Gunmen

By Mohammed Tijjani

Gunmen have abducted a lecturer and two children of a member of staff of the Nuhu Bamali Polytechnic Zaria, Kaduna State.

The Secretary, Information and Protocol Unit of the polytechnic, Mr Abdullahi Shehu, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in a telephone interview on Sunday that the incedent happened on Saturday.

Shehu said the victims were abducted from their homes located within the institution.

He said that the father of the two abducted children was injured by the gunmen and was presently receiving treatment at Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Zaria.

Shehu said the kidnapped lecturer teaches at the School of Engineering, Department of Electrical and Electronics of the polytechnic.

Spokesman of Kaduna State Police Command, ASP Mohammed Jalige, confirmed the incident and said police operatives had been deployed to secure the area, track the perpetrators and rescue the victims. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

Kyrgyzstan Flag

Sixty-three people have submitted documents to the Central Election Commission (CEC), of Kyrgyzstan to participate in early presidential elections, the press service said on Sunday.

The deadline for submitting the documents to the CEC was Nov. 14.

The commission had received documents from 65 people, while two of them withdrew the application. Among the applicants, were eight women and 55 men, the CEC said.

To be approved as candidates, the applicants were expected to collect 30,000 signatures of voters in their support and pay electoral deposit of about 12,000 U.S. dollars to the account of the CEC.

They must also pass the test of the Kyrgyz language.

Candidates can drop their bids for the presidency until Jan. 7.

The election campaign is expected to begin on Dec. 15, 2020 and end Jan. 9, 2021, while voting will begin on Jan. 10, 2021.

Kyrgyzstan will hold early elections due to the fact that ex-President Sooronbai Jeenbekov resigned amid protests to annul the results of the Oct. 4 parliamentary elections. (Xinhua/NAN)

Source: NAN News

Images of ancestral shrine

By Ariwodola Idowu

The Ogoga of Ikere Ekiti, Oba Adejimi Adu, on Sunday condemned the practice of some of his subjects who go about placing fetish objects on economic projects embarked upon by well-meaning indigenes to scare them away from the town.

The News Agency of Nigeria, (NAN) reports that the Oba spoke in Ikere Ekiti at the close of this years awards of the Wole Olanipekun Scholarship Scheme and the inauguration of the Wole Olanipekun Foundation to empower youths and the downtrodden.

This year, 143 students of secondary and tertiary institutions of Ekiti State extraction benefitted from the scholarship scheme, the 24th in the series.

The Oba warned that those who go about placing fetish objects on peoples projects might compel him to invoke the wrought of Ekiti ancestors on them if they did not desist as their activities were capable of driving would-be investors away and slow down economic development of the town.

He also condemned the attempt by some unidentified persons to raze the personal residence of Chief Olanipekun and his radio station, Cruse FM, during the #EndSARS protest simply because the legal luminary is President Muhammadu Buharis personal attorney.

Speaking at the event, Chief Olanipekun, former President of Nigerian Bar Association, said the EndSARS protest which nearly engulfed the entire nation was a microcosm of the danger that would consume the nation if the country is not restructured.

He expressed regret that police stations were razed in Ikere Ekiti during the #EndSARS protest, an action that made the police to withdraw their services from the town.

Chief Olanipekun called on individuals to partner with governments to resolve youth unemployment and the attendant restiveness.

He said that his Foundation planned to spend N15 million to empower 300 youths and another N9 million on the aged and widows resident in Ekiti.

Whatever might have been the outcome of the #EndSARS protest, the bitter take away there is that we must honestly, sincerely, dispassionately, unpretentiously take steps to reawaken Nigeria; to rethink Nigeria; to rebuild Nigeria; to rehabilitate Nigeria; to rekindle Nigeria; to readjust Nigeria and to revitalise Nigeria.

The bitterness among ethnic nationalities isso deep, and we need genuine reconciliation and restructuring of the polity. That small sore has become cancerous and we need a radical surgery to extract it, he said.

Giving a breakdown of the categories of beneficiaries of this years scholarship scheme, Chief Olanipekun said 67 of them are in secondary schools, 73 are university undergraduates, three are Law School students and one is a PhD candidate.

Chief Olanipekun added that the Foundation would kick off with the empowerment of 100 youths and 100 widows and the aged who would get betweenN30,000 and N50,000 each to begin small scale businesses.

Under the Wole Olanipekun Foundation Youth Empowerment Programme, 100 youths will have a grant of N50,000 each in 2020, another set of 100 youths will be entitled to same amount in 2021 and also in 2022 translating to 300 youth, while each of them will be entitled to non-interest yielding loans from the middle of 2021.

For the widows and the aged people from 75 years of age, 100 of them will be empowered with N30,000 each under my foundation as part of poverty alleviation programme, he said. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Cecilia Ologunagba

A Physician, Dr Harazumi Bello, has advised Nigerians to adopt healthy lifestyle and good diet to avoid diabetes and its complications.

Bello, a Physician at the National Hospital, Abuja (NHA), gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday in Abuja on the occasion of the World Diabetes Day (WDD), which has The Nurse and Diabetes as the theme for 2020.

Annually celebrated on Nov. 14 to raise global awareness and promote the importance of taking coordinated actions to confront diabetes as a critical global health issue, WDD is also aimed at prevention, complications and care for people living with the condition.

Diabetes is a chronic disease that occurs when the pancreas is no longer able to make insulin, or when the body cannot make good use of the insulin it produces.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), one in two people with diabetes in Africa do not know their status and nearly one in five COVID-19 deaths in Africa is linked to diabetes.

The world body added in a statement to mark the WDD that this is particularly important in the African Region, where more than half of the people living with diabetes dont know they have it, and many of those diagnosed are not well controlled.

The NHA physician, therefore, advised people to cut down sugar and refined carbohydrates intake and engage in regular exercise, saying people should do 30 minutes of brisk walk per day at least five times in a week.

Bello also advised smokers to try and drop the habit as it could increase the risk of having diabetes, as well as avoid sedentary lifestyle, stressing that walk at least 3,000 steps daily.

Drink water as primary and main beverage; lose weight if youre overweight or obese, follow a low-carb diet, avoid large portion sizes whether or not you decide to follow a low-carb diet and eat high fiber diet.

Minimise your intake of processed foods and check your blood sugar regularly.

According to him, the risk or complications associated with type 1 and type 2 diabetes are more or less the same, apart from a few, the details of which mainly concern the health professionals.

Type 1 diabetes is a condition in which one immune system destroys insulin-making cells in the pancreas.

These are called beta cells. The condition is usually diagnosed in children and young people, so it used to be called juvenile diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes is a lifelong disease that affects the body from using insulin the way it should. People with type 2 diabetes are said to have insulin resistance.

People who are middle-aged or older are most likely to get this kind of diabetes, so it used to be called adult-onset diabetes.

Bello said some of the complications from type 1 and 2 diabetes included Cardiovascular diseases such as angina, heart attack and stroke and nerve damage.

He said nerve damage could be tingling sensation, numbness, burning sensation or pain that usually begins at the tips of the toes or fingers and gradually spreads.

He added that complication can result to kidney damage, which can lead to kidney failure, eye damage which can lead to blindness, foot damage (injuries, blisters and infections) which can lead to amputation.

Also, skin conditions recurrent skin infections, very high blood sugar which can lead to coma or death and dementia, as well as depression.

Bello said that the best way to manage diabetes was by constantly educating the patient on the condition and the need for drug adherence and regular follow up visits to the hospital.

Also, adherence to other lifestyle modifications, including strict foot care to prevent injuries which can lead to amputation; in management of diabetes the patient has a role as significant as that of the health professionals.

Diabetic patients can live good lives devoid of major complications if they adhere to the advice of their health providers, he said. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Sumaila Ogbaje

The Defence Headquarters says the Air Component of Operation Thunder Strike has disrupted activities of cattle rustlers in Kwiambana Forest area in Kaduna State, killing several bandits.

The Coordinator, Defence Media Operations, Maj.-Gen. John Enenche, said in a statement on Saturday in Abuja, that the operation was conducted on Nov. 12.

Enenche said the operation was sequel to reports indicating that close to 100 bandits carrying high calibre weapons, mounted on motorcycles, had rustled a large number of cattle and other livestock from Dankolo and Machitta villages.

He disclosed that the bandits and the rustled livestock were subsequently spotted by a Nigerian Air Force (NAF) aircraft on reconnaissance mission at Kaboru village heading towards Kwiambana Forest.

According to him, the Air Component, therefore, dispatched a NAF attack helicopter to the location which engaged the target area, leading to the neutralisation of several of the bandits. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Moji Eniola

The Nigerian Army has said that they have not received any formal petition over the alleged shooting of unarmed #EndSARS protesters at the Lekki Tollgate on Oct. 20.

The counsel for the Nigerian Army, Mr Akinlolu Kehinde (SAN), made the assertion on Saturday before the Lagos Judicial Panel of Inquiry and Restitution for Victims of SARS Related Abuses ad Other Matters.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Brig.-Gen. Ahmed Taiwo was called to give evidence on behalf of the Nigerian Army on the events of Oct. 20.

I must submit today that there is no allegation whatsoever against the Nigerian Army before this panel.

I urge your lordship to discountenance any proposal that the testimony of the Nigerian Army should not be allowed because of a proposed petition.

Unfortunately for reasons known to most of us, the Nigerian Army could not give their testimony when they were summoned on the last adjourned date. It is a very respectable organisation.

The Nigerian Army is here again ready to testify, and they have set up their projector and is ready to discharge the summons.

I repeat, as at six minutes to 11am today, no petition has been served against the Nigerian Army, if any petition has been served, we will respond, he said.

Earlier, Mr Adeyinka Olumide-Fusika (SAN), the counsel representing seven #EndSARS protesters had said that he had been unable to make a formal claim on behalf of his clients before the panel.

Olumide-Fusika said that the panels Terms of Reference only covered matters relating to the Nigerian Police and the disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) and that his complaint is against the Nigerian Army.

He also noted that the panel must be set up by a legal instrument and apart from the tweets from the Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, stating that a panel will be established.

We applied for the copy of the instrument establishing the panel by the governor, but we were refused on the ground that freedom of information Act does not apply to Lagos State.

We applied here this morning and the secretary said there is no authority that states that it should be granted to us, Olumide-Fusika said.

He sought the panels directive as to whether the Nigerian Army should give evidence during proceedings because according to him, their presence here today is not mature.

Meanwhile, the head of the nine-man panel, Justice Doris Okuwobi (Rtd) in a ruling stated that the alleged shootings at Lekki covered the panels Terms of Reference.

The Lekki incident was not covered by the original instrument of the panel and it was amended on Oct. 21 to include the Lekki incident.

The amended instrument is a public document which should not be shrouded in mystery, I have a copy here with me if Mr Olumide-Fusika pleases,Okuwobi said. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Ayinde Olaide

Dr Okafor Emefesi, President of a Bauchi-based non-governmental Organisation, Couples Network International, has advocated for the establishment of Ministry of Marriage and Family Affairs.

Emefesi made the call in Bauchi on Saturday while delivering a speech on behalf of his Organisation during a seminar tagged Womens Health Improvement Seminar on Osteoporosis and Arthritis- Natural ways to maintain and sustain strong bones.

He explained that the establishment of such ministry would help in addressing the myriad of challenges bedeviling marriages and the family institution, resulting in their failure to play the stabilising roles expected.

According to him, enduring marriages are paramount for the survival of the family institution, and the two are vital in checking social vices that have been threatening the survival of the country as a nation.

Concerning the stability and progress of Nigerian families, the Federal Government should establish a Ministry of Family and Marriage Affairs.

This will bring a lasting solution to the crises facing Nigerian families. The survival of the Nigerian families is crucial to the survival of the nation at large, he said.

Emefesi further called on government to establish Women Development Banks in order to empower women to be economically self-reliant, saying women are the drivers of the economy who are also actively involved in family production.

He also noted that the major problem facing Nigeria was not religious bigotry or ethnicity, but poverty.

He said poverty was the number one cause of most of the social ills in the country which had given birth to terrorism, kidnapping, corruption, marital breakdown, ethnic and religious crises, unemployment, as well as youth restiveness.

Speaking on health, Emefesi called on the Federal Government to introduce national policy on calcium supplement for women and children in the country.

Also speaking, Mrs Aishatu Kilishi, President Federation of Muslim Women Associations of Nigeria (FOMWAN) Bauchi state chapter, said most of the issues that affected women, were calcium related problems and bone issues.

She said bone problems were rampant among the women folk than in men, adding that women were taunted by bone issues because they engaged in domestic and farming activities.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the seminar was organized by FOMWAN, Bauchi state chapter, in collaboration with Couples Network International. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

UN Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, on Friday strongly advocated for the greater participation of women and youth in Malis ongoing transition towards a durable peace, and the response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

She spoke in Bamako in continuation of her solidarity visit to West Africa and the Sahel.

Ms. Mohammeds visit comes as the Central Sahel region is struggling to cope with a burgeoning humanitarian and security crisis: the number of people in need of humanitarian assistance in Mali increased from 4.3 to 6.8 million between January and August 2020.

A UN statement noted that in October, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that the countries in the border area between Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso are caught in a downward spiral, amid rising violence, insecurity and now the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mali, hit by a military coup in August, has established a new civilian-led transitional authority but remains highly volatile.

Extremist groups have reportedly disregarded calls for peace and urged followers to take advantage of the power vacuum exacerbated by COVID-19, including by spreading disinformation in distressed communities.

Attacks in October killed 12 civilians and at least 11 Malian soldiers in separate attacks in the centre of the country. Just three days later, one peacekeeper was killed and another injured in two more incidents.

Last year, 81 aid workers were wounded, kidnapped or killed in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, according to the Aid Worker Security Database.

The statement said Ms. Mohammed discussed three critical areas for building a better future for Africa and Mali during her visit: financing for sustainable development, the socio-economic response and recovery plans, and ways to improve social cohesion and community resilience, whilst protecting civilians and fighting terrorism.

The continuous use of masks by the deputy UN chief, her team, and other UN personnel in Mali, underlines the ongoing threat posed by the COVID-10 pandemic, the statement noted.

To date, the UN has committed some US.5 million worth of support to the country, which includes helping the Government to put its response plan into place, and proposing and supporting mitigation and recovery measures capable of reducing the impacts of the crisis.

The Mali leg of the deputy UN chiefs trip to the region followed stops in Nigeria and Niger.

During her time in Niger, Ms. Mohammed visited the Gamou region, some 15 kilometres north of the capital, Niamey, to see the devastation caused by flooding and torrential rains, the worst in eight years, which killed more than 70 people and displaced some 632,000 others.

There, she met with the heads of villages affected by the floods, and visited a shelter for displaced persons.

The next leg for Ms. Mohammed is a two-day trip to Sierra Leone, where she will look at progress towards strengthening existing peace and stability, and addressing issues of gender-based violence.

She is also scheduled to take part in a community dialogue on womens role in environmental sustainability. (PANA/NAN)

Source: NAN News

Egypt has announced the unearthing of a cache of ancient coffins at a major necropolis near Cairo, the second such find in the same area this year.

Tourism and Antiquities Minister Khaled al-Anani said Egyptian archaeologists had found over 100 sealed, intact human coffins and 40 funerary masks and statues in three shafts at the Saqqara necropolis near the famed pyramid of King Djoser.The coffins have been closed for over 2,500 years.

In October, Egypt announced the discovery of 59 well-preserved and colourfully decorated ancient coffins in the same area.

Saqqara has shown only 1 per cent of what it has.

If we continue our excavations, various human and animal tombs are expected to be found in it. Its a very rich area.

The artefacts announced Saturday date back to ancient Egypts Late Period and the Ptolemaic era, al-Anani said at a televised news conference at the site.

According to al-Anani, the collection would be put on show at Egypts three main museums, including the Grand Egyptian Museum being built next to the Giza pyramids.

Egypt has in recent years announced a string of archaeological discoveries in several parts of the nation in an attempt to revive its battered tourism industry, which is a main source of national income.

Tourism has been hard hit since the 2011 uprising against long-time dictator Hosny Mubarak and the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. (dpa/NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Isaiah Eka

Mr Orman Esin, the Commissioner for Culture and Tourism in Akwa Ibom, has said that N2.5 billion was generated in 2019 by kiosk owners and other businesses at Christmas village within 30 days of the jamboree.

Esin said this at a news conference to mark the beginning of the 2020 Christmas jamboree in Uyo on Saturday.

The commissioner said that 2019 festival provided jobs for no fewer than 2,450 people at the Christmas village.

He said that those engaged had the ample opportunity to make money for themselves and boost the local economy.

The Christmas festival added to the economic strength of the state within the period.

By January people were able to pay school fees, pay house rent and do all manner of things.

I know of three persons who showed to me what they were able to achieve from the Christmas village.

I believe that the activities at the Christmas village are not just about entertainment and popularity but also to ensure that people are gainfully employed within the period to enable them to live well, Esin said.

He said that the state government had approved that the 2020 Christmas festival activities would be done with strict adherence to the COVID-19 safety protocols.

According to him, in order to avoid overcrowding and maintain social distancing, government has allocated 11 hectares of land for the construction of the 2020 Christmas village as against 4.5 hectares in 2019.

So the State Executive Council has approved that the 2020 Christmas festival should hold, but with strict observance of the COVID-19 safety protocols.

For the 31 days we will have every one who comes to the Christmas village fully masked.

In line with NCDC guidelines facemask will be compulsory; the kiosks, stages and stalls will be spaced and hand sanitisers provided at various places.

Strict hygiene will be the order of the day, he said.

Esin said that other COVID-19 safety measures had been put in place such as less activities, spacing of stages, hand washing and aggressive testing of visitors to the Christmas village.

The commissioner said that the event was open to partnership with the private sector and multinational oil companies, adding that there would be advertising and branding opportunities.

He said that the state was passionate about improving on its tourism potential hence would use the 2020 Christmas festival to consolidate on the economic and commercial gains of the 2019 edition which was adjudged the biggest in the country.

Esin assured the people that adequate security arrangements would be put in place within the Christmas village and its surroundings to ensure protection of life and property. (NAN)

Source: NAN News