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Govt Should Leverage On Mining And Geo-Sciences Society For National Devt – Prof Olatunji

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The president of the Nigerian Mining and Geo-Sciences Society, FNMGS, Lagos Chapter, Prof. Akinade Shadrach Olatunji, FNMGS said the government should leverage on Mining And Geo-Sciences Society to aid National Development in Nigeria at the 252nd council meeting of the association which was themed: imperative of geoscience and mining sectors to national development and held at the White House, Joel Ogunalike Street, GRA , Ikeja, Lagos.

The President of the Association, who welcomed pressmen, highlighted the major objectives of the association and how it aids national development of the country.

He said  the Geosciences and Mining sectors professionals are the ones who explore for minerals, exploit and process same in environmentally sustainable manners in the country.

He said the NMGS aids National development in various way through the mineral sector, water sector, Environmental Sector, Construction & Built Sector, Oil and Gas Sector and Geo-tourism Sector.

Read Also: It’s Unconstitutional for States to Regulate Mining- Federal Govt.

Raising concerns about collapsing buildings in the country, the Prof. Olatunji said ” nothing is stopping the states of the federation from creating their own geological department or mineral experts but can only be done by harnessing the expertise within their states”.

He advised every states to set up their own engineering geological agencies within their states.

The president further emphasized that the use of bitumen (Asphalt) to build roads is a wrong practice and cannot sustain the roads for a long period of time.

Speaking on the water sector, he said the need to harness water resources is very important adding that an omnibus water bill that will not take the rights of people and concentrate power at the center but all inclusive and people centered is necessary.

Addressing the issues of artisans in the mining sector, Prof. Olatunji commended the Federal government for refocusing attention on formalizing the artisans in the sector to groups that can be coordinated and assisted in their operations to follow best global mining practices.

Serena Williams Signs Two-Book Deal, Starts With Open-Hearted Memoir

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Having stepped back from the Sport she dominated like few others, Serena Williams is ready to reflect.

The tennis great has a two-book deal with the random house publishing group, starting with an “intimate” memoir in which she will open up about everything from her childhood and early tennis training, dramatized in the 2021 film “King Richard,” to her extraordinary career and the obstacles and setbacks she endured along the way. The book is not yet titled and does not have a release date.

Read More: FIFA Museum Presents New Exhibition- Designing The Beautiful Game

The second book, also untitled, will be an “inspirational” work, according to Random House, which announced that “Williams will offer rules for living that draw on her experiences as a philanthropist and advocate, her career as an investment unicorn, and someone who has long sought to lift a diverse and emergent generation of young women whose aspirations are not confined to the court.”

In a press release from Random House, in her new memoir Williams will share her thoughts on “overcoming scrutiny and attacks in a predominantly white and male-dominated sport, navigating devastating losses on and off the court, falling in love with tech entrepreneur alexis ohanian, being a devoted mother to her daughters, olympia and adira, amongst others.

Her previous books include a memoir from 2009, “on the line,” and a picture story, “the adventures of Qai Qai,” released last year.

FIFA Museum Presents New Exhibition- Designing The Beautiful Game

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A new exhibition has opened at the FIFA museum in Zurich where fans can see a range of “holy relics” showcasing 150 years of design in football.

The “designing the beautiful game” exhibition premiered last year at london’s design museum and was the first major exhibition focusing on the design aspects of the sport.

Now a collaboration with the FIFA museum means the exhibition has been augmented by artefacts owned by world football’s governing body; such as the tactical notes used by argentina coach Lionel Scaloni in winning the 2022 world cup final and the ball used in the 1986 world cup final.

Read More: Date Set For David Oluwale Memorial Sculpture Unveiling

Last week Liverpool and Wales Legend Ian Rush visited the exhibition and donated a pair of Nike Tiempo boots as well as the shirt he wore when scoring two goals in 1986’s FA cup final win, which secured the only league and cup double for “the reds”.

The show takes visitors through three main sections: performance, identity and crowds, displaying objects, photos, films, and sound clips, which highlight design’s crucial role in football development across stadium architecture, kit design, matchday programme graphics and fan banners.

The special exhibition will be hosted at the FIFA museum until February 25th next year before touring to two further destinations which have yet to be revealed.

Date Set For David Oluwale Memorial Sculpture Unveiling

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A sculpture honouring a British-Nigerian man who drowned in 1969 after being chased by police is to be unveiled in Leeds.

Previous tributes to David Oluwale, who died in the River Aire in Leeds, have been either stolen or vandalised.

Artist Yinka Shonibare’s new statue would be a “platform to fight for social justice”, the David Oluwale Memorial Association (DOMA) said.

Read More: Seaside Theatre’s £8m Upgrade Approved

They said CCTV cameras would be installed to help protect the artwork.

The 9.5m (31ft) sculpture is to be installed on Meadow Lane, near the former Tetley Brewery site.

Dr Emily Zobel Marshall, co-chair of DOMA, said she was “so excited” for the memorial, named ‘Hibiscus Rising’, to be unveiled on 25 November.

“It’s going to be absolutely awe inspiring. It’s very bold and it’s beautiful,” she said.

She hoped the sculpture would inspire people to “look at the issues around racism, homelessness, and mental health that exist in our society today”.

“There isn’t really a bold piece of public art in our city that reflects the diversity of our people and of our cultures,” said Dr Marshall.

“So finally we’ll have something here which really speaks to Leeds as a place which is courageous in its decisions.

“But also that it’s wanting to sort of celebrate that richness of culture, and acknowledge the horrors, the tragedies of what’s happened in our city and to ensure that doesn’t happen again.”

She said there had been an outpouring of support after the commemorative plaque on Leeds Bridge was stolen last year.

Gregory Palmer, 60, of St Peters Court, Bramley, was sentenced on Monday for damaging and destroying the blue plaque on two separate occasions.

At Leeds Magistrates’ Court he was ordered to do 120 hours unpaid community work.

Seaside Theatre’s £8m Upgrade Approved

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A £8m upgrade of a seaside theatre has been approved.

A Southend-on-Sea city councillor said the improvements to Cliffs Pavilion would secure its reputation as an “important tourist attraction”.

Work will include the expansion of its restaurant, a new entrance, lobby, outdoor plaza and improvements to the bar, toilets, and lifts.

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The theatre will remain open during the work, as there are no plans to change the auditorium or backstage area.

In July Willmott Dixon was announced as the contractor.

Labour councillor, Martin Berry, said: “I like it and can’t imagine anybody is going to object to any aspect of it.”

Carole Mulroney, Liberal Democrat councillor, said: “It’s important not only for the region but the city itself that we have a premier theatre that people want to go to on a regular basis.”

Conservative councillor Steve Buckley said it would “secure the reputation of the Cliffs Pavilion as an important tourist attraction”.

Funds for the project will come from Trafalgar Entertainment, which operates the council-owned building, and £5.5m in central government funding.

The theatre’s foundations and some of the framework were first built in the 1930s but work was halted by World War Two and it did not open until 1964.

The main auditorium today seats 1,630 people.

Andy Warhol Museum Announces $45 Million Expansion Proposal

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The Andy Warhol Museum has proposed a $45 million expansion plan that would increase the institution’s footprint by more than 60%, according to news reports.

The expansion is part of the museum’s “Pop District” initiative, which, according to their website includes a “multi-block public art initiative, a youth-focused, creative economy workforce program, flagship live event & performance venue.”

The Pop District initiative was announced in 2022, as a $60 million project that will transform the area surrounding the museum into a cultural hub that draws on Warhol’s legacy for inspiration. The expansion is planned to roll out over ten years and will absorb six blocks around the museum.

The multimillion-dollar proposal will convert the museum’s existing 58,000 square foot parking lot into a new building with a concert venue with standing room for 1,000 on the first floor, a mezzanine, office spaces, and a 360-person events space on the fourth floor.

When the initiative was first announced the museum said its goal was “to generate $1 million in annual income for workers with the program” and boost the local economy. In a statement the museum’s director, Patrick Moore, said “We now have the plan and resources to follow suit as an agent of change for Pittsburgh.”

Of the current plans, Rick Armstrong, a spokesperson for the museum, told news outlets that construction could begin as early as the Spring of 2024, however the project is still in the planning and development stages, so timelines are “still flexible.”

British Museum To Fully Digitize Collection After Inside Job Thefts

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British Museum has announced plans to digitize its entire collection in order to increase security and public access, as well as ward off calls for the repatriation of items.

The project will require 2.4 million records to upload or upgrade and is estimated to take five years to complete. The museum’s announcement on October 18 came after the news 2,000 items had been stolen from the institution by a former staff member, identified in news reports as former curator Peter Higgs. About 350 have been recovered so far, and last month the museum launched a public appeal for assistance.

“Following the discovery that objects have been stolen from the collection, we have taken steps to improve security and are now confident that a theft of this kind can never happen again,” interim director Mark Jones said in a press statement. “It is my belief that the single most important response to the thefts is to increase access, because the better a collection is known – and the more it is used – the sooner any absences are noticed.”

The museum also announced plans for “enhanced access” to its study rooms, where members of the public and researchers can see items from its collection by appointment. As a result of the thefts, the British Museum has changed its rules regarding access to its “strongrooms”, with nobody allowed to go into one on their own any more.

On the same day the British Museum announced its digitization initiative, Jones and board chairman George Osborne gave oral evidence to the UK Parliament’s Culture, Media and Sport Committee. Their comments included an explanation of how the thefts occurred, policy changes made as a result, and how the museum will handle whistleblower complaints going forward.

They also gave more details about the British Museum’s strategy for digitizing its collection, estimated at a cost of £10 million ($12.1 million). “We are not asking the taxpayer or the Government for the money; we hope to raise it privately,” Osborne said.

NSSEC Boss Pleads for Inclusion of 2% Consolidated Revenue Fund In 2024 Budget

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The National Senior Secondary Education Commission, (NSSEC) has appealed for the inclusion of the NSSEC Gazette Act 23, (2% consolidated revenue fund) in the 2024 Budget to enable access to the funds required for the repositioning of Senior Secondary Education in Nigeria.

The Executive Secretary of NSSEC,
Dr Iyela Ajayi,made the appeal during his working visit to the Chairman, Senate Committee on Basic and Secondary Education, Senator Lawal Adamu Usman and the Chairman Committee on Education (Basic and Services) Hon.Mark Useini,in Abuja.

According to a statement issued to newsmen by the Head of Press and Protocol, Fatima Bappare,the Executive Secretary congratulated the lawmakers on their well-deserved offices, while briefing them on the Commission’s mandate.

Dr.Ajayi highlighted some of the achievements of the Commission, noting that the Commission in  collaborating with the Federal Ministry of Education is working towards producing the final draft of the National Policy on Senior Secondary Education which will help to invigorate the sub sector.

NSSEC also revealed that the responsibility of setting Minimum Standard in the Senior Secondary Education rests on it’s shoulders, stressing that it has commenced the critique of the Minimum Standard document by different stakeholders which will be accepted by all after scrutiny.

The Commission further highlighted that the production of NSSEC National Strategic Plan which will be a road map to achieve its mandate of repositioning the Senior Secondary Education in Nigeria is at the level of conclusion.

While reiterating that there is need to carry out detailed needs assessment in schools in various states, updating the database of Senior Secondary schools and capacity development of teachers which has been grossly hindered, the commission made a compassionate appeal for adequate funding in line with budgetary allocation to enable it achieve its mandate of revitalizing the Senior Secondary Education to meet global standard.

Local Content Development will Drive Economic Growth – Wabote

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African nations seeking to achieve economic prosperity must develop local capabilities to process, utilise, and export their resources as a means of powering their growth and development, the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board, Simbi Wabote said on Tuesday.

Wabote made the submission in his presentation at the ongoing 2023 Africa Energy Week in Cape Town, South Africa.

He regretted that most African nations lacked requisite local capacities in key areas of the oil and gas industry such as Engineering, Procurement, Construction and Fabrication, Installation, Commissioning, and Operation, and that resulted in the loss of job creation opportunities, revenues, skills acquisition, and other aspects of national development.

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“A further negative impact is that those broad categories take a significant proportion of the oil and gas industry expenditure, hence it is expedient for oil-producing nations to develop local capabilities that would ensure that those financial outlays are retained in-country,” he said.

Advising on the strategy for enhancing local content capacity in African nations,Wabote stated that one important plan is to make local content a national agenda and back it with the appropriate legislation or legal framework in their respective jurisdictions.

He noted that “periodic gap analyses are essential to determine gaps that need to be closed and the progress being made in the target areas of interest.

He insisted that local content is not ‘copy and paste’, hence local peculiarities must be factored into programmes aimed at enhancing local capabilities.”

Kippa Shuts Down Offline Payment Product

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Nigeria’s fintech firm, Kippa, has announced its decision to discontinue its offline payment solution, KippaPay.

This payment solution allows users to send and receive payments from customers and conduct extended payment transactions.

As a consequence of discontinuing this product, the company will be letting go of the team responsible for its development, the payment firm said in a statement on Wednesday.

While the exact number of staff to be laid off was not disclosed, Kippa did confirm that the core members of the KippaPay team would be leaving by December.

The Founder and CEO of Kippa, Kennedy Ekezie, expressed the difficulty of this decision, acknowledging the remarkable efforts of the team.

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He indicated that the closure of the product was driven by concerns related to profitability.

Ekezie declared, “Today, we announce that we’re pulling back our offline payments product, KippaPay from the market. Over the past 18 months, we launched and grew this arm of our product suite to support merchants with offline payments and agency banking through our POS terminals.

“This company decision is related to profitable product portfolio consolidation. This decision unfortunately means that the core of our team supporting the KippaPay product will be leaving us in December 2023.

“This has been an incredibly difficult decision for us to make, but we are incredibly proud of the work this team has done, and the impact KippaPay has had on our merchants.

“Starting November 15th, our KippaPay product will no longer be available for use by merchants. In the weeks leading up to this, we will provide support for our merchants and partners helping them transition off the product and resolve any pending settlements,” he concluded.