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Lagos State Govt. Destroys Six Animals Infected With Anthrax Disease

By
Olasunbo Okoromi
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The Lagos State Government says it has confiscated, burnt and buried six animals infected with Anthrax disease, to prevent its spread.

The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, Mrs Olatokunbo Emokpae made this known in a statement on Sunday.

Mrs Emokpae said; “the cases were discovered during surveillance of animals on Lagos Island and Agege.”

Emokpae said that “no case of human infection had either been identified or reported since the discovery of Anthrax disease in Lagos.”

She said human and animal surveillance activities had been stepped up.

According to her, “free vaccination activities and monitoring have been intensified.”

Mrs Emokpae said; “Animal owners should take advantage of the exercise by coming forward with their herd for inoculation.

‘“Please report cases of symptoms in animals to the Lagos State Ministry of Agriculture Director of Veterinary Services via telephone on 08023427594, 08180703010 or contact the Veterinary Epidemiologist on 08023328244.”

Human Trafficking: Stakeholders Advocate Collaboration, Framework To Dismantle Trafficking Network

By
Olasunbo Okoromi
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The International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA), Ogun State Chapter, on Sunday emphasised the need to combat trafficking in persons by addressing its root causes and tackling the systemic factors that allow it to flourish.

Mrs Taiwo Olusesi, Chairperson, FIDA Ogun Chapter, said this in  a statement to commemorate the 2023 World Day Against Trafficking in Persons with theme: “Reach Every Victim of Trafficking, Leave no One Behind”.

World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, which holds on July 30 every year was first observed in 2014. It was enacted to educate people and nations on the scourge of human trafficking, the plight of victims and their relations, the need to protect and preserve the rights of such victims, and ultimately, the urgent interventions required to put an and to incidents of human trafficking.

Olusesi stated that addressing trafficking in person required collaboration, cooperation, and a multi-faceted approach involving governments, law enforcement agencies, civil society organisations, and individuals.

She noted that the annual event was a solemn occasion that brought to remembrance the grave injustices perpetrated against fellow human beings.

She said the day called for reflection, action, and a united commitment to eradicate this heinous crime from the world.

The FIDA Ogun Chairperson, acknowledging the presence of human trafficking within close communities, said it was the duty of each individual to expose it, to confront it head-on, and to bring those responsible to justice.

She stated “We `Leave People Behind’ when we fail to play our part in putting an end to exploitation, refuse to support victim-survivors and their affected families, and leave individuals and groups vulnerable to traffickers and trafficking. We must recognise that human trafficking is not an isolated issue.”

Olusesi said education and awareness were powerful weapons in the battle against human trafficking.

She said that by educating ourselves and others, we empower communities to recognise the signs of human trafficking, to protect the vulnerable, and to report suspicious activities.

On this World Day Against Human Trafficking, let us reaffirm our commitment to justice, equality, and the inherent worth of every human being,” she said

Over 23,000 Nasarawa Residents Test Positive To Hepatitis

By
Olasunbo Okoromi
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The Nasarawa State Government has said that no fewer than 23,224 residents of the state have tested positive to the viral Hepatitis B and C.

The Permanent Secretary of the State Ministry of Health, Dr. Janet Angbazo, made the disclosure during a Press briefing held in commemoration of the 2023 World Hepatitis Day tagged “We are not waiting, one life, and one liver”, in Lafia on Monday.

She explained that a total of 229,682 individuals were screened but out of the figure, 23,224 residents tested positive for the disease. Adding that some of the infected persons were presently taking treatments in government hospitals across the 13 Local Government Areas of the state.

She said, “The World Hepatitis Day, is a day set aside by the World Health Organization to recognize viral Hepatitis as a global Public Health Challenge. It is commemorated every year to increase the visibility of the disease and attract more resources for the battle against it, as well as to bring succor to the people affected by the viral Hepatitis.

The Permanent Secretary further appealed to the general public to make themselves available for the testing of HBV and HCV in government hospitals across the 13 LGAs of the state, and avoid the use of unsterilized sharp objects, sharing of needles/syringes, and the transfusion of unscreened blood/blood products.

N1trn Saved Since Subsidy Removal — Tinubu

By
Rhoda Onuzulike
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President Bola Tinubu, on Monday, said the Federal Government had saved over one trillion Naira since the removal of fuel subsidy.

Tinubu said this in his nationwide broadcast on current economic challenges in the country, adding that the money will now be channeled into intervention programmes targeting families nationwide.

Tinubu’s words: “In a little over two months, we have saved over a trillion Naira that would have been squandered on the unproductive fuel subsidy, which only benefitted smugglers and fraudsters.

“I plead with you to please have faith in our ability to deliver and in our concern for your well-being.

“All of our good and helpful plans are in the works. More importantly, I know that they will work.”

While acknowledging the hardship occasioned by an unavoidable lag in palliative measures these past 62 days, he urged Nigerians to “look beyond the present temporary pains and aim at the larger picture.”

President Tinubu also said that the economic defects he is fighting to correct were benefitting only the rich, which was why fuel subsidy had to go and other fiscal policies were being implemented.

Tinubu said: “I had promised to reform the economy for the long-term good by fighting the major imbalances that had plagued our economy.

“Ending the subsidy and the preferential exchange rate system were key to this fight. This fight is to define the fate and future of our nation. Much is in the balance.

“Thus, the defects in our economy immensely profited a tiny elite, the elite of the elite you might call them.

“As we moved to fight the flaws in the economy, the people who grow rich from them, predictably, will fight back through every means necessary.

We’ve Earmarked N75bn, N125bn for Manufacturing Sector, MSMEs- Tinubu

By
Rhoda Onuzulike
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President Bola Tinubu has said that the Federal Government will spend N75 billion to expand the manufacturing sector in order to create jobs for Nigerians.

The president said the fund will be spent from July 2023 to March 2024 as a mechanism to finance no fewer than 75 enterprises to begin sustainable economic growth in Nigeria.

He also disclosed that about N125 billion has been set aside to fund the micro, small and medium-sized enterprises as well as the informal sector, acknowledging their importance to economic growth.

Tinubu made these known during a nationwide broadcast on Monday evening.

“To strengthen the manufacturing sector, increase its capacity to expand and create good-paying jobs, we are going to spend N75 billion between July 2023 and March 2024,” Tinubu said.

“Our objective is to fund 75 enterprises with great potential to kick-start sustainable economic growth, accelerate structural transformation and improve productivity.

“Each of the 75 manufacturing enterprises will be able to access N1 Billion credit at 9% per annum with a maximum of 60 months repayment for long-term loans and 12 months for working capital.”

Speaking on SMEs, the president said, “Our administration recognises the importance of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises and the informal sector as drivers of growth. We are going to energise this very important sector with N125 billion.”

He further promised to give N50,000 each to 1,300 owners of nano businesses in all local government areas in the country, as N50 billion will be utilised for that project.

“Out of the sum, we will spend N50 billion on Conditional Grant to 1 million nano businesses between now and March 2024. Our target is to give N50,000 each to 1,300 nano business owners in each of the 774 local governments across the country,” he said.

“Ultimately, this programme will further drive financial inclusion by onboarding beneficiaries into the formal banking system. In like manner, we will fund 100,000 MSMEs and start-ups with N75 billion. Under this scheme, each enterprise promoter will be able to get between N500,000 to N1 million at 9% interest per annum and a repayment period of 36 months,” he added.

Full TEXT: National Broadcast By Pres. Bola Tinubu To Nigerians

By
Rhoda Onuzulike
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0

My fellow citizens,
I want to talk to you about our economy. It is important that you understand the reasons for the policy measures I have taken to combat the serious economic challenges this nation has long faced.

  1. I am not going to talk in difficult terms by dwelling on economic jargon and concepts. I will speak in plain, clear language so that you know where I stand. More importantly, so that you see and hopefully will share my vision regarding the journey to a better, more productive economy for our beloved country.
  2. For several years, I have consistently maintained the position that the fuel subsidy had to go. This once beneficial measure had outlived its usefulness. The subsidy cost us trillions of Naira yearly. Such a vast sum of money would have been better spent on public transportation, healthcare, schools, housing and even national security. Instead, it was being funnelled into the deep pockets and lavish bank accounts of a select group of individuals.
  3. This group had amassed so much wealth and power that they became a serious threat to the fairness of our economy and the integrity of our democratic governance. To be blunt, Nigeria could never become the society it was intended to be as long as such small, powerful yet unelected groups hold enormous influence over our political economy and the institutions that govern it.
  4. The whims of the few should never hold dominant sway over the hopes and aspirations of the many. If we are to be a democracy, the people and not the power of money must be sovereign.
  5. The preceding administration saw this looming danger as well. Indeed, it made no provision in the 2023 Appropriations for subsidy after June this year. Removal of this once helpful device that had transformed into a millstone around the country’s neck had become inevitable.
  6. Also, the multiple exchange rate system that had been established became nothing but a highway of currency speculation. It diverted money that should have been used to create jobs, build factories and businesses for millions of people. Our national wealth was doled on favourable terms to a handful of people who have been made filthy rich simply by moving money from one hand to another. This too was extremely unfair.
  7. It also compounded the threat that the illicit and mass accumulation of money posed to the future of our democratic system and its economy.
  8. I had promised to reform the economy for the long-term good by fighting the major imbalances that had plagued our economy. Ending the subsidy and the preferential exchange rate system were key to this fight. This fight is to define the fate and future of our nation. Much is in the balance.
  9. Thus, the defects in our economy immensely profited a tiny elite, the elite of the elite you might call them. As we moved to fight the flaws in the economy, the people who grow rich from them, predictably, will fight back through every means necessary.
  10. Our economy is going through a tough patch and you are being hurt by it. The cost of fuel has gone up. Food and other prices have followed it. Households and businesses struggle. Things seem anxious and uncertain. I understand the hardship you face. I wish there were other ways. But there is not. If there were, I would have taken that route as I came here to help not hurt the people and nation that I love.
  11. What I can offer in the immediate is to reduce the burden our current economic situation has imposed on all of us, most especially on businesses, the working class and the most vulnerable among us.
  12. Already, the Federal Government is working closely with states and local governments to implement interventions that will cushion the pains of our people across socio-economic brackets.
  13. Earlier this month, I signed four (4) Executive Orders in keeping with my electoral promise to address unfriendly fiscal policies and multiple taxes that are stifling the business environment. These Executive Orders on suspension and deferred commencement of some taxes will provide the necessary buffers and headroom to businesses in manufacturing sector to continue to thrive and expand.
  14. To strengthen the manufacturing sector, increase its capacity to expand and create good paying jobs, we are going to spend N75 billion between July 2023 and March 2024. Our objective is to fund 75 enterprises with great potential to kick-start a sustainable economic growth, accelerate structural transformation and improve productivity. Each of the 75 manufacturing enterprises will be able to access N1billion credit at 9% per annum with maximum of 60 months repayment for long term loans and 12 months for working capital.
  15. Our administration recognises the importance of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises and the informal sector as drivers of growth. We are going to energise this very important sector with N125 billion.
  16. Out of the sum, we will spend N50 billion on Conditional Grant to 1 million nano businesses between now and March 2024. Our target is to give N50,000 each to 1,300 nano business owners in each of the 774 local governments across the country.
  17. Ultimately, this programme will further drive financial inclusion by onboarding beneficiaries into the formal banking system. In like manner, we will fund 100,000 MSMEs and start-ups with N75 billion. Under this scheme, each enterprise promoter will be able to get between N500,000 to N1million at 9% interest per annum and a repayment period of 36 months.
  18. To further ensure that prices of food items remain affordable, we have had a multi-stakeholder engagement with various farmers’ associations and operators within the agricultural value chain.
  19. In the short and immediate terms, we will ensure staple foods are available and affordable. To this end, I have ordered release of 200,000 Metric Tonnes of grains from strategic reserves to households across the 36 states and FCT to moderate prices. We are also providing 225,000 metric tonnes of fertilizer, seedlings and other inputs to farmers who are committed to our food security agenda.
  20. Our plan to support cultivation of 500,000 hectares of farmland and all-year-round farming practice remains on course. To be specific, N200 billion out of the N500 billion approved by the National Assembly will be disbursed as follows:

-Our administration will invest N50 billion each to cultivate 150,000 hectares of rice and maize.
-N50 billion each will also be earmarked to cultivate 100,000 hectares of wheat and cassava.

  1. This expansive agricultural programme will be implemented targeting small-holder farmers and leveraging large-scale private sector players in the agric business with strong performance record.
  2. In this regard, the expertise of Development Finance Institutions, commercial banks and microfinance banks will be tapped into to develop a viable and an appropriate transaction structure for all stakeholders.
  3. Fellow Nigerians, I made a solemn pledge to work for you. How to improve your welfare and living condition is of paramount importance to me and it’s the only thing that keeps me up day and night.
  4. It is in the light of this that I approved Infrastructure Support Fund for the States. This new Infrastructure Fund will enable States to intervene and invest in critical areas and bring relief to many of the pain points as well as revamp our decaying healthcare and educational Infrastructure.
  5. The fund will also bring improvements to rural access roads to ease evacuation of farm produce to markets. With the fund, our states will become more competitive and on a stronger financial footing to deliver economic prosperity to Nigerians.
  6. Part of our programme is to roll out buses across the states and local governments for mass transit at a much more affordable rate. We have made provision to invest N100 billion between now and March 2024 to acquire 3000 units of 20-seater CNG-fuelled buses.
  7. These buses will be shared to major transportation companies in the states, using the intensity of travel per capital. Participating transport companies will be able to access credit under this facility at 9% per annum with 60 months repayment period.
  8. In the same vein, we are also working in collaboration with the Labour unions to introduce a new national minimum wage for workers. I want to tell our workers this: your salary review is coming.
  9. Once we agree on the new minimum wage and general upward review, we will make budget provision for it for immediate implementation.
  10. I want to use this opportunity to salute many private employers in the Organised Private Sector who have already implemented general salary review for employees.
  11. Fellow Nigerians, this period may be hard on us and there is no doubt about it that it is tough on us. But I urge you all to look beyond the present temporary pains and aim at the larger picture. All of our good and helpful plans are in the works. More importantly, I know that they will work.
  12. Sadly, there was an unavoidable lag between subsidy removal and these plans coming fully on line. However, we are swiftly closing the time gap. I plead with you to please have faith in our ability to deliver and in our concern for your well-being.
  13. We will get out of this turbulence. And, due to the measures we have taken, Nigeria will be better equipped and able to take advantage of the future that awaits her.
  14. In a little over two months, we have saved over a trillion Naira that would have been squandered on the unproductive fuel subsidy which only benefitted smugglers and fraudsters. That money will now be used more directly and more beneficially for you and your families.
  15. For example, we shall fulfill our promise to make education more affordable to all and provide loans to higher education students who may need them. No Nigerian student will have to abandon his or her education because of lack of money.
  16. Our commitment is to promote the greatest good for the greatest number of our people. On this principle, we shall never falter.
  17. We are also monitoring the effects of the exchange rate and inflation on gasoline prices. If and when necessary, we will intervene.
  18. I assure you my fellow country men and women that we are exiting the darkness to enter a new and glorious dawn.
  19. Now, I must get back to work in order to make this vision come true.
  20. Thank you all for listening and may God bless Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Palliatives: NLC, TUC Currently Meeting With FG

By
Rhoda Onuzulike
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0

The Presidential Steering Committee on Palliatives is currently meeting representatives of the Organised Labour comprising the Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The meeting is coming barely 48 hours to the planned nationwide protest by the labour unions.

They will consider presentations from FG’s subcommittees on Mass Transit, Compressed Natural Gas and Cash Transfers to cushion the effect of the subsidy removal.

Recall that last Friday, the organised labour stormed out of a meeting with the federal government because there was no quorum.

Present at the meeting today are President of the NLC, Joe Ajaero; his counterpart from TUC, Festus Osifo; the General Secretary of NLC, Emma Ugbaja; TUC Secretary, Nuhu Toro and other members of the organised labour delegation including Prof. Sam Amadi.

On the FG’s side are the President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Labour and Employment, Kachollom Daju, the Group Chief Executive Officer of Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPCL, Mele Kyari, and the Special Adviser to the President on Energy, Olu Verheijen, among others.

8,000-Year-Old Dolphin Bones Discovered In Scotland Surburb

By
Angel Gimalo
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A man has discovered 8,000-year-old dolphin bones while digging in his back garden.

Paul McDonald, 44, was digging a swimming pool for his children when he struck a bone of the 10ft foot mammal with his digger.

The bottlenose dolphin is thought to have washed up on an ancient shoreline after the last Ice Age.

Archaeologists have described the prehistoric discovery in Causewayhead, Stirling, as “the find of a lifetime”.

The father-of-four said he recognised the dolphin’s skull by its long snout, rows of teeth and unmistakable shape.

The bones were preserved in clay, around 80cm below the current ground level, for what is thought to have been up to 8,000 years.

With them was a broken tool made from deer antler, which would have been used to carve the meat.

It is thought the dolphin was made into a meal by local hunter gatherers.

Mr McDonald, a medical rep in orthopaedics, who works with bones himself, said: “I was digging away in the swimming pool when I caught something unusual. I rolled it back and came down and pulled it out.

“I saw the roundness of the skull and then saw the snout and teeth and I knew right away it was a dolphin.

“I googled bottlenose and thought ‘wow’. Stuck in clay at that depth I knew it must be old. Now a tool has been found that tells us more about what was going on, it’s mind blowing.

“We bought the house six years ago and I’ve found a few interesting things, like old bottles and coins, but I’ve always wanted to find something like this.”

The skull has been removed by experts from the National Museums Scotland (NMS) so it can be analysed, while the rest of the skeleton will be fully excavated.

Stirling archaeologist Dr Murray Cook said the discovery could be the first of its kind in Scotland in over a century.

The last whale bones found near Stirling were in 1897 but there are no recent records of dolphin discoveries.

Dr Cook said: “It is the find of a lifetime. I don’t think one of these has ever been subject to modern excavation.

“After the Ice Age, following the retreat of the ice, this area was a vast inland sea teeming with life.

“Our earliest ancestors would have been walking the shoreline every day for food such as seaweed and shellfish and if a seal, a whale or a dolphin washed up it would be carved into almost immediately.

“The tool made from antler tine means that they were hacking into the dolphin and that’s tremendously exciting. The tip has broken off – we still hope to find it – and they’ve discarded it.”

Andrew Kitchener, principal curator of vertebrates at NMS, said: “I’ve been at the museum for 35 years and this is the first time something has emerged from the clay like this. It is a really interesting and important find.

“It seems like it’s a stranded animal that’s just sunk into the clay and been preserved all this time until Paul uncovered it, which is kind of a miracle really.”

Mr Kitchener said there was lots of analysis to be done, but after they get the bones radiocarbon dated, they can work out the age.

“It’s fairly small so possibly a female, and its teeth are fairly worn which suggests it’s an older animal.

“We’re only at the beginning. It’s just exciting to see it emerging from the clay.”

The bones in isolation are owned by Mr McDonald, but the antler tool could be declared Treasure Trove, which may mean he could win a reward as the finder.

He said: “I’m just happy to find it and make sure it’s looked after and people get to see it.”

Space Junk: India Confirms Object Found In Australia Is Theirs

By
Angel Gimalo
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0

India has confirmed that an object that washed up on a Western Australian beach recently was from one of its rockets.

The giant metal dome was found at Green Head beach, about 250km (155 miles) north of Perth, in mid-July – prompting speculation about its origins.

India’s space agency spokesman told the BBC on Monday it was from one of its Polar Satellite Launch Vehicles (PSLV).

Sudhir Kumar added that it would be up to Australia to decide what to do with the object. He did not comment further.

His comments came after the Australian Space Agency (ASA) on Wednesday said that the object was “most likely” the third stage of a PSLV, which are used by India to launch satellites into orbit.

Countries often plan for debris from their launches to land in oceans to prevent them damaging people and property.

Dr Alice Gorman, a space archaeologist and Associate Professor at Australia’s Flinders University, said that while there are often serial numbers on components, it was also possible to identify debris based on appearance.

The ASA said it was working with India’s space agency to “determine next steps, including considering obligations under the United Nations space treaties”.

According to the UN Office for Outer Space Affairs, countries are required to return any “foreign” space objects found in their territory to the owners.

Dr Gorman said that there were many reasons why a country would want debris back, such as mission analysis.

In this case, however, she said there would be no benefit in India retrieving the object.

The state’s premier, Roger Cook, suggested to local media that the object could be stored in the state museum alongside debris from Nasa’s Skylab station, which was discovered in 1979.

Locals said they might be interested in turning it into a local tourist attraction, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).

Dr Gorman said another option would be to put in a park, adding: “Things that have been in space have this kind of aura and to touch something that has been in space would be a bit special.”

The object is currently in storage with the ASA. It is still not clear which mission it was used in, nor how long it had been in the water before washing up at Green Head.

Experts estimated that it would have been at least a few months. The debris was covered with barnacles.

There were initially concerns about potentially dangerous toxins leaking from the object if it was found to be part of a rocket.

However, the authorities later determined it was not a risk to the public.

The ASA has asked that any members of the public who finds further suspected debris should get in contact with them.

It is not the first time that space junk has landed in Australia. Last year, a chunk from one of Elon Musk’s Space X missions was found in a paddock in the state of New South Wales.

British P.M. Sunak Defends Granting New North Sea Oil And Gas Licences

By
Angel Gimalo
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0

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak defended the decision to grant 100 new North Sea oil and gas licences.

The UK government has also said it will support a carbon capture project in the north east of Scotland.

Campaigners said that extracting more fossil fuels from the North Sea would “send a wrecking ball through the UK’s climate commitments”.

But Sunak said granting the new licences was “entirely consistent” with net zero commitments.

It comes as the party faces internal divisions over its green policies – such as the review over low-traffic neighbourhoods in England – with some MPs calling for a rethink.

It is one of four carbon capture projects which will share up to £20bn of funding.

Sunak said the announcement would support thousands of jobs across the UK.

He said granting the new oil and gas licences was “the right thing to do”.

He said: “Even when we reach net zero in 2050, a quarter of our energy needs will still come from oil and gas and domestic gas production has about a quarter or a third of the carbon footprint of imported gas.”

The prime minister also said it made “absolutely no sense” to import energy supplies with “two to three times the carbon footprint of what we have got at home”.

He said increasing home-grown sources of energy would improve the UK’s resilience, create jobs and generate tax revenue to fund public services.

Sunak said the government was determined to transition to net zero in a “proportionate and pragmatic” way.

And he also defended his plans to fly to Scotland as “an efficient use of time for the person running the country” and highlighted investment in new technologies, such as sustainable aviation fuel.

The prime minister said: “If your approach to climate change is to say that no one should go on holiday, no one should go on a plane, I think you are completely and utterly wrong.”

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