Following are the final group standings in the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) Qualifying Competition at the conclusion of all but one of the series matches on Tuesday:

How They Finished

TEAM MP W D L GF GA GD PTS

MALI 6 4 1 1 10 4 6 13

GUINEA 6 3 2 1 8 5 3 11

NAMIBIA 6 3 0 3 8 7 1 9

CHAD 6 0 1 5 2 12 -10 1

TEAM MP W D L GF GA GD PTS

BURKINA FASO 6 3 3 0 6 2 4 12

MALAWI 6 3 1 2 4 5 -1 10

UGANDA 6 2 2 2 3 2 1 8

SOUTH SUDAN 6 1 0 5 2 6 -4 3

TEAM MP W D L GF GA GD PtS

GHANA 6 4 1 1 9 3 6 13

SUDAN 6 4 0 2 9 3 6 12

SOUTH AFRICA 6 3 1 2 8 7 1 10

SO TOM E PRNCIPE 6 0 0 6 3 16 -13 0

TEAM MP W D L GF GA GD PTS

GAMBIA 6 3 1 2 9 7 2 10

GABON 6 3 1 2 8 6 2 10

CONGO DR 6 2 3 1 4 5 -1 9

ANGOLA 6 1 1 4 4 7 -3 4

TEAM MP W D L GF GA GD PTS

MOROCCO 6 4 2 0 10 1 9 14

MAURITANIA 6 2 3 1 5 4 1 9

BURUNDI 6 1 2 3 6 10 -4 5

CENT. AFRICAN REP.6 1 1 4 5 11 -6 4

TEAM MP W D L GF GA GD PTS

CAMEROON 6 3 2 1 8 4 4 11

CAPE VERDE ISLANDS 6 2 4 0 6 3 3 10

RWANDA 6 1 3 2 1 3 -2 6

MOZAMBIQUE 6 1 1 4 5 10 -5 4

TEAM MP W D L GF GA GD PTS

EGYPT 6 3 3 0 10 3 7 12

COMOROS 6 2 3 1 4 6 -2 9

KENYA 6 1 4 1 7 7 0 7

TOGO 6 0 2 4 3 8 -5 2

TEAM MP W D L GF GA GD PTS

ALGERIA 6 4 2 0 19 6 13 14

ZIMBABWE 6 2 2 2 6 8 -2 8

ZAMBIA 6 2 1 3 8 12 -4 7

BOTSWANA 6 1 1 4 2 9 -7 4

TEAM MP W D L GF GA GD PTS

SENEGAL 6 4 2 0 10 2 8 14

GUINEA-BISSAU 6 3 0 3 9 7 2 9

CONGO 6 2 2 2 5 5 0 8

ESWATINI 6 0 2 4 3 13 -10 2

TEAM MP W D L GF GA GD PTS

TUNISIA 6 5 1 0 14 5 9 16

EQUATORIAL GUINEA 6 3 0 3 7 7 0 9

TANZANIA 6 2 1 3 5 6 -1 7

LIBYA 6 1 0 5 7 15 -8 3

TEAM MP W D L GF GA GD PTS

CTE DIVOIRE 6 4 1 1 11 5 6 13

ETHIOPIA 6 3 0 3 10 6 4 9

MADAGASCAR 6 2 2 2 9 9 0 8

NIGER REP. 6 1 1 4 3 13 -10 4

TEAM MP W D L GF GA GD PTS

NIGERIA 6 4 2 0 14 7 7 14

REP OF BENIN 5 2 1 2 3 3 0 7

SIERRA LEONE 5 0 4 1 5 6 -1 4

LESOTHO 6 0 3 3 3 9 -6 3

*The top two teams in each group, including finals hosts Cameroon who played in the Qualifiers in order to use it to prepare, advance to the finals scheduled for January 2022.

** CAF will take a decision on the Sierra-Leone versus Rep. of Benin tie which was not played as expected on Tuesday, with the game to produce the groups runners-upend the final qualifier to Cameroon 2021.

Source: NAN News

By Moses Omorogieva

Nigerian Olympian, Chioma Ajuwa has commended the efforts of Making of Champions (MoC) in building future athletes, with a call for its sustenance to promote the development of athletes in Nigeria.

Ajuwa made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on Tuesday at the 3rd MoC Grand Prix holding at the Yaba College of Technology (YABATHEC), Lagos.

She said that many Nigerian athletes would have been lost to the streets if not for the support of the MoC.

She underscored the need for individuals and organisations to support and sponsor the programme for the development of athletes.

The Gold Medalist noted that the recent drab and inactivity of sporting events nationwide had prevented so many talented Nigerians from being discovered.

According to her, only competitions like the MoC can expose and help to effectively evaluate these hidden talents.

I have to give kudos to MoC for this annual event. From what I am seeing here, without MoC, I wonder what would have become of some athletes here.

I am happy for these athletes and I am grateful for how the MoC is improving and increasing athletes proficiency in Nigeria.

I can see athletes who are hungry to compete and evaluate themselves for future competitions.

This job should not be left for MoC alone. There should be such competitions every month or every two months to keep the athletes in better form. Sponsors should support their efforts to make Nigeria proud, she said.

Ajuwa noted that only regular competitions would assist Nigerian athletes to be better prepared ahead of any major games like the Olympics.

Olympic Games is not All African Games. It is a world championship where the best athletes compete.

Our athletes are trying but I cant see from our present level of preparedness those to win gold medal, except other countries are also bringing athletes like ours she noted.

The Founder of MoC, Bambo Akani said that over 900 athletes from nine African countries were participating in the two-day event.

Akani said the number of athletes and nations were increased due to support and sponsorship by digital entertainment and sports technology company, BetKing and the Athletic Federation of Nigeria.

Commenting, Ruby Chuka, Head of Products and Marketing, BetKing, the partnership is a great move toward fulfilling our commitment to strengthen our communities.

We recognise this event as an opportunity to support the development of sports in Nigeria and encourage our youths to engage in activities that have the potential to build our nation further.

Supporting an event such as this enables us help Nigerian athletes who have struggled to find international standard competitions where they can hone their skills.

We look forward to seeing athletes from the MoC Grand Prix event participate at the Olympics Games in Tokyo, and eventually stand on the podium proudly flying the Nigerian flag, he said.

Source: NAN News

The COVID-19 has pushed back global gender parity by a generation, according to a report published Wednesday by the World Economic Forum (WEF).

The WEF estimates the time it will take to close the global gender gap has increased by around 36 years since the last report a year ago from 99.5 to 135.6 years.

Women have lost their jobs at higher rates than men 5 per cent and 3.9 per cent respectively, the report says, citing the International Labour Organisation.

This is partly due to women more often working in industries hit harder by lockdowns.

They were also disproportionately affected by care establishment closures, with housework, childcare and elder care responsibilities more often falling on women, according to data from Ipsos.

The report also points to historically low representation for women in the fast-growing jobs of tomorrow.

Women make up 14 per cent of the cloud computing workforce, 20 per cent in engineering and 32 per cent in data and artificial intelligence, the report says.

The pandemic has fundamentally impacted gender equality in both the workplace and the home, rolling back years of progress.

If we want a dynamic future economy, it is vital for women to be represented in the jobs of tomorrow, managing director of the WEF Saadia Zahidi said.

The report also cited a widening political gender gap in countries with large populations and only marginal improvement in the economic gender gap since the previous year.

In health, 95 per cent of the gap has been closed, while in education, 37 countries have reached gender parity, but it will still take 14.2 years to close the gap.

Iceland came out again as the worlds most gender-equal country. Western Europe was the best performing region overall, and would need 52.1 years to close the gap at the current rate.

The Middle East and North Africa remains the region with the largest gender gap.

It will take an estimated 142.4 years to close the gap in the region, where just 31 per cent of women are active in the workforce.

The annual Global Gender Gap Report, in its 15th year, examines four benchmarks: economic participation and opportunity, educational attainment, health and survival and political empowerment. (dpa/NAN)

Source: NAN News

Egypts former Prime Minister Kamal al-Ganzouri, who served in the position for two times, died on Wednesday at the age of 88, state-run Ahram website reported.

He passed away at the Air Force Hospital after a long battle with illness, the report added.

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi mourned Ganzouri as a unique statesman who has been loyal to Egypt, its people, and soil.

Ganzouri was a man of wise vision, successful and special leading capabilities who presented a lot for the country in the political and economic fields, Sisi posted at his official Facebook page.

As an official who sided with the poor and the low-income, Ganzouri served also as Minister of Planning and International Cooperation.

Ganzouri served as prime minister between 1996 and 1999 under the ousted President Hosni Mubarak, and head of a national salvation government in 2011 following the uprising that toppled Mubarak. He was appointed as advisor to the president for economic affairs in 2013. (Xinhua/NAN)

Source: NAN News

South African mining sector says it has lost 213 employees in 2020 and 162 in the first quarter of 2021 due to COVID-19.

The Minerals Council of South Africa said this on Wednesday.

The Minerals Council said that of the industrys 473,750 employees, to date there had been 32,908 positive COVID-19 cases.

Even though the levels of the pandemic had declined, people need to exercise extreme caution.

COVID-19 will not take a break over Easter.

As far as possible, we must all continue to follow COVID-19 guidelines, stay at home, avoid group gatherings to reduce the spread of the virus during this time to protect ourselves and those we care about, said Minerals Council head of health, Thuthula Balfour.

This comes after President Cyril Ramaphosa announced measures to curb the spread of COVID-19 during the Easter weekend.

South Africa will break for the Easter weekend from April 2, to April 5.

The government has called on people to be cautious during this period. (Xinhua/ NAN)

Source: NAN News

African countries need strong policies and further support from the international community to avert a debt crisis and protracted low growth, says the United Nations.

In a statement issued by the UN Department of Global Communications, on Wednesday, the global body warned of the devastating socio-economic impact of COVID-19.

The report was jointly signed by Devi Palanivelu, UN Department of Global Communications; and Helen Rosengren, UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs.

It said that the impact of the pandemic would be felt for years to come, unless smart investments in economic, societal and climate resilience were made to ensure a robust and sustainable recovery of the global economy.

The UN said that despite the relatively few number of cases compared to the number of cases in other continents, the COVID-19 pandemic would continue to strongly impact on living conditions and development progress in Africa.

It said the crisis was already increasing unemployment, poverty and inequality, such that most countries were already facing enormous challenges to keep the pandemic under control and mobilize financial resources to support health systems, protect vulnerable groups, and support the recovery.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Nigerias GDP is projected to expand by 1.5 per cent in 2021, after a contraction of 3.5 per cent in 2020, according to the report.

Yet, the UN noted that tighter foreign exchange liquidity, mounting inflationary pressures and subdued domestic demand cloud its medium-term outlook.

In South Africa, GDP is projected to expand by 3.3 per cent in 2021, after a contraction of 7.7 per cent in 2020.

The UN also projected that a strong and sustained recovery remained uncertain, amid power shortages, elevated public debt and policy challenges.

Egypts GDP was estimated to have grown by 0.2 per cent in 2020; and in 2021.

GDP growth is projected to climb to 5.4 per cent, underpinned by a strong recovery of domestic demand and facilitated by the absence of severe balance-of-payments constraints.

Also, after a contraction of 0.5 per cent in 2020, the Ethiopian economy is projected to expand by only 2.3 per cent in 2021.

The UN noted that while agricultural exports were showing resilience, the tourism sector would remain restrained throughout 2021.

Generally, after a contraction of 3.4 per cent in 2020, Africa is projected to achieve a modest recovery, with regional GDP expanding by 3.4 per cent in 2021.

However, the UN report said this recovery was predicated on the rise of domestic demand and the pick-up of exports and commodity prices because external financing and high debt levels posed major risks.

The UN said elevated public debt was limiting the capacity to boost spending across the continent.

Also, meagre growth prospects meant less capacity to sustain debt levels, as foreign reserves, remittances and capital flows falter and depreciations constrain the capacity to service foreign currency-denominated debts.

The UN also said that African countries needed further support from the international community and strong national efforts in averting a debt crisis, which would not just cause a further economic deterioration, but also force painful fiscal adjustments.

Against such a backdrop, the report warned that social unrest and political tensions may easily escalate, which could, in turn, worsen food insecurity, violence, internal displacement and migration pressures.

Hamid Rashid, Chief of the Global Economic Monitoring Branch at the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, and the lead author of the report, said that Africa was in need of a sustained revival of growth.

While a focus on the short term is essential, African countries need to lay the groundwork for a strong and inclusive development path in the medium term, which entails the creation of decent jobs at a large scale.

As countries will emerge from the crisis with higher levels of debt, a careful rebalancing of policy priorities will be required to build resilience and boost productivity.

This includes unlocking growth opportunities and accelerating technology adoption and bridging digital divides, enhancing climate resilience and boosting domestic revenue mobilization, Rashid said.

The report also highlighted the need for African countries to prioritise the diffusion of digital technologies; supported by the expansion of affordable and universal digital infrastructure.

It added that an effective framework for the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) could also become a major tool for promoting intra-African trade, food security and productivity.

We are facing the worst health and economic crisis in 90 years. As we mourn the growing death toll, we must remember that the choices we make now will determine our collective future, said UN Secretary-General Antnio Guterres, who addressed the Davos Agenda on Wednesday.

Lets invest in an inclusive and sustainable future driven by smart policies, impactful investments, and a strong and effective multilateral system that places people at the heart of all socio-economic efforts, Guterres said.

The report, however, underscored that sustained recovery from the pandemic would depend not only on the size of the stimulus measures, and the quick rollout of vaccines, but also on the quality and efficacy of these measures to build resilience against future shocks. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Mercy Omoike

An agriculture expert, Mr Ismail Olawale has called for the training and equipping of farmers on soil profiling and composition to boost their harvests.

Olawale, a fellow at the National Agriculture Extension and Research Liaison Services (NEARLS), said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Lagos.

He noted that local farmers had from time past applied traditional measures in soil enhancement and preservation but with the issues of climate change, they would need more assistance and training.

According to him, to get the best of the soil and better yields for their crops, the local farmers need to understand the composition of the soil in the farmlands.

He noted that farmers had been doing well with the traditional ways of preserving soil nutrients, but the traditional ways had their limitations.

However, with the adverse effects of climate change and other variables, it is not easy to cope with these indigenous practices.

We should put in more efforts to make sure information is available to our farmers on the changing nature of Nigerian soil.

Soil depletes in its components due to changes in rain pattern, excavation, climate change effects, industrial activities and land grabbing.

After these activities, it takes long for the soil to regain its original components for good cultivation of crops, he said.

Olawale also called on the framers to reach out to agriculture research institutes and experts to enable them maximise the best of their farmlands.

He said that one of the traditional ways of replenishing the soil and making it more fertile was through the rotational cropping system.

However, if the soil composition of any farmland is not rich, there is little rotational crop farming can do for the soil.

Local farmers should contact the National Farmers Helpline center at NAERLS to help on soil profiling.

There are experts on soil enhancement and composition that can provide appropriate answers and information on soil composition in order to help farmers get better crop yields.

The technicality in handling soil composition for local farmers may demand site seeing. The experts may need to visit the farms so they may not be able to afford it.

According to him, services of the extension officers are free, but they may not be able to reach all local farmers.

He noted that farmers could access professional help in research institutes in the part of the country where they reside.

We have agricultural research institutes in the north, eastern and the southwest areas of the country, Olawale said. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Lucy Osuizigbo-Okechukwu

The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in Anambra has deployed 500 personnel on 24-hour patrol of highways in the state to ensure free flow of traffic and rescue operations during Easter celebration.

The state Sector Commander, Mr Andrew Kumapayi, who made this known to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Awka on Wednesday, said the personnel included 650 special marshals.

Kumapayi said the command also deployed operation vehicles, tow trucks and ambulances to clear any obstructions and respond to emergency cases, respectively.

We have deployed sufficient personnel across all major highways to check activities of reckless drivers and ensure safe driving with observance of traffic rules and regulations.

As a lead agency in traffic management, FRSC in Anambra is committed to ensuring a safer motoring environment during this Easter celebration.

The command will also collaborate with other sister agencies to ensure crash-free celebration, he said.

Kumapayi said that the command would also deploy personnel to parks and fleet operators terminals to conduct test on drivers to detect drunk drivers and disallow them.

He warned motorists against use of phone while driving, overloading, dangerous driving, driving against traffic and speed limit violation.

He also called on motorists to ensure proper servicing of their vehicles and avoid the use of worn-out and expired tyres.

The sector commander said that the command had set up mobile courts to try traffic offenders. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Isaiah Eka

The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Akwa Ibom says it has deployed 1,500 operatives to ensure adequate security for lives and property in in the state during the Easter celebration.

The State Commandant of the corps, Mr Samuel Fadeyi, disclosed this in a statement issued to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Uyo on Wednesday.

We have deployed 1,500 officers and men to complement other security agencies in assuring security, law and order during the celebration.

We warn vandals to permanently stay off critical national assets and infrastructure.

NSCDC remains uncompromising in its statutory duty to protect these assets and infrastructure.

We must ensure the protection of government critical assets and infrastructure, which is our core mandate, Fadeyi said.

He said that the command would collaborate with other sister-security agencies to ensure a hitch-free Easter celebration in the state.

He urged residents, worshippers and fun seekers to go about their activities in line with COVID-19 protocols, assuring them of their safety.

Fadeyi warned criminals and trouble makers to stay away from the state, saying that security operatives would deal decisively with anybody caught fomenting trouble. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Aminu Garko

The Niger Police have shot and killed a bandit and recovered one AK-47 riffle from him in Tashan Barau village of Rafi Local Government Area of the state.

Mr Adamu Usman, Commissioner of Police in the state, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Minna on Wednesday.

Usman said that on March 30 at about 15 :25 hours, a team of Operation Puff-Adder 11, attached to the command acted on a credible intelligence that a group of bandits on motorcycles was sighted heading toward Pangu-Gari in Rafi local government area.

He said that the team mobilised to the location and engaged the bandits in a fierce gun battle at Tashan-Barau village, along Tegina/Minna road.

He said that one of the bandits who was later identified as Mohammed Garba of Ungwan Sani, Sabon Mariga area of Rafi local government area was shot, while one AK 47 rifle and an unregistered Bajaj motorcycle were recovered.

The commissioner said the corpse of the criminal had been deposited at a hospital mortuary.

He assured members of the public that the command would continue the onslaught against bandits and called on the residents to always give useful and timely information to security agencies.( NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Muhammad Nasir Bashir

The Police Command in Jigawa said it had rescued three women suspected to have been trafficked from Plateau State.

The Commands Public Relations Officer (PPRO), ASP Zubairu Aminuddeen, confirmed the development to newsmen in Dutse on Wednesday.

Aminuddeen said the victims, Blessing Lawrence, aged 20, Kindness Ezra, 21, and Christiana Samuel, 21, were residents of Ray Field Mai Adiko in Plateau State.

He said that the victims were rescued by the police on March 26 in Babura town in Babura Local Government Area of the state.

On March 26, 2021 at about 8:58 a.m., the police in Babura rescued one Blessing Lawrence, aged 20, Kindness Ezra, aged 21, and Christiana Samuel, aged 21, all of Ray Field Mai Adiko Plateau State.

They were rescued from one Shuaibu, now at large, who was trying to smuggle them abroad through Niger Republic from Kano State. The said Shuaibu, on sighting the police, abandoned them in the bush and ran away to unknown location.

The three victims were lured to Kano State from Jos, Plateau State, by one Chika who had promised to take them to Tunisia for greener pasture, he said.

The PPRO said that the victims had been transferred to National Agency for Prohibition Trafficking in Person (NAPTIP) in Kano State.

According to him, efforts are on to locate and arrest the two fleeing suspects. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Ifeanyi Olannye

Gov. Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta on Tuesday said his administration would continue to provide opportunities for the youth in the state to be self-employed and be wealth creators.

The governor stated this at the graduation and presentation of starter-packs to 776 beneficiaries of the state governments Rural Youth Skills Acquisition (RYSA) programme in Asaba.

He said that the state government had various skills acquisition programmes aimed at grooming an army of entrepreneurs.

Okowa listed some of the programmes to include Skills Training and Entrepreneurship Programme (STEP), Youth Agricultural Entrepreneurs Programme (YAGEP), Women Empowerment and Skills Acquisition Programme (WESAP) and Girls Entrepreneurship and Skills Training (GEST) Programme.

He assured the people that his administration would continue to fund all the programmes till the end of his tenure to drastically reduce youth unemployment in the state.

Hopefully, by that time the era of our young people roaming the streets in search of non-existent jobs would have become a thing of the past, he added.

He explained that the graduation and presentation of starter-packs to the RYSA beneficiaries was another major step in the match towards building a new generation of small business owners in Delta.

Less than a week ago, we empowered 437 young ladies with various starter-packs to commence their businesses. Today, we are resourcing 776 young men and women under our Rural Youth Skills Acquisition Programme (RYSA).

As it is with all our entrepreneurship development programmes, they have been taken through a rigorous training regiment which included modules in personal effectiveness, business management and proficiency test.

Those that are being empowered today have proved their worth and readiness to commence their entrepreneurial journey.

I am pleased with the reports I received from the managers of the programme. This pioneer set has set a new standard for future beneficiaries as they voluntarily engaged in various community services at their own cost, Okowa said.

He commended the Commissioner for Youth Development, Mr Ifeanyi Egwuyenga, the trainers and administrative staff for the successful conclusion of the first cycle of RYSA and urged the beneficiaries to remain focused by avoiding distractions.

He advised the beneficiaries to apply the principle of deferred gratification to enable them to grow their businesses.

Also speaking at the ceremony, Gov. Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia described Okowa as a governor of class that believes in a prosperous society through human capital development and infrastructure transformation.

Ikpeazu said that no society could break through if frantic effort was not made to re-orientate and develop the skills of youths, and lauded his host for giving Delta youths opportunity to achieve their dreams.

He charged the graduands to uphold integrity and diligence so as to excel in their chosen businesses.

Earlier in his welcome address, the Commissioner for Youth Development, Mr Egwuyenga, said that the 776 pioneer graduands started their training in November 2020.

He said that they had been trained in different fields to impact on the economy of the state and the nation.

A graduand, Princess Munachi Abraham, thanked Okowa for giving her the opportunity to be trained in welding and fabrication.

He pledged on behalf of others to maximise the platform to become entrepreneurs and employers of labour.

The graduands were trained in aluminum profiling, catering and confectionery, electrical installation and repairs, fashion designing, hair dressing and make-over, plumbing, screed making and painting, welding and fabrication, woodwork and furniture.

Source: NAN News

By Bayo Olawunmi

Flykite Productions, organisers of GOtv Boxing Night 22, say no more than 150 fans will be allowed in for the event in Lagos on Friday.

Jenkins Alumona, the CEO of Flykite, said on Tuesday in Lagos the decision was to allow in only a limited number of fans in line with COVID-19 safety protocols.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the event will hold at the Mobolaji Johnson Indoor Sports Hall at Rowe Park.

The event, which hosts seven bouts, including two World Boxing Federation (WBF) title fights, had initially been billed to be held behind closed doors.

Physical distancing requirements and other safety measures will be fully implemented at the venue.

We have decided to allow fans to watch the event at the venue. However, a limited number of fans, specifically 150, will be allowed in to ensure that the physical distancing measure is enforced.

As much as we want fans to witness the event, we can only allow a few. So, the first 150 to arrive will be admitted, he said.

The Flykite CEO warned that they would not exceed that figure because that was the proper thing to do.

He added that it was in view of this that only 150 tickets at N1,000 each would be available for purchase.

Fans who do not make the cut will watch from home.

The boxing fiesta which promises to be explosive will be broadcast live on DStv channel 209 and SuperSport Select 2 channel 34 on GOtv, Alumona said.

NAN reports that the events main bouts will see Nigerias Rilwan Real One Oladosu taking on Ghanas Emmanuel Afuko Addo Quartey for the WBF super featherweight title.

His compatriot, Rilwan Baby Face Babatunde, will face Tanzanias Mkalekwa Salehe Omari for the WBF welterweight title.

In the light heavyweight division, Timothy Gonze will take on Segun Success Olanrewaju in a challenge duel.

The super middleweight category will see Femi Small Tyson Akintayo take on Sulaimon Olags Adeosun.

Microbiology graduate Sikiru Omo Iya Eleja Shogbesan will face Yusuf Innocent Ogunbunmi in the super featherweight category.

The welterweight division, which is the most represented on the fighting card for the night, will have two other clashes.

They have Sikiru Lion Ogabi against William Kaki Amosu, and Isaac I-Star Chukwudi against Taiwo Gentle Boy Olowolafe.

The best boxer on the night will win a cash prize of N1 million, alongside the Mojisola Ogunsanya Memorial Trophy.

Source: NAN News

By Abujah Racheal

The wife of President Muhammadu Buhari, Mrs Aisha Buhari, on Tuesday advocated the use of traditional medicine as an integral part of health care services.

Consequently, she urged Nigerians to embrace traditional medicine for the treatment it offers through the use of natural plants and herbs.

Buhari, represented by Hajiya Hajo Sani, made the call in Abuja, at the presentation of three books by Zainab Sharif, a Pharmacist and Director / Head of Department, Traditional, Complementary and Alternative Medicines (TCAM), Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH).

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the books are Medicinal First Aid Kit ( Kitchen Spices Rack), Common Medicinal Plants of Nigeria and Healing Recipe and Herbal Therapy for Common Ailments.

They provide information about the various herbal plants available in Nigeria.

Buhari, who noted that Traditional, Complementary and Alternative Medicine were also important components of treatment options , commended the author for documenting her experience.

I wish to therefore congratulate the author for this great feat and call on Nigerians to purchase copies, and use them at home, to ensure long lasting healthy living.

I also call on other traditional complementary and alternative medicine practitioners to conduct their research with approved institutions to find cures for diseases that have bedeviled Nigerians, she said.

The wife of the president said that the books would be of utmost benefit to Nigerians and health care practitioners.

The Ooni of Ife, his Majesty Adeyeye Enitan, who attended the occasion as the royal father of the day, said that the country needs to focus on improving and developing its traditional herbal medicine .

According to him, it can also be a source of income for the country.

He said that traditional medicine explored the use of diverse medicinal and natural plants and herbs.

We will not believe our common onions has antioxidants and compounds that fight inflammation, decrease triglycerides and reduce cholesterol levels, all of which may lower heart disease risk.

Their potent anti-inflammatory properties may also help reduce high blood pressure and protect against blood clots, he explained.

He said that traditional medicine is a major part of our social health repositioning in Africa and serves as a major source of health services.

Also, the Minister of State for Health, Sen. Olorunnimbe Mamora, said that the ministry hadtaken giant steps toward the promotion, development and institutionalisation of traditional, complementary and alternative medicine practices in the country.

This includes the existence of the Department of Traditional, Complementary

By Fortune Abang

President Muhammadu Buhari has reiterated his administration commitment to advance the cause for women development as a credible force in strengthening Nigerias democracy.

Buhari said this while officially inaugurating in Nigeria the new decade 2020-2030 of African womens financial and economic inclusion.

The president was represented by Malam Muhammed Bello, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

The event was organised in Abuja on Tuesday by the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and the African Union Economic, Social and Cultural Council (AU-ECOSOCC), in partnership with Dr Rhoda Makinde Initiative (DROMI), an NGO.

Buhari said Nigeria had taken the lead to inaugurate the domestication of womens decade 2020 to 2030 as a practical demonstration of its commitment to the implementation of regional and international obligation towards the advancement of women.

He said that inequality and poverty were intertwined, adding thatthis decade would dwell specifically on building strategy around breaking that circle.

As a government, we remain committed to promoting womens inclusion in governance and decision making at all levels of the Nigerian economy.

I wish to reiterate this administrations commitment to advance cause of Nigeria women, as credible force in strengthening our democracy, he said.

Buhari promised to tackle poverty, sustain agriculture, promote inclusion of women in democratic agenda, in the bid to address maternal and infant mortality, gender-based violence and all its ramifications.

He said that the government would prioritise education, science and technology, climate change and sustainable development to achieve targets.

This means that we are leaving no one behind, because when you empower women, you are empowering the family and the society at large.

The administration will no doubt support the voices of women in the ongoing constitutional amendment processes in Nigeria, which provides unique opportunity to address affirmative action in the appointment of women.

As we continue to promote Nigerian society whererule of justice and law thrives, I formally join voices of Heads of State to amplify declaration of 2020 to 2030, as new decade of African women in Nigeria, he added.

The president recalled that AU Heads of State/government had at its 33rd Summit in February 2020 declared 2020-2030 as new decade for women, having implemented 2010 to 2020 as the first women decade.

According to him, the overall goal of the new African women decade is to ensure every woman works, be paid and participate actively in the economy of her country.

This will involve examining each countrys regulatory, legislative and policy contexts to determine the changes needed.

To foster the financial inclusion of women and to assist financial institutions on adopting approachestailored as separate market segments.

This we have already started as an administration in the milestones we have achieved in promoting the voices of Nigerian women at global levels, as demonstrated by the recent appointment of Dr Ngozi Okonjo-lweala as the Director-General of the World Trade Organisation, the President said. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Deborah Akpede

An Ikeja Magistrates Court, on Wednesday, remanded a 39-year-old man, Clement Chidi in Kirikiri Correctional Centre for allegedly robbing a policeman.

The defendant was said to have carried out the robbery, using a knife torob the police officer of his identity card.

The Magistrate, Mrs O.A. Layinka, who did not take the plea of Chidi ordered that the file should be sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions for advice.

Layinka adjourned the case until May 3 for mention.

The defendant, who resides at Oyingbo, Lagos, is being tried for armed robbery.

Earlier, the prosecutor, Insp. Lucky Ihiehie, told the court that the defendant committed the offence on March 6 at Apapa Road, Ebute-Meta, Lagos.

Ihiehie said that the defendant armed himself with a double-edged knife and robbed Cpl. Joel Samaila of his police ID card.

The defendant approached the complainant, pointed the knife at him, snatched his ID card and ran away.

He was later apprehended and taken to the station, the prosecutor told the court.

He said that the offence violated Section 297 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the section attracts 21 years imprisonment for armed robbery. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Glory Abuh-Adejoh

An FCT High Court on Wednesday fixed June 9 to rule in admissibility of evidence in the suit filed against a former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal and five others.

The former SGF is facing trial alongside his younger brother, Hamidu, a director of Rholavision Engineering Limited forallegedN544 million grass-cutting contract scam suit,

Others charged arean employee of the company, Suleiman Abubakar; Managing Director of Josmon Technologies Limited, Apeh Monday,Rholavision Engineering Ltd and Josmon Technologies Ltd.

The Judge, Justice Charles Agbaza adjourned the matter for ruling as a result of argument by defendants counsel on the admissibility of documents tendered by the prosecution witness, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The witness, Fatima Umar ( PW3), a deputy head of Digital Forensic Laboratory with the EFCC, who was led in evidence by the prosecution counsel, Offen Uket said part of her job function was to identify, observe, collect and analyse data based on proven technical methodology.

Umar further said that she also served as expert witness who gave data generated through automated processes to investigators to aid and serve as first responder to locate potential storage in crime scene.

In addition, she said that she had been a Digital Forensic expert for seven years that was qualified and certified to be able to give evidence and write reports.

According to the Forensic expert, she was in court because she received a request letter to carry out a digital examination on an IPhone 7.

The prosecutor, Uket thereafter proceeded to ask some questions bordering on who sent the request letter, who the phone belonged to, the condition of the phone when she received it, to how she went about retrieving and extracting data from the said phone.

Umar explained the processes involved in retrieving the data, as manual, digital and physical extractions.

She also said the investigator, Ibrahim Salihu gave her key words to search for like SGF, Abia, Abdullahi and some other words.

In the process of my search, I came across a contact saved as SGF.

According to Umar, the particular nature of data extracted from the phone were messages between the owner of the phone, Musa Bulani and the said contact saved as SGF.

She equally said the data were extracted from the phone, analysed, burnt into a compact disk ( CD), printed into a hard copy using an HP printer and a report was written.

Uket at this point led her to mention the documents she wanted to tender in evidence as, the request letter, burnt CD, print out ( hard copy) and the EFCCs r forensic report.

Akin Olujimi SAN, the first defendants counsel, told the court that he was not objecting to the admissibility of the request letter dated March 8,:2018.

Olujimi however, urged the court to reject the remaining three documents.

He said the witness extracted the information from the phone which meant the extracted print out was not the original source, rather the phone which was not before the court.

He added that the extraction was a public document as it was extracted by the witness in the cause of performing her official duty as a forensic analyst.

He therefore said that as a secondary evidence which was permissible to be tendered in evidence, it ought to have been signed as a certified True Copy ( CTC).

The counsel further argued that the extraction which was a computer generated document by section 84 of the Evidence Act (2011), should have fulfilled the four conditions as stipulated by the section.

He said one of the conditions was that the document ought to have been accompanied by a certificate. Olujimi in addition said another way the document would have be permissible would have been through oral evidence.

We recall that when this witness testified, she never claimed to have had any connection with that phone beyond when it was sent to her to analyse.

He concluded by urging the court to reject the documents tendered by prosecution as evidence.

John Itodo, counsel for the second defendant, Napoleon Idenala, counsel for the third defendant, Ocholi Okutepa, counsel for the fourth and sixth defendant, M. E Oru, counsel for the fifth defendant all aligned themselves to Olujimis submission and adopted it as their arguments.

The judge, thereafter adjourned adjourned the matter until June 9, to rule in the admissibility of the documents.

The News Agency of Nigeria ( NAN), reports that the defendants were first arraigned before Justice Jude Okeke of the FCT High Court, Maitama, Abuja on Feb. 13, 2019, however the case had to be transferred to Justice Agbaza following Okekes death.

This development led to the re-arraignment of the defendants on Nov. 30,2020,on 10 amended counts charge bordering on fraud, criminal conspiracy diversion of over N544 million and diversion of over N544m belonging to the Federal Government.

The EFCC alleged that the defendants committed the offence when Lawal was the SGF.

The anti-graft Agency alleged that he allegedly awarded contracts to these companies in which he had interests in.

Source: NAN News

By Aisha Ahmed

The Kano State Task Force Committee on Counterfeit, Fake, Drugs and other consumables, said it had sealed a warehouse in the Bompai area of Kano metropolis with two trucks loaded with suspected fake foods.

The Information Officer of the state Ministry of Health, Mrs Hadiza Namadi, who disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday, said that the items seized were mostly juice drinks.

In his remarks, over the sealing of the warehouse, the committee Chairman, Dr Ghali Sule, said that the discovery was made following the interception of a vehicle conveying some of the suspected food items from the warehouse.

Sule stressed the committees commitment to also free the state of substandard and unwholesome drugs, which posed danger to peoples health.

He enjoined the public to provide the committee with information on the locations of where such heinous acts were being suspected.

In the meantime, the state Commissioner for Health, Dr. Aminu Tsanyawa, has also reiterated the ministrys determination to stop the circulation of fake and substandard drugs and food items in the state.

He said that as the Ramadan fasting period approached, some merchants take advantage of high demand for sundry items to engage in unwholesome activities so as to make money by any means.

Tsanyawa said that the ministry would convene a stakeholder meeting to discuss strategies to minimise the rampant circulation of fake and substandard items in the state.

He further said that the ministry, in collaboration with the National Agency for Food Administration and Control (NAFDAC), would soon commence investigations to ascertain the source of the fake and substandard items.

Source: NAN News

By Cecilia Ijuo

The Federal Government, United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), Sterling Bank and other stakeholders have promised to partner EDULEAD Development initiative to solve problem of out-of-school children and other educational challenges.

The stakeholders made the commitment at the launch of Education DreamGap Project, initiated by EDULEAD Development initiative on Tuesday in Abuja.

EDULEAD Development initiative is a Non Governmental Organisation (NGO) that promotes quality education, sustainable agriculture, good governance and a healthy environment.

The Minister of State for Education, Mr Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, while unveiling the project, assured EDULEAD of Federal Governments readiness to work with it in ensuring positive change in the education system in Nigeria.

Nwajiuba was represented by his Special Assistant on Project, Mr Adewale Adenike.

He commended EDULEAD for the laudable initiative, saying what you are doing is a great initiative.

In education, like we all know, no government can do it all. There must be partnership from the private sector and NGOs ought to be part of those driving our education system.

I can tell you there are still lacunas. All we do is talk and after that we talk nothing changes.

From what I hear, you are well focused here. You know exactly what you want to do and they are all itemised, he said.

The minister stressed that one thing I can guarantee you is that if you follow this path you have the support of the Ministry.

What the ministry wants are people who know exactly what they want to do and how they are going to achieve it.

On out-of-school children, he said that the statistics was worrisome but assured that the federal government was working hard to ensure that all children of school age went to school.

One thing this government has done under President Muhammadu Buhari is to try and focus on the out-of-school children.

A lot of things are being done to encourage parents to allow their children not only to come to school but to stay in school, to the extent of having to pay people who are looking after the almajiri children for proper education.

What we are now doing is that we are not asking you to come to school, we are bringing school to you.

Nwajiuba decried the numerous challenges faced in the sector, adding that some reports had it that in some parts of the country, classrooms were filled beyond capacity, making learning difficult.

We have a problem. The problem is not wanting to go to school or not wanting to go to school. We need to provide the environment, we need to provide teachers with what they need to teach.

Teachers were demi-gods in those days, but nowadays if you say a teacher is coming they will tell you to get lost because we do not place value on teaching.

Would anybody become anybody without teachers? Would you have doctors or ministers without teachers? If we are not going to have that then the teaching profession has to be looked at.

He further said, one of the areas we are looking at in terms of reform is, if someone is to study engineering, medicine, accounting, you are asking for all the As. But when it comes to teaching, you are willing to drop that grade to get the Cs, the Ds and Es.

You expected this C, D, E teachers to produce A students. There is something not right. Currently this government is looking at that. In Finland, you cannot teach in a primary school without a Masters degree.

You will not be allowed to enter the classroom to teach.

In Nigeria, it is a different ball game. I have been to some classes where you listen to what the teacher is saying and he is saying absolute nothing to the children.

At the end of the day, we have empty children who are expected to go and take over the leadership of this country.

So, we need people like EDULEAD to work together with. We need teachers training and retraining.

There are some people who are made to teach and others who love to teach. Some go into teaching because they could not get the course of their choice.

He further said, they are not really interested in teaching. They just want to go there to earn a living.

A teacher who is not ready to wake up on time and go to the classroom to make a change should not be there in the first place.

For a youth organisation like yours to come up with this then there is hope for us and the ministry of education would love to work closely with you.

Nwajiuba said that the partnership would go a long way in solving challenges in the sector, decrying that, you are asking a teacher to teach ICT. Someone who cannot turn on a computer and does not have an android phone.

A representative from UNESCO, Dr Safiya Muhammad, congratulated the NGOs move to help revamp education in Nigeria.

I want to congratulate EDULEAD on this very wonderful initiative. I have seen from your presentation of the overview that your dream is very tall as it covers other fields.

I want to acknowledge most of the statements made by the Federal might, the representative of the minister of education.

He hit the nail on something UNESCO is really encouraging.

In the global context, over 30 million children are out of school, but in Nigeria, the statistics mostly quoted is about 10 million or 11 million.

She disclosed that UNESCO was interested in speaking about the recent trend in education, which is impact of COVID-19 on the sector.

She said, many children have been out of school and a new normal has been created, where learning has to take place somehow and mostly at home. Now, there are so many problems surrounding that.

There are those coming from poor countries, rural areas where there is no internet, no electricity, do not have laptops, the teachers have no access to these technological innovations not to talk of parents and students.

Muhammad stressed that the new normal had affected the girl child more.

She said, I want to narrow this to the girl child. The negative impact has affected our daughters globally more than any other category of students.

Girls are now forced to stay at home and shoulder the responsibility of household chores than when they were going to school.

There are so many early pregnancies, early marriage, sexual violence, affecting our women and girls as a result of the COVID-19.

How do we bridge the gap for the female gender to catch up with education?

She said that to tackle the problem, UNESCO was launching campaign on sending students back to school, particularly female students.

She assured EDULEAD of UNESCOs readiness to partner it in solving the problem.

In the states you have earmarked, we can work with you in Imo State and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). We can get the details of what you do.

Send it to us as quickly as possible and we can discuss how this can be done.

We need to find out how we can assist the female gender to close the huge educational gap that has been created by COVID-19.

A representative from Sterling Bank, Mr Stanley Ejelue, also assured of the banks support.

Ejelue, who covers education business for Sterling Bank in Abuja and the Northern region, commended EDULEADs effort.

I want to start by commending EDULEAD. This is a fantastic idea and for us in Sterling Bank, it resonates with what we are doing.

We are at the forefront of education. Speaking to his project, it resonates with the vision of Sterling Bank.

One of our visions is to enrich life and we do that by adding value. Our goal is not just to look for deposits, ask you for money but to also add value.

We are going to collaborate and we are going to take this across the country.

Earlier, in his address of welcome, the Executive Director, EDULEAD Development Initiative, Mr Chinedu Opara, said the project was borne out of the need to help fix the deficits in the education sector.

He said that the NGO had identified some of the challenges in the sector, affecting mostly rural education to include teachers welfare, security and result outcomes among others.

According to him, the project tagged Education DreamGap Project will start in April with focus on five states of the federation in its first phase, which will last for two years.

Opara disclosed that the first phase which would concentrate on basic education in 10 schools picked from Kogi, Gombe, Yobe, Imo and the FCT.

We promote quality education with whatever resource we have. We realised there is huge gap in the education system.

He further noted that part of the mandate of the NGO was reviewing the education policy to monitor implementation.

The executive director said, we want to see how the education policy is implemented.

The policy is holistic; so, we want through this project to monitor schools.

He stressed that the initiative would further focus on quality of teaching and learning, work tools for teachers, teachers training on effective and modern teaching methods and techniques among others.

Source: NAN News

By Chinyere Joel-Nwokeoma

Cititrust Financial Services, an investment firm, has perfected arrangements to list by introduction on the nations bourse before the end of the second quarter.

The Country Chief Executive Officer of Cititrust Financial Services, Mr Ikechukwu Peter, disclosed this at a media parley on Tuesday in Lagos.

Peter said that the companys decision to list on the exchange was to make its shares available to more Nigerians and as well to raise capital.

He said that the company would also grow its balance sheet size of N36 billion by 50 per cent before the end of 2021.

We are also looking at growing our lending powers, we have a risk asset portfolio of about N12 billion, we are also looking at growing that by another 50 per cent incrementally by the end of this year, he said.

He said that the company was also making plans tomigrate Living Trust Mortgage Bank from a state licenced mortgage bank to a national mortgage bank.

We are coming up with a programme through our Cititrust Academy on April 15, where people can learn the basics of business and be able to impact their operational lives as they move on.

We expect that by mid next year, all our subsidiaries will be top industry players in the space where they play, because we believe that money is made at the top, he said.

According to him, there are lots of initiatives that the investment firm want to bankroll in terms of Corporate Social Responsibilities to its communities, adding that all of these needs money and the whole idea was to see how to give back to the society.

Speaking on fintech, he said, the earlier the government and financial institutions begin to look at that sector, the better for the economy.

He noted that the COVID-19 pandemic had further validated the need for businesses to go digital.

The truth of the matter is that fintech is the way, any business that is not positioned for that right now, will experience a dramatic nose dive. We are not there yet, we are putting the virtual processes in place.

The platforms are being built as we speak, the engagement with vendors is actually in top gear. So, between now and the end of the year, we should be playing actively in that space because the truth is, it is an investment that cannot go wrong. Plans are seriously in motion and before the end of the year, we will be active in that space, he added.

Speaking on the companys loan exposure, he said it was minimal and within the threshold of regulatory requirement of five per cent.

He attributed the reason for high non-performing loan to lack of effective monitoring from the point of disbursement.

If you dont monitor these loans properly, you will discover that even the customer that has the capacity to pay, will not pay.

When proper structures are on ground, the monies will come back. When the monitoring is there, things will not go bad. The structure of the loan is another thing that should be looked at. Once all these dynamics are properly understood, the exposure will be minimal, he said. (NAN)

Source: NAN News