643 Nigerians voluntarily returned from Libya in 3 months

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) on Tuesday said 643 Nigerians had voluntarily returned from Libya from December 15, 2016, to March 7, 2017.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Alhaji Muhammad Sidi, the Director-General, NEMA, made the disclosure while receiving a fresh batch of 171 Nigerians who arrived in Lagos.

Sidi, who was represented by Dr Onimode Bandele, the Deputy Director, Search and Rescue, said of the total returnees within the period, 251 were male, and 392 female.

He said the returnees, who were brought back by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and the Nigerian Embassy in Libya, include 23 children and infants.

“So what you are witnessing today is the effort of IOM who got in touch with the people over there and the returnees you are seeing today are Nigerians who have shown interest to return voluntarily.

“The new set of returnees are made up of 73 male, 83 female, 12 children and three infants,” Sidi added.

He advised Nigerians to shun irregular migration, stressing that opportunities abound in the country for them to earn a decent living.

Sidi said:”We have interviewed some of the returnees and found out that some of them already had training in hairdressing and laundry before embarking on the ill-fated journey.

“Our advice to them is that they can put this to good use and contribute positively to the country.

“We are also happy that some state governments have started showing interest on how to rehabilitate and reintegrate the returnees from their states. ”

Also speaking, Mrs Sadiya Farouk, Federal Commissioner, National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and IDPs, said the commission would soon embark on a sensitization programme to encourage Nigerians to stay back home and help develop the country.

NAN reports that the new set of returnees arrived the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, aboard a chartered Buraq Air aircraft with registration number TNSIB (UZ189/190) at about 4.30pm.

They were received at the Hajj Camp area of the airport by officers of the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), the National Agency for the Protection of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) and the Police.

Also on ground to receive them were officials of NEMA and the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).

The returnees were profiled by immigration authorities and were each given a stipend of N19, 695 to facilitate their transportation to their respective states.

Vía The Guardian Nigeria http://ift.tt/2mWW7zK

Police foil Algeria suicide attack

http://ift.tt/2mBuzf5

Algerian police officers in Ghardaia (photo: AFP/Getty Images/F. Batiche<br />

A policeman managed to foil an attempted suicide attack in eastern Algeria on Sunday, opening fire on the bomber and triggering the explosives belt he was wearing, officials said.

The national police force said the attacker had been approaching a police station in the city of Constantine when he was shot by the officer.

“An officer who was in front of the police headquarters, underneath a building that is home to a dozen families, responded energetically and heroically after several warnings, targeting with precision the explosive belt worn by a terrorist,” police said in a statement cited by APS news agency.

At the time of the foiled attack around 9.00 pm (2000 GMT), a strong explosion was heard near the police station in central Constantine, eastern Algeria’s main hub, APS reported.

Two officers were injured in the explosion, according to local reports.

Prosecutors have opened an investigation into the “terrorist attack,” police said.

Last week the army said it had killed 14 “terrorists”, a term used to refer to armed Islamists in Algeria, during a major search operation in the Bouira region, 125 kilometres (77 miles) southeast of the capital Algiers.

Despite the adoption in 2005 of a charter for peace and reconciliation, designed to turn the page on the brutal 1991-2002 Algerian civil war that left 200,000 people dead, Islamist groups remain active in the country’s south and east, largely targeting security forces.

At least 22 armed Islamists have been killed in these regions since the start of the year, according to an AFP toll based on official figures.

Vía The Guardian Nigeria http://ift.tt/2mBByEY

South Africa introduces $260 monthly minimum wage

http://ift.tt/2kRtAdB

PHOTO; AFP

South Africa will introduce a national minimum wage of 3,500 rand (261 dollars) per month in 2018, Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Thursday, following protracted negotiations between the government and labour unions.

Supporters of a minimum wage say it can stimulate growth as workers can spend more, as well as reducing inequality.

Critics say it could lead to increased unemployment as employers will be unable to afford higher wage bills.

Credit ratings agencies have said agreeing a minimum wage would help Africa’s most industrialised economy hold onto its investment-grade rating by stabilising the labour market and reducing the number of strikes.

“The balance we have sought to strike is that it must not be too low, so that it doesn’t affect the lowest paid workers, but not too high that it leads to massive job losses,” Ramaphosa told a news conference.

Ramaphosa said the national minimum wage, which equates to 20 rand (1.50 dollars) per hour, would come into effect in May 2018.

Businesses that are unable to afford the minimum wage would be permitted to apply for an exemption of up to 12 months, Ramaphosa said.

The Treasury had also thrown its political weight behind the policy initiative.

Chief economist at Nedbank Dennis Dykes said the agreement was a sign of an improving relationship between labour, business and government, but warned that its implementation needed to be monitored.

“It is by no means certain this will lead to job creation.

“It needs to be watched carefully for any negative effects,” Dykes said.

Vía The Guardian Nigeria http://ift.tt/2lmTvKO

Two suspected female suicide bombers arrested in Maiduguri

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J

The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) Borno Command, on Tuesday intercepted two female suicide bombers, who tried to ram into motorists at the NNPC Mega Station along Damboa Road, Maiduguri.

The Commandant of the corps, Ibrahim Abdullahi, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Maiduguri on Tuesday that the incident occurred at about 6.45 a.m.

“Our personnel at the NNPC station intercepted two female suicide bombers, who were targeting motorists on the long queue at the NNPC mega petrol station at about 6.45 a.m.

“One of the bombers got scared and threw her bomb and was instantly arrested, while the other one started running after people with her explosive but luckily, she was shot on the leg by our personnel after he chased her to a safe place.

“We have deployed our Anti-Bomb Squad to the area,” Abdullahi said.

The commandant said that the few insurgents remaining were looking for soft targets where they could cause havoc and appealed to all residents in Borno to be on alert and vigilant.

Vía The Guardian Nigeria http://ift.tt/2kCrlsd

WATCH VIDEO: Shane Eagle x Big Star – Top Floor

http://ift.tt/2kinG4E

Top Floor is the second collaborative single between Shane Eagle & Big Star. The charismatic song by Shane Eagle & Big Star is ‘…Wavy, wavy, wavy, wavy, (aye)… dripping off the sauces and the gravy’.

The colorful music video was shot in a calm community in SA. Watch the clip and enjoy below…

Vía Uzomedia http://ift.tt/2jufFpf

Nasty C – Verge ft. Tellaman [Mp3 + Lyrics]

http://ift.tt/2kifBwA

Nasty C continues his 2017 music spree this time by releasing Verge, featuring singer Tellaman.

Verge becomes Nasty C’s third release this month following NDA and Golden. Listen to his latest offering below…

DOWNLOAD

Vía Uzomedia http://ift.tt/2kinvXu

Zambian women’s day off for periods stokes debate

http://ift.tt/2juht17

PHOTO: Public Radio International

A Zambian law that entitles women to take one day off work a month when they have their period is stirring increasingly fierce debate in a country reluctant to discuss sexual health.

Discreetly called Mother’s Day, the 2015 law — unique in Africa — enables women to be absent from work without notice or a doctor’s note to help them cope with menstrual bleeding, pain and cramps.

“It helps me to manage my physiological needs (and) I think it’s very important that I always endorse it,” Shupe Luchembe, 36, a civil servant in the capital Lusaka and mother of three, told AFP.

“As a woman, it goes without saying that every month I need a special day away from the office to manage myself properly.”

In Zambia, a southern African country of 15.5 million people, discussing sex and personal health is largely taboo and often surrounded by secrecy and misunderstanding.

Many parents prefer not to explain how their children were conceived and born, instead saying they were “brought from the hospital.”

But two years ago, employment law was amended to grant all women — and not just mothers, despite its title — one day of menstrual leave each month after lobbying by campaigners.

“Mother’s Day is a very progressive law,” said Madube Siyauya, of the Non-Governmental Organisations’ Coordinating Council ( NGOCC), an umbrella body of Zambian action groups.

“Some women have heavy flows, some of them have a lot of pain or vomiting.

“So it’s a very important day that allows women to attend to their biological needs and continue their work without being susceptible to discrimination.”

“Zambia is envied because of this law,” added Sara Longwe, also of the NGOCC, one of those that pushed for the law.

– ‘It is abused’ –

But not everyone is a fan. While some Zambian women say the day off is widely abused, the law is also a popular subject for complaint among Zambian men.

“I have never taken Mother’s Day in my life,” Laura Miti, 46, head of the Alliance for Community Action, told AFP.

“I don’t understand why others need it. It is abused. Whenever they have something they need to do, they would rather take the day off than taking leave.

“My sense is that giving half the workforce 12 days (off) extra per year is unproductive. It can’t be productive, especially if you are working in the corporate world.”

Chiselwa Kawanda, 33, a government employee in Lusaka, agrees, saying the law was misguided.

“If I miss a day at work, it means I have to start all over the next day,” she said, adding that, in any case: “You don’t have periods for just one day.”

Zambia’s approach is rare across the world, though Japan has had similar legislation since 1947 and Indonesia, Taiwan and South Korea have since followed suit.

In Britain, Coexist, a small Bristol-based non-profit company, is experimenting with flexible hours for menstruating employees.

– ‘No evidence of low productivity’ –

Despite the criticisms, the Zambian government says it stands by the legislation, which has no age limits so also applies to women after the menopause.

“Some women get sick, they are not able to concentrate on their work… so it was agreed that they can stay home without producing any certificate,” Cecilia Mulindeti-Kamanga, of the labour ministry, told AFP.

“Of course there has been some complaints here and there but women go at different times. There is no documentary evidence of low productivity.”

Some Zambian women also allege that employers, particularly in the private sector, put pressure on female workers to not take their Mother’s Day.

Others point out that the vast majority of Zambian women cook, clean, bring up children and care for the elderly at home or toil in the fields with little time off of any description.

The government has also introduced other programmes to support women. This year it started providing free sanitary pads to schoolgirls in rural areas to reduce absenteeism.

Women in Zambia face widespread discrimination in education, law and employment, and the rates of child marriage and death during childbirth are high, especially in underdeveloped rural areas where most people live.

Vía The Guardian NigeriaThe Guardian Nigeria http://ift.tt/2jJ1JLa