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Drop non performing ministers, tackle poverty, APC chieftain advises Buhari

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Governance

by Hassana Mohammed Yakubu

Kaduna, Nov. 20, 2016 [NAN] Dr Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress [APC] in Kaduna State, has advised President Muhammadu Buhari to drop non performing ministers.

Baba-Ahmed gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Kaduna on Sunday.

He also urged the President to quickly push through, policies that would reduce current high level of poverty in the country.

“If you go by the opinion of a lot of Nigerians, some of the ministers are just filling up space.

“There is a case to be made for the argument that the president should critically assess his ministers and remove those that he believes have not performed as well as they should.

“Replace them with people who will bring greater energy, greater vibe and greater imagination in managing scarcity and high expectations in the context in which we live.”

Baba-Ahmed said the level of poverty in Nigeria require urgent solution, adding that government should continue to mobilise resources to tackle the problem.

“What the government can do is what I think it is doing, trying to come up with policies that in the short time, can alleviate the crushing poverty.

“There are a lot of people who feed only once a day, there is a lot of hunger, frustration and bitterness.

“If we have N500 billion in the presidency now waiting to be disbursed, one would like to see an imaginative and productive use of that money, so that it reaches people that need it to feed, pay school fees, pay medical bills, rent and to go to places where they can earn a living.

“Government must mobilize resources directly and make sure that it gets to the people.

“In the longer term, we need bold and imaginative policies that should reposition and restructure the economy, to reduce dependence on oil.”

On the performance of President Buhari, the former APC state chairman said “one year is long enough to assess people and too short to actually pass judgment”.

He however said a lot had been achieved by the President in some key areas, but that there was room for improvement.

“I will say yes, he has done well in the area of fighting security, he has done well in terms of signaling his intention to fight corruption, and has many challenges in managing economic recession.

“He can do a lot better in terms of the quality of people he works with, the quality of his policies and his ability to work with a political platform to engineer and sustain public confidence.”

The chieftain, who was a retired federal permanent secretary, called for caution on the desirability or otherwise of obtaining about $30 billion loan by the Federal Government for infrastructure development.

“I don’t think that there is anything wrong in getting the loan, however, I do think that we should draw appropriate lessons from the past.

“We borrowed money in the past and we paid a huge amount of interest and we haven’t seen the benefit directly from those loans that we repaid.

“I think that this particular loan has to be secrutized, has to be rigorously interrogated by the National Assembly, and if they are convinced, then we should go ahead and get it.

“What is important is that the President needs to improve the manner he engages Nigerians in explaining to them why he needs to borrow $30 billion dollars, what are the benefits, what are the possible draw backs.

“Because this money, as I said before, is been borrowed for our children not for ourselves, it is important that we don’t leave them a legacy of huge debt.”

He further advised that more efforts be put to enhance the management of the nation’s economy.

“There is room for improvement in terms of thinking through key policies, monetary, economic policies that are relevant to the peculiar nature of recession in Nigeria.” [NAN]

HMY/MZA

Edited by Maharazu Ahmed

Buhari must intervene to save APC from disintegration – Baba-Ahmed

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APC

By Hassana Mohammed Yakubu/Sadiq Shuaibu

Kaduna, Nov. 20, 2016 [NAN] A former Chairman of the All Progressives Congress [APC] in Kaduna State, Dr Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, said President Muhammadu Buhari must intervene to fix the crisis in the party and save it from disintegration.

Baba-Ahmed made the appeal in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria [NAN] in Kaduna on Sunday.

According to him, the problems affecting the party have been left to linger for too long and must be settled in the next few months, if the party hopes to retain power in 2019.

“Even if you can forgive some of the crisis and blame it on in experience, you cannot forgive the fact that we have tolerated this crisis for too long.

“They have persisted, and that is not something we should excuse, we should not also excuse the existence of massive problems in states and at the national level.

“Those who have the responsibility of fixing the APC as a political platform are not fixing it.

“It is what we are seeing now; a large number of powerful people within APC are walking away from it, thinking that it is beyond redemption.

“That is unfortunate and I think it is a major set back for the party.

“The APC must reinvent itself and rediscovere its mission to lead this country, not through a one term presidency or governance, but to actually build a different Nigeria that will meet the yearnings of our children and beyond.”

Baba-Ahmed stressed that the internal crisis had also affected governance, thereby, making it imperative for the President to quickly intervene and resolve all contending issues within the party.

“Of course when a party is in a problem like this, a number of things happen; governance suffers because you are constantly having your attention diverted by the party’s problems.

“Secondly, in political terms, four years of an administration is only like two years or two and half years.

“In a year’s time, we will not be talking about governing this country, we will be talking about campaign for 2019.

“And if this party doesn’t fix itself at the national level, doesn’t fix all the problems it has in the states, it is unlikely to come back to Nigerians with the confidence it came to us in 2014 /2015, to say give us another mandate.

“If we are not careful the only thing of value and credibility that we can say to Nigerians that is still relatively intact in the APC will be President Buhari.

“And President Buhari more than anybody else, knows that his personality and character alone cannot win him an election.

“He needs a political platform that can mobilize people to support him, and right now, that political platform is disintegrating.

“He needs to do something about it, he needs to allow the party to work together, he needs to ask a lot of people to fix the problems of the party.”

Baba-Ahmed expressed the belief that the problems of the APC were surmountable if the leadership work hard to fix all the underlying issues.

“I am not one of the people who thinks the future is outside APC, I believe that APC can be salvaged.

“However, I am not complacent to say it can just be fixed like that, alot of hardwork has to go into it, a lot of sacrifices must be made.

“What I think is useful is that, in the next three to six months a lot of people that we suspect are already packing their things to get out of APC, would do so.

“That would give the party an opportunity to know who is left, and then we can just go back to rediscovering the essence of the APC and then possibly to re-engineer the party with the popular base.

“We will need to apologise to people for mistakes made and reassure them that the first four years of the Buhari administration may not have met all the expectations of the people, but if they give our party another chance for the next four years, we will be able to fix this country, inshaAllah.”[NAN]

HMY/SSA/MZA

Edited by Maharazu Ahmed

Politicians ditching APC will have credibility problem – Baba-Ahmed

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Politicians

Hassana Mohammed Yakubu

Kaduna, Nov. 20, 2016 [NAN] A Chieftain of the All Progressives Congress [APC], Dr Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, says those planning to walk away from the party have alot of explanations to make to Nigerians that their decision is not self serving.

Baba-Ahmed, a retired federal permanent secretary, acknowledged that some members of the APC were joining forces with others to form a new political platform.

“I am not sure that their calculations are correct, and I don’t think Nigerians would be very eager to vote for people and parties that are made from people who just keep moving from one platform to another.

“It provides evidence that all they want is power for its sake, they are not thinking of fixing this country.

“I think that we can make a case against them to the Nigerian people, that they cannot be trusted, and I think we will make a good case,” he said in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria [NAN] in Kaduna.

The APC chieftain, who also served as the Kaduna State Chairman of the party, advised those involved to remain with APC and help address whatever problems had beset the party.

“I wish the people who are thinking of walking away from the crisis of the APC would stay behind and fix this party.

“Some of them are quite well known, they were part of the building blocks of the APC, I wish they would stay behind and fix this party, because I can’t see how going away and building new platforms is going to solve their problems.

“I am not too sure that their calculation that they can actually create platforms with elements of APC, elements of the old PDP and new elements from other parties can successfully challenge APC and the old PDP.”

He however said that whatever decision was taken by those opting out, the APC must, within the next six months, use the opportunity to re-engineer itself and re-engage with its popular support base.

“What I think is useful is that, in the next three to six months, a lot of people that we suspect are already packing their things to get out of APC, would do so.

“That would give the party an opportunity to know who is left and then we can just go back to rediscovering the essence of the APC and then possibly to re-engineer the party with the popular base.”[NAN]

HMY/MZA

Edited by Maharazu Ahmed

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Training
By Ayodeji Alabi
Akure, Nov.20, 2016 (NAN) Mr Mayowa Aliu, State Coordinator, National Directorate of Employment (NDE), Ondo State, said the directorate had trained 580 youths in the state in the last four months.

Aliu told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Akure on Sunday that the training programme was organised under four different categories.

He said that 125 junior and senior secondary school students were trained under the school-to-work quick-win scheme for about two months.

“We also trained 25 youths in environmental beautification and 25 also in hard and soft landscaping for a period of three months.

“Under the Basic National Open Apprenticeship Scheme (BNOAS), we trained 360 people in cosmetology, tiling, basic electrical works, hairdressing, shoe and bag making, catering services and others.

“Another group of 45 persons are still undergoing training under another scheme,” he said.

Aliu further said that one of the challenges the directorate was facing was irregular payment of stipends to the participants of the skill acquisition schemes.

He also said the programme involved provision of money, facilities and equipment to the participants some of whom were expected to pay for them.

“After the training we usually provide take-off grants for some of the trainees and expect the parents and guardians to provide capital for the rest.

“We also introduce them to the Bank of Industry, Bank of Agriculture, and other financial institutions to enable them to source for capital,” he said.

Aliu said that post training assistance was also given to the beneficiaries in terms of mentoring and entrepreneurial training.

“We expose some of the trainees to bigger markets and trade fairs; they participate in such other activities because it is in our interest.

“We also get feedback from them afterward and this is done by a team from the headquarters who administer questionnaires to the respondents,” he said. (NAN)
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Edited by Ejike Obeta and Abdullahi Yusuf

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HIV/AIDS
Calabar, Nov. 20, 2016 (NAN) The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) says it will engage over 1000 youth volunteers to facilitate its campaign against HIV/AIDS during this year’s Calabar Carnival beginning Dec. 1.

Mrs Kori Habib, Media Associate to UNFPA, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Calabar on Sunday.

Habib said that the campaign tagged: “Wise up Cross River,” was part of the UNFPA’s efforts to curtail the spread of HIV/AIDS in the country.

She said the volunteers who were drawn from the 18 local government areas of the state were currently undergoing training in the different roles they would play during the campaign.

The media associate said the campaign was to create awareness about the unhealthy lifestyle by the mostly youth population which could lead to the spread of the disease.

“It is part of UNFPA’s mandate to deliver a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe, and every young person’s potential is fulfilled.

“We want to use young people to reach out to each other because we know that they are the vulnerable group.

“This ‘Wise up Cross River’ campaign is going to create special attraction during this year’s carnival.

“We are looking at behavioral change and we expect that over 100,000 people in Cross River will benefit directly and indirectly in the end.

“There is going to be free condoms distribution at our stand to be called `condom zone’ and free HIV test and counseling and lots more. It is going to be very interesting, ‘’ she said.

Habib said she was in Calabar to put finishing touches to the fund’s programme and strategise with its media partners on how to succeed in the campaign.

She commended the Cross River Government for giving UNFPA the opportunity to participate in the 2016 edition of the carnival which she described as one of the best in the World. (NAN)
BEN/EMO/AMY

Edited by Ejike Obeta and Abdullahi Yusuf

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Appeal
Benin, Nov. 20, 2016. (NAN) Mrs Blacky Omoregie, Chairperson, Edo Market Women Association, has appealed to traders in Uselu Market to be calm, promising to intervene in the exorbitant shop rents charged them.

Omoregie made the appeal in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Benin on Sunday.

NAN recalls that the traders recently protested against the directive by the Egor Local Government Council to them to move into the lock-up shops after they had been renovated.

They complained that the council’s demand of N1.2 million as the price or N100,000 an annual rent for each shop was too high.

Omoregie said that the association would negotiate with the council before the renovation was completed to ensure that the amounts were reduced.

“The renovation of the shops is still ongoing and the aim is to stop the display of wares along roadsides.

“We are aware of the fixing of the shop rents by the council. We will negotiate with the council to reduce the rent and accept the payment in installments,” she said.

“Considering the present economic hardship, not every woman in this market will be able to afford a shop at the rates put forward by the council.

“Also, not all wares can be displayed inside the shops. For instance, those selling tomatoes cannot display them inside such shops.

“After the completion of the shops, we will have what is called ‘attachments’, to accommodate traders dealing on such commodities,” she said. (NAN)
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Edited by Ejike Obeta and Abdullahi Yusuf

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League
Lagos, Nov. 19, 2016 (NAN)

Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo hat trick  gave the club the maximum three points in the derby at Estadio Vicente Calderon against Atletico Madrid on Saturday night.

It also made  him top scorer in the history of the derby with 18 goals.

The Madrid icon  was in a devastating form in the night and gave hints  of the night’s display  when he met Marcelo’s cross with a  header in the 12th minute. The ball which went goalwards was parried by Atletico goalkeeper, Oblak.

Undeterred, and with Madrid dominating possession and mounting solid defence, Ronaldo  soon found  the net in the 23rd  minute when his long range free-kick was deflected into the net by Atletico’s wall.

Atlético’s keeper Oblak was stunned with the deflection. He was helpless this time.

Ronaldo scored the second goal of the night in the 71st minute from the spot after an infraction by Atletico’s  Savic.

Then  he finished off a low pass from Bale  in the 77th minute, to deliver the killer blow against Atletico at the Vicente Calderon, a place they have had difficulties in recent years.

It was  a great night for the Los Blancos as they opened up a four point lead over Barcelona FC in the La Liga.

Madrid’s rival Barcelona had slipped earlier in the day, by playing a goalless draw with Malaga at Camp Nou.

An excited Coach Zinedine Zidane commented about the night: “I’m not sure if it was our best performance since I arrived. We played a great game right from the beginning against tough opposition in a stadium where it is difficult to come and win. We read the game well, went in strong and I am happy with what we did because very few teams come here and win 0-3”.

Other  results were:  Real Betis 2-0 Las Palmas, Deportivo La Coruna 2-3 Sevilla and Eibar 1-0 Celta Vigo.

(NAN)

KOJE

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Basketball

By Babatunde Ogunrinde

Lagos Nov. 19, 2016 (NAN) Adebola Folarin, a well travelled Nigeria’s professional basketball player, on Saturday said that he would  be organizing a 3×3 Basketball tournament in December in Lagos and Abuja.

Adebola popularly known as D’Brown said he chose to throw his weight on the 3-aside basketball style to help promote and develop basketball at the grassroots.

Folarin told newsmen in Lagos that a well package 3×3 tournaments in the major cities would go a long away in increasing the appeal for the beautiful game of basketball.

““Having travelled across the globe to showcase my talents in North America, Oceanic and Asia continents I feel I have to give back to the country by supporting 3-aside basketball tournament.

““This I feel will empower the inhabitants of the host communities around the city in a sustainable manner and help unite the nation’s basketball players for better glory.

““This is why I have decided to embark on this tournament which will come up in December in Lagos, Abuja and some other major cities,’’ Folarin said.

The player, who plied his trade in the U.S NBA and featured alongside players like Dennis Rodman, Charles Smith and a host of others, added that Nigeria would  be great in basketball.

““Nigeria has the capacity to grow in basketball. If the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF) can organize a 3×3 league with current DStv Basketball league for the reguilar five-aside it will be fantastic.

““Many youths will be developed in the game and will have the capabilities to achieve something in life,’’ Folarin said.(NAN)

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Edited by Yusuf Zango

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Donation

By Ali Inuwa
Maiduguri, Nov. 19, 2016 (NAN) The Borno State Government on Saturday donated N10 million to the family of the late Lt. Col. Abu Ali, who died while fighting the Boko Haram terrorists in the state on Nov. 4.

Gov. Kashim Shettima made the donation when he visited the widow of the deceased in Kaduna.

Malam Isa Gusau, the Special Adviser to Shettima on Communication and Strategy, stated this in a statement in Maiduguri.

According to the statement, the Borno State Governor presented a N10 million cheque to Samira, the widow of fallen soldier and one of Nigeria’s bravest war hero.

The late Ali was killed in Malam-fatori, headquarters of Abadam local government area of Borno on Nov. 4.

Shettima described the late officer as a hero who sacrificed his life for peace to reign not only in Borno but in the entire North East and the country at large.

He prayed for the repose of his soul and for the family to bear the irreparable loss.

Shettima also took time to interact with the mother of the late officer as well as his children, assuring them that the deceased sacrifices would not be in vain.(NAN)
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Edited by Jane-Frances Oraka/Ismail Abdulaziz

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Defecation

Bauchi, Nov. 19, 2016 (NAN)  Bauchi State Rural Water and Sanitation Agency (RUWASA)  on Saturday in Bauchi lauded  Dass and Warji Local Governments Areas of the state for curtailing  open defecation in their areas.

The Assistant Manager, Mobilization and Community Development of RUWASA, Alhaji Ibrahim Bello, made the commendation on behalf of his agency in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

“RUWASA is extremely happy with Dass and Warji Local Government Areas because practice of defecating in the open has been reduced substantially in their communities.

“Our officials had been motoring the environment and the people in those communities and we are impressed with the public enlightenment efforts in those areas,” he said.

He said that defecating openly was a threat to the environment and a health hazard to the people.

According to him, associations and individuals are being encouraged to establish public toilets with a view to reducing the practice of defecating in the open.

He said that recently, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed by some associations on such activity.(NAN)

AE/ASH/ASH