Author: Isah Mukhtar

NAN-H-10
Attempt

By Ali Baba Inua
Maiduguri, Oct. 30, 2016 ( NAN) The Nigerian Army on Sunday foiled another attempt by a suspected suicide bomber to attack the Bakassi Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camp in Maiduguri, its spokesman, Col. Sani Usman, said in a statement.

Usman, who issued the statement in Maiduguri, said: “At about 9.00a.m. this morning, troops of Operation Lafiya Dole deployed behind Bakassi IDP camp, Damboa Road, Maiduguri, on security duty, intercepted a suspected male suicide bomber.

“He had attempted to sneak through the troops’ inner parapet towards the IDP camp before he was shot dead.”

He said that “the vigilant sentry sighted the bomber and lay in wait until the suicide bomber came close.

“The sniper instantly shot and killed the terrorist as he tried to force his way to the western flank of the IDP camp fence.”

Usman said the Improvised Explosive Device (IED) vest strapped on the bomber failed to detonate, adding that ‘’a combined team of military and police Explosive Ordinance Device (EOD) have been called to safely detonate the IED’’.

He said that the situation at the camp and the general area was calm.

On Saturday two female suicide bombers killed nine persons in Maiduguri.

Usman, who confirmed the attacks, said after the first bomber detonated her bomb, the second, in a tricycle, tailed a fuel tanker that was about to discharge fuel at a station.

All three occupants of the tricycle died, the army spokesman said.  (NAN)
ABI/ENN/JCE
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Edited by Edwin Nwachukwu/Chukwudi Ekezie

NAN- H-5

Killing

By Kola Adeyemi

Lokoja, Oct. 30, 2016 (NAN) Gov. Yahaya Bello of Kogi says he is working with security agencies to unmask the killers of the state Chairman of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, Alhaji Abubakar Jalido.

Jalido was assassinated by yet to be identified gunmen in the early hours of Oct. 30 in his residence at Peace Community, Lokoja.

Bello, who said this in a statement in Lokoja on Sunday, condemned the brutal killing of Jalido, saying that the killers would be apprehended and made to face the law for the dastardly action.

He called for calm among Fulani herdsmen in the state, advising against reprisal and extrajudicial reaction from any quarters.

“The prevailing calm in the wake of the unfortunate crime should be sustained, “the governor pleaded in the statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Mrs Petra Akinti-Onyegbule.

“It is important that crime does not go unpunished, in order to send a resounding message to all and sundry that such will not be tolerated in Kogi State, “ he saiD

While describing the assassination of Jalido as painful, Bello condoled members of his immediate family and friends to bear his exist with absolute faith in Allah and prayed that God grant him eternal rest.

Meanwhile, the association has promised to remain calm and give the government and security agencies time to unmask the killers of Jalido.

The state Secretary of the association, Mr Suleiman Abubakar, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that members of the association had decided to give security agencies necessary information that might lead to the arrest of the killers.

Abubakar urged government and security agencies to expedite action to unmask the killers in the interest of justice and fairness.

“Average Nigerians can endure other hardships but this kind of action they may not endure,” Abubakar told NAN in a telephone interview. (NAN)
KKA/OFN
Edited by Felix Nwadioha

Fadama III AF can take Nigeria out of recession – Coordinator

NAN-AE-13
Fadama
By Kudirat Ogunyemi
Abuja, Oct. 28, 2016 (NAN) The Fadama III, Addition Financing (AF)`s project can take Nigeria out of economic recession due to the successes and achievements recorded in almost 26 states of the nation.

Mr Tayo Adewumi, the National Coordinator of the Programme, stated this at the pre-mission meeting held with its stakeholders in Abuja on Friday.

“The success recorded in the last mission and the challenges we have tackled show that agriculture will take the country out of the recession and increase the nation`s food security.

“The programme started with six states due to the successful participation of these states and we have proceeded to almost 27 states.

“Most of the Action Plan we agreed on in the last mission has been tackled and one billion naira has been disbursed this week to participating states, “ he said.

Adewumi added that the project’s teams are going on inspection on Sunday to check the achievements, challenges and how to make progress on the project.

“Some groups are going to Kano, Niger, Kogi and Sokoto while other teams are going to Enugu, Anambra, Lagos and Ogun States.

“We have the target to produce maximally across the value chain, production, processing marketing and storage and some of the states are doing well.

“The programme also has special project for North East region to support their livelihood and promote agriculture in that region to reduce the poverty and increase agricultural production, “ he said.

NAN reports that Fadama support clusters of farmers in selected states with comparative advantage and high potential to increase production and productivity of cassava, rice, sorghum and horticulture value chains.

Adewumi said, “the project has granted the request of some states that have capacity show in their performances and readiness to add another value chain the existing one.

“For economic diversification to agriculture to be achieved, we give room to the states to handle any other value chain of their choice.

“We also trained their facilitators, smart farmers and give them laptops to make the implementation of the project easy for them and to step down the training to our farmers in the field. “

Dr Adetunji Oredipe, World Bank Task Team Leader, thanked the national coordinator for the success recorded in the project.

“The achievements of the project and the way the states performed had shown that the country will soon be food sufficient.

“When we are food sufficient, every citizen will have food to eat, their income will increase and it will increase our foreign exchange as a country, “ he said.

Oredipe urged the teams to take their time to relate with the farmers on the field, so that the bank would know their challenges and how to deal with them.

He also charged the Fadama office to always monitor the money disbursed to the states for effective ultilisation and accessibility to the farmers.

NAN reports that Fadama is a Hausa name for irrigable land, usually low-lying plains underlay by shallow aquifers found along Nigeria´s major river systems.

Such lands are especially suitable for plant, fishing and livestock production.  (NAN)
ROK/MOL/AFA
Edited by Mustapha Lamidi/Felix Ajide
==========================

NAN-H-83

Market

Jos, Oct. 27, 2016(NAN) Gov. Simon Lalong of Plateau says his administration is set to build more satellite markets in the state to make it a commercial hub in the country.

Lalong made this known during the opening ceremony of the Plateau Day at the 2016 Jos Trade Fair.

He said that his administration supported entrepreneurship in every way because small businesses remained the primary engine for job creation, income growth and poverty reduction.

Lalong described entrepreneurship as a critical strategy for economic development, noting that the building of such satellite markets would encourage more small scale businesses in the state.

“As a responsible government, we are conscious of our mandate of spurring up entrepreneurship and industrialisation, so that gainful employment can be provided for our youths,’’ he said

The governor said the state government was determined to enhance the general economic wellbeing of the citizens.

According to him, the state government has embarked on various actions to boost commercial activities, including reviving and redeveloping the burnt Jos main market.

He said the actions were being done under the Public Private Partnership arrangement and prospective investors had been shortlisted to participate.

The governor said the government had acquired a befitting complex for One Stop Shop (OSS) as a means of easing doing business in the state.

He disclosed that the state government had an elaborate incentive for all investors ready to do business in the state.

Lalong said that the state had the natural ambience to house world class hotels that would accommodate all kinds of conferences, entertainment and events.

According to him, the state, located in the northern highlands of the country, has a unique climate that produces typical temperate vegetation, and is blessed with solid minerals. (NAN)
UBO/DUA/SOA
Edited by Dada Ahmed/Oluwole Sogunle
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NAN-H-45
PWDs

By Grace Alegba

Lagos, Oct. 27, 2016 (NAN) Mrs Alaba Gbadebo, the Executive Director, Benola, a cerebral palsy initiative, has advised the Federal Government to pay more attention to the welfare of People Living with Disabilities (PWDs).

Gbadebo, in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), on Thursday, said that PWDs suffered a lot of discomfort because infrastructure development in the nation did not capture their needs.

She called for a legislation that would make sure that the Nigerian society is disability friendly.

Gbadebo, who is also a co-founder of the NGO, called for the implementation of laws that can protect the interest of the PWDS in order to reduce stress in their daily lives.

“Government should know that everybody is not the same, as some people have special needs.

“Hospitals, schools, banks, ATM points, public buildings must have some special arena, where people with wheel chairs can be made comfortable.

“Apart from that, all the medications of the seriously disabled children and adults should be free,” she said.

She implored the government to increase the employment quota for PWDS as well as those from poor backgrounds.

The co-founder also called on the government to place the caregivers of PWDs on allowances in line with global practices, so as to reduce stress on those involved.

“In the developed world, if you have a child with special needs or disability, everything for that child is free; you are even paid to look after the child.

‘’You are given wheel chairs and whatever the child needs,” she said.

Gbadebo said that Benola was established to bridge the gap and solve the problem of stigmatisation that could make some families to hide PWDs or even take their lives.

She also encouraged the parents of children with disabilities to ignore the social stigma on the PWDs and focus on how to groom the children for better opportunities ahead.

NAN recalls that the eighth Senate passed the Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Bill, 2016 in July, which provides safeguards against any discrimination that the PWDs may be subjected to.  (NAN)
GA/DUA/YEMI
Edited by Dada Ahmed

Controlled by Yemi Idris-Aduloju

NAN-H-23
Networking
By Dele Eniola
Badagry (Lagos State), Oct. 27, 2016 (NAN) Mr Linus Bamoba, Acting Director, Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI), an NGO, on Thursday urged Nigerians to embrace social media networking as a smart way of connecting with people across the world.
Bamoba said this at the closing ceremony of a youth training programme held at the Administrative Staff College of Nigeria (ASCON), Topo, Badagry.
According to him, networking through the social media can create business opportunities, if harnessed properly.
“It’s worrisome to see that most people, including the youths, still underestimate the power of social media networking and its efficiency.
“Social media networking helps people to reach out on a wider scale and this helps in extending your outreach, which in turn will benefit you in so many ways that you can’t imagine.
“This is a tool that, if properly exploited, will bring so many business opportunities to your doorsteps.
“So, I urge people to tap into this and they would reap the full benefits of it,” Bamoba said.
He advised youths to strive to be self-sufficient and employers of labour.
“Youths should learn how to be innovative so that they can be employers of labour and creators of employment for people.
“We should learn how to stop relying on the government for every single thing because they can’t do it all for us,” he said.
In her remarks, Mrs Joy Achoba, Director of Administration, ASCON, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that YALI supports entrepreneurial skills of youths in Africa.
“From the interaction with participants, we have seen engineer turn writer, dabble into fishery, farming, amongst other things.
“ASCON focuses on capacity building, performance enhancement and proffering solutions through training for public and private sectors of the economy.
“We strongly believe that the evolutionary change the world at large looks out for would begin with the youths as they are agents of positive change and well equipped through innovative information,” she said. (NAN)
ENI/WOJ
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(Edited by Wale Ojetimi)

NAN-H-84
Sentence
By Chinyere Omeire
Lagos,  Oct. 26, 2016 (NAN) An unemployed man, Temidayo Oduniyi, 26, on Wednesday bagged six months imprisonment for stealing a cell phone valued at N60, 000.

Oduniyi, of no fixed address, was sentenced by an Igbosere Magistrates’ Court in Lagos after pleading guilty to a two-count charge of conspiracy and stealing.

The Magistrate, Mrs F. M. Dalley, sentenced Oduniyi without an option of fine and ordered that the sentence would take effect from the day of arraignment.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the convict had earlier been arraigned and the facts immediately reviewed by the prosecutor, Sgt. Cyriacus Osuji.

Osuji told the court that the facts of the case were as stated in the charge.

He said that Oduniyi and others at large committed the offences on Oct. 22, at 2:35 am, at No. 1665, Oyin Jolayemi St., Victoria Island, Lagos.

The prosecutor said that the accused stole one Infinix 03 phone valued at N60, 000, property of one Sadiq Ojoye of Access Bank Plc.

“Oduniyi entered into the security post of Access Bank Plc., at Oyin Jolayemi Annex, Victoria Island, Lagos, and stole the said phone.

“The security men at the post pursued the accused and others; the accused was apprehended with the said phone while the other people ran away,’’ he said.

Osuji said that the offences contravened Sections 285 (7) and 409 of Criminal Law of Lagos, 2011. (NAN)
OCC/ENN/SOA
============
(Edited by Edwin Nwachukwu/Oluwole Sogunle)

Tainjin, Oct. 26, 2016 (Xinhua/NAN)  China will have 42 million disabled senior citizens by 2020, and that number will more than double by 2050, according to an official with the China National Working Commission on Aging.

Report says China has seen a rapid rise in numbers of senior citizens who are unable to care for themselves, live alone or are aged over 80, with all such groups in dire need of care services, said Li Zhihong, deputy head of the commission’s policy research office.

He made the observation at an elderly care forum held in northern China’s Tianjin City on Wednesday.

It is estimated that the country will have 97.5 million disabled elderly people by 2050, Li said.

The number of people in the country aged above 80 will hit 29 million by 2020 and 108 million by 2050.

In addition, the number of elderly people who live alone or without their children’s care is expected to total 118 million by 2020 and 262 million by 2050.

Li said the aging population brings great opportunities for China’s elderly care industry, adding that technology is increasingly applied in the area.  (Xinhua/ NAN)

Edited by Julius Enehikhuere

Man, 56, docked over alleged N4m rent fraud
NAN-H-19
Duplex
By Chinyere Omeire
Lagos, Oct. 26, 2016 (NAN) A 56-year-old man, Adegoke Sanusi, who allegedly obtained N4 million from accommodation seeker under the guise of renting out an apartment was on Wednesday docked before an Igbosere Magistrates’ Court, Lagos.
Sanusi, whose address was not given, is standing trial on a three-count charge of fraud, stealing and unlawful breaking of house.
The Prosecutor, Insp. Haruna Ibrahim, told the court that the accused committed the offences between January 2010 and January 2015 at No. 23, Sadatu St., Oregun, Ikeja.
He said that the accused unlawfully broke into the house of one Karimot Sanusi under pretext of being the owner of the premises.
Ibrahim said that the accused obtained the N4 million from an unsuspecting accommodation seeker under guise of renting out the apartment.
The prosecutor said that the apartment was a five bedroom duplex with a boys’ quarter, property of Karimot.
Ibrahim said the offences contravened Sections 285, 306 and 312 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.
The accused pleaded not guilty.
The Magistrate, Mrs O. M. Ajayi, granted him bail in the sum of N500, 000 with two sureties in like sum.
She said that the sureties must show evidence of payment of tax and one of them must be a blood relation of the accused.
Ajayi said that the sureties must be gainfully employed and adjourned the case till Nov. 14 for mention. (NAN)
OCC/ENN/TA
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Edited by Edwin Nwachukwu/Tajudeen Atitebi

Oladapo returns to ITTF-Africa ex-board as Oshodi gets regional position

NAN-S-5
Oladapo
Lagos, Oct. 26, 2016 (NAN) Nigeria’s Olabanji Oladapo has been re-elected as the Vice President (Administration) to an eight-man Executive Board of the ITTF-Africa led by Khaled El-Salhy of Egypt.

A statement released in Lagos on Wednesday by the Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF), noted that the President of federation, Wahid Oshodi was also elected as the Regional Vice President — Western Region.

The election took place on the sidelines of the Bi-enniel General Assembly (BGM) held in Agadir, Morocco.

Oshodi, a Member of the Nominations Committee of ITTF-Africa, would be in charge of the region that includes, Benin Republic, Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire, Gambia and Ghana.

Others are Guinea Conakry, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo.

He would be expected to coordinate activities of the confederation in the region with an aim at developing the sport.

El-Salhy,  who re-emerged as ITTF-Africa was elected unopposed while Henry Djombo (CDR) was elected Deputy President; Oladapo as Vice President Administration.

Others are Hajera Kajee (South Africa), Vice President Marketing; Berte Abou Bakary (Cote d’ Ivoire), Vice President Finance; Monqid Hajji (Morocco), Vice President, Media and Public Relations and Balla Lo (Senegal), Vice President Technical, all elected unopposed.

The regional Vice Presidents are Abdennour Kaci (Algeria) takes charge of Northern Region, Wahid-Oshodi  in charge of Western Region, Alfred Bagueka (Cameroon) , Central Region; Andrew Mudibo (Kenya) Eastern Region: Joe Carrim (South Africa), Southern Region.

The council members are Kamel Zaitouni (Algeria), Mahmoud Oumar (Djibouti), Jalal Hariz (Libya), Philippe Hao Thyn Voon (Mauritius), Abdelrahman El-Sallawi (Sudan) and Thomas Kiggundo (Uganda).

However, two more co-opted members were added to the ITTF-Africa Executive Council during the maiden meeting.

In his acceptance speech, El-Salhy pledged to uplift the fortunes of table tennis in the continent, while calling for more support from National associations.

“I am highly honoured to be considered for another term in office. I went to the congress with their trust and support.

“We are ambitious for the future, because we want to focus on development and marketing of the sport, so that we can continue to grow in Africa,” he said.

According to the statement, countries that staged major competitions were honoured for their effort.

Not less than 18 National associations attended the BGM, while the congress then commended Morocco for hosting a befitting ITTF-Africa Senior Championships.

In 2017, Tunisia will host the African Junior and Cadet Championships in April while Congo Brazzaville is considering hosting the ITTF African Cup and Club Championship in July. (NAN)
PR/TON
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