Miss Aviation African Beauty Pageant debuts in Nigeria
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by emmanuel afonne7 the miss aviation african pageant logo was unveiled on feb. 23 to kick start preparation for the grande finale scheduled to hold in lagos in june1 organiser of the pageant mr ossai ilome told the news agency of nigeria nan in abuja that the pageant scheduled to hold in june was designed to change the labour dynamics in the aviation sector in favour of local content1 ilome also said that the pageant would be used to create a platform to engage relevant stakeholders towards improving business environment for operators of airlines and also create a safe and serene environment for passengers1 according to him government cannot solve the challenges in the aviation sector alone hence the introduction of the miss aviation african pageant to help facilitate and create platform for the aviation transformation in africa1 we need to identify gaps and requisite solution in the provision of adequate safety and security services to customers1 the aviation industry is set to witness a re-branding with the introduction of miss aviation african beauty pageant1 co-founder of the pageant blessing chijekwu said that the maiden event would provide not less than three scholarships to african girls to attend aviation academy quarterly within africa1 the event is also expected to champion african girls career empowerment by mentoring and networking professionals and encouraging professionals and encouraging students to focus on developing aviation sector careers1 women are the continents greatest untapped resources and we are dedicating this pageant to ensure the increase number of women in decision making positions in the aviation industry chijekwu said1 she noted that the miss aviation pageant was socially designed to harness the potential of beauty queens in contributing to development of the aviation sector1 chijekwu urged contestants wishing to participate in the beauty pageant to log on to to register1 the pageant hopes to expose and expound policy gaps as it relates to providing business friendly environment for operators ilome said1

Richard Branson goes philosophical, talks about people
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richard branson @richardbranson1 mr richard branson has gone philosophical warning people against surrounding themselves with those that would impede their growth1 life is also a lot more fun when youre all smiling1 positivity breeds positivity and i like to surround myself with a team of people with can-do attitudes he said1 branson of virgin airlines articulated his thoughts in his book 1 the book espouses how purpose and profit combined have the power to change the world1 he advised surround yourself with people who can bring out the best in your1 he also in his tweet emphasised his thoughts1 if you surround yourself with people who belittle your dreams or dont support you then it will be twice as hard to get your idea off the ground1 aside the fortunes of the airlines virgins telecom has introduced a 4g band with no caps throttling or hidden catches truly unlimited is a mobile plan created exclusively for broadband and landline customers1 it highlights the companys commitment to existing customers demonstrating their ambition to go the extra mile for the most loyal customers1 unlike most unlimited offerings virgin medias new plan is truly unlimited giving you no need to worry about going over your limits. users can enjoy unlimited texts minutes and data for just 25 a month without fearing a big bill. plus virgin media has just boosted its 4g speed to up to1 truly unlimited is a step towards bringing virgin mobile and virgin medias services closer together to offer even more benefits to cable customers choosing virgin mobile services1 with ultrafast broadband from virgin media and top deals from virgin mobile you can have fast speeds at your fingertips whether youre at home or on the go and with truly1 unlimited you dont need to worry that youre getting close to your data limit1 virgin mobile is giving our customers peace of mind by eliminating the fear of running out of data jeff dodds managing director at virgin mobile said. unlike our competitors we wont enforce caps or throttle speeds our truly unlimited customers will get what it says on the tin a truly unlimited service. loyalty deserves to be rewarded and were going the extra mile to give our customers the best1 from fast 4g to huge data plans our customers are always covered1

Nadal dumps Mexico Open after injury flare up
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now my main goal is to find out the extent of the injury1 world number two rafael nadal pulled out of the mexican open on tuesday cutting short his comeback from a hip injury when the problem flared up again1 nadal favored to win the tournament had been due to face fellow spaniard feliciano lopez1 i took all the appropriate steps to arrive at the tournament in form. i went to cozumel first to adapt to the climate he told reporters1 but yesterday in my last training session before the tournament during one movement i felt a sharp pain again in the same area where i had the problem in australia1 nadal limped out of the quarter-finals at the australian open on january 23. he has since lost his number one ranking to roger federer1 nadal said doctors in mexico warned him not to play for fear of aggravating the injury1 i still dont know what it is because we dont know. it seems its not as bad as what i had at the australian open he said1 my goal and hope was to play in this tournament. unfortunately in my last training session yesterday i felt a sharp pain in my leg again the 31-year-old spanish star said hours before what was to have been his opening match of the atp tour event in acapulco1 this marks the fifth tournament in a row that nadal has pulled out of or retired from the australian open brisbane london paris and acapulco1 earlier in the week the 16-time grand slam winner nadal announced himself fully fit and said he was looking forward to competing again1 i took a couple of weeks of rest and worked hard on rehabilitation he told reporters prior to pulling out. last week i started practicing hard again. i feel ready1 nadal is expected to remain at least one more day in acapulco to have more tests done1 maybe it is a minor situation but the reality is that there is liquid and until it goes down a bit and the relevant tests are done it will not be possible to diagnose he said1 while a victory this week would not have been good enough to overhaul federer it would leave nadal primed to replace the swiss star at indian wells or miami next month1 the 2008 olympic gold medal winner is known as the king of clay and is considered the greatest clay-court player in the history of the sport1 but his success is not limited to clay. nadal has won 10 french open titles three us opens two wimbledons and one australian open1

IOC reinstates Russian Olympic Committee
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medal-winning curler alexander krushelnitsky and bobsledder nadezhda sergeeva1 russia was reinstated by the international olympic committee ioc on wednesday after the remaining tests of the countrys athletes at the pyeongchang winter olympics were all returned negative1 the ioc reinstatement means athletes can compete under the russian flag and wear a national team uniform while the national anthem can be played at gold medal ceremonies1 it also means russian officials can take part at ioc meetings1 on sunday the ioc said russia which has repeatedly denied state involvement in doping would be automatically readmitted if there were no more doping violations from the games1 the final notification of all remaining test results from the olympic athlete from russia oar delegation has been received the ioc said in a statement on wednesday1 the ioc can confirm that all the remaining results are negative1 therefore as stated in the executive board decision of feb. 25 the suspension of the russian olympic committee is automatically lifted with immediate effect1 the decision was announced earlier on wednesday by roc president alexander zhukov on state television1 the russian olympic committee has had its rights fully restored he said. its a decision of the utmost importance for us1 a team of 168 russians competed as part of a neutral olympic athlete from russia oar team in pyeongchang but two of them failed drug tests1 russians competed as neutrals at the games after the ioc suspended the countrys olympic committee roc in december saying it had found evidence of an unprecedented systematic manipulation of the anti-doping system1 they had all been required to prove they were clean before the games1 under the neutrality rules the russians were unable to wear national uniforms or have their anthem played at medal presentations1 however on sunday the mens ice hockey team sang the national anthem after winning gold1 widespread doping by russian athletes at the 2014 sochi winter games was exposed by an independent report for the world anti-doping agency wada1 wada said in a statement on wednesday that russia remained non-compliant with its code1 this is because it has not yet met the necessary criteria of rusadas russian anti-doping agencys roadmap to compliance following russias proven systemic manipulation of the doping control process1 russia also remains suspended from world athletics1 forty-three russian athletes were disqualified from the 2014 sochi winter games and banned by the ioc1 this was after the olympic body followed up the wada investigation although 28 of those had their results reinstated and bans overturned after appealing to the court of arbitration for sport cas1 those 28 however were not invited to pyeongchang by the ioc.reutersnan1

Plateau United now atop the NPFL table
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in the 65th minute plateau made two tactical substitutions introducing peter eneji to replace osanga and abdulwaheed replacing omoniwari. to pile more pressure on the visitors ibe johnson also replaced ambrose in the 75th minute1 defending champions plateau united fc of jos vaulted to the top of nigerian professional football league table on wednesday after defeating visiting rangers international of enugu 1-01 the champions now have 18 points one point more than kano pillars and enyimba who were tied atop with 17 points after 10 matches1 the champions jumped from their sixth position to the top overtaking all the pretenders from yobe desert warriors who were fifth rivers united 4th akwa united 3rd kano pillars and enyimba both tied as number one1 the champions can further separate themselves from the pack if they win their tenth match at a date to be announced later1 chizoba amafule gave plateau united the lead in the83rd minute when he headed in after a lob by ingbede.rangers keeper thomas was beaten to the far right for the lone goal that took the champions to the top of the table1 the first half was marked by the injury sustained in the 35th minute by rangers forward aguda after a bad challengefrom plateaus golbe1 aguda was taken out of the field1 four minutes afterplateau goalie okiemute odah stretched his full length to keep out bright silas attempt for rangers an effort that would have given the visitors the lead1 the first half of the match ended goalless as both sides failed to undo each other1 in the second half the hosts mounted pressure on the visitors such that the latter were made to seat deep in their own half of the field as they conceded free kick after free kick1 the match at the new stadium in jos was a rescheduled matchday 9 fixture of the npfl1 two minutes after the substitutions drew the result expected aschizoba amaefule headed the champions in front1 rangers made their own substitutions later on but they were not so effective1 after the match rangers chief coach gbenga ogunbote said that his side was unlucky to go home without at least a point1 we did all we could to get at least a point but lost it at the last minute. it is unfortunate but it is one of those things in football1 we will take the positives from the game and make amends where necessaryhe said1 kennedy boboye plateau united chief coach said that his side played against a very technical team and was happy that they got the three points1 boboye said the three points were very important points to his side and would boost their morale as they travel to play on tuesday in caf champions league1 amafule the scorer of the goal that gave united the victory thanked god for giving them the three points in the match1 he said the team was tired after the long journey from cameroon where they beat eding sports in caf champions league1 he said the team would do their best when they travelled to tunisia for another caf champions league match against etoile du sahel1

Neymar goes for surgery in Brazil
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however neymar should be fit to play for brazil at the world cup in russia in june and july1 it is now certain that brazilian superstar neymar will undergo surgery on his fractured foot in brazil ruling him out of paris saint-germains do-or-die champions league clash with real madrid on 6 march1 psg said wednesday that rodrigo lasmar the surgeon with the brazilian national squad will carry out the operation with several brazilian media outlets reporting that the surgery would take place as early as thursday1 radio tupi said neymar his father and surgeon lasmar left paris wednesday night for belo horizontes mater dei hospital where the operation is set for thursday according to o globo newspaper one of brazils leading dailies1 website uol also reported the surgery would take place in the southeastern brazil city but said it was scheduled for sunday1 on tuesday the brazilians father had claimed the player would be out for at least six weeks1 speaking to espn in brazil before psgs announcement neymar senior said psg know that they will not be able to count on neymar for the upcoming matches. his treatment will last six to eight weeks whether there is an operation or not1 psg coach unai emery had said earlier that no decision had been taken on whether neymar would require surgery and that there remained a small chance of getting him back in time to face real next tuesday march 61 psg lost 3-1 in the first leg in spain two weeks ago and are in danger of being knocked out of the competition in the last 16 for the second season running1 neymar appeared to be in tears as he was stretchered off the field at the parc des princes on sunday1 brazilian newspaper globo esporte claimed the former barcelona player would be sidelined until may while if his fathers estimate was correct neymar would not return before the semi-final stage of the champions league in late april1 the 26-year-old suffered a hairline fracture of the fifth metatarsal in his right foot as well as a twisted ankle late in psgs 3-0 win over marseille in ligue 1 on sunday1 in the meantime psg had to do without neymar for wednesdays french cup quarter-final at home to marseille the second meeting of the clubs in four days1 argentine star angel di maria replaced the brazilian at the parc des princesand scored twice in a 3-0 win as psg stayed on course to win the french cup for the fourth season in a row1 but emery was then confronted with another injury worry when striker kylian mbappe picked up an ankle injury in the game1 kylian mbappe injured his ankle. he asked not to play the second half. i hope that its not too serious said emery1 neymar has scored 28 goals in 30 appearances in all competitions for psg since his 222 million-euro 264 million move from barcelona last august1 meanwhile in brazil neymars foot injury has unleashed sharp emotions and concern rumours and speculation about the player upon whom so many hopes rest for world cup victory1 we just might have lost the world cup last sunday one radio commentator milton neves of bandnews fm said early wednesday1 brazilians care little about the impact on psg. their attention is entirely trained on the world cup where they have ambitions of walking away with a sixth championship1 images of sundays fateful duel between neymar and marseille player bouna sarr were being shown incessantly on tv often in slo-mo before he was stretchered off1 newspapers featured close-up illustrations detailing neymars foot and ankle1 i dont think we can really talk about fears of him not being at the world cup. but there is a noticeable haste to find a solution so that neymar will have recovered in time an espn brasil sports commentator mauro cezar pereira told afp1

Neymar out for 3 months, Brazil worried
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lasmars assessment painted a graver picture1 soccer crazy brazilians are now worried as their superstar neymar will be sidelined for up to three months perilously close to the eve of the world cup after undergoing surgery on his broken foot1 the worse than previously announced prognosis came as the paris saint-germain striker 26 arrived in rio de janeiro on an air france flight from paris for saturdays operation1 the recovery period will be around two and a half to three months national team surgeon rodrigo lasmar who flew with neymar said1 the injury has not only ruled the worlds most expensive player out of psgs make-or-break champions league clash with real madrid on march 6 but more worryingly for the football-mad public in brazil also threatens the much-fancied national sides build-up to the world cup starting in russia on june 141 lasmar who will lead the surgery at a hospital in belo horizonte underlined that there is no quick fix for the striker1 its not a simple fracture but a fracture in an important bone in the middle of the foot lasmar said1 dressed in a black hoodie a black baseball cap and wearing sunglasses neymar left the plane in a wheelchair. he smiled and took selfies with other passengers before leaving on a private jet to an undisclosed destination1 the initial assessment did not appear quite as serious on sunday when neymar was reported to have suffered a hairline fracture of the fifth metatarsal as well as a twisted ankle late in psgs 3-0 win over marseille in ligue 11 neymars father had predicted at least six weeks out while psg coach unai emery even said there remained a small chance of getting him back in time to face real1 neymars doctor gave the bleak assessment on thursday1 yesterday we went back to the hospital in paris and made new exams that left the seriousness of the fracture very clear he told journalists in rio1 there was no doubt left regarding the treatment. we were unanimous in agreeing that it would have to be surgical treatment. more conservative treatment without surgery would present a far greater risk for refracture. we cant run that risk1 the drama is a big personal setback for neymar who has been at the centre of the worlds footballing attention since his 222 million-euro 264 million move from barcelona last august1 he has scored 28 goals in 30 appearances in all competitions for psg since arriving. but on sunday he looked to be in tears as he was stretchered off the field at the parc des princes1 psg lost 3-1 to real in the first leg of their european tie in spain two weeks ago and are in danger of being knocked out of the competition in the last 16 for the second season running1 neymar misses friendlies1 brazilians attention is entirely trained on the world cup where they have ambitions of walking away with a sixth title after the humiliation of crashing out 7-1 to germany in the 2014 semi-finals on home soil a match neymar missed after picking up an injury in the last eight against colombia1 even if neymar gets back in time he appears sure to miss two warm-up friendlies against russia and germany in march1 brazilians have high hopes for the world cup with him and many are afraid he wont be able to take part said one fan kiosk owner gabriel tavares barreto in rio de janeiro1 i think hell recover in time but thats what brazilians are worrying about the 21-year-old said1

R.I.P. Arsenal(1996-2018)
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but this is arsenal now a total laughing stock. opposition fans chant that they want wenger to stay. is there a sadder indictment on one of the most transformative figures english football has ever known1 it may not be officially over but arsenal are limping along on life support while coaches like pep guardiola demonstrate whats required at this level1 henrikh mkhitaryan and pierre-emerick aubameyang came in january but they are cpr signings. theres no plan for them. under this man this club is limping along on life support. please someone come in june and have enough humanity to pull the plug and let it die. then the club can rise again1 people like raul sanllehi sven mislintat and huss fahmy were originally brought to the club to ease the transition from the wengerian times to the post-wengerian times. but its too late. its no longer a transition. itll have to be a reincarnation a phoenix from the flames job1 the great irony though is that wenger deserves all of the credit for modern arsenal but perversely all of the blame. it was wenger who delivered the trophies the stadium henry the invincibility the history. but it was wenger who oversaw this inexcusable decline1 he was in title terms always second-best to sir alex ferguson the odd double aside. but one area in which wenger has thoroughly out-performed his scottish rival is how to run a club into the ground1 manchester united are five years into their post-ferguson era and are no closer to being restored to their perch at the top of english football. some of the blame for that decline lies with the man himself and his failure to prepare the club for the day he would no longer be there1 most of the blame though belongs to the glazers who for too long trusted him to pump the clubs chest and give it mouth-to-mouth. when he walked away it flatlined1 well united if you want to see how to botch a handover just have a look at whats currently transpiring in north london1 thursday nights 3-0 loss at home to manchester city may not mark the end of it all but its certainly a sign of the times. yes its cold out yes the roads arent in great shape but just look again at the number of vacant seats inside the emirates1 this ground wasnt built with half-full in mind. it wasnt designed to be a cold cavernous bowl where fans would come to abuse and make sure the team and wenger knew how unhappy they were1 arsene wengers arsenal will exist officially at least until the end of this season. but theres no life there. its gone all over. anyone can see that now1 arsenal couldnt lay a glove on city here. for the first time ever they conceded three first-half premier league goals. city under pep guardiola ruthlessly demonstrated what the expected standards of a top team should be1 yes theres abu dhabi energy wealth in the difference between the sides but that shouldnt count for much on a night like this1 four days ago arsenal were exposed to a type of humiliation in a cup final which would make them wish they hadnt qualified in the first place1 give something anything just to show the people you care or that you learned something. they got more of the same. city were good really good but it was an occasion when you wanted arsenal to show they wouldnt roll over again1 the quality of citys goals showed what they were up against the gap wenger would have to breach if he was even to pretend that he had the wherewithal to turn this all around1 keeping the ball one-touch passes assassin-like finishes city gave everything at a stage of the season where they could probably afford to give nothing and still win the title1 it seems like talk of the top four is irrelevant with arsenal right now even if the europa league is still there as a champions league failsafe. but its not like manchester united last year1 whether you liked it or not jose mourinho had a plan. he chucked the league and went for the europa instead and it paid off. but you cant trust arsenal to follow the same path. you cant trust arsenal to beat ac milan. you cant even trust them to beat ostersunds1 but what can be relied upon is their relentless consistency in living down to expectations. would we get a reaction to sunday would wenger show hes got the fight left inside would arsenal surprise everyone and give manchester city a game1 it was 3-0 by half-time and even those who dont support them might have finally had enough. pointless1 by peter staunton. culled from goal.com1

NMA locks down all health facilities in Kogi
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the association said that the industrial action would be sustained until their minimum demands are met. among them is the payment of the balance of 40 per cent salary arrears from august to december 20172 the nigerian medical association nma in kogi on thursday said that all healthcare facilities in the state would remain shut until all its minimum demands are met2 the association said it has allowedin its magnanimity some of its members in fmc lokoja to continue to offer skeletal services despite declaring an industrial action2 it also said doctors managing the lassa fever centre at kogi state specialist hospital lokoja were allowed to attend to emergency cases andprivate practitioners in the state rendered healthcare services to the general public without hindrance2 the congress believes that the kogi government has been given ample time and opportunity to resolve the issues at stake2 congress also noted the unfortunate development where some experienced medical officers were asked to proceed on compulsory retirement for no justifiable reasons it said2 a communique issued after an ordinary general meeting ogm of the association in lokoja and signed by its chairman dr godwin tijani and the secretary dr zubair kabiru also directed its members in fmc lokoja to proceed on sympathy strike on the first three days of every month2 another is the payment of 100 per cent salaries and arrears for january and february 2018 as well as the implementation of the revised conmess among others2 henceforth all healthcare centres in the state should remain shut until our minimum demands are met2 all private healthcare facilities in the state will subsequently be shut down if there is no response from the kogi government in the next few days2 finally nma should not be held responsible for any consequences that may result from this action as the kogi government has had adequate time to avert these crises the statement read in part2 the association expressed gratitude to the medical elders for their counsel and appreciated all her members especially those who had been going through harrowing experiences but have strictly complied with the ongoing strike2 the news agency of nigeria nan recalls that the nma in kogi on jan. 7 directed its members to resume a strike they suspended on june 22 2017. nan2

Saraki to address Ghanas Parliament at 25th anniversary
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over the last few months you might have noticed the bills on ease of doing business and also the bill on nfiu in senate those are part of a wide range of legislative interventions to make sure nigeria conforms with international best practices he said2 nigeria has different treaties and partnerships that weve signed with different countries2 we are now going through all those treaties to see how we can domesticate them in nigeria to make sure that nigeria is getting the best from every agreement that is signed by different countries2 i remember the executive made mention towards the end of last year that they would be reviewing different treaties because as you rightly said times are improving and changing2 the executive is taking a look at it but at the national assemblys leadership is also looking to see if some of those things favour us or not2 you also mentioned the illicit financial flows thats going on thats definitely being looked at as well2 once we can get our relationship with ghana right we can improve on ecowas and then the entire african union he said1 plans are already underway by the executive and the national assembly to review trade treaties and conventions to made doing business in nigeria and with other countries easier1 saraki who is set to depart for ghana on sunday on a two day official visit is expected to address the ghanaian parliament on how to build a stronger african relationship1 the president of the senate dr bukola saraki is set to lead a delegation of lawmakers to address the ghanaian parliament as part of activities to mark 25 years of uninterrupted democracy in the country1 the president of the senate would be addressing the parliament at a symposium with the theme1 the executive is taking a lead ours in the 8senate is to make sure we provide the legislative framework and the appropriate oversight to make sure the interest of nigeria is protected at all times1 saraki would be accompanied by deputy leader of the senate bala ibn nallah chief whip of the senate sen. olusola adeyeye sen. phillip aduda sen. rafiu ibrahim and sen. monsurat sunmonu1 speaking with our correspondent on thursday special assistant to saraki on foreign affairs and international relations bamikole omishore said that trade relations from a parliamentary point of view was a major focus of the inter-parliamentary meeting1 omishore said that available information indicate that it is easier to do business in europe and america than it is to do in ghana and other african countries1 the 8national assembly is looking to make sure that the illicit transactions are stopped but at the same time create an environment for businesses to be done with ease1 in an earlier interview granted by omishore he said that the aim of the review is to domesticate such treaties so that they benefit nigeria first1

NASS will pass PIB by June NNPC
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we have embarked on one of the most aggressive gas reforms and implementation1 by yetunde bada1 the group managing director of the nnpc dr maikanti baru said this at the 2018 oloibiri lecture series and energy forum organised by the society of petroleum engineers in abuja on thursday1 baru who was represented by the nnpc chief operating officer upstream dr rabiu bello said the bills must be looked into in order to attract the needed n25 billion year-on-year investments to the industry1 in the area of policy the popular omnibus single petroleum industry bill has been broken into three parts for quick review and passage by the national assembly1 as you aware the first part of the bill the petroleum industry governance bill was passed by the house recently1 when the other sections of the bill are finally passed it will unlock more than10 billion dollars of investment held up due to uncertainty1 the promise we got last week from the national assembly was that before the end of the second quarter of this year which we see as june 30 they promise the three other bills will also be concluded and passed1 so hopefully 2018 will see the end of all the discussions around the pib which started in year 2000 baru said1 baru noted that its planned revamp of four of its refineries in kaduna warri and port harcourt would include an upgrade of their collective refining capacities from their present 445000 barrels per day bpd to one million barrels per day mbd1 it said once the 650000 bpd dangote refinery in lagos come on-stream nigeria would become a net exporter of refined petroleum products1 baru said the federal government had completed more than 500 km gas pipelines in eight years1 the nigerian national petroleum corporation nnpc says the national assembly has assured that the petroleum industry bill pib will be passed by june1 accelerated implementation of gas pipeline infrastructure development with specific focus on critical pipeline infrastructure to power plants being put in place1 between 2010 and today almost 500 km of pipelines have been completed commissioned and now delivering gas he said1 he listed some of the completed pipelines to include the oben-geregu 196km escravos-warri-oben 110km emuren-itoki 50km itoki-olorunshogo 31km imo river-alaoji 24km and ukanafun-calabar 128km1 in addition there is ongoing construction of the very strategic east-west ob3 pipeline 127km scheduled for completion by q3 20181 the expansion of the escravos-lagos gas pipeline system is scheduled for completion by q1 20181 most recently the federal executive council fec approved the contract award of the 40-inch by 614 km ajaokuta-kaduna-kano pipeline and associated facilities1 this pipeline is expected to supply natural gas to power plants and industries in the northern part of the country1 once completed the nationwide backbone gas infrastructure will be in place1 with the effort in infrastructure development we would have expanded supply capacity establishing an integrated gas pipeline infrastructure grid across the entire country he said1 the lecture had the theme the nigerian oil industry in a world of changing energy supply are we prepared1 it had panelists from across the sector charting the way forward on gas and renewable energy as oil would soon be phased out with the introduction of electric cars in industrialised countries. nan1

Refineries :NNPC reels out factors inhibiting operations
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we are not looking for government money but peoples monies are in there. we want to operate optimally but with efficient partnerships1 by yetunde badaedith ike-eboh1 dr rabiu bello the nnpc chief operating officer upstream made this known while speaking during a question-and-answer session at the 2018 oloibiri lecture series and energy forum organised by the society of engineers1 he admitted that the nations refineries in warri kaduna and port harcourt were not performing optimally but expressed hope that it would be a thing of the past soon1 according to him once the dangote refinery comes on stream and the refineries work at capacity nigeria could become an enviable exporter of refined products1 he said are the refineries working optimally the answer is no. there a few reasons hindering their optimal performance1 one is the issue of security. even if one refinery is working perfectly and there is unrest in the region the products cannot go in or out1 there was a period one did not work for 28 months but thank god weve gone past that1 second is the issue of investments and turn around maintenance. we are having series of talks with our investors and we are at the stage of discussing terms1 the nigeria national petroleum company nnpc said evacuation of products turn around maintenance insecurity were among the major factors affecting the nations refineries from operating optimally1 he said it was a thing of shame that nigeria as the largest producer of crude in africa and 13th largest in the world was the largest importer of petrol and the only opec country that imports refined products1 this costs so much money. it is shameful that we produce and ship out1 it takes 14 days to ship in refined petroleum products from europe and about 17 days in all to get that product to maiduguri1 if the refineries were working perfectly the products would get to as far as maiduguri in under 24 hours bello said1 the executive secretary of the petroleum technology development fund mr aliyu gusau said what had emerged from all discussions at the lecture was that the world was embracing renewable energy1 the question is are we ready whether we are prepared or not the journey has commenced. we need to move away from digging oil from the ground and exporting to developing human resources1 are we ready to develop this capacity that is why we give kudos to the administration of president muhammadu buhari for placing emphasis on these things he said1 also speaking the principal petroleum training institute prof. sunny iyuke called on stakeholders in the industry to support the industry to look the way of renewable energy1 the 2018 lecture had the theme the nigerian oil industry in a world of changing energy supply are we preparednan1

NMA locks down all health facilities in Kogi
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the association said that the industrial action would be sustained until their minimum demands are met. among them is the payment of the balance of 40 per cent salary arrears from august to december 20172 the nigerian medical association nma in kogi on thursday said that all healthcare facilities in the state would remain shut until all its minimum demands are met2 the association said it has allowedin its magnanimity some of its members in fmc lokoja to continue to offer skeletal services despite declaring an industrial action2 it also said doctors managing the lassa fever centre at kogi state specialist hospital lokoja were allowed to attend to emergency cases andprivate practitioners in the state rendered healthcare services to the general public without hindrance2 the congress believes that the kogi government has been given ample time and opportunity to resolve the issues at stake2 congress also noted the unfortunate development where some experienced medical officers were asked to proceed on compulsory retirement for no justifiable reasons it said2 a communique issued after an ordinary general meeting ogm of the association in lokoja and signed by its chairman dr godwin tijani and the secretary dr zubair kabiru also directed its members in fmc lokoja to proceed on sympathy strike on the first three days of every month2 another is the payment of 100 per cent salaries and arrears for january and february 2018 as well as the implementation of the revised conmess among others2 henceforth all healthcare centres in the state should remain shut until our minimum demands are met2 all private healthcare facilities in the state will subsequently be shut down if there is no response from the kogi government in the next few days2 finally nma should not be held responsible for any consequences that may result from this action as the kogi government has had adequate time to avert these crises the statement read in part2 the association expressed gratitude to the medical elders for their counsel and appreciated all her members especially those who had been going through harrowing experiences but have strictly complied with the ongoing strike2 the news agency of nigeria nan recalls that the nma in kogi on jan. 7 directed its members to resume a strike they suspended on june 22 2017. nan2

Prince William to visit Israel
Sports •
israel will for the first time host an official visit by a member of the british royal family when prince william travels there this summer it wason thursday1 the visit is coming seventy years after david ben-gurion proclaimed the independence of the state of israel and an end to the british mandate in palestine1 prince william who is second in line to the british throne will visit israel jordan and the palestinian territories in the occupied west bank1 no specific date was announced. his father and grandfather have traveled to israel but not as part of an official royal visit1 the prince will visit at the request of the government of his grandmother queen elizabeth ii kensington palace his royal residence1 the lack of a formal visit has long been a sore point for many israelis1 some had interpreted it as a snub aof israel or perhaps the result of in arab countries1 for now the assumption is that the prince will not travel with his family. he and his wife kate are expecting their third child in april1 read more at httpswww.nytimes.com20180301worldmiddleeastprince-william-israel-visit.html1

Ortom laments deplorable state of IDPs
Sports •
he called on members of the foundation to appeal to the federal government to pursue justice for his people1 by philip dzeremo1 the camps are terrible the living conditions there are nauseating. something urgent must be done to assist the internally displaced persons idps ortom said on thursday1 ortom spoke in makurdi when he received members of the sir ahmadu bello foundation led by is chairman babangda aliyu at the banquet hall of the benue peoples house makurdi1 he said that 60 per cent of the idps were children who had missed examinations and did not know when to return to school1 the facilities at the camps are inadequate and too deplorable to provide minimum comfort for these children1 the attacks keep going on and more people are fleeing their homes and taking refuge in the camps making them overcrowded1 in spite of the presence of exercise cat race herders are still killing and displacing local farmers from their ancestral homes1 the benue people are law abiding and have refrained from resorting to violence even at the height of provocation but we cannot continue like this he said1 gov samuel ortom has called forurgent measures to address thedeplorable conditions of the camps hosting people displaced by the incessant attacks on benue rural communities1 all we ask of the federal government is justice the rule of law and an end to impunity. we have suffered too much in the hands of the herders who carry out these attacks against our people with impunity1 between 2012 and 2018 we have had 47 attacks on benue communities. lives and property worth millions have been lost but in spite of these attacks we have remained law abiding1 he said it was difficult to revive grazing routesand called on herdsmen in the state to obey the anti-open grazing law1 also speaking ortoms predecessor and deputy chairman of the foundation gabriel suswam commended the people for supporting their governor on the law and assured them that the foundation would relay their message to the government1 he assured ortom of his support toward achieving peace in the state1 i will work with gov ortom towards achieving peace in the state our party differences will not affect this commitment1 it was the tor tiv that ordered me to work with the governor to ensure peace in the state. as someone who has received so much from the state i have to obey1 suswam appealed to the federal government to work out modalities toward halting the influx of foreign herders in the country1 the killings in the country seem to get worse everyday. government must rise to this challenge he said. nan1

Father and Son both raped little daughter
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rape2 father and son both raped little daughter1 rape crime1

Nigerian Army loses two soldiers to insurgents
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boko haram9 boko haram insurgency4 boko haram in nigeria4 nigerian army loses two soldiers to insurgents1 sambisa forest1 buratai1

JAMB releases mock UTME result
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jamb releases mock utme result1 jamb results1 jamb utme results1 mock unified tertiary matriculation examination utme1

Ex NIMASA Director General confesses he stole N331m to build a hotel
Sports •
ex nimasa director general confesses he stole n331m to build a hotel1 former acting director-general of the nigerian maritime administration and safety agency nimasa1 calistus obi1 has admitted to diverting n331 million belonging to the agency1

Man arrested for impersonating Emir with verified Instagram account
Sports •
man arrested for impersonating emir with verified instagram account1 sanusi lamido sanusi1 impersonator1