Unemployed graduates protest over empowerment scheme in Ogun

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By Daud Olatunji

Scores of young graduates who were beneficiaries of the N. Power Scheme have protested  over alleged disqualification and non-payment of  their stipends by the Federal Government.

The protesters who stormed the Secretariat of Nigeria Union of Journalists,  Oke-Ilewo, Abeokuta armed  with placards with various inscriptions , lamented that they have worked for he federal government,  but, yet to be paid since last year December.

The  leader of the  protesters Mutairu Olalekan , said  “there are series of issues facing volunteers in this state, starting from non payment of stipend, unjust disqualification, login issues, missing of selected volunteers’ names from verified list and many more.

But, in a swift reaction,  the State Focal Person for the Scheme, who is also Commissioner for Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Affairs ,Barr. Adeleke Adewolu  said “no  state government has any involvement in the payment of the scheme.

Adewolu who spoke with newsmen  while reacting to the protest by the Nigeria power volunteers,  said,  once  the beneficiaries have  been deployed  to the state, they become Npower volunteer corp members.

He said, the scheme is Federal government  idea,  adding that the role of the state government  is to work with the Npower agencies  to make sure people are verified in accordance with the rule of the programme.

According to him, at the end of the verification process we have about 5,000 members that showed  up, some did  not turn up   with the verification process.

“During the verification process, we were only allowed  to observe, to ensure that the project is transparent, the Federal government came up with the idea of sending their agencies to conduct the verification exercise.

“In Ogun state, I think about 378 persons were disqualified during the verification process. Some of them were disqualified based on address issue, bank and other issues .

“In Ogun state, we have about 90 per  cent members  that due to be paid have been paid in February. Over 4900 members verified in Ogun state  of which I think over 4500 of them have received the payment of February”, he said .

The post Unemployed graduates protest over empowerment scheme in Ogun appeared first on Vanguard News.

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Ekiti APC Hails Buhari’s Return From Medical Trip

With praise fiesta, women celebrate family the naija way…Read full details

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Efik/Ibibio women performing at the event

It was an amazing and delightful evening of praise, as the Good Women Fellowship of The Redeemed Christian Church of God, Lagos Province 44, Praise Tabernacle, Surulere, Lagos, celebrated its maiden edition of Praise Fiesta with the theme ‘Love & Praise: the Naija Way).’ The event, which began with praise and worship, ushered the congregation into an atmosphere of thanksgiving and worship.

Convener of the praise concert, Pastor (Mrs.) Temitope Emovon, wife of the pastor-in-charge of the Province, Amos Emovon, said at the opening, “I want to give all the glory, worship and praise to God because He deserves it. The essence of this gathering is to kick out the devil from our homes. Today, we are saying we need peace in our homes and the only way to do so is by expressing love to our husbands, children and everyone around. This is why we are here.”

Different ethnic groups in the country were represented at the event, as the women were colourful attired in their ethnic traditional wears. They included Hausa, Delta, Edo, Igbo, Yoruba, Ibibio/ Efik among others. The event also featured awesome and breathtaking performances from the children who did many scintillating choreographic steps.

Families were celebrated, especially the husbands by their wives and children. Love letters, written by wives to their husbands, were displayed on the projectors and read aloud to the hearing of everyone.

Also, awestruck the husbands were presented with beautifully packaged boxes of cakes and hard copies of their love letters by their wives, as confirmations of their undying affection and appreciation. It was, indeed, a memorable event.

Pastor Amos Emovon thanked the congregation for attending the first edition of Praise Fiesta, particularly the women for making the event possible.

Vía Uzomedia http://ift.tt/2lWWQA3

Zambia signs to develop another 500mw of renewable energy

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Renewable Energy

The Government of Zambia has signed agreements for a second mandate with Scaling Solar, the World Bank Group program that is helping developing countries procure low cost, privately financed, solar power.

This is Zambia’s second engagement with Scaling Solar and it follows successful auctions held in May 2016 for two solar PV plants of up to 50 MW each that attracted some of the world’s top renewable energy developers.

The winning developers and relevant Zambian government agencies are in the process of concluding their agreements, which are expected to be finalized in May 2017, and the World Bank Group’s Board approved a package of financing and guarantees for one of the two winning bidders and will review the same for the second winner in the coming weeks.

The new Scaling Solar mandate will begin with an initial procurement round of up to 200 megawatts (MW) of utility-scale clean energy, with subsequent rounds to follow with a goal of developing 500 MW of renewable power. The Request for Qualifications for the second round are expected to be released in late March 2017.

Only about a fifth of the population in Zambia has access to electricity and the country often experiences up to 10 hours a day of load shedding or blackouts. The Scaling Solar mandate will be led by the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC), Zambia, in close coordination with the Ministry of Energy, and is expected to comprise the structuring and tendering of up to four solar plant projects of 50 MW to 100 MW each. Each plant will be developed by different private sector sponsors through an open and competitive bidding process.

Mateyo C. Kaluba, Acting Chief Executive Officer of IDC Zambia, said: “Completing a first solar public-private partnership in a country is a massive undertaking. The package of bankable documents, transaction structuring advice, and research that Scaling Solar provided saved us considerable time, attracted more competitors, and ensured a successful process. The biggest benefit has been having the Scaling Solar team every step of the way to keep the process moving forward.”

“The partnership between Scaling Solar and IDC Zambia is successfully delivering the affordable renewable energy needed to ease the country’s ongoing energy crisis,” said Oumar Seydi, IFC Director of Eastern and Southern Africa. “Access to electricity is vital for achieving development goals. In Zambia, Scaling Solar has helped create a market that will make it easier for the public and private sectors to work together to meet the country’s energy needs and expand opportunities for families and businesses.”

Vía The Guardian Nigeria http://ift.tt/2lxkW3q

No policeman was killed in botched Owerri robbery incident’

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Taiwo Frederick Lakanu,

The Imo State Commissioner of Police (CP) Taiwo Lakanu, has said that no policeman or innocent civilian was killed during the shootout that followed the attempted robbery operation at Zenith Bank, along Wethedral Road, Owerri, the Imo State capital on Wednesday.

Lakanu, who spoke with journalists in Owerri yesterday, said it was untrue as reported in some newspapers that about three policemen and two civilians were killed by the armed robbers during the operation.

He also discountenanced the report that the robbers gained entry into the bank, noting that only one policeman was wounded in his thigh while two officers sustained minor injuries.

The cop said he received a call from the bank manager about the operation before he mobilized his officers for action at the area. “I restricted my men from shooting because of the public. We arrived there on time. The whole thing happened outside the bank.”

Lakanu said one of the robbers who was killed had an AK47 with ammunition recovered by his men. The robbers, numbering about four, had attempted to pursue a customer who was going to lodge some huge sums into the bank before they met stiff resistance from the police.

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

Kano Hago beats Lagos Balmoral, La Mansuri also triumph in Low Cup

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Director, Co-Curricular Services, Ministry of Education, Lagos State, Mrs. Babs Akinyeye; Head, Communication and External Affairs Group, GTBank, Mrs. Oyinade Adegite, and Chairman, Principals Cup Planning Committee and First Vice President, Nigerian Football Federation NFF, Barrister. Seyi Akinwunmi, during the flag-off of Season Eight of GTBank Lagos State Principals Cup held in Lagos…at the weekend.

The second leg of the on-going NPA Lagos International Polo Tournament galloped off to an exciting beginning yesterday with Kano H. Hago defeating Lagos Balmoral International 6 1/2 – 6 in the Low Cup of the competition sponsored by GTBank.

Lagos La Mansuri also got off to a flying start in the Low Cup with an 8 – 3 1/2 win over Ibadan Oluyole with Ibrahim Musa Dantala, the MVP of the Silver Cup during the first week, influencing an impressive win for the home side.

In the Balmoral-Hago match watched by the Managing Director of GTBank, Segun Agbaje, the visitors – formed by Sarki Waziri (0), Tata Alikura (+2), Baccha Mustapha (+2) and Yusuf Ibrahim Katako (+2), took initiative and won two penalty kicks, which were, however, but were missed by Katako and Alikura. They were made to pay for their wastefulness by Isa Kwame, who scored the opening goal with a low shot from about 12 yards to give Balmoral, completed by Luqman Adebayo (+1), Kabiru Saidu (+2) and Mohammed Dangote (+1).

Kwame, a three-goaler, was back on the goal line less than 30 seconds after but this time, he puts his low shot off target. Katako puts Hago, who started the match on a half-goal handicap, ahead with a 10 -yard penalty to end the first chukka.

Alikura extended Hago’s lead to 2 1/2 – 1 at the start of the second chukka but another 30-yards miss from him saw them missed the chance of furthering their lead. He amended for the miss in the final minute of the chukka to make scores 3 1/2 – 1 but Adebayo forced the ball over the goal line off a Kwame shot to end the chukka at 3 1/2 – 2.

The penultimate chukka started on a blistering note with Katako scoring Hago’s fourth field goal and the chukka was barely 90 seconds old when Mustapha scored as Hago begin to get out of sight with scores at 5 1/2 – 2.

Isa converted a 40-yarded for 5 1/2 – 3. Alikura’s missed a golden chance failing to convert in front of goal under no challenge.

Dangote pegged the scores to 5 1/2 – 4 in the final chukka. Katako got his third goal for a 6 1/2 – 4 lead but Isa scored twice to set up a tense finale. However there was no time left for further goals to the relief of Hago and their supporters.

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

AGF, Sagay, Falana, others for anticorruption workshop

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<img class="size-full wp-image-209666 alignleft" src="http://ift.tt/2mavFyX&quot; alt="" width="640" height="361" srcset="http://ift.tt/2mavFyX 640w,http://ift.tt/2llp3zw 320w,http://ift.tt/2madvxo 281w,http://ift.tt/2llkR2O 562w,http://ift.tt/2mag82c 531w,http://ift.tt/2llramV 1062w,http://ift.tt/2ma18kS 487w,http://ift.tt/2llmlK8 600w" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"https://cdn.gdn.ng/, Professor Itse Sagay (SAN) and Femi Falana (SAN) are among those that have confirmed their participation at the maiden Strategic Dialogue on Improving Anticorruption Institutions in Nigeria being organized by Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) in collaboration with the National Endowment for Democracy (NED).

The event scheduled for today February 22, 2017 at Ikeja has as it s theme as “Combating Corruption and Impunity: The Imperatives of Improving the Effectiveness of Anti-Corruption Institutions and the Justice System in Nigeria.”

The roundtable is expected to come up with key programme agenda for among others prosecuting high-level public officials for corruption; responding to the tactics of suspected corrupt officials to delay and frustrate corruption cases against them; improving the independence and freedom of action of anticorruption institutions, and empowering and mobilising the citizens to take ownership of the fight against corruption in the country.

Others who have confirmed their participation at the roundtable include: Barrister Babatunde Ogala former Chairman of the Lagos State House of AssemblyCommittee on Judiciary; Professor Adedeji Adekunle ;Director General of the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies; Mr Tayo Oyetibo (SAN); representatives of both the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC); Ebun Adegoruwa; Tessel Kuijten First Secretary Economic Affairs Royal Netherlands Embassy, Nigeria; Emmanuel Uche Component Manager AntiCorruption Justice for All Programme; representatives of the International Federation of Women Lawyers; Mr.Deji Elumoye Chairman Nigeria Union of Journalists, and the media.

Others expected at the roundtable include: Mr. Levi Adikwaone, Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association, Ikorodu Branch; Mr. Martin Ogunleye is the Chairman, Nigerian Bar Association, Lagos branch, and representative of the National Human Rights Commission.

Vía The Guardian Nigeria http://ift.tt/2kK1CRJ

Muslims, Christians should find shelter in churches, mosques

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Muslims who run to the churches during a crisis situation should be able to find refuge there while their Christian counterparts should also be able to find shelter in the mosques.

This resolution was reached by religious leaders from Kaduna, Nasarawa, Niger and Plateau sates when they converged in Jos to find a way forward to the religious quagmire that the country finds itself. It was a two-day intensive deliberation.

The states involved noted that similar deliberations took place somewhere else like in the North East and the North West, and felt that it should also be extended to parts of the North Central.

The two-day meeting was organised by the pro-peace international organisation, the Search for Common Ground. A communiqué was issued at the end of their deliberations.

The Publicity Secretary of Jama’atu Nasril Islam (JNI), Alhaji Mohammed Sani Mudi read the communiqué to the participants.

The communiqué called for the adaptation and implementation of the Universal Code of Conduct on the Protection of Holy Sites in the country by ensuring that the local needs and peculiarities of the different communities are reflected.

The Code which contains 10 articles on the protection of Holy Sites defined the code as “places of profound significance and holy religious attachment such as Mosques, Churches, Cemeteries, Synagogues, etc, whose special character and integrity are to be preserved and protected against all violence and discrimination.”

It states that in focusing on the issues of definitions, the Universal Code lays out the foundation for cooperative, concrete implementation plan for preventing and ending conflicts in relation to holy places.

According to the communiqué, the code encourages religious leaders, traditional institutions and other inter-faith bodies to consider it as a template for cooperation to confront the need to protect Holy Sites as a socially compelling imperative.

The communiqué reads in part, “In the spirit of the Code, we suggest the adaptation and implementation of the code such that it reflects local needs and peculiarities of different communities.

“Such a process may include but not limited to, education, monitoring, documentation, joint visits and denunciations by religious leaders to attack Holy Sites, among other activities.”

The meeting condemned in strong terms hate ideologies and derogatory speeches, adding that key religious leaders should advocate the inclusion of religious studies as compulsory in school curriculums.

The meeting also called on government and security agencies to respond promptly to on-going banditry in the north.

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

‘Why FG must pay close attention to shipping sector’

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Akinola

The Federal Government has been urged to pay a closer attention to the revival of the ailing maritime sector, in its quest to urgently survive the prevailing economic recession and further boost the nation’s economy.

The Chief Executive Officer, Ships & Ports Communication Company, Bolaji Akinola, who made this call during the ninth edition of the yearly Shipping Career Summit, organised by his company at the Igbobi College, Yaba, Lagos, urged the participants to consider positioning themselves to take advantage of numerous opportunities that abound in the maritime sector.

He said: “The maritime sector is where every attention should now be focused. Those who rule the seas rule the world. If we truly desire to a quickly end recession and emerge among leading economies of the world, we must pay closer attention to our maritime sector.

“Nigeria’s maritime sector is endowed with enormous natural resources, which provide great potentials and opportunities necessary to achieve sustainable growth and development,” he said.

Akinola said with Nigeria’s vast coastline measuring about 850 kilometres and an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of well over 300,000 square kilometres; 3,000 kilometres of navigable inland waterways; six major seaports, 11 oil terminals, and over 170 private jetties; rewarding careers await young Nigerians in various segments of the maritime industry.

According to him, the yearly Shipping Career Summit was created to enlighten young Nigerians on the various careers and investment opportunities that abound in the sector.

He said the summit has been held in various cities of the country since inception in 2006 including Lagos, Abuja, Ibadan, Ilorin, Abeokuta, Yenagoa, Makurdi and Warri.

The participating students of Igbobi College however showed a keen interest in the programme as experts take them through topical issues in the sector and exposed them to technical ways of becoming a clearing agent, maritime lawyer and a customs broker among others.

A renowned Master Mariner and former President of the Nigerian
Association of Master Mariner (NAMM), Captain Adewale Ishola gave the steps on ‘How to Develop a Career at Sea’, handled

President of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Prince Olayiwola Shittu, spoke on the topic: ‘How to Become a Customs Broker” while other proffessionals such as Deputy Director Public Relations of Nigeria Shippers Council, Mr. Ignatius Nweke, A lawyer, representing Akabogu & Associates, Mr. Emeka Akabogu, and Oliver Omajuwa of Sifax Group, took them on other important areas of shipping career.

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

Lagos PDP urges Fayose to infuse state chairmen into forum

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Salvador

The Lagos State chapter of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has called on the chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum, Governor Ayodele Fayose to infuse all the state chairmen of the party into an extended forum where party issues can be shared first-hand, especially with states where the party is not in government.

The state chairman of the party, Mr. Moshood Salvador, who made the call, said it has become imperative of him to take advantage of his new role to facilitate genuine, long-lasting mobilisation, reconciliation and structural dynamism in the party.

According to Salvador, “This would enable Fayose to meet up with the modern challenges of nation building and to particularly override the assumed superiority of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the nation’s politics.”

While expressing the support of the state chapter to Fayose as well as wishing him a successful outing in his new assignment, it said that the onerous task to rescuing the party partly rest on the governor, stressing that every genuine member of the party truly interested in the return of PDP to the presidency in 2019, should assist with all that is possible.

It said that Lagos PDP was pleased with the emergence of Fayose as the new chairman of PDP governors’ forum.

According to the party, “We are convinced that this emergence will radically reposition the party. We will particularly rely on his doggedness, long-term experience as the oldest serving governor in the nation.

“He should immediately begin the reconciliation of members, elders and youths alike. He should not be demoralised nor distracted by hate speeches against him, many of which will be sponsored by his detractors within and outside the PDP.

“In Lagos state, we expect that he will use his new leadership and role to get closer to our leaders and elders who have at different times and levels served the party and nation meritoriously. He should shun any side talk or blackmail to ignore these elders and leaders. Indeed he needs their experience to add up for his best success.”

Vía The Guardian NigeriaThe Guardian Nigeria http://ift.tt/2jTfBA7