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  • Association raises over N60m for educational development

    (FLOWERBUDNEWS) Government College, Ibadan Old Boys Association (GCIOBA) says it has so far raised over N60 million to support educational development of the school.

    The National PRESIDENT of the Government College Ibadan Old Boys Association GCIOBA, Dr Wale Babalakin, made this known at a news conference on Tuesday, to herald activities to mark the school’s 90th anniversary.

    Babalakin, represented by Dr Ademola Majasan, the Chairman of Abuja Branch of GCIOBA, Dr. Majasan, said the Association had set up Education Foundation to develop the school.

    He said:“One of the things we have done is to support the Oyo State Government in engaging more teachers to aid acquisition of knowledge.

    “We have been able to put pressure on the state government to let us have a say in the running of the school, and I can say here that the former governor was receptive to that.

    “We have been able to develop a master plan to support the school moving forward.

    “One of the things we have been able to do, to improve the standard of education, is that we have supported the college with teachers.

    “ You will see that one of the key problems is the dearth of teachers, so as an association, we have been able to do that.

    “We are working on the rehabilitation of the road that leads to the school; we are also trying to introduce boarding system in the school.

    “We have rebuilt two hostel at an estimated cost of over N200 million.

    “For a population of about 1,000 students, the Oyo state government did not have up to 30 teachers, so what we have done on our part, is to engage teachers to support the state government.

    “ We are paying over 25 teachers to support what the Oyo state government is paying and we are seeing the results in terms of academics.’’

    On the admission into Unity Schools, Majasan said the Association was engaging with the school’s governing board to conduct entrance examination to absorb the brilliant students.

    He added that the examinations would help the school determine the best students for admission regardless of pressure from outside.

    The National President promised that the Association would offer scholarship to less privileged students to aid their educational pursuit to logical end.

    Also speaking, Mr Adegbola Faturoti, the Vice Chairman of the Association, Abuja branch, said priority should be given to education for the country to attain its height.

    “If we lose the education of our children, then I don’t know where we are going to.

    “Take for instance, India with the population of 1.3 billion took their education serious and everyone seeks education in India.

    “Priority has to be given to education because of its importance toward national development.’’

    One of the alumni of the school, Mr Segun Oguntoyinbo, said the Association had developed a 20-year master plan, including digitisation of the school library, to meet up with 21 century standard.

    News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Association will commence a week-long activity from Oct. 12 to Oct. 19 to celebrate its 90 years of existence. (NAN)

  • I owe no apology for appointing my ‘qualified’ daughter – Okowa

    (FLOWERBUDNEWS) Delta State Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa has said that he owed nobody any explanation or apology for appointing his daughter as an aide.

    Speaking on Tuesday in Asaba, Okowa denied appointing two of his daughters but clarified that he appointed only one who was ’eminently qualified to hold the position.

    “It is not true that I have two of my daughters appointed. I have only one appointed and she is rightfully qualified.

    “I do not have any daughter in social media. The one appointed for girl child education is rightfully qualified.

    “I do not have any apologies for that because I know the quality of daughter that I have.”

    Okowa also said the choice of who becomes the next governor of Delta State in 2023 will be determined by God.

    “I am not God. I don’t make a Governor. Nobody makes a governor. It is only God that can make one.

    “The important thing is we want to ensure there is unity and equity and we will continue to work towards achieving a situation that keeps us United as Deltans realising that working together makes us stronger as a people,”

  • DEPOWA takes empowerment to less privileged in Ekiti

    The Defence and Police Officers’ Wives Association (DEPOWA) has launched an empowerment programme for unemployed women, youth and widows in Ekiti.

    The Acting Director of Defence Information, Col. Onyema Nwachukwu, disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday in Abuja.

    The President of DEPOWA, Mr Omobolanle Olonisakin, while inaugurating the empowerment programme in Ado-Ekiti, said the organisation was committed to addressing the plights of the less privileged in the society.

    Olonisakin said that the skills acquisition training being organised for indigenes in Ekiti and the neighbouring states would provide jobs for the unemployed populace and ultimately promote socio-economic development of the state.

    She said that the programme was DEPOWA’s ‘little way towards effecting positive change’, urging the trainees to take every aspect of the training seriously.

    According to her, the knowledge gained will enable them become economically independent as well as catapult them into gainful employment.

    “DEPOWA is committed to providing necessary succour to our teaming populace, especially the less privileged in our society by responsively complementing the welfare programmes of the Armed Forces and Police for barracks and surrounding communities.”

    Olonisakin disclosed that the DEPOWA’s empowerment programmes in Ekiti and Ibadan in 2018 was largely successful, adding that most of the beneficiaries were now small scale business entrepreneurs and employers of labour.

    She revealed that some of the previous beneficiaries were part of the resource persons in the DEPOWA training team who are currently imparting acquisition skills to the new set of trainees.

    “The beneficiaries are being trained in cosmetic production, tile installation, beads stringing, bag making, facial make-up and gele (head gear) tying.

    “Others are barbing, grinding machine operation, as well as fabric tie and dye.

    “The two weeks vocational training is being conducted without any cost on the beneficiaries and at the end of the training, DEPOWA will issue free starter packs to successful graduands to enable them set up their enterprises,” she said.

  • UN in financial crisis – Guterres

    Antonio Guterres, the United Nations Secretary-General says the organisation is facing a severe paucity of funds, the worst in nearly 10 years.

    Guterres told Member States on Tuesday that the organisation “runs the risk of depleting its liquidity reserves by the end of the month and defaulting on payments to staff and vendors.”

    He said only 70 per cent of the total budget assessment for 2019, amounting to 1.99 billion dollars, had been paid as at the end of September, leaving a balance of 1.3 billion dollars.

    The current figure, according to him, is eight per cent lower than the 78 per cent payment recorded in the same period in 2018.

    “Unless more Governments pay their annual dues, our work and our reforms are at risk”, UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric quoted him as telling the budget-setting Fifth Committee of the General Assembly.

    Dujarric told UN correspondents in New York that although 129 out of the 193 Member States had now paid their regular annual dues, others needed to pay “urgently and in full”.

    “This is the only way to avoid a default that could risk disrupting operations globally.

    “The Secretary-General further asked governments to address the underlying reasons for the crisis and agree on measures to put the United Nations on a sound financial footing,’’ he added.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the United States is missing on the list of Member States that have paid their regular budget assessments as published on the UN website.

    Earlier in the year, President Donald Trump reportedly said the U.S. was bearing an “unfair burden” of the cost of the UN, and called on the organisation to reform its operations.

    Guterres said on Tuesday that the financial shortage in October could have reached 600 million dollars had the organisation not “contained expenditures globally from the beginning of the year”.

    He said the cost-saving measures enabled the UN to fund the General Assembly debate and the high-level meetings in September.

    “To date, we have averted major disruptions to operations, but these measures are no longer enough.

    “The Secretariat could face a default on salaries and payments for goods and services by the end of November unless more Member States pay their budget dues in full.”

    “The Secretary-General noted that this is a recurrent problem that severely hampers the Secretariat’s ability to fulfill its obligations to the people we serve.

    “We are now driven to prioritise our work on the basis of the availability of cash, thus undermining the implementation of mandates decided by inter-governmental bodies,’’ Dujarric said.

    He said the UN chief expected Member States to resolve the structural issues responsible for the annual financial crisis without further delay.”

    Meanwhile, the Secretary-General has presented a 2.94 billion dollars budget proposal for 2010, same as the 2019 estimates.

    Guterres said the plan represented a “profound reflection on the path ahead and deep commitment to our shared work,” according to the spokesman.

    The UN chief said budget implementation was no longer being driven by planning, but according to “the availability of cash at hand.”

    With hiring and non-salary expenditure limited by liquidity, “this undermines mandate delivery and goes against our efforts to focus less on inputs and more on results,” he added.

  • Gov Emmanuel proposes N597bn 2020 Budget

    Governor Udom Emmanuel has presented a budget proposal of N597 billion for the 2020 fiscal year to Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly with emphasis on education, industrialization and poverty reduction.

    The budget which is christened ‘Budget of Industrialisation for poverty alleviation phase 2’, is predicated on the policy thrust to gradually metamorphose Akwa Ibom State from a “Civil Service” State to a largely Private Sector driven State.

    According to the governor, “this will be achieved by opening up the State and making it welcoming for private investments, strengthening existing industries and establishing new ones, as well as improving other IGR processes and drive.

    “It is expected that these, as well as the provision of basic infrastructures, enhancement of security, development of human capital and boosting services in education and healthcare will lead to an overall improvement in the living standard of our people”.

    An analysis of the budget estimate shows that capital expenditure is at the top with N369.6 billion, about 61.8 per cent of the budget; recurrent expenditure is estimated to take N111 billion, 18.6 per cent while while N116,933 (19 per cent) is earmarked for consolidated revenue fund charges.

    The 2020 budget is however significantly lower than that of 2019 which stood at N672,985.

    This shortfall, the governor explained is reflective of anchoring the budget on oil benchmark of $55 per barrel at a production rate of N2.18 million barrels per day, and with an estimated exchange rate of 305/USS.

    Further analysis of sectoral allocations show that priority was given to projects and programmes under the Education and Economic sectors.

    On the priorities the governor noted that “education is the bed rock of all developments. It is a pivot on which every human capital development revolves. This administration places a high premium on education and skills development and acquisition”.

    On Industrialisation, he said “in the next four years, my administration will intensify efforts and focus in providing a high performance in the industrialization goals we had started in my first term in office.

    “We hope to make Akwa Ibom State an industrial hub in our country. In this regard, more energy and vigour will be given to Small and Medium Enterprises to act as drivers of our viable economy. We will make sure that adequate and sufficient modern infrastructural facilities are provided which are quite necessary for effective and efficient industrialization.

    Speaking of his intentions to boost Agriculture, he stated that ” In 2020, government intends to carry out the following agricultural programmes and projects; Agro Meteorological Project, Commercial Cattle Development Project, Cocoyam/Avocado Pear Production and Bamboo Development Programme.

    “Others are: Integrated Farmers Scheme (IFS), Women Agro-Entrepreneurship Development Programme (WAEDEP), Cassava Development Programme, Animal Feed Safety and Certification Programme, Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project (RAAMP), Maize Development Programme, Rice Development Project, Agro-Chemical Supply and others”.

    Gov. Udom hinted that his administration may complete the Ibom Tropicana and Entertainment Galleria left unfinished by his predecessor.

    The governor said the 2020 budget is further anchored on his Eight-Point policy thrust which rests squarely on his initial Five-Point Agenda that shaped his First Term in office.

    He listed the agenda to include: Job Creation, Poverty Alleviation, Wealth Creation, Economic and Political Inclusion, and Infrastructural Consolidation and Expansion for continuous transformation of the State into an industrialized entity.”

    “We are committed to complete all our ongoing projects and other star projects in our completion agenda”, he assured.

    The Speaker, Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, Mr Aniekan Bassey applauded governor Udom Emmanuel for the purposeful implementation of the 2019 budget and pledged to ensure a speedy consideration and passage of the 2020 appropriation budget.

    He however charged the various Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDGs) to ensure they provide all the necessary supporting budget data and stick to the time table that will be announced by the house for their appearance.

  • How STI “Herpes” treats skin cancer

    A new drug that contains the herpes virus could be the key to treating advanced stage skin cancer, research has revealed.

    The drug is a genetically modified strain of the sexually transmitted infection and is injected directly into tumors.

    From there, the virus multiplies inside the cancerous cells and kills them, and teaches the body’s immune system to also attack the cells.

    It helped patients like Bill Tripoli, of Abita Springs, Louisiana, who was diagnosed with melanoma on his left leg in 2014, reported WAFB.

    When he was first diagnosed, he was told he only had a year-and-a-half to live. But, thanks to the new treatment, he is getting closer to being cancer-free.

    Bill Tripoli, of Abita Springs, Louisiana, was diagnosed with melanoma in his left leg in 2014.

    The skin cancer spread to his lymph nodes and he was given a year-and-a-half to live.

    Tripoli was referred to a doctor in Baton Rouge, who wanted to treat him with an immunotherapy drug called talimogene laherparepvec.

    Tripoli told WAFB he first noticed something was wrong when brown and black spots started appearing all over his leg.

    After several doctors’ visits and tests, he was diagnosed with melanoma.

    Melanoma begins in the melanocytes, a type of skin cell that makes melanin and gives skin a tan or brown color.

    The American Cancer Society estimates that more than 96,000 people will be diagnosed with melanoma in the US in 2019 and that more than 7,200 will die

  • Akabueze, Akpabio, Ndume speak on 2020 budget estimate

    Mr Ben Akabueze, the Director General Budget Office, says the 2020 budget presented by President Muhammadu Buhari tagged the “Budget of Growth and Job Creation” clearly defines its objectives.

    Akabueze made this known on the sidelines of the 2020 budget estimate presentation by Buhari on Tuesday in Abuja.

    “The budget presented by Mr President is titled the Budget of Growth and Job Creation; so, at least that clearly defines what the objectives are.

    “The budget is intended to drive growth; it is intended to expand the economy’s capacity to create jobs.

    “As you are aware, the president has committed to a goal of uplifting a hundred million people out of poverty over the next 10 years.

    “And the best way to take people out of poverty is to put them into jobs to be able to earn income.”

    The DG said that creating palliatives, such as Social Investment Programmes, can only serve as interim measure pending when people get jobs.

    Sen. Godswill Akpabio, Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, commended the President for the timely presentation of the budget.

    Akpabio said this would enable the country to achieve the January to December budget cycle.

    “The reason the budget is coming (now) is to enable us go back to the budget cycle of January to December which will help us plan and have a better plan for the future of Nigeria

    “This is highly commendable because of the cooperation between the executive and the parliament today; we are quite excited about it.

    “Nigerians should expect better dividends of democracy; the president has promised that this second term he wants to take them to Next Level.”

    Akpabio said availability of funds, commitment and dedication of everyone involved was the surest way for Nigerians to get to the next level.

    Sen. Ali Ndume, however, decried the performance level of 2019 budget, tagging it ‘circumstantially poor’.

    According to Ndume, the poor performance of 2019 budget is no fault of the executive, but a result of the late passage of the 2019 budget.

    “The budget was passed in June and you see it cannot be implemented, but despite that, the president’s commitment is commendable as he has now ordered that N600 billion be released by the end of the month in compliance with the execution of the 2019 budget.

    “I think that will make a lot of difference in critical areas.”

    Sen. Adamu Bulkachuwa said a lot of work had been done underground on the budget and the document presented was a result of what had been agreed upon.

    He said speed, dedication and precision would be employed in the deliberations on the budget to ensure its passage by the legislature, not later than November.

    Bulkachuwa said this would enable the President to accent to it before the end of December, to ensure its implementation from January 2020.

  • Rape Allegations: Police Arrest Former Speaker In Nepal

    (FLOWERBUDNEWS) Police in Nepal on Monday said they have arrested Krishna Mahara, former speaker of House of Representatives over rape allegations by a government worker.

    Mahara, resigned from his job after the woman accused him of sexually assaulting her at her apartment in Kathmandu last week.

    “We received a complaint of attempted rape against him from the woman. We have also investigated the incident,’’ said Uttam Subedi, the head of the police in Kathmandu.

    Subedi said police took the former speaker into custody late Sunday and he would be presented before the court next week, due to the annual Dashain festival holiday.

    Mahara initially denied the allegations, but on Tuesday said he was stepping down to facilitate an impartial and fair investigation into the allegations.

    Mahara is the highest profile politician to face charges of rape in Nepal.

    If convicted, he faces up to five years in jail.

  • Gov. Akeredolu Sacks SA On Political Matters

    (FLOWERBUDNEWS)  Gov. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State on Monday sacked Mr Augustine Pelemo, his Special Assistant on Political Matters.

    A statement by Mr Donald Ojogo, the state Commissioner for Information, on Monday in Akure said the sack was with immediate effect.

    He explained that the directive underscored the need to instill sanity and nip in the bud divisive acts and tendencies inimical to the existing cordiality and cohesion in the state administration.

    Ojogo said the governor had directed  Pelemo to hand over government’s property in his possession to the Deputy Chief of Staff  and wished him well in his future endeavours.  (NAN)