Curator

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J BENIN—Edo State House of Assembly will this week commence the screening of Commissioner nominees. It will be recalled that Governor Godwin Obaseki had last week appointed 192 Special Assistants. The Special Assistants were drawn from the 192 wards across the 18 local government areas of the state. Vanguard gathered that the list of the commissioner nominees will be submitted to the House today by the state government for their consideration. The House had earlier approved the appointment of 12 Special Advisers for the governor. The post Edo Assembly to commence screening of Commissioner nominees appeared first on Vanguard News . Vía Vanguard News http://ift.tt/2qQL5Pb

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J …Vanguard’s Akuopha emerges Fin Sec …as Okowa hails Ikeogwu By Festus Ahon ASABA—NIGERIA Union of Journalists, NUJ, Delta State Council, has elected Michael Ikeogwu as its Chairman. Ikeogwu polled 156 votes to defeat his closest opponent, Fidelis Egugbo, who got 130 votes. Also elected were Patrick Ochei, Vice Chairman; Churchill Oyowe, Secretary; Celestine Afokobah, Assistant Secretary;  Joy Mordi, Treasurer; Ochuko Akuopha of Vanguard Newspapers, Financial Secretary and Salvation Ogono, Auditor. Speaking after his election, lkeogwu, who is the Uvwie Bureau Chief of The Pointer Newspaper said the welfare, empowerment and unity of journalists across the state were his priority. Meanwhile, the state governor, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa, has congratulated Ikeogwu on his emergence as Chairman of the NUJ, Delta State Council. Okowa, in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Charles Aniagwu, said that Ikeogwu won a keenly contested election as all contestants campa...

http://ift.tt/2suD2DO This file photo taken on February 16, 2006 shows Czech conductor Jiri Belohlavek at Paris' Opera de Bastille prior his last performance at the head of opera orchestra playing "Juliette ou la clé des songes". Jiri Belohlavek, former chief conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra, died aged 71 on June 1, 2017 after a long illness, the Czech Philharmonic said.STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN / AFP Leading Czech maestro, Jiri Belohlavek, former chief conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra, has died aged 71 after a long illness, the Czech Philharmonic said on Thursday. The orchestra’s spokesman, Ludek Brezina, confirmed to AFP that Belohlavek died early Thursday. And the Czech Philharmonic paid tribute to him on its Facebook page. “It is with great sorrow that we announce the passing of Jiri Belohlavek, Chief Conductor and Music Director of the Czech Philharmonic … following his brave struggle with a serious disease,” it said. Regarded as one of today’s l...

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J By Francis Ewherido I get amused while passing through some neighbourhoods. I see bare-bodied young men walking in the streets, parading their well-chiseled bodies. I always say to myself, I hope these guys are also building their mental muscles. I do not know what goes on in their minds that make them walk the streets in daylight half naked, but I hope they are not fixated on the illusory assumption of the kind of man women want. In our teenage years, we were misled into the same illusion: Tall, handsome, muscle-bound with six ridges (albs), etc. As I grew older, especially when I became an undergraduate, I got confused because I saw “ugly” lecturers and professors, some of whom were barely five feet, married to tall, stunning beauties. Then the inquisition started, how come these short men are marrying tall, beautiful women. How do “ugly” men attract beautiful women? Then the scales fell off my eyes. Women might DESIRE tall men, muscled men, charming and h...

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J By Levinus Nwabughiogu Olu of Warri, Godfery Ikenwoli Emiko has said that the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari is serious with the development of Niger Delta region.  The evidence, he said, is seen in the recent visit of the Acting President Yemi Osinbajo to the region. The Royal Father, who spoke to Journalists after paying a courtesy visit on Osinbajo at the Presidential Villa, Abuja expressed gratitude to the government on the proposed modular refineries and the commencement of academic activities at the Maritime University. He said: “The federal government is doing everything possible, yes, they have been promising but this time around we are seeing signs of seriousness. For instance the Export Processing Zone, EPZ project started by Jonathan, he did the ground breaking but since then, nothing happened. But since the recent visits of the Vice President, we have seen seriousness. “For sometime now there has been peace in the Niger-Delta area...

http://ift.tt/2q0zUQ2 A synthetic, soft tissue retina developed by an Oxford University student could offer fresh hope to visually impaired people.Until now, all artificial retinal research has used only rigid, hard materials. The new research, by Vanessa Restrepo-Schild, a 24 year old Dphil student and researcher at the Oxford University, Department of Chemistry, is the first to successfully use biological, synthetic tissues, developed in a laboratory environment. The study could revolutionise the bionic implant industry and the development of new, less invasive technologies that more closely resemble human body tissues, helping to treat degenerative eye conditions such as retinitis pigmentosa. Just as photography depends on camera pixels reacting to light, vision relies on the retina performing the same function. The retina sits at the back of the human eye, and contains protein cells that convert light into electrical signals that travel through the nervous system, triggering a r...

http://ift.tt/2pYyZS5 Amaju Pinnick. PHOTO: AOIFOOTBALL Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) President , Mr. Amaju Melvin Pinnick has been appointed the President of the Organizing Committee for the Africa Cup of Nations – the most important committee in the workings of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) aside the Executive Committee.   At the inaugural meeting of the CAF Executive Committee, which took place yesterday in Manama, Bahrain, on the margin of the 67th FIFA Congress starting today, Pinnick was also named the President of the CAF Media Committee.   The NFF supremo will have President of the Zimbabwe Football Federation, Dr. Philip Chiyangwa as his deputy in the AFCON panel.It is the first time in CAF’s 60-year history that a Nigerian would head the very influential Organizing Committee for the Africa Cup of Nations – CAF’s flagship competition which is of the same age.    Former CAF President, Issa Hayatou chaired the AF...

http://ift.tt/2q0FTo5 According to the race’s Media Officer, Dare Esan, six women and nine men, who are gold level elite runners made the final list of athletes confirmed by the race’s director of organization, Zack Amodu. • Arita, Juma, Gudeta lead elite cast The organisers of the fifth edition of the 10-kilometre Okpekpe Road Race have confirmed that a record 15 gold level-running elite athletes will participate in the race for the men and women’s titles and the $15,000 top prize at the event billed for this Saturday in Okpekpe near Auchi in Edo State. According to the race’s Media Officer, Dare Esan, six women and nine men, who are gold level elite runners made the final list of athletes confirmed by the race’s director of organization, Zack Amodu. Top on the list are Kenya’s Stephen Omiso Arita, Tanzania’s Ismail Juma and Ethiopia’s Netsanet Gudeta. They are expected to start arriving in NIgeria from tomorrow. Arita is the 10th fastest 10-kilometre runner so far this y...

http://ift.tt/2qLohze Ayo Teriba • Say FDI will address infrastructure deficit, others Irked by the huge infrastructure deficit in Nigeria, experts in the financial system have stressed the need for government to open up opportunities and attract the needed Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) that would be deployed into specific sectors of the economy for sustainable growth. Participants that gathered at a one-day forum of the Association of Corporate Treasurers of Nigeria (ACTN), maintained that Nigeria’s economic recovery efforts and growth required major investment in critical sectors of the economy and massive infrastructural development. According to them, if Nigeria would attract the needed foreign capital inflow into the country, it would accelerate developmental programmes, boost infrastructure, and create more job opportunities for the people. The experts also suggested that government needed to embark on capital projects, which will enhance the infrastructur...

http://ift.tt/2q0ybdz The Project Manager, ATASP I, Mr. Haruna Akwanshiki disclosed this yesterday in Abuja at the AFDB supervision meeting. The Federal Government and the African Development Bank (AFDB) have announced the commencement of the Agricultural Transformation Agenda Support Programme. The Project Manager, ATASP I, Mr. Haruna Akwanshiki disclosed this yesterday in Abuja at the AFDB supervision meeting. He said the focus of the programme was to build capacity for 200,000 youths in various value chains of rice, cassava and sorghum.He explained that over 7000 youths had been trained in the phase one (ATASP I) of the programme to facilitate the creation of over 120,000 jobs. He added that the implementation strategy would encourage the private sector to establish processing mills, which would use the raw materials produced by local farmers. Akwanshiki said: “The programme would focus on small-scale farmers, who will be clustered in large numbers for the core investor...

http://ift.tt/2q0DXvE Manchester United's Portuguese manager Jose Mourinho / AFP PHOTO / OLI SCARFF / Jose Mourinho has conceded that Manchester United’s top four hopes are effectively over after losing 2-0 to Arsenal, with the Portuguese manager now going all out to win the Europa League. United have struggled to break into the Champions League qualification places all season, spending most of the campaign in fifth or sixth spot in the Premier League, and Sunday’s loss leaves them in a difficult position. Fourth-placed Manchester City are four points ahead with three matches to go, while Arsenal are now just two points behind in sixth and have a game in hand on the Red Devils. Granit Xhaka and Danny Welbeck did the damage in north London on Sunday and Mourinho has accepted United’s hopes of a return to UEFA’s elite competition via a league position are over. Instead, following Thursday’s 1-0 Europa League semi-final first-leg win over Celta Vigo in Spain, their attent...

http://ift.tt/2qKwnVZ Le Meridian Le Méridien Ibom Hotel and Golf Resort located amid rich palm forest vegetation beckons guests to Uyo, Akwa Ibom State. Standing on 174 hectares of land, this magnificent edifice connotes peace and serenity complemented by its rustic environment. The lush green of the world-class 18-hole golf course creates the right ambience for the most challenging, memorable golfing experience. This upscale hotel is 17 km from Uyo, the main capital of Akwa Ibom State and 23 km from Godswill Akpabio Stadium. It is also within the region of Calabar Museum, the National Archives of Nigeria and Millennium Park. With 163 rooms, the hotel welcomes business and leisure travelers. Dining Free buffet breakfast is served each morning from 6:30am to 11am. There are ample dining options with three onsite restaurants, including Vista Restaurant, which specialises in international cuisine and serves lunch and dinner. Guests have the privilege to savour their meals...

http://ift.tt/2q9oHj6 A week day evening, I am mindlessly staring at the television, trying to capture the essence of what the presenter was saying. I know I was keen to watch this show, I had booked it a week in advance, and for the five minutes I was attentively listening. Then a ping on my phone, followed by a beep, and you can guess what happened next. 15 minutes later, I have no recollection of what I have been watching. I look down at my phone; strange, it has been only five minutes since I last checked it. The truth is, as much as I moan about the millennials glued to their phones every moment of every day, I have become just as bad. I recently watched an interview with Toni Tones where she was asked which app she first checks first thing in the morning. “My Bible app,” she enthused, before sheepishly adding, “Sometimes… But mostly it is Instagram.” I felt a sudden urge to hug her, for all the times I have opened my eyes to a new day with every intention to begin the day rig...

http://ift.tt/2q9dzCH I anchor a new sports programme on Africa’s largest television network, the NTA, with a conservative domestic viewership of some 60 million Nigerians in all corners of the country.  The live programme, The Sports Parliament, has been running for 10 weeks.   This past week the topic of conversation and examination for the seven parliamentarians in session on the show was of sports facilities and infrastructure in Nigeria, with particular focus on the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos, a sprawling sports complex, and once a monument for an authentic sports development and sports engagement programme in Nigeria that has now gone bad. Today, the stadium is wasting in dereliction, lying idle and decaying in a sea of humongous opportunities and possibilities. During the programme, the conversation on the National Stadium in Lagos kept reminding me of another even bigger sports infrastructural disaster, one that must also be brought to public attention so t...

http://ift.tt/2qKCObu Media titan and publisher of Genevieve Magazine Betty Irabor recently turned 60 and a colloquim was held in her honour, which had all the biggest names in the media world present. TOBI AWODIPE caught up with the celebrant and she revealed how she battled depression, the issue of integrity in journalism and more What milestone are you celebrating today? (Laughing) I am being celebrated by my own constituency. I am not a politician but I do have a constituency What is your constituency? The media, they are hosting me today and I feel very privileged that they find me worthy of being celebrated at 60. I have been here for a long time and I thank God for attaining this age of wisdom, the diamond age, and I feel the only way to go now is up, I am not coming down the hill anytime soon, I am ascending and I feel grateful. We are here to talk about our integrity because at the helm of everything we do, integrity matters and most times, media owners expect integrity ...

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J No fewer than 30 traditional rulers were among the large gathering of Anioma people that witnessed the 14th edition of Anioma Cultural Festival at Anglican Girls Grammar School, Asaba, Delta State. Organised by the Organisation for the Advancement of Anioma Culture, OFAAC, the culture umbrella body of Anioma people, this year’s fiesta lived up to its billing as the biggest festival in the state. About 117 musical, dance and drama troupes from across the nine local government areas that make up Delta North senatorial district otherwise known as Anioma nation, graced the occasion. This year’s fiesta, was not only a carnival, as has been the tradition, it was also a championship for the active promotion of Anioma culture. OFAAC gave financial awards to three overall best performers from various categories. This year, the heavyweight performers did not disappoint. Defending champions, Ayolo Troupe, an eclectic, mixed, youth dance troupe from Igbuzo retained the b...