Tag Archives: Now

Over 240,000 Students Now Enrolled In NOUN– VC

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Over 240,000 Nigerians are now students of the National Open University of Nigeria, NOUN,  a feat which is a reflection of the academic revolution and standard set through re-invigoration of its curriculum and adoption of clear cut academic  policies aimed at making education easily accessible and affordable to Nigerians.

Vice Chancellor of the institution, Prof. Abdalla Uba Adamu stated this yesterday in Abuja when he played host to members of the Nigerian Guild Of Editors  (NGE) who paid him a courtesy call at his office.

Prof. Adamu said NOUN could not have come at a much more better time in the lives of Nigerians as the institution has not only  heavily bridged the gap in affordable education but has helped raised the standard and bar in university education across the country and beyond.

He particularly stated that the institution which today has numerous faculties and courses cutting across different spheres of life  has study centers spread across the country to the tune of about 476.

“ I remember how our study center in Kano for instance got flooded following a presentation we made on radio on how even housewives and others  could stay at home and earn their degrees after very rewarding educational experience and tutelage  with us. This is the kind of opportunity that the University provides .

“We have continued to update and restructure our curriculum in line with NUC guidelines to attain maximum academic excellence and standards in all our faculties and departments and are  proud with our achievements over the years, “ Prof Adamu stated.

The director of Learner Support Services of the University, Prof. Stanley Naribo Ngor, who also spoke at the meeting, eulogised the NGE but called for real professionalism in media practice. He said the University was open to collaborations with the NGE and others  in empowering journalists and media practioners across the country, especially within the context of intellectual conducts as being pursued by the university.

Earlier, Vice President of the NGE ( North), Suleiman Uba Gaya, who led the NGE team had earlier in his speech requested NOUN to set up two special study centers for the NGE in Abuja and Lagos. He said this will go a long way in harnessing the huge potentials of Journalists in achieving their academic dreams even as it will enhance professionalism in the industry.

Uba who commended the strive of the NOUN, said over the years the institution has indeed become an excellent example of how education and academic brilliance could be entrenched in a developing country like Nigeria.

 

The Vice Chancellor who agreed to look into the prospects of the proposal, said the institution would look into its prospects within the ambit of regulations of the institution, adding that NOUN was open to partnerships that would help boost the country’s educational standards and development.

Credit:

http://leadership.ng/news/564784/over-240000-students-now-enrolled-in-noun-vc

Boko Haram Now Disguising As Menial Workers, DHQ Alerts Nigerians

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Defence Headquarters, Tuesday,warned Nigerians to to be wary of people entering their communities as menial workers, saying it was a new strategy employed by the dreaded Boko Haram terrorists to get at their targets.

In a statement, by Brigadier General Rabe Abubakar,its Director of Information, the Defence Headquarters insisted that the terrorists, in their desperation to get at their targets, have resorted to disguising as menial workers.

The statement read: ”The Defence Headquarters wishes to alert members of the public of another antic being employed by the escaping Boko Haram terrorists that were smoked out of Sambisa forest by the combined efforts of the Nigerian Armed Forces.

“Available information indicates that some fleeing Boko Haram terrorists are now disguising as menial workers to melt into communities and towns with a view to organising terrorists attack against our innocent citizens. The unfortunate recent incidents in Madagali and Maiduguri are instructive.

“The Defence Headquarters therefore advises citizens to be on the alert and be wary of these tricks of the defeated terrorists who are hell-bent on remaining relevant inspite of their lost battle.

“This sensitisation becomes necessary now to create security awareness to our citizens to be conscious of some strange faces that could take menial jobs in their communities or towns, especially now that festivities are around the corner. ”

Credit:

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/12/boko-haram-now-disguising-menial-workers-dhq-alerts-nigerians/

Gambia President-elect Demands Jammeh Steps Down ‘Now’

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Gambian president-elect Adama Barrow said on Monday that longtime leader Yahya Jammeh should step down immediately after Jammeh reversed his decision to concede defeat following a presidential election.

“I think he should step down now,” Barrow told AFP. “He has lost the election, we don’t want to waste time, we want this country to start moving.”

Jammeh’s party announced a legal challenge on Saturday over the December 1 election in which he had already conceded defeat to Barrow.

Barrow is due to welcome a heavyweight delegation of African heads of state and UN representatives Tuesday to persuade Jammeh to go, which the president-elect said gave him confidence he would soon take power.

“It’s giving us confidence and it will give confidence to every Gambian that the world is concerned about Gambia,” he said.

Diplomatic sources told AFP the delegation is likely to include UN West Africa envoy Mohamed Ibn Chambas, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, and Liberian leader Ellen Johnson Sirleaf in her capacity as head of the west African bloc ECOWAS.

Jammeh has led the tiny sliver of a nation of just under two million people for 22 years since taking power in a coup.

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http://guardian.ng/news/gambia-president-elect-demands-jammeh-step-down-now/

Syria Now In Control Of 60% Of East Aleppo- Group

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Syrian forces have retaken another district in the east of the city of Aleppo, now exerting control over 60 percent of the city’s militant-held eastern part, according to a monitoring group.

Joined by allied fighters, the Syrian military seized Aleppo’s Tariq al-Bab neighborhood from the militants, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Saturday.

The advance also restored control on a road leading from Aleppo’s government-held western neighborhoods to the city’s airport, which is also under government control.

Foreign-backed militants amassed in the city’s eastern side in 2012. The government has been controlling its west and fighting to retake the east.

The official Syrian Arab News Agency said the military had also wrested back control over the Karam Al-Qaterji, Jazmati, and Halwaniyah neighborhoods in eastern Aleppo. An unspecified number of the militants were killed in the operations.

The government’s advances have taken by surprise many of the foreign states that have been channeling financial and military support to the militants since the onset of the foreign-backed militancy in Syria in 2011.

Amid the victories, some countries, including France, have called for the implementation of a ceasefire in Aleppo, citing a need for secure corridors for the transfer of humanitarian assistance to the city.

On Wednesday, Russia warned that the issue of aid delivery in Syria was becoming highly politicized as most UN humanitarian aid was going to the areas occupied by foreign-backed militants. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said only one percent of the UN aid supplies was being directed to the western city of Dayr al-Zawr, where at least 200,000 people trapped by the Takfiri Daesh terrorist group remain in desperate need of help.

Russia has, meanwhile, voiced outrage at the recent formation in Aleppo’s east of a militant umbrella group calling itself the Army of Aleppo, describing it a diversion tactic to shield a notorious terrorist group there.

The move, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Friday, was just an attempt to disguise and shield al-Nusra Front, an affiliate of al-Qaeda that has recently renamed itself Jabhat Fateh al-Sham and has claimed to have broken up with al-Qaeda.

Lavrov said nearly all the militant groups fighting in eastern Aleppo were controlled by the Takfiri terrorist group.

“I do not rule out that this is just another attempt to rebrand al-Nusra Front and shield it from righteous retaliation,” Lavrov said, referring to the formation of the so-called Army of Aleppo.

Also on Saturday, a unit grouping army forces and its allies destroyed the positions of al-Nusra, in the suburbs of the city of al-Rastan in the southwestern Syria Dara’a Province.

Credit: presstv

HIV Self Testing Now Possible

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You better believe what you have just read. When it comes to HIV/AIDS, the new word in the medical world is self-testing.

With the advent of new technologies in medicine, you and I can know our HIV status with a simple test that can be taken in the privacy of our homes.

Nowadays, testing yourself for HIV means that you and other people can use oral fluid or blood-finger-pricks to discover their status in a private and convenient setting. Results are ready within 20 minutes or less.

Some tests only require a swab of saliva and your result is ready after 30 minutes.

This is important because of the stigma associated with the viral disease. Most people are often scared to take the test in laboratories or health centres where they can run into any one they know.

These fears are profound and not unfounded. We have had instances where untrained nurses carelessly disclosed the HIV status of patients to other people.

Being able to test yourself makes it easier to accept the result, says consultant haematologist, Dr. Kunle Adetayo.

Adetayo says that despite the counselling given to patients before testing, having someone else disclose their results is often a blow that many may not recover from.

“I would rather be the first to know that I am HIV positive or not. It’s a diagnosis most people would prefer to know.  Then you can quietly walk into a clinic and get registered for treatment, knowing you have scaled the first hurdle.

“Self-testing will also increase the population of people who know their HIV status because believe it or not, more than half of those infected do not know and they will keep transmitting it,” he says.

Adetayo painted the right picture. According to the Director-General of the World Health Organisation, Dr. Margaret Chan, new statistics show that over 40 per cent of those infected with HIV are unaware of their status.

Chan says, “Millions of people with HIV are still missing out on life-saving treatment, which can also prevent HIV transmission to others.

“HIV self-testing should open the door for many more people to know their HIV status and find out how to get treatment and access prevention services.”

Doctors note that even though over 90 million Nigerians know that HIV/AIDS exists and kills when not detected early, they are yet to get tested.

Credit: Punch

Turn Off Your Galaxy Note 7 Phone NOW, Samsung Tells Users

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Samsung issued an alert to customers on Monday, asking users to immediately turn off their Galaxy Note 7 smartphones — which have been spontaneously catching fire.

The unprecedented move comes one day after Samsung halted production of the dangerously glitchy devices.

In a corporate statement, Samsung said it will also “ask all carrier and retail partners globally to stop sales and exchanges of the Galaxy Note 7” while it investigates the cause of the fires.

It also said, “Consumers with either an original Galaxy Note 7 or replacement Galaxy Note 7 device should power down and stop using the device.”

It’s a major setback for the South Korean electronics manufacturer. The company’s stock plunged more than 5% Tuesday morning in Seoul.

Samsung (SSNLF) released the 5.7-inch Galaxy Note 7 device in August in anticipation of Apple’s new iPhone 7. But customers immediately started complaining that their phones were catching fire.

The company explained that faulty lithium-ion batteries were overheating the device and causing it to ignite. In early September, Samsung recalled 2.5 million devices worldwide.

Samsung offered replacement phones — but those burst into flames too.

In the past week, an American user reported his replacement phone caught fire, even though it wasn’t plugged in. And on Wednesday, smoke started billowing from a replacement Galaxy Note 7 aboard a Southwest Airline plane before it departed, prompting the flight’s cancellation.

Read More: CNN

No Plan To Sell Any Asset Now- FG

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The federal government Tuesday said it has not taken any decision to sell any national asset.

Minister of Budget and National Planning, Senator Udoma Udo Udoma appealed to those opposed to the planned sale of some national assets to exercise patience with the government “as the government is yet to decide on assets sale in its stimulus package.”

Udoma made the disclosure in Abuja at the 57th Annual Conference of the  Nigerian Economic Society (NES) where he stated that the idea of selling national assets “is just a proposal within the stimulus package of the federal government to scale up revenue but is yet to be finalised or even agreed on.”

The budget and national planning minister said government will consult widely and hear views on the cost and benefit of the planned sale before any such decision will be made.

He said the administration has several packages and plans that will ensure that Nigeria comes out of the current recession soon and stronger. One of such packages he noted is the stimulus plan to borrow from the World Bank, African Development Bank (AfDB) and the China Exim Bank.

Udoma said that the stimulus package was being worked upon and was yet to be finalised, adding that to achieve this speedily “we are working to fast track procedures through presidential directives and legislation and I want to emphasis that notwithstanding the current economic challenges we face, we are not discouraged at all and this is a crisis we must not waste.”

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http://thenationonlineng.net/no-plan-to-sell-any-asset-now-says-fg/

Edo Election To Now Hold September 28- INEC

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The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has finally announced the postponement of Saturday’s governorship election in Edo by two weeks.

Solomon Soyebi, INEC national Commissioner in-charge of voter education and publicity, made the disclosure at a press conference at the commission’s office in Benin on Thursday.

Mr. Soyebi said the election would now hold on September 28, the News Agency of Nigeria reports.

He attributed the postponement to alleged security threat as reported by security agencies.

The electoral commission had earlier on Thursday rejected the call for postponement by the police and the State Security Service, SSS. The commission had said it would not be “teleguided”, and argued that suspending the polls would be costly after reaching at least 97 per cent readiness level.

Hours after making that announcement, the commission backtracked and said it agreed to postpone the elections based on the security concerns cited by the police and the SSS.

The main opposition party, PDP, and its leaders have been very vocal in condemning the postponement of an election expected to be closely fought.

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http://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/210116-edo-election-now-hold-september-28-inec-says-pdp-fayose-kick.html

Withdraw Military From Niger Delta Region Now– Delta Monarch

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Paramount ruler of Siembiri Kingdom in Delta State, HRM Pere Charles Ayemi-Botu, has appealed to President Mohammadu Buhari to, as a matter of urgency, withdraw the heavy military presence in the Niger Delta region.

According to him, attacking the region with military might at this moment when the militants have announced ceasefire will be counter- productive.

The Pere of Siembiri kingdom in Burutu Local Government Area of Delta State likened the action of the Federal Government to “shooting oneself in the foot or throwing away the baby with the bath water.”

He said, “Sequel to the acceptance of ceasefire, courtesy of monarchs and the leaders of the Niger Delta ten days ago by the Niger Delta Avengers and other militant groups, one would have expected President Buhari to announce his dialogue team as he did in early June, 2016, when he declared two weeks’ ceasefire preceding his medical trip to the UK.”

The Ijaw monarch wondered why President Buhari, instead of announcing his dialogue team, ordered the mobilisation of troops to the Niger Delta region under the pretext of military exercise, code-named ”Operation Crocodile Smile.”

He stressed that by this action, he is thus sending negative signals to all Nigerians, the international community and the whole world that the stage is now set to crush the militants at a time they have accepted ceasefire.

“We have been making frantic and passionate appeals in conjunction with the United States Consul General, Mr. John Braye, calling on both the Federal Government and the militants to sheathe their swords and embrace dialogue in order to proffer lasting solutions to the Niger Delta quagmire,” he said.

Credit: thisdaylive

Probe Rivers Re-run Elections Crisis Now, PDP To Buhari

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The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has tasked the President Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government to constitute a panel to carry out a comprehensive and dispassionate investigation into the circumstances surrounding the crisis in the March 19 rerun elections in Rivers State. The National Chairman of PDP, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff made the call at a press conference on Tuesday in Abuja, just as the United States Government, through its diplomatic mission to Nigeria in a statement on Tuesday, condemned reported violence and irregularities that rocked last Saturday’s rerun elections in Rivers State, even as the British High Commission also expressed concern over the level of violence recorded at the polls.

Also on Tuesday, the PDP members in the House of Representatives urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to immediately release results of rerun elections in Rivers. Briefing newsmen in Abuja, the caucus led by Minority Leader of the house, Rep. Leo Ogor, condemned the suspension of the election, saying it was strange to the country’s electoral laws. According to him, in accordance with section 27of the Electoral Act, the Constitution and all Supreme Court judgements, elections were concluded, and results had been announced at the unit levels.

“In this context, anything contrary to the announcement of the result is a breach of all our electoral laws and evidently a coup against the people of Rivers State. “It is very sad that it is the umpire, that is, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) that is spearheading this illegality abetted by law enforcement agencies, particularly the military whose attention is needed in the North-East,’’ they said. Ogor briefed the press just as INEC offered automatic employment to a member of the National Youth Corps (NYSC) who lost her sight during the 2011 general elections in Yobe State. Similarly, the commission promised to fully participate in the burial programme of Okonta Samuel, a corps member who lost his life in last Saturday’s rerun elections in Rivers State.

INEC Chairman, Professor Mahmoud Yukabu offered the employment and made the promise when he paid a condolence visit to the Director-General of the NYSC, Brig-General Johnson Olawumi on Tuesday. Professor Yakubu, who regretted the circumstances, which led to the unfortunate death of the corps member, praised the services of youth corps members in the conduct of elections. The PDP National Chairman, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, at the press conference contended that the probe panel would unravel those behind the violence and bring the culprits to book.

The rerun National and State Assemblies’ elections, it will be recalled, were marred by crisis leading to killings, abductions and assassination attempts. The PDP National Chairman said “Whilst we join well-meaning Nigerians to condemn the cases of violence which reportedly characterized the process in some areas, we enjoin the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to immediately constitute a panel to carry out a dispassionate investigation of the circumstances with a view to unraveling the truth and bringing the culprits to book”.

Sheriff equally condemned the role played by some officers and members of the Armed Forces. He accused them of acting beyond their expected role of maintenance of law and order, alleging that they have taken over the responsibility of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC ) in the conduct of the rerun election. According to him, the military acted in flagrant disobedience of a order of court, and further called on President Muhammadu Buhari to also investigate the role of the military personnel in the election and appropriate sanction meted for those found culpable.

His words, “Our longheld view, proven over the years by our attitude of accepting declared results of elections, is that the mandate of the Nigerian people is sacred and anybody or party which seeks to govern Nigeria or any part of it must solicit and obtain this mandate freely given in an openly contested election where democratic norms and ethos are rigidly observed.

Credit: Thisday

Ayanfe Philip: Is There Still A Future? #Poem

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It’s another bright day but all I see is dullness

And people’s travails. But more obvious is their uncertainty

The present condition of both the lazy and hardworking is vagueness

But they continue and hope it will be better for the green society

 

The gap between the rich and the poor is becoming a chasm

Unpaid workers are wallowing in the mud of lack

No food, no money and no joy to even have an orgasm

We are victims of this flood. Nobody is in Noah’s Ark

 

The words “hope” and “faith” are now elusive

Even hope itself is now with little or no hope

Dishonesty now flows through our veins. We have become evasive

Though we have eyes and can see, all we now do is grope

 

We voted for change but things still remain the same

We voted for change but change seems to be a ghost’s name.

 

All I see is sadness in the atmosphere

Eager people in the streets moving here and there

Leaving their houses in vain and hoping to return with something

But most times come back home with nothing

The old look at the kids and their minds bleed

Even as the young glory while they feed

As kids they called us leaders of tomorrow

But it’s like we will become borrowers of the morrow

Just like the barren awaits the fruit of the womb

We await the best before we become inhabitants of the tomb

Even the dry green leaves need the touch of revival

Gradually we are dying needing the kiss of survival

What I see ahead is bleak from this juncture

And then I ask “Is there still a future?”

 

Ayanfe Philip

@hitphil17

2016

World Bank Urges Buhari To Remove Fuel Subsidy Now

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The World Bank has advised President Muhammadu Buhari to act now if he is seriously considering the removal of fuel subsidy.

The World Bank’s Lead Economist, John Litwack, said Tuesday the best time to take such decision is now.

While the Buhari administration has hinted at its intention to remove fuel subsidy, the debate is still on in the country with many Nigerians, including the organised labour, rejecting the plan.

The issue was discussed Monday at the Executive Council of the Federation meeting.

The Minister of Budget and National Planning, Udoma Udoma, while unveiling the Medium Term Expenditure Framework and the government’s N6 trillion budget proposal for 2016, said the government was seriously weighing the options between removing or retaining fuel subsidy next year.

The government’s body language appears to favour the former, rather than the latter.

Mr. Litwack said at the launch of the new edition of Nigeria Economic Report that if the government really meant to take a decision on the issue of fuel subsidy removal, the best time to act would be now that global crude oil price was at its lowest level.

Despite last Friday’s attempt by the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries, during its 168th conference to maintain its production quota so as to stabilize the crude oil market, the price of the commodity slumped further to $37.89 per barrel on Monday from $38.09 on Friday.

While presenting the economic outlook of the global economy and the crude oil market, Mr. Litwack said the Bank foresaw continuous decline in global crude oil price.

He said now is the best time for the government to scrap the subsidy, as doing so would not push retail pump price beyond an average of N100 per litre, or generate the kind pressure that would negatively impact on the people beyond what they are currently facing.

Credit: PremiumTimes

Looters Now Returning Stolen Funds- Buhari

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President Muhammadu Buhari in Tehran, Iran on Tuesday disclosed that many of the those who looted the public treasuries in the government of former President Goodluck Jonathan had started returning stolen funds to the coffers.

He said that though the government appreciated the development, it was still not enough to condone corruption, stressing that his government would,still prosecute them in due course.

He stated that the prosecution of suspects is taking time because the government is painstakingly gathering hard evidence against them.

President who spoke during a meeting with the Nigerian community in Iran decried the constraints inherent in democracy, recalling that it was easier for him as a military Head of State in 1985 to arrest corrupt individuals and put in protective custody for them to prove their innocence than in the present democratic practice.

He acknowledged that under the rule of law, the suspects are presumed innocent until convicted by the law.

He said: “On corruption; yes, they are still innocent. But, we are collecting documents and some of them have started voluntarily returning something. But we want all.

“When we get those documents we will formally charge them to court and then we will tell Nigerians to know those who abused trust when they are entrusted with public funds. So, the day of reckoning is gradually approaching.”

Credit: Vanguard

Army Tells Terrorists To Embrace Peace Now

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The military yesterday served members of the dreaded Boko Haram sect a notice to surrender, failing which they will be risking grave consequences.

Besides, the Army also urged the international community to tell the insurgents to embrace peace and desist from terrorist acts.

The Army spoke through a statement titled: “Final warning to Boko Haram terrorists.” It was signed by its spokesman, Col Sani Usman.

He said troops operating under the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) have uncovered all the sect’s hideouts, adding that they must either surrender or face serious consequences.

It reads: “This is to finally warn all Boko Haram terrorists wherever they are, to desist from all acts of terrorism, surrender themselves and face the law now.

Read More: thenationonlineng

Swim Suits Before & Now, See What Women Were Allowed To Wear Before

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Did you know that ladies were not allowed to the beach if their swim suits were short? This is because there is an approved length and ladies’ swim suits must be measured with a tailor’s tape before they are allowed to the beach. In essence, one cannot go to the beach with a swimsuit that was too short. You’ll get busted.

Compare the vintage swim suit to what we have today.

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