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http://ift.tt/eA8V8J By Olayinka Latona L agos —Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State yesterday emphasized the need for Nigerians to embrace selfless service to humanity, saying that such remained the essence of existence to positively impact others. Speaking at the opening ceremony of 33rd  Synod of Diocese of Lagos, Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) with the theme: “Serving”, Governor Ambode also charged political and religious leaders to continually tow the path of service to humanity, just as he said that politics in the real sense of it should only be about selfless service to the people Ambode, in his keynote address, described the Synod and the theme as apt and historic having coincided with the celebration of 50 years of existence of the state, which according to him, was all about celebrating those that have served and still serving the state. According to him, “Serving, be it in government, churches,, mosques or wherever, is like a clarion call from God and f...

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J By Henry Umoru A BUJA —STRONG  indications emerged yesterday that 2017 Appropriation Bill which ought to be laid today may not be presented to senators for passage. Speaking with Vanguard yesterday night on the position of the budget and whether the document would be laid, Chairman, Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Sabi Abdullahi, who noted that the Committee on Appropriations, headed by Senator Danjuma Goje, was working on the document, said he could not confirm when the document would be laid. Senator Abdullahi, who is also a member    of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, said:  “They are doing the harmonisation, data cleaning, just trying to do due diligence to make sure everything is fully in place. ‘’That’s the most critical stage because it is a thorough, painstaking job. If you notice today, you didn’t see the chairman appropriation in the chamber and they are working very hard on it. “I cannot confirm whe...

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J Ooni reacts to the fire incident L agos —Some officials of the Lagos State government, yesterday, inspected the burnt portion of Iga Iduganran , the palace of the Oba of Lagos, Rilwan Akiolu, on Lagos Island. The visit followed a fire that gutted a section of the palace on Tuesday. A reliable source within the palace disclosed this to the News Agency of Nigeria   correspondent, who visited the palace. The source said the officials visited the palace to assess the extent of damage but did not make any comment after the inspection. It added that the fire affected a section of the new palace building and not the old one where traditional artefacts and relics are kept. “The Lagos State Government officials visited the palace this morning and had seen the burnt portion,” the source said. Also, normal activities have resumed in and around the palace with traders and buyers going about their businesses. The fire was put out by Lagos State Fire Service. ...

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J By  Festus Ahon A SABA —CHAIRMAN, Delta State Primary Health Care Development Agency, DSPHCDA, Dr Richard Kofi, has restated the resolve of the agency to adopt the Primary Health Care Under One Roof, PHCUOR, in the state. Kofi, who spoke at a one-day sensitisation meeting on health sector  towards domesticating the National Health Act 2014 in Delta State, said that relevant health policies were enshrined in the SMART agenda of the Governor Ifeanyi Okowa administration. He said: “The proposed amendment of the DSPHCDA law seeks to establish one Primary Health Centre per Ward in bringing strong, accessible and functional healthcare to the grassroots.” Chairman, House Committee on Health in the State House of Assembly, Mr Timi Tonye, commended the agency for taking steps to amend the DSPHCDA law, adding that it will bring improved quality and increase the health service delivery of the Primary Health Centres. Enjoining stakeholders to key into the amendm...

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J By Gabriel Enogholase B ENIN —EDO State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has restated his administration’s commitment to build a state that works for the people and improve their standard of living. The governor, who stated this when he received  executive members of Conference of Non-Governmental Organisations, CONGOS, in his office yesterday, in Benin, said: “We are not afraid.  We are transparent and have nothing to hide from the people. “My focus is to use available resources to pursue my administration’s programmes and improve the lives of Edo people who trusted and elected us to power. “Non-governmental organisations should contribute to providing solutions to the challenges faced by the government or review government’s activities to help them roll out policies that will better the lot of the people, but not to become critics of the government without necessary facts.” He urged the group to be exemplary because total independence, which would ena...

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J By Dayo Adesulu IN its quest to promote employability and entrepreneurial skills among undergraduates, Mandela Washington Fellowship Reciprocal Exchange has reiterated commitment to sponsor students of the University of Ibadan. In a release, it stated that Ayomide Shittu, a Texas-based American attorney of Nigerian descent will be joining the 2016 Mandela Washington Fellow, Emeka Ossai, a Project Lead at Inceptum Services, an organisation that aims to raise one million student entrepreneurs across Nigerian universities by 2020. It states: “The goal is to bridge the gaps between what the students are taught at the university and the skills needed for the real world, whether in corporate Nigeria or in their various entrepreneurial pursuits.” The duo, it was noted, met in 2016 when Emeka Ossai was a Mandela Washington Fellow at the University of Texas at Austin, adding that “they both realised a mutual desire to continue working to reduce youth unemployment and u...

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J By Peter Egwuatu O ANDO Plc has reduced its net debt by 29 per cent to N225.9 billion in the first quarter 2017 (Q1’17), ended March 31, from N316.6 billion in the corresponding period of 2016, just as Profit After Tax, PAT dropped by 59 per cent to N 1.7 billion  from N 4.1 billion. According to the Q1, 2017 result released on the Nigerian Stock Exchange, NSE the company’s turnover grew by 575 per cent to N138.4 billion from N20.5 billion recorded in the corresponding period of 2016, while its gross profit increased to N 13.4 billion from N 2.6 billion. The Loss\Profit before Tax, reduced to N647 million from N20.7 billion in 2016. Through its upstream subsidiary, Oando Energy Resources (OER) the company has consistently adopted a hedge mechanism that ensures the business is protected from fluctuating oil prices. Approximately 66 per cent of the company’s crude production was hedged with 9,590 bbls/day of crude oil production hedged at $65/bbl (average) w...

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J By Udeme Akpan N IGERIA LNG Limited (NLNG) has reached another major milestone with the exportation of its 4000th cargo of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) from its Bonny Island Terminal in Rivers State to Mamara LNG Terminal in Turkey, which also received the Company’s historic 3000th cargo, three years ago. The cargo shipped on board one of NLNG’s chartered vessels, LNG Sokoto, is sold to Botas Petroleum Pipeline Corporation, and is estimated to arrive its destination by May 14. Dr Kudo Eresia-Eke, General Manager, External Relations disclosed in a statement that NLNG exported its first cargo on October  9, 1999, to Montoir LNG Terminal, France, and has since grown to what has been described as Africa’s largest single private sector industrial investment, safely and reliably supplying about seven percent of total world LNG demand. According to him, the Company has plans to expand its production capacity at its six-train plant complex, the fourth largest LNG ...

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J By Udeme Akpan T HE Group Managing Director, NIPCO  Plc, Mr. Venkataraman Venkatapathy, has attributed the improved performance of the company in the 2016 financial year to increased sales drive, effective management of resources and adjustment of  business model to the changing market realities. He said that 2016 was very challenging in the annals of petroleum products marketing in the country, amidst the general economic recession. Despite the challenges, NIPCO Plc made a turnover of N170.504billion for the year ended Dec 31, 2016, higher than N114.724billion recorded in the corresponding period of 2015, representing an increase of 48 per cent Profit before tax rose marginally from N2.014billion in 2015 to N2.031billion in 2016. Venkatapathy   said that although the year was tough on the economy, NIPCO made spirited efforts to reduce the impact on its customers without having any negative effect on shareholders return on i...

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J By Prince Okafor T HE sharp decline in global crude oil prices and export disruptions have left Seplat Petroleum Development Corporation Plc, an indigenous oil and gas company, in a negative top-line and bottomline in the first quarter 2017. But the company is stepping up operations in the second quarter while writing down its huge debt portfolio. In its 2017 first quarter 2017, (Q1’17), results and Interim Management Statement, IMS, the company’s revenue dropped by 43.3 per cent to $47.3 million as against $83.4 million Q1’16, while gross profit stood at $19.1 million. The company disclosed that 22 per cent year-on-year reduction in general and administrative expenses, G&A, helped narrow its operating loss to $1.3 million while loss for the period after net finance costs was $18.3 million and loss after tax average $19.1 million. Seplat pointed out that it has completed upgrades and repairs on one of its two jetties at the Warri refinery and barging oper...

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J By OSA AMADI Artists have always been fascinated with female sexuality. In primordial times, people went about naked. So, some of the surviving African arts of that period, like sculptured images on mbari , were nude. In other climes, a creative interest in female nudity is also strong. For instance, Leonardo Da Vinci spent several years in search of what he called the “great mystery” of life.  This led him to produce in 1509, his well-known close-up of drawing of a woman’s vulva. When Rose of the Titanic fame asked Jack to paint her, she posed naked. We can all recall the famous sculptured image of Aphrodite of Milos better known as the  Venus de Milo , an ancient Greek statue and one of the most famous works of ancient Greek created by Alexandros of Antioch. Other artists and their nude works are Praxiteles’  Knidian  Aphrodite,  a Roman copy after the original bronze of 4th century BCE; Sandro Botticelli’s  Birth of Venus ( c....