Korede Bello has officially unveils the most anticipated album titled ”BELLOVED” . Here is a track off the album tagged ”Young Presido”
Listen and share your thought!!
Vía Uzomedia http://ift.tt/2meWpx6
Showing posts with label 2017 at 05:21AM. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2017 at 05:21AM. Show all posts
Sunday, 12 March 2017
Korede Bello – Favorite Song [Mp3 + Lyrics]
Korede Bello has officially unveils the most anticipated album titled ”BELLOVED” . Here is a track off the album tagged ”Favorite Song”
Listen and share your thought!!
Vía Uzomedia http://ift.tt/2ncsOJy
Korede Bello – Repete [Mp3 + Lyrics]
Korede Bello has officially unveils the most anticipated album titled ”BELLOVED” . Here is a track off the album tagged ”Repete”
Listen and share your thought!!
Vía Uzomedia http://ift.tt/2niJ9cv
Friday, 10 March 2017
Notes at Vanguard Economic Discourse:
Chairman of the Vanguard Economic Discourse, Mr Fola Adeola, mounted the podium at exactly 10.35am, after the welcome remarks by the Editor-in-Chief of Vanguard Newspapers, Mr Gbenga Adefaye by 10.30am.
After a brief remarks, Mr Adefaye introduced former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Prof Soludo for his keynote address.
Nigeria in dire need of help–Soludo
In his address, professor Soludo said Nigeria was in dire need of help.
He said: “The unique thing about the topic of the event is that Nigeria is in dire need of help. But I wished that the topic is centred around the new economic plan.
There is no doubt that the present government inherited a depleting economy but it is also depleting the foreign reserve it met. If it had even grown it by 50 percent, it would have been a different story by now.
Workers have suffered the most in the present government being owed arrears which reduces their nominal life, more so as inflation has hit the roof.
Monetary and exchange rate policies are out of this world. We have created havoc in trying to stop the importation of tooth picks. We are busy chasing the rat while the local industries are closing down
Nigeria has refused to learn lesson from what happen.
I have read all the economic blue prints of all governments, since 1970, every plan appears to begin without every government blames the previous government and at the end of the day, end up doing nothing and the circle continues.
As citizen, we must hold government accountable. The APC government promised to give a clean slate from the debris of the past. My question is where is…or are we going to continue as usual.
In the context of any serious economy, particularly of a post oil the exchange rate will be decisive. It will not be silver bullet.
The truth is that the micro economy indices would remain dicey until we remove the uncertainty in exchange rate regime.
There is no doubt that govt mean well, as the saying goes, the road to hell is always filled with good intentions. We have wasted too much time to reinvent the will and Nigerians are paying for it.
What Nigeria needs now is statesmanship politics
PANEL OF DISCUSSION
Mailafia
One of the panelist, Dr Obadia Mailafia, who spoke on the blind spots of national development said: “I agree with the keynote speaker on some fact of his lecture.
He said: “However, I do not think that economic blueprint of this government is not economic diversification but a fire brigade strategy to get the economy out of recession.
We have forgotten that many of our cities are no longer involved in regional and urban planning. Again, our young ones, no longer have a voice. If we don’t build for them, if we don’t provide a platform today, we will not have a tomorrow.
We need to emancipate our women who are greater in number and reintegrate them into the national polity.
Mailafia, a former deputy governor of the CBN, said: “Industrialisation, technology and development. When it comes to Africa, we never mention industrialisation and technology. But I dare say that we must industrialise or perish.
Now the elephant in the room; No matter how well a government means, if does not have a good civil service to implement his ideas, failure is the end result. We must go back to finding quality civiservice workforce to be able to interprete policies of govt.
Another panelist, Muda Yusuf, said there was more that the private sector could do to rescue the nation’s ailing economy.
He said: What can the private sector put on the table to rescue the economy. We need to involve the private sector in economic recovery. However, the key driver is confidence. Exchange rate. Getting it right in foreign exchange policy is a critical enablement to getting the economy in the right direction. Again, there are all manner of underhand practices across all levels of the foreign exchange rate chain, which has become disincentives to private sector participation.
All these have created credibility problem. We need to give way for market to play a role in the direction of foreign exchange policy.
Mailafi, who is Director-General of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, LCCI, harped on the need for a monetary policy effect that will lead to rescuing the economy.
He said: “Domestic player can have no incentive in a sector where the interest rate in between 25 to 30 percent.
Government borrowing: govt is borrowing at 18-20 percent, and risk. So how can the private sector compete in that kind of system. We need to check the rate at which govt borrows. It’s scandalous.
We need to protect, but we need to be cautious in the way we do it. The domestic capacity is so weak and it has driving hunger.
AREMU
On his part, a member of the National Executive Council, NEC, of the Nigeria labour Congress, NLC, Mr Issa Aremu said it was imperative to look at the nation’s political economy.
Aremu said: The point of departure of the economic recovery plan is moving away from the contents of section 2 of the 1999 constitution. The government should harness resources to create wealth and welfare of the people.
We need to improve on the government to be able to know where we are going in the next ten years or more
This new recovery plan is still centred on the oil and gas. Business people will want know what we want to achieve in terms of business in public and private sectors.
We must have an exchange rate policy that grow the economy. We must have a way of controlling capital. The govt has done well in banning some products. I think they should even ban more. Instead of giving somebody foreign exchange to go to china to buy fabrics that cannot last, why not give it to Nigerian textile mills to develop.
I disagree with FG’s banning policy—OTTI
In his remarks, former Group Managing Director of Diamond Bank, Dr Alex Otti disagreed with the Federal government’s decision to ban some imported items.
Otti said: I disagree that govt should ban more things. In fact banning 41 things, means that they must also find way to come back through the back door.
You cannot be increasing interest rate in a recession. What drives savings is not rate but a lot of other policies. Central bank should be thinking of bringing interest rate down. It would encourage people to borrow, increase spending and encourage people to invest.
Structure of the Nigerian economy. We have come into this deceit that we eulogise ourselves as a big oil economy. Again, we celebrated too early of the size of our economy when the GDP rebase was done some time ago.
We need to look at the structure of this economy. As we are restructuring the economy, we need to restructure the polity. I don’t agree with the kind of the Presidential government we are running today. We cannot afford it. We cant afford the size of governors and deputy governors who collect fat security votes when they are not fighting wars. We can’t afford, the number of legislators who take fat allowances and work only three times a week.
I believe that this country does not need more than six governors.
Fayemi
On his part, Minister for Solid Minerals Development, Dr Kayode Fayemi said: “All that Soludo has said, are actually what the plan tends to do. It is a plan that identifies.
It is not of planning that we are suffering from, it is lack of implementation of previous plans. However, we didn’t just get to this point now. The rain started beating us long ago. The present government cannot do magic over night.
We still need oil revenue to diversify. Diversification is not tantamount to ignoring oil and gas. It also means making good use of the revenues of the oil and gas.
There is no doubt that the government is underperforming but we can also see that our tax system is one of the very lowest
Exchange rate should be reviewed—Rewane
For the Managing Director of Financial Derivatives Company, Mr Bismarck Rewane, he opined that there is need for a review of the exchange rate.
Oshiomhole
Also speaking, former of Edo State, Mr Adams Oshiomhole said: “Growth is useful when it affects the lives of people. To me, there is nothing like free market. Who is the market free from or for.
When there is no attitudinal change, particularly from the elite class, transparency would just be only a beautiful word. How do you diversify economy by pricing money out of the rich of the common investor. Everything about the discussion of the economy is how it will improve the welfare of the ordinary man.
The post Notes at Vanguard Economic Discourse: appeared first on Vanguard News.
Vía Vanguard News http://ift.tt/2mIMdAZ
Saturday, 25 February 2017
Bangladesh releases arrested factory workers…Read full details
Bangladesh garment workers arrested last year over wage strikes are being released, global union IndustriALL said Saturday, adding that international fashion brands have agreed not to boycott a key industry conference in capital Dhaka.
A strike by tens of thousands of workers in December demanding higher pay was quashed after around two weeks, with 1,600 employees sacked and 34 workers and union leaders arrested.
Cases alleging such things as burglary, arson, vandalism and extortion were also filed against more than 1,500 others, while authorities dismissed the workers’ demands saying that no pay hike would be made before 2019.
Global fashion companies including H&M and Zara-owner Inditex — top clients of Bangladesh’s $30-billion garment industry — later said they would pull out of a key conference in support of the workers.
The Dhaka Apparel Summit, scheduled for this weekend, is the signature annual event in the global textile hub with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina designated as keynote speaker.
But in a statement Saturday global garment union IndustriALL, who led a campaign against the Bangladesh government’s crackdown on the movement, said most of the workers had been released and the rest would be freed shortly.
“This is an important victory for garment workers in Bangladesh, sending a strong message to the country’s industry to enter into a constructive dialogue with the trade unions,” spokesman Valter Sanches said.
IndustriALL said it had entered into an agreement with the government and the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) — a body representing 4,500 clothing factories — allowing for the release of the workers.
The BGMEA had previously labelled the strikes illegal and warned that salary rises would drive retailers in Europe and the US to competitor markets like Myanmar.
“We will continue to support the fight for higher wages and will closely monitor the situation until all charges are dropped,” IndustriALL’s Bangladesh Council (IBC) spokesman Kutubuddin Ahmed told AFP.
“We have informed the brands who earlier pulled out from Dhaka Apparel Summit about the agreement and release of the workers and unionists. Following our confirmation, they have decided to join the summit.”
A senior BGMEA official also said that the fashion companies would be joining the conference while H&M confirmed in an email to AFP that it had decided to participate.
– ‘Unbearable’ harassment –
Bangladesh’s garment industry accounts for 80 percent of its annual exports, but it has a woeful history of poor pay and conditions for its four million workers.
Protests over wages, benefits and working conditions are common but gained intensity after the collapse of the Rana Plaza factory complex in April 2013, which killed 1,138 people.
Workers in the industrial town of Ashualia staged mass protests in December to demand a three-fold hike in pay, which can typically run as low as $68 a month.
The subsequent crackdown by authorities was widely criticised by international rights groups and top global brands.
Human Rights Watch said the union representatives were facing “unfair or apparently fabricated criminal cases”.
Last week union leaders said workers were “living in constant fear” of being arrested as the police hunted those involved in the strikes.
On Saturday, Mohammad Ibrahim, a union leader who was jailed for nearly two months, told AFP that for now the majority of workers had only been released on bail but he hoped the charges would be dropped soon.
“Most of the arrested union leaders and workers are now out on bail,” he said.
“The harassment we had to go through was unbearable. However we now want the authorities to withdraw all of the false cases.”
Vía Uzomedia http://ift.tt/2lQg89U
Thursday, 23 February 2017
Emery’s PSG face Marseille fight
(From L) Paris Saint-Germain's French midfielder Blaise Matuidi, Paris Saint-Germain's Belgian defender Thomas Meunier, Paris Saint-Germain's French defender Layvin Kurzawa and Paris Saint-Germain's Uruguayan forward Edinson Cavani celebrate after Paris Saint-Germain's players won the UEFA Champions League round of 16 first leg football match between Paris Saint-Germain and FC Barcelona on February 14, 2017 at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris. / AFP PHOTO / PHILIPPE LOPEZ
Paris Saint-Germain must win their Ligue 1 grudge match at resurgent Marseille with the club’s Qatari owners demanding nothing less than the successful defence of their title.
Such are the demands at PSG that should they lose to their bitter southern rivals on Sunday and drop six points behind leaders Monaco it would be considered a crisis.
The four-time reigning champions also face pressure from Nice who host Montpellier in Friday’s early match and could overtake PSG and pull level with leaders Monaco before their trips to Marseille and Guingamp respectively.
PSG and Nice both have 56 points from 26 games — three points behind leaders Monaco.
A pale PSG drew 0-0 at home with lowly Toulouse last Sunday and bouncing back at Marseille, where new signings Patrice Evra and Dimitri Payet have now settled, will be a real test of their pedigree.
Away fans are barred for security reasons and a 65,000 famously raucous sell out crowd will be baying for their first league win over PSG since November 2009.
Key PSG defender Serge Aurier said Sunday’s slip was down to tiredness after thumping Barcelona 4-0 in the Champions League the Tuesday before.
“It’s not easy to repeat that immediately afterwards. We will stay positive. Now we will start preparing for Sunday’s match and keep picking up points,” the Ivoirian promised.
His defensive partner Marquinos was equally assured for the Marseille match.
“Starting with Sunday’s game, we will come back stronger,” the Brazilian said.
Spanish coach Unai Emery is in the Qatari good books after the crushing of the Catalan giant, but he knows the domestic title is also indispensible.
“We have to fully focus on Marseille, the most consistent team will win the league and we will keep working,” said Emery, who has an injury free squad.
Free scoring table toppers Monaco take the long trip north to mid-table Guingamp with every hope of going six clear of PSG on Saturday, although they will have mixed feelings about their 5-3 defeat at Manchester City in their Champions League last-16 first-leg on Wednesday.
The last three league meetings between Monaco and Guingamp have all been high scoring too and produced 15 goals with a 3-2 win for Monaco squeezed between a 2-2 and 3-3 draw.
Fans will also be keen to get a fresh view of the ‘New Thierry Henry’ in the form of Monaco’s 18-year-old striker Kylian Mbappé, who scored against City and has ten goals in his last 19 games.
Mbappé, Falcao and Monaco’s 76 league goals so far this season will be giving Guingamp nightmares.
Third-placed Nice host Montpellier without star striker Mario Balotelli, sent off for a third time this season last weekend for dissent to the referee.
The early season pace setters with a limited squad have also lost their top scorer Alassane Plea to a knee injury which required surgery Monday.
“He’s our top scorer, there’s nothing more to say except that’s football,” Swiss coach Lucien Favre said.
The pair have scored 20 of Nice’s 42 league goals between them this season.
Fixtures (all times GMT)
Friday
Nantes v Dijon (1800), Nice v Montpellier (1945)
Saturday
Guingamp v Monaco (1600), Angers v Bastia, Lille v Bordeaux, Nancy v Toulouse, Rennes v Lorient (1900)
Sunday
Saint-Etienne v Caen (1400), Lyon v Metz (1600), Marseille v Paris Saint Germain (2000)
Vía The Guardian Nigeria http://ift.tt/2lz34Um
Tuesday, 21 February 2017
310,000 IDPs in Borno return to their liberated communities
In this photo taken on September 15, 2016 women and children queue to enter one of the Unicef nutrition clinics at the Muna makeshift camp which houses more than 16,000 IDPs (internally displaced people) on the outskirts of Maiduguri, Borno State, northeastern Nigeria. AFP PHOTO / STEFAN HEUNIS
The National Emergency Management Agency(NEMA), says about 310,000 Internally Displaced Persons(IDPs),from seven local governments areas of Borno have returned home following liberation of their communities and return of peace.
Mr Muhammad Kanar, the NEMA North-East Coordinator, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), on Tuesday in Maiduguri.
Kanar said that as at Monday, only about 101,387 IDPs were still remaining in camps across Maiduguri, the Borno capital.
He said that about 67,000 returned to Dikwa; 9,000 to Bama; 13,000, to Konduga;, 5,000 to Lassa; 52,000 to Damboa;52,000 to Banking;71,000 to Gambrun Ngala, and 41,000 returned to Konduga.
Kanar also gave statistics of the number of returnees to other communities, adding that many of the IDPs returned willingly.
“In Konduga, for example, about 41,000 IDPs that returned to the area, were those who returned willingly. You know is a few kilometres from the town, and all their houses had been rebuilt by the state government.
” We have a lot of IDPs in Mafa, which is just 100 kilometres from Maiduguri. Many farmers from Gamborun Ngala have gone back to farm.
“The Borno Ministry of Rehabilitation, Reconstruction and Resettlement (RRR), had already completed re-construction works in some of the councils to enable IDPs return home.
” NEMA, Federal and State Ministries of Agriculture, Ministry of Education, would work together to provide packages to returnee IDPs to enable them become self reliant.
“Also, international Non-Governmental Organisations, have been up and doing in the area of welfare for IDPs as well as provision of optimal health services,” Kanar said.
Vía The Guardian Nigeria http://ift.tt/2kHse62
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