The Northwest zonal leader of People’s Democratic Party (PDP) National Youth Vanguard, Hon. Ibrahim Ahmadu, has called for the immediate suspension of former governor of Niger state, Dr. Muazu Babangida Aliyu from the party over alleged anti-party activities.
Addressing reporters in Kaduna on Monday, the PDP youth leader said Dr. Babangida Aliyu betrayed the party in 2015 when he worked against the election of former President Goodluck Jonathan in the interest of the opposition party.
Ahmadu added that it is time for the Board of Trustees and National Working Committee of the party to act to stop the former governor from doing more harm to the party both at the state and national levels.
He explained that the recent rancour between Dr. Babangida Aliyu and the Rivers state Governor Nyesom Wike is a diversionary plan by the former governor and his supporters to turn the party’s leadership focus off the real issue on ground.
“I can confidently inform the loyal members of our party that Dr. Aliyu betrayed us and worked for the ruling APC during the 2015 general elections. We as the youths therefore urge the party BoT to suspend the former governor in order to bring trust and respect back to the party,” he said.
Singer and songwriter Matthew West has released a new parody song called “Modest is Hottest,” a song about fathers and their daughters.
“As a dad raising daughters, “This song is a light-hearted take on an age-old struggle. This song is my ridiculous way of reminding them that their appearance doesn’t define them,” he said in a Tweet. “While the world might focus on the outward appearance, the Lord looks at the heart. Regardless, they are beautiful inside and out (even in turtlenecks!),” he added, echoing the passage in 1 Samuel 16:7.
The singer shared that the song conveys his message for his children.
The Nigeria government has announced the establishment of two additional universities of technology in Jigawa and Akwa Ibom, while also upgrading and equipping four others.
The Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Sonny Echono disclosed this to Journalists in Abuja on Monday.
Adamu said that a National Institute of Technology (NIT) would be established in Abuja to serve essentially as a postgraduate centre devoted to research and innovation.
He said this will draw the best graduates from the six universities of technology as well as other exceptional graduates from reputable universities within and outside Nigeria.
Recall that at the inception of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, he promised to establish an apex National Institute of Technology (NIT) in Abuja with six Satellite Universities of Technology, one in each geo-political zone of the country.
After a comprehensive review of the policy by key stakeholders in the education sector, it was resolved that the four existing Universities of Technology located in Yola (North East), Akure (South West), Owerri (South East) and Minna (North Central) be upgraded and equipped.
Meanwhile two additional Universities of Technology to be located in Jigawa and Akwa Ibom State, will be established for the purpose.
Similarly, a National Institute of Technology (NIT) shall be established in Abuja. The institute shall be patterned after similar institutions in Singapore and Malaysia.
He said this is to serve essentially as a postgraduate centre devoted to research and innovation, drawing the best graduates from the six Universities of Technology as well as other exceptional graduates from reputable universities within and outside Nigeria.
Adamu said that the president had also approved the phased development programme, compelled by the country’s lean resources.
He said that the two new Universities of Technology would be established in 2021, while the upgrade of the existing four Universities of Technology and the National Institute of Technology would come up in 2022.
Adamu added that with the recent establishment of the only Federal Government-owned University of Health Sciences, Otukpo in Benue State and the huge gap in doctor-patient ratio as well as in medical research and production of pharmaceutical products, government recognised the compelling need to establish two other specialised universities in Health, Nutrition and Medical Sciences.
The universities will be located at Azare, Bauchi State and Ila Orangun, Osun State.
Adamu said that the president had also approved a take-off grant of N4 billion each for the Universities of Technology and N5 billion each for the Universities of Health Science from the funding Resources of Tetfund.
He said that the ministry would collaborate with the Federal Ministries of Health, Science and Technology, Communications and Digital Economy, the FCT Administration as well as other relevant agencies and Institutions to facilitate speedy actualisation of these projects.
An Oklahoma family has been reunited with their late mother’s Bible after a man found it on his front lawn.
Terry Ward, the man who found the Bible, had been mowing his front lawn last week when he noticed a Bible in his flower bed.
“It rained all night, so it must have just been there for a little while because it wasn’t wet,” Ward told NBC affiliate KFOR-TV. “Just laying there with some screws and some bullets.”
Ward immediately thought about getting the Bible back to its rightful owner after he noticed that it had the name Pearl Williams in it and was dated 1946.
“Who is Pearl Williams, and where does she live?” he recalled asking himself. “I asked City Hall, and they had no record of her.”
Ward continued this effort by calling the Nicoma Park Police Department, who found the Del City address inside the Bible.
“So, I contacted the Del City Police Department, and they went by the address,” said Lt. Mike Weiss with the Nicoma Park Police Dept. “Luckily, the Bible’s owner – her son – still lived at that address.”
Lisa Bennett, Pearl’s daughter, told KFOR-TV that her family couldn’t believe that their late mother’s Bible made its way to their home.
“It was very emotional,” Bennett said. “We lost my mom in October. So that was hard enough, and now to find out that I have her Bible gives me part of her.”
She added that the Bible also included many precious memories that her late mother tucked inside.
“Her wedding announcement was in the Bible from where she and my dad got married,” Bennett explained. “She kept different things that were very important to her.”
“She was a big part of my life, so when I lost her, I lost a lot of her,” she continued. “Finding little bits and pieces and keeping little pieces of her helps me rebuild that little loss in my heart.”
Bennett also expressed gratitude to the man who found the Bible as well as the police for their investigative work.
“This is the kind of story that makes it nice to be a police officer,” Weiss said. “It makes it nice to be an investigator that you can find somebody’s family Bible and return it to them.”
Police have since conducted a further investigation to determine whether the Bible and other items were stolen from Pearl’s home after she died.
A U.S. baby born at 21 weeks and two days has set the Guinness World Record for being the most premature baby to survive in an amazing story that is being celebrated by the pro-life community.
Richard Scott William Hutchinson celebrated his first birthday this month, allowing Guinness to recognize him as the newest holder of a record set in 1987. Hutchinson was born at Children’s Minnesota hospital at a gestational age of 21 weeks, two days, making him 131 days premature, according to Guinness. The standard gestational period is 40 weeks.
Born four months premature, he weighed 11.9 ounces at birth.
The previous record was 21 weeks, five days, or 128 days premature, held by a Canadian baby, James Elgin Gill, born in 1987.
Hutchinson’s birthday was June 5. His parents are Rick and Beth Hutchinson of St. Croix County, Wis.
“We’re still surprised about it,” Beth told Guinness. “But we’re happy. It’s a way we can share his story to raise awareness about premature births.”
Stacy Kern, a neonatologist at Children’s Minnesota, said Richard was “given a 0 percent chance of survival by our neonatology team.”
Richard was called the “miracle baby” by staff.
“The first month they weren’t even sure he was going to make it,” Beth said. “It was really hard. You know in the back of your mind that his odds weren’t great.”
Richard’s survival is being celebrated by the pro-life community.
“Doctors gave him 0% chance of survival,” March for Life said in a tweet. “However, Richard is a fighter who just celebrated his 1st birthday. With proper care and support, premature babies can not only survive but thrive!”
The world’s top two cocoa producers Ivory Coast and Ghana on Monday threatened to name and shame top chocolate brands who they say are undermining a scheme aimed at paying cocoa farmers a living income.
The Neighbouring West African states, who account for over 60% of global output of cocoa, the main ingredient in chocolate, are locked in a protracted battle with chocolate makers over the price of their beans.
The countries introduced a $400 per tonne premium scheme known as the Living Income Differential (LID) at the start of a 2020/2021 season to enable them pay farmers a decent income.
But a drop in demand because of COVID-19 and an abundant harvest have left farmers with surplus beans.
A separate premium on beans from both countries paid by chocolate makers also made their cocoa expensive in a sluggish market, forcing cocoa buyers to demand discounts.
“While they are paying (the LID) on the right hand, they are taking the money from the left hand by not paying the country premium,” Joseph Boahen Aidoo, the chief executive of Ghana’s cocoa regulator COCOBOD, told journalists in Abidjan.
“Once the country differential is discounted by between 100 and 250 pounds sterling ($348.25), it means essentially the LID has been eroded,” Aidoo said on the sideline of a meeting where the countries launched an organisation to represent them.
He added that consumers buy brand chocolates and pay the premium price for chocolate which should go to the farmers.
“This amounts to robbing the consumers by collecting premium on bars of chocolate and then refusing to pay when buying cocoa beans,” he said. “Very soon the buyers may force us to name and shame all those who are not paying the country premium.”
He declined to name the chocolate makers.
Yves Brahima Kone, the head of Ivory Coast’s Cocoa and Coffee Council regulator, told journalists that some buyers in the sector had a short-term view.
“They want to make money today and do not think about tomorrow,” adding that while the chocolate makers are reluctant to pay the LID which could cost around $900 million globally, the industry was spending $5 billion on marketing.
FILE PHOTO: Chinese President Xi Jinping, right guides Congo Republic President Denis Sassou Nguesso to his seat during a signing ceremony held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, July 5, 2016. REUTERS/Ng Han Guan/Pool/File Photo
Chinese President Xi Jinping has agreed in principle to reschedule Congo Republic’s debt, Congolese Finance Minister Rigobert Roger Andely said on Monday, adding that the move would help unlock stalled International Monetary Fund lending.
The IMF approved a $449 million, three-year lending programme in 2019 on the condition that the Central African oil producer ensured the long-term sustainability of its debt.
Only $45 million has been disbursed to date, however, as the government has struggled to secure a restructuring of its debt to oil traders.
“The debt is an obstacle to the conclusion and the continuation of relations with the IMF within the framework of the extended facility which was concluded in July 2019. That’s the point that sometimes hurts our country,” said Andely.
Congo previously reached a deal with China in 2019 to restructure a portion of its debt. That arrangement required Congo to repay a third of its debt within three years, with the remainder benefiting from a 15-year extension of the repayment schedule.
President Denis Sassou Nguesso made the request for further rescheduling during a phone call on Monday with his Chinese counterpart, Andely said.
Andely said the Congolese president had told Xi that, in the two years since the restructuring was agreed, the debt had again become unsustainable due to the shock caused by the coronavirus pandemic. “President Xi Jinping approved this and thanked him for this proposition,”
The two presidents agreed to refer the issue to experts from both countries to set the terms and conditions, he added.
Andely said Congo’s debt to China stood at 1.3 trillion CFA francs ($2.4 billion), down from a 2019 government figure of 1.48 trillion CFA francs.
Congo also owes around $1.7 billion to Swiss energy traders Trafigura and Glencore.
It reached a deal with Trafigura, which restructured its loan in March, but has so far failed to reach a similar agreement with Glencore.
A conference of Yoruba elders, leaders and scholars who met at Babcock University, Ilishan-Remo, Ogun State, on Monday, have called for a decentralization of government.
They meeting was for the sixth Atanda lectures and conference on Yoruba culture and society.
The conference, which had in attendance prominent men and women who are Yoruba scholars and traditional rulers, was led by Professor of History, University of Texas, Austin, Toyin Falola, who submitted that decentralization of power would solve most of the problems facing the country, including insecurity.
The three-day conference had many national and international scholars on Yoruba and culture as speakers, including a foremost private art collector in Africa, Prince Yemisi Shyllon; Akinloye Ojo, the Director of African Studies Institute, University of Georgia, USA, and Professor Arinpe Adejumo of the University of Ibadan.
Speaking on the state of the nation, Falola said, “The Yoruba are angry, the Igbo are angry, so, how to minimise and reduce the anger is what we should find a solution to.
“At this time, the best advice one can give is decentralization and autonomy in various regions.
Professor of history, Olutayo Adeshina, in his submission advised the agitators for Yoruba nation to think things through.
“Those who are pushing for it, I will say let us take it easy and see it from broader perspectives because here, the structure of Nigeria is skewed; it is imbalanced and it is also not right. Yes, we have rights to agitate; I will say let us take it easy.
“If we agitate and try to secede, move away, what is the benefit of it? What is the cost of taking Yoruba out of Nigeria? Is it going to be done peacefully?
“You have to do this thing very clinically; you must get your parameters right; is it going to be peaceful? If it is going to be peaceful, Okay, if it is not going to be peaceful, what is the cost to us as a people and as a society? What is the cost on our infrastructure? A lot of things must be done carefully and well calibrated.”
The Screen Actors Guild Awards are returning to a two-hour format for its 2022 edition, which will air the last weekend in February.
The SAG Awards adopted a one-hour, completely virtual format for this year’s show, which saw “Trial of the Chicago 7” crowned the top film ensemble and television acting honors going to the casts of “The Crown” for drama and “Schitt’s Creek” for comedy.
The show’s Feb. 27 airdate originally belonged to the Oscars, which has pushed its 2022 ceremony back to March 27. The show, which honors the best performances in television and film, will air on TNT and TBS.
The SAG Awards are often a reliable Oscar harbinger, though this year “Nomadland” took home the best picture Academy Award. All SAG Awards film winners this year were actors of color, but that feat was not repeated at the Oscars.
The UN rights chief has called for concerted action to recover from the worst global deterioration of rights she had seen, highlighting the situation in China, Russia and Ethiopia among others.
“To recover from the most wide-reaching and severe cascade of human rights setbacks in our lifetimes, we need a life-changing vision, and concerted action,” Michelle Bachelet told the opening of the UN Human Rights Council’s 47th session.
The session, which lasts until 13 July and is being held virtually, is set to feature an eagerly anticipated report by Bachelet about systemic racism, and draft resolutions on Myanmar, Belarus and Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region.
In her opening address, Bachelet said she was deeply disturbed by reports of “serious violations” in Tigray, racked by war and with about 350,000 people threatened by famine.
She pointed to “extrajudicial executions, arbitrary arrests and detentions, sexual violence against children as well as adults,” and said she had “credible reports” that Eritrean soldiers were still operating in the region.
Other parts of Ethiopia, which held elections on Monday, were also seeing “alarming incidents of deadly ethnic and inter-communal violence and displacement”, Bachelet said.
“The ongoing deployment of military forces is not a durable solution,” she said, calling for national dialogue.
Bachelet also decried the situation in northern Mozambique, ravaged by recent deadly jihadist violence, where she said food insecurity was rising and “almost 800,000 people, including 364,000 children” had now been forced to flee their homes.
The UN rights chief also pointed to the “chilling impact” of a sweeping national security law introduced in Hong Kong.
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