Plateau State government has denied the allegation of taking $350m African Development Bank, AfDB loan saying such allegation is frivolous as the government only took $11.2 million of which, 70% of the amount is being committed to infrastructure, 20% to capacity building and 10% for project management. A former Minister of Youth and Sports, Solomon Dalung, last Thursday at a webinar discussing why Plateau State lost its relevance at the national stage, accused the Governor, Simon Lalong of non-performance despite taking loans that have no impact on the lives of citizens. Dalung said, “$350 million (N140 billion) was approved for the Plateau State governemnt by the Federal Executive Council for the purpose of the potato value chain. I was a serving Minister at the time, so I was part of tha...
As the initial shock of the coronavirus pandemic subsides, South Africa’s small business leaders must now pick themselves up and begin to rebuild. For many businesses, working remotely and with reduced staff has been incredibly challenging, but technology has played a fundamental role in allowing work to continue. One positive to come from this crisis is that lockdown compelled businesses to adopt more advanced technologies than they may otherwise have considered. Many businesses have spent months focusing on the immediate term and making decisions necessary for their survival. As government restrictions loosen and the community begins to consider medium- and long-term priorities, this is the perfect time to reconsider the technology you use and how it will help you to reach your goals. In...
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...
With the U.S. election just weeks away, artists are imploring their fans to get out and vote on November 3. Country music legend Willie Nelson, however, decided to take his advice one step further. In a new animated video for his 2018 single “Vote ‘Em Out,” the outspoken star is asking that voters use the election to unseat those in power with a simple message; “If you don’t like who’s in there, vote ’em out.” The new clip shows cartoon voters casting their ballots, which Nelson pointedly calls “the biggest gun we got.” Nelson originally premiered the song at a 2018 rally for then-Senate candidate Beto O’Rourke in Austin, Texas as he ran against longtime Republican senator Ted Cruz. Throughout the song, Nelson lambasts ...