The United Nations (UN) has noted that Boko Haram fighters have stepped up the use of women and girls for suicide bombings.

Noting a progress in the war against the jihadist by the four countries of Nigeria, Chad, Niger and Cameroon, the UN said while children were deployed in 135 such attacks in 2017 a five-fold increase over the previous year.

Therefore, UN Deputy Secretary-General, Ms Amina Mohammed, said it was critical to shore up areas of Lake Chad Basin that have been freed from the grip of Boko Haram terrorists.

Mohammed, in a video address to the Security Council, also called for efforts to rebuild the lives of women and girls that had suffered at the hands of the terrorist group.

She said recent joint efforts of Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon and Niger had resulted in considerable progress in the fight against the extremists.

Mohammed, speaking via videoconference from Liberia where she participated in celebrations to mark the end of the UN peacekeeping mission noted the liberation of hostages as well as territorial gains.

It is now key to stabilise the areas that have been reclaimed, and that we seize the opportunity to really promote sustainable development, she said.

Mohamed was joined by Mohammed Bila, a representative of the Lake Chad Basin Commission based in NDjamena, and Senior Conflict Adviser at Adelphi, Chitra Nagarajan.

They painted a picture of the factors behind peoples suffering in the Lake Chad Basin and driving some to terrorism one year after the Council adopted its first resolution on the activities of Boko Haram in the region.

Boko Haram, an Islamist militant organisation based in north-east Nigeria, has carried out raids, suicide bombings and kidnappings across the Lake Chad region over the past decade.

Their operations have led to displacement, insecurity, destruction of infrastructure and what Mohammed described as a complex and dire humanitarian situation, with nearly 11 million people requiring assistance.

The group gained international notoriety in 2014 after abducting more than 270 girls from a Government school in Chibok, Nigeria.

It is believed to be behind the kidnapping last month of 110 schoolgirls from the Nigerian town of Dapchi, most of whom were safely returned this week.

Overall, Boko Haram has abducted more than 4,000 women and girls, according to the UN deputy chief, who added that those who return to their communities are often stigmatised.

As the violation of human rights continues to fuel insecurity in the Lake Chad Basin region, Mohammed said investing in community justice mechanisms would be essential for reconciliation, as well as for ensuring accountability and promoting peace.

She stressed the need to incorporate human rights and gender dimensions into activities aimed at countering terrorism or preventing violent extremism.

She said the increase in Boko Harams use of women and girls as suicide bombers could be due to a lack of women security officers who could search other women at checkpoints.

The UN deputy scribe also called for more international action to support children affected by the upheaval in the region.

Also briefing, Nagarajan, who is based in northeast Nigeria, also used her briefing to touch on the gender-related aspects of the crisis and its impact on persons with disabilities.

She spoke of how women and girls were pushed into early marriage with combatants, for example, or they fall victim to sexual abuse and exploitation, including at the hands of people who were supposed to protect them.

Men and older boys are often the first to flee insecure areas, she said, speaking via videoconference from Maiduguri adding, women and girls were deliberately targeted, killed and forcibly recruited by armed groups.

Theyre viewed with suspicion, arrested, and detained by security agencies, and they are involved in fighting, leaving women of all ages, as well as girls, younger boys and older men struggling to cope.

Mohammed Bila, a Remote Sensing Expert with the Lake Chad Basin Commission, spoke of how climate change had had an impact on water governance.

Bila said the shrinking of Lake Chad had affected communities which depended on its shoreline to grow crops, leading to increased competition for water, accusations of river diversion, loss of livelihoods and social tensions.

He told the Council that the environmental monitoring network there was inadequate, sparse, poorly funded and operated, with only one water level measurement station for the entire lake.

The environmental challenges facing the Lake Chad basin are interconnected to the challenges of climate change faced by the region of the Sahel of Africa.

The Sahel is increasingly facing extreme variability of climate resulting in frequent droughts, short-duration high-intensity rainfall, desertification, water scarcity, land degradation, and ultimately food insecurity.

Consequently, addressing the climatic root causes of local challenges through risk assessment and management will require a similar solution at the Sahel regional level, he said. (NAN)

Source: NAN

No fewer than 17 people were killed and eight others injured in an explosion on Thursday outside a popular hotel in Somalias capital Mogadishu.

A spokesman for the Ministry of Internal Security, Abdiaziz Ali Ibrahim, told the media that the wounded were being treated at the citys hospitals.

Seventeen people died including a young girl, some workers and persons having tea at roadside teashops popularly known as bibiito, said Mr Ibrahim.

He said a tricycle taxi, locally known as bajaaj, may have been used for the explosion.

The blast occurred opposite one of Mogadishus oldest lodges, the Weheliye Hotel, along the busy Maka al-Mukarrama Avenue.

The jihadist Al-Shabaab group claimed responsibility.

The group carries out frequent attacks in Mogadishu as it seeks to overthrow the internationally recognised Somali government.

In October last year, al Shabaab killed more than 500 people in the deadliest attack at a busy intersection in Mogadishu.

Harakat al-Shabaab al-Mujahideen, more commonly known as al-Shabaab, is a jihadist fundamentalist group based in East Africa.

Founded in 2006, the jihadists In 2012, it pledged allegiance to the militant Islamist organization Al-Qaeda.

It emerged as the radical youth wing of Somalias now-defunct Union of Islamic Courts, which controlled Mogadishu in 2006, before being forced out by Ethiopian forces.

There are numerous reports of foreign jihadists going to Somalia to help al-Shabab, from neighbouring countries, as well as the US and Europe.

It is banned as a terrorist group by both the US and the UK and is believed to have between 7,000 and 9,000 fighters.

Al-Shabab advocates the Saudi-inspired Wahhabi version of Islam, while most Somalis are Sufis.

It has imposed a strict version of Sharia in areas under its control, including stoning to death women accused of adultery and amputating the hands of thieves.

Source: NAN

Mr. Basile Kouna, Cameroons former water and energy minister, was arrested in Nigeria and flown home on Thursday.

Kouna was removed from his ministerial position during President Paul Biyas March 2, cabinet reshuffle.

In February, he was ordered not to leave the country.

Kouna is in Cameroon. He was arrested in Nigeria and sent back to Cameroon.

He arrived this evening, one police source, who asked not to be named as he was not authorised to speak to the press, told Reuters.

Vision 4, a private television channel considered allied to Biya, reported that the former minister arrived at the international airport in the capital, Yaounde at 6:20 pm (1720 GMT) escorted by police officers.

Another channel, Canal 2 International, also reported his arrest in Nigeria and subsequent extradition back to Cameroon.

Cameroons government spokesman was not immediately reachable for comment. Neither were officials in neighbouring Nigeria.

It was not clear what charges Atangana Kouna was facing, but there was speculation on Thursday that he was arrested as part of an anti-corruption drive known as Operation Sparrowhawk.

A former Ministry of Public Works official, the head of a state company, and the ex-rector of the University of Douala, were arrested as part of the operation on Monday.

Cameroons oil wealth has spawned a sprawling political patronage system fueled by revenues from crude exports.

Transparency International ranked it 153 out of 180 countries on its annual corruption perceptions index.

Biya has ruled virtually by decree since taking over from a retiring predecessor in 1982 and then winning an election with 99.98 per cent of the vote a year later.

Now 85, Biya is expected to again seek re-election in presidential polls later in the year, but he is currently facing some of the biggest challenges to his 35-year rule.

Cameroons oil-dependent economy has been crippled by low crude prices.

And separatists are mounting a guerrilla campaign in the countrys two English-speaking provinces, demanding independence from the majority Francophone Central African nation.

Nigeria had warned it will not be used as a staging post by any dissident to attack the Republic of Cameroon,

The Security Adviser, Major. General Mohammed Monguno (rtd) at the opening of the 6th session of Cameroon-Nigeria Trans-Border Security Committee Meeting.

He spoke amidst local and international outcry over the deportation by Nigeria of 47 Cameroonian Anglophone secessionist campaigners to Cameroon on 26 January.

Although the NSA did not address the issue, he said President Paul Biya and the entire people of Cameroon have the full backing of President Buhari in finding solution to the countrys internal cisis and will not be pawn in the hand of any group that may want to destabilize Cameroon.

It is critical for me to re-emphasize that His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari assures you that we will take all the necessary measures within the ambit of the law to ensure that Nigerias territory is not used as a staging area to destabilize another friendly sovereign country.

Maj. Gen Monguno said it is the hope and belief of Nigeria that Cameroon will emerge from the challenges it currently faces as a stronger and more united country where peace, justice and prosperity reign.

I hereby assure you that there should be no doubt whatsoever, of Nigerias support for the unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Cameroon. I need not stress that the bond of friendship and unity between our two countries is strong and can never be broken, he said.

He, however, advised and encourage the Cameroonian authorities to engage all aggrieved parties in a constructive manner to de-escalate tensions in the Anglophone regions and facilitate the return of Cameroonian refuges that have crossed the borders into Nigerian territory due to heightened tension and apprehension.

He said it is also important to observe that Nigeria as a signatory to most of the United Nations international protocols on the Rights of Refugees and their humane treatment, strictly enforces these provisions, not only as an obligation, but without prejudice to the cordial relations between our two countries.

He said it is against this backdrop that the Abuja meeting is expected to exhaustively examine all these developments as well as build on the successes recorded so far in the actualization of peace and security along the common borders.

In carrying out the mandate of Presidents of both Nigeria and Cameroon especially in the area of sub-regional security, the Security Adviser acknowledged the close cooperation Nigeria continues to receive from Cameroon in the fight against the Boko Haram terrorist group and other transborder criminal elements.

To Cameroon, he said your steadfast commitment and resolve has no doubt contributed significantly campaign and other security concerns in the sub-region.

(Reuters/NAN)

Source: NAN

Spains prosecutor says it is seeking a five-year jail sentence and a fine of four million euros (3.5 million) for former football player Xabi Alonso over accusations of tax fraud.

The prosecutor said in a statement on Wednesday that Alonso was accused of defrauding the Spanish state some two million euros between 2010 and 2012.

The prosecutor called for the same sentence to be applied to Alonsos financial advisor Ivan Azcuenaga and the administrator of consultancy shell company, Ignasi Casanova.

Source: NAN

Ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has constituted a 24-member committee to reconcile feuding members of the Executive and the Legislature.

The resolution, according to the Leader of the Senate, Sen. Ahmed Lawan, was taken at a meeting between the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party and the APC Caucus in the Senate, in Abuja on Wednesday.

Lawan said after the meeting that membership of the committee would be drawn from the Executive, Legislature, the Governors Forum and the partys National Secretariat.

He said that the team would be charged with the responsibility of reducing the level of misunderstanding among members of the party across board.

Lawan explained that constitution of the committee was pertinent in probing the disagreements at different levels of the party so as not to allow them to cause clog in its fortunes ahead of the 2019 general elections.

Discussions at the meeting, he explained, centred on how to forestall crisis envisaged from the reordered sequence of elections adopted by the National Assembly in the Electoral Act (amendment) Bill.

The meeting discussed happenings in the party across the country and across all levels of government.

Senators took turn to express the way out of some of the issues bedeviling the party and I believe that it was a worthwhile, very frank discussion.

The party will soon constitute a team that will comprise of the executive, the legislature, the party itself and representatives from our governors and we have 24 of them.

We are very happy as a caucus that the interaction was worthwhile and I am sure that our party was also glad to be here with us this afternoon.

We, as members of the National Assembly are and will remain committed to ensuring that we continue to support the change agenda of our administration led by President Muhammadu Buhari.

The party is the platform for all of us, both the legislative and executive and in my own view, the party has done well by coming.

This is our party; this is our government, our administration. We shouldnt be fighting dirty in the open, the lawmaker said.

In his remarks before the closed-door meeting, National Chairman of APC, Chief John Odigie- Oyegun, said the meeting was aimed at discussing issues that had arisen in the polity recently.

He said happenings in the polity necessitated the party leadership to meet with the Senate caucus to reason and strategise for 2019 election.

We hope to have a better party after the meeting, he said.

The NWC was led to the meeting by Odigie-Oyegun while President of the Senate, Dr Bukola Saraki, led the APC Senate Caucus to the meeting which lasted two and half hours at the national assembly. (NAN)

Source: NAN

Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy blasted what he said was a lack of evidence for the corruption charges against him.

He is being accused that late Libyan dictator Moamer Kadhafi funded his 2007 election campaign.

In his court statement published Thursday morning after he was charged in one of Frances most explosive political scandals in years, the 63-year-old rightwinger said he had been in living hell since the allegations first emerged in 2011.

Demanding he be treated as a witness rather than a suspect, he urged magistrates to consider the violence of the injustice if it was proven, as he claims, that the accusations are a manipulation by the dictator Kadhafi or his gang.

In the 24 hours of my detention I have tried with all my might to show that the serious corroborating evidence required to charge someone did not exist, Sarkozy said in his statement.

I stand accused without any tangible evidence through comments made by Mr Kadhafi, his son, his nephew, his cousin, his spokesman, his former prime minister, he added.

Judges decided they had enough evidence to charge the combative one-term president Wednesday after five years of investigation and two days of questioning in police custody.

Sarkozy, who served from 2007-2012, was charged with corruption, illegal campaign financing and concealment of Libyan public money.

Ive been living the hell of this slander since March 11, 2011 when Kadhafi first made the allegations, Sarkozy said.

And he lashed out at Franco-Lebanese businessman Ziad Takieddine who claims to have delivered three cash-stuffed suitcases from Kadhafi in 2006 and 2007, when Sarkozy was preparing his first run for president.

Takieddine, who claimed he provided 1.5 to 2 million euros ($2.5 million) in 200-euro and 500-euro notes, has highly suspect characteristics and the questionable past, Sarkozy retorted. (AFP)

Source: NAN

The Federal Government has accused the opposition Peoples Democratic
Party (PDP) of plumbing the depths of infamy for saying the abduction
and release of the Dapchi schoolgirls were stage-managed.

In a statement issued in Abuja on Thursday, the Minister ofInformation and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said such postulationportrays the PDP as an inhuman, insensitive, unpatriotic and unworthyparty.

He said since the release of the Dapchi girls were negotiated byfriendly countries and reputable international organizations, it wouldhave taken a conspiracy of global proportion to have stage-managed the
adoption and release of the girls.

Alhaji Mohammed said the reaction of the PDP amounts to an expression
of sour grapes, especially because the party failed woefully when itwas in power to quickly resolve a similar abduction of schoolgirls.

As we have said many times since the abduction of the Dapchischoolgirls, no government is exempted from its own share oftragedies. What makes the difference is the way such tragedies aremanaged. Whereas it took the PDP all of 18 days to even acknowledge
the abduction of the Chibok girls in 2014, the APC Federal Governmentacted promptly and responsively when the Dapchi schoolgirls wereabducted 19 Feb. 2018, hence their quick release, he said.

The Minister said it is unfortunate that the PDP that failed woefullyas a ruling party has also failed grievously as an opposition party,going by its insensitive and crude response to the release of theDapchi schoolgirls a development that calls for non-partisancelebration.

In its 16 years in power, the PDP redefined governance ascluelessness, massive looting of the public treasury and crudeexhibition of power. In its over three years in opposition, the PDP has again shown it does not understand the role of the opposition in ademocracy. How then can the PDP convince Nigerians that it has learntits lessons and that it is ready to rule the country again? Nigeriansmust say never again to this primitive and soulless party, hesaid.

Alhaji Mohammed said the Federal Government has not been responding to
the amateurish and jejune statements from the PDP precisely becausethe party has failed to learn the ropes of being an opposition party,even when we have advised them to take a crash course on the role ofthe opposition in a democracy.

We broke our own rules this time because the PDP over-reached itselfand scored an own goal at a time it could simply have congratulatedthe government and people of Nigeria on the release of the girls or
just keep quiet, he said.

The Minister assured Nigerians that the Federal Government willintensify the ongoing efforts to secure the release of the remaining Chibokgirls and return them safely to their families, just like over 100
other Chibok girls who have so far been released, unlike the PDP thatcould not secure the release of even one of the girls before it wasbooted out of power.

Source: NAN

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) said it may declare former Governor of Plateau, Sen. Jonah Jang, wanted for refusing to honour its invitations.

Indication to this was given by Spokesperson of the commission, Mrs Rasheedat Okoduwa, in a statement on Thursday in Abuja.

She said that Jang was being investigated over alleged fraud involving about N5.6 billion, but that he had continued to evade invitations to appear before the investigating team.

According to Okoduwa, the Commission has been on the trail of the former governor, now a senator, since October, 2017, when it opened investigation into alleged corruption-related activities during his tenure.

Evidence before the ICPC so far indicates that Sen. Jang allegedly committed the offences in March, 2015.

He allegedly received N2 billion in cash illegally out of the money which was allocated to Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), under the pretext of a loan to be spent on classified expenditure.

She alleged that the former governor also illegally received N400 million of funds meant for Plateau State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB).

She added that Jang also allegedly caused a former Commissioner for Finance in the state to illegally transfer N3.2 billion of SUBEB funds to the project account of the Ministry of Finance.

ICPC has sent several invitations to Jang through both the Senate President and the Clerk of the National Assembly to come and clear his name but he has refused to honour the invitations.

Also, efforts to procure an arrest warrant from two different Magistrates Courts in the Federal Capital Territory have been futile.

The magistrates declined to sign them even after the requisite sworn affidavit had been presented by the Commission.

In the light of the foregoing, the Commission may have no other option than to declare the former governor wanted, Okoduwa said.

Source: NAN

The President of the Senate Dr. Bukola Saraki, on Thursday, met with Microsoft Founder, Bill Gates and African Business Mogul, Alh. Aliko Dangote to proffer solutions to financing healthcare in Nigeria.

Saraki who was accompanied by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Yakubu Dogara, had the breakfast with the business magnates and philanthropists at the Transcorp Hilton in Abuja.

Top on the agenda of the meeting were: Polio eradication, sustainable health financing and primary health care strengthening.

Our correspondent reports that the meeting was also attended by other federal law makers, the Nigerian Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole and other internation NGOs and Foundations.

The meeting aims to strategise on how to; Provide legislative leaders with a good understanding of the Gates Foundations engagement in Nigeria, and work with the Dangote Foundation.

Discuss ways to ensure continued polio commitment.

Share information on long-term vaccine financing challenges.

Hear thoughts from legislative leadership on government commitment and leadership to primary health care strengthening, and discuss possible areas to work together.

Speaking at the meeting, the American business magnate, Gates, commended Saraki for his efforts in the healthcare systems in Nigeria especially in the fight against polio.

Gates particularly hailed the Senates President for his role in 2009 as Chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) saying that his intervention then was a turning Point in the fight against polio in Nigeria.

Some of the talking points of the meeting include: Recognition of the important role that Nigerian legislators play in improving health care delivery in Nigeria through appropriate legislation and accountability.

Updates on polio in Nigeria and discussion of ways to ensure continued effort and appropriate resourcing.

Gates and Dangote Foundation investments in immunization, and challenges Nigeria may face in long-term financing, including transition from Gavi.

Source: NAN

The 23-year-old Mark Conditt, serial bomber whose deadly attacks terrorized Austin, Texas, for weeks left a 25-minute video confession on a cell phone.

The phone was found after he blew himself up on Wednesday as officers closed in to make an arrest, police said

Conditt, an unemployed man from the suburb of Pflugerville, detailed how he made all seven bombs that have been accounted for five that exploded.

One of the bombs was recovered before it went off and a seventh he detonated as officers rushed his vehicle early on Wednesday.

But the video failed to reveal a coherent motive for the attacks spread over the past three weeks, police said.

He does not at all mention anything about terrorism, nor does he mention anything about hate, but instead it is the outcry of a very challenged young man, talking about challenges in his personal life, Austin Police Chief Brian Manley told reporters.

I would classify this as a confession, Manley said.

Conditt, who had never before been in trouble with the law, killed two people and wounded five with a campaign of violence that began on March 2, authorities said.

Based on their search of the suspects home and his video statement, authorities said they felt confident that there were no other bombs and that the public was safe from further harm.

FBI special agent Christopher Combs said investigators believe the suspect would have continued his attacks had he not been apprehended.

Police recovered a target list of addresses for future bombings, the Los Angeles Times reported, citing U.S. Representative Michael McCaul of Texas, the Republican chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee.
Even so, the video gave no explanation for the individuals and addresses singled out as recipients of the bombs that were planted or shipped, Manley said.

Police previously said they had considered the possibility that the attacks were racially motivated, noting that the first several victims, including the two who died, were either African-American or Hispanic.

Conditt likely recorded the video between 9 p.m. and 11 p.m. on Tuesday.

According to Manley, Conditt said he believed police were getting very close to him, and he was right. Authorities filed a criminal complaint and issued an arrest warrant around that time.

Read more:

Source: NAN

The Federal Government has accused the opposition Peoples Democratic
Party (PDP) of plumbing the depths of infamy for saying the abduction
and release of the Dapchi schoolgirls were stage-managed.

In a statement issued in Abuja on Thursday, the Minister ofInformation and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said such postulationportrays the PDP as an inhuman, insensitive, unpatriotic and unworthyparty.

He said since the release of the Dapchi girls were negotiated byfriendly countries and reputable international organizations, it wouldhave taken a conspiracy of global proportion to have stage-managed the
adoption and release of the girls.

Alhaji Mohammed said the reaction of the PDP amounts to an expression
of sour grapes, especially because the party failed woefully when itwas in power to quickly resolve a similar abduction of schoolgirls.

As we have said many times since the abduction of the Dapchischoolgirls, no government is exempted from its own share oftragedies. What makes the difference is the way such tragedies aremanaged. Whereas it took the PDP all of 18 days to even acknowledge
the abduction of the Chibok girls in 2014, the APC Federal Governmentacted promptly and responsively when the Dapchi schoolgirls wereabducted 19 Feb. 2018, hence their quick release, he said.

The Minister said it is unfortunate that the PDP that failed woefullyas a ruling party has also failed grievously as an opposition party,going by its insensitive and crude response to the release of theDapchi schoolgirls a development that calls for non-partisancelebration.

In its 16 years in power, the PDP redefined governance ascluelessness, massive looting of the public treasury and crudeexhibition of power. In its over three years in opposition, the PDP has again shown it does not understand the role of the opposition in ademocracy. How then can the PDP convince Nigerians that it has learntits lessons and that it is ready to rule the country again? Nigeriansmust say never again to this primitive and soulless party, hesaid.

Alhaji Mohammed said the Federal Government has not been responding to
the amateurish and jejune statements from the PDP precisely becausethe party has failed to learn the ropes of being an opposition party,even when we have advised them to take a crash course on the role ofthe opposition in a democracy.

We broke our own rules this time because the PDP over-reached itselfand scored an own goal at a time it could simply have congratulatedthe government and people of Nigeria on the release of the girls or
just keep quiet, he said.

The Minister assured Nigerians that the Federal Government willintensify the ongoing efforts to secure the release of the remaining Chibokgirls and return them safely to their families, just like over 100
other Chibok girls who have so far been released, unlike the PDP thatcould not secure the release of even one of the girls before it wasbooted out of power.

Source: NAN

India Thursday successfully flight tested its supersonic BrahMos cruise missile in the western state of Rajasthan, the countrys defence minister said.

The missile was flight tested from Pokhran test range in Rajasthan on Thursday morning.

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman tweeted: the precision strike weapon with Indian-made seeker flew in its designated trajectory and hit the target with pin-point accuracy.

The successful test will further bolster our national security.

The land and sea variants of BrahMos supersonic cruise missile are already operational with the Indian army and the Indian navy.

In November 2017, India successfully flight tested the air version of BrahMos missile from its fighter jet Sukhoi-30MKI against a sea-based target in the Bay of Bengal.

NAN reports that a BRAHMOS is a two-stage missile with a solid propellant booster engine as its first stage which brings it to supersonic speed and then gets separated.

It is the worlds fastest anti-ship cruise missile in operation. (Xinhua/NAN)

Source: NAN

By Philip Yatai

The Kaduna State Government said on Thursday that it would establish Technology Production Centres in all its technical colleges to further develop the technical skills of students.

Mrs Kande Bage, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, gave this hint in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kaduna.

According to her, the effort is to promote skills development, creativity, innovation and invention for self-reliance, and to encourage local production of goods in Nigeria.

Bage, who said that the centres would be equipped with all the needed facilities and equipment to make the project a success, noted that the development would boost the morale of the students.

The permanent secretary expressed optimism that the centres, when established, would encourage the students to produce those things that they know how to produce with ease.

She said that the State Government would ensure that the host communities of these technical colleges as well as government ministries, departments and agencies patronise them.

We were recently at the Technical College, Kajuru; and I can say that I am particularly fascinated by the kind of products the students of the college were producing.

They were fabricating soya beans threshing machines as well as producing folded chairs, tables, beds and so many other fascinating products of high quality.

If they continue with this tempo, I assure you that most of them will become self-reliant.

This will help to eradicate poverty and promote locally made goods, Bage said.

She said that the State Government had distributed tablet computers to the students of the college to encourage technical skills and innovation.

We have so far distributed 15,000 of these computers to 31 boarding schools in the state, as part of the efforts to equip our students with Information and Communication Technology skills, Bage said.

The permanent secretary said that she was at the college to inspect the facilities and to solve a problem in one of the hostels.

Source: NAN

By Ifeanyi Nwoko

The President of the Senate Dr. Bukola Saraki, on Thursday, met with Microsoft Founder, Bill Gates and African Business Mogul, Alh. Aliko Dangote to proffer solutions to financing healthcare in Nigeria.

Saraki who was accompanied by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Yakubu Dogara, had the breakfast with the business magnates and philanthropists at the Transcorp Hilton in Abuja.

Top on the agenda of the meeting were: Polio eradication, sustainable health financing and primary health care strengthening.

Our correspondent reports that the meeting was also attended by other federal law makers, the Nigerian Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole and other internation NGOs and Foundations.

The meeting aims to strategise on how to; Provide legislative leaders with a good understanding of the Gates Foundations engagement in Nigeria, and work with the Dangote Foundation.

Discuss ways to ensure continued polio commitment.

Share information on long-term vaccine financing challenges.

Hear thoughts from legislative leadership on government commitment and leadership to primary health care strengthening, and discuss possible areas to work together.

Speaking at the meeting, the American business magnate, Gates, commended Saraki for his efforts in the healthcare systems in Nigeria especially in the fight against polio.

Gates particularly hailed the Senates President for his role in 2009 as Chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) saying that his intervention then was a turning Point in the fight against polio in Nigeria.

Some of the talking points of the meeting include: Recognition of the important role that Nigerian legislators play in improving health care delivery in Nigeria through appropriate legislation and accountability.

Updates on polio in Nigeria and discussion of ways to ensure continued effort and appropriate resourcing.

Gates and Dangote Foundation investments in immunization, and challenges Nigeria may face in long-term financing, including transition from Gavi.

Source: NAN

Operatives of EFCC and ONSA, have discovered $9 million cash at the residence of the sacked Coordinator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, retired Brig.-Gen. Paul Tarelah Boroh.

Boroh, who was Special Adviser on Niger Delta to President Muhammadu Buhari has also been arrested.

The discovery of the cash was made a few hours after his arrest by a combined team of EFCC and operatives of the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA).

The Head, Media and Publicity of EFCC, Mr. Wilson Uwujiaren, confirmed the arrest and cash recovery in response to THISDAY’s enquiries.

A senior security agent said Boroh was picked up from his home in Gwarinpa, Abuja, on Monday.

He was reported to have been taken back to his residence at about 3 a.m. Tuesday by the security operatives who raided his house for hours and made the cash discovery of $9 million at his home.

He remains in the custody of the EFCC.

“The former adviser was driven to his home in an unmarked car after his arrest. His home was searched for several hours and about $9 million cash was discovered in several safe boxes in several parts of the house,” the senior security agent stated.

“The combined team of EFCC and the National Security Adviser operatives were very thorough with the search. Indeed, at a point, the operatives broke all the locks in the home including his wife’s closet. The recovered cash has been deposited at the Office of the NSA.”

Buhari sacked Boroh last week and announced Prof. Charles Dokubo as his replacement.

In the statement announcing Boroh’s dismissal, it said the NSA, Maj.-Gen. Babagana Monguno (rtd), had been directed to probe the activities of the Amnesty Office from 2015, when Boroh was appointed, especially allegations of financial impropriety and other acts that were allegedly detrimental to the objectives of the Presidential Amnesty Programme.

According to investigations by THISDAY, Boroh’s sack, investigation and arrest by the EFCC may not be unconnected to a petition, among others, that was sent to the president last August.

The petition to Buhari dated August 21, 2017 was signed by one Timi Angalabiri, on behalf of the Niger Deltans for Accountability and Good Governance (NDAGG).

The group requested the president to suspend the ex-Amnesty Programme boss “for a credible investigative inquiry to commence into the non-payment of tuition fees and living expenses of recently graduated Niger Delta students in universities across the United States, the United Kingdom and Nigeria.

The petitioner further pleaded with Buhari to use his good office to prosecute Boroh and others for allegedly diverting the sum of N70 billion.

Shortly after the petition was written, rumours swirled about Boroh’s sack by the president, but they were dismissed by the former Amnesty Programme boss.

“This story about my suspension and even sack has been off and on in the media, but the truth is that I have not been sacked and no one should disrupt the relative prevailing peace in the Niger Delta region with such fake news,” he had said.

“What is happening is the handiwork of political enemies and those who do not want the region to be peaceful. The rumours they are peddling are just rubbish and unfounded. Under my watch, the programme, candidly speaking, has helped greatly to stabilise the region.”

The Reformed Niger Delta Avengers and 10 other militant groups Tuesday threatened to attack oil installations in the Niger Delta if the sacked coordinator of the Amnesty Programme was not reinstated in four weeks.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Johnmark Ezonbi, leader of the Reformed Niger Delta Avengers, said the federal government would “hear from them” if Boroh was not reinstated.

He said the sacked coordinator of the Amnesty Programme played a significant role in prevailing on the militants to end the attacks on oil installations, warning that it was obvious that the government was toying with the destiny of the Niger Delta.

The statement by Ezonbi read: “The federal government will hear from us at the expiration of the four weeks ultimatum as no single stone will be left unturned as the administration prefers to go back to the recession period when Boroh played a major role by visiting the creeks with other stakeholders to prevail on the boys to drop their arms and embrace peace.

“We will embark on a well coordinated destruction of all major delivery oil pipelines after the expiration of the four weeks ultimatum without looking back.

“I want to warn that any intruder into our planned action in four weeks time, if the federal government fails to reinstate General Paul Boroh, will be severely dealt with without mercy because our attacks will make the security agencies in the creeks very small.

“We are fully ready to take on anybody as we have the instruments of warfare that will make the biggest military might marvel at our coordinated attacks.

“We are ready to dirty our rivers and creeks with our oil, it is better we spill it than allow government use it to develop other parts of the country.”

Source: NAN

In an effort to prevent further outbreak of Lassa fever, Ebonyi Government is to begin intensive campaigns against rat consumption in rural areas.

The state Commissioner for Environment, Chief Donatus Njoku, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Abakaliki that the government would explore all avenues to dissuade the citizens from consuming rats.

NAN reports that Lassa fever outbreak in the state in January resulted in four deaths and it is believed thatinhabitants of the state erroneously believe rats have high nutritional value.

Njoku said: Rats are the primary vectors of the disease, and we are vigorously carrying out enlightenment through mass media, workshops, seminars and various ministries communication channels.

We will collaborate with traditional rulers and other opinion leaders at the grassroots to educate rural dwellers to shun such a notion and realise that rat is the diseases primary vector.

We have also continued to sensitise the populace to urgently report suspected cases to relevant health agencies.

With the total functionality of the state government-owned South-East Virology Centre, such an occurrence can be expeditiously handled.

On sanitation, Njoku said that contrary to insinuations, non-observance of the monthly sanitation in the state did not affect effective sanitation.

State and Federal Government functions sometimes fall on the last Saturday of the month, and when this occurs, we have to comply.

The state government has evolved policies which make the populace to clean their environments on daily basis and not wait for designated days, he said.

Njoku told NAN that the state Ministry of Environment ensured that state government ministries and parastatal-agencies cleaned their environments daily as directed by the governor.

We assess their performances to ascertain the level of compliance; to show his seriousness toward the directive, the governor visits the ministries for on-the-spot assessments.

We encourage the people to keep their environments clean to improve their health, he said. (NAN)

Source: NAN

Wife of the President of the Senate, Toyin Saraki, has been named as special adviser to the Independent Advisory Group (IAG) of the World Health Organisations (WHO) Regional Office for Africa (AFRO).

The Media Office of Toyin Saraki, in a statement in Abuja on Monday, said the appointment was made earlier this month by WHOs Regional Director for Africa, Dr. Matshidiso Moeti.

This move is intended to bring Mrs Sarakis considerable frontline experience to bear on WHOs strategy and policy.

Toyin Ojora-Saraki had since accepted the appointment based on the Advisory Groups focus on women and childrens health and in view of her role as a global champion for Universal Healthcare Coverage (UHC).

I welcome the Advisory Group meetings focus on the health of women, children and adolescents as flagship indicators for Universal Healthcare Coverage (UHC) progress.

As a global champion for UHC, I advocate for a fuller understanding of its benefits, which go beyond health outcomes and include improved gender equality, higher levels of preparedness for epidemic outbreaks and transformative economic effects.

As Global Goodwill Ambassador for the International Confederation of Midwives, I particularly welcome the introduction of WHO AFROs focused curriculum for the professional qualification education of Midwives and Nurses in Africa, she said.

I am looking forward to hitting the ground running in my new role as special adviser at the Independent Advisory Group meeting this week in Johannesburg.

The experience I have gained as Founder-President of the Wellbeing Foundation Africa, working closely with our midwives on the frontline, as part of the global Every Woman, Every Child Strategy to end all preventable maternal, newborn and child deaths, including stillbirths, by 2030, will inform my advice to the WHO, she added.

Source: NAN

The National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a trailer loaded with 24,000 bottles of cough syrups containing codeine in Funtua local government area of Katsina State.

The NDLEA State Commandant, Hajiya Maryam Gambo Sani disclosed this during a press briefing to newsmen on Tuesday in Katsina.

She said that six persons were arrested in connection with the drug cargo. According to her, those arrested were the driver of the vehicle, his assistant and two conductors.

Sani said other people arrested were the manager of SUNGLOW EQUITY NIG LTD who is suspected to be owner of the drugs and the salesman of the company.

State governments north of Nigeria are generally suspicious of cough syrups containing codeine, as people abuse the codeine content, a kind of opiate like cocaine or heroin. Users get high on it, leading to many cases of drug addiction.

According to reports, many users actually buy it when they cannot afford more expensive drugs such as heroin (diamorphine) or other opiate/opioid drugs.

As an opiate, codeine is also used to treat pain and diarrhea. Internationally, codeine is not a banned drug.

The Katsina state government is yet to make a law banning the use of the drug and it is unclear under which law the NDLEA will prosecute the suspects.

The trailer was arrested by the NDLEA operatives at the companys warehouse located in Dutsen-reme area.

Sani said that the trailer came from Onitsha.

She said that the suspects would be charged to court for prosecution.

Sani also said that 12 students of tertiary institutions in the state were arrested for drugs related offences.

The commandant said that the items seized from the students included 159 bottles of cough syrups with codeine, 160.6 grams of cannabis sativa and 50.7 grams of Rohypnol (Rochee).

She also said that a total of 186 persons were apprehended between January and March, 2018, for drugs related offences in the state.

Sani said that 57.8 kilograms of assorted hard drugs and 25,254 bottles of cough syrups with codeine were seized from the suspects.

She added that 8.4489 kilograms of psychotropic substances were seized from the suspects during the period under review.

Sani urged the public to continue to assist the command in its efforts of fight against drug abuse and trafficking.

Source: NAN

German authorities have confirmed outbreak of the highly pathogenic H5N6 bird flu type at a farm on an island off the German North Sea coast, the Schleswig-Holstein state agriculture ministry said on Wednesday.

The virus was found on a farm of with 57 chickens, turkeys, ducks and geese on the island of Hallig Suederoog. All the birds on the farm have been culled.

It is said to be the first case on a farm in Germany, the ministry said.

A case of H5N6 bird flu was also reported by a farm in the Netherlands in February and in southern England in January.

The Schleswig-Holstein state agriculture ministry said there is no record of the strain of the disease spreading to humans.

Some past outbreaks of bird flu have required expensive slaughtering campaigns and costly orders to farmers to keep poultry indoors.

Source:https://uk.reuters.com/article/us-birdflu-germany/germany-confirms-h5n6-bird-flu-case-on-island-farm-idUKKBN1GX1

Source: NAN

A US judge on Monday delayed by just a few days the start of Bill Cosbys sexual assault trial, throwing out a bid by defense lawyers for a three-month postponement.

Judge Steven ONeill moved jury selection to April 2 instead of March 29 as originally scheduled, to hear outstanding pre-trial motions on March 29 and 30.

Cosbys defense team, headed by Tom Mesereau, the celebrity Los Angeles attorney who got Michael Jackson acquitted of child molestation in 2005, had requested a longer delay of 90 days, which ONeill denied.

It marks the second time that 80-year-old comedian will go on trial, accused of drugging and molesting a former university basketball official at his Philadelphia home in 2004.

In June, ONeill declared a mistrial when the jury failed to reach a unanimous verdict on three counts of aggravated indecent assault in Norristown, Pennsylvania.

The trial irrevocably damaged the once towering icon of US popular culture, loved by millions as Americas Dad and best known for his seminal role as a father and obstetrician on hit 1984-92 TV series The Cosby Show.

Around 60 women have publicly accused the Emmy-winning actor of being a serial sexual predator, but most of the alleged abuse happened too long ago to prosecute, meaning that the trial last year concerned only one of the alleged victims.

The Pennsylvania judge ruled last week that five additional women who claim to have been sexually assaulted by Cosby can testify at the re-trial, having last time ruled that only one other accuser could take the stand.

Cosby, now frail and isolated, risks spending the rest of his life in prison if convicted.

The actor denies the charges, saying his relations with Andrea Constand were consensual.

The Canadian has said Cosby gave her pills that left her semi-conscious, then made sexual advances a story similar to those recounted by many of the other accusers.

Source: NAN