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  • 96 year-old man weds heartthrob, 73, in Abuja

    By Biola Lawal

    Abuja: The agrarian village of Kiyi in Abuja was agog on Thursday, Oct. 17, when 96 year-old Pa AbdRahman Munse-Bwaye married his heartthrob,  73 year-old, Rukaya Yamwa-Piri.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports  that the solemnisation of the marriage was held in Piri, a village in Kwali Area Council.

    The “Amaria’’ (new wife), who moved into her husband’s residence from the wedding venue told NAN that she was “delighted to marry a gentleman like AbdRahman’’.

    Rukaya, told NAN that the weeding was held in her native village is Piri, in Kwali Area Council.

    Pa Munse with sons, grandchildren and great grandchildren

    Pa Munse, said to be about the oldest man in Kiyi village in Kuje Area Council, told NAN that many people discouraged him from the “Nikkah’’ (marriage in Arabic), saying that he was too old for marriage.

    He said that some even queried him, asking him if his son’s wives were not taking good care of him, to which he answered “ they are taking good care of me but my own wife will certainly take care of me better,’’.

    Pa Munse’s first wife, Hajia Zainab Godobe, died in 2008.

    “Though, I married a widow, Salamatu, after my wife’s death, her children took her away some years ago leaving me without a wife, hence, I asked Rukayah to marry me and Allah made her to accept, I am very happy.’’

    When NAN visited the elderly lovers, the wife was seen preparing “tuwondawa’’, a guinea corn delicacy, for her husband.

    Pa Munse’s son, Musa, told NAN that all the children, grandchildren and the great grandchildren were all happy for their father’s marriage.

    “I personally encouraged him when he told me of his plans for marriage, infact, I visited the relatives of  his bride in different villages, including Dukpa in Gwagwalada Area Council, Chibiri in Kuje Area Council and Piri village where her father lives,” Musa told NAN.

    “The visit was to get their consent in accordance with Islamic injunction and we were happy that they all gave their consent and the Nikkah was held in Mama Rukaya’s father’s compound in Piri,” Musa added.

    He disclosed that he represented his father at the wedding, ”Fathia”- solemnisation in Piri because of the distance between Kiyi and Piri.

    A neighbour of Pa Munse, Malam Khamilu Awwal, who also spoke with NAN said that they were all happy “to see Baba happily married once again.

    “Baba is a very good father to all of us and deserves the happiness that GOD is giving him through this marriage.”

    “May GOD give Baba long life to enjoy his wife,” Awwal prayed.” (NAN)

    BL/IFY
    =====
    Edited by Ifeyinwa Omowole

  • Nigerian Citizen Sentenced for Role in International Cyber-Fraud Scheme

    (flowerbudnews) A citizen of Nigeria residing in Atlanta, Georgia, was sentenced to 78 months in prison yesterday for his role in an international cyber fraud scheme, announced Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant of the Western District of Tennessee.

    Olufolajimi Abegunde, 32, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Sheryl L. Lipman of the Western District of Tennessee who also ordered Abegunde to pay $57,911.62 in restitution to the victims of his offense.  Abegunde and Javier Luis Ramos-Alonso, 29, were convicted in March after a seven-day trial in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee.  Ramos-Alonso previously received a 31-month sentence for his role in the scheme.

    Abegunde and Ramos-Alonso participated in a criminal organization in which members “spoofed” emails and created fake profiles on dating websites in order to fool victims into sending money to bogus bank accounts under the control of members of the conspiracy.  The proceeds would be laundered and subsequently wired out of the United States to destinations including West Africa.  The organization as a whole is believed to have caused more than $10,000,000 in damage to U.S. citizens and businesses.

    The evidence presented at trial showed that Abegunde, who received an MBA from Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas, engaged in black-market currency exchanges over the life of the conspiracy.  Purporting to hold himself out as a legitimate businessman, Abegunde claimed association with a business entity that was not yet operational in late 2017, so for his primary source of income he relied on his off-the-book currency exchanges.  Through this network, Abegeunde played a key role, along with Ramos-Alonso, in laundering fraud funds from an Oct. 3, 2016, business email compromise (BEC) of a land title company located in Bellingham, Washington.  The proceeds of another BEC perpetrated in July 2016 upon a real estate company in Memphis, Tennessee, also moved through parts of the same criminal organization.

    Abegunde, who faced numerous account closures from banks in the United States, used a complicated network of third-party bank accounts to disguise his illicit activity.  The proof at trial established that Abegunde told people that he could not receive payments into accounts that could be “tracked,” and that he preferred to engage in cash transactions because they were easier to clean and “eliminated the risk.”

    In addition to his financial activities, Abegunde also engaged in a conspiracy to commit marriage fraud.  Abegunde was married during his studies at Texas A&M, but divorced his wife in 2016 to marry a U.S. service member through whom he could obtain immigration and health care benefits and also open new bank accounts.  He continued to live with his first wife in Atlanta while his U.S. service member wife was deployed to South Korea.  While incarcerated and awaiting trial in the Western District of Tennessee, Abegunde continued his conspiratorial activities, trying to convince his fake spouse, who has since filed for divorce, to refuse to testify against him.  Abegunde also engaged in witness tampering by sending a self-written Motion to Dismiss bearing his former attorney’s name and professional attestation.  The evidence at trial established that Abegunde drafted and sent the motion, which his attorney expressly did not authorize, to his faux spouse in an effort to deceive her into not testifying against him.

    Five other individuals have pleaded guilty to being involved in the scheme.  Additionally, several foreign nationals are awaiting extradition to the United States to face trial.  Others are still at large.

    The FBI’s Memphis Field Office investigated the case with assistance from agents in Atlanta and San Jose, California.  Senior Trial Attorney Timothy C. Flowers with the Department of Justice’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Debra L. Ireland prosecuted the case.  The Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs is handling the extraditions.

  • Recaptured Lion: Collaboration key to biodiversity conservation

    (flowerbudnews) Alhaji Ibrahim Goni, the Conservator General, National Park Service (NPK) says collaboration of all stakeholders is key to biodiversity conservation.

    Goni spoke on the backdrop of the recent event of a lion that Kano state took to Karu Nassarawa state for an agric show that bolted from its mobile crate and was wandering inside the zoo.

    “The Kano state government contacted us and we immediately deployed our team of experts lead by a veterinary doctor of the Service, Conservator of Park (CP) Abdulrahaman Mohammed to the state for professional intervention.

    “The collaboration between our professionals and the management of the Kano state zoo paid off, and this led to the safe return of the lion to its cage in the zoo”.

    He commended the team for a job well done because according to him, transferring wildlife, especially carnivores and dangerous ones like lions, is a tricky task that requires meticulous planning.

    “Lions present particular transportation challenges because of their size and the danger they pose to humans, so to handle them must be well planned, prepared and effectively executed.

    “The more we understand about how these animals behave, the easier it would be for them to be handled without harm to the animals and/or to humans”.

    The CG said that although conservation might look like a big problem that’s best left to the experts to solve, there are small changes that we all can make in our everyday lives to conserve the nation’s biodiversity.

    “When we all work together to make these changes, they can make a big difference, and the Service’s doors are wide open for any collaboration that will make our nation better.

    “The NPK is all about conservation and preservation of our environment and we are prepared to work with stakeholders to have a well-protected and healthy biodiversity.

    He said that it is not easy to re-think our individual approaches to biodiversity conservation, but with a lot of collaboration, transparency and the conviction to stand by our principles, we have the tools needed to create better outcomes for all.

    He commended the Kano sate zoo management for doing the right thing by contacting the Service for professional help that averted possible calamity, unlike the whale that was washed ashore recently in Bayelsa state.

    Recall that few months ago, a whale measuring about 30 feet was washed ashore at Ijaw kiri community water front, Brass Local Government Area, Bayelsa State.

    Instead of calling on the appropriate authorities to handle it, some people in the community decided to subject the beached whale to an untidy fate.

    Zoo Managers should also pay attention to the welfare, training of Zoo curators, use of appropriate materials in the zoos and timely feeding of animals etc.

    “We will continue to raise awareness through developing working relationships of mutual support with other organizations who share our goals.

    “Biodiversity should be a top priority if we must achieve the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

    “The SDGs acknowledge the clear connection between environment and development by integrating sustainability in all 17 of the Global Goals.

    “SDG 15 aims to, ‘Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss’.

  • 96 Year-Old Man Weds Heartthrob, 73, In Abuja

    (FLOWERBUDNEWS) The agrarian village of Kiyi in Abuja was agog on Thursday, Oct. 17, when 96 year-old Pa AbdRahman Munse-Bwaye married his heartthrob,  73 year-old, Rukaya Yamwa-Piri.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports  that the solemnisation of the marriage was held in Piri, a village in Kwali Area Council.

    The “Amaria’’ (new wife), who moved into her husband’s residence from the wedding venue told NAN that she was “delighted to marry a gentleman like AbdRahman’’.

    Rukaya, told NAN that the weeding was held in her native village is Piri, in Kwali Area Council.

     

    Pa Munse with sons, grandchildren and great grandchildren

    Pa Munse, said to be about the oldest man in Kiyi village in Kuje Area Council, told NAN that many people discouraged him from the “Nikkah’’ (marriage in Arabic), saying that he was too old for marriage.

    He said that some even queried him, asking him if his son’s wives were not taking good care of him, to which he answered “ they are taking good care of me but my own wife will certainly take care of me better,’’.

    Pa Munse’s first wife, Hajia Zainab Godobe, died in 2008.

    “Though, I married a widow, Salamatu, after my wife’s death, her children took her away some years ago leaving me without a wife, hence, I asked Rukayah to marry me and Allah made her to accept, I am very happy.’’

    When NAN visited the elderly lovers, on Friday, the wife was seen preparing “tuwondawa’’, a guinea corn delicacy, for her husband.

    Pa Munse’s son, Musa, told NAN that all the children, grandchildren and the great grandchildren were all happy for their father’s marriage.

    “I personally encouraged him when he told me of his plans for marriage, infact, I visited the relatives of  his bride in different villages, including Dukpa in Gwagwalada Area Council, Chibiri in Kuje Area Council and Piri village where her father lives,” Musa told NAN.

    “The visit was to get their consent in accordance with Islamic injunction and we were happy that they all gave their consent and the Nikkah was held in Mama Rukaya’s father’s compound in Piri,” Musa added.

    He disclosed that he represented his father at the wedding, ”Fathia”- solemnisation in Piri because of the distance between Kiyi and Piri.

    A neighbour of Pa Munse, Malam Khamilu Awwal, who also spoke with NAN said that they were all happy “to see Baba happily married once again.

    “Baba is a very good father to all of us and deserves the happiness that GOD is giving him through this marriage.”

    “May GOD give Baba long life to enjoy his wife,” Awwal prayed.” (NAN)

  • Interview: I Don’t Believe In Youth Empowerment – Adesina

    (FLOWERBUDNEWS) In this interview with some Nigeria journalists on the sidelines of the just-ended World Bank/International Monetary Fund Annual Meetings in Washington DC, the President of the African Development Bank, Dr Akinwumi Adesina, shares his vision for Africa, and some interventions by the bank to prepare the continent and its people for the digital future. Harrison Arubu was there for the News Agency of Nigeria. Excerpts:

    By Harrison Arubu

    On support by the Africa Development Bank to women

    We are supporting women. I think when Africa gets the issue of women right, it will get everything right. And so there is the issue of access of women to financing that we provide through Affirmative Finance Action for Women in Africa (AFAWA). This will help to mobilise $3 billion for businesses for women on the continent.

    The other one is that we actually supported another fund which is called the Alethia Identity Fund, which has just closed at $75 million and that is to support growth capital for the businesses for women. So in other words, the small, medium and the large businesses for women are what we are supporting. Finally, I will like to see financial institutions in Africa being held fully accountable when it comes to financing women.

    And so the bank will be launching what we call the Women Financing Index for Africa in which all financial institutions in Africa will be rated based on their lending to women. So, both in terms of the volume of lending, in terms of the terms of lending and in terms of the development impact of their lending for women. So, those who lend more to women will get more resources from us at a discounted rate from us, so you can lend more and have more impact for women.

    So, we are focused massively on how we can drive investments for women. That’s a big issue for us, just to give you an update on that. We raised $251 million from the G7 leaders when I was in Biarritz with President Macron. It was great.

    Can you elaborate on the Green Capital thing that the Africa Development Bank launched recently? What is it about?

    Let me just say more generally as a bigger issue, when it comes to driving green growth on the continent. I believe that achieving green growth on the continent is not an externally imposed issue, it is in Africa’s interest to actually have green growth, to have clean air, clean water and to grow in an environment where people have good quality of life.

    And so, you can have GDP growth but if you are having GDP growth in which it’s occurring huge amount of emissions, pollution of water, of air, it’s not improving the life of anybody. So, anybody telling me in any part of the world that my GDP is growing, that is not my concern. My question is: is at what cost? What does it mean for the lives of people?

    So, for us at the Bank we are very big on renewable energy. Today, we have doubled climate finance as an institution from $12 billion to $25 billion by 2025. Secondly, about 50 per cent of our climate financing is on climate adaptation. Because, you see a lot of draught, you see a lot of floods, you see all of these extreme weather patterns that are happening. So, we are actually doing a lot of that to support countries to adopt to climate change.

    The other thing of course is that we have just launched an initiative which is called Desert to Power, meant to provide universal access to electricity all across the 11 countries in the Sahelean Zone of West and Central Africa.

    The Sahelean Zone has the least access to electricity, but it also has the highest problems in terms of migration towards Europe. It also has the highest problem in terms of insecurity and fragility, and the highest challenge in terms of fertility rate. If you look at the birth rate in Niger, for example, that has almost 0.8 percent of rural access rate for electricity, the fertility rate is 7.2 per woman, which is one of the highest in the world. So, there is a direct correlation or association between not having electricity and rising fertility rate.

    (Cuts in) So, they thrive in darkness.

    Yes, they get busy with other things.

    (General laughter)

    It has its own consequences.

    What we have done is that we are leading this effort that will provide electricity for 250 million people across the 11 countries and 90 million of those will be through off-grid systems because of the sparse populations there. It is our biggest effort, and it’s going to be the world’s largest solar zone. We are not just talking about it.

    We have started in Burkina Faso with a project called Yellen Rural Electrification Project which is a solar-based project we are doing with Agence Française de Développement (AFD), the French Agency for Development. We also have another one we’ve done in Chad that is called Djameya Solar Power Plant Project. We have in Mali and other places as well.

    And of course this will include northern Nigeria because we are working on a 1,000 megawatts solar power project that is going to be in Jigawa. So we take the whole of the Sahelean part of that.

    Just to conclude on that, we have launched something that’s called the Green Based Loan Facility, a $500 million facility that will allow us to support countries that want to move out of dependency on coal or other fossil based energy sources towards renewable energy, so that we are able to provide you financing at a cheaper cost to be able to make that transition.

     

    What will be the criteria for eligibility for the Green Based Loan facility?

    It is open for any country that wants to have access to it. It is that you must have a bankable project that can use it and you will meet all the conditions that the bank will normally require, but it is an open thing for any of the countries willing and interested in doing it, even the private sector by the way.

     

    What is the total climate fund that AfDB has committed in Nigeria in recent times, say within the last three years?

    The issue for us with climate finance is we build climate finance into our projects. For example, if you take the case I just mentioned to you now, we are supporting the development of a thousand megawatts of solar that is going to be in the Jigawa area, which is huge for us. We provided as well for the evacuation of power in Nigeria with the Transmission Company of Nigeria.

    We provided them with $200 million that can support the evacuation of power and that is a big problem in Nigeria because of the liquidity crisis that is in the energy sector. We have also provided support to the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading (NBET) so it can meet some of its own payment requirements to those supplying them with gas.

    The other thing that we are doing obviously that is linked to climate in Nigeria is in the north of Nigeria where we have put about $253 million into the north east area project, because a lot of the challenges we are facing are linked to climate: population growth, urbanisation, climate and environmental degradation. So, some of the challenges you find, the fragility you find in that part of the country comes from that. That’s why we built climate finance into our financing in the sector.

  • Support For Tafawa Balewa’s family Over Wife’s Death

    (flowerbudnews) Gov. Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State has called on people of the state to honour Balewa family by turning out enmass and attending the burial of Jummai Abubakar, wife of late  Prime Minister Abubakar Tafawa Balewa.

    In a statement issued by Muntari Gidado, his Senior Special Assistant on Media, Muhammed, described the death as a great loss, not only to her immediate family members , but to the people of the state and Nigeria in general.

    He recalled the active participation and contributions of the late prime minister in the Nigeria project, especially his tremendous contributions and sacrifices in keeping Nigeria as one indivisible and united entity.

    Muhammed prayed to Allah to forgive her shortcomings, bless what she left behind, grant her paradise, and give her family , the people of the state and entire nation, the fortitude to bear the loss.

    He, therefore, called on the people of the State to come out enmass and attend the funeral prayer of the deceased as a mark of respect for the Balewa family.

    News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Jummai passed away on Sunday Oct. 27, 2019, in a Lagos hospital, at the age of 85, after a protracted illness.

    She left behind eight children and many grandchildren.

    Her burial has been fixed for Monday (today), Oct.28, by 2pm at the palace of the Emir of Bauchi. (NAN)

  • Security: NAF Announces Vehicular Movement Restriction On Kaduna Road

    (FLOWERBUDNEWS)The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) says it will conduct a simulation exercise on counter-terrorism, codenamed, “EXERCISE NA ZO”, along the Kaduna-Birnin Gwari road on Monday.

    Air Commodore Ibikunle Daramola, NAF Director of Public Relations and Information, announced this in a statement on Sunday in Abuja.

    “This is to inform the general public, especially residents of Birnin Gwari and Afaka as well as their environs, that the Nigerian Air Force will conduct a simulation exercise on counter-terrorism, codenamed, EXERCISE NA ZO, along the Kaduna-Birnin Gwari Road on Monday, 28.

    “Accordingly, there will be a movement of military aircraft, vehicles, equipment, personnel as well as firing of live ammunition during the period of the routine military exercise.

    “Additionally, there will be restriction of vehicular movement at the aforementioned road during the exercise,” he said.

    Daramola advised the public not to panic, but to go about their normal businesses, as the NAF would endeavor to minimize disruptions to normal activities.

     

  • APC Accuses PDP For Using Foreign Media Against S/Court Justices

    (FLOWERBUDNEWS) The All Progressives Congress (APC) has accused the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for allegedly using foreign media organisations against Supreme Court Justices ahead of the hearing of the 2019 presidential election petition.

    The National Publicity Secretary of APC, Malam Lanre Issa-Onilu, who said this on Monday at a news conference in Abuja, described the act as unpatriotic agenda, urging Nigerians to rise against it.

    “Ahead of the hearing of the Supreme Court on the 2019 presidential election petition, APC alerts Nigerians on a new and sinister plot by PDP and its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, to malign Supreme Court Justices using foreign media organisations.

    “The fresh plot by the opposition PDP after being comprehensively rejected by Nigerians at the 2019 Presidential election is to cause confusion, anarchy with a view to making this country ungovernable.

    “It is to be noted that PDP has made up its mind to pursue a destructive agenda against Nigeria for the next four years,” Issa-Onilu said.

    According to him, this is no longer opposition politics. It is an unpatriotic agenda by people who do not mean well for the country. It is important we continue to alert Nigerians to the devious plan of the PDP.

    “The judiciary is an important institution and its integrity cannot be subjected to political machinations.

    “It is the responsibility of every truly patriotic Nigerian to rise against the PDP to ensure they do not succeed in undermining our corporate existence,” the party’s spokesman said.

    He recalled that the judgement of the 2019 Presidential Election Petition Tribunal dismissed in its entirety the petition filed by the PDP and its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.

    Issa-Onilu expressed the party’s confidence that the Supreme Court would further and finally affirm President Muhammadu Buhari’s election victory.

    “We are also confident that the Judiciary, particularly the Supreme Court will not succumb to the opposition PDP’s subterfuge,” he said. (NAN)

  • Niger Govt. trains 5, 428 teachers, facilitators to enroll out-of-school children

    The Niger government said that it had trained 5, 428 teachers and facilitators under the Better Education Service Delivery for All (BESDA).

    Alhaji Abubakar Aliyu, Permanent Secretary of the state Ministry of Education, disclosed this on Sunday in Minna in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

    According to him, BESDA programme is aim at integrating out-of-school children across the state into a formal education.

    “We have trained over 5, 428 teachers and facilitators under BESDA to support the out-of-school children education across the state,” he said.

    Aliyu said that government trained 90 master trainers, 120 teacher facilitators, 1, 560 head teachers, 2, 177 teachers on literacy programme, 30 teachers on Rana Haske and 1, 451 facilitators for Almajire schools.

    He explained that government produced text books and writing materials for the literacy programme in Rana Haske and Rana Light.

    The Permanent Secretary also told NAN that under the programme government signed a Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) with Universal Learning System on Jolly Phonics.

    He said that the state was among ten states in the country with the highest number of out-of-school children.

    Aliyu said that the programme, which would be implemented by the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), would start fully before the end of October.

    He said that the programme is a development project, which aims at improving equitable access to basic education by all out-of-school children.

    NAN recalls that Aliyu had on October 16 during an interview said that the government had received 6 million dollars World Bank grant to support out-of-school children education in the state.

    NAN