long time before you see a doctor," she cautioned a bleeding, screaming car accident victim as hospital staff inspected a deep cut to her leg.
New kid on the Nigerian music block Emmanuel Kalu better known in the entertainment scene as E-Marshal has dropped his long awaited single titled 'One Call.'
A very interestingly creative video of same single has also been dropped leaving music and movie lovers critically commending his efforts.
E-Marshal
Ever since the young sleek and mesmerizing singer, songwriter, performer and producer was discovered and eventually signed on by Destic World Entertainment in November 2016, he has not relented in the studios as he has worked tirelessly in the past few months, the outcome of which is 'One Call' currently enjoying airplay on various media.
Speaking during the unveiling of 'One Call', Chief Dennis Okwu, Managing Director, Destic World Entertainment, a division of Sweet Apple Services Group with offices in Port Harcourt and ultra modern studios in Lekki, Lagos said E-Marshal is set to launch into the big world of Nigerian entertainment. He also said Okwu, a renowned business man and philanthropist set up Destic World to discover new talents in all fields of endeavour in Nigeria,
"E Marshal has worked extremely hard to produce what we are all commending now. He has several other tracks but 'One Call' is the hit maker which many listeners cannot but appreciate. At the listening party of the single a few days back, E-Marshal was highly commended for a job well done," he said
In his own comment, the artiste said "'One call' is my message to you that I am here for you, take me".
