Plateau Govt. tasks area directors, principals on teachers’ discipline
By Thompson Yamput
Education
Jos, Dec. 28, 2018 (NAN) The Plateau State Government, on Friday, tasked Area Directors of Education and School Principals to enforce teachers’ discipline toward ensuring qualitative teaching and improved educational standard.
Chief Venji Lar, Chairman, Teachers Service Commission (TSC) gave the charge while addressing the area directors in his office.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the meeting was aimed at improving the standard of education, which Lar said, “is very low’’ in the state.
“We should be mindful of the indiscipline being perpetrated by our teachers and whose effects are negatively affecting the standard of our education.
“Any teacher found wanting should be thoroughly disciplined or shown the way out if he or she is not ready to teach our children.
“Qualitative teaching is what the government employed them to give our students.
“These students are the future leaders of not just this state, but the nation as a whole, so they deserve quality education from our teachers and nothing short, ’’ he said.
Lar also urged the directors to emphasise to the school principals the need to instill the required discipline in their respective teachers.
He directed them to forward names of principals found conspiring with teachers to deprive the students of quality education to the commission for necessary action.
“We are aware of a situation whereby principals are in the habit of protecting some teachers who abscond from their duty post to undertake studies in some Universities and Colleges of Education.
“We shall discipline any principal or teacher who is fond of indulging in such act,’’ Lar said.
The TSC chairman lamented the low quality of education in the country and advocated for a deliberate national policy that would turn around the sector.
According to him, the Federal and state governments must wake up to the challenge to serve the educational sector, especially as it relates to the future of the nation vis-a-vis its growth and development.
He described the teaching profession as a noble one that should give hope to the younger generation. (NAN)
TYC/AOS/SOA
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Edited by Bayo Sekoni/Oluwole Sogunle
Clash
By Moses Omorogieva
Lagos, Dec. 28, 2018 (NAN) Anti-riot policemen and an Armoured Personal Carrier have been stationed to restore peace at Ojota Motor Park in Lagos following bloody clash by transport union members on Thursday evening.
Sources told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that a suspended factional leader of a transport Union allegedly attacked the motorpark with hoodlums on Thursday to reclaim the facility.
NAN gathered that there was a free for all as members loyal to the leadership of the park tried to defend the venue from the intruders with machetes, bottles and other weapons.
“The clash started Thursday evening at about 6.30 p.m, many vehicles were leaving the park horridly and there were gun shots in the air and everyone scampered for safety.
“That resulted to the deployment of police personnel from different divisions under Area H, including anti-riot police officers by the Area Commander, ACP Miller Dantawaye,” a source said.
When NAN visited the park at about 12 noon on Friday, about nine patrol vehicles and one Armoured Personnel Carrier were seen stationed at the Ogudu road gate of the park.
Some NURTW members, who spoke with NAN, said that normacy had returned to the park, stressing that the leadership of the park were invited for a peace meeting with Lagos Council of the union.
ACP Miller Dantawaye told NAN in a telephone interview that the park was partially closed until normacy returned fully to the area.
He said no death was recorded, stressing that no arrest had been made as at press time.
NAN reports some vehicles have started loading passengers going to different parts of the country under the watch of policemen patrolling the park. (NAN)
MIO/WOJ
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Fraud
By Tomisin Erogbogbo
Lagos, Dec. 28, 2019 (NAN) A 45-year-old man, Bola Afeez, who allegedly defrauded a bureau de change operator by giving him fake N200,000 in exchange for $600 was on Friday arraigned by the police.
The accused was brought before a Tinubu Magistrates’ Court on a three-count charge of fraud, theft and conduct likely to cause breach of peace.
Afeez, however, pleaded not guilty to the three counts.
The prosecutor, ASP Fidelis Dike, told the court that the accused committed the offences on Dec. 1, at 2:00p.m, at Ikota Shopping Complex, Ajah, Lagos.
He said that the accused tendered fake N1,000 denominations, a total of N200,000, to a bureau de change operator, Mr Godwin Agbin, in exchange for $600.
Dike said the offences contravened Sections 168 (d), 287 and 372 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.
The Magistrate, Mr T. A Anjorin-Ajose, granted the accused N50,000 bail with two sureties in like sum.
He said that one of the sureties must be a relation of the accused and the other a civil servant.
The magistrate adjourned the case until Jan. 22, 2019, for mention. (NAN)
Modi considers 3 options to aid Indian farmers hit by low crop prices — sources
Aid
New Delhi, Dec. 28, 2018 (Reuters/NAN) India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi is considering three options for a relief package to help farmers suffering because of low crop prices at a cost of as much as three trillion rupees ($42.82 billion), according to three government sources.
($1 = 70.06 Indian rupees)
The possibilities are a direct payment to all landowning farmers, compensation for those who sold produce below government prices, and a loan forgiveness programme.
Modi is desperate to claw back support among India’s 263 million farmers and their many millions of dependents.
The initiative came after his Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lost power earlier this month to the opposition Congress in three big heartland states.
A general election has to be held by May.
The government is keen to find a way to get money to farmers as quickly and simply as possible so that they can feel the benefits before the election.
That could come at a major cost to its budget, which is already strained because of lower-than-expected tax revenues, and is likely to undermine its fiscal deficit target for the year ending in March.
The BJP won much of the rural vote at the last election in 2014 but there has been increasing anger with the government in the countryside because Modi has tried to get the market to play a bigger role in setting prices and sought to reduce government intervention.
Healthy crop production in the past two years and lower than expected exports have combined to drive prices down at a time when some farm costs have been surging.
The quickest option, and currently the most favored inside the government, is to directly pay landowning farmers 1,700-2,000 rupees per acre, said two of the sources, including one at the farm ministry.
They spoke on condition they not be identified.
The finance ministry estimates such a scheme, which means farmers would get the money before next sowing season, could cost up to one trillion rupees.
The second option would be to compensate farmers for the difference they received by selling their produce in the market compared with the government price that is set for grains and some other products, one of the finance ministry officials said.
That would be cheaper, costing about 500 billion rupees, the official added.
That option has some major drawbacks, though, as government support schemes have lost credibility because they don’t cover all farm produce and claiming from the government has often proven difficult.
Middlemen have also taken advantage of such schemes by persuading the farmer to give them part of any subsidy or compensation.
The most expensive option – at a cost of as much as three trillion rupees – and the least favored inside the government, would involve writing off farm loans by up to 100,000 rupees per person.
That is a policy that is being pushed hard by the opposition Congress party.
“Broadly speaking, the government is considering three options – writing off some farm loans, introducing a price differential plan and direct transfer of cash to farmers,” said a source at the farm ministry.
All three sources, said that the government has not yet discussed the ways in which it plans to fund any of the schemes.
In the last week Modi had a series of meetings with Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Agriculture Ministry Radha Mohan Singh and officials from its top think tank Niti Aayog to weigh its options for a farm relief programme.
BJP President Amit Shah also met Agriculture Minister Singh last night to discuss the proposals, according to a senior cabinet minister, who did not want to be named.
The government is also planning to buttress any package by revising the existing crop insurance policy to facilitate easier settlement of claims and also give greater non-collateralised credit assess to farmers, the minister said.(Reuters/NAN)
DCU
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Lagos, Dec. 28, 2018 (NAN) Ace Fuji Artiste, Adewale Ayuba, on Friday urged fellow musicians to focus more on impacting lives positively in 2019 through the production of more meaningful music, loaded with positive moral content.
Ayuba told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that negative musical content was capable of derailing the youths and encouraging all manner of social vices.
He said that projecting positive musical content would enliven their music and transform the society into a saner and better place to live in.
“I want musicians to reconsider their content; we are all like the Pastors or Imams.
“We should make sure our music conveys good morals for the listeners to imbibe.
“Musicians should bear in mind that most people take us as their role models; so, we should lay good examples for them to emulate,” the Fuji exponent said.
Ayuba called on musicians to evaluate the impact of their music on listeners in the past years, saying that the impact of such works must be positive on the listeners, before a musician could be considered successful.
According to him, music is supposed to edify the spirit and soul, not to corrupt individuals.
He advised musicians to tone down on the use of vague and vulgar languages and obscene videos in their future works, to make them more acceptable and respected by their fans.
“Music is meant to edify the spirit and the soul.
“We should also try as much as possible to avoid projecting obscene views in our musical videos, because what people see lingers longer in their memories.
“Vague languages should also be minimised,” the artiste said.
Ayuba said that his musical libraries would go digital in 2019, to enable his fans to listen to his lyrics and watch the video clips of his music through different social media.
“Next year will be great for my fans, because they will be able to access my music on different social media platforms.
“Some of my past music, which cannot be accessed on social media platforms, will be made available next year,” he said.
He appreciated his fans for keeping faith with him, and promised to impress them more in the coming year.
“I really appreciate my fans for keeping tabs on me. I want them to know that without them, there would have been no me.
“I appreciate their criticism, encouragement and love. Next year will be a better year for us all,” he said.(NAN)
Modi’s clampdown on e-commerce in India may not win back votes of small retailers. (File photo from Yahoo Finance)
e-Commerce
New Delhi, Dec. 28,2018 (Reuters/NAN) India’s new curbs on e-commerce companies may not be enough to win over small store owners and traders in next year’s general election, with the key voting bloc still seething over what it sees as broken promises by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
From Feb. 1, e-commerce firms, such as Amazon.com and Walmart-owned Flipkart Group, will not be able to sell products from companies in which they have an equity interest or form exclusive agreements with sellers.
Intended to prevent predatory pricing and deep discounting, the curbs follow intense lobbying by India’s many millions of small shopkeepers and the middlemen who serve them, particularly after Walmart this year spent $16 billion to acquire Flipkart.
The sector, which includes an estimated 25 million small store owners, largely supported Modi in the 2014 general election.
While seeing the new rules as a step in the right direction, many small businesses feel too much damage has been done after Modi went back on promises that he would not allow the entry of foreign companies into the domestic retail sector.
“We clapped and voted for Modi, believing in his promises.
“But what have we got is just a slap on our face,’’ said Pankaj Revri, president of a furniture market association in central Delhi.
The curbs, announced on Wednesday, surprised foreign e-commerce firms as little had been done by the government despite over three years of lobbying by domestic retailers.
Modi’s Hindu nationalist, Bharatiya Janata Party, is widely viewed as panicking after losing five state elections this month.
The government, which must hold a general election by May, is also expected to come up with new support programmes for farmers as their opposition grows due to low crop prices.
An opinion poll by TV channel ABP News this week predicted Modi’s party could fall short of a majority if the opposition forms an effective alliance in the national election.
B.C. Bhartia, President of the Confederation of All India Traders, said some small businesses had seen earnings more than halve in the last few years as they struggle to compete with low prices offered by the American-controlled behemoths.
“The last-minute policy change is too little and too late,’’ he said.
In particular, retailers and traders believe Modi turned a blind eye to what they say was the use of policy loopholes by major e-commerce companies to offer heavy discounts that allowed them to seize market share for goods such as electronic items.
Asked about those accusations, Amazon India said in a statement that it had always operated “in compliance with the laws of the land’’ and that had more than 400,000 small and medium businesses on its marketplace.
Flipkart declined to comment on the specific allegations.
Small Indian businesses have also been bruised by other Modi policies, including a sudden ban on the use of high-value currency notes in late 2016 and the launch of a national sales tax in 2017, both of which raised compliance costs.
Bhartia said if the government was serious about the concerns of small traders, it should prosecute violators of trade rules and appoint an independent regulator to curb malpractice.
A government official told reporters on Thursday the administration could consider demands for a regulator in its new e-commerce policy, expected to be released in the coming months.
A September report by PricewaterhouseCoopers estimated online commerce in India would grow 25 per cent a year for the next five years, hitting $100 billion a year by 2022.
The new curbs could harm those growth prospects and discourage some foreign investors, said investment consultants.
“Sentiment is definitely hurt,’’ said Harminder Sahni of retail consultant Wazir Advisors, adding that the policy suggested online retail business should only be done by Indians.
Amazon said in its statement it was evaluating the new guidelines to engage as necessary with the government so it could remain true to its vision of “transforming how India buys and sells and generating significant direct and indirect employment’’.
Flipkart said the advent of e-commerce had created hundreds of thousands of jobs and “the industry was set to be a major growth driver for the Indian economy and create millions of jobs in the future’’.
“It is important that a broad market-driven framework through the right consultative process be put in place in order to drive the industry forward,’’ it added.
The government boasts of attracting nearly $223 billion foreign investment in the last four years, compared with about $152 billion in the previous four years. (Reuters/NAN)
Syrian army enters Manbij after Kurdish calls to deter Turkey
Army
Beirut, Dec. 28, 2018 (Reuters/NAN) The Syrian army said it entered Manbij on Friday for the first time in years after the Kurdish YPG militia urged Damascus to protect the town from the threat of Turkish attacks.
It was unclear whether the government forces had spread out in the town, where U.S. forces operate and have a military base.
With the YPG at its forefront, Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) seized Manbij in 2016 from Islamic State, a milestone in the U.S.-backed battle against the jihadists.
The Manbij Military Council, fighters allied to the SDF, hold the town in northern Syria, which lies on a front with Turkey-backed rebels.
Ankara deems the Kurdish YPG fighters a threat and has vowed to crush them.
The Syrian army said in its statement on Friday that its troops had raised the national flag in Manbij and would guarantee security “for all Syrian citizens and others present in the area’’.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor, said the troops had deployed only along the edges of Manbij, standing between the town and Turkey’s rebel allies.
President Donald Trump’s abrupt decision to pull out some 2,000 U.S. troops, whose presence has deterred Turkey, has alarmed the SDF, which controls much of northern and eastern Syria.
The YPG says its fighters previously withdrew from Manbij to fight Islamic State jihadists in eastern Syria.
“So we invite the Syrian government, which we belong to, to send its armed forces to take over these positions and protect Manbij in the face of Turkish threats,’’ it said on Friday. (Reuters/NAN)
Lagos, Dec. 28, 2018 (NAN) Two sales’ representatives: Bolaji Rasaki, and Tope Taiwo, who allegedly stole 150 cartons of detergent valued at N2.7million form their employer appeared before a Tinubu Magistrates’ Court in Lagos on Friday.
The accused: Rasaki, 24, and Taiwo, 24, were arraigned along with one Abiodun Ramoni, 45, before Magistrate T. A. Anjorin-Ajose.
The trio whose addresses were not provided are facing a three-count charge of conspiracy, theft and receipt of stolen goods, but they pleaded not guilty.
The prosecutor, ASP Fidelis Dike, told the court that the accused persons committed the offences from January to December at Ebute-Ero Market on Lagos Island.
He said that Rasaki and Taiwo stole the 150 cartons of detergent belonging to the complainant, Mrs Fadeke Olaide, and sold them to Ramoni.
“Over the months, the sales’ representatives had been stealing the detergents in one carton and two cartons and had been selling them to Ramoni.
“When the complainant took stock of her goods for the year, she noticed the discrepancies and started
investigating without the knowledge of her sales’ representatives.
“She, however, caught them carrying some cartons of detergents from the shop when they thought she had left.
“She raised an alarm and the first two accused persons were arrested and taken to the police station.
“There, they confessed that Ramoni was involved,” he said.
The prosecutor said that the offences contravened Sections 287 (7), 328 (1) and 411of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State 2015.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Section 287 (7) carries a seven-year imprisonment while Section 328 (1) prescribes 14 years for offenders.
In his ruling, Anjorin-Ajose granted the accused persons bail in the sum of N200,000 each with two sureties each in like sum.
Anjorin-Ajose said that one of the sureties should be related to the accused and the other surety should be a community leader.
Toungo (Adamawa) Dec. 28, 2018 (NAN) Former Gov. Murtala Nyako of Adamawa is to serve as “guarantor’’ for his son, Sen. Abdul-Azeez Nyako, who is contesting for the Adamawa governorship seat under the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that Abdul-Azeez, senator representing Adamawa Central Senatorial District, defected from APC to ADC where he clinched the governorship ticket.
State Chairman of the party, Alhaji Yahaya Hamman-Julde, made this known on Friday during a consultative meeting with stakeholders in Toungo Local Government Area of Adamawa.
Hamman-Julde said that the Nyako administration was popular in the state because of its people oriented programmes.
According to him, the government tackled poverty at the grassroots and that is why people are yearning for its return because they have the assurance that Sen. Abdul-Azeez will revive the programmes if elected governor.
The chairman said majority of ADC members, including Sen. Nyako, were aggrieved All Progressives Congress (APC) members, who worked for the party’s victory in the 2015 polls in the state, but failed to sustain the programmes by Nyako.
“Our youths and rural farmers are clamouring for programmes by the Nyako administration such as the Local Apprenticeship Scheme (LAS) and Farming Skills Acquisition Centres that boosted farmers’ production and many more.
“We mobilised the masses and sacked the PDP to put the current Gov. Muhammadu Bindow, under APC, who promised to revive the programmes but failed to deliver on that promise.
“Now we are here to apologise for his (Bindow’s) failure to deliver and to present to you an alternative that we are sure cannot fail you.
“His father, the popular Baba Mai Mangoro, is here with us as guarantor,” Hamman-Julde said.
Also speaking, the chairman of ADC Elders Forum in the state, Alhaji Mijinyawa Kugama, a close ally of Gov. Nyako, regretted the elders’ roles in the emergence Bindow as governor, adding that they were confident Sen. Abdul-Azeez had the capacity to make a difference if elected.
In his remarks, Gov. Nyako said he was happy with the reception accorded him and his entourage by stakeholders and people at the grassroots since he commenced the consultation tour of local government areas.
He described the support as a sign that he had served well and related good with the diverse people of Adamawa.
Nyako said he was going round to thank the people for the support accorded him when he served as governor and to urge them to vote for credible candidates with the capacity to deliver.
“We need leaders who are just, fair and ever ready to address our challenges like poverty and hunger, education for our children and regular salary for our workers,’’ Nyako said.
Many people who spoke at the event recalled Nyako’s era and pledged to work for the return of such reign.
NAN reports that other local government areas visited by the consultation team are Ganye, Jada, Numan, Demsa and Mayo-Belwa. (NAN)
An employee counts U.S. dollar banknotes at a currency exchange office in Jakarta, Indonesia (REUTERS)
Dollar
London/New York, Dec. 28, 2018 (Reuters/NAN) After an unexpected rally that carried the dollar to 18-month peaks and saw it end 2018 as investors’ top trade, the currency faces challenges in the coming year.
They include an expensive valuation, a flagging equity boom, waning cash repatriation by U.S. companies and the possibility that the U.S. Federal Reserve will not raise interest rates as many times as signalled.
Hence the prediction in a Reuters poll this month that the dollar will end 2019 around five per cent below current levels.
That flies in the face of the current trend, with futures showing dollar positioning near historical highs.
Furthermore, the Bank of America Merrill Lynch’s monthly investor survey shows the greenback regaining the “most crowded trade” crown from the FAANG tech stocks group.
But the wheels have come off that investor bandwagon in recent years, as big bets have misfired on Bitcoin, tech and…the dollar, which markets had heavily bet against in late 2017.
“From a positioning perspective, the scope for the dollar to rally significantly is not there unless you see growth in the rest of the world really weakening and the United States continuing to be strong,’’ said Eugene Philalithis, Portfolio Manager at Fidelity International.
On the economic front, jobs and housing data suggest a decade-long U.S. recovery is losing traction and a flattening bond yield curve is flashing the classic recession warning.
While the Fed raised interest rates in December and signalled it would stay the course on policy tightening, money markets reckon otherwise.
Then there is valuation.
Even before the dollar rally began in April, it was overvalued compared to historical averages against the currencies of trade partners and adjusted for inflation (REER).
Now it is 12 per cent more expensive than its 10-year average on that basis.
Other currencies, including the British pound and some emerging heavyweights, look significantly undervalued – the Turkish lira and Brazilian real by around 20 per cent.
But if odds are stacked against the dollar, why have investors rushed to embrace it as 2018 ends?
The Dollar Smile theory, put forward by former Morgan Stanley strategist, Stephen Jen, offers an explanation.
It says the dollar strengthens as risk aversion grows – as is happening now – because investors rush for safe, liquid assets.
It would then weaken as growth flags – the bottom of the smile – before rising again as the economy recovers.
Indeed Jen, now CIO at hedge fund Eurizon SLJ, considers cash dollars the best investment going into 2019.
But clouds are gathering over the broader economy too.
This month’s BAML poll showed investors at their most pessimistic on global growth since the 2008 financial crisis. (Reuters/NAN)
