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Environmentalist Calls For Adequate Training On Dangers Of Plastic Pollution

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An environmentalist, Oladimeji Akinjobi, has called for adequate training and sensitisation of Nigerians on the dangers of plastic pollution to the environment.

He noted that concerted efforts and actions had become necessary in tackling climate change effects caused by plastic pollution.

He called for an end to plastic pollution in the country to preserve human lives and prevent climate change effects on the environment.

“Training people on recycling and sensitising Nigerians on the dangers of plastic pollution should be a continuous exercise.

“It is important to sensitise and enlighten people on recycling and recyclables. It is also important that people understand how to sort out their wastes for easy recycling.

“The major challenge people usually face that discourages them from recycling activities is evacuation of the plastic wastes,” he said.

Akinjobi said the company has all it takes to encourage recycling activities.

“We have trucks and vans to pick up plastic wastes.

“Earth wise, climate change has gotten on us. The planting season is already delayed because of this; we need to take action against plastic pollution.

“The earlier we take action, the better for us and the environment,” he said.

Mr Adebola Makanjuola, another environmentalist, said curbing plastic pollution would save lives from micro-plastics pollution.

“We should stop plastic pollution and indiscriminate littering of plastic wastes in our oceans to preserve lives.

“When we stop plastic pollution we preserve wildlife and our own life in return.

“We should consider the health benefits of eradicating plastic pollution before considering the monetary benefits and incentives,” he said.

Makanjuola described the world as an ocean community being covered by 70 per cent of water.

“If 70 per cent of the earth body is under attack owing to plastic pollution, then we cannot be right,” he said.

Nigerian Conservation Foundation To Raise $40,000 To Plant 250,000 Trees In Schools

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The Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF) plans to raise $40,000 to plant 250,000 trees in the country that will spread across 250 public schools to improve the quality of children’s health.

The Head Communications, NCF, Oladapo Soneye, who disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday, September 14, 2021 in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital said that it would also help improve the air children breathe.

He said that NCF would partner with Global Giving, a globally accredited crowdfunding platform to raise the $40,000 to plant 250,000 trees in public schools across Nigeria within the next year.

He said that the funds would be received and managed by Global Giving, adding that the crowdfunding acceleration exercise would run online from Sept. 13 to Sept. 30.

He further said that the platform was open to the general public for their donations toward this good cause.

“In keeping to its mandate of building a society where people prosper while living in harmony with nature, NCF will improve the quality of air in public schools by planting trees.

“Most schools’ environments in Nigeria are bare and void of trees and this has led to hot and polluted environment, making school children be more restless, prone to ill-health and generally low performance in their studies.

“The donations will be considered people’s contribution to building a better and healthier society, especially for our children,” said the statement.

Trees play important roles in maintaining a virile and sustainable environment, apart from beautifying the environment it helps to clean the air.

In recent times, NCF has been visiting schools across the nation to plant trees, create gardens and teach the teachers and pupils on upcycling activities.

NCF has consistently implemented programmes that help restore and conserve the environment, support community livelihood, protect species; and provide environmental education for teeming students and youths across the country for over four decades.

UNIBEN VC Shuts down School Over Students’ Protest

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Vice Chancellor of the University of Benin (UNIBEN), Prof. Lilian Salami has announced the immediate closure of the University, following the protest that rocked the institution on Tuesday.

Students of the institution blocked the ever-busy Benin-Lagos Expressway and the Ekheuan Road yesterday over a N20,000 late registration fee imposed by the school authority.

The Protesters described this decision as unpleasant particularly amidst the “unfavourable economic situation’’ in the country.

In a statement issued by the Registrar of the institution, Ademola Bobola, The Vice Chancellor ordered all students to vacate their hostels and the University premises not later than noon on Wednesday.

“The Vice-Chancellor has reviewed the agitation by a section of the students’ body on Tuesday.

“After due consultation and in the overall interest of the general students’ body, the Vice Chancellor has, on behalf of Senate, approved the closure of the University with immediate effect.

“This is based on security reports to avoid the students’ action being hijacked by hoodlums; and thereby prevent any form of breakdown of law and order within and outside the campuses of the University,’’ She said.

Today in History – Sept. 15 – 1928 – Scottish Bacteriologist Alexander Fleming Discovers Penicillin

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1616 First non-aristocratic, free public school in Europe is opened in Frascati, Italy

1821 Act of Independence of Central America: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras & Nicaragua declare their independence from the Spanish Empire

1835 HMS Beagle with Charles Darwin on board reaches the Galapagos Islands

1916 first use of tanks in warfare, “Little Willies” at Battle of Flers-Courcelette, part of the Battle of the Somme

1928 Scottish bacteriologist Alexander Fleming discovers penicillin while studying influenza

1940 Battle of Britain Day: climax of the Battle of Britain, tide begins to turn as the Royal Air Force repulses a major Luftwaffe attack, losing 29 aircraft to the Germans’ 57-61

1992 George Soros’ Quantum Fund begins selling large amounts of pound sterling, labelled “the man who broke the Bank of England” when pound crashes out of the ERM next day

Today in Film & TV
1949 “Lone Ranger” premieres on ABC-TV. Hi-yo, Silver! Away!

Today in Music
2005 “Be Without You” single released by Mary J. Blige (Billboard Song of the Year 2006, Grammy Award Best R&B Song, Best Female R&B Vocal Performance 2005)

Today in Sport
1960 Maurice Richard announces his retirement. He finishes his career with 544 goals, an NHL record at the time.

Do you know this fact about today? Did You Know?
The John Bull becomes the oldest operable steam locomotive in the world when the Smithsonian Institution operates it under its own power outside Washington, D.C.

Would You Believe?
Google.com is registered as a domain name On this day in 1997

Demba Ba Describes Football Career As Wonderful Journey, Retires At 36

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Former Chelsea, Newcastle And West Ham Striker Demba Ba Has Retired From Professional Football Aged 36.

Ba, A Former Senegal International Won The Europa League With Chelsea In 2013 And Twice Won The Turkish Title, First With Besiktas In 2016-17 And Then Istanbul Basaksehir In 2019-20.

He Was Without A Club After Walking Out On Swiss Side Lugano In August.

He Wrote On His Twitter Handle:” What A Wonderful Journey It Has Been. Football Has Given Me So Many Beautiful Emotions.”

Ba First Moved To England In January 2011 With West Ham From Hoffenheim, Having Scored 40 Goals In 103 Appearances For The German Club.

In Between Stints Playing In Turkey, He Also Played In China.

Minister Decries CBN’s Non- Support Of Mines And Solid Mineral Sector

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Minister Of State For Mines And Steel Development, Dr Uche Ogah, Has Decried The Absence Of Support From The Central Bank Of Nigeria For The Development Of Mines And Solid Mineral Sector.

The Minister Made His Views Known At A Two-day Public Hearing Organised By The Senate Committee On Solid Minerals, Mines, Steel Development And Metallurgy.

The Public Hearing Was Designed To Get Inputs Of Stakeholders On The Preparations Of Four Bills And For An Investigative Motion For The Solid Minerals Sector.

Ogah, Who Called For Support In All Areas For The Development Of The Sector, Said There Was A Need To Support Research For Growth Of The Sector.

Lagos Signs MoU With Energy Firms For Increased Power Supply

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The Lagos State Government has signed a Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) with energy firms, Ikeja Electric and Sahara Power, to increase power supply to residents.

The deal which was signed on behalf of the state government by the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources would see power supply increase from 8 hours to 12 hours daily for residents of the state.

Mr Olalere Odusote, the Lagos State Commissioner of Energy and Mineral Resources, who signed on behalf of the state government said that the aim of the agreement was to increase power supply to an uninterrupted level of at least 22 hours daily.

Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority To Tackle Shortage Of Safety Inspectors

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The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) says it has taken steps to tackle the shortage of safety and airworthiness inspectors to meet the growing demand for air transport in the country.

The Director General, NCAA, Capt. Musa Nuhu, confirmed the development during an interactive session with the League of Aviation and Airports Correspondents (LAAC) on Tuesday in Lagos, Nigeria’s South-West.

Nuhu said the authority was in talks with the Ministry of Aviation and it had received approval to see how it could improve the Conditions of Service of its technical staff.

He noted that the move would also be subjected to approval of the appropriate government agency with a view to attracting and retaining its core technical personnel.

The director general said the NCAA was unable to compete financially with other operators on retaining some of the young vibrant safety personnel.

“Our surveillance programme has increased that it has put a lot of eyes on us, the workload has significantly increased and this might get worse as time goes.

“This is also putting a lot of stress on us and issues of professional personnel are one of the biggest challenges we have in NCAA.

“We need to train our staff, retrain them but its a bit of a difficult scenario.

“Like flight inspectors, these are airline pilots and no one is going to leave his airline to earn 20 or 30 per cent of his/her salaries.

“At the end of the day what happens? We get pilots that are retired and I think we need to have a mixture of young inspectors and retired inspectors.

“We want to have the right mixture, but it is very difficult for us to attract the young guys because we cannot compete with what the industry is paying.

“And also, the issue of air worthiness inspectors, we have inspectors that come to work for us for like eight years they get all the training, they get all the experience and the next thing they tell you bye-bye.

“Somebody is doubling, tripling and quadrupling their salary so it is a very difficult situation we find ourselves in,” he said.

The director general noted that the growth had brought about better connectivity, especially with most state government’s building airport infrastructure.

Nuhu noted that connectivity in the country had improved significantly and it was going to get much better as people can almost travel from any part of the country to another.

“I can travel from Asaba to Kano from Port Harcourt to Kano, also to Sokoto, Bauchi, Gombe, it is really amazing.”

He said many state governments were also building airports all over the place.

“So, with that, it has increased the span of activities and responsibilities of the NCAA as the regulator of the industry.

Missouri Cave With 1, 000 Years Native American Artwork Auctioned

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A Missouri cave containing Native American artwork from more than 1,000 years ago was sold at auction Tuesday, disappointing leaders of the Osage Nation who hoped to buy the land to “protect and preserve our most sacred site.”

A bidder agreed to pay $2.2 million to private owners for what’s known as “Picture Cave,” along with the 43 hilly acres that surround it near the town of Warrenton, about 60 miles (97 kilometers) west of St. Louis.

Bryan Laughlin, director of Selkirk Auctioneers & Appraisers, the St. Louis-based firm handling the auction, said the winning bidder declined to be named. A St. Louis family that’s owned the land since 1953 has mainly used it for hunting.

The cave was the site of sacred rituals and burying of the dead. It also has more than 290 prehistoric glyphs, or hieroglyphic symbols used to represent sounds or meanings, “making it the largest collection of indigenous people’s polychrome paintings in Missouri,” according to the auction website.

That’s exactly why Carol Diaz-Granados opposed the sale. She and her husband, James Duncan, spent 20 years researching the cave and wrote a book about it. Duncan is a scholar in Osage oral history, and Diaz-Granados is a research associate in the anthropology department at Washington University in St. Louis.

“Auctioning off a sacred American Indian site truly sends the wrong message,” Diaz-Granados said. “It’s like auctioning off the Sistine Chapel.”

The Osage Nation, in a statement, called the sale “truly heartbreaking.”

“Our ancestors lived in this area for 1300 years,” the statement read. “This was our land. We have hundreds of thousands of our ancestors buried throughout Missouri and Illinois, including Picture Cave.”

The cave features drawings of people, animals, birds and mythical creatures. Diaz-Granados said various means were used to create the art.

Charred botanical material was used to draw. For one depiction of a mythical being, the artist created a white figure by scraping off the brown sandstone.

Diaz-Granados said the intricate details set the Missouri cave apart from other sites with ancient drawings.

“You get stick figures in other rock art sites, or maybe one little feather on the top of the head, or a figure holding a weapon,” she said. “But in Picture Cave you get actual clothing details, headdress details, feathers, weapons. It’s truly amazing.”

Years ago, analytical chemists from Texas A&M used pigment samples to determine the drawings were at least 1,000 years old.

The cave has other history, too, Laughlin said. European explorers visited in the 1700s and wrote the ship captain’s name and names of some crew members on the walls. It’s also the year-round home to endangered Indiana gray bats.

Laughlin said there are plenty of reasons to believe the cave will remain both protected and respected. For one, he said, Selkirk vetted potential buyers.

Then there’s the law.

Missouri Revised Statute 194.410 states that any person or entity that “knowingly disturbs, destroys, vandalizes, or damages a marked or unmarked human burial site commits a class D felony.” The statute also makes it a felony to profit from cultural items obtained from the site.

Finally, there’s the location.

“You can’t take a vehicle and just drive up to the cave. You have to actually trek through the woods to higher ground and go through a 3-foot-by-3-foot opening that’s secured by the Missouri Historical Society with steel bars,” Laughlin said.

Diaz-Granados is holding out hope that the new owner will donate it to the Osage Nation.

“That’s their cave,” she said. “That’s their sacred shrine, and it should go back to them.”

Fitch Ratings Upgrades Lagos State For Debt Sustainability And Resilience

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Fitch Ratings, an Internationally renowned rating agency, has upgraded Lagos State ratings from AA+ (nga) to AAA(nga) for its good standing in terms of its debt sustainability and resilience.

A statement titled ‘Fitch upgrades Lagos ratings to AAA, attests to its good standing and resilience’, said while communicating the development to the Commissioner for Finance, Dr Rabiu Olowo, Fitch Ratings said the feat was published in the Y2020/2021 rating report.

It stated that the upgrade of the national long-term rating reflected Lagos State’s strength compared with national peers as well as its resilient operating performance during the pandemic.

The congratulatory message signed by the Senior Director, Head Sub-Saharan Africa, Mr Andrew Parkinson, said, “I just wanted to say congratulations on the upgrade to AAA (nga).

“This is a fantastic achievement and an endorsement of all the good work going on in your department.”