Science
Cross River agency chief calls for legislation to back labour migration
The director-general, Cross River Migration Control Agency, Prince Michael Nku Abuo, has called for enactment of a legislation to back labour migration in order to engender national development. Abuo made the call at the Cross River State Migration Summit held in Calabar, the state capital on Saturday. The DG, who also represented the state governor, Prof. Ben Ayade, at the summit, pointed out that several solutions by both federal and state governments have been given to address the issue of unemployment in order to curb the challenge, but the way forward is to tackle the menace was through labour migration. According to him, Cross River Migration Control Agency was exploring and advancing for opportunities for citizens of the State who are at home and in the Diaspora under a work study p...
SpaceX launches its third astronaut crew, the first on a used Crew Dragon capsule
SpaceX launched its third crew of astronauts to the International Space Station early Friday morning, reusing a Crew Dragon space capsule to fly humans for the first time. The mission, dubbed Crew-2, is the latest flight under NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, and will add four more astronauts to the orbital space station. A used Falcon 9 rocket, last flown for SpaceX’s Crew-1 mission last year, lifted off at 5:49AM ET from Cape Canaveral, Florida carrying Endeavor, the same Crew Dragon capsule that first launched SpaceX’s debut astronaut mission nearly one year ago. For this flight, the Endeavor capsule carried four astronauts from three different countries — SpaceX’s most diverse NASA-managed crew yet. “Off the Earth, for the Earth, Endeavor is ready to go,” NASA astronaut Shane Kimbrough,...
Official: TETFund spends N120 billion on academic staff training since 2008
Academic Staff from public institutions across the country have so far accessed over N120 billion for training, within and outside Nigeria, from the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) since its inception in 2008. The Chairman, Board of Trustees of TETFund, Alhaji Kashim Imam, disclosed this on Wednesday when he led a delegation of the fund to the University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID) on an assessment visit. Imam said for 2021 alone, the fund was investing N25 billion on academic staff training and development. Imam said the team was in the university for a verification visit and to assess the impact of the training programmes, through interaction with management and beneficiaries. He noted that the fund had to suspend the sponsorship of academic staff attending international conferences, ...
Kano NLC suspends planned strike
The organised labour has suspended the three-day warning strike it planned to commence today (Thursday) in Kano over the deduction of workers salary for the month of March by the state government. The NLC Deputy National President, Najeem Yasin, announced the suspension of the strike on Wednesday night at a joint news conference with other labour movement and affiliates in Kano after a meeting with the State government team led by the Head of Civil Service, Hajia Binta Lawan Ahmed. The NLC had last week given a seven-day ultimatum to the state government to refund and stop what it described as “illegal deduction” from civil servant salaries or face industrial action. Similarly, the labour leaders insisted that failure of the government to stop the “unexplained” deduction before the end of ...
Ekiti governor’s wife calls on government to remove tax on sanitary pads
The wife of Ekiti State Governor, Mrs Bisi Fayemi, has called on government to remove taxation on sanitary pads and engage in its local production to make it less expensive. She said this on Thursday at the inauguration of project P4iGC3, Pad for Improved Girl Child Education, by Balm in Gilead Foundation For Sustainable Development, BIGIF in Ado-Ekiti. Mrs Fayemi explained that such government’s policy was needed to promote the girl-child upbringing and keep them in school. “In rural areas, women do not have access to sanitary products. It is safe to say that one in every three girls in the country cannot afford safe and hygienic sanitary pads for proper menstrual hygiene management” she said. She also called for the sensitisation of adolescent girl child on menstrual health management to...
Kogi criminalises hawking by children during school hours
Kogi Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Mr Wemi Jones, says it is now an offence in the state for a child of school age not to be in school or seen hawking during school hour. Jones stated this on Thursday in Lokoja, at a stakeholders’ sensitisation meeting on the newly enacted Kogi State Education Law. According to Jones, the new law is contained in Section 9 of the Kogi Education Law. ”If any child is seen hawking or doing anything during school hour, that child shall be apprehended by the Special Marshals that will be put in place. “The parent or guardian of such child (must) come to give reasons why the child is not in school, and we are very serious about this,” he said. Jones said that the proliferation of private schools has become a source of concern and worry to t...
Official: NASRDA to launch another satellite in June
IBTimes The National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA) says it is putting modalities in place to launch a Cubesat ‘Edusat-2’ within the first half of the year. The Acting Director-General of NASRDA, Dr Francis Chizea, said this at the ongoing Science and Technology Expo on Tuesday in Abuja, where the agency showcased its research works and achievements. The science expo is with the theme “Science, Technology and Innovation for Economic Recovery and Sustainability Amidst the COVID-19 Challenges” and is a platform to showcase innovation within agencies of government, private research institutions, the academia, among other participants. Chizea explained that EduSat-2 was a build-up on EduSat-1 which the agency built in collaboration with Federal University of Technology, Akure a...
NIRSAL partners NASENI to create 110,000 jobs in agric sector
The Nigeria Incentive-Based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL Plc) has entered into partnership with the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) with a view to creating over 110,000 jobs in the nation’s agricultural value chain. NIRSAL said in a statement in Abuja Friday that the move is in “continuation of its mandate of providing end-to-end solutions aimed at fixing breakages along the Agricultural Value Chains (AVC) in Nigeria”. According to the statement, NIRSAL has engaged NASENI as its technical collaborative partner for the conceptualization, design, development, deployment, implementation and execution of various schemes/projects under the NIRSAL-NASENI Comprehensive Tractor Recovery Scheme, the NIRSAL Climate-Smart Modular Geo-Coopera...
Women’s Day: Nigerian government urged to look deeper into Leah Sharibu’s case
Sen. Bassey Ewa Henshaw (Cross River South 2003-2011) on Friday called for more equitable distribution of positions, responsibilities and opportunities irrespective of gender and social status to bring out the best in the citizens. Henshaw made the call in Lagos at the flag-off of activities to mark the 2021 International Women’s Day celebration by the Nigeria Girl Guides Association (NGGA). The event featured election of new executives of the NGGA. The theme of this year’s International Women’s Day celebration is: “Choose to Challenge”. The International Women’s Day, held every March 8, is to celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. According to the lawmaker, giving equal opportunities to all will provide a sense of belonging to all and advance nationa...
Borno governor sacks health commissioner
Gov. Babagana Zulum of Borno has relieved the Commissioner of Health, Dr Salihu Kwaya-Bura, of his position. The sack is contained in a statement by the Special Adviser to the governor on Public Relations and Strategy, Malam Isa Gusau. Gusau said the removal was part of measures to reposition the ministry. ”The governor has directed his Chief of Staff, Isa Marte, a Professor of pharmacology and fellow of the Nigerian Academy of Science with specialty in cancer research, to oversee the affairs of the ministry pending the appointment of a substantive commissioner. “Zulum expresses gratitude to Kwayabura for his immense contributions to the development of Borno public health sector in nearly two years of the current administration and the years he had served under the previous administration,...
Ekiti governor mourns Prof. Ibidapo-Obe
Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi has described the death of the former Vice Chancellor of the University of Lagos, Prof Oyewusi Ibidapo-Obe, as a great loss to Nigeria. Prof Ibidapo-Obe died on January 3 after a brief illness. He was aged 71. Governor Fayemi, in a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Yinka Oyebode, in Ado-Ekiti, on Tuesday, said the news of Prof Ibidapo-Obe’s death was received with shock and disbelief since the late Vice Chancellor did not show any signs of illness during their last meeting. The governor, who is an alumnus of the University of Lagos, described the late Prof Ibidapo-Obe as a distinguished scholar and seasoned administrator who excelled in every assignment he undertook, adding that he demonstrated his commitment to excellence during his stint as...
APC promises conducive environment for Kankara abducted boys
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has rendered an unreserved apology to the students abducted from Government Science Secondary School, Kankara, Katsina State, promising that President Muhammadu Buhari and the ruling party will do all it takes to ensure that they continue to study in a safe environment. The ruling party in a statement signed by the National Chairman, Mai Mala Buni, noted that it received with joy and glad heart the release and return of the students who were abducted by terrorists. The party further noted that the news was not just elating, but it was gladdening and relieving. “We want to congratulate the parents of the children and also apologize on behalf of our party that one of our biggest promises was security and although we are doing our utmost best, such incidenc...
