PwC absorbs 10 Lagos’ entrepreneurship initiative graduates

PwC Nigeria, a leading professional services company, has announced that it would absorb 10 graduating students of Ready Set Work Initiative of the Lagos State Government, as interns for a period of six months with a possibility of employing them at the end of their internship.

Uyi Akpata, Country Senior Partner for PwC Nigeria and Regional Senior Partner for the West Market Area disclosed this at the graduation ceremony of the pioneer class of the initiative consisting of 422 students. PwC is a major sponsor of the initiative.

“PwC is taking 10 of the graduating students as interns to run over a six-month period and I can say here from what I am seeing that those 10 people would have almost a foot in the door to get professional careers in PwC,” he said while calling on the other organisations sponsoring the initiative to follow the example saying that if at the end of the day 10 per cent of the graduating students gain employment within the sponsors, it would go a long way in not only further supporting the initiative but also help to address the unemployment issue in the country.

The Ready Set Work is an entrepreneurship and employability initiative of the Lagos State Ministry of Education for final year students of the state-owned tertiary institutions consisting of Lagos State University, Lagos State Polytechnic, and Lagos State College of Health Technology.

Akpata commended the initiative saying it aligned with PwC’s objectives as equips students with the critical skills and know-how necessary to either become employable or become employers of labour.

He said PwC did not only invest money in the initiative as sponsors, but also invested time, effort, commitment, dedication over a 14-week timeframe that the training lasted.

“It was a no-brainer and we wanted to align with the initiative that has been established and headed by the Executive Governor of Lagos State and of course driven down the line by members of the Ministry of Education. It sure aligned with the PwC’s objectives and about 16 partners from PwC joined in training the participating students.

“At every step of the way, we were emboldened as we continued to drive and take one step ahead. At one of my sessions in which I participated at the main campus of the Lagos State University, Ojo, after visiting the university for the first time in over 30 years, I could see the good work that was already happening at the university in terms of actual physical structures but then all these softer developmental issues, in terms of quality trainings and impartation are totally invaluable. We are indeed very proud to be part of this,” he said.

He pledged PwC’s continued support for the initiative as long as the Lagos State Government and members of the executive and key stakeholders continue to show strong interest in it.

Earlier on, Obafela Bank-Olemoh, theSpecial Adviser on Education to the Lagos State Government, said the initiative was a sharp response to the submission by notable corporate organisations across the country on the need to fully equip students of tertiary institutions across the state in order to make them employable.

He said about 3,000 students from the state-owned tertiary institutions appliedfor the programme out  of which 500 were shortlisted, adding that of the 500 students that came into the programme only 422 fulfilled the set criteria graduated.

“We set three basic criteria: one was punctuality. Every student had to be seated in class at least 5 minutes before 9am and remain in class till 5pm when we finished the programme. Two, we had 24 classes and every student had to go for at least 21 classes. And finally you have to ensure that you completed all the courses and the entire programme that you were given. I am happy to tell you that 422 students here today achieved that,” Bank-Olemoh said.

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Firm commences youth recruitment drive in Nigeria

In its commitment to the Nigerian market, customer experience management services provider, iSON BPO, has embarked on an intensive recruitment of Nigerian youths to fill its new call centers and skill development facilities in some states in Nigeria.

The new calls centres located in Oyo, Ogun and Kwara States will increase the company’s staff strength pan-Nigeria to over 4,000, thereby making it one of the highest employment generating establishments in the country.

The iSON Group Chief Executive Officer, Pravin Kumar, said as part of their core strategy, they have invested in developing state-of-the-art infrastructure and empowering local talents to foster a better future for the African continent.

“Through our centers, we are creating large scale employment directly in Nigeria and engendering indirect local employment opportunities as well. We believe so much in promoting local expertise that we do not outsource work outside of Africa.”

He said the high- tech call centers will serve the growing clientele that iSON has in Nigeria, with the twin benefits of up skilling talents in the best and contemporary methods available in customer service delivery globally, through its skills development centers.

“It is noteworthy that while many organizations are downsizing in Nigeria, iSON BPO is actively engaged in up skilling and creating additional capacity thereby boosting the economy in many ways. ISON BPO is a subsidiary of the iSON Group, providing analytics, customer experience management, voice process solutions and CRM process solutions. The BPO services infrastructure is built on global delivery framework to deliver voice, non-voice and other Knowledge Process Outsourcing (KPO) services through local presence to grow customers’ businesses.

The services are offered to all business sectors including Telecoms, Retail, Aviation, Government, Oil & Gas, Media, Banking, Financial and Insurance Services. Throughout the countries in which they operate, iSON focuses on employee training and capacity development, which in turn enables them to maintain leadership in their customer service offerings.

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Stocks shed 0.07% as consumer goods’ profit-booking halts gains

Trading in stocks closed on a negative note on the Nigerian Stock Exchange, halting three consecutive days of bullish runs.

The All Share Index lost 18.55 points or 0.07 per cent to close at27,839.93 points, while the market capitalization declined by N7 billion to close at N9.563 trillion.

Despite the decline, market breadth and volume traded were on a high side. Stock market analysts said that irrespective of the marginal dip, equities outlook looks bullish considering the positive market
breadth and baring any unforeseen circumstances. Analysts at United Capital attributed the marginal decline to profit-booking in the consumer goods, as other key sectors saw higher demand.

“ We expect on-going sentiment to extend into tomorrow’s trading session, as investors remain cautious while awaiting the outcome of MPC meeting which will likely offer a firm direction to equities,” the research firm said.

Another stock analysts notedthat market performance for rest of the week to be broadly  determined by the outcome of the ongoing MPC meeting, saying “This week, we expect a quiet start to proceedings, with investors likely to be cautious as they await MPC outcomes, which will likely offer a firm direction to equities.”

Market breadth closed positive with 27 gainers and 18 losers. Conoil led the gainers table by 10.24 per cent to close at N35.10 per share. Total followed with a gain of 5 per cent each to close at N262.50, while MRS gained 4.99 per cent to close at N38.48 per share.

Also, Transcorp went up by 4.81 per cent to close at N1.09 and Skye Bank rose by 4.76 per cent to close at 66 kobo per share.

On the other hand, Seven Up led the laggards’ table by 4.98 per cent to close at N139.15per share. Fidson trailed with a loss of 4.97 per cent to close at N1.53, while PZ Industries declined by 4.89 per cent to close at N18.07 per share.

Also, Avon Crown declined by 4.35 per cent to close atN1.32, while African Prudential shed by 4.26 per cent to close at N2.70 per share.

Meanwhile, the total volume traded appreciated by 43.36 per cent to 328.20 million shares, valued at N2.89 billion, and traded in 3,215 deals. Transactions in the shares of Access Bank topped the activity chart with 84.09 million shares valued at N468.62 million. FBN Holdings followed with 54.15 million shares worth N166.4 million, while UBA traded 38.86 million shares valued at N163.44 million.

Skye Bank traded 38.54 million shares worth N24.98 and Zenith Bank transacted 21 million shares valued at N303.34 million.

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Girding Anambra’s loin against flood

Since July 2016, devastating floods have affected many of the states in the country, causing property damage and loss of lives. The states that are worst hit include Kaduna, Ebonyi and Adamawa. It could be recalled that the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) in collaboration with the Nigerian Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA) warned of potential flooding in 11 states across the country between August and October this year.

It was against this background that the Anambra State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) in conjunction with trainers from the Southeast Zonal National Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) held a capacity building workshop on ‘Basic Skills in Search and Rescue,’ where at least 170 persons received training in search and rescue operations, as part of the contingency plans for the predicted 2016 flooding.

According to SEMA director, Chukwudi Onyejekwe, who coordinated the workshop on behalf of the Executive Secretary of SEMA, the directive to build community resilience for disaster risk reduction was from the state governor, Willie Obiano.

He said that it was to ensure that volunteer workers from the 21 local government areas of the state got needed training, to ensure there would be enough hands to tackle any unforeseen situation.

The volunteer workers in Otuocha, Anambra East Local Government Area, are also expected to gain knowledge needed to assist the floodprone rural dwellers ahead of the speculated flooding in order that no life will be lost.

In a simulated training at Otuocha, an emergency situation-like mood was activated, with sound of the
ambulance rattling the atmosphere, while emergency management officials rallied around to assist the supposed victims.

From the outdoor-dramatised emergency response display to the indoor actual workshop, the crux of the matter was to train the 170 volunteer workers from the 21 local government areas of the state on community resilience and disaster risk reduction with the use of modern equipment.

The director of SEMA, Mr. Chukwudi Onyejekwe, said that the training was a paradigm shift in disaster management which had moved from emergency response to disaster risk reduction.

The NEMA trainer, Ifeyinwa Onyia, who also represented the South- East zonal coordinator, urged the
participants to follow instructions and learn every skill taught them. The technical session was handled by other NEMA trainers who explained the function of each of the modern equipment used for search and rescue operation.

The technicalities in the use of the state-of-the-art ambulance were also explained to the participants, as a mobile clinic that sustains a victim before being taken to the hospital. For one of the participants Eucharia Attah, the training was a good development, as the use of advanced equipment in disaster risk reduction produce best results in rescue operations.

The idea of bringing rescue operation training to the rural communities is one that will not only help in the event of flooding, but one that will also assist in reducing disaster rate in different emergency situations.

Following the prediction by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency that some states in Nigeria would be devastated by flood, the identified states, apart from Anambra, are taking precautions to guard against the disaster. Flood has already displaced some people from their homes in Kaduna and some other states in the northern part of the country.

According to report from the Republic of Niger, the rise in the water level of its river has shown that any time from now Nigeria may suffer severe floods comparable to what was experienced in many states in 2012. The 2012 floods in Nigeria began in early July. According to NEMA, the flood killed 363 people and displaced over 2.1 million others as of November 5, 2012. The agency also stated that 30 of Nigeria’s 36 states were affected by the floods.

It described the floods as the worst in 40 years, adding that it affected an estimated total of seven million people. The estimated damage and losses caused by the floods were put at N2.6 trillion.

To avert a reoccurrence, NEMA recently advised communitiesalong the River Niger to evacuate immediately to safer grounds over the likelihood of floods that may occur at any moment from now, as it noted that there had been intense rainfall as well as rises in water levels across the country.

The Director-General, NEMA, Mr. Sani Sidi, who gave the advice said the agency had received alerts of the flood from information given by the authorities in the Republic of Niger that the present water level in the river had reached a point that might result in the flood that could be compared with the unfortunate experience of 2012.

He said, “Niger Basin Authority notified Nigeria that rainy season,which started in the Middle Niger (Burkina Faso and Niger Republic) in June, 2016, has led to a gradual rise of the level of River Niger in Niamey, Niger Republic. This high level of water in Niger Republic is already spreading to Benin Republic, and invariably, to Nigeria.”

Sidi further said the level of water in all the hydrological monitoring stations across the country, as alarming situation that requires the prompt and coordinated action of all governments and stakeholders.

“If the heavy rainfall continues in intensity and duration within these regions of the River Niger, it is imminent that flood situation similar to that of the year 2012 may occur,” he said.

The NEMA boss called on stakeholders to take necessary actions in line with their various mandates, adding that states and local governments were to ensure observance with the threat in order to avert imminent loss of lives and properties that might certainly arise in the event of severe floods. Sidi identified the states along the River Niger belts as being the most vulnerable as well as those along its major tributaries that includes Benue River belts, the confluence states and downstream to the Atlantic Coast.

The agency’s zonal and operation offices, he said, had been instructed to continue with advocacy visit to the state governments and also urged the state to utilise the flood vulnerability maps given to them earlier by NEMAto identify safer grounds for temporary shelters in time of evacuation as well as reviewing all their contingency plans.

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Police rescue 14 abducted oil workers in Rivers

Rivers Police Command said it has rescued 14 oil workers abducted by unknown gunmen on September 2 along Elele-Omoku Road.

The command`s spokesman, Mr. Nnamdi Omoni, a DSP, said in a statement in Port Harcourt that the workers were freed in the early hours of Sunday. Omoni said the Command`s Tactical Units, engaged the kidnappers in a gun battle, which lasted one and half hours, to rescue the victims.

“The oil workers were rescued unhurt due largely to the efforts of the Command’s Tactical Units, which, at the early hours of September 18, engaged the hoodlums in a fierce gun battle which lasted one and half hours, leading to the rescue of the victims.

“The hoodlums fled abandoning their hostages. Efforts are on to arrest and bring them to justice,” he said.

Omoni said no ransom was paid to rescue the workers.

“They have been debriefed and are receiving medical attention in the hospital. “Investigation is on-going at the Command’s Anti-Kidnapping Unit,” he said.

Omoni said that the police was determined to fight all forms of criminality and crimein the state. He appealed to residents to give the police useful information that would assist it achieve set objectives.

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A’Ibom First Lady vows to eliminate thuggery

Wife of Akwa Ibom State governor, Mrs Martha Udom, has vowed to eliminate thuggery in the state by empowering youths through her pet project, Family Empowerment and Youths Re-Orientation Programme (FeyRep).

Mrs. Martha Udom made the pledge over the weekend while addressing youths of Akwa Ibom who turned out en-masse for the Youths Seminar organised under the auspices of her pet project, (FeyRep).

According to her, the futureof some Akwa Ibom youths has been frustrated by desperate politicians who use them for political violence and later abandon them without doing anything to better their lives.

Mrs. Udom said she was committed to ensuring that through her project, FeyRep, youths of the state would be empowered with various kinds of skills that would make them self-employed and employable such that they would be too busy to be used by politicians for evil purposes.

She mentioned that the seminar was intended to reshape the lives and future of Akwa Ibom youths, warning that nobody should use youths of the state to commit any crime.

She disclosed that FeyRep had designed an elaborate programme of action to engage youths in the areas of agriculture, entrepreneurship, information and communication technology and other useful ventures.

“Through my project FeyRep, I will ensure that youths go intoagriculture, entrepreneurship  and other useful ventures, especially as the country is experiencing economic recession due to falling oil prices.

“The state government is trying to empower the youths with skills through mentoring and training. We don’t want our youths to be beggarly. We expect them to be self-reliant”, she maintained.

Mrs. Udom reiterated the resolve of the state government to massively industrialise the state as a way of providing employment opportunities for the teeming unemployed youths of the state.

She urged youths of the state not to compromise the valuesby engaging in crime, assuring  that government was doing everything possible to provide the enabling environment for them to succeed in life.

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Buhari charges Nigerians on legacies of past heroes

President Muhammadu Buhari, yesterday, charged Nigerians to allow the enduring and honest legacies of the nation’s past heroes inspire them towards salvaging the country from the present economic recession.

The President made the call while speaking at the 20th memorial service and symposium of the first female industrialist in Nigeria and third Iyalode of Egbaland, late (Mrs.) Esther Bisoye Tejuoso, held at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital.

Represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Babachir Lawal, President Buhari called on the citizens to be more committed to the “unity, security and progress” of the country.

The memorial service and symposium, which had in attendance, the mother of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Governor Ibikunle Amosun and the Oni of Ife, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi, among other dignitaries, was organised by the Tejuoso Royal Family in conjunction with the Development Agenda for Western in Nigeria Commission.

Buhari who hailed Bisoye as a “mentor and shining light” to many, said if the nation’s past leaders had the kind of “foresight, uprightness and managerial skills” the late female industrialist, Nigeria probably would not be having the current economic trauma.

He said the legacies of the third Iyalode of Egbaland is a “reference point for Nigeria,” adding that her “midas touch is needed today” to also get the country’s economy back on the right track.

“If our leaders had demonstrated the foresight, uprightness and managerial skills of Chief Bisoye Tejuoso our economy would have been better.
“Our past leaders refused to save and diversify the economy. Chief Bisoye Tejuoso’s success story in business can serve as a road map on how we can come out of recession.

“She rewarded excellence and merit. She was a true heroin and a woman of courage. Her life should propel us to dedicate our lives more to the unity, progress and security of our country,” the President said.

In his own message, Vice President Osinbajo advocated a state or community policing to enable the country tackle the internal security challenges which Nigeria is currently facing.
Osinbajo said the Nigerian police have not been able to “resolve” the puzzle behind the murder of the matriarch of Tejuoso dynasty 20 years after her death.

Chief (Mrs.) Tejuoso, mother of a prominent Egba traditional ruler, Oba (Dr.) Adedapo Tejuoso, was reportedly assassinated by 10 gunmen in her Lagos home on September 19, 1996.

The Vice President who recalled how the late industrialist gave him N12,000 in 1984 when his rented apartment in Lagos was gutted by fire, said Nigeria with a population of about 170 million people could not be adequately policed from an Abuja Central Command.

According to him, “state police or something like community policing is the way to go” to tackle the nation’s security challenges.
Osinbajo revealed that while there are less than 15,000 cases of conviction in Nigeria regarding criminal offenses, they have 2.2 million convicted criminals behind bars in the United States of America.

He said by that data on convicted criminals, it is either Nigeria has “more well behaved citizens or there is something wrong with the criminal justice system in the country.”

The Vice President, however, said the administration of justice in Nigeria must be properly looked into while the police should also deploy hi-tech to investigate and unravel crimes and their perpetrators.

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Boko Haram terrorists ambush,kill 6 civilians, injure 3 soldiers

Nigerian Army yesterday confirmed the killing of six civilians by Boko Haram terrorists in an ambush at Sanda, Borno State, leaving three soldiers with diverse degrees of injuries.

Director of Army Public Relations, DAPR, Colonel Sani Usman, who confirmed the ambush, said the troops were escorting commercial vehicles from Damboa to Maiduguri, when they were attacked at Sanda general area.

“Unfortunately, 5 civilians lost their lives on the spot and another died on the way to the hospital. Three soldiers also sustained injuries,” Usman said.

He disclosed that those wounded had been evacuated to Maiduguri, while another patrol team had been dispatched to reinforce the troops, clear the general area and pursue the terrorists.

“This unfortunate incident has brought to the fore the need for more vigilance and cooperation amongst all.

“We would like to assure the public that we would not allow this isolated incident to thwart the peace and security commuters enjoy along the route and all other opened routes in the North East.

“Troops are on the heels of the attackers and would not relent till they are apprehended or killed,” he said.
The spokesman said additional security measures had also been put in place to avert reoccurrence. In addition, he said the Theatre Command, Operation LAFIYA DOLE, clarified that alleged suspected

Boko Haram terrorists attack at Chibok was not correct.

“What happened was that, two persons were murdered at Kwamjilari Village, (which is over 30 kilometres from Chibok, and very close to Sambisa forest), by suspected remnants of Boko Haram terrorists looking for food.

“We wish to reiterate that they weren’t killed outside or near a church as being bandied around.

“The people from the said village are all in Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs, camp in Chibok. Those who went back to the village without authorisation were moved back to Chibok two weeks ago.

“Those killed went back on their own contrary to security advice.

“Nevertheless, a patrol team was sent from Chibok to the village this morning (yesterday).

“Adequate measures would be taken to ensure no one goes back to the village for now,” he stated.

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PDP’ll comes out stronger — Makarfi

Chairman, National Caretaker Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Senator Ahmed Makarfi, said the current internal crisis rocking the party would make it come out stronger as it is poised to reconcile with all aggrieved groups.

In a press briefing yesterday in Abuja, Makarfi said PDP was committed to reconciliation with all the interest groups in the party.

He emphasised that even if his faction was victorious in court, there would still be need for reconciliation as the party was making serious efforts to resolve its crisis, even as he added that such reconciliation must be based on rational demands.

Makarfi said the caretaker committee was not representing itself and promised to do anything the generality of PDP members wanted.

He said: “Not only shall we rise and run. We shall rise and fly. We are doing everything possible. Even if you are victorious in court, you still need to come home and do reconciliation. So,it is better if we can achieve that instead of leaving it to litigation to settle down.

“We are not representing ourselves. Whatever the party wants, we will do. We don’t have personal interest in this matter. We listen to the opinions of the overwhelming members of the PDP.

“Reconciliation is something you talk less about. Because certain action being taken if you talk about it you will indirectly be undermining the process. We are open to the reconciliation.

“There must be flexibility when you are talking of reconciliation. And of course the overwhelming views of majority of the members, even whoever you may classify as minority, cannot be ignored.“You must make concession here and there and I believe that the party is ready to do that. But that will be the basis of rational and reasonable demands, so that we can all work as one family.”

Secretary of the committee, Senator Ben Obi said the committee is committed to restoring the party to its past glory.

“We are deeply committed in making sure that PDP comes back to its old self. That is what the chairman has been busy doing in the last three four weeks as he was meeting with various leaders across the country in search for peace,” he said.

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Eight Afghan policemen killed in US strikein

US air strikes have killed eight Afghan policemen in the embattled southern province of Afghanistan, officials confirmed, as security forces, supported by US strikes, battle Taliban fighters.

Rahimullah Khan, a provincial operational commander, said the first of two air strikes on Sunday afternoon killed one policeman at a checkpoint outside the provincial capital of Tarin Kot, while the second, killed seven others.

Another official, Uruzgan deputy police chief Mohammed Qawi Omari, put the death toll at six, but also reported the police were killed by a foreign air strike.

The US military command in Kabul confirmed its warplanes had conducted an air strike in the area, but said they targeted “individuals firing on and posing a threat to” Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF).

“We don’t have any further information on who those individuals might have been or why they were attacking [the] ANDSF,” US military spokesman Brigadier General Charles Cleveland said in a statement.

“US, coalition, and Afghan forces have the right to self-defence and in this case were responding to an immediate threat.”

Afghan officials said that they were investigating the attack and were in contact with the US-led coalition.

Al Jazeera’s Jennifer Glasse, reporting from Kabul, said fighting to push back the Taliban from the Uruzgan province is ongoing and that US forces are helping the Afghan forces.

“At this point it is difficult to know if this was a mistake in identity or whether the coordinates were called in wrong, but we do know that there were Taliban in the areas,” our correspondent said.

“But as so often happens here, the Afghan security forces get caught in the middle, and in this case, eight Afghan policemen are reportedly killed.”

The Taliban have in recent months stepped up their attacks in Uruzgan and neighbouring provinces in the south, including the Taliban heartland of Helmand.

Afghan security forces, supported by American air strikes and international military advisers, are battling the Taliban who have fought a 15-year insurgency against the Western-backed government in Kabul.

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Aid stuck at border as Syria truce about to expire

Afolabi Gambari | WITH AGENCY REPORT

Two aid convoys destined for Syria’s Aleppo, with enough supplies to feed 185,000 people for a month, remained stuck in Turkey on Monday as rebels said a landmark ceasefire had effectively ended.

The United Nations has said it does not have sufficient security guarantees from all sides in the conflict, now in its sixth year, to be able to deliver the 40 lorries of aid to eastern Aleppo, which is held by rebels battling to topple President Bashar al-Assad.

The aid has been sitting at the border for nearly a week, as the patchy seven-day ceasefire was punctuated by fighting and air raids, with all sides accusing each other of violating it.

The UN also wants to deliver aid to other hard-to-reach parts of the country, but says it has not received the necessary permissions from the government to proceed.

“They completely wasted time. They had a really good opportunity in the past week, with low casualty numbers and low bombing rates, to be able to send in aid, but we haven’t seen that,” Hadeel al-Shalchi, Syria researcher with Human Rights Watch (HRW), told al Jazeera.

A rebel official told the Reuters news agency that the truce, brokered by the US and Russia, had ended, and there was no hope that the eastern Aleppo aid would be delivered.

According to a timetable set by Moscow and Washington, the ceasefire was due to officially expire at 1600 GMT on Monday. The Syrian army, though, said last week it would expire at midnight on Sunday.

Up to 275,000 people remain trapped in eastern Aleppo – Syria’s most populous city – without food, water, proper shelter or medical care, said Stephen O’Brien, the UN undersecretary general for humanitarian affairs.

“I am pained and disappointed that a United Nations convoy has yet to cross into Syria from Turkey, and safely reach eastern Aleppo,” O’Brien said in a statement, referring to a 20-truck convoy, the first of two that would have carried flour and other food supplies.

Both convoys were still sitting at the Turkey-Syria border, where they have been for almost a week, UN spokesman Jens Laerke said.

“We know that the situation is deteriorating quickly. We know that people will begin to starve, as they ration the products that they have in the city at the moment,” said HRW’s Shalchi.

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Ambode tasks transport operators on observation of traffic rules, etiquettes

… Commissions layby, slip road at Ketu-Alapere

Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode yesterday tasked commercial bus drivers and other transport operators in the state on observation of the state traffic rules and etiquettes, even as he commissioned layby and slip road at Ketu-Alapere to stop traffic congestion in the axis.

Ambode who was represented by his deputy, Dr. Idiat Adebule at the commissioning of the 700 metre concretised slip road on Saturday said it was another mission statement of his administration’s commitment to making life better for residents and investors in the state.

According to the governor, the new look Alapere-Ketu Layby, was characterised by the construction of a two-lane access road from Iyana Oworo inward Alapere- Ketu that would relieve traffic flow towards Lagos – Ibadan Expressway and Ojodu-Berger axis.

He said that provision was also made for pedestrian safety with the integration of a twometre  wide walkway and drainage on one side of the lay-by access inward Alapere-Ketu, to ensure that vehicular movement is not impeded by pedestrians.

Governor Ambode urged transport unions to educate their members on observation of State Traffic Laws and road etiquette for the safety of all, saying that the provision of the layby will considerably reduce travel time for all motorists therefore, commercial vehicles have no cause to create gridlocks in order to get to their destinations.

Apart from being concretised, the Slip Road also comes with horticulture, artworks, walkways, covered drains and street lights, and is designed to last for at least 25 years.

Earlier in his welcome address, Special Adviser to the Governor on Transportation; Prince Anofiu Elegushi had said the project is one of the major interventions along Ketu-Alapere axis.

He said; “over the last six months, this administration has dedicated considerable resources to the fulfilment of its initiatives of providing basic elements of roads and transport infrastructure. This is because we appreciate the importance of transportation to our national economy.

“This facility hasbeen created to respond to the traffic congestion and gridlock usually occasioned along the axis. There is the multiple layby at Oworosoki, the car wash layby, the slip road at Olopomeji Road, the clear-view fence, this slip road and the layby located here in Alapere bus stop.”

He stated further that gridlock challenges the Lagosians’ ability to build a virile economy. We must then provide both human and technological solution to mitigate it.

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17 Indian soldiers killed in attack on Kashmir base

Seventeen Indian soldiers and four suspected rebel fighters have been killed in an attack on an army headquarters in Indian-administered Kashmir, according to a statement by the army’s northern command.

“Four terrorists killed in counterterrorist operation at Uri. 17 soldiers make the supreme sacrifice,” the command said on Twitter on Sunday, referring to the Uri area, about 100km west of the troubled northern region’s main city of Srinagar.

The fighters first attacked a frontline base close to the border known as the Line of Control before moving on to the headquarters, army spokesman Colonel SD Goswami said.

Most of the fatalities happened in a tent that caught fire, Lieutenant General Ranbir Singh, the Indian army’s director general of military operations, told the briefing in New Delhi.

Reuters television footage showed helicopters flying in to evacuate the injured as an operation continued to secure the area. Smoke rose from the compound, set in mountainous terrain. The Defence Ministry earlier put the number of wounded at 35.

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Suspected serial pick-pocket steals again during interrogation

A 28-year old suspect who was arrested by the operatives of Rapid Response Squad (RRS) for pick-pocketing prove his mettle by stealing N1,200 again inside the police’s custody during interrogation.

The suspect, Deji Ayoola, had hitherto, been nabbed by the patrol team of the squad at Ojodu Berger over the weekend for pick-pocketing a commuter who was trying to board a bus at the  RedemptionCamp.

He had successfully perpetrated the crime before the RRS operatives who sighted him when he was removing the wallet pursued and arrested him.

However, it was gathered that during his interrogation at the RRS’sheadquarters in Alausa, the suspect showed his skill again by stylishly stepping on a N1,200 which fell from a policewoman’s pocket while  she was removing her cell phone from the pocket.

When the money dropped on the floor, rather than draw the attention of the woman police to it, he pocketed it.

Unknown to him, another suspect had seen him when he was hiding the money, and immediately
alerted the officer that the money she was looking for was with the suspect.

Earlier, the suspect who lived at Mowe area of Ogun State, had confessed to the crime he committed
but blamed the devil for act.

“I truly removed the wallet from his (victim) pocket before I was arrested by the policemen. They bundled me to their office immediately. It was the devil who pushed me into the act. I pray to God to forgive me”, he pleaded.

Speaking with the victim over the incident, Ayodele Akerele said, “I collected a sum of N14,500 from Automated Teller Machine (ATM) from a bank at Berger on my way to the Redemption Camp.  However, I had no inkling that my money had been removed. It was about the time to pay fare that I discovered my wallet had disappeared”.

“In fact, I had even forgotten about the money until the following day, when an operative from RRS called me that my wallet was recovered from a suspect when they nabbed him. The Policeman added that they found my mobile number inside my wallet which made it easy for them to call me.I was shocked to hear this because I had already lost hope of recovering the money”, he stated.

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Human traffickers now use donkeys to transport victims—NIS

…agency rescues 11 victims

Human traffickers have devised ways of eluding security by using motorcycles and donkeys to transport their victims across the nation’s borders.

Comptroller of the NIS in Katsina State, Mr. Mohammed Rabiu Yaro, made this known Monday while parading 11 victims rescued from suspected traffickers.

The victims were rescued last Saturday at various border posts in the state while trying to sneak into Niger Republic, enroute one of the European countries. Yaro said human traffickers now use “motorcycles and donkeys to ferry their victims” across the nation’s borders to neighbouring countries “to avoid detection by security operatives.” He said NIS was able to rescue the victims based on new strategies adopted by men of its intelligence unit.

He however, did not disclose which border areas the victims were rescued from, adding that doing so could jeopardise investigation being carried out to track down the traffickers.

Yaro said from investigation, it was learnt the intention was to ferrythe “victims across the  border en-route Agadez, Niger Republic, to Libya and then to Italy.

“It was further established that none of the victims was in possession of any travel documents nor any means of livelihood.”

 He reiterated commitment of the NIS to deal with the syndicate group in order to keep the state from being used as transit route for human trafficking.

He said the victims would be handed over to the zonal office of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Traffic in Persons and Other Related Matters, NAPTIP, for further action.

Some of the victims, who spoke to newsmen, said that they regretted their action and had acted out of ignorance and misinformation.

National Mirror reports that the victims included seven persons from Edo State, three from Delta and one from Kogi State.

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Southern Kaduna to host $120m rice, potatoes plant

Kaduna State Governor, Malam Nasir el-Rufai, has announced the establishment of the biggest West Africa multi- billion naira French Rice and Potatoes processing plant in Manchok, Kaura Council Area of Southern part of the state.

The processing plant after completion will offer 30,000 direct jobs to the teaming unemployed youths in the state.

Addressing a news conference in Kaduna heralding the ground breaking of the plant scheduled for this week, state Commissioner for Agriculture and Forestry, Dr. Manzo Maigari, said 5,000 hectres of land in each local government area would be allocated to community on the best ways of planting potatoes.

He explained that as one of the steps to empower farmers in the state, VICAMPRO, owner of the processing plant will buy the potatoes from the farmers for its massive production as 60 percent of the products would be exported.

Maigari added that governor el-Rufai’s economic diversification drive would extend to other crops to revive the current economic challenges facing the country and the state.

The commissioner said: “Since the coming of this government, we came with a goal and determination infarming. What we did is by  organising farmers into cooperatives,commodity interest groups and the rest, but we look at things critically and we decided that everything we are going to do in agriculture.

“We have to have some value added which will beprivate sector driven, so we are lucky to have VICAMPRO with an investment worth $120m coming into Kaduna State to process French rice and potatoes, but what are the gains for us, with this investment weare looking at 30,000 direct jobs, we are also working closely with them to see how we can develop out growers network across allthe local  government areas that has suitable soil to grow potatoes.

“Another benefit is that it will help us to standardise our farm practice in the state.”

On his part, Executive Secretary, Kaduna State Investment Promotion Agency, KADIPA, Gambo Hamza, said the Kaduna Investment Summit held some months ago has started yielding results with the launch of French rice/potatoes processing plant noting that Olam had launched biggest poultry/hatchery in Sub-Sahara Africa in Kaduna.

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Syria, nuclear arms and refugees top UN Assembly agenda

Annual meeting of world leaders in New York more likely to heighten world’s tribulations than solve them as world leaders arrived at the United Nations headquarters for an annual confab with hopes of addressing everything from superbugs to climate change and a global anti-poverty drive that is already faltering in its first year.

Presidents, diplomats and their delegations must also broach impromptu items, such as North Korea’s recent nuclear test. A US air raid that allegedly killed at least 62 Syrian government soldiers on Saturday threatens a fragile truce in that country and sparked fresh rows at the UN.

On top of that, the United States, Russia, China and other UN heavyweights must see beyond their differences and agree on who will run the world body once the incumbent, Ban Ki-moon, steps down at the end of the year.

On Monday, the UN will host a summit for refugees and migrants that may have already failed – countries refused to commit themselves to a UN target of resettling 10 percent of refugees each year.

The outcome is a “watered-down version of what we had hoped for”, Erol Kekic, from the refugee aid group Church World Service, told Al Jazeera, adding that denying hope to the world’s 21 million refugees was “irresponsible and frankly dangerous”.

A separate meeting on refugees, to be hosted by US President Barack Obama on Tuesday, will probably gain more traction, not least because any leader showing up must come bearing gifts. Guests will be giving cash, letting more refugees into their countries or helping them find jobs.

Obama’s presence raises a question all of its own. His internationalism has buoyed UN meetings over the past eight years, but he leaves office in January and US voters have yet to decide who will replace him.

On Wednesday, leaders will be asked to ratify a climate change deal agreed in Paris in December – pushing it closer to the 55 ratifying states, covering at least 55 percent of global emissions, needed before it comes into force.

UN officials say that deal could be sealed by early 2017.

Also on Wednesday, the UN will launch a scheme to combat antibiotics-resistant bugs. Convincing the world’s farmers to stop using the drugs to fatten livestock is top of a list of challenges, health expert
Laurie Garrett told Al Jazeera.

In all, the UN expects some 140 world leaders to show up for a gruelling, diplomatic marathon that plays out over two weeks. Diplomats have booked out rooms for 11,000 private, bilateral sit-downs and 545 larger meetings.

Expected in Manhattan are Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Myanmar’s leader Aung San Suu Kyi and Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos, who will present his historic peace deal with FARC rebels.

The Democratic presidential candidate in the US election, Hillary Clinton will also be in town, burnishing her foreign policy credentials by meeting the Presidents of Egypt, Abdel- Fattah el-Sisi, and Ukraine, Petro Poroshenko.

Human rights lawyer Amal Clooney lent some stardust to proceedings on Friday, railing against human trafficking. Other celebrities will visit New York to advance pet projects.

Actor Ben Affleck is expected to discuss Congo’s war and Coldplay frontman Chris Martin will sing against poverty in Central Park.

But, for the UN, the big 2016 General Assembly theme is the set of environmental and anti-poverty targets that were agreed last year by all 193 members, with the headline ambitions of ending poverty and hunger everywhere by 2030.

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Putin’s party wins majority in parliamentary elections

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s political party, United Russia, has won a majority in the country’s parliamentary elections.

According to a report from Russian state-run news agency Tass, United Russia won 54.28% of the vote, with 93% of all votes counted.

Tass says preliminary results from the Central Election Commission suggests the party will win 343 seats of the 450 on offer.

Over 111 million people are eligible to vote in the Russian elections with 450 seats in the State Duma up for grabs.

Those elected on party ticketsare elected from the candidatelists which are presented by the parties taking part in the polls. The other 225 members — representatives for independent constituencies or areas that are part of the Russian Federation — are voted in using the firstpast-the-post system.

The Communist Party is expected to win 42 seats with 13.54% of the votes, ahead of the Liberal Democratic Party on 39 seats and the Fair Russia Party on 23.

Turnout for the State Duma vote was 47%, according to Tass — well down on the 60% five years ago. Head of the CEC Ella Pamfilova told reporters Monday that she did not expect any significant changes in the results.

“Of course, there can be some minor changes in the results, but on the whole the CEC believes that no major changes are expected. In fact, the results are rather clear and definitive,” she was quoted as saying by Tass.

“I hope these results properly reflect reality and if someone has any doubts they can come to us, they are welcome. “I am sure that most members of the Commission didn’t expect such a result, it came as a surprise to us in many ways.”

The result signals an improvement for United Russia, which won 49% of the vote and 238 seats during the 2011 election. A gain of 105 seats means United Russia has inflicted heavy losses on its opponents.

The Communists have lost 50 seats, Liberal Democratic Party have lost 17, and A Just Russia lost 41. The party has benefited hugely from its association with Putin, who has spent the past 17 years as either Prime Minister or President. Putin’s next target is the presidential election in 2018.

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World Cup qualifier: Rohr to unveil Zambia Eagles weekend

Super Eagles coach, Gernot Rohr, is expected to release his team list for the Russia 2018 World Cup qualifying match against Zambia next month by Friday.

The German coach, it was learnt, has been having telephone conversations with virtually all the players he wants to include in his list, to ascertain their wellbeing and assess their mental readiness for the game scheduled to hold in Ndola on October 9.

Rohr is expected to keep faith with many of the players that won 1-0 in Uyo Akwa Ibom State, against Tanzania Taifa Stars in the dead rubber African Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2017 qualifier earlier this month.

“Rohr has been in touch with the players, checking up on them and encouraging them ahead of the World Cup showdown in Zambia next month,” a top official told African- Football.com.

“He wishes to raise their confidence and self-esteem by this personal contact.”

The German coach has harped on the need for the Super Eagles players to have self-belief after the failure of the country to qualify for two straight AFCONs.

“The confidence has not been there because the team failed to qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations, but when results start to come, the confidence will return,” he said.

“It is a difficult challenge (to qualify for the World Cup). Nigeria are not the favourites after we did not qualify for the last two AFCONs, but we hope to be at the World Cup.”

He has hinted on a recall for both Arsenal forward Alex Iwobi and Portugal- based Oghenekaro Etebo after both players missed the Tanzania game due to injuries. But while Iwobi is back in full action, Etebo has suffered yet another injury setback in Portugal.

Meanwhile, as the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers get underway next month, former Zambian striker, Zeddy Saileti, insists the Chipolopolo can beat Nigeria.

The Post of Zambia website quotes the striker as claiming that the Super Eagles are beatable, despite saying they are a big name in continental football. Saileti was in the team that lost 2-1 to the Super Eagles during the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations final in Tunisia.

“I think that Nigeria is a big team, it’s a big name in African football but they are beatable, there is no need to fear them,” said Saileti.

“We have failed to qualify to the Africa Cup and they have also failed, they may have the players in Europe but the truth is, they have not been doing well in recent years.

“But we equally haven’t done so well, though I am made to believe that it’s us who want it the most because we have never been to the World Cup.

“Now we have a new technical bench which means we just have to prepare very well, work very hard and if we work hard, we can win,” Saileti said.

Zambia are chasing their maiden appearance in the World Cup and are set to welcome Nigeria on October 9.

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SAN urges NASS to pass NFF bill, end football crisis

A Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Barr. Abdulhakeem Mustapha, has posited that enactment of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) bill into law is the only antidote to the lingering court cases filed by individuals to control the federation.

Barr. Mustanpha who was a former chairman of the NFF electoral committee that brought the leadership of Alhaji Aminu Maigari into office, further said that if care is not taken court cases will cripple Nigerian football.

He bared his mind yesterday in Abuja at the ceremony where new SANs were inaugurated. According to Mustapha, the solution to Nigerian football crisis is for the National Assembly to pass the  NFF Bill into law, saying until that is done, the house of football will continue to have crisis.

“The moment the legislators pass the bill on Nigeria football, it will solve all the problems. We need to put our house together and give National Assembly the reason to pass the bill.

“The issue of leadership crisis; somebody going to court today another one to court tomorrow, the statutes are very clear about it. Football generally has internal dispute resolution mechanism, and they need to respect that. Football stakeholders need to know that when there is dispute which is inevitable in human endeavour, they should trust internal disputes mechanism of the federation,” the senior lawyer counseled.

Speaking on different court orders and conflicting rulings that have bedevilled the federation, he said court cases may cripple Nigerian football.

“What is constant and sacrosanct is that NFF statute that football stakeholders signed to. “If we are not careful, if we allow regular courts to intervene in Nigeria football it will get to a stage whereby we may be restrained by FIFA not to play World Cup. That is the truth: that is why we need to propagate peace in Nigeria football.”

He then urged all quarrelling football stakeholders to sheath the sword and embrace peace.

“If crisis deny the country qualification, Nigerians will watch it on screens, not only that sponsorship will not come. We need to unite for the progress of football in the country”.

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