Sunday, 12 March 2017
Friday, 10 March 2017
Fashola denies frustrating Lagos over airport road reconstruction
Murtala Muhammed International Airport
The Minister of Ministry of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, has debunked the allegation that it was frustrating the developmental initiatives of Lagos State Government regarding reconstruction of the international airport road from Oshodi.
Governor Akinwunmi Ambode recently accused the ministry of frustrating his administration’s efforts to carry out a total reconstruction of the road from Oshodi.
Ambode reportedly accused the ministry and security agents of denying the state government access to the Presidential Lodge in Lagos, six months after President Muhammadu Buhari gave approval.
A statement yesterday in Abuja by his Special Adviser on Communications, Hakeem Bello, said Fashola had last year approved the use of the Ministry of Works yard at Oworonsoki for the state government to create a lay-by to ease traffic.
It further said Fashola also approved the state government’s request to manage the street lighting on the 3rd Mainland Bridge to support the security initiatives of the state.
It said the ministry also supported the approval of a World Bank loan of $200 million to Lagos, a request denied it by the previous administration.
On the airport road project, it said the state government had presented a request for four roads it wished to take over, which was inconsistent with its conditions for states to take over roads within their jurisdiction.
“As far as the Presidential Lodge is concerned, it is under the management of the Presidency and not the ministry.
“After the approval by Mr. President that the Presidential Lodge be handed over to the state government, there was a directive to the ministry to work out the modalities for handing over.”
Bello stated that the ministry had prepared a vesting instrument to convey the transfer and all that was needed was a survey plan, adding that since the Presidential Lodge is a high security location and officials of the ministry also required security clearance to enter to do any works, access to the lodge was not under the ministry’s control.
He said the ministry remained committed to serving the government and people of Lagos State and would treat all their requests on merit in accordance with necessary due process.
Vía The Guardian Nigeria http://ift.tt/2lMGvip
Thursday, 9 March 2017
Ibadan to host Nigeria’s 3E Actuaries Open maiden qualifier
Golf
Ibadan Golf Club will host Nigeria’s maiden qualifier for the yearly 3E Actuaries Open Championship in Equatorial Guinea, the organisers have revealed.
The Nigerian qualifier, which is part of 3E’s expansion plan, will hold in August. According to the organisers, the qualifier will not only feature members of the Professional Golfers’ Association of Nigeria, but it will also accommodate players from West and Central African countries, who nurse the ambition of featuring at the all-expense paid finals in December.
Ghana, Togo, Gambia, Cameroun and Gabon are key countries expected to fight for final spots with their Nigerian counterpart at the Ibadan Golf Course.
Meanwhile, the qualifier also has a N10 million purse tied to it, while $300, 000 is being proposed for the finals in Mongono in December
The players that pick the final ticket in Ibadan would be drawn alongside qualifiers from the European leg, while lady professionals that debuted at the last edition would still earn their spots via invites and wild cards.
Two Nigerian players, Oche Odoh and Gift Willy won the first-three editions of the event, with Odoh registering his name twice. Englishman Hinton Craig is the defending champion.
Vía The Guardian Nigeria http://ift.tt/2m8MR7O
Kaduna airport comes alive as diverted flights land
Kaduna International Airport
• Julius Berger commences repair work on NAIA runway
• AIB to release final report on 2012 Dana plane crash next week
Air travel business was at full swing yesterday at the Kaduna International Airport with diverted flights from Lagos and other major cities in Nigeria making safe landings. This is coming as Julius Berger mobilised men and machinery to commence the rehabilitation of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA), Abuja.
As early as 7:15 am Thursday, domestic airlines from Lagos began to touch down in Kaduna, with multitudes of passengers, such as has never been seen at the airport before.
By 10 a.m, the terminal was already packed with passengers, either arriving or departing the airport. At the apron were two Dana Air aircraft, two Air Peace, one Med-View and seven private jets waiting for VIPs. It was learnt that Arik and Aero came and had immediately departed after picking booked passengers.
Lufthansa Airlines yesterday said there was no truth in the report that it had resolved to use the Kaduna airport after inspecting the refurbished aerodrome,.
Media officer of the airline, Hakeem Jimo, said though Lufthansa looks forward to the re-opening of the NAIA following its renovation and continuing to serve its customers in the Nigerian capital, “for operational reasons, Lufthansa will not serve an alternative airport during the short six-week closure.”
The International Terminal Manager, NAIA, Mrs. Hajara Musa, confirmed that the rehabilitation of the runway had commenced as announced by the Federal Government, adding that it would last for six weeks.
Musa said: “FAAN management has handed over the airport runway rehabilitation to Julius Berger Plc and the construction company is on ground carrying materials from one place to the other as it commences work on the runway,” she said.
The airport was virtually empty as only few persons, particularly staff of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, were seen at the facility on Thursday.
Meanwhile, the Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) yesterday said all was set for release of the final report on Dana Air plane crash of June 3, 2012 next week.Chief Executive Officer of the AIB, Akin Olateru, said the Dana Air report is among 37 of such reports set for release in days to come.
Olateru, who spoke at the a forum organised by the Aviation Round Table (ART) in Lagos Thursday, said the final report of the Dana Air crash, along with three other crashes that occurred between 2011 and 2016, would be submitted to the presidency for approval before being released to the public.
It will be recalled that the ill-fated Dana plane claimed 163 lives after crashing in Iju-Ishaga, Lagos.
Vía The Guardian Nigeria http://ift.tt/2mH9B1K
Gen. Robert Adebayo Adeyinka (1928-2017)
A warrior who advised against force to quell Biafran crisis
As a combatant, it was taken for granted that General Robert Adebayo, military governor of defunct Western region, would go for every available force to ensure that the ‘enemy’ is conquered. Ironically, he chose the path of peace, dialogue and political solutions to the Biafran crisis.
Speaking prophetically and perhaps with hindsight into the consequences of violence, his fears that informed the need to avoid violence came to pass.
“I need not tell you what horror, what devastation and what extreme human suffering will attend the use of force. When it is all over and the smoke and dust have lifted, and the dead are buried, we shall find, as other people have found, that it has all been futile, entirely futile, in solving the problems we set out to solve,” he asserted discerningly about the war that resulted.
Incidentally, when the war broke out, Adebayo, then governor of Western state, ordered the demolition of all bridges into the West to prevent the Biafran soldiers from reaching Lagos, the initial capital of Nigeria through his state.
It was a considered a wise decision as the Biafrans troops went as far as Ore in present-day Ondo state, about 100 kilometres from Lagos. After the war, the Head of State, General Yakubu appointed him the chairman of the Committee on the Reconciliation and Integration of Biafrans (Igbos) back into the Nigerian fold
Also of note is the fact that the late General was the governor during the controversial Agbekoya (farmers) revolt over taxation, which was eventually resolved peacefully and harmoniously.
As governor, he fostered agricultural extension services, as well as initiated the establishment of the Institute of Agricultural Research and Training, Moor Plantation, Ibadan.
Meanwhile, more groups and individuals have continued to pay tributes to the late General. The Oodua People’s Congress (OPC) and the Oodua Progressive Union (OPU) commiserated with the family, noting that the news of his passage in the early hours of Wednesday sent jitters to their spines, “not because he did not live to the ripe age, not because he did not die an accomplished leader, but because we missed him at a point when his elderly contributions to the Yoruba race is much needed.”
In a statement, the national coordinator of OPC, Otunba Gani Adams said the former governor of Western Region departed at a time Yoruba leaders were coming together to advance their civilization. “He died when the race is yearning to return to her pride of place as trail blazers among the tribes in the country, we will indeed miss him.
In another tribute, former governor of Delta State, Chief James Onanefe Ibori described Gen. Adebayo as a great patriot who sacrificed greatly for Nigeria to remain one united nation in its trying days after the counter-coup of July 1966.
Ibori according to a statement issued by his Media Assistant, Tony Eluemunor, said Adebayo did not for once seek personal gain, as one of the most senior officers that would have been in contention for leadership in the aftermath of the counter-coup in mid-1966, but set his mind and heart to the search for peace and unity for Nigeria.
He said that the record of the deceased, as Western State Governor remains a shining example for others to emulate.Ibori particularly commiserated with Adebayo’s first male child, Niyi, who was his close colleague as Ekiti State governor from 1999 to 2003.
“Niyi Adebayo has since remained a friend and brother. I also condole with the general’s eldest daughter, Mrs. Nike Makinde as well as his brother Sola. Most of all, I pray that God should give Mrs. Adebayo the grace to bear this irreparable loss.”
Similarly, in a condolence message, former presidential spokesman, Mr. Akin Osuntokun said Adebayo was a true family man who took everybody that came close to him either as his children, colleague or family.
A subordinate officer to Adebayo in the military, Alhaji Kayode Onasoga told The Guardian that the late governor was his master in the military and his president in the Yoruba Council of Elders (YCE).
He recalled how he was fond of Muhammadu Buhari because of Mr. President’s impeccable characters when he served under late Adebayo’s command. To Chief Olabode George, a former military administrator of Ondo State, late Adebayo was a mediator and moderator whose reconciliatory capacity was much pronounced at the height of the Nigerian Civil War, when he was the military Governor of the Western Region.
More prominent Nigerians yesterday trooped to Adebayo’s residence at 48 Ladipo Bateye Ikeja GRA to pay their respect to him. They include the four former and living governors of the Alliance for Democracy (AD) from 1999 to 2003, Bola Ahmed Tinubu of Lagos, Chief Bisi Akande, Osun, Chief Segun Osoba, Ogun.
The role call also comprised former Chief of General Staff, Commodore Ebitu Ukiwe; Governor Akinwunmi Ambode; former governors of Ogun and Delta states, Otunba Gbenga Daniels and Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan; the minister for Mines and Steel Development, Dr. Kayode Fayemi; founder, Oodua People’s Congress (OPC), Dr. Fredrick Fasehun; and former minister of Health, Dr. Julius Adelusi-Adeluyi.
Also present were spokesman Afenifere, Mr. Yinka Odumakin; former Minister of State for Defence, Dr. Demola Seriki; wife of former governor of Ondo, Mrs. Olufunke Agagu, former AIG Police, Mr. Tunji Alapini; Chairman of Elizade University, Chief Michael Ade Ojo; Senator Oluremi Tinubu; business mogul, chief Sam Adedoyin; and Rasak Okoya.
In his remark, Tinubu said Adebayo lived for peace and he dedicated his life to the course of development in Nigeria while Ukiwe said Adebayo’s integrity, consistency and hard work turned Nigeria around, adding: “His handshake across the Niger went a long way to foster peace in the country.”
Uduaghan described him as someone who loved and lived for peace throughout his life.Chief Samuel Adedoyin (left); Mrs. Sade Okoya, Chief Razaq Okoya, daughter of the deceased, Mrs. Nike Makinde, wife of the former Governor of Ekiti State, Mrs. Angela Adebayo and Senator Oluremi Tinubu during the condolence visit to the house in Adebayo House in Lagos…yesterday
Vía The Guardian Nigeria http://ift.tt/2m8LS7r
Monday, 6 March 2017
Protest at UNILAG over rustication, others
UNILAG
Institution denies students’ involvement
Movements in and out of the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Akoka, were yesterday disrupted by protesting students who were demanding for immediate and unconditional reinstatement of the 11 executive members of the institution’s students union.
The protesters, who defied the heavy rain, barricaded the university main gate hindering students and visitors from entering the premises. Other demands include a call to lift the “illegal ban on the UNILAG Students Union” and “improvement in welfare and conducive learning environment.”
Besides, the students at the protest led by the leadership of the Lagos State Chapter of the Joint Campus Committee (JCC) of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) and the Alliance of Nigerian Students against Neoliberal Attacks (ANSA), asked the management of the institution to retract the indemnity forms it mandated students to sign and stop attacks on activists and unionism.
Meanwhile, Deputy Registrar, Information Unit of the institution, Toyin Adebule, in a telephone conversation with The Guardian, denied that the protesters are UNILAG students.
According to him: “The protesters are activists and rusticated students who lost their case in court. Now that they have lost in court, they put up the jankara protest. We have issued a press statement to that effect informing the public that the University of Lagos students are not protesting. The gathering outside the gate consists of rusticated students and allies. They have challenged the university in court and the case has been struck out.”
Vía The Guardian Nigeria http://ift.tt/2lWItIG
Sunday, 26 February 2017
Mandela, Tutu encouraged me to contest presidential election, says Obasanjo
Olusegun Obasanjo
Former President of Nigeria, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo yesterday disclosed that he sought advice from the late South African President, Nelson Mandela and renowned Reverend Desmond Tutu, another South African statesman before deciding to contest the 1999 presidential election.
Obasanjo who spoke in Abeokuta explained that after his release from prison in 1999 over his alleged involvement in a fathom coup, he became confused when people started putting pressure on him to contest the country’s presidency.
With this scenario, he sought advice from Mandela and Tutu who encouraged him to contest.
The former president spoke during a thanksgiving service, organised by the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Ogun State chapter as part of activities marking his 80th birthday, which falls on Sunday, March 5.
Obasanjo told the congregation which included politicians, traditional rulers, clerics, top government officials and a cross section of the society that God had been “partial” to him in the manner he has favoured him.
He stressed that he didn’t deserve the favour God had shown him to achieve his modest achievement in life.
Obasanjo recalled, “ When I came out from prison for an offence I didn’t commit and people started putting pressure on me to be Nigeria’s President, I was confused but in that confusion I sought advice. I went first to Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu. Mandela said Olu, whatever your instinct tells you, follow it.
“God have been so partial to me by showing me much favour to achieve what I didn’t deserve. God has done for me much more I deserve. I praise God and I thank God for this.”
Governor Ibikunle Amosun in his brief remark described Obasanjo as an exemplary leader, saying he means a lot to so many people.
Represented by his Deputy, Mrs. Yetunde Onanuga, he said the people of the state are proud to have him as a citizen of the state.
In his sermon, Bishop Oke described Obasanjo as a great man who God raised for the greatness of Nigeria.
His words: “In every generation, God raises a man for his people. Like Abraham, Joseph, Samuel, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Peter, and Paul, baba (Obasanjo) is a hero God raised for our generation.”
He said though Obasanjo had retired from the helm of affairs in the country, he was still working silently.
The clergyman said Obasanjo had laboured to see a new Nigeria, praying he would live long to see a better and new Nigeria.
He admonished Obasanjo to seek forgiveness from God, forgive every individual that had offended him from the heart as well as to bring close his associates to school and motivate them so that they would build on his legacy.
Vía The Guardian Nigeria http://ift.tt/2lWaW4f
Saturday, 25 February 2017
Peter Thiel’s Palantir spreads its tentacles throughout Europe
Palantir Technologies Inc., the data mining company named after the all-seeing stone from the Lord of the Rings, likes to apply J.R.R. Tolkien references to many aspects of its business. The name of its London office is Grey Havens, a major strategic port in the fantasy trilogy’s Middle Earth setting.
It’s an apt moniker since the U.K. capital has become a vital hub driving growth of the $20 billion startup. Palantir has roughly tripled annual revenue from Europe over the past three years, said Alex Karp, the chief executive officer who started the company with billionaire Peter Thiel.
In a recent interview outlining the company’s progress in Europe, Karp said the region is Palantir’s fastest-growing outside the U.S., and he plans to continue expanding operations throughout the continent. Last month, Palantir touted two major new deals in Europe, with German health-care giant Merck KGaA and French airplane manufacturer Airbus SE.
Along with the European growth, Palantir has reduced the speed at which it’s burning through cash by 60 percent across the company, Karp said. This should enable the 13-year-old business to become profitable this year ahead of a potential sale or initial public offering, he said. The U.K. operations are already turning a profit.
Self-sufficiency has been an elusive milestone for the aging Silicon Valley startup, known as much for its work with government spies as for its eye-popping valuation. It’s also gained renown through its ties to Thiel, its polarizing co-founder, chairman and ally of U.S. President Donald Trump.
When a nation or company buys access to Palantir, it can use the data analytics software to pull far-flung digital information into a single repository and mine it for patterns. But the arrangement also includes consulting, which means Palantir’s headcount has swelled along with each customer it adds. Palantir employees typically set up at customers’ offices to help customize the software and format customer data to flow into the system. They also tinker with privacy controls to limit which information each class of user can view, modify or share, according to a Palantir white paper. While Karp, 49, is keen to discuss his commitment to protecting civil liberties, Palantir has faced criticism for empowering the expansion of spying efforts by the U.S. and its allies.
The governments of Denmark and the U.K. are among those that rely on Palantir. After meeting with Palantir representatives in 2008, U.K. intelligence officials described the software as “extremely sophisticated and mature,” according to a report on Wednesday in the Intercept, citing documents obtained by Edward Snowden. Palantir is used by the U.K. digital arm, tasked with improving the government’s data management, which awarded the company a 735,000 pound ($915 million) contract in late 2015, according to government filings.
Since Palantir was founded in 2004 with federal contracts and funding from the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, it has strived to branch into the private sector. Palantir said corporate customers now represent roughly half of revenue. In Europe, it counts AXA SA, BP Plc, Credit Suisse Group AG, Deutsche Bank AG, GlaxoSmithKline Plc, Standard Chartered Plc and Zurich Insurance Group AG among its customers.
Of Palantir’s 2,000 employees, more than 300 now report into the London office, which serves as its European headquarters, according to the company. That’s up from 97 at the beginning of 2015, according to Palantir’s U.K. company accounts.
Revenue at Palantir Technologies UK Ltd. increased to 51 million pounds in 2015, up 102 percent from 2014, according to the latest figures published Dec. 30 with the U.K. business registry Companies House. Profit increased to 1.24 million pounds over the same time period, up from 990,400 pounds the year before, according to the filings, which haven’t been previously reported.
In 2015 Palantir’s global bookings were $1.7 billion, a number Karp declined to update for last year. He said with the company approaching profitability, he’s considering an IPO, a private equity deal or another option to allow employees to cash out their shares.
Karp said he’s keeping a close eye on headcount. He said certain tasks that used to require human intervention have recently been “productized,” helping Palantir reduce hiring needs and increase margins.
Vía The Guardian Nigeria http://ift.tt/2myeEhG
Monday, 20 February 2017
The Calabar episode
Some staff members of Federal Government Girls College (FGGC), Calabar, protesting against invasion of their school by DSS officials
Calabar, that refreshingly clean and green city famous for its culinary ingenuity and more recently for the surrealism of its cultural tourism is in the news for the wrong reason. As the tourists were checking out of the city wishing that the Calabar international festival could go on forever, trouble was making its way into the Federal Government Girls College, Calabar.
The report, according to the newspapers, is that a civic teacher in the college named Mr. Owai Owai had flogged some senior secondary school girls including one Grace Loveth Asuquo for forcing a junior pupil to sweep their classroom during school hours. All the flogged pupils absorbed the sting of the strokes with equanimity but Grace Loveth Asuquo thought that some strokes of the cane administered on her were the exact opposite of being loved. She called her mother who obviously loves her and narrated the story of her ill-treatment by the teacher. The mother called her sister, thank God for sisters in powerful places, who works for the Department of State Security and narrated the story to her. Grace’s aunt, who shall be known in this column as the DSS ma, sprang into action like an accomplished gymnast, gathered her colleagues armed to the teeth as Nigerians love to say and headed to the college.
At the college they did their job efficiently by teaching the teachers a spanking lesson on how not to treat the niece of a powerful woman. Mr. Owai says he and other teachers were flogged in front of his pupils by the DSS ma and her husband. I believe him because when it comes to cruelty they are very efficient. I was detained, without food, by the DSS in Calabar in 1994 in a cubicle with giant mosquitoes for something that I knew nothing about: the David Mark interview. But that is a story for another day.
Corporal punishment in schools is receiving some spanking now because there have been a few cases that have reached the level of wickedness. In October 2015, a secondary school teacher in Ibadan was arrested for flogging a teenage pupil to death. Offence: coming to school late.
One of the more sensational flogging marathons involved a 14 year old pupil, Ogechi Anyalewechi, of Eva Adelaja Girls Secondary School, Bariga, Lagos. She was allegedly rude to the headgirl of the school who then served her with what we call in Nigeria “a dirty slap.” Ogechi returned the favour with an even dirtier slap. So the headgirl reported the matter to the Principal, Mrs C.O. Coker. Mrs Coker, in her wisdom or lack of it, more the latter, set up a team of slappers comprising herself, some teachers and a senior prefect. They flogged her mercilessly in turns and as the icing on the cake they also gave her a grass-cutting assignment. Her buttocks ached so much that for weeks she could not sit; she only had to lie on her stomach. She said she was still having nightmares.” I don’t want to go back to that school again,” she said grimly. That must be a modern day school for scandal.
The Lagos State Government was alarmed. It investigated the matter, suspended the Principal, Vice Principal and four other teachers. Ogechi’s mother, Esther, unable to convey the depth of her disappointment only put it lamely: “I felt bad when I saw all those marks on her body.”
Some years ago, I had the unpleasant duty of having to confront the wickedness demon at school. I got a call that my seven year old son was badly hurt at school. There was blood all over his body. I got home and saw his elbow bleeding badly. What happened, I asked, my class teacher beat me, he answered. I rushed him to the hospital for treatment and asked to be given a medical report on his wound. Two options occurred to me (a) take the teacher to court for assault and battery or (b) hire some thugs and get them to spill the teacher’s blood from his two elbows. Since he apparently specialised in selecting the most painful parts of the body to harm a young boy I thought I could make him swallow his own medicine. Although I am opposed to corporal punishment in school I would not have bothered if the teacher did not spill the boy’s blood. Spilling a child’s blood is the height of wickedness. The next day, I went to the school with the medical report and the boy. I showed the headmistress the medical report. She promptly apologised. With that apology I brought the matter to a closure but warned that if it happened again no apology would suffice.
Three issues have arisen from the Calabar incident. One, the genesis of the whole brouhaha is that some senior students had asked some junior students to sweep their (senior students) classrooms during school hours. The question is: why should some students, senior or not, make other students their own slaves? Why shouldn’t senior students sweep their own classrooms? Schools must create a level playing field for all their students instead of creating a dichotomy between those who should work and those who should not. Work is a logical necessity and children must be made to understand, right from school, that it is a noble thing to do and that it is not something that some people can do and others are exempted from doing. If the schools miss that message then they have failed in imparting the right values to the children.
Two, is corporal punishment the only effective form of punishment? Flogging pupils with a cain on any part of the body inflicts instant physical pain. It may also inflict some psychological pain because no child likes to be flogged. Corporal punishment tends to tell the child who is flogged that the best way to settle interpersonal conflicts is to respond with force and inflict pain on the other person. Physical punishment always arouses negative feelings such as feelings of humiliation and anger. That is why recipients of physical punishment sometimes become aggressive in response to that humiliation.
Teachers who manage pupils must realise that the effect of flogging kids might elicit the thought that school is a place where people are flogged and possibly injured. After the cruel flogging of my son it took quite some effort for me to convince him that school is not a place where wicked things are done to children.
Sweden is a country that has established a solid reputation for caring for the wellbeing of its people. In 1979, it published a parental code that says that “children are entitled to care, security and good upbringing. Children are to be treated with respect for their person and individuality and may not be subjected to corporal punishment or any other humiliating treatment.” It is one of the 51 or so countries that have banned corporal punishment in schools, homes and work places. These countries include our neighbours Benin Republic and Togo as well as Kenya, Cape Verde, Congo, and even South Sudan. However, in Singapore and Malaysia flogging is permitted for boys only; no girls must be flogged. Is that gender equity or iniquity?
But there are other countries, about 35 of them, that retain corporal punishment for judicial settlement of cases. Such countries include Botswana, Singapore, Malaysia and Tanzania. Nigeria’s case is complicated by the lethargy shown by the states in protecting the rights of the Nigerian child. In 2003, the Federal Government enacted the Child Rights Act but only 16 states have so far passed the Act in their domains. The remaining 20 states have not considered it something worthy of their urgent attention. But even the Act does not specifically ban corporal punishment.
Beyond the law, there ought to be a huge enlightenment programme for adults, whether parents or teachers, to know that children are not to be treated like firewood. There have been several cases of severe dehumanisation of children in the country by parents. There is a man who chained his nine year old son in a room for more than a month for stealing meat from the family’s soup pot. In addition, he was starved for the period and when he was rescued the boy looked like a skeleton. What a father!
Another person, a woman, a mother, reportedly used hot pressing iron and burnt the private part of her 11 year old daughter for coming back from school late. What a mother! There are many more of such bizarre stories in the media every week. So the cruelty we find in the school system is not an exception.
What is perhaps even more worrisome is the regular partisan intervention of institutions of state in such matters at a personal level. The DSS ma rushed into the Federal Government Girls College, Calabar with her colleagues with guns to save Grace. Supposing Mr. Owai had a brother in the Army in Calabar and placed a call to him asking for help. The answer: there would have been mayhem. Two institutions of state would have used weapons bought for them by the taxpayers to victimise the taxpayers over matters that can be settled amicably by the appropriate authorities, without this senseless show of force. I hope the DSS management will take a serious view of this illegal, unlawful and ruffianly power show in Calabar.
I admit that there is quite a lot of unruly behaviour in schools today. But that is an extension of the unruly behaviour we experience in the larger society. So it seems to be a major challenge for teachers to bring sanity into schools. Some students go to school with arms. Some of them go with dollars and try to “toast” their female teachers with the green back. Others go to schools with drugs, or cigarettes or alcohol. It is a brand new world. But despite this degeneracy I don’t think corporal punishment is the answer. It is not. Other disciplinary methods combined with regular counseling may do the trick.
In an era when the world is emphasising human rights and dignity of the individual, corporal punishment is outdated. The Federal Ministry of Education and other authorities in charge of schools should ban corporal punishment completely. It is, ironically, a great source of indiscipline and deviant behaviour in schools. It is not a cure but could be a cause of juvenile delinquency in schools because it sends a message that says: “violence pays.”
Vía The Guardian Nigeria http://ift.tt/2lFUjdj
Atiku seeks good governance for Nigerians
Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar
• PDP will bounce back to power, says Gov. Udom Emmanuel
• Ekweremadu rues manipulation, decline of Nigeria’s democracy
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has said that good governance was necessary to surmount the present political and economic challenges faced by the country.
Atiku, who spoke during the 2016 Silverbird Man of the Year award where he was honoured with ‘the Extraordinary Achievement award’, noted that right leadership was essential to move the nation to greater heights.
According to him, all that was required was the unity of Nigeria as well as right leadership to turn around this economic situation into prosperity.
Atiku, who reiterated that the youths were the greatest assets of any country, said: “We all at one time or the other were youths who have benefitted immensely from the generosity of this country and its resources.
“I believe that every responsible government should emphasis on youths development and empowerment so that our prosperity can return to us.”
Meanwhile, Akwa Ibom State Governor, Mr. Udom Emmanuel, has said that PDP would bounce back to power, urging members not to be distracted by the recent Appeal Court ruling that recognised the factional leader of the Senator Ali Modu Sheriff as the authentic chairman of the party.
Emmanuel, who said the judgment was a temporary setback, noted that it should not dampen the collective will of the people to forge ahead knowing that something good is about to happen in the PDP.
Also, Deputy President of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu, has rued what he described as the manipulation of vital institutions of democracy and radical decline of democratic freedoms in Nigeria.
He said that the solidarity of all key organs and bodies of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) towards the Senator Ahmed Makarfi-led PDP national caretaker committee, despite the recent judgment of the Court of Appeal on the party’s leadership tussle, showed that “it is not the hood that makes the monk.”
Ekweremadu made the assertions during the PDP national stakeholders’ meeting, which held at the Ekiti State Governor’s Lodge, Asokoro, Abuja, yesterday.
The Deputy Senate President, who was particularly peeved at the sealing of the International Conference Centre, Abuja, the earlier announced venue of the meeting by the security agencies, said that such flagrant manipulation of critical institutions of democracy was not only dangerous, but bad news for the nation’s democracy.
Vía The Guardian Nigeria http://ift.tt/2lp7KvH
When they go low, they go high
<img src="http://ift.tt/2m6CjGt" alt="" width="1280" height="721" class="alignleft size-full wp-image-206315" srcset="http://ift.tt/2m6CjGt 1280w,http://ift.tt/2lgG7q9 640w,http://ift.tt/2m6Gulz 1062w,http://ift.tt/2lgSaE9 320w,http://ift.tt/2m6KfaP 281w,http://ift.tt/2lgS9A5 562w,http://ift.tt/2m6ANEc 531w,http://ift.tt/2lgJTA8 487w,http://ift.tt/2m6EXMo 974w,http://ift.tt/2lgDLrm 600w" sizes="(max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px"https://cdn.gdn.ng/, it is a work of fiction. But more specifically, it is usually built on alternative facts (optimistic assumptions about oil prices and production) which inevitably means it always contains fake news (if you believe 30% of the budget will be spent on ‘capital’, I have a fairly used Russian bridge to sell to you).
But arguably, those are structural problems with the budget that will take some time and effort to fix. What cannot be explained is a more basic type of dysfunction in the budget that we just seem incapable of fixing.
Let’s start with ‘VIP toilets’ (Ventilated Improved Pit). These are a modern type of pit latrine that is cheaper to build and generally more hygienic. There are 26 mentions of ‘VIP toilet’ in the 2017 budget. The Federal Science and Technical College in Doma, Nassarawa state has budgeted to build one such toilet at a cost of N9.3m. But when you go to FGGC in Efon, Imnringi, you see that they are building a block of 12 VIP toilets for N4.9m. Meanwhile, FGC in Port Harcourt is going to build 3 VIP toilets at a cost of N4.3m. We must not leave out FGC in Ikole which is going to build 10 VIP toilets at a cost of N6.3m. After going through all the entries for VIP toilets in the budget, you are still left with a question – how much exactly does it cost to build a VIP toilet in Nigeria? The answer is blowing in the wind.
How about Toyota Hilux? Civil servants love this vehicle and seem to buy plenty of them every year. In this year’s budget, Hilux is mentioned 36 times. The Nigerian Police Academy in Wudil, Kano plans to buy 6 of them at a total cost of N36m. If you think this means a Toyota Hilux costs N6m each, then you’ll be surprised to find out that the Science and Development Institute in Enugu is going to buy 1 Hilux for N9m. Don’t be confused yet because the Federal Ministry of Works, Power and Housing is going to buy 20 Hilux vehicles at N12.5m each while the French Language Village in Badagry will buy the same Hilux for N9.9m. Vous me comprenez? Nevertheless, let us commend the good people of FGGC in Akure who will buy their own Hilux for N5.4m.
The story is not different for Toyota Prados – the beloved vehicle of ‘Ogas’ in Nigeria when government is the one paying. The Federal Fire Service says it will buy one for N12.8m while the Nigerian Christian Pilgrim Commission will buy one Prado for its Executive Secretary at a cost of N20m only. The National Productivity Centre will also buy one Prado but for N25m. This is not a productive use of public money to say the least. To reduce (or increase) the confusion, the ministry of works will buy 10 Prado jeeps at N21m each while the National Institute of Sports will buy just one for N18m. If you think FGGC in Bida spending N11.3m on a 250Kva Mikano generator is strange, what will you say about the NYSC spending N69m on a 100Kva Mikano generator? Well, it’s ‘soundproof’.
These are just a few examples. When you go through the budget, it is as if the document is quarrelling with itself. When one part of government goes high, another part goes low. Anyone can budget any amount they like for anything and get it into the budget. One is tempted to ask – what do they do in the Ministry of Budget and Planning? In theory, they should be setting the guidelines and then collating what the numerous government ministries and agencies want to spend public money on and making a final decision. The final document that the public sees is thus the responsibility of the budget ministry and they must take all the blame for any problems in it. After all, we cannot blame FGGC Akure for the sins of FGC Efon.
Maybe there are good reasons for the variation in prices. Maybe they started building some toilets in previous years and what is budgeted this year is for completing ongoing toilets. Maybe some Hilux vehicles were bought last year and the air-conditioning and tyres are only going to be supplied this year. Who can fathom the deep mysteries of the Nigerian budget or indeed the cost of a Prado contained therein? This is beyond the understanding of mere men.
And therefore, the budget, as previously stated, is an elaborate work of fiction. It is impossible to look at these inconsistencies and take the whole document seriously. If even Unity schools cannot agree on the cost of a VIP toilet, there is no chance of that of the Ministry of power being consistent with the Sports Institute on the cost of vehicles. Nigeria is thus stuck with bad habits that entrench themselves deeper every day.
This cavalier attitude to public money ought to offend the sensibilities of Nigerians. But there are so many battles to fight in Nigeria daily that this inability of the budget to agree with itself does not feel like the hill anyone should die on. Yet it is not hard to fix this problem. It cannot be beyond the capability of a nation of 180 million people to get its budgeting right so that citizens can begin to have some confidence in the document. Is it too much to ask the government to improve its procurement processes? I don’t think so.
Vía The Guardian Nigeria http://ift.tt/2lG5eUC
Soya ‘killing’ women diagnosed with breast cancer
Soy products…experts warn that women shouldn’t start consuming soya milk after a breast cancer diagnosis – because it may limit the effectiveness of treatment. PHOTO CREDIT: authoritynutrition.com
• Active ingredient limits effectiveness of treatment to tackle disease • Breath test detects aggressive tumours with 85% accuracy
It is considered a healthy alternative to dairy milk – and is famously popular among the yummy mummy crowd. But experts warn that women shouldn’t start consuming soya milk after a breast cancer diagnosis – because it may limit the effectiveness of treatment.
Tamoxifen could be inhibited due to soya’s active compound, genistein, interfering with the medicine’s action, a study found.Paradoxically, the naturally-occurring ingredient remains safe for women if it formed part of their diet before diagnosis, scientists claim.
Professor Leena Hilakivi-Clarke, of Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Centre, who conducted the biological pathway on rats, explained that timing of genistein intake is crucial.
“Oestrogen drives most breast cancer growth, yet high soya intake among women in Asian countries has been linked to a breast cancer rate that is five times lower than Western women, who eat much less soya,” she said.
“We have solved the puzzle in our rat model. See, while many oncologists advise their patients not to take isoflavone supplements or consume soya foods, our findings suggest a more nuanced message.
“Our results suggest that breast cancer patients should continue consuming soya foods after diagnosis, but not to start them if they have not consumed genistein previously.”
The study, which was published in the journal Clinical Cancer Research, could help patients improve the role that diet plays on their treatment.Lead researcher Dr. Xiyuan Zhang added that longtime sustained use of genistein before a diagnosis has a similar action to Tamoxifen.“It inhibits a mechanism called autophagy that would allow cancer cells to survive, which explains why it helps tamoxifen works,” she said.However, starting to consume it after breast cancer develops not trigger anti-tumour immune response to eliminate cancer cells when tested on rats.
Those consuming genistein as adults had a seven per cent chance of breast cancer recurrence after tamoxifen treatment, compared with a 33 per cent recurrence with rats exposed to genistein only after breast cancer developed.
Zhang added: “We do not know yet why this made the animals resistant to the beneficial effects of tamoxifen and increased risk of cancer recurrence.”
Also, a simple breath test could soon be used to detect two kinds of aggressive cancers. The test has proved successful in detecting stomach and esophageal cancers in 300 trial patients – with 85 percent accuracy. Both cancers tend to be diagnosed too late – at which point the chance of surviving five years is slim.
Experts claim this discovery by researchers at Imperial College London could be a game-changer for diagnosis and death rates. It could also save thousands from having to endure painful endoscopy exams, which involves forcing a tube down one’s throat to inspect their stomach.
“At present the only way to diagnose esophageal cancer or stomach cancer is with endoscopy,” lead researcher Dr. Sheraz Markar told the European Cancer Congress 2017 last week. “This method is expensive, invasive and has some risk of complications.”
“A breath test could be used as a non-invasive, first-line test to reduce the number of unnecessary endoscopies. In the longer term this could also mean earlier diagnosis and treatment, and better survival.”
The trial was based on the results of previous research that suggested differences in the levels of specific chemicals between patients with stomach or esophageal cancer and patients with upper gastrointestinal symptoms without cancer.
The new research aimed to test whether this ‘chemical signature’ could be the basis of a diagnostic test. In the new study, the research team collected breath samples from 335 people at three different London hospitals.
Of these, 163 had been diagnosed with stomach or esophageal cancer and 172 showed no evidence of cancer when they had an endoscopy.All the samples were analysed with a technique called selected ion flow-tube mass spectrometry, which is able to accurately measure small amounts of different chemicals in mixtures of gases such as breath.
Researchers measured the levels of the five chemicals in each sample to see which ones matched to the ‘chemical signature’ that indicated cancer.
The results showed that the test was 85 percent accurate overall, with a sensitivity of 80 percent and a specificity of 81 percent.This means that not only was the breath test good at picking up those who had cancer (sensitivity), it was also good at correctly identifying who did not have cancer (specificity).
Vía The Guardian Nigeria http://ift.tt/2lp9XHq
Saturday, 18 February 2017
At London auction, Nigerian master, Enwonwu sets world record
The late iconic artist, Ben Enwonwu, at work in his studio
On Wednesday, a unique edition of an iconic sculpture, Anyanwu by famous Nigerian artist, Ben Enwonwu (1917-1994) was sold for an auction world record price of £353,000 at Bonhams Africa Now – Modern Africa Sale in London.
Estimated at £150,000-200,000, Anyanwu, however, exceeded the target and gave the late modernist master his world record.
A statement from Bonhams put the total sale of the 2017 Africa Now auction at “more than £1.4 million.” Other sales that boosted the auction included ‘The Duet,’ by Yusuf Grillo which sold for £87,500; ‘Negritude’ by Enwonwu, which made £83,750; ‘The Glory of Ancient Benin,’ ‘Song of the City’ by Enwonwu sold for £75,000 against an estimate of £70,000-100,000; and ‘Adam and Eve’ by Prof. Uche Okeke, which sold for £56,250, but estimated at £20,000-300.
Provenance of Anyanwu: Widely considered the artist’s masterpiece, the 6ft 10 high statue was first conceived in 1954, when Enwonwu was commissioned to create a work marking the establishment of the National Museum in Lagos, which still stands the edifice at Onikan, Lagos.
He made a number of versions of the statue in different sizes over many years – subtly altering the concept with each edition – but this was the first full-sized cast to come to auction. It is from the second edition cast in 1956, and is believed to be the only one of this size from the second edition in existence.
Though a shift from the yearly May date of the sales at Bonhams, the African Now Modern 2017 is, however, sustaining its usual display of quite a lot of artists from Nigeria and other African countries.
Ahead of the auction, Bonham’s modern African art specialist, Giles Peppiatt, was in Lagos, Nigeria, where he briefed select guests. Peppiatt argued that “Ben Enwonwu was the first important Nigerian artist to reflect the sculptural traditions of his people in his work.”
With the results of the 2017 Africa Now Modern auction, Enwonwu has confirmed his spot as one of Africa’s leading modernists in the international art market. “Nowhere is this more spectacularly displayed than in his masterpiece Anyanwu. As the result achieved indicates – this is a new world record for an Enwonwu sculpture – there was fierce bidding to secure the right to own this exceptional and moving piece,” Peppiatt stated after the auction.
As “the third largest auction house in the world,” Bonhams, according to Peppiatt, has been in the forefront of showing Nigerian art to the European market. He boasted that modern Nigerian art was shown to a wider market “for the first time in 2008,” when Africa Now auction made its debut.
Indeed, it is noteworthy that there was a striking coincidence in 2008: Lagos-based Arthouse Contemporary actually made its debut with Nigeria-organised auction in the first quarter of the same year, followed by Bonhams’. For the first time in the history of African art, dedicated auctions for modern art of the continent unearthed high market value courtesy of Arthouse and Bonhams.
Vía The Guardian Nigeria http://ift.tt/2liZq0z
The conversation series 2 – Merkel and Hollande
I’m sort of grateful that it is not Germany that is manufacturing the next Hitler
This Hitler wants Europe dead.
Was surprised when May fell into his arms.
She is desperate for company after Brexit. Did you see the way her spindly legs walked beside Trump’s bullish figure?
Dinner with the Devil; they even held hands!
Yes. We don’t know what else they held!
Don’t go that way please…..
If you say so….
After the fright Hitler gave Britain in the Second World War Britain has become a bride looking for American protection even in times of peace
Why then did they run out of the European Union after all the concessions we gave them?
Beats the imagination!
But the Devil’s doctrine is catching on. My countrymen are also likely to elect a French equivalent.
Possible, very possible. We are being rejected; the world as we knew it is dying.
The extremists are not making it any easier. A tourist comes from Egypt to stab a French soldier and stupidly screams Allah Akbar
Sometimes I really feel all Muslims should be confined to their homeland.
Perhaps Trump is right
May be he has the courage to say things that we feel
But we can’t say this in public
Let others say it
When we brought down the Berlin wall the world cheered us. America claimed victory; now its America that is building walls
Even in Europe our people want us to build virtual walls. The upsurge in the number of refugees in the world is a challenge.
I think the rich world simply want to push the poor back into their homelands.
We need to provide leadership so that there would world prosperity else the poor will always come knocking on our doors or pushing them down
What if our people push our type out?
They may triumph in the short run. There is no way we can’t build the 21st century with closed doors and xenophobia.
Wish African leaders would rise to the occasion and make the continent a little bit comfortable for its citizens.
South Africa that started with so much promise simply slipped into the old disease. The polygamist clown who calls himself president should be in the zoo
Don’t dignify him with a zoo please. He should be in the wild forest of the Amazon
Then his counterpart in Zimbabwe! At 93 years of age he still clings to power
Well, he says he would step down only if the Queen does so
What’s the parallel?
Ask me!
Then Nigeria! When we supported the current people to push out the last administration did we expect this kind of vacuous leadership?
Let’s give them time to find their feet.
I believe we should groom a new set of youthful leaders to run the country. Lets identify some Oxford-trained economists to lead the country.
I’m afraid it won’t work
Why?
They will simply copy our models and tamely imposed them here!
If Obama were Caucasian the opposition would not have been so bad, so vitriolic.
Yeah. A gentleman; we shall miss him
I miss him already. To have power and use it sparingly is a sign of inner strength.
He never shoved anybody around.
The current man is a bully of the first order
Now he’s threatening Iran! If he wishes let him nuclear-bomb Iran to please Israel
I don’t think he can stand the storm!
He acts now and thinks later; a very dangerous man
He and Putin are different sides of a coin
Yeah,
Did you witness Trump’s Ambassador to the UN attack and condemn Russia?
Of course I did. Discordant tunes from one administration
I guess he never ran his business like that
Naaah! He was Mr. You are fired!
At this rate he will fire himself
I go to bed worried about the state of the world! Will it explode in our time?
Why is hatred increasing?
And xenophobia. With the global village slogan I thought we would move into a more friendly era in the world.
Nationalism is winning the day. It didn’t help before; it sure will fail again!
There’s a video in circulation where Trump ordered security men to expel a journalist who insisted on asking his questions
Shocking. He’s an American. But we heard Trump’s aide telling him to go back to his country.
Perhaps Native Americans would soon tell the rest to go back to their countries. Surprised he hasn’t gone after Blacks yet.
That would be volatile. It would show his mind too early. I guess right wingers will start the campaign on his behalf and he would look the other way when policemen slaughter innocent blacks.
Soon European citizens would start resenting Americans.
I don’t think it would get to that. Too many links, too many associations.
By the way what’s this talk about Califor-exit?
Americans have a way of expressing dissent. I doubt if any State would like to leave the Union.
But in the new world anything can happen.
I guess so.
How would Winston Churchill have reacted to Trump?
Hmmmmmm. Can’t conjecture. After some good shots of brandy, or is it whiskey I’m sure he would have told him some hard truths.
Like?
We should pose that question to the Headmistress of Britain when we meet her in Malta!
The world is getting messy
Well, you have sometime more to be in office. You’ve done three terms and want to do a fourth?
Yes. I want to give it a shot.
So worry about it. I’m going to enjoy my retirement and live happily ever after. Trudeau sounds like the real Statesman from North America. Not the blabbing Clown of Hotel Towers!
Well, he’s the best America could give. We got to work with him we need American military strength to confront Russia.
But with Trump disparaging NATO Germany has to build up strong! Just in case he abandons Europe as America once did…
Was she dragged in or she looked for a reason to intervene in order to save face?
History confuses me sometimes.
Trump is that confusion personified!
• Eghagha is a member of The Guardian Editorial Board
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Son of man, can these bones live?
Ernest Onuoha
“And He said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” So I answered, “O Lord God, You know.” Thus says the Lord God to these bones: “Surely I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live. I will put sinews on you and bring flesh upon you, cover you with skin and put breath in you; and you shall live. Then you shall know that I am the Lord,” (Ezekiel 37:3,5,6).
The Prophet Ezekiel was used by God in some dramatic ways. Firstly, he was lying on his side for 390 days during which he could only eat one eight – quence meal a day cooked over manure. Secondly, he was shaving his head and beard and thirdly, he showed no sorrow, when his wife died. He was a “street preacher” for 22 years and through him, God was powerfully preached to His people Israel. The content of the message though rhetoric was “son of man can these bones live.”
Admittedly, the message was frightening, as embedded in it was death. But gradually, the message came alive. Israel was in captivity in Babylon. As a result of this, she was physically and spiritually dead. Therefore, she needed a strong message to wake her up and to give her hope of God’s restoration. It is true that as captives they were in trouble, separated from home and in a manner of speaking dead with no hope of return.
However, a peep into God’s relationship with Israel showed Him as having pity and concern over it. It was God, Who with a powerful hand, delivered her from the Egyptian slavery and bore her on His Eagle wings. It was the same God, Who settled her in the Promised Land, even though at the time, there were people living. So, Ezekiel’s picture of the dry bones in the valley depicted Israel’s physical and spiritual state, but was not out of reach by God.
Indeed, God’s word is powerful bringing hope and restoration at the same time. He assuredly says: “the bones will live and all the people will know that He is the Lord.” Therefore, whether a Church or marriage or business or economy is dead, God can still turn things around for good in a twinkle of an eye. After all, He is in charge and involved in the affairs of men, no matter how hopeless a situation may be.
Unfortunately, some people do not see God intervening in some situations, partly because of unbelief, as well as hopelessness. But this should not be so, for certainly dry bones with God will live again. For us as a people in Nigeria, there is need to believe God and trust in His Word. We should not be carried away by the present economic situation in the country or the saturated labour market or drowning educational sector and power challenges we are experiencing, among others. The truth of the matter still remains that dry bones will live again. This is the time for us to put our faith to work. God will do it and certainly, there will be a turnaround for good. We must deal with unbelief, hopelessness and believe God. depend on the story in 2 Kings 7:1-2, 17-20.
“Then Elisha said, “Hear the word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord: ‘tomorrow about this time, a seah of fine flour shall be sold for a shekel and two seahs of barley for a shekel, at the gate of Samaria.” So, an officer on whose hand the king leaned answered the man of God and said, “Look, if the Lord would make windows in heaven, could this thing be?” And he said, “In fact, you shall see it with your eyes, but you shall not eat of it” “Now the king had appointed the officer on whose hand he leaned to have charge of the gate. But the people trampled him in the gate and he died, just as the man of God had said, who spoke when the king came down to him. So, it happened just as the man of God had spoken to the king, saying,
“Two seahs of barley for a shekel and a seah of fine flour for a shekel shall be sold tomorrow about this time in the gate of Samaria.” Then that officer had answered the man of God and said, “Now look, if the Lord would make windows in heaven, could such a thing be?” And he had said, “In fact, you shall see it with your eyes but you shall not eat of it.” And so it happened to him, for the people trampled him in the gate, and he died.”
Child of God, do not allow unbelief to ruin your life. Believe in God’s prophet and in His word, too, (2 Chron. 20:20). Therefore, it is my earnest prayer that today; every dry bone in your life, family or business shall receive life in Jesus name! Amen.
Ven. Ernest Onuoha
Rector, Ibru International Ecumenical Centre,
Agbarha-Otor, Delta State.
http://ift.tt/2cJwzBp
Vía The Guardian Nigeria http://ift.tt/2kAw1ln
Society blames traditional accounting system for increase in fraud
Society for Forensic Accounting and Fraud Prevention (SFAFP), has blamed the increase in cases of cyber and accounting fraud on failure of traditional accounting system and fraud control.
Board Chairman of the association, Benjamin C. Osisioma, yesterday, at the maiden induction of associates, noted that traditional audit models are no longer able to provide financial oversight for corporate activities.
According to him, the association, incorporated in 2011, was initiated to ensure professional distinction in the training and development of forensic accountants.
“Fraud is the global largest industry and has mortgaged the future of many. It also kills societal values, especially in a society that celebrates materialism.
“Nigeria has paid great price for fraud, simply because traditional controls had failed in keeping back the floodgate,” he stated.
The society, Osisioma further said, is positioned to deliver high quality service to foster integrity and excellence in fraud prevention.
In his remarks, the Executive Secretary (SFAFP), Dr. Abuchi Ogbuju, said his organisation would develop the necessary skills for forensic accountants and fraud managers.
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Wednesday, 8 February 2017
FG determined to put economy on sound footing, says Osinbajo
Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo
• Govt to implement 71-point NEC resolutions against recession
• Acting president urges religious tolerance,hosts Lamido Sanusi in Aso Rock
Acting President Yemi Osinbajo yesterday said the Federal Government was determined to put the economy on a sound footing through the diligent implementation of the national economic recovery and growth plan (NERGP).
He disclosed this yesterday in Abuja at the end of a two-day retreat with captains of industry and heads of various chambers of commerce and industry in the country.
While acknowledging that there is suffering in the land occasioned by the current economic downturn, the acting president pointed out that the years of deterioration and corruption cannot be remedied overnight.
Osinbajo said that notwithstanding, it is the responsibility and duty of government to ensure that the economy is put back on a sound footing and the slide in economic fortunes arrested for the benefit of the people.
In the short term, Osinbajo said government had intervened in several ways to mitigate the sufferings of the people, including giving bailouts to state governments to enable them pay salaries of workers.
The Minister of Budget and National Planning, Senator Udoma Udo Udoma, also said major emphasis would be on implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the NERGP as government planned to set up a specially staffed delivery unit to drive implementation.
Udo Udoma said the plan being discussed is a medium-term, which is expected to drive Nigeria to a minimum GDP growth rate of 7 per cent within the plan period.
At another two-day workshop for commissioners of economic planning and budget on the implementation of the National Economic Council Retreat Resolutions in Abuja, the Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed stated that government would implement fully all the 71-point resolutions reached to reverse the country’s negative growth trend.
Zainab Ahmed said that government planned to use Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) mechanism to achieve effective implementation of the resolutions, stating that M& E was a critical component of the NERPG.
The acting president in Benin City, Edo State at the conference of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) Tuesday night, faulted the claims that the Federal Government had not acted fast enough to curtail the killings in southern Kaduna.
He noted that the religious violence being witnessed in parts of the country was not peculiar to the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led administration.
The message, however, stirred little noise at the well-attended crusade, which had on its roll call the likes of Pastor William Kumuyi, Bishop David Oyedepo, Pastors Enoch Adeboye and Ayo Oritsejafor as well as the fellowship’s national president, Rev Felix Omobude, among others
He recalled that religious intolerance dated back to 1979 with the Matatsine clash, which left many dead, stressing that for Christians to live eternally, they must die for the gospel.
Meanwhile, Osinbajo met with the Emir of Kano, Mohammed Sanusi Lamido Sanusi II yesterday at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.The Emir did not speak to newsmen who approached him after the meeting.
He said: “you can just report that I came to the Villa.”Although no official reason was given, the monarch may have visited to offer advice on how best the economy could be run to get the country out of the recession.The former CBN governor had criticised the Federal Government over its plan to secure $30 billion foreign loan.
Vía The Guardian Nigeria http://ift.tt/2ku2mbU
British Airways, Lufthansa shun Kaduna over Abuja airport runway repair
British Airways. PHOTO: ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP/Getty Images<br />
British Airways and Lufthansa Airlines have joined the list of foreign airlines rejecting the option of flying into Kaduna Airport during the six weeks of runway repair of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA), Abuja.
But unlike others that will suspend operations for the six weeks period, the British carrier has opted for Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos as the alternative to the Abuja airport.
The Lagos option, which brings British Airways’ daily frequency to two, would benefit domestic carriers as more foreign passengers are pushed to them to transport nationwide.
It will be recalled that South African Airways on Monday disclosed its plans to suspend its Abuja operations while the runway closure lasted. The carrier said the business decision was imperative following its decision not to fly to Kaduna Airport.
German carrier, Lufthansa also told reporters of its decision not to fly into Kaduna.British Airways’ Country Manager, Kola Olayinka, said the Lagos alternative was the best option for its customers during the closure of the runway.
Olayinka said several factors were considered before the decision was reached, which include the safety and security of its passengers, as well as key operational issues.
“We are currently evaluating all options for our customers planning to travel at that time and we will be reaching out directly to them for information about their trip,” he said.
Olayinka explained that the lack of in-flight catering services as well as the inadequate technology at the Kaduna airport, including simple tech like the Common User Terminal Equipment among others, made the Kaduna airport a difficult option.
The Country Manager, however, lauded the Minister of State for Aviation, Hadi Sirika for the stakeholders’ meetings he convened to intimate airlines and other stakeholders on the deterioration of the Abuja airport terminal, adding that the facility poses danger to aircraft and passengers.
He said his explanation helped to douse tension and allowed people to see the desirability of shutting the runway for total rehabilitation. He noted that that is the best way to go, to fix the problem.
Olayinka said British Airways had assured the Federal Government that it would return to Abuja immediately after the completion of work on the project.
Aviation Security consultant, Group Captain John Ojikutu (rtd), predicted that most foreign airlines would not divert to Kaduna for security reasons, but informed, “boom time could await domestic operators.”
Ojikutu said most airlines would prefer to operate all their flights to Lagos, as it was when Port Harcourt was closed for runway repairs in 2007/2008.
“The diversions of these flights to Lagos would be a boom in business to the benefit of the domestic airlines, who should work in alliance with these foreign airlines to help distribute and collect their inbound and outbound international passengers for them between Lagos and other airports,” Ojikutu said.
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