President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the re-appointment of Mr Olusegun Awolowo as Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC).
According to a letter signed by Mr Boss Mustapha, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, the appointment lasts for four years.
Mr Awolowo, a lawyer and scion of the Obafemi Awolowo family, was first appointed to the NEPC position in 2013.
Imo State Deputy Governor, Eze Madumere, has rejected his principal, Governor Rochas Okorocha’s offer to contest for the Imo East Senatorial election in 2019.
Governor Okorocha had asked his deputy to contest for Senate instead of the governorship election to pave way for the Chief of Staff and his son in-law, Uche Nwosu, who he has endorsed as his successor.
But Madumere who is from Owerri zone which has not produced a governor since the return to democracy in 1999, insisted that he has made up his mind to contest for the office of the governor in 2019.
He vowed that there is no going back on the decision, adding that the ambition is not just about him, but the entire Owerri zone that has been sidelined and marginalized.
The Deputy Governor in a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Uche Onwuchekwa, he has chosen his path towards realizing “God’s given vision to better the lot of Imolites”, adding that his fate “is in no man’s hands”.
Describing the Okorocha’s offer as an act of betrayal, the deputy governor, argued that “ifJesus Christ could be ill-treated by those he called his friends and was later betrayed by Judas, how much more a mere mortal like me”.
He said that he has been “molested, betrayed and insulted” by those he nurtured to “become relevant in life”.
Global deaths of newborn babies remain alarmingly high, particularly among the world’s poorest countries, UNICEF has said in a new report on newborn mortality. Every year, 2.6 million newborns around the world do not survive their first month of life. One million of them die the day they are born.
Globally, in low-income countries, the average newborn mortality rate is 27 deaths per 1,000 births, the report says. In high-income countries, that rate is 3 deaths per 1,000.
“While we have more than halved the number of deaths among children under the age of five in the last quarter century, we have not made similar progress in ending deaths among children less than one month old,” said Henrietta H. Fore, UNICEF’s Executive Director. “Given that the majority of these deaths are preventable, clearly, we are failing the world’s poorest babies.”
The report notes that eight of the 10 most dangerous places to be born are in sub-Saharan Africa, where pregnant women are much less likely to receive assistance during delivery due to poverty, conflict and weak institutions. With the newborn mortality rate of 29 deaths per 1,000 births, the global estimates rank Nigeria as the 11th highest on newborn deaths.
In the recent Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) conducted by the Government of Nigeria in 2016/17, the rate of newborn deaths per 1000 births is 37. This national average hides the differences between the 36 states and the slow progress in some of them.
“A fair chance in life begins with a strong, healthy start. Unfortunately, many children in Nigeria are still deprived of this,” said Mohamed M Fall, UNICEF Nigeria’s Representative. “MICS data tells us that the trend is improving but urgent action needs to be taken for Nigeria to reach the Sustainable Development Goals. It cannot afford to fail its newborns today.”
More than 80 per cent of newborn deaths are due to prematurity, asphyxia, complications during birth or infections such as pneumonia and sepsis. These deaths can be prevented with access to well-trained midwives during antenatal and postnatal visits as well as delivery at a health facility, along with proven solutions like clean water, disinfectants, breastfeeding within the first hour, skin-to-skin contact, proper cord care, and good nutrition. However, a shortage of well-trained health workers and midwives means that thousands don’t receive the life-saving support they need to survive.
This month, UNICEF is launching Every Child ALIVE, a global campaign to demand and deliver solutions on behalf of the world’s newborns. Through the campaign, UNICEF is issuing an urgent appeal to governments, health care providers, donors, the private sector, families and businesses to keep every child alive by:
Recruiting, training, retaining and managing sufficient numbers of doctors, nurses and midwives with expertise in maternal and newborn care;
Guaranteeing clean, functional health facilities equipped with water, soap and electricity, within the reach of every mother and baby;
Making it a priority to provide every mother and baby with the life-saving drugs and equipment needed for a healthy start in life; and
Empowering adolescent girls, mothers and families to demand and receive quality care.
A military officer and three suspected kidnappers have been killed by the men of the Nigeria military force, “Exercise Cat Race”, in an attempt to rescue a kidnap victim.
The officer was killed during the cross fire between operatives and suspected kidnappers in Okene, Kogi State.
It was gathered that the incident occurred yesterday at around 8am, at a check point along the Okene-Ajaokuta road when an unidentified man in company of the military men was to deliver the demanded ransom to the suspected kidnappers.
An eyewitness account had it that when the suspected kidnappers saw the man and the military men, they opened gun fire on them, leading to the death of the officer and three suspected kidnappers.
The victim, who is the chairman of Always Petroleum and Gas, Alhaji Otinau Momohjimoh, who was kidnapped 10 days ago, in front of a mosque in Okene, was shot on the arm during the rescue operation, and is currently receiving treatment in a private hospital.
One of the suspected kidnappers was captured alive.
A source further disclosed that the officer who got married some months back, later died in the hospital while another man that was injured during the operation is currently receiving treatment.
Items recovered from the kidnappers’ hideout included charms and ammunition, while the body of the officer was deposited at the mortuary of the General Hospital, Okene.
The Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai, recently launched the
Exercise Cat Race, in Benue State to check security situation in the six states of the north central.
When contacted, the Public Relation Officer of the Command Army Record, Capt. Weri Finikumor said that the operation was ongoing, stressing that he cannot confirm anything yet, but at the end of the exercise, will address the press.
The pioneer President of Nigeria Labour Congress ( NLC ), Comrade Hassan A. Summonu has said that most of the Advisers and so called technocrats in the Buhari government does not have the capacity to move the nation forward as they were merely playing politics with the life of Nigerians.
Summonu who was contributing to the discussion on the future of work at the ongoing 40th anniversary celebration of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) said the President’s advisers were working hard to turn Nigerians to starved slaves.
He said government’s reactive, rather than proactive measures has contributed largely to drawing the country backward, pointing out that most of the socio economic and security challenges can be attributed to unemployment.
He said: “Some of the so called technocrats in the present government and advisers of Buhari are mere Buharist, they cannot move Nigeria forward. So NLC and other civil society organisations across Nigeria must fight those people who want to dull Nigeria and turn its citizens to starved slaves.
“Education, health, housing and industries are core to socio-econimic development of any country. And thses are areas that can generate millions of jobs for Nigerians. Most of the socio-economic and security problems facing Nigeria is as a result of unemployment and this becauseof poor or Wactive socio-economic policies of both the present government and the past ones.
“Are we reacting instead of being proactive. Nigeria, led by its government have to be proactive. What is our government doing in terms of socio-economic development in order to prepare for a better future of work for Nigerians? We cannot prepare for the future of the world of work if we don’t massively invest in new technology through research for a viable industry development.
“Look at Ajaokuta Steal. No country can induatrialise without a viable steal industry. We have been told that Ajaokuta Steal has been built up to 90% and then they want to put some money there and sell it to their friends. In the name of privatising our national asset.
“NLC, Nigeria Civil Society organisations and every Nigerian should oppose any attempt by anybody or any government to privatize Ajaokuta Steal and other industries in the country. We should resist it because it is unpatriotic, unpardonable, unreasobale and unforgivable.
“Look at the number of tens of thousands of jobs that should be available for Nigerians if that industry is viable. Since they privatize our electricity industry, what have we gotten? Instead of constant light, we are paying more for darkness.
“In electricity, are we investing in research and technology for solar energy, wind energy which are the future of electricity across the world? Are we preparing and training youths for electric engine motor cars because in another decades, petrol might not be the source of running cars.”
Summonu said further that Nigerians must work to revamp the education sector from kindergarten to primary, high school and university level, saying “Over 60million Nigerians are said to uneducated. So it means that those 60million Nigerians are not effectively contributing to the economy of Nigeria because of illiteracy.
“So if we decide to train teachers for the purpose of eradicating illitracy in Nigeria within the next 2 to 3 years, are we not going to generate massive jobs? On the other hand, if the socio-economic policy of the government is directed to providing decent housing for the majority of Nigerians, would that not create millions of jobs?
“So far, even with the so much job creation promised they made to Nigerians every now and then, they are only focusing on pocket economic policy agenda. Being what IMF and World Bank direct them to do. What they can actually do to provide jobs for Nigerians is so obvious.
“Though I commend the federal government for now seeing that agriculture is among the ways to provide for our country and so create jobs. However, Nigeria government must invest in research and development.”
The Independent Electoral Commission ( INEC ) on Tuesday urged the National Population Commission (NPoPC) to furnish it with record of dead citizens since 2015 to enable it to “sanitise’’ the voter register.
Chairman of the commission, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, made the requested when he visited the Chairman of NPC, Mr Eze Duruijeoma, in Abuja.
He said that the records were necessary to enable the electoral umpire to expunge names of dead persons from the national voter register.
“We will like to partner NPC and ask that the population commission make available records of dead citizens since 2015 to enable us take necessary steps to remove them from the voter register.
“We are confident that you will oblige us so that we can further clean up our voter register ahead of the 2019 general elections,” Yakubu said.
According to him, the commission is determined to do whatever it takes to sanitise the voter register as a free, fair and credible election is dependent on a sanitised voter register.
The chairman said that as provided by the Constitution, both commissions were saddled with similar responsibilities.
“While INEC is saddled with the responsibility of registering eligible voters, the population commission registers births and deaths of citizens across the country,” he said.
He disclosed that a draft copy of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between both agencies had been submitted to the population commission for its consideration.
“When the MoU is signed, it will formalise and enhance collaboration between the sister agencies for the general development of the country,” Yakubu said.
Responding, Duruijeoma commended INEC for the initiative to sanitise the voter register using records of NPC.
He said that the collaboration between the sister agencies in the performance of statutory duties was very pivotal to national development.
According to Duruijeoma, if we get our elections and censuses right, our nation will be on the way to greatness.
He said that the commission would commence the process of making the records of deaths across the country available to INEC.
He, however, said that the commission could not pretend to have the records of every birth or death that had occurred since 2015.
“We look forward to the day when every single birth or death case will be efficiently documented by the commission,” Duruijeoma said.
He said that copies of the MoU had been circulated among relevant officers within the commission and that necessary inputs were already being made.
He assured the INEC chairman of his readiness to sign the MoU once it was finalised.
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Investors net worth on the Nigerian Stock Exchange ( NSE ) on Tuesday dipped by 0.66 per cent due to price depreciation.
The All-Share Index lost 279.92 points or 0.66 per cent to close at 42,299.56 compared to 42,579.48 achieved on Monday.
Also, the market capitalisation closed lower at N15.179 trillion as against N15.280 trillion posted on Monday, representing a loss of N101 billion or 0.66 per cent.
An analysis of the price movement table showed that Seplat for the second consecutive day topped the losers’ table, dropping by N13.50 to close at N657.90 per share.
International Breweries trailed with a loss of N2.85 to close at N57, while Dangote Cement recorded a drop of N2 to close at N257 per share.
Lafarge Africa shed N1.30 to close at N50, while Julius Berger was down by N1.10 to close at N24.85 per share.
Conversely, Nestle led the gainers’ table, gaining N22 to close at N14 per share.
Total followed with a gain of N15 to close at N232, while Mobil Oil recorded a gain of N3.40 to close at N183.90 per share.
Conoil improved by N3.15 to close at N35.25, while Cement Company of Northern Nigeria appreciated by N1.35 to close at N18.20 per share.
In spite of the drop in the market indices, the volume of shares traded closed higher with an exchange of 438.65 million shares worth N8.79 billion transacted in 5,433 deals.
This was against the 384.26 million shares valued at N5.47 billion traded in 4,774 deals on Monday.
Transcorp dominated trading activities emerging as the most active stock during the day, exchanging 45.09 million shares worth N93.04 million.
Diamond Bank followed with an account of 43.35 million shares valued at N105.73 million, while FBN Holdings traded 42.35 million shares worth N490.91 million.
Fidelity Bank exchanged 40.02 million shares valued at N119.99 million and Access Bank sold 27.39 million shares worth N355.31 million.
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The Police Command in Nasarawa State has arrested 20 suspects and recovered some firearms in February.
The Command’s Spokesman, DSP Kennedy Idirisu, disclosed this on Tuesday in Lafia.
Idirisu said the suspects were picked in various locations for offences such as robbery, culpable homicide, kidnapping and illegal possession of firearms.
He said the fire arms recovered included four assault rifles; six locally fabricated pistols and 220 rounds of live ammunition of different caliber.
According to him, the feat was recorded through the Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad ( FSARS ) and with prompt information from members of the public.
The spokesman said some of the suspects had already been charged to court, while others were being investigated and would be charged later.
He said that the command had also given a 21-day ultimatum to all those in possession of illegal firearms in the state to surrender them or face arrest and prosecution.
He said the notification was in line with the directive of the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris to Commissioners of Police to commence disarmament and recovery of prohibited firearms, ammunition and weapons in the possession of groups and individual(s) across the country.
“After expiration of the grace period, a Joint Task Enforcement Team will be constituted by the Command to commence the mop-up, seizure and recovery of all illegal and prohibited firearms and ammunition from individual(s) and groups, particularly the Vigilance Groups and Neighbourhood Watch, amongst others.
“The Command wants to categorically state that person(s) or groups thereafter seen or found to be in possession of any lethal weapon will be arrested and charged to court accordingly, ” Idirisu added.
He stressed the need for all citizens to support the effort at checking the proliferation of arms and ammunition as a means of curbing cases of violent crimes and communal skirmishes, thereby reducing bloodletting.
“The command implores all to cooperate with us by giving useful and timely information on local manufacturers of firearms, person(s) in possession of firearms illegally or person(s) that are trading in firearms through the following numbers: 08108795930, 08112692680 and 08123821571,” he said.
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The National Executive Committee (NEC) of the All Progressives Congress ( APC ) on Tuesday, extended Chief John Odigie-Oyegun -led National Working Committee’s (NWC) tenure by one year.
Gov. Yahaya Bello of Kogi made this known while briefing newsmen on the outcome of the party’s NEC meeting in Abuja and said that the extension was from June, 2018.
Bello said that the decision was taken in line with the party´s Constitution, and explained that it was to ensure that peace prevailed within the party hierarchy.
“Considering the time left for the party to conduct all the congresses, we cannot afford to approach general elections with more dispute and crisis.
“So, relying on Article 13 of our Constitution, which empowers the NEC to carry out the function of the convention, the NEC has decided to extend the tenure of the current NWC,” he said.
Bello explained that the tenure extension included the party’s other executive committees at various levels.
He, however, pointed out that the decision would not prevent the party’s non-elective National Convention from holding in July as slated.
“Let me tell you that this will not stop the convention of the party, but to go into elective congresses is what we are trying to avoid,” he said.
The national convention usually provides avenue for the party to ratify its policies and programmes, elect or remove members of its NWC and amend its Constitution if need be, among other things.
The tenure of the current NWC will expire in June.
Before now, there were issues on whether the committee should continue or be replaced.
The party has been unable to hold its mandatory bi-annual non-elective convention since 2014 as stipulated in its Constitution.
Article 25 (A)(i) of the APC Constitution specifically stipulates that the national convention of the party shall be held once in two years at a date, venue and time to be recommended by its NEC.
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President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday in Abuja, said the All Progressives Congress ( APC ) -led Federal Government had stabilised Nigeria in spite of obvious challenges.
He stated this at APC National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting.
“I am happy to report that slowly and steadily, we have managed to stabilise the country and redirect the ship of state.
“We have restored prudence to the management of resources and confidence in Nigeria.
“We have stabilised the Naira and increased our foreign reserve from 20 billion dollars to 40 billion dollars. Inflation rate is down.
“With considerably less resources available to the country, we have improved all the indices towards a stronger economy,” the president said.
He added that credit should be given to governors of APC-controlled states, chairmen of the party in the states for contributing to stabilising the polity.
Buhari also commended the Armed Forces, the police and other security agencies for stopping Boko Haram and driving them from their bases.
He said that though the government was poised to defeat acts of terrorism in the country, it was difficult to completely isolate such act.
“No country, no matter how well secured can isolate acts of terror as we have seen in the United States, Europe, Asia and here in Africa.
“We must support our security agencies to safeguard our country so that the job of development as outlined in our manifesto can proceed without too much interruption.
“We cannot afford to fail in reminding Nigerians where we came from in 2015,’’ he stressed.
He particularly appreciated the party’s leadership and governors for their stewardship and for steering it to success.
The president noted that from the party’s resounding electoral victory in 2015, it had won elections in Edo, Kogi and Ondo states and had improved performance in the November, 2017 governorship election in Anambra.
According to him, the APC has moved from the party in government to the party of the Nigerian people.
He paid tribute to Nigerians who supported the government in spite of distractions from what he called “proponents of business as usual”.
Buhari charged APC members not to relax and take things easy because, according to him, elections are looming in the horizon.
He, therefore, urged the members to get their acts together and to cooperate with the Sen. Bola Tinubu reconciliation team to succeed.
This, he said, was critical to resolve existing differences among party members in affected states, restore order, manage differences and strengthen the party.
“It is perhaps inevitable that there will be differences of opinion within the party. If we resolve them, then we can build a genuinely democratic party.
“But, we must not lose sight of our common purpose as a party to break the mule of Nigerian politics and take the country to new heights,” the president stated.
While acknowledging that the “face of government has not met the expectations of many within the party”, he said that only a few appreciated the depth of the wrath when APC assumed power.
He explained that the APC government had spent the last two years trying to bring the country out of the mess it met it.
Buhari admitted that the stand-off between the Executive and the National Assembly slowed down the process of government within the period.
He, however, added that efforts were being made to resolve the differences so that the country could move forward.
Earlier, National Chairman of APC, Chief John Odegie-Oyegun, had thanked the president, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, governors elected on the party´s platform and its leaders for being supportive and available always in spite of challenges.
He noted that the party had a very tough year ahead, because of the governorship elections in Ekiti and Osun coming up in July and September, respectively.
“These elections are precursors of the national elections. It is therefore necessary that we treat them with great seriousness because they are elections we should do everything to win.
“They are signals and signposts, indicators of what is to come in 2019. Preparations are also well underway for those elections,” he said.
He pleaded with party members to do everything possible to minimise stresses and crises within the party and to remain in fighting shape ahead of 2019.
The chairman reiterated the support of the party´s leadership to the Tinubu reconciliation team.
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