Flowerbud News

Category: General News

  • FRSC sets to recruit 4,650 personnel, procure additional patrol vehicles

    Recruitment
    By Kazeem Akande/Augusta Uchediunor
    Mr Boboye Oyeyemi, Corps Marshal, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), says the corps will recruit additional 4,650 officers and procure new logistics vehicles to improve road safety management in the country.

    Oyeyemi disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on Sunday.

    According to him, the corps will employ the best in road safety management in the second part of the year.

    ““For the second part of the year, we are going to put in our best, deploy more resources and logistics as we know that budget has been signed by the president.

    ““We have commenced the processes, for us to inject more vehicles, patrol van, ambulances and bikes that will enable us work more and strengthen our operations.

    “We thank President Muhammadu Buhari, for the additional fund allocated to the corps.
    “He has displayed his passion to improve on road safety management in the country within the last three years.

    “In the next few months we should be able to procure all these items and we are also injecting additional personnel of about 4,650 to the system.

    “This is unprecedented in the history of the corps and we appreciate this from the president,” he said.

    The corps marshal said that FRSC was ready to justify what the government had done adding that the corps would work hard to achieve its mandate.

    The FRSC boss said that the corps was working towards having zero fatalities on the road which was the primary goal of the agency.

    “We are still working towards having zero fatality, which is our goal and we need to improve on the records we have now, so that at the end of the year we will have a positive report,” Oyeyemi added.

    NAN reports that FRSC currently has 20,320 staff strength and planned to recruit more for effective road safety management.(NAN)
    AKA/ANU/LAB/MTM
    =================
    Edited by Lydia Beshel/Tukur Muntari.

  • Freight forwarders’ regulator gets new governing council

    Freight forwarders’ regulator gets new governing council

    A 15-member Governing Council was on Saturday in Lagos elected into the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding of Nigeria (CRFFN).

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the newly-elected CRFFN officials, drawn from five registered freight forwarding associations, would be joined by 17 government appointees into the council.

    The five registered associations are; National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarding(NAGAFF), Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), National Council of Managing Directors of Licensed Customs Agents (NCMDLCA).

    Others are National Association of Air Freight Forwarding and Consolidation (NAAFFC) and Association of Registered Freight Forwarders in Nigeria (ARFFN).

    NAN reports that the 15 newly elected officials comprised of six each from ÑAGAFF and ANLCA and one each from ARFFN, NCMDLCA and NAAFFC.

    CRFFN had been operating without governing council for more than five-year. The new governing council was elected for four years tenure.

    Speaking after the election, the Registrar of CRFFN, Mr Mike Jukwe, urged the freight forwarders collaborate in order to speedily take the profession to greater heights.

    “Our mandate is to regulate and control freight forwarding in Nigeria; now that we have governing council, policies will be made for the management to execute.

    “The policies are geared towards taking the freight forwarding sub sector from where it is to a higher level of best international norms and practices,” Jukwe said.

    The CRFFN registrar said that the 32-member governing council would elect its chairman and vice chairman among themselves after their retreat in Abuja on July 12.

    Also speaking after the election, NAGAFF Founder, Chief Boniface Aniebonam, expressed optimism that the new governing council would sustain and meet up with its mandate.

    “This is the first time all the five registered associations are speaking with one voice which would also have positive impact on the council.

    “I see the need for all the associations to collaborate because the cooperation led to the peaceful election conducted into the council,” he said.

    He urged the newly elected council members to regulate the industry in line with international standards and train operators on the rudiments ot freight forwarding practice.

    Henry Njoku, who spoke on behalf of the elected officials, said the governing council would look into the challenges facing the industry and tackle them.

    Njoku said that the new council would ensure smooth operations that would enhance the success of Federal Government’s mandate on Ease of Doing Business in Nigerian ports.

  • CPC boss urges youths to refrain from cyber crimes

    CPC boss urges youths to refrain from cyber crimes

    Mr Babatunde Irukera, Director-General of the Consumer Protection Council (CPC), on Saturday urged Nigerian youths to refrain from cyber crimes and deploy their creative energy to productive ventures.

    Irukera made the call while delivering a keynote address at the maiden edition of the Progressive Minds Forum in Lagos.

    “Never in our history were fraud or any form of criminal activity celebrated as they are being daily celebrated today.

    “It is no longer a secret that the preponderance of Nigerian youths think that the quickest and easiest route to wealth today is the infamous ‘yahoo yahoo’,” Irukera added.

    The CPC boss urged the youth to seek to explore their talents in the best possible ways they could rather than blaming all the problems on the environment.

    Irukera said that the forum, comprising a group of professionals, discovered that the myriad challenges facing the country began with negative mindsets that people had from young age.

    According to him, the only way to tackle the problem is to attack them from the root cause, hence the training of youths towards positive mindsets.

    He called on youths to develop their talents for the benefit of the society positively.

    “Mindset is what would determine how far you go; talent is just a piece of what brings success; your attitude and approach are what will ultimately determine how successful you are,” he said.

    The CPC boss urged youths to shun inglorious acts such as cyber crimes and be positively engaged and productively involved in order to be successful in life, saying “there is no short cut to success”.

    He pointed out that a country’s approach to innovations and creativity would determine how far it could grow, adding that the right mindset to such growth was to think through the nation’s talents.

    Mrs Omotayo Gbajabiamila-Olamona, Chief Coordinator, Progressive Minds Forum, said that the country would get quality delivery from youths when they were prodded in the right direction.

    Gbajabiamila-Olamona said that investment in infrastructure, without same in human capacity, would not make the country to get expected successful result.

    “The mind is a very powerful organ, it directs most of the activities rendered by any human being. If the mind is properly tuned, activities will be positively delivered.

    “For instance, if youths have a mind of success, they will work hard towards the goal and ensure it is attained,” she said.

    She urged the people of Lagos State to be ambassadors of peace and be determined to sustain all the progressive developments recorded by the state government.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Forum is a non-profit organisation that works in conjunction with government and corporate bodies as well as individuals to bring about a better society.

  • Croatia end Russia’s World Cup dream at shooting range

    Croatia ended Russia’s unlikely 2018 FIFA World Cup dream when they won 4-3 on penalty kicks to eliminate the gallant hosts, after a dramatic quarter-final which ended 2-2 in extra time.

    In Sochi city’s Fisht Olympic Stadium on Saturday, Ivan Rakitic scored the winning penalty kick to send Croatia into a semi-final duel against England on Wednesday in Moscow.

    It was a night of unremitting tension, ending the remarkable campaign of Russia, a team ranked 70th in the world.

    Fyodor Smolov saw Russia’s first penalty kick saved by goalkeeper Danijel Subasic and, although Russia goalkeeper, Igor Akinfeev, saved Mateo Kovacic’s kick, the hosts’ fate was sealed a moment later.

    The Brazilian-born Mario Fernandes fired completely wide from their third attempt.

    In the previous 120 minutes, Denis Cheryshev had rifled Russia in front with a long-range thunderbolt, his fourth goal of the tournament, in the 31st minute.

    Andrej Kramaric then headed Croatia level six minutes before halftime.

    Croatia went ahead with a soft header in extra time’s 11th minute, but Fernandes headed the host level with five minutes of play remaining to send the game to penalty kicks.

    Russia had already surpassed expectations by reaching the last eight, ousting Spain on the way, and there was therefore no fear of going to the shooting range.

    After a lively opening, the game dropped off, but it was Russia’s more rustic approach which paid off first as they went ahead surprisingly.

    Cheryshev collected the ball near the halfway line, exchanged passes with Artem Dzyuba and curled a 25-metre shot pass Subasic.

    But slack defending allowed Croatia to level eight minutes later.

    Mario Mandzukic ran unchallenged into the penalty area and chipped a low ball back into the centre where unmarked Kramaric scored with a glancing header.

    Croatia were agonisingly close to scoring on the hour when Russia’s defence failed to clear the ball.

    Ivan Perisic’s shot hit the inside of the post but rebounded harmlessly across the face of the goal.

    Croatia appeared to have the tie in the bag after Vida’s extra-time goal.

    But that was not until Fernandes rose to head in a free-kick and sent both teams to their respective second penalty kicks shootout at the tournament.

    Croatia will now face England, while Russia will watch the tournament they are hosting from the sidelines.

  • Untitled post 15883

    Adoption of NIN to promote socio-economic, political development

    The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has said that the adoption of the National Identity Number (NIN) would promote socio-economic and political development in the country.

    The Director General of NIMC, Mr Aliyu, Aziz said on Saturday in Lagos that NIN would also facilitate interaction between citizens and government.

    “Like most modern economies where the national identity number is a national token that gives citizens access to government social interventions, the NIN will also grant citizens certain rights.

    “The social security number that comes with NIN will facilitate interactions between citizens, the government and private sector institutions, thereby promoting socio-economic and political development.

    “With the one-person-one-identity for life, the NIN will enhance citizens participation in the political process, enable citizens to exercise their rights, facilitate management of subsidies and safety net payments.

    “It will also lead to Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) management and facilitate service delivery in ministries, departments and agencies.

    “Enhancing the work of law enforcement agencies, like public safety, policing, national security and border protection, and eliminating ghost and multiple identities and others, are all gains of NIN,’’ Aziz said in a statement.

    According to him, NIMC is concluding plan of harmonising of data that will see all government agencies and some licensed private sector companies collecting data and sending to the NIMC as the sole repository of biometric data.

    He said that it would shoot up the record in the NIMC database by a huge percentage and also a good source of database for the Independent National Electoral Commission to leverage upon for electoral purposes.

    He said that pursuant to Section 27 (1) and (2) of the NIMC Act 2007, transactions including, applications for, and issuance of an International Passport; opening of individual and/or group bank accounts, all consumer credits; purchase of insurance policies would be done with NIN.

    Others, he said, were the purchase, transfer and registration of land by individuals, National Health Insurance Scheme, registration of voters, payment of taxes, and pensions, and other transactions that have social security implications.

    He said that with the recent gazette and publication of the mandatory use of the NIN Regulations, 2017, the commission would on a later date begin enforcement of the NIN for the transactions and more.

    He urged Nigerians to enroll for NIN before its enforcing its deployment to avoid congestion.

    “The government has provided the opportunity, the platform for enrolling into the National Identity Database to make life better in a modern, well managed and planned manner; the NIN gives the citizens that assurance,’’ he stressed.

  • Body weight contributes to infertility – Physician

    An Abuja based physician, Dr Okezie Emenike, on Saturday said being over weight or under weight could cause infertility.

    Emenike told the the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja that it was important to understand that both underweight and overweight women and men suffered from a higher incidence of infertility.

    He added that severe obesity in men had been shown to alter fertility often due to imbalances in hormone regulation tied to sperm production.

    He also noted that in many cases, overweight or underweight women would have hormonal disorders, which could cause them to ovulate infrequently or not at all.

    “Being underweight or overweight can have negative effects on a man’s sperm, and it can kill a couple’s sex life because weight problems can affect a man’s libido and performance.

    “Generally, underweight patients can be encouraged to gain more weight, and this alone often increases their fertility significantly or makes hormonal therapy more successful.

    “Many studies have shown a clear and consistent decrease in infertility with increasing female weight.

    “Overweight patients who undergo significant weight loss may ovulate without the need for fertility medications,” he said.

    He advised patients to maintain an ideal body weight, saying it resulted in the best outcome for fertility therapy.

  • NEMA donates relief materials to fire victims in Bauchi State

    NEMA donates relief materials to fire victims in Bauchi State

    The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) on Saturday donated three trucks containing relief materials to the victims of fire outbreak that affected 14 villages in Itas-Gadau Local Government Area of Bauchi State.

    ?Mr Mustapha Maihaja, the Director-General of NEMA, said this at the formal presentation of the materials to the victims.

    Maihaja said that the materials were meant for the victims of the recent fire disaster in the local government area.

    “NEMA provided the relief materials based on its assessment of the extent of the damage in the affected areas,” he said.

    Maihaja expressed Federal Government’s sympathy to the victims, praying that God should avert such incidents in future.

    “We sympathise with the families and all those who had been affected by the fire disaster,” Maihaja said.
    ?
    The NEMA boss, who was represented by the Head of Operation of its Gombe Office, Hajiya Aminat Ahmed, said the gesture was to assist the victims who lost their property to the fire.

    He said the relief materials include: 500 mattresses, 600 wrappers, 500 children’s wears, 150 bags of rice, 100 bags of maize, 49 bags of beans, 50 cartons of vegetable oil and 150 packs of ceiling fans.?

    Others are: 250 bags of cement, 200 bundles of roofing sheets, 50 bags of 3 inch nails, 50 packets of zinc nails, 600 pieces of Guinea Brocade, 300 pieces of men’s wears and 300 pieces of women’s wears.

    A community leader, Alhaji Muazu Umar, who received the materials on behalf of the other victims, commended the Federal Government for the quick response and intervention.

    “We thank NEMA for the relief materials and we are appealing for more support and assistance for the affected communities,” he said.

    Umar also commended Mr Isa Hassan, the member representing Jamare / Itas-Gadau Federal Constituency at the Green Chambers of the national Assembly, for reaching out to NEMA on behalf of the affected communities.

    He assured the agency that the materials would be distributed to the victims.

  • Twitter suspends over 70 million accounts in 2 months: Media

    Twitter Inc. suspended more than one million accounts a day in recent months to reduce the flow of misinformation on the platform, the Media reported.

    Twitter and other social media platforms such as Facebook Inc. have been under scrutiny by United States lawmakers and international regulators for doing too little to prevent the spread of false content.

    The companies have been taking steps such as deleting user accounts, introducing updates and actively monitoring content to help users avoid being victims to fake content.

    Twitter suspended more than 70 million accounts in May and June, and the pace has continued in July, the media reported on Friday, citing data it obtained.

    “It’s hard to believe that 70 million accounts were affected when Twitter has only 336 million monthly active users (MAU),” Wedbush analyst Michael Pachter said.

    Twitter’s MAU is expected to grow nearly three per cent to 337.06 in the second quarter, according to media.

    “My guess is that a large number of these suspended accounts were dormant … it should have little impact on the company,” Pachter told the media.

    If the 70 million were mostly active accounts, the affected accounts would have been “screaming bloody murder”, added the analyst.

    According to a Washington Post source, however, the aggressive removal of unwanted accounts may result in a rare decline in the number of monthly users in the second quarter.

    “Due to technology and process improvements during the past year, we are now removing 214 per cent more accounts for violating our spam policies on a year-on-year basis,” the company said in a blog post last month.

    In May, it identified and challenged more than 9.9 million “potentially spammy” or automated accounts per week, compared with 6.4 million in December 2017.

    Shares of Twitter fell marginally to 46.50 dollars after the bell on Friday. (Reuters/NAN )

    Edited by Udochukwu Ifionu/Silas Nwoha

    NAN

  • NITT, NCAT set up 4-man committee to explore areas of collaboration

    Nigerian Institute of Transport Technology (NITT) and Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT) both in Zaria have set up a four-man committee to explore possible areas of collaboration.

    The information is in a statement by Mr Paul Mshelizah, the Assistant Director and NITT Head of Publicity and Public Relations in Zaria, Kaduna State on Saturday.

    He stated that the committee was set up when the acting Director-General of NITT, Dr Abimbola Odumosu visited the NCAT Rector, Capt. Abdulsalami Mohammed in Zaria.

    Mshelizah listed the committee members as Dr Danjuma Ismaila (NITT), Mr Elkana Ngbale (NITT), Mr Waheed Yusuf (NCAT) and Mr Y.A Baba (NCAT).

    He noted that the committee was charged with the responsibility of finding out mutually beneficial areas of synergy between the two organisations.

    He quoted the NITT acting director-general as stressing the need for the two institutions to collaborate, given their distinctive spheres of specialisation.

    Odumosu also said that although the organisations had been collaborating, there was still room for improvement.

    According to him, collaboration should be based on “sustainable and empirical research on all modes of Transport, Information Data Bank for enhanced risk analysis, and staff exchange to save cost.”

    He suggested that NCAT could make use of the facilities at NITT’s study centre in Lagos during its outreach training programmes.

    The NCAT rector thanked the NITT management for the visit and assured it of maximum cooperation.

    Mohammed said such collaboration was critically important, while assuring that lack of such could be counterproductive.

    He said “the lack of collaboration is the bane of private airlines in Nigeria, which often result in unhealthy competition.

    “The idea of collaborating on research and development is both timely and welcome.”

    He acknowledged the dearth of research and development at NCAT, but promised to address it, especially with the prospective collaboration with NITT.

    On information Data Bank, the rector pledged to make aviation accident reports available to NITT.

    Mohammed frowned at the tampering of the black box by certain first responders which unfortunately culminated in non-recovery of the box.

    “However, I am optimistic that the enlightenment programme for the police initiated by the Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) on the location, recognition and/or identification of the black box will yield a positive result.

    “NCAT will co-opt more ICAO compliant NITT staff as resource persons and I have directed Personal Assistant to assess NITT’s facilities in Lagos and report back to me,” he said.