By Ruth Oketunde

Mr Mustapha Ahmed, the Director-General, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has appreciated the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSrelief) for its continuous donation to the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the country.

He expressed the appreciation when he received a team from the KSrelief centre on Thursday in Abuja.

Ahmed, who commended the humanitarian agency for announcing its plans to provide further relief donations to the IDPs in Borno, Yobe and Kano State, lauded the centre for its past support to IDPs in Borno, Yobe and Zamfara.

He said that the gesture was an evidence of friendship and brotherhood between Nigeria and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The director-general assured that NEMA would continue to ensure proper distribution of the relief items meant for the target beneficiaries, especially those affected by disasters in the country.

He, however, appealed that the centre extended its support to the country, especially to those impacted by the 2022 flood disaster which ravaged many communities.

Also speaking, Hajiya Fatima Kasim, Director, Planning, Research and Forecasting in the Agency, said that a total of 7,750 households had been profiled to benefit from the lastest food donation from the centre.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the KSrelief team was led by Mr Basheer Saleem.

NAN reports that King Salman bin Abdulaziz established KSrelief in 2015.

The centre is in the framework of the Saudis efforts to alleviate the suffering of those in need worldwide. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Kevin Okunzuwa/Sadiya Hamza

Source: NAN News

Hamzat Lawal, Chief Executive Officer, CODE

By Angela Atabo

Connected Development (CODE)and its partners, have tasked the Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC) to address challenges experienced during the Feb. 25 election, ahead of the Governorship and Houses of Assembly Election.

Hamzat Lawal, Chief Executive Officer, CODE, who spoke on behalf of the group said this when he presented the interim statement on the process and conduct the presidential and National Assembly elections in Abuja on Thursday.

Lawal said that the group deployed observers in polling units across the 774 Local Government Areas (LGAs ) of the country as well as the Federal Capital Territory, saying that the findings raised concerns about the management of the election.

Lawal tasked INEC on swift deployment and early opening of polls, professional conduct of security personnel and INECs strict adherence to the use of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS).

He said that the BVAS should be used for biometric accreditation and electronic transmission of results from polling unit as stipulated by the Electoral Act 2022 and INEC 2023 Election guidelines for the conduct of election.

The Governorship and State Assembly election is yet another opportunity for INEC to redeem her image, and earn the trust and confidence of the electorates in our electoral process.

More importantly, INEC should ensure transparency of the result management and collation process and make certain that polling unit results are uploaded timely on the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IREV).

The Uzabe election observation mission was focused on the election days process; focusing on the quality of the election, with the notion that if the process is right, the outcome will be right and accepted by all.

Drawing from these observations, CODE and her partners conclude that the 2023 Presidential and National Assembly Election failed to meet the basic threshold of a credible election, as it failed short of Citizens expectations, INECs assurances, and benchmark of international election best practice, Lawal said.

He said that the interim statement brought to light some of the discrepancies observed like delay in commencement of polls, low adherence to Electoral laws and slow or non upload of results among others.(NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Ali Baba-Inuwa

Source: NAN News

Pauline Tallen

By Justina Auta

The Minister of Women Affairs, Mrs Pauline Tallen, says womens exclusion from the digital world has reduced one trillion dollars from the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of low and middle income countries.

Tallen said at a news conference in Abuja on Thursday, ahead of the commemoration of the 2023 International Womens Day (IWD) that this occurred over the last decade.

The theme of this years edition is: DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality.

According to her, bringing women and other marginalised groups into technology has greater potential for innovations that meet womens needs and promote gender equality.

The lack of women inclusion, by contrast, comes with massive costs and according to the UN Women 2022 Snap Short Report, womens exclusion from the digital world.

This has reduced one trillion dollars from the GDP of low- and middle-income countries in the last decade.
This loss will grow to .5 trillion by 2025 without action.

Reversing this trend according to the report will require tackling the problem of online violence, which 38 per cent of women had personally experienced, she said.

The minister stressed the need for gender-responsive approach to innovation, technology and digital education that could increase the awareness of women and girls regarding their rights and civic engagement.

She also called for the adoption of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) courses by girls to address discrimination, gender bias and improve participation in all spheres.

I therefore ask that, teachers and educational institutions be supported to consciously remove gender biases and stereotypes in our educational environments, textbooks and didactic materials.

It starts with making womens contributions to STEM visible, including through connecting young women and girls with STEM professionals and mentors, she said.

Also, Mr Marthias Schumale, UN resident Coordinator, said they would enhance involvement of women and girls in technology to increase gender inclusion.

We will continue to invest into technology. And as we do that, we will prioritise women and girls because collectively we can make the world of technology and innovation inclusive by working together, he said.

Ms Uller Mueller, UNFPA Country Representative, harped on the role technology plays to expand networks, opportunities, and minds.

Mueller, represented by Ms Erika Goldson, UNFPA Deputy Representative, however, noted that technology was increasingly misused and weaponised, with women and girls disproportionately targeted.

This can take the form of image-based abuse, sextortion, harassment, hate speech, cyberbullying and doxing.

Data tell us that 97 per cent of girls between 11 to16 years in Nigeria have experienced unwanted sexual approaches in chat rooms, social networking sites or emails.

Over 7.89 per cent of this group have been sent sexual images or content, 57 per cent of women have had their videos or images online abused or misused, she said.

She added that UNFPA was developing safety and ethics guidelines for practitioners designing technology for gender-based violence prevention and response.

Mueller said that technology companies are engaged to involve women in design processes from the outset.

Technology is essential to advancing gender equality. When women and girls can access and use technology safely, they can amplify their voices and exercise their agency and autonomy.

This is giving them a platform that can transform their future and ours, she said.

Also, Prof. Ibrahim Pantami, Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, said they would train 200 women on ICT and digital economy in March to reduce the gender gap in technology innovation.

Pantami was represented by Mrs Iklima Musa, Special Assistant to the minister on Strategy and Innovation.

Ms Kemisola Bolarinwa, President, Women in ICT Foundation, launched the prototype of a Smart Bra Device to detect abnormalities like cancer cells.

Bolarinwa also added that they invented a wrist watch and necklace to track movement, in a bid to curb insecurity, particularly kidnapping. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Dorcas Jonah/Isaac Aregbesola

Source: NAN News

By Maureen Okon

Nigerian businessmen and women have urged the government of Pakistan to entrench the ease of doing business to strengthen bilateral relations between the two nations.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Nigerian delegation had a meeting the sidelines of the ongoing 2nd edition of the Engineering and Healthcare Show (EHCS) holding in Lahore.

The Nigerian delegates said this at a meeting with the Special Assistant (SA) to the Prime Minister on Commerce, Mr Malik Ghulam, when he met with the businessmen and the Nigerian community in Pakistan.

NAN also reports that, EHCS was organised by the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) and the Ministry of Commerce of Pakistan.

NAN reports that during the meeting some of the businessmen urged Pakistan to create a platform where they can make payments with a relative ease, adding that the protocol of business transaction was difficult.

Other speakers said the prices of pharmaceuticals products were high and urged the government to subsidise the rates of the pharmaceutical products.

Mr Ibrahim Musa, the Managing Director, IBM Investment and the Leader of the Nigerian delegation to EHCS event said: When the government addresses these challenges, the outcome of both countries achievements would be commendable.

He added that the Nigerian pharmaceutical businessmen mostly dealt with pharmaceuticals products from China and India.

Musa said: Jf the government will see to the price reduction of the pharmaceutical products we will patronise Pakistani products.

We have a huge take-over, our people mainly deal with Indians and China and we believe that Pakistan is known for quality products and that is why we want to shift our market from India and China to Pakistan.

But, our basic problem is price challenges and some are saying that the government of India and China used to assist the manufactures by subsidising their prices.

So, we need Pakistani government to do the needful to assist business people to beat the prices in order to penetrate the Nigerian market for all parties to benefit immensely.

Musa also sought the support of the government of Pakistan to collaborate in setting up joint pharmaceutical factories in Nigeria to boost both countries existing bilateral relations.

Responding, the SA to the Prime Minister on Commerce, Mr Ghalum, assured the Nigerian delegation that TDAP would look into their concerns as it was the purpose of the expo.

The purpose of this expo and exhibition is for business people to have first-hand interactions with manufacturers and to see the quality of Pakistani products.

As regards to payment issue, the whole point of the event is also to identify some of these challenges that our business people are facing.

It is also aimed at finding lasting solutions to these problems to make the ease of doing business for our Nigeria partners smooth, he said. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Bashir Rabe Mani

Source: NAN News

Buhari in Maiduguri

By Hamza Suleiman

President Muhammadu Buhari has arrived Maiduguri as part his one-day official visit to Borno to inaugurate a 50-Megawatts Power Plant and other viable projects executed by the state government.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the presidential jet landed at the Nigerian Air Force wing of the Maiduguri International Airport on Thursday at about 11:10 a.m.

Buhari was received on arrival by Gov. Babagana Zulum, members of National and State Houses of Assembly, and some top government officials.

Other dignitaries that received the president were the Theatre Commander, North East Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK), Maj.- Gen. Ibrahim Ali, Heads of security agencies, community and religious leaders.

NAN reports that the president is expected to inaugurate the new 50-megawatts Maiduguri Gas Power plant constructed by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL).

He will also commission the Ahmadu Bello Way, Shehu Sanda Kyari, Lafiya and Mogoram Roads, before proceeding to the Maiduguri Monday Market gutted by fire recently.

Buhari would be conducted round the scene by the General Manager of the market, Mustapha Loskorima.

The President will also inaugurate the Cancer Center at the University of Maiduguri and the newly constructed Tashan Bama Motor Park, consisting of 475 shops and an administrative complex. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Chidi Opara/Rabiu Sani-Ali

Source: NAN News

NCWS National President, Hajiya Lami Lau

By Dorcas Jonah

National Council of Women Societies (NCWS) has congratulated the President-elect, Sen. Bola Tinubu, on his victory at Saturdays Presidential election, calling for an all-inclusive government.

NCWS National President, Hajiya Lami Lau, in a statement issued in Abuja on Tuesday, also congratulated the Vice-President-elect, Sen. Kashim Shettima.

She urged individuals and political parties that were not satisfied with the election results not to take laws into their hands but seek redress in the court of law.

Lau said that an all-inclusive government was crucial to nation building and transformation of the country.

She also said that increased participation of female technocrats in politics would go a long way in repositioning the country for greatness.

Lau called on the president-elect to recognise the role of women in nation-building by giving them more opportunities in governance.

If more women are given the opportunity to serve in various government positions, they will bring hope back to the masses and the society will benefit.

There cannot be any meaningful development without an all-inclusive government of women, youths and persons with disabilities.

More women are needed in government, as they are the most-productive part of the society, she said.

The NCWS national president commended women and youths for coming out en masse to vote for the candidate of their choice in the just-concluded presidential and national assembly elections.

She urged them to repeat same in the March 11 governorship and House of Assembly elections, saying that they should focus more on female candidates.

Lau also stressed the need for peace as a tool for national development. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Wale Sadeeq

Source: NAN News

Supporters jubilate in carnival manner as Tinubu receives Certificate of Return

By Muhyideen Jimoh

Major streets in the FCT erupted into carnival-like celebrations on Wednesday as Sen. Bola Tinubu received his Certificate of Return as the president-elect from INECs chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu.

Shortly after the ceremony which took place at the International Conference Centre, Abuja, supporters of the president-elect went into a frenzy of jubilation around Garki Area 1 shopping complex.

The supporters drove in colourful motorcade hoisting the posters of Tinubu and that of Alhaji Kashim Shettima, the vice-president-elect.

They performed various car stunts on major streets while chanting Jagaban.

Malam Abubakar Mohammed, one of the supporters said they were happy Tinubu won the keenly-contested election.

Jagaban is a good man; we are happy that he won the election, he said.

Mohammed, however, called on the president-elect to focus on improving the lives of the masses.

Another supporter, Malam Nura Ismail said the victory was for all Nigerians and charged the president-elect to improve on the economic and security situation in the country.

This celebration is to thank Allah for the victory of Jagaban (Tinubu) at the polls; we urge him to improve on the economic and security situation when he is sworn in, he said.

Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) polled 8,794,726 votes to win the 2023 presidential election. He defeated Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party and Mr Peter Obi of Labour Party to emerge victorious. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Alli Hakeem

Source: NAN News

Prof. Olalekan Akinbo

By Sylvester Thompson

Prof. Olalekan Akinbo, Scientist and Supervisor at Centre of Excellence in Science, Technology and Innovation (STI), African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD), says Genome Editing (GEd) technology is useful to Africa.

Akinbo spoke in a telephone interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday.

He clarified that Genome Editing (GEd) and Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) were not the same in principle.

Making this distinction, he said GMO could apply Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) information from another plant or animal to form a crop, while GEd had nothing to do with external applications.

Akinbo explained that in GEd, all what was needed was already inside the plants DNA, hence the idea was to use the inherent information to assist the plant realise its potential.

He stated that this was known as redundant DNA which GEd technology would help to activate.

The scientist, who was responding to why African countries should take GEd seriously, argued that it was an emerging technology with new innovations that help in various areas of improvements.

He listed these areas to include climate, agriculture and health among others, adding that the technology is also a means of improving livelihoods.

Akinbo said the technology of GEd was an initiative the centre advocated with focus on agricultural productivity.

According to him, numerous crops have the potentials to produce optimally but due to the limitations caused by diseases, pests and nutrient insufficiency in the soil, among others, they failed to optimally produce.

Akinbo said in such cases, crops with these shortcomings were not to be exposed to conventional breeding techniques where the parental characteristics could not be passed from one generation to another for enhancement in yields.

He added: But when the limitation is removed through genome editing which uses advanced breeding technique, then the potential of the crop would be enhanced and productivity in regards to yield will improve.

This is the most important thing because Africa is an agrarian continent that relies more on agriculture and most of agricultural productivity is very low due to pest, diseases among other inhibiting factors.

Akinbo lamentedthat the standard of Africas agricultural productivity was low in comparison to what is required or expected in international standards of crop yield and output.

He said through GEd technology, Africas crop yield and agricultural output would be improved and maximised, which would automatically impact on the Gross Domestic Products(GDPs) of African economies.

He assured that with GEd, instead of cultivating massive hectares of land for less yield as what was experienced in conventional breeding, a reduced area of land would ensure tremendous yield.

The scientist further said that GEd was helpful in addressing issues relating to climate change because there would be significant afforestation that would be going on.

He said: Africans need food to feed the teeming population, so yield may not need to be one hundred per cent farming with improvement in efficiency and productivity scale.

So, this technology could also help to improve and support the productivity of crops, with reduced area of cultivated land and provide enough feed for animals as well as increase their meat productivity.

Akinbo stated that emerging technologies were numerous but genome editing was one that made use of the technology at the DNA level, which is the information carrier in the body of any living organism.

He said that this was very important as this was one of the advantages of the technology.

Akinbo added: The truth is that science has proven that this technology will help African nations.(NAN)()

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Edited by Bashir Rabe Mani

Source: NAN News

Bola Tinubu

By Chijioke Okoronkwo

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has congratulated the winner of the 2023 presidential election, Sen. Bola Tinubu.

Osinbajo extended his felicitations in a message he sent to the President-elect on Wednesday in Abuja.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had earlier on Wednesday declared the presidential flag bearer of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Tinubu, winner of the Feb. 25 presidential election.

INEC has also presented the Certificates of Return to Tinubu, and his Vice President elect, Kashim Shettima.

I warmly congratulate the flagbearer of our great party, the APC, Tinubu, on his victory at the 2023 Presidential Elections, and his declaration as President-Elect of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

I also congratulate Sen. Shettima on his declaration as Vice President-Elect of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

In your previous years of public service, you have demonstrated a consistent fidelity to progressive and welfarist ideals, and an ability to build bridges across several divides.

These attributes are needed especially at this time, to reach out to disaffected sections of our society and to meet the aspirational expectations of our young people who have shown such a strong desire to impact our democratic process in a positive way.

I trust that they will not allow whatever setbacks they may have experienced to truncate their strong desire to determine the future course of our national journey.

Through thick and thin, we must all remain focused on the objective of birthing the Nigeria of our dreams.

I pray that Almighty God will help you to fulfil the progressive mandate of our Party, as well as your various plans to improve the security, welfare and happiness of all Nigerians, he said.

Earlier, while presiding over the weekly Federal Executive Council, the vice president led the ministers to congratulate Tinubu, his wife, Sen. Oluremi Tinubu and the Vice President-Elect, Shettima.

He directed the Secretary to the Government of the Federation to formally convey the felicitations of the council.

The vice president had also attended the formal presentation of the INEC Certificates of Return to both the President-Elect and the Vice President-Elect at the National Collation Center, International Conference Centre, Abuja.(NAN)

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Edited by Ismail Abdulaziz

Source: NAN News

By Angela Atabo

The FCT Senatorial Candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Hajia Ireti Kingibe, on Monday rejected the cancellation of the Bwari Area Council election results.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had canceled the senatorial results for Abaji and Bwari due to over voting.

Kingibe, while addressing Journalists in Abuja said that there was no over voting in Bwari Area Council, therefore, the cancellation was uncalled for.

According to her, a mistake in the tabulation of results should not affect the victory of a candidate.

She said she was told that the person that wrote the figure made a mistake whether knowingly or unknowingly, and the person put two plus two equals to five.

She added that the official now referred to the mistake as over voting.

She said that the Electoral Officer (EO) said it was an error from the person that wrote the results whether he did it on purpose or accidentally, was not clear.

All the results sheets show there was no over voting in any of the polling units. So, why cancel the result of the entire area council? We have watched them.

They have been looking for a reason to cancel all our strongholds and suddenly, they found an error and that cant stand.

They said it is not their job to look at the results sheets on over voting. We have had enough.

They said we should go to the polls, they want to impose people on us, it will not work. The way this country is going, weve had enough.

Earlier, Ireti had called on her supporters to keep calm over the delay in the announcement of election results, saying the margin is too high for manipulation.

Ireti said the delay in the announcement of the FCT Senatorial election was as a result of violence recorded during the election. (NAN)(www nannews.ng)

Edited by Grace Yussuf

Source: NAN News