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NAN-HE-23

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By Chinyere Joel-Nwokeoma

Lagos, Nov. 21, 2016 (NAN) Activities opened for the week on Monday on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) still on a negative trend, as the market awaits outcome of the last Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting for 2016.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the market indicators dropped further by 0.15 per cent as a result of losses by some highly capitalised equities.

Specifically, the All-share Index which opened at 25,537.54 lost 38.54 points or 0.15 per cent to close at 25,499.00.

Also, the market capitalisation dipped N14 billion to close at N8.777 trillion compared with N8.791 trillion achieved on Friday.

NAN reports that Mobil Oil topped the losers’ chart with a loss of N4.99 to close at N190.01 per share.

Dangote Sugar trailed with 32k to close at N6.16 and International Breweries dipped 30k to close at N19.50 per share.

Stanbic IBTC also shed 30k to close at N15.50, while Ecobank Transnational Incorporated declined by 20k to close at N9.80 per share.

On the other hand, Flour Mills led the gainers’ table, gaining 80k to close at N17 per share.

Transcorp Hotel followed with a gain of 26k to close at N5.51 and Africa Prudential Registrar grew by 10k to close at N2.65 per share.

Cutix increased by 9k to close at N1.98 and Dangote Flour added 7k to close at N3.80 per share.

An analysis of the activity chart indicated that Transcorp emerged the most traded equity, exchanging 19.89 million shares worth N13.56 million.

It was followed by Skye Bank with a turnover of 14.08 million shares valued at N7.13 million and Diamond Bank sold 10.11 million shares worth N9.24 million.

FCMB Group exchanged 9.09 million shares valued at N9.38 million, while investors staked N36.29 million on 8.51 million shares of United Bank for Africa (UBA).

In all, the volume of shares traded closed lower as investors bought and sold 112.44 million shares valued at N858.54 million achieved in 2,532 deals.

This was in contrast with 165.58 million shares worth N888.17 million traded in 2,279 deals on Friday. (NAN)
JNC/SOA

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Edited by Oluwole Sogunle

NAN-DS-6

Donation

By Yahaya Isah

Abuja, Nove. 21, 2016 (NAN ) The Nigerian Air Force (NAF ) on Monday presented relief materials and a cheque of the sum of N7 million to Air Force Officers’ Wives Association (NAFOWA ) for onward delivery to IDPs camps in the North-East.

The Chief of Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, while handing over the items to the association, said the donation was informed by the plight of IDPs in the region due to the activities of Boko Haram insurgents.

The CAS was represented by the Director of medical services, Air Force Headquarters, AVM Saleh Shinkafi.

According to Abubakar, the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) estimated that about three million Nigerians had been displaced from their towns and villages as a result of the activities of the insurgents.

This, he said, was mostly in the North –East and in other parts of the country.

“They now found themselves mostly in various camps within and outside the affected states. They live in very crowded camps without adequate shelter, food, water, medical care and means of livelihood.

Abubakar said that it was as a result of this situation that NAF personnel came together and voluntarily donated money and materials to meet some of their needs.

“They are completely dependent on government and organisations or individuals that bring one form of assistance or another to them,’’ he said.

This assistance, he said, had been inadequate due to the number and complexity of the IDPs’ problems, which called for more assistance by the government or other stakeholders.

He said further that NAF had also embarked on `hearts and minds’ campaign through provision of medical care and other facilities to IDPs.

The CAS said that the gesture also saw the establishment of emergency hospitals at Dalori and Bama IDPs camps.

“NAF’s modest contributions had helped in alleviating some of the problems faced by IDPs,’’ he said.

The NAF Chief, therefore, called on well meaning Nigerians to assist in whichever way, as the IDPs’ needs were enormous.

He said that he had no doubt that the association would deliver the donation to the intended beneficiaries.

The National President of NAFOWA, Hajia Hafsat Abubakar, said the presentation came at the right time in view of the situation in IDPs camps in the North-East.

She called on well meaning organisations and individuals to complement the efforts of the Federal Government by providing succour to the IDPs.

She described the donation as an attestation of the vision of the leadership of NAF of promoting good civil-military relations within its operational environment.

“ I know that this gesture is not going to be a one-time effort and we look forward to carrying out more outreaches to the IDPs camps in future.

“We, in NAFOWA, will definitely carry out a judicious and transparent distribution of the items to the beneficiaries,’’ the president said. (NAN)
YI/AMY/AMY
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Edited by Abdullahi Yusuf

NAN-H-56
Stealing
By Alex Enebeli
Enugu, Nov. 21, 2016 (NAN) An unemployed graduate, Nnamdi Akamma, was on Monday arraigned before an Enugu East magistrate for allegedly stealing a cable valued at N360,000.

The accused, who had just concluded his National Youth Service Corps, was arraigned on a two -count charge of conspiracy and stealing.

When the charges were read to the accused, he pleaded not guilty.

The prosecutor, Mr C. P. Nwachukwu, told the court that the accused was arrested on Oct. 8 at Trans-Ekulu, with the cable from a mast belonging to MTN.

Nwachukwu said the offence contravened the Criminal Code Law of Enugu State, 2004 as amended.

The counsel to the accused, Mr J.E. Orji, pleaded with the court to grant the accused bail as the offence was bailable.

Orji said that the presence of the suspect’s father in the court showed that he was not a bad son, adding that he finished his NYSC in 2015 and had been jobless.

The Chief Magistrate, Mr Dennis Ekoh, granted the accused bail in the sum of N200,000 and a surety in like sum.

Ekoh directed the accused and his surety to submit their passport photographs to the court.

He adjourned the matter till Dec. 7 for hearing. (NAN)
AAE/MNA/MVO
(Edited by Maureen Atuonwu/Mbadiwe Okwor)

NAN-AE-2
Toilets
By Vivian Emoni
Abuja, Nov. 21, 2016 (NAN) The Federal Government on Monday declared its readiness to continue to ensure that sanitary problems were effectively tackled across the country.

Malam Ibrahim Jibril, the Minister of State, Federal Ministry of Environment, said this at the 2016 World Toilet Day celebration in Abuja with the theme: “Toilets and Jobs’’.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the forum was organised by Environmental Health Officers Registration Council of Nigeria (EHORECON).

Jibril said that government was making every effort to promote sound environmental sanitation practices among the populace.

The minister said that the commitment by government was demonstrated by the ministry`s initiative tagged: “Clean and Green’’. which had been designed to sanitise major towns and cities in the country.

He said that the government would partner with various sectors of government and private organisations to ensure that sanitary facilities were provided for communities where open defecation had become the norm.

He said that this year`s theme draws attention to the importance of accessibility to toilet`s sanitation, jobs and productivity.

“It is also focused on reawakening of societal consciousness to the significance of having a toilet by every household, business and public places,’’ he said.

The minister said that the world celebrates World Toilet Day every Nov. 19 as declared by the United Nations General Assembly in 2013.

He said that Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) six, was to ensure water supply and sanitation for all.

He said that the achievement of the goal would remove sanitation stigma and heighten advocacy for multiple benefits that flow from better hygiene, household sanitation, indiscriminate waste disposal and waste management.

The minister said that access to sanitary facilities remained a mirage to majority of people, adding that some communities still used bush as their regular means for excreta disposal.

According to him, many institutions do not have good sanitary facilities. It is either not functioning or it is being misused by people.

He called on Nigerians to ensure that they practiced the habit of safe excreta disposal by building and owning a toilet in their environment.

Dr Bukar Hassan, the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, said that sanitation was one of the important activities and constitutional responsibility of the ministry.

Hassan urged Nigerians to join hands to support strategies toward achieving a higher level of sanitation coverage in the country.

Mr Dominic Abonyi, the Registrar of EHORECON said that good toilets were collective aspiration of sound health and prosperity.

Abonyi said that a sustainable maintenance of toilets was important for individual quality, community as well as for the nation. (NAN)
VOE/DO /GY
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Edited by David Onilede/Grace Yussuf

NAN-H-55
Gurasa
Kano, Nov. 21, 2016 (NAN) Local bread alternative popularly known as Gurasa (a local delicacy) is now consumed by many Kano residents as economic recession bites harder, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.

Investigation by NAN in Kano metropolis shows that the local delicacy was gaining ground since people like eating it with stew or fried meat known as Suya.

According to the findings, the booming business of gurasa might not be unconnected with the rising cost of bread as many people now prefer to buy it because it is cheaper.

Findings further showed that a number of widows who received training on the gurasa making business recently organized by the state Zakkat board had increased the number of producers of the commodity.

This has led to the mass production of the commodity in commercial quantities.

One of the widows, Malama Rabi Ibrahim who is a local bread producer said she produced gurasa of N5,000 in a day.

‘’I have a lot of customers who buy from me especially Suya meat sellers who buy in large quantity to sell with the meat.

‘’Many people like eating garnished local bread and meat together, that is why the business of the local bread is flourishing now,” Ibrahim said.

Another widow, Malama Nafisa Ado said she made nothing less than N8,000 daily since she started the business and that had being of great assistance to her and her family.

“The business has really helped me since the demise of my husband as I pay my children’s school fees, feeding, clothing and other necessary things,” Ado said.

She advised other women to embrace the business so as to make ends meet.

The commodity is now commonly found at most of the suya meat joints in Kano city. (NAN)

BO/ORO/IS

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Edited by Razak Owolabi/Ismail Abdulaziz

Stakeholders call for collaboration to fight Pneumonia
NAN-HG-5
Pneumonia
Abuja, Nov. 21, 2016 (NAN) Primary healthcare stakeholders on Monday called for collaboration in the fight against Pneumonia.

They made the call at the occasion of the 2016 World Pneumonia Day Symposium in Abuja, with the theme “The Road to Ending Pneumonia in Nigeria’’.

Dr Emmanuel Oduh, the Acting Executive Director, National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), said stakeholders in the health sector must collaborate in the fight against pneumonia.

The executive director said that government was committed to increasing access to antibiotic treatment for children with pneumonia as part of effort to save about one million lives.

“About 128,000 Nigerian children lost their lives to pneumonia in 2015, the second highest number of child pneumonia deaths in the world.

“Less than half of all children with suspected pneumonia are taken for treatment and just 23 per cent receives antibiotics in Nigeria, so major stakeholders are encouraged to partner with NPHCDA to fight pneumonia,’’ said Oduh.

He said that the government of Nigeria had in July 7, 2012, introduced a new vaccine called pentavalent with five antigens.

“Another vaccine that is now available nationwide called Pneumococal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV) was also introduced, which targets the leading causes of pneumonia,’’ he said.

In his opening remarks, Alhaji Idris Musa, the Chief of Jiwa and Chairman Council of Traditional Leaders, FCT, said the symposium would afford stakeholders opportunity to take stocks of the various efforts put in place to combat the pneumonia disease.

“The essence is to create awareness about the dangers of pneumonia as well as promote interventions to protect against, prevent and treat pneumonia.

“We all have crucial roles to play in ensuring the optimum use of recently introduced PVC to prevent and protect our children from the disease.

Musa, who is also a Member of Northern Traditional Leaders Committee on Primary Health Care, said the leaders had great roles to ensure that their communities are protected.

“We must always engage in creating awareness in and around all communities in our domain on all matters that affect the general well being of our people.

“Not only in pneumonia but also sensitise and mobilise our communities on other health related issues such as sanitation, hand washing and general hygiene that would help in safeguarding the health of our people.’’

He, however, commended the federal government for the ongoing revitalisation scheme aimed at the provision of functional and affordable healthcare services especially Routine Immunisations to Nigerians.

Dr Zainab Bagudu, the wife of the Kebbi State Governor, charged the stakeholders to contribute their quotas in ensuring that the Nigerian children are protected through Routine Immunisation.

“We must continue to enlighten Nigerians on the importance of protecting and preventing all diseases that affect women and children and the general public in general,’’ she said. (NAN)
EPA/FAK/MST

Edited by Muhammad Suleiman Tola

NAN-ELS-4
Conference
By Collins Yakubu-hammer
Abuja, Nov. 21, 2016 (NAN) The Federation of Tourism Associations of Nigeria (FTAN) said the forthcoming Tourism Conference scheduled for November was aimed at charting a way forward for the development of the sector.

Chief Tomi Akingbogun stated this in an interview the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Abuja.

“We are in top gear. Relevant stakeholders would come together to chart a way forward for the development of the sector and diversification of the economy.

“Also, we are going to have authentic cultural display. We have gone to Bida in Niger State to get the real people to come and perform cultural display.

“We want them to showcase their skills; we are having one or two groups, depending on the final arrangement.

“We are also going to have Arts and Crafts exhibitions. We are asking people to come and book for space.

“It will give them the opportunity to sell their works of arts, ‘’ Akingbogun said.

He said that the Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation and the National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism are collaborating with FTAN and  everything is going on well.

The FTAN President said that the reason behind the idea of bringing cultural group from Bida was because the association wanted the event to affect the rural people.

“So we decided to bring them to town to do cultural display. People will see them and be interested in engaging them for their own events,’’ Akingbogun said.

He said that if such groups were not brought to the city to participate in tourism and culture events, people might not know that they exist.

The FTAN President said the activities of the group would bring food to their tables and “if they continue, they would be making more money for themselves and their family’’.

“So it is not only ‘Okada’ that will be giving them money; their cultural performances will also enhance their income.

“We are trying to use this tourism conference to show people what culture is all about. It will be different from the previous editions,’’ Akingbogun said.

The FTAN president said that job seekers could attend the event as they would have opportunity to meet with manufacturers, food producers, airline and transport operators, among others, who could employ them.

NAN reports that the conference will hold on Nov. 29 and Nov. 30 in Abuja; tourism, hospitality and confectionery stakeholders from both the public and private sectors are expected to participate.(NAN)
CMY/AK/AJA
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(Edited by Akin Makanjuola/Adeleye Ajayi)

NBS urges journalists to popularise statistics

NAN-HE-18

Statistics

By Cecilia Ologunagba

Mararaba, Nov. 21, 2016 (NAN) The Chief Executive Officer, National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), Dr Yemi Kale, has urged journalists to join the crusade to make the country a data-conscious nation by popularising the place of statistics.

Kale, the Statistician-General of the Federation, made the call at the opening of a Sensitisation Workshop for Journalists covering NBS on Monday in Mararaba, Nasarawa.

Kale, represented by Mr Isiaka Olarewaju, Director, Real Sector and Household Statistics Department in the bureau, said that popularising the place of statistics would enhance economic growth in the county.

The statistician-general said that some members of the public had expressed some skepticism about some of the data produced by NBS.

Kale said that they had expressed this skepticism based on their belief that the numbers did not reflect the reality of things around them.

“After this workshop, it is my belief that the number of such issues will be reduced.

“It will be addressed because members of the media, through their better understanding of the numbers and processes, will assist to interpret the numbers to the public.

“ We should also understand that Nigeria is a developing country and as such, positive and negative data on some economic and social indicators are expected,’’ he said.

Responding on behalf of the journalists, Mr Tola Akinwutimi thanked the NBS for organising the workshop again after three years.

Akinwutimi, a Group Business Editor, National Mirror Newspaper, commended the bureau for transforming its operations and timely release of its reports.

He, however, appealed to the bureau to further simplify the reports and make it interpretive for better reportage.

“ We will appreciate you simplify your reports and put it in a summary format so that we can understand it better,’’ he said.

The editor also appealed to NBS to sustain the workshop and make it a yearly programme.

In his presentation, Mr Simeon Harry, Head of Department, Corporate Planning and Technical Coordination Department, NBS, urged journalists to further sensitise public to the importance of statistics.

Harry, who gave a presentation on “NBS: The Past, Present and Future,’’ said that bureau had transformed its operations from analogue to digital.

The official said that NBS was one of the leading bureaus in Africa, noting that it was only the South African Bureau that was ahead of NBS in the region.

He said that the only instrument to maximise economic benefit was through the use of statistics for planning and developmental purpose.

“Today, we are having issue of abandoned projects, with the statistics that will be prevented.

“Also, for us to implement the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), we need statistics to give us guide and sense of direction to implement the goals,’’ Harry said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that no fewer than 30 journalists attended the workshop. (NAN)

CIA/ESAN/IA

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Edited by Abiodun Esan/Idris Abdulrahman

NAN-H-42
Intimidation
By Aisha Ahmed
Kano, Nov. 21, 2016 (NAN) The Kano State Government has charged non-indigenes, residing in the state to resist intimidation and harassment by indigenes.

The Governor of the state, Alhaji Umar Ganduje, gave the charge on Monday while inaugurating a newly built road at the Sabongari area of the state.

He said that his administration could only hasten development in an atmosphere of peaceful co-existence.

Kano State has seen repeated mob killing of non-indigenes, the latest of which is the killing of a 74-year-old woman from Imo over allegations of blasphemy.

Ganduje said that his administration spent over N600 million in the rehabilitation of the road, noting that the gesture was to boost economic activities in Sabongari.

He re-named the road after the Chairman of the All Progressives Congress Governors Forum, Mr Rochas Okorocha of Imo.

Ganduje, however, charged residents of Sabongari to complement government’s effort by cleaning drainages.

The governor said that the road was rehabilitated, following the state’s improved revenue generation.

He appealed to businesses in the area to pay taxes to enable the government to take up more projects.

The All Progressives Congress governors are in Kano for a three-day meeting. (NAN)

AAA/CEO/SN
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Edited by Chidi Opara/Silas Nwoha

NAN-H-41
Committee
By Adekunle Williams/ Solomon Asowata
Lagos, Nov. 21, 2016 (NAN) The Senate Committee on Aviation on Monday urged agencies in the industry to be more transparent in the procurement of equipment and implementation of projects in view of the economic recession.

It also vowed to unveil the cartel behind the lingering scarcity of aviation fuel which had crippled flight operations of many domestic airlines and left many air travellers stranded in recent times.

Sen. Bala Na’Allah, Vice-chairman of the committee, made the plea during an inspection visit to some agencies in Lagos.

The committee met with top officials of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) and Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB).

Na’Allah said that the Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki, had expressed concern over the state of the industry and mandated the committee to urgently find lasting solution to the challenges.

“We have appropriated money to various agencies in the last budget, and we want to analyse their areas of successes and challenges.

“This will enable us to take them into account in the preparation of the 2017 budget, because we are all aware that the country is currently facing reduction in revenue generation.

“This is due to the declining oil price at the international market.

“We must first of all accept the fact that the industry is in trouble. We have been involved in self-denial for a very long time, but now, we must be able to tell ourselves the truth.

“There is no intention to indict anybody. Collectively, we are all guilty, but individually, we are looking at what can be done to reposition the industry and put it back on track,” he said.

Na’Allah said that over the past six years, Nigeria had spent billions of naira on the procurement of navigational aids and resurfacing of runways, but regrettably, there was nothing on ground to show for it.

According to him, whereas other neighbouring countries such as Ghana, Niger and Togo spent less, but had modern navigational facilities and functional runways at their airports.

Na’Allah alleged that a cartel of oil marketers was responsible for the scarcity of aviation fuel, saying that the country would no longer allow few individuals to hold it to ransom.

“The only way we can solve this problem is to unbundle the importation of the product. If anybody doesn’t want to supply fuel to Nigeria, the person can go.

“The committee is going to look into it and we will be very decisive about it because this is an issue that is peculiar to Nigeria as the price of aviation fuel has even fallen globally,” he said.

Na’Allah also advised FAAN to stop collecting toll fees from workers working within the international airport, adding that it was morally wrong for the agency to impose such burden on them.

Speaking, the Acting Managing Director of NAMA, Mr Emma Anasi, said that paucity of funds had affected the completion of its Aeronautic Information Services (AIS), an Automation project, across the nation’s airports.

Anasi said, “If we are able to have adequate funds, I am hoping that before the first quarter of next year, we will have the project running.”

He said that NAMA and its sister agencies were being owed billions of naira by domestic airlines which had limited them from effectively carrying out their statutory functions.

Similarly, the Managing Director of FAAN, Mr Saleh Dunoma, said that lack of equipment by airlines and the scarcity of aviation fuel had affected the operations of some airlines.

“The airlines are owing us a lot of money and they need to pay their outstanding debts, but when you look at the reality on ground, it is difficult for us to put more pressure on them,” Dunoma said.

Also, the Director-General of NCAA, Capt. Muhtar Usman, said that the authority would continue to work with the committee on ways to improve the industry.

On his part, the Commissioner of the AIB, Mr Felix Ambali, appealed to the committee to help increase the agency’s three per cent ticket sales charge and also set up an accident intervention fund.

According to him, this is in line with the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) standard in global accident investigation. (NAN)
WAC/ASO/ENN/GOK
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Edited by Edwin Nwachukwu/Olagoke Olatoye