More than a century since they were declared extinct in the Australian state of New South Wales, the bilby, a vulnerable marsupial with rabbit-like ears, has been reintroduced into a large, predator-free area in a remote desert park 1,200 kilometers northwest of Sydney. The release is part of a new breeding program at Taronga Western Plains Zoo in New South Wales state. The release of 10 bilbies is a bold attempt to turn back the clock to a time in Australia when native animals weren’t savaged by feral cats and foxes. Since European colonization, the bilby population has fallen by 80%. Rabbits, another invasive species, also compete with the marsupials for food and shelter. They face other threats from land clearing and bushfires. Bilbies survive in the wild only in parts of central and we...
President Muhammadu Buhari has condemned the ambush on entourage of Gov. Babagana Zulum of Borno, which led to the death of security men and some operatives of Civilian-JTF. The President made the condemnation in a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, in Abuja on Saturday. He described the attack, on Maiduguri-Baga route, as an orchestrated sabotage against long planned return of displaced persons to their local communities. Buhari noted, with deep sympathy, the loss of lives of security men on the convoy, ahead of the return of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), commiserating with their families and loved ones. The president advised the government of Borno, working with security and intelligence agencies, to remain firm in their determinat...
The Rivers State Government has approved the reopening of universities, other tertiary institutions, as well as secondary and vocational schools in the state, with effect from Monday, October 5, 2020. The decision was reached at the end of an emergency State Executive Council meeting on Friday and presided over by Governor Nyesom Wike in Government House, Port Harcourt. Commissioner for Education, Prof. Kaniye Ebeku, disclosed this while briefing journalists at the end of the meeting. He said the council’s approval did not include primary schools. “The council approved that schools in the State reopen on the 5th of October, 2020, with only the following – all secondary schools in the state, vocational schools in the state, universities and other tertiary institutions. “For the avoidance of...
About three days after a tanker accident sparked an explosion that claimed 30 lives in Lokoja, a fresh tragedy has struck the city. The biggest electrical trading complex in the city Peelinks went up in flames over night. The fire disaster which an eye witness blamed on suspected electrical malfunction started around 11 pm Friday night and continued till the early hours of Saturday. From a little spark in a section of the two story building the fire quickly spread to other parts of the complex and became uncontrollable. Goods worth millions of naira were lost in the unfortunate incident. The building is located on the popular Murtala Mohammed Way in the city and the State fire service office is less than two kilometres away. No help came from the service as it is said to lack equipment. Th...
The federal government has urged public servants to ignore the strike planned for Monday by organized lab our, saying efforts are in place to resolve all contending issues. This was made known yesterday in a circular signed by Dr. Folasade Yemi-Esan, Head of the Civil Service of the Federation. The circular read: “Sequel to the call by the labour unions for workers to embark on industrial action from Monday, 28th September 2020, the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation, OHCSF, wishes to inform all public servants that the federal government team is currently engaging with the labour unions with a view to resolving all contentious issues and avert the planned industrial action. “Furthermore, it is important to note that there is a court injunction granted by the National In...
Nigeria head coach Gernot Rohr has backed Samuel Kalu to rediscover his best form for club and country. Kalu struggled to get near his best for French club Girondis Bordeaux last season. The pacy winger managed just one goal and two assists in 20 league appearances for Les Girondis. He fell out with former manager Paulo Sousa, who criticised him for his lack of effort in training. The former KAA Gent of Belgium player was also linked with a number of clubs during the winter transfer window. The 23-year-old is now enjoying a new lease of life under Jean-Louis Gasset. Kalu scored his first goal of the season in Bordeaux’s 2-1 away loss to Lens last weekend. “There’s this Kalu who was playing very, very well with me and Nigeria, who lost a bit of confidence last season. It was not going very ...
Associate disputes ‘marriage’ between NAF chief, minister
As news continued to spread on the purported marriage between the Nigerian Chief of the Air Staff, Sadique Baba Abubakar, and the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Sadiya Umar Farouq, a VOA Hausa report has quoted a close friend of the Air boss describing the report as false. It was reported that Sadique and Sadiya got married in a mosque located in the Maitama high brow area of Abuja on the 18th of September, 2020. However, the VOA Hausa reported that when contacted on the matter, senior Air Force officers in Abuja said they were not aware of the marriage. “Even an intimate friend of the Air boss, who was in charge of his affairs, said he had inquired from his friend the Chief of Air Staff, and he told him the story was a fallacy.” A public commentator, Mohammed Usman, told the VOA that i...