Blog

Election
By Muftau Ogunyemi
Akure, Sept. 21, 218 (NAN) A presidential aspirant on the platform of United Democratic Party (UDP) has said that job creation would be given priorities of his administration if elected in the 2019 election.

Mr Isiaka Balogun made the promise on Friday in Akure while officially declaring his ambition to run for president.

“If I am picked by the party and elected as president, we are going to give grants and loans to private individuals to start their own businesses across the country but they must at least employ five or six people.

”So, there is a chance that by the end of 2019 our unemployment rate in the country will be less than four per cent,” he said.

Balogun said that Nigeria need a culture where the youths would have pride in their Nation.

He explained that it was lack of patriotism on the part of Nigerians that made them to search for greener pastures abroad despite the heavy disadvantages involved in such venture.

On restructuring, the UDP presidential aspirant said that what the country need now was a structured government.

“As far as Nigeria is concerned, there is no structure on ground now to restructure, you can not rebuild a house that is not in existence.

“It is when you tried a government that take care of everybody and does work then you can talk about restructuring. Let us have a structured government on ground before glamouring for restructuring.

“There is nothing like restructuring, those people talking about restructuring are using it as diversion. Its just to give something to us to be arguing about while they run away with our money.

“Nigeria remain the only country where tomorrow is not guaranteed to be better than today but unfortunately we cannot continue looking back for our greatness.

“Our greatness should be lying ahead of us, the future of Nigeria is the best structure we can have right now.

“I assure Nigerians, by the first six months of our administration people will not be talking about restructuring,” Balogun said.

Also speaking, Mr Godson Okoye, the National Chairman of UDP, said the party was determined to promote the progressive ideology and rebirth of the national economy if voted into power in 2019.

Okoye, who was represented by Mr Augustine Oguntimehin, the party Vice Chairman, South West, said that the party would overcome the existing structure of government.

“What you are witnessing today is the manifestation of the belief of some dignified and patriotic citizens of our Nation to move the country forward.

“By doing so, we shall be remembered as being part of evolution of the new order in Nigeria where there will be an equal opportunity for all to engage in rewarding participatory democracy,” Okoye said. (NAN)
OMA/IKU/IS
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Edited by Tayo Ikujuni/Ismail Abdulaziz

Primaries

Abakaliki, Sept. 21, 2018 (NAN) An Igbo Socio-Political Group, Voice Of The East, has faulted the adoption of indirect primary elections by some political parties for the selection of candidates ahead of the 2019 general elections.

The Convener of the group, Mr Kindness Jonah stated this while briefing newsmen at the end of its meeting in Abakaliki on Friday.

The group said that time had come for political parties to get it right if they really wanted a united Nigeria where equality, credibility and competence would thrive.

Jonah, therefore, called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to prevail on political parties to cancel the planned indirect primaries for choosing its flag bearers.

He noted that election by delegates rather than by direct participation of the eligible voters posed a clog in the wheel of democracy in Nigeria and fuels inequity.

“There is no way the masses can make input in determining who should fly the flag of a political party except by direct primaries.

“The idea of using delegates to choose candidates in indirect primaries poses a clog to the development of democracy and democratic practices in Nigeria.

“We, therefore, call on INEC as a matter of expediency to prevail on parties which have adopted indirect primaries for the selection of party candidates to drop the option for the sake of growth of democracy,” Jonah said.

The group also alleged that delegates participating in indirect primaries were often bought by money-bags against popular will of party members and to the disadvantage of more credible aspirants.

“The delegates in an indirect election are usually quartered in Porsche hotels and lavishly entertained including giving huge sums to sway their choices to preferred candidates.

“Such waste of our common patrimony is the main reason why public officers loot treasury in Nigeria once they ascend to power,” he added.

The group clamoured for abolition of indirect primary in the nation’s electoral system and called for the use of Option A-4 wherein the electorate queue behind their choice candidates.

“This group therefore proposes the use of Direct Secret-Open ballot system whereby each voter has all privacy to vote for his or her choice candidates and we believe that this remains the best for our fledgling internal party democracy,” he said.

He also condemned the purchase of forms for aspirants by individuals and groups including President Muhammadu Buhari describing the action as an `assault’ on the president’s anti- corruption war. (NAN)

ODO/MNA

Edited by Maureen Atuonwu

NYC organises entrepreneurial training for students in FCT

Entrepreneur

By Sylvester Thompson

Abuja, Sept.21, 2018(NAN) The National Youth Council of Nigeria(NYC), on Friday organised  entrepreneurial training for students drawn from 25 schools across the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Ten students were selected from each school for the event called Abuja School Festival, with the theme: “Diversifying the Nigerian economy through education on entrepreneurship activities.’’

The programme organised by the  Directorate of Education of the NYC, was designed to expose secondary school students on the importance of entrepreneurship.

Mr Nnadi Oputa, Welfare Officer in the Directorate of Education and Training, who spoke, said the event was to encourage students to be self-employed through harnessing their talents.

Oputa said the event, first of its kind in the history of the NYC, was a gathering of students to “value the art and science of practical entrepreneurship.’’

He stressed that entrepreneurship; the main focus of the training would help solve most of the problems rocking the society.

He added that entrepreneurship was made the focal point in order to draw more attention and to value the education sector “because it gives rise to quality teaching  and learning.’’

Oputa also said that acquisition of skills were important, as it would be used to solve societal problems.

He said that engaging students in academic entrepreneurship activities would help them to be more productive.

“This will also promote the mindset of an entrepreneur in these students at the tender age, which will eventually lead to reducing unemployment and inequality in our society,’’ he said.

Oputa listed the areas the students should show interest to include: Tailoring, beads making, catering, entertainment, among others.

Mrs Ani Ayeni, the keynote speaker, stressed the importance of time management and for the students to show commitment in their areas of interest.

Organisers of the programme hoped that at the end of the training, students would   declare interest in various fields of entrepreneurship.(NAN)

SET/OU

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Edited by Obike Ukoh

Hajj
By Mohammad Tijjani
Kaduna, Sept 21, 2018 (NAN) The National Hajj Commission (NAHCON) has called on Hajj managers at Federal, State and Local Government levels to put more emphasis on staff training, particularly on Information Communication Technology (ICT) knowledge.

The NAHCON Chairman, Alhaji Abdullahi Mukhtar, made the call in a statement by the Public Relations Officer of the Board, Yunusa Abdullahi, in Kaduna on Friday.

Mukhtar, who also addressed Kaduna State Pilgrims Board officials at Makkah, Saudi Arabia, said that very soon, Hajj managers without computer knowledge would have no business in organising Hajj activities.

The NAHCON chairman said that the world was changing and everything about Hajj preparations had gone digital.

“This means that very soon, let’s say from next year any pilgrim registration officer that is not computer literate should have no business in Hajj preparation and activities.

“Saudi Arabia officials have since gone far in using ICT during hajj activities. So, it will be difficult for Hajj officials without computer knowledge to operate.

“This is why we are urging state pilgrims board to ensure that they train and retrain their staff on computer knowledge,’’ Mukhtar said.

He also said that members of staff of the pilgrims board were supposed to build the capacity of their staff on human relations and hospitality as they directly deal with the pilgrims.

“States need qualified staff with computer knowledge to handle the registration of their pilgrims online as well as make payment for accommodation and for other services in Saudi Arabia because everything is now done online’’, the NAHCON chairman added.

Mukhtar said that Kaduna State performed well this year, saying he was very proud of the state in terms of its expertise in Hajj operations.

“I’m proud of Kaduna state and I’m happy that every year you come with good team which is why you always lead other states when it comes to Hajj operations.

“Therefore, Kaduna needs to lead in terms of training of the staff because other states have already taken the challenge of building the capacity of their staff in computer but I think Kaduna should be the one leading,’’ he said.

Mukhtar also cautioned NAHCON staff as well as those of the state pilgrims board to always fear their creator and do their jobs with justice and fairness.

He warned members of staff against misconduct or cheating pilgrims, noting that doing so would attract severe punishment hereafter. (NAN)
TJ/GOM/AJA
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Edited by Gregory Mmaduakolam/Adeleye Ajayi

Election
By Victor Adeoti
Osogbo, Sept. 21, 2018 (NAN) Ahead of Saturday’s governorship election, the Nigeria Civil Society (NCS) has appealed to political parties to shun activities that could trigger violence before, during and after the election.

The NCS Coordinator, Mr Clement Nwankwo, made the appeal at a press conference on Friday in Osogbo.

Nwankwo also urged security agencies to be vigilant and apprehend those engaged in vote buying without necessarily waiting for election officials to point them out.

He, however, expressed worry over the welfare of policemen that would be on election duty, saying some of them have been sleeping in classrooms.

” This raises a question of their proper and optimum conduct in the course of the election,’’ Nwankwo said.

He commended the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for its smooth distribution of sensitive materials to all the 30 Local Government Areas in the state.

Nwankwo urged INEC to ensure accessibility of People Living With Disabilities to the polling units and also provide materials that would aid their participation in all the polling units.

He also said that INEC should ensure that ad hoc staff paste form EC 60E at polling units for transparency and accountability.

Nwankwo added that INEC should also open up its electronic collation system for viewing and attestation by independent observers.

He said more than 70 civil society organisations were represented in the NSC situation room, adding that they would be relying on their field observers and partner organisations distributed across the local councils to form its analysis.

Nwankwo further said that the NSC situation room observed that voters across the state were highly motivated and mobilised to cast their vote.

” The situation room calls on all stakeholders in the election process to live up to the expectation of Nigerians.

” It also calls on INEC to deliver free, fair and credible elections and to approach this election with responsibility and utmost respect to democratic standards,’’  Nwankwo said. (NAN)
VE/OJO
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(Edited by Mufutau Ojo)

Foundation urges FG to empower Committee on child labour
By Olasunkanmi Onifade
Children
Abuja, Sept. 21, 2018 (NAN) The National Coordinator, Child and Youth Protection Foundation, Mr Kolawole Olatosimi, has appealed to the Federal Government to empower the steering committee on child labour across the country including the FCT.
Olatosimi made the call during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Abuja.
He said the committee need to be funded adequately and called for more commitment of the members.
Olatosimi said although some state committees are working properly, but there was room for more improvement.
“Boys outnumbered girls in hazardous work; more than 60 per cent children in hazardous work are boys, we must ensure that children are not in hazardous work.
“Some of the physical or psychological impacts of hazardous work may not be obvious immediately, but only begin to appear at a later stage in their lives.
“Hazardous work can have immediate and long-term impacts on children. These may include injury and even death; it could be due to pesticide poisoning,’’ the coordinator said.
Olatosimi said children and adolescents are specifically vulnerable to the effects of hazardous work because they are still developing physically and mentally.
He said some parents could be careless about the wellbeing of their children and hide under poverty to destroy the future of these children and put unnecessary pressure on the larger society.
Olatosimi however said there should be a mechanism to identify and punish erring parents, saying it can serve as deterrent to others and gradually eliminate or reduce the number of children in hazardous work and child labour.
“Another way of eliminating hazardous work on children is to focus on the parents of those children involved in it.
“The necessary government MDAs like the Inspectorate Department of the Ministry of Labour and Employment, Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, NAPTIP, National Human Right Commission must be well funded and staff properly trained to work effectively in the elimination of hazardous work and all forms of child labour.
“The Nigeria hazardous work list need to be disseminated to more MDAs, and the public and the ministry of labour and employment needs to increase their engagements with social partners and other relevant stakeholders,” he said. (NAN)
OEO/MST
Edited by Muhammad Suleiman Tola

Abia Govt. to establish SME microfinance bank to assist SMEs – Commissioner

Bank

By Leonard Okachie

Umuahia, Sep. 21, 2018 (NAN) Mr Gabriel Igboko, Abia Commissioner for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), says the State Government has concluded plans to establish SME microfinance bank in October to assist small scale entrepreneurs in the state.

Igboko disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Umuahia.

He said the bank was one of the three agricultural SME programmes of the state government already approved by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

The commissioner explained that the government would, through the bank, do disbursements to other SME bodies, so that they could have soft loans that were not normally available in commercial banks.

He said: “by October, we would have completed all formalities to have Abia SME microfinance bank established.

“The governor has since given his approval. We have gone to the CBN and we have met all the conditions.

“We are just trying to tie all the necessary loose ends in terms of documentation.

“The microfinance bank identifies those businesses that would come for as small as N20,000 loans or N50,000 and even up to N500, 000 loans.”

He explained that the bank would be disbursing funds to other CBN approved programmes of government that included the Commercial Agricultural Scheme (CAS) and the industrial starch plant.

Igboko further said that the state government would engage over 10, 000 youths within six months in the commercial agriculture programme also billed to take off in October.

According to him, everybody in the state, including civil and public servants would be encouraged to have their own farms under the scheme.

He said that the state government had already made available about 10, 000 hectares of land for the scheme.

“Every person will have a farm of at least one hectare, but no individual is allowed to have more than three hectares, so that it is not monopolised,” Igboko said.

The commissioner also said that the industrial starch plant would be the first of its kind in West Africa.

He said the foreign partners had already done the feasibility study, adding that it would take the state to another level of industrialisation.

“We already have an off taker that is asking for 38 metric tonnes of cassava starch per annum. The whole of Southeast of Nigeria cannot produce up to 30 metric tonnes per annum.

“In fact, we will involve our neighbouring states like Akwa Ibom, Imo and Ebonyi. Abia alone cannot meet the demands for the kind of farming we are talking about,” he said. (NAN)

LEO/GOM/EMO
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Edited by Gregory Mmaduakolam/Ejike Obeta

Projects
By Uche Bibilari/ Jacinta Nwachukwu
Abuja, Sept. 21, 2018 (NAN) Pastor Usani  Uguru Usani, the Minister of  Niger Delta Affairs, has inaugurated a community town hall and a solar-powered water projects at Ishibori and Abakpa communities in Ogoja Local Government Area of Cross River.

Mr Marshall Gundu, the Director of Press, the ministry, made this known in a statement on Friday in Abuja.

The minister said that this was in line with the administration’s commitment to improve the welfare of the people at the grassroots.

“This administration has not come to recompense evil for evil, every government has the responsibility to serve the society and we are doing so without any partisanship.

“We are spreading projects in every community and various constituencies in the Niger Delta region according to their needs and availability of resources’’.

Usani said that government’s efforts in Ogoja land were not limited to the town hall and a solar-powered borehole alone, adding that several other people-oriented projects were being handled by the ministry.

According to him, many ongoing internal road projects being undertaken by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) in Ogoja Local Government Area will soon be completed and inaugurated for the use of the people.

The minister charged the people of Ishibori and Abakpa communities and Ogoja land in general and the entire people of the Niger Delta region to remain law abiding citizens.

He urged them to make effective use of government’s projects in their localities and ensure the security of the facilities, saying that would encourage the government to do more.

The Permanent Secretary, of the ministry, Alhaji Aminu Aliyu, said that social welfare and community engagements were critical components of the Federal Government’s Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP).

Aliyu, who was represented by the Director, Community Development and Education of the ministry, Mrs Lauren Braide, said that attention was given to the provision of community facilities.

He said that this was due to their far-reaching impacts on citizens’ participation in governance. (NAN)
UU/JIN/GY
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Edited by Grace Yussuf

Break-in

Ikeja, Sept. 21, 2018 (NAN) A 22-year-old man, Ridwan Fatai, who allegedly broke into a shop and stole rice worth N3,300, was on Friday brought before an Ikeja Magistrates’ Court, Lagos.

Fatai, whose address was not provided, is facing a two-count charge of break-in  and stealing.

The Prosecutor, Insp . Matthew Akhaluode, told the court that the accused committed the offences on Aug. 27, at 02:30a.m, at Akinpelu Street, Oko-Oba, Agege, Lagos.

Akhaluode said the accused broke into the shop of the complainant, Mrs Omowunmi Ojo, and stole the rice.

“The accused broke into the shop in the early hours of the morning and stole the rice, valued N3,300,” he said.

Akhaluode said that the accused was caught while trying to escape with the stolen item by the vigilance group in the area.

The offence contravened Sections 287 and 309 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015 (Revised).

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Section 287 stipulates a seven-year jail term for stealing, while Section 309 provides three years for break-in.

The accused, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges.

In her ruling, the Magistrate, Mrs A. A. Adetunji, granted the accused bail in the sum of N10,000 with one surety in like sum.

Adetunji said that the surety should be gainfully employed and should show evidence of two years tax payment to the Lagos State Government.

She adjourned the case  until Sept. 28. (NAN)

IZU/EOB/SOA

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Edited by Edith Bolokor/Oluwole Sogunle