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NGO Set To Tackle Health Challenges, Insecurity Across The Country

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Rotarian have pledged to extend their humanitarian services by partnering the government to address some of the challenges of insecurity and banditry across the country.
The New President, Rotary Club of Abuja Garki Neighbourhood, Rotarian Hajiya Zainab Omowunmi Owonikoko, made the pledge while unveiling her sustainable projects and activities for the year 2022-2023, targeted at enhancing Local and global impact.

While briefing Journalists in Abuja Nigeria’s capital, during the official flag-off of the Rotary year 2022-23 on Friday in Abuja, she said the Club’s areas of focus tend to fall on promoting peace, fighting disease, providing clean water, saving mothers and children, supporting education, growing local economies and protecting the environment.
Owonikoko, who will within the period pilot the affairs of the Club, District 9125 Nigeria, said the Club programmes for the year include among others; family health outreach programs vocational /career talk & quiz competition for schools in FCT, organizing Health seminars, rallies, road shows as well as sponsorship of 20 Youths to Rotary Youth Leadership Academy (RYLA).

Owonikoko, having emerged as the first female Club President officially assumed office on July 1st, to pilot the affairs of the Club and work towards the actualisation of Rotary goals and ideal of service during the year.

Also speaking, the Past Assistant Governor, Sikiru Adetona revealed that the club had over the years carried out several projects within Rotary’s seven core areas of focus which include disease prevention and treatment, water and sanitation, maternal and child health, basic education and literacy amongst others.
Adetona, however, appealed to FCT Administration and other critical stakeholders to support community projects, noting that community needs are overwhelming.

Lekki Seaport: President Buhari Welcomes Berthing Of 1st Ship

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President Muhammadu Buhari has congratulated the Federal Ministry of Transportation, the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), and all stakeholders in the maritime industry on the successful berthing of the first ship at Lekki Deep Sea port.

The vessel, ZHEN HUA 28, delivered three Ship to Shores (STS) and 10 Rubber Tyre Gantries (RTG) cranes that will help in the evacuation of cargoes from vessels to the shore.

President Buhari recalled that his approval of four new seaports including the Lekki Deep Sea port, is hinged on “growing the economy, creating massive job opportunities, foreign investment inflows and trade facilitation.”

He commended the staff and management in the nation’s maritime sector who are working round the clock to make the operationalisation of Lekki Deep sea port before the end of the year a reality.

The President assured them of his commitment to sustain investments in these new assets.

President Buhari also recognised that the nation’s maritime and aquatic resources were critical to the livelihoods of Nigerians and Government would spare no effort in successfully harnessing the potential of the sector.

The Nigerian Ports Authority had on Friday received three Ship-to-Shore, STS, and 10 Rubber-Tyred Gantries, RTG, cranes critical to the commencement of operations of the $1.5bn Lekki Deep Seaport.

Trust Nigerians to quickly identify opportunities wherever they are & tap into it

Nigeria Pledges To Reduce Marine Plastic Pollution

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Nigeria has pledged its commitment to an international legally binding instrument to reduce the menace of marine plastic pollution from land-based sources and activities.

President Muhammadu Buhari gave the assurance in a statement delivered on his behalf by the Minister of State for Environment, Sharon Ikeazor, at the 2022 UN Ocean Conference, in Lisbon, Portugal.

Highlighting Nigeria’s effort at ensuring the health and sustainability of oceans, seas and marine resources, the President said a national policy on plastic pollution and the road map for tackling solid and plastic waste management had been formulated and established.

The President, who lauded the United Nations for leading the process of effective ocean governance, said Nigeria had mainstreamed ocean management into the economy, constituting a Presidential Committee on Sustainable Blue Economy.

He also announced that Nigeria has embarked on the creation of two marine protected areas.

President Buhari reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to participating constructively in the ongoing negotiations for various multilateral agreements, including on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction.

FG sets up white paper committee to review MDAs created after 2014

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The Federal government on Friday, inaugurated the white Paper Committee to review new Parastatals, Agencies and Commissions created since 2014.

The MDAs affected are those created after the submission of the Report on Restructuring and Rationalisation of Federal Government Parastatals, Agencies and Commissions.

Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha, while inaugurating the committee, expressed concerns over the increasing cost of governance especially with revenue challenges in the country

The government had as part of efforts to halt the revenue drift, constituted a committee on the Restructuring and Rationalization of Federal Government Parastatals, Commissions and Agencies on August 18, 2011 chaired by the former Head of Service, Steve Orosanye.

The committee submitted its report on April 16, 2012 with various recommendations such as abolition, reduction, merger and reversion of some of the Agencies to Departments in Ministries.

White Paper on the report was issued in March,2014 followed by an implementation Committee that was inaugurated in May, 2014.

The committee on the white paper had rejected most of the recommendations, and merely noted an equally greater number. Again, even those accepted were not implemented.

Mustapha disclosed that the “inability to implement the report of the Committee on Restructuring and Rationalization of Federal Government Parastatals, Agencies and Commission is costing government highly.

Nigerian lawmaker jailed seven years for money laundering

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Senator representing Delta North Senatorial District at the National Assembly, Peter Nwaoboshi, has been sentenced to seven years imprisonment.

Nwaoboshi was sentenced to jail on Friday by the Lagos Division of the Court of Appeal.

The court also ordered that his two companies be wound up in line with the provisions of Section 22 of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act 2021.

The spokesperson of Nigeria’s anti-graft agency, EFCC, Wilson Uwujaren, made this known in a statement on Friday.

The statement was also posted on the agency’s official Twitter handle.

Nwaoboshi has, in the past few years, been enmeshed in several allegations of fraud and misappropriation of funds.

In 2021, he was accused by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) of using 11 companies as fronts to secure for himself a N3.6 billion contract in the commission.

The contract was not executed and the money was not refunded.

The past NDDC spokesperson, Charles Odili, had said the contract was the biggest single case of looting of the Commission’s resources.

Exploring Banc D’arguin National Park, Mauritania  

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Banc d’Arguin National Park is an important nature reserve and zone for nesting birds and Palearctic migratory waders, located alongside the northern part of the Atlantic coast of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania.

Established in order to protect both, the natural resources and the valuable fisheries that are making significant contribution to the national economy, as well as scientifically and aesthetically valuable geological sites, the entire park is comprised of sand dunes, areas of coastal swamps, small islands and shallow coastal waters.

This ecosystem is rich in biodiversity of nutrients and organic matter due to the vast expanse of marshes covered with sea grass beds, and an important windblown sediment addition from the continent and the result of the permanent up welling of the Cap Blanc.

The great expanses of marshes provide shelter to more than two million limicolous migrant birds from northern Europe, Siberia and Greenland, which is remarkable as there are between 25,000 and 40,000 pairs belonging to 15 bird species.

Nevertheless, the shallows together with the island area is also the center of intense biological activity, as there are around 45 fish species, 11 species of shellfish and several species of mollusks, in addition to the frequently sighted bottlenose dolphin and the Atlantic hump-backed dolphin and several species of marine turtles, notably the green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas).

These are one of the many reasons why the park was institutionalized with a Presidential decree in 1976, and it was made as a public institution in order to contribute even more to the promotion of the sustainable nature with protection and conservation of the terrestrial, marine and island ecosystems with hope that the globalization will avoid this treasure and that the Banc d’Arguin NP will continue to serve as a nature reserve of great importance which is too a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1989.

Once Upon A Time – July 2 – 1823 – Bahia Independence Day: End Of Portuguese Rule In Brazil

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626 Incident at Xuanwu Gate: in fear of assassination, Li Shimin ambushes and kills his rival brothers Li Yuanji and Li Jiancheng

1776 Continental Congress resolves “these United Colonies are and of right ought to be Free and Independent States”

1823 Bahia Independence Day: the end of Portuguese rule in Brazil, with the final defeat of the Portuguese crown loyalists in the province of Bahia

1964 US President Lyndon B. Johnson signs Civil Rights Act and Voting Rights Act into law

1990 1,426 pilgrims trampled to death after a panic in a tunnel in Mecca, Saudi Arabia

HISTORICAL EVENTS TODAY

TODAY IN FILM & TV

1928 The Jenkins Television Corporation (owned by Charles Jenkins) goes on air with W3XK, the first television broadcasting station in the USA

TODAY IN MUSIC

2005 10 Live 8 concerts held around the world organised by Bob Geldof to raise awareness of poverty

TODAY IN SPORT

1989 American jockey Steve Cauthen wins Irish Derby on Old Vic to become the first rider in history to sweep the world’s 4 major Derbies (Kentucky, Epsom, French, Irish)

MORE FACTS…

1839 Slaves aboard a Spanish schooner La Amistad revolt to secure their freedom while being transported from one Cuban port to another

1816 French frigate “La Méduse” runs aground under incompetent leadership of Viscount of Chaumareys, 400 passengers evacuated. 150 men, 1 woman are left on “la Machine,” a poorly provisioned raft. 13 days later only 15 survivors remain, inspires Théodore Géricault’s painting “The Raft of the Medusa”

FAMOUS WEDDINGS

1918 Jazz orchestra band leader Duke Ellington (19) weds high school sweetheart Edna Thompson

1932 Platinum blonde screen goddess Jean Harlow (21) weds MGM producer Paul Bern (42)

1939 Syndicated columnist Ann Landers (21) weds business executive Julius Lederer

Russian Oil Price Cap: Seoul, Washington Hold Conference Call

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Seoul And Washington’s Top Economic Policymakers Discussed A U.S.-Led Proposal To Impose A Price Cap On Russian Oil.

Finance Minister Choo Kyung-Ho And His American Counterpart Janet Yellen Held A Conference Call To Discuss The Issue.

Janet Yellen Emphasized The Move Is Necessary To Help Stabilize High Energy Prices And Reduce Moscow’s Revenue From Oil Exports.

Choo Expressed His “Understanding” Of The Proposal’s Intention And Asked For Details To Be Shared If The Action Plan Is Fleshed Out.

Despite International Sanctions, Russia Enjoyed Higher Oil Export Revenues By Shipping Crude Oil To China And Other Developing Nations At Discount Rates.

Rosewood Smuggling: Gambia Bans All Timber Exports

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Rosewood Is One Of The Most Trafficked Wildlife Products In The World.

The Gambia Has Banned Timber Exports And Revoked All Export Licenses To Try To Combat Illegal Logging.

The Ban Has Come Into Effect Immediately, And The Port Authorities Have Been Instructed To Refuse To Load Timber Logs Onto Any Vessel.

It Has Been Listed As An Endangered Species Since 2017, And Last Month Cites, The Convention On International Trade In Endangered Species, Called On Seven Countries, Including The Gambia, To Suspend Its Trade.

Lekki Deep Sea Port: Pres. Buhari Welcomes Docking Of First Ship

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President Muhammadu Buhari Has Congratulated The Federal Ministry Of Transportation And The Nigerian Ports Authority, On The Successful Berthing Of The First Ship At Lekki Deep Sea Port.

The Vessel, Zhen Hua 28, Delivered Three Ship To Shores And 10 Rubber Tyred Gantries (Rtg) Cranes Will Help In The Evacuation Of Cargoes From Vessels To The Shore.

The President, According To A Statement Issued On Saturday, By Femi Adesina, His Special Adviser On Media And Publicity, Recalls That His Approval Of Four New Seaports In The Country, Including The Lekki Deep Sea Port, Was Hinged On Growing The Economy, Creating Massive Job Opportunities, Foreign Investment Inflows And Trade Facilitation.

He Commended The Staff And Management In The Nation’s Maritime Sector, Who Are Working Round The Clock To Make The Operationalisation Of Lekki Deep Sea Port Before The End Of The Year A Reality.