Nigerias Senate under Ahmed Lawan

By Naomi Sharang

The Senate says it is committed to expeditious passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) just as it is also committed to the passage of the 2021 budget estimate of N13. 08 trillion.

The Chairman, Senate Committee on Media and Publicity, Sen. Ajibola Basiru, made this known while reacting to the 2021 budget estimate presented to the National Assembly.

While also reacting to a report by a foreign medium that the upper chamber was suspending work on the Bill until next year because of the budget, Basiru said this is not true.

This is not true because the bill is central even to the realisation of revenue and putting our oil in competitive international market.

On Oct. 20, the bill will enter second reading after which it will be sent to the relevant committees of the Senate, that is committees on upstream and downstream sector.

So that as work is being done on the 2021 appropriation, work will be done at the same time on the PIB.

On the 2021 appropriation, Basiru said, we will make sure that copies of the presented budget are made available to senators latest by Monday.

So that on Tuesday, the senators will take turns to discuss the principle of the budget and make their views and comments known publicly before it is sent to the relevant committee under the coordination of appropriation committee.

While speaking to newsmen on the proposed budget, Sen. Obinna Ogba (PDP-Ebonyi), said, Im very happy the way Mr President had spoken.

The way he has directed the ministers, the MDAs for them to come and defend their budget.

This is because why budgets have been delayed most of the time is because the ministers and MDAs find it difficult to defend their budget.

He called on the executive to find ways of tackling revenue leakages in MDAs for the country to thrive economically.

The country needs to do something about it not that the country does not have revenue but these revenues go down the drain.

What they account for in the country is not actually what is generated.

Efforts should be made that all monies generated should go directly to the federation account.

Also Sen. Yusuf Yusuf (APC-Taraba), said that the budget presentation was a usual routine.

It is a usual routine but every year we do this but like Mr President has emphasised that this time, is a very challenging budget.

You know we have a high amount of deficit and then our revenue is not commensurate with our expectation.

We have the COVID-19 challenge and so many other challenges this time that we have to contend with.

But I am pleased that we are all determined by the MDAs, by the National Assembly itself, that we are going to work round the clock to make sure we give Nigeria the budget that can be sustained, that can provide better value for the Nigerian people, he said.(NAN)

Source: NAN News

Super Eagles full squad in Austria training camp

By Emmanuel Afonne

Super Eagles management have dismissed reports in some quarters that some of the players in the teams Austria camp have tested positive for COVID-19.

Some sections of the media had reported on Thursday that four players of the Super Eagles tested positive for the deadly COVID-19 and had to undergo another round of testing.

But Media Officer of the Super Eagles, Toyin Ibitoye, expressed dismay over such reports, noting that results of the tests carried out on the players on Thursday were being awaited as at the time of this report.

He wondered how the players can test positive for the virus without result of their tests.

Ibitoye said that such reports could negatively affect the players ahead of the teams international friendly against Algeria on Friday.

Please discountenance reports that some of our players tested positive to COVID-19 ahead of tomorrows friendly game against Algeria. It is blatant falsehood.

The writer of the story, who was not part of the press conference earlier today totally misrepresented what Coach Rohr said.

Rohr said that since the outbreak of the pandemic, four of our players had tested positive, but were all now fully recovered from the virus and back in action.

The results of the COVID-19 tests carried out on the Super Eagles ahead of tomorrows game are still being awaited, he added.

Meanwhile, organisers of the Nigeria-Algeria match have changed the venue of the encounter.

The match was earlier scheduled to take place at the Jacques Lemmans Arena in Austrian state of Carinthia,which contains only 2,420 spectators, but has now been moved to Worthersee Stadium in Klagenfurt, with 30,000 seating capacity.

No reason was given for the change in match venue.

NAN reports that the Super Eagles trained only ones on Thursday ahead of the clash against the Desert Foxes of Algeria scheduled to kick-off by 7:30 p.m. Nigerian time on Friday.

The team is expected to lock horns with their Tunisian counterparts on Oct. 13. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

Nigeria Women Football League action

By Ijeoma Okigbo

The Nigeria Women Football League (NWFL), says it will soon make it mandatory for only financially buoyant clubs to feature in the league.

Faith Ben-Anuge, the leagues Chief Operating Officer, made the remarks in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja, against the backdrop of compulsory licensing of clubs initiated by the Federal Government.

The reclassification agenda of sports from recreation to business by the Ministry of Youth and Sports Development accommodates the issue of club licensing- which is concerned with welfare of players.

We, in the NWFL under the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) are working towards that initiative.

We have written to various clubs, letting them know that when they come for documentation ahead of the new season, we would like to know how they have fared over the years.

This includes level of indebtedness and profits. We want to ensure that the clubs can offset their bills in the coming season.

The clubs may not like this but it is better for us if we have fewer clubs in the league who are willing to comply, she said.

She told NAN that the league would ensure that clubs are consistent.

Football requires continuity. We dont want to have clubs that come in and out of season.

Clubs should be able to make long and short term plans. They should be able to source for sponsorships and more.

We are also trying to see how we can help them. When the money FIFA promised gets to us, we will use it judiciously to help the clubs.

We know that some of these clubs are promising and we will be more than willing to help them.

We want to see the rise of more clubs, more female participation in football but what is of more concern is players welfare.

When players welfare is settled, you get the best of them and the league itself becomes better, Ben-Anuge said. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

IGP approves 7,500 youths for community policing in Zamfara

The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mohammed Adamu, has approved the recruitment of 7,500 youths by Zamfara Government to serve as special constabularies for community policing in their respective areas.

The state Commissioner of Police, Alhaji Usman Nagogo, disclosed this while addressing the first batch of the recruited youths in Gusau on Thursday.

Nagogo said that out of the number, 3,850 youths had been screened by the police as the first batch.

We are transporting them to Police Training Colleges in Sokoto and Kaduna states for a two-month training, after which they would return to the state in December, and after their return, we are going to send another batch for training.

All the successful candidates had been earlier selected by important personalities from their respective communities.

If we recall, last year, the IGP had launched community policing to involve members of the general public in securing their communities, Nagogo said.

According to him, Zamfara is the first state across the country to launch the programme with the highest number of members.

After their two-month training, we are hoping to see changes as regard to addressing security challenges in the state, he explained.

He urged the recruits to be good ambassadors of Zamfara state and Nigeria in general, saying that the police would not tolerate laxity, corruption or any relationship with bandits.

Speaking on behalf of the state government, the state Commissioner for Information, Alhaji Sulaiman Tunau, said the recruitment was part of the Gov. Bello Matawalle-led administrations measure to address security challenges.

According to him, the youths, whose monthly salaries will be paid by the state government, are to be recruited across the 14 Local Government Areas of the state.

Apart from supporting government in tackling insecurity, the measures would also help in providing employment opportunities for the teeming youths in the state, he said.

Source: NAN News

APC logo

By Emmanuel Mogbede

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has expressed confidence that the National Assembly will consolidate its patriotic disposition by speedily considering and passing of the 2021 Appropriation Bill.

The APC expressed the confidence in a statement issued by Mr Yekini Nabena, its Deputy National Publicity Secretary, on Thursday in Abuja while congratulating President Muhammadu Buhari for presenting the proposed budget to the National Assembly.

The APC welcomes President Buharis presentation of the proposed 2021 National Budget aptly tagged; Budget of Economic Recovery and Resilience to a joint session of the 9th National Assembly.

We are confident that the 9th National Assembly will continue and consolidate its patriotic disposition by speedily considering and passing of the 2021 Appropriation Bill, he said.

He added that the early passage of the bill would enable government to start its implementation by Jan. 1, 2021, as canvassed by President Buhari.

Nabena, however, said that President Buharis administration was not oblivious of the perseverance and continued support Nigerians had displayed in these difficult times.

He noted that the times were made difficult by the outbreak of the global COVID-19 pandemic and the crash in oil prices which had affected national revenue and individual livelihoods.

The APC spokesman added that it was, however, commendable that the Federal Government had not been found wanting in its resolve to cushion the biting effects on the citizenry.

This, he said, government was doing while delivering on key policies, programmes and critical infrastructure projects which included the ongoing national railway project, and the second Niger Bridge.

According to him, these are among other critical projects that are positively impacting our national lives.

In the face of dwindling national resources, President Buhari in his 2021 budget presentation speech has committed to intensify measures to address revenue leakages, he said.

He noted that the president had also redirected scarce resources to the poor and vulnerable.

He added that the Federal Government was doing this through deregulation of the price of petroleum products, continued verification exercise with the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) and implementation of service based electricity tariffs.

He urged members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to show patriotism by supporting governments intentions on the IPPIS especially.

He also appealed to the union to end the ongoing strike to enable students to resume school.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Federal Executive Council (FEC) had earlier approved a budget estimate of N13.08 trillion for the 2021 fiscal year.

The Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, after the Sept. 30, FEC meeting, had said the proposal was designed to enable the country to attain inclusive growth.

The budget assumptions that were presented to the council today include: crude oil price benchmark at per barrel; oil production at 1.86 million barrels per day; exchange rate of N379 to ; Gross Domestic Product growth target of three per cent; and inflation rate of 11.95 per cent, she said.

The minister said the proposal was aimed at stimulating the economy, creating jobs, enhancing growth, creating infrastructural investment, and promoting manufacturing and local production.(NAN)

Source: NAN News

Dr Muda Yusuf LCCI Boss

By Rukayat Moisemhe

The Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) has commended President Muhammadu Buhari for the early presentation of the 2021 budget estimates to the National Assembly for passage.

The chamber said the move was a demonstration of the current administrations commitment to sustaining the return to January December budget cycle.

Dr Muda Yusuf, Director-General, LCCI said these in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Lagos.

NAN reports that the president had presented a budget of N13.08 trillion to the National Assembly.

Yusuf also commended the National Assembly for its commitment to passage of the budget before the end of the year.

He said the budget assumptions were generally okay and reasonably conservative.

According to him, the emphasis on completion of ongoing projects is laudable.

He said that the projections would save the country from the recurring incidence of abandoned projects which currently litter the country.

Yusuf, however, said that the revenue projections seemed quite optimistic, with regard to revenue performance over the last few years.

We have witnessed large negative variances in revenue targets over the last few years.

This poses a risk of bigger deficits than projected.

The ballooning recurrent expenditure and debt service is a cause for concern.

The combination of these two line items exceeds the total revenue expected.

The implication is that the entire capital budget would be funded from borrowing.

This, therefore is a cause for concern, Yusuf said. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

NEPZA Board Chairman

By Emmanuella Anokam

The Federal Government has appointed Alhaji Adamu Fanda, a former member House of Representative from Kano State as Board Chairman of the Nigeria Export Processing Zones Authority (NEPZA) with effect from Sept. 26.

The appointment was in a memo with file number FMIT/LEG/1426/17 dated Oct. 6, signed by Dr Nasir Sani-Gwarzo, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment.

A statement released by Mr Martins Odeh, the Head, Corporate Communications, NEPZA on Thursday in Abuja said Fandas appointment was sequel to the ministrys request.

The request was through the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation to President Muhammadu Buhari on July 23 for the replacement of Mr Segun Oni who formerly held the position.

Meanwhile, the Managing Director of NEPZA, Prof. Adesoji Adesugba has commended the president for the prompt manner in which Fanda was appointed, adding that the NEPZA team was now complete.

Adesugba said the appointment of the new chairman was indicative of Buharis commitment to ensuring that NEPZA got a fresh breath of life.

According to him, Fanda has the requisite exposure, experience and credentials to help in the revitalisation process of the agency.

I am grateful to the President for the appointment of Alhaji Adamu Fanda as NEPZA board chairman.

This shows the presidents commitment towards ensuring that the Authority is not hindered in any way while performing its task of growing the economy through free trade zone development.

We are elated with this development as Fandas coming has made our team complete.

The management and staff of the authority will not hesitate to team up with our new chairman to fast track the impact of free trade zone scheme on the countrys economy, the NEPZA boss said.

Adesugba also expressed delight over the many interventions of the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Mr Adeniyi Adebayo made to stabilise NEPZA.

He said that the appointment of a new board chairman for the authority was geared toward giving the agency a full operation status.(NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Abujah Racheal

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) says each state in the country now has molecular diagnostic capacity for free COVID-19 testing.

The centres Director-General, Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, made this known at the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 briefing in Abuja on Thursday.

Ihekweazu said this was one of therecent achievements in the Nigerias response to the pandemic.

Starting from just two laboratories in January, all states,plus FCT, now have at least one laboratory for free COVID-19 testing in the country.

We are pleased to announce the inclusion of the Niger State Public Health Laboratory, Minna, to the NCDC Molecular Laboratory Network.

In eight months, we have activated at least one laboratory for COVID-19 testing in all 36statesin the country, he said.

Ihekweazu also said that samples would no longer be transferred from different parts of the country to a particular centre, as states now have their own laboratories.

With 69 Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), 22 GeneXpertand 17 private laboratories for COVID-19 in Nigeria, testing opportunities is now closer to the people.

Its now up to the public healthcare work force to utilise them to full potential and raise more awareness on their importance in the response, he said.

The director-general said that two new antigen-based rapid test kits were recently given for emergency use, licencedby the World Health Organisation (WHO) for COVID-19 response in three countries.

They both have limitations as well as benefits, but wont replace the PCR tests.

Were working to define the context of their usage, he said.

According to him, the two test kits have a shorter turnaround time and can help public health workers to initiate immediate health response.

Ihekweazu said digital surveillance tools had been activated in local government areas of the country, airports, points of entries and land bordersto help improve the surveillance of vivid and other diseases.

Meanwhile, the director-general announced the untimely death of Mr Uche Njoku, a Logistic expert with the NCDC, who was shot by unknown gunmen while on an official trip.

He commiserated with his family and all frontline workers on the painful loss of Njoku.

We also wish other workers in the vehicle that were injured a quick recovery.

This incident underscores the danger that frontline workers face in the course of fighting the virus on our behalf.

We urge all Nigerians to continue to pray for the safety of all frontline workers and their families, he said.

Source: NAN News

Committee of Wives of Lagos State Officials (COWLSO)

By Florence Onuegbu

The Committee of Wives of Lagos State Officials (COWLSO) on Thursday charged women to explore and take advantage of the opportunities that the new world, occasioned by COVID-19, has brought.

The Chairman of COWLSO, Mrs Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, gave the charge in Alausa, Ikeja during the pre-event news briefing of the Committee of Wives of Lagos State Officials 20th National Womens Conference.

Sanwo-Olu, who is the wife of the Lagos State governor, said that there was the need to take advantage of the new world as COVID-19 had practically changed life as it used to be.

She said that the nations of the world were in the New Normal and the New Realities in all spheres of human endeavours.

According to her, in order to take advantage of the new world, the 20th Annual National Womens Conference will be dwelling on the theme: Exploring the Possibilities in a New World.

This year, we have again selected a theme geared toward equipping participants with the skills and information to cope and stay above board in these interesting times.

These are times when the world is contending with unplanned, unanticipated and unprecedented health crisis in human existence COVID-19 Pandemic.

As it is the tradition of the conference to strategically empower women to contribute positively to the development of the state and Nigeria at large.

This years theme was carefully selected in line with the New Normal that is now the order of the day.

COVID-19 has practically changed life as we used to know it. We now have the New Normal and the New Realities in all spheres of human endeavour.

As a proactive organisation, COWLSO is already thinking post-COVID where women can explore possibilities in a new world and take good advantage of an unprecedented crisis, she said.

The governors wife said that the conference would be held from Wednesday, Oct. 14, to Thursday, Oct. 15, physically and virtually, in line with safety protocols put in place to curb the spread of global COVID-19 pandemic.

She said that there would be minimal number of dignitaries, resource persons and participants at the physical venue at Eko Hotels and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos, from where activities of the conference would be beamed live to the public.

The programme would be streamed live on www.lagosonline.tv and www.COWLSO.org.ng, Twitter handle @followlasg and @WeAreCowlso, Facebook www.facebook.com/followlasg, @WeAreCowlso and @OfficeOfLagosStateFirstLady, Instagram @WeAreCowlso and YouTube/Google YouTube.com/lasgpage.

The COWLSO chairman said that about 6,000 participants were expected to attend the virtual conference, compared to 3,000 that participated in 2019.

She said that the registration fee had been reduced from N50,000 to N10,000 to give opportunity for robust participation.

Mrs Sanwo-Olu said that Nigerias First Lady, Mrs Aisha Buhari, would declare the conference open, while the Governor of Osun State, Mr Gboyega Oyetola, would be the Special Guest of Honour.

Some of the topics to be discussed include: The Womans Physical and Mental Health; Legal Rights of Women: Inheritance, Widows, Gender Quality in the Workplace and Divorce; and Investment Opportunities and Wealth Building for Todays Woman.

The topics also include Promoting Family Unit as the Bedrock of the Society; Opportunities and Importance of Agriculture, Digital Technology and Social Media; Environmental Sanitation

Analyst lists hope, fears on 2021 budget estimates

By Itohan Abara-Laserian

Mr Johnson Chukwu, Managing Director of Cowry Asset Management Limited on Thursday said his hope was that the 2021 budget would pull Nigeria out of the recession.

Chukwu spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos, against the backdrop of the 2021 budget estinates presented by President Muhammadu Buhari to the joint session of the National Assembly.

He, however, noted the challenges around the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which is projected to be negative in the third quarter of 2020, after a decline by 6.1 per cent in the second quarter, ending a three year positive.

Chukwu said that the Federal Governments projected growth rate of three per cent in 2021 might be difficult to achieve.

Basically, it is necessary for the budget to pull Nigeria out of recession.

It might be difficult for us to achieve a three per cent growth rate, also the inflation target of 11.5 per cent is very optimistic, he said.

Chukwu said that FGs benchmark of 40 dollars per barrel and daily projected production of 1.86 million barrels daily to fund the budget were welcomed ideas.

NAN reports that the president had presented an estimated budget size of N13.08tn to the National Assembly.

Based on the fiscal assumptions and parameters, total federally distributable revenue is estimated at N8.433 trillion in 2021.

Total revenue available to fund the 2021 Federal Budget is estimated at N7.886 trillion.

This includes Grants and Aid of N354.85 billion as well as the revenues of 60 Government-Owned Enterprises.

Oil revenue is projected at N2.01 trillion. Non-oil revenue is estimated at N1.49 trillion.

The 2021 Budget deficit (inclusive of Government Owned Enterprises and project-tied loans), is projected at N5.20 trillion.

This, represents 3.64 per cent of estimated GDP, slightly above the 3 per cent threshold set by the Fiscal Responsibility Act, 2007 (NAN)

Source: NAN News

2020 Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden will attend a town hall on Oct. 15, the night scheduled for his second debate with U.S. President Donald Trump, ABC News announced on Thursday.

The primetime event will take place in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where the former U.S. vice president will answer questions from voters, and be moderated by anchor George Stephanopoulos, according to the broadcaster.

The announcement came hours after Trump said he would not take part in the second presidential debate following a format change making it virtual to protect the health and safety of those involved during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The format change has sickened the president and a growing number of individuals close to him.

Kate Bedingfield, Bidens deputy campaign manager and communications director, said that the Democrat was prepared to attend the virtual matchup, originally designed to take place in the form of a town hall in Miami, Florida.

But the President has refused, as Donald Trump clearly does not want to face questions from the voters about his failures on COVID and the economy, Bedingfield said, adding that the campaign was hopeful that organisers would move the event to later this month.

Bill Stepien, Trumps reelection campaign manager, defended the Republican presidential nominees remarks, arguing in a statement that the American people should not be deprived of the chance to see the two candidates for president debate face to face two more times.

Meanwhile, Stepien has urged the debate panel to reschedule the second face-off between Trump and Biden for Oct. 22 and the third for Oct. 29, both in-person.

The presidential opponents met for their first debate in the 2020 race in Cleveland, Ohio on Sept. 29, two days before the incumbent tested positive for COVID-19. Biden has undergone multiple tests since Trumps diagnosis, with each one returning negative.

Trump returned to the White House on Monday, where he continues to receive treatment, after a three-day hospitalisation due to the coronavirus infection.

Speaking to Fox Business Thursday morning, the president said he was feeling perfect, while appearing eager to hit the campaign trail as Bidens lead over him in national polls is widening.

I think Im better to a point where Id love to do a rally tonight. I wanted to do one last night, Trump said, adding: I feel perfect. Theres nothing wrong.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that individuals self-isolate for at least 10 days after the onset of symptoms from COVID-19, which has infected nearly 7.6 million people and killed more than 212,000 in the U.S. (Xinhua/NAN)

Source: NAN News

INECs Result Viewing Portal and Nigeria future elections

One of the greatest threats and impediments to democracy is to subvert the will of the people, analysts observe.

They observer further that the management of elections, especially election results, is significant to the electoral process and consolidation of democracy in any country.

Over the times, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has not only reiterated but demonstrated its commitment to ensuring that the votes of electorate in every election count in determining who wins an election.

In recent times, the commission has introduced some technology innovations to ensure transparency in the electoral process, including the Permanent Voter cards (PVC), Smart Card Readers (SCR) and regular update of voters register.

To further strengthen election management process and enhance transparency of the system, INEC Chairman Mahmood Yakubu, on Aug. 6, introduced a dedicated public election result viewing portal, known as The INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal.

The portal which can be access by longing in to https://inecelectionresults.com, enables Nigerians to view polling unit results in real time on election day.

The portal was introduced alongside with Z-pad, a tablet with dual functions of uploading of scanned copies of election results at polling Units (PUs) to the portal, as well as a secondary authentication mechanism to support the smartcard readers on voters verification on election day.

The instruments were test-run at the Aug. 8, Nasarawa Central State Constituency by-election in Nasarawa State and subsequently deployed for the Sept. 19 Edo governorship election.

While INEC assured the public that the result viewing portal and the Z-pads would be used for Ondo State governorship election and subsequent polls, it dropped the use of the z-pads for secondary authentication mechanism to review and perfect the device for that function.

INEC National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Mr Festus Okoye, announcing the introduction of the portal, said that the commission was aware that result management had remained a major source of mistrust in Nigerias electoral process.

Citizens are often concerned, and sometimes rightly so, that results may not always be consistent with votes cast.

INEC is determined to address any source of this concern through enhancing the level of transparency in the conduct of elections, more so in the process of releasing results of elections.

It is a fundamental principle of democracy that in elections, votes are not only correctly counted, but that they also count, Okoye said.

He recalled that in consistent with INEC commitment to transparency in election management, the commission introduced the Form EC60E, which is a poster version of the primary result sheet, the Form EC8A.

This replica of the polling unit result is pasted at the PU after votes are counted, recorded and announced.

This poster, now widely known as the Peoples Form EC8, has increased transparency in result management.

The form enables the citizens to photograph the results and project the outcome of elections, even before the final results are announced.

Unfortunately, this has also led to abuses, as unofficial and at times false results are known to have been circulated, particularly via social media, leading to tension and casting aspersions on the final outcome of elections, he said.

Okoye, however, stressed that that the result view portal did not constitute electronic collation of results.

He said that the collation of election results shall remain as provided for by law, a manual process of completion of relevant result sheets and their upwards collation until the final results are determined.

The commission hopes that this innovation would improve the transparency in election result management and further consolidate public confidence in the electoral process, Okoye said.

Interestingly, various stakeholders including voters, political parties, civil society organisations, election observers and the international community, commend INECs performance in the Edo election, describing it as the most credible and improved election conducted by the commission in recent times.

They commend INEC on logistics deployment, including early arrival of materials, opening of polls, as well as the deployment of its new innovations, the Z-pad and result viewing portal.

While some see the result viewing portal as a magic wine in the Nigeria electoral process, others describe it as a key innovation boosting citizens confidence in the electoral process.

The Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room (Situation Room), one of the accredited groups that observed Edo governorship election in its preliminary statement, observed that the election appeared to have been a marked improvement on recent previous governorship elections.

An ICT expert, Mr Christopher Chidi, said one of the innovations that made Edo election a success was the introduction of the result viewing portal.

The portal has made it difficult for politicians to alter election results at will at the collation centres at the wards, local or state level.

Also, Mr Moses Gabriel, a civil servant, said that the portal contributed a lot to the success and credibility of the Edo election.

Since the results from the polling units are displayed live, nobody can now tamper with the mandate of the people as expressed by them at the polling units.

I commend what INEC has done in Edo and we are hopeful it will be extended to future elections, especially in the Ondo State governorship election, Moses said.

The Head of Publicity, National Consultative Front (NCFront), Mr Tanko Yunusa said that the use of the Z-pad, has eliminated rigging at collation centres.

Yunusa said: You must give the process kudos. When INEC introduced Z-Pad, it helped to checkmate the social malfeasance that usually happens at collation centres.

This is a welcome development and there is an improvement in the process as we move on in our democratic setting. It was a hard working process that yielded result, Yunusa said.s

The co-convener of Centre for Liberty, Mr Ariyo-Dare Atoye, said that the general conduct of INEC staff, security personnel and other stakeholders in the Edo election validated Nigerians views that electoral reform was urgently needed for progress of the nations democratic process.

INEC has already demonstrated its willingness to embrace this lofty leap with its Z-pad initiative.

With the introduction of the results viewing portal and the Z-pad, electoral fraud, if not eradicatedit will be reduced, Atoye said.

Also commending INEC performance and its innovations in Edo governorship election, the National Publicity Secretary, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr Kola Ologbondiyan, urged the commission to extend the innovations to future elections.

Ologbondiyan said: Nigerians hope that what we have witnessed in Edo will not be an off-season procedure; we demand that this credible process applies to all our elections.

The PDP applauds the use of virtual portal by INEC to upload results directly from the polling unit, the base of our election, which made it impossible for electoral violators to hijack this electoral process.

It is our hope in the PDP, this new found image of INEC will gather more thresholds in future elections, particularly the Oct. 10, Ondo State governorship election.

Ologbondiyan, urged INEC to strengthen its processes, particularly in the area of card readers, to forestall the type of delays witnessed in accreditation of voters in Edo.

He also commended President Muhammadu Buhari for allowing credible election, imploring him to continue in the spirit of ensuring that the people are allowed to freely choose their leaders at all elections.

Ologbondiyan added that the Edo election had indeed shown that credible elections were possible in Nigeria, if all stakeholders played by the rules.

The Young Progressives Party (YPP) National Publicity Secretary, Mr Egbeola Martins, said that the innovations by INEC in the Nigeria electoral process, especially the result viewing portal, is a welcome development.

INEC is by this feat admonished to collaborate with the National Assembly to give legal backing to this innovation that has further enhanced the electoral process by making it more transparent.

Failure to act quickly in this direction may give enemies of democracy the opportunity to take advantage of the lacuna in our electoral laws thereby giving them the impetus to challenge any outcome in court.

When the alteration of election results becomes difficult as seen in the just concluded Edo election, it increases the confidence of electorate to participate in the electoral process based on the strength that their votes will count, he said.

All in all, analysts observe that while Nigerians await the full automation of the countrys electoral process, INEC should continue to deploy key technology innovations allowed within the Electoral Act, Nigeria Constitution and other legal frameworks, to promote the integrity and transparency of the countrys electoral process.

Source: NAN News

Spain and Portugal have signed an agreement to push ahead with their joint bid to host the 2030 FIFA World Cup, the Spanish football federation (RFEF) said on Wednesday.

The countries federations ratified an agreement to promote the joint candidacy for the organisation of the World Cup in 2030, establishing strategies for the international projection of both federations and countries, the RFEF said in a statement.

The federations, which signed the agreement before a friendly between their national teams in Lisbon, had began analysing the possibility of a joint bid last year.

Few things can generate more hope and anticipation that the opportunity to organise a World Cup (present) and we cant think of a better companion than Portugal, said RFEF president Luis Rubiales.

Spain hosted the 1982 World Cup and launched a failed bid along with Portugal to stage the 2018 tournament which was awarded to Russia.

Portugal has never staged the World Cup but did hold the 2004 European Championship.

Argentina, Uruguay, Chile and Paraguay have announced they will make a four-way bid which could have sentimental value as Uruguay hosted the inaugural World Cup in 1930.

The UKs four associations are contemplating a joint bid along with Ireland while Bulgaria, Serbia, Greece and Romania are also planning a joint bid.

The bidding process formally starts in 2022 with FIFA to choose the hosts in 2024.(Reuters/NAN)

Source: NAN News

PDP Governorship candidate Mr Eyitayo Jedege and his ZLP counterpart, Mr Agboola Ajayi

Olufemi Ojo

Mr Eyitayo Jedege, the PDP governorship candidate in Ondo State, says he is still in the race, contrary to reports that he has stepped down for another candidate.

Jegede made the clarification in a statement made available to newsmen by the Spokesman of his campaign organisation, Mr Gbenga Akinmoyo, on Thursday in Akure.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the governorship election in Ondo State is scheduled for Oct. 10.

The governorship candidate told his supporters to disregard the rumour that he had collapsed his structure with that of the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) candidate, Mr Agboola Ajayi.

He described the rumour as part of the desperate move by his detractors to deceive the general public and distract his supporters.

Jegede said that he had meticulously worked to complete his campaign tour across the length and breadth of the state and held the closing rally at a colourful ceremony in Ondo West Local Government area on Wednesday.

Thousands of supporters joined me at the ceremony to receive the PDP national officers from Abuja, led by the National Chairman, Uche Secondus.

Several PDP governors and former governors, led by the Chairman of PDP Governors Forum, Alhaji Aminu Tambuwal and other party chieftains were also present at the rally, he said.

Jegede added that in spite the tight campaign schedule, he was able to honour the invitations of the organisers of the two governorship debates to answer questions and address the electorate on his partys manifestoes.

Jegede said he had also signed a peace accord to confirm his commitment to a violence-free election and plea to relevant authorities on the need to enjoy free, fair, transparent and credible election in the state, come Oct. 10.

NAN reports that INEC had earlier published the names of 17 governorship candidates and their running mates alongside their political parties.

The parties include the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and 15 other political parties.

NAN also reports that of the 17 candidates vying for the governorship position, 16 are males and one female. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

APC logo

By Emmanuel Mogbede

The All Progressives Congress (APC), UK Chapter has called on electorate in Ondo State to re-elect Gov. Rotimi Akeredolu, saying he has been tested and trusted to deliver good governance.

The party made the call in statement signed by Mr Jacob Ogunseye, its Publicity Secretary on Thursday in Abuja.

It described Akeredolu, who is the APC candidate for the Ondo State governorship election slated for Oct. 10 as the best among other candidates, saying he deserves to be re-elected.

This, according to the APC UK would ensure that Akeredolu, who is also the Ondo State incumbent governor continued his good works in the state.

It said that Akeredolu was a rare gem whose achievements in the last three and half years should be a crucial factor in deciding the outcome of the Ondo State governorship elections.

It expressed optimism that with Akeredolus re-election, the state would have a better chance to compete at the national level.

The statement also quoted Mr Ade Omole, the leader of the party in the UK as saying that Akeredolu is a man with great and enviable credentials and love for the state.

His giant strides in areas of industrialisation, infrastructural development, health, and education have shown his unalloyed love for his state.

It will be ignoble to venture for any untested hands now when it is the time to consolidate,Omole said

He, therefore urged the electorate to work and ensure the success of the governor in the forthcoming election.

He noted that prior to the campaigns, Akeredolu commissioned several laudable projects across the local government areas.

Omole said that Akeredolu was a man of character who displayed commitment and loyalty to his people.

He has shown leadership and governance in a positive dimension and has shown courage in the face of adversaries.

Akeredolu has brought progress into the lives of many, I urge all voters in Ondo to vote for him.

He deserves a second term and we can only expect more if he is given the opportunity to govern the state for another four years,Omole said, adding that Akeredolu would do more in his second term. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

YouTube logo

By Stellamaris Ashinze

YouTube on Thursday announced that artists and creators from Nigeria could apply for grants from its global 100 million dollars Black Voices Fund.

Alex Okosi, Managing Director, Emerging Markets, YouTube EMEA said in a statement that the global fund would over the next three years offer support to Black artists and creators.

Okosi said that the fund to enable artists and creators could thrive on YouTube.

The managing director said that Black Voices Fund would invest with the intention to present fresh narratives that emphasise the intellectual power, authenticity, dignity and joy of Black voices, as well as to educate audiences about racial justice.

He said that the m fund was first announced in June and was officially named the #YouTubeBlack Voices Fund.

According to him, this year, the fund will be focusing its efforts on creators within the US, Brazil, Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa.

Our goal is to expand funding to more countries over the course of the next three years,

Additionally, we hope to provide a consistent drumbeat of educational training, workshops, and community events to Black creators and artists globally.

The #YouTubeBlack Voices Fund is part of the work currently underway to ensure that YouTube is a place where Black artists, creators and users can share their stories and be protected, he said.

According to Okosi, along with our commitment to amplifying marginalised voices on the content side we are also investing in product and policy changes that will continue to advance YouTubes mission.

He said the mission of giving everyone a voice and showing them the world.

Okosi said that YouTube believes that it is only by taking a stand against those who would try to bully, harass, silence and intimidate others that it truly moves closer to achieving this mission.

He said that YouTubes new efforts included ramping up enforcement and terminating more accounts that repeatedly post hateful comments.

The MD YouTube was also in the process of rolling out product changes to make creator moderation tools more streamlined.

Okosi said that Interested artists and creators could apply for funding here.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that launched in May 2005, YouTube is the worlds most popular online video community allowing billions of people to discover, watch and share video. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

L to R. Mr David Abraham of Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Captain Sunday Umoren (NIMASA), Commodore Patrick Yekwe of Defence Headquarters, the Defence Attache, Navy Captain Oluseyi Oladipo, Mr Chuma Joe of MOD, Commodore Samuel Kure of Defence Intelligence Agency (Team Leader), the representative of the Ambassador, Alhaji Abubakar Salihu, Commodore Martins Aligwe of Naval HQ and Dr Oni of Ministry of Justice

By Ifeanyi Nwoko

In a bid to consolidate efforts at ending the upsurge of maritime crimes, piracy and insecurity in the Gulf of Guinea, Nigeria has activated a bilateral agreement on improving the security in the region.

The new agreement mandates both countries to embark on combined maritime and air patrols along the common maritime border.

This was disclosed in a statement issued in Abuja on Thursday by Commodore Samuel Kure of Ministry of Defence who led the Nigerian delegation for the activation of the agreement.

The agreement, he said became necessary in view of the fact that over the last decade, the Gulf of Guinea had witnessed an upsurge in maritime crimes such as piracy, smuggling, bunkering, trafficking in drugs, humans and arms, wildlife crime.

Both countries noted that the insecurity had attracted concern and also led to the elevation of marine insurance premiums to war risk status, thereby increasing shipping costs to countries in the region, especially Nigeria.

In a bid to enhance security in the Gulf of Guinea, on March 15, 2016, President Muhammadu Buhari and President Teodoro Obiang Mbasogo signed a Bilateral agreement for the establishment of a Combined Maritime Policing and Security Patrol Committee (CMPSPC ).

This bilateral agreement between Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea marked an important milestone in maritime security cooperation.The CMPSPC is made up of equal representation from both countries.

The Nigerian membership includes representatives of the Ministries of Defence, Foreign Affairsand Justice.

Also represented are Defence and Service Headquarters, Defence Intelligence Agency, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, Nigeria Police Force, Nigerian Immigration Service and the National Boundary Commission.

The Nigerian delegation that has been in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea since Sept. 30, 2020 for the inaugural meeting of CMPSPC, concluded its assignment on Oct. 6, 2020 at the Sipopo Conference Centre, Malabo City,it said.

According to the statement, Nigerias head of delegation Commodore Kure along with other representatives, made robust contributions towards the smooth operationalisation of the agreement.

According to Commodore Kure, these concrete steps towards operationalisation of the agreement demonstrate President Buharis commitment to enhance maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea.

The next session of the CMPSPC is scheduled to hold in Abuja Nigeria.

Source: NAN News

Paris Appeals Court

Google has lost an appeal against an order from the French competition authority telling it to negotiate with news providers over fees it should pay for displaying previews of their sites.

The Paris Appeals Court on Thursday rejected the internet giants appeal against the interim measures imposed by the Autorite de la Concurrence (competition authority) in April.

However, the court amended the authoritys order to clarify that Google could improve its own services in the meantime as long as that didnt affect the interests of the news sites.

The authoritys April order came after Google decided to stop showing previews for news articles in French search results unless the news providers consented to their use without a fee.

The internet giant took the step in response to new EU copyright rules, which provide that online publishers must have the authorisation of news media before they republish their news items.

The original media is also entitled to copyright fees under the rules, which came into effect in France in 2019.

The authority said at the time that Google might have abused its dominant position by imposing unfair negotiating conditions and frustrating the purpose of the rules, which was to give news publishers more of the value created by their content.

Google said it had appealed to get legal clarity on some parts of the order and would review the Appeals Courts ruling, which can be appealed.

The firm said its priority was to reach an agreement with French publishers and press agencies. (dpa/NAN)

Source: NAN News

Ex-I-G advises against banning of SARS

By Joseph Edeh

A former Inspector-General of Police (I-G), Mr Mike Okiro has advised against the ban of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS).

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Inspector-General of Police (I-G), Mohammed Adamu on Oct.4, banned the personnel of the FSARS and other tactical squads of the force from routine patrols.

Other tactical squads affected by the ban include the Special Tactical Squad, Intelligence Response Team , Anti-Cultism Squad and other tactical squads operating at the federal, zonal and command levels were banned from carrying out routine patrols and other conventional low-risk duties notably stop and search duties, checkpoints, mounting of roadblocks, traffic checks among others.

Okiro who gave the advice in an interview with NAN on Thursday in Abuja, said that the squad should be rebranded and refocused for effective service delivery.

The police management should go to the drawing board and retrain personnel of the SARS as it will be counter-productive to disband them.

You cannot throw away the baby with the bath water, if they have deviated from what they were established for they should be retrained and refocused,he said.

Armed robbers will be happy that there is no more SARS in the country but are Nigerians ready for that, he said.

He said that the squad had derailed from the primary purpose of tackling armed robbery that it was established for.

Members of the SARS are doing things that are different from their training,he said.

He called for stiff punishment for any member of the squad who violates the code of conduct to serve as a deterrent to others.

The former police boss said that it was unfortunate that the squad have now delved into cases of debt recovery and other matters aside armed robbery.

He called for adequate funding of the force for training and retraining of its personnel and to acquire modern equipment for effective service delivery.

Source: NAN News

Arsenal Hale End Academy

By Joseph Edeh

Arsenal FC have closed their Hale End academy after a staff member tested positive for the novel coronavirus.

The academy, in east London and separate from Arsenals senior training facilities at London Colney, is used to develop players between the ages of nine and 16.

We can confirm that a member of staff from our Hale End Academy has tested positive for COVID-19 and immediately left the site to self-isolate, Arsenal said in a statement.

As a consequence, six other members of staff are now self-isolating Our Hale End Academy will now be closed on Thursday for deep cleaning.

The health and safety of everyone on all our sites is our paramount concern. No members of our mens or womens first team squads have been affected.

Arsenal full back, Kieran Tierney, is also told to self-isolate for 14 days after coming into contact with Scotland team mate, Stuart Armstrong, who tested positive for the virus. (Reuters/NAN)

Source: NAN News