By Rukayat Adeyemi/Grace Alegba

Mr Anthony Adegbola, Chief Information Officer of telecom company Ntel, on Sunday charged members of the Nigerian Society of Engineers(NSE), to digitise their operations for maximum efficiency.

Adegbola said this in his lecture titled, Building Indigenous Capacity For National Development at the 2nd Edition of Akintunde Zedomi Distinguished Lecture Series in Lagos.

The lecture was part of activities to commemorate the 20th Anniversary of the NSE, Apapa branch, and honour Zedomi who was the inaugural Chairman of the chapter.

He urged engineers to also embrace digital economic principles to develop the nation and maintain their relevance in the future.

According to him, the world is at the peak of change and therefore NSE must look inward and actively invest in Information and Communication Technology (ICT).

He said that ICT provided open standards that allowed engineers to develop their own technology.

A strategic plan for digital transformation across all industries is the solution for building indigenous capacity for national development.

We are in a new normal and must develop a new mindset and new way of thinking, he said.

According to him, disruption was happening presently globally and it was a great big opportunity for Nigeria to key into.

Adegbola said that the emergence of the fourth industrial revolution and the digital economy have given an opportunity for engineers to take a leap.

Old business models are changing and Nigeria can take an advantage of new platform of business models to collaboratively grow into new fields and create development.

The Ntel spokesman urged NSE members to share ideas within themselves, develop a culture of sharing knowledge and let the next generation build on their ideas, history and lessons.

Get up engineers and serve the people because the world is going to become a digital economy, you need to digitise to be efficient.

You must digitalise or else, you will not exist in the next couple of years because disruption is taking place to make many irrelevant, he said.

In her remark, Mr Abiola Kosegbe, Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development, lauded the NSE Apapa branch for its exceptional contribution to the growth of the sector.

Kosegbe hailed Zedomi for being a pace setter for the younger engineers and urged all the chapters of NSE to continue the good work they are doing.

She said that the Lagos State Government was already working out modalities to collaborate with engineers in different areas and charged NSE to step up and key into what the state was doing.

According to her, the government would roll out the programmes for the engineers in few months and will continue to support the Society.

NSE must also collaborate with the state government to fight out quacks in the sector to maintain standard in the industry, she said.

In his address, the President of NSE, Mr Babagana Mohammed, said the topic of the lecture was to re-emphasise the major essence of the existence of NSE.

He said that part of the existence of NSE was to provide professional and holistic solutions to national development.

Mohammed, represented by Mr Olatunde Jaiyesinmi, Former Chairman, NSE Lagos branch, described Zedomi as a consummate engineering professional who has made tremendous contribution to the growth of NSE at various level of service.

He noted that Zedomi, a worthy and distinguished fellow of the society and fellow of many other Institutes, truly deserves the honour.

Zedomi did enormous and invaluable background work to ensure birth of NSE Apapa branch, 20 years ago.

He became the inaugural chairman and continued to render illustrious and selfless service to make certain that the branch became firmly rooted.

He had continued to make very valuable contributions to the development of engineering in Nigeria by mentoring younger engineers and delivering qualitative and ethical services as a consultant, he said.

In his goodwill message , Mr Ali Alimasuya, President, COREN, advised NSE to take engineering education to the grassroots and catch them young.

Alimasuya, represented by Mrs Margaret Aina -Oguntala, congratulated the NSE Apapa branch on its anniversary, for organising the lecture to celebrate Zedomi and maintaining a good position in the committee of societies.

In his welcome address, Mr Christian Ufot, Chairman, NSE, Apapa branch, commended Zedomi for guiding the chapter passionately and sharing his wealth of experience with colleagues and younger engineers.

Ufot said the topic of the lecture was chosen to reawake the consciousness of engineers on their mandate to develop the society.

He disclosed that the branch would continue to offer its over 700 members training and workshop to improve their capacity.

Speaking, Zedomi appreciated the NSE Apapa branch for recognising his contribution, celebrating him while still alive and building on the legacy he founded.

He urged engineers to develop a culture of sharing ideas and giving back to encourage the younger generation.

The iconic engineer also emphasised the need for engineers to digitise and provide solutions to the various problems in the society, as that was the mission and mandate of the profession.

Source: NAN News

Australian authorities are planning to evacuate thousands more people on Monday from flood-affected suburbs in Sydneys west.

The country is set for its worst flooding in 60 years with drenching rain expected to continue for the next few days.

Unrelenting rains over the past three days swelled rivers in Australias most populous state of New South Wales (NSW), causing widespread damage and triggering calls for mass evacuations.

According to the NSW state Premier, Gladys Berejiklian, we need to brace ourselves, it will be a very difficult week.

Torrential rain which has submerged large swathes of NSW is in stark contrast to the weather conditions in the same regions a year ago, when authorities were battling drought and catastrophic bushfires.

I dont know any time in a state history where we have had these extreme weather conditions in such quick succession in the middle of a pandemic.

Sydney on Sunday recorded the wettest day of the year with almost 111 mm (4.4 inches) of rain.

Some regions in NSWs north coast received nearly 900 mm of rain in the last six days, more than three times the March average, government data showed.

The Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) official, Jane Golding, said around 18,000 people have been evacuated from low lying areas of the state.

Large parts of the countrys east coast will get hit by more heavy rains from Monday due to the combination of a tropical low over northern Western Australia and a coastal trough off NSW.

We expect this heavy rain to fall on areas that havent seen as much rain over the last few days, we expect the flood risk to develop in those areas as well, Golding told reporters.

Some places in Sydneys western regions have seen the worst flooding since 1961, authorities said, as they expect the wild weather to continue until Wednesday.

A severe flood warning has been issued for large parts of NSW as well as neighbouring Queensland.

Source: NAN News

The number of people in the United Kingdom (UK) experiencing loneliness during the Coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) has more than doubled since March 2020 in spite of an overall reduction in anxiety levels, a new study has revealed.

A survey conducted by the Mental Health Foundation also revealed that fewer adults felt they were coping well with the stress of the ongoing pandemic compared to last year.

Out of 4,251 adults surveyed in February 2021, over a quarter (26 per cent) said they now felt lonely, up from 10 per cent last March.

Younger people were also more likely to feel alone, with 48 per cent of those surveyed in February reporting feeling alone.

The foundation said that feelings of loneliness had not returned to their pre-lockdown levels at any point over the past year even when most restrictions were lifted over the summer.

Around two-thirds (64 per cent) of those surveyed thought they were coping well with the pandemic, down from 73 per cent in last year.

Those experiencing suicidal thoughts had also risen year on year from 8 per cent to 13 per cent.

But overall anxiety about the pandemic has fallen among adults, from 62 per cent of those surveyed in March 2020 to 42 per cent in February 2021.

Dr Antonis Kousoulis, director for England and Wales at the Mental Health Foundation, said it was important for people to remember that the pandemic had affected individuals in different ways.

What we see (from the study) is a complex picture.

On some measures, UK adults are feeling better than in March 2020 but on others, we are feeling no better or worse.

Fewer of us are feeling anxious about the pandemic but more of us now feel lonely and ground down by the stress of the past year.

It is absolutely important to remember that the experience of the past year has not been shared by everyone.

We have all been in the same storm, but we have not all been in the same boat.

However, for many of us, the next few months, and even years, will remain tough, vulnerable, and uncertain, he said.

The survey said young adults, aged 18 to 24 years old, full-time students, and unemployed people were also significantly more likely to be feeling distressed, across a range of measures, compared with UK adults generally.

One of our key aims when we launched the Study a year ago, was to identify what was happening across the UK population and whether some groups were particularly seriously affected.

This was designed to help us as a charity, and policy-makers, to target support at some of the most vulnerable people.

We can now see clearly that among the most seriously affected people are young adults, people who are unemployed and full-time students.

In these groups, painful experiences including loneliness, hopelessness, and feeling suicidal are much more common.

This is especially troubling, at a time when unemployment is set to rise.

Policymakers must target support at these more vulnerable groups, to help prevent them reaching crisis point, Kousoulis added.

Source: NAN News

By Ifeanyi Olannye

Gov. Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta on Saturday called for unity and political cohesion among Anioma people in the state as honour to the late Senator Nosike Ikpo.

He stated this at the funeral of the late Ikpo, who died at age 92, in his Ibusa community in Oshimili North Local Government Area of Delta.

He said that the late sage, a political father of all Anioma people, sowed the seed of emancipation of the people and was firmly committed to promoting peace and political advancement of the people.

The governor said that the former senator made remarkable contributions to the development of Delta North, adding that he also played notable role in stabilising the polity in the defunct Midwest Region and Bendel State.

According to Okowa, Ikpo was a lover of Anioma people and a strong voice that made the people realised that they could struggle among the committee of communities and ethnic nationalities to become what they can be.

He added that the late nonagenarian was a formidable voice on the necessity for people of Delta North to come together, saying; today, we are glad that people are beginning to realise that we have to stay together.

While saying that Nosike Ikpos love for the people of Anioma was unquantifiable, the governor called on Delta North people and the people of Delta as a whole to emulate his virtues of peace-building and selfless service to humanity.

Nosike Ikpo was a man full of wisdom. Even when he didnt have the opportunity of a formal education at the beginning of his life, he struggled through life and was able to help himself by Gods grace, and rose to the pinnacle of a legislative career.

Starting from the grassroots as a councillor and ending up in the Senate is no mean feat.

It is a huge achievement made possible by God obviously because the man was resilient and committed to that which he believed in.

We must forever remember him because if people like him did not start that foundation, I am wondering what some of us would have been able to build on.

He was a formidable voice on the necessity for our people to come together. Today, we are glad that people are beginning to realise that we have to stay together.

He was a man that built bridges. As people of Anioma, as people of Delta North, we must realise that the more we stay together, the better for us so that the foundations that some of these our forefathers made for us, we do not use our own hands to destroy them.

We need to continue to speak about him. He was a strong voice; even in death, he still remains a strong voice.

He (Ikpo) was a man we need to emulate and these are the kind of men that can enable us to build a stronger community for ourselves, the governor said.

Earlier, one of the children of the late nonagenarian, Mrs Obiageli Nnamani, while welcoming the governor to the ceremony, thanked him for identifying with the family in its moment of grief.

Nnamani said that she and her siblings were greatly humbled by the governors show of love towards the Nosike Ikpo family before and during the period of their grief.

In their separate remarks, Hon. Pat Ajudua and Chief Austin Izagbo described the late Ikpo as a great political icon, scholar and a great writer as well as a man of extreme intelligence and a leader par excellence, who would be greatly missed for his political tutelage.

Source: NAN News

The espionage trial of former Canadian diplomat Michael Kovrig began Monday behind closed doors in a Beijing courtroom.

Kovrigs trial comes less than a week after it opened proceedings against his compatriot Michael Spavor.

Kovrigs trial which opened on Monday behind closed doors in Beijing witnessed diplomats from more than two dozen countries, including Germany, attempt in vain to gain access to the proceedings.

Many legal observers said the pair were pawns caught in a fight between Washington and Beijing.

Kovrig and Spavor, whose trial opened on Friday, were arrested in December 2018 following the arrest of Meng Wanzhou, the chief financial officer of the Chinese telecom giant Huawei, in Canada at the instigation of U.S. authorities.

Some diplomats see the case as a retaliation for Mengs arrest and accuse Beijing of hostage diplomacy.

The Charge daffaires at the Canandian embassy in Beijing, Jim Nickel, said Kovrig had been arbitrarily detained.

And now we see that the court process itself is not transparent. We are very troubled by this, Nickel added.

The reason that has been given to us while we are being denied access to our citizen facing trial is that this is a so-called national security case and therefore it is a closed case, a closed court room.

At the time of his arrest, Kovrig was working as an expert for the International Crisis Group think-tank in China.

Spavor, whose trial opened in the north-eastern Chinese city of Dandong last week, ran a cultural exchange company with North Korea in China.

Both defendants face long prison terms if convicted.

Source: NAN News

By Philip Dzeremo

Mr Yakubu Mohammed, Sector Commander, Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), Benue Command, has warned FRSC personnel in the state against receiving bribes from motorists.

The warning, contained in a statement signed by him and issued to newsmen in Makurdi on Sunday, said that a machinery was put in place to check such erring personnel for punitive measures.

It also charged road users to be conscious of all safety rules and regulations to avoid traffic breaches such as overloading, reckless driving and speeding.

The statement also reiterated the Commissions commitment to public education, rescue of road traffic victims and strict enforcement of traffic rules.

It also admonished drivers and vehicle owners not to patronise touts in securing drivers licence and vehicle number plates.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the new Commander, who assumed office on March 18, replaced Mr Aliyu Baba, who is undergoing a course at the War College, Abuja.

The commander also assured members of the public of the readiness of the command to respond promptly to all cases of road crashes in order to save lives. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Cecilia Ologunagba

A consultant Haematologist, Dr Uche Nwokwu, says over 80 per cent of childhood cancers are curable because children respond faster to anticancer medicines and other forms of treatment, including surgery and radiotherapy than adults.

Nwokwu, a consultant at the National Cancer Control Programme of the Ministry of Health, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.

He said that childhood cancers were curable to a large extent if they were detected early, because children respond to chemotherapy faster and they may also benefit from stem cell transplant better than adults.

The most common types of childhood cancers include leukemias, lymphomas (especially Burkitt lymphoma in malaria endemic areas like ours) and other solid tumours, such as neuroblastoma and Wilms tumours, he said.

According to him, what is important in the management of childhood cancers is early detection and treatment, saying the beauty of childhood cancers is that most of them are curable unlike adults.

The consultant said that the causes of childhood cancers were same with adult cancers.

He explained that causes of cancers were multifactorial, adding that there might not be a single cause for cancers; it is multifactorial in the sense that there are so many factors responsible for it.

One of them is genetic predisposition, if that person now gets exposed to other environmental factors like radiation, chemicals or toxic substances because they are genetically predisposed, the person is more at risk of manifesting such cancers.

There are some viruses like viral hepatitis for liver cancer, HPV for cervical cancer which causes about 90 per cent of cancer of the cervix. Some of these viruses can predispose people to cancer.

For childhood cancers, these environmental factors can also come to play as well as genetic predisposition but why attention needs to be given to childhood cancer is that they are preventable and curable.

They are preventable because they are mainly due to infections and exposure to environmental factors. For instance, pregnant woman, who gets exposed to radiation, is not good for the baby.

Mothers are advised while pregnant to avoid some chemicals and toxins. These can affect both the women and the babies in their pregnant states, he said.

Nwokwu further noted that diagnosis of childhood cancers were on the increase in Nigeria because there was more awareness, better capacity to handle it and reporting system.

He explained that there were more Paediatricians, who specialise in oncology than before resulting to early detection and treatment of the diseases.

We also have cancer registration going on across the country, we are able to pick these cancers and document them.

Unfortunately in Africa while we are drifting toward western world life style, we are also living with our infectious diseases, which all contribute to increase in number of cases of cancers, the consultant said.

In addition, he said that the Federal Government was also paying more attention to cancers in the country, especially childhood cancers than before.

Nwokwu said the ministry had approved inclusion of 12 additional hospitals in Cancer Access Partnership (CAP) Programme to improve access to chemotherapy at over 50 per cent cost reduction.

The consultant said the Federal Government had also increased the number of hospitals offering the service from seven in 2020 to 18 hospitals.

The CAP programme has also the formulation of chemotherapy products from nine products 20 products.

The consultant said children cancers are giving attention in all the CAP centres and in those expanded products and Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) will be supporting the treatment.

Graciously, CHAI has opted to provide specialised supportive care for childhood cancers and they are piloting it in four hospitals.

The hospitals are University Teaching Hospital, Enugu, Obafemi Awolowo Teaching Hospital, Ile-Ife, National Hospital Abuja and University of Abuja Teaching Hospital, Gwagwalada.

CHAI will also support to increase Childhood Cancer registration and how to support their improvement in the management of childhood cancers.

There is a special attention now on childhood cancers because we are seeing more cases because of better diagnoses and better registration activities, he said. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Nabilu Balarabe

Yobe Desert Stars FC on Saturday in Damaturu defeated FRSC Football Club of Abuja 2-0 on Match Day 7 in the 2020/2021 Nigeria National League (NNL) Group A2.

The match played at the August 27 Stadium saw hosts Desert Stars taking an early lead in the third minute through a free-kick converted by Dayyabu Hamza.

The right full-back could have doubled the tally in the 67th minute, but he shot wide from close range.

The second goal came in the 81st minute when Aliyu Habib nodded home a cross to secure the vital home win for the Desert Stars.

FRSC FC appeared to have contained Yobe Desert Stars in spite of trailing by one goal in the first half, but could not produce even a shot on target.

Speaking to journalists after the match, Akin Onigbinde, Head Coach of FRSC FC, expressed satisfaction with his teams performance in spite of the defeat.

He said his focus was on allowing the players to rest so that they could be in good shape for their next match.

Yahaya Aminu, the Assistant Coach of Yobe Desert Stars, rued chances missed by his players, but thanked God that they secured the three points.

He said the Desert Stars were looking forward to grabbing yet another three points when they lock horns with ABS FC of Ilorin on Wednesday.

If we win that outstanding match with more goals, we will top the table because at the moment, we have seven points, Aminu said. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

The United Nations (UN) on Saturday voiced concern over Turkeys withdrawal from the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence, otherwise known as the Istanbul Convention.

UN Women voiced the concern in a statement.

This action comes at a point when concerted international action and commitment to end violence against women and girls is more important than ever and as UN Women is seeking to mobilise even greater multi-stakeholder and cross-generational action on this issue, with the women movement being key in these efforts, said UN Women.

We urge Turkey to reconsider its withdrawal, it added.

UN Women has highlighted an increase in reported violence against women and girls during the Coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) as a result of measures such as lockdowns and disruptions to vital support services, which comes on top of the already existing extreme levels of violence.

The pandemic revealed the gaps in our systems to respond to such violence and the acute need to respond firmly and with unity.

The solidarity of nations that comes with being part of international conventions is critical for a world that is free of the shadow pandemic of violence against women, UN Women said.

The global body joins those urging the government of Turkey to continue protecting and promoting the safety and rights of all women and girls, including by remaining committed to the full implementation of the Istanbul Convention, it added.

We need bolder and game-changing actions that continue to move us forward, in order to ensure that women and girls live free from violence, in line with the principle of gender equality and the commitment to leave no one behind of the Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development, it said. (Xinhua/NAN)

Source: NAN News

y Akeem Abas

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo says there is a lot for Nigerian politicians to learn from the successful transfer of leadership in the Christ Apostolic Church (CAC).

He made the disclosure on Saturday in Ibadan during the inauguration of the 8th president of Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) worldwide.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the inauguration of Pastor Samuel Oladele as the 8th president of the church was attended by representative of the vice president and some governors from the south west region.

Osinbajo, who was represented by Pastor Seyi Malomo, the Chaplain of Aso Rock Chapel, said: When I attended your centenary celebration three years ago, I reminded us all that through the apostle, CAC, God has demonstrated that he did not need many to do His work.

Neither did He need professors or men of race scholarship to propagate the gospel.

He said that the anointing of God in the church has made it such that the humblest of men, even the least educated of men and women can bring the good news on certain chains of captivity of the devil.

The anointing can bring good news, delivering the oppressed from evil spirit, healing the sin and even raising the dead. Apostle Ayo Babalola, founder of the first general evangelist, released a testament to this fact.

He says of evangelism and miraculous accomplishments are beyond incredible harvests of salvation of souls through this church in Nigeria and comparing world.

Nigeria and the world have come to know through the Christ Apostolic Church that Gods supernatural power is real.

Today, as we inaugurate the 8President, I have no doubt that God will pour again fresh anointing to empower the church to move higher, to move wider.

And even faster in its core objectives of spreading the gospel, saving of souls, delivering the oppressed from the devils stronghold, healing the sin and raising the dead, he said.

The vice president enjoined the church, its leadership and laity to support the new president.

I therefore enjoined all the church, the leadership and the laity to support the new president, so that as one body, the CAC will march forward, grow stronger and move faster as a united force to propagate the much-needed gospel for the disciple of these mini generation.

Osinbajo also delivered President Muhammadu Buharis congratulatory message to the church and the new president.

Gov. Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State appreciated the new president for making it a priority to end the crisis in CAC, calling on all to support him in this new mission.

We are happy today to witness the inauguration of another president of this church. In your speech, you said your priority is to ensure the crisis in the CAC ends. This is a great priority from you and I urge all to support you, he said.

The governor said that it was important to return to the bible to remain spiritually alive, saying it is the only way to enjoin the favours of God.

Gov. Seyi Makinde of Oyo State lauded the rancour-free transition process which ushered in the new president of CAC, praying that the new leadership bring good tidings to the church, Oyo State and Nigeria.

The governor, who said that the nation was at a cross-road due to insecurity, enjoined Nigerians to eschew all divisionary tendencies.

NAN reports that the event was attended by Dr Charles Akinola, who represented Gov. Gboyega Oyetola of Osun State, traditional rulers, prominent clerics and hosts of other invited guests. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Emmanuel Afonne
Global smartphone giant OPPO has introduced two new sets of smart phones Reno 5 and Reno 5F, in its bid to provide a customized smart service to consumers in Nigeria, and to form an all-inclusive technology ecosystem.

Speaking at the virtual unveiling, the Public Relation (PR) Manager, OPPO Nigeria, Mr Joseph Adeola, said the phones would ensure Nigerians have access to the world without stress.

Adeola said that the phones were created with special features and technologies for people to keep evolving and to close the gap in the entertainment world and photography.

He said that the phones have a multi-cooling system attached to the steel plates up to the lower cover structure, and also heat pipes to lower temperature.

We are motivated to create better products for the people to keep evolving; recently, we announced our 3 N X strategy to accelerate our technology innovation.

The 3 refers to Three Technology Development Projects, namely the underline hardware, software and services technologies.

These technologies will become the technical foundation for OPPOs long-term development which helps it produce the best intelligence hardware products and bring an integrated smart life to users while also providing a customized smart service to consumers worldwide.

The N refers to several essential capabilities that we have long been working on including connectivity, artificial intelligence, security and privacy.

As for the X, it stands for OPPOs capability to build differentiated technology which currently includes video and imaging technologies as well as vogue flash technology, Adeola said.

He noted that the phones have the AI highlight video, AI mixed portrait, dual view video, 50watt flash charge and smart air control which made them unique in the world of smart phones.

Marketing Manager, OPPO Nigeria, Nengi Akinola, said the new phones would enable Nigerians express themselves through video and images and not only by voice.

She said the Reno 5 series was designed to bring colour and life to the world around it users effortlessly, irrespective of the time of day.

OPPO users have automatically become photographers to capture life as it happens because of the high sensitivity of its camera, as it has incorporated highly artistic aesthetic concepts into the designs of its products.

Since Reno 2 innovation, we have been improving our leading camera technology into creating unprecedented video performance, and with Reno 5, we have raised the bar higher than ever, enabling anyone to take professional quality videos and photos with ease.

The Reno5 series smartphones are designed for trend seekers looking for powerful, yet durable devices that boast of a mix of fun, new video features that enable them to capture memories and moments from more than one perspective.

It comes with 64MP Main Camera, 8MPUltra Wide angle camera, 2MP Macro camera and a 2MP Mono Lens.

These cameras become an unwatchable Force working together in spite of their individual performances, Akinola said.

She added that the new smart phones were the industrys first and arguably best imagined technology in the market for superior portrait performance with AI Mixed portrait.

Source: NAN News

By Ibrahim Kado

The Police Community Relations Committee (PCRC) has trained no fewer than 600 of its members drawn from Adamawa and Taraba, for effective community policing.

Speaking at a one-day capacity building workshop on Saturday in Yola for the two states, Faruk Maiyama, PCRC National Chairman, tasked members to actively participate in the activities of the committee.

He said that the objectives of the training were to improve the capacity of members to understand their roles in assisting the police to combat crimes and criminality in the society.

He saluted the courage of Nigeria Police for establishing the community policing and considering PCRC to be part of enhancing security of the country.

He urged the participants to justify the confidence reposed in them towards achieving the objectives of community policing in their respective communities, state and the country.

Amb. Wada Sadiq, PCRC National Vice Chairman, North East,called members to work hard by providing useful information to police.

He expressed the need to take away political, religion and tribal sentiments towards addressing security problems.

In his remarks, Gov. Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa, said that the workshop was timely and important toward improving security in the state and the country at large.

Fintiri, who was represented by Malam Suleiman Usman, Permanent Secretary on Security Matters, expressed the need for PCRC membership to be extended to the grassroots.

He assured the PCRC of his support in ensuring security of lives and property in the state.

Mrs Francisca Nbaya, a participant, commended the PCRC and the resource persons for building
their capacity.

According to her, the training will help her to contribute positively in combating crimes unlike before.

Ambrose Abdullahi, another participant, described the workshop as excellent, saying it had increased their knowledge with regards to PCRC and community policing.

According to him, they will now continue to work hard by feeding police with useful information that will help to address the problem of insecurity in their respective communities. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Philip Dzeremo

Gov. Samuel Ortom said his convoy was attacked on Saturday while leaving his farm on Makurdi-Gboko Road.

Ortom, who appeared ruffled while speaking to journalists on Saturday at the Benue Peoples House, Makurdi, said armed militia men, numbering about 15, advanced quickly towards his convoy with sophisticated weapons but were repelled by his security details.

He said the men, dressed in black, had trailed his convoy from the farm.

Ortom said he had to run for dear life while his security details engaged the bandits who escaped into the nearby bushes.

I will continue to fight for the truth, equity and justice. Nobody can intimidate me, those after my life will continue to fail as they failed today, he said.

He said that he would send a petition on attack to The Presidency, to ensure that criminal elements were flushed out of the state.

He also called on the Federal Government to act swiftly by deploying troops to arrest armed militia gangs hiding in the forests between Makurdi and Abinsi to allow peace and tranquility to reign. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

Nigerias revenue challenges and the imperative of government borrowings

By Kadiri Abdulrahman of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)

Nigerias external debt is considered to be the biggest in sub-Saharan Africa and has already been rescheduled several times. In spite of this rescheduling and refinancing by creditors who were either members of the Paris Club (governments), London Club (banks) or independent creditors, arrears of this debt kept accumulating over time.

Records show that Nigerias external debt remained low until the middle of the 1970s. It was 1.5 billion dollars in 1970 and 2.5 billion dollars in 1975. The situation began to get out of control around 1977 when an outstanding growth rate in the countrys debt became manifest.

The outstanding debt reached 7.5 billion dollars in 1979 and 8.9 billion dollars by 1980.

This was due to excess borrowing from international agencies and countries at non-concessional interest rate as a result of the decline in oil earnings, and the emergence of high trade arrears due to inability of the country to either produce or foot the bills of importation of needed goods and services.

By 2005, the nations debt had ballooned to about 30 billion dollars, mostly borrowed from the Paris Club of creditors. Nigeria and the creditors club then went into series of negotiations on a mutually acceptable relief on the 30 billion dollars debt with the Paris Club.

In October 2005, Nigeria and the Paris Club announced a final agreement for debt relief worth 18 billion dollars. The creditors had cancelled 18 billion dollars, and Nigeria repaid 12 billion dollars. Most of the 18 billion dollars was registered as aid.

The deal was completed in April 2006, when Nigeria made its final payment and its books were cleared of any Paris Club debt.

Some Nigerians opined at the time, that it was not profitable to pay such huge amounts of Foreign Exchange in one fell swoop just to enjoy debt relief.

They argued that the funds could have been used to improve infrastructure and create enabling environment to attract viable foreign investments for economic growth.

The government of President Olusegun Obasanjo, however went ahead with the payment and exited the country from the huge debt burden of the Paris Club.

The relief turned out to be temporary as, by June 2015, the countrys debt had again jumped to 63.8 billion dollars, representing the countrys highest debt profile since 2007.

By September 2020, the Debt Management Office (DMO) revealed that the countrys total public debt stock stood at 84.574 billion dollars.

DMO is the government agency established to centrally coordinate the management of national debts.

It explained that the Debt Stock was made up of the domestic and external debt stocks of the Federal Government, the 36 State Governments and the Federal Capital Territory.

A breakdown of the public debt stock showed that 37.82 per cent was external, while the balance of 62.18 per cent was domestic.

The DMO clarified that after Nigeria exited recession in 2017, the level of new borrowing at the Federal Level as shown in the Annual Appropriation Acts, had been declining.

The office described it as part of the governments measures to moderate the rate of growth in the public debt stock in order to ensure debt sustainability.

Some Nigerians, however, recently raised concerns that the countrys dependence on debt to fund annual budgets had become alarming.

There were concerns that the nature of the loans agreement, particularly with China, was capable of compromising the countrys sovereignty. In recent times the country has consistently looked towards China for loans to bridge huge infrastructure deficits.

In May 2020, the House of Representatives mandated some of its committees to investigate all China-Nigeria loan agreements, to ascertain the viability of the facilities, then regularise and renegotiate them when necessary.

Of particular interest was a sovereign guarantee clause in the agreements. The controversial narrative was that the clause could see Nigeria sign away its sovereignty in the event of a payment default.

However, Nigerias transportation minister, Rotimi Amaechi, explained that the purpose of the clause was to allow China pursue paths, including arbitration, to settle possible disputes over payments.

They are saying; if you are not able to pay, do not stop us from taking back those items that will help us recover our funds.

And it is a standard clause, whether its with America you signed it or with Britain or any country, because they want to know that they can recover their money, Amaechi said.

According to the DMO, as at March 2020, the total Borrowing by Nigeria from China was 3.121 billion dollars, accounting for 11.2 per cent of the external debt stock of 27.67 billion dollars. This has shown that China is not really a major source of funding for the Nigerian government.

Some stakeholders, however, condemn the seeming, perpetual dependence on loans by the government to fund infrastructure as well as budget deficits.

An economist, Mr Tope Fasua, advised the Federal Government to improve on the budgeting system to check deficit financing and make the annual budgets more impactful.

Fasua said that though borrowing had become imperative due to prevailing circumstances, especially with the advent of COVID-19, such borrowings should be judiciously utilised to improve infrastructure that can grow the economy.

Unfortunately, we have found ourselves in a difficult scenario due to the COVID-19 pandemic and falling crude oil prices and we just have to go borrowing like most other countries in the world.

Government should ensure that our borrowings are effectively utilised for optimum economic impact, he said.

However, with the countrys National debt in relation to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) at 35.51 per cent, some analysts opine that the debt situation is still within reasonable limits.

According a study conducted by the World Bank, a debt to GDP ratio that exceeds 77 per cent for an extended period of time may result in an adverse impact on economic growth.

This implies that the Nigerian debt situation is not really alarming when compared to the countrys GDP.

Mr Laoye Jaiyeola, Chief Executive Officer of the National Economic Summit Group (NESG), said that, though Nigerias debt to GDP ratio could be considered low, the revenue that went into debt servicing was still on the high side.

Jaiyeola opined that expending 25 per cent to 30 per cent of national revenue on debt servicing, as presently done by the Nigerian government, was not sustainable.

He urged the Federal Government to adopt tough but necessary policy choices in order to improve on its revenue and reduce its dependence on foreign and local loans to fund budget deficit.

We should all be worried about the rising debt profile of the country.

Some people say that the debt to GDP ratio is still low. It could be low, but servicing debt is still a challenge, he said.

He suggested a drastic cut in running cost of governance, reduction in recurrent expenditure, as well as removal of subsidies in electricity and petroleum products, as a way of reducing the debt burden.

President Muhammadu Buhari, however, justified government borrowing to finance infrastructure, asserting that his government took loans in the interest of the country to solve the glaring shortfall in infrastructure.

Speaking at a virtual meeting with members of the Presidential Economic Advisory Council (PEAC) in Abuja last June, Buhari said that the country must fix its roads to save lives from road accidents.

We have so many challenges with infrastructure. We just have to take loans to do roads, rail and power, so that investors will find us attractive and come here to put their money, he said.

He regretted that the failure to provide the infrastructure for effective transportation deprived the country of its well-deserved status as the West African hub for air cargo transportation and trans-shipment of goods.

Recently, the DMO announced Federal Governments approval of a new Medium Term Debt Management Strategy (MTDS) for the period 2020-2023.

DMO explained that the MTDS was a policy document that provided a guide to the borrowing activities of government in the medium-term, which is usually four years.

It explained that the new MTDS adequately reflected the current economic realities and the projected trends, adding that its preparation involved the consideration of alternative funding strategies available to the government.

It seeks to meet its financing needs, taking into consideration the cost of borrowing and the associated risks, while ensuring debt sustainability in the medium to long-term, the DMO explained.

*****If used please credit the writer and the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Ismaila Chafe

President Muhammadu Buhari has sent a message of condolence to the government and people of Kwara on the passing away of Alhaji Usman Ndalolo, Waziri Patigi.

Malam Garba Shehu, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, revealed this in a statement in Abuja on Saturday.

In the message, the president stated that the late Ndalolo, a retired orthopaedic technician and community leader, who died at the age of 83, was a visionary statesman with impeccable integrity and dedication,

According to him, Ndalolo will be remembered for his sagacity and exemplary selfless service to the people of Nigeria.

The president extended sympathies to the bereaved wife, Hajiya Amina Ndalolo, a former Minister of State, Health, family members and the government and people of Kwara.(NAN)

Source: NAN News

A Chinese-funded iron-ore project in Sierra Leone on Saturday announced the commencement of its full-scale operation.

The New Tonkolili Iron-Ore Project, which is invested and operated by Kingho Investment Company Limited (Kingho), a Chinese-owned private company, started operation in September 2020.

The Chinese companys Chief Executive Officer Zhao Ting said the project covered an area of 408 square kilometers (40,800 hectares) with a resource capacity of 13.7 billion tons.

According to him, the project is also equipped with a complete railway and port logistics transportation system.

Zhao said the project would boost the iron and steel industries both in Sierra Leone and China.

On Jan. 29, the first shipment of iron-ore from the project set sail for China. (Xinhua/NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Peter Amine

Gov. Simon Lalong of Plateau has said that he hates hearing about abandoned projects and would strive to complete all projects he initiated and some inherited ones before leaving office.

Lalong stated this on Saturday while interacting with journalists after a media tour of ongoing projects in the state.

The governor said that he sees it a waste when an administration leaves uncompleted projects and succeeding administrations abandon the projects in the name of politics.

In our vision we said that if projects initiated by the previous administration are viable and is going to be useful to the people, we will continue and complete the project.

Today we are using the new government house, I didnt start the project but I completed it and the people of Plateau are using it.

We have so far completed some abandoned projects and we are going to complete more of them because I hate hearing about abandoned projects, he emphasized.

On his legacy projects that were mainly in health and education sectors, Lalong assured that he would complete the 46 projects.

The governor said that due to paucity of funds, the scope of the legacy projects was scaled down from N50 to N30 billion to enable the state government complete them.

We went to the capital market, got the money needed to complete the projects and we told the contractor that he must finish the projects in time.

We realize that the contractor is slow and we have issued him a notice of termination and you will see what will happen in the next three months, he assured.

Lalong also assured journalists that the contractor handling the remodelling of NUJ Secretariat Jos would return to site before the end of March to complete the project.

Mr Dan Manjang, Commissioner for Information and Communication, said that the initiative to conduct journalists round ongoing projects was to enable them see and assess what government was doing in the area of infrastructure development.

Manjang thanked journalists for the support given to the state government so far.

Mr Paul Jatau, Chairman, Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Plateau Council commended the state government for the initiative, stating that the tour afforded journalists the opportunity to see things for themselves.

Jatau however, called on government official to avail journalists with valuable information whenever they come calling to avoid speculation. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Ifeanyi Olannye

Gov. Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta on Saturday congratulated his Enugu State counterpart, Gov. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, as he clocked 57 years.

Okowas felicitation was conveyed in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Olisa Ifeajika, in Asaba.

He commended Ugwuanyi for his sterling contributions to the growth and development of Enugu State.

The governor commended Ugwuanyis vision of creating fair and equal opportunities for citizens to make a living, create wealth, educate their children, and enjoy life in a peaceful and secure environment.

He congratulated Ugwuanyi for his visionary and pragmatic governance, which had seen over 680 kilometres of roads constructed largely in the rural areas of the state.

Okowa said that it was heartwarming to note that the governor had through hard work, discipline and a masterfully conceived vision won the admiration and respect of Enugu State people and the nation.

Your focus and commitment to the growth and development of your state, especially rural communities, have been greatly acknowledged.

I must thank the peace-loving people of Enugu State for their cooperation with you in the nearly six years of your administration.

On behalf of the government and people of Delta, I heartily rejoice with a man of peace, a seasoned administrator and my brother governor, Rt. Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, as he turns 57 years.

It is our prayer that God will continue to protect you and grant you good health to render more services to your state and mankind, he said. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Nathan Nwakamma

Bilabiri community in Ekeremor Local Government Area of Bayelsa has called on the military Joint Task Force (JTF) to flush out criminals from its fold.

In a letter dated March 21, the community appealed to the Joint Task Force deployed to protect oil facilities in the Niger Delta to deploy its surveillance boats to the area to fish out miscreants.

The letter was signed by Chief Peter Pinne, Amananawei (Paramount Ruler) in Bilabiri 1 and Chief Minna Fun, Amananawei of Bilabiri 2.

Other signatories are Mr David Bazigha, Community Development Committee (CDC) Chairman, Bilabiri 1 and Mr Esau Joshua, CDC Chairman Bilabiri 2.

The letter stated that the community leadership had resolved to rid the area of pirates, militants, oil thieves and kidnappers who brought the name of the area to disrepute.

It added that the development was an expression of the people of Bilabiri to support governments efforts at maintaining a peaceful atmosphere for legitimate economic activities.

The community leaders noted that the entire settlement comprising youths, women and elders was unanimous in its resolve to stamp out criminality and pledged its support to aid the JTF to achieve its mandate.

The letter noted that miscreants burnt down the palace of the monarch, engaged in kidnappings and other criminal activities that undermined the security of the oil-rich community.

The Bilabiri community hosts oil production facilities operated by Shell Petroleum Development Company and Chevron Nigeria Ltd.

The leaders noted in the letter that miscreants in the community had rebuffed internal efforts to check their nefarious activities through established traditional mechanisms.

It is an established norm that the king and other authorities as listed above are the custodians of tradition, law and order in conjunction with the established security apparatus of the Nigerian state.

When the governed are showing no sign of obeisance or refusing to subject themselves to constituted authorities, a higher force or authority will have to be invited to quell the inferno before it degenerates to an uncontrollable fiasco.

In event of collapse or total breakdown of law and order within our community, the leaders are always the ones to account for it.

It is on the strength of these that we invite you to come to our aid and end the criminal behaviours of some of our boys who have become bigger than the kingdom, the letter stated. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Ikenna Uwadileke

The Veterinary Council of Nigeria (VCN) has warned against the consumption of meat roasted with tyres, saying that tyres contain cancer-causing substances.

Deputy Registrar of the Council, Dr Fadipe Oladotun, gave the warning in Abuja on Sunday when he spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

Oladotun, who decried the continued use of tyres to roast meat in abattoirs, said that the warning became imperative in view of its growing health and environmental hazards.

He said that the trend was growing because a lot of people were ignorant about the health consequences.

The more we eat those meats roasted with tyres, the more we are prone to health risks.

There are alternative and healthy ways of de-skinning meat rather than using tyres. Burning tyres contaminate the meat, degrade the environment and pollutes the atmosphere, Oladotun said.

He said that the council would intensify efforts to sensitise people to understand the dangers inherent in consuming meats roasted with tyres.

When you burn tyres, they release bad fume that pollutes the air. And when you use tyres to roast meat, they deposit substances on the meat that cause cancer when consumed. It is a slow killer.

Slow killer in the sense that it is when you take it in small quantities and it accumulates and then it becomes an issue, he said.

Oladotun expressed the Councils determination to prosecute those who engage in the practice.

The regulation of practices at abattoirs is what the Council will engage in soon.

We all need to join hands to stop this menace. I am giving a very strong warning to all the offenders that they should watch out because very soon the hands of the law will catch up with them.

The Council is carrying out awareness to give them enough time instead of aggressively arresting people, Oladotun said. (NAN)

Source: NAN News