The African Students Education Support Initiative (ASESI), an NGO, has congratulated Nigeria for remaining a strong and united country at 58 years.

ASESIs Executive Director, Chinonso Obasi, in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja, said, however, that the leaders of the country had not done much for education and called for a state of emergency in the sector.

Obasi said that it was regrettable that a country blessed with rich natural and human resources was still lagging behind in basic education which was fundamental to everyones life.

The neglected citizens who have no access to quality education, affordable medical care services shall someday express their grievances to the society to register the level of disappointment.

The hopes of young Nigerians are in danger as their future is already doomed by those who occupy public offices who ought to lay formidable foundation like basic education for a Nigerian child.

It is only in Nigeria you will find public office holders spend tax payers money on sending their children overseas to acquire quality education while educational institutions in their constituencies are neglected.

The medical facilities in Nigeria are not standard as the elites and public office holders derive joy traveling abroad for ordinary medical treatment, he said.

According to him, Nigerias Independence Day calls for sober reflection.

He said that ASESI had plans to sponsor and support internally displaced children in Nigeria to acquire quality education as that was a better way of saving and protecting their future.

Source: NAN

By Ikenna Uwadileke

A Non-Governmental Organisation, the SchoolMe Foundation, has called for increased private sector participation in the provision of quality education for Nigerians to support governments efforts.

The organisation made the call on Tuesday in Abuja while unveiling the SchoolMe scholarship lottery programme.

Representative of the Foundation, Mr Jacob Momoh said that the educational support programme was designed to provide financial aid to young people and also fund educational projects across the country via lottery.

According to him, the lack of fund should never be a reason for not getting quality education.

Pooling resources from the public to make funds available to anyone who is interested in going to school is our main focus; at the same time, we are rewarding players through the lottery.

The idea is to give everyone a chance to make a little sacrifice by playing the lottery which will help fund education for others; there is the possibility of winning some cash, Momoh said.

He further explained that the education funding initiative will not only check the increasing financial constrains mitigating against students dreams, but would go a long way in addressing the dwindling access to quality education in Nigeria.

The initiative is designed to creatively raise funds to mitigate the high cost education and support the academic dreams of the citizenry.

The SchoolMe scholarship lottery is poised to provide a viable scholarship initiative with a two-prong approach which are instant financial reward and scholarship, Momoh said.

In his remark, Prof. Damian Ogbonnaya of Engineering Science Department, State University, New York, urged Nigerians to participate in the programme in order to generate income to promote academic goals of young Nigerians.

According to him, the cost of education is getting astronomically high and many are finding it very difficult to access quality education.

Some who have accessed, are finding it difficult to go through school because of financial constraints.

Countless numbers are dropping out of school; others want to further their studies but do not have the means.

This has led to increased number of miscreants who become a menace to the society, Ogbonnaya said.

Similarly, a Nollywood actor, Francis Duru, while commending the initiators of the project, urged Nigerians to explore the opportunity to liberate themselves from poverty.

Duru said: education is the most powerful tool in which you can use to change the society.

There exists a parallel correlation between education and development.

The school fund initiative will create a pool of enlightened and educated citizens that will form the base of human capital resources for the development of our country Nigeria.

Source: NAN

By Isaac Aregbesola

Foreign Affairs Minister, Geoffrey Onyeama, says a UN joint delegation will visit Maiduguri, Bama and Abuja first week of October, to scale up its humanitarian intervention in the crisis affected areas.

Onyeama said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) after a meeting with the UN team leaders on the sidelines of the 73rd UN General Assembly in New York.

The minister said that the team would be led by the UNDP Administrator, Mr Achim Steiner and UN Emergency Relief Coordinator and Head of UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Mr Mark Lowcock.

He said that the joint UN Development Programme (UNDP)-OCHA Principal-level mission was part of the world ogranisation efforts to support the victims of Boko Haram insurgency in the region.

Onyeama said that the visit was sequel to the High-Level Conference on the Lake Chad Basin Crisis in Berlin, where the international community committed to a comprehensive crisis response in the Lake Chad Region.

He explained that the conference was held at the beginning of September in Berlin on the humanitarian and development efforts on the Lake Chad Basin area.

Onyeama said that the visit was aimed at discussing with senior government and donor officials in Nigeria on how to further strengthen humanitarian and development responses, including national and local ownership in the northeast.

We are looking essentially on how to build on the humanitarian programme and the UN has been very much involved and supportive on the humanitarian front in the northeast

We realised that we have to now move towards the development stage; they also want to hear from the Nigerian government what they should be looking at.

And of course, it is about reconstruction, rehabilitation and resettlement; it is about creating an environment for economic growth which will require school education and also jobs.

This is what we are looking at and UN where they can invest the resources and the technical aspect, he said.

The UN had said in a statement that the objectives of the joint UNDP-OCHA Principal-level mission, was to address humanitarian, resilience and stabilisation needs of communities to prevent a protracted crisis in northeast.

The urgency to make progress on the New Way of Working (NWoW) by the UN Country Team and the Humanitarian Country Teams (UNCT/HCT) has been amplified by large-scale humanitarian needs and the related imperative to address the root causes of the Lake Chad Basin crises in a comprehensive and sustainable way.

Accordingly, the Nigeria UNCT/HCTs are jointly working on formulating collective outcomes which will guide planning and interventions of humanitarian and development actors, he said.

The world body said thatpragmatic pilot projects were currently being set up,where several agencies can work together in a defined geographic area to address immediate support needs in the area.

It stated that this would also help establish the foundations for community recovery and resilience.

It said that the mission to Nigeria would provide a unique opportunity to create momentum for the NWoW and to identify additional opportunities for a comprehensive crisis response in the Lake Chad Region.

Source: NAN

British firm has received the nod to commence work on the $2 billion contract to construct the High Grand Falls Dam in Kenya.

London-based GBM Engineering Consortium won the tender in a process featuring seven international construction firms, five of them Chinese, for a fund, design, build, own, operate and transfer contract.

Kenyas Public Procurement Administrative Review Board, a state agency that handles disputes arising from government tendering, upheld an earlier decision for firm that won the contract.

The dam on River Tana, straddling Kitui and Tharaka Nithi Counties, is part of the Lamu Port and South Sudan-Ethiopia Transport Corridor (Lapsset) projects.

The National Irrigation Board which was the procuring entity on behalf of the Kenyan government, was directed to conclude the tendering process within 30 days by carrying out the technical and financial evaluation of the bidders.

Paul Gicheru, the PPRB chairman ruled that the government had no legal basis to cancel the tender or delay its award to the British firm.

The PPRB Board had earlier heard and determined the dispute in favour of the British construction firm on July 4, and was hearing its appeal after the irrigation board disregarded its ruling and cancelled the tender.

The project will begin after the National Treasury agrees with the contractor on the implementation timelines, projected at six years.

Kenya will not be required to mobilise any resources for the project as the contractor will operate the dam after construction for 20 years, before handing it over to the government.

The next phase will be land acquisition.

The High Grand Falls Dam was conceived in 2009 as part of an ambitious effort to build 1,000 water reservoirs across the country and boost irrigation-based farming.

The project is projected to cover 165 square kilometres and the dam will hold 5.6 billion cubic metres of water and add 700MW to the national power grid.

While at least 45000 households will be displaced, the project is expected to provide water for irrigation of more than 250,000 hectares of land in Kitui, Garissa and Tana River Counties, and help address the perennial flooding menace in the Coast region.

It will be the largest water storage facility in the country with a holding capacity of 5.6 billion cubic metres, said Water Cabinet Secretary Simon Chelugui.

The benefit to the region is enormous; first, it will form a large man-made lake, where fishing and tourism activities can be introduced.

Source:

Source: NAN

Mr. Jide Sanwo-Olu, who is jostling to oust Governor Akinwumi Ambode from Lagos state government house, on Tuesday stormed Island to the warm embrace of supporters.

The aspirant of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), was in his ward in Lagos Island where he pledged to be loyal to the people.

In his tweet, he told the crowd: Today at my ward in Lagos Island. Thank you Lagosians for the massive support and endless outpouring of affection. I pledge to be loyal to you, the people of Lagos. Your mandate is sacred and it must be to the benefit of the generality of our people.

The aspirant had also tweeted warning amorphous groups to desist from tarnishing his reputation.

Good morning dear Lagosians, it has come to my attention that a group by the name Sanwoolu Support Group has been claiming to speak for me. While I hope to be the governor of all, I denounce the activities of any amorphous groups. Their opinion does not represent me. Thank you.

He came out apparently for the governorship primary which held in many local governments in Lagos state on Tuesday, an exercise some described peaceful, fair and credible.

Aye Dee @MrAyeDee tweeted that contrary to what @AkinwunmiAmbode was hoping and praying for, APC Lagos primaries have been Credible, Free, Fair
and devoid of Violence.

No one can come forward later and say @JideS did not get the legitimate mandate of the people

Source: NAN

Dr. Umar Mantu, an aspirant to the Mangu/Bokkos Federal Constituency seat, has congratulated Sen. Jerry Useni for clinching the PDP ticket to contest the Plateau governorship seat in 2019.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Useni, senator representing Plateau South, clinched the ticket after defeating 12 other aspirants in the primary elections held in Jos on Sunday.

According to the results announced Monday morning, Useni, former FCT minister and military governor of old Bendel State, garnered 1,018 votes to floor his closest opponent, Rep Johnbull Shekarau, who got 340 votes.

Useni will slug it out with Gov. Simon Lalong of the APC, who emerged unopposed as the candidate of his party on Sunday.

Mantu, in a statement on Monday in Jos, said that Usenis leadership experience as military governor, FCT minister and Army General had made him the best material to govern the crisis-ridden north-central state.

Plateau needs someone who understands security, politics, economy and mutual co-existence. The state is facing some serious security challenges and the people want a peaceful atmosphere to forward. Useni will provide this, he said.

The statement signed by Mr Emmanuel Macham, on behalf of the Umar Mantu Campaign Organisation, said that Useni had proved a unifying force over the years and would deploy such unifying skills to steer Plateau through its trying times.

Mantu urged the aspirants to unite around the winner and work toward victory in the 2019 general elections.

Since the ultimate dream is a united, prosperous and peaceful Plateau, we must all work for it. Useni is just the rallying point. So, we must rally round him to achieve the Plateau of our dream, he said.

The aspirant described the primary election that produced Useni as the best ever, in Plateau, and commended the State PDP Chairman, Chief Damishi Sango, for keeping to his promise to conduct a transparent and credible election.

Mantu also commended the delegates for making the right choice, and equally hailed the aspirants maturity and calmness throughout the exercise.

Source: NAN

The National Working Committee (NWC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has rescheduled the Lagos governorship primary billed for today.

Also rescheduled are primaries for Enugu and Adamawa states.

The mode of primaries for Enugu and Adamawa states has been changed from indirect to direct.

The party, in a statement by Publicity secretary Yekini Nabena said the Lagos Governorship Primaries will now take place on Tuesday, while the Enugu and Adamawa governorship Primaries will take place on Thursday 4 October.

The Lagos direct primary was initially scheduled for today,

The APC did not give any reason for the postponement of the Lagos primary, where incumbent Governor Akinwunmi Ambode is locked in a battle with Asiwaju Bola Tinubus candidate, Babajide Sanwo-Olu.

In Adamawa, former chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Malam Nuhu Ribadu withdrew from the governorship race, complaining that the direct primary mode was changed abruptly to indirect.

It was not clear whether he will get back on track with the decision to stick to the direct primary mode, to pick the governorship candidate.

Source: NAN

A member of the House of Representatives, Emmanuel David Ombugadu has emerged the Governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Nasarawa State.

Emmanuel Anyanwu, Chairman of the state PDP Primary Committee announced the result at about 5:30 am on Monday at Keffi Local Government secretariat, venue of the primary.

According to him, Ombugadu got 745 votes to defeat his closest rival Solomon Ewuga who got 551 votes.

He therefore declared Ombugadu as the winner of the election and the candidate of PDP in the state.

News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that out of the 1, 502 delegates, only 1, 490 were accredited to vote.

Ombugadu thanked the delegates and leaders of the party for the confidence reposed on him and promised not to let them down.

He also appealed to all members of the party to join hands with him to ensure victory for the party in the 2019 election.

Ombugadu, who is 40 years old, graduated from Government College, Keffi in 1995 and went on to study economics at the University of Jos, graduating in 2001.

Source: NAN

Senator Jeremiah Useni, 75 years old, has emerged the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Plateau in the 2019 general elections.

Useni will face incumbent governor Simon Bako Lalong, 20 years his junior. Lalong belongs to the All Progressives Congress, APC. He also bagged the second term ticket of his party, unopposed on Sunday. Lalong, who is from Shendam LGA was born on 5 May 1963.

Useni polled 1018 votes to defeat 12 other candidates at the partys primaries.His closest rival Johnbull Shekarau got 340 votes.

In all, 2,097 delegates from the seventeen local government areas voted at the primaries.

Useni a serving senator representing Plateau south senatorial zone in the Senate was once the minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja and a former minister of transport. He was also between 1984 and 1985, the military governor of the old Bendel state , now made up of Edo and Delta state.

He was also a very close ally of former military head of state, General Sani Abacha.

He was born 16 February 1943 in Langtang and joined the army after his early education. He rose to the post of Lt. General before retiring in 1999.

Prior to the commencement of voting, Senator Victor Lar, on behalf of the aspirants promised promised to support whoever emerges as the winner in Plateau state.

Other parties will also sooner announce their candidates.

Source: NAN

By Rita Iliya

Gov. Abubakar Bello of Niger has granted unconditional pardon to four prison inmates on death row and two others convicted and kept in prison custody as part of Nigerias 58th Independence anniversary.

He also commuted the death sentence of 20 inmates to various term of imprisonment, discharged 40 others and ordered payment of fines for 221 convicts held in various prisons across the state.

A statement by Malam Jibrin Ndace, Chief Press Secretary to the governor in Minna on Monday quoted Bello as saying that the gesture was in the spirit of the season.

He directed the Attorney General of the state and the state Council on Prerogative of Mercy to effect immediate implementation of the pardon.

He reiterated that his administration would continue to ensure the progress and development of the state in line with the visions of the nationalists who fought for liberation and sovereignty of the country.

We are committed to making our state better than yesterday so that tomorrow will be more comfortable for ourselves and the next generation.

I called on our people to resist any overt or covert attempts by individuals and or groups to cause disharmony in the state as we enter into the next phase of state and national political activities, he said.

Bello also called on politicians and political parties to avoid acts capable of infringing on the right of the people even as democracy admits protests, rallies and demonstrations.

He said that though democracy admits protest, rallies and demonstrations, such activities should be carried out in a responsible and peaceful manner.

He commended members of the All Progressive Congress (APC) for affirming his candidature to contest the 2019 governorship election in the state.

He also congratulated President Muhammad Buhari on his affirmation as the APC Presidential candidate for the 2019 general elections.

Source: NAN