NON CHALLANT ATTITUDE, THE BANE OF NIGERIA’S ECONOMIC
CHALLENGES - SEAP
Entrepreneurs have been advised to be
prudent and remain focus to overcome the ongoing economic recession.
The Executive Programme Director of the
Self-Reliance Economic Advancement Program, SEAP, Pastor Olatunde Oladokun, who
gave the advice while featuring on Radio Nigeria Harmony FM Programme, Kwara on
the Move, said the economic recession had been taking its toll on the masses
due to lack of infrastructure and preference for foreign goods.
Pastor Oladokun said the challenges
confronting the country was due to nonchalant attitude of government and the governed.
He lamented that lack of electricity,
good roads and other infrastructural amenities as factors militating against
success of entrepreneurship in Nigeria.
Pastor Oladokun enjoined business owners
and artisans to reduce expenses, diversify, rebrand their products or services
and be mindful of how they sell on credit.
While calling on people to believe in
themselves and be productive, the Financial Expert implored civil servants to
look inward and start small scale
businesses so that they will not rely on salary alone.
Pastor Oladokun said SEAP had been
existing in the last sixteen years with the aim of eradicating poverty by
giving credit facilities to groups as government can not do it alone.
Mohammed Bello
Abubakar is one of the most controversial figures in Nigeria. Despite having no
discernible income, the 92-year-old man somehow convinced 107 women to marry
him throughout his life, 97 of which are still his wives. He claims that
marrying as many women as possible is a divine assignment he has received from
God.
Mr Bello first shot
to fame in 2008, when a series of articles revealed that he had 86 wives and
around 150 children, either living with him on his compound in Bida, Niger
state, or in his house in Lagos.
Muslim clerics accused him of breaking
religious rules, which most scholars agree allow a man to marry up to four
women, as long as he can provide for all of them and treat them equally. He was
given a very simple choice, either divorce 82 of his wives or face the
consequences.
He refused, arguing that there was no punishment stated in the
Koran for having more than four wives, and that every man should be free to
marry as many women as he can support. He was arrested at the request of
the local Shariah Court, but subsequently released, on the condition that he
only keep four of his wives.
Not only did the
‘superpolygamist’ ignore this requirement, but he has since married other women
as well. In total, he married 107 women so far, divorced 10 of them, which
brings the total wife count to a whopping 97. And despite his ripe old
age, Abubakar says he plans on marrying even more. “What I am doing is
divine. It is an assignment and I will keep doing it till the end,”
“My large number of
wives? I only have 97 wives,” he added in an interview with The Nation. “I am still
going to marry more. I will keep marrying them for as long I am alive. If it
was up to me, I would have married maybe two wives, but what I am doing is
divine.”
He advises men not to
follow his example, as a normal husband could not even cope with 10 wives, let
alone 97. Bello claims that he has been able to control all of them only with
the power bestowed on him by Allah.
What’s really strange
about Mohammed Bello Abubakar and his incredibly large family is that none
of them have an official income. He doesn’t work and doesn’t allow his
wives to work either.
Not even their neighbors in Bida know how they make ends
meet.
In a 2008 BBC article, some claimed that Bello sends some of the
children to beg, but even if that turned out to be true, it wouldn’t even be
enough to cover the cost of the three 12-pound bags of rice they eat every day.
When asked how he can afford to feed everyone, the Nigerian man simply said
” It’s all from God.”
92-year-old Mohammed
Bello Abubakar has outlived most of his 185 children, and despite recent rumors
that he had died following a swift illness, he told reporters he was alive and
well.
“My dear, I am very much alive, hale and hearty,” he told Vanguard. “The
rumor is baseless and can best be described as the work of my detractors
because they envy what God has done and what He is still doing for me.”
MAN BEATS SON TO DEATH IN OGUN
The suspect was reported to have beaten his son to death for stealing.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Oyeyemi, said the suspect was arrested by policemen attached to Ago-Iwoye Division of the command following a tip off from members of the community.
He said preliminary investigation has revealed several marks on the body of the deceased as a result of series of torture from the suspect.
Oyeyemi, an Assistant Superintendent of Police, said the the corpse has been deposited at St. Joseph Catholic Hospital Mortuary, Oke-Agbo, Ijebu-Igbo for autopsy.
He said the state Commissioner of Police, Ahmed Iliyasu, has ordered that the suspect be transferred to Homicide Section of Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department, Eleweran, Abeokuta for further investigation.
He said as soon as investigation was concluded, the suspect would be charged to court.
DON’T ALLOW SUPREMACY BATTLE DIVIDE YORUBAS, OONI URGES OBAS
The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye
Ogunwusi, has advised Yoruba Obas not to allow supremacy battle bring disunity
among them.
The Oba gave the advice on Tuesday in Ile-Ile Ife when the Olubadan
of Ibadanland, Oba Saliu Adetunji and his chiefs visited his palace.
He said that enmity caused disunity could hinder progress of any society.
He described the Yorubas as `talented and united’ people and urged traditional rulers in Yorubaland not to allow supremacy battle bring disunity among them. He said that God is the creator and leader of the people while Obas were only elected to rule over them.
He said that enmity caused disunity could hinder progress of any society.
He described the Yorubas as `talented and united’ people and urged traditional rulers in Yorubaland not to allow supremacy battle bring disunity among them. He said that God is the creator and leader of the people while Obas were only elected to rule over them.
The Ooni prayed for God’s guidance
and protection in the South-West region and in Nigeria in general. He said he
was happy and grateful that the Olubadan made history by visiting him on the
last day of the celebration of Olojo festival.
Ogunwusi thanked the Olubadan for
propagating unity and love among the Yoruba race.
In his remarks, the Olubadan, who declared that Ile Ife was the origin of the Yoruba race, said he was pleased to visit the town where Yorubas originated from.
In his remarks, the Olubadan, who declared that Ile Ife was the origin of the Yoruba race, said he was pleased to visit the town where Yorubas originated from.
He said he visited Ife to thank the
Ooni for coming to Ibadan during his coronation on March 4. Adetunji
felicitated with Ogunwusi on his birthday and celebration of Olojo festival.
LANDLADY
BURSTS INTO TENANT’S ROOM, FINDS SKELETON IN OGUN
 |
| The house in which the skeleton was found |
A skeleton suspected to be that of a woman was
found propped up on a chair in the apartment of a pastor, Sunday Aremu, in
Peaceland Estate, Akute area of Ogun State on Friday after his landlady made a
surprise visit.
News
men learnt
that the landlady decided to burst into the apartment to evict the man, said to
be a pastor, because he owed rents.
The landlady reportedly took the drastic step after making
several failed attempts to get arrears of rent that had accumulated for over a
year from the man.
An eyewitness said the man’s sister went
missing without any trace six years ago, fuelling insinuations that the
skeleton might be that of the woman.
A photograph of the skeleton in a sitting position on a sofa
showed a fully dried skeketon with clothes still on the bones.
“The woman ran out of the house and screamed,
calling on people in the neighbourhood for help. The man is not married and
runs one small church here,” the eyewitness said.
Reports in the neighbourhood suggested that the pastor used to
live with his sisters in the apartment and that one of them named Funmi later
went missing.
Neighbours said every time they asked about the missing sister,
he would say she was on a prayer mountain.
The case has been reported to the Ogun State Police Command.
Spokesperson for the command, Mr. Abimbola Oyeyemi, who
confirmed the story, and identified the pastor, said he was arrested along with
his sister, Funmilayo Aremu.
He said, “Our preliminary investigation has shown that the
victim is their sister called Funmilayo Aremu. It seems the victim’s body
decomposed right on the chair where it was found.
“The Commissioner of Police, Mr. Hammed Iliyasu, has directed
that the suspects should be transferred to the Department of Criminal
Investigation at the police headquarters for thorough investigation.”
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RICE
PRICE’LL FALL BY NOVEMBER— FG
The Federal Government on Monday declared
that the price of rice would start to fall from November this year.
It
stated that more Nigerians had returned to their various farms, adding that at
the next harvesting season next month, the price of rice would start to crash.
This
came as the government said that the delay in the approval of the 2016 budget
had made it impossible to implement the capital expenditure in the agricultural
sector.
The Minister of Agriculture and Rural
Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh, said this while addressing members of the Senate
Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development at the headquarters of the
ministry in Abuja.
Ogbeh,
who stated that the government could not be involved in the importation of rice
as speculated in some quarters, stressed that his ministry would not encourage
rice importation because it would be detrimental to local production.
He said
the Federal Government was against rice smuggling and noted that the Seme
border had become a notorious route for the smuggling of contraband products
into the country.
“We
will not encourage rice importation and there is no way our ministry or
government can be involved in importing rice when we are working hard to be
self-sufficient in local production. By November when the full-scale harvest
starts, rice prices will fall,” the minister said.
Early last month, the government had warned
that the price of rice might hit N40,000 a bag. It is currently being sold
around N20,000.
The
Minister of State for Agriculture and Rural Development, Senator Heineken
Lokpobiri, said that the $22bn annual food import bill had led to the
astronomical rise in the price of rice and other commodities.
He
stressed that if Nigerians failed to produce some of the items being imported
before December, the price of rice could skyrocket to N40,000 a bag.
On why
the ministry had yet to start implementing its capital budget, Ogbeh said, “It
is about now that the capital expenditure is beginning. One of the reasons why
money is not circulating is that we need to follow the due process on issues of
procurement, advertisement and others.”
According
to him, his ministry has spent just N882.58m, representing four per cent of the
N21bn budgeted for it in the 2016 Appropriation Act.
He also
said, “You may be surprised to know that only six to seven states in Nigeria
are showing enthusiasm in agriculture. Some by nature don’t seem interested,
while others just can’t connect with whatever we are doing at the federal
level.”
Ogbeh further stated that his ministry
inherited N67bn debt when the present administration came on board, but added
that N20bn had been paid to agro-dealers and distributed 900 million oil palm
seedlings to farmers across the country.
MAN KILLS IN-LAW OVER CIGARETTE
A 21-year old
man identified as Lucky Igbineyi has been remanded in prison custody for
allegedly killing his in-law, Blessing Obazee over a stick of cigarette.
Lucky was said
to have stabbed his in-law in the stomach severally.
Police
Prosecutor, Inspector Oluwaseun Olatoye, had informed an Evboriaria
Magistrate court that Lucky committed the crime on September 3 at
No 40, Enoruwa Street, Off Upper Sakponba Road in Ikpoba-Okha local government.
Olatoye said
the accused person came to stay in the same room with the deceased.
He explained
that the deceased (Obazee) refused to give the accused person the cigarette he
was smoking which made the accused person to go and buy his.
Olatoye
further narrated that the deceased stopped Lucky from smoking inside his room
and dragged the cigarette from his mouth.
This, he said,
angered Lucky which made him to take a knife and stabbed the deceased
severally to death.
Presiding
Magistrate, Mrs Caroline Oghuma said that the case was not within the court
jurisdiction.
Mrs. Oghuma
directed that the case file be duplicated and forwarded to the Department of
Public Prosecution (DPP) for legal advice.
She ordered
the accused person remanded at Oko Medium security prison in Benin pending the
advice of the DPP and adjourned the case until November 18, 2016 for mentioning.
PASTOR-SHRINE SAGA: RESIDENTS OF OGUN COMMUNITY
EXPRESS MIXED REACTIONS
Residents of Ketu community in
Aiyetoro area of Ogun on Sunday expressed mixed feelings over the report that a
Pentecostal pastor , Wale Fagbere , was stricken after he allegedly invaded a
shrine in the area.
They spoke in separate interviews
with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Aiyetoro, Yewa North Council Area of
the state.
NAN reports that Fagbere on Sept. 20
allegedly got stricken in a shrine in Ketu community in Ayetoro area of Yewa
North Local Government of the state after destroying some structures in the
shrine.
Fagbere, who was reported to have
been stricken by some angry gods, allegedly regained consciousness after
custodians of the shrine carried out some rites on him.
When NAN visited the community on
Sunday, many of the traditional title holders declined comments, saying the
issue had been resolved.
Some of the residents of Ayetoro,
who spoke with NAN on condition of anonymity, said Fagbere was not telling the
truth as he was actually stricken.
One of them, a commercial
motorcyclist, who said he was at the scene when it happened, confirmed the
incident.
“The pastor got stuck in the shrine
and at a point the traditionalists were called in to set him free.
“ He was there from morning till
evening. At a point, his mother had to come to the scene to plead for him.
“If not for the king who waded into
the situation, things would have gone beyond human control, “he said.
But a female resident of the area,
who refused to mention her name, disagreed with people who believe the pastor
was stricken.
She said that the pastor was not
stricken but only obeying the divine instruction he claimed he had been given.
NAN also visited the palace of the
Alaye of Ayetoro, Oba Abdulazeez Adelakun, but one of the palace Chiefs, Kola
Onifade, said the monarch was unavailable for comment.
Onifade also said the monarch was
the only person that could speak on the matter. He, however, noted that there
was nothing more to say on the issue, saying it had been resolved.
The cleric had on Thursday in
Abeokuta at a press conference organised by the Ogun Chapter of the Christian
Association of Nigeria said that many people mistook his posture at the shrine
for paralysis.
DEBTS SQUEEZING US OUT OF BUSINESS –FOOD VENDORS
To say the recession in the country is affecting all aspects of the economy, is stating the obvious. Food vendors and sellers of raw food items, who constitute a significant part of the informal sector, have only tales of harsh and harrowing times as people who buy food and foodstuffs on credit with the promise to pay later, routinely default. They lament how they are being squeezed out of business as a result.
A food vendor in the Ikeja area of Lagos, Mrs
Chinyere Adiukwu, said it was commonplace for people to buy food on credit and
that there was really no problem with that.
Where you have issues Adiukwu said is “when
many of those who buy food on credit can’t pay.
I had a rather difficult experience where I
used to sell; people would buy food and promise to pay at the end of the month,
but they always defaulted.
“The effect of this is that I had to get
money from other sources to make up the difference when I had to go to the
market to buy raw foodstuffs to make the food.
In fact, after I stopped selling in that
place, many of the people who lived in the neighbourhood owed me for a long
time. I had to keep going back before I was able to collect my money.
Even at that, I had to write off some of the
debts as a few of the people could not pay.
There is no way that kind of situation won’t
affect your business, it definitely affected mine, but what can you do? Even in
the new place I’m selling now, it is the same story; the recession is almost
driving many food vendors out of business; we are just struggling to hang in
there”.
For John Nwandugo, who sells foodstuffs,
business is really bad this time as most food vendors who patronise him now buy
on credit.
Asked whether his selling on credit is based on trust that
credi-tors would pay whenever they are buoyant, John, who has been in the
business for over five years, said it had nothing to do with trust.
Rather, he said the situation in the country
made it compelling for him to risk selling on credit.
He said: “It is not about trust but you just
have to sell on credit. This is because they will also tell you that people buy
from them on credit especially those who sell to workers at construction sites.
Unfortunately, where I buy, nobody will sell to me on credit.
“The reason I sell to food vendors on credit
is that if you don’t, they will find someone who will sell to them on credit
and when they are not buying on credit, they will go to the man who has been
giving them credit.
“However, selling on credit involves a lot of risk.
There are cases whereb Some of them will stop
coming to your shop after you sold to them on credit. They will find another
person to be giving them credit while they continue to give you excuses. Some
will only give you part payment and that may be the end.
There was a time she paid part of the money
and was left with N2, 000 balance. She bought another half bag and paid in full
while the balance was still hanging.
The next thing she did was to ask for a bag
and only paid the N2, 000 balance. “She said she needed the full bag so she
could make more money.
After a while, I didn’t see her again and
each time I went to her house, she was not around.\
When I finally saw her, she told me that she
bought the bag of rice when someone invited her to be cooking for workers at a
construction site along Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
She said everything was going on fine until
the workers started buying on credit since they were no longer being paid on a
daily basis. So, they asked her to come for her money at the end of the month.”
Nwandugo, who described rice as “gold”, said
the food vendor still continues to take food to the site as that is the only
guarantee that she would get her money from the workers.
He is however worried that too many bad debt
might ruin his business and urged the government to do something about the
recession.
Similarly, a food vendor, known simply as
Madam Lara, who sells rice and beans in the Oregun area of Lagos told our
correspondent that some of her customers had deserted her for refusing to sell
on credit.
According to Madam Lara, there had been so
much pressure on her since the recession began and some of her most loyal
customers had left because they believe that she is just being wicked, not
knowing that she doesn’t sell on credit as a matter of principle.
ANOTHER NOLLYWOOD VETERAN,
TUNDE ALABI, SERIOUSLY ILL, LEG SET FOR AMPUTATION
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But the trending news on the old
thespian is that, he’s laying critically ill at the Lagos General Hospital,
with one of his leg set for amputation in other to save his life.
Mr Alabi, who is said to currently
have no home, money or anybody to help him, except for few colleagues like Paul
Julius is even on the verge of being evicted from the hospital because he has
no money to sustain his stay in the hospital and for further treatment.
According to sources close to him,
the veteran actor has been battling diabetes for years with no treatment
because of lack of money. All efforts to seek for help from different quarters
have proved abortive.
However, in the bid to safe the
thespian life, actor and movie director, Paul Julius and a few others have
decided to cry out for help. Speaking about the veteran actor, Mr Paul Julius
said “If there’s a better word to use in place of veteran, then that should
come for this old war horse in the world of make –believe.
Uncle Tunde Alabi has been on the
acting scene since the glorious days of television drama in Nigeria and he’s
today one of the last of that octopus called The Village Headmaster, a
television drama that was the in – thing in its days on National Television.
His role in the now rested soap
opera ‘PALACE’ produced by Ralph Nwadike was one that viewers will not forget
in haste.
This thorough-breed professional of
the old order who is equally at home with the youngsters of today, impacting
knowledge and valuable experience into them whenever he has the opportunity is
currently down with ailment which has put his right foot in danger to the point
of amputation if urgent help is not given.
He’s laying helplessly at the
General Hospital, Lagos waiting to lose his right leg or even worse.
He has
done his part in putting smiles on faces and happiness in the lives of millions
home and abroad, it’s our turn to help him.
Nothing is too small…HE will
appreciate your candid help. Thanks and God bless “ Julius said.
Name: TUNDE OBAFEMI ALABI
Bank Details: UNITY BANK PLC
Account No.: 0005647181
DON’T
MARRY DUE TO PRESSURE, KNOW YOUR PARTNER WELL – JUDGE TELLS INTENDING COUPLES
A
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n Ilorin Area Court Judge, Mr
Abdulquadri Ibrahim, has advised intending couples to know their partners well
before entering into marriage to reduce the rate of divorce.
Ibrahim told the News Agency of
Nigeria (NAN) in Ilorin on Friday that many couples did not engage in enough
courtship before marriage.
He said that lack of understanding
of their partners before marriage had made some couples to quit marriage after
observing some behaviour of their spouses.
“Most people don’t prepare for marriage; they prepare for wedding which is ceremonial.
“Don’t marry because of pressure or you feel it is necessary to marry,” he urged.
Ibrahim said that marriage required understanding and endurance on the part of both partners.
He said that lack of understanding and endurance also contributed to divorce.
Ibrahim urged couples to set goals for their unions and make sacrifices for the success of their marriages.
“Couples must endure challenges to keep their marriage,’’ he added.
The judge advised would-be husbands and wives to ensure love for their partners before saying “ I do”.
BEGGING’S
LUCRATIVE, SAYS WOMAN WHO WITHDREW HER SON FROM SCHOOL
A
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The suspect, identified as Chinagoro
Uwenke, 40, was arrested yesterday in Oshodi area of Lagos.
Uwenke was always seen in the
company of her son, whose leg was usually in bandage, discovered to be stained
with liquid, which several people believed was pus from untreated burns.
Luck, however, ran against them
after operatives of the task force demanded to know the magnitude of the
purported injury on the lad.
When the bandages were removed, it
was discovered to the astonishment of all that the boy had no injury at all.
Both mother and son were then
whisked away. ‘I make N5,000 daily’ Preliminary investigation showed that the
suspect had been engaged in the alms begging business for five years. She
revealed, during interrogation, that she made between N3,500 and N5000 daily.
She said: “I live at Oloko-Dana, Ijora-Olopa area, in Onyingbo.
I am from Abia State. Yes, my son is
hale and hearty, but I took to begging because it is lucrative.
I make more money at Oshodi than any
other area because of the number of people that pass by daily. “I withdrew my
son, Sunny Uwenke, from school back in Abia and brought him to Lagos five years
ago to use him to beg for alms. That is what most people do. This is because
people take pity on children. My five other children are with my husband in Ata
town, Abia State.
“What I do is to wrap his leg with
bandage, after which I would pour GV and other liquid substance which will make
it look as if it is an injury that refused to heal.
“I would then beg people to help me
with money to take him to the hospital. Some will even give without me begging
them. “But I am appealing to government not to take me to court. If I am left
off the hook, I promise to go back to the village and join my family.”
Chairman of the Task Force, Mr.
Olayinka Egbeyemi, a Superintendent of Police, who confirmed the arrest, said
there were several others like her on the streets of Lagos.
KWARA
TO BEGIN CPS WITH N145M MONTHLY CONTRIBUTION
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The Senior Special Assistant on Media and Communication to Kwara State Governor, Dr Muyideen Oluwakorede told journalists that workers employed before 1987 will continue in the Defined Benefit Scheme (DBS).
The state pays pensioners under the old scheme monthly pension of about N443 million. The government has “tentatively” estimated about N1.6 billion to be paid as contribution into the CPS for all pension arrears.
According to Oluwakorede, Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed believes that allowing workers from 1987 to migrate to the CPS will ensure they have enough pension contribution remitted into their Retirement Savings Account (RSA).
Ahmed
said the state would have joined the CPS before now but it met a lot of
resistance from the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC).
This is because if you take them earlier, their contributions will not be enough and that is why we are going back to 1987.
“Presently, our current monthly pension under the DBS is about N443 million, which will continue on the side and then the monthly commitment that we will have to now do when we go into the CPS will be about N145 million.
The state government is currently looking at all the figures that we have to pay altogether and be sure that the state can afford it.
“We are looking at the cost implications on our finances, not forgetting that the state allocations dropped considerably in the past.
Although the state allocation is starting to rise, it has not risen to what it used to be. Migrating the pensioners needs a lot of planning because they have already retired.
We have calculated it and the state is trying to correct some paper works but it is certain that we will join the new scheme.”
He said that pensioners and the workers refused to join the CPS.
“We couldn’t compel them to join the scheme but we gradually made them understand reasons why the workers should join the new scheme.
We made them understand that there are benefits for workers and the state as a whole to enjoy under the scheme like the pension fund, which the Federal Government has pulled resources from for infrastructure.
We explained to them that states that are not under the scheme are not eligible to pull resources or borrow from the fund for infrastructure development.
We have also started sensitizing workers to let them know why we have to take this step now,” Ahmed added. Read more
THE
TRUE MEANING OF RECESSION
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| Reuben Abati |
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If you are at a significant remove from that experience, it may be difficult to know how it feels, and if you are an economist, you are likely to be conveniently obsessed with textbook ideas.
Recession is when Nigerians begin to shift the traditional dates for social parties. You know we love parties a lot. Virtually every weekend, there is one party or the other, very loud celebrations where people wear the famous aso ebi, and the Naira becomes a flying object, being thrown all over the place, at the musician, the celebrant, and her friends and family, with so much joy floating in the air, and plates of jolloff rice, eaten half way and left to waste, area boys having their own share of the fun, and Nigerians showing the world that life is indeed for the living.
Sometimes,
these parties make no sense: imagine a man throwing a big party to “turn the
back” of his great grandfather who died 50 years ago (!) – a great grandfather
he never knew, or a lavish party to celebrate the purchase of a second-hand
car. Those things are very rare these days.
And when some parties are held, the
date on the invitation card is during the week: can you imagine being invited
to a wedding on a Monday? I have seen that happen. The event was over and done
with before 5 p.m. Smart way to save money in a season of recession.
There were
guests of course, but not the kind of crowd you’d get at a typical Nigerian
party on a Friday or Saturday. The celebrants actually confessed they didn’t
have the means to feed too many people. That is what recession has done. Nobody
boasts anymore about “declaring surplus” – a once-upon-a-time very famous
phrase in this country!
When I was much younger, my friends and I used to gate-crash parties. Bored, with not much to do, we would dress up and go from one party to the other. It was called “mo gbo mo ya” – I heard and I came. In those days, all you needed was to go to a party to which you had not been invited, and without knowing anybody, you took a seat and before long, someone would come along and ask if you had eaten. In a matter of minutes, whatever you wanted would be placed before you. Drinks? Some friends used to boast about “finishing” a carton of beer, and they would have their fill and quietly sneak away. Try that these days and you would know that recession is more than a word.
Virtually every
party is now strictly by invitation. Even when it is not boldly stated on the invitation
card, you’d get to know the truth when you attempt to gate-crash.
Parties are now organised with such
strict protocols, it is like trying to access Aso Villa. You would be screened,
your bag will be checked, and don’t think it is Boko Haram attack they are
afraid of, they just want to be sure you are not gate-crashing, and if you
don’t have an invitation card, you would of course be turned back.
There are
some exceptions of course, where the protocol is a matter of security:
particularly at those parties where there would be many VIPs. Nigerian VIPs
don’t like to mix with just anybody.
Even if
you manage to gatecrash, nobody will attend to you. What operates at parties
these days, is a KYG (Know-Your-Guest) system. After sitting down, someone has
to identify you as his or her guest. You don’t get served food, unless your
host or hostess gives specific instructions.
And you can’t drink a carton of
beer anymore at your host’s expense! I certainly can’t remember when last I saw
anyone getting drunk at other people’s expense at a party. Even close friends
of celebrants, the ones who are a bit comfortable, go to parties these days
with their own small cooler of drinks.
The celebrant will offer you one or two
bottles. If you want more than that, the ushers could become hostile or they
could tell you pointedly: “drinks have finished.” I have had on one occasion to
give the ushers, money to go and get me the drink of my choice. But once upon a
time in this country, drinks don’t stop flowing at parties. The host will be so
ashamed he or she would order more drinks and apologize to no end. Read more
MAN WHO NAMED DOG BUHARI
ASKS COURT TO DISMISS CRIMINAL CHARGE
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Iroko, who was arraigned on August 22, 2016, on a one-count charge of inscribing the name ‘Alhaji Buhari’ on his dog and parading same in the Hausa section of the Ketere market in Sango area of Ogun State filed a fresh application before the court through his lawyer, Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, Esq.
The application is challenging the constitutionality and legality of the criminal charge against him and he is asking the court to quash the charge.
Further in his Motion on Notice filed in the court on September 16, 2016, Iroko is seeking an order quashing Charge No: 671C/2016 preferred against him for want of jurisdiction and an order setting down the application for hearing preliminarily.
He also asked for an order staying further proceedings in the court in Charge No. 671C/2016, pending the hearing and final determination of this application.
The grounds he adduced for the application include the argument that the court lacks the requisite jurisdiction to entertain and adjudicate upon Charge No. 671C/2016, preferred against the applicant and that the subject matter of Charge No.671C/2016 preferred against him is not a criminal offence in law for which he could be put to trial.
Iroko also stated that the court has the jurisdiction to quash a charge where there is no disclosure of an offence and the trial would amount to an abuse of the process of the court, adding that there is an inherent jurisdiction in the court to prevent an abuse of its process.
“Charge No.671C/2016 as presently constituted is unconstitutional, null, void and cannot form the basis of any criminal trial,” the motion said..
The case is slated for Monday, September 19, 2016 and Iroko has consistently maintained that he has the legal right to give his dog any name and that the name ‘Buhari’ is not synonymous with or exclusive to the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Read more
FATHER,
MOTHER, TWO KIDS FOUND DEAD AT HOME IN OYO
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T was all tears on Wednesday at Isale-Oyo
community in Atiba Local Government of Oyo State, when a family of five members
were discovered dead in a mysterious circumstance.
The victims, who include the husband, his junior
wife, two children and a visiting uncle, were found dead inside their new home.
Investigation revealed that the deceased
husband’s junior wife had just completed the house, which she bought when it
was under construction.
The family members moved into the building on
Tuesday, preparatory for its warming on Wednesday.
When the senior wife was contacted by the husband
to follow them to the house, she excused herself.
The family members were said to have celebrated
the Sallah with friends, relations and neighbours, after which the man
invited the guests to attend the house warming the next day.
Neighbours and relations besieged the residence
of the deceased family as early as 7.00a.m. in the morning to felicitate with
them on the event.
But they were surprised that despite repeated
knocks on the door, nobody came out to attend to them.
All efforts to gain entry to find out what
happened were abortive, as both the door and windows were locked.
The neighbours were anxious, a situation which made
them to force the door open.
“They could not belief what they saw. It was
indeed agonising and pathetic. The family of five were found dead,” a
neighbour, who craved anonymity, said.
“This is unbelievable. It is like watching a
movie. The deceased father yesterday (Tuesday) played with the children around
and greeted their parents in their respective homes for the Eid-El-Kabir
celebration.
How come he and his family members were found
dead at the same time?” another neighbour queried.
But the Divisional Police Officer at Atiba Police
Station, Sadiq Maye, who confirmed the incident, said contrary to insinuations,
the deceased died of generator fumes, which they inhaled while asleep.
Maye said their bodies had been deposited at the
State Hospital mortuary, Oyo. Read more
KWARA
RAISES INTERNALLY GENERATED REVENUE TO N1.5B
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Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed, who spoke at a function organised by members of the Third Estate, Ilorin, noted that states must look beyond earnings from the federation account to survive funding challenges from the Federal Government, which hinder the discharge of their constitutional responsibilities.
According to Ahmed, his administration had changed the process of revenue generation to meet challenges of infrastructural development without introducing taxes.
“I am happy that the consciousness has come to us as a country, as a state and most importantly, as a government, that we cannot continue to depend on federation allocations. Hence, we have been able to drive our internally generated revenue by changing the process and the personnel,” he explained.
He added
that as part of his administration’s effort to drive agriculture as a money
earner, 10,000 hectares of land was earmarked for next farming season to deepen
the administration’s Off-taker Demand Driven initiative in agriculture. Read more
‘BORN-AGAIN’
STUDENT ‘WITHDRAWS’ FROM UNILORIN, SAYS MY O’LEVEL OBTAINED THROUGH
MALPRACTICES
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ear Three Sociology student of the
University of Ilorin, UNILORIN, Kwara State, Mr. Abolarin Jephthah, has
purportedly notified the university’s authorities of his decision to withdraw
from the institution, confessing that he obtained the results of his West
African Senior School Certificate Examination, WASSCE, through examination malpractices.
In a coffessional letter of
withdrawal addressed on August 12 to the Deputy Vice Chanellor (Academics),
UNILORIN, Professor N. Y. S. Ijaiya, Jephthah was said to have stated that
having encountered Jesus Christ and ‘born-again,’ his decision to withdraw from
the university was based on his new found realisation that his foundation was
faulty and as such, he can’t continue to be a student of UNILORIN.
The letter
circulating on social media and sighted by newsmen read: “With all sense of
humility, I ABOLARIN AKIN JEPHAH with matric number (13/77jd010), a 300 level
student in the department of sociology, wish to openly declare the reason why I
withdraw from the university. Sir, just as a house that was built on a faulty
foundation will definitely collapse.
“All through my secondary school days, I
am just a church goer without genuine salvation and the fear of God, as a
result of this, I got my WAEC result through examination malpractice.
“By the grace of God, now, I have
encountered the limelight of the gospel of Jesus Christ which called for
repentance and restitution. “Sir, with deep conviction, I have realised that
there is no point of building my academic career on a faulty foundation, since
the WAEC result I got through malpractice is the basis in which my admission
into this university was anchored.
“Therefore, I have decided to withdraw from
the university and start all over again.” Read more
NIGERIA CAN GENERATE OVER
N20 TRILLION REVENUE FROM CASSAVA
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He said that cassava which was one
of the most reliable cash crops in the world that could also be used to trigger
industrial revolution and solve Nigeria’s economic problems.
Adewumi lamented
that the country spent over N600 billion yearly to import ethanol and starch
which were cassava derivatives that could be processed and sourced locally.
According to him, cassava has over 20 food types and three major industrial
products like ethanol, starch and cassava flour which are raw materials for
other products.
“Government should pay more attention to cassava, it has been
neglected. “By the time cassava is accorded the needed attention, it will take
over crude oil. We have been trying to set up industries that will utilise
cassava for the benefit of this country,’’ he said.
Adewumi called on both the
Federal and State Governments to provide lands for farmers to boost mechanise
cassava farming.
The national president noted that modern cassava cultivation
required mechanisation to meet up with international best practices. He
explained that making cultivable land available to cassava farmers would
improve yields and create employment.
“When we import, we are exporting our job
opportunities. The government should encourage setting up of industries and
mechanise cassava farms.
“I do not expect the government to give us free money,
but to provide enabling environment by making loans and lands available. “The
only area where the government can come in with money is provision of
infrastructure. “ By the time we begin to have 500,000 hectares for
mechanisation, the country will get out of this foreign exchange problem,’’ he
explained. Read more
PLAN FOR THE NUMBER OF
CHILDREN YOU CAN CATER FOR- MEDICAL EXPERTS
Medical experts have advised Nigerians to plan for the children they will have in order to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
They
stated this at a training programme organized by the Nigerian Urban
Reproductive Health Initiative (NURHI) for the World Health Committee (WHC)
members in Kosofe, Alimosho and Agege Local Government Areas of Lagos State to
create more awareness on family planning in their various communities.
Speaking with news men, the Medical Officer of Health, Agege LGA, Dr Fausat Sani said, there’s a lot of misconception about family planning and people need to get the right message, “there are some people who don’t believe in it, some have religious belief about it but family planning is to plan for the number of children you can cater for.
Gone are
the days when we live everything to chances, now survival of the children is
high. ‘If they get what they are supposed to get and they are immunized at the
appropriate age, their survival is sure but when you have too many, there comes
poverty, they are not fed properly, the nutrition is poor and they are not able
to attain their potential.”
‘If they get what they are supposed to get and they are immunized at the appropriate age, their survival is sure but when you have too many, there comes poverty, they are not fed properly, the nutrition is poor and they are not able to attain their potential.”
She said
enlightening the community leaders will help propagate the right message to the
people they live with.
“The
community leaders are there with the community, they are in the community with
the people and they will in turn pass the right information to the people on
family planning.”
Adding,
she said, “If you plan your family, poverty is out of it, if you are able to
get rid of poverty, every other thing comes to fall in place, you can feed your
children, send them to your desired school, and you’re sure of sustaining them
and have a bright future.”
Also speaking, the state team leader for Lagos
NURHI Lagos, Dr Edun Omasanjuwa said, research has shown that, with family
planning, one can save about 30% of women who would have died from pregnancy
related complications. Read more
KWARA GOVERNMENT DRAGS PDP
TO POLICE OVER COMMENTS
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While the spokesman for the police in the State, Ajayi Okansanmi, on Tuesday confirmed that they had invited the opposition party for questioning, the PDP accused the government of the All Progressives Congress of trying to sniffle the voice of the opposition.
On Tuesday, members of the PDP arrived at the state headquarters of the police to honour an invitation.
Mr Okansanmi told reporters that the invited representatives of the party had been released after the nearly four hours interrogation.
Members of the PDP, after the interrogation, gathered at the office of their chairman to brief him on the outcome of the meeting with the police and most of them, who spoke in Yoruba Language, were bitter over the invitation.
The State Chairman of the PDP, Iyiola Oyedepo, accused the government of being intolerant to criticism.
He said that his party usually enlightens the public on the failure of the government to provide the dividends of democracy, wondering why they would be reported to the police as a result of that.
The State government, however, believes that critising the government is different from inciting the public.
The State Commissioner for Justice and Attorney General, Kamaldeen Ajibade, told reporters that dishing out false information to the public through live radio programmes made the party report the opposition to the police.
On what would be the next line of action, he said the government would wait for a report from the police to determine what to do next.
The bickering between the opposition party and state government has been on for quite sometime, but it is expected that it would be resolved soon with police intervention.Read more
GOV AHMED WANTS PRY SCHOOL
TEACHERS’ SALARY REMOVED FROM LG ALLOCATION
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ov.
Abdulfatah Ahmed of Kwara has called for the removal of primary school
teachers’ salaries from local government allocations in order to ease funding
challenges at the local council level. The governor made the call on Sunday in
Ilorin during an interface with Muslim Scholars, tagged: “State of the State in
Ilorin.
Iroyin Ojutole reports that “State of the State” will be a regular interactive session between the state government and groups such as faith leaders, women and youth groups.
Iroyin Ojutole reports that “State of the State” will be a regular interactive session between the state government and groups such as faith leaders, women and youth groups.
According
to Ahmed, primary education was too important to be left at the mercy of local
government areas, who are becoming increasingly incapacitated to meet the
challenges of modern governance.
“Most of
them lack the financial requirements of primary education, especially primary
school teachers,” he said. Ahmed also stressed the need for urgent review of
national laws, which inhibit state governments from being major players in
Telecommunications, Energy, Aviation, exploitation of mineral resources.
This, the governor said, would
enable states to be more economically viable and financially self-sustaining.
He, therefore, called for the
removal of these sectors from the exclusive list to allow state governments to
venture into expanding their Internally Generated Revenue (IGR).
On infrastructure development of the
state, the governor said the Kwara State Infrastructure Development Fund
(InfraFund Kwara) has been increased from N300 million monthly to N500 million.
“With the increase of the funds, the
state government is now better placed to jump start vital projects such as the
Garin Alimi underpass and extension of the University of Ilorin Teaching
Hospital Road.
The governor said two additional
campuses of the State University would be established in Ilesha-Baruba and Osi,
Kwara North and Kwara South senatorial districts respectively.
Ahmed added that with the
procurement of two Asphalt Plants by the state government, road maintenance
across the state will now be cheaper and executed with vigor. Responding, one
of the Ulamas, Dr Abubakar Aligan called on the state government to urgently
stem the activities of misguided Muslim fundamentalists in the state to prevent
an emergence of terrorism.
“These are people wanted outside the
country. Why should we allow them operate freely in our state? The scholar
queried. The forum provided the Muslim scholars, youth and women opportunities
to share their views on issues affecting the State with the governor. Read more
This, the governor
said, would enable states to be more economically viable and financially
self-sustaining.
He, therefore, called for the removal of these sectors from the
exclusive list to allow state governments to venture into expanding
their Internally Generated Revenue (IGR).
On infrastructure development of the state, the governor said the Kwara
State Infrastructure Development Fund (InfraFund Kwara) has been
increased from N300 million monthly to N500 million.
“With the increase of the funds, the state government is now better
placed to jump start vital projects such as the Garin Alimi underpass
and extension of the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital Road.
The governor said two additional campuses of the State University would
be established in Ilesha-Baruba and Osi, Kwara North and Kwara South
senatorial districts respectively.
Ahmed added that with the procurement of two Asphalt Plants by the
state government, road maintenance across the state will now be cheaper
and executed with vigor.
Responding, one of the Ulamas, Dr Abubakar Aligan called on the state
government to urgently stem the activities of misguided Muslim
fundamentalists in the state to prevent an emergence of terrorism.
“These are people wanted outside the country. Why should we allow them
operate freely in our state? The scholar queried.
The forum provided the Muslim scholars, youth and women opportunities to
share their views on issues affecting the State with the governor.
Read more at: http://dailytimes.ng/gov-ahmed-wants-pry-school-teachers-salary-removed-lg-allo
Read more at: http://dailytimes.ng/gov-ahmed-wants-pry-school-teachers-salary-removed-lg-allo
SOLAR ECLIPSE TODAY IN ABUJA
Thursday, September 01, 2016
KWARA
TO INTRODUCE NEW SALARY STRUCTURE FOR LG WORKERS
Wednesday, August 31,
2016
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Alhaji Haruna Muhammad, the state’s Commissioner for Local Governments, Chieftaincy Affairs and Community Development, made the announcement while speaking with newsmen in Ilorin.
Muhammad explained that the new salary structure would reflect the findings of a panel on staff verification carried out in the 16 Local Government Councils in the state.
According to him, the salary arrears of Local Government workers in the state will also be addressed.
“The panel had submitted its report to the State Government and it is due for consideration soon.
“The government would have loved to start the implementation in July but it’s constrained by time.”
He also stated that the outcome of the panel’s report would determine the policy direction of the government on Local Government administration.
“What determines our salary is inflow from the federation account, by September, we will start a new salary regime that will reflect our findings,” the commissioner said.
On the backlog of salaries of Local Government workers, Mohammed said the problem would be resolved as soon as the economy of the state improved.
He said that dwindling allocations from the federation account had affected local councils in their bids to carry out their statutory responsibilities.
The commissioner, however, said that internally generated revenues would be used to augment funds for the councils.
He described the Joint Allocation Account Committee of the state as the most robust and enlarged, pointing out that it accommodated stakeholders from government and labour unions.
MY
WIFE THREATENS TO POISON MY CHILDREN, HUSBAND TELLS COURT
Wednesday, August 31,
2016
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36-year-old husband, Abraham Dominic, on
Tuesday told a Mararaba Upper Area Court in Nasarawa State that his wife always
threaten to poison his children anytime he corrects her mistakes.
Dominic, a businessman of Gwagwa
Mararaba, had urged the court to dissolve his eight-year-old marriage to his
wife, Onyedikachi, for alleged lack of understanding and peace.
According to him, the respondent
goes out and comes back at will which makes him loose confidence in her and the
marriage.
The petitioner said that he was
seeking for dissolution of their marriage and also for the court to award him
the custody of their four children.
Since l married the respondent in
2008, l have not known peace, I can never correct my wife whenever she makes
mistakes.
“She goes out without my knowledge
whenever I talk to her, she always threatens to poison my children in order to
get back at me. “She took two of my children to Onitsha without my knowledge
and she would not tell me what they were doing there.
“There is frequent trouble in my
house and I cannot let my children get tangled in this situation as it might
affect them,’’ the petitioner said. Onyedikachi, however, denied all the
allegations, saying her husband did not care for her and the children’s school
fees.
“I can never poison my own children,
I am the one who always provide for the children and take good care of them.
“Even when I am sick, I do my best
to look after them because my husband care less. “I was not feeling fine when
my sister came and she saw me, she then decided to take the children with her
for the holiday but they will be back.
The presiding officer, Mr Ibrahim
Shekaru, however, adjourned the matter till Sept. 20 to enable the petitioner
present his witnesses
MAN
SETS WIFE, SON, DAUGHTER ABLAZE OVER PROPERTY
Monday, 29th August
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The woman’s husband, Joshua, was said to have
poured petrol on her, their daughter, and his seven-year-old son, Samson, and
set fire on them.
News men learnt the incident happened on Thursday on
Augustine Street, Ire Akari Estate, in the Ifo Local Government Area, Ogun
State, after a disagreement between the couple.
Gbemisola’s son, Joshua Babatunde, 16, who escaped by a whisker, said his
stepfather had wanted his mother to sell their three-bedroomed apartment, but
she refused.
He said, “It was the
scream of my mother that woke me up. Dolapo and Samson were also set ablaze. I
wanted to put out the fire when my stepfather poured petrol on me as well.
Before he returned with matches, I managed to escape and reported at the Ifo
Police Station.
“He was working with a
factory but was sacked some months ago. He then told my mother to sell the
house so that he could use the money to start a business. But my mother said
she would never sell the house she struggled to build.
“We moved into the house
in January. The following month, he and Samson started living with us. It was a
woman at our former residence in Iyana Ipaja (Lagos State) that bore Samson for
him. He used to beat mum while we were in Iyana Ipaja.”
News men gathered that Joshua fled
immediately the incident happened, while the victims were admitted to Aron
Hospital, a private facility in the area.
Dolapo was said to have
died a few minutes after she got to the hospital while the mother died on
Friday.
Samson, who has burns in
the head, hands and legs, is still responding to treatment.
Gbemisola’s brother,
Wale, said she had always been abused by the husband, adding that constant
beatings forced her to relocate from Iyana Ipaja to Ifo.
He said, “Their
relationship had been fraught with quarrels since when he was living with my
sister in our house at Iyana Ipaja. There was a time he threatened to kill her
with a machete. He stole her money and fled.
“When he knew my sister
had built a house, he went there to reconcile with her. She insisted that they
needed to go to the registry which they did in February. I visited my sister
two weeks ago. She said her husband had been threatening her again and that she
had told him to leave by the end of August.
“It was on Thursday
afternoon that I got a call that he set her and the children ablaze.”
The Managing Director,
Aron Hospital, Dr. Kayode Ayoola, said, “The burns were serious. The girl died
about 10 minutes after she was admitted, while her mother died the following
day. The boy’s condition is relatively okay but nobody is ready to take care of
him.” Read more
N20 & N50 RECHARGE
CARDS NOW INTRODUCED INTO THE MARKET
Monday, 29th August
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OneCard Nigeria
has introduced N20 and N50 recharge cards into the market.
The excitement even
gets better as the new recharge cards tops up all mobile networks; Airtel,
Etisalat, Glo and MTN.
Now everyone is free at last to recharge without
limitation.
One Card is available across Nigeria. Ask your recharge vendor for
One1Card. It is the orange and blue recharge card with One1Card written on it.
If you are into business looking for a micro collection solution or an easy way to
collect money for the services you provide, then this multi-purpose recharge
will also meet your need.
Read more
GIVE WOMEN
MORE CHANCE IN GORVERNANCE – UMOH CRIES OUT
Tuesday, August 23rd,
2016
The National
coordinator, Global Fund For Women Grantees Network (GFWGN), Ms. Ekaete Umoh,
has appealed to the Speaker, Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, Rt Hon Onofiok
Luke to ensure that women have a more space and voice to participate in
development programmes in the State.
Ms. Umoh who
made the appeal during an advocacy visit on the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly
on July, 2016, also appealed to the Speaker to ensure that laws and policies in
the state are gender sensitive to allow women contribute to the peace, justice
and development in the state.
Speaking on the reason for the visit, the National
Coordinator, Ms Ekaete Umoh, said the visit was to foster a strategic alliance
and collaboration with the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly on issues of women
development, participation in decision making and engendering policy and
legislation in the State.
She gave an overview of the network and its relationship with
Global Fund For Women in the USA, she further stressed how the GFW has helped
women grassroots organizations in Nigeria to amplify their voices on women’s
discourse and participate effectively in National development.
She emphatically stated that the goal of the Grantees Network
is to promote Gender Equality across board, to see that men and women, girls
and boys all have fair representation in the society and in all development
efforts.
In his response, the Speaker, Rt Hon Onofiok Luke, said he
met the National Coordinator during the Senate Committee meeting on the 4th
alteration of the 1999 Constitution.
He stated
that the Akwa Ibom State House of
Assembly takes issues of gender seriously, saying that they recognize the
innate abilities of women and their capacity to deliver on given tasks.
The Speaker said that the House is coming up with a law to promote
the rights of widows and girl child inheritance.
He however, added that such
legislation will not deny the male child his due inheritance.
He noted
that the House of Assembly will extend invites to the GFWGN in all activities
of the House such as Public Hearing and inputs into Bills.
COMPETENT P.R.O NEEDED
TO REPORT ISLAMIC EVENTS IN THE MEDIA – MUSLIM MEDIA WATCH GROUP
Islamic Organizations have been called upon to give
maximum support to their Public Relations Officers and Publicity Secretaries on
the performance of their duties as Image-Makers of their Organizations.
The National Coordinator of Muslim Media Watch Group
of Nigeria, Alh. Abdullahi Ibrahim made the call while inaugurating the Paper
Presentation Committee of the Group in preparation for the maiden National
Conference of the Group scheduled to hold in Ilorin, Kwara State in October
this year.
According to him, most Islamic Bodies do not feature
sufficiently in the news bulletin of Media Organizations because they do not
appoint or elect competent and qualified people as Publicity Secretaries and
Public Relations Officers, hence reportage of Islamic events are always very
low especially in the print and electronic media.
He called on the Committee on Paper Presentation to
source for competent, resourceful and highly qualified professionals that would
present papers to educate participants at the forthcoming Conference on how
best to use Media for Islamic propagation.
The four-man Committee which is headed by Prof.
Nasir Abdusalam of Department of Chemistry University of Ilorin as Chairman,
has Dr. Saudat Sallah Abdul-Baki Head of Department of Mass Communications
University of Ilorin, Dr. Sabur Raji of the Department of Civil Engineering
also of the University of Ilorin as members, while Mallam Tajudeen Babamale of
the Corporate Affairs Directorate of the University of Ilorin is serving as the
Secretary of the Committee.
USE OF TOOTHPICK CAUSES HARM TO TEETH, GUMS; DENTIST WARNS
August
18, 2016Dr Alatishe Muhammad, an expert in Dentistry in Ilorin, has warned that using toothpick to remove food remnant from teeth could harm the teeth and gums.
Muhammad said on Thursday in Ilorin that what was
medically recommended was cleaning between the teeth at least once a day, using
an interdental cleaner such as floss.
The dentist explained that a toothpick
was not considered as an interdental cleaner, and as such it was not recommended
for cleaning teeth.
“Using a toothpick is not an ideal way to remove something
stuck between your teeth. “Toothpicks can cause abrasion and damage to your
teeth at the base where they meet the gums.
“This can lead to gum disease and
other dental problems,” he said. Muhammad said that preventive dentistry was
the modern ways of helping individuals keep a healthy mouth. Read more
NATIONAL ORIENTATION AGENCY EMBARKS ON FLOOD SENSITISATION PROGRAMME IN KWARA STATE
AUGUST 17, 2016
National Orientation Agency has embarked on sensitization of Kwarans
over the likelihood of flooding in some parts of the state in this month of
August.
This becomes imperative in the light of the flood alert received from
the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency.
Kwara State Director of the Agency, Mr Felix Olowokere advised residents
of flood prone areas such as Jebba, Patigi, Edu, Baruten, Ilorin and other
communities along the bank of River Niger to take precautionary measures
against the impending flood which magnitude would be similar to the one
experienced in 2012.
Mr Olowokere also enjoined the residents to as a matter of urgency relocate
to high land areas for their safety and called on Chairmen of the affected
Local Government Areas to take proactive measures towards averting the
impending danger
THREE NIGERIAN PILGRIMS ARRESTED IN SAUDI ARABIA FOR DRUG
TRAFFICKING
AUGUST 17, 2016
The Saudi Arabian authorities have
arrested three pilgrims from Kwara State for alleged possession of substance
suspected to be cocaine.
Hajia Fatima Abolore-Jimoh, the
Executive Secretary of the Kwara Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board, confirmed the
arrest on Wednesday from Saudi Arabia in a telephone interview with the newsmen.
The executive secretary, who did not
disclose the identities of the three suspects, said they were still in the custody
of Saudi Arabian authorities.
Abolore-Jimoh said the three
pilgrims, who were among the first batch of 505 Pilgrims from Kwara State, were
arrested in Madinnah by Saudi Arabia security operatives.
She described the arrest as
unfortunate and painful in spite of several appeals to them to be good
ambassadors of Kwara State and Nigeria.
The executive secretary said other
pilgrims from the state were still in Madinnah, hale, healthy and in good
spirit in spite of the unfortunate incident.
Kwara Govt. Calls For Evacuation Of Homes Ahead Of Flood
The Kwara State Government has been engaging in sensitising
the communities on the likely effect of not moving out of flood prone
areas in the state.
This is coming after a flood warning given by Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NMA),
The sensitisation program is part of efforts by the government to ensure that some communities prone to flood are not caught unawares.
The Special Adviser to the Governor on Environmental Services, Manzuma Kawu, said that the government had been making effort to ensure that those prone to flood attacks are evacuated.
The Governor’s aide believed that the constant enlightenment by the government would go a long way in ensuring that the people are saved from the flood.
He further noted that the traditional rulers of the three local governments mostly affected have been co-operating in the program.Read more
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