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  • NFVCB confiscates pirated materials worth N150m at Alaba Market

    NFVCB confiscates pirated materials worth N150m at Alaba Market

    The National Film and Video Censors Board ( NFVCB ) has seized pirated materials worth N150 million at Alaba International Market in Lagos and arrested five suspects.

    Mr Adedayo Thomas, the Director-General (DG) of the board in Lagos on Thursday revealed that the seizure was made between May and October.

    He said that the pirated materials seized include: CDs, Videos CDs and literary works.

    He also added that the seizure followed the information the board gathered from some people at the market regarded as the hub for piracy.

    “We have our informants that spy the market on a regular basis, once they notice any form of piracy operations going on there, they inform the board.

    “The seizure of the N150 million worth of materials is a result of the information giving to the board on the mass productions of some films that are yet to be made public.

    “When our anti-piracy squad assisted by some police men got to the market, we saw pirated copies of films yet to be produced littering the whole environment and were being sold it at cheaper prices.

    “By Nov. 30, the board will start the court proceedings of those arrested for piracy,’’ he said.

    Thomas likened piracy to a murder case, robbery or economy sabotage where the suspect wanted to reap where he or she did not sow.

    He said that the legitimate owners were usually subjected to huge debts and loss.

    “The board is going hard on piracy. We are working seriously to reduce piracy to its barest minimum in our environment.

    “The board will go on street campaigns and to secondary schools to enlighten them not to patronise pirated materials and explain the implications of doing so on the rightful owners,’’ he said.

    The DG said that the board also frowned at nude movies adding that it was not part of its culture.

    He said that nude movies always had negative impacts on the lives of the masses and an abuse on the society.

    “We are not going to accept that as we had not done in the past. We are going hard in banning such movies from being shown on air,’’ he said.

    Thomas said that the board was also looking at reviewing some of its policies and laws to suit contemporary situations.

    He advised Nigerians not to buy pirated materials on the streets or from any unlicensed people selling such works.

    The DG said that the industry was worth billions of naira, and urged government and stakeholders to utilise the opportunity in the sector judiciously.

    “The industry is generating billions but losing more to piracy.

    “Actors, actresses, producers, marketers and other stakeholders are not happy with the loss to piracy.

    “The board is doing all it can to sanitise the industry for producers, film makers and other relevant stakeholders to enjoy the fruits of their labour,’’ he said.

    NAN

  • Unhealthy competition; it’s ills and ilks

    Unhealthy competition; it’s ills and ilks

    Competition is often considered to be the opposite of cooperation, however in the real world, the mixture of both is the norms.

    It can have both beneficial and detrimental effects.

    The human mind is wired for competition. Each individual is a champion on his/her own.

    Competition in itself can be a motivation condiment of achievement for any individual or group, however, extreme expressions of competition brings with it heinous and grotesque consequences.

    Like a line in a famous poem says “…there is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that the next person do not feel insecure.”  This lays credence to the fact that sometimes you have to be bold, decisive and have some modicum of competition in order to succeed.

    It exists in many aspects of life, from sports, school, jobs, and also amidst friends

    Competition, just like a coin has clear dichotomies; it can either be constructive or destructive.

    An overtly competitive environment is a breeding ground for resentment, envy and little or no accomplishment; because everyone is an island.

    In academics for instance, competition hampers the free flow of information and sharing of ideas amongst students. Study and healthy revision groups will definitely not be in existence in such environments.

    On the flip side, we have the congenial and accommodating arms of cooperation. With cooperation issues of differences and clear diversities become null and void because each individual or group of people are appreciated and utilized especially because of their sundry “diversities”.

    There is no limit to the aspiration of the human spirit if only we learn to tolerate and cooperate with one another. In truth, we all share a common destiny; our differences in character, skills, likes and dislikes are all wools used to weave the very fabric of our humanity.

    Making friends with peers is easy in a cooperative environment as it creates a support structure for students to reach out and help one another.

    Finally, regardless of the part of the divide of competition or cooperation you find yourself, it is important to apply moderation in all that you do.

  • Super Eagles drop nine places in FIFA ranking

    Super Eagles drop nine places in FIFA ranking

    By Moses Emorinken

    In spite of the Super Eagles sterling performance in the World Cup qualifiers and its convincing defeat of Argentina – one of the world’s finest teams, Nigeria has dropped nine (9) places in the latest football ranking by the International Federation of Association Football ( FIFA ).

    FIFA made this latest ranking known on Thursday, putting Nigeria at 50th position in the world and 8th in Africa.

    Read also: Nigeria moves up in latest FIFA Ranking

    It can be recalled that Nigeria occupied the 41st position in the last ranking. This did not augur well for the die-hard fans of the Super Eagles as they expected the recent exploits of the team to have levitated the Eagles to more desirable position in the upward direction.

    A few unexpected teams like Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo etc., ranked higher than Nigeria.

    However, we are very hopeful that the forthcoming ranking by FIFA scheduled for 21st December, 2017 should hold more serendipitous prospects for our national team.

    See below the list of the top ten (10) teams in Africa and the world:

    Africa

    1. Senegal
    2. Tunisia
    3. Egypt
    4. Congo DR
    5. Morocco
    6. Burkina Faso
    7. Cameroon
    8. Nigeria
    9. Ghana
    10. Côte d’Ivoire

     

    World

    1. Germany
    2. Brazil
    3. Portugal
    4. Argentina
    5. Belgium
    6. Spain
    7. Poland
    8. Switzerland
    9. France
    10. Chile
  • Mugabe granted immunity as part of resignation deal – sources

    Mugabe granted immunity as part of resignation deal – sources

    Zimbabwe’s former president Robert Mugabe was granted immunity from prosecution, sources close to the negotiations said on Thursday.

    According to the source, Mugabe was assured that his safety would be protected in his home country as part of a deal that led to his resignation.

    Mugabe ruled Zimbabwe for close to four decades but stepped down on Tuesday after the army seized power and the ruling party turned against him.

    Emmerson Mnangagwa, the former vice president, is set to be sworn in as president on Friday.

    Zimbabwe was once one of Africa’s most promising economies but suffered decades of decline as Mugabe pursued policies that included the violent seizure of white-owned commercial farms and money-printing that led to hyperinflation.

    Most of its 16 million people remain poor and face currency shortages and sky-high unemployment, something Mnangagwa promised to address.

    “We want to grow our economy, we want peace in our country, we want jobs, jobs, jobs,” he told the crowd, adding: “The will of the people will always, always succeed.”

    Mnangagwa’s dismissal was the trigger for the army and former political allies to move against Mugabe, feted as an independence hero when Zimbabwe broke with former colonial power Britain in 1980 but later feared as a despot.

    He resigned as president on Tuesday as parliament began an impeachment process, after resisting pressure to do so for a week.

    People danced in the streets following his downfall, some brandishing posters of Mnangagwa and army chief Gen. Constantino Chiwenga, who led the takeover.

    Parliamentary speaker Jacob Mudenda said on Wednesday that Mnangagwa would be sworn in as president on Friday after being nominated by ZANU-PF to fill the vacancy left by Mugabe.

    The demise of Mugabe leaves Zimbabwe in a different situation to a number of other African countries where veteran leaders have been toppled in popular uprisings or through elections.

    The army appears to have engineered a trouble-free path to power for Mnangagwa, who was for decades a faithful lieutenant of Mugabe and member of his elite.

    He was also in charge of internal security when rights groups say 20,000 civilians were killed in the 1980s.

    “Mugabe has gone but I don’t see Mnangagwa doing anything different from that old man.

    “This is not the change I expected but let us give him time,” said security guard Edgar Mapuranga, who sat by a bank cash machine that was out of money.

    Restoring the country’s fortunes and international standing will be a challenge.

    Alleged human rights abuses and flawed elections prompted many Western countries to impose sanctions in the early 2000s that further hurt the economy, even with Chinese investment to soften the blow.

    Staging clean elections next year will be key to winning fresh funds.

    Although Mnangagwa is almost certain to win any vote, German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s personal representative for Africa, Guenther Nooke, said it would be a victory for Zimbabwe’s “old elites” with the help of China.

    “He will manage to get elected using fear or many tricks, and then we’ll have a succession from one tyrant to the next,” Nooke told broadcaster SWR2.

    China’s foreign ministry said on Wednesday it respected Mugabe’s decision to resign.

    In London, Prime Minister Theresa May said Britain wanted Zimbabwe to rejoin the international community now that Mugabe has resigned.

    Mnangagwa met neighbouring South Africa’s President Jacob Zuma before his return on Wednesday.

    Mugabe is one of the last of a generation of African leaders who led their countries to independence and then ruled, among them Ghana’s Kwame Nkrumah, Jomo Kenyatta in Kenya, Felix Houphouet-Boigny in Ivory Coast and South Africa’s Nelson Mandela.

    The African Union said he would be remembered “as a fearless pan-Africanist liberation fighter and the father of the independent Zimbabwean nation” and that his decision to step down would enhance his legacy.

    But he also stifled democracy en route to winning a series of elections. His government is accused by the opposition and human rights groups of persecuting and killing opponents.

    The forced takeover of white-owned farms from around 2000 aimed to bolster his popular support but crippled foreign exchange earnings from agriculture.

    Mnangagwa’s human rights record also stirs hostility in many Zimbabweans.

    “The dark past is not going to disappear. They will be following him around like a piece of chewing gum on his shoe,” International Crisis Group’s southern Africa senior consultant Piers Pigou said.

    “For him to really be seen to be doing the right thing, he’s going to have to introduce policies that fundamentally undermine the power structures of ZANU-PF, through a shift to genuine political pluralism and a decoupling of the party and state.”

    NAN

  • VAT records 1.73% increase in third quarter – NBS

    VAT records 1.73% increase in third quarter – NBS

    The National Bureau of Statistics ( NBS ) said revenue generated from Value Added Tax ( VAT ), increased by 1.73 per cent in the third quarter of 2017.

    The NBS announced the figure in a sectoral distribution of value added tax report for third quarter, 2017 posted on the bureau’s website posted in Abuja.

    The further disclosed that the figured increased from N246.30 billion in the second quarter to N250.56 billion in third quarter.

    VAT is a tax on the amount by which the value of an article has been increased at each stage of its production or distribution.

    It also  stated that the figure generated in the quarter was higher than N196.70 billion recorded during the same period in 2016, representing 1.73 per cent increase quarter-on-quarter and 27.39 per cent increase Year-on-Year.

    The bureau noted that the manufacturing sector generated the highest amount of VAT with N28.98 billion,closely followed by Professional Services and Oil Producing,N22.73 billion and N12.09 billion.

    It said that the mining sector generated the least with N33.70 million,closely followed by Local Government Councils and Pharmaceutical, Soaps and Toiletries, N193.78 million.

    NBS said of the total amounted generated in the quarter, N125.13 billion was generated as Non-Import VAT locally while N72.10 billion was generated as Non-Import VAT for foreign.

    It, however, stated that the balance of N53.33 billion was generated as Nigeria Customs Service Import VAT.

    NAN

  • N17bn Otukpo multipurpose dam project abandoned after full payment

    N17bn Otukpo multipurpose dam project abandoned after full payment

    A project verification team from the Fiscal Responsibility Commission has accused SCC Nigeria Ltd, handlers of the N17.1 billion Otukpo Multipurpose Dam Project in Benue, of abandoning work after receiving full payment.

    Mr Samson Eletuo, the Team Leader, made this known on Wednesday in Otukpo that less than 35 per cent of the job had been done.

    “The handlers have received 100 per cent payment. The contract sum was N17.1 billion. That has been paid, but the work is barely 35 per cent,” Eletuo said.

    Eletuo, Deputy Director (Finance) of the commission, said that the N17 billion was paid to the construction firm three years ago.

    He expressed surprise at the level of work at the site, saying that the commission would take further steps to ascertain what happened.

    The project, which was awarded for N17.1 billion in 2010, took off in March 2011 and was to be completed within 36 months.

    The dam was expected to provide a 130-million cubic meters reservoir and a 3.3 KV hydro power plant for effective water supply upon completion.

    Mr Charles Abana, Deputy Team Leader of the verification team, also suggested a careful review of the contract to provide portable water supply and electricity to the immediate community.

    “In the initial contract agreement, hydro power, portable water supply, irrigation and the construction of the dam were included in the project.

    “But hydro power and water supply have been removed from the specification, yet the handlers say they are asking for additional N32 billion in a review.

    “For such a massive review to be done, what is already on the ground should justify the money earlier collected.

    “Our major concern is that government should get the value of money spent on projects across the country. We do not seem to have such value on this particular job,” he said.

    Mr Sabastine Oteba, SCC Resident Engineer, however said that the company had already requested a contract review to N49 billion “to overcome technical issues”.

    “The N32 billion increment has become necessary because the cost of items has gone up.

    “The hydro power aspect of the project has been removed, but we had agreed that the project foundation should be six metres. We have taken it to 11 meters,” he said.

    He said that the project would involve 2000 hectares of land for irrigation, 13 kilometres road, in addition to the dam.

    Oteba said that the handlers abandoned the job three years ago, after spending more than the N17.1 paid to them.

    “The company has a certificate of N9 billion that is yet to be paid. The money was incurred after the N17.1 billion was used up,” he said.

    He explained that the review was done by experts in conjunction with the Federal Ministry of Water Resources.

    NAN

  • Facebook to train 50,000 Nigerian SMEs in 2018

    Facebook to train 50,000 Nigerian SMEs in 2018

    Facebook has said it will train and support over 50,000 students, small businesses ( SMEs ) and creative entrepreneurs across Nigeria in 2018.

    Facebook’s Public Policy Director, Africa, Ms Ebele Okobi, during a news briefing on Wednesday in Lagos, said that the training would be through a series of digital skills, as well as long-term impact programmes.

    Okobi said that the trainings and support was Facebook’s initiative in its ambition to drive innovation, skills development and economic impact in Nigeria.

    She said that the trainings and support was Facebook’s new nationwide initiative to further cement its commitment and investment in Nigeria, and across the continent.

    According to her, Facebook would be incorporating a series of high profile partnerships, training programmes and a physical space that will serve as a center for learning and skills development.

    “This set of initiatives is aimed at helping to develop and nurture communities, including small businesses, the tech and start-up ecosystem, youths and creatives.

    “In Nigeria, more than 22 million people use Facebook every month and 87 per cent of SMEs say that when they hire, digital skills are more important than where an applicant went to school.

    “This demonstrates that the power of digital skills to aid economic growth and development has never been more important

    “At Facebook, our mission is clear: To give people the power to build community and bring the world closer together.

    “Our investments and commitments announced in Lagos today further reflect our intent to partner with Nigeria’s policy makers and its vibrant tech and entrepreneurial eco-system to create economic opportunity and independence in Nigeria and across Africa,” she said.

    Okobi said that Facebook was committed to working with Nigerian small businesses, tech entrepreneurs and the next generation of leaders to better understand and utilise the power of digital tools for economic growth.

    She said that Facebook would be launching a series of learning-based programmes facilitated by local training partners, to accomplish its mission.

    Okobi said that the learning-based programmes had been designed to provide skills that would lead to employment and support the growth of small businesses.

    She said that the learning-based programmes include: Aspiring Entrepreneurs, Jobs for Youth, Boost your Business, Creative Entrepreneurship Training, and Online Safety + Digital Literacy Training in Schools and Universities.

    According to her, Facebook undertook a detailed ‘Economic Impact Study’ to further understand how communities like small businesses and consumers in Nigeria use the platform, and the effectiveness of social media as a growth tool.

    “Nearly 1 in 2 small businesses on Facebook say they built their business on the platform.

    “Sixty-two per cent stated they have been able to use Facebook to help find employees for their business.

    “Over half (58 per cent) of small businesses on the platform say they have been able to hire more employees due to growth since joining Facebook,” she said.

    Founded in 2004, Facebook’s mission is to give people the power to share and make the world more open and connected.

    People use Facebook to stay connected with friends and family, to discover what is going on in the world, and to share and express what matters to them.

    Facebook has 1.37 billion daily active users on average worldwide and 7.2 million daily visitors from Nigeria.

    NAN

  • 40 electricity transformers vandalised in Nasarawa in 10 months – AEDC

    40 electricity transformers vandalised in Nasarawa in 10 months – AEDC

    Mr Ameen Shakur, Nasarawa State Regional Manager, Abuja Electricity Distribution Company ( AEDC ) says that no less than 40 transformers are vandalised in Lafia, capital of Nasarawa state since January.

    Shakur disclosed this on Wednesday when the executive and members of the Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists ( NUJ ) Nasarawa State Council visited the company in Keffi.

    He decried the high rate of vandalism of electricity installations in the state, adding that the menace was impeding AEDC’s efforts in delivering effective service to the people of the state.

    “We have recorded over 40 transformers being vandalised since January in Lafia alone and that is what is happening all over the state.

    “It is high time customers took ownership of the equipment because they are located within their areas and are serving them.

    “There is nothing wrong with customers asking questions when they see suspicious persons around electricity installations,” Shakur said.

    According to him, a 500 KVA transformer costs N4.5 million, aside cables and other accessories.

    “It is imperative for the customers to know that the installations first belong to them, although being the company property, thus the need to protect them should be paramount.”

    He said the cost of replacing the vandalised substations was huge and appealed to customers to bear with the company

    The state regional manager assured them that the company was addressing the problem gradually due to the number of cases involved.

    Earlier, Suleiman Abubakar, Chairman of the Chapel appealed to the company to improve on its services in the state to meet the demands of the customers.

    Abubakar called for the provision of prepaid meters to address over billing and non-payment of electricity bills.

    NAN

  • Police investigate electrocution of artisan in Enugu

    Police investigate electrocution of artisan in Enugu

    The Police Command in Enugu State says it has commenced investigation into alleged electrocution of an artisan, Uzoma Okpara, at the Unity Estate, Independence layout, Enugu metropolis.

    The Command’s spokesman, SP Ebere Amaraizu, said in a statement on Wednesday in Enugu that the  incident occurred on Nov. 21 at about 11 a.m.

    Amaraizu said the deceased, who was a plumber, died when he had contact with a high tension wire close to a building where he was working on a faulty overhead tank at the estate.

    He said that the victim was promptly rushed to a nearby hospital for medical attention and was confirmed dead on arrival by the doctor on duty.

    He said that the body of the plumber had been deposited at the Eastern Nigeria Medical Centre, Enugu mortuary for autopsy.

    NAN

    Read Also: Police nab undergraduate for fraud

  • AfDB portfolio in Nigeria over $6bn – Adesina

    AfDB portfolio in Nigeria over $6bn – Adesina

    Dr Akinwumi Adesina, President of African Development Bank ( AfDB ), says the bank’s total active portfolio in Nigeria is over six billion dollars.

    Adesina said this in an interview on Wednesday in Abuja.

    “The bank supports Nigeria very strongly.

    “When Nigeria was going through a tough economic time, we led the world actually in rallying support around for a budget support which we did at 600 million dollars to help build more resilient economy as it shows a better diversified economy.

    “If you look at our total active portfolio in the country now, it is over 6 billion dollars.

    “Take for example, we invested over 300 million dollars from the private sector part of the bank in Dangote industries – Petro-chemical industries and the fertiliser manufacturing companies.

    “We also invested over 100 million dollars in the Indorama fertiliser companies as well; they are looking at us to do more, additional 100 million dollars for them.’’

    In addition, he said the Bank had been supporting the recovery effort of the Federal Government in the North East.

    He, however, commended President Muhammadu Buhari for the investment made so far in rebuilding the North East.

    “I give the President kudos for all that has been achieved. We have to rebuild the infrastructure – road, schools etc

    “We have Basic Livelihood Support Programme for over 250 million dollars that we have done for the North East of Nigeria.

    “On agriculture, the Board has just approved a programme called Enable Youth.

    “The programme is to create a generation of young commercial farmers in Nigeria; that is about 430 million dollars we are investing in that.’’

    Adesina, who won the 2017 World Food Laureate Award in Agriculture in the U.S., further said that the Bank had been doing a lot of line credit in Nigeria for commercial banks to lend to small and medium size enterprises.

    He said that the Bank had been talking with the Minister of Power about how to help in the power sector in Nigeria.

    “We have invested a lot in the transmission companies of Nigeria.

    “We are also helping them to have an additional 200 million dollars to post bonds, to be able to raise money to modernise the transmission network in Nigeria.

    “I remember during COP 22 in Morocco, I spoke to the Minister of Power, Fasola and I told him to visit Noor Ouarzazate, the largest Concentrated Solar Power ( CSP ) plant in the World, that was financed by the AfDB in Morroco.

    “He said he was very pleased with the idea and we are supporting his ministry now with a big project, we are going to do in Jigawa a project on Solar.

    “We have a number of states that have approached us and we are looking at various opportunities of supporting from Ogun, we are looking into that; we are looking at Kaduna, Kano states and others.

    “Nigeria is a big market for us and we are going forward in terms of our planning investment over the next three years.

    “It will be over 4.1 billion dollars that we are planning for Nigeria that will cover agriculture, infrastructure, power sector, basic livelihood in terms of water and sanitation,’’ he said.

    Adesina, however, expressed optimism over the implementation of the bank projects in Nigeria, adding that there was a very stringent monitoring system to ensure implementation of set targets.

    “We are quite pleased with a lot of progress I have seen on several of the projects that we have in Nigeria.

    “Obviously, a lot of improvement is needed in terms of the time it takes to actually sign some of the required agreements; it takes a lot of time.

    “We are going to do better because the more we can do that, the more we can actually show better impact in Nigeria.

    “Having talked to the authority to help us improve the time, it takes between when we approve something and when it is signed, it becomes effective in Nigeria.”

    NAN