Blog

NAN-H-74
Registration
By Olayinka Olawale
Lagos, Sept. 23, 2016 (NAN) The Lagos State Ministry of Education, through the State Agency for Mass Education, has begun the registration of unregistered Tutorial and Continuing Education Centres (CECs).

The information is contained in a statement issued by the Permanent Secretary of Ministry, Mr Adesina Odeyemi, on Friday in Lagos.

Odeyemi stated that the exercise was a follow-up to previous directive mandating all centres to register with the Lagos State Agency for Mass Education, in accordance with relevant Edict.

He noted that the registration was in line with the state government’s commitment to standardise the education sector and prior engagements that reviewed activities of the centres.

He directed unregistered centres to register accordingly and commended those that had already registered for doing the right thing.

The Lagos State Government had asked unregistered study centres, tutorials and other education outfits to register with the state’s agency for mass education so as to ensure uniformity and for easy monitoring.

The state government wanted all centres registered so it could work out modalities to standardise the education sector. (NAN)
OOG/DOE/HA
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(Edited by Dianabasi Effiong/Hadiza Mohammed-Aliyu)

NAN-HG-7
Allocation
By Temitope Salami
Ijebu-Ode (Ogun), Sept. 23, 2016 (NAN) A physician, Dr Kayode Opadeyi, on Friday urged government at all levels to increase the budgetary allocation to the health sector in order to strengthen maternal and child healthcare in the country.

Opadeyi, an Obstetrician and Gynaecologist at Tolulope Specialist Hospital, Ijebu-Ode, Ogun, said doing this would help reduce maternal fatality rate and enhance economic growth.

Opadeyi told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ijebu-Ode that inadequate funding of maternal and child health by policy makers was a major hindrance to reproductive health activities and family planning.

“Inadequate health personnel at health facilities are posing serious threat to the provision of quality service delivery.

“With effective use of family planning, unwanted pregnancies and unsafe abortions would be averted.

“By enhancing the health sector and improving maternal and child health, there would be reduction in healthcare cost, population growth and poverty,” he said.

He also advocated the recruitment of skilled health workers and integration of family planning into other relevant services at health facilities.

Opadeyi stressed that intensifying medical outreaches would help to increase awareness and generate demand for family planning services amongst others. (NAN)
TDS/OJO
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(Edited and controlled by Mufutau Ojo)

NAN-HG-6
Quadruplets
By Christian Ogbonna
Yenagoa, Sept. 23, 2016 (NAN) The Wife of the Bayelsa Governor, Mrs Rachael Dickson, on Friday gave birth to four babies – a boy and three girls.

A statement issued by the Governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Daniel Iworiso-Markson in Yenagoa, said that Rachael put to bed in the United States of America.

According to the statement, the mother and the newborns are doing well.

The statement also expressed Gov. Dickson’s gratitude to friends, family members and the people of Bayelsa for their prayers and support.

The statement quoted him as calling on well-wishers to continue to pray for the family. (NAN)
OOC/FAT/YEE
Edited by Fatima Sule/Emmanuel Yashim
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NAN-AE-8
Soil
By Suleiman Shehu
Ibadan, Sept. 23, 2016 (NAN) Ayoade Ogunkunle, a professor of Soil Survey and Land Evaluation in the Department of Agronomy, University of Ibadan, says the use of low quality soil by farmers is militating against food security  in the country.

Ogunkunle said this on Thursday evening  at the 2016 edition of the University Lecture Series organised by the University of Ibadan.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the theme of the lecture was “Management of Nigeria’s Soil Resources: An imperative for Sustainable Development.’’

He said that the importance of soil resources in agricultural production had been trivialised in Nigeria over the years while serious attention had not been given to soil problems.

“The major problem militating against food security in Nigeria is poor quality, highly degraded and poorly managed soil resources.

“ Little effort is made to redress the high degree of soil loss and depletion of soil quality through degradation in the country and this leads to low yield of most of Nigeria’s arable crops.

“Soil degradation must be minimised for the quality and capacity of the soils to improved and to achieve food security for sustainable development,’’ the don said.

Ogunkunle also said the soil management strategies in use by Nigerian farmers could not sustain soil quality and capacity for food security or self-sufficiency in food production.

He said the country needed to adopt appropriate sustainable management and conservation strategies to harness the nation’s agricultural soil resources.

“Sustainable land or soil management has the capacity to preserve the land resources to meet human needs and development.

“ It is a knowledge-based procedure that integrates land, water, biodiversity and environmental management in order to meet rising food demands while sustaining ecosystem services and livelihood,’’ Ogunkunle said.

Ogunkunle said that there was an urgent need for agricultural transformation in which soil resources would be given their rightful place so that food security and sustainable development would be achieved.

“ It is hoped that the current fall in oil price in the world market will force Nigeria to get its priorities right by wisely investing in agricultural production and research.

“ If this can be done, the present suffering from the low price of oil will turn out to be a blessing in disguise,’’ Ogunkunle said. (NAN)
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(Edited and controlled by Mufutau Ojo)

NAN-H-68

Change

By Aminu Ahmed Garko

Sokoto, Sept. 23, 2016 (NAN) Alhaji Muktari Mapia, a chieftain of All Progressives Congress (APC) in Sokoto state, has sought the support of religious leaders in mobilising Nigerians to embrace the change agenda of the present administration.

Mapia, who, spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Sokoto on Friday on the ”Change begins with me,” campaign, said this would improve the general support and acceptance of the campaign.

Mapia said: ”It will assist the government to preach the change agenda to the citizens, to bolster its acceptability and success.

”The two major religions of Islam and Christianity believe and preach the gospels of peace and the change agenda of the government is along the same line.

“Nigerians must rally with the present administration’s efforts in its resolve to reposition our country through the change mantra, for peace, progress and political stability of our country,” he said.

Mapia tasked  religious leaders to make special sermons on what the society stood to benefit from the programme.

“We must  assist the government in preaching the change agenda, especially when such message does not contradict any teachings of Islam and Christianity,” he said.

The chieftain further explained that change should reflect in the lives of every Nigerian.

“We should change our attitudes to everything around us, for the common good of the country. (NAN).

AAG/IS/MTM

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Edited by Ismail Abdulaziz /controlled by Tukur Muntari

NAN-H-64
Renewal
By Emmanuella Anokam
Abuja, Sept. 23, 2016 (NAN) The Nigeria Institute of Town Planners (NITP) says its partnership with the Institute Francaise du Nigeria is to ensure urban renewal and proper management of Nigerian cities.
The Acting National President of NITP, Mr Lucas Achi, made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Friday.

Achi, a former Director of Administration in the Parks and Recreation Department of the Federal Capital Development Authority, said that the partnership was necessary and timely.
According to him, the partnership with the French institute calls for assessment of new towns, their concepts and how they have performed since inception as well as the reasons for their progress.

He also said that it would focus on housing sanitation, urban transportation, mixed land uses and compact neighbourhoods.
“We are trying to see how the environment in Abuja will not just be a good place to live in, but also a land of opportunities for young ones to obtain jobs,’’ he said.

He stated that NITP is trying to forecast the outlook of Abuja in the next 30 years, in view of the daily influx of people, which is over-stretching its infrastructure.

He further said that there might not be sufficient infrastructure to service residents in the nearest future if Abuja continued to expand without planning.

Achi said that it was in an attempt to prevent such development that NITP in partnership with the French institute was considering turning away people’s attention from Abuja to FCT satellite towns.
He said that government would have succeeded in averting the kind of crisis usually associated with the mass influx of people to major cities if FCT satellite towns were to be properly developed.

The NITP chief said that developing FCT satellite towns would help create employment opportunities, ensure good environmental standards and promote standard service delivery.
Achi, therefore, called on professional town planners in the civil service to always offer good advice to political appointees on technical issues involving urban regeneration.

The Institute Français du Nigéria, formerly known as French Cultural Centre, was created in 1999 and charged with the responsibility of promoting the French language and culture in Nigeria. (NAN)
ELLA/EEM/YEE

Edited by Emmanuel Mogbede/Emmanuel Yashim
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NAN-AE-7
Weather
By Sumaila Ogbaje
Abuja, Sept. 23, 2016 (NAN) The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) has predicted cloudy weather conditions over the central states of the country on Saturday.

In the NiMet’s Weather Outlook issued by its Central Forecast Office (CFO) on Friday in Abuja, cities like Abuja, Lokoja Minna, Ibi , Lafia and Markudi would experience early morning isolated thunderstorms.

It added that localised thunderstorms would prevail over Abuja, Kaduna, Bauchi, Jos and Gombe in the afternoon and evening hours with maximum temperatures of 29 to 31 degrees Celsius.

The Agency predicted that the southern states would experience localised rains and showers over the entire coast in the morning with maximum temperatures of 29 to 33 degrees Celsius.

It also predicted that inland and coastal cities of Lagos, Asaba, Calabar and Port Harcourt, Oshogbo, Ilorin, Ibadan, Enugu and Awka would experience localised rains during the afternoon and evening hours.

NiMet also predicted that northern states would experience cloudy conditions over most parts in the morning with thunderstorms over Kano, Katsina and Yelwa.

It added that partly cloudy conditions and localised thunderstorms would prevail over Sokoto and Gusau, Nguru and Maiduguri in the afternoon and evening hours with maximum temperatures of 30 to 35 degrees Celsius. (NAN)
OYS/MO/HA
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(Edited by Morayo Omolade/Hadiza Mohammed-Aliyu)

NAN-S-16

Tennis
Abuja, Sept. 23, 2016 (NAN) Serena Williams has withdrawn from next week’s Wuhan Open and China Open due to a shoulder injury.

The 34-year-old Williams has been troubled by the problem with her right shoulder since winning Wimbledon, which was her 22nd Grand Slam singles title.

She said her focus was on being fit enough to play in the season-ending WTA Finals in Singapore next month.

Williams was recently defeated by Karolina Pliskova at the US Open which ended Williams’ 186-week run as world number one.

She had equaled Steffi Graf’s record for the longest reign at the top of the women’s rankings.

The defeat against Pliskova in the semi-final at Flushing Meadows, saw Williams’ place taken by eventual champion Angelique Kerber.

The Wuhan Open starts on Sunday and will end on Oct. 1, while the China Open will start on Oct. 3.

The American’s withdrawal from the tournaments in Wuhan and Beijing has reduced her chances of reclaiming the number one spot from Kerber before the end of 2016.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Williams won her first Grand Slam title at the US Open in 1999, when she beat Switzerland’s Martina Hingis in straight sets.(NAN)

(Edited by Dorcas Jonah and Controlled by Olawale Alabi)

NAN-HG-5
Salary
By Akeem Abas
Ibadan, Sept. 23, 2016(NAN) The Joint Health Sector Union (JOHESU) of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) Teaching Hospital, Ogbomoso, has appealed to the Oyo State Government to commence full salary payment to members.

The union made the appeal in a statement jointly signed by Abiodun Lawal and Olajumoke Akanbi, Chairman and Secretary, respectively.

The union, in the statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Ibadan, urged the state government to commence payment of full salary to its members from April.

NAN reports that the state government had been paying 50 percent salary to workers in the institution and had paid up till March.

But the union urged Gov. Abiola Ajimobi to facilitate the immediate release of the remaining 50 percent of their salaries from January to March.

“ Reduction of salary subvention to the hospital by 50 percent is threatening the sustenance of the hospital and making life miserable for workers,’’ JOHESU said.

The union stated that the institution was the only tertiary health institution owned by Oyo State, adding that workers in the hospital had been playing significant roles in healthcare delivery. (NAN)
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(Edited and controlled by Mufutau Ojo)

NAN-H-63

Security

By Aminu Ahmed Garko

Sokoto, Sept. 23, 2016 (NAN) The Chief Imam of Police Central Mosque,Sokoto, DSP Muktar Abdullahi, has advised security personnel in the country to be more civil while dealing with members of the general public.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Abdullahi gave the advice on Friday at a Jumma’at sermon in Sokoto.

He said that security personnel should desist from acts capable of giving an impression of intimidating and threat to lives of members of the general public.

The Imam cautioned the officers to always discharge their responsibilities with the fear of God.

“We must do away from acts of extorting the members of the public at roads blocks, arrest of innocent persons and detaining them without any reason,” he said.

Abdullahi said that this new attitude would make the public to appreciate the effort of the security personnel and make them volunteer intelligence reports about their surroundings.

He also called on them to imbibe the culture of offering special prayers before embarking on special assignment for God’s protection.

He called on Nigerians to support the effort and commitment of President Muhammadu Buhari towards providing qualitative leadership that would revamp the National economy.

The cleric said that the present economic challenges require urgent prayers from Nigerians for God to turn around the economy. (NAN)
AAG/IS/MTM/

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Edited by Ismail Abdulaziz/ controlled by Tukur Muntari.