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  • Warner Bros Studios hosts Del-York Creative Academy

    One of the largest landmark entertainment studios, Warner Bros. Studios, will host Del-York Creative Academy(DCA) in Burbank, California.

    The two-day event organised by the Business Resource Group BE@Warner Bros. will take place in Burbank, California.

    Selected students from the 2019 class of the Del-York Creative Academy and alumni will participate in the two-day workshops focused around the entertainment industry.

    Projects from DCA students will be screened on the lot, followed by a panel discussion featuring DCA, University of Southern California (USC) Warner Bros. and other partners from various studios.

    Also, DCA alumni and special guests will be taken on the full Warner Bros. Studio tour experience for a peek behind the curtain into the operations of one of the world’s largest and most successful studios.

    Read Also: “Game of Thrones’’ director offers Nigerian actor role in Warner Bros film

    The Del-York Creative Academy is Africa’s foremost capacity building institution for film, media, animation & technology.

    It is pioneering the growth of the African Creative Industry through intensive hands-on training programs while bridging the gap between creatives in the United States and Africa.

    The academy has successfully flown in 85 lecturers from Hollywood to Africa and trained 1,800 students in over a decade of existence.

    DCA President and founder, Linus Idahosa, said: “Jack Warner, the esteemed head of Warner Bros. for many years was once quoted as saying, “If I am right 51% of the time, I am ahead of the game.

    “I believe this visit will give voice to the potential that lies within Africa’s Creative economy. The knowledge exchanged here will also prove itself profitable in the years to come when Africa not only becomes the largest market for media consumers in the world but creates the largest and most effective outsourcing workforce.”

  • Ex-senator didn’t defect from our party, says PDP

    The Bayelsa State Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said that a former Senator, who represented Bayelsa East Senatorial District, Nimi-Barigha Amange, did not defect from the PDP to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    Chairman of the PDP, Chief Moses Cleopas, said in a statement on Thursday that Amange ceased to be a member of the PDP shortly before the last general election elections when he defected from the PDP to the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

    Cleopas explained that Amange defected from the PDP to the ADC to contest against the PDP when he failed to secure the Senatorial ticket of the party for Bayelsa East Senatorial District.

    Cleopas said that Amange’s claim that he defected from the PDP to the APC because of Governor’s Dickson’s style of leadership was unfortunate and a mischievous attempt to create a false Impression of an implosion in the party.

    He said: “There is a misleading report that Amange has defected from the PDP to the ADC. The fact is that Amange is not a member of our party. He defected from the PDP to the ADC, to contest against us in the February 16, 2019 National Assembly election and lost.

    Read Also: Ex-Bayelsa PDP senator joins APC

    “Sen. Amange is not a PDP leader and the public should discountenance this misleading claim. This unfortunate claim is part of a calculated attempt to create an erroneous impression of an implosion in a party that is stable.

    “The PDP in the state knows those who are genuine members. Amange is not one of us and he should desist from misinforming the public with the intent to cause mischief.”

    Cleopas said that the Bayelsa State Chapter of the PDP was too strong to be bothered by a false defection masterminded by people troubled by the strong internal cohesion within the party.

    Cleopas who debunked Amange’s accusation against the governor stressed that he had never seen a leader who had adopted a more consultative approach to the resolution of issues than Governor Dickson.

    He said that before his defection in January, Amange was the one producing the councilor from his ward.

    He added that the governor, who he wrongfully accused of dictatorial tendencies could not identify the PDP candidate for Nembe Local Government Area in the last local government chairmanship election, West Alalibo, until after the poll.

    Cleopas added Amange surreptitiously sponsored a candidate who lost to the PDP Candidate, Ms Dorcas Kuku, a daughter of PDP Board of Trustees member, Mrs Remi Kuku in his Ward in Nembe Local Government Area in the last election.

    He added that contrary to lies being peddled against Governor Dickson by Amange, the Vice Chairman òf Nembe Local Government Area, Alison Abel, was collectively nominated by the Deputy Governor Rear Admiral Gboribiogha John Jonah, Amange and other stakeholders.

  • Banky W, Osei, others for Nexford Open Day on Saturday

    Award-winning actor, singer and entrepreneur, Banky W; and the Founder, She Leads Africa, Afua Osei, are among the panellists for the 2019 Nexford University’s Open Day.

    Organisers of the Open Day, which will hold at Oriental Hotel, Lagos on Saturday, said that the panellsts would discuss critical job skills needed in workplaces and for entrepreneurs.

    The panelists include the Founder of Business Lab Africa, Tricia Ikponmwonba; the Lead at Teach for Nigeria, Bunmi Adefisayo; and Mark Igbinedion from Get Qualified.

    The others are Miss Olamidun Majekodunmi and Dr Robin Johnston from the Nexford University.

    According to the organisers, Saturday’s Open Day is tailored towards addressing the needs of small businesses/startups.

    A statement explained: “The Open Day will give participants high-quality, affordable, dynamic enlightenment that prepares them for the global workplace.”

    The Nigeria Country Director of Nexford University, Majekodunmi, signed the statement, which also stated that one of the reasons for hosting the Open Day was to curb youth unemployment through entrepreneurship.

    It reads: “NXU launches Lagos Open Day to curb youth unemployment. The goal is to empower and support the region’s entrepreneurs. In the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries, more than one in eight of all 15- to 24-year-olds are not in employment, education, or training – Nexford Insights. The International Labour Organisation estimates that 75 million young people are unemployed.

    Read Also: Banky W, DJ Lambo, Reminisce, Teni, Others Share 3-days with Fans at BUDXLagos

     

    “Estimates of underemployed youth could triple this number. This represents a huge pool of untapped talent and a source of social unrest if left unchecked. Local economies can’t meet rising job demands. To help with this, NXU equips learners with the skills they need to be globally competitive and tap into international economic opportunities.”

    The statement also quoted Nexford’s Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Fadl Al Tarzi, as saying, “With the rapid advancement of tech, skills are the only barrier between ambitious youths across the world and attractive economic opportunities. Our next-generation university focuses on this, precisely.”

    Justifying its investment in curbing unemployment and aiding entrepreneurship, the university said, “The university surveyed Fortune 500 companies and analysed millions of job vacancies to create a curriculum focused on job skills. Nexford’s online learning model bridges the skills gap between graduates and employers.

    “Students can choose from elective courses or specialise on hot topics such as Sustainability, Managing Hyperconnectivity and Doing Business Across the World – Nexford programs overview. Learners pay a flat-fee monthly tuition, similar to a phone or data bill.”

    It added: “No long-term commitment or huge lump sum is needed. They pay the same monthly fee regardless of the number of courses or credits taken. The faster they go, the less they pay, which gives students an incentive to finish on time.”

  • Bayelsa Kingdom gives red card to PDP, backs Lyon

    A dominant kingdom in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, the Epie-Atisa Kingdom has issued a red card to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ahead of the November 16 governorship election in the state.

    Members of the kingdoms, who rose from their meeting in Yenagoa under the auspices of Epie-Atissa Voice (EAV), raised red cards insisting that they were no longer interested in the PDP following the party’s failure to develop their area.

    They said they were all moving to the All Progressives Congress (APC) to support its governorship candidate, Chief David Lyon accusing the PDP of under-performance.

    The Coordinator of the Epie\Atissa Voice, Kalizibe Joseph, who likened government to a football, said the PDP had been in the field for a long time without scoring expected goals and should be given a red card.

    He said: “We want peace in the state and we all know that when a football has not gone so well, It is left for the referee to issue a yellow card as well as a red card. So our case is likened to that of a football game.

    “It is on this note that the Epie/Atissa people have decided and unanimously rejected PDP and want to take over government through the ballots. We are backing the All progressive Congress (APC) candidate, Chief David Lyon, whom we believe has come to our rescue.

    “We are using this medium to say that in as much as the restoration government and the PDP are deriving joy in underdeveloping our people, we have also resolved that come February 14th 2020, they have to quit because they dont have any other option than to leave our residents”.

    Also speaking, the Director General, David Lyon Youth Vanguard, Comrade, Moso Duenize, said the journey to take over their destiny has just begun, adding that the PDP has done nothing but to underdeveloped the capital city where we are from and the state in general.

    Read Also: Ex-Bayelsa PDP senator joins APC

    He said it was pathetic that Yenagoa became the darkest capital in the country under the PDP government despite the huge federal allocation received monthly by the state.

    He added: “When there’s rain the whole state is always flooded, for about eight year the government is not even looking towards that direction. Its so pathetic that Yenagoa is described as the darkness capital in the country. The level of crime experienced currently has never been as terrible in the history of the state.

    “We can’t sleep with comfort because of the government’s failure to curb criminality in the state. We can no longer as a people continue in this direction, even as we play host to the capital city but we are relegated to the background”.

    A chieftain of the APC, Chief Preye Agama, who moved the motion for the issuance of a red card to the PDP, said the decision was adopted by the over thirty communities of in the kingdom.

    “We have tested the PDP for eight years and nothing came out of it rather we have suffered exclusion, total darkness ,flooding due to bad drainage and insecurity.

    “Yenagoa has become the Darkest state capital in the country. We are the landlord and we have sacked the PDP to pack out and the APC should come in with Chief David Lyon come November 16th,” he said.

  • NDLEA arrests seven drug barons in Kwara

    National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Kwara state command on Thursday said it has arrested seven drugs barons in different parts of the state.

    The agency added that it also arrested 19 drug offenders.

    State Commander of the agency, Umoru Ambrose told reporters in Ilorin, the state capital, saying that cannabis sativa of 40kg weight was seized at different warehouses and joints owned by the drug barons and distributors.

    The NDLEA boss, who said that the arrest and seizure were made between August 14 and September 14, 2019, added that the suspected barons nabbed with cannabis were arrested at Ganmo, Maraba, Oja Iya, Osere; in the Ilorin metropolis, including Omupo, Jebba and Kaiama towns.

    He said that one of the suspects, Chukwuemeka Odehokewu Johnson, aka Chuks, was first arrested by the command in 1994, adding that the command located his drug warehouse and recovered 396 bags of cannabis weighing 4,356kg in 2017 and was declared wanted.

    Read Also: Man jailed for drugging and robbing victim

    The NDLEA commander also said that the suspect that had been on the watch list was eventually apprehended on August 26, 2019 due to intelligence.

    He said that raid carried out on some drug joints at such locations as Ilofa road GRA, Ajikobi, Adewole, Tanke, Maraba motor park, Oko Olowo, Malete and Omupo led to arrest of 19 suspected drug users.

    The NDLEA boss said that the warehouses had been sealed, adding that the suspected barons would soon be prosecuted.

    “In the ongoing Operation Keep Kwara Drug Free, some people who use drug that were arrested have been counselled and released to their respective families, while seven are currently undergoing care, treatment, and rehabilitation at the state headquarters with a view to reintegrate them to the society”, he said.

  • BREAKING: Nigeria loses $1.35b (N481b) to oil theft

    Nigeria has lost 22.6 million barrels at oil to the activities of petroleum pipeline vandalism and stealing of crude oil in the first six months of this year.

    The quantity lost is estimated at $1.35 billion (N481.95 billion).

    This was disclosed to State House correspondents by Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, at the end of the National Economic Council meeting chaired by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.

    If the loss is not checked, he said that Nigeria will lose $2.7 billion by the end of the year.

    To check the trend, he said his committee recommended to the Council the needs to restructure the maintenance and ownership of pipelines in the country.

    The recommendations, he said, also included prosecution of criminals and creation of special court to handle the cases.

    He said the committee also recommended that NNPC should endeavour to engage the National Intelligence Agency to track countries benefiting from the stolen crude oil.

    According to him, the Council resolved that the recommendations should be forwarded to President Muhammadu Buhari, who is the Minister of Petroleum.

    Ebonyi State Governor, Dave Umahi disclosed that his committee submitted report to the Council and proposed N100 billion budget for the National Livestock Transformation plan.

    While participation by states are voluntary, he said the Federal Government is to contribute 80% of the budget while interested states will provide 20% of the budget the land and other logistics.

    Details shortly…

  • Women, CSOs march against girls’ killers in Port Harcourt

    Who is luring girls to hotels in Rivers State and killing them? This is the mystery protesters yesterday urged the police to unravel, write PRECIOUS IGBONWELUNDU and ROSEMARY NWISI

     

    ON August 14, the body of a hotel worker, Jenifer Nwokocha, was discovered in one of the rooms. She was suspected to have been drugged, chained, raped and thereafter strangled by her killer who left a white cloth around her neck.

    Like Nwokocha, 23-year-old Maureen Ewusu was murdered in the same way at another hotel, still in Port Harcourt City, the Rivers State capital last month.

    Theirs were not the first as a young woman was found at a hotel in Diobu Line with a white cloth tied on her neck and legs in July. Three days after, another young woman was discovered in another hotel at the Government Reserved Area (GRA), while another incident occurred at a hotel in Rumuola. There were also instances where women have been killed and dumped on roads, such as Trans-Amadi and Township areas of the state.

    Yesterday, a minute and 56 seconds footage of a Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) camera from another hotel in the city showed another lady strangled and left on the bed in the same pattern. In this video that has set social media abuzz, the serial killer entered the hotel around 11:30 am with his guest.

    Nothing in the appearance of the suspected killer raised suspicion when he arrived at the hotel. He had no bags with him and he wore a simple striped t-shirt, a pair of jeans, black footwear and had his phone on his hands as he climbed the stairs presumably to their allotted room while the victim, a slim lady with full wavy weaves, walked behind him. Hours later, the man was seen leaving the hotel premises alone with smiles as he walked out to the reception, leaving his victim gagged with a white handkerchief.

    The last incident, which occurred on Monday afternoon, has, according to Police Commissioner Mustapha Dandaura, brought to eight the number of women killed in hotels mainly located in Obio/Akpor, Port Harcourt City and Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Areas (LGAs) of Rivers State since last month.

    But Civil Society Groups (CSOs) said at least 10 women have been killed in different hotels in the city in the last one month, adding that over 140 deaths have been recorded since January.

    While many have insinuated the killings could have ritual undertones, others believe they were crimes perpetrated by women haters.

    Disturbed by the killings, women in Rivers State took to the street to protest the gender-based crime, calling security agencies and hotel owners to rise to the occasion.

    Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of Administration Chuks Enwonwu was reported to have said: “In as much as societal values are disintegrating, we must go back to try to educate women and discourage them from going into prostitution because that is how they fall victim to these crimes.”

    This position attracted wide condemnation from rights activists across the country who wondered whether the punishment for prostitution was murder.

    Condemning the killings, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) called on the Rivers State Police Command to intensify efforts to stem the tide and apprehend all those involved in the dastardly act.

    Secretary of the commission Tony Ojukwu, in a statement on Wednesday, said complaints of the attack on women in hotels alleged to be prostitutes were worrisome.

    “Extermination of right to life is the mother of all human rights violations and cannot be tolerated by any decent society. At this stage of our development, some people still take laws into their hands by targeting women they term as prostitutes and killing them at will.

    “Human life is sacred and the conditions under which human life can be taken are clearly stated under the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and other International Human Rights Instruments which Nigeria is a party. All these instruments prohibit the violation of the right to life and other forms of extra-judicial killings,” he said.

    Ojukwu commended the efforts of the Nigeria Police so far in apprehending some of the violators saying that the Commission is worried over these unfortunate incidents and is requesting every member of the public who has information to bring this to the attention of the police or the commission in order to put an end to these incidents and forestall future occurrences.

    The attacks were not restricted to hotels in Port Harcourt alone, last week such was also heard of in a hotel in Omoku area of Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni local government area(ONELGA), with the same feature of white cloths being tied around their necks and waists.

    A mother of three, who was known for selling different items in hotels and other places, was killed and her body was dumped in a street on Peter Odili Road close to the popular Market Square mall.

    Protest in Port Harcourt

    Over 75 women groups and associations yesterday protested in Port Harcourt. The groups include the Association of Federated Women Lawyers (FIDA), Nigerian Union of Women Journalists (NAWOJ) and women from all chapters of Rotary club in the state among others.

    The women, who dressed in black attires, delivered their complaint/ appeal letters to the Government House, the Department of Security Services, the State Assembly Complex and Police Commissioner Mustapha Dandaura.

    They bore placards with inscriptions, such as “stop killing women in hotels”; “Every life is important, even prostitutes have the right to live”, among others.

    The women were addressed by Secretary to State Government Dr Tammy Danagogo.

    “This is a very serious matter. Coming here and seeing the calibre of people, I want to whole heartily thank you for coming here to say what you have said.

    “Your appeal is to the President, to the Governor and the Police. It is a very laudable endeavour that you have embarked on. It is a concern for everybody. I can assure you that the Governor is heavily concern, I am heavily concerned.

    “This is a security matter and we didn’t want a situation where a lesser government official will come and address you. You know the governor is the chairman of the security committee in the state and I am the secretary.

    “It is not a matter that any of us are allowing to lie low, we have held several security council meetings with all the security agencies in the state and discussed what should be done. This is to tell you that we are doing something on the killing issue. We are expecting that the police should ensure that there is CCTV in all the hotels in Rivers State to monitor whatever they are doing,” he said.

    At the House of Assembly, the women urged lawmakers to make laws that would discourage all forms of heinous killings in the state, especially the killing of women.

    The Vice-Chairman of the state chapter of FIDA, Nnenna Igbokwe, said: “We are here to call on lawmakers in the state to rise and fight the reckless killing of went in hotels in the state, by enacting very string by laws that will end these unprovoked killings and safeguard the lives of women in the state.”

    The founder and executive Director of The Extra Step Initiative, a civil society group in Port Harcourt, Eugene Abels, said: “More than 10 women have been murdered in the state in the last two weeks; whether they were prostitutes or not it does not matter. We are aware that a hotel is a public place for everybody. Lawyers are also called up, invited to hotels to take briefs of their clients; nobody is immune to this kind of killings.

    The Deputy Clerk of the House of Assembly, Dumnu Lekia, who represented the Speaker Ikuinyi Owaji-Ibani, lauded the women for the show of concern and assured that the lawmakers would respond to their demands.

    Dandaura said the police would leave no stone unturned in ensuring the perpetrators of the act were apprehended and punished accordingly.

    The CP said: “Three persons have already been arrested in connection with the hotel killings in the state. Two men were arrested earlier and another person in a hotel in a part of the state early hours of yesterday.

    “The Divisional Officer of police (DPO), in Rumuokoro area of the state had a distress call from a hotel in the area about 2 am this morning (yesterday),  that a lady’s voice was heard from one of the hotel rooms, when a team of policemen got to the hotel, it was discovered that a lady and a man were actually in there.

    “When we knocked and ordered that the door be opened, after some time of resistance, the man finally opened the door and on interrogation, the lady said the man paid and took her to the room and while she was sleeping about 2 am, the man took a towel and was about to strangulate her when she woke up and began to struggle with him. It was at that time she raised the alarm that attracted both the operators of the hotel and other guests who alerted the police.”

    He attributed the killings to cult-related activities of a particular cult group, stressing that all victims were killed in the same pattern.

    “As CP of the state, I want to assure you that efforts are on to smoking them out as we ensure that all hotels in the state comply with the rules of operation.

    “We have had two different meetings in the last two week with all hotel operators in the state, where we have stated the guidelines for their continued running of hotels and guest houses in the state.

    “There is no way someone can come to a hotel to book a run, you do not have his identity, no name, no telephone number, no CCTV in the reception, no cameras at the corridors leading to the rooms, how then can somebody come to your hotel and commit a crime and you are able to trace him?

    “We have told them that they must comply with all the conditions before they will be allowed to continue to do the business, they must instal cameras at the reception, and the corridors leading to all the rooms. Before anybody should be obliged a room in any hotel and Guesthouse, he/she must produce their Identity card, they must ensure that the name on the identity card tallies with the name they will fill in the booking form, he must also drop his contact number, which the booking officer must confirm by dialling the number there and then to ensure it rings on him before he can be cleared for accommodation in the hotel.”

  • Ekiti varsity student ‘kills’ boyfriend over hair money

    A 300-level student of Ekiti State University, Ado Ekiti, Bukola Odeyemi has allegedly stabbed and killed her lover, John Iju at their Treasure Base Hostel, Iworoko-Ekiti.

    The suspect, a 20-year-old student in the Department of Biology Education, allegedly stabbed her boyfriend to death after the suspect had demanded a sum N2,500 from the deceased to plait  her hair, which the victim could not provide.

    The incident occurred at about 10pm on Monday, causing panic in the hostel area.

    An eyewitness, who craved anonymity, wondered why a girl would kill her boyfriend over money to plait hair.

    He said the refusal of the boyfriend to give her N2,500 to plait her hair culminated into a hot argument, which infuriated the lady and they started fighting .

    “During the fight, the deceased had the upper hand and the lady seeing a sharp knife on the tray, immediately brought it out and stabbed the deceased in the chest.

    “The deceased who could not survive the deep cut fell on the floor with blood oozing out of his chest. The people around there cried for help but that could not help. The man died on the spot.”

    The deceased’s friends were said have rushed to the police station at Iworoko to incident the case.

    The deceased’s cry for help was said to have attracted residents to the scene. They reported the incident to police station at Iworoko.

    Read Also: Assailants hack commercial motorcyclist to death in Ekiti

    Ekiti police spokesman, DSP Caleb Ikechukwu who confirmed the incident, said the suspect has been arrested and now being detained at the criminal and Investigative Department of the police headquarters.

    Ikechukwu explained that investigation has begun into  the matter and the suspect will be charged to court once investigation is concluded.

    He said, “It is so unfortunate somebody stabbing her boyfriend just because of 2,500 for hairdo.

    “Parents should be careful to always look out for their wards to know what they are doing in higher institution. Sometimes parents should pay surprise visits to their wards to know where they stay and monitor their activities.”

  • ‘Where you are born determines your future’

    The Goalkeepers Data Report, which the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation plans to produce every year through 2030, is timed to the annual gathering of world leaders in New York City for the U.N. General Assembly. OLUKOREDE YISHAU examines this report, which shows that despite progress made, the health and education indexes in Nigeria are far from desirable

     

    BILL and Melinda Gates have in the last few years worked to improve a lot of countries in sub-Saharan Africa and beyond. Nigeria is one country, where their foundation has an office, and they have partnered with Africa’s richest man Aliko Dangote to help Nigeria get the health of its people right.

    Two days ago, they released their Gatekeepers Report 2019. One key takeaway from the report is: “Where you are born is more predictive of your future than any other factor.”

    The Gates’ observation tallies with a World Bank Human Capital Index, which shows that “children born in Nigeria today will be only 34 per cent as productive when they grow up as they could be.”

    Gatekeepers Report 2019 shows that Nigeria’s health indicators have improved.  In the late 1990s, it was estimated that two out of three Nigerians were living in poverty. That represented 68 per cent. Twenty years later, the figure has dropped to 32 per cent of the population or one in three Nigerians.

    Sixty-four per cent of children used to suffer from malnutrition in 2005. This went down to 37 per cent last year, according to figures supplied by the foundation.

    Only about half of Nigerians used unsafe or unimproved sanitation in 2018 compared to 80 per cent in 1990.

    As good as these improvements are, Nigeria still ranks 43rd of 52 African countries on a recently compiled sustainable development goal index. The implication of this is that the country has gone 47 per cent towards achieving sustainable development goals. The Gatekeepers Report lists the country as one of those who will not meet the SDGs 2030 deadline.

    Being the biggest Africa’s biggest economy, so why is it ranked so low? Gatekeepers’ report 2018 observed that poverty is concentrating on just a handful of very fast-growing countries. By 2050, for example, more than 40 per cent of Congo and Nigeria.”

    Closely tied to this is the fact that Nigeria still has the second-highest number of deaths of children under the age of five. It tags behind India.

    The 2019 report says life is better for boy-child. “No matter where you are born, your life will be harder if you are born a girl,” the report says.

    It added that across sub-Saharan Africa, girls have an average of two fewer years of education than boys. In Nigeria, according to the World Bank, girls get an average of 7.6 years, and boys get 8.7 years.

    The report recommends that “human capital investments should be designed to reach girls and prioritise those countries and districts that have to make up the most ground”.

    The report also observes that education is not enough to bridge the gender divide.

    “In some countries where girls tend to be well-educated they are still underrepresented in the workforce because they also face discriminatory norms and policies.

    “Africa’s youth population (people aged 0 to 24 years) is booming while the rest of the world is shrinking,” says the report.

    The median age across Africa is 18; it is 35 in North America and 47 in Japan.

    The report also showed that in Nigeria child mortality rate reduced from 109 per 1,000 birth in 2017 to 104 per 1,000 live birth in 2018 while child stunting reduced from 38.14 per cent in 2017 to 36.74 per cent last year.

    Malaria death, the report shows, reduced from about 166 per 1,000 population in 2017 to 160.72 per 1,000 population and cases of tuberculosis reduced from 351.8 per 100,000 population to 344.2 in 2018.

    Instances of Neglected Tropical Diseases, according to the report, went down from 52,566 per 100,000 population in 2017 to 50,584 last year. On a sad note, the number of people living in poverty increased from 66.83 million in 2017 to 67.48 million in 2018.

    The report showed that Measles-Containing-Vaccine second dose (MCV2) was low at 39.27 per cent, Diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (DTP3) immunisation coverage was 36.39 per cent.

    The report also revealed that the vaccine coverage for Pneumoccocal conjugate vaccines (PCV3) was at 35.67 per cent.

    The Gates in the 2019 Gatekeepers’ Report entitled: “Examining Inequality 2019,” say: “Gaps between countries, districts, and boys and girls prove that the world’s investments in development aren’t reaching everyone.

    “Using new sub-national data, the report uncovers the vast inequalities within countries that are masked by averages.

    “Where you’re born is still the biggest predictor of your future and no matter where you’re born, life is harder if you’re a girl.

    “Despite gains in female educational attainment, opportunities for girls are limited by social norms, discriminatory laws and policies, and gender-based violence.

    “As we write, billions of people are projected to miss the targets that we all agreed represent a decent life.”

    The foundation called for a new approach to development, targeting the poorest people in the countries and districts that need to make up the most ground to address persistent inequality.

    “Governments should prioritise primary healthcare to deliver a health system that works for the poorest.

    “Government should also deliver digital governance to ensure that governments are responsive to their least-empowered citizens, and more support for farmers to help them adapt to climate change’s worst effects,” it said.

    It added: “The report is designed to track progress in achieving the Global Goals, highlight examples of success, and inspire leaders around the world to accelerate their efforts.

    “The goal is to identify both what’s working and where we’re falling short,” it said.

    Bill Gates, in an interview to launch the report, said:” Nigeria is a super-important country and one that the foundation has an office there.  We did a lot of work in Nigeria on polio and we learned a lot doing that.  Nigeria has gone almost three years now without having a polio case.

    “The biggest priority we have, although making absolutely sure we’re done with polio remains a big priority, now we’re able to focus even more on the primary health care system.

    “If I had one wish for Nigeria, it would be that the quality and funding of the primary health care system would achieve the level of some other countries that are lower-income but have done a better job with the primary health care system.  So, it definitely is doable.

    “In Nigeria for a lot of the work we do there we’re partnered with Aliko Dangote, who helps us understand who the good partners are and exactly how we can reach out to groups like the traditional leaders and get them involved in these efforts as well.

    “So, Nigeria is important, I’m hopeful about Nigeria.  As you see in the report, the disparities within Nigeria are quite stark.

    “Also, one challenge that Nigeria has is that the amount of money that the government raises domestically is quite small compared to other countries.  A lot of countries at that level will be raising closer to 15 per cent of GDP and Nigeria is one of the lowest in the world down at about 6 per cent.  And so, it is a huge challenge that when you want to fund infrastructure, health, education, all those things, that over time the tax collection, the domestic resources are going to have to go up quite a bit.

    “That’s a long-term effort and I think partly by making sure the current resources are spent well like on primary health care, you gain the credibility that the citizens will say, okay, we want more of these things.  If we don’t raise the quality, you can get into a trap where they don’t feel like paying the taxes actually has that much impact, and so they’re not supportive of that.

    “So, we’re working hard.  I mentioned we do videoconferences with state governors.  If we can make the six states into exemplars, then these practices can be extended to all 18 of the northern states.  There are best practices down in the south as well that we can learn from that as well. And so, you know, building on what we were able to achieve with polio and the relationships we’ve built there and our commitment, starting with primary health care, we think that Nigeria can tackle its inequality.”

  • Staff, litigants groan as flood ravages Appeal Court in Abuja

    For some staff and individuals, with cases pending at the CA, Abuja division, it will take a while to overcome the effect of the negative impact of the rainfall experienced in the city in the past few days.

    Unlike the case last year, where minor flooding was witnessed around the court premises, the impact of the flood experienced between Monday and Tuesday this week was massive.

    Not only were vehicles submerged, offices were flooded with files and documents impacted.

    Most affected was the Abuja division, sitting on the lower end of the sprawling structure, which also houses the Court of Appeal headquarters.

    “Some of our files were affected. We intend to work with lawyers in cases affected, for replacement. We have never had it so bad,” a senior official, who prayed not to be named, said.

    Another, who sought to be identified with her first name, Juliet, said her car was among the vehicles that were affected.

    “We had to escape without our vehicles. We were only able to recover our vehicle the next day, when the flood receded.

    “My car is currently with the mechanics. They are battling to fix it. The car was totally submerged in the flood.

    “Beside the engine that is said to have been affected, all the documents I had in the car were also affected,” she said.

    A lawyer, Isaac Okechukwu said he was in court to ascertain the condition of things upon being informed about the development.

    “I heard that the court was flooded and some offices and case files affected. I came to see if my cases were among those affected,” Okechukwu said.