Blog

NAN-H-27

Dredging

By Uche. Eletuo

Lagos, Nov. 13, 2016 (NAN) A maritime expert, Mr Chukwuemeka Agu, has advocated the dredging of Rivers Niger and Benue to enhance water transportation.

Agu, Deputy Director in charge of Compliance Monitoring and Enforcement with the Nigeria Shippers Council (NSC), made the call during interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), in Lagos on Sunday

He contended that the difficulty in navigating the two main rivers was hampering social mobility.

The maritime expert added that the rivers which crisis-crossed the nation’s hinterland could encourage social and economic activities if dredged.

“Inter-state transport and communal trade along the coastal lines which transverse over six states of the country can promote national integration and foster ties.

“With the dredging of the waterways, much pressure will be taken away from our roads as commodities from the coastal communities can get to city centres through the sea.

“Tourism is another area the dredging of the rivers can improve as many of the nation’s tourism sites can be reached through the coast line on boat’’, Agu said.

He noted that in Egypt where boat cruise had become a way of life, Nigerians could also enrich their life style with boat cruising.

According to him with good navigation lines across the states ferrying of persons, goods and services could be attractive as investors would be sure of returns on investments.

He added that the provision of alternative means of movement in the waterways would further provide jobs for the teeming idle seafarers that would likely take up transport jobs in the sector.  (NAN)

EUC/ASS/IEA

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Edited by Saidu Adamu/Idahosa Asowata

Monarch tasks FG on national census
NAN-H-19
Population
By Usman Aliyu
Baruten [Kwara], Nov. 13, 2016 [NAN] The Emir of Okuta in Kwara, Abubakar Idris, on Sunday urged the Federal Government to commence preparations for the 2018 National Census.

Idris made the appeal in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria(NAN) in Okuta, Baruten Local Government area of the state.

He said it was important for the government to empower the National Population Commission (NPC) to begin preparations for the head count.

According to him, the exercise is very important to proper planning for national development.

The emir, who is also the Chairman, Baruten Traditional Council, explained that “only an accurate census exercise can foster the growth we desire in this nation.”

He prayed that  current efforts to end terrorism would succeed before 2018 so that “the exercise will be well conducted among the entire populace without fear or favour and not leaving any region behind.”

Idris said accurate census would help block leakages and excess use of public funds for undesirable projects by some political officer holders.

The emir also called for creation of more local councils to fast tack rural development.

“In fact to me, instead of clamouring for creation of more states, I believe that creation of more local governments will be more beneficial especially to the people of rural communities, towards accelerated grassroots development.

“It is only this method that can assist us as a people on one side, and also develop us as a nation in general.”

The monarch called for cooperation between the Presidency and National Assembly to enhance national unity and development.(NAN)
AUO/MZA

Edited by Maharazu Ahmed

NAN-H-23

Recession

Ikole (Ekiti) Nov 13, 2016 (NAN) Rev Emmanuel Ajayi of Thy Holiness Bible Church, Ikole, Ekiti State, on Sunday urged the Federal government to step up efforts to end economic recession in the country.

Ajayi made the call in interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ikole-Ekiti.

He appreciated efforts made by the present administration in reviving the economy but charged government to review its economic policies.

According to him, patriotic Nigerians recognized government’s efforts to fix the nation’s economy but needs to review some of its policies and improve on key areas that can enhance economic growth.

“Any policy that discourages growth of local industries or drive away foreign investors should be dropped so as to create atmosphere conducive for business minded investors”, he advised.

The cleric said the recent news report about relocation of some industries to Kenya and other African countries was not good for the country, saying such moves would have negative impact on the nation’s economy.

He urged industrialists to join hands with government in its efforts to improve the economy, noting that their contributions to the growth of the economy were vital.

“They should support government in providing solutions to the economic challenges, not joining foreign investors that are relocating to other countries.

“Rebuilding efforts should be a collective one; all hands must be up to raise Nigeria from falling because we do not have another country.

“Let the masses in their little ways pray for the leaders, obey the laws and expose economic saboteurs and other suspected criminals in our society.” (NAN)

DAK/ASS/IEA
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Edited by Saidu Adamu/Idahosa Asowata

NAN-H-22
Distribution
Konduga (Borno) Nov. 13, 2016 (NAN) The Presidential Committee for the North East on Sunday distributed foods to residents in liberated communities in three Local Government Areas (LGA), of Borno.

Prof. Hauwa Biu, a member of the committee, flagged off the exercise at a ceremony in Konduga, the headquarters of Konduga LGA of the State.
Biu said the aim was to provide solace to the residents who had lost everything.
“We are members of the Humanitarian Sub-Committee of the Presidential Committee on the North East.

“Our mandate is to go to the Boko Haram affected states of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa to assist Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), and those who have returned home.
“We are here to distribute food items to IDPs who have returned home after the liberation of their communities in Konduga LGA of Borno.
“The people are in dire need of food and other items to support them in difficult phase of their lives.
“We are distributing rice, maize, guinea corn, noodles, soaps and other items to them’’, she said.
She said the distribution was also taking place in Damboa and Mafa LGAs simultaneously.
“What we are doing here is being replicated in Damboa and Mafa LGAs to assist the returning residents in settling down after a long stay in IDP camps in Maiduguri.
“The people are just trying to settle down now, some of them do not even have shelters to live in, they really need help to pick up their lives again”, Biu said.
She said 1, 800 households would benefit from the distribution in each of the three LGAs.

She named the items to include 600 bags of 50 KG rice, 100 bags of maize, 100 bags of millet, and 100 bags of guinea corn.

Others are 150 cartons of noodles, 100 cartons of salt, 100 pieces of brocade, 100 buckets. (NAN)
ABI/OMO/IEA

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Edited by Martins Odeh/Idahosa Asowata

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NAN-H-17
Awards
By Chiazo Ogbolu
Lagos, Nov. 13, 2016 (NAN) Mark Angel Comedy featuring six-year-old Emmanuella Samuel, Nigeria’s Channels Television and IbakaTV/Nollywood have emerged winners at the inaugural Sub-Saharan African (SSA) YouTube Awards, an official said on Sunday.

According to Ms Susan Wojcicki, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of YouTube, the SSA YouTube Award was Google’s way of celebrating African creators.

She said “the YouTube Awards celebrates the talent and creativity of YouTube community while serving as platform that shares Africa’s creativity with the rest of the world.

“By holding our first-ever YouTube Africa Awards, we hope to celebrate incredible achievements like Olympic medalist Julius Yego show, while also demonstrating our long-term commitment to the continent,” Wojcicki said.

She said YouTube Awards were handed out to 25 creators across 23 categories and nominees were chosen based on subscriber numbers.

She added that users had to have a minimum of 50,000 subscribers to qualify and must be based and currently residing in one of eight launched countries in SSA.

The YouTube boss said that the top non-broadcaster channels were picked from each launched country, describing a launched country as one in which monetisation had been enabled as it was not enabled in all countries globally.

Wojcicki listed the eight launched countries in SSA as Tanzania, Ghana, Uganda, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Nigeria, and Senegal, adding that over 70 channels from launched SSA countries had reached over 100,000 subscribers.

Mr Teju Ajani of YouTube Partnerships, SSA, said YouTube was about people having opportunities to express themselves.

He said “creators across Africa are using YouTube to find their voice, connect with audiences around the world and build channels while earning revenue from it.

“The number of hours of video content being uploaded in Africa has doubled in the past two years and the audience has grown with it.

“Watch time on mobile phones is growing 120 per cent year over year,” he said.

He added that creators like Hakima Raymond who taught himself to conduct an orchestra using YouTube videos had gained international fame on the show “An African City.”

Ajani said that the show, which recently hit international headlines for its portrayal of women in Accra, Ghana, was an example of the talent that reside in Africa and was now reaching the world through YouTube.

He listed the YouTube content creators to include Nigeria’s Mark Angel Comedy which features six-year-old Emmanuella Samuel, Nigeria’s Channels Television, South African vlogger Suzelle DIY and South African music channel, Yellow Brick Cinema.

The full list of winners are Broadcaster; Channels Television, Comedy; Kansiime Anne, Comic; Ramscomics/Supastrikas, Education – Retutpro – Photography and Photoshop Tutorials, Entertainment – NdaniTV, Fitness; Six Pack Factory, Games; Slushy AJ.

Others are Makeup and Fashion; Kangai Mwiti, Music; Yellow Brick Cinema, News and politics; Millard Ayo, Nonprofit; Jim Nduruchi, People and Blogs; Suzelle DIY, Pets and animals; Earth Touch.

For Top Subscribed Creator category in Uganda was Kansiime Anne; Ghana; OfficialSarkodie, Kenya; Churchill Show, Nigeria; Mark Angel Comedy, Senegal; Prince Arts, South Africa; Yellow Brick Cinema, Tanzania; DiamondPlatnumz.

Other top Subscribed Creators are in Zimbabwe; Mufti Menk and Top Subscribed Nollywood Channel; IbakaTV/Nollywood.

Ajani said that for special mention, Yellow Brick Cinema which recently reached one million subscribers, was awarded a YouTube Gold Play Button in recognition of the achievement. (NAN)
CAN/IKU/HA
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Edited by Tayo Ikujuni/Hadiza Mohammed-Aliyu

NAN-H-16

Investigation

Yola, Nov. 13, 2016 (NAN) The Administrative Panel of Inquiry set up by Adamawa Government to investigate the causes of clashes between farmers and herdsmen in the State have been urged to speed up action on the matter.

The District Head of Demsa in Demsa Local Government Area of Adamawa, Chief Fidelis Ali, made the call shortly after a special prayer in Church for divine intervention in the matter in Yola on Sunday.

He said lasting solution to the matter must be found to the frequent herdsmen/farmers clashes in the area.

He said the communities in Demsa local government area have expressed concern over likely food crisis if nothing was done to check the excesses of Fulani herdsmen destroying farms.

Ali said apart from destruction of crops, many families were displaced with their houses burnt due to the crisis.

He called for food and other assistance to those affected by the crisis, particularly in Kodomon area which is worst affected.

Rev. Vinkoh Myabarabi called for continuous patience and the need to look onto God for solution through fervent prayers as constituted authorities worked to contain the menace.

Many speakers contended that the herdsmen wreaking havoc in the area were different from the ones they had lived with over the years. (NAN)
YMU/ASS/IEA

Edited by Saidu Adamu/Idahosa Asowata

NAN-S-7
FIFA
By Kemi Ajayi
Lagos, Nov. 13, 2016 (NAN) Royals Olajide, Secretary of the Women Amateur Football Association (WAFA), on Sunday, described the 6-1 defeat of the Falconets by their Japanese counterparts at the ongoing FIFA U-20 world cup as disappointing.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Japan defeated Falconets 6-0 in their opening group B match at the ongoing tournament holding in Papua New Guinea.

Olajide told NAN in Lagos that the team played below expectation all through the encounter against their opponent and paid heavily for the lapses.

“It is very sad to conceive goals like this in a major tournament I must say, our girls were not bold enough against the Japanese side.

“There was no coordination among the players, they lack good playing skills on the pitch unlike what the female team is known for.”

The scribe, however, urged the Falconets to put the defeat behind them and forge ahead in their next encounter against Canada.

He advised the coach to work thoroughly on the technical lapses of the team before the next group B match.

“We are still very much in the competition even though we lost the first much, the players should not give-up.

“The players should come out bold against Canada to secure the three poinst at stake in the match, ” he said.

NAN reports that Nigeria would play against Canada on Nov. 16.

The Falconets is in group B alongside Japan, Canada and Spain. (NAN)
KOA/ASS/HA
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Edited by Hadiza Mohammed-Aliyu

NAN-H-15
Youths
By Maureen Ojinaka-Nwanosike
Enugu, Nov. 13, 2016 (NAN) The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), on Sunday, urged youths to always do the right things so as to avoid going to jail.

The Vice Chairman of CAN, Enugu chapter, Dr Levi Muonanu, gave the advice after officiating  a special service for inmate in Enugu Prisons.

Muonanu said there were too many young girls and boys in the prison who were not up to the age of 25.

According to him, when youths miss their tracks in life, they will likely find themselves in jail.

The Christian leader urged youths to always exhibit the right attitude wherever they found themselves in order to avoid prison sentence.

He added that “when youths miss the right track, there is tendency that they will get into prison through  wrong doings exhibited in the society.

“Youths should avoid anything that will get  them imprisoned because prison is not their home and this can be prevented by living a truthful
life.”

The vice chairman then admonished inmates to give their lives to Christ and seek for forgiveness.

He urged government to evolve good reform initiative that would help to decongest prisons and ensure good health for inmates.

“The reform should include getting prisoners to learn one or two handicraft or trade so as to be responsible whenever they come out of jail,” he said. OJI/HS/HA
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Edited by Halima Sheji/Hadiza Mohammed-Aliyu

NAN-H-8
Railway
By Kazeem Akande,
Lagos, Nov. 13, 2016 (NAN) Mr Jerry Oche, the Lagos District Manager, Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC), said the corporation would soon increase the fine of roof top riders to N100,000.

He told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Lagos that the fine was not meant to generate revenue but to discourage people
from riding at the roof top of the train.

He said miscreants had formed the habit of riding on roof top of train and causing mayhem on innocent passengers, making train ride insecure.

He added that 36 persons were charged to court on Wednesday, Nov. 9, out of the 105 suspected roof top riders arrested recently.

The district manager said that the suspects were made to pay N25,000 fine which the NRC would later increase to N50,000 and
N100,000 to deter them from such illegal act.

He added that “the fine is just a way to discourage people from riding at the roof top of the train.

“We have charged 36 out of over 100 suspects to court recently and the clampdown will continue.”

Oche explained that the hoodlums were arrested by a combined team of Railway Police, the Lagos State Police Command, the NRC Task Force and Man-O-War personnel.

According to him, the miscreants have constituted a nuisance to the corporation’s mass transit shuttle service in Lagos and Ogun states, causing harm and injuries to innocent passengers.

The manager said that the raids would continue and the corporation would increase its police posts and security personnel to ensure the safety of passengers and NRC personnel on the trains.

He added that the safety and security of passengers was paramount to the corporation.

NAN reports that hoodlums caused mayhem at the Agege station on Nov. 1 and the development led to reprisal attacks from the people, which affected the operations of the corporation. (NAN)
AKA/HA
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Edited by Hadiza Mohammed-Aliyu

NAN-S-6
Falconets
By Victor Okoye
Abuja, Nov. 13, 2016 (NAN) The Falconets on Sunday were handed a humiliating 6-1 defeat by Japan in their 2016 FIFA Women’s U-20 World Cup opener in Papua New Guinea.

Coach Peter Dedevbo’s side suffered a heavy reversal at the youth competition where they traditionally used to thrive.

A hat-trick from Mami Ueno followed by Yuka Momiki’s brace and an own goal from Mary Ologbosere compounded the woes of the Falconets at the Bava Park in Port Moresby.

Captain Sandra Chichi and top striker Chinwendu Ihezuo both made coach Dedevbo’s starting lineup, while youngster Ogechi Ukwuoma was named in the team.

Japan took long to break the deadlock through Momiki in the 34th minute, before Ueno showed predatory instincts to double the lead three minutes later.

Nigeria did well to hold their own later on, particularly after the break, with a fair spell of possession, but it was the Asians who scored again through Momiki.

An own goal from Ologbosere made the score line 4-0.

The rampaging Ueno completed a hat-trick for herself with goals in the 62nd and 82nd minute respectively.

Meanwhile, the Falconets have three days to regroup for Wednesday’s match against Canada.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the 8th FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup finals which kicked off on Sunday is expected to end on
Dec. 3 in Papua New Guinea. (NAN)
VO/HA
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Edited by Hadiza Mohammed-Aliyu