10 Additional Bethel Baptist Students Regains Freedom

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September 18, 2021

Ten additional students abducted by bandits from the Bethel Baptist Secondary School in Kaduna State have been released.

The students regained their freedom on Saturday, after spending about 75 days in the custody of their abductors.

The students were kidnapped on July 5, 2021 when a group of armed men invaded the school in Chikun Local Government Area of the State.

A senior official of the school told news correspondents that the students were released after an undisclosed amount of money was paid to the bandits.

He explained that following their release, the students were reunited with their parents and taken to the hospital for treatment.

Fire: Forest Service Wraps Over 600 buildings and Structures With Aluminium Sheets

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Angel Gimalo

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September 18, 2021

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Aluminum wraps designed to protect homes from flames are getting attention as wildfires burn in California.

During a fire near Lake Tahoe, some wrapped houses survived while nearby homes were destroyed.

The material resembles tin foil from the kitchen drawer but is modeled after the tent-like shelters that wildland firefighters use as a last resort to protect themselves when trapped by flames.

Diky, who lives most of the time in the San Francisco Bay Area, bought $6,000 worth of wrapping from Firezat Inc. in San Diego, enough to cover his 1,400-square-foot (130-square-meter) second home on the edge of the small California community of Meyers.

“It’s pretty expensive, and you’d feel stupid if they stopped the fire before it got close,” he said. “But I’m really glad we did it. It was pretty nerve-wracking when the flames came down the slope.”

The flexible aluminum sheets that Diky affixed to his $700,000 home are not widely used because they are pricey and difficult to install, though they have saved some properties, including historic cabins managed by the U.S. government.

Fire crews even wrapped the base of the world’s largest tree this week to protect it from wildfires burning near a famous grove of gigantic old-growth sequoias in California’s Sequoia National Park.

The colossal General Sherman Tree, some of the other sequoias in the Giant Forest, a museum and some other buildings also were wrapped amid the possibility of intense flames.

It comes after another aluminum-wrapped home near Lake Tahoe survived the Caldor Fire, about 20 miles (32 kilometers) west of Diky’s home, while neighboring houses were destroyed.

The wrapping deflects heat away from buildings, helping prevent flammable materials from combusting. It also keeps airborne embers — a major contributor to spreading wildfires — from slipping through vents and other openings in a home.

With a fiberglass backing and acrylic adhesive, the wraps can withstand heat of up to 1,022 degrees Fahrenheit (550 Celsius).

Until about a decade ago, most wildfire damage was blamed on homes catching fire as flames burned nearby vegetation.

Recent studies suggest a bigger role is structure-to-structure fires that spread in a domino effect because of tremendous heat that causes manufactured materials to burst into flames.

The company where Diky bought his wraps gets about 95% of its sales from the U.S. Forest Service and National Park Service.

Firezat Inc. founding president Dan Hirning estimates the Forest Service has wrapped 600 to 700 buildings, bridges, communication towers and other structures in national forests this year alone.

Refurbished Building For Vermont Aviation Museum And Flying School Showcased At Event

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Angel Gimalo

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September 18, 2021

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An open house and fly-in event was held at the Caledonia County Airport in Lyndon on Saturday to showcase a refurberished building that will become the Vermont Aviation Museum and Flying School.The Experimental Aviation Association Chapter 1576 of Lyndonville held event from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.Local pilots and airplanes was there as well as visiting planes from other airports.Free ice cream was given to anyone who attended the Pudding Hill School and former members Civil Air patrol Squadron 44004.

Lagos Housing Units: Erring Contractors’ Deals Will Be Terminated – Governor

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Angel Gimalo

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September 18, 2021

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Contractors engaged by Lagos State Government to handle the construction of 1,188-unit LagosHOMS in Sangotedo area of Eti Osa now have a final completion date to deliver the project.After defaulting previous deadlines, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu mandated the contractors to finish up the 744 flats being developed in Scheme 1 of the housing project by the end of next month (October).The Governor, on Friday, handed down the new deadline when he inspected the housing project to assess the pace of construction work.The project, sited on 16.9 hectares, took off in 2012. It was revived by the Sanwo-Olu administration.The first scheme of the project has 62 blocks of 12 flats each, while the second scheme has 32 blocks of 444 flats.Sanwo-Olu, who was accompanied on the inspection by members of the State’s cabinet had a one-on-one engagement with the contractors during which he expressed his displeasure over the slow work on the project.The Governor issued a stern warning to those culpable in defaulting the deadlines, saying he would no longer tolerate tardiness in the work.Erring contractors, the Governor threatened, would have their deals terminated should there be no progress in the next seven days.He said: “We have come on an inspection of this massive construction site that is divided into two phases. The level of work on Phase One is over 90 percent, but this is not the same in the second phase.In the next six weeks, we will be handing over the 744 units in Phase 1 of the project and all contractors working on it must complete their work.“I commend all contractors that have worked tirelessly to push through; I understand this has been a very difficult project. We have been working night and day, trying to deliver the project. We want to be fair to every contractor and we appreciate those who have shown real resilience and commitment.

Emergency Agency Distributes Inputs To Farmers Affected By Niger Flood Disaster

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Angel Gimalo

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September 18, 2021

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National Emergency Management Agency ( NEMA) is distributing farm inputs to 32,557 farmers affected by the 2020 flood disaster in Niger.

NEMA’s Director-General, Alhaji Mustapha Ahmed, who launched the distribution of the inputs to the beneficiaries in Minna , stated that the agency decided to launch the distribution in Niger state because it was among the worst hit by the 2020 flood disaster.

“You will recall that during the 2020 flood disaster , NEMA staff were deployed to the field, including communities affected by flood and other secondary hazards in Niger, to undertake a damage and loss assessment.”

Ahmed said that 32,557 farmers were verified and were slated to benefit from the Federal Government’s Agricultural Inputs Intervention for the state.

He listed the items to be distributed to include: Herbicides (81,390 litres ), pesticides (48,834 litres), Growth Enhancer (68, 944 litres), rice 12.5 kg (16 ,278 bags), maize 10kg (16, 278 bags).

Others were water pump-2, 252 units, Sprayers – 8 , 139 units , NPK fertiliser – 50 kg, 22,450 bags and Cowpea-10 kg, 16,278 bags.

He stated that in addition to the enumerated inputs, six trucks conveying 5,007 bags of 50 kg NPK 20-10-10 fertiliser would be added as the balance earmarked for the state.

The NEMA chief executive lauded the doggedness and unflinching commitment of President Muhammadu Buhari, for prioritising support to small scale farmers.

Ahmed said the unprecedented Green Revolution by the Buhari-led administration had spread to all nooks and crannies of the country, such that Nigerians had reduced their consumption of imported foods.

In his remarks, Gov. Abubakar Sani-Bello commended the president’ s gesture to the state’s farmers.

Bello, who was represented by his Deputy, Alhaji Ahmed Ketso, said the state government would set up a committee to monitor the beneficiaries, to ensure judicious utilisation of the inputs.

Earlier , the Director-General, State Emergency Management Agency ( NSEMA), Alhaji Ahmed Inga, commended the Federal Government’s intervention to address food security and complement the state government’s efforts.

Today in History – Sept. 18 – Great Fire Of Moscow Burns Out After 5 Days

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Angel Gimalo

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September 18, 2021

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1811 British East India Company force led by Baron Minto conquers Java, part of the Dutch East Indies, Stamford Raffles appointed lieutenant governor

1812 Great Fire of Moscow burns out after 5 days, 75% of the city destroyed and 12,000 killed

1873 Government bond agent Jay Cooke & Co collapses, causing panic on Wall St, the start of the panic of 1873 and the Long depression

1914 Irish Home Rule bill receives Royal assent

1931 To create a pretext for the invasion of Manchuria, China, a railway explosion is faked by the Japanese

1947 The Central Intelligence Agency officially comes into existence after being established by President Truman in July

1976 Mao Zedong’s funeral takes place in Beijing

Today in Film & TV
1951 “A Streetcar Named Desire”, directed by Elia Kazan and based on Tennessee Williams’ 1947 play of the same name, starring Marlon Brando and Vivien Leigh, is released

Today in Music
1809 Royal Opera House in London opens

Today in Sport
1965 Mickey Mantle Day at Yankee Stadium: Mantle play his 2,000th game

Do you know this fact about today? Did You Know?
US President George Washington lays the cornerstone of the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C.

Would you believe this fact about today? Would You Believe?
Government of Uttar Pradesh, India, confirms 2.3 million people applied for 238 menial office jobs

Nigerian Cement Company Signs Dual-Fuel Power Plant Deal With Finland Company

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Angel Gimalo

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September 18, 2021

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BUA has signed an agreement with Wartsila OY of Finland for the construction of a 70megawatts dual-fuel power plant for the BUA Cement Sokoto Line 4 in Sokoto state, North-West Nigeria.This announcement comes as BUA recently revealed that it was looking to boost its production capacity in Nigeria over the next 3 years with new plants in the works. In addition, this will be the second plant to be constructed by Wartsila for BUA Cement – the first being the BUA Cement sokoto power plant scheduled to be commissioned alongside the plant in November 2021.Speaking at the signing ceremony, Abdul Samad Rabiu, Chairman of BUA Cement Plc who signed on behalf of the cement producer said BUA Cement will continue to invest strategically in the West African Cement industry to enable it to bridge the huge infrastructure and housing deficit.According to Rabiu: “BUA Cement is happy and pleased with the progress that Wartsila made with the construction of the power plant we initially purchased for our BUA Cement Sokoto Line 3 which we expect will begin commissioning by November alongside the power plant.We believe Wartsila will bring the same level of efficiency, technical expertise and professionalism to bear in ensuring that this new power plant for the 3million Mtpa BUA Cement Sokoto Line 4 will be completed on schedule by the end of next year as we look towards bringing BUA’s total capacity in its sokoto plant to 8 million metric tonnes by early 2023 and 17million metric tonnes across all its plants by the same time.””On his part, Mark Thiriet, Energy Business Director at Wartsila West Africa said Wartsila was proud to partner with BUA Group on this BUA Cement Sokoto Line 4 project.He said that Wartsila will bring its technical expertise and globally recognized technology to bear in bringing the project to completion.””BUA Cement Plc is Nigeria’s second largest cement company and the largest producer in its North-West, South-South, and South-East regions.BUA Cement operates strategically from Okpella, Edo State and Kalambaina, Sokoto State with its headquarters in Lagos, Nigeria.””Currently the second most capitalized manufacturing company on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), BUA Cement is committed to quality – a differentiating attribute, driven by its people, innovation, and technology; and positioned to solving West Africa’s cement undercapacity while driving economic growth and development.”

Sexual abuse scandal overshadows start of Women’s Afrobasket finals

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Henry Williams

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September 18, 2021

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Africa’s women’s basketballers take to the court for the start of the continental championships on Saturday under the shadow of one of the continent’s biggest sexual abuse scandals.

Earlier this week, a report commissioned by basketball’s governing body Fiba detailed widespread and long-standing abuse in the women’s game in Mali, particularly among teenagers.

The report cleared Fiba’s own president, Malian Hamane Niang, of neglecting the abuse while he led the Malian basketball federation (FMBB) between 1999 and 2007.

Mali are one of 12 teams taking part in the Women’s Afrobasketexternal-link tournament in Cameroon where only the finalists will be in contention to reach next year’s World Cup.

Mali’s female players – who have suffered ‘decades’ of abuse – have finally been heard but getting to this point has been far from easy.

US moves towards sanctions over Ethiopia conflict

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Henry Williams

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September 18, 2021

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US President Joe Biden has signed an executive order to allow targeted sanctions to be imposed against individuals and groups perpetrating violence and impeding humanitarian aid in Ethiopia.

No individuals or entities were named.

But it is the strongest warning yet from the US government against those committing rights abuses or blocking aid in Ethiopia.

President Biden also called on all parties to the conflict in the northern Tigray region to negotiate.

“There’s no military solution to the crisis,” he said in a statement, adding that the US was pressing for a ceasefire.

The US imposed sanctions against the Chief of Staff of the Eritrean Defence Forces last month, for his involvement in the Tigray conflict.

Kenya’s CBC education reform: How scarecrows are terrifying parents

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Henry Williams

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September 18, 2021

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Unhappy Kenyan parents have been taking to social media to highlight challenges that they are facing as they assist their children with their homework.

With the rollout of the Competency Based Curriculum (CBC) hitting children aged 10 and 11, some say they have found themselves forced to learn how to make scarecrows and fashion clocks and even wheelbarrows out of cardboard.

Some of the complaints, using the hashtag #CBCMustFall, have been tongue-in-cheek, with amusing tweets with photos showing their questionable workmanship.