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Lagos State Deputy Governor, Dr Idiat Oluranti Adebule on Thursday visited Igbonla Senior and Junior Model College in the suburb of Epe where four students and two teachers were kidnapped by a gang of suspected Ijaw militants, just as she assured that government would work assiduously to ensure prompt rescue of the victims.
The kidnappers, numbering about seven, had invaded the school premises at about 8am when students were having a special session at the hall and shut sporadically into the air before kidnapping the victims, which included a vice principal and head teacher.
Adebule, who was accompanied by top government functionaries and head of security agencies to the school, condemned the act, but pleaded with parents and families of the victims to cooperate with government and security agencies in ensuring prompt rescue of the victims.
While addressing hundreds of parents who had come to the school to remove their children, the Deputy Governor said such would not help the situation as panicking would further compound the situation.
She said: “It is true that in the last 29 years that this school was established, we have never experienced such a thing like this, but now that it has happened and it is confronting us, we must come together to find a lasting solution to it. We, as government, parents, the school and security agencies, must remain united to solve this problem.
“I know you are angry, I know you are worried and I know you are agitated, but we must look for solution. But I plead for the understanding of parents in this matter. I know how traumatic it could be, I know how emotional the issue we are discussing could be, but the best we can do is to handle it with care and with utmost wisdom that God can give us.
“It is God who secures, it is God who protect and even in other climes where you have everything, you still have this type of incursion once in a while, but what we should be talking about is how can we collectively solve this problem,” the Deputy Governor said.
She assured that the State Government would do everything humanly possible to ensure the rescue of the victims, assuring that a team of security operatives would stay behind in the school to secure the students and teachers.
She also revealed that all security agencies including the Police, Air Force, Navy, the Army and others have been fully mobilized to ensure rescue of the victims, just as she expressed confidence in the success of the ongoing rescue operation.
On his part, Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Fatai Owoseni assured the parents and families of the victims that the rescue operation already launched would be the shortest in the history of the Command.
While soliciting for the support of the parents, Owoseni said security agencies were already in custody of useful leads, adding that there was a strong hope of rescuing the victims.
“All I just want to say for now is that you have to work with us. What we also need from you is your prayers. We will seek your understanding and for now, I will not reveal much because as we speak, there are agents of the kidnappers here and they will reveal whatever we say here to them.
“We have a government in Lagos State that is ready to go all out and I can assure you that this will be the shortest rescue operation that we will carry out. We will do everything we need to do to secure the release of the victims,” the CP said.
The Russian Defence Ministry on Thursday warned that it could shoot down U.S. missiles in Syria if they were used against the Syrian government forces.
"One should really be aware that crews of Russian air defence systems are unlikely to have time to clarify via a direct line the accurate flight programmes of missiles and who their carriers belong to," the ministry's spokesman Igor Konashenkov said in a statement.
Earlier in the day, the U.S. media reported that Washington is considering plans to launch air strikes against the Syrian government army.
Konashenkov said that the Syrian army now have effective Russian-made S-200, Buk and other air defense missile systems, while the Russian forces have deployed in Syria the advanced S-400 and S-300 anti-aircraft missile systems, "the range of which may come as a surprise to any unidentified flying objects."
He added that any missile strikes against territories controlled by the Syrian government might present a threat to Russian servicemen working for the Russian Centre for Reconciliation in Syria.
Russian President Putin
"I would recommend to colleagues in Washington that they carefully calculate possible consequences of such plans," said the spokesman.
On Sept. 10, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry announced a week-long nationwide ceasefire in Syria, but crossfire resumed in the first hours the truce expired on Sept. 19.
On Sept. 17, the U.S.-led coalition airstrikes killed over 90 Syrian troops in Syria's eastern province of Deir al-Zour, incurring a strong response from Moscow, which accused Washington of violating the ceasefire.
Konashenkov said Russia "had taken all necessary measures to avoid any such 'mistakes' aimed against Russian troops and military targets in Syria."
Earlier this week, the U.S. suspended negotiations with Russia on restoring ceasefire in Syria, blaming Moscow for its military role in the attack on the Syrian city of Aleppo.
The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) has predicted cloudy weather conditions over the central states of the country with prospects of thunderstorms over parts of Abuja, Kogi, Nassarawa and Benue on Friday morning.
NiMet made the predictions in its Weather Outlook issued by the Central Forecast Office (CFO) on Thursday in Abuja.
It said pockets of thunderstorms were expected over the high grounds and the Mambilla Plateau during afternoon and evening period with maximum temperatures of 27 to 33 degrees Celsius.
The agency also predicted that the southern states would experience cloudiness with rains over Port Harcourt, Calabar, Eket, Owerri and the inland city of Enugu and environs in the morning.
It also predicted afternoon rains over Lagos, Ibadan, Aboekuta, Oshogbo, Shaki, Edo, Delta, Akwa Ibom, Imo, Ebonyi, Anambra, Bayelsa and Port Harcourt with maximum temperatures of 31 to 33 degrees Celsius.
NiMet predicted that northern states would experience partly cloudy to sunny conditions with threat of thundery activities over Sokoto, Yelwa and Gusau axis in the morning hours.
According to the prediction, thundery activities are expected over parts of Borno, Kano, Gombe, Bauchi and Adamawa in the afternoon evening period and temperatures of 34 to 39 degrees Celsius.
Experts in the movie industry in Nigeria have called for the participation of more women in film making, to encourage the younger generation of women.
They made the call on Thursday in Abuja at the ongoing 13th Abuja International Film Festival.
Mrs Evelyn Otaigbe, an Award Winning Filmmaker, in her paper, entitled "Women in the Film Making Industry", stressed the need for more women to take up the role of script writing.
According to her, men most of the time, showcase the negative side of women and thereby pass the wrong message to the public.
"We need more female script writers because the men write stories portraying the women as gossips, husband snatchers, those that cannot do anything when their husbands pass on.
"The men put women in that box and that is not who we are; men don't really know us.
"If we have more female script writers, they will write from the perspective of women."
The filmmaker said that such stories told to the public perpetually put women down, adding that they did not impact on the upcoming generation.
She added that if films were used as change agents, they would project the positive side of the people.
"Films can be used as change agents; they can be used for socio-economic development and if we are looking at films for development, you don't tell negative stories that put people down.
A Nollywood film shooting location
"We should tell stories that encourage women and everybody else, stories that will make the society grow, change the mind set of what men think.
"We should reduce the juju or voodoo stories because when you keep telling a lie for so long, people will start seeing it to be true."
The expert, however, said that challenges encountered by filmmakers were not peculiar to women.
According to her, it is necessary that younger women get educated in everything they wish to venture into, adding that training will project their capabilities.
"We have general challenges in the film industry and they don't only pertain to women, the men go through the same challenges as well.
"We have basic challenges like funding, getting good locations, because we don't really have much studios or a film village for shooting, distribution and marketing.
"We encourage young actors to get education because education is the key to everything; they should be good in what they are doing in acting, writing and production."
Otaigbe advised younger women who would want to choose a career in film making not to cheapen themselves before male filmmakers so as to be given a role in movies.
She said that women who cheapened themselves hardly got famous.
"As women, we don't have to bare it all to be accepted by a film maker."
She advised men to ensure that women merit roles given to them.
"God made all of us one and we are equal; women are strong, beautiful, and intelligent and we don't have the need to prove ourselves.
"If a man wants to offer you sex before you get a role, you refuse it and walk away; if you are good they will come chasing you.
"Young women should get training and have passion for what they do; in that way, nobody can bluff them.
"It is because some of them don't have training that they want to use their curves and beautiful faces to get into films and you don't become a star by using those means."
Ms Atofa Edjeani, a filmmaker with Gollywood, said that film making was a calling, adding that women had the capacity to do more than what the men could.
Edjeani further said that women in film making were not in competition with men but it showed that women were strong.
She, however, called on the general public to give women the chance to showcase their talents.
Ado-Ekiti – The Governor Ayodele Fayose led-Ekiti State Government has begun administering oath of secrecy to its workers as part of effort to check indiscriminate divulging of information to the public.
The State Head of Service, Dr Gbenga Faseluka, who, administered the oath in Ado-Ekiti said the revival of the oath of secrecy was a way of returning to the rudiments and the foundation of the civil service.
The event took place at a two-day workshop organised for members of staff of the Ministry of Budget and Economic Development, Ado-Ekiti.
Faseluka stated that the oath of secrecy does not contradict the provisions of the Freedom of Information law which grants the public access to government information.Fayose
He said most of the workers were ignorant of the provisions of Public Service Rules until the introduction of competitive promotion examination which its syllabus included the knowledge of the rules.
"Ekiti is one of the States in Nigeria to have domesticated the Freedom of Information law. The essence of that law is to let members of the public have access to the workings of government.
"What we are doing by reviving the oath of secrecy is to tell people that our civil service is not a rudderless one.
" When information is to be given out, there is a channel, it is only the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry that can authorize the release of information," Faseluka said.
He continued, " There was an instance in which a patient disclosed her HIV status to a nurse, then there was a misunderstanding between them leading to a fight.
"The nurse said you this AIDS patient, a public servant who supposed to keep the status of her patient secret.
"We do not want such in the public service that we are running."
The Head of Service commended Gov. Ayo Fayose for regularly releasing running grants to each of the ministries.
He said that had enabled some of the Ministries to train their members of staff.
He urged the participants to put all they would learn into use for the development of the state as well as upgrading their own career.
Earlier, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Budget, Mr Sesan Alabi said that the training would properly equip members of staff of the Ministry to effectively perform their roles for the progress of the State.
Alabi said that the training would cover topics ranging from Registry Management, Preparation of Executive Council MEMO and Procurement of guidelines as well as Financial Management among others.
The House of Representatives on Thursday supported the recent resolution of the Senate kicking against the sale of national assets to address prevailing recession in the country.
The support expressed through a resolution by the lower chamber followed the adoption of a motion moved by the Deputy Leader of the House, Rep. Buba Jibril.
Moving the motion, Jibril stated the need to align with the Senate in asking the executive arm of government to prepare an Economic Stimulus Bill designed to pull the country out of the recession.
It would be recalled that some prominent Nigerians had in the past weeks advocated the sale of some public assets to pull the country out of economy recession.
But, the Senate during plenary on Sept. 27, passed a resolution calling on the Federal Government to jettison the idea of selling national assets as a way out of recession.
In its resolution which was wholly supported by the lower chamber, the senate urged the government to explore other avenues and restore oil production in the country at an average production of 2.2 million barrels per day.
It also called for re-negotiation of the terms of engaging joint venture partners in relation to production cost and profit to favour Nigerians and to commit 10 per cent of national budget to agriculture and solid mineral sectors.
The lawmakers further urged the Federal Government to release funds for critical sectors, reduce vandalism of oil facilities in the Niger Delta and put up social safety nets in the country.
The resolution also called for a wider stakeholders meeting with Niger Delta elders and other interest groups in the region as a way out of vandalism of oil facilities.
Other recommendations included payment of contractors who had completed their contractual obligations and payment of all salaries and outstanding pension liabilities.
The lawmakers also called for the reconstitution of the Board of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and other critical agencies in order to ensure that they operated in accordance with enabling laws.
The government, according to them, should amend Section 162 of the 1999 Constitution to make it compulsory to save part of the money in the Federation Account.
In addition, the legislature called for the completion of Ajaokuta Steel Complex and other critical infrastructure by the Federal Government
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has saluted Barcelona and Dutch legend Johan Cruyff as the inspiration behind his incredible success.
Guardiola has established himself as one of the finest managers of his generation after winning a host of trophies with Barcelona and Bayern Munich.
The 45-year-old played under Cruyff when the Dutchman was in the process of becoming one of Barcelona’s most iconic coaches and Guardiola believes the lessons he learnt from that period laid the foundations for his own impressive achievements in the dug-out.
Cruyff died of lung cancer in March, but his legacy lives on in former players such as Guardiola, who have captured his purist principles in their own teams.
“I was a lucky guy, I coached City, Bayern and Barca because I met him,” Guardiola said, speaking at the London launch of the autobiography “Johan Cruyff: My Turn”.Guardiola
“I thought I knew about football but when I met him, a whole new world opened in front of me.
“He taught us — not only me, but to a generation of players — to understand the game, to understand why you took that decision.
“Football is the most complicated game, it’s very open and you have to take a lot of decisions.
“His impact on people was enormous.”
Guardiola won the European Cup as a player during Cruyff’s reign, a golden period which included four successive league titles for the “dream team”.
Cruyff, of course, was also a sublimely gifted forward for Barcelona, Ajax and the Netherlands.
While Guardiola was a successful midfielder in his own right, he never hit the heights Cruyff did.
Guardiola has outstripped Cruyff as a manager however after winning the Champions League twice as Barcelona manager.
The Spaniard also won three La Liga crowns with Barca, then added three German league titles at Bayern Munich before joining City earlier this year.
Guardiola said he admired the way Cruyff could connect with his players and make them commit to his cause while also maintaining his belief football should be played in an entertaining fashion at all times.
“He wasn’t sitting during the training sessions, he was playing with us, but better than us,” Guardiola said.
“He would not tell us how to do things, he would do them. Every single training session was a masterclass.
“He had knowledge, charisma, personality. Everyone knows about football, everyone, but there’s not many people that you will follow if he tells you to. You followed him.
“He was the most courageous manager I ever met… he believed in the ‘efecto mariposa’ (butterfly effect), that a good pass at the beginning could create a wonderful thing at the end.”
Commissioner of Police in Oyo State, Samuel Adegbuyi, said the state Police Command would arrest the suspected attackers of a former Vice Chancellor of the University of Ibadan, Prof. Olufemi Bamiro.
Adegbuyi said this on Thursday in Ibadan at the inauguration of a Communication House, Repeater Stations and Walkie-talkies donated to the command by the Oyo State Security Trust Fund.
Bamiro, who was shot on Tuesday in Ibadan, is presently receiving treatment at an undisclosed hospital, .
Adegbuyi said that the hoodlums that attacked the ex-VC could only run but would not be able to hide from the long arm of the law, assuring residents of continued safety.
"And let me use this opportunity to inform the people that those behind the recent attack on the former VC (Bamiro) will soon be arrested and brought to justice. We are on their trail. They will not escape from our dragnet," he said.
The commissioner commended Gov.Abiola Ajimobi for what he called, his "morale-boosting gesture" to the police and other security agencies in the state in the last five years.
"Let me restate the preparedness of the officers and men of the command to join hands with the governor in sustaining his efforts targeted at securing lives and property across the state.
"We thank the governor and promise to make effective use of the equipment and edifice in combating crime and criminalities in Oyo State.
"The items inaugurated today can be just little among other assistance that have been rendered by Oyo State Government through the Security Trust Fund to improve security of our people,"he said.
The police boss assured law-abiding residents of the state of continued safety, saying, "we will not allow hoodlums any breathing space in any part of this state".
Gov.Ajimobi, who was represented by Mr Segun Bolarinwa, his Special Adviser on Security, assured residents of the state of the continued commitment of his administration to the sustenance of peace and security, as well as an enabling environment for businesses to thrive.
He said that the latest gesture of the state government was in the furtherance of the administration's cardinal objective of restoration of law and order.
"This gesture is in realisation of the present administration's efforts on peace and security.
"The structure here, which used to be a dilapidated porter's cabin, has now been rehabilitated to consist an office, conveniences and communication room.
"We are confident that the command will make judicious use of the equipment," he said.
Music fans around the world and Minnesota residents have long wondered about Paisley Park, the late pop icon Prince’s mysterious studio complex to which few have had full access.
On Thursday, the mystery came to an end for some fans who snared tour tickets and descended on the Minneapolis suburb of Chanhassen to see inside the late “Purple Rain” star’s 55,000-square-foot (5,100-square-meter) inner sanctum.
The unveiling was decidedly muted. Organizers required ticket holders to meet at an offsite location and be bused into the complex in groups.
Outside the gates, there were more TV trucks than fans as the first bus arrived at 8:30 am local time (1330 GMT). Prince
Sonja Fagan, a 37-year-old from Dublin, had missed the emailed instructions to gather offsite and instead had shown up at the gates with a bouquet of roses, saying Paisley Park was now a place of mourning for her.
“His legacy is going to live on, and that’s what he would have wanted,” she said.
Prince died on April 21 from an overdose of painkillers, at the age of 57. The complex opens one week before a memorial tribute concert in his hometown.
The public opening of the studio complex is a milestone for music lovers and historians. Many expect to find a treasure trove of previously unreleased recorded materials from Prince’s storied vault.
Mobeen Azhar, author of the book “Prince: Stories from the Purple Underground,” said the complex was the pop legend’s “playground” and thus has major cultural significance.
“It’s where so many important and iconic songs and albums where recorded,” he said. “Paisley Park is where he would play, experiment and most importantly create. That spirit of creativity is just so strong and for that reason, as far as I’m concerned, Paisley Park is holy ground.”
While some parts of the complex were outfitted to exhibit memorabilia, other areas — such as his working studio — have been left untouched since the singer’s death, according to a televised peek on NBC television’s Today program.
Public access to Paisley Park was expected to last only three days because officials in Prince’s hometown granted only temporary permits for the complex to offer tours.
A broader permit that would turn the site into a permanent museum akin to Elvis Presley’s Graceland was delayed earlier this week, after local residents expressed concern over the impact on the town of 24,000 from an estimated 600,000 visitors each year.
City officials asked the site’s administrator, the Bremer Trust, to formulate a detailed plan to address those concerns.
The studio is scheduled to open Thursday, Saturday and the following Friday, October 14.
Early-purchase tickets cost $38.50, plus a $7.50 service fee. VIP tickets that include a guided tour cost $100.
Ticket-holders scheduled for tours on dates up to October 15 were encouraged to come on the three available days instead, or receive a refund.
By Henry Umoru & Joseph Erunke ABUJA- THE Senate has begun probe into how a total of N328 billion that was budgeted for the smooth running of the programme since 2009 was spent, just as it has vowed to thoroughly look at the books and sanction those who may have been found to have embezzled the money.
Declaring open a two- day Public Hearing on the Amnesty Programme organised by the Senator Peter Nwaoboshi led Senate Committee on Niger Delta, Senate President Bukola Saraki who noted that we must be courageous to tell ourselves the truth, warned that the Senate will not hesitate to sanction anyone found to have been responsible for the disappearance of money meant for the Amnesty Programme in the past.
Senate President Saraki who recalled that it was exactly six years ago that the programme took off, however described the timing of the public hearing as a perfect time, adding that answers must be provided for a number of questions which include why the programme had not achieved target goals and why corruption inherent in the programme should be exposed through the hearing.
Nigerians in the United Kingdom, Thursday, demanded the immediate prosecution of the leader of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN), Sheik Ibraheem El-Zakzaky for alleged terror related activities, saying the prosecution became necessary, as he (El-Zakzaky) has been indicted by investigations into a faceoff between his group and the army in December 2015.
Nigerians in London protest, demand prosecution of El-Zakzaky
They took to the streets of London, in the United Kingdom to demand the prosecution of the Shi’ite leader.
Recall that El-Zakyzaky has remained in detention since being arrested following the incident that made the military launched an operation to clear out members of his group, who obstructed the convoy of the Chief of Army Staff and reportedly made an attempt on his life.
The Movement of the People of Nigeria, whose members protested at the Commonwealth Secretariat, in London, alleged that the delay in arraigning the IMN leader as a mistake that has made his followers bolder and more dangerous.
The movement also slammed Iran for interfering in the affairs of Nigeria by its backing for the IMN, which it described as a terror organisation with a demand that IMN members also be tried and their finances investigated for subversion for inviting Iranian intervention in Nigeria’s internal affairs.
UK Coordinator of the Movement of the People of Nigeria, Joe Mayowa warned that the protests would spread to other world cities and major Nigerian cities if the federal government fails to immediately begin prosecution of El-Zakyzaky and other IMN leaders that were indicted by several reports on his group's faceoff with the army last year.
In a statement on behalf of the movement, Mayowa noted that that the federal government had made similar mistake in the past when founding members of the Boko Haram terror group were not diligently prosecuted.
He said: "It was that mistake that bred the bloodthirsty horde that carried out attacks in Abuja and some other cities in Nigeria. Nationals of Commonwealth nations were killed in those attacks. The decision not to prosecute pioneer Boko Haram members was driven by local politics but the fallout was felt by nationals of all nations on earth.
"A greater mistake is being made by not prosecuting members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN) for their acts of violence against the state and against citizens of Nigeria and Commonwealth nations. The group’s members have mirrored every single crime committed by Boko Haram in its formative years yet nothing significant have been done to put its members on trial for breaching the peace in manners that resulted in the loss of life.
“It may also not be a mistake, in which case the delay in prosecuting detained IMN leaders could be a silent plea for international backing by the Nigerian government. It is important the world is able to reassure the Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria that they have the world’s support for nipping the growing terror of IMN in the bud.
“A clear message must be sent to the government that the firmness with which it deals with the IMN threat is a matter global interest as any fallout from delay in dealing with the threat posed by the group will affect the whole world.
“For the avoidance of doubt, events of December 2015, when IMN members made an attempt on the life of a senior administration official sparked off chains of events that proved the group is not to be treated with kid’s gloves. Those events exposed the fact that the IMN has the capacity to take on the Nigerian state in battle and would not shy away from attempting it if drastic measures that enjoy international support are not taken.
“The result of several investigations of those events is profound. They all want the prosecution of the IMN leader, Mr Ibraheem El-Zakyzaky and all those that supported him in that insurrection. The Kaduna State Judicial Commission of Inquiry set up by Governor Nasir El-Rufai clearly indicted him and recommended him for prosecution.
"The report of the National Human Rights Commission (NHCR) specifically demanded an immediate trial of El-Zakyzaky and his supporters for causing that injurious breach of the peace," he stressed.
Mayo lamented that the IMN leader seems to be getting preferential treatment compared to other persons that have led insurgencies against the country, noting that "This situation has made his followers to rub salt in our collective injury. They have been made bold by the delay in prosecuting El-Zakyzaky and those of his members found culpable by the reports.
"They have done everything from threatening more mayhem to almost implementing the threats under the cover of street protests. In the course of mobilising for these so called protests and trek, there are reports that fleeing Boko Haram fighters entered several Nigerian cities under the cover of IMN members.
“They have also used the period to escalate their avowed commitment to undermining Nigeria’s sovereignty with their renewed invitation to the Islamic Republic of Iran to meddle in our internal affairs," the group complained.
It appealed to the Commonwealth to convince the government to pursue El-Zakyzaky's trial with a warning that there should be no distinction in the type of crimes committed in the course of terrorism.
By Levinus Nwabughiogu ABUJA – Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Yakubu Dogara on Thursday met behind closed doors with President Muhammadu Buhari.
The meeting which last for about an hour held at the presidential Villa, Abuja.
There was no official statement as to why he visited.Buhari-Dogara
Approached by journalists for comments when he emerged from the president’s office at the end of the meeting, Speaker Dogara refused to speak as he entered his waiting car and zoomed off.
The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Zone 6 Command, on Thursday said 267 commercial vehicles had complied with the installation of speed limiter device in the zone.
Mr Jonas Agwu, an Assistant Corps Marshall and Zonal Commanding Officer, made the disclosure in an interview on Thursday in Calabar.
Mr Boboye Oyeyemi, the FRSC Corps Marshal, had in August announced that the agency would commence implementation of the speed limiter device on commercial vehicles from Oct.1.
Oyeyemi said that this was in spite of the numerous obstacles faced by officials.
He said that the obstacles had forced the agency to shift the launching date from initial June 1, 2015 to the new date.
Agwu said that the command, during its implementation patrol from Oct.1 to date, checked 1,577 commercial vehicles, out of which 267 had installed the speed limiter device in their vehicles.
He said that the device was meant to reduce and regulate vehicle speed on the highways.
According to him, six days after the commencement date, Zone 6 which comprises Cross River,Akwa Ibom and Bayelsa, had recorded tremendous compliance level.
"From the day of enforcement, Zone 6 Command had checked no fewer than 1,577 vehicles.
FRSC-operatives
"We have also confirmed installation of 267 speed limiter device on commercial vehicles, while 1,310 vehicles do not have the device.
"The programme had suffered some level of postponement. But, we thank God that from the date of the take off, it has been a success.
"What we have done so far in the last couple of days in Zone 6 is to increase the level of advocacy and level of education.
"The big players in commercial road business like the Peace Mass Transit, Akwa Ibom Transport Company and others are responding positively,'' he said.
Agwu said that commercial vehicle owners had so far expressed satisfaction over the installation of the device.
He said that personnel in his command were on red alert in ensuring that commercial vehicles plying the highways installed the device in their vehicles.
"By November, we want to be sure that every vehicle we stopped has installed the device. Our objective is to reduce road crashes.
"With the installation of the device, you cannot go beyond the regulated speed limit of 100. For every commercial vehicle, the speed must be regulated.
"Commuters will play a very big role in the success of this installation by patronising the operators who have installed the device in their vehicles,''Agwu said.
Recruits into the Islamic State group are better educated than their average countryman, contrary to popular belief, according to a new World Bank study.
Moreover, those offering to become suicide bombers ranked on average in the more educated group, said the newly released study titled “Economic and Social Inclusion to Prevent Violent Extremism”.
The study, which aimed to identify socioeconomic traits that might explain why some are drawn to the Syria-based extremist group, made clear that poverty and deprivation were not at the root of support for the group.
Almost without exception, fighters joining IS’s Syria and Iraq-based forces had several more years of education in their home countries — whether in Europe, Africa or elsewhere in the Middle East — than the average citizen.
The data shows clearly, the report said, that “poverty is not a driver of radicalization into violent extremism.”
Out of 3,800 recruits described in a leaked Islamic State database, only 17 percent did not finish high school, while a quarter had university-level educations.
Only those from Eastern Europe were below the average, and only marginally so, according to the study.
“Foreign recruits from the Middle East, North Africa and South and East Asia are significantly more educated than what is typical in their region,” the Bank report said.
About 30 percent of the recruits told the extremist group what positions in the force they wanted. Around one in nine volunteered for suicide operations, and their educational levels were on par with those who sought to be administrators, the report said.
“The proportions of administrators but also of suicide fighters increase with education,” it said.
Most of the 3,800 recruits also reported having a job before traveling to join the Islamic State group, also known as Daesh, according to the study.
However, it noted that a significant number of those choosing “suicide fighter” as their preferred option when enlisting said that they had not been employed back in their home country, or that they were in the military before joining the group.
“An important finding is that these individuals are far from being uneducated or illiterate. Most claim to have attended secondary school and a large fraction have gone on to study at university,” the report said.
“We find that Daesh did not recruit its foreign workforce among the poor and less educated, but rather the opposite. Instead, the lack of economic inclusion seems to explain the extent of radicalization into violent extremism.”
Charles Ndukwe, Enugu Commissioner for Youths and Sports on Thursday said the state's forthcoming sports festival would help in the discovery of new talents at the grassroots.
The festival tagged "042" will kick off from Oct. 10 to Oct. 21.
Ndukwe told newsmen in Enugu that the state would use the festival to focus more on other games, instead of concentrating on football.
"We have to take sports beyond football to other sports and now, we have engaged in partnership with Annjessy Events Nigeria Ltd. and the Federal Ministry of Youths and Sports.
"It is purely for grassroots' development of sports and we have incorporated sports men and women from all the local government areas in the state,'' he said.
Ndukwe noted that the festival would be an annual event, saying that an MoU for four years had been entered into with the sponsors.
Ujunwa Ikediashi, the Chief Executive Officer of Annjessy Events Nig. Ltd., said that the festival was aimed at discovering of athletes for the future.
She, however, called on interested sports men and women to register and participate in the festival.
Chidi Offor-Okenwa, Chairman of Enugu State Football Association (ENSFA), said that the festival had been divided into three centers to accommodate all the Zones.
He said that Enugu Zone would compete at Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium from Oct.10 to Oct. 13 while the Agwu zone would take place from Oct.15 to Oct.17.
According to him, the Nsukka Zone will take place at the University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN) from Oct.19 to Oct. 21.
He stated that traditional wrestling would also be part of the events during the festival.
The Federal Government says it will set up six new ICT Hubs in the country to boost empowerment and growth in the sector.
The Minister of Communications, Mr Adebayo Shittu, said this in a statement issued in Abuja on Thursday by Mrs Fummi Oyemade, Deputy Director Press, and Ministry of Communications.
The statement quoted the minister as saying this when Global Y Combinators and Ventures Platform, an ICT concern, paid him a courtesy visit in his office in Abuja.
An ICT hub is a space where technologists congregate to bounce ideas around, network, programme and design to bring their ideas to fruition.
Shittu said that the setting up of the hub was for government to ensure that investment in ICT and its multiplying effect went round the country.
Adebayo-Shittu, Communications Minister
Earlier, Mr Michael Isabel, the leader of the platform, said that the group was out on a mission to invest in the nation's ICT sector and empower the youth.
Isabel said that the empowerment rendered to youths by his group had produced the likes of Mr Sola Akinlade who was empowered with $500 and had succeeded in getting returns of over $1 million in Information Technology (IT) .
Also commenting, Mr Sunny Echono, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Communications, said that there was a high potential for investment in ICT sector in the country.
"The Ministry of Communications is ready to offer help in the area of regulatory control which will help investors in ICT.
Mr Afolabi Imoukhuede, the representative of the Vice-President's Office, said that the Vice-President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, was very much interested in what Global Y Combinators and Ventures Platform could offer the youth in the area of ICT.
The Federal Government's Social Intervention Programme aimed at ameliorating the sufferings of vulnerable people in the country in the society is expected to generate employment for 500,000 graduates and train over 300,000 Nigerians.
President Muhammadu Buhari made this known on Thursday in Abuja at the opening ceremony of the 45th/10th Biennial Conference of the Methodist Church of Nigeria with the theme "Chosen to Bear Fruits'' (John 15:16b).
Buhari, represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr Babachir Lawal, said that the government would soon begin the disbursement of N500 billion earmarked for the programme.
"The Social Intervention Programme will commence in no distant time with the disbursement of N500, 000 earmarked in the 2016 budget for the purpose.
"There are other government policies set in motion with similar intentions.
"We believe that these programmes will help reduce unemployment among our teeming youths and address other challenges which make our society vulnerable to crimes and social vices.''
He said that the Central Bank's Anchor Borrowers' programme designed to assist farmers was yielding the desired result as bumper harvest was expected this year.
He also said that the insecurity posed by the activities of the insurgents, herdsmen and Niger Delta militancy had adversely affected the national economy and threatened peaceful co-existence in the country.
"The stronger firepower of the military has defeated and dislodged the Boko Haram insurgents and government is presently engaged in the reconstruction of affected communities and the resettlement of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).
"Government has resolved to acquire expansive areas of land for grazing reserves in strategic locations all over the country with a view to stemming the menace of herdsmen/farmers' clashes.
"The Niger Delta Militants are being offered the benefit of dialogue to avert the persistent destruction of oil pipelines in the area, "the President said.
He assured Nigerians that the recent policy pronouncement with respect to petroleum products pricing and currency exchange rates were done with the best of intentions and for the greater good of the nation.
In his speech, the Prelate, Dr. Samuel Emeka, advised the government to diversify the economy by harnessing other God-given resources such as land and solid minerals.
"We must utilise our vast arable land for massive food production as in the era of Ahmadu Bello, Obafemi Awolowo, Michaal Okpara, other Nothern and Southern leaders respectively.
"We should engage our young people in commercial agriculture by utilising our vast fertile land seriously and judiciously.
"We have no reason to import food items from abroad because God has given us all what we need in this country."
He further urged the government not to shy away from taxation to boost revenue generation.
The prelate appealed to leaders at the federal, state and local government levels to take the necessary measures to secure lives and property of Nigerians.
Minister of Information and Culture Alhaji Lai Mohammed has advised the Organised Private Sector (OPS) to embrace Federal Government's `Change Begins with Me' campaign.
Mohammed said while speaking at the unveiling of the campaign to corporate organisations in Lagos on Thursday that embracing the campaign would ensure positive attitudinal change needed for national development.
He emphasised that the existence of corporate organisations is critical to national development.
"Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, as we recall, the President also mentioned in his speech that the private sector is a major stakeholder in this campaign.
"He said and I quote, 'indeed when the campaign succeeds, it will impact heavily on the private sector. A punctual, diligent and hardworking staff can only be to the benefit of not just himself or herself or the organisations they work for, but to various governments - whether at local, state or federal level'.
"How can the private sector key into this campaign that is the essence of this gathering today.''
Mohammed stated that it is important for the private sector to ensure that the campaign succeeds for a better Nigeria.
The minister said although the country is naturally endowed with human resources, there has been a breakdown in attitudinal behaviour.
He, therefore, said it had become necessary "we re-orientate ourselves''.
He said the campaign would last the lifetime of the present administration.
Earlier, in his address, the Director-General, National Orientation Agency, Mr Garba Abari, said that it was important for the public to understand the campaign and the hard work government invested in it.
Abari expressed the hope that the private sector would understand the essence of the campaign in a bid to attract their support in driving the economy to higher height.
A Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Alhaji Ahmed Raji has warned the Federal Government of Nigeria to respect and obey the judgment of the Economic Community of West African States' Court of Justice which on Tuesday ordered the release of former National Security Adviser (NSA) Col. Sambo Dasuki from detention as failure to do this could scare foreign investors away.
Recall that Dasuki has been in the custody of the federal government since December last year over an alleged charge bordering on illegal arms deals that led to the death of many and fuelled terrorism in Nigeria.
However, Dasuki, Tuesday, got a reprieve from the regional court which also imposed a fine of N15m on government for illegal and arbitrary detention of the applicant.
Raji who spoke in a media-chat in Abuja said that Nigeria as a respected member of ECOWAS and the International Community is expected to honour its obligations to the protocols establishing the court by complying with its order.
The senior lawyer said that the spirit invoked in the acceptance of the decision of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on the disputed oil rich Bakassi Land must be rekindled in the decision of the ECOWAS Court.
Raji explained that ECOWAS Court was not a domestic court, it's sitting in Nigeria notwithstanding, adding that complying with the order of the court will further boost the confidence of the International Investors to invest in the country where the rule of law prevails.
The SAN warned that should the federal government turn deaf ears to the regional court verdict, foreign investors would be wary of doing business with the country not to talk of coming down to establish business ventures.
"I am appealing to President Muhammadu Buhari to facilitate immediate compliance with the ECOWAS Court decision. I am also appealing to the Presidential aides especially the Chief Law Officer of the Federation, Mallam Abubakar Malami, SAN, and the heads of the intelligence units to advise the President properly."
"The order of the court cannot be ridiculed and Nigeria, as a democratic nation, cannot afford to ridicule the court order in the interest of the corporate image of the country."
The senior lawyer expressed happiness that the allegation of coup plot and waging war against Nigerians brought against Dasuki at the court by government to justify his unlawful detention was not sustained since Dasuki is not facing treason charge in anywhere in the country.
Besides, Raji also said that the allegation of non purchase of arms and ammunition against Dasuki had not been substantiated because the records were there that several towns and local governments were liberated from the Boko Harram in the North Eastern part of the country during Dasuki's tenure.
"In fact, records are there that some of the ammunitions being used by the current government were part of those ordered during the regime of the former NSA according to information he made available to his legal team".
"It is under the leadership of Dasuki as NSA that the country security forces liberated several towns and cities under Boko Haram in Adamawa, Yobe and Borno", the lawyer said.
At any rate, the golden rule is that when matters are pending in court, they become subjudice and nobody is allowed to make comment in such a way that will suggest that the roles and functions of courts are being usurped.
The counsel said that the Dasuki's legal team does not need to serve copies of the ECOWAS Court judgment on the federal government before the verdict can be obeyed since the government was adequately represented throughout the proceedings.
"The fact is that lawyers standing for a party in a matter have duty to obtain copies of the court judgment and advise their clients accordingly".
"In the case at hand, ECOWAS Court is not a court of first instance or intermediate court, it is only and final court and Nigeria must submit to the jurisdiction of the court."
Edo election: The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Thursday in Benin, presented certificates of return to Godwin Obaseki and his deputy, Philip Shuaibu, winners of Edo gubernatorial election.
Dr Mustafa Muhammed, INEC National Commissioner in-charge of South-South zone, presented the certificates to the governor-elect and his deputy.
In a brief remark, Obaseki said he dedicated his victory to God Almighty, adding that one of the reasons he contested the poll was to expand and attract resources into state.
He thanked Edo people for their support during and after the election and vowed to put their interest first before his.
He lauded INEC for the peaceful conduct of the election.
Earlier, the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Mr Sam Olumekun, thanked the people of Edo and the security agencies for conducting a peaceful election.
INEC National Commissioner, Dr Mustafa Muhammed, promised that INEC would improve the electoral system in conduct of future elections.
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
Professor Adebiyi Daramola, Vice Chancellor, Federal University of Technology, Akure, Ondo State and the Bursar, Emmanuel Ademola Oresegun, are being quizzed at the Iyaganku, Ibadan office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in respect to an alleged case of Abuse of Office and misappropriation of funds.
The Vice Chancellor allegedly withdrew Furniture Allowance annually instead of once in 4 years as approved and was paying himself Housing Allowance while residing in the University's Vice Chancellor's Quarters.
It is further alleged that he diverted funds from various unrelated subheads to finance other projects without the appropriate approvals.
Contrary to well acclaimed hygienic practice, a medical expert has warned of the dangers in completely shaving the pubic hair. Dr Arikawe Adeolu, an Abuja-based medical expert, advised that it is safer to trim the hair rather than shaving it off completely. He said that complete shaving of the hair could cause infection.
Shavers for shaving pubic hair
Adeolu told our correspondent on Tuesday that shaving or waxing of the hair around the pubic could cause cracks and expose the skin to bacterial infection.
He added that the pubic hair served a major purpose of providing some level of cushioning for the individual, especially during sexual activity, preventing the skin from rubbing against another and causing abrasion.
He explained that if the skin around the pubic region was completely shaved and the individual's skin came into contact with another person's skin, friction would be increased due to the skin to skin contact.
He advised that individuals who were worried about the lack of hygiene due to untended pubic hair should consider trimming rather than complete shaving or waxing of the hair.
"When you completely shave the pubic hair, it re-grows in a slanted fashion with the tip sometimes growing into the pubic skin, which can crack open the skin.
"It is usually a small crack which cannot be seen with the naked eyes but due to this crack and loss of integrity of the skin at that level, there is increased risk of getting infection.
"Complete shaving can also cause boil to develop in that region. This is because when you shave, you cause some level of abrasion in the area which opens up the skin.
"These small openings cannot be seen with the eye but they are big enough for the micro organisms to get into the body.
"Also, because the pubic area is always moist, this serves as breeding ground for organisms like bacteria."
Adeolu said that trimming the pubic hair would also help to reduce the risk of contacting Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI), which could also be contacted when fluid from an infected partner's genitalia came into contact with the pubic area.
According to him, if the partner is already infected, the virus in the semen or body fluid can easily penetrate the skin of the other to infect the individual.
He said that this infection was mostly caused by a virus known as 'Molluscum contagiosum', adding that there had been significant increase in incidences of such infection in hospitals.
"It is a viral infection that is also categorised as an STI. It affects the skin and does not need treatment; usually after a couple of weeks or months, the symptoms go away by themselves.
"You also have an increased risk of contacting other STIs such as HIV, Hepatitis, genital warts by complete shaving of the pubic hair,'' Adeolu said.
FCT Minister Muhammad Bello has directed that any motorist who beats traffic light should be arrested and taken immediately for psychiatric test.
Bello gave this directive during an interactive session with the FCT Press Corps on Wednesday in Abuja.
He also directed the FCT Health and Human Services Secretariat to make ambulances available at traffic interchanges to convey any motorist arrested by the police.
He also requested the Police to permanently station speed bikes at various traffic intersections for the purpose enforcing the directive.
According to him, the bill for the test and administrative processes will be borne by the erring motorist, to serve as a deterrent to others.
Bello also said that if the arrested motorist was certified to be alright and medically fit, the culprit should be prosecuted to face the consequences of his/her bizarre action.
He further asked the Police to commence immediate implementation of the directive.
Senior officers from the rank of Assistant Superintendent of Police and Inspector are expected to man the speed bikes, to ensure a high level of discipline.
A Professor of Medicine, Ed Nwobodo, on Wednesday said five per cent of breast cancer cases occurred in men.
Nwobodo, who works at the College of Medicine, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Nnewi, spoke at the "Go Pink Day'' organised by an NGO, Breast Without Spot, to mark the World Cancer Day in Enugu.
World Health Organisation (WHO) has set aside every Oct. 5 to raise awareness on early detection of cancer and treatment as well as palliative care.
Nwobodo said it was wrong to believe that men do not develop breast cancer.
"There have been several cases of breast cancer in men though, it was not as pronounced as that of women.
File Photo: Breast examination
"Why such was not often reported was due to reluctance in men to present themselves for screening, as they were fond of hiding their health challenges.
"Men always hide their health challenges and that is why prostate cancer is still going to be an epidemic and big time problem with us, because it is always reported late.
"Current data suggests that we are going to see more and more cancer cases of all sorts among our people.
"However, if we can do away with late detection then, we are well on our ways to winning the war against cancer," he said.
Nwobodo said breast cancer spread rapidly and could cause other forms of cancer, adding that the disease was not a death sentence, if properly managed.
"We have a choice of doing simple early examination in order to arrest the other consequences of having negative inevitable outcome.
"Those of us in the research world are not sure of whether some societal or living habits, or foods or some environmental issues have arisen and led to these cancers," he said.
The expert, however, expressed dismay that health systems, which could have been in the fore-front of the crusade against cancer, were not working.
"Choose 10 hospitals in Enugu State outside University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital and Enugu State University Teaching Hospital, and maybe the specialist hospitals.
"You will not find any medical practitioner from 2.00 p.m., everyone is gone, and it is worse on weekends.
"When you eventually see somebody in the hospitals, they will invent 20 excuses on why they will not attend to you. Even, their facial expressions and approaches will scare you," Nwobodo said.
He said that there were a lot more that both the governments and non-governmental organisations could to do to provide interventions and sensitise people on the deadly disease.
The consultant said that most people died of ignorance because they had no faith in the health facilities.
"We need to get some forms of community mobilisation because cancer is terribly high in the rural areas.
"Recently, we went on a cancer screening mission in one of the local government areas in the state.
"At some point, when we had seen 150 women and looked at their cervix, 17 of them were positive for cervical cancer, while we discovered 20 women with breast cancer," he said.
Nwobodo said that in one of the communities where the screening took place, three out of seven men screened for prostate had clear indication of early signs of prostate enlargement or cancer.
"There are no support systems. There are no facilitators to help them to get into a treatment routine such that they can begin to intervene.
"We need to provide rural women with health insurance cover and break the inertia of people wanting to get into the treatment route," Nwobodo said.
In her remarks, the Programme Manager of the organisation, Mrs Chinenye Okwuosa, said that cancer had created a huge burden and high mortality rate.
Okwuosa attributed the surge to late detection, hence the essence of the sensitisation.
She said that the group would provide free cancer screening in some parts of the state.
BY FRANCIS IGATA ENUGU – The dominance of the country’s security outfits leadership by Muslims, was Wednesday, identified as a grand plan by President Muhammad Buhari to Islamise Nigeria regardless of its constitutional provisions which stipulates freedom of religion.
This revelation was made known by the renowned constitutional lawyer, Prof Ben Nwabueze who was almost close to tears over what has become of Nigeria under Buhari.*Prof. Ben Nwabueze
Nwabueze said while fielding questions from newsmen haven hurried out of a meeting of Igbo Leader of thought, ILT, in Enugu that,”This is a very crucial meeting for us because we have not met for more than a year. And if you look at our agenda, such critical issues for discussion, issues like Islamisation agenda and its impact on the unity of the country.
“Islamisation agenda is real, it's not something that somebody has just conjured up, it's there. And it's been implemented gradually. Look at the security agencies; every aspect of security islamists are in control in its entirety. They are methodically, the way they are going about its implementation. Look at Fulani herdsmen menace, it is part of it.
The Lagos State Chapter of PDP has called on the Federal Government to reintroduce the `Option A4 voting system in the country.
The Deputy Chairman of the party, Chief Ola Apena, made the call in an interview on Wednesday.
Apena, who was reacting to the allegation by a coalition of accredited election observers that the Sept. 28 Edo governorship election was rigged in APC's favour, said that if reintroduced, Option A4 would eliminate any form of election malpractice.
"I think we should go back to Option A4 because Option A4 does not allow for this kind of manipulation.
"Once, a line is formed at the appointed time, if you have been accredited, they will give you something to show that you have been accredited, you come back, you line up and they count you.
"I think, our level of tolerance, our level of honesty, our level of transparency in this country does not accommodate this balloting system that we are using because we will always find desperadoes not necessarily within APC, but even with the PDP.''
The PDP chieftain expressed regret that the social media is compounding INEC's problems as results announced at the various polling units are usually posted on the internet, thus making any form of manipulation thereafter difficult.
"The advent of social media is creating a lot of problems for the electoral body because as the results are announced at each polling unit, so it goes on internet.
"It is a big problem because when you now go behind and start cancelling, doing all sorts of things, giving us some reasons why you have to cancel, people will doubt the outcome of the election.
"It is not good for our democracy,'' he said.
In Nigeria, Open ballot system (Obs), also known as Option A4, is a voting method in which voters vote openly by queuing or otherwise, indicating the candidate of their choice.
This is as opposed to a secret ballot, where a voter's choices are confidential.
The system minimizes incidences of election rigging that comes with the secret ballot system as well as other electoral fraudulent-related practices.
The Open ballot system was first adopted in the Third Republic during the 1993 Nigerian presidential election - an election that was widely regarded as the freest and fairest in the country's political history.
Governor of Yobe State, Alhaji Ibrahim Gaidam, has described Air Peace's commitment to funding corporate social responsibility (CSR) projects as unmatchable.
The governor made the statement when Air Peace presented relief items running into millions of naira to the state government for distribution to internally-displaced persons (IDPs) in Yobe.
Corporate Communications Manager of Air Peace, Chris Iwarah (2ndleft) presenting relief materials donated by the Air Peace airline to Internally-Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Yobe State to the Executive Secretary, Yobe State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Musa Idi Jidawa
Gaidam, who was represented at the presentation ceremony at the Governor's Office in Damaturu by the Executive Secretary, Yobe State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Mr. Musa Idi Jidawa, urged Nigerians to emulate the airline's example.
Yobe, he said, was saddled with caring for a total of 23, 016 IDPs in four camps at Pompomari, Bukar Ibn Ali Elkanemi, Kurareta and Ngabrawa in Damaturu, the state capital. He, however, said the 391 IDPs sheltered at Bukar Ibn Ali Elkanemi Camp had voluntarily returned to their villages -Gambir, Malumti and Mittiri.
He assured that the relief items donated by Air Peace would be properly utilised, assuring that there had never been any reported case of abuse in the distribution of items donated to IDP camps in the state.
He expressed gratitude to the management of Air Peace for the donation, urging Nigerians and corporate organisations to emulate the airline's good example. Earlier, the Corporate Communications Manager of Air Peace, Chris Iwarah, said the airline donated the relief items because it was concerned about the plight of the IDPs.
The donation comprising rice, millet, maize, beans, vegetable oil and salt, he said, was the airline's contribution to government's effort to address the challenge of caring for IDPs in the country.
Air Peace, he added, had distinguished itself with its focus on corporate social responsibility projects, including the recent donation of a police station in Uli, Anambra State.
A pressure group, Edo Youths Coalition, has urged the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in the just-concluded governorship poll in Edo, Mr Osagie Ize-Iyamu, to accept the outcome of the exercise.
Secretary-General of the group, Mr Toju Igbene, made the call on Wednesday during a solidarity rally by members of the group at the secretariat of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) in Benin.
The group challenged Ize-Iyamu to emulate former President Goodluck Jonathan, who conceded defeat before the official declaration of his opponent, Muhammadu Buhari, as the winner of 2015 presidential poll.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had on Sept. 29 declared Godwin Obaseki of the All Progressives Congress (APC), the winner of the governorship poll in the state conducted the preceding day.
Obaseki polled 319, 483 votes to defeat Ize-Iyamu, his closest rival, who got 253, 173 votes.
Ize-Iyamu and Obasek
Members of the coalition displayed placards whose inscriptions included "God has upheld the will of the people'', "There was no loss of life, no intimidation of anybody during the election'' and "It is time for Edo people to look critically''.
"Let us develop the spirit of sportsmanship; that is why we keep respecting Dr Godluck Jonathan.
"He lost an election, and he was the first to put a call to Buhari to congratulate him. Let us develop that spirit; let us develop that culture," Igbene said.
He described the outcome of the election as the will of the people and passed a vote of confidence on INEC and security agencies for their dedication to duty before, during and after the election.
He added that the poll was free, fair, credible and acceptable.
The group leader urged the governor-elect, Obaseki, to work assiduously to fulfil the promises made to the electorate during his campaign.
With the latest outbreak of cholera in the country, PZ Cussions and Concerns Universal, a UK based NGO, are joining forces with some of Nigeria’s top entertainers to inspire a generation of school children that will adopt the life-saving habit of handwashing with soap.
The one month-long campaign which will be formally launched next week in Lagos is designed to promote hand hygiene among school children.
The Global Handwashing Day is an annual worldwide celebration involving over 200 million people coming together on 15th October every year to promote a simple and life-saving message-“Handwashing with soap saves lives.”
According to the Director of Strategic Partnerships, Concerns Universal, Mr Tim Kellow, the key to addressing this situation is to ‘make handwashing a habit. “As habits take up to four weeks to form, we are holding a month-long campaign to engage children with fun and creative activities to promote the handwashing habit. Kellow said at the events billed to hold across Nigeria, children will be inspired by songs recorded exclusively by Sunny Neji and 2Face Idibia, and empowered as ‘Hygiene Heroes.
LAUNCH: From left: Campaign Ambassador, Mr. Sunny Neji , Concern Universal, Mr Tim Kellow, Managing Director, PZ Cussons family, Mr Alex Goma and PZ Cussons Foundation Mrs Yomi Ifaturoti during the media launch of the campaign in Lagos.
The campaign will reach its climax on Global Handwashing Day in Lagos where Campaign Ambassadors, Sunny Neji will perform alongside his band, comedian Koffi and other special guests.
“Throughout October, thousands of children from more than 200 schools will take part in the events across Southern Nigeria. Children will take part in handwashing games and demonstrations that will empower them to return to their schools and communities and spread the campaigns vital message. Schools will also compete to show that they have the ‘CareX Factor’.
He explained that the talent competition enables children to get creative about hand washing by performing their own version of Sunny Neji’s campaign anthem ‘Wash Your Hands O’.
The events will kick-off in Cross River and Benue States, culminating in a major celebration event in Lagos on Global Handwashing Day, Saturday, 15th October 2016 – where schools will compete against each other for prizes and the chance to perform with their musical heroe.
Also speaking, Managing Director, PZ Cussons Family, Mr. Alex Goma, stressed the need for children to realise they need for them to wash their hands.
The Nigerian Army reiterated Wednesday that it has defeated Boko Haram noting that what was presently happening in the epicenter of the battle were minor skirmishes by the failing group to gain relevance.
Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Tukur Buratai who made the disclosure noted that it was in the bid to convince the nation of the victory over the terrorists, that the Army is organizing this year's Nigerian Army Sports Festival holding in Abuja next week after a period of about eight years in the cooler.
His words, "We have more than degraded the Boko Haram. I want to say this is the beginning of the celebration of the victory of the Armed Forces especially the Nigerian army on the defeat of the Boko Haram. We have started the process of celebrating our victory over the Boko Haram".
According to the Army Chief, 1760 athletes of the Nigerian Army from various divisions will compete in 19 events including traditional military sports like Combat Relay, Obstacle sports, Tug of war, boxing, cross country and others.
CHIEF OF ARMY STAFF (COAS), LT.-GEN. TUKUR BURATAI
For the Southern part of the country, Buratai said the Army will be introducing swimming and other riverine sports because of the peculiarity of the region and that a test case scenario will be kick-started which will be built upon in future.
Asked why certain divisions of the army (7& 8 division) were being excluded from the week-long festival, Buratai said, "Since the creation of 7 division, it was created within the conflict period, they have been in the theatre of operation; have not been in peace time period to exercise for the event. It would also be a distraction to pull them out.
"For 8 division, it is about three or four months old. It has been deeply involved in the operation. We want to give them time to really concentrate in the fight against Boko Haram in the North East. Give them time to completely dominate the area.
Asked if the fighting will not distract the army from so many operations it was involved in, the Army Chief said, "Yes we are fighting but it will not prevent us from carrying out other professional engagement that would even make us to fight better; and to develop physical capacity to fight better.
"Like I said, this is the beginning of the celebration of the Armed Forces, particularly the Army on the engagement with Boko Haram. We have started celebrating the defeat of the Boko Haram."
On why the Nigerian army seemed to be lacking in certain areas where the force was noted for in past that produced medal winners for the nation at global sporting events, Buratai said, "we last held a sporting festival of such nature in 2009 and now we are reviving it".
"Just like football where we have qualified for the nationwide league, we are reviving Boxing, Cross Country, Long Distance and Marathon. The army boxing team in April won the Lagos State boxing championship. Our boxers also went to Kazakhstan and did very well.
Emphasizing that sports festivals of the army is part of the training schedule of personnel since physical fitness and development is critical to their mental well being, he said the event is meant to promote the spirit of espiri de corp among personnel and to foster relationship between the army and civil populace.
To encourage national records to be broken, Buratai stated that "anybody that won gold medals, shatters existing records, was due to earn certain privileges including promotion, special recommendation among others.
ILORIN-Federal government has been urged to extend retirement age of teachers to 70 years like it was done to professors in the nation’s universities.
The Kwara state chairman of Nigeria Union of Teachers, Comrade Musa Abubakar made the appeal in Ilorin on Wednesday while addressing the teeming teachers during the occasion of this year’s world teachers day held at Teachers House, Ilorin.
Abubakar noted that,”the demand became imperative in view of the fact that, teachers suffer the same fate all over the world irrespective of their operation”,stressing that,”Justice demand that teachers should be bound by common destiny”.
Abubakar added that, “The extension of retirement of age of professors in the tertiary institutions to 70 years be extended to teacher who constitute the foundation of education i.e primary and secondary education.
Teacher
?”It is obvious that vacuum created by the retired teachers in the state in recent time will be difficult to fill within the next decade”.
?Abubakar who decried the state of education in the country said that,”teachers profession that should gather the best brain of nation to mould the character of our future leaders is seen as a stepping stone for greener pasture”.
He also lamented that,”It is a crypic but painful that the condition of teachers has not changed significantly with other profession. “Education which remain the hope of the hopeless and the sure way to eradicate poverty and disease is jeaopardised. “Education policies in the country do not reflect the aspiration of the people”.
The chairman also berated the non payment of teacher’s of salary in the country as when due especially in the state.
According to him,”as I speak, teachers in Kwara are owed five months salary and 56 per cent(i.e 15 per cent January, 25 per cent June, 8 per cent August and 8 per cent September) and this is no doubt? has affected the quality of education in our public schools as the working condition of the teacher is the learning condition of the child”.
?He also called on the federal government to take over the funding of primary education, Comrade Abubakar noting that,”finance of the local government is over stressed and cannot cope with the funding of primary schools”.
Abubakar who ?called on the state government to publish the findings of the bio-metric exercises carried out in the state said that those whose salaries have been put on hold as a result of no BVN, wrong BVN and next of kin and been duely cleared, be paid without further delay.
He also said that, his administration has taken the welfare of teachers as major priority so as to enhance their productivity in their various places of working.
He said that,”in doing this, we have opened a commodity account with a sum of N25million to service the need of the serving members. It is a revolving scheme that caters for the domestic needs of the teachers”.
Abubakar added,”it is worthy to mention that the historic teachers estate has been completed and it has since been given out for commercial purpose”.
Abuja – The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC)will soon commence the first large scale commercial bio-fuel venture as alternative to fossil fuel, Dr Maikanti Baru, Group Managing Director (GMD), has disclosed.
Baru made the disclosure on Wednesday in Abuja at a two day Environment Dialogue, titled `Diversification of the Economy, the Role of Jatropha.'
The GMD, who was represented by Mr Babatunde Adeniran, the corporation's Group Executive Director, Gas and Power, said the project became necessary due to the increasing negative impact of fossil fuel to the environment.
The NNPC boss said the corporation would cultivate jatropha plants along the borders of the over 5,000 kilometers of NNPC pipeline right- of- way across the country.
Jetropha, is an environmental and economic agro-allied plant called Binidazugu in the North, Lapalapa in South West, Okwa Ekpu in the East and it has over 175 species.
The plant could be used to produce bio-fuel which could serve as alternative to diesel.
It could also serve as wind breakers and shelter belts to curb flooding, desertification and erosion.
Baru stated that bio-fuel, as a renewable source of energy, was currently drawing international recognition as alternative choice of fuel because of its Eco-friendliness, socio-economic and climate benefits.
" As one of the key business areas, NNPC is currently diversifying its products portfolio for enhanced and sustainable energy mix.
"We are doing this by integrating bio-fuel production from selected energy crops with a robust agriculture development programme," he said.
The GMD explained that based on its commercial considerations, jatropha ranked second to oil palm as the bio-oil of choice for biodiesel production in the NNPC bio-fuel programme.
"Jatropha is considered an appropriate hedge plant for reclaiming forests in extinction, managing desertification, creating soil balance and a logical solution to food versus fuel contest," he said.
He pledged the commitment of the corporation to implement the country's Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).
Heritage Bank has expressed its readiness to collaborate with customers to grow businesses that would aid job creation and economic development.
The bank made the pledge in a statement issued in Lagos to celebrate Customers' Service/Appreciation Week.
The bank said it was poised to collaborate with its customers to grow their businesses to conglomerates to be listed on the nation's bourse.
Ms Adaeze Udensi, the bank's Executive Director, South Bank, was quoted by the statement as saying that the bank would continue to partner customers in their business expansion and development.
"Our desire is for Nigerian businesses to be listed on the stock exchange and eventually become global brands and household names.
Bank
"We believe that businesses like yours are the backbone of the economy because you create jobs and play a huge role in moving our country out of this present recession.
"I encourage you to rise up to this challenge facing every Nigerian entrepreneur and make our economy vibrant again," Udensi said.
She said that the bank, in order to partner and create wealth for individual customers, organised the business fair to showcase and celebrate business activities of its various customers to commemorate the Customers' Service Week.
"The Heritage Bank business fair is where new deals are brokered and partnerships initiated and a place to connect," she said.
Mr Ola Olabinjo, the bank's Executive Director, Abuja & North Bank, was also quoted as saying that the business week of the bank was a sure foundation of taking Nigeria's economy out of recession.
Olabinjo said that small businesses were the foundation of every economy and assured them that the bank would grant them the necessary support to do this.
"It is not the size of the balance sheet of the bank that grows an economy, but the patriotism of the bank and the small businesses and we are determined to go the long walk with you," Olabinjo said.
The statement said that the event, which was open to all retail segments of Heritage Bank's clients, would be taken beyond Lagos to other cities across the country.
"It is all about giving back to our customers, finding ways to support them as well as appreciating them for their patronage.
"We are open to feedback as we get the feedback and clamour to do more; we can always adjust," she said.
A British chef went on trial on Wednesday accused of drugging and murdering four young men he met on gay networking sites, then dumping their bodies in or near a graveyard close to his London home.
Stephen Port, 41, invited the men back to his flat and spiked their drinks or injected them with drugs so he could have sex with them while they were unconscious, a London court heard.
Four of his victims died of overdoses and Port is accused of dragging their bodies outside, planting bottles of the party drug GHB on some of them and writing a fake suicide note for another.
He is accused of sexually assaulting or raping another eight victims who survived.
“In the pursuit of nothing more than his own sexual gratification, (Port) variously drugged, sexually assaulted and in four cases killed young gay men he had invited back to his flat,” prosecuting lawyer Jonathan Rees said.
Port faces 29 charges relating to 12 men between February 2012 and October 2015, including the murders of four men in their 20s.
All four died in “strikingly similar” circumstances, the court heard, and in each case, Port is accused of lying to police about his involvement with the victims.
Port denies all the charges against him.
The court heard how Port was attracted to smaller men with boyish looks, known as “twinks”, who he met on social networking sites such as Grindr.
He also allegedly used the sites to buy a range of drugs, including poppers, Viagra, Meow Meow — a synthetic stimulant — and GHB and GBL, chemically similar substances which can induce euphoria but can also have strong sedative effects.
By Omeiza Ajayi ABUJA – An Abuja-based anti-corruption movement, The Integrity Group, has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to probe Nigeria’s former first ladies or stop the “seeming witch-hunt” of the country’s immediate-past first lady, Dame Patience Jonathan.
Warning that the continued ‘media trial’ of the ex-president’s wife could trigger off more violent reactions in the Niger Delta, the group said the onus is on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission EFCC to prove its case rather than asking Mrs Jonathan to explain the source of her wealth.* Dame Patience Jonathan
At a news conference addressed by its Executive Director, Livingstone Wechie, the group contended that; “No Nigerian under any law, including Patience Jonathan is under any obligation to explain how he/she made his/her money. If the EFCC thinks anybody stole money, they should by evidence show how and wherefrom the money was stolen.
“The cumulative value of the monies in the Skye Bank account that Mrs Jonathan claims is less than $10 million. The report credited to the EFCC that the monies were in excess of $30 million is completely false, malicious and misleading and this is deliberate. The EFCC is challenged to provide public evidence of its claim of $31 million lodged in Skye Bank”.
The group added that, “this attack on Patience and Goodluck Jonathan may spark up avoidable security problems in the old Eastern Nigeria and we are willing to support Mr President in averting same.
“As such, our message is, arrest and prosecute all former first families including their aides and seize all their assets and money or leave Goodluck and Patience Jonathan alone and restore all their seized assets”.
UYO-Governor Emmanuel Udom of Akwa Ibom State has said that the state’s maiden heritage festival, tagged “IbomFest 2016”, will help to promote foreign investments.
Speaking at the unveiling of the event at the state house in Uyo, Governor Udom said: "I believe that this event will promote foreign direct investment vis-Ã -vis foreign exchange from visiting tourists, opportunity for establishment of trade relations with states and countries that will participate in the event, employment generation through involvement of men and women, youths, artistes, arts/crafts vendors, transporters, food vendors, hoteliers and others.
Gov Emmanuel Udom
"The event, therefore, in the spirit of the Dakkada philosophy, is positioned to contribute significantly towards the enhancement of the revenue base of the state and yield positive harvests to the people and government of the state."
According to the Governor’s Special Assistant on Tourism and Development, Ms. Ini Edo, the festival, which is themed Our Culture Beyond Borders, is in line with the desire of the governor to ensure that Akwa Ibom remains the choice destination for tourists and investors and this had spurred the pace of infrastructure and socio-economic development witnessed in the state.
She also revealed that the event will help strengthen relationship between government, policy makers and local and international stakeholders in the tourism industry.
Kelechi Iheanacho and teammates might no longer be able to surf the web while in training due to Pep Guardiola's attempts to foster team spirit at Manchester City it has emerged.
Argentine defender, Pablo Zabaleta, made the revelation saying Guardiola is so eager for his players to communicate with each other face-to-face that he has blocked the internet in some areas of the club's City Football Academy (CFA) to encourage them to spend less time on their mobile phones.
Guardiola is famous for his passionate approach to the game and has already implemented some huge changes at the Etihad following his summer arrival from Bayern Munich.
"You always want and dream to be trained by the best coaches, and today I have the opportunity to work with one of the best," the Argentine defender told Tyc Sports.
"Actually, you learn a lot, especially the way you live it. Beyond knowledge, his passion for football.
"He forces us to have breakfast and lunch together at the club. The internet is cut off, we are held incommunicado. We don't even use 3G."
Aside no longer being able to trawl the Internet, City players must now eat all their meals together in a bid to improve squad harmony, while calorific treats including pizza and fruit juice have been banned.
Saheed Obadina, the national Aquatic Coach, said on Wednesday that the National Aquatic Federation would select an eight man team for Africa Swimming Senior Championship (ASSC) in South Africa (SA).
Obadina revealed in Abuja that the swimmers who would participate in the championships were currently undergoing training in their various states.
According to him, four male and four female swimmers in the elite category will represent the country in Blue Mountain, South Africa.
"We are looking forward to having four males and four females in the elite category to make the final selection.
"The federation has yet to release their names, since they are still monitoring their training in camp, but it is still possible that we may drop some people.
"We will replace them as training goes on which as you know, we have more than that in camp before the final eight selection,'' he said.
He added that the swimmers would win medals for the country.
"With the ones we have on ground definitely Nigeria will win some medals at the championships.
" Definitely, the swimmers that will represent Nigeria at the Africa Swimming Championships are training, getting prepared in their various states with their coaches.
"But soon, the federation will call them together in Lagos, where we will put final touches to their training before we travel for the championships,'' he said.
The African Swimming Senior Championships is scheduled for Oct. 16 to Oct. 23.
At the iconic National Arts Theatre, Iganmu, Lagos, on Tuesday, history was made when the Tony Elumelu Foundation, founded by businessman extraordinaire, Tony Elumelu signed a ‘Memorandum of Understanding’ (MoU) with the Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism championed by the minister, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, to inject $100 million for the upliftment of the creative arts industry.
The $100 million, which is spread across 10-year period, actually began last year and it is to last for another nine years. While the Elumelu Foundation is bringing the financial muscle to the table, the Information ministry is to create the enabling environmental by being the vehicle that will facilitate the values engendered by the financial impetus of the Foundation.
At the signing of the MoU on Tuesday, the three main facilitators of the innovation, the minister, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, founder of the Foundation, Mr Tony Elumelu and the proponent of the concept and Chief Executive Officer of Elumelu Entrepreneur Programme, Ms Mandavin put pens to paper before a huge audience that includes film-makers, film directors, musicians, entertainment entrepreneurs, creative arts personalities and other stakeholders in the creative arts.
During her rousing speech. Ms Parminder Vir highlighted the importance of creative arts to national economy by bringing to fore in figures the contribution of the creative arts industry from different countries. In her summation she said the British creative industry contributes $84 billion dollars to the national economy of the country every year. She also said that the creative industry in India contributes 14% GDP growth rate to the country’s economy and maintained that if the industry in Nigeria is given the same impetus as these economies, the creative arts contribution to national development will be phenomenal.
In her words:" The film industry in Nigeria’s total worth is estimated between at $500 million to $1 billion and it provides jobs for millions of people. Unfortunately, most of this money is not retained in the economy. If there are structures in place, most of this will be retained to drive the economy. Millions of dollars are lost through piracy because of lack of structured channels of distribution. This and other things, is what the MoU will seek to address"
Continuing, she said: "We cannot afford to ignore the amazing opportunities in the Nigerian creative Industry. The music sector currently is worth over $250 million dollars with potential to grow to over $450 in the next ten years and it provides more than 50% of African music contents across several platforms. Of course, MoUs are easy to sign but it is the implementation that is the hard part. First, the clear definition of what is creative industry is, must be ascertained."
Highlighting the process through which the MoU will be implemented, she said the creative arts stakeholders and investors, financiers and business leaders will be brought together, as they did in Britain and India, and be charged with the central issue of how to provide the necessary framework to build business capacities in the sector toward attracting sustainable investment.
During the signing, the Hon. Minister said, "My Ministry recognises the urgent need to develop Nigeria's creative industries and increase its contribution to the national economy. Nigeria currently has creative industries but no creative economy. This partnership will leverage the experience of the private sector to help the creative industries retain the commercial opportunity and the financial benefits."
In April, the Minister approached TEF with a challenge: "How can we work together to help transform the currently underdeveloped and unstructured creative industry ecosystem into an organized and profitable pool of creative industries that provide meaningful employment to thousands of Nigerians?"
The Foundation's response is the framework which undergirds the MOU.
While speaking at the event, Chairman of Heirs Holdings and UBA Plc Mr. Tony O. Elumelu, CON said, "Without doubt, Nollywood is a global leader and our young musicians are emerging as international sensations with serious earning potential. Nigerians are good at starting creative businesses, but they lack the capacity to scale, proper business management and the investment necessary to become self-sustaining. This partnership will provide the framework for building business capacity and attracting sustainable investment."
Also speaking at the event, the CEO of the Foundation, Parminder Vir, OBE, expressed her optimism at the future of the creative industry in Nigeria. A seasoned filmmaker herself, Ms. Vir stated, "Nigeria has an abundance of creative excellence, talent and cultural IP in film, television, music, fashion, ICT, performing arts and this partnership is designed to support the growth of this sector for leading businesses, facilities, entrepreneurs and institutions engaged in the fast growing sector."
The event was well attended by several industry representatives including luminaries like Joke Silva, Zeb Ejiro, Obi Asika, Ali Baba, D'Banj, Chioma Ude, Nimi AkinkugbeRalph Nwadike, Audu Maikori, Princess Dolapo Oni Sijuwade and more.
Germany will build a military base in Niger to support the UN mission fighting jihadists in neighbouring Mali, Berlin’s ambassador to Niamey said Wednesday.
Bernd von Munchow-Pohl also announced in a speech to mark the anniversary of Germany’s reunification seen by AFP that German Chancellor Angela Merkel would visit Niger in the next few days.
“With the establishment of a German military airbase in Niamey in support of the MINUSMA mission in Mali, which Niger has supported since the beginning, a new chapter in our cooperation has begun,” he said, using the acronym for the UN mission in Mali.
“(Germany) is ready to engage more in the Sahel region (and) assume even more responsibility,” he said.
“Niger is a central partner for us in this respect (and) a key country in the fight against terrorism and illegal migration” from West Africa.
The US and France already operate bases in Niger as part of the battle against jihadists in the Sahel region — principally in Libya and Mali. They have also deployed drones to Niamey and Agadez in the north to monitor jihadist movements.
Experts say Niger, the poorest country in the Sahel, is becoming “a crucial base” for Western powers in the fight against jihadists.
