Crabs Paint Christmas Island Red As Migration Begins

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November 23, 2021

This year’s White House Christmas tree has arrived, marking the first time that President Joe Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden will celebrate the holiday at the People’s House in their new roles.

Dr. Jill Biden announced the arrival of this year’s Christmas tree in an Instagram post on the @flotus account, captioned “It’s here!”

In the photo, two Clydesdale horses can be seen pulling the carriage that holds the tree, complete with a banner that reads “White House Christmas Tree 2021.”

This holiday season will be the first time that First Lady Jill Biden will decorate the People’s House for Christmas—and we hope it will be as grand and merry as always.

It’s long been a tradition for first ladies to outfit the White House for the holiday season, and this year is sure to be no different.

The Worth of Water: Matt Damon Works On New Book

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November 23, 2021

Matt Damon has some big-name endorsers for a book he has out March 1 about access to safe water.

Former President Bill Clinton and Nobel Peace Prize-winner Muhammad Yunus are among those providing blurbs for “The Worth of Water,” which the Oscar-winning actor and filmmaker worked on with civil and environmental engineer Gary White.

Damon has been a prominent spokesman for water sanitation since visiting Zambia in 2006, and with White founded the nonprofits Water.org and WaterEquity.

Damon and White met at a Clinton Global Initiative gathering in 2008.

“We’re excited to have written this book together, and we can’t wait to share the story of what happens when a movie actor and a civil engineer team up to try and take on the global water crisis — the stumbles and obstacles, the breakthroughs and big gains, and the incredible people we met along the way,” Damon and White said in a statement Tuesday.

“Our journey has proved two things: one, solving the water crisis is possible — within our lifetimes. And two, the key is unleashing the incredible determination and resourcefulness of the people who are fighting every day for essentials like safe water and sanitation.”

Space Tourism: Michael Strahan, Laura Shepard To Embark On Dec. 9 Mission Aboard The New Shepard

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November 23, 2021

“Good Morning America” co-host Michael Strahan is going to space next month.Strahan, who turned 50 on Sunday, will join Laura Shepard Churchley, the eldest daughter of astronaut Alan Shepard, on the December 9 mission aboard the New Shepard, a spacecraft named after her father and the first American in space.The Blue Origin flight, the company headed by Jeff Bezos, will also carry four paying customers and will be the third by the New Shepard craft this year to shuttle humans to space.Blue Origin has not disclosed the ticket price for paying customers.

Today In History – Nov. 23 – 1863 – Patent Granted For Process Of Making Color Photographs

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November 23, 2021

1248 Conquest of Seville by Christian troops under King Ferdinand III of Castile after the city capitulates.

1644 “Areopagitica”, a pamphlet by John Milton decrying censorship, is published.

1826 Myra Wood writes in her journal that a number of single women have united in prayer and fasting to find a more useful sphere of action so as not to be guilty of “standing here idle.” She will become a missionary in India.

1938 Jeremiah Mahalu Kisula is sent to Kitengule-Mwibara where he begins his ministry as an ordained minister. He will become the first bishop of the Africa Inland Church of Tanzania.

2018 US Federal Climate report finds climate change will reduce economy by 10% by 2100 with $141 billion cost from heat-related deaths, $118 billion from sea level rise.

2019 Sumatran rhino officially declared extinct in Malaysia after last known specimen, 25-year-old Iman, dies of cancer in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo.

Today’s Historical Events
Today in Film & TV
1923 Cecil B. DeMille’s first version of “The Ten Commandments” premieres in the USA.

Today in Sport
1892 Pierre de Coubertin launches plan for modern Olympic Games at the Union des Sociétés Françaises de Sports Athlétiques AGM.

Did You Know?
1863 Patent granted for a process of making color photographs.

Fact
1942 Chinese steward Poon Lim begins 133 days adrift after British ship SS Benlomond torpedoed by german U-boat and he is the sole survivor.

Phalatse Wins By 144 Votes To Become Mayor Of Johannesburg

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November 23, 2021

The City of Johannesburg in South Africa has a new mayor.

This is after Mpho Phalatse from the official opposition party, Democratic Alliance (DA), was elected the city’s new mayor during a special council meeting on Monday evening.

This followed the nationwide local government elections on November 1, in which no decisive winner emerged in the city and parties had to form coalitions.

Phalatse won by 144 votes, while the outgoing ANC’s Mpho Moerane received 121 votes.

Education Ministry Flags-Off School Improvement Programme In Gombe

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November 23, 2021

The Federal Ministry of Education through the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) announced that one thousand, one hundred and forty-seven communities will benefit from the Special Grants of the 2019 School Based Management Committee School Improvement Programme.

The Executive Secretary of Universal Basic Education Commission, UBEC, Dr. Hamid Bobboyi, made the announcement during the first phase of the National Flag-off of the implementation of the 2019 School Based Management Committee School Improvement Programme, SBMC-SIP and the disbursement of UBEC support contributions to selected beneficiary schools across the country.

Bobboyi said funds would cover N5 million in Special Grants, N2.5 million in Macro Grants and N250 thousand Micro grants in the 2019 School Improvement Programme.

He said the flag-off event was part of ongoing efforts by the government and non-state actors to ensure improved school governance and more effective resource mobilization and utilization, through the establishment and use of school community-based structures.

According to him, the event also marked the commencement of deliberate community engagement, aimed at establishing a result-oriented mechanism for quality basic education delivery in Nigeria, through the School Based Management Committees.

Bobboyi added that this was critical to the successful implementation of the project, deliberately executed to enhance the capacity of project implementers to plan, supervise and deliver on each project component as provided in the MoU.

Stakeholders in the 1,147 benefiting school/communities had committed themselves to provide about 10% of the UBEC contribution as counterpart funding for the smooth implementation of all designated 2019 projects, he disclosed.

“The 2019 SBMC-SIP implementation activities started with the training of Master Trainers comprising of SUBEB Directors of Social Mobilization and SBMC Desk Officers on SBMC-SIP project implementation. Further to this, UBEC carried out the sensitization of stakeholders, verification of information supplied by prospective beneficiary schools that applied for the 2019 funds and the cluster-based training of SBMC-SIP Project Implementation Sub-Committees and LGEA SBMC Desk officers. After the selection of beneficiary schools for the 2019 fund, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed and award letters issued to them, in demonstration of UBEC’s readiness to fund and ensure smooth project implementation,” Dr. Bobboyi said.

The Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, represented by the Minister of State for Education, Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, said the disbursement of Support Funds was for the execution of priority school level projects, which would energize hopes for improved UBE infrastructure and classroom delivery in the 1,147 communities across the country.

Adamu believe the projects would further add value to the UBE process while urging benefiting communities to redouble their efforts in ensuring prudent use of resources and the timely completion of the designated projects.

He also called on all UBE stakeholders to support the revamping of the educational sector, through committed grassroots stakeholder partnerships, like the SBMC-SIP intervention.

According to the minister, since UBE was a community-based and stakeholder-driven programme, it required a collective approach for its successful implementation and as such stakeholders at the community level remained vital in basic education delivery and as such owners of UBE institutions domiciled in their domains.

Adamu said it was in pursuit of the ideals of the programme that UBEC instituted the School Based Management Committee School Improvement Programme, to provide financial support to communities in the planning, execution and ownership of priority basic education delivery projects in their schools.

According to him, the programme places grassroot stakeholders in a position of advantage to improve schools and lead the process of positive change and accountability in the delivery of education services.

Adamu disclosed that the Ministry was proposing to increase the funds for UBE implementation from 2% to 3% of the Consolidated Revenue Fund, in recognition of the emerging trends and step up programme implementation.

Adamu Commended the Governor of Gombe State, Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, saying the flag-off was apt, relevant, as well as a great push in the government’s efforts towards the education sector of the state.

Governor Yahaya who was represented by the Deputy Governor, Dr Manassah Daniel Jatau, gave the assurances that the doors of the state government were opened for partnership, collaboration and support with development partners.

TETFUND Seeks To Boost Nigerian Tertiary Institutions For Global Ranking

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November 23, 2021

The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND) has emphasized the need to reposition the country’s tertiary institutions and Universities in the way they will receive global ranking.

The Executive Secretary of TETFUND, Prof. Suleiman Bogoro made this known in Lagos during a Capacity Building Workshop themed ‘Requirements for Strengthening Nigerian Universities for Higher Global Ranking and Knowledge Economy.’

Prof. Bogoro said that Nigerian Universities are faced with a lot of challenges including poor investment, decaying infrastructure, corruption and political interference amongst others which he said had been hindering the progress and performance of the Universities in the global ranking of world Universities.

According to him, Universities in the country need strong measures in place and efforts of well-meaning Nigerians to get revamped.

”To be competitive, Nigerian universities must as a matter of urgency put strong measures in place to ensure that all lecturers must aim to have a Doctorate of Philosophy as an essential requirement for teaching and research, develop strong democratic leadership in their administration, have a collaborative association with industries, foreign universities, linkages, and donor agencies in multiple capacities that increase funding for research, teaching and other essential facilities,” he added.

The Chairman Board of Trustees TETFUND, Kashim Ibrahim-Imam stated that Nigeria is blessed with the most brilliant minds across the globe hence, the need to boost the education system to attract the global ranking it deserves.

”If you look at the list of the first 1,000 Universities in the world, only two to three universities will appear on that list; that is of a great concern to us. Nigeria is the giant of Africa and it is universally acknowledged that most brilliant minds across the globe are all Nigerians. Let us join to boost the education system in the way it will attract the global ranking it deserves,” he stated.

Transmission Company of Nigeria Begins Rehabilitation Of Old Circuit Breakers

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November 23, 2021

Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has commenced the rehabilitation and replacement of old Circuit Breakers in the nation’s transmission network.

The rehabilitation is aimed at improving bulk power transmission to distribution load centers across the country.

Circuit Breakers protect power transformers from any abnormal conditions or fault that may occur within or from outside the network.

They also provide power supply flexibility in the substations’ switchyard when maintenance work is ongoing, without interrupting bulk power supply to distribution load centers in the grid.

The rehabilitation and replacement work which were officially flagged off at the thirty-seven (37) years old 330/132kV Ajaokuta Substation, Kogi State, marks TCN’s determination to ensure that all circuit breakers in its network are certified healthy and performs optimally.

The decision to start with the circuit breakers in Ajaokuta Substation was due to the strategic role the substation plays in transmitting bulk electricity to distribution load centers of Abuja Electricity Distribution Company and Benin Electricity Distribution Company, covering Abuja, Lokoja, Ayangba, Okene, Okpila, and Benin among others.

Despite routine maintenance undertaken by TCN’s in-house engineers, rehabilitating the circuit breakers is to ensure that they continue to perform optimally and eliminate any incident of sudden breakdown due to age.

The exercise will be extended to all substations in the country whose circuit breakers are twenty years and above.

In line with TCN’s quest to further improve the capacity of its workforce, it assigned its engineers to work directly with the contractors to ensure hands-on training and practical skills transfer. Proper retrofitting or replacement of the circuit breakers will ensure that they operate optimally for the next 15 to 20 years.

Released WAEC 2021 Results Record 81.7% Success Rate

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November 23, 2021