Curator

http://ift.tt/2rjDYOY A group, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has sued the Federal Government over illegal billing and failure to provide pre-paid meters. Joined in the suit is the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola. SERAP’s Deputy Director, Timothy Adewale, filed the suit on Friday at the Federal High Court in Lagos. The suit followed the group’s earlier request asking Fashola to urgently enforce his directives and discharge his “ministerial and statutory duty to ensure the completion of metering of all customers and abolish estimated billing in the country.” The group accused the defendants of “collective failure, refusal and/or negligence to enforce their own directives to electricity distribution companies (DISCOs) to provide free prepaid meters and end the use of patently illegal, arbitrary, unfair and discriminatory estimated billing across the country.” According to SERAP, the failure to implement the directive has i...

http://ift.tt/2ssh87H Health Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly has passed a bill for a law establishing the Akwa Ibom State Health Insurance Agency and scheme. Speaking after the bill was passed into law at yesterday’s plenary, the Speaker, Mr. Onofiok Luke said, the House was motivated into presenting the bill because of their believe that, citizens of the state, deserves access to good and affordable healthcare services. This brings the total number of bills passed by the house in this legislative year to 15 out of a total of 40 bills presented. “Indeed, we cannot guarantee sustainable development until we are able to holistically guarantee improved healthcare services through making available laws that will guarantee government’s insurance in the health sector. It is for this reason that this house thought it imperative to create a health insurance scheme and an agency to manage the scheme”, he said The law, which was sponsored by the Speaker and 11 others is aimed at p...

http://ift.tt/2pKoLlk Members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC). PHOTO: NAN Heritage Bank Plc has restated its commitment to entrepreneurship development in Nigeria, as it reassured support for National Youth Service Corp (NYSC) members, and young entrepreneurs in growing their businesses either as a start-up or prospective owners. The gesture, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the bank, Ifie Sekibo, said is in line with the lender’s culture, as a timeless wealth partner. Sekibo, at the weekend, during the Leadership Development Programme for Corps members, organised by the bank in partnership with Guardians of the Nation International (GOTNI) nationwide, said the leadership programmes are running in all the NYSC Orientation camps in the 36 states. According to him, the partnership is a demonstration of commitment to using financial inclusion to boost entrepreneurship development, which is critical to our mission to create, preserve and transfer ...

http://ift.tt/2ssKmU2 South African Coach, Stuart Baxter, described the win as emotional and special, explained he knew what to expect from Nigeria. Nigeria was expected to whitewash South Africa on Saturday when they met in an African Nations Cup qualifier. The postulations was that South Africa, which had not beaten Nigeria in a competitive meeting before then, would not do it against a team that had been preparing for the encounter in France for a better part of one month. Besides, South Africa’s Coach, Stuart Baxter, was barely two weeks on the job and would not have had enough time to assemble a quality opposition against the Super Eagles. And the game would happen in Nigeria. Unknown to Nigerians, Baxter and the South African Football Association (SAFA) had been busy plotting how to beat the Super Eagles, while Gernot Rohr and his team were playing meaningless friendlies with players, who would eventually not feature in the AFCON qualifier. Most Super Eagles supporters did ...

http://ift.tt/2ssm38P month-old baby has been killed by kerosene explosion whle the baby’s uncle in still in critical condition at the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital. The incident occurred last week Tuesday at Ikot Eka-Ndem in Calabar Municipal, when the uncle tried to fill kerosene into the lamp that was already on. The light exploded on him and the baby. They were both rushed to the hospital but the baby died before reaching the hospital. When The Guardian visited the family, the baby’s mother in tears said little Delight was playing in the sitting room around 5p.m. when the incident occurred. “I was in my room when I heard my brother screaming from the sitting room. I knew something serious must have happened. When I came out, I saw my son struggling to put off the fire that was on him and my brother. I immediately pulled the wrapper that was on me and wrapped my little Delight with it while my brother managed to put off his own.” When asked where they bought the...

http://ift.tt/2qcEKbO Alhaji Aliko Dangote The maiden edition of the Guardian Manufacturing Excellence Awards 2017 in collaboration with African Development Studies Centre (Inc.) will recognize deserving sector players in the Nigerian manufacturing industry, who outperformed despite challenging economic circumstances in the year 2016, thus helping to spur growth and development, create new economic opportunities for citizens and communities as well as inspire the new generation of Nigerians in the manufacturing sector. The event will hold on June 30, 2017 at the prestigious Eko Hotel and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos Recall that the Nigerian economy plunged into a recession in 2016 that persisted for six consecutive quarters amidst the already existing challenges of perennial power outages, infrastructure deficit and the recent foreign exchange scarcity. These challenges affected the operational existence of many of the nation’s big and small manufacturing companies. Despite thes...

http://ift.tt/2p7lBJ9 Prof. Segun Ajibola, President and Chairman of Council of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria. The Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN) has concluded arrangements to hold its 2017 yearly lecture, with the theme: “National Integration, Citizenship and the Challenge of Economic Policy Making.” The event, is scheduled to take place on June 15th, with former Minister of National Planning and Professor of Economics/Director, Institute of Development Studies, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Osita Ogbu, will delivering the lecture, to be chaired by the President, Nigerian Stock Exchange, Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede. The event, which has the President/Chairman of Council of CIBN, Prof. Segun Ajibola, as the Chief Host, is expected to attract stakeholders from various sectors of the nation’s economy. The programme has become the most important yearly forum of the Institute for policymakers, regulators, and operators in the financial services ind...

http://ift.tt/2pciSAQ Nigeria Police Police authorities in Osogbo, Osun State capital yesterday arrested a 38-year-old man, identified as Ajibade Rasheed, with a fresh decapitated head of an old woman, including her private part, liver and intestine. Other parts of the body found on the man include two palms, lungs and blood kept in a bottle.Parading the man with the strange discoveries, at the police headquarters, the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Fimihan Adeoye, said policemen on surveillance arrested the suspect at Oluode market, in Osogbo. He said: “He was bringing the fresh human head and other vital organs of his victim from Aagba, a community in Boripe local council of Osun State. We want to establish the identity of the victim and get to know where and how the victim was killed.” Adeoye said the police would get to the root of the dastardly act, adding that an accomplice to the suspect, who was in the vehicle in which the human head was found escaped and was being trailed ...

http://ift.tt/2rXViZt It is noteworthy that Lagos State carved out a Ministry of Science and Technology in keeping with the direction in which the world is moving. It was this delineation that permitted focus on Information and Communication Technology. The Lagos State government has continued to demonstrate its readiness to be counted among the best metropolitan areas in the world with its deployment of Information and Communications Technology for many aspects of its service delivery. Recently, it announced the installation of free internet access at parks. Its LASG Job Portal was used in the recruitment of 7,000 officials for the Neighbourhood Security Corps, making it the first state in Nigeria to provide an on-line platform for application, testing and recruitment. This bold initiative is commendable and must be complimented by a responsible citizenry in the positive utilisation of the facilities. The advent of Package Switching Technology at the Massachusetts Institute of Te...

http://ift.tt/2rXLETi British Prime Minister, Theresa May to sustain foreign intervention on education, tons of criticism may prevent the opportunity./ AFP PHOTO / Daniel LEAL-OLIVAS The British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mr. Paul has alerted that the British government may reduce its foreign intervention to the nation’s education sector.The envoy who disclosed this in Kano while inspecting Teachers Development Program (TDP) at Sa’adatu Rimi College of Education said the intervention may be reduced due to series of criticism trailing the exercise in recent times. Arkwright said despite the promise of the British Prime Minister, Theresa May to sustain foreign intervention on education, tons of criticism may prevent the opportunity. On the significance of the TDP intervention, the British envoy said he was in Kano to examines the progress saying that only evidence- based and results could guarantee future investment on the project. The British government through the Depart...

http://ift.tt/2sVHpbn Panelist, Omolara Akinfolarin (left); Board member, Folu Ayeni; Speaker, Nnamdi Ezeigbo; Chairman, LEAP Africa, Nadu Denloye; panelists, Edith Azinge; Tara Fela-Durotoye; Founder, LEAP Africa, Ndidi Nwuneli; Board member, Uche Pedro and acting Executive Director, LEAP Africa, Femi Taiwo, during the organisation’s 12th yearly CEOs forum in Lagos.<br /> LEAP Africa has hinged the growth of businesses, particularly entrepreneurial investments on effective institution of board of directors.The Acting Executive Director, of LEAP Africa, Femi Taiwo, who said this, noted that the LEAP Africa CEOs Forum was designed to support SME development in Nigeria and equip business owners to build sustainable organizations said for business to survival young entrepreneurs in the country have to see the need in setting board of trustees as to improve their business survival.   He said reports have revealed that they are high rate in which small business in the countr...

http://ift.tt/2oqNDAv The Human Resource persons were also urged to develop flexi-working module that has minimal disruption on the policies and objectives of organisations. Speaking at a Human Resource academy training organised by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Nigeria, Partner, Head of Consulting, Cyril Azobu Human Resource professionals have been charged to deploy strategic methods in discharging their duties of possessing unique qualifications using technology and cultural changes in dealing with employee talent and dynamism.   The Human Resource persons were also urged to develop flexi-working module that has minimal disruption on the policies and objectives of organisations. Speaking at a Human Resource academy training organised by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Nigeria, Partner, Head of Consulting, Cyril Azobu, said HR practitioners were strategic planners who shape policies in organisations by combining the evolution of business strategies in tandem with their...

http://ift.tt/2qhxah9 • Nasarawa CP gives 30-day ultimatum to submit firearms or risk arrest Three socio-cultural groups from Tiv, Idoma and Igede in Benue State, yesterday dismissed the alleged ownership claim of Benue valley by Fulani herdsmen.This followed the statement credited to the National President of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association (MACBAN), Bello and the Secretary, Saleh Alhassan that they would take over the valley, which he described as their ancestral land. The groups, Mdzough U Tiv, (MUT), the Idoma National Forum (INF) and the Omi Ny’Igede spoke at a joint news briefing in Makurdi, the state capital.Led by the President General of Mdzough U Tiv, Edward Ujege, they urged the National Assembly to intervene to prevent the “impending genocide.” While describing the herdsmen’s claim as a fabricated story that must be resisted, they said it was a ploy to launch another jihad on the Benue people.The groups threatened to take the MACBAN leadership to court if the...

http://ift.tt/2r4NeX7 Kimse Okoko Immediate past Pro-Chancellor of University of Uyo, and former President of the Ijaw National Congress (INC), Prof. Kimse Okoko, told KELVIN EBIRI, in Port Harcourt, that without restructuring the country to make it function as a true federal state, attempts to get accurate census data would remain a wild goose chase, as the North would do everything to perpetrate their “fake” numerical superiority over the South. What do you make of Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara’s call for the postponement of the forthcoming census till after the 2019 general election? The speaker, I am sorry is missing the point. Whether it is done now or after the elections, we will not be able to get accurate census figure in this country because there are people who are ready to manipulate the exercise for their own selfish interest, and to extend their fictitious dominance of a group over others. So, it is irrelevant whether it is done before the el...

http://ift.tt/2rDTHW5 Members of the National Youth Service Corps PHOTO: NAN The leadership of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in Taraba State, yesterday, charged employers of corps members to pay special attention to the welfare of corps members. Briefing journalists on the activities for prospective corps members to resume this month, Taraba State Coordinator of the NYSC, Alpine Japheth Akyam, noting that corps members posted to the state have been of good character, said corps members’ employers need to reciprocate by improving their welfare packages. She admonished incoming corps members to declare their true health status, as it would facilitate better planning. Vía The Guardian Nigeria Newspaper | Nigeria News and World News http://ift.tt/2qGIvJV

http://ift.tt/2oRyVRM Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami (SAN) The prisoner swap agreement under which Nigerians in prisons in the United Kingdom are being returned to their home country regrettably gives the impression that most Nigerians in that country are criminals who should be bundled back home under any cover. This is sad, given the fact that an overwhelming majority of Nigerians in Britain is making positive contributions to the economic and social development of the host country. While those in prison for one offence or the other are indeed liabilities, the fact remains that a larger percentage of Nigerians are assets to the UK, do not deserve the stigma they often endure and Nigeria does not deserve the bad light in which it has been painted. Against this background, the Senate, the other day, appropriately called on the Federal Government to stop receiving prisoners from United Kingdom under the Transfer of Sentenced Persons (TSP) deal. The decision of...

http://ift.tt/2r4MDVi Omoye Uzamere (left) and Timi Charles-Fadipe performing excerpts from Atta’s plays He’d known her as a novelist, who won the inaugural Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature in Africa with her maiden novel, Everything Good Will Come in 2006. They met briefly at UNESCO Port Harcourt World Book Capital in 2004. When, however, Sefi Atta later staged one of her plays at Terra Kulture, Lagos, which Clark saw alongside his wife, Ebun, he was pleasantly surprised at her stage craft. Prof. John Pepper Clark, who made no pretensions about his preference for poetry and admitted a diminished interest in developments in the fictional universe, made the recollection at the recent presentation of Atta’s collection of plays at Freedom Park, Lagos. “My wife and I were pleasantly surprised to see her play at Terra Kulture on kidnapping,” he recalled. “I’m not a great follower of fiction works. I think there is enough to read in poetry. I’m delighted, amazed at her new turn of wri...