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  • World’s largest plane makes first flight

    The world’s largest aircraft, a carbon-composite plane, took its first flight on Saturday from California, U.S.  over the Mojave Desert in California.

    The carbon-composite plane was by Stratolaunch Systems Corp, a company started by late Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, as the company enters the lucrative private space market.

    The white airplane called Roc, nicknamed  after a giant mythical bird,  has a wingspan the length of an American football field and is powered by six engines on a twin fuselage, took to the air shortly before 7 a.m. Pacific time (1400 GMT).

    The world’s largest airplane, built by the late Paul Allen’s company Stratolaunch Systems, makes its first test flight in Mojave, California, U.S. April 13, 2019. REUTERS/Gene Blevins

    It stayed aloft for more than two hours before landing safely back at the Mojave Air and Space Port as a crowd of hundreds of people cheered.

    “What a fantastic first flight.

    “Today’s flight furthers our mission to provide a flexible alternative to ground launched systems,

    “We are incredibly proud of the Stratolaunch team, today’s flight crew, our partners at Northrup Grumman’s Scaled Composites and the Mojave Air and Space Port, ” Jean Floyd, Stratolaunch’s CEO, said in a statement on the company’s website.

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    The plane is designed to drop rockets and other space vehicles weighing up to 500,000 pounds at an altitude of 35,000 feet.

    It has been billed by the company as making satellite deployment as “easy as booking an airline flight.”

    Saturday’s flight, which saw the plane reach a maximum speed of 189 miles per hour and altitudes of 17,000 feet, was meant to test its performance and handling qualities, according to Stratolaunch.

    Allen, who co-founded Microsoft with Bill Gates in 1975, announced in 2011 that he had formed the privately funded Stratolaunch.

    Allen died in October 2018 while suffering from non-Hodgkins’ lymphoma, just months after the plane’s development was unveiled.

  • FCV Gladiators Camp opens in Lagos

    With the staging of the coaching training, the much-anticipated maiden FCV Gladiators Camp opened yesterday at the University of Lagos Sports Complex.

    The one-week exercise has a foremost coach from the English Premier League leading some group of tacticians to the Lagos leg of the clinic.

    Also, the Olympic Value Education Programme (OVEP) will also be part of the exercise holding in Lagos and the Abuja camp will be hosted at Aduvie International School on April 21 to 26.

    The camp is a brainchild of Dynaspro Promotion with Advanta Interactive in collaboration with United Kingdom (UK)-based FCV Academy will hold in Lagos and Abuja with special focus on football and education.

    According to the Director of Dynaspro Promotion, Oluseyi Oyebode, the camp would afford participants opportunity be acquainted with the modern trend in football.

    “It is a great beginning. For the first time, we are having a foreign partner that is so keen on education and football that has been the missing link. That is why today, we have a lot of our ex-footballers and athletes suffering by not being able to manage the successes, not being able to manage their finances while making the money.

    Also, there will be mentorship programmes and for the first time, we will have school coaches, coaches from the grassroots having FA certification and that is the greatest value that you can think about, so that we can have the same orientation that an average British coach will have in working with the youth academy. This is going evolve and help development of football in Nigeria

    The Director of FCV Academy, Martin Harris, special emphasis would be laid on encouraging the participants to combine sports with education.

  • Fire razes 35 shops in Kurmin Yan-nama market, Kano

    The Kano State Fire Service says 35 temporary shops been destroyed by fire at Kurmin Yan-nama Market in Kano State.

    The spokesman of the service, Alhaji Saidu Mohammed confirmed the incident while speaking with newsmen in Kano on Sunday.

    He said 27 of the shops were completely razed, while eight were slightly burnt.

    “We received a distress call in the early hours of Sunday at about 04:56 a.m from one Ado Musa that there was fire outbreak at the market.

    “On receiving the information, we quickly sent our persfromonnel and fire fighting vehicles to the scene of the incident at about 05:03 a.m to stop the fire spreading to other shops,“ he said.

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    He advised traders to be more careful and desist from using instruments capable of triggering fire as a way of guarding against future occurrence.

    Mohammed also advised residents to keep fire buckets, blankets and extinguishers at home to enable them curtail fire outbreak before calling on the fire service.

    Mohammed said the cause of the fire was  still being investigated.

  • Air Force kills four bandits in Kagara forest

    The Nigerian Air Force on Sunday said four bandits have been killed during air strikes in Kagara Forest in Zamfara state when the bandits fired at its Mi-35 helicopter gunship during an operation.

    According to the spokesman of the Air Force, Air Commodore, Ibikunle Daramola, the air strikes were targeted at logistic base of the bandits inside the forest.

    Daramola explained in a statement that the operations were carried out after intelligence report had established the presence of the bandits and their operational equipment in the area.

    He said: “In continuation of its sustained intensive air operations against armed bandits’ hideouts in Zamfara State and its environs, the Air Task Force (ATF) for Operation DIRAN MIKIYA has destroyed some logistics stores belonging to the bandits at a location within Kagara forest.

    “The operation was executed on Sunday, 13 April 2019, following credible intelligence reports indicating that some of the armed bandits who had fled their camps as a result of NAF’s earlier air strikes had relocated some logistics items, including fuel, motorcycles and local arms making equipment, to another location within Kagara Forest.

    ” Accordingly, the ATF dispatched an Mi-35 helicopter gunship, supported by an Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) platform, to attack the target. The target area initially appeared uninhabited.

    “However, as the helicopter approached, some of the bandits were seen emerging from under the shrubbery and running away from the area.

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    “The helicopter engaged the target recording successful hits on the logistics facility, which was engulfed in flames with thick black smoke seen.

    “Some armed bandits, who fired at the aircraft, were taken out by the helicopter.

    “Reports from independent sources, including local informants and village leaders around the general area, later confirmed that the logistics base was totally destroyed and 4 armed bandits killed as a result of the attack.

    “The NAF, working in consonance with surface forces and other security agencies, will sustain its operations to flush the bandits out of the Northwest of the country.”

     

     

     

  • African Church crisis deepens as S/South provinces sack S/West bishops

    The festering leadership crisis in the African Church has assumed an ethnic colouration following the sack of bishops from the Southwest part of the country from provinces in the South-south region.

    Bishop James Bamidele from Ekiti state, who was at Four towns, Uyo and Archbishop A.A Odufuwa, formerly of the Calabar Province have been removed, our correspondent learnt.

    A member of the church, who pleaded not to be named, also confirmed other south-south’ states including Edo and Delta states have also sent away their bishops from the Southwest.

    The source who spoke with reporters in Uyo at the weekend also disclosed that provinces in Edo and Delta states have threatened a breakaway from the Western provinces of the church.

    Calabar and Rivers provinces have also issued indicated their plan to secede if the current primate is forcefully removed.

    Penultimate week the primate of the church, Dr. Emmanuel Udofia returned to Uyo, the Akwa Ibom state capital.

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    It was alleged that he was being harassed by church leaders in the Southwest with the intention of ending his tenure abruptly.

    Udofia is said to be threatened with sack if he fails to vacate office as Primate by May when he turns 60.

    But South-South members of the church are however of the opinion that a new law could not have been applicable to Udofia who was voted into office on the dictates of the old constitution.

  • FUOYE don tasks govt on petrochemicals alternatives

    A Professor of industrial chemistry at the Federal University Oye Ekiti, Ekiti State Prof. Cicilia Akintayo has urged the federal government to put up modern based chemical plants that would assist in producing bio-based chemicals.

    Akintayo said this would serve as perfect alternative to petrochemical products which have been a threat to human existence and environment.

    The university don made the disclosure in a maiden inaugural lecture delivered during the weekend at the large lecture theatre Hall, Faculty of Science, FUOYE entitled: ‘The place of plant oil derived products as sustainable replacement for petrochemical products in industries’.

    She explained there is need for a paradigm shift from petrochemicals which constitute biological hazard to a sustainable alternative where environmental impact will be reduced.

    She added application of natural products can provide sustainable alternative to petroleum based products through adequate and proper designing of bio-based products.

    Akintola opined a transition towards bio-based products will guarantee economic, social and environmental sustainability.

    She, however, urged the government to make a shift from monolithic oil- based economy to a diversify one based on systematic utilization of raw materials.

    “Since Nigeria as a country require adequate development strategies that are consistent with her natural resources endowment, then, there would be need to explore renewable products.

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    “The products from petrochemicals are wonderful and increasingly succeed in synthesising new, useful and highly competitive substances.

    “But they are cast aside because of their biological hazard and environmental impact.

    “So, there is huge cry for bio-based chemicals to replace petrochemical because biomas doesn’t contribute to carbondioxide in the atmosphere in contrast fossil fuels used by the latter,” Akintola said.

    Speaking further, she said adequate priority needed to be given to bio-based chemical plant taking cognizance of the social benefits attached to it.

    She, however, appealed to the government to take it as a national project, noting local chemical needs is an urgent requirement for bio-based economy and which is good for national prestige.

    This, she further said, would have multiplier effects on the economy, noting there will be rise in industries, reduction of unemployment and stabilise economic recession.

    According to her, government needs to invest more in her universities, especially in the area of research, adding that chemical research was the driven force of chemical industrialisation.

    “It is research that will improve the existing technology and provide abundant locally raw materials as alternative to the currently used one,” Akintola said.

    Commenting on Akintayo’s lecture, Prof. Shoremekun said: “The main thrust of Prof. Akintayo’s research is the need for the country to move away from our reliance on petrol chemical products, particularly petrol, and begin to rely on bio based chemicals that are less hazardous.

    “But the tragedy is that the Nigerian oil industry has remained fixated since 1958 till date, such that Nigeria lacks a viable petrol chemical industry.”

    This, he said, explains why the country has to rely on importing virtually everything, saying “the basis of industrialization can be found on two platforms which are Petrol chemical industry and the steel industry.

    “And we all know what happened to the steel industry. What the lecturer has done is to project for us the future where she is hoping the country would not lose that third platform,” he said.

  • Sensational Mustapha thrilled fans in Accra

    Mustapha Mustapha made headlines alongside his sibling – Musa – at the 2018 ITTF Challenge Nigeria Open for their courage and determination in crossing swords with top players at the African elite tournament in Nigeria’s commercial nerve-centre, Lagos.

    Since then, the Mustaphas – with the support of their engineer father – have has been working hard attending several clinics, including the ITTF Hopes Training in Accra, Ghana last December.

    They returned to Accra again to compete in the ITTF World Junior Circuit (WJC) in which the older of the brothers – Mustapha Mustapha – made the podium by wining bronze medal in the boys’ mini-cadet event.

    Although he did not compete in the ITTF Africa Junior and Cadet Championship, the 10-year-old Mustapha somewhat created a niche for himself supporting Team Nigeria here.

    Form the stands, he has been charging his compatriots to play better with instructions here and encouraging chants there. His unique celebratory style has attracted attention from many people.  While some say his high-pitch, animated celebrations affect opponents, the youngster says he is just happy urging his compatriots to do well in his unique way.

    Mustapha has been described as the next big thing in Nigeria’s table tennis due to his intelligent play. Older opponents have had to wonder how the young lad – who barely covers the table – could be so clever on the ball and difficult to play. His entertaining style of play, his top spin combined with backhand nearly scuttled the dream of Ghana’s Ibrahim Gado Nuhu to claim the gold medal in the mini-cadet event at the WJC.

    Confirming the difficulty of playing against the young Nigerian, Nuhu said: “Mustapha is a very clever player and the semifinal tie against him was the toughest match I played on my way to winning the gold medal. We had trained together during the ITTF Hopes Training last December and in the competition I defeated him 3-0. But in the WJC, I noticed he improved and I tasted this when we played because you cannot decide where he will place the ball and he such a fast player.  I believe he will be a great player for Nigeria.”

  • Aviation unions to picket Caverton Helicopters from Monday

    Five aviation unions have concluded plans to picket Caverton Helicopters from tomorrow over alleged ill- treatment of their members by officers and men of Nigeria Police.

    The unions include: National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE); Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN); Association of Nigerian Aviation Professionals (ANAP); National Association of Air Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE) and Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations Civil Services Technical and Recreational Services Employees (AUPCTRE).

    They said they resolve to embark on the action following the parlous handling of issues involving its workers and the police.

    According to the unions the picketing process will commence Monday and Tuesday to express displeasure over the denial of their rights by the police and also the inability of Caverton Helicopters to pay up their members their terminal benefits.

    In a circular letter to all aviation workers at the weekend, the labour union leaders directed all aviation workers in Lagos to assemble at Freedom Square at the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) headquarters on the 15th and 16th of April, 2019 by 9:00am each day to protest what they described as denial of their rights by the Nigerian police.

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    According to the circular dated 10th April, 2019 and jointly signed by NUATE General Secretary, Ocheme Aba; ATSSSAN Deputy General Secretary, Frances Akinjole; ANAP Secretary General, Abdul Rasaq Saidu; NAAPE Deputy General Secretary, Umoh Ofonime and AUPCTRE General Secretary, Bello MA, workers in Port Harcourt are to also assemble at the NAF Base operations of Caverton Helicopters to carry out similar protests.

    The circular stated:  “In the early hours of Thursday April 9th, 2019, the Nigeria Police Force stormed Caverton Helicopters – Commando Fashion-and intimidated, harassed, assaulted, brutalized and traumatised officials and members of National Union of Air Transport Employees NUATE who were engaged in the lawful activity of picketing Caverton Helicopters under the directive of the union, 12 of them were violently whisked away to unknown destination.

    “They were later found to have been detained at a facility in Oshodi, Lagos, operated by the Lagos State Environmental Safety Corps Task Force.

    “Though all 12 Comrades were later released after mass protest at the airport by fellow Comrades, it is noteworthy that no particular charges were entered against them by the police.

    “Also NUATE’s official vehicle was towed away to the same facility but damaged beyond repair in the process.

    “Two of the assaulted Comrades are still on treatment of injuries received at the hands of the police while the lone female Comrade among them is currently on trauma therapy,” the letter added.

    Arising from the foregoing, the unions stated that all unions operating in the aviation sector as named above stand firm to condemn in the strongest terms “the ungodly collaboration between the management of Caverton Helicopters and the NPF to deny the workers of the airline the benefits of representation of their unions and their rights guaranteed by the Constitution of Nigeria and Nigeria Labour law”.

    The group further informed their unions have fully briefed their respective labour centres of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC) and United Labour Congress (ULC).

    They maintained that picketing of Caverton Helicopters shall continue until all employees being owed are paid their due terminal benefits as negotiated by the affected unions of NUATE, ATSSSAN and NAAPE.

  • Breaking: Manchester City beat Crystal Palace, back on top

    Raheem Sterling’s double and another goal from Gabriel Jesus fired Manchester City back to the top of the Premier League ahead of Liverpool’s game against Chelsea as they won 3-1 at Crystal Palace.

    Sterling had already wasted a great chance by the time he shot high into the net to give City the lead after 15 minutes, and he wrapped up the points with a close range finish after the break.

    Luka Milivojevic made it an unexpectedly nervy finale for Pep Guardiola’s side when he whipped in a free kick from the edge of the box nine minutes from the end, but Jesus had the last word as he rounded off a 90th-minute counter-attack.

    City started purposefully, fashioning an early half-chance for David Silva, who was just unable to connect cleanly with a low Kyle Walker cross.

    They missed a golden chance after 10 minutes when Silva did brilliantly to reach the byline and cut the ball back to the unmarked Sterling, who could only roll it past the post.

    But Sterling made amends on the quarter of an hour mark when Kevin De Bruyne’s pass down the right enabled him to advance into the area and fire home an angled finish.

    The home side soon had an injury concern, Jeffrey Schlupp limping off after a collision and being replaced by Cheikhou Kouyate, with City continuing to threaten and Scott Dann doing well to clear another Silva cross.

    Sterling showed the other side of his game, tracking back to help Walker deal with Wilfried Zaha, and Aguero fired over as City maintained their control.

    But Palace showed a flicker of attacking life soon afterwards, Milivojevic crossing and Christian Benteke heading down before City hacked clear.

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    Soon after the half-hour, Sane forced a good save from Vicente Guaita when he fired an angled drive towards the near post.

    Guaita was in the thick of the action again when the ball fell to De Bruyne and he fired goalwards, and then Benjamin Mendy’s strike was straight at the Palace keeper.

    City began the second half in the same dominant way, De Bruyne narrowly failing to play Sergio Aguero through and Guaita gathering well when a De Bruyne cross deflected off Martin Kelly.

    But the visitors doubled their advantage after 63 minutes, Sterling again on the mark when he coolly converted Sane’s angled cross from the left.

    Bernardo Silva came on for David Silva as Guardiola made the first change of the afternoon, and then Ederson made a straightforward save as Benteke swivelled to bobble a strike towards goal.

    Dan headed well over from a Palace corner, and City took off Aguero and replaced him with Gabriel Jesus with one eye on next week’s Champions League game against Spurs.

    Palace introduced Max Meyer for Andros Townsend – and they found a route back into the game when James McArthur was fouled and Milivojevic thumped the free kick home.

    McArthur made way for Bakary Sako for Palace, John Stones replacing Sane for City, who removed any lingering doubts about the result when Jesus kept his cool after De Bruyne had played him into the area.

     

  • EFCC has no power to investigate or recover civil contract debts, Court rules

    A Federal High Court, Ibadan has ruled the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has no power to arrest anyone or investigate cases of debt recovery arising from breach of contract.

    Justice J. O. Abdulmalik in an April 1, 2019 damning judgment, a copy of which was obtained by The Nation, declared that the EFCC Act 2004 does not empower the commission to arrest, detain anyone or investigate cases of breach of contract in business transactions.

    It held that the commission only has power to arrest, detain or investigate financial crimes, not civil transactions.

    He gave the judgment in a case dragged before him by an Ibadan-based business man, Elder Francis Morakinyo Afolabi, through his lawyer, Mr. Joshua Olaniyan, against the commission and five others. Afolabi dragged the EFCC to court for his arrest, torture and freezing of his bank account based on a petition submitted on him by Mr Kehinde Olaniyan who trades under the name Kehinde R. Olaniyan Nigeria Enterprises over failure to fulfill his part of a business transaction worth N14 million with the latter in 2015.

    The petition was submitted to the Ibadan zonal office of the commission, upon which it invited Afolabi.

    Other respondents are three investigating officers of the commission and First Bank of Nigeria PLC in whose Afolabi’s Account was frozen.

    The complainant was admitted to bail while his bank account was frozen pending the completion of its ‘investigations’.

    But Afolabi dragged the commission and other respondents to court seeking a declaration of his arrest and freezing of account illegal as well as publication of a public apology in two national dailies that are popular in Ibadan.

    He also sought N100 million damages against the six respondents in the case.

    Citing the case of Lima versus Mohammed (1999) LPELR-1973 (Supreme Court), the judge declared that “an aggrieved party in a breach of contract is to seek for civil redress by way of insisting on actual performance of the contract or seek damages for the breach.” Justice Abdulmalik pointed out that it has become fashionable for some Nigerians to use law enforcement agents to retrieve debts arising from civil transactions instead of approaching the court to do so, possibly in an attempt to dodge lawyers’ professional fees.

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    The judge also held that Afolabi’s fundamental human rights were breached through his arrest and freezing of his bank account. He, therefore, awarded N500, 000 damages to the applicant but absolved the bank, stressing it was under obligation to honour the request from the EFCC for the account freezing being a commission empowered to do such.

    The judge set aside the directive freezing Afolabi’s bank account.

    For justice to be done, the court also held that Mr Olaniyan, who dragged Afolabi to the EFCC, should publish a public apology in a national daily whose circulation is popular in Ibadan.

    Among the seven issues formulated, six were resolved in favour of Afolabi.

    The court held that the commission has no power to investigate or resolve disputes arising from civil contracts, is not a debt recovery agency, declared freezing of Afolabi’s bank account illegal, declared his arrest as a breach of his fundamental human rights and a form of torture.

    He declared: “On issues one, two, three and four of the applicants, there is no gainsaid that the 1st respondent (EFCC) does not have the power to resolve or and investigate disputes arising from contracts or civil transaction.

    “Also, as reiterated in a plethora of judicial authorities, the 1st respondent is not a debt recovery agent.”

    The judge referred to, among others, Section 6B of the  EFCC Act 2004 Laws of Federation of Nigeria which states that the commission shall be responsible for the investigation of all financial crimes including advance fee fraud, money laundering, counterfeiting, illegal charge transfers, future market fraud, fraudulent encashment or negotiable instruments, computer credit card fraud, contract scam etc.

    He insisted the transaction between Afolabi and Olaniyan was civil, pointing out failure to honour terms of contract does not amount to a crime.

    He said it is strictly a civil transaction that is outside the powers of the commission irrespective of the garb the commission put on the matter.

    “Carefully from the above facts, I do find that irrespective of the descriptive inventory lexicon employed by the 5th respondent Mr Kehinde Olaniyan) to title his petition or report to the 1st respondent, it does not dissipate the facts on the ground from being that of a civil transaction of contract which has gone wrong.

    “To cushion my point, the 5th respondent’s report to the 1st respondent can be tantamount to a cry of ‘help me collect my money from the applicant’.

    “Otherwise, the question will be ‘what does the 5th respondent really want the 1st to 4th respondents to investigate?’ There is no mystery about the fact, the 5th respondent supplied applicants goods worth N14,611,820:00 which has not been paid for…

    “The ‘investigation power’ vested on the 1st respondent is in relation o the commission of a crime, and not a civil transaction, as simple as recovery of debt. The requisite sections of the E inimical and Financial Crimes Commission (Est) Act Laws of Federation of Nigeria 2004 as aforementioned all referred to instance and occasion of suspicion crime.”