Tag: signs

  • Genevieve Nnaji signs film deal with foreign agency

    Coming on the heels of accolades she received for her directorial debut, ‘Lionheart’, Nollywood actress, Genevieve Nnaji, has signed a film deal with United Talent Agency, (UTA).

    The agency represents Hollywood stars like Angelina Jolie, Johnny Depp, Gwyneth Paltrow, Channing Tatum, Nicholas Hoult, Ewan McGregor, Kim Soo Hyun and Liv Tyler, according to Deadline report.

    UTA is one of the biggest talent agencies in the world that represents many of the world’s most acclaimed figures in every current and emerging area of entertainment and media, including motion pictures, television, music, digital, broadcast news, books, theatre, video games, fine art and live entertainment.

    The agency is also globally recognized in the areas of film finance, film packaging, branding, licensing, endorsements and representation of production talent.

    The deal may see the Nigerian actress collaborating with top Hollywood filmmakers to produce movies from African including Nigerian stories.

    Recall that Netflix had acquired Genevieve’s ‘Lionheart’ as its original film just before its Toronto International Film Festivals (TIFF)’s premiere last month.

  • Kay Jay Ogbonna signs deal with The Boost Entertainment

    Ahead of the November release date of his new single produced by BlaqJerzee, Nigerian singer/songwriter Kay Jay Ogbonna has signed a management deal with The Boost Entertainment.

    According to the multi-million naira deal, the company will handle all the bookings and management affairs of the artiste who was nominated for the Nigerian Entertainment Awards 2018 ‘Fresh Vibes of The Year’ category.

    Born Victor Ogbonna, Kay Jay, who hails from Abia State, started music professionally in 2012 as a songwriter, composing songs for A-list artists like TundeEdnut (‘Catching Cold’), Iyanya (‘IyanuMashele’), KCEE (‘Burn’&‘Psycho’), Naeto C, Kach (‘Olo’), Chuddy K (‘Go Down’), Stunna (‘Balance’ featuring Iyanya), Samklef, Tillaman, BimbiPhiliphs (Duro Dada).

    His hit songs include ‘Sell Over’ featuring Skales & Omo Akin (Produced by Kenny Wonder) and ‘Work & Pray’ featuring Shaydee (Produced by BlaqJerzee).

    Kay Jay said he signed with The Boost Entertainment because he shared the ‘same vision’ with the company and says he sees himself as a ‘big brand’ in ‘five years’ time.

    “I see them making me one of the biggest artists in Nigeria and beyond,” he said.

    “Despite being newly established, this is one of the first and few music management companies in Nigeria that fund the artist, and I feel that is how it should be – it gave me even more assurance to work with them. They are not just bringing funds, strategy and ideas; they are bringing full hands on involvement and direction, with a unique attention to visual content creation.”

    According to the Managing Director of The Boost Entertainment, Miss Kiki Agbakoba, the company was formed to support artistes’ growth.

    “Fate had its way when we crossed paths with Kay Jay while in search for music talents,” she said.

    “With this official signing of Kay Jay, our first artist, we plan to activate and create a new SI unit for music content management and creative business positioning.”

  • 10 signs to know you and your partner are a great match (2)

    Continued from last week

    1. You Have Regular Sex. If the honeymoon phase has come and gone and the two of you still maintain a consistently hot-and-heavy romp schedule, you’re on the road to relationship bliss. In fact, a study published in the journal Society for Personality and Social Psychology found that having sex at least once a week brings as much happiness to your relationship as making an extra $50,000. For this study, researchers surveyed more than 30,000 Americans over four decades, and found that having sex just once a week was the frequency most linked to relationship happiness. Surprisingly, couples who had sex more or less frequently were not happier. “Intimacy is just another type of communication, so if that communication falters, so will your sexual connection in response,” says Tessina. That being said, your sexual chemistry is not a race to the sack. “If you’re mutually enjoying more sex, than it will make you both happier, but remember that it comes down to both people wanting to be intimate that often,” says Greer.
    2. You’re Similar

    You know the old saying, “opposites attract”? Well, if you happen to have a lot in common with your partner, it may be a better recipe for attraction. In fact, a brand-new study by researchers from Wellesley College and the University of Kansas found that we’re actually hard-wired to desire “like-minded others.” They were able to reach this conclusion by analyzing pairs or people—from romantic couples to friends and even mere acquaintances—interacting in public. The pairs were asked questions about attitude, values, and prejudice, among other things, and it was found that the longer-term relationship pairs had greater similarities than those who had recently become acquainted. “If you’re more alike in terms of your personalities, you’re sharing similar styles of dealing with a variety of things in life—from interacting with friends to experiencing life changes,” says Greer. “So if you and your partner share similar values and interests, you’ll wind up with more cooperative spirits and having a greater respect for one another.”

    1. Your Spending Habits Differ

    You’re certainly not alone if you find that the majority of the arguments you have as a couple are sparked by personal (or combined) finances. In fact, a Money Magazine poll found that a whopping 70 percent of couples argue about finances the most—more than household chores, togetherness, sex, snoring, and so on. But if the two of you have stark differences in the way in which you prefer to spend—a.k.a. one of you is a spendthrift and the other is a tightwad (yes, that’s an actual term)—you just might be perfect for each other. The proof is in one study by the Universities of Pennsylvania, Michigan and Northwestern. Researchers surveyed over 1,000 married and unmarried couples, and found that most individuals tend to choose their spending opposite when it comes to selecting a lifelong partner. So if that sounds like you and yours, you just may have the perfect yin-and-yang combo to make things work. “Just remember to prioritize the big-spending opportunities like buying a car, house, etc,” reminds Greer.

    1. You Laugh at the Same Jokes

    If you and your sweetie both know how to appreciate a raunchy comedy routine (Eddie Murphy Raw, anyone?), love anything with Will Ferrell, or both equally detest either of those two scenarios, you’re a match made in heaven, says science. A study published in the Western Journal of Communication found that 75 percent of happy couples laugh together at least once a day. Even more interesting, another study reported in the same journal found that 92 percent of married men and women credited humor as a factor that made a significant contribution to their married life. “Laughing at and appreciating the same comedy is the emotional oil to grease the wheels of a relationship to keep it moving forward,” says Greer. “It gives each of you the resilience you need to laugh off the petty and irrelevant things that naturally build up in life and offers more chances to bond intimately on a regular basis.”

    1. You both love to booze it up or not at all

    We’ve all seen it at one point in our lives—the couple scenario where one person is totally sober and the other is a giant, falling-all-over-the-place mess. There’s a good reason why those unmatched levels of drunkenness or sobriety don’t wind up working out in the end. In a study published in the journal of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research, scientists reviewed data collected from nearly 20,000 married couples, and found that the spouses who consumed relatively the same amount of alcohol were less likely to divorce than pairs where one person drank more heavily or significantly lighter than the other spouse. “I’ve seen many couples split when one of the pair of drinkers got sober,” says Tina B. Tessina, Ph.D., a licensed psychotherapist and author of Money, Sex and Kids: Stop Fighting About the Three Things That Can Ruin Your Marriage. “Alcohol alters a heavy drinker’s experiences and perceptions, so couples who drink heavily together naturally have similar ways of living, as do couples who don’t drink much at all.”

    https://www.womenshealthmag.com

     

    Concluded

     

  • Vitafoam signs MoU with Nigerian Academy of Science

    A major stakeholder in the foam industry, Vitafoam Nigeria Plc. has propped up her Corporate Social Responsibility by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Nigerian Academy of Science to promote the study of sciences.

    With the MoU, which will last three years at the first instance, Vitafoam will be partnering the academy in sponsoring roundtable conferences after social publications and gathering of scientists nationwide for brainstorming to ensure science is tailored towards the needs of Nigerian industries.

    At the signing of the MoU on Tuesday in Lagos, the Managing Director/CEO of Vitafoam Nigeria Plc,Mr. TaiwoAdeniyi, said Vitafoam, which has been in existence for over 56 years, has been contributing its quota to the scientific development of the country.

    He stressed the need for Nigerian scientists to see how they can assist in tailoring science to the requirement of our industries.

    Mr. Adeniyi commended the Nigerian media for creating weekly science page in their newspapers, but “enjoined them to discard writing on general science but specifically write on the needs of the society”.

    He disclosed that Vitafoam has been contributing to the development of science in the past, adding that, “Vitafoam is building a Central Research Conference Centre at the University of Lagos which will be commissioned soon”.

    An elated president of the Nigerian Academy of Science, Professor Mosto Onuoha commended Vitafoam for this initiative, noting that the relationship “is geared towards maximizing the benefits of science and society”

    He noted that Vitafoam had been in the forefront of sponsoring the academy’s annual Award of Excellence and urged other corporate bodies to emulate Vitafoams laudable gesture.

    Professor Onuoha disclosed that the academy had no laboratory, but could only liaise with universities in terms of training the graduate who must have started their studies from the secondary school level, adding that, “NAS believes in catching them young”.

  • 10 signs your relationship isn’t working (3)

    IF she’s exactly what you’re looking for, but you’re still finding faults, you need to consider that maybe you’re being unnecessarily judgmental. Everyone has flaws; Why are you picking hers apart? There are a lot of reasons guys do this, but a lot of times it comes from setting unrealistically high standards for yourself, then projecting them onto other people. That’s a problem only you can fix for yourself.

    1. There’s no long-term potential

    Some girls are fun, but there’s nothing really there. Good times, good sex, good laughs… but nothing more tangible than that. Presumably, if you two are more than “just dating,” you want some kind of long-term potential. If you’re not feeling it, that’s a serious problem.

    Solution: Evaluate why she is not a keeper.

    Why don’t you two have any long-term potential? It could be something as simple as “we’ve never talked about it.” It could be as complicated as she’s Jewish, you’re Catholic and that’s important to both of you.

    Either way, you can’t fix it or even know if you can until you know what it is. It can be difficult to communicate such personal issues, not least of all because you’re afraid of hurting her feelings. Psychologist Marcia Reynolds urges you to avoid spitefulness, examine your motives for speaking up and — of course — to ask her if she’s even interested in your opinion before offering it. Reasons to break up: The difference between where she is and what you want to great.

    In the latter case referenced above, there’s nothing really to do about it. You can hang around until it runs its course, but that’s also preventing you from getting something more meaningful and permanent.

    1. You don’t trust each other

    Trust is a difficult thing. Especially if one of you has done something to violate the other’s trust; But maybe one of you is just not a trusting person or have had experiences in the past that affects your ability to trust. You might even be an untrustworthy person who is projecting how you lie or manipulate onto your partner even if they do not do that. Whatever the issue is, you can’t have a serious relationship without trust. So how do you start building that?

    Solution: Begin building trust in small ways.

    Rather than looking for these grand gestures that build trust, look for small ones.

    Keeping your world on small promises allows you to build trust incrementally. Simply being where you say you’ll be when you say you’ll be there can be an important step.

    Be honest about when you’ve done something wrong and expect the same from her.

    At the same time, be willing to forgive when you are the wronged party.

    Share things about yourself that are personal, or even painful. That kind of vulnerability can help to build trust.

    Have a trusted friend you can check in with. Sometimes all we need is a third party to tell us it’s OK to trust. Reasons to Break Up: One of you just can’t repair the trust.

    At the end of the day, it doesn’t really matter who’s the one who can’t trust. A lack of trust in a relationship means that there won’t be a relationship sooner rather than later. All you’re doing by maintaining things is digging yourself in deep into something that is going to have diminishing returns and eventually come to an end.

    1. You never go on dates

    It’s funny. They call it “dating,” but a lot of people who are don’t go on a lot of actual dates. This can lead to boredom. It can also lead to “falling out of love,” which was cited by nearly 40 percent of women as a reason for breaking up. So you need to pay attention to this, even when you’re in a long-term relationship.

    Solution: Pick a day of the week and make that date night.

    While it’s definitely serious, it’s also one of the easiest things to go ahead and fix: Pick a night, make it date night. No cancelling for a night with the guys, a work thing or even the Superbowl. Date night is date night is date night.

    This isn’t speculation: A 2010 survey showed that not only did couples with a date night have better relationships — the couples surveyed even had better sex lives.

    Reasons to break up: Just don’t.

    Seriously, if the only problem you have is not going on dates, there is no way to make this a break-up worthy offense. You need to step up, be a man and start directing the relationship.

    1. You’re wondering about other women

    Maybe you’ve got some chemistry with a woman at work. Maybe it’s the girl who serves you coffee. Maybe you’re just day dreaming a lot about women that you encounter. The point is, you’re wondering about other women. Solution: Realize it’s normal and not necessarily a reason to break up.

    Guess what? You’re never going to stop looking at other women. You’re never going to stop wondering about other women. Not only is it normal, there are ways to appreciate women that don’t involve breaking up or cheating. Maybe you flirt a bit with the girl who makes your

    Latte and that’s all. There’s nothing wrong with it. Just enjoy it for what it is but don’t take it too far and break energetic integrity with your partner.

    Reasons to break up: You’ve cheated or think you’re going to.

    There’s no reason to go there. If you’ve truly assessed the situation and you want someone else, it’s time to put a clean and honorable end to it. There are plenty of ways to break up with someone, but the important thing is that you be honest and make your feelings clear.

     

    Source: theartofcharm.com

    Concluded

  • 10 signs your relationship isn’t working (2)

    SOLUTION: Become more comfortable with yourself. The root cause of jealousy is almost always insecurity. What this means is that the only way you can stop it on your end is to be more comfortable with yourself. Stop projecting your own insecurities onto the other person. Focus on the good things in the relationship. Stop thinking you can read her mind. This can disrupt the feedback loop causing constant jealousy in your relationships.

    Reasons to break up: You can stop it, but she can’t.

    Relationships are made up of two people, but you’re only ultimately responsible for yourself. Here, you can only lead by example. If she can’t leave her jealousy behind (which could take months, not days or weeks), it’s time to start looking at making the painful choice to end things.

    1. One or both of you is bored

    Boredom is almost inevitable in relationships if the relationship lasts long enough. It is easy to settle into a routine and routines and boredom go together like peanut butter and jelly. The question isn’t whether or not boredom is going to happen; It’s how you’re going to deal with boredom when it does happen. With one in five women breaking up because they missed being single, you need to take boredom seriously.

    Solution: Do something new and exciting together.

    “New and exciting” is super open-ended, which is the good thing about it: Maybe it means you take a trip around the world, maybe it means you take a dance class together. The point is that you need to introduce novelty into the relationship. It’s not that hard to do. In fact, the hardest part will probably be deciding from among many options.

    Staycation: Go rent a hotel room and party all weekend.

    Explore a new city: It doesn’t have to be far away or exotic. It

    just has to be somewhere you’ve never been before.

    Do something you’ve never done before: Again, it doesn’t matter if it’s bungee jumping or eating sushi; The point here is to do new things together.

    Reasons to break up: Boredom isn’t the real problem.

    Sometimes we think boredom is the problem, but it’s really not. The real problem is something else — anything else. It’s only when we begin addressing the problem of boredom do we realize that there was something else there.

    1. Your sex life isn’t what it used to be

    Much like boredom, your sex life hitting the skids is almost a certainty. That doesn’t mean you can’t do anything about it; It just means that you have to accept the inevitability and be ready for it. So what’s the cure for a sex life that isn’t what it used to be?

    Solution: Try new things in the bedroom that maybe you’ve only talked about.

    This can be anything from tantric sex to taking a BDSM workshop. It really doesn’t matter. The main thing is that you two need to have a frank conversation about your sex life. Note that it doesn’t have to be — indeed, should not be — some serious “relationship talk.” These types of conversations work best when they’re a sort of flirting. Make it fun, not heavy.

    Reasons to break up: You’re just not into the same stuff.

    You can have a meaningful connection, but if you’re on two totally different pages when it comes to sex, neither of you are ever going to be happy. For a sexual relationship to prosper, you need to be pleasing her and she needs to be pleasing you. If you’re still not sure if you two are right together, sexually speaking, try taking this sexual compatibility test over at Psychology Today.

    1. One of you is always trying to change the other

    No one likes it when someone else tries to change them. It places stress on both of you and thus, the whole relationship. Not only does it cause stress, it can also cause resentment and resentment is toxic. So if one or both of you is always trying to change the other one, what do you do?

    Solution: Accept that the other person is who they are and demand the same.

    Men and women are not the same. Both of you need to accept this. You shouldn’t demand that your girly-girl girlfriend enjoy your poker nights any more than she should accept that you like shoe shopping. In fact, our differences are what make sex and dating so exciting. If you wanted someone you could control you’d be with yourself. Let it go. Accept them for who they are.

    Reasons to break up: One of you can’t let the other person be themselves.

    Start by asking yourself if you still love her. If the answer is “yes,” do you love her but not think she’s right for you? Why not? Was she right for you when you first got together but now one or both of you has changed?

     

    Source: theartofcharm.com

    To be Continued

     

  • Bauchi signs pact with Morocco

    Bauchi State  government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with  the King Mohammed VI University Teaching Hospital Morocco on health issues.

    A statement by the Special Adviser to Governor Mohammed Abubakar on Communications, Mr. Shamsuddeen Abubakar, said the governor and a team from the state Ministry of Agriculture were in the Kingdom of Morocco to attend the programme of Office Chérifien des Phosphates (OCP-Africa)  in Casablanca in fulfillment of the bilateral agreement between Bauchi and the Kingdom of Morocco.

    ”As part of his working visit to the Kingdom, Governor Abubakar  paid a visit to the prestigious King Mohammed VI University Teaching Hospital  where a Memorandum of Understanding aimed at achieving the set goal was signed.

    “The successful signing of the MoU will immensely help the state Ministry of Health cope with modern trends and challenges for the benefit of the good people of the state.

    “The hospital has the medical, financial and technical expertise to assist the Bauchi State government in organising and setting up the required infrastructure towards actualising its desires in the health sector.

    “Part of the objectives of the MoU is to facilitate a situation where the Bauchi State government and the King Mohammed VI University Teaching Hospital would work to establish an efficient and credible healthcare delivery system in line with modern trends in the healthcare sector and to sustain the same through effective training of the required medical personnel of the state.”

    Based on the MoU, a cardiac centre would be established in Bauchi, while the hospital would assist in the establishment of a centre for Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and Emergency Medical Training in the state.

    The hospital would also establish an Ear, Nose and Throat Centre (ENT), assist in the development and organisation of Intensive Care Unit (ICU), establish a Neuro-Surgical Unit,  a Cancer Management Centre, train and re-train personnel, among others.

    The Memorandum of Understanding shall be governed by the laws of Nigeria, the statement said.

    As part of his official visit to the Kingdom of Morocco at the instance of Office Chérifien des Phosphates (OCP) Africa, Governor Abubakar and his entourage also visited King Mohammed VI Polytecnic University, Ben Guerir where he sought and got consent for the building of a new fertiliser plant in Bauchi State.

    The statement said Governor Abubakar and a team from the state Ministry of Agriculture were in the Kingdom of Morocco to attend the programme of Office Chérifien des Phosphates (OCP-Africa)  in Casablanca in fulfillment the bilateral agreement.

    “ The Moroccan Company, Office Chérifien des Phosphates, OCP-Group are the largest exporters of Phosphate in all its forms worldwide and the world’s first exporters of Phosphate based products. Phosphate is used in making high quality fertilizer.The governor, in company of  Nigerian Ambassador to the Kingdom of Morocco, Amb Abubakar Baba, paid a visit to one of OCP’s Chemical Complexes, Jorf Lasfar Chemical Complex, which is the largest in the world.

    “The Executive Director, Industry Operations took the governor and his entourage round the 504.00 HA complex. The Jorf Lasfar Industrial Complex have the capacity to supply Phosphate to the whole world as they comfortably produce 13 million tonnes daily and 6 million kilo-tonnes per annum.

    A strategy meeting was held between the Bauchi State Government delegation headed by  Governor Abubakar and the Management of the OCP Group headed by the Chief Executive Officer of the group, Mr. Karim Lotfi Senhadji.

    Agreements were concluded whereby the OCP Group agreed to: “Collaborate with the Bauchi State Government in numerous areas of modern agricultural development. As  a result of  the governors ’s  commitment to the development of agriculture in the state and his outstanding achievements in the sector particularly the resuscitation of the Bauchi Fertiliser company

    “The OCP Group has resolved to complement the efforts of  the governor by building a brand new world-class standard fertiliser company in the state. The new company will be large enough to cater for the needs of the entire northern region.The group also promised to upgrade the existing Bauchi Fertiliser Company.”

    The governor also visited the Khouribga mining site in Khouribga Province of the Béni Mellal-Khénifra region of Morocco.

    Khouribga owes its growth to its large deposits of phosphate. It is the largest phosphate mining deposit in the world. The phosphate is being transferred to the chemical complex for making fertilizers.

    Meanwhile, Governor Abubakar has secured   Scholarship opportunities for Bauchiindigenes at King Mohammed VI Polytechnic University, Ben Guerir, Kingdom of Morocco

    As part of his official visit to the Kingdom of Morocco, Governor Abubakar and his entourage also visited King Mohammed VI Polytecnic University, Ben Guerir, where he secured capacity building and scholarship opportunities for Bauchi indigenes.

    A statement the spokesman said: “The governor used the opportunity to solicit for admission and scholarship opportunities for indigenes of Bauchi State and capacity building courses for civil servants. The university graciously granted his request

    “The Bauchi State Government and the university management agreed on the following: Offer of full scholarship to indegenes of Bauchi State for undergraduate studies, full scholarship for staff of the State Ministry of Agriculture at Masters level, collaboration between the university and the Bauchi State College of Agriculture and also the Bauchi State University’s newly established Faculty of Agriculture in areas of research,  technology transfer and staff training. The university is owned by the OCP-Group.”

  • Ambode signs seven ‘critical’ bills into Law

    Ambode signs seven ‘critical’ bills into Law

    THE Bill to guarantee 24-hour power supply in line with the vision to attain a non-stop economy and make the Lagos globally competitive was one of the seven bills signed into Law yesterday by Governor Akinwunmi Ambode.

    It is the Lagos State Electric Power Reform Law.

    Also signed were: Amended Land Use Charge Law, School of Nursing Law, Cooperative College Law, Cancer Research Institute Law, Amended Customary Court Law and the Yoruba Language Preservation and Promotion Law.

    Speaking on the import of the new laws, the Attorney-General & Commissioner for Justice, Adeniji Kazeem, said the laws would further take the dividends of democracy to the people.

    He said: “This is a great day; the governor has just signed these bills into law and this shows that the House of Assembly is working in tandem with the executive. It also shows that Lagos is working. These laws are going to benefit the people of Lagos State and this is what the people are looking for in terms of the dividends of democracy.”

    Giving details on the benefits of the Power Sector Reform Law, the Commissioner for Energy & Mineral Resources, Olawale Oluwo, said the law would allow the government to intervene in major areas of the power value chain to the overall benefit of Lagosians.

    Oluwo said: “One, the law puts the government in a position to be able to extend our guarantee to private sector participants who will come and generate power for us and by this guarantee, we are putting the balance sheet of our State on the table and assuring investors that as they generate power, they will get paid.

    “Second, it is to help the distribution companies to upgrade their infrastructure because if they generate the power and their infrastructure is still where it is today, clearly, they will not have the capacity to carry the incremental power.

    “The third area of intervention is that it empowers us to be able to open up the gas market in Lagos so that we can have gas on a consistent basis and that is how we can attain the 24-hour power supply.”

    The commissioner further said that the law would also enable the government to collaborate with the distribution companies to collect tariff from customers efficiently in a way that the said guarantee would not crystallize, while in the area of enforcement, the law will prevent power theft.

    He said: “What has happened today is that the first power theft law in Nigeria has been signed today by Governor Ambode and this is the first time any government in Nigeria will institutionalise the power theft law.

    “It criminalises power infraction. What we have seen before is that people tamper with and bypass meters and at the end of the day they are arrested and nothing happens but the new law provides for jail terms as well as fines and all sorts of forbearance such that if you tamper with electrical installations, if you import fake electrical materials into this State, you are liable to be prosecuted.”

    Also speaking on the other laws, Commissioner for Information & Strategy Kehinde Bamigbetan said the signing of the laws confirmed the governor’s commitment to institutionalise and enshrine good governance.

    Bangbetan said: “Among the bills is the Amended Customary Law which is very important because for a long time, the Customary Court system in the local government has been shut down because of the bill and with this revision.

    “The Customary Court in local government will spring back to life and that means that many of the activities in the council areas which require arbitration and dispute resolution which had been in abeyance so far will now come back in full stream.

    “Another one is the Yoruba Language Preservation & Promotion Law and for the first time it will become normal for you to be admitted into any of our tertiary institutions with a credit in Yoruba language and Yoruba will now become a major requirement for you to engage in normal business communication in Lagos State.

    “This is a clear and conscious commitment to the position which Lagos State prides Yoruba language as the cultural vehicle for us to be able to articulate our position and it also shows that Lagos has furthered recognised the importance of language as a vehicle for development.”

  • Akeredolu signs 2018 Appropriation Bill into law

    Akeredolu signs 2018 Appropriation Bill into law

    Ondo State Governor Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN) yesterday signed the 2018 Appropriation Bill into law.

    The governor also signed into law the Contributory Health Insurance Bill and the Social Protection Law.

    The House of Assembly, last year, approved the N181 billion budget.

    Signing the budget and the bills into law at the Governor’s Office, Akeredolu said the laws would enhance development, if properly implemented.

    The governor said his intention was to take governance to residents through people-oriented programmes to take care of their needs.

    He said his administration would concentrate more on capital expenditure to abridge huge infrastructural deficit.

    Akeredolu, who decried the huge concentration of budgets on recurrent expenditure, noted that the rate of development in Ondo State was worrisome.

    The governor said he was prepared to develop the state and make it the envy of others.

    The capital expenditure for the fiscal year is N80 billion; debt service N13.600 billion and statutory transfers to local governments N8.307 billion.

    On the Contributory Health Insurance Scheme law, the governor said it would ensure that every resident has access to good health care services.

    He said: “The bill will ensure that all residents of Ondo State have financial protection, physical access to quality and affordable health care services. It will also protect families from the financial hardship posed by huge medical bills and regulate the rise in the cost of health care services.

    “It will ensure that the poor and vulnerable are guaranteed the basic minimum package as defined under the National Health Act.”

    Akeredolu said the bill would bring equitable distribution of health care costs across various income groups and maintain a high standard of health care delivery in the sector.

    According to him, the bill will provide efficiency in health care service delivery and improve private sector participation in health care services, among others.

    The governor was accompanied by House of Assembly Speaker Bamidele Oleyeloogun and other top officials.

    Also, Akeredolu approved the constitution of the State Independent Electoral Commission (ODIEC).

    The seven-man electoral commission is headed by Prof Yomi Dinakin.

    Other members are: Dr. Soji Omowole, Oladele Akinyelure, Tunde Adeleye, Mrs. Stella Omotosho, Taju Ibrahim and Rotimi Olorunfemi.

    The names will be sent to the House of Assembly for confirmation.

  • Wike signs 2018 budget

    Wike signs 2018 budget

    Rivers State Governor Nyesom Ezenwo Wike has signed the 2018 Appropriation Bill  of the state into law.

    The governor  signed a budget of N510billion  passed by the  Rivers State House of Assembly.

    Signing  the budget in the presence of members of the Rivers State House of Assembly and the State Executive Council at the Government House Port Harcourt on Tuesday, Governor Wike assured that the budget will be implemented diligently.

    He said the Rivers State government  would fast track  the implementation  of the  budget, which  will lead to greater development of the state.

    “I commend the State Legislators for expediting the  process that led to the passage  of the 2018 budget. Your passage of this budget means that we will expedite  action on several areas of development.  At present, we have already started work”.

    The governor also called on members of the Rivers State House of Assembly to work with relevant agencies  to implement their respective constituency projects.

    He said funds for the implementation of the 2017 constituency projects have been released , while  that of 2018 will be released after  proper account is given for that of last year.

    The governor also signed the  Keenule Beeson Saro-Wiwa Polytechnic Law No. 3 of 2018, Rivers State Waterways Law No. 4 of 2018 and Rivers State Local Government Law No. 5 of 2018.

    The Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Ikuinyi Ibani, assured Governor Wike that the State Lawmakers are committed  to the development of the state.

    He described Wike as a just leader who is working selflessly for the good  people of the state.

    Presenting the bills for assent, Majority Leader of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Martin Amaehwule said that the bills passed through a rigorious legislative process.

    The Chairman, House Committee on Information, Sam Ogeh, noted that the  public hearings and budget defence sessions ensured that the people participated in the budget process.