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Senate President, Bukola Saraki on Monday promised that the Nigerian senate will do anything required to restore normalcy to North eastern Nigeria.
The senate president made the statement today during his visit to Maiduguri, Borno state in order to assess the ongoing war against Boko Haram insurgents.
Saraki, who posted about the journey on his twitter handle noted that the mission of the visit is to restore hope to the people, lament the situation of things in the state due to activities of Boko Haram insurgents.
"The mission of our visit to NE is simple, to give hope and to let the people of NE know that the Nigerian Senate will not abandon them.
"I urge everyone to continue to pray for peace to be restored while also trying to constructively and carefully engage those behind the atrocities.
"I will make it a point to include it as part of the places we will inspect. Heard it holds over 18000 IDP's.
"As individuals representing various districts and Senate as an institution, we promise to do anything required of us to restore normalcy to NE.
"8th Senate will also continue to suggest ideas through motions and resolutions that can help the country put this problem behind us
"There are no quick fix solutions to the problem of insurgency, we will continue to encourage all efforts, military and otherwise.
"We cannot in good conscience talk to the people affected by this menace from Abuja. We are here to listen and hopefully get ideas of solutions.
He noted that members of the 8th senate will stand together with President Buhari, "whose singular devotion to ending these senseless killings gives us greater believe that we will win the war," he said.
"We stand with our troops and this new Senate will do all within power of authorization & approvals to support by providing funding and oversight.
"Our country Nigeria is going through one of its worst challenges in history; with security challenge has come also economic challenges, he added.
Furthermore, he lamented that it is very emotional to see over 2600 children made orphan by Boko Haram at Dalori IDP camp. "We will leave no stone unturned to address this," he stressed.
He also stated that the senate will pass legislations, look over appropriation to find funding for rehabilitation, provide resources and provide oversight.
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Tag: David Lawal
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Our mission in Maiduguri – Saraki
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Saraki visits Maiduguri
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Senate President, Bukola Saraki on Monday visited Maiduguri, Borno state. The senate president, who visited the North Eastern state noted that he visitation was encouraged as a way to assess the ongoing war against Boko Haram insurgents. Saraki, who posted about the journey on his twitter handle noted that the mission of the visit is to restore hope to the people. "The mission of our visit to NE is simple, to give hope and to let the people of NE know that the Nigerian Senate will not abandon them. "I urge everyone to continue 2 pray for peace to be restored while also trying to constructively & carefully engage those behind the atrocities. "I Will make it a point to include it as part of the places we will inspect. Heard it holds over 18000 IDP's. "As individuals representing various districts & Senate as an institution, we promise to do anything required of us to restore normalcy to NE. "8th Senate will also continue to suggest ideas through motions and resolutions that can help the country put this problem behind us," he said. Find tweet below:Senate President @bukolasaraki has arrived in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state, to assess the ongoing war against Boko Haram.
— APC Nigeria (@APCNigeria) August 3, 2015 [news_box style="1" display="tag" link_target="_blank" tag="Saraki" count="6" show_more="on" show_more_type="link" header_background="#f4f4f4" header_text_color="#000000"] -
Young Nigerian professionals to meet in Abuja
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The Nigerian Young Professionals Forum (NYPF), has urged young business owners and entrepreneurs across the country to register for the Young Nigerian CEO's conference. The conference, which is scheduled to hold at the International Conference Centre, Abuja on Monday, 3rd August, would host President Muhammadu Buhari as the Special Guest of Honour as well as Senate President, Bukola Saraki, Guest of Honour.According to a statement by Dr. Nuhu Atta, the Executive Secretary, the conference with the theme, 'Promoting Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Building Economic Leaders for Tomorrow', will focus on key sectors ranging from Agriculture, Oil and Gas, Information and Communication Technology (ICT), Blue Sea Economy (Marine), Manufacturing/ Processing and the Creative Industry. There will be industry specific break-out sessions to interact with world-class business leaders. "The value proposition of the conference includes share ideas and business models that can be adapted by young entrepreneurs in key growth areas; interact with business leaders at the industry specific break-out sessions during the event; discuss challenges they encounter in their various operations and explore global solutions; and fashion out strategies to harness the provisions of micro-credit facilities and intervention funds from government agencies for entrepreneurial development," the statement reads. The Young Nigerian CEO's conference is organized by NYPF, a Non- Governmental Organization composed of young Professionals from different fields of human endeavours, coming together under a unified platform to achieve three (3) major objectives, namely; creating sustainable livelihood for young people, engender purposeful leadership and social democratic inclusion, and encourage young people's participation in governance and the economic process. Speakers at the conference are Peter Jack – DG National Information Technology Development Agency; Denzil Kentebe – Executive Secretary Nigerian Content Development Board; Alexander Amosu Chairman, CEO - KAMSON luxury group; Alistair Soyode Founder, CEO - BEN TV and Moses Siloko Siasia, Chairman, CEO – Mosilo Group. -
Dream team VI departs for Addis Ababa
The Nigerian Super Eagles, dream team VI are set to depart the country for Addis Ababa, Nigeria football governing body reports.
This was made known on Thursday after the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) posted a tweet concerning the journey of the team.
“Dream Team VI about to depart Abuja all the way to Addis Ababa where they would connect Pointe Noire. Send in your wishes for the team,” NFF posted.
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8th Senate will be more focused – Saraki
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Kenyans welcomed Obama, rejected gayism
The people of Kenya last weekend welcomed President Barack Obama of the United States of America, who was visiting his fatherland first time since becoming American president, but he was not entirely welcomed.
Kenyans in Nairobi, the capital and largest city in Kenya, on Sunday gave a muted and measured response to Obama’s firm support for gay rights during his visit.
According to AFP in YahooNews, Obama answered a journalist’s question on gay rights by drawing equivalence between homophobia and racism while standing alongside President Uhuru Kenyatta outside State House on Saturday.
“As an African-American in the United States I am painfully aware of what happens when people are treated differently under the law,” Obama said.
The comparison is particularly stinging in Kenya, which, like other African countries, has a proud history of resisting and overcoming colonial rule by white foreigners.
Edna Kendi, a 29-year old software developer was unimpressed by Obama publicly advocating gay rights. “He has to respect our culture,” she said. “People can be gay but they should do so in private and quietly.”
Kendi urged Obama to “stick to issues that are pertinent to the visit,” for her, corruption and trade.
Moses Abok, a 49-year old motorbike taxi driver waiting for customers beneath a shady jacaranda tree, echoed Kenyatta’s view.
“To me, it doesn’t matter. The spirit of gayism is inside just a few people,” he said using a common Kenyan term for homosexuality. “It’s not a big deal for us.”
But Abok also welcomed Obama’s words. “What he said is we should value all people, we shouldn’t alienate or eliminate those people, because they are part of us, they are human beings,” he said.
Ruo Maina, a 50-year old businessman in the manufacturing industry who had popped out to buy the Sunday papers, said what you do at home is nobody’s business.
“As long as you do it in private, we don’t care,” he said. Maina was not interested in public debates on gay rights, but added that Kenya’s vocal anti-gay extremists are equally indulging in unnecessary “provocation”.
“We don’t need to be saying it is deviant,” he said.
Deputy President William Ruto periodically addresses evangelical Christian churches to warn against homosexuality. There is “no room” for gays in Kenya he told worshippers in May, and in July railed against the US for allowing “gay relations and other dirty things.”
Anti-gay firebrand Irungu Kangata leads a cross-party caucus seeking to have the country’s existing anti-homosexuality laws – which include a maximum 14-year sentence – to be strictly applied and makes frequent media appearances to explain that “gayism” is a lifestyle choice that can and should be unmade.
Vincent Kadala, an aspiring politician whose Republican Liberty Party has no seats in parliament, threatened to rally 5,000 naked men and women in order to show Obama “the difference between a man and woman”.
The promised protest attracted a lot of media attention but was never held.
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WWE terminates contract with Hulk Hogan
The World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) has on Friday terminated its contract with wrestling super star, Hulk Hogan.
Find the transcript obtained from People Magazine below:
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Arunma Oteh gets world bank appointment
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Arunma Oteh, former Director-General, Security Exchange Commission (SEC) has been appointed Vice President and Treasurer of the World Bank. The appointment was on Friday confirmed in a press statement issued by Jim Yong Kim, World Bank President of the World Bank. The statement reads: "I am pleased to announce the appointment of Arunma Oteh as VP and Treasurer of the World Bank. Arunma, a Nigerian national, was most recently the Director-General of the Securities and Exchange Commission of Nigeria. Appointed to a five-year term by the President of Nigeria in 2010, she led the transformation of the country’s capital markets industry into a major global presence. She was a member of the Board of the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) and the Chairperson of the Africa Middle East Regional Committee of IOSCO. “Prior to joining the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) of Nigeria, Arunma was Group Vice President, Corporate Services, at the African Development Bank Group (AfDB). In this role, she oversaw a number of departments, including human resources, information and communications technology, and institutional procurement. From 2001 to 2006 she held the role of AfDB Group Treasurer, where she led AfDB’s fundraising and capital market activities across the world. Earlier roles at the AfDB, which she joined in 1992, included trading room management, investment portfolio coverage, and public sector lending. She also held other positions in capital markets and lending during the course of her career at the AfDB. Arunma began her career in 1985 at Centre Point, where she executed debt and equity offerings in the Nigerian capital markets. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from the University of Nigeria and her Masters of Business Administration from Harvard University. As VP and Treasurer, Arunma will manage and lead a large and diverse team responsible for managing more than $150 billion in assets. Her top priorities will be to:- maintain the World Bank’s global reputation as a prudent and innovative borrower, investor and risk manager;
- ) manage an extensive client advisory, transaction and asset management business for the Bank;
- ) engage, in her capacity as one of the World Bank’s key representatives, with outside stakeholders including global private sector financial institutions, the financial media and the sovereign debt and reserve managers in client countries, as well as ratings agencies; and,
- ) collaborate extensively with the Finance Partners throughout the WBG, including with IFC and MIGA, expanding shared approaches, in particular around innovative financing for development and for key new projects.
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WhatsApp introduces mute, unread option
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[dropcap color=”#319e4f”]E[/dropcap]ver got tired of WhatsApp messages from friends especially while workload is much or late at night when the only sure thing is sleep, good news is that the instant messaging application now has provision to help handle that.The Android application PacKage (APK) has had a very fruitful and active day going through no less than 5 updates in the span of 24 hours. The app’s developers introduced a series of new options and seem to be fixing bugs with successive iterative updates from v2.12.189 to the most recent v2.12.194.
According to an APK website, Android Police, the most significant change in this series of updates is the new custom notifications settings. When you open a contact’s or group’s details page, you’ll see a new Notifications box below the Media one.
In it is the option to mute the chat for 8 hours, 1 week, or 1 year, as well as extensive custom notifications. These let you pick a specific tone, vibration length, light, popup notification, as well as the call ringtone and vibration.
Another addition to the app is the ‘Mark As Unread’ feature. Tap and hold on any conversation and you’ll be able to mark it as unread, which switches its status to green but doesn’t affect the read messages status inside the chat or its chronological rank among your conversations.
The significance of such is that it could serve as a visual reminder when you want to get back to someone later.
And finally there are two new changes in the app’s settings. First is a Low data usage option for voice calls, useful when you’re on a limited or slow data plan. Second is a small hint to Google Drive backups.
Under Account, Network usage, you’ll see Google Drive backup usage tallied along with the app’s media, messages, and calls. There’s still no way to trigger a Google Drive backup — the option was added several months ago then removed — so this could be a sign that Drive backups may be coming again soon or that someone on the developer team forgot to clear out these options before publishing this apk.
One interesting thing about WhatsApp is that every couple of weeks, the team surprises its users with new features, and keeps on refining them and improving the app’s functionality.