by Funmilayo Adeyemi

The possibility of shifting the date for the 2021 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) is very high, the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has said.

Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, Registrar, JAMB made this known at a virtual meeting with 2021 UTME Committee Members on Friday.

Oloyede disclosed that over 600,000 candidates who indicated interest in sitting for the exams, are yet to register.

The exam is scheduled to hold between June 5 and June 19.

He said the candidates were finding it difficult to register due to the challenges of National Identification Number (NIN).

He said so far, 1.1 million candidates had registered for the 2021 UTME, stating that the board anticipated approximately 1.9 million registrations at the end of the exercise.

The JAMB boss noted that though 50 per cent of candidates had already registered without problem, there was need to carryeveryone along.

According to him, that after meeting with stakeholders, we will decide on whether to shift the exam or not.

The possibility of shifting the exam forwardis still high; but that will be determined after our meeting with stakeholders.

This is because about 600,000 candidates who have indicated interest in the exam are yet to register. There is need to give everyone the opportunity, he said.

Oloyede apologised for the new initiatives introduced in the 2021 UTME, saying that it was not to punish candidates but to exposed candidates in the habit of indulging in various forms of malpractices.

He added that candidates were expected to provide two pictures on the candidate slip, picture of the person who registered at JAMB office, picture of the owner of the name who registered with NIN.

He called on candidates to take note of the process, adding that the essence was to detect any disparity in the process.

We apologise for putting you through some hardship in the registration. The government directed that anyone participating in JAMB must have their NIN. This is beyond our control. Those who are yet to register should do so.

The mock exam is billed to come up on May 20. It is an optional exam meant to test the system. As you all know, the main exam is coming up between June 5 and June 19.

Shifting the exam date is not the solution, at the meeting we will discuss on how some of the problems encountered by candidates will be resolved. It is important that we carry everyone along, he added.

He further disclosed that JAMB had secured about 802 exam centres across the country and 104 centres in towns adding that Lagos state alone has four centres. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Imelda Osayande

Justice Esther Edigin, the seventh substantive Chief Judge of the state, will be bowing out of office on Monday.

A statement signed by the Chief Registrar of the High Court, Mr Benson Osawaru, on Friday in Benin stated that Edigin would clock 65 years on May 17, the constitutionally prescribed age for retirement in the bench.

Consequently, Gov. Godwin Obaseki would be swearing-in the nextin hierarchy, Justice Joe Acha, as the incoming Chief Judge on Monday at the Government House, Benin.

Obaseki hadsworn-in Edigin as the seventh Edo Chief Judge on Nov. 22, 2019, following the retirement of Justice Esohe Ikponmwen.

NAN recalls that while swearing her in as the Chief Judge, Obaseki applauded her, noting that she had faithfully served as a judge in the state.

Edigin was born on May 17, 1956 and was called to bar on July 17, 1979.

In 1989, she joined the then Bendel State Judiciary as Chief Magistrate Grade 11 and was appointed a high court judge in 2001. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

Real Madrid earned a 4-1 win at Granada to keep their La Liga title defence alive.

Zinedine Zidanes side triumphed in Andalusia on Thursday and moved second, on 78 points from 36 games, two points behind leaders Atletico Madrid.

Luka Modric fired Real Madrid ahead in the 17th minute and Rodrygo Goes doubled the lead with his first goal of the season as the visitors dominated.

Jorge Molina pulled a goal back for Granada but Real Madrid quickly restored their advantage through Alvaro Odriozola and Karim Benzema wrapped up the win from distance.

The only thing we can keep doing is chasing Atletico Madrid and hope they dont win, said Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.

We have to make sure they dont have any margin for error. They won and all we can do is look at ourselves, and focus on the difficult game at Athletic Bilbao, which is another final.

Atletico Madrid beat Real Sociedad on Wednesday to take control of La Liga and the title will be theirs if they win their remaining two matches.

Youngster Miguel Gutierrez was making his first start for Real Madrid and it was a game to remember for him, as he fed a fine pass through for Modric to open the scoring.

Rodrygos low finish just before half-time gave Real Madrid a commanding lead, but they slowed down in the second half.

Zidanes side are exhausted and at times it showed, with Los Blancos having suffered more injuries this season than their title rivals.

After Molina pulled a goal back, Real Madrid might have wobbled but substitute Eden Hazard set up Odriozola to blast home from inside the area.

Benzemas fourth settled the clash, with the Frenchman finishing from 35 yards out with Granada goalkeeper Rui Silva out of his area.

Elsewhere, Real Valladolid lost 2-0 at home against Villarreal, meaning they stay 18th, two points from safety.

Bottom-of-the-table Eibar drew 1-1 with Real Betis and are three points behind Huesca, who are 17th .(dpa/NAN)

Source: NAN News

Rafael Nadal was forced to work hard to avoid becoming the biggestscalp in the last 16 at theInternazionali BNL dItalia on Thursday.

Rival Novak Djokovic had already sealed his progress earlier in the day, beatingAlejandro Davidovich Fokina in dominant fashion, but Nadal found life hard against Denis Shapovalov.

The Spaniard has already uncharacteristically lost twice on clay courts this season and was heading for a third as he trailed Shapovalov 3-6 0-3.

Even after Nadal recovered to take the second set, he faced two match-points in the decider.

He battled bravely to a vital hold of serve that took the match well beyond the three-hour mark and into a tie-break.

There, Nadal finally took control, running out a 3-6 6-4 7-6 (7-3) winner to reach the last eight and gain some much-needed minutes on the court.

Its an important victory for me [to] be able to win matches like today, three hours and 27, in the Barcelona final three hours and 38, long matches, said Nadal.

To be able to win these kinds of matches against young players gives me confidence with my body.

There had been no such test for Djokovic in his 6-2 6-1 rout, although the world number one felt that was in part due to his improving form.

I thought I played better, at least 20 or 30 per cent better, than I did against [Taylor] Fritz a few days ago, he said. I am on a good trajectory and hopefully tomorrow will be even better.

Djokovic will face fifth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas next after his straight-sets defeat of Matteo Berrettini.

For Nadal, Alexander Zverev is a similarly tricky opponent having come through three sets against Kei Nishikori.

But not every seed made it through, as Dominic Thiem succumbed to the last remaining home hopeful in Lorenzo Sonego, a dramatic 6-4 6-7 (5-7) 7-6 (7-5) victor.

A meeting with Andrey Rublev is the Italians reward, while there will be at least one unseeded player in the last four as Federico Delbonis prepares to take on Reilly Opelka. (dpa/NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Cecilia Ologunagba

Nigerias Ambassador to Cuba, Amb. Benaoyagha Okoyen has pledged to explore new and innovative ways of leveraging on existing bilateral relations between Nigeria and Cuba.

A statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in New York on Wednesday said Okoyen made the pledge in Havana at the presentation of Copies of DUsage to the Cuban Deputy Foreign Minister, Mrs Anayansi Camejo.

The presentation of copies dusage marked the formal commencement of his accreditation process in line with prevailing protocols in Cuba.

The Nigerian envoy pointed out that Nigeria-Cuba relations were underpinned by historical, cultural and blood ties.

The historical, cultural and blood ties are major tripods that sustain and deepen engagements between the two countries, both at bilateral and multilateral levels, Okoyen said.

The envoy added that newer and untapped areas of economic and commercial opportunities available for both countries would be given priority in the course of his tour of duty in Cuba.

He thanked Cuba for its support to Nigeria in particular, and Africa in general in the areas of liberation, health care, and humanitarian assistance.

Okoyen also conveyed the goodwill message of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama to his Cuban counterpart.

He expressed gratitude to the Deputy Foreign Minister for the excellent reception accorded him and members of his family on arrival in Havana.

In her remarks, Camejo expressed delight at the arrival of Okoyen in Cuba and expressed the hope that his arrival in the country would mark a rejuvenation of bilateral relations between the two countries.

The envoy affirmed that Cubas relations with Nigeria was crucial, given the deep cultural and fraternal ties that connected the two countries.

She thanked Nigeria for its consistent support to Cuba, especially toward eliminating the strangulating U.S. economic blockade of Cuba.

She also emphasised that Nigerias unequivocal support had always been part of what Cuba could count on at the International fora.

She assured that Cuba would remain committed to supporting Nigeria even regardless of the changing global dynamics.

Okoyen, who is concurrently accredited to The Bahamas, Honduras, and Nicaragua, was the immediate past Consul General of Nigeria in New York and is expected to present his Letter of Credence to the Cuban President at a later date. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

A woman who abused her adopted daughter to death was sentenced to life in prison on Friday in a fatal child abuse case that shocked the country.

The Seoul Southern District Court ruled that the woman, surnamed Jang, intentionally harmed her daughter, named Jung-in, dismissing her claim that the babys death was an accident.

The 16-month-old toddler was adopted in February and died in October last year of severe abdominal injuries and internal bleeding that were caused by strong external force, according to an official autopsy.

Signs of prolonged abuse, such as fractured bones and bruises in various stages of healing, were also found on her body.

It looks like the adoptive mother stamped on the victims abdomen, the court said.

She could have predicted that impacting another blow to the victims already damaged abdomen could lead to her death.

The accused started to abuse the victim habitually about a month after adopting her and caused her death with unimaginable brutality.

As the accused ruthlessly trampled upon the victims dignity and honour as a human being, it is only reasonable to separate the accused from society indefinitely, the court said.

The womans husband, surnamed Ahn, was sentenced to five years in prison for child abuse and aiding and abetting Jangs violence toward their adoptive daughter.

The court reprimanded the husband for making implausible excuses that he did not know Jung-in had been physically assaulted by his wife, even though he was in a position where he must have known what was going on inside their home.

Jang was initially indicted on charges including child abuse resulting in death.

But prosecutors later added a murder charge after reevaluating the cause of her death with forensic experts after suspicions arose that Jang might have had an intention to kill the baby.

Or at least might have been aware that the girl could die from the suspected beatings and other abusive behaviours.

An investigative report aired earlier this year was a catalyst for bringing renewed attention to her case and shed a spotlight on how the police and child welfare agencies failed to prevent the tragedy despite a series of glaring warning signs.

The nations police chief subsequently apologised over the agencys botched initial response and inadequate investigation.

There were three reports in the span of five months about suspected abuse toward Jung-in.

The case has unleashed nationwide grief and anger over child abuse. Hundreds of people have sent petitions to the court to demand justice for the girl.

Outside the court on Friday, protesters were calling the parents devils and holding signs demanding the death penalty for both of them.

Since Jung-in died, child abuse cases have continued to happen, said Kwon Sae-ri, who has flown to Seoul from Jeju, an island off the southern coast, to participate in the protest.

Jang should be held sternly accountable in order to prevent a similar tragedy from happening.

After the ruling was made, Lee Su-jin, who was wearing funeral clothes and holding the photo of Jung-in, cried in frustration.

The ruling is really disappointing. If this is the punishment for abusing an innocent child to death, it will give a message to other abusers that they, too, could get away with killing a child.

Kong Hye-jung, head of the Korea Child Abuse Prevention Association, said Fridays ruling failed to live up to the peoples expectation to bring justice to the child.

We will keep monitoring their second and third trials to make sure they will not have their sentences commuted, she said. (Yonhap/NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Cecilia Ologunagba

The World Bank says remittance inflows to Nigeria declined by 28 per cent in 2020 because of COVID-19 pandemic.

The Bank also said remittance flows fell for Sub-Saharan Africa by 12.5 per cent, according to its Migration and Development Brief 33 Phase 11 entitled: COVID-19 Crisis Through a Migration Lens published on Thursday.

The report said the decline in remittance flows to Nigeria was largely responsible for the fall in remittance flows to Sub-Saharan Africa.

The decline in flows to Sub-Saharan Africa was almost entirely due to a 28 per cent decline in remittance flows to Nigeria.

Excluding flows to Nigeria, remittances to Sub-Saharan Africa increased by 2.3 per cent, demonstrating resilience, the report stated.

According to the report, the relatively strong performance of remittance flows during the COVID-19 crisis has also highlighted the importance of timely availability of data.

It stated that given its growing significance as a source of external financing for low- and middle-income countries, there was need for better collection of data on remittances.

It emphasised that there was need for better collection of data on remittances, in terms of frequency, timely reporting, and granularity by corridor and channel.

The report quoted Dilip Ratha, lead author of the report on migration and remittances, as saying the resilience of remittance flows is remarkable. Remittances are helping to meet families increased need for livelihood support.

They can no longer be treated as small change.

The World Bank has been monitoring migration and remittance flows for nearly two decades, and we are working with governments and partners to produce timely data and make remittance flows even more productive.

With global growth expected to rebound further in 2021 and 2022, however, remittance flows to low- and middle- income countries are expected to increase by 2.6 per cent to 553 billion dollars in 2021 and by 2.2 per cent to 565 billion dollars in 2022.

The report stated that global average cost of sending 200 dollars remained high at 6.5 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2020, more than double the Sustainable Development Goal target of three per cent.

It stated that Sub-Saharan Africa continued to have the highest average cost (8.2 per cent) adding, supporting the remittance infrastructure and keeping remittances flowing includes efforts to lower fees.

In addition, it stated that the decline in recorded remittance flows in 2020 was smaller than the one during the 2009 global financial crisis (4.8 per cent).

It was also far lower than the fall in Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) flows to low- and middle-income countries, which, excluding flows to China fell by over 30 per cent in 2020.

As a result, remittance flows to low- and middle-income countries surpassed the sum of FDI (259 dollars billion) and overseas development assistance (179 dollars billion) in 2020.

The main drivers for the steady flow included fiscal stimulus that resulted in better-than-expected economic conditions in host countries, a shift in flows from cash to digital and from informal to formal channels, and cyclical movements in oil prices and currency exchange rates.

The true size of remittances, which includes formal and informal flows, is believed to be larger than officially reported data, though the extent of the impact of COVID-19 on informal flows is unclear.

As COVID-19 still devastates families around the world, remittances continue to provide a critical lifeline for the poor and vulnerable, said Michal Rutkowski, Global Director of the Social Protection and Jobs Global Practice at the World Bank.

Supportive policy responses, together with national social protection systems, should continue to be inclusive of all communities, including migrants.

In addition, it stated that the relatively strong performance of remittance flows during the COVID-19 crisis had also highlighted the importance of timely availability of data.

Given its growing significance as a source of external financing for low- and middle-income countries, there is a need for better collection of data on remittances, in terms of frequency, timely reporting, and granularity by corridor and channel.

The World Bank is assisting member states in monitoring the flow of remittances through various channels, the costs and convenience of sending money, and regulations to protect financial integrity that affect remittance flows.

It is working with the G20 countries and the global community to reduce remittance costs and improve financial inclusion for the poor. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Stanley Nwanosike

The Commissioner of Police in Enugu State, Mr Mohammed Aliyu, has ordered investigation of fire outbreak at the Obollo-Afor office of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the state.

Aliyu also directed the cordoning off of the scene for the thorough probe to further ascertain the actual cause of the fire outbreak and damages incurred.

The states Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Daniel Ndukwe, said this in a statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) early Friday morning.

Ndukwe said that the fire incident, which happened at INEC office in Obollo-Afor located in Udenu Local Government Area of Enugu State, happened on May 13, at about 9.40 p.m.

The Command received a distress call at its Udenu Police Divisional Headquarters alleging that there was fire outbreak at the Obollo-Afor office of the INEC in Udenu council area.

Police operatives attached to the Division immediately raced to the scene, while contacting Enugu State Fire Service office in the area to promptly put off the fire, he said.

He said that the fire was eventually put off before it could spread to other offices around the building, through combined efforts of the fire service, the police and law-abiding citizens.

Preliminary investigation suggests that the fire may have been caused by power surge due to sudden power supply to the building before the incident occurred, the police spokesman however said. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Yahaya Isah

The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has reaffirmed its commitment to continue to safeguard the nations territorial integrity against any form of threat.

AVM Hassan Abubakar, the Chairman, Organising Committee, NAF 57Anniversary Celebration, made this known while briefing newsmen.

He said the NAF had grown over the years into a formidable force in its efforts to carry out its core mandate of protecting the country against its enemies.

Abubakar added that within the West African Sub-region, NAF has carried out several assignments, especially in area of securing lives and property.

He said that the theme of the celebration is: Enhancing Nigerian Air Force Airpower Capabilities for Effective Joint Operations in Response to Contemporary National Security Challenges.

Abubakar explained that the theme was carefully selected aimed at emphasising the renewed focus on cooperation and collaboration among other services in the continued protection of the nations territorial integrity against its enemies.

This, he said, was also in tandem with the Chief of Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Oladayo Amaos vision which is to enhance and sustain critical airpower capabilities required for joint force deployment in pursuit of national security imperatives.

The 2021 celebration is structured to enlightened Nigerians of NAFs efforts in the ongoing fight against insurgency, terrorism and banditry in the country.

It will also feature three main activities, induction of a new platform, as well as aerial display by L-39-ZA, A-JET and JF-17 thunder aircraft.

There will be other activities taking place across NAF bases in the country, such as humanitarian support activities by Nigerian Air Force Officers Wives Association (NAFOWA) across the six geo-political zones.

There will be a medical outreaches to host communities in NAFs various bases across the country. There will also be a unique launching of NAF tele-medicine facility in Abuja.

The aim of the facility is to enhance the provision of excellent medicare to personnel and their dependants as well as civilian beneficiaries at lowest possible cost.

Abubakar, however, noted that all these efforts were geared towards having a professional service capable of deploying superior airpower in protecting the nations integrity against any form of threat.

He noted further that the celebration would involve a seminar and its focus would be to proffer workable strategies aimed at checkmating the myriad of security challenges in the country. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Sunday Bassey

The Police in Akwa Ibom have confirmed the death of eight people in a supremacy cult clash in Esit, Eket Local Government Area of the state.

The State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Macdon Odiko confirmed the incident to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Esit Eket.

Odiko said that the report got to him last week.

He said that the Police was taking steps to ensure that they maintained law and order in council headquarters and its environs.

Two rival cult groups Vikings Confraternity and Black Axe had engaged in a clash of supremacy.

A source, who pleaded anonymity, told the NAN in Esit Eket that the clash started at a friends night programme when some boys accosted a Vikings carrying bag in his hands at midnight at Etebi in Esit Eket.

According to the source, the Black Axe group searched the bag and discovered that it contained locally made pistols which they seized.

The source said that the Vikings boy left in anger to meet his group and they re-enforced to the friends night programme at about 3.00 a.m. and killed one person from Black Axe at Etebia where the fracas started.

It was gathered that four members of Vikings and four from Black Axe were been killed in the clash that ensued thereafter.

Two houses were also burnt, including the family house of the leader of the Legislative Council in Esit Eket.

NAN reports that some young men in Esit Eket had deserted their homes to other local government areasfor safety.

Odiko remarked that the Police were doing their bests to restore peace and order in the community.

The Police will not tolerate any act that will lead to the breakdown of law and order in the state, he said.

He warned perpetrators of such act to desist from such act or that they would face the wrath of the law.

We are on the trail of those who are breaching the law and soon the full wrath of the law will catch up with them. (NAN)

Source: NAN News