ECOWAS Secretariat

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) on Tuesday lifted the sanctions imposed on Mali in the wake of an August 18, 2020, military coup, citing Malis notable advances towards constitutional normalisation as the reason for the relaxation of the sanctions.

The regional bloc announced the lifting of the sanctions in a statement by Chairman of ECOWAS Authority and President of Ghana, Nana Kuffo Addo.

The lifting of the sanctions comes two days after the West African nations new government named veteran politician Moctar Ouane, a civilian and former foreign minister, as prime minister.

ECOWAS had made it clear they would only consider lifting sanctions if a civilian was given the post of prime minister.

The bloc also on Tuesday called on the interim government to release all military and civilian officials arrested during the August 18 coup to unseat former president Ibrahim Boubacar Keita and his government.

ECOWAS further requested the dissolution of the military junta, the self-titled National Committee for the Peoples Salvation (CNSP), which led the coup, according to the statement.

Malis interim government is headed by transitional President, Bah NDaw, who served as defence minister from 2014 to 2015 and held several other military positions, with the juntas leader, Assimi Goita, as vice president.

The transitional government is expected to hold elections within 18 months. (dpa/NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Usman Aliyu

A middle-aged man, identified as Habibullahi Aminullahi committed suicide in Ganmo community, near Ilorin in Kwara on Monday.

Aminullahi, a grinding machine operator, reportedly hung himself in his shop at Ajase-Ipo Road in Ilorin.

A source said that the deceased had on Oct. 4, summoned a meeting with his friends to complain over a N200, 000 debt, accruing from a daily contribution he was coordinating.

The source, who preferred anonymity told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the friends advised the man to be calm as his situation would soon improve.

According to the source, Aminullahi refused to heed the advice and went ahead to hang himself.

When NAN correspondent visited the family house of the deceased, friends and family members were seen wearing mournful looks and lamenting the death.

Aminullahi was said to have married a second wife recently and the new wife was described as being heavily pregnant.

A friend of the deceased, who was at Aminullahis grave side, said that he was with the deceased earlier on Monday.

Aminullahis body was reportedly found by his younger brother dangling in the shop.

The friend said he was at a loss why Aminullahi would kill himself when he had property he could easily dispose to offset his debt.

He said that the deceased had more than five grinding machines, two houses in strategic places in his community as well as a car being used as taxi.

When contacted, SP. Ajayi Okasanmi, the spokesman of the Kwara State Police Command, confirmed the development.

He said, however, that the deceased did not leave a suicide note.

Source: NAN News

Gov. AbulRahaman AbdulRazaq

By Usman Aliyu

Gov. AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara has tasked teachers in the state to build their capacity and acquire skills to facilitate virtual teaching as necessitated by the new normal created by COVID-19.

The governor stated this in his address at the 2020 World Teachers Day celebration organised by the Nigeria Union Teachers (NUT), Kwara Wing, on Monday in Ilorin.

AbdulRazaq, who was represented by his deputy, Mr Kayode Alabi, said that this call became necessary in view of how important virtual classes had become globally and which required every teacher to key into virtual teaching techniques.

On our part, we will continue to cherish and honour you while working hard to improve your welfare and the work environment within the available resources.

At the moment, we are spending a lot of money to reposition our schools.

We have set machineries in motion to access the accumulated counterpart funds from the Universal Basic Education Commission to develop our schools and make them conducive for learning and teaching.

Similar efforts would also go into various training programmes for teachers in order to push you further up the scale in national rankings.

Earlier in his address, the chairman of the NUT in the state, Chief Olu Adewara, urged the government to expediently grant its three point demand in order to further increase their confidence reported in the present administration.

Adewara demanded an immediate implementation of promotion and financial back up on the issued promotion letters in the past.

According to him, the promotion for members of staff of the state Teaching Service Commission (TESCOM) was last done in 2014 with financial back up while promotion for 2015 and 2016 were without financial remuneration.

He said that the teachers in Senior Secondary Schools were yet to get promotion from 2017 to date.

The last promotion for the state Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) teachers was in 2016, having its financial back up from second quarter of 2019.

The NUT boss also called for the payment of arrears of three months and 43 per cent of salaries owed primary school teachers by the immediate past administration.

The teachers union urged the state government to take more proactive steps on sunset teachers in order to protect their jobs particularly those that were genuinely employed.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that sunset teachers are those employed at the tail end of last administration and whose salaries were stopped since June 2020.

Adewara prayed for the release of their salaries to enable them take care of their families.

Source: NAN News

NSCDC CG, Abdullahi Muhammadu Gana

By Suleiman Shehu

The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Oyo State Command, says it will no longer condone attacks on its personnel by members of the public.

Mr Iskilu Akinsanya, the state Commandant, gave the warning in a statement issued by the Corps Public Relations Officer, Mr Oluwole Olusegun, in Ibadan on Monday.

The commandant was reacting to an attack on officers attached to the Oyo State Board of Internal Revenue Agency by some occupants of a complex in Ibadan, over tax matters.

He said the officers, who were in uniform and trying to make peace, were attacked with a plank by one of the occupants of the complex on Sept. 29.

The commandant cautioned members of the public against assaulting officers providing cover for other agencies in the state.

While advising those against government policies to be civil in their protest, he called for the cooperation of communities to ensure a safer society for all.

One of the officers was rushed to Kejide Specialist Hospital for treatment as a result of injuries he sustained during the attack, before the Rescue team could arrive at the scene.

It is high time people stopped wielding emotional sentiments in order to crucify security operatives.

Men of NSCDC are trained to be civil and professional in their approach with courtesy and good human relations.

We implore the good people of Oyo state to always give necessary assistance to men of NSCDC, who are out to carry out their services by securing lives and property of the populace.

Do not discourage and demoralise people who have given their lives to serve their nation, he appealed.

The commandant also called onthe media in the state to always verify their information from NSCDC before going ahead to publish.

This, he said, was necessary especially when the report could tarnish the image of the corps.

Source: NAN News

By Philip Yatai

Dr Masaud Kazaure, on Monday, bowed out of the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) as its Executive Secretary (ES) having served the board for 10-years.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Kazaure was appointed as the ES of the board in October 2010 and served two terms of five years each.

Kazaure pegged his performance at 85 per cent, while handing over the affairs of the board to the Director, Physical Planning and Development, Mr Ekpenyong Ekpenyong, who will act as NBTE executive secretary.

He said: While I was taking over, I gave a four-page speech indicating my aspiration and vision. I have sat down and looked at the speech critically and scored my performance 85 per cent.

This is because when I took over as the ES, there were a total of 162 Technical Vocational Enterprise and Training (TVET) institutions across the country, but as at today we have 618 TVET institutions.

These include 144 polytechnics, 53 colleges of agriculture, 54 colleges of health sciences, 31 specialised institutions, 159 innovation enterprise institutions, 123 approved technical colleges and 78 vocational enterprise institutions.

I am also leaving behind 324 staffs of the board, 31,091 academic staffs and 32,926 nonacademic staffs in the TVET institutions, as well as 328,106 National Diploma (ND) and National Innovative Diploma (NID) students.

There are also 139,980 Higher National Diploma (HND) and Higher National Innovation Diploma (HIND) students.

In effect, in the TVET sector, I am leaving behind 64,017 staffs, with a total enrolment of 468,086 students.

On staff welfare, Kazaure said that his administration had ensured that every staff was promoted as and when due, including access to housing scheme and auction of vehicles to staff with no vehicle.

He added that to address staffs placement and stagnation, the board was reorganised from four departments to nine departments to create opportunities for the staff members to move up the ladder.

Kazaure added that his administration has done much in staff development, pointing out that when he took over as ES, there was only one PhD holder, but today there were about 10 PhD holders in the board.

He said that from 2014 to date, the board had 83 curricula which were either reviewed or developed as well as 53 National Occupational Standard.

The ES said that the board had equally done much in the area of entrepreneurship development, adding that all the TVET institutions have entrepreneurship development centres.

Kazaure also said that the bard has equally done very well on bilateral relations and cooperation with notable organisations like DFID, World Bank, UNESCO, AfDB, Japan International Cooperation Agency, labour unions and other organisations.

We also established a Strategy and Intelligence Unit under the office of the ES and addressed the menace of satellite and illegal campuses.

There was also the issue of routine accreditation visits of TVET institutions to ensure quality and maintain 70/30 ration in favour of technology courses, he said.

He added that other achievements included the creation of the NBTE Centre of Excellence for the Nigeria UNESCO Technical and Vocational Enterprise project and open distance learning.

Kazaure explained that the centre was recognised as a capacity building centre across the West African sub-region, adding that it has been able to establish partnership with local and international organisations.

The outgoing ES, however, considered his inability to computerise the board as a great failure and advised whoever would be appointed the new ES to take it up.

He thanked the Chairman and Members of the Governing Board of the NBTE and members of the Management Committee for their overwhelming support.

Kazaure, who broke down in tears, also thanked his driver, Mr Tukur Ahmadu and all staff of the board for their overwhelming support to him, and attributed all the successes to their sacrifices and dedication to duty.

Responding, the Acting ES, who described Kazaures tenure as a success story, said his vision would be passed on until it comes to fruition and urged the staff to support the interim management to succeed.

Similarly, Alhaji Musa Hadeja, President, Technical Education Board Senior Staff Association, acknowledged the improved welfare of staff and non interference in union activities by the outgoing ES.

Source: NAN News

By Jessica Dogo

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) says MTN Nigeria has brought economic gains to the country by boosting market capitalisation and yielding dividends to shareholders.

NCC Executive Vice Chairman, Prof. Umar Danbatta, said this in a statement signed by Dr Ikechukwu Adinde, Director, Public Affairs of the commission on Monday in Abuja.

Danbatta said that the achievement was as a result of regulatory action by the NCC which facilitated the listing of MTN on the Nigerian stock exchange market.

He said that recent market analysts indicted that MTN investors had raked in approximately N1 trillion in price appreciation and dividends since April 2020.

The listing of MTN was as a result of NCCs effective regulatory action taken during the mobile network operators fine settlement agreement in 2016, which compelled the telco to, among other things, list on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE).

The listing was one of the outcomes of the NCCs stringent regulatory posture, which served as tonic for other telcos such as Airtel to follow the same direction.

As the countrys independent telecoms regulatory authority, the NCC, working with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), facilitated the landmark listing of the countrys largest telecommunications operator on the bourse.

This is in line with its mandate to promote investment, create a level-playing field for all licensees, ensure compliance to existing telecoms laws and facilitate delivery of top-notch quality of service (QoS) to consumers, he said.

Danbatta, however, said that a new vista of opportunity has been created in the history of telecommunications industry in Nigeria, through the proactive regulation and timely intervention by the NCC, which led to the listing of MTN on the NSE.

He also said that the listing has helped to translate into action, an important objective of the commission, which was to promote local investment and ownership in the telecom sector.

That important regulatory action enable Nigerians, consistent with the Nigerian Communications Act (NCA) 2003, to partly, own, manage and control MTN.

This bold and courageous regulatory action is now transforming lives and boosting the economy.

With MTN shares available in the capital market, it is expected that Nigerians will buy shares and by purchasing the shares, they will be financially empowered and be socially transformed, he said.

Danbatta said that telecoms was a capital-intensive industry that required continuous investment, adding that listing would enable the telecoms companies to raise capital for the expansion of their networks.

He said that one of the benefits of listing on the NSE was that telcos have enormous opportunity for raising more capital for network expansion, which would, in turn, bring about improvement in the quality of service delivery and quality of experience for telecom consumers.

Danbatta said that, the capital market regulator and shareholder bodies have commended the effort of the NCC in making the capital market more resilient through its regulatory action in facilitating telcos listing.

He said that the listing in the stock exchange would promote liquidity among operators and enhance their value as well as promote transparency.

The NCC is committed, through its regulatory policies and actions, to creating the right environment to attract both Foreign Direct Investment (FDIs) and local investment into the telecom industry for increased economic prosperity for Nigerians, Danbatta said.

Source: NAN News

Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu

Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, says his administration is committed to making housing affordable and accessible to low income Lagosians.

Sanwo-Olu made this known at the year 2020 World Habitat Day on Monday in Alausa, Lagos with the theme: Housing For All: A Better Urban Future.

The governor said his administration was committed to increasing the total housing stock in the State by 3004 units with the completion and delivery of additional seven housing schemes comprising 2,268 units by the end of the year.

Sanwo-Olu, who was represented by the deputy governor, Dr Obafemi Hamzat, added that his administration was committed to full implementation of the rent-to-own policy.

According to him, this is aimed at achieving the objective of making housing affordable and accessible to low income Lagosians.

He disclosed that within the last 16 months, his administration had completed and commissioned a number of housing schemes including Lateef Kayode Housing Estate, Igando, Courtland Villas, Lekki and Lekki Apartments, Ikate Elegushi.

The governor added that 303 Lagosians had become homeowners in Oba Adeboruwa, Lateef Jakande and Epe Housing Schemes under the policy.

Despite the dwindling resources which have assumed a global dimension as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, we remain committed to making befitting accommodation available to Lagosians.

The government will achieve this through pragmatic models through the incorporation of private sector partnership and encouragement of local contents while also cutting costs and creating employment, he said.

Sanwo-Olu urged Lagosians to take full advantage of the grand opportunities provided by the housing programme of the state government.

He said that steps had been taken to remove bottlenecks associated with housing delivery in the State by embracing the mortgage option to home ownership.

I seek the cooperation of all Lagosians toward the achievement of the Lagos of our dreams, a livable and sustainable city where everyone fulfills their legitimate aspirations irrespective of class, race or creed.

The thrust of this years celebration is a major policy objective of the fourth pillar of our administrations T.H.E.M.E.S agenda which is Making Lagos a 21st Century Economy.

The current and projected future population of our State presents huge opportunities for investors in the housing sector and a compelling need for urban renewal, Sanwo-Olu explained.

The governor added that to achieve one of the THEMES Agenda, the state had returned to the National Housing Fund and appointed the Lagos Building Investment Company (LBIC), PLC as the sole mortgage provider to facilitate a reduction in the housing deficit in Lagos State.

According to him, concrete steps have been taken to increase the housing stock in the State through combined efforts of the Ministry of Housing, the Lagos State Property Development Corporation and Lagos Building Investment Company in delivering affordable housing units to the teeming population.

In his address of welcome, the Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Mr Idris Salako, said that the state government has a clear understanding and remarkable acceptance of the multidimensional and complex nature of housing in its physical, social, economic, cultural, political, psychological and technical identities.

Salako said that government was matching up to its successful delivery of housing in cost-efficient, pragmatic and innovative manner.

He added that the state government had evolved, institutionalised and implemented specific policy reforms and initiatives that would continue to facilitate the achievement of the Making Cities and Human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.

The commissioner noted that the state was working assiduously to ensure housing for all Lagosians within the ambits of globally-accepted standards.

He said, While persistent population increase and inadequate shelter have been of major concern to our state, the administration has made relentless efforts at ensuring housing for all by strengthening the enabling legal institutional framework.

The Guest Speaker, Dr Tunde Reis, urged the government to come up with innovative policies that would drive the housing Industry.

Reis said that apart from existing policy on building, regulation for managing the community should be imbibed.

He noted that sustainable relationship between the government and private organisations should be developed adding that there was no country in the world that government alone could solve its housing problems.

Source: NAN News

U.S. President Donald Trump says he is to leave the military hospital, where he has been treated for coronavirus later on Monday.

Trump said he was feeling really good and told the country not to fear the disease.

I will be leaving the great Walter Reed Medical Centre today at 6.30 p.m. (2230 GMT0, he wrote on Twitter.

Feeling really good! Dont be afraid of COVID-19.

Dont let it dominate your life I feel better than I did 20 years ago!

The president has come under fire in the past for downplaying the pandemic, which has infected over 7.4 million people and led to more than 210,000 deaths in the U.S.

He may not be entirely out of the woods yet,Trumps physician, Sean Conley, told reporters.

But the team and I agree that all of our evaluations, and most importantly his clinical status, support the presidents safe return home, where hell be surrounded by world-class medical care.

The president has been at the medical centre outside Washington since Friday.

Meanwhile, White House Press Secretary, Kayleigh McEnany, said she had tested positive for the coronavirus, becoming the latest in a growing cluster of people around Trump to be infected.

Iwill begin the quarantine process and will continue working on behalf of the American people remotely, McEnany said in a statement posted on Twitter.

She said she was not experiencing any symptoms and that no journalists were considered close contacts.

McEnany has been criticised in recent days for briefing reporters at the White House without wearing a face mask.

Trumps top adviser, Hope Hicks, campaign manager Bill Stepien and his wife Melania have also been infected.

I am feeling good and will continue to rest at home,the first lady tweeted on Monday.

Trump tweeted nearly 20 times in the early morning, mostly about the Nov. 3 election.

His illness has thrown the campaign into a tailspin.

Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, who resumed in-person campaigning on Monday, urged Trump to listen to the scientists as he returns home.

Biden, who has tested negative for the coronavirus repeatedly in recent days, said he would participate in the second presidential debate with Trump, scheduled for Oct. 15, if health experts deemed it appropriate.

During their update on the presidents health on Monday, doctors said it had been 72 hours since the president last had a fever and that his oxygen levels were normal.

Trump, 74, will receive a fourth dose of remdesivir, an antiviral drug, before leaving the hospital and a fifth and final dose on Tuesday evening in the White House, they said.

Some aspects of Trumps coronavirus illness remain unclear.

His medical team again declined to reveal whether lung scans showed any damage.

Doctors have said the presidents oxygen levels dropped twice and he received supplemental oxygen at least once.

He had a fever, but the temperature was not disclosed.

Trump was on a steroid and also received an antibody cocktail.

At times, the medical team have seemed to paint an overly rosy picture, creating confusion, particularly as it has been combined with the White Houses refusal to get into some details.

In what appeared to be a show of strength to supporters, and despite likely still being infectious, Trump briefly left the hospital on Sunday.

He was driven in a black government vehicle past fans gathered outside the medical centre and waved at them.

The White House said the drive was approved by the medical team as safe to do, but critics said the move endangered those around him.

The president often did not wear masks in public and held large gatherings.

He attended fundraisers in New Jersey just hours before he tested positive on Thursday.

It remains unclear when exactly he was infected. (dpa/NAN)

Source: NAN News

Kenzo Takada

Japanese fashion designer Kenzo Takada, better known as Kenzo, who created his label in Paris in the 1970s, died on Sunday, the brand that still carries his name said.

Aged 81, Takada died of complications linked to COVID-19 at the American Hospital of Paris in Neuilly-sur-Seine, a residential suburb on the western outskirts of the capital, his spokesman told French media.

Known for his colourful motifs and original silhouettes, which mixed inspirations from Japan, such as the kimono, with other cuts, Takada also branched into perfumes and skincare lines, helping his business boom.

He had retired from his eponymous label several decades ago, however, after selling it to LVMH, the worlds biggest luxury group, in the early 1990s.

Kenzo has since had several other creative directors, while Takada maintained close links to the world of fashion but explored other areas of design, including furniture.

Confirming his death in a statement on Instagram, the Kenzo brand paid tribute to his use of colour, and said the label was still inspired by his zest for life and optimism.

Takada, who has described how he first reached France via a long boat journey in the mid-1960s, was known an avid traveller, and played with a mix of cultural inspirations in his designs.

A New York Times review of one of Takadas early fashion shows in 1973 hailed an ethnic mishmash that was joyous and full of fun, describing him as one of the most imaginative designers in the world.

Takada, who has also designed opera costumes, started out with a small store in Paris before soon reaching star status, and remained in his adopted city.

His contemporaries in a thriving period for Parisian fashion included Jean Paul Gaultier and Yves Saint Laurent.

Paris is mourning one of its sons today, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo said on Twitter.

LVMHs Chairman and CEO Bernard Arnault said in a statement that Kenzo had infused into fashion a tone of poetic lightness and sweet freedom which inspired many designers after him.

Ralph Toledano, chairman of Frances fashion federation, credited Takada with contributing to writing a new page in fashion, at the confluence of the East and the West.

Takada early this year launched a new venture in Paris, a home and lifestyle brand called K3, in collaboration with other designers.(Reuters/NAN)

Source: NAN News

Super Eagles

By Emmanuel Afonne

Super Eagles and Galatasary SK, Turkey midfielder, Oghenekaro Etebo, has been ruled out of the international friendly match between Nigeria and two North African countries Algeria and Tunisia.

The teams Media Officer, Toyin Ibitoye, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday that Etabo pulled out after he sustained an injury in clubs lone goal defeat to Kasmpaa FC at the weekend in a Turkish league encounter.

Ibitoye said most of the players are expected to arrive in the teams camp at Hotel Die Zeit, Austria.

Victor Osimhen who plies his trade with SSC Napoli in Italy, had on Sunday asked to be excused from the two matches and was replaced by Paul Onuachu who plays for Belgian club Genk.

NAN reports that the Super Eagles officials and backroom staff arrived in the teams training camp in Austria in the early hours of today (Monday) aboard Turkish Airlines.

The Super Eagles are expected to play their Algerian counterparts on Oct. 9, before engaging the Tunisia national team on Oct. 13. (NAN)

Source: NAN News