The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has set machinery in motion to enforce the law banning street begging, street hawking, cattle grazing and commercial motorcycle (Okada).
The minister of the FCT, Malam Muhammad Musa Bello, who made this known after an emergency FCT Security Committee meeting held in Gwarinpa I District, Abuja today, Monday, insisted that such law must be enforced by the security agents.
The Minister said that the FCT Administration would continue to collaborate with the Security Agencies to ensure that the ban is made effective while following all due processes, adding that the institutions must be strengthened to carry out their statutory duties in line with the Change Agenda of the Federal Government.
He commended the security community in the capital city for the high-level intelligence sharing that has so far assisted the Administration to nip in the bud any security breath in the Territory.
The Minister reiterated that owners of uncompleted buildings must provide security in and around such property and ensure the cleanliness of the surrounding areas. [myad]
President Muhammadu Buhari has said that the battle with the remnant of the Boko Haram insurgents in the North East is now being combined with di-radicalization of the members.
President Buhari, who was speaking at a bilateral meeting with President Jacob Zuma of South Africa today, Monday in New York, on the sidelines of the 71st Session of the United Nations General Assembly, said: “the de-radicalization process is also going on, and we are achieving some measure of success. Even suicide bombing is becoming rare, as the local people are themselves rejecting indoctrination by the insurgents.”
The President assured existing and potential investors in Nigeria of adequate protection of their lives, investments and property, as the security situation in Nigeria is now very much better and conducive.
President Buhari said that Nigeria was working hard to diversify the economy and expressed willingness to collaborate with South African businessmen especially in the areas of mining and agriculture, for the mutual benefit of the two countries.
In his remarks, President Jacob Zuma of South Africa recollected his visit to Nigeria earlier this year which he described as “very successful.” He added that he was interested in the promotion of economic and trade partnerships between the two countries.
At another bilateral meeting with President Macky Sall of Senegal, both President Buhari and the Senegalese President expressed their happiness at the good cropping season being experienced in their countries as it portends bumper harvests which will ultimately translate into an enhancement of the quality of lives of their people.
The two Presidents also reviewed the situation in Guinea Bissau and concluded that political leaders in the country need to make sacrifices to guarantee peace and development of the country. [myad]
The Sokoto State government has indicated its determination to engage about 500 unemployed youths to be sweeping the streets and undertake other sanitation duties in the state capital.
According to the state Commissioner for the Environment, Alhaji Muhammadu Sifawa, who spoke at a media chat, the state government has already purchased sanitation tools and protective wears for those who would be recruited for the job. The commissioner said that the government has bought eight vehicles for refuse evacuation and disposal, adding that this is to ensure early evacuation of refuse and improve the health of the people. He said that the government has also procured 30 garbage collection tricycles for waste management in densely populated areas. The state government, he said, has taken some proactive measures to boost environmental sanitation. The measures are special refuse evacuation in 17 major drains at a cost of N 4.5million and resuscitation of the monthly sanitation exercise. Others are introduction of cash prizes of N2.25 million to the winning zones, and certificates to youth clubs and associations in sanitation exercise. [myad]
President Muhammadu Buhari has congratulated Nigeria’s team for an outstanding performance at the just concluded Paralympic games in Rio, Brazil
In a statement by his senior special assistant on media and publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, the President extolled the resilient spirit of the Paralympic athletes, who he said were able to excel in the face of adversity.
He commended the athletes for doing the country proud by winning 12 medals and setting new records, which made them the top-performing African team at the 2016 games.
President Buhari applauded the athletes for their tenacity, focus and determination, which has brought glory to the country.
The President also extended gratitude to all the officials and trainers of the Paralympic athletes, who made sacrifices and persevered to fly the country’s colours. [myad]
A new batch of 60 children from the Niger Delta has been awarded the special secondary school scholarship of The Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) Joint Venture, Cradle to Career. The scholarship covers tuition and all other bills for six years in four of the topmost private secondary schools in Port Harcourt.
Brookstone Secondary School, Jephthah Comprehensive College, Archdeacon Brown Educational Centre (ABEC) and Bloombreed High School in Port Harcourt receive 60 beneficiaries each year from difficult to reach parts of the Niger Delta on full scholarship for their secondary education, after a two-week orientation programme with introductory courses in academics, character and psychology.
The 60 students are the seventh set of beneficiaries and they bring the total number of beneficiaries since inception of the Cradle to Career programme to 410. The Managing Director of SPDC and Chairman, Shell Companies in Nigeria, Osagie Okunbor, said, “This year, the first set of beneficiaries completed their secondary education and the report we have is that about all of them recorded excellent performance in the school certificate and unified tertiary matriculation examinations. It means the aims of the programme are being achieved.”
Represented by the General Manager, External Relations at the award ceremony in Port Harcourt on Friday, the Managing Director said that SPDC and its joint venture partners have sustained the scholarship initiative despite the current economic challenges because they see education as a right for every child and not a privilege.
Dr. Patricia Ogbonnaya, Mrs. Elizabeth Alagoa and Dr. Moses Onoriode Bragiwa, representatives of the Rivers, Bayelsa and Delta states Commissioners for Education respectively, extolled the Cradle to Career scholarship scheme for complementing their governments’ investments in education. They praised the transparent selection process and the human capital development benefits of the programme to the region.
The proprietress of one of the implementing schools, Dame Christie Toby said: “SPDC has a passion for investing in people and we are happy to report that students in the programme have over the years been on the top of their classes in their respective schools. We thank Shell and their joint venture partners for helping to ameliorate the problems of the Niger Delta.”
The SPDC JV launched the Cradle to Career initiative in 2010 to provide for bright indigent students and improve on the positive results of its other portfolio of scholarship schemes for local and international undergraduate and postgraduate studies.
Shell Companies in Nigeria have a long history of supporting education through scholarships and other initiatives. In 2015, a total of $10.1 million was invested in scholarships by the SPDC Joint Venture and Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCo.) Grants were awarded to 930 secondary school students and 638 university undergraduates in 2015, with a total of 10,401 (secondary) and 3,532 (university) grants given over the last five years. [myad]
The Federal University, Lafia, Nasarawa State has terminated the appointment of 35 of its non-teaching staff over the inability of the institution to pay their salaries. The institution’s Vice Chancellor, Professor Mohammed Sanusi-Liman, told newsmen today, Sunday in Lafia that the council took the decision due to paucity of funds. Sanusi-Liman explained that the affected workers, who were employed by the institution earlier in the year, comprised 11 corps members that were retained after their service year and 24 others. The Vice Chancellor said that the council had directed the management to source for funds and pay off the affected staff since they have worked for over five months without being paid. “It would be inhuman to keep the staff working when we cannot pay them giving our poor budget and that is why the council decided that we should pay them off.” According to him, the university has consistently encountered a shortfall of over N38 million in its allocation for several months, which had adversely affected the running of the institution. He also confirmed that the management has uncovered a job racketeering syndicate in the university, which has offered illegal employment to some persons. “When we got wind of the matter, the management set up an investigative committee which turned in a report that was submitted to the council. The university council referred the matter to its disciplinary committee for investigation and appropriate action.” On the post UTME screening of candidates for admission into the university for the 2016/2017 academic session, the vice chancellor said that over 4,000 applicants have been screened, adding that the council would meet to determine its carrying capacity before the admission list would be released. He also announced that the university council has approved the commencement of its post graduate programmes effective from the 2016/2017 academic session. [myad]
Former Nigeria permanent representative to the United Nations (UN), Dr. Yusuf Maitama Sule, has called for ban on public officers convicted of looting public funds from participating in partisan politics and holding public offices.
Dr. Yusuf Miatama Sule who holds a traditional title of Danmasanin Kano, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in an interview in Kano today, Sunday that the ban should be backed by law passed by the National Assembly.
“This (ban) will be possible when there is a law to back it and we hope the law will be enacted soon to support the idea.”
Dr. Yusuf Maitama described the fear of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) by public officers as now the beginning of wisdom.
“EFCC has done extremely well in the discharge of its responsibilities so far, as there are a lot of recovered looted funds now. But the biggest challenge for EFCC is that it can investigate but it does not have the power to spend money and utilize it for other purposes.”
Yusuf Maitama Sule, who is also a former Nigeria minister of National Guidance, stressed the need for a law to enable the government to utilize the recovered looted funds to improve the living standard of Nigerians.
He said that there is the need for the government to revitalize the education, agriculture and power sectors in order to give the nation’s moribund industries a new lease of life using the recovered funds.
The elder statesman commended President Muhammadu Buhari for tackling insurgency, especially in the North-East.
“We have to thank God Almighty for the peace that has since been restored in the country and we will continue to pray for its sustenance.
“No meaningful development can be achieved in any country without peace and even the ‘most diehard cynics” know that President Buhari has done well in terms of restoration of peace in the country.”
He called on Nigerians to continue to support the government in its determination to restore sanity in the country. [myad]
Following the Saturday night’s explosion in Manhattan that injured 29 people, no fewer than 1,000 extra security personnel have been deployed to New York transport hubs. This is even as Governor Andrew Cuomo has admitted that the explosion was an act of terrorism, but that it was yet to be identified with any link to international groups. Mr Cuomo said that significant damage has been caused and that there were no fatalities. Mr. Cuomo said: “Whoever placed these bombs – we will find them and they will be brought to justice.” Addressing reporters on Sunday near the site of the explosion, Mr Cuomo said: “A bomb exploding in New York is obviously an act of terrorism.” But he said that, as yet, no international organization such as so-called Islamic State had claimed they were behind it. Mr Cuomo said: “We will not allow these type of people and these type of threats to disrupt our life in New York. This is freedom. This is democracy, and we are not going to allow them to take that from us. “They want to instil terror. They want to make you worry about going into New York. We’re not going to let them instil fear.” He said the two devices in New York appeared similar in design, but different from the pipe bomb that detonated earlier on Saturday on the route of a charity race in New Jersey. That explosion caused no injuries. Meanwhile, second device – a pressure cooker attached to wiring and a mobile phone – had been found four blocks from the site of the explosion in the Chelsea district and was removed safely. [myad]
The Niger State Governor, Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello has raised alarm over the deplorable condition of Minna-Suleja road which dualisation, he said, the Federal Government has abandoned for years. The governor, who undertook an inspection visit to site during which time he interacted with key officers of the company handling the project, Salini Nigeria Limited, and stakeholders at a failed section of the road at Bonu Village in Gurara Local Government Area of the State, pleaded to the federal government to do something urgently on the road. He said that the State Government has made several efforts in maintaining the road, but that such efforts did not yield the desired result due to volume of traffic, heavy duty vehicles and lack of routine maintenance of the road since it was constructed over two decades ago. “Even though it is a federal road, we have tried as a State Government to fix it. “Indeed, I directed continuous maintenance of the road, but due to high volume of traffic, heavy duty vehicles and age of the road, it didn’t last long. “It is clear that considering the strategic importance of the road, the final solution is for the Federal Government to complete the dualisation project started over six years ago. “It is absolutely necessary that the Federal Government through the Ministry of Works, intervenes as a matter of priority. “Ordinarily, the journey from Minna to Abuja, which is about one hour 30 minutes, now takes over three hours, resulting in discomfort and waste of human resources.” Governor Bello begged the Federal Government to adequate budgetary allocation to enable the contractor complete the road in record time. Earlier, the Project Manager, Engineer Paolo Campanella, said that inadequate funding was responsible for the slow pace of work, even as he said that only 20 per cent has been released for the project since it started . “The project is suffering inadequate budgetary provision. Only 20 per cent of funds have so far been released. The total cost of the project – Phase I and Phase II – is N34 billion. “But in six years, only N6 billion was released, which is inadequate.” The project manager, who expressed delight over the interest shown by Governor Bello, revealed that the project was designed to be completed in three years. “This is a project of 30 months duration. Phase I was awarded at end of 2010 and supposed to be completed in July, 2013. Now the time has elapsed, redoubling the contract period. “Phase II was awarded in February 2015, although there was no mobilization to kick-start the work and largely due to the outstanding debt we have in Phase I, we couldn’t go ahead with the project.” Though about 70 per cent of the Federal Capital Territory was carved out of Niger State, it is the only state close to the FCT, which has not been linked by dual carriage way. Kaduna, Nasarawa and Kogi State have all been linked to the FCT by dual carriage way. [myad]
Chairman of Zinox Group and Africa’s most progressive digital entrepreneur, Leo Stan Ekeh, has described ICT as one sector that guarantees sustainable wealth for individuals. He told a select audience of ICT-entrepreneurs: “It’s one sector that guarantees you sustainable wealth, keeps you innovating and makes your thought-process dynamic”, Stan Ekeh who vowed not to stop being a major player in the ICT sector said that it is one sector that can most assuredly get the nation out of its present economic quagmire by helping to create jobs, wealth and add real value to human development index. According to him, it is the best guarantee the poor has to launch to real wealth “and given the type of creative spirit we have in the country, especially among the youth, it is our surest bet to create the next set of billionaires in a growing global knowledge economy.” The Zinox boss, who made a special appearance at the launch of the new Huawei GR5 Mini Smartphone in Lagos told the audience, made up of re-sellers, techies, media and allied entrepreneurs, said that he likes associating with successful brands in the global ICT matrix and will not cease to advocate for digital solution to emerging and present socio-economic challenges in the country and around the world. He gave strong admonition to techies and techno-preneurs: “I believe that money talks while wealth whispers. That’s why those in the oil sector are passing through hard times; they have had the money, but we live in a 21st century when innovators dictate the tune of events. “You (ICT Stakeholders) need not to panic, rather utilise the moment by innovating; be creative; I have been in this kind of situation on two different occasions, but I remained steadfast, knowing that technology is the way to go,” he told the audience. He said that Technology Distribution (TD) Limited, an arm of Zinox Group and Nigeria’s distributor for Huawei smartphones, has always identified with globally-recognised brands such as Microsoft, Apple, HP, Lenovo, InnJoo, among others and will replicate the feat with Huawei, a company he said is in the business for the long haul and not the hop-in-and-hop-out syndrome associated with some brands. “This is the second time I will be present during a phone launch. And the reasons for my presence are obvious: TD has always identified with global number one brands. HP, Microsoft, Lenovo, Apple, and many other brands that identified with us, first, in Nigeria, have gone ahead to become global brands and I foresee Huawei achieving that feat. Any brand that is number one in China where research is high-intense has already become a global brand to reckon with. “Secondly, Huawei is creating jobs in this economy and adding value to the system. That is one of the things that attracted me to them. I have done business in several parts of the world, but none of those areas is like Nigeria,” he said. He said that Huawei heavy investment in research and development over the years is an assurance that they are serious with innovation and much more that they in business for now and the future. Mr. Leo Jiang, the Managing Director, Devices, for Huawei Nigeria, said the new Huawei GR5 Mini Smartphone has been designed with long-lasting battery, up to 32 hours for hard users, to eliminate use of power bank and take care of out-of-home or office anxieties. Speaking at the launch of the phone Jiang said that the phone had been equipped with a 3000mAh (milliamp hour – a unit that measures (electric) power over time) battery life, owing to the electricity situation in Nigeria. It is commonly used to measure the energy capacity of a battery; generally, the more mAh, the longer the battery capacity. ”The phone’s 3000mAh battery with intelligent power saving technology allows the battery last for as long as two days without charging for light users, and 32 hours for hard users,” he said, stressing that the Smartphone, which features new generation fingerprint technology, has been improved 100 per cent over the first generation. He said that GR5 Mini had a sensor that performed in 0.5 seconds and had 360 degree readability, builds on Huawei’s success in delivering powerful high end Smartphone with a high level quality. ”Bound to be a delight for photo and self-lovers, the Huawei GR5 Mini has an 8MP front camera, with high chromatic resolution, 4P lens array and a 77 degree wide angle visual range. “It takes sharp looking self and also allows self-lovers to capture more people in the shot. ”The rear-facing 13MP camera features a f/2.0 aperture, 78 degree wide angle visual range, 5P Aspheric lens array with a blue glass filter to improve photo quality. ”It also has professional mode for taking photos with parameters comparable to that of a Single-Lens Reflex (SLR) camera,” Jiang said. Huawei announced its partnership with Nigerian designer, Adebayo Oke-Lawal of Orange couture to give customers, who purchase GR5 Mini a designer phone case for free. ”We value our customers’ need for mobile technology, which suites their lifestyle and meets their needs, and now we are aligning with customers’ strongest passions, one which we have discovered to be fashion,” Jiang said. [myad]
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Chairman of Zinox Group and Africa’s most progressive digital entrepreneur, Leo Stan Ekeh, has described ICT as one sector that guarantees sustainable wealth for individuals.
