2022 ACCESS BANK LAGOS CITY MARATHON: World Athletics, AIMS, Runners Enthusiastic As Full Race Returns

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October 21, 2021

On February 12, 2022, the Access Bank Lagos City Marathon will join other elite races across the world to return as a full race with about 80,000 to 100,000 runners expected to participate in the full marathon and the 10km fun run.

This was revealed by Yussuf Alli General Manager Access Bank Lagos City Marathon.

The 2021 edition of the Access Bank Lagos City was an elites only race because of Covid-19.

Other elite races like London, Tokyo and others were also elites only races while many races were cancelled.

But since September 2021 label races that were elites only in 2021 or were cancelled have returned as full races with thousands of runners.

They include Berlin Marathon, London Marathon, Chicago Marathon, Boston Marathon and others.

New York Marathon is slated for November 7, other races slated for the latter part of the year and early 2022 are Amsterdam Marathon, Dubai Tokyo, Paris, Houston and others.

Alli revealed that the World Athletics and Association of International Marathons and Distance Races (AIMS) are excited that the Access Bank Lagos City Marathon will return as a full race.

“I also want to use this medium to assure our numerous runners especially the 10km fun runners who came to our office or contacted us on phone, emails and via our website that on February 12, 2022, we will have a full race and that it will include the 10km race. I appeal to intending runners to step up their training”.

The General Manager also said there will be a world press conference first week of November 2021 to unveil plans for the 2022 Access Bank Lagos City Marathon,

“This is our 7th edition, we are the first marathon in Nigeria to organize a 7th edition. We are also the first race to win a World Athletics Bronze Label in Africa after two editions and the first in the world to win the prestigious Silver Label after four editions.

Last year, World Athletics gave us the Elite Road Race Label, we are one of the most sought after elite races in the world, in terms of prize money we rank among the top 10 in the world and in the number of participants we are top five in the world, I could go and on.

To achieve all these before our seventh edition calls for celebration and the celebration is not just for staff, sponsors and vendors but for the media and thousands of runners that love and throng our race” said Alli.

NDDC Pledges Continued Support For Tertiary Institutions In Its Region

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Rhoda Onuzulike

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October 21, 2021

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The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has pledged continued support for tertiary institutions in the region by providing them with basic infrastructure on campus.

The agency’s Director of Corporate Affairs, Dr. Ibitoye Abosede, made the promise when a delegation from the Alumni Association of Imo State University (IMSU) visited the commission’s headquarters in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

He thanked the visitors for recognising his contributions to education and nominating him for a Meritorious Award for Corporate Governance.

Abosede said NDDC had executed several projects in Imo State, including a modern hostel, at the state varsity in Owerri.

National President of the IMSU Alumni Association, Ferdinand Ezeala, had earlier,said the association was holding their yearly convention in Port Harcourt on October 30, adding that some deserving individuals and corporate organisations would be honoured at the event.

Accompanied by the National Secretary, Dr. Anayo Uhiara, Ezeala commended the NDDC for building the capacity of universities in the oil-rich area.

State Education Secretary, 4 Others Remanded For Diverting Donated School Bags

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Rhoda Onuzulike

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October 21, 2021

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The Yola Criminal Area Court II has remanded the Education Secretary of Mubi South Local Government Area, Jibrilla Babale, and four others for allegedly diverting 700 bags of the United Nations Children’s Fund meant for public schools in Mubi South and Mubi North LGAs.

Those remanded in custody alongside the secretary were Mustapha Mohammed, Musa Mahmud, Aliyu Mohammed and Mohammed Yahaya.

Representatives of UNICEF, who were worried by the indiscriminate sale in open market of the branded school bags meant to be given to pupils as part of a school enrolment drive, complained to the state Governor, Ahmadu Fintiri, who ordered discreet investigations into the scandal.

Fintiri was said to have ordered prosecution and disciplinary actions against the civil servants involved in the racketeering of the school bags.

Investigations revealed that Babale, who headed the distribution of the school bags, allegedly diverted 800 of them to his cronies, who allegedly sold the bags for N700,000.

According to the police first information report, the education secretary gave the bags to the UNICEF Distribution Coordinator in charge of distribution for Mubi South and North LGAs, Mustapha, who in turn sold some to Mahmud of Mubi North at the sum of N330,000 only.

Mahmud later sold the bags to Aliyu and Yahaya of Mubi North for N420,000, while knowing that the bags were provided to be distributed free of charge.

The defendants were arraigned by the state Commissioner of Police, Mohammed Barde, for criminal conspiracy, breach of official trust and receiving stolen property, which contravened sections 60, 302, 307 and 312 of the Penal Code Law 2018, as amended.

The four accused persons denied the charges, while their counsel pleaded they be admitted to bail.

Justice Nuhu Garta, however, ordered that the defendants be remanded in prison and adjourned the case till November 1, 2021, for commencement of hearing, adding that, bail application would be considered before the date.

Lagos Partners U.S Consulate, Trains 50 Teachers

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Rhoda Onuzulike

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October 21, 2021

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The Lagos State Ministry of Education has partnered with the U.S Consulate General to train 50 teachers from the Education District One in a STEM training workshop.

According to a statement by the consulate, the teachers were drawn from public schools in underserved communities of Agege, Alimosho and Ifako-Ijaiye were introduced to the basics of building and flying drones, computer coding, solar panel assembly.

While speaking at the grand finale of the workshop held at the Government Senior College Agege, the U.S Consulate Public Affairs Officer, Stephen Ibelli, said the workshop was aimed at offering innovative tools for teachers from public high schools to teach STEM subjects and better prepare Nigerian youth for 21st-century challenges.

Ibelli said, “The U.S Mission in Nigeria is committed to supporting initiatives that promote STEM education in Nigeria. Technological knowledge is an essential element of the 21st-century economy, and it starts in the classroom.

“This teacher training workshop will boost teacher confidence and capabilities in the areas of STEM teaching and learning.” he added

The statement reads, following the completion of the training, the U.S Consulate provided all 50 teachers with a “Drone in a Box” to take back to their schools and classrooms.

“This is expected to provide the teachers and their students with an opportunity to put their newly acquired skills to use,” it added.

Youth Migration:Private Varsity Partners European Private Sector

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Rhoda Onuzulike

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October 21, 2021

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Godfrey Okoye University, Enugu State, in partnership with the European private sector to curtail the rate of migration has plan to impart practical skills in Nigeria youths.

Prof Christian Anieke, the Vice Chancellor of the catholic university, disclosed this at a news conference in Abuja.

He said that the level of migration by Nigerian youth was worrisome, adding that it was no longer about unskilled migration but that the skilled youths had joined the fray.

Anieke said that the centre for practical skills acquisition to be sited at the university, by the European team, was a unique intervention in the country, adding that it would help Nigerian youths to compete favourably with their European counterparts.

“We have not had this kind of intervention before for any European university to have interest in this kind of project,” he said

The V.C said, about 150 youths across the country would be engaged in the skill acquisition training, beginning from Nov. 18, 2021, and that the numbers would be scaled up to 5,000 eventually.

According to him, in the next 5 years, the institution envisaged 5,000 youths with 10 different companies from Europe having already signified interest in the projects.

Anieke added that the practical training would be aligned with the needs of the European company, stressing that the University would make it easy for the trainees.

He mentioned that the youths would be taught electronic installation, transportation technology, among others, adding that they would be given European certifications at the end of the exercise, which would ensure that they could also be employed in Europe, if they chose to leave the country.

The vice chancellor said that the trainees, who would want to establish their own businesses, would be provided the requisite loan as start-up capital, and that this would be the university’s contribution to the challenges of youth migration.

Prof Armstrong Idachaba, a visiting professor to the institution, said that the Centre for Practical Skills was a big opportunity for the youth, adding that the school would collaborate to mitigate the spate of migrations.

Poor Funding, Reason Nigerian Varsities Not Among World Best- NUC

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Rhoda Onuzulike

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October 21, 2021

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The Executive Secretary of National Universities Commission, NUC, Prof. Abubakar Rasheed, has said that poor funding was the main reason Nigerian universities were not ranked among the best in the world.

He also stated that any university that loses reputation must have lost everything in its existence, saying the commission was planning to put in place stringent measures that would curtail the proliferation of universities, especially by state governors, and ensure there was adequate funding for any such universities.

This is even as the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, SSANU, lamented that teaching staff were taking over their jobs through the composition of committees by the university management where the teaching staff were made to head such committees.

While the leadership of SSANU paid the NUC Executive Secretary a visit in his office, in Abuja, he advised that any time the association was entering into any agreement with the Federal Government, such an agreement should be one that will be implementable as funding has become a key challenge to why Nigerian universities are not among the highly ranked universities in the world.

Prof. Rasheed noted with regret that in a particular university in the South-South, the state government released to the management about N452 million to run the institution in the previous year, and later slashed the money the next year to N91 million, with a further slash to N40 million.

On the concern raised by SSANU President, Comrade Mohammed Ibrahim, who led the delegation that state governors were proliferating universities as if it had become a constituency project, the NUC boss said the governors were interested in leaving a legacy but not investing in the established universities.

He, however, expressed optimism that the new NUC Act would give the commission more powers, unlike the existing one, adding that there should be a master plan to be submitted and approved by the commission before any new university was established.

He debunked the claim that some of the commissions set up by the NUC in the universities were dominated by teaching staff, against non-teaching staff.

He said the association believed in excellent service and doing things in the right way, adding that the voices of members of SSANU would only be heard when necessary…

“Our members are becoming more and more troubled by the recent developments coming out of the university system. Our members’ jobs are being taken over by so many committees in the universities.

” There is the issue of non-payment of salaries, especially for our members in state universities. Some have not received salaries for up to six months, yet we hear that NUC is giving accreditation to new state universities.

“NUC should ensure that our members are not languishing in their offices. We are also disturbed over the negative development of nonuniformity in the conditions of service in the universities. This is happening to the morale of our members. We call for a uniform standard in the universities.” He added

Prof. Oloyede Tasks Govts, Institutions on Fight Against Exam Malpractices

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Rhoda Onuzulike

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October 21, 2021

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The Registrar, Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, Prof Ishaq Oloyede, on Wednesday charged institutions, government and stakeholders to show increased commitment in the fight against examination infractions by candidates.

Oloyede, disclosed that JAMB was investing a large chunk of its resources in the fight against examination malpractices, and collaborative effort was needed “because of the threat posed not only to the educational system, but also to national development”.

The registrar, represented by the Director, Quality Assurance at JAMB Headquarters, Mabel Agbebaku, spoke in Ado Ekiti, in a lecture titled, ‘Value re-orientation for effective service delivery: JAMB perspective,’ which he delivered at the 10th yearly lecture of the Forum of Heads of Federal Government Establishment in Nigeria, Ekiti State Chapter.

He added, “The movement against examination malpractice should be sustained so that the task of national rebirth would be attained sooner than expected as the Board would continue to entrench transparency and integrity in the administration of its examinations”.

Oloyede blamed widespread report of cheating on “undue emphasis placed on paper qualifications and desperation for professional courses such as Medicine, Law, Accountancy” among others, stressing that JAMB would guard jealously the integrity of its examination.

He said, “JAMB has continued to war against examination malpractices, but some unscrupulous elements in society are still trying to constitute a clog in the wheel of progress of the board.

“The desperation of some parents and individuals who aid and abet examination malpractices and are ready to cough up huge sums of money to execute their unwholesome agenda also constitute a challenge which the board is tackling headlong.”

Oloyede, further listed innovations by JAMB under him to checkmate admission irregularities and protect the interest of innocent candidates who deserved admission to include the Computer Based Test, digitalisation of the process through automated Central Admission Processing System and the move to checkmate impersonation with use of National Identification Number.

U.S. Corps Of Engineers Treat Hydrilla In North Carolina Lake

By

Angel Gimalo

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October 20, 2021

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The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is taking the blame for green spots appearing in a North Carolina lake.

A photo shared on social media shows the toxic-looking spots on the surface of the B. Everett Jordan Lake, The News & Observer of Raleigh reported

According to the Corps, it had to treat hydrilla, an invasive plant species, and the only way to do it involved an EPA approved herbicide.

The Corps says the color is generated by what is described as an eco-friendly dye that helps experts trace where the herbicide has spread in the water.

Officials said it’s important that the hydrilla be treated because it could spread further downstream of the Haw River and elsewhere.

Hydrilla can become so abundant that it blocks waterways, overtakes local plant species and makes the area inhabitable for fish, according to the Corps. Hydrilla is commonly seen forming thick colonies or mats.

Jordan Lake is a reservoir that covers 14,000 acres (5,665 hectares) in Chatham County, according to the state.

U.S. Corps Of Engineers Treat Hydrilla In North Carolina Lake

By

Angel Gimalo

-

October 20, 2021

0

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is taking the blame for green spots appearing in a North Carolina lake.

A photo shared on social media shows the toxic-looking spots on the surface of the B. Everett Jordan Lake.

According to the Corps, it had to treat hydrilla, an invasive plant species, and the only way to do it involved an EPA approved herbicide.

The Corps says the color is generated by what is described as an eco-friendly dye that helps experts trace where the herbicide has spread in the water.

Officials said it’s important that the hydrilla be treated because it could spread further downstream of the Haw River and elsewhere.

Hydrilla can become so abundant that it blocks waterways, overtakes local plant species and makes the area inhabitable for fish, according to the Corps. Hydrilla is commonly seen forming thick colonies or mats.

Jordan Lake is a reservoir that covers 14,000 acres (5,665 hectares) in Chatham County, according to the state.

$650M Plan To Give Los Angeles Zoo Amazing Transformation

By

Angel Gimalo

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October 20, 2021

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A $650 million plan would give the Los Angeles Zoo a theme park-style transformation over the next 20 years.

The city-owned zoo in the city’s Griffith Park area would get exhibit upgrades and new attractions such as a 60-foot-deep (18-meter-deep) canyon for rock climbing and a hilltop building called the California Center in the style of a Yosemite National Park lodge with a sweeping view of a 25,000-square-foot (2,323-square-meter) vineyard.

Supporters of the zoo’s “20-year Vision Plan” said building the features would increase zoo attenance by 72%, to up to 3 million visitors annually.

But the contstruction would consume 23 acres (9.3 hectares) of native woodlands, drawing opposition led by the historical preservation group Friends of Griffith Park and the California Native Plant Society.

Zoo officials were thinking about the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games as they crafted the plan, said Denise Verrett, the zoo’s director and chief executive.

“What are we going to do to attract international travelers to the zoo as a place they should not miss?” Verrett said.

The renovation would happen in seven phases starting next year and it would be funded by grants and donations raised by the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association, a nonprofit support group, and possibly a bond issue.

The next step for the proposal is consideration by the Los Angeles City Council’s Arts, Parks, Health, Education, and Neighborhoods Committee.

The zoo relies on $11.6 million from the city’s general fund to meet its approximately $25 million fiscal budget for 2021-22.