| How to see a decomposing body of a civil defence officer in a deepened grave | |
| The decomposing body of a woman officer working for the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) who has been on the wanted list for 18 months, has been seen in a grave not deep enough in Obi Local Government Area of Benue State. | |
| Until he was no more seen, Josephine Cynthia Inalegwu Onche, was working at the NSCDC office in Otukpo. | |
| Cynthia is Idoma, and the Otukpo she would have come, just as they were planning her marriage. | |
| Some of her work people who did not want to be named in due course to the inability of her family to return to her when her marriage was less days. | |
| She was said to go to the market to buy things as she was preparing for her marriage, but didnt return home since. | |
| One of the officeholders of the person who died said as they tried to locate his whereabouts, they were not able to locate him until one other officer showed them where he was burried. | |
| The octoman told the family that the boss of the couple who wanted to marry their children killed him, and used his money to make a rotual. | |
| After the arrest of the family members and security of the man, the man was taken to the baba where he did the ritual in Obi local government before he made his way to South-West state. | |
| When the police arrested the husband and his herbalist in Otukpo, the family of the deceased person had evacuated the body from where it was buried and organised a burial there for him on June 1, 2021. | |
| Call, or answer a message sent to him on the incident, said DSP Catherine Anene, who is a spokesperson of the Benue police. | |
| The spokesperson of NSCDC in the state, Asc Ejelikwu Micheal, was not available for further details when contacted, however, he said that would be discussed when possible. | |
| But an insider said the news of the decomposing suspects had again brought sadness to the security people. | |
| For the review of a constitution: MURIC said there was no sharia in the SouthWest before Christianity came. | |
| The Muslim Right Concern group has asked the Penticostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) to stop opposeing Muslims and mind them business. | |
| The director of MURIC, Professor Ishaq Akintola, said this on Sunday. | |
| This comes a day after the warning by the PFN that any group should not use the review of constitution carried out by the senate to bring shariah laws into south-west. | |
| PFN and other Christian groups knew that there was a shariah in south-west before christianity entered in 1842. | |
| Shariah was practiced in Ede, during the time of Oba Abeeb Olagunju (Abbeb is a muslim name) and that | |
| The shariah court in Ede was still working as it was in 1913, at Agbeni in the town. | |
| He was taken to Agbongbon in 1914. | |
| Shariah was introduced in Iwo at the time of Oba Momodu Lamuye (Muhammad Lamuye), who died in 1906. | |
| Even sef, the nobody but Akirun of Ikirun, both Aliyu Oyewole (when he died in 1912) brought shariah into Ikirun in 1910. | |
| All these are examples of how shariah has been spreading in Yorubaland and also to say that the christian people are aware that the authorities of shariah in Yorubaland have come toimpose a christian common law, as Akintola said. | |
| He said PFN and some other christian groups knew that islamic cult had been growing in the south west, and fear was catching them that the giant who was sleepy would now come and take what belongs to him. | |
| He said the Christians know that Shariah is the right that Allah has given to Muslims. | |
| But they have defined that it will not be allowed to be used by Muslims, that it is the new way they are using. | |
| They had in mind that war is a Muslim peoples fight, and that nothing is bad in war. | |
| They are often using both good and bad ways to get their ideas on. | |
| They have called on Nigerians to understand the mentality of the Christian people here. | |
| As it is always the case for everyone who is quick-tempered, they believe that attacking people is the only way to defend themselves. | |
| Profiting from the colonial whimper that was over a century earlier, they wanted to go over all the benefits that the colonial boss had given them. | |
| It is also on their mind that Muslim people should be put in places that are historically chased. | |
| The committee which reviewed the constitution had said that Nigerians should write what they want in constitution. | |
| Each group should bring what is needed. | |
| Instead, the PFN tells its members what the christians want, which is their position, and the christians are left to ask them. | |
| He was to block Muslims in the south, but that would not work. | |
| He said the so-called religious tolerance in the south, that is a lie, and the so-called Muslims are being forced into slavery. | |
| Muslims in the region have been able to open their eyes to ask for freedom. | |
| We urge them to stop as we are being forced to wear christian school uniforms, to go to christian school and use christian laws. | |
| We want a shariah that does not cut peoples hands, but the shariah that will regulate Muslim marriage, inherritance and family affairs. | |
| The issue does not concern christians at all. | |
| We'll fight no matter what, going by law, to do the thing, he said. | |
| Stakeholders in Edo say Obaseki is party leader. | |
| As the Peoples Democratic Party in Edo State has a crisis of who controls the party, member or Edo South of the party, they have said the state governor, Godwin Obaseki and his deputy, Philip Shaibu are good. | |
| Edo South PDP in a communique issued at the end of a stakeholders meeting at the weekend in Benin City, said Godwin Obaseki is leader of the party in the state. | |
| In communiques signed by the secretary, Wilson Evbuonwam, the party said it supported the harmonization and integration of new people into the executive committee of the party, and urged the state to develop welwel. | |
| Police nab suspect for kidnapping in Abuja, with even kolekted 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 spokesperson of the command, ASP Maryam Yusuf, who spoke with a siddon in Abuja, said the names of the suspects were Yakubu Ahmadu, Ibrahim Mallam Musa, and Bello Haruna. | |
| She said the suspects are members of a syndicate that is also linked to the kidnap 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 conducted by police from the command anti-kidnapping squad at Shenegu mountain on the border of the FCT and Niger State. | |
| She said the suspects had become better informed on the activities of their group. | |
| Yusuf later said one Nwite Jideofor who staged his kidnap from Durumi area, the suspect confessed that he conived others who kidnapped him to collekt up 5 million from his sister as ransom. | |
| She said some of the exhibits from the suspects were three firearms, seven cutlas, one Honda Accord painted bleck, four mobile phones and other items. She added that they were working on arrest other members of the group that had run away. | |
| She said all the suspects would be charged to court as soon as the investigation is completed, warning the residents of the FCT especially parents and guardians to draw ear to their children not to commit crime. | |
| Suarez strikes, Atletico also win La Liga title | |
| The goal that Luiz Suarez scored had helped Athletico Mardrid beat Real Valladolid 2-1 on Saturday, and provided the team with another remarkable La Liga victory. | |
| Suarez was crying for the begiing of the season seeking the exit of Barcelona, but as the season ends, his 21st goal of the season to Athleticoto won first league since 2014, this one which was won ahead of Real Madrid. | |
| Athletico know that if they win the trophy, it does not matter what Madrid do for Villareal at home. | |
| But not feeling very comfortable, as Valladolid took early lead. | |
| Real Madrid were also behind in the game before Karim Benzema equalised in the 87th minute and Luka Modric struck a late winner in the 2-1 win over Athletico for a long time, remaining small enough to get the thing done with just one goal. | |
| When the final whistle was blown, players were run into the field, red and white shirt covering Suarez, in the hope that the title race that was even unpredictable had ended. | |
| Suarez Zone | |
| It only passed a week small. | |
| This is the Suarez zone. | |
| And it was time for that, as the Uruguayan who won the title last weekend and scored on the last day to officially crowned themselves as a trophy. | |
| This is the second time in 17 years that another team apart from Barcelona or Real Madrid have won the league, but Athleti still won the other one under Simeone in 2014. | |
| Athletico started the rout with a two-goal in the last eight minutes to beat Osasuna, | |
| But it was not easy for Athletico this season, having 10 points lead in February and reduced to 2 in May, and being one in the table relied on allowing Real Madrid and Barcelona to slip. | |
| So it is no surprise that as Valladolid is left 19th in the table, some patches have been done. | |
| Loads of Athletico fans have gathered at Valladolid Plaza Mayor to sing along, and many were also reaching outside the stadium, where they were pulled out for no gain. | |
| The killing of Gulak has caused people to shout. | |
| people were screaming and mourning on sunday as a barr was killed. | |
| Ahmed Gullak, a former adviser to former presido Goodluck Jonathan on political matters, was roundly gunned by gunmen. | |
| It was gathered that Gulak was shot dead in Obiangwu village while trying to cross the Sam Mbakwe airport in Owerri, the capital of Imo state, to enter Abuja. | |
| On yesterday evening a funeral paryer for the politician from Adamawa was given in the national mosque in Abuja, after that one was burried in Gudu cemetary around 8pm. | |
| Police in Imo State said at least six of the killers associated with the All Progressives Congress (APC) boss had been killed after their fight. | |
| A statement by the Police Public Relation Officer, SP Bala Elkana, said on 30 May, 2021, while receiving a call about Ahmed Gulaks killing, a special force of policemen, including Intellingence Response Team (IRT), Police Mobile Force (PMF), and tactical units from the command, all of them were deployed to the scene of Obiagwu junction, in Ngorokpala LGA, Imo state. | |
| The instruction given to the team was that the people responsible for the perpetrators should be arrested to face justice. | |
| The wording of Gulaks killing is incongruent and the Imo police have been on the trail since yesterday. | |
| The people there, especially the driver of the moto-driven Gulak, who was taking it to the airport, had described the jaguda people, and the moto they were using to get out the terrorists. | |
| It was said to be a Toyota Camry 2005 model, which was silver-coloured by the criminals, with a 1998 silver touch and golden color. | |
| Toyota Hilux painted white, and a Lexus 330, painted gold. | |
| (Dem did not put a registration number, because of security matter) | |
| Once they knew the ethnic of the killer and the type of vehicles that were used to carry out the attack, they later told them the way the killers had gone. | |
| With some lead, the team later established where the killer is. | |
| The suspects were arrested at Onipanu in Anoh-Mbaise local government area. | |
| The surveillance followed the interrogation of the suspects in a trailer concealed under lock and key. | |
| Onions were full in the trailer from Northern Nigeria. | |
| Unsurprisingly, the police officers who were protecting fellow terrorists started shooting at gunpoint. | |
| The gallant and one who is ready for battle | |
| Also, a police officer was returned with a gun shot too. | |
| The six terrorists who followed the killing, and four other members of the group sustained serious injury. | |
| Three of the four moto attacked Gulak have been recovered. | |
| Three Ak47 rifles, one pistol, five AK47 magazines containing 92 rounds of live ammunition and criminal charm were recovered from them. | |
| The terrorists identified as members of the IPOB and ESN banned. | |
| The driver of late Ahmed Gulak, and the victim who survived, identified the decomposing body of the IPOB/ESN members as attacked by them, and the vehicle in question was kolekted as the same motor. | |
| In the face to face with the terrorists, two armored personel carriers belonging to the police officers were taken to a gun scater, but they did not spoil their ordeal. | |
| And The video after the attack showed Gulak wearing a jean trouser, and a blue shirt as he laid to sleep in his own blood, near the abandoned car. | |
| Gulak was the chairman of the Imo All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship primary election which saw Hope Uzodinma enter as the party's representative. | |
| It was even said that close to the governor, he was visiting the state welwel. | |
| Why he is in Owerri | |
| Though Gulak has been visited Owerri welwel since the sit-at-home of Uzodinma, it was to attend a public hearing on a review of a constitution in the city where he was the last time. | |
| While the committees deliberate sitting concluded, Gulak was satyed back when other members of the committee departed the city on Friday. | |
| He who is close to Senator Orji Uzor kalu, the chairman of the public hearing in Owerri, said the deceased private was offered to him after the siddon's request, but he refused to accept it. | |
| According to the source, the Kalu team were left the city the day after the public hearing, but Gulak stayed back, saying he had things to do in the city. | |
| The source said: We spoke with Owerri the day after the public hearing, and we asked him to join us in our private jet, that we had enough security with us. | |
| But he said he had somethimg to do in the city. | |
| Nigerians have taken to the knock to FG, and other political parties concerning the killing. | |
| Nigerians on social media also put their hands on ears to the federal government and police leaders over the killing. | |
| A Facebook commentator who shared the story with Daily Trust, Ifeanyi Maduako, said the death of Gulak was bitter and linked to politics. | |
| The killing is bitter in my mouth. | |
| It appears to be done by political players, and the people involved, to open their mouths. | |
| The killing will expose those behind the security situation in Imo State. | |
| Who invited him, and why they would kill him in Imo State | |
| I am afraid what will happen to innocent Imo people in some days in the hands of security people of north, he wrote. | |
| Another person who commented on the thread, Olurombi Micheal Omo, said as police report proves that it is a political killing, it should be investigated welwel. | |
| It is a problem that police personnel are also questioned. | |
| On his part, Comr Hassan Ahmad wrote that the soul of innocent people is more important than the scam that is called Unity in Nigeria. | |
| We wont accept this illiteracy, of course, and of course we are all peacemakers. | |
| but the people who pushed us to the meets can see that we cannot continue with the peace. | |
| I'm sending a warning, we will retaliate and it will be the worse. | |
| Buhari you have failed us woefully, and we face the Imo policemen to follow the terrorists. | |
| Nasiru Inuwa also wrote that the north was a wake-up call to the big people in the north, who started with innocent Fulani herders, now have turned to northern government officials, including prominent politicians. | |
| The secretary, IPOB-supported activists, Emma Powerful, in a statement, did not link IPOB to the murder of Gulak, saying killing politicians was not on the agenda of the joinbodi. | |
| IPOB is said to have no knowledge about the killing. | |
| To begin with, how Gulak is taking threat to our mission which has warranted the kill of him. | |
| We have no relationship with him and we have not killed him. | |
| Pointing hands to IPOB for this barbaric act is just to divert attention away from the real people doing it. | |
| The same way terrorists in security uniform take on atrocities in the south east, and they will translate to IPOB for crime, because they want to ruin our reputation. | |
| It was an opportunate that they had been looking for for for for a long time to launch another special military operation in the Eastern Region to take more Biafra people innocent. | |
| Instead of encouraging security personnel to properly investigate the incident and the cause of it, they have faced IPOB over a crime of not doing. | |
| Do the IPOB have the information on the movement of the late Gulak to the point that it should be stopped on airport road? | |
| The group said securitymen should first investigate Gulaks host, Hope Uzordinma, and his political opponents to establish if involved. | |
| Gulak did not escape punishment. | |
| Also speaking, President Muhammadu Buhari has said that the people who killed Gulak and other suspects in the process are not going to be released. | |
| President Buhari, in a statement signed by a spokesperson, Garba Shehu, expressed outrage and disgust over the heinous murder. | |
| The president, who expressed sadness at the incident, said: I was repulsed by the gruesome murder of Gulak which was premeditated by evil people, who are said to have succeeded in bringing back the peace, unity and teritorial integriti of our country. | |
| I must warn that no one, or a clique of do such a thing as despicable will expect to go free. | |
| We will use every available tool to see that those who do such a calous and criminal thing will face justice. | |
| Akeredolu said the killing of Gulak was unacceptable. | |
| Governor of Ondo State, Olwarotimi Akeredolu, described the news of the killing as shocking and disturbing. | |
| In a statement signed by the Governor himself, he said this one is murdering too many, and that doing it is really senseless and wicked. | |
| The people who do such a bad thimg are the enemy of the country they belong. | |
| The corner-corner way is to mislead, confuse and destroy. | |
| He had the unmistakable, despicable imprints of fifth columnists bent on setting the country on the path of conflagration. | |
| They must not allow these criminals to succeed. | |
| We are using this medium to tell our brother, Governor of Imo State, Hope Uzordinma that we are with him. | |
| He urged Governors of South Eastern states to brace up and confront the security challenges to take an end bloodbath for them. | |
| The enemy of the people is always using weapons of fear to create disaffection. | |
| The cowardice act is to instigate Nigerians to face each other, to northerners to face Igbo who live outside South East. | |
| We must face the enemy of the people to see that we are leaving power to them. | |
| This is no time for arguing who knows politically. | |
| We must not allow bandits to ruin the legitimacy of this government at all levels. | |
| We call on all security personnel to go to Kolabo to see the difference between sponsored criminals and accomplices. | |
| They must be severely punished. | |
| Fintiri is mourning | |
| The Governor of Adamawa State, Umara Ahmadu Fintiri has said the killing of Gulak shocked him, saying he is a former speaker of Adamawa State. | |
| Governor Fintiri said the death was painful, how cruelly people were taken to this wicked place. | |
| Governor Fintiri said Late Gulak was a witty, determined, and practical politician, who was said to have taken rise as a result of his hardwork. | |
| It is very unfortunate that the death has come from us. | |
| Hon Ahmed Gulak in the day a gruesome manner. | |
| Gulak is a lively politicin who values everyone and always has the interest of the country on his mind. | |
| Reminiscent of his interaction with late Gulak, Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri said he was a broda and mentor he was, and because he is a lawter, he was a human rights fighter. | |
| Madagali community lost son | |
| In a statement released by his Chief Press Secretary Hunwashi Wanisoukou in Yola yesterday, the governor said we have lost one of the strongest persons fighting for human rights. | |
| We all remember how passionate he fought for the people that the insurgency had sent to their houses, and those who were left with little means. | |
| ACF condenned the killing. | |
| The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has condenmed the killing of Gulak, saying it is a huge loss to our country. | |
| The ACF in a statement signed by national publicity secretary, Emmanuel Yawe, said it is sad to hear the killing of Gulak, described as a dynamic, and progressive politician who recently came out from notrth. | |
| If you like it or not, it is your business. | |
| May God bless, and grant his family and state, Adamawa, the ability to bear the loss. | |
| The killing was part of the plan to repeat do that in 1966 CNG. | |
| The coalition of Norther Groups (CNG) has described the killing of northern politician Ahmed Gulak, a former political adviser to former presido Goodluck Jonathan, as a plan, and all the attacks on police officers in the Southeast of Nigeria, to try to repeat the 1966 coup. | |
| The CNg in a statement signed by spokesperson Abdul-Azeez Suleiman said the northern part of the country couldn't live with southeast as a country, given the alleged violence of the Indigenous People of Biafra, The eastern Security Network (ESN), and other Igbo groups being funded, and confidence, by every part of the Igbo society, both home and abroad. | |
| Westham hope of reaching top-four has been dashed with a loss to Everton. | |
| Westham hope of reaching top-four has been dashed following a failed run against Everton who hope to go into the European League on Sunday. | |
| The goal scored by Dominic Caivert-Lewin in the 24th minute of their game showed that they were determined to win Westham who had made mouth to finish that they would score on that serious afternoon. | |
| The closest to equalising was when Vladmir Coufal went to shoot a ball at a bar and Jerron Bowenno could not hit it back entabling him to post upon his position in the goal post. | |
| Supporters of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo have shown that they are still supporting him in the quest to become a presidential candidate in the coming elections. | |
| Osinbajo said he did not want to be president. | |
| Vice President Osinbajo said all the small talks about his mind to be president in the 2023 Presidential Election were distraction. | |
| A fictitious story has been towned that Osinbajo's eye is on President's post in the land. | |
| Vice-president Laolu Akande, in a statement on Monday, said the Vice-president hadn't declared his interest to be president. | |
| The Vice-president office has put their eye on a Website. | |
| Supporting people, I call on Nigerians to join a volunteer group to support Prof Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, to prepare for the 2023 Presidential elections. | |
| Details of the website and how to contact them through a full Whatsapp message plus the fact that Osinbajo declared interest in the 2023 election. | |
| The vice president office has no connection with the group or the website they stand for it and they feel that the whole thin is a distraction. | |
| Prof Osinbajo has not said he wants to be president in the 2023 elections, but he is focusing on serving as Vice President in the current administration to face serious matters in the country. | |
| We ask our people to stop all the tensions, to face the challenges bedeviling our Nigerian people, to do good for our people and promote peace and prosperity in our land,the statement said. | |
| Ndidi and Iheanacho have made Nigeria proud again at Leicester City where they played with the countrys flag on display, just as their team won the FA Cup. | |
| NFF congratulates Ndidi Iheanacho for the FA Cup win over Leicester City | |
| President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) | |
| Mr Amaju Melvin Pinnick, has sent a message to congratulate Super Eagles midfielder Wilfred Ndidi and Forward Kelechi Iheanacho for their win over Leicester City against Chelsea which many were hyped on Saturday. | |
| FA Cup final in England | |
| The two were both on the march at Wembley and celebrated after the march with Nigeria flags as they joined the list of other seven Nigerian players who have won the England Cup. | |
| I am very happy for Ndidi and Iheanacho. | |
| They worked for Leicester City throughout the campaign and both them and their team deserved the honour. | |
| I have believed this win will work as a high morale boost for them for the friendly march we want to play this summer and the FIFA World Cup starting in September. | |
| I also was happy with the Nigeria flag that both of them used to celebrate when they were finished. | |
| That is awesome. | |
| Ndidi and Iheanacho are the second pair of people from Nigeria celebrating a FA Cup win over England, that is after Nwankwo Kanu and John Utakawinning in Portsmouth against Cardiff in 2008. | |
| By that time, Daniel Amokachi had won in Everton in 1995; Celestine Babayaro also won Chelsea in the year 2000, Kanu in Arsenal in the year 2002 and John Mikel Obi in Chelsea in 2007. | |
| After Kanu/Utaka won in 2008, John Mikel Obi won again for Chelsea in 2009, 2010 and 2012, Alex Iwobi won the Arsernal in 2017, Victor Moses also won the 2018. | |
| When I was at the Federal Government College in Enugu in the early 70s, the train I used to transport mysef from Kaduna to Enugu. | |
| Djokovic warms up for Roland Garros with Belgrade title | |
| Novak Djokovic has completed his warm-up with success at Roland Garros when he beats 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 a month when the fans are still coming, much like the Serbia Open that took place in April when the stadium was dry. | |
| Djokovic has said he has played in the peoples front, against Belgrade who lost the semifinal at the Serbia Open, which was his last victory. | |
| The herder-farmer affair in Nigeria has become a reality TV item every day. | |
| To end Nigerias herder-farmer kasala: The Livestock reform Plan | |
| Nigerias federal and state governments are struggling to implement a National Livestock Transformation Plan designed to control cattle movement throughout the country from which it will turn into a herder and farmers fight. | |
| Many state governors have endorsed it, but he faces some challenges. | |
| Political leadership that is not working, perception about its purposes that is not correct, budget constraints that increases due to the COVID-19 pandemic, experts who are not authorised to do the work and insecurity that is everywhere, blocks the progress. | |
| If the plan fails as many of its other plans to modernise livestock management, the farmers and herders fight will increase. | |
| National Economic Council approved it in January 2019, the plan is to represent the effort people will understand better to examine the inefficient livestock system. | |
| The main part of the strategy is to be able to control where grazing is happening so that they can reduce the fight between herders and farmers. | |
| The movement has hope that after 10 years,herders up and down mainly will have the mind to put their cattle in ranch and reserves for public grazin, where breeding farms and other mechanised livestock management will support the sectors produce. | |
| By the end of 2028, the authority had it in mind to have built up an about 119 ranch in all the states involving, to create about two million jobs in the livestock production, processing and market chain. | |
| The president Muhammadu Buhari-led administration made the plans after a period of fighting between herders and farmers, particilarly because of the fight to much and he affected people in the ghetto in 2018. | |
| The Federal Government, in mind to drop some funds that would carry over 80 percent of the Transformation proposals submitted by the states involving, has taken the first step towards implementation, which will include technical support to help the states prepare to begin work, such as field survey and site mapping. | |
| In many states, the grazing reserves have been demarcated, and they opened offices, setting up steering committees to manage the plans. | |
| The authorities have done workshops and other work to teach people the benefits of livestock reform. | |
| Two years down the line from the 10-year plan they had done, they have not built any ranch and their obstacles have been enormous. | |
| Although there is still opposition from the herders, though it is mostly from the Fulani people, it is also among the farmers who do not want to pastolist the benefit of the plan also, which distorts the reform effort. | |
| Distrust has also been a lot of the Middle Belt, where fight between farmers and herders is too much due to land, even though peacemaking and efforts by the military since 2018 have reduced the blood shed. | |
| Shortage has been a problem in the federal and state governments budgets, largely because the economy has been deflated due to the pandemic, and that the country has not had technical experts who know how to manage ranch and grazing reserves. | |
| In many states, especially in the North-West, the way criminal gangs and groups of armed robbers grown, they lose access to grazing reserves and thus make people to invest again. | |
| unless they do somethimg about it, these challenges and other ones can delay or spoil the plan, which will make the country helpless when the fight between farmers and herders is more serious than before, which could turn into a fight between ethnic groups, regions and religions. | |
| To tackle this issue, it will be important that Federal and State authorities should collaborate and partner with donors and investors. | |
| First, Abuja and other states that support it should provide political leadership thats stronger than before, and increase their communication with the public, in order to spoil peoples doubt and wrong understanding of the plan. | |
| This is perhaps the most common request for pastoralists their side, who will ask them to change the nomadic lifestlye that has been with their people for centuries, but with serious doubt that the plan promised about pasture is untrue. | |
| But many farmers fear that they will lose their land to those who produce livestock. | |
| Many people in the middle Belt and other states in the South still suspect the plans long-term goals, which are being seen as opportunities for herders and the Fulani people particularly. | |
| With the support from Abuja and other partners, state governments will need to find experts, who know technical aspects of thins, especially those who will manage the ranch and grazin reserve, dairy production and meat processing. | |
| The Federal and State Governments should also increase their budgets for the plan, release the funds quickly and create financial transparency to ensure that everyone is accounted for, working with donors and investors necessary. | |
| It is also useful to deal with minor insecurities in rural areas, to curb impunity and to rehabilitate communities that the fight affects seriously in the states that participate. | |
| Authorities must consider weather change and decide if herders from other countries can also benefit from the plan. | |
| While some of these steps take time, let the people planning it focus on bringing a strong result, which people can see in a small period. | |
| less than two years from now, the country will hold a general election. | |
| If the plan is to survive the change of government to follow, political players must bring proof that it has benefited (Change is certain, as president Buhari and many state governors cannot compete again as they have served two term) | |
| By the time the elections are over, and the plan is supposed to be popularised, the backers of the plan should be able to show some of the ranch they built or the reserve they repaired,strong donors and their investors commitment and the first group of people who have trained to be professional in Livestock management. | |
| Nothing for this thin is easy but the plan worth the effort. | |
| Not only is it imperfect, but it also offers a decisive, strategic move to change Nigerias livestock system with a strategy that will address both herders and smallholder farmers. | |
| About 70 percent of the working people in Nigeria make money from Agriculture. | |
| Modernizing the livestock sector will boost the countrys prosperity and at the same time, it is a big way to solve one of Nigerias most dangerous challenges. | |
| As it is time to the 2023 elections, both federal and state authorities have to do much more to people see what they are doing or else all their efforts to create such a moment of opportunity would have been dashed. | |
| This is an executive summary of the report on the National Livestock Transformation Plan (NLTP) and how it has been implemented, published by the International Crisis Group. | |
| The chat I had with the king | |
| Are you not happy? | |
| They are responsible for very high proportions in food and crop production. | |
| Subsistence farmers are the smallholders that consume the majority of their farm output which is now holed back to that of actively participating in commercially oriented agriculture by a variety of constraints. | |
| no energy for anyone that is not happy for me. | |
| I got it. | |
| This brings me to the conclusion that everyone is evil. | |
| Systems have been characterised as complex,diverse and risk-prone. | |
| However, farms are often small, they do it under traditional or informal tenure, and it is marginal risk-prone environments. | |
| yields have been low and farmers are lacking the capacity to increase yields. | |
| We guaranteed life and prosperity on this day. | |
| way or your aza | |
| The emphasis is on agricultural productivity, production enhancement and commercialising farming as an enterprise. | |
| I knew everythimg | |
| Akpos and his friend sat-down | |
| The yields of the smallholder farmers are profitable. | |
| you are here. | |
| These challenges have led to a lot of smallholder farmers, to pursue lower-risk and lower-yielding agricultural activities. | |
| Are you a witch? | |
| On my road to sabo I am going to buy food suff. | |
| I should 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. | |
| So far what happened, I was able to come ni | |
| This development is shifting the competitive advantage away from petty farmers. | |
| It is important that we find a solution to the problem. | |
| This will require an intergrated approach of methodologies. | |
| The loan sharks are on his neck | |
| This is a problem. | |
| I was sent an errand to where I work. | |
| The water has flooded the whole farm. | |
| Farmers lot of battles in 2020 | |
| For many farmers and other stakeholders in the agro-sector, the year 2020 will remain one of the worst years in the history of Nigeria because it introduced new dynamics that millions of smallholder farmers will contend with. | |
| Many challenges have been confronted in the agricultural sector that range from the issues climate change-related, conflicts and the complications that have exacerbate from the global COVID-19 pandemic, which brings to great pain and heartbreak to farmers and agribusiness players. | |
| First, the COVID-19 lockdown and restrictions happen at the time when dry season farmers are supposed to harvest their crops and wet season farmers should begin cultivation. | |
| Many farmers cannot go to their farms while others have labourers to harvest their farms since mechanization is a huge challenge and manual harvest, the problem. | |
| In addition, movement restrictions have been introduced to curb the spread of 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 when the lockdown is lifted in the agricultural sector, the price of fertiliser has also increased so that many smallholders cannot afford it. | |
| In some places the price has also increased to N13,000 for a bag of Indorama and Notore Urea. | |
| NPK 15-15-15 had reached N25,000 when the federal government NPK20-10-10, under the presidential fertiliser initiative, was supposed to be sold for farmers at N5000 was unavailable in many places and areas where the price had rise to N7,000 and this was highest in some places. | |
| For farmers in Zamfara, Katsina, southern kaduna, some parts of Kebbi and sokoto states, bandits activities not only deny access to their farms but the men also kill many in their farms. | |
| Many farming communities were razed down. | |
| They kidnapped people and demanded ransom. | |
| Many people pay a large sum of money or surrender large portions of their harvest to the bandits. | |
| Many villages in those states have become desolate. | |
| The agricultural sector has witnessed one of the worst disasters wen one of the worst disasters when floods 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 affected are yet to be compensated as their livelihoods have been destroyed. | |
| The flood has worsened since the 2012 disater that wrecked havoc across most of Nigeria's coastal and flood-prone areas, killing people and wash away farmlands. | |
| meanwhile, while the flood brings pain to farmers hearts up in the North, the drought is confronting farmers in the down south. | |
| Within two months, farmers were no joy but watched as their investments in crop were taken away. | |
| not in disguise. | |
| Another subsector where the thing was badly hit is poultry and feeds. | |
| The scarcity of maize at the beginning of the year caused prices to increase. | |
| It has also forced the poultry association of Nigeria to send save our soul appeal to the federal government for urgent atention. | |
| The federal government has responded by resuscitating 5,000 metric tons of maize from the nations strategic reserve for farmers in addition to grant some of the big players licences to import about 222 metric tons of maize to aid in the shortfall in the feed industry. | |
| However, this is only a short-term solution because three months after the strike of soyabean, the scarcity of soyabean struck, and 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 record high in its history, rising from N2,600 in February to about N5,500 | |
| The poultry industry has lost an estimated N7 million jobs with figures reaching 10 million by January 2021 whereas the loss from investments conservatively is estimated at about N1.5 trillion. | |
| While the poultry farmers still struggle with the challenges marring the sector, the crop farmers despite the daunting challenges confronting the sector in the 2020 farming year, have buyers coming right up to their farms even before harvest to make bulk purchase arrangements. | |
| This is the first time the price of grains has come down in harvest time, sparking fear of hunger and the call for the reopening of the border, which will allow influx of products smuggled through the countrys porous borders. | |
| The name of the lord is a strong tower. | |
| 3,000 youths will benefit from NALDA's farm estate in Ebonyi | |
| The National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA) has said the agency will engage at least 3,000 youths in Ebonyi State for 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 on 104 hectares of land donated by the state government. | |
| Prince Ikonne, who was also in Ebonyi State on 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 gave the total support of achieving his dreams. | |
| Therefore, Ebonyi State has 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 which concerns achieving food security in the country. | |
| We are establishing an intergrated farm estate in Ebonyi State as we are doing it in other states. | |
| The scheme will engage Nigerians 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 boss of the Niger Republic has cast a terrorist eye on crime scenes. | |
| Niger Republic's new boss, Prof. Mohammed Bazoum, has taken the reins after his barbaric acts on Friday in a country riddled with jihadist insurgencies. | |
| Bazoum said the groups were killing so many innocent people, and by that, they were committing real war crimes. | |
| He said the leadership of the groups came from other countries, saying they were only attacking Niger for nothing. | |
| He said no terrorist leaders have ever had any vex with their country. | |
| Bazoum, 61 years old, was elected in two rounds conducted in December and February. | |
| Right hand man of Mahamadou Issoufou, 68 years, stepped down by his employer after soeping two years in office. | |
| It was the first time the elected leaders had handed over each other in Nigers history for over 60 years after independence, but the attacks from jihadists and some plans to do coups have distorted the celebration. | |
| Niger suffers close conect to Al-qaeda or Islami State (IS), which are coming west from Burkina Faso and Mali, and from nigeria as Boko Haram is entering from the southeast. | |
| It is more than 300 people killed in three attacks in the west since the start of this year. | |
| The most recent event was when a total of 141 members of the Tuareg community were killed on March 21, in Tahoua, a desert that crossed Mali. | |
| Bazoum said the effort of Niger Rebuplic under him as the presido would focus on Mali. | |
| He said the current situation in Mali had a direct impact on security in their own country. | |
| Insurgents linked to IS are based in Menaka and Gao, eastern and central Mali as Bazoum has said. | |
| He said fighting them would be very difficult as long as Mali as a country is left with full charge over the regions. | |
| Early in Wednesday, after the shooting of guns near presidency in Niamey, the government said it had stopped the planned coup. | |
| He described the thing as act of a coward and regressive treaty to democracy and state of the law. | |
| The country in West Africa has suffered four coups, the most recent of which occurred in Februry 2010, and forced its successor to Presido Mamadou Tandja. | |
| They may leave Australia, Google said. | |
| Google has threatened to leave the country's search engines in the country, as the country has asked them to share gains with news publishers. | |
| Australia wanted to introduce the first of its kind by enabling Google, Facebook, and other tech companies to pay newsmen for their materials brought to them. | |
| But the firms in the US have fought back, warning that they may move back to the country. | |
| Another Prime Minister in Australia, Scott Morrison, has said the lamakers will not listen to any threat. | |
| Although Australia is not one of the big places where Google is taking market for these things, the news code proposed by the government might be a global test of how the government will regulate big tech firms. | |
| This code in Australia will tie Google and Facebook, to negotiate with publishers over the worth of their news contents if they cannot reach agreement at the beginning. | |
| The Managing Director of Google in Australia, Mel Silva told a senate committee on Friday that the law would not work. | |
| She said if this kind of code becomes law, Google will have no choice but to pack it and leave it in Australia. | |
| But lawmakers have attacked it, saying it is a blackmail and bully Google wants to do in Australia seek of raising the reform. | |
| It will rech all over the world. | |
| Shet you are going to the market, will you come? | |
| Senator Rex Patrick asks: Are we to stop the precedence? | |
| Silva replied that the code contained risks that were not tenable in operation in Australia. | |
| Morrison said his government was committed to making the law progress through parliament this year. | |
| Let me make clear: It is Australia that makes the rules of what you can do in Australia. | |
| We are doing that, 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 without which there is no market competition. | |
| The government argument is that because the tech giant has a customer base of people who want to read news, they should pay an amount that is good to the newsroom for journalism. | |
| In addition, they argued that the financial support was necessary or was embattled by the news industry because strong media is vital to democracy. | |
| According to the Government, print media in Australia has suffered a 75% reduction in money since 2005. | |
| The thret that Google has said it will remove all search engines is its toughest. | |
| The lawmakers said news accounted for 12.5% of the search results taken by Google in Australia. | |
| Poultry farmers, beg to import animal grade maize and soya meals. | |
| General Secretary of the South West Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN), Dr Olalekan Odunsi, has called on governments to facilitate importing animal grade maize and soya meals. | |
| Odunsi said the importation of the poultry business could save the 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 to, at the least, not allow soya, seed and soya bean meals to be processed. | |
| He appealed to governors of the region to make an effort in the production of maize as well as in the production of rice. | |
| Odunsi puts mouth to recommendations that maize farmers, soya bean farmers and the remaining farmers in Nigeria need to collabo to take action. | |
| He said if government intervention is not intervened, that scarcity and hish price of maize and soya would threaten another five million poultry jobs if government is not doing anything about it. | |
| Today, it is 210,000/MT maize is sold in most states in the South West, while its cost is 240,000/MT. | |
| As the two items are important, the price of poultry feeds has just increased from from N2750 to N3000 in April N2020 to N4850 to N5300 now. | |
| In December, most farmers cannot sell broilers because the cost of production is higher than what an ordinary Nigerian can buy. | |
| At present, eggs are more than the average person can buy, the price is around 1,300. | |
| So we really need government intervention to save the remaining ten million jobs in the poultry value chain in the economy. | |
| As he took the word. | |
| Reps suspended over support for Buhari-led APC | |
| 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, they have formed a panel of seven members to probe the allegations of insurbordingation charged by the member, including making recommendations within ten days. | |
| The committee is headed by Hamza Dand, with Sanusi Kaaure as secretary. | |
| The lawmaker, who was then suspended, the chairman of the local government, claimed that as Gudaji was suspended, his constituents in Kazaure Yama ward started to protest, and the local government was also intervening. | |
| Our correspondent reports that the lawmaker was suspended because he was accused of criticising the governor, saying the governor would change the candidate the people want in the chaimanship and councilorship primaries. | |
| Serena cruises teenager Pigato in Parma Wta. | |
| Serena Williams brushed aside the challenge of local teenager Lisa Pigato in the opening round of the WTA tournament in Parma on Monday. | |
| Williams, ranked 572 and making her WTA debut 6-3, 6-2, at the first meeting between the two of them. | |
| How North-Central govs can optimize open grazing ban from South APC leaders | |
| While open grazing controversy has trended into public domain, which Southern governors have hit it with a ban during a meeting in Asaba, the president, Farmers Empowerment Association in Nigeria (FEAN), plus Chairman of the 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 had a meeting in Asaba, Delta State, and they banned open grazing to address farmers-herders crisis, including other forms of criminality. | |
| What are your take on the generated controversy? | |
| Every human being is right in action and opinion. | |
| But the most important factor is that once you take your own action, you know there will be consequences. | |
| You should consider the advantages and disadvantages. | |
| I am not one of those who will say it is good or bad. | |
| As a Nigerian, it is your right and liberty to live in anywhere in the country with good faith and enjoy the freedom of association. | |
| On this basis, I will not tell you that is a good thing. | |
| But as a leader in North Central, I will say that is a good thing, especially in North Central zones, considering 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. | |
| Fortunately for us, we have a landmass that is enough to accommodate the herders no matter how many who troop from the South enter the North Central. | |
| What is your position about open grazing? | |
| I am not one of the supporters of open grazing. | |
| I believe more in ranching because it is what I do. | |
| I believe that if we begin to do ranching, it will work out for us. | |
| Let the governors of North Central enable the national programme on ranching. | |
| This move might make Nortj Central the most visited area, where people can buy cow and some allied products. | |
| It will also become a means of economic empowerment, for the northern central people. | |
| We have the land that southern states could not have. | |
| See in Kogi, Niger, Kwara, among others. | |
| We then gave the herder people their houses and ranches to our own advantage. | |
| The challenges bedeviling the Fulani herders are not because they want to adopt ranching. | |
| The problem is that they are not really educated on the advantages. | |
| Their culture is nomadic. | |
| As aresult, they need a good 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 cows take on more than enough there are. | |
| That is what the southern governors are saying. | |
| The governors have no indication of their place in this regard. | |
| This is not a call for ranching or to make federal government money from mouth. | |
| What they are saying is that the herders have become a problem for us and we should leave them. | |
| Herders are urged to apply for land as herding is a personal business. | |
| But have they asked people to apply for land like the herders? | |
| As one of the pesins who works in youth empowerment, especially in agriculture and value chain, why some government policies don't really work, what are the way out? | |
| Firstly, no other administration has been able to touch the lives of individuals like one of President Muhammadu Buhari, you can sit back in your home without wahala and apply for a facility and you will have it. | |
| There are also some credit facility called COVID-19 loans. | |
| Many Nigerians have been collecting the loan for several hundreds of thousands of naira from their homes without going to offices. | |
| Also, with that some SMEs have been expanded such as the Bank of Industry (BOI), Bank of Agriculture (BOA) and the others. | |
| The challenge is that we have two sides, those who will believe you and those who will not believe. | |
| So, for those who do not believe in the administration of Buhari, they have no benefit. | |
| But for us who believe in Buhari, we are benefitting, and we thank god for it. | |
| Kidnapper kills driver, 13 in Nasarawa | |
| Kidnappers have killed Adamu Usman, and 13 others near Shafa-Abakpa -Umaisha road in 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 were receiving treatment together. | |
| Another driver who narrowly escaped the attack Ibrahim Saidu said at about 5pm on Tuesday the incident happened, when many kidnappers with AK47 came through the bush to waylay four motorcycles from Ugya village. | |
| According to him, the kidnappers waylayed the vehicle and started shooting at gunpoint in Abaji through a moto that was taking people from Ugya to Abaji. | |
| He said the kidnappers were surrounding the vehicle after drivers loss control and drove into the bush. | |
| 13 passengers including a woman who is not too old in the bush as they pointed guns to them. | |
| In fact, I was driving behind the four motorcycles that God save me from taking someone to one of the villages. | |
| When I was on my way, I heard that they were shooting at gunpoint, so I turned back. | |
| The Ohimegye of Opanda-Umaisha, His Royal Majesty (HRM), Usman Abdullahi, said that some bandits remaining in the forest were responsible for kidnapping of travelers, residents and some farmers in the area. | |
| He said some bandits remained and they were doing terror in the community, urged the state and federal governments to collaborate and flush them out. | |
| When contacted, the spokesman of the Nasarawa State Police Command, ASP Ramhan Nansel, said that The spokesperson of the latest kidnap incident, he said he would follow the Divisional Police Officer in Toto Local Government Area, and recount the incident to newsmen. | |
| Man nabbed over burglary in Lagos | |
| The Lagos State Police Command has confirmed the arrest of one Victor Ebhomenyen seek of driving to a Four Point Hotel, Oniru in Lagos State. | |
| Ebhomenyen also reportedly assaulted and caused severe injury to ASP Erhator Sundays body at Four Points Hotel, Oniru, Lagos. | |
| This is stated in a statement signed by Lagos Police Command spokesperson CSP Olumuyiwa Adejobi. | |
| He said the command directed it to set the record straught concerning | |
| The incident, which was recorded in a video, which went viral on Saturday April 17. | |
| He said two men were abducted by ASP Erhator Sunday, an officer on duty, and they created a scene along the road at Oniru, Victoria Island, Lagos State. | |
| Adejobi said the prime suspect, Victor, had entered the police net at the State Criminal Investigation Department Panti, for investigation and prosecution as and when due. | |
| He said the command had made efforts to arrest the perpetrators of the crime gang, who happened to be Etinosa. | |
| Gbajabiamila welkom as Ayade defects as PDP urges members to stay unite | |
| The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rep. Femi Gbajabiamila, has expressed joy as the Governor of Cross River State, Prof. Ben Ayade, took the defect to the All Progressives Congress (APC), saying the party is open to everyone. | |
| Gbajabiamila in a statement on Thursday issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Lanre Lasisi, said what Ayade did indicated that APC is the party to beat in the country. | |
| The Speaker said the Cross River State governor has taken the necessary steps and displayed an excellent example to the other stakeholders. | |
| He said the ruling party remained open for all, calling on Nigerians to join the APC to move the country forward. | |
| The Speaker also assured that APC will continue to be just and fair to all its members. | |
| Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), while reacting to the defect of Ayade, urged members in Cross River State to stay united. | |
| In a statement by the party spokesperson, Kola Ologbondiyan, the party called on all critical stakeholders and teeming member 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 life as well as in his future endeavours. | |
| The forensic Bill to be passed by the National Assembly: It is relevant to the fight against corruption that Buhari is doing | |
| 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 he was read for the third time in both Chambers (SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVE). | |
| This act is a clear demonstration of the patriotism and direct response of the National Assembly, which were targeted, in addition to strengthening and re-invigorating national frontiers in the fight against fraud, corruption and cybercrimes, which have entered into our country. | |
| 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 have shown clearly that they have assumed legislative functions in accordance with the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999, as it was amended. | |
| This also attests to the fact that the National Assembly has been waken to the performance of its complementary role with other arms of government in the fight against corruption. | |
| It was with a happy mind and a deep sense of gratitude that I wrote this, which has been put together as a platform for Nigerians and indeed the whole world to 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 rid the country of corruption, fraud and Cyber-Crimes and other related crimes. | |
| After the senate passed the Bill, and in view of the bi-cameral Legislature operated, the House of Representatives was always ready and resilient, under the able leadership of His Excellency, Rt. | |
| Femi Gbajabiamila, the Hon. | |
| The speaker also followed their lead and passed the Bill on Wednesday 19 May, 2021. | |
| As you may have heard, the Bill to establish the Chartered Institute of Forensic and Investigative Professionals of Nigeria (CIFIPN) is among the bills which have been voted NO to in the National Assembly. | |
| The sad thing is that the people who are supposed to put mouth to the fight against corrupt in Nigeria are attacking the bill, they have turned to enemy in common ood. | |
| Gudego is a good thing, but it is not a substitute, it is also a very bad thing. | |
| No matter how long it takes, good will always prevail over bad just as the light superior over darknes is constant and unquestionable. | |
| It is important that we can only see a small of how it has happened in the National Assembly. | |
| Interesting that, the Chartered Institute of Forensic and Investigative Professionals of Nigeria (Est) Bill 2021 (CIFIPN) was the 9th Senate first passed into law on the 2nd day of March, 2021 as it did not have gone through the legislative processes of 1st Reading, 2nd Reading and eventual at 3rd Reading on the 2nd March, 2021 Senate passed the Bill into law with a voice when it had considered the urgent need for the noble legislation, of course not without plenty thunder bolts from detractors who will not stop at any lenght to see that any legislation that will help the administration led by Buhari to fight corruption is not seen to light of day but senate has seen it through. | |
| It is very important for the public to know that (CIFIPN) is not just any noble body but a new one in Nigeria targeted to bridge the gaps for decades in the forensics space. | |
| Today, it is time to have a standard body that will regulate the practice of forensics in Nigeria at its peak and Nigerians to rise to challenge the few anti-governments bodies that may intend to sabotage this step. | |
| This bill passed by the National Assembly, shows clearly that the patriotism and the need to strengthen national efforts against corruption, which has been the blocking development in every aspect of our national lives. | |
| This latest step in legislation, taken between the two Chambers of the National Assembly, is historic and symbolic, and happens at a time Nigeria desperately needs legislation. | |
| that will give a good way to its anti-corruption drive as the spate of criminal and corrupt practices have rise across the globe. | |
| As we all know, crime has entered another level as science and technology improves in the 21st century. | |
| Therefore, the bill is very good and was passed at a good time, plus it shows clearly that we have a flexible and responive legislature that knows the realities of the world and is ready to do legislation that will meet the Nigerian people. | |
| Let us also say the journey behind the bill to become law, has started since the 8th National Assembly, where Distinguished Senator Ahmad Ibrahim Lawan Ph.D, CON who is the current Senate President sponsored our bill, when he was senate Leader, because it is important to the anti corruption effort of this admiistration. | |
| For better understanding, when we introduce our bill in the two chambers of the 8th Assembly, there was a public hearing that took everyone along in the chamber. | |
| Thereafter, and on the basis of the minority stakeholders opposed by the Institute of Chatered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), the National Assembly passed the bill, with the view to its significance and the role it will play in the fight against corruption. | |
| Afterwards, the bill was forwarded to the governor to intervene, but he failed to intervene before the 8th Assembly was dissolved in June 2019. | |
| On this stregth the bill was brought abck into the 9th National Assembly by 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 cheap propaganda that people who are distracted from it say the 8th Assembly has rejected our bill. | |
| Also, we have to mention the fact that our bill is mistaken with other bills similarly introduced in both the Senate and House of Representatives. | |
| In these bills, after checking them with close eye, we discovered that they just copied ours and the bill stands for. | |
| We have to draw attention to that none of the bills have been introduced in the 8th Assembly, it is only our bill. | |
| As such, we are the first to carry such a bill as big as this (Forensic) | |
| As we have seen it is very urgent to establish such a great Institute. | |
| The decision to establish the Institute followed a study of how the Institute operates in other jurisdiction and how it has helped in crime detection, investigation and prosecution. | |
| This is part of instruction to know that our Institute has been in operation 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 wit: | |
| Forensic analysis eliminates material misstatement, whether 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, preparation of forensic reports, fraud risk management, corporate fraud analysis, fraud prevention, detection and investigation etc. | |
| You will follow my reason that in our world today, the normal way of investigating crime, on the basis of wanting to stop it is getting old. | |
| As such, in the quest for a country to do something meaningful in this regard, it is paramount that we should go by global trends and new innovations, which have been put on board to fight corruption. | |
| So, we have given reasons to establish this Institute with such objective that is relevant to the anti-corruption agenda of this administration. | |
| There is no time for me to say about anything in the bill here. | |
| However, I want you to allow me to mention a few of the things the Bill will do, for the purpose of this writing, as it appears to be like this: | |
| That we should establish a Chartered Institute of Forensic and Investigative Professionals in Nigeria, to develop and train professional in this specialised field, with systemic and professional examination and certification in the use of science and technology in fraud detection, investigation and detection; | |
| To provide a platform for training and retraining of people who are interested in becoming professional on the use of Forensic Science and Technology tools and techniques of investigating fraud in both the public and private sectors of the economy, as they are doing everywhere; | |
| To promote high professional standards, ethics and etiquettes among practises in a bid to cut fraudul and corruption costs, and as well develop a mechanism for fraud prevention, as a proactive measure against corruption generally; | |
| To fill the huge vacuum that exists in our normal system of investigation with the introduction of a unique operation of forensic science to help the country from expending its scarce foreign exchange to hire foreign expatriates to do forensic investigations in Nigeria; | |
| To develop comprehensive mechanisms and training programmes that will cut across all the strata 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 they are taken globally; and | |
| To enhance the anti-fraud mechanism in Nigeria through the provision of a legal framework for the professional development and discipline of forensic and investigative professionals in Nigeria, among others. | |
| From the foregoing, it appears that the role of these Institutes is strategic and important. | |
| It is also important to note 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 standard. | |
| The broad spectrum of the scope and focal points of the Institute, including but not limited to, 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 would agree that our Institute has brought unique concepts into crime detection and investigation that is enforceable by international best practices. | |
| The concept is pass as most myopic people think about our bill have a sense of thingy, due to narrow-mindedness and inordinate desire to monopolise a system, which has passed jurisdiction and scope of operation. | |
| On a lighter note, I want to draw the attention of everyone to the appalling scenario that is playing out now and as a matter of fact, it should be a source of concern for all Nigerians. | |
| When the Chartered Institute of Forensic and Investigative Professionals of Nigeria (ICAN) was introduced in the 8th National Assembly, the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), came out with an anger to oppose the passage because according to them, it is unnecessary duplication of functions of the Institute. | |
| However, with the opportunity to introduce our bill again in this 9th National Assembly, and seeing the overwhelming and accelerated legislative support from the two Chambers having given our bill, ICAn has realized that forensic science is unique field of practice, and in the spirit of the talk, it has brought a similar Bill to the House of Representatives, failing wofully in attempts to avert the passage of this bill. | |
| One may ask, what changed between now and the past, where ICAN was viewed as an Institute not regulating the practices of forensic science? | |
| Your answer was the same thing with my own. | |
| I would also like to inform you that the Association of National Accountants of Nigeria (ANAN), is also part of this the episode. | |
| which was initiated and promoted by ANAN, just as their ICAN counterpart, they also have introduced a bill in the House of Representatives that the same structure with the Chartered Institute of Forensic and Certified Fraud Examiners of Nigeria Bill, which was initiated and promoted by ANAN. | |
| I decided to go all the facts and engage the Nigerian people and even the international community to understand the extent to which some people can be motivated to achieve their aim. | |
| However, this development has not disturbed us at all, because we believe in the credibility and ability of the National Assembly and also of the Presidency to do the right thing, not to be manipulated in any way, with these unnecessary distractions, and make no mockery of doing whole thing. | |
| ICAN is the practical and antagonist of this bill and we have seen the reason for now. | |
| They engaged several bystanders into petition writing, even targeted the leadership in the Senate, and it sounded like a bleckmail. | |
| Failing in the Senate, the antagonists shifted attention to the House of Representative with the same bystanders as they just happened to write many many publications. | |
| Again, they failed. | |
| Ordinarily according to legislative procedure, a bill passed by the Senate will only be demanded concurrence by the House except for observation. | |
| But in the case of the CIFIPN Bill, the opposition parties fought it until truth triumphed on 19 day of 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 the Standard Knowledge and Skils that aspirant to become a rigistered member must have and Qualify to Practice as Forensic and Investigative Professionals; and in Related Matter (HB. 791) | |
| ICAN has registered their own Bill into the House of Representatives titled (REPEALING, REPEALING AND RE-ENACTMENT OF ICANS ACT). | |
| The new Bill introduced by ICAn contains full provision for practice of forensic, including the establishment of forensic universities in Nigeria and without it, no one can practice forensics in Nigeria and the violators will be sentenced to prison for some years. | |
| This sounds strange in the ears in a country with so many eyes on people. | |
| Whatever made me believe, Nigeria is not a Banana Republic. | |
| It does not matter the level of coruption in the facility. | |
| We have been challenging as House of Representatives passed this bill. | |
| It should be noted that we are challenging the bill not because we are certain that the purpose of the bill is to stop presidential assent under the disguise that there have been similar legislation. | |
| We will not agree to deceive us and Nigerians with them way. | |
| You will recall how ICAn took an open eye opposed to the CIFIPN and in a pubication sponsored by the Association of Professional Bodies of Nigeria led by Engr.(Chief) | |
| Olumuyiwa Alade on 24 May, 2019 made all efforts to tell us that the law enable ICAN to do forensics and to pass the CIFIPN Bill would be seen as a duplicate law, but today ICAN is presenting a law to include forensics in the new law. | |
| The question is, what changed? | |
| The same law issued by ICAN which ICAN has told the public has become inefficient and seeks to re-enact it. | |
| As always, as we are not opposed to any group that proposes to include forensics into the law, our concern is that one body should not try to perpetuate itself. | |
| ICAN and its cohorts realise inability to stop the passage of CIFIPN | |
| They want to have a union for themselves. | |
| Their checks and balances are frightening enough that they don't want to hire another professional body to investigate their activities because they know what they are doing to the nations economy. | |
| How will they be allowed to judge their own cases? | |
| This sounded strange indeed. | |
| On this note, we call on the National Assembly to beware of the nature of this group, they are not authorised to talk from both sides of their mouth, and should not be expected to use it as a cajole National Assembly. | |
| Once again, we want to acknowledge the commitment the 9th Assembly made to pass the Bill, Nigerians know that this administration is ready to fight corruption by every means and they are encouraging legislation that can help them achieve this goal. | |
| We are also confident that His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari has not hesitated to put hand in the Bill as soon as he enters its table. | |
| We call on Nigerians to take part in the Forensic Profession. | |
| The profession is open to all professional people in all areas. | |
| The institute has training sections for you to guide and equip. | |
| I want to thank all of you, and also reiterate that we are committed to standing up to ethical standards by going globally, by providing our professional services, and by training that will give us new ways to take the fight corruption and crime against money. | |
| I appeal to stakeholders and better Nigerians to support this noble course and beg all of us to make efforts in order to collectively resolve corruption, the increasing security challenges, all over the country and its crises. | |
| Dr (Mrs) Enape Victoria Ayishetu, PhD, Pro-tem President, (CIFIPN) www.cifipn.org | |
| Air peace has commenced a test flight with new Aircraft E195-E2 | |
| Air Peace begins test flights for two new Embraer 195-E2 aircraft as they are taking preparations to begin use. | |
| Daily Trust reports that the two aircraft were the first set among the 13 brand new 195-E2 aircraft purchased by the airline to aid its route expansion. | |
| A spokesman of the airline, Stanley Olisa, told newsmen on Friday that the aircrafts empty from Lagos into Owerri, Abuja and Port Harcourt made it become familiar on Thursday. | |
| Olisa also said that the test flights to other destinations would continue, adding that it would not take long before the planes would commence the schedule flights and that they would offer a better travel experience to customers. | |
| He said. | |
| The brand new E195-E2 aircraft, which is the third to be introduced very soon, says the reason for the expanded fleet is the commitment to take full advantage of the air travel needs of Nigerians. | |
| While taking part in a test flight there are regulatory requirements that must be met before the aircraft is put into regular operation. | |
| It could be recalled that Air Peace piloted two brand new ultra-mordern Embraer 195-E2 aircraft with 124 sits in January and March this year, while adding 11 more. | |
| Tela maize harvest has potential to give up to 8 tons in a hectare. | |
| On the past Tuesday, the Institute of Agricultural Research (IAR), at Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, invited relevant stakeholders, including journalists, to witness the third harvest of the Tela Maize Variety Confined Field Trials (CFT) under its Tela Maize Research Project funded by the African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF). | |
| The name of the maize varieties TELA is derived from the Latin TUTELA meaning protection. | |
| This type of maize offers protection against pests and draught in its breed. | |
| Professor Rabiu Adamu, the Principal Investigator, together with other scientists who took journalists round the harvest, said the idea of the project was to produce maize varieties that are resistance- or are protected against two major insect pests: stalk (stem) borers and Fall Army Worms in addition to another protection against moderate draught. | |
| This is 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. | |
| If not properly controlled, it can cause loss up to 80 percent, plus drought, if you do not manage rain shortage effectively, you may not have any yield. | |
| This is the third time this has done this trial. | |
| Under the dry season in March we did the first trial, and during the rainy season, we did another from June to enter November. | |
| It is the third trial this year from November to enter April. | |
| This is what the principal researcher is trying to showcase. | |
| Once the three CFT trials have been successful, people doing researches will be required to test and validate their findings to demonstrate that what they recorded in their research stations performed well in the farmers field in different locations and ecological conditions as it will start in the rainy season of 2021. | |
| By the time of 2022 to be concluded, if all these things are working, Nigerian farmers will expect to have all these hybrids on them. | |
| Dr Muhyideen Ayekunle, a maize breeder under this project said from the two trials conducted, the transgenic varieties recorded gave 17 percent advantage over the non-BT varieties despite the infestation of it. | |
| We have infested the varieties we are putting on trial three times unlike the previous so that we will have to take a look at how the BT gene is effective in the maize product. | |
| With the outcome, researchers have said the yield would increase to 17 percent. | |
| So there, we will analyze the data and prepare a document to get approval for environmental release. | |
| The dossier shall be submitted to the National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA) for review. | |
| Once they gave us the approval of this product, we can show it outside. | |
| And then we can have national performing trials. | |
| The Director General/CEO of the National Biotechnology Development Agency (NBDA), Professor Abdullahi Mustapha, at the event, called on the scientists to continue in search of abiotic and biotic solutions to the challenges facing farmers in the country. | |
| We have tested some technologies capable of providing solutions to problems facing farmers, to take advantage of it and move forward, he said. | |
| Country Coordinator OFAB Nigeria, Dr Rose Maxwell Gidado, said the impact was enormous. | |
| Farmers yield increases by 17 percent and you know that productivity and harvest are the most important factor in farming. | |
| Once you are comfortable, you will have plenty of harvest and profit. | |
| She said that by introducing this type of maize into farmers hands, it would increase their livelihood, money, as the price of maize would fall. | |
| Manchester United fight back to win Aston Villa | |
| Manchester United were fighting 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 put the celebration of Manchester City on hold. | |
| The result left United on 70 points from 34 games, 10 points behimd City who have played one more game pass them and missed the chance to win the title on Saturday after Chelsea beat them at home 2-1 on Saturday. | |
| Villa were ahead in the 24th minute with a brilliant strike from Bertrand Traore, who entered the top corner from 15 metres after some weak denfending by the visitors, who troway balls into their own half plenty times. | |
| Fernandes equalised in the 52nd minute with penaty, sending the goalie for Villa, Emiliano Martinez the wrong way with the spot-kick his coolee take, following a rough challenge from Douglas Luiz who Paul Pogba equalised. | |
| Grenwood turned the match on his head four minutes later with a neat shot on the turn from the penalty area after kicking off the centre-back Tryone Mings. | |
| substitute Edinson Cavani sealed a 1-1 win over United with the goal on his head scored in the 87th minute. | |
| Following the recent retories in Daily Trust, NCC has banned sale and use of mobile phone boosters. | |
| The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has banned the sale and use of GSM network boosters (in mobile connectivity) especially by banks, residents, government agencies, among others to improve telecommunications services. | |
| The Commission gave a 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 is expiring before the deadline, NCC said it would begin taking action against persons not following instruction. | |
| This is less than one month after Daily Trust reported on April 24, 2021 that people doing business at Sabon Gari market in Kano plus other business areas said they were buying boosters to improve the reception of the bad telecommunication network in their area. | |
| Some of the traders said the service was not good as telecommunication service providers were not doing much to improve services on the gains they made in such a setting. | |
| According to them, many traders and their customers engage in digital and online financial transactions (data-based cashless services) plus other telecommunication-based services and have poor call/data services. | |
| In the notice, NCC said sales, installation and use of GSm boosters were illegal. | |
| In the notice, NCC said it was just on a duty to protect consumers, to ensure good quality of service and maintenance of technical standards of communication equipment, and that was in the provision of section 131 (1) of the Nigerian Communications Act (NCA) 2003. | |
| Such acts can lead to sanctions including moneyplus/or prison, or both (fine plus prison) as well as seizure of any equipment used for illegal enhancement of network coverage. | |
| LG polls: Activists begin protest over imposed candidates in APC | |
| Some members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ogun State have made protests against the partys adopting some consensus candidates in some local government areas ahead of the July 24 local government election in the state. | |
| Top people of the party have announced that the party will adopt consensus candidates in some local government areas and conduct direct and or indirect primary voting to determine the fate of a candidate. | |
| The protesters who were inside the secretariat of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), in Ogun State, accused some leaders of APC in Abeokuta South LGA of imposeting a candidate for the post Chaiman. | |
| They were carrying placards on which many important things were written including We Say No to Money Bags. | |
| Abeokuta South and | |
| Allow Members of the party to pick who they want, and said the preferred aspirant is Farouk Akintunde. | |
| One of the party leaders who led the protest, Balogun Ololade, demanded Gov Dapo Abiodun intervention in the matter to save democracy from jeopardy. | |
| Between DSS and secessionists in some regions | |
| As DSS has putsked hand in ears to groups and persons who say and do things that may provoke and distrupt the ethno-religious environment and threaten harmous co-existence of the majority common folk of the country, it has begin to sound like one whore speaking until they are forced out of where they are deceiving people. | |
| A question lingering about who or which contact persons and groups the security agents led to was promptly vapourized of the heated rhetorical outbust of the nation prominent geo-ethnic agitators. | |
| Afenifere, Arewa 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 statements and acts, to set countries ablaze by taking the fire of tribal and religious discord, as the DSS is charged for one of them warning. | |
| Interestingly, none of the major suspects for the exploitation of some fault lines to take 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 that the DSS knows the people responsible, only differs in the direction of pointing their accusing fingers. | |
| AS Afenifere said these people are the ones responsible for the acts, but they cannot be touched because of the connect they have, PANDEV said there are so many people who run away from being alienated and ACF is now asking who the people are? | |
| Since the DSS knows them and they are satanic, they should take action to deal with them. | |
| The NEF sounded like someone not convinced with if the people pushing the country into deep crises and know them, should be treated according to the law. | |
| You don't need to be spooked to know what the DSS knows about these flag bearers of geo-ethnic politics in Nigeria or to understand why the DSS knows them yet insists on passing the buck outside their clique. | |
| The truth is that these people who champion ethnic politics do not know any better solution to the Nigeria problems than to make them sectional enclaves and chiefs lord over the remaining of the country as rulers, not leaders! | |
| They are desperate and unscrupulous in pursuit of their inordinate ambitions that they agitate absurdly and frequently to break Nigeria up. | |
| Ambition-powered mind games intoxicate 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 simply, to break up or out of Nigeria as one ultimate political panacea or consolatory opportunity to achieve inordinate ambitions of individuals or groups that undermine the ambitions of majority wa-zo-bia Nigeria commoner restlessly for enduring peaceful coexistence, is easier to say than to do. | |
| All these groups are major blocks to the steady attainment of unity and to live together in peace that Nigeria has laboured for since the flag of independence. | |
| For as long as they continue to parade the political terrain as ethnic champions, it is not enough for them to regard Nigeria as an entitlement for the ethnic stake in the population, to be claimed or seized, and if all fail, they should deconstruct it and disown it as a state that has failed. | |
| Whenever they meet, the agenda is not aimed at making Nigeria progress and develop, unless the leadership is handed firmly, otherwise it 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-indigene President. | |
| Whether it is ACF, Afenifere, Ohanaeze, PANDEV or Northern Elders Forum, their existence and activities will oppose the quest of Nigeria for unity, peace and development. | |
| Another indicment not to deny for these regional separatists is that all of them are sel-styled political pressure groups that pretend to be representative of various ethnic groups. | |
| From the membership, it is plain to see that what consists of ex-this | |
| Ironically, this political deficiency gave them the ginger to come together, desperate to remain relevant in a democratic system that elected representatives run through registered political parties and legislative and executive institutions that are enacted with constitution to dispense good governance and dividends of democracy. | |
| Only nasty nuisance value has been eroded by the geo-ethnic groups in our democratic secession as they continue with mischief, sabotage, blackmail and subversion to take to make Nigeria ungovernable as threatened and attempted so that if given a chance they can regain political relevance plus control. | |
| This is why a lot of meetings are now causing security alert. | |
| With this kind of predator-politician demifying the perimeter of power with dubious intents and undermining governmentselect just because they are not involved in the process, it is beyond reasonable doubt that there are convergences of interests that link overt activities and the covert criminality of kidnappers, insurgents, armed robbers, bandits and allied terrorists, combined to make Nigeria ungovernable. | |
| A double danger could describe the trying situation of the Buhari administration as they get to handle such a nomba of formidable enemy that is unleashing too many assaults on national security in the time the economy faces new difficulties. | |
| To that extent, there can only be two groups of politicians: those who participate with a positive mind in the democratic dispensation who are partner in moving the country forward against all odds and those who possess a negative mind that brings discord and disorder to the country and consequently distort the country. | |
| By what they're saying and what they're doing, we all know them! | |
| At the end of the day, the majority of Nigerians are ordinary citizens who are conditioned to survive not ideologically driven or depend on their source of income. | |
| They struggle every day to make a living of submission to the will of one God even as their faiths are different. | |
| Nigeria is their fatherland; it is their destiny; they remain loyal, they go after and pray, because they know that they have no other country to call them, together they show how citizenship can breed true patriotism. | |
| It is also known that Afenifere, Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Northern Elders Forum (NEF) and Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) have been making inciting, unguarded and divisive statements and activities to put one another to fire in the tribal and religious quarters for political ambitions of their leaders. | |
| The prayers remaining in poor mans mouth are: | |
| GOD IS, | |
| NIGERIA IS GOOD! | |
| Manzo Reuben is youth leader in Lokoja | |
| 10 killed as terrorist attempt to attack armed forces formation | |
| Troops in the Nigerian Army, on Saturday, netralised not less than 10 Boko Haram terrorist members who were planning to attack the troops of Operation Hadin Kai in Rann, headquarters of Kala Balge Local Government Area of Borno state. | |
| This is coming when it is not more than 24 hours that the Chief of Army Staff who was just appointed, Maj.-Gen. | |
| Farouk Yahaya entered as leader of Nigerian Army. | |
| The spokesman of the Nigerian Army, Brig.-Gen. | |
| Mohammed Yerima, in a statement made available, explained that the terrorists, who were in a large number, brought in gun trucks and attempted to infiltrate the main entrance to the town. | |
| Yerima said, The troops with high spirit were right on hand to counter the move and they mounted a humiliating defeat to the terrorists who abandoned their evil mission and fled. | |
| The troops were to chase the runaway terrorists and ensure there was no threat to the town and its environs. | |
| Troops were destroyed one of the gun trucks successfully and they recovered several weapons including one anti-aircraft gun, two machine guns and eight AK-47 rifles as ten terrorists wereneutralised in the process. | |
| Daily Trust reports that the new COAS was inaugurated on Friday to build on the legacy of late Comrade Yinka Attahiru as he defeated the terrorising enemy in the Northesat and other regions of the country. | |
| Second U.S. Congresswoman tested positive to have COVID-19 after Capitol hearings | |
| Meanwhile, a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, Pramila Jayapal, said she contacted the Coronavirus (COVID-19) after being locked in a room with some Republican lawmakers who were not masked during the storming of the Capitol last week. | |
| I just completed a COVID-19 test which was positive after being locked down in a secure room at the Capitol where several Republicans were not only forced to wear mask but also mocked by 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 exposure to the Capitol by the time of the lockdown on Jan. 6. | |
| Jayapal, a member of the Democratic Party, accused the lawmakers from the Republicans forcing COVID-19 spreading laws and called for them to be punished. | |
| Any member who refuses to wear a face mask will be held accountable for putting our life in danger because he is a sefish and a idiot. | |
| I call on every member who refuses to wear masks in the Capitol to be fined and the Sergeant of Arms removed from the floor, she said in a post on Twitter. | |
| It is not clear if the two congresswomen are in the same room during the lockdown in the Capitol. | |
| Jayapal lamented U.S. Presido Donald Trumps failure to contain the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S. and vowed to do everything in her power to remove him from office. | |
| Man over 30 years over assault woman in Edo | |
| The police have arraigned one Gabriel Fidelis, 30 years, before Ogbeson chief magistrates court in Benin allegedly for allegedly assaulting a woman, called Rebecca Izevbigie. | |
| The man was accused of three charges of conspiracy, unlaful assault and malicious damage punishable under section 516, 355, and 451 of the criminal code. | |
| The prosecutor, Sgt. Kehinde Iyare told the court that the accused included others who have run away to commit the offence on April 11, at Estate Quarters, along Benin-Agbor Road, Benin City. | |
| She further alleged that the accused, together with others who had run assaultred one Rebecca Izevbigie unlawfully by hitting and bitting her. | |
| She added that the accussed also used an iron rod to break her in the leg. | |
| She further told the court that on March 31, 2021 the accused intentionally and maliciously spoiled wash hand basin owned by the complainant and that amounted to N8,000. | |
| The accused begted not guilty as counsel Mrs E. E. Idahosaapplied his bail and she said he would not jump bail. | |
| In a similar development, Chief Magistrate Mutairu Oare granted bail for the accused at the sum of N100,000 with one other person to stand for him. | |
| He said the person to stand with him must bring two recent passport photos of themselves and that of the accused. | |
| He ordered that the court registrar verify the authenticity of the materials supplied by the surety and the place of the surveillance, and adjourn the case to May 10 for 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 seen a reason to impeach President Muhammadu Buhari. | |
| Doing this during a pay-at-home visit to a former govnor in Oyo State, Rashidi Ladoja, he said it had a process that impeached president. | |
| Senator Buharis submission comes a day after Senator Yusuf Abubakar (APC Taraba) and Cahir in Senate Committee on Special duty said President Buharis ouster would not end insecurity in the country. | |
| Calls to President Buharis resign or impeach him as insecurity in the country persists | |
| But Senator Buhari has told those who want the country to break that they should not create problems that are not easy to solve. | |
| It has a process to impeach presidents. | |
| Everyone who calls for the presidents impeach should give a clear reason for the conduct of impeach. | |
| We have not seen a reaction to impeach the president. | |
| If there is any need, we shall table it and discuss it, and the two houses must come together. | |
| To impeach the president is not something one who will just wake up one day and begins. | |
| It is a procedure. | |
| Why do you want to cause problems, plus confusion that you cannot solve? | |
| It was so he asked. | |
| On the security challenges the country faces, the lawmaker said, We are not in any other country than Nigeria. | |
| Nigeria is our country and home. | |
| Let us try to do internal security. | |
| Let us play our own part; never leaving anything and everything to government. | |
| We should have local police that will know all the places. | |
| No matter how long it takes us, we understand each other. | |
| In the early 80s, we were travelling for nite. | |
| But at the level of insecurity now, something fundamental is missing. | |
| He said the 9th National Assembly has discussed security, more than 59 times. | |
| Security issue has been discussed more than 30 times in the 8th Assembly and this 9th Assembly also discussed it more than 50 times. | |
| Everyone should be vigilant, even if the service chief has been changed severally, that will still not solve the security problem, the senator added. | |
| Ranchers have been supported as CBN lifts restrictions on imports of dairy | |
| The Commercial Ranchers Association of Nigeria (CODARAN) has shown support for the restrictions on foreign exchange for dairy products. | |
| Recall that the Central Bank of Nigeria has issued a circular over a year now on companies that have been restricted from foreign exchange to import milk and dairy products. | |
| But during a visit to the governor of the CBN recently, the Director-General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, said the European Union (EU) had complied against Nigeria over that restriction. | |
| The CORAN, in a statement signed by Dianabasi Akpainyang, said Nigeria has the potential to harvest dairy products that will provide jobs and create investment in local production of milk. | |
| The CBN governor is korekt. | |
| Indeed, Nigeria has the potential to meet and sustain the dairy requirement. | |
| Akpainyang noted that the milk grounded for collection and processing is not near that figure at now, but he noted that since it is likely, it is necessary for everyone to put their legs on fire seek of the urgent development of local dairy sector. | |
| CBN reports that Nigeria spends $1.5 billion yearly importing dairy products, he said the figure would increase as demand for dairy products increased. | |
| He noted that issues such as poor productivity of local cows, cow nutrition, animal disease management system, lack of a well-organized system to tackle milk turnover, insecurity, poor infrastructure, insufficient extension services, inadequate processing and storage facilities, low investment in research and development and inconsistent utilisation of modern technology are the major challenges the sector is facing. | |
| However, he said the Advancing Local Dairy Development in Nigeria (ALDDN) programme which is running presently in the four states Adamawa, Kaduna, Kano and Plateau had tackled the problem. | |
| PDP frowns face as APC claims registering 2.5m in Lagos | |
| Uproar is coming a day after the All Progressives Congress (APC) disclosed that it registered 2.5m members in Lagos nationwide and revalidation exercise. | |
| Chairman of the APC Registration Supervisory Committee in Lagos Dr. Muhammad Bashiru, said at the closing of the recommendation letter to the supervisor that about 2.5 million individuals have registered in the 20 local government areas of the state. | |
| But the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the leading opposition party, has described the figures as false and fake. | |
| The PDP said the APC has a habit of making people believe they are popular. | |
| The spokesman of PDP, Taofik Gani, in a chat with Daily Trust, described the APC as a party that is now full of liars, saying the party is no longer popular in the state. | |
| This is not the first time they are sneaking figures that are not true. | |
| Even in the last election, the total nomba of votes by the APC was around 600,000. | |
| He said the claim that they have 2.5 million is false and a fake. | |
| Our correspondent reports 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 lie over the century. | |
| But the spokesperson of the APC, Seye Oladejo told our correspondent that the party would prove its position in the local government elections coming July 24. | |
| FG said Geographical Indication would promote diversification of economy. | |
| The Federal Government stressed that Geographical Indications (GIs) would 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 during the 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 initiative through its implementation will support the preservation of the biodiversity of the country faced existential threats as a result of climate change and the attendant destruction to the environment. | |
| According to him, it can assist in commercializing the product of food culture and other cultures and enable actors on the value chain to benefit from commercialization, especially for women and youth in rural areas who are mainly involved in the production of the products. | |
| Therefore, this workshop is coming at a crucial moment when the administration is working tirelessly to take the economy away from hydrocabons by other sectors like agriculture, manufacturing, mining tourism etc. | |
| Such initiatives promoting GIs will help to fast track the process for diversification of the economy and also support our participation in the African Continental Free Trade Area and also globally. | |
| This may cause a revive in the rural area as we have seen it happen in the case of some products that are properly branded such as Ofada rice, kilishi, Dudu Osun, etc. | |
| It will also make it the documwntation of our indigenous knowledge which is sadly lost over time. | |
| The current administration is ready to partner with all stakeholders relevant both local and foreign in a bid to preserve the natural and bio-cultural endowment in the country not only to strengthen the resilience of the economy, but also provide a decent livelyhood for all Nigerians, as it stated. | |
| Earlier, the Minister of Satte Industry, Trade and Investment, Haija Mariam Katagum, in her welkom address said the workshop was designed to specifically train public sector and policymakers in Nigeria with a view to examine how it will take to adopt Geographical Indication (Gis) legislation and policy into industrial property and agriculture landscape in Nigeria. | |
| She said we cannot avoid that the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) is coming into effect, which places responsibility on the people making decisions to begin with the update of legislation concerning industrial property. | |
| President Israel has held a statement to find a new govt. | |
| President of Israel Reuven Rivlin is preparing for a meeting with top politics players to discuss how it took to form a government after former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu failed to do it after a landslide election in a match that was not conclusive. | |
| According to Rivlins office, talks with Naftali Bennett of the Yamina party and former opposition leader Yair Lapid of the Yesh Atid (Future) party were scheduled for wednesday morning. | |
| The head of state also invited representatives from the other party represented in parliament to present their positions on the progress of the process to take form government. | |
| The deadline has been nited for Natanyahu, the right-winger to form a governing coalition. | |
| This means that the camp of opponents to Netanyahu is faced with a chance to end the era of the 71-year old as a heaf in government. | |
| Whether they will succeed, however, remains an open question. | |
| New elections still not out the question as Israel is still in political crisis. | |
| Netanyahu will remain as head of the interim government as time goes. | |
| He has been in office for 12 years continously and is the longest serving head of government in Israeli history. | |
| He has been tried for corruption, rejecting all the accusessers. | |
| Rilving was expected to appoint Lapid as opposition leader to form the chairman of the government. | |
| His party was its political centre; however, at the end of a match, it became the second-strongest force in the forth parliamentary elections in two years. | |
| Rivlin could 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 frees 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 Eid-El Fitr celebration. | |
| He said the bigger scale of offences including the inmates who showed signs of reformation in their environment, was how much they were taken care of by select individuals. | |
| The governor said he decided to show at the prison to tell the inmates that the state government knew they existed and they were being seen as citizens of the state. | |
| Ganduje said the gesture is to to compliment the Federal Governments effort to further reduce the number of national prisons. | |
| He adviced the former officers to change their attitude to life and pray for peace and stability in Nigeria. | |
| The governor also gave ₦5,000 to each of the inmates free to take their places. | |
| Earlier, the Commander of Inmates in Kano, Suleiman Suleiman, thanked the governor for freezing thousands of inmates since his entering office. | |
| Suleiman appealed the inmates who were freed to stay away from crime to avoid coming back to prison. | |
| Ganduje visited homeless people in Kano as part of his rights celebration. | |
| Korda breaks through on Parma clay | |
| On the eve of Roland Garos, Sebastian Korda, the 20-year-old American scored a career breakthrough when he beat Italian Marco Cecchinato 6-2, 6-4, in Parma for a first title. | |
| Korda was a son of the former world | |
| No 2 and Australian Open winner Petr Korda had not entered the ATP tour final before the event in Parma, having won consecutive matches on clay. | |
| Cecchinato, who has won all three titles on clay, comes from Brescia, 90 kilometres from Parma. | |
| The fans who were allowed to enter the event for the first time were supported by the local boy. | |
| Today I played a tough opponent and the battle was not easy, said Korda. | |
| He was continuously cheering me on, but I was proud for myself. | |
| and how I handled it. | |
| Although his father is 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's return to Belgrade after 11 years. | |
| This is a sometin for my dreams, Korda said, adding that he had expected to win the title soon as he named an event in Florida in January. | |
| I was really thinking about doing it at Delray Beach, and it broke my heart. | |
| What is not meant to be worn in public: Negating Nigeria's multiculturalism | |
| By Bashir Ibrahim Hassan | |
| Is it a pure coincidence that, as trouble is lingering in Kwara State recently, a solution is being laid to the lower House of the National Assembly in the capital territory of Abuja? | |
| The trouble in Ilorin was as a result of the refuse of some Christian faith schools to allow their Muslim students to wear Hijab to school. | |
| The solution to this predicament is the debate on Religious Discrimination (Prohibition, Prevention) | |
| RDPP Bill, 2021, ridicule Hijab Bill in a section of media in Nigeria. | |
| Both events sparked heated arguments and often emotional debates that, at the bottom of everything, threatened to negate multicultural identity and reality of Nigeria. | |
| The whole idea was taken over Kwara of the proprietors of schools as they banned Muslim students who were wearing hijab and their sympathisers were reduced to what was not allowed 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 in public | |
| It is clear that the former clearly breaches the fundamental human rights of the Muslim students to express their faith without discrimination; even though the school may have defence or taking such position. | |
| The latter try to assert this right not only for Muslims but also for Christians wherever or whenever they are threatened with discrimination because of their cause. | |
| Running through the arguments of proprietors of Christian faith schools in Kwara, it is easy for one to understand the pragmatic appeal of the argument that Muslim children should go to other school places if they do not want to conform. | |
| The problems with which die arguments are many. | |
| First, to say that Muslim students should go elsewhere without agreeing to the rule of the school on uniform is doing very little to promote inclusiveness, which is the bedrock of our multicultural and multi-religious society. | |
| Secondaly, the position asks a moral question: can we justify basking in a school on the Christian majoritarian of the school? | |
| Then, the third, the argument would go somewhere else and appear to have ignored the difficulty with which changing a school for a child. | |
| A lot of inconveniences. | |
| While changing schools for children, education psychology will tell you that, it interferes negatively with not just emotional but academic development too. | |
| Finally, the christian faith schools by themselves risk what we call ghettorization by concentrating students with the same religious belief in particular schools. | |
| The social cost of this thing in society is very high. | |
| The Commissioner for Education, Kemi Adeosun, argue, while speaking with press conference, that the government is convinced that the policy of enabling willing Muslim schoolgirls to wear their hijabs in public schools will 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 a child in Nigeria access to school of their choice on the basis of religion? | |
| This is of 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 it does not matter colour, creed or religion. | |
| It contains 30 article on rights and freedom, including, among others, the right to life, free speech and privacy. | |
| It includes economic, social and cultural rights, like the right to health and education. | |
| I saw article 18 and 26 of UDHR very relevant to the issue in consideration and we quote them in full below: | |
| Everyone has the freedom to thing or believe what they want, including beliefs that are their religions. | |
| We have a right to the change of our belief or religion at any time, and the right to practice our religion in public or private, alone or with other people. | |
| Everyone should have a right to education. | |
| Primary school should be free. | |
| We should continue our studies as far as we get the wish. | |
| In school we should be helped to develop our talents and teach us how to respect every human right. | |
| They also teach us how we should take on with other people whatever ethnicity, religion, or country they come from. | |
| Our parents have a right to choose the school we will go. | |
| All these laws are the instruments that Muslim women like Ilhan Omar have the equality to sit in the House of Representative in the US and wear Hijab without being molested or discriminated. | |
| Ilhan Abdullahi Omarna is a U.S. Representative for the 5th congregation in Minnesota District since 2019. | |
| The Deputy Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Finance, who represents Bida/Gbako/Katcha Federal constituency in Niger State, sponsored the bill. | |
| Saidu Musa Abdullahi. | |
| The bill is designed to address discriminatory conducts, including prohibiting discrimination on religions matters when it concerns providing people with work and terms and conditions. | |
| It will stop qualifying and professional collaborations, education institutions, people in employment and other sectors to discriminate against persons, students or personnel based on their ethnicity or religion. | |
| When passed, the law will bury issues such as those seen in Kwara for good. When passed, the law will alsobury issues that are as seen in Kwara patapata. | |
| It will also address the appalling behaviour of executives who prejudice enter public office and be allowed to cover their sense of judgement. | |
| They should be welkom the law. | |
| After all, it is only to expand and expatiate the provisions in the Nigerian constitution and in UDHR documents as we have disclosed above. | |
| It followed in line with similar laws passed in the country to tackle social challenges and cultural practices that are eroding the law of Prohibit violence against people and disability laws (VAPP). | |
| As disability attempts to eradicate any discrimination bedeviling people with disability, VAPP faces domestic and other gender violence in the country. | |
| One by one, the people representing us in the legislative chamber have been using legal instruments to tackle all social challenges confronting our country. | |
| Their addressing of these social roughnesses is not so much to address them as they are not in existence, but they are designed to bring them together and not allow them to pass. | |
| While it appears the road still has remained far for the enforcement of the UDHR, and there is no instrument to enforce it, the RDPP law and other law similarly to it constitutes grounds for punishment for offenders. | |
| Contradicting the view of critics, as far as the RDPP Bill is concerned, there is no evidence that they intend to put a state of religion on any state that may domesticate the law. | |
| It does not go against Section 10 of the Constitution in Nigeria which supports the Government of a Federation or a State to adopt any religion as State Religion. | |
| To further push the argument, the bill calls for the general public to respect the rights of whems wear Hijab in public places, saying it is only to quench Islamaphobia. | |
| In the final analysis, it goes against our multicultural pretenses to deny any Nigerian, be it male or female, religious freedom. | |
| It is against equality, and basic human rights as it takes place in Nigeria and as a legal document in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. | |
| Bills that would make such decimation on religion become criminal, such as the RDPP bill would get a welkom nod. | |
| Bashir writes from Abuja Bashir | |
| Niger Issoufou has won N1.95bn leadership prize in Africa. | |
| President of Niger, Mahamadou Issoufou, has been announced as a winner of $5m (N1.905bn) in 2020. | |
| Ibrahim prize for African leadership | |
| Issoufou served two terms of five years each as president from 2011. | |
| Mohamed Bazoum, a former interior minister, will enter office after he took the presidential election last month. | |
| The committee which is giving the prize praised the leadership of the Niger president after he met the economy among the poorest in the world. | |
| He said he caused the economy to grow, that he showed greater commitment to regional stability and the constitution, and championed democracy in Africa. | |
| Mr Issoufou is the nomba sixth winner of the Ibrahim Prize. | |
| He had also sent a tweet that the prize is really honouring everyone in Nigeria. | |
| I saw this award as an encouragement to continue to thingk and act in a way that would promote democracy values and a better government, not only in Niger alone, but in Africa and the world, as he said. | |
| Others who have won the prize previously include Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia (2017), President Hifikepunye 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 enforcing collection, and checking whopassed meters. | |
| The Managing Director of Kano Electricity Distribution Company (KEDCO) has formed a taskforce to monitor electricity bills. | |
| In a staement given to the head of Corporate Communication, KEDCO, Ibrahim Sani Shawai, the taskforce has been given the power to collect all the owes including the recently agreed upon one to help KEDCO to consolidate on the numerous reforms to improve power supply. | |
| The taskforce will also be checking issues of bypass of metres, illegal connections, tif tif of energy and other forms of sabotage. | |
| In this regard, anybody who seeks to sabotage in any way will deal with them as the law allows. | |
| We are appealing to our customers to open eye for all our activities and to protect their meters welwel against vandals. | |
| We assure all our customers that our initiatives to give meters for estimated billing and to give customers the opportunity to pay for what they are using is ongoing, the statement read. | |
| IBEDC has directed to sell under power lines to those people who sell under power lines. | |
| The Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) has taken a warning out against selling the market under high-tension wires to avoid badness. | |
| Chief Operating Officer (COO) Engr John Ayodele gave the charge against the backdrop of the increasing tradin activities on the high-tension wire. | |
| In Oshogbo, the capital city of Osun State, mechanic shops, block industry, car wash shops, POS shops and smallsmall trading are common things we see under high-tension wires along Power Line and Ring road. | |
| Engr Ayodele, begs with residents to take safety precautions very important and advises people selling under high-tension wire to move to a safe place. | |
| He also urged residents to not call people who are not knowledgeable to repair lights and assured that a technical crew of IBEDC would be available to rectify any faults. | |
| He caution that people have a habit of harassing IBEDC staff when they are on duty as the law allows it, noting that IBEDC will explore all available legal options to seek redress if any of its staff is harassed. | |
| He said, It is also important that children are taking other safety precautions, such as supervising children is important, to avoid electrical accidents. | |
| 10 children just born died in fire incident in Indias hospital | |
| Ten new children were found dead on Saturday in a fire at an hospital in western Idia, according to officials. | |
| There are 17 new children in the unit who were sick when the fire broke early Saturday at the Bhandara District General Hospital in Maharashtra state. | |
| Seven new children died as smoke chocked them, and three were killed by fire, Maharashtra health minister Rajesh Tope told reporters. | |
| Nurses and ward staff rescued seven babies. | |
| Age of all the new children is from a few days to three months, as Prashant Uike, health district official in Bhandara said. | |
| The government has ordered a probe into the incident and a safety audit into units taken care of new people in the country. | |
| Initial reports indicate that the fire could have happened because of one of the short circuits in one of the incubators, Tope said. | |
| The staff said many black smoke filled the ward quicker, than the minister added. | |
| They have waived legal requirement for post-mortem, and the children have returned to their families, Tope said. | |
| The family of the traumatised victims will get a compensation of 500,000 rupees (about 6,814 dollars) for each family. | |
| Police pursue suspects of selling newspapers over report on IPOB | |
| Police harass newspaers and leaders in Abia State | |
| Daily Trust reports that since the weekend police from Aba Area Command have arrested writers of newspapers and newsmen concerning reports on the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB). | |
| Resident said fear was creeping at Ama-Ogbonna Junction in the commercial city when police raided the place on Sunday. | |
| A resident, who the matter was in his eye said residents were running to safety, while police officers were shooting sporadically, when they were trying to arrest people selling newspapers and people who were reading it. | |
| The newspapers sellers were accused of taking the story which contained the sit-at-home order given to them by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) | |
| Dr. Elendu Ukoh, who the matter is in his eyes, appealed to the state government and the Igbo leaders to call on the police authority to call people to block their activities in the city. | |
| The calibre of policemen in this country makes me wonder if we want anything good to come from this country. | |
| How is someone going to keep pilling the newspaper industry in Aba, in the modern world? | |
| If you stop people from reading hard copy of newspaper, what are you going to stop them from doing the same thing on Facebook, Twitter, Whatsapp, Telegram, and many more? | |
| Which is an old police style? | |
| Panic on Sunday as they were shooting and making noise. | |
| The whole neighborhood is said to be chased by kidnappers. | |
| It was discovered that a vendor and a number of his readers were arrested at the newspaper stand. | |
| How police will be following writers who sell newspapers? | |
| Which problem papers can cause social media floods? | |
| This people are not normal,he said. | |
| Micheal Anorue, another resident, said almost all the people selling newspapers in Aba were presently visited. | |
| They were empty on Tuesday. | |
| We heard on Saturday and Sunday that the new papers had a section on the sit-at-home order which is being honoured by the governor of Biafra and my question is, what is wrong with it? | |
| The early political leaders of the South East, Remini Femi, reminded these reckless police officers that if Biafra is bigger than IPOB, the better for them. | |
| Is it true that proscribing IPOB means also proscribing Biafra? | |
| We are all Biafra people. | |
| On the 30th May, the World Igbo Congress (WIC) held a zoom conversation, where they discussed the case of a hero who fell in Biafra. | |
| Why did the police not go to Youtube, Zoom and other social media sources to air the matter? | |
| All they do is come on the street and begin to make unnecessary trouble. | |
| I wish the leader of Igboland would warn these reckless police officers to not allow what is happening in Imo State to enter Aba, for the worse for everyone. | |
| The Abia State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), SP Geoffrey Ogbonna, denied that police arrested persons selling newspapers and people reading it. | |
| NAMA frowns face as air traffic controller lamented poor tools | |
| Air Traffic Controllers (ATC) in Nigeria on Sunday called out concerning the the thelapitated navigational equipment at most airports in the country. | |
| The ATCs under the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) said the situation was a threat to air safety. | |
| It was also revealed that the International Airport in Kaduna has a control tower that can assist aircraft to navigate without problems. | |
| Yomi Agoro, President of NATCA, or a chat with newsmen at the weekend, said the thing at the Kaduna airport is a watchroom used by other aviation personnel to control towers owned by only air traffic controllers. | |
| He also said that the other airports in the country did not have the equipment required to navigate without problems. | |
| He explained that some airports even have equipment that do not function. | |
| Even Kaduna has no control tower. | |
| What they are using is the watch room (for firefighters), and that is what they built it for, and we have called on governments to do somethimg. | |
| We enter Sokoto, if there is any rainfall, the controller will undergo an umbrella to sit in the control tower and what happened, they seed some of the control towers that are attached to the terminal building to FAAN, while the others are left alone with NAMA, but we have gone down with the two organisations respectively. | |
| We all fought on terrestial radio frequency fights, communication here and there. | |
| Calabar is there; no airport you can go today and you can say they are working up to 80 per cent. | |
| NAMA has employed and trained 40 new controllers recently, but NATCA said the number was 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 claim was untrue. | |
| He said the federal government has invested huge investments to improve navigational aids and to help safe flight operations. | |
| It is mere politics, he said, otherwise it is ordinary politics. | |
| Govts spends plenty not too long to improve aviation infrastructure | |
| I am not just saying this because I am MD at NAMA. | |
| If you want to hear the true story, my suggestion is always the same, ask people on the street, ask people at NAMA, they will tell you, they have not seen any improvement like this under this administration. | |
| It is very painful to see people like this. | |
| We have not gone through any Category Three (CAT3), this government has put two on the ground, another two are still coming. | |
| Govts spend N1.7bn on mobile control tower | |
| Also, the rehabilitation of the safe tower is ongoing. | |
| We have restructuring the TRACON (Total Radar Coverage of Nigeria) system. | |
| The other sectors should be jealous us. | |
| E-commerce in Nigeria: Legal framework, challenges and prospects | |
| E-commerce is referring to the use of communication technology especially the internet to buy, sell and market goods and services to customers. | |
| The internet has brought fundamental shifts into economies that are not even close to each other because of brier to enter ross-border trade and investment, which are far away, time zones and languages and which national government regulation differs. | |
| E-commerce fosters direct access to a market not nearby and promotes globalisation and commercial activities, making the distinction between domestic and foreign companies to the extent that it is not possible to know where the product from is. | |
| E-commerce is not limited to buying of products alone, it includes e-mail, plus other communication platforms, all the informate or services that a company can offer customers on the net, from pre-purchase information to after-purchasing services and support. | |
| The major significance of e commerce is in the fact that it encourages a system of tradin that is a single world, which accesses through electronic means to get goods and services from all parts of the world. | |
| Most of the statues on the ground in Nigeria are left behind towards the development and growth of e-commerce in particular and the whole ICT. | |
| In Nigeria, a lot of legal research and study has been conducted. | |
| Many in the study expressed opinions that the legal system in Nigeria is lacking in legislation that involves ICT and that the statutory law on the ground has not been adequate to address some of the legal issues affecting 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 legal and regulatory measures that are proper to govern the regime that is just coming. | |
| It has been repeated that in Nigeria, a significant effort to regulate e-commerce-related activities isstill at the stage of Sraft Bill before the National Assembly. | |
| It is important to know that, despite the passage of this bill into law, Nigeria may still face a new legal issue in this area which will call for legislative intervention. | |
| With the speed with which the internet works on commercial transactions in Nigeria, especially in the banking and communication sectors of the economy, the best of which could be suggested is that the legal issues and challenges confronted by e-commerce in the country should be addressed directly and in the interests of the teeming population of Nigerians. | |
| To achieve this, the National Assembly should pressure the National Assembly to take passed bills concerning electronic commerce as top priority in order to enact them into law as quickly as possible. | |
| At no time should our courts take the giant step to interprete the traditional law grounded in a liberal way to cut gaps in order to make the laws ammendable to electronic transaction, particularly given the emerging trends of this information age. | |
| Indeed, they argued that legislation is not the only means by which electronic transactions and attendant documentation can be legal. | |
| The court can also adapt to recognise electronic transactions in the absence of legislation or private contracts. | |
| As previously Justice Bungham had said: 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 static, but old rules apply the change, and new rules will exist. | |
| We are hopeful that the government will adopt this activism by Nigerian judges in the judiciary, Supreme Court judges also involve, expexially in areas where existing legislation is grossly inadequate, comprehensive or elaborate enough to address legal challenges in new technological advancements. | |
| This will set a better precedence to ensure e-commerce consumers are protected, to bring investors and consequently boost economic development and stability in the country. | |
| The biggest issue with contracts in e-commerce is documentation and signature. | |
| The provisions in section 4 of the statute of Fraud, 1677 or Lagos State Law Reform (Contract) Law and our various statutes on real property and landed instruments, all of which require for them to be written and executed diligently. | |
| The question is now, is electronic sign-off constitutes valid sign-off contract by email or by binding? | |
| Many of these issues have remained even in the UK although some decisions are favourable towards interpreting electronic signatures. | |
| So marks on in an email that does not satisfy the traditional requirement of writing and due execution. | |
| E-commerce transaction is a transaction that does not involve paper but is done through magnetic material like tapes or disks. | |
| This is a contradiction to the transaction as the paper is used to do it and is embodied in permanent form and typically expressed in words and figures that are used for signature authentication. | |
| A transaction such as those cannot be altered without changing the face of the document. | |
| As it concerns signature, the provision of this section 93 (2)(3), evidence acts 2011, electronic signatures relating to data messages will conveniently satisfy any requirement for signatures taken to hand sign as long as they are sufficient to identify an electronic record to the person. | |
| The provisions of article 7 of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) model law for e-commerce 1996 are equally trite on this issue. | |
| Thus, for the purpose of establishing proof of electronic signatures. | |
| Being able to use passwords, identification, user names etc can suffice. | |
| Hence one can safely say electronic signature for purpose of execution is admissible in evidence provided it is certified and incorporated into electronic communications during any e-transaction. | |
| Also, other legal challenges affecting e-commerce include the formation of contracts. | |
| The elements for better formation of contracts include offer, acceptance, consideration, intention to enter into legal relation. | |
| The question is, at which point can they make offers with regard to electronic business transactions or now to differentiate between invitation to treat and offer electronic transactions at which point can we say they make intention to enter legal relation? | |
| E-commerce requires confidence and trust the satisfaction that is transmitted by an order or invoice does not matter and it is all from whoever it appears to come from. | |
| There is a need to guarantee a certain level of privacy/confidenciality in information matters. | |
| Lastly, the alarming rate of cybercrime in Nigeria, coupled with a high level of illiterate. | |
| There is no doubt that electronic transaction is an aspect of commercial transaction in Nigeria and has come to this time. | |
| The government should go a step further to making laws, to activate the electronic platform for commercial interaction and for delivery of government services. | |
| You can reach Abanikanda Happiness Wuraola via twitter | |
| Chad passes new charts as Deby's son president | |
| Chad passed through a charter declaration of 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 stipulates that the 37-year-old, son of a late war veteran, was named transitional leader quick on Tuesday as head of military council after his fathers death, would work as president of the republic and head of the armed forces. | |
| The charter repeals the preceding constitution and implements it as the basic law of the republic, according to the committees on it. | |
| The young Deby has also been named as the supreme head of the armed forces, he said. | |
| Debys son overseeed the security of his father when he was head of the elite presidential guard and he appeared alongside his father often. | |
| The best known man of the forces in Chad is Mahamat Deby who is helping United Nations peacekeeping mission in the restive north of neighbouring Mali. | |
| He signed a decree on Tuesday as he sets out a military council consisting of 15 generals, including himself and 14 others who are known to be loyal to late president. | |
| The task given to the council is to move into free and democractic elections within 18 months. | |
| Mahamat Idris Deby is the chair of the military transition council, the council of ministers, the counil of superior committees of national defence, as the charter stipulates. | |
| The new head of state will be designated to endorse legislation adopted by the 69 members of the national transition council, who are named Mahamats directly. | |
| The Transition Charter, with 95 articles, also guarantees freedom of opinion, conscience plus worship. | |
| The transition government has been set by the new president, who will name the members. | |
| The charter stipulates that all members of armed forces who are called to the transitional government are free from all military activities. | |
| Law in Chad | |
| The leader who was killed, who ruled with strong hand for over 30 years, gave to wounds when he visited a battlefield where Chad soldiers engaged rebel groups in the north, the military announced on Tuesday. | |
| Calling for calm, the army also announced a curfew at 6pm and closed the countrys borders, suspending the constitution and dissolving the National Assembly. | |
| However, opposition politicians in Chad rejected the armed appointment of President Idris deby's son to take over after his father died. | |
| Experts say under the law in Chad, the speaker of parliament should have assumed power after Debys death, not his son. | |
| According to the constitution, if the president is left alone then the speaker of the parliament shall take charge of the country for 40 days and thereby establish a transition in place until the elections, Hiba Morgan, reporting from the capital, Ndjamena said on Tuesday. | |
| But the military announced that the legislative assembly had dissolved and the constitution was dissolved, in what the military effectively replaced the constitution with a set of rules. | |
| Chelsea could lose points after a brawl with Leicester | |
| Chelsea face a deduction of points from the FA for the team as they fail to control their players, Mirror reports. | |
| Within seven years, the team has again displayed a hot temper to opponents seven times. | |
| The recent brawl in a match on Tuesday night Leicester marked the seventh encounter with Premier League teams. | |
| Katakata marked the match played last week between Chelsea and Leicester among players of both teams. | |
| With the same offence in the past, the FA decided to punish Chelsea. | |
| Leicester also face charges for their role in the brawl which involved players and coaches as Ricardo Pereira took the challenge to Ben Chilwell. | |
| Chelsea were also charged for indiscipline in 2016, after appealing against a 375,000 dollar fine for the part they played in a burst-up during a match against Tottenham. | |
| If it affects them, the point of departure will affect them very well as they enter the final campaign to secure a spot in the top four. | |
| US immigration to Nigeria? Heck no! | |
| Overpaid, oversexed and over here. | |
| That is the resentful and contemptuous opinion many British people had of 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 come frequently get into pub fights and knife fights that are dangerous and often results in a bad feeling for the yanks among the locals. | |
| And this is the pattern American soldiers have behaved everywhere at the hundreds of American military base oversea from Okinawa in Japan, Stuttgart in Germany, Incirlik and Diyarbakir in Turkey and Pampanga in Philippines. | |
| This is why I am upset, like many Nigerians, that at a virtual meeting last week with the Secretary of State of the United States of America, Antony Blinken, it was reported that President Buhari asked United States to consider the relocating of the African Command (Africom) of his military located in Stuttgart in southern German city of presently Africa. | |
| It was gathered that with this call, President Buhari is making the way for Nigeria to host Africacom. | |
| In the first place, it was a breach of protocol for President Buhari to do such a meeting with the American Secretary of State. | |
| The meeting had to be done with Blinken's Nigerian opposite number, Geoffrey Onyeama, who took to the detail and who would meet president later. | |
| Yes, America is superpower and all, but protocol is a protocol and they soppose to strictly adhere to it in every circumstance. | |
| We understand Nigeria is facing a major internal security challenge which seems to have been dealt with the best efforts made by government and security establishments in the nation to tackle it. | |
| Terrorist insurgencies, kidnapping in the North West, farmers/herders clashed all over the country and as well as targeting and killing security and law enforcement personnel and other Nigerians, in addition to the destruction of institutional buildings in the South East, are contributing to the onset of insecurity in the country. | |
| But even at that, the call to host Africom on Nigeria fell on the face of various issues and implications of this move to Nigeria difficult to justify. | |
| Africom was one example of nine of such commands that the American military established to serve American strategic interests around the world. | |
| By their rule and way of operation, these commands, particularly those outside the U.S. like Africom, were not set up primarily to concern themselves with security and law enforcement issues in their area of coverage. | |
| They only do so when such a issue affects the interest of America directly in the area and in such a situation, they are not mandated to yield their modus operandi and share intelligence with the local security and law enforcement agencies. | |
| If Africa is set up in Nigeria for instance, it will be an island on its ownas restricting access to Nigerians of all categories and establishing a jurisdiction withing the teritorial area of the base which will be virtually off limit to Nigerian security and law enforcement agancy. | |
| As is the always the case with an American military base outside America, Africom will be a forward operating base for disruptive intelligence operations and could source for acts of sabotage and destabilisation against host country. | |
| In this particular case of Africa, part of its original concept is to control as the strategic influence of Nigeria is growing in West Africa and Africa as we have successful peace enforcing efforts in Liberia and Sierra Leone and a good record of peace keeping around the world. | |
| The predecessor of Africom was the Africa Crisis Response Initiative (ACRI) which the Clinton administration set up to counter the strategic interest of Nigeria in Africa. | |
| The Secretary of State of President Clinton, the dour-faced California attorney, Warren Christopher, was visiting a number of African countries secretly to sell the ideas. | |
| But because Nigeria is the target, he pointedly departed it from his itinerary. | |
| Senegal, a stones throw from Liberia and Sierra Leone, was supposed to be the coordinating base of the ACRI and though it was seen as an initiative to facilitate assistance of America to African humanitarian issues, its secret protocols mistakenly skewered by the military and strategically targeted Nigeria. | |
| Mainly to undisguised hostility to the idea from France, which was averse to seeing the Americans trying to butt into an area it considereds its exclusive sphere of influence, they reviewed the concept of the ACRI. | |
| In the review, which drew the expertise of the American Military, intelligence, political and academic personalities and institutions that the America congress brought to secret sessions, the Americans considered and realised the need to set up an AFrican command to add to the already existing commands that cover other continents in the world. | |
| Thus, to follow on the reccomendation of experts, who covered all angles of political and security establishments in America, the Bush Junior administration set Africom up with mandate not only to contain Nigeria but also to keep eye on the strategic penetration by Chinese people in Africa. | |
| The US Central Command (USCENTCOM) is to the Middle East and Asia, where Africacom will be to Africa, as it is based in Florida, European Command (EUCOM), as it is 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 personnel has surmounted already in Niger, Cameroun, Chad and Benin. | |
| The Americans also have a drone base in Niger. | |
| Adding Africom to the mix in Nigeria will amount to a complete capitulation of our strategic interests to both France and America. | |
| Reminds us that our strategic interests plus profile for Africa is not always lined up with the one of France and America, to host Africom in Nigeria will be the same thing as we allow wolf into chicken cage. | |
| There is nothing in the insecurity cahllenge confronting the country that our armed forces cannot cope with. | |
| This is coming after the military forces that eventually secured Liberia and Sierra Leone against an army of insurgents well-entrenched and organised in 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 numerous gallant Nigerian soldiers who distinguished themselves in the operations. | |
| It is regretable that the Nigerian military, after falling from high standard, is now struggling to cope with the activities of non-state actors internally. | |
| But intrinsically and essentially, the military in Nigeria still carry the capacity and capability to defeat this threat to our nationl security if they have the correct leadership, doctrine plus motivation. | |
| We need all the assistance and cooperation from the American people if they want to give us. | |
| But as we have held us in hands to host Africom with our circumstance in view of its antecedent and implication to our strategic interests, on our soil. | |
| Despite facing challenges, Plateau targeted 7m metric tons of Irish potato | |
| In Nigeria, Plateau State is one of the many cultivations of Irish potato in nine of the 17 local government areas of the state. | |
| The Potato Value Chain Support Project of the African Development Bank (AfDB) initiative has Plateau as a state with 90 per cent of the potato production in the country as countries like Chad, Ghana, Niger, Benin and others have large supply of potato from Nigeria. | |
| The large potato production in Plateau State, according to PotatoPRO.com, leading source of information on global potato industry, has made Nigeria the fourth largest country in sub-sahara Africa. | |
| However, farmers said there was a lot of unnecessary fertiliser costs and a poor road network, plus the cost of fertiliser and other farming input continued to stand as a major setback in the production of potatoes in the nation and to export. | |
| Other challenges contributing to low yield and loss in harvest to the potato value chain include diseases like blight and bacterial wilt, and poor seedlings. | |
| According to the National Bureau of Statistics, Plateau State is among the ten poorest states in Nigeria with the lowest poverty rate of 70. | |
| However, the state has comparative advantage 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 though the visibility of the Tuber crop is evident in nine local government areas in Plateau, Na Bokkos and Mangu LGAs, it is still the hub of potato. | |
| They produce potatoes more than any LGA in the country. | |
| However, Muopshin said adaptability research indicated that the remaining eight LGA in the state also could plant potato, that increases the yield potential of the 17 LGA in Plateau, especially during dry season. | |
| However, the Association of Potato Farmers (APF) in the state, said that unless the challenges are addressed, the value chain of production and export of potato will continue to pass the national. | |
| Chairman of APF in Plateau State, Lazarus Makut, in an interview with daily Trust, said the inadequate small dams, especially in remote areas where potatoes are cultivated, and the high cost of farm input continued to affect potato output. | |
| He said the cost of mechanised farming for quicker increase in production was expensive as the majority of farmers are small scale producers unable to afford mechanization. | |
| Another farmer, 42-year-old Martha Mamgup, who grows potatoes in Ampang town in Mangu LGA, said that water supply shortfall during dry season was affecting potato farmers and harvest was low every year. | |
| Because of this, she said, the majority of farmers searched for locations of boreholes to farm to access irrigation water from their farms. | |
| Martha also explained that the high cost of fertiliser prevented many farmers from improvising quantity and quality of yield, adding that when fertiliser is not enough, it affects the crop output. | |
| The cost also prevented many of us from expanding the business. | |
| So, getting fertiliser has not been easy for us. | |
| She said the construction of more dams plus boreholes for irrigation would lead to increased production of potatoes. | |
| If the watre is not enough for the crop, it will dry and that will later die and that 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 reach 7million metric tons after completing lab | |
| With potato production in Plateau State which jumped from 1,656,650 metric tons in 2017 to 2,359,890 metric tons in 2020, the establishment of Potato Value Chain Support Project and the expectation that the construction of tisue culture labs will result in increased production by seven million metric tons by the time 2021 ends. | |
| The Officer who Monitor and Evaluates state's Potato Value Chain Support Project in the state, Baleri Yakubu, told Daily Trust that the state expected to commence production of six million metric tons of potato each year after the tissue culture lab at the end of 2021 but is optimistic that production could exceed seven million metric tons annually. | |
| However, Yakubu said the state government should tackle other challenges farmers are facing, especially the one of fertiliser as well as dam and road network as they are expecting farmers to apply proper potato farming regulation to achieve expected targets. | |
| Our correspondent learnt that the tissue culture lab, which is intendd to improve potato yield in the state by providing seeds that resist pests and other diseases related to potato, was expected to commence full operation in a few months. | |
| Yakubu said he is certain that the advent of the lab will improve income for farmers and revenue in 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 disease affects. | |
| It is also hoped that better quality seeds will be made available at affordable price. | |
| FG has not returned £4.2m Ibrahim loot to Delta Accountant General | |
| The Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF) had on Wednesday announced that the Federal Government has not returned the £4.2 million loot recovered from former governor James Ibori to the Delta Government. | |
| They are still waiting for the money after which issues will be resolved before taking any further action. | |
| For now, no money has been returned to Delta State, a statement from the office revealed, signed by the director of information, Press and Public Relations, Henshaw Ogubike. | |
| The statement said the issue of the £4.2million loot by Ibori was yet to be resolved. | |
| In a previous comment made by the Accountant General of the National Assembly to return the loot to the Delta Government of Delta, Henshaw Ogubike said: The Agf is only a general comment about money rcorver as it relates to state governments. | |
| The three Super League strongheads currently struggling against UEFA regulations. | |
| Super League three Real Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus insisted on Wednesday that they remain committed to modernising football despite UEFA threatening to discipline them. | |
| UEFA opened a formal disciplinary kick on Tuesday against three clubs charging them not to give up on the Super League project they have aborted. | |
| In a joint statement, Juventus in Italy and the two Spanish sides said they remain committed to modernising football through open dialogue with UEFA. | |
| FC Barcelona, Juventus FC and Real Madrid CF wish to express their absolute rejection of the insistent coercion that UEFA has mentain towards the three institutions most relevant in the history of football, as the statement reads. | |
| This attitude raised to raise alarm constitutes a breach of the decision made by courts of justice, who have made a clear statement to warn UEFA to stop taking any action to punish the clubs found in the Super League when they are still on the legal matter. | |
| Therefore, as UEFAs disciplinary proceedings are incomprehensible and are a direct attack against the rule of law which us, who are citizens of the European Union, have built up with democracy, it is still a lack of respect toward the authority of the courts of justice. | |
| China has given up to 140 million COVID-19 vaccines. | |
| China had administered 139.97 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines as of April 4, 2021, as the National Health Commission (NHC) of the country said. | |
| China is working to ensure that vaccination efforts for major areas and key sector industries are based on the overall plan of the country, inoculating the eligible population as wide as possible and making progress in stages, as Wu Liangyou, deputy director of the NHCs Disease Prevention and Control Bureau. | |
| The country has been gathering resources to ensure inoculation in cities of large and medium size, urban areas with high risk of infection, including priority given to key groups including employees in the public sector, students and faculty in college and universities, plus service staff in the big supermarkets, Wu added, adding that vaccination for other groups was also in progress. | |
| At present, Beijing, Shanghai and some other cities in China have given senior citizens who are above the age of 60 and patients with chronic diseases COVID-19 vaccines, who are in good physical condition. | |
| He Qinghua, an official of the NHC noted that the commission would advance the vaccination campaign with order of importance, advocating the principle of informed consent, voluntary participation and free inoculation. | |
| The country is coordinating regular prevention and control with its vaccination efforts, to ensure that the regular responsibility of local governments and the ones who have left eye are fulfilled, and to advance the vaccination campaign in a manner that is more secured and even more forceful, he said. | |
| China has taken a step to include more people in vaccination campaigns to ensure their health, the official added. | |
| China has, so far, approved COVID-19 vaccines produced by five enterprises for conditional marketing or emergency use. | |
| Phase III of three previously activated and one adenovirus vaccine shows that their efficacy meets the requirements of the National Medical Products Administration of China and the World Health Organization. | |
| Phase II trials of the recombinant protein subunit vaccine which is approved for emergency use have shown that the vaccine is safe and can cause strong immune response. | |
| All the COVID-19 vaccines adopted by China have gone through clinical studies that followed relevant standards, approved by national drug regulatory organizations (NCOs) and begun to be used after passing strict examination, said Li Bin, deputy head of the NHC. | |
| All vaccines should be periodically monitored and temperature recordsed from time to time to ensure compliance with temperature environment and transportation. | |
| Health regulators in China have also enhanced efforts in the training of health workers, requiring them to obey operating instructions in order to guarantee the efficacy and safety of the vaccine, Li added. | |
| Wema Bank does essay contest for children | |
| The Wema bank plc is hosting 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 tag-Write and Win, aimed at developing writing skills, promoting creativity, imagination capacity, rewarding creativity and driving excellence in their learning processes. | |
| Ten children will emerge from the screening process which will be transparent, credible and thorough. | |
| The three essays were toped by Huaweis tablets and Royal Kiddies branded T-shirts. | |
| The remaining seven participants in the final will get N20,000 prepaid gift card each for school supplies and a branded T-shirt. | |
| The essay competition will be open to children whose parents are open, including funding from 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 hushpuppi in June 2020 in Dubai alleged to have done money laundering from business email compromise fraud and other scams targeting firms and an English premier league club. | |
| The total money he made is $435 million after defrauding 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 F kennedy Airport, concerning criminal complaint that he scammed the Washington State Employment Security Department of $350,000 (N144,375,000). | |
| The money disbursed is relief money for the pandemic designated for people who may have lost jobs because of the COVID-19 pandemic. | |
| The fraud occurred during lockdown and the investigation bureau began to track the alleged fraudster who is now making law in Nigeria Federal House of Representative if he lost the Ijebu North/Ijebu East/Ogun Waterside Federal Constituency election to Adekoya Adesegun, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) person. | |
| The fraud was achieved by stealing the identity of Washington residents numbering over 100 as they made false claims with the Employment Security Department (ESD) for pandemic-related unemployment benefits. | |
| Each identity theft is created a new e-mail account for each identity theft, which allows them to identify the claim with different people to escape the automatic fraud detection system. | |
| After that, he had paid more than $288,000 to his bank account in America between March and August 2020. | |
| Cybercrime is a global threat to people, organisations and countries. | |
| Nigeria is losing more than $128 billion to cybercrimes annually. | |
| By the time 2021 ends, the world would have lost a total of $6 trillion. | |
| At date, there are over 40 Nigerians or agents of the FBI under investigation for complicity in fraudulent scams. | |
| The alleged unemployment benefit fraud by Rufai would be under what I have called COVID-19 fraud in Nigeria. | |
| This is a scam that is utilizing loopholes created by the COVID-19 pandemic to scam people, governments and charitable organizations. | |
| During the COVID-19 lockdown in Nigeria, cybercriminals made frauds along the interventions from government and private sectors and scammed many and some of the schemes have remained till date. | |
| There are Domino's pizza fraud, federal government cash palliative fraud, N20, 000 Dangote relief fund fraud and promo sales fraud among others. | |
| While some are doing cyber-criminality outside Nigeria, some youngsters are doing it in Nigeria. | |
| The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arrested them, tried and convicted them. | |
| An understanding of the culture that sustains cyber-criminality will help a serious government to fight the crime. | |
| The family is the the small world in the larger society. | |
| It's supposed to be the place of normal human existence in the society. | |
| Despite the fact that many families in Nigeria are in a dungeon of poverty and the hardship of care of their children, some of the children have become breadwinners, as it is, is not legit. | |
| Ethical behaviour training in many houses has been challenged as parents and children have been arrested for cyber-criminality. | |
| In some other places, yahoo boys mamas are forming associations to celebrate their childrens successes and justify the criminal act. | |
| In the religious seting, pastors, alfa and traditionalists make home and benefit from yahoo-boyism. | |
| Moral teaching is bound to enter the materialistic pentecostalism. | |
| There is a viral video where some boys spray money while others who are believed to be shepherds in a white garment church enjoy the moment, while members of the female youth wing of the church were recording the act of shame. | |
| A Nigerian born in 1999 when Nigeria entered democracy again is 21 years now. | |
| Sadly, they grow to appreciate lies as a way of life from politicians mouth (and in many cases from home) who decieve people to vote for them because they fail to fulfil the promises they were made to meet. | |
| Lying is also the foundation of the sociology of hushpuppism. | |
| Youths are daily subjected to corruption by officials in public office. | |
| It is seen how the system is giving farudulent people soft landing (in public or private) | |
| She was asked how many fraud and corruption allegations have been investigated and discharged with punisment when the accused is guilty? | |
| The most of those cases ended with off-the-mic like the Nigeria Delta Development Commission (NDDC) case ended up as a family affair. | |
| The youth is often seen as celebrating flamboyant lifestyle in dirty. | |
| It is easy to see how poor politcal aspirants become millionaires within months of assuming office. | |
| It is also seen how traditional institutions have become cash and carry when given chieftancy title. | |
| Tertiary educational institutions, with few exceptions, awarded undeserving honours in exchange for money. | |
| All of those who mismanage money have a soft landing. | |
| Add to this list of cultures that nuture cybercrime is the lyrical glamour that some Nigerian musicians are giving cybercrime as they present cybercrime as a work and game and that is not crime. | |
| If we elect a fraud person to become legislator, will law against the crime involving him? | |
| The process of filing a party nomination to a high bid must be reviewed if we are to stop importing problematic tokunbo things into our political system that has already lost moral. | |
| It is very unfortunate that the critical reasoning of party leaders is so low when given the money. | |
| They provide the platform for dubious characters to cover up and the society is worse off with their actions. | |
| Greed is also a cause of cyber-criminality. | |
| The FBI agent who is intercepting Rufai, Donald Voiret, said greed is a powerful motivator. | |
| Unfortunately, the alleged losses of these defendants affect all taxpayers. | |
| To move forward, we cannot live in fear, we must expect grace to abound. | |
| Nigeria should sanitise its anti-coruption system and put a policy in place to track lifestyles with material accumulation. | |
| We must give youth in Nigeria hope by creating employment opportunities, reducing poverty, and review reward system. | |
| The EFCC needs to invest in technology and expose its detectives to modern cybercrime investigation procedures. | |
| The commission had to conclude an investigation before arresting suspects as required before they arrested huspuppi and Abidemi Rufai Sandy Tang. | |
| Unless the culture that sustains cybercrimes in Nigeria is tackled with social social engineering, cyber-criminality will continue to spread. | |
| Dr Tade, a sociologist, wrote this piece at dotad2003@yahoo.com | |
| DRC president, Tshisekedi, assumes chairmanship in African Union | |
| President of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Felix Tshisekedi, stepped into the chair of the African Union on Saturday. | |
| He took 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 the president of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa, was rotating chair of the organization. | |
| The au will aim to address the negative impact of COVID-19 on the continent. | |
| The union | |
| The 2021 official theme is Arts, Culture, and Heritage: Levers for Building the Africa We Want. | |
| Despite countries and continent-wide control measures, the impact of COVID-19 has taken on a lot of human, financial and soci-economic costs for African people, Tshisekedi said. | |
| The crisis has however given us the opportunity to re-examine our socio-economic priorities and work towards sustainable and inclusive economic growth that will enable women and girls to contribute to our society at the fullest. | |
| We must rely on ourselves more and collectively find collective solutions to our problems. | |
| Tshisekedi said the DRC during his time as head of the union was looking to elevate African voices. | |
| It will also focus on sustainable development by and in Africa. | |
| We will work to ensure integral well-being, peace and security, health care and strong response against COVID-19, including food security. | |
| Agricultural transformation, education, gender equality, climate justice, for people and good to move freely, and freedom of speech and religions plus enhancing our common heritage: languages, and memorial sites of the history of people of Africa, which would be centred on ouw agenda, the president added. | |
| New wahala in Lagos PDP concerning LG polls | |
| There is a fresh wahala gathering in Lagos State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) concerning the release of guidelines for the conduct of the local government elections recently released by the Chairman of the state, Engr Deji Doherty. | |
| Engr Doherty, who has been battling with several of his colleagues in the State Working Committee (SWC), which led to his suspension recently, released the guidelines on Friday. | |
| It could be recalled that the State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) has released the timetable for the elections slated for Saturday, July 24, 2021. | |
| Within the internal strife that is lingering in the State PDP, the Chairman released the guidelines, which was appalling in the eyes of most of the executive members who say they have not been taken much. | |
| A member of the state executive said the chairman planed the timetable unilaterally and without consulting other executive members. | |
| It was further learnt that the other factions of the party oppose Doherty could counter the embattled Chairman this over the guidelines. | |
| The executive member who spoke on condition to remain anonymous said the position of the member in question would be made public this week, insisting that key members of the executive were sidelined. | |
| How it is to be born in a pandemic By Dil Afrose Jahan. | |
| When news of death is all over the place, a new life brings hapines, and hope. | |
| On January 1, 2020, a new morning, two red lines changed my life. | |
| I have a belle and Im happy. | |
| It is a mamzing start to a new year. | |
| It was the most remarkable year of my life. | |
| All of a sudden, everything changes. | |
| My daughter Roshomon Tara was born at the end of the first lockdown in Dhaka, Bangladesh; she is now nine months old. I had born my child Roshomon Tara at the end of the first lockdown in Dhaka, Bangladesh; she is now nine months old. | |
| She was the reason I became mother in the middle of the global crisis. | |
| Not only her I was born, but also new me, mama tara, who spent the whole pregnancy in lockdown at home and birthed the children in emergency condition in the emergency. | |
| Tara has seen the world with masks and isolation. | |
| Her grandparents are also fearful to touch her or come near her if they do not wear masks. | |
| If there is no pandemic, my journey to enter motherhood would be different. | |
| This Mother Day was very special as my children were in the front, looking at me, smiling. | |
| On the last mother day, she was growing inside of me. | |
| The only thing that is not changed, meanwhile, is the pandemic. | |
| There was 16 weeks belle in me when the pandemic happened, and the world was entered into lockdown. | |
| I was 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 that time. | |
| I am a freelance journalist since January 1, 2021. | |
| So we are dependent on what I save already and we spend all my savings. | |
| Our parents and two journalists associations have come forward to help from time to time. | |
| I was afraid of everything. | |
| Most of the time, he looks like he is dead. | |
| knocks at our doors. | |
| I am also adapting to a new life where we are now browsing the net and delivering our stuff or home-delivery. | |
| I have to wait for one week to get them to deliver groceries like a day. | |
| I even was afraid to send the only family member living with me, my husband to come and buy food storage. | |
| So, I was not much eating. | |
| Beside, I couldn't go for my antenatal check-up as they gave me time. | |
| And I am not sure if my children are growing welwel or if development is taking place timely. | |
| I am so sorry for my unborn child that I am bringing him into a world that is different from today. | |
| The tele-medication helped me pass some hard times in the last three months. | |
| I forget the face of my gynaecologist. | |
| I cannot even imagine she would take a look at this if she is not wearing PPE. | |
| I need to be informed about risks, precautions, and how to get emergency medical help. | |
| Very much information is flown around. | |
| In this case, mothers who had experienced my mother, and my mother-in-law can only support me and not be that they met me when I was young. | |
| Traditionally, experienced mothers and mostly older women in the family will help new mothers with their experiences plus observation. | |
| I have had numerous panic attacks because of my lack of information and understanding. | |
| So I am going to dig into the experiences of mothers who gave birth at this time. | |
| I saw social media as a lifeline. | |
| I had read numerous exciting experiences on social media when I was joining a group of over 100,000 women who are beautiful and give birth to their children while supporting each other to survive the pandemic. | |
| Media groups such as #WeChatRound has helped over 100,000 women belle and give birth to their children while sharing their experiences and knowledge during the lockdown. | |
| This group helped me find heakth care facility to take to emmergency ultrasound after heavy bleeding fir in the lockdown. | |
| Another group is the help to stop anxiety and depressive people following childbirth. | |
| I was upset that I couldn't meet my parents, relatives, or friends to share the joy of being a new member in the family. | |
| My daughter was born on August 25, 2020, at the same hospital, Azimpur Maternity, where I was born decades ago. | |
| And she had another child, four months old, on December 31, 2020, when Tara and her father went to the rooftop to see the fireworks. | |
| Another fifty with two baby, who was my neighbour for the first time also set to go and say byeby in 2020. | |
| Every day it is, and it is still a gift, to consider the recent statistics of increased Covid-19 cases. | |
| When news about death is full of thimgs, the new life brings happiness and hope. | |
| In mothers, it is no different from that they winged war over the new generation of children in the pandemic and cared for the new ones, to confirm the safety of their children. | |
| Socially, emotionally, and physically, this is a challenge for a person. | |
| Thanks to the light that is shining in the eyes of the baby them. | |
| You are my children, my daughter, who I am now mama and a successful fighter that survived this pandemic. | |
| Dil Afrose Jahan has kolekted the National Geographic Society's Emergency Fund for Journalists. | |
| The National Geographic Society supports this work. | |
| The national question, insecurity and the declaration in Asaba. | |
| By Segun Tomori | |
| Recently, governors of souther Nigeria met in Asaba and made some resolution on the state of the nation which is now called Asaba declaration. | |
| The meeting was on the matter as insecurity in the country is worsening, agitation by some ethnic jingoists and the menace of murderous herdsmen menaces were raging nationwide. | |
| Indeed, the bi-partisan nature of the meeting held plus the unanimity displayed by the 17 governors indicated that serious business was on. | |
| Restructuring within the context of true federalism and the ban on open grazing constituted the essence of the declaration. | |
| Major lights should be given to bringing state police, devolution of power, review of revenue formula to take favour of the federating unit and the need for a national dialogue to discuss the nation question. | |
| As one must condemn the way governments take the long leg on financial autonomy in state legislature and judiciary and not in the spirit of true federalism which they call for, planty in those resolutions is tenet of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) led by Gov. El=Rufai on true federalism recommendations. | |
| One would expect that the leading light in APC will take advantage of the bipartisan nature of the Asaba declaration, and the support of the major opposition parties to initiate the process to address the issue. | |
| Instead, we see attempts to take the stage and in some quarters, subtle censure of the governors. | |
| The El-Rufai committee has recommended devolution of power, resource control, state police, local government autonomy and review in revenue sources in favour of federating units among them. | |
| President Buhari has given support for local government, state legislature and judiciary autonomy since, as he backed amendments in the statutes and issued Executive Order 010. | |
| As the state of the nation is taken on, where security and economic challenges are now a major challenge, these two sectors should be given the untimate attention. | |
| Despite the fact that Nigeria is ranked as the highest GDP in Africa, we still not have made the best efforts to translate it to improve standards of living or the majority of our country people. | |
| For instance, right now, with our annual budget of $35 billion, it is very inadequate to cater for the needs of 220 million Nigerians. | |
| South Africa with about 58 million people has a National budget of about $75bn in 2019 and her Social Protection Programme covers 17m of its populatiom. | |
| The effort made by the Buhari administration in a new way and with commendable impact, is just dropped in the ocean and is not adequate to make required impact. | |
| Here the devolution of power and resource control will enter. | |
| Essential minerals and natural resources are not in any business to stay more than one day in this exclusive list. | |
| Almost all the states of the country have natural resources that can sell as well as create wealth and generate the necessary foreign exchange for the country. | |
| The present system where state is headed to Abuja to kolekty federal allocation in the country breeds indolence, it does not follow the principle of true federalism. | |
| The El-Rufai committee proposed that the revenue formula should be reviewed to take the states since adding more responsibilities to them, the report said. | |
| On the state police, it is undesratably feared that governors will abuse it, but like Richie Nortondon said, To escape fear, you have to go through it, not around it. | |
| For too long, we have been round fear of abuse of state police, we have turned a blind eye to the centralised Nigeria Police Force which has become overstretched and which has become inefficient and big problems. | |
| As vice-President Osinbajo said some years ago, State Police are an idea that is timed. | |
| We have to address our fears and overcome it. | |
| One of the ways is to enact a legal instrument to establish the State Police Regulatory Commission (SPRC), along with constitutional amendments to enable state police. | |
| It will be similar functions with the Federal Police Service Commission (PSC) but with wider power to exercise appointive and regulatory functions. | |
| A ban on open grazing by the governors was not dismissed as part of the fulcrum of the National Livestock Transformation Plan (NLTP) approved by the National Executive Council (NEC) recently. | |
| The International Crisis Group (ICG) has put the NLTP as the most comprehensive effort Nigeria has made to date to overhaul the inefficient and grossly underperforming livestock system. | |
| At the core is a strategy to curb migratory or open grazing and thus lower the risk of conflicts between herders and farmers, therefore, beggars belief that some myopic, sef-acclaimed ethnic champions choose to lampoon the ban on pre-historic, nomadic open grazing. | |
| Let the federal and state governments move very fast to fully implement this new plan in order to put these farmers-herders clashes which happen from time to time behind us. | |
| The convocation of National Dialogue, which is a major demand of the Asaba 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 a far reaching recommendation that the governors who we elected and the legislators in the national assembly could agree on, rather than wasting resources already on another jamboree. | |
| On the issue of separatist agitations, there should be brought as it is in the constitution. | |
| It is almost certain that a majority of Nigerians want to live together, without minding our differences. | |
| To do this will take the sail off the wind of divisive elemnets, which fan fires of hate and discord. | |
| The Southern Governors have affirmed their commitment to a United Nigeria on basis of justice, fairness and equity, so must every patriotic Nigerian. | |
| Though we have challenges like all the other countries, we must listen to ourselves as US President Joe Bidden often said. | |
| Tomori lives in Abuja | |
| Two officers have succumbed to theft as IPOB members set fire on police stations | |
| It is not more than 24 hours after the new commissioner of police in Anambra, Christopher Adetokumbo Owolabi, was resumed, the terrorists had attacked Obosi Police Station in Idemili North Local Government Area of the state and killed two officers. | |
| The terrorists stormed the police headquarters late on Wednesday, freezing all the detainants before setting the station on fire. | |
| A resident of the police station, who the incident affected, said a large number of terrorists came and attacked the police station around 11pm. | |
| He identified the officers who died as Inspector James and Awalu. | |
| The source said the victims were killed in a filling station that was no longer functioning and was close to the police station. | |
| The source also said when other police officers on duty were noticed the unusual movement of the unknown gunmen, they screamed and the attacking party had time to burn the police station down. | |
| Meanwhile, the police in Anambra have confirmed the killing of two of them. | |
| The Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in the command, 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, SP Bala Elkana, had instruction to see on the spot assessment of the place. | |
| The team was also asked to try to identify and catch the terrorists who did the attack, he said. | |
| Ikenga, who added that the body of the two police had been in a nearby morgue, said that the investigation on the matter had commenced. | |
| NEPC, Commonwealth collaborate on production of professional services export data | |
| The Nigeria Export Promotion Council (NEPC) and the Commonwealth Secretariat London will collaborate to produce reliable data on export in professional services in Nigeria. | |
| Speaking at the inaugural meeting of the National Consultative Committee on 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 lack readily accessible and reliable data on trade-in-service. | |
| Awolowo said that the previous attempts to create awareness on the trade-in service sector of the economy, including the creation of a National Strategy on Export of Professional Services in 2010. | |
| He said the Commonwealth has helped Nigeria to develop a road-map for the sector in 2016. | |
| The boss of NEPC said the current focus collaboration with the Commonwealth Secretariat is on data/statistics collection and management. | |
| This is critical to our effort in export as it will fill the gaps in collecting or capturing data from relevant institutions in order to generate, analyse and use statistical information on trade-in Services as it is globally, he said. | |
| NITDA, firm to launch tech startup funds in July | |
| The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and a firm specialised in United States Mass Challenge has signed an agreement to financially support between 10 and 15 start-ups from July, reaching their full potential with 12 months. | |
| Director General of NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi said this on Tuesday during a virtual media stakeholder engagement with officials of the Movement. | |
| Abdullahi said the initiative was designed to identify and accelerate top start-ups based in Nigeria and grow them business to serve the Nigeria and global markets. | |
| The DG told NITDA that the initiative would be launched in July adding that it would improve tech innovation and entrepreneurship in the country. | |
| Starting an ecosystem that is vibrant is highly critical to the future of our country and it is vital to find 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 conceal two women in Abuja council | |
| Kidnappers have taken two women, Christiana Isa Attah and Favor David, behind Anguwar Kpokpolobi community in Naharati, Abaji Area Council, FCT. | |
| The two victims, Mrs. Ruth Attah, a retired school teacher, told our reporter at her house around midnight on Saturday the incident happened. | |
| She said she was still in bed and the children were left in the room when the kidnappers came into the house after jumping a fence not too high. | |
| She said a window was broken to allow her children to enter the room where their parents were sleeping and carry out with a gun in hand. | |
| When the girls noticed we were trying to break the window, they ran into my room to hide, but the kidnappers followed them to my room, and they took all of us away, she said. | |
| According to her, the kidnappers left her after a few metres on the house when they noticed that she couldn't move because of old age. | |
| It was after we crossed the river, where I could no longer speak to them, the other gang members told me to go back home as they left my two children, she added. | |
| A resident, who wanted to remain anonymous, said the kidnappers did the operation for more than one hour as they were shooting up to scare people from them. | |
| He said, No security men came here when the kidnappers were shooting in the air for more than an hour. | |
| Daily Trust further learnt that until that very day, the woman and her children had always slept at neighbours house and were often back home because they feared kidnappers as their house is just a few metres from the river. | |
| It was gathered that the daughter of the woman, who is a class teacher in the area, is preparing to do her wedding next month. | |
| The spokesperson of the police command in FCT, ASP Maryam Yusuf, did not pick a call or reply a text message sent to her phone to confirm the latest kidnap incident in the area. | |
| Why I run for gov in Anambra Anglican Priest | |
| A Anglican priest, Rev Godwin Okonkwo, has said he is raced into the November governorship election in Anambra state because he wants to bring the fear of God and knowledge of prudent use of resources to show on governance in the state. | |
| Okonkwo who spoke with Daily Trust on Wednesday shortly after he spoke with his supporters in Awka, the Anambra state capital, said the state is far behind in terms of good governance. | |
| The personnel 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 all do better than us by managing the resources of the state. | |
| It is time now to move from a lukewarm attitude of leadership to better leadership. | |
| I am in Apc to challenge the poor outings of the party in the state over the past years,he said. | |
| Barty beats Kvitova to play last four matches with Badosa | |
| Ashleigh Barty will take on Paula Badosa in the semifinal of the Madrid Open after beating Petra Kvitova 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 in Wednesdays | |
| World No 1 Barty is chasing her fourth singles title this year after she won in Stuttgart 10 days ago. | |
| In the last four she would face the woman who beat her and move into the quarterfinal at Charleston in early April. | |
| On Wednesday, the Australian pulled out as top against a player who has won Wimbledon twice plus 2015, 2018 Madrid Open winner Kvitova. | |
| Wildcard Badosa became the first Spanish woman in the tournaments for a 12-year to make the semi with her 6-4, 7-5 win over eighth seed Belinda Bencic. | |
| 22 mummies of Pharaoh paraded in Egypt | |
| Twenty-two mummies of pharaoh wlk on the street of Cairo on saturday evening for a stunning royal procession from Egyptian Museum on Tahrir Square to the new National Museum of Egyptian Civilization (NMEC) in Fustat. | |
| It was the event that marked the launch of NMEC officially. | |
| 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-riding 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, while Ramses ix, who ruled in the 12th century BCE, rose to the rear. | |
| In accordance with the strict international standard for the transport of artifacts, the royal remains were placed in state-of-the-art sterile display cases to guarantee immaculate preservation. | |
| It was 60 motorcycles, 150 horses, and a pharaonic music ensemble led by renowned Egyptian maestro Nader Abbassiconducted to the mummie. | |
| The procession started with a 21-gun salute, circled the obelisk in the Tahrir Square closeness 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 witnessed participation of 12 Celebs in Egypt, as 200+ global TV channels broadcast it. | |
| The priceless artifacts will be spent the next two weeks at the NMECs laboratory, where they are prepared for installation in the Royal Mummies Hall, located in the valley of the Kings. | |
| The Royal Mummies Hall will be opened to visitors on April 18, coinciding 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 visitors from April 4 to enter 17. | |
| In addition, representatives of local and international media were given the opportunity to take pictures and video the artifacts in the Central Exhibition Hall for free on April 4 and 5. | |
| Overlooking Ain Al Sira in the heart of the historical city of Urrat, near Babylon Fortress, NMEC is one of the largestts and most important archeology museums in the world, and the first to last in the whole civilization in Egypt. | |
| Uproar ails Kano prison over illicit drugs | |
| Pandemonium was gathered in Kano Central prison Kurmawa on Thursday evening over illicit drugs. | |
| The uproar began when the warden inside the prison detected and siezed cannabis, allegedly brought to inmate 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 set to investigate how the cannabis processed into the centre. | |
| He said, I brought cannabis into the prison and our operatives had kolekted it, so they started screaming, we said we should give them. | |
| We have set up committees already to find out how such illicit drugs got into the house; whether they were brought into the foodstuffs or in convevings with some of our operatives. | |
| The action does not have anything to do with jailbreak, it is just uproar, and we have already reinforced order back in the custodial centre, he added. | |
| There is rumour that the prisoners are planning to break the jail to attempt to escape as they rejected the food given them to break fast, on the basis of bug donation from philantropists. | |
| The spokesperson of NCoS has debunk the rumour, described them as baseless. | |
| Daily Trust reports that the 100 years prison located at Kurmawa area, behind the Palace of Emir in the metropolis is the biggest custodial centre in the state. | |
| FG calls for global action against terrorism, drug trafficking | |
| The federal government urges world leaders to strengthen international cooperation as part of an effort to successfully combat terrorism and to sneak drugs, among other crimes. | |
| This is even as Nigeria expressed concern over the incident of bad financial flow from an emerging economy to an already developed economy in the world. | |
| This is part of the positions of Nigeria present at the ongoing conference of the United Nations Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, in Vienna. | |
| Spokesman 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 item 6C and 7 at the meeting, said as a nation we deepen cooperation and strengthen the processes of combating the financing of terrorism and prevention of terrorists in the quest for ransom payments, it was also important for them not to overlook trafficking of bad drugs. | |
| It is also necessary to keep an eye on and control as illicit traffic is spreading, which results in brain injury, leading to violence. | |
| Nigeria also is worried that the link between terrorism and other forms of crime like corruption, bad flow of money, money laundering, has been growing, illicit trafficking in drugs, cybercrime, trafficking in people and smuggling of migrants, as Marwa take the example. | |
| In delivering a statement from Nigeria in item 6C on Wednesday, Marwa said as a nation renewing its desire to improve international cooperation to address every crime, Nigeria urged all states, once again, to make sincere efforts, to address the cause from the root, which include; poverty, economic deprivation, inequality, drug abuse, among other socio-economic factors. | |
| Presenting the statement of the country on item 7 on Thursday, Marwa said, Nigeria notes with great concern the incidence of illicit financial flows, which we pass through the financial system every year, from developing and developed analysis. | |
| To advice the dastardly accomplices, 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 institution but should be transformed into escrow accounts preferably in development banks pending return to countries of origin. | |
| In this regard, we call for the implementation of the recommendations of the facti panel in support of access to resources and the agenda 2030 for sustainable development. | |
| Timipre Sylva, Kurfi celebrates as Chelsea win Champions League | |
| Two prominent people in the former Governor of Bayelsa State and present Minister of State of Petroleum, Mr. Timipre Marlin Sylva and the Chairman of Katsina State Football Association, Alhaji Aminu Balele Kurfi are celebrating the mood on Saturday after Chelsea football club has won a champions league title. | |
| In a final unfolding all English, former champions Chelsea shocked Man City 1-0 at the Estadio. | |
| do Dragao in Porto to win their second trophy. | |
| Kai Havertz, one of the expensive additions from last summer, scored the goal which decided to put a third defeat in a row on Pep Guardiola's City. | |
| Moments after the match, the former governor tweeted I supported Chelsea FC in the UCL trophy, and I do not 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 him after the match. | |
| I need to support him because he is an avid fan of Chelsea. | |
| I also believe that at the end of the day, he has a reason to celebrate. | |
| It is not everyone who knows that His Excellency Timipre Sylva has a passion for sports, especially football. | |
| On my path as the Chairman of Katsina State Football Association, I am father to all supporters of various clubs in my state. | |
| I am currently with Chelsea from where they loaned me to Katsina United. | |
| From United, I was loaned to Kufri Tigers, and at presently, I am playing for every club as Kufri says I like to play. | |
| Election in Uganda: President Museveni gets early lead, rivals say it is fraud | |
| President Yoweri Museveni has taken early lead in the presidential election in Ugand, according to a result first published by the electoral commission on Friday morning. | |
| This one is as his main rival has said he has proof that fraud has entered the election. | |
| winning 29.4 per cent of votes from a ballot on Thursday, Museveni has won 1,852,263 votes, or 63.9 per cent as main opposition candidate, Bobi Wine, has 821,874 votes, or 28.4 per cent, as the commission disclosed just after 11.00 a.m. (0800 GMT). | |
| Wine allege fraud | |
| Wine, a singer and a lawmaker who has mobilised young Ugandans with calls for political change, told a news conference on Friday that he had video of proof that fraud was occurring in the vote and that the vote would end in peace. | |
| He had said earlier in a tweet that he had gained confidence in the victory despite fraud and violence. | |
| Museveni, who has led the country into East Africa for 46 million people in 34 years, is no more known than noon. | |
| Internet blackout | |
| On Wednesday, the government ordered to block internet access till further notice, a day after the ban on all social media and messaging apps. | |
| Wine and his supporters used Facebook to show live coverage of his campaigns and news conference after he said many media outlets failed to host it. | |
| They spoil the election campaign with a deadly crackdown on opposition candidates and their supporters. | |
| The capital of Uganda, Kampala, normally quiet on Friday, which is a public holiday after the vote on Thursday, as most shops closed. | |
| Soldiers patrolled with legs in rains in a suburb recently visited by Reuters. | |
| Commission head, Simon Byabakama, assured the nation on live TV on Thursday evening after polls closed say results had entered the national tally centre despite the nationwide internet blackout. | |
| We are not using local internet to transmit results, we are using our own system, he said, without giving details of the system. | |
| No gain, result will come, Byabakama added. | |
| New waves of pandemic hit more in Japans prefecture. | |
| Japan has been able to expand the present state of emergency to cover three more prefectures, as the government disclosed on Friday. | |
| This is followed as the infection of coronavirus is growing in the country ahead of Tokyo Olympics in summer. | |
| The prefectures in Hokkaido, Okayama and Hiroshima are likely to have the measures from Sunday to the end of 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, took the word. | |
| The northern island of Hokkaido reported a record of 712 new infections on Thursday as the western prefecture of Hiroshima also reported a record of 219 new cases in Wednesday. | |
| The infection raged to the joint replacement of Hiroshima and Okayama had to cancel the torch relay scheduled for next 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 organizers said that Bach had been postponed from Japan before the games. | |
| The postponed was as the government extended the state of emergency in Tokyo plus three other prefectures until until the end of May, adding two more regions as Aichi, Fukuoka in the measure. | |
| The government had declared a state of emergency in the four prefectures in April, requesting that bars and restaurants stopped serving alcohol and recurrently offer karaoke services. | |
| Experts have given warning that variants that are more contagious could spread very quickly, especially as the roll-out of the coronavirus vaccine was very slowsince it was launched mid-February. | |
| Only one per cent of Japan's | |
| Vaccineting is now fully. | |
| Farmers will benefit from mechanised farming in Jigawa | |
| The Malam Alu Agro Allied Company, a farm located on a 100-hectare of land in Faru village, along Maiduguri road, Birnin Kudu Local Government Area of Jigawa State, has been changing the perception of mechanised farming in Nigeria, the GM of the Mansur Dau Aliyu said. | |
| The establishment of the farm almost five years ago, as we gather, was a direct response to the call by the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari that Nigeria should return to agricultural as the mainstay of the nation, rather than rely on it as the source of revenue in the country. | |
| Each cattle has a nomba tag attached to it in ear. | |
| Founder of the company, Farouk Adamu Aliyu, a former member of the House of Representatives keyed into it, the GGM added. | |
| We are doing greenhouse farming. | |
| We have a 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 vegetable them, plus another 500 square-metre greenhouse, which we use as nursery. | |
| These greenhouses are all foreign-oriented, which we have installed to produce varieties of vegetables. | |
| It is only tomato that we produce in the 10,000 square automated soilless greenhouse; and we produce an average of 10 to 11 tons of tomatoes every week. | |
| We are also having another 10,000 square-metre locally fabricated greenhouse. | |
| We also have livestock section, where we have over 300 herds of cattle, some camel, goat and sheep, he said. | |
| Daily Trust further learnt that the farm also has a fishery unit, with about 50,000 fish in the pond. | |
| Similarly, a forty-ton per hour fertiliser blending plant installed in early part of the year, from what we heard, has produced up to 300 loads of NPK fertiliser under the Presidential Fertilizer Initiative. | |
| We have imported equipment with 120,000 capacity for poultry system. | |
| We hope to produce between 3,000-4,000 crates of eggs in a day, Mansur said. | |
| He noted that the farm, which is also a diary plant, produces 2,000 litres of milk in a day, adding that they also have about 150-200 hectres of land elsewhere where they are left for open field farming plus cultivation of rice and other crops. | |
| Masur said the major major players buying the tomato are premium customers, notably, a big big hotel in Abuja and Lagos, plus some other locations. | |
| He however confirmed that the main market for the product is mainly in the eastern part of the country like Enugu, Onitsha, Owerri. | |
| However, he admitted that aside from the small number of customers in Kano, they were not too much seeing tomato products in local markets for some reason. | |
| First, it is the fact that the tomatoes they produce in their farms are specialised and the second, it is the fact that Jigawa is a major area of producing tomatoes. | |
| You know tomato is a common product here in the country, so its prices are relatively low compared to the open market. | |
| So, essentially, people do not actually look at our side, they are apprehensive with what we have because they believe it is cost. | |
| And when you have products that are available in all over the place, its guaranteed that people will buy the cheapest. | |
| The fish are fed in a farm hand. | |
| Asked the average lifespan of tomatoes product, he said, By giving the tomato whatever it takes in nutrional supplements to feed it as it grows, by giving it all of these things, the tomato can last up to three weeks after harvest. | |
| But even without it, it will last for a minimum of one week, not being in refrigeration and not being in warmth, and plenty of heat. | |
| He can be placed on a table where there is better ventilation. | |
| It may last on an average of 10 days, but if provided with all the nutrients required (every nutrient) it may last up to one month. | |
| We have experimented it, but then, it is not as you always want. | |
| The farm is a source of employment for people between 200 in the village where it was located. | |
| He also said the company had some people to train the youths for information technology skills. | |
| He further said most of the equipment used in the field are imported from Turkey, except the fertiliser-blending machine, which is imported from China. | |
| He noted that even the farming method is the same in Turkey, having a Turkish partner helping them to maintain the standard, but quickly he added that the company isconscious of enabling Nigerians to run the tachnical aspect of its operation. | |
| Reacting on the effect of COVID-19 on the operation of the company, Mansur said, Malam Alu, as well as other corporate entities in the country, suffered from the devastating effect of the virus. | |
| In Mansur, youth in Nigeria did not have an excuse to remain unemployed with the kind opportunities that agriculture provides, he noted that the loek for white-collar jobs should adjust to the reality and go back to agriculture. | |
| He believes Nigeria has done what it was supposed to do a long time before, noting that if the country is taken this step, it will have cornered the present economic situation. | |
| 2023: Lawmakers to seek a better deal in Southern Kaduna | |
| The member representing Jaba Constituency in the State House of Assembly in Kaduna, Samson Monday Dikko, called on better people to come together and map out strategies that would 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, who aspirants to be senator in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), said the people who cared for Southern Kaduna people have 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 we will do it with non-governmental organizations that have names, he added. | |
| The Director-General of the Campaign Organisation for Dikko, Timothy Chindo Kwassam, says the destiny of the People of Kaduna South Senatorial District will be taken on them by Dikko if Dikko represents them in the Senate in 2023. | |
| For everythin under the sun, it has a reason. | |
| Kwassam said that Dikko was coming in this critical period of time not as an ordinary coincidence, but it was a divine play from God to liberate the region from evil that hinders it from growing and competing with other regions. | |
| 3 African people, not Nigerian people, as City, Chelsea contest UEFA Champions League final | |
| No doubt football fans in Nigeria are eagerly awaiting the 2020/2021 UEFA Champions League finals coming up tonight as two English clubs Manchester City and Chelsea will contest at the Estadio do Dragao, Porto in Portugal. | |
| With the view of the fact that UEFA Champions League is one of the biggest football competitions only next to FIFA World Cup and the Olympic Football event, level of expectation has exponentially grown as teams in English Premier League are set to fight for the prestigious Débys. | |
| While Manchestre City have not won a Champions League title before, chelsea won their first and only title in 2012. | |
| Therefore, despite football pundits tipping City who just won premiership number seven to win this night, Chelsea will enter into the contest with betting credentials. | |
| They are a former champion. | |
| However, while Thomas Tuchels technical team in Chelsea have not won the Champions League, his opponent in Manchester Citys dugout, Pep Guardiola has twice won it. | |
| He won this with Barcelona in 2009 and in 2010. | |
| Therefore, there is a lot to expect from the actors who will come out to the field for Estadio. | |
| Dragao in Porto and the men charged the technical area. | |
| Interestingly, though both contestants have only three African players in Riyad Mahrez (Algeria, Manchester City), Hakim Ziyech (Morococo, Chelsea) and Edourad Menday ( | |
| Senegal, Chelsea) the interest of Africa in the final has dropped. | |
| Here in Nigeria, where Chelsea and Manchester City enjoy a lot of followers from passionate football fans, expectation has been palpable, which has led to interest in realignment. | |
| Fans of the other clubus who have come out for other stages of the Champions League do re-align themselves with either Chelsea or Manchester City as their interests take on a diverse reach. | |
| consequence is that the final is one of the most talked about topics in sports at the moment and fans of the premiereship club have continued to predict as the finalresult may be. | |
| However, despite the fact that almost everyone is already eagerly awaiting the football artistry displayed by some African players in the final of the biggest football competition on earth. | |
| If we look at history in the UEFA Champions League, only 24 African footballers have won the trophy with European clubs. | |
| It sad that African football legends like Liberia's George Weah, who was voted as World Footballer of the Year in 1995, are left behind. | |
| 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 didnt win the Champions League as soon as they were aware of the ball reach. | |
| Although Mo Salah (Egypt), Sadio Mane (Senegal), Joel Matip (Cameroon) and Naby Keita (Guinea) were on the big stage when Liverpool won the 6th UEFA Champions League title in 2019, the first African to win the trophy is Bruce Grobbelaar of Zimbabwe. | |
| He achieved this with Liverpool in 1984. | |
| It was Algerian legend Rabah Madjer who won it with FC Porto in 1987 and Abedi Pele (Ghana) in 1993 with Olympique Marseille following him, before Nigeria. | |
| duo of George Findi and Nwankwo Kanu lifted it with Ajax Amsterdam in 1995. | |
| It is also on record that Geremi Njitap of Cameroon became the first African to win the title twice in 2000 and 2002 with Spanish giants Real Madrid, Samuel Eto'o of Cameroon twice won it three times with Barcelona 2006, 2009 and 2010 with Inter Milan. | |
| Other Africans who have won the highky coveted trophy are 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's Kenya 2010 | |
| John Mikel Obi (Nigeria), Michael Essien (Ghana), Salomon Kalou (Cote dIvoire), Didier Drogba (Cote dIvoire) who won it with Chelsea in 2012 and Achraf Hakimi (Morocco), with Real Madrid 2018 completing the list of Africans who have won the UEFA Champions League. | |
| To come close to home, the last time Nigerian sportsman 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, like 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 finals of the biggest club competition in Europe. | |
| The reasons are not clear. | |
| Top five clubs in Europe Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Manchester United and Liverpool dominated the competition. | |
| Unfortunately for Nigerian players, they have failed to enter highly rated clubs in Europe. | |
| It is hope of Nigeria football stakeholders that very soon the new generation of players will break the barrier and begin to play for clubs with potential to win the UEFA Champions League. | |
| If this one fails, then the football fans in Nigeria will continue to live with the agony of watching finals of the UEFA Champions League come and go, without the presence of any Nigerian player. | |
| While Nigerians await the next Super Eagle player to rise to the top of the European club competition the way of George Michael, Nwankwo Kanu did it with Ajax in 1995 and Mikel Obi in 2012, few hours remains for the 2021 all English clubs final. | |
| At the end, there will be victory for the Manchester clubs who are hunting for their first title over the Londeners who are primed in the second itle and the football league watched the most in the world, Premiership will be the ultimate winner. | |
| Eyimba has forced FC IfeanyiUbah to 2-2 draw in the Oriental derby. | |
| Enyimba FC were coming from behind to secure a deserved 2- draw in the week 14 fixture which was reschedule against the oriental brower FC IfeanyiUbah at the Aba international stadium, said. | |
| The otherwise final derby saw Eyimba make three changes to the team which lost for Rivers United on Sunday. | |
| Sadiq Abubakar returned after weeks of being laid off while Anthony Omaka and Victor Mbaoma entered the starting line-up again. | |
| 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 poke it home from close range after Uche Onuoha headed Evans Ogbonda cross to meet him. | |
| With the away side having full control of the game, they are gaining more confidence and that leaves the hosts to scramble to get back into the game as the first ends for 1-0 in favour of the visitors. | |
| Reprising the second half, IfeanyiUbah continued to press for the second goal and they were rewarded when Saidu Adamu had his brace after Awazie squared over the line in the 61st minute. | |
| With the second goal stinging them to life, Eyimba began throwing everythimg into their arsenal to get back into the game. | |
| Within the 78th minute, the presence paid off as Reuben Bala reduced the deficit for Eyimba in a lucky fashion. | |
| The winner was Sharp Uzoig who kept out his initial header but the ball rolled back to him and ovr the line. | |
| The goal was to give Eyimba some hope as they continued to press for a plunty nomba to secure a point at least. | |
| And this was achieved in the 90th minute through Imot Obot. | |
| Following this result, Eyimba have moved up to 5th position with 31 points from 17 games with two more outstanding matches. | |
| Meanwhile, FC IfeanyiUbah are still in the relegation zone with only 17 points from 19 games. | |
| Farmers are apprehensive as planting season begins with erratic rains | |
| With the wet season beginning in most parts of the season, farmers have started speaking with fear as rains erratic and could threaten production. | |
| Rain was unsatble in Benue, Nasarawa, Niger, Kaduna and parts of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), and many farmers have planted crops. | |
| During the 2019/2020 wet season, erratic rainfall in the north and mid-season draught in the south-west made farmers lose money due to crop failure. | |
| Musa Yohana and Halima Thomas, farmers of Doma and Lafia, Nasarawa State, said they have planted maize, groundnut and other crops like casava and yam but feared that they may 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 which was too much because there was no rainfall. | |
| This year, we have been on second week in May but there has not been any rainfall. | |
| And I have already planted 15 measures (about 20kg) of groundnut. | |
| If it continues like this for another one week, I may loss all the seeds, as Mr Yohana said. | |
| Like them, many farmers around the FCT have already planted too, but they are worried about crop failure as they learnt from last year's experience. | |
| In Benue State, our correspondent reproted that farmers had started cultivating land and planting crops on the complain that there was no rainfall. | |
| Some farmers who had already prepared their fields said they could not begin to plant until one week ago, while others just started clearing land in the wake of the rainfall three times withing two weeks ago. | |
| A farmer in Otukpo, Ada Hyacinth, said the ground was still too strong for cultivation because the rains had not fallen much. | |
| Another farmer, Felix Tor, in Makurdi, said he just planted melon and maize on the farm just cleared despite rains. | |
| He however expressed fear that the nature of the rainfall could affect the wellbeing of the crop. | |
| He praised the yield for better at in the end. | |
| But Vitalis Tarnongu, who has cleared his 1,000 hectares of farmland for the federal Unversity of Agriculture, in Makurdi (FUAM), said that the rainfall this year would make it begin to plant maize towards the end of May. | |
| Tarnongu said a plant breeder in the University advised him to wait until May 20 to start planting his maize because the nature of the rainfall since the season suggests that rainfall should not be more than two weeks. | |
| The sate chairman of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Aondongu Saaku, described farming as a business worth taking risk on. | |
| Saaku said that farmers who see it as a business have taken the risk to many of their crops already because without that kind of risk they would not reap at the end of the day. | |
| Meanwhile, Dr Teryima Iorlamen, a seed system specialist with FUAm, said farmers could go ahead with planting root and tuber crops following the prediction of rainfall by NIMET this year. | |
| Iorlamen stressed that the expectation period for farmers to wait for the rainfall pattern in Benue State, which were (experts) working with, indicated that rainfall would stabilise in the state between April 18 and April 30, 2021. | |
| We can all assure farmers now that the rains have stabilised, in accordance with prediction by NIMET. | |
| Anything that is different for now will be a dry spell. | |
| I have advised farmers to check water logging capacity in their fields for optimum planting. | |
| Rice likes water, so it is yet to reach harvest. | |
| But farmers can now enter the ground and tubers, including yams, cassava, maize and melon. | |
| We believe the rains have stabilised. | |
| Senate mourns late Army Chief, Ahmed Gulak | |
| The Senate, on Tueday, held a minute silence to honour the demise of a former presidential aide, Ahmed Gulak, who was killed with a strong eye on sunday in Owerri, Imo state capital. | |
| This followed a motion of Deputy Senate President and Chairman of the senate on the Senate Constitution Review Committee, Ovie Omo-Agege, on the floor of the Red Chamber. | |
| Omo-Agege was drawn to the kill of Gulak, who was hired to assist his committee on the amendment of the Nigerian peoples rights under the constitution. | |
| Gulak served as a consultant to the committee and joined Owerri for the public hearing on the review of the 199 constitution. | |
| Though the programme had ended on Thursday, Gulak stayed behind and came on Sunday. | |
| He was killed at the airport in Owerri on his way to Abuja. | |
| Omo-Agege described Gulak as a Nigerian who is not doing tribal thing, but gives 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 honuor 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 matters, Senator Ali Ndume. | |
| NANS raises voice concerning thesenfranchisement of students by JAMB | |
| The Kaduna State Chapter of the National Association of Nigerian Studies (NANS) on Tuesday said that thousands of candidates would not take part in the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) this year. | |
| Examination on hitches for NIN/Profile code | |
| NANS chairman in the Stste, Axiz Huziafa Bello, in a statement issued yesterday in Kaduna, expressed delight with the JAMB. | |
| Bello calls for the extension of the electronic registration instead of risking the life of students to travel to the headquarters of JAMB in their 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, indicated that the management has failed to show sorry face for the hardship and agony faced by the candidates. | |
| He appealed to prominent Nigerians to prevail on the management of JAMB to stop making thimgs hard for students in Nigeria as they are trying to get higher education and develop themselves. | |
| He urged the examination body to extend the registration period and postpone the exam to do justice and fairness. |