By Hamza Sulieman

The Police in Borno successfully foiled a lone suicide bomb attack on Wednesday night in Maiduguri, the Police Commissioner, Mr Damian Chukwu, has said.

Chukwu told News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) by telephone that the incident occurred at about 8:30 p.m. on the outskirts of Maiduguri.

He said that a teenage female bomber attempted to infiltrate a security checkpoint before security men shot at her and the Improvised Explosive Device vest strapped to her body exploded.

He said the explosion blew the girl into pieces, noting that there were no other casualties in the attack.

The commissioner added that men of the Explosive Ordinance Department were deployed to sanitise the area.

Source: NAN

By Douglas Okoro

The Chairman of Afikpo South local government area of Ebonyi, Dr Eni-Uduma Chima, says over 5,000 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) from Urugbam community in Biase local government area of Cross River are taking refuge in the Council.

Chima who disclosed this to newsmen on Thursday in Abakaliki, said the IDPs were camped in three different locations in the area.

He said the influx of the refugees from Urugbam was due to renewed hostilities from boundary disputes involving Urugbam community and their Egbor and Abanwem neighbouring communities in Biase local government area of Cross River.

The chairman explained that the crisis started when the Egbor community unilaterally leased out the Nigeria Institute for Oil Research (NIFOR) palm plantation to African Stone Works Nigeria Limited, owned by one Chief Felix Ezeamama.

He further explained that the boundary crisis affected Ekoli-Edda in Ebonyi, Egbor and Urugbam communities in Biasi local government of Cross River, which jointly donated the land for the establishment of the institute.

The Ekoli-Edda in Ebonyi, Urugbam and Egbor communities in Cross River jointly donated parcels of land where the defunct NIFOR was established by the government of the defunct Eastern Nigeria.

The communities have peacefully coexisted and enjoyed the proceeds from the NIFOR since its establishment in 1962, by late Chief Michael Okpara, governor of the defunct Eastern region.

But following the unceremonious exit of NIFOR from the settlement, the affected communities including Ekoli-Edda, Urugbam and Egbor came together in 1997 and reached an agreement to harvest the palm fruits jointly.

It is on record that this peaceful communal practice has been ongoing between the three communities since 1997 without hitches.

In March this year, the Egbor community unilaterally leased the land which has been communally owned since the 1960s to African Stone Works Nigeria Limited in complete disregard to the position of the other communities.

The governments of Ebonyi and Cross River in a move to avert an impending crisis held series of peace meetings first in Port Harcourt, Rivers and Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Conference Centre and Suites in Abuja.

Both meetings were attended by representatives of both state governments including deputy governors of the two states, Prof Ivara Esu and Dr. Eric Kelechi-Igwe and officials of National Boundary Commission (NBC) where far reaching resolutions were made.

Sadly, none of the items contained in the resolution has been implemented and this has led to the hostilities that resulted in the killings and destruction of property of the Urugbam and Ekoli-Edda people, Chima said.

Chima noted that the influx of IDPs in the area had created humanitarian crisis in the council despite the state governments prompt intervention by providing relief materials.

The IDPssituation we have is getting out of control putting strain on our scarce resources; security agencies should without delay enforce the order of the various stakeholders in the NAF meeting communique and arrest Ezeamama.

I call on the various humanitarian agencies including the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), State Emergency Management Agencies of the two states and the Red Cross to assist the IDPs with relief materials.

That efforts should be made by governments of the two states to ensure the safe return of the IDPs to their homes and ensure that they are quickly resettled.

I urge relevant government institutions to probe these wanton killings and bring perpetrators including their sponsors to justice, said Chima.

Source: NAN

(Xinhua/NAN) The New South Wales State (NSW) Government in Australia on Thursday said they would ban mobile phones and smart devices in schools in early 2019 in an attempt to improve student performance.

This will also quell the rising number of online bullying cases.

Distraction and bullying have always been issues for schools to deal with but mobile phones present a new challenge for schools, teachers, parents and students, NSW Premier, Gladys Berejiklian, said in a statement.

We want to ensure mobile phones and other smart devices complement students learning, and are handled at school in an age-appropriate way.

These changes will provide clear boundaries in our schools to ensure technology remains an enabler, not a detractor.

While the ban will be in full effect in the states primary schools for children aged between 5-12, high schools will be given the option to opt in or introduce measures to more tightly restrict the use of devices during school hours.

The move comes on the back of an independent review commissioned by the NSW government in June.

This is where renowned child psychologist Michael Carr-Gregg and his team examined 14,000 survey responses to measure the impact that mobile phones are having on educational outcomes and child development in schools.

Well work with schools to implement the changes recommended in the report, helping them manage the risks and rewards of using mobile phones inside the school gates, NSW Education Minister, Rob Stokes, said.

These changes are about keeping our schools safe and protecting the welfare of our students when theyre in our care.

The ban will come into effect from the beginning of 2019.

Source: NAN

There is hope for the elimination of cholesterol without serious side effects as Chinese researchers discovered a new compound that can help lower the levels in the blood.

Long-term high levels of cholesterol in the blood can cause atherosclerosis, which may lead to cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases.

Statins are the main clinical cholesterol-lowering drugs and are widely used in the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases.

However, statins increase side effects after treatment.

After a series of compound design and activity analysis, researchers from Wuhan University discovered a new compound that can lower cholesterol.

The compound Cmpd 81 reduced cholesterol levels as well as the formation of atherosclerotic plaques in mice with hypercholesterolemia and atherosclerosis.

When this compound is combined with statins, it can further lower cholesterol levels.

The research has broad application prospects in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases.

The screening system in the research as well as the compound have been put in for patent applications.

The research was published in the journal Nature Communications.

Similarly, On Oct. 12, a study by the University of Illinois (UI) researchers found that a byproduct of cholesterol metabolism acts on specific immune cells so that they facilitate cancers spread instead of stopping it.

The cholesterol byproduct is a molecule called 27HC.

UI researchers fed mice with breast cancer tumors a diet high in cholesterol, and confirmed that high levels of cholesterol increased tumor growth and metastasis, and that mice treated with cholesterol-lowering drugs called statins had less metastasis.

Researchers said it further inhibit the enzyme that makes 27HC during cholesterol metabolism.

By inhibiting the enzyme that makes 27HC, we found a suppressor effect on breast cancer metastasis.

This suggests that a drug treatment targeting this enzyme could be an effective therapeutic, said Amy Baek, a postdoctoral researcher at UI and the first author of the paper.

The researchers also saw unusual activity among specific immune cells, certain types of neutrophils and T-cells, at metastatic sites high in 27HC.

Normally human bodys immune system has the capacity to attack cancer. But researchers found that 27HC works on immune cells to fool them into thinking the cancer is fine.

Its hijacking the immune system to help the cancer spread.

As 27HC acts through the immune system, and not on the breast cancer itself, the researchers believe their findings have broad applicability for solid tumors.

They performed experiments looking at colon cancer, lung cancer, melanoma and pancreatic cancer, and found that 27HC increased metastasis for all the tumor types.

This suggests that a treatment targeting 27HC could be effective across multiple cancer types.

The researchers are working to further understand the pathway by which 27HC affects the immune cells.

Breast cancer impacts roughly 1 in 8 women. Weve developed fairly good strategies for the initial treatment of the disease, but many women will experience metastatic breast cancer.

When the breast cancer has spread to other organs, and at that point we really dont have effective therapies, said Erik Nelson, a UI professor of molecular and integrative physiology who led the study.

We hope to develop small-molecule drugs to inhibit 27HC, Nelson said.
Also, on Dec. 12, a major U.S. study said Cholesterol-lowering drugs known as statins may help reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer. (Xinhua/NAN)

Source: NAN

By Austine Elegbede and Lilian Ole

Barely two weeks to Christmas celebration, dealers in all kinds of Christmas items have taken over major markets and pedestrian walkways in Enugu, at night, to make brisk business.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) correspondents who visited some of the markets and shopping malls in Enugu report that most of the traders were seen selling brocades, jewelry, shoes and sandals.

Other items include ready-made clothes, weave-on, balloons and the traders stay deep into the night.

Many of the traders were seen ringing bell to attract passersby, wooing them with discount prices at the major strategic locations in the area.

A trader in Ogbete Main Market,who gave her name as Mama Akano, said that she decided to display her wares on the pedestrian walkways to attract civil servants returning from work.

Akano said that she had a shop inside the market but that the festive atmosphere associated with the season motivated her to stay beyond the 5:00p.m and do extra business to earn more money.

She said that the market closes 5 p.m, adding that the night trading afforded her the opportunity to increase her daily sales, noting that traders at the market hardly made good returns.

I open shop by 10:00a.m. every day and till 5:00p.m. I hardly make N2, 000 profit.So, I decided to be selling at night, and this has improved my daily profit, she said.

Another trader, Mr Ifeanyi Ejiogu, said that he opted for night trading due to the penchant of most residents of Enugu for trading into the night.
Ejiogu said that though he had a paid job, I decided to sell foot wears this season in order to meet my financial needs.

NAN further reports that hairdressers at Ogbete Market have been swell time making fast business as most of them stay up to 8:00p.m., a development many of them described as unusual.

Source: NAN

It is not enough to want to establish a law firm; there is need for a business plan. This is because establishing a law firm is like establishing a business. A business plan is a document containing information about the proposed firm, its goals and the financial projections. It is normally prepared by an accountant for the owner of the proposed business. This can however be done by the legal practitioner.

The following are the contents of a business plan.

• Name of the legal practitioner (owner)

• Name of the firm

• Law office address (place of business)

• Date of commencement (Business start date)

• Type of firm

• Goals of the firm

• Market competitors

• Capital requirement

• Borrowing requirement

• Security to be provided

• Use of funds

• Employment of staff

• Management system

Potential clients (clientele) include banks and other financial institutions, companies, large statutory bodies, legal aid council, individuals, government briefs.

CLASSIFICATION OF LAW OFFICE

• Small law office (1 – 4 Lawyers)

• Medium law office (5 – 9 Lawyers)

• Large law office (10 lawyers and above)

The above classification is based on the following criteria.

• Location of a law firm: The location of a law firm would determine whether the law firm is small, medium or large. For instance, firms situated in metropolitan cities like Lagos, Port Harcourt and Kano could be regarded as medium or large firms. Also are firms in capital of a state.

• Client base: The type of clients that a firm chooses to serve is also used in classifying firms. Generally, a distinction is made between firms that serve organisations (corporate and governmental bodies) and private client, whether fee paying or legally aid j8

• Available facilities: The facilities used by a firm would determine the classification of the firm. A firm using modern technology cannot be in same class with that using outdated technology.

• Status of lawyers: Presently in Nigeria, there is always distinction among legal practitioners. There are those that are Senior Advocate of Nigeria. Also, those that have distinguished their firms cannot be compared with other lawyers.

• Number of lawyers: The number of lawyers in a law firm can also determine the classification of the law firm. A firm with over 20 lawyers cannot be compared with that having 3 lawyers.

GROUPING OR ORGANISATION OF LAW FIRMS

Law firms are grouped into the following four (4) groups:

• Sole practitionership

• Sole proprietorship

• Associateship, and

• Partnership

Most of us take fruits for different reasons. For some, the juicy savour [of that favourite fruit] is just so enticing to let go while in other instances, it’s about taking fruits religiously in order to get some essential vitamins and minerals out of them. But then while every fruit has got its own share of nutrients, there are some (fruits) that have vital substances that can help an individual gain some energy in a matter of seconds. So, if you are in need of instant energy as you go about your routine, any of these succulent fruits should work for you.

• Banana: You must have seen a couple of athletes – especially tennis players – munch banana while doing sport; the reason lies in the fact that banana help to revitalize them and also provide the energy needed to carry on. Banana is a good source of potassium and carbohydrates – it has got loads of natural sugar and enough fibre to help boost your energy level. All these nutrients as well as others [not mentioned] make banana a wonderful fruit that will liven you throughout the day.

• Strawberry: Another delicious and juicy fruit to keep you vibrant and raring to go. Strawberry has got loads of vitamins and minerals – Vitamins B¬1, B2, B3, ¬B¬5, B¬6 and B9, iron, manganese and zinc – that are essential for providing energy for carrying out certain metabolic activities. Furthermore, it contains carbohydrates and dietary fibre to ensure that you stay fit and active.

• Pawpaw: Pawpaw has got many good things about it, but one of the least known is the fact that it is an instant energy-giving fruit. More so, it is very good for relieving stress thus helping one to relax better. Pawpaw contains an essential nutrient known as choline which aids in the movement of muscles as well as the relief of stress. Again, it has rich supply of vitamin B9 and magnesium.

• Orange: Many of us will look to orange as an excellent source of vitamin C – no contention over this – but something that seems to escape our consciousness is that fruit contains its fair share of carbohydrates – fructose to be precise. Coupled with this, it also has thiamine (Vitamin B¬1) which aids in the conversion of the fructose to glucose thereby making energy readily available for metabolic processes.

• Pineapple: This is a great source of manganese, a mineral that is of immense benefit in energy production. And just like orange, it also rich supply of vitamin B1 plus fibre and natural sugars. So, the next time you feel tired, just help yourself to a slice of pineapple or better still, a cup of pineapple juice.

• Watermelon: Watermelon is another wonder fruit when it comes to gaining instant energy boost. Though, this sweet, juicy fruit as water as its major constituents, it contains enough natural sugar to provide you with some useful energy. Besides, other vitamins and minerals contained in it are also of great value.

As I bring this to a conclusion, it is important that I state here that there are many more energy-giving fruits out there, and that the fruits discussed in this article, have many more benefits that can be obtained from consuming them than just raising one’s energy level.

A good sleep is a luxury nobody would want to trade for anything else – albeit I speak for the health-conscious ones. After a long day’s work, it is not inconceivable for each and every one of us to eagerly anticipate the warm ‘embrace’ of a well laid bed as we make a transition into dreams’ world. However, it is one thing to lay on the bed and yet another (thing) to maximize the time of rest. After a good sleep, you should wake up feeling vibrant and ready to go make your world better and brighter but this is not always the case. Have you ever gotten up from bed or hit the road [to go about your daily routine] with the feeling that you are yet to wake up from your sleep; a feeling that you have been robbed of liveliness? The reason may not be unconnected to the fact that the sleeping position you chose wasn’t right for you.

Do you make conscious effort to place your body in a position of rest that guarantees sound sleep [leading to good health] or do you just ‘crash’ into the bed to while the night away? Read on to see the advantages and/or disadvantages that come with different sleeping positions:

• Laying on your back: This position may be considered best for some reasons. Firstly, as the head, neck and spines get to be placed in a neutral position, there is less pressure on these parts of the body hence feeling pain as one wakes up is not very likely. Furthermore, this position may help those experiencing heartburn – provided a pillow is under the head. However, anyone that is prone to snoring or suffering breathlessness during sleep may have to think twice before sleeping on his/her back as this position may worsen the condition. It is however worth noting that the amount of oxygen present in the lungs is relatively reduced while sleeping on your back.

• Laying on your side: Either side – left or right – has got its own advantages as well as low sides. Generally, sleeping on your side is great for alleviating back pain and can also be beneficial for those that are known to snore. But studies have shown that people who sleep on their sides have a higher tendency of experiencing premature skin aging/wrinkling. Although sleeping on the left side can affect the normal functioning of the liver, lungs and stomach; it is quite helpful for reducing acid reflux, and boosting the circulation of blood as well as the digestion of food. Plus, this particular position is also beneficial for a person who is suffering constipation. On the other hand, laying on the right side may aggravate heartburn and even increase the chance of having a high blood pressure.

• Fetal position: This is another way of sleeping on one’s side; it however involves bending the knees and tucking the chin inwards – towards the chest – while the back is rounded. This is sometimes regarded as the ‘baby position’. Though, this is adjudged to be the most popular (sleeping) position; it is far from being the best. For one, it causes pain in the neck and spine, and also puts strain to the hips. However, a study has found that sleeping in this position could be effectual in the disposal of waste from the brain thus curtailing the incidence of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases.

• Laying on your stomach: The only advantage that seems to be linking with laying on one’s stomach [while sleeping] is that it reduces snoring. But the harm attached to it is much more than the benefit. This position can cause the neck to ache and also puts huge pressure on muscles and joints. Additionally, this position can be somewhat detrimental to the functioning of the circulatory and respiratory systems.

Conclusion
Opinions vary among researchers as to which sleeping position is the best so, picking one may be somewhat difficult. Notwithstanding, it is advisable that one takes note of the position that provides the greatest comfort. And as much as I will not pick one as the outright best, laying on the stomach, right side or in a fetal position will never be among the options I will recommending.

Can we have you phone number?

By Chijioke Okoronkwo

The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) is working toward achieving a transmission capacity of 20,000 Megawatts (MW) by 2021, its Managing Director, Mr Usman Mohammed, has said.

Mohammed, who briefed State House correspondents on Monday at the Presidential Villa, said that the capacity of transmission was a combination of the capacity of the transformers and the lines.

According to Mohammed, TCN had installed over 3000 MW since he assumed office in February.

But you cannot say you have added the whole of that capacity; some of them are constrained by lines.

The capacity of transmission in 8,100 MW as of now but this cannot translate into capacity into houses.

There has to be a balance of generation and demand and then supply.

The total load that is connected to our network which is coming from the distribution is not more than 5kva; that is the problem.

The capacity of TCN before 2017 was 5,000; it increased to 7,124 in December 2017 and now it is 8,100mw.

We established the transmission, rehabilitation and expansion programme and the developmental objective is to rehabilitate, stabilise and expand the wheeling capacity of TCN to at least 20,000MW by 2021.

It is supposed to be four years;if you look at 2017 to 2021, it is four years; so this is the plan; we are on track andI believe we are going to achieve that target, he said.

He also said that efforts were being made to expand the combined capacity made up of generation, distribution and transmission.

According to him, it is more difficult to build a transmission network than to build that of distribution.

The managing director said that many of the equipment needed for distribution were manufactured in Nigeria while none of the transmission equipment was manufactured in Nigeria.

When we came in, there were eight transformers in failed contracts but TCN engineers had already installed six out of the eight transformers.

The remaining two are in the various stages of being installed.

Some transformers on our network are not up to standard, so, we decided not to install them.

We have taken a decision to standardise our transformers; we have hired a consultant and we have a standard design for our transformers.

So, all those transformers that get easily burnt will not happen again, he said.

Source: NAN