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Nigerian government blames states for failure of past development plans
Federal Government has blamed the states for the shortcomings of the past development plans, saying it did not receive the needed co-operation from the sub-national governments. Speaking at the closing of 19th National Council on Development Planning (NCDP) meeting on Friday in Abuja, Minister of Finance, Mrs Zainab Ahmed, said the overall score card of previous plans were adjudged to be below expectations because of inadequate collaboration from the subnational governments. According to her, the previous plans did not make much impacts based on the assertion that the plans were more of federal government than national. “However, the overall scorecard of previous Plans were adjudged to be below expectations and these were among other factors attributed to inadequate collaboration from Sub-...
Interpol: Fake coronavirus vaccines are being sold online
The International Criminal Police Organisation (INTERPOL) has warned against the purchase of COVID-19 vaccines online. INTERPOL noted that criminals have started producing and selling fake vaccines through online platforms. The law enforcement organisation, in a statement published on its website, said members of the public that purchase such fake vaccines are at risk of serious health hazards. “With criminal groups producing, distributing and selling fake vaccines, the risks to the public are clear: these can include buying a product which not only does not protect against COVID-19, but poses a serious health hazard if ingested or injected. Such products are not tested, regulated or safety-checked,” the statement read. “Legitimate vaccines are not for sale. They are strictly administered ...
US workers enticed with bonuses, time off to get coronavirus vaccine
As Covid-19 vaccination drives get into gear across the United States, some businesses are offering transportation, paid time off and bonuses of up to $500 to encourage workers to get the jab. Labor-intensive industries like slaughterhouses, supermarkets, and farms, whose workers are at higher risk of contracting the virus, have taken the lead, with several large grocery chains offering two to four hours of paid leave time for employees to get vaccinated. “Providing accommodations so employees can receive this critical vaccine is one more way we can support them and eliminate the need to choose between earning their wages and protecting their well-being,” Jason Hart, CEO of supermarket chain Aldi, said in January. Others have taken advantage of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention re...
Taylor Swift Releases ‘You All Over Me (From the Vault)’: Stream It Now
Taylor Swift has her fans all over her new song “You All Over Me,” which dropped on Friday (March 26). The gentle acoustic country track, which was written back in 2008 during the sessions for Swift’s Fearless album, is the first of her “From the Vault” series of songs she plans to release along with her six re-recorded albums following the acquisition of her master recordings by Scooter Braun. “One thing I’ve been loving about these From The Vault songs is that they’ve never been heard, so I can experiment, play, and even include some of my favorite artists,” Swift wrote on her socials when she first announced the song on Wednesday. You Deserve to Make Money Even When you are looking for Dates Online. So we reimagined...
Nigerian government mulls TCN’s unbundling, partial concession to boost power supply
The federal government is considering the unbundling and partial concession of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) to boost its efficiency in the government’s bid to improve power supply. Director, Energy, Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), Mr. Yunana Malo, said during the March edition of “the Electricity Hub” conversation series on power that the National Council on Privatisation (NCP) had directed that a proper strategy should be mapped out for the unbundling of TCN. He stated that the government believed that all the players in the energy value chain should be able to align with the needs of the power sector seamlessly, adding that the right environment is being created for the transmission component to match generation and distribution. Malo said data was key to making decision...
A Timeline of Taylor Swift & Maren Morris’ Friendship
While this will be the pair’s first recorded collaboration, it’s far from their first interaction. Below, find a timeline of Swift and Morris’ friendship and mutual appreciation. October 2017: Maren Welcomes Taylor Comparisons In an interview with Coveteur, Morris is asked what she thinks about people comparing her to Swift, another famous female artist who got her start in Nashville. “I certainly welcome it,” she said. “I don’t think they’re comparing our sound, but I think they see in Taylor [that] she’s always been great at blending genres and still making her own sound out of it. You can’t really place her in one category or the other — she’s sort of just an all-encompassing, really great musician and songwriter, so I’m always re...
Niger governor decries level of corruption in Nigeria
The Niger State Governor, Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello, has decried the level of corruption in the country’s political and economic environment, insisting that corruption is endemic in all the facets of the nation’s life. Speaking at a two-day ‘Get involved leadership’ training in Minna Wednesday, Governor Bello said: “The problem with Nigeria today is enormous, every sector is corrupted. There is no country that can develop with the level of corruption we have. According to the governor, “When you have a system where only limited or few people are transparent, the system can never work.” He submitted that as a result of the high level of corruption in the polity, political positions either elective or those appointed have always gone to the highest bidder, a development he described as unac...
Jon Nite Leads Country Songwriters Chart, Thanks to Hits by Gabby Barrett & Brett Young
Nite notched his first songwriting credit on the Hot Country Songs chart in 2012 with Thompson Square’s “Glass” (co-written with Copperman; No. 15 peak). Since then, Nite has had a hand in writing 30 Hot Country Songs hits, including 15 top 10s and four No. 1s: Artist, Title (songwriters in addition to Nite)Keith Urban & Miranda Lambert, “We Were Us” (Jimmy Robbins, Nicolle Galyon)Jake Owen, “Beachin’ ” (Jimmy Robbins, Jaren Johnston)Luke Bryan, “Strip It Down” (Luke Bryan, Ross Copperman)Gabby Barrett, “I Hope” (Gabby Barrett, Zach Kale) Nite has also co-written 18 Country Airplay top 10s, including 11 No. 1s. He succeeds fellow “I Hope” writers Barrett and Kale atop Country Songwriters, after they spe...
AFCON: Aston Villa congratulate Bertrand Traore, Burkina Faso on qualification
Premier League side Aston Villa have congratulated Bertrand Traore and Burkina Faso after qualifying for the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations. Despite playing a 0-0 draw against Uganda on Wednesday evening at St. Mary’s Stadium-Kitende, Entebbe, Kamou Malo’s men booked a place in Cameroon with a game to spare. That will be the 13th time the West African country would reach the finals since their maiden appearance at Ghana 1978 – where they finished in eight position. The Villa Park giants have taken to social media to celebrate their winger and his country on their recent success. “Congratulations to Bertrand Traore and Burkina Faso, who qualified for the Africa Cup of Nations 2021 with a goalless draw against Uganda on Wednesday!” a tweet from the club read. Burkina Faso – who currently lead Gr...
Akwa Ibom NASU demands inclusion in federal government’s incentives for teachers
File Photo The Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions, NASU, Akwa Ibom State has demanded inclusion in the incentives approved by the Federal government for teachers in primary and secondary Schools in the country. They made the demand on Wednesday when they marched from the entrance of the Indongesit Nkanga Secretariat to the State Universal Education Board (SUBEB) Secretariat to end their 3-day nationwide protest. Speaking at the SUBEB Secretariat, State Chairman of NASU, Comrade Aniefiok Simons, stressed that the exclusion of non teaching staff from the Federal government recent reforms in public primary and secondary Schools in the country was discriminatory and wrong. Simons called on all stakeholders in the Education sector to look into their plight, and ...
Group urges service chiefs to fish out criminal elements
Following the activities of armed bandits in the country, group has charged the new service chiefs to address the current Insecurity situation in the North East, particularly Maiduguri, which they noted,was the epicenter of insecurity in the country. By way of appeal the group urge the new security heads adopt a new strategy, hit the ground running by relocating to the theatre of the war against terrorists for at least six months in the first instance and not national tour. In a statement, Wednesday, the experts operating under the aegis of Coalition of Concerned Nigeria Security Experts noted that two months after the current security chiefs assumed office, insecurity was assuming a new dimension. In the statement by its National Coordinator, Prof. Otedola Adekunle and National Secretary,...
Minister: Nigerian government to establish micro enterprises in 774 local council areas
Dr George Akume, the Minister of Special Duties and Inter Governmental Affairs, on Wednesday said that micro enterprises will be established in the 774 Local Government Areas (LGAs) of the country. The Minister disclosed this in Abuja at the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) General Assembly with the Theme: Strategic Positioning for the Future: A New Era. “As a ministry, we have proposed the establishment of Micro, Small and Medium enterprises in the 774 local governments in Nigeria based on economic corridors. “We believe that this will create jobs and ensure improvement in the well-being of the local populace,’’Akume said. The minister, who was represented by Mr Simon Tyungu, Deputy Director, Office of the Minister, said that the establishment of the micro enterprise wa...
