The Pacesetter Frontier Magazine

Author: Editor

  • FG bans large gatherings such as assemblies and visiting days, orders schools to observe covid 19 guidelines

     

    The Federal Government, on Thursday, banned overcrowding and large gatherings such as assemblies and visiting days, as schools reopen on Monday.

    It also put limitations to class sizes and hostel occupancy and asked the schools to ensure compulsory wearing of face masks by all students, teachers and workers, as well ensure temperature checks and put hand washing facilities in strategic locations in all schools

     

    The government also asked the school authorities to ensure constant supply of water and sanitisers, and make available functional health clinics with facilities for isolation and transportation of suspected cases to medical facilities.

     

    The Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, gave the conditions in a statement by the Director of Press in the Federal Ministry of Education, Ben Bem Goong.

     

    READ ALSO: Three LASUCOM students test positive for COVID-19

     

    According to him, the decision to maintain the resumption date is the aftermath of “extensive consultation with relevant stakeholders, including state governors, commissioners of education, proprietors and heads of institutions, staff unions and students.”

     

    Adamu told parents and the respective institutions to ensure full compliance with COVID-19 protocols.

     

    The statement read in part, “Sequel to the hint given during the press briefing on January 12, 2021 for the review of the proposed resumption date of January 18, 2021, the Federal Ministry of Education has undertaken a comprehensive appraisal of the situation.

     

    “After extensive consultations with relevant stakeholders, including state governors, commissioners of education, proprietors and heads of institutions, staff unions and students, the consensus of opinion is that the resumption date of January 18 should remain, while parents and respective institutions must ensure full compliance with COVID-19 protocols.

     

    “These measures, which are to ensure safe reopening of schools for academic activities, will be subject to constant review as we urge teachers, school administrators and other stakeholders to ensure strict compliance.”

     

    When asked how the government intends to curtail further spread of the virus with the planned resumption, Adamu school authorities would be asked to ensure strict compliance with existing and fresh guidelines that would be released.

     

    He added, “We shall be warning stakeholders, particularly school authorities to ensure strict compliance with protocols.

     

    “For instance, we will have no choice than to enforce compulsory use of face masks by teachers and students.

     

    “We will also make it clear that we shall be reviewing the situation from time to time after resumption with a view to taking necessary decisions.”

     

    [YOU MAY ALSO LIKE] Large crowds: NIMC lists 50 NIN enrolment centres in Lagos, Abuja

     

    Recall that the United Nations Children’s Fund had called on governments across the world to spare no effort to keep schools open or prioritise them in reopening plans despite the increasing cases of COVID-19.

     

    UNICAL inaugurates COVID-19 task force

     

    The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Calabar, Prof. Florence Obi, has inaugurated the COVID-19 Task Force Central Team for the institution ahead of resumption.

     

    The team, which is headed by Dr Kingsley Akaba, has Dr Paul Odey, Dr Leku Odey, Dr Alexander Peter, Dr Bassey Ubi and Mrs Josephine Bisong as members.

     

    While inaugurating the task force, Obi charged members “to coordinate all the terms of reference as established by the Presidential Task Force and the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control in the campus.”

    She also said the taskforce would oversee the activities of all sub-committees and execution of their goals and report directly to the vice-chancellor’s office on the day-to-da y activities of the COVID-19 task force.

     

     

    Source: www.punchng.com

  • River state female shot for resisting rape

    Some gunmen suspected to be armed robbers on Wednesday shot their female victim for allegedly resisting a rape attempt on her at Agip Flyover, Rumueme, in the Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, near the Rivers State College of Health Sciences and Management Technology.

     

    PUNCH Metro learnt that the victim was found in a pool of blood and taken to a medical centre, where she was resuscitated.

     

    Speaking to our correspondent in Port Harcourt on Thursday, the President of the Student Union Government, Rivers State College of Health Sciences and Management Technology, Igwe ThankGod, said security guards of the college, who were attracted to the gunshot sound, found the victim and administered first aid to her before the arrival of the police.

    ThankGod added that the assailants escaped after perpetrating the act.

    He said, “Around 9pm, we heard a gunshot around the flyover at Agip Roundabout, close to my school, and when we went out to investigate what happened, we found out that a girl was shot in her hand after she was robbed of her money, phone and all her valuables. The hoodlums were attempting to rape her when our school security came out and rescued her.”

     

    ThankGod called on the police and the Rivers State Government to beef up security around the flyover to avert a recurrence of the incident.

     

    “We contacted the police at the Sani Abacha Road divisional headquarters and a team came and took the girl to a clinic. But before the police came, we had already taken her to the college clinic, but health officials demanded a police report before they would commence treatment on her, so first aid was given to her before the police patrol team came.

     

    “They said they would be taking her to either the police hospital or the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital so that they could attend to the girl in their presence,” he added.

     

    A spokesman for the Rivers State Police Command, Nnamdi Omoni, who confirmed the incident, said he had yet to  get the details.

     

    Source: www.punchng.com

  • Insecurity and Food inflation in Nigeria, Finding solutions to poor management

    Insecurity and Food inflation in Nigeria, Finding solutions to poor management

    THE coronavirus pandemic has contributed a lot to the current food inflation ravaging Nigerian families. Coming in February/March, the beginning of the planting season, and forcing a prolonged national lockdown, it prevented many of our farmers from sowing their seeds.

     

    Food inflation, according to the National Bureau of Statistics, NBS, rose from 16.66 per cent to 17.38 per cent in September this year and getting worse as the year draws to a close.

     

    General inflation in the economy stands at 14.33 per cent. The prices of staple food items such as yam, garri, pepper, onions, rice, tomatoes and others have gone sky high at a time when the incomes of average families have dwindled or run out altogether due to layoffs and pay cuts.

     

    It promises to be a very bleak Yuletide festive period.

     

    The situation we face could have been much more manageable if the President Muhammadu Buhari administration had made good its campaign promise of solving our security problem which is part of the regime’s three-point agenda: economy, security and anti-corruption.

     

    Indeed, the security situation has worsened under the watch of this regime due mainly to poor management and the kid gloves with which it has treated aspects of our insecurity.

     

    Though the Federal Government often beat its chest that it has dislodged Boko Haram jihadists from their captured territories, the terrorists have multiplied beyond Boko Haram, with the Islamic State in West Africa Province, ISWAP, now equally formidable.

     

    The foreign bandits that some evil politicians had brought to fight their turf wars have now turned their guns on residents of states in the North West and North Central, particularly Zamfara, Katsina, Kaduna Niger and parts of Kogi.

     

    Also, armed Fulani militias from all parts of Africa masquerading as herdsmen have flooded the forests and farmlands of states in the Middle Belt and South, killing and kidnapping for ransom, robbing, destroying farmlands with their cattle and forcibly settling on people’s lands.

    Curiously, the herdsmen militias are the only terrorist groups that government has refused to tag the terrorists that they are. It has also refrained from deploying the army to flush them out of our bushes.

    All these agents of insecurity marauding all over Nigeria have succeeded in displacing farming communities and making farming unsafe.

    Farmers are afraid to engage in their legitimate occupation. With the closure of the borders and restrictions on food importation, it is not surprising that Nigeria is on the verge of famine.

    If the Federal Government is unwilling to get rid of the armed herdsmen, then it should allow each community to deal with them and allow farmers back to work. Without solving our insecurity problems there are simply no ot her ways out of this problem.

    Source: www.vanguardngr.com

  • Nigeria’s crude oil production fell from 1.33 million to 1.17 million barels per day

    Crude oil production in Nigeria tumbled by 155,000 barrels to a record low in December amid the production cuts by the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies.

    OPEC disclosed this on Thursday in its report for January, saying a meaningful rise in oil prices would brighten Nigeria’s economic outlook this year.

    The report showed that the country’s oil production fell to 1.17 million barrels per day in December 2020, from 1.33 million bpd in November, based on direct communication.

    According to secondary sources, total crude oil production by the 13-member OPEC averaged 25.36 million bpd in December, up by 280,000 million bpd in the previous month.

    “Crude oil output increased mainly in Libya, Iraq and the UAE, while production decreased primarily in Nigeria, Congo and Angola. Libya’s crude oil output in December rose to 1.22 million bpd, according to secondary sources,” the group said.

    OPEC and its Russia-led allies, a group known as OPEC+, have been curbing output to support prices and reduce oversupply since January 2017.

    The international oil benchmark, Brent crude, rose by $0.27 to $56.33 barrels per day as of 7:30pm Nigerian time on Thursday.

    OPEC noted in the report that Nigeria’s economy entered a recession in the third quarter of 2020 with real GDP contracting by 3.6 per cent year-on-year after a sharp contraction of 6.1 per cent y-o-y in Q2.

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    “In the meantime, a meaningful rise in oil prices following the recent DoC (Declaration of Cooperation) decisions along with a positive trajectory from COVID-19 vaccines would brighten the 2021 outlook and lay the groundwork for a hopeful medium-term real GDP expansion,” it said.

    The group said oil demand was estimated to have improved toward the end of 2020, mainly due to successful containment measures in major consuming countries in the region.

     

    Source: www.punchng.com

  • Federal Government disburses N123.3bn to states

    The Federal Government on Wednesday announced the disbursement of another N123.348 billion under its States Fiscal Transparency Accountability and Sustainability (SFTAS) programme.

    The money is a performance-based grant to the states.

    The Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed, who disclosed this in a statement by Mr. Hassan Dodo, the Ministry’s Director of Press and Public Relations, explained that the disbursement followed the achievement of results by the states in the just-concluded 2019 Annual Performance Assessment (APA).

     

    The disbursement came after the recent one in November, 2020, by the Federal Government where N66.5billion was granted to 35 states which achieved results under another new COVID-19 response Disbursement Linked Indicators (DLIs): the passing of an Amended COVID-19 Responsive 2020 budget by July 31 2020.

     

    The minister observed that since the first disbursement in April 2020, the Federal Government has so far disbursed a total of N233 billion to the states under the $750 million World Bank-Assisted States Fiscal Transparency, Accountability and Sustainability (SFTAS) Programme-for-Results.

     

    The assessment, Dodo noted, was carried out by the Office of the Auditor General for the Federation (OAuGF) as the Independent Verification Agent (IVA) and approved by the Programme Coordination Unit (PCU) of the Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning.

     

    According to Ahmed, the disbursement included N91.048 billion of performance-based grants for the 2019 APA results achieved by 32 eligible states across various Disbursement Linked Indicators (DLIs) covering fiscal transparency, accountability, expenditure efficiency, revenue mobilization and debt sustainability. States received the grants in accordance to the number of results achieved, with Sokoto State receiving the highest amount of N6.612billion while Kano State got the lowest amount of N1.710 billion.

     

    “Bayelsa, Imo, Rivers and Zamfara states got zero allocation due to their inability to meet the 2019 eligibility criteria which required states to publish online the approved annual budgets and audited financial statements within a specific timeframe,” she said.

     

    She further noted that the 2019 APA results were a significant improvement on the 2018 APA results where the total performance-based grants of N43.416 billion were received by 24 eligible states, demonstrating the substantive progress which states have made on fiscal reforms.

     

    She disclosed that the second part of the disbursement involved a new COVID-19 response DLI: The implementation of a tax compliance relief programme for individual taxpayers and businesses by states by September 30,  2020 where 34 out of 36 states (only Anambra and Zamfara states missed out) were able to achieve the results for this new DLI for the total of N32.3 billion of grants.    Ahmed reiterated that the World Bank-assisted SFTAS Programme is principally meant to strengthen fiscal management at the state level so as to ensure effective mobilisation and utilisation of financial resources to the benefit of their citizens in a transparent, accountable and sustainable manner, thereby reducing fiscal risks and encouraging a common set of fiscally responsible behaviours.

     

     

    Source: www.sunnewsonline.com

  • The Igbo nation mourns a good man as Ndubuisi Kanu dies at 77.

     

    Ndubuisi Kanu, former military administrator of Imo and Lagos states, former chairman of Ndigbo Lagos and a major pillar of the National Democratic Coalition, NADECO, reportedly died of COVID-19 complications in Lagos at the early hours of yesterday.

     

    President Muhammadu Buhari, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos, Chief Guy Ikokwu, Hon Rotimi Amaechi, Chief Goddy Uwazuruike, Afenifere, Iba Gani Adams, and Eminent leaders of Thought were among those who mourned Kanu and described his death as shocking and a huge loss to Nigeria at a time he was needed most.

     

    Also, Life bencher, leading lawyer, and Second Republic lawmaker, Senator Onyeabo Chukwunedum Obi, died on Tuesday, aged 82. Obi’s demise was announced by his younger brother, Zik Obi.

    Second Republic politician and Elder statesman, Chief Guy Ikokwu, described Senator Obi’s death as shocking.

     

    ”This is shocking as I had the last meeting with him at our Enugu Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide Ime-Obi meeting and took pictures with him and wished he would show up at the Ohanaeze election in Owerri on January 10. What a pity. It is terrible as we had a heart to heart chat. May he rest in perfect peace,” Ikokwu said.

     

    Kanu, in 1975, was the only Igbo appointed into the supreme military council, SMC, before General Olusegun Obasanjo dissolved it when he assumed office in 1976 as head of state.

     

    He fought on the Biafran side during the civil war but was reabsorbed into the Nigerian military at the end of the war in 1970.

    After retirement, Kanu, who occupied many commands and political offices as part of his military postings, quickly civilianised himself.

    In a swift reaction to the death, Vanguard gathered that the incumbent Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu received the news with shock, describing the deceased as “a great Nigerian.”

     

    A chain of catastrophe —Ohanaeze

    The Professor George Obiozor-led newly elected leadership of Ohanaeze Ndigbo described the deaths of Kanu and Obi as a catastrophe.

     

    In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Chiedozie Alex Ogbonnia, the apex Igbo group said: ”The Ohanaeze Ndigbo are devastated by the news of the sudden death of our two prominent sons; Rear Admiral Ndubisi Kanu, Rtd and Sen. Onyeabo Obi.

    ”Admiral Kanu was a member of the Supreme Military Council (SMC) in 1975 under General Olusegun Obasanjo. At the creation of Imo State in 1976, Kanu was appointed the military administrator of Imo State where he made indelible footprints. As a robust thinker, he engaged the service of town planners to prepare a master plan for Owerri metropolis; built durable roads and was instrumental to increasing the number of local government areas in Imo State to 21. Among his legacies is the Imo Broadcasting Service, which went on air in December 1976.

     

    ”In 1977, Kanu was appointed the Military administrator of Lagos State. Due to his impressive records, Kanu was promoted to the enviable rank of a Rear Admiral and subsequently, the Chief of Naval Staff before his retirement.

     

    ”At retirement, Kanu founded the RANGK LTD, a maritime consultancy. He was a chieftain of National Democratic Coalition, NADECO, a pro-democracy movement that played a leading role in the agitation for the actualization of the annulled June 12, 1993 presidential election.

    ”Kanu at various times expressed profound passion for his people by playing several stabilizing roles in Ohanaeze Ndigbo. He was very jovial, personable but firm and courageous in his convictions. Throughout his career history, Kanu remained untainted and exemplary. We are devastated because Ndigbo and Nigeria will miss his disarming intellect and wise counsel.

     

    ”Senator Onyeabo ObI (82) was a Lawyer and graduate of the London School of Economics, England. He was a senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria from 1979-1983. He followed his family tradition in the love for the Igbo nation. His father, Chief Z C Obi was the national leader of the Igbo Union before the Nigerian civil war. He served as the President of the Otu-Oka Iwu, Lagos-a body of Igbo prominent lawyers. During the 1994 National Constitutional Conference, Senator Obi worked assiduously with the late Dr. Alex Ekwueme, Chief Emeka Ojukwu and many others to produce an Igbo position paper.

    ”Like Kanu, the sagacity and outspokenness of Senator Obi will be missed. This is a chain of catastrophe very painful to bear. May their souls rest in perfect peace.”

     

    Kanu’s patriotic virtues ‘ll continue to inspire younger generation —Buhari

    President Buhari while commiserating with Kanu’s family and friends, prayed for God’s covering over all his loved ones.

    President Buhari also condoled with “all professional colleagues of the gallant military officer, who distinguished himself in all positions and responsibilities during service, taking up more daunting, but historically rewarding challenges like speaking up for the weak and vulnerable, and the struggle for the country’s return to democratic government.”

    Buhari, in a statement by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, said he believes that Kanu’s credentials in serving the nation, as a career military officer and as an activist with NADECO in actualising the June 12, 1993 mandate, remained commendable and will continue to inspire younger generations on patriotism.

     

    Kanu’s death a great loss to the progressives —Aare Gani Adams

    The Aare Onakakanfo of Yorubaland, Iba Gani Adams described Kanu’s death as a great loss to the progressives.

    Aare Adams, in a statement by his Special Assistant on Media, Kehinde Aderemi, said the death of the foremost administrator had robbed the progressives of a man of great honour and integrity.

    The statement reads: “In life, he was a great leader and leader of leaders because he stood for democracy and true federalism, and  even in death his memories will for a very long time remain indelible in the minds of great democrats. He had a strong conviction about good governance. We will all miss him because, I could remember those moments we shared together in our struggle for this democracy.

    “The late Ndubusi Kanu was a model for good governance. He was always present at our programmes, especially the annulled June 12 commemoration, and on many occasions, he attended three programmes in a day.”

     

    Kanu, a fighter for greater Nigeria core values —Ikokwu

    On his part, Chief Guy Ikokwu said: ”Rear Admiral Ndubuisi Kanu was a fighter for the core values of a greater Nigeria and devoted his time to bridge the gap between all our ethnic nationalities no matter where they came from. Because of his devotion to our common bondage he was one of the few Nigerians who governed two states – Imo and Lagos. He fought for the return of democracy and civil rights of citizens as a NADECO leader even when some had chickened out.

    He was a frontline leader of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide and supported the stand of the Southern and Middle Belt Leaders Forum, SMBLF’s resoluteness for a restructured template for governance system and devolution of powers. The Lagos State Government honoured him with the Ndubuisi Kanu Park at Ikeja. His family structure is evidently inter-tribal. We had consultations with him on ways to diffuse the alarming rate of insecurities and economic degradation with our new rating of the economic capital of the poor.

     

    ”When I was unable to speak with him as he was out of Lagos in the last two weeks, I was bewildered and proceeded to Imo State for our Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide Confab to fathom a new template for a resolution of our existential precepts in our clime. On our return to Lagos State we just found the calamitous realities of our new World Order unraveling exponentially with his demise and movement to the galactic world zones beyond. May his Gentle Soul rest in peace.”

     

    Kanu left indelible footprints —Uwazurike

    Former President of Aka-Ikenga, an Igbo intellectual think tank group, Chief Goddy Uwazuruike, said the late naval chief was an enigma.

    ”Admiral Godwin Ndubuisi Kanu was an enigma. He had a soft voice. Yet he became a Commander. Physically he didn’t look like a military man. What he lacked in physique he gained in his brainpower. It is therefore not a surprise that he rose to the height of his profession. As the Governor of both Imo state and Lagos states he left his footprint in the sands of time, he was a complete Igbo man, very passionate, brooked no nonsense and he never stood on ceremonies. He was the chairman of NADECO and was even manhandled by Abacha for his membership of NADECO. We have lost a great man,” he said.

     

    Death of a patriot, good seaman —Amaechi

    Minister of Transportation,  Rotimi Amaechi expressed shocked at the death of Kanu, who he described as a patriot and a Seaman that would be missed by all.

    “It’s saddening. It’s the death of a patriot and a good seaman. May his soul rest in peace. ”

     

    Kanu’s death painful, huge loss —Afenifere

    The pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere,  described the death of Rear Admiral Ndubuisi Kanu as a huge loss to Nigeria.

     

    National Publicity Secretary of Afenifere, Mr Yinka Odumakin, said: “It was a very painful death. We have lost a very ebullient, vibrant and progressive someone. There is nothing we can do than to accept the will of God.

     

    “He has lived a fulfilled life and dedicated his life to good causes for which we shall always remember him. May his soul rest in peace and may God protect all that he left behind.”

     

    Kanu’s guidance in the struggle for prosperous Nigeria ‘ll be greatly missed

    On their part, eminent leaders of thought, senior citizens, leaders of civil society on the banner of Project Nigeria Movement led by Professor Ben Nwabueze, condoled with Kanu’s family on his demise.

     

    Describing Kanu as one of their strongest associates, they said in a statement by Comrade Olawale Okunniyi, that: Admiral Ndubuisi Kanu, a veteran of the struggle for the restoration of democracy in the 90s was military governor of old Imo State in 1975 and of Lagos State in 1976.

     

    He also made waves in 1975, when he became the only Igbo appointed into the then ruling Supreme Military Council before General Olusegun Obasanjo dissolved it when he assumed office as head of state in 1976.

     

    ”Kanu, a Biafran war veteran, became a dogged pro-democracy activist upon his retirement from the military. As a staunch member of the National Democratic Coalition, which spearheaded the struggle for the actualisation of the late Moshood Abiola’s annulled June 12, 1993 presidential mandate, Kanu was among those who signed an ultimatum’s for the General Sani Abacha’s regime to revalidate Abiola’s mandate and hand over power to him.

     

    ”He was the chairman of NADECO’s Action Committee, which organised and participated in protest marches and public sensitisation against military dictatorship.

     

    ”Kanu until his demise was also a frontline member of the Apex  Project Nigeria Movement, which has Eminent Jurist, Prof Ben Nwabueze, SAN as its Chairman. The Group was initiated to build national consensus and political stability for Nigeria through constitutional restructuring of Nigeria.

     

    Other arrow heads of the senior citizens group, which is currently mourning the sudden exit of Kanu are Chief Emeka Anyaoku, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, Elder Solomon Asemota, SAN, General Ike Nwachukwu (retd), Dr Kali Idika Kalu, Prof Akin Oyebode, Prof Pat Utomi, Commodore Dan Suleiman, among others.

     

    ”The active guidance of Kanu for the struggle to create a new democratic and prosperous Nigeria will be greatly missed by all L eaders of Conscience in the Project Nigeria Movement, NADECO and in the broad civil society constituency of Nigeria.”

     

     

    Source: vanguardngr.com

  • FCMB Banker sentenced to four years for stealing customer funds

     

    An employee of the First City Monument Bank, Felix Diete, has been sentenced to four years’ imprisonment by Justice Jane Inyang of the Federal High Court in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, for stealing customers’ funds.

     

    Three customers of the bank had on September 2, 2016, complained that they gave Diete the sum of N6m to deposit in their accounts but the convict deposited the sum of N4m and converted the balance to his personal use.

    Diete was subsequently arrested and arraigned on three counts bordering on stealing contrary to Section 383 and punishable under 390 (6) (b) (8) and 9 of Criminal code CAP C- 38 of the revised edition of the Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2007, and Section 1(1)(d) of the Failed Bank (Recovery of Debts) and Financial Malpractices in Bank Act, CAP B3 of the revised edition of the Laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 2007.

     

    He pleaded not guilty to the charges.

    Delivering his judgment, Justice Inyang noted that the prosecution was able to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt.

    He subsequently sentenced Diete to four years’ imprisonment on count one, but discharged him on counts two and three on the grounds that the convict claimed that he had not seen the second and third prosecution witnesses  before.

     

    Source: www.punchng.com

  • 894,101 candidates pass NECO while 233,000 NECO candidates to retake missed subjects

     

    THE National Examination Council on Wednesday announced the release of the 2020 Senior School Certificate Examination (internal) results.

     

    But a total of 233,000 candidates, who were prevented from taking the NECO examination in some states due to the #EndSARS protests, would be accommodated in the external examination scheduled for between Monday February 1 and Wednesday March 3 2021.

     

    The states affected by the protest are Abia, Enugu, Edo, River, Ondo, Ekiti, Osun, Lagos, Oyo, Kano, Ogun and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

     

    A comparative analysis of results released by NECO for two years showed that a total of 829,787 candidates, representing 71.59 per cent scored a total of five credits, including English and Mathematics in year 2019, as against year 2020 where 894,101 candidates, representing 73.89 per cent scored five credits, including Mathematics and English.

     

    The Registrar/Chief Executive Officer of NECO, Prof. Godswill Obioma, gave a breakdown of the results in Minna.

     

    The results further revealed that the number of candidates who made five credits and above irrespective of English Language and Mathematics were 1,112,041, representing 91.91 per cent.

     

    This, he said, represented an increase of 2.01 percent when compared to the 2019 June/July SSCE.

     

    Obioma said the subjects affected by the #EndSARS protests were Chemistry Practical, Economics, Technological Drawing, Food and Nutrition, and Further Mathematics.

     

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    According to him, results of the affected candidates would be pending until supplementary exams were conducted for the papers missed.

     

    He said, “We wish to inform the general public that the council has made specific arrangements for those candidates who missed some papers due to the #EndSARS protest in those states.

     

    “The affected candidates will now sit for those papers missed during the forthcoming 2020 SSCE (external) scheduled from Monday February 1 to Wedn esday March 3, 2021.”

     

    Source: www.punchng.com

  • CBN pre-export requirements frustrating the export of goods from Nigeria to other countries

    The pre-export requirements recently introduced by the Central Bank of Nigeria is currently frustrating the export of goods from Nigeria to other nations, exporters declared on Wednesday.

     

    Speaking under the aegis of the Network of Practicing Non-oil Exporters of Nigeria, they stated that the electronic Nigeria Export Proceed Form being required by the bank from exporters had come with enormous bottlenecks.

     

     

    The President, NPNEN, Ahmed Rabiu, said in a statement issued in Abuja that the new procedure had so many layers of activities that often led to delays and loss of income on the part of exporters.

     

    He said, “We acknowledge the CBN’s desire to ensure that all exports out of Nigeria are documented in order to ensure that the proceeds of such exports are repatriated.

     

    “However, the reality on the field shows that the process is causing undue delays and consequently, encouraging corruption.”

     

     

    In the new pre-export requirements, the CBN wants an export transaction to be initiated through eNXP processing on the trade monitoring system.

     

    Exporters stated that after this, the pre-shipment inspection agent, the Nigeria Customs Service and other designated government agencies would now carry out their pre-export inspections.

     

    They stated that the PIA was expected to issue a Clean Certificate of Inspection, while the Customs would issue the Single Good Declaration.

     

    According to them, a recent report showed that N868bn worth of goods bound for export were stuck at the ports due to the new procedure, as they called for urgent attention to reverse the trend.

     

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    Providing further explanation, Rabiu said, “For example, for the PIA to issue the CCI, the exporter is required to upload a certificate of origin as one of the supporting documents for the eNXP.

     

    “The PIA is also required to upload the CCI to the TRMS(M) and until this is done, the Customs service will not issue the Single Good Declaration.”

     

    He added, “After issuing the SGD, the customs is further required to upload it into the TRMS before the goods are allowed to be gated into the port and loaded on the vessel by the shipping line.”

     

    He argued that the layers created by the new CBN procedure had made the export of goods from Nigeria cumbersome, as it had also led to the deterioration and losses fo r agro commodity exporters.

     

    Source: www.punchng.com

  • CAC generates N19bn for its 2020 fiscal year

     

    The Corporate Affairs Commission on Monday announced a revenue generation of N19bn for its 2020 fiscal year.

    It also announced a total remittance of N2.7bn to the consolidated revenue account of the Federal Government.

     

    The Registrar-General, CAC, Garba Abubakar, told journalists in Abuja that the commission had also settled all its tax obligations, adding that the obligations were negotiated downwards by the commission’s management.

     

    “We have settled all our tax obligations. The tax obligations were over N1.2bn when I took over and we were able to re-negotiate and have paid N700m and got a discount of about N500m to N600m,” he said.

     

     

    Abubakar added, “For the first time we were able to pay operating surplus of over N2.7bn to the Federal Government. If not for the outstanding liabilities, the operating surplus would have been more than N5bn.”

     

    On revenue generation, the CAC boss said the commission surpassed its 2020 target by about N1bn.

     

    He said the feat was achieved after the commission blocked areas of leakages to its revenue generation drive.

     

     

    “We had a projected revenue target in 2020 of N18.2bn and we closed the year with over N19bn,” Abubakar stated.

     

    He explained that about 85 per cent of the N6bn liability of commission which he inherited had been paid.

     

    READ ALSO: 243 COVID-19 violators convicted, pay N4.8m fine

     

     

     

    He said to ensure the integrity CAC records, the commission had directed a revalidation exercise for all its accredited customers.

     

     

    According to him, the revalidation exercise would last till March 31 this year, as anyone who fails to validate their records would not be able to transact business with CAC.

     

    The CAC helmsman also vowed that no union would close the headquarters of the commission beginning from today (Tuesday), stressing that the industrial crisis at the commission was being addressed.

     

    Abubakar said qualified employees of the commission had been promoted, while most of the pensions arr ears of staff had been cleared.

     

    Source: www.punchng.com

  • Two chinese hold miners trapped underground for nearly two days

    Twenty-two gold miners have been trapped underground for nearly two days after an explosion in a mine under construction in eastern China.

     

    The blast occurred on Sunday afternoon at a mine in a town near Qixia city in eastern Shandong province, authorities wrote in a social media post.

     

    The explosion badly damaged the exit ladder from the mine and the communications system, so authorities could not contact the trapped miners, the statement released late Monday said.

     

    Authorities have sent rescuers to the mine, which is owned by the Shandong Wucailong Investment Co. Ltd.

     

    Mining accidents are common in China, where the industry has a poor safety record and regulations are often weakly enforced.

     

    In December, 23 miners died after being trapped in a mine in the southwestern city of Chongqing — just months after 16 others died from carbon monoxide poisoning after being trapped underground at another coal mine in  the city.

     

    Source: www.punchng.com

  • Cardiovascular health – What you should know

    According to research presented at the scientific congress of the European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging held recently, climbing four flights of stairs in less than a minute indicates good heart health.

     

    As reported by sciencedaily.com, the study included 165 symptomatic patients referred for exercise testing because of known or suspected coronary artery disease.

     

    “Participants walked or ran on a treadmill, gradually increasing the intensity, and continuing until exhaustion. Exercise capacity was measured as metabolic equivalents (M ETs)

    “After resting for 15 to 20 minutes, patients were asked to climb four flights of stairs at a fast pace without stopping, but also without running, and the time was recorded,” the scientists wrote.

     

    They analysed the relationship between METs achieved during exercise testing and the time it took to climb four flights of stairs. Patients who climbed the stairs in less than 40-45 seconds achieved more than 9-10 METs. Previous studies have shown that 10 METs during an exercise test is linked with a low mortality rate. In contrast, patients who took 1.5 minutes or longer to climb the stairs achieved less than eight METs, which translates to a mortality rate of two to four per cent per year, or 30 per cent in 10 years.

     

    The study author, Dr. Jesús Peteiro, who is a cardiologist at the University Hospital A Coruña, Spain, said, “The stairs test is an easy way to check your heart health. If it takes you more than one-and-a-half minutes to ascend four flights of stairs, your health is suboptimal, and it would be a good idea to consult a doctor.”

     

    “This study was conducted to examine the relationship between a daily activity – i.e. climbing stairs – and the results obtained from exercise testing in a laboratory. The idea was to find a simple and inexpensive method of assessing heart health. This can help physicians triage patients for more extensive examinations.”

    Peteiro noted that the correlation between the stairs time and exercise capacity would be similar in the general population. But the corresponding mortality rates and heart function by imaging would be more favourable than for patients with symptoms and suspected or confirmed coronary artery disease.

     

    Source: www.punchng.com