NAN-S-19

Rangers

By Emmanuel Afonne

Abuja, Sept. 19, 2016 (NAN) The management of Rangers International Football Club of Enugu said on Monday that it was planning to celebrate Nigeria’s 56th independence anniversary with the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) trophy.

Paul Ozor, the General Manager of Rangers said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.

Ozor said that it would be an honour guiding Rangers to a successful league title after going trophy less for 32 years.

“A committee has been put in place for the celebration that will follow the team’s league victory.

“The celebration will be like when Chelsea lifted the premiership title in England because the stadium will be jam-packed on the day of the last match.

“There will be road shows and gala night; every good thing one can think of will be on parade that day.

“Enugu cannot wait a night to that last league match because it will seem as if we have already won the league trophy,’’ Ozor said.

He said that arrangement had been made to ensure Rangers fans troop to the stadium to watch the team’s season’s last match free of charge.

“The gate will be thrown open on the final match day because it is a home game against El-Kanemi Warriors of Miaduguri; we are playing Ikorodu in Abeokuta before the last match against El-Kanemi.

“We are not thinking of losing the trophy.

“We have started putting on our championship jerseys, caps, fliers and so on.

“We held a meeting this morning with the House of Assembly members, Commissioner for Sports, board members and other stakeholders on the best way to organise the celebration.

“His Excellency, Gov. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi met with us last week and he is already preparing to shower the team with gifts,’’ Ozor added.

NAN reports that Rangers is currently occupying the top spot on the league table with 57 points, while Rivers United is second with 56 points.

Wikki Tourists of Bauchi is placed third with 54 points, while FC Ifeanyi Ubah is occupying the fourth place with 53 points. (NAN)

EMAF/EEE

=========

Edited by Ese E. Ekama

Bomb experts accidentally detonate explosive device in New Jersey

NAN-F-6
Detonation
New York, Sept. 19, 2016 (dpa/NAN) Bomb experts who were working to defuse explosive devices, accidentally detonated one of them on Monday at a train station in the north-eastern U.S. state of New Jersey, the FBI said

The package was discovered late Sunday at the Elizabeth Train Station, the FBI’s Newark branch tweeted, adding that no one was injured in the unintentional detonation.

Security forces in the east-coast states of New York and New Jersey have been on edge in the wake of two explosions that occurred at the weekend.

The first along the planned route of a U.S. Marines-sponsored charity run in New Jersey on Saturday, and the second in the popular Manhattan neighbourhood of Chelsea later that evening.

No one was injured in the New Jersey blast, while the Chelsea bombing injured 29 people and prompted the discovery of a second device blocks away in Manhattan.

The incidents have prompted New York state officials to tighten security, just as the annual UN General Assembly (UNGA) debates ramp up this week.

U.S. broadcaster ABC News reported that train services were suspended in Elizabeth, New Jersey.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and a bomb squad were reported to be looking into a possible pipe bomb found in garbage at a train station.

The blast on Saturday night in New York City’s hip Chelsea neighbourhood destroyed a garbage bin. The site is 3 kilometres from United Nations headquarters on the East River.

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio on Sunday vowed a “bigger than ever” police presence to protect the UN.

The U.S. Homeland Security Department was “actively monitoring and participating in the investigations” of both the New York and New Jersey explosions, Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said.

He noted that the UN General Assembly debate, which begins on Sept. 13, was already designated a national special security event, for which thousands of federal personnel led by the Secret Service were deploying to the city.

“Any area in New York City associated with UNGA will therefore be subject to an extraordinarily high level of surveillance and security,” Johnson said.

US President Barack Obama was to meet Monday with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and later Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi at the Lotte New York Palace Hotel.

Obama was to visit the U.S. mission outside the UN and spend the night in the city, before co-hosting a Tuesday summit on the global refugee crisis.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo ordered 1,000 additional police officers and National Guard members to patrol New York streets after the Chelsea bombing, which authorities have so far not tied to international terrorism.

The bomb appeared to have been built from a pressure cooker, much like a second, unexploded device found minutes later, a few blocks from the blast site.

“We will find whoever did this or whatever group did this, and they will be brought to justice, period,” Cuomo said.

Broadcaster CNN reported that a investigators have spotted a man pulling a piece of wheeled luggage on surveillance videos from the explosion site.

A few minutes later, the same man was captured by another security camera leaving the bag at the site where the unexploded device was found.(dpa/NAN)

(Edited by Isaac Aregbesola/Julius Enehikhuere)

VC tasks students on entrepreneurship skills

NAN-HE-20
Skills
Kano, Sept. 19, 2016 (NAN) The Vice Chancellor of Bayero University, Kano, Prof. Yahuza Bello, has stressed the need for students to embrace entrepreneurship skills in order to be self-reliant after graduation.

Bello made the remark at the opening ceremony of a 5-day Business and Entrepreneurial Journalism Training for Students of Mass Communication on Monday in Kano.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the training programme was organised by the Hausa Service of the Voice of America (VOA) in collaboration with the Department of Mass Communication of the university.

The Vice Chancellor who was represented by Head of Department, Mass Communication, Dr Sulaiman Yar’adua, said that the call had become necessary in order to enable them become creative for self-reliance.

He urged the participants to make the best use of the opportunity to improve their skills in order to be self-reliant.

Bello commended VOA for considering the university for the programme.

“I am confident the programme would improve the skills of the participants to make them employers of labour,’’ he said.

In his remarks, the VOA, Head of Hausa Service, Mr Leo Keyen, said the training which was the second edition, was aimed at introducing pool of opportunities to students under the various packages of Self-help programmes.

“Trainees will also learn to make profiles on entrepreneurs lively and commanding to change lives of readers/listeners among others,” he said.

Also speaking, the Head of Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria, Kano, Alhaji Ahmed Madawaki, urged youths not to depend on white collar job as the era of depending on government to provide job was over.

NAN reports that during the 5-day seminar, experts on business and entrepreneurship were expected to presents papers. (NAN).

MTM/FAT/AMY

(Edited by Fatima Sule Abdullahi Yusuf)

Controller decries congestion in Jalingo prison
NAN-DS-4
Congestion
Jalingo, Sept. 19, 2016 (NAN) The Taraba Controller of Nigeria Prisons Service, Alhaji Mustapha Atta, on Monday decried the congestion in Jalingo Prison.

Atta told newsmen in Jalingo that the prison which has the capacity to accommodate 250 inmates now contained 584 inmates.

“The Jalingo prison was built in 1916, with the capacity to accommodate 250 inmates.

“As I speak with you today, this prison is accommodating about 584 inmates, which is far more than its capacity,” he said.

The controller said 90 of the inmates, whom included 87 males and three females, had been convicted, while 494 of them were awaiting trials.

He expressed concern at the deplorable condition of the facility.

“The prison is very old and in need of urgent renovation. Its facility is over stretched because of the congestion,” he said.

Atta also expressed concern that the prison had only one functional vehicle for conveying inmates to the court.

He said the prison needed at least two more vehicles to discharge its functions. (NAN)
NB/CEO/AMY
=======

NAN-H-67

Support

By Isaac Aregbesola

Abuja, Sept. 19, 2016 (NAN) President Muhammadu Buhari has urged member-states of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), development partners and international community to assist security personnel, victims and countries affected by Boko Haram insurgency.

This is contained in a statement by the Spokesperson, Nigerian Mission to UN, Mr Akinremi Bolaji, and made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Monday.

The statement quoted the president as making the call in his speech at the 17^th Summit of NAM at the Island of Margarita, Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.

NAN reports that NAM is a group of states which are not formally aligned with or against any major power bloc.

Buhari stressed the need to provide assistance to member-countries that had borne the brunt of Boko Haram terrorism, and relief to the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and refugees.

He explained that twin scourge of terrorism and violent extremism had continued to wreak havoc in Nigeria and countries around Lake Chad Basin.

According to him, thousands of nationals have been killed and maimed in addition to the millions displaced from their homes.

He, however, stated that the capacity of Boko Haram had been severely degraded with huge sacrifices of the Nigerian Armed Forces and those of Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF).

While noting that the situation in some other parts of the world such as Libya, Iraq and Syria had continued to be a major concern, Buhari urged support for the peace process in those countries.

“It is essential that the Non-Aligned Movement finds a role for itself in addressing these challenges so as to retain its relevance in the world of today and in the future.

“In addressing the challenge of resource mobilization and flows for sustainable development of our countries, our collective solidarity is required now more than ever before, to uphold the Bandung Principles.

“I need not stress that cooperation among nations is an essential condition for global peace, security and a just world and economic order anchored on democratic values.’’

Buhari said that there was the need to associate fully with the statement by the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Thailand, Prayut Chan-o-cha on behalf of Group 77 and China.

Chan-o-cha, had said that there was a great opportunity for NAM to place the priority and concerns of the developing countries on the global agenda.

Buhari said that the international community was currently faced with severe economic crisis characterized by the collapse of commodity prices, worsening youth unemployment and exchange rate instability, among others.

“We need to exchange experiences in tackling these challenges. We must create jobs for our teeming population and explore creative ways of adding value to our terms of trade among ourselves and the rest of the world.

“We must continue to fashion out concrete steps to enhance good governance in our countries, including tackling head on, the challenge of corruption and efficient allocation of scarce resources,” he said.

The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Mrs Khadija Abba-Ibrahim, said at the meeting that Nigeria was firmly committed to the protection of civilians in armed conflict.

According to her, Nigeria recognises the primary responsibility of States to protect civilians within their national jurisdiction.

“This conviction underlines our government’s resolve to take all measures necessary to protect civilians in the battle against the terrorist group, Boko Haram.

“Surely, terrorism must be roundly condemned and rejected by all peace-loving nations and should never be justified or defended under any guise.

“Similarly, no action should also be taken to undermine the morale and professional efficiency of the gallant officers and men of the Nigerian Armed Forces and those of their partners in the sub-region as they prosecute this campaign,” she said.(NAN)

IAA/OPI/OPI

Edited by Olisa Ifeajika

NAN-HE-6
Recovery
Abuja, Sept. 19, 2016 (NAN) The Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, on Monday reaffirmed the role of the private sector in the economic recovery programme of the Federal Government.

He gave the indication at the Presidential Quarterly Business Forum with the private sector held at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

“Let me point out that there is no question at all that the private sector is crucial,’’ he said.

Osinbajo said the Federal Government would continue to work with the private sector in all aspects of the economy, being the engine of development.

The Vice President said that the engagement was to focus on game-changing models which would make huge difference in the economy.

He mentioned the up-coming 650,000 barrels per day Dangote Refinery as an example.

“If Dangote Refinery comes on stream by 2018, that would significantly affect the economy.

“About 30 per cent of our foreign exchange outlay today is on importation of PMS (Premium Motor Spirit).

“If we can deal with that 30 per cent, obviously there will be less pressure on our foreign exchange reserve,’’ he said.

He said that the sub-sea pipeline being constructed would take care of the vandalism of pipelines, while the Indorama Sorghum plant and other private sector projects would help the economic recovery.

Osinbajo said the nature of the recession in the country should be understood by everyone, adding that the country started to experience recession because of the activities of oil and gas vandals.

He said that the U.S. recession in 1931, which became a depression, happened when the country was over producing in manufacturing and agriculture with high capacity in railways.

“In our own case, it is completely different. If we did not have the vandalism of pipelines in the Niger Delta, we probably would not have entered into recession by now.

“There is no place anywhere in the world where you can lose one million barrels per day in oil production when you are projecting 2.2 million barrels per day and you would not suffer tremendously.

“It becomes so, especially when that same revenue is what drives your non-oil revenues,’’ Osinbajo said.

He advised that the country should look for solutions that were peculiar to its circumstances.

“We have to look at what problems that we have and try to focus on some solutions that can come from there.

The Vice President said the Federal Government was engaging the Niger Delta stakeholders already to find a way out of the ugly situation.

He said the youth were also being carried along in the recovery programme, adding that recently the Federal Government organised technology innovation competition involving no fewer than 4,000 youths nationwide.

Osinbajo said that the competition culminated in the Aso Villa Demo Day by bringing youths with cutting-edge technology to reshape the economy.

He said the government planned to establish six technology hubs in the six geo-political zones as well as Lagos and Abuja.

The Vice President said 65,000 youths would be engaged and trained in various aspects of technology with special focus on animation industry which had great potential for job creation.

According to him, 5,000 teacher-volunteer-corps being put in place will be largely technology-driven as the people will be trained online and given devices to teach and work as farm extension and public health officials.

“We are completely committed to ensuring that young people are going to be part of what is going on and we think that we simply cannot ignore them,’’ he said.

Osinbanjo reacted to the concern on power supply, saying that as at February 2016, the country reached 5,000 megawatts but it dropped shortly due to the vandalism in Forcados in Delta.

“Through vandalism, we lost 40 per cent of our gas supply which meant a crash in actual production of gas.

“We expect that very shortly, we will be able to come back to that point with some of the gas initiatives here and there,’’ he said.

The Vice President acknowledged that the entire oil and gas industry had a lot of challenges which must be cleaned up for optimum gains.

He, however, said there was need for structural and revolutionary changes which would in no distant future bring back power supply to where it should be.

Osinbajo said government was not unmindful of the tension in the monetary policies and would ensure that all relevant agencies would collaborate to reduce the financial hardships.

He also said that execution was key in all the plans, adding that the Federal Government was working hard to ensure it was able to execute programmes.

The Vice President said that the proposal for reducing the time of doing business was uppermost in the government’s agenda.

He said that while some legislative changes were needed, others required attitudinal changes of individuals and organisations.

Osinbajo said the administration was very committed to deliver on many of its promises by working through the challenges day by day. (NAN)
DCU/AJA
=======
(Controlled by Adeleye Ajayi)

NAN-H-11
Unity
By Usman Aliyu
Offa (Kwara), Sept 19, 2016 (NAN) A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kwara, Mr Kola Shittu, on Monday urged members of the party to desist from actions that could cause divisions.

Shittu made the appeal at an APC stakeholders’ meeting he organised in Offa, Offa Local Government Area of Kwara.

The former House of Representatives member urged the party members to embrace  unity to attract development.

According to him, the meeting was convened to explain Kwara Government’s programmes and policies to members of the  electorate in an effort to give them a sense of belonging.

He cautioned APC leaders against unguarded utterances, adding, “we should not overheat the polity with our conduct; let us be united”.

Shittu, a former commissioner in the state, also called on the party members to support those in positions of authority.

He advised APC supporters to unite in order to move Offa forward.

In his speech, the APC Chairman in the local government area, Alhaji AbdulAzeez Aro, also urged unity of purpose among members of the party.

“The era of division and cleavages in Offa politics is long gone,” he said.

A female leader of the party, Hajia Iyabo Ibiyeye, appealed to executives of the party to empower more women and entrust them with more political offices.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that participants at the forum urged the state government to complete all abandoned projects in Offa council area and initiate new ones soon. (NAN)
AUO/ESAN/IGO

============

(Edited by Abiodun Esan and controlled by Ijeoma Popoola)

NAN-ELS-7

Youths

By Collins Yakubu-hammer

Abuja, Sept. 19, 2016 (NAN) Mr Emmaunel Okon, a Tourism Expert and President, “Youth Tourism Development Organisation’’ has called on the Federal Government and other tourism stakeholders to encourage youths to appreciate tourism in the country.

Okon made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Abuja.

“The government should collaborate with serious minded youth tourism organisations that are registered and make conscious effort to ensure that youths are consciously carried along in tourism activities.

“Government should assist them morally, financially and materially to enable them put up programmes that would be attractive to the youth to actually get them involve in tourism activities.

“The private sector within the tourism industry like the hotels and airlines also needs to encourage the youth and youth’s organisations by giving them some concession.

“Hotels are very expensive in the country, but when hostels are built either by the government or private investors, it will help a lot to encourage the youth,’’ Okon said.

He stressed that hostels were facilities that could facilitate youth’s movement from one place to another to help them get involved in tourism activities.

“Unfortunately, we do not have any of such in this country.’’

He stressed the need for transport operators to make concerted efforts to encourage the youth to participate in tourism activities by subsidising the cost of fares from one tourist site to another.

Okon also urged hoteliers and airline operators to give concession to youths that were going on tourism adventure within the country.

“All these will encourage the youths into appreciating tourism and visiting different tourist sites within the country.

“By and large, government should collaborate with private sector including tourism youths organisations as being done in other countries.

“This can also encourage and boost local tourism within the country because we have large number of youths,’’ Okon said. (NAN)

CMY/EEE

========

Edited by Ese E. Ekama

NAN-H-30
Guards
By Azubuike Okeh
Port Harcourt, Sept. 19, 2016(NAN) The Rivers Government has denied owing the salaries of security guards working in public primary schools in the state.
This is contained in a statement in Port Harcourt on Monday by Mr Simeon Nwakaudu, Special Assistant on Electronic Media to Gov. Nyesom Wike.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that security guards had on Monday locked the entrances to some public primary schools, preventing pupils from gaining access.
NAN learnt that the action was to protest alleged backlog of unpaid salaries owed the workers by the State Government.
Some public school pupils who could not gain access into their schools were forced to go back home.
Meanwhile, the State Government announced that public schools in the state had re-opened for classes Sept. 19.
“All our public schools have re-opened for classes; teachers are expected back in class too.
“The State Government does not owe any security guard directly employed by it, therefore, nobody can close the gates of the public schools.
The statement said that the security guards who shut down the entrances to schools were unknown to overnment.
“Those trying to bar our pupils from accessing their school premises do not have any contractual agreement with the state,’’ the statement said.
NAN checks at Port Harcourt Centenary School, St. Andrews Primary School and other schools showed that academic activities were going on.
The Head Teacher of Centenary Primary School, Mrs Charity Okachi, said that a total of 85 pupils reported on the first day of resumption.
“Teaching and learning have already commenced,’’ she stated. (NAN)
AZU/MEMO/SN
=============
(Edited by Mike Mbonye, controlled by Silas Nwoha)

Lottery Trust Fund donates sport equipment to 41 public schools in Bayelsa

NAN-S-8

Equipment

By Christian Ogbonna

Yenagoa, Sept. 19, 2016 (NAN) The National Sport Lottery Trust Fund on Monday donated sports equipment worth millions of Naira to 41 primary schools in Bayelsa.

Heineken Lokpoibiri, Minister of State for Agriculture and Rural Development, disclosed this during the official launch of the National Lottery Intervention sports equipment in the South-South geopolitical zone.

Flagging off the initiative in Yenagoa, Lokpoibiri said the intervention was carefully designed by the federal government to support public schools to groom young talents in sports.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the equipment were for nine sports: athletics, volleyball, Basketball, football, handball, badminton, table tennis, judo and taekwondo.

According to Lokpobiri,  about 2,000 public primary schools have been selected for this programme across the country while 41 schools are from Bayelsa.

“I urge the states and local governments to complement the efforts of the federal government and key into the programme to ensure that more schools benefited. I believe that with this, more  talents will be groomed in different games,” he said.

Executive Secretary and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), National Lottery Trust Fund, Habu Ahmed, said the programme was to reaffirm President Buhari’s passion and commitment to advancing and promoting grassroots sports.

Ahmed said that the Trust Fund was poised to ensure that the specific objectives of this intervention, which was to  enhance the nation’s capacity in sports, was utilized.

Executive Secretary, Bayelsa  Universal Basic Education Board (BSUBEB), Walton Liverpol, commended the Lottery Trust Fund for the presentation made to primary schools in the state.

Liverpol said the move would boost sports development at the grassroots. (NAN)

OOC/MEMO

==========

Story Edited by Mike Mbonye