Month: October 2023

A charity organisation, the National Association of Seadogs (NAS), also known as Pyrates’ Confraternity, Abuja City Centre, has appealed to politicians and other stakeholders to avoid acts that trigger violence and “play by the rules of the game”.

The call, contained in statement signed by Mr Ugochukwu Nwodo, Capoon, NAS Sahara Deck, is coming ahead of the Nov. 16 gubernatorial elections in Kogi.

Nwodo said that election was “entirely a civil affair that requires citizens to exercise their franchise as provided for in the constitution and guidelines for elections”.

“Violence and all forms of thuggery, intimidation and chaos should not have a place in 21st century electoral process.”

He also urged security agencies to ensure that the electorate in the state was freely allowed to exercise the right to vote in a violence free environment and without fear of any reprisals.

Furthermore, he called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to play the role of “a fair umpire”.

He urged INEC to ensure free, fair and credible election which should also be “generally seen to be so by all concerned”.

He assured of the group’s commitment to all efforts geared towards ensuring that “our electoral processes are strengthened and devoid of violence”.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that INEC, in May, had announced a new date for the governorship elections in Kogi and Beyelsa from Nov. 2 to Nov. 16.

The commission said the change in date followed several appeals from Bayelsa that the election date coincided with the state’s Annual Thanksgiving Day which is backed by law. (NAN)

*(FLOWERBUDNEWS) More than 200 elephants have died amid a severe drought and a mass relocation of animals is planned to ease congestion, Zimbabwe’s parks agency says.

Zimbabwe National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority spokesman Tinashe Farawo said at least 200 elephants have died in vast Hwange National Park alone since October and other parks are affected.

Animals including giraffe, buffalo and impala are also dying, he said, and the situation can improve only after rains return.

“Almost every animal is being affected,” he said. “Of course, elephants are easily noticed during patrols or game drives, but some bird species are seriously affected because they can only breed in certain tree heights and those trees are being knocked down by elephants.”

Many animals are straying from Zimbabwe’s parks into nearby communities in search of food and water. The parks agency has said 33 people have died from conflict with animals this year alone.

The agency said it plans to move 600 elephants, two prides of lions and other animals from the Save Valley Conservancy in the southeast to less congested parks. A pack of wild dogs, 50 buffalo, 40 giraffe and 2,000 impalas also will be relocated, Farawo said.

The animals “have exceeded their ecological carrying capacity,” he said. “If the populations go unchecked, the animals will threaten the very ecosystem they depend on for survival.”

Zimbabwe has an estimated 85,000 elephants, second only to neighboring Botswana with more than 130,000.

Zimbabwe says it is struggling to cope with booming numbers of wild elephants and wants to be allowed to sell its ivory stockpile and export live elephants to raise money for conservation and ease congestion in the drought-affected parks.

The country exported 101 elephants between 2016 and this year, mainly to China and the United Arab Emirates, raising more than $3 million for conservation efforts, according to the parks agency.

(FLOWERBUDNEWS) The Group Managing Director of  Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Malam Mele Kyari, has tasked the board  and  management of  NNPC Retail Limited to ensure the delivery of unadulterated products to motorists nationwide.

Kyari gave the charge in a statement signed by Mr Samson Makoji, the acting spokesman for the Corporation, in Abuja.

He spoke during the inauguration of a new Board of Directors for the company.

He said that the management must strive to sustain the company’s culture of delivering unadulterated petroleum products to Nigerians in its filling stations.

He noted that the confidence of Nigerians in the company’s commitment to delivering high quality products and the right quantity at the right prices was a great asset to sustain.

He noted that the new management could leverage on the trust that the company had built to achieve the target of growing market share to 30 per cent.

“We have to maintain our viable operational strategies to advance our cause. NNPC Retail Limited’s management must focus to ensure that products are not adulterated and meters for both our own and our affiliate stations are not tampered with .

“This will make those who buy our products to derive maximum value for their money,” Kyari said.

The GMD further said that NNPC Retail Limited occupied a strategic position in the energy matrix of the country as a first line company with strong brand in petroleum products supply and distribution.

According to him, there is need to expand its scope and capture at least 30 per cent market share within the shortest time possible for the benefit of Nigerians.

He explained that automation of process, continued maintenance of customer base and expansion would assist in speedy attainment of target.

Responding, Usman Yusuf, the Chief Operating Officer (COO), Gas and Power, and Chairman of the Board of Directors,  stated  his team’s readiness to deliver on the task.

Other members of the board are  the COO, Downstream, Adeyemi Adetunji, Alternate Chairman; COO, Refineries,  Mustapha Yakubu; Managing Director of NNPC Retail Ltd, Sir Billy Okoye and Company Secretary, NNPC Retail Ltd, Mrs Obioma Abangwu.

In another development, NNPC has given assurance that it will be transparent in the 2020/2021 selection of Lead Insurer for its Oil Assets.

It said that a total of 42 companies submitted bids for the lead insurer contract and promised that each of the bids would be assessed on its own merit ( NAN)

(FLOWERBUDNEWS) Bolivian opposition senator Jeanine Áñez has declared herself interim president of the South American country following Evo Morales’ resignation.

Lawmakers from Mr Morales’ party boycotted the session, meaning there was no quorum for the appointment.

But Ms Áñez said she was next in line under the constitution and vowed to hold elections soon.

Mr Morales condemned the announcement, describing Ms Áñez as “a coup-mongering right-wing senator”.

The former president has fled to Mexico, saying he asked for asylum there because his life was in danger.

He resigned on Sunday after weeks of protests over a disputed presidential election result. He has said he had been forced to stand down but had done so willingly “so there would be no more bloodshed”.

How did the senator become interim president?

Ms Áñez took temporary control of the Senate on Tuesday, putting her next in line for the presidency.

The former deputy Senate leader assumed the position following a series of resignations.

The parliamentary session to appoint her was boycotted by lawmakers from Mr Morales’ leftist Movement for Socialism party, who said it was illegitimate.

“Before the definitive absence of the president and vice president… as the president of the Chamber of Senators, I immediately assume the presidency as foreseen in the constitutional order,” Ms Áñez said to applause from opposition lawmakers.

Bolivia’s highest constitutional court backed her assumption of power.

How did we get here?

Mr Morales, a former coca farmer, was first elected in 2006, the country’s first leader from the indigenous community.

He won plaudits for fighting poverty and improving Bolivia’s economy but drew controversy by defying constitutional limits to run for a fourth term in October’s election.

Pressure had been growing on him since his narrow victory in last month’s vote.

The result was called into question by the Organization of American States, a regional body, which had found “clear manipulation” and called for the result to be annulled.

In response, Mr Morales agreed to hold fresh elections. But his main rival, Carlos Mesa – who came second in the vote – said Mr Morales should not stand in any new vote.

The chief of the armed forces, Gen Williams Kaliman, then urged Mr Morales to step down in the interests of peace and stability.

Announcing his resignation, Mr Morales said he had taken the decision in order to stop fellow socialist leaders from being “harassed, persecuted and threatened”.

He fled to Mexico as unrest erupted on the streets of the Bolivian administrative capital, La Paz, with angry supporters of the socialist leader clashing with security forces.

After arriving in Mexico City on Tuesday, he thanked Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, whom he credited with saving his life.

“While I have life I’ll stay in politics, the fight continues. All the people of the world have the right to free themselves from discrimination and humiliation,” he said.

(FLOWERBUD NEWS) Fidelity Bank Plc on Wednesday flagged off the maiden edition of its Get Alert In Millions (GAIM) Season 4 savings promo draw in Ibadan, Oyo State, splashing 13 customers across the nation with N15 million and other consolation prizes.

The savings promo, which will end in April 2020, a duration of six mouths, will see customers cart away a total of N120 million in cash prizes.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that lucky cash prize winners for the monthly draw include Ahanna Anayo and Dunu Benjamin who won N1 million each and Ezzama Autonomous Community, Ezea South, Ebonyi State that won N2 million from South-East.

Others are Patrick Adughulu and Emmanuel (South-south) that won N1 million and N2 million respectively.

Uchenna Okonkwo and Onyedikachi Faith (Abuja); Musa Sani and Ghali Muhamud (North); Okechukwu Dazerlington and Chisom Akaeze (Lagos); and Akintunde Nurudeen and Francis (South West) also won N1 million each, among other winners.

Speaking at a the draw, Mr Nnamdi Okonkwo, the bank’s Managing Director, said that the campaign was the ninth in the series of savings promos organised by the bank in last 12 years to promote financial inclusion.

Okonkwo said that under the promo, the bank’s customers would win N82 million in the monthly draw and N38 million in the bimonthly draw, amounting to a total of N120 million, apart from other consolation prizes.

Okonkwo, who was represented by Mrs Chijioke Ugochukwu, Executive Director, Shared Services & Products (EDSS&P), said that the campaign was to reward customers for their loyalty and patronage.

He said that the savings promo remained an integral part of the bank targeted at both existing and prospective customers of the bank.

Okonkwo said that the bank, apart from using traditional channels, would utilise digital platforms such as its Quick Response (QR) code and Virtual Assistant to reach unserved areas.

He asserted that the promo was focused on reaching out to the unbanked population across the nation.

“We embark on campaigns like this to drive financial inclusion in line with the financial inclusion strategy of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

“This savings promo allows us to take banking services to the nooks and crannies of Nigeria.

“It also gives us an opportunity to promote a savings culture which is critical to building up investible funds for individuals and companies and a key component of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth,” he added.

Also speaking, Mrs Janet Nwabuko, Head Savings Group, urged both the existing and prospective customers to embrace the promo in order to be part of the bank’s success story.

Nwabuko said that to participate in the new promo, new customers were expected to open a savings account and grow it to N20, 000 to qualify for monthly draw to win N1 million.

She said that existing customers would top up with N10,000 to qualify for the monthly draw to win N1 million.

According to her, both existing and new customers will grow their accounts to N20,000 to win N2 million, among others. (NAN)

FLOWERBUDNEWS) (The Minister of and Sports Development, Sunday Dare, says Federal Government will equip 200,000 youths with basic, intermediate and advance digital skills in the areas of web design and management, software training and cloud computing in the next two years.

Dare said this in Abuja at the 2019 Africa Youth Day celebration with the theme “ One Million by 2021, Count Me In.”

He said youths would also be equipped on Artificial Intelligence, App development, mobile device repairs, coding and data processing

The minister said that the African Union decided to dedicate one month this year to the commemoration of this important event.

Dare said it was driven by the desire to mobilise at least one million youths to be among one million Africans who would benefit from direct opportunities in the areas of Education, Employment, Entrepreneurship and Engagement (4Es).

He added that Nov. 1 was observed as African Youth Day, having been recognised and adopted in June 2006 by African Heads of Government at their meeting in Banjul, Gambia.

He explained that “it is important that governments in Africa continue to place the need for increased investments in youths on the front burner.

“I, therefore, commend the African Union for the theme ‘One Million by 2021, Count Me In’ as this will opens opportunities for young people to take personal stake in their development, and in a broader sense, that of the continent.”

He pointed out that in the past, many African governments in their quest for sustainable development invested substantially in infrastructure and economic reforms while paying little attention to the development of their human capital.

He said “decades of these investments still leave us in search of more effective ways to attain our development goals. For me, I believe the way to go is to tilt the scale.

“The cost implication of increasing investment in youth is minimal, when compared with the enormous resources most countries in Africa expend to mitigate the impact of poor investments in youths, peace, security and economies.

“Therefore, many experts believe that if not adequately harnessed, youths could become demographic time bomb rather than resource because a large mass of frustrated young people would likely become potential source of social and political instability.

“It is from this context that I commend the African Union for the theme,’’ Dare said.

According to the minister, it is double celebration in Nigeria as she uses the occasion to launch the pocket size National Youth Policy (NYP) and the National Youth Policy App.

He said the most important was the introduction of the NYP and the commencement of the new DEEL initiative for the Youths.

He explained that DEEL stands for Digital literacy and Skills Acquisition programme, E stands for Employment, L stands for Leadership and mentoring.

Dare said that the ministry would work toward sustaining an ecosystem of state and non-state actors in each thematic area of the National Youth Policy, which would evolve into the National Youth Policy Implementation Network.

He announced that the ministry would also activate its Youth Development Centres in the country for Entrepreneurship Skills training.

He said “today, we begin the new DEEL process through the Work Experience Programme (WEP)”, noting that the DEEl initiative would connect 5,000 unemployed graduates with employers by placing them in the corporate world on internship capacities for a short period in the next one year.

The Minister of State, Science and Technology, Malam Mohammed Abdullahi, said that the two ministries would collaborate to ensure that the country achieved its youths agenda.

Abdullahi said that the most important areas where any country could dedicate more work to achieve better development was communication and technology.

According to him, technology is one major area a country can use to assist youths to develop themselves.

He stressed that the country needed to look inward to solve youth’s problems.

The Minister of Woman Affairs, Mrs Pauline Tallen, encouraged youths to embrace the Not-Too-Young- To-Run Act to understand what politics was all about.
Tallen said that the ministry would work to ensure that youths were carried along to enable them to achieve their goals.
The Minister of State, Budget and National Planning, Clement Agba, said that the ministry would encourage youths in their long term development plan.
Agba advised the youths to inculcate the habit of good behaviour to move the country forward. (NAN)