Governor Udom Urges Federal Government, Apex Bank To Partner Akwa Ibom In Coconut Investment

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September 19, 2021

Nigeria’s President, Muhammadu Buhari has appointed 9 people into the board of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd.

It can be recalled that the President ordered on Sunday, that the NNPC should be fully incorporated in line with Section 53(1) of the Petroleum Industry Act 2021, which requires the Minister of Petroleum Resources to cause for the incorporation of the NNPC Limited within six months of commencement of the Act in consultation with the Minister of Finance on the nominal shares of the Company.

Chairman of the Board is Senator Ifeanyi Ararume
Chief Executive Officer is Mr. Mele Kyari
Chief Financial Officer is Umar I Ajiya
Other Board members are;
Dr Tajudeen Umar (North East)
Mrs Lami O. Ahmed (North Central)
Mallam Mohammed Lawal (North West)
Senator Margaret Chuba Okadigbo (South East)
Barrister Constance Harry Marshal (South South)
Chief Pius Akinyelure (South West)

Enugu, Taraba, Cross River, Ogun, Bauchi, Abia States Reject Forced Vaccination

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September 19, 2021

Amid Federal Government’s concern over many Nigerians’ reluctance to take the Covid-19 vaccine and its plan to impose sanctions on those who refuse the vaccine when it is made available to all, some states have said they do not intend to force anyone to take the vaccine.

The states, including Enugu, Taraba, Cross River, Ogun, Bauchi and Abia, said they wouldn’t adopt strict measures to compel them.

In Enugu State, the Commissioner for Information and spokesperson for the state Action Committee on Covid-19, Mr Chidi Aroh, the state would respect the fundamental rights of every resident of the state.

In Ogun State, the Commissioner for Health, Dr Tomi Coker, ruled out the option of barring persons who had not been vaccinated from its facilities.

Also, in Bauchi State, the Executive Chairman of the state Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr Rilwan Mohammed, said the state had no plan to restrict people that had not been vaccinated from public facilities.

Today in History – Sept. 19 – New Zealand Becomes 1st Country To Grant All Women Right To Vote

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September 19, 2021

1356 English forces under Edward the Black Prince defeat French at Battle of Poitiers and capture the French King during the Hundred Years’ War

1870 Siege of Paris by Prussian Forces begins (lasts until January 28 1871)

1893 New Zealand becomes the first country to grant all women the right to vote

1985 8.1 earthquake in Mexico City kills an estimated 10,000 and leaves 250,000 homeless

1986 US Federal health officials announce AZT will be available to AIDS patients

Today in Film & TV
1970 “The Mary Tyler Moore” show premieres on CBS

Today in Music
1960 Chubby Checker’s “The Twist” hits #1 on the Billboard Hot 100

Today in Sport
2017 New MLB record for most home runs in a season, no. 5,694 hit by Alex Gordon of the Kansas City Royals

Do you know this fact about today? Did You Know?
One of first known modern beauty contests held in Spa, Belgium on this day in 1888

Would you believe this fact about today? Would You Believe?
Ötzi the Iceman, 3,300 BCE old mummy discovered by German tourists in Italian alps on this day in 1991

Meet New Registrar, Acting Deputy Rector FEDPOLEL

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Rhoda Onuzulike

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September 18, 2021

The Governing Council of Federal Polytechnic, Ile-Oluji, Ondo State, has appointed Gabriel Adeyemi Awe as the third substantive registrar of the polytechnic. The appointment which is for a single term of five years, takes effect from September 10, 2021.

According to a statement signed by the head, information, protocol and passages, Sanmi Enigbokan, prior to his appointment, was a deputy registrar in charge of the Division of Pension and Staff Welfare, Adeyemi College of Education, Ondo.

Awe, who has about 28 years experience in administrative functions, obtained his Bachelor of Science Degree (B.Sc. Hons) in Political Science in 1991; Master of Science (M.Sc.) in Political Science (Public Administration) in 1997 and Master in Managerial Psychology (MMP) in 2016, all from the University of Ibadan, started his administrative career as an Administrative Officer 11 in the Personnel Affairs Division of Adeyemi College of Education, Ondo in 1993, and rose through several other ranks to become the deputy registrar, Academic Affairs, Examinations and Records and Pension and Staff Welfare Division respectively from 2009-2021.

The council also approved the appointment of Engr Adeolu Olawuni as the acting deputy rector of the institution with effect from September 10, 2021.

The statement further read Engr. Olawuni, who is currently a principal lecturer in the Department of Electrical Electronics Engineering and the acting dean, School of Engineering, is expected to assist the Rector in the performance of his functions and discharge other functions as may be assigned to him by the Rector or the council for the period of one year in the first instance.

Olawuni holds a Higher National Diploma (HND) in Electrical Electronics Engineering in 1997 from the Federal Polytechnic, Ado-Ekiti; Post Graduate Diploma (PGD) in Electrical Electronics Engineering in 2002 from Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA); Bachelor of Engineering (B.Eng) in 2020 from Osun State University, Osogbo and a Master of Technology (M.Tech) in Electrical Electronics Engineering (Power Option) in 2014 from Ladoke Akintola University, Ogbomoso, Oyo State.

After Afghanistan Pullout, US Seeks NATO Basing, Intel Pacts

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September 18, 2021

Against the backdrop of the troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, the top U.S. military officer is meeting in Greece with NATO counterparts this weekend, hoping to forge more basing, intelligence sharing and other agreements to prevent terrorist groups from regrouping and threatening America and the region.

Army Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the meeting of NATO defense chiefs will focus in part on the way ahead now that all alliance troops have pulled out of Afghanistan and the Taliban are in control.

Milley, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and American intelligence officials have warned that al-Qaida or the Islamic State group could regenerate in Afghanistan and pose a threat to the United States in one year to two years.

The U.S. military has said it can conduct counterterrorism surveillance and, if necessary, strikes in Afghanistan from “over the horizon” — meaning from assets based in other countries.

But they have made it clear that surveillance flights from bases in the Persian Gulf are long and provide limited time in the air over Afghanistan. So they have talked about seeking basing agreements, overflight rights and increased intelligence-sharing with nations closer to Afghanistan, including some neighbors.

Milly said he will be talking to his military counterparts “to see what the possibilities are and then bring them back” to U.S. defense and diplomatic leaders for additional discussions. Then, he said, officials will see what they can turn into a reality.

UN Council Urges Somalia’s Leaders To Settle Dispute

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September 18, 2021

Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) meeting in Ethiopia — ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA NOVEMBE 29: Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed President of Somalia attends Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) Heads of state meeting in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on November 29, 2019. (Photo by Minasse Wondimu Hailu/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

The U.N. Security Council urged Somalia’s feuding government leaders on Saturday to resolve their disagreements through dialogue and give top priority to holding long-delayed national elections this year.

The U.N.’s most powerful body also urged the federal government and regional states “to ensure that any political differences do not divert from united action against al-Shabab and other militant groups.”

The press statement approved by all 15 council members followed emergency consultations Friday on Somalia’s worsening political crisis, which has raised regional and international concerns that elections could be threatened and the east Africa region could face further destabilization.

On Thursday, President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed suspended Prime Minister Mohammed Hussein Roble’s power to hire and fire officials, the latest action in their increasingly divisive relationship.

In the statement, council members expressed “deep concern about the ongoing disagreement within the Somali government and the negative impact on the electoral timetable and process.”

They urged all parties “to exercise restraint, and underlined the importance of maintaining peace, security and stability in Somalia.”

Three decades of chaos, from warlords to al-Qaida affiliate al-Shabab and the emergence of an Islamic State-linked group, have ripped apart the country that only in the past few years has begun trying to rebuild and find its footing.

The pressure on President Mohamed to hold elections has intensified since scheduled elections on Feb. 8 failed to take place because of the lack of agreement on how the vote should be carried out.

Latin American Leaders Divided On OAS At Regional Meeting

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September 18, 2021

Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador wants to leave questions of human rights and democracy to the United Nations, as part of his continuing criticisms of the Organization of American States.

López Obrador spoke Saturday at the meeting of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, or CELAC, which includes almost all countries in the region except Brazil. Unlike the OAS, the U.S. and Canada don’t belong to CELAC.

The summit took up questions plaguing the region, like mass migration and the coronavirus pandemic. But some leaders angered by the OAS’ criticism of leftist regimes in the region have hoped CELAC could replace it.

López Obrador has suggested the OAS is interventionist and a tool of the United States.

But he did not formally propose leaving the organization. Rather, he opposed any kind of sanctions and said questions of human rights and democracy should only be considered if a country accused of violations requests that.

El Salvadoran Vice President Felix Ulloa criticized what he called “partisan” behavior in the OAS, but noted “we are not expecting nor do we think that a substitute will emerge from this.”

Panama’s Foreign Relations Minister, Erika Mouynes, called attention to the region’s problem of migration. Mouynes said that while only about 800 migrants were entering Panama a few months ago, now about 20,000 are arriving every month. Panama is struggling to feed and care for the influx.

Kin Of Philippines ‘Drug War Victims’ Hope For Justice

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September 18, 2021

Families of people killed in the Philippines’ war on drugs are hopeful that a formal investigation into possible crimes against humanity approved by judges from the International Criminal Court earlier this week will result in justice for the victims.

Rights groups say Philippines’ President Rodrigo Duterte incited deadly violence and accuse police of murdering unarmed suspects on a massive scale as part of the anti-narcotics campaign launched in 2016.

The Philippine national police issued a statement saying the accusations were repeatedly proven to be false, and that the force “neither condones nor covers up abuses and other forms of wrongdoings in our ranks.”

The office of the police spokesperson said the aggressive campaign against illegal drugs will continue, noting a 64% fall in drug-related crimes in the past five years.

Remains of seven Filipinos killed under Duterte’s bloody war on drugs were exhumed on Friday for cremation after leases in public cemeteries north of the capital have expired.

Authorities have killed more than 6,100 suspected drug dealers and users since Duterte took office in June 2016. Rights group say the police summarily executed suspects, which the policy deny, saying they acted out of self-defense in sting operations.

Judges in The Hague said on Wednesday that prosecutors’ materials showed the anti-drug campaign “cannot be seen as a legitimate law enforcement operation”, but rather a systematic attack on civilians.

The Presidential palace and police did not respond to requests for comment on Saturday. The Philippine government on Thursday said it will not cooperate with the ICC’s probe, or allow any investigators into the country.

SpaceX’s 1st Tourists Returning After 3 Days In Orbit

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September 18, 2021