How did the body of a civil defence officer be found in a deep tomb?
The dead body of a woman officer serving at the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has been found in a grave not deepened in Obi Local Government Area of Benue State.
Until the time he was not seen again, Josephine Cynthia Inalegwu Onche, was serving at the NSCDC office in Otukpo.
Cynthia is Idoma, and she is Otukpo, just missing when planning her marriage.
Some of her workmen who did not want to be named said her relatives that they could not find her again when her marriage remained short days.
What they said was that she was going to the market to buy things as she was preparing for her marriage, but she did not return home since.
One of the officers of the dead person said, While they tried to find it, they did not see it until one okada man came and showed them where it was buried.
The victim told the family members that he was killed by the boss who wanted to marry a child and used him to do a rotual for money.
After the okadaman took the family members and security forces to arrest the man, the man took them to the father who held the ritual in Obi local government, before he went into South-West state.
When the police arrested the husband and her herbalist in Otukpo, the family members of the deceased had to leave the body of the burial and organize a burial for him on until June 1, 2021.
A call, or an answer message sent to him on the incident, DSP Catherine Anene, a spokesman of the Benue police, refused to carry it.
The spokesman of the NSCDC in the state, Asc Ejelikwu Micheal, refused to say anything when we met him, he said he would speak at the right time.
But an insider said the news of the suspects had again put sadness in the mind of the security people.
In the review of the proposed constitution: MURIC said there had been sharia in the SouthWest before Christianity entered into.
The joinbodi, Muslim Right Concern, has urged the Penticostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) to stop opposition to Muslims, to mind them business.
The Director of MURIC, Professor Ishaq Akintola, said this on Sunday.
He said this averted the warning given by PFN that any group should not use the review of constitution by the Senate to bring shariah law to southwest.
PFN and other Christian joinbodi knew that there was a shariah in the south-west before the entrance of Christianity in 1842.
They were practicing shariah in Ede, during by the time of Oba Abeeb Olagunju (Abbeb is a Muslim name) and said:
The shariah court in Ede was still in operation until 1913, in Agbeni in the town.
He was taken to Agbongbon in 1914.
Shariah was used in Iwo during the time of Oba Momodu Lamuye (Muhammad Lamuye), who died in 1906.
Also, the nomba svevn Akirun of Ikirun, Oba Aliyu Oyewole ( who died in 1912) brought shariah into Ikirun in 1910.
All these are examples of existence of shariah and its spread in Yorubaland, saying that the Christians were well aware that the Christians stopped shariah in Yorubaland, which was then imposed on the Christian common law, Akintola said.
He said PFN and some other Christian joinbodi are also aware that the Islamic movement has grown in the southwest with fear that the giant who is sleeping has awakened to bring up to him what belongs.
He said the Christians knew that shariah was the right that Allah had taken away to dash Muslims.
But they have determined that it would not be allowed to use by Muslims, saying that the new method would be used.
They had it in mind that war was fighting alongside Muslims, and that it was not even bad in war.
They use both good and bad ways to do what is in their heart.
Nigerians have been called to understand the mentality of the here presiding Christians.
Like everyone who is quick to anger, they believe that attacking people is the only way they can defend themselves.
As they benefited from the colonial jaguda that reached a century then, they wanted to keep all the things that could be brought to them by colonial masters.
It is expected that Muslims will be placed in the colonial areas where they are chased.
The joining body reviewing the constitution has urged the Nigerian people to write what they want in the constitution.
Each group should bring to it the things they need.
Rather than PFN tells the joinbodi what the Christians want, it is what they think the Christians should not ask them.
He was wanused to block the Muslims in the south, but it would not work.
He said, While saying that there is religious tolerance in the south, it is lying, and it is said to place Yoruba Muslims into slavery.
Muslims in the region are eagerly asking freedom.
We had to stop being forced to wear a Christian school uniform, to attend a Christian school, to use a Christian law.
We want a shariah that does not cut people hands, but the shariah that will regulate Muslim marriages, inheritance and family affairs.
That was not a matter for Christians at all.
We will use all the ways that will not cause warfare, which follows the law, to do the thing, he said.
stakeholders in Edo have said Obaseki is a party leader.
While the Peoples Democratic Party in Edo State has a crisis of who controls the party, members or Edo South of the party, it has been said that the state govnro, Godwin Obaseki and his deputy, Philip Shaibu is good.
Edo South PDP iside a communique issued at the end of the stakeholders meeting at the weekend in the city of Benin, saying Godwin Obaseki is a leader of the party in the state.
In the communiques read by the secretary, Wilson Evbuonwam, he said they supported the harmonisation and integration of new people into the executive committee of the party, urging the state to develop welwel.
Police have arrested allegedly kidnappers in Abuja, even collectively guns.
The Police Command of the FCT has arrested eight suspected kidnappers in Shenegu-Tunga Maje, Gwagwalada, Kabusa village and Durumi axis of Abuja.
The spokesman of the command, such as ASP Maryam Yusuf, who spoke at a siddon in Abuja, said the suspects were Yakubu Ahmadu, Ibrahim Mallam Musa, and Bello Haruna.
She said the suspects were members of a syndicate linked to the kidnapping attempt on the Vice President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA).
Gwagwalada branch, Barrister David Aigbefoh
She said the suspect was arrested during a coordinated intelligence operation by police personnel from the command anti-kidnapping squad in Shenegu mountain on the border of the FCT and Niger State.
She said the suspects had given good information on the activities of the group.
Yusuf later said a Nwite Jideo was arrested for the stage of his kidnap from Durumi area, and the suspect confessed that he conived with people who came to kidnap him to collect up to five million from his sister as ransom.
She said some of the exhibites collected from the suspect were three dane guns, seven cutlas, one Honda Accord painted bleak, four mobile phones and other items, adding that they had been working on the arrest of other members of the fleeing group.
She said all the suspects would be brought to court after investigation, while warning FCT residents, especially parents and guardians, to draw their children away from crime.
Suarez strike Atletico also win La Liga title
The goal scored by Luiz Suarez has led Athletico Mardrid to beat Real Valladolid 2-1 on Saturday, making the team a remarkable La Liga victory.
Suarez was crying at the beginning of the season seeking that Barcelona forced him out, but as the season ended, his 21st goal of the season made Athleticoto win the first league since 2014, this one which was won ahead of Real Madrid.
Athletico knew that if they were to win the trophy, no matter what Madrid did at their home Villareal.
But not being comfortable, as Valladolid took early lead.
Real Madrid was also behind the game, before Karim Benzema equalised in the 87th minute, and Luka Modric scored a late winner in 2-1 at Valdebebas, which hanged Athletico for a long time, while it was smaller to disrupt the matter with just one goal.
When the final whistle was blown, players ran into the field, red and white shirt covered Suarez, seeking that the closest, even unpredictable title race had ended.
Suarez Zone
It was just over a week little.
This is the Suarez zone, coach Diego Simone said.
And it proved that, as the Uruguayan scored the title in the hands of Athletico last week, they scored on the last day again to write names for the trophy.
This is the second time in 17 years when other teams apart from Barcelona or Real Madrid have won the league, while Athletes have won the other one under Simeone in 2014.
Athletico started the game, said they were at the top of the table since December, and having scored two goals in the last eight minutes to beat Osasuna,
But the thhing was not easy for Athletico this season, with a 10-point lead in February, and the points dropped to 2 in May, with a position as a nomba one on the table relying on sliding Real Madrid and Barcelona.
So it was no surprise that as they wanted to face Valladolid, who was 19 at the table, they also patched.
A large number of Athletico fans have gathered in Valladolid Plaza Mayor to sing songs, and a large number of fans have also reached outside the stadium, where they left so that it would not have caused any problem.
Gulaks killing has caused people to shout.
People shout and mourn on Sunday as barrers were killed.
Ahmed Gullak, who was once an adviser to former president Goodluck Jonathan on political matters, by gunmen.
Gulaks companions shot him in Obiangwu village while trying to enter Sam Mbakwe airport in Owerri, capital of Imo State, saying he wanted to enter Abuja.
On yesterday evening, a funeral paryer was held for the politician from Adamawa who came into a national mosque in Abuja, after which his body was buried in the Gudu cemetary around 8 pm.
Police in Imo State said at least six of the suspects who killed the All Progressives Congress (APC) boss had been killed after fighting.
A statement issued by the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Bala Elkana, said on 30 May, 2021, following a call from the police officers that the terrorists had killed Ahmed Gulak, a special force of police officers, including Intellingence Response Team (IRT), Police Mobile Force (PMF), and a tactical unit from the command, was sent to the place of Obiagwu junction, in Ngorokpala LGA of Imo State.
THE instructions given to the team were to arrest the suspects so that they could face justice.
The mot was said to have been the people who killed Gulak, and his Imo police officers have stopped since yesterday.
The audience said, especially the driver of the motorcycle in Gulak, who took him to the airport, had described the jagudas people, and the kind of motorcycle they had taken out the jagudas walked.
It was said to be a Toyota Camry, a 2005 model, silver colored by the jagudas, with a 1998 medel and golden colored sienna.
Toyota Hilux painted white, and a Lexus 330, painted gold.
(No registration number was placed, security reasons)
Knowing the kind of people of the killer, and the kind of car they carried out the attack, they later told them the way the killer followed.
With some lead, the team later established where the killer were.
The suspects were arrested in Afor Enyiogugu, Anoh-Mbaise local government area.
It was as the jagudas were dustribute onions in a trailer that was confisticated and arrested.
It was full of onions in the trailer from Northern Nigeria.
Upon witnessing the police personnel, the terrorists who were protecting them fellow terrorists began to shoot guns to policemen,
The gallant and one ready for battle.
Police officers also returned with gun shots.
The six terrorists who followed the killing, and four other members of the group were seriously injured.
Three of the four motorcycles attacked Gulak have been collected.
Three Ak47 riffles, a pistol, five AK47 magazines with 92 rounds of live amunation, and criminal charms were collected from them.
The terrorists were identified as members of banned IPOB and ESN.
The late driver, Ahmed Gulak, and the surviving victim have identified the body of the IPOB/ESN members as they were attacked, and the car collected as the same car they used.
In the face-to-face of the terrorists, two armored personel carriers belonging to police officers were scattered with guns, but they were not completely spoiled.
and The video made after the attack showed that Gulak worn a jean trouser and a blue shirt as he slept in his own blood, near the abandoned car.
Gulak is the chairman of the Imo All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship primary election that led Hope Uzodinma into representation of the party.
He was even said to be close to the governor, he was visiting the state welwel.
Why is he in Owerri?
Although Gulak has been visiting Owerri welwelwel since Uzodinma has entered, it was to attend the public hearing of a review of constitution held in the city to the last time.
As the committee had concluded its sitting, Gulak was back saty when other members of the committee were left the city on Friday.
A close member of the Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, who is chairman of the public hearing in Owerri, said the deceased private property of Kalu was offered after the siddon, but he refused.
According to the source, Kalu team had left the city on the day the public hearing ended, but Gulak stayed back, saying there were things to do in the city.
The source said: “ We left Owerri on the day the public hearing ended and asked him to join us in our private jet, saying we had enough security with us.
But he said there was something to do in the city.
Nigerians knocked on FG, and other politicians concerning the killing
Nigerians in social media have also been alert to the federal government and political leaders over the killing.
A commentator on the Facebook link that carried the story published by Daily Trust, Ifeanyi Maduako, as he said the death of Gulak was bitter, linked it with politics.
The killing bitter in my mouth welcomed.
It seems that it was politically done, and those who did, let us open their faces.
The killing will expose those behind the security challenges in Imo State.
Who was the host, and why would a northerner be killed in Imo State?
I was afraid of what would do innocent Imo people in some days in the hands of security forces controlled by the north, he wrote.
Another commentator on the thread, Olurombi Micheal Omo, said, While police reports have proven it to be a political killing, it was supposed to be investigated well.
It is thimg that police officers also have questions to nswer to.
In his own part, Comr Hassan Ahmad wrote that the soul of innocent people is more important than the scam called Unity for naija.
We will not agree with this illiteracy, even if it is enof, we are peacemakers.
but doe who pushes us to the wall sees that we cannot continue with the peace.
I am sending a warning, we will retaliate and worsen.
Buhari you have failed us woefully, and we face the Imo police personnel to follow the jagudas people.
Nasiru Inuwa also wrote that it was a wake-up call to the larger people in the north, starting with innocent Fulani herders, now they have become northern government officials, including prominent politicians.
The secretary of the IPOB joinbound, Emma Powerful, has said in a statement that IPOB should not be linked to the murder of Gulak, saying the killing of politicians is not on the agenda of the joinbound.
Therefore, we said that the IPOB did not know anything about the killing.
To beg, too, how Gulak threatened our mission warranted to kill him.
We had nothing with him, and we would not have killed him.
Pointing hand in IPOB for this barbaric act is just to divert attention away from the real people who did it.
Similarly, terrorists with their security uniform committed atrocities in the south-east, and they came to the IPOB for their crime, because they wanted to disrupt our reputation.
It is an opportunity they have been looking for for for a long time to launch another special military operation in the Eastern Region to take on more innocent Biafra people.
Rather than properly investigate the incidents and causes of scurity, they have faced IPOBs over unintentional crimes.
Is IPOB having the informate in the movement of the late Gulak enough to stop it on airport road?
The group said security forces should first investigate host Gulak, Hope Uzordinma, and his political opponent, to establish whether they were involved.
The two who killed Gulak will not escape punishment.
President Muhammadu Buhari has said the people who killed Gulak and other disasters in our country would not be released.
President, Buhari, in a statement issued by a spokesman, Garba Shehu, expressed his outrage and disgust over the heinous murder.
The president, who has shown that the incident makes him sad, said: I am repulsed by the gruesome murder of Gulak which is premeditated by evil people, which is that they have detrmined to avert the peace, unity and teritorial integrity of our country.
Let me warn that nobody, or joinbody, who is doing something despicable would expect to be free.
We will use everything we have to see that those who do such a calousy and criminal thing will face justice.
Akeredolu said the killing of Gulak was unacceptable.
Governor of Ondo State, Olwarotimi Akeredolu, has described the news of the killing as shocking and disturbing.
In a statement signed by the Governor himself, he said this is too much murder, saying actions are senseless and wicked.
The people who have committed such wrongdoing are enemy of the country.
The corner-corner method is to mislead, confuse and destroy.
He has the unmistakable, despicable imprints of fifth columnists bent on setting the country on the path of conflagration.
criminals must not be allowed to succeed.
We want to use this medium to tell our brother, Governor of Imo State, Hope Uzordinma that we are with him.
We urged him and other governors of South Eastern states to brace up confronting the security challenges to end bloodbath for them.
The enemy of the people is always using weapons of fear to create disaffection.
The coward act was to instigate Nigerians in the face of each other, make northerners in the face of Igbo people who live outside the South East.
We must face the enemy of the people, to see that we are out of power for them.
This is not a time to argue who is the best politician.
We should not allow bandits to compromise the legitimacy of this government at all levels.
We are calling on all security personnel to collaborate to see that they are showing the criminals sponsoring, and those terrorists walking.
They must be severely punished.
Fintiri mourns
The Governor of Adamawa State, Umara Ahmadu Fintiri, has said Gulak was shocked by the execution of a former speaker in Adamawa State.
Governor Fintiri said the death was painful, how wicked the people were.
Governor Fintiri said Late Gulak was a witty, determined, and practical politician, whose rise was a result of his hardworking.
It is unfortunate that the death has collected from us.
Hon Ahmed Gulak in a day-like gruesome manner.
Gulak is a lively politician who always has the interests of the country in his heart.
Recalling his interaction with late Gulak, Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri said he was a brother and a mentor, seeking to be a lawter, a human rights fighter.
Madagali community loses good son
In a statement released in Yola yesterday by Chief Press Secretary Hunwashi Wanisoukou, the governor said the country has lost one of the strong persons fighting human rights.
We all remember how passionate he fought for the people sent out of the house by the insurgency jaguda, and those who had little means.
ACF condemns killing
The Gulak killing is condemned by the APC Consultative Forum (ACF), which is said to be a huge loss in our country.
The ACF in a statement issued by the national publicity secretary, Emmanuel Yawe, said they were sad to hear the killing of Gulak, described as a dynamic politician and a progressive politician from the north.
If you like it or you do not like it, that is your business.
May God bless him and give his family and state, Adamawa, the ability to endure the loss.
The killing is part of the plan to repeat the coup of 1966 CNG.
The coalition of Northern Groups (CNG) has described the killing of a former political adviser to former president, Goodluck Jonathan, northern politician Ahmed Gulak, saying that there was something planned and all the attacks being attacked by police in the Southeast of Nigeria, was to try to repeat the coup of 1966.
The CNg in a communique signed by spokesman Abdul-Azeez Suleiman said it was the reason northern part of the country could not live with southeast as one country, alleging that the violent way of the Indigenous Pipo of Biafra, the eastern Security Network (ESN), and other Igbo Gand funds, has confidence, by every part of the Igbo society, both householders and the villagers oyinbo.
Westham's hope to get top four has deteriorated with their loss to Everton.
Westham's hope of reaching top-four has deteriorated because they did not play wella against Everton hoping to enter the European league on Sunday.
The goal scored by Dominic Caivert-Lewin in the 24th minute of their game shows that they are determined to win Westham who have made mouths complete to score in that serious afternoon.
The closest thing Westham reached to equalize was when Vladmir Coufal would shoot a ball that ate a bar and Jerron Bowenno could not hit him back into the post upon being in the goal post-front.
Those who support Vice President Yemi Osinbajo have shown that they are still behind him as they showcase him as a presidential candidate for the coming elections.
Osinbajo disclosed that he did not say he wants to be president
Vice President Osinbajo said all the little said he intended to be president in 2023 Presidential Elections was a distraction.
A unconfirmed story has been in town that Osinbajo’s eyes are presidents post in the land.
Vice President Laolu Akande, who is spokesperson, said the Vice President has not yet declared his interest in being president in a statement on Monday.
The Vice President's office has set their eyes on a Website body.
supportosinbajo.ng called Nigerians are made to join a voluntary group to support Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, preparing for the 2023 Presidential elections.
Details of the website and how they appeal have been full of WhatsApp as well as the fact that Osinbajo has declared interest in the 2023 elections.
The vice president's office has no connections with the group or the website that is located on it and considers the whole thing an unnecessary distraction.
Prof Osinbajo has never said he wants to be president in the 2023 elections, focusing on serving as a vice president of the current administration to face serious issues in the country.
We are asking our people to solve all the challenges, to face the challenges facing us as Nigerians, to do well for our people, to promote peace and prosperity.
Ndidi and Iheanacho have again made Nigeria proud in Leicester City playing by carrying off the countrys flag, showing that their team won the FA Cup.
NFF congratulates Ndidi Iheanacho for the FA Cup victory in Leicester City
President of the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF)
Mr Amaju Melvin Pinnick, has sent a messenger to congratulate Super Eagles Middfielder Wilfred Ndidi and Forward Kelechi Iheanacho for their victory in Leicester City against a popularly hyped Chelsea on Saturday.
FA Cup final in England
The two are at the marches at Wembley and are celebrated after the marches with the Nigerian flag by joining the list of the other seven Nigerian Players who have taken the England Cup.
I am very happy with Ndidi and Iheanacho.
They worked hard in Leicester City throughout the campaign and both they and their team deserved the honor.
I believe this win will work as a high morale for them in the friendly match we are going to play this summer and the FIFA World Cup which is going to start in September.
I am also happy with the Nigerian Flag which both of them celebrated when all things ended.
That was amazing.
Ndidi and Iheanacho became the second pair of Nigerians who celebrated the FA Cup win in England after Nwankwo Kanu and John Utaka defeated Portsmouth against Cardiff in 2008
Before that time, Daniel Amokachi had won the Everton victory in 1995; Celestine Babayaro also won Chelsea in 2000, Kanu for Arsenal in 2002 and John Mikel Obi for Chelsea in 2007.
After Kanu/Utaka defeated in 2008, John Mikel Obi again defeated Chelsea in 2009, 2010 and 2012, Alex Iwobi defeated Arsenal in 2017, Victor Moses also joined them in 2018.
While I was at the Federal Government College of Enugu in the early 70s, I was using a train pass to transport myself from Kaduna to Enugu.
Djokovic warm up for Roland Garros with Belgrade title
Novak Djokovic have completed his warm-up with success in Roland Garros when he beat Slovakian Alex 6-4, 6-3 on Saturday in the final of the ATP Clay tournament in Belgrade.
This is the second event in the city over one month with fans coming, not like the Serbia Open which took place in April when the stadium drought.
Djokovic said he had been playing for a long time in the peoples front, a Belgrade player who lost the semifinal in the 2011 Serbia Open which was the last victory.
The herder-farmer situation in Nigeria has become a reality in the daily news.
Ending Nigeria's herder-farmer problem: The Livestock reform plan
Nigerias federal and state governments are struggling to implement a National Livestock Transformation Plan to control cattle movements across the country to become herders and farmers fight.
Many state governments have endorsed it, but it is facing some challenges.
Political leadership that works well, perception about its unjust purpose, increased budget constraints due to the COVID-19 pandemic, experts who do not carry out the work and everywhere insecurity, block the progress.
If the plan fails like the other plans to modernise livestock management, the farmers and herders fight increases.
It was approved by the National Economic Council in January 2019, the plan is to represent the effort that people will understand more than examine the unfunctional livestock system.
The main part of the strategy is to be able to control where grazing occurs, in order to reduce the fight between herders and farmers.
The movement had the hope that after 10 years, herders who walked up and down mainly would have the courage to put their cattle in ranches and reserves for public grazing, where breeding farms and other mechanised livestock management would support what the sector would produce.
By the end of 2028 the authorities had the goal of building up about 119 ranches in all the states involved, to create up to two million jobs in the livestock production, processing and market chain.
The plan was made by the President Muhammadu Buhari administration after a period where herders and farmers were fighting, particilarly during the fight to much and affecting people of the ghetto in 2018.
The Federal Government aimed at reducing funds to about 80 percent of the Transformation proposal submitted by the states involved has taken the first step to practice their plans, including technical support to help states prepare for commencement work, such as field surveillance and site mapping.
Several states have reactivated demarcated grazing reserves, open offices, and set up a steering committee to manage the plan together.
The authorities have been conducting workshops and other works to teach people the benefits of livestock reform.
After two years out of the 10-year plan they did, they were still not building any ranch and their obstacles a lot.
opposition from the herders, although mostly from the Fulani, remains among the farmers who do not want pastolists to enjoy the benefits of the plan, also undermine the reform effort.
There has been a lot of distrust at the Middle belt, a lot of fighting between farmers and herders overwhelmed by land, although peacemaking and military efforts since 2018 have reduced the shed of blood.
The shortage in the federal and state government budgets, largely because of the economies that were disrupted because of the pandemic, and because the country had no technical experts who knew how to manage ranches and grazing reserves.
In many states, especially in the North-West, the growth of criminal gangs and armed groups pollutes access to grazing reserves and prevents people to invest in advance.
Unless they do something about it, this problem and others can delay or disrupt the plan, which will make the country helpless when the struggle between farmers and herders is worse than everlasting, which could eventually turn into struggles between ethnic groups, regions and religions.
To tackle this problem, it will be important for the federal and state authorities to join in making efforts, with donors and investors assist.
First, Abuja and other states that support it should provide stronger political leadership than ever, and enhance their communication with the public, in order to corrupt people doubts and wrong understanding of the plan.
This is common among pastoralists on their part, asking them to change their nomadic lifestlye with their people in centuries, who still have serious doubts that the plan promised about pasture is false.
But many farmers fear they will lose their land to livestock producers.
Many in the middle Belt and other states in the South are still suspecting the plans long-term goals, which are considered an opportunity for herders and the Fulani people.
With the support of Abuja and other partners, state governments need to find experts who will know technical aspects of things, especially those who will manage the ranch and grazing reserve, dairy production and meat processing.
The federal and State governments should also increase their budgets in the plans, quickly release the funds and create financial transparency to ensure all things are accounted for, working with donors and necessary investors.
It is also important to deal with insecurities in rural areas, curb impunity and rehabilitation communities seriously affected by the fight in the participating states.
Authorities must consider climate change issues, and decide if herders from other countries sometimes benefit from the plans too.
As some of these steps take time, planers should focus on how they can bring strong results, which can be seen in a short time.
Less than two years from now, the country will hold general elections.
If the plans will survive the following change of government, politicians must bring proof that clearly benefited (Change is certain, as President Buhari and many state governors will no longer be able to compete as they have served two terms)
By the heat of the election campaign in the end of 2022, those backing the plan should be able to show some of the built ranches or the repair reserve, a strong donor and their investors commitment and the first group of people trained to be professional in Livestock Mamagement.
Nothing in this thing is easy but the plan is worth the effort.
Not only was it perfect, but it brought an important opportunity, an opportunity to change the Nigerian livestock system with a strategy to address the needs of both herders and small-scale farmers.
About 70 percent of the workers in Nigeria get funds from Agriculture.
Modernising the Livestock sector will boost the countrys prosperity and at the same time, is a big way to solve one of Nigerias dangerous challenges.
In time for the 2023 elections, both federal and state authorities will need to do so quickly to see what they are doing, or otherwise all their work to create such moments of opportunity will disrupt.
This is an executive summary of the report on the National Livestock Transformation Plan (NLTP) and how their work progresses, published by the International Crisis Group.
What problem I had with the king?
Do you not agree?
They are responsible for the very high proportions of food and crops production.
Subsistence farmers are the smallholders consuming the majority of their farm output that is now holed back to not actively participate in commercial oriented agriculture by a variety of constraints.
No energy for anyone who is not happy for me.
I got it.
this brought me to the conclusion that everyone is evil.
This system has been characterised as complex, diversified and risk-prone.
Farms are always small, they are done under traditional or informal tenure, and it is in marginal risk-prone environments.
Yields are low and farmers lack the capacity to increase yields.
We spoke of life and prosperity in this day.
Whatever yours
The emphasis is on agricultural productivity, production enhancement and commercialising farming as an enterprise.
I know everythimg
Akpos and his friends sit-down
The yields of the smallholder farmers are profitable.
You are coming.
These challenges have led many smallholder farmers to pursue low-risk livelihoods and low-yielding agricultural activities.
Are you a witch?
I am on my road to sabo I am going to buy food enough.
Let me call my father
As developing countries grow larger, richer, and more urban, the intensification of agricultural production will occur in rapidly changing agri-food value chains.
I am far away from what I am suping to come here.
This development is shifting the competitive advantage away from petty farmers.
It is important to find solutions to the problem.
This requires an intergrated approach of methodologies.
The loan sharks have been on his neck.
This is a thing.
I was sent to work with errand.
The water flooded the entire farm.
Many battles for farmers in 2020
For many farmers and other stakeholders in the agro-sector, the year 2020 will remain as one of the worse years in the history of Nigeria because it introduced new dynamics that millions of smallholder farmers would contend with.
Many challenges have been confronted by the agricultural sector that is ranging from the issues that are climate change-related, conflicts and the complications exacerbate from the global COVID-19 pandemic, which brought to pain and heartbreak to farmers and agribusiness players.
First, the COVID-19 lockdown and restrictions occurred when dry season farmers had to harvest their crops and wet season farmers had to begin cultivation.
Many farmers cannot go to their farms while others with labourers harvest their farms since mechanization is a huge challenge and manual harvest, the problem.
Movement restrictions have been introduced to curb the spread for the coronavirus locked-down markets that have disrupted the rural economy.
Many farmers cannot sell their produce to enable them to buy seeds and fertiliser, pay labourers/tractor services.
Even after the lockdown in the agricultural sector was lifted, the price of fertiliser has risen so much that many smallholders cannot afford it.
In some places the prices have risen to N13,000 in a bag of Indorama and Notore Urea.
NPK 15-15-15 rose to N25,000 when the federal government NPK20-10-10, under the presidential fertiliser initiative, which is supposed to be sold to farmers at N5000, was unavailable in many places and areas where the price rose to N7,000 and is higher than this in some places.
For farmers in Zamfara, Katsina, southern kaduna, some parts of Kebbi and Sokoto states, bandits activities not only denied their access to their farms but the men also killed many in their farms.
Hundreds of farming communities were raised down.
Kidnappers and demands of ransom
Many pay large sum of money or surrender large portions of their harvest to the bandits.
Many villages in those states have been desolated.
The agric sector witnessed one of the worst disasters when one of the worst disasters when flood wipe out 450,000 hectares of rice and maize fields estimated at over N3.5 billion in Kebbi, Sokoto and Kano states.
Many of the farmers that it affected are yet to be compensated as their livelihood has been destroyed.
The flood has worsened since the 2012 disaster that wrecked the most of Nigeria's coastal and flood-prone areas that kill people and washed away farmlands.
Meanwhile, as the flood leads to pain for farmers in the north, drought confronts farmers in the south.
In two months, farmers had no joy but watched how their investments in crops were withering away.
Not being disguised.
Another subsector that the thing hit badly is poultry and feeds.
The scarcity of maize at the beginning has caused prices to increase.
It has also forced a poultry association in Nigeria to send a save our soul appeal to the federal government for urgent atention.
The federal government has responded to the appeal and released 5,000 metric tons of maize from the nations strategic reserve for farmers in addition to granting some of the big players licenses for imports of about 222 metric tons of maize to increase the shortfall in the feed industry.
However, this is just a short-term solution because three months after the scarcity of soyabean struck, the farmers expressed fear that by January 2021, the industry would shut down completely.
The scarcity resulted in a serious feed crisis in the industry as prices reached a high record in its history as it rose from N2,600 in February to about N5,500.
The poultry industry has lost an estimated N7 million jobs with figures projected to 10 million by January 2021 where the loss of investments is conservatively estimated at about N1.5 trillion.
While the poultry farmers are still struggling with the challenges that married the sector, the crop farmers despite the daunting challenges that confronted the sector in the 2020 farming year, have buyers komed right up to their farms even before harvesting to make bulk purchase arrangements.
This is the first time the price of grain has not come down in harvest time, sparking fear of hunger and the call to reopen the border, allowing influx on smuggled products through the countrys porous borders.
The name of the lord is a strong tower.
3,000 youths benefit from NALDA's farm estate in Ebonyi
The National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA) has said the agency would engage at least 3,000 youths in Ebonyi state in its proposed intergrated farm estate in the state.
The intergrated farm estate will be completed and commissioned by October this year.
The executive secretary of the agency, Prince Paul Ikonne, who announced this on Tuesday said the proposed integrated farm estate would be established in 104 hectares of land granted by the state government.
Prince Ikonne, who is also in Ebonyi State, at a courtesy visit to the governor on Monday, Engr David Umahi, said the intergrated farm estate would be completed in October 2021.
This is the mandate of Mr President, to reactivate abandoned farms and develop new ones for security.
The Governor of Ebonyi State is eager
He was in total support of achieving his dreams.
Thus, Ebonyi State is committed to working with NALDA to engage the teeming youths into full agricultural productivity.
We have seen that the governor has keyed into Mr Presidents agenda related to achieving food security in the country.
We are establishing an intergrated farm estate in Ebonyi State as we do it in other states.
The scheme will engage the Nigerian people and draw their attention to agriculture.
From Jude Owuamanam (Owerri), Lami Sadiq (Kaduna), Bola Ojuola (Akure), Abdullateef Salau, Muideen Olaniyi, Abbas Jimoh & Idowu Isamotu
New Major President of Niger Republic has shook hand in terrorist eye on committed crime.
Niger Republic new boss President Mohamed Bazoum has placed terrorists barbaric act passes the limit after he entered power on Friday in a country facing two jihadist insurgencies.
Bazoum said the groups were killing many innocent people, and by that, they were committing real war crimes.
He said the leaders of the groups came from other countries, saying Niger was being attacked in vain.
He said no terrorist leader has had any anger with the country.
Bazoum, 61 years old, was elected for two rounds in December and February.
Mahamadou Issoufou, a right hand member of the 68-year-old, stepped down by himself after he soended two fove yaer terms in office.
Its inauguration is the first time elected leaders have handfully presented each other in Niger history for over 60 years of independence, but the jihadist attacks and certain plans to do coup have disrupted the celebration.
Niger suffered an insurgency close connected to Al-qaeda or Islam State (IS), which was penetrated west from Burkina Faso and Mali, and from Nigeria as Boko Haram penetrated from southeast.
Over 300 people have been killed in three attacks in the west since the start of this year.
The latest was when 141 members of the Tuareg community were killed on March 21, in Tahoua, a massive desert in Mali.
Bazoum spoke of the efforts of Niger Rebuplic under him as the presidents focus on Mali.
He said the current situation in Mali has a direct impact on security in their country.
Insurgents linked to IS are based in Menaka and Gao, eastern and central Mali, Bazoum said.
He said it would be very difficult to fight them as long as Mali as a country is not fully charged over the regions.
Earlier in the hours of Wednesday, after a gun shot near the presidency in Niamey, the government said the intentional coup had been stopped.
He described the matter as an act of a coward and a regressive treath to democracy and state of the law.
The country in West Africa has suffered four coups, the most recent one occurred in February of 2010 and its exit President Mamadou Tandja.
Googles claims they could leave Australia
Google threats to Australia to crash out the search engine in the country, as the country has commissioned to share profit with publishers of news.
Australia wants to introduce a law that is the first of its kind as it urges Google, Facebook, and other tech companies to pay newsmen for the content they bring.
But the companies in the US are fighting back, warning that they could leave their services in the country.
Australian prime minister, Scott Morrison, said Lamakers would not listen to any threats.
Although Australia is not one of the biggest places in the world, the proposed news code can be a global test of how governments will begin to regulate big tech firms.
This code in Australia would be tired by Google and Facebook to negotiate with publishers over the value of their news content if they could not reach agreements at the beginning.
The Managing Director of Google in insde Australia, Mel Silva, told a Senate siddon on Friday that the law would not work.
She said if such a version of the code passes into law, Google will have no more choice than to move out of Australia.
But lawmakers attacked him, saying it was a blackmail and a bully to do in Australia to raise the reform.
It will recover everywhere in the world.
Are you going to every marketplace, you going out?
Senator Rex Patrick asked whether the precedents were to be stopped.
Silva replied that the code was an untolerable risk for operations in Australia.
Morrison said his government is committed to making the law progress through parliament this year.
Let me say clearly: Australia is the rule of what you can do in Australia.
We are doing that in our parliament, as he told newsmen on Friday.
Why is Australia pushing for such a law?
Google is the dominant search engine in Australia, and the government has described as an essential utility that does not really have any market competition.
The government argument is that because the tech giant has customers among people who want to read news, they should pay an amount that is good to newsroom for their journalism.
In addition, they argued that the financial support was necessary or embattled news industry because strong media was vital to democracy.
According to the Government, print media in Australia has suffered a 75% reduction in money since 2005.
It is the most tough thret that has been said to be removed from the entire cycle engine.
The lawmakers said news accounts only for 12.5 per cent of the searches made by Google in Australia.
Poultry farmers have begged to begin importing animal grade maize and soya meals.
General Secretary, South West Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN), Dr Olalekan Odunsi, has called on the government to facilitate importation of animal grade maize and soya meals.
Odunsi said importation could save the poultry business from collapse.
He said the importation of feed grade maize would sustain the over 500 million layers, 100 million broilers, 1 million breeders and other classes of poultry until next harvest.
He also urged governments, in the primary time, not to be allowed to export processed soya, seed and soya bean meals.
He asked governors of the region to put efforts in the production of maize as they did in the production of rice.
Odunsi said maize farmers, soya bean farmers and the remaining ones in Nigeria needed collaboration to take action.
He said if government does not intervene, that scarcity and hish prices of maize and soya threatened another five million poultry jobs if government doesnt do anything about it.
Today, maize is sold at 210,000/MT in most states in the South West, soya bena at 240,000/MT.
As the two items become so important, the price of poultry feed is just increaese from N2750 to N3000 in April N2020 to N4850 to N5300 now.
In December, most farmers could not sell them broilers because the cost of production had passed the cost of ordinary Nigerians.
Currently, eggs are far more than the average consumer can buy, the price is about 1,300.
So we really need government intervention to save the remaining ten million jobs in the poultry value chain for the economy.
As he said
Rep suspended in support of Buhari F.C.E.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has suspended the member of the House of Representatives representing Kazaure federal constituency in Jigawa State, Muhammad Gudaji Danbaffa for six months.
In addition, a panel of seven members has been formed to probe the allegation of insurmountability charged with the members, as well as make recommendations within ten days.
The committee is headed by Hamza Dand, whose secretary is Sanusi Kaaure.
During the suspension of the lawmaker, the local government chief chairman, claimed that when the decision was made to suspend Gudaji, it was initiated by his constituent members in the Kazaure Yama ward, and the local government also handed it.
Our correspondent reports that the lawmaker was suspended because he was accused of criticising the governor, saying the governor would change the candidate desired by the newly voted chaimanship and councilorship primaries.
Serena cruises over teenager Pigato in Parma Wta
Serena Williams was a brush asides the challenge of local teenager Lisa Pigato in the opening round of the WTA tournament in Parma on Monday.
Williams, the world number, was beaten Pigato, ranked 572 and making her WTA debut 6-3, 6-2, at the first meeting between the two.
How North-Central govs can optimise open grazing ban from South APC leaders
While open grazing controversy has trended into public domain, which Southern governors have hit by ban during their meetings in Asaba, the president, Farmers Empowerment Association in Nigeria (FEAN), as well as Chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC) North-Central Forum in FCT, Honourable Obaje David, has examined how the North-Central governors can respond to the ban.
Recently, the governors of Southern State met in Asaba, Delta State, and open grazing was banned to cut farmers-herders crisis including other forms of criminality.
What do you think about the controversy generated by this decision?
Every human being has the right to action and opinion.
But most importantly, once you take your own actions, you know consequences.
You should be able to consider the advantages and disadvantages.
I am not one of those who will say good or bad.
As a Nigerian, it is your right and freedom to live wherever in the country with good faith and enjoy the freedom of association.
On this basis, I will not say that you are good.
But as a leader in North Central, I will say it is good, especially in the North Central zone, as per the potential economic benefits for us and the nation.
The ban is an advantage to us.
We need to tap into it and see how we can make it a real venture and make money from it.
Lucky for us, we have a landmass enough to accommodate the herders, regardless of the nomba that troops from the South into the North Central.
What beyour position regarding open grazing?
I am not one of those who support open grazing.
I believe more in ranching, because it is what I do.
I believe that if we begin to ranching, it will work out for us.
Let the governors in North Central allow the national programme on ranching.
Such a move can make Nortj Central the most cattle area where people can buy cattle and some allied products.
It will also become a means of economic empowerment, for northern central people.
We have the land that southern states may not have.
See in Kogi, Niger, Kwara, among other states.
We also gave the herders a house and ranch to be our own advantage.
The challenges arising with the Fulani herders are not because they refuse to adopt ranching.
The problem is that they are not really educated on the advantage.
Their cultures are nomadic.
As aresulted, they need adequate education to accept ranching.
We can also adopt the method in Kenya, where almost all families have cows, but you cannot still see open grazing, as there are enough cows.
That is what the southern governors are saying.
The governors don't show where they belong in this regard.
There is no call for ranching or the mouth of the federal government.
What they are saying is that the herders have become a problem for us, and let them leave.
Herders should apply for land, which is a personal business, they said.
But have they been asked to apply for land like the herders?
As one of the participants in youth empowerment, especially in agriculture and value chain, why some government policies don't really work, what is the way out?
Firstly, no other administration has been able to touch the lives of individuals like one of President Muhammadu Buhari, whom you can sit in your home without problems and apply for an facility and get it.
There are also some credit facilities known as COVID-19 loans.
Many Nigerians have been collecting the loan for hundreds of thousands of naira from inside their homes without going to offices.
Also, with the expansion of some SMEs such as the Bank of Industry (BOI), Bank of Agriculture (BOA) and the remaining.
The challenge is that we have two sides, those who will believe you and those who will not believe.
Therefore, for those who do not believe in the administration of Buhari, there is no benefit.
But for us who believe in Buhari, we benefit from it and thank God for it.
Kidnappers killed driver, 13 arrested in Nasarawa
Kidnappers have killed Adamu Usman, and 13 persons have been taken near Shafa-Abakpa-Umaisha road to Toto Local Government Council of Nasarawa State.
Daily Trust learnt that he was shot three times in his abdomen and died around 9pm at the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital where he and another driver, Atahiru Abukwo, who was also shot, were treated together.
Another driver who narrowly escaped the attack, Ibrahim Saidu, said the incident occurred ound 5pm on Tuesday, when several kidnappers with AK47 came from inside the bush to waylay four motos from Ugya village.
According to him, the kidnappers waylayed the vehicle and shot at a motorcycle carrying people from Ugya into Abaji.
He said the kidnappers were surrounded by the vehicle after drivers losed control drive into the bush.
13 passengers including a woman who was not too old were taken into the bush as they pointed gun to them.
In fact, you are driving behind the four motorcycles, and God saved me to take someone into one of the villages.
As I was coming to him, I heard that they were shooting, and I turned back.
The Ohimegye of Opanda-Umaisha, His Royal Majesty (HRM), Usman Abdullahi, said some remaining bandits in the forest were responsible for kidnapping of travelers, residents and some farmers in the area.
He said some bandits remained and were terrorizing in the community, asking state and federal governments to collaborate and flush them out.
In contact with the spokesman of the Nasarawa State Police Command, ASP Ramhan Nansel, who said he had not been informed about the latest kidnap incidents, he said he would go to the Divisional Police Officer in the Toto Local Government Area, and he would again speak to newsmen.
Man arrested for following one way in the lagos
The Lagos State Police Command has confirmed the arrest of a Victor Ebhomenyen seeking his drive to follow one way at Four Point Hotel, Oniru, Lagos State.
It was said that Ebhomenyen also assaulted and caused severe injury at ASP Erhator Sunday body at Four Point Hotel, Oniru, Lagos.
This is stated in a statement by Lagos Police Command spokesman CSP Olumuyiwa Adejobi.
He said the command tniked him to set the record straught concerning.
The incident recorded in an online video on social media came viral on Saturday April 17.
He said two men were assaulted ASP Erhator Sunday, a duty officer, and a scene was created on the road at Oniru, Victoria Island, Lagos State.
Adejobi said the prime suspect, Victor, has entered the police net at the State Criminal Investigation Department Panti, for investigation and prosecution as and when due.
He said the command has been making efforts to arrest the committed person, Etinosa.
Gbajabiamila welcomes Ayade defect as PDP urges members to stay united.
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rep. Femi Gbajabiamila, has expressed gratitude for the defect of the Governor of Cross River State, Prof. Ben Ayade, to enter the All Progressives Congress (APC), saying the party is open to everyone.
Gbajabiamila in a statement on Thursday by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Lanre Lasisi, said Ayade’s actions have shown that the APC is the beating party in the country.
The Speaker said the Cross River State governor had made the right decision and set a fine example for the remaining ones to follow.
He said the ruling party remained open for all, calling on Nigerians to join the APC to move the country forward.
The Speaker said APC would continue to be just and fair to all its members.
Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), reacting to the defect of Ayade, urged members in Cross River State to stay united.
In a statement issued by the party spokesman, Kola Ologbondiyan, our party is calling on all critical stakeholders and teeming members of our party in Cross Rivers State to immediately pull together and ensure that all the structures of our party in the state remain intact.
The PDP wishes Governor Ayade well in his new political walk as well as in his future endeavours.
The forensic Bill to pass by the National Assembly: It is relevant to the fight against corruption by Buhari
The National Assembly of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on Wednesday 19th.
May 2021 at the House of Representatives and Tuesday 2nd
March 2021 in the Senate made history when it passed into law, the Chartered Institute of Forensic and Investigative Professionals of Nigeria Bill, 2021 (SB.615 and HB.
791), after reading it in the Third Time for both Chambers (SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVE).
This act is a clear demonstration of the patriotism and a direct response of the Targeted National Assembly, as well as strengthening and re-invigorating national frontiers in the fight against fraud, corruption and cybercrimes, which have entered into our country.
By passing this bill, the 9th Assembly under the distinguished and able leadership of His Excellency, Senator Ahmad Ibrahim Lawan, PhD, CON and Rt Hon Femi Gbajabiala clearly showed that they had taken legislative functions on their head, as it was in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999, as it was amended.
And these also attests to the fact that the National Assembly has awoken to the performance of their complementary role with other arms of the Government in the fight against corruption.
It was with a happy heart and with a deep sense of gratitude that I wrote this, which has been put together as a platform for us to let Nigerians and indeed the entire world know what the Chartered Institute of Forensic and Investigative Professionals of Nigeria is all about and the unique concept we are bringing on board in order to complement national efforts in its quest to ride the country of corruption, fraud and Cyber-Crimes and other related crimes.
After the Senate passed the Bill, and in view of the operation of the bi-cameral Legislature, the House of Representatives is always ready and resilient, under the able leadership of His Excellency, Rt.
Femi Gbajabiamila, the Hon.
The speaker also followed the decision and passed the Bill on Wednesday 19 May, 2021.
As you may have heard earlier, the Bill to establish the Chartered Institute of Forensic and Investigative Professionals of Nigeria (CIFIPN) is among the bill that has been declared NO to in the National Assembly.
Sadly, those who are supposed to mouth in the fight against corrupt walk in Nigeria are attacking the bill, they have become enemies in common ood.
Good thimgs are good thimgs, no substitutes, just so bad thimgs are.
No matter how long it takes, good will always prevails over bad just as the light superior over darkness is constant and unquestionable.
It is important to see a bit of how this happened at the National Assembly.
Interestingly, the Chartered Institute of Forensic and Investigative Professionals of Nigeria (Est) Bill 2021 (CIFIPN) was the 9th Senate first passed it into law on the 2nd day of March, 2021 as it passed the legislative processes of 1st Reading, 2nd Reading and eventual in the 3rd Reading on the 2nd March, 2021 senate passed the Bill into law with one voices when considered the urgent need for the noble legislation, of no reason it occurred without a lot of thunderts from detractors that would not stop at any length to see that any legislation that would help the administration led by Buhari to fight corruption would not see a light of day state and well see through it.
It is very important for the public to know that (CIFIPN) is not just a noble body but a new one in Nigeria aimed at briding the gap that has been for a long time in the forensics space.
Today, the move to have a standard body that will regulate the practice of forensics in Nigeria in its peak and make Nigerians rise to challenge the few anti-government bodies that may intend to sabotage this step.
This bill passed by the National Assembly shows that they are clearly demonstrated patriotic and the need to strengthen national efforts against corruption, which are already blocking development in every aspect of our national life.
This positive step in legislation, taken by the two Chambers of the National Assembly, is historic and symbolic, and occurs at a time Nigeria needs legislation welfare.
That will give a better way to his anti-corruption drive as the spate of criminals and corrupts has risen across the globe.
As we all know, crime has entered another level as science and technology improved in the 21st Century.
Therefore, as the bill passed and took place at a better time, it clearly demonstrated that we have a flexible and responsive legislation that knows what is happening in the world and is ongoing to carry out legislation that will respond to the opinions of the Nigerian people.
It should also be said that the inherited journey by passing the bill to turn to law has commenced since the 8th National Assembly, where Distinguished Senator Ahmad Ibrahim Lawan Ph.D, CON the current Senate President sponsored our bill, while he was a Senate Leader, because it is important to the anti corruption walk of this admiistration.
For a better understanding, when we introduced our bill into the two chambres during the 8th Assembly, a public hearing was held which led all along in the chambre.
Thereafter, and on the basis of minority stakeholders opposition, they were led by the Institute of Chatered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), the National Assembly passed the bill, with a view of its significance and the role of the part in the fight against corruption.
Afterward, the bill was forwarded to the major president, but he did not hold until the 8th Assembly was disrupted in June 2019.
On this stregth, the bill was brought abck for the 9th National Assembly, Distinguished Senator Abdullahi A. Yahaya, the current Leader of the Senate, in view of its importance.
We are pushed to make this clarification in order to clear the air on the cheap propaganda by distracting people saying that the 8th Assembly had rejected our bill.
Also, we should mention the fact that our bills have been mistaken with similar abother bills just introduced in both the Senate and House of Representative Chambers.
These bills, as we have scrutized them closely, we discovered that they just imitated our intentions and the things our bill stands for.
We should draw to hear that any of the bills were not introduced into the 8th Assembly, only our bills.
As such, we are the first to carry bills that are as big as this (Forensic)
As we have seen, it is urgent to establish such a great institute.
The decision was made to establish the institute after it studied how it operates in other jurisdictions and how it has helped crime detection, investigation and prosecution.
It is part of instruction to ensure that our institute has been in existence since 2009.
And over the years, and over the years, we have trained professionals to know forensic science technology, targeted at inculcating the requisite skills in the pragmatic areas of forensic investigation and management, to:
forensic analysis can eliminate material misstatements, either by error or fraud; voice recognition analysis; fingerprint/signature analysis; digital forensic and cybersecurity; crime scene investigation; global anti-corruption compliance and enforcement; litigation support, forensic investigation capacities, forensic report preparation, fraud risk management, corporate fraud analysis, fraud prevention, detection and investigation etc.
You will reason with me that in the country world we are today, the normal way we do investigate crime is by saying that we want to stop it becomes something old.
As such, as a country should we do something that is meantime in this regard, it is paramount that we should follow global trends and new innovations, which are placed on the ground to combat corruption.
This is how we reasoned to establish this institute with a very objective that is relevant to the anti-corruption agenda of this administration.
I have little time to discuss everything in the bill here.
However, I want you to allow me to mention a few of what the Bill will do, for the purpose of this statement, as this is:
that we should establish the Chartered Institute of Forensic and Investigative Professionals in Nigeria, to develop and train professionals in this specialised field, with systematic and professional examination and certification to give better skills in the use of science and technology in fraud detection, investigation and detection;
To provide a platform for training and retraining professionals on the use of Forensic Science and Technology tools and techniques to investigate fraud in both the public and private sectors of the economy, as they do everywhere;
To promote high professional standards, ethics and etiquettes among those doing the, in a bid to cut fraudul and corruption, and as well develop a mechanism of fraud prevention, as a proactive measure against corruption generally;
To fill the huge vacuum existing in our old-fashioned normal system of investigation with the introduction of a unique operation of forensic science to help the country from expanding its scarce foreign exchange to hire foreign expatriates to do forensic investigations in Nigeria;
Developing broad-based mechanisms and training programmes that will cut across all the strate of our investigation architecture, involving professionals such as Lawyers, Criminologists, Security Experts, Judicial Officers, Court Registrars, and Economists.
This will enhance effective and efficient disposition of cases as it is being done globally; and
To enhance an anti-fraud mechanism in Nigeria, through the provision of a legal framework for professional development and discipline of forensic and investigative professionals in Nigeria, among others.
From the foregoing, it has shown that the role of this institute is strategic and important.
It is also important to say that forensic science is very wide and involves many other fields and requires effective and efficient regulation to attain and sustain high levels of professionalism and ethical standards.
The broad spectrum of the scope and focal points of the institute, includes but not only forensic toxicology; forensic investigation; forensic auditing; digital forensics and cybercrimes, forensic autopsy; forensic law; forensic accounting; forensic nursing; forensic pathology; forensic engineering; forensic psychology; forensic DNA analysis; forensic anthropology; forensic linguistics; forensic deontology; forensic dentistry; forensic archeology; forensic graphology, forensic entomology, etc.
Accordingly, you will agree that our institute has brought unique concepts into crime detection and investigation that followed international best practices.
The concept passes as myopic people thimg about our bill has covered a sense of thimg, due to narrow-mindedness and inordinate desire to monopolise a system, which has passed them jurisdiction and scope of operation.
On a lighter note, I wanted to draw the attention of everyone to the funny scenario that is playing out now, and as a matter of fact, it should be a source of concern for all good Nigerians.
When the Chartered Institute of Forensic and Investigative Professionals of Nigeria Bill was introduced at the 8th National Assembly, the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), came out with anger to oppose the passage because according to them, it is an unnecessary duplication of function by the institute.
However, as our bill has been introduced again at this 9th National Assembly, and as we have seen the overwhelming and accelerated legislative support given to our bill by the two Chambers, ICAn has realised that forensic science is a uniques field of practice, and as we are speaking, they have brought similar Bill to the House of Representatives, as they have failed wofully in their attempts to stop the passage of this our bill.
One might ask, what has changed between now and the past, where ICAN has the view that any other institute should not regulate the practices of forensic science?
Your answer is the same as my.
I would also like to inform you that the Association of National Accountants of Nigeria (ANAN) is also part of this episode.
which was initiated and promoted by ANAN, just as the ICAN counterpart has also been introduced a bill in the House of Representatives which is in line with the Chartered Institute of Forensic and Certified Fraud Examiners of Nigeria Bill, which is initiated by ANAN, and promoted it.
I decided to examine all the facts that made Nigerians and even international communities understand the extent to which some may be inclined to their aim.
However, this development does not bother us at all, because we believe over the credibility and ability of the National Assembly and also in the Presidency to do the right thing, to avoid manipulation in any way, with these unnecessarydistractions, to avoid making mockery of doing all things.
The ICAN is the practical and antagonist of this bill and the reasons are seen now.
Several bystanders were engaged in writing malicious petitions, even targeting the leadership in the Senate, and it sounded like a bleckmail.
Failing in Senate, the antagonist shifted attention to the House of Representatives with the same bystanders as they just wrote many publications.
and again, they failed.
Ordinarily according to a legislative procedure, a bill passed by the Senate only needs concurrence by the House except when observation.
But in the case of the CIFIPN Bill, the opposers fighted it until the truth victory on 19 May, 2021 when the House of Representatives passed the Bill establishment of the Chartered Institute of Forensic and Investigative Professionals of Nigeria for Effective Regulation, Registration of Members and Determination of what the Standards Knowledge and Skill of a person who wants to become a rigistered member must have and Qualify to Practice as Forensic and Investigative Professionals; and in Related Matters (HB. 791)
ICAN has registered its own Bill in the title House of Representatives (REPEALING AND RE-ENACTMENT OF ICANS ACT.
The new bill introduced by ICAn contains full provision to practice forensic, as well as the establishment of a forensic university in Nigeria, and without it, no one can practice forensics in Nigeria, and anyone who violates it will be sentenced to some years in prison.
This wants to be strangers in a country where there is a lot of oepn-looking people.
The reason I wondered was that Nigeria was not a Banana Republic.
No matter the level of corruption there.
We have been challenging as the House of Representatives takes over bill.
It should be noteed that while we are challenging the bill is not in a bad heart, but because we are certain that the purpose of the bill is to interfere with presidential assets under the disguise that similar legislation exists before.
We will not be able to deceive us and the Nigerian people with them.
You will remember how ICAn openly opposed the CIFIPN and in a publication sponsored by the Association of Professional Bodies of Nigeria led by Engr.(Chief)
Olumuyiwa Alade on 24 May, 2019 made much effort to tell us that the law enabling ICAN has given it the power to do forensics and pass the CIFIPN Bill would be just duplicating laws, but today ICAN is presenting laws to include forensics in the new law.
The question is, what has changed?
The same law that ICAN has directed the public to forensics is seeking re-enacting it.
As always, as we do not oppose any group that proposes to include forensics and their laws, our concern is that one body should not try to perpetuate himself.
ICAN and its cohorts have realised their inability to stop the passage of CIFIPN.
So they want to have an union for themselves.
They were afraid of checks and balances, and they would not want another professional body to investigate their activities because they knew what they were doing to the economy of this nation.
How will they want to judge their own cases themselves?
This sounded strange welwel.
On this note, we are calling on the National Assembly to beware of the disappointment that this group has and should not be speaking from both sides of their mouth, so they are expected to use it to cajole National Assembly.
Once again, we want to appreciate the commitment of the 9th Assembly to ensure that beyond the Bill, Nigerians are aware that this administration is ready to fight corruption by every means and will encourage legislation aimed at helping them to this goal.
We can be confident that His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari, had no hesitate to pursue the Bill as soon as he entered his table.
We call on Nigerians to participate in the Forensic Profession.
The profession is open to all professional people in various areas.
The institute has a training section to guide and equip you.
I want to thank you all, and again to say that we are committed to standing with ethical standards by applying the way they do it worldwide, as we offer our professional services, as well as training to give us new ways of fighting corruption and crime that is a matter of money generally.
I want to appeal to stakeholders and good Nigerians to support this noble course and to ask all of us to make efforts to complete corruption together, the many security challenges, all over the country and other crises that followed it.
Dr (Mrs) Enape Victoria Ayishetu, PhD, Pro-tem President, (CIFIPN) www.cifipn.org
Air peace test flight with new aircraft E195-E2
Air Peace has begged to test flight for two new Embraer 195-E2 aircraft as they are preparing for use.
Daily Trust reports that the two aircraft were the first set among the 13 brands new 195-E2 aircraft purchased by the airline to help route expansion.
A spokesperson of the airline, Stanley Olisa, told newsmen on Friday that one of the aircraft empty from Lagos was flown into Owerri, Abuja and Port Harcourt to be familiar on Thursday.
Olisa gave a hint that test flights to other destinations would continue, adding that the plans would not take much time to start schedule flights and offer better travel experiences to customers.
He said.
The brand new E195-E2 aircraft, the third, will soon enter, said the reason for expansion of the fleet is the commitment to satisfying the air travel needs of Nigerians.
During the test flight, it is a regulatory requirement to Dob before carrying the aircraft into regular operations.
It can be recalled that Air Peace collected the two brands new Ultramordern Embraer 195-E2 aircraft with 124 sits in January and March this year, with 11 more collected.
Tela Maize harvests have the potential to give 8 tons in one hectare.
On the last Tuesday, the Institute of Agricultural Research (IAR), at Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, invited relevant stakeholders, as well as journalists, to witness the third harvest of the Tela Maize Variety Confined Field Trials (CFT) under its Tela Maize Research Project funded by the Africa Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF).
The name was derived in the maize varieties TELA in Latin TUTELA which means protection.
Such maize has protection against pests and draught in its breed.
Professor Rabiu Adamu, a Principal Investigator, as well as other scientists who rounded journalists harvest, said the idea of the project was to produce maize varieties that are resistant or protected against two major insect pests: stalk (stem) borers and Fall Army Worm plus another protection against moderate draught.
These are all about producing crops that are high yielding under stressed conditions; the stresses are Fall Army Warm and stem borers, which are major constraints to maize production; it is to produce yield crops wellwel under hard condition; the stresses are Fall Army Warm and stem borers, which are major blocks to maize production.
If it is not controlled, if it can cause loss of up to 80 percent, including drought if you do not manage rain shortage well, you may not have any yield.
This is the third time this trial has been done.
We did the first trial under dry season of March, and during the rainy season, we did another one from June to November.
This is the third trial from November to April.
That is what they are trying to showcase, the principal researcher said.
As the three CFT trials have been successful, researchers need to test and validate them to show that recordings in their research stations are performing well in the farmers fields in different locations and ecological conditions as it begins in the rainy season of 2021.
By the end of 2022, if all thimgs work well, Nigerian farmers expect all these hybrids to be accompanied by them.
Dr. Muhyideen Ayekunle, a maize breeder under this project, said from the last two trials, the transgenic varieties recorded gave 17 percent advantage over the non-BT varieties despite being infested well.
We have infested the varieties that we are put for trial three times unlike the previous one to analyze the effectiveness of the BT gene in the maize product.
With the outcome, researchers have said the yield would increase by 17 percent.
Thereafter, we will analyze the data and prepare documents to obtain approval for environmental release.
The dossiers shall be submitted to the National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA) and reviewed.
Once we have been approved that this product, we can show a face outside.
and then we can get a national performing trial.
The Director General/CEO of the National Biotechnology Development Agency (NBDA), Professor Abdullahi Mustapha, at the event, called on the scientists to continue searching for abiotic and biotic solutions to the challenges facing farmers in the country.
We have tested certain technologies capable of providing solutions to problems faced by farmers to take advantage of it and move forward, he said.
Dr Rose Maxwell Gidado, the Country Coordinator OFAB Nigeria, expressed the impact to many welcomes.
Farmers yield will increase by 17 percent and you know that productivity and harvest are the key to farming.
Once you accept, you will have a lot of harvest and profit.
She said, By the time this kind of maize will be ready to enter farmers hands, it will increase their livelihoods, money, as well as the price of maize would come down.
Manchester United fight back to win Aston Villa
Manchester United are a fight back to take Aston Villa 3-1 away in the Premier League on Sunday as Bruno Fernandes, Mason Greenwood and Edinson Cavani scored in the second half to hold the celebration of Manchester City.
The result left United at 70 points from 34 games, 10 points behind City who had played one game above them and missed the chance to win the title on Saturday after Chelsea beat them home 2-1 on Saturday.
Bertrand Traore put Villa ahead in the 24th minute with a brilliant strike which entered the top corner from 15 metres after some weak denfendim made by the visitors, troving the ball for their own half several times.
Fernandes equalised within 52 minutes with penalty, as he sent the golie at Villa, Emiliano Martinez the wrong way with the spot-kick he coolee took, this followed a rough challenge from Douglas Luiz who was tumbled by Paul Pogba.
Grenwood turned the match on his head four minutes later with an neat shot on the turn from inside the penalty area after shake off the centre back Tryone Mings.
A substitute Edinson Cavani was his seal win for United with a goal scored in the 87th minute.
After the news out of Daily Trust, NCC had banned sales and use of mobile phones boosts.
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has placed a ban on the sale and use of GSM network boosts (in mobile connectivity) especially by banks, residents, government agencies, among others to improve telecommunications services.
The Commission was given the 14-day Pre-Enfircement Notice on Tuesday, signed by the Director Public Affairs, Ikechukwu Adinde.
He said the warning would take effect from Tuesday and as it expires at the deadline, NCC said it would take action against non-instructions.
This is less than one month after Daily Trust on April 24, 2021 that business operators at Sabon Gari market in Kano as well as other business areas said they were buying boosts to improve the reception of the bad telecommunication network in their area.
Some of the traders say the service is not good as telecommunication service providers do not do much to improve services on the benefits they are making in such a place.
According to them, many traders and customers are engaging in digital and online financial transactions (data-based cashless services) as well as other telecommunication-based services and still have poor call/data services.
In the notice, NCC said selling, installing and using GSm booster was illegal.
In the notice, NCC said they are just ongoing duty to ensure consumers protection, to ensure good quality of service and maintenance of technical standards of communication equipment, as well as the provision of section 131 (1) of the Nigerian Communications Act (NCA) 2003.
Such acts may lead to a sanction involving moneyplus/or prison, or the two (fines plus prison) as well as seizure any equipment used for the illicit enhancement of network coverage.
LG polls: Protest over imposing candidates in APC
Members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ogun State have protested against the party adopting some consensus candidates in some local government areas ahead of the July 24 local government elections in the state.
Top members of the party have announced that the party would adopt consensus candidates in some local government areas and conduct direct and or indirect primary voting to emmerge candidates for some.
The protesters who entered the secretariat of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), in Ogun State, accused some leaders of the APC in Abeokuta South LGA of imposing a candidate for the post Chaiman.
They carried placards with many items written, including We Say No To Money Bags.
in Abeokuta South and
Allow Members of the Party to pick who they want, and said preferred aspirants are Farouk Akintunde.
One of the party leaders who followed the protest, Balogun Ololade, said Gov dapo Abiodun should intervene in the matter to save democracy from jeopardy.
Between the DSS and those who want to separate in some regions
As the DSS has listened to groups and people who speak and do things that could provoke and disrupt the ethno-religious environment and threaten harmonous co-existence of the majority common folk of the country, it has become sounding as one person said until they are forced to leave where they are deceiving people.
Lingering questions about who or which individual and group the security agent is speaking are promptly vapourised in the heated rhetorical outbust of the nation prominent geo-ethnic agitators.
Afenifere, Kudu Consultative Forum (ACF), Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Northern Elders Forum (NEF)and Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF).
It is clear to all of us that this is a group of people who have continued to resort to inciting, unguarded and divisive statement and act them, to set countrys people against themselves to set fire of tribal and religious discord, as the DSS charge for one of them warning.
Interestingly, not within the major suspects for the exploitation of some fault lines to cause ethno-religious violence in some parts of the country can categorically distance themselves from the treacherous and subversive activities detected by security agents.
The same conviction was chored that the DSS knew the responsible people, they differed only in the direction they were pointing them accusing finger.
AS Afenifere said these people are familiar with those responsible for the acts, but they cannot be touched because of the connectivity they have, PANDEV said again about a lot of people run alienated and ACF act as if they did not know, they are asking who the people are?
Since the DSS knew them and they satanically walked, they should take action to deal with them.
The NEF sounded like a person who was not convinced that if there were people pushing the country into deep crises and they were known to be treated according to the law.
You don't need to be spook to know what the DSS knows about these flag bearers of geo-ethnic politics in Nigeria or to understand why they are all aware that the DSS knows them yet insist on passing the buck outside their clique.
Indeed, these champions of ethnic politics do not know any better solution to the problems Nigeria faces than sectional enclave and chief lord over the rest of the country as rulers, not leaders!
They are desperate and unscrupulous to pursue their inordinate ambitions that they agitate absurdly and frequently to break Nigeria up.
Ambition-powered mind games intoxicated their geographical consciousness to reduce all it takes to excising the territorial contours of their enclaves with the frenzied ease of cutting their portion of the remaining crumbs of the proverbial national cake.
To put it simple, to break up or out of Nigeria as an ultimate political panacea or consolatory opportunity to inordinate ambitions of people or groups undermining the ambitions of a majority of the-zo-bia Nigeria commoners restlessly in enduring peaceful coexistence, it is easier to say than to do.
These groups are major blocks to the steady attainment of unity and to live together in peace that Nigeria has been working for since the flag of independence.
For as long as the political terrain is continued to be parade as ethnic champions, it is for as long as Nigeria is regarded as an entitlement for its ethnic stake in the population, to be claimed or seized, and if all fail, it should be deconstructed and disown as a failure state.
Whenever met, the agenda is not for Nigeria to progress and develop, unless the leadership is firmly handed, otherwise is all about hecking and jostling around with barely concealed determination to deploy the notorious Nigerian Ph.d, pull-him-down syndrome against the incumbent non-indigenes President.
Whether ACF, Afenifere, Ohanaeze, PANDEV or Northern Elders Forum, their existence and activities will oppose the quest of Nigeria for unity, peace and development.
Another indication that we cannot deny in these regional separatists is that they are all sel-styled political pressure groups that pretend to be representatives of various ethnic groups.
From the membership, he is planning to see that consists of ex-this.
Ironically, these political deficiency gave them the ginger to come together, desperately to remain relevant to a democratic system run by elected representatives through registered political parties and legislative and executive institutions established with constitution to dispense good governance and dividends of democracy.
It is only nasty nuisance value by the geo-ethnic groups in our democratic setting as they continue with mischief, sabotage, blackmail and subversion intended to make Nigeria ungovernable as threats and attempts so that if they have opportunities they can regain political relevance plus control.
This is why frequesnt meetings have caused security alert!
With such predator-politics walking the perimeter of power with dubious intent and undermining the government elected just because they are not involved in it, it is beyond reasonable doubt that there is a convergence of interest linking overt activities and the covert criminality of kidnappers, insurgents, armed robbers, bandits and allied terrorists, combined to make Nigeria uncontrolled.
A double danger can describe the trying situation of the Buhari administration as they have to handle such a number of formidable enemy unleashing numerous assaults on national security in the time the economy is facing new difficulties.
To that extent, there can only be two groups of politicians: those who participate positively in the democratic dispensation partner in moving the country forward against all odds and those with negative minds that bring discord and disorder to distabilise the country.
By their words and actions, we all knew them!
At the end of the day, the majority of Nigerians are ordinary citizens conditioned to survive without following or depending on where they come from.
They struggle every day to make life and submission to the will of one God despite different faiths.
Nigeria is a destiny fatherland, and it remains loyal, imitating and praying, knowing that there is no other country to be called theirs, showing how citizenship can breed true patriotism.
It is also known that Afenifere, Kudu Consultative Forum (ACF), Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Northern Elders Forum (NEF) and Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) have been using inciting, unguarded and divisive statements and activities to put citizens against one other to set fire in the tribal and religious challenges in the political ambition of their leaders.
The remaining prayer in the mouth of a poor man is the following:
DEY,
NIGERIA GO BETTER!
Manzo Reuben, youth leader in Lokoja
10 killed as a terrorist attempt to attack army formation
Troops in the Nigerian Army, on Saturday, neutralised not less than 10 Boko Haram terrorist members attempting to attack the troops of Operation Hadin Kai in Rann, headquarters of Kala Balge Local Government Area in Borno State.
This is coming at least 24 hours after the Chief of Army Staff, who was recently appointed, Maj.-Gen.
Farouk Yahaya, leader of the Nigerian Army
The spokesman of the Nigerian Army, Brig.-Gen
Mohammed Yerima, in a available statement, explained that the terrorist, who came in large numbers, put gun trucks on the ground and attempted to infiltrate the main entrance to the town.
Yerima said, The troops of high spirit were right on hand to counter the move and brought humiliating defeat to the terrorists who abandoned their evil mission and ran.
The troops were chasing the runaway terrorists and ensuring that there is no threat in the city and its residents.
Troops successfully destroyed one of their gun trucks and collected a large number of weapons including an anti-aircraft guns, two machine guns and eight AK-47 rifflr while neutralising ten terrorists into the process.
Daily Trust reports that Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Lucky Irabor, on Friday charged the new COAS to build on the legacy of late Attahiru as it defeated terror opponents in Northesat and other regions of the country.
Second U.S. congresswoman has tested positively to get COVID-19 after the Capitol challenge.
Pramilla Jayapal, a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, said she contacted the Coronavirus (COVID-19) after being locked in the same room with some Republican lawmakers who did not wear mask during the incident in the Capitol last week.
I just collected a positive COVID-19 test after I was locked down in a secure room at the Capitol where many Republicans were not wicked not to wear masks but were mocked colleagues and staff who offered them masks recklessly, Jayapal said in a post on her official Twitter account.
Earlier on Monday, U.S. Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman said she also contracted COVID-19 with possible exposures during by the time of the lockdown in the Capitol on Jan. 6.
Jayapal, a member of the Democratic Party, accused lawmakers from the Republican of causing the spread of COVID-19 welwel and said they should be punished.
Any member who refuses to wear a face mask will be held accountable that he is putting our lives at danger because he is selfish and idiot.
I am calling on every member who refused to wear mask in the Capitol to fine them and let Sergeant of Arms remove them from the floor, she said in a Twitter post.
It is not clear if the two congresswomen were in the same room during the lockdown in the Capitol.
Jayapal was not happy that U.S. President Donald Trump failed to contain the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S. and vowed that she would do everything in her power to remove him from office.
A 30 - year - old man has been arraigned for assaulting a woman in Edo.
The police have arraigned a 30 - year - old Gabriel Fidelis before Ogbeson chief magistrates court in Benin for allegedly assaulting a woman named Rebecca Izevbigie.
He was accused of three charges of conspiracy, unlacious assault and malicious damage punishable under sections 516, 355, and 451 of the criminal code.
The prosecutor, Sgt. Kehinde Iyare told the court that the accusation joined other fleeing persons to commit the offence on April 11, in Estate Quarters, along Benin-Agbor Road, in Benin City.
She further told the court that the accusation, along with others who have run assaulted one Rebecca Izevbigie unlawfully by hitting and bitting her.
She added that the accussed also used iron rod to break her in the leg.
She further told the court that on March 31, 2021 the accusation intentionally and maliciously spoiled wash hand basin owned by the complainant and the matter was N8,000.
The accused pleaded that he was not guilty as the counsel Mrs. E. E. Idahosaapply for his bail and said he would not jump bail.
Consequently, Chief Magistrate Mutairu Oare granted bail for the accusation of the sum of N100,000 with one who would stand for him.
He said the person who would stand with him must bring two recent passport photos of himself and that of the accuse.
He ordered that the court registrar verift the supplied information and where the surety lived and adjourn the case to May 10 in hearing.
Why National Assembly cannot impeach Buhari Senator in Oyo
The Senator representing Oyo North Senatorial District, Fatai Buhari, has said the National Assembly has not found reason to impeach President Muhammadu Buhari.
This was disclosed by a Senator during a paid visit to a former governor in Oyo State, Rashidi Ladoja, who said there was a process taken as president.
Senator Buhari submission is coming a day after Senator Yusuf Abubakar (APC Taraba) and Cahir of the Senate committee on a special duty said leaving president Buhari would not end insecurity in the country.
People have called on President Buhari to resign or impeach as insecurity in the country.
But Senator Buhari has urged those seeking the break of the country not to create problems that are not easy to solve.
There is a process of impeaching president.
Anybody calling for the presidents to be impeached should give appropriate reasons to do impeachements.
We have not seen any reasons to impeach the president.
If necessary, we go to table, discuss it, and the two houses must come together.
Impeaching the president is not something one person should just wake up one day and begin to say.
There is a procedure.
Why are you determined to cause problems and confusion that you cannot solve?
So he asked.
On the security challenges the country faces, the lawmaker said: We have no other country than Nigeria.
Nigeria is our country and home.
Let us try to do internal security.
Let us play our own part; let us never leave anything to government alone.
We must place local police to identify all the locations.
No matter how it may be, we know each other.
In the early 80s, we traveled to nite.
But at the level of insecurity now, something fundamental is missing.
He said the 9th National Assembly discussed security over 59 times.
Security issues have been discussed over 30 times in the 8th Assembly, and this 9th Assembly has also discussed them over 50 times.
Everyone should be vigilant, even if he changes the service chief several times, he will still not solve the security problem, the senator said.
Ranchers have been supported by the CBN setting restrictions on dairy imports in forex.
The Commercial Ranchers Association of Nigeria (CODARAN) has shown support for the restrictions imposed on foreign exchange for dairy products.
Recall that the Central Bank of Nigeria has issued a circular for over a year now on companies restricted from foreign exchange to import milk and dairy products.
But during a recent visit to the governor of the CBN, the Director-General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, said the European Union (EU) had complianed against Nigeria over such restrictions.
In a statement by Dianabasi Akpainyang, the CORAN said Nigeria has the potential to harvest dairy products that will provide jobs as well as create investments in local production of milk.
The CBN governor is correction.
Indeed, Nigeria has the potential to meet, as well as sustain the dairy requirements.
Akpainyang said the milk grounded in collection and processing is not close to that figure for now, but he noted that since it is likely, it is necessary for everyone to set foot in fire to seek urgent development of the local dairy sector.
Citating a report issued in the CBN that Nigeria spends $1.5 billion yearly for importing dairy products, he said the figure would increase as demand for dairy products increases.
It is mentioned issues like poor productivity of local cattle, cattle nutrition, animal disease management system, because they lack a good organised system to tke kolk milk, as they lack very little finance, insecurity, poor infrastructure, insufficient extension services, inadequate processing and storage facilities, low investment in research and development and low use of modern technologies as they are the major challenges faced by the sector.
However, he said the Advancing Local Dairy Development in Nigeria (ALDDN) programme presently running in four states Adamawa, Kaduna, Kano and Plateau had been tackling the problem.
PDP frowns face as APC claims it has registered 2.5m in Lagos
Uproar was ongoing as the All Progressives Congress (APC) disclosed that 2.5m members of Lagos were registered for nationwide and revalidation exercise.
Chaiman of the APC Registration Supervisory Committee in Lagos, Dr. Muhammad Bashiru, said at the closing of a recommendation letter to the supervisor that about 2.5 million have been registered in the 20 local government areas in the state.
But the leading opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has described the figure as false and false.
The PDP said APC has a habit of cooking figures to convince people that they are popular.
The spokesman of the PDP, Taofik Gani, in a chat with Daily Trust described the APC as a party full of liars, saying the party was no longer popular in the state.
This is not the first time that we carry out figuratives that are not truly out.
Even in the last election, the total number of votes by the APC was about 600,000.
He said the claims for 2,5 million were false and false.
Our correspondent report that APC candidate Babajide Sanwo-Olu won the governorship election in 2019 with 739,445 votes while President Muhammadu Buhari had 580,825 votes in the presidential election.
The state chairman of the National Conscience Party (NCP), Comrade Bayo Ogunleye, has described the claim by the APC as the greatest lies in the century.
But the spokesman of the APC Seye Oladejo told our correspondent that the party would prove to have a nomba in the local government elections coming on July 24.
Geographical Indication (FG) promotes diversification of the economy
The Federal Government stressed that Geographical Indications (GIs) will help in promoting diversification of the economy and also support participation in the African Continental Free Trade Area.
The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Sabo Nanono, said this in a capacity building workshop on GIs for Public Sector/policymakers in Nigeria in Abuja.
Nanono, represented by the Deputy Director of Irrigation and Crop Development, Hajia Sugra Mahmood, noted that the welfare of the initiative would support the preservation of the biodiversity of the country facing existential threats as effects of climate change and the attendant destruction of the environment.
According to him, he can assist in commercialising the product of food culture and other cultures and enable actors in the value chain to benefit from commercialization, especially for women and youths in rural areas who are mainly involved in the production of the products.
Therefore, these workshops are held at a crucial moment when this administration works tirelessly to diversify the economy away from hydrocabons by other sectors such as agriculture, manufacturing, mining tourism etc.
Such initiatives that promote GIs will help to fast track the process of diversification of the economy and also support our participation in the African Continental Free Trade Area and globally.
Gis may have caused to revive the rural economy as we have seen it happen in the case of some properly branded products such as Ofada rice, kilishi, Dudu Osun etc.
It will also make it the documwntation of our indigenous knowledge which is sad of losing over time.
The current administration is ready to partner with all the relevant stakeholders both local and foreign in order to preserve the natural and bio-cultural endowment in the country amd also exploited it to strengthen the resilience of the economy, thus providing a decent livelyhood for all Nigerians, as it stated.
Earlier, the Minister of Satte Industry, Trade and Investment, Haija Mariam Katagum, in her welcome address said the workshop was designed to specifically train the public sector and policy makers in Nigeria, with a view to examine how it would be possible to adopt Geographical Indication (Gis) legislation and policy into industrial property and agricultural landscape in Nigeria.
She said it cannot be avoided as the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) came into effect, which puts responsibility on decision makers to begin discussing the update of legislation related to industrial property.
President of Israel holds talks to a new govt
President of Israel Reuven Rivlin has been preparing to talk with top political people on how the government has been formed after caretaker Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu refused to do so after elections for matches are not conclusive.
According to the Rivlins office, talks with Naftali Bennett of the Yamina party and former opposition leader Yair Lapid of the Yesh Atid (Future) party are scheduled for Wednesday morning.
The head of state also invited representatives from the other parties represented in parliament to present positions on the progress of the process of forming government.
It is at last nite the deadline for Natanyahu, a right-winger to form a governing coalition.
This means that the camp of opponents to Netanyahu is facing an opportunity to end the era of the 71-year-old as heaf in government.
Whether they succeed, however, it is still open.
New elections are still not out of question as Israel is still in a political crisis.
Netanyahu remains head of the interim government in time.
He has been in office for 12 years continuously and is the longest serving head of the government in Israeli history.
He was being tried for corrupt and rejected all accusations.
It is expected that Rilvin appoint opposition leader Lapid to form the head of the government.
His party is a political centre; at the end of a match, it has become the second-strongest force in the forth parliamentary elections in two years.
Rivlin can also give the mandate to the Knesset.
In this case, each member of the parliament can try to find the support of 61 of the 120 members withing 21 days.
Ganduje released 123 prisoners in eid-el-Fitri
Gov. Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano has granted freedom to 123 prison inmates across the state.
Ganduje who witnessed the release of inmates from Goron Dutse Prison on Thursday said the gesture was in the spirit of the Eid-El Fitr celebration.
He said the masses of the offences committed along with the signs of reformation in prison were selected.
The governor said he decided to show in prison to inform immate that the government of the state recognized their existence and was viewed as citizens of the state.
Ganduje said the gesture is to compliment the Federal Government efforts to further reduce the number of people taking time in national prisons.
He advised the former immate to change their attitude to life and to pray for peace and stability in Nigeria.
The governor also gave 5,000 to each of the immate freed to walk to where they were going.
Earlier, the countroller of prisons in Kano, Suleiman Suleiman, thanked the governor for freeing thousands of immate since he entered office.
Suleiman advised the immate to stay away from crime to avoid coming back to prison.
Ganduje also visited remand homes as well as children homes in Kano as part of his wrong celebration.
Korda breaks through Parma clay
On the eve of Roland Garos, a 20-year-old American Sebastian Korda scored a career breakthrough by beating Italian Marco Cecchinato 6-2, 6-4, in Parma in a first title.
Korda as a son of a former world
No 2 and Australian Open Winner Petr Korda who never entered the ATP tour final before the event in Parma, never won consecutive matches on clay.
Cecchinato, who won all his three titles on clay, came from Brescia, 90 kilometres from Parma.
The fans who were allowed to enter the event for the first time supported the local boy.
Today I played one tough opponent and the challenge, Korda said.
They kept cheering on him, but I am proud of myself.
and how I handled it.
Although his father was from Czech, Sebastian Korda, who was born in Florida decided to represent the US.
The victory made him the first player from America to win a clay court tournament since Sam Querrey in Belgrade after 11 years.
This is something in my dream, Korda said, adding that he had expected to win the title soon as he named an event in Florida in January.
I really thought I would do it at Delray Beach, and it broke my heart slightly.
What should not be dressed in public: Negating Nigerias multiculturalism
By Bashir Ibrahim Hassan
Is it a pure coincidence that, as trouble smells in Kwara State recently, is considered a solution to it in the lower House of the National Assembly in the capital territory of Abuja?
The trouble in Ilorin was the refusal of some Christian faith schools to allow Muslim students to wear hijabs to come to school.
The solution to this predicament is the debate on Religious Discrimination (Prohibition, Prevention)
RDPP Bill, 2021, ridicule of Hijab Bill in a section of media in Nigeria.
These are both spark-heated arguments and often emotional debates that, at the bottom of everything, threaten to negate multicultural identity and reality of Nigeria.
The whole idea fpr Kwara of the proprietors of schools as they banned Muslim students who wear hijabs and sympathised them could be reduced to what is not meant to wear in public.
This is another major part of the concern of the RDPP Bill before the House of Representatives the humiliation and denial of opportunities.
What females in Nigeria face because of public clothing?
It is clear that the former clearly breached the fundamental human rights of the Muslim students to express their faith without discrimination; although the school could have defence or take such positions.
The latter tries to assert this right not only to Muslims but also to Christians whenever or whenever they are threatened with discrimination because of the fauth they show.
To run through the argument by the proprietor of Christian faith schools in Kwara, it is easy for us to understand the pragmatic appeal of the argument that Muslim children should go to other schools and prere other pleces if they do not want to conform.
The problems that die arguments have many.
First, to say that Muslim students should go to another place unless they agree to the rule of the school on uniform is very little to promote inclusiveness, which is the bedrock of our multicultural and multi-religious society.
Secondally, the position is asking moral questions: can we justify to base a rule of school on the Christian majority of the school?
Then, the third one, the argument is elsewhere appear to have ignored the difficulties in changing school for a child.
The inconvenience is huge.
As they change the school for their children, education psychology students will tell you that they interfere negatively with not just emotional but academic development as well.
Finally, the Christian faith schools risk what we call ghettorization by concentrating students with the same religious belief in particular schools.
The social cost of this would have for society plebts.
The Commissioner for Education, Kemi Adeosun, argued, in a press statement, that the government was convinced that the policy to allow willing Muslim schoolgirls to wear their hijabs in public schools would lead to sustainable peace and communal harmony built on mutual respect and understanding.
In a country that guarantees freedom of religion, which signs the declaration of international Human Rights, the basic question to ask is: How justifiable is it to deny children in Nigeria access to schools of choice on the basis of their religion?
It is a great concern because Nigeria is a signatory to the Universal Declaration on Human Rights (UDHR).
The UDHR insists that all human beings are free and equal, that they are colour, creed or religion no matter.
It contains 30 articles on rights and freedom including, among others, such as the rif=ght to life, free speech and privacy.
It includes economic, social and cultural rights, such as the right to health and education.
I found articles 18 and 26 of the UDHR very relevant to the consideration issue and we quoted them in full below:
Everyone has the freedom to thimgs or beliefs, including religious belief.
We have the right to change our beliefs or religion at any time and the right to practice our religion publicly privately, alone or with others.
Everyone should be entitled to education.
Primary school should be free.
We should be able to continue our studies as far as we have the wish.
At school we should be encouraged to develop our talents and to be taught to respect every human rights.
They should also teach us how to deal with other people regardless of ethnicity, religion, or nationality.
Our parents have the right to choose what kind of school we will go.
All such laws are an instrument to give Muslim women like Ilhan Omar the equality to sit in the House of Representatives in the US and still wear Hijab without being molested or discriminated.
Ilhan Abdullahi Omarna American politician serving in the U.S. Representative of the 5th congregation in Minnesota district since 2019.
The bill was sponsored by the Deputy Chairman of the House of Representative Committee on Finance, which represented Bida/Gbako/Katcha Federal Constituency in Niger State.
Saidu Musa Abdullahi.
The bill is aimed at addressing discriminatory conduct, as well as prohibiting discrimination on religious matters when it concerns with the provisions and conditions that follow it.
It will stop qualifying and professional collaborations, education institutions, employment workers and other sectors from discriminating against individuals, students or personnel based on religion or the manifestation.
When passed, the law would bury issues such as what we saw in Kwara for good; when passed, the law would bury issues similar to what we saw in Kwara patapata.
It will also address the bigot behaviour of executive who take their prejudice into public office and allow it to cover them sense of judgment.
The law should be welcomed.
After all, it was only to expand and expatiate the provision in the Nigerian constitution and in the UDHR documents as noted above.
It was in line with similar laws passed in the country to tackle social wahal and cultural practices that harm the law of Prohibit Violence Against Peoples and Disability Law (VAPP).
While disability tries to eradicate any discrimination facing those with disability, VAPP is facing domestic and other gender violence in the country.
One by one, representatives of us in the legislative chamber have been using legal instruments to tackle all social challenges facing our country.
They are addressing all these social roughnesses not to say that there is no law before they are addressed, but to carry all things together so that they may not be allowed to see the end.
While the road seems to be far away from the UDHR, and there is no instrument to enforce it, the RDPP law and other similar laws are on the ground to bring punishment to offenders.
While contradicting the view of critics, as far as the RDPP Bill is relevant, there is no proof that they want to put a state of religion on any state that could domesticate the law.
It will not go against Section 10 of the Constitution in Nigeria that supports the adoption of any religion as State Religion by the Government of the Federation or State.
To push the argument, because the bill calls on the general public to respect the rights of Muslim women who wear Hijab in public places, saying it is only to quench Islamaphobia.
In the final analysis, it is going against our multicultural pretenses to deny any Nigerian it male or female religious freedom.
It is against equality, and basic human rights as it is in a constitution in Nigeria and the legal documents of the Universal Declaration of Human Rghts.
A bill to make such decimation on religion criminal, like the RDPP bill, will have a welcome nod.
It was written from Abuja Bashir.
President of Niger Issoufou has won the leadership award of N1.95bn in Africa.
Niger President Mahamadou Issoufou has been announced to be a winner of $5m (N1.905bn) in 2020.
Ibrahim prize for African leadership
Issoufou has served two five - year terms as president from 2011 to 2020.
The former interior minister, Mohamed Bazoum, took office following his victory in the presidential election last month.
The awarding committee commended the leadership of the Niger president after meeting the most poor economy in the world.
He said that he caused economic growth, showing good commitment to regional stability and the constitution, and his champion democracy in Africa.
The Ibrahim Prize will be collected by Mr Issoufou as the number six.
He has sent a tweet that the prize honours everyone in Nigeria.
I saw this award as an ecncouragement to take continues to thimgs and act in a way that would promote democracy values and better governments not only in Niger but in Africa and the world, he said.
Winners of the previous prize include Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia (2017), President Hifikepunge Pohamba of Namibia (2014), President Pedro Pires of Cabo Verde (2011), President Festus Mogae of Botswana (2008) and President Joaquim Chissano of Mozambique (2007).
KEDCO has a taskforce for enforcing collection, and checking which bypass meter.
The managers of Kano Electricity Distribution Company (KEDCO) have formed a taskforce to ensure electricity payments.
In a staement given to Ibrahim Sani Shawai, head of Corporate Communication, KEDCO, the taskforce had been given the strength to ensure that all the debts were recovered plus the only ones being used to help KEDCO to consolidate on the many reforms to improve power supply.
The taskforce will also check issues of bypass of metres, illicit connections, stealing of energy and other forms of sabotage.
In this regard, anybody seen being sabotaged in any way will be treated with them according to the law.
We appeal to our customers to open eye at all our intallations and to ensure they are protected meters wellwel against vandals.
We are assuring all our customers that our initiative to give meters we want to quench estimated billing and give customers the opportunity to pay for what they use is still ongoing, the statement said.
IBEDC brings to people selling under powerline
The Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) has issued a warning against selling the market under high-tension wires to avoid badness.
Chief Operating Officer (COO), Engr John Ayodele, gave the charges against the backdrop of the increasing traditional activities in a high-tension wire.
In Oshogbo, the capital of Osun State, mechanic shop, block industry, car wash shops, POS shops and smallsmall traditions are common things seen under high-tension wires along Power Line and Ring road.
Engr Ayodele has begged with residents to take safety precautions very important and advised sellers under high-tension wires to move to safe places.
He also urged residents not to be invited to come to repair light and assured them that technical crew at the IBEDC would be available to rectify any coming fault.
He cautioned that people who have habit of harassing the IBEDC staff when they are in duty according to the law to interfere with it, saying that the IBEDC will explore all available legal options to seek redress if any of his staff is harassed.
It is also important to take other safety precaution, such as supervise childrenrem important, to avoid electric accidents, he said.
10 newborn children killed in fire incidents in Indian hospital
Ten new children were killed on Saturday in a fire at a state-running hospital in western Idia, officials said.
There were 17 new children in the unit where children were infected when the fire broke early Saturday at the Bhandara District General Hospital in Maharashtra State.
Seven new children died as a smoke shook them, and three died as a fire burnt, Maharashtra health minister Rajesh Tope told reporters.
Nurses and ward staff rescued seven babies
The age of all new children ranges from a few days to three months, said Prashant Uike, a health district official in Bhandara.
The government has ordered a probe in the incident and a safety audit in a unit caring for new children in the country.
Initial reports indicate that the fire may have happened due to one of the short circuits in one of the incubators, said Tope.
The staff said a large number of black smoke filled the ward quickly, adding the minister.
They had waived legal requirements at the post-mortem, and they had brought the children body to their families, said Tope.
Family of the victims will receive a compensation of 500,000 rupees ( up to 6,814 dollars) for each family.
Newspapers have been persecuted by police because of reports on IPOB
Police harass newspeers and readers in Abia State
Daily Trust reports that since weekend police from Aba Area Command have been arresting newspaper sellers and readers concerning reports on the Indigenous Pipo of Biafra (IPOB).
Residents said there was a fear at Ama-Ogbonna Junction in the commercial city when the police raid the place on Sunday.
A resident said residents were running to safety, while police officers were shooting unfairly, while attempting to arrest journalists sellers and readers.
The journalists were accused of selling magazines containing the sit-at-home order issued by the Indigenous Pipo of Biafra (IPOB).
Dr Elendu Ukoh, who faced the incident, appealed to the state government and igbo leaders to call on the police authorities to call on the people to avoid causing disasters in the city.
The kind of people we place in the police makes me wonder if we want anything good to be out of this country.
How can people pursue newspapers in Aba, into the mordrn world?
If you stop people from reading a hard copy of a newspaper, would you also stop them from reading the same story on Facebook, Twitter, Whatsapp, Telegram, among others?
What kind of old police styles are these?
They caused panic on Sunday as they were shot and made noise.
The entire neighbourhood thats they are chasing kidnappers.
It was later discovered that a vendor and readers were arrested, who gathered on his newspaper stand.
How will the police fight against journalists?
What sort of problem papers can cause that social media cannot cost time 20.
These people are not normal, he said.
Micheal Anorue, another resident, said that almost all sellers of newspapers visited Aba.
They were empty on Tuesday.
He said, We heard speaking on Saturday and Sunday that the newspapers carried stories related to the sit-at-home order to honour a hero in the matter of Biafra, and my question is, what is wrong with it?
The early political leaders in the South East, reminding these reckless police officers that Biafra is bigger than IPOB, the better for them.
Does the proscribed IPOB mean that Biafra has also been proscribed?
We are all Biafra people.
On the 30th of May, World Igbo Congress (WIC) held a zoom conversation discussing a fellow hero who fell in Biafra.
Why did the police not view the matter on Youtube, Zoom and other social media?
All they did was to come on the street and make unnecessary troubles.
I wish the leader of Igboland would warn these reckless police officers against allowing what is happening in Imo State to enter Aba, being the worst for everyone.
The Abia State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), SP Geoffrey Ogbonna, has denied that the police are arresting journalists and readers.
NAMA frowns face as air traffic controller lament poor tools
Air Traffic Controllers (ATC) in Nigeria on Sunday cryed out regarding the dilapitated navigational equipment found at most airports in the country.
The ATCs under the National Air Traffic Controlers Association (NATCA) said the situation was a threat to air safety.
It was also said that the International Airport in Kaduna has a control tower that can help aircraft to navigate safely.
Yomi Agoro, president of the NACA or a chat with newsmen at the weekend, said the facility at Kaduna airport was a watchroom used by other aviation personnel, not a control tower available exclusively to air traffic controllers.
He also said other airports in the country do not have the necessary equipment to navigate without problems.
He explained that some airports do not even have functioning equipment.
Even Kaduna has no control tower.
The deym used there was a watch room (for firefighters), and it was not built for that purpose, and we have called the government to do something.
We entered Sokoto, if rainfall, the controller would carry umbrella to sit at the control tower, and what happened, some of the control tower attached to the terminal building have been seed to FAAN, while the one who stands alone is with NAMA, but we have responded to the two organisations.
We all also followed terrestial radio frequency fight, communication here and there.
There is no airport you can go to today where you can say that it works up to 80 per cent.
NAMA has recently employed and trained 40 new controllers, but NatCA said the number is too low to meet the shortfall.
However, the Managing Director of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Capt Fola Akinkuotu, told Daily Trust that the claims were not true.
He said the federal government has invested huge investments in improving navigational aids and helping safe flight operations.
It is merely politics, he said.
The government has spent a lot not too long to improve aviation infrastructure.
I am not simply saying this because I am a MD in NAMA.
If you want to hear the true story, my suggestion is always that, ask people on the street, ask people of NAMA, they will tell you, they have not seen such good as this under this administration.
It is painful that people will speak like this.
We have not yet any Category Three (CAT3), this government has placed two on the ground, another two is still coming.
Government spends N1.7bn on mobile control tower
Also, there is ongoing revitalisation of the safe tower.
The TRACON (Total Radar Coverage of Nigeria) system has been reconstructed.
Other sectors should jealousy us.
E-commerce in Nigeria: Legal framework, challenges and prospect
E-commerce is referring to the use of communication technologies especially the internet to buy, sell and market goods and services to customers.
The internet has brought fundamental shift into economies not close to each other because of brier entering ross-border trade and investment, which distances, time zones and languages and which national government regulations differ.
E-commerce fosters direct access to neighbouring markets and promotes globalisation and commercial activities as it eliminates distinctions between domestic and foreign companies to the extent that it will not be possible to know where the product comes from.
E-commerce is not limited to buying of products alone, including e-mail, as well as other communication platforms, all the informationate or services offered to customers on the net, from pre-purchase information to aftersale services and support.
The major significance of his commerce is in the fact that he encourages a single world system of traditions, which access through electronic means of acquiring good and services are facilitated from different parts of the world.
Most of the statues on the ground in Nigeria are laid behind towards the development and growth of e-commerce in particular and the entire ICT.
In Nigeria, numerous legal research and study have been conducted.
Many in the study brought opinions that the legal system in Nigeria was behind the legislation involving ICT and that the statutory laws on the ground were not adequate to address some of the legal issues that affected e-commerce.
These issues include electronic evidence cybercrimes, security and data production, e-payment system and inevitably trans-border issues, among many others.
Therefore, there is a need to bring out appropriate legal and regulatory measures to govern the new regime.
It has been repeatedly said that in Nigeria, significant efforts to regulate e-commerce-related activities remained at the stage of Sraft Bill before the National Assembly.
It is important to note that even where these bills are passed into law, Nigeria may still face new legal issues in this area calling for legislative interventions.
With the rapidity of the internet operating on commercial transactions in Nigeria, especially in the banking and communication sectors of the economy, the best suggestion is that the legal issues and problems confronting e-commerce presently in the country should be addressed directly and espeditiously, in the interest of the teeming population of Nigerian customers.
To this, the National Assembly should be pressured to pass bill concerning electronic commerce as top priority so that they should be enacted into laws as soon as possible.
In time, our court should take a giant step to interpret the traditional laws that are on the ground in a liberal way to cut gap in order to make the laws ammend to electronic transactions, in the emerging trend of this information age.
Indeed, they argued that legislation was not the only means for electronic transaction and attendant documentation to be legal.
The court can also adapt to recognizing electronic transactions in the absence of legislation or a private contract.
According to former Justice Bungham: The common law is in the hands of judges the same facility [as law merchants] to adapt to the needs of the general public, principle is not altered, but old rules to apply the change, and new rules will begin to exist.
We hope that the government will adopt this activism by Nigerian judges in judicial, Supreme Court judges are also involved, expexially in areas where our existing legislation is grossly inadequate, comprehensive or elaborate enough to address legal challenges in new technological advancements.
This will set a good precedence to ensure that e-commerce consumers have protection, to bring investors and economic development plus stability in the country.
The entire issue of contracts in e-commerce is documentation and signature.
The provision in section 4 of the statute of Fraud, 1677 or Lagos State Law Reform (Contract) Law and our various statute on real estate and landed instruments, all of which required certain contracts to be written and executed duly.
The question now is whether electronic sign-off constitute a valid sign-off contract by e-mail or by binding.
Many of these issues have not been settled even in the UK although some decisions are favoured towards interpreting electronic signature.
So marks in an e-mail that satisfies the traditional requirement of writing and due execution.
E-commerce transaction is a transaction that does not involve papers through magnetic materials like tapes or disks.
These are contradictions to the transaction being done in paper embodied in permanent form and typically expressed in words and figures authenticated by signature.
Such transactions cannot be altered without altering the face of the document.
In connection with signature, the provision inide section 93 (2)(3), evidence act 2011, electronic signature related to data messages will conveniently satisfy any requirements for signature handed as long as it is sufficient to identify an electronic record to the person.
The provision in article 7 of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) model law for e-commerce 1996 is equally trite on this issue.
Thus, in the purpose of establishing proof of electronic signatures.
Use of passages, identification, user names etc.
Hence one can safely say electronic signature for the purpose of execution is admissible to evidence provided it is certified and incorporated into electronic communication during any e-transaction.
Also, other legal challenges that affect e-commerce include the formation of contracts.
The elements of good formation of contracts include offer, acceptance, consideration, intention to enter into legal relations.
The question is, at what point can offerings be made with regard to electronic business transactions or now to differentiate between invitations to treat and offer electronic transactions, at what point can we say that intentions are made to enter legal relations?
E-commerce requires confidence and trust the satisfaction that transmits orders or invoices is still no matter and comes from whenever it appears to come from.
There is a need to guarantee a concerning level of privacy/confidenciality in information matters.
Finally, the alarming rate of cybercrime in Nigeria, plus high levels of illiterate.
There is no doubt that electronic transaction is an aspect of commercial transaction in Nigeria and has come to stay at this time.
The government should go beyond making laws, activating them as they use the electronic platform for commercial interaction and delivery of government services.
You can reach Abanikanda Happiness Wuraola via Twitter.
Chad passes new chartes as Deby son president
Chad passes a charter that declares Mahamat Idris Deby as President despite rumours on social media that he is dead.
Mahamat took over to replace his father, Idriss deby, who was killed this week.
The charter said the 37-year-old son to late war veteran, named transitional leader quick on Tuesday as head of a military council after his father's death, would serve as president of the republic and head of the armed forces.
The charter repeated the preceding constitution and was implemented as the basic law of the republic, according to its temrs.
The young Deby has also been named supreme head of armed forces, he said.
Deby son had oversawed the security of his father while he was head of the elite presidential guard and appeared along with his father often.
The best known Mahamat Deby is as a top commander of the forces in Chad helping United Nations peacekeeping mission in the restive north of neighbouring Mali.
He signed a decree on Tuesday as he set out a military council with 15 generals including himself and 14 others known to be loyal to late president.
The task given to the council is to move into free and democratic elections withing 18 months.
Mahamat Idris Deby is chairman of the military transition council, the council of ministers, the council of superior committees of national defence, according to the charter.
The new head of state will be declaring a legislation adopted by the 69 members of the national transition council, named Mahamat directly.
The Transition Charter, which contains 95 articles, guarantees freedom of opinion, conscience and worship.
It has been set a transition government, appointed by the new president.
The charter said all members of the army called to the transitional government were released from all military duties.
Law in Chad
The killed leader, who reigned with courage for over 30 years, gave to wounds he had when he visited a battlefield where Chad soldiers were fighting rebels in the north, as the military announced on Tuesday.
Calling calmly, the army also announced a curfew at 6pm and closed the border in the country, suspending the constitution and dissolving the National Assembly.
However, political opposition in Chad has rejected the army appointment of President Idris deby's son to take over his father's death.
Experts say under the laws in Chad, the speaker of parliament should have collapsed power after Debys death, not his son.
According to the constitution, if the president is either dead, then the speaker of the parliament will take charge of the country for 40 days and thus put transition in place until the election is held, reports Hiba Morgan in Al Jazeera from capital, Ndjamena in ealy Tuesday.
[But] the military announces that the legislative assembly has been dissolved and the constitution has been dissolved, so what they did is that the constitution was replaced with a set of rules.
They can exit Chelsea points after the brawl with Leicester.
Chelsea are facing a deduction of points from the FA team as they fail to control their players, Mirror.
Within seven years, they have been arrested by the team showing a hot temper to opponents seven times.
The recent brawl in a match on Tuesday night Leicester marked the seven encounters Chelsea had with Premier League teams.
It was a catakata mark the last weekend match between Chelsea and Leicester among players of both teams.
With the same kind of offence in the past, the FA decided to punish Chelsea.
Leicesters also face charges for their role in the brawl involving players and coaches as Ricardo Pereira challenged Ben Chilwell.
In 2016, they also charged Chelsea for an indiscipline to warn them, after appealing against a $ 375,000 fine in the match they played in a burst-up during a match against Tottenham.
If it affects them, the points they will leave will very deeply affect them season as they enter the final campaign to get a spot in top four.
US Africom in Nigeria: Heck No!
Overpaid, oversexed and over here.
That is the resentful and contemptuous opinions many British people have for the thousands of American GIs stationed in several military bases in Britain during the Second World War.
The gum-chewing, brash, hard-drinking and womanising soldiers from America often get into dangerous pub battles and knife battles that cause bad feeling at the Yanks among the locals.
And this is the pattern that American soldiers are behaving everywhere for the hundreds of American military bases overseas from Okinawa in Japan, Stuttgart in Germany, Incirlik and Diyarbakir in Turkey and Pampanga in the Philippines.
That is why I am upset, like many Nigerians, that at a virtual meeting last week with the Secretary of State of the United States, Antony Blinken, was that President Buhari asked the United States to consider relocating the African Command (Africom) of his military located in Stuttgart in the southern German city of presently to Africa.
We are thimking that with this call, President Buhari is making a way for Nigeria to host Africom.
On the first place, it was a breach of a protocol for President Buhari to hold that meeting with the American Secretary of State.
The meeting was meant to be held with Blinken's Nigerian opposition number, Geoffrey Onyeama, who later brought the details to the presidency.
Yes, America is a superpower and all, but a protocol should be applied strictly in every circumstance.
We understand that Nigeria is facing a huge internal security challenge that seems to be beyond the best efforts made by government and security establishments in the nation to tackle it.
There is no tired terrorist insurgency in the North East banditry, kidnapping in the North West, farmers/herders clashes all over the country and while targeting and killing security and law enforcement personnel and other Nigerians as well as the destruction of institutional buildings in the South East, they joined to become the cocktail of insecurity that has ravaged the country.
But even then, the call to host Africom on Nigerias siol when we consider m against various issues and implications of this move to Nigeria is difficult to justify.
Africom is one amng nine of such commands established by the American military to serve American strategic interests around the world.
By their rule and mode of operation, these commands, those outside America like Africom, were not set up primarily to concern them with security and law enforcement issues in their areas of coverage.
They only did so when such issues directly affected the interests of America in the area and in such situations, they were not mandated to yield them modus operandi and share intelligence with the local security and law enforcement agencies.
If Africom is set up in Nigeria for instance, it will be an island on its own as it will restrict access to Nigerians of all categories and establishing a jurisdiction withing the teritorial area of the base that will virtually off limit to Nigerian security and law enforcement agencies.
As always happens with a American military base outside America, Africom will be a forward operating base for disruptive intelligence operations and will be source of act of sabotage and destabilisation against host countries.
In this particular case of Africom, part of its original concept is to control as the strategic influence of Nigeria grows in West Africa and Africa as we have successful peace enforecement efforts in Liberia and Sierra Leone and our better record of peace keeping around the world.
The one before Africom was the Africa Crisis Response Initiative (ACRI) set up by the Clinton administration to counter the strategic interest of Nigeria in Africa.
The Secretary of State of President Clinton, the dour-faced California attorney, Warren Christopher, visited a nomba of African countries secretly to sell the idea.
But because Nigeria is the target, he pointed out it from his itinerary.
Senegal, not far from Liberia and Sierra Leone, should be the coordinating base of the ACRI and although it is seen initiative to facilitate assistance of America to African humanitarian issues, its secret protocols have failed in military and strategically targeted Nigeria.
Due mainly to undisguised hostility to the idea from France, which was averse to see the Americans attempt to butt into an area it considers its exclusive sphere of influence, they reviewed the concept of the ACRI.
In the review, which drew the expertise of American Military, Intelligence, political and academic personalities and institutions brought by the American Congress to their secret sessions, the Americans considered and realised the need to set up one AFrican command to add to the other already existing and covering other continents in the world.
Thus, to follow on the reccomendation of experts gathered, which formed all angles of political and security establishments in America, the Bush Junior administration set Africom up with a wider mandate that contains Nigeria but also keeping an eye on the strategic penetration of Chinese people in Africa.
Just as the US Central Command (USCENTCOM) is to the Middle East and Asia, Africom is to Africa, based in Florida, European Command (EUCOM), based in Stuttgart, Germany, is to Europe and Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), also based in Florida, is to Latin America and the Caribbean.
The presence of French military has already surrounded Nigeria as they are in Niger, Cameroun, Chad and Benin.
The Americans also had a drone base in Niger.
Adding Africom to the mix in Nigeria will amount to a complete capitulation of our strategic interest to both France and America.
Having in mind that our strategic interests plus profile in Africa aren't always followed by one in France and America, hosting Africa in Nigeria would be the same thing as allowing wolves into a chicken cage.
There is nothing inside the insecurity cahllenge facing the country that our armed forces cannot cope with.
This is after the military force which eventually secured Liberia and Seirra Leone against a army of insurgents well-entrenched and organised within the country from a long logistical supply line thousands of miles; the army of Joshua Dogonyaro, Victor Malu and Maxwell Khobe, to mention few of the many gallant Nigerian soldiers who distinguished themselves for the operations.
It is regretably that the Nigerian military, has fallen from high standard recognition, now struggling to cope with the activities of non-state actors internally.
But intrinsically and essencially, the Nigerian military still carries the capacity and capacity to defeat this threat to our national security if they have the right leadership, doctrine and motivation.
We need all the assistance and cooperation that the Americans can give us if they want to give us.
But as we have been held in hand to host Africom with our circumstance in view of its antecedent and implication to our strategic interests, on our soil.
Despite challenges, Plateau targeted 7m metric tons of Irish potato.
In Nigeria, Plateau State is the number one planting Irish potato as it is produced in nine of the 17 local government areas in the state.
The Potato Value Chain Support Project of the African Development Bank (AfDB) initiative has Plateau as a state with a 90 per cent of the potato production in the country as countries such as Chad, Ghana, Niger, Benin and others have a large supply of potato from Nigeria.
The larger potato production in Plateau State, according to PotatoPRO.com, a leading source of informate in the global potato industry, has made Nigeria the number four largest countries in sub-Sahara Africa.
However, farmers said that dam is not good enough and bad road network, as the cost of fertiliser and other farming input continues to stand as a major setback for the production of potatoes in the nation and export.
Other challenges contributing to low yield and loss of harvest to the potato value chain include diseases like blight and bacterial wilderness, as well as poor seedlings.
According to the National Bureau of Statistics, Plateau State is one of the ten poorest states in Nigeria with a poverty rate of over 70%.
However, the state has a comparative advange to boost economic activities by improving the competitiveness of the potato commodity value chain.
The project Coordinator of the Potato value Chain Support Project, Thomas Muopshin, said although the visibility of the tuber crop is evident in nine local government areas in Plateau, Bokkos and Mangu LGAs are the hubs of potato.
They produce more potato than any LGA in the country.
However, Muopshin said adaptability research indicates that the remaining eight LGA in the state can also plant potato, making all 17 LGA in Plateau can produce tuber, especially in the dry season.
However, the Association of Potato Farmers (APF) in the state, said unless the challenges facing the value chain were addressed, increased production and export of potato would continue to pass the national.
Chairman of APF in Plateau State, Lazarus Makut, in an interview with Daily Trust, said the inadequate small dam, especially in remote areas where potato is grown, and bad roads plus high cost of farm input continued to affect potato output.
He said the cost of mechanised farming that can rapidly increase production has become expensive as the majority of farmers are small-scale producers unable to afford mechanization.
Another farmer, Martha Mamgup, who plants potatoe in Ampang town of Mangu LGA, said less water during dry season affects potato farmer and harvest is low every year.
Because of this, she said, The majority of farmers were searched for locations of borehole to farm to access irrigation water for their farms.
Martha also explained that the high cost of fertiliser prevents many farmers from improving quantities plus yield quality, adding that when fertiliser is not enough, it affects the crop output.
The cost also prevents many of us from expanding the business.
Therefore, getting fertiliser is not easy for us.
She said the construction of more dams plus borehole in irrigation would lead to more production of potatoes.
If the water is not enough for the crop, it will dry and die later and day is why some farmers with the resources prefer to dig boreholes in Mangu for irrigation because without it, season farming will become difficult, she said.
Irish potato at a market in Jos
Production to up to 7million metric tons after laboratory completion
With potato production in Plateau State which has jumped from 1,656,650 metric tons in 2017 to 2,359,890 metric tons in 2020, the establishment of the Potato Value Chain Support Project and expected the construction of tisue culture lab to trigger production tripled over seven million metric tons by the end of 2021.
The officer of the Monitor and Evaluate State's Potato Value Chain Support Project in the state, Baleri Yakubu, told Daily Trust that it was expected that the state commences production of six million potato each year after the completion of the tissue culture lab at the end of 2021 but is optimistic that production can exceeding seven million metric tons each year.
However, Yakubu said the state government should tackle other challenges faced by farmers, especially the one of fertiliser as well as dam and road networks as they expect farmers to apply adequate potato farming regulations to expected targets.
Our correspondent learnt that the tissue culture lab, intended to improve potato yield in the state by providing clean seeds resisting pests and other potato-related diseases, was expected to commence full operations in a few months.
Yakubu said it was certain that the advent of the lab would improve income for farmers and revenue for the state government and also help food security in the country.
Farmers in Plateau State, however, believe that the tissue la, if fully equipped, will reduce the cost of treatment for the crop when infected by disease.
They also hope that quality seeds will be available at affordable price.
FG has not returned £4.2m Ibori loot to Delta Accountant General.
The Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF) reaveal on Wednesday that the Federal Government has not yet returned the £4.2 million loot recovered from former governor James Ibori to Delta Government.
They are still waiting for the money after the issues with which they are resolved before any further action is taken.
For now, no money has been returned to Delta State,as a statement from the office revealed, signed by the Director of Information, Press and Public Relations, Henshaw Ogubike.
The issue of the £4.2million looted to Ibori has not yet been resolved, the statement said.
In a previous comment made by the Accountant General of the National Assembly that the loot has been returned to the government of Delta, Henshaw Ogubike said: The Agf is only a general comment on money recovered as it relates to state governments.
The three Super League strongheads disagreed against UEFA coercion.
Super League three Real Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus insisted on Wednesday that they remain committed to modernising football despite UEFA threat to discipline.
UEFA open formal disciplinary walked on Tuesday against the three clubs who refused to give up on the aborted Super League project.
In a joint statement, Italian Juventus, as well as the two Spanish sides said they remain committed to modernising football through an open dialogue with the UEFA.
FC Barcelona, Juventus FC and Real Madrid FC wish to express their absolute rejection of the insistent coercion mentained by the UEFA towards the three most relevant institutions in the history of football, the statement said.
This attitude to raise an alarm constitute a breach of the decision made by the courts of justice, which made a clear statement to warn UEFA to stop taking any action that could punish the clubs who found the super League while still on the legal matter.
Therefore, as the UEFA adopts disciplinary proceedings as incomprehensible and as a direct attack on the rule of law that we, citizens of the European Union, have built up with democracy, it is also a lack of respect towards the authority of the courts of justice.
China supplies up to 140 million COVID-19 vaccines
China has administered 139.97 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines as of April 4, 2021, according to the National Health Commission (NHC) of the country.
China is working to ensure vaccination efforts in major areas and key sector industries based on the overall plan of the country, inoculating the eligible population as wide as possible and making progress in stages, as Wu Liangyou, a deputy director of the NHCs Disease Prevention and Control Bureau.
The country has gathered resources to ensure inoculation in cities of large and medium size, cities of prot, border areas with high risk of infection, as well as priority to key groups including employees in the public sector, students and faculty in college and universities, as well as service staff in the larger supermarkets, according to Wu, adding that vaccination for other groups has also been in progress.
In present, Beijing, Shanghai and some other places in China have given senior citizens seeking the vaccine, who are above the age of 60 and patients with chronic diseases COVID-19 vaccines, who have a healthy physical condition.
He Qinghua, who was an official of the NHC noted that the commission would advance the vaccination campaign with an order of importance, following the priciple of informed consent, voluntary participation and free inoculation.
The country is coordinating regular prevention and control with its vaccination efforts, ensuring that the regular responsibility of local governments and those avoided are fulfilled, and advancing their vaccination campaigns in a manner that is more secured and orederly and forceful, he said.
Besides, China has taken steps to include more people in their vaccination campaigns to ensure their health, the official added.
So far, China has approved COVID-19 vaccines produced by five companies for conditional marketing or emergency use.
Phase III of three inactive vaccines and an adenovirus vaccine indicate that they effectively meet the requirements of the National Medical Products Administration in China and the World Health Organization.
Phase II trial of the recombinant protein subunit vaccine applied in emergency shows that the vaccine is safe and can cause strong immune response.
All the COVID-19 vaccine adopted by China have gone through clinical studies that followed relevant standards, approved by the national drug regulatory organization and began to be used after passing a strict examination, said Li Bin, a deputy head of the NHC.
All vaccines should be monitored and temperature recorded from time to time to ensure that they meet requirements on temperature environment and transportation.
Li added that health regulators in China also enhanced efforts in the training of health workers, requiring compliance with operating instructions to guarantee the efficacy and safety of the vaccine.
Wema Bank holds Essays contest for children
Wema bank Plc hosts a creative essay competition to test the creative writing ability of young children aged five to 12 years.
The 2021 Royal Kiddies Essay Competition, which is tagged Write and Win, is aimed at developing writing skills, promoting creativity, imagination capacity, reward creativity and drive excellence in their learning process.
Ten children will emerge in a transparent, credible and thorough screening process.
The top three Essays will collect Huawei tablets and Royal Kiddies branded T-shirts.
The remaining seven in the final will receive a N20,000 prepaid gift card each for school supplies as well as a branded T-shirt.
The Essays competition will be open to parents children, including funding the Royal Kiddies Account or wards, and entries will be closed on May 24, 2021.
From Hushpuppi to Abidemi Rufai Sandy Tangâ
Twelve months ago, Ramoni Abass (37 years), known as a hushpuppi, was arrested in June 2020 in Dubai alleged to have done money laundering from business e-mail compromise fraud and other scams targeting firms and an English premier league club.
The total revenue he made was $435 million after in the house defrauded 1,926,400 victims.
A year later, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) also arrested Abidemi Rufai (named Sandy Tangâ), Senior Special Assistant on Special Duties to Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun at John Fennedy Airport, concerning criminal complain to scam the Washington State Employment Security Department of $350,000 (N144,375,000).
The stealing funds are relief funds for the pandemic designed by Washington State for those who may have lost their jobs due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The fraud occurred during the lockdown and the investigation bureau began to track the alleged fraudsters that would be making laws for the Nigeria Federal House of Representatives if it did not loses the Ijebu North/Ijebu East/Ogun Waterside Federal Constituency election to Adekoya Adesegun the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) person.
The fraud was done by stealing identity of over 100 Washington residents as they filled false claims with the Employment Security Department (ESD) for pandemic-related unemployment benefits.
A new e-mail account was created for each steal identity to identify the claims with different individuals to escape an automatic fraud detection system.
Thereafter, they paid over $288,000 to his bank account in America between March and August 2020.
Cybercrime is a global threat to people, organisations and countries.
Nigeria loses over $128 billion to cybercrimes yearly.
By the end of 2021 the world will have lost a total of $6 trillion.
To date, there are over 40 Nigerians who are or are still being investigated by the FBI for complicity in fraudulent scams.
The alleged unemployemnt benefit fraud by Rufai will be under what I have called COVID-19 fraud in Nigeria.
This is a scam using loopholes caused by the COVID-19 pandemic to scam people, government pr organisations.
During the COVID-19 lockdown in Nigeria, cybercriminals were doing their frauds along the interventions from government and private sectors and scammes and some of the schemes were still to date.
There is a Domino pizza fraud, a federal government cash palliative fraud, N20, 000 Dangote relief fund fraud and promote sales fraud among others.
While some are cyber-criminality outside Nigeria, some youngsters are doing so in Nigeria.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arrested, tried and convicted them.
Understanding the culture that sustaines cyber-criminality can help a serious government to fight the crime.
The family is the smallest world in the larger society.
It is the place where the normal human beign should be nutored in the society.
Besides the fact that many families in Nigeria are in dungeons of poverty and hard to care for their children, some of the children have become breadwinners, as it is, it is not legitimate.
Ethical behaviour training in many homes is a challenge as arrest of parents and children gathered for cyber-criminality.
In some places, yahoo boys mothers are forming associations to celebrate their children success and justify the criminal thing they did.
At the religious seting, pastors, alfa and traditinalists make home and benefit from yahoo-boyism.
Moral teaching is due to materialistic Pentecostalism.
There is a viral video where some boys spray money while people who seem to be a shepherd in a white garment church enjoy the moment of captive, while members led by the female youth wings of the church record the act of shame.
A son born in 1999 when Nigeria entered into democracy is now 21 years old.
Sadly, they grew to appreciate lies as a way of life from the mouths of politicians (and in many cases from home) that decieve people to vote for them and not fulfilling the promises made for comppaign.
Lying is also the foundation of the sociology of hushpuppism.
Youth is socialised daily in corruption by public offices.
They see how the system provides farudulent people soft landing (in public or private).
Are they asking how many fraud and corruption allegations have been investigated and discharged with punishment when the accusation is guilty?
The many cases ended with off-the-mic like the case of the Nigeria Delta Development Commission (NDDC) ended like a family affair.
The youths are seen as celebrating a flamboyant lifestyle in dirty.
It was observed how poor political aspirants were becoming millionaries withing months of entering office.
They can see how traditional institutions have become cash and carry on receiving chieftancy titles.
Tertiary educational institutions, with few exceptions, are awarding undeserving honours in exchange for money.
All those with mismanage monets have soft landing.
To add to this list of cultures that nutre cybercrime is the lyrical glamour that some Nigerian musicians offer cybercrime as they present cybercrime as a work and game that everyone does and that it is not crime.
If we elect fraud in legislation, will it make a law against the crime it involves?
The process by party leaders giving party nomination to the high-bited person needs a review if we want to stop importing problematic talunbo thimgs into our political system that has already lost morality.
It is unfortunate that the critical reasoning of party leaders will be low when they receive money.
They provided a platform for dubious qualities to do cover up and the society was worsening with their actions.
Greed also causes cyber-criminality.
The FBI agent incestigating Rufai, Donald Voiret, said greed is a powerful motivator.
Unfortunately, the greed alleged to these defendants affects all taxpayers.
To move forward, we cannot live in sin, expecting grace to abound.
Nigeria should sanitise their anti-corruption system and place accoutability policy in place to track lifestyle with material accumulation.
Youths in Nigeria must be given hope by creating employment opportunities, reducing poverty and reviewing reward systems.
The EFCC needs to invest in technology and expose them detective to modern cybercrime investigation procedures.
The commission had to complete an investigation before suspects were arrested as the FBI did before huspuppi and Abidemi Rufai Sandy Tang were arrested.
Unless they tackle the culture that sustaines cybercrimes in Nigeria with social social engineering, cyber-criminality will continue to spread.
Dr Tade, a sociologist wrote this piece pu at dotad2003@yahoo.com
DRC President Tshisekedi seats in African Union
President of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Felix Tshisekedi, entered chair for the African Union on Saturday.
He entered office on the first day in the 34th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government in Addis Ababa.
He is coming after President of South Africa Cyril Ramaphosa as the rotating chair of the organization.
The Au will aim to address the negative impact of COVID-19 on the continent.
The Union
The official theme for 2021 is Arts, Culture, and Heritage: Levers for Building the Africa We Want.
Despite countrys and continent-wide control measures, the impact of COVID-19 has brought a lot of human, financial and soci-economic cost to the African people,Tshisekedi said.
However, the crisis has given us the opportunity to re-examine our socio-economic priorities and work towards sustainable and inclusive economic growth to enable women and girls to contribute to our society for the fullest.
We must rely on ourselves more and seek collective solutions to our problems.
Tshisekedi said the DRC during its time as head of the union was looking to elevate African voices.
It will also focus on sustainable development by and for Africa.
We work to ensure integrated well-beign, peace and security, healthcare and strong response against COVID-19, including food security.
Agricultural transformation, education, gender equality, climate justice, freedom of speech and religion as well as enhancement of our common heritage: languages and memorial sites of the history of people in Africa, which will be centered on our ouw agenda, the president added.
Lagos PDP concerning LG polls new challenge
A fresh challenge has been gathered in Lagos State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) concerning the release of guidelines for the conduct of the coming local government elections released by the Chairman of the state, Engr Deji Doherty.
Engr Doherty, who had been battling with many of his colleagues in the State Working Committee (SWC), which led to its suspension recently, released the guidelines on Friday.
It recalls that the State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) has released the timetable for the elections to be held on Saturday, July 24, 2021.
In the lingering internal strife of the State PDP, the Chairman released the guidelines, which as we heard was not good in the eyes of most of the executive members who said they were not taken long.
A member of the state executive said the chairman planned the timetable unilaterally and did not involve other executive members.
It was learnt that the other factions of the party oppose Doherty to counter the embattled Chairman this above the guidelines.
The executive member who spoke in an anonymity said the position of the angry member would come to public this week, insisting that the key member of the executive is sidelined.
How she feels to be born in the pandemic By Dil Afrose Jahan
When death news is everywhere, a new life brings hapines plus hope.
On January 1, 2020, a new morning, two red lines changed my life.
I am pregnant and happy.
Mamzing begins a new year.
It was the most remarkable year in my life.
All of a sudden, everything changed.
My daughter Roshomon Tara was born at the end of the first lockdown in Dhaka, Bangladesh; now nine months old; I gave birth to my daughter Roshomon Tara at the end of the first lockdown in Dhaka, Bangladesh; now nine months old.
It's why I'm getting mother in the middle of a global crisis.
Not only her were born, but also new me, mama Tara, who spent the entire pregnancy in a lockdown at home and gave birth to the child in an emergency condition.
Tara has seen the world with mask and isolation.
Her grandmother also fears to touch her or approach her if they do not wear a mask.
If there is no pandemic, my journey to enter motherhood will be different.
This Mother Day was very special as my daughter had been in front of me, looking at me with a smile.
On the last mother day, she grew up in me.
The only thing not changed, meanwhile, is the pandemic.
I had 16 weeks of pregnancy when the pandemic occurred, and the world was locked down.
I am struggling to survive the pandemic with my hormonal and physical changes.
The 22 weeks were like war.
My husband, Sina Hasan, was a musician, and all his concerts were cancelled at the time.
I am a freelance journalist since January 1, 2021.
So we are depending on what I have saved already and spend all my savings.
Our parents and two journalists associations came forward to help in the primary time.
I was afraid of everything.
Most of the time, it seems to have died.
knocked at our door.
I am adapting to a new life that we click online and delivering our items or home-delivery.
I had to wait a week for the delivery of groceries like day.
I was even afraid to send the only family member living with me, my husband to leave to buy food storage.
So, I am not eating too much.
Beside also, I couldn't go to my antenatal check-up as I had been given time.
And I am not sure if my children are growing well or if development is taking place timely.
I am sorry for my unborn child that I am bringing him into a world that is different from ever.
I received tele-medication to overcome some difficult times in the last three months.
I have lost the face of my gynaecologist.
I couldn't imagine she would look at if she didn't wear a PPE.
I need to be informed about risks, precautions, and how to get emergency medical help.
A lot of information is flowing around.
Within these informate challenges, experienced mothers and mother-in-law can only support me and not only meet me for someone when I am pregnant.
Traditionally, experienced mothers and mostly older women in the family will help new mothers with their experiences plus observation.
I have had many panic attacks because I have no information and understanding.
So I am your experience of mothers who gave birth in this time.
I saw social media as a lifeline.
I read many exciting experiences on social media when I was associated with a group of over 100,000 pregnant women and breastfeeding children who supported each other to survive the pandemic.
Media groups on the platform have helped over 100,000 pregnant women and children breastfeeding by sharing experiences and informating during the lockdown.
One group helped me to find heakth care fcility to do emmergency ultrasound after heavy bleeding fir into the lockdown.
Another group helps to overcome anxiety and depression following childbirth.
I am angry that I cannot meet my parents, relatives, or friends to share the joy of welcoming new members into the family.
My daughter was born on August 25, 2020, at the same hospital, Azimpur Maternity, where I was born decades ago, and my daughter was born on August 25, 2020, at the same hospital, Azimpur Maternity, where I was born decades ago.
And she met another child on one when she was four months old on December 31, 2020, when Tara and her father went to the rooftop with me to see the fireworks.
Another finely with two children, my neighbour, whom I met for the first time, will also go to talk byebye in 2020.
Each day is, and it is still a gift, to consider the recent statistics of increased COVID-19 cases.
When the news of death is full everywhere, the new life brings hapines and hope.
For their mothers, it was no different from winning war as children were born in the pandemic and caring for the new child alone, to confirm the highest safety for their children.
Social, emotionally, and physically, this time can challenge a person.
Thanks to the light shining in the eyes of the children.
Thank you my son, my daughter, for whom I am and a successful fighter who survived this pandemic.
Dil Afrose Jahan has collected the National Geographic Society's Emergency Fund for Journalists.
This work is supported by the National Geographic Society.
The national question, insecurity and the declaration in Asaba.
By Segun Tomori
Recently, governors in southern Nigeria met in Asaba and some resolutions were made on the state of the nation, which is called the Asaba declaration.
The meeting is coming on the matter as insecurity in the country is worsening, agitation by some ethnic jingoist and as the matter murderous herdsmen menace generates nationwide attention.
Indeed, the bi-partisan nature of the meeting as well as the unanimity displayed by the 17 governors indicated that they meant a serious business.
Restructuring in the context of true federalism and the ban of open grazing forms the koko of the declaration.
Major lights were to bring state police, devolution of power, to review revenue formula to favour federating unit as well as the need for a national dialogue to discuss the nations question.
By condemning the way governors dragged their feet on financial autonomy in state legislation and judiciary and not following the spirit of true federalism called for, planty in its resolution is a tenet of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) recommended by the committee led by Gov. El=Rufai on true federalism.
One should expect the leading light in the APC to take advantage of the bipartisan nature of the Asaba declaration, and the support of the major opposition party to begin the process to address the issue.
Instead, we saw attempts to play to the gallery and in some quarters, subtle censures of the governors.
The El-Rufai committee has recommended devolution of power, resource control, state police, local government autonomy, as well as review in revenue fruma in favour of federating units among them.
President Buhari has since given support to local government, state legislature and judiciary autonomy as he backed amendments in the statutes and issue Executive Order 010.
As the state of the nation has become, with security and economic challenges, these two sectors should have the untimate attention to one another.
Despite the rate of Nigeria as a country with the highest GDP in Africa, we have not made enough effort to translate it to improve living standards or the majority of our countrys peoples.
For instance now, our annual budget of $35 billion, is very inadequate to take care of the needs of 220 million Nigerians.
South Africa with about 58 million people has a National Budget of $75bn in 2019 and its Social Protection Programme reaches 17m of its population.
The efforts by the Buhari administration, although new and commendable, have just dropped in the ocean and are not adequate to make required impacts.
Here is the devolution of power and resources control.
Solid minerals and natural resources have no business to stay more than one day in the Exclusive list.
Almost all states in the country have natural resources to sell markets to explore to create wealth and generate the foreign exchange required by the country.
The present system where the state is going to Abuja to collecte federal allocation within the country breaks indolence, not following the principle of true federalism.
Just as the El-Rufai committee proposed, the revenue formula should be reviewed to favour states since it added more responsibilities to them.
On the state police, it is undesratndable to fear that governors would abuse him, but like Richie Nortson said, To escape fear, you have to go through it, not around it.
For too long, we have been walking round fear of abuse of state police, we have turned a blind eye to the centralised Nigerian Police Force that has been overstretched and which has become inefficient and big problem.
According to the vice-President Osinbajo a few years ago, State Police is an ideology of his time.
We have to address our fears and overcome it.
One way is to enact a legal instrument to establish the State Police Regulatory Commission (SPRC), along with constitutional amendments to allow state police.
He will be in a similar position to the Federal Police Service Commission (PSC) but will have wider powers to exercise appointive plus regulatory functions.
The ban on open grazing restated by the governors is not a thing, but part of the fulcrum of the National Livestock Transformation Plan (NLTP) approved by the National Executive Council (NEC).
The International Crisis Group (ICG) has placed the NLTP as the most comprehensive effort Nigeria has made to date to overhaul the inefficient and grosly underperforming livestock system.
In the core is a strategy to curb migratory or open grazing and thus lower the risk of conflict between herders and farmers, therefore, beggars belief that some myopic, self-acclaimed ethnic champions chose to lampoon the ban on pre-historic, nomadic open grazing.
Let the federal and stage governments move very fast to fully implement this new plan so that we can put these farmers-herders clashes from time to time behind us.
The call for a National Dialogue, which is a major demand for the Assaba declaration may not be necessary since there are reports from the 2014 National Conference plus recommendations of the Gov. El-Rufai -led APC committee on True Federalism.
The two reports are to make far reaching recommendations agreed by governors elected and legislators in the national assembly instead of wasting resources that are not on another jamboree.
On the issue of separatist agitations, they should bring modalities to conduct a referendum as it is in the constitution.
It is almost certain that a large majority of Nigerians want to live together, they do not mind our differences.
To do this will take the sail back in the wind of divisive elemnetes, who are fan of fire of hatred and discord.
The Southern Governors have affirmed their commitment to one United Nigeria on the basis of justice, fairness and equity, so must every patriotic Nigerian.
Though we have challenges like every other country, we must listen to ourselves as US President Joe Bidden often said.
Tomori lives in Abuja
Two officers have died as IPOB terrorists set fire on police stations.
Not just 24 hours after the new commissioner of police appointed in Anambra, Christopher Adetokumbo Owolabi, resumed his terrorists attacking Obosi Police Station in Idemili North local government area in the state and killing two officers.
The terrorists attacked the police station late on Wednesday, freed all detainers before the station was set on fire.
A resident at the police station where the incident affected said a large number of terrorists entered and attacked the police station around 11 pm.
He identified the dead officers as Inspector James and Awalu.
The source said the victims were killed in a filling station near the police station.
The source also said when other police officers on duty noticed unusual movement of the unknown gunmen, they ran and the attackers had time to burn the police station down.
Meanwhile, the police in Anambra had confirmed the killing of two men.
The Command Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Tochukwu Ikenga, who confirmed the attack, said the state commissioner of police had dispatched a tactical team to assess the incident on the spot.
The tactical team led by the Assistant Commissioner of Police had instructions to see on the spot assessment of the place.
They also told the team to attempt to identify and arrest the terrorists, he said.
Ikenga, who added that the body of the two police had been in the nearby morgue, said an investigation on the matter had begun.
NEPC, Commonwealth collaborate on production of professional service export data
The Nigeria Export Promotion Council (NEPC) and the Commonwealth Secretariat London are to collaborate to produce reliable data on exports for professional services in Nigeria.
Speaking at the inaugural meeting of the National Consultative Committee of the International Trade-in-Services (NCCITS) held under the Commonwealth Secretariat London, the Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer of the NEPC, Mr. Olusegun Awolowo, said Nigeria has no readily accessible and reliable data on trade-in-Services.
Awolowo said they had tried to create awareness on the trade-in service sector of the economy, including the creation of a National Strategy for Export of Professional Services in 2010.
He said the Commonwealth had helped Nigeria to develop a road-map for the sector in 2016.
The employer of NEPC said the current focus in collaboration with the Commonwealth Secretariat is on data/statistics collection and management.
This is critical to our efforts in export as it fills the gap in collecting or capturing data from relevant institutions in order to generate, analyze and use statistical information on trade-in Services as it is globally.
NITDA, firms to launch tech startup funds in July
The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and a firm beased in the United States Mass Challenge have signed an agreement to financially support between 10 and 15 start-ups from July, to reach their full potential withing 12 months.
Director General of NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi said this on Tuesday during a virtual media stakeholder engagement with officials of MassChallenge.
Abdullahi said the initiative was designed to identify and accelerate top start-ups based in Nigeria and grow their to serve the Nigeria and global markets.
The DG is head of NITDA which said the initiative would be launched in July, adding that it would improve technology innovation and entrepreneurship in the country.
Start up a vibrant ecosystem is highly critical to the future of our country and it is Vital to seek solutions to our various challenges.
Innovation is a prominent way of creating properity for all and lifting countries out of poverty.
The CEO of MassChallenge, Siobhan Dullea, said the firm has supported over 2,900 start-ups across the globe and that the firms have generated $3.6 billion revenue and created 86,000 jobs.
Kidnappers take two women into Abuja council
Kidnappers have taken two women, Christiana Isa Attah and Favor David, behind Anguwar Kpokpolobi community in Naharati, Abaji Area Council, FCT.
Mother of the two victims, Mrs. Ruth Attah, a retired school teacher, told our reporter at her home that about midnight on Saturday the incident happened.
She said she was sleeping and the children were in the room when the kidnappers entered the house after they jumped on a wall that was not too high.
She said a window was broken to enter the room where her children were sleeping and with a gun in their hands.
When the girls noticed that they were trying to break the windows, they fled into my room to hide, but the kidnappers followed them to my room, and they took us all away, she said.
According to her, the kidnappers left her after a few metres they had passed home when they noticed that she could not walk because of old age.
It was after we crossed the river, where I could not walk again, and the other gang members told me to go back home as they left with my two children, she added.
An resident, who wanted to be anonymous, said the kidnappers had operated for more than one hour while they were shooting up to scare people from them.
He said no security man came here when the kidnappers were being shot in the air for more than an hour.
Daily Trust learnt that until that very day, the woman and her children were always sleeping at neighbour’s home and returning home because of fear of kidnappers just a few metres from the river.
We also gathered that of the daughter of the woman, who is a class teacher in the area, they are preparing for a wedding next month.
The spokesman of the police command in the FCT, ASP Maryam Yusuf, refused to pick a call or reply text message sent to her phone to confirm the latest kidnap incidents in the area.
Why I ran for govs in Anambra Anglican Priest
An Anglican Priest, Rev Godwin Okonkwo, has said he was race for the November governorship election in Anambra State to bring the fear of God and knowledge of prudent use of resources to show on governance issues in the state.
Okonkwo, who spoke with Daily Trust on Wednesday shortly after speaking with his supporters in Awka, the Anambra state capital, said the state is lacking behind in terms of good governance.
The people there for now have not been able to manage the resources of Anambra State for the good of the Anambra people.
I believe we can do better than managing the resources of the state.
It is time to move from lukewarm attitude of leadership to good leadership.
I am at Apc to change the poor outing of the party in the state in the past years,he said.
Barty beat Kvitova to play the last four matches against Badosa
Ashleigh Barty will take on Paula Badosa in the semifinal of Madrid Open after beating Petra Kvitova 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 on Wednesday.
World No1 Barty chased her fourth singles title in the year following her victory in Stuttgart 10 days ago.
In the last four she will face the woman who beat him out in the quarterfinal at Charleston in early April.
On Wednesday, the Australian were out as top against a winner of Wimbledon twice plus 2015, 2018 Madrid open winner Kvitova.
Wildcard Badosa became the first Spanish woman in the tournament in the past 12 years to make the semi with her 6-4, 7-5 win over eighth seed Belinda Bencic.
22 mummies of Pharaoh parade in Egypt
There were twenty-two mummies of pharaoh wlk on the street of Cairo on Saturday evening at a stunning royal procession from Egyptian Museum on Tahrir Square to the new National Museum of Egyptian Civilization (NMEC) in Fustat.
It is marked as NMEC officially launched.
Against the backdrop of fireworks, the mummies" 18 kings and four queens" travelled in order of age on purpose-built gold-colored pharaonic chariots, equipped with an air ride suspension system to absorb vibrations, and bearing the names of their occupants in Arabic, English, and hieroglyphics.
Seqenenre Tao II, who ruled Upper Egypt around 1,600 BCE, led the parade, as Ramses ix, who ruled the 12th Century BCE brought up the rear.
Following the strict international standard in the transport of artifacts, the royal remained in state-of-the-art sterile display cases to guarantee immaculate preservation.
It was 60 motorcycles, 150 horses, and a pharaonic music ensemble that renowned Egyptian maestro Nader Abbassiconduct followed the mummie.
The procession started with a 21-gun salute, circled the obelisk at the closing Tahrir Square, and then proceeded along the Nile to NMEC, where Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi personally welcomed the mummies to their new permanent home in Fustat, the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization.
The 40-minute parade captured a participation of 12 celebs in Egypt, broadcast by 200+ global TV channels.
The pricelees artifact will spend the next two weeks at the NMECs laboratory, preparing them for installation in the Royal Mummies Hall, located at the valley of the kings.
The Royal Mummies Hall will be opened to visitors on April 18, which is time with World Heritage Day.
To promote the launch, NMEC is offering a 50 percent discount on entry ticket price to the Central Exhibition Hall for guests from April 4 to 17.
Adding, representatives of local and international media have the opportunity to take pictures and videos of the artifacts in the Central Exhibition Hall for free on April 4 and 5.
Overlooking Ain Al Sirafor the heart of the historical city of ustat near Babylon Fortress, NMEC is one of the largets and most important archeology museums in the world, and the first to end in the entire civilization in Egypt.
Uproar in Kano prison concerning illicit drugs
Pandemonium in Kano Central prison in Kurmawa on Thursday evening over illicit drugs
The uproar started when the warders in the prison were detected and siezed cannabis, allegedly brought for immature on Thursday evening.
When contacted, the Public Relations Officer of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) in Kano State, Musbahu Lawal Kofar Nasarawa, confirmed the matter, adding that a committee was appointed to find out how the cannabis entered into the centre.
He said, Cannabis was brought into prison and collected by our operatives, so they shouted, saying we should give it.
We have already set up a committee to find out how such illicit drugs came into the house; whether they were placed into the food they brought to one of the prisoners or someone conive with some of our operatives.
The action has nothing with jailbreak, it is just uproar, we have already reinforced the order back in the custodial centre,he added.
It was rumored that the prisoners wanted to break the jail to take an attempt to escape as they rejected the food they had been given to break fast, on allegedly collective donations from philantropists.
The spokesman of NCoS has debunked the rumour, describing them as baseless.
Daily Trust reports that the 100 years prison sentence in Kurmawa area, behind the metropolis Palace of Emir, is the biggest custodial centre in the state.
FG calls for global action against terrorism, drug trafficking
The federal government urged world leaders to strengthen international cooperation as part of an effort to successfully fight terrorism and drug trafficking, including other types of crimes.
This is despite Nigeria expressed concern over the incidents of bad financial flows from developing economies to developing economies in the world.
These are part of the position Nigeria presented at the ongoing conference of the United Nations Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, in Vienna.
A spokesperson of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Femi Babafemi, is said as the Chairman/Chief Executive of the agency, Brig-Gen.
Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd), who presented the position of Nigeria in the articles 6C and 7 of the meeting as he said as a nation deepens cooperation and strengthens the processes of combating the financing of terrorism and prevention of terrorists so as not to benefit from ransom payments, is also important for them not to overlook trafficking of illicit drugs.
It is also necessary to pay attention to and control as illicit traffic spread, brain-affected drugs, which lead to violence.
Nigeria is also worried that the link between terrorism and other forms of crime like corruption, poor flow of money, money laundering, has grown, illicit trafficking in drugs, cybercrime, trafficking in people and smuggling of migrants, Marwa said.
Delivering a statement from Nigeria at item 6C on Wednesday, Marwa said as nations are renewed desire to improve international cooperation to address every crime, Nigeria urges all states, once again, to make sincere efforts, to address the cause from the root, including poverty, economic deprivation, inequality, drug abuse, as well as other socio-economic factors.
When presenting the statement of the country on item 7 on Thursday, Marwa said, Nigeria notes with great concern the incidence of illicit financial flows, we are passing through the financial system every year, from developing and developed analysis.
To advise those who are doing this wrong, including financial institutions that act as enablers, state parties should ensure that illicit financial flow, when tracked, does not remain in the custody of financial institutions but should be transformed into escrow accounts, preferably in development banks pending return to countries of origin.
In this regard, we are calling for implementation of the recommendation of the facti panel in support of access recovery and the 2030 agenda for sustainable development.
Timipre Sylva, Kurfi celebrated as Chelsea win the Champions League
Two prominent members of the former Governor of Bayelsa State and present Minister of State for Petroleum, Mr. Timipre Marlin Sylva and Chairman of Katsina State Football Association, Alhaji Aminu Balele Kurfi are better celebrating mood on SUnday after Chelsea football clubs have won secodn champions league title.
In a final of all English, former champions Chelsea shocked Man City 1-0 at the Estadio.
dragao in Porto to win their second trophy.
Kai Havertz, one of the expensive addition from last summer, scored the goal he decided to put third defeat in a row on Pep Guardiola's City.
Moments after the match, the former governor tweeted I supported Chelsea FC in UCL trophy, and I don't regret.
Kurfi who watched proceedings in Abuja with Sylva said he created time to watch the match with the former Bayelsa State governor to support and celebrate with amm after the match.
I need to support him because he is an avid fan of Chelsea.
I am also worried that at the end, he has a reason to celebrate.
Not everyone knows His Excellency Timipre Sylva has a passion for sports, especially football.
On my path, as the Chairman of the Katsina State Football Association, I am a father to all supporters of different clubs in my state.
I am with Chelsea from where I received a loan to Katsina United.
From United, I was borrowed to Kufri Tigers, and presently, I was in every club, as Kufri spoke like a game.
Elections in Uganda: President Museveni has early leadership, rivals call it a fraud
President Yoweri Museveni took early lead in individual elections in Ugand, according to results initially entering from the electoral commission on Friday morning.
This is as his main rival said he had the proof that fraud had entered into the election.
With 29.4 per cent of votes from the ballot voted on Thursday, Museveni has won 1,852,263 votes, or 63.9 per cent as the main opposition candidate Bobi Wine has 821,874 or 28.4 per cent, as the commission said just after 11.00 a.m. (0800 GMT).
Wine allege fraud
Wine, a singer who became a lawmaker who colobized young Uganda citizens with a call for political change, told a news conference on Friday that he had a video of proof that fraud was present during the vote and that the vote would end in peace he wanted.
He earlier tweeted that he was confident that he would win despite fraud and violence.
Museveni, who has led the country in East Africa with a population of 46 million in 34 years, has never said anything as at noon.
Internet blackout
On Wednesday, the government ordered the internet to be blocked till further notice, a day after the ban on all social media and messaging apps.
Wine and his supporters used Facebook to show a live coverage of his campaigns and news conferences after alleging that many media outlets refused to host it.
The election campaign was spoiled with deadly crackdown on opposition candidates and supporters.
The normal bullying capital of Uganda, Kampala, was still quiet on Friday, a public holiday after the Thursday vote, while most shops were closed.
Soldiers patrolled with feet in the rain in a suburb, Reuters visited.
Commission head, Simon Byabakama, assured the nation on live TV on Thursday evening after polls were closed that results have entered into the national tally centre despite the nationwide internet blackout.
We are not using local internet to transmit results, we are using our own system, as he said, without giving details of the system.
No matter what, results will come, Byabakama said.
A new wave of pandemic has hit more in Japan prefectures.
Japan is ready to expand the present state of emergency to cover three more prefectures, the government said on Friday.
This is followed by the widespread infection of the coronavirus in the country ahead of the Tokyo Olympics in summer.
The prefectures in Hokkaido, Okayama and Hiroshima are likely to get the measure from Sunday to end May, as Economic Revitalisation Minister, Yasutoshi Nishimura, told newsmen.
A panel of experts endorsed the proposal, as Nishimura, in charge of the coronavirus response by the government, said.
The northern island of Hokkaido a record of 712 new infections on Thursday as the western prefecture of Hiroshima also a record of 219 new cases on Wednesday.
As the infection increased, Hiroshima and Okayama canceled torch relay expected to happen in nests week on public roads.
International Olympic Committee President, Thomas Bach, is expected to participate in the torch relay event in Hiroshima on May 17.
However, local organisers said Bach had been moved to Japan before the games.
The postpon was as the government extended the state of emergency in Tokyo as well as three other prefectures until the end of May, adding two more regions of Aichi, Fukuoka to the measure.
The government declared the state of emergency in the four prefectures in April, requesting bars and restaurants to stop serving alchohols and not offering karaoke services anymore.
Experts have given warning that varieties that are more contagious can rapidly spread, especially by rolling the coronavirus vaccine very slowsince launched in mid-February.
Only one per cent of Japan's
125 million people have been fully vaccinated.
Farmers will benefit from mechanised farm in Jigawa
The Malam Alu Agro Allied Company, a farm located on a 100-hectare land in Faru village, along Maiduguri road, Birnin Kudu Local Government Area of Jigawa State, has been changing the prception into mechanised farming in Nigeria, the GM of the Mansur Dau Aliyu said.
The establishment of the farm almost five years ago, as we gathered, was a direct response to the call by the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari that Nigeria should return to agriculture as the mainstay of the nations economy, beyond relying on it as the source of revenue in the country.
Each cattle has a nomba tag attached to it in the ear.
Founder of the company, Farouk Adamu Aliyu, who was a former member of the House of Representatives key into it, the GGM added.
We do greenhouse farming.
We have 10,000 square-metre fully automated soilles greenhouse, where we produce tomatoes.
We also have two 250 square-metre greenhouses where we produce other greenhouse vegetables, including another 500 square-metre greenhouse, which is used as a nursery.
These greenhouses are all foreign-oriented, which we have installed to produce varieties of vegetables.
Only tomatoes are produced for the 10,000 square automated soilless greenhousedem; and we produce an average of 10 to 11 tons of tomato each week.
We have another 10,000 square-metre locally fabricated greenhouse.
We also have a livestock section, where we have over 300 herds of cattle, some camels, goats and sheep, he said.
Daily Trust learnt that the farm also has a fishery unit, with about 50,000 fish in the pond.
Similarly, a forty-tone per hour fertiliser blending plant installed in the early part of the year, as we heard, has produced up to 300 loads of NPK fertiliser under the Presidential Fertiliser Initiative.
We have imported equipment that can install 120,000 capacity in poultry system.
We hope that we will produce between 3,000-4,000 crates of eggs in one day,” Mansur said.
He said the farm also has a diary plant, which produces 2,000 litres of milk in one day, adding that there are also about 150-200 hectares of land elsewhere left for open field farming as well as cultivation of rice and other crops.
Masur said major buyers of the tomatoes were premium customers, notably, big hotels in Abuja and Lagos, including some other locations.
He confirmed, however, that the main market for the product is mainly in the eastern part of the country like Enugu, Onitsha, Owerri.
However, he admitted that besides the few customers in Kano, they were not very much seen tomato products in the local market for some reason.
First is the fact that the tomato is a special species and the second reason is the fact that Jigawa is a major area for tomato production.
You know tomato is a common product here, so its prices are little higher than those in the open market.
So, essentially, people don't actually look at us, they fell apprehensive with what we have because they believe it's costly.
And when you have available products everywhere, it is sure that people will buy the cheapest one.
The fish were fed by one farm.
Asked about the average lifespan of the tomato product, he said, If you give the tomato everything it takes, it means nutrional supplement that you feed it as it grows, if you give all these things, the tomato may last up to three weeks after harvest.
But without it, it will last at least one week, not for refrigeration, and not in presure and plenty of heat.
You can put it on a table where there is good ventilation.
It can last for an average of 10 days, but if everything provided according to its requirements ( every nutrient) it can last up to one month.
We have experimented it, but then, it does not happen as you always want.
The farm is a source of employment for about 200 in the village where it is located.
He also said the company has some people to train the youths in the araea on information technology skills.
He further said most of the equipment used in the farm was from Turkey, except the fertiliser-blending machine, which was imported from China.
He said even the farming method is similar in Turkey because there are Turkish partners helping them maintain the standard, but quickly he added that the company is conscious of allowing Nigerians to run the tachnical aspect of its operations.
Reflecting on the effect of COVID-19 on the operations of the company, Mansur said, Malam Alu, as other corporate entities in the country, suffered from devastating effects of the virus.
In Mansur, youths in Nigeria have no excuse to remain unemployed with the kind of opportunity that agriculture provides, noting that those who are locked on white-collar jobs should be adapted to reality and go back to agriculture.
He believes Nigeria has been doing what it was supposed to do for a long time, noting that if the country had taken this step, they would have cornered the present economic challenge.
2023: Lawmakers seek good deal in Southern Kaduna
The member representing Jaba Constituency in the State House of Assembly in Kaduna, Samson Monday Dikko, called on good people to come together and map out strategies to salvage Southern Kaduna Senatorial District and its people in 2023.
Speaking after a meeting with stakeholders in Kagoro, Kaura Local Government Area of Kaduna State at the weekend, Dikko, aspiring to be a senator in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), said those who are supposed to care for Southern Kaduna people had abandoned them.
It is time for the entire Southern Kaduna people to get it right.
We need to transform our region and improve security, education, health, agriculture, economy, employment and empowerment for the teeming youths and do so with a renamed non-governmental organization, he added.
The Director-General of the Campaign Organisation in Dikko, Timothy Chindo Kwassam, said the destiny of the people of Kaduna South Senatorial District would be given their own hands if they were represented in the Senate in 2023.
Everything under the sun, there is reason.
So as Dikko comes in this critical period of time not an ordinary coincidence, but it is divine play from God to liberate the region from everythimg hindering it from growing and compelling with other regions, Kwassam said.
3 Africa, no Nigeria, among, as City, Chelsea are contesting UEFA Champions League final
No doubt football fans in Nigeria are eagerly waiting for the 2020/2021 UEFA Champions League finals to take place tonight two English clubs Manchester City and Chelsea will contest in the Estadio do Dragao, Porto in Portugal.
Given the fact that the UEFA Champions League is one of the biggest football competitions only next to the FIFA World Cup and the Olympic football event, the level of expectation has increased as giants in the English Premier League have set to fight for the prestigious diadem.
While Manchestre City had never won the Champions League title before, Chelsea won their first and only title in 2012.
Therefore, despite football pundits typing City who just won the premiership number seven to win this night, Chelsea will enter into the contest with betta credentials.
They were former chsmpions.
However, as Thomas Tuchel, who is leading a technical crew in Chelsea, has not yet won the Champions League, his opponent in Manchester City, Pep Guardiola, has won him twice.
He won the victory with Barcelona in 2009 and in 2010.
Therefore, there is much to expect from the actors who will come into the field at Estadio.
do Dragao in Porto and the men who will take charge of the technical area.
Interestingly, despite both contestants having only three African players in Riyad Mahrez (Algeria, Manchester City), Hakim Ziyech (Morococo, Chelsea) and Edourad Menday (
Senegal, Chelsea) Africa's interest in the final drops.
Here in Nigeria, where Chelsea and Manchester City enjoy a lot of followers from passionate football fans, expection has caused fever, and it has led to interesting realignment.
Fans of the other clubs who have been out of other stages of the Champions League re-aligned themselves with either Chelsea or Manchester City as their interests are diversified enough.
The consequence is that the final is one of the topics being discussed in sports at the moment and fans of the premiereship club have continued to be predicted as the finalresult may be.
However, as it seems that almost everyone is waiting to savour the football artistry to be displayed, some pundits are as nomba of African players in the final of the biggest football competitions on earth are decreasing.
Following history in the UEFA Champions League, only 24 African footballers have contested and won the trophy with European clubs.
Sadly, African football legends like Liberia's George Weah who was voted as World Footballer of the year in 1995,
Rashidi Yekini of Nigeria, Mohamed Aboutrika of Egypt, Roger Mila of Cameroon, Jay-Jay Okocha, Sunday Oliseh, Taribo West and Victor Ikpeba of Nigeria, Rigobert Song of Cameroon and Hassam Hassan of Egypt did not win the Champions League as they knew the ball enough.
Although Mo Salah (Egypt), Sadio Mane (Senegal), Joel Matip (Cameroon) and Naby Keita (Guinea) are on the big stage when Liverpool won their 6th UEFa Champions league title in 2019, the first African to win the trophy was Bruce Grobbelaar of Zimbabwe.
He achieved the feat with Liverpool in 1984.
It was followed by the Algerian legend Rabah Madjer who defeated FC Porto in 1987 and Abedi Pele (Ghana) in 1993 with Olympique Marseille, before Nigeria.
duo George Findi and Nwankwo Kanu lifted him with Ajax Amsterdam in 1995.
It was also recorded that Geremi Njitap of Cameroon was the first African to win the title twice in 2000 and 2002 with Spanish giants Real Madrid, Samuel Eto'o of Cameroon and won him three times with Barcelona 2006, 2009 and 2010 with Inter Milan.
Another African who has won the highky coveted trophy is Ibrahim Tanko (Ghana).
Borussia Dortmund 1997, Samuel Kuffour (Ghana) Bayern Munich 2001, Benni McCarthy (South Africa) FC Porto 2004, Djimi Traore (Mali)
) Liverpool 2005, Yaya Toure (Cote dIvoire)
Barcelona 2009 & 2011, Seydou Keita (Mali) Barcelona 2009 & 2011, Sully Muntari (Ghana)
Inter Milan 2010 and McDonald Mariga (Kenya) 2010.
John Mikel Obi (Nigeria), Michael Essien (Ghana), Salomon Kalou (Cote dIvoire), Didier Drogba (Cote dIvoire) who won him with Chelsea in 2012 and Achraf Hakimi (Morocco), with Real Madrid 2018 completed the list of Africans who have won the UEFA Champions League.
To get home, the last time Nigerians won the trophy was in 2012 when Mikel Obi was among AFricans who lifted the trophy with Chelsea at the expense of Bayern Munich.
After that achievement by the former captain of Super Eagles, Nigeria saw other talented players rise, such as Ahmed Musa, Wilfred Ndidi, Kelechi Iheanacho, Alex Iwobi, William Troost-Ekong, Leon Balogun, Ola Aina, Isaac Success, Chigozie Awaziem, Tyrone Ebuehi, Moses Simon and lately Victor Osimhen.
But none of them have appeared in the final of the biggest club competitions in Europe.
The reason is not clear.
The competition was dominated by the top five clubs in Europe Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Manchester United and Liverpool.
Unfortunately, Nigerian players have failed to enter highly rated clubs in Europe.
It is hoped by Nigerian football stakeholders that very soon the new generation of players will break barriers and begin to play in clubs with potential to win the UEFA Champions League.
If this fails, then the football fans in Nigeria will continue to live with the agony of watching finakls of the UEFA Champions League are coming and going, without the presence of any Nigerian player.
While Nigerians are waiting for the next Super Eagle player to rise to the top of the European club competitions as Find George, Nwankwo Kanu did with Ajax in 1995 and Mikel Obi in 2012, only a few hours remaining in the 2021 All English clubs final.
At the end, there will be a victory for the Manchester club hunting for their first title or the Londoners prime in the second itle and the most watched football league in the world, Premiership will be the ultimate winner.
Eyimba forced FC IfeanyiUbah to 2-2 draw in the Oriental derby
Enyimba FC came from behind to secure a 2- draw deserved for a week 14 fixture rescheduled against eastern brothers FC IfeanyiUbah at the Aba international stadium.
The orietal derby noticed that Eyimba made three changes to the team who lost for Rivers United on Sunday.
Sadiq Abubakar is a return after weeks of being laid off while Anthony Omaka and Victor Mbaoma again entered the starting line up.
The first 28 minutes of the game saw both sides try to hit first but the visiting side drew first blood through Saidu Adamu who kicked him home from close range after Uche Onuha was headed Evans Ogbonda cross to meet him.
With the away side full control of the game, they have increased confidence and that leaves the host to scramble to get back into the game as the first end in 1-0 in favour of the visitors.
On the restart of the second half, IfeanyiUbah continued to press for the second goal and got the reward deserved when Saidu Adamu got his brace after having Awazie square passed over the line in the 61st minute.
With the second goal sting them to life, Eyimba started throwing everything in their Arsenal to get back into the game.
Within the 78th minute, presence paid off as Reuben Bala reduced the deficit of Eyimba in a lucky fashion.
Sharp Uzoigwe kept out his initial header but the ball rolled back to him and over the line.
The goal is to give eyimba some hope as they continue to press for plunty nomba to secure a point at least.
And they got this in the 90th minute through Imot Obot.
Following this result, Eyimba has moved up to 5th position with 31 points from 17 games with two more outstanding matches.
Meanwhile, FC IfeanyiUbah is still in a relegation zone with 17 points in 19 games.
Farmers are apprehensive as planting season begins with erratic rain.
As wet season begins most part of the season, farmers have started palnting with fear as rain is erratic and could threaten production.
Rain is unsatable in Benue, Nasarawa, Niger, Kaduna and part of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), and many farmers have planted crops.
During the 2019/2020 wet season, erratic rain in the north and mid-season draught in the south-west caused farmers to lose money due to crop failure.
Musa Yohana and Halima Thomas, farmers in Doma and Lafia, Nasarawa State, said they had planted maize, groundnut and other crops like casava and yam but feared that they could have another horrible experience like last season when they were forced to plant maize and groundnut twice.
I lost my yam last year due to excessive heat because the rain did not fall well.
This year, we have been on the second week of May but rain is still coming well.
And I have already planted 15 measures (about 20kg) of groundnut.
If this continued for another one week, I could lose all the seeds, said Mr Yohana.
Like them, many farmers around the FCT have also planted, but they had tremendous fear of crop failure as experienced last year.
In Benue State, in Benue State, our correspondent reproved that farmers had started cultivating land and planting crops on complaining that there was no rainfall.
Some farmers who had prepared their farms earlier in the tear said they could not begin to be planted until a week ago, while others just began to clear land at the wake of the rainfall three times withing two weeks.
A farmer in Otukpo, Ada hyacinth, said the ground is still too strong to cultivate because the rain is not frequent.
Another farmer, Felix Tor, in Makurdi, said he just planted melons and maize on the farms he just cleared despite not consistent rains.
However, tor expressed fear that the nature of the rainfall could affect the wellbeing of the crop.
He prayed that the yield do better at the end.
But Vitalis Tarnongu, who has been clearing his 1,000 hectares of farmland at the federal Unversity of Agriculture, Makurdi (FUAM), said as the rainfall this year would lead to commencing planting maize towards the end of May.
Tarnongu said a plant breeder in the university advised him to wait until May 20 to begin planting his maize because the nature of the rainfall since the season suggested that there would be no rainfall for two weeks.
The sate chairman of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Aondongu Saaku, described farming as a business worth taking risks on.
Farmers who see it as a business have taken the risk of multiplying their crops already because without such a risk they won't reap at the end of the day,saaku said.
Meanwhile, Dr Teryima Iorlamen, a seed system specialist in FUAm, said farmers could go ahead to plant their roots and tuber crops following the prediction of rainfall made by NIMET this year.
Iorlamen said the period expected of farmers to wait had passed, stressing that the prediction of NIMET on rainfall pattern in Benue State, which is operated with, indicated that rain would stabilise in the state between April 18 and April 30, 2021.
Farmers can now be assured that rain stabilises according to NIMET prediction.
Anythimg different for now will be a dry spell.
I have advised farmers to check water logging capacity in their fields so that they can plant their crops as appropriate.
Rice like plenty of water, so it is not time to be planted.
But farmers can now enter roots and tubers, including yam, cassava, maize and melon.
We believe the rain has stabilised.
Senate mourns late Army Chief, Ahmed Gulak
The Senate, on Tueday, had a minute silence to honour the demise of former presidential aide, Ahmed Gulak, who was killed with a strong eye on Sunday in Owerri, Imo state capital.
This was followed a motion of Deputy Senate President and Chairman of the Senate on Senate Constitution Review Committee, Ovie Omo-Agege, on the floor of the Red Chamber.
Omo-Agege drew attention to his colleagues to the killing of Gulak, hired by lawmakers to assist his committee on the amendment made by Nigerians in the constitution.
Gulak served as a consultant to the committee and entered Owerri for the public hearing on the review of the 199 constitutions.
Although the programme had ended on Thursday, Gulak stayed behind and left on Sunday.
He was killed while heading to the airport in Owerri on his way to Abuja.
Omo-Agege described Gulak as a non-tribal Nigerian, giving his best to the service of the country.
Also, on Tuesday, the Senate urged the federal government to immortalise the late Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru.
The red chamber also observed a minute silence to take honor of Lt. Gen. Attahiru, who died in a plane crash near Kaduna International Airport.
This followed a point of order by the Chairman, Senate Committee on Army Affairs, Senator Ali Ndume.
NIN/profile code: NANS raise voice concerning disenfranchisement of students by JAMB
The Kaduna State Chapter of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) on Tuesday said thousands of candidates would not take part in the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) this year.
examination of the hitches of NIN/Profile code.
NANS chairman in the stste, Axiz Huziafa Bello, in a statement issued yesterday in Kaduna was disagreeed with the JAMB.
Bello is a call for extension of the electronic registration instead of risking the lives of students to travel to the headquarters of JAMB in the states for manual registration.
He noted that the news bulletin released on Monday with the title Issues surrounding the 2021 UTME registration: Option available for genuine candidates who made attempts but could not register, indicating that the management failed to show sorry face for the hardship and agony faced by the candidates.
He appealed to prominent Nigerians to prevail over the management of JAMB to stop making things hard for students in Nigeria as they try to have higher education and develop themselves.
He urged the examination body to extend the registration period and postponed the exam to do justice and fairness.