A Nigerian newspaper and Online version of the Vanguard, a daily publication in Nigeria covering Niger delta, general national news, politics, business, energy, sports, entertainment, fashion,lifestyle human interest stories, etc
THE Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC) said it is committed to its meter roll-out and network intensification programme.
The Chief Operations Officer, Mr. Sam Nwaire, who stated this during a town hall meeting with customers of the company under Lekki District, also said that all unmetered customers of the company would be reached within the stipulated time. He explained that since the cost involved was so huge, it was not possible for all customers to be metered at the same time.
Nwaire who stood in for the Managing Director urged those yet to be reached in the meter roll-out plan to exercise patience as no customer would be left out in the end.
Responding to a complaint by one of the participants at the town hall meeting that the use of estimated billing for unmetered customers does not correspond with the volume of energy supplied, Nwaire said the company has an established billing methodology approved by the industry regulator for billing unmetered customers.
This, he said, was usually based on a number of factors which include the customer's consumption pattern over time and availability of power supply within the particular month for which the customer was billed.
Speaking further, the EKDC Chief said that in order to ensure a just and fair assessment of customers' consumption, the company has embarked on an energy audit and customer enumeration programme aimed at ascertaining true energy consumption of all customers with or without meters.
The programme, he said, would also lead to the detection of those that have been engaging in energy theft in one way or the other. He then appealed to all customers of the company to co-operate with the company for the success of the programme as it would be of mutual benefit to both the customers and the company as well.
While commending EKEDC for the appreciable improvement in power supply in Lekki axis in recent time, a participant who represented Infinity Estate Lekki, Taiwo Owosho advised the company to pursue the meter roll-out plan with seriousness so as to secure the confidence of the customers in the company's integrity.
BY JIMITOTA ONOYUME PORT HARCOURT – Minister of Transportation, Mr Rotimi Amaechi has written to Chief Fani Kayode and the aide to governor of Ekiti state, Mr Lere Olayinka to retract their post on their twitter accounts linking him with the $430 million found in a luxury home in Ikoyi lagos state.
The Minister who wrote through his counsel, Mr Lateef Fagbemi SAN said if they failed to make the retraction within seven days they would meet in court. He said the retraction should be made in about five national newspapers and their twitter pages.
He also said Olayinka should pay him 500 million naira while Kayode who was a former Minister of Transportation should part with 750 million naira.
The Minister said the money were compensation for the damages he had suffered from their various postings.
According to Amaechi he was not the owner of the luxury apartment and the money found in the place, adding that he also did not acquire an apartment in the place for a lady and does not own a house in Lagos state.
Amaechi who is also a former governor of Rivers state said the post painted him as an adulterous man whereas he is a happy family man, married to only one wife.
"In the spirit of a second chance we have our clients instruction to give you an ultimatum of 7 days from receipt of this letter to issue an apology in 5 national dailies and your twitter ha due . Your apology which should be heartfelt must be a total withdrawal of your claim and its imputation must also contain an expression of deep regret for this unwarranted attack and must also contain retraction of the false statement of yours.
We also demand from you as compensation for the malicious and defamatory claim. Please note that the demand will increase with time if you fail to retract the statement immediately. Failure to do any of these would be met with stiff legal actions which your defamatory act deserves .",the counsel said.
“We have been inundated with calls concerning about a threat by Rotimi Amaechi to sue Chief Fani-Kayode for defamation over the 43 million USD issue. We are not any sleep over this matter. We have not received any court processes or letters from Ameachi but when we do so our lawyers will respond vigorously and appropiately. Thank you”- signed Jude Ndukwe, Special Advisor to Chief Femi Fani-Kayode on media.
In the foothills of the Aspromonte mountains in southern Italy, the silence of a once-dying village is broken by the laughter of a small group of refugees.
Tiny Sant'Alessio has been welcoming families and vulnerable migrants here for three years in a project which not only provides humanitarian assistance but brings with it invaluable economic and social benefits.
Chelsea great John Terry will leave the club at the end of the season, the Premier League leaders announced on Monday.
John Terry
“John Terry and Chelsea Football Club today jointly announce our captain will leave the club at the end of the season,” said a club statement.
The 36-year-old former England central defender has made 713 appearances for the west London side, third in the Blues’ all-time list.
But, despite being Chelsea’s captain, Terry has become an increasingly peripheral figure under Italian manager Antonio Conte and has made just five league appearances so far this season.
“I will decide on my future in due course, but for now I am committed to helping the team achieve success this season,” said Terry in a joint statement issued with Chelsea.
“After 22 years there is so much to say and so many people to thank at this great football club.”
Terry made his debut in 1998 and has captained Chelsea on a record 578 occasions while also scoring 66 goals. No one has won more than his 14 major honours with the club.
Terry’s medal-winning haul includes four Premier League titles, five FA Cups and three League Cups.
He also won the Europa League during Rafael Benitez’s brief stint as Chelsea manager and lifted the Champions League trophy in 2012 despite being suspended for the final against German giants Bayern Munich.
– ‘Right time’ –
Terry’s statement indicated that he could return to Stamford Bridge in a different role when he finally hangs up his boots.
“The club and I have always had a fantastic relationship, which will continue beyond my playing days,” he said.
“We had some really positive talks but with everything taken into careful consideration I have decided it’s the right time for me to leave.
“I’ve always been conscious that I depart at the right time, in the right way, and I feel that the end of this season is the right time for the club and I.
“I feel I still have plenty to offer on the pitch but understand that opportunities here at Chelsea will be limited for me.
“I’m eager to carry on playing and so will be looking to continue with a new challenge. I will of course always be a Blue and am desperate to end my final season as a Chelsea player with more silverware.”
Chelsea director Marina Granovskaia paid tribute to Terry by saying: “He has been an outstanding player, inspirational captain and has always demonstrated an exceptional commitment to the cause.
“He will always be held in the highest regard by everybody at Stamford Bridge and we look forward to welcoming him back in the future.”
There had been speculation that Terry might leave during the January transfer window, but former Italy manager Conte made it clear he wanted the veteran centre-half to stay for the remainder of the campaign.
“This squad needs him,” Conte said at the time. “He’s a great player, but also a great man and for me it’s fantastic to have a person like him to help me in my first season at Chelsea.
“For this reason, I repeat, John stays with us.”
Terry, however, has not played for Chelsea since their 2-0 FA Cup win over Wolves in February, with his last league appearance back in November.
Apart from a brief loan spell at Nottingham Forest, Terry has spent his entire professional career with Chelsea.
He was chosen as the Professional Footballers’ Association Player of the Year in 2005 and won 78 England caps before retiring from international duty.
But the end of his international career was overshadowed by allegations he racially abused Anton Ferdinand, the younger brother of his England centre-back partner Rio Ferdinand, while playing for Chelsea against Queens Park Rangers in 2011.
After being stripped of the England captaincy, Terry was cleared of racially abusing Anton Ferdinand in a London court in July 2012.
But two weeks later he was charged by the Football Association and he subsequently retired from England duty before the start of an FA hearing that saw him banned for four games.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s narrow victory in a referendum to strengthen his powers is likely to swiftly test his already worsening relations with the European Union.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Erdogan said on Monday that Turkey could hold another referendum on its long-stalled EU membership bid — and a further plebiscite on re-introducing the death penalty, a red line for the bloc that would exclude Ankara’s candidacy.
Sunday’s referendum on expanding Erdogan’s powers came almost exactly 30 years after Turkey formally applied — April 14, 1987 — to join the EU.
Esra Ozyurek, an associate professor at the European Institute of the London School of Economics, said the fact that Erdogan had spoken so swiftly on the death penalty was an important indication.
“If he thinks that his anti-European language gains him votes, and nationalism definitely increases his vote, he may go with it,” she said, noting Erdogan said such a step was “the first thing” he’d do next.
The Turkish strongman, however, did not get the unanimous outcome on Sunday that he had sought — a slim majority of 51.41 percent voted to hand him boosted powers.
The vast majority of the constitutional reforms will follow a presidential election in 2019.
Ibrahim Dogus, founder and director of the Centre for Turkey Studies think-tank in London, said if Erdogan is to galvanise his supporters “he has to go harder and harder… on issues like the death penalty.”
The referendum campaign was marked by virulent Erdogan invective against the EU and its leading states, accusing Germany of behaving like Nazis by banning numerous rallies by his ministers hoping to whip up the ‘Yes’ vote among expatriate Turks.
– End of the dream? –
Marc Pierini, a visiting scholar at Carnegie Europe focused on Turkey and the Middle East, said bringing back the death penalty would allow Erdogan to pin the blame on the EU for the end of the membership bid.
“Bringing back the death penalty would have two objectives: putting an end to any internal disagreement, and triggering a formal halt by the EU — and not by Turkey — of the accession negotiations,” Pierini said.
Germany and France have both warned Turkey about the broad consequences of reinstating the death penalty, which was abolished in 2004.
German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said that if Ankara were to bring back capital punishment, the move would be “synonymous with the end of the European dream” and mark the end of decades of talks to enter the EU.
– ‘Even more difficult’ –
The referendum result and Turkey’s difficult relations with the EU mean the two are “on a collision course”, according to Amanda Paul, a Turkey specialist at the European Policy Centre in Brussels.
“I don’t think it’s going to make him more cautious vis-a-vis the EU, particularly because the result was so narrow,” she said of Erdogan.
“We’ll probably continue to see what we’ve been seeing for the past few months, a pretty anti-EU narrative, he’s not going to change this.”
Although the accession progress “has been dead for a long time”, officially drawing it to a close would have longer-lasting implications domestically and abroad.
“They’re going to be caught in an even more difficult situation now because clearly the nearly 50 percent of Turks that voted ‘no’ will be expecting the EU to continue to engage with Turkey, not to close the door on Turkey,” Paul said.
“But I’m guessing a number of member states and possibly the European Parliament will be pushing for an official freezing of the accession process.
“I personally believe that a relationship between Turkey and the EU that is just based on economy and trade will be a significant blow to Turkish democrats and those that support reform and the modernisation of the country,” she added.
“It’s certainly not going to do them any favours. Furthermore if the EU continues to turn a blind eye to the democratic deficits in Turkey, what does it say about the EU as a value based actor?”
The most intransigent Europeans, such as Austrian Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz, have already called for an end to accession negotiations.
Brighton and Hove Albion saw their 34-year wait for a return to the top flight of English football end with promotion to the Premier League on Monday.
Brighton defeat Wigan 2-1 to secure Premier League promotion for the first time in the club’s history
Championship leaders Brighton beat Wigan Athletic 2-1 and their promotion was confirmed when Huddersfield could only manage a 1-1 draw at Derby in the day’s late kick-off.
Huddersfield had to win to delay Brighton’s celebrations but their result left the Seagulls 13 points clear of Reading, now in third place, with only a maximum of nine points available to the Berkshire club from their three remaining league games this season.
Glenn Murray opened the scoring for Brighton eight minutes before half-time in front of their own fans at the Amex Stadium.
England Under-21 international Solly March made it 2-0 for Chris Hughton’s men and a goal from Wigan substitute Nick Powell came too late to change the result.
South coast club Brighton are on course to go up as champions, with second-placed Newcastle’s 3-1 loss away to Ipswich on Monday leaving the Seagulls seven points clear at the summit.
Brighton have not played in English football’s top flight since their relegation from the old First Division in 1983 after a season where they also reached the FA Cup final only to lose to Manchester United in a Wembley replay.
Recent seasons have seen Brighton come agonisingly close to going up, with the Seagulls losing play-off semi-finalists in three of the past four campaigns and denied automatic promotion last term on goal difference alone.
A don, Dr Ferdinand Ottoh, has urged the judiciary to give special attention to the anti-corruption fight of the Federal Government by accelerating hearing of corruption-related cases.
Ottoh, a lecturer in the Department of Political Science, University of Lagos, made the appeal in an interview with the Newsmen on Monday in Lagos.
"Nothing meaningful will be achieved in the current anti-corruption fight without the unalloyed support of the judiciary.
"If it requires reviewing its jurisprudence in matters of corruption cases, let it be so,'' he said.
Ottoh said that corruption in public offices was a major setback to Nigeria's development, warning that the country would not be able to record any meaningful progress until eradication of the menace.
"We can only talk of the Nigerian state when it has the capacity to provide welfare for the people and meet its obligations as enshrined in the 1999 Constitution.
"The corruption in the country before the Muhammadu Buhari administration rendered Nigeria incapable to protect lives and property and provide education and other necessities to its citizens.
"A situation in which individuals have pillaged the resources of the country, thereby making Nigeria unable to meet the obligations of a state will further her dependency and crises.
"The truth is that the Buhari administration's stance on anti-corruption is a redemption course that this nation needs for sustenance,'' he said.
At least five churchgoers died after an overloaded wooden boat carrying more than 60 passengers back from Easter celebrations capsized on Lake Malawi, police said Monday.
Police spokesman Victor Khamisi told AFP “five people died” in the incident, which took place at around 4:00 pm (1400 GMT) on Easter Sunday in the northern district of Rumphi.
A total of 54 people had been rescued by Monday in a search assisted by military personnel and local fishermen, police said.
Khamisi said the passengers, members of the Church of Central Africa Presbyterian (CCAP) were “coming back from Easter celebrations when the boat met heavy winds and capsized”.
“We don’t know the exact number of people missing but with the help of local and army divers, we have intensified the search,” Khamisi added.
Nigerians didn’t let Big Brother Naija winner, Efe Ejeba off lightly after his performance at the AY Live Show that held on Easter Sunday.
According to reactions on social media, Efe who became N25million richer a week ago should forget about rap and look for something better.
Prior to his participation in the Reality TV show, he had released an album titled “Lagos” which a section also described as “wack”.
He performed a track “Halleluyah” at the show which was attended by other housemates off the album and this was received with mixed reactions from Nigerians. While some suggested he forget about music in its entirety, others felt voice and other training will do him a world of good.
Mr. Peter Ayoade Moradeyo is the Chief Executive Officer/Principal Consultant, Crypto Plus Certified. In this interview with Moses Nosike, he revealed that Bitcoin is an electronic money that can be transferred from one holder to another without a third party(Bank). Also, for one to own a Bitcoin,one must have a Bitcoin account called Bitcoin wallet.Bitcoin(electronic money) is a legal tender disruption- the future of currency revealed. Excerpts:
How do you explain Bitcoin, block chain and Cryptocurrencies?
Moradeyo
The success story of Cryptocurrency dates back to 2009, during the financial breakout, when Bitcoin was formed on blockchain technology. Bitcoin was first introduced in Asian countries and gradually to Europe, US etc. It is needful to clarify however, that the blockchain technology is not the same thing as Bitcoin; the relationship between them is only that Bitcoin is deployed on the blockchain technology. Interestingly, Bitcoin seems to be more popular today than the platform on which it stands. Now, there are two things which distinguish Cryptocurrency from the normal currencies.
The first is that it is finite. It has a fixed number that can be taken off and immediately that happens, its value shoots up and we all know that anything that can finish naturally increases in value as it is being taken up. So, as the world gradually adopts Cryptocurrency, the available number reduces and value automatically drives upwards, causing it to grow dynamically in value. That explains why Bitcoin has been able to grow like that since 2009.
The second thing is that Cryptocurrency has intrinsic value or what some call store of value. Let me explain it this way: each copy of a coin is an address, a location on the blockchain. When one address belongs to a person, that address cannot belong to another person in any part of the world. This is unlike the fiat counterpart where any money reading on a person's bank account means that the bank owes the account holder to the tune of the said amount, but not necessarily that money is there for the account holders to cash at any time. This is why sometimes the banks would tell an account holder that they do not have enough cash to complete a transaction. The case of the blockchain is different because the value is intrinsic and better preserved.
What is the function of Crypto Plus Certified?
Since 2009, Bitcoin and several other alt coins have been coming up. Alt coins are referred to as alternative coins to Bitcoin which is the first and most popular of them all. At a point, we realized there was an opportunity where Bitcoin and other coins can relate in value – there is value relativity between them. So we started by trading Cryptocurrency. I can recall that sometimes in 2015, there was an upsurge of certain Ponzis in Nigeria. Nigerians sustained the following Ponzis until it became almost endemic. Unfortunately, very few Nigerians knew about the very essence of the medium of transfer which Bitcoin was during transaction of these Ponzis. Bitcoin was only used because it didn't need a third party like banks to facilitate a transaction between the Ponzis and her victims. So the Ponzis took advantage of their patronage, cashing in on the anonymity of transaction which was part of the features of Cryptocurrency. What was supposed to have been an advantage became a disadvantage because of the ignorance of Nigerians.
Someone needed to educate Nigerians appropriately as to what Cryptocurrency really meant and what disruption it was meant to address. So, we now came up because before now, we have a deep background on its trading. We decided to reappraise the image of Cryptocurrency as it were in Nigeria.
Also, in several conferences we have been in many parts of the world, we realized that Africans are non-existent on several Cryptocurrency trading platforms. Just like we have the Nigerian Stock Exchange with several companies trading on its platform, there are also several participating bodies that trade value among us. The sad thing here is that Africans are non-existent on any Cryptocurrency exchange whether in US, Asia or Europe. This is also true when one considers Cryptocurrency graph. The Asians are up there, Europe and America are there too, but Africa is non- existent. Our function at Crypto Plus Certified is basically to close the knowledge gap so that people can take advantage available and then Nigeria can be enlisted on what we call the global Cryptocurrency exchange.
We trace the current state of Cryptocurrency trading to slowness of adoption.
How do you achieve your target of engaging 1000 Nigerians on the Poloniex Exchange, and why the choice of Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt?
We need to make it clear that Nigeria is a country with many opportunities. We also need to state that Bitcoin came into Nigeria with a wrongly perceived image, and on the wrong platform. So, our first goal is to take the responsibility to repair that image, and then reappraise the benefits and enlist Nigeria as a participant in the normal trading of Cryptocurrency.
In order to achieve that, we launched what we called, 'Dream 1000'. It is all about trading on Poloniex which is the largest Crypto exchange in America and we are currently working with them on releasing a mobile platform strictly for Nigerians and it will work as an arbitrage with our own exchange which will come from Germany. We want to work as an arbitrage so that they will trade on our own platform via the mobile interface. Nigerians can be taught on how to trade this currency easily, and our strategy is very unique because the mobile application is actually enhanced to reduce all the variables of trading system. Since we launched the 'Dream 1000' recently in Lagos, we have had some of our students who were able to distinguish themselves with the level of knowledge we passed to them and they are going to show Nigerians that we are serious about what we are here to do.
How is the response so far?
I grew up in Nigeria before I decided to relate with other countries for business reasons. One thing I know about Nigerians is that they respond to results. So, the first thing we want to identify is, we want to be able to have people who have had results and that is why all the events we have done, we have been showcasing people that distinguished themselves, those to whom we passed the knowledge and they applied it and got results.
Can Bitcoin be regulated and taxed?
Those conversant with information coming out of Crypto Plus Certified would have noticed that Nigeria is currently on a discourse on how to regulate Cryptocurrency trading based on several frameworks. I have several write ups regarding this. Cryptocurrency trading as it were is decentralized and this is why the banking system cannot operate it. It is decentralized because of its nature. For instance, Bitcoin does not have a management interface and that is why the regulation has not been somewhat forthcoming. But it is found to be very secured and has ability to store values. That has been the reason for all the enquiries on how do we have a framework for a kind of currency that has these kind of features? Sometimes, it takes time, but individuals are working and several people have stored values on it and exchanged it with another. The US is an example where Poloniex is operating.
The Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, has called on Northern leaders to promote girl-child education in the region.
Sanusi made the call during the inauguration of Aminu Dabo College of Health Sciences laboratory complex in Kano on Monday.
He urged the leaders to give priority to female education as they did with their male counterparts.
Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II
"The people need to prioritise their commitment toward the education of female just like their male counterpart.
"We appeal to everybody, especially well- meaning individuals irrespective of party differences, to provide the environment to aid girl-child education," he said.
The monarch also admonished the people of Kano to support each other and work as a team for the overall development of the state.
He commended the proprietor of the school for his foresight and contribution to the development of education in the state.
Earlier, the proprietor of the school, Alhaji Aminu Dabo, had said that the school was established two years ago to promote educational development in the state.
He said that 80 per cent of the institution's students' population was women.
Dabo added that the school would collaborate with Kwara University and another university in Malaysia for degree courses.
He commended the Kano Emir for his stance on girl-child education and also thanked him for honoring the invitation to the event.
Thousands of protesters gathered Saturday in cities across the United States to pressure President Donald Trump to release his tax returns, a move of transparency he has repeatedly refused.
US President, Donald Trump
The demonstrations were timed to coincide with the traditional April 15 deadline for annual tax filings, a massive date on the calendar for US households, and resulted in dozens of arrests.
For decades, US presidents and presidential candidates have released their returns voluntarily, although there is no legal obligation to do so. US law requires only the publication of a financial statement that estimates assets, including debt and revenue, but does not give details on the amount of taxes paid.
Trump, a billionaire property tycoon, released a financial statement but has kept his tax returns private, both during the election campaign and since taking office in January.
Protesters and political rivals have said he should make a fuller disclosure to remove any inkling of potential conflicts of interest between his business interests and his political decisions.
“Until he does, we’ll never know what he’s hiding or who his policies are designed to benefit,” said organizers of the “Tax March” demonstrations on its website.
“We need a president who works for all Americans — and a tax system that does, too,” it added.
At least 21 demonstrators were arrested after Trump opponents and supporters clashed at a march in Berkeley, California, US media said.
– ‘Real men pay their taxes –
In Washington, several thousand protesters of all ages gathered in front of the Capitol building housing Congress, holding signs such as “What is he hiding?” and “Real men pay their taxes.”
A huge inflatable chicken with an orange-gold beak and a swirl of hair resembling Trump’s mane was displayed on the sidelines of the Washington protest, and at other venues.
It was seen by some as the unofficial mascot for the protest — to suggest that the Republican president was afraid, or chicken, to publish his records.
“If he’s got nothing to hide, he should release his tax returns,” said protester Liz Turner, 31.
Asked what she suspected was in them, Turner replied: “Maybe something to do with Russia?”
Ellen Lodwick, 67, a retired corporate researcher from Maryland who has participated in anti-Trump demonstrations since his November 8 election, cast doubt on the president’s businesses.
“There are probably many illegal or questionable investments in things that could affect how he looks at government and legislation, because he’s too connected,” she said.
The protesters then marched along Pennsylvania Avenue towards the White House, shouting “shame” as they passed by the Trump International Hotel.
– Trump again at Mar-a-Lago –
In New York, thousands also marched, and demonstrations were held from Boston and Philadelphia on the East Coast to Seattle, San Francisco and Los Angeles out West, and cities and towns in between.
The Berkeley protests saw hundreds gather at a park, including Trump supporters who held a free speech rally, while opponents of the president’s policies shouted and chanted. Several fights broke out, according to the East Bay Times newspaper.
Activists waved signs reading: “No! Pussy-Grabbing! No! Patriarchy! No! Fascist USA! Drive out Trump-Pence regime!” and “Fascist scum your time is done.”
Trump has justified his refusal to publish tax returns by noting they are being audited. Federal tax authorities say that does not bar him from releasing the documents. Trump has repeatedly said he has used legal loopholes to minimize his tax burden.
“Disclosing tax returns is the very lowest ethical bar for a president, and we are going to insist that he clear it,” Senator Ron Wyden, an Oregon Democrat, told the Washington crowd.
Trump was not in the capital during the demonstration; he is again spending the weekend at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, where several hundred “Tax March” protesters demonstrated outside Saturday.
“Pay your taxes!” several shouted One young girl held a small sign that read “Trump is a tax e-VADER” and showed an image of Darth Vader wearing a blond hairpiece.
The President, African Development Bank (AfDB), Mr Akinwumi Adesina, says Africa's richest man, Aliko Dangote, will become the largest exporter of rice in the world by 2021.
Adesina said this at the Mo Ibrahim Forum in Morocco over the weekend.
He said Africa should focus on agriculture to drive growth and employment on the continent.
Adesina recalled that during his tenure as Nigeria's Minister for Agriculture, Dangote decided to invest in local production of rice due to government's import substitution policies.
Adesina said that Dangote initially planned a 300 million-dollar investment in production and processing of rice in Nigeria but later changed it to one billion dollars three months after.
"If they continue that policy, he would probably be the single largest producer of rice in the world, in about four years.
"The reason why I was so excited about that is that agriculture is cool, agriculture is a business and agriculture pays," Adesina said.
Alhaji Aliko Dangote, Chairman, Dangote Ltd, said he ventured into rice cultivation because of government's interest to revive agriculture as the mainstay of the economy and reduce importation of food that could be produced locally.
He lamented that Nigeria consumes 6.5 million Metric tonnes of rice which costs the nation over two billion dollars annually and commended government's policy that encourages private sector's active participation in agriculture.
"In the next three years, we want to produce one million tonnes of quality rice, make it available and affordable to the people.
"We hope to do 150, 000 hectares and when we are done, Nigeria will not have anything to do with importation of rice," Dangote said.
According to him, Dangote Rice Outgrowers Scheme is committed to creating employment, increasing incomes of smallholders farmers and ensuring food security in the country.
He said that to achieve the goal, the scheme would provide high quality seeds, fertilizers, agro-chemicals and technical assistance on best agricultural practice to farmers.
"This scheme will help to diversify the economy, alleviate poverty and reduce the nation's import bill.
The scheme has been designed as a one stop solution for the rice value chain," Dangote stated.
The pilot phase of the Dangote Outgrowers Scheme launched in Sokoto State would create jobs for 16,000 rice farmers in the state.
Geoffrey Kirui and Edna Kiplagat led a Kenyan clean sweep at the 121st Boston Marathon on Monday, both timing late bursts to perfection to claim the men’s and women’s races of the prestigious event.
Marathon
Kirui, 24, produced a devastating sprint with four miles to go to settle an enthralling tactical battle with American rival Galen Rupp, the 2016 Olympic bronze medallist.
Kirui waved and smiled as he took the tape in a time of 2hr 9min 37sec, with Rupp finishing in second.
It was a masterful performance from the young Kenyan, who made his move with a 4:52 mile at the 22-mile mark that saw him pull clear of Rupp.
Rupp battled desperately to stay in touch but was unable to respond as Kirui kept the pace up to leave the Oregon-based American in second in 2:09:58. Japan’s Suguru Osako was third in 2:10:28.
Kirui’s time was well outside the world marathon record of 2:02:57 set by Kenya’s Dennis Kimetto in Berlin in 2014.
Kirui later revealed he had pulled clear of Rupp after deciding to “test” his own finishing power.
“I saw he (Rupp) was a strong guy. Not easy,” Kirui said. “So I tried to push a little bit to test myself. And I saw that he had not come with me, so I pushed a little bit more.”
Kirui said he now planned to concentrate on marathon running after failing to find success in track events.
“I tried many times in the track but I see my future in marathon,” he said.
In the women’s race, Kiplagat conjured a similarly decisive burst over the closing stages to claim the race for the first time.
The 2011 and 2013 world marathon champion took the tape in 2:21:52 after breaking away from the field with around eight miles to go.
Kiplagat, 37, was greeted by her children and family members as she crossed the line.
Rose Chelimo, the Kenyan-born runner who now represents Bahrain, was second in 2:22:51 while Jordan Hasay of the United States was third in 2:23:00.
The Kenyan double came as a welcome boost for the East African superpower of long-distance running. Kenyan athletics was left reeling earlier this month after news that Kenya’s 2016 Olympic women’s marathon champion Jemima Sumgong had failed a drugs test.
Sumgong’s drug test was another black eye for Kenyan distance running. Sumgong’s former training partner, the 2014 Chicago and Boston Marathon champion Rita Jeptoo, is serving a four-year ban after also testing positive for EPO.
Kenya was last year admonished by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), which accused the country of non-compliance with its anti-doping code.
The Boston Marathon is the world’s oldest annual marathon and one of the most prestigious races over the distance on the athletics calendar.
The Argungu fishing festival in its very first edition began in the year 1934, as a mark of the end of the centuries-old hostility between the Sokoto Caliphate and the Kebbi Kingdom.
Alhaji Samaila Mera, the Emir of Argungu on Sunday said the popular Argungu Fishing and Cultural Festival would hold in March 2018 and feature polo as one of its events.
Mera made the remarks during a courtesy call by Francis Ogboro, the President of the Nigerian Polo Federation (NPF) and his officials to the Emir's palace.The Argungu fishing festival
The four-day yearly festival held in Kebbi State is one of Nigeria's internationally recognised tourism attractions.
But unfortunately, it has not been held since the last edition in 2009, posing a huge revenue loss to the local economy and the country.
The Emir, however said plans were on ground to ensure the festival holds next year.
"We are working together with the State government to make sure that the festival is staged next year.
"We are in the process of appointing a Director-General for the festival, create a Secretariat and start making contacts with our various sponsors as well as the various stakeholders.
"As you know, the festival has now been inscribed in the World Heritage list which makes the United Nations a stakeholder in the festival.
"So, immediately the director-general is appointed, we will have a tripartite meeting between the State, the Federal Government and the United Nations, who are the major stakeholders in the festival.
"From that meeting, we should be able to announce to the world when the next festival will hold which will definitely be sometime in March next year Insha Allah," he said.
He also noted that there was great potential in the polo tournament being part of the festival, adding that the tournament has continued to evolve and grow over the years.
"The festival started with just the main even, which is the grand fishing.
"Today we have like seven to eight major events making the entire festival.
"Therefore, this has huge potential in my opinion of becoming one event amongst so many to hold during the festival," he said.
He explained that the reason for the lengthy delay in holding festival was largely due to the security situation the country had been faced with for quite a while.
"You know the festival is such that attracts people like no other festival in the country.
"In our wisdom, we felt that it was a kind of opportunity the miscreants in our society will want to take advantage of to attack and cause maximum damage.
"So, we were not prepared to take that chance.
"Alhamdullahi, peace has come to most part of the country and we felt it is safe enough to stage it at this time.
"Hopefully, next year Insha Allah it will hold," he said.
In his response, Ogboro said he and the entire NPF family were very honoured to have been personally invited by the Emir to witness the maiden Argungu polo tournament.
"I am very excited that polo has come to Argungu for the first time in the history of the state and I am proud to have been part of this historical event, " he said.
He said the NPF would work harmoniously with NSK Farms, the sponsors, as well as the state government to ensure that the dream becomes a reality.
He added that the game of polo would indeed be a plus to the festival as it had the potential of attracting people from all over the world.
"The benefits are indeed numerous for this part of the country as well as the entire nation," he said.
The Argungu Polo Tournament which was organised by Alhaji Nura Kangiwa, the patron of the NSK Farms galloped on Friday and ended on Sunday.
On the final day of the Argungu fishing festival, a competition is held in which thousands of men line up along the river and at the sound of a gunshot, all of them jump into the river and have an hour to catch the largest fish. The winner can take home as much as $7,500 US dollars.
Competitors are only allowed to use traditional fishing tools and many prefer to catch fish entirely by hand.
Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, former Aviation Minister has said that President Mohammadu Buhari’s lead All Progressive Congress (APC) government is ‘the most divisive, vindictive, incompetent, primitive, mendacious, cruel and ignorant government that Nigeria has ever had.
This came as he also called for the resignation of the Director General of the Nigerian Intelligence Agency (NIA)
Fani-Kayode made this known on his twitter handle on Monday stating that the idea that ex President Goodluck Jonathan approved the $43m that was recently recovered by The Economic and Financial Crime Commission EFCC in Ikoyi was a lie.
Fani-Kayode said that the Director General of the Nigerian Intelligence Agency NIA was ”a treacherous and lying coward’ and ‘must resign’.
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has urged Nigerians to see smuggling as a crime and support it to succeed in the war against smugglers.
Mr Joseph Attah, Public Relations Officer of the Service, made the speech on Monday in Abuja.
He said that the service anti-smuggling strategy was yielding positive dividend, adding that in the past three months, the service had seized 136,506 bags of rice.
"All Nigerians should see smuggling as a crime so that they will support the service to succeed in our ongoing war against smugglers.
"Seeing smuggling as a crime means that you will be willing to give creditable information that will help us succeed.
"As villagers that live around border line, they should be willing to support customs officers whenever they make seizures and they are encountering some difficulties, rather than supporting the smugglers against customs
" In Nigeria when a thief is arrested or an armed robber is arrested, you hardly get to see people going to beg for them.
"But today when a smuggler is arrested you see Nigerians, including some respected ones in our society, coming to beg for such persons to be released because they don't see smuggling as a crime; they see it as a trade,'' Attah said.
He said that some Nigerians often times accused the NCS of not doing enough in its service delivery.
He said it was wrong for people to think that a smuggler could only be successful when supported in active connivance by customs officers.
According to him, smugglers now take advantage of the porous borders, adding that oftentimes they are supported by villagers at the border line and unpatronic well to do individuals in carryiny out their smuggling activities.
" NCS cannot 100 per cent vouch for its officers like any other human organisation; it is totally wrong to suggest that every criminal activity must be with the connivance of an operative," he added.
Attah said that the service would remain focused on its statutory function of enforcing government polices rather than being distracted by the blame game
" In our continuous efforts to suppress smuggling, information, suggestions that can help the service to perform better are welcome from well meaning individuals or organisation."
The Director-General, Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Mr Usman Muktar, says the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, runway is ready for operation and can be opened on Wednesday.
Muktar stated this while speaking with newsmen during an inspection of the airport's runway on Monday in Abuja.
The Abuja airport was closed on March 8 for six weeks to enable rehabilitation of its 3.6 kilometres runway to be carried out. Flight activities were consequently diverted to Kaduna International Airport during the period.
The Federal Government had announced that the airport would be reopened for normal operations on April 19.
Muktar disclosed that NCAA had concluded the second phase of inspection as follow-up to the recommendations made to the contractors to correct some areas of concern earlier identified by a team of experts.
According to him, they inspected yesterday, made some observations but the findings that were found were not safety critical and today it is found that they have been rectified.
"We have carried out the inspection and we have confirmed that the job has been done quite satisfactorily in line with the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) standard and recommended practices.
"So, the airport, the runway is very ready to accept flight operations safely.
"By this, we are declaring that the airport and its runway are quite operational at the time that has been determined as the official opening of this airport," he declared.
Muktar said that the agency had already issued "Notice to Airmen (NOTAM)'' to all aviators worldwide that the airport was ready for reopening on Wednesday as scheduled.
On the calibration of the airport, he said that nothing had been tampered with as far as the instrument landing system was concerned to warrant recalibration.
According to him, calibrations are normally scheduled and very soon this airport will also be calibrated along with others.
"It will be normal routine calibration which will be applicable to other airports that are due for recalibration," he said.
Earlier, the Managing Director, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Mr Saleh Dunoma, had said that the runway was fully ready for reopening, adding that it had been completely cleaned up.
Dunona said that NCAA had given the operators a "clean bill of health'', adding that some of the observations raised by the team of experts on the repair of the runway had been corrected.
He explained that the runway was cleared "because we have our technical team working across the length and breadth of the runway to make sure that every detail is observed.
"That is why all equipment has been evacuated from the runway.
"Later, all the professionals in NCAA and FAAN will carry out a detailed inspection again to ensure that all debris is cleaned up during final cleaning.
"Any moment from now, if there is any aircraft, we are ready to receive that aircraft, but of course, in aviation there are procedures because NOTAM has to be issued and the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) will do that and then we are ready," he said.
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr Yakubu Dogara, says political interests may mar the proposed 2018 population census.
Dogara, therefore, called on the people clamouring for the conduct of the census in 2018 to exercise patience until after the 2019 elections.
He said this was necessary as there would likely be mounting pressure to manipulate the outcome of the exercise.
Yakubu Dogara
Dogara, in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Public Affairs, Mr Turaki Hassan, on Monday in Abuja said that conducting the census in an election year may generate unrealistic results.
He advised that the next administration should conduct the census at the beginning of its tenure.
"This should be done when there isn't so much at stake.
"I won't advise anyone to conduct national census in 2018.
"If we are not going to achieve it in 2017, then we should just forget it until after 2019.
"If you conduct census at the niche of elections, there will be so much pressure, crisis and the lure for people to manipulate the figures for political reasons, such that the agency cannot even cope with,'' Dogara stated.
According to him, it is better for a new administration to conduct the exercise from the beginning of its tenure, when there is no election in sight.
"We may have something that resembles reality, but I can bet it, if the census is conducted in 2018, the outcome will be doubtable.
"I know who we are and I know the kind of litigations, backlashes and the pressure, but we don't need all that now.
"We have so many challenges; let us empower the agencies to keep building on the blocks that they will leverage on in the future in order to do the exercise.'' Dogara said.
