Osinbajo at NBA virtual conference

By Chijioke Okoronkwo

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has said that those responsible for killings in Southern Kaduna will be prosecuted in order to curtail impunity and support those who have lost their bread winners.

Osinbajo communicated this on Thursday during a Special Conversation featuring him and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr Femi Gbajabiamila, at the ongoing Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) Virtual 2020 Annual General Conference.

The vice president said that to effectively deal with the Southern Kaduna crisis, the Federal Government would not sweep the major issues underlying the conflict under the carpet.

According to Osinbajo, ensuring justice, fixing economic marginalisation and the prosecution of persons responsible for the murders will ensure that the impunity doesnt worsen.

I have been involved since 2001 through the work of the Macedonian initiative, an NGO that focused on providing relief materials to displaced persons in Southern Kaduna and several other places especially in North Central part of Nigeria.

There have been judicial commissions and all sorts, but the problem remains; so, there is the need to address the underlying issues. You cant sweep under the carpet, justice and the cries of economic marginalisation.

The fact is that we must prosecute persons responsible for these murders or otherwise impunity will worsen. And also support those who have lost their bread winners.

The mindless callous killings in Southern Kaduna are heartbreaking; and again, we must condole with those who have lost loved ones and those injured or who have suffered loss of property; these tragedies are unacceptable and they are avoidable.

Osinbajo said that there was an improvement of security in Southern Kaduna as a military base was set up there for the first time.

He said there was also a lot of air surveillance by the Nigerian Air Force.

We have about 500 conventional and mobile policemen in Zangon Kataf and Kaura Local Government Areas and then the combined military team of the army and the navy who are also on ground 24 hours.

This is basically to just take care of the volatile situation there.

Osinbajo said that President Muhammadu Buhari had also had several Security Council meetings all of which he attended; where the issues were discussed and the possibilities of engagement had been discussed.

He said that on a personal note, he had also engaged with community leaders in Southern Kaduna and also engaged with the governor to look at peacemaking efforts where possible.

The vice president said he was upbeat that the issues would be resolved, adding that some of the peacemaking efforts had been fairly successful.

Recent peace efforts between the Zangon Kataf and the Fulani communities would yield positive results.

But there is also a lot of work going on to ensure that some of these fundamental issues are being addressed and its an evolving situation, but its something we cant afford to ignore and its gone on for far too long and its redressable and possible for us to resolve, he said.

The vice president also urged those who had concerns about the recently signed Companies and Allied Matters Act (CAMA) 2020 legislation to approach the National Assembly for possible amendments as Nigeria was in a democracy.

We have a process by which this can be redressed.

Whatever the proposal for amendment may be, whatever the view of the leadership of the church may be regarding the question of how the trustees, whether they are interim trustees or not, can be put into a proposal that will be brought to the National Assembly for consideration for amendment to the law.

That is the process which is entirely opened and ought to be pursued.

We are in a democracy and there is a process by which things can be done and that process is the one where you bring forward amendments to the National Assembly and they will do whatever is considered useful in the circumstance.

Speaking on the Federal Governments stance on the contraction of the economy as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and related issues, Osinbajo said the Federal Governments response was robust and focused on local production using home-grown resources.

He said that efforts were being made towards wealth and job creation using local resources.

The vice president said under the agriculture component of the National Economic Sustainability Plan (NESP-AGRO), five million farmers whose produce would be off-taken by government had been registered.

On his part, Gbajabiamila, spoke on the collaboration between the executive and the legislature under the present administration in addressing some of the critical issues facing the country. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

Hiromu Inada, the worlds oldest Ironman

Hiromu Inada, the worlds oldest Ironman says he hopes to keep competing into his 90s.

The 87-year-old Inada already has a certificate on his wall that confirms his status as the worlds oldest Ironman, but the Japanese man is still pounding away on his training bike.

In 2018 at the age of 85 years and 328 days, Inada went to Kailua-Kona in Hawaii and set a new mark for the oldest person to complete the world championship Ironman.

It was a feat beyond most people decades younger than him.

The cancellation of this Octobers Ironman because of the coronavirus pandemic has not dulled his ambition, and Inada is maintaining his gruelling training schedule for a return to Hawaii next year.

My goal is next years world championship in Hawaii, he told Reuters at his training facility in Chiba, east of Tokyo.

I will absolutely participate in it, and I absolutely want to break the world record of completing the race at the oldest age again. This is my current and biggest goal.

An Ironman race is widely considered one of the toughest endurance events in sports, requiring athletes to swim 3.86 km, bike 180.25 km and run a full 42.19 km marathon.

Slender and tanned from hours training outside, Inada looks like a man who has been competing in endurance tests all his life, but he only took up the sport in retirement.

After working for public broadcaster NHK, Inada began swimming and running, and bought a bike age 69.

He competed in his first triathlon a year later.

After the death of his wife soon afterwards, Ironman competitions became an obsession for Inada.

In 2015, at age 82, he took part in the Hawaii Ironman, bidding to become the oldest finisher on record.

But he fell just short: his time was five seconds too slow to be officially registered.

Inspired by support from the Hawaiian public, Inada returned the next year and completed the race in a qualifying time, earning his Guinness World Records certificate.

Until then, I had thought I would give up if I felt I had enough of it, Inada said.

But since then, I have in my mind that I absolutely cannot give up, and I absolutely must complete (Ironman races). Otherwise, I feel sorry for those who support me.

Inada trains every day, waking up at 4:30 a.m. and hitting the swimming pool by 6 a.m.

Inada sees the extended lead-in to his next trip to Hawaii as on opportunity to rest a sore knee and tweak his preparation technique.

I hope I can try new things to build my fitness, he said.

I hope I can adjust my physical peak to the postponed race. So, I will rather think it was good that it was delayed.(Reuters/NAN

Source: NAN News

Dr Chikwe Ikekweazu NCDC Boss

By Abujah Racheal

States with double figures were Plateau,60, FCT, 33, Kaduna, 26, Rivers, 18 and Lagos, 17. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Ifeanyi Olannye

Gov. Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta inaugurated a newborn screening equipment for the treatment of sickle cell in the state.

The equipment was donated to the Sickle Cell Referral Centre, Asaba Specialist Hospital, Asaba, by 05 Initiative of the Wife of the Governor, Edith Okowa.

The governor, while inaugurating the equipment, said Delta had become the first state in Nigeria to have a newborn and adult screening machine in one system under High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC).

He thanked his wife for the vision to assist people with sickle cell disorder.

He also thanked 05 Initiative for the gesture, saying that the initiative was sustained by donations from individuals and agencies.

He called for appropriate legislation for compulsory sickle cell test for every newborn across the country, adding that the government would do everything to support the screening of children across the state.

He said let me congratulate 05 Initiative for impacting on the lives of our people in several ways. I have witnessed them do a whole lot of things for children, women and the less privileged.

They have gone further to reach out to our brothers and sisters in the prisons and I believe that beyond what they give, the fact that they carry out evangelism to the prisons will help to make those people better citizens when they come out.

When the issue of establishing sickle cell clinics across the state came up, I was wondering how they were going to achieve the feat.

I am glad that they have succeeded in establishing these clinics in 13 hospitals across the state with donations made by our brothers and sisters across the state without the state government contributing a dime into the project.

We must continue to recognise all those that donated.

A lot of people now have hope that they can be attended to, because if you see the children that suffer from this disorder, they are usually in severe pains and their parents do not have the money to treat them.

Earlier, the governors wife had said that the inauguration of the newborn screening machine was a dream come true.

She thanked God for the testimonies from patients at the various sickle cell centres across the state and commended the health professionals at the centres for being compassionate caregivers.

She commended the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, Mr Godwin Emefiele and the member representing Ika Federal Constituency at the House of Representatives, Mr Victor Nwokolo, for donating the money used for the purchase of the equipment.

She said that the newborn screening machine will help to determine the genotype of babies at birth and this is indeed a dream come true for the 05 Initiative family.

Beyond visiting the sick which is part of the mission of the 05 Initiative, we are convinced that people living with sickle cell disorder can live a normal life once they access the healthcare provided by professionals and compassionate caregivers.

I am confident that the use of these facilities will reduce the stress of mothers and to a large extent bring joy to families who are facing this challenge.

It is important that we take this advocacy seriously so that people will know their genotype before they marry, she said.

On his part, the state Commissioner for Health, Dr Mordi Ononye, said that the sickle cell disorder was a public health problem among blacks.

According to him, one in every four Nigerians has sickle cell trait.

The inauguration witnessed health talks from Dr Chijioke Onyia of PineCrest Health Care Limited and the Medical Director of Asaba Specialist Hospital, Dr Peace Ighosewe.

Source: NAN News

India, among countries worst hit by coronavirus

Indias COVID-19 infections on Thursday surged by a record 75,760 over 24 hours, taking the total to past 3.3 million, Health Ministry data showed.

India still trails the U.S. and Brazil in the total number of cases but has reported more infections daily than either of these countries for most of August.

The death toll now stands at 60,472, with 1,023 fatalities since Tuesday, but the ministry says the mortality rate remains lower than many countries at 1.8 per cent and the recovery rate had reached over 76 per cent.

The Western state of Maharashtra, and its capital Mumbai, is the worst-hit by the disease followed by three Southern states: Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.

India has been reporting 60,000 to 70,000 cases every day since early August and the latest surge is attributed to a spike in several states including Kerala and Uttar Pradesh.

Indias population of 1.3 billion is much larger than the U.S. or Brazil and experts said it would not be surprising if the 70,000-plus mark of infections continues for a while and rises further.

The ministry said that the number of recoveries in India today exceeds the active cases by 3.5 times.

It said the coordinated efforts of the Federal and State Governments for early detection through aggressive testing and efficient clinical management of hospitalised cases had shown results with a continuously regressing case fatality rate.(dpa/NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Naomi Sharang
Gov. Babagana Zulum of Borno has called for synergy between the executive and legislative arms of government to reduce the recruitment of citizens in the north-eastern part of the country into illegal armed groups.

He made the call when the Senate Committee on Special Duties led by its chairman, Sen. Yusuf Yusuf, paid him a courtesy visit in Maiduguri on Wednesday.

The governor said that the synergy would also help to reduce the number unemployed youths in the state.

While calling for support to relocate the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the state to their communities, Zulum said that there were increased number of prostitution, drug abuse and criminality in the camps.

We want you to partner with us to see how we can relocate these IDPs to their original homes or to a location that is safe where they could engage in farming activities.

By doing so, we can reduce recruitment into the non-state armed groups.

Right now a lot of our youths are joining the insurgents because they are looking for means of livelihood.

There is a need for you to interface with the military to foster greater civil-military relationship to reduce the gap between the civilians and the military, he said.

He said that without creating access to agricultural lands for cultivation by the locals, insurgency would never end.

Zulum further said that the North East Development Commission (NEDC) had provided 100 vehicles for Nigerian police and the Nigeria Airforce, among others, as intervention in the fight against insurgency.

The little resources that we have now cannot cater for our need coupled with the increasing humanitarian needs.

We have right now thousands of employed youths on our payroll trying to provide security to our dear state.

What we are paying is so cumbersome and there is a need for us to critically examine with a view to addressing some of our challenges, the governor said.

Earlier, the chairman of the committee, Yusuf, said that the committee was in the state to oversee the NEDC which was one year in existence.

He said that the commission had performed tremendously, especially with regards to the humanitarian efforts in the north-east.

Yusuf assured the governor of improved budgetary allocation to the commission to douse the crises in the northeast.

He also said that the Senate would liaise with all the governors in northeast towards identifying projects that were important to the zone.

We will work with the government to restore peace in the region. Security in the region is fundamental; we must find the best way to tackle insecurity, Yusuf said.

Source: NAN News

INEC

Checking violence and hate speech in Edo 2020 political campaigns

By Julius Enehikhuere, News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)

The ongoing campaigns for the Sept. 19 Edo governorship election are characterised by violence and hate speech. No one is claiming responsibility. However, political observers say that almost all the political gladiators are guilty.

Barely a month to the election, the fear of possible violence is palpable. Political pundits are predicting all manners of outcomes, before and after the election.

The signs of violence were first noticed at the launch of the PDP mega rally in Benin City, a few weeks ago, that had in attendance many of the PDP governors, led by Gov. Nysome Wike of Rivers. The team had paid a courtesy visit to the Oba of Benin, Oba Ewuare II, in his palace.

Before you could say Jack Robinson, political thugs had gathered at the entrance of Oba Palace, chanting all kinds of hate speech, name calling and booed Gov. Godwin Obaseki and his entourage.

Few of the thugs were arrested by security operatives. Nothing has been heard since then. The blame game continued as both the PDP and APC claimed ignorance and disowned the thugs. But people are still asking, who are the sponsors?

Some few suspects were said to have been arrested by the police, but their identities were not disclosed nor have they been prosecuted.

Obaseki has constantly preached peace, he had appealed to voters and his supporters to avoid violence or any action likely to breach public peace. He also called on the security operatives to do the needful.

In the same vein, the APC candidate, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, also stressed the need for peace, when he visited Abuja to address the media on the political developments in Edo.

He suggested that security operatives should unmask the sponsors of violence and promoters of hate speech during campaigns and that it should be the best approach to address this ugly development.

Our security operatives should be more proactive and adopt the SIMPLE Agenda like mine.

Not until we unmask faces behind violence, we will only be scratching the surface, he said.

He appealed to fellow contestants to reduce issues that promote violence and thuggery at rallies and discuss issue-based matters and development of the state.

Also, the incumbent Gov. Obasekis thoughts are not different. He regularly condemned violence at the beginning, except recently that he started saying fire for fire.

Echoes from the ongoing campaigns from both the PDP and APC across the 18 local government areas are not sweet to the ears.

INEC, the political umpire, last week, alluded to this, when it said that the state governor has powers to declare a State of Emergency in the state if the situation persists.

Critics say violence and hate speech are twin brothers dominating the current campaigns in Edo, one providing the fuel for the other to execute.

Dr Kingsley Oboh, a social critic and a political scientist says Nigerias brand of politics is embedded with hate speech, a case of trying to make an omelette without breaking eggs.

According to him, lets call a spade a spade, the blame squarely rests on the political umpire, security operatives and the political gladiators.

What the contestants say at rallies speak volumes, loaded with hate speech and slander.

Most of them do not address issues of development.

Until politicians are redirected to issue-based campaigns, hate speech and political violence will continue to rule Nigerian politics.

Oboh says there are reports of incidences of shooting and discovery of cache of arms in some parts of the state, adding that arms and ammunition are needed in Sambisa forest to fight Boko Haram insurgency not in Edo politics.

What the politicians need to do is to appeal to the conscience of the electorate, beg for their votes and present to them your agenda and tell them what you can do differently.

You dont need to shoot at them as in the case of the Igueben community incident, or intimidate people by any form of violence.

The leadership of the security operatives should do the needful and take charge and be fair to all the political parties.

The Oba of Benin has also cautioned the major political parties to restrain their supporters from causing trouble in the state, adding that the Palace should not be dragged into politics, as he remains father to all.

He warned politicians to play by the rules, and not to turn any part of the state to a theatre of war for selfish interests.

Commenting on the happenings in Edo politics, Oboh says both the politicians, political umpires like INEC and security operatives, have learnt nothing and forgotten all, the people remain the oppressed mentally and emotionally.

The peace and the tranquillity of the environment are again being troubled by people with selfish political ambition.

As suggested by stakeholders, all hands must be on deck before and after the Sept. 19 governorship election, to check any infraction that may cause upheaval in Edo. (NANFeatures)

**If used, please credit the writer as well as News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)

Source: NAN News

Akinwumi Adesina

By Mustapha Sumaila

Dr Akinwumi Adesina, the President of African Development Bank (AfDB) has been re-elected to serve for a second of five years.

The election which was monitored by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) took place electronically on Thursday during closing ceremony of the virtual Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the bank on Thursday.

A source told NAN that all the delegates unanimously voted for Adesina but details had not been made known officially.

Adesinas reappointment at the helm of the 56-year-old bank was formalised during the AGM because he was the sole candidate.

The AfDB boss faced with corruption allegations and subsequently cleared by ethics committee of the bank, bureau of board of directors while the Independent Review Panel also exonerated him.

The Independent Review Panel was constituted by the Bureau of Governors of the Bank, following a complaint by the United States, to review the process by which two previous organs of the Bank the Ethics Committee of the Board, and the Bureau of the Board of Governors had previously cleared Adesina.

The three-member Independent Review Panel was headed by Mary Robinson, who is a former President of the Republic of Ireland, a former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Meanwhile at the opening ceremony of the AGM on Wednesday, Adesina presented himself officially to Governors and other stakeholders for relection.

At this Annual Meetings, I offer myself to you, our Governors, for your consideration for election for a second term, as President.

I do so, with humility, with a strong sense of duty and commitment and a call to serve Africa and our Bank, selflessly, to the very best of my God-given abilities he said. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

COVID-19

South Korea on Thursday said it was considering a renewed tightening of coronavirus restrictions after Health authorities reported more than 400 new coronavirus cases in one day for the first time since March.

Yoon Ho, the Senior official at Seouls Health Ministry, said that the government recognised the severity of the situation and considering all options.

This include strengthening social distancing rules and banning gatherings of more than 10 people, with schools and most public institutions closed.

According to data from the Korea Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) on Thursday 441 new cases were reported, bringing the countrys total to 18,706.

The country has seen a sharp jump in infections in the previous weeks, recording more than 3,800 new cases.

Thursdays daily tally is the first time cases have topped 400 since March 7, when 483 cases were recorded.

According to KCDC, out of the new cases, 434 were local transmissions.

In Seoul, 154 new cases were reported, the highest daily total yet, while a further 100 were announced in the surrounding Gyeonggi province.

Meanwhile, hundreds of cases in Seoul had been linked to an outbreak at Sarang Jeil church.

The nations parliament had to be closed after a photojournalist, who had attended a session of the governing party on Tuesday, tested positive for the virus.

The country has recorded 313 overall COVID-19 deaths so far.

South Korea has seen sporadic clusters of infection since it relaxed stricter social distancing on May 6. (dpa/NAN)

Source: NAN News

Lion grabs man alive

A South African man has been mauled to death by two white lions while his wife watched on helplessly, police in northern Limpopo province said on Thursday.

West Mathewson, 69, was killed by two of his lions during a walk on Wednesday morning around the game lodge that he ran, South African police said.

When police and emergency services arrived Mathewson was dead with multiple injuries.

The deceased used to walk about with these lions on the game farm, Brigadier Motlafela said.

It looks like the lions were used to him, but as the police we often warn people to always be wary of wild animals regardless of the circumstances under which they are kept, he added.

Photos on the website of the Lion Tree Game Lodge showed visitors photographed posing with the lions.

One customer review on the by two guests calling themselves Gogo and Mandisa noted that during their stay the highlight was the walks with the 2 white lioness cubs.

West [leaves] nothing to chance. He has a few guides/security that walk with the guests ensuring that the cubs do not get rough. It is VERY safe, the review added.

Since the mauling the lions have been relocated to another game lodge, police said.

Source: NAN News