Cyril Ramaphosa has emerged as President of South Africa, following elections by lawmakers on Thursday.
This is following the resignation of Jacob Zuma from office of Wednesday.
According to Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng, Ramaphosa was elected without a vote after being the only candidate nominated in the parliament in Cape Town.
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The Industrial Training fund has trained and empowered a fresh batch 11000 Nigerian youths on various skills under the National Industrial Skills Development Programme (NISDP) of the agency.
The Director General of ITF, Sir Joseph Ari stated this on Thursday during closing ceremony of the Trainees from Ebonyi at the Staff Development Centre Abakaliki, the state capital.
According to him, the trainees were trained for three months on various skills which include tailoring and fashion design, welding and fabrication and plumbing and pipe-fitting.
Represented by the Zonal Director in charge of South East Region, Engr Peter Agbo, the Director said the 11000 trainees were drawn from the 36 states of the federation.
Mr Ari said the agency decided to give the beneficiaries start up packs to enable them set up their businesses and hit the ground running.
“The decision to provide the packs was informed by our tracking and monitoring of trainees of earlier phases which revealed that where supported with startup packs, 90 percent of trainees went on to be successful entrepreneurs, or even employers of labour. Conversely where they were not, they were not as successful”, he said
The DG cautioned the beneficiaries not to sale the equipments given to them but to make judicious use of them.
“The start-up packs are of high standard and cost the ITF millions of naira. Do not contemplate selling any of the items presented to you. Please go out and [prove to the world that the 3 months you endured were worthwhile. Your destiny is ion your hands, do not toy with it”, Mr Ari said.
While harping on the need for unity among all Nigerians Mr Ari solicited for cooperation and assistance of various state governments and other stakeholders with the ITF to enable it achieve its mandate of developing the nation’s human resource.
In a remark, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Industry, Sam Egwu commended the ITF for living up to its mandate and promised the support of the Committee especially in approving the budget of the agency to enable it do more for the teaming unemployed youths of the country.
One of the beneficiaries, Anaele Ikenna promised that the Trainees will put to practice what they have been taught and strive to be good ambassadors of the agency.
Plateau State Government has decried encroachment into Jos Wildlife Park by the host community, describing it as a threat to the safety of the wild species and members of the community.
Mr Peter Mwankon, the outgoing Commissioner for Tourism, Culture and Hospitality, made this known while handing over the affairs of the ministry to Mrs Martha Azi, the Permanent Secretary, on Thursday in Jos.
Mwankon said that an Inter-Ministerial Committee with membership from the Ministry of Lands and Survey, among others, had been inaugurated to investigate and proffer solutions to the disturbing situation.
He said that the government recently acquired more animals as part of efforts to re-stock the park, adding that individuals found culpable would be made to face the wrath of the law.
According to him, the animals, including a pair of crocodiles, red-fronted Gazelle and a male Equis Calabus, were acquired in 2016 through exchange programmes with the Audu Bako Zoo in Kano State and Sanda Kyarimi Zoo in Borno.
The outgoing commissioner said that during his tenure, moribund hospitality outlets were leased out to private organisations to resuscitate them and generate revenue for developmental projects.
“ We signed a 15-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with a France-based company, Kanerkrizo Parks Limited, which invested N81 million to renovate and upgrade the Pankshin Hotel in 2017 as well as another N60 million MoU with Jimroose International Limited to do same in Jos Plaza Hotel.’’
Mwankon further said that the ministry resuscitated cultural festivals to promote indigenous culture of the people while also participating in both local and international engagements.
He thanked the state governor for appointing him to serve and urged the staff of the ministry to cooperate with the incoming commissioner in order to make Plateau a tourism hub.
In her remarks, Azi commended the outgoing commissioner for his open door policy and prayed for success in all his future endeavours.
The Newsmen report that Gov. Simon Lalong had on Feb. 8, dissolved the State Executive Council.
The outgoing commissioners were directed to hand over to their permanent secretaries, pending the appointment of new commissioners.
The Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) has sealed six fuel station in Cross River State over diversion of the product and price hike.
Operations Controller in charge of Cross River, Mr Bassey Nkanga, told reporters in Calabar that the stations were sealed in the last one week.
According to him, intensified surveillance was carried out to ensure that the product released from the depot is sold to the public at the government approved price of N145 per litre.
“In the past few days, we have embarked on an intensified surveillance to ensure that the product released to Cross River is sold in filing stations in the state and at the stipulated price.
“Some marketers were found to have erred. Some diverted the product and were not able to account for it. We gave them a time grace and after that, we will conclude that they have diverted the product and sanctions will be meted on them.
“Any marketer who diverts the product will pay N200 fine on each litre diverted, if it is a whole truck, the marketer will pay N6million and those selling above government price will pay N100,000 as fine respectively.
“Some of the marketers have come to report that the alleged diverted products have reached their stations. We are going to monitor them and ensure that the product is sold at N145 per litre’’, he said.
He further said that DPR in the state would soon start announcing the number of trucks released to Cross River and the allocations so that the public can report back to them in case such products were diverted by marketers.
He added that the effort was to ensure that the product meant for each fuel station in the state was delivered and sold to the public at the stipulated price.
“Marketers should respect the guidelines covering their operations. They should operate within the confines of the guidelines and ensure that those products given to them are sold to the public accordingly.
“The government is doing everything possible to bring back normalcy in petroleum product supply.
“I wish to appeal to the general public to have faith in the government because efforts are on to ensure availability of the across the country,” he said.
FC Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde faces a dilemma before his side’s potentially tricky trip to in-form Eibar on Saturday, having watched his side’s seemingly unassailable La Liga lead grow smaller.
The lead has been cut to seven points from 11 in the last two weeks.
The advantage would normally give the coach room to rotate his squad in order to keep his side fresh for the visit to Chelsea in the Champions League three days later.
But tiny Eibar’s consistency means such a move risks his side falling closer to second-placed Atletico Madrid.
Eibar hail from a town of 27,000 inhabitants in the Basque region and are the smallest team in the top flight.
Five years ago they were in the 80-team regional third tier.
They have overcome a rocky start to the season to grow into genuine contenders for a European spot, rising to seventh place in the standings by losing only one of their last 12 games.
That run has included impressive 5-0 and 5-1 thrashings of Real Betis and Sevilla respectively, as well as victory over high-flying Valencia.
They have also developed a knack for edging tight games, snatching a 1-0 win at Leganes in their last outing with an injury-time goal.
It is a remarkable turnaround from their dismal form at the start of the season when they lost seven of their first 11 games.
However, Coach Jose Luis Mendilibar said his side had barely altered their style, which is based on pressing high, no-nonsense defending and frequent crosses into the opposing box.
“We’ve changed nothing, we don’t care which team we play, we’ll keep doing what we believe we do well,” the coach said.
“It’s easy for any analyst to see what we do in every game; we change hardly anything so it should be easy to play against us. It’s extraordinary to be in this position at this stage as no-one would have expected that when the season started.”
Barca have found it easy to play against Eibar, winning all seven of their games since the side were promoted and thrashing them 6-1 at the Nou Camp last September.
Lionel Messi seems to enjoy playing them too, having scored 12 goals in six meetings, including four in the last fixture.
The Catalans remain the only unbeaten team in Europe’s top five leagues but head to the tiny, 7,000-capacity Ipurua stadium following unconvincing draws against Espanyol and Getafe.
They will be boosted by the return of first-choice centre-backs Gerard Pique and Samuel Umtiti, however.
Atletico Madrid have won their last three league games and will be looking to keep the pressure on Barca when they host Athletic Bilbao on Sunday, while champions Real Madrid visit Real Betis.
A 55-year-old fashion designer, Stephen Enebeli, told an Igando Customary Court in Lagos on Thursday that he would die if he gave money to his wife for the upkeep of the family.
Enebeli said this when he responded to a divorce petition by his wife, Eunice, alleging lack of care for his children.
“I stopped giving her money for feeding and school fees of our children when she started living with another man.
“In my tradition, if a woman marries another husband legally or illegally and the former husband still gives her money for the welfare of the children, he will die and I am not ready to die now,” he said.
The respondent said that his wife sent him packing from their matrimonial home and that he was presently squatting with friends.
“Eunice forced me out of her house because I always fight her for leaving the children at home and going to sleep with other men,” he said.
According to him, Eunice lacks respect for him just because she has more money.
He begged the court to grant him the custody of the children so that he could train them.
“I don’t want another man to father or train my children while I am alive,” he said.
Eunice had urged the court to terminate their 16-year-old marriage for lack of care.
“My husband is an irresponsible husband and father.
“While he was still living with me, he refused to pay house rent, feeding or school fees of the children, I shouldered all the responsibilities.
“I bought him a motlaunderingorcycle in addition to his fashion designing work so that he could be supportive but he is just lazy and abandoned the motorcycle,” Eunice said.
The 36-year-old food vendor said that her husband was threatening to poison her.
“Stephen always tells me that he will kill me with poison if I make any attempt to divorce him and that he will marry another wife,” the petitioner alleged.
The mother of three pleaded with the court to end the marriage as she was longer in love with him.
Delivering judgment, the court President, Mr Akin Akinniyi, said that the petitioner was adamant on her request in spite of all mediation from the court and family.
“Since the petitioner insisted on divorce after several interventions, the court has no choice than to dissolve the union in spite of the fact that the husband still claims he loves his wife.
“The court pronounces the marriage between Mrs Eunice Enebeli and Mr Stephen Enebeli dissolved today, both parties henceforth cease to be husband and wife.
“Both parties are free to go their separate ways without any hindrances and molestation, the court wishes you well in your new journey.
“The custody of the children should remain with their mother,”Akinniyi ruled.
Buhari Support Organization (BSO), Enugu State Chapter has condemned in its entirety the “unconstitutional amendment of Section 25 of the 2010 Electoral Act;” by both the Senate and House of Representatives.
The group said the amendment no doubt infringes upon the constitutional powers vested on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), by the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended.
“We view the amendment as one done in bad faith; hence erosion of INEC powers an electoral umpire which had already issued sequence and order of 2019 general elections – National Assembly/President, and State Assembly/Governor elections.
Therefore, we are at a loss and yet to locate the economic, patriotic or any valid reason for infringing on the Constitution which in the Third Schedule, expressly bestows INEC with the powers to: – organize, undertake and supervise all elections to the offices of the President and Vice President, the Governor and Deputy Governor, and to the membership of the Senate, the House of Representatives and the House of Assembly of each State of the Federation.
The fact and the law is that sequence of elections is an integral component of organization and supervision of elections, which are the primary functions of INEC. This is why since 1960, neither the 1960 parliament, the 2nd Republic nor the 3rd Republic National Assembly had ever inserted the sequence of elections in our Electoral Act. We stand to be contradicted”, the group argued.
The group commended the Senators and House Members who opposed the unconstitutional act, especially the only APC Senator from the South East, Distinguished Senator Benjamin Uwajumogu.
The BSO maintained: “It’s our considered view that obstacles or booby traps should not be planted to block President Muhammadu Buhari from firming the solid foundation he is laying in the provision of critical infrastructure – RAILS, ROADS, AGRO & POWER (RRAP) projects.
Accordingly, we call on Mr President to veto the Bill and Distinguished Senators and House Members to support the veto. For if there were valid or altruistic reasons behind the unnecessary tampering with the sequence published by INEC, the National Assembly should have truly posited bottom-top model that of – the House of Assembly, the Governorship, the National Assembly and last the Presidential”.
The Senate has unveiled a comprehensive framework aimed at providing effective leadership and administration of mental health and substance abuse cases in the country.
This is a fall-out of the upper chamber’s roundtable on drug abuse held in Kano in January.
A statement by the Media Office of President of the Senate on Thursday in Abuja said that the framework included formulating, developing and implementing national policies, strategies and programmes on the issues.
The statement said that the plans also entailed formulation of regulations to arrest the rising incidents of mental health and substance abuse.
It said that the intervention comprised complex legislative framework for operations of law enforcement and other agencies toward reduction in the supply of illicit substances of abuse.
It added that sections of various legislations and policies that dealt with drug control were being pulled together and harmonised into one Drug Control Bill.
It said, “this is with clear mandates for the various law enforcement and regulatory agencies like NDLEA, NAFDAC, Nigerian Police Force, to develop framework for inter-agency cooperation towards drug control.
“It will also ensure that prevention mechanisms, timely, affordable, high quality and culturally-appropriate mental healthcare are made available to the public.
“Besides, the Senate will also develop a coherent legislative and policy context to address the control of drugs (Psychoactive Drugs) and interventions for people that use drugs.
“We will also address the lack of clarity and processes of agency roles and responsibilities and processes of inter-agency cooperation on multiple areas of overlap, towards the common objective of safeguarding health and wellbeing of the public.”
Some football enthusiasts in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) found it difficult to keep their dates for Valentine due to their passion for UEFA Champions League matches fixed on the same day.
The football enthusiasts either cancelled the appointments they earlier fixed or postponed such appointments to enable them to have undivided attention to the matches.
The Champions League featured important matches among prominent clubs, with matches between Real Madrid and Paris Saint Germain (PSG), Liverpool and FC Porto, which were played on the same day.
The matches began at 8:45 p.m, at about the same hour when most of the Valentine parties and dinners were fixed.
Viewing centres across the city were filled to capacity, with the usual enthusiasm that accompanied football matches.
Embittered women, who spoke to our reporter, said that they felt bad losing their lovers momentarily to the fixed matches, adding that their men’s show of preference was not funny to them at all.
Some of the affected ladies said the match fixtures were hitherto unknown to them because they did not have the same passion for football like their men.
They expressed surprise when their spouses called to reschedule dates, citing the match fixtures as their reason.
Miss Joy Chukwuka, a student, whose spouse informed her about the match at the last minute, told our reporter that she cancelled the entire date instead of postponing it as he had suggested.
“We fixed the time together and he agreed, we had already earmarked places to visit and no time did he mention that he had a match to watch.
“Even if the match is important, he should have thought of the fact that Valentine isn’t done every day. He should have respected my company and watch the replay.
“I was so angry yesterday (Valentine’s Day) and it dashed all the high hopes I had. I got home to see that my roommate also suffered the same ridicule,” Chukwuka said.
However, some of the football enthusiasts said that the stakes for the matches were too high for them to ignore, especially those who had gone into betting as gamblers.
They argued that the women were supposed to understand the importance of the matches, saying that even if they had kept the dates, their attention would have been divided.
But, other men who kept their dates revealed that they had to spend more than half of the time checking live scores online, as some of them have had some bets on certain clubs.
Mr Julius Tyem, an engineer, said he could not miss the match for anything, even Valentine.
He said he killed two birds that night by watching the match and going on his date after, although the match ended at about 10 p.m.
“My girl-friend understood, we just had to find an outing that suited the time schedule; these teams are big teams and no football fan wants to be told what happened.
“There is a big difference between watching a live match and watching a replay. It is not the same at all.
“Some people had even placed bets and they needed to guide that ‘investment’ first before anything. Football is emotional too, just like Valentine,” Tyem added.
Mr Osahon Osarobo, an ICT entrepreneur, did not watch the match; he explained that his partner did not agree to a rescheduling. However, he followed the game online.
“My date was not smooth and I was trying to avoid that but she did not give me the chance. I kept on checking my phone for the most part and it disrupted the whole flow.
“I am a strong football fan, just like most other men. Taking us away from game is like taking away air,” Osarobo said.
The night did not end too well as most men who had placed their bets and lost the stakes went home angry, instead of going on their dates.
Miss Susan Asuquo, a banker, said her partner did not even honour the rescheduling which got her frustrated although she later got his reason.
“I heard his team PSG lost to Real Madrid, he placed bets that morning and even bragged that he would get me a befitting gift with the money for Valentine.
“I am sure he felt really disappointed and bitter. That was why he behaved like that,” Asuquo added.
The Senate on Thursday adjourned plenary abruptly following a fire scare in the chamber, the News men reports,Huge smoke had engulfed the chamber and the suspected cause forced the air-conditioning system to cease functioning.
The source of the smoke, which had extended to the corridors as at 11 a.m. when the lawmakers converged for the day’s proceedings, could not be immediately ascertained.
To allow the development to be controlled, Sen. Ibrahim Gobi raised a “Point of Order’’, calling for adjournment of plenary.
“The environment is not conducive and as we can see, the air-conditioners are not working.
“So, I propose we adjourn to Tuesday,’’ Gobi said.
In his remark, President of the Senate, Dr Bukola Saraki, agreed with Goje’s position.
“I can see what you presented to the effect that the environment is not conducive and as such I think we should adjourn to Tuesday when the chamber will be conducive,’’ Saraki said.