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Showing posts from September 17, 2019

Closure Of Border Cannot End Smuggling, ECOWAS Tells Nigeria

Nigeria Cameroon border Nigeria Cameroon border The Economic Community Of West African States has told the Nigerian Government that closing its border with other neighbouring countries cannot prevent the smuggling of goods and products into Nigeria. President Muhammadu Buhari had announced the closure of the border, saying that it would prevent bringing products into the country illegally and also help boost the patronage of locally made products. Disagreeing with President Buhari, ECOWAS stated that the border closure would also affect the implementation of the Africa Continental Free Trade Area Act signed by the country. In a statement on Tuesday, the bloc said,“The ECOWAS Parliament calls for compliance with community provisions and the reopening of borders and a coordinated fight against smuggling in the region. “The root causes of this recurrent situation must be studied with a view to finding a permanent solution.” Business Economy Politics News AddThis :  O...

Prioritise Safety Of Patients, WHO Tells Nigeria, Others

The World Health Organization The World Health Organization WHO The World Health Organisation has advised member countries including Nigeria to place priority on the safety of patients. Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director, made the call during the commemoration of the 2019 World Patient Safety Day. He stated that stakeholders in the health sector should see the safety of patients as important, adding that available evidence suggested that 134 million adverse events occur annually in hospitals. Moeti said, “We must galvanise action towards safer systems, services, procedures, and practices in healthcare to eliminate harm to patients and to mitigate any risk of harm to patients. “The WHO Regional Office for Africa recognises and places high importance on patient safety to ensure that it has the rightful prominence within healthcare in the region.” Moeti added that the WHO was committed to support countries in determining the status of patient safety, development and i...

Nigerians To Start Paying For Bank Deposits In 2020

The Nation Starting from September 18, 2019, Nigerians operating bank accounts will begin to pay charges for deposits and withdrawals. Making the announcement on Tuesday, the Central Bank of Nigeria said that the nationwide implementation of the cashless policy will begin by March 2020. The apex bank said that implementation of the policy would signal the imposition of charges on deposits in addition to already existing charges on withdrawals. According to the circular, the charges will attract three per cent processing fees for withdrawals and two per cent processing fees for lodgments of amounts above N500,000 for individual accounts. For corporate accounts, the apex bank in the circular said that DMBs would charge five per cent processing fee for withdrawals and three per cent for lodgments of amounts above N3m. The statement, however, disclosed that the charge on deposits would apply in Lagos, Ogun, Kano, Abia, Anambra, and Rivers states as well as the Federal Capital T...

FUTA Raises The Alarm Over Admission Fraudsters

Federal University of Technology - Akure Federal University of Technology - Akure Nigeria Schools Authorities of the Federal University of Technology Akure, Ondo State, have raised the alarm over activities of some unscrupulous persons defrauding unsuspecting candidates seeking admission into the institution. Spokesperson for the university, Mr Adegbenro Adebanjo, said that the school was alerted by the criminal activities of the fraudsters by prospective admission seekers. Adebanjo stated that the institution was embarrassed by the criminal activities of the fraudsters using the social media and Internet for their illicit trade.  He disclosed that some admission seekers had been falling prey to the activities of the fraudsters claiming to be officials of the university. He said, “These impostors through text messages and posting on the social media, claim to have the ability and connections to manipulate results of post-UTME screening for any candidate interested in ga...

Black Carbon Inhaled By Pregnant Women Can Cross Into Unborn Babies –Study

A research done in Belgium has found that black carbon inhaled from motor vehicles or the burning of fuel reaches the placenta of the unborn baby.  According to the study published in the journal, Nature Communications, about 20,000 tiny particles per cubic meter of the tissue of every placenta analysed were found among pregnant women living near busy roads. For pregnant women in Nigeria where there are no regulations on carbon emitted by automobiles, this study will come as a great concern to dozens of them. The study said, “This is the most vulnerable period of life. All the organ systems are in development.  “For the protection of future generations, we have to reduce exposure. “We should be protecting fetuses and this is another reminder that we need to get air pollution levels down.” PUBLIC HEALTH News AddThis :  Original Author :  SaharaReporters, New York Disable advertisements :  from All Content via

Facebook Partners London Police To Track Terror Live Streams

Facebook on Tuesday teamed up with the London Police to help its artificial intelligence tools track live streams of terror attacks such as the New Zealand mosque massacre. A self-professed white supremacist used a head-mounted camera in March to broadcast live footage on Facebook of him attacking two mosques in the city of Christchurch. Facebook and platforms such as YouTube came under intense criticism for initially failing to detect the broadcast and then struggling to take down its uploads that proliferated online. The California-based social media behemoth on Tuesday said it was in the process of updating and refining its policies for dealing with extremism and online hate. “Some of these changes predate the tragic terrorist attack in Christ church, New Zealand, but that attack, and the global response to it in the form of the Christchurch Call to Action, has strongly influenced the recent updates to our policies and their enforcement.” London’s Metropol...

World’s Migrant Population Hits 272 Million –UN

Time.com A new United Nations report published on Tuesday as said that the world’s migrant population has hit 272 million. The report said Europe and North America have absorbed the largest share of that figure that has grown by 23 per cent over the past decade. The report found that there were 82 million migrants living in Europe and 59 million in North America in 2019, followed by Northern Africa and Western Asia with 49 million each. There were 51 million more migrants in the world in 2019 than in 2010, a 23 per cent increase, according to the report prepared by the population division of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs. It said migrants account for 3.5 per cent of the world’s population today, compared with 2.8 per cent in 2000. The report said the estimates were based on official national statistics on the foreign-born or the foreign population obtained from population censuses, population registers or nationally representative surveys, accord...

Alleged N400m Theft: Ex-Army GOC Rejects Adeosun As Court Marshal President

Major General Hakeem Oladapo Otiki (left) Major General Hakeem Oladapo Otiki (left) Former General Officer Commanding 8 Division of the Nigerian Army, Sokoto, Maj-Gen Hakeem Otiki, on Tuesday rejected Lieutenant-Gen Lamidi Adeosun as President of the Court Marshal set up to try him, according to a report by Channels TV. The former GOC is being tried for alleged theft of N400m. He made this known through his lawyer, Major Femi Oyebanji (retd), who said Adeosun presiding over the Court Marshal will prejudice his case and not ensure a fair trial. Among other reasons, counsel to Otiki said it’s a fact that the defendant conducted several operations that were directly under the office of Adeosun, which are operations that will come up during the trial. According to the counsel, this makes the President of the Court Marshal an interested party. He also added that the defendants inherited the soldiers that were under the command of Adeosun when he was in charge of 8 Division ...

Law Firm Describes Police Fund As Unconstitutional

A law firm, Banwo and Ihodalo Chamber, has described the police levy fund, which mandates companies in Nigeria to remit 0.005 per cent of their net profit to the Nigeria Police Trust Fund, as unconstitutional.  According to an analysis by the firm, the new tax is tantamount to ‘double taxation and flies in the face of constitutional and international best practices’. The firm reasoned that any company paying the levy would have already paid a 30 per cent company income tax and another two per cent education tax. It said, “The net profit levy imposed on companies by the Act is effectively double taxation and flies in the face of constitutional and international best practices, as the levy is essentially paid from profits that have already been taxed.” Speaking further, the law firm said the Police Trust Fund Act was silent on what the scope of a Nigerian company is.  The firm also notes that the law, which was signed by President Muhammadu Buhari on June 24, does n...

Youths Protest Against Cybercrime In Delta State

Some youths under the aegis of "Save Sapele Group" embarked on a peaceful protest in Delta State on Tuesday to condemn cybercrime and Internet fraud in the country. Speaking during the protest, one of the leaders said, “The protest was to condemn the activities of some misguided elements that engage in despicable activities such as Internet fraud, cybercrimes and kidnapping in Sapele. "We don't want ‘Yahoo yahoo’, we don't want Internet fraud, we say no to 419 and ritual killings.” They stated that Sapele was known for commendable activities and not illegal acts as being portrayed. CRIME Internet News AddThis :  Original Author :  SaharaReporters, New York Disable advertisements :  from All Content via

Ghanaian Court Launches Inquiry Into Billionaire, Lulu Briggs' Death

The Kaneshie District Court 2 in Accra, Ghana, has ordered a judicial inquiry into the death of Nigerian billionaire and philanthropist, High Chief Benson Lulu-Briggs of Abonnema, Rivers State. The court granted an ex-parte motion application filed by Chief Dumo Lulu-Briggs, eldest son of the deceased, who allegedly died upon arrival at the Kotoka International Airport, Accra, aboard a private flight on December 28, 2018, Graphic Online reports. In ordering for an inquest, the court said events following the philanthropist’s death gave it reasonable cause to believe that he did not die of natural causes, and ordered the police to produce all processes and documents in their custody, including an autopsy report. The court said, “An inquest should be conducted on the death of the deceased, an autopsy to be undertaken on the deceased following an application for post-mortem by the Ghana Police Service. “The Ghana Police Service is ordered to make available to this court al...

Laptops, Car Recovered As EFCC Arrests Suspected Yahoo Boys

Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission have arrested two suspected Internet fraudsters popularly known as ‘Yahoo boys’. The EFCC, during the arrest, recovered mobile phones, laptop computers, and a Toyota Corolla car. The suspects arrested are Iloh Joseph and Emeka Jonathan. According to the anti-graft agency, the arrest was made after a covert intelligence gathering and tip-off from already arrested suspects. The agency said, “Officers of the Cybercrime Section at the Abuja Zonal office of the EFCC on Monday, September 9, 2019, raided the residences of suspected yahoo-yahoo fraudsters in Abuja. “In the same vein, arrests were carried out on the September 13 at Nepa Road, Phase 4, Kubwa and at No 18 Samuel Crescent, Dantata Estate, Kubwa, Abuja. “The raid followed covert intelligence gathering and tip-offs from already arrested suspects.” The anti-corruption agency stated that the suspects are cooperating with the commission and would be charged t...

James Park Woods

James Park Woods . James Park Woods (1886–1963) was an Australian recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that could be awarded to members of the Australian armed forces at the time. Woods enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force in September 1916, and joined the 48th Battalion in France in September 1917. He participated in the First Battle of Passchendaele the following month. In 1918, Woods was hospitalised twice, finally returning to his unit in mid-August. On 18 September, the 48th Battalion was involved in the attack on the Hindenburg Outpost Line. During this battle Woods led a four-man patrol in an attack on a strong German post, inflicting severe casualties and driving more than thirty Germans from the position. His actions during this assault and subsequent defence against German counter-attacks resulted in him being awarded the Victoria Cross. His medals are now displayed in the Hall of Valour at the Australian War Memorial...

James Park Woods

James Park Woods . James Park Woods (1886–1963) was an Australian recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that could be awarded to members of the Australian armed forces at the time. Woods enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force in September 1916, and joined the 48th Battalion in France in September 1917. He participated in the First Battle of Passchendaele the following month. In 1918, Woods was hospitalised twice, finally returning to his unit in mid-August. On 18 September, the 48th Battalion was involved in the attack on the Hindenburg Outpost Line. During this battle Woods led a four-man patrol in an attack on a strong German post, inflicting severe casualties and driving more than thirty Germans from the position. His actions during this assault and subsequent defence against German counter-attacks resulted in him being awarded the Victoria Cross. His medals are now displayed in the Hall of Valour at the Australian War Memorial...