KSA on ‘Thank You Visit’ to Fashola, Fayemi, Wigwe others

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KSA (2nd left) and manager (left) present branded souvenir to Alhaji Lai Mohammed, while Olorunnimbe of Temple and Dayo Keshi look on

In appreciation for their support and contribution to the success of Sunny On Sunday Concert, Juju maestro, King Sunny Ade, has embarked on a thank you tour to some eminent Nigerians for their various roles culminating in the success of his 70th Birthday concert.

Though it has been several weeks since the event held at Balmoral Marquee, Federal Palace Hotel, Victoria Island, the gig left a huge mark as one of the most talked about events to be witnessed in the country. During the historic event, King Sunday’s Vintage Fender guitar, designed by the artist Victor Ehikhamenor, sold for a record N52.1 million.

During his two-day, thank you tour, the Juju maestro crisscrossed Lagos and Abuja in the company of the Temple Management team, led by CEO/ Founder, Idris Olorunnimbe.

At each of his stops, the master guitarist donated KSA branded materials to his VIP guests, which included the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN, Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, Minister of Mines and Steel, Kayode Fayemi, the current and previous MD/CEOs of Access Bank, Herbert Wigwe and Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede as well as the Chairman, Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Tunde Fowler.

Other host on the whistle-stop tour included His Royal Majesty Oba Saheed Ademola Elegushi and Victor Ehikhamenor who painted his famous guitar. The final visit was made to Babatunde Folawiyo, Chairman, Temple Management Company, who revealed that the ‘Sunny on Sunday’ was the product of an 11-year old covenant between he and KSA.

“I have always been a Sunny Ade fan,” Folawiyo said. “We have the bad habit, as a nation, of celebrating only the dead. It was one of the proudest moments of my life for Temple Management to have the honour to serenade a living icon such as KSA.”

The Founder/CEO, Mr. Olorunnimbe, added that despite time constraints, the Temple Management Company were able to deliver a technically flawless production.

Another major highpoint of King Sunny visit was at the Ministry of Information and Culture where His Excellency, Lai Mohammed, announced that King Sunny Ade would be made one of the ambassadors of the ‘Change begins With Me’ campaign.

Announcing the appointment, he said: “We are looking for people like you (King Sunny Ade) that the younger ones can look up to. It’s not just that you have been around for fifty years but you have been around for fifty years without any single stain on your part and that is very hard.”

Alhaji Mohammed eulogised King Sunny Ade for elevating the juju music genre into an international commodity that is now accepted all over the world.

“Most people like you would have had one issue or the other that today their integrity would be at stake. Your integrity is as strong if not stronger than when you started. So it would be a pleasure if you can accept to be our Ambassador of the “Change Begins With Me”.

“I want the younger ones to look at you and see that you can actually get to the top without cutting corners. That is exactly what you have done. You have never cut corners and you have gotten to the top.”

While accepting the offer to serve as an Ambassador of the campaign, King Sunny Ade pledged to partner with the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture to move the nation forward.

“You don’t need to say much. This is what I love to do and it has been in me. We are ready to do that officially throughout the whole world,” KSA said.

The Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN also explained that KSA has a valuable role to play as an ambassador and change agent.

“We are still suffering from regular attacks in the Niger Delta that affect our power generating capacity,” Fashola said. “King Sunny Ade is a national icon and he can help Government communicate our message in a language that everybody can understand.”

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

British envoy promises to empower women, girls

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Laure Beaufils

Delta pledges law to protect rights

The British Deputy High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mrs. Laure Beaufils, has promised to make empowerment of women and girls a priority to ensure that Nigerian women live a fulfilled life.

Speaking at a reception to mark this year’s International Women’s Day in Lagos with the theme “Be Bold for Change,” Beaufils commended women for their roles in society, adding that she was particularly inspired by the Nigerian women.

She called for an end to gender inequality in every facet of the society.Beaufils, who is the first female British Deputy High Commissioner however, regretted that no country in the world has achieved gender equality and decried the lack of equal participation of women in politics.

“Women and girls make up to 80 per cent of the refugees and displaced persons in any society. The female gender is subjected to violence and sexual abuse, exposed to torture and has been continually under-represented in most facets of life,” she said.

She urged women to step out of their comfort zones and make effort to change lives for the better by believing in themselves, supporting one another and educating the girl child.

Meanwhile, the Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly, Mr. Monday Igbuya, has promised to protect the rights of women and girls through legislative reforms.

Igbuya stated this in a statement in Asaba to mark the International Women’s Day.He urged women to rise up for a change to correct the barriers militating against gender equality in the country.

The speaker said gender parity could only be achieved if women have equal access to education, tools of opportunity and protection against all forms of violence and discrimination.

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

Trump seeks to rally support for health reform as doubts grow

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US President Donald Trump (R) speaks with US Congressman and Majority Whip Steve Scalise (L), R-Louisiana, during a meeting with the US House Deputy Whip team at the White House in Washington, DC, March 7, 2017.<br />JIM WATSON / AFP

US President Donald Trump’s deal-making was put to the test Wednesday in his first major legislative battle, as Congress hotly debated a health care replacement plan opposed by several lawmakers in his own party.

Two committees in the House of Representatives began reviewing a sweeping bill that unwinds and replaces the Affordable Care Act, the emblematic health care reforms implemented under Barack Obama.

After seven years of Republican efforts to rip up Obamacare, it remained unclear whether Trump has the necessary votes to get the controversial replacement measure across the finish line — even with Republicans controlling the White House and both chambers of Congress.

Trump and his team are “in full sell mode” regarding the plan, White House press secretary Sean Spicer said. Republican leaders indicated they want to get the bill to the president’s desk prior to the Easter break in early April.

Tempers flared in the House Energy and Commerce Committee as lawmakers clashed over how to proceed.

Democrats sought unsuccessfully to postpone the bill’s consideration for 30 days. They also threatened to introduce some 100 amendments to the measure. “If people didn’t like Obamacare, they’re going to hate this,” said House Democrat Eliot Engel.

The plan was crafted by Republican leaders and endorsed by Trump, who campaigned heavily last year on a pledge to repeal and replace Obamacare. But influential Republicans are hardening against the plan, arguing it is too similar to the law despised by conservatives.

Far-right lawmakers said the plan shuns conservative principles by maintaining government subsidies of the Affordable Care Act, under the guise of “refundable tax credits” for people to purchase their own health insurance.

“I don’t think the plan they introduced yesterday is going to bring down the cost for working-class and middle-class families,” House Republican Jim Jordan told MSNBC.

– Hard sell –

Under pressure to bring several Republicans back on board, Trump huddled with conservative leaders whose organizations have criticized the plan. Among them was Adam Brandon of FreedomWorks, who sought to cut through the tension.

“This is a great step in exchanging ideas to figure out a way that we can all be on the exact same page, and I’m confident in the process Obamacare will be gone and replaced with a much better alternative,” Brandon said at the White House.

Trump afterward dined with conservative Senator Ted Cruz, who has said the bill as written likely would not pass the Senate.

Many conservatives oppose using the tax credits, which would range from $2,000 a year for someone under age 30, to $4,000 for someone 60 or older. Democrats warn that those credits are on average less than the subsidies built into the Obamacare premiums.

The new plan “will cause millions to lose insurance as well as blow a gigantic hole in the federal budget,” top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer said, noting that congressional officials have yet to release a cost estimate for the legislation.

Energy and Commerce Committee chairman Greg Walden promised the new plan “will not pull the rug out from anyone as we transition away from this failing law.”

Democrats cautioned that Republicans were starting to ram the massive legislation through Congress just two days after it was introduced. “Withdraw this message bill, and work with us to improve the Affordable Care Act,” implored Democrat Jerry McNerney.

House Speaker Paul Ryan said he had “no doubt” the bill would pass his chamber. But he acknowledged there have been “growing pains” along the way as Republicans gained control of the White House and readied their bill.

Some House conservatives contradicted Ryan’s positive outlook.

“With the current bill, there’s not 218,” the votes needed to pass legislation in the House, congressman David Brat told reporters. No Democrats have expressed support for the plan.

With debate dragging late Wednesday in the Ways and Means Committee, chairman Kevin Brady said the panel “will work through the night, if that’s what it takes.” Democrat Engel warned that Republicans could face a brutal reckoning if their plan fails to improve on the current system.

If passage of Obamacare’s landmark reforms led to Democrats losing their majority in Congress, Engel told Republicans, “you guys are putting yourself in jeopardy of losing the majority because of this monstrosity.”

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

Bank directors and the N1.85tr bad loans

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NDIC

Umaru Ibrahim, managing director of Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) ripped open the state of the Nigerian banking industry to members of the House of Representatives Committee on Insurance and Actuarial Matters the other day and it is a sorry state of affairs, especially as far as insider abuses are concerned. The arithmetic is ominous and the portents are dire. Urgent steps must be taken to stem the tide lest some unscrupulous privileged persons destroy the nation’s banking industry.

Ibrahim disclosed that, of the N1.85 trillion non-performing credit facilities (that is, 10 per cent of the total credit portfolio of N18.53 trillion) in the 25 deposit money banks (DMBs) in the country as at the end of December 2016, bank directors accounted for 40 per cent or N7.41 trillion. He however, did not disclose the level of deposit liabilities in the 25 banks for the same period.

Ibrahim also disclosed that in the 42 primary mortgage institutions (PMIs) with a total deposit liability of N69 billion, the total credit portfolio was N94 billion as at end of December 2016 (meaning complete erosion of customers’ deposits). Of the N94 billion debts, N51.7 billion or 55 per cent was non-performing. The directors of PMIs were responsible for 45 per cent or N42.3 billion of the total loans in the PMIs.

In the microfinance banking sub-sector which has 978 licensed operators as at end of December 2016, the deposit liability was reported to be N158 billion while the total credit facilities amounted to N195 billion (another case of complete erosion of depositors’ funds). Of the N87.75 billion non-performing credits (that is, 45 per cent of the total credits in the sub-sector), N68.25 billion or 35 per cent of the non-performing credits belonged to directors of the banks.

Although Ibrahim summarised his review of the Nigerian banking industry as ‘having strong fundamentals in regulatory assessment and rating’, he nevertheless, acknowledged that regulators were concerned about the rising trend of non-performing loans, poor earnings, erosion of shareholders funds, corporate governance and erosion of public confidence in the banking system. He rightly called for ‘strict compliance with existing code of ethics for bank directors and a review of existing laws and regulations to impose serious sanctions on directors who exploit their positions and default in the repayment of their credit facilities while still retaining their positions as directors in their banks.’

A critical analysis of the information given by the NDIC’s chief executive more than justifies a deep concern not only by the regulators on ‘erosion of shareholders funds’ but by the entire stakeholders on the ‘erosion of depositors funds.’ In the MFB and PMI sub-sectors, for example, the entire credits are far above the total deposits. What Ibrahim described as over-lending actually means that the entire deposits made by customers had been lent out to borrowers. Beyond that, repayment of the loans, even the ones borrowed by bank directors, has become questionable.

What he did not tell the members of the House is that in various sub-sectors of the banking system, bank directors’ non-performing credits relative to the total non-performing ones was scandalous and dangerous at 40 per cent (N.74 trillion of N1.85 trillion) in DMBs; 77.8 per cent (N68.25 billion of N87.75 billion) in MFBs; and 81.8 per cent (N42.3 billion of N51.7 billion) in PMIs. Viewed from this angle, liquidity in MFBs and PMIs is seriously constrained. And if, for any reason there is failure in meeting depositors’ cash withdrawal demands, another history of bank distress and failure or mergers and acquisitions may ensue. It is doubtful if this country can afford such a situation under the prevailing economic environment. Thus, bank directors are the greatest threat and risk factor to the safety, soundness and stability of the Nigerian banking industry. The industry’s well-meaning stakeholders must urgently find ways to deal with this menace as, otherwise, the bubble may soon bust.

In strict terms, non-repayment of loans by bank directors amounts to insider abuse, violation of corporate governance and best practice rules, unethical and unprofessional practices, exploitation of the banking system via their privileged positions, and crowding out bank customers who would have borrowed and repaid their loans. Most importantly, it is a serious economic and financial crime.

Granting that banks provided regulators correct credit data (past experiences urge some caution in believing they did) against which Alhaji Ibrahim made his revelations and that all the director-related loans are backed by acceptable credit collaterals, the three crucial questions that must be asked are: What did the directors do with the money they borrowed? Why are they not repaying the credits? Were the loans collaterised? It is the duty of CBN and NDIC, regulators and supervisors of banks, to investigate and obtain credible answers. Such investigation should also determine whether the facilities were properly processed in line with credit principles, policies, laws and regulations; whether the monies were appropriately deployed for the declared purposes; the certainty of sources of repayment; and that there were adequate collaterals.

For the bank directors to have stripped their banks dangerously bare, shows there must have been regulatory and/or supervisory failure; meaning that CBN and NDIC were not alive to their responsibilities. Well, the oil has already spilled and must now quickly be cleaned. It is not enough for CBN to direct banks to publish in the newspapers the names of bad/chronic bank debtors in a bid to ‘name and shame them’ and compel them to pay their debts. Most of the debtors, unfortunately, have no shame at all and so, that strategy will not elicit repayment of the loans. The laws of the land are meant for everyone, including the shameless and unrepentant bank directors who ought to show good examples. They owe their banks huge amounts of money and yet at the end of each financial year they collect mouth-watering dividends. Worst still, they retain their board membership.

The debtors should be subjected to the dictates of the law commencing with using their dividends for repayment of the facilities, selling their shares in the banks, foreclosing and selling assets used as collaterals and, where necessary, charging them to court for economic and financial crimes.

Henceforth, directors should be precluded from borrowing money from banks on which boards they sit. They should go to other banks to process their credit needs. Those bad debtor directors should be relieved of their board membership. Bank Verification Numbers (BVNs) and Credit Bureaus should be used effectively to check serial borrowings from the banking system by individuals and organisations. Banks must be restricted from lending money to politically exposed persons many of whom are bank directors because in many cases, money such people or their companies is like money in ‘gamblers’ hands’ and chances of recovery are difficult, if not impossible. The regulators and supervisors must actively monitor and control banks from high risk practices. They should also ensure that bank directors’ loans are not written-off.

The debts must also not be sold to Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) where the directors may go to negotiate and pay pittance in settlement of their huge debts. The insider abuses by directors must not be allowed to fester otherwise they will destroy what remains of the banking system in Nigeria.Indeed, it is high time those who toy with the safety, stability, sustainability, growth and development of Nigeria’s banking system and by extension the entire economy were visited with deterrent life-long sanctions.

Vía The Guardian Nigeria http://ift.tt/2mZN9Ph

North Korea fires missiles, three reach Japan waters

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Replicas of a North Korean Scud-B missile (L) and South Korean Nike missiles (R) are displayed at the Korean War Memorial in Seoul on March 6, 2017. Nuclear-armed North Korea launched four ballistic missiles on March 6 in another challenge to President Donald Trump, with three landing provocatively close to America's ally Japan. JUNG Yeon-Je / AFP

Nuclear-armed North Korea fired four ballistic missiles east of the peninsula on Monday, with Japan saying three of them landed in its waters.

Pyongyang fired a ballistic missile last month — its first such launch since October — which Seoul said was aimed at testing the response from the new US administration of President Donald Trump.

Seoul said several missiles were filed into the East Sea, also known as the Sea of Japan, and that South Korea and the US were “closely analysing” tracking data for further details.

“In terms of the range, it is around 1,000 kilometres (620 miles),” the South’s defence ministry said in a statement.

Seoul said its armed forces were “closely monitoring the North’s military for further provocations and maintaining military readiness”.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said North Korea fired four missiles “almost simultaneously”, three of which landed in Japan’s Exclusive Economic Zone.

In response to the launch, South Korea’s acting president Hwang Kyo-Ahn convened an emergency National Security Council (NSC) meeting, the presidential office said in a statement.

Seoul and Washington launched annual joint military exercises last week that infuriate Pyongyang, which condemns them as provocative rehearsals for invasion.

A day after the Foal Eagle drills kicked off, the North’s military warned of “merciless nuclear counter-action” against enemy forces.

“Now that the US imperialists and the South Korean puppet forces again kicked off the dangerous nuclear war drills against the DPRK at its doorstep, our army will counter them with the toughest counteractions,” a spokesman said in a statement carried by the KCNA news agency.

North Korea has regularly carried out actions in protest against the exercises, last year firing seven ballistic missiles during them.

That rocket — said by the North to use solid fuel and to be capable of carrying a nuclear warhead — flew east for about 500 kilometres before falling into the Sea of Japan, South Korea said at the time.

– ‘Big, big problem’ –

North Korea is under heavy international sanctions for its nuclear and missile programmes.

Last month, China — the North’s chief ally and diplomatic protector — announced a suspension of all coal imports from the North until the end of the year, depriving Pyongyang of a crucial source of foreign currency.

China’s foreign ministry said Beijing and Pyongyang were still “friendly neighbours” but added it remained opposed to the North’s nuclear ambitions.

North Korea is barred under UN resolutions from any use of ballistic missile technology. But six sets of UN sanctions since Pyongyang’s first nuclear test in 2006 have failed to halt its drive for what it insists are defensive weapons.

Last year the country conducted two nuclear tests and numerous missile launches in its quest to develop a nuclear weapons system capable of hitting the continental US.

Trump has described the North as a “big, big problem” and vowed to deal with the issue “very strongly”.

Pyongyang has also been blamed by Seoul for the killing of Kim’s half-brother Kim Jong-Nam by two women using VX nerve agent at Kuala Lumpur’s international airport last month.

Vía The Guardian Nigeria http://ift.tt/2mK5qmx

Central bank puts registered BVNs at 30 million

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BVN

70 per cent of bank frauds come from within
About 30 million Bank Verification Numbers (BVN) have so far been linked to the several bank accounts operated in the country, says the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)

Speaking at a post-event interview with The Guardian, Deputy Director, Banking and Payment System, CBN, Musa Itopa-Jimoh, gave the figure.

Itopa-Jimoh, who was in Lagos to represent the Director, Banking and Payment System, CBN, Dipo Fatokun, at the maiden edition of the Cyber Security Conference 2017, organised by the flagship of the Nigerian media, The Guardian, said the CBN is building a watch list of events in the sector as it relates to security breaches, stressing that the BVN would significantly help reduce the incidence of fraud and the likes in the industry.

The CBN chief, who refused to disclose the level of fraud in the banking industry as at 2016, however, affirmed that 70 per cent of bank frauds happened from within.

According to him, the apex bank is aware of the fraudsters, but there is still no law for punitive measures.

“But I think, it is just a matter of time, we shall soon resolve all those matters. Already, there will be a watch list as regards fraud activities. The CBN and the Nigeria Police Force will set up an ePayment and crime unit to further fight that battle,” he said.

In the paper presented by Itopa-Jimoh on behalf of Fatokun, the CBN said in furtherance of its efforts at combating fraud in the industry, it partnered with NIBSS to procure and install an industry anti-fraud solution.

He said the solution is an industry fraud monitoring tool that ensures behavioural monitoring, patterns and hold/block controls on transaction suspected to be fraudulent.

In the same vein, he said CBN also directed all stakeholders to establish and maintain dedicated fraud desks in their respective organizations.

He added that the CBN along with relevant stakeholders are exploring ways to establish an industry Security Operations Centre and a Risk Information Centre, to consolidate “our strength at eradicating e-payments frauds to the barest minimum and enhancing trust in our payments system.

“The bank had issued various policies and circulars on industry related fraud detection and prevention.”

Checks by The Guardian on the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBSS) showed that as at January 2017, there were 74.5 million total bank accounts in Nigeria, with 66.6 million being active. There are 25 million current accounts, while 69.4 million are run as savings account.

The CBN through the Banker’ Committee and in collaboration with all banks in Nigeria on February 14, 2014 launched a centralized biometric identification system for the banking industry, tagged the BVN.

The BVN, which is in its third year now, gives a unique identity that can be verified across the Nigerian banking industry. Customers’ bank accounts are protected from unauthorized access and addresses issues of identity theft, thus reduce exposure to fraud.

Vía The Guardian Nigeria http://ift.tt/2lLktt6

ECOWAS advances 10-year investment plan on emerging agric issues

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The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has developed a 10-year Regional Agricultural Investment Plan (RAIP), to address emerging issues, such as climate change, nutrition and gender aspects of agriculture, towards the promotion of food security in West Africa.
 
Director of Environment, ECOWAS Commission, Dr. Johnson Boanuh, who disclosed this at a 2-day Consultative Regional Committee for Agriculture and Food workshop, said the new or second generation RAIP, precedes the commission’s initial 5-year plan, which aimed at identifying agricultural excesses in the region, and ensuring distribution of the excesses to areas within countries and the region that suffer food shortages.

With the plan, which runs from 2016 to 2025, the region has identified seven emerging agricultural issues global-wise, new ideas, and aims to integrate these issues into the plan for perusal and adoption by ECOWAS members state’s Ministers of Agriculture.

According to Boanuh; “with the current plan, we will consider various gender groups, the nutrition aspect-an important aspect that will help us produce nutritionally balanced foods, that address a lot of health challenges, ensuring people are fed at the right time, with the right food, which prevents diseases.
 
“It also factors in the effects of climate change on food production and availability. Climate Change has become an emerging global issue. Therefore, we are paying serious attention to climate smart agriculture-which looks at how to make our agriculture responsive to climate challenges.”
 
To guarantee an encompassing approach, ECOWAS has helped member countries in establishing National Agriculture Investment Plans (NAIP), which dovetails with the RAIP. Funds are mobilised by member states government, and with development partners within the states, as well as, across the region.
 
Boanuh also said that ECOWAS has set up a Regional Agricultural Agency, located in Lomé, Togo, where mobilised funds will be managed by the agency and made available to various national groups to assist in the improvement of their agricultural productivity.
 
Identifying the successes of the five-year RAIP plan, Boanuh added that there has been a general increase in cereal production, agriculture information systems, animal husbandry and animal health approaches.He however, noted that only member states could identify their peculiar successes, via productivity increase, within the last five years.

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

Community pharmacists charge government on economic down turn

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Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN), has charged government to fix the economic downturn and create enabling environment to enable pharmacists source raw materials locally.

Chairman of ACPN, Lagos State chapter, Pharm. Biola Paul-Ozieh, said the economic recession affects many businesses in Nigeria, especially the pharmaceutical sector, which is largely import dependent both for finished goods and raw inputs.

She made this call at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the association, sponsored by Lagos ACPN, and held in Ikeja, Lagos. She said: “Prices of pharmaceuticals have skyrocketed. Some brands have been phased out from circulation, while capital flight has become an issue all through the value chain from manufacturers/importers to distributors and the retail end. In fact, multinationals are already leaving the shores of this country. Thus, the industry and consuming public are faced with challenges of availability, accessibility and affordability and this ugly scenario has persisted in the country.”

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

Nigeria plans $64m green bond issue by April (Read full details)

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The Federal Government plans to launch a N20 billion ($64 million) green bond in April to fund projects and enhance sustainable development.

Acting President Yemi Osinbajo stated this yesterday while addressing participants at the Green Bonds Capital Market & Investors Conference organised by the Federal Ministry of the Environment and the Debt Management Office (DMO) at the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) in Lagos.

Osinbajo added the bond issuance would boost the Federal Government diversification strategy to non-oil sectors, eradicate poverty and deepen the nation’s capital market.

According to Osinbajo, climate change had led to natural disasters, which has resulted to shortage of food and energy supply, and ultimately increased the level of poverty in the Nigeria.

The Minister of Environment, Mrs. Amina Mohammed said that the initiative was in line with the Federal Government sustainable development initiative developed since September 2016.

Mohammed, who is due to join the United Nations as deputy secretary general, told investors the programme was part of plans to widen Nigeria’s funding options and diversify its oil-dependent economy.

Vía Uzomedia http://ift.tt/2lQscsa

Reps chide Emefiele over information on $17b crude proceeds (Read full details)

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House of Representatives

The House of Representatives yesterday chided the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Godwin Emefiele over his alleged failure to furnish the lawmakers with details of the proceeds of crude oil sales between 2011 and 2014.

Abdulrazak Namdas, Chairman of the House ad hoc committee probing into the issue, said CBN’s failure to provide such details was delaying probe of undeclared crude oil exports in those years.

Namdas, however, vowed that the committee would discharge its mandate in line with Sections 88 and 89 of the constitution and gave the CBN governor a week ultimatum or risk an arrest warrant.

The committee, according to Namdas, had also summoned the Ministry of Finance, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, the Department of Petroleum Resources, the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, the Nigerian Navy and the Nigeria Customs Service.

Many international oil companies (IOCs) were also asked to produce documents on the crude exports.

In a related development, the House Committee on Public Accounts has expressed dissatisfaction over the low budgetary allocation for the Office of Auditor General of the Federation (OAuGF).

Ibrahim Baba, Deputy Chairman of the Committee, said in view of the enormity of the task of the agency, there is the need to increase its allocation to enable it function effectively.

Baba was reacting to the observation of the Auditor General of the Federation, Anthony Ayine, who said that the financial resources allocated to the office were decreasing yearly.

Also, the Accountant General of the Federation, Ahmed Idris, has assured that he would interface with the Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun over the non-release of N500 million special fund to the Nigeria Christian Pilgrims Commission (NCPC).

The Director-General of the Budget Office, Ben Akabueze, said the release of the fund was not within the purview of the office, adding that the powers lied with the minister of finance, who should seek approval from the president before the fund was released.

Vía Uzomedia http://ift.tt/2lQBapj

Last-gasp Messi penalty rescues poor Barcelona

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Barcelona's Argentinian forward Lionel Messi (L) is congratulated by teammates Barcelona's French defender Jeremy Mathieu (2L) and Barcelona's Uruguayan forward Luis Suarez (2R) after scoring a goal during the Spanish league football match FC Barcelona vs CD Leganes at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona on February 19, 2017.<br />Josep Lago / AFP

Barcelona needed a last minute Lionel Messi penalty to see off lowly Leganes 2-1 as a poor week for the Spanish champions continued on Sunday.

Barca were thrashed 4-0 by Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday to leave their Champions League hopes hanging by a thread and had to rely on Messi for snatching all three points from another below par display.

The Argentine opened the scoring after just four minutes, but Leganes enjoyed the better of the chances and levelled 19 minutes from time through Unai Lopez.

However, Messi ensured Barca did move back up to second in La Liga and close to within a point of leaders Real Madrid, who have two games in hand, from the spot after Neymar had been chopped down inside the area.

“We knew it would be a difficult game given what we have come from and what happened in the Champions League,” Barca boss Luis Enrique told Spanish TV station Movistar.

“It is clear that in some moments we lacked confidence, but I think the team turned around a difficult game in any way we could.

“This time it was a penalty, but, given how we are at the moment, that is more than welcome.”

Leganes remain just two points above the relegation zone as their winless run extends to 13 games.

Barca looked set for an easy night when Luis Suarez found space in behind the Leganes defence and his pinpoint cross with the outside of his right foot picked out Messi to tap home early on.

Instead, Barca were thankful to a series of brilliant saves by Marc-Andre ter Stegen for keeping Leganes at bay.

The German denied former Liverpool winger Nabil El Zhar in a one-on-one before flying low to his left to parry El Zhar’s follow-up effort.

El Zhar came close again with the last action of the first-half as this time his shot from the edge of the area was deflected and forced Ter Stegen into a fine reflex stop.

However, for all his good work, Ter Stegen was at fault when Leganes did deservedly level as Lopez’s effort from the edge of the area flew in between his legs.

– Barca booed –
The equaliser was met with a chorus of boos by the lowest La Liga attendance at the Camp Nou this season.

And there was an even angrier reception for the much maligned Andre Gomes when he was replaced by Andres Iniesta moments later.

“For me jeering a player on your own team makes no sense,” added Enrique.

And Ter Stegen called for unity among the Barcelona faithful.

“We need the fans, above all at home, to support us.

“We can win or lose together, but the most important thing is that we are united.”

Leganes had held out with relative ease until Neymar took matters into his own hands with a driving run into the area before he was wiped out by Martin Mantovani.

Messi stepped up and fired into the top corner, but tellingly the Argentine didn’t celebrate leaving his displeasure with Barca’s performances over the past week clear.

Leganes still had a late chance to level as El Zhar sent another fierce effort flying inches wide.

Earlier, Villarreal kept their hopes of Champions League football next season alive as Samu Castillejo’s 93rd minute winner secured a vital 1-0 win at Real Sociedad.

Just a second win of 2017 takes sixth-placed Villarreal to within two points of Sociedad and six of Atletico Madrid in fourth.

Valencia moved seven points clear of the relegation zone with a much-needed 2-0 win over Athletic Bilbao.

Nani opened the scoring early on before on-loan Juventus striker Simone Zaza broke down in tears after netting his first goal since May.

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

Militants give Dickson 48-hour ultimatum over alleged assault on Briggs

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Niger Delta militants

An amalgam of militant groups known as the Joint Revolutionary Council (JRC) has issued a 48-hour ultimatum to Bayelsa State Governor Seriake Dickson to apologise to Ijaw woman activist, Annkio Briggs or face their anger.

The JRC said it held Dickson responsible for the alleged assault on her and others during a recent peaceful protest in Bayelsa.

Briggs was assaulted by hoodlums in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State capital a week ago to protest the allocation of 1, 200 hectares of land to Fulani herdsmen for cattle grazing.

The protesters had assembled at Tombia Junction, the take-off point, in Yenagoa and Briggs was reportedly addressing the Divisional Police Officer, DPO, his men and the gathering on the purpose of the protest when thugs unhindered, pounced, assaulting her and others.

According to the spokesperson of the JRC, Cynthia Whyte yesterday, if Governor Dickson failed to apologise “key agitating groups in the state would be activated to undermine the Dickson government.”

She said: “Within that 48-hour space, key agitating groups will first renounce amnesty and then commence series of activities to drive home our point and position. It is unfortunate that the same government which many Ijaws struggled and clamoured to win the 2016 elections would now turn out to be a government of tyranny, incompetence and ineptitude,” JRC said.

Whyte said: “It is unfortunate that today, the same bandit elements, armed robbers and unrepentant hardened criminals, who worked against Governor Dickson’s second term are the same band of renegades that would be hired to mug, mob and attack Annkio Briggs and her fellow protesters.

“This represents the fullness of treachery and tyranny. We will not allow this to happen in Bayelsa State, the cradle of Ijaw nation,” the JRC statement alleged.

Vía The Guardian Nigeria http://ift.tt/2m2p0ac

Babangida, Sheriff, Niger ex-governor Aliyu meet in Minna

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Ali Modu Sheriff. PHOTO: channelstv

• Fayose, Fani-Kayode pledge allegiance to Makarfi

The factional chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ali Modu Sheriff has said that the appeal court’s ruling in his favour is a victory for the party.

He said this yesterday when he visited the uphill mansion of former military president Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida in company with former governor of Niger State, Dr. Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu in Minna.

Babangida had earlier commended Sheriff for the way he handled his victory at the appeal court saying: “I am very happy with your statement after the court ruling, it shows that there is room for reconciliation and unity. There is the need to bring everybody back together to make the party a formidable opposition party.”

Speaking to journalists on the purpose of his visit after two hours of meeting behind closed doors, he said “IBB is our father, during our meeting he said he is happy with my statement after the court ruling. He told me to continue that way so that I can bring everybody back together to make the party a formidable opposition party.”

When asked if he had gotten across to Ahmed Makarfi, he said: “I have even called Makarfi himself. And I have called on everybody to come back so that we can work together.”

Also, former governor of Niger State, Dr. Babangida Aliyu said: “Now that we have a legal decision, which supports the position of the matter, even though other people are talking about going higher, to the Supreme Court, others are saying ‘No, we should start finding the solution-that we shouldn’t waste time on legality or illegality.”

Meanwhile, Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose and former minister of aviation Femi Fani-Kayode yesterday said they remained committed members of the PDP faction loyal to Makarfi.

Fayose said on a live programme tagged, ‘Meet Your Governor’ aired on the state owned Ekiti Television and Radio stations on Saturday: “We are not going anywhere. The matter has been appealed. In elections three things are important: party, candidate and people. We have the people. The power of the people is greater than the machinations of the people working against us.”

Fani-Kayode said those that say that they will work with Sheriff are misguided and naive. Anyone that calls for members of the PDP to rally behind him and recognise him as our national chairman is a simpleton and a fool.

According to the former presidential aide, “I say this because the man is evil: he is an agent of destruction and no good can come out of him. I was the first to see him for what he was and I said so publicly.”

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

SpaceX aborts launch after ‘odd’ rocket engine behavior

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SpaceX aborted its planned Dragon cargo launch to the International Space Station just seconds before liftoff Saturday due to a “slightly odd” technical issue with the Falcon 9 rocket engine.

The delay was made “out of an abundance of caution,” a SpaceX spokesman said, and came a day after engineers discovered a small helium leak in the engine’s second stage.

“All systems go, except the movement trace of an upper stage engine steering hydraulic piston was slightly odd,” SpaceX chief executive officer Elon Musk said on Twitter after the launch was scrubbed.

“Standing down to investigate.”

Musk added that the issue was “99 percent likely to be fine.”

“But that one percent chance isn’t worth rolling the dice. Better to wait a day.”

The next launch attempt is scheduled for 9:38 am Sunday (1438 GMT).

In the meantime, engineers plan to “take a closer look at the position of the second stage engine nozzle,” SpaceX said.

The Hawthorne, California-based company has endured two costly disasters in the past two years — a launchpad blast that destroyed a rocket and its satellite payload in September, and a June 2015 explosion after liftoff that obliterated a Dragon cargo ship packed with provisions bound for the space station.

SpaceX has since made one successful return to flight in January of this year, from Vandenberg Air Force base in California.

But this flight is particularly significant because of its starting point at Kennedy Space Center’s launchpad 39A, used for the pioneering Apollo missions to the Moon in the 1960s and 1970s, and later for the space shuttle launches from 1981 to 2011.

SpaceX negotiated a lease for the launchpad with NASA in 2013, beating out its competitor Blue Origin, headed by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.

By the time the launchpad is completely outfitted for sending astronauts to space in 2018, the company will have spent over $100 million to adapt it for modern-day spaceflights, SpaceX chief operating officer Gwynne Shotwell said.

A report out this week by the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that the first crew flights by SpaceX and Boeing were likely to slip from 2018 to 2019 because of schedule delays and reduced budgets from Congress.

Since the US space shuttle program ended in 2011, the world’s astronauts have relied on Russia’s Soyuz capsules for transport to the space station.

Russia currently charges $82 million per seat, the GAO said.

Asked by reporters Friday if SpaceX’s Dragon V2 capsule for crew would be held back until 2019, Shotwell said: “I’m confident we will fly in 2018.”

The current cargo resupply mission, known as CRS-10, is the 10th of up to 20 planned trips to the space station as part of a contract between SpaceX and NASA.

The unmanned spaceship is packed with more than 5,000 pounds (2,267 kilograms) of food, gear and science experiments for the astronauts living in orbit.

The weather forecast for Sunday is 70 percent favorable for liftoff.

Following the launch, SpaceX plans to try landing the booster on solid ground at a different part of Cape Canaveral.

If successful, the upright touchdown of the Falcon 9’s first stage would mark the third time SpaceX has managed to stick a landing on solid ground.

Other such landings have taken place on floating ocean platforms, as the company perfects its techniques of powering costly rocket parts back to land instead of jettisoning them in the ocean after a single use.

Vía The Guardian Nigeria http://ift.tt/2l8af7p

‘Resource Now’ to reduce cost of training by 50 per cent’

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A Nigerian company, Astel Risk and Safety Consulting Limited in collaboration with a US-based organisation,Comprehensive Loss Management Inc. (CLMI) has introduced ‘ResourceNow’ for corporate organisation.

The product is an online training management system with focus on simplifying training programmes and reducing organizational training cost by about 50 per cent.

It is designed for organisations to simplify the distribution and deployment of training contents thereby reducing cost of personnel training.It comes with pre-loaded safety courses and has the flexibility of organizations creating their own courses and other contents.

Speaking at a press briefing in Lagos recently, the Chief Executive Officer of Astel Risk and Safety Consulting, Chukwuka Igbokwe said: “the decision to launch an online learning management system (LMS) sprouted from simplicity and cost effectiveness in learning”.

Continuing, he said the aim of this solution is to reduce the loss of productive hours as a result of assembling employees in classroom for hours or days presenting materials that can be deployed online.”

He stated that the training management solution, not just an online product. According to him, prior to deployment, an assessment of an organisation’s training programme will be done to know what can be moved online and what can be deployed face-to-face.

He added that “implementing training programmes or plans can be very difficult due to so many issues ranging from lack of training resources to scheduling employees for training as well as documenting completion.

All these issues faced by organisations, according to him, informed the decision to offer a solution that can simplify personnel training process, reduce course fee per head and at the same time increase the level of employees’ awareness of safety practices and operational procedures in the workplace.

He added that the product has been packaged to make learning easy and fast.“ResourceNow is pre-loaded with Safety courses delivered through video and text (handout) creating an effective learning experience for employees.

“A key feature of ResourceNow is that it comes with the flexibility of organizations creating their own courses and other contents. It takes less than half the time of classroom instruction and cost far less than half of classroom training.

“ Other features of ResourceNow include: assigning and tracking of training completion is fully automated; a mobile app feature for easy access for employees; has over 3000 documents and 94 computer based programs that can be modified to Company’s’ needs as well as end of course evaluation among others.”

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

Childhood obesity is steady on the rise

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<img src="http://ift.tt/2lqxczH&quot; alt="" width="1280" height="720" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-240779" srcset="http://ift.tt/2lqxczH 1280w,http://ift.tt/2kVmxQG 640w,http://ift.tt/2lqB9Eu 1062w,http://ift.tt/2kVncBL 320w,http://ift.tt/2lqEqnC 281w,http://ift.tt/2kVcZFh 562w,http://ift.tt/2lqrheb 531w,http://ift.tt/2kVn4Su 487w,http://ift.tt/2lqu1bz 974w,http://ift.tt/2kVn1q7 600w" sizes="(max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px"http://cdn.gdn.ng/, under the age of five are overweight or obese.

Overweight and obese children are likely to stay obese into adulthood and more likely to develop some diseases like diabetes and cardiovascular diseases at a younger age. Being overweight and obese, alongside the related diseases can be prevented if the necessary measures are started right from childhood. Therefore, this health challenge faced today is one of high priority and needs immediate attention.

HOW TO KNOW IF YOUR CHILD IS OVERWEIGHT OR OBESE
A child is said to be overweight or obese when the child is way above the normal weight for his/her age and height. According to WHO a child under 5 years of age is said to be overweight or obese when:

The child’s weight-for-height is greater than 2 standard deviations above WHO Child Growth Standards median; and when his/her weight-for-height is greater than 3 standard deviations above the WHO Child Growth Standards median, respectively.

While for children between ages 5-19, when:
The BMI-for-age is greater than 1 standard deviation above the WHO Growth Reference median and greater than 2 standard deviations above the WHO Growth Reference median respectively.

CAUSES AND DANGERS OF CHILDHOOD OBESITY/OVERWEIGHT
There are several causes of childhood obesity but according to the World Health Organization (WHO), the major cause is an energy imbalance between calories consumed and calories expended by the children. In other words, it may be caused by a shift in diet towards increased consumption of energy-dense foods high in fat and sugars but low in vitamins, minerals and healthy nutrients, and a trend towards decreased levels of physical activity. In Africa, the plumpness of a child is usually misinterpreted as a “sign of good living”. Most times these children are seen as the healthy; when in actual sense may not be that healthy. This may be as a result of their poor diet, inactiveness or other factors mentioned below:

Poor diet:
Unnecessary weight gain or obesity in children is majorly as a result of a poor diet. Unhealthy eating and regular consumption of high calorie containing food such as cookies, fast food, candies, chocolate bars, ice cream, soda and unhealthy snacks contribute to unnecessary weight gain or obesity in children.

Lack of physical activities:
When children indulge in poor diet and cannot expend as much energy as the calories consumed, they end up gaining weight, thus being overweight or obese in the long run. It has been noticed that children of this present age do not do as much physical activities as in times past. They are usually indoors playing video games or watching TV and do not get to partake in outdoor activities which could help them burn off calories.

Presence of a medical condition:
The presence of a medical condition such as genetic or hormonal disorders can predispose a child to obesity. Hormonal disorders like hypothyroidism where the thyroid gland found in the neck, below the voice box is under-active and doesn’t produce enough hormones to speed up metabolism. So, in such rare case, the child’s metabolism will be slow and this causes the child to put on unnecessary weight.

Genetics:
Genetic factors play a big role in children being overweight or obese. If a child is born into a family of obese people, there’s a more likely chance of that child becoming obese. Also, the style of the family diet also affects the child because he/she will tend to eat what is made available for consumption.

Environment:
The sort of environment a child is exposed to, can be the reason that child is overweight or obese. If a child is exposed to an environment (like at home) where candies, fast food and unhealthy snacks are not far-fetched, then there will be a great tendency of that child gaining unnecessary weight. When these unhealthy consumables are replaced with healthy ones like high-fibre bars, fruit wedges, low-fat yoghurts and so on, it exposes the child to healthier options that will be beneficial to his/her wellbeing.

The dangers of childhood obesity can be physically, emotionally and psychologically traumatizing for children. There are many health problems they’ll easily be prone to. These health problems may include:
• Cardiovascular disease like early arteriosclerosis, high blood pressure and stroke
• Certain types of cancer like colon, breast and endometrial cancer
• Musculoskeletal disorders like osteoarthritis
• Diabetes because of a hormonal disorder
• Disability in adulthood, and
•Premature death.

HOW TO CURB CHILDHOOD OBESITY/ THE WAY FOREWARD
Make healthy diet and snacking changes:
Providing plenty of vegetables, fruits and whole-grain products will go a long way. Introduce low-fat or non-fat milk or dairy products into their diet. Choose lean meats, poultry, fish, lentils, and beans for protein. Serve reasonably sized portions and encourage them to drink plenty of water. Make their favourite dishes healthier. Try out some new ones that may just turn out to be favourites too.

For their snacks and treats, moderation is very important. However, limit high-fat, high-sugar or salty snacks/treats. You can try to keep within a hundred calories or less.

Encourage more of physical activities: Educate your children on the importance of physical activity and it’s great health benefits like: strengthening the bones, decreasing blood pressure, reducing stress and anxiety, increasing self-esteem, helping with weight management and body carriage.

Encourage more active play by reducing their sedentary time and ensuring that they participate in at least 60 minutes of moderately-intense physical activity most days of the week or everyday if possible. You as a parent can start your own daily routine of physical activity and encourage your child/children to join you. A few examples of moderately-intense physical activity are: brisk walking, playing tag, jumping rope, skipping, cycling, playing soccer, swimming and dancing.

Balancing out the calories is all that really matters. It is the ideal way to manage obesity or being overweight in childhood. The amount of caloric intake should be balanced with the amount of energy expended by children daily. Offer your children nutritious meals and snacks with the appropriate number of calories. Help them develop healthy eating habits by making their favourite meals healthier and by reducing the caloric content of their meals.
So this is a call to parents to change or improve the diet their children and adolescents eating habit, as well as their physical activities.

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