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Tag: Nigerian Newspaper

  • Hurricane Nate makes landfall for second time in U.S.

    Hurricane Nate makes landfall for second time in U.S.

    Hurricane Nate has made its second landfall outside Biloxi in the U.S. state of Mississippi, the National Weather Service has confirmed.

    The storm moved ashore at 12:30 a.m. (0530 GMT) as a Category 1 hurricane with maximum winds of 140 kilometres per hour, the agency’s Jackson, Mississippi office said.

    The storm is currently moving north at 31 kilometres per hour, it added.

    Nate is the first hurricane to make landfall in Mississippi since Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

    Just hours earlier, Nate had made its first U.S. landfall near the mouth of the Mississippi River in southeast Louisiana, the National Hurricane Center reported.

    Nate triggered hurricane, tropical storm and storm surge warnings through a swath of the Gulf states, as residents braced for the third hurricane to hit the U.S. mainland in six weeks.

    Officials warned coastal communities of the storm surge, which is the height of water above dry ground. In Mississippi, the storm surge could reach up to 11 feet, according to the hurricane center.

    Nate is expected to weaken quickly as it makes its way inland and the hurricane center predicted it’s likely to become a tropical storm later Sunday.

    “The good news is that it’s not a Category 2, it’s breaking down…but really it’s going to be about the storm surge threat,” said an official.

  • Fishermen happy as trading resumes at Maiduguri fish market

    Fishermen happy as trading resumes at Maiduguri fish market

    Fish traders in Borno have expressed joy over resumption of activities at the Baga and Maiduguri fish markets, following the restoration of peace in the area.

    A cross section of the traders on Saturday in Maiduguri said that the development would boost trade and stabilise fish prices.

    Malam Amadu Na-Ai, said that trading had resumed fully at the two markets after they were closed down in the past three years due to the Boko Haram insurgency.

    Na-Ai said that buyers were now coming from the southern parts of the country to buy fish in Maiduguri.

    “Traders from Lagos, Port Harcourt and Aba are coming to buy fish here.

    “Presently, we are enjoying high patronage and the market condition is good,” he said.

    Another trader, Sadiq Kowanaka, added that the resumption of trading activities at the market had pushed prices down.

    Kowanaka explained that prices were going down on daily basis due to improvement in the supply chain.

    He said that a basket of dried fish was sold at N25, 000 as against its previous price of N40, 000.

    “Fish prices have gone down by about 35 per cent following resumption of trading activities at the fish market,” he said.

    Kowanaka, however, lamented that most the traders lost their capital due to the insurgency, and called for support to enable them to return to the trade.

    Abubakar Gamandi, Chairman of the Lake Chad Basin Fishery Association, noted that the provision of modern fishing and conduct of weeds clearance exercise in the river would encourage fishing, reduce wastage and end scarcity of fishery products.

    Gamandi said that lack of modern fishing tools and processing equipment was a major obstacle militating against sustainable development in the sector.

    He said the Boko Haram insurgency had negatively affected the trade and resulted in acute scarcity of fishery products.

    “The insurgents had destroyed canoes, tools and ravaged fishing communities in the Lake Chad basin.

    “In the wake of the insurgents’ attacks, about 204 fishing communities were destroyed while about two million fishermen were displaced.

    “The activities of the insurgents disrupted fishing in the past four years forcing thousands of people out of job,” he said.

    The chairman said that some of the fishermen had returned to resume their activities sequel to the lifting of ban on fish trade by the military.

    He, however, lamented that members of the union could not carry on with fishing due to lack of canoes and other tools.

    “Initially, we relied on wooden canoes and local tools, but they were vandalised by the insurgents.

    “Devastating weeds had also outgrown in the river which made fishing practically impossible,” he said.

    Gamandi said the grass obstructed free flow of water and destroyed most of the fish species.

    He said the association had so far registered over 3, 000 fishermen in the affected areas and conducted weeds clearance, to enable them to resume fishing activities.

    Gamandi listed the affected communities to include Buduram, Doronbaga and Baga.

    The chairman called on the federal and state governments to provide the necessary equipment to enable more fishermen to re-join the trade.

    Gamandi also called on the Lake Chad Basin Development Commission to conduct weeds clearance exercise to save the aquatic species from extinction.

    “The military are providing support to fishermen to enable them to conduct their activities without fear of attack by the insurgents.

    “They also provide personnel to escort the fishermen to carry their fish to the market in Maiduguri,” Gamandi added.

    Baga is one of the major fish trading centres in the North-East, where various types of fish are bought and transported to other parts of the country.

    There is also a big population of fishermen in the area due to the availability of fish and other aquatic species in the lake.

    NAN

  • NAICOM reiterates plan to grow insurance industry by 2020

    NAICOM reiterates plan to grow insurance industry by 2020

    The National Insurance Commission ( NAICOM ) on Sunday reiterated it’s plan to further grow the Nigerian insurance industry by 2020.

    The Deputy Commissioner, Technical, NAICOM, Mr Sunday Thomas said that the commission was working to ensure the success of its major priorities for 2017 to 2020.

    Thomas therefore reiterated NAICOM’s desire to collaborate with state governments to ensure the effective implementation of the second phase of the commission’s Market Development and Restructuring Initiative ( MDRI ).

    The MDRI is aimed at addressing the issues of compulsory insurance products, insurance agency system, fake insurance institutions and rusk based supervision.

    It is a plan that aims to bring about necessary reforms in the areas of industry capacity, market efficiency and consumer protection in the Nigeria insurance market.

    NAICOM had visited the Ogun and Lagos state governors to seek collaboration in the enforcement of compulsory insurance in the states which they obliged.

    NAICOM on Friday also visited the Kaduna State governor to seek the state’s collaboration in enforcing compulsory insurance in Kaduna and expressed desire to establish a branch office in the state.

    According to Thomas, arrangement is being made to speak to Governors Forum, to talk to all the governors to see where they stand in the implementation of the MDRI in their states.

    “And part of the selling point is the fact that it is going to enhance their employment initiative, increase their IGR, among other advantages,” he said.

    On claims payment, he said it was an important issue and the commission would not shy away from carrying out its duties regarding claims.

    He noted that the commission had the backing of the law to withdraw licences from companies for non compliance but could only do that following the right procedures.

    On implementation of the risk-based supervision of the commission, Thomas said that a kind of pilot inspection was about to be conducted.

    He explained that NAICOM would, in the pilot phase, test run the selected companies to see their level of adaptation to new concepts over the years.

    He said that the test would ensure that the companies knew and understood the various roles and responsibilities they had to carry out within their locations.

    On learning/training for directors, he said the regulatory body would increase the knowledge base of the directors so they would understand better the business and what was expected of them.

    “We will do some trainings, some will be optional and others mandatory which may occure more than ones in a year for them.

    This will enable them to learn, know their roles as directors, so that when they are taking decisions, it will be decisions based on knowledge, based on information,” he said.

    Thomas further said that the regulatory priority plan was subject to review as events unfolded and as new challenges arose in the industry.

    NAN

  • Help inmates pay fines to decongest prisons – controller urges

    Help inmates pay fines to decongest prisons – controller urges

    Lagos State Controller of Prisons, Mr Tunde Ladipo, on Sunday called on well-meaning individuals and groups to assist inmates in paying fines imposed on them to decongest prisons.

    Ladipo made the appeal in an interview in Lagos.

    He said that a number of inmates were still in prison for inability to pay fines.

    Ladipo urged that prison congestion should be the concern of all stakeholders in the interest of the society.

    The controller appealed to stakeholders to come together and fashion out more ways to reduce congestion in the country’s prisons.

    He said that the command was holding meetings with the Lagos State Judiciary and some other stakeholders to ensure speedy trial of inmates,” Ladipo said.

    He said that the Federal Government was concerned about prison congestion and was making efforts to address it.

    According to the controller, the recently launched plea bargain option will also help to decongest prisons.

    “We are having meetings with stakeholders, for example, Lagos State Judiciary, because it is of utmost concern,’’ Ladipo said.

    He advised officers and men of the Nigeria Prisons Service to be God-fearing and dedicated.

    “They have to be focused; they need to have the fear of God because our work is service to humanity,” he said.

    NAN

  • NSIA warns farmers against late purchase of fertiliser

    NSIA warns farmers against late purchase of fertiliser

    The Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority ( NSIA ), has advised farmers to buy fertiliser early for the 2018 farming season to ease the problems of logistics in the production and distribution of the commodity.

    Mr Uche Orji, the Managing Director of the NSIA made this call in an interview in Abuja.

    According to him, his agency, which manages the country’s Sovereign Wealth Fund, is collaborating with the Fertiliser Producers and Suppliers Association of Nigeria ( FEPSAN ) to make fertiliser distribution less cumbersome henceforth.

    “We are dealing with it in twofold; we want to start planning early and to start getting our products on time.

    “We encourage farmers to start buying their fertiliser early because the challenge we have is that most people end up buying fertiliser in June and July.

    “So there are bottleneck issues with production because the blending plants cannot double their capacity overnight.

    “We went through a phase where people were not buying fertiliser and suddenly, everybody wants to buy at the same time and to address this, farmers should buy early so that we can blend through the year, if possible,” Orji said.

    The NSIA chief said that efforts were being made to increase the number of blending plants to shorten the distance and the risk taken by drivers while transporting the product to a far distance.

    He said that 15 out of the 32 blending plants in the country had been revived under the Presidential Fertiliser Initiative (PFI) and that there would be more of this by March 2018.

    Orji said: “Another way we are addressing the challenges is to increase the number of the blending plants participating in the programme.

    “At the 2017 programme, the only blending plant to participate in the PFI in the North East is in Bauchi, so the work that is being done now with FEPSAN is to include some blending plants in Adamawa and some other parts of the North East.

    “This is where it pains because if you have to pick up products from Bauchi and transport it to parts of Borno, it is a long distance, and this adds to the cost of the products being supplied to some of these farmers.

    “We have heard reports of people having the prices above the threshold but the reality is that when you begin to travel far distances, the only way out is to ensure there are more and more blending plants.

    “FEPSAN is doing a fantastic job with the state governors, so you are going to see more blending plants added to the programme by next year”.

    Orji also pleaded with the state governors, who were yet to key into the PFI to do so in order to ease the challenges facing farmers in their states.

    He noted that the late purchase of the product, which characterised the 2017 work-plan, was unhealthy for the sustenance of the programme.

    NAN

  • Edo deploying tactful measures to tackle security challenges – Obaseki

    Edo deploying tactful measures to tackle security challenges – Obaseki

    …Urges indigenes, residents to be calm, vigilant and measured in their utterances.

    The Governor of Edo State, Mr. Godwin Obaseki has assured citizens and residents of the state that the state government is deploying resources tactfully to arrest the recent spike in security challenges in parts of the state.

    The Governor also expressed deep sympathy with the family of the late Prof. Paul Otasowie who unfortunately lost is life in one of the attacks in the recent spike in violent crimes in the state.

    While expressing his solidarity with the families of Andy Ehanire and Osayomore Joseph who were both abducted recently, he called on indigenes and residents of the state be measured while making statements about the cases, in order not to jeopardise the efforts being made by the government to ensure their safe return to their families.

    In a statement issued by the Secretary to the State Government, Barrister Osarodion Ogie, Obaseki appealed for calm among Edo people and residents, and urged them not to resort to extreme measures that could endanger the lives of those being held.

    “The State Government is working quietly and tactfully behind the scene to restore normalcy in the state and return the abducted to their families unharmed,” Obaseki said.

    The governor emphasised that: “There is absolutely no need for anyone or group to resort to misguided statements, extreme measures, self help or brute struggle. What is required in the circumstance is tact.”

    He stressed that the state government was committed to ensuring that those held are released in good health condition to the waiting arms of their families.

  • Annulment of N500m educational grant stirs fury in Delta

    Annulment of N500m educational grant stirs fury in Delta

    Controversy is trailing Delta State Government’s decision last week to scrap the ‘First Class Scholarship Scheme’, initiated by former Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan.

    The programme, which targeted 100 brilliant indigent students annually, is worth N5million per student, and affords first class graduate beneficiaries opportunities to continue their educational pursuits up to doctorate level in any course and country of their choice.

    But the present administration, citing paucity of fund, suspended the programme, prompting Olorogun Jaro Egbo, a chieftain of the All Progressive Congress ( APC ), and other critics to call out the government. Egbo particularly  slammed the decision, and advised Governor Ifeanyi Okowa to sack his “5,321” aides to fund it.

    A terse letter dated September 27 from the Delta State Bursary and Scholarship Board, said the government’s decision to scrap the programme was due to “financial downturn in the state.”

    The board’s Executive Secretary, Elijah Ologe, signed the letter titled ‘To whom it may concern’, and read in part: “due to the economic situation bedeviling the state, the scheme is hereby suspended.”

    Ologe said that although the board was aware that most of the beneficiaries “solely rely on the scholarship to pay their tuitions and other fees”, government had to scrap it because the state could no longer fund it.

    The announcement has however received stern backlash from beneficiaries and the opposition in the state, with respondent accusing the governor of misplaced priorities and lack of vision.

    “Okowa stopped payment of scholarship; diverts money (instead) to the payment of 5,321 SA’s. Smart government indeed,” Egbo stated sarcastically in reference to Governor Okowa’s ‘SMART Agenda’.

    Mr Toju Gedu of the Committee of Itsekiri Social Media Advocate regretted the development, stressing, “This was another laudable programme by the Dr. E. Uduaghan administration; I have two friends who are doctorate degree holders now.”

  • PDP chairmanship: Why I support Bode George – Adewale

    PDP chairmanship: Why I support Bode George – Adewale

    A former factional Chairman of PDP in Lagos State, Mr Segun Adewale, has said that he is supporting Chief Olabode George for the chairmanship seat of the party in spite of their political disagreements.

    Adewale told reporters in Lagos on Sunday that supporting George, a former PDP National Vice-Chairman (South-West) for the exalted party position was the right thing to do politically.

    He said that though he had some issues with George in the state chapter of the party, he would still support him for the position.

    “I am supporting Bode George to be the next chairman of the party despite our differences.

    “The disagreements I have with him are local disagreements and not national. My support goes for his national aspiration.

    “My support is based on his promise that he would not interfere in the affairs of the party at the state level, which was the major cause of the friction.

    “Moreover, Bode George is a chieftain from Lagos,” he said.

    George and Adewale had been at loggerheads over the former’s support for another factional chairman, Mr Moshood Salvador, in the state.

    Salvador had, before the resolution of the party ‘s leadership tussle by the Supreme Court, aligned with Chief Ahmed Makarfi, National Caretaker Chairman of the party, while Adewale supported Sen. Ali -Modu Sheriff.

    Adewale has, however, pledged support for Makarfi following his affirmation as PDP National Chairman by the Supreme Court on July 12.

    He had said that the ruling did not affect his leadership of the party in Lagos State.

    His insistence to stay at the state’s secretariat deepened his friction with George who said Salvador was the authentic chairman based on the ruling.

    The national leadership of the party later directed Adewale to surrender the keys to the secretariat to George. He has complied with the directive.

    Owing to the leadership crisis, the party announced the dissolution of the state executive committee at a non- elective congress in Port Harcourt and replaced it with a caretaker committee.

    In spite of these, Adewale was present at George’s declaration for the party’s chairmanship position on Friday in Lagos.

    PDP congress to elect new national executives will hold on Dec. 9.

    NAN

  • ICRC okays NOUN ’s N150m multi-functional center deal

    ICRC okays NOUN ’s N150m multi-functional center deal

    The Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission ( ICRC ) has approved the National Open University ( NOUN ) proposal to build and operate a N150 million multi-functional center using the Public Private Partnership (PPP) model.

    The acting Director-General of ICRC, Mr Chidi Izuwah made this known on Sunday in Abuja as he officially handed over an Outline Business Certificate, which gave NOUN the go ahead to look for private investors.

    Izuwah also urged Federal Government universities to embrace PPP as the solution to bridging infrastructure deficit in the education sector.

    “One of the biggest problems universities have is student accommodation and the best way to provide student accommodation around the world is to partner with the private sector.

    “We are working with a committee of Vice Chancellors to develop a framework to allow them partner with the private sector in this regard.

    “When you go to many universities and you see where our future leaders stay it will make you very sad.

    “So we want to bring in the private sector to provide affordable housing for our students and recover their money over a period of time,” he said.

    Izuwah said also that PPP arrangements would improve the education system and improve the future of Nigerians.

    Meanwhile, the Vice-Chancellor of NOUN, Prof. Abdalla Adamu said that the proposed multi-functional center, would be situated at the University’s Headquarters.

    He said it would comprise food courts, ICT centers, supermarkets, banking services among others.

    “The cost estimate of the projects is about N150 million. We are looking at a situation where a private investor will build the complex, operate for a couple of years and then transfer it to the university.

    “At the end of the day, it’s a win win for both parties,” he said.

    NAN

  • Ghana gas depot blast kills six – Fire service

    Ghana gas depot blast kills six – Fire service

    No fewer than six people have reportedly died while 35 others injured, following intense burns from an explosion at a natural gas depot in Ghana.

    The country’s fire service spokesman, Billy Anaglate, made this disclosure in Accra during the inferno on Sunday.

    The explosion, which occurred on Saturday evening at the state-owned GOIL liquefied natural gas station, sent a giant fireball into the sky above the eastern part of Accra.

    Report said the development frightened residents to flee their homes in large numbers, even as many others were also evacuated.

    Ghana, a relatively new oil and gas producer, has suffered several recent accidents including an explosion in 2015 that killed scores of people.

    Several onlookers at the scene of the explosion, expressed anger that the government had not done enough to prevent another fatal accident.