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http://ift.tt/eA8V8J By Ochuko Akuopha OBIARUKU—THE protracted land dispute between  Amai and Umuebu communities in Ukwuani Local Government Area, Delta State, has degenerated, following the reported killing of one person in the renewed hostilities by the warring parties. Vanguard gathered that the communities have been at loggerheads over the ownership of the disputed area, a development that has generated tension and guerrilla warfare in the area in the last few months. Sources said the deceased, identified as Mr. Chukwunedum, was working in Enukie farmland along Obiaruku Road on Monday with two others when  they were attacked by some assailants. A dependable source said: “They were in a farm planting when some armed youths approached them and started shooting.  Two of the farmers managed to escape but the deceased was shot at close range and he died on the spot.” Saying that the incident caused panic in the area, the source said that the situation was brought und...

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J By Ola Ajayi Ibadan—ONE person died and 18 others injured  when an articulated vehicle crushed a commercial bus and two private cars on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, yesterday. Meanwhile, some eyewitnesses said 18 people died and one injured, but Police and the Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, said one person died, while 18 others were injured. The accident was allegedly caused by a Police stop-and-search team that halted the ill-fated bus. But the articulated truck coming behind lost control and crushed the 18-seater bus, before hitting other vehicles. Eyewitnesses said the fuel-laden truck, marked EPE 88XT, crushed a white Mazda bus and a red Toyota Camry car with number plates LSR 349 SF, pushing both into a ditch. A source said: “The police team stationed under the Idi-Ayunre Bridge on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway stopped the bus coming from Lagos. “The place is steep. The driver obeyed the police by applying his brakes, but the articulated vehicle coming ...

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J An exhibition for leading construction and mining organisations to showcase their products and services to over 2000 foreign and local investors, tagged ConMin West Africa, will hold at the International Conference Centre, Abuja from June 13 to 15 2017. The exhibition will provide a networking opportunity for participants with various sessions and opportunities for stakeholders to engage with relevant counterparts. On the 14th, the Federation of Construction Industry (FOCI) will host a construction conference, with the theme: “Sustainability of the Construction Industry in Nigeria”. The workshop/seminar sessions are free of charge and open to all visitors and will include financing projects, skilled manpower and environmental sustainability. Across the 3 days, visitors can expect to hear technical sessions and be able to attend workshops held by representatives from Dangote Industries, Soetec Engineering, Total, CAT Nigeria and Boustani Nigeria. Running in co...

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J By Peter Okutu ABAKALIKI—ACTING state chairman of the Nigerian Labour Congress, NLC, in Ebonyi State, Mr Leonard Nkah yesterday applauded Governor David Umahi over the refund of the pension funds deducted from the salaries of workers in the state’s civil service. Nkah, who gave the commendation in Abakaliki noted that the development had gone a long way to boost workers confidence in the policies and programmes of the present administration in the state. “The governor  also should be commended for mandating the NLC to work out modalities for a more convenient pension approach and also setting up a 14-member committee comprising of NLC members and government representatives, to evolve ways of amicably settling all contending issues. We commend the government for also lifting the embargo on all restrictions of leave, promotion and other allowances due to workers which would actually boost their morale.” He noted that the workers would also benefit from the N...

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J By Ugochukwu Alaribe ABA—National Chairman of the All Progressive Grand Alliance, APGA, Chief Martin Agbaso, has said that the party is already looking beyond the  November 18, 2017  governorship poll in Anambra state, stressing that nothing will stop APGA from retaining the state. He dismissed threats by some South East politicians from the All Progressives Congress, APC, that APGA will lose Anambra and insisted that APC lacks the capacity to win the state in a free and fair election. Addressing party faithful in Aba, Agbaso, who was represented by the Acting national publicity secretary of the party, Prince Nnanna Ukaegbu, said the only problem APGA had was its leadership which had been settled with Agbaso’s emergence as the national chairman. He said: “APC leaders like Orji Uzor Kalu, Rochas Okorocha, Dr. Chris Ngige and others have been boasting that nothing will stop them from winning Anambra state. I wonder where they got such high level of...

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J By Rotimi Ojomoyela Ado-Ekiti—Students from the various tertiary institutions in Ekiti State, on Monday took to the streets to protest what they termed moves by the Minister of Mines and Solid Minerals, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, to scuttle a planned judicial probe of his administration, saying it was “proper for the people of the state to know the truth about the allegations by the government of Governor Ayodele Fayose.” The students in their protest in Ado Ekiti, alleged that Dr. Fayemi was “using the judiciary to shield himself from answering questions on allegations of corruption and we feel this is not good enough both for him as a person and as a political leader in the state.” The students who said they represented all indigenes of Ekiti who had gathered under the aegis of National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS); Federation of Ekiti State Students’ Unions (FESSU), home and diaspora; had marched with their various placards from their convergence at the O...

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J By Rotimi Ojomoyela Ado-Ekiti—There was palpable tension in Ikere-Ekiti yesterday over Governor Ayo Fayose’s order that a shrine represented by a sacred tree located in a historical site in the community be uprooted to pave way for road dualisation project. Youths and traditionalists  in the community on Monday evening prevented attempt by government agents and the contractor handling  the project to remove the tree . Miffed by the resistance in Ikere-Ekiti, Governor Fayose reportedly led armed policemen and operatives of the state security outfit, “Operation Flush” in the heat of the crisis to clear those obstructing the project. But the indigenes stood their ground, claiming that the historical site known in local parlance as the “Ereja” was significant to the town, a sacred place, which is very central to the history of the ancient town. According to them, it was the source of Ikere, it was the place where the town was established and  removi...

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J By Vincent Ujumadu Awka—FORMER Secretary to Anambra State Government, Mr. Oseloka Obaze, has said that for education to move forward in the state, there must be commitment of 26 per cent of her annual budget to the sector. Addressing the 2017 synod of the Anglican Diocese of Nnewi yesterday, Obaze also proposed the dedication of 10 per cent of the 26 per cent to supporting mission and parochial schools to encourage them to maintain quality standards. He frowned at a situation where only two of 36 states of the federation namely, Sokoto and Kwara, had met the United Nations recommended allocation of 26 per cent of national and sub national budgets to education. Obaze, who is a governorship aspirant on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP,  for the November 18 polls in Anambra State, also called for a strategic approach towards educating Nigeria’s 10.5 million out-of-school children and empowering Nigerian youths with vocational education that g...

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J By Babajide Komolafe Zenith Bank Plc has issued a five-year senior unsecured benchmark bond  of $500 million on the Irish Stock Exchange, which recorded  oversubscription of more than 300 per cent. The issue is in addition to the existing $500 million which matures in April 2019. Subscription to the Eurobond 2022 issue was $2.1 billion and recorded landmark success on three counts: pricing, subscription level and global appeal. Available details of the issue show that the subscription level makes it the highest by any non-sovereign and non-supranational company in sub-Saharan Africa. The bond was issued at par with both coupon rate and yield to maturity rate priced at 7.375 per cent. The 7.375 per cent pricing is 50 basis points better than the sovereign of 7.875 per cent. The rating of both the sovereign and Zenith Bank is B+ with the bond issue also rated B/B+. The 300 per cent oversubscription indicates a huge endorsement of the Zenith Brand as a...

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J By Michael Eboh Warri and Kaduna refineries have recorded a combined operating deficit of N2.952 billion in February 2017, while Port Harcourt had a positive bottom line, with an operating surplus of N2.42 billion. The NNPC in its Monthly Financial and Operations Report for February 2017 obtained yesterday, disclosed that Warri Refinery and Petrochemical Company, WRPC, and Kaduna Refinery and Petrochemical Company, KRPC, posted a deficit of N1.852 billion and N1.102 billion respectively. The report noted that in the month of January, Warri Refinery posted an operating surplus of N404.27 billion, while Kaduna Refinery recorded a deficit of N2.163 billion. Port Harcourt Refinery, on the other hand, recorded a surplus of N5.115 billion in the month of January. The company in February recorded revenue of N47.187 billion, dropping by 6.76 per cent compared to N50.61 billion recorded in the previous month; while its crude and freight cost dipped to N42.06 billion fr...

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J Lagos — Two Non-Governmental Organisations, NGOs, Grooming (People for Better Livelihoods) Centre (Grooming Centre) and Sesor Empowerment Foundation (Sesor), have signed a N6,675,000 MoU to support Sesor’s work with internally displaced persons in Lagos and Benue. This agreement builds on a successful long standing partnership the two NGOs have had since 2014. Grooming Centre has been supporting Sesor through various stages of its relief and rehabilitative work for IDPs in eight states. Their partnership kicked off with Grooming Centre funding Sesor’s relief missions for displaced persons to Benue (caused by herdsmen attacks) and then later in 2014, to Plateau, Gombe & Adamawa. The new MoU doubles the loans for the women who completed the first pilot; provides new loans of N30,000 each for 25 new participants in the Lagos project; funds a relief mission to Benue to support persons displaced by herdsmen attacks and; provides a grant to cover 10 per cent of S...

http://ift.tt/2rdQzQP Chief Ralph Obioha Politician and elderstatesman, Chief Ralph Obioha, in this interview with LAWRENCE NJOKU, spoke on Nigeria’s democratic journey so far among other issues. Excerpts: Assessment of Buhari’s two years in office Before you can make any assessment of the last two years of Buhari’s administration, the assessment can only be made if it starts from what was inherited from the dysfunctional government of the last administration. It is a miracle that Nigeria has not disintegrated considering the rot Nigeria found itself, the rampant corruption, the total absence of functional state institutions, the state of economy etc. Without mincing words and if we should be fair to Buhari’s administration, credit must be given to him for holding the country together. If you take a critical look, we were at a point where we were at a lost about our future, where the level of corruption has thrown the country into a near failed state and where nearly all the ...

http://ift.tt/2qtwoBj Dr. Oladipo Fashina Perspectives of Dipo Fashina’s Scholarship, Activism and Ideology will form a major part of the 70th birthday celebration of Dr. Oladipo Fashina, a senior lecturer in the Department of Philosophy, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State. The event holds today, May 30, 2017, at Oduduwa Hall, Obafemi Awolowo University Osun State. Time is 10am while reception is at 2pm at Ogunbanjo Hall, Obafemi Awolowo University. A statement by Co-Coordinator ACIS and Secretary JAF, Comrade Abiodun Aremu and Head, Department of Philosophy, Dr. Gbenga Fasiku, said the book project is in honor of Fashina, as National Chairperson, Joint Action Front (JAF) and Co-Chairperson Labour and Civil Society Coalition LASCO), a joint effort of the Amilcar Cabral Ideological School (ACIS) and Department of Philosophy, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife. Perspectives of Dipo Fashina’s Scholarship, Activism and Ideology is a collection of original essays t...

http://ift.tt/2oe738j At a ceremony in Lagos on Thursday, MoC said its partnership with Eroton, an exploration and production company, Midwestern Oil & Gas and Notore Chemical Industries Plc would go a long way in turning around the nation’s athletics. In its bid to boost the morale of Nigerian athletes and officials in the fast approaching London 2017 IAAF World Athletics Championship and other international competitions slated for this year, the Making of Champions (MoC) has sealed a partnership deal with three companies, Eroton, Midwestern and Notore. At a ceremony in Lagos on Thursday, MoC said its partnership with Eroton, an exploration and production company, Midwestern Oil & Gas and Notore Chemical Industries Plc would go a long way in turning around the nation’s athletics. While Midwestern will sponsor the MoC media team to both local and international trips, covering athletics competitions that Nigerian athletes will be participating in this season, Notore’s deal...

http://ift.tt/2s0d383 Darlington Akanite De Coque In the days when Highlife music truly thrived and was well sustained, one of its key exponents was the legendary Chief Dr. Sunday ‘Oliver De Coque’ Akanite. He popularized the highlife music genre, locally and internationally but as fate would have it, Oliver De Coque passed away, nearly nine years ago, specifically on June 20, 2008 after a massive heart attack. In its continued bid to revive and sustain highlife music, which is the main objective of the monthly Elders’ Forum, jointly organised by O’jez Entertainment Group and Evergreen Musical Company Limited, this May Edition will feature the infusion of artistic development and innovation as advocated by experts such as Elder Benson Idonije.  As such, the May Edition, which is the 4th in the series, will see Darlington Akanite De Coque (aka Safine), who incidentally is the son of the late Chief Dr. Oliver De Coque and an upcoming music star, take to the stage to treat ...

http://ift.tt/2rqpBZ8 The African Women Power Network together with WeConnect International in Nigeria and Tender.ng recently led an engaging conversation on how to find, bid and secure procurement opportunities in Nigeria’s private sector. The panel discussion titled- Bid To Win: Learn How to Find and Successfully Bid for Procurement Opportunities with Top Companies in Nigeria, focused on procurement opportunities available in the private sector. The discussion was led by Reginald Bassey, former Chief of Staff at the Office of Rep. Robinson Uwak of the Oron Federal Constituency of Akwa Ibom State along with Shade Ladipo, Executive Director, WeConnect International in Nigeria and Temitope Longe, co-founder, Tender.ng. Vía Nigeria News – Nigerian Newspaper – The Guardian Nigeria http://ift.tt/2qllqh7

http://ift.tt/2s00Yj5 PHOTO: Nathanielbassey.net Following suspense-filled teasers that set the country talking and asking questions, the much hyped event, The Invasion, a cross-generational and non-denominational music-driven revival platform for young people, especially the millennials has been finally unveiled, and would hold live at the Tafawa Balewa Square, Lagos on June 3.     Tagged, ‘a move of the Holy Spirit’, the concert is a spiritual movement that will engender a release of power by the Holy Ghost that causes people to excel in different spheres of life.      The event will see gospel singers including Nathaniel Bassey, Tope Alabi, Frank Edwards, Tim Godfrey, G-Force, and Eben among others come together to lead thousands of people in an explosive generational revival that would help activate life-defining, turning point session to bring about spiritual healing of the nation.     Speaking about th...