Osun rerun polls: PDP, APC in crunch battle for 3498 votes
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although yussuff is an apc member but sources claim he has not been in good terms with the state governor1 ahead of sept. 27 osun rerun governorship election the peoples democratic party pdp and all progressives congressapc have started house to-house- campaign to woo voters1 nan reports that the seven affected polling units have 3498 votes which will eventually determine the winner of the election on thursday1 in orolu local government rerun election will be conducted in three polling units with about 947 votes expected1 during the sept. 22 election apc polled 5442 while pdp polled 7776 in the local government1 in osogbo rerun election will take place in one unit with 884 votes expected1 apc polled 23379 while pdp polled 14499 in saturdays election in osogbo local government1 also in ife north election will take place in one unit with 353 votes expected and one unit in ife south with 1 314 votes outstanding1 in ife north apc scored 6527 and pdp 5486 while in ife south apc had 7223 and pdp 4 8721 in orolu local government which is the stronghold of mr lasun yussuff the deputy speaker house of representatives it was gathered that apc members want to pacify the deputy speaker to support the party to sweep the votes1 the news agency of nigeria nan reports that members of both parties have started canvassing for votes in osogbo orolu ife north and ife south were the re-run will be taking place1 he was one of the 17 aspirants that contested the partys primary on july 20 but came second with 21 votes1 the pdp it was gathered was also looking for a way to talk to the deputy speaker to support them1 although osogbo was considered to be the stronghold of apc but with the number of votes polled by pdp during saturdays election both parties have dug in working tirelessly to woo voters1 in ife north and south which are strongholds of sen. iyiola omisore the candidate of social democratic party sdp in the election it was gathered both pdp and apc have started negotiations with him1 nan reports that the election was declared inconclusive and a re-run ordered because the number of cancelled votes was higher than the margin between the two top candidates1 the pdp candidate ademola adeleke led the race with 254698 votes 353 votes more than his closest rival gboyega oyetola of the apc1 the margin was however less than the 3498 votes in the polling units where voting was cancelled1 consequently inec returning officer for the election prof. joseph afuwape declared the poll inconclusive and ordered a re-run1 unfortunately as the returning officer it is not possible to declare any party as the clear winner of this election at the first ballot afuwape said1

Bichi, DSS boss meets Osinbajo
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the new dss boss comes to the job with skills in intelligence gathering research analysis conflict management general investigation risk and vulnerability operations counter intelligence and protective operation and human resources management3 he was at various times the director national assembly liaison national war college director at national headquarters in the directorate of security enforcement directorate of operations directorate of intelligence directorate of inspection and directorate of administration and finance3 he also served as director at state service academy2 bichi attended danbatta secondary school the kano state college of advanced studies and the ahmadu bello university zaria where he graduated with a degree in political science2 the new director-general began his career in the security division of the cabinet office in kano from where he joined the defunct nigerian security organization nso the precursor of the present dss2 in the course of his career mr. bichi has worked as the state director of security in jigawa niger sokoto and abia states2 president buhari thereafter approved with effect from 14 september the appointment bichi as new director-general of the department of state service dss1 the details of the meeting are yet unknown as bichi declined to speak with the media reports1 mr. yusuf bichi the new director general of the director of state services dss is reported to have met with the vice president professor yemi osinbajo at the state house in abuja on tuesday1 mr bichi was appointed on september 13 to replace mr matthew seiyeifa who has been in the acting capacity after the dismissal of mr. lawal daura1 mr. bichi has undergone training in intelligence processing analysis agent handling recruitment and intelligence processing in the uk as well as strategic training at the national defence college1 daura was fired by the then acting president osinbajo on august 7 when president muhammadu buhari was on vacation1 dauras sack was sequel to the unauthorised blockade of the entrance to the national assembly by some hooded operatives of dss1 mr matthew seiyeifa a dss staff was appointed to act pending the appointment of a substantive director general1 bichi is a core secret service operative according to a statement by garba shehu senior special assistant on media to president buhari1

Shettima sacks cabinet as APC suspends Adamawa exco
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borno governor kashim shettima has dissolved the state executive council just as the ruling all progressives congress apc suspended the executive council of adamawa state indefinitely four days to the governorship primaries1 the secretary to borno state government mr. usman jidda shuwa announced the decision but did not give any reason for the decision1 shettima directed all the commissioners to hand over the affairs of their ministries to permanent secretaries before friday1 the ssg conveyed the profound appreciation of governor kashim shettima to the outgoing commissioners for their services and contributions to the unprecedented developmental progress recorded by the administration1 he said the governor wishes all the former commissioners the very best in their future endeavors1 he also conveyed the governments appreciation to all those who supported the commissioners in the discharge of their duties1 meanwhile the national working committee of apc has confirmed the suspension of the executive council of adamawa state indefinitely1 the partys national publicity secretary mr. yekini nabena a six-man caretaker committee will be constituted to pilot the affairs of the party in the state1

10 minutes of exercise can boost memory
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xinhua4 exercise not only benefits your body but also improves your memory researchers from two renowned universities have found1 researchers from the university of california irvine in the united states and the university of tsukuba in japan came to this conclusion in a recent paper just published1 scientists invited 36 volunteers who were in their early 20s to do 10 minutes of light exercise before taking a memory test in which they were shown pictures like broccoli or picnic baskets and asked to recall them later. the same experiment was repeated with the same group of volunteers without exercising1 the memory task really was quite challenging said michael yassa co-author of the study and a neuroscientist at the university of california irvine. we used very tricky similar items to see if they would remember whether it was this exact picnic basket versus that picnic basket1 researchers also scanned brains of some of the participants during the experiment. they found enhanced communication between regions involved in the storage and recollection of memories in brains of those who had exercised1 this suggested that just 10 minutes of light exercise like walking yoga or tai chi might boost memory power1 as all the volunteers in the experiment were relatively young researchers are still working to look at the effects of light exercise on older people1 our main goal is to try to develop an exercise prescription that can be used by older adults who might have disabilities or mobility impairments but can still adopt a very simple exercise regimen and be able to perhaps stave off cognitive decline said yassa1

Air passengers to pay $5 security levy
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alexander van de wint a klm official in dar es salaam said airlines had sold tickets for up to the end of the year and asked the government to postpone the levy until january 20191 tanzania has taken a major decision that could slow down tourism imposition of security levy of 5 on every air passengers1 tanzania airports authority director-general richard mayongela said foreign travellers boarding aircraft at major airports in the country will pay 5 while those on domestic flights will pay 21 the security levy is targeted at enhancing the development of airport infrastructure and stabilising and strengthening the safety of our airports said mr mayongela1 however airline executives say the new levy will make air transport in the country expensive adding that several taxes and fees are already being charged. they fear it may scare away potential customers1 the current departure tax for domestic flights is tsh13000 5.7 while international departure tax is tsh112101 49 per passenger1 the new levy which takes effect on october 1 is meant to help improve airport security installations and safety services including perimeter fences and scanning machines1 chief executive officer of the tanzania association of tour operators sirili akko told the eastafrican that the levy works against the governments goal of increasing the number of tourists1 m akko said a reduction if not abolition of all the fees levies and taxes on auxiliary services in the tourism sector would have maximised returns from the countrys tourism and wildlife sector1 tourism is tanzanias leading foreign exchange earner and a key economic sector1 the economy earned tsh4 trillion 2 billion from the sector last year according to the tanzania tourist board1 this surpassed earnings from gold which brought in tsh3 billion 1.28 billion in the same period1 httpwww.theeastafrican.co.kebusinesstanzania-to-tax-air-travellers-from-october2560-4777352-2u2bo5index.html1

Minimum wage: Labour gives warning of nationwide strike
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the organised labour has served warning of an imminent nation-wide strike over federal government delay in the implementation of a new national minimum wage1 mr joe ajaero president united labour congress ulc gave the warning in a communique issued after its meeting on monday in lagos1 the news agency of nigeria nan recalls that the organised labour made up of the nlc tuc and ulc had on sept. 12 issued a 14-day ultimatum to the government to state an amount to enable the minimum wage committee conclude its sitting1 labour had collectively demanded for n65000 per month as the new national minimum wage for all nigerian workers as harmonized by organized labour1 ajaero said that if the government failed to meet their demand on the expiration of the ultimatum it would collaborate with other labour centres and civil society organisations to embark on a nation-wide strike1 we shall no longer be obliged by this time to give any further notice to the government before embarking on the action1 by this communiqu we order all our affiliates and state councils nation-wide to move to the final level of alert in their preparation for the proposed nationwide strike he said1 the labour leader said that a new national minimum wage was desirable and possible adding that lack of patriotism greed and corruption was the bane of a reasonable wage1 meanwhile the central working committee cwc of the trade union congress of nigeria tuc has empowered the national administrative council nac and its leadership to carry out all necessary actions in conjunction with other stakeholders to ensure the achievement of the minimum wage1

Super Eagles captain Mikel Obi, coach Rohr disagree on Luka Modric
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modric was also the first choice of argentine captain lionel messi who also picked mbappe and eternal rival ronaldo as second and third choices1 captain of nigerias super eagles john mikel obi and coach gernot rohr disagreed on whether croatian luka modric should be crowned as best fifa player of the year1 but mikel obi chose lionel messi as first choice and french player kylian mbappe as the second. modric was obis thirds choice. rohr also picked mbappe as second choice and belgium and chelsea player eden hazard as his third choice1 the nigeria media man christian okpara who voted picked ronaldo eden and modric as first second and third choices1 egyptian captain el hadary essam voted mohamed salah luka modric and ronaldo as his choices1 egyptian coach javier aguirre onainda javier agreed with the captains first two choices only differing in making french player antoine griezman his third best player1 modric was rohrs first choice according to the details of the voting done by national captains coaches and media men1 eden hazard captain of belgium picked modric as first choice just like armenian captain arsenals henrikh mkhitaryan1 brazils captain miranda de souza filho joao picked ronaldo mbappe and messi as his choices in descending order.colombias falcao was for modric just like wales captain1 other national captains that backed modric were those of guinea conakry guinea bissau hungary iceland india israel senegal spain korea republic kosovo uae and usa1 modric was the second choice of germanys captain neuer manuel1 modric himself picked team mate varane raphael ronaldo and mbappe as his first second and third choices1 story updated with more choices made by national captains1

Court orders APC to conduct fresh election
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by wandoo sombo2 izunaso had asked the court to declare him winner of the post of nos but the court was of the view that while his complaints were well founded it was better to order fresh elections in the affected states1 justice nnamdi dimgba gave the order in a judgment on a suit filed by sen. osita izunaso the plaintiff and a contestant for the office of nos in the recent apc elective convention1 izunaso had asked the court to determine whether the election into the office of national organising secretary of apc was marred by violence leading to the disenfranchisement of delegates from some states1 he further wanted the court to ascertain whether as a result of the disenfranchisement of some delegates apc was right in declaring mr emma ibediro winner of the election since it was inconclusive1 the independent national electoral commission inec apc and ibediro were named as defendants in the matter. izunaso told the court that some thugs loyal to ibediro numbering up to 100 disrupted the election into the office.1 he said that they broke the ballot box making it impossible for votes of delegates from jigawa adamawa anambra abia and imo to be counted thereby rendering the election inconclusive1 he claimed that if the votes of those delegates were counted they would have bridged the 290 vote margin which ibediro defeated him with1 according to izunaso apc erred by going ahead to announce ibediro as winner of the election in spite of the violence thuggery and irregularities recorded1 the federal high court abuja on monday ordered all progressives congress apc to conduct fresh elections for the office of national organising secretary nos within 30 days1 it further agreed that the election did not follow the electoral act and the guidelines made by the party for the convention1 the court further noted that the defendants had not presented an effective defence to the claims made by the plaintiff and as such it was bound by the evidence before it1 on the allegations that the thugs acted on the authority of ibediro dimgba said it was not clear on whose authority the thugs acted but that what was clear was that their actions disrupted the election1 the court also said that inec failed in its duty as an election monitor adding that its dereliction of duty was evident in its monitoring report1 in the report inec said that the elections were conducted in line with guidelines of the 2018 apc elective convention and so it failed in its monitoring function with respect to election into the office of the nos1 he therefore ordered that apc should within 30 days pursuant to the plaintiffs alternative reliefs conduct a fresh election for the five states that were disenfranchised1 he also ordered inec to monitor the repeat election as the body empowered to monitor the smooth conduct of elections in the country1 according to him the duty of officers of the commission as election monitors is not to entertain themselves but to ensure that the elections comply with provisions of the law1 the court agreed that exhibits before it proved that the election was marred by violence and thuggery irregularities and non-compliance with the provisions of the constitution1

Buratai expresses concern over setback in operations
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by johnson eyiangho4 the quarterly conference is held to appraise developing security situations with a view to fashioning ways to deal with them to ensure peace for national development. nan1 buratai who spoke while declaring open the 2nd and 3rd quarter combined chief of army staff conference in abuja1 but we must not relent in spite of those setbacks he said. buratai therefore implored all commanders to brace up to the challenges that come with leadership.1 he said we should remember that the hallmark of a great leader is to turn setbacks to victories1 we should all strive to make our impacts felt at this crucial time and not allow the hands of progress to be pulled down1 i expect to see effective leadership at all levels of command which must permeate down the ladders1 according to him in the military good leadership remains a fundamental factor in achieving effective command and control at tactical operational and strategic levels1 he said that it was therefore highly desirable rather than essential for the nigerian army training institutions to give leadership training the desired attention1 the chief of army staff lt.-gen. tukur buratai on tuesday expressed concern over some recent developments in ongoing operations being conducted by the army especially operation lafia dole in the north east1 i challenge all our training institutions to make deliberate efforts to change the tide the army chief said1 he however noted that ongoing operations in different parts of the country to tackle the boko haram terrorists farmersherdsmen clashes armed banditry cattle rustling and other crimes had recorded tremendous successes1 he said the successes must be sustained and consolidated assuring that the nigerian army would continue to remain steadfast in the discharge of its responsibilities and providing aid to civil authority1 the news agency of nigeria nan reports that remnant of the boko haram terrorists group in the last two weeks attacked army locations at damasak and gudumbali all in borno north1 the attacks were interpreted in some quarters as resurgence of the insurgency1 however buratai disputed the claim saying that they did not signal so but occurred as the noose was being tightened against the terrorists and their logistics bases1 the operation last hold designed to finally degrade the insurgents in borno north and lake chad basin and facilitate the return of internally displaced persons to their ancestral homes is ongoing in those areas1 you are all aware of the weak leadership by some junior commanders and its impact on the conduct of operations1

FG revives 18 fertiliser blending plants FEPSAN
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by emmanuel afonne7 the whole idea is to get people to build plants around a cluster so that it helps with cost of transportation to achieve that price target we are looking at he added1 the president of fepsan mr thomas etuh who said this in an interview with news agency of nigeria nan in abuja on tuesday stressed that the resuscitated plants were now operational1 he recalled that only six out of the 32 fertiliser blending plants existing in the country were functional at inception of the buhari-administration in 20151 we then had six fertiliser plants working at 10 per cent capacity but with the introduction of pfi we moved to 11 plants in the first phase and today 18 out of the 32 plants are engaged in this programme1 at the end of last years season we closed with 12 fertiliser blending plants because wacot limited in collaboration with the edo state government added one plant to the 11 we had in the first phase1 about five plants are being evaluated to meet up the standards before we enlist them and i can also tell you that because of this programme we have five new fertiliser blending plants being set up in the country1 we have one each in zamfara ajaokuta in kogi akwa-ibom and funtua in katsina state while the one in kaduna is at the point of inauguration1 the plants in ajaokuta kogi and zamfara should come live by the end of the year while that of funtua in katsina state might come up by first quarter of next year 20191 fertiliser producers and suppliers association of nigeria fepsan says 18 fertiliser blending plants across the country have been revived under the presidential fertiliser initiative pfi introduced by president muhammadu buharis administration1 etuh said that nigeria would soon be reckoned with in area of fertiliser production considering the amount of money that was invested in the industry in the last three years1 he added that nigeria would soon be an exporter of npk nitrogen phosphorus and potassium fertiliser1 about 63 per cent of the raw materials are locally available in the country the materials are produced by some companies1 we have limestone granules with calcium produced by west african fertiliser company in okpela we have the urea produced by indorama and notore in onne rivers state1 so i know that in the next two to three years aliko dangotes fertiliser plant will start production and other are also coming up. currently nigeria is a net exporter of urea-based fertiliser1 with the aliko plant coming on board and indorama increasing to a second line we will be producing about 7 million tonnes of fertiliser. about 70 per cent of the fertiliser would be for exports while the remaining 30 per cent would be used within the country he said1 etuh who is also a pfi committee member said that fepsan was working hard to ensure that every farmer cluster had a blending plant to ease product transportation costs and facilitate a reduction in fertiliser prices1 he said that the fertiliser blending plants in niger and plateau were to service states in the north central geopolitical zone while the fertiliser plants in lagos were to cater for states in the south west and south east zones as well as kwara which as in the north central zone1 so i think these new five plants should be up and running by the first quarter of next year he added1

How to curb unintended pregnancies, maternal deaths via contraception
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by vivian ihechu3 also the risks of sexually transmitted infections especially hiv will be reduced1 also family planning has also been proven as an assured way of preventing unwanted pregnancies abortions and most of all maternal deaths1 the wcd brings to mind the need to continually improve awareness of all contraceptive methods available and enable young people to make informed choices on their sexual and reproductive health1 the annual worldwide campaign envisions where every pregnancy is wanted and the barriers that prevent young people from using sexual health services must be dissolved1 contraception or birth control is a device or drug designed to prevent the process of pregnancy after unprotected sex1 there are different kinds of contraception that act at different points in the process from ovulation through fertilisation to implantation even though each method has its own side effects and risks1 at a family planning summit in london on july 11 2017 the government of nigeria in collaboration with its partners and private sector pledged to achieve a modern contraceptive rate of 27 per cent among all women by 20201 contraceptive prevalence rate cpr provides a measure of population coverage of contraceptive use taking into account all sources of supply and all contraceptive methods it is the most widely reported measure of outcome for family planning programmes at the population level1 the federal government also made several other commitments including to increase its annual allocation for contraceptives to 4 million dollars ensuring total disbursement of 56 million dollars to the states through its global financing facility and international development association ida world bank loans1 the federal government promised to initiate curriculum and youth-friendly services in health facilities and other outlets collaborating with line ministries to ensure the provision of age-appropriate sexual reproductive health srh information to youth through the family life health education1 also it pledged to improve access to family planning services in difficult-to-reach areas and among disadvantaged populations foster positive attitudes about planning families and work to reduce socio-cultural barriers to use of family planning services1 however experts and stakeholders still decry the countrys low cpr diverse barriers to accessing it and lament the consequences1 according to them lack of access to and information on contraception leads to unplanned pregnancies unwanted children abortions high rate of school dropout depression and maternal deaths1 dr essien ukoh a gynaecologist and family planning expert said nigeria in particular remains a focus for increasing contraceptive use as it is one of the most populous countries in sub-saharan africa1 nigeria has a high total fertility rate tfr estimated to be between 5.5 and 5.7 for women of reproductive age 1549. low rates of contraceptive use are also pervasive in nigeria1 approximately 15 per cent of married women report using contraceptives and 16 per cent report an unmet need for family planning services according to the demographic and health survey ndhs 20131 rates of contraception in nigeria have stagnated remaining approximately 9 per cent between 2008 and 2013 he said1 a study contraceptive practices in nigeria literature review and recommendation for future policy decisions by emmanuel monjok andrea smesny john e ekabua and james essien also noted that the cpr for contraceptive use in nigeria was low1 this rate is very low in spite of the high rate of sexual activity and widespread awareness of the various contraceptive methods among nigerian adolescents and youths1 as a result there are many unintended pregnancies and illegal abortions contributing to a high maternal mortality ratio which seems to indicate a large unmet need for contraceptive use1 research evidence identify the various factors that contribute to the low prevalence of modern contraceptive use in nigeria with the most common factor being the myth about the side effects of modern contraceptives1 however what is lacking is the political will in nigeria to provide family planning programmes on a much larger scale using community-oriented approaches and communication programmes to help change the myth about the side effects of modern contraceptives the study says1 as the world contraception day wcd is observed on wednesday september 26 critical health issues such as maternal deaths preventing an imminent population explosion and achieving sustainable development goals sdgs will come to fore1 the study also showed that in nigeria unintended intercourse was the primary cause of unwanted pregnancies and many women with unwanted pregnancies decide to end them by abortion1 the consequences of these abortions are grave and can be life-threatening often leading to maternal death1 abortions account for 20 percent to 40 percent of maternal deaths in nigeria the study said1 also public health scientist mrs suzanne bell said the abortion rate by women of reproductive age in nigeria had risen between 1.8 and 2.7 million1 the rise isas a result of unintended pregnancies and majority of these abortions are considered unsafe hence the need for increased awareness and access to family planning to protect the lives of women1 a performance monitoring and accountability pma 2020 survey in 2018 showed that in 2017 the annual incidence of likely abortions in nigeria was 41.8 per cent per 1000 women aged 15 to 49 which is nearly 1.8 million abortions1 when including information related to the experience of respondents closest confidants the rate of likely abortions in nigeria rose to 2.7 million she said1 according to bell women living in rural areas women with no education and women who are poor were the most likely to have had the least safe abortion1 dr morenike ukpong the coordinator of new hiv vaccine and microbicide advocacy society nhvmas advised government to develop policies and guidelines that will promote access to contraception by adolescents in the country1 female adolescents are more at risk of having unintended pregnancies and unwanted births that can lead to postpartum depression feelings of powerlessness and reduction in overall physical health1 as it is contraception access and its promotion in nigeria is limited to married women1 its association with family planning makes the public community and health care providers think of contraception for use only among couples who are thinking of spacing children1 while there are clear guidelines and programmes that promote access of women to contraception there are conflicting guidelines on access and programmes for sexually active adolescents to contraception she said1 mrs funke gbadamosi a mother of four who resides in lagos told the news agency of nigeria nan that though she is married she did not use any form of contraceptive1 i have heard of many side effects and that discourages me perhaps one day i will be convinced to use a method she said1 dr omasanjuwa edun the lagos state team leader nurhi 2 advocates educating youths and adolescents on the knowledge of contraception as adolescent pregnancy had become a daunting problem in nigeria1 studies have shown the prevalence of unintended pregnancy among adolescents to be 23 per cent in the west 36 per cent in the south and 26 per cent in the north-central1 the inability of adolescents to access not just contraceptives but the necessary information when needed has also been found to be responsible for the unintended pregnancies in adolescents1 this often results in unsafe abortions edun told nan1 summarily access and use of effective contraception provides both health and social benefits1 experts have said that the benefits of contraception use are important and should be promoted because it reduces unintended pregnancies complications of illegally induced abortion with its dire consequences and school drop-out1 according to the study other barriers to using a contraception method include lack of awareness lack of access cultural factors religion and opposition to use by partners or family members1

Al-Makura vs Adamu feud: Foundation appeals for peace
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by salisu sani-idris4 there had been arguments over who should succeed gov. al-makura in 2019 as sen. adamus choice differed from that of the incumbent governor1 the vice president of kdf alhaji lawal maizabo made the appeal in a statement on tuesday in keffi nasarawa state1 maizabo who said that the political disparity between the two most important political leaders in the state was needless and appealed for amicable resolution of the issue1 he said that until now the two leaders had a robust relationship exchanged visits shared similar ideology and worked closely to bring development and dividends of democracy to the people of state1 he noted that difference of opinions among politicians was normal in democracy and it was in line with the tenets of democracy1 according to maizabo kdf as a strategic partner and stakeholder with desire for peace progress and passion for the state is duty-bound to intervene to soften the situation1 he said we consider our intervention imperative as stakeholders with quest for a greater nasarawa state as the current political distinction is capable of polarising the people1 the keffi development foundation kdf a community-based organisation has called for peaceful resolution of political differences between gov. umaru al-makura of nasarawa state and sen. abdullahi adamu representing nasarawa west senatorial district1 he added that keffi development foundation kdf hereby calls for amicable resolution of the impasse to move our state forward and have a hitch-free general elections in 20191 maizabo advised gov. al-makura to employ the political sagacity with which he used to resolve the political crisis that engulfed the state in the past1 he also called on traditional rulers stakeholders and well-meaning citizens of the state to mediate between the two most respected leaders of the state1 this according to him will help to resolve their differences and ensure lasting peace and harmony in the state1 similarly maizabo urged the national and state leadership of the all progressives congress apc to settle the lingering political differences between the duo to enhance sanity in the party in nasarawa1 he said that both leaders had contributed immensely to the progress and development of the state saying kdf cherishes the contributions of gov. al-makura and sen. adamu abdullahi to the state and looks up to them as role models and leaders1 he therefore called for immediate peaceful resolution of issues at stake stressing that the differences must be brought to a halt to ensure that the state continued to enjoy peace and tranquillity1

How I rebuffed Buharis invitation thinking it was 419 FEPSAN President
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by ifeanyi nwoko15 so what did we achieve with that we had 6 plants working at 10 per cent capacity. now with this initiative in the first phase we had 11 plants. and today there are 18 plants out of the 32 that are in this programme he said1 in an interview with the news agency of nigeria nan etuh narrated the funny conversation that ensued between him and the chief of staff to the president alhaji abba kyari who had called him to come for a meeting1 etuh said that when the call came from kyari inviting him he thought it was fraudsters and he vehemently told him off1 he explained that he rebuffed the call many times and advised the caller to go and get a job not knowing that the call was genuine and was going to change the lot of farmers and fertiliser producers as well as suppliers1 one weekend i got a call from the chief of staff to the president alhaji abba kyari that they wanted to see me. i thought it was a joke. so i said i wasnt interested in looking for any appointment and i dropped the phone1 a couple of minutes later he called back and asked if i was thomas etuh i said yes i am1 well like to see you he said. i said please i have told you i am not looking for any appointment and i can hear your voice sounding like a very elderly person. so i think you should go and get a job to do and stop this 419 then i banged the phone1 so while sitting with friends we put the number on truecaller and behold his name came up but i never bothered1 about an hour or two later he put a call through again i picked it and naturally i apologized. he kept laughing on the phone and saying that he understands and if i can come because they want to have a meeting with me1 the president of fertiliser producers and suppliers association of nigeria fepsan mr thomas etuh has narrated how he rebuffed an invitation by president muhammadu buhari to discuss the advancement of fertiliser value chain in nigeria1 and that discussion translated into the president setting up this committee of presidential fertiliser initiative pfi which fepsan which i lead as a body was tasked to come back with a proposal and all hands were on deck he said1 he said that government had been a very dominant player in the fertiliser market and everybody was selling to the government1 etuh explained that upon taking over about 10 years ago he worked hard to create his own market away from government and sell to farmers directly1 when this government came in you all heard the problem of fertiliser all over the country and that was why i was called in for the meeting1 because this programme was in the heart of president buhari he domiciled it in his office which was coordinated by the chief of staff himself1 we had the governor of jigawa as chairman of the committee we had the nnpc md we had the central bank governor we have the nsa himself we had the sovereign wealth fund in that committee and we had fepsan all serving in the committee which we work to coordinate this programme1 now what did we do in fepsan. we spoke to our members and said this is a win-win thing. reduce your profit margin and work on volume. whatever you are losing here you gain it from the volume1 the cbn governor brought a cost saving in terms of low cost of funds in single digits. instead of us getting money at double digits here we have money at single digits1 that cost reduction in finance was also transferred to the farmer. so because our cost of running is low the farmer also benefits in that. so everybody plays their own role1 eventually i made the appointment for the meeting and the presidency was concerned about the price of fertiliser going up and what we can do to reduce the price1

FG approves enrolment of corps members into NHIS NYSC DG
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declaring the event open ondo state governor oluwarotimi akeredolu said that the nysc had contributed tremendously to the development of the nations democracy1 by segun giwa1 kazaure told newsmen in akure at the opening ceremony of the annual management conference which coincided with the 45th anniversary of the nysc1 the d-g said as part of partnership deal with federal ministry of health the orientation camp of the scheme had a consultant from the federal medical centre1 kazaure commended the corps members that participated in the osun gubernatorial election for being good ambassadors of the scheme1 this annual management conference is for the top managers to come together and critically review the operations and policies of the scheme by setting an agenda so as to improve on the programme in subsequent years he said1 on the increment of allowance of corps members he said the scheme was not different from the civil service and would need to wait for the new national minimum wage1 he said the scheme had cleared the backlog of unpaid staff allowances and also created a robust forum to interface with members of staff and labour unions for industrial harmony1 the director-general of national youth service corps nysc brig.-gen. suleiman kazaure on tuesday said the federal government had approved the enrolment of corps members into the national health insurance scheme nhis1 akeredolu represented by his deputy mr agboola ajayi noted that the sustenance of the scheme would continue to impact on the society1 he pointed out that the nysc had contributed over 80 per cent to the nations development and democracy1 nysc has not only harmonised the diverse ethnic groups of nigeria but also reduced prejudices and misconceptions thereby promoting mutual trust understanding and tolerance1 akeredolu said the annual management conference with the theme nysc at 45 consolidating gains and creating opportunities was an indication that the management was poised towards repositioning the scheme to face its current challenges1 as a way of appreciating the contribution of corps members to the development of the state my administration has also introduced a package of n100 000 n80 000 and n50 000 for the state honour award winners to corps members he said1 in her goodwill message the nysc national governing board mrs fatima abubakar stated that the board attended the conference in compliance with the president muhammadu buharis charge to enhance service delivery1 earlier in an introductory address by the nysc director planning research and statistics mrs victoria okakwu said the choice of akure as a venue for the conference was informed by the hospitality enjoyed from the government and good people of the state1 she added that the focus of the conference was to brainstorm and come up with practicable solutions and strategies that will reposition and promote the ideals of the scheme in both present and future operating environment1

How yam tubers landed 5 in prison custody
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by olawale akinremi2 however the five accused persons had pleaded their innocence and denied commission of the offences. mr taiwo lasisi their defense counsel subsequently applied for bail on liberal terms.1 the accused biodun ayodele 20 michael adebayo 19 lukman ahmed 22 arisekola ridwan 20 and kayode suleiman 45 were granted bail but failed to meet the conditions for their release1 the accused persons were consequently remanded in custody1 akinrodoye had admitted the accused persons to bail in the sum of n150000 with one reliable surety each in like sum. the court president subsequently adjourned the case till oct. 17 for continuation of hearing.1 mrs imoleayo akinrodoye the president of the mapo grade a customary court in ibadan on tuesday remanded five suspects facing trial for alleged theft of 120 tubers of yam1 ayeni said that ayodele adebayo ahmed arisekola and suleiman committed the crime on sept. 22 at 5 a.m. at bere area of ibadan1 according to the prosecutor the first second third and fourth accused broke into shops where tubers of yams meant for sale were stocked and stole 120 pieces and sold them to the fifth accused1 he further stated that the yam tubers valued at n40000 belonged to kazeem oladeni and jamiu salami traders at the oja-oba market in ibadan oyo state1 ayeni said that the offences contravened sections 516 a 390 9 and 427 of the criminal code cap 38 vol ii laws of oyo state of nigeria 20001 earlier the police prosecutor sgt. ayodele ayeni had informed the court that the five suspects were arraigned on a three-count charge bordering on conspiracy unlawful breaking-in and stealing1

OPEC, Russia rebuff Trump
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our attention is shifting to 2019. we have been briefed on the prospect of 2019 inventory builds which result from significant supply growth from non-member counties falih said1 opecs largest producer saudi arabia and its biggest oil-producer ally outside the group russia rebuffed us president donald trump on sunday over his call for more oil output to reduce prices1 benchmark brent oil reached 80 a barrel this month prompting trump to reiterate on thursday his demand that the organization of the petroleum exporting countries lower prices1 the price rally mainly stemmed from a decline in oil exports from opec member iran due to fresh u.s. sanctions1 we protect the countries of the middle east they would not be safe for very long without us and yet they continue to push for higher and higher oil prices we will remember. the opec monopoly must get prices down now trump wrote on twitter1 falih said saudi arabia had spare capacity to raise output but such a move was not required at the moment and might not be needed next year as according to opecs projections a stellar rise in non-opec production could exceed global demand growth1 the markets are adequately supplied. i dont know of any refiner in the world who is looking for oil and is not able to get it falih said adding that saudi arabia could raise output by up to 1.5 million barrels per day bpd if needed1 given the numbers we saw today that an output increase in 2019 is highly unlikely unless we have surprises on the supply and demand falih added1 the statement from trump meanwhile was not his first criticism of opec1 higher gasoline prices for u.s. consumers could create a political headache for republican trump before mid-term congressional elections in november1 iran opecs third-largest producer has accused trump of orchestrating the oil price rally by imposing sanctions on tehran and accused its regional arch-rival saudi arabia of bowing to u.s1 a mid-term report released by opec on sunday forecast that non-opec supply from countries led by the united states would rise by 2.4 million bpd in 2019 while global oil demand should grow by just 1.5 million1 it also steeply raised u.s. oil output growth estimates to 2023 predicting opec would lose further market share1 i do not influence prices saudi energy minister khalid al-falih told reporters as opec and non-opec energy ministers gathered in algiers for a meeting that ended with no formal recommendation for any additional supply boost1 russian energy minister alexander novak said no immediate output increase was necessary although he believed a trade war between china and the united states as well as u.s. sanctions on iran were creating new challenges for oil markets1 oil demand will be declining in the fourth quarter of this year and the first quarter of next year. so far we have decided to stick to our june agreements novak said1 seeking to reverse a downturn in oil prices that began in 2014 opec russia and other allies decided in late 2016 to reduce supply by some 1.8 million bpd1 in june this year however after months of cutting by more than their pact had called for largely due to involuntary reductions from venezuela and other producers they agreed to boost output by returning to 100 percent compliance1 that equates to an increase of about 1 million bpd but the latest data shows they are some way from achieving that target1 in august opec and its allies cut production by 600000 bpd more than their pact required mainly as a result of falling output in iran as customers in europe and asia reduced purchases ahead of the u.s. sanctions deadline1 opec put irans current production at 3.58 million bpd down some 300000 bpd from the start of the year according to opecs secondary sources such as researchers and ship-trackers1 irans opec governor hossein kazempour ardebili insisted on sunday that iranian production was steady at 3.8 million bpd but appeared to soften his stance on potential increases in opec output1 if there is a fall not only from iran but anybody else it is the responsibility of opec and non-opec to balance the market kazempour told reporters1 falih said returning to 100 percent compliance was the main objective and should be achieved in the next two to three months1 although he refrained from specifying how that could be done saudi arabia is the only oil producer with significant spare capacity1 the biggest issue is not with the producing countries its with the refiners its with the demand. we in saudi arabia have not seen demand for any additional barrel that we did not produce1 the opecnon-opec monitoring committee next meets on nov. 11 in abu dhabi followed by a full opec gathering at its vienna headquarters on dec. 6-71

Breaking: INEC declares Osun guber election inconclusive
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apc 10861 pdp 9836 sdp 2967 adc 145 adp 1645apc1 the independent national electoral commission inec has declared saturdays osun governorship election as inconclusive1 fuwape who is the vice chancellor of the federal university of technology akure futa while announcing the results of the election said that sen. ademola adeleke the candidate of the peoples democratic party pdp scored 254698 votes1 he said alhaji gboyega oyetola the candidate of the all progressives congress apc scored 254 345 votes1 he said the election was declared inconclusive because of cases of ballot boxes snatching that occurred in some polling units during the election1 the returning officer mentioned the affected polling units to include ife north one polling unit ife south two polling units orolu three polling units and osogbo one polling unit1 he said a total of 3498 votes were cancelled in the seven affected polling units1 based on this fact i cannot declare anyone the winner of the election he said1 fuwape however said that the rerun of the election in the affected polling units would take place on sept. 271 he urged all the political gladiators to maintain peace before during and after the rerun1 here are the details of the results1 1.boluwaduro apc lg3843 pdp3779 sdp1766 adp8581 2.atakumosa west lg apc 5019 pdp 5401 sdp 1570 adp 7181 3.ifedayo lg apc 3182 pdp 3374 sdp 1377 adp 1761 4.ede south apc 4512 pdp 16693 sdp 855 adp1 5.orolu lg apc 5442 pdp7776 sdp 2043 adp 388 adc791 6.obokun lg apc 7229 pdp 10859 sdp 1907 adc 106 adp 6631 7.ilesha east lg apc9790 pdp8244 sdp3620 adc 188 adp 1275apc1 8.boripe lg apc 11655 pdp6892 sdp 2730adp1137 adc 137apc1 9.ilesha west apc 7251 pdp 8286 sdp 2408 adc 127 adp 2363pdp1 10.oriade lg apc 9778 pdp 10109 sdp 2265 adc 109 adp 12241 11.irepodun lg1 apc 6517 pdp 8058 sdp 4856 adc 158 adp 2564pdp1 12.ila lg1 apc 8403 pdp 8241 sdp3134 adc 96 adp 183apc1 13.isokan lg1 apc 7297 pdp 9048 sdp 3460 adc 56 adp682pdp1 14.odo-otin lg1 apc 9996 pdp9879 sdp 2941 adc 1034 adp 1112apc1 15.ayedaade lg1 prof. joseph fuwape the returning officer for the sept. 22 election made the declaration in osogbo1 16.atakumosa east lg1 apc 7073 pdp 5218 sdp 2140 adc 06 adp 629apc1 17. ede north lg1 apc 7025 pdp18745 sdp 1382 adc 89 adp 758pdp1 18. ifelodun lg1 apc 9882 pdp12269 sdp 1970 adc 236 adp 2844 pdp1 19. ayedire lg1 apc 5474 pdp 5133 sdp2396 adc144 adp1642 apc1 20. ife north1 apc 6527 pdp5486 sdp5158 adc94 adp 745 apc1 21. ejigbo lg1 apc 14779 pdp 4803 sdp4803 apc1 22. egbedore local government1 apc 7354 pdp7231 sdp 33671 23. ife central local government1 apc6957 pdp3200 sdp20494 adc194 adp10531 24.irewole lg1 apc 10049 pdp 13848 sdp 1142 adp 1915pdp1 25.olorunda lg1 apc 16254 pdp 9850 sdp7061 adc335 adp1407 apc1 26 ola-oluwa lg1 apc5025 pdp 4026 sdp2104 adp2194 adc 1408apc1 27. ife south lg1 apc 7223 pdp4872 sdp 6151 adc136 adp561. apc1 28. ife east1 apc8925 pdp 6608 adc 237 adp 509 sdp 176431 29.iwo local government1 apc7644 pdp 6122 adp 16 425 adc 1164 sdp 41531 30.osogbo lg1 apc 23379 pdp 14499 sdp 10188 adc413 adp 24781

APC shifts presidential primary
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governorship primaries september 29 20182 senate primaries october 2 20182 house of representatives primaries october 3 20182 state house of assembly primaries october 4 20182 presidential national convention october 6 20182 the 2018 primaries would be held as follows1 the party announced the shift in a statement today1 the all progressives congress has shifted the presidential direct primary election earlier scheduled for tuesday september 25th to thursday september 27th1 it urged all duly registered party members to collect their permanent membership cards from their respective wards1 it was the second time in one week that the party would alter its primary election timetable1 last week the organising secretary emma ibediro announced a revised timetable for the conduct of all the partys primaries ahead of february 2019 general elections as approved by the national working committee1 the news agency of nigerianan reports that the apc presidential primary is to pass an affirmative vote on president muhammadu buhari who is the partys sole candidate for the 2019 presidential election1

Breaking: National Assembly shifts resumption date
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the national assembly has shifted its resumption from its annual recess from sept. 25 to oct. 9 according to its clerk mohammed omolori1 omolori announced this on sunday attributing it to the primary elections by political parties1 this is to inform all distinguished senators and honourable members that resumption of plenary session earlier scheduled for tuesday 25th september has been postponed to tuesday 9th october due to activities of primaries of political parties1 all distinguished senators and honourable members are expected to resume plenary session by 10 am on the 9th of october please1 the national assembly began its annual vacation on july 241

Smart watches, speakers escape Trumps tariffs
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the u.s. trade representatives office had said it was breaking out items such as smart watches fitness trackers bluetooth audio streaming devices and smart speakers into a new subcategory that would be exempted but it gave few details1 many high-profile consumer technology items such as smart watches and speakers were spared by the u.s. tariffs that hit some 200 billion worth of chinese products1 consumer tech industry officials and the u.s. customs and border protection agency say they expect billions of dollars worth of these products including those designed for home use will be subject to the 10 per cent tariffs activated on monday1 the move will effectively create a two-tiered tariff structure for consumer internet with many products such as fitbit fit.n fitness trackers apple incs aapl.o watch and amazon.com incs amzn.o echo smart speaker being favoured over routers and internet gateways from arris international arrs.o netgear ntgr.o d-link 2332.tw and others1 were operating under the assumption that the tens of millions of devices that deliver high-speed internet into consumers homes will be impacted by these tariffs said jim brennan arris seniour vice president of supply chain quality and operations1 it feels anti-consumer because our devices are what enables the core of consumer tech brennan told reuters1 the modems routers switching and networking gear that keep the internet functioning were not included in a newly created u.s. tariff code that was exempted from the latest china tariffs a spokesperson for the u.s. customs and border protection agency said1 the agency has made no distinction between consumer-use modems and routers and the commercial network equipment used by data centers and broadband internet providers1 most new internet-connected devices had been lumped into a broad category in the u.s. harmonized tariff schedule 85176200 machines for the reception conversion and transmission or regeneration of voice images or other data including switching and routing apparatus1 the catch-all category saw 23 billion in u.s. imports from china and 47.6 billion from the world last year. it was the largest component of u.s. president donald trumps latest tariffs targeting chinese goods1 but the less flashy home modems routers and internet gateways that make them work werent so lucky1 according to a notice posted by the u.s. international trade commission computer modems would stay in a separate sub-category while switching and routing apparatus would be put into a new sub-category. neither of these sub-categories were granted exemptions from the tariffs1 although we have not had occasion to issue rulings on the scope of a provision for switching and routing apparatus we agree that as a general matter modems routers and networking equipment will be subject to the remedy a customs and border protection spokesperson said late on friday referring to the 10 percent tariff1 it was not clear how much of the 23 billion in chinese imports within the catch-all category could escape tariffs but a reuters review of industry data suggests the share could be small1 u.s. census bureau data has not yet captured the volume of annual imports from china or any country of the goods that will be exempt1 but the consumer technology association estimates that the u.s. market for fitness trackers smart watches smart speakers and wireless earbuds and headphones was 8.2 billion in 2017 with forecast sales of 11.6 billion for 20191 even if china produced a majority of those goods exemptions would only apply to a fraction of the 23 billion category1 cta has forecast direct sales of modems and routers to consumers at 2.3 billion for 2019 up from 2 billion in 2017 excluding the products supplied directly by cable and broadband internet providers and equipment used in data centers and other infrastructure outside the home1 but the group argues that consumers will bear the costs of the tariffs even if their service provider buys the modems1 overall access to the internet will get more expensive mobile plans will get more expensive and connected devices that go to your smart phones will get more expensive because everything speaks to each other said izzy santa director of strategic communications for cta. reuters1