NATIONAL Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole on Wednesday said that Nigerians have the right to protest but must properly articulate their grievances.

Briefing State House correspondents after a meeting of the APC National Working Committee, NWC, with President Muhammadu Buhari at the presidential villa, Abuja, Comrade Oshiomhole condemned Omoyele Sowore, the convener of the Global Coalition for Security and Democracy for the revolution protest on Monday.

He said that Sowore who was the Presidential candidate of the African Action Congress, AAC and the Sahara Reporters publisher decided to lead the protest after failing to win the February 23 2019 presidential election. What does Sowore want now that Nigerians must make him president? – Oshiomhole According to him, “What was the reason for protest? Let’s be honest! I have led series of protest even to this villa. Whoever wants to protest should articulate the particulars of his grievances and make specific demands about the solutions that he wants.

“So what exactly as far as you know as members of the fourth estate of the realm, that Sowore, the publisher of Sahara reporters, a presidential candidate, cleared by INEC to bid for power, who had opportunity to ask Nigerians to vote for him. “Now Nigerians have voted, the votes have been counted and he was not a favoured candidate,what does he want now? That Nigerians must make him the president? Because we all have to be careful, nobody should talk as if we have another country. “We have challenges but somehow we have all resolved as a people that the way and route to power in the ballot box.

Our task as a people I to continue to work to clean up the system so that only Nigerians alone shall determine who governs them at all levels. That I believe is a legitimate thing to fight for. “But if you want over throw, you want a revolution then he should have spared us the INEC putting him on the ballot paper. “I don’t want to talk about this but I believe Nigerians have a right to protest, I believe people have a right to contest issues, people have the right to disagree. I have often said government doesn’t have the right to dictate to people how to protest, but you must state exactly what you want. “I ask you to name any country in the world where somebody stands up and say after the election that I contested and lost, now therefore I want revolution.

“Go and check the dictionary and political meaning of a revolution, if it comes it will be like the Christmas turkey, nobody knows which one will be first slaughtered on Christmas. ” I think we do need to take things seriously, we have serious issues in this country, I have my own reservations about many things but we have submitted to this process and we must work hard to make it work. Nigeria must deliver to the poor, APC government must deliver. ” Oshiomhole explained that they were at the Villa to congratulate the President as it was the first time after the elections the National Working Committee of the party was officially coming to congratulate him at the State House. He said,” We have had a couple of meetings with Mr. President since his re-election but an exclusive meeting between members of the national working committee and the president and Vice President had not taken place. ”

So this is the first one and it was natural that we congratulate him but also to remind ourselves that this renewed mandate is a call to duty and there is a lot to be done to deliver to the people of Nigeria. The party, the executive, the National Assembly all of us working together sharing ideas, we are much more likely to make faster progress and those are the sort of things we discussed.

“We also assured the president our commitment to build institute for progressive studies. Because, the people of Nigeria is that people belong to various political parties, they don’t event understand the ideology of that party if they have any, some are not even familiar with the manifestos and they don’t have conversations about how appropriate or inappropriate those manifestos are.

“And you will find that people holding very high position on government both legislative and executive and even so party leaders may not even be aware of what we stand for. ” And so we told the president we are going to build institute for progressive studies so that people understand what defines us, what is the essence of progressive politics, basically is about social democracy. ”

So our party must be seen to be pro-poor, putting policies in place that will lift our people out of poverty and recreate the Nigeria middle class. Unless you recreate the Nigeria middle class, you are not going to have a stable and a peaceful society. “The tragedy for now is that over the period people are either very poor or they are very rich. The president has to provide leadership working with the National Assembly leadership to see how we can over the next four years deliver, so that the current situation of extremely poor and extremely rich will is bridged by recreating the middle class.

“Secondly, as a political party which is committed to social democracy, we want to make sure that everybody elected on the platform of our party understands dos and don’ts, in terms of politics and a policy choices, our commitment to egalitarian society and all of those things that makes a progressive party different from a Conservative party. “We think this is not something we want to be doing on adhoc basis. We don’t want to go and sleep because we have won election, the fact that we have won election means a call to duty, so we have to work together to ensure these things are done. ”

Thirdly, we congratulated the president for appointing ministers. We happy with the progress that has been made and we also commend the senate for delaying their recess to be able to screen the ministers. “We also commended the president for the idea of having a retreat for the ministers before their allocated their respective ministries, so that they understand that they have been appointed and understand that they have been appointed and this is the job the employer has for each and everyone of them to do that they have to be well thought out before they are assigned to carry out those jobs.

Culled from the Vanguard

It was a moment of disgrace and humiliation on Wednesday as Kenyan lawmaker, Zulekha Hassan was ordered out of the National Assembly for disrupting a parliamentary session.

The legislator was ordered out of the Kenyan House of Representatives after she walked in with a baby.

Speaker of the National Assembly Hon. Chris Omulele, MP Luanda termed the move as unprecedented.

The Kwale Woman Rep said she had an emergency that’s why she came to parliament with the baby and suggested that a mother’s room be put in place to curb such situations.

Kwale Woman Rep Zulekha Hassan kicked out of Parliament after walking into the chamber with a baby, Speaker terms move unprecedented. pic.twitter.com/OPXJt52iZw

— Citizen TV Kenya (@citizentvkenya) August 7, 2019

“I have tried really hard not to come with the baby, but today I had an emergency; what was I supposed to do?

“If there was a room, a crech or a nursery room, I’d be able to then put my baby,” said Zulekha.

She continued: “Today, I had an emergency, what was I supposed to do? Miss parliament? That’s why I just came with her.

“I knew I would be staying here just for a while and later when my situation is better, I would go. But if there was a room or a creche or nursery, I would then be able to put my baby there.”

A father in Zimbabwe has killed his one year old infant by slapping him all over the body for making noise.

Sometime in April this year, Clemency Gurwe was sitting with his wife, Mitchell Manyangadze in their house at night when the little boy started crying.

Gurwe lifted the baby with one hand and started slapping and strangling him until the boy started bleeding from the nose.The boy’s mom wiped the blood from the boy’s nose and went to bed.

The following morning, Manyangadze went to the clinic with the baby where she was advised to report the case to the police.

The baby was further referred to Masvingo Provincial Hospital where he was discharged days later and put on weekly reviews.

The little boy was again referred to Silveira Hospital where he eventually died on July 7 and Gurwe is now facing murder charges.

According to TellZim reports, Gurwe was arrested and was kept on remand until July 26 for attempted murder.

Masvingo provincial police spokesperson Chief Inspector Charity Mazula confirmed the incident.

“We confirm that we received that case and investigations are still under progress,” said Mazula.

Foremost Nigerian showbiz maestro and activist, Charles Oputa, a.k.a Charlyboy, is set to release a hit single featuring ace singer and rapper Folarin Falana, popularly known as Falz.

The 68-year-old grand-father, who released his debut high-life album over three decades ago, hinted on the ‘collabo’ in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Abuja.

The “Nwata Miss” crooner said he has decided to work with Falz because of his philosophical style of music that addresses leadership issues and societal ills.

He added that the project was an advocacy song targeted at driving positive narratives in the society.

“Falz is a young man that I so much believe in his music and passion towards positive change in all aspects of our society, and we share similar thoughts.

“We are working on something together and it will sure stir positive change in our lives as Nigerians.”

The former president of Performing Musicians Association of Nigeria (PMAN) said that he decided to use music as a tool to inspire ordinary Nigerians, especially youths, towards holding leaders accountable.

He explained that he was leading an advocacy and enlightenment campaign ‘Na we be Government” and decided to go back to music, his age-long passion, to call citizens to participate in nation building.

“All over the word, the Arts, especially music, have been used to inspire people and change narratives towards a better society.

“I did not go into music for money, but for the passion for it, and this time I am using it to awake the consciousness of all Nigerians towards building the country they desire.

“A lot of Nigerians have given up on their country because of bad leadership over the years, and do not believe they have a say in the affairs of their country

“It is time they are reminded that power truly belongs to them and there is a social contract between them and elected political leaders.

“Citizens will do their part and political leaders should also fulfill their obligations as promised in their manifesto, and as required by the constitution,” he said.

The ‘Areafada’ however urged Nigerian singers to look beyond money-making and come up with projects that would propel value reorientation(NAN)

Some users of Instagram, a social media platform say plans to remove ‘likes counter’ will help sanitise the platform.

News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that in June, Instagram began testing a feature where users would no longer be able to view how many people ‘liked’ posts.

Announcing the move, Instagram wrote on its Twitter handle @instagram, “We want your friends to focus on the photos and videos you share, not how many likes they get.

“You can still see your own likes by tapping on the list of people who have liked it but your friends will not be able to see how many likes your posts has received.

“We are looking forward to learning more about how this change might benefit everyone’s experience on Instagram.”

According to some users in support of the move, removal of the feature will reduce the vanity and validation that comes with gathering ‘likes’ on the social network.

@Imumzone said, “I absolutely love the idea. They want it to be more about the engagement and less about the likes.”

Photographer, Abdullah Magaiskiya @Magaiskiya said, “As long as accounts (especially the businesses) are getting insights into their posts, it’s a good idea.

“I think a lot of folks get too obsessed with this like thing, particularly the younger ones and it’s not healthy for their mental well-being.”

@Emigo said, “This is impressive and will help our society.”

@Single_nigerian said, “And this will encourage people to post. It’s supposed to be showing your life, not how many people liked your post.”

@DrPepple wrote, “Very good development, it will also help mental health of many people.”

NAN reports that some other users complained that removal of the ‘like counter’ might negatively affect influencers, businesses and celebrities who earn a living from the platform.

@Iamettah wrote, “It’s okay for personal accounts but not fair for busienss accounts. Potential customers are swayed by the number of lives or views on a post because it gives the impression that the product is worth purchasing.”

@N_msen said, “Bad for brand influencers but good for people who do the most for likes.”

@Irenuga said, “It may not be good for influencers who use it to make money from ads. What metrics will prospective businesses use to determine page engagements.”

NAN reports that more social networks are expected to follow suit in removing metric counters. The ‘movement’ was inspired by Kanye West in 2018 when the singer associated the social media metrics with mental ill-health.

He said, “There are people who are committing suicide due to not getting enough likes. Seeking validation in the simulation,” he wrote on Twitter.

He then listed the founders of Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat and said they need a “live-streamed meeting” to address the problem.

Later posts made clear that West has been in contact with at least some of those companies, including Snapchat and Twitter.

A woman from the U.S. Ruby Karyo has said that drinking her morning pee twice a week makes her skin glow and her complexion fairer.

Karyo said that she has been drinking her own pee and rubbing it on her face for over a decade.

She claimed it improved her skin and overall health and she has been doing so since she was 19 years old.

The 30-year-old mum said her dad introduced her to ‘urine therapy’ when she was just 19 and it had been working well for her.

Karyo who is a mother of one splashed the pee on her face and used it as a moisturiser, claiming it helped her get a glowing complexion.

She further said that she persuaded her boyfriend to try drinking his pee to quell his hair loss.

“My dad told me about urine therapy when I was 19-years-old. He said ‘if you want to be a beauty queen use it on your face and your body.’

“When I wake up I rub my morning pee onto my face and use it like a moisturiser, you can leave it on for a couple of hours, or leave it on all day. Every night when you go to sleep you can put it on your face.

“For the first few days your face might look a bit raw, because all the impurities will come out, but then it will become clear.

“It’s good for healing scars and pimples; I pee into a travel spray bottle and then spray it into my hands and then rub it onto my face,” Karyo said.

Watch her in the video below:

https://youtu.be/XVd8hIV2oyU

Unlike the realities that we are faced with years back when learning is strictly consigned to the walls of schools or some public libraries, the avenues for learning are now quite vast - thanks to the internet. That this however coincides with an era where the quest for pleasure rings out loud(er) seems to have limited or watered down how significant these platforms are in the sight of young people.

Just like life itself, the internet presents us with choices, and one can choose to go with satisfying pleasures, marketing items or learning something new on it. It is for the last set of people that this article has been put forward as we discuss five online learning platforms that can be of advantage to them:

• Udemy: Udemy is an e-learning platform that stands above the rest and is widely regarded as the best among the lot. The platform is a thriving one with more than 24 million students picking from over 130,000 courses - ranging from IT to business, personal development, photography, music, digital marketing, entrepreneurship, finance and so on - available and taught by experts across the various fields. The courses are made available through videos, Power-point presentation, text and other relevant resources, and they can be accessed either through laptops or smartphones. Though most of these courses are accessible upon making subscription for them, students can still take a number of free courses from this digital classroom. Visit the Link for More Udemy

• Educadium: Educadium is another technology platform where students as well as teachers can find value. The latter, of course, by way of making profits through the services they deliver while the former are equipped with knowledge they need to excel or advance in their fields. Educadium was established over ten years ago and it has on offer a wide range of subjects, which are covered via its EasyCampus learning tool. Visit Educadium for More.

• Skillshare: Skillshare is a well-design platform with over 30,000 digital classrooms for students to explore. It is integrated with features which enhance its functionality and make it easy for students to navigate through different sections. It can be accessed from mobile devices - be it iOs or Android - and contents from the platform can be downloaded for offline use. Skillshare has a tool specially designed for organisations that may want to train its workforce using the platform. One interesting twist to Skillshare is that, while most e-learning platforms charge per individual course, it gives access to all classes once a paid subscription has been effected - its premium package being just a little under $100 per year. Visit Skillshare For More

• Coursera: On Coursera, students are presented with opportunities to learn some advanced courses which are taken from the syllabuses of some top universities; University of Pennsylvania, and Stanford University being among the notable ones. Besides these (advanced courses), there are other courses that can be of great advantage to any individual who wishes to upgrade his/her skills. While price is attached to certain courses [and the accompanying certification], you can still find some courses that are free on the platform. Visit Coursera for more.

• Khan Academy: Khan Academy is a completely free online educational platform to explore, and a lot of people have been taking advantage of the opportunities to add to their knowledge bank. You can study courses from different fields, from mathematics to computer programming, medicine, arts & humanities and chemistry to mention but a few. Visit Khan Academy for more.

The concept of freelancing may not be one you take to heart if you are so into waking up every morning and beating the traffic to turn up in some office space or you may be a graduate who is been on the job hunt with the hope of getting that long awaited white collar. However, for those who love to have or do things in a more flexible and adventurous way, the prospect of not being tied to a routine while seeking to make a living will definitely make a great appeal.

To the latter group [of individuals]; freelancing presents a wonderful avenue of optimizing and/or increasing their streams of income. Though freelancing is nothing new as men and women have been doing things that fetch them a living without being confined to the authority of any organizational hierarchy. But beyond this, the digital age has effectively redefined the concept of freelancing, and now more than ever before, we see people making the most of the availability/advancement of the internet to log on to platforms where they can take up gigs and earn some cash.

With online freelancing, individuals are able to work from a remote space, particularly at home; doing projects - from article writing, web content development, website design, internet marketing and so on - that align with their skill-set. And, it is quite interesting to know that freelancing does not require so much capital to start up. All that you need is a personal computer, smartphone or modem [that guarantees internet connectivity] and of course, your effort - you have to be proactive about it. Lest I forget; considering the kind of setting we find ourselves in Nigeria, an alternate source of power - a solar charger or power bank should be a more economical option - will also be needed.

Key points every freelancer should bear in mind
Freelancing opens up ample opportunities to not only get employed but also create wealth, it is important that a freelancer - one hoping to make a living out of it to be precise - hold certain facts dear to heart, as these could determine the level of success he/she derives from it.

• Your flexibility could be your curate egg: One of the major reasons people are drawn to freelancing is because of the flexibility it offers. They can get to plan their work to suit their time, and can execute projects from anywhere - whether from home or while on the go. But as this flexibility could be seen as an advantage to a large extent so could it be a freelancer’s greatest undoing. This is most likely in a scenario whereby the freelancer fails to apply some time management skills in his/her while executing a particular project at hand. It is possible for such a person to feel there is enough time to finish up a project and end up getting entangled in frivolities, some of which could come from the internet as he/she source for information. Meanwhile, completing the project within or before the stipulated time will not only enable him/her to pick up a new project but also put him/her in good stead to earn the trust of the client. Plus, nothing boosts the reputation and income generation avenues of a freelancer than having a vibrant clientele base. So, in summary; discipline is key, and time is precious for a freelancer who desires to get the best out of this opportunity.

• Beware of exploiters: By virtue of the fact that you are not in proximate contact with the person giving out the project, you should be aware of the possibility of selling your services without making tangible earnings. So, you have to guard your business, and be careful about the kind of projects you will be bidding on. More so, you should demand some payment upfront and make sure your work is protected. Plus, it is important that you register on a trusted platform that is user-friendly and has relevant features for the purpose of freelancing.

• Communication is vital: One thing is being proactive in seeking out clients who have a need for the service you need and another is ensuring you keep them after you must have gotten the go ahead to handle their project(s). Lack of communication or miscommunication could however kill your dream of making much gain out of freelancing. To avert this; it is essential that you keep your clients posted on a regular basis as it regards the progress made on a particular project, and also build a rapport over time. Additionally, you should not hesitate to ask whenever you are not in the clear about an issue.

President Muhammadu Buhari says he has no plan whatsoever to groom a successor for the 2023 presidential election.

The president stated this while reacting to one of the requests made by the members of progressives in academics, who visited him at the State House, Abuja on Tuesday.

The spokesperson of the group, Dr Bolariwa Bolajim had earlier enjoined the president to commence the proceed of grooming his successor, who would take over the mantle of leadership from him in 2023

Bolaji said: We are delighted having you and in another four-year time you would want to go and rest then who takes over from you?

We are suggesting that you bring a vibrant youths among people who have shown interest, bring them in so that you start saddling them with responsibilities and you will be watching them over these next four years so that when you want to leave the circle, you would have vibrant youths to hand over to.

This is one of the ways the gains of this government can be made to be continues so that there will be continuity in what you are doing.

However, President Buhari said he would rather stay away from identifying anybody as his successor so as not to create problem for such a person.

The president said: To me this is very funny. I think if I identify anybody Id create more problem for him or for her.

So, Id rather keep my mouth shut. Let those who would want to be president try as much as I did. And I believe that those who are interested know that I tried three times.

And the first time, I thank God and technology, PVC. Before, they just go to the television and they read the results. They say anybody who disagreed should go to court.

And most of my supporters are looking for next days meal. They dont have money to give to lawyers. So I said God dey. So, the first time God and technology came along , PVC they couldnt rig the election so I won.

The president, therefore, challenged the youths to continue to work harder, saying that they should not take things for granted.

I tried to work hard but I think you have a lot more to do you as intellectuals so that you correctly document Nigerias political development. Its very important for the next generation.

A lot of our young chaps are taking things for granted. Imagine to contest election three times ending up in Supreme Court three times. It needs a lot of conviction you know, and hard work.

But people take success for granted. They say, ah, hes the president. They think its just closed my eyes and I got it? The president asked rhetorically,;; he added.

The Members of the progressives in Academics, who were drawn from different tertiary institutions across the country, presented three proposals on revitalization of education, power and agriculture to the president possible approval.

Source: NAN

By Kingsley Okoye

The Senate on Tuesday confirmed 43 nominees as ministers of the government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

President Muhammadu Buhari had on July 23 released the list of 43 nominees to senate for screening and confirmation as ministers.

Following the submission, the senate had on July 24 began the screening of the nominees to determine their suitability for the position.

The screening which lasted for five days came to an end on July 30.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that many of the nominees were asked to take bow, while few of them were subjected to questions.

NAN also reports that the take a bow syndrome that dominated the screening exercise was the tradition of the senate to excuse nominees who have had legislative background.

The senate also hinged the reason for asking female nominees to take a bow on the gender sensitive nature of the senate among other reasons.

Following a voice vote for the confirmation of the individual nominees, the senate at plenary confirmed the 43 nominees.

Those confirmed are: Dr Uchechukwu Ogah (Abia), Muhammad Bello (Adamawa), Sen. Godswill Akpabio (Akwa Ibom), Dr Chris Ngige (Anambra), Sharon Ikeazu (Anambra), Adamu Adamu (Bauchi), Amb. Mariam Katagum (Bauchi), Timipre Silva (Bayelsa), Sen. George Akume (Benue), Mustapha Baba-Shehuri (Borno), Goddy Jedi-Agba (Cross River).

Others are Festus Keyamo (Delta), Ogbonnaya Onu (Ebonyi), Dr Osagie Ehanire (Edo), Clement Agba (Edo), Richard Adebayo (Ekiti), Geofery Oyeanma (Enugu), Dr Ali Isa-Pantami (Gombe), Emeka Nwajuba (Imo), Sulaiman Adamu (Jigawa), Zainab Ahmed (Kaduna), Dr Mohammed Mahmoud (Kaduna), Sabo Nanono (Kano), Maj.-Gen. Bashir Magashi (Kano).

Also confirmed are Hadi Sirika (Katsina), Abubakar Malami (Kebbi), Ramatu Tijani (Kogi), Lai Mohammed (Kwara), Gbemisola Saraki (Kwara), Babatunde Fashola (Lagos), Sen. Adeleke Mamora (Lagos), Mohammed Abdullahi (Nasarawa), Amb. Zubairu Dada (Niger), Olamilekan Adegbiti (Ogun), Sen. Tayo Alasoadura (Ondo), Rauf Aregbesola (Osun), Sunday Dare (Oyo).

Others are Pauline Tallen (Plateau), Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers), Mohammed Dingwadi (Sokoto), Saleh Mamman (Taraba), Abubakar Aliyu (Yobe) and Sadiya Faruk (Zamfara).

Speaking on the confirmation, President of the Senate, Dr Ahmad Lawan, said the senators demonstrated patriotism throughout the screening exercise.

He said the attitude of the senators was a demonstration that they are ready to work for the good of Nigerians.

He urged the confirmed ministers to be ready to work with the Senate for the good of Nigerians, adding that the senate would be firm on its oversight responsibilities.

Lawan thanked President Muhammadu Buhari for selecting experienced Nigerians as ministers.

He also thanked his colleagues for their commitment and loyalty all through the screening, saying that the Senate hopes to face the 2020 budget when it resumed from recess in September.

We hope that the budget will be ready in September or October and we are ready to pass the budget by December.

He said the Senate was committed towards returning the nation budget cycle to the January to December cycle.

Source: NAN