90 percent of students in Benin Republic university are Nigerians – Official

July 09, 2017

The President of the Houdegbe North American University in the Republic of Benin, Dada Houdegbe, on Saturday announced that about 90 per cent of its students were Nigerians.

Mr. Houdegbe made the remark at the University’s award of degrees and conferment of honorary awards to its graduating students and other local and international personalities.

“Three years ago, we graduated about 3,000 students from different areas of studies.

“Today, the Houdegbe North American University is graduating about 2,000 students, as well as the conferment of Honorary Doctorate Degrees on deserving personalities.

“Let me say that about 90 per cent of students in our university are Nigerians, who are happy being our students,” he said.

According to him, there is currently a growing interest of many young Nigerians in the courses being offered by the university, its affordability and good learning environment.

The president said that the university was meant to build bridges across political, economic, linguistic and cultural divides in West Africa, in particular, and Africa, in general.

Mr. Houdegbe commended former president Olusegun Obasanjo for his belief in the institution’s ideals, as well as the encouragement he had continued to give to the university.

Samia Nkrumah, founder of the Kwame Nkrumah Pan-African Centre, said that the time had come for West African and other African countries to embrace the policy of “Education for All’’.

The daughter of former Ghanaian President, Kwame Nkurumah, said that the overall development and transformation of the region and the continent would largely depend on education.

“We must be more committed in encouraging and promoting educational exchanges between West African countries and other African countries.

“We must realise as Africans that we currently have a very fast-growing young population that should be given qualitative education.

“We need to ensure that we actually prepare our young population to be more productive. We, therefore, need to encourage our young men and women to freely acquire education in any university of their choice,
across West Africa and Africa in general,” she said.

Peng-Khuan Chong, an Emeritus Professor of Political Science, Plymouth State University, in the United States, enjoined the graduating and undergraduate students to learn to be competent, confident and have compassion.

“Young men and women in the Republic of Benin, Nigeria and other African countries, should learn to be competent, be confident and have compassion.

“And then, they must be courageously strong, innocently hopeful, and most importantly, be forever hopeful,” he said.

A Nigerian undergraduate at the university, Linus Richard, said that he and many other Nigerian students were happy to have had the opportunity to study at the institution.

Mr. Richard said that the institution’s admission process was devoid of the problems associated with writing a qualifying examination, it’s academic calendar hitch-free, with affordable fees, as well as a conducive study environment.

The university was established in 1992 in Cotonou, Republic of Benin, as a private tertiary institution, which offers both undergraduate and postgraduate courses.

(NAN)

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Senate approves NYSC, law school for NOUN graduates

July 08, 2017 No Comments

The Senate yesterday amended the law establishing the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) to enable graduates of the institution participate in the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme and the Law School. 

The amendment followed consideration of report of the Senate Committee on Tertiary Institutions and TETFUND, chaired by Senator Jibrin Barau (APC, Kano) on the amendment of NOUN Act.  The review aligned NOUN’s Act with the requirements of the Universities Miscellaneous Provisions (Amendment) Act 2012, the law which regulate all universities in the country.

Barau said the amendment would address perception that the university is correspondence and seen as part time institution.

“These two concepts correspondence and part-time significantly affect the way the public views the programs run by the university. 

“This has been the reason why law graduates of the school are not admitted into the Nigerian Law School, as well as the reason for the non inclusion of the graduates of the university into the NYSC,” he said. 

Senate President Bukola Saraki said the amendment would go a long in enhancing the institution. 

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Dogs Get Better Treatment Than Nigerian Workers - Shehu Sani

May 02, 2017 No Comments

The Senator representing Kaduna Central, Shehu Sani has advocated N145,000 as minimum wage for Nigerian civil servants.

He described the current N18,000 minimum wage as ‘a big insult’ to Nigerian workers, adding that the amount was not even enough to feed a politician’s dog in a month

Sani said this on Monday when he entered the venue of the workers’ day celebration in Abuja.

Sani said that the Nigerian workers deserved to live better as the country was rich enough to comfortably pay them well.

According to him, “When you say N56,00, or N60,000, sometimes all these things are tied to our foreign exchange. Nigerian workers should have not less than $300 per month and that will be between N140,000 and N150,000.

“I would be one of those that would push it forward. Nigeria has the resources to do that. The amount of money that is being used to maintain and sustain political office holders, the amount of money being wasted on corruption, the amount of money being stolen both known and unknown are monumental to the point that we cannot tell ourselves that such a country that pride itself as a giant of Africa will be paying less than $20 in the name of minimum wage.

“N18,000 or N20,000 minimum wage is an insult to Nigerian workers because it cannot sustain even a dog or security man in the house of a politician.

“So, as far as I am concerned, I believe the only way to be fair and just is not just to peg it but rather make it a government policy. Public and private working places should maintain that especially you journalists that have no salary.

“I think there should be a law that should peg a minimum wage and take it to the dollar and that will be the best way which workers will be able to sustain themselves and their family.”

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Reports: A Serving Corp Member, 34 others Arrested in Kogi

May 02, 2017 No Comments

A serving corp member has been arrested by the Kogi State Police Command for breaking the Automated Machine (ATM) of ECO bank with digger and axe along Ganajana area in Lokoja with intention of stealing money from the machine.

The Kogi State Police Commissioner, CP Wilson Inalegwu while addressing journalists yesterday at the Police Command said the serving corp member, Aka-Jude Tersoo and his partner in crime Godwin Idih were among 34 suspected criminal arrested within one week in the state.

He explained that on the twenty six of last month at about 2 am, the serving corp member and his partner were arrested by a vigilant Armed Police patrol team on duty noticed suspicious movement at the bank and stopped to observed.

He disclosed that on close examination the police patrol saw two individual later identified as Godwin Idih and Aka-Jude Tersoo breaking the ATM machine with digger and axe.

"The team promptly intercepted and arrested the suspects and recovered theexhibits and on interrogation, the suspects confessed to the crime.

He noted that the arrest were made within one week adding that the command was determined to curb crime so that indigenes and visitors alike can sleep with their two eyes closed.

Wilson Inalegwu pointed out that these breakthrough resulted from the relentless efforts of its officers, improved security coverage and result oriented strategies.

"The Command will continue to adopt common problem solving strategies for. effective result on the Community Policing which has improved public confidence in the Command resulting in public spirited individuals coming forward to give or provide valuable information on criminal elements and their activities.

"The Command will not rest on its oars and will continue to work hard to ensure the security of life and property", he maintained

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World Boxing Champion Anthony Joshua to Have Stadium Named After Him in Nigeria

May 02, 2017 No Comments

The Ogun state government is looking to rename a street and stadium after Anthony Joshua. Parents of the World Heavyweight Champion hail from Sagamu, one of the biggest cities in Ogun state. The British-Nigerian boxer defeated Ukrainian Wladimir Klitschko in a World Heavyweight Fight World Heavyweight champion Anthony Olufemi Joshua is set to have a street and stadium in Ogun state named after him.
The British-Nigerian boxer defeated Ukrainian Wladimir Klitschko to become the new World Heavyweight Champion last weekend.

Reports say that majority leader of the State House of Assembly Yinka Mafe is looking to move a motion to have the Sagamu International Stadium renamed Anthony Joshua Stadium, and the popular Cinema Street in the city, renamed the "Anthony Joshua Street". It is believed that the boxer's family owns almost half the land and property on one side of Cinema street in the popular town.

The cinema, from which the road takes its name, was built by the boxer's great grandfather Omo-Oba Daniel Adebambo Joshua in the 50s, and is one of the oldest of such facilities in the country. The legislator watched the fight in an open air viewing event organised by the Sagamu Youth Congress alongside hundreds of youths, and was thrilled by both the turnout and the outcome.
"We are proud of what he has achieved as a son of Sagamu, and we will be happy to do our own little bit to show our appreciation and support for him," Mafe said.

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Northern Nigeria Will Be The Poorest If The Country Breaks says Sanusi

April 06, 2017 NATIONAL

The Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, has called on Northern leaders to devote more resources to the devel­opment of the region.
He warned that in the event of the country break­ing up as is being canvassed in some quarters, the North will be worse affected.
According to the mon­arch, other regions like the South-South, the South East and the South West, es­pecially Lagos, have the re­sources to remain afloat if the unexpected happens.

The former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor spoke on Wednesday at the Kaduna State’s 2nd invest­ment summit titled: “Pro­moting Investment Amidst Economic Challenges.” Sanusi remarked that the North East and North West were the poorest re­gions in the country.
He said: “If we break Nigeria into components, Northern Nigeria will be the poorest.”
The Emir cautioned that the oil-rich Niger Delta, com­mercially-viable Lagos and business-oriented South East should not be used to mir­ror the living standards of the North.
Sanusi appealed to Mus­lims to embrace education and stop using religion and culture to set the North backward.
He was joined at the event in the appraisal of develop­ments in the North by the Sul­tan of Sokoto, Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar III.
The Kano monarch de­cried the face-off between the Executive, Legislature and Ju­dicial arms of government and appealed to the trio to stop playing politics with the lives of Nigerians.
Sanusi noted that the Na­tional Assembly and the Exec­utive arm of government, rath­er than concentrate on how to tackle the country’s problems, were wasting time on a need­less ego contest.
He said: “We are talking and thinking of how to come out of the difficult economic environment facing the coun­try; the Executive, the Nation­al Assembly and the Judiciary are busy fighting one anoth­er on political issues ahead of 2019.”

Sanusi reminded his au­dience that “if you have been reading and watching news for the last one month, the big and concerned news politically is about leadership, but unfortu­nately, the conversation is not about electricity, infrastruc­ture, education and health­care.”
“All the conversation is about the National Assem­bly, the Executive and the Ju­diciary; conflict between this politician and that politician as well as confirmation of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) boss.”
While regretting that with­in the period in review “there has been no serious conversa­tion around the people,” Sanu­si said that the problem with the political class is that “it has made more noise at the expense of good governance.”
He congratulated Gover­nor Nasir el-Rufai for organ­ising the forum, which he de­scribed as timely

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Obama will tell US allies that Trump is loyal to NATO

November 14, 2016 WORLD

US President Barack Obama speaks at a ceremony to commemorate Veterans Day at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia on November 11, 2016. (AFP file photo)

US President Barack Obama says his successor, billionaire Donald Trump, is committed to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and that is a message the commander-in-chief will have for Washington’s allies.

Obama made the remarks in the first press conference after his party’s nominee, Hillary Clinton, lost the 2016 race for the White House in Washington, DC, on Monday.

His comments ran counter to Trump’s stance on NATO while campaigning in the run-up to the November 8 election.

Trump has said that as president he would “certainly look at” pulling the US out of the international security alliance, because it is “obsolete” and “is costing us a fortune.”

The reality TV star's view of the world's most durable alliance has caused panic among some NATO members in the face of what the West considers as the “Russian aggression.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin has stressed that “Our Armed Forces are not threatening anybody.”

Putin questioned claims that Russia might attack other countries, especially its neighbors in the Baltics, asking during a Saturday speech in the city of Yaroslavl, “Why would we do this?”

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Trump, Putin discuss terrorism, bilateral ties

November 14, 2016 WORLD No Comments

Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) and US President-elect Donald Trump

Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President-elect Donald Trump have discussed battling terrorism and developing ties during their first phone conversation, says the Kremlin.

According to a statement released by the Kremlin on Monday, Trump and Putin agreed on “uniting efforts in the fight with the common enemy number one – international terrorism and extremism.”

It added that ways to end the conflict in Syria were also discussed and that both leaders stressed upon the importance of creating a stable basis for bilateral relations via the development of trade and economic ties between the two countries.

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Oklahoma police search gunman who killed 2 people, hurt 2 cops

October 24, 2016 WORLD No Comments

Michael Vance (Photo by US police)
Police in the US state of Oklahoma have launched a manhunt for a gunman who managed to run away after killing two people and injuring three others, including two police officers.

 The assailant, identified by police as Michael Vance, opened fire at the officers who were responding to a reported shooting near Wellston, Lincoln County on Sunday night, Lincoln County Sheriff Charlie Dougherty said.

The officers, who both were shot in the leg, fired back at Vance and hit him in the torso at least twice, Dougherty added.

Vance, however, managed to flee the scene in a patrol pickup and drove to a mobile home park nearby, where he carjacked a woman and injured her by firing his AK-47.

Oklahoma County Sheriff's Office later on confirmed that Vance had killed two of his family members, whose bodies were found in a home near the Redbud Energy Facility in Luther.

Up until the early hours of Monday, police had no idea of Vance’s whereabouts and could not confirm if he was still armed with his lethal weapon, which can fire bullets that pierce police body armor.

The Oklahoma Highway Patrol and the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation were assisting state officials with the search and the ongoing investigation.

Local residents were advised to practice extra vigilance as Vance was armed and extremely dangerous.

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Agrarian newcomers claim victory in Lithuania runoff elections

October 24, 2016 WORLD No Comments

Lithuanian Peasant and Green’s Union party Chairman Ramunas Karbauskis speaks to the media in Vilnius, October 23, 2016. (Photo by AP)

The Lithuanian political party representing farmers and environmentalists has claimed victory in runoff parliamentary elections, which saw voters reject the ruling Social Democrats.

The Peasants and Green Union is expected to win over one-third, or precisely 54 seats, in the 141-member house of parliament after the second round of voting, according to preliminary results provided by the Central Electoral Committee on Sunday.

Electoral experts say this is the biggest victory by a single Lithuanian party in 20 years.

The second-place went to Homeland Union-Christian Democrats with 30 seats, while the incumbent ruling party, the Social Democrats, would take 18 seats. The rest went to several smaller parties.

The new coming party, headed by millionaire farmer Ramunas Karbauskis, said it would start negotiations with the center-right Homeland Union and center-left Social Democrats over forming a coalition government on Monday.

Our major challenge is “to stop citizens fleeing Lithuania,” Karbauskis, the party’s chairman, told reporters.

In the weeks leading up to the election, the agrarian bloc’s leaders had vowed to stop the flow of emigrants to richer parts of the European Union by reviving the country’s economy.

“Our government will be transparent, responsible, professional and resolute,” announced Saulius Skvernelis, who led the party’s election campaign and is expected to serve as prime minister in the next government.

Saulius Skvernelis, Peasant and Green's Union party leader (Photo by AFP)

“I think people got fed up” with the incumbent government, Skvernelis said.

Meanwhile, observers say it is difficult to predict whether the new government, which is expected to take over in December, will lean towards the right or left.   

“It’s hard to predict what path the new government will take because the Peasants and Greens' manifesto is full of contradictions,” said Ramunas Vilpisauskas, head of the Vilnius Institute of International Relations and Political Science.

Since Lithuania joined the EU in 2004, an estimated 370,000 people have left the country to work elsewhere across the bloc.

Lithuania was hit hard by the global economic recession in 2009-2010. Like its Baltic neighbors Latvia and Estonia, the country regained independence after splitting from the Soviet Union in 1990.

At the beginning of last year, it adopted the EU’s common currency, euro, which has sharply increased prices while wages and pensions remain among the lowest in the bloc.

The EU is passing through a critical period due to the current refugee crisis, international terror threats, struggling economies and a division among its members.

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