The Federal Government is facilitating the training
of 540 women, drawn from the 19 northern states
on fish farming, a statement from the Kano State
Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources has
said.
The statement was signed by the Public Relations
Officer in the ministry, Mr Garba Yunusa, and
made available to the News Agency of Nigeria on
Tuesday.
It said that the government was carrying out the
programme in collaboration with the Kano State
Government.
The statement said that the state Commissioner for
Agriculture and Natural Resources, Hajiya Baraka
Sani, launched the programme at the Kano Institute
of Fisheries, Bagauda.
In the statement, Sani said the Minister of
Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr Akinwumi
Adesina, visited the institute and promised to
collaborate with the Kano Government on the
training of youths from other states at the institute.
Sani further explained that the Federal Government
was already sponsoring 140 women from other 19
northern states while the state government
sponsored 400 women from within the state.
Each of the trainees, the Commissioner said, would
be given a take-off package that would include
juvenile fish, fish feed and drugs as well as other
incentives.
Sani added that more collaboration was under way,
to train youths on poultry and livestock, revealing
that the Kwankwaso administration had established
six capacity building agricultural institutes that
trained youths in different agricultural businesses.
The Director, Gender, Federal Ministry of
Agriculture, Hajiya Karimatu Babangida,
commended Kano State Government for its youth
empowerment programmes.
She noted that Nigeria was spending N90 billion on
fish importation annually to meet the three-million-
tonne requirement, while only 700 tonnes was
being produced in the country.
The director, therefore, enjoined the beneficiaries
to make judicious use of the opportunity, in order
to reduce the import level.
The coordinator of the institute, Prof. Armaya’u
Bichi, in his speech at the occasion, noted the
institute has all the necessary teaching and
learning facilities.
Bichi said that, so far, the institute had trained and
empowered 800 youths and women.
Wednesday, 5 February 2014
FG, Kano train 540 women in fish farming
17 South African gold miners trapped underground
South African gold producer Harmony Gold
launched a rescue operation on Wednesday to free
17 miners trapped a mile underground after a fire
gutted its Doornkop mine near Johannesburg.
The company said it had made contact with eight
miners, who had managed to flee to a refuge bay
at a depth 1,700 metres.
The whereabouts of the remaining nine miners was
unknown, a company spokesman said.
Rescue teams had been sent underground but
access to the affected area has been hampered by
smoke and a subsequent rock-fall, the spokesman
added.
South Africa’s gold mines are among the deepest
in the world.
Kano APC urges supporters to register en masse
The APC Registration Supervisory Committee for
Kano State on Wednesday urged supporters of the
party to come out en masse and register at polling
units nearest to them.
The Chairman of the committee, Dr Mustapha
Inuwa, made the call in an interview with the News
Agency of Nigeria in Kano.
Inuwa said there was need for the supporters to
show commitment and love for the party by
coming out to register during the exercise.
“APC should have more people registered in Kano
than anywhere in the country, considering the fact
that Kano is the most populous state in the
country.
“And with the assistance given by Gov. Rabi’u
Kwankwaso, there is no reason the exercise
should fail in the state,” he said.
He, however, urged the people to be orderly, to
ensure the success of the exercise not only in
Kano State but also in the entire country.
The chairman said adequate materials had been
distributed to all the 44 local government areas of
the state for onward distribution to over 8,000
polling units.
“I want to assure everybody that people will be
registered. So, there is no need for any rush or
rowdiness because there is no polling unit which
does not have enough materials to start with.
“Party registration is a continuous or endless
exercise. So, there is no need for anybody to panic
or worry,” he said.
13 killed in Baghdad bomb explosion
Four bombs exploded near Baghdad’s heavily
fortified “Green Zone” and a busy square in the
centre of the capital on Wednesday, killing at least
13 people, security sources said.
The blasts came a day after two rockets were
fired into the Green Zone, home to the prime
minister’s office and Western embassies,
heightening concerns about Iraq’s ability to protect
strategic sites as security deteriorates.
Security sources said on Wednesday that two
parked car bombs were detonated opposite the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, killing five people.
The interior ministry said in a statement that the
attack was carried out by a suicide bomber who
blew himself up as he was being searched.
The other car was driven by a suicide bomber who
blew himself and the vehicle up outside a
restaurant, close to a checkpoint one street away
from the Green Zone, killing four people, the
security sources said.
Another explosion near Khullani Square in central
Baghdad left four others dead.
No group immediately claimed responsibility for the
attacks, but Sunni Islamist militants have been
regaining ground in Iraq, particularly in Anbar
province, where they overran two cities on Jan 1.
ECOWAS court to sit in Togo
The ECOWAS Court of Justice will hold a session at
the Supreme Court, Lome, Togo, from Feb. 10 to
14, to determine 18 cases.
This was contained in a statement issued by the
court’s Information Officer, Mr Félicien Hounkanrin,
on Wednesday in Abuja.
“In deciding to hold the court hearing in another
member state, the court enhances effective
administration of justice by opening up
opportunities for the parties to have access to
justice,” it said.
It stated that this activity forms part of the official
work programme of the court, noting that it upheld
Article 26 of Protocol A/P1/7/91 on the court.
The Article provides that: “… where the
circumstances or facts of the case so demand, the
court may decide to sit in the territory of another
member state”.
“Upon an express request by the parties in the five
cases brought by Bourama Sininta and Others
against the Republic of Mali, the lawyers requested
the court to sit in Bamako, Mali.
“Owing to transport costs and distance, the
lawyers also requested that the court could as well
sit in any other member state of ECOWAS.
“The court accepted their request and made an
order to that effect, that an external court session
should be held in Lome, Republic of Togo, to hear
the parties,” it said.
The statement said that this approach gives
practical expression to the court’s desire to bring
justice to the doorstep of the community citizen,
thereby placing a premium on regional integration.
It, however, said that in hosting such external
court sessions, the member states fulfill on their
part a significant role towards the legal and judicial
integration of West Africa.
The ECOWAS Community Court of Justice, which
seats in Abuja, organises external court sitting on
annual basis on the request of parties in a case.
At its last sitting on Feb. 2, the court ordered the
Federal Government to free a soldier, Alimu
Akeem, an aide to former Chief of Army Staff, Gen.
Victor Malu, who had been detained since 2006.
The court also ordered the Federal Government to
pay Akeem N5 million as damages for unlawful
detention.
Tuesday, 28 January 2014
Anti-gay bill: US threatens to sanction Nigeria
The US has threatened to sanction Nigeria
following President Jonathan’s signing of the
Same-Sex Prohibition Act 2014. The world power
is threatening to scale down its support for HIV/
AIDS and anti-malaria programmes in Nigeria.
This was made known yesterday Jan. 20th by
James Entwistle, the US Ambassador to Nigeria.
Mr Entwistle said he was worried about "the
implications of the anti-same sex marriage law
which seems to restrict the fundamental rights of a
section of the Nigerian population.”
"The issue of same-sex marriage was very
controversial all over the world, including
within the United States where 17 states out
of 50 had endorsed it, but others still reject
its legality. The issue that we see and I am
speaking as a friend of Nigeria is that as I
read the bill, it looks to me that it puts
significant restrictions on the freedoms of
assembly and expression; in my opinion
which applies especially in advanced
democracies, once government begins to
say something in these areas, freedom no
longer applies. It seems to me that this is a
very worrisome precedent.”
Lagos State Government seek to ban smoking in public places
The Lagos State House of Assembly on
January 20th passed a bill seeking to make
smoking in public places illegal in the state, with
first offenders having options of paying a fine of
N10,000, three months in jail or both. The bill
which is waiting the approval of Gov. Fashola to be
signed into law prohibits residents from smoking
in places such as libraries, museum, public toilets,
schools, hospital, day-care centres, public
transportation, restaurants among others.
Lagos residents who break this new law
repeatedly would either be sent to prison for 6
months or pay a fine of N50,000, while owners of
public places who encourage the breaking of this
law would pay a fine of N100,000 or be sent to jail
for six months.
The bill also seeks to punish anyone who smokes
in front of a child with a fine of N15,000 or six
months imprisonment. The bill also directs
corporate organizations to place the 'No Smoking'
sign in their premises. Companies who default
would pay a fine of N250,000.
The Bill when passed into law would be
supervised by the Lagos Environmental Protection
Agency.
Thursday, 23 January 2014
Geneveive Nnaji signs N100million deal with Etisalat
She's the new face of Easy Flex, one of the
packages from telecoms giant, Etisalat. She was
unveiled this evening at Wheat baker Hotel in Ikoyi.
She joins actor Hakeem Kae-Kazim as one of the
Easy Flex ambassadors. New Easy Flex campaigns
will feature her.Reports claim that the deal is worth
N100million.
Tuesday, 21 January 2014
"Nigeria will start exporting cars soon" - President Jonathan
President Jonathan said with the new National
Automotive Industry Policy introduced by his
administration, the country will soon be exporting
cars to other countries. He said this while
speaking with a delegation of business owners
from Anambra State led by the State governor,
Peter Obi, who paid him a courtesy visit at the
Presidential Villa, Abuja.
"If any country will be great, we must
industrialise. If Nigeria must be a great
country, we must industrialise. To this end,
we will continue to encourage industrialists
in Anambra. We are totally committed to
creating jobs. Nigeria is a country with huge
population of youths. If jobs are not created,
there will be crisis. The housing, agriculture
and power sectors are also receiving
attention. In the next few years, Nigeria will
begin to export cars to other countries. We
are encouraging government to support local
manufacturers”President Jonathan said.
The National Automotive Policy seeks to address
the issue of low-grade cars being dumped in
Nigeria as well as create mass employment and
increase human capacity in automotive
technology.
David Beckham buys 2year-old daughter a $600k(N96m) Damien Hirst
Former soccer star David Beckham has reportedly
gifted his two-year-old daughter Harper a 600,000
pounds heart for her room.
The painting which was done by the 38-year-old
star’s artist friend Damien Hirst, will be hung in
Harper’s nursery at the family’s new 40 million
pounds mansion in west London.
“The removal firm was extra careful with the
Damien Hirst painting. It was packaged up, but no
one wanted to drop it and but a hole in such a
valuable work of art. Harper is a lucky girl having
such an expensive painting hanging in her room,” a
source said.
D’Banj Chilling With Davido’s Billionaire Father, ‘Baba Olowo’
It’s no secret that popular musician, Davido’s
father is a wealthy man and this could be the
reason he calls himself the ‘Omo Baba Olowo.
One of Nigeria’s famous musician, D’banj was
spotted hanging out with Davido’s super rich dad,
Chief Adeleke.
Alsopictured is Davido and his manager, Kamal.
Ronaldo Is World Footballer Of The Year
Portugal international, Cristiano Ronaldo, CR7 has
won the 2013 World Footballer of the Year Award.
Ronaldo, who was emotional while receiving the
award, said it was a very difficult feat to achieve.
Ronaldo said:
“First of all I have to say a great thanks to all of my
team-mates with the club and the national team.
Without all of their efforts this would not have been
possible. I am very happy, it is very difficult to win
this award.
“Everybody that has been involved with me on a
personal level I have to thank. My wife, my friends,
my son. It is a tremendously emotional moment. All
I can say is thank you to everybody that has been
involved.”
Omotola Reveals the Origin of Her Nickname, ‘Omosexy’
Gorgeous Omotola has been widely known with the
name for a number of years now.
The actress, who was listed as 1 of the 100
powerful persons in the world by The TIME
magazine, revealed in her latest interview to CNN
that it was her husband, Capt Mathew Ekeinde, not
her fans, who gave her that popular nickname.
“Funnily, it was my husband that gave me the
name. That name is the pet name he calls
me at home,” she said.
Omotola is one of the sexiest stars in Nollywood.
She has four grown up children. Many budding
stars see her as their role model.
Iyanya explains why Nigerian entertainers live large
Iyanya Mbuk has revealed why Nigerian
entertainers love living fake lives, living beyond
what they can actually afford.
In a recent interview with Encomium magazine, the
kukere crooner said “Music is very expensive.
Most of them make money and it’s hard to put it
back in the same thing. Your next money is not
guaranteed because there are lots of artistes.
If you say you wouldn’t do show A, they can take
artiste B for that show. It doesn’t mean that
because you have a hit song, you would be
performing at all shows. It doesn’t work like that.
So, some of these guys, it’s hard for them. It’s
hard for them to follow up. Follow up is the hardest
thing to do. Many artistes make a hit but the
money they make from that hit is not even enough
for them to support or sponsor the next video. So
don’t blame them’.
Speaking further on the issue, he said “yes, let me
give you an instance. I had a show here in Lagos, I
was in Dubai. They made a mistake and booked
my flight for Monday and the show was on Sunday.
We rushed to the Airport; they said no that my
ticket was for the next day. After much pleading
and explaining that I had a show that night in
Lagos, they said alright, I could board but not
business class since it wasn’t my flight. I had to
fly economy class with my business class ticket.
Sitting down there, people around were staring at
me like “what are you doing here”. A woman even
walked up to me and said “Iyanya, you no suppose
dey here now, na the other side you suppose dey”.
What came to my mind next was that I can’t just
decide to fly economy today, it will become a gist. I
have to work hard, I have to make money, to live
up to your expectations. It’s not like I’ m living my
life for you, but it’s the life I chose. So, I have to
follow it.”