By Segun Giwa

The Director-General of National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Brig.-Gen. Suleiman Kazaure, on Tuesday, said the Federal Government had approved the enrolment of corps members into the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).

Kazaure told newsmen in Akure at the opening ceremony of the Annual Management Conference, which coincided with the 45th anniversary of the NYSC.

The D-G said as part of partnership deal with Federal Ministry of Health, the orientation camp of the scheme had a consultant from the Federal Medical Centre.

Kazaure commended the corps members that participated in the Osun gubernatorial election for being good ambassadors of the scheme.

This annual management conference is for the top managers to come together and critically review the operations and policies of the scheme by setting an agenda so as to improve on the programme in subsequent years, he said.

On the increment of allowance of corps members, he said the scheme was not different from the civil service and would need to wait for the new National Minimum Wage.

He said the scheme had cleared the backlog of unpaid staff allowances and also created a robust forum to interface with members of staff and labour unions for industrial harmony.

Declaring the event open, Ondo State Governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu said that the NYSC had contributed tremendously to the development of the nations democracy.

Akeredolu, represented by his deputy, Mr Agboola Ajayi, noted that the sustenance of the scheme would continue to impact on the society.

He pointed out that the NYSC had contributed over 80 per cent to the nations development and democracy.

NYSC has not only harmonised the diverse ethnic groups of Nigeria, but also reduced prejudices and misconceptions thereby promoting mutual trust, understanding and tolerance.

Akeredolu said the annual management conference with the theme NYSC At 45: Consolidating Gains and Creating Opportunities, was an indication that the management was poised towards repositioning the scheme to face its current challenges.

As a way of appreciating the contribution of corps members to the development of the state, my administration has also introduced a package of N100, 000, N80, 000 and N50, 000 for the state honour award winners to corps members, he said.

In her goodwill message, the NYSC National Governing Board, Mrs Fatima Abubakar, stated that the Board attended the conference in compliance with the President Muhammadu Buharis charge to enhance service delivery.

Earlier, in an introductory address by the NYSC Director, Planning, Research and Statistics, Mrs Victoria Okakwu, said the choice of Akure as a venue for the conference was informed by the hospitality enjoyed from the government and good people of the state.

She added that the focus of the conference was to brainstorm and come up with practicable solutions and strategies that will reposition and promote the ideals of the Scheme in both present and future operating environment.

Source: NAN

By Olawale Akinremi

Mrs Imoleayo Akinrodoye, the President of the Mapo Grade A Customary Court in Ibadan, on Tuesday, remanded five suspects facing trial for alleged theft of 120 tubers of yam.

The accused: Biodun Ayodele, (20); Michael Adebayo, (19); Lukman Ahmed, (22); Arisekola Ridwan, (20); and Kayode Suleiman; (45), were granted bail but failed to meet the conditions for their release.

The accused persons were consequently remanded in custody.

Akinrodoye had admitted the accused persons to bail in the sum of N150,000 with one reliable surety each in like sum.
The Court President subsequently adjourned the case till Oct. 17 for continuation of hearing.

Earlier, the Police Prosecutor, Sgt. Ayodele Ayeni, had informed the court that the five suspects were arraigned on a three-count charge bordering on conspiracy, unlawful breaking-in and stealing.

Ayeni said that Ayodele, Adebayo, Ahmed, Arisekola and Suleiman committed the crime on Sept. 22, at 5 a.m. at Bere area of Ibadan

According to the prosecutor, the first, second, third and fourth accused broke into shops where tubers of yams meant for sale were stocked and stole 120 pieces and sold them to the fifth accused.

He further stated that the yam tubers valued at N40,000 belonged to Kazeem Oladeni and Jamiu Salami, traders at the Oja-Oba market in Ibadan, Oyo state..

Ayeni said that the offences contravened Sections 516 (A), 390 (9) and 427 of the Criminal Code Cap, 38 Vol ii Laws of Oyo State of Nigeria 2000.

However, the five accused persons had pleaded their innocence and denied commission of the offences.
Mr Taiwo Lasisi, their defense counsel, subsequently applied for bail on liberal terms.

Source: NAN

Organic potash fertilizer is highly effective for improving the quality of crop yields as it helps in the regulation of water and the uptake of nutrients by plants. It can be made in different ways using various ingredients like wood ashes, potassium chloride, dried banana peels amongst other things. The different ways of making organic potash fertilizer you shall clearly see as you read on.

How to make organic potash fertilizer
So, should you find organic fertilizers out of reach or maybe you just wish to get your hands dirty by making it (organic fertilizer) yourself, the following piece of information will be very valuable. Here, I shall now discuss about three different means.

Using wood ashes
This is by far the simplest [and the most straightforward] as you might have already guessed. It involves using cool wood ashes which can be spread and worked into the soil. Wood ashes have been reported to contain about 6 – 8% potash. It should however be noted that the most potent wood ash for fertilizing plants are the ones obtained from burnt trees that have their potassium content well preserved – hardwood is particularly recommended in this regard. As a precautionary measure however, you will have to determine the pH level of your soil before applying wood ash as it could be detrimental to the health of the plant if the pH (of the soil) is beyond 7.0.

Using dried banana peels
Maybe it’s high time you started storing those banana peels in a compost pile rather than throwing them away outrightly. The banana peel is very high in potassium, and all you need to do is gather the peels [that have been dried overtime] in a blender and grind to powder. The peel is then ready to be used as fertilizer – a simple and cost-effective way of boosting plant growth.

From potassium chloride + ammonium nitrate
This is a bit more complex than the previously discussed methods. And in case you are wondering why go through the stress when you have got your dried banana peels or wood ashes? The answer lies in the fact that this method gives you with something that is more potent. So, without much ado, I shall discuss how this can be attained.
Things you need: potassium chloride, ammonium nitrate (40g), filter, measuring cup, measuring scale, airtight container and cooking pan.

Procedure

• Measure 10cl of water into a cup and add 40g of ammonium nitrate; gently stirring until it is fully dissolved
• Now, place the filter over the cup – ensure that the filter is securely in place – and sieve the solution into the cooking pan
• Then add 37g of potassium chloride to the solution in the cooking pan and stir [until it dissolves] while applying heat at about 600C for 5 minutes.
• Allow the heated solution to cool and then using another filter, sieve the solution into an airtight container.
  The solution [in the container] should then be placed in the freezer where it is expected to form crystals.
• Once the crystals have formed, bring out the container and allow the crystals to dry out. The dried crystals are the potash fertilizer you have been rooting for.

OPECs largest producer Saudi Arabia and its biggest oil-producer ally outside the group, Russia, rebuffed US President Donald Trump on Sunday over his call for more oil output to reduce prices.

I do not influence prices, Saudi Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih told reporters as OPEC and non-OPEC energy ministers gathered in Algiers for a meeting that ended with no formal recommendation for any additional supply boost.

Benchmark Brent oil reached $80 a barrel this month, prompting Trump to reiterate on Thursday his demand that the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries lower prices.

The price rally mainly stemmed from a decline in oil exports from OPEC member Iran due to fresh U.S. sanctions.

We protect the countries of the Middle East, they would not be safe for very long without us, and yet they continue to push for higher and higher oil prices! We will remember. The OPEC monopoly must get prices down now! Trump wrote on Twitter.

Falih said Saudi Arabia had spare capacity to raise output but such a move was not required at the moment and might not be needed next year as, according to OPECs projections, a stellar rise in non-OPEC production could exceed global demand growth.

The markets are adequately supplied. I dont know of any refiner in the world who is looking for oil and is not able to get it, Falih said, adding that Saudi Arabia could raise output by up to 1.5 million barrels per day (bpd) if needed.

Given the numbers we saw today, that (an output increase in 2019) is highly unlikely unless we have surprises on the supply and demand, Falih added.

The statement from Trump, meanwhile, was not his first criticism of OPEC.

Higher gasoline prices for U.S. consumers could create a political headache for Republican Trump before mid-term congressional elections in November.

Iran, OPECs third-largest producer, has accused Trump of orchestrating the oil price rally by imposing sanctions on Tehran and accused its regional arch-rival Saudi Arabia of bowing to U.S.

A mid-term report released by OPEC on Sunday forecast that non-OPEC supply from countries led by the United States would rise by 2.4 million bpd in 2019 while global oil demand should grow by just 1.5 million.

It also steeply raised U.S. oil output growth estimates to 2023, predicting OPEC would lose further market share.

Our attention is shifting to 2019. We have been briefed on the prospect of 2019 inventory builds which result from significant supply growth from non-member counties, Falih said.

Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak said no immediate output increase was necessary, although he believed a trade war between China and the United States as well as U.S. sanctions on Iran were creating new challenges for oil markets.

Oil demand will be declining in the fourth quarter of this year and the first quarter of next year. So far, we have decided to stick to our June agreements, Novak said.

Seeking to reverse a downturn in oil prices that began in 2014, OPEC, Russia and other allies decided in late 2016 to reduce supply by some 1.8 million bpd.

In June this year, however, after months of cutting by more than their pact had called for, largely due to involuntary reductions from Venezuela and other producers, they agreed to boost output by returning to 100 percent compliance.

That equates to an increase of about 1 million bpd, but the latest data shows they are some way from achieving that target.

In August, OPEC and its allies cut production by 600,000 bpd more than their pact required, mainly as a result of falling output in Iran as customers in Europe and Asia reduced purchases ahead of the U.S. sanctions deadline.

OPEC put Irans current production at 3.58 million bpd, down some 300,000 bpd from the start of the year, according to OPECs secondary sources such as researchers and ship-trackers.

Irans OPEC governor Hossein Kazempour Ardebili insisted on Sunday that Iranian production was steady at 3.8 million bpd but appeared to soften his stance on potential increases in OPEC output.

If there is a fall not only from Iran, but anybody else, it is the responsibility of OPEC and non-OPEC to balance the market, Kazempour told reporters.

Falih said returning to 100 percent compliance was the main objective and should be achieved in the next two to three months.

Although he refrained from specifying how that could be done, Saudi Arabia is the only oil producer with significant spare capacity.

The biggest issue is not with the producing countries, its with the refiners, its with the demand. We in Saudi Arabia have not seen demand for any additional barrel that we did not produce.

The OPEC/non-OPEC monitoring committee next meets on Nov. 11 in Abu Dhabi, followed by a full OPEC gathering at its Vienna headquarters on Dec. 6-7.

Source: NAN

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared Saturdays Osun governorship election as inconclusive.

Prof. Joseph Fuwape, the Returning Officer for the Sept. 22 election made the declaration in Osogbo.

Fuwape, who is the Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), while announcing the results of the election, said that Sen. Ademola Adeleke, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) scored 254,698 votes.

He said Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), scored 254, 345 votes.

He said the election was declared inconclusive because of cases of ballot boxes snatching that occurred in some polling units during the election.

The returning officer mentioned the affected polling units to include Ife north, one polling unit, Ife south, two polling units, Orolu, three polling units and osogbo, one polling unit.

He said a total of 3498 votes were cancelled in the seven affected polling units

Based on this fact, I cannot declare anyone the winner of the election, he said.

Fuwape, however, said that the rerun of the election in the affected polling units would take place on Sept. 27.

He urged all the political gladiators to maintain peace, before, during and after the rerun.

Here are the details of the results.

1.Boluwaduro: APC LG:3843, PDP:3779, SDP:1766, ADP:858

2.Atakumosa West LG : APC: 5019, PDP: 5401, SDP: 1570, ADP: 718

3.Ifedayo LG: APC: 3182, PDP: 3374, SDP: 1377, ADP: 176.

4.Ede South: APC: 4512, PDP: 16693, SDP: 855, ADP:

5.Orolu LG: APC: 5442, PDP:7776 , SDP: 2043 ADP: 388, ADC:79.

6.Obokun LG: APC: 7229, PDP: 10859, SDP: 1907, ADC: 106, ADP: 663

7.Ilesha East LG: APC:9790 , PDP:8244 SDP:3620 , ADC: 188, ADP: 1275(APC)

8.Boripe LG: APC: 11655, PDP:6892, SDP: 2730,ADP:1137, ADC: 137(APC)

9.Ilesha West
APC: 7251, PDP: 8286, SDP: 2408, ADC: 127, ADP: 2363(PDP)

10.Oriade LG
APC: 9778, PDP: 10109, SDP: 2265 , ADC: 109, ADP: 1224

11.Irepodun LG

APC: 6517, PDP: 8058, SDP: 4856, ADC: 158, ADP: 2564(PDP)

12.Ila LG

APC: 8403, PDP: 8241, SDP:3134, ADC: 96, ADP: 183(APC)

13.Isokan LG

APC: 7297, PDP: 9048, SDP: 3460, ADC: 56, ADP:682(PDP)

14.Odo-Otin LG

APC: 9996, PDP:9879, SDP: 2941, ADC: 1034, ADP: 1112(APC)

15.Ayedaade LG:

APC 10861, PDP: 9836, SDP: 2967, ADC: 145, ADP: 1645(APC)

16.Atakumosa East LG

APC: 7073, PDP: 5218, SDP: 2140, ADC: 06 , ADP: 629(APC)

17. Ede North LG

APC: 7025, PDP:18745, SDP: 1382 ADC: 89, ADP: 758(PDP)

18. Ifelodun LG

APC: 9882, PDP:12269 , SDP: 1970, ADC: 236, ADP: 2844, (PDP)

19. Ayedire LG

APC: 5474 , PDP: 5133, SDP2396:, ADC:144 , ADP:1642, (APC)

20. Ife North

APC: 6527, PDP:5486, SDP:5158, ADC:94, ADP: 745, (APC)

21. Ejigbo LG

APC: 14779, PDP: 4803, SDP4803:, (APC)

22. Egbedore Local Government

APC: 7354, PDP:7231 , SDP: 3367

23. Ife Central Local Government:

APC:6957 , PDP:3200 , SDP:20494 ADC:194, ADP:1053

24.Irewole LG:

APC: 10049, PDP: 13848, SDP: 1142, ADP: 1915(PDP)

25.Olorunda LG

APC: 16254, PDP: 9850, SDP:7061, ADC:335, ADP:1407, (APC)

26 Ola-Oluwa LG

APC:5025 PDP: 4026 SDP:2104 ADP:2194 ADC: 1408(APC)

27. Ife South LG

APC: 7223, PDP:4872, SDP: 6151, ADC:136 , ADP:561. (APC)

28. Ife East

APC:8925, PDP: 6608, ADC: 237, ADP: 509, SDP: 17643

29.Iwo Local Government

APC:7644 , PDP: 6122, ADP: 16, 425, ADC: 1164, SDP: 4153

30.Osogbo LG

APC: 23379, PDP: 14499, SDP: 10188, ADC:413, ADP: 2478

Source: NAN

The All Progressives Congress has shifted the presidential direct primary election earlier scheduled for Tuesday September 25th, to Thursday September 27th.

The party announced the shift in a statement today.

It urged all duly registered party members to collect their permanent membership cards from their respective wards.

It was the second time in one week that the party would alter its primary election timetable.

Last week, the organising secretary Emma Ibediro announced a revised timetable for the conduct of all the partys primaries ahead of February 2019 general elections, as approved by the National Working Committee.

The 2018 primaries would be held as follows:

Governorship Primaries September 29, 2018.

Senate Primaries October 2, 2018.

House of Representatives Primaries October 3, 2018.

State House of Assembly Primaries October 4, 2018.

Presidential National Convention October 6, 2018.

The News Agency of Nigeria(NAN) reports that the APC presidential primary is to pass an affirmative vote on President Muhammadu Buhari who is the partys sole candidate for the 2019 Presidential election

Source: NAN

The National Assembly has shifted its resumption from its annual recess from Sept. 25 to Oct. 9, according to its Clerk, Mohammed Omolori.

Omolori announced this on Sunday, attributing it to the primary elections by political parties.

This is to inform all Distinguished senators and Honourable members that resumption of plenary session earlier scheduled for Tuesday, 25th September has been postponed to Tuesday 9th October due to activities of primaries of political parties.

All distinguished senators and honourable members are expected to resume plenary session by 10 am on the 9th of October, please.

The National Assembly began its annual vacation on July 24.

Source: NAN

Many high-profile consumer technology items such as smart watches and speakers were spared by the U.S. tariffs that hit some $200 billion worth of Chinese products.

But the less flashy home modems, routers and internet gateways that make them work werent so lucky.

Consumer tech industry officials and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency say they expect billions of dollars worth of these products, including those designed for home use, will be subject to the 10 per cent tariffs activated on Monday.

The move will effectively create a two-tiered tariff structure for consumer internet, with many products, such as Fitbit (FIT.N) fitness trackers, Apple Incs (AAPL.O) watch and Amazon.com Incs (AMZN.O) Echo smart speaker being favoured over routers and internet gateways from Arris International (ARRS.O), Netgear (NTGR.O), D-Link (2332.TW) and others.

Were operating under the assumption that the tens of millions of devices that deliver high-speed internet into consumers homes will be impacted by these tariffs, said Jim Brennan, Arris Seniour Vice President of supply chain, quality and operations.

It feels anti-consumer because our devices are what enables the core of consumer tech, Brennan told Reuters.

The modems, routers, switching and networking gear that keep the internet functioning were not included in a newly created U.S. tariff code that was exempted from the latest China tariffs, a spokesperson for the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency said.

The agency has made no distinction between consumer-use modems and routers and the commercial network equipment used by data centers and broadband internet providers.

Most new internet-connected devices had been lumped into a broad category in the U.S. Harmonized Tariff Schedule, 85176200, Machines for the reception, conversion and transmission or regeneration of voice, images or other data, including switching and routing apparatus.

The catch-all category saw $23 billion in U.S. imports from China and $47.6 billion from the world last year. It was the largest component of U.S. President Donald Trumps latest tariffs targeting Chinese goods.

The U.S. Trade Representatives office had said it was breaking out items such as smart watches, fitness trackers, Bluetooth audio streaming devices and smart speakers into a new subcategory that would be exempted, but it gave few details.

According to a notice posted by the U.S. International Trade Commission, computer modems would stay in a separate sub-category, while switching and routing apparatus would be put into a new sub-category. Neither of these sub-categories were granted exemptions from the tariffs.

Although we have not had occasion to issue rulings on the scope of a provision for switching and routing apparatus, we agree that as a general matter, modems, routers, and networking equipment will be subject to the remedy, a Customs and Border Protection spokesperson said late on Friday, referring to the 10 percent tariff.

It was not clear how much of the $23 billion in Chinese imports within the catch-all category could escape tariffs, but a Reuters review of industry data suggests the share could be small.

U.S. Census Bureau data has not yet captured the volume of annual imports from China or any country of the goods that will be exempt.

But the Consumer Technology Association estimates that the U.S. market for fitness trackers, smart watches, smart speakers and wireless earbuds and headphones was $8.2 billion in 2017, with forecast sales of $11.6 billion for 2019.

Even if China produced a majority of those goods, exemptions would only apply to a fraction of the $23 billion category.

CTA has forecast direct sales of modems and routers to consumers at $2.3 billion for 2019, up from $2 billion in 2017, excluding the products supplied directly by cable and broadband internet providers and equipment used in data centers and other infrastructure outside the home.

But the group argues that consumers will bear the costs of the tariffs, even if their service provider buys the modems.

Overall, access to the internet will get more expensive, mobile plans will get more expensive, and connected devices that go to your smart phones will get more expensive because everything speaks to each other, said Izzy Santa, director of strategic communications for CTA. (Reuters)

Source: NAN

World oil demand will peak at 104.4 million barrels per day (bpd) in the mid-2030s, up from just below the current 100 million bpd.

It shall be so as new technologies gradually eat into oil use, Chinas Unipec said on Monday at the annual Asia Pacific Petroleum Conference (APPEC) in Singapore.

Unipec President Chen Bo said improved energy efficiency and technological changes are keys to the trend.

He also said that the rise of renewables also meant global oil demand growth would slow in coming years and peak at 104.4 million bpd in 2035my noting that inspite of trade disputes between China and the U.S., crude supply was an important new source for Chinese refiners.

He added that it allows diversification away from Middle East and African crudes, on which China has relied heavily he said.

Trade war tensions between the United States and China will last just for the time being, and in the future well be active in this area, he said.

Chen Bo also said China would reduce Iranian oil imports because of looming U.S. sanctions against the Middle East country due to start in November.

There had not yet been a decision on how big these cuts would be.

Source: NAN

Bill Cosby, 81-year-old American comedian could face the rest of his life in jail after he was found guilty of sexual assault in April after a jury heard allegations from Andrea Constand.

If sentenced for his crimes, Montgomery County Judge Steven T. ONeill who will have the final say Monday could put Cosby on probation, house arrest or throw him into prison.

Cosby was found guilty on three counts of felony aggravated indecent assault for drugging and molesting Constand, 45, at his suburban Philadelphia home in 2004.

The guilty verdict brought an end to a long-running downward spiral for Cosby, who was accused by dozens of women of similar crimes after public interest in his rape allegations was renewed.

Constands allegations are in line with others, but hers were unique in that the statute of limitations on the crime had not yet expired.

Sentencing begins Monday and is expected to last two days. While the judge will ultimately have the final say in Cosbys punishment, the potential consequences for Cosbys crimes allow for many options.

The maximum term is 10 years per count. However, a smaller jail stint, house arrest and probation are also on the table for the embattled former comedian.

Given his advanced age and health issues, its likely that Cosbys legal team will argue for a lesser sentence than the max 30 years. Regardless, his lawyers previously made it clear that he plans to appeal the verdict.

His trial is being heralded as the first major celebrity trial of the #MeToo era. As a result, theres massive public attention being paid to the outcome with those coming out against Cosby wondering if the court will give him a pass in terms of punishment given his fame.

I really think its important that he spend some time behind bars, said Lise-Lotte Lublin, who said Cosby assaulted her when she was 23 in 1989. The then-model said Cosby prodded her to take two drinks to relax. At some point, he should acknowledge what hes done, and do the time for the crime.

Another Cosby accuser, Chelan Lasha, said he deserves every year of his potential 30-year sentence.

Once called Americas Dad, Cosbys reputation has been in decline since comedian Hannibal Buress brought up the numerous rape allegations against the comic in 2014. Since then, more than 60 women have come forward with allegations against him.

Cosby and his legal team have shown that they want to mitigate the amount of damage being done to his reputation, starting with the classification of him as a sexually violent predator. Mondays sentencing is expected to begin with a debate over this classification.

Pennsylvanias sex-offender board has examined Cosby and recommended he be deemed a predator, concluding that he has a mental defect or personality disorder that makes him prone to criminal behavior.

Source: NAN