February 2018
Sexting, using digital technology to send sexualised text, images or videos, has increased in recent years among youth under 18, according to a report published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics.
An analysis of 39 studies with over 110,000 participants conducted between January 1990 and June 2016 showed that one in four young people said they’d received sexts, which included sexually explicit images, videos, or messages, and one in seven reported sending them.
“The prevalence of forwarding a sext without consent and having a sext forwarded without consent were 12.0 and 8.4 per cent respectively,” the researchers added.
Researchers also mentioned that the prevalence increased with age and greater accessibility to electronic devices like smartphones.
According to CNN, co-author of the study Jeff Temple said the phenomenon was “not terribly surprising” considering teens’ interest in sexuality grows as they grow older.
Of the 39 researches, 22 were from the U.S., 12 from Europe and the rest from Australia, Canada, South Africa and South Korea.
On average, 47.2 per cent of the participants were male.
The analysis said there was no significant gender difference in the rate of sending or receiving sexts.
Some experts said the digital and physical safety of youth should be taken more seriously.
The study called for further research on nonconsensual sexting so as to target and inform intervention, as well as to improve sex education and policy efforts.
NAN
The post Teen sexting on the rise – study appeared first on Vanguard News.
source https://www.vanguardngr.com/2018/02/teen-sexting-rise-study/
A divorce-seeking woman, Funke Adeyemi, on Wednesday told an Idi-Ogungun Customary Court, Agodi, Ibadan, that her husband, Wasiu Adeyemi, abandoned from home because of N24,000 unpaid rent on their apartment.
The 29-year-old woman said that her husband of 12 years ran away from their home when the landlord demanded for payment of the outstanding rent, leaving her and their three children.
She stated that the defendant had refused to pay the debt and had not been seen since June, 2017.
”The landlord has ejected me from the house and I have been living with my parents since then.
”All efforts to contact him proved abortive and I have been shouldering the responsibility of the three kids alone.
”I pray the court to dissolve our union and order him to be responsible to his paternal roles,” she pleaded.
The defendant was not in court to defend the allegation, but the court registrar said that he (Adeyemi) was duly served the court summon.
President of the Court, Chief Mukaila Balogun, said that evidence before him, coupled with the deliberate non-appearance of the defendant in court, had proved that there was no more love in the union.
Balogun dissolved the marriage and ordered the defendant to pay N12, 000 monthly for the upkeep of the three children.
He directed the court registrar to serve the defendant with a copy of the judgment.
NAN
The post My husband ran away because of house rent, woman tells court appeared first on Vanguard News.
source https://www.vanguardngr.com/2018/02/husband-ran-away-house-rent-woman-tells-court/
Nurses under the aegis of University Graduates of Nursing Science Association (UGONSA) have called for establishment of more neuropsychiatric hospitals across Nigeria.
The National Secretary of the association, Mr Goodluck Nshi, made the appeal in an interview with newsmen on Wednesday in Abakaliki.
Nshi said that depression, anxiety disorders, suicidal ideation and post-traumatic stress disorders were on the rise in the country.
He observed that existing neuropsychiatric facilities were stretched beyond their capacities due to increasing incidents of mental health challenges among Nigerians.
The national scribe attributed this development to unbearable level of stress probably orchestrated by the harsh economic reality in the land.
Nshi said: “The existing mental health facilities have been overstretched beyond their capacity.
“Nurses and physicians in mental health facilities across this country are overworked beyond their carrying capacity and are adversely exposed to increased level of clinical harms.
“Regrettably, their hazard allowance remains the insulting sum of N5,000 in a country that pays political office holders millions of Naira as newspaper allowance.’’
He said, for example, that the entire South-East region was currently being served by a 24-bedded psychiatric ward at the Federal Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki (FETHA) in Ebonyi.
“This ward has 26 nurses and 21 physicians, one EEG machine, one suction machine, one ECT machine and one sphygmomanometer serving the whole of Ebonyi State and beyond.
“With the current shut down of Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Enugu, due to industrial crisis, the mental health unit of FETHA is now almost the only alternative for the people of the South-East, Zone,” Nshi added.
According to him, this calls for urgent need to expand the Psychiatric Ward of FETHA to a fully fledged Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital.
He suggested that the measure should not only be for the South-East zone, but replicated across other zones of the country.
The scribe also noted that the increasing incidents of mental health challenges facing the country required that the existing facilities should be upgraded with cutting edge equipments.
“Build more centres, engage more professional healthcare workers and reward them appropriately by making an upward review of their hazard allowance.
“It is high time the Federal Government made concerted effort to promote the mental health of the citizens,” he said.
NAN
The post Nurses want more neuro-psychiatric hospitals in Nigeria appeared first on Vanguard News.
source https://www.vanguardngr.com/2018/02/nurses-want-neuro-psychiatric-hospitals-nigeria/
Judicial Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN), Nasarawa State Chapter, on Wednesday disrupted the Valedictory Court Session in honour of retired Justice John Viko of the State High Court after attending 65 years of age.
Newsmen report that members of the union have been on an indefinite strike since February 16.
Jimoh Musa, state’s JUSUN Chairman, while speaking with newsmen at the High Court Headquarters, Lafia, venue of the event, said they would continue with the strike.
He said the union members would also continue to stage peaceful protest from time to time until their demands are met.
He added that the union was only demanding for better welfare for its members but not fighting with anybody.
Newsmen also report that the union members were carrying placards with inscription such as: “implement our promotions,” “pay our outstanding annual increments,” “we need career progression among others.
They were also chanting solidarity songs at the Valedictory Court Session to disrupt the proceeding.
Meanwhile, the Chief Judge, Suleiman Dikko had directed all staff to resume work or be ready to lose their salaries for the period the strike lasted.
NAN
The post Strike: JUSUN disrupts Valedictory Court Session in Nasarawa appeared first on Vanguard News.
source https://www.vanguardngr.com/2018/02/strike-jusun-disrupts-valedictory-court-session-nasarawa/
Jerusalem church, built at the site many see as the holiest in Christianity, reopens following a three-day closure.
The Jerusalem church built at the site many see as the holiest in Christianity reopened on Wednesday (today), after a three-day closure to protest against Israeli measures which left thousands of visitors locked outside.
The two men who act as keepers of the key of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre opened its large wooden doors at around 4am (10am Singapore time), ending the protest that began on Sunday at noon.
Shortly afterwards, a group of pilgrims emerged from the still darkened corridors of Jerusalem’s Old City to visit the sacred site.
“We prayed in front of the doors every day since Sunday,” said Francois-Roch Ferlet, a 29-year-old visiting with a group of 50 people from France, standing near the ornate shrine encasing the traditional site of Jesus’s tomb inside the church.
They were due to leave later on Wednesday and were relieved they were able to visit.
The church is built where Christians believe Jesus was crucified, buried and resurrected. Custody of it is shared by the Greek Orthodox, Armenian and Roman Catholic denominations.
The closure seemed to be the longest since at least 1990.
Christian leaders decided to reopen the church after Israel on Tuesday suspended tax measures they strongly oppose.
A proposed law that Christian leaders say would allow Israel to expropriate church land is also to be shelved.
A statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said a “professional team” would be appointed to come up with a solution to the tax measures imposed by Israeli authorities in Jerusalem.
Israeli Regional Cooperation Minister Tzachi Hanegbi will also look into the issue of land sales in Jerusalem by Christian bodies, which prompted the proposed law that is now also suspended.
Christian leaders are in part angry over attempts by Israeli authorities in Jerusalem to enforce tax collection on church property they consider commercial, saying exemptions apply only to places of worship or religious teaching.
Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat says the city is due 650 million shekels (S$247 million) in uncollected taxes on church properties.
He stresses the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and all other churches are exempt, with the changes affecting only establishments such as “hotels, halls and businesses” owned by churches.
Christian leaders say the measure jeopardises their ability to conduct their work, which also includes social services to those in need. (AFP)
See the video, courtesy, AFP:
VIDEO: Jerusalem church, built at the site many see as the holiest in Christianity, reopens following a three-day closure pic.twitter.com/tf89JtKjKr
— AFP news agency (@AFP) February 28, 2018
Health minister David Parirenyatwa has challenged local companies to consider manufacturing condoms, saying imported options aren’t quite up to task.
The minister was speaking at the recent launch of a new board for the Zimbabwe Private Sector HIV and Aids Wellness Coordinating Programme (ZPSHAWP) in Harare.
Condoms are a type of contraception that can both prevent pregnancy and protect against sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
Parirenyatwa said most of the condoms available in the country are imported from China, adding that some local men however found them not quite the right size.
“You know this region, the Southern African region, has the highest incidence of HIV and we are promoting the use of condoms; both males and females,” said the minister.
“The youths now have a particular condom that they like but we don’t manufacture them. We import condoms from China and some men complain that they are too small.
“We need to look at that; you need to able to have your own condoms. So, if you want to be a big businessman, then manufacture them (condoms) for the region.”
Some 109.4 million male condoms were distributed around Zimbabwe in 2016, representing 33 per individual for the year.
This makes Zimbabwe one of only five countries to meet or exceed the United Nations Population Fund’s (UNDP) regional mark of 30 male condoms per man per year.
Condoms are one of the key measures being used in the country by government and development partners in the fight against HIV infections.
Zimbabwe has the sixth highest HIV prevalence in sub-Saharan Africa at 13.5%, with 1.3 million people living with the virus in 2016.
Source: New Zimbabwe
A divorce-seeking woman, Funke Adeyemi, on Wednesday told an Idi-Ogungun Customary Court, Agodi, Ibadan, that her husband, Wasiu Adeyemi, absconded from the home because of N24,000 unpaid rent on their apartment.
The 29-year-old woman said her husband of 12 years ran away from their home when the landlord demanded payment of the outstanding rent, leaving her and their three children.
She stated that the defendant had refused to pay the debt and had not been seen since June 2017.
”The landlord has ejected me from the house and I have been living with my parents since then.
”All efforts to contact him have proved abortive and I have been shouldering the responsibilities of our three kids alone.
”I pray the court to dissolve our union and order him to be responsible to his paternal roles,” she pleaded.
The defendant was not in court to defend the allegation, but the court registrar said he (Adeyemi) was duly served the court summons.
President of the court, Mukaila Balogun, said that evidence before him, coupled with the deliberate non-appearance of the defendant in court, had proved that there was no more love in the union.
Balogun dissolved the marriage and ordered the defendant to pay N12,000 monthly for the upkeep of the three children.
He directed the court registrar to serve the defendant with a copy of the judgment. (NAN)
Seventy-two people have died from Lassa fever since the start of the year, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) said Wednesday.
On February 6, the health ministry had reported 31 deaths from the disease, which is caused by a virus of the same family as Marburg and Ebola.
Details later.
The Adamawa Chapter of People’s Democratic Party has confirmed the killing of its spokesman, Mr Sam Zadock, by gunmen in the latest sectarian violence in the state.
The State Secretary of the PDP, Alhaji Abdullahi Prambe, told newsmen on Wednesday in Yola that the incident was a “big shock’’ to the party.
“We were expecting him for a meeting yesterday but he didn’t show up; he called me but the network wasn’t good only for us to hear that he was killed in an attack,” Prambe said.
He condemned the incident and called on government to do something about the recent killings in the state.
Speaking on the incident, a youth leader in the area, Mr Paul Turaki, said Zadock was killed with four others traveling in the same car in an ambush around Barre village in Demsa Local Government Area.
An army spokesman in the area, Brig. Gen. Texas Chukwu, said in a statement that 10 suspected gunmen involved in the attack were killed while six others were arrested.
(NAN)
A bridegroom in New Delhi has been killed by a stray bullet after a member of his wedding party opened fire to celebrate the occasion, police said Wednesday.
Deepak Kumar, 21, was shot while leading the party to his bride’s home in the Indian capital on Tuesday evening.
Police said a guest dancing with the wedding party opened fire but a stray round struck the husband-to-be.
“He collapsed and was rushed to a hospital where he was declared dead after midnight,” Nupur Prasad, deputy commissioner of Delhi police, told AFP.
Firing weapons in the air at weddings and other festivities is a common celebration across South Asia.
The practice is illegal in India but remains rife, though fatalities are relatively few.
Prasad said the groom’s family had identified the man who fired the bullet.
“It is an ongoing investigation and we are trying to ascertain the source of his weapon,” he said.
Amit, one of the wedding guests, told the Times of India newspaper there “were a couple of people carrying guns for celebratory firing, which is considered a tradition in the family”.
AFP.
Kenya on Wednesday issued an alert on mouth and foot disease across the country to help curb its spread.
The director of Veterinary Services in the Ministry of Agriculture, Obadiah Nyaga, urged Kenyans to report the outbreak of the contagious viral infection immediately to the nearest veterinary office for action.
“The disease was detected in the country in 2017 where it spread into 26 counties and has continued to date,” Nyaga said in a statement.
He directed all livestock traders to obtain a livestock permit from the local veterinary offices before moving the livestock.
Nyaga noted that the presence of the disease hinders local and international trade and movement of livestock.
The disease is characterised by sores and wounds in the mouth and feet causing salivation and lameness that results in heavy losses in milk production, body condition and death especially in young livestock.
The disease does not have a cure but sick livestock are managed through good feeding and care and treatment of wounds.
Nyaga, however, blamed the control of disease to uncontrolled livestock movements due to drought, cattle rustling, and roadside grazing.
“Very low vaccination converges has left the majority of livestock susceptible to disease given that there is 60 million cattle, sheep, and goats that require attention,” he added.
He revealed that they are worried that some of the outbreaks are linked to an apparent new variant of serotype “O” that has not been detected in the country but is in circulation in neighbouring countries.
“The current vaccine appears to be unproductive but we are upgrading the vaccine to match all serotypes in circulation,” he added.
Nyaga said the government has in the meantime embarked on promoting the production of vaccines that offer longer immunity like the recently launched oil-based vaccines to ease logistics of vaccinations.
He said the government has also issued guidelines for control measures to be undertaken by the county governments in their efforts to effectively control the disease.
He directed farmers to disinfect contact materials and equipment and dispose of infected carcasses or materials hygienically
(NAN)
Judicial Staff Union of Nigeria, Nasarawa State Chapter, on Wednesday disrupted the Valedictory Court Session in honour of retired Justice John Viko of the State High Court after attaining 65 years of age.
News Agency of Nigeria reports that members of the union have been on an indefinite strike since February 16.
The State JUSUN Chairman, Jimoh Musa, while speaking with NAN at the High Court Headquarters, Lafia, venue of the event, said they would continue with the strike.
He said the union members would also continue to stage peaceful protests from time to time until their demands were met.
He added that the union was only demanding better welfare for its members but not fighting with anybody.
NAN also reports that the union members were carrying placards with the inscription such as: “implement our promotions,” “pay our outstanding annual increments,” “we need career progression among others.”
They were also chanting solidarity songs at the Valedictory Court Session to disrupt the proceeding.
Meanwhile, the Chief Judge, Suleiman Dikko had directed all staff to resume work or be ready to lose their salaries for the period the strike lasted.
(NAN)
Olalekan Adetayo, Abuja
President Muhammadu Buhari has re-appointed Mr. Olusegun Awolowo as the Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Export Promotion Council for another four-year term.
The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday.
Adesina said the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr. Boss Mustapha, has since written a letter to that effect to Awolowo who was first appointed to the position in 2013.
The statement read, “President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the re-appointment of Mr. Olusegun Awolowo as Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Export Promotion Council.
“According to a letter signed by Mr. Boss Mustapha, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, the appointment lasts for four years.
“Mr. Awolowo, a lawyer and scion of the Obafemi Awolowo family, was first appointed to the NEPC position in 2013.”
The United Nations has expressed outrage over the abduction of 110 schoolgirls of Government Girls Technical College, Dapchi, Yobe, by suspected Boko Haram terrorists.
The Secretary-General, Mr. Antonio Guterres, in a statement issued by his Spokesperson, Mr. Stephane Dujarric, “strongly condemns the abduction and attack”.
Guterres said he was gravely concerned over the situation of the missing girls abducted during an attack on their school in Dapch, Yobe state, on February 19.
The Secretary-General called for the immediate and unconditional release of all missing girls and their safe return to their families.
The UN chief urged the Nigerian authorities to swiftly bring those responsible for this dastardly act to justice.
Guterres reiterated the solidarity and support of the UN to Nigerian Government and other affected countries in the region in their fight against terrorism and violent extremism.
The UN had earlier described the abduction as “another horrific incident where young women and girls are targeted by terror groups”.
“And we very much hope that the perpetrators will be brought to justice, and just as importantly, that the girls will be found and returned to safety.
“I think the fact that these young women were abducted in an educational setting, where they should feel safe, just adds to the horror of the story.”
NAN.ng
Suspected kidnappers on Wednesday abducted the wife and child of a reporter with the Voice of America in Kaduna State.
The abductors also killed a staff of the Federal Road Safety Commission, who rushed out to help the victims.
The reporter, Malam Nasir Birnin-Yero, told the News Agency of Nigeria that the abductors, about 30 in number, attacked his residence in Birnin Yero, near Kaduna at 1:30am.
“They came to my house at 1:30am. I was not at home then, but they forced themselves into my house and asked my wife about my whereabouts and she told them I was not at home.
“They vandalized my television and refrigerator before taking my wife and son insisting that they must take them to where I was.
“One of my neighbours, who works with the FRSC, Sabitu Abdulhamid was shot dead by the kidnappers when he rushed out in an attempt to save my family.
“The kidnappers have not made any contact yet,” Birnin-Yero said
The FRSC Sector Commander in the state, Umar Ibrahim, confirmed the death of the corps personnel and described the incident as very unfortunate.
Ibrahim described the deceased as a very hard working person, who was also a member of the community’s vigilante.
“I am just coming back from the burial. It is a sad day for members of his family and the entire FRSC family, “the sector commander said.
(NAN)
Kenya on Wednesday issued an alert on mouth and foot disease across the country to help curb its spread.
Obadiah Nyaga, the director of Veterinary Services in the Ministry of Agriculture, urged Kenyans to report the outbreak of the contagious viral infection immediately to the nearest veterinary office for action.
“The disease was detected in the country in 2017 where it spread into 26 counties and has continued to date,” Nyaga said in a statement.
He directed all livestock traders to obtain a livestock permit from the local veterinary offices before moving the livestock.
Nyaga noted that the presence of the disease hinders local and international trade and movement of livestock.
The disease is characterised by sores and wounds in the mouth and feet causing salivation and lameness that results into heavy losses in milk production, body condition and death especially in young livestock.
The disease does not have a cure but sick livestock are managed through good feeding and care and treatment of wounds.
Nyaga however blamed the control of disease to uncontrolled livestock movements due to drought, cattle rustling and roadside grazing.
“Very low vaccination converges has left majority of livestock susceptible to disease given that there is 60 million cattle, sheep and goats that require attention,” he added.
He revealed that they are worried that some of the outbreaks are linked to an apparent new variant of serotype “O” that has not been detected in the country but is in circulation in neighbouring countries.
“The current vaccine appears to be unproductive but we are upgrading the vaccine to match all serotypes in circulation,” he added.
Nyaga said the government has in the meantime embarked on promoting production of vaccines that offer longer immunity like the recently launched oil based vaccines to ease logistics of vaccinations.
He said the government has also issued guidelines for control measures to be undertaken by the county governments in their efforts to effectively control the disease.
He directed farmers to disinfect contact materials and equipment and dispose infected carcasses or materials hygienically.
NAN
The post Breaking: Foot-mouth disease creates panic in Kayan appeared first on Vanguard News.
source https://www.vanguardngr.com/2018/02/breaking-foot-mouth-disease-create-panic-kayan/
Kaduna – Suspected kidnappers on Wednesday abducted the wife and child of a reporter with the Voice of America (VOA) in Kaduna.
The abductors also killed a staff of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), who rushed out to help the victims.
The reporter, Malam Nasir Birnin-Yero, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the abductors, about 30 in number, attacked his residence in Birnin Yero, near Kaduna at about 1:30 am.
“They came to my house at about 1:30 am. I was not at home then, but they forced themselves into my house and asked my wife of my where about and she told them I was not at home.
“They vandalized my television set and refrigerator before taking my wife and son insisting that they must take them to where I was.
“One of my neighbour’s, who works with the FRSC, Sabitu Abdulhamid was shot dead by the kidnappers when he rushed out in an attempt to save my family.
“The kidnappers have not made any contact yet,” Birnin-Yero said
The FRSC Sector Commander in the state, Umar Ibrahim, confirmed the death of the corps personnel and described the incident as very unfortunate.
Ibrahim described the deceased as a very hard working person, who was also a member of the community’s vigilante.
“I am just coming back from the burial. It is a sad day for members of his family and the entire FRSC family, “the sector commander said.(NAN)
The post Kidnappers abduct VOA reporter’s wife, child, kill FRSC officer appeared first on Vanguard News.
source https://www.vanguardngr.com/2018/02/kidnappers-abduct-voa-reporters-wife-child-kill-frsc-officer/
The crash of a German military Airbus Tiger helicopter in Mali in July 2017 was caused by incorrect settings on the autopilot, Germany’s Spiegel Online reported.
The helicopter crashed while flying a peacekeeping mission in the West African nation’s desert north, killing the two crew members.
Spiegel Online said the Defence Ministry had informed the parliamentary defence committee about the new findings.
It said the autopilot controlled the airplane’s elevator.
It remained unclear who programmed the settings on the autopilot software, which were not found on any other Tiger helicopters.
Spiegel Online cited a report from the Defence Ministry as saying the autopilot flew the helicopter sharply lower, leaving the pilots no chance to manually take the plane higher again.
A parliamentary source confirmed the gist of the Spiegel report.
An Airbus spokesman declined comment and referred all queries to German military authorities investigating the accident.
A defence ministry spokesman confirmed that a report was presented to committee leaders on Tuesday, and said it would be discussed in greater detail with members on Wednesday.
He declined to comment on the reported cause of the crash.
NAN
The post German military helicopter crash in Mali caused by incorrectly set autopilot-report appeared first on Vanguard News.
source https://www.vanguardngr.com/2018/02/german-military-helicopter-crash-mali-caused-incorrectly-set-autopilot-report/
By Chris Ochayi
The management of Abuja Electricity Distribution Company, AEDC, yesterday, described allegation of load rejection in Kogi state raised against it by the Transmission Company of Nigeria, TCN, as untrue, unfounded and unfortunate.
The AEDC, while rejecting the allegation, explained that the recent outage in Lokoja and environs which lingered for about 72 hours resulted from a planned maintenance work, by TCN, which was scheduled to start and end on Friday, 23rd of February, 2018, but had to be extended to the evening of Monday, February 26, 2018.
Head of Corporate Communications, Oyebode Fadipe, AEDC, said in a stsment in Abuja that, “The TCN had duly notified our Area Office in Lokoja that it was carrying out a maintenance work on its 150MVA transformer at the 330/132 transmission station in Lokoja on Friday, February 23, 2018.
According to the statement, “Our attention has been drawn to a statement issued on Monday by the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), in which it alleged that excessive dropping of load by our company was responsible for the shattering of its equipment and the subsequent 72-hour outage which occurred in Lokoja, the Kogi State capital from Friday, 23rd February, 2018 to Monday, 26th February, 2018.
Elect
“We wish to state categorically that this allegation by the TCN is not only untrue and unfounded, but also unfortunate, especially coming at a time when all stakeholders in the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI) are joining hands to ensure sustainable improvement in power supply across the country.
“For the records, AEDC hereby states that it neither drops load in its Lokoja network nor any other part of its operational area, which comprises the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Kogi, Nasarawa and Niger states, stressing that it has in fact been yearning for more electricity allocation to enable it meet the demands of its customers.”
“The TCN had duly notified our Area Office in Lokoja that it was carrying out a maintenance work on its 150MVA transformer at the 330/132 transmission station in Lokoja on Friday, February 23, 2018, but we later got to know that the maintenance had been extended beyond that day, and by Sunday, February 25, 2018, it was all too obvious again that TCN could not conclude its upkeep on the transformer, forcing yet another extension to Monday, February 26, 2018”.
“It said further that: “It is rather unfortunate that the TCN will also turn round to blame the lingering outage in Lokoja on AEDC, when the actual reason for the outage was quite obvious”.
“Commenting further on the allegations, AEDC said the TCN’s statement implies insufficient resilience in the transmission system especially when the small load of Lokoja is considered relative to the entire load on the transmission network.
“Assuming the TCN’s allegation was correct, the implication is that every time a load was dropped due to faults and other causes a TCN equipment will be blown up because of the high voltage”. The distribution company said that: “Root cause analysis approach backed by system simulations is what should be used to inform causes of failures on the system”.
“While reiterating its concern about the TCN’s allegation, the AEDC concluded by appealing to all stakeholders in the NESI against buck passing, saying that “we should all work towards building on the successes that have been recorded so far in the power sector, in order to win greater public confidence in our capacity to turnaround the sector”.
The post AEDC tackles TCN over load dropping allegation appeared first on Vanguard News.
source https://www.vanguardngr.com/2018/02/load-dropping-aedc-tackles-tcn-allegation/
By Johnbosco Agbakwuru
ABUJA – AS the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, marks its 40th anniversary, the pioneer President of the labour movement, Comrade Hassan Sunmonu, has taken a swipe at the ministers and special advisers of President Muhammadu Buhari, alleged that they were bereft of ideas and innovation.
The labour veteran said what President Buhari has as technocrats and advisers were people he described as mere Buharists who lacked the technical know how to move the country.
He therefore called on the NLC and other civil society organisations across Nigeria to fight those people who he said want to stagnate Nigeria and turn its citizens to starved slaves.
According to him, “Some of the so called technocrats in the present government and advisers of Buhari are mere Buharist, they cannot move Nigeria forward.
” So NLC and other civil society organisations across Nigeria must fight those people who want to dwarf Nigeria and turn its citizens to starved slaves.”
Comrade Sumonu who was Speaking a discussant at the two day event to mark the NLC 40th anniversary in Abuja, on the topic: ‘The Future of the World of Work’, lamented that most of the socio-economic cum security problems facing Nigeria were as a result of unemployment, alleging that government’s reactive nature instead of being proactive was evidently Nigeria’s problem.
His words, “Education, health, housing and industries are core to socio-economic development of any country. And these are areas that can generate millions of jobs for Nigerians.
“Most of the socio-economic and security problems facing Nigeria is as a result of unemployment and this is because of poor or reactive socio-economic policies of both the present government and the past ones.
“We cannot prepare for the future of the world of work if we don’t massively invest in new technology through research for a viable industrial development.
“Look at Ajaokuta Steel. No country can
industrialise without a viable steel industry. We have been told that Ajaokuta Steel has been built up to 90% and then they want to put some money there and sell it to their friends. In the name of privatising our national asset.
“NLC, Nigeria Civil Society organisations and every Nigerian should oppose any attempt by anybody or any government to privatize Ajaokuta Steel and other industries in the country. We should resist it because it is unpatriotic, unpardonable, unreasonable and unforgivable.
“Look at the number of tens of thousands of jobs that should be available for Nigerians if that industry is viable. Since they privatized our electricity industry, what have we gotten? Instead of constant light, we are paying more for darkness.
“In electricity, are we investing in research and technology for solar energy, wind energy which are the future of electricity across the world? Are we preparing and training youths for electric engine motor cars? Because in another decades, petrol might not be the source of running cars.”
He also stated that, “We have to revamp our education structure from kindergarten to primary, high school and university level. Over 60 million Nigerians are said to be uneducated. So it means that those 60 million Nigerians are not effectively contributing to the economy of Nigeria because of illiteracy. So if we decide to train teachers for the purpose of eradicating illiteracy in Nigeria within the next two to three years, are we not going to generate massive jobs?
“On the other hand, if the socio-economic policy of the government is directed to providing decent housing for the majority of Nigerians, would that not create millions of jobs?
“So far, even with the so much job creation promise they made to Nigerians every now and then, they are only focusing on pocket economic policy agenda. Being what IMF and World Bank direct them to do. Because what they can actually do to provide jobs for Nigerians is so obvious.
“Though I commend the federal government for now seeing that agriculture is among the ways to provide for our country and so create jobs. However, Nigeria government must invest in research and development.”
Also speaking, Comrade Ali Chiroma, the second president of NLC, charged NLC to wake up and go back to the basis in order through action and commitments win the heart of Nigerians as it once did.
The post Buhari’s technocrats ‘re turning Nigerians to slaves – Labour veteran appeared first on Vanguard News.
source https://www.vanguardngr.com/2018/02/buharis-technocrats-re-turning-nigerians-slaves-labour-veteran/
By Henry Umoru
ABUJA- THE Senate has begun moves to checkmate handling of unclaimed dividends at the stock market by the Security and Exchange Commission ( SEC) and funds that in dormant accounts by Commercial Banks worth N104billion.
According to the Senate, this would be done through proper legislation.
Speaking yesterday in Abuja at the public hearing organised by the Senator Bukar Mustapha, APC Katsina North led Senate Committee on Capital Market, Senate President Bukola Saraki who noted that there was the urgent need for amendments on some of the extant laws guiding the sectors, said that some of the provisions of the extant laws are obsolete and needed to be remedied as regards utilization of unclaimed dividends and funds in dormant accounts .
The Public hearing was on Investments and Securities Act ( ISA) 2007 ( Amendment) Bill 2018 and the Unclaimed Funds Bill 2018.
Represented by the Senate Minority Whip, Senator Philip Aduda, the Senate President said, “This problem can only be solved through amendments to existing Acts of Parliament such as ISA 2007 and CAMA 1999.
“For instance the Companies and Allied Matters Act ( CAMA) 1999 have placed restrictions on the number of years a shareholder can claim dividend of a Public Limited Liability Company .
“Section 385 of CAMA 1999 provides a window of only 12 years after which a shareholder can no longer access the dividend warrant declared by the companies .
“While the law is silent on what happens to these unclaimed dividends , section 382 gives Public Limited Liability Companies powers to utilize these funds without hindrance or permission by the shareholders It is therefore imperative that these impediments are eliminated to enhance investors’ confidence in the Nigerian Capital Market “.
According to him, similar amendments were required to be carried out in the banking sector through the unclaimed Funds Bill 2018, adding that over the years, financial institutions in the country have had unfettered access to unclaimed funds from dormant banks accounts ; outstanding share certificates ; uncashed dividend warrants ; unclaimed insurance proceeds ; unclaimed pension benefits; unclaimed contributions to the National Provident Fund etc, which the bill is set out to tackle .
He said, “To this end, the enactment of the Unclaimed Funds Bill 2018 will make idle funds available for National Development.”
Earlier, the Chairman of the Committee, Senator Bukar Mustapha, APC Katsina North said that the enactment of the intended bills will provide utilization for the unclaimed dividends and funds estimated to be N104billion now.
The post Senate moves to provide utilization for N104bn unclaimed dividends, savings appeared first on Vanguard News.
source https://www.vanguardngr.com/2018/02/947820/
By Sunny Ikhioya
NATURE has its laws. Some people or theorists have said that; “no matter how much you nurture nature, nature will always have its way.” That is why the Hausa man cannot speak like the Yoruba man or, the Ijaw man speak like the Urhobo man and so on and so forth. It is in the genes of our ancestors and have cascaded down to present times. You can never defeat nature, although the social scientist will say that it is culture that determines human behaviour, what they have not factored in is that certain characteristics were already formed in our genes before we came out of our mothers’ wombs.
In the olden times, most of our relationships were seen from the angle of our immediate families, within hamlets and small communities.But with the expansion of contacts and world interactions, things that were unimaginable in the past are now realities. That is why the school killings of February 14, 2018, that took place in Florida, United States of America must be seen in its true context.
The boy is an adopted child, whose adopted parents were both dead. Left to the world, what happened? Nature took over. Nature leaves room for everyone, every creature on earth and beyond, no matter how little, including plants, rocks, and the aqua world has a place and purpose in nature.
If you distort this plan, you will be distorting nature and surely, there will be consequences. An example is the climate change ravaging the whole world. That is why it is said that; “the law of nature is fair,” to each is given what is needed or required, if you go beyond needs and wants, you will be straying into the realm of covetousness.
It has helped mankind to capture and conquer new territories and develop beyond the imagination of the ordinary but has it helped mankind? That is the question we have been trying to find answers to. With the belligerence of Adolf Hitler of Germany and the Japanese, followed by the brutal suppression initiated by the US and allied forces in the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, it was expected that such war mongering will be a thing of the past but, it has not stopped the North Korean leader, Kim Jong- un and others from flexing muscles. Any conquest that is based on injustice is never permanent. It fizzles out in a matter of time. That is why you see great empires and nations come and go, this is a fact.
The dance of the Fulani herdsmen is not new. By their history, based on what we read in the old Mali and Songhai empires narrative, it has always been total subjugation of conquered territories. They thrive in eliminating existing cultures as in the case of the great Songhai empire but where is Songhai today? History will always vindicate the just. It has been a battle of cultures from beginning. Is it not a surprise that, despite all attempts to suppress and destroy the nation of Israel, they have continued to become stronger and more phenomenal? There is something in nature that cannot be deciphered, it cannot be explained. You suppress it, it comes back. You try to obliterate it and change history and records, somehow, it finds its way back. It does not matter how long – the case of Israel took four hundred years – it will surely find its way.
In Nigerian societies, especially from the East, some families have been ruled out as outcasts. When the white men came, these outcasts were the first to embrace the white man and his religion since they had nothing to lose and because of their quick embrace of the white man’s religion and culture, they became heirs to the new republic and government.
So, when the white men left, the so-called “outcasts” became the new masters. These were former servants of the white men. They still relate and receive directives from their masters till date and that is why Nigeria – nay Africa – cannot forge ahead because the leadership is still controlled by the colonial masters. It is bitter but that is the truth. That is why, people who are happy now because situation is in their favour must watch it.
No culture that is based on injustice can survive history. Look back, think back and read past history, where are the families of past giants? Of the past great men? Of the past great warriors? And of the past great empires? You cannot find them because their foundation was based on injustice. The blood of the innocent shed will surely find their way to the Omnipotent. Call it what you like but this is akin to the blood of Abel in the Bible crying for justice against Cain, his brother. Those who are happy now that their brethren are going on a killing spree, destroying lands and property of innocent people, those egging these so-called “herdsmen” on must watch it. Those using the opportunity to grab what does not belong to them must be careful, the way nature works is different.
Millions of Jews were eliminated in the past but today, their descendants are on top, ruling the world. Those who are silent and think that the Fulani herdsmen killings and conquests are to their advantage must watch it. If the repercussions do not happen in your life time, then the children you have brought into the world will have to face the consequences, that is how nature works, that is why everyone must crave for peace and justice.
The kind of society that are stable into centuries are those that have put mechanism in place for peace and justice in their land like the nation of Switzerland. Every human being is important, the result of today were planted by the irresponsibilities of past leaders. Every section has been guilty and irresponsible when they have been handed the reins of leadership. Those who thought they will rule forever in the sixties have now found themselves at the receiving end today.
Our present leaders must learn from history. They must stop the killings, conquests and harassment being perpetrated by the Fulani herdsmen because it may mean nothing today but the future has dire consequences for the perpetrators and their generations yet to come. There is always a payback time.
The post There’s a payback time appeared first on Vanguard News.
source https://www.vanguardngr.com/2018/02/theres-payback-time/
…as Ijaw youths gives PHEDC 2 weeks to provide pre-paid metres
By Emem Idio
YENAGOA—HUNDREDS of Bayelsa State residents yesterday, took to the streets of the state capital to stage a peaceful protest to the operational office of Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company, PHEDC, over two months power outage.
The protest, which was organised by a coalition of Civil Society Organisations, CSOs, was coordinated by the state branch of the Civil Liberties Organisation, CLO, in collaboration with Ijaw Youth Council, IYC, Niger Delta Self Determination Movement, NDSDM and the Environmental Rights Action, Friends of the Earth Nigeria, ERA/FoEN.
The protesters, mainly youths, wielded different placards with various inscriptions, such as “Enough of darkness in Bayelsa,” “No light no billing,” “We say no to blackout and over estimated bills in Bayelsa,” among others.
Addressing newsmen and officials of PHEDC at the operational business office of PHEDC on Isaac Boro Expressway, state chairman of CLO, Chief Nengi James, lamented the power situation in the state, regretting that the state has been in darkness since December last.
His words: “You will agree with me that Bayelsa State and its environs have been experiencing epileptic power supply since part of December till date.
“To commemorate the World Non Governmental Organisations, NGOs Day, we are using this opportunity to register our grievances over the power situation in the state to the whole world today.”
In his remarks, chairman of Ijaw Youth Council, IYC, Central Zone, Tare Pourri, said it was regrettable that was only in Bayelsa State that this thing was happening, adding: “Bayelsa state has been thrown into total darkness, yet the company keeps forcing residents to pay for the light they have not consumed through overestimated bills by fraudulent light committees but we are giving PHEDC two weeks to begin the process of installing prepaid metres in households.”
The post Bayelsa residents protest two months power outage appeared first on Vanguard News.
source https://www.vanguardngr.com/2018/02/bayelsa-residents-protest-two-months-power-outage-2/
By Prince Osuagwu
The greatest war countries in the 21st Century currently face and must prepare to win for active participation in the global economy, is cyber warfare.
As cyber attacks increase in dimension, organisations across the globe are contending with loss of reputation, loss of customers, potential financial liabilities, regulatory notification requirements and sometimes, litigation.
Various reports both nationally and globally have raised serious concerns about the danger of cyber threats and the need for organisations to fortify their Information Technology infrastructure with effective internal controls and security solutions.
In Nigeria, business organisations, ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) of government, are said to lose over N127 billion annually, translating to about 0.08 per cent loss in the country’s annual Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
However, experts have said that deploying a veritable Enterprise Risk Assessment solution could help mitigate the loss.
A 2017 International Data Corporation (IDC) report, recorded that up to 62 percent of firms are attacked weekly; resulting in huge economic losses.
The report said as malware becomes more advanced with encrypted ransomware, the security breach on organisations may include loss of reputation, loss of customers, potential financial liabilities, regulatory notification requirements and sometime litigation instigated by customers.
At the Cyber Secure Conference organised by the Cyber Security Experts Association of Nigeria (CSEAN), another expert, Mr. Remi Afon quoted statistics which put the cost of cyber-crime globally at $700 billion per year.
He said the loss is projected to rise to about $2 trillion by 2019, due to the rapid digitisation of consumer lives and company records.
To address this menace, the need for organisations to assess their cybersecurity preparedness and deploy security solutions that help to identify contributing factors to the organisation’s overall cyber risk arises.
Such deployments will measure the organisation’s cybersecurity preparedness in consonance with its risks; determine risk management practices and controls that are needed for enhancement and informed risk management strategies.
Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, Prof. Umar Danbatta, at a cybersecurity forum in Lagos, noted that high level complexity of cyber attacks requires action at different levels, since cybersecurity has become an essential component of human activity.
According to him, “Whether it is broadcasting with digital TV or social networking, e-Commerce where you have mobile banking and financial services or e-Governance for government services management, governments, institutions and the society in general are increasingly embracing new technologies and at the same time becoming highly exposed to cyber-attacks”.
He advocated technical measures to enhance the resilience of cybersecurity infrastructure and safeguard systems against cyber attacks.
Meanwhile, a cyber security company, Nollysoft, has said that its Enterprise Risk Assessment (ERA) solution known as Tardigrade, is one of such security solutions ready to tackle cyber attacks on organisations in the country.
Chief Executive Officer of Nollysoft, Mr Sola Koleowo, said “Tardigrade Cybersecurity Assessment helps organisations identify their risks and determine their cybersecurity preparedness. The assessment solution provides businesses with repeatable and measurable processes to inform senior management of their organisations’ cybersecurity preparedness over time”.
The ERA solution, Koleowo said, is based on best practice frameworks set by Federal Financial Institution Examination Council (FFIEC), Information Technology Examination Handbook (ITEH), National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Cybersecurity Framework (CF) and International Standard Organisation (ISO 27001) and regulatory guidance.
According to him, the Tardigrade Internal Control solution enables organisations to understand deficiencies in their system of internal control to allow creation of effective mitigating controls to achieve business objectives. It is based on industry standard and best practices framework – Committee of Sponsoring Organisations of the Treadway Commission (COSO).
On the security requirement traceability matrix, Koleowo said, “Tardigrade Security Requirement Traceability Matrix solution allows organisations to effectively select security controls from standards and regulations for implementation either as a part of a Secure Software Development Lifecycle (SSDLC) or regulatory mandate.”
The post Cybersecurity: Nigeria’s N127bn annual loss can be recovered with affective ERA appeared first on Vanguard News.
source https://www.vanguardngr.com/2018/02/cybersecurity-nigerias-n127bn-annual-loss-can-recovered-affective-era/
The post Cartoon: Mr & Mrs appeared first on Vanguard News.
source https://www.vanguardngr.com/2018/02/cartoon-mr-mrs-227/
By Umar Yusuf
YOLA— Piqued by the rising spate of crimes in Mayo in Belwa Local Government Area of Adamawa State, residents have called for the immediate sack of the Divisional Police Officer, DPO, in charge of the area, Zubairu Chul.
The residents, in a petition to the Area Police Command Zone 3, accused the embattled DPO of dereliction of duty and allowing the head of local vigilante to usurp the duty of the Police in the area.
The residents, on the platform of Concern Citizens of Mayo-Belwa, alleged that the head of the vigilante group has become a law unto himself, committing atrocities at will without being challenged by the Police.
In the petition signed by the Chairman and Secretary of the group, Muhammad Danladi and Ibrahim Musa, respectively, alleged that “cases of cattle rustlings are reported at the Police Station in Mayo-Belwa on weekly basis, but summarily discharged.
“Of recent, over 20 cows were reported missing in the area.
“Of this number, the vigilante men were found to have slaughtered two, while the remaining cows are still unaccounted for.
“The development nearly caused crisis, forcing the Police to later re-arrest the suspects and charge them to court in Mayo-Belwa.”
Efforts to get the embattled DPO proved abortive, as his mobile lines were switched off, while the state police spokesman, SP Othman Abubakar, promised to speak to the press later.
The post Adamawa community demands DPO’s sack appeared first on Vanguard News.
source https://www.vanguardngr.com/2018/02/adamawa-community-demands-dpos-sack/
By Tabia Princewill
IT was recently brought to my attention that a newspaper, in a report on the Dapchi kidnappings, used a friend’s picture to illustrate the story. The young woman is neither a student, a relative of any of the students, nor does she have anything to do with the school the girls were taken from.
Her picture was simply taken off of her social media page and used as an illustration for the report, for unfathomable reasons. Let’s not forget all the pictures of South Sudanese rebels carrying guns and herding cattle which are erroneously but frequently used by Nigerian media houses to depict the groups of violent herdsmen currently waging war on Middle-belt communities.
It also took a few days before anyone could ascertain whether or not General Ibrahim Babangida had indeed authorised the recent letter written by his media aide, due to the denials and counter- denials published by the media.
This confusion reaches all the way to government quarters as the Yobe State government initially released facts it said were obtained from the Nigerian Army, claiming the latter had recovered the kidnapped Dapchi girls. It later had to release another very embarrassing, apologetic statement basically admitting the information made available to it by the Army turned out to be false.
One could go on forever as the examples of confusion, half-truths and outright misinformation abound.
Chaos and misstatement have become the mainstay of public authorities and media organisations in Nigeria: It is sometimes difficult to separate fact from fiction in the digital, “fake news” age, but Nigeria has taken this trend to the extreme.
Donald Trump might as well leave the United States for Nigeria. Here he would find an army of partisan, gullible people ready to defend his every action with photoshopped images, fake tweets and an imprecise, very basic understanding of the issues. Ignorance in Nigeria has been allowed to fester, to solidify into becoming something of a badge of honour: the less one knows about anything, the louder one seems to speak to the sound of deafening applause.
Countless WhatsApp videos of morally dubious characters circulate; they pontificate about what they would do differently, and Nigerians forward these illogical, staged performances forgetting these people are all former governors, ministers, senators, associates of people in power etc. who’ve had a chance at governance and could have implemented all the things they talk about now if not for selfishness, greed and opportunism. The bar is so low that every Tom, Dick and Harry seems to be running for President. Notoriety seems to be the only requirement for any sort of campaign in Nigeria as our politics isn’t a contest of ideas.
We are a reality TV nation where anything can be said or done so long as it captures the imagination and seems dramatic enough to keep people talking and distracted. Won’t someone tell Donald Trump he’s wasting his time in the US and that Nigeria has become a haven for racial bias, ethnic propaganda, hype and misinformation?
The class divide in Nigeria is nothing short of medieval: we convince ourselves (and the masses) that poor people are not capable of understanding the issues and thus our dialogue with them, especially during political campaigns, is nothing short of a bribe: stomach infrastructure or the argument against issue-based campaigns favours the political class who never have to explain what their plans are or truly engage with the citizenry.
Engagement, in this context, is simply a monologue based on ethno-religious sentiment and more “fake news” to confuse the masses and whip them up, first into a frenzied acceptance of their own inferiority then into supporting those whose actions are not in their interests. In the era of misinformation, any intelligent conversation or attempt at questioning the status quo is dismissed as “grammar”.
Misinformation, duplicity and blatant attempts at hiding the truth are common in Nigeria now, so when Senator Adamu was recently accused of “disappearing” or “mismanaging” 70 million Naira belonging to the Northern Senators Forum, Nigerians laughed because Senator Shehu Sani said the money was swallowed by monkeys in Senator Adamu’s farm.
Strategic conversations
Where is our outrage, our affront at being taken for fools? What, in fact, is the role of the Northern Senators forum? How is it funded? How does it account for said funds? Must every arm of government have a forum?
Don’t these strategic conversations between members happen anyway? How can we build a country of shared interests if everything about our thinking and our actions serves to separate us on ethno-religious lines? Whose interests do these forums represent anyway?
First ladies, civil servants, etc. have forums. From Muslim civil servants to Christian civil servants, everyone has a group but aren’t the issues of poverty and underdevelopment we all face, the same?
This fragmentation has killed nation building. It has also destroyed our capacity to think, we prefer comic spectacle to serious discourse.
When you multiply forums and public actors, when no one can account for anything, when everyone can blame someone else (including animals) for their failures, then the truth is whatever anyone with a microphone says it is.
We are happy to be lied to, content to be taken for granted. After corruption, Nigeria is in danger of making fake news and outright lies its great sport and pastime.
Atiku Abubakar
FORMER Vice-President Atiku Abubakar’s recent declarations about the “snake of corruption” almost make it seem like he wasn’t in power during the Halliburton and Siemens scandals for which several people were jailed in American courts.
The snake of corruption, he was reported as saying, will kill Nigeria by swallowing money in government agencies and ministries. The snake wasn’t born yesterday. In fact, it is probably quite amused by Nigeria’s descent into the animal kingdom, a society where people are embraced for stating the obvious and anyone can say what they like no matter the verifiable truth and get away with it.
We’d all rather laugh and joke about this because the reality is much too horrible to consider seriously.
Abubakar Malami
I HAVE been searching for examples in world history of an Attorney General in an anti-corruption regime, claiming that fighting corruption would make his government look bad. I found none.
President Buhari will have a hard time convincing Nigerians to vote for him based on his anti-corruption record given that many within his administration don’t quite seem to be on the same page or to share his fervour.
Or should we simply be grateful no one has claimed the $1.1 billion from the Malabu oil deal were eaten by snakes or monkeys? Mr. Malami claims no foreign companies will take Nigeria seriously if the transaction is questioned.
How curious. Nigeria’s placement on global business and transparency indexes would soar, so would confidence in our business dealings, if corruption cases were properly investigated, curtailed and the perpetrators brought to book. The House of Assembly, trying to score some points with Nigerians, has vowed to carry on its own investigations. Razak Atunwa, the Chairman of the House ad hoc committee investigating the Malabu deal recently said: “Mr. Jonathan was the President at the material time that his ministers brokered the deal that led to the alleged $1bn diversion of funds.
“His name features in the proceedings initiated by the Public Prosecutor of Milan in Italy. A United Kingdom court judgement in relation to an application to return part of the money being restrained, castigated the Jonathan administration as not having acted in the best interest of Nigeria in relation to the ‘deal.’
“The Attorney-General at the time, Mohammed Bello-Adoke, has said his actions were instructed by the former President.”
We are yet to take hold of the anti-corruption fight or to demand answers. We would rather believe puerile excuses than face up to the rot in our political system.
Tabia Princewill is a strategic communications consultant and public policy analyst. She is also the co-host and executive producer of a talk show, WALK THE TALK which airs on Channels TV.
The post What are we going to do about fake news and misinformation in Nigeria? appeared first on Vanguard News.
source https://www.vanguardngr.com/2018/02/going-fake-news-misinformation-nigeria/
By Chris Ochayi
ABUJA—The Federal Government yesterday, received a $10 billion private sector investment proposal aimed at fast-tracking the development of infrastructure and social wellbeing of the people of the Niger Delta region.
The proposal, which was presented to stakeholders during the meeting of ministers, governors of Niger Delta region and Chief Executives of International Oil and Gas Companies, IOCs, in Abuja, is targeted at a paradigm shift from public sector funding mechanism to private sector funding mechanism.
According to it, the funds which will be sourced in partnership with the Federal Government from the development partners, IOCs, Sovereign Wealth Fund, both national and international, commercial banks, cooperative banks and insurance companies, will be pooled under Niger Delta Investment Fund, NDIF, for investors to access and execute meaningful development projects in the region.
Founder and CEO of Henshaw Capital Partners, Barbara James, who presented the document to the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Pastor Usani Uguru Usani, regretted that public funding of projects in the Niger Delta region had been retrogressive due mainly to improper monitoring and evaluation.
James pointed out that over $40 billion public funds were said to have been spent on projects execution in the region in the last 16 years without commensurate infrastructure on ground, adding, “Hence the need to approach private sector partnership mechanism.
“I came here to talk about Niger Delta Investment Fund, NDIF. It is a $10 billion investment. The purpose of the fund is to channel private sector investors into Niger Delta region. All around the world, infrastructure budget and business enterprises use private finances, funds from sovereign wealth fund to invest in infrastructure.”
In his remarks, Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Usani, said, there was need for sourcing of funding because the developmental need of Niger Delta region was enormous.
He added that the proposal will be forwarded to the Technical Committee to take urgent and appropriate action on it.
The post FG unveils $10bn private sector investment initiative for N-Delta appeared first on Vanguard News.
source https://www.vanguardngr.com/2018/02/fg-unveils-10bn-private-sector-investment-initiative-n-delta/
By Babajide Komolafe
United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc, and China Development Bank (CDB), the world’s largest development finance institution, yesterday announced the signing of a $100 million seven-year loan agreement to finance the development of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Africa.
The $100 million loan will enhance UBA’s capacity to provide access to finance to small and medium enterprises across the 19 African countries where UBA currently operates.
“We are excited to partner with China Development Bank (CDB), the Development Financial Institution of the Chinese Government, on this historic transaction, as we strongly believe that the facility will serve as a catalyst to the sustainable development of commerce and industry in Africa through provision of critical financial interventions to SMEs across our presence countries,” says Group MD/CEO, UBA Plc, Mr. Kennedy Uzoka.
Uzoka noted that this line of credit is timely, as it should complement the recovery of economic activities. It will also further encourage African entrepreneurship particularly as the funds will be applied to SMEs, which are important for inclusive growth on the continent. Speaking during the signing ceremony, Chairman of UBA Plc, Mr. Tony Elumelu said the fund will boost small and medium scale enterprises across Africa, noting that CDB’s interest in supporting SMEs aligns with UBA’s vision in growing business across Africa.
The post China Devt Bank, UBA sign $100m facility for African SMEs appeared first on Vanguard News.
source https://www.vanguardngr.com/2018/02/china-devt-bank-uba-sign-100m-facility-african-smes/
By Emmanuel Elebeke
Worldwide spending on the technologies that enable Smart Cities initiatives is estimated to reach $80 billion in 2018, according to the International Data Corporation (IDC).
IDC, in the first release of the Worldwide Semiannual Smart Cities Spending Guide, made available a detailed look at the technology investments associated with a range of Smart Cities priorities and use cases.
With increase in traction by these initiatives, IDC says it expects spending to accelerate over the 2016-2021 forecast period, growing to $135 billion in 2021.
Program manager in IDC’s Customer Insights & Analysis Group, Serena Da Rold, said: “Smart Cities have recently evolved from a collection of discrete flagship projects to a sizeable market opportunity that will drive significant technology investments in 2018 and beyond.
“IDC believes that the strategic priorities we identified will drive digital transformation across cities of all sizes, but our research demonstrates that there can be significant differences in the focus of investments across regions. The new spending guide is a powerful tool to help vendors identify where the best opportunities lie for each specific use case now and over the next several years.”
‘‘Smart Cities attain digital transformation in an urban ecosystem to meet environmental, financial, and social outcomes. In IDC’s view, a Smart City begins to be developed when multiple smart initiatives are coordinated to leverage technology investments across an entire city, use common platforms to decrease service time/maintenance costs, share data across systems, and tie IT investments clearly to smart missions.
“Smart City programs are enabled by 3rd Platform technologies, and emerging technologies are accelerated in the city ecosystem to deliver innovative solutions in very specific areas. For more detail on IDC’s definition of the overall Smart Cities opportunity.’’
IDC said it believes strategic priorities will see the most spending in 2018 and throughout the forecast are intelligent transportation, data-driven public safety, and resilient energy and infrastructure.
“Intelligent traffic and transit and fixed visual surveillance are the two largest use cases in terms of worldwide spending, followed by smart outdoor lighting and environmental monitoring. While these use cases attract considerable investments in most geographies, the focus shifts across different regions.
“Intelligent traffic and transit will be the top priority in investment terms in the United States, Japan, and Western Europe. Fixed visual surveillance will be the leading use case in China and the second largest in the United States, while environmental monitoring will be relatively more important in Japan.
On a geographic basis, IDC said United States will be the largest market for Smart City technologies with spending forecast to reach $22 billion in 2018. China will be a close second with 2018 spending expected to be nearly $21 billion.
The two countries will share a similar growth trajectory with five-year compound annual growth rates (CAGRs) of 19.0% and 19.3%, respectively. The regions that will see the fastest spending growth are Latin America (28.7% CAGR) and Canada (22.5% CAGR).
The post ‘Investments in Smart City enabling techs hit $80billion in 2018’ appeared first on Vanguard News.
source https://www.vanguardngr.com/2018/02/investments-smart-city-enabling-techs-hit-80billion-2018/
WE join other Nigerians and well-wishers in congratulating the foremost Labour organisation in the country, the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, as it turns forty today, February 28, 2018. Its establishment in 1978 was a continuation of the enviable and progressive role the Trade Union Movement has played since the late 19th Century when mass paid employment was introduced in the country.
It has also built on the solid foundations laid by trade unionists like Chu Gogo Nzeribe, Michael Imoudu, Wahab Goodluck, Aminu Kano and Haroon Popoola Adebola. The NLC had as its founding President, Alhaji Hassan Sunmonu whose leadership built the administrative foundations of the Congress, secured its first headquarters in Lagos, popularised the NLC in the consciousness of Nigerians, promoted the culture of collective leadership and won the first National Minimum Wage in the country.
His successor, Alhaji Ali Chiroma, fought titanic battles to resist mass retrenchment by the military regime, check unreasonable increases in the prices of petroleum products and mobilised the populace against the repression of the Student Movement and the entrenchment of military dictatorship.
Comrade Paschal Bafyau who succeeded Chiroma after a ten-month interregnum by a government-imposed Sole Administrator, was not a particularly popular figure given his pro-military regime politics. However, his administration had the distinction of building quite viable institutions and structures for the NLC including the Labour Transport Service (now, the Labour City Transport Services), the Labour Bank, LALICON, a huge Education Fund and the 12-Storey Labour House in Abuja which has appropriately been renamed after him.
The administration of Comrade Adams Oshiomhole which came after another interregnum of government-imposed Sole Administrators on the NLC, returned the Congress to the path of mass popularity and support. That administration is noted for the numerous strikes it led against the constant increases in the prices of petroleum products. Comrade Abdulwaheed Omar who took over from Oshiomhole, with lesser effect, continued the resistance of its predecessor against unpopular government policies. It, however, has the record of organising the largest and most effective street protests in the country’s contemporary history with its January 2012 anti-fuel price protests.
Unfortunately, due mainly to parochial and individual interests, the NLC split after the Omar administration in 2015. This eventually led to the rise of the rival United Labour Congress (ULC), the tragic consequences were noticeable in the abysmal failure of the 2016 fuel deregulation general strike. Today, the once vibrant trade union movement lays prostrate and workers are lacking the cohesive, pragmatic, vibrant, principled and proactive leadership the NLC once offered.
On this occasion, we urge all groups and tendencies in the trade union movement to reunite and ensure that the next forty years are more glorious for workers and the toiling masses of the country.
The post Celebrating NLC at forty appeared first on Vanguard News.
source https://www.vanguardngr.com/2018/02/celebrating-nlc-forty/
Joseph Parker has insisted he can outbox Anthony Joshua as he eyes victory in their heavyweight title fight on March 31, Skysports reports.
Parker, who holds the WBO belt, and Joshua, who holds the IBF and WBA ‘super’ belts, will put their titles on the line when they clash at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff next month.
Joshua is the clear favourite for the fight, but New Zealander Parker is confident he can upset the odds.
He said, “I can outbox Anthony Joshua. I think I have the skills to outbox him but I haven’t really shown that. That’s why I’m excited – this is a big stage to put on the best performance of my life.
“I can knock him out. I can outbox him. Words can’t explain how excited we are.
“We’re fighting in his backyard and we’re fighting another champion who’s undefeated. That makes it a great fight.
“But also the opportunity to fight in front of 80,000 people. A lot of people say it’s going to be overwhelming and I’m going to be nervous and scared. But I see it differently. I see it as us making the most of the occasion.”
Parker’s trainer Kevin Barry is equally confident his man can beat Joshua when the two boxers put their unbeaten records on the line.
He said, “It won’t matter if there’s 800, 8,000 or 80,000 people at this fight. It will be the same Joseph Parker that walks to the ring. I’m not one bit worried about the occasion getting to him.
“He wins the fight with speed and movement. He wins the fight with a higher level of skill. Parker has far better skill than Anthony Joshua. He has a far better selection of punches. He is very durable.
“If the best Joseph Parker turns up, we will leave the ring with all the belts.”
Eniola Akinkuotu, Abuja
The Independent National Electoral Commission has asked the National Population Commission for the details of dead persons so that it (INEC) can remove their names from the voter register ahead of the 2019 elections.
The Chairman of INEC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, made the request when he visited the population commission in Abuja on Tuesday.
Yakubu said, “The National Population Commission is the registrar of births and deaths nationwide and INEC is responsible for voter registration as well as the cleaning up of the voter register by removing the names of dead persons from the same register.
“We would like to partner the population commission to make available to INEC all records of deaths of citizens since 2015 so that INEC can take the necessary steps to remove them from the voter register.
“We are confident that you will oblige us so that we can further clean up our voter register ahead of the 2019 general elections.”
When asked if INEC would be seeking the commission’s help in purging the voter register of underage persons, Yakubu said he was not sure if it was the duty of the population commission to do so.
Responding, the NPC Chairman, Mr. Eze Duruiheoma (SAN), said his commission would assist INEC in its task ahead of the 2019 elections.
“On the removal of dead persons from the register, I believe that is a wonderful vision. In the past this was overlooked and it ended up embarrassing everybody. We will attend to that request and give it the needed attention,” Duruiheoma said.
When asked if the commission had the statistics of births and deaths from 2015 till date, the senior advocate admitted that the agency did not have it.
He, however, said the 40 or 50 per cent statistics available would be made available to the electoral body.
Duruiheoma said, “Yes, we don’t pretend to have registered every death. In the same way we don’t pretend to have captured every birth. But there must be a starting point. Assuming in the last one year, we have registered 20,000 deaths. The 20,000 should be expunged from the register as a starting point.
“You must count one before counting two. So, that’s the collaboration between NpopC and INEC. We don’t have 100 per cent coverage on the registration of deaths in the same way we don’t have 100 per cent coverage of births. But at least the 45 or 50 per cent coverage we have is what we can give to INEC because it is what you have that you can give.”
Copyright PUNCH.
All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from PUNCH.
Contact: theeditor@punchng.com
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)