Cadets of Direct short service course 29 Nigerian Air Force during regimental dinner on Tuesday at NAF base Kaduna

By Mohammed Tijjani

Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadiq Abubakar, has tasked cadets of the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) on core values of integrity, excellence and service before self.

Abubakar gave the charge on Tuesday night during the regimental Dinner of Direct Short Service, Course 29, at the Military Training Centre NAF base Kaduna.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that regimental dinner was a military tradition worldwide aimed at inculcating one of the rich mess etiquette in officers in order to maintain regimentation and comradeship among other military ethics and tradition.

Abubakar was represented by Chief of Policy and Plan, NAF Headquarters, AVM Isiaka Amao.

He reminded the cadets of vision of the NAF as they looked forward to passing out and begin your service to our fatherland as commissioned officers.

To reposition the NAF into highly professional and disciplined force through capacity building initiative for effective, efficient and timely employment of air power in responsive to Nigerias national security imperatives.

In line with this vision, you have undergone six months of intensive military training to prepare you as officers for the rigours of service in the NAF, CAS said.

According to him, this is particularly important as the country, in recent time, has witnessed a wide range of security challenges that have stretched the capacity of the armed forces and other security agencies.

The Air Chief said the armed forces, particularly NAF, had been involved in operation aimed at finding lasting solution to some of these security challenges.

He added thatNAF has also been involved in community out-reach programmes to demonstrate a human approach to finding lasting solution to some of the security challenges.

As you pass out from training to become commissioned officers, most of you will be assigned various duties in order to restore peace to our nation.

Such duties will not only require professional competences, but also your ability to lead men in the field.

Militaryprofession is all about leadership and command, as young officers, you will realise that your men depend on you for inspiration.

You are, therefore, to ensure that you show good example in both your personal qualities and abilities.

This can only be achieved by ability to apply NAF core values of integrity, first excellence in all we do and service before self, he said.

Abubakar charged the cadets to always ensure that equipment and resources that would be put at their disposal were maintained and judiciously utilised.

This, he said, is in keeping with NAF policy of prudent management of resources and culture of self-reliance, which is key driver of CAS vision.

NAN report that thepassing out parade of the cadets would be held on Aug. 8.

Source: NAN News

By Monday Ijeh

Police say the Mobile Police Training School in Nasarawa State was a national security legacy project and not a personal asset of the Inspector General of Police (I-G), Mr Mohammed Adamu.

The Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO), Mr Frank Mba, disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja.

Mba said establishing the school in Endehu, Nasarawa State, was informed by overriding national security consideration on the need to strengthen the operational capacity of the special forces of the Nigeria Police Force.

He said that the IGP had not used his office to threaten Mobile Police Commanders into generating millions of Naira monthly through illegal means for the project.

It is on record that the parcel of land where the institution was sited was donated to the Police with the full complement of the Certificate of Occupancy by the Governor of Nasarawa State.

The acquisition of the land was, therefore, without any financial commitment by the Police.

The construction of the facility was achieved with the support of the Nasarawa State Government and well-meaning corporate bodies within the context of their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

All the support so extended were not in cash but in form of donation of materials, he said.

Mba said that the only involvement of some Squadron Commanders was to ensure the delivery of some of the construction materials so donated by the corporate bodies.

He said the construction of the project through corporate intervention was a demonstration of the commitment of the Force leadership to meet its obligations to citizens.

According to him, this is not the first time corporate organisations and governments at all levels are assisting the police to bridge operational and infrastructural gaps.

Source: NAN News

farmers

By Peter Uwumarogie

No fewer than 550 farmers from five local government areas of Gombe State have benefitted from the Federal Governments seed palliative.

Dr Joseph Hussaini, Director Technical Services, Gombe State Agricultural Development Programme (GADP), disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Gombe on Wednesday.

Hussaini said that the palliative was meant to cushion the impact of coronavirus on rural farmers.

He said that the state ADP received the seeds in July and immediately distributed them, considering the fact that many farmers had already gone far with farming activities in the state.

According to him, the seed palliative was distributed by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development through the International Crops Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT)

According to him, 300 bags of 8kg of sorghum, 200 bags of 5kg of millet and 50 bags of 8kg of cowpea were made available for distribution to five local government areas of the state.

The local governments are Yamaltu-Deba, Nafada, Shongom, Balanga and Dukku LGAs, he told NAN.

He said the seeds were packaged for distributions to carefully listed beneficiaries.

Hussaini said 110 farmers from each were chosen from each of the local governments.

They comprised 60 sorghum farmers, 40 millet farmers and 10 cowpea farmers in each LGA, he said.

He, however, said that many farmers had already planted sorghum and millet before the seed palliative arrived, except cowpea that came to time.

He explained that in some locations, especially in Shongom LGA, some farmers declined the seed as they had already completed planting.

As a result, about 15 bags of sorghum and 10 bags of millet were not collected, he said.

He noted that reports from ADPs field officers indicated that all seeds collected by farmers have been planted in Balanga, Dukku and Nafada local governments.

He commended the federal government for assisting rural farmers in the state.

It was really a challenge to get genuine seeds and the federal government came to the rescue and this will assist farmers a lot because the seeds are improved seeds, which boost productivity and farmers income.

These seeds are early maturing varieties with 90 to 100 days period as against the ordinary seeds that take between 120 and 150 days to mature.

This will mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on farmers.

He also commended the Gombe State Government for supporting and strengthening the GADP to improve the agricultural sector towards boosting food security in the state and country. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

Beirut EXPLOSION

The number of Turkish citizens injured as a result of a massive explosion that took place in the Lebanese capital of Beirut has risen to six, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, the Foreign Ministry said that two Turkish citizens suffered minor injuries following the powerful blast.

The number of our citizens injured in the explosion in Lebanon has increased to six.

Meanwhile, Armenian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Anna Naghdalyan said that the death toll from the blast among Armenians had increased by three to six, while about 100 others were injured.

The powerful explosion hit the port of Beirut on Tuesday evening, killing about 100 people and injuring over 4,000 others, according to the Lebanese Red Cross.

According to the Lebanese authorities, the explosion was likely to have been caused by the detonation of 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate that was stored improperly in a warehouse for six years.

The Lebanese government has declared a three-day mourning period for the victims of the tragedy starting on Wednesday. (Sputnik/NAN)

Source: NAN News

COVID-19

An estimated 10 million people, on Wednesday, had been infected with the coronavirus in Afghanistan, Minister of Health, Ahamd Osmani said.

Osmani said that based on a new study, 31.5 per cent of the countrys over 30 million inhabitants were infected with the virus.

He added that the capital Kabul had the highest percentage of infections in the country, with 53 per cent of people estimated to have had the virus.

In March, the Health Ministry officials stipulated that 16 million people could be infected with the virus in Afghanistan, based on WHO predictions.

However, only 37,000 coronavirus cases had officially been confirmed to date in Afghanistan.

A total of around 90,000 people were tested.

After about four decades of conflict and crises, the country is suffering from a short supply of medicines and equipment.

In some places there is lack of personnel and urgently needed protective equipment against the virus. (dpa/NAN)

Source: NAN News

Beirut EXPLOSION

Russian media reported on Wednesday that the massive explosion in Beirut that has killed at least 100 people and injured thousands was caused by fertiliser seized from a Russian-owned cargo ship.

The ship, the Rhosus, came to the port of Beirut six years ago due to a malfunction while en route to Africa, with a cargo of about 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate fertiliser, the Lebanese news outlet LBCI reported, without disclosing the vessels ownership.

The Russian news outlet RBC reported that the vessel, en route from the Georgian city of Batumi to Mozambique, was owned by a Russian national, Igor Grechushkin, born in Russias far-eastern Khabarovsk region and residing in Cyprus.

Following the malfunction, Grechushkin effectively abandoned the vessel in Beirut, failing to adequately pay the crew, RBC reported, citing crew members who had worked on the ship.

The hazardous cargo was reportedly offloaded to a warehouse, where it remained for years.

A fire erupted during welding work at the facility on Tuesday, leading to the explosion, LBCI reported. (dpa/NAN)

Source: NAN News

NAFDAC DG, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye

By Fatima Mohammed
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration Control (NAFDAC) has closed two vegetable oil packaging retail outlets in Ilorin.

NAFDAC classified the outlet as unregistered that has sold more than 2.2 million litres of what it called unverified vegetable oil to the public.

Mrs Roselyn Ajayi, Kwara Coordinator of NAFDAC, said on Wednesday in Ilorin that the closure was preceded by a tip-off that led to the discovery of the outlets which are located at Adabata and Stadium Road, Ilorin.

We were tipped off by some concerned citizens and we investigated and found out that the individuals were engaged in packaging and selling vegetable oil whose sources are unverifiable.

Investigation revealed that one of the marketers acquired more than 2.2 million litres of unverified vegetable oil and selling it to the public; those involved were caught packaging and placing labels of unregistered brands on the product, she said.

The NAFDAC coordinator explained that the source of the vegetable oil could not be verified even though the labels suggested that they were manufactured in Malaysia.

Ajayi said that those involved had been arrested, the facilities had been locked and the agency would take appropriate regulatory sanctions on individuals found guilty of violating the laws.

Ajayi assured the public that efforts were continually on to ensure safety, quality and wholesomeness of processed foods through regular routine monitoring of production.

She said that it had become imperative for the public to always ensure that any packaged foods and drugs they would buy should be with NAFDAC-approved label.

The coordinator, however, observed that some individuals would go as far as faking NAFDAC registration numbers, noting that any product that is registered by NAFDAC will also carry the registration number.

Ajayi noted that the perpetrators took the advantage of COVID-19 pandemic situation to engage in the unwholesome practice to produce and sell unregistered products in the state by thinking that the agency had reduced its routine and surveillance activities.

We were not able to go out for surveillance activities as we use to do. They took advantage of the fact the regulatory agency are not operating at full capacity because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Their illegal activities became heightened and based on the tip-off and the magnitude that was described to us, I had to recall some of the officers who were not suppose to be on duty to join some of us on duty.

We also involved security operatives so that we can trace where these activities are being perpetrated and the culprit, she said.

She, however, said that NAFDAC would not close its eyes and allow such regrettable violations to sabotage the effort of safeguarding the health of the public.

Source: NAN News

Former Speaker Yakubu Dogara

By Emmanuel Afonne

The United Global Resolve for Peace Organisation, a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) has dragged the former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr Yakubu Dogara, seeking that his seat be declared vacant, following his defection to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Dogara had tendered his resignation letter to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Chairman at Bogoro C Ward in Bogoro Local Government Area, Bauchi, on July 24, 2020.

Dogara had said that his resignation from PDP was to continue the fight to install a decent and egalitarian government in the state.

But the group in an originating summons marked FHC/ABJ/CS/883/2020 filed by its counsel, Michael Okejimi

From left, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Finance, Mrs Abidemi Raji; Commissioner for Finance, Dr Rabiu Olowo and Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr Gbenga Omotoso, at a News Conference on the 2020 New Land Use Charge Reforms Law in Lagos by the State Ministry of Finance.

By Florence Onuegbu

The Lagos State Government on Wednesday announced the reduction of the Land Use Charge (LUC) to the pre-2018 charges, hence, indicating a reduction of 48 per cent.

The Commissioner for Finance, Dr Rabiu Olowo, made this known at a news briefing on the 2020 New Land Use Charge Law in Alausa, Ikeja.

Olowo also announced that the waiver of penalties for LUC for Year 2017, 2018 and 2019, which translated to N5.8 billion potential revenue for the state.

He said that the Owner-Occupied Residential Property charged at 0.076 per cent, was now 0.0394 per cent, while Industrial Premises of Manufacturing Concerns, which was 0.256per cent, would now be charged at 0.132 per cent.

The commissioner said that Residential Property/Private School (Owner

Nyesom Wike, Rivers State Governor

By Emmanuel Oloniruha

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Campaign Council on Edo governorship election, has said that the upcoming election in the state will be decided by the integrity, reliability and truthfulness of the contestants.

The Chairman of the council, Gov. Nyesom Wike of Riversstated on Tuesday that Gov. Godwin Obaseki of Edo epitomised such virtues.

In a statement issued in Abuja by MrKola Ologbondiyan, the PDP National Publicity Secretary and Secretary, Publicity Sub-Committee of the council, Wike expressed optimism that Obaseki would be re-elected.

He stated that the Edo electorate could not be swayed to the contrary by deceptions, lies and antics, adding that the people of the state were with Obaseki.

He attributed Obasekis large following to his proven integrity and performance in office.

Wike opined that the people would use the election to tell selfish politicians in Edo that they know what is best for their state.

He recalled how the formerNational Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole, stated that Obaseki was the brain behind his achievements when he was governor.

Funny enough, former national Chairman of the APC confessed that this is one man who used his contact, connections and brain to make sure that he achieved what he achieved as governor of Edo.

He even went further to say that he would prefer that they named the Edo State Government House as Godwin Obasekis House. He said so.

He wondered how Oshiomhole would market the APC candidate, Ize Iyamu, whom he had earlier despised, pointing out that Edo people could not be fooled.

The Rivers governor posited that time had come to end politics of lies, false claims and propaganda to deceive the electorate. (NAN)

Source: NAN News