Blog

NAN-AE-1
Agriculture
By Aminu Ahmed Garko
Sokoto, Sept. 15, 2016 ( NAN) Sen. Aliyu Wamakko has called on the Federal Government to provide modern agricultural facilities to farmers at affordable rate, to enhance food production in the country .

Wamakko made the call on Wednesday night in Sokoto, while interacting with members of Sokoto State chapter of the Correspondent Chapel of Nigeria Union of Journalists.

He said that government could tackle current high level of poverty, unemployment, corruption, insurgency, militancy and cattle rustling through farming.

The senator noted that the present economic situation had forced many Nigerians into farming and expressed optimism that sufficient food would be produced this year.

He said it was important for the government to invest more in the sector, so as to retain the high level of interest displayed by Nigerians in farming activities.

Wamakko, who represents Sokoto Central in the Senate, explained that making farming inputs affordable would help to encourage more people into the trade.

“We have all that it takes to produce what we can eat as well as export,’’ he said, and advised state and local governments to also give priority to agriculture.

He urged Nigerians to support President Muhammadu Buhari in the task of repositioning the country, and expressed optimism that Nigeria would overcome its current economic challenges.

“Nigerians must be supportive, patient and prayerful for God’s   intervention in the socio-economic and political growth of our country,’’ he said. (NAN)
AAG/JEY/MZA
[Edited by Johnson Eyiangho and Controlled by Maharazu Ahmed]
===============================================

NAN-H-97

Clampdown

By Yahaya Isah

Abuja, Sept. 14, 2016 (NAN) The Nigerian Navy on Wednesday said it would continue to clampdown on militant groups and criminal elements in the Niger Delta.

This is contained in a statement signed by its Director of Information, Commodore Christian Ezekobe, in Abuja.

It said that it had arrested one of the top leaders of a group called Bakassi Strike Force (BSF), adding that nabbing the suspected was part of efforts to eliminate unwholesome activities by criminals in the Niger Delta.

“The suspected militant, Mr Uduak Thompson aka SANGATA, was arrested on Sept. 12 in his hideout in Calabar by a joint team from Nigerian Navy Ship VICTORY and Defence Intelligence Agency,” it said.

The statement recalled that some top members of the BSF had earlier been arrested.

In a related development, the patrol team deployed by Naval Outpost (NOP) Ikuru has arrested four suspected sea robbers, who were alleged to be responsible for several attacks and robbery incidents.

According to the statement, they carry out these attacks at Oyorokoro,Ataba, Kaa and Oyorokoro communities in Andoni Local government area of Rivers.

“The gang was alleged to have particularly attacked market women on Sept. 4, 2016 at Oyorokoro Community.

“These arrests bring to fore, the commitment of the NN and other security agencies to stamp out the menace of criminal brigandage in the region.

“Investigation into these untoward activities has commenced and the perpetrators will be handed over to prosecuting agencies for further action,” the statement said. (NAN)

YI /OPI/OPI

(Edited by Olisa Ifeajika)

NAN-H-91

Festival

by Temitope Salami

Ijebu-Ode (Ogun), Sept. 14, 2016 (NAN) Gov. Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun has on commended the organisers of the annual Ojude Oba Festival, saying it has helped to promote the state government’s tourism drive.

Amosun gave the commendation when he delivered his goodwill message at the event held at the Golden Jubilee Centre, Ijebu-Ode on Wednesday.

The governor said the festival, which commemorates the Muslim Ileya celebration, had over the years gained popularity both nationally and internationally.

“These festival remains a symbol of unity to celebrate the life of our kabiyesi, the Awujale of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Adetona.

“It remains a forum to highlight the level of development in Ijebuland being a rally point for all Ijebu indigenes to promote their values.

“It has emerged as one of the frontline events in Ogun state and It is our belief that these festival represents one of the cardinal points in our tourism development agenda.

“It also makes me proud that everyone, even the world can come and see us showcase our culture and tradition in all its grandeur.

“I don’t know of any state that has been able to marry religion with culture and tradition successfully,” Amosun said.

Similarly, the Chief Guest of the event, Gov. Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa, urged the nation to tap into potential inherent with festivals aimed at promoting tradition.

“Festivals like this should be encouraged in all parts of Nigeria to facilitate tourism, development and to promote our diverse traditions,” Dickson said.

In his message, Oba Adetona commended the corporate sponsors of the event, especially Globacom limited, for sponsoring the festival for the past 11 years.

The monarch urged all tiers governments to extend the dividends of democracy to the grassroots, saying areas outside the seat of government were unfairly marginalised.

“The first area of development are always the seat of government. Their should be equity in terms of development across board.

“We look forward to the change the present national government has promised. They must fulfil their promises to us,” Adetona said.

The monarch added that government could perform better because Nigeria was blessed with a lot of resources.

“We all know the country is presently going through a trying period, but we are proud that Ogun government has been able to keep to fulfil its mandate thus far,” Adetona said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Ojude Oba festival, celebrated annually in Ijebu-Ode, Ogun, is held on the third day after Eid-el-Kabir.

It is a festival used to promote the cultural diversity of the Ijebu people, who use the occasion to honour their king. (NAN)
TDS/OFN
(Edited by Felix Nwadioha)

Oyo indigenes seek law prohibiting land grabbing

NAN-H-89
Land

By Akeem Abas

Ibadan, Sept. 14, 2016 (NAN) Some indigenes of Oyo State have called on the Oyo State Government to enact law that will prohibit land grabbing in the state.

They told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in separate interviews in Ibadan on Wednesday that their were many cases of land grabbing was in the state.

NAN recalls that the Lagos State government recently enacted a legislation to check land grabbing and associated criminal tendencies in the state.

Mr Bashiru Akanmu, a farmer, told NAN in Ibadan that government needed to check cases of land grabbing through an instrumentality of enactment of law.

Akanmu said that if such legislation was not urgently enacted, it could lead to increase in loss of lives and property in the state.

Mrs Alake Gbadamosi, an octogenarian, said it was unfortunate that such issues had become the order of the day in the state.

She said that the recent law on land grabbing by the Lagos State was worth being emulated by other states to foster peaceful coexistence.

“The state government has worked so hard in entrenching peace in the state.

“I think they should embrace the Lagos State idea to maintain the peace they fought very had for,” she said.

Also, Mr Sanjo Adekunle, a land speculator, said that the prevalence cases of land grabbing gives them more problem in their jobs.

Adekunle said that the enactment of such law would help them a lot .

NAN reports that the Lagos State Government had in August signed a new law outlawing land grabbing and extortion of money from land developers in the state.

The property protection law was enacted as the appropriate response to the menace of locals, popularly called Omo-Oniles, who are mainly the original or earliest inhabitants of the different areas of the state.

The law prohibits forceful entry and illegal occupation of landed properties, violent and fraudulent conducts in relation to landed properties in Lagos State and for connected purposes. (NAN)

TAA/DO/OFN

(Edited by David Onilede//Felix Nwadioha)

NAN-HE-17
Investment

By Ella Anokam/Uche Bibilari
Abuja, Sept. 14 2016 (NAN) Mr Simon Walley, Lead Financial Sector Specialist, Finance and Markets, World Bank Group, on Wednesday said that Nigeria needed to boost housing development by facilitating an environment conducive for investors.

Wally made the observation at the 32nd Annual Conference and General Meeting of the African Union for Housing Financing (AUHF) in partnership with Nigerian Mortgage Refinance Company (NMRC) in Abuja.

The three-day conference with theme as “Housing and Africa’s Growth Agenda’’, is being organised by Fesadeb Communications Ltd., convener of Annual Abuja Housing Show and producer of Housing programmes on television.

Wally  said  Nigeria had the necessary capital to finance the provision of affordable housing and did not need capital from other countries to finance affordable housing.

“You do not need capital from outside of Nigeria, looking at the level of investment required; Nigerian has got more than enough capital within the country.
“Investors want to put their money into investment and housing is perfect; in that sense, long term investment is what investors are looking for.

“The country needs the right mechanism, tools and methods for turning that domestic naira investments into housing, and that needs to be done on a very large scale,’’ Wally said.

He said that the critical problem facing Africa was the rate at which the population was growing.

Wally also said that the underlying population growth rate and organisation rate combined were going to present real challenges for Africa in the next 10 to 20 years.

“The country is looking at housing needs in excess of over 150 to 200 housing units per year just to keep up with the demand.

“The problem is that the number of housing needed has not been produced at the moment for Nigeria and other countries and the result of that is informal housing or slums’’, he said.

Prof. Charles Inangete, Chief Executive Officer of NMRC, explained that housing was paramount to the national economy,  adding that Nigeria had an outdated housing data.

“We are still talking of 17 million housing deficit, a data which was created four years ago; we need more current data in order to make housing policy more relevant,” he said.

Mr Thierno-Habib Hann, Senior Housing Finance Regional Lead, International Finance Corporation (IFC),  in a presentation , said housing finance could be expanded by making mortgage markets affordable.

According to him, financing for energy efficiency housing and potential by  scaling up of small loans for home improvement and self construction can as well boost housing investment.

He listed  other factors that could boost housing investment as appropriate support and targeted subsidy policies,  the refocusing  of government interventions and restructuring of failing housing banks.

Hann  said rationalising the formalisation process of customary rights to facilitate access to land could remove housing market constraints.

The expert explained that enhancing the capacity of the land administration, starting with the support of its computerisation and low registration charges could also bridge housing constraints.

H, however, called for strengthening of developers in the industry, including land developers and synergy of real estate agents around the federation for improved housing development.(NAN)
UU/ELLA/DO/IA

Edited by David Onilede/Idris Abdulrahman

NAN-H-84
Schools
By Akeem Abas
Ibadan, Sept. 14, 2016 (NAN) Gov. Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State on Wednesday received the report of the State Committee on Participatory Management of Schools, saying the recommendations would form the fulcrum of the state’s new education policy.

Ajimobi, who received the report at the State’s Executive Chamber of Governor’s Office, promised to ensure implementation of the recommendations, saying government would do all it could to prevent the education sector from collapse.

He said that countries that were developing were those who used education and technology to drive development, saying they embraced discipline, rule of law and basic tenets of a modern society.

The News Agency of Nigeria(NAN) reports that the 31-man committee inaugurated on July 12 was headed by Prof. Adeniyi Gbadegesin, the Vice-Chancellor, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso.

The committee was to review the status and standard of education in the state as well as recommend suitable and plausible options to government and other relevant means of enhancing the overall standard of education in the state.

In the report presented by Gbadegesin, the committee recommended the categorisation of the existing 631 secondary schools in the state from A1 to B3 and subsequent merging of some of the schools.

It recommended the re-distribution, pre-qualification and re-training of subject teachers to ensure quality of human capital and efficiency in schools.

The committee called for total restructuring and alignments of the various units, organs and department of the state education sector to avoid ambiguity, overlapping functions and inefficiency.

It said that the discrepancy in the data observed should be addressed immediately through a detailed verification exercise of available infrastructure and students enrolment.

The committee also recommended “Schools Based Management Board (SBMB) system for the management of schools in the state, saying the model encourages responsiveness, autonomy, efficiency, quality and low costs flexibility.

The report said: “SBMB has the advantage of decentralising authority and responsibility from state government authorities to school level.

“This will be in the area of school budgets, allocation of resources, monitoring of teachers and students activities, infrastructural development planning, development if shared vision and encouragement of parents, community members in school improvement.”

The report said that the committee had adopted multistage techniques to collect necessary information from stakeholders and visitation to 29 secondary schools distributed divided into urban, semi-urban and rural communities in eight zones.

It  said that the data collected reflected discrepancy in the different units of the state’s education sector, saying student enrolment in a particular school by the state ministry stated 325 against the 105 presented by the school’s principal.

The report stated that the information revealed dismal performance of students in the Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) from 12th position in 1999 to 27th in 2016.

“We noticed the non-challant attitude of some teachers and under commitment of parents to their children’s education on pronouncement of free education.

“Stakeholders have been cooperating with government and are still willing to cooperate with government

“While government must be in the driving seat, we also need to recognise that the delivery of education is a collective responsibility that involves families, communities, civil societies, Organisations and businesses,” it  said.

It  added that the committee received 28 memoranda and urged the governor to inaugurate an implementation committee to work out its implementation with a time frame.(NAN)
TAA/OJO
========
(Edited by  Babatunde Abdulfatah and controlled by Mufutau Ojo)

NAN-HG-10
NGO
By Bassey Bassey
Uyo, Sept. 14, 2016 (NAN) A Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), Nest of Hope Foundation, has offered training in different skills to 24 female dropouts in Akwa Ibom, the foundation’s Project Coordinator, Mrs Inyene Raymond, said.

Raymond said this in Uyo on Wednesday while presenting a mid-term review of the foundation’s activities in the past one year.

She said some of the trainees were sexually abused and emotionally traumatised girls who ended up with unwanted pregnancy without completing high schools.

The coordinator, who is also known as Girl Advocate, said that the girls were trained in beads making, makeovers and skincare.

She added that the foundation had screened some girls in Ifiayong Usuk in Uruan Local Government Area on sexually transmitted diseases and also carried out campaign on teenage pregnancy.

She noted that the foundation had also hosted a heart-to-heart talk with school girls on sex education at Methodist Church in Ibesikpo/Asutan Local Government Area.

Raymond explained that the organisation had carried out campaigns on Vesico Vaginal Fistula (VVF) and donated drugs, foods, mattresses and clothes to the VVF Centre at Mbribit Itam, Uyo.

“We protect the rights of the girl child and speak up for our less fortunate female children who were abused, raped, sexually harassed and emotionally traumatised.

“We also act like a bridge for total reformation for the abused and disadvantaged youth and girls and give them a sense of belonging,” she said.

She explained that the trainees had also been instructed on how to build a network that could support and provide new connections and opportunities for them.

The Senior Special Assistant to Akwa Ibom Governor on Skill Development, Mr Godwin George, assured the trainees that government would
provide starter packs to enable the trainees to start something.

George said that the state government would monitor them and see how they would progress and even become employers of labour. (NAN)
BB/HA
======
(Edited by Hadiza Mohammed-Aliyu)

NAN-H-82

Custody

By Chukwuemeka Opara

Abakaliki, Sept. 14, 2016 (NAN) A Magistrates’ Court in Abakaliki has remanded one Ogobuchi Ogbonna, 25, in prison custody for causing the death of his relation, Wisdom, by drowning him.

Ogobuchi allegedly tied a stone to three-year-old Wisdom’s waist and threw him into a stream in their area which got him drowned.

The incident occurred at Ndievor-Nchoko, Igbeagu community in Izzi Local Government Area which is within Abakaliki magisterial district.

The suspect was arraigned on a one-count charge of unlawfully causing the death of Wilson on Sept. 9, which is punishable under the Criminal Code, cap 33: Vol 1; laws of Ebonyi 2009.

The accused, who pleaded not guilty to the charge, had no counsel to represent him in the matter.

The Magistrate, Mr Nnachi Olughu, ordered that the suspect be remanded in prison custody till Nov. 18.

The magistrate also ordered that the case file be transferred to the Director of Public Prosecution for necessary action as the court lacked the jurisdiction to handle the matter. (NAN)

RCO/MVO

(Edited by Mbadiwe Okwor)

Low turnout of pupils as schools resume in Warri
 
NAN-H-80
Resumption
Warri (Delta), Sept. 14, 2016 (NAN) There was low turn-out of school pupils in Warri and environs as children returned to classes for the 2016/2017 academic session.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Correspondent, who monitored the school resumption on Wednesday, reported that most of the government primary and secondary schools were virtually without pupils.
Though, the teachers and other members of the school management were present despite the backlog of salaries and allowances owed them.
There had been agitation over the unpaid salaries between Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT), Delta chapter, and the state government; but recently, the state government agreed to pay some of the arrears.
NAN reports that the turn-out in Igbudu Primary Schools, in Warri South was poor but the Headmistress, Mrs Ann Ujobono blamed the development on inconsistency that the trailed the date of resumption
”There was rumour that schools will resumed on Sept. 19, I believe the pupils catch in on that, reason they are not around.
”We expect to have more of them around tomorrow,” she said.
Ujobono, however, appealed to parents to release their children and wards for the academic session, noting that teaching would start immediately.
There was also a low turn-out at the Eyagugbe Primary school in Ugborikoko, Uvwie Local Government Area of Delta.
According to the Headmistress, Mrs Mary Ogbeni, there would be improvement on the resumption by Thursday.
Ogbeni said that 25 out of the 49 teachers in the school were in attendance.
”Most of the pupils don’t always like to resume on the first day because of the fear that the classrooms might have been messed up by miscreants during the holiday.
”They don’t want to take part in the cleaning exercise,” she said.
It was the same story at the Urhobo College as the compound was flooded by the downpour that had occurred in the last three days in Warri and environs.
However, resumption in the private schools was impressive even as some commenced academic work immediately.
The Holy Family Schools, located in Ugboroke, Uvwie Local Government Area commenced teaching.
The school principal, Mrs Celestina Bakpa said it was their tradition to always keep with the date of resumption.
She urged parents and guardians to release their children and wards to continue with their colleagues. (NAN)
EDI/AAB/AFA
Edited By Adeboye Ajayi/Felix Ajide
==========================

NiMet predicts cloudy weather conditions for Thursday
NAN-AE-11
Weather
Abuja, Sept. 14, 2016 (NAN) The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) has predicted cloudy weather conditions over the central states of the country on Thursday.
The predictions are contained in the Weather Outlook issued by NiMet’s Central Forecast Office (CFO) on Wednesday in Abuja.
It added isolated morning thunderstorms would prevail over Yelwa, Minna, Abuja and Lokoja and localised thunderstorms over Lafia, Kaduna, Jos and Bauchi during afternoon and evening hours with temperatures of 25 to 31 degrees Celsius.
The agency predicted that the southern states would experience increased cloudiness with chances of localised rains over the coastal cities of Port Harcourt, Calabar, Yenagoa and Lagos during the morning hours.
It also predicted isolated thunderstorms and rain showers over the inland cities of Osogbo, Akure, Ibadan, Enugu and Awka in the afternoon and evening with maximum temperatures of 27 to 30 degrees Celsius.
NiMet predicted that northern states of would experience cloudy morning with prospects of thunderstorms over Katsina, Kano, Bauchi, Gombe and Yobe during the day and maximum temperatures of 28 to 32 degrees  Celsius.
According to the prediction, there are prospects of weather activities with varying degrees over the entire country in the next 24 hours. (NAN)
OYS/AFA
Edited by Felix Ajide
===============