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NIWE advocates partnership to address Nigeria’s water challenges
File Photo The Nigerian Institution of Water Engineers (NIWE) has sought for effective partnership between all levels of government and relevant stakeholders to resolve Nigeria’s water challenges especially in the rural areas. Chairman of NIWE, Abuja chapter, Engr Douglas Oloton stated this in Abuja yesterday at a talent hunt organised by the chapter to commemorate the 2021 World Water Day (WWD), with the theme, “Valuing Water”. He noted that population explosion, climate change, high demand on industry and agriculture is threatening the limited water resources, saying that water makes up 60 percent of human body and its fundamental for human, social and economic development. Oloton quoted the United Nations as saying that WWD raises awareness of the 2.2 billion people living without acces...
Lagos governor: We are ready to domesticate AfCFTA agreement
Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, says the state is ready to domesticate the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement. Sanwo-Olu said this on Tuesday when he received the Minister for Industry, Trade and Investment, Mr Niyi Adebayo, on a courtesy visit at the Lagos House, Ikeja. The minister led members of the National Action Committee on nationwide sensitisation on African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which the nation entered into to deepen economic integration among African countries. He said that Lagos had observed the processes leading to the adoption of the continental trade agreement and positioned itself for market expansion across areas of collaboration. The governor said the state was ready to take advantage of the AfCFTA for growth, as a local ac...
Senate considers bill to unbundle NIPOST
The Senate has commenced moves to unbundle the Nigerian Postal Service with the consideration of a bill to repeal and re-enact the Nigerian Postal Service Act 2004. The bill which scaled second reading on Tuesday was sponsored by Senator Oluremi Tinubu (APC, Lagos Central). Leading the debate on the general principles of the bill, Tinubu said the piece of legislation seeks a reform of the Postal Industry and to make Comprehensive Provisions for the Development and Regulation of Postal Services in Nigeria. According to the lawmaker, the Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST) which dates as far back as 1852, evolved from an exigency of the colonial administration to a Collection Office of the United Kingdom and eventually, to the NIPOST. She recalled that as at 1st of October, 1960, when Nigeria g...
2023: INEC reassures on continuous voters registration
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it plans to resume Continuous Voters Registration (CVR) across the country in the second quarter of 2021. Mrs Wunmi Balogun, INEC Head of ICT, Ibadan, said this at the training of electoral officers and assistants electoral officers on access to Polling Units (PUs) in Ibadan on Monday. Balogun added that the commission would be using INEC Voters Enrolment Devices for the CVR instead of the Direct Data Capturing Machine. Mr Mutiu Agboke, the state INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) said the training was to address the challenges being faced by voters on access to polling units during elections. Newsmen report that the workshop was specifically held for INEC’s head of departments, electoral officers and assistants electoral of...
NPA suspends export receipts at Lagos ports
The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) on Monday announced the suspension of export receipts at Lagos ports for two weeks. The NPA Spokesperson, Ibrahim Nasiru, said in a statement that the suspension was part of efforts to improve access to, and service delivery at Apapa and Tin Can Island Ports. “The authority hereby announces a 14-day suspension of export receipts at both ports and all satellite truck parks, with effect from March 22. “This development is necessitated by the need for consultations with export cargo stakeholders and the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) on the harmonisation of procedures required of owners of this category of cargo. “Stakeholders should please note that this suspension does not affect export refrigerated cargo and trucks whose operators have secured c...
UN official highlights values of water in fighting coronavirus pandemic
Water has many values that are just not priced, Sasha Koo-Oshima, the Deputy Director, Land and Water Division, UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), told Xinhua ahead of the World Water Day on March 29. The official highlighted that with the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, a large part of the world population still lacks access to handwashing facilities at home. “This is the first line of defence against this virus and the value of water is very evident in this progression. “The first thing we realised is handwashing. Many countries just don’t have clean water to even just wash hands,” she said. The UN on Monday warned that more than two billion people do not have direct access to water, the “blue gold” which is essential in defeating the pandemic. In its World Water Development Re...
Lucas Moura: Tottenham squad united behind Jose Mourinho
Lucas Moura has insisted that the whole Tottenham squad are united behind under-fire boss Jose Mourinho amid the club’s turbulent 2020-21 campaign. Mourinho’s position in the Spurs dugout has been called into question in the wake of a nightmare week which saw the team follow up a north London derby defeat to Arsenal by exiting the Europa League in shocking fashion at the hands of Dinamo Zagreb. Spurs were thrashed 3-0 in the second leg of that last-16 tie in Croatia, but responded by beating Aston Villa 2-0 in the Premier League on Sunday, with Moura issuing a rallying cry in his post-match interview. “It’s been a very bad week for us, the feeling was very bad,” the Spurs winger told the Evening Standard : “Last night, we showed our nature, we showed attitude. “The good thing about footbal...
Polls open in Congo as main opposition party boycotts election
Polls have opened in the Republic of Congo’s presidential election that is boycotted by the main opposition party and attacked by critics as tilted toward veteran leader Denis Sassou Nguesso. Voting centres opened at 07:00 (06:00 GMT) and will close at 17:00 (16:00 GMT). More than 2.5 million voters have registered to take part in the election which Nguesso, 77, is widely expected to win against six contenders. The list of contenders is led by economist and 2016 presidential runner-up Guy-Brice Parfait Kolelas, who was hospitalised on Saturday. Kolelas’ campaign did not say what illness had struck the 60-year-old but a family member told the Associated Press he had been diagnosed with coronavirus. Nguesso, a former paratrooper, first rose to power in 1979 and has since accumulated 36 years...
2023: Why South South should produce next president – Edo deputy governor, speaker
Deputy Governor of Edo state, Comrade Philip Shaibu, and Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Hon Marcus Onabun, Saturday said the South-South geo-political zone is ripe to produce the next president of Nigeria and while calling on the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to zone its presidential candidate slot to the region. The two spoke at an event to celebrate the emergence of Chief Dan Orbih as the South-South national Vice Chairman of the party held at the Benin residence of late Chairman, Board of Trustees (BoT) of the party, Chief Tony Anenih. Shaibu said, “We voted for President Buhari again and he had a second term. South-South must produce the next President of Nigeria. “Chief Dan Orbih being National Vice Chairman South-South of the PDP from our state is not by m...
Coronavirus: CBN doubles loan disbursement to N300 billion – bank governor
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) says it plans to double the Targeted Credit Facility (TCF) from the initial N149.21 billion to N300 billion following the resounding success recorded in the disbursement of the Covid-19 loans to the applicants. In his keynote address at the 2nd virtual seminar for Finance Correspondents and Editors at the weekend, the Governor said the Bank took the decision in order to accommodate many more beneficiaries as well as boost consumer expenditure which would positively stimulate the economy. He disclosed that the CBN initially created a N150 billion Targeted Credit Facility (TCF) for affected households and small and medium enterprises through the NIRSAL Microfinance Bank, adding that already, N149.21 billion has been disbursed to 316,869 beneficiaries. “Given...
NSF: 8,000 athletes, others to undergo coronavirus protocols – minister
Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Sunday Dare, says the 20th National Sports Festival in Edo will go ahead as planned from April 2 to April 14 under strict COVID-19 protocols. Dare also said that the reduced 8,000 athletes and officials for the Games would go through all the necessary COVID-19 protocols. The minister’s Special Adviser (Media), John Joshua-Akanji, quoted him as giving the assurance on Friday in Benin after a facility tour of the venue and meeting with Gov. Godwin Obaseki of Edo. Dare said the camp for the festival would open on April 2 while the official opening of the Games would be done by President Muhammadu Buhari on April 6. He said that said that the ministry was working with relevant health stakeholders to ensure that the COVID-19 safety protocols were observ...
Rumble in Edo as governor runs government without cabinet
Precisely 129 days into his second tenure as governor of Edo State after his election on September 20, 2020 and inauguration on November 12, 2020, Godwin Obaseki, has not formed his cabinet. This has generated some flaks from different quarters, including the opposition party, All Progressives Congress (APC), constitutional lawyers, political analysts, public commentators, residents among others. While others feel that Obaseki has not committed any crime or breached any law, others believe that he is running a one-man administration and must go ahead to form his cabinet. They argued that going by Section 192 of the 1999 Constitution, the governor is obliged to form a cabinet, saying this is a circumvention, which the state House of Assembly should take action on. Obaseki had said that his ...