Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras (front row
C) and members of his government pose for a
group picture after the first meeting of the new
Cabinet in the parliament building in Athens,
Jan. 28, 2015.
New Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras says
he wants to reach a "fair, viable and mutually
beneficial solution" with its international
lenders as he begins to reverse the austerity
measures he says have led to a humanitarian
crisis in his country.
Tsipras said Wednesday in Athens during his
first meeting with his new Cabinet that he is
eager to avoid any destructive confrontations
with its creditors, but said Greece would no
longer blindly submit to the demands of the
European Union.
The new government is seeking to eliminate
some of Greece's massive debt and ease
austerity measures imposed on it in exchange
for more than $300 billion in loans, including
reversing sharp wage and pension cuts. It is
also canceling plans to privatize many of its
assets, including the sale of its main port of
Piraeus to Chinese shipping giant Cosco.
The recent moves sent Greece's financial
markets downward for a third straight day
Wednesday.
Tsipras officially took office Monday, a day after
leading his anti-austerity Syriza party to
sweeping victories in parliamentary elections,
and quickly joining with a smaller right-wing
anti-bailout party to form a government.
Greece's trio of international lenders - the
European Union, International Monetary Fund
and European Central Bank - has shown no
inclination it will renegotiate terms of the
bailouts. But the creditors said they will discuss
Greece's financial affairs with the new
government.
The leader of the eurozone's finance ministers,
Dutch Finance Minister Jeroen Dijsselbloem,
said he would visit Athens on Friday to meet
with Prime Minister Tsipras.
The Minister of State for Education, Prof. Viola
Onwuliri, has said that President Goodluck
Jonathan will win in Imo State in the February
presidential election.
This was contained in a statement by the
minister’s assistant, Peter Osamgbi, on Tuesday.
According to the statement, the minister
addressed a group of professionals in Owerri,
the Imo State capital.
While fielding questions from the professionals,
Onwuliri said President Jonathan had fulfilled
his electoral promises to Nigerians through “his
lofty transformation programmes which Imo
State has immensely benefited from.”
Onwuliri,who is also the deputy coordinator of
the PDP presidential campaign in the state, said
that “aside reclaiming the Government House
from the APC government under Rochas
Okorocha on February 28, the Imo PDP shall
first and foremost deliver hundred percent
votes for President Goodluck Jonathan on
February 14 to further prove that Imo remains
a PDP stronghold.”
Source:punch
The University of Cambridge Local Examinations
Syndicate, now known as Cambridge
Assessment, on Wednesday confirmed that
African language papers, including Hausa, were
offered for the West African School Certificate
Examination in the Northern Region in 1961.
The UK examination body, in a statement on its
website, also said that the number of
candidates who sat for the WASSC Hausa
examination in 1961 was 152.
Cambridge was responding to allegations that
the results presented by the All Progressives
Congress Presidential Candidate, Maj. Gen.
Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) were fake as being
alleged in some quarters.
There had been reports that Hausa was not
part of the WASSCE of 1961 as claimed in the
results presented by Buhari.
The examination body said it will not declare
the results of the All Progressives Congress
presidential candidate, Maj. Gen. Muhammadu
Buhari (retd.), on the grounds that the Data
Protection Act of 1998 prevents the body from
declaring anybody’s result to the public.
“We only confirm or verify results at the direct
request of, or with the permission of a
candidate. This is in accordance with the
provisions of the Data Protection Act 1998 and
section 40 of the Freedom of Information Act
2000,” the statement said.
According to Cambridge, even if the body has
Buhari’s result or that of any other person’s, it
is a personal document kept in trust.
The statement read, “Examination results were
classed in grades by 1 to 9. 1,2,3,4,5 & 6
indicate a Pass with Credit; 7 & 8 indicate a
Pass; 9 indicates a Failure.
“To pass the School Certificate, candidates had
to pass examinations in a variety of groups. It
was compulsory to pass English Language, but
not Maths, in order to gain the Certificate.
“The number of candidates who sat for the
WASC Hausa examination in 1961 was 152. Our
records show that Hausa was set in the
Northern Region in 1961.”
Buhari had, at a news conference at the Kano
State Government House, dismissed the
controversy over his school certificate as a
mischief orchestrated by the Peoples
Democratic Party.
The Federal Government on Wednesday said
the H5N1 influenza virus, also known as bird
flu, is now present in 11 states in Nigeria.
It confirmed the presence of the virus in four
other states apart from the seven states earlier
reported on January 22, 2015.
The Minister of Agriculture and Rural
Development, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, outlined
the additional states to include Oyo, Jigawa,
Gombe and Imo.
He said the total number of birds exposed had
risen to 232,385 with 51,444 mortalities
recorded.
Details soon.
Lamudi, the real-estate classifieds platform,
has launched in three more countries in
Africa; Gabon, Angola and the Republic of
Congo. This brings up the total number of
countries on Lamudi’s international network
to 52 spread across Asia, South America,
Africa and the Middle East.
Lamudi says the property sectors in the
countries are beginning to make the online
switch, creating demand for property listing
services like one offered by Lamudi.
Co-founder and Managing Director, Kian
Moini is upbeat about the firm’s progress.
“Since we launched in late 2013, Lamudi
has grown at breathtaking speed. The
website is now available in more than 30
countries in the emerging markets, offering
house-hunters from Mozambique to Mexico
access to over 800,000 global property
listings,” he says.
Lamudi is part of the Africa Internet
Holding – supported by Rocket Internet,
MTN and Millicom – same group behind
Jumia, Jovago, Easy Taxi and 2 other
startups.
A pple grossed $74.6bn in revenue,
and $18bn in profit in the first
quarter of 2015, the highest ever in
corporate history, smashing a record
previously held by Russia’s Gazprom
with $16.2bn.
According to a statement on Apple’s
website, the results were fueled by all-time
record revenue from iPhone and Mac sales
as well as record performance of the App
Store. Apple sold 74.5 million units of
iPhone in the last quarter of 2014.
Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO who himself earned
40% more in the past year says, “Our
revenue grew 30 percent over last year to
$74.6 billion, and the execution by our
teams to achieve these results was simply
phenomenal.”
Apparently, it’s been a good year at Apple
despite 22% drop in iPad sales. Apple will
ship its new Apple Watch wearable device
in April of this year. This may nudge up its
revenue even further in the new quarter
even as concerns are rife that it’s high-end
price may not be able to woo more than the
Apple faithful.
MTN Group yesterday, in Johannesburg,
South Africa, announced it would be the
first African company to offer Amazon Web
Services (AWS) Direct Connect to business
customers across multiple countries on the
continent.
The new service will leverage the extensive
footprint of MTN’s Global MPLS network, to
provide customers with connectivity
between their data centres or businesses
and the AWS EU Ireland region. This will
give enterprises across Africa a dedicated
link with which they can access the
flexible, scalable and reliable AWS cloud.
“The relationship with Amazon Web
Services is an important step in our plans to
address the needs of enterprise customers in
emerging markets, particularly Africa,” says
MTN Group Chief Enterprise Officer, Mteto
Nyati.
“As MTN Business, our purpose is to enable
and inspire growth on the continent. We
believe that by working with a global
technology leader such as Amazon Web
Services, MTN will be better placed to
enable customers to grow their businesses
by providing them with reliable
connectivity and access to world-class
digital solutions,” says Nyati.
MTN’s Global MPLS network connectivity
offers improved manageability, reliability
and performance. As a result, AWS Direct
Connect is expected to bring significant
benefits to multinational and large
enterprise customers by providing a more
consistent network performance when they
access AWS.
”We are excited to be working with MTN to
bring the security and reliability of AWS
Direct Connect to customers across Africa,”
said Steve Midgley, Head of EMEA, Amazon
Web Services Luxembourg Sarl. “By utilising
AWS Direct Connect customers are able to
reduce network costs, increase bandwidth
throughput and provide a more consistent
network experience helping African
businesses of all sizes to rapidly expand
their organisations.”
AWS Direct Connect is not the first time
MTN will dabble into data and cloud
services. The company’s head has in fact
been firmly stuck in the cloud for years.
The telco has been acting l ess and less like
one for years, partnering with Google in
Nigeria to get businesses online before
veering off and trying to sell them web
hosting by itself, and investing in data
centers to power a cloud business product it
dubbed “anything as a service” . If its
short-lived liaison with Google in Nigeria is
any indicator, MTN’s current relationship
with Amazon might last only as long as the
company feels it needs the handholding of a
leading cloud player.
President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday
disowned former Minister Labaran Maku,
who claimed his support for dumping the
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for All
Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), saying
he cannot be involved in anti-party
activities. Maku contested for the
governorship candidature in Nasarawa
State last year, but lost
The President said he had at no time had
any discussion or encourage him to join
another party. He said in Lafia, Nasarawa
State yesterday that the PDP does not
encourage anti-party activities and he
would never flout the party’s rules and
regulations as the leader of the party,
insisting Maku was on his own.
He thanked the crowd that welcomed him
at the Lafia Township Stadium for
believing in him.
He assured that the mineral resources in
the state would be tapped amid dwindling
oil prices and in line with the
administration’s policy to diversify the
economy, adding that Nasarawa will be
one of the areas the central government
will want to work with to realise this.
He assured that the Doma dam will be
completed on record time so that they will
continue to promote dry season farming.
“What is good for you we will not wait for
you to demand before you get what is
rightly yours. We want to change the
concept that farming is for the poor but
that it is for the rich because the farmers
in America are millionaires.
Vice President Namadi Sambo said PDP is
Nasarawa and Nasarawa is PDP, while
soliciting for votes from the people of the
state.
Also disowning Maku, Senate President
David Mark, who asked the former
minister to apologise and retrace his
steps, before he could be accepted back
to the party.
He urged the people, “don’t be deceived
by any son of yours that says he has been
put in another party to run for the
governorship. Mr. President is PDP from
top to bottom”.
Mark who addressed the students from
his official car shortly before the
President’s chopper landed in school’s
compound, cited the YouWin programme,
establishment of universities under this
administration as a demonstration of
Jonathan’s commitment to youth
development.
“The emphasis that the current
administration is putting on education is in
the right direction. I know that most
people are complaining of unemployment
but the government is generating
employment through YOUWIN, youth
programmes, SURE-P, these are areas in
which government is putting a lot of
attention.
Benue State Governor Gabriel Suswam
assured that the North-Central will vote
Jonathan because he has done well.
He said the state made a mistake in 2011
that was why they lost to the opposition
but the PDP is poised to get it back.
Former national chairman of PDP, Dr.
Ahmadu Ali said Maku is ungrateful,
despite using the platform of the party to
rise to stardom, he jumped the ship
because of greed and joined APGA.
Source:THE SUN NEWSPAPER
My attention has been drawn to the release of
General Muhammadu Buhari "certificate" and
many people were sending me pictures of this
certificate. I thought that should finally end the
brouhaha about the ?#?BuhariGate?, but on
taking a better look and some little research, it
was obvious the certificate is a fraud.
Look exactly like those ones produced by
Oluwole magicians!
Now let's analysis the certificate in 5 bullet
points:
1. Observe that there is NECO written on top of
the result. It's worth noting that NECO was
created in April 1999, by Abdulsalam Abubakar.
2. Secondary schools in Nigeria during Buhari era
ended at form 5 not form 6 as shown in the
certificate. 6 years secondary school education
started in Nigeria in 1989 - 1990 academic year.
3. The certificate also showed Ministry of
Education, Katsina state. Katsina State was
created on 23 September 1987 from Kaduna
State.
4. The certificate also had Mohamed Buhari
instead of Muhammadu Buhari as he is known.
5. Government College (Pilot), Katsina was
written on the certificate. The school was
formerly called Provincial Secondary School,
Katsina.
6. The passport shown on the document is not
the face of a young boy of 19. Buhari was 19
during the time of this exam since he wrote the
exam in 1961.
7. Which Hausa did Buhari study that he gave
himself a credit score? In 1961, only the western
region included Yoruba in their curriculum. Local
languages were adopted nationally after the civil
war by the new central government.
Bonus point: The school suddenly remembers
GMB file is in their records. The statement of
result kept since 1961 is still as clean as new.
This is magical!
I hope this 7 points have convinced you and not
confused you that Buhari's School Certificate Is
Fake!!!
For anyone who has not read Professor
Charles Soludo’s article in the Vanguard
(online version) on January 25 2015, I
would encourage them to do so. It is
littered with abusive and unbecoming language.
It shows how an embittered loser in the
Nigerian political space can get so derailed that
they commit intellectual harakiri by deliberately
misquoting economic facts and maliciously
turning statistics on their head to justify a
hatchet job. We hope all the intellectuals in the
international circles in which Professor Soludo
has told us he flies around in will read what a
Professor of Economics has chosen to do with
his intellect.
In this one article Soludo has shamelessly
pandered to so many past leaders that
Nigerians are asking one more time – what
position is Soludo gunning for now? He claims
in his article that he has had his own share of
public service, yet he has failed twice in his
attempts to be Governor of Anambra State and
Vice Presidential candidate of various parties.
There is definitely an issue of character with
Prof. Charles Soludo and his desperate search
for power and relevance in Nigeria. Nigerians
should therefore beware of so-called
intellectuals without character and wisdom
because this combination is fatal.
But let us turn to the main subject of Soludo’s
discourse. So much of what is written is
outright nonsense and self-seeking
aggrandizement that need not be dignified with
a response. It is totally remarkable that
Professor Charles Chukwuma Soludo, the man
who presided over the worst mismanagement
of Nigeria’s banking sector as Governor of the
Central Bank of Nigeria between May 2004 and
May 2009, can write about the mismanagement
of the economy.
Nigerians must be reminded of his antecedents
as CBN Governor, and even prior to that, as
the Chief Economic Adviser to the President.
The consolidation of the banking sector was a
good policy idea of the Obasanjo Administration
but Soludo went on to thoroughly mismanage
its implementation leading to the worst
financial crisis in Nigeria’s history. So what did
Soludo do?
After consolidation, the regulatory functions of
the Soludo-led CBN were very poorly exercised.
As Governor, he failed to adequately supervise
and regulate the now larger banks – an
anomaly in Financial Sector Supervision. In fact
as every Nigerian knows, in his time there was
very little separation between the regulators
and the regulated which is a violation of a key
requirement of Central Banking success. This
led to infractions in corporate governance in
many banks as loans and other credit
instruments running to hundreds of billions of
naira were extended to clients without
following due process, and several of these
loans could not be paid back. This massive
accumulation of bad debts or non-performing
loans as they are called in the banking sector
meant that our banks were ill-positioned to
deal with the global financial crisis when it hit.
In fact, the banking sector was brought to its
knees and required a massive bailout by
Nigerian tax payers. This bailout was done by
his successor (now Emir of Kano) who cleaned
up all the bad debts and transferred them to
the newly-established AMCON, from where they
are managed today. So let it be noted for the
record books that Soludo’s single-handed
mismanagement of the banking sector led to an
incredible accumulation of liabilities that will
cost tax payers about N5.67 trillion (being the
total face value of AMCON-issued bonds) to
clean up. Let it be noted also that this amount,
which is more than the entire Federal
Government 2015 Budget, constitutes the bulk
of Nigeria’s “contingent liabilities” mentioned in
Soludo’s article. It is only in Nigeria where
someone who perpetrated such a colossal
economic atrocity would have the temerity to
make assertions on public debt and the
management of the economy.
Let us now look at some of the points he
makes. Luckily, Soludo has told us that he has
been busy traveling internationally, hobnobbing
with his global partners. It is obvious from this
article that from the rarefied heights at which
he is flying he is completely out of touch with
what is happening with the management of this
economy. Take his comments on the
mismanagement of the economy and the
imposition of the austerity measures. The
present fall in oil prices, a global phenomenon
over which Nigeria has no control, has given
every charlatan the opportunity to attack the
economy, and by extension the managers of
the economy
It is true that the economy grew well during the
second-term of former President Obasanjo as a
result of the reforms supported by the
President and implemented by the Economic
Management Team. Please note that the
Finance Minister under whose leadership that
good performance took place, including massive
unprecedented debt relief, is still Finance
Minister today. But thorough examination of
the facts on performance under the Jonathan
Administration will also reveal that at a time
when global economic performance was
mediocre, with GDP growth averaging about 3
percent per annum, Nigeria’s GDP growth –
averaging about 6 percent per annum – is
indeed remarkable. Even more interesting is
the fact that the oil sector did not drive this
economic performance but the non-oil sector
(Agriculture, Manufacturing,
Telecommunications, the Creative Economy,
and so on), which shows that the current
Administration’s diversification objective under
the Transformation Agenda is working.
Transformation equals diversification
This current government managed to control
inflation, which he Soludo, was not able to do
during his time at the helm of monetary policy
in Nigeria. When he left the Central Bank in
2009, inflation – which hurts the poor and
vulnerable in the society the most – was above
13 percent per annum. Now, inflation is at
single-digit, at 8 percent per annum. What
about exchange rates? Well this administration
again managed to stabilize the naira exchange
rates, such that between May 2011 and the
end of 2014, official exchange rates against the
dollar rarely moved out of the N153 to N156
band. It is only with the recent dramatic fall in
oil prices and the consequent impact on our
foreign reserves that the exchange rate has
become quite volatile. The drop in oil price has
been heavy and rapid impacting all oil
producing nations significantly. Nigeria is no
exception and appropriate fiscal and monetary
policy measures are being put in place to
manage this situation.
In fact, history will recall that careless remarks
by Prof. Soludo (then Chief Economic Adviser to
the President) hypothesizing a possible naira
devaluation, condemned the naira to a free fall
towards the end of 2003. Ray Echebiri, in his
2004 article in the Financial Standard, wrote
that not even the assurances given by the then
CBN Governor, Mr. Joseph Sanusi or President
Obasanjo that any plans to devalue the naira
existed only in the head of Professor Soludo
could halt the fall of the naira from N128 to the
dollar in the official market to about N140
between September and December 2003.
It is true that our foreign reserve accumulation
is less than what it should be but the reason
for this has been fully given, not as excuses but
simply as fact: lower oil production and crude
oil theft along with the refusal to save in the
Excess Crude Account (ECA) are the reasons.
Contrary to what Soludo said, oil production
under President Obasanjo was higher than
current levels. Quantities produced averaged
2.4 million bdp, 2.22 million bpd, and 2.21
million bpd in 2005, 2006, and 2007
respectively but has declined now to between
1.95 and 2.21 million bdp due to vandalism of
the pipelines and the resulting “shut-ins” to fix
the problem. It is true that had production
been at the previous levels and had there been
willingness to save we would have had more
money in the ECA and also in the reserves. But
the overriding setback to savings is that the
State Governors felt it was their constitutional
right to share the money. Please recall that
even as we speak the States have taken the
Federal Government to the Supreme Court on
this issue
Soludo’s claim that 71 percent of Nigerians live
below the poverty line is misleading and
disingenuous. He uses 2011 statistics on
poverty by the NBS to support his argument
while ignoring more recent figures. But as
stated in the Nigeria Economic Report 2014 by
the World Bank, poverty rate in Nigeria has
dropped from 35.2 percent of population in
2010/2011 to 33.1 percent in 2012/2013. By the
way, the reason why our poverty numbers
have been so wrong is that the National Bureau
of Statistics (NBS), under Soludo’s supervision
as CEA and Vice-Chair of the National Planning
Commission, departed from the international
standard method of poverty measurement. Is
he now ignoring the right economic statistics to
wilfully manipulate information?
No doubt we have a problem with
unemployment in this country and we must
deal with it. Indeed this Administration is
dealing with it and stands proud of what it has
accomplished so far and is pushing hard to
accomplish much more. As a first step, the
Administration, through the office of the Chief
Economic Adviser to the President and the NBS,
worked hard to determine how many jobs we
need to create in a year. What you don’t
measure you cannot make progress on. Why
didn’t Soludo do this when he was CEA?
We need to create about 1.8 million jobs a year
in this country to cater for the new entrants
into the labour market, but we also need to
deal with the backlog of the unemployed and
the underemployed, e.g. those selling on the
streets. Dealing with this global challenge of
unemployment is not an easy task for any
country, as can be seen from the experiences
of developed countries particularly in the euro
area. But the Jonathan Administration is making
good progress, creating an average of about 1.4
million jobs per year by driving quality growth
in key sectors like Agriculture, where the bulk
of new jobs are being created, Housing,
Manufacturing, Financial Services, and the
Creative Industries like Nollywood.
In addition we have special programs to
promote job creation among the youth and
these include:
Promoting entrepreneurship among the youth
through the “Nagropreneurs” program to
support 750,000 youth farmers with grants and
training, and the YOUWIN program that is
directly supporting up to 5,400 young
entrepreneurs with grants, training, and
mentorship and so far beneficiaries are creating
an average of 9 jobs each, for themselves and
others. About 22,000 jobs have been created
by the first 2,400 youwinners.
Graduate Internship Scheme: that is reducing
the vulnerability of unemployed graduates by
enhancing their employability. The Scheme
targets up to 50,000 unemployed graduates in
the 36 states of the Federation and FCT and
about 22,000 graduates have so far been
placed by the program.
Community Services Scheme under SURE-P:
developed to empower young unskilled
Nigerians, women and people with disabilities.
About 120,000 mostly young workers have been
engaged across the country
On the issue of debt, Nigerians deserve to
know the truth and we have said it before. The
truth is that the government borrowed in 2010
to pay an unprecedented 53.7 percent wage
increase to all categories of federal employees
as demanded by labour unions. The total wage
bill rose from N857 billion in 2009 to about
N1.4 trillion in 2010, and as a result, domestic
borrowing increased from N200 billion in 2007
to about N1.1 trillion in 2010 to meet the wage
payments. Where was Soludo at the time? Why
did he not react to the borrowing then? Was it
because he wanted to pander to labour in
preparation for his political career?
It is noteworthy that since 2011, the
Administration of President Goodluck Ebele
Jonathan has been prudent with the issue of
debt and borrowing. The Economic
Management Team not only looks at debt to
GDP ratio, where Nigeria has one of the lowest
numbers in the world at 12.51 percent but it
looks at debt service to revenues. That is why
in spite of the rebasing and a larger GDP, the
administration has taken a prudent approach to
borrowing. The prudent approach helped to
drive down domestic borrowing from N1.1
trillion in 2010 to N642 billion in 2014. In fact
for the first time in our nation’s borrowing
history we even managed to retire N75 billion
of domestic bonds outright in 2013.
Despite the present tough situation, we do not
plan to go on a borrowing spree but to keep
borrowing modest at a level sufficient to help
us weather the present situation. We have
already ramped up efforts to generate more
non-oil revenues for the government while
cutting costs of governance. Therefore, Soludo’s
claim that this Administration is reckless with
debt does not hold true.
Since Soludo seems so ignorant to what has
been achieved by the Jonathan Administration,
let us present just a few examples of them
here again. This information is easily verified.
We are improving infrastructure across the
country. For example, 22 airport terminals are
being refurbished, and five new international
airport terminals under construction in Lagos,
Port Harcourt, Kano, Abuja, and Enugu.
Soludo’s kinsmen in the South East now have
an international airport in Enugu, and for the
first time in Nigeria’s history can fly direct from
Enugu to anywhere in world for which they are
very grateful to this Administration. But with
Soludo being up in the air with his international
travels, he has not touched ground in the
Southeast to observe this development for
himself.
Various road and bridge projects have either
been completed or are under construction.
Those completed include the Enugu – Abaliki
road in Enugu/Ebonyi States, the Oturkpo –
Oweto road in Benue State, the Benin – Ore –
Shagamu highway, and the Abuja – Abaji –
Lokoja dualization, and the Kano – Maiduguri
dualization. The Lagos – Ibadan expressway
and the Second Niger Bridge are under
construction.
Rail from Lagos to Kano is now functional, as is
parts of the rail link between Port Harcourt and
Maiduguri. All these have brought transport
costs down. We recognise that more needs to
be done in the power sector, but bold steps
(like the privatisation of the GENCOs and
DISCOs) have been taken, and our gas
infrastructure is being developed to power
electricity generation
In Agriculture, over 6 million farmers now have
access to inputs like fertilizers and seeds
through an e-wallet system, which is more than
the 403,222 that had access in 2011. Rice
paddy production took off for the first time in
our history, adding about 7 million MT to rice
supply. An additional 1.3 million MT of Cassava
has also been produced and as a result, the
rate of food price increase has slowed
considerably, according to the NBS.
In Housing, we have put in place a new
wholesale mortgage provider – the Nigerian
Mortgage Refinance Corporation (NMRC) – to
provide affordable mortgages to ordinary
Nigerians, starting with those in the low-middle
income bracket. This sector will help the
economy grow as we tap it as an economic
driver for the first time. Mortgage applications
from 66,000 people are currently being
processed and 23,000 have already received
mortgage offers
Our Manufacturing sector is reviving with new
automobile plants by Nissan, Toyota, etc. This is
in addition to the backward integration policy in
key sectors like petrochemical, sugar, textiles,
agro processing and cement, which Nigeria is
now producing 39,000 MT and exporting to the
region.
The Creative sector is now a factor in our GDP,
with Nollywood alone accounting for 1.4
percent, creating over 200,000 direct jobs and
nearly 1 million indirect jobs. This is the first
Administration to recognise its importance and
support its further development with a grant
program.
A new bank – the Development Bank of Nigeria
– will soon be operational and this bank will
help bridge the access to finance gap, which is
a major constraint for the private sector
especially SMEs. The bank will provide long-
term (5 – 10 years) financing at affordable rates
for the first time in our nation’s history.
This is the path that the government has been
on before this fall in oil prices. The response to
the economic shock has been spelled out to the
Nigerian public over and over again, and the
Administration intends to focus on managing
this crisis appropriately. This year will be
difficult. To say anything less to Nigerians will
be untruthful. It would have been better if
there had been a bigger cushion of the Excess
Crude Account to manage this situation but
despite this the nation can rise to the
challenge. More importantly, President
Goodluck Ebele Jonathan and the Economic
Management Team are seeing this as an
opportunity to diversify the revenue sources of
an already diversifying economy. In fact let me
at this juncture use this opportunity to
comment on Soludo’s appalling statement that
rebasing brings no policy value. Rebasing has
enabled us to better grasp the new diversified
nature of our economy. This provides the basis
for our present drive to support different
sectors with appropriate policy instruments to
enhance their development. Rebasing has also
enabled the Administration to create the
platform from which to drive our work on
increasing non-oil revenues. These are areas of
critical policy value.
Soludo mentioned the issue of the Economic
Partnership Agreement with the EU, noting that
this Administration has not been vocal or clear
on its direction with this agreement. On the
contrary, the Administration, particularly the
Ministry of Industry, Trade, and Investment,
has been clear on this issue but since Soludo
has been in the air he probably has not been
aware of this. Just recently, the Minister of
Industry, Trade and Investment reiterated
again to the corporate sector that Nigeria has
not signed and does not propose to sign the
EPA in its present form.
The point is that this government has been
pursuing the right economic policies, and its
efforts have been acknowledged nationally and
internationally. Let me say that there are
objective ways to measure performance. There
are international institutions globally accepted
to do this. They have acknowledged this
Administration’s good economic management
up to the recent crisis and even now.
We cannot go by someone’s subjective view,
driven by bitterness and bile. We need to look
to the truth and to professionalism. This is
where Professor Soludo totally fails. For the
other gratuitous, political, and personal attacks,
we are sure that those mentioned will respond
appropriately. It is a sad day for Nigeria and
the economics profession that someone like
Soludo, a former CBN governor should write
such an article. If Soludo wants to regain
respect, he should return to the path of
professionalism. He certainly needs something
to improve his image from that of someone
whose sojourn into National Economic
Management ended in disaster for the banking
sector, his sojourn in politics, ended in
overwhelming rejection by the electorate, and
more recently, his sojourn abroad, has put him
out of touch with the reality of the Nigerian
economy.
Paul C Nwabuikwu
Special Adviser to the Coordinating Minister for
the Economy and Minister of Finance
1) Wake up 30 minutes earlier each day. Enjoy
the fresh air & avoid the mad rush.
2) After you open your eyes, tell yourself today
is going to be another wonderful day.
3) Sit on the bed and feel the ground. Then,
think about your future/ long term goal. Tell
yourself that today you are going to be one step
closer to your dream.
4) Check today’s schedule.
5) Have your yummy breakfast.
6) Before you leave the house, look into the
mirror once more and tell yourself you look
awesome.
7) Smile to everyone you meet.
8) Help at least 3 people without expecting any
return.
9) Give compliments to people when people
around you have done a great job.
10) Focus on one thing at a time.
11) Leave the company on time. It’s time for
yourself and your family.
12) Feel the sky the moment you step out the
building. There’s no need to rush.
13) Listen to the music and read a book that
touches your heart.
14) Give yourself some “me time”. Review your
day. Ask yourself “what have you done well
today?” & “what can be improved in the
future?”.
15) Complete your schedule for the next day.
16) Prepare everything you need for the next
day to avoid rush.
17) Enjoy the precious moments: bedtime story
for your kids/ a little chat with your loved one.
18) Hug and say good night to your loved ones.
19) Count all the wonderful things you have
encountered today, one by one.
20) Leave tomorrow’s worries for tomorrow.
Close your eyes and sleep with a smile.
A convicted Nigerian drug trafficker is
among six drug offenders to be executed
in Indonesia on Sunday. The Nigerian,38
year-old Daniel Enemuo, alias Diarrssouba
was convicted in 2004.
Indonesian authorities announced the
execution today. It will be the first
execution under new President Joko
Widodo.
The planned executions were announced
by the Indonesian Attorney General’s
Office.
Widodo, who took office in late October,
signed off on the executions last month.
He pledged no clemency for drug
offenders, despite pleas from the
European Union, the Brazilian
government and Amnesty International.
The five foreigners due to be executed
are from Nigeria, Malawi, Vietnam, the
Netherlands and Brazil.
“Indonesia’s new government took office
on the back of promises to improve
respect for human rights, but carrying
out these executions would be a
regressive move,” said Rupert Abbott, a
Southeast Asia research director for
Amnesty International.
European Union foreign policy chief
Federica Mogherini said the planned
executions were “deeply regrettable” and
urged Indonesia to establish a
moratorium on the death penalty.
Indonesia resumed executions in 2013
after a five-year gap.
Widodo has taken a strong stance on the
rule of law, not only on drugs but also on
corruption and maritime law.
In his first few months in office, he has
ordered illegal fishing vessels to be blown
up by the navy and supported the
unprecedented move of dismissing the
entire board of energy giant Pertamina
—
This was disclosed in a statement made
available to Punch in Abuja, by the
coordinator of the National Information
Centre, Mr. Mike Omeri.
Boko Haram militants were said to have
razed at least 16 Borno State towns and
villages in new multiple attacks.
According to Omeri, in recent days, there has
been heavy fighting between Boko Haram
and Nigerian troops in some parts of Borno
State, especially Baga.
He explained that since the insurgents’ first
attack on Baga last weekend, security forces
have been on their tail, chasing them.
He said: “ On Wednesday, a group of militants
conducted a second terrorist attack on the
area, leaving casualties and destroying
property. Security forces have responded
rapidly, and have deployed significant
military assets and conducted airstrikes
against militant targets.
“These brutal and barbaric attacks by Boko
Haram represent none of the people of
Nigeria and no religion. Our security forces
will continue to pursue the perpetrators of
these heinous acts. We will stop Boko Haram,
and we will bring to justice those responsible
for the brutal violence being perpetrated
against the people of Nigeria.”
Omeri disclosed that the the National
Emergency Management Agency was
providing comprehensive humanitarian
support to 2,000 Internally Displaced Persons
from Baga at its secure facility, the Teacher’s
Village Camp.
Despite the state of emergency declared by
the Federal Government in 2013 in Borno,
Boko Haram has continued to rein terror and
have even stepped up its attacks. There are
even fears that many people in the area will
not be able to vote in next month’s general
elections because of the insurgency.
Madam Eunice recalls that there was nothing
special about the day on which Goodluck was
born in Otuoke. His birth was however very
easy compared to her other experiences with
childbirth.
She says: “I often had prolonged labour
during childbirth, sometimes for up to a
week, and because of this, I usually had still-
births. But when it was the turn of Goodluck,
I delivered him the very day I started having
labour pains. This surprised me”.
Apart from this, Eunice, did not regard the
day as extraordinary. According to her, the
people of Otuoke went about their duties as
usual. No dramatic event occurred. Perhaps,
the fact that nothing special happened was
indeed significant and the truly important
event was his birth.
Giving his reason for naming his son
Goodluck, his father said: “ I called him
Goodluck because although life was hard for
me when he was born, I had this feeling that
this boy would bring me good luck.
His paternal grandmother, Sarah, also
declared that her grandson, in his adulthood,
would shake the world the same way ‘king’
Azikiwe was doing at the time.
Kano - Boko Haram gunmen fought running
battles with Nigerian troops on the streets of the
northeastern city of Damaturu on Friday, in an
apparent reprisal attack after a recent raid on a
militant stronghold, residents told AFP.
"The gunmen arrived at around 7:30 pm (1830
GMT), firing guns and shouting 'Allahu
Akbar!' (God is greatest)," said Mukhtar Sani, a
student of the Yobe State University in the city.
Troops intercepted the insurgents and Aishatu
Bala, who lives nearby, added: "All the streets
are deserted. Everybody has moved indoors and
all we hear are sounds of gunfire."
Yaounde - Cameroon's President Paul Biya has
appealed for international military help to fight
Islamist militant group Boko Haram, which this
week threatened to step up its cross-border
raids into the country from Nigeria.
The Nigerian group is part of a "global"
movement that has attacked Mali, the Central
African Republic and Somalia in its drive to
establish its authority from the Indian Ocean to
the Atlantic, Biya said.
"A global threat calls for a global response. Such
should be the response of the international
community, including the African Union and our
regional organizations," he said in a New Year
speech on Thursday to diplomats at the
presidential palace.
He said he regretted that a regional military
force against the insurgents had yet to be
established.
At least 15 people were killed in an attack on a
bus in north Cameroon on New Year's day.
A man purporting to be Boko Haram's leader,
Abubakar Shekau, threatened in a video posted
online this week to step up violence in
Cameroon unless it scrapped its constitution and
embraced Islam. Biya did not comment on the
video in his speech.
The country has deployed more troops to its Far
North region and has killed hundreds of the
Islamist fighters. New laws aimed at stamping
out the militants were also helping, Biya said.
"Although weakened by the losses it has
suffered, our foe nonetheless remains capable
of bouncing back," he said.
The German government donated 120 all-terrain
vehicles to Cameroon's military in November.
Boko Haram is the main security threat to
Nigeria, Africa's leading energy producer and
biggest economy and also threatens Chad and
Niger.
London - Frank Lampard on Friday moved to
clear up "lies and nonsense" over his move to
New York City FC, confirming he will move to the
States after completing his loan deal with
Manchester City.
Lampard issued a statement which said he does
have an agreement in place with Major League
Soccer side New York and will move there at
season's end.
"I want to make it completely clear about my
situation as I have read a lot of lies and
nonsense over the last few days," the statement
said.
"When released from Chelsea last year at the
end of my contract I signed a commitment to
play for NYCFC for two years starting January 1,
2015. I was then offered the chance to train and
be part of the Man City squad in the interim to
keep myself in the best shape going into New
York.
"This period has since been extended by Man
City and I will now start playing for NYCFC at the
end of this current Premier League season.
"There has always been a constant dialogue
between all parties in this time to find the best
solution for everyone. I can say that I am very
excited about arriving in New York and giving
everything to the team to make us a success in
the MLS as soon as possible.
"Thanks everyone for your ongoing support and
I wish everyone a healthy and happy 2015!"
Lampard's assertion that his New York City
contract was originally due to start on January 1
may add further confusion as, when the MLS
franchise originally announced his signing in July
2014, they said on their website: "New York City
FC signs Frank Lampard to a Designated Player
contract ... a two-year contract which starts
August 1 (2014)."
Manchester City and New York City, both part of
the City Football Group, have been criticised on
both sides of the Atlantic for their handling of
the situation.
Lampard's move to the Etihad Stadium was
initially thought to be a loan, and it only
emerged that he was fully registered with the
club after his deal was extended on December
31.
With Yaya Toure heading to the African Nations
Cup, City are keen to keep Lampard after his
return of seven goals, largely as a substitute.
Lampard has been the face of New York City's
marketing campaign ahead of their inaugural
season and many fans demanded a refund on
their season tickets after it was confirmed he
would remain in Manchester until the summer.
Lagos - We bring you the campaign timetable of
the All Progressives Congress presidential
candidate, Muhammadu Buhari from January 10
The campaign, which started on Wednesday has
seen Buhari visiting Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Cross
Rivers, Abia and Delta States.
Enugu and Anambra (Awka/Onitsha)
10th January
Ebonyi (Abakaliki) and Ondo (Akure) -
12th January
Lagos and Ogun -
13th January
Osun (Osogbo) and Ekiti (Ado-Ekiti) -
14th January
- Oyo (Ibadan) and Kwara (Ilorin)
15th January
Benue (Makurdi) and Kogi (Lokoja) -
16th January
Plateau (Jos) and Niger (Minna) -
17th January
Nasarawa (Lafia) and Kaduna (Kaduna) - 19th
January
Kano and Jigawa (Dutse)
20th January
- Katsina and Zamfara (Gusau) -
21st January
- Sokoto and Kebbi
22nd January
- Bauchi and Gombe -
23rd January
- Borno and Yobe
24th January
- International Engagements
25th to 27th January
- Adamawa and Taraba
28th January
Grand Finale (Abuja)
29th January
Damaturu - Shooting and heavy artillery fire
were heard on the outskirts of Damaturu in
northeastern Nigeria on Friday, a Reuters
witness said.
No further details were immediately available.
Suspected Boko Haram militants raided
Damaturu - the capital of Yobe state and 130
km (80 miles) from Maiduguri, the capital of the
Islamist fighters' Borno state stronghold - in
early December. The military used ground and
air forces to repel them.
Abuja - Five weeks before a presidential
election, Nigeria's electoral commission said on
Friday it has not yet finished printing the cards
that voters will need to present at polling
stations.
Of the cards that are ready, about 15 million
have not yet been collected by voters,
sometimes because of apathy or geographical
remoteness, said electoral commission
spokesman Kayode Idowu, while insisting
everything would be ready on time.
Commission data showed no voter cards at all
had been delivered to Borno state, the region
worst hit by Boko Haram militants who are
waging an Islamist insurgency against the
government. More than 10,000 people died
last year in the violence.
The Feb. 14 election in Africa's biggest
economy and leading energy producer is
expected to be a close contest between
President Goodluck Jonathan and his leading
challenger, Muhammadu Buhari. Its conduct
will be closely watched, since past polls have
been marred by widespread ballot-stuffing,
violence and in some cases outright fabrication
of results.
Across the country, 38.8 million voters have
retrieved their cards, out of the 54.3 million
that the commission, known as INEC, had
produced by the end of last year, Idowu said.
"We're making this data public to remind
people to pick up their cards. We can't take it
to their homes," he said. INEC was setting up
more pickup locations outside the main towns
to make it easier for rural voters.
He declined to comment on how many cards
were left to print and distribute.
Jonathan's administration has created
permanent voter cards in an effort to stamp
out fraudulent practices like voting multiple
times. Now, in theory, no one can vote
without presenting a biometric card and
matching thumb print.
But there are controversies over technical
glitches and data collection failures. Around 11
million people were struck off the voting list
last year, many of them wrongly, and the
opposition cried foul. Idowu declined to say
how many had been re-registered.
Nigeria's population is around 170 million, the
biggest in Africa, but the number eligible to
vote will not be known until next week, after
INEC finishes processing registrations.
More than a million people displaced by Boko
Haram and scattered across many states will
be unable to vote unless the government finds
a way around the electoral law, which says
they have to vote in their home constituencies.
Idowu said parliament had now rejected
changing that law.
In Borno, distribution of voter cards only
began on Friday, INEC sources said.
Abuja - The Nigerian Army has distanced itself
from a fake Facebook account claiming to
represent the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General
KTJ Minimah, reports Daily Post.
In a statement issued on Monday, the Army
through the Director of Army Public Relations,
Brigadier-General Olajide Laleye, said that
someone was trying to defraud unsuspecting
members of the public.
The statement warned people to ignore
information found on the fake page.
Lagos - The Lagos State Police Command on
Tuesday said that it has uncovered a fake
Facebook account bearing the name of its
Commissioner, Kayode Aderanti.
This is contained in a statement by the Police
Command’s Public Relations Officer, DSP
Kenneth Nwosu.
"The account in question which is 'CP Kayode
Aderanti’ was recently introduced by one
shadowy character as the authentic Facebook
account of the Commissioner of Police, Lagos
State Command.
"It was introduced to members of the Social
Network with the intention of giving the
impression that images being displayed and
comments from this account are by the
reputable Commissioner of Police, Lagos
State," it stated.
However, the statement said that the
commissioner does not operate a Facebook
account, either official or private.
"For the avoidance of doubt, the
Commissioner of Police Lagos State Command,
CP Kayode Aderanti, does not in any way
operate a Facebook account (either official or
private).
"Therefore, the CP advises all members of the
public and in particular Facebook users to
ignore the said account as it does not belong
to him".
The command assured that efforts were being
made to apprehend the character(s) behind
the fraudulent account.
He said that the Police would not relent in
combating crime, and ensure that Lagos
residents and all others who have cause to
come to Lagos enjoy a conducive environment
for business and leisure.
Abuja - Swedes who talked on mobile or
cordless phones for more than 25 years had
triple the risk of a certain kind of brain cancer
compared to those who used wireless phones
for less than a year, a new study suggests.
The odds of developing glioma, an often
deadly brain cancer, rose with years and
hours of use, researchers reported in the
journal Pathophysiology.
"The risk is three times higher after 25 years
of use. We can see this clearly," lead
researcher Dr. Lennart Hardell told Reuters
Health in a telephone interview.
His finding contrasts with the largest-ever
study on the topic – the international
Interphone study, which was conducted by the
International Agency for Research on Cancer
and funded in part by cell phone companies.
That study, published in 2010, failed to find
strong evidence that mobile phones increased
the risk of brain tumours.
Even if the odds of developing a glioma were
doubled or tripled, however, the risk would
still remain low.
Brain tumours and phone use
A little more than 5 out of 100 000 Europeans
(or 0.005 percent) were diagnosed with any
kind of malignant brain tumour between 1995
and 2002, according to a 2012 study in the
European Journal of Cancer. If the rate triples,
the odds rise to about 16 out of 100,000 (or
0.016 percent).
Hardell, an oncologist from University Hospital
in Orebro, Sweden, and his colleague Michael
Carlberg matched 1 380 patients with
malignant brain tumours to people without
such tumours and compared their wireless
phone use.
People who reported using wireless phones for
20 to 25 years were nearly twice as likely to
be diagnosed with glioma as those who
reported using them for less than a year, the
study found. Those who used cell and cordless
phones for more than 25 years were three
times more likely to develop one of these
tumours.
The study did not show an association of
wireless phones with malignant brain tumours
other than glioma.
Participants who recalled talking the most –
more than 1,486 hours – on wireless phones
were twice as likely to develop glioma
compared to those who said they used the
devices the fewest hours – between one and
122 hours, the study found.
Case control studies such as this suffer from a
number of limitations, however, the most
serious being the need for participants to
remember their behaviour patterns from
decades earlier.
Take precaution
Dr. Gabriel Zada, a neurosurgeon at the
University of Southern California's Keck School
of Medicine, who wasn't involved in Hardell's
study, advises precautionary measures, such
as using the phone's speaker or a hands-free
headset.
But he told Reuters Health the new study
failed to answer his patients' questions about
why they developed brain tumours.
"A lot of people ask me, 'Why did I get this
brain tumour?'" he said. "There are a lot of
different theories. It's a much more
convoluted picture than just saying cell phones
caused this."
In a 2012 study, Zada reported that rates of
malignant tumours in parts of the brain
closest to where people hold their phones rose
significantly in California from 1992 to 2006 –
although the incidence of gliomas throughout
the brain decreased.
U.S. cell phone use tripled between 2000 and
2010, according to CTIA - the Wireless
Association, which represents manufacturers.
But in the U.S. overall, rates of cancer in parts
of the brain that would be more highly
exposed to radiofrequency radiation from cell
phones had not gone up at the time of a 2010
report in the journal Neuro-Oncology.
Zada believes the current study underscores
the need for more research.
"It is more evidence suggesting a possible
association between brain tumours and cell
phones," he said. "But it's certainly not
convincing that cell phones cause brain
cancer."
Mobile phones carcinogenic?
A World Health Organisation panel of 31
scientists from 14 countries classified mobile
phones as "possibly carcinogenic" in 2011. The
U.S. Federal Communications Commission is
currently reassessing the safe radiation
exposure limits it adopted in 1996.
Cell phones emit radiofrequency energy, which
can be absorbed by tissues closest to where
the phone is held, the National Cancer
Institute says on its website. "Studies thus far
have not shown a consistent link between cell
phone use and cancers of the brain, nerves,
or other tissues of the head or neck," it says.
Hardell is one of the few researchers who
include cordless phones when studying cell
phones and cancer risk. He believes emissions
from the base stations of cordless phones can
be problematic, especially when users sleep
next to them.
Children may be most vulnerable to wireless
phone emissions, Hardell said. They absorb
more radiofrequency electromagnetic fields, he
writes, because of their small heads, thinner
skulls and higher brain conductivity.
"Girls tends to put the smart phone below the
pillow," he said. "It's a bad habit to go to bed
with your smart phone."
Zada also believes developing brains may be
more susceptible and recommends against
sleeping with cell phones.
Nevertheless, he said: "It's hard to make
formal recommendations because the data is
lacking. It's not smoking and lung cancer
because it's not proven.
Harare - Growth prospects for sub-Saharan
Africa’s mobile phone market are significant as
over half the region's population does not
have access to a mobile phone.
This is according to a Frost & Sullivan study
called ‘Sub Saharan African Mobile End-user
Trends'.
"The mobile penetration in the region is
expected to increase from 52% in 2012 to 79%
2020. Overall, in terms of mobile phone
usage, SSA will be the fastest growing region
globally over the next seven years," said the
researchers.
The study has noted that because “more than
half of the population (in the region) has no
access to a mobile phone” it offers immense
opportunities for telecommunication
companies, device and module vendors as
well as application providers.
“The introduction of affordable smartphones,
specifically designed for the African market,
has improved the market scenario,” said Frost
& Sullivan Information & Communication
Technologies Industry Analyst Joanita Roos on
Wednesday.
"Mobile broadband connections are now
anticipated to quadruple from its 2012 figure
to reach 160 million in 2016," Roos added.
The projected increase in take-up of mobile
broadband internet in the region has been
attributed to the increased coverage of 3G
networks, the rise of local content, and the
development of a range of new applications.
The study added that mobile broadband is
expected to be a significant driver for the
telecommunications industry in the next five
years as fixed lines throughout Africa are
constrained by costs, coverage and reliability.
“As mobile devices start to gain popularity in
SSA, other related end-user trends are also
beginning to surface,” added Roos.
“For example, the large unbanked population
and rural environment in the region is fuelling
the use of mobile financial services,” Roos
said.
As a result of this trend, manufacturers have
started “creating sustainable business models
to leverage broadband in the mobile financial
services market”. Others have also started
developing low cost smartphones aimed
specifically for the regional market
Africa’s booming population, most of which
will still be youthful during the next five years
is expected to “drive the demand for mobile
devices and services,” says the study.
Moreover, enterprise customers will likely start
to demand more “advanced mobile services,
such as fixed mobile convergence (FMC)”.
Naila Govan-Vassen, an ICT industry analyst
said last month that "communication markets
(in Africa) will become more liberal, especially
in countries where governments understand
the correlation between ICT development and
economic growth".
“New market entrants will emerge in Africa,
which will either tap into unexplored markets
(for example, the case of Movitel in
Mozambique) or strategically acquire a
company. The mergers and acquisitions are
taking place between and within MNOs, state
owned operators, system integrators and
managed services,” he added.
Mogadishu - Somalia's Shabaab militants have
executed four people accused of spying for the
United States, Ethiopia and the country's
internationally-backed government, officials
and witnesses said.
The executions by firing squad took place at a
square in the town of Bardhere, a Shabaab
stronghold in Somalia's south-western region
of Gedo, late on Tuesday, and came a week
after the US said it had killed the al-Qaeda-
affiliated militants' intelligence chief in an air
strike.
"One of the spies worked with the CIA and
facilitated the killing of an al-Shabaab
commander," a Shabaab judge in the town
said before the four were shot dead.
According to the judge, another one of those
executed had been aiding US operations in
Barawe, a port town and former Shebab
stronghold that was captured last year by
Somali and African Union forces, while the
other two worked for Ethiopian intelligence
and Somalia's security agency.
"After hearing the charges against the four
and their confession, the Islamic court
sentenced them to the death penalty," the
judge said.
Blindfolded and shot from the back
A local witness, Ali Ronow, said hundreds of
locals watched the execution.
"The men were blindfolded and shot from the
back by a team of hooded gunmen," he said.
"All of them had their hands tied behind their
backs when brought on a pickup truck and
they were also hooded. They were shot
indiscriminately with machine guns," said
Muktarey, another witness.
Last week the United States conducted an air
strike in Saacow, 320km west of the capital
Mogadishu and in the Middle Juba region, and
Somali officials said Shabaab intelligence chief
Abdishakur Tahlil was killed along with two
other militants.
The Shabaab’s former leader, Ahmed Abdi
Godane, was also killed by a US air strike in
September 2014.
Separately, a bomb stuck beneath a car in the
capital Mogadishu wounded one, ripping off
the leg of the driver as he travelled near the
central K4 roundabout, police officer Awil
Mohamed said.
"I saw his leg in a shoe left inside the car" said
Farah Abdi, who was nearby the busy junction
when the bomb exploded.
No one claimed responsibility for the attack,
but the Shabaab have for years carried out a
string of bombings and killings in their fight to
overthrow the government.
With the start of a new year comes the age-
old resolution to lose weight, and more often
than not the goal is to shed the kilos fast.
Crash diets come with the promise of "a new
you in no time" and according to the experts,
it may deliver – but not without some serious
health risks. This is because most of these
diets require fasting and the elimination of
virtually all carbs.
Why rapid weight loss is not really weight
loss
If you think you're dropping 5 kilograms of fat
in just 5 days, think again! Dr Ingrid Van
Heerden, a registered dietician and also
Health24's DietDoc, says that the human body
isn't geared towards losing real weight derived
from fat in such a short period of time.
She explains that although the scale may show
your weight dropping rapidly while on a crash
diet, it is likely that you are just losing water,
in which case you will pick up all those kilos
again once you stop the diet. "This can easily
trap you in the snare of 'yo-yo dieting', paving
the way to perpetual dieting and problems
with your metabolism," she says.
Nutritional deficiency: putting your muscles
at risk
Fad diets often fail at providing nutrition from
all the food groups, meaning that you’ll be
more susceptible to illness, dizzy spells and
lethargy.
Excluding certain foods from your diet may
just be defeating the purpose of becoming
healthy. For example, carbohydrates are one
of the first food groups to be cut from one's
diet when trying to lose weight fast on a
"quickfix diet". This could be bad news for any
person wanting to exercise, as energy balance
studies have shown that carbohydrates are by
far the best source of energy or "fuel" for
physical activity and to maintain our Resting
Energy Expenditure (REE).
Your body relies on three main sources for
fuel: carbohydrates, fat and muscle. Crash
diets do not allow much fat or carbohydrates,
which means that eventually your body will
use muscle to sustain itself, especially if you
exercise and follow a crash diet over an
extended period. This may actually ruin weight
loss efforts because muscles help you burn
more calories even when you are at rest.
Although detox diets are also touted as a way
to lose weight quickly, DietDoc advises that it
is better to rather follow a short detox plan
and to change your lifestyle to ensure
sustained and healthy weight loss. She
recommends a quick 2-day detox plan
Onitsha - Boboye Oyeyemi, the Corps Marshal
of Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), said on
Tuesday that the commission's mobile court
had jailed five motorists for violating traffic
rules during the Christmas celebration.
Oyeyemi spoke after inspecting traffic flow
between both ends of the Niger Bridge
between Onitsha in Anambra and Asaba in
Delta.
The corps marshal also said that over 2 000
others were arraigned before the court set up
to prosecute traffic offenders nationwide.
"As at December, about 2 000 offenders were
arraigned before mobile courts and I think
about five were jailed and only about 15 were
discharged.
"But all others were given fines ranging from
N1 000 to N10 000".
The corps marshal said that the offences of
traffic offenders ranged from land violation,
overspeeding, overloading of passengers,
violation of seat belt use, violation of children
safety to lack of passengers' manifest in the
vehicle.
He said 14 per cent reduction in road crashes
was recorded within the 2014 yuletide period
as a result of improved planning and greater
service delivery on the part of the corps
special and regular marshals.
Abuja - Thirteen people have lost their lives
while four others have sustained injuries in a
motor accident along the Bauchi-Jos Road in
the Toro Local Government Area of Bauchi
State.
The accident, which occurred around 5 p.m
last night, allegedly occurred when a
motorcyclist crossed the highway carelessly
and caused two vehicles to collide while
attempting to avoid him, Vanguard reports.
Haruna Mohammed, Police PR Officer of the
Bauchi State Command, confirmed the
incident and revealed that the two vehicles
involved were a Toyota Sharon bus and a
white Opel Vectra.
Twelve of the passengers and the motorcyclist
are reported to have died on the scene, while
four others sustained various injuries.
All injured parties are currently receiving
treatment at the Nabordo Clinic, while the
bodies of the deceased await post-mortem
examinations at the same facility.
The identities of the victims are yet to be
ascertained. Members of the public have been
asked to assist with investigations where
possible.
Port- Harcourt - The presidential candidate of
the All Progressives Congress (APC),
Muhammadu Buhari will on Tuesday kick off
his presidential campaign at the Uyo Township
Stadium, reports The Sun.
The rally would be attended by APC elders,
chieftains and supporters from across the
country.
During the rally, the party will also present the
party’s flag to the governorship standard-
bearer of the party in the state, Umana Okon
Umana.
Abeokuta - A meeting convened by former
President Olusegun Obasanjo,with all Iyalodes
and concerned women from all states in the
South-West geo-political zone of the country,
may have sent jitters down the spine of the
ruling Peoples Democratic Party,( PDP), reports
ThisDay.
The meeting, which is scheduled to hold on
Monday at Obasanjo’s Presidential Hilltop
Residence, Abeokuta, is not unconnected with
the February general elections.
While the objective of the meeting is not
known, the leadership of Peoples Democratic
Party (PDP) in the South-west is not
comfortable with such parley at this crucial
moment when election is around the corner.
The party is worried that the former President
may use the forum to drum support for the
opposition to take over the reign of
government in 2015.
Pangkalan Bun - The search operation for
AirAsia Flight QZ8501 will spread slightly
eastward on Tuesday as the weather and
currents drag wreckage in that direction, the
head of Indonesia's rescue agency said.
Bad weather has made it difficult to locate
parts of the plane and recover the 125 bodies
that are still missing, said National Search and
Rescue Agency's director of operation Suryadi
B Supriyadi.
There were 162 passengers and crew on the
Airbus 320 when it crashed on 28 December.
So far, 37 bodies have been recovered.
"Time is of the essence ... but it seems like it
is hard to beat the weather," Supriyadi said,
adding that divers trying to reach the
wreckage Monday were forced to return to
their ships by strong current as rough seas
continued to impede dive and search teams.
The debris found so far indicates the body of
the plane broke into parts, he said.
Harsh measures
On Monday, Indonesia's transportation
ministry announced harsh measures against
everyone who allowed AirAsia Flight 8501 to
take off without proper permits — including
the suspension of the airport's operator and
officials in the control tower.
Routing permits for all airlines flying in the
country will be examined to see if they violate
the rules, said Djoko Murjatmodjo, acting
director general of air transportation.
"Who knows if other airlines are also doing the
same thing," he said.
The plane was travelling between Surabaya,
Indonesia's second-largest city, and Singapore
on a Sunday. Officials have since said its
permit for the popular route was only for
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, and
that AirAsia quietly switched three of those
days. Officials in Singapore, however, have
said the plane was authorised to fly on
Sundays from its end.
Applications for specific routes take into
account issues including air traffic rights and
airport takeoff and landing slots.
Violation of regulations
While the airline is being investigated,
Indonesia has banned all AirAsia flights
between Surabaya and Singapore.
AirAsia Indonesia President Director Sunu
Widyatmoko said by text on Monday that the
airline will co-operate with the government
during the evaluation, but would not comment
on the permit allegations until the process is
complete.
Violations of the regulations would boost legal
arguments for passengers' family members
seeking compensation, said Alvin Lie, a former
lawmaker and aviation analyst. But he added
AirAsia would not be the only one to blame.
"The Surabaya-Singapore flights have been
operating since October ... and the
government didn't know," he said. "Where was
the government's supervision?"
Murjatmodjo said individuals who allowed to
plane to fly without permits would be
suspended while the investigation is pending.
The ministry issued a directive on 31
December ordering all airlines to provide
pilots with up-to-date weather reports before
they take off, he said. Currently, it's up to the
captain and co-pilot to research and evaluate
flying conditions before departing. In other
countries, carriers' flight operations
departments perform that task for them.
Safety and professionalism
After Indonesia deregulated its aviation
industry in the 1990s, dozens of airlines
emerged making air travel affordable for the
first time for many in the world's fourth most
populous nation.
But accidents in recent years have raised
questions about the safety of Indonesia's
booming airline sector, with experts saying
poor maintenance, rule-bending, and a
shortage of trained professionals are to blame.
AirAsia, which began operations in 2001 and
quickly became one of the region's leaders in
low-cost air travel, has not experienced any
other crashes and is widely considered a
benchmark for safety and professionalism.
It is not known what caused Flight 8501 to
crash into the Java Sea 42 minutes into what
was supposed to be a two-hour flight, though
Indonesia's Meteorology, Climatology and
Geophysics Agency says bad weather appears
to have been a factor.
Just before losing contact, the pilot told air
traffic control that he was approaching
threatening clouds, but was denied permission
to climb to a higher altitude because of heavy
air traffic. No distress signal was issued.
Sonar has identified five large objects that are
believed to be chunks of the fuselage on the
ocean floor, but strong currents, silt and mud
have kept divers from seeing or reaching the
objects.
No signals have been heard from the cockpit
voice and flight data recorders, or black boxes.
Poor weather has prevented ships from
dragging ping locators.
Abuja - Rivers State Governor, Chibuike
Amaechi, has condoled with President
Goodluck Jonathan and his family over the
death of the former's younger sister, Nancy
Jonathan-Olei.
According to a statement signed by David
Iyofor the Chief Press Secretary to Amaechi,
the Governor said people of Rivers shared the
pain of losing a loved one.
“We understand the pain and grief of losing a
loved one. The pain of an untimely death is
immeasurable, and we pray that God grants
the President and the entire family of the
bereaved the strength and fortitude to bear
this irreparable loss” the statement read.
It added that the prayers and thoughts of
Rivers people were with the President and the
family of the bereaved in their moment of
grief.
“We also pray that the soul of the deceased
rest in the bosom of the Almighty.”
Jonathan-Olei passed away earlier today at a
doctor's facility in Yenagoa after a short
ailment. She was 52.
London - Captain Steven Gerrard scored twice
to rescue Liverpool from FA Cup
embarrassment and lead them into the fourth
round after a tricky 2-1 win at fourth tier AFC
Wimbledon on Monday.
In the night's other Cup match, Premier
League strugglers Burnley fought back from a
goal down at Turf Moor to draw 1-1 with
Tottenham Hotspur and force a replay to
decide who then takes on Leicester City.
Liverpool will move on to play second tier
Bolton Wanderers in the next round but only
after a night of living dangerously with
determined League Two opponents who looked
far from overawed.
"That was a very tough game," Liverpool
manager Brendan Rodgers told the BBC. "We
lost our sort of shape within the game and
presented them with chances by giving the
ball away.
"We had to defend right the way through to
the end."
Gerrard, in his first match since announcing
his departure for the United States at the end
of the season, had headed the opener in the
12th minute as Liverpool looked set for a
comfortable win.
But the match at Kingsmeadow, reviving
memories of 1988 when the original
Wimbledon 'Crazy Gang' beat Liverpool in a
hard-tackling final at Wembley, refused to
follow the script.
Lifelong Liverpool fan Adebayo Akinfenwa, a
stocky striker nicknamed 'The Beast', had the
home fans dreaming when he poked in a 36th
minute equaliser from close range after some
woeful defending by the Merseysiders.
The hefty 32-year-old, who has played for 11
clubs in a journeyman career around the
lower leagues, was perfectly placed to cash in
after the ball bounced back off the bar
following a goalmouth scramble.
With a major upset looking possible, and
Wimbledon missing several clear chances,
Gerrard settled nerves with a curling free kick
into the top corner in the 62nd minute.
"I always enjoy the FA Cup, I grew up loving
the competition and to play in it. It's going to
be my last time and I want to make the most
of it and try and go all the way," the
midfielder, who turns 35 on Cup final day, told
the BBC.
"It's the beauty of the FA Cup," added Gerrard
of Wimbledon's spirited performance. "It
doesn't matter where you are, in what league,
form seems to go out of the window and it
becomes a leveller.
"Fair play to them. I think their manager can
be very proud of them. They gave us a real
test."
Burnley's match against in-form Spurs brought
back memories of the 1962 final, won by
Tottenham, but there was little glamour in a
dire first half.
Spurs took the lead through a Nacer Chadli
strike from close range in the 52nd minute but
Sam Vokes side-footed in an equaliser in the
73rd.
"It was a lacklustre game, with little
atmosphere. We did everything to try and get
a result," said Burnley manager Sean Dyche of
a match watched by a crowd of only 9,348
spectators.
Rio de Janeiro - At least 69 people were
injured late on Monday when two commuter
trains collided in Brazil's Rio de Janeiro state,
authorities said.
The accident occurred around 20:20 (22:20
GMT) when one of the trains, which had
stopped at a station, was rammed from
behind by another on the same track, said Rio
state Transportation chief Carlos Osorio.
The accident took place in the town of
Mesquita, outside Rio de Janeiro, and there
were no reports that the injuries were serious,
O Globo network said.
The injured were treated on the scene or
taken to the hospital. Initial reports had stated
that 40 people were wounded.
Abuja - The time is right for Nigeria to adopt
electronic voting for the conduct of general
elections, University of Ilorin Deputy VC Prof.
Yisa Fakunle has said, Daily Trust reports.
According to Fakunle, the voting system is
"simple" and the university would be willing to
assist Government in this regard.
The university recently held elections for new
executives of the Postgraduate Students'
Association (POGSASS) and has said that if a
unit within a country is successful at applying
the new technology, there is no reason why
the country as a whole cannot do the same.
Benghazi - Libya's internationally recognised
government said on Monday that its aircraft
bombed an oil tanker off the Islamist-held
port of Derna, killing two crewmen and
drawing condemnation from Greece.
A spokesperson for the Libyan government's
armed forces said the tanker was hit on
Sunday after it refused to stop for checks on
its cargo which had raised suspicions.
But the Greek government said the vessel was
plying a long standing route under contract to
the Libyan state oil company and demanded
prosecution of those responsible for the
deaths of the Greek and Romanian crewmen.
Greek coastguards said the Liberian-registered
Araevo vessel was at anchor two nautical miles
off Derna and laden with 1 600 tons of crude
oil when it was hit.
Libyan armed forces spokesperson Colonel
Ahmed Mesmari said the tanker had turned
off its lights "in preparation for entering the
port... and because of this it and its cargo
were considered suspicious".
But the Greek government condemned what it
called a "cowardly and unprovoked" attack on
a vessel plying a regular service between two
Libyan ports.
"According to the shipping firm, the vessel was
operating under contract to the Libyan
National Corporation and had been working
the Marsa al-Brega to Derna route for many
years without problem," a government
statement said.
"This criminal act has caused the deaths of two
crew members - one Greek and one Romanian
- and wounded two others," it said.
"The Greek government will take all necessary
steps with the Libyan authorities - in spite of
the unstable situation - to help investigate the
circumstances of this tragic event and identify
and punish the attack's perpetrators."
Two other members of the ship's crew of 26
were wounded in the air strike.
Talks delayed
Libya's internationally recognised government,
which has been based in the remote east
since Islamist-backed militia seized the capital
last year, has been determined to prevent any
oil exports without its authorisation.
The jihadist Islamic State (IS) group that has
seized chunks of Iraq and Syria is thought to
have gained a foothold in Derna amid the
chaos in Libya since the 2011 uprising that
ousted dictator Muammar Gaddafi
More than three years after Gaddafi was
toppled and killed in a Nato-backed revolt, the
country remains awash with weapons and
powerful militias, and has rival governments
and parliaments.
In mid-December, Islamist militias in Derna
announced they had formed a new coalition,
ahead of an expected assault by forces of the
internationally recognised government.
Around the same time, the Islamist-backed
Fajr Libya (Libya Dawn) militia alliance
launched an offensive to try to capture Libya's
main eastern oil terminals of Al-Sidra and Ras
Lanuf.
So far the offensive has been repelled by pro-
government forces, who have hit back against
Libya's third largest city Misrata, which is
controlled by Fajr Libya.
News of the air strike came as the United
Nations postponed peace talks it was hoping
to hold Monday between Libya's warring
factions.
The talks were originally slated for 9
December but have been repeatedly delayed.
I often hear people make statements like “you
are a virgin because you lack opportunity” and
I will like to correct that notion first before
any further statement.
Virginity is a sign of dignity and never ever a
lack of opportunity especially for those who
know what it means to be a virgin.
Please this paper is strictly for the singles or
let me say the unmarried people at such our
discussion covers all your life before the “Yes I
Do”. We have heard and got so many ideas on
the issue of virginity, as a matter of fact the
term virginity is not a new topic in the church
but for emphasis and necessity shall we be
considering some few issues on the topic.
Medically virginity is streamlined to the
feminine gender with the issue of an un-
ruptured hymen in the sexual organ which i
shall not be boring you with. Although virginity
has being streamlined to the female man in
the medical line and in the popular believe we
shall be digressing a little from that opinion by
adding that the male man too can be a virgin.
Virginity literally has to do with absolute
abstinence from sexual activities of any sought
(mind you it’s before marriage). And as a man
of valour or lady of integrity, it’s necessary to
keep your body and all your parts under
perfect control as clearly stated in romans 12;
1 aside from that they are some benefits you
may not be able to enjoy from God when
defiled sexually.
Taking David and Ahimelech the priest as a
case study (sacred bread) and a whole lot
more like in 1 Thessalonians 4;3 where Gods
will is clearly stated against sexual
immorality.Practically they are other benefits
of being a virgin like for instance its being
medically proven to be impossible for a virgin
to be infected by sexually transmitted diseases
like staphylococcus, syphilis and the likes
generally referred to as STIs.Also you know as
well as I do that it’s impossible for a
pregnancy case or unplanned paternity for a
virgin at such maintenance of your virginity
keeps you in check and focused.
Furthermore your ability to maintain your
virginity is to a great extent a representation
of your ability to control your own body.
Better put it shows your level of self-control
and maturity as the true big guy or lady is that
particular person who can control his or her
emotions.
Finally the best gift you can ever give to your
spouse is your virginity. But beyond this
practical benefits remember Romans 12; 1.
“Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of
God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living
sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God — this is
your spiritual act of worship”.
That notwithstanding there is a place for those
who have missed it either as a result of
ignorance or deliberate mistakes but have
acknowledged their mistakes and are willing to
make amends because God is an ever willing
to forgive God and whoever he has forgiven is
forgiven indeed.
For those who choose to misuse his mercy be
aware that we can’t continue in sin that grace
may abound.
There is judgment!
Posts
All Comments
