The Federal Government has decided to continue paying the stipends of the N-Power 2016 Batch 1 beneficiaries beyond the expiry month of December 2018, the presidency said.

The statement issued by Laolu Akande, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity Office of the Vice President, on Monday in Abuja, said funding for the continued payments is contained in the 2018 budget.

However, Akande said that beyond the payments of stipends, the Federal Government is also exploring further options to seamlessly move the beneficiariesfrom the government job programme to positions where they were able to earn a sustainable income.

He said that the transition would be through a plan, designed to enable them become valuable, all-rounded employees, employers or entrepreneurs.

The plan is basically an extension of the exit date of December 2018 for the first batch of 200,000 to enable them continue to offer their valuable services in their various communities while still earning their stipends.

They are also to partake in the Enhancement Programme that would seamlessly transition them into numerous economic opportunities in both the public and private sectors of the economy.

The N-Power is a job employment and empowerment scheme for hitherto unemployed Nigerian graduates under the Buhari Administrations National Social Investment Programmes (N-SIP).

The scheme is the largest post-tertiary employment programme in Africa, comprising N-Power beneficiaries that are paid a monthly stipend of N30, 000 and are deployed as volunteers into various sectors of need in the public space, such as health, agriculture, education and public finance.

For the first time in Nigeria, the N-Power beneficiaries applied and were selected for the programme in an objective, efficient and transparent manner, without the need for connections to anyone of influence, he said.

He said that based on conservative projections, the N-Power scheme would provide jobs for at least 10 million Nigerians by 2023.

Akande said that since it commenced in 2016, the N-Power scheme, which had beneficiaries in all the LGAs of the 36 States of the Federation and the FCT, had so far, provided jobs for half a million young Nigerian graduates nationwide.

He said that all the N-Power beneficiaries were given the opportunity to select and own electronic devices for continuous learning as they grew; depending on the selected vocations of entrepreneurship, and to boost the Knowledge Economy.

Source: NAN

More facts have emerged in ongoing investigation into the killing of Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist who was allegedly murdered in Saudi Arabias Consulate in Istanbul Turkey on Oct. 2.

The latest revelation showed a member of the 15-man Saudi hit squad suspected in the death of Khashoggi dressed up in his clothes and was captured on surveillance cameras around Istanbul on the day the journalist was killed, a senior Turkish official has told CNN.

CNN has obtained exclusive law enforcement surveillance footage, part of the Turkish governments investigation, that appears to show the man leaving the Saudi consulate by the back door, wearing Khashoggis clothes, a fake beard, and glasses.

The same man was seen in Khashoggis clothing, according to the Turkish case, at the citys world-famous Blue Mosque just hours after the journalist was last seen alive entering the consulate on Oct. 2.

The man in the video, identified by the official as Mustafa al-Madani, was allegedly part of what investigators have said was a hit squad, sent to kill the journalist during a scheduled appointment to get papers for his upcoming wedding.

Saudi Arabia has presented a shifting narrative of what happened to Khashoggi.

After weeks of denying involvement in Khashoggis disappearance, Saudi Arabia said that he was killed in the Istanbul consulate, saying his death was the result of a fistfight.

A Saudi source close to the royal palace later told CNN that the Washington Post journalist died in a chokehold.

On Sunday, its foreign minister, Adel al-Jubeir, went further, describing Khashoggis death on Fox News as a murder and a tremendous mistake.

He also said they dont know where the body is.

We are determined to uncover every stone. We are determined to find out all the facts. And we are determined to punish those who are responsible for this murder, he said in the interview.

In the apparent cover-up that followed Khashoggis death, Madani, 57, who is of similar height, age and build to Khashoggi, 59, was used as a decoy for the journalist, according to the Turkish official.

A senior Turkish official told CNN that the video showed that Madani was brought to Istanbul to act as a body double.

Source: NAN

By Ifeanyi Nwoko

Amid criticisms and call for slashing of its funds, the governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Tambuwal has called for more funding for the National Assembly to enable it perform its duties.

Tambuwal disclosed this on Monday while delivering a lecture at the Second Convocation and Awards Ceremony of the National Institute of Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS) in collaboration with the University of Benin.

The former Speaker of the House of Representatives said that even though it is an unpopular argument, that so long as Nigeria operates a presidential system of government, the funding of the National Assembly remained meager.

Giving insights on how to boost the institutional capacity of the National Assembly, the Sokoto Governor stressed that for the committees of NASS to work effectively, more money must be allocated.

The constitutional responsibilities of the National Assembly are enormous, especially in the areas of law making and oversight. Adequate financial resources are required for the Assembly to be able to discharge these responsibilities effectively in line with public expectations.

A study by NILDS observed funding gaps in critical areas of committee activities including meetings, implementation of oversight visits and activities, holding interactive sessions and conducting public and investigative.

Am sure this may not go down well with a large percentage of the populace but we cannot run away from the fact that the National Assembly requires more funding, he said.

He said that the issue of funding and procurement of vehicles was strongly argued when President YarAdua began the moneytisation policy and wanted to deprive the National Assembly of project vehicles.

The former lawmaker said that building the institutional capacity of the legislature was very key to the development of the nation stressing that strong institutions define a nation.

He however decried that a major challenge facing the legislature was that of high turnover, stressing that the way new lawmakers were elected into office does not give room for professionalism and expertise.

Tambuwal added that interference of the executive in the activities of the legislature must cease so that the legislature can truly be free to carry out its functions.

He called on NASS to legislate on budget cycle in a way that compels the executive to submit the budget on time while also advising them to review the recruitment process for legislative aids to ensure that only professional were employed and not friends or allies of the lawmakers.

Legislators-constituency relations should emphasise constituency-wide benefits. NASS should also invest in outreach programmes and strengthen linkages with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) as they play key roles in civic education.

Legislature must continue to cultivate public trust in the democratic system through high ethical standards. This underscores the need to strengthen the ethics and code of conduct regime at the National Assembly in order to develop a culture of high etiquette for legislators and to rebuild public trust in the political system, he said.

The governor congratulated the students who had graduated from the various courses of the Institute.

In an address, Prof Peter Lewis of Johns Hopkins University, commended the 4Republic Legislature, particularly the 8 National Assembly for being the most independent legislature in the history of Nigeria.

Lewis, Director of African Studies and a Professor of Advanced International Studies, at the University in Washington DC, USA said that the first and second legislatures were basically instruments of the Executive.

He said that the second legislature for instance had only one member sponsored bill unlike the 8 National Assembly were most of the over 200 bills that had been passed were sponsored by members of the legislature.

The National Assembly in Nigerias Fourth Republic now in its fifth session since the inauguration of democracy in 1999 is unlike any previous parliamentary institution since independence.

This is not because of the design of the assembly, which has roots in the British parliamentary tradition rather, it is the roles and functions of the NASS that are distinctive. It is the first independent legislature in Nigerian history.

In the First and Second Republics, the legislature had little autonomy from the executive, the Assembly was largely a debating chamber and an instrument of the executive.

Since 1999, both the Senate and the House of Representatives have asserted roles in legislation, oversight and representation. More than 2100 bills have been shepherded through the Assembly during the span of the Fourth Republic, he said.

For the President of the Senate Dr Bukola Saraki, who is the Chairman Governing Council on NILDS, he said that the National Assembly will continue focus on policies that would advance the people.

He said that the legislature would continue to be effective stressing that an effective legislature is essential to democracy, the rule of law, human rights, and economic and social development.

The core legislative, oversight and representative functions of the legislature provide an essential contribution to the quality our democracy and governance as a whole.

In the 8 Assembly, the legislature has played a greater role in policy formulation and has engaged more robustly with the Executive at the various stages of policy formulation, he said.

Saraki who presented the certificates to all 78 graduates of the various programmes of NILDS commended the graduands and the institution for the milestones recorded.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the post graduate courses for which the convocation was held were Masters in Legislative Studies and Masters in Legislative Drafting.

Mr Omololu Phillip Ogunmade, a Journalist with Thisday Newspaper formerly assigned to cover the National Assembly, was awarded as the best graduating student for Masters in Legislative Studies.

Source: NAN

By Abiodun Lawal

No fewer than nine persons were feared dead on Tuesday in an accident involving a Mercedes-Benz Marcopolo bus and an Iveco truck at Aseese area on the Lagos/Ibadan Expressway.

Mr Clement Oladele, Ogun Sector Commander, Federal Road Safety Corps, confirmed the figure to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abeokuta.

Oladele said that the accident was caused by speeding by the driver of the bus marked SMK 867 XG.

He said that the bus lost control and collided with the parked truck with registration number AAA XP at 5:30am.

A total of 42 persons were involved in the accident; they comprised 34 males and eight females.

Three male and two female adults were injured while seven male and two female adults died, he said.

The sector commander told NAN that the injured victims were taken to a nearby hospital while the corpses were deposited at the Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital mortuary, Sagamu, Ogun.

Source: NAN

President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki says the National Assembly will continue to mount necessary pressure to get presidential assent on the Petroleum Industry Governance Bill (PIGB).

Saraki spoke at a dinner as part of activities at the ongoing 24th Nigerian Economic Summit in Abuja on Monday.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the dinner which ended late in the night, was attended by trade experts, industrialists, Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) operators and financial experts among other dignitaries.

According to Saraki, the resolve by the legislature to mount pressure to ensure the bill gets presidential assent has become necessary, given its importance to development of the oil and gas sector in Nigeria.

NAN reports that President Muhammadu Buhari had withheld assent on the PIGB following its passage by the National Assembly.

The President had also communicated its decline of assent to the PIGB 2018, citing constitutional and legal reasons in the bill.

The Senate president said that it was unfortunate that the bill had not been assented to, adding we took it as a responsibility to drive that bill to a level it has never been in a decade.

That bill, a lot of people when we started said we cannot do it, but we demonstrated we have the political will and the commitment to do it.

We passed the governance bill and it went to the executive.

What I expected considering the kind of work that was done was for us both arms to seat down, because the issues that were raised are not issues that are not surmountable.

Unfortunately, after so many months, the bill has come back with query that can easily be trashed out in a day session.

Those in the petroleum sector will agree with me that they have never seen the engagement we saw in the governance bill.

Secondly, we had the fiscal bill and we have taken it to the point that has never been archived, but I believe a lot of the operators will want to ask what will happen to the fiscal bill if the governance bill was not assented to.

Our intension is to go back to the executive and seat down with them in the interest of Nigeria.

This is a very good bill as most operators and the technical people in the sector commended it.

He said the observation made on the bill was not enough reasons to stop its assent because of the huge positive impact it would make in investments in the sector.

Because as you know, there is no serious investment going in the oil and gas sector because people are not sure of what to expect.

On cost of governance, Saraki said it was huge but added that there were some wastages that could be reduced.

The Senate president said the fight against corruption must be transparent, and credible, adding that effort should also be made to prevent it.

For example, the main area where we produce our major revenue is mainly in the oil and gas sector.

But when you look at corruption cases, I am not sure you will find many of the cases in that sector, the fight is so selective.

But if it is transparent, you should start from where you are producing your large source of revenue.

Because if you can tackle corruption in the sector, there will be less leakages down the line.

For example today, we are back to spending close to 3.6 billion dollars petroleum subsidy, so apart from the national assembly, which anti-corruption agency is looking at that?

The point I am making is that there should be a transparent process and approach in fighting corruption.

If we can make the petroleum sector most efficient which accounts for large revenue, government will be more efficient.

Source: NAN

By Deborah Coker

The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Edo Command, has intercepted a truck laden with 45,000 litres of suspected illegally-refined petroleum products.

Mr Makinde Ayinla, the State Commandant of the NSCDC, made the disclosure to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Benin on Tuesday.

Ayinla said that the truck was intercepted at Aduwawa area on Benin/Auchi road.

He told NAN that the truck, which was laden with suspected illegally-refined diesel was loaded in Delta and heading to Abuja.

The NSCDC boss said the driver of the truck had been arrested and would soon be prosecuted.

Ayinla said that the command would continue to discharge its duties and ensure that the nations economic saboteurs desist from their unpatriotic trade.

The commandant advised petroleum marketers to shun acts inimical to the economic emancipation of the country and ensure that they got their products from the legal refineries.

He said this was imperative as any marketer that patronised illegal refinery would eventually suffer a loss as such products, if intercepted, would be destroyed.

Source: NAN

By Felicia Imohimi

Stakeholders in health sector have urged the Federal Government to include Family Planning (FP) and other primary healthcare services provided by Community Pharmacists (CPs) and Patent and Proprietary Medicines Vendors (PPMVs), in information platforms.

The stakeholders made the call at the inaugural meeting for the development of PCN FP and other Primary Health Care (PHC) Strategic Plan in collaboration with the PSN-PACFaH@Scale in Abuja.

The stakeholders included the Federal Ministry of Health (FMoH), Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN), National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN)-Partnership for Advocacy in Child and Family Health @Scale Project (PACFaH@Scale.

Others are Community Pharmacists and PPMVs, Society for Family Health/IntegratE Project, among others.

They identified such platforms to include the National Health Management Information System (NHMIS) and the National Family Planning Dashboard, noting that community pharmacies and patent medicines shops were solution to achieving universal health coverage.

Giving an overview of the strategic plan, Dr Edwin Akpotor, Programme Manager, PSN-PACFaH@Scale said the plan would itemise what the council intended doing in repositioning CPs and PPMVs in providing extended services.

Akpotor said the three years strategic plan which would commence from 2019 to 2021 was meant for FP service delivery adding that for Nigeria to achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC) there was need to include private sector healthcare provision.

According to the 2013 National Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS), 60 per cent of Nigerians patronise or obtain their services and other PHC services from private sector, which is the CPs and PPMVs.

He emphasised that with the current Task Shifting and Task Sharing (TSTS) policy of the government, more services would be given to CPs and PPMVs.

Akpotor said: The Federal Government at the July 2017 London FP2020 Summit made a commitment to expand the FP services that community-based health practitioners such as CPs, PPMVs among others can provide.

Through this commitment, the government believes the current FP unmet need can be bridged while increasing access to critical FP information and services especially in hard-to-reach environment and ultimately achieving the countrys modern Contraceptive Prevalence Rate goal (MCPR).

In supporting the government to achieve this commitment and others, the PSN-PACFaH@Scale project is supporting PCN to develop a strategic plan (blue print) on re-positioning and strengthening the FP and other PHC services provided by CPs and PPMVs.

Through the plan the council needs to have a plan on how to operationalise the TSTS, monitor, ensure supportive supervision of this group to provide accurate, exact services they are met to do, he said.

Akpotor identified some of the task of the council to include demand creation and generation, creating awareness, ensuring that the practitioners provide the relevant information and services.

According to him, such measures will enable them to give right information to their clients or make a referral to the appropriate quarters when the need arise.

When developed, the strategic plan will be leveraged upon by development partners and donors in strengthening the regulatory capacity of PCN and ensure CPs and PPMVs provide quality FP and other PHC information and services.

Source: NAN

Saudi Arabia is in crisis in the face of international outrage over the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih said Tuesday at an investment summit boycotted by a host of global CEOs and policymakers.

The three-day Future Investment Initiative (FII) was meant to project the historically insular petro-state as a lucrative business destination and set the stage for new ventures and multi-billion dollar contracts.

But the summit, nicknamed Davos in the desert, has been overshadowed by the outcry over the murder of Khashoggi inside the kingdoms consulate in Istanbul on October 2, with a string of leading international investors pulling out over the case.

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the kings powerful son whose reform credentials have been heavily damaged by the scandal despite repeated denials he had any involvement in the killing, was a no-show at the opening session.

As we know these are difficult days. We are going through a crisis, Falih said in his speech.

Falih said the murder of Khashoggi was regrettable, adding that nobody in the kingdom can justify it.

The comments come as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan demanded to know who gave the order for Khashoggis killing in his country and the location of the slain journalists corpse.

The Riyadh conference opened amid tight security at Riyadhs Ritz-Carlton hotel, with Russian Direct Investment Fund chief Kirill Dmitriyev and Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan headlining.

Falih heaped praise on the CEO of French energy giant Total, Patrick Pouyanne, for standing by Saudi Arabia in this difficult period.

We see what partnership means when you have difficult times, Pouyanne responded as he shared the stage with Falih.

This is when you really strengthen a partnership.

But a long list of investors and international policymakers have declined to show up in Riyadh in apparent protest against the Khashoggi killing.

Siemens chief executive Joe Kaeser, corporate chiefs from JP Morgan, Ford and Uber, and media powerhouses like Bloomberg, CNN and the Financial Times all scrapped plans to attend.

Ministers from Britain and France and the United States, which have huge defence deals at stake with Saudi Arabia, have stayed away.

A wider Western boycott of the conference suggests rising political risks in Saudi Arabia that could hit foreign direct investment, which already plunged to a 14-year low last year, according to a UN body.

Despite talk of reform, FDI inflows into Saudi have stayed low and the scandal will only increase investor uncertainty, said research firm Capital Economics.

And in a fresh setback, the forums website went down on Monday after an apparent cyberattack. There was no immediate claim of responsibility.

It was back up with reduced content when the conference opened.

This years conference contrasts with last years inaugural FII a star-studded event at Riyadhs Ritz-Carlton hotel, where Prince Mohammed was lionised as a visionary by speakers.

But many Western firms have too much at stake to abandon the Arab worlds biggest economy, and some have decided to send lower-level executives.

Companies from China and Russia have also shown little interest in withdrawing from the event, an organiser said.

The high profile withdrawal of so many American CEOs from the conference certainly presents opportunities for Asian and Russian companies to make a splash, Ellen Wald, author of the book Saudi Inc., told AFP.

The crown prince, widely known by his initials MBS, faces what the risk consultancy Eurasia Group has called an acute public relations crisis over Khashoggis murder.

After more than two weeks of vehement denials, Saudi Arabia has now admitted Khashoggi was killed in the consulate.

In the past weeks, Turkish media and officials speaking to international media have said audio recordings prove Khashoggi was tortured before being decapitated although no concrete evidence of their existence has emerged.

Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said Tuesday the killing of a critic must never happen again, as he pledged a thorough and complete investigation.

Khashoggis killing fits the pattern of a recent crackdown on dissent in the kingdom, in which clerics, business high-fliers and women activists have been detained.

Further stoking investor anxiety, the kingdom is embroiled in an expensive war in Yemen and is leading an embargo against neighbouring Qatar.

Source: NAN

A 72-year-old man Dharampal Singh, has died in India after a group of monkeys threw bricks at him from a tree.

Singh had been collecting pieces of dry wood before the incident in Tikri, Uttar Pradesh, on Thursday.

Police said monkeys rained bricks on the man from a treetop after collecting them from a nearby dilapidated building, the Times of India reported.

The elderly man later died in hospital from sustained head and chest injuries.

Villagers have repeatedly complained about aggressive monkeys in the area, but the animals are a protected species.

Mr Singhs family are said to have put in a formal complaint about the incident to police.

The victims brother reportedly told the newspaper: Monkeys threw more than 20 bricks at Dharampal on Thursday.

He said they will now meet senior officials and request them to initiate action in this regard.

Source: NAN

Many communities that make up the Cross River Central senatorial district have vowed to vote against the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2019 senatorial election.

Leaders from five communities in the district who spoke to our correspondent, alleged that both PDP and APC had continued to marginalization marginalise them, stressing that they would be massively supporting the Social Democratic Party (SDP).

The communities stressed that since the return of democracy in 1999 no son or daughter from their area had been given the opportunity to represent them despite the zoning formula practiced by both parties.

Chief Victor Oyama, a community leader from Obubra Local Government Area decried that people from the Ikom area had been occupying the position for too long and it was time for the ticket to go to the other half of the senatorial district.

He urged the candidates from Ikom to take an example from Senator Ben Bruce, who although being a first time senator, respected the partys zoning formula and withdrew from contesting for a second term.

Cross River Central comprises the old Ikom and the old Obubra. These used to be local government areas until Abi, Yakurr, Etung, and Boki were added to the two. But about 20 years now since the return of democracy, old Ikom has been occupying that position.

The other half of the senatorial district believe now is their turn to produce a senator as they have been patiently supporting the old Ikom over the years to win the seat.

The APC and the PDP picked their candidates from the Old Ikom section of the district which has been providing the senator since the return of democracy, but only SDP has moved to correct the injustice by fielding a candidate from old Obubra.

We are going to vote massively for SDP because of that, Oyama said.

Also speaking, Mr Eval Ejeje Egbe from Abi Local Government Area faulted the lack of respect for zoning on the part of the Ikom LGA, stressing that it was time the other LGA had their own son or daughter representing them.

The senatorial district used to have just Ikom and Obubra LGAs before the creation of other LGAs.

Obubra was divided into three same as Ikom. Ordinarily after Ikom enjoys the senatorial seat, it should swing to Obubra, but as it stands now, the people of Obubra are very angry and think they are being taken for a ride.

They have resolved to vote against any party that does not field a senatorial candidate from the old Obubra.

In PDP and APC, aspirants from Obubra sought the ticket but they were sidestepped and the tickets of both parties went to persons from Ikom despite outcries of marginalisation from the Obubra people.

So, the people have resolved that this time, it is their turn and are not ready to give listening ears to candidates from the other part of the district when they come for campaign, he said.

The community leaders also faulted one of the candidates who is leaving the chairmanship of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, to return to the Senate, lamenting that the candidate was shortchanging the entire Cross River.

From the Yakurr community, Mrs Comfort Okoi, decried the the Ikom people were doing the state more harm than good in aspiring for the senatorial position.

She lamented that one of the aspirants from Ikom was abandoning his position in the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), a position which she said was more beneficial to the state than that of a senator which he now seeks.

He is the chairman of NDDC yet he wants to drop it for the same senatorial seat the people of Obubra have not tasted.

People have been telling him that he will be shortchanging Cross River if he drops his plum position at NDDC as it will automatically go to another state.

After being a senator for three terms, he is now chairman of NDDC which is bigger than a senate seat yet he wants to come and be struggling for the smaller opportunity for people of his senatorial district.

He wants to deprive Cross River state of the opportunity of producing chairman of NDDC and also deprive other people who are due to have one of their own in the senate.

We dont want Ndoma Egba at the senate, we want him to remain as NDDC chairman so he can be giving our people jobs and contracts. If he leaves that place, a Cross River indigene wont be appointed as replacement, she said.

On his part, Mr Enang Asu from Boki LGA noted that the PDP candidate is from Ikom, the same LGA of the governorship candidate of the APC, Owan Enoh and the senatorial flag bearer.

If things go their way a local government would have produced the governor as well as senator in Cross River. How then can the same LGA produce his successor to the disadvantage of the other five LGAs particularly those in the old Obubra who havent tasted the seat since 1999.

At the return of democracy in 1999, the first senator for Cross River Central was Senator M. T. Mbu from old Ikom. He handed over to Ndoma Egba also from old Ikom. Ndoma Egba was there for 12 years, and handed over to another Ikom man, Owan Enoh who is there for another four years making it 20 years.

Even Ikom-born Moses Ojong expressed concerns the people of Ikom had enjoyed the support of old Obubra and as such it was time for power to change hands.

Its true that the status quo favours us but some of our people are worried. For APC and PDP to field candidates from old Ikom despite knowing the political history of Cross River Central seems as if they want to destroy the bond of brotherhood between Obubra and Ikom people.

The other section will now be thinking that all of us in old Ikom are power grabbers and we fear that when they eventually occupy the senatorial seat, they wouldnt want to hand over to our children. So, justice should prevail, he said.

Source: NAN