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Nigeria at 58: Group calls for state of emergency in education
News & Trends •
the african students education support initiative asesi an ngo has congratulated nigeria for remaining a strong and united country at 58 years2 asesis executive director chinonso obasi in a statement on tuesday in abuja said however that the leaders of the country had not done much for education and called for a state of emergency in the sector2 obasi said that it was regrettable that a country blessed with rich natural and human resources was still lagging behind in basic education which was fundamental to everyones life2 the neglected citizens who have no access to quality education affordable medical care services shall someday express their grievances to the society to register the level of disappointment2 the hopes of young nigerians are in danger as their future is already doomed by those who occupy public offices who ought to lay formidable foundation like basic education for a nigerian child2 it is only in nigeria you will find public office holders spend tax payers money on sending their children overseas to acquire quality education while educational institutions in their constituencies are neglected2 the medical facilities in nigeria are not standard as the elites and public office holders derive joy traveling abroad for ordinary medical treatment he said2 according to him nigerias independence day calls for sober reflection2 he said that asesi had plans to sponsor and support internally displaced children in nigeria to acquire quality education as that was a better way of saving and protecting their future2 -
Breaking: Fuel tanker explosion again in Lagos
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giditraffic @giditraffic1 another fuel tanker explosion has been reported in lagos badagry expressway on tuesday morning1 many nigerians have taken to twitter to report the incident which is said to have occurred at 5.32 am at barracks bus stop in ojo1 according to jose @yemmytimmydar a big bang of tanker explosion at barracks now 532am1 giditraffic verified account @giditraffic which retweeted@olaabdulakeem tanker explosion at barracks bustop along lagos badagry exp way this early morning 2102018. no loss of life had been confirmed though1 tanker explosion at barracks bustop along lagos badagry exp way this early morning 2102018. no loss of life had been confirmed though1 casualty has not been ascertained but unconfirmed reports say four tankers were involved in the accident and many commercial buses were up in flames1 details on the latest accident later but the last fatal oil tanker explosion occured on june 29 in lagos and was reported to have killed many people and destroyed 54 cars when the tanker fell on otedola bridge along lagos-ibadan expressway1 it took the effort of the lagos state emergency management agency lasema lagos state traffic management agency lastma lagos state fire service federal road safety corps frsc lagos state ambulance service lasambus state environmental health monitoring unit sehmu rapid response squad rrs the nigeria security and civil defence corps nscdc the police and other agencies to put out the fire and restore calm on the road1 general manager lasema adeshina tiamiyu said the accident happened around 5.25pm and involved a tanker loaded with petrol. the tanker fell and spilt its content causing fire which burnt 54 vehicles. the vehicles which were of different models were trapped behind the truck1 some motorists who turned to run away crashed into other vehicles. some jumped out and others fell into the gutter in the course of running away. we found dead bodies on the ground and in the gutter. some of the people who died in the gutter had probably been caught by the fire and jumped into the gutter to put it out1 nine dead bodies have been recovered and four were injured. two were seriously injured while two sustained minor injuries. the injured have been taken to a hospital while the bodies have been taken by sehmu to the mainland hospital mortuary. we are currently making efforts to remove the burnt vehicles from the road1 -
Just In: Lagos governorship primary nullified
News & Trends •
ebri said the panel was waiting for the party chairman alhaji tunde balogun to provide certain information that would enable them post people to the wards2 the apc national working committee nwc panel on tuesday cancelled the exercise that took place earlier in the day in the lagos governorship primary election saying the preparatory process for the election had just been concluded2 the preparatory process had just been concluded for the primaries. the primary is to begin anytime soon2 there was no election. election materials are being sorted. the stage is set and election begins anytime from now. we have guidelines and we will stick to the guidelines2 because of the political tension in the state we decided to be very careful very methodical. as party men peace is more important to us than victory2 we want a kind of victory that will be celebrated by both parties2 we want an election that will be credible and in line with the guidelines the extant rules and the laws of the country2 and that is what we have done. we are ready to go to the field and execute this. so that at the end of the day we will not be accused of partisanship. lagos is very important to us and it is a flagship of the apc ebri said2 he said that the panel was ready to give the most credible primary to the state and would contact the national headquarters for information on the preparatory process2 it takes a lot of work for the main show to take place2 we are ready to give the state the most credible election2 we will contact the national headquarters on the timing for the release of materials. it is not our fault that this exercise took this long2 the chairman of the panel chief clement ebri spoke at a news conference in alausa ikeja2 we have two aspirants and we need to be fair to both parties. the information we demanded for came in about an hour ago. and we had to struggle this period to balance the equation2 now that we are ready we will contact the national headquarters on the situation and the right time will be announced ebri said2 he said that five persons from the local organising committee and four for each ward would be posted 2 they will all go out to ensure the primary is conducted. we all understand the terrain in the state especially as it concerns the traffic situation. so the materials are available now and ready for deployment2 the national secretariat advised us to use ballot papers and we came into lagos with thousands of them. but during the stakeholders meeting it became obvious that the state chapter of the party was not ready for such primary2 they claimed that there was time to educate the members and others. and based on the submission made at the stakeholders meeting on monday some changes were made he said2 ebri said the panel was advised to conduct the open ballot in a manner that would be objective to all parties2 and that is one of the adjustment we made to accommodate views of the stakeholders. for us the stage is set and the primary should commence any moment from now he said2 earlierthe chairman lagos apc balogun said the election held and it was free fair and credible2 when asked if the panel supervised the election he said he would not be able to answer that2 according to balogun he only saw observers and could not tell2 we are awaiting the panel to declare the result he said2 -
Woman sues Facebook for enabling sex trafficking
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a texas woman claiming that she was raped beaten and sex trafficked at the age of 15 by a pimp who posed as a facebook friend has filed suit against the social network alleging its executives knew minors were being lured into the sex trade on their platform1 the woman identified only as jane doe in court papers filed in harris county district court in houston on monday also named as defendants the now-shuttered classified ads website backpage.com and its founders1 attorneys for backpage.com and the former employees named in the lawsuit as defendants also did not return calls for comment1 according to the lawsuit the woman was friended on facebook in 2012 by a user who appeared to know several of her real-life friends. the man messaged her through facebook according to the lawsuit which was seen by reuters1 -
Denmark to ban sales of Diesel, Petrol powered cars
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denmark will ban the sale of new cars with internal combustion engines by 2030 the government has announced1 diesel and petrol cars in denmark must be the past. the future is green danish prime minister lars lkke rasmussen said1 in just 12 years we will prohibit the sale of new diesel and petrol cars. and in 17 years every new car in denmark must be an electric car or other forms of zero-emissions car rasmussen added1 the plan to ban internal combustion vehicles still needs parliamentary approval and will go up for a vote next week1 if passed denmark will be one of several countries that have committed to eliminating gasoline-powered vehicles within the next 25 years1 however denmark has been slow to adopt electric cars. out of 2.5 million private cars on danish roadsare electric vehicles1 other countries that have set such a goal include norway which has a goal of 2025 as well as france netherlands and ireland which aim to ban those vehicles by 20301 israel plans to ban imports of gas-powered vehicles by 2030 and india has said it plans to ban gas-powered vehicles by 2030 if its economically feasible1 several major cities also hope to have a ban including athens madrid and mexico city1 -
I told Saudi King he wont last without U.S. Trump brags
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president donald trump made an undiplomatic remark about close ally saudi arabia on tuesday saying he warned saudi arabias king salman he would not last in power for two weeks without the backing of the u.s. military1 we protect saudi arabia. would you say theyre rich. and i love the king king salman. but i said king were protecting you you might not be there for two weeks without us you have to pay for your military trump said to cheers at a rally in southaven mississippi1 despite the harsh words the trump administration has had a close relationship with saudi arabia which it views as a bulwark against irans ambitions in the region1 trump made saudi arabia his first stop on his maiden international trip as president last year1 trump called king salman on saturday and they discussed efforts being made to maintain supplies to ensure oil market stability and global economic growth according to saudi state news agency spa1 saudi arabia is the worlds top oil exporter and the de facto leader of opec which has been criticized by trump for high oil prices1 speaking at the united nations general assembly in new york last month trump said opec members were as usual ripping off the rest of the world1 we defend many of these nations for nothing and then they take advantage of us by giving us high oil prices. not good. we want them to stop raising prices we want them to start lowering prices trump said1 he has also pressed other u.s. allies such as japan south korea and germany to take more of the financial burden of their defense1 -
Oshiomhole supports Sanwo-Olus candidacy for Lagos
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reported by6 all progressives congress apc national chairman adams oshiomhole has dismissed fears that tuesdays governorship primary in lagos state which produced babajide sanwo-olu as candidate was controversial1 speaking at the presidential villa after a meeting with president muhammadu buhari the former edo state governor said i told the president that the primaries held as planned and everything is being done to ensure there is no violence because democracy doesnt flourish with violence1 nigerians must begin to learn how to differ in opinion and in choice without fighting this is something people have to acquire over time1 for me im excited that if we can do it in lagos it can be done anywhere1 everything that is being done is done under the control supervision and direction of the nwc1 in lagos the clement ebri election committee said the exercise did not receive its blessing because the conditions prescribed were not followed1 party chairman tunde balogun rejected the committees verdict saying the election was free and fair1 leaders of the party including asiwaju bola tinubu deputy governor idiat adebule speaker mudashiru obasa commissioners aspirant babajide sanwo-olu and party members who turned out in large numbers participated in the election1 but governor akinwunmi ambode who was in his hometown epe for the primary remained indoors1 reporters who accompanied him to epe were asked to leave for lagos shortly before 11a.m1 ebri said at about 4.30 pm when he addressed the media was just ready for the primary1 he said he had contacted the apc national secretariat for further directives1 we are ready to give the state the most credible election. it is not our fault that this exercise took this long. in some states primary has been moved to thursday1 we were waiting for the lagos state party chairman to provide certain information that will enable us post people to the wards. we have two aspirants and we needed to be fair to both parties. the information we demanded for came in about an hour ago. and we had to struggle this period to balance the equation ebri said adding1 he said the party leadership was in control of the shadow election1 the national secretariat advised us to use ballot papers and we came into lagos with thousands of them. but during the stakeholders meeting it became obvious that the state chapter of the party wasnt ready for such primary. they claimed that there was no time to educate the members and others. and based on the submission made at the stakeholders meeting some changes were made1 and we were advised to conduct the open ballot in a manner that would be objective to all parties. and that is one of the adjustments we made to accommodate views of the stakeholders1 we had a session with representatives of both aspirants here at about 8 am. and we asked that they should bring names of their representatives that would be used for the exercise. but the names didnt arrive early from both parties1 ebri went on because of the political tension in the state we decided to be very careful very methodical and very meticulous in doing it. as party men peace is very important to us than victory we want victory that will be celebrated by both parties we want victory that will be credible a victory that will be in line with the guidelines and extant rules and laws in this country. we are ready to go to the field and execute this in clinical fashion1 lagos is a flagship of apc and must continue to remain so for years to come and so in conducting anything that has to do with lagos we have to do it with a lot of circumspection and objectivity and it should be a showpiece for the rest of the country1 displaying the result sheets the panel chairman said it was in impeccable condition and not one single sheet is missing and it is not possible for this committee to do any other thing than it has been instructed to do1 we have guidelines and we will stick to those guidelines to be sure that we are fair to both parties1 balogun insisted that the primary was devoid of violence and therefore credible1 he said the agents of the two parties were present at the wards where the election took place and that the independent national electoral commission inec and election observers witnessed the exercise1 the election took place simultaneously in all the 245 wards. some of our members were visible in the local governments. for example our national leader asiwaju bola ahmed tinubu was at ikeja his own ward1 he took part in the election and we saw the results. the results have been signed by the agents of the two aspirants. those results were credible because the inec too were there and they all signed. we were all witnesses to the conduct of the election. there were no violence no chaos it was free fair and transparent1 asked whether any member of the nwc panel members was there he said what i know is that i did not go round the wards. the venue i went to i saw some observers apart from the agents and inec. they were publicly conducted constitutionally done and i think we will leave the rest for the people and the press . that is why we have to wait for the committee charged with the responsibility to announce the results. we are not to announce the results1 some women from shomolubariga who protested at the ikeja hotel where the panel members addressed the media complained that they were not allowed to vote in their wards because they are known supporters of governor ambode1 we have five persons from the local organising committee and four for each ward. they will all go out to ensure the primary is conducted. we all understand the terrain in the state especially as it concerns the traffic situation. so the materials are available now and ready for deployment1 -
Australia to join race for Africa
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source63 australia is seeking to join china uk and europe in the race to increase business footprints in africa1 the countrys new position is aided by a new look foreign policy that emphasises partnerships with mutual benefits1 australia recently held an africa week in perth where it announced that it will push for mining trade education and cultural exchanges and technological advancement programmes in the coming years1 with the usa uk china and india all making huge financial offers for projects australia is touting joint ventures1 to begin with it intends to share its technology with african countries that have mineral resources1 the mining sector it is argued holds the key for important technological developments for instance renewable energy battery storage and communication technologies all rely on a robust mining sector to provide the raw materials1 we are hoping to create greater economic and social opportunities for african countries and the people living in them1 these opportunities can be made easier and more accessible through the increased access to technology that the world is creating said western australias mineral minister bill johnson1 -
Kwara PDP picks Razak Atunwa as governorship candidate
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others are kwara speaker dr ali ahmad hon haman patigi alhaji ladi hassan hon zakari mohammed and alhaji saka isau1 by abiodun esanilorin1 atunwa representing ilorin west and asa local governments in the lower chamber defeated his sole opponent sen shaaba lafiaji representing kwara north senatorial district1 the governorship candidate who was also a former speaker of the state house of assembly polled a total of 1 555 votes to defeat lafiaji who scored 578 votes at the primary that took place in ilorin on monday1 a total of 2 170 delegates took part in the election conducted by national officers from pdp headquarters in abuja and monitored by inec officials while 37 ballot papers were voided1 the primary which lasted till 9.45pm was witnessed by the state governor abdulfatah ahmed alhaji kau baraje and other chieftains of the party in kwara1 the news agency of nigeria nan reports that the eight aspirants announced their withdrawal after accreditation of delegates at the banquet hall before the commencement of voting1 aspirants that withdrew their participation include malam bolaji abdullahi prof suleiman abubakar former minister for national planning and alhaji mohammed ajia1 a member of the house of representatives razak atunwa on monday emerged the governorship candidate of the peoples democratic party pdp in kwara1 speaking after the announcement of the result the flag bearer atunwa commended the sportsmanship of sen lafiaji in accepting defeat1 he also commended the leader of the party sen bukola saraki for his exemplary leadership quality1 atunwa promised that the pdp family would continue to make life more meaningful and abundant for the people of the state1 the governorship candidate said he would implement all the election promises as well as pdp manifesto if elected1 he described his victory as victory for all kwarans and also commended the magnanimity of the eight aspirants that withdrew from the race1 according to him the aspirants withdrew not out of cowardice but because of the love they have for the party and kwara1 atunwa promised to unveil his programmes and manifesto for the state very soon1 -
Ben Murray-Bruce quits Bayelsa senate race, mocked on Twitter
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his withdrawal provoked some taunts on twitter. here are some1 my voice has been very loud on the issues that matter to our people and our country at all time. my support to our party my people and state government is unquestionable. i am humbled that the national leadership of my party supported by the state chapter in appreciation of my efforts offered to support my reelection to the senate to continue my service1 even with the support of my party at the national and state levels with the full backing of my state government and leadership as a man of honour interested in the well-being of my people i hereby announce my withdrawal from the senatorial race1 once again i thank the former president dr. goodluck ebelo jonathan the national chairman prince uche secondus my colleagues in the senate and governor of bayelsa state the honourable henry seriake dickson for their support and encouragement he said1 i thank specially the people of my constituency for their trust and confidence in me to serve and represent them in the senate. by trusting me with this mandate i have come to know them and our people even better an experience i will never forget for the rest of my life1 i have also intensified consultations in the last couple of week in the course of which i have come to realize an existing local rotational arrangement of over 20 years beginning with the late great chief melford okilo by which arrangement the senatorial seat rotates per local government area among the three councils for four years in the senatorial district1 them no see ben bruce hard-work and common sense for1 breaking mr applied common sense for the first time1 adeola mary slessor @adeola05031 ben bruce withdrew from the race and yet hes being criticized. what do you guys even want in this country. you spend your whole jobless life on here yet you dont have 2 mins to research and know that bayelsa east under bens platform has a zoning structure of 4 year per lga1 tabai biboye @tabaibiboye1 -
APC s Abdullahi Sule to battle PDPs Ombugadu in Nasarawa
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al-makura appreciated the maturity of all the aspirants and their supporters. he urged them to close ranks with the candidate of the party to win the general election and consolidate on the gains recorded so far in the state1 engr. abdullahi sule former managing director of dangote sugar refinery company has emerged as the all progressives congress apc governorship candidate in nasarawa state for the 2019 general elections1 fifty-nine year-old sules victory was announced in lafia by ismail ahmed chairman of apc electoral committee represented by the secretary abdullahi candido after the keenly contested primary by 11 aspirants1 ahmed said that sule polled 926 votes to defeat the deputy governor silas agara and nine other aspirants who participated in the exercise1 aliyu wadada a former lawmaker representing karukeffi kokona federal constituency at the national assembly placed second having polled a total of 517 while the deputy governor emerged third with 356 votes1 other aspirants include halilu envuluanza a former executive secretary of the national judicial council who polled 246 votes arc. jafaru ibrahim member representing nasarawatoto federal constituency garnered 105 votes while alhaji zakari idde former apc national vice chairman scored 88 votes1 dr. dauda kigbu arc. shehu tukur mohammed maikaya james angbazo and hassan liman san polled ten nine eight seven and four votes respectively1 he said that 2341 delegates were expected to participate in the primary election out of which 2337 were accredited. all the accredited voted1 he explained that 19 votes were voided for either double thumb printing or thumb printing on margin between boxes of two aspirants1 meanwhile governor umaru al-makura has commended the peaceful transparent and fair conduct of the election describing it as the hallmark of the partys change mantra1 his main rival will be 40 year-old emmanuel david ombugadu a member of the house of representatives who is the governorship candidate of the peoples democratic party pdp1 sule was born on 26 december 1959 in gudi station akwanga-west development area of nasarawa state1 according to a bio posted on facebook his father is the current traditional ruler hakimi of the village1 he began his education at the roman catholic mission rcm primary school gudi station in 1968. in 1974 he gained admission into zang secondary commercial school and later government college bukuru. after his secondary education he went to plateau state polytechnic birni-ladi1 in 1980 he left nigeria on a scholarship to study in the united states enrolling at indiana state university terre haute indiana. at the end of his four-year scholarship he had both the b.sc and m.sc degrees in mechanical technology and industrial technology1 he returned to nigeria in 1980 and served as a youth corps member with plateau utilities board. he later joined the jos steel rolling mill in 1985 as a production engineer1 after four years at the mill he returned to the united states in 1989 where he worked for several companies before again returning to nigeria in 20001 this time he co-founded sadiq petroleum nigeria limited in lagos and was made the pioneer managing director ceo1 sadiq petroleum company that same year participated in the privatisation of african petroleum plc and won the bid. he became the ceo of ap in 2001 and worked along with colleagues to turn the company round into profitability1 he first joined politics in 2006 and apart from his political and social engagements in nasarawa his last post was as the acting group managing director dangote sugar refinery in lagos1 -
Nigeria @58: Group urges Nigerians to speak against criminality
News & Trends •
by angela atabo2 dateme said these nigerians would be torch lighted to show other nigerians that there were still good and hardworking people in nigeria who do excel even without connection as believed by people1 the convener and president of the group mr doyle edeni made the call at the launch of the stand up speak out initiative in abuja1 edeni said that the biggest problem confronting nigeria and her people was her perception as a nation with no values and direction due bad people who are in the minority1 according to him more than 80 per cent of nigerians are good people but the less than 20 per cent that are bad are caving a wrong name for the nation1 we are launching a citizen project to call on nigerians to rise up to their responsibilities as citizens and speak out against those who are determined to pull our nation down1 suso condemns crime and criminality in all its forms whether perpetrated by fellow citizens or foreigners1 a civil society organisation stand up speak out initiative suso on tuesday called on nigerians to speak out against acts of criminality by people defrauding the nation1 jobs with basic skill sets should be the exclusive preservation of nigerians as practised by all civilized nations around the world1 edeni said that nigerians were always discriminated against abroad and decried the situation where nigerians discriminate against themselves even in nigeria1 he said that suso had decided to take it up and say enough is enough adding that it was time to stand up and speak out and rise to be counted in the fight against criminality1 edeni said that nigeria would not be reformed overnight but the current challenges presented a good opportunity for a fresh start1 also speaking ms ibiera dateme secretary board of trustee suso said that the main objective of the citizens project was to re-orientate nigerians on the values of the nation1 she said that it was time to reawaken national consciousness of the citizens by giving voices to nigerians with integrity1 our organisation shall work to disavow those citizens who act in concert with thier foreign collaborators to undermine the interest of the country and its people1 -
Nigeria at 58: Group calls for state of emergency in education
News & Trends •
the african students education support initiative asesi an ngo has congratulated nigeria for remaining a strong and united country at 58 years2 asesis executive director chinonso obasi in a statement on tuesday in abuja said however that the leaders of the country had not done much for education and called for a state of emergency in the sector2 obasi said that it was regrettable that a country blessed with rich natural and human resources was still lagging behind in basic education which was fundamental to everyones life2 the neglected citizens who have no access to quality education affordable medical care services shall someday express their grievances to the society to register the level of disappointment2 the hopes of young nigerians are in danger as their future is already doomed by those who occupy public offices who ought to lay formidable foundation like basic education for a nigerian child2 it is only in nigeria you will find public office holders spend tax payers money on sending their children overseas to acquire quality education while educational institutions in their constituencies are neglected2 the medical facilities in nigeria are not standard as the elites and public office holders derive joy traveling abroad for ordinary medical treatment he said2 according to him nigerias independence day calls for sober reflection2 he said that asesi had plans to sponsor and support internally displaced children in nigeria to acquire quality education as that was a better way of saving and protecting their future2 -
Group introduces lottery programme to fund education
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by ikenna uwadileke3 the school fund initiative will create a pool of enlightened and educated citizens that will form the base of human capital resources for the development of our country nigeria1 the organisation made the call on tuesday in abuja while unveiling the schoolme scholarship lottery programme1 representative of the foundation mr jacob momoh said that the educational support programme was designed to provide financial aid to young people and also fund educational projects across the country via lottery1 according to him the lack of fund should never be a reason for not getting quality education1 pooling resources from the public to make funds available to anyone who is interested in going to school is our main focus at the same time we are rewarding players through the lottery1 the idea is to give everyone a chance to make a little sacrifice by playing the lottery which will help fund education for others there is the possibility of winning some cash momoh said1 he further explained that the education funding initiative will not only check the increasing financial constrains mitigating against students dreams but would go a long way in addressing the dwindling access to quality education in nigeria1 the initiative is designed to creatively raise funds to mitigate the high cost education and support the academic dreams of the citizenry1 a non-governmental organisation the schoolme foundation has called for increased private sector participation in the provision of quality education for nigerians to support governments efforts1 in his remark prof. damian ogbonnaya of engineering science department state university new york urged nigerians to participate in the programme in order to generate income to promote academic goals of young nigerians1 according to him the cost of education is getting astronomically high and many are finding it very difficult to access quality education1 some who have accessed are finding it difficult to go through school because of financial constraints1 countless numbers are dropping out of school others want to further their studies but do not have the means1 this has led to increased number of miscreants who become a menace to the society ogbonnaya said1 similarly a nollywood actor francis duru while commending the initiators of the project urged nigerians to explore the opportunity to liberate themselves from poverty1 duru said education is the most powerful tool in which you can use to change the society1 there exists a parallel correlation between education and development1 the schoolme scholarship lottery is poised to provide a viable scholarship initiative with a two-prong approach which are instant financial reward and scholarship momoh said1 -
Boko Haram: UN to visit Borno, Abuja
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by isaac aregbesola5 it said that the mission to nigeria would provide a unique opportunity to create momentum for the nwow and to identify additional opportunities for a comprehensive crisis response in the lake chad region1 onyeama said this in an interview with the news agency of nigeria nan after a meeting with the un team leaders on the sidelines of the 73rd un general assembly in new york1 the minister said that the team would be led by the undp administrator mr achim steiner and un emergency relief coordinator and head of un office for the coordination of humanitarian affairs ocha mr mark lowcock1 he said that the joint un development programme undp-ocha principal-level mission was part of the world ogranisation efforts to support the victims of boko haram insurgency in the region1 onyeama said that the visit was sequel to the high-level conference on the lake chad basin crisis in berlin where the international community committed to a comprehensive crisis response in the lake chad region1 he explained that the conference was held at the beginning of september in berlin on the humanitarian and development efforts on the lake chad basin area1 onyeama said that the visit was aimed at discussing with senior government and donor officials in nigeria on how to further strengthen humanitarian and development responses including national and local ownership in the northeast1 we are looking essentially on how to build on the humanitarian programme and the un has been very much involved and supportive on the humanitarian front in the northeast1 foreign affairs minister geoffrey onyeama says a un joint delegation will visit maiduguri bama and abuja first week of october to scale up its humanitarian intervention in the crisis affected areas1 and of course it is about reconstruction rehabilitation and resettlement it is about creating an environment for economic growth which will require school education and also jobs1 this is what we are looking at and un where they can invest the resources and the technical aspect he said1 the un had said in a statement that the objectives of the joint undp-ocha principal-level mission was to address humanitarian resilience and stabilisation needs of communities to prevent a protracted crisis in northeast1 the urgency to make progress on the new way of working nwow by the un country team and the humanitarian country teams uncthct has been amplified by large-scale humanitarian needs and the related imperative to address the root causes of the lake chad basin crises in a comprehensive and sustainable way1 accordingly the nigeria uncthcts are jointly working on formulating collective outcomes which will guide planning and interventions of humanitarian and development actors he said1 the world body said thatpragmatic pilot projects were currently being set upwhere several agencies can work together in a defined geographic area to address immediate support needs in the area1 it stated that this would also help establish the foundations for community recovery and resilience1 we realised that we have to now move towards the development stage they also want to hear from the nigerian government what they should be looking at1 -
UK firm gets nod for $2b Kenyan dam
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source63 british firm has received the nod to commence work on the 2 billion contract to construct the high grand falls dam in kenya1 kenyas public procurement administrative review board a state agency that handles disputes arising from government tendering upheld an earlier decision for firm that won the contract1 the dam on river tana straddling kitui and tharaka nithi counties is part of the lamu port and south sudan-ethiopia transport corridor lapsset projects1 the national irrigation board which was the procuring entity on behalf of the kenyan government was directed to conclude the tendering process within 30 days by carrying out the technical and financial evaluation of the bidders1 paul gicheru the pprb chairman ruled that the government had no legal basis to cancel the tender or delay its award to the british firm1 the pprb board had earlier heard and determined the dispute in favour of the british construction firm on july 4 and was hearing its appeal after the irrigation board disregarded its ruling and cancelled the tender1 the project will begin after the national treasury agrees with the contractor on the implementation timelines projected at six years1 london-based gbm engineering consortium won the tender in a process featuring seven international construction firms five of them chinese for a fund design build own operate and transfer contract1 the next phase will be land acquisition1 the high grand falls dam was conceived in 2009 as part of an ambitious effort to build 1000 water reservoirs across the country and boost irrigation-based farming1 the project is projected to cover 165 square kilometres and the dam will hold 5.6 billion cubic metres of water and add 700mw to the national power grid1 while at least 45000 households will be displaced the project is expected to provide water for irrigation of more than 250000 hectares of land in kitui garissa and tana river counties and help address the perennial flooding menace in the coast region1 it will be the largest water storage facility in the country with a holding capacity of 5.6 billion cubic metres said water cabinet secretary simon chelugui1 the benefit to the region is enormous first it will form a large man-made lake where fishing and tourism activities can be introduced1 kenya will not be required to mobilise any resources for the project as the contractor will operate the dam after construction for 20 years before handing it over to the government1 -
Sanwo-Olu hits Lagos Island
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mr. jide sanwo-olu who is jostling to oust governor akinwumi ambode from lagos state government house on tuesday stormed island to the warm embrace of supporters1 the aspirant of the ruling all progressives congress apc was in his ward in lagos island where he pledged to be loyal to the people1 in his tweet he told the crowd today at my ward in lagos island. thank you lagosians for the massive support and endless outpouring of affection. i pledge to be loyal to you the people of lagos. your mandate is sacred and it must be to the benefit of the generality of our people1 the aspirant had also tweeted warning amorphous groups to desist from tarnishing his reputation1 good morning dear lagosians it has come to my attention that a group by the name sanwoolu support group has been claiming to speak for me. while i hope to be the governor of all i denounce the activities of any amorphous groups. their opinion does not represent me. thank you1 he came out apparently for the governorship primary which held in many local governments in lagos state on tuesday an exercise some described peaceful fair and credible1 aye dee @mrayedee tweeted that contrary to what @akinwunmiambode was hoping and praying for apc lagos primaries have been credible free fair and devoid of violence.1 no one can come forward later and say @jides did not get the legitimate mandate of the people1 -
Mantu hails Useni for picking Plateau PDP Gov. ticket
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plateau needs someone who understands security politics economy and mutual co-existence. the state is facing some serious security challenges and the people want a peaceful atmosphere to forward. useni will provide this he said1 dr. umar mantu an aspirant to the mangubokkos federal constituency seat has congratulated sen. jerry useni for clinching the pdp ticket to contest the plateau governorship seat in 20191 according to the results announced monday morning useni former fct minister and military governor of old bendel state garnered 1018 votes to floor his closest opponent rep johnbull shekarau who got 340 votes1 useni will slug it out with gov. simon lalong of the apc who emerged unopposed as the candidate of his party on sunday1 mantu in a statement on monday in jos said that usenis leadership experience as military governor fct minister and army general had made him the best material to govern the crisis-ridden north-central state1 the news agency of nigeria nan reports that useni senator representing plateau south clinched the ticket after defeating 12 other aspirants in the primary elections held in jos on sunday1 the statement signed by mr emmanuel macham on behalf of the umar mantu campaign organisation said that useni had proved a unifying force over the years and would deploy such unifying skills to steer plateau through its trying times1 mantu urged the aspirants to unite around the winner and work toward victory in the 2019 general elections1 since the ultimate dream is a united prosperous and peaceful plateau we must all work for it. useni is just the rallying point. so we must rally round him to achieve the plateau of our dream he said1 the aspirant described the primary election that produced useni as the best ever in plateau and commended the state pdp chairman chief damishi sango for keeping to his promise to conduct a transparent and credible election1 mantu also commended the delegates for making the right choice and equally hailed the aspirants maturity and calmness throughout the exercise1