The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Nigerian news

Gov. Obiano reiterates commitment to youths’ empowerment

Gov. Willie Obiano of Anambra has reiterated his resolve to empower the youths through skills acquisition, which he also said would reduce crimes and boost national growth.

Obiano spoke on Tuesday at the 2017 2nd Synod of Cathedral Church of St. Silas, Ihiala in Ihiala Local Government Area of Anambra.

The synod with the theme: “Whom Shall I Send, And Who Will Go for Us’’, was attended by Anglican clergymen, lay faithful and invited government officials.

Obiano said that his vision was that every youth should be meaningful engaged in order to reduce the involvement of youths in anti-social activities and criminality.

“Before I became governor, security situation was bad; several youths were seen idle on the streets.“But today, I have tackled insecurity by engaging the youths imeaningfully in different skills and agriculture.

“We are doing this to transform the lives of our youths positively,” he said.

Earlier, the Anglican Bishop of Ihiala Diocese, Rt. Rev. Israel Okoye, expressed regrets that some politicians only empower youths by engaging them as thugs.

Okoye noted that such negative conduct of politicians would hamper the future of youths and the nation.

“I am not satisfied with the style of some politicians who have deviated from positive things, but engage the youths as thugs and also engage in campaign of calumny..

“Many youths are lured into criminality because of unemployment, while some politicians cash in on the unemployment situation to engage them as thugs,” he said.

Okoye said the Diocese plans to establish the “All Saints Skills Acquisition and Invention Centre”, for the training of youths on various skills.

The Anglican Bishop of Awka, Most Rev. Alexander Ibezim, who also spoke, urged Obiano to sustain the security apparatus that he put in place.

He said that the improved security had promoted investments, especially in the agricultural sector.

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October 24, 2017
2,000 Kenyans march to election board office in Odinga

Around 2,000 Kenyans marched towards the election board offices in the city of Kisumu on Tuesday, witnesses said, responding to a call from opposition leader Raila Odinga for protests against an imminent election.

Odinga is boycotting Thursday’s repeat presidential ballot.

He says the contest, against incumbent President Uhuru Kenyatta, will not be free and fair because the election board has not made sufficient reforms, and has called on his supporters to ensure it does not take place.

“All we know is that there will be no elections. As to how this will be done, we are waiting for the big announcement by Baba (Odinga) tomorrow,” said one demonstrator, market trader James Ouma.

The government and the election board have said the vote will go ahead irrespective of whether Odinga contests.

Kenyatta officially won their first head-to-head on Aug. 8 by 1.4 million votes, but the Supreme Court annulled that vote on Sept. 1 over procedural irregularities.

The ensuing political stand-off has blunted growth in East Africa’s richest economy, and the risk of confrontations has raised security fears in a nation valued for its stability and relative freedom in a region roiled by conflict.

The protesters in Kisumu, an Odinga stronghold, waved branches and blew whistles as they marched.

After the Supreme Court ruling, Odinga’s team presented a list of demands to the election board.

Some have been met, opposition monitors will now have access to the board’s computers as results come in, a key official has gone on an extended holiday, and results will not be transmitted without a copy of a paper form from tallying centres.

The board said it was impossible to meet other demands, such as changing the technology provider – in the short time frame allotted for new elections.

The Kenyan constitution said fresh elections must be held within 60 days of nullified ones.

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October 24, 2017
EU agrees on new labour rules to prevent social dumping

EU countries have agreed on new rules to prevent the so-called social dumping and make employers pay foreign workers the same as locals, the European commissioner for employment said on Tuesday.

“Equal pay for equal work at same place at heart of SocialEurope,’’ Marianne Thyssen, wrote on Twitter after the meeting of EU social affairs ministers in Luxembourg.

The 1996 posted workers directive governs the employment of EU workers in other countries within the bloc and mandates certain standards, such as the payment of local minimum wages.

Trade unions, however, complain that employers often use loopholes to abuse the rules.

In France and other countries, the directive is perceived as having paved the way for employers to hire Eastern European workers on the cheap, known as “social dumping,” while driving down locals’ wages and social standards.

French President Emmanuel Macron has been the most vocal critic of the regulations, and has been lobbying Central and Eastern European governments to reform the directive.

According to figures from 2015, the legislation affects slightly over two million workers in the bloc: Poland, Germany and France were the main sending countries, while Germany, France and Belgium were the main receiving countries.

The European Commission says foreign workers often receive only half what locals are paid.

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October 24, 2017
Coca-Cola to invest $90m in Kenya to broaden product range

Soft drinks maker, Coca-Cola, says it plans to invest up to $90 million in Kenya over three years through 2018 to increase its product range in the region.

In a statement on Tuesday in Nairobi, the company said the wider range of soft drinks in the country would begin in 2018 but did not give details of the range of products

Coca-Cola, which is the leader in the Kenyan soda market with brands like Coke and Fanta, said it had invested a total of $17 billion in Africa since 2014.

According to the company, the amount doubles what was invested in the continent a decade before.

The group, however, faces growing competition in Kenya from other soft drinks producers like SABmiller and PepsiCo.

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October 24, 2017
Russia holds spot as China’s top oil supplier for 7th month

Russia held on to its position as China’s top crude oil supplier ahead of Angola and Saudi Arabia for the seventh straight month in September.

According to a breakdown of commodity trade data released by the General Administration of Customs, , imports from Russia in September were almost 1.545 million barrels per day, up 60.5 per cent from the same month in 2016.

It showed that for the first three quarters, crude volumes from Russia gained 18 per cent year-on-year to nearly 1.2 million bpd, also holding firm its top ranking.

The lower cost of Russian crude and China’s shift to cleaner diesel was the key driver behind the record Russian oil purchases.

“Many teapot refineries are not equipped with hydrotreating units to cut down sulfur. That means they need to import crude with lower sulfur content to meet the cleaner diesel quality,” said Harry Liu of consultancy IHS Markit.

The widening spread between Brent-linked crudes and Middle Eastern benchmark Dubai also made Russia’s ESPO grade, priced off Dubai, relatively attractive, Liu added.

Meanwhile Angola, China’s second largest source of crude, supplied 11.7 per cent more oil than a year earlier at 1.14 million bpd.

Angola also maintained the second spot for the January-September supplies ahead of Saudi.

Supplies from Saudi Arabia were up 9.6 per cent in September year-on-year at about 1.04 million barrels per day (bpd).

Shipments for the January-September period dipped 0.6 per cent on year at 1.03 million bpd.

Russian supplies could climb further in 2018 as privately run conglomerate CEFC China Energy agreed earlier this month to buy 220,000 to 260,000 bpd of oil from Rosneft, as part of a $9.1 billion investment in the world’s largest listed oil company.

Shipments from Iran were up 59 per cent in September from a year earlier to 784,060 bpd.

Traders with knowledge of Iran’s oil sales said the hefty growth was spurred by resumption of condensate lifting and as Chinese firms lifted more oil from joint venture productions in Iran.

U.S. supplies in September were 120,580 bpd, up 260 per cent on year, and for the January-September totaled 127,150 bpd, after the country started exports to China in 2016.

China’s total crude oil imports in September climbed to the second highest on record at around nine million bpd, buoyed by purchases from CNOOC and as independent refineries returned from maintenances.

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October 24, 2017
UNILAG: Emeritus professor urges incoming VC to build on Bello’s achievements

Emeritus Professor, Nimi Briggs, the Pro-Chancellor, Federal University, Lokoja, on Monday appealed that whoever succeeds Prof. Rahamon Bello as Vice-Chancellor (VC) of the University of Lagos ( UNILAG ) should build on his achievements.

Briggs spoke at the Public Presentation of the Book, “Walking the Vision,’’ in honour of Bello, whose tenure ends in November.

“Bello’s successor must be silent on his mistakes and that of the past VCs, concentrate on how to build on the good work they have started and let posterity judge.

“Bello has done excellently well; he is human and cannot solve all the problems of UNILAG,’’ the Emeritus professor, who was the book reviewer, said.

He described Bello as a remarkable man deserving of a national honor, s and said the book is a reliable account written by those who worked closely with the VC.

Prof. Jerry Gana, a former Pro-Chancellor and Chairman Governing Council of the institution, also lauded the contributions of Bello to the development of the university.

Gana, represented by Dr Isuwa Dogo, CEO, Kishima Nigeria Limited, said Bello had piloted the institution toward achieving the vision of the founding fathers of the institution.

Also, Dr Bolanle Babalankin, the current Pro-Chancellor of the institution, said the book was written for inspiration and guidance in University governance and for life well spent.

In his response, Prof. Bello, thanked God and dedicated the book to all the Council members who worked with him.

According to him, the council members gave the enabling environment for him to work and achieve what was recorded in the book.

Prof. Bello resumed office as UNILAG VC in November 2012.

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October 24, 2017
Anambra to pay accumulated leave allowances in November – Obiano

The Anambra Government says it will pay the accumulated arrears of leave allowances owed its workers in November, 2017.

A statement made available in Awka on Tuesday stated that Gov. Willie Obiano made the promise at the inauguration of Queens Convent Secondary School, Ifite-Awka, in Awka South Local Government Area.

“You will start receiving your leave allowances from Nov. 10, 2017. This is to enable you enjoy the Christmas celebration like other Nigerians,’’ he said.

The governor further announced that every worker would receive a bag of rice among other benefits before the Christmas.

“Next year, there will be general increment in salaries of Anambra workers. We are doing all these to promote the welfare of workers in the state,’’ he said.

Obiano said that the first and second batch of promotion of workers in the state would soon be released.

He said that teachers and other civil servants would equally get their due benefits alongside other workers.

The governor said that he would not relent in his fight against malpractice and other social ills, which according to him, has crippled the education system.

“The primary and secondary schools are basic foundations which determine the future of people and the society and we must get it right for our nation to develop,’’ he said.

Obiano explained that the essence of handing over schools to missions in Anambra was to give proper orientation and re-orientation to the younger generation.

He said that previous generations embraced corruption and impunity due to lack of proper orientation.

“Mission schools will instill morals and effective standard of living. Those trained by missionaries have morally-defined characters that depict excellence and high level of virtue.

“I will continue to provide every facility that will encourage learning,’’ the governor added.

He appealed to private individuals to invest in education in order to sustain the tempo of learning in the state.

The Anglican Bishop of Awka Diocese, Most Rev. Alexander Ibezim, said that the essence of establishing the school was to ensure proper moral upbringing of the youths.

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October 24, 2017
NEMA DG appeals to NASS to amend agency’s act

Mr Mustapha Maihaja, Director General, National Emergency Management Agency ( NEMA ), has appealed to the National Assembly to pass the bill seeking to amend the act establishing the Agency.

He made the appeal in a statement signed by Mr Sani Datti, Head of Media and Public Relations, NEMA, on Monday in Abuja.

Maihaja said that he was appealing for the amendment on the agency’s act in order to improve on the working conditions of the staff and enhance effective disaster management in the country.

He was said to have made the appeal at the National Assembly when he led the management of the agency to the House of Representatives’ Committee on Emergency and Disaster Preparedness in Abuja.

Maihaja told the committee that the misunderstanding between the management and union had been resolved, saying that it was not the wish of the management to allow such matters to degenerate into strike action.

The director-general added that some of the issues in the disputes could be properly handled with the amendment to the NEMA establishment Act.

He appreciated the concerns of the Committee members and thanked the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige for intervening in resolving the issues.

Datti said that the meeting was at the instance of the committee, which had invited the NEMA management and its staff union leaders to resolve the recent industrial disputes that resulted in a one day strike by the staff on Thursday.

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October 24, 2017
Litigations responsible for PDP’s ineffective opposition role – Dokpesi

A Peoples Democratic Party ( PDP ) national chairmanship aspirant, Chief Raymond Dokpesi, has blamed the party’s inability to effectively perform as opposition on protracted litigation over its leadership since 2015.

He stated this on Monday night when he led some members of his campaign organisation on a consultation to former Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Hajiya Zainab Maina.

We have heard severally from leaders and former heads of state that the PDP had not played proper role as opposition party.

We had no chance and no opportunity, because we had been in court all through.

It was not due to lack of competence or courage, but due to the fact that we had been in court processes,” Dokpesi said.

He said that there was now a vacuum in the party and a need to put in place a duly elected National Working Committee in accordance with the provisions of its Constitution.

He said that the committee must be headed by a man of courage, vision and integrity who had “paid his dues and demonstrated passion and commitment to the party´s advancement”.

According to Dokpesi, getting the right person for the position of the party´s next chairman is not about pampering, but about being firm and resolute.

He pointed out that it was only people with track records and zeal to fight for the party that should be chosen for such position.

He described as miscarriage of information claims that the party´s chairmanship position had been zoned to the South-West.

The truth of the matter is that there was no meeting where the PDP as a party, decided that its chairmanship position should be zoned to the South-West.

The Constitution of the PDP unequivocally states that zoning shall take place, but it shall take place in the North, South and East.

It is cheap propaganda and mischief to state that there had been a zoning to the South-West, the aspirant said.

He, however, added that preferences could be made because it was a family affair that should be devoid of any form of bitterness.

Dokpesi, who is founder of Daar Communications, noted that the party was presently fighting against impunity, saying that some of its members took laws into their hands and had despised its Constitution by manipulating it.

He said that it was unfortunate that such persons were being applauded and made heroes of the party, while others took advantage of the situation.

He advocated direct primaries for the party in future, saying it would allow its financial members to vote and elect their candidates for elections and leaders.

Dokpesi prayed that whoever emerged as next national chairman of the party would be committed to it and ready to take it through its challenges and return it to power in 2019.

It is not just electing a chairman for the sake of electing him, but electing someone who is able to take us through the fire-lines and make sure that we regain power in 2019, he said.

He pleaded with the former minister to rise to the occasion as one of the mothers of his campaign team to assume her role in the interest of the party and the country.

In her remarks, the former minister said that Dokpesi was the right person to lead the PDP for many reasons, adding that she had known him since 1981 as a man of high integrity.

If the PDP chairmanship position is something I can give on my own, I will give it to Dokpesi in front of everybody,” she said.

Maina described Dokpesi as a man of selfless service who had committed his time and resources to the advancement of the PDP, adding that he was a bridge-builder who had friends across the country.

She promised to galvanise support for the aspirant and ensure that he became the next national chairman of PDP “in the interest of the party and the country.

She prayed God to grant him victory in the race because, according to her, he has done a lot for the party to deserve being its national chairman.

I believe in your capabilities, because I know who you are and I believe that if you become our national chairman, we will all go to rest,” the former minister stressed.

The PDP has scheduled its National Convention where new leaders will be elected to end the tenure of its National Caretaker Committee, which had been extended two times.

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October 24, 2017
264m children worldwide are not in school – UNESCO

Some 264 million school-age children and young people worldwide were not in education in 2015, the United Nations culture and education agency UNESCO said on Tuesday.

The agency, in a progress report on the UN’s development goals for education, said that after a decline in the early 2000s, out-of-school rates have started to stagnate.

“Worldwide, there was a completion rate of 83 per cent for primary education, falling to 45 per cent for upper secondary schooling,’’ the agency said.

The agency meanwhile quoted household survey data from 128 countries for the 2010 to 2015 period.

There were 40 countries where fewer than one in four young people had completed secondary education, but only 14 where no less than 90 per cent had done so.

UNESCO Director General Irina Bokova, however, called for more government accountability.

The report noted that while 82 per cent of national constitutions mention a right to education, only 55 per cent of countries make that right enforceable in the courts.

“Governments are the primary duty bearers for the right to education, yet this right is not justifiable or capable of being the basis for a court case in almost half of countries, and the primary course of action for those with a complaint is lost,’’ Bokova wrote.

While calling for accountability at all levels, the report said accountability measures for schools needed to be flexible and carefully designed.

“Schools may adjust to performance-based accountability systems in negative ways, gaming the system and avoiding sanctions to the exclusion of longer-term reforms,’’ the agency warned.

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October 24, 2017