NIGERIA: UNIJOS Confirms Two Students Dead in Bomb Blast

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Read Time:3 Minute, 3 Second
Authorities of the University of Jos have faulted reports that seven students of the university died in the bomb blast that rocked the city  last Tuesday, saying  the school did not confirm it to anybody.
 
Speaking on behalf of the school authorities, the university’s Deputy Registrar, Information and Public Relations, Mr. Steve Otowo, said: “The school authorities can only confirm the death of two of its students; Francisca Nwafor and Michael Ogbole, both 500 level students of Medical Laboratory Science Technology Department of the university.”
 
He said the students had completed their lectures and were passing by when they got caught in the unfortunate bomb blast.
 
“Though the Students’ Union leader told me that there are five other students missing, we cannot confirm them dead yet since there is no evidence to back such claims.
“We can only advise parents to get in touch with their wards, and be sure that they are alive and safe; they may have travelled out of school or gone somewhere, no one can say. So it will be wrong to conclude that the five students are dead,” Otowo added.
 
He said the remains of Ogbole would leave Jos for his village in Benue State tomorrow (today).
 
Meanwhile, ahead of federal and state governments, an Abuja-based organisation, Neighbour-to-Neighbour Initiative (N2N), has taken the lead by donating relief materials to the victims of the bomb blasts.
 
The organisation donated about 100 bags of maize, millet, sugar and beans to the Plateau State Government for onward distribution to the victims.
 
At the state’s specialist hospital, where the representatives of the Chief Medical Director, David Ayuba, and Bingham University Teaching Hospital (BUTH) both in Jos received them, the group donated toiletries, detergents, soaps and other items to the authorities of the hospitals.
 
Making the donation, Director for Women and Mobilisation of the organisation, Hajiya Aisha Lemu, said they decided to make the donation with love, believing that it would go a long way towards alleviating the plight of the victims of the blast.
 
They condemned the bomb blasts, and prayed fervently that such unfortunate incidents do not happen again because there was no place where violence pays and brings peace in the world.
 
“We are praying as women and mothers. We should unite and expect people to tell government their grievances whatever they are and sit together and find solutions to them instead of killing innocent people,” she said.
 
Responding on behalf of the state government, the Commissioner for Environment, Mr. Sylvanus Dongtoe, thanked the group for the good gesture and love shown, adding that the materials would console the injured victims.
 
He admitted that insurgency was a global issue, but that they were not happy that it happened in the state. “It is a global thing now, particularly in Nigeria. This thing is happening virtually in all nooks and crannies and it is our belief that this thing will stop as soon as possible.”
 
He appreciated what the international community was doing by showing concern, adding that the Neighbour-to-Neighbour Initiative was not left behind to really sit down and come up with the idea like that.
 
Dongtoe assured the organisation that the materials donated would be honestly given to the victims of the violence, stressing that they would continue to pray for peace to reign in Nigeria.
 
He told those who carried out the dastardly act, who think that they would succeed in dividing the country, were wasting their time.
 

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Anthony-Claret Ifeanyi Onwutalobi

Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
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NIGERIA: FG Grants Nat’l Conference Four-week Extension

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Read Time:7 Minute, 11 Second
The Chairman of the National Conference, Justice Idris Kutigi, yesterday announced to delegates that the federal government had approved the extension of the conference by four weeks
 
He said the Secretariat had applied for a six-week extension but was granted four weeks instead. Kutigi explained that after Wednesday’s sitting, the principal officers of the conference met with the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, to consider its request on the need for more time to enable the conference conclude its deliberations.
 
Before the time extension, the delegates were to end deliberations by June 17, however, with the one month extension granted by the government, the conference will now end on July 17.
The implication of the extension is that delegates will receive an extra one month sitting allowance. In the spirit of gaining time, the delegates agreed to bring forward the time of resumption of plenary sessions from 10 a.m. to 9 a.m.
 
Before the debates commenced, the chairman called on the co-chairmen of the Committee on Devolution of Power, Chief Victor Atta and Ibrahim Commassie, to submit their report.
The duo could hardly lay the report on the table when a member of the committee, Mrs. Ankor Briggs, asked for the permission of the conference  to present a minority report.
 
Her move generated a lot of debate with many delegates arguing that the conference can only accept the minority report if it is ascertained that the committee’s report was not reached with a consensus or 70 percent vote majority.
 
Kutigi said delegates’ observation was apt,  adding that going by the rules, decisions of the conference have to be governed by either consensus or 70 percent vote majority.
 
 
Another delegate told the chairman that the minority report of Briggs should be upheld until it has been decided if there was actually a resolution of issues by the devolution committee based on consensus or 70 percent vote.
 
 
A delegate, Festus Okoye, also  advised against opening a Pandora box, adding that if each delegate who disagrees with the position of a committee is to submit a minority report then “we are going to over stay our time.”
 
He said the conference should throw out the individual report so as not to set a precedence.
At the end the deliberation, the chairman ruled on the matter, insisting that minority reports are unknown to their rules, but that the only thing that was stated was either consensus or 70 per cent.
 
 
At this point, one of the delegates stood up and shouted at the Secretariat, saying: “This is a tyranny of the majority on minority and it is unacceptable.”
 
An infuriated chairman warned the protesting delegate that if he continued to protest (shout), he would not hesitate to walk him out of the plenary.
 
“If you continue in that manner you shall be walked out to let decent people sit,” he said.
Midway into the plenary, Kutigi said he had a security alert from security details that drivers and aides of the delegates were meeting at the National Judicial Institute Club House on how to disrupt the activities of the conference.
 
Kutigi said he was informed that the protesting aides planned to re-group outside the plenary hall to demonstrate against the non-payment of allowances.
 
He threatened to arrest and detain any driver or aide of the delegates who tries to disrupt the activities of the conference for whatsoever reason.
 
“We do not want to begin to arrest personal aide of the delegates but if they go on with their unruly behaviour or trying to disrupt the conference then we shall be forced to arrest them, so go and control them and tell them that the secretariat has not made provision for any allowance for them,” he said.
 
On the unresolved issue of grazing reserves, the chairman explained that the reason why the matter would not be brought up in the morning for resolution was because it had been put in bracket.
 
Also, the Deputy Chairman, Bolaji Akinyemi, said he got the permission of the chairman to consult with a few people at lunch time, promising that he hope the issue would be resolved before the end of the day.
He said consultations on it will be concluded during break so that the entire report can be adopted.
 
Accordingly, on resumption, the deputy chairman announced the conclusion of consultations on the pending issue of establishing grazing reserves, and asked  Okoye to read out the motion.
 
 
Okoye therefore moved the motion and gave the prayers saying: “An integrated development and livelihood modernisation programme would be designed and implemented to address the issue of settling nomadic herdsmen into settled communities based on established cattle ranches with fodder development technologies, including abattoirs, processors and other businesses along the livestock value chain.
 
“That this integrated development and modernisation programme be funded by both federal and state governments in the states where such settlements are established.
 
“ And that the integrated development programme be undertaken and wrapped up within a period of five to 10 years after which such settlements should have become self-sustaining with the full integration of the nomadic herdsmen community into modern Nigeria political economy.”
The motion was seconded by Labour Party (LP) delegate, Chief Dan Nwanyanwu.
 
Just as the conference was on the herdsmen matter, another issue arose, which was on the proposal by the Committee on Land Tenure and Boundary Matters to have the Land Use Act removed from the constitution.
 
While explaining why the Act should be taken out of the constitution, the committee said it would make the Act amenable to changes as considered appropriate to meet the demands of time.
 
 
However, while the delegates voted to reject the proposal to establish a National Land Commission or People’s Heritage Act as proposed by the committee and a delegate, there was a stumbling block when it came to voting on the removal of Land Use Act.
 
Like what happened Wednesday, debates to remove the land use act from the constitution was in stalemate because the northern delegates opposed the removal.
 
The land use act is protected by section 215 of the 1999 constitution. Though, the deputy chairman of the conference, Akinyemi, had earlier ruled in favour of a voice vote, the northern delegates protested against it. But after a rowdy session, Kutigi ruled that the debates on Land Use Act should be suspended to allow for negotiation due to the controversy therein.
 
Delegates like Senator Ibrahim Ida, Buba Galadima, Hon. Musa Elayo, Junaid Mohammed, and Nasiru Kura opposed the removal of the Land Use Act from the constitution, as southern delegates, led by Wale Oshun and Duke Orok, insisted that the Land Use Act be removed from the constitution as its implementation affected business and investment.
 
After a heated debate, discussion on whether to remove the land use act from the constitution or not was suspended till next plenary to ensure a consensus on it.
Also, the conference rejected the recommendation that Bakassai and other community whose lands were acquired should be compensated.
 
The conference approved that any land acquired by government for public use after 10 years should be returned to the former owners and a certain percentage be paid to owners of such lands by government.
 
The plenary session further rejected the recommendation for the creation of a National Land Commission.
The deputy chairman had put the matter to vote and a majority of the delegates gave a resounding support through their voice vote backing the removal.
 
But realising that there are some of the delegates who were still protesting against the way the votes went, Kutigi intervened and advised that the matter be put on hold for more consultations to be made.
 
He said discussions or debate on the matter will be re-opened at another date.
His intervention did not go down with some of the delegates who felt the matter should have been ruled based on votes already taken.
 
Before the debate commenced, the chairman of the committee on Land Tenure and Boundary Matters, General A.B Mammam, said the committee’s had made recommendation on how the country can achieve her full potentials in land resources, including minerals resources.
 

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Anthony-Claret Ifeanyi Onwutalobi

Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
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NIGERIA: Lagos Holds Special Tribute for Otedola

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Read Time:1 Minute, 28 Second
As a way of giving a befitting honour and recognition to the former Governor of Lagos State, Sir Michael Otedola, the state government and people of the state will hold a special farewell ceremony to commemorate his passage in the state beginning from May 28.
 
Otedola died on May 5, at the age of 88.
The state government had earlier declared a week of mourning and the lowering of flags at half-mast in respect of the former governor.
 
The programme, which would hold at Onikan Stadium, Lagos, from 10 a.m. is, according to the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Lateef Ibirogba, expected to attract dignitaries from all walks of life, including former governors of the state and notable eminent personalities across the country.
 
 
A statement by the commissioner stated that the former governor would lie-in- state at his Epe residence on  May 29, from 2.40p.m. while Christian wake- keep would hold at the same venue from 4p.m. that day.
 
The late octogenarian  would be buried on May 30, after a funeral mass /rites at the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, Ibowon, at 11a.m., after which guests would be hosted to a reception  at St. Patrick’s Grammar School, Eredo.
 
The commissioner enjoined Lagosians and indeed Nigerians to support the state government, in giving a befitting respect and honour to the departed leader.
 
Otedola, journalist, Public Relations consultant and politician extra-ordinaire, was the second civilian governor of the state for 23 months from 1991 to 1992.
 
He has to his credit, the rare privilege of being the one that chose the sobriquet “Centre  of Excellence” for the state among other numerous achievements.

About Post Author

Anthony-Claret Ifeanyi Onwutalobi

Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
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Soyinka Says He Has Never Referred To Patience Jonathan As “Illiterate”

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Read Time:2 Minute, 38 Second

Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka says that while he has occasionally been compelled to publicly chastise Mrs. Patience Jonathan over unacceptable conduct, he has never referred to her as "illiterate."

He has also never linked President Goodluck Jonathan's governance with his wife's educational attributes or lack thereof, he said in a clarification sent to SaharaReporters and other online media on Wednesday concerning what he called the “disgusting career” of a fabrication on the subject. 

He also said he intended to take whatever legal steps are available once the source of the objectionable material has been traced.

“It commenced over a year ago, I seem to recollect, as a telephone text, 'tweet' or whatever it is called, died away after strong rebuttals, and is now being provided renewed life by some faceless cowards with their own private agenda,” Professor Soyinka said in a statement.  “Let me state quite clearly that literacy is no indicator of intelligence, even though we all believe (I hope) in universal literacy. From childhood I have interacted with so-called "illiterate" men and women, sipped from their innate intelligence, and learnt much from them outside formal schooling.”

The literary icon said he was therefore repudiating the statement that could only have stemmed from “an ignorant clod” he dismissed as being additionally devoid of the moral courage of his or her own untenable convictions.

“Your readers may wish to know that when I first encountered the statement, I was sufficiently appalled to send a personal message to Patience Jonathan dissociating myself from such a base sentiment. The associated commentary on the president's decisions – I have no idea which decision, if any – is equally outrageous and disgusting. To attribute to me the slightest interest in the choice of a spouse by man or woman is a complete travesty of my near obsessive belief in the sanctity of private relationships.”

According to Professor Soyinka, a similar shameless telephone posting was inaugurated some weeks ago, with his name attached to it, urging the public to rise and do something or the other.  

“Let me take this opportunity to announce yet again that I do not tweet, blog or whatever goes on in this increasingly promiscuous medium,” he stressed.  “I do not run a Facebook, even though I am aware that one or two serious-minded individuals/groups have instituted some such forum on their own, for the purpose of disseminating factual information on my activities. I neither contribute to, nor comment on the contents of their "calendar".

Speaking generally, he expressed concern that Internet abuse is getting to be a universal plague, one that goes beyond personal embarrassment and umbrage, and called for collective, professional action to protect the integrity of the medium, and save it from becoming “a mere vomitorium” for unprincipled scallywags who may or may not have a particular axe to grind.

“Such a trend is fraught with outright danger, and should not be underestimated,” he warned.

About Post Author

Anthony-Claret Ifeanyi Onwutalobi

Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
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NIGERIA: Women’s Group Condemns Abduction of Schoolgirls

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Read Time:57 Second
An all women philanthropic club, the Cosmopolitan Women's Club, which has the focal objectives to take significant and appropriate proactive stand on issues affecting women and youths in  the country, has joined other Nigerians to condemn the abduction of over 100 school girls in Borno State.
 
While lamenting the sad development, the group called on the relevant government agencies to put all efforts in place to rescue other abducted girls and ensure such incidence doesn't occur again in Nigeria.
Secretary of the club, Shade Disu, in a statement which was made available to journalists Lagos, expressed sadness over the abduction, describing it as "pathetic."
 
According to the group, "It is on this premise that we are registering our sorrow and deep concern on the horrible abduction of over 100 schoolgirls from their hostel. We abhor this incident and we implore all those in authority to take urgent steps to ensure the safety of all children in Nigeria and work tirelessly for the safe return of the abducted children who are still in the abductors camp," she said.

About Post Author

Anthony-Claret Ifeanyi Onwutalobi

Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
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Soyinka: I Never Said Patience Jonathan Is An Illiterate

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Read Time:3 Minute, 7 Second

Over a year ago, when Muhd Lawal published online the following statement attributed to Professor Wole Soyinka — “When you marry an illiterate woman as a wife, you make stupid decisions like Jonathan” — Soyinka wrote a strongly worded rejoinder, saying that at no time did he say anything like that.

In the wake of Mrs Patience Jonathan’s vilification in the media, on account of her insensitive response to the abduction of the Chibok school girls, Soyinka’s alleged abuse has resurfaced.
From his base in California, Professor Soyinka has sent yet another rebuttal. In it, he appeals to all well-meaning online editors for their intervention in terminating what he describes as “the disgusting career of the fabrication”.

In a disclaimer titled “To All On-Line Media” signed by Prof. Soyinka he wrote:

“I appeal for your intervention in terminating the disgusting career of the fabrication contained in the above on-line posting. It commenced over a year ago, I seem to recollect, as a telephone text, ‘tweet’ or whatever it is called, died away after strong rebuttals, and is now being provided renewed life by some faceless cowards with their own private agenda. Let me state quite clearly that literacy is no indicator of intelligence, even though we all believe (I hope) in universal literacy. From childhood I have interacted with so-called “illiterate” men and women, sipped from their innate intelligence, and learnt much from them outside formal schooling.

He noted that: “While I have on occasion found myself compelled to publicly chastise Mrs. Jonathan over unacceptable conduct, I have NEVER referred to her as “illiterate” nor linked President Jonathan’s governance with his wife’s educational attributes or lack thereof.

“I therefore repudiate this statement that could only have stemmed from some ignorant clod, who is additionally devoid of the moral courage of his or her own untenable convictions. Your readers may wish to know that when I first encountered the statement, I was sufficiently appalled to send a personal message to Patience Jonathan dissociating myself from such a base sentiment.

“The associated commentary on the president’s decisions – I have no idea which decision, if any – is equally outrageous and disgusting. To attribute to me the slightest interest in the choice of a spouse by man or woman is a complete travesty of my near obsessive belief in the sanctity of private relationships. I intend to take whatever legal steps are available once we have succeeded in tracing the source of this execrable material.

“A similar shameless telephone posting was inaugurated some weeks ago, with my name attached to it, urging the public to rise and do something or the other. Let me take this opportunity to announce yet again that I do not tweet, blog or whatever goes on in this increasingly promiscuous medium.
“I do not run a Facebook, even though I am aware that one or two serious-minded individuals/groups have instituted some such forum on their own, for the purpose of disseminating factual information on my activities. I neither contribute to, nor comment on the contents of their “calendar”.

“I shall appreciate your immediate help in this matter. To speak generally, Internet abuse is getting to be a universal plague, one that goes beyond personal embarrassment and umbrage.

“I strongly recommend collective, professional action to protect the integrity of the medium, and save it from becoming a mere vomitorium for unprincipled scallywags with, or even with no particular axe to grind. Such a trend is fraught with outright danger, and should not be underestimated.

About Post Author

Anthony-Claret Ifeanyi Onwutalobi

Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
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Second Mutiny In Maimalari Barracks, Maiduguri As Soldiers Manhandle New Commander

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Read Time:2 Minute, 47 Second
Brigadier General M.Y. Ibrahim, the newly posted General Officer Commanding the 7th Division of the Nigerian Army located at Maimalari Barracks, Maiduguri got a taste of soldiers’ fury on Thursday afternoon as angry soldiers stormed his office to demand that he pay their allowances and reinstate motorbikes to transport them and members of their families within the barrack.

Several sources in the barracks told SaharaReporters that the soldiers’ second act of mutiny in two weeks began around 3:00 p.m. (Nigerian time). The angry soldiers blew a whistle, and most of the rank and file gathered at a spot before they marched en masse to the 7th Division headquarters building where the GOC’s office is located. 

The sources said the sources shot in the air as they marched and chanted “We no gree oh, we no gree!” Our sources said the protesting soldiers were upset about the army’s failure to pay their outstanding allowances. They were also annoyed by the decision of the newly posted GOC to ban motorcycles as a form of transport within the barracks. The new GOC reportedly banned motorbikes known as Okada and tricycles known as “Keke NAPEP” from operating within the vast barracks. The soldiers wondered why the new commander would prohibit the use of the only affordable means of transport they have when he knows full well that the base covers a huge area and that few soldiers own cars or bike.

“If no okada [motorcycles] are allowed, then our small children have to walk to school and our wives will walk to market,” one of the soldiers told SaharaReporters. “Are we not suffering too much already?” he added.

Once they arrived at the GOC’s office, the protesting soldiers decided to give him a dose of the experience of navigating within the barracks without motorcycles. They ordered Major General XYZ to come outside the building, pushing and shoving him.  Then they forced him to trek all through the barracks.

The angry soldiers also demanded the payment of their N100, 000 furniture allowance which, according to them, was long overdue.

Last week, frustrated soldiers at the same barracks demonstrated and shot at the car of their erstwhile GOC, Major General Ahmadu Mohammed. The soldiers felt that General Mohammed’s operational orders were responsible for the death of close to 100 soldiers who were returning from an operation in Chibok, the town where members of the Islamist group, Boko Haram, kidnapped 276 high schoolgirls near midnight on April 14. The abduction of the girls, who remain missing, has sparked outrage in Nigeria and around the world.

Military authorities in Abuja decided to remove Major General Mohammed a day after the first mutiny.

One of the soldiers who spoke to SaharaReporters stated that he and his colleagues want military authorities to be more focused in their approach to the war against Boko Haram. “We can finish them [Boko Haram] without difficulty, but the commanders don’t give us enough weapons for operations. And they send only a few of us to fight hundreds of Boko Haram fighters,” he said.

Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State, has been the flashpoint of numerous bloody attacks by Boko Haram.

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Anthony-Claret Ifeanyi Onwutalobi

Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
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FRSC Suspends Enforcement of New Number Plate, Licence

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Read Time:1 Minute, 53 Second
The Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) has suspended the enforcement of the new vehicle number plate and the driver’s licence, following two separate court judgments in Lagos and Abuja which ruled that the scheme was illegal.
 
The Commissionhas therefore directed its commanding officers to commence a nationwide public awareness on the new initiative for motor vehicle administration in the country, which would emphasise the benefits of the new scheme and the need for buy-in from all Nigerians.
 
A statement by the Commission Commander, Corps Public Education, Jonas Agwu, in Abuja yesterday, explained that the new directive was in line with decisions taken by the Joint Tax Board at its 129th meeting held on April 23 and 24, 2014, at the Headquarters of Edo State Internal Revenue Services in Benin-city.
 
It stated that the board suspended the June 30 deadline earlier announced for the change to the enhanced motor vehicle number plate and the driver’s  licence pending the outcome of the appeal by the FRSC.
 
“The states Internal Revenue Service, the FRSC and the Vehicle Inspection Offices (VIO) have been encouraged to put all necessary logistics in place to improve motor vehicle registration and issuance of driver’s licence in order to build a comprehensive database,” the statement added.
 
The FRSC, according to the Nes Agency of Nigeria (NAN) ,equally directed its commanding officers to explore all available platforms such as motor park rallies, advocacy visits and other forms of public engagement in keeping with its 2014 strategic goal of improved public communication and road use education.
 
The corps re-affirmed that the court never vacated its statutory powers to design and produce the new number plate, “but only questioned its powers to fix deadline for enforcement of the new scheme, as confirmed by the recent directive from the Joint Tax Board which has the statutory powers to fix prices and set deadlines for implementation of the new number plate and driver’s license.”
 
It stated that the same position was taken by an Abuja Federal High Court, which declared that the FRSC has no powers to invalidate a driver or vehicle license before its expiration.
 

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Anthony-Claret Ifeanyi Onwutalobi

Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
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Russia, China sign deal to bypass U.S. dollar

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Read Time:4 Minute, 56 Second

In a symbolic blow to U.S. global financial hegemony, Russia and China took a small step toward undercutting the domination of the U.S. dollar as the international reserve currency on Tuesday when Russia’s second biggest financial institution, VTB, signed a deal with the Bank of China to bypass the dollar and pay each other in domestic currencies.

The so-called Agreement on Cooperation — signed in the presence of Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is on a visit to Shanghai — was followed by the long-awaited announcement on Wednesday of a massive natural gas deal 10 years in the making.

“Our countries have done a huge job to reach a new historic landmark,” Putin said on Tuesday, making note of the $100 billion in annual trade that has been achieved between the two countries.

Demand for the dollar, which has long served as a safe and reliable reserve currency in international transactions, has allowed the U.S. to borrow almost unlimited cash and spend well beyond its means, which some economists say has afforded the United States an outsize influence on world affairs.

But the BRICS countries — Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, a bloc of the world’s five major emerging economies — have long sought to diminish their dependence on the dollar as a means of reshaping the world financial and geopolitical order. In the absence of a viable alternative, however, replacing it has proved difficult.

For its part, “China sees the dominance of the dollar in international trade transactions as a remnant of American global dominance, which they hope to overthrow in the years ahead,” said Michael Klare, a professor of peace and world security studies at Hampshire College. “This is a small step in that direction, to reduce the primacy of the dollar in international trade.”

Some have been tempted to view Tuesday's deal in the context of Putin's showdown with the West over the crisis in Ukraine. After the U.S. and Europe imposed sanctions on Moscow for its annexation of Ukraine's Crimean peninsula, Putin may have finally made good on promised retaliation against what he views as Western hegemony in Russia's near abroad.

“Breaking the dominance of the U.S. dollar in international trade between the BRICS is something that the group has been talking about for some time,” said Chris Weafer, a founding partner of Macro-Advisory, a consultancy in Moscow. “The Ukraine crisis and the threats voiced by the U.S. administration may well provide the catalyst for that to start happening.”

To be sure, the Russia-China bank deal is mostly a symbolic step. Liza Ermolenko, an emerging markets economist at Capital Economics in London, said that the deal was still “a very small one, in the grand scale of things,” and that it wouldn’t change Russia’s reliance on the dollar “overnight.” Most of Russia’s export contracts in the oil and gas markets are still priced in dollars, she noted, and on a wider scale, replacing the dollar with the ruble is much too risky to even consider.

Likewise, even though China has agreed to the gas deal, which could see over $450 billion of Russian natural gas flow from eastern Siberia into China over the next 30 years, Russia is not in a position to abandon its ties with Europe.

"From the commercial standpoint, Europe is the most profitable market for Gazprom,” said Mikhail Korchemkin, the founder of Eastern European Gas Analysis, who has consulted for Gazprom, the Russian state-owned gas company. "Exports to China can generate a small profit, [but] only if the government makes it free of taxes and duties.”

But the bank deal is another indicator that Russia and China are in the middle of a wider rapprochement, which analysts say is premised not on ideological alignment but on a mutual desire to undercut the U.S. in their respective spheres of influence.

Both countries are wary of President Barack Obama’s “pivot east,” a recalibration of U.S. foreign policy away from decades of war in the Middle East and toward the fast-growing economies of the East. Cynical observers have interpreted the shift as an effort to contain China.

"This is a marriage of mutual strategic interests, not a marriage of love," said Klare. “China wants energy and weapons from Russia, and Russia wants diplomatic backing and cash. It’s a quid pro quo.”

Yet even if China feels threatened by U.S. encroachment, it is Russia that is desperately pursuing closer ties with China.

Putin may have gotten the better of the Western powers in the showdown over Crimea, but at the cost of growing geopolitical isolation. Under intense pressure to demonstrate Russia's avowed independence from the West, he has repeatedly threatened that he could simply shut off its natural gas pipelines to Europe and find new markets for Russian energy exports.

Separate from that political posturing, the Russian imperative to find new markets for its energy exports is nonetheless very real. Energy demands in Europe have plateaued and may even decline in the long term because of stringent environmental regulations.

“If Russia wants to continue to be a petrostate, it has to shift marketing of its exports to Asia," said Klare, who noted that Western energy conglomerates like ExxonMobil have begun doing the same.

“We don’t want to push this too far and see it as a formation of a new, global anti-American bloc that is starting a new Cold War,” he added. "This is market-driven more than it’s political."

About Post Author

Anthony-Claret Ifeanyi Onwutalobi

Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
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Chibok: Abuja BBOG Group Commends Security Troops on Rescue Efforts

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Read Time:1 Minute, 29 Second
While a cross section of Nigerians have continued to vilify what they term as the ineptitude  of the Nigerian Military in the face of rising security challenges, the Abuja Family of the 'Bring Back Our Girls' (BBOG), has chosen to encourage them for their resoluteness in the face of danger.
 
This statement which was signed by the former Minister of Education Dr. Oby Ezekwesili and Hadiza Bala Usman,   said it was pertinent to commend the troops deployed to fight and defeat terrorism in Nigeria.
The statement was apparently a resolve the Abuja family took three days ago to encourage the military and security forces who are daily in the frontline of the rescue efforts.
 
As contained in the statement, the group expressed their pride that the professional officers and men are staking their lives to improve the security of the citizens of Nigeria.
 
The statement read in partys: "We thank them most sincerely and wish them God’s protection and success in carrying out their duties. We are particularly saddened that some of them have lost their lives in the course of the counter insurgency war.
 
"Our fallen soldiers have by their commitment and sacrifice enrolled themselves on our list of national heroes. We pray for the repose of their souls and seek peace and comfort of God for their families.
 
 
"We also remind the government of our call in the citizens' solution to end terrorism to not only reward them for gallantry but to also provide their families with adequate compensation.
 
"For the officers and men continuing with the combat, we call on them to remain resolute until victory is ours. They have our high esteem and respect."

About Post Author

Anthony-Claret Ifeanyi Onwutalobi

Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
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