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Students loan: FG explains delay in take-off, sets new date

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Students loan: FG explains delay in take-off, sets new date

The Federal Government has stated that the Nigeria Education Loan Fund portal for eligible students would open in March.

The Executive Secretary, NELFund, Dr. Akintunde Sawyer, who disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Thursday in Abuja, urged eligible students to register to access the fund.

President Bola Tinubu on June 12, 2023, signed the Access to Higher Education Bill into law to enable indigent students to access interest-free loans to pursue their education in any Nigerian tertiary institution.

The scheme was slated to commence between September and October 2023, but because of unforeseen circumstances, there was a revised timeline to January.

Giving reasons for the delay in starting the scheme as earlier scheduled, Sawyer explained that the process is technically driven and necessary measures needed to be put in place for proper execution.

“The take-off date is this month (March) and the reason for the delay is that we are trying to get it right.

“This is not a political programme where we say, oh! we are just going to do it, it doesn’t matter how it works.

“This is a programme that will probably run beyond me as a human being, not even as a Secretary. This is something that we want to run adequately, so we have to get it right,’’ he said.

Sawyerr reiterated President Tinubu’s commitment to ensure that lack of finance did not constitute a reason for any student in Nigeria to halt education at a tertiary level.

He added that the scheme is designed for indigent Nigerian students in tertiary institutions and applications will be done online.

“We have decided that all applicants should be able to access this scheme regardless of where they are, who they are and who they know.

“We want this to be a process that is fair to all and we will advertise the portal widely so that applicants will be able to go to the website to fill series of forms and answer certain questions.

“Based on the data they input and their answers to the questions, the system will be able to determine appropriately, whether they are eligible to apply or not,’’ Sawyer explained.

He also noted that the recovery process from beneficiaries of the NELFund would commence two years after the National Youth Service Scheme, according to the FG.

I’m willing to give up my office for peace in Rivers — Fubara

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I’m willing to give up my office for peace in Rivers — Fubara

Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has stated that no sacrifice is too big for him to pay for the success of the state.

He added that he could give up his position to bring peace to Rivers State.

The governor stated this in an interview with AIT on Thursday.

Fubara further stated that there are things he could have done that would have resulted in a “total crisis”. However, his ability to restrain even when he has the power is maturity.

During the interview, Fubara said, “No sacrifice will be too big for me to pay for the success of this administration.

“And the reason is very simple, it’s not political love, it’s not because I want to gain any favour from anybody, my interest and love for our dear state is genuine.

I’m not trying to say I want to be one man who will be there to decide the fate of all but let Rivers State remain.

“My burden was not the issue of all the drama, it’s the millions of Rivers people who had made sacrifices and it looks as if their hopes are being dashed. They were the ones I was worried about. What will be their fate? It’s not about me.

“If leaving this position is what I need or what is needed to bring more peace to the state, I can even tell you people to come and take it. It’s not about me. People should understand that definitely I will go but Rivers State will still remain.

“I am the governor, no matter what it is, there are things I could have done and there would have been a total crisis. But your ability to restrain in the face of crisis even when you have the power to do things is maturity.”

According reports that Fubara has been having a running battle with the camp of his predecessor and current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.

Earlier in January, Fubara declared himself as the winner of the crisis rocking the state. He said those behind the crisis wanted him out of office but since he is still in charge.

He also stated that he would not fold his arms and watch anyone or any group of people trying to sabotage his government.

Nigeria receives first-ever meningitis vaccine

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Nigeria receives first-ever meningitis vaccine

Nigeria has become the first country to receive the new MenFive meningitis vaccine from the Vaccine Alliance-funded global stockpile, with a shipment delivered by the United Nations Children’s Fund.

This was disclosed in a press statement made available to our correspondent by Gavi on Thursday.

Meningitis, according to the World Health Organisation, is transmitted from person to person through droplets of respiratory and throat secretions, it is an infection of the meninges, the thin lining that surrounds the brain and spinal cord.

The disease is known to cause hearing loss, brain damage, seizures, limb loss or other disabilities and death, and can also be triggered by viruses, fungi or parasites.

The African meningitis belt stretches from Senegal in the west to Ethiopia in the east (26 countries), including the northern part of Nigeria.

Meningitis in these countries follows a seasonal pattern, being most common during the dry season (December through June) with a peak between March and April when there is persistent low air humidity and high dust loads that are believed to damage the pharyngeal mucosa and ease the colonization of the nasopharyngeal epithelium by the meningococci.

The statement noted that the vaccine doses will be used to respond to an ongoing meningococcus C outbreak, targeting to vaccinate around a million children in six local government areas in Jigawa state – Babura, Birniwa, Gagarawa, Gumel, Maigatari, and Sule Tankarkar.

The MenFive vaccine, developed through a 13-year collaboration between PATH and Serum Institute of India, with support from the UK government’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, received WHO prequalification in July 2023. The vaccine protects against the five main serogroups of meningococcal meningitis impacting Africa – meningococcal serogroups A, C, W, Y, and X. It is the only vaccine that protects against serogroup X.

As of end 2023, the global meningococcal vaccines stockpile had been accessed 62 times by 16 countries since 2009, with more than 29 million doses deployed from the stockpile in support to countries.

“Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance funds the global stockpiles of vaccines against cholera, Ebola, meningitis and yellow fever, and supports outbreak response campaigns in lower-income countries.

“Country requests to these stockpiles are managed by the WHO’s International Coordinating Group on Vaccine Provision.

“The ICG approved the deployment of 1,043,377 doses of MenFive in response to Nigeria’s request,” the statement noted.

Commenting on the milestones, the Director of High Impact Countries at Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, Dr Tokunbo Oshin said, “With outbreaks of infectious diseases on the rise worldwide, new innovations such as MenFive are critical in helping us fight back.

“Thanks to vaccines, we have eliminated large and disruptive outbreaks of meningitis A in Africa: now we have a tool to respond to other meningococcal meningitis serogroups that still cause large outbreaks resulting in long-term disability and deaths.

“Gavi will be working closely with the Nigerian government as well as our partners such as UNICEF and WHO to support the response to this outbreak.”

Gavi added that this first shipment signals the start of its support for a multivalent meningococcal conjugate vaccine programme, which will see the MenFive vaccine rolled out through outbreak response, routine immunisation, and catch-up campaigns in high-risk countries.

“Over the years, Gavi has worked with countries to support vaccination against meningitis A, reaching nearly 400 million children through campaigns and routine immunisation. These efforts have helped Africa defeat meningitis A, with no new cases detected since 2017.

“The addition of MenFive into health systems’ toolkit holds out the possibility that the other circulating serogroups could also one day be defeated,” it said.

NLC demands N794,000 minimum wage for workers in South West

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NLC demands N794,000 minimum wage for workers in South West

The Nigeria Labour Congress has demanded N794,000 as the new national minimum wage for workers in the South West geopolitical political zone.

The labour union in the South West, through the chairperson of the Lagos State chapter of the NLC, Funmi Sessi, made the demand during her presentation at the ongoing public hearing of the Tripartite Committee on National Minimum Wage in Ikeja, Lagos on Thursday.

Sessi noted that the demand was jointly agreed on by all the members of the union in the South West .

President Bola Tinubu, through Vice President Kashim Shettima, inaugurated a 37-member panel on the new minimum wage in the Council Chamber of the State House in Abuja on January 30, 2024.

Details later…

Uthman Salami

Uthman, a Mass Communication graduate from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, has over six years experience in journalism. He reports crime to community-related news for Metro, business with a focus on the capital market and the oil and gas.

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Contact: [email protected]

Police, NEMA on red alert in Lagos

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Police, NEMA on red alert in Lagos

The Lagos State Police Command and the National Emergency Management Agency have placed their operatives on red alert against any attack on warehouses and shopping malls.

The command’s spokesperson, Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed this to the News Agency of Nigeria on Thursday.

Hundeyin said that the command had tightened security around the different shopping malls and government warehouses with food items in the state to prevent possible attacks by hoodlums.

Several incidents of attacks and looting of warehouses and food trucks have been reported in many cities against the backdrop of the hardship and the cost of living crisis in the country,

Last week, some youths stole food items from trucks stuck in traffic along Kaduna Road in the Suleja area of Niger State.

The attackers reportedly overwhelmed the truck drivers and looted scores of bags of rice before they were dispersed by soldiers.

On Sunday, the Agricultural and Rural Development Secretariat of the Federal Capital Territory Administration confirmed the looting of its warehouse in Dei-Dei by residents in the FCT, over the economic hardship in the country.

Confirming the incident to our correspondent, the spokesperson for the ARD Secretariat, Zakari Aliyu, said the FCT Mandate Secretary, Agric Secretariat, Lawan Geidam, had earlier visited the warehouse, where the residents had looted everything in the store and vandalised the place, removing the roofs and windows.

The FCT Police Command said it had arrested 15 suspects in connection with the vandalism of the warehouse belonging to the Abuja FCDA.

The command’s Public Relations Officer,  SP Josephine Adeh, said this in a statement on Sunday in Abuja.

However, Hundeyin told NAN that the command was living up to its responsibility of providing security to all and sundry in Lagos.

He noted that the command was not anticipating any such attack, stressing that the deployment was just to check acts of violence in the state.

“The Command is just being alive to its responsibilities. In fact, the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Adegoke Fayoade, has deployed personnel to vulnerable places.

“Area Commanders, Heads of Tactical Teams and DPOs have also been briefed in that regard.

“Operatives of the state anti-crime outfit, the Rapid Response Squad (RRS), have also been briefed on the need to keep a close watch on government warehouses and malls, where food items and beverages are sold,” he said.

Similarly, NEMA in the South-West Region, said its management had beefed up security around their warehouses.

NEMA’s Coordinator in the South-West Zone, Mr. Ibrahim Farinloye, disclosed this to NAN on Thursday in Lagos.

Farinloye said the move is to forestall any attack on government warehouses by miscreants, who may want to hide under the cover of the current challenge in the country, to break into facilities where food items are stored.

“Although, there’s no single food item in the warehouses but all critical stakeholders are on standby for any attempt by anyone to break into them,” he noted.

He added that they had been directed to beef up security for the safety of all assets of government in the region.

“We are taking worse scenario precautionary safety measures to safeguard both human and other assets of the Federal Government from unforeseen circumstances,” he said.

NAN

Malaysia PM warns against blocking China’s economic rise

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Malaysia PM warns against blocking China’s economic rise

Malaysia’s Prime Minister, Anwar Ibrahim, on Thursday, warned against attempts by other countries to block China’s military and economic rise in the Asia-Pacific region.

As the United States and China jostle for regional influence, Southeast Asian countries should defend the “sanctity” of international law and urge cooperation, he told AFP on Thursday.

Beijing would see attempts to curb its military and economic expansion as a denial of its “legitimate place in history”, Anwar said in a speech at the Australian National University in Canberra.

“The obstacles that have been placed against China’s economic and technological advancement will only further accentuate such grievances,” he said.

The Malaysian prime minister was speaking after a meeting of Australian and Southeast Asian leaders in Melbourne that was dominated by discussion of China’s aggressive stance in the region.

Beijing claims almost the entirety of the South China Sea as its own, ignoring international legal precedent and competing claims from a host of Southeast Asian nations.

This week, Chinese boats in the Spratly Islands were accused of hounding Philippines vessels. Beijing in turn accused the United States of using the Philippines as a “pawn” in the region.

Anwar insisted that he was not suggesting countries should “turn a blind eye” to breaches of international law.

“A sense of foreboding has seeped into the discourse on the future of our region,” Anwar said, drawing a contrast with turn-of-the-century optimism about free trade helping to build alliances and moderate rivalries.

“Globalisation is decidedly under assault, economic interdependence is now seen as indicative of duress or, worse, of buckling under the weight of coercion,” he said.

“For some countries, the preservation of stability warrants nothing less than a more muscular approach towards international affairs.”

Anwar, who will host next year’s Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit, said multilateral institutions such as the 10-member bloc needed to ensure the region was resilient to power shifts.

“We must invest in institutions that will enable us to adapt to change peacefully without denying any nation of their rightful place in the global economy.”

Great uncertainty in the world highlighted the need for strong, universally recognised laws and more modern multilateral institutions, he said.

Anwar rebuked Western countries, with a “few exceptions”, for condemning the Russian invasion of Ukraine while remaining “utterly silent on the relentless bloodletting inflicted on innocent men, women and children of Gaza”.

“Unfortunately, the gut-wrenching tragedy that continues to unfold in the Gaza Strip has laid bare the self-serving nature of (the) much vaunted rules-based order,” he said.

“The differing responses by the West to human suffering defy reason.”

AFP

Tackle insecurity to ensure food security, SAN urges Tinubu

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Tackle insecurity to ensure food security, SAN urges Tinubu

A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Albert Akpomudje, has urged President Bola Tinubu to tackle the twin problems of insecurity and power supply as a way of ending food insecurity in the country.

Akpomudje made the call during an interview with journalists in Ughelli,  Delta State on Wednesday.

He decried the illegal occupation of farmlands in most parts of the country which, according to him,  had made farming difficult thereby leading to low food production in the nation.

He, however, expressed the hope that with an improved electricity supply, Nigeria will attain its maximum potential.

Akpomudje said, “I want to tell President Tinubu that one shortcut to tackle food insecurity and rising cost of living in the country is to tackle insecurity and power headlong.

“This has a multiplier effect that will solve the seemingly problems of hardship we face today.

“Herdsmen have occupied a great chunk of our farmlands and people are having difficulties going to farm.

“Those in production and manufacturing sectors have no power to produce, companies have left the country and our production capacity has nosedived to an unacceptable proportion.

“If the President can tackle the illegal occupation of our lands by killer herdsmen and improve our power generation, these problems we face will disappear naturally as people can return to farms without fears, companies will increase manufacturing and production. It is a known fact that insecurity is still persistent till now.

“In Delta here, the Uwheru axis is still being occupied by the killer herdsmen and our people cannot go to farm”.

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Rental luxury watches worth $13m go missing in Japan

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Rental luxury watches worth $13m go missing in Japan

Around 900 luxury watches worth almost $13 million are missing in Japan after a site renting them out folded and its owner fled to Dubai, local media reported.

The owners of the Rolexes and other pricey timepieces earned monthly deposit fees by loaning them to Osaka-based Toke Match, which would then rent them to customers.

Neo Reverse, the company that operated Toke Match, announced on January 31 the termination of its service and promised it would return all watches.

But the owners of around 900 watches worth 1.9 billion yen ($12.6 million) have not been reunited with their property, the Asahi Shimbun Daily and other media outlets reported, citing a group of about 190 owners.

Some of the watches have even been spotted on an online auction site, prompting owners to file dozens of complaints to police around Japan.

The auction site’s operator Valuence Japan told AFP that at least 20 watches it handled had serial numbers matching those loaned to Toke Match.

“We immediately stopped the circulation of these watches to prevent further damages from happening” through reselling, a spokeswoman said last week.

Half of the watches were already on the auction site before the Toke Match service was terminated, she said.

The Sharing Economy Association, Japan said in a statement that it had received reports that some of the watches were circulated in second-hand stores too.

The size of Japan’s “sharing economy” market is rapidly growing, reaching 2.6 trillion yen ($17 billion) in the last fiscal year, the association says.

Neo Reverse was one of around 400 members of the organisation but was delisted on February 1 following complaints by the owners that their watches had not been returned.

Tokyo police have obtained an arrest warrant for Toke Match’s owner Takazumi Kominato, 42, on suspicion of embezzlement of a Rolex watch, Jiji Press reported Wednesday, citing investigative sources.

He is suspected of selling the Rolex he loaned from an owner to a second-hand dealer for 650,000 yen in January, the report said.

However, Kominato flew out of Japan in late February for Dubai, and police plan to put him on the international wanted list, Jiji said.

AFP

You’re simply extraordinary, Wigwe’s daughter pays tribute to dad

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You’re simply extraordinary, Wigwe’s daughter pays tribute to dad

The daughter of Dr Herbert Wigwe, the late Chief Executive Officer of Access Bank Plc, Tochi Wigwe, gave an emotional tribute to her father on Wednesday night.

Tochi, along with several other friends and relatives, shared their condolences for the 57-year-old during the Night of Tributes at Eko Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos.

The funeral rites for Wigwe, his wife, and his son commenced on Monday, March 4, 2024.

They lost their lives in a helicopter accident in the United States a few weeks ago.

“I used to tell my father that I really hated public speaking and he tried to convince me that he hated it as well. But it’s just something he had to do so I’m going to try my best to be fearless,” Tochi said on stage, flanked by several of her friends.

“In this moment, for the first time, your words resonate deeply within me. No longer do I want to tilt my head and squint my eyes in confusion. You were simply extraordinary,” she added.

She recalled how her father was driven, determined and always exceeded expectations.

“You urged me to reach new heights I never even imagined. Whenever doubt clouded my mind, you would chuckle knowingly and say, ‘You really just don’t know whose child you are, you’ll soon find out.’ And once again, you were right: I’ve come to find out.

“I could never fathom how you managed to do it all; it seemed inconceivable. Turning everything you touched to gold while remaining an unwavering anchor for your family and friends,” she added.

She also narrated how her father traveled by air to see her for just a few minutes when she studied overseas

“Distance meant absolutely nothing to you.

“You traveled continents on a whim just to see me for a couple of minutes before heading back to your responsibilities,” she added.

Tochi noted that these were a testament to his steadfast and ever-constant love.

She referred to her father as a feminist and a champion of equality.

“According to him, my mother Hannah and I were the most beautiful and my nickname was also ‘pretty.’

“Who will prompt me to flash a peace sign in every photo; who will engage in marathon debates with my friends and myself on flights to Cape Town; who will inquire “what are they saying about me online today?” And who will ask me about my thoughts on Wigwe University.

“You were Paradox, a tower of strength with a heart as soft as silk. You can never raise your voice at me without calling me an hour later to apologise.

“Your influence extended far beyond our family circle.

“You effortlessly convinced my friends that their futures lay in Nigeria, urging them to elevate their aspirations.

“You’ve left me with enormous shoes to fill but you’ve also gifted me with an unwavering support system.

“You nurtured your relationships with such care that you’ve bestowed upon me farthest to guide and protect me for that I’m eternally grateful.

“I love you deeply and I ache for the day we will be reunited to resume our cherished gossip sessions to continue our pep talks about life and everything in between with all my love, Mama T, aka. Your Pretty,” she concluded.

The funeral programmes continue today, Thursday, March 7, 2024, with Combined Service of Songs at RCCG, Ressurection Parish, 1 Ressurection Drive, 1st Gate, Jakande Estate, Km 15 Lekki, at 10am.

On Friday, March 8, is the Christian Wake-Keeping at Wigwe University, Isiokpo, Rivers State at 7pm.

The Combined Funeral Service will be held on Saturday, March 9, at RCCG, Lion of Judah Parish, Isiokpo at 10am.

The private interment ceremony is on Saturday, March 9.

The final Outing Service is on Sunday, March 10, 2024 at RCCG, Lion of Judah Parish, Isiokpo at 10:00 am.

UCH doctors begin three-day strike over alleged assault  

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UCH doctors begin three-day strike over alleged assault  

Resident doctors under the aegis of the Association of Resident Doctors, University College Hospital, Ibadan in Oyo State, on Thursday, began a three-day strike over alleged assault on one of their members by relatives of a patient in the hospital.

The ARD President, John Oladapo, told newsmen in Ibadan, the state capital, that the doctors were demanding a public apology from the people who assaulted as well as inflicted injuries on him on Sunday.

Oladapo said, “On Sunday, one of our members was the target of a deliberate, premeditated, planned rage and furious assault by a patient’s relation.

“The doctor was seeing a known Sickle Cell patient in painful crisis at the Emergency Department when the two men accosted him in the consulting room and started beating him up.

“The mother of the patient being seen who tried to intervene was also beaten up in this assault. In the doctor’s attempt to escape, the men chased him down and beat him up.

“The security officers of the hospital intervened and rescued our member, but not before he sustained injuries as well as mental health and esteem.”

The president, therefore, called on the UCH management to improve its security architecture to avoid future occurrences in the hospital.

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